Author Archives: Brian D. Butler

Travel Art 20th Century Style

Posted on February 7, 2011 by Brian D. Butler
Posted in Art, Tourism, Travel Writing | Leave a comment

Our wonderful planet

Posted on February 6, 2011 by Brian D. Butler

The crescent Moon, rising Sun and the planet Venus are all visible in this astonishing photograph taken by David Kaplan last Sunday in Eastern Switzerland.The lights from the Swiss village of Trübbach illuminate the clouds above the Mitterspitz. You can … Continue reading →

Posted in Europe, Photography | Leave a comment

Save The Libraries

Posted on February 5, 2011 by Brian D. Butler

While British and American libraries are up-against draconian budget cuts and outright closures, some forward thinking nations are actually investing in their intellectual futures with inspirational new libraries. The Austrian National Library is planning a truly 21st century learning space … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Books, Europe, Libraries | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Choose Wisely

Posted on February 4, 2011 by Brian D. Butler

With various “bring your own chopsticks” movements making little headway against the 45 billion pairs of disposable wooden utensils used each year in China alone, a clever Chinese environmental group has brought a dramatic visible representation of the environmental impact to … Continue reading →

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Life Does Not Go On

Posted on February 3, 2011 by Brian D. Butler

Literature has been caught up in the protests that have now entered their seventh day in Egypt. The annual Cairo book fair, due to have been held this week, has been abandoned, with many foreign exhibitors left stranded after failing … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, Books, Bookstore Tourism, Freedom of Speech, Middle East | Tagged | 1 Comment

Google Frees the Art

Posted on February 2, 2011 by Brian D. Butler

If you’ve been put-off by ever rising museum entrance fees or have been unable to get to your favorite museum collections, our friends at Google have a fantastic new application just for you. The Google Art Project transcends budgets and … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Europe, Museums, USA | 1 Comment

Some Good News Out of Egypt

Posted on February 1, 2011 by Brian D. Butler

This weekend the Bibliotheca Alexandrina director Ismail Seragelin wrote an open letter explaining that Egyptian young people were protecting the famous Alexandria library from looters.        “The world has witnessed an unprecedented popular action in the streets of Egypt.  Led … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, Libraries, Museums | Tagged , | 1 Comment

A New Way of Seeing

Posted on January 31, 2011 by Brian D. Butler

  British artist Arthur Buxton is always searching for novel ways to explore art. His color-study pie charts of well known Van Gogh works deconstruct the painter’s color use. Each one represents the color distribution in a famous Van Gogh … Continue reading →

Posted in Art | 1 Comment

Look In Every Box

Posted on January 30, 2011 by Brian D. Butler

Richard and Janet Monson purchased two boxes of old books at an auction last year. The boxes contained books of major historical relevance. The books are now part of Swedish collections in a university and the Swedish National Library in … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Books, Europe, Libraries | Leave a comment

Isn’t It Ironic ?

Posted on January 29, 2011 by Brian D. Butler

Isn’t it ironic that as mobs surround the Egyptian Museum in Cairo Dr. Zahi Hawass is again demanding that the Neues Museum in Berlin return the famous bust of Nefertiti. Hawass, the head of Egypt’s Council of Antiquities claims that … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, Art, Europe, History, Museums | Tagged | Leave a comment