Category Archives: USA

“Merry Christmas From the Family”

Posted on December 24, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

My favorite local radio station has been playing this modern classic Christmas tune for the last three decades. It never feels like the holiday without Robert Earl Keene’s Merry Christmas from the Family. Folks outside of the U.S. may think that … Continue reading →

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Holiday Cheer

Posted on December 23, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

Way back in 1993, the American Beat writer William S. Burroughs wrote and narrated a 21-minute claymation Christmas film which was produced by Francis Ford Coppola. And, as you can well imagine, it’s not your typical smarmy holiday flic. The … Continue reading →

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True Meaning of Christmas

Posted on December 20, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

A touching short film starring Willian Shatner on the true meaning of Christmas.  

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Bookstores are making a comeback in the U.S.

Posted on December 13, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

After more than a decade of bad news stories about the imminent demise of the American bookstore it seems that things are looking up for a change.  

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I hang on the edge of this universe

Posted on December 12, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

I hang on the edge of this universe singing off-key talking too loud embracing myself to cushion the fall I shall tumble into deep space never in this form or with this feeling to return to earth It is not … Continue reading →

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Good News For Flyers

Posted on December 10, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

Under consumer protection rules that the U.S. Transportation Department announced earlier this year, airlines may owe travelers money back when services that passengers paid for go awry. Some of those rules went into effect October. Here’s what air travelers in … Continue reading →

Posted in Air Travel, Public Transport, Tourism, USA | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Canada for free

Posted on December 7, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

It’s been a very stressful time for most folks in the U.S., but our neighbors to the north in Canada might have a timely gift. Destination Canada, the nation’s tourism board, is offering the chance to experience the joy and … Continue reading →

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A Farewell to Arms (copyright)

Posted on December 6, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

It’s that wonderful time of the year when we anticipate all of the amazing works of art and literature that will lose their copyright protections. So, if you’ve been hankering to write that sequel to A Farewell to Arms or paint your … Continue reading →

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Today is a fog bank in which I am hiding.

Posted on December 5, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

PENTATINA FOR FIVE VOWELS Campbell McGrath Today is a trumpet to set the hounds baying. The past is a fox the hunters are flaying. Nothing unspoken goes without saying. Love’s a casino where lovers risk playing. The future’s a marker … Continue reading →

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“For every five people who read this book four will go insane.”

Posted on December 2, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

Charles Fort’s Book of the Damned: “For every five people who read this book“, wrote novelist/playwright Ben Hecht, “four will go insane”. If you are feeling courageous, the book is available for free right here. In 2020, Stéphanie Colaux discovered an … Continue reading →

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