Category Archives: USA

First Book

Posted on November 7, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

First Book, a nonprofit organization that promotes reading among children of low-income families, has opened a relief fund to provide books to schools and families impacted by Hurricane Sandy. Every $2.50 donation will provide a new book to a child and … Continue reading →

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Be Prepared

Posted on November 6, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

Many of us who live on the East Coast of the United States have been rudely schooled on the importance of being prepared for natural disasters and emergencies. Lots of folks that I know will wish that they had heard of the … Continue reading →

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No Dikes Yet

Posted on November 5, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

In 2009, the RTL television network in the Netherlands filmed a feature in New York City on a proposal to construct a Dutch-style storm barrier across New York harbor. In light of last week’s visit by Hurricane Sandy, it seems … Continue reading →

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Take Thunder Rd to The Killing Fields

Posted on October 26, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

The witty folks at the British design  group Dorothy created this faux-vintage map of Los Angeles based on film titles. The Film Map cannily incorporates more than 900 movie titles that replace the actual street names, sites and geographical features, … Continue reading →

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Every Dot On The Map

Posted on October 21, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

“Every dot on a map interests me.” “unless the sun inside you is burning your gut, don’t do it.” Samizdat is here. Sometimes we all want to run away and live in cave.

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Or, the Whale

Posted on October 19, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

Yesterday, Google treated us to a neat Google Doodle to celebrate the 161st anniversary of the publication of Moby Dick, or, the whale, the iconic American novel by Herman Melville. If you have yet to meet the challenge of the … Continue reading →

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Ban This Book

Posted on October 6, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

Today is the final official day of 2012 Banned Book Week. I thought we’d “celebrate” with this comic created by Grant Snider. You can see more of Grant’s clever work over at his website called Incidental Comics. Take a look.

Posted in Art, Books, Freedom of Speech, USA, Writing | Tagged | 2 Comments

Taxi Stories

Posted on October 3, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

I have been riding New York City taxi cabs for decades and in all that time I have only had one woman driver. So I was intrigued by New York City-based filmmaker Diana Diroy’s documentary on Shonna Valeska and Elena … Continue reading →

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Finally Fast (almost)

Posted on October 1, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

Last week, the U.S. train network Amtrak finally began its much awaited testing of 165 mph “high speed trains” on its busy Northeast Corridor route. If these tests pan out, our trips from Philadelphia to New York City should drop to … Continue reading →

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Bane of Banned Books

Posted on September 30, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

Banned Books Week is the national book community’s annual celebration of the freedom to read. Hundreds of libraries and bookstores around the United States draw attention to the dangers of censorship by mounting displays of challenged books and hosting a … Continue reading →

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