“back when tigers used to smoke” (호랑이 담배 피우던 시절에)

Posted on January 17, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

Once upon a time…

korean: “back when tigers used to smoke” (호랑이 담배 피우던 시절에)

czech: “beyond seven mountain ranges, beyond seven rivers” (za sedmero horami a sedmero řekami)

georgian: “there was, and there was not, there was…” (იყო და არა იყო რა, იყო…)

hausa: “a story, a story. let it go, let it come.”

romanian: “there once was, (as never before)… because if there wasn’t, it wouldn’t have been to told” (A fost odată, ca niciodată că dacă n-ar fi fost, nu s-ar mai povesti…)

lithuanian: “beyond nine seas, beyond nine lagoons: (už devynių jūrų, už devynių marių)

catalan: “see it here that in that time in which beasts spoke and people were silent…” (vet aquí que en aquell temps que les bèsties parlaven i les persones callaven…)

turkish: “Once there was, and once there wasn’t. In the long-distant days of yore, when haystacks winnowed sieves, when genies played jereed in the old bathhouse, [when] fleas were barbers, [when] camels were town criers, [and when] I softly rocked my baby grandmother to sleep in her creaking cradle, there was/lived, in an exotic land, far, far away, a/an…* (Bir varmış, bir yokmuş. Evvel zaman içinde, kalbur saman içinde, cinler cirit oynar iken eski hamam içinde, pireler berber [iken], develer tellal [iken], ben ninemin beşiğini tıngır mıngır sallar iken, uzak diyarların birinde…)

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heaped with shining hills

Posted on January 16, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

First Snow by Mary Oliver

The snow
began here
this morning and all day
continued, its white
rhetoric everywhere
calling us back to why, how,
whence such beauty and what
the meaning…
The silence
is immense,
and the heavens still hold
a million candles, nowhere
the familiar things:
stars, the moon,
the darkness we expect
and nightly turn from. Trees
glitter like castles
of ribbons, the broad fields
smolder with light, a passing
creekbed lies
heaped with shining hills;
and though the questions
that have assailed us all day
remain — not a single
answer has been found –
walking out now
into the silence and the light
under the trees,
and through the fields,
feels like one.

 

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Sacré bleu

Posted on January 15, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

The 1937 phrasebook Collins’ Pocket Interpreters: France paints an alarming picture of a typical visit to France:

I cannot open my case.
I have lost my keys.
I did not know that I had to pay.
I cannot find my porter.
Excuse me, sir, that seat is mine.
I cannot find my ticket!
I have left my gloves (my purse) in the dining car.
I feel sick.
The noise is terrible.
Did you not get my letter?
I cannot sleep at night, there is so much noise.
There are no towels here.
The sheets on this bed are damp.
I have seen a mouse in the room.
These shoes are not mine.
The radiator doesn’t work.
This is not clean, bring me another.
I can’t eat this. Take it away!
The water is too hot, you are scalding me!
It doesn’t work.
This doesn’t smell very nice.
There is a mistake in the bill.
I am lost.
Someone robbed me.
I shall call a policeman.
That man is following me everywhere.
There has been an accident!
She has been run over.
He is losing blood.
He has lost consciousness.

James Thurber, who came upon the book in a London bookshop, described it as a “melancholy narrative poem” and “a dramatic tragedy of an overwhelming and original kind.” “I have come across a number of these helps-for-travelers,” he wrote, “but none has the heavy impact, the dark, cumulative power of Collins’. … The volume contains three times as many expressions to use when one is in trouble as when everything is going all right.”

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Driving In Circles

Posted on January 14, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

I’m no Luddite, but I have serious reservations about self-driving automobile technology. This recent news story seems to prove me right. Last week, Mike Johns was on his way to the Phoenix, Arizona airport in a Waymo autonomous taxi to catch a flight back to Los Angeles. However, the self-driving taxi had other, very autonomous plans and, after Johns had fastened his seatbelt in the back seat, began driving in circles in a parking lot . As a passenger, there is apparently nothing more you can do than call Waymo support, who also seemed rather helpless at first. But somehow things went forward and Mike got his flight after all.

 

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No But Yes

Posted on January 13, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

You all know by now that I am serious about coffee. I take it so seriously that I got my own roasting machine and learned to be a competent amateur roaster. So when I read about coffee in a tube, my first reactions was a hard pass. But then I thought about the hassles that I faced carrying brewing equipment on backpacking trips and reconsidered.

Outdoor enthusiasts can now get their caffeine fix with the world’s first coffee in a tube, brought to life by Swiss startup No Normal Coffee.

The idea of an ultra-portable kafi us de tube came to founders Alexander Härberlin and Philippe Greinacher during a hiking trip in the Swiss Alps, where the desire for a good cup of joe met the challenges of portability and simplicity. What they’ve thus concocted is a coffee paste that guarantees quality, consistency, and convenience, catering to adventurers who don’t want to compromise on flavor while on the go.

Made from 100% Fair Trade Arabica beans sourced from Colombia and sweetened with organic Swiss beet sugar, the coffee paste delivers a rich, dark roast experience. Each 100ml aluminum tube contains enough paste to make up to 20 cups of coffee, with flavors that hint at chocolate, nuts, and caramel.

To prepare a cup, mix a teaspoon of the paste with hot or cold water, stir, and enjoy. The tube’s resealable design ensures that there’s no mess, making it a practical solution for camping trips, hikes, or any activity away from home.

Besides use in drinkable form, the paste can be enjoyed straight from the tube, used as a spread on bananas or bread, or incorporated into protein drinks.

 

 

 

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Who knew that we are climate heroes

Posted on January 12, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

I have always contended that secondhand and antiquarian booksellers were the epitome of recyclers, but now we’re getting awards for our efforts.

One of the most popular antiquarian and secondhand bookshop in the North East of England has won the North Tyneside Business Forum Action on Climate Change business award.

Keel Row Books, which moved recently from North Shields to Whitley Bay, was established in 1981 and has been run since 2006 by Anthony Smithson and Alice Laverty, founders of the prestigious York Antiquarian Books Seminar, the annual not-for-profit educational course for would-be booksellers.

“Over the last decade, we have been chip, chip, chipping away at our business carbon footprint,” they said. “It’s been a positive and interesting journey. With consistent effort, our carbon emissions have reduced from modest to dainty.

“Our business model is based on reuse and is inherently low carbon. In the last year we’ve sold over 25000 books, all bought secondhand from book collectors, readers and auctions in the North East and beyond, then streamed back to market through our business. In 2023 we relocated to a low carbon premises on Park View in Whitley Bay. During the renovation of the derelict property, we invested in carbon saving features including an air to water heat pump, insulation, salvaged and reused fixtures and furniture, and new double glazed windows and shopfront. Other business carbon reduction policies include a renewable energy contract, biodegradable and reused packaging, and no flying for business purposes.”

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All eyes on Greenland

Posted on January 11, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

Once again, Creamsicle Caligula has made headlines with his wacky claims about taking over Greenland and making it a U.S. territory. And again, the mainstream media has taken the bait and focused on his cockamamie pronouncements while ignoring his outrageous plans and political appointments. However, it’s a good opportunity to talk about some of the peculiar aspects of Greenland’s place on the globe.

Greenland is farther east, west, north, and south than Iceland.
Greenland holds the fascinating distinction of stretching farther east, west, north, and south than its neighboring island, Iceland, making it a unique geographical marvel. This extraordinary fact is rooted in the sheer size of Greenland, which is the largest island in the world, spanning over 2.16 million square kilometers, compared to Iceland’s relatively modest 103,000 square kilometers.
Greenland’s westernmost point, Cape Alexander, reaches farther west than Iceland’s Snæfellsnes Peninsula. To the east, Greenland’s Cape Nordostrundingen extends well beyond Iceland’s easternmost point near Gerpir. In the north, Greenland’s Kaffeklubben Island holds the title of the northernmost point of land on Earth, far surpassing Iceland’s northern limits at Rifstangi. Similarly, in the south, Greenland’s Cape Farewell extends farther into the North Atlantic than Iceland’s southernmost point at Kötlutangi.
This remarkable range is due not only to Greenland’s vast size but also to its position straddling the Arctic. Its territory stretches across both the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, giving it a greater reach in all directions. In contrast, Iceland, while geologically unique and located at the boundary of the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates, is much smaller and more compact in its extent.
Greenland’s vast dimensions emphasize the stark difference between the two islands in terms of scale and geographic influence. This comparison highlights the incredible diversity of the North Atlantic region, showcasing how two neighboring islands can differ so dramatically in size, shape, and global positioning.
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A message that sadly needs repeating

Posted on January 10, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

As 2025 dawns, here in the United States we face the prospect of a four year (or more) reign of Christo-Fascist zealots. But the world has seen it all before.

The League of American Writers was formed by artists, authors and poets and others  who established by the First American Writers Congress in 1935.

The letter above was written by Donald Ogden Stewart, the President of the League and longtime friend and neighbor of Rockwell Kent, this large-scale, anti-fascist broadside voiced the organization’s cry against the brutality of the Spanish Civil War. In addition to Kent and Stewart, other notable signers include Elmer Adler, Marc Blitzstein, Lawrence Gelb, Prince Hubertus and Princess Helga Maria Loewenstein, Henry Seidel Canby, and author and screenwriter Lester Cohen. Although their signatures do not appear on the document, other prominent members of the League included Lillian Hellman, Ernest Hemingway, John Steinbeck and Nathanael West. Hemingway, in particular, spoke out about his time covering the Spanish Civil War and the atrocities that he witnessed.

The calligraphed broadside with a statement signed by members of The League of American Writers, which features a headpiece illustration by Rockwell Kent, who was also a member of the contentious organization.

 

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Would you pay a fee to visit a bookstore

Posted on January 9, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

Bunkitsu (文喫) in Tokyo’s Roppongi neighborhood is a bookstore that stocks more than 30,000 titles. It also features something else: an admission fee. It costs 1,650 yen (USD $10.50) on weekdays and 2,530 yen ($16) on weekends. There’s also a “morning stroll” option for weekday AM that’s only 1,100 yen ($7).

It may seem outrageous to North Americans and Europeans to charge admission to a bookshop, but in crowded Tokyo it grants you access to an attractive, quiet 90-seat space in the city where you can hang out all day if you choose. Contrast that to the atypical book/cafe in Tokyo where you’re often limited to a two-hour maximum stay. Even in spaces that don’t impose a time limit, you may be made to feel guilty taking up limited space for longer than that.

Bunkitsu is divided into several areas, including a long row of lantern-lit desks with plenty of space to spread out and either read or work. Every seat has power outlets for plugging in a laptop, phone, or tablet.

The price of admission also includes free unlimited coffee or tea. You can also purchase more expensive drinks a la carte.

You can bring your own books to read or check out a new title in the bookstore. They also have an enormous selection of magazines to browse.

Other book cafes around Tokyo have also jumped on the pay-to-stay concept. Mori No Toshoshitsu in Shibuya offers food and drinks (including cocktails), a ton of books, and a flexible hourly charge system: 1,100 yen for an hour, 2,,200 for three hours, or 3,300 for all-day access with a free drink.

 

 

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We all want to be told stories

Posted on January 8, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

“We exist for ourselves, perhaps, and at times we even have a glimmer of who we are, but in the end we can never be sure, and as our lives go on, we become more and more opaque to ourselves, more and more aware of our own incoherence. No one can cross the boundary into another – for the simple reason that no one can gain access to himself.

…..

In general, lives seem to veer abruptly from one thing to another, to jostle and bump, to squirm. A person heads in one direction, turns sharply in mid-course, stalls, drifts, starts up again. Nothing is ever known, and inevitably we come to a place quite different from the one we set out for.

…..

Then, without any warning, we both straightened up, turned towards each other, and began to kiss. After that, it is difficult for me to speak of what happened. Such things have little to do with words, so little, in fact, that it seems almost pointless to try to express them. If anything, I would say that we were falling into each other, that we were falling so fast and so far that nothing could catch us.

…..

We all want to be told stories, and we listen to them in the same way we did when we were young. We imagine the real story inside the words, and to do this we substitute ourselves for the person in the story, pretending that we can understand him because we understand ourselves. This is a deception. We exist for ourselves, perhaps, and at times we even have a glimmer of who we are, but in the end we can never be sure, and as our lives go on, we become more and more opaque to ourselves, more and more aware of our own incoherence. No one can cross the boundary into another—for the simple reason that no one can gain access to himself.”

 

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