I’ve never understood Black Friday or our seemingly insatiable urge to be the United States of Buy. This year I’m formally joining a movement I’ve unknowingly participated in for years. It’s making sure to buy nothing on Black Friday.
There’s a couple different campaigns. As Cory noted out [...]
Normally, “fog of war” refers to the ambiguity and confusion encountered by military men, from commanders through ground soldiers, combatants during a war or battle. Yet the fog can envelop more than the military. There is also a fog of uncertainty and confusion in a city under siege or its [...]
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My friend Michael at The MinusCar Project is partnering with the Sioux Falls Green Project to bring the documentary No Impact Man to Sioux Falls. The movie, which tells the story of Colin Beavan’s decision to completely eliminate his personal impact on the environment for a [...]A Russian court reduced by several months the sentence of a man who murdered and ate his mother — and dismissed a cannibalism charge against him — because “I was so hungry, I had to eat [the corpse].” (Via.)
But maybe it’s a cultural thing. “Russian police have [...]
There’s a certain rhythm and inner warmth when you see an old friend after a number of years. While I’ve never spoken to Leo Kottke in my life, seeing him perform Thursday night at the Orpheum Theater had that feel.
I first became acquainted with Kottke in the mid-70s through his [...]
In the scheme of life, the universe and everything, it’s no big deal. But it does kind of piss me off so you’ll have to forgive this rant as I vent a bit.
When I post a bunch of links in Weekend Edition or Friday Follies, I use “Via” [...]
I mentioned when they were announced that I hadn’t read any of the finalists for the National Book Award. Lucky timing is going to help me out with reading one of the winners.
Taking a look at some of the “best of” lists for this year that have been appearing in [...]
Even during the height of Communism, Albania was an outlier, a dystopia seemingly little noticed by most of the world. Here was a country whose dictator, Enver Hoxha, broke ties with the Soviet Union because he believed criticizing and abandoning Stalinism was “revisionism.” Having then allied the country with Red [...]
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Two of my favorite things — books and jazz — come together tomorrow at the local B&N. With this voucher (which will also be available in the store) a percentage of your purchases will be donated to the Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society’s Education Fund. The [...]It’s been too long since the last installment in this series and the celebrations this week over the fall of the Berlin Wall create a perfect opportunity to talk about Good Bye, Lenin!. While the movie is about the fall of the wall and Communism, it presents an innovative [...]
Start the debate.
The Sioux Falls School District has removed a graphic novel from student access at two middle school libraries. The book, Stuck in the Middle: 17 Comics from an Unpleasant Age, now is available only for school staff to check out and use in class. Although I [...]
How pervasive is the power of politics? About as pervasive as you can get, as evidenced by word that Sarah Palin is going to be at the local B&N for a book-signing on December 6.
Palin is unquestionably the highest profile “author” to hit the local B&N. At least in [...]
Book blurbs often seem the equivalent of movie blurbs. Skepticism seems justified when a publisher puts a blurb smack on the front cover just below the title — especially when it says, “May be the best book ever written about jazz.” Is this honest commentary or gratuitous puffery? With Geoff [...]
Does your house have a communal bookshelf? If not, is your bookshelf centrally located so everyone has access to it?
Our house is a divided country when it comes to bookshelves. Actually, it’s more akin to bordering states than a civil war but we aren’t into communal [...]
With the Cold War being waged for more than half my life, I was among the many millions fascinated with the fall of the Berlin Wall. Twenty years ago today, the East German government — intentionally or not — opened up its borders. For most, it is also perhaps [...]
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I had the pleasure of speaking about blogging this week at the Newspaper Writing: Critical/Editorial course offered by Augie’s English/Journalism programs If only I’d known earlier, a personal dream would come true tonight. Springsteen and the E Street Band will perform The Wild, the Innocent, and the E [...]Sometimes the headlines (and subheads) say it all:
Man caught nude in truck uses the “explosive diarrhea” defense.
Woman Calls 911, Says Boyfriend Won’t Marry Her
Same Person Called 911 Saying She Couldn’t Find Car (Via.)
There was an uproar in the interweb/blogosphere/social media worlds this week when someone noted that Publishers Weekly’s list of the Top 10 Books of 2009 did not include any female authors. Frankly, I didn’t notice until I saw a post about it. And while this may diving into hot [...]
I’m one of those who always rants about how early Christmas stuff shows up each year. So it may be somewhat hypocritical for me to join a new book blogger effort called Buy Books for the Holidays. But I think there’s excellent reasons for doing so.
First, it’s something I’ve [...]
It was an era more than half our population knows only through history. It was an era in which the United States went from being the only nation possessing nuclear weapons to facing the reality that the “Godless Commies” also had them. It was an era in which the Cold [...]
Of all the constitutional guarantees, one most Americans are familiar with is the Fourth Amendment. In its entirety, it states, “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but [...]
You may recall I posted last month about how a U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee amendment to legislation creating a federal “reporters privilege” appeared to require that a person work for the mainstream media, thereby excluding most bloggers. Now it appears the committee will do a near complete reversal.
Sens. Charles [...]
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The Rapid City Public Library is going to be posting podcasts of some of the events from this year’s South Dakota Festival of Books.Worthwhile Reading in the Interweb Tubes
How Much People Pay for Health Care Around the World “At this moment, there are more females serving on [...]I’m thinking a $16.5 million verdict isn’t unexpected when jurors ask for a 10-digit adding machine.
Woman arrested for offering sex for World Series tickets gets 800 new Facebook “friends.” I wonder why. (Via.)
Dumb legal marketing idea # 36,926: Lawyer-referral site tries to generate more business for [...]
Do real private detectives read detective novels? Do police officers read crime fiction? I wonder because, as a practicing attorney, I don’t usually read novels dealing with lawyers. Even when written by attorneys, story-telling seems to require shortcuts. Perhaps unnoticed by the average reader, those shortcuts can leave me incredulous, [...]
Ranging a bit far afield from the usual topics of this blog but dealing with a subject of professional interest, a couple recent items reinforced this country’s problem with immigration. It isn’t illegal immigrants — it’s the fact our immigration system is broken.
Our immigration law labyrinth is not only [...]
True, Harry Nilsson’s Son of Schmilsson was released in the summer of 1972. But with the cover, on which Nilsson appears as Dracula, and the B-horror movie sound effects between the first and second tracks, it seems an appropriate topic for Halloween week — even though I value the [...]
Sometimes a book leaves me puzzled. Sometimes that’s good. Sometimes that’s bad. Sometimes it’s both. Paul Auster’s latest novel, Invisible, falls in the latter category.
Before explaining why, the basic background of the story is necessary. Invisible is the memoir, of sorts, of Adam Walker’s life [...]
Worthwhile Reading in the Interweb Tubes
Vaccines & Autism: A Deadly Manufactroversy (Via.) Fifteen Things More Important Than Money (Via.)Blog Headlines of the Week
Marijuana legalizers do victory lap, stop to cough and wheeze Bob Dylan Christmas Album Reviewed: Jewish Ex-Christian Kills Christmas via SongsBlog Line of the [...]
North Korea has amended its constitution. In inimitable North Korean style, the “contents of the revision have not been made public” by its government.
“Miss California USA officials want Carrie Prejean to repay $5,200 they say she borrowed to have her breasts augmented last year.”
But that may not top [...]
If you could ask your favorite author (alive or dead) one question … who would you ask, and what would the question be?
Sorry, but I can’t resist making this like asking the genie from the bottle for more wishes with your one wish. So, I’d say [...]
No one is immune from genre-bashing. What’s come to be known as historical fiction is one of those genres at which I tend to look askance. I’m guilty of often considering it little more than a costume drama, where the author simply places characters and situations in a historical setting. [...]
A couple things are luring me over to the dark side — an e-book reader.
If you weren’t under a rock the last 24 hours, you know Barnes & Noble is releasing an e-reader, which Wired immediately said would cause Kindle owners “a giant dose of buyer’s remorse.” Now [...]
War has broken out in the book retailing world. First, Wal-Mart last week said it would offer preorders of 10 top books to be released in November for $10 each online with free shipping. Amazon, of course, jumped in to match the price. That prompted a retaliatory strike by Wal-Mart, [...]
From a photographer who’s spent the last five years on the Pine Ridge Reservation: “I think I honestly want these photos to hurt the viewer.” (H/T Prof. Newquist.)
And while it doesn’t address this level of poverty, it is still an appropriate time to remind you to read John [...]
Given our history, Americans tend to think of political prisoners as those who actively oppose the political policies or government of their country. Yet in totalitarian societies even aesthetics are political so whether a person is a dissident is in the eye of the beholder. That’s what artist Er Tai [...]
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As indicated by the new graphic in the right sidebar, this blog was one of about 50 selected to become new members of 9rules, a collection of blogs providing “the best content from the independent web.”
You may (or maybe not) have noticed the absence of Midweek Music [...]
I wonder if this will pop up if South Dakota’s smoking ban referendum moves forward? A Canadian truck driver was arrested and fined for smoking in the workplace — his truck. (Via.)
Polish and Russian legislators are suggesting dealing with pedophilia by using drugs to lower the sex [...]
When’s the last time you weeded out your library? Do you regularly keep it pared down to your reading essentials? Or does it blossom into something out of control the minute you turn your back, like a garden after a Spring rain?
Or do you [...]
Now I read, on average, at least one book a week. And it’s not like I’m reading boilerplate serializations or harlequin romances. If I look back on the authors and books I’ve read, I’m certainly not embarrassed. Yet around this time each year I once again sense my “illiterati” status.
Wednesday [...]
Two of Barbara Ehrenreich’s best-selling books are reality journalism, where she put herself in the situations she’s writing about. Thus, in 2001 she released Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, a first-hand account of trying to live on the wages of low-paying jobs, such as waitress, [...]
Short stories and poetry are deceptively difficult literary forms. On the surface, they have the allure of simplicity. After all, they don’t require the detailed arcs or subplots of a novel. Short stories also need not deal with meter or rhyme. Yet these things also make them so difficult. They [...]
Blog Headlines of the Week
UK booksellers go nuts, decide not to stock crappy book
Obama Wins Peace Prize, Wingnut Heads Explode
Blog Lines of the Week
Jon Krakauer: “Every single time I write, I ask myself what the fuck I’m doing, why the fuck am I writing.”
Bookish Linkage
I think this is called a vicious circle: “Lawyer Says Lawyer Defamed Him in Press Release About Defamation Suit” (Via.)
So much for seeking forgiveness. A convicted sex offender in Raleigh, N.C., was arrested when he tried to attend church because he is not allowed to be present [...]
No, this is not a new feature. Instead, it’s a bit of an explanation why, contrary to my promise last weekend, regular programming has not resumed.
Attribute it in large part to the fact I had the pleasure of arguing before the South Dakota Supreme Court Wednesday morning in [...]
The Secret History of Science Fiction, a new anthology aimed at questioning the existence of genre boundaries, could be a victim of the very issue it seeks to address. It uses the term “science fiction” in the title.
The anthology proceeds from an interesting premise. [...]
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With today being the end of Banned Books Week, regular programming here will resume next week.
The annual South Dakota Festival of Books is underway in Deadwood, although I’m sure the fact two “big names” with new releases — David Cross and Pete Dexter — canceled their appearances.
Blog Headlines [...]
With today being the last day of Banned Books Week, I thought it worthwhile to wrap things up with a look at how it was viewed by others, both in the blogosphere and the mainstream press.
An op-ed in the Wall Street Journal as Banned Books Week kicked off took a [...]
