Serious Knives

...may be found at Big Rock Forge.

When Mailer Ran for Mayor

But of course, just as New York was still New York, he was still Norman Mailer. He began to approach his concrete, common-sense ideas with a novelist’s unbridled flights of fancy. He spoke grandly of ivy and stained-glass windows on all public buildings, an annual Grand Prix in Central Park, a zoo in every neighborhood — even medieval jousts in parks, to alleviate juvenile delinquency.

Read the rest of Lee Siegel's essay here.

[HT: Althouse]

Truly Scary

Cultural Offering notes The Wall Street Journal article on the federal government's vendetta against Buckyballs, an item of innocent amusement which was portrayed as a menace.

I am amazed when people fear large corporations and yet do not see the potential for similar or greater abuses by the government.

Great Moments in Decision Making

Out of the following, which alternative name or names did city founders consider before settling on the name of Phoenix?

1. Salina
2. Pumpkinville
3. Stonewall
4. Hades
5. Apache 
6. Desertia
7. 5 and 6 above
8. 3 and 4 above
9. 1, 2, and 3 above
10. 3, 5, and 6 above

[Answer: 9]

First Paragraph

Within five minutes, or ten minutes, no more than that, three of the others had called her on the telephone to ask her if she had heard that something had happened out there.

- From The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe

Post-Research: Sawing, Planing, and Sanding

I'm preparing a new workshop. You'll hear more on the details later but I've moved past the crucial research stage and am now into the writing.

It's like taking several boards of wood and producing a beautiful table. There will be a lot of sawdust since what is taken away can be as important as what remains and everything must fit neatly. That's a special challenge when some items have a tendency to overlap.

This is the toughest stage.

Quote of the Day

People should be loved. Things should be used. Unfortunately, we have it backwards.

- Devin C. Hughes

Music Break

Cecilia Bartoli: "Ombra Mai Fu."

Life is in the Details

View From the Ledge features a poem by William Carlos Williams.

Find Something Beautiful Today