Review of Smart Casual: The Transformation of Gourmet Restaurant Style in America by Alison Pearlman ( Read more... )

"...give all for love... but this love must not be that of ... schoolboys and German ladies ( Read more... )

with thanks to sakuratea

Roll over Hitchens, Russell Brand can write:

When John Lennon was told of Elvis Presley's death, he famously responded: "Elvis died when he joined the army," meaning of course, that his combat clothing and clipped hair signalled the demise of the thrusting, Dionysian revolution of which he was the immaculate emblem ( Read more... )

A very nice essay about Jane Austen as a didactic moralist FTW ( Read more... )

The Knife has a new album out. I discovered them via way of vocalist Karin Dreijer Andersson, when I could not get enough of her collaboration with Röyksopp.

Here's the new album streaming via soundcloud:

http://theknife.net/

Here's the Röyksopp single:

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Several years ago I read a book called Turning the Wheel: Essays on Buddhism and Writing by Charles Richard Johnson. I have no idea where this book came from, but it hit when the time was right. It was about what I did know (writing) and what I didn't know (Buddhism.) I remember thinking, "In a few years this will probably mean more ( Read more... )

I don't know how Maeve Binchy became one of my favorite authors. I ignored her books for years, read a few, ignored them more, and then somehow found myself reading them all, recommending them to others and having favorites. Her last book Minding Frankie I wept over, even long after I'd finished reading it. For me, it seemed an appropriate last ( Read more... )

Some nice animation, especially if you like dogs, but the ending packs a punch. Oscar nominated this year.

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Genesis 3:11

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This year will see not only a film adaptation of On the Road, but also one about Big Sur my favorite Kerouac title:

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Also, Bowie isn't the only one with a new album out, after 14 years, Dead Can Dance's new offering can be streamed from their website. Haven't listened to it, yet:http