A bad July for fight fans as boxing greats Alexis Arguello, Arturo Gatti, and Vernon Forrest were murdered, Gatti by his wife, Forrest by thieves, Arguello by his own hand. Life was safer, calmer and more predictable in the ring.There is much drama to this sport in which the essence of its athletes is revealed as in no other human activity, save war. But, as with war, there is no romance to boxing despite what some writers (Hemingway) would have you believe. Trust me on this.Great books, though, and a ripe area for collection. The cornerstone volumes are:MILES, Henry Downes....
Librarians To Ben & Jerry’s: “We Scream For Ice Cream!”
The population of librarians on Facebook has organized as People For a Library-Themed Ben & Jerry’s Flavor and is petitioning Ben & Jerry’s, the Vermont-based ice creamery famous for its multi-flavor mash-ups, for a taste sensation they can call their very own.Here are some of the current suggestions for a Ben & Jerry’s library-themed flavor:• Gooey Decimal System: Dark fudge alphabet letters with caramel swirls in hazelnut ice cream.• Sh-sh-sh-Sherbet!: Key Lime or a Chocolate/Vanilla combination.• Cookie Bookie: A combination of cookie bits!• Dusty Stacks: Layered ice cream with speckles of cocoa in every layer.• Li-Berry Pie: Lime sherbet mixed...
Rock n’ Roll Public Library Opens in London
Mick Jones, lead guitarist for The Clash, the vanguard group of the punk rock movement, opened the Rock-n-Roll Public Library in London late last week.As reported by the U.K. Guardian, the library is temporarily on display at London's Chelsea Space gallery near Portobello Road, west London, not far from where Jones formed The Clash with Joe Stummer in 1976. The "guerrilla library" will include 10,000 items from the guitarist's private collection, including Beatles memorabilia, Clash artwork and items the band members wore on stage. The full collection has never been seen before by the public.Jones, 54, told The Guardian the...
The Kindle as Political Tool
Talk about bi-partisan support.First, it was the New Democratic Leadership Council with their cockamamie "A Kindle in Every Backpack" proposal. Granted, the textbook landscape is littered with unfair practices and is in dire need of reform, but before we throw the book out the window for good we should spend some time trying to make right the inherent injustice of the textbook world. We need to make them affordable and relevant before we start talking about abolishing them. Of course, the e-reader provides certain advantages but just like its relationship to the printed book, it is a complement not a...
The Miniature Theaters of Martin Engelbrecht
In the fourth decade of the eighteenth century a new form of entertainment emerged in a world hungry for novelty, cleverness, and beauty in the privacy of one's home.Artist Martin Engelbrecht (1684-1756) and his brother Christian were printsellers and engravers in Augsburg, Germany during the eighteenth century. Martin Engelbrecht engraved some plates after Rugendas and other masters; his other works included illustrations for Ovid's Metamorphoses, The War of Spanish Succession, Les Architectes Princiers by P. Decker, 92 views of Venice, and a series of prints of workers and their dress, Assemblage Nouveau Des Manouvries Habilles, published at Augsburg, circa 1730.Also...