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Hieronymus Bosch c.1450-1516 “The more we are proud that the Bethlehem story is plain enough to be understood by the shepherds, and almost by the sheep, the more do we let ourselves go, in dark and gorgeous imaginative frescoes or pageants about the mystery and majesty of the Three Magian Kings.” – G.K. Chesterton, Christendom […]

Gazing at the valley below Engelbrecht House from beneath the arbor outside the kitchen. By Gene Naftulyev  

This is the story’s second occurrence: When they (the magi) had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” […]

 

10 Books to Make You a Better Writer The reason people write poorly is because they read too many blogs, tweets, news stories and Facebook posts. As you read, so will you write. Maxwell Rotbart. the son of roving reporter Rotbart, asked me to name 10 books he should read. When I asked the purpose of […]

The six story arcs are these: An ongoing rise of positive feeling, as in a rags-to-riches story. An ongoing fall of positive feeling, as in a tragedy like Romeo and Juliet. A fall then a rise. Something bad happens, but it all works out in the end, as in the man-in-hole example Kurt Vonnegut will tell us […]

This boy is wearing the uniform of the Pioneers, the Soviet equivalent of the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of America. The Pioneers were organized in 1922. The Boy Scouts were organized in 1910. Same basic idea, two different continents.

The Prince and the Pauper  is a novel by American author Mark Twain. (Frankly, I find it interesting that Russians were aware of Mark Twain and admired him enough to want their children exposed to his works. I’ve always considered Mark Twain to be the epitome of Americana in literature, sort of the Norman Rockwell of novelists. […]

Timur and His Squad is a short novel by Arkady Gaidar, written and first published in 1940. The book, telling the story of a gang of village kids who sneak around secretly doing good deeds, protecting families whose fathers and husbands are in the Red Army, and doing battle against nasty hooligans had a huge impact upon the young […]

The Steadfast Tin Soldier is a literary fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen about a tin soldier’s love for a paper ballerina. After several adventures, the tin soldier perishes in a fire with the ballerina. The tale was first publishedby C.A. Reitzel on 2 October 1838 in the first booklet of Fairy Tales Told for Children. New Collection. The story was Andersen’s first tale not based […]

Burattino is one of three masks mentioned by Bartolomeo Rossi in the foreword to his 1584 comic pastoral play Fiammella. The character Burattino is in 21 of the 50 scenarios of Flaminio Scala, published in 1611. He appears as a house servant, an innkeeper, a gardener, a peasant, a beggar, and a long-lost father. Burrattino is extremely good natured and trustworthy. In Italian burattino […]

Dick Sand, A Captain at Fifteen is a Jules Verne novel published in 1878. It deals primarily with the issue of slavery, and the African slave trade by other Africans in particular. Themes explored in the novel include: The painful learning of adult life – the hero, Dick Sand, must assume command of a ship after the disappearance of its […]

The Tale of the Priest and his Workman Balda is a fairy tale in verse by Alexander Pushkin. Pushkin wrote the tale on September 13, 1830 while staying at Boldino. The poem tells of a lazy priest who is wandering around a market looking for a cheap worker. There he meets Balda (Балда in Russian means stupid or just […]

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Here’s a link to make it easy for you.

This is the Lenhard-Murray Amphitheater, coming soon to the valley below the Spence Diamond Pavilion, along the path that leads down to Engelbrecht House, the largest of Wizard Academy’s student mansions. This is Chris Lenhard of Delaware with Bryan Eisenberg in the foreground (2008.) They’re standing next to Chapel Dulcinea, above the valley where the amphitheater will […]

For you rabbit hole newbies, this page – the one where I give you the BeagleSword –  is called the Terminus Page.  In other words, it’s the end of the official rabbit hole.  One more click and you’re beyond the safe zone. There’s no telling what you’ll find. I wouldn’t go any further if I were you. Just sayin.’

This is the Lenhard-Murray Amphitheater, coming soon to the valley below the Spence Diamond Pavilion, along the path that leads down to Engelbrecht House, the largest of Wizard Academy’s student mansions. This is Chris Lenhard of Delaware with Bryan Eisenberg in the foreground (2008.) They’re standing next to Chapel Dulcinea, above the valley where the amphitheater will […]

   

Copyright: 123RF Stock Photo

This is the first of 14 quotes that reflect a perspective we’ll call, “Women are Mortal – Sort of.” Click the image to proceed.

The fight between Uber and Austin took me back to junior high. Two kids with a bunch of their friends shouting “You can’t tell me what to do!” followed by, “I can too!” on repeat until the one of them finally shouts “I’m taking my ball and going home!” It was mishandled on both sides […]

2001 Dodge Viper For Sale $30k Okay. Full disclosure. I almost killed myself in it. It is VERY powerful. Extremely, EXTREMELY fast. I’ve driven Ferrari’s that don’t feel as crazy as this thing. I am frankly afraid of it now. That’s right. It’s in my garage and I’m afraid to drive it because it’s like a crazy […]

This marvelous painting is by Roberto Weigand of Brazil.

On December 1, 1913, a little more than fourteen years after Elbert Hubbard first vented his frustration in “A Message to Garcia,” he penned the following memo: Over forty million copies of “A Message to Garcia” have now been printed. This is said to be a larger circulation than any other literary venture has ever […]

 

They endured a season Of ice and silver swans. Delicately the horses Grazed among snowdrops. They traded for fish, wind Fell upon crested waters. Along their track Daffodils lit a thousand tapers. They slept among dews. A dawn lark broke their dream. For them, at solstice The chalice of the sun spilled over. Their star […]

We must admit there will be music despite everything. We stand at the prow again of a small ship anchored late at night in the tiny port looking over to the sleeping island: the waterfront is three shuttered cafes and one naked light burning. To hear the faint sound of oars in the silence as […]

Smoke of Ambergris John Singer Sargent  (1880) A woman holds her elaborate garment over a silver censer to capture the perfumed smoke of smoldering ambergris, a waxy substance extracted from whales used in some religious rituals and also said to have aphrodisiac qualities. Sargent began this painting with a model posed on the patio of […]

 

Two photos – taken 1 second apart – look from different sides of the same boat. These photos were taken recently by our buddy Jeff Sylvestre of Windsor, Ontario. The strip of land in the photo on the right is Point Pelee, the southernmost point in all Canada.