Random Thursday
The MSM economic cheerleaders at CNBC say the housing market has entered the Depression zone. Link. That's a significant admission from an unlikely source. I appreciate the candor, but I really liked this little piece of trivia: "The value of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue has dropped by $80 million, or nearly 25 percent since the peak of the housing boom. It's current value is $251.6 million, according to Zillow, down from $331.5 million." * * * * * * * I saw this over at Tumblr: "Crown Publishing recently published Matthew Gallaway first novel, The Metropolis Case, about four characters whose lives are tied together by a love for the Wagnerian masterpiece Tristan and Isolde." Criminy. I know nothing else about the book, but I'm comfortable staying away from it. What's the phrase I'm looking for? Ah, that's it: pretentiously queer. * * * * * * * As long as Tumblr caught my attention with that piece of queeridity, I thought I'd scroll down and see what else they post. On the same page, I saw this passage, which surely qualifies as the most metrosexual description of a male ever written: "As a narcissist with great looking friends, it was natural for James Nord to fall into photography. His passions are as diverse as his tie collection, but the most apparent is his love of cycling: James put over 10,000 miles on his bike this year! He got his first interview for his job thanks to his blog, his favorite word is “vulpine” (it means foxlike), and he wears a suit every day." You go, girl! * * * * * * * New libertarian book: I Chose Liberty. Publisher's description: "Walter Block leaned on 82 of the world's most prominent libertarian thinkers and ask them to tell their life stories with an eye to intellectual development. The result is the most comprehensive collection of libertarian autobiographies ever published. Their stories . . . reveal their main influences, their experiences, their choices, and their ambitions." I was intrigued, but then I reviewed the list of 82 names and saw "James V. Schall." I never would've considered Schall a libertarian. If I labeled him at all, I would've thought "paleo-conservative." It's been years since I corresponded with him. I might have to buy the book, just to read his entry.
