Miscellaneous

H.I.F. I believe this. I'm guessing it's related to a neurological property known as "plasticity" (explored in The Shallows): > "Great novels can change your life...and your brain: Getting lost in a good book can actually change your brain, with

"The postal service is now saying that they are raising the price of a stamp from 46 cents to 49 cents. They would have made it an even 50 but that would have made the line at the post office go too fast."

The writer's duty to himself: Write what you want to write, as well as you can, and then forget it." Albert Jay Nock. Amen to that. Of course, it might be hard to make money off your writing with that approach, but then again, if you'

H.I.F. Six castles that cost less than an apartment in New York Cities. [http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-01-07/6-castles-cost-less-apartment-nyc]. With great pics and some pretty funny commentary.

Another fascinating excerpt from Thaddeus Russell's Renegade History of the United States. When I read stuff like this, I wonder if any history, much less American history, taught in our schools is truthful: > Perhaps the most famous image of the civil rights movement was created in May

Supposedly, the coldest in the entire Grand Rapids, Michigan, area (we live 90 minutes from GR) and colder than any place in Alaska last night. It doesn't match 1978 yet, but as an adult, I've never experienced anything like this.

I took my three older boys to see Anchorman 2 last week. It was pretty bad. There were a few laugh-out-loud moments, and a large chunk of it was enjoyable enough, so I don't feel like I completely wasted two hours of my life and $30. But man,

H.I.F. Minus 9, minus 44 windchill, in my town right now. I walked three blocks this morning, occasionally through hip-high snow drifts, and thought I might die. > The Midwest is being hit with the brunt of the cold, with temperatures plunging to 36 below zero -- the

I've become immersed in history the past couple of months. As a youngster, I read a lot of history, and I made it my major in college. I never stopped reading history as an adult, but it often took a backseat to other non-fiction reading. A few years

No school tomorrow. I have no idea whether I'll be able to get to work. Just relaxing with Marie and the Seven. > The temperature predictions are startling: 25 below zero in Fargo, N.D., minus 31 in International Falls, Minn., and 15 below in Indianapolis and Chicago.