Ph’deed

This spring I asked my friend Elif Armbruster if I could read her Ph’d thesis. Why would anyone ask to read a Ph’d thesis you ask? Because it sounded interesting. And it was. Plus, it was very readable. I think I finished it in a couple days much to her surprise. Elif had taken four American writers, William Dean Howells, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Henry James and Edith Wharton and analyzed how architecture, particularly their own homes, had affected their writing. Except for Uncle Tom’s Cabin I had pretty much skipped (since college) these important American authors. But Elif piqued my interest. She made them sound interesting. Actually, when I read Uncle Tom’s Cabin a few years ago I was shocked at how good it was so didn’t think I was taking much of a risk to dive into the others. First stop—The Rise of Silas Lapham by William Dean Howells.  (More here).

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[Veritas]

Did you read that the Bush administration wants to de-list grizzly bears in Yellowstone Park as an endangered species? What an opportunity for the r_blog, "BUSH LIED, BEARS DIED!" Let the world read it here first!