Great Farts of Literature

I heard an Ohio Newsroom interview with Patrick Wensink about The Great Black Swamp totally by coincidence tonight on my local NPR radio station. Woohoo! @beltpublishing.bsky.social

Mike Johnson: ‘My Christian Faith Is More About Not Jacking Off Than Feeding The Poor’

Mike Johnson: ‘My Christian Faith Is More About Not Jacking Off Than Feeding The Poor’

I’ve been there! Saw a sperm whale, which was pretty amazing even if it wasn’t the colorless all-color.

Fearful Americans Stockpiling Facts Before Federal Government Comes To Take Them Away

Fearful Americans Stockpiling Facts Before Federal Government Comes To Take Them Away https://theonion.com/fearful-americans-stockpiling-facts-before-federal-gove-1819579589/

A bookshelf sign that reads "Rare State Documents, oversize German language revised statutes"

Toured the State Library of Ohio recently & spotted this shelf label--proof that our state govt used to provide some official documents in German as well as English to serve citizens (including my maternal grandpa's grandparents) who spoke German. Multilingualism has always been part of our history.

‘Seek Funding’ Step Added To Scientific Method PARIS—In an effort to modernize the principles and empirical procedures of examining phenomena and advancing humanity’s collective knowledge, the International Council for Science announced Thursday t...

‘Seek Funding’ Step Added To Scientific Method

Researchers Determine Coelacanth Faked Own Extinction To Escape Massive Gambling Debt

Researchers Determine Coelacanth Faked Own Extinction To Escape Massive Gambling Debt theonion.com/researc...

Paul Bunyan 😂 You nailed it.

Ah, so the day has arrived when we need to bring this chestnut over from ye olde Twitter archives. PLEASE shop small/local/direct whenever you can!!!

An Alternative History of Cleveland Check out An Alternative History of Cleveland - <p><strong>Dive into Cleveland's deep past and return with a new vision for how we should think about the region today.</strong></p><p>The land we call ...

Another call for proposals: @beltpublishing.bsky.social nascent "Alternative History" series is expanding. We've done CLE and PIT. Both start with prehistory & are short; otherwise the "Alternative" is flexible.

Sneak Peek: New Books, New Covers Here’s last week’s post on Common Misconceptions about Publishing, no longer paywalled.

Cover(s) of the day

Two events in Portage County, Ohio. #handsoff due process! And students’ right to free speech!

College Campus Tour Ends Inside Unmarked ICE Vehicle ITHACA, NY—As nearly a dozen prospective students were forced into the back of a car with tinted windows, a Cornell University campus tour reportedly ended Tuesday inside an unmarked Immigration and C...

College Campus Tour Ends Inside Unmarked ICE Vehicle

Attorney General Seeks Death Penalty For All UnitedHealthcare Customers

Attorney General Seeks Death Penalty For All UnitedHealthcare Customers

The fact that he took the record from Strom Thurmond, who was defending segregation—so satisfying.

Spray-Painted Penis Only Thing Holding Cybertruck Together

Spray-Painted Penis Only Thing Holding Cybertruck Together

I helped build a government AI system. DOGE fired me, rolled the AI out to the whole agency, and implied the AI can do my job and the jobs of the others they've fired.

It can't. But, what DOGE accidentally revealed about themselves in the process is fascinating. 🧵

Mahmoud Khalil case goes to court, spotlighting green card holders' rights A New York federal judge is set to hear pivotal questions in the case of Mahmoud Khalil, a leader of large Gaza solidarity protests at Columbia University who now faces deportation after his arrest by...

A New York federal judge is set to hear pivotal questions in the case of Mahmoud Khalil, a leader of large Gaza solidarity protests at Columbia University who now faces deportation after his arrest by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

#teslatakedown in Lyndhurst, OH

Finished Updike’s Rabbit, Run today—a truly preposterous book! Updike as “a penis with a thesaurus” is exactly right. Apropos, an essay I wrote about penises was recently published. Thanks, Missouri Review! To be perfectly candid, my vagina did use a thesaurus: missourireview.com/hung-up-by-e...

Understanding DOGE as Procurement Capture - Anil Dash A blog about making culture. Since 1999.

I believe Musk and DOGE disbanded 18F because we stood in the way of their "procurement capture" operation. We get the government *out* of wasteful contracts. Musk wants that money back for himself.

Explanation by @anildash.com of procurement capture:
www.anildash.com/2025/01/04/D...

Browning’s “My Last Duchess” is a classic and remains an entertaining read!

You can't post your way out of fascism, they say, but if we didn't post, would we have THIS?

Made by me with #11ty, curated by my literary pal Elizabeth.

Egyptologists Unearth Depictions Of Simple Ramps, Levers Aliens Used To Build Pyramids

Egyptologists Unearth Depictions Of Simple Ramps, Levers Aliens Used To Build Pyramids
theonion.com/egyptol...

Tips For Picking Out Running Shoes

Tips For Picking Out Running Shoes
theonion.com/tips-for-pic...

Two-word review of Nosferatu: Gratuitous panting.

I audiobooked Bram Stoker's Dracula a few years ago, and for all the bodily mayhem of that book I don't recall any farting. But please, correct me if I'm wrong!

Sound the rump trumpet! The great farts of literature website has finally launched! Currently featuring a top ten list of the best farts we've identified so far, with analysis of each, we hope to grow the collection with regular input from others. Check out the "rank"ings: greatfartsofliterature.com