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The Secret Ingredient
“The thing is,” said Hare, “we’re just going to have to find some, and that’s all there is to it.” “But there are plenty of other things you could use instead,” said Raccoon. “No,” said Hare, “I’m making my special salad, and every single ingredient is carefully selected. Substituting one thing would change the whole… Continue reading
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After the Party
After the Barn Party For a long time afterward, the party in the barn was known as “the party in the barn”. Anyone in the forest could say “remember when we went to the party in the barn,” and whoever they were talking to would say “yes, I remember the party in the barn. It… Continue reading
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Cantrev
If you’re interested in ancient tales set in the British Isles, and you’ve already read Beowulf, you might turn to the Irish Táin Bó Cúailnge or the Welsh Mabinogion. There’s a certain structure pretty common to epic stories from thousands of years ago; you can still find basically the same thing in super hero comics.… Continue reading
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November 6
Today is November 6, and it’s a holiday! But I bet you didn’t know that. You see, unlike other holidays that have primarily caught on because of catchy names like “Mother’s Day” and “Halloween” — that is, holidays with competent public relations teams — today is the “International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the… Continue reading
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Cheshire Cat
One of the (many) oddball characters in Alice in Wonderland is the Cheshire Cat. He doesn’t really do much in the story besides grin, and then gradually disappear (except for his grin). Have you ever wondered why a grinning feline would be called a “Cheshire Cat”? Lewis Carroll could have just invented it — he… Continue reading
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A Medley
Motion Age This used to be the space age. Also the atomic age. The age of television. Before that, the radio age. The automobile age. The digital age. Those are all what we see right before our eyes. But what about a little bit in the future? Say, five or six centuries at least. That… Continue reading
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Henry Darger
In an article in The Atlantic, “Why the Past 10 Years of American Life Have Been Uniquely Stupid,” Jonathan Haidt mentions James Madison’s recognition that democratic societies can suffer from “the turbulence and weakness of unruly passions.” Haidt points out that to create a “sustainable republic” is to “build in mechanisms to slow things down” and “cool… Continue reading
About Me
I’m Pete Harbeson, a writer located near Boston, Massachusetts. This site is just a hobby, at least for now.