Black Lamb

December 2008 in Black Lamb

Volume 6, Number 12 — December 2008

December 1st, 2008

In our cover article for this issue, Looking ahead, Terry Ross acknowledges that although newspapers and libraries may soon be obsolete, some things will continue. In our page two feature, Burn, barrel, burn, Greg Roberts documents his own small contribution to global pollution. Toby Tompkins holds forth on the American bison in Fubbalo.

A walk along the Thames gets Gillian Wilce thinking about The lives of others. Bud Gardner gives us a fond portrait of the man, Nuclear Nick, who presided over the biggest bond default in history. In Doing it wrong, David Maclaine argues that advances in the arts often proceed from a deliberate alteration of the past. Ed Goldberg muses on the year-end state of the union and is nevertheless optimistic in Where’s my jet pack? In Ted Turner’s driveway, Ian Archer defends the impulse toward reclusiveness. Elizabeth Hart recalls visits to Maine in Music of the sphere. As columnist Dean Suess prepares his annual Xmas letter, he recalls a doozy he once received containing Too much information. In the aftermath of the elections, Rod Ferrandino advocates Stepping back to appreciate the “smaller successes of the universe.” In an article from our Best of Black Lamb archives, Big Mountain, Cate Garrison describes a perfect skiing vacation. Fair-skinned Cervine Kauffman, transplanted from rainy Oregon to California, fights the sun in Once burned. Rebecca Owen recommends books guaranteed to supply Winter shivers. In The pursuit of happiness, Rosemary McLeish wonders if perhaps happiness isn’t overrated. Our Honorary Black Lambs column honors novelist David Markson and poet Edwin Arlington Robinson on their birthdays. Our Literary Sampler proffers seven selections by writers mentioned in this month’s issue. Bridge writer Trixie Barkis reminds us to Think first, then play. In Wretched Excess, we offer yet another product from the Whole Whog Catalog, the Silver Chicken Boa. In Government for the people, advice columnist Millicent Marshall tells how American can improve its political system. And Professor Avram Khan gives us another challenging Black Lamb Word Puzzle.

Posted by: The Editors
Category: Month summaries | Link to this Entry