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The Clermont Hotel | WMLB 1690 | The Voice of The Arts

~ Mark

A great episode about the beloved Atlanta landmark built in 1924 and the (in)famous, seedy, must-see strip club in the basement that’s been running since 1965, the Clermont Lounge. One old postcard calls it As Modern as Tomorrow.

Featured on this episode of Sidewalk Radio are guests Boyd Coons, Executive Director of the Atlanta Preservation Center, Mike Gamble, a tenured professor in architecture at Georgia Tech, DJ, the de facto spokesperson and bouncer at the Clermont Lounge at the Clermont Lounge, and Atlanta icon and dancer at the Clermont Lounge, Blondie.

The Clermont Hotel | WMLB 1690 | The Voice of The Arts

Shall we talk about the weather? « pecanne log

~ Mark

Truth:

We Southerners get super sensitive about snow and ice in the winter but we LIVE for the first full weekend of zero percent humidity. Everyone breaks out their wool blazers and favorite argyle items as soon as temps dip below 87° – it’s a fact! That’s why it’s so sad when inevitably a three-week humid heat wave comes in October and no one wants to put sensible cotton short-sleeved attire back on. Lots of moist people in sweater vests and Glen plaid dragging themselves through the dying strains of Atlanta summer – it’s just embarrassing for everyone.

Shall we talk about the weather? « pecanne log

All Paris Review Interviews Now Online (!!!)

~ Mark

austinkleon:

This is fantastic:

To mark the debut of Lorin Stein’s first issue of The Paris Review, the publication has put its entire interview archives online….Moreover, they’ve replaced the old PDF format with normal HTML pages, meaning that they can be Instapapered or Apple-Fed for those in a rush to find the secrets of good writing (e.g. find all: “ideas,” “where do you get them”).

Vonnegut, Larkin, Burroughs, Williams, Amis, Baldwin, Barthelme, Maxwell, Allen, Calvino, Wilder, Karr, Ryan, Tate, Crumb…

Oh, my stars and garters. Where to begin?

All Paris Review Interviews Now Online (!!!)

Have You Ever Tried to Sell a Diamond? – Magazine – The Atlantic

~ Mark

Good article. One of the best ever, they say.

[An opinion poll on diamond purchases] noted, for example, “A woman can easily feel that diamonds are ‘vulgar’ and still be highly enthusiastic about receiving diamond jewelry.” The element of surprise, even if it is feigned, plays the same role of accommodating dissonance in accepting a diamond gift as it does in prime sexual seductions: it permits the woman to pretend that she has not actively participated in the decision. She thus retains both her innocence—and the diamond.

Have You Ever Tried to Sell a Diamond? – Magazine – The Atlantic

Forer effect – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

~ Mark

And now I know the name for this. (via)

The Forer effect (also called the Barnum Effect after P.T. Barnum’s observation that “we’ve got something for everyone”) is the observation that individuals will give high accuracy ratings to descriptions of their personality that supposedly are tailored specifically for them, but are in fact vague and general enough to apply to a wide range of people. This effect can provide a partial explanation for the widespread acceptance of some beliefs and practices, such as astrology, fortune telling, and some types of personality tests.

Forer effect – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Copacetic – Online Etymology Dictionary

~ Mark

We’re not quite sure where “copacetic” came from.

1919, but it may have origins in 19c. Amer.Eng. Southern black speech. Origin unknown, suspects include Latin, Yiddish (cf. Heb. kol b’seder), Italian, Louisiana French (coupe-sétique), and Native American. None is considered convincing by linguists.

While I’m on the topic, I should mention that the Online Etymology Dictionary is one of my favorite sites ever. I usually make a couple visits every day.
Copacetic – Online Etymology Dictionary