The Dewey Decimal System moves from the general to the specific; so, for example, history (the 900s) starts with the human record of the entire globe, then, when it gets to the present, goes back in time and begins again, narrowing its focus geographically on the second pass: continents, countries, states, and towns, etc. (asleep yet?). Recent history is better represented, of course, because it's still fresh to the people writing it, and they write lots of it, and there is a huge audience for it because we lived it. Hundreds of years from now the plethora of books of contemporary history will have been culled and condensed, like Ken Burns has done with the Civil War, but for now, the history of the 20th century takes up most of the library’s history shelves.
“Sometimes I think being able to buy beer and go to bed whenever I want just doesn’t make up for all the other stuff that comes with adulthood.” - Some wise words from a friend (paraphrased).
Tomorrow marks the fifty-second anniversary of the publication of 
Carlos Fuentes died today. He was 83. Throughout the latter half of the twentieth century and into this century, Mr. Fuentes was a tireless chronicler of Mexico. He was something America lacks: a public intellectual with a gilded pen. He wrote beautiful novels, biting essays, and hopeful stories. He also served as Mexican ambassador to France in the 1970s. He remained prolific until the end, publishing an article today in Reforma offering hope for the French presidency of Francois Hollande. When has the United States had anyone comparable? Mark Twain? We have politicians and writers, but a historical dearth of writers who engage the world beyond their literary stable. Imagine an American writer appointed as an ambassador.
I'm a local. I've been in Austin my entire life, if you don't count that short stint in San Marcos when I went to Southwest Texas State University. I loved growing up here. The weather is always pretty much perfect, it gets nice and hot in the summertime and not so cold in the winter. There are countless things to do, so there's never a moment that warrants an "I'm bored" comment. You can always count on getting a very good meal no matter what part of town you're in.
I am a child of Dallas and while Oswald’s shadow never loomed too large in my childhood, there are spots throughout town where I could feel the power of words like Kennedy, Oswald, and Book Depository. Pizza with my folks at Campisi’s (Jack Ruby was a regular and dined there the night before shooting Oswald), driving past the Texas Theater on the way to my buddy’s house (Oswald was arrested in the theater a couple of hours after Kennedy’s assassination), or walking through Dealey Plaza when visiting my dad at work all reminded me of a broad shadow cast by Lee Harvey Oswald.
Are you an aspiring screenwriter here for SXSW? You might want to spend a little of your festival time at the library. Because we’re a film-festival city (apart from SX in the spring, Austin throws the 
The 84th Annual Academy Awards ceremony happened last night, but with omissions. 
