Michael Blowhard writes:

Dear Blowhards --

* Witold Rybczynski reviews some recent attempts at impressive new downtown libraries.

* Bruce Grossman loves that new Charles Willeford reprint.

* Michele Somerville thinks that what school kids need most is more gym.

* David Pogue flips for the Flip.

* Did anti-discrimination regulations cause the financial-markets meltdown?

* Are European women better lays than American women? MBlowhard response: I wish I knew.

* Science looks closely into the question of when and whether to stretch. Before a workout? After a workout? At all? And science concedes defeat.

* Yummy or Yucky writes amusingly about two trustworthy pleasure-givers: galangal and lemongrass.

* Lester Hunt raves about the movie version of "Persepolis."

* Fun to see the great restauranteur Alice Waters listing Christopher Alexander's "A Pattern Language" as her numero uno "most important book." I'm a huge Alice Waters fan myself, as well as a monumental Alexander fan. Waters also gives a nod to Michael Pollan and another to Carlo ("Slow Food") Petrini, names that show up on 2Blowhards from time to time. Sometimes it all just comes together, doesn't it?

* Clio puts in a good word for pacifism.

* This certainly has to be one of the more heavily-commented-on -- or at least enthusiastically-commented-on -- blogpostings in recent history. You go, self-pleasuring post-Riot grrls.

* Did anti-discrimination regulations cause the financial-markets meltdown?

* Steve Sailer points out a good Ziel rant about politics and economics. The commenters on that post have a lot to say too.

* The brilliant young designer Maria Wager of A Swiss String (NSFW) -- whose punkette microbikinis I raved about back here-- predicts that the string and the thong will make comebacks in 2008. I'm feeling more cheerful about the year already.

* Fred Himebaugh speaks up in praise of minor-league sports. Boy, am I with him on that.

* MBlowhard Rewind: I gabbed about some enjoyable erotic movies here.

Best,

Michael