Good Things of 2015 (links and images: http://rasmusen.org/special/_amazon/xmas2015.htm)


1. Anders Zorn (1860-1920), a Swedish painter. Similar to John Sargent in style.

2. Anything Goes (1934), the Cole Porter musical. Belmont High School did a great job with it.

3. The Shoe Horn Pro, a 31 inch long shoehorn (when extended) with a flexible horn at the end.

4. Ipswich clams are tastier and more tender than most clams because of the mud flats they live in. We disagree as to which is best: Woodman�s or the Clam Box.

5.Rethought and removed.

6. Blood Meridian (1985) by Cormac McCarthy. An apocalyptic Western: the Kid versus The Devil. He dies, but is undefeated.

7. Macfarland, U.S.A. (2015), a Disney movie starring Kevin Costner. A true and heartwarming story about high school cross-country running in the Central Valley.

8. Strange Defeat (1946) by Marc Bloch. An economic historian who served in both World Wars writes about France in 1940.

9. The New York False Claims Act. I've used it to sue Citigroup for $2.4 billion, and it's a good way to privatize tax collection and get round corrupt politicians who favor special interests. If I get the 30% reward, we'll be asking for help on where to donate it.

10. Le Ton Beau De Marot: In Praise of the Music of Language (1997) by Douglas Hofstadter. As good as Godel-Escher-Bach, it's remarkable how two so different books can both reflect the author's character.

11. Inside Out (2015) animation movie. Joy, Fear, Anger, Sadness, and Disgust move a girl this way and that until her family moves to California and she falls into melancholia.

12. The Blade Buddy razor strop. It's great for disposable razors-- just a little piece of silicone rubber, but cleverly designed and seffective.

Other finalists: Mass General Hospital. Huyghe Red Delirium cherry beer. Brookline's Board Game Cafe. and the Wild China documentary and The Robe and The Natural History of the Chicken (movies). The Peabody-Essex Museum. Lists of good things from other years are at http://rasmusen.org/_amazon/special/amazon.htm.