{"id":698,"date":"2008-09-02T13:02:59","date_gmt":"2008-09-02T17:02:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/johnesimpson.com\/blog\/?p=698"},"modified":"2008-09-03T13:06:50","modified_gmt":"2008-09-03T17:06:50","slug":"wonders-across-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/johnesimpson.com\/blog\/2008\/09\/wonders-across-the-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Wonders Across the World"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Cynicism is an easy response to life.<\/p>\n

(It’s also often a funny<\/em> response to life, which may be a good part of its appeal. Sarcasm, satire, parody, stand-up comedy, cartoons — all depend for their success on the glib assumption not that some things are better than others, but that many, perhaps most, things are worse<\/em> than others.)<\/p>\n

Famously, Theodore Sturgeon once claimed — in a formulation known commonly as Sturgeon’s Law — that “Ninety percent of everything is crap.” <\/span>More often than not, <\/span>Sturgeon’s Law is cited as a commentary on that ninety percent. This disregards its original use: as a defense<\/em> of the ten percent. The idea is that you can’t reasonably point to some class of popular culture (science fiction, in Sturgeon’s case) and extrapolate from the merely largest chunk of it to the entire class. Another way of stating it, indeed, is: Ten percent of everything is worth paying attention to, even celebrating<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Author Rebecca Ramsey seems to be a fierce and whimsical proponent of the notion that there might be an inexhaustible supply of things worth paying attention to, even celebrating. Granted, she’s only been blogging since April. But it’s astonishing that every day, she finds something to cheer about.<\/p>\n

Her blog goes by the apropos moniker Wonders Never Cease<\/a>. And if, because of that title or because of my description so far, you guess that it’s a fatuous “Everything Is Beautiful” inanity… Well, just look at the site.<\/p>\n

The idea is to focus on a single good<\/em> thing or experience every day, not writing about it in airy lyrical terms but in punchy!!! prose with lots, LOTS! of exuberant and especially SHORT!!! phrases\/sentences, generously exclamation-pointed, and illustrated with plentiful photos from Flickr and other sources.<\/p>\n

What kinds of topics does she cover? The most recent posts in her “Wonders of Nature” category might give you a good idea:<\/p>\n

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