Monthly Archives: October 2019

“Life Is a Racket” (Nick Tosches)

Posted on October 22, 2019 by JMN

“The things I wanted to be when I was a kid were an archaeologist, because of dinosaur bones; a garbage man, because they got to ride on the side of the trucks; and a writer,” he told The Times. “If … Continue reading →

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Denatured Pronoun Sighting

Posted on October 22, 2019 by JMN

The NYTimes is walking the walk in the matter of language degendering. I confess to having initially groped for a plural antecedent when I encountered the following subheading: “Nayland Blake’s one-bedroom apartment is filled from floor to ceiling with personal … Continue reading →

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The Queen’s Speech

Posted on October 20, 2019 by JMN

(Megan Specia and Allison McCann, “A Guide to the Queen’s Speech: Crown Jewels, Black Rod and a Mace,” 10-14-19) (c) 2019 JMN

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I Feel It 100% in My Bones

Posted on October 20, 2019 by JMN

The story that keeps swirling around this mediocre painting whose whereabouts is now unknown is a punch line that keeps on giving. New York art historian and dealer Robert B. Simon bought the “Salvator Mundi” from a New Orleans auction … Continue reading →

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Clearing Up His Confusion

Posted on October 20, 2019 by JMN

The following are LeBron James’s words. They show why some professional athletes may not be the best role models for young people. “I believe [Daryl Morey] wasn’t educated on the situation at hand, and he spoke. So many people could … Continue reading →

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Broomwork

Posted on October 20, 2019 by JMN

Ed Clark, dead at 93, included brooms among his brushes, and was among the first artists to use a shaped canvas. Mr. Clark sometimes stains but mostly he wields wide brushes and even brooms, magnifying impasto and brushwork in piled-up … Continue reading →

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The Poetry Mandate

Posted on October 20, 2019 by JMN

The Italian poet Gabriele d’Annunzio declared himself ruler of the city of the Hapsburg city of Fiume (now Rijeka in Croatia) on Sept. 12, 1919. His “rule” lasted 15 months. “He mandated daily poetry readings, regular concerts and constant fireworks.” … Continue reading →

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Doubts Allowed

Posted on October 20, 2019 by JMN

As a bicycle enthusiast I relish Father John’s simile. At Great St. Bernard Pass, the high point of the Via Francigena, at 8,114 feet, I was fascinated by a priest of 40 years who still struggled with his faith. “Doubts … Continue reading →

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Exactingly Delighted

Posted on October 16, 2019 by JMN

Scholar and literary critic Harold Bloom has died at the age of 89. Dwight Garner hits memorable notes in his tribute to Bloom, who in one of over 40 books launched an attack “from a crenelated embankment” on critics and … Continue reading →

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Long Live the Sword

Posted on October 13, 2019 by JMN

I have learned from a knighted man that the sword with which the Queen says “Arise, Sir Botolph” is the sword of Ethelred the Unready. The sword of Ethelred makes George Washington’s seem forged an hour ago. It takes a … Continue reading →

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