Author Archives: JMN

About JMN

I live in Texas and devote much of my time to easel painting on an amateur basis. I stream a lot of music, mostly jazz, throughout the day, and watch Netflix and Prime Video for entertainment. I like to read and memorize poetry.

Not a Paean to Peons

Posted on February 27, 2020

For many traditional liberals, respect for difference is understood as a sacred duty. Consider, for example, Joe Biden’s warm words for his Republican colleagues, or the left’s many peons to the virtues of empathy. (Tim Wu, “Quantifying Liberal ‘Suckerdom,’” NYTimes, … Continue reading →

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Crooked Finger, Vodka, and Other Shebangs

Posted on February 26, 2020

Mr. Huang said the intent of his show was to explore the beauty in body parts that we don’t appreciate — a thesis that stemmed from his feeling of embarrassment about his crooked finger, which he said he always hides … Continue reading →

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Lifting Skirt

Posted on February 22, 2020

This article is about Catherine Blackledge, author of “The Story of V” (2003), which “explores the vagina from a scientific and historical perspective.” It introduces me to the word and the tradition of anasyrma — “the centuries-old gesture of lifting … Continue reading →

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Treading Fashion Pastures

Posted on February 21, 2020

It might be nice if schools of fashion were insulated from the culture so as to indulge in questionable tomfoolery on the runway with impunity, but it isn’t so. Every so often a mess is stepped in. Someone in charge … Continue reading →

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Matthew Wong

Posted on February 20, 2020

Matthew Wong took his life on October 2, 2019, in Edmonton, Alberta. He was 35. His obituary in the NYTimes described him as “a promising self-taught painter whose vibrant landscapes, forest scenes and still lifes were just beginning to command … Continue reading →

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Sallies and Japes of the Day

Posted on February 20, 2020

“Leave It All Behind Ya.” (Slogan printed on photos of himself sitting on the toilet that Louis Armstrong would send to his fans.) Some days everything I read tastes good and I succumb to a shameful quotation binge. “This wasn’t … Continue reading →

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Only Femicide

Posted on February 20, 2020

“The woman, Ingrid Escamilla, 25, was stabbed, skinned and disemboweled…” “Look, I don’t want the topic to be only femicide… This issue has been manipulated a lot in the media… I ask feminists, with all due respect, not to paint … Continue reading →

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