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Author Archives: JMN
‘Kate Is There in the Shadows’
Here is narrative from a 1960 American novel. A character ascends a staircase to the mezzanine of a house to join another person there: There comes to me in the ascent a brief annunciatory syllable in the throat stopped in … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary, Quotations
Tagged language, literature, reading, style, syntax, writing
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Minority Reign
“The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president.” (Mitch McConnell, in October 2010) OZYMITCHIASRegnant canker, excrescent knob, coonskingerrymandarin of the scrotal void,inverted rictus of obstructionism,hollowed be thy name! Where laws … Continue reading
‘I Cut the Sky in Two’
New York-born Jordan Nassar has Palestinian family roots. His show’s title “I Cut the Sky in Two” is from a poem by Etel Adnan, “the distinguished Lebanese-American painter and poet, and a touchstone for Mr. Nassar.” He is best known … Continue reading
‘Explicit and Mysterious’
I’m a child of ranchers. Because of how misshapen and reactionary mythic cowboy culture is in America, I’m a fool for painting that introduces what Roberta Smith terms the “subversive theme of the gay black cowboy.” And as usual, Ms. … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary, Quotations
Tagged art, criticism, culture, galleries, journalism, language, painting, rhetoric, Roberta Smith, society, style, Texas
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Opportunities to Panic
Ben Ehrenreich writes: The current pandemic has already given many of us a taste of what happens when a society fails to meet the challenges that face it… The climate crisis, as it continues to unfold, will give us additional … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary, Quotations
Tagged climate change, coronavirus, journalism, language, miscellaneous, rhetoric, society, style
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Tom, Dick, and Harry
There was a fun question in my daily Spanish Quora: ¿Existe en inglés el equivalente a “fulano, mengano y zutano”? The consensus in the answer thread was that “Tom, Dick and Harry” was the closest equivalent. I’m reminded of my … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Tagged America, French, humor, humour, language, miscellaneous, personal, society, Spanish, translation
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The Squat
I learned the term “typosquatting” today. Shortly after 2:30 a.m. on October 30, 2020, Twump tweeted the hashtag “#BidenCrimeFamiily” with no other context or link. That extra “i” circumvented Twitter’s efforts to hide the hashtag in search results. Called #typosquatting, … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary, Quotations
Tagged culture, jargon, language, lexicon, rhetoric, semantics, slang, society, style
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Bookshop.org
I buy an unconscionable raft of goods from Amazon, but I’d rather get my books from a bookstore. This article brings good news. Bookshop.org allows any independent shop to customise its own online store front, select books to recommend and, … Continue reading
Hello, World
I’m going into my 9th month of shielding in the Untied States looking forward to a beautiful South Texas winter. I take comfort from the life of the mind — reading, painting, music. I’m grateful for my roof, patio, pets, … Continue reading
Whiteout
Lord Kilclooney, crossbench peer in the UK House of Lords, tweeted: “What happens if Biden moves on and the Indian becomes President. Who then becomes Vice President?” Later he tweeted: “I’m very fond of India myself, I’m a member of … Continue reading →