Category Archives: Commentary

Opinion or analysis concerning whatever’s on my mind.

Confession

Posted on August 5, 2026 by JMN

I confess to a proclivity (morbid?) for depicting faces in various states of contortion. A face at rest, unless it’s grizzled or reflective of a corrupt soul, has bland contours. States of agitation are what lay bare the deserts, mountains … Continue reading →

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A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future

Posted on August 1, 2026 by JMN

On June 24, 2026, the academic summit on the topic of “Extreme Heat” scheduled to be held in London, England at the London School of Economics Shore Library was canceled due to extreme heat. (c) 2026 JMN — EthicalDative. All … Continue reading →

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The Guitars and Drums Do Most of the Talking

Posted on July 26, 2026 by JMN

Since I fancy myself poetry curious, I’m ashamed that the lyrics of most rock songs constitute for me so little of the listening experience. I rarely register more than the odd phrase that penetrates the instrumental layer. The frontpersons (I … Continue reading →

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Paul Thek, Practitioner of ‘Crude Figuration’

Posted on July 16, 2026 by JMN

Although Thek possessed impressive skills as a draftsman and painter, he was an early practitioner of the crude figuration of “bad painting” (a term coined by Marcia Tucker, the founder of the New Museum). I don’t know how seriously to … Continue reading →

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Blood and Dirt

Posted on June 26, 2026 by JMN

Dagger. The Bible has the story of a fellow who fashioned himself a dagger, fetched it hidden into the chambers of an unsuspecting portly man, and plunged it into the man’s belly so deep that it disappeared, unextractable. The King … Continue reading →

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In Times of Tribal

Posted on June 17, 2026 by JMN

— If you ain’t white, we ain’t open.(Dixie whistle.) “Voter fraud” is not about fraud. It is about who votes and how. It is about the breadth and scope of the political community… about who can call themselves Americans — … Continue reading →

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Purulence, Pus, Matter? Anointed or Kohl’d?

Posted on June 11, 2026 by JMN

I was sleepless, and I passed the night keeping vigil, as if my eyes had been anointed with pus, […] That’s Arberry’s reliable translation of line 1 of the sixth-century elegy on the death of her brother Sakhr by the … Continue reading →

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Hail to Thee, Mouse-Like Bird! Wren nor Tit Thou Never Wert!

Posted on May 25, 2026 by JMN

Adam goofed. The bird called wrentit (Chamaea fasciata) is neither a wren nor a tit. A wrentit… is a secretive, sedentary, mouse-like bird endemic to North America, primarily found in western coastal regions of the U.S. and Baja California. It’s … Continue reading →

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Rae Armantrout Appeals to My Inner Toddler

Posted on May 21, 2026 by JMN

I want to say Rae Armantrout springs a cavalcade of huggable schwas on me, but rumpled or purple or bubbly would describe them, too. As long as they’re duple bumpy words. Joints grind likeshot brakes. Food ignitesin our stomachs. But … Continue reading →

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Photo Worth Several Words

Posted on April 24, 2026 by JMN

Who’s being “honored” in this picture? (Hint: They’re female.) Peekaboo! The University of Georgia women’s tennis team posing with Donald Trump and administration officials. Photograph: Margo Martin on X/Margo Martin on X (@MargoMartin47). [Guardian caption and illustration] (c) 2026 JMN … Continue reading →

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