Category Archives: Commentary

Opinion or analysis concerning whatever’s on my mind.

‘It’s This Old, Fatal Love for the Landscape’

Posted on June 25, 2022 by JMN

The quotation in my title is from nature writer Robert Macfarlane. His book The Old Ways featured British war artist Eric Ravilious, killed in a plane crash in 1942. In the book, Macfarlane “points to the way the artist would … Continue reading →

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A Lash of Good Tongue

Posted on June 20, 2022 by JMN

“To sit fast badly is better than to be thrown easily.” (Wright, A Grammar of the Arabic Language, p. 124) [sū’(u)-l-istimāk(i) ẖair(un) min ḥusn(i)-ṣ-ṣirƸaẗ(i)] Wright cites the phrase to illustrate the formation of the [ism(u)-n-nūƸ(i)], noun of kind, aka nomina … Continue reading →

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‘To Translate Is to Look into a Mirror…’

Posted on June 18, 2022 by JMN

Benjamin Moser reviews Jhumpa Lahiri’s book “Translating Myself and Others.” The book deals with her decision at age 45 to begin writing in Italian, which for her was an entirely learned language. “Art is not — should not — be … Continue reading →

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The American Week

Posted on June 14, 2022 by JMN

Monday: A law is born in the House of RepresentativesTuesday: The law dies in the SenateWednesday: A mass shooting occursThursday: The scene is taped off and sealedFriday: Thoughts and prayersWEEKEND! Monday: A law is born in the House… etc. (c) … Continue reading →

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Two Centered Voices in the Din

Posted on June 10, 2022 by JMN

Bret Stephens, conservative columnist: Imagine a TV ad from a moderate Democrat like Ohio’s Tim Ryan or Virginia’s Abigail Spanberger that goes something like this: “I believe in the Second Amendment. But not for this guy,” followed by a picture … Continue reading →

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To Whom It Concerns on the Morrow

Posted on June 7, 2022 by JMN

Hey, U 2 + 3! June 8 and Jan 9 are two dates written in bright lights for us who love you. Your penultimate mission in Oki is to celebrate the dickens out of that day which will have arrived … Continue reading →

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‘There’s a Future…’

Posted on June 5, 2022 by JMN

A comment to a recent post here (https://ethicaldative.com/2022/06/01/pledge-of-resistance/) states: “People kill people. Not guns, cars or anything else. People need help and they don’t get it. Our society decided that inclusion is more important than helping people and/ or making … Continue reading →

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Women Irritated the Painter. Oh Dear

Posted on June 2, 2022 by JMN

John Elderfield, who curated the last big de Kooning survey for the Museum of Modern Art, said that originally the Woman series upset different people in different ways… Some were dismayed by the vulgar treatment of the female form… Elderfield’s … Continue reading →

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Pledge of Resistance

Posted on June 1, 2022 by JMN

I pledge resistance to the flag of the AR-15s of America, and to the mythology for which it stands. Wounded nation under Fox, indefensible, with liberty and justice for some. In the summer of 2008, the Supreme Court decided District … Continue reading →

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Language Is a Weapon, Too. Keep It Sharp

Posted on May 29, 2022 by JMN

… Any honest accounting shows that more of the blame for these senseless rampages lays at the feet of bought-and-paid-for politicians who have blocked any reasonable gun control measures in order to retain their own hold on power. (Kara Swisher, … Continue reading →

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