Category Archives: Quotations

Things people said.

Manifestoid 2 of 2

Posted on June 26, 2020 by JMN

Black lives matter. I’m a lay reader of Poetry, the magazine founded in 1912 by Harriet Monroe. I’m reading backward through my current 102 issues. “I — the telltale animal — rest my throat / against the snare of you, … Continue reading →

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Manifestoid 1 of 2

Posted on June 25, 2020 by JMN

A correspondent writes: Watched the lunchtime news, it veers between positivity and warnings that leaves the head spinning and the heart pumping. In that last sentence, should it be ‘leave’ or ‘leaves’. I had ‘leaves’ because it is the veering … Continue reading →

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Hello Again to All That

Posted on June 23, 2020 by JMN

… A land whose… mountainous terrain renders it all but impossible to conquer. American soldiers deployed to the country as recently as last night had trouble articulating what their mission there was, short of making it home in one piece. … Continue reading →

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Alert the Media

Posted on June 22, 2020 by JMN

A TikTok celebrity hailing from Gen Z complains of being confused with millenials. “Just because you’re so old you can’t remember the difference, doesn’t mean it’s OK to lump us altogether,” she said. (Poppy Noor, “So Gen Z-ers hate millennials … Continue reading →

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Nigerian English

Posted on June 20, 2020 by JMN

Lexicographers at the Oxford English Dictionary have updated the dictionary with 29 Nigerian words, recognizing Nigeria’s “unique and distinctive contribution to English as a global language.” The former British colony’s 200 million people speak more than 250 languages, according to … Continue reading →

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The Opposite of Death

Posted on June 15, 2020 by JMN

The sweetest, life-affirming eruption of ebullience I’ve encountered today comes from Jon Stewart. The subject is his learning to play drums in middle age. [Interviewer] Do you make sure to practice your rudiments and paradiddles? I have a teacher, and … Continue reading →

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New Artist in Town

Posted on June 13, 2020 by JMN

I like this picture. (Adam Popescu, “There’s a New Artist in Town. The Name Is Biden,” NYTimes, 2-28-20) (c) 2020 JMN

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Bret Stephens Loses His Own Argument

Posted on June 12, 2020 by JMN

The NYTimes published, then repudiated, an Op-Ed piece by a Republican senator urging deployment of active-duty troops to quell looting and rioting that intruded upon mostly peaceful protests. Bret Stephens disagrees with the politician’s incitement, but says it was proper … Continue reading →

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Opening Up a Melon

Posted on June 11, 2020 by JMN

My enduring affection for Spain gets periodic boosts from ceremonies such as this. On June 6, 2020, a group of Spaniards staged a reenactment of Velazquez’s famous “Surrender of Breda” to commemorate the event itself in the Dutch war of … Continue reading →

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Horror of the Underseen

Posted on June 9, 2020 by JMN

Violence and gore, revolting and horrific in real life, are revolting and banal in the movies. What’s horrifying is how hard it is to find good horror in entertainment. Edward Tew chainsaws cleanly through the halitosis: A lot of genre … Continue reading →

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