Beppe Severgnini reminisced in early January about what he and millions of Continental Europeans have cherished about the United Kingdom.
Above all, we were mesmerized by that quaint country, where the citizens had pounds and not kilograms, restaurants served meat stew and mashed potatoes, families enjoyed donkey rides on the beach in the rain…
Because we feel the difference in atmosphere, physical and moral. “The curious, damp, blunt, good-humored, happy-go-lucky, old-established, slow-seeming formlessness of everything,” was the way the author John Galsworthy put it in 1917.
… The home of the ideas was always London: The best writing, the best films, the best music, the best soccer, the best design, arguably the best art and some of the smartest young people were there. Even the best food, lately, as people from Europe — and beyond — brought their skills and traditions.
(Beppe Severgnini, “What Now for Europeans Who Love Britain?” NYTimes, 1-6-20)
A group of students calling themselves the Harvard Ethnic Studies Coalition at the university’s Widener Library. Credit…Cody O’Loughlin for The New York Times.
Dr. García Peña has been involved in… the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures’ program in Latinx studies[my bolding]. (Latinx is a gender-neutral term for people of Latin American heritage, used commonly in academia.)
(Kate Taylor, “Denying a Professor Tenure, Harvard Sparks a Debate Over Ethnic Studies,” NYTimes, 1-2-20)
Ms. Taylor helpfully clarifies “Latinx” in her parentheses, since it’s not likely to be on everyone’s tongue. I’ve confessed before how the term nettles me; hence “redux” in the title.
Linguistically, the striving for gender freedom in woke English can collide with the ineradicable genderedness of other languages. Ecce “Latinx.”
In assimilating “Latino,” a Spanish word, English inherited the word’s masculine gender marking. Absent that marking we get “Latin,” which is native and has its uses — indeed had considerable currency in the past, along with “Hispanic,” for labeling persons of, or descended from, Spanish-speaking cultures of the Americas and Caribbean. (The proverbial “Latin lover” was not a man who cherished the orations of Cicero. He was Latinx!)
Grammatical gender follows no discernible logic. In Spanish, it ranges from la mujer (woman) and el hombre (man) to la gente (people); el pueblo (town); la sociedad (society); el ambiente (atmosphere); el mapa (map); la luz (light); el tema (theme); la catástrofe (catastrophe); el cutis (skin); la piel (skin, too); el imperio (empire); la soberanía (sovereignty); and so on.
No noun in Spanish lacks gender. Articles, as well as adjectives that are themselves susceptible to gender marking, must agree with the noun’s gender (not to mention its number). “Agree with” in grammar-talk means to adopt appropriate markings: la pared pintada (the painted wall); el vidrio pintado (the painted glass); los dibujos pintados (the painted drawings); las nubes pintadas (the painted clouds).
To import a Spanish word into English is to import its gender baggage in one form or the other: masculine or feminine — “Latino” vs “Latina.” X-ing the gender suffix creates a scratchy neologism. Perhaps “Latinx” will catch on outside ivied precincts; perhaps not.
My pickiest beef with “Latinx” concerns its combination with “studies.” I suggest that the phrase it replaces — “Latino studies” — does not mean the study of Latinx-ers who are male. (It would require the sister discipline: “Latina studies.”) Rather, “Latino” classifies that discipline whose subjects are the peoples and cultures of the Spanish-speaking Americas — just as “Bible studies” are not the study of physical Bibles, but of the biblical canon in all its aspects.
A sign points the way to a National Health Service testing service area for coronavirus assessment at University College Hospital in London. Credit…Isabel Infantes/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images.
Britain is a rich country and may fare better than others. But the N.H.S. is creaking at the seams after years of underfunding[my bolding]. A decade of cuts by successive Conservative governments has stripped the service of resources. Staff morale is low and retention is poor. We are already working at capacity.
(Jessica Potter, “I’m a Doctor in Britain. We’re Heading Into the Abyss,” NYTimes, 3-18-20)
I live in a state that’s been cherry-red since Ann Richards was defeated by ‘W’ in 1994. “Creaking at the seams after years of underfunding” is an apt descriptor for the Texas healthcare system, and indeed for the U.S. system in general. True to form, the Grand Old Party has striven mightily to splay, flay, and fillet Obamacare from the very day of its enactment, down to the present moment.
One of my projects for the new era of isolation and social distancing we live in is to research why efficient, equitable, well-functioning, robust public healthcare systems appear to be anathema to white conservatives in two “advanced” countries.
Dr. Drew Pinsky has condoned flouting the directives of public health officials. Credit…Rich Fury/Getty Images.
Related topic to explore: Why do conservatives such as Drew Pinsky, Rob Schneider, Sean Hannity, Sharyl Attkison, Jerry Falwell Jr. and Ron Paul scoff in various ways at the virus scare?
“This is not affecting people who are healthy,” Mr. Schneider said, falsely.
(Jeremy W. Peters, “From Jerry Falwell Jr. to Dr. Drew: 5 Coronavirus Doubters,” NYTimes, 3-18-30)
I’ve received from a political entity email that closes as follows:
James, it’s never been more clear that the work we do at the HDCC matters a great deal. Our Democratic candidates are continuing to fight for health care coverage and other policies that will make Texas even stronger. We’re so grateful to have you on our team.
Best, Celia Israel, Charwoman, Texas House Democratic Campaign Committee
I’m pleased to receive outreach from an organization in which even housekeeping staff is empowered. (“Are” empowered for my U.K. public.)
“The [extinct piopio (Turnagra capensis)] was last observed in 1947… Possibly no other nest of this species remains in the world. It is an enduring expression of behavior that can no longer be seen. To touch it is to be as close to its maker as to touch a brush stroke of a Van Gogh sunflower.” (Mike Hansell, professor emeritus of animal architecture at the University of Glasgow)
“… A steady state hysteresis caused by reversible slippage”: There are passages in this article about the study of bird nests that read for me like poetry written in the language of physics.
One effort to disentangle the structural dynamics of the nest is underway in the sunny yellow lab — the Mechanical Biomimetics and Open Design Lab — of Hunter King, an experimental soft-matter physicist at the University of Akron in Ohio.
“We hypothesize that a bird nest might effectively be a disordered stick bomb, with just enough stored energy to keep it rigid,” Dr. King said. He is the principal investigator of an ongoing study, with a preliminary review paper, “Mechanics of randomly packed filaments — The ‘bird nest’ as meta-material,” recently published in the Journal of Applied Physics. (He added that, obviously, the bird-nest stick bomb never explodes.)
I think of my friend who loves birds, beauty berry bushes, curious pursuits, and, like me, wry and resonant turns of phrase. These are among the passions that perk us up in unsteady states.
(Siobhan Roberts, “Why Birds Are the World’s Best Engineers,” NYTimes, 3-17-20)
[Blotter summary courtesy of Nick Mansfield Branded Fictions and Hand-Me-Down Press]
Break-in at purpose-built, Queen-opened Christ Church college netted burglars three high-value old pix described as “important cultural artefacts.”
It’s a fresh-dealt blow to Oxford college already reeling from mysterious disappearances of burgundy and Pouilly-Fuissé cases from its large fine-wine collection.
Staff-alerted Thames Valley Police immediately swarmed scene “in order to gather evidence.”
“Thorough”-termed investigation under way with stated goal to “bring those responsible to justice”; police presence increased; enquiries being carried out. Members of public called on to assist “in any way they can.”
College “extremely grateful” for quick-and-thorough police response.
(Jedidajah Otte, “Historic, high-value paintings stolen from Oxford college gallery,” theguardian.com, 3-15-20)
Te pongo aquí un cuadro reciente, tonto y burlón, mal logrado por supuesto, de ejecución turbia, hiciera lo que hiciera. Está pintado sobre otro cuadro que hizo tu abuelo, mi papá. El suyo fue un desnudo masculino sentado, visto de espaldas, tampoco muy logrado a mi juicio. Irónico, ¿no? ¡Un segundo fantoche sobrepuesto en el primero! La imagen que pinté simboliza para mí hasta dónde llega la locura de la afición a las armas asaltadoras.
Finalmente me he movilizado para aprender a producir los signos diacríticos que exige el castellano — en este caso sirviéndome del teclado exterior “inteligente” Apple del iPad Pro. Sigue una muestra de los resultados que he logrado. La abreviatura “op” significa “option,” o sea, oprimir la tecla que lleva esa etiqueta simultáneamente con otra tecla indicada:
maniático — op+e, luego ‘a’ hélice — op+e, luego ‘e’ víbora — op+e, luego ‘i’ bustrofedón — op+e, luego ‘o’ Sepúlveda — op+e, luego ‘u’ ¿ — op+shift, luego ‘?’ ¡ — op+1, y sin más te da el punto de exclamación invertido
He aquí un minidiálogo que ostenta todos los signos:
— ¿Estás seguro? — ¡Sí, sí! Atestigüé que la catástrofe occurida en los límites de la ciudad amenazó súbitamente el bienestar de los ciudadanos.
Dijo hoy tu mamá por teléfono que unos científicos de Barcelona elaboran una vacuna de prueba contra el coronavirus que tal vez sea eficaz. ¡Les deseo todo éxito en ello!
Yes, it saw the invention of cars, airplanes, and computers, but the 20th century will be remembered most for its chronic wars.
However, a sweet vestige to preserve from then is what’s known as the “tummler,” a term introduced to me by this article.
Jessamyn West, a librarian who was a moderator for 10 years at MetaFilter, said the job [moderating content on the internet] is like what Catskill entertainers of the mid-20th century called a tummler, “the person in the room who isn’t quite the M.C. but walks around and makes sure you’re doing OK.” Tummlers were basically professional minglers at shows and social gatherings. If you were feeling shy, they’d even help you strike up a conversation with other vacationers at the resort.
(Annalee Newitz, “We Forgot About the Most Important Job on the Internet,” NYTimes, 3-13-20)
Ms.Newitz points out in her article that persons who wrangle comments on today’s internet perform much-needed and varied functions, often needing trauma therapy for the ugliness they confront. However, she reminds us why we needed human moderators in the first place, as old-fashioned tummlers “helping us have a good time.”
EthicalDative 
Latinx Redux
Dr. García Peña has been involved in… the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures’ program in Latinx studies [my bolding]. (Latinx is a gender-neutral term for people of Latin American heritage, used commonly in academia.)
(Kate Taylor, “Denying a Professor Tenure, Harvard Sparks a Debate Over Ethnic Studies,” NYTimes, 1-2-20)
Ms. Taylor helpfully clarifies “Latinx” in her parentheses, since it’s not likely to be on everyone’s tongue. I’ve confessed before how the term nettles me; hence “redux” in the title.
Linguistically, the striving for gender freedom in woke English can collide with the ineradicable genderedness of other languages. Ecce “Latinx.”
In assimilating “Latino,” a Spanish word, English inherited the word’s masculine gender marking. Absent that marking we get “Latin,” which is native and has its uses — indeed had considerable currency in the past, along with “Hispanic,” for labeling persons of, or descended from, Spanish-speaking cultures of the Americas and Caribbean. (The proverbial “Latin lover” was not a man who cherished the orations of Cicero. He was Latinx!)
Grammatical gender follows no discernible logic. In Spanish, it ranges from la mujer (woman) and el hombre (man) to la gente (people); el pueblo (town); la sociedad (society); el ambiente (atmosphere); el mapa (map); la luz (light); el tema (theme); la catástrofe (catastrophe); el cutis (skin); la piel (skin, too); el imperio (empire); la soberanía (sovereignty); and so on.
No noun in Spanish lacks gender. Articles, as well as adjectives that are themselves susceptible to gender marking, must agree with the noun’s gender (not to mention its number). “Agree with” in grammar-talk means to adopt appropriate markings: la pared pintada (the painted wall); el vidrio pintado (the painted glass); los dibujos pintados (the painted drawings); las nubes pintadas (the painted clouds).
To import a Spanish word into English is to import its gender baggage in one form or the other: masculine or feminine — “Latino” vs “Latina.” X-ing the gender suffix creates a scratchy neologism. Perhaps “Latinx” will catch on outside ivied precincts; perhaps not.
My pickiest beef with “Latinx” concerns its combination with “studies.” I suggest that the phrase it replaces — “Latino studies” — does not mean the study of Latinx-ers who are male. (It would require the sister discipline: “Latina studies.”) Rather, “Latino” classifies that discipline whose subjects are the peoples and cultures of the Spanish-speaking Americas — just as “Bible studies” are not the study of physical Bibles, but of the biblical canon in all its aspects.
But never mind; the distinction is academic.
(c) 2020 JMN