Tag Archives: language

Cat of Many Names

Posted on November 21, 2020 by

This article reports a sad event, the snatching of a family dog by a mountain lion. That misfortune notwithstanding, it solves a longstanding puzzle for me by clarifying that mountain lions, pumas, cougars, panthers, and catamounts are the same animal, … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Quotations | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Whiteout

Posted on November 18, 2020 by

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 →

Posted in Commentary, Quotations | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

‘Kate Is There in the Shadows’

Posted on November 17, 2020 by

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 , , , , , | 2 Comments

‘I Cut the Sky in Two’

Posted on November 13, 2020 by

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 →

Posted in Quotations | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

‘Explicit and Mysterious’

Posted on November 12, 2020 by

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 , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Opportunities to Panic

Posted on November 10, 2020 by

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 , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Tom, Dick, and Harry

Posted on November 9, 2020 by

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 , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Squat

Posted on November 6, 2020 by

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 , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Michelangelo Pistoletto

Posted on October 29, 2020 by

This article introduces me to Arte Povera (poor or plain art), a movement whose heyday ended in the 70s, known for it use of humble materials such as rags and newspaper. A major exponent, Michelangelo Pistoletto, has said, “Art is … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Quotations | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

‘Uninvited Guests’

Posted on October 23, 2020 by

Carlos G. Navarro, curator of “Uninvited Guests,” the Prado’s first post-lockdown exhibition, says it’s “partly an act of self-criticism” for the museum’s complicity in neglect of 19th-century female artists. Of 130 works displayed, 60 are by women. One wonders why … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Quotations | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment