Tag Archives: language

‘Johanne Sacreblu[e]’: “Gracias a todos y a cada uno de ustedes”

Posted on February 10, 2025 by JMN

My title is the ending tag line of “JOHANNE SACREBLU[E] ‘el musical’ un homenaje a EMILIA PEREZ.” Adapted to the English formula, it means “Thanks to each and every one of you.” Camila D. Aurora is the artist behind the … Continue reading →

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There’ll Always Be an England: For Exquisitely Nuanced Class Distinctions

Posted on February 7, 2025 by JMN

“She went to girls’ schools and was taught French, and history, and geography, and music, and painting, the usual things that a… middle class? You might say middle class. She was really more of the sort of upper yeoman peasant … Continue reading →

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Are You Riding the Strawberry Roan?

Posted on February 3, 2025 by JMN

I assume “Scarborough Fair” is an old melody, though it’s sometimes hard to distinguish what’s echt and what’s ersatz in the matter of “traditional” airs.  Simon and Garfunkle did a defining version of the song for my generation. I like … Continue reading →

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Cussing with Class

Posted on February 2, 2025 by JMN

“Governor Newscum.”  Tut tut, Sir, it’s a scruffy taunt. My granddad put reverse English on his curses with statements such as: The blessèd cinch strap on this saddle is busted! And my uncle by marriage had the same name as … Continue reading →

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How Disparate Writings Intertwine

Posted on January 27, 2025 by JMN

“Over the past eight years, I have been tested and challenged more than any president in our 250-year history.” (Donald Trump, from Second Inaugural Address) Mr. Trump dictates revelation for his irrupting dispensation. There are impromptu connections one makes in … Continue reading →

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My Favorite Typo Occurs in Today’s New York Times

Posted on January 25, 2025 by JMN

There was talk of expanding the welfare stare, certainly, but Sanders’s Medicare for All was not at the heart of these fights, nor was rolling back globalization, as with the 1999 protests against the World Trade Organization. (New York Times, … Continue reading →

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My Gawd! There Was Out-Bespoken Garb Galore at the Glitzy Gala

Posted on January 21, 2025 by JMN

Finally, the rich are going to get a fair shake in this country. Hail, lord of hosts! From somewhere near the Gulf of America, wishing you a nice day. Yours in freezing… PS: There are some rivers in Texas that … Continue reading →

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‘I Don’t Belong to Any Religion’

Posted on January 13, 2025 by JMN

In previous posts, I’ve mentioned that I don’t belong to any religion. (Friedrich Zettl) I always read Mr. Zettl’s blog, Zettl Fine Arts, with great interest and profit, no less his latest entry. It takes no more than his first … Continue reading →

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‘When All Three Pounds of Me Came Earthside…’

Posted on January 11, 2025 by JMN

The tiny speaker in Megan Denton’s “A Girl and Her Fireplace” (Poetry, December 2024) is off to a shaky start. Born on a new moon, one minute after my sisterand one pound less, my ribcage was full of roosting songbirds … Continue reading →

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A Poem Is Like an Emergency

Posted on January 4, 2025 by JMN

First responders plunge into scenarios that need to be made sense of quickly. I call myself a first responder to poetry, and not a critic, but the poetry I read is published, so at least one other reader more qualified … Continue reading →

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