Tag Archives: rhetoric

Android Mountburden-Windsock

Posted on March 26, 2026 by JMN

(Now pointedly referred to by the king… as though he were a distant relation rather than his mother’s much-indulged favorite son)…(Fintan O’Toole) “Alleged” does heavy lifting in criminal matters. Innocent ‘til proven guilty is the ruling standard. The Epstein class … Continue reading →

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Bronze Age Vainglory (Re-posted With Correction)

Posted on March 24, 2026 by JMN

[In the original post I used the term “martinets.” I meant to say “myrmidons.” This version corrects that lapse.] “Watch what happens to these deranged scumbags today…! [etc.]”Say What? Archive Wild beasts of the wilderness, when war breaks into flame, … Continue reading →

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Bronze Age Vainglory

Posted on March 23, 2026 by JMN

“Watch what happens to these deranged scumbags today…! [etc.]”Say What? Archive Wild beasts of the wilderness, when war breaks into flame, follow me from the empty wastes;Follow me, (and) you will see the blood of the foemen streaming between the … Continue reading →

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From Whose Pulpit?

Posted on March 13, 2026 by JMN

… A majority of Protestant voters, the largest religious group in the United States, align with Republicans. And there are signs of weakening Democratic support among other religious groups, including Hispanic Catholics.(Lisa Lerer and Elizabeth Dias) I’ll whisper something to … Continue reading →

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Upon this Slab Build Ye a Breakaway Church

Posted on February 13, 2026 by JMN

If I named God, I would name him more like a boatthan a dog, but more like a dog than a dead relative.(Leslie Sainz, from “When I imitate myself, I am a number of certain people,” Poetry, January-February 2026) The … Continue reading →

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Three Rules With Tolerances

Posted on January 26, 2026 by JMN

RULE OF GOLDTreat others like you want to be treated. RULE OF IRONBelieve in Me or else. RULE OF THUMBSteer into the skid. TOLERANCES“Every trade works to different tolerances. Steel workers aim to be accurate within half an inch; carpenters … Continue reading →

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Europa to Americus: ‘Yassuh, Massah!’

Posted on January 23, 2026 by JMN

The Greek derivatives in English spurt from a font of abstruse vocables that gives us, say, “dithyramb” — “a passionate or inflated speech, poem or other writing.” It’s a short hop to coinage such as “pithyramb” — “a passionate or … Continue reading →

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Keep What Holds the Light Unbroken

Posted on January 16, 2026 by JMN

The Gleb on a Gnat’s Vesicle— After Donne. How do we rue you, cunning tongue?Grant us, sir, spit out a lung.Perdition’s grease fire. Odium’s pimp.Perversity’s pal. Plague’s piece of tail.Malice engorged. Enormity in a suit.Torrent of keening. Badmouth bard.Punch down, … Continue reading →

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And That’s Okay, But Don’t Worry, It’s Under Control’

Posted on January 13, 2026 by JMN

Remarks by podcaster Jason Staples have led me to ponder the notion of “original” language relative to scriptures widely known via translation. My attention was drawn to Staples’s comment that the Book of Revelations “has mixed metaphors all over the … Continue reading →

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And One More Thing…

Posted on November 17, 2025 by JMN

I adore compression and spareness, and Infinite Jest, finished at 7:29PM on 11-16-25, is bloated and prolix. It tells you something that it’s a novel with footnotes. Hundreds of them. During the periods when I ground my teeth, it tracked … Continue reading →

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