Tag Archives: style

When Is Kill Not “Over”?

Posted on September 15, 2019 by

The illustration made me read this essay by Michelle Goldberg (“Margaret Atwood’s Dystopia, and Ours,” NYTimes, 9-14-19). On first glance, the picture’s Dairy Queen Blizzard ™ of cartoon imagery made me grumpy. Whatever it purports to symbolize, I thought, this … Continue reading →

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The Guardian on Relationships

Posted on July 3, 2019 by

“How to tell your best friend you’re in love with them — by those who have taken the plunge” (Sirin Kale, The Guardian, 7-1-19) In days of yore this headline would not invite the interpretation that you love your best … Continue reading →

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New Old Proverb

Posted on July 3, 2019 by

… “Skinfolk,” as the old proverb goes, aren’t always “kinfolk.” (Jamelle Bouie, “Kamala Harris Doesn’t Have to Believe in Joe Biden’s Innocence,” NYTimes, 7-1-19) This old proverb is new to me. It has the virtues of a good proverb: pith, … Continue reading →

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Shooting Stardom: When Teenyboppers Write Subheadings

Posted on June 29, 2019 by

Two of the biggest Spanish-speaking global pop superstars discuss joining forces for the first “Watch the Throne”-style pairing in Latin music. (Joe Coscarelli, “How J Balvin and Bad Bunny Made Their Surprise Album, ‘Oasis’,” NYTimes, 6-28-18) In the universe of … Continue reading →

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“Our Blue-Eyed Girl”

Posted on June 29, 2019 by

… Tourism secretary Miguel Torres Márquez tweeted a video of a pristine Cancún beach with the comment: “We’re looking after Cancún, ‘our blue-eyed girl’ and all the beautiful beaches of the Mexican Caribbean.” (David Agren, Seaweed invasion threatens tourism in … Continue reading →

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Guide by the Perplexed — Triad Tirade

Posted on June 18, 2019 by

“A triad is a simultaneous combination of three notes.” (Ralph Denyer, “The Guitar Handbook,” Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 2006) The introductory sentence to the “Triads” section of this useful guide distracts me from triads. I’m drawn off the mark … Continue reading →

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Mistakes Were Made

Posted on June 8, 2019 by

I’m haunted by that sentence in Lincoln’s second inaugural: “And the war came.” (David Brooks, “The Racial Reckoning Comes,” NYTimes, 6-6-19) David Brooks is well haunted. Lincoln could make words punch above their weight. His mastery lends killing clout to … Continue reading →

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