On laughter
Ammo Grrrll is sensitive to noise, and she tells you all about it in a very funny piece at Powerline. If you need some laughter as relief from all the angst, I suggest taking a look. It got me thinking, … Continue reading →
Category Archives: Arts
Plisetskaya dances
A nice change from gloomy news can be found in this 1964 documentary on ballet dancer Maya Plisetskaya. I saw it in a movie theater when I was young, and it made a tremendous impression on me. Despite the more … Continue reading →
Seals and selkies and silkies
I was going to use this video for one of my open threads: But after I watched it, I suddenly felt a strong urge to find some clips from the 1994 movie The Secret of Roan Inish. I hadn’t thought … Continue reading →
Actually, I think the sun bear may have been the collie guy dressed in a bear suit
What collie guy? This collie guy. What bear? This Chinese bear: A Chinese zoo has been forced to deny that its sun bear is actually a human in a costume, after video of one standing on its hind legs raised … Continue reading →
Lewis Carroll’s original Alice book
The real Lewis Carroll, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, created the original “Alice” stories for the young Alice Liddell and her two sisters one day when they were rowing on the Thames. The story was originally spoken extemporaneously, but the girls liked … Continue reading →
RIP Sinead O’Connor
The singer has died at the age of 56: Irish singer Sinéad O’Connor has died at the age of 56, her family has announced. In a statement, the singer’s family said: “It is with great sadness that we announce the … Continue reading →
Desperation, love, cars, and song
[NOTE: I wrote about the “Fast Car” brouhaha involving the Luke Combs cover version two days ago. That sparked further thoughts – thus, this post.] The strength of the song “Fast Car” is due in no small part to its … Continue reading →
RIP Tony Bennett
He had a long run: 96 years. He kept singing to the end, although he gave up performing in 2021 due to slowly advancing Alzheimer’s. From his Wiki page, I learned that Bennett was also a lifelong artist. You can … Continue reading →
The revisionist history of the song “Fast Car”
It’s come to this: One recollection that I can confirm with the aid of historical evidence is that [in 1988] ‘Fast Car’ by Tracy Chapman was everywhere. I heard it in seedy gay bars, at civil-service leaving dos, at family … Continue reading →
The Marxist librarian
I missed this story back when it first happened, in April of 2022. This explains what I’m referring to: A large organization that drives the training of U.S. librarians and their use of public funds has chosen a self-described “Marxist … Continue reading →
Author Milan Kundera dies at 94
[Hat tip: Commenter “Barry Meislin.”] RIP Milan Kundera. Long-time readers here probably recall that Kundera has been one of my favorite authors and almost certainly was my favorite living author, someone I’ve quoted time after time on this blog. You … Continue reading →
The lost art of épaulement
Alla Shelest was virtually unknown in the West, but she was an eminent dancer in the USSR during the 30s, 40s, and 50s. Here she is trying to teach a younger dancer what’s known as épaulement, which is “the nuanced … Continue reading →