RIP David Bowie
Most people seem to be reacting to the news of the death of David Bowie at 69 with shock. I had the same feeling, too. I think it was because he had just put out a new album to great … Continue reading →
Category Archives: Arts
I just found this extraordinary dancer: Evgenia Obraztsova
I haven’t really kept up with the Bolshoi and other Russian dancers during the last decade or so, but YouTube has allowed me to start remedying that condition. In the past, I’ve often talked about how the quality of balletic … Continue reading →
The Dying Swans
I’ve never much cared for the ballet “The Dying Swan.” It’s not really a ballet; more like a short vignette. It was choreographed by Mikhail Fokine near the turn of the century (19th-20th) as a vehicle for international star Anna … Continue reading →
Transformations: queen into swan
[NOTE: This is a repeat of a previous post. It highlights one of my favorites moments in the ballet repertory.] Ballet specializes in transformations. After all, it changes the human body from a lumbering earthbound thing into an ethereal yet … Continue reading →
And all through the house…
…a creature was stirring. Last night was Christmas Eve. I was expecting a visit from my son, who was flying in as a rare treat. I had tidied up, and was putting on the finishing touches while waiting for him … Continue reading →
Hansel and Gretel: losing their religion
[NOTE: This is a repeat of a previous post.] I love the opera “Hansel and Gretel,” by Engelbert Humperdinck (no, not that Humperdinck or this one; this one). His name may be a yuk, but the music he composed is … Continue reading →
Everything she says is a lie, including “and” and “the”
That Hillary Clinton might lie is no surprise at all, even to her supporters, who shrug it off or rationalize it. And on the topic of lies and the lying liars who tell them, there was mention in the comments … Continue reading →
Donald Trump’s shrug towards Putin
Take a look at this interview, in which Trump practically defines mindless moral relativism. No doubt Trump supporters can figure out a way to justify it; perhaps something like this: “Oh, Trump doesn’t want to offend Putin, because if he’s … Continue reading →
Sympathy for terrorists
A reader sent me a link to this Cynthia Ozick piece in the Weekly Standard about having sympathy for terrorists: At bottom, an open-hearted willingness to understand “everyone” is an appalling distraction from the intrinsic depravity of the act of … Continue reading →
Happy Chanukah
[NOTE: This is a slightly edited version of a previous post.] Chanukah began last Sunday at sundown. But since it has eight days I still get a chance to wish you a happy one—tonight and for three more days, anyway. … Continue reading →
Obama the coward? Part II will appear tomorrow. Meanwhile…
Promises, shmomises. I had said I would publish Part II of “Obama the coward?” today, but I got busier than I thought I’d be and it’s really too late to polish it up for today. So, something to look forward … Continue reading →
Eduarda Henklein is five years old
She’s from Brazil. And she likes to play the drums: [Hat tip: CDR M at Ace’s.]
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