Emmys’ fashion
I watch so little TV that I’ve never heard of 99% of the stars at the 2015 Emmys. But of course I have to take a look at the women’s dresses. As Tolstoi said, all happy families are alike, but … Continue reading →
Category Archives: Arts
Sex, drugs, and rock and roll
I’m a little late to this party, but I wanted to say a few words about the Chrissie Hynde brouhaha: …Chrissie Hynde has waded into another contentious area ”“ the overly sexualised nature of modern pop music. In an obvious … Continue reading →
“Truth”: the press, the movies, and the present-day Minitrue
The title of this post is taken from George Orwell’s dystopian masterpiece Nineteen Eighty-Four. The book’s genius is in part its nomenclature, and most definitely its insight into the political propaganda process. Thus, the Ministry of Truth, or “Minitrue” for … Continue reading →
Tonight: the second debate
I suppose I’ll bite the bullet and watch tonight’s Republican debate, which looks to have some verbal fireworks and a huge listening audience. I may even live-blog it, if I can stomach it. Those of you who read this blog … Continue reading →
The real life case of Beauty and the Beast
This is a case of deception, love, and sex (not an unusual trio) that has caused a lot of startled and skeptical reactions. You may have to concentrate a bit to follow it at first: A woman accused of pretending … Continue reading →
Donald Trump: at face value
Is it really such a good idea to make fun of a rival candidate’s looks? It doesn’t matter if it’s a man or a woman being mocked, or a man or a woman doing the mocking. It’s always an extremely … Continue reading →
Violette Verdy: feet that speak
Violette Verdy is now in her early 80s, but in her heyday as a soloist with the New York City Ballet I saw her dance many times and loved her performances, particularly in the role she created as the girl … Continue reading →
CNN may be changing its rules for the debate…
…in a way that would let Carly Fiorina participate in the first-tier debate. That’s unofficial and may just be a rumor. But, if it does happen and she replaces Chris Christie, don’t expect him to take it lying down. My … Continue reading →
Camp of the Saints author interview
[Hat tip: commenter “Beverly.”] Here’s a 1994 interview with Camp of the Saints author Jean Raspail. He’s the Frenchman who wrote an extraordinarily prescient and disturbing work of fiction, published in 1973, about a future takeover of the West through … Continue reading →
Europe reacts…
…to its own immigration (“migrant”) crisis. It seems that some of the countries with more lenient policies are trying to pressure the others into being more like them: Interior ministers from all 28 EU states will meet in Luxembourg on … Continue reading →
Denali’s not just a river in Egypt
It’s a mountain in Alaska that’s been known as McKinley for about 100 years. Obama has decided to rename it with its native American name. This has made Alaskans happy and Ohioans furious, and although I don’t have a dog … Continue reading →
And, speaking of words…
…the University of Tennessee at Knoxville has an “Office for Diversity and Inclusion.” The head of what’s referred to as the “Pride Center” there has decided to encourage students to use so-called gender-neutral pronouns such as “ze, hir, hirs, and … Continue reading →