I’ve always liked this portrait of Madame X by John Singer Sargent: Here’s the story of the painting, thought quite scandalous at the time. The original was even more scandalous, because it featured the lady with a strap falling off … Continue reading →
This article by Suki Kim is an excerpt from her book Without You, There Is No Us: My Time with the Sons of North Korea’s Elite, based on her experience teaching English in North Korea. From a review of the … Continue reading →
Commenter “Beverly” alerted me to this Chris Rock routine:
Continue reading →Here’s an alert art historian.
Continue reading →A while back, Ann Althouse asked the question “why don’t we eat swans anymore?”: And it’s not because they don’t taste pretty darn good: “If you want to know how it tastes, it’s “delicious ”” deep red, lean, lightly gamey, … Continue reading →
I recently attended Boston Ballet’s new production of the old warhorse “Swan Lake,” and enjoyed it despite (or maybe because of?) the fact that I’ve seen the ballet about twenty-five times before, in many difference guises. I’ve seen companies from … Continue reading →
My thoughts on the subject of the multiple rape allegations against Bill Cosby: (1) I have no idea whether Bill Cosby is guilty of rape. Neither do you, and neither does anybody except Cosby, and each woman who has accused … Continue reading →
This young woman has seen enough upheaval to last ten lifetimes, and yet what a triumphant story. I don’t know about you, but it brings tears to my eyes: And here’s her autobiography. I haven’t read it, but the Amazon … Continue reading →
The name may not ring a bell for you, but how about Click? Or Clack? Tom Magliozzi and his younger brother Ray entertained millions—including me—with their NPR show “Car Talk.” Cars bore me, and I really couldn’t care less about … Continue reading →
…from “Idiocracy”: That name bit reminds me ever-so-slightly of this:
Continue reading →…can write a masterpiece within the confines of almost any restriction. Tchaikovsky was just that kind of genius. He was one of the greatest composers for ballet who ever lived, transforming ballet music from the light and inconsequential into the … Continue reading →
Judea Pearl is the father of Daniel Pearl, and he has written a stirring letter of protest about the Klinghoffer opera. It’s well worth reading in its entirety, but here’s an excerpt: There is nothing more enticing to a would-be … Continue reading →