Two duets—same piece of music
The first duo: And the second:
Continue reading →Category Archives: Arts
Kipling again
When I was in junior high we had to memorize a lot of poetry. One poem was Kipling’s old chestnut (which was not quite as old at the time as it is now, but then again, neither was I) “If.” … Continue reading →
Serenades past and present
A while back I went to the Boston Ballet to see Balanchine’s “Serenade.” Oh, there were other ballets on the program, but I shelled out the money for one reason and one reason alone: Serenade. I’ve written briefly about the … Continue reading →
A little too Cozy for me
Somebody’s been making a ton of money off Cozy Classics, which are board picture books for toddlers. They feature a single word per each of twelve pages and are meant mostly to amuse their parents, I would guess: Read the … Continue reading →
ISIS, the rough beast
Read this, and think of ISIS: THE SECOND COMING (W.B Yeats) Turning and turning in the widening gyre The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed … Continue reading →
Peace Prize in our time
That Nobel Peace Prize for Obama certainly was premature, wasn’t it? Since he has become president, it’s been a challenge to name a part of the world that has not gotten worse rather than better. Turns out that America as … Continue reading →
Time to dance
For the balletomane on your gift list (especially the young ballet student), this is pretty and rather clever: A reader alerted me to the clock, which is designed by Meike Harde. It seems to be available right now only through … Continue reading →
The undeserving poor
The phenomenon was mocked in “My Fair Lady” but its origins predated that, in “Pygmalion,” Shaw’s play from which “My Fair Lady” and this speech of Alfred Doolittle’s was taken. Isn’t it interesting that, despite writing this, Shaw was a … Continue reading →
“My ordinary state of mind is very much like the waiting room at the DMV”…
…says Leonard Cohen. A likely story. If Cohen’s mind is like the DMV, it’s not like any DMV I’ve ever been to. Cohen’s interview is a fascinating reflection on creativity and work: Before I can discard the verse, I have … Continue reading →
The Sixties has reached its apotheosis
And it’s fitting somehow that it’s happening in Berkeley: The city of Berkeley will require medical marijuana dispensaries to give away two percent of the amount of cannabis they sell each year free to low-income patients. The City Council voted … Continue reading →
Beatle heredity
From Maetenloch at Ace’s, sons on left, Beatles on right:
Continue reading →If this isn’t contempt of Congress, I don’t know what is
“Contempt” in several senses of the word. Please watch to the end [the tape should start around minute 3:00]: Oh, and by the way—here’s the video of the March 26 hearing where Koskinen promised to provide ALL the emails: What … Continue reading →