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 →
Category Archives: People of interest
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 →
James Lindsay on Gramsci
I highly recommend this video for anyone who wonders how we got to our current situation vis a vis the left. Answer: it was not an accident. As with all videos that are basically talks, if you get impatient – … Continue reading →
Clarence Thomas and Ketanji Brown Jackson: quite a contrast
As part of the recent SCOTUS affirmative action decision, Clarence Thomas took special care to offer a critique of Ketanji Brown Jackson’s dissent in the case. Here’s what he had to say on the matter. I find it particularly interesting … Continue reading →
Plisetskaya’s jump
By popular demand, I’m going to try to explain Plisetskaya’s jumping ability as shown in a recent open thread. Here’s the video again: You won’t see other women in ballet jumping like that. You’ll see a few men getting that … Continue reading →
Jonas Salk and merit
[NOTE: Because of the Gilot open thread earlier today, I decided to look up Jonas Salk and get up to speed on some of the details of his life. What I found was interesting enough, and relevant enough to today, … Continue reading →
RIP Alan Arkin
Alan Arkin has died at 89. His brand of comedy didn’t quite click with me, but it sure did with a lot of people. He was a Hollywood staple for many years, and had a wide range of roles. RIP. … Continue reading →
Food for thought from William Blake
William Blake was a unique poet and artist. I don’t think he fits into any category except “mystical visionary” and probably “some sort of genius.” Many people are aware of his poem
Continue reading →RIP, Mary Quant – and the fashions of the 60s
Here’s an obituary of Mary Quant, who practically invented the kicky women’s fashions of the 60s. I hadn’t thought about Quant in umpteen years. But looking at the photos there and at other articles about her brought back memories of … Continue reading →
No, George Soros wasn’t really a Nazi collaborator
It’s pretty much a standard thing now for people on the right to add the words “Nazi collaborator” (or something similar but even more extreme) to their descriptions of George Soros. But it’s not true that he was a Nazi … Continue reading →
Is McConnell retiring?
Maybe: Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell has been out of the public eye for weeks, following a serious fall that hospitalized him. Now multiple sources confirm that Senators John Barrasso of Wyoming, John Cornyn of Texas and John Thune of … Continue reading →
Galina Ulanova: Odette in Swan Lake, 1940
The great ballet dancer Galina Ulanova specialized in the more human roles in the ballet repertory, such as Juliet in “Romeo and Juliet” and the title role in “Giselle.” Becoming the Swan Queen Odette, who was under a spell and … Continue reading →