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
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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 →
Galina Ulanova in “Romeo and Juliet”
Take a look. No one could run like Ulanova, and no one even comes close now. Same for her bourrées, which are those quick and tiny steps all on pointe that make it seem as though the dancer is skimming … Continue reading →
Peterson and Curry
Okay, so it’s long. An hour and a half long. You can speed it up by changing the settings (as I often do with interviews), but there’s no getting around the fact that, even then, it’ll be long. Of course, … Continue reading →
On the “Scott Adams is a racist” controversy
An interesting take from Stephen Green, probably the best one I’ve seen so far: By his own admission, Adams was using “hyperbole” to make his point. There are just two problems with that. The first is that his targets weren’t … Continue reading →
RIP Raquel Welch
Although Welch was 82 when she died, somehow the news is still a surprise. Everybody of a certain age – and even some who are younger – knows that poster with the famous deerskin bikini. It was her body – … Continue reading →
Dueling Odiles
[NOTE: I’ve been working on a big long post today but finally abandoned it for now because I just need to take my mind off ugly, depressing things. So I’ve pivoted to this one.] “Swan Lake” is one of those … Continue reading →
And then there’s the new Martin Luther King statue in Boston
The perfect statue for our times. Is it “a big old dong“? Is it a turd, or the portion of the anatomy from which a turd might emanate? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But it’s hard to … Continue reading →
RIP Pope Benedict
He was the oldest pope in 275 years, the first pope to resign in about 700 years, and the first German pope in about 1000 years. More about his long and eventful life can be found here. He was known … Continue reading →