Yesterday my attention was called to this article, the translation of which (thanks, Google translate) is as follows: Russian journalist and well-known propagandist Vladimir Solovyov said that the Russian Federation will not stop at the war in Ukraine. He said … Continue reading →
My favorite classical composers are as follows: Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Bach, Dvorak. Note the order; Chopin leads the way. Is that because I was heavily exposed to Chopin from the age of four in ballet class? I don’t think it’s just … Continue reading →
Till today, I hadn’t done research on Robert Malley, the Iran Deal’s chief negotiator (new deal as well as old deal). But I’ve been curious, and today I finally managed to do some brief research on him. I think it’s … Continue reading →
I was very surprised, when Zelenskyy was elected, to learn that he was Jewish. The first surprise was that there were any Jews left in Ukraine at all, given the history of Jews there. The second was that the Ukrainians … Continue reading →
Our Founders set up our republic in a certain way because they were students of history, and also because they were extremely thoughtful and smart. They had studied the history of governmental rise and decline and fall, tried to learn … Continue reading →
…it may be between DeSantis and Youngkin. I know it’s way early to even talk about it. And I also know that Trump may end up dominating again. But it’s a pleasant prospect to contemplate – in the middle of … Continue reading →
Here’s another death of a celebrity in the arts, the actor and singer who adopted the memorable moniker Meat Loaf. He was 74 and no cause of death was given, and although COVID is rumored, I don’t know whether or … Continue reading →
And he certainly doesn’t go out with a whimper: I recently resigned from my position as full tenured professor at the University of Toronto. I am now professor emeritus, and before I turned sixty. Emeritus is generally a designation reserved … Continue reading →
The subject of the Tolstoy marriage came up in this thread, in the context of a discussion about Tolstoy’s novel Anna Karenina. In that book, Tolstoy presents a thinly-disguised more idealized version of his own marriage to his wife Sonya, … Continue reading →
RIP. Two very different figures who would not ordinarily be mentioned together have died in tandem. I’ll say little about Harry Reid, except that when he retired from public life I celebrated his exit. As for Madden, I can’t say … Continue reading →
In the Joan Didion thread yesterday, commenter “Mac” wrote: I believe it’s The White Album that includes a memorable and very sharp put down of feminist writing. I’m sure there was a lot of resentment about that. To which commenter … Continue reading →
RIP. Didion specialized in the non-fiction essay, one of my favorite genres. I read her 1968 work Slouching Towards Bethlehem (title taken from Yeats’ wonderful poem “The Second Coming”) a couple of years after it came out and admired it … Continue reading →