Maybe when I'm done teaching and fretting over my dissertation, I'll have the energy for a proper, narrative long post. Here's another smattering of links, seemingly disconnected.
Vladimir Nabokov's "The Art of Translation," published in The New Republic in 1941, now available online. I follow Words Without Borders on Twitter and received a link to this essay via a tweet. I had read it before, and even have it in my files, but I really how WWB is using Twitter to bring good, thought provoking content on translation to its readers.
The pressing question "how did Sarah Hughes outscore Irina Slutskaya and Michelle Kwan for the gold medal in the 2002 Olympics?" is succinctly answered in this article (see the side bar for the details).
Wikipedia's list of "unusual deaths" is a major distraction. Hypatia of Alexandria was flayed with oyster shells (though the word "ostrakois" may also refer to pottery shards).
I've been listening to Joni Mitchell's Clouds again.
Some come dark and strange like dying
Crows and ravens whistling
Lines of weeping, strings of crying
So much said in listening
(from "Songs for Aging Children")
This 1970 profile of Mitchell provides some context for these songs. My favorite quote: "Grass, it sits you down on your fanny."
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