As an artist I have to ask: How much God is there in art theories like appropriation, deconstructivism, simulation and consumerism, which from the mid-1970s on have dominated the syllabus of many institutions that teach, critique and exhibit art?

Inside the dark house, Billy bee-lined for the kitchen, where his grandmother would be putting the final touches on desk-size trays of lasagne, two-inch-thick pizza, veal parmagiana, and a bakeryful of pastries.

As a vegetable product, it was favored as a healthier option than animal fats (a view that went downhill when transfats became viewed with Voldemortian horror, then flipped again when Crisco got a nearly transfat-free new formula.)

Astroturfers and propagandists tend to attack and controversialize the news organizations, personalities and people surrounding an issue rather than sticking to the facts.