Editorials
530 results
Page 30
Putin vs. Peter the Great
What’s wrong with this analogy?
Western pundits seem convinced that Vladimir Putin is modeling himself after Peter the Great. But in one very important respect, these two Russian rulers are poles apart.
Editorials
4 minute read
Ratings mania
We’re Number Ten!
What’s the world’s greatest novel, movie, or orchestra? Who’s the greatest painter or composer? In any matters involving personal taste, who knows? And why do even rabbis buy into this listing mania?
Editorials
5 minute read
Pam Sommerfield’s unique theatrical life
She did it her way, in Philadelphia
Aspiring actors usually head for Broadway or Hollywood and hope some director will notice them. Pam Sommerfield left London for Philadelphia — where she created her own unique theatrical niche.
Editorials
4 minute read
Through history with Philadelphia Magazine
On trivializing Ed Rendell (not to mention Lincoln)
In keeping with its tradition of skewering local sacred cows, Philadelphia Magazine this month produced a special section on overrated local icons. The puncturing of Ed Rendell particularly caught my eye.
Editorials
4 minute read
Neshaminy’s high school press dispute
An open letter to three high school editors
The editors of a high school paper in Bucks County have discovered that adults don’t really know what they’re doing. Fortunately, a solution to their quandary is at hand. My cousin Andy tried it more than 40 years ago, with inspiring results.
Editorials
6 minute read
Our self-appointed judges
Google, Klinghoffer, the Met — and Abraham Foxman?
Upset by an opera? Worried about what folks are saying about you over the Internet? Have we got good news for you!
Editorials
4 minute read
Let's redefine the American small town
Main Street revisited
The American small town continues to serve as a convenient artistic shorthand for conformity and drudgery. But the isolated Main Street world that Sinclair Lewis lampooned was disappearing even as his Main Street rolled off the presses. Is it time to update the stereotype?
Editorials
5 minute read
When the fat lady sang
The elephant in the room
I tried to ignore the soprano Rita Hunter’s gigantic girth and focus on her voice. So did everyone else at the Met that night. It just wasn’t possible.
Editorials
3 minute read
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The birth of rock 'n' roll: My theory
The ‘Kennedy Class’ and the birth of rock 'n' roll
Bill Haley’s Rock Around the Clock was rejected resoundingly in 1954 but become a resounding hit in 1955. What on earth caused such a dramatic shift in popular music tastes in one short year? I think I’ve found the answer.
Editorials
6 minute read
Sexism at the Times?
Why was Jill Abramson fired?
Jill Abramson, the first female executive editor of the New York Times, was abruptly fired two weeks ago after just 32 months on the job. The publisher said her management style was too pushy and abrasive. That style worked just fine for Abe Rosenthal, among many other great male editors.
Editorials
5 minute read