Editorials
536 results
Page 41
The larger meaning of Jeremy Lin
Jeremy Lin, Joan of Arc and Napoleon: Something in common
Jeremy Lin emerged seemingly out of nowhere this past month to lead basketball's lowly New York Knicks to eight victories in nine games. As with Joan of Arc, Lin reminded us of the limitless possibilities of human achievement, especially when a determined individual functions in the context of a team.
Editorials
4 minute read
Max Frankel and "equality' in campaign spending
What's worse than big money in politics?
In the name of fairness, Max Frankel wants to equalize political campaign spending. Any Philadelphian could tell him something about the unintended consequences of such a virtuous act.
Editorials
4 minute read
The case against Mother Nature
Mother Nature, clean up your mess!
Are we humans really worse stewards of our planet than Mother Nature herself, left to her own devices? And are clergy really better guides to a worthwhile life than economists?
Editorials
5 minute read
Inside Janet Malcolm's mind
The sound, the fury and the clutter: The trouble with Janet Malcolm
The veteran New Yorker staff writer Janet Malcolm and I have a great deal in common. Why, then, did I dismiss her recently as “incurably ditzy”? For my money, Malcolm's oeuvre too often represents a triumph of style over substance, and of the clutter of overwhelming research over simple clarity.
Editorials
9 minute read
The Inquirer (again) and Steve Jobs (again)
A plague of journalists (and professors)
Institutional Alzheimer's strikes again at the Inquirer. An academic Luddite strikes again at the New York Review of Books.
Editorials
2 minute read
"Tinker Tailor' and the certainty trap
The ignorance of certainty
Who really knows what's going on in any given situation? And why do so many pundits on the left and right alike insist that they do? Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy may cure them of their illusions.
Editorials
6 minute read
Steve Jobs vs. Robert Zaller
Zaller's Law meets Rottenberg's Law (with Steve Jobs somewhere in between)
Has Robert Zaller's rejection of iPods, iPads and iPhones made him a better writer or person? Let me answer the question this way: Here's one contemporary thinker who brings new meaning to the term “engraved in stone.”
Editorials
6 minute read
Christmas carols for nonbelievers
Christmas carols for nonbelievers
At Christmas my thoughts naturally turn to the less fortunate in our midst— specifically, those unfortunates who feel excluded from the festivities. How can we help these people get into the spirit of the season? Here‘s my modest solution.
Editorials
2 minute read
Confessions of a New Yorker film critic
Here at the New Yorker: The (endless) confessions of David Denby
Suppose a critic you've long trusted reveals flaws in his judgment. Suppose he seems to make a career of dwelling on his deficiencies. Here in a nutshell is my problem with the New Yorker film critic David Denby, who did it again this month.
Editorials
6 minute read
The verdict on Joe Paterno
Joe Paterno's moment of truth
When the recently fired Penn State coach Joe Paterno meets his maker, how will he be judged? I say: The true test of character is not how you behave throughout a lifetime of everyday situations, but how you respond to a crisis. Some otherwise great men and women have flunked this test— and some otherwise obscure people have passed it.
Editorials
6 minute read