Essays
1109 results
Page 107
A Tale of Two Philadelphias
The misnamed Youth Study Center is, frankly, a poor endorsement for the Museum Mile and its tony new high-rises. Here, on the pretext of making the Barnes Foundation’s art more accessible to the masses, was a perfect opportunity to raise another bulwark between the two cities, and to remove an uncomfortable reminder of those mean streets and playgrounds where Philadelphians actually live.
Essays
5 minute read
Demise of Antioch College
Once a haven for free inquiry, Antioch College deteriorated into a wary, secretive and suspicious parody of political correctness. To an alum who loved his alma mater, watching its demise firsthand was a painful experience.
Essays
11 minute read
My digital camera, myself
Hallelujah! No longer must I wonder if I’m in focus, if anyone blinked or whether my exposure was correct. And I can make my own prints, to my own idiosyncratic taste, without losing anything in the translation to some middleman.
Essays
4 minute read
Barry Bonds as drug scapegoat
Barry Bonds’s home run record has called attention to his likely use of illegal steroids. How many other lower-profile needle secrets of professional sports have been swept under the carpet? And why aren’t sportswriters and talk show hosts asking that question?
Essays
4 minute read
Let's talk about Jane Smiley's writing
I used to love Jane Smiley’s writing. Then she started posting on the Internet, revealing herself as yet another example of a writer who desperately needs an editor.
George W. Bush meets Oscar Wilde
Has any artist noticed, as I have, George W. Bush’s facial transformations since he first appeared on the national stage eight years ago?
Essays
1 minute read
Five stages of 'The Sopranos'
The final episode of “The Sopranos” did something that always leaves me feeling a little prickly. It forced me to look at myself -- which isn’t ordinarily why I turn on the TV.
Watch the last scene below.
Watch the last scene below.
Essays
4 minute read
Where Don Imus went wrong
The recent downfall of radio shock jock Don Imus was a tragedy of poetic dimensions. BSR contributor and playwright Ted Hechtman rises to the challenge.
Essays
1 minute read
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Florida's NCAA basketball victory
As this year’s NCAA championship game wore on, it became clear that Florida was a basketball team, whereas Ohio State was merely an arsenal of impressive individuals.
Essays
6 minute read
The singular life of George Seldes
From World War I to the Age of Nader, the outspoken Philadelphia journalist and critic George Seldes survived more than a century and managed to reach the finish line with his principles intact. How did he do it, and how can we emulate his example?
Essays
6 minute read