Essays
1096 results
Page 83
My pool, my summer, my community
Mayor Nutter's smartest move: How my neighborhood pool built a community
Despite the recession and Philadelphia's budget crisis, this summer Mayor Nutter opened all 70 of the city's public pools for six weeks. Was this public expense wise? Consider my firsthand experience.
Essays
5 minute read
The imam, the mosque and Ground Zero
The delusions of monotheists, or: The imam, the mosque and Ground Zero
The controversy about whether to build a huge Muslim study and worship center two blocks from Ground Zero in lower Manhattan isn't about freedom of religion or constitutional rights. It's about a decent respect for the dead.
Essays
4 minute read
Dr. Laura and the "n' word
The ‘n' word and other casual racial slights: What Dr. Laura doesn't know about me
Dr. Laura Schlessinger thinks black people are oversensitive about the “n” word. To me, as a black woman, it suggests that my accomplishments and character are irrelevant.
Essays
5 minute read
Farewell to the '50s
Dear Beaver, Howdy, Adlai et al: You made me what I am today
It's high time I faced the facts: My beloved '50s are indeed dead, and I need a new set of conversational reference points. But before I take my leave, allow me one last farewell to my faithful '50s friends.
Essays
4 minute read
Why the 'U.S.S. Olympia' matters
Save that ship!
I was shocked to learn that scuttling may be the fate of the cruiser Olympia, Admiral Dewey's flagship at the Battle of Manila Bay in 1898. It's the world's oldest steel warship afloat. It's also the sole surviving example of a turning point in America's life as a nation.
Essays
3 minute read
The case for professional soccer
A sport whose time has come: The case for professional soccer
With its low-scoring games and British roots, soccer may never be America's game. But for connoisseurs, it's the ideal niche sport in an age of niche markets.
Essays
5 minute read
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On renaming my commuter train
The R6 train, and other atrocities
Can you espy the connection between a nameless commuter train and a limbless Iraq war veteran?
Essays
1 minute read
On selling Viagra
The best is yet to be? Or, Selling sex to seniors
These days, when I can barely get out of my chair, my junk-mail warehouse is awash with offers of oral sex aids. My TV promises visual metaphors of sex on beaches and in bathtubs. And then there's my priapic role model, Hugh Hefner.
Essays
3 minute read
Can positive thoughts make you rich?
Think and grow rich? Hey, if it works for you….
My wealthy friend tells me I won't make big money until I cast off my “poverty mentality.” To get rich, she and others in her class insist, you must think rich. Why do I remain unpersuaded?
Essays
4 minute read
Ralph Lauren at Monticello (Part 2)
Fashion vs. history: Remaking Thomas Jefferson (Part 2)
Ralph Lauren and Monticello's curator now insist Lauren had nothing to do with revamping Thomas Jefferson's dining room (aside from funding it). But somebody did indeed revamp it.
Essays
3 minute read