Editorials
525 results
Page 24
The Orchestra and the Eagles
It ain’t the talent— it’s the chemistry
What do the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Philadelphia Eagles have in common? Both are discovering that, in music as in sports, hiring talent is the easy part. The trick is getting great performers to play together.
Editorials
5 minute read
Blood, destiny, and ‘Disgraced’
You’ve got to be taught
Are Muslims (not to mention the rest of us) doomed to stew in the resentments of the past? In the process of contending that blood is destiny, Ayad Akhtar’s Disgraced provokes us to prove him wrong.
Editorials
5 minute read
The campus diversity quandary
Too many smart Asians?
Shouldn’t the best and brightest high school students get first crack at America’s top universities, regardless of their race, creed, or nationality? Not necessarily. Consider, for example, Columbia University’s unfortunate Class of 1964.
Editorials
5 minute read
Death of the 'City Paper'
Alternative weeklies: The final chapter
After 34 years, the City Paper's final issue appears this week. But this alternative weekly survived much longer than it should have. As its former competitor, I observed the saga from a front-row seat.
Editorials
4 minute read
Bikes vs. pedestrians on the Schuylkill Trail
In a flash, his life changed
A collision on Philadelphia’s popular new Schuylkill River Trail landed BSR music critic Tom Purdom in the intensive care unit. Polymath that he is, Tom prefers to focus on the larger urban policy implications rather than the recklessness of the biker who blindsided him.
Editorials
5 minute read
My favorite religious jokes
The Pope and a rabbi walk into a bar…
How will Philadelphia survive the Pope’s visit? The same way humankind has survived most of its crises: with humor. To help you endure Papal Week, here are some of my favorite religious jokes — Catholic and otherwise.
Editorials
9 minute read
Immigration: Curse or blessing?
Save us, Donald, from Uma Thurman and Andrew Grove
When we discuss immigrants and refugees, are we talking about malignant cancer cells spreading across the globe? Or are we talking about valuable human capital?
Editorials
6 minute read
The ‘good life’ in New York, redefined
A couple, their building, their city, and their world
My parents yearned to help make the world a better place. In their New York apartment they found the ideal vehicle for their project.
Editorials
5 minute read
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Why football persists
Imagine a world without football
Football season is upon us again, and so are the inevitable calls for its elimination, not to mention my own personal conflicts concerning this violent sport. Is football good or bad? Maybe we’re asking the wrong question.
Editorials
5 minute read
A wake-up call at Penn, 1960
Failure and survival: My roommate’s tale
My Penn class of 1964 produced its share of overachievers. My freshman roommate wasn’t among them. But his survival was a remarkable feat in itself.
Editorials
6 minute read