Editorials
521 results
Page 24
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
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
Politics and entertainment
Donald Trump’s secret (Jon Stewart’s too)
If politics is such a serious business, why is an overgrown adolescent like Donald Trump outpolling serious adult candidates? Why was a “fake news” anchor like Jon Stewart more trusted than real news anchors? For good reason, it turns out.
Editorials
5 minute read
Democracy’s savior?
Where are you, Andrew Jackson, when we really need you?
From Russia to Hungary to Egypt, the forces of democracy seem in retreat. Who will champion government of the people? Funny you should ask. . . .
Editorials
6 minute read
De Gaulle vs. Hitler, 75 years later
When one man asked, ‘Has the last word been said?’
At a low point in French history, an obscure general aroused his nation to drive out a seemingly invincible foreign army, much like Joan of Arc five centuries earlier. You and I were among the beneficiaries, as I discovered last month.
Editorials
6 minute read
French turmoil, then and now
Terror in the trenches, and at the airport
The simulated terror of World War I trench warfare was behind us. Now, we were on the last leg of our vacation, heading for Charles de Gaulle airport outside Paris. We were about to experience a real nightmare of our own.
Editorials
5 minute read