Editorials
529 results
Page 41
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
Feminist heroines for all time
Beyond Thelma and Louise: Feminist heroines for all time
From Lady Macbeth to Lisbeth Salander, today's heroines seem just as bloody and violent as men. This is a shame, because women qua women bring something unique to the table. Are there no better role models for female behavior? Let me suggest five— two real, three fictitious.
Editorials
7 minute read
My Mormon problem, and yours
Alien nation: Real Mormons and The Book of Mormon
Why is The Book of Mormon sold out for the next two years? For the same reason, I suspect, that Americans have spent two centuries wondering whether Mormons are harmless children or a threat to democratic principles.
Editorials
7 minute read
Allison Vulgamore's quandary
Be careful what you wish for
Allison Vulgamore, chief executive of the financially plagued Philadelphia Orchestra, has been likened to a thoroughbred horse that's been chained to a plow. Maybe so. But how many people can you think of who took a job that didn't turn out to be exactly what they expected?
Editorials
3 minute read
Another book award scandal
Stop the presses! Another award scandal!
An author has been asked to withdraw from the shortlist for the National Book Awards, five days after she was mistakenly named a finalist by the National Book Foundation. Which leaves just one question: Why do people take awards so seriously?
Editorials
4 minute read
The folly of a Middle East "two-state solution'
The two-state solution meets the elephant in the room
Politicians, pundits and diplomats agree that a two-state solution is essential to peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians alike. Which leaves just one question: Can anyone recall a two-state solution that wasn't an unmitigated disaster?
Editorials
6 minute read
Standardized testing, reconsidered
Standardized tests = standardized kids?
Standardized tests may pressure schools and teachers to emphasize reading and writing, but what then?
Editorials
1 minute read
Does sport build character?
What I learned on a football field
Precisely what is it about sports that builds character? Take it from one who has been there and done that: It isn't sports per se that build character. It's defeat.
Editorials
6 minute read