The continuing joys of Yiddish

Here's looking at you, Yiddish

I love the sound of Yiddish, the memories it evokes, and the people who created it.

Robert Cherry

Aug 09, 2015 · Essays · 2 minute read

Rachel Dolezal and Caitlyn Jenner

Odd fruit

I look forward to a time when we bust the categories — male, female, black, white, gay, straight — wide open to make room for the complicated, contradictory, nuanced experiences that live inside and between those boxes.

Anndee Hochman

Aug 09, 2015 · Essays · 5 minute read

Abusing library books

Do I need a Hazmat suit to read library books?

Did courtesy go out of style and no one told me? I don’t expect everyone to treat books as holy, but taking a little care would be nice.

Tara Lynn Johnson

Jul 28, 2015 · Essays · 2 minute read

Let them eat toast

The food fad with a difference

Toast has become a thing: a trend, a fad, the plat du jour. Restaurants are popping up with toast menus that include delectable substances Mom would never have dreamed of slapping on the Wonder Bread.

Pamela J. Forsythe

Jul 21, 2015 · Essays · 4 minute read

On the things that aren't on our résumés

Failure to thrive

What if you Instagrammed not the Martha-Stewart-worthy antipasto you crafted with radish rosettes and a frisée garnish, but the clotted, eggy mess that was your first pass at omelet-making?

Anndee Hochman

Jul 14, 2015 · Essays · 5 minute read

Pope Francis and the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia

The pope is coming! The pope is coming!

Philadelphia is a world-class city, and it is about time that the people running it started to act that way and prove that they are capable of planning a world event, such as the pope’s visit. So far, all they have done is complain, spread fear, and warn us that we had better take them seriously.

Armen Pandola

Jul 14, 2015 · Essays · 4 minute read

Justice Antonin Scalia as performance artist

Antonin Scalia set a precedent at the Supreme Court at the end of its spring term — not in a constitutional sense, but in his unusually high level of vituperation. Has he flipped his legal wig?

Steve Cohen

Jul 14, 2015 · Essays · 2 minute read

Life lessons at the DMV

A trip to the DMV reminds me of five important life lessons. Who’d have thought the experience would be about more than torture, annoyance, and a bad photo?

Tara Lynn Johnson

Jul 11, 2015 · Essays · 3 minute read

Hate or terror?

Does it matter what it’s called when the tally is 293 dead, 335 wounded, all with guns?

Rhonda Davis

Jul 11, 2015 · Essays · 3 minute read

Considering Clone-a-Willy

The perfect gift for the narcissistic males in your life

Everything old is new again — like souvenir penis replicas.

Myra Chanin

Jul 07, 2015 · Essays · 3 minute read