Essays
1090 results
Page 55
Three military trials: Who's to blame?
American military justice: The perpetrators and the victims
Three seemingly unrelated recent military trials— of Bradley (Chelsea) Manning, Robert Bales and Nidal Hassan— actually dealt with the same issue: the casualties of illegitimate wars.
Essays
7 minute read
"Greyhound therapy' for the mentally ill
News from the mental health front: Have you heard about ‘Greyhound therapy'?
The ingenuity of the mental health profession knows no bounds— as long as the problem involves busing patients elsewhere instead of caring for them.
Essays
3 minute read
Breaking news about the Virgin Birth (a response)
This just in: The Resurrection is silly
In a shocking exposé, the Broad Street Review reported this week that non-Christians don't believe in Christianity. It also uncovered theologians and philosophers who prefer theology and philosophy to religion.
Essays
3 minute read
Consumer angst: The urge to return something
Nothing to return, or: Diary of a mad consumer
Remember the disposable society? Now we live in the returnable society. Perhaps there was a time when I just threw my purse into the car and drove off to buy something. Now I drive off to return something.
Essays
5 minute read
Secret of Germany's success
What the Washington Post could learn from Der Spiegel
Der Spiegel is often dubbed Germany's equivalent of Time magazine, but Der Spiegel has far outstripped its American antecedent in both size and significance. It's another shining example of why things seem to work better in Germany than in the U.S.
Essays
3 minute read
When school districts flunk the basics
Uninspired school boards, uninspired students
Cash-strapped school boards are eliminating their arts and sports programs in order to focus on math and science. That is, they're cutting the very programs that generate the qualities a society needs most: passion, creativity and teamwork.
Essays
3 minute read
Can Christianity survive Christianity?
Is supernatural religion a fraud?
What if the only way the Christian church can survive is to admit that the early Christians juiced up the Jesus narrative in order to sell it?
Can football be civilized?
What football does to your brain (not to mention your alma mater)
The violence of football is bad enough. Less remarked upon is the role college football has played in infantilizing American higher education.
Essays
3 minute read
The "new' Colorado
Where have all the hippies gone? A journey to the new West
Spiritual descendants of cowboys and hippies now co-exist in Colorado, as I discovered on a recent visit. But the open spaces and mountain vistas, so breathtaking to outsiders, can sometimes drive permanent residents nuts.
Essays
8 minute read
Should Eichmann have been tried? (A response)
On prosecuting evil: Adolf Eichmann, meet Billy Budd
The problem posed by the 1961 Eichmann trial is what to do about evil, a category that eludes definition and evades justice. The Israelis tried and made a mess.
Essays
5 minute read