Essays

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Page 57
Awaiting the guests in 'Downton Abbey': Bowing, scraping— and job security.

Where have all the servants gone?

It seemed like a good job, considering the alternatives

Today's relatively classless society has rendered the servants of “Downton Abbey” and “Upstairs Downstairs” virtually obsolete. Yet the gulf between rich and poor seems as wide as ever.
David Woods

David Woods

Essays 3 minute read
Priests, popes and ballplayers do it.

On crossing myself

Why do I cross myself? Funny you should ask

I'm a Lutheran, not a Catholic, but I can't help crossing myself. How come? And why are we Christians so preoccupied with our founder's death? One question answers the other.
Kile Smith

Kile Smith

Essays 6 minute read
Eichmann on trial, 1961: Triumph of human reason.

Eichmann's trial: a response

The heart, too, has its reasons: In defense of the Eichmann trial

For all its shortcomings, Adolf Eichmann's trial in Jerusalem in 1961 was one of the most necessary and civilized acts of justice in human history. Hannah Arendt and Dan Rottenberg may legitimately question some of its legal aspects. But this trial was so much more than a legal proceeding.
Victor L. Schermer

Victor L. Schermer

Essays 4 minute read
How come I don't get treated like Maggie the Cat (above)?

Bright lights, big city: Cat's-eye view

It isn't the heat, it's the humanity: A cat's guide to urban survival

Spare me your tales of woe about this heat wave. I've heard it all before. For a fresh perspective, I turned to my cat, Fiona.
Joy Tomme

Joy Tomme

Essays 4 minute read

The Zimmerman verdict: Inside a juror's mind (2nd comment)

Race and the Zimmerman verdict: One juror's revealing reaction

The woman described as Juror B-37 identified with George Zimmerman and couldn't identify with his black victim, Trayvon Martin. For black people, this juror herself is Exhibit A in a case we've been trying to make for some time.
Maria Thompson Corley

Maria Thompson Corley

Essays 3 minute read
You never thought of Boris Yeltsin as a tennis player, but I knew better.

Six degrees of tennis separation (a memoir)

Bill Gray, Boris Yeltsin, John Kerry and me: The secret fraternity of tennis

I suppose you could call us family, all of us who love tennis. Our mutual passion for the sport has opened doors for me to countless people who are more famous than I'll ever be.
John Dowlin

John Dowlin

Essays 6 minute read
Tracy Martin (left) and Sybrina Fulton: Righteous indignation got in the way.

Trayvon Martin's mother and the rush to judgment (1st comment)

Unintended consequences: A mother's love and Zimmerman's acquittal

Some people blame the victim for George Zimmerman's shooting of Trayvon Martin. What about the victim's mother? Her emotional reaction, while understandable, undermined the careful investigation that this case required. As a result, Zimmerman is free and we'll never know what really happened the night of the killing.
Jackie Schifalacqua

Jackie Schifalacqua

Essays 4 minute read

All quiet on the warring front

At last, peace and quiet (or at least quiet): The good/bad news about cyberwarfare

Thanks to drones, robots and toxic chemicals, modern warfare is quieter and cheaper than ever before. That means it's even more dangerous.
David Woods

David Woods

Essays 3 minute read
Admit it: Wouldn't your life be drab without Kate and Will?

Brits and Americans: How we really differ

How do you raise your kids? (And other British-American conflicts)

Britain and the U.S. are two nations separated by a common language, you've heard it said. But if you ask a native-born Brit married to a Jewish American— like me— the gulf far transcends mere linguistics.
David Woods

David Woods

Essays 4 minute read
Y'all sure this pig is kosher?

The Chosen People's answer to Paula Deen

Who you calling tasteless? Or: If Paula Deen got away with it, why can't I?

Welcome to “The Politically Correct Over-age Jewish Guy's Kitchen,” the cooking show that shows you respect. Unlike a certain celebrity chef from Georgia who shall remain nameless.
Perry Block

Perry Block

Essays 3 minute read