Essays
1094 results
Page 57
Zimmerman's jury: The ideal vs. the real (3rd comment)
A jury of whose peers? George Zimmerman's trial, and mine
In the mid-1980s I served on a jury for a murder trial in Philadelphia. It soon became apparent that none of us jurors were “peers” of the defendant or his victim— the legal ideal. The same applies to the six women jurors who recently acquitted George Zimmerman for the killing of Trayvon Martin. So what's the decisive factor in a jury's verdict?
Essays
10 minute read
Up from poverty in Namibia
A new road out of serfdom
Mary was once an HIV-positive sex worker in Namibia. Now she's running an ingenious, socially useful— and profitable— business. Third World pessimists may find a useful lesson here.
Essays
4 minute read
When Anglophones speak French
How do you say ‘Wi-Fi' in French?
French is a beautiful language. Why do Americans, Britons and Canadians alike insist on mangling it?
Essays
3 minute read
Is Detroit beyond redemption?
The philosopher's solution: A ray of hope for beleaguered Detroit
My hometown of Detroit, once a haven for some very nasty notions, has filed for bankruptcy protection. But Detroit's current malaise gives those who haven't abandoned the city an opportunity to abandon old prejudices for new solutions. A 96-year-old philosopher may be the city's new Joan of Arc.
Essays
3 minute read
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.
Essays
3 minute read
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.
Essays
6 minute read
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.
Essays
4 minute read
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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.
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.
Essays
3 minute read
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.
Essays
6 minute read