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

Jul 16, 2013 · 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

Jul 13, 2013 · Essays · 3 minute read

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

Jul 13, 2013 · Essays · 4 minute read

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

Jul 02, 2013 · Essays · 3 minute read

Edward Snowden: Fugitive without a country

Telling the truth, and other ‘crimes' of Edward Snowden

Uncle Sam pursues a single citizen around the globe for revealing a vast, secret spying operation that targets ordinary Americans. Meanwhile, the nation's security chief gets a free pass for lying under oath about the program. Shouldn't Americans be inviting Edward Snowden to tell us— not a foreign power— what he knows?

Robert Zaller

Jun 28, 2013 · Essays · 7 minute read

Back to the future in Germany

A fresh start in Germany

In Weimar, Germany, my six-year-old son Danny made his dramatic debut in a remarkable kindergarten named for a remarkable man whose memory, let us hope, will outlast Germany's 20th-Century tragedies.

Patrick D. Hazard

Jun 24, 2013 · Essays · 2 minute read

Education: The key question

The missing curriculum: How to think

Today the question is not whether we need education, but what kind. The idea that an education should encourage the pursuit of learning and knowledge as an end in itself seems to be going by the board.

David Woods

Jun 21, 2013 · Essays · 3 minute read

Antonin Scalia, civil libertarian?

Scalia switches sides

When Antonin Scalia, the Supreme Court's reactionary bullhorn, comes out for civil liberties, you know times must be tough. Give the Devil his due, though: Even Scalia drew the line at the idea of the government invading his mouth.

Robert Zaller

Jun 11, 2013 · Essays · 6 minute read

The GPS Lady as parental surrogate

Whom to believe: the GPS lady or my own eyes?

Think you're a rational adult? Try disagreeing with your GPS en route to a strange airport. It's too much like talking back to your parents.

Susan E. Washburn

Jun 11, 2013 · Essays · 5 minute read

My father's war stories

What did you do in the war, daddy?

My father rarely talked about his experieces as a soldier in World War II. He left it to me to discover that he was in the midst of the worst European fighting, fearing for his life almost every day for 11 consecutive months.

Jun 09, 2013 · Essays · 7 minute read