Essays
1091 results
Page 78
Culinary rebel: mica in Chestnut Hill
The newest culinary revolution
A few chefs are turning professional cooking upside down, challenging many assumptions about the way foods are prepared and combined. Most are overseas and charge hundreds of dollars for dinner, but one opened recently in Philadelphia, and it's a relative bargain.
Essays
less than a minute read
Japanese grace vs. American looting
Why Americans loot
When earthquakes occur, why do Americans engage in looting and the Japanese don't? The answer has less to do with cultural differences than with our society's definition of success.
Essays
2 minute read
Three centuries of diaries at the Morgan in New York
A writer's first vice
Diaries are mostly meant to be private, and an exhibition of them might seem almost a contradiction in terms. Still, if it's a guilty pleasure, it's an irresistible one too. Diaries are the most personal and direct way we have of bringing ourselves to the world, and vice versa.
Essays
6 minute read
Houdini at the Jewish Museum in New York
The Jew as the ultimate escape artist: Houdini's legacy reconsidered
Harry Houdini was the first Jew since Jesus who got people to care about his miraculous survival, and to witness his self-resurrection year after year. What's more, he got them to pay good money to see it.
Essays
5 minute read
Lessons from Japan's earthquake
Culture and catastrophe: What we can learn from Japan's earthquake
Pragmatism was far more important than pride in the community-minded Japanese response to this month's earthquake. But the Japanese weren't always so stoic and selfless when earthquakes struck in the past. Cultures can change.
Essays
5 minute read
Religious fanatics: Muslim vs. Christian
We have met the enemy and he is us
So you think Islamic jihadists have cornered the market on wild-eyed religious fundamentalists? The U.S. military is breeding a Christian crop all its own.
Essays
2 minute read
In Memoriam: The poet John Haines
A patriot in the genuine sense
For John Haines, poetry performed a double function: as the vessel of personal integrity, and as an encounter with the world.
Essays
3 minute read
A man's guide to aging gracefully
A man's best friend is his cut-off (now somebody tell Hugh Hefner)
What is the cut-off age for admiring young girls? Plus other practical tips for men who don't want to be perceived as old and dirty.
Essays
3 minute read
The war on education
The case for teacher tenure (before it vanishes altogether)
Many recent state budgets take a battle-axe to public education. A full-bore assault on teacher unions may come next, jeopardizing the tenure protections that defend not just teacher rights but also public literacy.
Essays
4 minute read
My heart attack, Part 1: a first-person account
This close to eternity: Diary of a heart attack survivor
I was one of those last guys you'd think it would happen to. But when the emergency room did an echocardiogram, everyone's expression froze.
