Essays
1090 results
Page 79
Discovering myself in Lapland
Pass the reindeer steak, or: Six days that changed my life
When winter comes, some Philadelphians head for Florida. I headed instead for Finland and the Arctic Circle. The price was right— and in any case I think I got the better deal.
Essays
9 minute read
Underground newspapers: The first blogs
Those '70s underground papers: Does this story sound familiar?
When I worked for underground papers in the '70s, we counter-culture journalists didn't seem to know what we were doing. Yet it's hard to imagine journalism today without the innovations pioneered by our scruffy band of radicals.
Essays
8 minute read
What Obama's Tucson speech overlooked
And the lesson of Tucson is— what, exactly?
President Obama to the contrary, Americans aren't being killed in random bunches because politicians aren't more polite. They're being killed because Americans refuse to regulate guns.
Essays
5 minute read
An open letter to Mayor Nutter
Another dead baby, and a way out
As a family therapist, I know that some children in a city as complex as Philadelphia will suffer illness and poor care, and some will die as a result. But Lynne Abraham, as district attorney, at least tried to break the cycle of neglect, abuse and violence. We need more of that mixture of imagination and concern.
Essays
4 minute read
Rendell's casino addiction
Tantrums speak louder than words
Is there any hope for the poor and ignorant who seem incurably addicted to casinos? Better ask: Is there hope for a governor who seems incurably addicted to casinos?
Essays
2 minute read
Tucson's other victims
Another tragedy in Tucson
Last week's mass murder spree in Tucson was a catastrophe for the victims, their families and friends and, in the case of two public servants, for the nation. But the stiffest psychological price of all may be paid by the killer's family.
Essays
2 minute read
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Public transit, Johannesburg-style
We're all in this together, or: Public transit from the bottom up
Unhappy with American mass transit? Try getting around in South Africa, as I did recently. Johannesburg's 15-seat taxi vans are a throwback to the stagecoaches of America's Old West, and more disorganized. There are no websites, no signs, and no officious authority figures. Yet for all the chaos and uncertainty, commuters and drivers alike manage to get from one place to another. And there's no extra charge for the priceless daily adventure.
Essays
11 minute read
Countdown to Armageddon
The end of the world is near. No, seriously. Are you ready?
Both the Mayan calendar and the radio prophet Harold Camping say the world will end next year. So why not take a few sensible precautions?
Essays
3 minute read
'Tis the season for ungifting
These foolish things remind me of you. Now, how do I get rid of them?
A challenge for the post-Christmas season: Do I really want the ratty Ralph Lauren bathrobe my grumpy ex-boyfriend gave me? Does anyone want it?
Essays
4 minute read
A Hare Krishna New Year's Eve
One New Year's Eve that made a difference
After 25 years as a burned-out party girl searching for Mister Right, I finally found serenity. Would you believe it happened on New Year's Eve, at a Hare Krishna ashram, no less?
Essays
3 minute read