Essays
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Page 82
Cybill Shepherd, Otto Preminger and me
Never interview a movie star after smoking pot
Back in the ‘70s, when Hollywood celebrities went on actual tours to promote their films to actual journalists, I was in Philadelphia to receive them— poised, eager, and usually as stoned as they were.
Essays
6 minute read
Why an anti-Muslim backlash now?
A too-convenient scapegoat
The growing anti-Muslim backlash in the U.S. raises a question: Why now? There's no simple answer to the question, but I can suggest a place to start: A black president caught in a perfect storm of Muslim terrorism, relentless unemployment and a politically manipulated nativist movement.
Essays
6 minute read
Fringe festival wrapup
Fringe Festival wrapup: Even the silly stuff is growing up
You can still find still quirky little outfits putting together odd bits and pieces and calling it theater or dance or performance art. But on the whole, the level of accomplishment at the 2010 Live Arts/Fringe Festival greatly exceeded those of the past.
Essays
6 minute read
Wanda Sykes vs. Rush Limbaugh
Limbaugh's antidote
The difference between Rush Limbaugh and Wanda Sykes is the latter's freedom from hatred and putdowns. Rush stokes the fires of resentment, Wanda smiles her teasing ways to a collective giggle.
Essays
2 minute read
Aaron Schneider's "Get Low'
The conscience of a Calvinist
Robert Duvall delivers a career performance in Get Low, a modest but penetrating film about the secrets of the heart by first-time director Aaron Schneider. Amid the summer's usual trash, it's a small gem.
Essays
4 minute read
In defense of the Reverend Jones
What's worse than burning the Kuran?
Burning a book for any reason is a bad idea. But preventing the Reverend Terry Jones from burning the Kuran is even worse. If he's not free to express his views however he sees fit, the rest of us will lose that freedom as well.
Essays
4 minute read
The day I wore a veil
On wearing a head covering after 9/11
Until 2001, a scarf was an accepted fashion statement among Western women. Veils and shawls have played important roles in both Judaism and Christianity for thousands of years. Only after 9/11 did wearing them become an exclusively Muslim practice.
Essays
3 minute read
My pool, my summer, my community
Mayor Nutter's smartest move: How my neighborhood pool built a community
Despite the recession and Philadelphia's budget crisis, this summer Mayor Nutter opened all 70 of the city's public pools for six weeks. Was this public expense wise? Consider my firsthand experience.
Essays
5 minute read
The imam, the mosque and Ground Zero
The delusions of monotheists, or: The imam, the mosque and Ground Zero
The controversy about whether to build a huge Muslim study and worship center two blocks from Ground Zero in lower Manhattan isn't about freedom of religion or constitutional rights. It's about a decent respect for the dead.
Essays
4 minute read
Dr. Laura and the "n' word
The ‘n' word and other casual racial slights: What Dr. Laura doesn't know about me
Dr. Laura Schlessinger thinks black people are oversensitive about the “n” word. To me, as a black woman, it suggests that my accomplishments and character are irrelevant.
Essays
5 minute read