Essays
1093 results
Page 89
Peggy Amsterdam's halo effect
The fiber of Peggy Amsterdam's being
When Peggy asked politicians and public officials, “What were you thinking?!” even the thoughtless were humbled. With every fiber of her being, she understood and taught and lived a basic truth: The arts are the world's one consistent pathway to insight, humanity and yes, survival.
Essays
3 minute read
An agnostic reconsiders Jesus
Yes, Danny, there was a Jesus
How does an agnostic ex-Catholic with a Lutheran German wife explain Western civilization to his three-year-old son? In my case, it helps to understand the events of the Bible, whether or not you believe them.
Essays
3 minute read
A GI Christmas carol (memoir)
Brief encounter in Seoul: A GI Christmas Carol
I was a lonely GI in Seoul on Christmas Day. Then I met a beautiful woman who introduced me to beautiful music. That's all it took.
Essays
10 minute read
Aunt Millie's legacy
In the blood: My aunt's legacy
While her younger sisters climbed the financial and social ladders of money and respectability, my Aunt Millie was content with her little row home and her job as an accountant. She managed to leave something of value nevertheless.
Essays
3 minute read
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The making of a terrorist, 1984
‘I am a man': The making of a terrorist, 1984
Daood the Philly bartender claimed to be a Shiite. He claimed to own an arsenal of guns. He also claimed to have a sure-fire tip on the Super Bowl. Patrons at the Khyber Pass North used to laugh at him. No more.
How to save the Mummers Parade
Farewell, Dad Vail— But now let's save the Mummers
So Philadelphia may have lost the Dad Vail Regatta to Rumson, N.J. The beloved but dwindling Mummers Parade could be next. How can it be saved? By turning the parade around.
Essays
4 minute read
The trouble with government arts grants
Arts funding: It's all fixed (and everyone prefers it that way)
So you think the new Pew Fellowships procedures are flawed? Try negotiating the political thicket of government arts councils. For one thing, taste is never objective. For another, great artists aren't necessarily good citizens or even nice people. Small wonder that most art contests are implicitly fixed in the first place.
Essays
8 minute read
A cell phone adventure
Reach out and touch someone (for mature audiences only)
My cell phone was a source of constant irritation, mainly because it constantly reminded me how old and technically challenged I am. But it did open up a new world to me, although not the way you might think.
Essays
7 minute read
Help me make it through the night
A hard rain, and no escape: The forgotten man's lament
When you're a blue-collar guy living paycheck-to-paycheck, without a sophisticated worldview or even a car or credit cards, how do you respond to impending natural disaster or nuclear holocaust? For that matter, what do you do when the military sends you to fight overseas?
Essays
6 minute read
My Pew Fellowships application
Dear Pew Fellowships: Why are you being so difficult?
Under the new guidelines for the Pew Fellowships in the Arts, we artists can't apply directly for grants. So I guess I'll just have to file my application here and hope that some of the Pew's “anonymous nominators” are reading.
Essays
4 minute read