Essays
1093 results
Page 90
Why I despise the Eagles
A yuppie treadmill, or: Why I despise the Philadelphia Eagles
I watch every Philadelphia Eagles game religiously, hoping in my inner heart that they will lose. From their yuppie owner to their corporate coach to their passionless quarterback, is this a team you really want to root for?
Essays
4 minute read
The Pew Fellowships go top-down
A vision derailed: The Pew giveth, and the Pew taketh away
Under a visionary program, since 1991 the Pew Fellowships have distributed $12 million directly to 237 outstanding and singular artists, many of whom would have been overlooked by establishment "experts" if not allowed to submit their own applications. But under the Pew's newly announced procedures, deserving artists must wait to be anointed by a panel of 30 anonymous nominators. If there's a good reason for this change, the Pew hasn't revealed it.
Essays
8 minute read
My health care Catch-22
No good deed goes unpunished: Your health care system in peace and war
Like a Good Wife I worried that I might have inherited my poor mother's Alzheimer's. So I went to see a neurologist, who gave me a clean bill of health. Big mistake.
Essays
3 minute read
Antiquity, looters and the Penn Museum
Who owns antiquity? James Cuno enters the Penn snake pit
Who are the best stewards of ancient artifacts— enlightened Western curators whose museums stole the loot long ago, or dictators of Third World lands where the treasures were originally found? James Cuno of the Chicago Art Institute (who believes the former) confronts the Penn Museum (which favors the latter).
Essays
6 minute read
Berlin's lesson in peaceful revolution
Lest we forget: Unsung heroes of the Berlin Wall
As the world marks the fall of the Berlin Wall, let's not forget the real heroes of that revolutionary moment”“ neither Reagan nor Gorbachev, but East Berliners themselves, who left their weapons home to confront one of the world's most heavily-guarded borders.
Essays
3 minute read
Aftermath of an accident
In fits and starts: The long journey to recovery
At first I thought myself lucky to survive a horrendous auto accident. My scars and broken bones have healed with the passage of time. But the memory loss, the rage, the inability to articulate my feelings— those have lingered much longer.
Essays
6 minute read
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My great-grandmother grows younger
Cornelia's portrait: While I grow older, she grows younger
When I was a child, my pioneer great-grandmother seemed very old and insufferably proper. Now that I'm older than she was, she looks positively youthful, and I can imagine the two of us having a nice sit-down on the sofa.
Essays
4 minute read
Memory, loss, and the '50 Phillies
Defeat on the field, death in the family
A year after the Phillies lost the 1950 World Series, my younger sister died of leukemia. My parents did their limited best to cope with their loss, and so did the Phillies.
The winning basket (a memoir)
One fleeting taste of glory
When I scored the winning the basket, the sense of power was briefly overwhelming— which taught me something about athletes today.
Essays
1 minute read
The Phillies and my father: A memoir
They warmed my heart, and broke my father's
My father rarely missed a Phillies game, even during spring training. Year after year, they broke his heart. When I imagine how happy he'd be with this year's team, I miss him more than ever.
Essays
5 minute read