Essays
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Page 93
A shipboard casino for Philadelphia
The lady or the casinos? Why not choose both?
Is casino gambling in Philadelphia an either-or proposition? Not necessarily, if in the process a dazzling ocean liner can be rescued from the scrap heap. All it takes is a little imagination— and less money than the developers plan to spend on their ugly black-box facilities.
Essays
4 minute read
Death and the boxer
A predictable requiem: Why boxers risk death
Three more boxers died in July. To be sure, death does occur in a sport of avoiding and taking hard punches. But boxing can also be a sport of purity and beauty, and boxers are willing to take the ultimate risks to approach those levels.
Essays
8 minute read
Becoming a writer, c. 1964 (Part 4)
Becoming a writer, c. 1964 (Part 4): The devil (i.e., law school) beckons
Unlucky in love, I relished my emerging hoodlum persona. Trouble is, I wasn't writing. And my relatives (and the draft) were pressuring me to go to law school. Was I master of my fate, or its victim?
A writer and her audience
What makes a good book?
Everyone has a story to tell, and everyone could be a writer. The problem, says recent author Reed Stevens, is that most would-be writers don't understand that writing is a two-way process.
Essays
4 minute read
"Napoléon' at the National Constitution Center
The emperor rides again
Was NapoleÓ³n a great figure of history, a power-hungry tyrant, or just a model of pointless hyperactivity? The National Constitution Center facilitates the debate with some 300 artifacts, skillfully woven together to trace the rise and fall of an enigmatic figure whose contradictory qualities continue to both inspire and repulse us.
Essays
6 minute read
Basketball: The real thing
Life lessons on a basketball court
These guys playing pickup basketball are no professionals. Why, then, do I find them so much more fun to watch?
Essays
1 minute read
How I became a writer, c. 1962 (Part 3)
Becoming a writer, c. 1962: A new world opens up
At Brandeis I was not very good with girls. And my grades as a politics major seemed likely to jeopardize my chances for law school. I seemed to lack the self-confidence to succeed at anything. But then I took a couple of risks and things started to fall into place.
Gay men and their diva role models
The diva connection: Why gay men revere iconic women
Many gay men lack male role models as they grow up, so they often turn to women for the pluck to survive in a hostile world. In My Diva, 65 exceptional gay men write paeans to the exceptional women who inspired them to forge ahead. Unlike much gay literature, this anthology should appeal to anyone (gay or straight) whose dreams have been squelched for fear of parental or communal condemnation.
Essays
4 minute read
The Czech Republic on foot
Czech adventure: Surprises of a week of serious walking
I've been a traveler on foot for many years. My latest long-distance walk took me from Vienna to Prague. It's amazing what surprises you can stumble across when you forsake planes, trains and cars.
Essays
8 minute read
World Team Tennis: Antidote for sports violence
Old tennis pros never die (and neither do their fans)
Must professional sports bring out the worst in their fans? Consider one exception: World Team Tennis, where even the abrasive John McEnroe behaves like a teddy bear.
Essays
5 minute read