Opinion
109 results
Page 7
Legendary DJ Jerry Blavat spun a whole new world for Philly teens in the 1960s
Live from Wagner’s Ballroom
Local music icon Jerry Blavat, a South Philly native, passed away on January 20, 2023. Susan Schaefer remembers how a whole new world opened up when she danced to Blavat’s tunes at Wagner’s Ballroom in the 1960s.
Essays
5 minute read
I love Greta Thunberg — but why is it ok for her to mock guys with small dicks?
Fame is no excuse for body shame
Misogynist influencer Andrew Tate deserved to be burned on Twitter by climate activist Greta Thunberg, but Roz Warren says it's time to stop the body-shaming.
Essays
4 minute read
When I faced a cancer diagnosis this year, I had to get honest and get help.
We take care of us
When a crisis like cancer hits, it can feel easier to keep it to ourselves. But humans are not meant to cope alone. Vulnerability is where our real strength lies. Alaina Johns shares her experience.
Editorials
6 minute read
Spending the winter holidays alone? You’re not the only one.
The joy of going solo
We often make solo holidays sound like a problem to be solved, instead of an opportunity for personal enjoyment, reflection, and renewal free of others’ expectations. Melissa Strong shares her traditions.
Essays
4 minute read
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This year’s World Series run reminded us what Philly needs—and what we deserve
We all know the feeling
The Phillies had a miraculous run to the 2022 World Series, and nowadays, you don’t have to be a baseball fan to relate to the need to hold onto heartbreak alongside the joy. Kyle V. Hiller was watching.
Editorials
5 minute read
One man, his van, and 18 hours: Journey to an orphanage in Kyiv
“I drove and got them.”
Philly composer and essayist Kile Smith was traveling in Germany when he met an electrician with an extraordinary story in the months following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Essays
6 minute read
It’s no big deal to get glasses or treat anosmia. Why was it so hard to face my hearing loss?
A sound realization
Anndee Hochman had no problem getting help when her sense of smell or her sight suffered. But somehow, addressing her hearing loss felt different.
Essays
5 minute read
How did Philly's media cover the PMA strike, and why does it matter?
What is the arts writer’s beat?
Last week, the BSR team chose not to cross the PMA picket line, and did not attend a preview event for Matisse in the 1930s. We were in the minority, but we weren’t alone. Alaina Johns reflects.
Editorials
5 minute read
I had a life-threatening miscarriage in 1979. Would I have survived the same thing today?
Abortion access saved my life
Fredricka Maister suffered a hemorrhage after she became pregnant in the late 1970s. Abortion access may have saved her life. She worries about the dangers pregnant people face today.
Essays
6 minute read
What getting my first tattoo taught me about body acceptance
The last one in South Philly without a tattoo
Alaina Johns always admired others’ permanent body art, but she didn’t think she could ever make the jump to get tattooed herself, even though everyone else in the neighborhood is. This summer, something changed.
Editorials
5 minute read