I’m a regular reader of Tom Friedman’s column, and I wasn’t surprised by his latest enthusiasm: inspiring the nation to commit to a goal of “keeping everyone in school”(NYTimes, 9/2/12). He’s a very credible “can-do” kind of guy, and his belief that America has the ability to thrive in a global economy is convincing because it […]
It’s always a delight to find a terrific film when you’re just surfing the channels. This treasure from Preston Sturges was his first (released in 1940), but it already has his trademark rapid-fire shouted dialogue, mordant humor and sudden tonal shifts that characterized his entire – yes, I must say it – oeuvre. […]
As a long-time SCOTUS junkie, I have never seen anything like the white-knuckle anticipation for the Obamacare decision. Whatever the outcome, I think the Court is 9-0 about this principle of appellate jurisprudence: Get out of town fast! You can be sure that not one of these nine jurists will enjoy being in the glare of […]
I admit that my distrust of surveys, or polls, has little statistical evidence to back it up — not that I’ve researched the question. It’s just that they seem to be everywhere — especially in an election year — and they are reported in the media as hard evidence of what the larger, unpolled […]
As I write this, the Edwards jury is, hopefully, relaxing and enjoying the holiday before resuming its deliberations on Tuesday. Judging from the number of times they’ve asked for certain exhibits, they seem to be a serious and deliberate body of citizens. One of the nagging questions about the trial, however, is just what constituted […]
This show is getting attention because it adds a fresh perspective on sex and youth today. The four girls are shown dressed down, without makeup, and even on the toilet, but they still convince as confident, eager fledglings who enjoy sex, and get their appetites sated. Lena Dunham, the star and creator (Tiny Furniture), wants to […]
While there is no precedent that I know of for this, it would be of great benefit to the country if the Supreme Court remanded the Affordable Health Care Act back to Congress without a decision. Any ruling that does not uphold the law in its entirety will make it useless anyway, so it […]
• The Department of Labor has a fast triumph in the 3 million bucks settlement of various discrimination claims against FedEx. The NYTimes piece on Thursday (3/22/12) was so bare that you might have been reading about bacteria under a microscope. Of course none of these “victims of discrimination” were identified, but the summary was […]
Suddenly we are deluged with opinions on the value of a college education. The floodgates have opened, and it seems like every newspaper and journal has some expert or other weighing in on how important it is for the future of the country, how much more it means for lifetime earnings, blah, etc. One Times Op-Ed trotted out […]
I was walking on the grimy upper level of the 179St. subway station in Jamaica, Queens today when I saw something strange. All of the payphones had been removed from the thick pillars lining the walkway — that’s not the strange thing, I’d noticed it before — but something hanging from the ceiling lightly brushed against […]
