Unintended consequences
Cleveland Browns football team president Carmen Policy made a good case for apathy on Sunday. That’s my take on his statement anyway. After an unpopular decision by officials at a […] More
Dorothy didn't cheer
Back when it was still in East Germany, we found ourselves in the Leipzig railway terminal (at the time Europe’s largest) at an end-of-workday rush hour. As New Yorkers, we […] More
The most important person on earth
There has been an ongoing story in the local news. It has nothing to do with September 11, anthrax, non-citizen rights, Islam, the Middle East, firefighters, Afghanistan, or our mayor. […] More
Vexillology
Today, on the 60th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, American survivors of that attack literally embraced some of the Japanese pilots who tried to kill them. Adjectives of […] More
The search for intelligent life in the universe
“The Search for Intelligent Life in the Universe” is a theatrical wonder. Not only is it a great play (written by Jane Wagner), but it allows Lily Tomlin — alone […] More
Fickle fate
According to next week’s New Yorker cover (by Maira Kalman and Rick Meyerowitz), the place where I rode my bike today is Central Parkistan. It’s south of Notsobad, northwest of […] More
I have hope
A colleague of mine often says, “I make television; I don’t watch it.” I’m not so absolute. I don’t get to watch MUCH television, but I do watch some. I […] More
New York parks
Having to share the Central Park Drive with motor vehicles has led me to think about New Yorkers’ love-hate relationship with cars in Manhattan. On the one hand, we hate […] More
Marx territory
The Dow Jones Industrials Average is higher now than it was on September 10. Another sign of a return to the way things were is George W. Bush talking about […] More
The author, the reader, and the listener
“Once upon a time there was a person who ended wars forever by murdering 42 Santa Clauses.” That’s the opening line of one of my favorite short stories. It’s called […] More