archive
Putin Turns Photo Ops Into Soviet-Style Agitprop
September 15, 2012 The Russian president admitted this week that many of his highly publicized stunts are staged. Critics charge that state-run media may have returned to a time when Russians don't turn to the news for news so much as clues to what people in power expect them to think.
Go On, 'Curate' This Commentary, Too
September 8, 2012 In recent years the word "curate" has been plucked out of museums and pasted onto everything from cosmetics, furniture and fashion lines to recipes, music- and photo-sharing websites and cat videos.
Without A Career, How Do We Know Who We Are?
September 1, 2012 A lot of Americans identify themselves by their work. It used to be a kind of identity stamp, but the economic crisis may have hastened a change that was already under way: more people living with a series of short-term jobs instead of lifetime occupations.
Phyllis Diller: Showing, And Celebrating, Her Age
August 25, 2012 Phyllis Diller, who died at the age of 95 this week, broke down doors in comedy — not just for women, but for the middle-aged.
If Politicians Went On Vacation, We'd All Get A Break
August 18, 2012 NPR's Scott Simon says voters and candidates might benefit if more politicians took real vacations — if they went somewhere, for at least a short time, where no one knows them. Where they don't have to ask for votes, money or spout talking points.
Beyond Trampoline: New Summer Games To Consider
July 28, 2012 The Olympics have a long history of including some games and discarding others. In this accelerated digital age, there are a few new competitions that might be more familiar than trampoline maneuvers like the fliffus.
Blind Sportscaster Bob Greenberg Remembered
July 14, 2012 Bob Greenberg died this week at the age of 67. He was a sportscaster who happened to be blind. When I've told people he's one of the most extraordinary people I've ever worked with, there's usually polite incomprehension: A blind sportscaster?
'Mr.' And 'Ms.,' A Courtesy To Be Respected
July 7, 2012 Over the years, I've come to see good sense in my mother's advice: "If you're always slightly overdressed, you're never underdressed." If you begin with "Mr." or "Ms.," you may offend someone with sharp or silly questions, but not with discourtesy.
'Anti-Cheating Ring' Not Likely To Deter History
June 30, 2012 A wedding ring that proposes to imprint "I'M MARRIED" on a would-be philanderer's finger is sparking a lot of attention — and outrage. I'm merely skeptical.
Behind The 'Model Minority,' An American Struggle
June 23, 2012 The Pew Research Center says Asian-Americans are now the fastest-growing ethnic and immigrant group in the United States. Pew says Asian-Americans also tend to be the most educated and prosperous. But every Asian group here has a different immigration story.
Remembering Henry Hill, A Real Wiseguy
June 16, 2012 Mobster-turned-FBI informant Henry Hill died this week of cancer at the age of 69. That's kind of young, but it's quite a few years older than what you might have thought he'd make.
When A Job Interview Turns Into Psychoanalysis
June 9, 2012 Why should someone who wants a job have to confide their fears, flaws and darkest dreams to total — judgmental — strangers? A job interview is a professional encounter, after all, not psychoanalysis, a religious confession, a third date or family therapy.
Just Deserts Follow Attempted Pasty Tax
June 2, 2012 This week, the British government reversed course on a plan to place a 20 percent tax on hot foods like pasties, a humble food more associated with the layman than a posh parliamentarian. Sometimes those politicians must eat their words.
Her Husband, A Hero Lost For The Lives Of Others
May 26, 2012 This Memorial Day, Rose Mary Sabo will lay a wreath at the Vietnam War Memorial. Her husband, Leslie Sabo, died in the war 42 years ago, just a few months after she married the boy she met at a high school football game in Ellwood City, Pa., in 1967.
Teaching Kids Balance Can Be A Lesson For Parents
May 19, 2012 To be a parent is to be constantly reminded that almost everything you thought you were doing right for your children will one day turn out to be wrong. The latest revised revelation may be: Training wheels don't help kids achieve a sense of balance.
