Frontenac and the French Revolution
Back then, luxury was there to be gawked at, fantasized about, tried on—and in time, marked way down, so that every once in a while, the goods were spread around.
By Jeannette Cooperman
Letters from Howard Nemerov’s Discreet Love Affair Are Finally Unfolded
The world knew Nemerov's poetry. No one guessed his heart.
Time to Revise the Golden Rule
The most universal rule humanity ever came up with, the Golden Rule was intact for centuries...till now.
“This Is Personal. And No, We Are Not Criminals”
Two accomplished, compassionate healthcare professionals describe what it took to get here as refugee kids—and how it feels to be here now.
Finally, an Explanation for the Paradox of MAGA Christianity
For a decade now, a lot of Americans have gone slightly crazy trying to reconcile Christianity with the policies and goals of MAGA. Tim Alberta explains.
How to Ignore the Crumbling of the Body—and the Body Politic
What does “crumbling” mean anyway? “Breaking or falling apart into small fragments, especially as part of a process of deterioration…. Disintegrating.
Why Pink Is So Complicated
I felt strong, refusing the Barbie color. But I denied myself too lavishly.
Exercising the Prayer Muscle
Prayer attempts to control—or at least come to peace with—the uncontrollable. It is an aspiration but also an assent: you are believing in something, acknowledging something, hoping for something. You have given shape to what is amorphous and uncertain. Psychologically, prayer is a survival tactic.
We Owe Our Lives to Some Bugs that Ate the Sun
For ten points, name the central event in the history of life.
Ten Rules for the New Administration…from the Emus
In the first official inter-species war on record...the emus won. Our new president might want to heed their advice.
Pathologize Hardship, and the Rest of Us Are Off the Hook
We have been made to feel fragile. But life is hard and precarious, and that is not an automatic risk for mental illness.
The Headband Makes a Comeback
Trained to respect a look that requires, then conceals, significant effort, women learned to mistrust anything that was just plain easy.