Columns

Trump: Stay on message. Biden: Be quiet.

It has become increasingly clear that Joe Biden’s best chance to win the presidency is to remain firmly planted on his basement sectional with limited contact with the outside world for the duration.

Will you be laboring on Labor Day?

For most of us, Labor Day will be an occasion for relaxation and contemplation.

Cannon Hinnant’s murder is not about race

I am no longer surprised at the depths to which some people will sink in these fraught and tortured moments.

Join COVID-19 homebuying rush, develop common sense

American home ownership is soaring, which is good for all of us. Home sales slowed during the early months of covid-19, as millions of Americans stayed inside. In the past few months, however, with interest rates at historic lows, homes have been selling at a record pace, USA Today reports.

The prestige of a three-drawer protractor

It was about this time of year that kids of my generation made our annual pilgrimage to the Five & Ten to pick out supplies for the new school year. It was a regular mini-adventure.

Dems hit a new low with convention speech

I watched the opening night of the Democratic National Convention because it was news, not because I was particularly interested in the outcome. It wasn’t really inspiring, and it wasn’t really moving, and it wasn’t really exceptional, but at least it wasn’t really offensive.

Have lawyers become an endangered species?

“The first thing we do, let’s reboot all the lawyers.” No, that’s not really how the line from Shakespeare’s “Henry VI, Part 2” goes; but it came to mind when I read a Wall Street Journal special section on artificial intelligence and encountered the article “Would You Trust A Lawyer Bot?

Earning the right to gripe

I cast my first presidential vote in 1952. It may have been illegal since I was only seven years old at the time, but the statute of limitations has probably run out by now.

Sports have been hard to watch during the pandemic

American sports are in trouble. At least if I am, in any way, a representation of a typical fan. I grew up in Philadelphia where following all four major teams is part of one’s DNA. As I sit here, I can name, without prompting, every member of the 1980 Phillies starting lineup.

Ray Bradbury: Something centenary this way comes

I was jealous of my wife a couple of years ago. Our son’s sophomore English class read Ray Bradbury’s cautionary novel “Fahrenheit 451” and she found the time to read along. My writing deadlines and regimen of prioritizing news and nonfiction books blocked me from making it a family affair.