Opinion
2020 Even Ruined Snow Days. Great.
It’s the winter of 1964. I’m eight years old, in the second grade, living with my parents and three siblings in Glenside, a sleepy Montco […]
Let’s Talk About the Economic Reason “Defund the Police” May Be a Hard Sell in Philadelphia
Last summer, the term “Defund the police” took off following the extrajudicial police killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and many others. But like many […]
The Best Thing That Happened This Week: Patti LaBelle Gushes About Philly in the New York Times
Okay, so everybody’s been talking about Dolly Parton and Barack Obama. But there are three divas featured in the new issue of T, the New […]
I’m a Penn Alum — There’s Nothing Charitable About Their $100 Million Donation
It sounded too good to be true. And so it was. The University of Pennsylvania, an institution with a $14.9 billion endowment, announced before Thanksgiving […]
Another PA Republican Tests Positive for COVID, This Time Mid-Meeting with Trump
Nothing is ever surprising these days, so the news that a delegation of conspiracy-theorizing elected representatives from Pennsylvania descended on the White House to meet […]
The Best Thing That Happened This Week: We Gave Thanks
We’ll be frank: This wasn’t the easiest year in which to be grateful. Give thanks for what? Being alive? Being alone? Being afraid? Many fewer […]
The Best Thing That Happened This Week: The Union Land Two Big Awards!
Have you had it with the Eagles? Are you fed up with the Phillies? Sick to death of the Sixers? Ready to say “F U” […]
To Hell With It All. Take a Bath.
Welcome to Ritual, Be Well Philly’s column of essays about the low-tech, inefficient things we do that pleasurably slow us down. From taking the long […]
With COVID-19 Cases Spiking, Philly Needs to Shut Down Completely
The best way to describe Philly’s current approach to the pandemic is this: It’s a walking contradiction. Last week, I made the unusual-for-me decision to […]
The Enduring Appeal of Uggs
Crocs, mom jeans, windbreakers, sandals with socks: If you keep up with trends, you know it’s cool to be uncool these days. I’ve long held […]
Yes, Biden Won. Now Can We Talk About How His Campaign Nearly Blew It in Philly?
After four years of anguish and anticipation, I can now finally say this in full confidence: Donald J. Trump, you’re fired. Joe Biden, a son […]
The Best Thing That Happened This Week: Alec Bohm Is Up for Rookie of the Year!
The last time the Phillies had themselves a National League Rookie of the Year, it was 2005, and the honoree was one Ryan Howard, a.k.a. […]
Body-Cam Video of Walter Wallace Jr. Killing Shows How Cops Perpetuate Black Trauma
Walter Wallace Jr. didn’t deserve to die. And new footage further proves it. Beyond these revelations, the world was reminded yet again how ineffective police […]
If Biden Wins the White House, Here’s What He Owes Philly
Election Day is finally here, and — as you may have heard somewhere — it all comes down to Pennsylvania. In 2016, Trump did what […]
This Is What Happens When Law Enforcement Treats Policing Like War
The police have a propensity for fighting wars. In 1965, Lyndon B. Johnson declared a “War on Crime.” Six years later, Nixon followed up with […]