Columns
The Intellectual Goes to Washington
I consider Mr. Ryan a model because he is serious. He does not simply oppose President Barack Obama’s agenda; he offers a better one in its place.
Party Down
If one wants Congress to get things done with a minimum of corruption, enforcing party discipline is the place to start.
Leave the Resurrections to Christ: Kubrick’s Potential Disaster
“My husband,” Christiane Kubrick told The New York Times in 2006, “always had a drawerful of ideas. There were always a lot of stories on the go, things he left started, things he left lying around. It was like being in a waterfall.”
Punishment for the Pope?
Perhaps to arrest the pope is a step too far, but the Roman Catholic Church should know that its jurisdiction does not supersede that of national justice systems.
Deus Ex Vulcan
This past week, the earth has reminded us of our own limits through a volcano that has spelled even with its name: Eyjafjallajokull.
The Oldest Trick in the Book
Over the coming months, conservatives will try to take advantage of the anti-elitist anger burning through America.
Overdue Fine
I remember one party at the Delphic where someone offered me punch, and I woke up several weeks later in Equatorial Guinea with a great tan, surrounded by fun individuals who were only kind of involved in human trafficking.
The Day the Maverick Died
Perhaps it is time for the term “maverick” to be put out to pasture, but John McCain deserves to be elected and remembered for the dignity and principle with which he once served.
My Date With Lena
Despite my and Chen’s disparate beliefs about pretty much everything about our own sexuality, we are both able to acknowledge our limits.
Viagra for Women?
Control over female sex should return to where it rightfully belongs: women themselves.
Making the Case for the American Story
There is an inherent prejudice in literary culture against the story as a lesser art form than the novel.
The Screen Has Arrived
Like most Apple launches of the 21st century, the product has generated a thousand articles in the mainstream press and a thousand and one different opinions.
A Defense of Ethnic Studies (Sort of)
We study other cultures because we know the West is inadequate.
The Prodigal Son Returns
It’s been a long winter for Tiger Woods. Maybe now the nation is ready to move past its moralism and into the light.
Tournament Expansion Might Not Be So Bad
As a Harvard student, I say go for it, NCAA. Expand. And I’ll tell you my selfish reason: as a student from a non-power conference, I will care more about my school’s basketball program if 31 teams are added to the Big Dance.
“Simple” People
Accompanying the rise in political correctness, the refusal to adhere to one point of view has been a shift from a conversation broadly centered around ethics to one focused on the intricacies of policy.
March Gladness
Although the impending expansion of the NCAA Tournament from 65 to 96 teams has been hotly contested, it would likely help Harvard qualify for March Madness for the first time since its last appearance in 1945.
Kung Pao for Dummies
I’ll be honest: I’m a fearsome eater. One of my proudest moments was vanquishing an entire table of drunken Australian ...
The Clean Air Option
Letting the EPA take over cap-and-trade may be messy, but it's certainly preferable to inaction.
'Ricky Gervais' Brings the Funny
In mid-February, “The Ricky Gervais Show” premiered to little fanfare on HBO. It has only three characters, all of whom ...