Monday’s Times Op-Ed contained a powerful ad in the righthand corner. Headlined “How to Befriend the Muslim World” and written by a Leonard Greene, it decried the invasion of Iraq and called for humanitarian aid to win hearts and minds…
Did you catch Michaele Weissman’s piece on the front page of the Times Business section yesterday, about an idealistic Chicago coffee company that is paying double ordinary prices to Nicaraguan growers, willingly, to get connoisseur beans for discriminating drinkers here?…
So this morning I was trying to figure out what they mean. I think “loathe” is attractive because it’s a low-burning feeling, it isn’t pugilistic like hatred. Hatred really means you have to have hostilities. Loathing can come and go,…
The frontpage, 4th column feature (I think it’s called an A-head) in yesterday’s WSJ, unfortunately firewalled, was a sweet piece of reporting by Eric Bellman about daytraders playing the Indian stockmarket at internet cafes in Mumbai. They’ve left their jobs…
Henry Kissinger was just talking about soccer on the (rebroadcast of last night’s) Charlie Rose. Why isn’t American soccer good? “There are not enough minorities.” The players tend to be “middle class, suburban children.” A similar point was made here….
The biggest amazement so far in the World Cup has not been Ghana’s getting through to the next round, but Ghana player John Paintsil’s spontaneous waving of an Israeli flag after the victory five days ago, out of loyalty to…
Garrett Eisler, at Playgoer, led the New York theater community in its uprising a few months back over the cancellation of the play “My Name Is Rachel Corrie.” Today he offers a sharp interpretation of the news that the play…
Ghana are in orange, the U.S. is in discreet blue and white. Soccer uniforms are not supposed to be sober; There are six people in Times Square watching seven Jumbotrons. The entire country of Ghana has a half day off;…
I’m feeling the need to rationalize the fact that I’m pulling for Ghana this morning. It’s not anything I decided, I just want Ghana to win. Got to admit it. Feels a little unpatriotic. Especially when chinpullers on the left…