Essays


Putty in my hands: Most precious gift goes awry Published on Dec 15th, 2005 0 comments There's a scene in Miracle on 34th Street where Natalie Wood is feeling glum because Santa Claus didn't bring her what she really wanted: a house. On the way to visit Mr. Kringle in the old-folks...
Think again: Kaine should revise tax stand Published on Dec 8th, 2005 0 comments On November 8, Virginia voters elected a new governor. They chose between three candidates who presented sharply contrasting views on many issues. Yet on one important issue, Virginia voters had no...
Katrina's lesson: If you don't own it, let it go Published on Dec 1st, 2005 0 comments Now that everyone is preaching their Lessons of Katrina, let's conduct a little thought experiment with variables. The laboratory stretches from ground zero in Louisiana hundreds of miles up the East...
Shopper, beware: The eBay profiteer is lurking Published on Dec 1st, 2005 0 comments So you didn't wait three cold days outside an electronics store to be one of the first to fork over $300 for Microsoft's new Xbox 360? Never fear. eBay is here. This year's hottest holiday commodity...
Say what? What we mean when we talk Published on Nov 24th, 2005 0 comments "American women don't wear knickers they're not in style." I was standing on a sidewalk in London, outside our apartment, chatting with my English neighbor. Her eyes opened wide at what I'd just...
President Warner? Kaine victory adds to his clout Published on Nov 17th, 2005 0 comments Governor Mark Warner tried to make the case that experience with domestic policy can translate into expertise in foreign policy and national security when he met with Democrats around the country in...
Pet policies: Protecting Fido in a crisis Published on Nov 10th, 2005 0 comments For years, I've been wondering when pets would enter the realm of policy discussion and political debates. The news media generally treats this subject as a business story because Americans now spend...
The Beatles: How they started a revolution Published on Nov 3rd, 2005 0 comments It seemed to me a definite line was being drawn. This was something that never happened before.–Bob Dylan To celebrate its 100th anniversary, Variety– considered the premiere...
Horrors! Grounded on Halloween night Published on Oct 27th, 2005 0 comments My oldest son has always been a real life actor. This is the kid who, when he was not much taller than the kitchen table, insisted on clomping around in a big old pair of cowboy boots and a 10-gallon...
Outdoing LBJ: Lame duck; big spender Published on Oct 20th, 2005 0 comments In a recent New York Observer column, Richard Brookhiser argues that if George W. Bush "is now a lame duck, it is by his own hand." Bush's response to Hurricane Katrina, says Brookhiser, was doubly...
Risky business: Get married, tempt fate Published on Oct 13th, 2005 0 comments It was wicked dark. My hand clutched the splintery railing, and I lowered one foot warily, searching for the next step in the long staircase down to the beach. I looked up. Not so much as a...
Brass tax: Reasons to bring back Pep Band Published on Oct 6th, 2005 0 comments As I prepare to button up my sweater and head off to Scott Stadium to watch our own Cavaliers in action, I suppose I should be used to the fact that the Pep Band no longer plays at the games. But I'm...
Lancing the boil: New Orleans' guilt is ours Published on Sep 22nd, 2005 0 comments Each day has its own pictures: bumper to bumper traffic two states long a frenzied mob in a domed prison rising water the hungry pushing carts out of looted stores rooftops in a lake as vast as the...
Delta blues: <I>Hook</I> writer reports from the flood Published on Sep 8th, 2005 0 comments Former Hook music editor Mark Grabowski was just beginning graduate school at Tulane when Katrina intervened with plans of her own. I moved to New Orleans for graduate school in the beginning of...
Not welcome: <I>Neighborhood </I>should have aired Published on Sep 2nd, 2005 0 comments Let me get this straight: A reality TV show exposing prejudice is killed after liberal groups fighting prejudice pre-judge the show as bigoted. How ironic. How Hollywood. I am, of course, referring...
Irish sting: Learn lessons from I.R.A. Published on Aug 18th, 2005 0 comments More than 30 years after firing its first shots, the Provisional wing of the Irish Republican Army has ordered its members to dump their arms. When will Osama bin Laden, or his successor,...
What's enough? Let the rich keep $3 million Published on Aug 11th, 2005 0 comments The Senate will soon take up the question of whether the estate tax should be permanently repealed. Before it was cut in 2001, the estate tax allowed a couple to pass up to a million dollars to their...
Fried clams: A recipe for a better city Published on Jul 28th, 2005 0 comments Picture this perfect moment: two old friends reunited on a brilliant July afternoon, sipping margaritas on the deck of a New England restaurant, looking out over the Essex River and munching their...
25 to Life: Do violent video games incite riots? Published on Jul 21st, 2005 0 comments "It's the worst in a series of violent and gruesome games that lower the common denominator of decency," thundered Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) the other day. Schumer is apoplectic over the new...
Killer instincts: Why suicide bombers do it Published on Jul 14th, 2005 0 comments Four years ago, the late Susan Sontag was excoriated for arguing, in a brief New Yorker piece, that the attacks that brought down the World Trade Center were inspired not by hatred of ''civilization...
Bright idea: A brain spa near you Published on Jul 7th, 2005 0 comments At a recent Dana Foundation conference on neuroethics at the Library of Congress, University of Pennsylvania neurologist Anjan Chatterjee declared that we are already well advanced in the enhancement...
Koran abuse: Who really trashed that book? Published on Jun 30th, 2005 0 comments All the headlines about "Abuse of the Koran at Gitmo" are absolutely accurate. Brigadier General Jay Hood's internal investigation has uncovered some shocking incidents. On at least six occasions,...
Kudos, kiddos: Walk, for mom's sake Published on Jun 23rd, 2005 0 comments No. I'm not going to walk on graduation day. It's just not important." That's what my son said two years ago. His fiancée, Amber, and I looked at each other, silently communicating that no way in...
Weighty matters: Ice cream's soft, and so am I Published on Jun 16th, 2005 0 comments There once was a time that keeping weight off was effortless. For most of us, we could eat whatever we wanted because the act of finding food was enough to burn it off. As a child, I had no control...
Retribution: Death penalty argument redux Published on Jun 9th, 2005 0 comments Traditionally progressive New England Governor Mitt Romney is pushing to reinstate the death penalty in Massachusetts where it has not been used since 1947. Connecticut recently executed serial...
House shopping? Better polish your résumé Published on Jun 2nd, 2005 0 comments A headshot and bio are standard protocol to get an audition for a TV show or a play. But are they really necessary to buy a house? They are in some neighborhoods of Los Angeles. There, in addition to...
Summer: Feeling fine being free Published on May 25th, 2005 0 comments Even now, when I hear the word "classroom" I feel a little claustrophobic. I want to open a window and take a deep breath. School was always a drag, but third grade was the worst. From September till...
Looking back: 61 years later, Pvt. Hatcher's last day Published on May 19th, 2005 0 comments Private Kenneth Hatcher was killed in action in Normandy, France. He was one of 7,920 casualties of the 83rd infantry division during July of 1944. Private Hatcher was buried in Coleville Cemetery...
God and Lucas: The Force is with us Published on May 11th, 2005 0 comments 252"> The HooK: ESSAY- God and Lucas: The Force is with us // >> classifieds >> personals >> advertise >> contacts >> faq...
For lovers? In Virginia, some exceptions apply Published on May 5th, 2005 0 comments 252"> The HooK: ESSAY- For lovers? In Virginia, some exceptions apply // >> classifieds >> personals >> advertise >> contacts ...