Opinion
KEEP (News)
Now Is the Time for Penn and Philly’s Other Big-Money Nonprofits to Pay PILOTs
When enjoying the classic card game of spades, most players wait until the very end of a round to play their most competitive hand. Those […]
My Morning Moka Pot Is the Calm Before the Storm
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 […]
I Didn’t Like to Cook Before the Pandemic. I Don’t Like to Cook Now
Twenty or so years ago, I gave my dear friend Ruth a cookbook for her birthday. She looked at it, looked at me, and without […]
If Philadelphia Can’t Apologize for the MOVE Bombing 35 Years Later, How Progressive Are We?
On May 13, 1985, 11 people, including five children, were killed during a city-authorized bombing and burning of a black neighborhood in West Philadelphia. The state-sanctioned […]
Jacqueline McBride Is White Privilege Personified
Let’s just get this out of the way: If Jacqueline McBride were black, you wouldn’t be reading this op-ed about our societal fascination with the […]
The Pandemic Isn’t Bringing Out the Best in People. It’s Showing People as They Truly Are
One of the abiding tropes when it comes to disasters like the one we’re living through is that they bring out the best in people. […]
Paying Way Too Much Attention to My Plants Is a Welcome Distraction
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 […]
People Protesting Coronavirus Lockdown Orders Are Terrorists
One day after Pennsylvania reported its highest daily increase in deaths caused by the coronavirus, a group of disgruntled residents was protesting, demanding that the […]
No More Mr. Nice Mayor: Jim Kenney, Shut This City Down
Philadelphia, we are now in the four-digit club. As of Monday, Philadelphia had officially surpassed 1,000 cases of COVID-19, with positive tests in every zip […]
Millennials and Gen Z Make Up Philly’s Largest COVID-19-Positive Group. We Need to Take This Seriously.
This is not a drill: Young Philadelphians, we are screwing this up. According to coronavirus data released by the Department of Public Health on Wednesday, […]
Coronavirus Outbreak Reveals Philly at Its Absolute Best — and Utter Worst
A week ago, I was able to buy toilet paper and bleach in abundance at my nearby CVS. I did this while planning a dinner […]
The Rochelle Bilal Fiasco Is Everything That’s Wrong With Philly Politics
The late, great poet and civil rights icon Maya Angelou once said, “When you know better, do better.” She also famously said, “When people show […]
Kenney Was a Coward in Letting Philly’s Safe Injection Site Fail
When the public rails against a project that would ultimately be in its best interest, you have to consider it a failing of the project’s […]
Special Elections Are Undemocratic, Wasteful and Downright Stupid
Tuesday nearly broke all that was left of my faith in the democratic process. I’m what many would consider a super voter, given that I’ve […]
I Call My Mom Twice a Week. Voluntarily.
Welcome to Ritual, Be Well Philly’s new column of essays about the low-tech, purposefully inefficient things we do that pleasurably slow us down. From taking […]