Category Archives: Opinion

The New York Times —- Tuesday, December 24, 2024

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Biden Commutes 37 Death Sentences Ahead of Trump’s Plan to Resume Federal Executions

Those affected by the president’s action on Monday are still subject to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Three men will remain on federal death row.

House Ethics Panel Report Accuses Gaetz of ‘Regularly’ Paying for Sex and Using Drugs

The Florida Republican resigned from the House and withdrew as Donald J. Trump’s attorney general pick in the weeks before the report’s release.

The New Climate Gold Rush: Scrubbing Carbon From the Sky

Investors are betting that they can make a dent in global warming, and healthy profits, with companies that alter the atmosphere.

They Entered Treatment. Drugs, Overdoses and Deaths Followed.

Baltimore addiction programs draw patients with free housing while collecting millions. Some say one company offered little help.

The New Yorker Magazine Dec. 30, 2024 & Jan. 6, 2025

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The New Yorker (December 23, 2024): Diana Ejaita’s “Midnight Moments” – The magical blur of New Year’s Eve.

How Much Does Our Language Shape Our Thinking?

English continues to expand into diverse regions around the world. The question is whether humanity will be homogenized as a result. By Manvir Singh

Alice Munro’s Passive Voice

The celebrated writer’s partner sexually abused her daughter Andrea. The abuse transformed Munro’s fiction, but she left it to Andrea to confront the true story. By Rachel Aviv

Is There Any Escape from the Spotify Syndrome?

The history of recorded music is now at our fingertips. But the streamer’s algorithmic skill at giving us what we like may keep us from what we’ll love. By Hua Hsu

The New York Times —- Monday, December 23, 2024

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Germany Tries to Untangle Complex Profile of Market Attack Suspect

The authorities said they were struggling to understand the motives behind ramming a car into a Christmas market in the eastern city of Magdeburg, which left a 9-year-old boy among the five dead.

From Liberal Icon to MAGA Joke: The Waning Fortunes of Justin Trudeau

Canada’s prime minister gained global renown 10 years ago for his unabashedly progressive politics. But at home, voters turned sour on him long ago.

Behold! ‘Christmas Adam’ Is Born.

First there was Christmas Eve … and then a new celebration was created.22h agoBy Elizabeth Dias

Foreign Affairs Magazine: The Best Essays Of 2024

FOREIGN AFFAIRS MAGAZINE (December 22, 2024): The top essays of the year include…

The Self-Doubting Superpower

By Fareed Zakaria

America shouldn’t give up on the world it made.

Why Gaza Matters

By Jean-Pierre Filiu

Since antiquity, the territory has shaped the quest for power in the Middle East.

Israel’s Self-Destruction

By Aluf Benn

Netanyahu, the Palestinians, and the price of neglect.

Russia Is Burning Up Its Future

By Andrei Kolesnikov

How Putin’s pursuit of power has hollowed out the country and its people.

The Trouble With “the Global South”

By Comfort Ero

What the West gets wrong about the rest.

The New York Times — Sunday, December 22, 2024

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Deception and Betrayal: Inside the Final Days of the Assad Regime

President Bashar al-Assad, who wielded fear and force over Syria for more than two decades, fled the country under the cover of night — and a fake political address.

Biden Administration Weighs Putting Up Roadblocks to Trump’s Deportation Campaign

The administration may extend protections for hundreds of thousands of immigrants whose legal status is set to expire near the start of the Trump administration.

3-Minute Christmas Market Rampage Shakes Germany

At least five people, including a 9-year-old child, were killed in the attack, which took place in the eastern city of Magdeburg. The authorities are still seeking a motive.

Death on the Night Shift at Frozen Pizza Factories in Chicago

Undocumented workers help feed America’s hunger for prepared foods, but some take jobs with staffing agencies that expose them to hazardous conditions.

The New York Times Magazine – Dec. 22, 2024

In this issue, Nicholas Casey and Paolo Pellegrin on the journey to receive medical treatment for Palestinians in Gaza; Jason Diamond on the dancer and choreographer Mikhail Baryshnikov; Jenna (J) Wortham on the new social media platform Bluesky; and more.

THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE (December 21, 2024): The 12,22,24 issue features ‘Escape From Gaza’…

For a Desperate Few, a Hectic Escape From Gaza

The war is nearly impossible to flee — except for a small number of sick and wounded who are offered a dramatic path to safety. By Nicholas Casey

Is Mikhail Baryshnikov the Last of the Highbrow Superstars?

Fifty years since he left the Soviet Union, he insists on using his huge fame to bring attention to difficult, esoteric art. By Jason Diamond

Another New Twitter? Good Luck With That.

Users are now flocking to Bluesky. But every social media platform becomes a wasteland in the end. By J Wortham

The New York Times —- Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024

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Congress Approves Spending Extension, Ending Shutdown Crisis

The Senate passed the measure, sending it to President Biden’s desk, shortly after the midnight deadline for funding to lapse.

Insurers Are Deserting Homeowners as Climate Shocks Worsen

Without insurance, it’s impossible to get a mortgage; without a mortgage, most Americans can’t buy a home.

Weight Loss Drugs Changed Their Lives. Then They Lost Coverage.

In Michigan, the state’s largest insurer has tightened restrictions around medications like Wegovy. Patients are panicking.

Al-Assad’s Soldiers Hope for Amnesty. First, They Have to Take a Number.

Syria’s new rulers say they will spare conscripts of Bashar al-Assad and pursue those who oversaw his regime’s abuses. Hundreds are lining up to learn which promise applies to them.

Politics: National Review Magazine – February 2025

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NATIONAL REVIEW MAGAZINE (December 20, 2024): The latest issue features ‘William F. Buckley Jr. at 100’…

Why Bill Buckley’s Ideas Still Matter

An enduring fusion by Ramesh Ponnuru

The Elements of Buckley’s Style

Prose makes the man by Andrew Ferguson

Life of the Party

WFB as pop icon by James Rosen