Muhammad Ali 1971 press photo after his loss against Joe Frazier. Photo: AP Wirephoto, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons The Ali-Frazier Fight of the Century 50 Years Ago Undoubtedly, the most momentous sporting event in New York City history took place roughly 50 years ago to the day that you’ll... Voices 03 Mar 2021 | 11:20
Zoom with Benefits For the past 11 months, I’ve taught college classes thanks to Zoom on topics as diverse as, well, diversity and inclusion... Education Guide 22 Feb 2021 | 02:45
“Resembling a cross between a choir boy and a beatnik, Mr. Dylan has a cherubic look and a mop of tousled hair he partly covers with a Huck Finn black corduroy cap,” wrote Robert Shelton, music critic for The New York Times. Photo: Jon Friedman When Bob Dylan Came to New York City Sixty years ago, the times were a-changin’. On Jan. 20, 1961, the dashing John F. Kennedy placed his hand on a Bible and duly... Voices 27 Jan 2021 | 03:49
Along the East River. Photo: Jon Friedman ‘The Sea Was Angry My Friends’ The words in the headline, belong, of course, to George Constanza, in the Seinfeld episode known as “The Marine Biologist.”... Voices 19 Jan 2021 | 12:59
Fran Lebowitz by a 3-D model of New York, located inside The Queens Museum in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. Photo courtesy of Netflix Fran Lebowitz Really IS the Mayor of New York Fran Lebowitz has a bulletin for Andrew Yang and all of the other folks who are in the running to be the next hizzoner of... News 19 Jan 2021 | 12:52
Gov. Andrew Cuomo meets with military officials at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, where a temporary FEMA hospital is being set up. ( Photo: Don Pollard- Office of Gov. Anrew M. Cuomo via Flickr) Our New Reality Not long ago, New York as it is now would have been unimaginable: Times Square without tourists. Empty streets and subway... News 24 Mar 2020 | 11:01
Gov. Andrew Cuomo during a coronavirus briefing at the Javits Center on Tuesday, March 24, 2020. Behind him are boxes of medical supplies. ( Photo: Don Pollard/Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo) 'America's Governor' Steps Up Andrew Cuomo has become America’s Governor. Since he has begun holding daily press conferences about the coronavirus pandemic,... Voices 23 Mar 2020 | 11:03
My 10 Ways of Keeping Busy While Sheltering in Place Are you going stir crazy? Are you helping to "flatten the curve?" Are you "sheltering" yourself wisely? Yes, COVID-19 has... Voices 19 Mar 2020 | 12:38
The Media's Impossible Job The media have an impossible job right now. Put simply, it is doing their job. The coronavirus scare has overtaken every other... Voices 09 Mar 2020 | 09:58
On Wednesday, March 4, Mayor Bill de Blasio convened a fourth Coronavirus preparedness tabletop exercise with Deputy Mayors, Commissioners and leadership from across the Administration. ( Photo: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office via Flickr) Promote Tolerance in a Time of Xenophobia A Chinese college student in one of my classes this semester appeared to be fighting back tears as she recounted an episode... Voices 28 Feb 2020 | 01:14
A shot from the SNL cold open after the New Hampshire Primary. ( Photo: Saturday Night Live via YouTube) The Democrats' Gift to SNL The Democratic presidential candidates debated one another last week in Las Vegas and often acted so boorish, childish and... Voices 20 Feb 2020 | 12:30
MIchael Bloomberg, seen here in his Super Bowl ad, is spending millions and targeting the Super Tuesday primaries. ( Photo: Courtesy Mike Bloomberg 2020 via YouTube) The Bloomberg Method I have to smile as I watch America trying to make sense of Michael Bloomberg’s insurgent presidential run. Journalists and... News 07 Feb 2020 | 12:15
David Carr, seen here at a conference in 2014, set the standard for media criticism at the New York Times. ( Photo: Stephen McCarthy / Sportsfile / Web Summit via Flickr) Can Ben Smith Fill David Carr's Shoes at the Times? Ben Smith, who is leaving as editor of BuzzFeed to become the media critic for The New York Times, faces several mammoth... Voices 03 Feb 2020 | 03:43
John Purcell (right) with his Stuyvesant Town neighbor Allan Kreda. ( Photo: Allan Kreda) 'The Mayor of Stuyvesant Town' Will Be Missed Whenever I bumped into John Purcell in our local Starbucks, on First Ave. and East 17th St., I knew that the chance meeting... Voices 20 Jan 2020 | 12:38
The author with some of his students. ( Photo: Courtesy of Jon Friedman) Bridging the Gen Z Gap A few years ago, I was leading a group discussion in my college class about a subject that made the ears of my freshman students... Education Guide 17 Jan 2020 | 03:46