Writers' Corner

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Sat, 12 Nov 2011 14:26:51 -0500

A profile of Joe Paterno written in Oct. 2007. If you can’t make it to the end, just read the last few paragraphs. It is haunting.

Mercenary

Sat, 12 Nov 2011 13:44:54 -0500

Mercenary:

A journalist for Esquire writes about a Blackwater Operative.

“If you learned that the man in this photo — a professional assassin — was the head of security at one of our nation’s most vulnerable nuclear facilities, would it trouble you? Or would it sound like one hell of a story?”

Addicted to Chad

Sun, 14 Aug 2011 14:47:44 -0400

Addicted to Chad:

Wonderful essay.

Ave Maria, gratia plena.

Mon, 25 Apr 2011 16:09:45 -0400

Holy Mary, full of grace.

She always liked rosaries, not so much for their religious use, but for the bizarre power granted to what at times was nothing more than a handful of shoddy plastic beads on a tiny bit of rope.

The Lord is with thee.

She toyed with her grandmother’s during mass as a child, dragging the sharp edge of the crucifix across the mottled wood of the pew, digging a trench over which she placed the hymnal, shielding it and herself from notice by the other parishioners and perhaps the eyes of God. She did this every week.

Blessed art thou amongst women.

When she did have confession, on those days her Catechism classes actually met in the church, she wracked her brain for some vague story to tell, a sin straight from the Commandments.

And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

“I did not honour my mother.”

Holy Mary, Mother of God.

“I stole a dollar from my brother.”

Pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.

“I killed our dog.”

Amen.

Held by the Taliban

Sun, 24 Apr 2011 23:53:19 -0400

Held by the Taliban:

David Rohde’s account of being held by the Taliban for seven months and how he escaped.

My Mom Couldn't Cook

Sun, 24 Apr 2011 23:06:23 -0400

My Mom Couldn't Cook

What happens after your life is washed away?

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 02:57:00 -0400

What happens after your life is washed away? :

Beautiful journalism.

After the Tsunami: Nothing to do but start again

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 02:54:09 -0400

After the Tsunami: Nothing to do but start again

Death of a Journalist

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 02:53:10 -0400

Death of a Journalist:

Tim Hetherington, the journalist/filmmaker of Restrepo died on April 20th in Libya.

SMART PEOPLE ON BAD DAYS: FELICIA

Mon, 18 Apr 2011 23:52:00 -0400

SMART PEOPLE ON BAD DAYS: FELICIA:

An advice column on life, love, boys, and romance.

Body/Paragraph [NSFW: graphic images]

Mon, 18 Apr 2011 23:50:33 -0400

Body/Paragraph [NSFW: graphic images]

Someone Else's Ivy

Mon, 18 Apr 2011 23:49:03 -0400

Someone Else's Ivy

Heavy

Sun, 17 Apr 2011 18:50:03 -0400

Heavy

Murder in Guatemala

Sat, 02 Apr 2011 13:44:39 -0400

Murder in Guatemala:

Crazy shit happens in Guatemala. Right out of a 24 episode. It’s a tad bit long but worth the read.

On Why We Travel

Sat, 02 Apr 2011 13:41:00 -0400

On Why We Travel:

Absolutely everything that I can’t put into words.

Crayons

Sat, 02 Apr 2011 13:35:00 -0400

The mother looked down at her only child, a little girl with long brown hair and dark eyes. Her daughter stood in front of her, fingers clinging shyly to her jeaned legs as she stared somewhere behind her. The expression on her face appeared to be anxious but the mother didn’t dare turn around to inspect the reason why this was. There was a long line of people behind and in front of them; the cashier, from what she could tell, was taking her sweet time. A few minutes went by and still her daughter stared uneasily around her legs.

“What are you looking at?” The mother inquired softly.

The little girl looked up at her mom. “That man is dark. He’s scary!”

The mother felt ice crawl up her spine in embarrassment at her daughter’s response, clearly not expecting to hear such things. Kneeling slowly, she faced the girl eye to eye, a level patience in her tone. “Baby, you like to color, right?” The child nodded swiftly. “Well, how would you like it if you only had one color in your crayon box? Only the white crayon, no others. Would you like that?” This time, her daughter scowled and shook her head. “You see, God felt the same way. He wanted to color the world with more than one crayon, including people. He likes all colors.”

“Oh…”

The mother stood up and turned around to the dark skinned man behind her with a smile. “I’m really sorry about that.”

A smile appeared on the man’s face, genuine and pearly white. “That was greatly handled. I’ll have to hang onto that theory. Thank you.”

The little girl waved bye to the man behind them on their way out of the store, no longer afraid of what she didn’t understand.

The Hazards of Duke

Fri, 14 Jan 2011 01:12:00 -0500

The Hazards of Duke:

Some food for thought.

If you’ve heard/read the Duke “Sex Thesis” by Karen Owen then you must read this. An interesting psychoanalysis on what is happening to females today in the social confines of college institutions.

Rio's New Reality Show

Wed, 12 Jan 2011 22:42:40 -0500

Rio's New Reality Show:

A different take on the drug wars dominating Brazil.

Why Chinese Mothers are Superior

Wed, 12 Jan 2011 22:34:05 -0500

Why Chinese Mothers are Superior:

Not the best writing but its garnering a lot of attention on WSJ.

Me Talk Presidential One Day

Sat, 01 Jan 2011 18:44:00 -0500

Me Talk Presidential One Day:

A speech writer tells all during the final years of the Bush presidency.