SELECTED WRITINGS
“How Dare Democrats Act Like Democrats”
“We could never in a million years vote for Donald Trump. But what should we, as prominent, generic conservatives who write serious opinion pieces for the New York Times, do instead? Perhaps, if we assert that the Democratic Party is veering off the rails…”
“Travel Safety: How Americans Die Abroad”
“I recently traveled to Egypt and before departing was met with expressions of surprise from friends who thought the place too dangerous to visit. Images of the downed Metrojet plane in November surely informed their opinion. But a review of the U.S. State…”
“Lenders, Borrowers Hook-up Over the Web”
“A priest near Orlando, Fla., borrows $9,000 for home repairs at an annual rate of 17.75%. A second-year Harvard Business School student wants $15,000 for foreign travel and gets a loan at 8%. A stepmother in suburban Sacramento needs $4,000 to cover…”
“Finding Unexpected Refuge in Egypt”
“When we told friends about our plans to visit Egypt on vacation, they all reacted with polite concern. The country has been run by the military since the democratically elected president Mohamed Morsi was overthrown in 2013, and is currently fighting…”
“The Watchword in Watches; Negotiate”
“It started with an e-mail. Second to None, an Ann Arbor (Mich.) field research company, was looking for people in the New York area who would pretend to shop for a luxury watch, negotiate on the price, then complete an online questionnaire about…”
“Shopping in Paris with my Haute-Couture Sherpa”
“Reporting from Paris — “This ribbon is very couture,” Marie-Noëlle Demay said to me, gripping a grosgrain ribbon between her elegant fingers, demonstrating how it was sewn into a blouse to avoid the indignity of a skin-adjacent zipper. “And so are these pleats.”
“36 Colleges Where Women Graduates Out-Earn Men”
“The recent College Scorecard from the U.S. Department of Education showed some remarkable gaps between the salaries of women and men who graduate from the same college. However, not every school fits the pattern. Although women trail men…”
“Two Weeks in Chávez’s Venezuela”
“Venezuela is a spectacularly beautiful country, with spectacularly awful leadership. I saw this firsthand last summer when I spent two weeks traveling from Caracas to Canaima National Park. Caracas remains a mystery, as I was warned not to leave the hotel…”
“Relax, Canada, We’re not Moving North”
“Dear Canada, We know you’ve been watching our American political debates. How could you resist the opportunity to affirm your luck about living in Canada? We Americans have been watching too, and many of us vacillate between despair and disbelief…”