Opinion

Maltipoo Shaggy is dressed as a Yankees fan at the Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade in New York City last year. Commentator Frank Deford says the Yankees are turning into a home for the assisted living.

It's The Dog Days For America's Sports Dynasties

10:51am February 06, 2013

by Frank Deford

We used to have three bona fide dynasties: the Yankees in baseball, the Celtics and Lakers in basketball, and the Cowboys in football. We even had dynasties in college sports. But no more. Commentator Frank Deford says our dynasties are melting as fast as the Arctic ice cap.

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Books
Arts

War Writ Small: Of Pushcarts And Peashooters

7:55pm January 31, 2013

by Adam Mansbach

Jean Merrill's classic children's book The Pushcart War explores war, peace and pushcarts on the streets of New York. Author Adam Mansbach writes that the story still resonates. Do you have a favorite children's book that deals with heavy themes? Tell us in the comments.

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Education

Op-Ed: To Close The Achievement Gap, Don't Lower The Bar

2:12pm January 31, 2013

Florida and Virginia have adopted new academic standards setting different performance goals for subgroups of students in low-performing schools. In a Miami Herald piece, syndicated columnist Leonard Pitts argues that lowering the bar is not the way to fix the education system.

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History Joins The 49ers In Opposing Ray Lewis

9:09am January 31, 2013

by Frank Deford

It's rare in sport for someone to declare that this will be the finale and then go out a winner, says commentator Frank Deford. But, on Sunday, Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis hopes to do just that.

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According to the American Staffing Association, the U.S. temp industry has added more jobs than any other over the past three years.

A 'Permatemp' Economy: The Idea Of The Expendable Employee

2:00pm January 29, 2013

by NPR Staff

Nearly 13 million people head to work as temporary and contract employees each year, according to the American Staffing Association. In an opinion piece for The New York Times, sociologist Erin Hatton argues that it's time to get rid of the "anti-worker ideology that has come to accompany it."

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'Ebony' Editor Began Life Black In Nazi Germany

5:36pm January 26, 2013

by Scott Simon

Long before becoming managing editor of Ebony magazine, Hans Massaquoi yearned to be a Hitler Youth. His rare story came to an end when Massaquoi died this week at the age of 87.

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Bryan Wilmoth (right) reunited with his brother Michael years after their parents kicked Bryan out for being gay. All six of their siblings either ran away or were kicked out of their family's home over the years.

National

After Years Of Estrangement, Eight Siblings Become A Family

9:14am January 25, 2013

by NPR Staff

Bryan Wilmoth grew up in a strict, religious household where all of his siblings either ran away or were kicked out. He was the first to go, after his father discovered he was gay. Years later, Wilmoth tried piecing the family back together and assuming the big brother role once again.

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National

Roe v. Wade at 40: A Look at Its Legacy

2:27pm January 24, 2013

Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion, just turned 40. Host Neal Conan speaks with Linda Greenhouse, who covered the Supreme Court and writes in a New York Times opinion piece that it was about "the rights of doctors...acting in what they considered to be the best interest of their patients."

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Sports

Sports Calendar's Black Hole Gives Us Time To Reflect On Sportswriters

8:13am January 23, 2013

by Frank Deford

Aside from basketball, it's a pretty quiet sports week, which means, it's a pretty quiet week for sportswriters. Commentator Frank Deford says it's a perfect opportunity to recognize their work, and cut them some slack.

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Love Of Football May Kick America Down The Path Of Ruination

5:37am January 16, 2013

by Frank Deford

Enthusiasm for sport can be a convenient cover to excuse the worst in us, says Frank Deford, because concussions for young men are the price of our love for football.

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