C onsidering its prosaic nature, the ordinary onion garners its share of poetic prose. Take this line from Mark Kurlansky’s ...

Pharaoh’s comrades, unlike Ephron’s, do not flatter the likes of Abram. Pharaoh, unlike Ephron, does not speak in circles and circumlocutions. Pharaoh hardly speaks at all. His currency is violence.

W ith apologies to Ponce de Leon and plastic surgeons, I have discovered the real Fountain of Youth. It’s spending time with young people.

Checks and balances are what make a democracy work — and they’ll be tested in the coming weeks, as the Senate is asked to confirm president-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet nominees. More than one has ...

“Look at yourself in the mirror! Shed your tribal attributes that are known to be odious to our countrymen.” — Walter Rathenau Four points about this odious and effective urging of German-speaking ...