Windsor Mann

MANN: The not-so-great outdoors

As someone who doesn't like to freeze to death or sweat uncontrollably, I enjoy this time of year. The mild temperatures, blooming flowers and amiable sunniness make the outdoors a great place to be. Which is why I stay indoors. The downside to good weather is that it brings people outside.

May 24, 2012

MANN: Tardy thanks for Christopher Hitchens

It's hard to say anything about Christopher Hitchens that hasn't been said already, but it's even harder to say nothing. Hitchens died last week, a year-and-a-half after he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. He and I were not lifelong friends or family members, but I got to know him fairly well. We met nearly seven years ago, and it's safe to say that, during this time, Hitchens mattered more to me than I did to him.

December 20, 2011

MANN: Working hard at hardly working

The Duke of Windsor (no relation) once said that what impressed him most about America was the way parents obey their children. To the extent that they do, it is because, in the land of opportunity, the future matters more than the present. And, of course, the children are our future.

October 10, 2011

MANN: Let it ride

Thanks to the government, you now can sit in a yellow car with complete strangers. This week, New York City is launching a one-year pilot program for giving people cab rides at discounted rates ($3 or $4 per passenger) from three select locations. The goal of the share-a-cab program, which is limited to weekdays (6 to 10 a.m.), is to "save money" for passengers, make more money for drivers and (of course) "help the environment." These things are to be achieved by putting New Yorkers who do not know each other in cars together.

March 5, 2010