December 2007 Archives
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Guides
2007 Holiday—uh—Christmas Survival Guide for Slackers—uh—Cultural Warriors
Talented gift-givers put time and thought into selecting presents for their loved ones. Gift ideas for the ungifted.
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Watching
Video Digest: December 21, 2007
[ note: technical difficulties with some of these videos. all, however, run fine if push the play button.—ed. ] If there’s one thing that I identify with the holiday season,...
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Guides
Gift Subscriptions
A gift in the mail is a joy to open—a gift every month (or less) trumps that. For those stumped on how to tie up their holiday shopping, our resident shopping expert advises you to pour yourself some ’nog, and order a few magazines.
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Kirsten Kay Thoen
Brooklyn: Debbie Desmond
Name: Debbie Desmond Hometown: Middle of Nowhere, Conn. Current residence: Grand Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn Occupation: Founder of Namaste Yoga and Tranquility Center How did you enter the world of so-called...
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Listening
An Unholy Christmas Soundtrack
The rigidity of Christmas tradition is most evident in the ubiquity of its music. As unsavory as I find so many other aspects of the season—the false sentiment, the...
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Albums of the Year
The Top 10 Albums of 2007
In the past 12 months thousands of albums were released, but there are only 10 you’ll need to remember.
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In Hindsight
The Superbug
In 2007 news headlines pointed many directions, but rarely long enough at the plague that’s creeping up our doorstep. Here’s the year of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus asureus—aka, the superbug.
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Reading
Book Digest: December 17, 2007
From The Once and Future King by T.H. White: The best thing for being sad…is to learn something. That is the only thing that never fails. You may...
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Gallery
Holidays on Display
What is December in New York, or most any town mall across America, without some sort of animatronic display featuring elves, snowflakes, and the latest hazardous plastic toys?
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Spoofs & Satire
Axis of Evil: Annual Letter to Our Members
‘Tis the time of year for annual reports, holiday cards, and family update letters.
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Lisa Whiteman
New York: Shimshon Stüart Siegel
Name: My name keeps changing. I was born with the name Stuart Bennett Siegel. In high school, I added an umlaut to the “u,” so, Stüart. In Israel, I...
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Of Recent Note
Hangover Cures
Robert Benchley once quipped, “The only cure for a real hangover is death.” Though ultimately true, right now there are holiday parties to attend. The writers offer solutions for the morning after.
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Listening
Those for Whom What’s Laudable Is All That’s Audible
Throughout the history of the written word and the recorded sound, there’s been a large discrepancy between what people listen to and what actually gets written about. Critics need...
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New York, New York
Dog Crazy
Ogling New Yorkers cavorting with their dogs, a new resident longs for the creep-targeted, mother-terrifying, media-maligned best friend she left behind.
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Personal Essays
How to Make Friends and Poke People
Facebook is old news for the sub-30 set, but plenty of their elders are tuning in, logging on, and tossing cows.
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Gallery
Fairy Tales
Didier Massard’s photographs look like they could have been on the cover of your favorite book as a child, or come straight out of that weird dream you had last night.
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Reading
Book Digest: December 10, 2007
As Dec. 31 approaches, the year-end lists and other media devices for taking up space and time remind me that there is, of course, something useful to be said about the...
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Watching
Video Digest: December 7, 2007
Q. If a candidate appears on stage, but never gets any face time, is he still running for president? A. Apparently so. There are eight Democratic and eight Republican candidates...
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The Non-Expert
Life After Masturbation
Experts answer what they know. The Non-Expert answers anything. This week we advise a mother who’s walked in on her son during a private moment.
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Op-Ed
Making the Case for Music Fanboyism
The critic is the defender of taste, often to diehard fans’ chagrin. But inside every critic is the ultimate fan, who must temper their gushing with honesty.
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Tony Day
London: Marc Perrin
Time of birth: 1979 Hometown: Weymouth, Dorset, U.K. Occupation, both real and desired-in-another-lifetime: Post-operative, drummer Obsession: Guitars What’s your favorite piece in your guitar collection? 1973 Guild Starfire I hear...
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Listening
The December 2007 Leak Report
This week, a new monthly feature in the Mp3 Digest, provided the RIAA’s black ops don’t take me under cover of night to an undisclosed location for all...
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Pushing Petals
Drivin’ and Cryin’
Driving long distances to shopping centers, Laurie Lindeen discovers yesteryear’s Top 40 on the radio. The songs she missed, she now gets, and now she’s got to pull over before she breaks down.
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Reader Letters
Not All Doom and Gloom
I’m a longtime reader of themorningnews.org and normally I find your news section to be very well chosen and insightful. I was surprised you posted a link to “...
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New York, New York
The Rules
The laws of the playground aren’t just for children. New York City parents have to keep an eye out for garbage, syringes, and disturbed men bearing toys.
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Reading
Book Digest: December 3, 2007
Not that I expect anything for such efforts, but a trickle of perspiration did break out as I pondered the pros and cons of participating in the year-end list frenzy....
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Gallery
Hidden and Unfamiliar
Taryn Simon documents secret places in America that have rarely been seen by the public eye: the bureau of engraving and printing, a cryogenics facility, a hymenoplasty, a site for testing fireworks.