February 2011 Archives
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Letters From Wisconsin
One More Day in Madison
For two weeks, Wisconsin state employees have occupied the capitol. Our man in Madison reports from inside the rotunda, where the mood swings from obligated to giddy.
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Spoofs & Satire
Being Eddie Is Fun and Other Facts
The internet is flooded with lists of “fun facts,” but none of them are about fun itself.
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New York, New York
Watching for the Buffleheads
New Yorkers may think they are surrounded by skyscrapers, but what’;s really around is ducks. Identifying the waterbirds of Manhattan.
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Gallery
The Bridge at Hoover Dam
On his way to the Mojave Desert, photographer Jamey Stillings stumbled across a rare intersection of awesome innovation and breathtaking scenery—the Hoover Dam.
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Opinions
Tippler, Traitor, Fumbler, Fool
America endlessly honors its best presidents. Enough with that. A demand for a federal holiday to glorify the five who rose so high, only to fail so shamefully.
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The Non-Expert
You Will Soon Receive Great Knowledge
Experts answer what they know. The Non-Expert answers anything. This week, we crack open one of the mysteries of the universe: How do fortune cookies work?
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Spoofs & Satire
What Is a Career Move
Following his triumphant appearance on Jeopardy, IBM’s Watson supercomputer strikes a deal to replace Charlie Sheen on CBS’s hit comedy Two and a Half Men.
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Birnbaum v.
Scott Spencer
Our man in Boston sits down with Scott Spencer, author most recently of Man in the Woods, to talk about writing, dogs, and show business.
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Spoofs & Satire
The Languid Dirge of the Hippo Father
While “Tiger Moms” may pour their energies into rearing successful children, Long Island offspring are learning to beat the tiger cubs at Halo.
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Gallery
Cities
Sze Tsung Leong creates incredibly dense portraits from high vantage points that bind the world’s cities to his perspective—embracing and very open, though from a distance.
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Personal Essays
Work Is a Four-Letter Word
After 15 months of unemployment, our writer lands a job—complete with benefits, direct deposit, and a modern workspace design. Time to shop for dumpy sweaters.
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Spoofs & Satire
I Love You in Europe
Romance is in the air during February, especially when the air smells vaguely European.
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Opinions
Houston, We Have Contractions
A baby may be a tiny step for mankind, but it’s a giant one for new parents, especially the adult diapers part.
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Personal Essays
When the Crescendo Is the Least of Your Worries
After practicing with his iPod—and feeling pretty good, actually—a novice discovers the extreme fear of conducting a professional orchestra.
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Interview
Adam Goodheart
Adam Goodheart is a historian, journalist, and one of a handful of contributors to the New York Times’s Disunion blog. Disunion marks the 150th anniversary of the events leading...
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Personal Essays
A Song for Aretha
For decades, America has taken Aretha Franklin for granted, heard and loved and danced to her music without a second thought. Now’s the time to think again.
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Gallery
Jasper, Texas
You might recognize Jasper, Texas, as the scene of the 1998 murder of James Byrd, Jr., which brought the East Texas town into headlines. But the complex social life of Jasper’s historically segregated citizens goes beyond the killing, as we see in Alonzo Jordan’s photos of the town.
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Lunch Poems
Humility & Co.
A new poem about the things families say and do during the holidays—when some words mean nothing, and some wreck meals.
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Man Cites Dog
Dogs Like Prog, Pop Is for Humans
During a visit to Peter Gabriel’s recording studios, our writer and his borrowed companion Ella discuss the gap between prog and pop while learning about British bridges.
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Birnbaum v.
Mary Roach
Our man in Boston speaks Mary Roach, author most recently of Packing for Mars, about severed-hand fan mail, writing in an office, and Coke in space.