Poet Paul Guest (My Index of Horrifying Knowledge) was permanently paralyzed in a bike accident at the age of 12, which, as Mary Karr points out, “is the least interesting thing about his work.” In “User’s Guide to Physical Debilitation,” he alludes to his situation: Guest’s new book,
Analysis of North Korea's trigger-finger and what it means if it was (or wasn't) Kim Jong Il's. Lucid summary of recent Thai political history. America is carrying out a robot war 7,000 miles away; laws have not kept up with technological progress.
In that evanescent realm which I think of as my reading experiences there are a handful of writers whose narrative skills move them beyond the increasingly respectable category of so-called “genre fiction” to the seemingly more respected arena of “literary fiction”—Elmore Leonard, George Pelecanos, Charles McCarry, Alan Furst,
Facebook can predict--with 33% accuracy--change in a user's relationship status before it occurs in real life. I snagged a job at a downtown phone-sex call center, and six weeks later I had my piece--and another insight about journalism. Newsweek reporter reluctantly tweet-profiles Michele
In American history one might corral any number of examples—Vietnam and Iraq, Warren Harding and George Bush, the elections of 1876 and 2000, Enron and AIG et al., and more—to support a theory which maintains that as a nation, the United States does not seem to learn from
Seoul seeks unilateral punishment after blaming Pyongyang for attack. The sinking shows how unwise it is to leave stability on the peninsula hostage to Pyongyang's goodwill. BBC live blog of Bangkok coverage. Analysis: China may have crippled Clinton's sanctions; Iran probably divided/conquered once more. Op:
Study finds link between exposure to fruit and vegetable pesticides and incidence of ADHD. The top 10 Smiths songs that will mess up teenagers the most. Ian Curtis died 30 years ago today; this summer, a walking tour of Joy Division landmarks commences. People grow happier with age, though not
Ever since I read (in 1977) Thomas Whiteside’s exposition on tomatoes, entitled simply “Tomatoes,” I have used it as an example of 1) the discovery of a piece of writing on a subject I was not inclined to pay attention and, 2) another good reason the New Yorker is
A live studio audience is one part mosh pit, two parts Godot. A Glendale taping becomes a hostage situation.
Fireballs inside miniature universe suggest muons explain why we exist. On the rise of middle powers: U.S. caught off-guard by Brazil-Turkey alliance. France says swap of academic for man who killed former Iranian prime minister isn't quid pro quo. South Korea to inform the U.
