Consuming Obama
Barack Obama is riding a wave of enthusiasm, and though we sense his sincerity, there’s little else we know about him. Considering the man everyone seems to think should be our next president.
oped
A collection of 54 issues
Closed Heart Surgery
Going under the knife is an arduous, lonely experience, and anyone who will share your pain is welcome. But Donald Rumsfeld? Finding an unlikely medical companion in the Defense secretary.
Betting Wrong
Session after session, congressional battles have us rooting for one side or the other. But it’s not easy to tell who the good (and bad) guys are. A theory by way of He-Man and the Masters of the United States Congress.
Longing for the Sad Bastards
When did our angst-driven movie men get all tangled up in their apron strings? A screen history of damaged males.
Not an Open Letter
The self-made jury has handed down its decision: For his previous life in the Waffen SS, Günter Grass—and his work—should receive the maximum penalty.
News Gone Wild
Pop quiz for the journalism students in the audience: What’s an editor to do when her reporter is assaulted and the attacker, whom the reporter strikes back, turns out to be the story’s subject?
Daddies Unbound
The stereotype that dads don’t show much skill or interest in child-rearing should have gone out when you were still in diapers—so why does it persist?
The Weathermen
Why are so many news shows so dully casted--except for the flamboyantly named superhero in front of the blue screen? The top 10 best-named weathermen currently rescuing the news.
We'd Like to Hear You Never
Yapping on cell phones has gotten out of hand—on the bus, on the street, even in subways, civil life is trampled with every outspoken call.
The Word You Dare Not Spell
Whatever Kaavya Viswanathan’s legacy, she has inspired us to take pleasure in others’ misfortune. And as there happens to be a word that means just that—schadenfreude—many writers have been more than happy to remind us of it.