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in The New York Times Magazine
by
Rob Walker, 18 May 2008
Walker's piece reads like a great "Consumed" column on steroids. Chicago-based River West Brands brings dead brands back to life. Founder Paul Earle sums it up: "There’s no retail presence, no product, no distribution, no trucks, no plants. Nothing. All that exists is memory. We’re taking consumers’ memories and starting entire businesses." Earle's firm trades in "brand equity." Thirsty? Fill it to the rim with Brim? Headache? Perhaps a little, yellow Nuprin. The brand nostalgia is interesting -- Salon Selectives, Underalls, Eagle Snacks -- but it's the insight into our own minds as consumers, and how we remember products, that makes this a fascinating piece.
Posted 3:27, 18 May 2008
This abstract was written by
Jeremy Brosowsky
and edited by Brijit.
in The New York Times Magazine
by
Lisa Sanders, 11 May 2008
Readers will sympathize with the 20-year-old subject of Sanders' medical mystery of the week, who suffers spells of debilitating abdominal pain that always resolve by the time he's X-rayed. His doctors (including his own father, a gastroenterologist) are baffled. Finally, a CT scan and an attack coincide, revealing an intussusception, a telescoping of one part of the small intestine into another. Intussusceptions are often cancer-related, but fortunately this patient suffers from a congenital condition that is easily treatable with surgery. This concise case study is no substitute for a weekly dose of CSI, but it will appeal to readers who enjoy doing their own medical research online.
Posted 5:02, 12 May 2008
This abstract was written by
Bonnie Walker
and edited by Brijit.
in The New York Times Magazine
by
Alyse Myers, 11 May 2008
For Mother's Day, Myers offers a familiar but still compelling story of how her rocky relationship with her mother informed her own approach parenting. Terrified a daughter would resent her as much as she resented her own mother, Myers went to comic and ultimately futile lengths to ensure she'd conceive a son -- including forcing her husband to wear boxers and down caffeine before sex. Inevitably, Myers erupts in an insane parental rant that earns a declaration of everlasting hatred from her 18-year-old daughter, but discovers, with relief and surprise, that even hate can't destroy the love between mother and child.
Posted 5:01, 12 May 2008
This abstract was written by
Bonnie Walker
and edited by Brijit.
Conventional wisdom says Americans are weary of political divisiveness and yearn for a "post-partisan" ideological homogeneity. But Galston and Nivola say the American public is more politically polarized than ever. Both Republicans and Democrats are abandoning the center for the extreme right and left of their party's ideological spectra. Meanwhile, those of like-minded political views are clustering together geographically, creating districts and states no longer considered competitive in general elections. Galston and Nivola make interesting points, but their analysis is over-generalized -- they state, without qualification, that the "lower-educated" are more family-oriented -- and they fail to supplement their data and research with real-world examples.
Posted 4:27, 12 May 2008
This abstract was written by
Bonnie Walker
and edited by Brijit.
in The New York Times Magazine
by
Tim Weiner, 11 May 2008
General Vang Pao, the leader of the Hmong people in their American-financed fight against Communism and a hero of the Vietnam War, has been indicted in California on charges of conspiring to violently overthrow the Laotian government. Though he has been "painted as a Laotian bin Laden" by federal prosecutors, he seems to have at best a tangential relationship to the plot, which was instigated by undercover officers as part of a dubious sting operation. Colorfully populated with mystics and con men, Weiner's story leaves the reader with the impression that the case against the aging general is "a fever dream created and stoked by the government."
Posted 2:34, 12 May 2008
This abstract was written by
Alex Zimmerman
and edited by Brijit.
in The New York Times Magazine
by
Christopher Caldwell, 11 May 2008
While many first- and business-class passengers are able to bypass long security checkpoint lines in many airports, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff has begun a program to implement 600 whole-body imagers that may speed the lines. The new imaging technology reveals everything that a person is carrying, down to very intimate detail. Caldwell's discussion about the inequalities of airports, inequalities that are supported by TSA policy, is interesting if academic, and he makes some very salient points about airlines' treatment of passengers.
Posted 11:34, 12 May 2008
This abstract was written by
Jonathan Gallaway
and edited by Brijit.
in The New York Times Magazine
by
Virginia Heffernan, 11 May 2008
The Oxford English Dictionary has long reigned as the ultimate authority on the English lexicon, but now this most bookish of reference books is abandoning the book format altogether. Heffernan reports the OED's next edition -- the remaining revisions will take at least 20 more years -- will be digital. Given the dictionary's scope -- it spans 20 volumes, and the compact version includes a magnifying glass -- a digital OED offers distinct advantages. But Heffernan is crushed and launches into a wistfully unfocused critique of online dictionaries, noting, for instance that Dictionary.com's quotations are much more limited than the OED's.
Posted 11:11, 12 May 2008
This abstract was written by
Bonnie Walker
and edited by Brijit.
in The New York Times Magazine
by
Michael Sokolove, 11 May 2008
Women's sports have enjoyed a renaissance thanks to Title IX's stress on equal opportunities; but an unforeseen consequence is that women's injury rates have been greater than those recorded for young men typically enrolled in football programs. Sokolove's absorbing article focuses on Florida soccer star Janelle Pierson, who has injured her knees yet insists on playing despite pain and risk of further injury and surgery. Moreover, the cause of Pierson's knee injuries, medically described as ACL tears, is puzzling to sports medicine specialists. Pierson's youthful intensity and resolve, plus her concerted effort to gain recognition from college scouts, are representative of a national trend.
Posted 9:19, 9 May 2008
This abstract was written by
Cath Stockbridge
and edited by Brijit.
in The New York Times Magazine
by
Ian Buruma, 4 May 2008
Buruma's fascinating profile of classical Chinese composer Tan Dun captures the artist's shamanic personality and his shrewd, avant-garde attitude. Based in New York City, Tan Dun jets around the world to conduct pieces at concert houses in Europe and Asia. A production of his opera The First Emperor, with Placido Domingo in the title role, might be performed as a cultural event at the Beijing Olympics. Some critics see too much Western fantasy and popularizing gimmicks in Tan's compositions. Others appreciate the sense of spectacle, engaging improvisation, and wonderful lyricism.
Posted 5:05, 5 May 2008
This abstract was written by
Cath Stockbridge
and edited by Brijit.
in The New York Times Magazine
by
William Safire, 4 May 2008
Prompted by a reader's question, Safire explains the difference between lying and "misspeaking." The difference is the intent of the speaker -- or the politician in most of the examples. The question that Safire finds more interesting is the ethics of calling a verbal blunder "misspeaking" to soften the impact of the original statement. He also shares comments by his contemporaries regarding "voguish" words: "frankly," "margin," and "detainee." In comparison to his recent columns Safire simply phones it in on this easy topic.
Posted 4:49, 5 May 2008
This abstract was written by
Patricia Williams
and edited by Brijit.