It’s National Bike to Work Day today, and maybe you noticed a lot of cyclists on your commute this morning. If you didn’t—and you’re a driver—that’s cause for concern. A plea for safety from cyclists to motorists.
Gallery
The Lighthouse
Using a darkened home, precisely placed mirrors, and the occasional judicious cut in a wall, light becomes sculpture.
Paris, USA
Our French Connection
For some Americans, the French way of life is best. Other people simply prefer “freedom fries.” A two-week journey across the U.S.—passing through a handful of towns named Paris—to find out what Americans really think about France today. (Part two of four.)
Other People
Looking Back, Looking Forward
Before the internet, before Facebook, before Twitter, a group of British documentary filmmakers launched what has become the grand-daddy of reality television. What can Seven Up! tell us about our own experiences in the (self-induced) spotlight?
Announcements
Like It’s 1999
You may have noticed that one of our co-founders, Rosecrans Baldwin, has a new book out about his stint living and working in France, inspired by the letters he wrote for TMN.
On Tuesday, Rosecrans and Paul Ford will read at New York City’s KGB Bar at 7 p.m.. Rosecrans and Paul have an unlikely friendship, but we’re pretty sure this will be an event that TMN fans will not want to miss. Plus, there’s a party afterward. Continue Reading
The Business Desk
Arts and Crafts and Money
When “small batch” equals big dollars and one-person companies are supported by corporate-size websites, is “hand-made” what we think it is? A report from North America’s largest consumer craft fair, where the competition for puppet dollars is intense.
Letters From Beirut
Jonestown, Naipaul, and Me
A boy asking for money. An editor yelling at him to go away. An author, a rising star, dying young from a heart attack. A group of followers ending their lives at the wish of a single man.
Gallery
Artist for the Trees
Intricate designs found in large-scale, labor-intensive relief prints made from the cross sections of trees and lumber.
Paris, USA
Our French Connection
For some Americans, the French way of life is best. Others simply prefer “freedom fries.” A two-week journey across the U.S.—passing through a handful of towns named Paris—to find out what Americans really think about France today. (Parts one and two of four.)
This Week
Everyone Is Wrong
Every Friday we take a look back at the week’s headlines, centering on a theme we’ve singled out as particularly important. This week, the opinion column’s wrath bled well beyond its confines with the headlines full of people calling others out, correcting them, and setting them straight.
Continue ReadingBlame it on journalists unfamiliar with their subject matter, the demands of an ever-quicker news cycle, or simply salacious stories that were “too good to check.”
Spoofs & Satire
From the Files of the Dream Police
They’re waiting for you. They’re looking for you. Every single night they’re on duty, ready to drive you insane. Stories from the blotter of the men inside your brain.
America, America, Burning Bright
Deplorable, Lousy, Godawful, and Required
People complain that politics are worse than ever. It happens to be true. But history contains as many examples of the contentious, weird, and wacky as the present—and those absurdities are actually vital to our democracy.
To celebrate the release of Rosecrans Baldwin’s Paris, I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down, we’re giving away copies of the book to the creators of our favorite remixes of the Paris cover. For those of you addicted to creating internet memes, this contest is your free therapy. (The rest of you don’t know what you’re missing.) Now brave reader, wield your weapon of choice—be it MS Paint or Photoshop—and rise to the challenge. Continue Reading
Off the Counter
Bagels, Toasted
Risen from the streets of Eastern Europe and squalid New York City, bagels now hold a seat at middle- and upper-class breakfast tables everywhere. A look back from a baker with 50,000 “golden visions” under his belt.
This Week
There Is No Simple Answer
Every Friday we take a look back at the week’s headlines, centering on a theme we’ve singled out as particularly important. From the difficulties of dealing pot or having too much to read and learn, to being the biggest working comic without being famous, it’s never as easy as you think, and there’s rarely a simple answer to fix things. The headlines this week continued to remind us to shed conventional wisdom in favor of understanding the complexity of an issue.
Two takes on recent pan-African development:
Continue ReadingThere is no magic recipe for turning countries around, Mr. Severino writes, only good cooks. He believes that 20 years after democracy was prescribed to Africa by the West, there are the beginnings of local democratic activities all over the continent that are forcing governments to deliver.
Personal Essays
The Storm Comes Around
Tornado season is a distant concept for most people. For some, it’s a scary but known part of life. Then there’s what happens when one of the South’s deadliest storms in history destroys your house.
Spoofs & Satire
Our Future National Pastime
Predictions for the baseball season ahead from someone who hasn’t paid attention to sports statistics since the 1992 Orioles.
Gallery
Little, Big
Irresistible paintings don’t always need giant frames. An interview with the painter who electrified this year’s Whitney Biennial.
This Week
Science Tells Us What We Need to Know
Every Friday we take a look back at the week’s headlines, centering on a theme we’ve singled out as particularly important. Scientific findings, methodical studies, and reports were at the heart of many of the most interesting headlines this week, reminded us of science’s attempts to dispel myths, fix things, and report on society’s ills.
Report says Breivik massacre has led Norwegians to believe more strongly in their open society:
Continue ReadingA survey by the UNI Rokkan Center in Bergen and the Oslo-based Institute for Social Research in August found 52 percent of 2,252 respondents expressed greater, not less, trust in other people after the attacks, although one-third of 18-24-year olds said they were more skeptical of other people.