Saturday, March 10, 2007

The issue of 2007-02-19, published 2007-02-12

WHATEVER IT TAKES
by JANE MAYER
The politics of the man behind "24."

http://www.newyorker.com/printables/fact/070219fa_fact_mayer
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/02/19/070219fa_fact_mayer

Q. What is patriotism? Is it like truth? Faith? Morality? Do you play the Jack Bauer drinking game? ("you're going to have to trust me...")

THE WAY WE ARE
by DAVID SEDARIS
Of wildflowers and weed.

http://www.newyorker.com/printables/fact/070219fa_fact_sedaris

Q. Funny? Not funny? How many stereotypes can you count?

THE ORIGAMI LAB
by SUSAN ORLEAN
Why a physicist dropped everything for paper folding.

http://www.newyorker.com/printables/fact/070219fa_fact_orlean
http://www.newyorker.com/online/multimedia/2007/02/19/070219_orlean
http://www.langorigami.com/index.php4
http://www.langorigami.com/art/compositions/compositions.php4

Q. Using paper money for origami paper. How dastardly is that? Why do you think Lang pursues it full time?

NOTABLE QUOTABLES
by LOUIS MENAND
Is there anything that is not a quotation?

http://www.newyorker.com/printables/critics/070219crbo_books_menand

Q. "Play it again, Sam". "Ketchup is a vegetable". Why are mis-quotations so prevalent? What makes a quotation notable?

SIGHT UNSEEN
by JOHN LAHR
Alan Ball and Wallace Shawn on denial.

http://www.newyorker.com/printables/critics/070219crth_theatre_lahr

Q. What is denial? Is it necessary? Healthy? Dangerous? In all cases? Is it denial that makes people unseen or the invisibility that permits denial?


The issue of 2007-03-05, published 2007-02-26

ON THE BLOCK
PECKED
by Rebecca Mead

http://www.newyorker.com/printables/talk/070305ta_talk_mead

Q. How can this possibly be art? Or, perhaps, why is Christie's spend $70k on this? Is a few column inches of mention in TNY worth that much in publicity? To sell this? To whom?

THE NEW DISORDER
by DAVID DENBY
Adventures in film narrative.

http://www.newyorker.com/printables/critics/070305crat_atlarge_denby

Q. Do you enjoy movies with fractured timelines? What makes them attractive or annoying? Is disorder the right word for the title?