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The Naturalist Everyone keeps saying Michael Jackson had a bizarre taste in pets. They were actually pretty boring choices.
By Jesse Smith
Consumer Confidence Billy Mays may have been grating, but his presence on the shifting TV landscape comforted.
By Greg Beato
Ask a Poet Last month you made a Michael Jackson joke. Any regrets?
By Kristen Hoggatt
Pertinent & Impertinent Michael Jackson's death has ended his latest attempt at a comeback. Does it have to?
By Greg Beato
Noncanonical Bob Bogle has died. As one of the founders of surf music, he did what few musicians can.
By Morgan Meis
Pertinent & Impertinent Happy birthday, Judy Holliday. We hardly knew ye. Your descendants, on the other hand...
By Stefany Anne Golberg
Ask a Poet I'm so desperate for a diagnosis I'll try anything. Even poetry...
By Kristen Hoggatt
Tony's Social Pages The French Revolution spawned some bizarre reforms: the 100-minute hour; the 10-day week; the Supreme Being.
By Tony Perrottet
Bookslut With violence back in the abortion debate, we reconsider the definitive history of the pro-life movement.
By Jessa Crispin
Pertinent & Impertinent Watching the 2009 Tonys and wondering, Whither the Broadway musical?
By Stefany Anne Golberg
Idle Chatter Critics feel tricked by Francis Bacon. But what's wrong with delighting in the aesthetics of the scream?
By Morgan Meis
Life Science Stop stressing over your age — research shows it only speeds up the process!
By Jennifer Fisher Wilson
Consumer Confidence First came the ads disguised as newspaper stories. Then it was TV newscasts. The latest fakery? Blogs.
By Greg Beato
Ask a Poet I'm about to graduate with a degree in art history. I'm sure you know where this is going...
By Kristen Hoggatt
The Naturalist In praise of the hermit crab, our favorite animal of summer. And if it dies…well, there’s always next summer.
By Jesse Smith
Noncanonical The oldest sculpture ever discovered is a 36,000 year old woman with really big boobs. Is anyone surprised?
By Morgan Meis
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| RECENTLY IN THE SMART SET |
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On the Great Silk Road
I had never heard of Uzbekistan before the Peace Corps assigned me there. It didn't matter, really. I felt so guilty for being alive that I just wanted to work somewhere, anywhere.
By Kristen Hoggatt
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The Family Business
The books of John and Dan Fante have long existed outside the spotlight. Could that change this year, John's centenary?
By Nick Mamatas
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Meis on Rye
Some bemoan Holden Caulfield's fading appeal among young people. But why would metaphors that worked for 'us' work for 'them'?
By Morgan Meis
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Study Abroad
Pakistan's reputation as a cauldron of extremist violence masks the staying power of the nation's aristocracy. Consider Aitchison College...
By John Lancaster
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Beating Hearts
The problem with love is that it's often an endpoint, and not a beginning. Enter A Vindication of Love.
By Jessa Crispin
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King Me
Forget London, Paris, and Moscow. To the see the epicenter of European royalty, go to Coburg, Germany.
By Todd Pitock
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The Sparkle in Italy's Eye
The Italian makers of prosecco were horrified when Paris Hilton started shilling for a canned, Austrian version of the sparkling wine. But you can only feel so bad for people who live in castles.
By Jason Wilson
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Deus ex Machina
The Pope wants kids to tweet. Reading the Bible, the Torah, and the Koran, I can see why.
By Stefany Anne Golberg
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Dracula's Charity Ball
Think any charity is good charity? Consider Vlad the Impaler's community outreach.
By Tony Perrottet
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Animal Crossing
Economic trend: African safari, out; American drive-thru safari, in?
By Jesse Smith
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