"RAGTIME" AND THE AMERICAN DREAM
On the eve of an American holiday reserved for beer and fireworks, Daniel Arizona considers the nature of a national "spirit". E.L. Doctorow's novel "Ragtime" offers some guidance ...
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TAKING LIBERTIES: WE ARE BEING WATCHED
Britan has quietly become the most spied-upon nation in Europe. How? Why? And does it matter? Charles Nevin goes to Manchester, London, Berlin and Bucharest to compare, contrast and discuss ...
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ANNI MIRABILES: 1712
What was the most important year ever? Andrew Marr suggests it was probably 1776, but Robert Butler, a contributor to Intelligent Life, has tossed another hat into the ring ...
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THE SCEPTICAL SHOPPER: MEN'S TRAINERS
Men’s trainers can be good, bad or decidedly ugly. Our undercover expert sidesteps the silly ones and hunts down some modern classics ...
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SLAPSTICK EXISTENTIALISM ON BROADWAY
Is Studio 54 the right spot for the ultimate existential protest against the empty avarice of the post-war era? If you're looking for a good time, writes Kitty Kaletsky ... read more »
HIPPIE PICASSO
Were Picasso's musketeer portraits, painted in the 1960s, an effort by the artist to connect with pacifist youth? Art.view investigates the surge in demand for late Picasso works ... read more »
WE ARE ALL WRITERS NOW
Blogs, Twitter, Facebook: these outlets are supposedly cheapening language and tarnishing our time. But the fact is we are all reading and writing much more than we used to, writes Anne Trubek ... read more »
SAVILE ROGUES: LONDON'S RAKISH TAILORS
Stuffy? Snobbish? Restrictive? No, sir—bespoke has changed. Michael Bywater meets five tailors who have loosened up ... read more »
WAITING FOR MAGIC IN MACEDONIA
Herdelezi is an annual celebration common to Roma that involves a big toad, a volley of gunfire and some home-made brandy. A correspondent for Economist.com observes the spectacle ... read more »
GOING GREEN: MAKING ENERGY PERSONAL
How much energy do we consume? Does it matter? Robert Butler considers the numbers in his latest Going Green column ... read more »
Comment of the moment
quote Trying is not a simple, straightforward task. Even crafting goals - as distinct from pursuing them - is something we can iterate and improve at, and depression is the feedback we get that we have chosen goals badly. Like the pain that accompanies touching a hot stove, the depression that comes from aiming for a star too high lets us learn about our place in the world ...