Category Archives: 2011 issues

DC folks: See work by French street artist JR

Posted on October 13, 2012 by kira

Last November, “In the picture” profiled the political and collaborative street art of JR. I found his work in disenfranchised communities in Brazil particularly striking. (My original comments.) JR just completed his first  installation in DC:  A paste-up mural called “I … Continue reading →

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Five best issues of 2011 (Or, clear away your unread stack…except for these)

Posted on December 27, 2011 by kira

If you have a stack of New Yorkers that you haven’t quite gotten to yet, now’s a good time to clear it off and start fresh. But as you do, hang on to these five. They’re worth it. April 18, … Continue reading →

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A great close to the year — Dec. 19 & 26, 2011

Posted on December 26, 2011 by kira

My favorite piece in this top-notch issue was “The Great Oasis,” about two contrasting and possibly complementary ways to fight the spread of the African desert. Working in the environmental field, I hear a constant drumbeat of bad news. To … Continue reading →

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The Power of Nothing – Dec. 12, 2011

Posted on December 17, 2011 by kira

“The Power of Nothing” looks at the placebo effect. It’s a bit of a mind-bender, in a good way: Is it unethical to deceive people if deceiving them makes them healthier? Is it more important for people’s quantitative indicators to … Continue reading →

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An occupier and other notes — Dec. 5, 2011 issue

Posted on December 14, 2011 by kira

I was pretty harsh on George Packer’s last profile. I don’t take it back, but in this issue, his piece is my favorite. He followed the tale of one Wall Street occupier, and through it the story of the occupation … Continue reading →

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The 99 percent and the 1 percent – Nov. 28 issue

Posted on December 11, 2011 by kira

I’m not sure if this contrast was deliberate on the part of the editors, but it was pretty stark to me… On the 99 percent: “Pre-Occupied,” by Mattathias Schwartz was the first full-length piece on Occupy Wall Street. I learned … Continue reading →

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A yummy but slightly unsatisfiying food issue — Nov. 21, 2011

Posted on December 4, 2011 by kira

I’ve mentioned how much I love the food issue, and this one did deliver several engaging pieces. First, to answer the question posed in “Crunch: Building a better apple,” I am on the side of what’s best for the apple. … Continue reading →

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Creativity, structure and the rest of the Nov. 14 issue

Posted on December 2, 2011 by kira

I posted separately about “Birthright: The war on Planned Parenthood;”  here are my picks from the rest of the issue. Malcolm Gladwell, in defining Steve Jobs’s talent, explores the difference between creating (not what Jobs did) and refining (what Jobs … Continue reading →

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How reproductive rights became a partisan issue – Nov. 14, 2011

Posted on December 1, 2011 by kira

I didn’t expect to get so worked up over Jill Lepore’s piece on Planned Parenthood. But looking back to the early days of the movement for accessible contraception really got to me. I didn’t know that in the 1960s, when … Continue reading →

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Two questions and a brilliantly curmudgeonly review — Nov. 7, 2011

Posted on November 26, 2011 by kira

I’ll start with two burning questions: Have you heard of W.G. Sebald? His name came up three separate times in the last two issues, and I swear I’ve never heard it before. None of the mentions explained who he was, … Continue reading →

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