Autumnal Equinox
Julian, CA
this urge to drive somewhere—what is it?
from a fast window, even brown grass ...
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What Crime Does the Thanksgiving Turkey Answer For?
A Philosopher Reflects on How Pardoning the Birds Only Compounds the Holiday's Hypocrisy and Brutality
“Merciful President Pardons Turkey” declared headlines when John F. Kennedy saved the turkey gifted ...
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Thanks for Being Obsessed with Us, America
This Holiday Season, Be Grateful to Your Out-of-State Friends and Relatives Who Have California on the Brain
Thank you, America, for always keeping California in your thoughts ...
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America Should Lower Its Expectations
Triumphalism Has Made Us Reckless. Can Making Peace With Our Shortcomings Save Us?
I get how hard it is to admit defeat, to lower expectations. Even when things are breaking down in every part of the national machine, from public health to education to foreign policy to law enforcement, it’s hard to let go of the easy triumphalism that has characterized so much of American life.
Triumphalism is a domineering mentality that took off when the U.S. became a superpower in the mid-20th century. A byproduct of the old American exceptionalism—the belief that the U.S. is unique and even divinely blessed to lead humanity to a brighter future—triumphalism promises that the U.S. will always magically prevail: bloodied and dazed like Rocky Balboa ...
Is a Merit-Based System Worth Aspiring To?
It Can Be a Safeguard Against Nepotism and Corruption. It Might Not Make Society More Equal
Where I Go: My New York Times Crossword Construction Quest
Getting a Sunday Puzzle Fit to Print Seemed Impossible Until I Did It
When I moved to northern New Jersey in 2012 and took a software test engineering job in midtown Manhattan, I suddenly found myself with an hour-long bus commute. I’d solved newspaper crossword puzzles sporadically for the preceding 15 years, but I had very little patience and wasn’t very good. So when I resumed my crosswording during those long trips, I was determined to become a better solver.
There’s a perception that in order to solve challenging crosswords, you have to be some sort of master of obscure facts, like a Jeopardy! contestant. The reality, however, is that you don’t have to be a know-it-all to become good at crossword puzzles ...
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A Letter From Kyiv, Where Reality Is Being Papered Over
In Ukraine’s Capital, the COVID-Era Accentuates, and Hides, Big Divides
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A Letter From India, Where the World Is Collapsing
The Official Count of Cases and Deaths Doesn’t Reflect the Full Tragedy Unfolding Here
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A Letter From Santiago, Where Chileans Are Seeking a New Constitution
Hopes Are High for Transforming the Country's Democracy, but the Risks May Be Even Higher
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Where I Go: Afropalonia
Writer and Poet Rashaad Thomas Imagines 'a Planet Only for Black People'
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Where I Go: Lithuania's Vanished Center of Jewish Life
In Vilna, Where Thousands Were Murdered, I Learned How Difficult It Is to Mourn an Absence
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Where I Go: The 'Meandering, Beautiful, Dangerous' Angeles Crest Highway
This Pacific Crest Trail Gateway Is Southern California’s Most Accessible Scenic Byway—When It's Open, That Is
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How to Plan the Perfect California Exit
One East Bay Family's Departure for Portugal Is a Study in Leaving on a High Note
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Why California's Lettuce Lands Are Unlikely Vaccination Leaders
The Rural Salinas and Imperial Valleys Have Succeeded in Reaching the People the Rest of the State Can't Inoculate
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Let Local Residents Govern the California–Baja Border
The People Living with the Mess the U.S. and Mexico Made Have the Best Chance of Cleaning It Up
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Economist Political Editor Adrian Wooldridge
Going to America Is Like a Shot of Cultural and Intellectual Adrenaline
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Columbia University Sociologist Jennifer Lee
I’m Surprised by How Much Sleep I Need When I See People in Person
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New Yorker Staff Writer Nicholas Lemann
Most Students Underestimate the Importance of Reliability
