archive

Lost on assignment

From The Washington Post Magazine, Lance Kasten won't stop rocking until he becomes national champion of the make-believe art of air guitar; and the debate about whether ghosts exist will never be settled, but for paranormal investigator John Warfield, it's all about the search for proof. From WorldHum, Frank Bures remembers fellow travelers who've been lost on assignment. Factory tours are never mentioned in the same breath as national parks or museums or battlefields — and yet who can turn one down? Ewwwwwwwww! Drake Bennett on the surprising moral force of disgust. The aesthetics of disgust: Designer Katrin Baumgarten has created a range of inanimate objects that “touch back” when a human interacts with them. Black Jews will save the world: They believe in a “lifestyle of righteousness”, of perfecting yourself and your community while doing no harm to the environment. A review of Chocolate, Women and Empire by Emma Robertson. Back in the USSR — except this time we're afraid of something more vague than geo-political chess games or nuclear annihilation. Would you take the new Alzheimer's test? Over the Hill: Gavin McInnes on 10 things about turning 40. From NYRB, Martin Filler on deconstructing Prince Charles. The Amazonian Gorilla: How does the online book vendor's power affect publishers? Scott McLemee asks around in university-press circles. Lights out: The incandescent bulb, an obituary.