PinnedPLAINS THINKINGFrom The Attic — for a kinder, cooler America NEW YORK MILLS, MN — SECOND SATURDAY IN JUNE — Across the Plains, spring is melting into summer. Corn is knee-high and farmers are in high season. But in one prairie town, hundreds have gathered in the spirit of Socrates.Great American Thinkoff6 min readGreat American Thinkoff6 min read
PinnedTHE WOMAN IN THE MINEFIELDSFrom The Attic — for a kinder, cooler America Thousands march for peace, millions hope or pray. Peacemakers get busy. The landmine has been called “the perfect soldier: Ever courageous, never sleeps, never misses.” By the 1980s, some 100 million landmines lay buried and millions more sat in stockpiles. Long…Peace5 min readPeace5 min read
PinnedTHE AUDACITY OF VIOLINSFROM The Attic — For a Kinder, Cooler America HARLEM — 2004 — It was “Showtime at the Apollo” and every act was on edge. Please the tough audience and you got applause, a chance to go further in the competition. Suck and you got booed off stage. …Black Lives Matter5 min readBlack Lives Matter5 min read
4 days agoCRUISIN’ WITH DAVID FOSTER WALLACEFROM The Attic — for a Kinder, Cooler America FORT LAUDERDALE, FL — MARCH 1995 — The brochure promises a week-long Caribbean cruise. Once aboard the 12-deck m.v. Zenith, “indulgence becomes easy. . . relaxation becomes second nature. . . stress becomes a faint memory..”David Foster Wallace6 min readDavid Foster Wallace6 min read
4 days agoHERE COME THE SUN QUEENFrom The Attic — for a Kinder, Cooler America DOVER, MA — WINTER 1949 — In this Yankee village of colonial and Cape homes, the new house on the block is an eyesore. …Solar Energy6 min readSolar Energy6 min read
Nov 28, 2022THE FIRST ANTI-RACISTSFrom The Attic — for a kinder, cooler America CHICAGO, 1893 — For one magical summer, the World’s Columbian Exhibition created the “Great White City.” Ornate buildings stretched for blocks. The first Ferris Wheel towered above the Midway. A medieval village took visitors back in time. …Anthropology6 min readAnthropology6 min read
Sep 27, 2022WHEN JACKIE SAVED GRAND CENTRALWHEN JACKIE SAVED GRAND CENTRAL From The Attic — for a Kinder, Cooler America BENEATH MANHATTAN — Bound not for glory but for Midtown, this train rumbles below the city south of Harlem. Dark tunnels echo with the clatter of rails, the screech of brakes. When the train stops, you…Grand Central Terminal6 min readGrand Central Terminal6 min read
Sep 12, 2022COUNTRY’S WACKY WORDSMITHNASHVILLE 1950s — Country music was in a dark hollow. The Opry was still Grand but getting Old. Every lanky guy with a git-tar wanted to be Hank, every gal with a perm and pressed blouse wanted to be Patsy. But sittin’ ‘round drinkin’ with the rest of the guys…Nashville5 min readNashville5 min read
Aug 16, 2022RIDING THE TRANSCONTINENTAL RRRIDING THE MIRACLE RAILS — “NOTHING LIKE IT IN THE WORLD” From The Attic — for a Kinder, Cooler America SIERRA NEVADAS, CALIFORNIA — We are 21st century Americans riding a train through history.Transcontinental Railroad5 min readTranscontinental Railroad5 min read
Jul 11, 2022WHO WOULD GO NAZI?From The Attic — for a Kinder, Cooler America MANHATTAN, SPRING 1941 — All the people at this party seem true blue American. Well bred, well fed, well read, not the kind of rabble drawn to dictatorship. But as “a somewhat macabre parlor game,” the tall woman in the corner…Journalism5 min readJournalism5 min read
