Who Says Machines Must Be Useful?
First published in The New York Times on January 6, 2012. Read the original (with videos!) here.
ON the roof of a small row house in Brooklyn, a black powder fuse flared brightly against the gray sky. Hissing and sparking, it burned through a platform installed inside a repurposed Ikea bookshelf, sending four [...]
The Boy in the Suitcase
First published on The Daily Beast on January 4 2012. Read the original here.
Until recently, the term “Scandinavian import” evoked blond wood and incomprehensible instructions, not tightly packed and darkly intricate crime novels. Stieg Larsson’s Swedish shockwave The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo changed that, making northern Europe a hotspot for mystery—and [...]
Schmekel, a Band Born as a Laugh
First published in The New York Times on November 25, 2011. Read the original here.
THE basement auditorium of the Jewish Community Center on the Upper West Side is a sincere space. Big, brown and bare, it suggests a school gym, a place for officially sanctioned fun — which made a recent concert by [...]
Trafficked Women’s Second Chance
First published on The Daily Beast on October 14, 2011. Read the original here.
For 10 years, Maria (not her real name) was beaten, raped, and forced into prostitution by her husband, a New York City resident. He often refused to allow her food, locked her in a room without a toilet for days at a [...]
Papers, Please! The GOP Wants to be Sure You’re a Citizen
First published on Global Comment on August 9, 2010. Read the original with comments here.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell says he’s open to requiring parents to prove their citizenship in the birth room (a logistical nightmare for hospitals), in order to prevent illegal immigrants from having children who would qualify as American citizens. He has [...]
Birth Tourism: The Newest Red Herring in the Anti-Immigration Arsenal
First published on Global Comment on July 23, 2010. Read the original with comments here.
Earlier this year, The Marmara Manhattan, part of a Turkish hotel chain, began offering a package to expectant mothers. For between $5100 – $15000, visitors got a two-month stay, prenatal consultation, crib, and items for both mother and newborn. They say [...]
