Heather Raffo looks at Iraq and sees beauty. This may seem bizarre for the majority of Americans, whose sole portal to the country is a constant stream of violent and painful images narrated by glossy newscasters. Read more...

Former judge Sol Wachtler boasts an impressive resume. As chief justice of the highest court of New York state ““ the Court of Appeals ““ he stood as one of the state’s greatest jurists who upheld the freedom of the press and strongly advocated women’s and minority rights. Read more...

Charlie Kaufman has written a play set in the present. The exact present. By the time you finish reading this sentence, the play’s setting will have passed. Read more...

There is evidence now that seems to confirm that Jack White is from another planet. It’s not just about his appearance anymore. (White has put off many with his ghost-white complexion and untamed, wiry black locks ““ think Edward Scissorhands.) At one point during the White Stripes concert on Aug. Read more...

After having spent the last four years using up just about every excuse not to drive in L.A., I finally caved last week and now have a car to call my own. Read more...

In 1994, the Chinese government dreamed of building the largest hydroelectric dam in the world. It would span nearly a mile across, tower 575 feet above the world’s third-longest river, and cost approximately $24 billion dollars. Read more...

It was about this time last year that I learned how to knit. My roommates, K. and K.T., and I had moved into our new apartment. Read more...