books

The Human Tape Recorder: How Alan Lomax Heard the 20th Century

The title of John Szwed’s objective, detailed, above all loving biography of Alan Lomax, The Man Who Recorded the World (Viking, 448 pages, $29.95), is hardly an understatement. For a majority of his life, Lomax traveled the world looking for musicians to match the intensity of the prewar recordings of Robert Johnson that so enthralled Read More

crackdown

Schneiderman Charges Companies for Defrauding Haitian Earthquake Victims

Eric Schneiderman announced today that his office has shut down two companies that are charged with defrauding Haitians affected by the 2010 earthquake.

The companies allegedly targeted Haitian nationals who had been affected by the earthquake, illegally providing them with fake immigration services and falsely promising them legal immigrant status. By misrepresenting a new law Read More

The Transom

Why Wyclef?

Moments after Wyclef Jean took a seat at table one for an early lunch at Michael’s in midtown, a bodyguard of sturdy carriage advised moving to a different Breur Cesca chair facing away from the lunch crowd. “It’s for security,” Mr. Jean good-naturedly told the Transom from his new perch. Potential threats seemed Read More

Art Snapshot

Art Snapshot: Rise of the Masses!

An average Joe discovers a $200 million trove of Ansel Adams negatives at a garage sale, struggling art vendors protest new regulations, and flip-flop wearing bargain hunters clamor for Lawrence Salander’s belongings. This week in art news: don’t forget the little guy.

1. YouTube Play Generates Buzz and Frustration

The jury Read More

Covering the Quake

When major newspapers around the country don’t have Haiti bureaus, what happens when disaster strikes?

Last Tuesday evening, hours after the earthquake hit Haiti, the L.A. Times’ New York correspondent Tina Susman got the call. She found a JetBlue flight that was taking off to Santo Domingo a little after midnight, bought the ticket, Read More

Shyamalan’s Latest Sham

As vacation time nears, it is safe to say that no matter how rotten things get on the big screen during the rest of the summer, the worst of it is over. Hollywood cannot pollute the ozone with anything more idiotic, contrived, amateurish or sub-mental than Lady in the Water. This piece of pretentious, paralyzing Read More

Our Declining Economy Weakens Bush’s Bluster

The difference between threat and bluster is the power to back up one’s words. Of late, President Bush has had many loud words to say, and he accompanies them with the threat of force, which is certainly a form of power. But how powerful is his power-and, by extension, ours?

He is so short of Read More

Time for a Draft To Ensure Victory

Hardly anybody is speaking of it, and then only in a whisper, but President Bush, his administration and the American people are about to face an explosive and divisive issue: the draft.

For those of a certain age, the very idea of restoring the draft brings back memories of how the system worked, and how Read More