September 2002
In This Issue
William Langewiesche, “American Ground: Unbuilding the World Trade Center” (part two, excerpts); Charles C. Mann, “Homeland Insecurity”; P. J. O'Rourke, “Letter From Egypt”; Witold Rybczynski, “The Bilbao Effect”; Caitlin Flanagan on Martha Stewart; Christopher Hitchens on Martin Amis; fiction by Roxana Robinson; and much more.
Articles
Bucking the Herd
Parents who refuse vaccination for their children may be putting entire communities at risk
Loss and Endurance
Rohinton Mistry's tragic and trimphant vision
A Man On a Gray Horse
The mid-century theologian Reinhold Niebuhr may have gotten a lot of things wrong—but we could use a thinker like him today
Home Alone
It's all too easy to deride Martha Stewart, but the attacks on her often point up how much there is to admire
The Information Wars
Terrorism has become a pretext for a new culture of secrecy
What Now?
Developments, encouraging and otherwise
Rejection Sustained
Republicans are suddenly steamed that "politics" is holding up judicial appointments. But politics is the point
Confidence Itself
Its bizarre evolution from a subjective emotional state to a leading economic indicator
Maine Certified
The potatoes of September
Champ
A one-dish supper of buttery mashed potatoes and greens
Excerpts from "American Ground: Unbuilding the World Trade Center"
Part Two: The Rush to Recover
After nine months of unrivaled access to the disaster site, our correspondent tells the inside story of the recovery effort.Letters to the editor
A Primer on Public-key Encryption
From "Homeland Insecurity," by Charles C. Mann
Homeland Insecurity
A top expert says America's approach to protecting itself will only make matters worse. Forget "foolproof" technology—we need systems designed to fail smartly
Circuit Breakers
How the example of Wall Street and the Fed could help save the press from itself
New & Noteworthy
A cautionary classic; the subject of motherhood made new and fine; Ambrose Bierce's Civil War
Letter From Egypt
"There is a question," our correspondent writes, "that less-sophisticated Americans ask (and more-sophisticated Americans would like to): Why are people in the Middle East so crazy? Here, at the pyramids, was an answer from the earliest days of civilization: People have always been crazy."
The Treatment
A short story
The Bilbao Effect
Public competitions for architectural commissions don't necessarily produce the best buildings
Word Court
The Romance of Big Sur
A visit to a rugged and beautiful California haven that is all the more lovable for its idiosyncrasies
Lightness at Midnight
Stalinism without irony
