November 2003
In This Issue
William Langewiesche, “Columbia's Last Flight”; James Mann, “Young Rumsfeld”; The Atlantic College-Admissions Survey; Caitlin Flanagan, “Let's Call the Whole Thing Off”; Christopher Hitchens, “American Radical”; Philip Jenkins, “Defender of the Faith”; fiction by Max Apple; and much more.
Articles
Yao's Chick
Li En minced no words: in Mandarin she told the truth: "I hope to become Yao Ming's wife"
Collected Artistry
What Makes A College Good?
A new survey seeks to get behind the well-publicized—and much criticized—college rankings and measure schools by how good a job they do of actually educating their students
The New College Chaos
College admissions officers say they now have many, many more applications than they know how to handle—and, often, less reliable information to help them decide which students to admit
The Late-Decision Program
Most people have heard of early-decision programs. But there's also a little-known safety net at the other end of the process, to catch those who don't get in anywhere
Fabulous Forgeries
American Radical
Mark Twain developed an enormous and subversive personality—but Fred Kaplan’s new biography illuminates it only in flickers
Defender of the Faith
Why all Anglican eyes in London are nervously fixed on a powerful African archbishop
The Story of a War
Their Show of Shows
Backstage with a troubled, now legendary Sondheim musical
Princess of Discrimination
Shirley Hazzard's masterly descriptions and expertly drawn characters are in full evidence in this new novel—her first in more than twenty years
Close-Up: Young Rumsfeld
The Donald Rumsfeld of thirty years ago was a lot like the man we know today—a divisive figure who relishes bureaucratic combat, aims to shake up the established order, and is tenaciously committed to his own ideas and ambitions. But he was also a social moderate and a dove
The Bias Question
In a surprising challenge to the SAT's reputation as an unbiased measure of student learning, one researcher has argued that blacks do better than matched-ability whites on the harder questions of the SAT—something he believes their scores should reflect
The Path of Brighteousness
Godless Americans launch a semantic crusade
The Selectivity Illusion
Look at the data closely, and the neat hierarchy of selectivity begins to fall apart
Primary Sources
Selections from recent reports, studies, and other documents. This month: George Bush's new report card for government agencies; the odds of terrorist attack in the coming year; why marriage and high achievement don't mix—for men
Odious Rulers, Odious Debts
Should the people of Iraq be forced to pay back money borrowed by Saddam? A Nobel laureate makes an urgent case for forgiveness
Word Court
Columbia's Last Flight
The inside story of the investigation—and the catastrophe it laid bare
Let's Call The Whole Thing Off
Is it time to cancel the wedding?
New & Noteworthy
What to read this month
Letters to the Editor
