Breaking Down

“About the ricin in general: Recall that back in season two, Walt cooked up a batch of ricin with the plan to use it to kill Tuco. (Plan thwarted.) Then he made another batch in season four, this time with the plan to take out Gus Fring…. Anyway, Walt...

Goodman’s Warning

September 9: “Every advanced country is overtechnologized; past a certain point, the quality of life diminishes with new ‘improvements.’ ”  

My 1980s and Other Essays

Cultural critic and gay icon Wayne Koestenbaum’s collection of essays and personal anecdotes is a witty and passionate look at the history and future of intellectualism in America.

Ninety Percent of Everything

The maritime industry might look to the casual observer to be a dinosaur in a dying arena, yet as Rose George reveals in this illuminating history, the business of freight shipping is alive and well and extremely necessary to our modern survival. 

Their Finest Hour

September 7: The London Blitz began on this day in 1940 and continued, in the city and throughout the country, for the next eight months. The defiance demonstrated by ordinary citizens throughout England became an inspiration to the nation and its allies....