February 8, 2010 Issue
Cover Story
The Junior Meritocracy
Should a child’s fate be sealed by an exam he takes at the age of 4? Why kindergarten-admission tests are worthless, at best.
On the Cover: Photograph by Tobias Zarius/LN’B Agent. Model: Lorraine.
Features
David’s Goliath
The giant in Paterson’s way isn’t Andrew Cuomo. It’s the governor’s own essential, if appealing, weirdness. And it’s hard to see how in this story the giant doesn’t triumph.
The Ethan Hawke Actors Studio
What other Hollywood star gets to direct Sam Shepard plays (starring longtime, less famous friends who don’t hate him), become a serious theater actor, do the occasional vampire movie, and emerge from it all with his artistic integrity intact?
Intelligencer
Werewolves vs. Vampires!
Move over, trendy vampires: The pack is back.
The Persistence of Mass Culture
From Obama to the iPad, we need something to chew over, even in our niches.
Scionism
The question of Democratic dynasties.
The Neighborhood News
Our roundup of news from around the city.
Our Town
How Stuy Town became an oasis for Manhattan’s new middle class.
94 Minutes With Neil Barofsky
Munching on veggie pizza and contemplating Washington popularity with the TARP cop.
Columns
Obama’s Bank Job
The Volcker rules are a great political idea—even though the real problems may lie elsewhere.
Strategist
Best Bets
Wallpaper made by female artisans, sexy new hotels in Miami Beach, and more.
The Underground Gourmet Review
In Greenpoint, an earnest farm-sourced antidote to the urban feeding frenzy.
In Season
Well, another (Jet-less) Super Bowl Sunday is upon us, and what would it be without a big vat of bean dip?
Restaurant Openings
Week of February 8, 2010: Print and El Quinto Pino.
Tough Crowd
Made with boutique meat and DIY passion, artisanal jerky is not a contradiction in terms.
The Urban Woodsman
Dresses like Bunyan, acts like Thoreau, works in marketing. A primer on the plaid-clad male archetype, plus classes on the necessary skills (butchering, riflery), and five ways to nail the beard.
The Turning Points
Fourth-quarter numbers reveal six neighborhoods where prices maybe, just maybe, have bottomed out.
Culture
The Sundance Seven
A film festival known for stunning breakout performances produces its latest batch.
The Movie Review
To Paris With Love and District 13: Ultimatum bring the pain (eat your heart out, John Woo).
Bleeping Personal
La Roux’s Elly Jackson bares her heart to a bouncy beat.
The Art Review
Agnolo Bronzino was sixteenth-century Italy’s Joey Ramone.
The Accidental Prophet
How novelist Adam Haslett got to the financial crisis before we did.
Bionic Overload
Can machine-made music sing without a composer?
Catholic Taste: Bill Cain
Bill Cain's second major play, Equivocation, is a “speculative history” of the Gunpowder Plot.
Agenda
Pastapalooza
Here's a chance for Andrew Carmellini to really channel his inner Italian-American grandma.
Departments
Comments: Week of February 8, 2010
Readers sound off on the Tryon juvenile facility, the relationship between man and dog, and more.
The Approval Matrix: Week of February 8, 2010
Our deliberately oversimplified guide to who falls where on our taste hierarchies.
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