Annals of Etiquette
Has Gratuity Culture Reached a Tipping Point?
by Zach Helfand
Paying extra for service has inspired rebellions, swivelling iPads, and irritation from Trotsky and Larry David. Post-pandemic, the practice has entered a new stage.
Annals of Etiquette
Has Gratuity Culture Reached a Tipping Point?
by Zach Helfand
Paying extra for service has inspired rebellions, swivelling iPads, and irritation from Trotsky and Larry David. Post-pandemic, the practice has entered a new stage.
Annals of Gaming
Can Crosswords Be More Inclusive?
by Natan Last
The puzzles spread from the United States across the globe, but the American crossword today doesn’t always reflect the linguistic changes that immigration brings.
Annals of Law
When Foster Parents Don’t Want to Give Back the Baby
by Eli Hager
In many states, adoption lawyers are pushing a new legal strategy that forces biological parents to compete for custody of their children.
Annals of Higher Education
The End of the English Major
by Nathan Heller
Enrollment in the humanities is in free fall at colleges around the country. What happened?
Annals of Sound
What Should a Nine-Thousand-Pound Electric Vehicle Sound Like?
by John Seabrook
E.V.s are virtually silent, so acoustic designers are creating alerts for them. A symphony—or a cacophony—of car noise could be coming to city streets.
What Happens When an Élite Public School Becomes Open to All?
by Nathan Heller
After the legendarily competitive Lowell High School dropped selective admissions, new challenges—and new opportunities—arose.
The Afghans America Left Behind
by Eliza Griswold
The U.S. promised protection to the locals it relied on during the war. When it withdrew, it abandoned thousands to the Taliban.
How the World’s Foremost Maze-Maker Leads People Astray
by Nicola Twilley
Adrian Fisher has devoted the past four decades to bringing back mazes, long regarded as historical curiosities. He has created more than seven hundred—including one on a skyscraper in Dubai and another that’s now reproduced on Britain’s five-pound note.
When a Witness Recants
by Jennifer Gonnerman
At fourteen, Ron Bishop helped convict three innocent boys of murder. They’ve all lived with the consequences.
Lyubov Sobol’s Hope for Russia
by Masha Gessen
With Alexey Navalny in prison, one of his closest aides is carrying on the lonely work of the opposition.