NYer Haiku: October 30, 2006

New Yorker Haiku

30 October, 2006

The Financial Page: Safe as Houses?
By James Surowiecki

House price index climbs
With inflation, bigger homes,
While your home's worth falls.


The Political Scene: Southern Discomfort
By Peter J. Boyer

James Webb's war record?
Virginians prefer to hear
George Allen's scandals.


Personal History: Snook
By Ian Frazier

It takes obsession,
Countless casts, to catch your own
Holy Grail of fish.


A Reporter at Large: Millions for Millions
By Connie Bruck

For-profit or not-,
Microfinance helps the poor
With just a few bucks.


Profiles: The Show-Woman
By Hilton Als

Write a play a day?
No problem for sharp, bold, black
Suzan-Lori Parks.


Fiction: Republica and Grau
By Daniel Alarcon

It's tough for a boy,
Learning grimy beggar's cons,
To stay unsoiled.


Pop Music: Body Language
By Sasha Frere-Jones

Janet's latest songs,
Even with her bedroom voice,
Might put you to sleep.


A Critic at Large: The Revolutionist
By Keith Gessen

Kind writer Herzen
Showed us the clumsy nature
Of progressives' lives.


The Theatre: Human Shield
By John Lahr

"Rachel Corrie" shows
Hectic, messy mind tackling
The world's injustice.


On Television: Guilty as Sin
By Tad Friend

James Woods plays dirty,
For justice, in snide, clever,
rather schmaltzy "Shark."


The Current Cinema: Battle Fatigue
By David Denby

"Flags" blends irony,
Valor; "Babel" too well made
For trite sob story.

NYer Haiku: October 23, 2006

New Yorker Haiku

23 October, 2006

On the Air: Arriba!
By Dan Baum

Spanish radio's
Almendarez: "Listeners,
Become citizens!"


Our Local Correspondents: Mink Inc.
By Lauran Collins

Rosenfeld's fur coats
Are fitting wear for either
Rap star or matron.


Life and Letters: Rewriting Nature
By Adam Gopnik

Darwin, happy to
Let the facts speak for themselves,
Deftly arranged them.


A Reporter at Large: The Last Drop
By Michael Specter

We don't price it right,
And we use too much; could we
Run out of water?


Fiction: Stairway to Heaven
By Aleksandar Hemon

Bored in Africa,
Teenage writer finds neighbor
An edgy subject.


Books: The Nutty Professors
By Anthony Grafton

Hot-shot professors
Used glamour to trounce custom;
So rose modern schools.


The Theatre: Blowing Smoke
By John Lahr

LaBute's "Wrecks" captures
Man blinded by self, dying
In his own darkness.


Dancing: Hard and Fast
By Joan Acocella

Kathak-inspired,
Khan's stunning "Kaash" reunites
rhythm, modern dance.


The Current Cinema: Lost in the Revolution
By Anthony Lane

"Marie" is hollow,
But "Infamous" Capote
Deserves second look.

NYer Haiku will be back Monday!

The ball has been dropped again this week, sadly. Sincerest apologies. But the NYer haiku will definitely return Monday.

NYer Haiku off this week

Due to unexpected circumstances, there won't be any NYer Haiku this week. It will resume with next Monday, October 16's issue.

NYer Haiku: October 2, 2006

New Yorker Haiku

2 October, 2006

Notes of a Gastronome: TV Dinners
By Bill Buford

Food Network wants food
That's pretty, quick, comforting;
Same goes for its hosts.


Casual: Pinchuck's Law
By Woody Allen

Hiding in our midst:
Accidental murderers,
Who just want to talk.


Personal History: A Return
Ben Bradlee

Men who were once boys
Fighting in the Pacific
Go back, remember.


Profiles: Command Performance
By John Lahr

Helen Mirren learned
Bravery, self-possession
That's fit for a queen.


Our Far-Flung Correspondents: The Path of Stones
Burkhard Bilger

Madagascar's gems:
Riches in the jungle bring
Both wealth and chaos.


Fiction: Other People's Deaths
By Lore Segal

None one knows the words
To say to a young widow;
But some wish they did.


A Critic at Large: Unstrung
Jim Holt

String theory's beauty
Ain't enough: it's time for more
Points of view, results.


Books: Dispossession
By Louis Menand

Fazier's "Thirteen Moons":
Tiresome narrator, but world
Of old, brutal truths.


The Theatre: Kingdom Come
By Hilton Als

"The Pain and the Itch"
A must see. Cumpsty's a great
"Richard II".


Pop Music: The Closer
By Sasha Frere-Jones

Ludacris's raps
Add spice to other's tracks,
More than to his own.


The Current Cinema: Power Players
By David Denby

Choosing a strongman?
"The Last King of Scotland" rules
Over Willie Stark.