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New Vessel Press: A small publisher thrives on literary translations
A small press thrives publishing literature in translation.
Churches grappling with Harlem's development boom
Houses of worship grappling with Harlem's development boom
Kraków's Revolution
As the government returns seized palaces and flats to aristocrats, Poland's second city is undergoing a quiet revolution. But, Peter S. Green wonders, can the nobility help restore Kraków as the country's center of culture and commerce?
A fireman with a brass trumpet has just blown the hourly call from the belfry that towers above the red-brick walls of the Basilica of the Virgin Mary in Kraków's main square, Rynek Glówny. The ornate pastel façades of the surrounding buildings form an operati...
A Czech Billionaire Buys a Piece of Le Monde
Why did a Czech billionaire buy a stake in France's most prestigious newspaper?
The Coming Global Water Crisis
The world is running out of water. Here's why you should be afraid.
ARTS ABROAD; Partners in a Translucent Alchemy of Color and Freedom
''Alchemy,'' answered Stanislav Libensky. The question was how Mr. Libensky and his wife, Jaroslava Brychtova, arrive at the sublimely pure colors that define their work as glass artists, and it seemed an almost plausible explanation for the genius that has made them among the most respected artists in their medium today.
In fact, there is nothing mysterious about the Libenskys' work. They have spent nearly half a century refining the art and technique of casting huge chunks of delicately col...
Reimagining Rikers Island
(Editor) Conceived, assigned and edited this special issue to look at what NYC could do with Rikers Island, 412 acres of waterfront property, if the infamous prison there were to close.
West Bohemians celebrate liberation by American GIs
PILSEN, Czechoslovakia -- A sea of American flags floated above Pilsen's Republic Square and a U.S. Air Force band struck up 'The Star-Spangled Banner' in an emotion-packed tribute by West Bohemians for the American GIs who liberated the region at the end of World War II.
On May 6, 1945, Gen. George S. Patton's Third Army rolled into Pilsen in tanks, jeeps and half-tracks to mop up the last resistance of the disintegrating German army.
During 42 years of communist rule, Pilseners were forbidd...
CITY GUIDE:Prague : Food and Music
Spring is here and Prague dining is on the wing, at last. After years of offering little more than smoke-filled pubs serving pork, cabbage and dumplings, the Mother of Cities has experienced a culinary revolution. Led by foreign chefs who first catered to tourists and expatriate businessmen, the food revival has now swept up Czech chefs, making good eating more common and affordable. Dozens of new restaurants have opened in the past two years, most in the New Town and Old Town quarters betwee...
Terminal Condition: Privatize Manhattan’s Worst Transportation Hub
Do taxpayers really need to be on the hook for $10 billion and wait 15 years for a better commute to New Jersey?
A Fine Day in Sarajevo's Heroes' Square
An appearance by the U.S. Air Force briefly halts the siege of Sarajevo
Keeping the Faith:
Harlem’s aging houses of worship are grappling with the neighborhood’s development boom.
Kazakhs Raise Curtain on Remote New Capital, but Many Ask Why
ASTANA, Kazakhstan— Free hands were hard to find in Kazakhstan's new capital on Wednesday, in the hours before it was officially offered to the nation by President Nursultan Nazarbayev.
In a race to the finish, work crews painted, hammered and put the finishing touches on the capital's new buildings and more numerous new facades for old buildings before the "Presentation."
In slippers and a purple housecoat, Rosa Asylbekova supervised a crew of fellow curators on the eve of the ceremony as th...