Snapshot Snapshot
A painting of water and oil in the Gulf of Mexico by Shelly Leitheiser (leitworks.com). A deal struck between the EPA and the oil giant BP in March allows the company to compete again for new federal contracts. BP has been banned from doing so since 2012, after causing the largest accidental marine oil spill in history in 2010.
Mar 19, 2014 / Shelly Leitheiser
De Blasio Settles With 1,500 Minority FDNY Applicants in Discrimination Lawsuit De Blasio Settles With 1,500 Minority FDNY Applicants in Discrimination Lawsuit
The mayor ends another Bloomberg-era legal battle, this one involving people of color who wanted to become firefighters.
Mar 19, 2014 / Jarrett Murphy
Remembering Tony Benn Remembering Tony Benn
Tony Benn died at age 88 last week—and was immediately and fulsomely praised by many well able to restrain their enthusiasm for him in his lifetime.
Mar 18, 2014 / Norman Birnbaum
Bernie Sanders Is Thinking About Running for President Bernie Sanders Is Thinking About Running for President
But first he wants to check in with you.
Mar 18, 2014 / Feature / John Nichols
Pensiongate? Christie Campaign Donors Won Huge Contracts Pensiongate? Christie Campaign Donors Won Huge Contracts
While trumpeting “pension reform,” the New Jersey governor placed retiree assets in the hands of hedge fund managers bankrolling his political career.
As Jordanian Women Leave the Home, Sexual Harassment Reaches Unprecedented Levels As Jordanian Women Leave the Home, Sexual Harassment Reaches Unprecedented Levels
Social media platforms are enabling women to speak out anonymously and show that harassment exists—but that hasn’t resulted in culture change.
Mar 18, 2014 / Feature / Elizabeth Whitman
A Captivating Mind A Captivating Mind
How Georgi Markov became the truth-teller of Bulgaria’s communist era, and paid for it with his life.
Mar 18, 2014 / Books & the Arts / Dimiter Kenarov
Shelf Life Shelf Life
Dave Eggers’s The Circle; Richard Powers’s Orfeo
Mar 18, 2014 / Books & the Arts / Aaron Thier
Puzzle No. 3318 Puzzle No. 3318
Click HERE to download a printable PDF of this puzzle. And don’t miss Kosman and Picciotto’s crossword blog, Word Salad. ACROSS 1 Raise money (4) 3 Lincoln, for example, with Republicans and some soldiers’ apparel (5,5) 10 Part of a blind woman’s spread (7) 11 What you hope to fill somehow: a grid in the morning (7) 12 Direct declaration of identity, one adopted by companion (9) 13 What a pusher might say is a principle (5) 14 Liveliness of reformed priest (6) 16 More languid and feeble when returning in bumpy ride (8) 18 Military equipment to damage road (8) 19 Associate with 26 clutching nitrogen bomb at the rear (6) 22 Master beginning of lesson with net (5) 23 Lenses to look back around? You betcha, that is cold (9) 25 Letter from moronic drunk (7) 26 Virginia award for wanderer (7) 27 In Berlin, a woman precedes you with advanced criminal (10) 28 Capture constituent in retreat (4) DOWN 1 What some people like with whiskey? That’s right (7) 2 Loveliness can, initially, hurt (5) 4 It might prevent injury (a broken rib, a gash in front) (3,3) 5 Cooper has bit of desire to understand technological devices (8) 6 Singer locating love, holding three notes (7,7) 7 Henrik Ibsen, for instance, on wearing slips (9) 8 Not unlike a knight hiding damaged mail (7) 9 Chicken heard to paddle and call in terror (5,6,3) 15 Absurd caper with bread for each person (3,6) 17 Private ran amok, consumed by information from espionage (8) 18 Overturn rule on possible bad grades for historic New York hotel (7) 20 Where your commute might start with a kiss: on a peak (3,4) 21 Hail swallowed by bird in the sky (6) 24 Outside, I burn a piece of furniture (5) SOLUTION TO PUZZLE NO. 3317 1 letter bank 9 E(LLIPS)E (spill rev.) 10 anag. (&lit.) 11 PHE(NO MEN)A (heap anag.) 12 hidden 13 anag. 16 & 18 RED + RAW 19 anag. 21 “souls” 22 AND(ROME)DA 25 AVO (rev.) + CAD + O 26 T([e]RIC)ORN 27 2 defs. DOWN 1 S(LEEP)WEAR (peel rev.) 2 NO(L)TE 3 I’M PRO-VE 4 hidden 5 TIM + PAN + IS + T 6 EASTE(R)N (Senate anag.) 7 APPLET + RE + E 8 2 defs. 14 anag. 15 ACUT(ABO + V)E 17 DART + AG + NAN 19 M IS CAST 20 IV(OR)IES 21 hidden (&lit.) 23 DE[x]TER 24 EC(O)LI (lice anag.)
Mar 18, 2014 / Joshua Kosman and Henri Picciotto