Culture and Arts

Chris Payne writes: I pay tribute to the undervalued segment of Americans workers who labor in this manufacturing sector. They are a cross section of young and old, skilled and unskilled, recent immigrants and veteran employees, some of whom have spent their entire working lives in a single factory. Together, they share a quiet pride and dignity, and are proof that manual labor and craftsmanship still have value in the 21st century US economy. more »

"There is a lot of theoretical work on the maritime economy of the Roman Empire, but I am interested in the close details of sea travel and how archeological finds can shed light on the history of consumption and connectivity around the Mediterranean," says Justin Leidwanger, a maritime archeologist.   Stanford scholar Justin Leidwanger spends a lot of time underwater. An assistant professor of classics,… more »

Megan McCloskey writes: There are 45,000 service members missing in action from World War II and other wars who experts say are recoverable. But the Pentagon’s $100 million per year effort to identify them has solved surprisingly few cases – 60 MIAs were sent home last year.   more »

"I wish you could see the place here — there is something so perfect about the mountains and the lake and the trees — Sometimes I want to tear it all to pieces — it seems so perfect." The exhibit includes magnified botanical compositions of the flowers and vegetables that O’Keeffe grew in her garden at Lake George and still lifes of the apples that she picked on the Steiglitz property. more »