Story Lab: August 1, 2010 - August 7, 2010

Pick of the day: For and about Washington

Good paper today, especially for August. Classic Washington Post: We've got the Senate confirming a Supreme Court Justice; tensions with the Karzai government and a lobbyist charged with making shady campaign contributions. And yet the story that really caught my...

By Christian Davenport  | August 6, 2010; 7:54 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  Story Picks  | Tags:  For and about washington; monica hesse; washington post  
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For disease victim, a burst of hope, and a fizzle

Victor Linscomb with Santos Flores. Photo from Linscomb/1-2-3 International Santos Flores’s condition has only worsened since she was featured in a Washington Post story in June. The 22-year-old Nicaraguan was part of a profile I wrote for the Health...

By Eric Athas  | August 5, 2010; 9:42 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  More on the story  
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Pick of the day: Soldiers and YouTube

Late at night, when it's still evening back home, the Internet cafes at U.S. military bases in Iraq are packed. Soldiers email home, videochat, catch up on the news, and have recently been uploading videos to YouTube -- some of...

By Christian Davenport  | August 5, 2010; 7:55 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  Story Picks  | Tags:  lisa taddeo, new york magazine, youtube iraq  
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Coffeehouse coda: The anonymous girlfriend goes public

Last week, I got an unusual voice mail from an anonymous source. The source was upset. Not at me, she explained. But at herself. She wished that she had not turned herself into an anonymous source for my story just...

By Ian Shapira  | August 4, 2010; 9:04 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (1)
Categories:  Journalism , More on the story, The Blowback  
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Pick of the day: Thinking about thinking about life

Tuesday's pick of the day highlighted a thoughtful blog that often explores the way we think about thinking--how we come to make the decisions we do and how we perceive the world. Today, we have an interesting column by the...

By Christian Davenport  | August 4, 2010; 8:00 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  Story Picks  | Tags:  david brooks, new york times, summoned life  
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A little sailing story blows in a gale

Was it the August doldrums? Or maybe the prevailing angst in this time of war, spills and downturns? Whatever the reason, a lot of readers have been indulging in a bit of escapist fantasy over the last two days....

By Steve Hendrix  | August 3, 2010; 11:58 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (2)
Categories:  The Blowback  
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Pick of the day: Thinking about thinking

While you're reading this blog entry, you simultaneously feel your shirt on your back, the mouse in your palm, the itch on your nose. You can hear background noise -- say, another conversation across the room or the whir of...

By Christian Davenport  | August 3, 2010; 8:09 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  Story Picks  | Tags:  jonah lehrer, the frontal cortex  
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Coming soon: The last phone calls?

Does anyone out there make long cell phone calls anymore? What about leaving voice mails or bothering to check your own messages? I suspect that many people out there may be like me, friends, and colleagues: They use their cell...

By Ian Shapira  | August 2, 2010; 2:37 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (6)
Categories:  Build-A-Story  
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Story pick: NPR goes toxic

My favorite long-running feature on NPR, besides the Sunday morning puzzle with Will Shortz, is the life and times of Planet Money's toxic asset. Planet Money is NPR's witty business team, and their toxic asset, purchased by reporters with...

By Michael Rosenwald  | August 2, 2010; 10:44 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  Story Picks  
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