Author: Nicolas Renier

  • An Extraordinary Early American in Europe

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    By Susan Russo Ira Aldridge was born in New York in 1807 to free black parents: Daniel, a clerk and preacher, and Luranah Aldridge. Ira was schooled at home until 1820, when at the age of 13, he was enrolled in the African Free School Number Two. In the 1820s in New York City William…

  • World Cup 2014: Enough Info to Get by in Conversation

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    By Brianna Caszatt & A Gerald Martini, football masterminds  Temperatures are rising and flowers are in bloom: summer is practically here. And for one month this summer, people around the globe will be riveted to their screens watching all the drama unfold in Brazil at the 2014 World Cup—the football (yes football, but soccer if…

  • Culture Corner – The “Exotic Foreign” of Wes Anderson and Haruki Murakami

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    By Bernie Langs There is much made in some classical and modern philosophies of the concept and ambiguity of what is termed “the other.” In addition, one can find obscure musings on the idea of “the stranger” from the pens of philosophers as far afield in time and thinking as Plato and Camus. I’ve been…

  • Life on a Roll

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          Photos contributed by Elodie Pauwels (http://elodiepphoto.wordpress.com)

  • Covert Operations

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    By George Barany and Kurtis Scaletta GB is a Rockefeller alum (1977) and KS is an author of children’s books. For more puzzles, visit http://tinyurl.com/gbpuzzle. The solution for this specific puzzle is found at http://tinyurl.com/covertoperationsol, and a detailed explanation will be available at the beginning of August. Click here for this month’s puzzle!

  • New York State of Mind

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    To celebrate 10 years of Natural Selections, this month we are reprinting an interview with Zach Veilleux, Executive Director of Communica- tions and Public Affairs. Country of origin: USA. The original interview was published in the April 2004 issue. How long have you been living in New York City? I moved to the city in…

  • Puerto Rico in March – Summer at the tip of Winter

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    By Natalia Ketaren Puerto Rico, “the rich port,” is an unincorporated territory of the United States. To us travellers from the US, that means that the currency is in dollars, our cell phones work and we need only a valid US license to travel there. San Juan is the capital. It is one of the…

  • Take Me Out to the Ball Game

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    By Aileen Marshall It’s springtime in New York, and that means the start of baseball season. There is still hope in the air for the Mets, and great expectations for the Yankees, the two New York teams. Baseball is known as the “Great American Game,” illustrated by a commercial from about 30 years ago, which…

  • Culture Corner: book review “Seiobo There Below” by László Krasznahorkai

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    By Bernie Langs I would bet that it is safe to say that anyone reading these pages is more than busy in this life and that many of you who continue to read for pleasure are overwhelmed by the truth that there are “so many books and so little time.” You may also feel, as…

  • New York State of Mind

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    To celebrate his retirement, this Month Natural Selections reprints an interview with Patrick Griffin, former Manager of the Faculty and Student Club. Country of origin: Ireland. The original interview was published in the April 2009 issue. How long have you been living in New York? 50 years Where do you live? Bronx Which is your…