CURRENT ISSUE

December 2002

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Features

Manhattan Mayhem

Martin Scorsese's realistic portrayal of pre-Civil War strife Gangs of New York re-creates the brutal street warfare waged between immigrant groups

Seabiscuit

Betting on Seabiscuit

Laura Hillenbrand beat the odds to write the hit horse-racing saga while fighting chronic fatigue syndrome, a disorder starting to reveal its secrets

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George Catlin's Obsession

An exhibition at the Renwick Gallery in Washington, D.C. asks: Did his work exploit or advance the American Indian?

Pagans restorations since 1996

Sacred and Profaned

Misguided restorations of the exquisite Buddhist shrines of Pagan in Burma may do more harm than good

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Happy Trails

As freshly carved toys or treasured heirlooms, well-bred rocking horses ride high in the affections of kids and collectors alike

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Africa: Beyond the Stereotypes

In a single day 95 photographers document a wildly diverse continent bursting with energy and promise

conference session

Dividing the Spoils

Michael Beschloss re-creates the 1945 Potsdam Conference at which Harry Truman found his presidential voice and determined the shape of postwar Europe

Departments

Indelible Images

No Place Like Home

People File

Sherlock of Spuds

In a case that could reveal the villain behind the Irish Potato Famine, the gumshoe is a plant scientist

Points of Interest

Like a Rowing Stone

An unusual canoe competition in Madison, Wisconsin, floats the notion that concrete waives the rules

Books

Smithsonian Notable Books for Children 2002

Smithsonian Notable Books for Children 2002

From the Editor

Spooky

Close encounters from Burma to pre-Civil War Manhattan

From the Secretary

Fanciful and Sublime

The Last Page

Label Babel