As revellers across the globe prepare to usher in 2014, here’s a look at New Year’s Eve kisses from years past, brought to us by the photographers of Magnum. From Henri Cartier-Bresson’s classic photograph of a Times Square kiss to Guy Le Querrec’s now historic image of an affectionate couple seated on the Berlin Wall, it’s a convivial collection that takes us into the new year with gusto.
Genevieve Fussell is a former senior photo editor at The New Yorker.
Goings On
What we’re watching, listening to, and doing this week, online, in N.Y.C., and beyond. Paid subscribers also receive book picks.
Pop Music
The Tortured Poetry of Taylor Swift’s New Album
“The Tortured Poets Department” has moments of tenderness. But it suffers from being too long and too familiar.
By Amanda Petrusich
Letter from Biden’s Washington
Did Mike Johnson Just Get Religion on Ukraine?
The Speaker’s sudden willingness to bring foreign-aid bills to the House floor risks his Speakership—and Trump’s wrath.
By Susan B. Glasser
Infinite Scroll
The Internet’s New Favorite Philosopher
Byung-Chul Han, in treatises such as “The Burnout Society” and his latest, “The Crisis of Narration,” diagnoses the frenetic aimlessness of the digital age.
By Kyle Chayka
Dept. of Medicine
How to Die in Good Health
The average American celebrates just one healthy birthday after the age of sixty-five. Peter Attia argues that it doesn’t have to be this way.
By Dhruv Khullar