DOUGLAS QUENQUA

writer and editor

March 15, 2012 • 10:07 AM 0

The Fight Club Generation

Biggest surprise when reporting this article: There are still some people who have never heard of mixed martial arts. Seriously? By some measures, it is now more popular than boxing (which, granted, is not that popular anymore). Plus it’s the subject of a pretty lousy MTV reality show. But somehow it’s still a kind of “underground” phenomenon, probably because a lot of people still associate it with the  ”no-holds-barred,” Thunderdome-style blood orgy it was in the early 90s. And because it’s still illegal in a few states, including New York. But as MMA has evolved into a sophisticated, somewhat domesticated combat sport, it’s also come to represent for a generation of men what boxing was to their fathers: the ultimate measure of manhood and guts.

Filed under: 2012, Douglas Quenqua, New York Times

February 28, 2012 • 10:17 AM 0

They’re, Like, Way Ahead of the Linguistic Currrrve

When a team of Long Island University researchers published a small study in December suggesting that young women were developing a new speaking habit–a growly fluttering of the vocal cords toward the end of sentences known as “vocal fry”–the media immediately set its phasers on snark. Just one more sign that teenage girls are flaky, right? Wrong, jerks. Linguists will tell you that the vocal embellishments we associate with young girls (like uptalk? As though everything is a question?), silly though they may sound, are actually powerful tools for building relationships, establishing a pecking order and getting what they want. And that they have a way of worming their way into the larger culture. You can read more about it in my, like, Science Times article.

Filed under: 2012, New York Times, ,

February 23, 2012 • 4:16 PM 0

The Long Shot

Nothing about Brent Stockwell says “radical.” He is soft-spoken, fastidious, polite, precisely tailored, and stacks water bottles in his office so neatly you’d think he used a ruler to place them. But Dr. Stockwell, associate professor of biological science and chemistry at Columbia University, has bet his entire career on a hail Mary: the idea that chemotherapy is a lousy approach to cancer treatment, and that we’d be better off treating cancer like any other disease, by finding drugs that interact with the diseased cells themselves. Of course, doing so means contradicting 30 years of conventional wisdom. My first piece for Columbia Magazine, The Long Shot.

 

Filed under: Douglas Quenqua, ,

OTHER ARTICLES

Should Your Dog Be Watching TV?

Happy to Be a Stay-At-Home Dad

When Today's Deal Is Tomorrow's Regret

Back to School, Not on Campus but in a Beloved Museum

Men, Once Again, Invest in Skin Care

South Pole Worker Stranded After Stroke

Stubble Trimmers Give Men the After-5 Look

Alphabet Soup

Flag Soared to the Moon, but Not Bids for 3 Scraps
Shreds From Moon History On The Block

Don't Be So Fast to Start the Weekend

Hey, Hey, They're the Monkees

Upload a Prom Dress Photo, and Hope for the Best

Graduating From Lip Smackers

Another Trump Hopes What Glitters Will Be Gold

I Need to Vent. Hello, Facebook.

The Mouse That Roared.

A Very Kosher Night Out

A Best Friend, Yes. Best Runner, Maybe Not.

Blowing Smoke At A Ban

Mixing Meaty Cocktails With a Shot of Celebrity

One Rude Turn Deserves A Swat

To Harvest Squash, Click Here

Guardians of Their Smiles

The Phone Becksons: Got Game?

Holding Court

ABOUT DOUGLAS QUENQUA

I'm a freelance writer and editor living in Brooklyn, N.Y. My work appears primarily in the New York Times, but also Wired, The New York Observer, Redbook, the New York Post, Columbia Magazine and others. I write about culture, science, media, lifestyle and dogs. When I remember, I post the good stuff here. It's pronounced Kwen'-kwa. Contact: doug.quenqua@gmail.com

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