Places That Time Forgot & The Decades Cannot Improve

I know. Here I am in New Jersey referring to an article about Middle America wrtitten in The New York Times. Many of you might claim that The Times and someone in New Jersey for that matter is as tuned in to Middle America as, say El Jazeera.

But the fact is there were a couple of interesting pieces in last Sunday's paper that I wanted to share with you. As an infamous cable news station claims, "You decide". I think you'll find both informative and entertaining. Together you start to get an interesting glimpse at some of rural life in America these days:

1. In the "National" Section, an artilce about Oxford, Iowa where Paul Feldstein photographed the town's story in portraits 21 yaers apart (1984/2004)
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/09/us/09oxford.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1144778712-Ckb7c70RyqlMFTBR/CKVxQ

2. In the New York Times Magazine:"Not Far From Foresaken", by Richard Rubin, a fascinating piece about how "the loneliest corner of North Dakota" is trying to attract folks to live there and some of the challenges when they are taken up on the offer.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/09/magazine/09dakota.html