I haven't seen much written about this Sunday's New York Times magazine cover story on the tsunami and Banda Aceh in Indonesia, "The Day The Sea Came" by Barry Bearak -- only 11 links on Technorati, and no links to New York outlets via Google.

Who am I to talk; it's 6pm on Friday and I have "NYT Mag" written on my hand because I keep forgetting to post about it. What does that mean? Was the enormity of that article too much -- the longest piece the Sunday Times Magazine has ever run? Or was the enormity too much in other ways? I know I put off reading it because it made my stomach clench. It's been a long year, and maybe a numbing one (I did not see any NYT Mag covers on the Pakistani earthquake). As usual, I have no answers, just observations. But I did not want to let the week pass without marking this piece, which matters.

One of the Technorati links caught my eye, writing on Sunday:

Don't tell me after today that newspapers are losing their relevance. Both the New York Times and Los Angles Times ran compelling magazine features, beautifully written stories that taught me something.

Maybe it's ironic to include this quote in a post that notes the scarce attention the tsunami piece received; I happen not to think so. I happen to agree with this random Techorati-found writer: there is still a whole world to be learned from newspapers, magazines and long-form, thoughtful journalism (says the blogger). And, for the record, though I cite Technorati here, I do take it with a grain of salt; this is the Sunday Times magazine, after all. I'm pretty sure that in living rooms and restaurants and on subways across town and beyond, it was being read. So, don't tell you newspapers are losing their relevance? No worries. I won't.

The Day The Sea Came [NYT Mag]

Related:
Impossible-to-put-down reading [Ghost Word]