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The Fear Factor
by Tunku Varadarajan, Wall Street Journal
No TV ads this Sept 11? It's self-indulgent symbolism.

To Be PG Or Not PG
by Benedict Nightingale, The Times
Should stage production sbe rated like cinema releases?

A Pointless Exercise
by Sarah Vine, The Times
At last, it's offiical: going to the gym is germ-ridden danger to your health.

The Case For Raymond Chandler
by Allen Barra, Salon
The creator of Philip Marlowe has been called an imitator and a hack, but he deserves his lonely, disillusioned corner in the American literary canon.

When Restaurant Makeovers Go Awry
by Eric Asimov, New York Times
For eveyr Sirio Maccioni, who triumphantly opened Le Cirque 2000 after shutting down his original place, there's a Lutece, whose owner has struggled to build a new identity.

Airline Clubs Aren't Just For Business These Days
by Edward Wong, New York Times
Air travel had changed so much after the Sept 11 attacks that these clubs provided exactly the kind of escape that a family needed.

Mathematician Fills In A Blank For A Fresh Insight On Art
by Sara Robinson, New York Times
Maurits Cornelis Escher fascinated by visual mathematical concepts and often featured them in his art.

Obscene Words
by Julian Burnside, The Vocabula Review
Looked at solely as a lexical unit, "fuck" is a very good, sturdy, versatile, and descriptive word.

Weblog Competition A 'Bloody Stupid Idea'?
by Tom Coates and Simon Waldman, The Guardian
So what's a self-respecting dead-tree media organisation to do?

Working On The First R In The First Years
by Mary Rourke, Los Angeles Times
More children ages 5 and younger are being read to—a practice that experts say gives them a head start in life.

Eek, Mickey Mouse!
by Michael Lewis, Slate
A low-rent cartoon character drives six hours to scare the crap out of my daughter.

Growing Up Truly Absurd
by Hank Stuever, Washington Post
'Running With Scissors': The tragic memoir that has readers in stitches.

Goodbye To Buttery Blini
by Judy Collins, New York Times
For 40 years, I have called the Russian Tea Room a home away from home, eating and celebrating in that glorious, painting-filled, samovar-studded, red and gold palace.

Looking To Watch A TV Show? Try 'ITVL: AA In TV' Or 'Spo'
by Sally Beatty, Wall Street Journal
A strange garble is spreading across TV listings, thanks to a simple problem: too many channels, too little newsprint.

All Packed And Ready To Go
by Jane Shilling, The Times
Just before we went on holiday I started exhibiting dramatic symptoms of being in urgent need of a holiday. The first thing was not having a clue how old my boy is.

Bruce Rising
by Josh Tyrangiel, Time
An intimate look at how Springsteen turned 9/11 into a message of hope.

Impact Of Travel On Writer's Hard Life Speaks Volumes
by John Flinn, San Francisco Chronicle
Margo Classe has written guidebooks to Italy, France and other countries. But she's not planningon covering one place she knows all too well.

Forget Ideas, Mr. Author. What Kind Of Pen Do You Use?
by New York Times, Stephen Fry
Here is a truth to which all writers can attest: Readers are more interested in process than in product.

The Evolution Of Blogs
by William Grosso, O'Reilly Network
Now that weblogs are gaining momentum, now that they're moving beyond the fringe... where do they go?

Flogged By Bloggers
by John Leo, U.S. News
Bloggers like to play "gotcha" with th established media.

Another World Trade Center Horror
by Ada Louise Huxtable, Wall Street Journal
How did the rebuilding proposals get so awful?

Northern Extremes
by Carl Duncan, Los Angeles Times
Enjoying a barren kind of beauty on a driving trip to the Arctic.

Responsive Reading
by Liza Mundy, Washington Post
In Washington, a columnist never runs out of reactions from readers.

Rethinking The Unthinkable
by Bob Thompson, Washington Post
The National Park Service is making a monument out of an old nuclear missile site. But how do you interpret history so recent it may not be over yet?

Crossing Over
by Alice Elliott Dark, New York Times
That summer, I was the one rushing into adolescence, but it was Deedee who was crushed.

My Scones Rocked! Baking Pastries Beats Fish On Milton
by Ron Rosenbaum, New York Observer
When you compare the professions, pastry chef really has it over journalism, don't you think?

MRT Stations: Get Names Back On Track
by Liew Kai Khiun, C.J. Wee Wan-Ling, Kwok Kian Woon, Straits Times
The Singapore Heritage Society make a cose for preserving Singapore's multi-cultural past in the naming of subway stops.

The Long Farewell To Ann Landers
by Amy E. Schwartz, Washington Post
When she judged, she judged firmly but without being on a crusade or appearing to believe that the world or society was hurtling hellward. That's a tough trick to sustain over a half-century.

I Spy A Hot Ticket
by Jacqueline Trescott, Washington Post
For the summer of 2002, Washington's new International Spy Museum is the stealth blockbuster that caught everyone off guard.

Dysfunction For Dollars
by Pat Jordan, New York Times
Dave Pelzer has one subject — himself, as an abused child. He may not have been, but that hasn't stopped his readers from buying millions of his books.

Vietnam's Vanishing Primates
by Connie Rogers, New York Times
I never thought my wildlife tour of northern Vietnam would begin in a zoo.

People Who Can Rebuild A City
by Richard Florida, New York Times
The most sensible overall planning aporach is to help Lower Manhattan become what it is becoming anyway — a multifaceted creative hub.

The Spies Who Thrilled Me
by Stephanie Zacharek, Salon
The truth is that a lot of the great old spy movies aren't so great, but the sexiness and style of James Bond and the Avengers never gets old.

The Web Didn't Kill Libraries. It's The New Draw.
by Steve Friess, Christian Science Monitor
Library-building is booming in US, surprising doomsayers.

A Good Table
by Ian Parker, The New Yorker
A civil engineer described an invention that he hoped would improve human communication, promote world peace, and reduce the fear of being invited to a large dinner party in a slow restaurant.

In Search Of An English Arcadia In Tune With The 21st Century
by Roger Scruton, The Times
Can modern-day writers and artists re-enchant our landscape like Wordsworth and Constable?

Storytime Back With Kid-Ult Books
by Rebecca Allison, The Guardian
The delights of Middle Earth and Hogwarts have enraptured children and parents to such an extent that the number who are choosing to read together has doubled in the last two years.

Shuttle Shows Way To Solve Traffic Woes
by Ken Garcia, San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco may never be able to remove the political bottlenecks that exist throughout the city, but it can at least remove some of the traffic congestion.

She Ain't Necessarily So
by Jonathan V. Last, The Weekly Standard
A look at the newest frontier in sexual politics—Transgender chic.

Seize The Day: Lenin's Legacy
by Slavoj Zizek, The Guardian
The left today needs Lenin's lessons more than ever.

Bin There, Done That
by Dermot O'Brien, New York Times
My recycling bin cannot go, it cannot stay. I am, today, here, now, confronted with the New Yorker's abyss: wasted space.

Why The Writer Is Last To Know
by Martin Arnold, New York Times
It's an old worry of writers, frequently mentioned by many of them, that their publishers don't tell them everything there is to know about the publishing of their work. Are these authors simply paranoid, unhinged by the monastic nature of the creative process? And if they are, does that mean they are wrong?

Compulsive In Cambridge
by Hayley Kaufman, Boston Globe
Like her mom, Ann Landers, Margo Howard gives advice. Unlike mom, it comes with plenty of spice.

The Plot Thickeners
by Linton Weeks, Washington Post
Remember when only celebrities and CEOs hired novelists to write their books? Now the novelists are hiring novelists.

Men: Too Emotional?
by Maureen Dowd, New York Times
All you need to do is look at modern American history to realize that it has been shaped and warped by men worrying about what a cool guy thinks of them.

The Truth Behind The 'Market Menu'
by Regina Schrambling, New York Times
Despite what restaurants say, diners are eating globally, not locally.

Wearied By Reality, Television Returns To A 1980's Mind-Set
by Alessandra Stanley, New York Times
Series being shown to critics and reporters this week indicate that the sensibility that molded 1980's television is saturating the new season.

A Hotel Stephen King Might Find Just Right
by Abby Ellin, New York Times
For the weary business traveler, the new executive retreat and inn on the old Berry Hill plantation has it all. Including ghosts.

Banishing Love
by Wajeha Al-Huwaider, Arab News
Showing love and affection to women has become a thing of the past.

A War Of Words Over 'Singlish'
by Hwee Hwee Tan, Time
Singapore's government wants its citizens to speak good English, but they would much rather be 'talking cock'.

Brooklyn Tobacco Party
by Herb Allen, New Yorker
CLASH, which stands for Citizens Lobbying Against Smoker Harassment, is the only organization dedicated exclusively to protecting the rights of New York City smokers.

Since The 70's, A Greenwich Village Cafe Has Nurtured The Spirit Of The 60's
by Dennis Gaffney, New York Times
For 25 years Robin Hirsch has guided the Cornelia Street Cafe with the notion that all artists should have a public forum for their particular passion, whether they might ever earn a dollar from it.

Olympic Fame Proves Fleeting
by Amy Rosewater, New York Times
Five months later, Jamie Sale and David Pelletier are simply remembered as "the Canadians."

I Was A Teenage Drive-In Freak
by Mark Rahney, Seattle Times
Whether you're an Indoor Person or an Outdoor Person, if you're a Greenpeace car-hater or a casual moviegoer who couldn't tell Connery from Moore, there are few summer pastimes as sublime and as American as watching a movie under the stars.

Finding Fisherman's Wharf
by Marianne Costantinou, San Francisco Chronicle
The wharf is now defined more by what it is not — Italian, a mecca for family fishing businesses — than by what it is.

Variation On A Theme Park In Gilroy
by Robert Smaus, Los Angeles Times
Bonfante Gardens is a new amusement park with an unusual theme: trees.

In New York Tickets, Ghana Sees Orderly City
by Robert F. Worth, New York Times
If you are caught playing your radio too loudly in Times Square your ticket does not just go to City Hall to be processed. It goes to Ghana.

When A Crop Becomes King
by Michael Pollan, New York Times
Today corn is the world's most widely planted cereal crop. But nowhere have humans done quite as much to advance the interests of this plant as in North America, where zea mays has insinuated itself into our landscape, our food system — and our federal budget.

Dinners With Altitude
by Andrew Purvis, The Observer
Feeding people at 30,000ft has always been a thankless task. But despite the perennial jokes about cardboard chicken, and 11 September adding an even more military air to the logistics of preparing millions of 'cook-chill' meals a year, industry innovation is more buoyant than ever.

Professor Of Desperation
by Eric L. Wee, Washington Post
Bad pay, zero job security, no benefits, endless commutes. Is this any way to treat PhDs responsible for teaching a generation of college students?

A Tale Of Two Cities
by Maureen Dowd, New York Times
Here is the tale of two California cities: Stanton is shattered by sex and violence. Forty-five miles away, Pasadena is showcasing sex and violence.

The Relevance Of 'Sex' In A City That's Changed
by Julie Salamon, New York Times
Tonight "Sex and the City" begins its fifth season on HBO in a world solemnized by terrorism and, apparently, newly appreciative of the joys of marriage.

For Great Buildings, Get A Great Client
by Barry Bergdoll, New York Times
Now that the Woolworth Building has renewed prominence in downtown Manhattan's skyline, it's worth thinking about just what makes that 90-year-old skyscraper such a great building.

Rebuild Downtown By Wrecking City's Worst Cartel
by Daniel Henninger, Wall Street Journal
New York's building code has got to go.

A Piece Of Old Downtown, Back And Brand-New
by Benjamin Forgey, Washington Post
Rather than attempting to create an artificial unity, the architecture emphasizes the disjuncture between past and present.

Making History Her Story, Too
by Felicia R. Lee, New York Times
As a historian, Gerda Lerner has learned to take the long view.

A Question Of Discrimination
by AC Grayling, The Guardian
Is it possible to believe in social equality yet defend elitism in the arts?

Words Fail Me
by Michael Fishwick, The Economist
Wild or comic, coupling in animals is quite frighteningly varied, and makes human sex look tame. Is that why most sex writing is so dull?

Mall Of America
by Christopher Hawthorne, Slate
The shopping complex that ate the World Trade Center memorial.

Summer At 12: The Pool Grows, The Mystery Deepens
by Sara Rimer, New York Times
This is what being 12 is like: during the summer the community pool represents the center of your universe, a place of fast friendships and blissful independence.

Laying It All On The Table
by Susan Freudenheim, Los Angeles Times
A simple quest for custom-made furniture evolves into a complex—but satisfying—production.

"Hang In There, Sweetie. I'll Be Home In 18 Years."
by Stephen Reid, Salon
As a father behind bars, myrole is to listen to my daughter's life.

Elvis Presley
by Rob Walker, Slate
The King's new hit record.

Building Blocks For The World Trade Center Site
by Benjamin Forgey, Washington Post
Push to make quick choices threatens to create uninspired architecture.

New English Cuisine On The Road To Mandalay
by R.W. Apple Jr., New York Times
The new face of London dining: authentic Thai, real dim sum, sophisticated Greek fare and much more.

Testing For Aptitude, Not For Speed
by Howard Gardner, New York Times
Why give a time exemption only to those who can make a case that they need one?

The Best Stealer List
by Martin Arnold, New York Times
While there's no certainty that book sales are on the rise this summer, unfortunately there's inferential evidence that there's no shrinkage of "inventory shrinkage" in bookstores, and it may be rising.

In Backyards, Starry Appeal
by Julie V. Iovine, New York Times
There is more to amateur astronomy than squinting through a thick lens at shimmery pinpricks on the far side of time.

Cell Phone Jerks
by Nara Schoenberg, Chicago Tribune
The good news is, it could be worse. The bad news is, it probably will be.

A Tale Of Two Summers
by Diana Rathbone, San Francisco Chronicle
In a way, the time we spent eating in the garden, a perfect merger, after all, of the two sorts of summers, was the best of the weekend.

Hot Bowl
by Barbara Hansen, Los Angeles Times
The Korean rice dish called bibim bap is landing on trendy menus all over the city.

Grilled Cheese Puts On An Intalian Suit
by Amanda Hesser, New York Times
One of the wonders of cooking is that the tiniest adjustment to what you are making, the addition of a single ingredient or the execution of a technique, can entirely change a dish and the visceral response you get from eating it.

Declassified: A Spy Museum Opens In Washington
by Phil Patton, New York Times
The $40 million International Spy Museum, to open on Friday, contains artifacts, interactive installations and multimedia exhibits.

The Missing Magazine
by Christine Chinlund, Boston Globe
The Globe's decision to skip publication of the Sunday magazine — the first time in at least three decades — irritated readers in several ways.

The Watchdog Didn't Bark
by Harold Evans, Salon
Why didn't the media question Bush's shady stock dealings before he became president?

A Black Enclave In The Hamptons Offering Comfort And Sanctity
by Jane Gross, New York Times
Synthia Terry Richards' parents, successful young professionals, could vacation anywhere, but each summer they return to the African-American enclave of Azurest.

Acceptance Amid The Diversity
by Lisa Frazier Page, Washington Post
Census data shows that military bases, particularly the large ones, such as Andrews, are among the more integrated communities in the Washington region.

The New Poetry
by Ian Frazier, New Yorker
Directness of expressions, no waste of words, short and lapidary lines, a willingness to lapse into vers libre with bursts of pure feeling.

Naples Takes The Tube
by Michael Binyon, The Times
Naples is crowded, built on steep hills and has a volcano, yet its new Metro system could teach London's transport chiefs a lesson.

Failing A Landmark
by Nicolai Ouroussoff, Los Angeles Times
When a school district's building plan hinges on demolishing a historic site, something is amiss.

Air Shtick
by Christopher Caldwell, Slate
The self-righteousness of the long-distance traveler.

The F Train Rises
by Randy Kennedy, New York Times
In two years of constant riding and writing about the New York subway, I have noticed something interesting: whenever people talk about their favorite stretches, they rarely talk about the sub part.

How To Eat Out Without Tipping The Scales
by Jane E. Brody, New York Times
Because the eat-out, take-out trend is unlikely to end anytime soon, it makes sense to know what hides within your favorite offering san dhow to choose, order and eat them.

In Safe Hands
by Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times
If it's locked, Dave Richardson can crack it open—legally, of course. He's a professional with the right combination of skill and scruples.

One 4,000-Pounder With Cheese, To Go
by Don Oldenburg, Washington Post
If it means eating and driving, fast food is definitely hazardous to your health.

Hearing The Notes That Aren't Played
by David Mamet, New York Times
How much can one remove from a script, and still have the composition be intelligble?

New Poetry Web Site Mines Old Idea
by David Kipen, San Francisco Chronicle
It's a story as old as California: They come for the gold, but they stay for the publishing opportunities.

The Walls Are Alive
by Daniel Libeskind, The Guardian
Every building I have admired is, in effect, a musical instrument whose performance gives space a qulty that often seems to be transcendent and immaterial.

A Date To Remember
by Liza Mundy, Washington Post
Americans don't talk about 7/4 or 12/7. Why 9/11?

Switzerland Today
by Michael Chabon, Washington Post
It was the last place in the world he thought he would find redemption.

Reel Change
by A.O. Scott, New York Times
The drive to grab a camera and immerse yourself in the world around you, and to produce not documentary but poetry, has become as fundamental as the urge to tell stories.

In Lisbon, Finding Big Flavors In Small Places
by Jacqueline Friedrich, New York Times
In Portugal, delicously rustic, straightforward cooking is most often found in small, unpretentious restaurants.

Bidding The Interstate Goodbye
by Wayne Curtis, New York Times
A mellower America emerges on a four-week journey by VW camper.

Fighting The Wedding Blues
by Sumiko Tan, Straits Times
Singlehood's great, but not when you're at a super-romantic wedding in Bali and surrounded by couples who get all lovey-dovey when Endless Love comes on.

The End Of Herstory
by Kay S. Hymowitz, City Journal
How do we explain that pause that comes when you ask women if they consider themselves part of the feminist movement?

Friends For Ever?
by Marina Cantacuzino, The Guardian
Unlikely. Close friendships between men and women tend to wither as soon as one of you gets married. What's everyone so afraid of?

Blonde Is The New Blonde
by Shane Watson, The Guardian
Blonde? Then you must be a dumb gold-digger. Not necessarily - there are six basic categories of blondes.

It's MSNBC News' Turn For A Makeover
by Tim Goodman, San Francisco Chronicle
It seems as if every other week, a 24-hour cable news channel is getting a face-lift.

Innovative Bronze-Age Technology
by Booth Moore, Los Angeles Times
No matter how much research comes out about the cancer risk of sun explosure, tans haven't fallen out of fashion since the trend-setting French designer returned to Paris bronzed from a cruise on the Duke of Westminster's yacht shortly after World War I.

An Arab Poet Who Dares To Differ
by Adam Shatz, New York Times
The poet known as Adonis is widely considered the Arab world's greatest living poet.

The Lesson Of Good Health Is That There Are No Quick Fixes
by Nicholas Wapshott, The Times
When it comes to losing weight, things take a little more time.

Conversations With The Dead
by The Economist
Two of Britain's best prose writers—a novelist and a journalist—confront the errors and evasions of an earlier generation in politics.

Le Gray, An Ingenious Photography Pioneer
by David Pagel, Los Angeles Times
About 150 years before seamlessly editing photographs on a computer became de rigueur, French photographer Gustave Le Gray used nothing but his wits to do the same thing.

Pricing The Fast Lane
by Jerry Taylor and Peter VanDoren, Washington Post
The solution to gridlock is to give drivers a financial incentive not to drive during peak traffic hours.

At Your Convenience
by Libby Copeland, Washington Post
Yesterday, on the 11th day of the seventh month, 7-Eleven celebrated its 75th birthday.

London Summer, Alive With Art
by Michael Kimmelman, New York Times
London this summer is, as always, besotted by art in a way that only New York rivals.

Hip To Be Square: National Geographic Channel Is Cable's Newest Gem
by Aaron Barnhart, The Kansas City Star
In its 118 years of publishing magazines and three-plus decades of making TV specials, the National Geographic Society has brought the world's most exotic creatures and jaw-dropping sights to American eyes. Now, through its new cable channel, Geographic is doing that all day, every day.

Ms. Finds Some Muscle
by Beverly Beyette, Los Angeles Times
New editor hopes to bring a harder edge and broader focus.

A Book Fix For Web Refugees
by Tim Rutten , Los Angeles Times
Think of it as a literary halfway house for recovering dot-comers and their codependents.

A Camel Ride To Remember
by Nigel Tisdall, Telegraph
The best way to go on safari in Kenya is sitting astride a docile dromedary.

A Reporter's Week As A Trash-Free Warrior
by Samar Farah, Christian Science Monitor
A reporter investigates what it takes to forsake a trashy lifestyle.

Blind Tom's Tombstone
by Elizabeth Kolbert, New Yorker
Born blind, and possibly autistic, Wiggins spent the early part of his life in slavery and the latter part essentially indentured.

Baseball Ruins Everything It Touches
by Keith Olbermann, Salon
Only this messed-up ex-national pastime could manage to take its premier fan event, the first genuinely exciting All-Star Game in years, and abandon it without an outcome.

Voice Of The Gulag
by Susan V. Lawrence, Far Eastern Economic Review
Zhang Xianliang has been hailed for his memoirs from China's labour camps. So how does he reconcile his past with his status today as a wealthy businessman and Communist Party member?

The Goat Cheese Divas
by Emily Green, Los Angeles Times
Thank a small group of California women for one of the true gifts of summer.

Filming Without The Film
by P.J. Huffstutter and Jon Healey, Los Angeles Times
Emraced by some directors and feared by others, high-definition digital cameras are changing the art form.

Endless Love
by Kim Severson, San Francisco Chronicle
Why slam a perfectly lovely dish? Because it's popular — so popular that the kitchen crew is throughly sick of making it, yet the chef doesn't dare retire it.

Going Far Beyond Product Placement
by Brian Lowry, Los Angeles Times
Advertisers still rely on television to deliver their messages, but with viewers less apt to idly endure commercial breaks, sponsors feel increasingly compelled to think outside the box and get inside the programs.

Found And Lost
by A.R. Torres, Salon
I thought I was one of the lucky 9/11 relatives: I had the remains of my husband. But then the medical examiner informed me I was grieving over only 40 percent of Eddie's body.

All-Star Outrage
by King Kaufman, Salon
The game ended in a tie. That's not a problem, but baseball still screwed up. And that pregame show!

Blined By Science
by Jordan Ellenberg, Slate
Explaining the media's obsession with Stephen Wolfram's A New Kind of Science.

An Heir To Pavarotti's Throne?
by Daniel Williams, Washington Post
Everyone seems to agree that Pavarotti is out. But who follows? Some connoisseurs think it might be Licitra, a 33-year-old who came to music comparatively late in life.

Reclaiming A Lost River, Building A Community
by D. J. Waldie, New York Times
So much is breaking up Los Angeles — from secession movements in the San Fernando Valley and Hollywood to the growing divide between the city's wealthy and working poor — that it may come as a shock to learn there is something knitting the city together.

Enduringly Yankee, With A Modern Twist
by R.W. Apple Jr., New York Times
In the land of lobster, Maine chefs are stirring up a sophisticated new local cuisine.

A History Of The Midest In The Humble Chickpea
by Jodi Kantor, New York Times
Many Palestinians believe that Israelis have stolen falafel, a traditional Arab food, and passed it off as what postcards at tourist kiosks all over Israel call "Israel's National Snack."

Fowl Play
by Felicity Lawrence, The Guardian
They are the ultimate 21st-century food - quick, easy and highly processed. But if you knew about the high percentage of skin, the water, and the pulped carcasses that go into some of them, would you be so keen to reach into the freezer for chicken nuggets?

When Not To Trust The Feedback
by Brian Lowry, Los Angeles Times
Focus groups in 1996 said "Everybody Loves Raymond" was a dud, highlighting a drawback in trusting this input.

On The 'Road' With Tom Hanks
by Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
"So what was it like working with Paul Newman?" This is not the kind of question you learn at the Great Interviewers' School.

Digital VD
by Matt Labash, Weekly Standard
The DVD — with the aid of Blockbuster — is destroying everything movie lovers hold dear.

In The Hammer Lane
by Paul Farhi, Washington Post
Jus tbefore she goes on the air — which she does roughly 60 times every weekday morning — Lisa Baden employs an old radio announcer's trick. She smiles.

Stillborns Re-Touched By An Angel
by Julia Scheeres, Wired News
A mother who digitally enhances photos of her son finds herself in demand from other parents of stillborns. "It's much easier to share pictures if it looks like a normal baby," she says.

Summer Of Love
by Judith Levine, The Village Voice
The romance a teenage camper couldn't have today.

Tainted Love
by Susan Orlean, New Yorker
I want to make a confession: I am passionately and uncontrollably in love with Dick Cheney.

It's A Bird, It's A Plane, It's Plagiarism Buster!
by Gillian Silverman, Newsweek
Brandishing a red pen in place of a red cape, I fight to rescue words from literary bandits.

Why The Best Run Airport Is Still Not Good Enough
by Richard Zoglin and Sally B. Donnelly, Time
As a shooting at LAX raises new security fears, TIME looks at how one airport, Denver International, is coping. No U.S. airport is better equipped to protect flyers. But that doesn't mean it has all the answers.

Should We All Be Vegetarians?
by Richard Corliss, Time
Would we be healthier? Would the planet? The risks and benefits of a meat-free life.

Sex Sells — Or Does It?
by Ellen Goodman, Boston Globe
What if sex doesn't sell? What if violence isn't viable? What if the risque is risky? What if, to put it more accurately, programs full of smarm and rage don't deliver more customers?

Imitation Nation
by Lisa Movius, Salon
Is piracy-crazed China a nightmare vision of the future, or just a developing ocuntry going through some severe growing pains?

An Artful Alternative To The Heard Mentality
by Teresa Wiltz, Washington Post
Deaf Way II is a unique gathering of like-minded souls, an event where deaf performers, visual artists, storytellers and, yes, clowns, can show their work in a week-long festival.

Sept. 11 Attacks, Depicted With Electronic 'Pigment'
by Matthew Mirapaul, New York Times
An Internet artist uses names to reclaim the human dimension of Sept. 11.

A Question Of Pride
by George Sanchez, Motherjones.com
As the gay pride movement has grown, both in size and influence, so has the fight over corporate sponsorship of pride events.

I'm Sorry, Could You Sing That Again?
by Craig Raine, The Guardian
We commonly sit through operas without even being clear about the plot, let alone knowing what the individual words are on about.

Chinese Drill Team Helps Girls Find Own Rhythms
by Marc Ramirez, Seattle Times
While its story is one of cultural heritage, friendship and coming of age, it's also the story of Cheryl Chow, who for 36 years has led the team founded by her mother, ofrmer King County councilwoman Ruby Chow.

Stars Of The Summer Sky
by David Montgomery, Washington Post
Fireflies. What did we ever do to deserve them?

What If It's All Been A Big Fat Lie?
by Gary Taubes, New York Times
At the very moment that the government started telling Americans to eat less fat, we got fatter. The truths about why we gain weight and why it is so hard to lose it just might turn out to be much different from what we have been led to think.

Impressionist Visions Near Paris
by Dana Micucci, New York Times
Not far from Paris, two sleepy villages, Auvers-sur-Oise and Ornans, bring to mind the paintings of van Gogh, Daubigny and Courbet that they inspired.

More Than A Bed And Breakfast
by Paula Butturini, New York Times
We needed sunshine. We needed bird song. And we needed to get them on the cheap.

Chequing In
by The Economist
Why are Britain's nhotels so expensive?

Sousa's Song Will Never Die
by Daniel Henninger, Wall Street Journal
American patriotism rocks on.

Bored On The Fifth Of July
by Hank Stuever, Washington Post
After the fireworks, summer's more sizzle than steak.

A Journey And A Book Are Perfect Companions
by Alain de Botton, The Times
Summer promises us two of lifeís great joys; escaping home and reading books ó joys that are intimately connected, for not only do many of us read when weíre on the road, but literature and travel are also two of the most effective ways of expanding our horizons.

The Hot Or Not Guys
by Adam Green, New Yorker
Partying with two wild and carzy Web producers.

Changing Lines
by Chris Mohney, Slate
Paying to skip the queues at theme parks.

When Docs Make Patients Wait And Wait
by Bob Levey, Washington Post
"Doctor, I don't know of a single human being who has ever died of skin cancer in a hurry."

A Wry Cuban Writer As Mysterious As His Plots
by David Gozalez, New York Times
The most intriguing mysteries swirling about Daniel ChavarrÌa are not in his crime novels, but in his life.

Summer TV Used To Be A Lot Warmer
by Phil Rosenthal, Chicago Sun-Times
Summer television doesn't have to be like this, you know.

The Man Who Smoked Everything
by Charles Perry, Los Angeles Times
From brisket and ribs to olives, eggplant and pineapple, a story of obession.

FHM
by Rob Walker, Slate
The thinking man's sneery frat-boy magazine.

Shameless Secrets Of The Chefs
by Amanda Hesser, New York Times
For years the trend in cooking was toward from-scratch absolutism, but now some chefs seem to be loosening up.

High Spots In A Nation Of Hot-Dog Heavens
by Paul Lukas, New York Times
With summer now in full swing, it is a good time for a rundown of regional hot-dog styles, and some prime places to get them.

Powerpuff Girls Meet World
by Heather Havrilesky, Salon
Three kindergarten girls are here to save the day. Are they making the world safe for female heroes, or making female heroes safe for the world? Who cares.

Ten Things I Learned About Life And Soccer From The2002 World Cup
by Andrew O'Hehir, Salon
There is a football God, and despite the wild twists and turns of this year's tournament, He's still Brazilian.

A Nose For News In America's Armpit
by Gene Weingarten, Washington Post
Lots of countries believe in justice and equality and fairness and what have you. But America invented hype.

Oscar Broadcast's Giant Leap Back
by Lisa de Moraes, Washington Post
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences finally has compiled with ABC's wish to move its Academy Awards broadcast from March to February, starting in 2004.

Painterly Sermons Mix Severe And Sensual
by Stephen Kinzer, New York Times
Atheists, secularists and rationalists might want to visit a museum show in Raleigh before deciding that there is no vengeful God who punishes the wicked with eternal suffering and rewards the righteous with heavenly bliss.

Six-Tenths Of A Second, 2 Lives Forever Changed
by Michael Granberry, The Dallas Morning News
'He was a victim of timing and circumstance, and it's something he never got over.'

We've Got More Risk Than Our Brains Can Handle
by Henry Petroski, Washington Post
Public debates about risk and other threatening concepts may be accompanied by a lot of numbers and graphs and budgets, but in the final analysis, decisions are often based on political and emotional grounds, if not on confusing logic.

Popularity
by David Owen, New Yorker
Why am I not famous? A writer's lament.

The Fake-Lesbian Kiss — Sexual Revolution Or Ratings Ploy?
by Jane Ganahl, San Francisco Chronicle
If a scrip tsucks and the action lags, tell the two female co-stars to make out.

Martha's Boradroom Makeover
by Howard Kurtz, Washington Post
From the moment Time began a story with "What did Martha Stewart know? And when did she know it?" it was clear that the stock of tycoons was plummeting on the media exchange.

Fiction And Fact Collide With Unexpected Consequences
by John Sedgwick, New York Times
For the most part my journalistic subjects were safely removed from me. But as products of my imagination, my fictional characters were me. How could they not intrude?

Wisconsin's Beguiling Back Roads
by R.W. Apple Jr., New York Times
Crossing a rich land, proud of its heritage, that Frank Lloyd Wright and the Ringling Brothers once called home.

As 9/11 Cleanup Moves Inside, Residents Battle With Emotions
by Kirk Johnson, New York Times
On the 31st floor of 310 Greenwich Street, about four blocks north of ground zero, emotional residue from the disaster swirls as much as the dust that people still wipe from their window sills and from the clothes in their closets.