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Will The Price Be Right To Turn Around Fortunes?
by Geoff Boucher, Los Angeles Times
With the recording industry in decline, retailers and labels hope they can revice sales through bigger discounts.

A Brave New Workspace, With A Human At Its Center
by Linda Hales, Washington Post
Designers have just come off a decade of wild experimentation.

Come On In
by The Economist
Ho wbad is American food? And whose fault is it?

Chasing Steinbeck... With Children
by Rachel F. Elson, Salon
Andromeda Romanao-Lax set out to retrace the writer's path to the Sea of Cortez. But while Steinbeck's book bears little mention of his wife, Romano-Lax's is driven by the presence of her family.

On Bubble Wrap
by John Powers, LA Weekly
The Nation vs. The Weekly Standard.

Cat People Vs. Dog People
by Laura Miller, Salon
Who is more annoying?

These Images Really Leap Off The Page
by Ginny Chien, Los Angeles Times
Who needs words in a book when menacing dinosaurs, funny bugs and Curious George spring forth from the pages?

'Lucky Jack' Aubrey's Latest Port: Hollywood
by Ken Ringle, Washington Post
Can Russell Crowe handle sea saga's great surprise?

Bloomberg News Humbled
by William Safire, New York Times
Let me see if I can write today's column without getting sued.

The Word Factory
by Libby Brooks, The Guardian
Blockbuster novelist Iain Banks has surpassed himself. He usually spends three months working on a book — but his latest novel, Dead Air, took him just six weeks.

Mint Gives No Quarter On Commemorative Coins
by Linda Hales, Washington Post
It started out as a two-bit tussle out on the Great Plains. But now the design of the 2003 Missouri quarter has become a cause celebre on the sidewalk outside the Treasury Department.

The Information Age Processes A Tragedy
by Michiko Kakutani, New York Times
An outpouring of books analyzing, exorcising and merchandising the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks are being published around or after the anniversary.

Do The Math
by Jay Mathews, Washington Post
At East L.A.'s Garfield High, an advanced placement program worth studying.

A Literary Alternative To Reading A Travel Guide
by John Schwartz, New York Times
You're packing for a business trip to a foreign city. Clothes? Check. Toothbrush? Check. The laptop? Check. The book? Grisham? Again?

Pouring It On
by Dina ElBoghdady, Washington Post
The Starbucks strategy? Locations, locations, locations.

Italics Effeminate? Hardly!
by Mario Garcia, Poynter.org
It is time to give italics a bit of credit.

Afghan's Thirst For Web Access
by Andrew Stroehlein, Online Journalism Review
Exiles became experts at online publishing but have returned to a devastated communications infrastructure.

'This Is Not A Biography'
by Jacqueline Rose, London Review of Books
How not to write a biographyof Sylvia Plath? We might put the question another way.

The Slow Lane
by John Seabrook, New Yorker
Can anyone solve the problem of traffic?

A Road Runs Through It
by Jonathan Glancey, The Guardian
How do you build a new office complex in a city already jammed full? Simple: wrap it around a motorway.

Why Not Put Off Till Tomorrow The Novel You Could Begin Today?
by Ann Patchett, New York Times
Life's activities can serve as a series of stalling techniques for beginning to write a new novel.

Ennobled By Jazz
by Lucas E. Morel, Christianity Today
Raph Ellison and the music of American possibility.

Venting On Venturing: A Few Things We Hate About Travel
by Susan Spano, San Francisco Chronicle
When I get grumpy like this, it means I need to travel.

Tiny-Book Publisher Is Losing Her Vision
by Bob Pool, Los Angeles Times
Age-related condition will force closure of Pennyweight Press, which has produced 530 miniature titles in 27 years.

Heartburn Hotel
by Steven Pearlstein, Washington Post
No one said it would be easy opening a trendy hotel in a 160-year-old abandoned government office building. But this was ridiculous.

Teaching The Teacher
by Megan J. Breslin, New York Times
I hadn't hesitated to bring politics into my classroom, until a mother taught me a thing or two about diplomacy.

Children Of The Night
by Seth Kugel, New York Times
Snug in bed? No. Like New York's adults, its kids are often up and about in the wee hours.

Tunnel Of Love: Riding The Singles Car
by Jacob Gershman, The New York Sun
In this lonely city of 8 million people, it happens all the time. You're minding your own business in the subway when you look up from the newspaper and notice the eyes of another rider — an attractive person, someone you'd like to meet.

Time Running Out For The 30-Second Commercial
by John Billett, The Times
TV advertisers are losing their captive audience.

Home Decor Magazines Take The Gloss Off The Chic
by Linda Hales, Washington Post
Voyeurism is out. Getting is in. Just buy it.

How Far Away? Far Enough!
by Steven Erlanger, New York Times
The Seychelles, a nation of islands in the Indian Ocean, have dazzling scuba diving in waters that can wash away a world of troubles.

The Outsider
by Hilary Burden, The Times
What is the point in having ties when society lets us down.

The Young And The Rested
by The Economist
One part of the American workforce is hurting badly—teenagers.

Viewer Discretion
by Carina Chocano, Salon
CNN's al-Qaida tapes were grisly and important, and offered a promising look at what a news channel could actually be.

Breakfast At Empathy's
by Virginia Heffernan, Slate
Sex and the City's bittersweet fifth season finally wins our woman over.

Uneasy Alliances
by The Phoenix
In US policy, some of us are more equal than others.

Hit Charade
by Mark Jenkins, Slate
The music industry's self-inflicted wounds.

A Nation Of Bloggers And Googling By E-Mail
by Pamela LiCalzi O'Connell, New York Times
The number of weblogs now tops a half-million, by most estimates. It's no surprise that some bloggers are craving some order out of chaos.

Fat Chance
by Marion McGilvary, The Times
So Jamie Lee Curtis has given up the star struggle and become an ordinary fortysomething. Oh no, you don't.

Weblogs Of The Stars
by Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle
Hollywood personalities share their innermost thoughts, interesting or not, on the Internet.

The Mysteries Of Life Inspire Michael Connelly
by Gary Dretzka, San Francisco Chronicle
'Blood Work' author studied his friend's reaction to receiving a heart transplant.

Whirl Of The Words
by Susan Carpenter, Los Angeles Times
Project Movilivre, on a cross-country tour, offers alternative, handmade publications.

Fox Populi
by Charles P. Pierce, Salon
What do the barking heads of Fox News Chanel and other Murdoch media have that CNN, Rather and Donahue don't? A true, virtuous, tabloid soul.

Why All TV Series Aren't Simply Set In Tempe, Ariz.
by Rick bentley, The Knoxville News-Sentinel
Action on a TV program must take place somewhere, and that means every television show is set in a real or fictional geographic location.

He's Not Moses, But He's Something Else
by Richard Dreyfuss, National Review
My tribute to Charlton Heston.

Such Delicious Extravagance
by Marc Ballon, Los Angeles Times
Have you noticed what's been happening to the hamburger?

Tax Revolt Takes Aim At A County's Libraries
by Timothy Egan, New York Times
A group of antitax crusaders are trying to shutter the libraries of Stevens County, in an effort that the American Library Association says may be the first aimed at dissolving an entire county library system by referendum.

Coming Up Next: Ambushed On "Donahue"!
by Henry Jenkins, Salon
More dangerous than Grand Theft Auto 3 — a defender of video games is given the trash talk-show treatment. Here's what he really wanted to say.

Newspaper Ads Are Down Again, Causing Worries
by Felicity Barringer, New York Times
Just a month ago, the newspaper industry was somewhat optimistic about the near future after a mildly encouraging ad-page performance in the second quarter. But now it is having second thoughts.

The Talent Myth
by Malcolm Gladwell, The Times
Business wisdom decrees that the more talent you hire, the more successful your company. So why did Enron, epitome of that belief, collapse in disgrace?

Too Hot To Handle
by Eric Boehlert, Salon
The New York Fire Department suffered a communications breakdown on Sept. 11, and hundreds of firefighters died. Why are so many jouralists ignorning the story?

In Florence, Michelangelo Has His Moment
by Alan Riding, New York Times
Three Italian exhibitions explore how the master influenced art and the notion of beauty.

Old CD-ROMs Never Die, They Just Become Unreadable
by Scott Rosenberg
What's depressing to realize today is that most of these old discs are not only not terribly interesting but, today, actually inaccessible.

Some Magazines Are Publishing Biggest September Issues Ever
by David Carr and Allison Fass, New York Times
The September results of some magazines are so noteworthy.

Abolish The New York Times Wedding Pages!
by Timothy Noah, Slate
Including same-sex unions is a halfway measure toward equality.

The Joy Of Living Dangerously
by Richard Dawkins, The Guardian
Forget exams and league tables. Real education, exemplified by a maverick headmaster almost 100 years ago, is about the power of knowledge and the thrill of discovery.

The Cooking Game
by Adam Gopnik, New Yorker
Six chefs, nine ingredients, seven days.

Masterpiece: 12 Monkeys
by Virginia Vitzthum, Salon
Combining time-travel thriller and experimental film, Terry Gilliam's 1995 oddball classic steals a tale of doomed love and cruel fate from Hitchcock — then pays back the debt.

Today's High? So Hot It Has An Unlisted Number
by Joel Garreau, Washington Post
Why would any normal person, sitting on the porch, two-thirds of the day into a six-pack, care what the dew point is?

In Three Dimensions, Words Take Flight. Literally.
by Matthew Mirapaul, New York Times
Science fiction? Science with fiction, really.

The XXX Files
by Victoria Coren and Charlie Skelton, The Observer
Their plan was to make the best porn movie ever, so how did Victoria Coren and Charlie Skelton end up in Amsterdam with a frozen chicken, a camp exotic dancer and an actress who'd lost her underwear?

Queer As Folk
by David Hajdu, New York Times
How did an earnest voice and an acoustic guitar become the sound of lesbian culture?

In The Backbone Of The World
by Barry Est Abrook, New York Times
Among the peaks, pinnacles and valleys of Glacier National Park in Montana, it is easy to find yourself eye to eye with wildlife.

Troubled Airlines Face Reality: Those Cheap Fares Have A Price
by David Leonhardt with Micheline Maynard, New York Times
Now, suffering their worst financial losses ever, the nation's biggest carriers plan to start bringing service more closely in line with their fares.

Cabby, Take Me To The Esplanade
by Suhaila Sulaiman, Straits Times
Do you say Espla-NARD? Or Espla-NAID?

Watching You Watch Them: A Visit To The Bronx Zoo
by Douglas Martin, New York Times
A safari to the Bronx Zoo reveals that each animal represents an advertisement for the well-being of its brothers and sisters, as well as its habitat.

The King Of Schlock
by Adam Buckman, New York Post
If a network wants to celebrate the life of Elvis Presley, the last thing it should do is present one of his God-awful movies.

10 Tips On Writing The Living Web
by Mark Bernstein, A List Apart
If th ewords are dull, nobody will read them, and nobody will come back. If the words are wrong, people will be misled, disappointed, infuriated. If the words aren't there, people will shake their heads and lament your untimely demise.

The Domestic Male
by Julian Barnes, New Yorker
Oh, yes, and I need praise. All late-onset cooks do.

A Midtown Skyscraper Quietly Addds Armor
by James Glanz and Eric Lipton, New York Times
The owner of the Citigroup building has undertaken a secretive project to strengthen the building's structure in case catastrophe strikes.

Will Kinsley's Slate Get Wiped?
by Staci D. Kramer, Online Journalism Review
Pioneering is seldom easy and online magazine Slate has taken its share of knocks.

Sea Urchin
by Chang-Rae Lee, New Yorker
I've always liked food, but now I'm bent on trying everything.

Playing Against Type
by Hwee Hwee Tan, Time
A promising new novelist fuss political allegory with mystical realism to get under Singapore's skin.

Orwell's Dirty Secret
by DJ Taylor, The Guardian
What happens when biographers discover something loathsome about their subject?

Could You Please Avert Your Eyes?
by Jon Carroll, San Francisco Chronicle
What if God were one of us, just a slob like one of us? On the other hand, what if God were the guy in the booth at the Sutter-Stockton Parking Garage? Wouldn't that at least improve your manners in the parking garage? It might even make you grateful for cat columns.

Sushi Cooks Are Rolling Their Own
by Matt Lee and Ted Lee, New York Times
From New York to Iowa to Los Angeles, amateur sushi-ists are taking over the kitchen.

Lawyers, Tiggers & Bears, Oh My!
by Amy Wallace, LA Magazine
An 80-year-old grandmother's lawsuit has threatened to yank Winnie-the-Pooh out of Disney's Magic Kingdom. It's a Doozy of a case, full of Bluster and Hullabaloo—the kind that comes of liking money so much.

The Road To Hell
by Milton Glaser, Metropolis Magazine
Bending the truth can be a slippery slope for graphic designers.

Shredded Ideals At Business Ethics
by Peter Carlson, Washington Post
A black pall of deep despair has settled over the good people who put out Business Ethics, one of the world's thinnest magazines.

The Red And The White
by Calvin Trillin, New Yorker
Is it possible that wine connoisseurs can't tell them apart?

Tough But SO Exhilarating
by Julie Welch, The Times
Although many people undoubtedly take a walk when they need inspiration or — luck them — simply to soak up the scenery, thousands see walking as a means of escaping from the claustrophobic atmosphere of the city, or as a way to better physical and mental health.

The Secret Garden
by Loren Stein, Metroactive
How Palo Alto creagted a park all its own—and you can't go there—nyah! nyah! nyah!

Red, White And Blue And Gray
by Ken Ringle, Washington Post
An ex-army man makes a name for himself with civil war novels.

A Shameful Gap On The Mall
by Richard Cohen, Washington Post
The shame of the nation's capital is that it lacs a museum dedicated to the African American experience.

Busman's Holiday
by Linton Weeks, Washington Post
Newsman and novelist Jim Lehrer likes to be in the driver's seat.

Hard Covers, Hard Work: Building Careers By The Book
by New York Times
Despite its dusty connotations, bookbinding is a relatively young program at an unusual trade school in Boston that specializes in promoting Old World crafts.

We Don't Need Your Language Lesson, Ambassador
by Philip Hensher, The Independent
Go into a London pub and you'll be surprised by the linguistic competence, from Urdu to Xhosa.

Pullman Lays Down Moral Challenge For Writers
by Angelique Chrisafis, The Guardian
Literature risks becoming petty and worthless, warns Whitbread book prize winner.

Collaborating With Nature
by Paul Goldberger, Metropolis Magazine
When architecture and the natural world combine, both are transformed.

Sugar Babies
by Nora Ephron, New Yorker
The sight of all those doughnuts marching solemnly to their fate makes me proud to be an American.

Deforsted Dinners
by Lillian Ross, New Yorker
None of this nonsense of everybody at the table eating the same thing.

And I'm Watching It All From My Window
by Chinaka Hodge, Newsweek
I've always been taught that there's life beyond West Oakland. But I shouldn't be unique.

A Kinder, Gentler Koran
by David Van Biema, Time
A university wanted to teach a post-9/11 lesson in understanding. Critics say it's a whitewash.

Past Prime Time
by Jonathan Curiel, San Francisco Chronicle
Once-dominant TV guide, now in its 50th year, scrambles in a shifting market.

The Human Bond
by Matthew Gilbert, Boston Globe
There is nothing to match paper's tactile variations. It offers a special sensual pleasure that is nonexistent online.

The Genius Of Idiotism
by Daniel Finkelstein, The Times
Totally unmoved by label politics.

The Odds Of That
by Lisa Belkin, New York Times
In paranoid times like these, people see connections where there aren't any. Why the complex science of coincidence is a conspiracy theorist's worst nightmare.

Rustic Romance
by A.O. Scott, New York Times
Vacations are more and more about seeking the simple authenticity we ruin by showing up.

A Fat Nation
by Amanda Spake, U.S. News
America's 'supersize' diet is fattier and sweeter—and deadlier.

The Ancient Art Of Haranguing Has Moved To The Internet
by Emily Eakin, New York Times
If Orwell had lived to surf the Internet, he might have been cheered to discover a flourishing new breed of paphleteer: the blogger.

The Death Of Sushi?
by Velisarios Kattoulas, Far Eastern Economic Review
Japan's passion for sushi is fuelling a huge trade in illegally caught seafood that's endangering fish stocks and enriching organized crime.

Coasting British Columbia
by Margo Pfeiff, Los Angeles Times
On a road trip along Canada's "Sunshine Coast," two sisters enjoy breathtaking beauty, quirky villages, native totems and sibling companionship—but little luck catching fish.

A Slightly Immodest Proposal
by Alastair Gordon, New York Times
Standing naked in the open air as the sun glistens through a veil of water: to anyone who still relishes the simplicity of country life, that is the essence of summer.

Center This Headline?
by Mario Garcia, Poynter
How one aligns headlines does have an overall effect on the look of the page.

Raw Talent
by Clea Simon, Boston Globe
Finding therapy in uncooked food.

Nice Shirt, But Leave It In Your Luggage
by Stephen Collins, The Times
The urge to go shopping while abroad is infectious. But be warned: sunbaked chic rarely makes the journey home without losing its appeal.

Mourning In America
by Michael Anft, City Paper
"Paying respect," on many levels, is the issue.

Over 60 And Overlooked
by The Economist
Everyone knows the world is ageing. So why is business doing so little about it?

Roaring Into Town And Saying, 'Excuse Me'
by Neal Karlen, New York Times
Almost half a million bikers will take over Sturgis, S.D., for the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, looking for psychic relief or status by acting out fading romantic images.

Rain Or Shine, Residing Outdoors
by Holland Cotter, New York Times
Public sculpture in New York is a summertime thing.

Novel Marks A New Chapter In Actor's Life
by David Wiegand, San Francisco Chronicle
What's the difference between Jonathan Franzen and Ethan Hawke? For one thing, Franzen probably didn't have a winsome blonde rush the stage, rock- fan-style, the last time he gave a reading in San Francisco.

Perfection, With A Twist Of Lime
by Emily Green, Los Angeles Times
It's almost embarrassing. But to my mind, the greatest of all cocktails is the gin and tonic.

The Golden Age Of Eastwood
by Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Clint Eastwood looks more like Clint Eastwood than ever. The furnace of time has burned away everything that is not essential.

An Attractive Propsect
by Mary Ann Sieghart, The Times
Apart from traffic jams, how little experience we have these days of frustration, impotence and delayed gratification.

The Teenage Way To Enjoy Ab Fab Sex
by Amelia Hill, The Observer
The real Edina's daughter has written a sex manual. Just what would Saffy make of it?

A Day In The Life, At 90
by Russ Parsons, Los Angeles Times
Keeping up with Julia Child, who has a new home, a new book deal and a balky oven.

The Empire Stirkes Back
by Eric Boehlert, Salon
As the music industry's "pay-for-play" scandal deepens, the big five record labels try to crush the expanding power of the dreaded indie promoters.

Nachman's Knack
by Tunku Varadarajan, Wall Street Journal
The latest on talk TV: Comment, analysis, a feel for words.

Fluff Jews
by Cynthia Cotts, The Village Voice
Jennifer Bleyer, the 26-year-old editor of Heeb, a magazine aimed at young Jewish hipsters, once boasted that it's easy to come up with story iteas for her editorial mix—because she can find a Jewish connection to almost anything.

What Would Madonna Do?
by Simon Dumenco, Folio
With too many maagzines taking a butcher shop approach to writing—editing and re-editing manuscripts way too many times—maybe it'd be helpful to take a Material Girl approach to staffing.

A Dying Voice
by Howard Kurtz, Washington Post
Newspaper columnists are finding it harder and harde rto reach — and stir — the city.

Stop The Presses... For A Day
by Bill Janz, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
I want a day in which journalism is banned. I want a day of peace.

It All Sound Greek To Me
by Marion McGilvary, The Times
If only there were evening classes in menu-speak, we could order what we want.

What's A 'Bubble' Anyway?
by Robert L. Bartley, Wall Street Journal
Don't use terminology in lieu of analysis.

Of Life And Depth
by Linton Week, Washington Post
For mystery writer Walter Mosley, Easy Rawlins is just the beginning of the intrigue.

New Public Art Uses The Internet For A Personal Touch
by Matthew Mirapaul, New York Times
Two new works of Internet art are really out there. No, out there, in public, where anyone can see them.

Comics Draw Fine Line Between Humor, Issues
by Kenneth Baker, San Francisco Chronicle
What do early '70s conceptual art and '90s artists' comics have in common? Both demand great stretches of reading time.

The Decline And Fall Of Seattle
by Kim Murphy, Los Angeles Times
The Emerald City is in distress, with dot-coms and Boeing leading the way. At least you can still get great coffee—to sip while sitting in traffic jams or reading the help wanted ads.

Rise, Shine And Root
by Charles McGrath, New York Times
Sports on morning TV? It's not just fun — it's eye-opening in many ways.

A Breather For Parents And Kids
by Suzanne Berne, New York Times
The Tyler Place Family Rsort in Vermont lets the generations go their separate ways for a while.

Oh, Temptation
by The Economist
If only fast food were truly addictive.

Don't Believe The Monthly Hype
by Jack Shafer, Slate
It's time for the Washington Monthly to update its in-house ad.

The Instinct To Preserve
by Ellen Goodman, Washington Post
Is that how we will be seen by our children? As people with an outrageous appetitie for excess?

A Folk Festival's Idol Returns
by George Wein, New York Times
Bob Dylan returns to the Newport Folk Festival today after 37 years. The question is what will he do?

In The Dells, Where Youth And Nostalgia Ski Side By Side
by Sara Rimer, New York Times
For 50 years, impossibly good-looking, nimble young athletes have performed a tight choreographed water-skiing show on the choppy waters of Lake Delton, in northern Wisconsin.

If Only We Couldn't Understand Them
by Joan Houlihan, Del Sol
How contemporary American poets are denaturing the poem.

The One That Didn't Quite Get Away
by Felix Soh, Straits Times
In the end, the man who won fame and fortune for being the one who got away did not get away after all.

Circular Logic
by Vanessa E. Jones, Boston Globe
Crop formations may be shrouded in mystery, but the media are betting they'll make sense at the cash register.

Boutique Surfing
by Valli Herman-Cohen, Los Angeles Times
Malibu's smart shops reflect the luxury and leisure of the beachfront life.

It's Not A Loan, It's A Venture
by Art Buckwald, Washington Post
"We don't make loans. We arrange for people to use the money we give them so nobody can make heads or tails of it."

Copyright As Cudgel
by Siva Vaidhyanathan, The Chronicle Of Higher Education
Today, due process is a lot harder to pursue, and the burden of proof increasingly is on those accused of copyright infringement.

The Death And Life Of America's Cities
by Fred Siegel, The Public Interest
Giuliani's ascent to the status of a national hero, "America's mayor," has eclipsed not only his own accomplishments but the mixed if hopeful condition of big-city America.

Is F*** OK?
by Giles Whittell, The Times
It is no longer what you say, but the way you express it that matters.

A Mystery Begins In The Backyard...
by Charles Perry, Los Angeles Times
Barbecue sauce, ketchup, steak sauce—where do they come from?

Citi Of Fear
by Tim Carvell, Slate
What are Citigroup's weird ads really saing?

Where Summer Just Isn't What It Used To Be
by Dan Barry, New York Times
In the mountains of New York's Greene County, the less-familiar Catskills, the once-booming ethnic resorts only offer an echo of their past.

PBS Defies Reason
by Tim Goodman, San Francisco Chronicle
It should have been easy to figure out. Follow the money.

Jim Wood — A Giant In Bay Area Journalism
by Patricia Yollin, San Francisco Chronicle
"Having covered so much of San Francisco history, Jim became one of the better parts of that history."

French Intellectuals Don't Age Well
by Robert Fulford, National Post
Today, in universities across the West, Michel Foucault exemplifies the bad French idea at its most brilliant and its mos tpoisonous.