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I'll Have Three Big Macs, Two Large Fries And A Lawyer
by David Shaw, Los Angeles Times
So, the misguided folks eager to cast the purveyors of fast food and snack food as the moral and legal equivalents of Big Tobacco seem to be gathering steam. Or is it just hot air?

Type Casting: Geek 'Star Wars' Is Full Of Characters
by Paul Farhi, Washington Post
Simon Jansen is the computer-age equivalent of the guy who builds a reproduction of the Taj Mahal out of toothpicks, or "The Last Supper" from wedges of cheese.

To: Mom And Dad Re: Homesickness
by Katie Hafner, New York Times
Digital technology has blazed a trail to summer camp, and with it have come misgivings.

The Politics Of Oxymoron
by Roger Sandall, New Criterion
For behind the claim that the modern world consists of "civilizations" (plural), and not just "civilization" (singular), a lot of linguistic mischief is afoot.

Breaking The Chinese Menu Code
by Russ Parsons, Los Angeles Times
To outsiders, authentic Chinese restaurants are like some maddening puzzle, equal parts tantalizing and frustrating. You know you want more than beef with broccoli, but how do you order that wonderful-looking stuff that guy is eating at the next table? And what the heck is it? Now along comes Carl Chu to the rescue.

Trading Places
by Carol Kino, Slate
Cultural property disputes are reshaping the art world — but how?

The Problem With FX
by Devin Gordon, Newsweek
Now that the bar on special effects has been raised so high, is it impossible to clear?

Just Say Om
by Joel Stein, Time
Scientists study it. Doctors recommend it. Millions of Americans — many of whom don't even own crystals — practice it every day. Why? Because meditation works.

Bob Hope, Master Of One-Liners And Friend To G.I.'s, Dies At 100
by Vincent Canby, New York Times
There was nothing Bob Hope loved more than an audience, and audiences responded in kind, particularly soldiers facing combat who desperately needed a laugh.

City Lights Alter Rhythm Of Life On Long Island Sound
by Kirk Johnson, New York Times
Scientists say that night on the Sound no longer exists because the sky has been deeply altered by the advent of artificial light.

Bob Hope, Legendary Entertainer, Dies At 100
by Associated Press
Bob Hope, ski-nosed master of the one-liner and favorite comedian of servicemen and presidents alike, has died, less than two months after turning 100.

It's Not R Town
by Lorenza Munoz, Los Angeles Times
Some small-town theaters choose to live without 'restricted' films.

Dont' Wanna Grow Up Cuz Puberty Isn't Funny
by Ned Martel, New York Times
No matter how many laughs a television show can squeeze from an impish boy, cracking wise and bugging out his eyes at various oppressors, a sudden end to the laughter looms. The comedy often stops when puberty starts.

Homeless.com
by Johnny Diaz, Boston Globe
To look at her, you wouldn't know this 22-year-old has no home. Or that she's a writer, with a devoted Internet following.

Feminism, The Body, And The Machine
by Wendell Berry, Cross Currents
Without exception, the feminist letters accuse me of exploiting my wife, and they do not scruple to allow the most insulting implications of their indictment to fall upon my wife. They fail entirely to see that my essay does not give any support to their accusation — or if they see it, they do not care.

Vroom! With A View
by Vince Beiser, Los Angeles Times
As you drive around L.A., ever wonder why someone would choose to live by the freeway?

The New Nun
by Neil Swidey, Boston Globe
A 32-year-old woman is letting go of what she calls the "image of success for a Medford girl" — marriage, big house, adorable kids, and a part-time law practice. Her reason: Because God has something else in mind.

Now Taking The Field: Bold Stadium Designs
by Christopher Hawthrone, New York Times
New sports stadiums have generally been staid and faux-historical. So will fans embrace an architectural trip to left field?

Prime Numbers: What Science And Crime Have In Common
by Nicholas Wade, New York Times
If Caesar had only known that his desire to emulate Alexander — his spectacular conquest of Gaul, his renowned oratory, his elegant military histories, his provident reform of the calendar — stemmed from an unconscious drive to bed more women, would he not have wept all the more?

Los Angeles' Lost River
by Hilary kaplan, The Next American City
For 120 years, the freshwater mecca served as L.A.'s hub and main water source, so people more or less paid attention to the river's health. But they were also sucking it dry.

Playbooks For The War Of The Sexes
by Mimi Avins, Los Angeles Times
Maxim's spoof on stripping offers insight into how the other half reads.

The Secret Of The Black Paintings
by Arthur Lubow, New York Times
Who painted Goya's most celebrated work? According to a provocative new study, it may not have been Goya.

Chinatown: Eat, Drink And Speak Cantonese
by Diasann McLane, New York Times
When I order food in Cantonese in Chinatown as a non-Asian, it is as if a door swings open and I'm invited into the house to meet the family.

America Yawns At Foreign Fiction
by Stephen Kinzer, New York Times
Writers, publishers and cultural critics have long lamented the difficulty of interesting American readers in translated literature, and now some say the market for these books is smaller than it has been in generations.

Take It From An Iowan: You Can Never Have Too Much Of A Good Thing
by Renee Schettler, Washington Post
For all the differences between Washingtonians and Iowans, there is but a single, fundamental distinction that matters to me. And it has everything to do with corn.

For Young German Writers, All Is Ich
by Nora Fitzgerald, New York Times
World War II and the Holocaust are no longer the dominant themes in these existential tales by the young writers. Instead, they are writing about the role of the artist after the fall of the wall, the life of the immigrant and, obsessively it seems, about the elusive nature of happiness.

Hidden In Every Brain There Lurks A Poet
by Brad Evenson, National Post
Dissecting creativity is 'the last frontier of the last frontier.'

For The 15th Time, Look It Up
by Peter Monaghan, Chronicle Of Higher Education
'The Chicago Manual of Style' enters the 21st century.

The Me-Moir: Publishing's Vanity Project
by Linton Weeks, Washington Post
I am in My Summer of Memoirs. The story you are reading, ostensibly an exploration of storytelling genres, is really all about me. And about what it's like to be me.

Cash. Fame. Pressure. And Garlic.
by William Grimes, New York Times
"The Restaurant," despite its manipulations, opens a window that even professional food writers rarely get to look through. It makes clear, whether consciously or unconsciously, the unholy alliance of creativity, money and public relations that dominates New York's restaurant economy.

After Blair Fiasco, Times Considers Ombudded Journalism
by Howard Kurtz, Washington Post
The icy opposition to hiring an ombudsman at the New York Times appears to be melting.

What's In A Name? In This Case, Fancy Sandwiches
by Sarah Lyall, New York Times
"Trading on one's family name is not derogatory anymore, at least not in my view."

There's No Tiptoeing Past Shoe Policy
by Susan Stellin, New York Times
Until recently, the Transportation Security Administration has been tight-lipped about its apparent shoe fetish, but on July 10, the agency finally clarified its policy.

The Writing Life
by Lily Tuck, Washington Post
Liars and novelists have this in common: They need to sustain the lie.

Question Reality
by Liza Mundy, Washington Post
'Survivor' gave Colleen Haskell fame she didn't enjoy, fans she'd rather avoid and a movie career she didn't want. So she escaped to an ordinary life and an ordinary job... making a reality TV show.

How Much Did Your Seat Cost?
by David Leonhardt, New York Times
Now the purchase of a theater ticket has come to resemble the purchase of an airline ticket. For complete control — the ability to choose your seat and the date you sit there — you will probably pay top dollar. In most other cases, you can make a deal.

Over 90, And Still On The Road
by Hila Colman, New York Times
For many people my age, just getting out for something as simple as an ice cream cone can make a big difference in your quality of life. If we can't get there in our own cars or afford to hire a driver, we need better public transportation or the help of younger people who don't mind the company of someone who's been around the block a couple of times.

3-D Rides Back To Save The Day
by Rick Lyman, New York Times
Always frantic to revive the sense of magic that greeted the first motion pictures, Hollywood is taking yet another chance on one of the movies' most enduring challenges: 3-D.

Options Abound For Text Chat Services On Macs
by Glenn Fleishman, Seattle Times
Withour data lives split up in many locations, and often our only access a machine with a Web browser, .Mac has become a more compelling option for frequent travelers — even ifyou're traveling among home, office and coffee shop.

Trust Me, I'm British
by Tim Burt, Financial Times
Whatever Downing Street's view, the BBC has become a valued news source for liberal America.

The Economist Takes The High Road To Global Success
by David Shaw, Los Angeles Times
One of the hottest-selling magazines in America doesn't publish celebrity covers or photos of scantily clad young woemn, doesn't traffic in gossip or diet tips and doesn't cater to a niche audience obsessed with cars, coins, cooking or collectibles. Moreover, it doesn't call itself a magaine, and it isn't published in America.

Falling Hook, Line And Sinker
by Sandra Leong, Straits Times
With the Disney/Pixar animation movie such a hit at cinemas, adults and children alike have been flocking to aquariums to buy a clown fish.

They Should Know Better
by Robert Fulford, National Post
Humanities scholars spend lots of time reading, so why can't they write?

Barbie, Starbucks And Freedom
by Farhad Manjoo, Salon
If Public Enemy, which has the resources to fight egregious copyright claims, doesn't make music like it used to because it's just too much trouble, think of how many other people there must be who are holding their tongues — because to say anything new and interesting would simply cost too much.

Seeking Nirvana In A Dusty Bookshelf
by James Verini, Los Angeles Times
They may look sleepy, but many used-book stores are thriving.

Hate Is A Useless Emotion
by Bella English, Boston Globe
Experts confirm what many victims feel: Forgiveness can have the power to heal.

Free Press
by Jack Shafer, Slate
The Washington Post's grand plans to give it away.

He Knows The Flow Must Go On
by John Balzar, Los Angeles Times
For a collector and businessman, nothing that modern technology offers these days can replace the magic of writing with a fountain pen.

New Tarantino Film To Be Released In 2 Parts
by Laura M. Holson, New York Times
Miramax Films will take the unusual and potentially risky move of releasing "Kill Bill," the much-anticipated Quentin Tarantino martial arts action-adventure film, as two movies, the first to open in the fall.

People's Poet
by Martin Wainwright, Guardian
For years he worked with down-and-outs, drug addicts and burglars. Now Ian Duhig has been shortlisted for one of Britain's most prestigious poetry prizes.

Sound, Fury And Cellphone Users
by Elizabeth Olson, New York Times
Feelings of rage and seething are not uncommon when it comes to cellphones, where the "against" line up passionately against the "for."

Question For 'David' At 500: Is He Ready For Makeover?
by Alan Riding, New York Times
There is no shortage of passion in the arguments brandished by Ms. Parronchi and Ms. Falletti and their respective supporters, arguments in which science and experience have been marshaled for partisan purposes.

The Devil Highway's Number Is Finally Up
by Steve Chawkins, Los Angeles Times
After 77 years, U.S. 666 will soon be renamed and, some locals say, maybe even reborn.

Harry Potter And The Internet Pirates
by Amy Harmon, New York Times
JC, a 36-year-old Harry Potter fanin Kansas City, Mo., decided he was too old to go chasing after the fifth book in the pouplar series when it came out last month. Instead, he downloaded the book.

The American Vacation Does A Disappearing Act
by Jane Engle, Los Angeles Times
Employee fear and guilt, an 'overwork ethic' and recession keep workers from taking time off.

Using Their Bean
by David Gritten, Los Angeles Times
The men behind the Rowan Atkinson comedy "Johnny English" don't need U.S. audiences to help make their film a hit. It already is.

Ground Zero Or Bust
by Frank Rich, New York Times
In post-9/11 New York, it's not those tried 20th-century battles about pornography and blasphemy that draw blood. The new culture wars often spring from 9/11 itself, starting with the future, aesthetic and otherwise, of ground zero.

Atlantic Turns To The Pacific
by Tim Rutten, Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles' bright galaxy of stars is about to increase by three.

2 Fast 4 Safety?
by Walter Kirn, New York Times
Our speed limits don't necessarily make us all safer, just more regulated.

A Message From Roger
by Lane DeGregory, St. Petersburg Times
Standing on Clearwater's Pier 60, a little boy put a note in a bottle: "To whoever finds this, please write me a letter and let me know." Nineteen years went by. Roger, we got your note.

The Anti-Pleasure Principle
by Jacob Sullum, Reason
The "food police" and the pseudoscience of self-denial.

'Bling-Bling' In The Oxford Dictionary? That's Phat
by Renne Tawa, Los Angeles Times
The popular hip-hop phrase has a shot at being included in the paes of the highly respected tome.

A Wine Award That Seems Easy To Come By
by Amanda Hesser, New York Times
For wine drinkers around the country, finding a restaurant with a Wine Spectator award has become a reassuring sign. It has come to mean that the restaurant's wine list, wine service and wine storage have been held up to the discerning light of one of some of hte nation's most well-respected wine critics, and that it has triumphed. Or has it?

Iran Twins Die Trying To Live Separate Lives
by Wayne Arnold and Denise Grady, New York Times
They wanted to see each other face to face, they said, and to pursue independent lives. And so Ladan and Laleh Bijani, 29-year-old Iranian twins who were born joined at the head, asked doctors to go ahead with a risky operation to separate them. Neither survived.

Kathleen Raine
by Janet Watts, The Guardian
Singular poet who stood as a witness to spiritual values in an age that rejected them.

Gertrude Stein Rocks
by Jim Lewis, Slate
Should great poems be seen and not heard?

Sequels Are Fish Food
by Patrick Goldstein, Los Angeles Times
Much-hypted retreads, lacking individuality, are in the box-office tank, gobbled up by the clever "Finding Nemo" and other inventive films.

Opposites Attract? Not In Real Life
by Natalie Angier, New York Times
As a new report demonstrates with the no-nonsense zing of the phrase "I do," humans often seek in a spouse the sort of person they know best: themselves.

Same Old Story: Awful Or Odd
by Sarah Johnson, The Times
Once upon a time, elderly people in children's books were either evil or eccentric, and not much has changed.

Subway Cars' Last Stop: Under Sea, Not Ground
by Robert Hanley, New York Times
An old New York City subway car was pushed into the ocean Thursday off Cape May, N.J. A total of 50 cars were added to an artificial reef.

He And She: What's The Real Difference?
by Clive Thompson, Boston Globe
According to a team of computer scientists, we give away our gender in our writing style.

Textbook Writing 101
by M. Garrett Bauman, Chronicle Of Higher Education
Most professors think you need a grat idea for a textbook to put your stamp on the discipline — a sparkling, cutting-edge theme. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Harry Potter And The Childish Adult
by A.S. Byatt, New York Times
What is the secret of the explosive and worldwide success of the Harry Potter books? Why do they satisfy children and — a much harder question — why do so many adults read them?

Capturing The Cultural Revolution
by Alan Riding, New York Times
A photographer who documented the cultural revolution in China is for the first time making public his remarkable visual testimony of that violet era.

In Search Of The Perfect Cup, The Old Coffee Pot Is PassÈ
by Deborah Baldwin, New York Times
Not long ago, coffee fanatics were thrilled to be within walking distance of fresh cappuccino. But soon that did not cut it.

Big-City Hall Marks
by Paul Lieberman, Los Angeles Times
Conceived in the Eisenhower era, the Los Angeles Music Center, Washington's Kennedy Center and New York's Lincoln Center — are forced to face some modern realities.

Is Less More? Broadway's Naked Truths
by Jesse Green, New York Times
There's currently a bumper corp of flesh on Broadway, both subtly achieved and blatantly revealed.

Up, Up And Away
by Cathy Horyn, New York Times
Apparently for many women, exposing four inches of bare belly is easier to accept than the last inch of leg.

It's Hard, Being A Chinese DJ
by Hector Mackenzie, Wired News
Welcome to the resourceful world of the Chinese DJ.

Where Have All The Lisas Gone?
by Peggy Orenstein, New York Times
Why did I recently receive birth announcements from three couples who had never met, who lived as distant from one another as Maine, Minnesota and California, yet who had all named their sons Leo?

In The Face Of Death
by Alex Kotlowitz, New York Times
They had already found Jeremy Gross guilty of a brutal murder. How did 12 pro-death-penalty jurors come to spare his life?

Barry White, Disco-Era Crooner, Dies At 58
by Jon Pareles, New York Times
Barry White, whose deep voice and lushly orchestrated songs added up to soundtracks for seduction, died yesterday in Los Angeles. He was 58.

Pawn Brokers
by Steven Poole, The Guardian
The deepest and most inexhaustible of western games, chess, has exerted a peculiar fascination for artists.

Frozen Rite
by Scott Martelle, Los Angeles Times
The suburbs they are a-changin', but for some the ice cream man still cometh, with a familiar ring of nostalgia.

A Novelist's Mental Architecture
by Marcelle Clements, New York Times
One of the exquisite pleasures of writing a novel is creating a home for the characters — and therefore for yourself, too, as their invisible but bossy guest.

Coffee Snobs Unite
by Joshua Kurlantzick, Washington Monthly
How Americans' bad taste in coffee is putting Juan Valdez out of business.

Film's Not Dead, Damn It!
by Stephanie Zacharek, Salon
Interviews with some of today's leading cinematographers — the real magic-makers of the movies — suggest that George Lucas' overhyped "digital revolution" is mostly marketing buzz.

Stars And Stripes Forever: Smithsonian Preserves That Flag
by Elizabeth Olson, New York Times
A three-year effort to preserve the 190-year-old flag, which inspired what became the national anthem, is nearing completion.

Remembering Hepburn, Floppy Pants And All
by Lilllian Ross, New York Times
To me, how she lived was pretty classy, and it should put all the pety, catty, would-be diminishers around us in their place.

The Green-Eyed Monster
by Joseph Epstein, Washington Monthly
Of the seven deadly sins, only envy is no fun at all.

At Bedtime, Is A Book All You Want?
by Erica Wagner, The Times
The success of several new books shows that erotic writing is becoming bolder and more mainstream, but sex works best in the mind, not on the page.

Salads That Declare Their Independence
by Mark Bittman, New York Times
Meat is not only the centerpiece of most barbecues, but also the simplest part. Intensely flavorful to begin with, it is easily made more so with rubs, sauces and smoke. It's the salads that can be tricky.