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Shame Of The City: Homeless Island
by Kevin Fagan, San Francisco Chronicle
The live — and die — on a traffic island in the middle of a busy downtown street, surviving by panhandling drivers or turning tricks.

Another Cold One
by Jason Wilson, Washington Post
For two centuries, the Old Farmer's Almanac has been offering long-range weather predictions. What is it saying about this winter in Washington? Guess. But before you break out the electric blanket, you might want to consider: Are its forecasting methods cloudy or clear?

Building A Better Bra Shop
by Hope Reeves, New York Times
A lingerie giant enlists a design firm to figure out a way to make buying bras less of a nightmare.

The Beast Of Queens
by Hugo Lindgren, New York Times
If it's just about getting to the airport, do looks matter?

A Change In The Weather
by Laura Miller, New York Times
In a rash of recent books, the post-boomer generation reflects on the underground radicals of the 60's and 70's.

Illness: Breaking Hollywood's One Remaining Taboo
by Patrick Goldstein, Los Angeles Times
Hollywood is a town whee everybody knows everybody else's business, from who's having an affair (and with whom), to where to go for the best Botox, to who has the juice to get your kid into the most elite private school. But there is one last taboo in Hollywood: being sick.

After The Yankees Go Home, A Neighborhood Shows A New Character
by Alan Feuer, New York Times
Famous places have secret lives. Like famous people, they reveal their private faces only when the lights go out and when the crowds have gone away.

Red, White And Creepy? Could Be Santa
by Clyde Haberan, New York Times
Now that Macy's has assured everyone this Thanksgiving that Santa Claus is a straight guy with no eye for same-sex marriage, it may be time to face another issue squarely.

A Woman's Work? Don't Tell That To This Kindergarten Teacher
by Sara Rimer, New York Times
Mr. Winters has been teaching kindergarten here for 15 years, which makes him an anomaly. Men, for the most part, do not teach kindergarten — or first grade through third grade, for that matter.

On Acknowledgments, The Inquisition Was Easier
by Sam Roberts, New York Times
Authors have been struggling with acknwoledgments for at least 500 years.

How To Set The Table, And Why: The Short Course
by Florence Fabricant, New York Times
Even if you do not own silver flatware for 12 or will wind up borrowing from a neighbor or a parent, what does matter when the plates, flatware, glasses and napkins finally do go on the table, is that they should not be placed helter-skelter but should follow certain conventions.

The Man Who Clears Kermit The Frog For Takeoff
by Michael Wilson, New York Times
One Thursday a year, for three crisp hours that end at noon, Brett Zweiback is arguably among the five or six most influential people on the planet.

At Ground Zero, A Stream Of Commuters And Tears
by Michael Luo, New York Times
Yesterday, on a morning that proved at once painful and uplifting, downtown workers streamed into the heart of the former World Trade Center site for its first rush hour since the terrorist attack on Sept. 11, 2001.

A Scholar Who Gives 'Harry' The Evil Eye
by Philip Kennicott, Washington Post
Children read for the same reasons adults do: to escape. Why is it that some adults want to drag them back to their own world of fears and discord?

The Noises
by Nick Paumgarten, New Yorker
What was going on in the apartment upstairs?

Seeing The Funny Side Of Islamic Law, And Not Seeing It
by Neil MacFarquhar, New York Times
A popular television series has touched off both sustained outrage and peals of laughter across Saudi Arabia.

Pop Goes The Cello
by Robert Everett-Green, Globe And Mail
This instrument may be a visitor from a higher realm, but lately it's showing up everywhere, as popular musicians of all types call it into play.

The Gory Details
by Louise Kennedy, Boson Globe
What does it mean that today's hit television crime dramas dwell not on whodunit but on how it was done?

Independence Days
by Pagan Kennedy, Boston Globe
When the writer was a child, her mother defied the calendar, rescheduling holidays for the convenience of the family.

A Tempest And A Teapot On A Whirlwind Trip
by Jane Engle, Los Angeles Times
Typhoon alerts in Hong Kong aren't unusual. There was no cause for alarm — until the cabs stopped running.

Love In The Time Of No Time
by Jennifer Egan, New York Times
Internet romance begins outside any real-life context, but it quickly creates a context all its own — full of flirting, sex, jealousy, love and rejection. In the world of online coupling, your digital dating self never sleeps.

Cartoon Raises A Stink
by Gene Weingarten, Washington Post
Did Johnny Hart — the beloved creator of "B.C." and one of the most widely read cartoonists on Earth — sneak a vulgar defamation of Islam into the comics pages last week?

The Book Tide Is Running, For Readers And Browsers
by Janet Maslin, New York Times
From nuclear images to literary anthologies to fashion hype, there are gift books for every sensibility this holiday season.

An Orchard In A Bottle
by Emily Green, Los Angeles Times
When the cooking's done and guests are fed, raise a glass to the essence of autumn.

Shhh!
by Tim Whitaker, Philadelphia Weekly
People are trying to compute.

The Penguin Is Mightier Than The Sword
by Jesse Jarnow, Salon
"Bloom County" cartoonist Berkeley Breathed talks about bringing Opus back to the nation's comics page to rip Garfield (and maybe George Bush) a new one.

A PC Salesman Who Pushes The Right Buttons
by Katie Hafner, New York Times
A computer superstore can be like a Hieronymus Bosch tableau, with infernal aisles of inscrutable merchandise and demons in the form of salespeople on commission. And the sales staff can be most tormenting, it seems, during the holidays: in a store crowded with shoppers hunting for big-ticket gifts, a good salesperson can be hard to find, and given to abandoning one shopper in favor of a more lucrative sale across the aisle. But then there are salesmen like Mr. Garcia.

First, We Don't Say 'Yuck' ...
by David Shaw, Los Angeles Times
And other hard lessons for a civilized meal with grown-ups.

"If We Haven't Found Anyone Else By 40, Let's Get Hitched!"
by Curtis Sittenfeld, Salon
Are "marriage pacts" a mature, open-eyed approach to love — or the ultimate in cowardly bet-hedging?

Why It's Better To Look, Listen — And Think For Yourself
by Rupert Christiansen, Telegraph
Trying to make art accessible makes it much less exciting.

Sartre Redux
by Scott McLemee, Chronicle Of Higher Education
A new generation of scholars explores the philosophy and politics of the founder of existentialism.

To The Table, And Be Slow About It
by Regina Schrambling, Los Angeles Times
It's time to shift gears and remember this day is about celebration, not the mad rush.

The Second Coming Of Philip K. Dick
by Frank Rose, Wired
The inside-out story of how a hyper-paranoid, pulp-fiction hack conquered the movie world 20 years after his death.

The 'Alien' Series, Stretched To The Nines
by Peter M. Nichols, New York Times
With DVD producing revenues in the billions, studios are more willing to spend ever larger amounts on extended films and supplemental materials.

The Grace Period Has Ended
by Jack Thomas, Boston Globe
For a while we tried to be nicer to one another. Now we need to learn our manners all over again.

Disconnected Urbanism
by Paul Goldberger, Metropolis
The cell phone has changed our sense of place more than faxes, computers, and e-mail.

A Maverick Starts A Museum Chain
by Alan Riding, New York Times
Marc Restellini, an art curator with the soul of an entrepreneur, looks to draw crowds to popular art shows all over the world by running his own museums.

Name A Proxy Early To Prepare For The Unexpected
by Jane E. Brody, New York Times
Two years ago, before entering the hospital for elective surgery, I appointed my husband as my health care proxy in case something happened to impair my ability to make decisions about further treatment.

An Open Message For Bill Clinton: Your Neighbors In Harlem Miss You Like Crazy
by Alan Feuer, New York Times
Consider this an open letter from the citizens of 125th Street to former President Bill Clinton. Its message is simple: Mr. Clinton, please come home.

Take This McJob
by Jan Freeman, Boston Globe
McDonald's complaint can only keep the debate sizzling and the MacJobs tally rising. That's the kind of corporate strategy you'd expect from the clown, not the CEO.

Do You Know Where Your Children Are?
by Liza Mundy, Washington Post
Most likely, they're watching PG-13 movies. Those would be the ones with the foul language, oral-sex references and torture scenes.

A Behind-The-Screens Look At Fleeting Airfare Availability
by James Gilden, Los Angeles Times
Clicking on a bargain option doesn't mean you'll get it. Sometimes there's hidden competition at play.

Yes, It's A Mall, But A Far Cry From The Food Court
by William Grimes, New York Times
Some New Yorkers will go almost anywhere for a good meal. In a few months, however, the city's culinary adventurers will face what may be their steepest test yet.

Serious Dance In Los Angeles. No, Seriously.
by Laura Bleiberg, New York Times
October represented something of a turnaround for Los Angeles, a city with a reputation for failing to support dance.

Squaring Off
by David Hayes, New York Times
Inside the cult of speed spinners at the Rubik's Cube world championships.

No Wiggle Room In A Window War
by Lisa W. Foderaro, New York Times
A new state code that requires a minimum opening of 5.7 square feet for bedroom windows is colliding with Amish tradition, which prescribes a double-hung window of five square feet.

You Could Already Be A Winner
by Laura Miller, New York Times
Why do the choices for the National Book Awards finalists always strike so many observers as eccentric?

The Physics Of... Wrinkles: Lines Of Least Resistance
by Robert Kunzig, Discover
A general theory of wrinkling puts your face in touch with the universe.

The Wal-Mart You Don't Know
by Charles Fishman, Fast Company
The giant retailer's low prices often come with a high cost. Wal-Mart's relentless pressure can crush the companies it does business with and force them to send jobs overseas. Are we shopping our way straight to the unemployment line?

Ann Cornelisen, 77, Writer On Improverished Southern Italy, Dies
by Douglas Martin, New York Times
Ann Cornelisen, an American expatriate writer who brought spry and steely language to her evocative books about the poverty-stricken South of Italy, died on Wednesday at her home in Rome, Ga.

Bringing Up Daddy: Dave Delivers The Poop On His New Life
by Matthew Gilbert, Boston Globe
The Letterman reality has changed significantly over the years, as the 56-year-old talk-show host has opened the file on his private life.

Twilight Zone For ZIP Code At Ground Zero
by Clyde Haberman, New York Times
An inevitable question is what does the United States Postal Service intend to do with this ZIP code. Preserve it for the new buildings that will eventually rise? Or retire it, much as a ball club does with a great player's number?

A Life Stranger Than Fiction
by Helena de Bertodano, Telegraph
First Amy Tan's grandmother committed suicide, then her mother tried to murder her.

Richard Pearson Dies; Post Obituary Editor Was Instant Biographer
by Claudia Levy, Washington Post
Richard G. Pearson, 54, who crafted graceful obituaries for Cary Grant, George C. Wallace, Roy Rogers, Andy Warhol and thousands of other well-known and virtually unknown people, died of pancreatic cancer Nov. 11 at Virginia Hospital Center-Arlington.

Beats Walking? At 3.4 MPH, Not This Bus
by Michael Luo, New York Times
If you ride the M23 bus, chances are you are not in a hurry.

Say Farewell To The Last Of The Auteurs
by Tim Goodman, San Francisco Chronicle
When CBS canceled "The Brotherhood of Poland, N.H.," something strange happened. It very quietly signaled the end of the powerhouse writer- producer on television. It was the day the auteur died.

You Can Top This
by Emily Green, Los Angeles Times
Don't let the pizzerias fool you. There's no mystery to making a great pizza.

BYOB: It Can Spell Trouble
by David Shaw, Los Angeles Times
How many times have you brought wine to a restaurant that didn't have a liquor license? Well, it's against the law.

Work Out Or Play The Slots, All Between Flights
by Sharon McDonnell, New York Times
Most business travelers loathe airline delays. Not Peter Shankman, if the airport is McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas.

Starbucks At The Airport? How About Lone Star Bucks?
by John Kelso, American-Statesman
The Starbucks folks could implement several design changes to make a coffee shop out at the Austin airport appear local.

The Things They Wrote
by New York Times
Observation this year of Veterans Day comes as about 130,000 troops — 102,000 active military and 28,000 reserve — remain on duty in Iraq. As of yesterday, according to the Pentagon, 394 have died in the war. Below are excerpts from among the final letters home of some soldiers who died there.

The Birth Of Science Times: A Surprise, But No Accident
by John Noble Wilford, New York Times
Twenty-five years ago, editors of The New York Times had a big problem: what to do about Tuesdays?

Unplugging The Matrix
by Matt Feeney, Slate
Why the sci-fi franchise went south.

But Seriously, Folks
by Linton Weeks, Washington Post
Comedian Steve Martin's new novel is no joke.

A Job With Plenty Of Downtime
by Peter Carlson, Washington Post
For quarterbacks, getting sacked is all in a day's work.

Newspaper War, Waged A Character At A Time
by Joseph Berger, New York Times
Although some of the city's 300 ethnic newspapers may have a languid, less-than-fresh feel, the Chinese press is aggressive. And the competition is about to get more cutthroat.

Songs Of Ourselves
by Christine Kenneally, Boston Globe
New research suggests that we like music that sounds just like us.

Thumbs Down, Thumbs Up: Prizing A Personal Voice Even If It Hurts
by John Rockwell, New York Times
Better a personal voice than an earnest student of convention. And if you make some people mad, and you will, all the better.

At Last, L.A. Puts Down Its Salad Fork
by David Shaw, Los Angeles Times
Part of the reason we're seeing more adventurous menus is because we're finally willing to try something different.

Of Mice And Men
by Umberto Eco, The Guardian
Sense for sense and not word for word, negotiation is the key to good translation.

Braving Disney
by Tyler Currie, Washington Post
Which is scarier for a sheltered fifth-grader: a ravenous T-rex or his classmates' derision?

Including Ashley
by Ylan Q. Mui, Washington Post
She can't speak, read or write. But Ashley Meissner is sitting in a regular classroom with regular third-graders. Should other severely disabled children be there, too?

Saving Oscar®
by Rob Walker, New York Times
Tanking ratings, kudos-fest fatigue, statue-buying campaigns — what's the academy to do? The plan to protect the franchise.

See Me, Shoot Me, Ask Me, Love Me
by Terrence Rafferty, New York Times
What a film festival means to a star with a movie to sell.

The Studio-Indie, Pop-Prestige, Art-Commerce King
by A.O. Scott, New York Times
Why Steven Spielberg really is the greatest living American director.

Drawn To Narrative
by Lynn Hirschberg, New York Times
For Tim Burton, moviemaking has always been about the visuals, but in making a film about a dying father he has discovered the allure of storytelling.

TV Dinners
by Kristin Eddy, Chicago Tribune
The Food Network, perhaps more than any media, has changed the way Americans have come to regard chefs, the food industry and the possibility of becoming good cooks themselve.

Another 10,000 Party For The Dow?
by Eric Wahlgren, BusinessWeek
The venerable index is bound to cross that psychological line again soon. It may not be as cathartic an event as the last time, though.

In The Land Of The Free, Who Wears The Skirts?
by Herbert Muschamp, New York Times
A rich tapestry of a show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art seeks to redefine the skirt and promote its place in the wardrobe of everyday.

Eye Do
by Christopher Hawthorne, Slate
What does the New York Times redesign say about its self-image?

Once Just A Cupcake, These Days A Swell
by Julia Moskin, New York Times
In New York, cupcakes are not lopsided school-bake-sale affairs. They are art, they are fashion, they are a tourist attraction and they can be big business.

To Infinity And Beyond
by Marcus de Sautoy, The Guardian
Doing mathematics can often feel like the creative process of a theatre improvisation.

Unreason's Seductive Charms
by David P. Barash, The Chronicle Of Higher Education
Monsters arise from many sources, and not just when reason is slumbering and our irrational, unconscious selves have free play.

Why Are Kenyans Fast Runners?
by Brendan I. Koerner, Slate
There are a few popular theories, which break along nature-versus-nurture lines.

I See Naked People
by Michael Leahy, Washington Post
Megastars baring all, 'Girls Gone Wild,' nudists next door. Where is America's fascination with nudity taking us?

The Reluctant Retiree
by Robert Sabbag, Boston Globe
Being Walter Cronkite is still a full-time job.

Please Touch The Art
by Carol Kino, New York Times
Wouldn't it be nice if you could reach your hand into a museum display case, pluck out the rare book or manuscript inside, hold it and turn the pages? Recently, some museums have developed devices that allow you to do just that — virtually.

The Case Of The Incredible Shrinking Blockbuster
by Jesse McKinley, New York Times
Less than three years after its incomparably auspicious opening, "The Producers," in the eyes of many on Broadway, has become an underachiever.

Too Much
by Margaret Talbot, New York Times
The obsession with homework on the part of American elites says as much about class as it does about the classroom.

Why I Don't Believe In Ghosts
by Philip Pullman, New York Times
How can you write in a truthful and realistic way about something that doesn't exist?

Finding Philosophy
by Colin McGinn, Prospect
What made me a philosopher? Two great teachers, the promise of escape and a neat pencil case.