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Calling The Shots
by Elaine McArdie, Boston Globe
Boston police are facing a surge in violence, the Suffolk County sheriff's office was disgraced by prisoner abuse, and the state prison system needs a drastic overhaul after the death of a convicted pedophile priest. Is it just a coincidence that all three agencies now have women at the helm, entrusted to bring about change?

A Death In The Box
by Mary Beth Pfeiffer, New York Times
By the time Jessica Lee Roger was discovered on the floor of her prison cell on Aug. 17, 2002, it was too late. In the 24 minutes since guards had last checked her, she had tied a bed sheet around her neck and, after many attempts over three years in prison, finally strangled herself. When word of Roger's suicide spread through the cellblocks of the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility that sultry weekend, two correction officers cried. Fellow inmates were angry. The superintendent, who was away for a few days, was devastated. A mentally ill young woman had died, and she had died in the most stressful and isolating place in the New York state prison system. Jessica Roger, 21, killed herself in the "box," and many thought she didn't belong there.

Jon Stewart, Seriously, Here To Stay
by Tim Goodman, San Franciso Chronicle
Stewart, once host of a small cable comedy show, has become the most popular late-night talk show host on television. He now has more cachet than David Letterman or Jay Leno. In the parlance of TV industry hacks, Stewart has "popped" — like a Roman candle.

Defacing The Skyline, A Heartless Act In The Heart Of Chicago
by Lawrence Downes, New York Times
I do not doubt Mr. Trump's sincerity. But I hate his building. It may be sleek and shiny, but it's also a soaring monstrosity, a vertical S.U.V., a McMansion in the sky.

Red Sox Joy, Beyond The Grave
by Andrew Leonard, Salon
My grandfather died in 1986, shortly after Boston's worst sports humiliation ever. He's smiling now.

When The Car Beside You Is An XXX Theater
by David Kirby, New York Times
On-board video has become widely popular with dirvers, especially those with children. But while many motorists entertain back-seat passengers with DVD's like "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," a surprising number choose racier fare.

Through The Ages, A Fried Fish Triathlon
by Charles Perry, Los Angeles Times
You don't think fried fish can migrate? You underestimate it — or you underestimate at least one fried fish tribe, which has made it from Spain to England, China and many points in between, including your local Mexican restaurant.

A Day In The Subway, As It Rolls Up A Century
by Randy Kennedy, New York Times
For a New Yorker just one day shy of turning 100 years old, the subway kept crazy hours yesterday.

After A 28-Year Hiatus, Miss (Er, Ms.) Subways Is Back
by Anthony Ramirez, New York Times
Yesterday, a new Miss Subways was crowned, just in time for the 100th anniversary of the subway system.

Not To Worry — The End Is Very Near
by Joel Achenbach, Washington Post
As pre-election anxiety disorder sets in, just remember: you'll live. Probably.

Growing Up With Mom And Mom
by Susan Dominus, New York Times
Raised from birth by trailblazing lesbians, Ry Russo-Young has a boyfriend, a gay sister, a tangled history with her sperm-donor "father" — and the outlook of a generation that has come of age between gay and straight cultures.

How Desperate Women Saved Desperate Writer
by Bernard Weinraub, New York Times
Two years ago, Marc Cherry was a 40-year-old television writer who felt his career was rapidly sliding downhill. His script, "Desperate Hosuewives," had been sent to every broadcast and cable network as a black comedy and was rejected by all of them. His agent was arrested for embezzlement and went to jail.

Take The A Train (Or THe F, The Q, The 1, The 7...)
by Brian Braiker, Newsweek
If anything truly revolutionized the way New Yorkers live, work and play, it's the subway.

The New York Subway, 1904-2004
by Joe McKendry, New York Times
One hundred years ago next Wednesday, at precisely 2 p.m., a wall of sound shook New York City from Battery Park to Harlem. Church bells and the sounding horns of ferryboats competed with the steam of whistles of hundreds of power platns and the firing of salutes. Cheering citizens flooded the streets, creating what this newspaper described as a "carnival" atmosphere that had the city "in an uproar from end to end."

We've Created A Monster!
by Gary Wolf, Wired
How three programming geeks turned the Sci Fi Channel into the best little horror house in the movie business.

Sex, Politics, Religion, And Egypt
by Charles Paul Freund, Reason
Want to know how complicated the Mideast can be? Go to the movies.

Breaking Ramadan's Fast With A Family Meal
by Joan Nathan, New York Times
For millions of Muslims in the United States, food takes on a new significance this month: in a land of gratification they spend a month denying themselves pleasure.

Looks Like Diversity, But It Tastes Like Tuna
by Frank Bruni, New York Times
Behind a comforting illusion of diversity lies an even more comforting reality of sameness. In a city of supposedly inexhaustible options, there seems to be one meal, shaped by tyrannical culinary trends, pervasive nutritional fads and the economics of supply and demand.

Do Good! Win A Prize!
by Daniel Akst, New York Times
While Nobel Prizes are given for past performance, other types of inducement prizes are intended to spur innovation. Do they do the job?

Gathering Moss
by John Budris, Boston Globe
There is no technical manual for moss gardeners, for that would defeat the purpose. Moss gardening is not technical. It is sculptural. Intuitive.

The Taste Of Right Here
by Matt Lee and Ted Lee, New York Times
If you stray a bit from the six-lane superhighways, you'll find another America, a place where the menu still includes regional delicacies like lobster rolls, buttermilk pie and tamales, foods that cling tenaciously to their native territories thanks to the powerful loyalties of personal taste.

Our National Eating Disorder
by Michael Pollan, New York Times
Carbophobia, the most recent in the centurylong series of food fads to wash over the American table, seems to have finally crested, though not before sweeping away entire bakeries and pasta companies in its path, panicking potato breeders into redesigning the spud, crumbling whole doughnut empires and, at least to my way of thinking, ruining an untold number of meals.

Having The Blues Lifts Hearts Of Color-Conscious Collectors
by Kathy Flood, Chicago Tribune
When blue crops up in nature, it startles us because nature is pretty much brown and green.

Big Mac's Makeover
by The Economist
The world's biggest fast-food company has pulled off a remarkable comeback.

When A Kiss Is Not Just A Kiss
by Matt Labash, Weekly Standard
Reality TV comes to the Arab world.

Will Satellite, 'Podcasting' Bring A Renaissance To Radio Journalism?
by Mark Glaser, Online Jouralism Review
Longtime NPR host Bob Edwards goes to XM satellite radio. Schlock king Howard Stern jumps to Sirius. People are using RSS feeds to get radio shows on their portable MP3 players. It's a new day in radio, but will journalism flourish?

Disney Is Tailoring New Park To Fit Hong Kong Sensitivities
by Keith Bradsher, New York Times
Disney had rotated the orientation of the entire park by several degrees in the early design phase after consulting a master of feng shui, a Chinese practice of seeking harmony with spiritual forces.

The Life He Left Behind
by Patti Davis, Newsweek
People who never met Christopher Reeve were emblodened by his crusade. If only President Bush had been one of them.

Truth Or Dare
by Suzanne Lebsock, Common-Place
If historians want to be believed on the big things, we should exercise care on the little ones.

Can I Get You Some Manners With That?
by Christie Scotty, Newsweek
So often it was the 'professionals' who looked down on me who were lacking in social grace.

Eat, Memory
by Chang-Rae Lee, New York Times
At the lowest point of my life, I was cooking all the time. Normally, I cook most when I'm feeling contended, say, when the writing is going decnetly well and the family is happy. But during the fall of 1990, I was cooking and miserable.

Saved, And Enslaved, By The Cell
by Ken Belson, New York Times
Is the sense of security engendered by a cellphone as much illusion as reality?

When Women Wore Heels To The Market
by Joyce Purnick, New York Times
But Marion Crane. Oh, her morality!

You Can Buy A Seat, But Can You Fit In It?
by Jesse McKinley and Joel Topcik, New York Times
Unlike major movie chains, which have introduced all sorts of cushy innovations (stadium-style tiering, reclining capabilities, cup holders), or the airlines, which advertise their legroom like barkers at a circus, many Broadway theaters have lagged behind (pun intended) when it comes to the most basic of audience amenities: their seats.

Latte, Tea Or Me?
by Curtis Sittenfeld, Salon
We've all been majorly smitten with that hot barista or bartender. Inside the steamy (literally) world of customer service lust.

Great Views And Serenity At Volcano
by Eli Sanders, New York Times
There is a rhythm to the volcano-watching day.

Historical Fiction
by Mark Schatzker, Slate
How do medieval-themed restaurants get it wrong?

The Long Tail
by Chris Anderson, Wired
Forget squeezing millions from a few megahits at the top of the charts. The future of entertainment is in the millions of niche markets at the shallow end of the bitstream.

A Writer's Journey: Botswana To Boswell Terrority
by Sarah Lyall, New York Times
As if he were not busy enough, the Scottish author Alexander McCall Smith decided some months ago to embark on the Dickensian pursuit of writing a serial novel for his local newspaper.

Apples, Honey, Caution
by Dean Landsman, DeanLand
In these times of uncertainty, with a worldwide jihad against America, and as ever againast all Jews, it is no time for joy and celebration. It is time for caution, preparedness, alert, consideration and concern.

Real Fur Is Fun Again
by Julie Scelfo, Newsweek
It's less expensive and more popular than ever. But as young people snuggle up, where are the protesters?

Forward Thinking
by Lev Grossman, Time
Oracles, futurists, visionaries — some people make their living by trying to divine the shape of things to come before anyone else. And we all avidly await their predictions.

The Spark Of Genius
by Harold Evans, U.S. News
Thomas Edison created the first light bulb 125 years ago. But he was not only America's greatest inventor. He was also a master entrepreneur.

Starbucks Vs. Its Addicts
by Daniel Gross, Slate
The coffee chain bets you'll pay even more for your caffeine fix.

Art That Goes On The Blink
by Alex Pham, Los Angeles Times
When TV's burn out, videotapes age or wires fray in technology-based works, which is more important, the medium or the message?

Life Without Miramax?
by A.O. Scott, New York Times
Because of Miramax, which took chances on challenging pictures and maverick directors, independent film is thriving. Because of Miramax, which ran roughshod over the artists it claimed to nurture, independent film is dead. In the wake of recent layoffs, however, the more pressing matter is whether Miramax itself will survive.

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Flour, Eggs, Sugar, Fortune
by Gabriella Gershenson, New York Press
Inside the factory behind all these happy messages.