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Ding Dong, The Craze Is Dead
by Joe Yonan, Boston Globe
At the height of the fad, 9.1 percent of Americans were on a low-carb diet. Today the number is 4.4. If you're one of the millions embracing good things again, have we got some recipes for you.

The Greatest Stories Ever Told
by Dina Rabinovitch, The Guardian
JK Rowling and Jacqueline Wilson top the bestseller lists. Businessmen and teenagers alike devour Harry Potter and His Dark Materials. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. There is so much talent out there that this is a truly extraordinary era in children's literature.

Trying To Get Buses To Crawl A Little Faster
by Sewell Chan, New York Times
After watching New York City bus speeds struggle to the point where some Manhattan buses crawl at 4 miles per hour — only slightly faster than the average human walks — transportation planners now think that if they can make buses move even 10 percent faster, they can revolutionize travel in the five boroughs.

Online, Anything And Everything Can Be A Museum Piece
by Sarah Boxer, New York Times
The age of MoMA, the Museum of Modern Art, is over. The age of MoOM, the Museum of Online Museums, is upon us.

Tales Of The Underworld
by Blake Morrison, The Guardian
London's 19th-century sewer system is a testament to Victorian genius. But now global warming, dodgy plumbing and fast food threaten to overwhelm the capital's bowels.

For Long-Term Guests, Hotels Are A Second Home
by Melinda Ligos, New York Times
As extended-stay hotels continue to proliferate across the country, some business travelers are spending so much time in them that they practically form families away from home with fellow guests.

Farewell To Newspapers
by Michael S. Malone, ABC News
Will increased news options on the web lead to the death of newspapers?

Piecework
by Atul Gawande, New Yorker
Medicine's money problem.

America At 70 mph
by James Dannenberg, Los Angeles Times
A rented Chrysler. A ton of maps. An irrational plan to visit the 48 contiguous United States in 16 days of driving. Better buckle up.

The Future Of The 30-Second Spot
by Lorne Manly, New York Times
The television commercial — a blunt instrument that often reaches as many disinterested people as desired ones — is beginning to behave like a smarter version of direct mail. Ads can be customized, not just by neighborhood, but ultimately by household and perhaps by viewing habits.

TiVo's Ripple Effect: Water-Cooler Chill
by Ann Oldenburg, USA Today
As more Americans buy into DVR technology, they turn a deaf ear to morning-after gabfests — and that can be an issue.

Hong Kong's Seedy Neighbour Hits The Jackpot At Last
by Jonathan Watts, The Guardian
With mobsters jailed and foreign investors pouring money into its gaming industry, Macau is enjoying a spectacular boom.

In Life On The Mekong, China's Dams Dominate
by Jane Perlez, New York Times
China's ravenous appetite for hydroelectric power at home and its thrust southward into Southeast Asia in search of trade is changing the very character of the Mekong. This is true not only in China itself, but also for the five nations and 60 million rural people downstream for whom the great river serves as their life's blood.

Muslim Group Is Urging Women To Lead Prayers
by Andrea Elliott, New York Times
As they do every Friday, Muslims will answer the call to prayer at mosques around the city today. But in a bold move, some plan to break with convention and attend a service led by a woman at a conference hall on the Upper West Side — an act that has stirred a modest but fierce debate about the role of women in Islam.

Rough Trade
by Gadi Dechter, Baltimore City Paper
When it comes to the eviction business, the company loves misery.

McDonald's Commands A Real Estate Empire In Russia
by Erin E. Arvedlund, New York Times
Today, buying land in central Moscow is nearly impossible, and McDonald's prevailed by getting in early and working closely with the city.

Shake Wine, And Look What's Stirred Up
by Eric Asimov, New York Times
If you want to start a fight, mention the documentary "Mondovino" to people in the wine business and step back.

What $3 Billion, More Or Less, Buys: A Hotel Fit For Kings
by Otto Pohl, New York Times
At roughly $3 billion, the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi, which just opened to the public, is said to be the most expensive hotel ever built. A billion won't buy what it used to, of course, but three seems to do just fine.

One Show's Unexpected Lessons In Reality
by Jacques Steinberg, New York Times
The two women featured in tonight's episode say that perhaps their most valuable lesson concerned the creative liberties involved in assembling a show that is in the vanguard of the latest wave of so-called reality television.

The Feminine Technique
by Deborah Tannen, Los Angeles Times
Men attack problems. Maybe women understand that there's a better way.

No Need To Stew: A Few Tips To COpe With Life's Annoyances
by Ian Urbina, New York Times
Life can involve big hardships, like being fired or smashing up your car. There is only so much you can do about them. But far more prevalent — and perhaps in the long run just as insidious — are life's many little annoyances. These, you can do something about.

For Airline Frills, Check Out The No-Frills Carriers
by Joe Sharkey, New York Times
If Delta is cutting services to the bone, you might think its low-cost subsidiary airline, Song, would be charging even faster down the no-frills path. But Song evidently has other ideas.

Late Night Raises The Burr
by Hank Stuever, Washington Post
CBS's Craig Ferguson brings Brit wit — and a spot of tea — to the table.

Rhyme And Reason
by Camille Paglia, Telegraph
Critics can no longer read, poets can no longer write, and the unacknowledged legislators of our age are writing advertising jingles for peanuts.

Anxious To See How It Ends? So Are The Writers
by Ned Martel, New York Times
"Lost" and "The O.C.," along with "24" and "Desperate Housewives," are high-profile serials with substantial, devoted audiences, but no one — not writers, not network executives and not viewers — knows exactly how they will end their seasons.

Blogging Beyond The Men's Club
by Steven Levy, Newsweek
Since anyone can write a weblog, why is the blogosphere dominated by white males?

The Restoration
by Wells Tower, Washington Post
His childhood home, a place of so many unhappy memories, was falling into ruin. Could he redeem it?

The Sky Is Falling
by Monica Collins, Boston Globe
TV forecasters can hype even a single snowflake. Isn't that what viewers want?

The Woman Behind The Centerfolds
by Amy Wallace, Los Angeles Times
For 40 years Marilyn Grabowski has defined what's sexy on the pages of Playboy.

The Quality Cure?
by Roger Lowenstein, New York Times
We should focus on improving the quality of care rather than on reducing our consumption of it.

Shades Of Black Humor
by Alex Witchel, New York Times
Lewis Black, in middle age, is a regular on "The Daily Show" (well, almost), has written his memoirs (up to age 27) and has stand-up gigs all across the country (that's 250 nights a year on a bus). Success (finally) is so great. (Right.)

Plot Twists In Store
by David Segal, Washington Post
"Nearly everyone who publishes a book quickly realizes that if they want to publicize their work, they better take matters into their own hands."

The World's Biggest Book Market
by Mike Meyer, New York Times
After a decade in China, I thought I'd seen it all: murder, jail, aliens, rodeo. But nothing prepared me for its publishing industry, in puberty.

Meet John Doe
by Nick Mamatas, Village Voice
The RIAA runs its lawsuits as a volume business, and sometimes downloaders just gotta settle.

This Land Is My Land
by Dave Jamieson, Washington City Paper
Lots of property owners have profited from the gentrification of near-downtown neighborhoods in the District. The Robinson brothers came close to cashing in on their land, too. Instead, theyíre sitting on it.

Why Is Captive Breeding So Hard?
by Daniel Engber, Slate
Don't animals like to breed?

A First Draft Of History?
by Bret Stephens, Wall Street Journal
Call the rewrite man!

Stirring Commentary: A Food Blog For Every Taste
by Renee Schettler, Washington Post
Internet-savvy food enthusiasts sought something more quirky or writerly or lavish or esoteric or weeknight-friendly or fill-in-the-blank. Enter the food blog.

Africa Makes Fine Films. Of Course, Projector May Fail.
by Lydia Polgreen, New York Times
For African cinema, these are the best of times and the worst of times.

New York Menus: Read 'Em And Weep
by Frank Bruni, New York Times
The five scariest words that a New York diner can hear have nothing to do with failed health inspections, bungled reservations or eccentric concoctions. The five scariest words are: "Let me explain the menu."

Do You Have An Office Wife?
by Tom Prince, GQ
She knows you better than anyone. She'll listen to your problems, laugh knowingly at your jokes, and most important, mock coworkers with you.

Many Restaurants Put The Din In Dinner
by Pia Catton, New York Sun
"Can you hear me now?" is a question associated with spotty cell phone service, but it's becoming more and more applicable to sitting down to dinner in New York.

I Shopped Them All
by Letitia Bladridge, New York Times
Sometimes I feel as though my life has been defined by the department stores I have known and loved, but these stores may soon exist only in my memories.

At Home, I Am A Tourist
by Gwyn Topham, The Guardian
Strap on the travel goggles and Oswestry can exist in the same exotic sphere as Phuket.

Showing Off A Little (Inner) Cleavage
by Geralyn Lucas, Newsweek
Who are we, the women who have traded breasts for the chance to live? We are the true beauties.

Queer Eye For Straight TV
by James Poniewozik, Time
They're gay. But these writers are producing some of today's most compelling, and popular, series about heterosexuals.

The Rich Are Different, And So Is Their TV Network
by Randy Kennedy, New York Times
Plum TV is television for the rich, or at least the comfortably vacationed. In direct contrast to every other television network, Plum derives its appeal largely from its exclusivity.

What A Rush
by Dan Neil, Los Angeles Times
There are almost 6,000 lane-miles of freeways in the Greater Los Angeles area and for most commuters not an inch of redemption anywhere.

Young + Brilliant, Blessed + Cursed
by Patti Hartigan, Boston Globe
They are barely into their teens, yet they are declared the next Mozart or even a modern Messiah. But child prodigies are often both misunderstood and openly ostracized, and, as adults, they struggle under the burden of their astonishing intelligence.

Goodbye Too Soon
by Jonathan Tropper, New York Times
The fetus might make it to term or die in the womb. Either way, it wouldn't survive for long afiter birth.

A Fairy Tale For Grown-Ups
by Daphine Merkin, New York Times
What Charles and Camilla can teach us about love.

Transmission Impossible
by Andrew Mueller, The Guardian
There's nothing too controversial in Channel 4's new Banned season. But the forbidden TV in other countries? Now that really is shocking.

Going Global At A Small-Town Canadian Drugstore
by Clifford Krauss, New York Times
Setting up shop at the intersection of global capitalism, Internet arbitrage and America's health care problems was controversial.

Taking A Big, Fat Chance (For The Time Being)
by Nick Madigan, New York Times
It was not a good time in Kirstie Alley's life. A little over a year ago, she owed the taxman all sorts of money, the paparazzi were laying siege by the gate, and she was fat. Very fat. So she went to bed for seven days and cried under the covers. Byt he time she emerged, bedraggled but clear-headed, she knew what to do: make a sitcom about being fat. And — why beat around the bush? — call it "Fat Actress."

Waitstaff Confidential
by Richard Gorelick, Baltimore City Paper
You know how you leave a restaurant and talk about the servers? The server talk about you, too.

What Martha Really Ate In Prison
by Daniel Engber, Slate
The incarceration diet explained.

Here's A Switch: Tips From The Delivery Guys
by Kim Severson, New York Times
At the end of the day New York's delivery rules are pretty basic: Watch your dog. Have your money ready. TIp well, and do it in cash. And wear your nicest boxers.

In New York, The World Is Brought To Your Door
by Eric Asimov, New York Times
Judging by the volume of menus crammed into kitchen drawers around the city, it may seem as if delivery food were as old a feature of New York as the Brooklyn Bridge. But it's a relatively recent phenomenon, becoming a significant part of the restaurant business only in the last 20 years or so.

Who's Killing The Great Wines Of France?
by Corie Brown, Los Angeles Times
Facing a crisis, the French wine industry is finally forced to loosen its grasp on tradition.

The Line Starts Here
by Libby Copeland, Washington Post
Waiting 10, 20, 30 hours outside the House or the Senate, holding a place in line so some well-pressed lobbyist can sit upfront at a congressional hearing and bat eyes at all the right people — this is democracy, or something like it. More importantly, it's a job.

We No Longer Need Public Television
by George Will, North Jersey Record
Public television is akin to the body politic's appendix: It is vestigial, purposeless and occasionally troublesome.

Sport Of Kings (And Queens)
by Barbara D. Phillips, Wall Street Journal
Why so few women chess masters? America's top female player ponders the question.

Snow News Is Good News: A Blizzard Of TV Coverage
by Paul Farhi, Washington Post
Before it snows, the sign on screen should read, "Snow on the Way?" If we get 1 to 2 inches, it's "Snow Emergency!" Three to 7 inches: "Killer Storm!" Anything more, we run with "Avalanches, Cannibalism Feared."

Here Is New York, Right Where We Left It
by David McAninch, New York Times
In a city that is constantly razing the old to erect the new, or at least slapping on new paint and jacking up the price, there are quite a few places like Rose's, places that have remained quietly, stubbornly, implausibly the same for decades.