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Conan On The Couch
by Vanessa Grigoriadis, New York
Conan O'Brien talks constantly about how no one cares about his show because it's on too late. But in four years, when he takes over for Jay Leno, he'll no longer have that excuse. Does comedy's crown prince need a whole new shtick?

What Part Of "Wait Until Marriage" Don't You Understand!
by Harmon Leon, SF Weekly
Infiltrator goes to a teen abstinence educators' conference — and gets laid!

You Do What You Eat
by Marco visscher, Ode
Forget tougher punishments and hiring more police. The solution to crime and violence is on your plate. Here's how healthy food can reduce aggressive behavior.

Clouds, Silver Linings And A Mall In The Sky
by James Barron, New York Times
It began as a concept with, at best, a checkered history: a mall in the city. This one was to look different, with quartz and granite and an irregular shape, and be different, with very expensive restaurants instead of a food court.

Defying Terror, Filmgoers Attend A Festival In Baghdad
by Sabrina Tavernise, New York Times
In what was perhaps as much an act of defiance as a leisurely way of spending an afternoon, more than 300 Iraqis walked into a theater this past Saturday, and without metal detectors or security guards, sat down and watched a movie.

My Stroller, My Savior
by Marjorie Ingall, Salon
I always sneered at stroller-obsessed yuppies. Then I discovered a double-decker dream machine that changed my life.

The Great Wheel
by Bill Holm, Speakeasy
Literature and the national memory.

A New Russian Leaves The Old In The Dust
by Seth Mydans, New York Times
With stunning speed in the last few years, the developers have torn down scores of buildings in the city center, ripping the soul out of much of this stolid, quirky city.

Their Back Pages
by Paul Collins, Village Voice
Just what is the business for a young writer to be up to?

Evaluate Motivations Before Changing Jobs
by Erin White, Wall Street Journal
An improving job market means more opportunities to change jobs. It is a fortunate position to be in, of course, but it also makes for some tough decisions — whether you like your current job or not.

Which Of These Foods Will Stop Cancer? (Not So Fast)
by Gina Kolata, New York Times
Despite the often adamant advice, scientists say they really do not know whether dietary changes will make a difference.

At The Vatican, Exceptions Make The Rule
by John L. Allen Jr., New York Times
Although this is a difficult point for many Anglo-Saxons to grasp, when the Vatican makes statements like "no gays in the priesthood," it doesn't actually mean "no gays in the priesthood." It means, "As a general rule, this is not a good idea, but we all know there will be exceptioins."

Bye, Bye, Broadsheet
by Michael Wolff, Vanity Fair
britain is witnessing what may be the last big newspaper war — and it's about size, not circulation.

More Than A Leather Seat
by William Underhill, Newsweek
The pampered set wants first class and beyond. Your own suite, a seven-course meal — pick the right flier.

A Bit Too Much Mickey
by George Wehrfritz, Newsweek
Businessmen decry overdevelopment in Hong Kong.

Metrosexual Matrimony
by Jeremy Caplan, Time
When modern men prepare to wed, many wax, tan and help plan. Here come the "groomzillas."

The Corrections
by Nora Krug, New York Times
Corrections in books are rare. But the conclusion this implies — that books rarely contain errors — is itself incorrect.

Showering Together
by Neal Pollack, New York Times
Halfway through our move from Philadelphia to Austin, we stopped the van in Tennessee so Regina could have a baby shower.

After Life
by Joan Didion, New York Times
For a woman left behind after her husband's death, life can become a labyrinth of questions.

50 Years On, 'Lolita' Still Has Power To Unnerve
by Charles McGarth, New York Times
"Lolita" is unlike most controlversial books in that its edge has not dulled over time. Nabokov's masterpiece is, if anything, more disturbing than it used to be.

The Assassin
by Huan Hsu, Washington City Paper
One world championship. Three gold slams. 33 national championships. 36 straight victories. One 82-year-old woman.

The Rise And Fall Of Kate Moss
by Rebecca Traister, Salon
The skeletal model's coke-fueled plunge from grace has exposed some ugly truths about the fashion industry — not least its world-class hypocrisy.

Craving Hyphenated Chinese
by Julia Moskin, New York Times
Over the past decade, as large communities of people from India, Peru, Korea, Trinidad and Guyana have formed here, New York ahs had to expand its ideas about what Chinese food can be.

Egg Drop Soup Is Comfort In A Pot
by Emily Schwab, Boston Globe
"My mom always does it the traditional way. I always do it the easy way." And so begins a cooking lesson in my kitchen for egg drop soup, given by my visiting mother-in-law.

Salad, Compose Thyself
by Leslie Brenner, Los Angeles Times
Could it be a conspiracy? Who (or what) is preventing Angelenos from being allowed to enjoy the lunch that better suits us than anything in the world? That lunch would be a salade composee.

It's Dark, It's Autumn — Let's Eat!
by Charles Stuart Platkin, Seattle Times
How do the times of day, month or year affect eating? Actually, more than you might think.

The Case Of The Servant With The Fur Collar
by Carol Vogel, New York Times
Why was she wearing fur? That was one of the first questions experts asked when they began studying a 17th-century portrait of a woman who had the unmistakably stolid face of a servant but was decked out in a sumptuous fur collar.

What Is Old Age For?
by William Thomas, Yes!
Old age is humanity's greatest invention, and on an even deeper level, it invented us.

This Doll Has An Accessory Barbie Lacks: A Prayer Mat
by Katherine Zoepf, New York Times
In the last year or so, Barbie dolls have all but disappeared fromt he shelves of many toy stores in the Middle East. In their place, there is Fulla, a dark-eyed doll with, as her creator puts it, "Muslim values."

Where Did Our Waists Go?
by Mimi Spencer, The Guardian
The catwalks are suddenly full of 'traditional' womanly shapes, complete with nipped-in waists. In real world, women are losing their curves and looking more like men. What's gong on?

For Sale: Roadside Fixture With Wary But Loyal Patrons
by Sarah Lyall, New York Times
Say what you like about the Little Chef roadside restaurants — their haphazard service, their eggs swimming in grease, the ceaseless sizzling of their kitchens' grills. For the British motorist, Little Chef holds a unique appeal.

Yoga, Y'all
by Elizabeth Gilbert, New York Times
While I had had my privileged moment of transcendence in India, this is where they found theirs — on a one-hour lunch break with Julie McCoy.

For Crying Out Loud
by Martin Miller, Los Angeles Times
There will be no flowers. No food. No songs. It's his funeral, for God's sake.

Can Mickey Find His Mojo?
by Richard Corliss, Time
Disney is trying to kick its animation division back to life by (finally) embracing the computer.

Manga For Girls
by Sarah Glazer, New York Times
Among the best-selling shojo are stories that involve cross-dressing boys and characters who magically change sex, brother-sister romances and teenage girls falling in love with 10-year-old boys. Then there's a whole subgenre known as shonen ai, or boy's love, which usually features romances between two impossibly pretty young men.

Dot. Dot. Dot.
by Emily Sweeney, Boston Globe
Before there was Boston, there was Dorchester.

In Praise Of The Novel
by Carlos Fuentes, Sign And Sight
On Cervantes, Kafka, and the saving grace of literature.

Who Made Nancy Drew?
by Emily Biuso, Salon
Melanie Rehak investigatges the origins of the world-famous girl sleuth and discovers two remarkable, revolutionary women.

You've Got Literature
by Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times
Who could have known that the most innovative postmodernist prose of our age would be spam?

War Of The Words
by Tim Adams, The Observer
Few in publishing inspire more fear than the head buyer of Waterstone's. Which is bad news for lowers of literature — or even old-fashioned browsers.

The Scientist's Pursuit Of Happiness
by Johan Norberg, Policy
Free socieites provide the conditions for happiness.

The Battle For Babylon
by Jerry Saltz, Village Voice
More artists, gallerists, and curators are taking matters into their own hands.

Ziyi/Icon
by Graham Fuller, Village Voice
Thrillo f the still: How an image from Wong Kar-wai's art-house hit keeps you gazing.

Forget Star Chef; Think Professional Eater
by David Carr, New York Times
After years of staring into a rack of mounting food orders and the faces of impatient waiters, Anthony Bourdain has left the cooking line entirely.

Creating An Appealing Cookbook Requires Passion, Patience — And Lots Of Testing
by Providence Cicaro, Seattle Times
Once upon a time, a cookbook could launch a career and a good idea was enough to get our book into the hands of bestsellers. Today, unless your name is Jamie Oliver or Rachael Ray, you will have to work hard just to pique publishers' interest.

Only Until Further Notice
by Regina Schrambling, Los Angeles Times
In New Orleans, a city defined by its culinary culture, restaurateurs vow to rebuild.

No Heat Doesn't Mean No Sweat
by Julie Powell, New York Times
Although the raw food dictates no animal products and no heat, we're not talking salad here. Raw foodists have much grander ambitions.

The Slurpee At 40
by David Amsden, Slate
Has it grown up?

A Two-Day Tour Of Tokyo, Stretching $500 Worth Of Yen
by Tom Downey, New York Times
Tokyo can actually be less expensive than some major European cities (and even cheaper than New York) — if you know where to go and what to avoid.

So Many Presidents, So Few Presidential Suites
by James Barron, New York Times
While everyday New Yorkers are worrying about everyday gridlock, those schooled in hotel diplomacy are worrying about limousine gridlock and security types with sleeves they talk into.

How Emmy Works
by James Verini, Salon
Ever wonder why your favorite shows never get nominated but "The West Wing" always does? Here's why.

March Of The Conservatives: Penguin FIlm As Political Fodder
by Jonathan Miller, New York Times
Conservative groups have turned the stirring depiction of the mating ordeals of emperor penguins in "March of the Penguins" into an unexpected battle anthem in the culture wars.

Don't Worry, Be Healthy
by Marc Siegel, Slate
Fear is more likely to get you than the avian flu.

Realistic Idealists
by Alex Williams, New York Times
Teenagers are embracing social activism with the zeal of missionaries and the executive skills of seasoned philanthropists.

Artists On The Run, Their Art Left Behind
by Carol Vogel, New York Times
New Orleans' displaced community of artists have been left to wonder about the condition of their homes, their studios and their art.

When Happy And Birthday Don't Mix
by Clyde Haberman, New York Times
Someday, says his mother, he will understand why his birthday is more subdued than most. Unbridled happiness is not automatic, not now and perhaps not for a long while, when it comes to those who entered the world on Sept. 11, 2001.

Beyond Comforting The Afflicted
by Caryn James, New York Times
On the wall of a new exhibition called "A Knock at the Door..." is a politically charged, eye-catching work: an American flag shaped as a straitjacket. Although the concept sounds as ham-fisted as its title - "(un)Patriot(ic) Act" - the sculpture by Lisa Charde has a simple eloquence. It is also the perfect symbol of the important issues the exhibition considers, and of the scary cultural flap surrounding its opening.

Back To School At 52
by Corrie Pikul, Salon
Anthropology professor Cathy Small went undercover to find out why her students kept sleeping in her class. She learned some very strange lessons.

Why People Hate Fat Americans
by Daniel Ben-Ami, Spiked
This obsession with obese Americans is about more than body fat.

Nutty Professors
by Mikita Brottman, Chronicle Of Higher Education
Candidates' disabilities should not prevent them from getting hired. But, at the same time, we are all affected by our experiences.

What Are We Waiting For?
by Daniel Felsenfeld, New Music Box
They just helped, for whatever reason, and I am certain those artists might be shocked to hear it. It's a beautiful coincidence, nothing more.

Synchronizing The Present And Past In A Timeless Place
by Marlise Simons, New York Times
The care of the clocks at Versailles offers a glimpse of the enormous energy and cost France puts into preserving its cultural identity.

One Bullet Away
by Julia M. Klein, Los Angeles Times
New kinds of memoirs are emerging from the Iraq war, some by self-professed cowards and madmen. Often a slacker outlook replaces deeper musings common to the genre.

Dangerous Characters
by Benjamin Kunkel, New York Times
The novel registers historical change profoundly but not swiftly, for the simple reason that it usually takes several years to conceive, write, revise and publish a book. In terms of literary history, it's only now that the period before 9/11 is drawing to a close.

Move Over, Doc, The Guests Can't See The Baby
by Jodi Kantor, New York Times
Just a generation after fathers had to beg or even sue for the right to be present, the door to the delivery room has swung wide open. Even the most traditional hospitals now allow multiple guests during labor, transforming birth from a private affair into one that requires a guest list.

The Adventures Of Fanboy
by Deborah Netburn, Los Angeles Times
Television writer by day, comic book author by night.

Another Anniversay
by Raychul Goldenberg-Bivens as told to Sara Ivry, New York Times
I admit it's a little bit sad not to have pictures, not to have had a cake, not to have had loved ones there. But what are pictures compared with people's lives? Or what everybody else had to go through? Nothing. Those things are insignificant.

Dear New York City...
by Spalding Gray, New York Times
You gave me a sense of humor because you are so absurd.

In New Orleans, A Menu Of Options
by Timothy Dwyer, Washington Post
These days, last call comes at 6 p.m. at Molly's at the Market, a bar in the French Quarter across the street from the French Market Place and several hundred yards from the Mississippi River.

When I Was A Playboy Bunny In New Orleans
by Laura Misch, Salon
I married a cop of easy virtue, posed nude in Hef's magazine, drank all night at Lucky Pierre's, and appeared in the worst movie ever made. It was Big and it was Easy, and now it's gone.

What's So Extreme About Extreme Sports?
by Josie Appleton, Spiked
It isn't really the danger factor that marks out extreme sports. Many are less dangerous than traditional sports.

Private Aid To Italian Art Costs An Arm And A Leg
by Ian Fisher, New York Times
Italians are so blase about the art all around them that it apparently takes hacking a leg off Michelangelo's "David" or rubbing jesus out of Leonardo da Vinci's "Last Supper" to get their attention — and maybe their money.

Seinfeld
by Bryan Curtis, Slate
Master of Madison Avenue's domain.

Rail Line To Tibet Is A Marvel, But China Is Mum
by Howard W. French, New York Times
China plans a railroad line to Tibet that will operate at altitudes higher than many small planes can fly.

A Chinese University Removes A Topic From THe Closet
by Howard W. French, New York Times
The Fudan University class, Introduction to Gay and Lesbian Studies, is the first of its kind ever offered to Chinese undergraduates, and Ms. Sun briefly wondered why it was so well attened, before providing her own answer.

Breakfast On The Rise
by Candy Sagon, Washington Post
Don't skip breakfast! That's what the nutrition experts have been telling us for years, and it seems we've finally gotten the message. At the drive-through, at the coffee bar, in the supermarket — breakfast is big business.

You Are Here, But Where Is Your Appetite?
by Erika Kinetz, New York Times
Faced with an increasingly competitive marketplace and ever-savvier diners, the owners of many new restaurants have taken pains to maximize the number of appealing seats.

A Loss Of Face Value
by Paul Brownfield, Los Angeles Times
In the networks' heyday, many a small-screen persona loomed large. Today there's little currency in character; it's plot that counts.

There's No Place Like Home
by Witold Rybczynski, Slate
The historical problems with emergency housing.

Good Vibrations
by Christina Nehring, The Nation
Sex in the twenty-first century is a performance sport: We are told we must "demand" orgasms; we are told we must demand lots of orgasms (for we are "multi-orgasmic"); we are told we must seize our own orgasms and offered an array of fancifully colored vibrators to stash in our bags lest any toilet break go unexploited. Men kinow this and they feel intimidated. Women know this and they feel inadequate. The bedroom, too often, has become a site of fear.

At Last, Reporters' Feelings Rise To The Surface
by Howard Kurtz, Washington Post
Journalism sems to have recovered its reason for being.

On The Air, On Their Own: Iraqi Women Find A Forum
by Edward Wong, New York Times
With its slogan "The Voice of Iraqi Women," Radio Al Mahaba is an example of how, amid the cacophony of violence, the American experiment has prompted some Iraqis to try to build an open, democratic civil society.

Early Pangs Of Empty Nest Syndrome When The Children Leave Home For College
by Anemona Hartocollis, New York Times
Since Sarah Ripp began pining over the prospect that her daughter, Emily, was going away to college, her husband has taken to calling her "the weeping willow."

The City That Will Be
by Drake Bennett, Boston Globe
Thirty years ago, in their book "3000 Years of Urban Growth," the historians Tertius Chandler and Gerald Fox calculated that of all the cities that had been flooded, burned, sacked, leveled by earthquek, buried in lava, or in some way or antoher destroyed worldwide between 1100 and 1800, only a few dozen had been permanently abandoned. Cities, in other words, tend to get rebuilt no matter what.

Literary Letters, Lost In Cyberspace
by Rachel Donadio, New York Times
Today, a new challenge awaits literary biographers and cultural historians: e-mail. The problem isn't that writers and their editors are corresponding less, it's that they're corresponding infinitely more — but not always saving their e-mail messages.

Left Behind
by Lynn Ermann, Washington Post
She was only 9 when the woman who'd abandoned her at birth was murdered. Now she's finally ready to seek the truth about her mother's tortured life and brutal death.

The Shiver: What She Never Knew...
by Cy Epstein, San Francisco Chronicle
When you start to work in a profession, such as law, you don't know what you're doing. You hope someone will show you the way, or there will be a book with the title, "Do This." You stumble your way through, by intuition, by luck and by skill.

Giving Them What They Want
by Lynn Hirschberg, New York Times
After three decades in the TV business, Leslie Moonves, the chairman of CBS and hte person most responsible for taking the network from last place to first in the ratings, has figured out a few things about what people want to see when they turn on their televisions.

My Year of Hurricanes
by Blake Bailey, Slate
The first minute after y ou wake up, and you remember all over again that you're broke and everything is gone and your poor old cat is dead; but there, too, is your wife's warm haunch, right where you left it, and there's the gaping baby between you.

Could Drinking Floodwater Save Your Life?
by Daniel Engber, Slate
Yes—you could and you should.

Lost And Found
by Amy Larocca, New York Magazine
Marc Jacobs is fashion's awkward, lonely outsider. Marc Jacobs is fashion's coolest, most influential designer. The paradoxical triumph of a lost city boy.

Where Was Delta?
by Scott McCartney, Wall Street Journal
The contrast between what American, Continental and Southwest did Sunday and what Delta did is startling. Airlines have to be safe, but they also have to be mindful of their obligation as public transportation. In this case, they were the lifeboat for many customers, and some of the lifeboats didn't show up.

Ex-Critic: Hey! 'Rude' Diners Are Your Meal Ticket
by Phyllis Richman, Washington Post
Being the person who stood between the restaurant and the diner, I got to observe close-up both sides of these issues.

For Its Motorists, Only Parts Of Rome Prove To Be Eternal
by Ian Fisher, New York Times
"The massacre of the cobblestones," as one Roman official put it, is well under way, part of a city program to lay asphalt on streets that are used mostly by cars, buses and scooters.

Taking Popcorn Fare To Paradise
by Merrill Balassone, Los Angeles Times
It's like moviegoing is new again when a producer shows free films in Fiji.

Forget The Med, Chuck Your Towel On A British Beach
by Jackie Ashley, The Guardian
Beat global warming, the crowds and the queues by holidaying at home.

The New College Mixer
by Bradford McKee, New York Times
Whether they know it or not, the 75 students moving this week into Alice Paul Hall, the sleek new dormitory alongside Parrish Lawn here at Swarthmore COllege, are being manipulated at neary every turn into devleoping a social life.

Mummies, Mugs, And Museum Shops
by Wijinand van der Sanden, Archaeology
Bog body gifts raise questions about using the dead as marketing tools.