1. “As Seen on YouTube (and Pretty Much Only on YouTube)”
“The thing that’s so hard about this trick is that it combines two tricks that are hard to execute separately — keeping seven clubs aloft in a pattern known as a cascade and doing a pirouette under five. As far as Galchenko knows, only one other person in the world can pull it off: Anthony Gatto of Cirque du Soleil, an American widely considered to be the world’s greatest juggler.”
2. “China’s Pride: A 24-Karat Olympic Machine”
“Eight years ago, as China was vying to win its bid for the Olympics, officials like Cui began a government-financed effort called the 119 Project. Its purpose was to improve performances in the medal-heavy sports — track and field, swimming, rowing, canoe/kayak and sailing — in which the Chinese have been weak. The plan was named after the 119 gold medals awarded in those sports at that time. Other nations’ Olympic committees also attempt to win medals by allocating extra resources to certain sports. But none have been as elaborate, well financed and daunting as China’s plan.”
3. “Disney and Pixar: The Power of the Prenup”
“‘There is an assumption in the corporate world that you need to integrate swiftly,’ Mr. Iger said. ‘My philosophy is exactly the opposite. You need to be respectful and patient.’”
4. “Spain’s Top Chefs Clash Over Ingredients and Culinary Innovations”
“Santi Santamaría, one of the country’s most prominent chefs, has directed bruising public attacks at his avant-garde counterparts, accusing them of producing pretentious food they would not eat themselves — and potentially poisoning diners with chemicals that he says have no place in the kitchen.”
5. “In the Pacific, a New Kind of Monument Is Proposed”
“If the president declares a Pacific war monument, it will require rethinking the concept of how monuments are organized. Unlike land-based national monuments or the relatively new Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument … the areas in the monument being contemplated are not contiguous.”
6. “Young Evangelicals Seek Broader Political Agenda”
“They say they are tired of the culture wars. They say they do not want the test of their faith to be the fight against gay rights. They say they want to broaden the traditional evangelical anti-abortion agenda to include care for the poor, the environment, immigrants and people with H.I.V., according to experts on younger evangelicals and the young people themselves.”
7. “That License to Kill Is Unexpired”
“Fleming’s Bond also has a dark streak of world-weariness and melancholy we never get to see on screen. He’s casually racist (in Live and Let Die especially), misogynistic (giving women the vote encourages their lesbian tendencies, he believes) and anti-Semitic in a way that would never be permitted in the movies. And he’s far kinkier sexually than any of his movie incarnations. Good sex for Bond is sex that has ‘the sweet tang of rape’; when he first goes to bed with Vesper Lynde, in Casino Royale, we’re told, he ‘wanted to see tears and desire in her remote blue eyes and to take the ropes of her black hair in his hands and bend her long body back under his.’ And in a surprising number of incidents Bond is beaten or burned around the genitals — most famously by Le Chiffre in Casino Royale but also by Blofeld in You Only Live Twice — to the point where his potency is in question.”
8. “Coldplay Tries a Few New Things”
“At a small table just inside the door, between bites of salmon and sips of a Bellini, Mr. Martin recalled why he was initially drawn to Mr. Allen’s films. ‘Everyone else was either too optimistic or too pessimistic,” he said. “He seemed to have it just right.’
“It makes perfect sense that Chris Martin, 31, is a Woody Allen fan. He is possibly the most self-deprecating lead singer in pop history, constantly saying things like ‘I don’t listen to our records because it makes me break out in tears and sweat,’ and ‘We have a rule that only the four of us can ever be onstage because we don’t want to be upstaged by someone more attractive.’”
9. “Albert Brooks Gives Himself the Business”
“You know, I was reading something the other day, an interview with Woody Allen, and I’ve always been amazed that Woody Allen claims he doesn’t care about the business, doesn’t know about the business his movies do and doesn’t read anything about it. If that’s true, that’s really amazing. He never tested his movies. He never did any of that. That’s a great luxury, you know. I was never able to hide from people letting me know about the business. And for me to have to go out and partake in the same game that Made of Honor has to play in, is tough for me. ’Cause there’s no way I’m going to do well in that group of audiences. It’s like taking the SATs in Spanish for me.”
10. “Da Vinci, Retrofitted for the Modern Age”
“As entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 executives alike seek creative solutions to 21st-century business problems, the triumphs of Edison and a number of other historical figures are being revisited for the innovation lessons they can teach.”
11. “‘Sex’ and the Pink Ribbon”
“Men come and men go, they die, they disappoint, they’re unavailable, they’re too available. But at least you’ve still got your three female sidekicks and a killer wardrobe to remind you life is worth living.”
“Just as I was hanging it up as an aspiring stereo expert, I perceived a new skill set taking shape, one that eclipsed my old sound geekery. Graphic design! Sure, I can’t write any actual code or even do much with HTML, but the finish work on my technology now consumes days. I customize everything with colors and fonts and photos and choices of backgrounds, wallpaper, screen savers. It’s like decorating my 10th-grade notebook with stickers of Rossignol and Vuarnet logos, as well as cryptic verse from Edie Brickell — all meant to suggest both a rich interior life and an intimacy with high-end brands.”
“The first nerd examined in detail is Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys.”
14. “10 Years Later, Carrie Coordinated”
“In the film version of Sex and the City, which opened on Friday, the fashion is jaw-droppingly fantastic, Herbal Essences good.”
15. “A Timely Way to Go Back in Time”
“It is hard to believe that just over a century ago trains were so integral to life that time itself was standardized to synchronize with their vast and complicated schedules. Now, as is clear from the Amtrak timetable and fare sheet, plenteous train service has gone the way of telegrams and sperm-oil candles.”
Loved the piece on Albert Brooks. He is one of my heros. Thanks for including it!
You’re welcome! Thanks for reading.