A classic that, on rereading, disappointed: “The Catcher in the Rye,” by J. D. Salinger. As an adult, I have no use for it. A Certified Important Book you haven’t read: Proust’s “Remembrance of Things Past.” It was one of only three novels I packed for a three-month fellowship in Mexico. I don’t think I ever got past page three.
His stomach bloated by the side effects of medication, his left hand gripping a cane, Hussein, 63, tottered onto a plane that would take him back to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota for emergency cancer treatment–only one week after he had triumphantly returned home, proclaiming himself cured. Before he left, Hussein fired his 51-year-old brother, Hassan, who had served him as crown prince for 34 years. As his new heir, he named his oldest son, Prince Abdullah, 37, a brigadier in the Army....
Her hunch was amply rewarded. “Secrets & Lies,” which opens the New York Film Festival this week, not only won Blethyn the Best Actress award at Cannes, but the film walked off with the top prize, the Palme d’Or. Three years ago Leigh accomplished a similar double coup in Cannes, when “Naked” won David Thewlis the Best Actor prize and Leigh the Best Director. Mike Leigh does not make bad movies....
The “Inside the NBA” analyst will return to the “Saturday Night Live” stage on March 3 along with musical guest Migos. (Ah yes, that classic Barkley and Migos combination.) MORE: Barkley finally gets his money from the Trail Blazers This upcoming appearance will mark Barkley’s fourth time hosting “SNL.” He previously appeared at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in 1993, 2010 and 2012, and while his episodes have been uneven at times, he has been part of some very funny skits....
Like a character from a novel, Lionel Messi fell quickly for Antonella Rocuzzo. She was the cousin of one of his friends and he saw her for the first time while Messi and the friend were playing Playstation. Right then he knew he wanted to be with her forever. They were in the middle of a game, and the girl who lived upstairs from the Scaglias came to ask if they needed anything....
Say this about the president: he is going to stick with his vision, his strategy and his decisions on Iraq—no matter what the world, the American voters, the new Democratic Congress, the ‘08 presidential contenders or even his fellow Republicans want. All the buzz before the speech was that Bush would do something of a quick shuffle past Iraq. Yes, there was much domestic throat clearing—more than a half hour’s worth of it (though not a single mention of Katrina and New Orleans)—but when it came time to turn to Iraq and the “war on terror” he did not flinch....
Venerable safety Troy Polalmalu, the captain of the Steelers defense, told reporters they’re ready for Brian Hoyer’s backup to enter the game in a sub-package. “The thing about it, New York tried to do that with Tim Tebow a little bit,” Polamalu said. “But Tebow’s a guy you have to just play and play and grind out the entire game. I don’t think Johnny is that type of guy. I think if Johnny came into the game, he would make some splashes, he doesn’t need to get into a rhythm....
Once again Sutarto, 54, refused. The stocky, U.S.-trained military leader is no fool: he knows that martial law is “bad for the nation.” He also recognizes that the military must transform itself into a more disciplined and professional outfit under civilian control. Sutarto gave Wahid no choice but to abide by the Constitution. Relieved Indonesians hailed Sutarto’s stand. “The military is acting responsibly,” says political analyst Dewi Fortuna Anwar. Adds Juwono Sudarsono, Wahid’s former Defense minister: “Ironically, people now see the military as the defender of democracy against the president’s authoritarian threats....
Few Americans knew more or cared more about the Arab world. Raised in Idaho, Hooper, 40, fell in love with Arabic two decades ago. At the United Nations, he became well known for his energy and keen political judgment. “He had the most penetrating and powerful intellect I have ever encountered,” his former boss, U.N. Under Secretary-General Terje Roed-Larsen, said at a memorial service last month. Single and stretched thin, he still had time for family....
That’s how much Warner Books agreed last week to pay Welch for his autobiography, and the record amount for a one-time nonfiction book left the publishing world gasping for air. It’s more than Colin Powell, Norman Schwarzkopf and the pope received, and more than twice the whopping $3.25 million advance Robert Rubin, the former Treasury secretary, landed recently for his book. “Advances in excess of $5 million used to be reserved for the Oval Office,’’ says Jeffrey Krames, editor in chief of McGraw-Hill’s business-book division....
Moscow’s leverage was Azerbaijan’s six-year war with Armenian separatists, who have captured a full fifth of the country and shattered its stability. Without Russian military assistance, diplomats believe, Azerbaijan stands no chance of defeating the separatists. ““The Azeris knew they were not in a position to resist [Moscow],’’ says the diplomat. Aliyev’s concession is a stunning achievement for Moscow, which has been working hard to regain superpower status. Russia has already won border accords with Armenia, Georgia and all five Central Asian republics....
He was staying at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, where rooms start at $300 a night. At the end of the evening I went to the hotel with him in his rented red convertible Mustang, but I didn’t want to sleep with him. I just wanted to hang out; I wasn’t sexually attracted to him. I was trying to be his friend. He fixed me a Cape Cod, which is cranberry juice and vodka....
Now, many decades after Arkady’s arrival, I also have plastic bags in my closet. But they’re filled with nice clothes I’m giving away because my wardrobe is too full. The biggest life issue facing me when I open my closet door is whether to put on an Ann Taylor jacket or a Gap sweater. As talk of recession and belt-tightening makes headlines, I wonder where and how I lost my grandfather’s sense of thrift....
A project this vast and this visible prompts some grousing, too. Locals wonder if the Getty will be an accessible cultural Acropolis or a fortress of elitism. (Actually, the museum will be free, but, this being L.A., you’ll have to pay to park and you’ll have to reserve a spot in advance.) People shake their heads over the astonishing sums of money lavished on the project. When the eccentric tycoon J....
Newdom and Filipski are leading a wave of openly gay and lesbian baby boomers just starting to ponder their golden years. Demographers estimate that there are already 1 million to 3 million gay and lesbian seniors–a number expected to skyrocket in the next 15 years. While the majority of straight seniors are cared for by spouses and children, gay seniors often lack those family ties. “We are particularly vulnerable as we get older,” says Terry Kaelber of Senior Action in a Gay Environment (SAGE), an advocacy group for gay seniors....
In places like Wisconsin, where hunting is a $1 billion industry, fears about the disease have sparked radical measures. State hunting officials have declared a kill-them-all policy in one region where CWD has been found. In this “eradication zone,” hunters traditionally limited to taking a single deer can now shoot 100 or more. The hunting season usually lasts nine days, but in the eradication zone, hunting started in June and will run through the end of January....
But over the weekend a problem arose that could complicate Thomas’s chances. Newsday and National Public Radio reported that a woman who had worked for Thomas at the Department of Education and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in the early 1980s complained that Thomas had sexually harassed her. The woman, Anita Hill, now a professor at the University of Oklahoma Law School, claimed Thomas, who was separated from his wife at the time, made suggestive remarks and urged her to date him....
Gheen, a minor league hurler in the 1920s, used an underhand delivery to deceive opponents. The Lincoln County News called him “the underhand curve-ologist” in a 1922 article. MORE: Mets affiliate Columbia Fireflies will be glowing this season He wound up and arced the ball underhand with great accuracy and astonishing movement, baffling batters and humoring fans along the way. Gheen’s greatest feat came on April 26, 1922, when he pitched a perfect game for Class C Winston-Salem against Greensboro....
Through a process known as the “public health approach,” public health officials have been able to improve the health and safety of American citizens due to a wide range of issues, from smoking to obesity. This same multi-step, research-based approach could be leveraged to reduce the number of firearm-related injuries, too. Here’s what would need to happen. Pinpoint the Problem A public health approach is a data-driven one. The first step in preventing firearm-related injuries—or any health or safety issue—in a given community is figuring out what is going on, who is involved, and how, when, and where it’s happening....
