Published from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays, our headlines contain links to the most pressing, interesting, or odd stories and sites we find around the web.
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New York’s currently: on vacation until Monday
Capitol Hill remakes Medicare, to cost $400 billion in its first decade, $1 trillion in its second, and perhaps not remarkably, no one knows what’s inside the bill.
Stroke gives woman British accent.
TMN’s Clay Risen on the Lin-crutch used by designs for the Ground Zero memorial.
Report cards for Democrats in Iowa.
Police bust JFK drug ring involving 19 baggage handlers and millions in coke and weed.
Sex is good! Sex is really, really, really good! Actor William H. Macy says even bad sex is OK.
Five million people infected with HIV this year.
Survey of new EU members in 2004 and hopefuls for 2007, and good summary of East-meets-West issues.
Responding to settlements, U.S. cuts nearly $290 million from loan guarantees to Israel.
Classic Trillin profile of Edna Buchanan.
The short course on setting the table properly by Florence Fabricant.
There are 1,000 times too many humans for the species to be sustainable.
The Metropolitan Opera to take first-ever mid-winter nap on account of low ticket sales.
Finger-biting Jesus unfazed by Tazer.
Recent paintings by Tadanori Yokoo.
New York’s currently: up when you’re up
Jury hands sniper Muhammad death sentence.
U.S. military retracts report of American soldier mutilation in Iraq.
At debate, Democratic candidates attack Dean on Medicare.
Cell-phone users show up en masse, ready to switch.
Ku Klux Klan member shoots gun in air, God shoots back.
It changed my life and made me think that I could become a singer too. The Charlatans’ Tim Burgess on New Order’s Power, Corruption & Lies.
The psychology of shopping in New York.
Shel Silverstein, in the ‘sexy pirate with dirty feet’ shot from the back cover of Where the Sidewalk Ends. ‘People I’d have sex with to avoid ‘dialing down the middle’ with Carrot Top, as revealed by a recent game of ‘Who Would You Rather Sleep With?” by Evany Thomas.
British farmers release chill-out album for turkeys getting nervous during the holidays. Related: How to pick out a good turkey.
Did you know that 34,273 is the smallest prime number whose square is zeroless pandigital (i.e., containing all digits from 1 to 9)? And more fun with prime numbers!
Ken Womack on The Beatles’ Let It Be Naked.
Man’s iPod battery dies, man gets angry, man makes PSA. Related: Apple introduces battery plan for iPods.
New York’s currently: trying out a new haircut
Acting Georgian President pledges friendliness with the West, after former President Shevardnadze resigned.
Fiscal discipline dashed in GOP bills rushing through Congress, also: Companies spend big money on lobbyists to win back big money in the Medicare bill.
The lives of spies tracking Democratic contenders.
What good is a fancy, expensive apartment if you live beneath a stonecutter?
PATH train service resumes to World Trade Center.
Five U.S. soldiers killed in helicopter crash north of Kabul.
How scallions can pick up Hepatitis A. Related: North Carolina outbreak of green onion Hepatitis A linked to Georgia strains.
Beliefs people held as children.
I really do believe a novel is nothing more than a strongly expressed opinion and that you need to respond strongly and with vitality. Dale Peck, as critic, reviewed in England.
Profile of über-New Yorker, Marvel Comics’s editor in chief.
Malcolm Gladwell on principles missing from institutions.
Details involved in auditioning for a major symphony orchestra.
Only known recording of South African language Kukasi now available for streaming.
New York’s currently: keeping the film rights
Baghdad: rocket attacks on two hotels and the Oil Ministry.
London demonstrators mock toppling of Saddam Hussein statue, topple Bush effigy in Trafalgar Square.
Where are we in this boom-bust process? The deteriorating situation in Iraq is either the moment of truth or a test that, if it is successfully overcome, will only reinforce the trend. Tracking the arc of American supremacy, and asking if it’s a good thing anyway.
Michael Jackson booked in molestation charge.
Anti-accord demonstrations in Miami turn violent.
Amid scandals, Illinois lawmakers pass landmark governmental ethics bill.
Hepatitis outbreak linked to Pittsburgh Mexican restaurant: now up to 530 cases.
Phil Spector charged with murder.
U.S. begins deportations of ex-Nazi guard living in Queens.
Really, like, really answering the question: estimating the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow.
Enough Thanksgiving resources and recipes to thoroughly engorge your gizzard.
The husband and wife sit close on the front porch step. Their children wave sparklers, then drop them, hissing, into a coffee can of water. Kathy Fish, ‘With Fire and Metal on a Moonless Night.’
The preview you need to see, even though you still haven’t seen Elf: Will Ferrell in Anchorman.
New York’s currently: feeling for the victims of fire in Greenpoint
View finalists’ bids for the World Trade Center memorial competition, or read reviews by Christopher Hawthorne or Muschamp (even browse the judges).
U.S. rehiring demobilized Iraqi soldiers at ‘warp speed’ to rebuild army.
Literature is a horse race! Lit Idol organized for the Clay Aikens of fiction, remarkably similar to John Warner’s proposal on TMN.
South Africa approves free medication to millions of citizens infected with H.I.V.
New York City newspaper racks under attack!
Defense Department denounces memo obtained by the Weekly Standard that links Saddam and bin Laden.
Student hunts pulled-pork sandwiches for spring break.
Shirley Hazzard wins National Book Award for The Great Fire. Slightly Related: Hazzard and Graham Greene’s last companion Yvonne Cloetta haggle over his legacy.
Photographs by Sacha Dean Bïyan.
British protesters use high tech to track and disrupt Bush’s visit. Related: Diary of the Mirror’s royal spy, close enough to poison the Queen.
Time wasted with The Scribbler.
New York’s currently: free, not a number
President Bush arrives in London.
Massachusetts Supreme Court overturns ban on gay marriage. Related: Bush criticizes ruling. Related: Gay marriage now a shoe-in issue for 2004 campaigns.
Northwestern University hate crime faked, police say.
Shift to decentralized strategy for Al Qaeda has led to its ability to survive.
New tactics: U.S. begins bombing buildings and houses used by suspected guerrilla fighters.
John Allen Muhammad convicted in Washington sniper trial. Related: ‘If Muhammad’s guilty is Malvo innocent?’
FBI arrests 48 Wall Street professionals in fraud sting.
Easter Island statues in need of erosion control.
AT&T patents patent for anti-anti-spamification, confuses all, enters sixth circle.
I’ve been writing some strange combination of fiction and nonfiction on and off since I was in high school. Forty years or so. I never cared about money —all I ever cared about was getting chicks to like me. Gerard Jones on how he started Everyone Who’s Anyone in Adult Trade Publishing.
Science studies the sound herrings make, here described as farting.
Before the turkey: learn your place settings.
New York’s currently: wishing a very happy birthday to the bird
25 years ago: Full story of the Jonestown mass-murder-suicide, more than 900 dead.
With desperate hands, Zimbabwe seizes foreign money from tourists to bank hard currency.
Obliterating Animal Carcasses with Explosives.
Democracy seen in Lucky magazine, not Vogue.
Changing of the Avant-Garde: Visionary architectural drawings, including John Hejduk.
Spoof brand names snapped up for real companies.
I should laugh at the joke though it’s not funny Thirteen situational-specific smiles practiced by Thais. [ via the H ]
EPA promotes storing radioactive material in ordinary landfills.
Memorial service for George Plimpton today, St. John the Divine, 4 p.m.
Donald Trump taunts dwellers in other people’s buildings.
Where and when Hitchcock appears in his own films.
A new favorite food blog: Let’s Eat, To the Beat. Unrelated: Bird families of the world.
‘After Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, the Preface,’ by Jeff Wall.
Vivid review of Morrison’s Love by Darryl Pinckney.
‘Fritz: A Fable’ by Josip Novakovich.
New York’s currently: your favored island shores
Schwarzenegger ‘no-frills’ swearing-in today. With frills.
Mortality type in NYC, by neighborhood.
Al Qaeda claims responsibility for Turkey bombings. Related: Al Qaeda threatens attacks in Tokyo if Japan sends troops to Iraq.
Afghanistan’s opium production soars 19-fold in two years, now the world’s major source of heroin.
Ignoring the lessons of the 1920 revolt against the British in Baghdad.
At the Rubik’s Cube championships. Related: Garry Kasparov beats X3D Fritz chess computer, evens four-game match.
We didn’t have anything to stir [the salad dressing] with so Newman went to the river outside the barn and got his canoe paddle he came back and started churning, and I said: ‘You’re out of your goddamned mind. That paddle isn’t sterile. Nothing is sterile.’ But he didn’t care. And, fortunately, after we gave it to the neighbors as gifts, no one died. The history of Newman’s Own.
By the end of the set, one member was shoeless, another had only one shoe remaining, and I had lost my mittens and thermos cap. Todd Levin goes to a British Sea Power show, clothing is lost.
Darkness Falls: A horror film where the tooth fairy is the monster. When darkness falls crap rises. Writer takes full advantage of Blockbuster plan, watches 52 DVDs in a month, reviews each one.
Onlookers mistake corpse for sculpture.
French wine industry promotes drinking and driving.
The downloadable New Yorker cartoon crossword puzzle. This should be fun.
Webcams from the San Diego Zoo: ‘Panda Cam’ and ‘Polar Bear Plunge.’ (‘Absolutely Apes’ and ‘Elephant Cam’ coming soon.)
Artists recreate covers for their favorite albums.
Throwing papers in the trash because they weren’t stapled correctly, giving students a zero if they failed to turn in homework within 10 seconds, and giving a quiz on an entire textbook after a few weeks of class. The worst science teacher in the world. [via obscure store]
New York’s currently: in a cold sweat
In light of Bush’s plans to speed up handing over the reins in Iraq, just before an election year, it’s interesting to recall the Tet Offensive.
Tree fells woman as New York withstands wind storms, while Los Angelenos shovel hail.
Details from the scandal Prince Charles denies and the newspapers are prevented from publishing.
Brantley ravages Rosie’s Taboo.
South Africa to nearly quadruple spending on HIV/Aids. Related: World Bank backs border-crossing Anti-Aids corridor in west Africa.
Case of the plagirized wiretap story and the Times story that used stolen goods.
Preview Al Green’s new album I Can’t Stop.
Chick lit finds faith in religious Bridget Jones fiction.
Street necrology in New York City, a crypt of streets no longer lying.
Excerpt from old interview with Chinua Achebe, also, full interview with Tobias Wolff.
Call me Todd! Transcript of dialogue from the Paris Hilton sex tape. Related: Professional esteem found in writing porno junk-mail headlines.
See work by Shynola, or, see the video for the Rapture’s ‘House of Jealous Lovers.’
Northwestern frat T-shirts ‘hit the triple crown of date rape, pedophilia and alcoholism.’
New York’s currently: your favorite song
Italian military base in Iraq attacked, at least 26 killed.
Lifestyle under scrutiny, say Saudis of the bombed residential compound.
Bush administration wants to speed up plan for Iraq self-rule.
Senators pull all-nighter at Capitol over the confirmation of several judicial nominees.
‘That someone who is a foreigner in his country, who has an unpronounceable name,’ can become the governor of the biggest state in the United States, ‘is not nothing!’ Enthusiasm in France over the Govern-ator?
Carson Ellis, illustrator, artist, mastermind, has a great new Web site.
Truck overturns, dumps 17,000 pounds of poultry onto New Jersey Turnpike.
Our very own Kevin Fanning knows True Things About Trish.
‘It really killed us that we got a bootleg DAT copy of Bandwagonesque at the same time as The King. Boy, were we pissed. We were the first label to sign those guys, even before anyone in the U.K., and in the end we got screwed.’ Stories of how Teenage Fanclub and other artists have wronged indie labels.
Totally insane shirts —say, with paisley —are catching on.
Author to create a new take on new Batman and Superman books.
Illustrations get added captions.
School loses journalism grant over censorship controversy.
A guide to getting ready for the end of Friends, including memories of pivotal episodes.
New York’s currently: still not angry enough
Europe frets over how to mention God in new constitution.
Senior military officers call ‘war’ in Iraq to insert reality into Washington debates.
TMN’s Choire Sicha on the current state of the High Line and west Chelsea.
Topless jury acquits Robert Durst. Related: Larry Flynt guards topless photos of Jessica Lynch.
Excerpts of final letters from soldiers who died in Iraq.
Scientifically proven: Kansas is, in fact, flatter than a pancake.
Can there be an ‘after socialism,’ when the millions killed by Communism are forgotten?
Broadly stated but fascinating: Citizens get their politics on TV from commercials, not news programs.
‘Hiroshima’ by Vladimir Sorokin.
NPR’s Ira Glass watches too much television, yet fights the powers of mediocrity.
Paying homage to gunplay and ground beef with the Murder Burger in the Bronx.
Overview of The Report from Iron Mountain, a hoax. Unrelated: Guttural moans in comics.
A little late but: Zadie Smith on how novelists have nothing in common with Kafka, the poet of dread, and how he both failed and succeeded marvelously.
Joe Lieberman sings to reporters.
Shortest bylined newspaper story celebrates 100 millionth sale of the Guinness Record book.
Having sex with a lot of strangers is probably fine for some people, but it felt too weird to me. I never enjoyed it. The immortal philosophy of Wayne Coyne, lead singer with the Flaming Lips.
Drinks to serve with bird and drinks to serve after pie.
New York’s currently: summoning accountants
Al Qaeda claims responsibility for Riyadh attacks. Related: Recent bombings shift Saudi support away from Al Qaeda.
U.S. holds 20 suspected Al Qaeda members in Iraq.
The real reason New York is expensive: we pay the most in taxes.
U.N. reports Iran concealed a nuclear program for 18 years.
World Trade Organization rules the U.S. steel tariffs in place for the last 20 months are illegal.
For many Democrats today, [Clark’s] uniform is a kind of talisman, a tool for neutralizing George Bush’s perceived strength on national defense. The difficult military career of Wesley Clark.
Touring the Lower East Side by cell phone.
‘When Will the Next Ice Age Begin?’ ‘Can Robots Become Conscious?’ ‘Should We Improve Our Genome?’ The 25 most provocative questions facing science.
Making KFC healthy – through advertising.
Some say he was born with his eyes open, as a sign of the seer that he would become; others claim that the future traveller surprised the midwife by crawling toward the door. The extraordinary life of Arthur Rimbaud.
When the do-not-call list rules, salespeople are back on door-to-door duties.
New York’s currently: de Mont D’Or
Attack on Riyadh housing complex blamed on Al Qaeda. Related: Al Qaeda link to Brooklyn ice-cream shop?
Accused 20th hijacker Moussaoui tests the patience of Federal Judge with scribblings.
Sasha Frere-Jones on The Strokes’ Room on Fire.
Recipes from the history of the Pillsbury Bake-Off.
‘He was taking ballet and piano and begging for flute. We’d already given up bedtime stories. He was tired all the time. We had no family life left. And all the wasted time seemed to be at school.’ More New Yorkers are turning to home schooling.
Battles to develop New York’s best photographers’ film in the Flatiron’s film district.
We are all eating inside the Meatrix.
Some easy, some difficult quizzes to test your knowledge of U.S., also A.
Architectural guidelines emerge for new World Trade Center in recent draft.
The little orange history of the Penguin paperback
Medium format photographs by Maia Averett, or, images by Francis Frith.
A collection of sestinas. Related: Links for those with a fetish for baldness.
Moscow metro considers a ban on public displays of affection.
New York’s currently: so-fisticated
Bush plans to bring democracy to Iran, Syria – and Egypt. Related: Arabs meet Bush’s statement with agreement and wariness.
U.S. Army helicopter crashes near Tikrit, six die.
N.Y. federal judge blocks partial-birth abortion ban for seven doctors.
Number of post offices close in D.C. anthrax scare.
Prime Minister returns to Sri Lanka, calls for return of parliament.
Joan Kroc, late widow of McDonald’s founder, leaves NPR its largest donation ever – $200 million (almost double NPR’s annual operating budget). Related: McDonald’s to give away one billion iTunes tracks in a marketing campaign.
To direct he hired William ‘One Shot’ Beaudine (so named because he never did a second take), who dated back to the Bowery Boys serials and had made over 200 B movies. He made the whole film in six days in 1944. Joe Bob Briggs on Kroger Babb, Mom and Dad, and sex-hygiene films as porn.
‘The Time Between Ordering and Eating’ by Kevin Fanning.
‘Like, today I went to ABC Carpet. The reason you don’t hear about that is because it’s not fit to print in rock mags.’ Ryan Adams, Parker ‘Parks’ Posey, and a pleasantly entertaining interview.
British former shipbuilding town protests plans to dismantle retired U.S. Navy vessels there.
Despite everything, R. Kelly still has it.
Jessica Lynch claims she was used for propaganda.
When ‘no problem’ replaces ‘thank you,’ chaos replaces order.
Dr. Robert Nemiroff of the Astronomy Picture of the Day will be giving a free lecture tonight at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. [thanks j3s]
New York’s currently: schooled by the red pencil
Cheers for industry when policy changes mean E.P.A. will drop 50 power-plant cases, and cheers for commercial developers if Bush gets his way with the Clean Water Act.
Green River Killer confesses to 48 killings, avoids death penalty.
Pre-invasion, Iraq desperately wanted to make a deal, so says the Times and intermediary Imad Hage, businessman under investigation for gun-running (and who, among others, may have reason to buff his name?). [ via Umansky ]
Local ballets attacked by roving New York Rockettes.
Health officials warn home remedy Litargirio sold through botanicas uptown can cause lead poisoning.
Krugman on Ivins, Conason, and why the public is so easily manipulated. Related: Exactly who owns what in the media world.
Behind the scenes with Spencer Tunick and his photographs of naked people.
The Fat Guy on the fun in Ducasse’s new Mix. Related: Behind the scenes with Peter Luger’s meat ladies.
Glück is the right choice for Poet Laureate, because she writes vital poetry.
Dark, dark Letterman had a baby, then dangled him over the balcony. Thankfully, unlike Parker Posey’s boyfriend, he’s not falling down drunk in bars all the time.
Worldly, gorgeous photo studies from COLORS, also, a Honda commercial by Roman Coppola.
NYC Edecation Departmemt males awt error-ridded curiculum guys. Related: Forgotten that book title? Stump the Bookseller.
When he blogs about art, rather than blogs about blogs, we think Journal drama critic Teachout has great things to say.
Pasture-based farming for everyone: find your local supplier.
New York’s currently: divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived
Explosions in central Baghdad an apparent attack on U.S. compound.
North Korea votes against U.N. nuclear agency, calls U.N. ‘a tool of the United States.’
Senate approves Bush’s $87 billion for Iraq.
Power struggle in Sri Lanka between president and prime minister. Related: Sri Lanka president declares state of emergency.
CBS announced it would not show the Reagan biopic as scheduled during the November ratings sweeps – and was moving it instead to Showtime, the network’s little-watched pay cable channel. Under a bevy of controversy, CBS pulls The Reagans miniseries, proves cable is a dumping ground.
World’s largest iceberg split in two by storm.
Analysis and schematic of ex-Stone Rose John Squire’s effects pedals.
Worldwide glut in wine market means lower prices.
Hey there, cupcake, you know New York has a serious crush on you.
Earworms: songs that get stuck in your head, sometimes Abba.
‘We’re giving teens the caffeine they want but also vitamins, calcium, and protein.’ Introducing caffeinated milk: Hyper Cow, available in Straight Up Strawberry, Chocolate Shock, and Mean Mocha Cappuccino. Related: Milk lover (and lactose-intolerant) writer holds testing ground for many of the major milk alternatives. (With ratings!)
Just in time for the holidays: a beef-jerky gun.
New York’s currently: really pissed when the DSL goes down
Afghanistan unveils draft constitution, hoping for more attention while the world focuses on Iraq. (Draft can be read here.)
Hey: Where to vote in New York today.
Most embarrassing moments with Michael Bracewell and The Fall’s Mark E. Smith.
TMN’s Andrew Womack on TV on the Radio’s Young Liars.
Cellular dead zones in New York City makes everyone a Verizon commercial.
Petits Propos Culinaires editor and food maven Alan Davidson gives a recipe for his favorite trifle.
Brooklynites attacked by tigers and sharks, reports TMN’s Paul Ford.
Better late than never: Photos from the Village Halloween parade.
Timeline in the life of the Godfather of Soul.
Our favorite historian Kenneth Jackson reports on the High Line’s current status (as featured on TMN long ago).
Exactly why the elderly grow out their nose and ear hair. Also, finally the truth: are walruses right-handed?
Sounds by Evolution Controlled Creations. Slightly related: Bob Powers and Todd Levin teach you how to kick people.
How are French kitchens laid out?
New York’s currently: changing decorations
U.S. helicopter shot down in Iraq, 16 killed, 20 wounded.
Thousands of young militant Muslim men from Europe and Middle East head to Iraq for jihad.
New York City Marathon: Kenyans win competition, P. Diddy races, raises $2 million for public schools. Related: Sunday’s marathon marked the seventh in as many days for two British runners.
California wildfire evacuees begin returning home.
Episocopal Church consecrates gay bishop. Related: Many Anglicans refuse to acknowledge new bishop.
Philadelphia Catholic high-school girls chase down, pummel sexual predator.
Halloween high-school attendance was 55.9 percent. Why? Fear of more tricks than treats.
Grasshopper smell linked to 11 deaths in Sudan.
Newsday reporter, held in Iraqi prison for eight days in March, interviews his interrogator.
Toys ‘R’ Us helium ad criticized by anti-drug groups.
Suppose I gave up material things – my computer, my car and so on – and went to live on a hill in Montana where I grew my own food. Would that help anyone? No. Chomsky, tersely, on genitalia and death.
Hybrid SUVs and pickups: a tough sell? Related: How hybrid cars work.