Newsweek International articles from June 2008

Newsweek International archives from June 2008

McCain and Iraq.(Letter to the editor)
June 9, 2008... Readers of our April 7 story on John McCain criticized his support for the Iraq War to fight radicalism. One wrote, "Iraq under Saddam was solidly secular -- eliminating him was not productive." A reader of Michael Hastings's April 7 piece on...

Une Annee Horrible.(Point of View)(Nicolas Sarkozy's first year in office)
June 9, 2008... After a decent start, Sarkozy lost his way, reform slowed and his standing quickly plummeted. Just over a year ago, Nicolas Sarkozy's inauguration as president of France generated enormous excitement at home and abroad. Here was an...

The Coming Energy Wars.(Cover Story: World Affairs)(how a $200 oil barrel can affect world economy)
June 9, 2008... Oil prices could hit $200 a barrel in the next few months. How the spike changes everything. This spring, America hit a historic point. With average gas prices per gallon edging toward $4, America's notoriously profligate ways started to...

What Goes Up Must Come Down.(Columnist; Ruchir Sharma)(demand for oil)
June 9, 2008... Byline: Ruchir Sharma; Sharma is head of emerging markets at Morgan Stanley Investment Management. There are widespread signs of demand destruction in the largest consumer of oil--the U.S. Just as the El Nino phenomenon is bandied...

Softer Russian Power.(World Affairs)(why former Soviet republics prefer to learn English)
June 9, 2008... Byline: Owen Matthews; With Anna Nemtsova in Tbilisi Moscow once extended its reach through schools and language. No more. It's been more than a century since a member of the Mebagishvili family of Tbilisi, Georgia, grew up not...

Man of the People.(World Affairs)(Rahul Gandhi)
June 9, 2008... Byline: Sudip Mazumdar A Gandhi tries to recast his image--and reform his party in the process. It seemed downright Clintonian. Three months ago, Rahul Gandhi--scion of the powerful Nehru-Gandhi family and great hope of the Congress...

A Bunch Of Crooks On The Run.(Point of View)(Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia)
June 9, 2008... With the death of its leader, the band faces extinction. It would be high time. They've degenerated into criminals. Early in 1964, a group active during La Violencia--a period of extreme violence and turmoil that wracked Colombia during the...

Looking for a Hero.(World Affairs)(2008 Euro Cup)
June 9, 2008... Byline: Mark Starr and Stefan Theil Big football tournaments often seem to end in failure. Will this year's Euro Cup be any different? When the European Championships, the world's second most prestigious football tournament, after the...

Rise Of The Latin Africans.(World Affairs)
June 9, 2008... Byline: Joseph Contreras; With Steven Ambrus in Bogota, Maria Amparo Lasso in Mexico City and Phil Gunson in Caracas A new black-power movement in Central and South America. Hugo Chavez is known as a revolutionary in many contexts,...

The Big Beef Backlash.(Business)(US-South Korea free trade agreement)
June 9, 2008... Byline: B. J. Lee America and South Korea have much to gain from their big trade deal, but may kill it for silly reasons. A year ago, Seoul and Washington cheerfully celebrated the signing of a trade deal that looked like a major...

Robert Kagan: Why Should Democracy Be Shy?(The Last Word)(Interview)
June 9, 2008... Byline: Christopher Werth We gave to look at international relations a a competition, because Russia and China already see it that way. Robert Kagan believes a war is coming. Not necessarily one with guns and bombs, but his new book...

Is China Too Big For The World?(Global Investor)
June 9, 2008... Byline: Mohamed A. El-Erian; El-Erian is co-CEO and co-CIO of PIMCO. China may be the rare case of a modern, fast-growth economy that has turned the terms of the trade against itself. Every year, PIMCO employees lock themselves...

Fitness: Gyms Go Designer.(The Good Life)(Brief article)
June 9, 2008... Byline: Tiffanie Wen Those seeking a gym worthy of their Stella McCartney exercise clothes are in luck. A new wave of luxury fitness centers allows exercise lovers to work up a sweat in high-concept spaces designed by brand-name...

Hotspot: Intercontinental, San Francisco.(The Good Life)(Brief article)
June 9, 2008... Byline: Kristin Luna More contemporary than its sister hotel, the Mark Hopkins, up the road, this InterCon's turquoise, aquarium-like facade epitomizes the hip art vibe that energizes the City by the Bay. Designed to be ecofriendly, it's...

4 Hours In . . . Mendoza.(The Good Life)(Brief article)
June 9, 2008... Byline: Kate Tedesco The capital of Argentina's wine region is fast developing a reputation as the "new Napa" for its spectacular food and wine. Just remember that Mendocinos take their siestas very seriously: most businesses close between...

The Maximalist.(The Good Life)(Jagger Dagger)(Brief article)
June 9, 2008... Appropriately dubbed the "Jagger Dagger," this showstopping 18-karat white gold Hero Dagger ice pick, created by jewelry designer Jade Jagger, is made by Belvedere to chip just the right-size shards of ice off the old block for its superior...

Style: Packing a Colorful Punch.(The Good Life)(multicolored purse)(Buyers guide)(Brief article)
June 9, 2008... Byline: Sonia Kolesnikov-Jessop Some women have serious trouble deciding which handbag to carry with a particular frock. Now there's an easy way out: the multicolored purse, destined to become the accessory of choice this summer. Louis...

Automobiles: Move Over, Speed Racer.(The Good Life)(Mercedes-Benz SL 63)(Brief article)
June 9, 2008... Byline: Tara Weingarten Low, flat and stable on curves even at very high speeds, the Mercedes SL63 coupe features a new 7-speed sports transmission. It shifts quickly and responds like a manual transmission, but with the smoothness of an...

Perspectives.(Quotation)(Brief article)
June 9, 2008... "I gave them the benefit of the doubt, like a lot of Americans." Former White House press secretary Scott McClellan, whose new book criticizes the Bush administration for manipulating intelligence to justify the Iraq War "I only know...

The World Condemns Rome, But Europe Is The Problem.(Periscope; IMMIGRATION BACKLASH)
June 9, 2008... Byline: Barbie Nadeau The trendy Rome neighborhood of Pigneto was invaded last month by swastika-wearing thugs who beat Chinese, Indian and Bangladeshi shopkeepers and chanted "Get out, bastard foreigners." Coming after violent attacks on...

Spam Options.(Periscope; THE FOOD CRISIS)(Brief article)
June 9, 2008... Byline: George Wehrfritz To stretch their battered food dollars, Americans are turning to a much-maligned staple: Spam. Sales of the canned meat product rose 10 percent over the previous three months as inflation-hit consumers used it to...

Socialist Showdown.(Periscope; THE GAUCHE)(Bertrand Delanoe)(Brief article)
June 9, 2008... Byline: Tracy McNicoll France's next presidential election isn't until 2012, but Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe is already bidding to be the candidate of change. Delanoe claims in a new book ("Audacity") to be both "socialist and liberal."...

Still Higher Food Prices.(Periscope; By the Numbers)(Brief article)(Statistical data)
June 9, 2008... The U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development recently predicted that commodity prices for the coming decade are going to rise higher and higher. 20 Projected percentage increase...

A Safe But Sterile Internet.(Periscope; WORTH YOUR TIME)(The Future of the Internet - and How to Stop It)(Brief article)(Book review)
June 9, 2008... Byline: Katie Baker In the web counterrevolution that Jonathan Zittrain foresees, users will lose the ability to control content, companies will gain the power to censor data, and security will trump innovation. It's a gloomy scenario that...

Welsh Soul.(Periscope; DEBUT ALBUMS)(Duffy's Rockferry)(Brief article)
June 9, 2008... Byline: Ginanne Brownell Following in the famous footsteps of fellow Welsh crooners like Dame Shirley Bassey, Tom Jones and Charlotte Church, 23-yearold singer Duffy (first name: Aimee) is blowing up the charts. Her soulful debut album,...

Battle For The Airwaves.(The Technologist)(white space)
June 9, 2008... Byline: Benjamin Sutherland The spectrum up for grabs now could ultimately lead to new markets worth more than Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Television has always hogged a wide swath of the electromagnetic spectrum, leaving just a few narrow...

Trying to Find The Words.(The Arts)(The Translator: A Tribesman's Memoir of Darfur)(Book review)
June 16, 2008... Byline: Amber Haq A former translator in Darfur recalls the genocide he survived. Back in 2006, when Daoud Hari, an interpreter for American journalists in Darfur, was captured by Sudanese militia, he was suspected of being a rebel...

Why Asia Won't Save The World.(World Affairs)(stagflation)
June 16, 2008... Byline: Bt George Wehrfritz Asian exporters helped buoy the global economy; now, stagflation is threatening their growth miracle. Not long ago, investors hailed Vietnam as a dynamic, export-driven "China-killer." But in recent months,...

The Odd Couple.(World Affairs)(Angela Merkel, Frank-Walter Steinmeier)
June 16, 2008... Byline: Stefan Theil Germany's unwieldy grand coalition is making for a confused foreign policy--and it could get much worse. If there is a clash of opinions between George W. Bush and Condoleezza Rice, you know where the buck would...

Dealing With the Devil.(World Affairs)(Israel swaps Hizbullah prisoners for its captured soldiers)
June 16, 2008... Byline: Adam B. Kushner When Israel swaps prisoners with its enemies, it gets back its fallen soldiers but hurts the rest of us. Israelis take great pride in their military prowess, aggressive style and impressive combat record. Such...

Creatures From The Venice Lagoon.(The Arts)(marine species)
June 16, 2008... Byline: Barbie Nadeau Jetties constructed to shore up the sinking city have created a surprising explosion of marine wildlife. Most people visit Venice with basic essentials like a camera, a guidebook and smart togs for a romantic...

Peace Comes To Paradise.(World Affairs)(Kashmir, India)
June 16, 2008... Byline: Jeremy Kahn As Kashmir thaws, its economy booms. But how long can the quiet last? Sitting in the fortress-like police headquarters in Srinagar, Kashmir, last week, Shiv Murari Sahai, the top cop for the troubled Indian state,...

Sichuan Learns To Help Itself.(World Affairs)(Sichuan earthquake)
June 16, 2008... Byline: Melinda Liu; With bureau reports A rugged diaspora is aiding the province as it recovers from the quake. This had to be Yu Hongbin's worst vacation ever. The Sichuan native had worked in Shenzhen, the Chinese boomtown near Hong...

At Home In Old Beijing.(The Arts)(The Last Days of Old Beijing: Life in the Vanishing Backstreets of a City Transformed)(Book review)
June 16, 2008... Amid the wrecking balls, hutong residents cling to a traditional way of life. China is so big, diverse and protean that no single photograph can sum it up. And yet iconic images often come to represent the country at a particular point in...

William Hague: The Conservative Renaissance.(The Last Word)(Interview)
June 16, 2008... Byline: Adam B. Kushner Al Gore came and gave presentations to the [Tory] shadow cabinet, which we found quite compelling. I take my hat off to him. As the U.K. conservative party leader in the mid-Blair era, William Hague was the...

'The Balkanization Of Europe'.(Point of View)
June 16, 2008... Byline: Denis MacShane; MacShane, a Labour M.P., was Britain's Europe minister in Tony Blair's government. The European Union, NATO and the United Nations are all turning a blind eye to the troubles in the Balkans. Europe's recurring...

It's A Small World After All.(Global Investor)(global economy)
June 16, 2008... Byline: Holger Schmieding; Schmieding is chief European economist for the Bank of America. Aren't we all supposed to become more alike in the age of globalization? Strangely, this isn't what's happening. Aren't we all supposed to...

Travel: Homes With A View.(The Good Life)
June 16, 2008... Byline: Sonia Kolesnikov-Jessop For those eager to own a remote holiday home but are leery of the hassles, there's an easy compromise: let one of the world's top hotel brands manage it. In recent years, hotel-branded residences have become...

Hot Spot: Bowery Hotel, New York.(The Good Life)(Brief article)
June 16, 2008... Byline: Sameer Reddy The Bowery is famous for its flophouses and kitchen-equipment suppliers, but this elegant hotel brings new sophistication to what was once skid row. Decor: The design is predicated on a prewar esthetic, reflecting...

4 Hours In . . . Geneva.(The Good Life)(Brief article)
June 16, 2008... Byline: Amber Haq A haven for luxury shopping, a world center of the fine-watch industry and home to the United Nations and the Red Cross, the small Swiss capital is a bustling, cosmopolitan city also offering plenty of delights on the...

Outdoors: Building The Perfect Backyard Wave.(The Good Life)(Amalgamates Solutions and Research )(Brief article)
June 16, 2008... Byline: Tiffanie Wen No longer just a pastime among bohemian types, surfing is becoming an increasingly popularasport all over the world. But nothing can spoil a day at the shore like calm waters. Now there's a new solution to the demand...

Home: How Green Was My Shower.(The Good Life)(quench)(Brief article)
June 16, 2008... Byline: Linda Stern Everyone loves a long, hot shower. But it's becoming increasingly difficult to justify one. Fortunately, a handful of companies are looking at ways to cut water consumption while saving the experience. With the Quench,...

Perspectives.(Perspectives)(Quotation)
June 16, 2008... "This is like inviting Pol Pot to a human-rights conference." Mark Malloch Brown, former U.N. deputy secretary-general, on the appearance of Zimbabwe tyrant Robert Mugabe at the U.N. World Food Summit. Mugabe has been blamed for throwing...

The Rehabilitation of Nuclear Public Enemy No. 1.(Periscope; INFAMOUS FOUNDING FATHERS)(A.Q. Khan)
June 16, 2008... Byline: Zahid Hussain and Jonathan Tepperman If nukes in the hands of rogue states is the greatest threat the world faces today, then the planet might just have become more dangerous. That's because of the surprise rehabilitation in recent...

The Decider.(Periscope; PEOPLE POWER)(Ireland, Treaty of Lisbon)(Brief article)
June 16, 2008... Byline: William Underhill Could Ireland kill the new, improved Europe? It's the only nation voting on the Treaty of Lisbon, which would boost Europe's central decision-making powers. The Irish go to polls this week with 30 percent...

Could Brazil Take No. 1?(Periscope; COMPANY RANKINGS)(Petrobras)(Brief article)
June 16, 2008... Byline: Mac Margolis Petrobras, the Brazilian oil giant formerly derided as "Petrosaurus," could become the world's most valuable company, based on its stock price. That startling forecast, made recently by mutual-fund maestro Ken Heebner,...

Healing Sichuan's Psyche.(Periscope; QUAKE AFTERMATH)(Brief article)
June 16, 2008... Byline: Melinda Liu The last time China suffered a disaster on the magnitude of the recent Sichuan earthquake, its Maoist leaders spurned psychology as a "bourgeois" discipline. Survivors of the 1976 Tangshan quake, which killed some...

A Softer Edifice.(Periscope; WAR AND PEACE)(U.S. Institute for Peace)(Brief article)
June 16, 2008... Byline: Katie Baker War monuments on Washington, D.C.'s National Mall tend toward the phallic--most famously, the obelisk honoring revolutionary hero and first President George Washington. Hardly surprising, as nation-building and machismo...

The Tipping Point.(Periscope; FAST CHAT)(David Sedaris)(Interview)(Brief article)
June 16, 2008... Byline: Susanna Schrobsdorff David Sedaris is back with a new collection of essays, "When You Are Engulfed in Flames." He spoke with NEWSWEEK'S SUSANNA Schrobsdorff. You've been living in France a long time. Can you be funny in French...

Apple Sets Iphone Customers Free.(The Technologist)
June 16, 2008... Byline: Benjamin Sutherland A big reason for slack iPhone sales in Europe, analysts say, is that users cannot pick their mobile-service carrier. Apple chooses for them. Some call it the "Jesus Phone" or the "Messiah Phone." Hype...

TIME OF THE TOUGH GUYS.(World Affairs)
June 23, 2008... Byline: Jonathan Tepperman; With ADAM B. KUSHNER A global leadership poll finds a crisis of confidence-- and real support for strongmen. AS PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH LIMPS through his lame-duck year, it won't surprise you to read that...

Europeans Go Back To Work.(World Affairs)(labor reform)
June 23, 2008... Byline: Stefan Theil A decade of labor reform is finally paying off, but now the politicians want to turn back the clock. FLASHBACK TO WESTERN EUROPE, CIRCA 1994. IT'S THE ERA OF "EUROSCLEROSIS"--a chronic malaise of anemic growth,...

Greeting Bush With A Yawn.(World Affairs)
June 23, 2008... Long before Bush arrived for his last visit to Europe, its leaders were cultivating Obama and McCain. ON HIS FINAL TRIP THROUGH EUROPE LAST WEEK, U.S. PRESIDENT George W. Bush visited with all the most important people: Angela Merkel at...

A Question Of Class.(World Affairs)(Labour Party)
June 23, 2008... Byline: WILLIAM Underhill While Blair befriended tycoons, Brown is turning back to union support--perhaps to Labour's peril. AS MANAGER OF BRITAIN'S FINANCES, Gordon Brown earned a reputation for careful accounting. Whether it was...

Against The Grain.(Business; Latin America)(tax on grain exports)
June 23, 2008... Byline: Brian Byrnes; With Mac Margolis In Rio De Janeiro Amid a global commodities boom, Argentina should be one of the big winners, but it's not. THERE'S AN OLD SAYING IN ARGENTINA: "Throw a seed anywhere, and a plant will grow." But...

Breaking The Curse Of Oil.(Business)(Saudi Basic Industries Corp.)
June 23, 2008... Byline: STEPHEN GLAIN A Saudi petrochemical giant is using local cheap energy to create new jobs. ONE COULD BE FORGIVEN FOR ASSUMING THAT RECORD-HIGH ENERGY prices are a cause for celebration in the Persian Gulf. After all, the proven...

The Other Threat To Pakistan.(Point of View)
June 23, 2008... Byline: Sumit Ganguly FOR MUCH OF HIS TENURE, PAKISTAN'S PRESIDENT, GEN. PERVEZ MUSHARRAF, HAD TWO claims to fame: that he'd put the country on the path to moderation by marginalizing its Islamic radicals, and that his economic policies...

A City's Life In Pictures.(International Edition)(Expressionale: Masters of Expressionism and New Objectivity)
June 23, 2008... Byline: Michael Levitin 'Expressionale' pairs Berlin's living artists with dead masters. Some works are even for sale. IT'S NO SECRET THAT BERLIN IS THE contemporary-art hub of Europe: it boasts world-class institutes and museums, more...

The Model Megacity?(The Arts)(First Stop in the New World: Mexico City, the Capital of the 21st Century)(Book review)
June 23, 2008... Byline: Joseph Contreras A new book about Mexico City paints colorful portraits but fails to illuminate the big picture. DAVID LIDA FIRST APPROACHED Mexico City, the subject of his new book, with a wariness verging on trepidation. The...

Stung By Bees.(Science)(pollination)
June 23, 2008... Byline: Rowan Jacobsen A mysterious ailment of honeybees threatens a trillion-dollar industry and an essential source of nutrition. FOR 3,000 YEARS, FARMERS IN CHINA'S SICHUAN PROVINCE POLLINATED THEIR fruit trees the old-fashioned...

Scene of the Crime.(The Arts)('Jack the Ripper and the East End')
June 23, 2008... Byline: Sophie Grove A chilling exhibit of historic evidence lets viewers try to figure out who Jack the Ripper really was. THE SALLOW FACES OF LIFELESS prostitutes gaze out from the display, their skin scrofulous from poor diet, their...

Velvet Jackets With Turbans.(The Arts)('The Lure of the East: British Orientalist Painting')
June 23, 2008... Byline: Ginanne Brownell British artists have long been enamored of the Middle East. THE BUSTLING SOUK IN THE PAINTING is filled with brightly colored fabrics and hanging carpets. A donkey, decorated in gold tassels, stands beside its...

Rebel Quell.(The Last Word)(Jeffrey J. Schloesser)(Interview)
June 23, 2008... Byline: Jeffrey J. Schloesser AS THE NEW COMMANDER OF NATO'S 22,000, MOSTLY AMERICAN, TROOPS WORKING IN EASTERN Afghanistan, U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Jeffrey J. Schloesser could hardly have a tougher assignment. His men are responsible for...

Turkey's A La Carte Liberalism.(World Affairs)(Justice and Development Party)
June 23, 2008... Byline: Soner Cagaptay TURKEY'S RULING JUSTICE AND DEVELOPMENT PARTY (AKP) FACES A BATTLE FOR survival as the country's constitutional court reviews a case to ban the party for its allegedly antisecular activities in violation of the...

One Stray Kick.(Turning Point)(1998 World Cup, England-Argentina match)
June 23, 2008... Byline: David Beckham How a moment of weakness helped cost my team a game--but made me a much stronger person. ON FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2002, I STOOD ON THE PITCH IN Japan waiting to take a penalty kick for England against Argentina. It was...

Don't Follow The Momentum.(Global Investor)(stock markets)
June 23, 2008... Byline: Barton Biggs MARKETS OF ALL VARIETIES EVERYWHERE--STOCKS, BONDS, GOLD, commodities--have recently been refreshed by steep rallies only to be terrorized moments later by sickening declines. The wild gyrations in the price of oil are...

All Booked Up.(The Good Life; Design)(bookshelf)(Buyers guide)(Brief article)
June 23, 2008... Byline: CHRISTOPHER WERTH WITH SUMMER-READING SEASON SHIFTING INTO high gear, serious literature lovers are facing a tough existential question: where to store all the books? Fortunately, designers are making bookshelves that are as...

MANSION ON PEACHTREE.(The Good Life; Hot Spot)(Brief article)
June 23, 2008... Byline: ELISA MALA ATLANTA AS the first lodging in the South to offer complimentary butler service to all guests, the 42-story Robert A.M. Stern-designed limestone is also the tallest tower in the posh enclave of Buckhead. Decor...

4 Hours in Bangkok.(The Good Life)(Brief article)
June 23, 2008... IN Thailand's capital, modern complexes overshadow some of the oldest Buddhist temples in the world, extravagant dance performances are as plentiful as gory kickboxing matches, and sports cars compete with rickshaws for road space. Which makes...

Why China Is Becoming The 'Black Hole' Of Global Markets.(Periscope; Financial Astrophysics)(foreign reserves)
June 23, 2008... Byline: GEORGE WEHRFRITZ IS CHINA THE FINANCIAL EQUIVALENT OF THE scariest celestial body in the universe? In a new report that crunches Beijing's opaque numbers, analysts at Standard Chartered Bank in Hong Kong argue that the country's...

From Russia With Love.(Periscope; Candidates Abroad)(John McCain)(Brief article)
June 23, 2008... Byline: ANNA NEMTSOVA and MICHAEL FREEDMAN HE HAS SAID HE SEES THE letters KGB in Vladimir Putin's eyes and that he wants to kick Russia out of the G8. Yet Russians have a greater appreciation for GOP presidential candidate John McCain than...

Behind The Beef Spat.(Periscope; Global Retreat)(Brief article)
June 23, 2008... Byline: B. J. LEE South korean president Lee Myung-bak took power in February as one of the most enthusiastically global leaders the world has ever seen. The well-traveled former Hyundai CEO vowed to repair relations with America, open...

By The Numbers.(Periscope)(guerilla groups)(Brief article)
June 23, 2008... Venezuela President Hugo Chavez recently declared that South American guerilla groups are passe. Someone should tell the rebels--they may be down, but they're certainly not out. FARC Their numbers have dropped from 16,000 to 9,000 over the...

Database for the Dead.(Periscope; Quake Journal)(Sichuan earthquake)(Brief article)
June 23, 2008... Byline: MELINDA LIU WITH 18,000 STILL MISSING after China's quake, Beijing is organizing a massive campaign to log corpses and establish a DNA database that will help survivors learn the fate of disappeared relatives. The work holds...

Journeys to the Edge of Science.(Periscope; Worth Your Time)(Panic in Level 4: Cannibals, Killer Viruses, and Other Journeys to the Edge of Science)(Brief article)(Book review)
June 23, 2008... Byline: KATIE BAKER "Panic in Level 4," a collection of essays by New Yorker writer Richard Preston, is sure to please science fanatics, or anyone else obsessed with nature's murkier mysteries. Preston roves through darkly fascinating...

Canadian Unchaotic.(Periscope; Fast Chat)(Alanis Morissette)(Interview)(Brief article)
June 23, 2008... Byline: Jac Chebatoris SINGER ALANIS MORISSETTE has never been one to hide her feelings, and she's got a whole new album full of them on her latest CD, "Flavors of Entanglement." She spoke to Jac Chebatoris. A lot has changed in the 13...

THE DIGIT.(Periscope)(carriers)(Brief article)
June 23, 2008... IN another sign of trouble for the American airline industry, 6 different carriers have stopped service since June 2007--that's twice as many cessations as any other year in the past decade.

The Maximalist.(The Good Life)(Henri IV Dudognon Heritage Cognac Grande Champagne)(Brief article)
June 23, 2008... There are few occasions special enough to warrant celebrating with a snifter of this golden elixir. Henri IV Dudognon Heritage Cognac Grande Champagne comes in a crystal bottle dipped in 24-karat yellow gold and sterling platinum. It's...

Where Brains Meet Beauty.(The Good Life; Technology)(Singulum Handmade Masterpiece Laptops)(Brief article)
June 23, 2008... Byline: MADELINE RUDIN WHEN IT COMES TO LAPTOPS, appearance has never been able to match performance. Now consumers can have both. Singulum Handmade Masterpiece's wooden-cased, handcrafted laptop comes equipped with an ivory keyboard and...

Sushi Worth Savoring.(The Good Life; Food)(japanese restaurants)
June 23, 2008... Byline: TIFFANIE WEN WITH THE ARRIVAL OF MASA at New York's Time Warner Center in 2004, sushi reached new heights of originality--and cost. But Masa is not the only gourmet Japanese restaurant charging exorbitant prices for some of the...

Mail Call: Green-Challenged.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
June 30, 2008... Our cover story on green initiatives by world leaders didn't assuage fears for the environment. One reader lamented the "fraction of American voters who cite the environment as an issue." Another chided politicians for looking for "a quick...

All Shook Up.(World Affairs)(aftermath of Sichuan earthquake)
June 30, 2008... Byline: Mary Hennock and Melinda Liu As China rebuilds from the great quake, a changed country is emerging with some surprising winners and losers. The Chinese phrase for "crisis" combines the words for both "danger" and "opportunity."...

The Summer Of Sarkozy.(World Affairs)(Nicolas Sarkozy)
June 30, 2008... Byline: Tracy McNicoll Don't get distracted by the whirlwind and noise. It's all part of his plan--and it just might work. Few politicians in France, or indeed the world, have had a rise and fall as dramatic as that of Nicolas Sarkozy....

Drawing The French Battle Lines.(World Affairs)
June 30, 2008... Byline: Christopher Dickey Nicolas Sarkozy's radical overhaul of his nation's military could resurrect its role as a global player. Bastille Day is just around the corner, and French president Nicolas Sarkozy is looking to make his...