Newsweek articles from February 2009

Newsweek archives from February 2009

The End of Swagger.(women's rights, and President Barack Obama and Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton)(Column)
February 2, 2009... Byline: Anna Quindlen The welfare of women should be a key component of American foreign policy. And we've got the woman to make that happen. As Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton begin to use their uncommon authority and...

The Quitter Economy.(asset liquidations and Circuit City)
February 2, 2009... Companies are liquidating; homeowners are mailing in the keys. Have we given up? EVERYTHING MUST GO!" blares a bright yellow sign at the Circuit City store on Broadway and 80th Street in Manhattan. The revolving doors whir with curious...

Silicon Valley's Fork in the Road.(Business; TECHTONIC SHIFTS)
February 2, 2009... Byline: Daniel Lyons Unless we spend more on technology and science, companies like Apple, HP and IBM could be eclipsed by foreign rivals. Could Silicon Valley become another Detroit? It's hard to imagine as you crawl along the...

The Case for Derivatives.(United States economy management)
February 2, 2009... Byline: Zachary Karabell; Karabell is President of Rivertwice Research. Economist Robert Shiller believes they could help solve the crisis. They've been dubbed financial weapons of mass destruction, attacked for causing the financial...

Enough of the Cheney Model.(Letter to the editor)
February 2, 2009... 'What Would Dick Do?' Troubled that our cover story appeared to suggest Barack Obama follow Cheney's take on executive power, readers zeroed in on the use of torture. "Ending it would rescue our international reputation and return the U.S. to...

The Editor's Desk.(The Editor's Desk)(Editorial)
February 2, 2009... Byline: Jon Meacham Barack 0bama sees the world more or less as it is, and seems less susceptible to self-deception and self-delusion than most of us. With the possible exception of genuine saints, everyone is the star of the movie that...

There's More To Fear Than Fear.(Business; COVER STORY: BUSINESS)
February 2, 2009... Byline: Fareed Zakaria No, we haven't turned the corner on the banking crisis--we can't even see the corner. What's needed is a bold, massive jolt to the system. Franklin Delano Roosevelt's first inaugural address is now known for...

Inside The Actors' Studio.(Entertainment; MOVIES)(Discussion)
February 2, 2009... Byline: David Ansen and Ramin Setoodeh Six stars. One room. Lots and lots of secrets--and a few lies. Welcome to the 12th NEWSWEEK Oscar Roundtable. One of the fringe benefits of hosting our Oscar Roundtable--other than, you know,...

How I Escaped Jami G's Shadow.(My Turn)
February 2, 2009... Byline: Allison Gaudet Yarrow; Yarrow is working on a memoir called "Southern Fried Jewish Girl." She lives in Brooklyn. I'm proud of my mom, the local celebrity. But I had to figure out how to be more than just her daughter. Many kids...

Revisiting 'The Rage of a Privileged Class'.(Nation; IDENTITY)(racial integration)
February 2, 2009... Byline: Ellis Cose Obama's presidency renders absurd the argument that blacks are barred from playing at the highest levels. But do isolated victories add up to systemic change? In "The Rage of a Privileged Class," published in 1993, I...

A Long Wait for a Long Drive.(Nation; IDENTITY)
February 2, 2009... Byline: Rick Perlstein; Perlstein is the author of "Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America." On an overnight bus from Chicago to D.C. to witness the inauguration of Barack Obama. It's just before 7:30 p.m., on...

On a Downtown Train.(Nation; LIVING POLITICS)(Barack Obama's economic policy)
February 2, 2009... Byline: Howard Fineman Obama is the first modern Metropolitan President--good news for ailing cities. Inauguration day had turned into night. The mall was frigid and empty, trash piled against barriers lining the avenues. I was thawing...

Obama's Big-Picture Problem.(Nation; THE BIG IDEA)(Barack Obama)
February 2, 2009... Obama must decide what government's goals are before trying to answer what works and how much we can afford. An Inaugural Address is a new president's best opportunity to put forward a vision of government. In 1965, Lyndon B. Johnson...

Recruited For Jihad?(International)(al-Shabab )
February 2, 2009... Byline: Dan Ephron And Mark Hosenball; With Michael Isikoff And Scott Johnson About 20 young Somali-American men in Minneapolis have recently vanished. It didn't trouble Burhan Hassan's mother that her son had been spending more time...

The Steep Price of Secrecy.(Nation; BETWEEN THE LINES)
February 2, 2009... Byline: Jonathan Alter For Obama's policy to work, officials will have to fear penalties for deciding not to declassify documents. For a long time now, there's been too much secrecy in this city." Those were the most important words...

Perspectives.(Perspectives)
February 2, 2009... "Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and begin again the work of remaking America." President Barack Obama, in his Inaugural Address "It was an ungracious inaugural. It was pretty clear he was taking shots."...

In Gaza City, Muted Hopes for Obama.(Periscope; FIRST PERSON: THE MIDEAST)(Barack Obama )
February 2, 2009... Byline: Rod Nordland There were no cheers in the Ranoush Cafe in Gaza City when Barack Obama was inaugurated. A few dozen young Palestinians watched the proceedings on one of the place's four televisions, listening to Al-Jazeera's Arabic...

A Loophole In the Rules.(Periscope; COUNTERTERROR)
February 2, 2009... Byline: Mark Hosenball Publicly at least, President Obama has made a clean break with his predecessor's controversial counterterrorism policies, but in private the new administration is leaving itself some wiggle room. A day before Obama...

POTUS Keeps His Precious.(Periscope; E-MAIL)
February 2, 2009... Byline: Holly Bailey It could go down as Barack Obama's first presidential triumph. After a fierce negotiation with his handlers, Obama announced that he'd be able to keep his beloved BlackBerry--making him the nation's first e-mailing...

Miss Stone, Please Step Away From the Mike.(Periscope; THE DIGNITY INDEX)(Sharon Stone )(Brief article)
February 2, 2009... A weekly mathematical survey of dubious behavior that measures, on a scale of 1 to 100, just how low a person can go. Amid all that pageantry, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts picks an awful time for a brain freeze and muffs the...

D.C. Woodstock Edition.(Periscope; CONVENTIONAL WISDOM WATCH)(Washington, District of Columbia)(Brief article)
February 2, 2009... At 1.8 million, it was the largest gathering ever in the capital. And not one arrest. But how many got caught in the purple tunnel of doom? ObamaA'upA' Yes, he can: substantial speech, orders Gitmo closed, wows world beyond Washington. ...

And the Nominees Are ...(Periscope; A CW LOOK AT THE OSCARS)(Brief article)
February 2, 2009... Academy hopes host Hugh Jackman will deliver ratings rebound Feb. 22. Hint: nominating megahit "Dark Knight" mighta helped more. 'Button'A'upA' Epic about man who ages backward leads pack with 13 noms. But how many will it win? Brad...

That's So Romantic. And So Brief.(Periscope; BOOKS)(Not Quite What I Was Expecting: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure)(Brief article)(Book review)
February 2, 2009... Byline: Jesse Ellison Love and heartbreak are typically the stuff of lengthy conversations, hours of analysis and reams of paper. But hot on the heels of their first bestselling compilation, "Not Quite What I Was Expecting: Six-Word...

God's Miraculous Makeover.(Periscope; BELIEFWATCH)
February 2, 2009... Byline: Lisa Miller 'Our bodies will be the very same as the ones we had in life, but buff and beautiful.' You likely believe that when you die, you're going to heaven. More than 80 percent of Americans do. But in what form? Are you...

This Round Is on Obama.(Periscope; Fast Chat)(Interview)(Brief article)
February 2, 2009... This Round Is on Obama The Hawk 'n' Dove is a Capitol Hill watering hole par excellence--a place for stodgy politicos and eager-beaver staffers to down shots and talk shop. It was twice featured on NBC's "The West Wing" and played host to...

It's Really a Global Crisis.(Columnist; JUDGMENT CALLS)
February 2, 2009... Byline: Robert J. Samuelson As Americans save more of their incomes, Asians should save less, and spend more, to generate growth as opposed to exports. We should all want President Obama to succeed in reviving the economy, but that...

What It Takes To Survive.(Society; BOOK EXCERPT)(The Survivors Club: The Secrets and Science That Could Save Your Life)(Excerpt)
February 2, 2009... Why some people walk away from a plane crash or thrive after a job loss, while others don't stand a chance. And what's luck got to do with it anyway? The knitting needle pierced her heart. Then it saved her life. Ellin Klor savors the...

Audacity of Hoping.(Society; IDENTITY)(United States President Barack Obama)(Viewpoint essay)
February 2, 2009... Byline: Allison Samuels African-Americans have an especially long wish list for the new president. How we can balance our expectations against reality. And why we must be patient. As soon as my jam-packed plane hit the ground in...

Beyond Just Black and White.(Society; IDENTITY)
February 2, 2009... Byline: Raina Kelley Why I was so eager to claim my biracial son for my own side. When I took my newly born son from the nurse's arms, I did the expected counting of his fingers and toes. I checked under his cap for hair and flexed his...

A New, Tougher Kind of Politics.(Society; ESSAY)(Barack Obama's inaugural address)(Essay)
February 2, 2009... Byline: Jeremy Mccarter Virtue, hard work and hope: Obama spoke like a true community organizer. Inaugural Addresses can't be judged right away: Like recipes, their greatness depends on how things turn out. If Franklin D. Roosevelt's...

Survival Tips From the Top.(Business; INSIDE BUSINESS)(corporate directors' opinion)
February 9, 2009... The playbook: Our roundtable of corporate experts explains how to thrive during the downturn. A Perfect Time to Invest Craig Barrett, Recently retired chief executive officer of Intel There is a general rule in business life:...

Fear and Loathing In Davos.(Business; INSIDE BUSINESS)(World Economic Forum in Davos)
February 9, 2009... Byline: Daniel Gross Many CEOs, having endured flying commercial for the first time in years, were treated to an avalanche of doom. CNBC's James Cramer likes to say that there's always a bull market somewhere. When one sector or region...

Managing Along the Cutting Edge.(Business; INSIDE BUSINESS)(recession and chief executive officers)
February 9, 2009... Byline: Daniel McGinn Think smaller: Most CEOs have strategies for good times. This recession will require a new set of skills. They carry briefcases, not resuscitation equipment. But if a consulting team from AlixPartners suddenly...

Mail Call: A Look at the Nation We Have Become.(Letters)(Correction notice)(Letter to the editor)
February 9, 2009... 'Who We Are Now': Readers responding to our Jan. 26 cover story praised what they believe is Barack Obama's ability to bridge cultural divides. "He excites us with his universal appeal," one wrote, while another added that because Obama "lived...

The Editor's Desk.(Editorial)
February 9, 2009... Byline: Jon Meacham Not so long ago, everybody, it seemed, believed in the Afghan war. Put in 20th-century terms, Afghanistan was World War II (the Good War) while Iraq was Vietnam (the quagmire). During the campaign, there was hawkish...

Stimulating Times.(Columnist; THE LAST WORD)(economic stimulus package)
February 9, 2009... Byline: George F. Will Cows should die in Wisconsin so that mothers in Watts will pay more--a price government deems 'reasonable'--for their children's milk? During World War II, Oscar Levant, the pianist and wit, was asked by his...

Mohamed ElBaradei.(International; INTERVIEW)(Interview)
February 9, 2009... Also in Davos, Mohamed ElBaradei, the controversial director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), sat down with NEWSWEEK's Lally Weymouth to defend his record. Several Bush administration officials as well as some nonproliferation...

The Spymaster of New York.(International; TERROR)(New York Police Department's David Cohen)
February 9, 2009... Byline: Christopher Dickey David Cohen and the NYPD are pioneering a new way of fighting terrorism. In sweltering Mumbai last November, two days after the terrorist rampage that killed or wounded more than 500 people, some odd figures...

Obama's Vietnam.(International; COVER STORY: AFGHANISTAN)(Cover story)
February 9, 2009... Byline: John Barry and Evan Thomas; With Ron Moreau and Sami Yousafzai The analogy isn't exact. But the war in Afghanistan is starting to look disturbingly familiar. About a year ago, Charlie Rose, the nighttime talk-show host, was...

A Turnaround Strategy.(International)(Afghanistan Conflict)
February 9, 2009... Byline: Fareed Zakaria We're better at creating enemies in Afghanistan than friends. Here's how to fix that--and the war, too. In May 2006 a unit of American soldiers in Afghanistan's Uruzgan valley were engulfed in a ferocious fire...

Predators on the Hunt in Pakistan.(International; THE TRIBAL AREAS)(Al Qaeda hideouts)
February 9, 2009... Byline: Sami Yousafzai and Mark Hosenball; With Michael Hirsh, Ron Moreau and John Barry A barrage of pinpoint strikes may be unsettling Al Qaeda. After one of the latest U.S. Predator attacks in North Waziristan, a Taliban...

A 'Slumdog' in Heat.(International; INTERVIEW)('Slumdog Millionaire')(Interview)
February 9, 2009... Byline: Fareed Zakaria 'Slumdog Millionaire' is being called this year's feel-good movie. So why are Indians so angry about it? Produced with a budget of only $15 million, "Slumdog Millionaire" is this year's Hollywood rags-to-riches...

The Blue and the Great.(Entertainment; MUSIC)(Miles Davis' 'Kind of Blue' album )
February 9, 2009... Byline: Malcolm Jones Fifty years ago, Miles Davis recorded 'Kind of Blue.' If you own one jazz album, this is probably the one. At 2:30 on March 2, 1959, the 32-year-old trumpet player and bandleader Miles Davis took six sidemen into...

Conjunction Dysfunction.(Entertainment; MOVIES)('The Class')(Movie review)
February 9, 2009... Byline: Jennie Yabroff At last, a school film without a Hollywood ending. Soulemayne has a stunning smile. He also has an explosive temper and a tattoo he claims is a passage from the Qur'an that translates as, IF YOUR WORDS ARE LESS...

Less Shouting, More Talking.(My Turn)(same sex marriage)(Viewpoint essay)
February 9, 2009... Byline: Richard Mouw; Mouw is the president of Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, Calif. Yes, I voted for Prop 8. Yes, I oppose gay marriage. But that doesn't make me a religious fundamentalist. On the morning of Nov. 4, I saw an...

Problems in Paris, Texas.(Nation)(racial relations )
February 9, 2009... Byline: Gretel C. Kovach and Arian Campo-Flores A brutal death has caused long-simmering racial tensions to flare anew. To his loved ones in Paris, Texas, Brandon McClelland was affectionately known as "Big Boy," a 284-pound gentle...

Always on My Mind.(Nation; CRIME)(narcotics control)
February 9, 2009... Byline: Suzanne Smalley David Kennedy's obsession with drug dealers has made him a highly sought-after criminologist. The image of a drug dealer driving a Mercedes is a Hollywood favorite, so maybe it's not surprising that the...

The Stimulus That Didn't Stir.(Nation; BETWEEN THE LINES)
February 9, 2009... Byline: Jonathan Alter A depression that didn't happen (if it doesn't) will likely be pocketed more than credited. President Obama says the $18.4 billion in bonuses paid to those financial wizards who drove the economy off a cliff is...

Perspectives.(Perspectives)
February 9, 2009... "Change has come to Washington, and I hope Karl Rove is ready for it." Michigan Rep. John Conyers, pressing Rove to testify before the House regarding allegations of politically motivated U.S. attorney firings in 2006. Rove once again...

The Spy and the Sex Scandal.(Periscope; ALGERIA)(Andrew Warren)
February 9, 2009... Byline: Mark Hosenball and Michael Isikoff He seemed just the sort of spy the CIA is looking for to fight the war on terror. Andrew Warren is a 6-foot-4 African-American schooled in the martial arts. Steeped in Middle Eastern history, he is...

An Opening Move: Swap Prisoners?(Periscope; IRAN)
February 9, 2009... Byline: Michael Isikoff Speaking to reporters, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last week invited Iran to show its willingness "to engage meaningfully" with the international community--language that seemed to signal the Obama...

Gandhi. Mandela. King. Blagojevich?(Periscope; THE DIGNITY INDEX)(Rod Blagojevich)(Nelson Mandela)(Mohandas K. Gandhi)(Brief article)
February 9, 2009... A weekly survey of dubious behavior that measures, on a scale of 1 to 100, just how low a person can go. Former House honcho Dick Armey snarls at a female TV panelist that he's "so damn glad you could never be my wife." Chivalry: very much...

A Skipper's View of the Bronx Zoo.(Periscope; BASEBALL)(Excerpt)
February 9, 2009... A Skipper's View of the Bronx Zoo So far, the buzz on manager Joe Torre's new book, "The Yankee Years," has been all about slugger Alex Rodriguez and how some teammates rechristened him "A-Fraud." But it's actually one of the few salacious...

Aloha Zen Edition.(Periscope; CONVENTIONAL WISDOM WATCH)
February 9, 2009... Despite the hurdles ahead, Obama seems at ease in the Oval Office. And so are his visitors: suit jackets no longer de rigueur. Obama (UP) Slams Wall St. bonus babies, relaxes dress code, and revives WH cocktail party. Cool. Blago...

The Davos Edition.(Periscope; A CW LOOK AT THE WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM)
February 9, 2009... Humbled bankers and corporate chiefs huddle for warmth in the Alps and lick their wounds over hot cocoa. Misery loves company. Russia(SW) Putin projects confidence, but Euros are still mad he's playing games with energy spigot. ...

Paul Auster.(Periscope; A LIFE IN BOOKS)(Brief article)(Recommended readings)
February 9, 2009... His "New York Trilogy" redefined detective fiction in the 1980s. He's since written five screenplays and 11 novels, including his latest, "Man in the Dark." His picks: My Five Most Important Books 1. "The Scarlet Letter" by Nathaniel...

Dare I Trust My Intuition?(Periscope; HEALTH MATTERS)
February 9, 2009... Byline: Mary Carmichael Recently, a friend sent me a 2006 clip from "The Oprah Winfrey Show" featuring a room of fussy newborns and a woman who claimed she could translate their cries. I'm a skeptic by nature, but around March 4, I will...

Hey, Watch Your Mouth.(Periscope; WORTH YOUR TIME)(Eddie Marsan )(Brief article)
February 9, 2009... Byline: Jennie Yabroff Whenever Eddie Marsan appears onscreen in "Happy-Go-Lucky," I can't take my eyes off his mouth. His character, Scott, an enraged driving instructor, is the antithesis of Poppy (Sally Hawkins), the film's sunny...

Imagining Life Without Lawyers.(Society; THE VERDICT)(Critical essay)
February 9, 2009... In many cases, fear of liability can impede good judgment. But the cure for too much law shouldn't be too little. So what are we to do about all these lawyers? Philip K. Howard, founder of Common Good and author of "The Death of...

Of Voodoo and the Brain.(Society; ON SCIENCE)
February 9, 2009... Byline: Sharon Begley Patterns of neural activity and thoughts or feelings are not as tightly linked as scientists have claimed. It is a brave, or perhaps foolhardy, scientist who uses the term "voodoo" to describe results in a...

The Alchemist of the Mundane.(Society; JOHN UPDIKE, 1932-2009)(Obituary)
February 9, 2009... Byline: Claire Messud John Updike was a man of his time: daring, controversial, prolific and profound. Very few--indeed, few writers--have so incisive an awareness, so frank and unsparing an eye, as did John Updike, who died of lung...

A Vast and Sudden Sadness.(Society; HEALTH)(stillbirth)
February 9, 2009... Byline: Claudia Kalb; With Andy Murr Each year thousands of families experience stillbirth. As science seeks causes, parents use photography to honor their babies and cope with their grief. Marirosa Anderson was still sweating from a...

Authentic Americana.(Society; FASHION)
February 9, 2009... Byline: Andrew Romano Why Grandpa's clothes are suddenly chic. Fok-Yan Leung doesn't look out of place at the local field-and-stream emporium. His Maine Guide Jacket is nearly indistinguishable from the coats his fellow Moscow, Idaho,...

The Pope's Denial Problem.(Society; RELIGION)(Pope John XXIII )(Column)
February 9, 2009... By reconciling with extremist bishops, Benedict embraces the far-right fringe. Ever since Pope John XXIII made history by the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, there have been believing Roman Catholics who regarded the whole thing as...

On Their Own Terms.(Columnist; THE LAST WORD)(abortion)
February 16, 2009... Byline: Anna Quindlen American women have found a new way to keep abortion a personal and private responsibility. It comes with a glass of water. This is how it works: first, one pill in the doctor's office or at the clinic, and, a day...

Terror on the Streets of New York, Take One.(Entertainment; BOOKS)(anarchism and terrorism)(Viewpoint essay)
February 16, 2009... Byline: David Wallace-Wells The 20th century closed with a vicious bombing. We've largely forgotten about the one that opened it. One September morning in 1920, a horse-drawn wagon made its way along Wall Street in lower Manhattan,...

A Novel English Lesson.(Entertainment; BOOKS)(Yiyun Li)
February 16, 2009... Byline: Louisa Thomas Yiyun Li left China to become a scientist. So how'd she become one of America's best young novelists? When Yiyun Li was a child in Beijing, in the late 1970s, she watched political prisoners paraded through the...

We Are All Socialists Now.(Business; COVER STORY: BUSINESS)(economic stimulus package)(Cover story)(Viewpoint essay)
February 16, 2009... Byline: Jon Meacham and Evan Thomas In many ways our economy already resembles a European one. As boomers age and spending grows, we will become even more French. The interview was nearly over. on the Fox News Channel last Wednesday...

Big Government Is Back--Big Time.(Business; COVER STORY: BUSINESS)(United States President Barack Obama's economic plans)(Cover story)
February 16, 2009... Byline: Michael Freedman; With Tracy McNicoll in Paris U.S. policymakers reconsider the relationship between government and the private sector. Have you noticed that Barack Obama sounds more like the president of France every day? When...

How Bad Is It, Really?(Business)(United States Bureau of Labor Statistics' report on unemployment)(Statistical data)
February 16, 2009... Byline: Zachary Karabell January's jobless numbers were worse than expected. But statistics only tell part of the story. The report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics was just as dismal as anticipated. Unemployment in January jumped...

Time to Hang Up the Pajamas.(Business; TECHTONIC SHIFTS)(trends in blogging and Internet advertising)
February 16, 2009... Byline: Daniel Lyons I learned the hard way: while blogs can do many wonderful things, making huge amounts of money isn't one of them. For two years I was obsessed with trying to turn a blog into a business. I posted 10 or 20 items a...

Decline? I'll Decline.(Business)(historian's views on the economic crisis faced by the United States)
February 16, 2009... Byline: Daniel Gross Our best days aren't necessarily behind us. The dumb, willfully blind optimists who dominated the late boom have been evicted--and the ardent declinists, the bears and the prophetic historians have moved in....

A New President Faces the Music.(Letters; MAIL CALL)(Letter to the editor)
February 16, 2009... 'I Got It Bad': Readers fixated on the Feb. 2 cover photo of the smiling first couple mid-dance at one of the inaugural balls. Seizing on the connection between President Obama's face and the accompanying text, which suggested his smile will...

The Editor's Desk.(The Editor's Desk)(growing similarity between Europe and the United States' economy and policies)(Editorial)
February 16, 2009... Byline: Jon Meacham When Evan Thomas and I started talking about the idea that America has quite recently--and quite quickly--moved closer to Europe in terms of the relationship between the state and the market, we were skeptical. We are...

Worthwhile Canadian Initiative.(International; WORLD VIEW)(how Canada's banking industry is surviving the global economic crisis)
February 16, 2009... Byline: Fareed Zakaria Canadian banks are typically leveraged at 18 to 1--compared with U.S. banks at 26 to 1. The legendary editor of The New Republic, Michael Kinsley, once held a "Boring Headline Contest" and decided that the winner...

Worst Job in the World.(International; INTERVIEW)(Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani)(Interview)
February 16, 2009... Byline: Lally Weymouth Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani insists his country isn't failing, but needs international help. Pakistan's Prime Minister, Yousuf Raza Gilani, leads a fractious Parliament that is facing at once a...

Our Nuclear Nightmare.(International; OPINION)(possible effects of Iran and North Korea's atomic weapons development)(Viewpoint essay)
February 16, 2009... Byline: Henry A. Kissinger As nations like Iran and North Korea seek to develop atomic weapons, the chances of a calamity are rising dramatically. Here's how to lower them. More than 200 years ago, the philosopher Immanuel Kant defined...

Stop Me if You've Heard This One.(My Turn)(collection of stories about the Great Depression gathered through the Federal Writers' Project of the Works Progress Administration)
February 16, 2009... Don't underestimate the power of storytelling. It got folks through the Depression. It can work now, too. If my grandmother Blanche were around to read the headlines today, I know just what story she would tell: in the mid-1920s, at the...

The Draw of 'Dead Town'.(Nation; NATIONAL AFFAIRS)
February 16, 2009... Byline: Suzanne Smalley and Evan Thomas For many young guys trying to leave gangs, the pull of the old neighborhood is tough to resist. How do you let go--and stay gone? NEWSWEEK trailed two men who really want to figure that out for...

The Marathon Man.(Nation; THE ARTS)
February 16, 2009... Byline: Jonathan Darman Robert Caro spent decades living LBJ's life. His goal with the last volume is the same as itwas with the first: to endure. What made Johnson run? That was the question that, for several months in the late 1970s,...

The Inside Game.(Nation; LIVING POLITICS)
February 16, 2009... Byline: Howard Fineman In medieval Washington, no one gets a half-hour solo meeting with a president. But as Barack Obama labored to sell his economic plan last week, he gave three senators, none a household name, the royal treatment....

In Defense of Bankers.(Nation; THE BIG IDEA)
February 16, 2009... One obvious point being lost: the vast majority of toilers in the financial vineyards had nothing to do with the meltdown. Not long ago, American culture abhorred lawyers, mistrusted journalists and envied bankers. Today we ignore lawyers,...

Three Cheers For Dakota! Turn the Other Cheek, Christian.(Newsmakers; NEWSMAKERS Q&A)(Dakota Fanning )(Interview)
February 16, 2009... Dakota Fanning has two movies in theaters: the animated "Coraline" and the superhero action flick "Push." She spoke to Ramin Setoodeh. How does it feel to have two movies opening on the same day? I've never had that before. It's so...

Perspectives.(Periscope)
February 16, 2009... "I don't care whether you're driving a hybrid or an SUV. If you're headed for a cliff, you've got to change direction. That's what the American people called for in November, and that's what we intend to deliver." President Barack Obama,...