March 2002

Baseball 2002's winners and losers By King Kaufman
Forget the talk of contraction and lockouts. It's spring -- time for the Red Sox to edge the Yankees (really!) and the Cardinals to go all the way. (03/30/2002)

"I'm under fire!" By Ferry Biedermann
Arafat allies cower as Ariel Sharon's army storms Ramallah's "presidential compound," and the U.S. sends mixed messages about the escalation. (03/30/2002)

Last exit before Armageddon By Gary Kamiya
The U.S. still has a chance to broker a lasting peace in the Middle East. But to do so, it must go beyond merely denouncing terrorism and push through a political solution. (03/30/2002)

Bush's foreign policy blunders By Joshua Micah Marshall
As Ramallah burns and the Saudis and Iraqis make peace, the administration's plans for a new coalition to bomb Iraq continue to crumble. (03/30/2002)

"Panic Room" By Charles Taylor
Dour director David Fincher's showy thriller wants to sell pulp as dark, edgy drama -- too bad he misses the dramatic meat. (03/29/2002)

"The Rookie" By Stephanie Zacharek
A rough, weatherbeaten Dennis Quaid salvages a sentimental story about playing baseball and believing in dreams. (03/29/2002)

"Clockstoppers" By Damien Cave
Impressive sci-fi effects and cute actors can't save a trite, safe teen flick that should please Joe Lieberman. (03/29/2002)

"Death to Smoochy" By Stephanie Zacharek
How does a freewheeling Robin Williams, plus Edward Norton in a purple rhino suit, equal a morbidly lame comedy? (03/29/2002)

Billy Wilder, 1906-2002 By Stephanie Zacharek
He had zero tolerance for fools, but he trusted his audience completely -- and we trusted him back (03/29/2002)

Black America and the Oscars: A one-night stand? By Uju Asika
From Internet message boards to barbershops, African-Americans are abuzz with debate over Halle, Denzel and Sidney's history-making moments. Is "Monster's Ball" a racist film or a breakthrough? Do blacks wield any real power in Hollywood? Was the Oscar "blackout" more than a whitewash? (03/29/2002)

Literary Daybook, March 29  
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (03/29/2002)

No-man's land  
Readers respond to an essay by a book club outcast, "Why Do Women Wed?" and "Can Asians Think?" (03/29/2002)

Backstabbers By Laura Miller
In "Woman's Inhumanity to Woman," pioneering feminist Phyllis Chesler dares to talk about the ways women -- including famous feminists -- stab each other in the back. (03/29/2002)

Lynda Barry
Pilation cogitation (03/29/2002)

The latest priest-scandal scapegoat By Terry Golway
The Catholic League is smearing Maureen Dowd, a practicing Catholic, as a church-hater. As conservatives start to blame liberal Catholics for the sex-abuse crisis, one liberal Catholic fights back. (03/29/2002)

Harry Shearer By Dimitra Kessenides
The comic genius of "This Is Spinal Tap" fame talks about corporate corruption, the art of the American apology and his new film, "Teddy Bears' Picnic." (03/29/2002)

Grant him some modesty! By Amy Reiter
Hugh explains that "stirring" in his trousers; Britney describes God, heaven; who stole Willie Nelson's inflatable whiskey bottle? Plus: Anne Robinson movie in the works! (03/29/2002)

Enviros to Bush's Energy Dept.: Nice try -- now show us the good stuff By Anthony York
The Natural Resources Defense Council says mountain of court-ordered docs has crucial omissions. (03/29/2002)

Chasing the '60s By Charles Taylor
Photographer David Bailey's sexy past work haunts nearly every shot on display in his new collection. (03/29/2002)

U.S. prepares to invade your hard drive By Paul Boutin
A bill before Congress would mandate built-in copy-protection on all digital devices. But even technology experts who really want to protect intellectual property think it's a lousy idea. (03/29/2002)

Stuffed bunnies, real sharks By Carina Chocano
Fox's "Greg the Bunny" offers cheap, hilarious gags on the set of a fake PBS "edutainment." Can it survive the single-camera sitcom curse? (03/28/2002)

"Oscars 2002: Somebody Make It Stop!"
By Cintra Wilson (03/28/2002)

From public access to network sitcom By Carina Chocano
Co-creator Dan Milano talks about the long, exceedingly strange trip of "Greg the Bunny." (03/28/2002)

Hollywood uncensored By Nikki Finke
Before last Sunday's Oscars, arch-rival movie moguls Harvey Weinstein and Jeffrey Katzenberg amused themselves and 700 show business guests with a savage, over-the-top skit that left no titan untouched, least of all themselves. (03/28/2002)

The week in dirt By Amy Reiter
Red carpet nastiness: Is Peter Fonda the next Joan Rivers? Plus: Why Will and Jada Smith should get a Parenting Award, why stick figure Kate Moss suddenly eats for two, and more. (03/28/2002)

Literary Daybook, March 28  
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (03/28/2002)

Why do women wed? By Ann Marlowe
A new book argues that women put much more work into marriage than men do, and asks why they bother. (03/28/2002)

Tom the Dancing Bug By Ruben Bolling
The new sequel to Mel Brooks' smash hit "The Producers": The Energy Traders! (03/28/2002)

What Barry Bonds did wrong By Allen Barra
He's the best player in baseball, but hitting 73 home runs at age 37 isn't just unnatural, it might be ruining the game. (03/28/2002)

Where's the media mea culpa? By Joe Conason
Though the final Whitewater report clearly shows the Clintons were innocent, the New York Times and Washington Post arrogantly refuse to admit they were wrong. (03/28/2002)

Amid chaos, an olive branch By Paul Wachter
The Arab summit meeting in Beirut opens in disarray, as Palestinians pull out and key American allies snub the event -- but the Saudi peace plan offers a ray of hope. (03/28/2002)

Buffalo soldiers By Arthur Allen
When bison wander from Yellowstone National Park, they fall prey to Montana gunmen -- unless they're rescued by a motley band of eco-warriors. (03/28/2002)

Celine's lesson in love By Amy Reiter
Dion stands by hubby through rape charges; Turlington and Burns splitsville; Alicia Keys on her TV muse. Plus: Penelope Cruz dissed by Ralph Lauren? (03/28/2002)

The cool one By David Thomson
Jodie Foster is like Cary Grant -- smart, observant and curious about human nature. Those things together lend a fascinating distance to her charm. (03/28/2002)

Air travel's communications killer By P. Smith
Twenty-five years ago, the greatest disaster in airline history killed 538 people, in part because of a radio glitch that still hasn't been fixed. (03/28/2002)

Washington tunes in By Eric Boehlert
Critics accuse Clear Channel of shady radio deals and nasty concert business. Now the government is starting to pay attention. (03/27/2002)

Literary Daybook, March 27  
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (03/27/2002)

Bestsellers
Jeffrey Deaver, Ian McEwan and more in this week's bestselling books courtesy of Powells.com. (03/27/2002)

The K Chronicles By Keith Knight
What's the big deal? You'd think they'd won the presidency. (03/27/2002)

Without a nest By Nell Bernstein
Is it surprising that foster kids, in the face of forced independence at the age of 18, might go to extraordinary lengths to postpone adulthood? (03/27/2002)

Yes, Virginia, there is a "decent left" By David Horowitz
And Dissent's Michael Walzer is one of its few members. But his "second thoughts" about al-Qaida and the war don't go quite far enough. (03/27/2002)

The gay purge By Cheryl L. Reed
By scapegoating homosexual priests, the Catholic Church seeks to avoid a tougher look at its secret history of abuse. (03/27/2002)

Between religion and morality By Robert Scheer
The preaching of pompous czars of virtue on the right doesn't hold up in the face of hypocrisy. (03/27/2002)

Collared By Cheryl L. Reed
A priest and nun are silenced after refusing to condemn homosexuality. (03/27/2002)

Forecasting the final four By King Kaufman
Moving courageously beyond his earlier botched NCAA predictions, our man picks Kansas and Oklahoma. (03/27/2002)

Oh, Crowe up! By Amy Reiter
The grouchy gladiator slinks off to hotel after Oscars rejection; Ethan Hawke and the shiner that wasn't; Peter Fonda disses Gwynnie; Linda Blair gets exercised over dopey fans. (03/27/2002)

Farewell to Will By Gary Kamiya
Norman Mailer flattens George Will after the bow-tied GOP courtier notes a Hemingway-like eloquence in our president's mangled prose. (03/28/2002)

Too sexy for her rocker By Michael Castleman
Betty Dodson is 72 and Eric Wilkinson is 25, and after three years together they are still hot and heavy -- and happy. (03/27/2002)

Pretty geeky privacy By Bill Lamb
More and more people want powerful, easy-to-use encryption software, but the commercial world isn't providing it. Can open source deliver? (03/27/2002)

Philip Roth: The Zuckerman books By Ken Gordon
Over 21 years, eight novels and 2,200 pages, the titan of American writing has published the most ambitious literary series of our time. (03/26/2002)

Handsome, smart, sensitive? I'll smack you right in the head! By Cary Tennis
What's with these guys who write in about how wonderful they are? A "vaguely intelligent and mildly talented middle-aged married guy" wants to know: Is it just me, or are they even worse losers than the rest of us losers? (03/26/2002)

Literary Daybook, March 26  
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (03/26/2002)

"Indira" by Katherine Frank By Paul Festa
Indira Gandhi led the most populous democracy in the world, but finally, ruthless and paranoid, she couldn't resist the temptation of tyranny. (03/26/2002)

Confessions of a book club outcast By Peter Flax
I'm literate and articulate, and I make delicious finger food. But I can't get into the good book clubs because I'm a guy. (03/26/2002)

Story Minute By Carol Lay
The kid was a natural. (03/26/2002)

Dentally unsound By Daniel Engber
The American Dental Association's oral cancer awareness campaign targets young white people -- but that's not who's most likely to get oral cancer. (03/26/2002)

Can Bono help Bush do more than talk about global poverty? By Arianna Huffington
The Irish rock star was at his side when the president announced a jump in foreign aid. But there's reason to doubt the administration will ever follow through. (03/26/2002)

The freshest prince By Amy Reiter
Why Will Smith left the Oscars early; little "hobbit" people excluded from show; Tom makes friendly with Nicole; Sharon Stone: Only a sliver of genius! (03/26/2002)

Stupid white lies By Ben Fritz
Why does Michael Moore keep saying the Bush administration gave $43 million to the Taliban -- months after that story was debunked? (03/26/2002)

Does Tom Ridge matter? By Joshua Micah Marshall
Democrats want to make the homeland security czar talk to Congress. But after six months of losing turf wars to John Ashcroft, does the marginalized Ridge have anything to say? (03/26/2002)

After-sex dilemmas By Cary Tennis
I slept with a good friend and got the Morning-After Speech: We can't do this again or we'll ruin the friendship. Should I be good and stay out of his way, or go for it, like I want to? (03/26/2002)

Web radio's last stand By Katharine Mieszkowski
A new ruling involving the Digital Millennium Copyright Act is set to wipe out independent online music stations. (03/26/2002)

Real Life Rock Top 10 By Greil Marcus
(03/25/2002)

Oscars 2002: Somebody make it stop! By Cintra Wilson
It's the Oscars of Defensiveness (TM): Four-plus hours in which Hollywood tries to pretend it's not racist -- and Tom Cruise is revealed as that Scary Flaming Eye from "Lord of the Rings." (03/25/2002)

Literary Daybook, March 25  
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (03/25/2002)

Salon recommends
A collection of classic New York characters and more of our favorite new books. (03/25/2002)

"Can Asians think?" By Suzy Hansen
Singapore's ambassador to the U.N. talks about his controversial new book and the gulf between Western and Eastern minds. (03/25/2002)

This Modern World By Tom Tomorrow
Who poses the greatest evil of all? (03/25/2002)

Fat kids, silent parents By Amy Benfer
Hectored by experts and afraid of hurting their kids' self-esteem, parents of overweight children remain silent -- as the nation faces a youthful obesity crisis. (03/25/2002)

Half measures By King Kaufman
The last few minutes before halftime are too valuable to keep your best player on the bench. Coach Jim Calhoun didn't realize that, and his UConn Huskies are not in the Final Four. (03/25/2002)

Through clowning By Stephen Lemons
You can laugh, but the mummified clown at the California Institute of Abnormalarts appears to be serious business. (03/25/2002)

The skinny on Kate By Amy Reiter
Moss says she's pregnant; Minnelli describes "horrific" robbery attempt; Britney starts fire while -- oops! -- shopping with friends! (03/25/2002)

A reprimand for Reebok By Leslie Dwyer
The running shoes company wanted to give a big cash prize to an Indonesian labor activist. But Dita Sari said no. (03/25/2002)

Sam he ain't By Stephanie Zacharek
Forget his embarrassing, scenery-chewing performance in "I am Sam" -- Sean Penn is one of the two greatest actors of his generation. (03/23/2002)

Oscar, heal thyself By Nikki Finke
The Academy Awards have grown sloppy and corrupt. Here are five proposals to fix them. (03/23/2002)

Reading the Academy's nasty mind By Nikki Finke
Oscar voters are cranky score-settlers. Here's how they'll rate this year's nominees. (03/23/2002)

Where there's a Williams, no way By King Kaufman
A pair of heroes from the Land of Lincoln have subpar games as their teams get bounced from the Tournament. (03/23/2002)

Egypt's free pass By Cliff Rothman
Bush officials stand up for Afghan women. So why do they say nothing as Egypt jails and tortures gay men? (03/23/2002)

"Sorority Boys" By Stephanie Zacharek
Frat hijinks. Men in women's clothing. Where did they go wrong? (03/22/2002)

You can go home again By Charles Taylor
Twenty years after its first release, "E.T." remains the most wondrous of all Hollywood fantasies -- and the apex of Steven Spielberg's misunderstood career. (03/22/2002)

"Son of the Bride" By Jeff Stark
This crisp, witty best foreign film nominee captures a beleaguered restaurateur's midlife crisis (and Argentina's). (03/22/2002)

"Blade II" By Laura Miller
Alas, 1998's vampire disco has shut down, but this sequel offers plenty of gore, goo, creepy orifices and video-game-style action. (03/22/2002)

What's wrong with the Oscars? By Heather Havrilesky
The speeches are boring, for starters. Why don't those stars think about me? (03/22/2002)

"Stolen Summer" By Stephanie Zacharek
This sweet, guileless tale of a '70s suburban family -- whose director was plucked from obscurity by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon -- just slides off the screen and disappears. (03/22/2002)

"The Writer of Dreck™"  
By Laura Miller (03/22/2002)

Literary Daybook, March 22  
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (03/22/2002)

Same-sex marriage, with a twist By David Link
The Kansas Supreme Court enforces a ban on gay marriage and clears the way for -- gay marriage. (03/22/2002)

The envelope please ... By Arianna Huffington
In honor of this weekend's festivities in Hollywood, Arianna Huffington hands out her own political Oscars. (03/22/2002)

The real thing By King Kaufman
Most of those NCAA Tournament upsets aren't really upsets, but when Duke loses, now you've got something. (03/22/2002)

The end of the $73 million witch hunt By Joe Conason
Independent counsel Robert Ray's final Whitewater report confirms what was clear from the start -- Bill and Hillary Clinton were innocent. (03/22/2002)

Bush's Middle East Band-Aid By Aluf Benn
Israeli politicians and analysts say that the U.S.'s sudden involvement is cosmetic and only designed to pave the way for an attack on Iraq. (03/22/2002)

Mauling justice By Joan Walsh
Marjorie Knoller is guilty of being a loathsome creep. But she isn't guilty of second-degree murder -- and the gays celebrating her conviction are putting tribalism before justice. (03/22/2002)

The "C" stands for communication By Amy Reiter
Ugliness after Pam Anderson's hepatitis revelation; pity, from one Brady brother to another; Britney and Justin's separation "not permanent"; Halle Berry admits to near-suicide attempt. (03/22/2002)

Lascivious lasses of the LPs By Gary Kamiya
The long-lost women of vintage album covers take us into a weird and idiotic sexual world. (03/22/2002)

Losing the HP Way By Jeff Goodell
Carly Fiorina may have triumphed over Walter Hewlett, but the effort to save her company's share price came at a cost: Silicon Valley's soul. (03/22/2002)

Lights! Camera! Liposuction! By Carina Chocano
How TLC's tear-jerking ultra-reality shows, in which ordinary folks give birth, go on blind dates and undergo cosmetic dentistry, became the hottest thing on daytime cable. (03/21/2002)

Why Ben Kingsley deserves another Oscar By Jean Tang
As the terrifying villain at the center of "Sexy Beast" the English actor obliterated himself -- and invented an entirely new character. (03/21/2002)

Literary Daybook, March 21  
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (03/21/2002)

"The Disappearing Body" by David Grand By Amy Reiter
A nifty update on the classic noir plumbs an urban underworld of dames, dope rings, double-crossing heavies and poor saps set up to take a fall. (03/21/2002)

"The Translator" by John Crowley By Laura Miller
A young woman's doomed affair with an exiled Russian poet takes on mystical undertones during the ominous days of the Cuban Missile Crisis. (03/21/2002)

"Violence, Nudity, Adult Content" by Vince Passaro By Andrew O'Hehir
In a satire of paranoid post-Giuliani New York, a lawyer contends with a murderous client, a bisexual stalker and a wife who inexplicably hates him. (03/21/2002)

"The Nanny Diaries" by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus By Stephanie Zacharek
Two real-life nannies paint a wickedly funny portrait of their pampered charges -- and the kids' even more spoiled and demanding parents. (03/21/2002)

"In the Forest" by Edna O'Brien By Amy Reiter
In a primal tale based on a true story, the great Irish novelist describes how an innocent, sensual woman falls into the hands of a pathological killer. (03/21/2002)

"Atonement" by Ian McEwan By Laura Miller
The author of "Amsterdam" explores the devastating consequences of a young girl's lie. (03/21/2002)

What to read By Salon's critics
March fiction takes a walk on the dark side with new novels about crime, punishment and the Cuban Missile Crisis from Ian McEwan, Edna O'Brien and more. (03/21/2002)

Tom the Dancing Bug By Ruben Bolling
The Nuclear Posture Review: 101 everyday uses for nuclear bombs, and more! (03/21/2002)

Lynda Barry
Drastic action (03/21/2002)

The politics of money and insanity
Readers respond to a Sept. 11 widow's anger at cartoonist Ted Rall, and to Douglas Cruickshank's criticism of the Andrea Yates verdict. (03/21/2002)

The coming of the über-athlete By Jon Entine
The genetic revolution will mean the end of sports as we know it -- and that may not be a bad thing. (03/21/2002)

The man from Neen By John Glassie
Miltos Manetas, who sent 23 invisible U-Haul trucks to the Whitney Biennial, explains the "art" movement that's out to change the way we perceive technology, intellectual property and moving vans. (03/21/2002)

Hollywood diaspora, redux By Amy Reiter
Gwynnie whimpers about Tinsel Town troubles; Morgan Freeman can't complain -- he likes his bathroom; Jolie: Let someone else make my kids; Winslet explains surviving the Oscars. (03/21/2002)

Coloring the truth By Brendan Nyhan
The top Democrat plays the race card -- again. (03/21/2002)

The real Whitewater shocker By Joshua Micah Marshall
The independent counsel's report concedes there was no Clinton scandal, but details another one -- the role the first Bush administration played. (03/21/2002)

"Since You Asked": Readers respond to Kat, the Ugly Guy and others
By Cary Tennis (03/21/2002)

Tender moments By David Thomson
I've been thinking of the opening shot of "Bay of Angels" for the last 40 years. (03/21/2002)

Will the Net save China? By Andrew Leonard
A breathless new book predicts that Chinese digerati will revive their nation's glory -- but massive poverty and autocratic rulers won't vanish at the click of a mouse. (03/21/2002)

Of hatred and innocence By Uju Asika
Filmmakers B.Z. Goldberg and Justine Shapiro discuss their Oscar-nominated "Promises," a wrenching and intimate portrait of the children of Jerusalem. (03/20/2002)

Proud to be a socialist!
Brendan Sexton III responds to "Did 'Black Hawk Down' Sell Out?" (03/20/2002)

"Jerusalem Calling" by Joel Schalit By Suzy Hansen
A disillusioned young Israeli living in the U.S. warns the American left that it's too reluctant to criticize religious fundamentalists -- including George Bush. (03/20/2002)

Literary Daybook, March 20  
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (03/20/2002)

Bestsellers
This week's bestselling books courtesy of Powells.com (03/20/2002)

The K Chronicles By Keith Knight
Why didn't you do anything to stop them? (03/20/2002)

A mother without child By Robin Wallace
After nine months of pregnancy, it took only seconds for my world to collapse, a few seconds for the doctor to say, "I'm sorry. There doesn't seem to be a heartbeat." (03/20/2002)

Must-see TV By Flore de Préneuf
For the human rights activist who organized last week's daring North Korean refugee escape, success hinged on having a worldwide audience. (03/20/2002)

The choker By Allen Barra
In addition to giving an excellent throat massage, Bobby Knight is a world-class whiner and excuse-maker -- and his teams keep losing, too. (03/20/2002)

Why won't Tommy talk? By Arianna Huffington
Homeland security chief Tom Ridge continues to rebuff congressional efforts to have him testify about post-Sept. 11 America. (03/20/2002)

Denis Halliday By Hadani Ditmars
The former head of the U.N.'s humanitarian program in Iraq says an American invasion would be an international crime -- and would make the U.S. even less safe. (03/20/2002)

Nicole's big panic room By Amy Reiter
Who will loosen Kidman's corset when she panics at the Oscars? Elton gets nasty; Jolie on going to bush; Bono on going to Bush. Plus: Hasselhoff dusts off K.I.T.T. (03/20/2002)

Love boat By Janelle Brown
Errant women on a convict ship to Australia in the 1780s were sexual playthings, potential mothers and sometimes romantic partners -- if they didn't succumb to scurvy first. (03/20/2002)

"Confessions of a Former Celibate"
By Eugene Kennedy (03/20/2002)

They're both wrong
Readers disagree with Megan McArdle's "Netscape's Folly" and J.J. Gifford's "Microsoft Should Be Punished" (03/20/2002)

"Jesus Christ Superstar" By Julene Snyder
Andrew Lloyd Webber's much-mocked rock opera is actually a classic work of '70s spiritual exploration -- and besides, Our Lord is hot. (03/19/2002)

Is the WWF on the ropes? By Eric Boehlert
Sunday's Wrestlemania broadcast, with its much hyped match between Hulk Hogan and the Rock, might not have been enough to save Vince McMahon's crumbling empire. (03/19/2002)

Yew think ah talk funneh? By Cary Tennis
Um, no, of course not. (03/19/2002)

Thanks. A lot By Tom Bissell
Let the critics say what they will about Elizabeth Wurtzel's books -- her acknowledgments pages are sheer literary genius (03/19/2002)

Literary Daybook, March 19  
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (03/19/2002)

Story Minute By Carol Lay
Hair do's and don'ts (03/19/2002)

Future mothers of America By Deborah Bishop
For a while, I traded e-mails with a pregnant, terrified 18-year-old. Then she stopped writing, and I'll always wonder. (03/19/2002)

Secular and deadly: The rise of the Martyrs Brigades By Ferry Biedermann
The Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, a militant group associated with Arafat's Fatah faction, is supplanting Hamas as a crucial player in the bloody war between Palestinians and Israelis. (03/19/2002)

So much for family values By Robert Scheer
Right-wing moralists threaten to take a child out of the only home he's ever known, simply because his parents are gay. (03/19/2002)

Scott Ritter By Asla Aydintasbas
The controversial former chief U.N. weapons inspector in Iraq says Saddam's weapons of mass destruction are largely disarmed, the "Iraqi threat" is built on a framework of lies and President Bush has betrayed the American people. (03/19/2002)

One big, happy family By Amy Reiter
Minnelli and Gest want kids "of all races"; J.Lo's smell will soon be our smell; Seinfeld dispenses with modesty; Eminem and Geri Halliwell hit the lanes together! (03/19/2002)

The Republican war critic By Michael Tomasky
Today's GOP demonizes any dissent, but one of its most influential forebears openly criticized WWII plans -- and just 12 days after Pearl Harbor. (03/19/2002)

What's a guy to do? By Cary Tennis
I'm exceptionally smart and well-educated, but I'm ugly and that's why cute girls don't go for me. (03/19/2002)

"Chained Melodies"
By Damien Cave (03/19/2002)

Tilting at ICANN By Damien Cave
Karl Auerbach, elected to the Internet domain-name authority with a mandate from the people, explains why he is suing his own organization. (03/19/2002)

Invisible women By Stephanie Zacharek
Sure, Denzel and Will and Eddie have conquered Hollywood. But as Halle Berry's lonely Oscar nod makes all too clear, black actresses still get no respect in the movie biz. (03/18/2002)

Literary Daybook, March 18  
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (03/18/2002)

Salon recommends
Graham Greene's novel of jealousy and adultery and more of our favorite books. (03/18/2002)

The Writer of Dreck™ By Laura Miller
With his appalling new novel, Thomas Kinkade, "The Painter of Light™," makes a strong bid to become the world champion of vapid, money-grubbing kitsch. (03/18/2002)

This Modern World By Tom Tomorrow
Help keep our nation safe with the Junior Homeland Security Fun Kit! (03/18/2002)

Ticky-tacky houses from "The Painter of Light™" By Janelle Brown
Hiddenbrooke, a development "inspired" by Thomas Kinkade, ain't exactly ye olde quainte village it bills itself. (03/18/2002)

Hit the road By King Kaufman
The NCAA Tournament's new "pod" system works just fine, but it needs an adjustment to prevent this weekend's "home" games. (03/18/2002)

"The Execution of Wanda Jean" By Dimitra Kessenides
Director Liz Garbus talks about the death penalty and her documentary on a woman executed for murder. (03/18/2002)

Michael Jackson, King of Space? By Amy Reiter
His Popness wants to moonwalk -- on the moon! President Bush jealous of Bono's shades? Plus: Sarah Jessica Parker throws a Britney fit! (03/18/2002)

Bush's chief energy foe By Anthony York
The Senate defeated Sen. John Kerry's fuel efficiency bill, but he says he'll win in the end. (03/18/2002)

Hot salsa Tetris By Katharine Mieszkowski
Video-game music remixers turn bleeps and bloops into everything from Swedish death metal to hillbilly pickin'. (03/18/2002)

Confessions of a former celibate By Eugene Kennedy
A former priest, now married, thinks celibacy should no longer be an absolute condition for the priesthood. (03/16/2002)

"Kissing Jessica Stein" By Stephanie Zacharek
Two women fall in love with no place to go in this bright and funny romantic comedy. (03/15/2002)

"Showtime" By Charles Taylor
Who's more bored by this quasi-reality-TV cop caper: Robert De Niro, Eddie Murphy or the audience? (03/15/2002)

"Y Tu Mamá También (And Your Mother, Too)" By Charles Taylor
Alfonso Cuarón's sexually explicit Mexican road movie burns with lustful jokes, liberating joy and the pleasure of life itself. (03/15/2002)

"Resident Evil" By Stephanie Zacharek
Zombies! Mutant Doberman pinschers! Milla Jovovich in a slinky red slip-dress! Wake me when it's over. (03/15/2002)

"Harrison's Flowers" By Andrew O'Hehir
Lifetime goes to the Balkans in a shamefully botched weeper about an American woman's search for her missing photojournalist husband. (03/15/2002)

The week in dirt Amy Reiter
Hollywood will go XXX says John Waters; "Been there, done that," proclaims Moby. Plus: Angelina Jolie's dad eagerly awaits opportunity to change diapers on her newly adopted baby, and more. (03/15/2002)

"Blues for Cannibals" by Charles Bowden  
Reviewed by Michelle Goldberg (03/15/2002)

Literary Daybook, March 15  
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (03/15/2002)

Wrath of a terror widow By A.R. Torres
Yes, we are angry, often justifiably, but we are not ungrateful opportunists making a buck on the death of loved ones. That person is cartoonist Ted Rall. (03/15/2002)

Planning for martial law? By Dave Lindorff
Civil libertarians say the Bush administration may give the military scary new police powers in its secret planning for a bunker-based, post-disaster shadow government. (03/15/2002)

A view from on high By King Kaufman
Watching the NCAA Tournament on TV is great, but there's nothing quite like being there, even if "there" is nosebleed country. (03/15/2002)

The whole menagerie By Lucie Chevalier
An Ox, a Rat, a Pig and a Tiger, all about to climb into the same boat. Will this ark float or not? (03/15/2002)

Cruise makes Rosie sweat By Amy Reiter
O'Donnell: "I never said I wanted [Tom] naked in bed"; Affleck: I'm "conflicted" and "insecure." Plus: Will Hurley get $2.5 mil for rights to cover her baby's birth? (03/15/2002)

A myth dies slowly By Brendan Nyhan
The New York Times corrects itself: No Clinton White House Lay-over. (03/15/2002)

Way back when By Charles Taylor
A book of starlet glam shots raises questions like: Was it bad choices or bad luck that kept Sharon Stone from ruling Hollywood after "Basic Instinct"? (03/15/2002)

Microsoft should be punished By J.J. Gifford
The feds failed to order a breakup when it could have done some good. Now, based on the government's findings, Sun, Netscape and Be are suing -- with good reason. (03/15/2002)

Shareholders in the Bank of Terror? By Lucy Komisar
A previously unpublished list reveals that backers of a bank that the U.S. says helped fund al-Qaida include prominent members of the Arab world. (03/15/2002)

True-life lies By Carina Chocano
NBC's "The Matthew Shepard Story" and HBO's "Con Man" try to capture the tragic lives of two very different college students using tried-and-true TV formulas. (03/14/2002)

Literary Daybook, March 14  
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (03/14/2002)

"The Short Sweet Dream of Eduardo Gutierrez" by Jimmy Breslin By Allen Barra
A great newspaperman returns to form with this true story of a young illegal immigrant and his horrible death on a construction site in New York. (03/14/2002)

Pietro di Donato's "Christ in Concrete" By Allen Barra
The long-lost novel that inspired Jimmy Breslin to write "The Short Sweet Dream of Eduardo Gutierrez." (03/14/2002)

Tom the Dancing Bug By Ruben Bolling
Larry and Flyin' Feet, Phil O. Sophy n' Friends, and more Super-Fun-Pax Comix (03/14/2002)

The Andrea Yates verdict is insane By Douglas Cruickshank
A mentally ill mother is guilty of little more than extraordinary need and dangerous fragility, and both are beyond her control. (03/14/2002)

March lameness By Allen Barra
The NCAA Tournament has too many teams -- and an unstoppable hype machine. (03/14/2002)

Storm before the calm By Ferry Biedermann
Israel is using the remaining days before Cheney arrives to smash the camps and cities of the West Bank and Gaza -- and militants and noncombatants alike are dying. (03/14/2002)

Harding stops Jones in 3 By King Kaufman
Former Clinton accuser, humanity itself both take brutal pounding in "Celebrity Boxing." (03/14/2002)

Blowing the whistle on bad science By Arianna Huffington
Former missile tester Nira Schwartz says Star Wars doesn't work. Now Congress is beginning to listen. (03/14/2002)

Jon Ronson By Joanna Smith Rakoff
The author of "Them: Adventures With Extremists" discusses his time with Osama's London cohort, close calls with neo-Nazis and the undeniable humanity of the world's would-be monsters. (03/14/2002)

They're coming out of the woodwork By Amy Reiter
Baio boxing pretty-boy Hasselhoff? Hugh Grant challenges Cruise's manliness; Jolie scolds daddy; Russell Crowe and his dirty mind. (03/14/2002)

Tougher fuel standards? Not anytime soon By Anthony York
A U.S. Senate vote dooms efforts to mandate better gas mileage in American-made vehicles. (03/14/2002)

Sexy Nina and adolescent problems
Readers respond to David Thomson's column on "24" and Cary Tennis' advice in "Since You Asked" to a woman whose boyfriend's kids don't like her. (03/14/2002)

Netscape's folly By Megan McArdle
The loser in the browser wars has filed a private antitrust suit against Microsoft. But the company doesn't deserve to win. (03/14/2002)

Record companies: Save us from ourselves! By Eric Boehlert
With payola up but profits down, labels are wondering if paying $100 million to middlemen "fixers" is still a swell business idea. (03/13/2002)

A viewer's guide to "Monsoon Wedding" By Adrienne Crew
Punjabi wedding rituals, reggae bhangra mixes of old Bollywood hits and other esoterica from the season's most unlikely hit film. (03/13/2002)

"My job is to choreograph chaos" By Adrienne Crew
Filmmaker Mira Nair talks about "Monsoon Wedding," her homemade tribute to Bollywood that's breaking art-house records across North America. (03/13/2002)

Why do women lie to me? By Cary Tennis
Again and again, love begets betrayal. (03/13/2002)

Literary Daybook, March 13  
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (03/13/2002)

"Blues for Cannibals" by Charles Bowden By Michelle Goldberg
Another writer tries to shock us out of our bourgeois complacency with seedy tales of life in the gutter. Isn't this shtick getting pretty stale? (03/13/2002)

The K Chronicles By Keith Knight
Life's little victories (03/13/2002)

Lynda Barry
When #3 is #1! (03/13/2002)

Swift injustice By Janelle Brown
Anger and frustration dominate reactions to the quick guilty verdict in the murder trial of Andrea Yates. (03/13/2002)

Worst-case scenario By Suzanne O'Malley
I knew it was coming, but it's still hard to accept: In Texas, mental illness is not a defense to murder. (03/14/2002)

Mensch, or passive-aggressive prima donna? By Eric Boehlert
Letterman stayed out of the brawl over whether he'd replace Ted Koppel's "Nightline," but his minions' manipulations still made the late-night king look bad. (03/13/2002)

When in doubt, nuke 'em By Robert Scheer
The Pentagon's secret plan to fight terror with nuclear weapons shows just how dangerous this administration is. (03/14/2002)

Bill Hicks, the black-humored articulator of doubt By Jack Boulware
One of America's best and darkest comedians is eight years gone, but with a new biography and a new CD, his career shows no signs of stopping. (03/13/2002)

"The Salon Interview: James Carville"
By Joan Walsh (03/13/2002)

Angelina and Billy Bob become parents! By Amy Reiter
Jolie and Thornton adopt baby boy; John Waters says Hollywood will go hardcore. Plus: Moby -- "Who else simulates sex with a robot?" (03/13/2002)

Pickering's race war By Ben Fritz
A judicial nomination comes under fire -- and we all get slimed. (03/13/2002)

Sex tips for Victorians By Roy Edroso
Dr. Becklard's 1845 self-help book is amazingly sex-positive, but probably should not be consulted regarding contraception (it involves trotting a horse). (03/13/2002)

Chained melodies By Damien Cave
Copyright-holding corporations are pushing new laws and computer-crippling technologies in their war on piracy. But can anything keep geeks from copying the music and movies they crave? (03/13/2002)

Did "Black Hawk Down" sell out? By Michelle Goldberg
Actor Brendan Sexton III challenges Ridley Scott, Mark Bowden and the entire U.S. military from a little cafe in Brooklyn. (03/12/2002)

"Genes, Girls and Gamow" by James D. Watson By Alison Motluk
A brilliant biologist's embarrassing new memoir reveals that even with a Nobel prize-worthy discovery under his belt, a 24-year-old geek finds it hard to get laid. (03/12/2002)

Literary Daybook, March 12  
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (03/12/2002)

Bestsellers
This week's bestselling books courtesy of Powells.com. (03/12/2002)

Story Minute By Carol Lay
The case of the personality-free co-worker. (03/12/2002)

Saying no to propaganda By Janelle Brown
Critics say the government's new anti-drug campaign is reactionary and moralistic. Worse, it may not even work. (03/12/2002)

Open the NCAA Tournament to all comers By King Kaufman
A 324-team field would add excitement and give hope to underdogs. Almost as good, it'd get rid of the dumb conference championships. (03/12/2002)

Dave and Ted -- made for each other By Arianna Huffington
Letterman has decided to stay at CBS. But his real future belongs with Ted Koppel as a celebrity-hating, executive-bashing late-night tag team. (03/13/2002)

Britney and Justin splittin' the sheets? By Amy Reiter
Are Spears and Timberlake on, off or what? Madonna's stalker to retire? Plus: Cameron Diaz on consuming bacon -- "It's like eating my niece." (03/12/2002)

A conversation with Jonathan Coe By Charles Taylor
The author of "The Rotters' Club" talks about "pleasuring the reader," Henry Fielding, Dickens, Angus Wilson and Margaret Thatcher as a feminist icon. (03/12/2002)

Kenneth Starr's $70 million bag of garbage By Joshua Micah Marshall
The independent counsel's pathetic final report reveals what a travesty the right wing's get-Clinton crusade was. (03/12/2002)

Bushed! By Scott Rosenberg
The Republican plan to sell defense briefings to big donors makes me miss the days when all fat cats got was a night in Clinton's Lincoln Bedroom. (03/12/2002)

Another bedroom farce, Part 2 By Brendan Nyhan
Possibly the biggest political myth of the year just keeps on growing. (03/12/2002)

Strange declarations By Cary Tennis
Why do married men tell me they love me, then fail to take any action? Plus: I'm in love with him, but his kids hate me. (03/12/2002)

Mozilla's revenge By Andrew Leonard
As the much-touted, long-delayed open-source browser nears the version 1.0 finish line, it may give AOL a new weapon against Microsoft. (03/12/2002)

Real Life Rock Top 10 By Greil Marcus
(03/11/2002)

"Sign O' the Times" By Bomani Jones
Part '80s musical retrospective, part angry social document and all booty-thumping housequake, Prince's 1987 classic stands as pop's last great double album. (03/11/2002)

Brock and Bruni  
Readers respond to reviews of "Blinded by the Right" and "Ambling Into History"; a Muslim reader suggests that we should take Steven Emerson seriously. (03/11/2002)

Literary Daybook, March 11  
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (03/11/2002)

Salon recommends
A memoir of bohemian life in Greenwich Village, Paris and the Arctic, along with more of our favorite new books. (03/11/2002)

This Modern World By Tom Tomorrow
The Republican Party: The questions may change, but, by God, our answers stay the same! (03/11/2002)

Stupid spending By Mickey Butts
Why did my wife decide that buying $700 worth of wine was a canny financial move? Because humans aren't as rational as orthodox economists (and the GOP) think they are. (03/11/2002)

The America-hating left turns up the volume By David Horowitz
Six months after al-Qaida killed more than 3,000 civilians, they'd rather bash Bush and Ashcroft than our terrorist enemies. (03/11/2002)

Hybrid cars: They're here, but nobody's buying By Jake Tapper
Everyone from stars to greens to President Bush seems to be hyping gas-and-electric cars. So why do we keep buying SUVs? (03/11/2002)

James Carville By Joan Walsh
The Ragin' Cajun savages spineless Democrats, journalists who suck up to Bush and the GOP politicians who brought us Enron. (03/11/2002)

Bush's last seduction By Anthony York
An NBC producer's "home movie" of Bush with reporters during the campaign is more "Love Story" than "War Room." (03/11/2002)

Budget babes for busted bachelors By Tom McNichol
Cruising for an escort but can't afford $300 an hour? Try FrugalJohn.com! (03/11/2002)

"Father Ron"
By Damien Cave (03/11/2002)

The tourists that ate Florida By Elizabeth Randall
Before Sept. 11, residents loved to gripe at the out-of-state visitors clogging Orlando. But then they were gone. (03/11/2002)

The naked and the dead By Carina Chocano
"Six Feet Under," Alan Ball's mordant, metaphysical and deeply humane soap opera, may just be the best show on TV. (03/09/2002)

"All About the Benjamins" By Stephanie Zacharek
The bling-bling goes plink-plink in Ice Cube's janky action-comedy. (03/08/2002)

"The Time Machine" By Charles Taylor
Director Simon Wells (H.G.'s descendant) invents an agreeable time-wasting device -- but George Pal's low-tech 1960 version still rules the epochs. (03/08/2002)

The week in dirt By Amy Reiter
Celebrity boxing news -- Tonya Harding to face off against Paula Jones. Plus: Cher on plastic surgery, Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart rumors and more. (03/08/2002)

Literary Daybook, March 8  
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (03/08/2002)

The apostate By Kerry Lauerman
Former conservative attack dog David Brock tells all about his old right-wing cronies -- but whoever gets smeared, the results are still slimy. (03/08/2002)

A boy named Rover By Amy Silverman
What do you call the baby when all the good names have gone to the dogs? (03/08/2002)

Starling stew with olives
A recipe from Calvin Schwabe's "Unmentionable Cuisine." (03/08/2002)

We're here, we're queer, we're penguins By Suzy Hansen
The romantic story of Wendell and Cass, tuxedo-clad life partners, as told by their keeper. (03/08/2002)

Bob Knight on the "Brink" By King Kaufman
ESPN's first original movie fails to capture the madness of the former Indiana University basketball coach. (03/08/2002)

Goodbye, soft money. Hello, hard choices By Arianna Huffington
Campaign reform has only just begun. (03/08/2002)

Ariel Sharon's most powerful weapon: George W. Bush By Aluf Benn
How did a Texas oilman end up being a fervent supporter of the hard-line Israeli prime minister? (03/08/2002)

Baked bat
A recipe from Calvin Schwabe's "Unmentionable Cuisine." (03/08/2002)

Fur and feathers By Lucie Chevalier
A Rooster and a Tiger hit the lotto of love, but are they about to squander their jackpot? (03/08/2002)

Loving animals to death By Chris Colin
Animal hoarders think they're helping their furry friends, but mostly they're just feeding their own twisted psyches. (03/08/2002)

No Salman row! By Amy Reiter
Rushdie says he's not fighting with girlfriend; indecent proposals from Mr. Big; neighbors to Seinfeld: Hellooo, you're too noisy! Pamela Anderson slaps down Kim Cattrall. (03/08/2002)

Wondering about Nina By David Thomson
Is anyone else besides me watching the sexiest thing on television? (03/08/2002)

How safe is your airplane? By P. Smith
After the crash of American Airlines Flight 587, some pilots requested that all Airbus A300 planes be grounded. But they're still aloft. (03/08/2002)

"Mystery Man"
By Gavin McNett (03/07/2002)

"Borstal Boy" By Andrew O'Hehir
An adaptation of playwright Brendan Behan's prison memoir captures its compelling setting -- but settles for bland coming-of-age clichés. (03/07/2002)

Arc of a diva By Charles Taylor
After two decades of Eurostardom, Kylie Minogue's brand of glossy retro-disco may finally conquer America. Good -- she's just what we need right now. (03/07/2002)

Literary Daybook, March 7  
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (03/07/2002)

"The Last Opium Den" by Nick Tosches By Michelle Goldberg
Tough-guy writer Nick Tosches elegantly mourns the vanishing of a decadent icon. But I know from my own blissful experience that the opium den lives on. (03/07/2002)

Tom the Dancing Bug By Ruben Bolling
Why Johnny joins the Taliban (03/07/2002)

Ants for breakfast By Gary Presley
Tart and tangy, the wee Camponotus consobrinus gives me a lesson in world culture. (03/07/2002)

Alzheimers, rats and dog love
Readers react to Jennifer Foote Sweeney's "A Cruel Choice" and to Creature Features. (03/07/2002)

Red ant chutney
A recipe from Calvin Schwabe's "Unmentionable Cuisine." (03/07/2002)

A pedophile's accomplice? By Charles Taylor
Boston Catholics want Cardinal Bernard Law to resign because of his role in protecting a priest who molested boys. Why isn't he being charged for his role in covering up the crime? (03/07/2002)

Bud Light-headed By Allen Barra
Selig and the baseball owners are brewing more bad-faith deals. Plus: A great new boxing film, "Joe and Max." (03/07/2002)

Han, not solo By Amy Reiter
Harrison Ford spotted with Calista; Americans demand I.D.s from Goldie Hawn, Dick Clark. Plus: More celebrity boxing (think: Drummond residence); and just how much do you love Lucy? (03/07/2002)

Sea urchin gonad purée
A recipe from Calvin Schwabe's "Unmentionable Cuisine." (03/07/2002)

"Jurassic Park," eat your heart out By Katharine Mieszkowski
Ecological historian Tim Flannery describes the days of megafauna, when 13-ton elephants and shoulder-height armadillos clomped around among humans. (03/07/2002)

Father Ron By Damien Cave
Pedophile or warm and giving priest? Both, says a young man with fond -- but tarnished -- memories of a good man. (03/07/2002)

Sneaking peeks at the porn clowns By Daniel Terdiman
Even flaming exhibitionists agree: Digital cameras and the Internet make invading a person's privacy much too easy. (03/07/2002)

It's free money, stupid
Readers react to Anthony York's "Legislating Against Stupidity." (03/07/2002)

"40 Days and 40 Nights"
By Charles Taylor (03/06/2002)

"Trouble Every Day" By Andrew O'Hehir
Steamy anonymous sex meets horrible crimes of violence in Claire Denis' languid, lurid new art movie. (03/06/2002)

Literary Daybook, March 6  
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (03/06/2002)

Bestsellers
This week's bestselling books courtesy of Powells.com (03/06/2002)

"The Years of Rice and Salt" by Kim Stanley Robinson By Laura Miller
A novelist imagines 700 years of history in which the plague has wiped out the West and China and Islam rule the globe. (03/06/2002)

The K Chronicles By Keith Knight
Random observations in the Big Easy. (03/06/2002)

Lynda Barry's World of Canines
It's a love thang. (03/06/2002)

Roasted cockchafer grubs in paper
A recipe from Calvin Schwabe's "Unmentionable Cuisine." (03/06/2002)

He knows what you've been checking out By Christopher Dreher
The USA PATRIOT act gives the government broad new powers to seize library and bookstore records -- and prevents librarians and booksellers from complaining. (03/06/2002)

The new Nixon tapes By Robert Scheer
The new tapes that capture Nixon denouncing the "stranglehold" of "untrustworthy" Jews and arguing that we should nuke Vietnam reveal his deep capacity for evil. (03/06/2002)

Hangin' with the 'tans in Borneo By Jennifer Hile
Deep in the Indonesian rain forest, our reporter braves tribal war to discover why orangutans may be driven to extinction by America's love for pool cues. (03/06/2002)

Pig's stomach and abalone
A recipe from Calvin Schwabe's "Unmentionable Cuisine." (03/06/2002)

Jerry Hall says Mick's sick! By Amy Reiter
Jagger's got a bad case of youngwomanitis; Cher says she's the real thing -- mostly. Plus: Tiffany on why she doffed her duds for Playboy. (03/06/2002)

Conservative squeeze play By Scott Rosenberg
It was bad enough when right-wing ideologues convinced Bush to orate about the "axis of evil." But now they want him to really do something about it. (03/06/2002)

GOP giant falls By Anthony York
Dick Riordan squanders a 40-point lead in California, and one ex-staffer bemoans a campaign that reduced him to "a pooper-scooper." (03/06/2002)

Hot seats By King Kaufman
Want to get off watching fornicating office chairs or "hot gay teen lawn chair sluts"? Check out Furniture Porn! (03/06/2002)

"Death and the Maiden"
By Jonathon Keats (03/06/2002)

Stop. Pay toll. Download. By Damien Cave
Backers of a next-generation multimedia compression technology want to charge a controversial fee -- but instead their plan is fanning interest in free, open-source alternatives. (03/06/2002)

Masterpiece: "2001: A Space Odyssey" By Brian Libby
With music and mind-blowing visuals, Stanley Kubrick created a wildly popular avant-garde film that asked all of the biggest questions -- without venturing any easy answers. (03/05/2002)

Literary Daybook, March 5  
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (03/05/2002)

Terrorists under the bed By Eric Boehlert
"Terrorism expert" Steven Emerson paints a terrifying picture of lethal Muslim fundamentalists among us in "American Jihad." But he doesn't know the difference between Osama bin Laden and Yasser Arafat. (03/05/2002)

Story Minute By Carol Lay
Foot, loose: When luck runs out. (03/05/2002)

Steamed cat and chicken
A recipe from Calvin Schwabe's "Unmentionable Cuisine." (03/05/2002)

The existence of dog By Elena Sigman
I always disliked dogs. My 1-year-old son lives for their wet eyes and tongue rolls. (03/05/2002)

Hoffa and the GOP: Washington's creepiest new love item By Arianna Huffington
Teamsters Union president James Hoffa is willing to sell out Alaska to get the feds off his back. (03/05/2002)

Deep-fried horse meat
A recipe from Calvin Schwabe's "Unmentionable Cuisine." (03/05/2002)

Outfoxed By Sally Eckhoff
Wilde called fox hunting the "unspeakable in pursuit of the uneatable." On the upside, it's got all the thrill of battle and only 25 percent of the injuries. (03/05/2002)

Careful -- she's a knockout! By Amy Reiter
Paula Jones and fragile new nose to box Harding; Crowe makes mates with Gerrie; Celine delves into poop; Tom Green feels the sunshine. (03/05/2002)

Bully brigade By Brendan Nyhan
Limbaugh, Novak and Hannity smack down dissenters: Dare to disagree? You're helping the enemy! (03/05/2002)

Existential ennui and too many dates By Cary Tennis
Life is hard when you have too many women, but you haven't yet figured out how to handle preoccupation with mortality and pointlessness. (03/05/2002)

Waiting for Wi-Fi By Paul Boutin
Outside of airports and Starbucks, the wireless Net is still hanging fire. You can build your own node, but who'll hook you up with the rest of the world? (03/05/2002)

Literary Daybook, March 4  
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (03/04/2002)

"Ambling Into History" by Frank Bruni By Noam Scheiber
A new book says George W. Bush is a pretty nice guy who's matured a lot in the past two years. Maybe so, but is that all we ask for in a president? (03/04/2002)

Salon recommends
A biography of the irrepressible James Boswell and more of our favorite new books. (03/04/2002)

This Modern World By Tom Tomorrow
When "disinformation" and "the Pentagon" are used in the same sentence, who knows what to think? (03/04/2002)

Grilled rat Bordeaux-style
A recipe from Calvin Schwabe's "Unmentionable Cuisine." (03/04/2002)

A tail of treachery By Erika Raskin
Everywhere I go, the rodents find me. (03/04/2002)

An introduction By Douglas Cruickshank and Jennifer Foote Sweeney
The Life and People sites offer a week of articles about many-splendored living things, some of them furry, all of them edible. (03/04/2002)

On the prowl with the secret bomb dogs By Amy Standen
Ruff life? These dogs love their duties! (03/04/2002)

Coconut cream marinated dog on skewers
A recipe from Calvin Schwabe's "Unmentionable Cuisine." (03/04/2002)

How to seduce the press By Joan Walsh
The way George W. Bush turned the New York Times' Frank Bruni into his love puppet on the campaign trail could serve as a how-to manual for all future candidates. (03/05/2002)

"If Looks Could Kill"
By David Thomson (03/04/2002)

Legislating against stupidity By Anthony York
Congressional efforts to prevent future Enron-style 401K blowouts will hurt more than they help. (03/04/2002)

Mystery man By Gavin McNett
A new documentary revives an old controversy: Was actor and landowner William Shakespeare merely a front man for Christopher Marlowe, the flamboyant gay genius and shadowy Elizabethan spy? (03/02/2002)

The war of the camps By Ferry Biedermann
Israel says its invasion of Palestinian refugee camps is designed to stop terrorism and show militants they have nowhere to hide. Palestinians say innocent people are being killed and vow revenge. (03/02/2002)

"40 Days and 40 Nights" By Charles Taylor
Young stud Josh Hartnett goes celibate for Lent in an impotent anti-sex sex comedy. (03/01/2002)

"We Were Soldiers" By Stephanie Zacharek
Mel Gibson fights the good fight in Vietnam in director Randall Wallace's flag-waving war flick with a core of decency. (03/01/2002)

"How does it feel to be America's blow-job queen?" By Ian Rothkerch
In their HBO movie "Monica in Black and White," documentarians Randy Barbato and Fenton Bailey riff on Lewinsky, celebrity and the tough questions. (03/01/2002)

Fidel, Monica and me By Nina Khrushcheva
Khrushchev's great-granddaughter on her dreams of marrying Cuba's mysterious leader -- and the lessons that Monica Lewinsky offers our so-called democracy. (03/01/2002)

The week in dirt By Amy Reiter
Russell Crowe to producer: "I'll make sure you'll never work in Hollywood," and other niceties from the BAFTA awards. Plus: Tom Cruise, Tommy Lee and more. (03/01/2002)

Literary Daybook, March 1  
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (03/01/2002)

Writers and wannabes  
Readers respond to Patricia Chui's "Confessions of a Slush Pile Reader" and an interview with author Dan Simmons. (03/01/2002)

Pro-life, even in death By Quentin Fottrell
Irish voters face a referendum that would prohibit abortion even when suicide is a health risk for the mother. (03/01/2002)

A cruel choice By Jennifer Foote Sweeney
A woman decides to have a child knowing that she's about to descend into dementia. That's morally indefensible. (03/01/2002)

The latest civil rights shakedown scheme By David Horowitz
A Harvard-led legal dream team is trying to make corporations pay reparations for slavery, but it's more like extortion. (03/01/2002)

"Cipro: It's What's for Dinner"
By Arianna Huffington (03/01/2002)

The meaning of Ari's blunder By Gary Kamiya
White House spokesman Ari Fleischer's attempt to blame Clinton for Middle East violence was short-lived -- but it shows what the Bush administration really thinks. (03/02/2002)

He who hesitates ... By Lucie Chevalier
A Boar from Dumbville is aching to know why his hot, hot thing is taking place in the booty-free zone. (03/01/2002)

Nazis, clairvoyants and robots
Readers respond to articles on Hitler's Jewish psychic and Robert Brooks' vision of the future. (03/01/2002)

Go for the knees! By Amy Reiter
Celeb boxing pits Tonya Harding against Amy Fisher; Jolie's got insanity envy; Rosie whacks the come-out police; J.Lo wants a baby Lo; and more! (03/01/2002)

Bushed! By Scott Rosenberg
You can pin a lot on Osama bin Laden, Mr. President, but not the soaring debts you've stuck us with. (03/01/2002)

Quieting the homefront By Bryan Keefer
Republicans equate mild war criticism with "aid and comfort to our enemies." (03/01/2002)

Judge bangs gavel on Bush-Cheney stonewalling By Anthony York
Environmentalists cheer, expect to find dirty laundry list of corporate polluters in secret energy plan documents. (03/01/2002)

A Democratic senator goes nuclear on the White House By Jake Tapper
Nevada's Harry Reid talks with Salon about why he joined the GAO lawsuit against Dick Cheney and why he called George W. Bush a liar. (03/01/2002)

Death and the maiden By Jonathon Keats
Far from an article of bondage, the corset has been an instrument of liberation. (03/01/2002)

The most feared woman on the Internet By Katharine Mieszkowski
Netochka Nezvanova is a software programmer, radical artist and online troublemaker. But is she for real? (03/01/2002)