After two long days of seemingly endless baseball, Melky Cabrera and the Yankees finally nudged a little closer to a playoff berth.

Yankees’ Offense Closes the Door After Bullpen Can’t

Since its initial public offering in November, Hertz’s shares have risen 43 percent, surprising investors who thought there was little value left in the company.

Is Private Equity Giving Hertz a Boost?

Private security contractors do vital work in Iraq, but their muscle-bound showiness is drawing criticism.

The Deadly Game of Private Security

Nine months into the meltdown of the home loan market, investors are still waiting for banks, brokerage firms and other companies to come clean on losses.

Guess Who’s Feeling the Mortgage Pain

There is not a single electric vehicle or plug-in hybrid that can approach the range, interior room and performance of a typical gas-powered sedan for a comparable price.

They’re Electric, but Can They Be Fantastic?

After many stops and starts, the area’s major commuter railroads are finally trying to make it easier for people to get from Westchester and Connecticut to New Jersey.

Uniting Suburbs, One Rail Project at a Time

A look at 18 years of Judge Michael B. Mukasey’s opinions reveals a complex temperament and legal philosophy.

Nuance and Resolve in Rulings by Attorney General Nominee

The singer with the
stratospheric falsetto and
the long string of ’60s hits
is a hot property again.

Frankie Valli Is Back in Season

Lou Piniella says he has not gauged the civic mood, but he acknowledges that he was a moth driven to the flame of possibility of ending the Cubs’ century-old curse.

Piniella Lifts the Cubs and Stokes Some Long-Dashed Hopes

Renowned worldwide for producing the large, caramel-colored, smooth-veined leaf favored by high-end cigar makers, Connecticut’s nine shade tobacco farms are largely unknown in their home state.

The Secret Life of Shade Tobacco

Andrei Vavilov — energy magnate and nascent hedge fund manager — says he’s in the right spot if Russia invests oil money.

From Russia With Cash: Seeding a Hedge Fund

A month after the mortgage markets started to crumble, brokers and lawyers say that New Yorkers are finding it harder than ever to get mortgages.

Frustrated New Yorkers Grapple With Loan Rates

Richard Prince blurs the distinctions between life and art, truth and fiction, and even automaking and sculpture.

The Duchamp of the Muscle Car

Every decade or so, an enterprising and intelligent outsider like Jeffrey Toobin comes along and shines a much-needed spotlight on the Supreme Court.

Meet the Supremes

The drive by a revitalized Russian Orthodox Church to weave its tenets into the education system has prompted a backlash.

Welcome or Not, Orthodoxy Is Back in Russia’s Public Schools

A writer’s decision to connect a character with Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower comes as the country is involved in a controversial war in Iraq and there is nostalgia for a period when moral authority was clear.

For Writer, ‘Uncle Ike’ Hits a Nerve

Living here isn’t all Magnolia cupcakes. It’s hard work. After all, there are tourists to instruct and lots of lore to pass along.

Next Stop, the West Village

Television used to be dismissed by elitists as the idiot box, a sea of mediocrity that drowns thought and intelligent debate. Now people who ignore its pools and eddies of excellence do so at their own peril.

You Are What You Watch

A message in a bottle can help teach students about ocean currents, but sometimes it is seen as simply trash washing up on shore.

Message in a Bottle, or Litter?

Many teenage performers are trying to adjust to a new Hollywood, the one that caters to the tween and teenage market.

When Childhood Is a Tough Role

The creator and star of NBC’s show on surviving the first season, life outside the office and the demise of “Studio 60.”

‘30 Rock’ Lives, and Tina Fey Laughs

After a slow start, No. 2 L.S.U. showed again why it is the team to beat in the SEC by exploding for 28 consecutive points and dominating No. 12 South Carolina with its defense.

In an SEC Showdown, L.S.U. Shows Its Superiority

A declining industrial city turned to Frank Gehry to deliver some titanium-clad salvation.  It got what it wished for.

September 23, 2007

Headlines from September 23, 2007

Yankees’ Offense Closes the Door After Bullpen Can’t

Is Private Equity Giving Hertz a Boost?

The Deadly Game of Private Security

Guess Who’s Feeling the Mortgage Pain

They’re Electric, but Can They Be Fantastic?

Billboard 200

High School Musical 2

The Dutchess

Hannah Montana 2 (Soundtrack)/Meet Miley Cyrus

The Altar And The Door

Bone Palace Ballet

Historical Context for September 23, 2007