Oliver Pérez pitched seven dominant innings as the Mets defeated the Yankees at Shea Stadium to split their four-game series.

Pérez Shows His Good Side, Which Is Bad for the Yanks

Foofwa d’Imobilité, even in this minor material, remains the kind of performer to whom I tentatively apply the word “genius.”

A Master of Nonchalance in Control of His Illusions

The Wall Street ferry SeaStreak makes a twice-daily run to Gunnison Beach, the busiest clothing-optional recreation area in the nation, devotees say.

Ferrying From Manhattan to Bare It All on the Beach

(RED), a nonprofit organization that arranges for companies to contribute a share of profits on certain products to fight AIDS in Africa, is starting a digital music service for that purpose.

Online Tunes, in Service to Africa

The disclosure, on the eve of the contracts’ announcement, is the first confirmation of direct American involvement in deals to open Iraq’s oil to commercial development.

U.S. Advised Iraqi Ministry on Oil Deals

Tracy Letts’s “August: Osage County” is a full theatrical meal. His new play, “Superior Donuts,” is a much less ambitious repast.

So, How Would You Like Your Culture Clash? Joke-Filled or Sugar-Glazed?

As the United States markets edge toward bear territory, losing nearly 20 percent of their value from last fall’s peak, investors might wonder where they can turn for relief.

Falling Prices Grip Major Stock Markets Around the World

American accommodation to Pakistan’s government and a shift away from counterterrorism efforts to preparations for the war in Iraq helped make Pakistan a haven for Al Qaeda.

Amid U.S. Policy Disputes, Qaeda Grows in Pakistan

Fernando Torres scored the only goal of Spain’s 1-0 victory at the Euro 2008 championship. But that was not his only contribution.

A Team, and a Country, Finally Unite as One

Once you start looking under the tent poles, perhaps for a film where nothing is blown up, movie box office numbers become grim.

Little Movies, Big Problems

Intel might do well to be alarmed by the computer chips being designed by Qualcomm, a maker of chips for cellphones.

Intel’s Dominance Is Challenged by a Low-Power Upstart

Google will syndicate a new animation series using its AdSense advertising system to Web sites that are predetermined to be gathering spots for the show’s target audience.

Google and Creator of ‘Family Guy’ Strike a Deal

When they talk about Swift boats, veterans recall friends killed, not the new synonym for a nasty campaign smear.

Veterans Long to Reclaim the Name ‘Swift Boat’

A simple change to the design of the gallon milk jug keeps the milk fresher and holds costs down.

Solution, or Mess? A Milk Jug for a Green Earth

Gloria Hedges is still having trouble grasping that her companion, Andrew Seabrooks, a lifelong resident of South Ozone Park, was killed in Afghanistan.

Trying to Keep His Home, Guardsman Loses His Life

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has indicated that he sees the city’s sprawling array of 329 often homespun senior centers as inefficient and outdated.

Bloomberg’s Next Battle: Revamping Senior Centers

The contemporary identity museum is the kind of institution that is as central for our time as the imperial art museum was for 19th-century Europe.

Identities on Display: Bonding at the Museum

At the Urban Assembly School for Law and Justice in Brooklyn, many in the first graduating class of 79 seniors are from the city’s poorest neighborhoods, and nearly all are collegebound.

Attention Goes a Long Way at a School, Small by Design

After at least 29 countries sharply curbed their food exports, impoverished importing countries are finding it more difficult to afford the food they need.

Hoarding Nations Drive Food Costs Ever Higher

Barack Obama’s strategy relies on black turnout in a region that has bedeviled Democrats for 40 years.

Obama Camp Thinks Democrats Can Rise in South

Michael Phelps set a world record in his first event of the U.S. Olympic swimming trials, touching just ahead of Ryan Lochte to win the 400-meter individual medley.

Rival’s Fast Finish Propels Phelps to Another Record

Tyson Gay won the finals of the 100 meters at the United States Olympic track and field trials, though the wind disqualified his time of 9.68 from being a world record.

In 100-Meter Win, Gay Pushes the Limits

Tom Brokaw, the former “Nightly News” anchor, made a point of breaking with the past as the temporary host for “Meet the Press.”

Meet the New ‘Press,’ Without Wriggling Guests

The Screen Actors Guild, now embroiled in negotiations with film and television producers over a new contract, has made the plight of the middle-income actor the centerpiece of its campaign for more lucrative terms.

Don’t Forget the Middle People

Amy Winehouse appeared to punch a fan during a show in England, the BBC reported.

June 30, 2008

Headlines from June 30, 2008

Pérez Shows His Good Side, Which Is Bad for the Yanks

A Master of Nonchalance in Control of His Illusions

Ferrying From Manhattan to Bare It All on the Beach

Online Tunes, in Service to Africa

U.S. Advised Iraqi Ministry on Oil Deals

Billboard 200

Tha Carter III

Definition Of Real

NOW 28

Indestructible

Here I Stand

Historical Context for June 30, 2008