Mara Manus, the Public Theater’s top financial executive, is taking the helm as the Film Society undergoes a $38 million expansion.

Film Society Chooses Executive Director

More than 50 years after the musical “West Side Story” had its original Broadway premiere, it is set to return in February in a darker, grittier, bilingual revival.

Jets? Yes! Sharks? ¡Sí! in Bilingual ‘West Side’

Apple overhauls its .Mac service and calls it MobileMe, an effort to synchronize in real time all of the data on all of your computers.

In Sync to Pierce the Cloud

An architectural designer in Texas uses an exhaustive psychological and aesthetic compatibility exercise for would-be home builders, in a process he calls emotional architecture.

Home Is Where the Head Is

Euphoria tinged with a bit of panic swept Wall Street on Wednesday, as battered financial shares roared back in their biggest one-day rally ever.

Shares Revive Amid Confusing Signs From S.E.C.

She once led the fashion pack, but truth be told, Madonna is no longer daring.

Who’s That Girl?

The stunned Packers, who had made plans for life after Brett Favre, don’t seem to want him back but they don’t want him to play for another team, either.

Favre Tests Future of Packers

Even in absentia, Tiger Woods, who for the first time in nearly 12 years will miss a major championship, remains the talk of the British Open.

Out of Sight, Not Out of Mind: Woods Still Casts a Shadow

The Who has always been difficult to package and this was reflected in the uneven mix of tribute bands for the “Rock Honors” show, to be broadcast on VH1.

Two Rock Legends, Basking in the VH1 Spotlight

Slowing down to 55 or 60 miles an hour to save gas might seem a no-brainer for drivers reeling from high gas prices. But some think it’s unrealistic.

Moving Too Fast to Drive 55

McDonald’s is sponsoring a song-contest using the jingle on MySpace. The official reason is the 40th anniversary of the Big Mac, but the then-and-now similarities are not entirely lost on the company.

Remember ‘2 All-Beef Patties?’ McDonald’s Hopes You Do

Misty May-Treanor, an Olympic gold medalist in beach volleyball, shares tips.

The Wavelength of a Pro

The proliferation of poison ivy has created a business opportunity for horticulturists who help people get rid of the itchy vine.

It Eats CO2 for Breakfast

In a large celebration of the release of five prisoners from Israel, Hezbollah sought to rally Lebanon behind its yellow flag.

Prisoners’ Homecoming a Triumph for Hezbollah

There is excitement in Iraq about Barack Obama, who is preparing to visit the country, but his support for the withdrawal of U.S. troops cuts both ways.

In Iraq, Mixed Feelings About Obama and His Troop Proposal

Residents of a Harlem development say prominent people like Representative Charles B. Rangel get a better deal.

Rangel’s Neighbors See a Rent Double Standard

A reserved writer who has been compared to Emily Dickinson, Ms. Ryan has been chosen to succeed Charles Simic as the nation’s 16th poet laureate

Kay Ryan, Outsider With Sly Style, Named Poet Laureate

What emerged in the case of Detective Ivan Davison is that when it comes to judging an officer’s actions and punishing behavior, no rigid standard exists.

Off-Duty Detective Who Shot a Gunman After Drinking Is Restored to Full Duty

Many Jews have grown up thinking that tattoos were forbidden by their religion, and that if you get one, you won’t be able to be buried in a Jewish cemetery. But Rabbinical scholars say that edict is an urban legend.

For Some Jews, It Only Sounds Like ‘Taboo’

A Harvard study claims the tobacco industry in recent years has manipulated menthol levels to appeal to younger smokers.

Menthol Dose Manipulated, Study Says

Major League Baseball officials insisted that the All-Star Game end with a win, even if Mets third baseman David Wright and Boston Red Sox right fielder J. D. Drew had to pitch the final innings.

All-Nighter, With Wright and Drew in the Pen

A garden of 14 acres has stirred controversy in worlds as diverse as the English gardening establishment, the British Parliament and the press.

The Versailles of the North

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and one of his earliest business partners are parting company in a deal that places a public value of the mayor’s private company. That figure: At least $22.5 billion.

Bloomberg Expected to Buy Merrill’s Stake in His Firm

Concerns about an economic slowdown pushed oil down yet again, prompting a 2.5 percent jump in the Dow, amid new evidence of rising prices.

Economic Fears Slice Oil Prices for Second Day

Two officials of New York City’s child-welfare agency and the fiscal director of a Brooklyn foster care agency have been charged with creating phantom adoptions in a scheme to pocket hundreds of thousands of dollars.

July 17, 2008

Headlines from July 17, 2008

Film Society Chooses Executive Director

Jets? Yes! Sharks? ¡Sí! in Bilingual ‘West Side’

In Sync to Pierce the Cloud

Home Is Where the Head Is

Shares Revive Amid Confusing Signs From S.E.C.

Billboard 200

Tha Carter III

Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends

Camp Rock

TOS (Terminate On Sight)

Where The Light Is: John Mayer Live In Los Angeles

Historical Context for July 17, 2008

Headlines from July 17, 2008

Film Society Chooses Executive Director

Jets? Yes! Sharks? ¡Sí! in Bilingual ‘West Side’

In Sync to Pierce the Cloud

Home Is Where the Head Is

Shares Revive Amid Confusing Signs From S.E.C.

Tha Carter III

Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends

Camp Rock

T*O*S (Terminate On Sight)

Where The Light Is: John Mayer Live In Los Angeles

Historical Context for July 17, 2008

TOS (Terminate On Sight)