Tyler Brûlé, an advertising executive and magazine editor, works with what he calls patrons to build up his travel publication.

Monocle: A Magazine, an Attitude

The universe of reviews, ratings and recommendations online open a tantalizing window on the collective consciousness.

Mining the Web for Feelings, Not Facts

Jed S. Rakoff, a United States District Court judge in Manhattan, is not one to rubber-stamp administrative decisions.

Plain Talk From Judge Weighing Merrill Case

Economists have long predicted that China would eventually surpass the U.S. in influence. That change may be arriving sooner than expected.

Asia’s Recovery Highlights China’s Ascendance

Despite the addition of 17,000 U.S. troops and extra security for the presidential election, the situation in Afghanistan is deteriorating.

U.S. Military Says Its Force in Afghanistan Is Insufficient

Almost 48 years after it was first published, “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” by Julia Child is finally topping the best-seller list.

After 48 Years, Julia Child Has a Big Best Seller, Butter and All

For longtime residents of a block in Moreno Valley, Calif., the recession has oddly helped family stability.

With Dad Laid Off, Finding Ways to Hold On

The odyssey of Tour of the Cat from bottom-level horse to stakes champion and back illustrates how many overlook their responsibility to aging animals.

Around the Final Turn, and Heading for a Home

Van Zeck has been helping manage the government’s credit line since 1971. This year, he’s been a busy man.

The Man Who Sells America’s I.O.U.’s

Roger Federer’s focus in a summer that has been full of distractions for him has given the men’s game a center that the women’s game has lacked.

Advantage to the Men With Federer on His Game

Ultrafast stock trading relies upon computer programs that take years to develop and are closely guarded secrets.

Arrest Over Software Illuminates Wall St. Secret

In their final game at Fenway Park this season — until a possible playoff date, anyway — the Yankees stung their nemesis for five home runs Sunday night.

Yankees Celebrate Bad Day for Beckett

The Justice Department has recommended reversing the Bush administration and reopening nearly a dozen prisoner-abuse cases, potentially exposing C.I.A. employees to prosecution.

Justice Dept. Report Advises Pursuing C.I.A. Abuse Cases

An investigation that found routine use of excessive physical force raised the possibility of a federal takeover of the state’s youth detention system.

4 Youth Prisons in New York Used Excessive Force

The finger-pointing in Merrill Lynch’s bonus troubles shifted to a new target on Monday in two court documents that essentially said: blame the lawyers.

Bank Case on Bonuses Shifts Focus to Lawyers

Xianhui Yang’s newly translated collection of firsthand accounts is about what might be called the Gulag Archipelago of China.

Survivors’ Stories From China

Collective experiences of living with an illness can form a database for scientific use.

Research Trove: Patients’ Online Data

After a 33-year deep sea quest, an oceanographer is more hopeful than ever that he will capture one of the world’s oldest living fossils.

Diving Deep for a Living Fossil

Patton Oswalt’s firsthand knowledge of cultural fixation helped to guide his performance in “Big Fan.”

Successful Comic and Rodent Tries Unfamiliar Role: Sports Fan

Founded on the concept that anyone could change its content, the online encyclopedia is requiring reviews on articles about living people after embarrassing incidents.

Wikipedia to Limit Changes to Articles on People

JoAnne Akalaitis’s interpretation of “The Bacchae” has fewer shadows than a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta.

God vs. Man in an Open-Air Fight

The perception of time in music can be very subjective, and this is especially true in opera.

An Opera Can Take Its Time, or Yours

Crystal Chappell, an actress on the CBS soap opera “Guiding Light,” will try to keep the spirit of Otalia alive by starting a Web series in November called “Venice.”

Love That Dares to Tweet Its Name Sparks Web Series

Mom was right. That “sinking feeling in the tummy” helps after all, researchers concluded.

Guilt and Atonement on the Path to Adulthood

Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. named a federal prosecutor to examine abuse of prisoners held by the C.I.A., as officials released a 2004 report detailing abuses inside C.I.A.-run prisons overseas.

August 24, 2009

Headlines from August 24, 2009

Monocle: A Magazine, an Attitude

Mining the Web for Feelings, Not Facts

Plain Talk From Judge Weighing Merrill Case

Asia’s Recovery Highlights China’s Ascendance

U.S. Military Says Its Force in Afghanistan Is Insufficient

Billboard 200

LIVE On The Inside

NOW 31

Gloriana

The E.N.D.

Only By The Night

Historical Context for August 24, 2009