President Obama said he would begin to draw U.S. forces out of Afghanistan in July 2011, even after sending some 30,000 more troops by mid-2010.

Obama Adds Troops, but Maps Exit Plan

A boom in rum cocktails has coincided with a dawning recognition that midcentury tropical drinks are a rich and nearly untapped vein of American mixology.

Staging a Rum Rebellion

Shareholders in the former Yukos oil company, which was disbanded by the Russian government, will be able to seek monetary damages from the Russian government.

A Victory for Holders of Yukos

In the week after Dubai World told its creditors they wouldn’t be getting all their money back, two lessons about the global economy have emerged.

A Quaking Brings No Collapse

A commitment to redouble the campaign leaves unanswered a decisive question: Will the Afghans step up?

With Troop Pledge, New Demands on Afghans

By distilling without applying heat — vacuum distillation — gin makers are creating livelier spirits, and bartenders are extracting flavor essences with great purity.

A Chill at the Still to Keep Flavors Fresh

Jeff Zucker, the chief executive of NBC Universal at the center of a plan to shift control of the company from General Electric to Comcast, would presumably have to prove himself again to his new potential bosses.

Surviving NBC’s Upheaval

A big tax break may draw buyers, but it is not certain they can be persuaded to make the switch.

In Denmark, Ambitious Plan for Electric Cars

Canadian hockey teams were once considered poor cousins of their American peers, but Canada’s rising currency has strengthened their hand.

Currency Rise Helps Canadian N.H.L. Teams

President Obama’s speech was an announcement of both an escalation and a plan to end the war in Afghanistan.

Two Messages for Two Sides

Despite reports of weaker spending on the Friday after Thanksgiving, the nation’s stores appear to have fared much better this November than last year.

A November With Rosier Retail Data

Diplomats scrambled to reassure the nations at the center of President Obama’s war strategy that the U.S. would not cut and run.

Afghans and Pakistanis Concerned Over U.S. Plan

After an emotional debate, the bill was defeated by a decisive margin of 38 to 24, leaving it effectively dead for the year.

New York State Senate Votes Down Gay Marriage Bill

In “Invictus,” Morgan Freeman conveys the manipulative charm, the serene confidence and the lonely regret of Nelson Mandela.

An Actor Nails the Cadence and the Charm

Surgeons can transplant unwanted fat from a patient’s thighs or buttocks and use it to create bigger breasts; after being condemned in the early ’90s, this procedure is generating newfound excitement.

Your Own Fat, Relocated

Cate Blanchett soars spectacularly as Blanche DuBois in Liv Ullmann’s heart-stopping production.

A Fragile Flower Rooted to the Earth

The QuietComfort 15 model from Bose is state-of-the-art when it comes to noise-canceling headphones.

Bose’s Latest Headphones Can Quell the Clangor

The Botticelli show at the Städel Museum in Frankfurt is a glamorous crowd pleaser, naturally, but it’s a mixed bag.

Classic Botticelli, Ethereal Ad Man

Tom Ford’s departure from fashion to film raised eyebrows, but now he’s silencing his critics.

Tom Ford: Design Director

On Wednesday, the festival’s programmers announced a schedule of competition films that reflect no particular current in independent cinema except one: the artier the better.

Sundance Tries to Hone Its Artsy Edge

Alicia Keys gave a concert that offered a preview of her new album, “The Element of Freedom,” at the Nokia Theater on Tuesday night.

In Command of Her Sound and Herself

The move is unlikely to derail Ben S. Bernanke’s reappointment as chairman of the Federal Reserve, but it could give the Fed’s critics more time to press their case.

Senator Moves to Hold Up Bernanke Confirmation

Ms. Boyle’s album, “I Dreamed a Dream,” sold 701,000 copies in the United States, the biggest opening-week sales for any album this year.

Susan Boyle, Top Seller, Shakes Up CD Trends

The company wants the Pentagon to change the bid rules, knowing that a lack of competition would probably mean a higher price for the planes.

Northrop Could Withdraw From Bidding on Tanker

A news analysis article on Monday about the significance of the first Khmer Rouge war crimes trial for the genocide in Cambodia from 1975 to 1979 misstated, in some copies, the title of a book about the defendant, Kaing Guek Eav, known as Duch, commander of a prison where at least 14,000 people were tortured and sent to their deaths. It is “The Lost Executioner,” not “The Lonely Executioner.”

Corrections

Serafino Dante "Foge" Fazio was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Pittsburgh from 1982 to 1985. Fazio was an assistant coach with five teams in the National Football League (NFL) between 1988 and 2002.

Foge Fazio, American football player and coach (born 1938)

Foge_Fazio

Eric Norman Woolfson was a Scottish songwriter, lyricist, vocalist, executive producer, pianist, and co-creator of the band the Alan Parsons Project, who sold over 50 million albums worldwide. Woolfson also pursued a career in musical theatre.

December 2, 2009

Headlines from December 2, 2009

Obama Adds Troops, but Maps Exit Plan

Staging a Rum Rebellion

A Victory for Holders of Yukos

A Quaking Brings No Collapse

With Troop Pledge, New Demands on Afghans

Billboard 200

Battle Studies

My Christmas

The Fall

Until The Whole World Hears

Before I Self-Destruct

Notable Deaths

Historical Context for December 2, 2009