Rhesus macaques in an Oregon research center are being turned into couch potatoes with weight problems for study.

Today’s Lab Rats of Obesity: Furry Couch Potatoes

The former Bears star Dave Duerson sent text messages asking that his brain tissue be tested for a chronic disease before shooting himself in the chest.

Before Suicide, Duerson Said He Wanted Brain Study

The issues of budget deficits and the nation’s growing debt load are shaping the early stages of the race for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.

Deficits Reshape the Debate as Republicans Jockey for 2012

One task of Egypt’s revolution is to replace a system knit together by patronage, greased by bribes and guided by the principle that the governing party knows best.

In a Town Built Upon Patronage, a Test of Egypt’s New Order

As clashes reached the capital, Tripoli, the son of the Libyan leader raised the threat of renewed Western “colonization” if protesters threw off his father’s rule.

Qaddafi’s Son Warns of Civil War as Libyan Protests Widen

When security forces rushed to protect brothels last week it marked a new phase of the revolution as Tunisians fiercely debate the role of Islam in politics.

Next Question for Tunisia: The Role of Islam in Politics

What astonishes in the exhibition “Secrets of the Silk Road” at the Penn Museum in Philadelphia is that its ephemeral artifacts — brocaded cloth, felt hats, even fried dough — still exist.

Another Stop on a Long, Improbable Journey

Donovan Hohn’s quixotic investigation of 29,000 bath toys lost at sea works as a lively travelogue as well as a voyage of discovery and a philosophical inquiry.

The Siren Song of the Bath Toy

Getting older was on John Mellencamp’s mind during his Radio City Music Hall show, but he didn’t discard the past.

Rocker From the Heartland, Aging Brashly

The film director Mike Figgis’s staging of Donizetti’s “Lucrezia Borgia” at the English National Opera in London involves projected films that overwhelm the stage action.

O, Unsmiling Villainess!

The Wooster Group’s new production of Tennessee Williams’s 1977 play “Vieux Carré” draws from various influences, including Chinese opera, the films of Paul Morrissey and the videos of Ryan Trecartin.

Drama Revived by the Kindness of Strangeness

Unlike when the squads played here a year ago, no blood flowed, only tears as the unranked Lady Raiders stopped the top-ranked Lady Bears’ 21-game winning streak.

Texas Tech Beats No. 1 Baylor, 56-45

The recently deceased Ohio Theater in SoHo will not have to wait long for a resurrection.

SoHo Theater Is Reborn in the West Village

Liam Neeson’s stolen-identity thriller “Unknown” was a surprise No. 1 at North American theaters over the weekend.

The Thriller ‘Unknown’ Tops the Box Office

It seems that the Grammy Awards’ “get well” tribute to the singer Aretha Franklin last week may have worked.

Aretha Franklin to Return

Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel will begin filming at Fox Studios in August, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

3-D ‘Great Gatsby’ to Film in Australia

St. John’s victory over fourth-ranked Pittsburgh was another milepost for a program that has re-established itself after nearly a decade’s absence from the national conversation.

At Garden, a Last-Second Layup Drops, and Pitt Is the Latest to Fall

Corrections appearing in print on February 20, 2011.

Corrections

Reviews of performances by Jeremy Denk, the Juilliard Orchestra, the St. Thomas Choir of Men and Boys and Anne Sofie von Otter and Brad Mehldau.

Music in Review

In a memoir to be published next year, R. A. Dickey will detail how a new grip on the baseball accompanied a fresh grasp of life.

Mets’ Dickey Is Writing a Self-Portrait, Warts and All

Sandy Koufax visited training camp and spoke up for a beleaguered Mets owner.

Koufax, a Madoff Investor, Offers Support to Wilpon

At least 20 people were killed and dozens wounded in heavy fighting in Somalia’s capital as African Union forces attacked trenches and tunnels used by insurgents.

Peacekeepers In Somalia Hit Trenches Of Rebels

The British Secret Intelligence Service, or MI6, invited an artist to make a graphic record of its hidden world.

Portrait of Spy Agency Leaves Much in Shadow

Mark Teixeira went “back to basics” after last season, trying to restore his reputation as one of baseball’s preeminent sluggers.

Teixeira Tries New Approach After Down Year

Maude Maggart takes a journey through Berlin, Porter, Blitzstein, Sondheim and more in her new show at the Oak Room.

February 20, 2011

Headlines from February 20, 2011

Today’s Lab Rats of Obesity: Furry Couch Potatoes

Before Suicide, Duerson Said He Wanted Brain Study

Deficits Reshape the Debate as Republicans Jockey for 2012

In a Town Built Upon Patronage, a Test of Egypt’s New Order

Qaddafi’s Son Warns of Civil War as Libyan Protests Widen

Billboard 200

Pink Friday

Until We Have Faces

Musica + Alma + Sexo

Doo-Wops & Hooligans

Loud

Historical Context for February 20, 2011