The painter Helen Frankenthaler and the sculptor John Chamberlain, who died within a week of each other, both brought a new, unfettered approach to their materials.

Two Artists Who Embraced Freedom

A close-up study of Mitt Romney captures a candidate who can be efficient, funny and self-deprecating, yet often strains to connect with voters in a personal way.

The Retooled, Loose Romney, Guessing Voters’ Age and Ethnicity

With the famine putting hundreds of thousands of women on the move, more rapes are being reported now in Somalia than at any time in recent memory.

For Somali Women, Pain of Being a Spoil of War

The widespread failure of all-metal hips may cost taxpayers, insurers and employers billions of dollars in the coming years.

The High Cost of Failing Artificial Hips

Shopping while drinking has long benefited high-end specialty retailers; now the popularity of Internet sales has opened alcohol-induced buying to the masses.

Online Merchants Home In on Imbibing Consumers

Bankruptcy filings and the prosecution of officials have not prevented the Federation of Multicultural Programs of Brooklyn from getting $20 million a year to care for developmentally disabled people.

An Operator of Group Homes Keeps State Aid Despite Faults

Northeastern University, based in Boston, opened its first satellite campus, which combines virtual and in-person instruction, this year in Charlotte, N.C. Seattle is next.

Joining Trend, College Grows Beyond Name

Beyond the legal questions in a copyright infringement lawsuit involving the artist Richard Prince, the case asks if the flow of creative expression, riding a tide of instantly accessible digital images, can be slowed.

Apropos Appropriation

Two years ago, India said it would drastically increase its use of solar power by 2020. Many analysts said it couldn’t be done. Now they aren’t so sure.

In Solar Power, India Begins Living Up to Its Own Ambitions

The Pogie Awards are given to the best tech ideas of the year, even if the products aren’t that hot. And the winners are. ...

Award Time for Ideas That Shine

Racing to meet a need in the new year, several hangover remedies have made it to store shelves.

Ready to Address the Hangover

The 75 things that New Yorkers talked about in the last year, including Republican debate gaffes and royal anatomy.

The 75 Things New Yorkers Talked About in 2011

So far, the top seven pictures at the domestic box-office have been sequels, as Hollywood continued a flight to financial safety.

Familiarity Breeds Hollywood Sequels

The Grammy Awards cut nearly a third of awards categories in April — a decision hitting roots musicians the hardest — yet opposition to the move has not coalesced into one organized movement.

Cuts in Grammys Draw Grumbling but Little Action

As the Merce Cunningham Dance Company wraps up its final tour, the artist Daniel Arsham recalls working with its founder.

Cunningham Fostered Serendipity in Set Design

Republican contenders bicker on the dais, but their houses speak with one voice: tradition.

The Houses of the Hopefuls

The New York Times’s jazz and pop critics pick their favorite stage performances this year, including shows from Beyoncé, Paul Motian and Paul Simon.

Onstage Memories: Concert Highs of 2011

A growing number of animal behaviorists believe that training and walking cats is not only possible, but good for the cat.

Nine Lives, One Leash

With rocky economic conditions unlikely to give executives much reason to go shopping, 2012 could bring still more splits.

Spinoffs Become a Favored Strategy

A federal appeals court will consider an appeal of a lower court’s decision to throw out a $285 million fraud settlement between the commission and Citigroup.

S.E.C. Wins Delay in Citigroup Fraud Case

Corrections appearing in print on December 28, 2011.

Corrections: December 28

Steuben Glass, known for making decorative crystal, has closed its doors after 108 years in business.

A Clearance on American Icons

The writer David Treuer, who has a new nonfiction book called “Rez Life,” on his new home on an American Indian reservation.

An Indian Writer Finds His Anchor on the Reservation

With Medicare set to start reimbursing physicians for obesity treatment in January, a new campaign is directing ads both at patients and at physicians.

Enticing Doctors to Endorse a Weight-Loss Program

Even in hot Saudi Arabia, a sweater can come in handy.

December 28, 2011

Headlines from December 28, 2011

Two Artists Who Embraced Freedom

The Retooled, Loose Romney, Guessing Voters’ Age and Ethnicity

For Somali Women, Pain of Being a Spoil of War

The High Cost of Failing Artificial Hips

Online Merchants Home In on Imbibing Consumers

Billboard 200

Christmas

21

Under The Mistletoe

El Camino

Own The Night

Historical Context for December 28, 2011