The Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture is expected to open in Washington, D.C., in 2015.
African-American Museum Breaks Ground In D.C.
()At the groundbreaking on the National Mall on Wednesday, President Obama said the newest Smithsonian museum has been "a long time coming" and will serve "not just as a record of tragedy, but as a celebration of life." The National Museum of African American History and Culture is expected to open in 2015.
Digital Life
How Companies Are 'Defining Your Worth' Online()
February 22, 2012 Advertisers collect information with every digital move people make. They then target ads based on that information. Communications scholar Joseph Turow worries that advertisers will use such data to discriminate against people and put them into "reputation silos."
Kitchen Window
The Secret Strength Of Beef Soup()
February 22, 2012 It takes a few leisurely hours to draw the magic out of meaty beef bones. Boiled at length, they produce a savory base for all sorts of soups, from borscht to pho.
Movie Reviews
After 'Putin's Kiss,' A Young Girl's Change Of Heart()
February 22, 2012 An absorbing new documentary by Danish director Lise Birk Pedersen charts four years in the life of Masha Drokova, who became famous as the girl who publicly kissed Vladimir Putin. Critic John Powers says it "offers a fresh glimpse into how Putin's Russia actually works."
Author Interviews
A 'Favored Daughter' Fights For The Women Of Afghanistan()
February 22, 2012 Fawzia Koofi almost died on the day she was born, but survived against all odds and became the first female deputy speaker of Afghanistan's parliament. Koofi plans to run for president in two years, and in a new memoir, describes her hopes for the country's future.
Theater
It's 'Shatner's World' And He Wants You To See It()
February 18, 2012 he wild range of roles played by William Shatner over the past half-century goes well beyond Captain Kirk. Host Scott Simon speaks with the pop culture icon, who's returning to Broadway for a one-man show, Shatner's World: We Just Live In It.
Our Media, Ourselves: Are We Headed For A Matrix?()
February 20, 2012 We're streaming our video, downloading our books and doing away with the hard copies that used to help communicate our personalities to one another. Bob Mondello points to a surprisingly early vision of that kind of digital future — and asks what's behind the worry it expresses.
Three Books...
Screen Time: 3 Books That Haven't Seen The Reel()
February 20, 2012 The Academy Awards are almost upon us, and among this year's nominations for best picture, five were based on books. But for author Tessa Harris, that number isn't high enough. She has three books that should be movies — and you can recommend others in the comments section.
Monkey See
'Warrior': Far More Terrifying Than Any Ordinary Brutal Battle()
February 21, 2012 Nick Nolte is nominated for an Oscar for his supporting work in Warrior, which might appear to be your basic kicking-and-punching catharsis. But commentator Mark Blankenship says it's actually far more frightening.
Author Interviews
'New Yorker' Cartoonist Imagines Washington At 7()
February 20, 2012 Through his many New Yorker covers, Barry Blitt has become one of the pre-eminent satirical cartoonists of America's recent presidents. Now Blitt has trained his eye and pen upon our first president in a new children's book, George Washington's Birthday.
Books News & Features
Forget Lincoln Logs: A Tower Of Books To Honor Abe()
February 20, 2012 There's a new, towering tribute to the 16th president in the nation's capitol: A three-story sculpture of 7,000 books written about the 16th president. The sculpture represents less than half of the 15,000 some books written about Lincoln, says Paul Tetreault, director of Ford's Theatre.
Movie Reviews
'Arrietty': Good Things, Small Packages()
February 17, 2012 In a Borrowers adaptation from Japanese animators Studio Ghibli, a spirited, inches-tall girl and her family negotiate the hurdles and hazards of the oversized human world. Critic Bob Mondello says in an age of hyperactive kid flicks, this gentle, imaginative and visually lush film deserves a look.
You Must Read This
A Depressive Diarist Chronicles His Descent()
February 20, 2012 How much do we read into ourselves when we write a diary? Author Patrick DeWitt recommends the dark, deep journal of a man suffering from a nervous breakdown.
The Salt
Dining After 'Downton Abbey': Why British Food Was So Bad For So Long()
February 19, 2012 Dining was a very, very big deal in Edwardian England — and the food, it turns out, was pretty sophisticated. So why was British food derided as boring, tasteless fare for much of the 20th century? Here's the story.
Author Interviews
'King Peggy': A Cinderella Story — With A Twist()
February 19, 2012 In her new book, Peggielene Bartels describes going from secretary at the U.S. Embassy to king of a fishing village in Ghana. Dividing her time between Otuam and Washington, D.C., she straddles two cultures — and says she loves every bit of it.
Books
At Last, They See: E-Books 'Democratize' Publishing()
February 19, 2012 Not known as a hotbed of experimentation, the world of publishing has been slow to embrace the transition from print to digital. But in New York this past week, the publishers who gathered were more interested in exploring new ideas than arguing about the death of books.
Author Interviews
Murder, Corruption And Cover-Ups In 'Bloodland'()
February 18, 2012 The seemingly accidental death of a troubled starlet is the catalyst for events in a new thriller that takes the reader from Dublin to New York to the Congo. "It's an exploration ... of the power dynamics that go on" between executive boardrooms and warlords, author Alan Glynn says.
