Topic: The New York Times Magazine

Nora Ephron had rare, crowd-pleasing ability to mix humor and feminism

Screenwriter and journalist Nora Ephron, who died Tuesday, had a knack for being humorous while tackling controversial, important topics. She broke barriers for women in Hollywood and elsewhere.

Nora Ephron: Her 5 best movies

Here are 5 of the best movies written or directed by the filmmaker, who died June 26, 2012.

Chapter & Verse
'The Amateur,' a new book slamming Obama, is already amassing critics

The book, by former NYT Magazine editor Edward Klein, makes Jodi Kantor’s “The Obamas” 'feel like a neighborly visit.'

Prime literary real estate

They like to imagine themselves living in grand fictional homes – or even humble ones.

Parents in prison, children in need

A Christian Science perspective.

Change Agent
Fast-track breeding could bring a second Green Revolution

Green revolution: Fast-track breeding is beginning to develop crops that can produce more and healthier food – without controversial genetic engineering.

Opinion: Send me more coupons, Target

The news that Target can determine when a shopper is pregnant based on her buying habits has raised privacy concerns. But to find that creepy, we have to believe our personhood comes down to data. If being reduced to data is what it takes to get me coupons, I'm OK with that.

Is Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show dissing shelter dogs? (+video)

The 2012 Westminster Kennel Club show is, er, dogged by controversy after dumping its long-time sponsor Pedigree over dog food ads that promote the adoption of sad-eyed shelter dogs. 

Tea Party Tally
Is tea party 'dead' if Newt Gingrich fails in South Carolina?

The tea party has been at the forefront of the anyone-but-Mitt Romney campaign but has not yet curbed his momentum. If the movement fails to propel tea-party favorite Newt Gingrich to victory in South Carolina, its clout could come into question.  

Chapter & Verse
Can you sue over a bad book review?

Harvard historian and author Niall Ferguson received a bad review from the London Review of Books and now tells the editor he may take legal action.

Decoder Wire
Newt Gingrich and the gaffe: what's in a word?

Gaffe, from the French for 'hook,' has been a barb in the side of Newt Gingrich, Barack Obama, and plenty of other politicians.

Southeast Asia: a correspondent's Vietnam revisited 35 years after the fall of Saigon

Every conflict has its own scribes. Southeast Asia's had a singular take.

How to Cool the Planet

Strong journalistic skills make this assessment of geoengineering lively, intelligent, and even humorous.

Chapter & Verse
Guest blog: Why I'm not sure I like the "co-author" concept

Should it bother us readers when a series is written by a group of writers using a single name?

Feeling like a fraud

Despite years of parenting, one father still feels like an imposter when he offers advice.

Global News Blog
William Safire: wide-ranging columnist with a gift for words

The conservative writer won a Pulitzer Prize and a wide following for his New York Times columns on politics and language.

Chapter & Verse
Obama as bookseller in chief

Diggin' It
A farmer for the White House

The vote's on for a White House Farmer.

A lament for the 'zippy zeros' that never were

The decade is almost over, the Monitor's language columnist points out, and we still don't have a name for it.

Eat, Memory: Great Writers at the Table

Writers recall their most memorable meals.

Whatever It Takes

A comprehensive plan for children that has caught the eye of Barack Obama.

Terrorism & Security
Former US official accuses Afghan government of stymying anti-opium efforts

Thomas Schweich charges that President Karzai is protecting drug traffickers within his power base, and says the US Defense Department and some NATO allies have also resisted antiopium efforts.

Diggin' It
Conflicting news about weeds and climate change

Will weeds be more aggressive if the climate warms up – or won't they?

Chapter & Verse
A scholar’s perspective

Chapter & Verse
Why eating became such a scary thing