Newsweek - Culture and Ideas

A New Short Story From Daniyal Mueenuddin

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 23:55:13 GMT

A new short story from Daniyal Mueenuddin, author of .

Writer Daniyal Mueenuddin on Pakistan, Fame

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 23:56:23 GMT

A Pakistani-American writer talks about feeling torn between two nations and the true meaning of home.

Talking Dirty With Gloria Vanderbilt

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 23:44:28 GMT

Gloria Vanderbilt talks about her new erotic novel.

Why Language May Shape Our Thoughts

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 22:19:19 GMT

Language may shape our thoughts.

Why the Vatican Likes Obama

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 18:42:53 GMT

Even at the Vatican, they love Obama.

How Real Is 'Bruno'? The Ft. Smith Back Story

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:51:24 GMT

Is Sacha Baron Cohen's new movie as staged as his MTV Awards brawl with Eminem? An exclusive look at a small Southern town presented as a hotbed of homophobia in the film.

Two Brothers Sailing on a Christian Mission

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:43:50 GMT

Two brothers attempt an Atlantic crossing as a Christian mission.

Why Bruno is the Most Depressing Movie of the Year

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 01:05:58 GMT

Sure, you'll laugh so hard you might squirt Diet Coke out of your nose. But 'Brüno' also leaves you with a very bad aftertaste.

Bruno: A Fashion 'Don't' of a Movie

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 00:07:50 GMT

'Borat' turned guerrilla comedy into a sharp, political weapon. 'Brüno' is funny enough, but its satire is entirely too overdressed for success.

A Disturbing New Green Parenting Book

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 17:02:36 GMT

What's so disturbing about a new green parenting guide?

Is Unconscious Plagiarism a Real Phenomenon?

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 13:42:01 GMT

Is cryptomnesia—copying the work of others without being aware of it—to blame for journalism's ultimate sin? Um, maybe not.

How Iraqi Immigrants Have Adopted America

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 15:01:36 GMT

How the newest wave of U.S. immigrants is faring in their adopted homeland.

Michael Jackson's Parallels to Judy Garland

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:32:37 GMT

The parallels between Michael Jackson and Judy Garland are haunting.

5 Questions About Michael Jackson's Funeral

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:44:43 GMT

A close family friend offers the details on the memorial arrangements

Snark: The Right Response Michael Jackson's Death

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 22:03:19 GMT

For the living, a little snark will get us through.

How Michael Jackson Helped Kris Allen win 'Idol'

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 21:11:19 GMT

The champ remembers growing up in Arkansas with Michael's greatest hits.

Sweden Makes a Killing

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 18:56:12 GMT

Stieg Larsson's crime novels conquered the world. his countrymen are following suit.

Eric Kandel: A Biology of Mind

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 20:44:04 GMT

Understanding the biology of mental illness would be a paradigm shift in our thinking about mind. It would not only inform us about some of the most devastating diseases of humankind but, because these are diseases of thought and feeling, it would also tell us more about who we are and how we function. I naively thought we were on the verge of such a paradigm change in 1983, when James Gusella and Nancy Wexler were tracking down the gene that causes Huntington's disease. I expected that within 10 years we would have found the major genes that contribute to schizophrenia, depression, and autism. Since then, there has been a lot of enthusiasm about genes and mental illness and some false starts, but surprisingly little progress.

An Excerpt From E.L. Doctorow's Next Novel

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 19:38:32 GMT

The Collyer Brothers were the world's most famous pack rats. In his forthcoming book, the novelist fashions a treasure from their trash.

Artists Give Luxury Brands a Little Respect

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 19:33:28 GMT

It is not often that the world of vouchsafes a moment of artistic epiphany. But that is what happened recently at New York's Metropolitan Museum. When I sat down to a dinner hosted by Geneva watchmaker Vacheron Constantin in the majestic Temple of Dendur, all I knew about the sculptures of Africa and Oceania was that they had ethnographic interest. But that was before the sprightly septuagenarian Monique Barbier-Mueller got up and talked about how her father, struck by the 1930s financial crisis and no longer able to afford pieces by Kandinsky, Picasso, and Matisse, moved into collecting African masks and ivories, and funeral canoes from the Solomon Islands. Her story was so compelling that I was forced to reappraise my understanding of the works on loan to the Met from her Geneva museum.