NYT > Opinion
• Op-Ed Contributor: Jefferson’s Army of Nation Builders

West Point should offer a curriculum that keeps its founders’ belief that the soldier’s role was to build, not just to destroy.

• Op-Ed Columnist: What Everything Means

Pop-culture parallels to the midterm elections and America’s past history are more prevalent than you might think.

• Op-Ed Columnist: A Girl, a School and Hope

Finally, a ray of hope for Pakistan. The middle class is stirring, and a girl named Zahida is able to get a great education.

• Editorial: Some Fiscal Reality

A draft proposal from leaders of President Obama’s deficit-reduction commission frankly acknowledges that shared sacrifice will be required.

• Op-Ed Contributor: A Special Court for Veterans

A program for unstable veterans facing criminal charges could put them on a path toward recovery without forcing them to also navigate the penal system.

• Home Fires: Lives During Wartime, Vol. 2

Recollections and photographs of members of the United States Armed Forces in acknowledgment of Veterans Day.

• Editorial: Waiting for Senator McCain

It is a particular disappointment that Senator John McCain is vowing to filibuster a Pentagon bill unless a measure repealing “don’t ask, don’t tell” is stripped out.

• Timothy Egan: Liars' Club

The G.O.P.'s success may depend on how the party handles its fact-challenged members.

• Editorial: Transition in New York’s Schools

The resignation of Joel Klein as New York City’s schools chancellor comes at a challenging time.

• Disunion: Would the South Really Leave?

In newspaper editorials, the South reacts to Lincoln's election and explores the possibility of secession.

• Townies: Going Korean

The perils of getting a pedicure when you're Korean, and 30, and unmarried.

• The Conversation: College Kids These Days

Why do politics and government service no longer seem appealing to young people?

• Letters: A School System, From Klein to Black

Readers respond to article about the resignation of Joel I. Klein, the chancellor of the New York City school system.

• Letters: The Agenda Is Not So Hidden: It’s Tolerance

Readers respond to article about an effort to stop bulling of gay and lesbian students.

• Letter: Not a ‘Banana Republic’

A response to a Nicholas D. Kristof column about inequality in the United States.

• Letter: Stress and Suicide

A response to an article about Afghan women who set themselves on fire to escape lives of servitude and abuse.

• Letter: ‘The Tubes’ of New Jersey

A response to an article about the new appeal of the PATH network.

• Letter: Teaching English in China

A response to an article about the difficulties of running an English-language school in China.

• Disunion: How (and Where) Lincoln Won

The map of the 1860 presidential election points clearly to secession.

• Op-Ed Contributors: Why Rush to Cut Nukes?

The Senate should heed the will of the voters and either reject the New Start treaty or amend it so that it doesn’t weaken our national defense.

• Robert Wright: Concrete Steps to Nowhere

The Republicans reveal how they plan to close the deficit.

The Morning News - Headlines

Daily headlines at The Morning News.

• February 4, 2012: Weekend

Hundreds killed in Syrian offensive, UN vote later today.

Largest anti-Putin protests yet in Moscow today despite temperatures of -4.

“The government has a system in place to destroy our nation.” Talking to parents of Russian neo-Nazis

Somalia’s famine is over, but it’s still enduring its worst crisis in decades.

Keystone oil will be likely transported by truck—more emissions and liklihood of accidents.

As Iran’s Khamenei talks tough, Israeli Samsung tablet ad shows enrichment plant exploding.

Wait a second. That’s cannibalism! Errol Morris’s documentary on the Wing Bowl.

We should pay attention to the U.S. Peace Index, revealing the billons that states lose due to violent crime. via

Frere Jones’s brilliant take on Lana Del Rey and the dumb discussion about pop music.

World most popular online newspaper, the Daily Mail can hardly call itself a newspaper.

It’s not a cop drama where it’s just black and white. South Bronx officer takes a camera to work.

• February 3, 2012: Afternoon

Planned Parenthood receives nearly $700K in donations after losing Komen funding.

Today Komen announced it will continue funding Planned Parenthood.

Girl Scout cookies politicized after members boycott the organization for accepting a transgendered scout.

Stop saying our wars are over, Mr. President. They’re not. #opinions

Mitt Romney falls into the uncanny valley of presidential candidates—just creepily perfect enough to be unsettling.

Record label seeks choral singer who can hit a note so low it’s thought never to have been sung before.

Stadiums composed of meat.

Whiteboard remakes of famous paintings.

UK authorities’ seizures of counterfeit alcohol rise fivefold in two years.

Self-proclaimed “Jewish Indiana Jones” admits he never found, restored Torah scrolls in Europe and Israel.

Researchers say purported jellyfish invasion unlikely.

Mauritius’ commitment to open trade and the rule of law…do correlate well with growth. The little economy that could.

Below are 20 common grammar mistakes I see…in HR manuals, blogs, magazines, newspapers, trade journals, and even best selling novels.

• February 3, 2012: Morning

Protesters fight with security forces for a second day in Cairo over soccer deaths and slow reforms.

Chart: Facebook is currently bigger than the U.S., smaller than India.

Many economists believe the worst is yet to come; only fringe predictors say corporations will begin spending again soon.

First UK envoy appointed to Somalia in 20 years calls it the world’s most failed state.

Five things you can’t do on Twitter in the U.S.

Deadspin editor tries on Brian Cashman’s pajamas to prove that the Yankees general manager has a mistress.

Same alleged mistress arrested for allegedly stalking Cashman.

Man arrested on suspicion of stealing ice from Chilean glacier.

Why big companies throw so much money at consultants when they know most consultants are recent college grads: signaling and status.

Black market discovered in Pennsylvania for porcupine meat to be eaten in Vietnam. via

America can’t manufacture iPhones because it can’t replicate China’s ability to scale and draconian working conditions.

Gagosian Gallery’s ambitious exhibition stands as convincing, if admittedly surprising evidence that Damien Hirst is indeed an extraordinary colorist.

Related: Fuck Your Noguchi Table.

Black people as defined by Republican presidential candidates, congressmen, and radio personalities.

One day late, we’d like to celebrate Groundhog Day with a tribute to Ned Ryerson. #video

• February 2, 2012: Afternoon

Egypt soccer tragedy claims 73 lives; security forces blamed after they disappeared when attacks began.

We’re a little late to this, but still: Julian Assange to host show on Kremlin TV.

Stem-cell researchers transform skin cells into brain cells.

Pros and cons of Moon Base Gingrich—residents will be “highly educated, eco-friendly, and very likely dependent on vast government support.”

Colorado residents divided whether to allow Christo’s “Over the River” project to proceed.

LA School District investigates how it failed for five years to suspect a teacher accused of lewd acts toward students.

Brazil considering law to allow employees checking email from home to apply for overtime.

European executives to watch in 2012.

America’s “no-fly” list doubled in 2011, rising to 21,000.

NFL anticipates problems in 2016 labeling everyone a loser when it comes time for Super Bowl L.

Radiolab on whether or not Fritz Haber, godfather of chemical warfare, was a bad person. #audio

RIP, Wislawa Szymborska.

Love, peace, and soul to Don Cornelius, 1937-2012.

A match that felt like old-school naval warfare. Grantland’s take on the epic Australian Open final.

Life inside America’s worst college basketball program, which finally snapped its losing streak after not winning a single game in 2011.

Rural hospital recruits doctors by offering eight weeks of missionary leave.

If God exists, he/she has a sparkling sense of humor. Review of a pole-dancing fitness class.

• February 2, 2012: Morning

Headlines say Obama is on the rebound, but maybe someone should tell swing voters in up-for-grabs states.

Images of the “Great Successor,” Kim Jong Un, looking at things.

Billions and millions expected for employees and friends of Facebook.

Q&A on why the nation’s largest breast cancer charity cut off funding to Planned Parenthood.

Notes on life inside Africa’s most expensive city, Angola’s Luanda.

Russian scientists on the verge of entering lake that hasn’t been touched by light for more than 20 million years.

Hemon on the “meticulous segregation” of children in Bosnian schools.

See also: Zadie Smith on the “Writers Bloc” program.

On the back of Nathan Englander’s blurb-gasm, an examination of where all the hyperbolic puff began.

Studies: If you want to increase your creativity, lie in bed a little longer.

Round-up of all items that Jonathan Franzen believes are bad for society.

Kevin Durant says Blake Griffin dunk was no dunk at all, but a layup.

Immersive video games used to treat wide variety of psychological disorders, from fear of spiders to germ-related terror. #longreads

Molly Fischer on the blogosphere’s lady sites, and why none of them meet women’s needs.

Appreciating the greatest figure in K-pop’s history, who wears neither heels nor skirt.

• February 1, 2012: Afternoon

Pakistan’s foreign minister denies links to the Taliban as reported in a leaked secret Nato report.

The façade of African unity has been blown asunder. Elections for the head of the African Union end in stalemate.

Nature of memory shows that taking notes is a good idea, and we never truly forget an old phone number.

Itemized expense sheet of an anonymous A-list actor.

Children’s classic Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark reborn with less terrifying illustrations.

In case you missed it: Christoph Niemann doodles while on hold.

Doctorow on perseverance, studying drama, and reading Dostoevsky at age eight.

Obit editor: Writing death commemorations can be an uplifting job.

TMN’s Sarah Hepola visits Chuck E. Cheese as an adult—where adults now make headlines for going crazy.

Natural disasters: Why a strong federal government is necessary. #opinions

Map shows where junk ends up in the oceans.

History of trip-hop, born in Bristol.

Moral psychologist explains how research turned him from religion-loathing liberal to faith-respecting centrist.

Infographics to help explain how carbs, not fat, make you fat.

Photo of the day: “I See The Millennium Falcon.”

• February 1, 2012: Morning

Romney’s win in Florida cost him and his Super PAC $19.94 per vote.

I got 99 problems but a non-connected independent-expenditure only committee ain’t one.

How far can you go from Trafalgar Square without crossing a road or going over the same place twice: almost 17 miles.

How states act after they get nuclear weapons: “not much more aggressive.”

Why Bertrand Russell wasn’t given fruit as a child: to stay healthy.

Fascinating items about the luring of penguins in order to eat them.

Compelling study of the struggle to convince Japan that suicide is a symptom of disease.

“Pet Rescuers Venture Into Japan’s Exclusion Zone.” #photography

Post-burgling, the best way to get your stuff back may be to engage dealers while lying to the police.

The Dark Tower; Malice; Night Shade. Alternative titles offered by Paramount to replace Hitchcock’s preferred “Vertigo.”

Five-year-old’s thoughts about well-known logos. #video

Go back 140 years to hear silly noises and a count to six, among the earliest audio recordings.

Oldie but goodie: 20 radio pieces in 60 minutes. #audio

Along the same lines, Ira interviews cousin Philip about working in a record shop and kicking (or not) the habit of voice.

Art shows to see this February in Miami, New York, Denver, Kansas City.

• January 31, 2012: Afternoon

Diplomats battle (against Russia) to demand Assad’s resignation.

Now’s the time to reread Vogue’s fluff profile of Assad’s wife and family.

Eurozone unemployment ends 2011 at 10.4%, up 751,000 from 2010.

Hungary growing weary of ties to the EU and its empire-building.

Scathing review of the new Hockney show doesn’t vibe with “more people smiling in any gallery I’ve ever been in.”

In light of the Costa Concordia crash, remembering when a Berlin candy company bombed people with chocolates.

Pictures of Antarctica (not really) taken from inside a plastic bag.

Whether people were ever swallowed by whales and what happened to them if they were.

Drought and growing demand for red meat in East Asia drive up American beef prices.

“Booth Babes” at annual MacWorld Expo not doing much for the role of women in computer science. #opinions

Robert McMillan traces the history of computer passwords, discovers they were useless from the start.

How to pronounce words hilariously. #video

New York Public Library animates stereoscopic images.

The favorite books (“of all time”) of DFW, Jennifer Egan, and other authors.

Quiz: Recognize the film by its cover.

• January 31, 2012: Morning

These stories are often set in one of Hong Kong’s marbled, gleaming and obsessively clean shopping malls. Hong Kongers bristle against mainland tourists.

Through meticulous infiltration…members have carried out shocking acts of cultural preservation and repair.

Franzen: Serious readers will always prefer print.

Forensics lab finds it takes Texas vultures 37 days to find a body but only five hours to “skeletonize” it.

Introduction of Burmese Pythons linked to decline in Everglades mammal population.

Every so often, however, a mammalian lineage discovers the wonders of chemistry. The oddity of animals with noxious abilities.

Critics need to attack ACTA on the correct grounds; knee-jerk reactions spread misinformation. #opinions

Ultrasound good not only for viewing babies, but also for preventing them.

Ketamine investigated as depression cure that starts acting within hours.

Man creates fake cycling team that’s irrelevant, less serious than pros, gets real sponsors.

After recession, invention—Japan now makes almost everything better than anyone else.

The design changes have not impacted the functionality. A history of the red plastic cup.

• January 30, 2012: Afternoon

Politics and the recession have taken their best shots, but SETI won’t die due to enthusiasts and the private sector.

The lab that won’t quit: still making medical history in facilities meant to be torn down in 1966.

Discovered: 1972 documentary of Future Shock, narrated by Orson Welles.

Caroline Brothers interviews the kids who walk alone out of Afghanistan in search of a new life.

More colleges to employ TurnItIn, thus far the most effective weapon in the war against plagiarism.

Farhad Manjoo: Don’t be so quick to dismiss Reddit.

From its early ‘60s inception to a e-book functionality, the highlighter has endured—users prefer yellow and pink.

Last week, after two decades of refusal, France returned 20 mummified Maori heads to New Zealand.

When the Nazis left Treblinka in 1943 they thought they had destroyed it.

“There is no way you can rebuild the bunkers.” Hitler’s Wolf’s Lair for rent in Poland.

Matthew Broderick to reprise Ferris Bueller in Super Bowl ad. #video