Europe's Top 10 Young Chefs

Ordering Jeans Straight, With a Touch of Stretch

Several online services say they can help picky shoppers in their pursuit of the perfect jeans. Cranky Consumer looks at companies that custom-sew jeans to each person's specific dimensions.

Wedded With Wit

New York City Opera's fall-season exploration of modern-family dysfunction continues with Strauss's autobiographical "Intermezzo" (1924), a revival of City Opera's 1999 Leon Major production.

Soldiers Armed With Pencils and Paint

Two exhibitions remind us that on the battlefield, the pencil sometimes captures more than the camera.

Stylish Men's Boots Suitable for Work, Rain and Snow

Shoe designer Donald J. Pliner tells readers how to pick and maintain weatherproof footwear.

First Step Into Style

How a 16-year-old high-school student can pull together a fashion-forward wardrobe.

A Gift to Veterans

Former actress Lois Pope lost a cousin in the Vietnam War, but it wasn't until a fateful day in 1968 that her attitude toward veterans changed completely.

Egypt Hunts Ancient Artifacts

In an increasingly public campaign, Zahi Hawass, Egypt's larger-than-life antiquities chief, is hunting for treasures from some of the richest known troves—the world's prominent museums.

• Photos: A Bid to Reclaim Egyptian Antiquities

Man Cave Makeover

Once-dingy outposts for guys evolve into lavish spreads where even gals are allowed. But will men make space for the quilting table?

• Audio: Why Women Flock to Man Caves
• Photos: Women Want In
• Video: Women Invade the Man Cave
• Readers React: 'This is my happy place'

Koons, Warhol, Hirst on the Block

On the heels of rival Sotheby's $222.4 million sale of contemporary art, Christie's on Wednesday countered with a $272.8 million sale that featured works from Andy Warhol to Christopher Wool. Here's a closer look.

The Benefits of Deeper Friendships

Many people find it difficult to make and maintain close friendships. Yet these connections are the kind that best support health and happiness.

• Audio: How Close Friendships Help
• Video: Tricks to Keep Your Friends and Sanity
• Work & Family Mailbox: The 'Red-Shirting' Debate
• The Juggle: Finding Time to Stay in Touch

A Decent Fight, If You Like Punching

Saturday's bout at Cowboys Stadium will be an interesting clash between Manny Pacquiao's speed and Antonio Margarito's power.

Cam Newton, Still Complicated

Cam Newton keeps the SEC on its toes, American League Gold Glove Award disappoints again, and Sheri Murrell blazes more trails than one for the NCAA.

Pop Goes the Art Market

There's a fresh fizz to the contemporary-art market these days that's been largely driven by sales of Pop classics by Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, and others.

A Question of Taste

Identifying the grape, country of origin, region, village and vintage from the look, smell and taste of a glass of wine is hard. Anyone who tells you otherwise should immediately be challenged to a blind tasting.

The Heart of 'Darkness'

A legal dispute forced Bruce Springsteen into a three-year hiatus after his breakthrough "Born to Run," a period that would have profound influences on his future, beginning with his subsequent album, "Darkness on the Edge of Town." Video: Bruce in the Studio

He Paints the Past

Military images dominate American history painting because wars represent critical moments in politics and culture. "For Us the Living" shows us the work of Mort Künstler, considered the dean of Civil War painting.

Bright and Shiny Things

"Red Luster" may look like a beauty pageant of objects chosen for their color, sheen and good looks. But the real fun at the Newark Museum of Art is in drawing the web of connections that link these works together.

In This Music, It's All About the Structure

Architecture lectures commonly involve laser pointers and slides. In his, architect Tuomas Toivonen prefers throbbing bass and electronic drums.

• Video: Tuomas Toivonen Raps on Urban Planning

When a Used Car Costs More

In a rare reversal, the monthly payments on some used vehicles can cost more than buying them new. In Eyes on the Road, Joe White looks at why prices in the used-car market are so high.

• Audio: Why Some Used Cars Cost So Much
• SmartMoney: 3 Myths of Used-Car Buying

Broad Solutions for the Arts

Billionaire philanthropist Eli Broad had "no idea" who Lady Gaga was prior to her performance last year at a gala for the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.

Cowboys Fire Phillips After Third Straight Loss

The Cowboys finally cut strings with the nicest coach in the NFL. Plus: ESPN's bittersweet dumping of Joe Morgan, the Mets bring on a third former GM to their staff, and more…

A Yanqui Who Knows Cuban Baseball

Cuban security is tight around the country's baseball players—to keep them from defecting to the U.S. major leagues. But one American is allowed access, to the chagrin of some.

• Video: A Champion of Cuban Baseball

How Young Adults Confront Cancer

Researchers are working harder to understand young-adult cancers and create a niche for them in the cancer-care system.

E-Book Sales Propel Grisham Thriller

For John Grisham's 24th adult book, "The Confession," the e-book version has helped propel first-week sales beyond that of his last legal thriller.

David Linley's $240,000 'Chateau' Cabinets

It looks like a doll house but it's not a toy.

Japanese Butoh's Ashes to Ashes

Sankai Juku tempers the grim qualities of traditional Japanese Butoh dancing with the theme of rebirth. They perform in Stanford and San Francisco this week.

Auster After 'Sunset'

The Brooklyn-based novelist chats about his new book, his inspirations, and his addiction to baseball.

Managing Hidden Heart Disease

About a third of U.S. adults have hypertension, which leads to one in six deaths in the U.S. But at least the same number have the precursor condition known as prehypertension, which has its own risks of stroke and heart disease.

Billy Sherrill, Icon and Iconoclast

The famed country-music producer-songwriter—notorious for shunning the spotlight—is finding 2010 to be the year he can avoid country's highest accolades no longer.

Scenes From All Over the Map

William Meyers on current exhibitions of Alfred Stieglitz, Tina Barney and Ed Kashi.

The Fall 'It' Stuff

Navigating through the bevy of fall/winter clothes and accessories is a task that few people have time for, so some experts offer their best bets.

In Rugby, It's Not Just Wins and Losses

For European rugby, the scariest thing about last weekend's three Test defeats isn't the continued dominance of the teams from Down Under, but the number of empty seats.

Moving for a Cultural Dialogue

The 22nd International Festival of Havana is hosted by the National Ballet of Cuba, and watching American Ballet Theater dance in this country for the first time in 50 years has cast quite a few things in relief.

• 'Giselle' With a Cuban Flair
• Photos: Ballet From New York Arrives in Cuba