August 18, 2008 Issue

Cover Story
The Impossible Conversation
(I) The Color-Coded Campaign
In a Democratic year, why isn’t Obama leading by a wider margin? Take a wild guess. By John Heilemann
(II) Black & Blacker
Is Michelle too angry? Is Barack too white? The Obama marriage as a racial minefield. By Vanessa Grigoriadis
(III) Talking About Not Talking About Race
The dangerous consequences of dancing around a subject everyone’s afraid of. By Patricia J. Williams
(IV) ObamaKids
The people an African-American president would influence most are the ones who haven’t been born yet. By John McWhorter
On the Cover: Illustration by Hank Willis Thomas. Photographs by Brooks Craft/Corbis (Michelle) and Soren McCarty/Wire Image (Barack).
Features
The Hudsons
They’re the hawks who stole Riverside Park’s heart. And then broke it.
His Magical Elixir
Dr. Alex Hughes thinks he can make you smarter, thinner, and less hungover by injecting water with ingredients he found in the hospital. But his company, Function Drinks, first has to fight for shelf space amid all the other health drinks promising miracle cures.
Columns
The Humor Deficit
McCain and Obama seem like funny guys, so why are their campaigns anything but?
Intelligencer
Asner vs. Cheney in NYC 9/11 Commission
Activists hope to reinvestigate with city’s help.
Just One Word: Bankruptcy!
Lawyering through the downturn.
Can China Control the Weather?
Weatherman Al wants to find out.
Pas Jolie for Time Inc.’s Wretches
Checkbook scoop “sad.”
Sticks & Stoners Break Actors’ Bones
Pineapple pain.
Gloria Gaynor Continues to Survive
She holds her head up high.
It Happened Last Week
Jets fans could be forgiven some giddiness at elderly quarterback Brett Favre’s arrival.
Jets Stream
Brett Favre is supposed to bring the Jets stability.
Lights Off on Broadway
Paging Starbucks and CVS! The Upper West Side faces a vacancy glut.
It’s a Green Gusher!
What are they drilling for on the Upper East Side?
Strategist
So Plush and So Clean
Costume designer William Ivey Long is an expert at making public spaces cozy—and keeping them clean.
Manhattan: The New Brooklyn?
As the market hints at a downturn, Brooklyn brownstones sit unsold.
The Look Book
"I attract the crazy people. Also, people expose themselves to me."
The Restaurant Review
Another day, another barnyard-minded locavore joint. Make that two more.
In Season
It’s not easy to make a name for yourself in the potato world.
Insatiable Critic
The crowd skews young at Delicatessen, a new comfort-food initiative from the folks at Cafeteria.
Restaurant Openings
Week of August 18, 2008: Apiary, Pita Joe, and Vintage Irving.
Trendlet: The New Kid on the Block
Long an outer-borough staple, the lowly goat is poised for the Manhattan big time.
Parallel Lives
He’s been here 58 years. She, barely one. They both love the Lower Lower East Side.
Culture
Guiding Light
Ellen Wheeler hopes to save the daytime soap with a little reality and … Jonathan Safran Foer?
Five to Watch, Rinse, and Repeat
Is there such a thing as overacting on soap operas? Believe it or not, yes.
The Movie Review
Robert Downey Jr. doesn’t just steal Tropic’s thunder, he owns it. Plus: Woody Allen’s redemptive muse.
Trailer Mix: Special Dark Nerd Edition
Our reviews of this week's previews.
The Power of Bro: Danny McBride
Danny McBride is best known for his starring role in this year’s slapstick comedy The Foot Fist Way.
The Theater Review
The script’s full of navel-gazing; the production drags. Yet Hair still exerts a joyous pull.
Tickle Me Cool J
The 39th season of Sesame Street is surprisingly well stocked with quirky guest stars
The Approval Matrix: Week of August 18, 2008
Our deliberately oversimplified guide to who falls where on our taste hierarchies.
Agenda
Birds Galore
A confluence of avian-themed events for kids and families spans the boroughs this week.
Kids Welcome
The Four Seasons has declared August 15 Children’s Day.
Departments
Comments: Week of August 18, 2008
Readers sound off on the Montauk Monster, "the new new face," and more.
Artifact: Remains of the Night
Findings from the streets, files, and hard drives of New York.
Write a Letter to the Editor
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