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Table of Contents

November 5, 2012 Issue

Cover Story

Are You On It?

How did autism and Asperger’s become so widely diagnosed, and how did “Asperger’s-y” become cultural shorthand for everyone from a moody husband to an aloof Silicon Valley titan to both presidential candidates? A journey across the spectrum. By Benjamin Wallace
On the Cover: Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post via Getty Images (Obama); Krasilnikov Stanislav/Itar-Tass Photo/Corbis (Zuckerberg); Adele Starr/AP (Aates); Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images (West); Powell/Express/Getty Images (Warhol); Gary Gershoff/WireImage (Byrne); Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic (Hannah); Paul A. Hebert/Getty Images (Harmon); Universal History Archive/Getty Images (Jefferson); Photo12/UIG/Getty Images (Darwin); David Wolff-Patrick/Redferns via Getty Images (Slash); Universal History Archive/Getty Images (Einstein); Nati Harnik/ap (Buffett); Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images (Aykroyd); Ben Pruchnie/Getty Images (Rowling); Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images (Rodman); Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images (Romney). Illustration by Gluekit.

Features

The Anti-D’Antoni

The Knicks’ Mike Woodson could be the most boring coach in the NBA. He also might be the perfect man to tame Carmelo and the MSG circus once and for all. By Will Leitch

Proust Wasn’t a Neuroscientist. Neither was Jonah Lehrer.

The 31-year-old science-journalism wunderkind was ostracized as a fabricator and a plagiarist, but he was hardly the only popular writer shaping his conclusions to support ted-talkready insights. Lehrer just happened to be that culture’s brightest rising star—and its first real victim. By Boris Kachka

Intelligencer

Swing Celebs

Here, eight prominent persons with shifting electoral allegiances.

The Most Important Memes of Our Lifetime

What the 2012 campaign has done to Internet humor.

Spoiler Alert!

A butterfly theory for Bloomberg’s super-PAC.

The Neighborhood News

Our roundup of news from around the city.

Help Me, Rwanda

A volunteerism hot zone.

69 Minutes WIth Jemima Kirke

Talking circumcision and SSRIs with the ribald Girls star who wants to be known for her other art.

Columns

The Zombie Election

Four ways the campaign may be undead on November 7.

Strategist

Best Bets

A washable keyboard, emotion-specific pencils, and more new stuff in stores.

The Look Book

“I enrolled in what I thought was a self-defense class for women, but it ended up being mixed martial arts. We did knife-fighting and gun disarmament.”

Catch Them If You Can

Who doesn’t love watching the New York marathon? With more than 47,000 entrants, though, good luck keeping track of all those sweaty bodies. Herewith, a race-day spotter’s guide featuring ten runners to watch out for.

Running-Store Smackdown

A half-marathoner goes undercover to size up the offerings at five local shops.

Condo Madness Returns

Buyers are snatching up new developments—again.

Fashionables

Camouflage, epaulets, and lots of muddy greens: Military jackets have become the transition-season staple.

The Restaurant Review

Despite appearances to the contrary, Angolo Soho is no tourist trap.

In Season

Peanuts, in their raw or “green” state, have arrived at Greenmarket.

Who Needs Venice?

Long defined by its odoriferous canal, Gowanus is starting to smell a little more appetizing.

Culture

John Goodman Needs a Cigarette

This fall’s busiest supporting actor is a little stressed out.

The TV Review

Ryan Murphy’s Glee and American Horror Story are good again, for now.

The Art Review

Picasso’s monochrome paintings display a rainbow of emotion.

The Classical Music Review

Thomas Adès’s The Tempest is an exemplary reminder of why we go to the opera.

Cher Horowitz, Reanimated

Alicia Silverstone and Amy Heckerling’s Clueless reunion.

The Movie Review

Denzel Washington is terrific as an alcoholic aviator in Flight.

Agenda

Another Kind of Pie

Elizabeth Falkner opens Krescendo in Boerum Hill.

Departments

Comments: Week of November 5, 2012

Readers sound off on AIG, Tom Wolfe, and more.

The Approval Matrix: Week of November 5, 2012

Our deliberately oversimplified guide to who falls where on our taste hierarchies.

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