While McDonald's has responded to obesity concerns in the US, public health bodies in Taiwan do not believe it is doing enough for the problem in Asia
By Ron Brownlow
It seemed like such a straightforward question: "Do you want to supersize it?"

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The young actress stars as the 'pleasantly plump' Tracy Turnblad in the new version of the film 'Hairspray'
By Alice Wignall
Nikki Blonsky tells me that an agent once advised her: "'The best thing would be, first step, to lose a good amount of weight and start going out for conventional roles.'" Blonsky pauses. "I looked at her and said, 'Thank you so much for your time. Thank you for your advice. I will think about it and ... probably never use it.'"

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Attempts to bring affordable high-speed Internet service to the masses have floundered because of poor infrastructure
By RON NIXON
On a muggy day in Kigali in 2003, some of the highest-ranking officials in the Rwandan government, including President Paul Kagame, flanked an American businessman, Greg Wyler, as he boldly described how he could help turn their small country into a hub of Internet activity.

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British broadcaster David Frost interviewed the former US president four years after he fell on his own sword. The results are only now appearing in print
By SCOTT EYMAN
Richard Nixon stalks through the 20th century like the bizarro Lincoln - instead of the "better angels of our nature," Nixon invariably invoked the worst. In so many ways, he defines and anticipates our present political stew, especially in regard to his prophetic utterance, "If the president does it, that means it's not illegal."

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Tragedy stalks Peony, the main character, from cradle to grave and beyond in Lisa See's new novel, which is set in turbulent 17th-century China
By JANET MASLIN
Lisa See's Peony in Love is a novel built on research about prettily oppressed 17th-century Chinese women who yearn for literacy and freedom. Her book would sound like pure contemporary contrivance without this factual basis. Plodding on piteously bound feet, it trumpets the superiority of women while dwelling endlessly on things thought to interest them: romance, heartbreak, victimhood, sumptuous domestic detail, eating disorders and even the self-satisfied preciousness of book clubs. All these elements conspire to congratulate the 21st-century female reader simply for showing up.

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FICTION

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