- According to Norimitsu Onishi of The New York Times in this extensive article, Japan is taking a hard-hitting approach to expanding waistlines. Millions of people between the age 40 and 74 will have their waistlines measured; those who do not meet the governmental guidelines – 33.5 inches for men and 35.4 inches for women – will undergo a dieting program.
- Mark Feeney of The Boston Globe on the new “Baseball As America” exhibit in Boston’s Museum of Science: “Attention is given to the Negro Leagues, the impact of Hispanic players, women’s baseball, labor strife, and the role of baseball in Japanese-American relocation camps during World War II. For all the goofy fun the show has to offer – a “Play Ball” Ken doll, from 1963; the San Diego Chicken’s costume; a Cecil Fielder candy bar (Jenny Craig members, take a rain check!) – this is a shrewd and serious survey that’s as much social history as indulgence in nostalgia.”
- The Western Writers of America listed Shane – George Stevens’ movie about a mysterious gunfighter in a war between Wyoming ranchers and farmers – as the best Western movie of all time on their top 100 list. The Magnificent Seven, a film heavily influenced by Akira Kurosawa‘s iconic Seven Samurai, ranked in the top 10.
