Books: Stained with a Different Darkness

THE CHRONICLE OF THE LODZ GHETTO, 1941-1944 Edited by Lucjan Dobroszycki; translated by Richard Lourie, Joachim Neugroschel and others; Yale; 551 pages; $35Ghetto is an Italian word, but it is defined in German. In 1939 the Third Reich took the obsolete custom of separating Jews from the human community and gave it new meaning

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Study: Gay Men, like Women, Better at Remembering Faces

There are few men in the world who haven’t muttered a quiet word of thanks to the anonymous man who invented the name tag, that “Hello, my name is” accessory that can be such a lifesaver at cocktail parties. It’s not certain, of course, that a man invented it, but the odds are good, since so many males — far more than females — would be helpless without it

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‘Wild Things’ Review: Jonze Subtly Adapts Classic Book

The 338-word story of Max — last name unknown, emotional state tumultuous, willingness to obey dubious — has been a bedtime favorite of wild things everywhere since not long after its 1963 publication. That makes nearly five decades’ worth of fans, many of whom have been harboring the disquieting fear that the universality of Maurice Sendak’s Max, who so exquisitely embodies the inherent storminess of all small beings, would be marred by Spike Jonze’s cinematic adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are.

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Why Swearing Helps Ease Pain: Benefits of Curse Words

There is a certain four-letter word that evokes much emotion, is often uttered by mothers giving birth, and whose usage by humans is thought to be evolutionarily adaptive: f___! According to a new study by British researchers, saying the F word or any other commonly used expletive can work to reduce physical pain — and it seems that people may use curse words by instinct. Indeed, as any owner of a banged shin, whacked funny bone or stubbed toe knows, dancing the agony jig — and shouting its profane theme tune — are about as automatic as the response to a doctor’s reflex hammer.

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