What happened on May 11, 2008
BOOKS
God's cold, dark waters Minna Proctor, Minna Proctor is the author of "Do You Hear What I Hear? Religious Calling, the Priesthood, and My Father."
Let them eat pi Sara Lippincott, Sara Lippincott is an assistant editor of Book Review.
The West's wings Richard Eder, Richard Eder, a former Times book critic, was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for criticism in 1987.
Vex machine RJ Smith, RJ Smith is the author of "The Great Black Way: L.A. in the 1940s and the Lost African-American Renaissance." He is a senior editor at Los Angeles magazine.
Disconnect Ines Santos, Ines Santos is a Times staff writer.
Left brain Art Winslow, Art Winslow, a former literary and executive editor of the Nation, writes frequently on books and culture.
Unhappy days Deborah Vankin, Deborah Vankin is editor in chief of Metromix LA.
One day that shook the world Wendy Smith, Wendy Smith is a critic and the author of "Real Life Drama: The Group Theatre and America, 1931-1940."
Siege mentality Donna Rifkind, Donna Rifkind, a Los Angeles-based reviewer, has written for the Washington Post and the New York Times.
OPINION
Outside looking in Joel Pett, Joel Pett is the Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist of the Lexington Herald-Leader. His work also appears in USA Today.
The prophet of pensions Roger Lowenstein, Roger Lowenstein is a contributing writer to the New York Times Magazine. His new book, "While America Aged," was published this month.
Classic moms Scott Huler, Scott Huler is the author of "No-Man's Lands: One Man's Odyssey Through 'The Odyssey.' "
Forget the two-state solution Saree Makdisi, Saree Makdisi is a professor of English and comparative literature at UCLA and the author of "Palestine Inside Out: An Everyday Occupation," out this month from W.W. Norton.
Civilization's last chance Bill McKibben, Bill McKibben, a scholar in residence at Middlebury College and the author, most recently, of "The Bill McKibben Reader," is the co-founder of Project 350 (www.350.org), devoted to reducing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to 350 parts per million. A longer version of this article appears at Tomdispatch.com.
Who will perform for the arts? Michael Alexander, Michael Alexander is the executive director of Grand Performances and chairman of the California Arts Council.
Israel's unhappy birthday Benny Morris, Benny Morris is the author of many books about the Israeli-Arab conflict, including, most recently, "1948: A History of the First Arab-Israeli War."