China's New Year Feasts Go Upmarket

Fancy establishments say celebrations are taking place in their dining rooms. But some wonder if the rush to the restaurants is not killing the true spirit of new year.

• Video: Splurging on Lunar New Year Food

Shanghai Watch Looks to Shine

A Chinese outsider hopes to join the ranks of wristwatch royalty dominated by European brands.

I Spy...a Market For Kids

New toys, like the remote-controlled Spy Video Trakr, act like surveillance gear as a generation of 'technology natives' channels its inner Nancy Drew.

• Video: Spy Video Trakr Snoops on Wheels

A Growing Obsession: Rare Seeds

Some gardeners skip the glossy seed catalogs and turn to seed exchanges, which frequently offer unusual varieties of plants not typically found in catalogs.

• Photos: Swapping Seeds

Outfitters' Lament: Too Few Kids With Guns

Desperate to make gains in untapped markets, one gun maker has produced a single-shot, .22 rifle—in pink.

Cars Are Getting Scary Again

Congress will look into whether the problems are really with the electronic and software systems that control the flow of gasoline into a Toyota Camry or Lexus ES's engine.

• Podcast: The New Computers on Wheels
• Video: The End of the Fix-It-Yourself Car
• Vote: Will Toyota's gas pedal fix work?

Their Rejection, Our Loss

In the end, the IOC decision to exclude women's ski jumping may have had more to do with protecting the men's event.

The Art-House Maven

The Film Forum's director on what it will take to keep the New York revival theater alive at least another 40 years.

Jackson's Doctor Pleads Not Guilty

Michael Jackson's doctor pleaded not guilty Monday to involuntary manslaughter in the death of the pop star.

Country's Cousins

There is much quality music coming out of Nashville that isn't country at all.

• Listen to 'Birds' by Holly Williams | 'Troubled Times' by Chris Scruggs

Who Dat Didn't Want to See This?

With an epic and joyous 31-17 Super Bowl victory over the Indianapolis Colts, the New Orleans Saints bandwagon will now stop and pick up the rest of America.

• View and vote: Which Super Bowl ad was best?

Tahari Joins Fashion Week

Elie Tahari, who founded his label 37 years ago, will unveil his collection next week in New York's Bryant Park.

A Crisis Made in Japan

Toyota's botched response to its escalating problems has deep roots in Japan's legal system and corporate tradition. What the company's troubles mean for the country.

• When Things Went Wrong

When Mr. McCain Came to Washington

An excerpt from Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson's memoir goes inside the White House meeting where Obama called McCain's bluff: "I could see Obama chuckling."

At Long Last, Sade Is Back

"Soldier of Love," the group's first album in a decade, doesn't pander to current trends, says Jim Fusilli.

• Listen: 'The Safest Place'

The Oscars' Battle of the Exes

"Hurt Locker" director Kathryn Bigelow faces off against ex-husband and "Avatar" director James Cameron in two Oscar categories. Hollywood is taking sides.

• Vote: Who should win an Oscar?
• Carl Reiner Won't Vote for Bigelow or Cameron
• The Nominees by the Numbers

Reply to All: Dear Valued Toyota Customer

Please bring it back in. We have a little titanium rectangle that should hold the windshield fast in subgust conditions. And a bolt. And an exorcist.

Anticipating the Fiscal Fiasco

Adam Haslett's first novel, "Union Atlantic," tracks the Fed, bank woes and the "powerful."

• Q&A;: Adam Haslett
• Excerpt: 'Union Atlantic'

Alice Waters Dishes on the Food Scene

Chez Panisse restaurateur Alice Waters discusses the small-town nature of the Bay Area food scene and what she thinks of many celebrity chefs.

• WSJ's Bay Area Food Guide

Home Stereos That Refuse to Die

For many, gone are the days of $20 CDs and $1,000-dollar stereo systems. But not for scores of audiophiles who cling to cabinets full of music components and milk crates of albums.

Why a Six-Hour Flight Now Takes Seven

Airlines have been adding minutes to scheduled flight durations, baking delays into trips so that late flights arrive "on-time." The move can feel like cheating to frustrated passengers.

• Podcast | Table: Aviation Inflation
• Middle Seat Blog: Is Schedule Padding Cheating?
• Readers React: 'I am fine with it'

Customized Perfumes for an Eau de You

Thinking that a signature perfume might make an impressive Valentine's Day gift, we put the custom-perfume business to the test and made a scent for our sweetheart.

Love, Honor, Cherish and Scatter

More Americans these days are scattering loved ones' ashes widely, with great purpose and often without permission—an act known in the funeral industry as a "wildcat scattering."

• Video: Scattering Ashes a Growing Ritual

Oscars Target Wider Audience

The Academy appears likely to realize its goal of making the star-studded awards ceremony popular again, after doubling the number of best-picture nominees added more audience favorites such as "Up" and "The Blind Side."

• Vote: Who should take top honors?
• The Nominees by the Numbers

When Cellphone Bans Don't Curb Crashes

Almost nobody thinks that driving while talking or texting on a mobile phone is a good idea. But preventing people from doing it may not be easy.

• Video: WSJ's Joe White on Cellphone Bans
• Readers React: 'Ban billboards while we're at it'

Re-Imagining Homer's Odyssey

"The Lost Books of the Odyssey," an alternative take on Homer's epic journey, isn't a typical debut novel. But Zachary Mason isn't a typical author -- he's a computer scientist who wrote secretly for a decade.

The New Face of Sleep

For the 18 million people with obstructive sleep apnea, which is often marked by snoring, relief comes at a price.

• Readers React: 'Health crisis'

Saving the Face of Haiti's Carnival

Most years at this time, the resort town of Jacmel braces for February's raucous carnival celebration. Now, organizer Michelet Divers is trying to salvage the city's cultural heritage, in the form of one-of-a-kind festival masks.

• Video: Shattered Carnival Dreams

Seeking Reasons for Autism's Rise

Medical experts have pondered for years why autism rates have soared, and why it appears to be more prevalent in certain areas than others. Some recent studies that zero in on California may shed light on these questions.

• News Hub: Autism Rates Found Higher in Some Areas

Battling Information Barbarians

China often views the ideas of foreigners—from missionaries in the 17th century to 21st-century Internet entrepreneurs—as subversive imports. The history behind the clash with Google.

Remembrance of Candy Bars Past

How a wave of consolidation lay waste to regional treats like the Fig Pie and the Seven Up Bar.

Lessons of Lady Gaga

With digital dominance, business savvy, a niche-busting sound and 1,001 wardrobe changes, Lady Gaga is a new model for success.

• News Hub: Industry Gaga Over Lady Gaga
• Vote: Who Should Win a Grammy?
• Speakeasy: The Man Behind Lady Gaga

The Art World's Gordon Gekko

Asher Edelman, a former corporate raider, is shaking up the art market with brash tactics and big plans.

• Photos: Ten Artists to Invest In

Infomercial Kitsch Invades Stores

Late-night products are morphing from gizmos marketed to insomniac TV watchers to little splurges for bargain-hunters.