The craziest opening ceremonies ever
Danny Boyle's Olympic production was long, expensive (over $40-million (U.S.), according to estimates) and eccentric. It included a skydiving Queen, rapper Dizzee Rascal and a musical about the industrial revolution. One Spanish newspaper ran a response to the event asking whether the English were "the same species." Relive it here with our photo gallery, and our picks for the top four moments.
The house that tapped out a billionaire
For a mere $100-million, you can own the most expensive home in America, a 90,000-square-foot mega-mansion nicknamed Versailles. Lauren Greenfield made a documentary about the monstrosity that nearly bankrupted a billionaire and serves as symbol for capitalism run amok.
Female Olympians are stuck in 1960
At a press conference for the British women's volleyball team, male journalists weren't even pretending to care about the sport – all they wanted to know was whether the players would consider wearing bikinis, even if it rained. No matter how much things have changed, for female athletes, it's like repressive 1960s all over again.
Making feminism funny
Speaking of the repressive 1960s: Caitlin Moran is a British writer who gained a big following in her homeland for columns that defy the schoolmarm stereotype of contemporary feminism. Her writing is irreverent, silly, and often very weird. Leah McLaren profiles the author as her book How to be a Woman finally makes it to Canada..
Whinging the future
There's a weird, paradoxical tradition among Londoners. If something terrible happens – say, the Second World War – they keep a stiff upper lip. But if the subway is unexpectedly delayed, they complain like it's the worst thing that's ever happened. Forget the Olympics. Whinging is Britain's true national sport.
Dude writes like a lady
Author Michael Redhill has a confession to make - he's a she. Or at least, he's published as a she. In the 1980s, Mr. Redhill published some well-received poems under the pen name Inger Ash Wolfe. And now he's ready to come clean - and discuss why having a secret identity can be weirdly satisfying.
She's a dream girl
In the new movie Ruby Sparks, Paul Dano plays a blocked writer who pens a story about an impossible fantasy girl – a girl that, to his dismay, comes to life. Zoe Kazan plays the realized fantasy object, and wrote the screenplay. Johanna Schneller profiles the young artist, and says she's more than just a well-regarded last name.