Summer-ize Your Spirits

The Elusive Girl From Ipanema

The endlessly covered Brazilian song turns 50 this year. What explains its quirky endurance?

• Video: 'The Girl' Over the Years

In Pursuit of the Presidential Pantheon

There's no such thing as a "really good one-termer"—at least when you're trying to tip history's judgment.

Week in Ideas: Christopher Shea

In this week's column: Cupid gets ever more digital, the success of third-party attack ads against candidates and the gorilla in the room.

The Race to Modernize Sailing

High tech meets the high seas in the next America's Cup, writes Holly Finn.

The Queen of Soul's Long Reign

A faithful portrait of the inimitable, irrepressible Aretha Franklin. Eddie Dean reviews "The Fan Who Knew Too Much."

Very Glad to Be Unhappy

"A Ship Without a Sail" chronicles the life of Lorenz Hart, broken-hearted bard of the Great American Songbook. J.D. McClatchy reviews.

Journey Without Maps

Sheila Heti's novel "How Should a Person Be?" explores the existential conundrums of a sensitive young woman exploring the significance of art and searching for personal meaning.

Who Needs a WeedWacker When You Can Use a Scythe?

People who scythe put up with a lot of Grim Reaper cracks. Then again, long-handled, crescent-bladed scythes don't use gas, don't get hot, don't make noise, do make for exercise, and do cut grass.

• Video: Scythes in Suburbia

Our Bodies Need Microbes and Worms

Matt Ridley on the benefits of our bacterial zoo.

Health-Law Battle Enters Next Round

A new front opened in efforts to reshape how the government implements Obama's health-care overhaul. Employers, insurers, hospitals, drug makers and others are angling for an advantage.

• Video: Battle Begins to Reshape Law

Envisioning Treasures from Piles of Junk

Professional "junker" Ki Nassauer has forged a career from finding new uses for the things we throw away.

• Video: Ki Nassauer: From Junk to Treasure

In Conversation With Ian McKellen

Ian McKellen, who has been shooting "The Hobbit" in New Zealand, talks about the one-man show he held for an earthquake-damaged theater (and why he'll never do it again), and why marriage isn't for him.

Ideas Calendar: June 30-July 6

On this week's agenda: a conference of private eyes, the Smithsonian's Folklife Festival and lectures about cricket.

And the Republic Marches On

Buoyant and lyrical, John Philip Sousa's "The Stars and Stripes Forever" is joyful without being trivial, martial without being bombastic, reflecting a nation at peace and proud of it.

Buying the Best but Not the Rest

At the London sales, says Kelly Crow, works by some surrealists did spectacularly well but other less flashy offerings did not.

India From Her Own Angle

Homai Vyarawalla's photos chronicling India's tumultuous midcentury of liberation, war and independence will be on view at New York's Rubin Museum of Art.

Sculpting Sound: Frank Stella Riffs on Scarlatti Sonatas

The artist's new group of metal sculptures are colorful, coiled bundles of resin tubes, each based on a piece of music.

Don't Miss: June 30-July 6

On this week's agenda: Eric Fischl in Philadelphia, Alighiero Boetti at New York's Museum of Modern Art and Spanish artists in Detroit.

Dan Barber's Culinary Crusade

The locavore chef on his gripe with vegetarianism and the power of pleasure.

San Francisco: Culinary Capital

Forty years after the Bay Area changed how America eats, the pioneering food region is surging ahead again.

• Photos: California Cuisine 2.0

Marion Cotillard's Sultry Side

The Oscar winner models this season's bewitching fashions.

One Day with Arianna Huffington

Part media tycoon, part New Age evangelist, the founder of the Huffington Post knows how to turn a personal preoccupation into a cause célèbre.

Ancient Village Rises in Shanghai

Curator Johnson Chang's reconstruction of an entire ancient village outside a hyper-modern city is reviving near-forgotten crafts and traditions.

• Photos: An Ancient Village in Contemporary China

A Performance Artist Takes on History, One Step — and Tweet — at a Time

Filipino performance artist Carlos Celdran on choosing Manila over Manhattan, Manny Pacquiao and almost being the darling of Art Dubai.

An Unappreciated Scene Starts to Shine

Taipei was once the quintessential frontier town, but it now rivals the great cities of Asia when it comes to a night out.

Where Hong Kong's Hipsters Hang Out

For a bohemian alternative to Hong Kong's nightlife, head to Sheung Wan.

In Seoul, a Foodie Haven

Seoul's Itaewon neighborhood has long been a foreigners' ghetto, but in recent years it has become one of the city's dining and nightlife hotspots.

Pollen Brings Buzz, and a Taste of Provence, to Singapore

British chef Jason Atherton's second Singapore restaurant, Pollen, serves Mediterranean-inspired cuisine in the lush, temperature-controlled Flower Dome at Gardens by the Bay.

Head to Macau for Something Besides Gambling

Guincho a Galera is one of the few restaurants in Macau serving modern Portuguese food.

Not Your Average Museum Café

Once a munitions depot, Asia Society restaurant Ammo is one of Hong Kong's hottest new tables.

Only In…Tasmania

Australia's island state caters to nature lovers and culture hounds alike. Four things you can do on a trip.

A New Classic Rises on Bangkok's Riverfront

Bangkok's once-sleepy riverside now has an upscale boutique hotel of its own: the Siam, the brainchild of Thai-American musician–actor Krissada Sukosol Clapp.

A New Stay in the Maldives

We look at the 61-villa Viceroy Maldives, sited on a tiny crescent-shaped island in the country's northern fringes.

Men and Women: Beat Jet Lag With a Prenatal Vitamin Boost

Fiona Kotur on beating jet lag with prenatal vitamins (a tip she says works for men, too), balancing airport anonymity with style and making neighborhood discoveries in the dead of night.

On the Road Again

The owner of Singapore furniture retailer WTP talks about Shanghai's spas, Bangkok's toilets and Malay-speaking New York cabbies.

The Perfect Flight: Champagne, Good Blanket, Nonstop Sleep

Norton Rose partner Shaun McRobert spoke to the Journal about where to find indoor tennis courts in Beijing, what he eats on Mongolian Airlines and how it feels to ride out in the wind in an antique airplane.

Curry That Convinces the Skeptics

Local customers were wary when Ian Chalermkittichai introduced lamb shank to his Bangkok menu, but by combining it with an intense massaman curry, he has tempted them into giving it a shot.

A Star Turn for a Humble Ingredient

The lowly turnip rarely takes center stage, but at L'Effervescence in Tokyo, Shinobu Namae showcases it with brioche croutons and crumbled Iberian ham.

New Life for a Lifespan-Lengthener

How a chef in Seoul livened up tteokguk, a traditional Korean soup that can be a little bland.

How to Get From Bach to Hendrix

James Morrison shares what he considers music history's top five moments.

Where to Find the Wells of Wisdom

Arvind Singh Mewar talks about the place he worships and four other Indian destinations that inspire him.

Pharrell's Favorite Artists

Pharrell Williams sheds light on some of his favorite visual artists.