CONTENTS SUMMER 2008

11 FROM THE EDITOR

13 CONTRIBUTORS

15 LETTERS

THIS SEASON

A highly selective guide to the next three months featuring David Tennant, Euro 2008, Dr Johnson, a total eclipse of the sun, and the Prom's new boss

INTELLIGENCE

26 THINKING | Why humour is being taken more seriously--and how to make a rat laugh

28 FOOD | Memoir of an ice-cream maker's daughter

31 RePasts: calves-foot jelly, from Elizabeth Gaskell

32 You can hear yourself chomp: how restaurants are getting quieter

33 SURVEY | Which country wins most Olympic medals per head

34 GOING GREEN | Robert Butler's new column: is climate change misnamed?

36 DESIGN | Stylish ways to measure the weather

38 GIVING | American-style philanthropy is taking off in continental Europe

40 WINE | Our Wine-List Inspector calls on the Fat Duck

41 CARS | The Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead and other convertibles

42 ESPIONAGE | Alan Judd discusses dead letter boxes--and sets one up for readers to find

44 SPORT | Ed Smith's new column: today's greats, starting with Roger Federer

46 ZEITGEIST | The latest thing in hotels: a bed of hay

46 GAMING | Tom Standage's new column: can a videogame get you fit?

FLAIR

50 SHOOT | Midsummer dreams: Intelligent Life hosts a fashion festival

60 FASHION | Why a little bad taste can be a very good thing, by Judith Watt

62 Dress Sense: Monica Chong on sunglasses

64 Quaker Clothes: how to dress like a Friend

66 SHOPPING | Global Trading: five apothecaries with chemistry

67 Insider Trading: barbecues

69 One perfect ... rose, chosen by Andrew Mikolajski

FEATURES

70 COVER STORY | ZAHA HADID
After being dismissed as a paper architect because her buildings never seemed to be built, Zaha Hadid is now firmly established as a star in her field. Profile and competitors list by Jonathan Meades

82 THE DEEP
There is another world at the bottom of the oceans--and only five craft on earth can get down there. J.M. Ledgard investigates

88 ARE MEN BORING?
Quite a few women think so. Sabine Durrant talks to some of them, and to experts, about the dying art of male conversation. Marcus Berkmann gives a man's point of view, while Adrian Wooldridge rounds up some great bores of yesterday

96 PHOTO ESSAY | CAIRO'S BATH HOUSES
It's said that there used to be 365 of them. Now there are only a dozen, and the authorities seem to be intent on finishing them off. Pascal Meunier captures a disappearing world

108 NELSON MANDELA AT 90
He's officially retired, but he still gets a thousand requests for his time every month. Adam Roberts asks Mandela's wife and friends what his life is like now

114 90-SOMETHINGS
Mandela is not alone: more and more of us are living to 90. Maureen Cleave visits four people who are living a full life in their tenth decade: Leo Abse, Diana Athill, Betty Stevens and Brian Power

ARTS

122 DANCE | Julie Kavanagh attends the birth of Angel Corella's new ballet company

126 PAINTING | The Visual CV: Cy Twombly, scrutinised by Philip Hensher

128 BOOKS | How dumb is your bestseller list? Tom Shone tries to work it out

133 OPERA | On the bus with the Welsh National Opera's newest fans

126 MUSIC | The Playlist: the very best of Leonard Cohen

PLACES

136 FEATURE | Going off with a bang: Philip Watson on a Cretan wedding, guns and all

144 OUT THERE | How to rent a lighthouse

146 BEING THERE | The Economist's correspondent on living in Beijing

150 SEVEN WONDERS | Belinda Earl, boss of Jaeger, on the places she loves

152 SNAPSHOT | On the beach: Coney Island

154 THE MISSION | Will Smith runs away to join the circus

© 2008 The Economist Newspaper Limited. All rights reserved. Neither this publication nor any part of it may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of The Economist Newspaper Limited. Published by The Economist Newspaper Limited. 25 St James's Street, London, SW1A 1HG, telephone +44 (020 7830 7000. E-mail intelligentlife@economist.com; www.moreintelligentlife.com. ISSN 1743-7424. Where opinion is expressed it is that of the authors and does not necessarily coincide with the editorial views of the publisher or The Economist. All information in this magazine is verified to the best of the author’s and the publisher's ability. However, The Economist Newspaper Limited does not accept responsibility for any loss arising from reliance on it. Printed by St Ives PLC, Plymouth.

COVER PHOTOGRAPH STEVE DOUBLE