Etc...

WE KNOW YOU'LL UNDERSTAND

The first anniversary of the terrorist attacks still is three months away, but already it has factored into the scheduling of some major annual events. Example: the introduction by fashion designers of their new spring collections. Traditionally, the show circuit opens in New York, then moves to London; Milan, Italy; and finally to Paris. This year's would have opened on – yup – Sept. 11th. But organizers got together and agreed to swap dates. So this year, London will go first and the Big Apple shows will follow a week later.

Juliana Khoo and Lester Kwok are dedicated scuba divers. They're also environmentalists and – more to the point – reformed shark-fin soup enthusiasts. So for them it was only natural that they'd combine their wedding in Singapore with a protest against overharvesting of Asia's shark population by commercial fishermen just to satisfy the growing demand for the delicacy. Their venue of choice: Underwater World, an aquarium, surrounded by – well – swimming sharks. No, they weren't disturbed, although it was difficult to exchange vows out loud. So they held up flashcards with "I do" printed on them.

Barbecue is one of the US's favorite summertime dishes, with every region proud of its specialties. Scouting out the nation's "best eats" in a series for Epicurious magazine, self-styled king and queen of road food Jane and Michael Stern chose the following as their top 10 spots to chow down on the finger-licking fare:

Clark's Outpost, Tioga, Texas
Corky's, Memphis, Tenn.
Dr. Hogly Wogly's Tyler Texas BBQ, Van Nuys, Calif.
Lem's, Chicago
McClard's, Hot Springs, Ark.
Moonlite Bar-B-Q Inn, Owensboro, Ky.
Skylight Inn, Ayden N.C.
Snead's, Belton, Mo.
Speed Queen, Milwaukee
Uncle Willie's, Waterbury, Conn.