Links for 08-23-2010

• Five years after Katrina, New Orleans' charm calls again - CNN.com - One of the more positive articles I've seen. I lived in New Orleans for three years; it would be nice to have an excuse to visit.
• Critical Shopper - J.C. Penney - Playing to the Middle - NYTimes.com - More Cintra Wilson venom.
• The Downfall of American Apparel -- The Cut - Cintra Wilson has such a great writing style. "Dov Charney, the company's incorrigible scamp of a CEO and founder, had a designer's knack for catching the trend-wave du jour by recycling just the right historical wardrobe references — all the French-cut leotards, metallic headbands, stretch lace tank tops, and elastic belts that could turn a nice girl from Akron into a not-so-nice girl from Akron. The gay shopper, too, felt naughty in colored briefs and gym shorts"
• Fly Right Eat Well The Best Airport Dining Options - Business Travel - Portfolio.com - Interesting piece on what airports have learned about what people are looking for in restaurants, e.g. one exec says "People want better food, not fancier food, and we may have confused the two."
• Ann Coulter: The Gay Speech Flap - The Daily Beast - I knew Ann at Cornell. And, yes, some of the outrageiusness is a bit of an act.
• Faster Forward - No, Wired, the Web is not 'dead' - "The popularity of smartphone apps reflects some temporary competitive imbalances. Many Web sites have yet to see the kind of smartphone-aware redesign that makes the iPhone- and Android-compatible versions of the Facebook and Twitter sites such a pleasure to use."