Sun, July 19
Make Up
Cosmoprof
Las Vegas
The 25,000 beauty professionals at this mega makeup meet will have to slap on a brave face. Though the cosmetics sector stayed pert in previous recessions -- lipstick sales rose 11% just after 9/11 -- this slump is having an ugly effect on the $45 billion industry. According to NPD Group, a market-research firm, makeup-sector sales slid 7% in the first three months of 2009; eye shadow sagged by 9% and lip liner drooped 15%. Plain Janes, your time has come. -- TB
Mon, July 27
Eat
Weight of the Nation
Washington, D.C.
Each year, the average American eats 16 pounds of fries, 23 pounds of pizza, and 26 pounds of candy. Let's just say the CDC may have bitten off more than it can chew with this inaugural conference dedicated to combating the obe-sity epidemic.-- DAVID LIDSKY
Tue, July 28
Read
How to Build Your Own Spaceship
By Piers Bizorny
When Piers Bizorny was 10, his father asked him to keep a scrapbook of space travel. Four decades later, the science writer, still hooked, created this DIY manual for rocket jockeys. Though the book's structure is a weak conceit, it does provide a framework for Bizorny's fascinating detours into spaceship mechanics and design -- including a frighteningly graphic pit stop to explain onboard lavatories. And his clear explanation and abundant enthusiasm make for an energetic jaunt along space travel's bumpy course from the realm of giant government agen-cies (NASA first sent man to the moon 40 years ago this month) to the cusp of a consumer market (funded by megamillionaires such as Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson). -- KR
Thu, July 30
Obsess
Twicon 2009
Dallas
Stephenie Meyer's vampire books have spawned Twilight, the $380 million-grossing movie; Twilight, the double-platinum soundtrack; and "TwiLighT," the caps-lock-challenged Facebook group. Now rabid fans ("twi-hards") can flock to the first-ever TwiCon, a four-day convention celebrating every aspect of the billion-dollar Twilight empire. "It's going to be amazing," gushes organizer Becka Grapsy, 19, a freshman at Penn State who cheerfully adds that planning the event has made Twilight "part of my day-to-day life." Yay. -- DM
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