nyt - arch

Before speaking at a news conference, President Barack Obama greets a group of people who said they would be affected financially if Congress failed e...

Rep. Michele Bachmann, a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, during a campaign stop at the Ivy Bake Shoppe & Cafe in Burlington, Iow...

Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) speaks at a news conference on Capitol Hill with fellow lawmakers about the payroll tax extension, in Washington, Dec. 2...

President Barack Obama approaches the podium for a news conference in the South Court Auditorium at the White House in Washington, Dec. 22, 2011. Obam...

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) speaks at a news conference in Washington, Dec. 22, 2011. House Republican leaders bowed to intense pressure from...

President Barack Obama speaks at a news conference in the South Court Auditorium at the White House in Washington, Dec. 22, 2011. Obama urged House Re...

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) speaks at a news conference in Washington, Dec. 22, 2011. House Republican leaders bowed to intense pressure from...

House Speaker John Boehner looks on during a news conference with House GOP leaders in Washington, Dec. 22, 2011. On Thursday, Senate Minority Leader...

A dog peeks out the window of Michele Bachmann's campaign bus during her visit to the National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa, Iowa., Dec. 22, 2011. Thu...

Rep. Michele Bachmann, a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, during a campaign stop at the Ivy Bake Shoppe & Cafe in Burlington, Iow...

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) at a news conference in Washington, Dec. 22, 2011. House Republican leaders bowed to intense pressure from members...

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, during a campaign stop at the National Motorcycle Museum in A...

**EMBARGO: No electronic distribution, Web posting or street sales before 12:01 a.m. ET Friday, Dec. 23, 2011. No exceptions for any reasons. EMBARGO...

A test chamber at EMT Labs, which measures electromagnetic interference from gadgets to ensure that they meet Federal Communications Commission standa...

Lynda Turley Garrett, president of Alpine Travel and an accredited space agent for Virgin Galactic, at her office in Saratoga, Calif., Dec. 22, 2011....

Students at a school named for a brother of Ashok Khade in in the Maharashtra state of India, on Oct. 14, 2011. Khade is part of a tiny but growing cl...

A woman and children in the Bayaa neighborhood of Baghdad, Dec. 21, 2011. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki of Iraq threatened Wednesday to abandon an A...

A child picks through garbage near a blast barrier in the Bayaa neighborhood of Baghdad, Dec. 21, 2011. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki of Iraq threat...

The campaign bus for Texas Gov. Rick Perry, a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, Dec. 21, 2011. Several ca...

The construction of a jetty for Das Offshore Engineering, owned by Ashok Khade, near Rohini on the Maharashtra coast in India, on Oct. 14, 2011. Khade...

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, with his wife, Ann, during a campaign stop at The Stage...

Matilda, the cat, at the Algonquin Hotel in New York, Dec. 15, 2011. An electric fence was installed at the hotel in late summer after someone called...

Matilda, the cat, at the Algonquin Hotel in New York, Dec. 15, 2011. An electric fence was installed at the hotel in late summer after someone called...

In a two-photo combination: House Republicans during a meeting on Capitol Hill, top, and House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) speaks to reporters,...

FILE -- Carine Roitfeld, the former editor of French Vogue, with Jefferson Hack of AnOther Magazine, at a dinner party hosted by AnOther and Krug Cham...

Workers outside the embassy for the Republic of Congo in Washington, Dec. 19, 2011. The embassy's planned move to the building raised the ire of resid...

House Republicans during a meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington, Dec. 21, 2011. A political stalemate continued Wednesday between House and Senate le...

Clinique skin supplies for men, in New York, Dec. 19, 2011. The bad economy is fueling demand for high-end products, as men realize that healthy-looki...

Thomas Sullivan, who uses some pricey skin-care products, in New York, Dec. 16, 2011. The bad economy is fueling demand for high-end products, as men...

Products used by Thomas Sullivan, who uses pricey skin-care products, in New York, Dec. 16, 2011. The bad economy is fueling demand for high-end produ...

Lendemain De Fete Morning After Rescue by Nickel in New York, Dec. 19, 2011. The bad economy is fueling demand for high-end products, as men realize t...

Susan Gagne waits for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, to arrive at American Legion Post...

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, talks with diners during a campaign stop at The Stage R...

Albert Foer, president of the American Antitrust Institute, at his home office in Washington, Dec. 20, 2011. Through the institute, Foer argues for mo...

Clothing at Ikram, which features high-end clothing by American, European and Japanese designers, in Chicago, Dec. 13, 2011. The store, owned by Ikram...

A woman passes outside Ikram, which features high-end clothing by American, European and Japanese designers, in Chicago, Dec. 13, 2011. The store, own...

Worshippers pray inside the Gurdwara Sri Guru Kalgidhar Sahib, a Sikh temple, in the town of Pessina Cremonese, Italy, Aug. 31, 2011. For the past 20...

Worshippers pray inside the Gurdwara Sri Guru Kalgidhar Sahib, a Sikh temple, in the town of Pessina Cremonese, Italy, Aug. 31, 2011. For the past 20...

Elaine Welin video chats with a daughter near Atlanta, left, and a granddaughter in Stevens Point, Wis., from her home in Fall Creek, Wis., Dec. 17, 2...

Rafael Rothman-Shore, 17 months old, right, and his sister, Ayelet, 3, of Cambridge, Mass., use Skype to video chat with their grandparents, who live...

Tamra Sandford video chats using FaceTime with her 11-month-old nephew, Maximino Stafford Johnson, of Houston, in New York, Dec. 17, 2011. There are t...

Rafael Rothman-Shore, 17 months old, left, and his sister, Ayelet, 3, of Cambridge, Mass., use Skype to video chat with their grandparents, who live 4...

The bedroom inside James Welsh's loft, with a bed designed by Ylab Arquitectos, and the reading light by Marset, next to the bathroom with opaque slid...

An armchair by Alvar Aalto decorates James Welsh's loft, including a skateboard resting on a shelf, in Bareclona, Spain. Welsh's home in the El Poblen...

The living room inside James Welsh's loft, featuring a refurbished couch, an oak coffee table, and leather lounge chairs, designed by Poul Kjaerhold a...

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, speaks at a town hall forum at Hypertherm, which manufa...

Omer Ahern, center, looks down a a dinner served by former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, and...

The dining room inside James Welsh's loft, with an oak dining table, called Bigfoot, by el15, decorated with candlesticks by Maria Lovisa Dahlberg, an...

The kitchen inside James Welsh's loft, featuring a built-in Siemens refrigerator and freezer under the white quartz countertops, and a Bosch oven, in...

The inside of James Welsh's loft, with floors that have a thin concrete coating tinted light gray, and a kitchen with large windows and a glass-panele...