Calendar

Illustrations by Istvan Banyai

September 1

Thick in the Middle Kingdom

With great prosperity comes fat children, as China is learning. Beginning with the new school term today, China’s education ministry requires a regimen of daily dancing. A 2005 survey found that the health of Chinese children had been declining for the previous two decades, and about 25 percent of boys in urban areas were overweight or obese. The program culminates in high school, when seniors learn to waltz.

September 7

Bats and Rats

Kirk “Murdoch” Radomski, a former New York Mets batboy alleged to have supplied steroids to Major League Baseball players, is sentenced for drug dealing and money laundering today. After his steroid ring was broken up in 2005, Radomski struck a deal and investigators learned his clients’ names (they haven’t been made public). He faces up to 25 years and $500,000 in fines. ...