Vol. 159 No. 22

NATION

Al-Qaeda Now (Cover: Nation / The Threat)
Is it behind the newest attacks worldwide? How the damaged network may be plotting the next big one

Tracking The Terror At Home... (Cover: Nation / The Threat)
...And The Upsurge Abroad ATTACKS, MOVEMENTS and ARRESTS of suspected al-Qaeda operatives

How The FBI Blew The Case (Cover: Nation / The Whistle-Blower)
The inside story of the FBI whistle-blower who accuses her bosses of ignoring warnings of 9/11. A reading of her entire memo suggests a bracing blueprint for change

Decoding The Chatter (Cover: Nation / The Alerts)
A look at the evolution of a terrorist-attack warning: one part truth, one part rumor and one part fear

WORLD

Makeover For A Warlord
A much feared Afghan strongman is trying to repackage himself as a servant of the people

Afghanistan's Turf Wars
Karzai nominally rules the nation, but the warlords truly call the shots

HEALTH & MEDICINE

Lean and Hungrier (Health)
Is a recently discovered hormone the reason why folks who lose weight can't keep it off?

NOTEBOOK

The Price of Friendship

Verbatim

A Family Problem for Skakel

Summer Vacations in a Post-Sept. 11 World

Milestones (Milestones)

Did Busts Boom?

Chandra Is Dead. The Mystery Lives

Eulogy (Milestones)

Iran's Nuke Plant

Joe On The Front Lines

Why No One Escaped from the Kursk

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

River Of Death (Time In Depth)
The Green River Killer may be the worst serial murderer in U.S. history. It's one cop's mission to stop him

I, Too, Remember John
The inside story of how our lives intertwined. Or maybe it was a coincidence

BUSINESS

Can a Church Go Broke?
Probably not. But the cascade of sexual-abuse lawsuits is moving Catholic officials to devise innovative ways to shield their vast assets

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

The Three Faces Of Eminem (The Arts / Music)
On his new album, the real Eminem finally stands up and makes a case for his artistry

Finding God in a Pickle (The Arts / Show Business)
Good gourd! Vegetables retelling Bible stories are such a hit with kids, they're going to the big screen

Beach-Blanket Verite (The Arts / Television)
"Reality mini-series" The Hamptons follows the rich and not-so-rich around New York's Riviera

Here Come The Fancy Pants (The Arts / Fashion)
How the jeans genies turned basic blues into the most fashionable threads of all

Elegant Nightmares (The Arts / Movies)
In Insomnia, whiz-kid director Christopher Nolan wants to give you the creeps

Welcome to Sunny Vietnam (The Arts / Books)
A reporter's fond but undeluded look at America's onetime enemy and now very eager friend

Sex, Not Sexy (The Arts / Books)
A French memoir arouses more debate than lust

YOUR TIME

Managing Your College Loans (Personal Time / Your Money)
You can consolidate them at favorable rates this year if you follow a few simple rules

The Goddess of Clean (Personal Time / Your Technology)
With her daily e-mails, the FlyLady offers devotees inner peace through a clutter-free home

(Personal Time / Your Health)
PMDD is like PMS in overdrive, but it responds to treatment with some familiar drugs

Your Health (Personal Time / Your Health)

Your Technology (Personal Time / Your Technology)

SPECIAL SECTION

The Cool Ones (Time Bonus Section / Tech Time)
It's a terrible time to be a cell-phone service provider, but a great time to be shopping for a new one. The fierce competition means better prices, improved coverage and enhanced features. In the fol

The Smart Ones (Time Bonus Section / Tech Time)
The new generation of "smart phones" can do nearly everything a computer can--from editing spreadsheets to surfing the Web--and still fit into your pocket

Which Plan is Best for You? (Time Bonus Section / Tech Time)
The price wars are on, and no matter which service provider you have, it's a good time to check out your options. Your choice of plan should depend on what kind of cell-phone user you are.

Set Up A Wireless Home Network (Time Bonus Section / Tech Time)
Don't be intimidated; it's not as hard as it seems

A Digital Camera (Time Bonus Section / Tech Time)
A quick-and-easy guide to the world of megapixels

PEOPLE

People

TO OUR READERS

Reporters' Notebook (Reporters' Notebook)

LETTERS