Vol. 160 No. 16
NATION
Will the Republicans regain a majority in November? It may all depend on five critical races
WORLD
Let's Wait to Attack (Iraq / Viewpoints)
Grading The Other War (Afghanistan / ONE YEAR LATER)
Does our fighting in Afghanistan hold any lessons for a battle with Iraq? A report card on the Afghan war's uneven first year
No, Let's Not Waste Any Time (Iraq / Viewpoints)
SCIENCE
Meet 60 remarkable specimens and the eccentric British historian who is obsessed with them
Do Breast Self-Exams Work?
Young, Bi And Polar
Do We Dare Breed A Skeeter?
SOCIETY
Humble no more: the kitchen is a command center, the bathroom a spa. How homes are changing to fit our lives
STYLE & DESIGN
NOTEBOOK
Notebook
Do Good Spies Make Good Neighbors?
Jesus and the FDA
The Man on the Phone
Milestones
Gene Tampering
MARYLAND MANHUNT: WHAT THE BULLETS SAY
Numbers
Pirates, Beware: This CD Stays Put
Verbatim
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
What it feels like to ride along on a gut-wrenching new kind of practice flight
Lacking in Self-Esteem? Good for You!
Teachers used to laud self-worth. Turns out it can make you into a Bob Torricelli
BUSINESS
White-collar workers are being laid off at a record pace. So what do they do? Start new businesses, find lower-paying work--and take to the streets
EDUCATION
Conservatives want to get rid of remedial education. If so, only two-thirds of today's freshmen need apply
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
The mischievous memoirist delivers a powerful first novel about a road trip of global proportions
Evenings At The Improv (Television)
Don't get me rewrite! TV comedies are finding ways to get laughs without a script
Hip-Hop Grownup (Music)
After nearly two decades as a rapper, LL Cool J is maturing in a genre that usually devours its elders
And They All Hate Chevy (Books)
A history of Saturday Night Live offers a frank and fascinating look at life inside a comedy sweatshop
BANG BANG YOU'RE DEAD (Short Takes / TELEVISION)
Showtime, Oct. 13, 8:00 p.m. E.T.
BIRDS OF PREY (Short Takes / TELEVISION)
The WB, Wednesdays, 9p.m. E.T.
LITTLE HAM (Short Takes / THEATER)
AMERICAN IDOL GREATEST MOMENTS (Short Takes / MUSIC)
Various Artists
SIMPLY NATURAL (Short Takes / MUSIC)
Carla Cook
WHITE OLEANDER (Short Takes / MOVIES)
Directed by Peter Kosminsky
THE RULES OF ATTRACTION (Short Takes / MOVIES)
Directed by Roger Avary
YOUR TIME
Americans today pay more bills electronically than by mail. Here's how you can join the party
Invasion of the Robo-Editors (Personal Time / Your Technology)
Automated news services can gather headlines in a flash. Is there still room for the human touch? Is there still room for the human touch?
What's Branded on Your Beef? (Personal Time)
DEMYSTIFIER
MIX AND MESH (Personal Time)
WHAT'S UP WITH THAT?
Slower but Just as Painful (Personal Time)
WORK IT OUT
SPECIAL SECTION
More California insurers and employers are offering affordable, high-quality health care--in Mexico
Business, Heal Thyself (Time Bonus Section / Inside Business)
With health-care costs soaring, a TIME round table takes a look at the causes--and some possible cures
Game Face (Time Bonus Section / Inside Business)
At the Fun Expo, arcade oldies fight for attention in a video-game universe
Ready for Battle (Time Bonus Section / Inside Business)
The ex-soldiers who run AIT take Internet security seriously. Very seriously
By Chopper Only (Time Bonus Section / Inside Business)
The ultimate escape from work: heli-fishing in British Columbia
PEOPLE
People
Dave Grohl (Q&A)