Vol. 162 No. 23

COVER

Why So Many Of Us Are Getting Diabetes (Cover Story / Health)
Never have doctors known so much about how to prevent or control this disease, yet the epidemic keeps on raging. How you can protect yourself

A Star's Smart Cookbook (Cover Story / Health)

A Body Making War on Itself (Cover Story / Health)

What You Can Do (Cover Story / Health)
Left untreated, Type 2 diabetes can damage the heart, kidneys and eyes. You can minimize your risk by taking a few simple steps to keep your blood sugar within bounds:

The Body's Sugar Factory (Cover Story / Health)
The body regulates the amount of glucose in the blood like a finely tuned machine. Here's how the process works--and what can go wrong

NATION

Can We Afford All This?
The $400 billion MEDICARE benefit is the latest in a string of pricey outlays--and Congress's spending spree is not over. Does it matter, and does anybody care?

Six Questions About The New Medicare Bill

Inside "The Wire"
Security breaches. Suicidal detainees. A legal challenge heading to the Supreme Court. Welcome to Guantanamo

On the Base: Fear of Spying
ENEMIES WITHIN?

WORLD

Losing Hearts And Minds
Unmoved by Bush's visit, Iraqis blame the U.S. for civilian deaths, missing detainees and razed homes

The Politics Of War
Whisked in secret to Iraq, Bush serves holiday dinner to the troops--boosting G.I. morale and showing he can still pull off a killer photo-op

NOTEBOOK

Al-Qaeda's Tracks?

Verbatim

The Greening Of San Francisco

Reforming Medicare, The Gingrich Way

Cuddle Up With These

Influenza Fears: An Early Warning From Colorado

Numbers

Milestones (Milestones)

24 Years Ago In TIME (Milestones)

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

Table of Contents (Table Of Contents)

Why Bush Stays Away
During wartime, a President cannot take on the role of Mourner in Chief

BUSINESS

Will Wal-Mart Steal Christmas?
As the retail king slashes prices on toys, its rivals are dreaming up new ways to compete

American Girl: Rise Of A Toy Classic (Dolls)

Dashing Diversification (Time Bonus Section January 2004: Inside Business / Entrepreneurs)
Roc-A-Fella's Damon Dash conquered rap. Now, without partner Jay-Z, he wants to prove he's no one-note CEO

Say Hello to the Next Phone War (Time Bonus Section January 2004: Inside Business / Technology)
Voice-over-IP, a technology that lets phones act like PCs and vice versa, is about to take off

The Kazaa Boys Are at It Again (Time Bonus Section January 2004: Inside Business / Technology)

Knitpicking the Chinese (Time Bonus Section January 2004: Inside Business)
U.S. efforts to bash Beijing reveal a remarkable ignorance about economics

ESPN's Hot Play Caller (Time Bonus Section January 2004: Inside Business / Television)
Mark Shapiro has a new a.m. show on his plate and the NFL on his back

Realty Rumble (Time Bonus Section January 2004: Inside Business / Investing)
Web brokers say the real estate industry is trying to lock them out, but customers keep knocking

Inside Table of Contents (Time Bonus Section January 2004: Inside Business / Inside Table of Contents)

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Jack of Hearts (Movies)
IN HIS NEW FILM, THE KING OF CADS FALLS FOR AN OLDISH WOMAN. IT'S A FANTASY

Love Among the Ruins (Movies / Cinema Sex)

Found in Translation (Movies)
Tom Cruise leaves the American frontier for the exquisite ways of old Japan in The Last Samurai

Heaven on Earth (Television)
In the dazzling HBO mini-series Angels in America, the politics and crises of the '80s feel close to home

A Divine Entry Into Paradise (Television)

The Princess of Queens (Music)
Alicia Keys' first CD sent her into the stratosphere. But for her second, she refuses to put on any airs

Cruel Yule (Movies)
St. Nick is nefarious in a very unjolly Bad Santa

YOUR TIME

Teen Travels (Money)

The Real Fund Rip-Off (Money)
Mutual-fund scandals grab headlines, but the bigger bite is heavy-duty fees

Striking Back At Credit Thieves (Money)

Tomorrow's Kitchen (Tech)
One family test-drives a cutting-edge room full of really smart appliances

(Tech)

How Dell's Answer To The iPod Stacks Up (Tech)

Practice, Practice (Health)
Experienced surgeons do a better job. Check on yours before your operation

Smoking Hits Women Harder (Health)

A Big Boost For The Littlest Babies (Health)

An Almond Surprise (Health)

SPECIAL SECTION

It Flies! (History)
100 years ago this month, the Wright brothers got the aerial age off the ground. Here's how:

PEOPLE

Dave's Pet Project (First Look)

Glen's Bender

How She Caught the Eye of Tiger

Q&A With Omar Sharif

10 Questions For Jimmy Carter (Interview)

LETTERS

Read the story