Table of Contents

FEBRUARY 23, 2004 VOL. 163, NO. 8

10 QUESTIONS: Yep, Ellen DeGeneres is back 8

LETTERS 10 NOTEBOOK: Feisty Dems; busting crime; Martha's defense 13 MILESTONES: Gay and lesbian marriages; indicted trainer 16 IN THE ARENA: Joe Klein on how Bush's war rhetoric falls short 17

NATION

For Love or Money As John Kerry prepares to lead the battle for the White House, Democrats scramble to fill their empty war chest 18

BUSH'S DAYS IN UNIFORM: The White House has released records to prove Bush completed his National Guard duty. But mysteries remain 22

WORLD

LETTER FROM HAITI 27

Fields of Jihad Al-Qaeda operatives may be trying to turn Iraq into the crucible of a global holy war 28

BUSINESS

Laying a Mousetrap Can a cable guy from Philly snare Disney--and boot the chief Mouseketeer? 32

HEALTH

DR. FATKINS? In the battle of low fat vs. low carb, the late diet guru's health has become an issue 37

COVER

Taming the Flames Within Inflammation, which helps the body fight infection, could play a huge role in diseases from Alzheimer's to cancer 38

WHAT YOU CAN DO: Your mother was right--exercise more, eat better and floss... 46

SCIENCE

Cloning Stem Cells Aiming to fight disease, a Korean team achieves an embryonic milestone. The question is, What's next?... 48

ARTS

Romano Conquest He's big on the small screen, but will everybody love Ray at the movies? 52

FASHION: Marc Jacobs' grunge-meets-glamour aesthetic is the hottest look on the catwalk 58

BOOKS: A novel dares us to fall for a misanthrope; art-world tales are back, and the subtext is sex 61

YOUR TIME

TECHNOLOGY: Home digital-photo printers get better; techno toys for, uh, your kid... 65

HEALTH: Is Spot making you sick?; can you get too much sleep? 66

MONEY: How to avoid the alternative-minimum tax; flying in the cheap seats with Ted 68

PEOPLE: Mel moves from the Son to the father; Barbie dumps Ken; Ethan on Uma withdrawal 71

ESSAY: Charles Krauthammer on whether war heroes go on to become good Presidents 72

COVER: Photomontage. Photographs by Photodisc Collection--Getty Images