Table of Contents

10 QUESTIONS: Kanye West, hip-hop's brightest star, on God, girls and school 8

LETTERS 14

NOTEBOOK

Behind Kerik's Fall Plus: Ukraine's toxic politics; Snow's survival; IBM fires the PC; the great whiskey gap 21

MILESTONES: Mia Hamm retires; Dick Clark recuperates 29

WORLD

The Army's Armor Gap How a lack of safe combat vehicles put U.S. troops at risk 30

THE Best Pictures OF THE Year

The most compelling images, from Baghdad's bloodshed to Saturn's brilliance 61

SIX WHO SAW: A tribute to great photographers we lost 116

NATION

The Gubernator Arnold still wins the popular vote, but can his one-man show raise California's fallen star? 34

TERMINATED: Why the feisty boss of the state's big pension fund lost his job 40

COVER STORY

Why We Sleep Is it for our bodies or our brains? The latest findings are full of eye-opening surprises 46

THE BUZZ ON CAFFEINE: We love our lattes and teas. Here's the good and bad news for us fiends 52

IN THE SLEEP LAB: Andrew Sullivan pillow fights apnea 55

THE WAKING LIFE: E-mail, laundry and homework all beckon, so who has time for sleep? 56

BUSINESS

Greenback Blues The tumbling buck is terrific for exports, but will it sink the U.S. economy? 42

THE NEW BREED

Power Pack Meet the 25 most influential people shaping business today 129

ARTS

Leonardo DiCaprio The star of The Aviator still wants your respect 148

THEATER: Solo performances are lighting up Broadway 155

TV: ABC's Extreme home hit makes fairy godmothers of us all 159

YOUR TIME

LIFESTYLE: Less filling, tastes great? New sweeteners for baking 161

HEALTH: Parents may be missing their kids' asthma alarms 162

TECHNOLOGY: Online matchmaking for college; cool ring-back tones 165

PEOPLE: Q&A with Sigourney Weaver; Olsen-twin troubles 167

ESSAY: James Poniewozik on our steroid-enhanced hypocrisy 168