May 2003

The bed-hopping novel that shocked America By Charles Taylor
The late Kathleen Winsor's 1944 bodice-ripper "Forever Amber," banned in Boston and denounced by Hollywood, is still audacious -- because it smiles at infidelity. (05/31/2003)

Matrimony, motherhood and wooden characters By Laurie Abraham
In her propagandistic novel "Amanda Bright@home," right-wing pundit Danielle Crittenden extols the virtues of early marriage, the free market and having a "mighty tree" as a husband. (05/31/2003)

Bush to Head Start backers: Shut up! By Michelle Goldberg
The administration warns the popular preschool program that protesting the White House's controversial policy changes may be illegal -- but program supporters strike back. (05/31/2003)

Former FCC chairman: Deregulation is a right-wing power grab By Eric Boehlert
Reed Hundt says Monday's historic vote was "the culmination of the attack by the right on the media." (05/31/2003)

Letters
Readers weigh in on Bush's huge tax handout, Arianna Huffington's challenge to wimpy Dems, and the truth about America's slave legacy. (06/01/2003)

Kilroy's still here By Sean Penn
Osama bin Laden's agenda is being furthered by our fear, as we hack away at the soul of our own civil liberties. (05/31/2003)

A suburban family in hell By Charles Taylor
In Andrew Jarecki's devastating documentary "Capturing the Friedmans," a Long Island family is torn to shreds by spectacular child-abuse charges. But who were the real criminals -- Arnold and Jesse Friedman or the cops, prosecutors and shrinks? (05/30/2003)

"Vampire Hunters" By Andrew O'Hehir
This Hong Kong action flick features pogo-dancing zombies, cheese-covered vampires, one beautiful woman and a stash of gold. It's a mess, but it's better than most of what Hollywood has to offer. (05/30/2003)

"The Italian Job" By Stephanie Zacharek
F. Gary Gray's wonderfully choreographed and entertaining remake of the beloved 1969 heist film stars Mark Wahlberg and Edward Norton, but it's a car that really shines. (05/30/2003)

The Fix
Streisand sues aerial paparazzi, Kevin Kline to play Cole Porter, and Bridget Jones is back and in trouble! (05/30/2003)

Bestsellers
Jacques Pepin's "My Life in the Kitchen" and more in this week's bestselling books courtesy of Powells.com. (05/30/2003)

The king's word By Jonathon Keats
In "God's Secretaries," author Adam Nicolson tells how James I manipulated 48 translators to create the supreme achievement in the English language: The Bible. (05/30/2003)

Lynda Barry
Solar System (05/30/2003)

Blood on the lawn By Lynn Harris
Even in regular croquet, your average opponent will whack your balls to kingdom freaking come. But if that's not aggro enough for you, dare to play ... extreme croquet! (05/30/2003)

Allies: Where are the WMDs?! By Jake Tapper
The Dems and the U.S. public may meekly accept the administration's ever-changing answers about Saddam's alleged weapons. But our foreign allies don't -- and the more the White House spins, the angrier they get. (05/30/2003)

Mike Tyson, still insane By King Kaufman
The former champ's latest comments about wanting to rape Desiree Washington prove only that he's still insane. Isn't it time we stopped listening to him? (05/30/2003)

A cuter, cuddlier Big Brother Cartoon by Mark Fiore
Total Information Awareness was scary -- but Terrorism Information Awareness is lovable and fun! (05/30/2003)

The world press on a democratic Iran Compiled by Laura McClure
Iranian students warn their clerics to wake up "or disappear, as other promised lands, thrones, kings, caliphs and emirs did." (05/30/2003)

Joe Conason's Journal
John Ashcroft takes Unocal's side in a battle with Burmese torture victims. (05/30/2003)

The twins thing By Shari Waxman
Coors beer ads have created a fantasy scenario with an incestuous twist that communicates brilliantly with the piglike male brain. (05/30/2003)

Worried for her By Cary Tennis
My girlfriend used to work as an escort, and I'm worried that she'll never get over her detached attitude toward sex and the abuse she suffered. (05/30/2003)

Letters
More bitter satire, please. Readers respond to Joyce McGreevy's "Even Worse Than Unemployment: The Job Interview." (05/30/2003)

Ask the pilot By Patrick Smith
We have a winner! The pilot reveals the answers to his reader quiz. Who knew Satchel Paige flew his own airplane? (05/30/2003)

Yes, Virginia, there is an insanity clause By Joyce McGreevy
How else can you explain Congress getting away with something as loopy as cutting child tax credits for poor families? (05/30/2003)

Letters
Readers respond to Kevin Canfield's essay about why Pete Yorn isn't the next Springsteen. (05/29/2003)

Pillaging the cartoon universe By Scott Thill
Fred Flintstone as a mob boss! Yogi's pal BooBoo as a terrorist! Jonny Quest as the subject of a gay child-custody battle! All these outrages and more can be found on Cartoon Network's hilarious, hallucinatory "Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law." (05/29/2003)

The Fix By Karen Croft
Bill Clinton loves the music, Brad Pitt's buns love the sun and Julia Roberts loves not being married. Plus: "Lord of the Rings" -- the musical? (05/29/2003)

Want ad By Stephanie Zacharek
Sure, there's lots of sex in Jane Juska's "A Round-Heeled Woman," but what's truly enchanting is the way this 70-year-old teacher writes about plain desire. (05/29/2003)

Tom the Dancing Bug By Ruben Bolling
The adventures of the passive aggressor, hero of the oppressed. (05/29/2003)

Sex and the senior citizen By Sheerly Avni
While bar-hopping, Jane Juska explains to Salon's increasingly envious reporter why she's getting so much action and why old people don't need soul mates. (05/29/2003)

What the Bush tax cut could have bought By Laura McClure and Mark Follman
That $330 billion could have covered every uninsured child in the country and paid for millions of teachers and child-care workers. Instead it's going to the richest Americans. (05/29/2003)

Keanu, meet Mr. Kissinger By Tina Brown
We crave gravitas in the gravity-defying "Matrix" heroes -- but not in our real leaders. (05/29/2003)

Joe Conason's Journal
Why did the Bush administration sell a war based on Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction? Says an insider: "Because it was the one reason everyone could agree on." (05/29/2003)

Three little words By Cary Tennis
I know guys aren't supposed to be the first one to say "I love you." Will I ruin a great thing if I tell her after only seven weeks? (05/29/2003)

Just say no to supersized media By Meredith Hobbs
In Atlanta, at the last "unsanctioned" FCC hearing organized by dissident commissioners, Big Media gets small support. (05/29/2003)

Burying the '50s By Laura Miller
Conservatives want America to return to the Doris Day era. But as the films "Far From Heaven" and "Down With Love" prove, those days are so gone, the only thing left to do is make costume dramas about them. (05/28/2003)

The Fix
Sean wants to play with Madonna, Lenny Bruce wants redemption from the grave and Tony B. beats George B. to Baghdad. Plus: Older men are marrying older women! (05/28/2003)

The K Chronicles By Keith Knight
The perfect antidote to violence in the movies. (05/28/2003)

Waiter, whose hand is that in my sashimi? By Amy Benfer
Dinner in the Dark, yet another Manhattan mating trend, brings together swinging couples, sexy singles and pitch-black dining, complete with waiters in night-vision goggles. (05/29/2003)

Homecoming from hell -- with handcuffs
It was 1979. I was a long-haired Robert Plant wannabe; she was a wrong-side-of-the-tracks brunette with hippie sensibilities. All I wanted to do was score. (05/28/2003)

Hockey: The new soccer By King Kaufman
OK, it hasn't gotten quite that dull, but maybe the sludgy Stanley Cup playoffs will goose the NHL to do something about all those goose eggs. (05/28/2003)

Letters
Readers respond to "Don't Ask -- He Won't Tell," by Jake Tapper, and "Vigilante Injustice," by Max Blumenthal. (05/28/2003)

The corrections, continued By Jake Tapper
Just a few more dateline problems, editing errors and minor examples of moral turpitude from the nation's newspaper of record. (05/28/2003)

Democrats: Profiles in spinelessness By Arianna Huffington
It's time for the Democrats to give up their play-it-safe politics and risk offending a radical minority. (05/28/2003)

Joe Conason's Journal
The fleecing of the U.N.'s "oil for food" program. Plus: More petty potshots at "The Clinton Wars." (05/28/2003)

I won't kiss and tell By Cary Tennis
My boyfriend says he has a right to know about my past love life, but I don't want to talk about it! (05/28/2003)

America rejoices as Bush's $217 tax cut produces mass wealth in Malaysia By Joyce McGreevy
Plus more great news from your favorite show, NTR -- "Now That's Republican!" (05/28/2003)

This year's model By Kevin Canfield
For all his excellent hair and alterna-hunk packaging, prospective rock god Pete Yorn is no Bruce in waiting. In fact, he's everything that's wrong with rock right now. (05/27/2003)

The Fix
Whitney Houston hangs with Ariel Sharon, Ben Affleck uses cosmetics, and J.Lo says P. Diddy had a cheatin' heart. Plus: Susan Sarandon says sperm is more valuable than an Oscar! (05/27/2003)

"Oryx and Crake" by Margaret Atwood By Laura Miller
In her latest foray into speculative fiction, the novelist turns the satire of decadent capitalism way up, and depicts an apocalypse brought on by genetic engineering and rampant corporate greed. (05/27/2003)

"Venetian Stories" by Jane Turner Rylands By Charles Taylor
In this collection of light, often interconnected stories, characters move in rarefied social circles where fate rewards the guilty and even tragedy has a silver lining. (05/27/2003)

"Best Friends" by Thomas Berger By Andrew O'Hehir
Broke, overweight Sam and rich, studly Roy have been pals for 20 years, even if they don't have much in common anymore. Then the wife gets involved. (05/27/2003)

"Getting Mother's Body" by Suzan-Lori Parks By Amy Reiter
When 16-year-old Billy Beede gets word that her mother's grave is about to be plowed over, she takes off to rescue the corpse -- and the jewels rumored to be buried with it. (05/27/2003)

What to read in May By Salon's critics
The latest from Margaret Atwood and Pulitzer-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks, a comic portrait of male narcissism and more in the month's best fiction. (05/27/2003)

Story Minute By Carol Lay
Prudence (05/27/2003)

My three dads By King Kaufman
Kevin Sweeney never really knew his father, who died young. In the memoir "Father Figures," he describes picking a trio of replacements to teach him how to be a man. (05/27/2003)

Same-sex in the city By Elana Berkowitz
At this wedding expo, the bride and the bride are beautiful, and so are the groom and the groom. (05/27/2003)

The never ending war over slavery By Louise Witt
A new exhibit at the Museum of the Confederacy tells of slaves who supported slavery. But if former Gov. Doug Wilder's dream comes true, the nation's first slavery museum will tell a different -- and harsher -- story. (05/27/2003)

Joe Conason's Journal
A prominent Democratic hawk eats crow. Plus: A National Review columnist apologizes, sort of. (05/27/2003)

Would Hegel have played "Pac-Man"? By Andrew Leonard
"Lucky Wander Boy," a novel about a video gamer's quest for meaning, gives humorous insights into minds shaped by the Mario Bros. (05/27/2003)

Remembrance of Froggers past By D. B. Weiss
In the "Catalogue of Obsolete Entertainments," a fictional author evaluates the games of his youth for their ultimate historical and philosophical significance. An excerpt from "Lucky Wander Boy." (05/27/2003)

This Modern World By Tom Tomorrow
The wacky world of image management. (05/26/2003)

Why America needs the world By Bill Clinton
From the U.N.-led battle against SARS to the French-German-U.S. military mission in Afghanistan, global realities cry out for cooperation. (05/24/2003)

Baghdad chronicles By Michelle Goldberg
In a city where porn, drunkenness and radical Islam are on the rise, savvy students who despise both Bush and Saddam are putting out Iraq's only independent newspaper. (05/24/2003)

Letters
Readers respond to Andrew Sullivan on President Bush's "looming package of manhood." (05/24/2003)

Catwoman reloaded By Charles Taylor
A new comic scrapbook shows why the feline in the shiny black bodysuit has the power to undo even the most rock-jawed superstuds. (05/24/2003)

"Bruce Almighty" By Andrew O'Hehir
The hugely talented Jim Carrey gets the power of God from Morgan Freeman. But unless you like boob jokes and Nancy Reagan lectures, this preachy comedy's a snooze. (05/23/2003)

"The In-Laws" By Charles Taylor
This sleek remake has Michael Douglas and Albert Brooks as a CIA agent and a podiatrist about to become relatives, but it lacks the zany zing of the original. (05/23/2003)

The Fix
Should Condi Rice double-date with Cameron Diaz? Should Annika play with the boys? Should Halle Berry be called sexiest -- again? Plus: Rod Stewart unties the knot (05/23/2003)

Warren G. Harding is my solace By Anne Lamott
Even the Teapot Dome bozo was popular when he died -- and other thoughts to console yourself during the Bush reign. (05/23/2003)

Cameltoe alert! By Sheerly Avni
A new hip-hop trio warns you to watch out for your frontal wedgie, but why not wear it with pride? (05/23/2003)

Last stop before the media monopoly By Eric Boehlert
FCC chairman Michael Powell is likely to get media ownership deregulated -- even though public comment is running 97 percent against it. (05/23/2003)

Don't ask -- he won't tell By Jake Tapper
GOP Senate hopeful Mark Foley announces he won't answer questions about his sexuality. Should voters care? (05/23/2003)

Will Bush take real risks for Mideast peace? By Mark Follman
Former U.S. ambassador and diplomat Martin Indyk hails the president's recent engagement, saying he's "becoming -- dare I say it -- like President Clinton." (05/23/2003)

Rummy's new postwar planner Cartoon by Mark Fiore
Batteries not included! (05/23/2003)

Letters
Readers respond to "Dixie Chicked in the Heartland." (05/23/2003)

Idiocy of the week By Andrew Sullivan
A gay liberal columnist ponders the president's ... uh, manhood. (05/23/2003)

The world press on the crisis of democracy Compiled by Laura McClure
Haaretz says freedom is imperiled in Israel, and Arundhati Roy writes it's under siege in the U.S. (05/23/2003)

Joe Conason's Journal
A conservative propagandist indulges his own disturbing, violent fantasy over at the National Review. (05/23/2003)

Havana honey, Part 4 By Alysia Vilar
I'm getting close to finding my father, but first I have to please my "boyfriend" who makes me wear his tightie-whities and act like a man while he wears my lingerie and acts like a woman. (05/23/2003)

Ask the pilot By Patrick Smith
The pilot begs: Don't let the dastardly French name the next-generation Boeing passenger jet! (05/23/2003)

Letters
Salon's readers are united: Noisy Harleys suck! Readers respond to Michelle Delio's "Loud Hogs for Easy Riders." (05/23/2003)

The Fix By Karen Croft
Neil Young says Bush plays with Tonka Toys, Val Kilmer says he wants to play a porn star, and Leo and Brad will always have Casablanca ... Plus: Guess what? Prince is into kinky sex talk! (05/22/2003)

Bestsellers
"Reefer Madness" and more in this week's bestselling books courtesy of Powells.com. (05/22/2003)

The hunger artist By Laura Miller
Caroline Knapp's final book is both the smartest anorexia memoir ever written and a fascinating journey along the tortuous pathways of female desire. (05/22/2003)

Tom the Dancing Bug By Ruben Bolling
"Consciousness Cut-ups," "Ephram the Very Randy Elephant" and more Super-Fun-Pak Comix! (05/22/2003)

Wasting disease By Caroline Knapp
I ate nothing but cottage cheese and rice cakes. I was a set of bones hunkered over a tiny saucer. What was I feeling? What was I trying, so desperately, not to feel? (05/22/2003)

Vigilante injustice By Max Blumenthal
Arizona militia members, a Colorado Republican and a national group with white supremacist ties have made a remote stretch of the Mexico border a flash point for anti-immigrant hostility. (05/22/2003)

Bush's EPA chief seeks greener pastures By Jake Tapper
Tired of losing battles with far-right adversaries, Christine Todd Whitman hands in her resignation. (05/22/2003)

Dixie Chicked in the heartland
New York Times reporter Chris Hedges warns the graduates of Rockford College that a warmongering America is "flirting with its own destruction" -- and gets booed off the stage. (05/22/2003)

Score-settling season By Tina Brown
It's a bad time for the New York Times, but good for anyone wanting an inside account of the toxic political atmosphere of fin de siecle Washington. (05/23/2003)

Joe Conason's Journal
What the poll numbers really say about our "hugely popular Republican commander in chief." (05/22/2003)

Havana honey, Part 3 By Alysia Vilar
My latest humiliation-for-money job is to deliver the Cuban Lolita -- fresh from her bikini wax -- to Richard as he gets off the plane from London. (05/22/2003)

The big blackout By Eric Boehlert
Surprise, surprise: The TV networks that will benefit from the new FCC rules on media ownership have been keeping their viewers in the dark about the changes. (05/22/2003)

A Python in the desert By Brian Libby
Monty Python co-founder Michael Palin on eating camel meat, being recognized by Inuit in the Bering Strait, and becoming a sex symbol at 60 in his new travel series, "Sahara." (05/21/2003)

A hole in our hearts By Stephanie Zacharek
The last-ever "Buffy" episode leaves Sunnydale destroyed, the Slayer alone but not alone and the surviving Scoobies headed who-knows-where on a school bus. (05/21/2003)

The Fix By Amy Reiter
Mass exodus at "The Practice," but Oprah stays put. Plus: New York Times fabulist Blair looks to cash in -- and laugh at his former bosses. (05/21/2003)

The unthinkable made real By Charles Taylor
Fox's tough and complicated "24" ends its terrifying season by reminding us that the political nightmares of the last few years -- the Clinton impeachment, Bush vs. Gore, 9/11 -- really happened. (05/21/2003)

The Matrix way of knowledge By Erik Davis
From the Gnostic gospels to the visions of Descartes to the shamanic quests of Eastern mystics, the Wachowski brothers' pop opus weaves a dense web of philosophical and metaphysical allusions. (05/21/2003)

The K Chronicles By Keith Knight
Why the president's approval rating is so high. (05/21/2003)

A mouthful of hair
She was blond, cute, smart and interested. So what went wrong? (05/21/2003)

"They are changing themselves like snakes!" By Michelle Goldberg
Plagued by street crime, power blackouts and punishing heat, Iraqis take to the streets to denounce the resilient elements of Saddam's ruling party. (05/21/2003)

A president worth fighting for By David Talbot
Sidney Blumenthal talks about his new tell-all Clinton memoir, the New York Times scandal bigger than Jayson Blair, why liberals shouldn't run from Fox News, and how Democrats can beat the Bushes. (05/22/2003)

"The White House Reloaded" By Arianna Huffington
Welcome to the White House Matrix, where tax cuts bring economic miracles and Baghdad is happy and peaceful. (05/21/2003)

Joe Conason's Journal
Michael Isikoff loses his cool, and pays backhanded tribute to Sid Blumenthal in his review of "The Clinton Wars." (05/21/2003)

Havana honey, Part 2 By Alysia Vilar
He loves Cuban communism, and every part of my body, which he surveys with his tape measure. But Terence will soon be back in Canada, after one final bout in his humid hotel room. (05/21/2003)

Can the Web beat Big Media? By Farhad Manjoo
FCC czar Michael Powell says new technologies will let diversity flourish even as giant corporations consolidate their control over TV and newspapers. Dream on. (05/21/2003)

The man behind the Slayer By Laura Miller
"Buffy" creator Joss Whedon talks about why Buffy and Angel couldn't be together, how Willow might have stayed straight, and the end of the series that redefined cult TV. (05/20/2003)

Bye-bye, Buffy! By Laura Miller
Let's salute "Buffy the Vampire Slayer's" greatest accomplishment: A girl who not only kicked ass, but rejected the lonely-guy way of being a superhero. (05/20/2003)

The Fix By Karen Croft
Bloomberg wants J.Lo, everyone wants Ricky Martin, and the director of "The Matrix" wants a dominatrix. Plus: Rolling Stone to be a dad again! (05/20/2003)

Letters
Readers respond to Richard Blow's essay about Stephen Glass, "Fool Me Once." (05/20/2003)

Story Minute By Carol Lay
Spa of Losers: Middle East -- who's next to be voted off the oasis? (05/20/2003)

Parents on the verge of a nervous breakdown By Katy Read
Three new books explain why you're always freaking out about your kids -- and tell you to ignore the experts. (05/20/2003)

The world press on the new wave of terrorism Compiled by Laura McClure and Mark Follman
Asia Times predicts that the next attack will be in Europe. Plus reports from Israel, Spain, Egypt, Mexico and the U.K. (05/20/2003)

Joe Conason's Journal
Why has the Bush administration done so little to secure Iraq's nuclear sites since the coalition's victory? (05/20/2003)

Havana honey By Alysia Vilar
Flying in from the U.S., I joined the female "jockeys" who sold themselves to tourists for rum and money. But I did it to find my father. Part 1 (05/20/2003)

Letters
Satire? Or the unvarnished truth? Readers respond to Joyce McGreevy's "Unemployment: Is It for You?" (05/20/2003)

Even worse than unemployment: The job interview By Joyce McGreevy
The process is an exercise in humiliation, and the prize for success is a nightmare -- employment by your torturers. (05/20/2003)

It's not a good thing By Heather Havrilesky
NBC's Martha Stewart biopic presents Cybill Shepherd as a near-demonic entity. But the show ignores the weirdly masculine qualities that make Martha so appealing to so many women. (05/19/2003)

The Fix By Karen Croft
Jessica Lange wows 'em at college, James Gandolfini sings with Kate Winslet, and Egypt looks for its own Pamela Anderson. Plus: Is Bill Gates cheap? (05/19/2003)

This Modern World By Tom Tomorrow
What is the Republican Matrix? (05/19/2003)

Lynda Barry
E!ntomology TV (05/19/2003)

The kitty police! The p.c. police! The first lady police!
Readers sound off on a week's worth of Life. (05/19/2003)

Sleeper cell -- or foolish pawns? By Jake Tapper
They trained with al-Qaida and met with Osama. All but one member of the so-called Lackawanna Six have pleaded guilty to lesser charges -- but insist they never meant anyone any harm. (05/19/2003)

Ari: Gone, but not forgotten By Jake Tapper
The Bush spokesman leaves. The cheers are not all for his benefit. (05/19/2003)

Joe Conason's Journal
How to understand the George W. Bush "cult of personality." Plus: Who will replace Ari? (Paging Chris Matthews!) (05/19/2003)

The Penis Papers, Part 5 By Terence Clarke
"Look at that thing!" laughed my black classmates. (05/19/2003)

Loud hogs for easy riders By Michelle Delio
Harley-Davidson's new motorcycles are built to meet noise and pollution standards. But bikers say they miss "the sound of rebellion." (05/19/2003)

Letters
Predictive Media's CEO and privacy activist Lauren Weinstein join the discussion of Farhad Manjoo's "Your TV Is Watching You." (05/19/2003)

Fool me once By Richard Blow
I was one of the magazine editors deceived by journalist Stephen Glass during his reign of error and lies. His fictionalized memoir, "The Fabulist," is supposed to be an apology. I don't buy it. (05/17/2003)

Wild in the streets of Baghdad By Michelle Goldberg
Belatedly, the Pentagon is cracking down on looting and violence in the Iraqi capital. But U.S. credibility is already deeply damaged. (05/17/2003)

A change of heart in the Saudi media By Mark Follman
The fall of Baghdad and the bombings in Riyadh have made the Arab News think seriously about the enemy within, says the paper's editor. (05/18/2003)

"L'Auberge Espagnole" By Charles Taylor
In this candy-sweetened French comedy, a gaggle of cute Euro-youth frolic in the Spanish sun. Think "Real World: Barcelona," minus all the angst and drama. (05/16/2003)

"Down With Love" By Stephanie Zacharek
This pitch-perfect imitation of a Rock Hudson-Doris Day nonsex comedy features Renee Zellweger, Ewan McGregor and a passel of visual delights. But why should we care? (05/16/2003)

"Everyone is flawed and there are no simple solutions" By Suzy Hansen
Icelandic filmmaker Baltasar Kormakur talks about "The Sea," his tempestuous and extraordinary drama of a fishing family's self-destruction. (05/16/2003)

The Fix By Karen Croft
Barbara lands Hillary, Bloomberg blows it -- twice -- and will Nicole and Penelope duke it out? Plus: How stupid does Joe Millionaire think women are? (05/16/2003)

T-Love: "Long Way Back" By Celeste Dawn Mitchell
Female rapper T-Love revisits hip-hop's golden era with playful, politically progressive lyrics over tight beats and jazzy riffs. (05/16/2003)

Bugged out By Scott Rosenberg
"The Bug" author Ellen Ullman talks about the Gothic terrors that lurk between the rational lines of computer code. (05/16/2003)

No "heroines," owls, birthdays or pumpkins -- they might offend somebody By Laura McClure
In her new bestseller "The Language Police," historian Diane Ravitch rips into the p.c. cops who are ruining America's textbooks in the name of "sensitivity." (05/17/2003)

Saving Pvt. Lynch: The made-for-TV movie By Barry Lando
It was a story that thrilled all America. Too bad it wasn't true. (05/17/2003)

The Bush has landed! Cartoon by Mark Fiore
He may have been MIA during his National Guard tour, but he sure looked good in that flight suit. (05/16/2003)

The world press on the Riyadh bombings Compiled by Laura McClure and Mark Follman
Saudi Arabia: "We have to face up to the fact that we have a terrorist problem here." Plus reports from Spain, Lebanon, Israel, the Philippines, Hong Kong and the U.K. (05/16/2003)

Joe Conason's Journal
An important -- and grim -- report on how the Iraq war has "increased al-Qaida's recruiting power." (05/16/2003)

The Penis Papers, Part 4 By Terence Clarke
With all these virile guys telling us about Viagra, you get to be proud of the fact you can't get it up! Ain't life grand? (05/16/2003)

Ask the pilot By Patrick Smith
What's the worst-named airline of all time: Russia's Kras Air or Taiwan's U-Land Airlines? Plus: The pilot tests his fans with his second reader quiz. (05/16/2003)

Warning. Warning. Warning. Fatal error. Stop. By Ellen Ullman
Ethan Levin wasn't worried. Programming mistakes were inevitable. He'd fix it, and move on. An excerpt from Ellen Ullman's new novel, "The Bug." (05/16/2003)

Letters
Readers respond to Bomani Jones' article about why blacks rarely survive on reality TV shows. (05/15/2003)

A future worth fighting for By Andrew O'Hehir
Yes, "The Matrix Reloaded" delivers phantasmagoric visuals. But it also introduces a new level of grown-up human passion into this saga of technology and salvation. (05/15/2003)

The Fix By Karen Croft
Geraldo gets Jewish, Heidi Fleiss gets a court order, and JFK's intern goes public. Plus: Jon Stewart loves faking it! (05/15/2003)

Sex, drugs and cheap vegetables By Gary Kamiya
In his new book, "Reefer Madness," Eric Schlosser rips into the American hypocrisy that drives pleasures of the flesh underground -- and turns a blind eye to exploited labor. (05/15/2003)

Tom the Dancing Bug By Ruben Bolling
News of the Times: Economy in recovery! (05/15/2003)

Bush's Mideast test By Aluf Benn
With his much vaunted peace plan dead in the water, will the president push Israeli leader Ariel Sharon to take baby steps on removing settlements when the two meet next week? (05/15/2003)

The forbidden truth about Jayson Blair By Eric Boehlert
It's the issue nobody at the New York Times wants to discuss: Were a reporter's flagrant abuses overlooked because he's black? (05/15/2003)

Painting the country red By Jake Tapper
How Republicans learned to stop worrying and love the deficit. (05/15/2003)

Democrats stage a Lone Star revolt By Andrew Nelson
As former Houston bug man Tom DeLay and the Texas Republicans use nasty tricks to consolidate their power, the Democrats are fighting fire with fire. (05/15/2003)

Paxil Americana By Tina Brown
New York is in a medicated state of mind. (05/15/2003)

Joe Conason's Journal
Tom DeLay's crooked Texas GOP drives the Democrats right off the map. (05/15/2003)

Letters
Readers respond to "The Forbidden Truth About Jayson Blair," by Eric Boehlert. (05/15/2003)

The Penis Papers, Part 3 By Terence Clarke
She loved my "little Timmy" -- but when I tried to end the affair with my biggest client, I got shafted. (05/15/2003)

Notes from the underground By Katharine Mieszkowski
How come porn is legal but dealing pot can get you a life sentence? Because the free market is a myth, says author Eric Schlosser. (05/15/2003)

Letters
Readers respond to Jaime J. Weinman's rant "Why Spike Ruined 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer.'" (05/14/2003)

Will "The West Wing" go south? By Heather Havrilesky
After this year's ratings slide and the departure of creator Aaron Sorkin, NBC's long-running White House drama is headed for major changes. That's not necessarily a bad thing. (05/14/2003)

White supremacy By Bomani Jones
Blacks have a better chance surviving a slasher movie than making it to the end of a reality TV show. (05/14/2003)

The Fix By Karen Croft
Is "The Matrix" unfair to albinos? Are you ready for the Eminem video game? Does Tommy Chong own a bong? Plus: Ewan McGregor leaves 'em confused. (05/14/2003)

Watchers: "To the Rooftops" By Rob Young
This Chicago art-punk quintet supplies a sophisticated blend of funk rhythms, synthesized strings and crunchy guitar slices. (05/14/2003)

Bestsellers
Billy Bean's "Going the Other Way," Eric Schlosser and more in this week's bestselling books courtesy of Powells.com. (05/14/2003)

The K Chronicles By Keith Knight
Life's little victories. (05/15/2003)

Short odds on eternal happiness By Lynn Harris
What are the chances of ever finding your soul mate? A new Web site will help you calculate them, but don't say we didn't warn you. (05/14/2003)

Teenage wasteland
We talked for a minimum of 10 hours a day, every day, for years. He was still a virgin when we finally met. (05/14/2003)

Who's afraid of Teresa Heinz? By Jennifer Foote Sweeney
The wife of presidential hopeful John Kerry is a rare political figure -- refreshingly honest and undeniably smart. So why are her own handlers hell-bent on shutting her up? (05/14/2003)

Benny Elon's long, strange trip By Claire Tristram
Israel's radical-right tourism minister, who wants Palestinians transferred to Jordan, came to Washington to huddle with his best American friends -- not Jews, but the Christian right. (05/14/2003)

Beaten and banished By Michelle Goldberg
After years of special treatment under Saddam, Palestinians in Iraq are getting a brutal postwar payback. (05/14/2003)

A nuclear road of no return By Robert Scheer
Following our lead, why shouldn't India and Pakistan develop battlefield nuclear weapons? Or Beijing for use against Taiwan? (05/14/2003)

The Good Ol' Girls Club By Arianna Huffington
Would corruption be less widespread if women ran corporate America? (05/14/2003)

Joe Conason's Journal
The New York Times picks a poison pen to write about the Democrats -- including a veiled attack on Sen. Kerry's outspoken wife. Is this the Gray Lady's idea of "fair and balanced"? (05/14/2003)

The Penis Papers, Part 2 By Terence Clarke
When he's at the wheel of his limousine, it's all about listening to his female passengers. But later, in bed with them, his phallus is the engine. (05/14/2003)

Rent-a-negro.com By Katharine Mieszkowski
Sick and tired of white people asking to touch her hair, damali ayo decided it was time to make the honkies pay. (05/14/2003)

This week on DVD
A "Trek" geek's dream box set, John Ford's WWII propaganda classics, John Hughes' '80s teen angst, "The Addams Family," "Terms of Endearment" and its less endearing sequel. (05/13/2003)

Why Spike ruined "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" By Jaime J. Weinman
Like Fonzie before him, this too-cool thug in a leather jacket has diverted a good show from its original mission: To celebrate the uncool outcasts of the world. (05/13/2003)

Where's the liberal Rush Limbaugh? By Samuel G. Freedman
Mike Malloy's left-wing rants have gotten him bounced from major radio markets. Could he draw an audience of millions if he got the chance? (05/13/2003)

"Bush-free Fridays"
Listen to an audio clip of radio talk-show host Mike Malloy. (05/13/2003)

The Fix By Karen Croft
Paul McCartney gets his diary back, Michael Moore gets the Mouse in trouble, and Katie Couric gets a body rub from Mike Meyers. Plus: Who fans go for broke! (05/13/2003)

"Leaving You: The Cultural Meaning of Suicide" by Lisa Lieberman By Laura Miller
A new book argues that suicide can be a rational response to an intolerable world -- and says that by medicalizing suicides, we rob them of their free will. (05/13/2003)

Story Minute By Carol Lay
Welcome to Survivor Middle East. I'm your host, Karl Rove. (05/13/2003)

Log in! Double-click! Get clean! By Stephanie Booth
The founders of the only online drug treatment program are betting that the anonymity of the Web will encourage addicts to get the help they need. But can talk therapy without personal interaction really do any good? (05/13/2003)

Deliverance or death By Michelle Goldberg
A group of Iranian Kurds, who endured more than 20 years in a squalid Iraq refugee camp, are now squatting in a no man's land on the Jordanian border -- and threatening mass suicide if they are not resettled. (05/13/2003)

The Penis Papers By Terence Clarke
Men talk intimately, humorously and with great honesty about their most private part. (05/13/2003)

Unemployment: Is it for you? By Joyce McGreevy
Future looks bright for those interested in a life of unemployment, experts say. (05/13/2003)

Letters
Bill Gates: Hero or villain? Readers respond to Andrew Leonard's "Earth to Bill Gates: Thank You." (05/13/2003)

The Fix By Karen Croft
Monica Lewinsky wants protection, Brad Pitt wants boxers, and Mariah Carey wants some privacy! Plus: Who says 82 is too old for a honeymoon? (05/12/2003)

Don't hate David Amsden because he's brilliant, celebrated and 23 By Elizabeth Spiers
Yes, the New York Times gushed over his hipster lifestyle. But the author of "Important Things That Don't Matter" is entering the literary fast lane with more than style going for him. (05/12/2003)

This Modern World By Tom Tomorrow
You can always count on the uncompromising liberal media! (05/12/2003)

I survived the terror of New York's kitty gatekeepers! By Larry Smith
All I wanted was to pick up a kitten at a shelter. Then a harsh light shone in my face and the trick questions about clumping litter began. (05/12/2003)

The racist skeletons in Charles Pickering's closet By Sean Wilentz
President Bush dumped Trent Lott because of his segregationist baggage. So why is he fighting relentlessly for a judge who has refused to come clean about his own bigoted past? (05/12/2003)

Joe Conason's Journal
The former top editor at the New York Times proves fact-impaired -- suggesting why his paper pursued presidential pseudo-scandals for so long. (05/12/2003)

The world press on postwar Iraq Compiled by Laura McClure
Saddam's last man in Tikrit talks to the German press about losing the war. Plus commentary from Japan, Canada, Egypt, Hong Kong and the U.K. (05/12/2003)

The heaviest burden is great potential By Cary Tennis
I have severe performance anxiety and fear of failure -- or is it fear of success? (05/12/2003)

A Matrix in every medium By Ivan Askwith
Anime, video games, movies: The synergistic storytelling frenzy of the Wachowski brothers is like nothing we've seen before. (05/12/2003)

Letters
The founder of Predictive Networks responds to Farhad Manjoo's "Your TV Is Watching You." (05/12/2003)

"Survivor": The wrath of Rob By Heather Havrilesky
In its sixth season, "Survivor" travels down the Amazon and finally finds a villain worthy to fill the shoes of flabby nudist tyrant Richard Hatch. (05/10/2003)

Parenting on a dare By Amy Benfer
I had a child at 16 because I wanted to prove the world wrong. I was going to raise an extraordinary daughter and still live my life the way I pleased. (05/10/2003)

"I love my son, and I hate him"
To breed or not to breed: A struggling mother and three other readers tell their stories. (05/10/2003)

Letters
Readers respond to "Mr. Virtue Craps Out," by Joan Walsh, and "The Clinton Wars," by Sidney Blumenthal. (05/10/2003)

"Daddy Day Care" By Stephanie Zacharek
Eddie Murphy and Steve Zahn confront a chaotic warren of anarchistic kiddies in this silly but exhilarating dads-at-home comedy. (05/09/2003)

"Washington Heights" By Stephanie Zacharek
Director Alfredo de Villa's story of struggling to get out of the neighborhood is one we've all heard before, but this first-time filmmaker has a sophisticated touch. (05/09/2003)

"Man on the Train" By Charles Taylor
In this elegant French mystery, two strangers -- the long, lean Jean Rochefort and Johnny Hallyday, the "French Elvis" -- change each other's lives. (05/09/2003)

"The Shape of Things" By Andrew O'Hehir
Neil LaBute's latest, about a wretched art student who makes over her boyfriend, could be the edgiest film of the year -- if the year were 1982. (05/09/2003)

"Only the Strong Survive" By Charles Taylor
From the director of Bob Dylan's "Dont Look Back" comes a tantalizing but profoundly disappointing tribute to Isaac Hayes, Sam & Dave, Wilson Pickett and the other legends of Memphis soul. (05/09/2003)

The Fix By Karen Croft
Mayor Bloomberg marries Babawawa, 90210 gang shares the love, and Gisele gets tanked on Leno. Plus: Demi Moore harasses the help! (05/09/2003)

Antipop Consortium vs. Matthew Shipp By Ehren Gresehover
Two outstanding releases in the avant-jazz Blue Series, plus the solo debut by APC rapper Beans, take hip-hop/jazz fusion to new places. (05/09/2003)

We all die alone By Laura Miller
News flash: Having children won't save you from a lonely old age. (05/09/2003)

Betrayed By Sidney Blumenthal
Christopher Hitchens called me "cousin" and proclaimed that "we love each other." Then he turned on me in a last-minute gambit to convict the president. Part 5 of "The Clinton Wars." (05/09/2003)

Mr. Virtue craps out By Joan Walsh
If William Bennett wants to gamble, fine. But he and his fellow clay-footed morality scolds should let the rest of us enjoy our harmless vices. (05/09/2003)

Sen. Santorum's department of sexual security Cartoon by Mark Fiore
Providing the latest in home surveillance! (05/09/2003)

The world press on the Mideast road map Compiled by Laura McClure and Mark Follman
Commentary from Israel, Saudi Arabia, Chile, Indonesia and Pakistan. (05/09/2003)

Joe Conason's Journal
One good reason why the Democrats should filibuster a current Bush judicial nominee. (05/09/2003)

The sound of one hand slapping By Betsy Andrews
A new book explores the history of masturbation -- and why the finest minds of the 18th century suddenly freaked out about it. (05/09/2003)

What's a boy to do? By Cary Tennis
My attempts at flirting with women tend to be received as friendliness. How can I convince them I mean business? (05/09/2003)

Ask the pilot By Patrick Smith
What in heaven's name was Japan Airlines thinking when it ditched the crane? The pilot offers some lessons in airliner art appreciation. (05/09/2003)

Earth to Bill Gates: Thank you By Andrew Leonard
Yes, Microsoft is a bullying monopoly. But the software king may go down in history as the single individual who did the most to help the world's neediest people. (05/09/2003)

Ensign Crusher vs. the video-game Borg By Bob Calhoun
Former "Star Trek" star Wil Wheaton was the main attraction on G4, the fast-rising video-game TV network. Until he quit, embroiling the network in a 21st century "Quiz Show" scandal. (05/08/2003)

The Fix By Karen Croft
Is George Clooney the ideal boyfriend? Is J.Lo stealing "Flashdance" moves? And why are "Matrix" fans so upset? Plus: A new use for bras! (05/08/2003)

The sins of the mother By Suzy Hansen
Lionel Shriver discusses her chilling new novel "We Need to Talk About Kevin," her fears about motherhood and how Columbine monsters are made. (05/08/2003)

Tom the Dancing Bug By Ruben Bolling
Coming soon to the silver screen: "The New Yorker's Businessman Behind a Desk Talking to His Secretary." (05/08/2003)

It's not in our nature to nurture By Cary Tennis
Most people have a powerful wish, a yearning, for children. My wife and I don't. (05/08/2003)

Salon readers explode
From "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" to "What a bunch of snobbish elitists!" -- here's what they have to say about our first two installments of "To Breed or Not to Breed." (05/08/2003)

God's whip hand By Sidney Blumenthal
Convinced he is the instrument of the deity, bug killer Tom DeLay uses money and threats of political extermination to flay House Republicans into voting for impeachment. Part 4 of "The Clinton Wars." (05/08/2003)

How the GOP struck gold with its permanent "war on terrorism" By Eric Boehlert
Demos are hoping that a collapsing economy will doom Bush like it did his father. But his dad didn't have Osama bin Laden in his corner -- or Karl Rove. (05/08/2003)

The diva from West Drayton By Tina Brown
My mother cultivated glamour, spoke unmentionable truths, and was my closest friend. I don't need Mother's Day ads to make me miss her. (05/08/2003)

Joe Conason's Journal
The confederate flag gets officially downsized -- and the GOP disappoints those crucial Dixiecrat rubes. (05/08/2003)

I have a dude dilemma By Cary Tennis
I'm torn between men who are either smart and arrogant or simple and nice. (05/08/2003)

Letters
Id Software is NOT the Dokken of computer gaming! Readers respond to Wagner James Au's "Masters of 'Doom.'" (05/08/2003)

Your TV is watching you By Farhad Manjoo
Advertisers want to use new technology to monitor your every click -- and prevent you from tuning out their ads. And don't even think of trying to escape. (05/08/2003)

"Someone should just obliterate my country" By Suzy Hansen
The director of "Afghan Stories" talks about life in the final days of Taliban rule. (05/07/2003)

The Fix By Karen Croft
Eddie and Christy are the cutest, Bobby De Niro is the hairiest, and David and Victoria Beckham are the horniest. Plus: A romantic comedy about SARS? (05/07/2003)

Califone: "Quicksand/ Cradlesnakes" By Thomas Bartlett
Early American folk and blues merge intriguingly with off-kilter electronic sounds. (05/07/2003)

Letters
Bush courageous? Sure -- like a sociopath. Readers fire back at Alan Wolfe's essay "Judging Bush." (05/07/2003)

Bestsellers
"Life of Pi," "The Da Vinci Code" and more in this week's bestselling books, courtesy of Powells.com. (05/07/2003)

The K Chronicles By Keith Knight
What your phone company doesn't want you to know! (05/07/2003)

Mama don't preach By Amy Reiter
I love my new baby, but don't worry -- I'm not going to tell you to have one. The breeding debate continues. (05/07/2003)

Staying pure
She was beautiful, sexy and intelligent. Perfect, really, except for that whole cult thing. (05/08/2003)

The Gore-ing of John Kerry By Ben Fritz
They've already made fact-free charges that he's a "phony" with deep "identity" problems. Will a toxic press corps eager for a takedown poison the senator's presidential chances the way it did Al Gore's? (05/07/2003)

Roasted in their own bonfires By Sidney Blumenthal
After the pornographic Starr Report, the sexual hypocrisy of the GOP witch hunters comes back to haunt them, as Salon exposes Henry Hyde. Part 3 of "The Clinton Wars." (05/07/2003)

An avant-garde phoenix rises out of Baghdad's ashes By Phillip Robertson
In a ruined theater, in front of a weeping audience, a group of dissident artists stages the capital's first uncensored play in decades. (05/07/2003)

Letters
Readers respond to "The Clinton Wars," by Sidney Blumenthal, and "Democrats Square Off," by Jake Tapper. (05/07/2003)

The prisoners' truth By Robert Scheer
If Washington is to prove its war motives, there must be more transparency in the interrogation of captured Iraqis. (05/07/2003)

Joe Conason's Journal
The White House budget director claims he's leaving his post to run for governor of Indiana. But what about his role in "Indiana's Enron"? (05/07/2003)

The 77-percent solution By Arianna Huffington
While Karl Rove crows over Bush's postwar approval rating, the latest numbers are lower than you'd think. (05/07/2003)

My cup runneth over By Cary Tennis
My enormous breasts cause problems in my relationships with men. (05/07/2003)

The free-software tango By Matt Dorn
In Argentina, a miserable economy is encouraging computer users to look for low-cost, nonproprietary solutions. Bill Gates is paying attention. (05/07/2003)

Letters
Readers respond to "Why Doesn't America Love Robbie Williams?" (05/06/2003)

Thou shalt worship "American Idol" By Heather Havrilesky
How did a competition between amateur pop vocalists -- presided over by a bitchy Brit -- become an addictive delight and ratings juggernaut? (05/06/2003)

This week on DVD
A '70s ghetto-style classic, Spielberg and Leonardo's semi-satisfying romp, and seemingly every James Stewart and Maureen O'Hara western that you've forgotten about but was actually pretty good. (05/06/2003)

The Fix By Karen Croft
Elizabeth Hurley goes for Mile High Club membership, Gwyneth goes down for a nap, and the Buttafuocos call it quits. Plus: DJ Jazzy Dubya? (05/06/2003)

Story Minute By Carol Lay
Be the first to see the 2004 Reelection Fashion Preview! (05/06/2003)

To breed or not to breed By Michelle Goldberg
Studies show that couples who choose not to have children are happier than those who do. So quit leaning on me to spawn. (05/06/2003)

Unjust executions By Dave Lindorff
Sentencing errors send inmates who deserve life to their death, even after the mistakes are discovered and ruled unconstitutional. (05/06/2003)

Ken Starr's media minions By Sidney Blumenthal
In Part 2 of "The Clinton Wars," the prim independent counsel grows obsessed with the president's sex life and cultivates an "army of spies" within the press (05/06/2003)

The world press on postwar Iraq Compiled by Laura McClure and Mark Follman
In Iran, poor villagers say they hope the U.S. will liberate them next. Plus reports from Nigeria, Pakistan, Chile, the Philippines, Egypt, Russia and more. (05/06/2003)

Joe Conason's Journal
Did Bush know that intelligence "evidence" against Iraq was cooked? (05/06/2003)

Letters to a young heterosexual By Andrew Sullivan
Deconstructing a prominent conservative's thoughts on understanding the poor, wayward homosexual. (05/06/2003)

Will we ever be geniuses together? By Cary Tennis
I'm so clever, he's such a genius, we're so very special together. But will we ever do it? (05/06/2003)

"Matrix" nostalgia By Jennifer Buckendorff
Four years ago, geeks embraced the SF thriller because it promised them that reality could be hacked. Then came the tech-economy crash. (05/06/2003)

Eve of deconstruction By Roberta Cruger
At Seattle's Pop Conference, 500 academics and journalists swap theories on Springsteen's ass, racism in indie rock and Blue Oyster Cult's use of the cowbell as a "party signifier." (05/05/2003)

Letters
Readers respond to Charles Taylor's essay on the Dixie Chicks' interview with Diane Sawyer. (05/05/2003)

Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf? The ayatollahs are By Michelle Goldberg
Two dazzling new books take the reader into the hidden spaces of freedom carved out by courageous Iranian women. (05/05/2003)

This Modern World By Tom Tomorrow
The Liberation of Iraq, featuring your hosts, Biff and Betty. (05/05/2003)

Geezers know best By Sheerly Avni
The members of the Elder Wisdom Circle have 4,000 years of collective experience at their disposal, and they're sharing the wealth. Dear Abby, step aside. (05/05/2003)

The Clinton wars By Sidney Blumenthal
He began his second term with talk of national healing. But Chief Justice Rehnquist knew what the president could expect: "Good luck. You'll need it." Part 1 of an explosive new White House memoir. (05/05/2003)

Joe Conason's Journal
Bill Bennett's wife says he'll never go to Las Vegas again. Can she make the hypocrite stop preaching about morality, too? (05/05/2003)

Help! My house is filled with light bulbs and cereal By Cary Tennis
My husband and I are drowning in clutter and debt, and I am at the end of my rope. (05/05/2003)

Masters of "Doom" By Wagner James Au
David Kushner's new book about id Software calls the company the "Nirvana" of computer gaming. But did John Romero and John Carmack revolutionize the genre, or ruin it? (05/05/2003)

Letters
Genetic engineering is the best thing since sliced bread! Readers respond to Katharine Mieszkowski's "Faster! Stronger! Less Human!" (05/05/2003)

Democrats square off By Jake Tapper
And it's Joe Lieberman who stands out in a crowded field without, yet, a breakaway star. (05/04/2003)

"Owning Mahowny" By Stephanie Zacharek
This tense, well-crafted film tells the true story of a Toronto banker -- played by the wonderful Philip Seymour Hoffman -- who embezzles $10 million to support his gambling habit. (05/02/2003)

"House of Fools" By Andrew O'Hehir
Andrei Konchalovsky's first masterpiece in 20 years is a wrenching melodrama set amid the Chechen civil war. And Bryan Adams is in it. Really. (05/02/2003)

"The Dancer Upstairs" By Andrew O'Hehir
John Malkovich's gripping directorial debut -- part tragic romance, part South American political thriller -- proves that he's as graceful behind the camera as he is on-screen. (05/02/2003)

"X2" By Stephanie Zacharek
This snazzy sequel to Bryan Singer's comic-book smash "X-Men" is sleek and sexy, filled with delicious characters and effects. Just don't compare it to the original. (05/02/2003)

Judging Bush By Alan Wolfe
The president's determination in the face of opposition proves his courage. But our greatest leaders also had wisdom. (05/02/2003)

Fighting Bush's U.N. health cuts -- a dollar bill at a time By Michelle Goldberg
When right-wing zealots got $34 million cut from global family-planning funds, two women vowed to raise money from their friends to replace it. A million dollars later, they're just getting started. (05/02/2003)

Who will save America? Cartoon by Mark Fiore
Never fear, Tax Cut Man is here! (05/02/2003)

Joe Conason's Journal
Bush's "Top Gun" get-up wasn't just tacky, it was a reminder of one of the most stunning lies ever committed to print by a presidential candidate. (05/02/2003)

The birds and the bees for post-Puritans By Amy Benfer
A sensible, open-minded book for parents who want their kids to have a healthy attitude toward sex -- but not have any. (05/02/2003)

He always comes to my house, I never go to his By Cary Tennis
The woman who doesn't know where her boyfriend lives tells why. (05/02/2003)

Ask the pilot By Patrick Smith
Stripping down in the cockpit. Plus, lessons on how to stall out at the speed of sound. (05/02/2003)

Letters
ITunes: A step in the right direction, but not enough to make me give up my Kazaa. Readers respond to Farhad Manjoo's "I Have Seen the Future of Music and Its Name Is iTunes." (05/02/2003)

The bad, bad boss By Heather Havrilesky
Anyone with more than three years' office experience, a crappy attitude and little to no attention to detail will savor the delicious torture of "The Office," BBC America's comedy import. (05/01/2003)

The Fix By Karen Croft
George Clooney does D.C., "Full Monty" star does Hitler, and Dubya interrupts "Will & Grace." Plus: Is Harrison Ford a good lover? (05/01/2003)

Yo La Tengo: "Summer Sun" By Rob Young
For their latest album the New Jersey indie rockers cut the distortion in favor of a smooth and relaxed jazzy sound. (05/01/2003)

Tom the Dancing Bug By Ruben Bolling
How anti-sodomy laws saved America! (05/01/2003)

K-Y Jelly, we hardly knew ye By Lynn Harris
The venerable lubricant with the kinky associations is getting a brand makeover. But will it be able to maintain market penetration? (05/01/2003)

A poet returns to hell By Phillip Robertson
Hamid al Mokhtar wrote novels and poems. For this, he was imprisoned and tortured for eight years at the vast Abu Ghraib prison complex in Baghdad. Today, he goes back to the scene of his nightmares. (05/01/2003)

Dead man walking home By Dave Lindorff
A state court has overturned the conviction of Joseph Amrine, who spent 18 years on death row even though witnesses against him recanted their testimony. (05/01/2003)

Santorum's one-week scandal By Jake Tapper
The White House masters the art of saying little, and a would-be scandal about a senator's anti-gay remarks seems to fade away. (05/01/2003)

Uxorious, prayerful and addicted to early nights By Tina Brown
Washington under Bush is so boring and devoid of star power, Bo Derek passes as glitzy. Plus: Why did I kick off my new TV show with the two smartest people I know? (05/01/2003)

Joe Conason's Journal
The White House continues to suppress the Sept. 11 investigation. Plus: Conservatives welcome Al Sharpton's presidential bid. (05/01/2003)

The world press on the war Compiled by Laura McClure
A Saudi Arabian newspaper defends the Dixie Chicks. (05/01/2003)

Blaming the victim By Lee Feinstein
Newt Gingrich came back from the political grave to say the State Department is broken. He should know. He helped break it. (05/01/2003)

Self-torture By Cary Tennis
I'm worried about losing my boyfriend to a woman who is as great as I am, but losing weight faster! (05/01/2003)

Risk mismanagement By Andrew Leonard
Complex financial instruments have made Wall Street incomprehensible to the average consumer -- and allowed "experts" to make fortunes. Two new books remind us that swindlers may have always been with us, but that today they are running the show. (05/01/2003)