Vol. 162 No. 8

COVER

Powerless (Cover Story / Blackout '03)

Lights Out (Cover Story / Blackout '03)
First the good news: the biggest blackout ever in North America brought out the best in millions of citizens. Now the bad: it exposed a woefully fragile electrical system. How did it happen? And how v

Trouble All Down The Line (Cover Story / Blackout '03)
In just a few minutes, a glitch in the Midwest rippled through about 100 electric plants, plunging millions into darkness

Getting By Without the Grid (Cover Story / Blackout '03)

An Invitation To Terrorists? (Cover Story / Blackout '03)

Be Prepared: 10 Handy Tips (Cover Story / Blackout '03)

NATION

Hasta La Vista, Arnold?
Cruz Bustamante may be the last, best hope for California's Democrats--and he's leading in one poll

Now He Must Prove He Has Ideas (Arnie's Army)

WORLD

How An Al-Qaeda Bigwig Got Nabbed
With the arrest of Asian terrorism chief Hambali, the U.S. closes in on bin Laden's inner circle

How Secure Are The Skies?
An FBI sting and a terror alert reignite debate over shoulder-launched missiles and the threat to air safety

SCIENCE

Skeeter Alert
As we head into prime time for West Nile, disease trackers are nervously watching the numbers grow

Coral Reefs Hang On--In Spite of It All

The Iceman: Murdered in the Alps

In Our Streams: Prozac and Pesticides

HEALTH & MEDICINE

Obesity Goes Global (Health)
Children around the world are eating more like Americans-- and getting dangerously fat as a result

NOTEBOOK

38 Years Ago In Time (Milestones)

Verbatim

A Deal but No Break

High On Gals In Good-Ole-Boy Country

Performance Of The Week

The Music Cops' Pick Of The Pops

Color-Blind California?

Numbers

Milestones (Milestones)

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

Do Parisians Perspire? (Letter From Paris)
Think blackouts are bad? Try buying a fan in France last week

Hey, Arnold! This Is Serious Stuff
A tip from Minnesota: action heroes can make terrible politicians

Who Killed Teach For America?

BUSINESS

Selling Teen Spirit
At clothing retailer Pacific Sunwear, the surf is up--and so are profits. Can it hold the hip-hop crowd?

Who Are These Guys?
Sensing a recovery, elite bond traders are roiling the markets--and borrowers are paying the price

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Singing A New Toon (Books)
Will the hot new film American Splendor persuade adults to look at comic books again? If it does, here are four that could hook them

Quimby The Mouse (Books)
By Chris Ware

Blankets (Books)
By Craig Thompson

Persepolis (Books)
By Marjane Satrapi

Nightmare Alley (Books)
Adapted by Spain Rodriguez

A Life More Ordinary (Books / And Now, The Movie)

Magical Modernist (Art)
An irresistible retrospective in San Francisco restores respect for Marc Chagall

Hip-Hop's Chic Geek (Music)
Whether Neptune, N.E.R.D. or solo star, Pharrell Williams brings sweetness to a genre that needs it

YOUR TIME

Rare Jordans (Lifestyle)
Old-school and limited-edition sneakers kick off a collecting craze

Better Than A Beach (Lifestyle)

Caviar Chic (Lifestyle)

Locked In...or Out? (Money)
Bouncing mortgage rates can cost you money, so pay attention when refinancing

Cashing In On The Dividend-Tax Cut (Money)

Retirement Is Not for Everyone (Money)

Growth Shots for Jr. (Health)
The FDA approves hormone therapy for short, healthy kids. But is it safe?

Hypertroubled (Health)

What's Gugul Good For? (Health)

Danger in the Passenger Seat (Health)

SPECIAL SECTION

Romanian String Section (Time Bonus Section September 2003 / Global Business)
One man's mission to bring affordable, high-quality violins to the world

World Briefing (Time Bonus Section September 2003 / Global Business)

Hey, Big Spenders (Time Bonus Section September 2003 / Global Business)
India's young are becoming world-class consumers, and multinationals are taking note

How to Be an Angel (Time Bonus Section September 2003 / Global Business)
With many stocks still pricey, investing in start-ups offers the most bang (and potential risk) for the buck

World Beaters (Time Bonus Section September 2003 / Global Business)
People to Watch in International Business

The Need for Speed (Time Bonus Section September 2003 / Global Business)
Our correspondent drops $650 for a chance to drive like a demon

PEOPLE

People

Q&A With Chris Rock

LETTERS

Read the story