Vol. 151 No. 24
NATION
A "New South" town is haunted by "Deep South" ghosts-- and a fresh, ugly murder
Crank
The drug once called speed has come roaring back as a powdery plague on America's heartland. Here, a close look at one place in the grip of...
Incite to Abort
Is that the effect of the "family cap" on welfare?
Starr's Fellow Traveler
Where Clinton basher Larry Klayman goes, the independent counsel sometimes follows
Victory for Vouchers
A court's ruling that they can be used for religious schools is a major move toward free choice
WORLD
Eloquent and impassioned, Hafsat Abiola works for her father's freedom and her country's future
Eye To The Future
President Lee Teng-hui
Will We Have To Go To War For Taiwan?
When push comes to shove, the U.S. will have to decide whether Taiwan's status quo has a future
SCIENCE
Vast forest fires have scarred the globe, but the worst may be yet to come
SPORT
America's soccer team looks like a poster for diversity and happens to be quite good to boot
NOTEBOOK
Topic A (The Scoop)
Book Says Paula's Time Line Was Way Off
Oink If You Love Pork
The Best Things in Life Aren't Free
Milestones (Milestones)
Jordan (The Scoop)
Hussein Signals "No Vacancy" to Hamas
State Department (The Scoop)
Mexico's Angry, and Albright's Out of the Loop
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
An amateur comic goes for the big time and (just barely) lives to tell about it
Monica Who?
Confused about what to talk about at a dinner party? Here are a few tips
BUSINESS
Prada, famed for its quietly quirky designs, speaks out with a $120 million bet on Gucci
The Wage of Innocence
As investors pour money into mutual funds, a crop of young, unseasoned managers takes a ride on the bull
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Fans of The X-Files are cramming the Web with speculation about the movie. Trust no one
Carmen, the MTV Diva (The Arts / Opera)
In Houston, the music is Bizet, but the style is more Rolling Stones
Fantastic Voyage (The Arts / Books)
A shipwreck and the hunt for its treasure 100 years later make the summer's best adventure tale
From a Different Shore (The Arts / Books)
In a memoir about growing up Asian American, Eric Liu adds a fresh voice to the race debate
!Viva La Musica Cubana! (The Arts / Music)
A joyful, pulsing invasion is under way as some of the island's best jazz artists bring their spicy sounds to the U.S. Don't even try to resist
An Ode to Martial Smarts (The Arts / Cinema)
Disney's Mulan is part traditional war saga, part modern-day feminist fable, and a total delight
A Sweatbox Named Desire (The Arts / Theater)
A "lost" Tennessee Williams play reveals an unlikely social crusader
Marching On (The Arts / Books)
Civil rights warrior John Lewis tells his life's story
Wicked Fun (The Arts / Cinema)
A smashing adaptation of Balzac's Cousin Bette
YOUR TIME
The biggest problem with our booming American economy is that there aren't enough good people out there to hire. Here are some ways you might find a few good men and women and ease the skilled-worker
As Good as It Gets (Personal Time / Quarterly Business Report)
But TIME's board thinks the economy is about to come down off its giddy high--maybe with a bump
Pitch In, Get Sued (Personal Time: Your Money)
Here's how to check your insurance coverage to make sure your good deeds go unpunished
Deadly Drug Duos (Personal Time: Your Health)
Last week's recall of a blood-pressure pill warns us to avoid drug interactions. Here's how
Cleaner Windows (Personal Time: Your Technology)
Microsoft's new operating system ought, by rights, to be free. It's not. But buy it anyway
Your Health (Personal Time: Your Health)
Your Money (Personal Time: Your Money)
Your Technology (Personal Time: Your Technology)
PEOPLE
The One And Only (Michael Jordan: The End Of The Line?)
He is peerless in the high art of the modern superstar: soaring, dunking, inspiring. But retiring? The world waits as he ponders the future
How He Got Up There (Michael Jordan: The End Of The Line?)
His near perfection proves the value of apprenticeship for even the most talented
Who's The Greatest Of All? (Michael Jordan: The End Of The Line?)