January 2002

Beat me! Shock me! By Carina Chocano
Make me remember Taco Bell commercials! Two new shows torture contestants -- and the audience -- in unique ways. (01/31/2002)

Literary Daybook, Jan. 31  
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (01/31/2002)

A book to die for By Jim Ruland
When you're editing Saddam Hussein's new novel, removing a colon can mean the removal of your colon. (01/31/2002)

Tom the Dancing Bug By Ruben Bolling
Super-Fun-Pak Comix! (01/31/2002)

The Palestinians' first female bomber By Ferry Biedermann
The woman who blew up herself and an Israeli man last Sunday was also a paramedic who once dedicated herself to saving lives. (01/31/2002)

"We were wrong" By Wagner James Au
Now when will Nader, Moore, Steinem, Chomsky -- and the other leftists who were monumentally mistaken about the war in Afghanistan -- join me in admitting it? (02/01/2002)

The corporate threat to democracy By Arianna Huffington
Big companies are taking advantage of new free-trade agreements to undermine national sovereignty and erode protection for workers and the environment. (01/31/2002)

Keeping the peace in Kabul By Phillip Robertson
As sporadic fighting breaks out around the country, our reporter tags along with a British-led peacekeeping force trying to maintain order in the Afghan capital. (01/31/2002)

Tom's cruising Europe for Scientology By Amy Reiter
"Vanilla Sky" boy goes to bat for Hubbardites; Sarah Michelle Gellar on "big silicone breasts." Plus: Will Paul and Heather make like Madonna and Guy? (01/31/2002)

When should we fight? By King Kaufman
With the war on terrorism expanding, Salon talks to a group of average Americans about the U.S. military's role in the world today. (01/31/2002)

Did I watch the wrong channel? By Gary Kamiya
The media gushed over an "eloquent" and "passionate" State of the Union address many of us didn't see. (02/01/2002)

Hail Halle By David Thomson
We are looking at one of the more beautiful women on Earth: We know it -- and she knows it. (01/31/2002)

Andrew Sullivan's selective Enron outrage By Eric Boehlert
The failed energy trader didn't just spend money on politicians. It gave handily to journalists, too. But why is Sullivan most angry about the one liberal who cashed in? (01/31/2002)

"I don't think I was cut out to be a director" By Jean Tang
Todd Solondz explains why moviemaking is a nightmare. Plus: The sex Americans are not allowed to see in his new film, "Storytelling." (01/30/2002)

My ex had a dream -- in which I disappeared By Cary Tennis
Could it explain why our relationship failed? (01/30/2002)

Literary Daybook, Jan. 30  
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (01/30/2002)

Vote of no confidence By John W. Dean
A self-described "election junkie" surveys dozens of books about the 2000 presidential contest and arrives at some troubling conclusions. (01/30/2002)

Bestsellers
This week's bestselling books courtesy of Powells.com (01/30/2002)

The K Chronicles By Keith Knight
Fear factor: The home version (01/30/2002)

Now what? By Hugh Elliott
When a doctor told me AIDS would soon end my life, I stopped planning for one. That was 20 years ago. (01/30/2002)

Super Bowl slaughter By Allen Barra
It won't be close, and it won't be pretty (unless you enjoyed the invasion of Grenada). (01/30/2002)

A wider war? By Anthony York
Bush rattles his saber at Iraq in his State of the Union speech; Dems applaud the terror war -- for now -- but prepare to brawl over domestic issues. (01/30/2002)

Frederick Wiseman By Nick Poppy
The grandfather of cinéma vérité talks about domestic violence, "Domestic Violence" and the reality behind reality films. (01/30/2002)

Get used to it By Amy Reiter
A pile of personalized notecards says the Pitts will stay together. Plus: Ahnuld won't beat his kids; Eggers movie on track; Dave Matthews Band immortalized ... in ice cream! (01/30/2002)

Committee interested in Enron lawyer By Jake Tapper
Salon's story on an attorney who questioned the company's partnerships sparks a congressional follow-up. (01/30/2002)

Did Enron inflate California energy costs? By Jake Tapper
Western Democrats demand answers during a Senate hearing. (01/30/2002)

The state of the other union By Joan Walsh
Clinton gives liberal fans an alternative view: Tough on terror, bullish on foreign aid -- and sharp on why the right hates him so. (01/30/2002)

Reactions to the State of the Union Compiled by Salon Staff
Paul Begala, former Gore campaign manager Donna Brazile and others react to the president's address to Congress. (01/30/2002)

Whatever turns you on By Amy Standen
Whether your sexual fantasy involves latex, cowboy hats or custodians, the author of a new book says it comes from -- and can help explain -- your childhood needs and fears. (01/30/2002)

General Motors gets tub-thumped By Iain Aitch
British pop rockers Chumbawamba take the car company's money and run straight to the anti-globalization movement. (01/30/2002)

"Mistakes were made" By Gary Kamiya
An open letter from Osama bin Laden, managing partner and CEO, al-Qaida. (01/30/2002)

After the gold dust By Michelle Goldberg
The dot-coms went bust, but the Chemical Brothers are still office-partying like it's 1999. (01/29/2002)

"Future Evolution" by Peter Ward By Alison Motluk
A scientist and an artist team up to portray a future of square tomatoes, kangaroo rats and universally brown-skinned humans who don't need food. (01/29/2002)

Literary Daybook, Jan. 29  
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (01/29/2002)

Story Minute By Carol Lay
When the goddess of the volcano isn't happy ... (01/29/2002)

Lynda Barry
Dog Talk (01/29/2002)

Give us our money back!
Readers respond to articles on money for Sept. 11 widows, divorce and the unrelenting strangeness of life in New York. (01/29/2002)

What we won't hear from the president By Joe Conason
The real state of the union: Deficits, debt and an endangered Social Security program. (01/29/2002)

Noam Chomsky replies By Noam Chomsky
The MIT professor responds after Human Rights Watch accuses him of manufacturing facts. (01/29/2002)

Jacko inspired by balloon battle By Amy Reiter
His Glovedness can't give Mr. Mouth a rest; Michelle Pfeiffer on itchy latex. Plus: "Austin Powers, the Man With the Golden Member"? (01/29/2002)

Et tu, National Review? By Eric Boehlert
Even conservative pundits are blasting the Bush administration for its Enron stonewalling. (01/29/2002)

Dick Cheney's bonehead Enron play By Scott Rosenberg
The veep from Big Business just doesn't get it: Hiding behind executive privilege only reinforces the sense that he's hiding something smelly. (01/29/2002)

Is this all there is? By Cary Tennis
I'm in love with a woman and she's in love with me, but I think I want more. How can I break it off with her? Plus: Is it OK to contact an old flame via e-mail? (01/29/2002)

Public money, private code
By Jeffrey Benner (01/29/2002)

How to be an Enron millionaire By Jake Tapper
According to former colleagues, two executives reaped million-dollar windfalls by investing $6,000 apiece in the company's partnership scam. A case study in corporate rot. (01/29/2002)

"The Prime-time Smearing of Sami Al-Arian"
By Eric Boehlert (01/29/2002)

"Be My Baby" By Stephanie Zacharek
How the genius of Phil Spector and Ronnie Spector met and created a song of magnificent carnality. (01/28/2002)

Real Life Rock Top 10
(01/28/2002)

Literary Daybook, Jan. 28  
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (01/28/2002)

The spy who wasn't By Eric Boehlert
Wen Ho Lee speaks out about his ordeal at the hands of the FBI and a witch-hunting press. To many Arab men today, his story will sound all too familiar. (01/28/2002)

Salon recommends
The sweet, savage art of romance-novel covers, new fiction picks and more. (01/28/2002)

This Modern World By Tom Tomorrow
Rational Republicans agree: The Enron scandal is a nonstarter! (01/28/2002)

Letting the shoppers win By Jennifer Farley
A luxury-goods department store in lower Manhattan took a beating on Sept. 11. Months later, Maine residents find themselves in Gazzarini Uomo. (01/28/2002)

Israel turns up the heat on Iran By Aluf Benn
Worried about a possible thaw between Washington and Iran, Sharon warns that the Islamic regime poses an urgent threat to Israel. (01/28/2002)

"The Kitschification of Sept. 11"
By Daniel Harris (01/28/2002)

Having it both ways By Arianna Huffington
While Enron's collapse has renewed the call for campaign finance reform, pols are in no hurry to give back their Enron checks. (01/28/2002)

Oliver North By Joan Walsh
The Fox News house pundit and Iran-Contra scandal survivor spars with Salon's news editor over Bush, Clinton, bin Laden and whether his own Contra allies were terrorists. (01/28/2002)

What's the return policy? By Amy Reiter
Heche describes the "gift of trauma"; James Woods proposes terrorist decapitation; Gwyneth sinks her teeth into British choppers; Britney's glass: Available for the sipping! (01/28/2002)

Class-action warrior By Michael Drummond
When corporations run amok and accountants are shredding documents, who ya gonna call? Try lawyer Bill Lerach. (01/28/2002)

Fort Detrick's anthrax mystery By Laura Rozen
Who tried to frame Dr. Ayaad Assaad, a former biowarfare researcher at the Army lab? Was it the same person responsible for last fall's anthrax mail terrorism? (01/26/2002)

Who killed Elie Hobeika? By Paul Wachter
In Beirut, they're blaming Ariel Sharon for the death of the Lebanese warlord and war criminal -- but in this bloody parlor game, there's a culprit for every political taste. (01/26/2002)

Memo to George By Bruce Kluger and David Slavin
Why worry about Enron when the Holy Trifecta -- Vanity Fair, Newsweek and NBC -- give us the full Monica treatment? (01/26/2002)

"Storytelling" By Charles Taylor
Todd Solondz's newest debacle drips with contempt for his audience, his characters and his critics. (01/25/2002)

"The Count of Monte Cristo" By Jeff Stark
The classic book had a lot of complex, smart things to say about revenge. The movie doesn't. (01/25/2002)

"A Walk to Remember" By Stephanie Zacharek
Mandy Moore stars in a squeaky-clean teen romance in which the kissing stops before things get too hot and heavy. (01/25/2002)

The week in dirt By Amy Reiter
Pick up the phone, it's Tom Cruise. Plus: The latest on Christina Aguilera, Ozzy Osbourne, Ellen DeGeneres and more. (01/25/2002)

Literary Daybook, Jan. 25  
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (01/25/2002)

"The N Word"  
By Charles Taylor (01/25/2002)

The reluctant icon By A.R. Torres
As a widow of Sept. 11 with a new baby, I am on America's patriotic payroll. (01/25/2002)

Crumbling dreams of statehood By Ferry Biedermann
Israel's actions in the Palestinian territories this week, particularly the re-occupation of an entire city, are destroying any remaining semblance of Palestinian sovereignty. (01/25/2002)

The kitschification of Sept. 11 By Daniel Harris
America hid from the harsh realities of the attack behind a maudlin curtain of heavenly firemen and weeping angels. (01/25/2002)

Ex-Enron exec an apparent suicide By Jake Tapper
Former vice chairman, a "family man" and a major Bush donor, was accused in civil suit of selling off stock worth $35.2 million. (01/25/2002)

The mystery of One Great Love By Lucie Chevalier
They fell for each other, married, then divorced, but their lives are still entwined. Why would the stars draw them together only to throw them violently apart? (01/25/2002)

Cycling in hell and loving it By Christopher Ketcham
Forget hamstering at the gym: I choose the challenge of the Urban Death Match! (01/25/2002)

Rambo and Osama won't samba By Amy Reiter
Bin Laden has nothing to fear from Stallone; Britney on virginity -- again; Mariah may sue over the T word! Plus: Minnie Driver clears up Judi Dench stench, sort of. (01/25/2002)

Let the games begin! By Jake Tapper
As both the House and Senate start their multiple queries into the collapse of Enron, the lead auditor takes the Fifth. (01/25/2002)

Strange and vanished flesh By David Bowman
E.J. Bellocq's enigmatic New Orleans whorehouse photos still inspire wonder. (01/25/2002)

In the belly of the Enron beast By Peter Wright
The stock price was tanking and the company was coming unraveled -- but Chairman Ken's weekly message to workers at Enron's posh London office was, "Everything's fine." We believed him. (01/25/2002)

"The Prime-time Smearing of Sami Al-Arian"
By Eric Boehlert (01/25/2002)

Men behaving oddly By Carina Chocano
"The Other Half" does nothing to quell the Oprah-ization of TV. "The Man Show" simply runs it over with a manly power mower. (01/24/2002)

The ghosts of "Gosford Park" By Steven Johnson
Robert Altman doesn't just enliven the corpse of the manor-house murder mystery -- he reunites it with its vital literary forebears. (01/24/2002)

Literary Daybook, Jan. 24  
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (01/24/2002)

"Servants of the Map" by Andrea Barrett By Laura Miller
Victorian and modern scientists grapple with the philosophical challenge of evolution and the clash between curiosity and love in this collection of linked stories. (01/24/2002)

"The Passion of Artemisia" by Susan Vreeland By Stephanie Zacharek
In this novel about a real-life female Renaissance painter, a thin veneer of feminism covers a juicy heart of blushing, throbbing melodrama. (01/24/2002)

"Tepper Isn't Going Out" by Calvin Trillin By Suzy Hansen
A mild-mannered New Yorker becomes a connoisseur of parking spots and winds up the center of a media circus and the target of a Giuliani-esque mayor. (01/24/2002)

"The Eyre Affair" by Jasper Fforde By Laura Miller
In an alternate 1985, intrepid literary detective Thursday Next battles an arch-villain who's kidnapping characters from classic literature. (01/24/2002)

"Roscoe" by William Kennedy By Andrew O'Hehir
The author of "Ironweed" returns with the grandly entertaining tale of a Falstaffian political boss amid the crooks and strivers and demented rich of Albany. (01/24/2002)

What to read in January By Salon's critics
From political skulduggery to scientific discovery to the Zen of parking, the month's best fiction will make you laugh and think. (01/24/2002)

Tom the Dancing Bug By Ruben Bolling
Ricky and Debbie visit Enron. (01/24/2002)

Out of the frying pan, into group therapy By Pegi Taylor
A new Supreme Court ruling could increase the number of former sex offenders released into the community. For these ex-cons, the end of detention marks the beginning of intense, and possibly endless, therapy. (01/24/2002)

Magic carpet ride By Phillip Robertson
I went to visit an Afghan opium bazaar -- but they wouldn't open their stalls until I returned with the police. (01/24/2002)

Charlotte Rampling By Brian Libby
She may be the dark-horse candidate for best actress at the Oscars, but a career full of risky, textured roles has meant eschewing Hollywood's trappings. (01/24/2002)

The straight poop By Amy Reiter
Winslet cites diapers in defense of mothering skills; Debbie Harry flexes porn vocab! Plus: Janet Jackson, full-time actress; and who will play Rudy in the TV movie? (01/24/2002)

Neil Bush says Arab P.R. machine not as good as Israel's By Jake Tapper
In a controversial speech, the president's younger brother tells Saudi audience Arabs must play U.S. media game better. (01/24/2002)

Enron-a-palooza! By Jake Tapper
Grab your popcorn and your legal pads. Congress is set to kick off hours and hours of Enron hearings. (01/24/2002)

Is that all there is? By David Thomson
When we lost Miss Peggy Lee we lost a voice that could tunnel right into a listener's heart. (01/24/2002)

Houston under siege By Katharine Mieszkowski
Residents of Enron's hometown can't stop comparing the collapse of the energy trader to Sept. 11. (01/24/2002)

"Capitalist Pigs"
By Andrew Leonard (01/24/2002)

Brain-dead By Daniel Mendelsohn
HBO's "Mind of the Married Man" is about as edgy as "The Mary Tyler Moore Show." (01/23/2002)

To hell with happy endings By Jean Tang
A sober, toned-down Sundance Film Festival delivers a crop of dramas dour even by indie standards. (01/23/2002)

Since you asked: The rant
Should I marry the alcoholic Englishman? He's sober but he doesn't fit in. (01/23/2002)

"More, Now, Again" by Elizabeth Wurtzel By Peter Kurth
The author of "Prozac Nation" describes being neurotic, smart, sexy, rich, self-obsessed and addicted to Ritalin in her latest dysfunctional memoir. (01/23/2002)

Bestsellers
This week's bestselling books courtesy of Powells.com. (01/23/2002)

Literary Daybook, Jan. 23  
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (01/23/2002)

The K Chronicles By Keith Knight
Life's little victories (01/23/2002)

Incest and Sept. 11 By Kathryn Gordon
For me, one tragedy exploded another. (01/23/2002)

Love, Jalalabad style By Phillip Robertson
Since the Taliban fell, weddings are a time to sing and drink and party. But some things haven't changed: Nadar didn't meet his bride until their wedding day. (01/23/2002)

Black QBs -- again By Allen Barra
With McNabb and Stewart leading their teams into the conference championships, will athletic quarterbacks outduel their white counterparts? (01/23/2002)

The president and the evildoers By Arianna Huffington
While Bush talks tough about al-Qaida, his buddies at Enron are getting a pass. (01/23/2002)

Doing the Sundance shuffle By Alan Deutschman
Our intrepid reporter went to the ridiculously famous indie film festival, hobnobbed with Mariah and Mira, breathed the same air as Brad and Parker and uncovered one dirty little secret. (01/23/2002)

Ears wide open By Amy Reiter
Tom and Penelope call startled strangers on fans' phones; Aguilera's mom guards daughter's privacy, piercings; oops! Britney keeps forgetting to not call Mom at 4 a.m.! (01/23/2002)

Sex without rules By Veronica Hayes
Call it what you will, our version of polyamory is both freeing and anxiety-producing. (01/23/2002)

Enron's human toll By Christopher Ketcham
How employees of the energy trader got sucked into stock market euphoria -- and catastrophe. (01/23/2002)

Easy come, easy go By Katharine Mieszkowski
One of the few Enron employees who still has a job expresses little regret -- even though he lost a "colossal" amount of money. (01/23/2002)

"The Prime-time Smearing of Sami Al-Arian"
By Eric Boehlert (01/23/2002)

"In Cold Blood" By Amy Standen
Just over 40 years ago, a dandified New York reporter named Truman Capote traveled to Kansas to investigate the shotgun murder of a farm family. The result changed journalism forever. (01/22/2002)

The N word By Charles Taylor
From Mark Twain to Chris Rock, it provokes book banning and nervous giggles. A black scholar asks if it's ever OK to say "nigger." (01/22/2002)

This Modern World By Tom Tomorrow
Enron and the "genius of capitalism." (01/22/2002)

Story Minute By Carol Lay
The thing under the futon: Gone! (01/22/2002)

Any day now By Clara Stein
Pen will kiss paper and I will no longer be a wife. (01/22/2002)

Noam needs a fact checker
Human Rights Watch says Chomsky's wrong, plus responses to E.O. Wilson. (01/22/2002)

Suits are his strong suit By Amy Reiter
Stephen Bing takes on another tabloid; Gere's not sexy, says Gere; Winona goes shopping ... and sets off alarm! (01/22/2002)

The lady's Yves By Stephanie Zacharek
Yves Saint Laurent's love for women was never so loudly professed as in the lines of his garments. (01/22/2002)

Befuddlement By Cary Tennis
Bad affairs, boys who won't commit, long-distance love and -- threesomes. (01/22/2002)

Relics of the lost bulletin-board tribes By Katharine Mieszkowski
Text files preserve some of the vivacity of old-fashioned online conversation. Will Web-based discussions vanish from the historical record? (01/22/2002)

Refugees the U.N. won't see By Phillip Robertson
At the Sar Shahi refugee camp, the thousands of widows, amputees, children and unemployed men who occupy the acres of patchwork tents find themselves in assistance limbo. (01/19/2002)

"What is there to talk about?" By Ferry Biedermann
That's what Ariel Sharon wondered at a meeting with the press. And after an Israeli girl's bat mitzvah party ends in bloodshed, many others are asking the same question. (01/19/2002)

Are we victorious yet? By Max Garrone
With the al-Qaida network shattered but Osama bin Laden still at large, "Black Hawk Down" author Mark Bowden and other national security experts discuss when the U.S. will be able to declare victory over terrorism. (01/19/2002)

Capitalist pigs By Andrew Leonard
The sordid tales of Enron plutocrats looting the company of its treasure as their employees and shareholders faced ruin are enough to turn you into a class warrior. (01/19/2002)

The prime-time smearing of Sami Al-Arian By Eric Boehlert
By pandering to anti-Arab hysteria, NBC, Fox News, Media General and Clear Channel radio disgraced themselves -- and ruined an innocent professor's life. (01/19/2002)

Slavish fans! Desperate accusations!
Readers say: Keep your storm troopers away from our hobbits! (01/18/2002)

Forget the Force -- "The Lord" rules! By Eric Lipton
I, too, once loved "Star Wars." Then I grew up and learned to appreciate "The Lord of the Rings." (01/18/2002)

Man bites dog By Andrew Vontz
Animal-rights critics howl at Cuba Gooding Jr.'s "abusive" behavior in Disney's "Snow Dogs." (01/18/2002)

"The (Non-)confessions of St. Ralph" and "The Hidden Hitler"  
By Joan Walsh and Lothar Machtan (01/18/2002)

Literary Daybook, Jan. 18  
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (01/18/2002)

Lynda Barry
Marlys wisdom for if you are sick. (01/18/2002)

If Enron isn't a political scandal, nothing is By Scott Rosenberg
So what if Bush and company didn't bail out Enron? The outrage lies in what politicians did for the company on its way up, not the way down. (01/18/2002)

A passage through Peshawar By Phillip Robertson
Manzoor the fixer takes care of everything I need -- permits, bribes, even a bodyguard -- and then says goodbye at the Afghanistan border. (01/18/2002)

Will rocking the boat rock her world? By Lucie Chevalier
Today's lesson: The intoxication of a new affair inevitably melts away. This is the transformation, not the tragedy, of love. (01/18/2002)

Drew Barrymore's revisionist history By Chris Colin
Spielberg's retrofitting of "E.T." opens the door to an untapped revenue stream that promises a product placement bonanza! (01/18/2002)

By any means necessary By Amy Reiter
Ellen wants kids; Monica's tired of starring in dirty jokes; Dustin Hoffman praises Susan Sarandon's breasts. Plus: Garfield's coming to the big screen; Ozzy Osbourne, family man. (01/18/2002)

Jock Sturges By Charles Taylor
The photographer of nude young women has been pilloried as a pornographer, but it's hard to think of a less voyeuristic photographer working. (01/18/2002)

More than one Enron official warned company about growing crisis By Jake Tapper
One staff lawyer grew so worried, he secretly hired an outside law firm to review the company's murky business partnerships. Another executive was reassigned after raising alarms. (01/18/2002)

All my brethren By Carina Chocano
On CBS's unintentionally hilarious Supreme Court drama "First Monday," the nation's young and restless high court is a guiding light for the bold and the beautiful as the world turns. (01/17/2002)

The week in dirt By Amy Reiter
Christina Aguilera puts an end to porn career rumors. Plus: Janet Jackson's ex-hubby's self-defeating personality disorder, the Minnie Driver and Harrison Ford dating rumors and more. (01/17/2002)

Literary Daybook, Jan. 17  
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (01/17/2002)

America's homegrown terrorists By Suzy Hansen
An expert on right-wing hate groups talks about the tortured emotional roots of their rage, their response to Sept. 11 and their role in the Oklahoma City bombing. (01/17/2002)

The (non-)confessions of St. Ralph By Joan Walsh
Ralph Nader's new book makes it painfully clear that he has no idea how to build a left-wing alternative to the Democrats. But when you're pure of heart and unsullied by politics, who cares? (01/17/2002)

Tom the Dancing Bug By Ruben Bolling
It's official: Things are normal again! (01/17/2002)

Ghouls, saints, weirdos and patriots By Auden Schendler
For volunteer medics in a rural ambulance service, it's a bloody, crumpled path toward getting human. (01/17/2002)

What's so tough about the truth? By Arianna Huffington
Would we finally get straight answers from Don Evans if he was hooked into that machine on "The Chamber"? (01/17/2002)

Stuck outside of Kabul ... with the nuclear blues again By Phillip Robertson
Musharraf is afraid of losing a war, while Vajpayee is afraid of losing an election. It's hideous politics that makes rational people like me want to drink too many gin and tonics. (01/17/2002)

Julia Phillips, queen of the night By Tim Appelo
She'll never eat lunch on this planet again, but while she was here the Oscar-winning producer outdid Truman Capote in shrieking truth to decadent power. (01/17/2002)

Britney's "orgasm" revelation By Amy Reiter
Come again? Spears talks climax during Europe visit; Steven Tyler to Brad Pitt: Let's wife-swap! Plus: Fred Durst autographs attacker's head. (01/17/2002)

Be still my heart By David Thomson
The old movie stills were often sexier than the movies they were meant to publicize. (01/17/2002)

401 reasons to love Enron By Damien Cave
Employees of the energy trader are furious at the loss of their life savings, but the debacle could finally be the catalyst for long-needed retirement fund reform. (01/17/2002)

Are the Grammys heading for a fall? By Eric Boehlert
A lackluster lineup of stars threatens the appeal of this year's prime-time show. Paging -- gulp! -- Michael Jackson! (01/16/2002)

Literary Daybook, Jan. 16  
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (01/16/2002)

"The Dark Side" by Mark Schreiber By Jennifer Hanawald
A study of crime -- from kidnapping and cannibalism to mass murder -- in the land of the Rising Sun challenges the stereotype of a safe, orderly society. (01/16/2002)

Bestsellers
This week's bestselling books courtesy of Powells.com. (01/16/2002)

The K Chronicles By Keith Knight
Them wacky Bush babies (01/16/2002)

What lies beneath By John Parsley
It's been four months and New York looks normal, but it's not. Not for New Yorkers. (01/16/2002)

This just in: Giuliani, Steinbrenner are sleazebags! By Allen Barra
Plus: Barry Bonds' $90 million deal is a no-brainer. (01/16/2002)

Enron's California smoking gun By Anthony York
Did the Bush administration do the disgraced company's bidding during the state's electricity crisis? (01/16/2002)

Noam Chomsky By Suzy Hansen
The nation's most implacable critic of U.S. foreign policy argues that the war is unjust, America is the biggest terrorist state and intellectuals always support official violence. (01/16/2002)

Wrong guy By Amy Reiter
Pelly swears he didn't get Prince Harry high; Hurley sobs over broken window; Ah-nuld complains about violence. Plus: Adam Ant's gun was fake; Bon Jovi promises to stop singing! (01/16/2002)

Sullivan vs. Conason
Readers respond to Andrew Sullivan's argument "While Clinton diddled," and Joe Conason's response, "Don't blame Clinton."

(01/16/2002)

Lubes and HIV By Michael Castleman
A research study shows that some sexual lubricants may kill the AIDS virus. (01/16/2002)

"Getting to the Bottom of Enron"
By Andrew Leonard (01/16/2002)

Chips ahoy By Scott Rosenberg
AMD competes with Intel, and the public wins. The right Microsoft antitrust settlement can bring the same energy back to the software market. (01/16/2002)

The men behind the curtain By Ian Rothkerch
Three actors from "Oz" talk about surviving the slammer, prison politics and the brutish force of the most overlooked show on television. (01/15/2002)

Literary Daybook, Jan. 15  
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (01/15/2002)

I was a cowboy for the CIA By Laura Miller
A tough-guy field agent blasts wimpy pencil pushers and "politics" for keeping him from lassoing terrorist evildoers. He's right -- but you wouldn't want his kind in charge, either. (01/15/2002)

Story Minute By Carol Lay
The thing under the futon: The secret is out! (01/15/2002)

It takes one to know one By Sarah Hartmann
A mother who has lost a child is an ally in the hellish war against all-consuming grief. (01/15/2002)

One thing India and Pakistan can agree on By Phillip Robertson
A Kashmir independence fighter makes enemies on both sides as he dreams of a free and secular state and tries to stay out of prison. (01/15/2002)

Bush to Lay: What was your name again? By Robert Scheer
President Bush wants you to believe he's really not that close to Enron's CEO, but Ken Lay was a staunch family supporter from way back. (01/15/2002)

Ingrid Betancourt By Damien Cave
The Colombian senator and presidential candidate talks about drug trafficking, political corruption, guerrillas, the paramilitaries and how to fix democracy in her embattled nation. (01/15/2002)

Harrison and Minnie!? By Amy Reiter
Are Ford and Driver on the road to romance? Raid! Adam Ant busted in London. Plus: Is Kevin Spacey to blame for actresses' pregnancies? (01/15/2002)

Don't blame Clinton By Joe Conason
Conservatives who once ridiculed and obstructed the former president's aggressive efforts to fight terrorism are now trying to pin Sept. 11 on him. They have a lot of nerve. Part 2 of a debate. (01/15/2002)

Love and marriage By Cary Tennis
How do you choose when friends are getting a divorce, how do you reconcile the need to marry within one's culture and how do you live in a marriage without sex? (01/15/2002)

The inherent danger of flying By P. Smith
Shoe bombs and suicidal 15-year-olds are heightening fears about airline security. But aside from creating more chaos at airports, what can we do? (01/15/2002)

A corporate welfare state nightmare By Julian Borger
The Enron scandal exposes how the U.S. political system is bought and paid for. (01/15/2002)

Ken Lay: "There are no accounting issues" By Andrew Leonard
Even as an executive was warning Enron's CEO of impending problems, he was telling the press that all was well. (01/15/2002)

"Sympathy for the Devil" By Douglas Cruickshank
Mick Jagger's mad, erudite incantation strutted '60s rock toward the dark side of history. (01/14/2002)

Big two-hearted Mark By Gary Kamiya
"Mark Twain," Ken Burns' new documentary, brings to feisty, heartbreaking life the most beloved -- and American -- of American writers. (01/14/2002)

"next to of course god america i"
Hear a rare recording of e.e. cummings reading this famous piece and three other poems. (01/14/2002)

"The Hidden Hitler" by Lothar Machtan By Allen Barra
Critics have been far too quick to dismiss this controversial new book alleging that Hitler was gay. (01/14/2002)

Literary Daybook, Jan. 14  
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (01/14/2002)

This Modern World By Tom Tomorrow
Return with us now to those fabulous days of yesteryear -- the '80s! (01/14/2002)

Playing dead By Douglas Lang
I enjoyed years and years of violence and killing, but I was totally unprepared for death. (01/14/2002)

Feminism, that old whipping boy
Readers respond to articles on Erma Bombeck and female fatherhood. (01/14/2002)

Cold, hard facts By Norah Vincent
The new Cold War will be dirty and covert -- and the Vietnam-era left better get used to it. (01/14/2002)

E.O. Wilson By John Glassie
The great scientist and conservationist explains the terrorism we insist on overlooking. And space colonies won't help, either. (01/14/2002)

Is Janet Jackson supernasty? By Amy Reiter
Singer's ex says she walked all over him; scary movie: Stallone in "Rocky 6"? Plus: Kidman "flabbergasted" that tabloid published rumor! (01/14/2002)

Conflict of interest for Christine Todd Whitman? By Mark Hertsgaard
The EPA's ombudsman says Whitman muzzled him for criticizing a sweetheart Superfund settlement with a big investor in her husband's firm. (01/14/2002)

Bush feeds the scandal By Anthony York
The president's claim that Enron's chief supported his Texas opponent -- at best an evasion, at worst a lie -- drags the White House a step deeper into Enrongate. (01/12/2002)

Getting to the bottom of Enron By Andrew Leonard
Sure, we need a special prosecutor -- but only campaign finance reform can clean up Washington's addiction to corporate cash and lift our government out of the muck. (01/12/2002)

"What Time Is It There?" By Charles Taylor
Tsai Ming-Liang's new movie about urban isolation reinvents the delicate, poetic shadow play of silent movies. (01/11/2002)

"Orange County" By Stephanie Zacharek
Well, as teen comedies go, it's not as cheap, loud and sleazy as it might have been. (01/11/2002)

"A Beautiful Mind," "Black Hawk Down"
Readers respond to our critics. (01/11/2002)

"Muzzling Moore" and "Our Favorite Books"  
By Kera Bolonik and Laura Miller (01/11/2002)

Literary Daybook, Jan. 11  
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (01/11/2002)

Lynda Barry
Vote Ghostly (01/11/2002)

Playing with fire signs By Lucie Chevalier
For the Earth Monkey and the Water Rat the good news is compatibility and powerful attraction. The bad news? Booby traps! (01/11/2002)

She'd rob a store to smoke a Camel? By Amy Reiter
Is a nic fit behind Winona's alleged shoplifting? Underpants talk from Ethan Hawke, Jack Black; 'N Sync gets cranky; Pink Floyd's Gilmour gives away millions. (01/11/2002)

Was the Drudge Report hacked? By Anthony York
Links to pro-Clinton stories confuse loyal Drudge haters. (01/11/2002)

The ghost of terror past By Jake Tapper
As the Bush administration tries to push through controversial State Department nominee Otto Reich, critics suggest the White House has a troubling double standard when it comes to fighting evil. (01/11/2002)

Male nudes, now By Glen Helfand
Painters, photographers and sculptors show us their vision of the naked man today -- and it's more than abs, pecs and butts. (01/11/2002)

The dangers of overstimulation By Damien Cave
The right time to jump-start the economy may already have passed. (01/11/2002)

Prisoners of sex, prisoners of the state By Carina Chocano
In "Sex and the City" and "Oz," environment trumps nature and nurture. (01/10/2002)

And here's to you, Mrs. Johnson!
"Survivor" surprises again! Big Tom blows it; Lex takes a walk; and Brandon snarls one last time for the cameras. (01/11/2002)

"Them: Adventures With Extremists" by Jon Ronson By Damien Cave
A writer takes a full-tilt trip into the world of Muslim fanatics, skinheads, survivalists and paranoid critics of the shadowy Bilderberg Group. (01/10/2002)

Literary Daybook, Jan. 10  
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (01/10/2002)

Tom the Dancing Bug By Ruben Bolling
The John Ashcroft Players present: "Our Bill of Rights" (01/10/2002)

Are we not housewives? By Sophie Butcher
I don't care what feminist moms say, Erma Bombeck is still the most relevant and hilarious voice in the wilderness of motherhood. (01/10/2002)

The Enron conservatives By Arianna Huffington
Don't let them spin you: This is Teapot Dome, the sequel. (01/10/2002)

Bully for them By Danielle Egan
The first U.S. ship to join Operation Enduring Freedom has a moose named Bully onboard. (01/10/2002)

They all settle down eventually By Amy Reiter
Charlie Sheen to wed Denise Richards; Backstreet's Carter: "I ain't a bad person." Plus: Sarah Jessica Parker on her troublemaking babies; Yasmine Bleeth gets off. (01/10/2002)

"Iris" By David Thomson
This film about old people, genius, love and light just might be a masterpiece. (01/10/2002)

Gamblers Inc. By Kristy Siegfried
In California, betting to win can be a buttoned-down, corporate slog through the salary-man trenches. (01/10/2002)

Send in the iKlowns By Katharine Mieszkowski
At Macworld, out-of-work dot-commers pose as marauding clowns. The authorities are not amused. (01/10/2002)

"Lord of the Rings" vs. "Star Wars" By Jean Tang
Peter Jackson's glorified video trivia game doesn't hold up to the grandly human epic that defined a generation. (01/09/2002)

I'm a shameless flirt! By Cary Tennis
I like to make men fall in love with me, even though I have a boyfriend. Am I using my powers for evil? (01/09/2002)

Bestsellers
This week's bestselling books courtesy of Powells.com. (01/09/2002)

Our favorite books By Laura Miller
From a gripping novel about terrorism to the memoir of a cross-country stripteaser, we pick the best -- that is, the most pleasurable -- reading experiences of 2001. (01/09/2002)

Literary Daybook, Jan. 9  
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (01/09/2002)

The K Chronicles By Keith Knight
Goodbye to 2001: No more dreadlocks! (01/09/2002)

The female dad By Sara Keiko Sarasohn
He calls me Mama, but who's he kidding? (01/09/2002)

Bin Laden's other American boy soldier By Scott Rosenberg
Why aren't conservatives blaming Florida for Charles Bishop, the young bin Laden admirer who crashed his plane into a building, the way they blamed liberal California for John Walker? (01/09/2002)

Spurious Steve: Just what the NFL needs By Allen Barra
He may be a jerk, but coaching genius Steve Spurrier will make a big splash in the pros. (01/09/2002)

Colors flies over the cuckoo's nest By Douglas Cruickshank
The Benetton publication's latest issue on mental illness puts respectable newsmagazines to shame. (01/09/2002)

Hope for the professionally unemployed By Tom McNichol
The market is booming for tales of the out-of-work. (01/09/2002)

Aguilera denies porn tape By Amy Reiter
Singer threatens legal action against X-rated Web sites; Christmas dinner with Billy Bob and Angelina -- oink. Plus: Prince William uses the f-word on horseback! (01/09/2002)

While Clinton diddled By Andrew Sullivan
The record doesn't lie. The former president had repeated warnings and wake-up calls, but he failed to protect the country against the growing danger of Islamic terrorism. Part 1 of a debate. (01/09/2002)

Batter up By Bill Vaughn
I keep a lineup card of my favorite actresses, and though I love Meg Ryan, her feet might be a deal breaker. (01/09/2002)

California scheming By Brad Wieners
"Dot.con: The Greatest Story Ever Sold" is the first good book about one of capitalism's most embarrassing debacles. (01/09/2002)

The king of small moments By Pam Grossman
"Big Night" director Campbell Scott chats about "Hamlet," famous parents and his new psychological drama "Final." (01/08/2002)

A is for Arabs By George Rafael
From algebra and coffee to guitars, optics and universities -- an alphabetical reminder of what the West owes to the People of the Crescent Moon. (01/08/2002)

Literary Daybook, Jan. 8  
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (01/08/2002)

Story Minute By Carol Lay
A family of four and no trash? (01/08/2002)

Low-fat Spanish rice for lovers By Stephen J. Lyons
Your kitchen will smell wonderful. (01/08/2002)

Nonfat love in a big-box store By Stephen J. Lyons
The wife and I take separate carts in the land of bulk peppermint patties. (01/08/2002)

Our own terror cells By Frederick Clarkson
If the Bush administration treated homegrown terrorists like their overseas comrades, its dragnet could ensnare the far political right -- and John Ashcroft. (01/08/2002)

Partisanship trumps patriotism By Arianna Huffington
For all the talk of great leadership since Sept. 11, America's pols are letting a golden opportunity slip away. (01/08/2002)

Small airports, big problem? By Randy Dotinga
America's smaller airports, like the one in Florida where a 15-year-old took a plane and flew it into a skyscraper over the weekend, have few -- if any -- security measures at all. (01/08/2002)

Florida witch hunt By Bruce Shapiro
When a tenured professor loses his job for vocally backing the Palestinian cause, Jeb Bush applauds, Bill O'Reilly boos and academics say it's the worst threat to free speech since Sept. 11. (01/08/2002)

Let down his rich pals? Over his dead body By Robert Scheer
The president makes a vow to protect America's most wealthy. (01/08/2002)

Gen. Rashid Dostum By Asla Aydintasbas
The Uzbek warlord, and Afghanistan's new interim deputy defense minister, sounds enlightened, but can he walk it like he talks it? (01/08/2002)

Backstreet's Carter wailed throughout arrest By Amy Reiter
Even the cops chuckled as the singer sobbed; Priestly: Underemployed but overendowed; Halliwell demands slimmer wax likeness. Plus: Beyoncé's got God, curves. (01/08/2002)

What's a guy to do? By Cary Tennis
I lied about past infidelities, and now I want to tell the truth to my true love. Will she accept it, or will she leave me in the dust? (01/08/2002)

Letters
Readers respond to "Public Money, Private Code" and "A Hardcore Elegy for Ion Storm." Plus: Amory Lovins responds to "Nukes now!" (01/08/2002)

Real Life Rock Top 10 By Greil Marcus
(01/07/2002)

"Seinfeld" By Bill Wyman
Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David's TV show wasn't just a sitcom -- it was one of the most complex and troubling art works of our time. (01/07/2002)

"The Bluest Eye"
Ruby Dee and Toni Morrison read an excerpt from Morrison's award-winning debut novel, published in 1970. (01/07/2002)

Muzzling Moore By Kera Bolonik
When Michael Moore's publisher insisted he rewrite his new book to be less critical of President Bush, it took an outraged librarian to get it back in the stores. (01/07/2002)

This Modern World By Tom Tomorrow
Your cartoon guide to the Enron collapse! (01/07/2002)

A lost soul By Theresa Pinto Sherer
After her strokes, my grandmother is still here. But what is left is base behavior and compulsion, unleavened by charity, kindness or faith. (01/07/2002)

Good astrology and bad criminals
Readers weigh in on Dogs and Dragons, Elton John, James Woolsey and the glamorization of murderers. (01/07/2002)

Kevin Spacey: "The Oscar Wilde of our time"? By Amy Reiter
Russell "The Blabiator" Crowe strikes again; Jagger talks about his "best lover in the world" rep. Plus: Moby talks about eating a cat! (01/07/2002)

"Over my dead body" By Anthony York
Another Bush tax cut pledge ... and the crowd goes wild! (01/07/2002)

The geeks who saved Usenet By Katharine Mieszkowski
Google's restoration of digital history relied on a few heroes' packrat mentality and a mountain of decaying mag tapes. (01/08/2002)

Praise be to Steve Jobs By Katharine Mieszkowski
The marketing magician strikes again, with a Time cover story singing hosannas to a product on the very day of its public unveiling. (01/07/2002)

"Mulholland Drive" takes best picture in critics' awards By Charles Taylor
The National Society of Film Critics honors Lynch's Hollywood tale, Altman's "Gosford Park" and Gene Hackman. (01/07/2002)

We're with the elephants!
Everyone's a TV critic these days. Plus: T-Birds are an endangered species. (01/07/2002)

Big babies at Harvard By Earl Ofari Hutchinson
When Jesse Jackson tried to turn pampered professors into racism victims, it showed a civil rights movement unready for a new age. (01/05/2002)

OK, you whiners got your collegiate Super Bowl -- are you happy now? By Allen Barra
The Rose Bowl debacle wasn't worth watching -- except that it showed the world just how bogus the Eric Crouch hype was. (01/05/2002)

"Impostor" By Andrew O'Hehir
It has a Philip K. Dick story and hip references to "Blade Runner," but this sci-fi actioner is a soulless cyborg. (01/04/2002)

"Monster's Ball" By Stephanie Zacharek
Billy Bob Thornton and a simmering Halle Berry save a Southern drama from becoming just another didactic tract about racism. (01/04/2002)

"I Am Sam" By Charles Taylor
Sean Penn disgraces himself in this hideously manipulative melodrama about a retarded man's battle to keep his daughter. (01/04/2002)

Literary daybook, Jan. 4
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (01/04/2002)

"The Making of a Hawk"  
By David Talbot (01/04/2002)

Lynda Barry
Star Power! (01/04/2002)

God and loss
Readers respond to articles about the division of Sept. 11 funds and a Christian fundamentalist's conversion. (01/04/2002)

I studied in Yemen with John Walker By Joshua Mortensen
He was fresh from Marin, more Catholic than the pope and the other students derisively nicknamed him Yusuf Islam (aka Cat Stevens). (01/04/2002)

The proud principal who wasn't By Anthony York
The Associated Press has now corrected twice its false report that John Walker's high school principal was proud of him -- but nobody's paying attention. (01/04/2002)

Can a Dog and a Dragon be more than friends? By Lucie Chevalier
When a good-humored Godzilla has a crush on a pup who likes to play with the pack, what are the chances for romance? (01/04/2002)

Every little thing he does is wacky By Amy Reiter
Sting shows son video of his own birth; O'Reilly fires back at Penn; Cruz opens the gush floodgates; grumbling in "Starsky and Hutch" land. (01/04/2002)

President Daschle? By Anthony York
The GOP's targeting of the Senate majority leader may be the clearest sign yet that Daschle is the Dem to beat in 2004. (01/04/2002)

Love motel By Stephen Lemons
Chas Ray Krider's photos unlock the noir sexuality of the quintessential American motor inn. (01/04/2002)

Public money, private code By Jeffrey Benner
The drive to license academic research for profit is stifling the spread of software that could be of universal benefit. (01/04/2002)

Ice capades By Andrew Vontz
Vanilla Ice talks about player haters, his pet kangaroo and what he'd do to his mother for a million dollars. (01/03/2002)

MTV wants you! By Carina Chocano
In times of war, the counterculture halts at the water's edge! (01/03/2002)

Literary daybook, Jan. 3
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (01/03/2002)

Bestsellers
This week's bestselling books courtesy of Powells.com. (01/03/2002)

The making of a hawk By David Talbot
From Kuwait to Kosovo to Kabul, American firepower has been on the right side of history. The odyssey of a former dove. (01/03/2002)

The K Chronicles By Keith Knight
All I wanted for Christmas was a solid bowel movement. (01/03/2002)

Tom the Dancing Bug By Ruben Bolling
Bud's All Stars: Collect cards for each of the fearsome foursome team owners who tore up the league last year! (01/03/2002)

Land of the rising homemaker By Roland Kelts
Martha Stewart's first overseas venture is Japan, where stylish domesticity just might trump rigid old hierarchies. (01/03/2002)

France's legendary terror cop By Jay Cheshes
Carlos the Jackal's nemesis walks the global beat, warning of a "permanent" threat. (01/03/2002)

A serial killer analyzes serial killing By Stephen Lemons
The 1960s "Moors Murderer," Ian Brady, still haunts the British psyche. His recently published book shows why. (01/03/2002)

Send in the clones! By Amy Reiter
New "Star Wars" proves 'N Sync isn't 'NDestructible; protesters want Britney and Beyoncé out of "Austin Powers"; Sean Penn lays into Stern, O'Reilly, bin Laden! (01/03/2002)

Remembering Buddy By Anthony York
Accident ... or murder? Conservative Web sites react to the death of the Clintons' dog. (01/03/2002)

A mammoth undertaking By Katharine Mieszkowski
Can genetic science bring extinct species back to life? And if it can, should we let it? (01/03/2002)

Literary daybook, Jan. 2
Real and imaginary events of significance to readers. (01/02/2002)

The emotional machine By Suzy Hansen
Steve Grand, designer of the artificial life program Creatures, talks about the stupidity of computers, the role of desire in intelligence and the coming revolution in what it means to be "alive." (01/02/2002)

This Modern World By Tom Tomorrow
It's 2001 -- where are the picturephones? (01/02/2002)

Story Minute By Carol Lay
The thing under the futon: What it does when no one's around. (01/02/2002)

The impossible calculus of loss By Janelle Brown
A windfall of public and private funds awaits the victims of Sept. 11. Is it being fairly divided? Is it fair that they get far more than other victims? And will their compensation change charity and disaster relief forever? (01/02/2002)

Time's Person of the Year punt By Eric Boehlert
Choosing Giuliani instead of bin Laden was a clear cave-in to the magazine's business priorities. But the rest of the U.S. press isn't setting a much better example. (01/02/2002)

Elton John By Bill Wyman
He may be rock's most unlikely star, but he's also the king craftsman of pop who's charted more singles than anyone except Elvis. (01/02/2002)

Don't blame it on Reno By Jake Tapper
As Congress gears up to point fingers over pre-9/11 intelligence failures, the Clinton attorney general can plead: "I told you so" (01/02/2002)

Bush vs. Gore II? By Anthony York
Florida newspapers are looking to the state's upcoming gubernatorial election as a rematch of the 2000 presidential race. (01/02/2002)

Touring Times Square By David Bowman
The lost seediness can still be found, if you're with the king of 42nd Street. (01/02/2002)

A hardcore elegy for Ion Storm By Christian Divine
John Romero's game design studio was the most maligned company in the business. But from the inside looking out, it rocked. (01/02/2002)