April 2003

Why doesn't America love Robbie Williams? By Mark Simpson
Especially when he love-hates himself so much? EMI's $120 million wannabe-Bowie megaflop symbolizes the desolate state of 21st century British pop culture, a realm of "wankers" and second-rate imitation Americans. (04/30/2003)

"Spellbound" By Stephanie Zacharek
Jeff Blitz's delightful documentary on the National Spelling Bee and its grammar-school competitors will win your heart. Whether or not you can spell "opsimath." (04/30/2003)

The Fix By Karen Croft
Eggers says "I do," "Millionaire" runner-up Sarah says "I will" to Playboy, and Larry David gets Glicked! (04/30/2003)

Bestsellers
"The Da Vinci Code," "Holes" and more in this week's bestselling books courtesy of Powells.com. (04/30/2003)

"Human beings, as currently constituted, are good enough" By Ralph Brave
Bill McKibben says that the brave new genetic world may give us better teeth and brains -- but it'll steal our souls. (04/30/2003)

The K Chronicles By Keith Knight
The most important night of your life, or overhyped, overpriced school dance? You be the judge. (04/30/2003)

A special Match Made in (the 9th circle of) Hell By Stephen F. Milioti
On orders from my shrink, I posted a personal ad. Now I really need therapy. (04/30/2003)

The Bush economy doesn't play in Peoria By Patrick Arden
The president says a big tax cut for the rich will create jobs for the hard-hit middle class. In this city of faded glory, few believe him. (04/30/2003)

Lowered WMD expectations By Jake Tapper
Before the war, the Bush administration said the weapons existed and we would find them. Now, it's saying maybe we won't find them after all -- and the rest of the world smells a rat. (04/30/2003)

The forgettable truth By Robert Scheer
The war we're winning was based on lies. (04/30/2003)

Letters
Readers respond to "Thank You, Sen. Santorum," by Bruce Bawer, and "GOP Defends Ayatollah Santorum," by Joan Walsh. (04/30/2003)

Joe Conason's Journal
Rummy's role in North Korean nuke deal questioned. Plus: What will Santorum think of a transsexual working in the Senate? (04/30/2003)

Pensions for all? By Arianna Huffington
In just a few short years, the nest eggs of the American worker have gone from sunny side up to seriously scrambled. (04/30/2003)

A big black hole By Cary Tennis
I get emotionally and sexually involved with people I care about. But I do it too often and too simultaneously. (04/30/2003)

Faster! Stronger! Less human! By Katharine Mieszkowski
In "Enough," Bill McKibben argues that genetic engineering will deprive our children of their freedom to choose who and what they are. (04/30/2003)

This week on DVD
A box set for Truffaut lovers, Richard Harris in his greatest roles, John Wayne turns director, "Babylon 5," "Xena" and Japanese swordplay. (04/29/2003)

Letters
Readers repond to Charles Taylor's review of "Better Luck Tomorrow" and Heather Havrilesky on "The Real Cancun." (04/29/2003)

The Fix By Karen Croft
An Osbourne goes to rehab, Nic and Adrien go to a party together, and Larry Flynt goes to Yale looking for a nude Bush daughter! (04/29/2003)

Willie Nelson: "Crazy: The Demo Sessions" By Max Garrone
A collection of early '60s recordings by the Red-Headed Stranger shows a chiseled young man with a sweet, sweet voice. (04/29/2003)

"The Italian American Reader" By Michael J. Agovino
This scintillating collection, featuring great writing by Don DeLillo, Frank Lentricchia, Kim Addonizio and many others, gives this minstrelized group intellectual props. (04/29/2003)

Story Minute By Carol Lay
WMD shell game. (04/29/2003)

The sins of the father By Alice Elman
Why, almost 50 years later, is my mother still protecting the man who abused us both? (04/29/2003)

Thank you, Sen. Santorum By Bruce Bawer
Now I remember -- without the rosy post-9/11 patriotism coloring my view -- why I had to leave the United States. (04/29/2003)

Joe Conason's Journal
GOP senators mostly keep mum about Santorum's antigay comments. Maybe the opportunistic Arlen Specter should keep his yap shut, too. (04/29/2003)

Endless love By Virginia Vitzthum
The men are deeper, and the sex can be sweet as well as hot. But dating at 41 is no less exquisitely confusing than it is at 21. (04/29/2003)

Sweet somethings By Cary Tennis
He only tells me he loves me after sex. (04/29/2003)

How may we Web service you? By Scott Rosenberg
At the O'Reilly Emerging Technologies Conference, "Web services" were all the rage. But what will happen when companies get cold feet -- and the lawsuits start? (04/29/2003)

I have seen the future of music and its name is iTunes By Farhad Manjoo
Apple's new online music-buying system is everything Napster promised to be -- cheap, easy and, best of all, legal. (04/29/2003)

Upstairs, downstairs, in the bedroom By Heather Havrilesky
The PBS reality series "Manor House" re-creates the Edwardian era's sadomasochistic social hierarchy -- but there's still plenty of time for petty bickering and heavy petting. (04/28/2003)

The Fix By Karen Croft
"Will and Grace" star nabbed for shoplifting, Bruce sticks up for the Chicks, and Harry Potter author richer than the queen! Plus: Want more reality TV? (04/28/2003)

Chicks against the machine By Charles Taylor
The Dixie Chicks beat back Diane Sawyer on national TV, posed nude for Entertainment Weekly and stood up to the reactionary zeal of country radio. In a time of crisis for America, they're patriots we can be proud of. (04/28/2003)

This Modern World By Tom Tomorrow
What goes around comes around: An extremely truncated history of Republicans, Bechtel and Iraq (04/28/2003)

Lynda Barry
Spider letter (04/28/2003)

This is tripe about tripe!
Readers respond to an interview with Laura Weisberger, author of "The Devil Wears Prada," and to Stephanie Zacharek's "A Nation of Fashion Sheep." (04/28/2003)

Bad information By Jake Tapper
Veterans of U.S. foreign information campaigns of both parties critique the administration's current efforts and bemoan the "one-liners coming out of Washington." (04/28/2003)

Showdown in a Kurdish village By Ferry Biedermann
As Kurds return to claim lands and homes taken from them by Saddam Hussein, they are colliding with the Arabs who live there -- and threatening the stability of postwar Iraq. (04/28/2003)

Joe Conason's Journal
Why does a New York Times columnist say that finding Saddam's WMD no longer matters? (04/28/2003)

The world press on the war Compiled by Laura McClure
Canadian doctors describe the difficulties of getting humanitarian aid into Baghdad. (04/28/2003)

Purging the pain By Cary Tennis
After a nasty breakup, how do you go past bitterness to indifference? (04/28/2003)

The online way of death By Eve Tahmincioglu
Log on, click, buy a cremation -- hassle-free funerals are here, thanks to the Net. (04/28/2003)

The Fix By Karen Croft
Wolfowitz has words with Franken, Hemmer gets rejected and Jennifer Love Hewitt's a mane attraction at the Beltway-meets-Hollywood-B-list bacchanal. (04/27/2003)

Shakira's pop By Hillary Frey
I don't like Pepsi, and I never liked the yodeling Colombian Britney clone. Then I saw the TV ad. (04/26/2003)

Beach blanket bimbology By Heather Havrilesky
If "The Real Cancun" is a modern version of the beach-party flick, these are troubled times indeed. Here's hoping, for your sake, that you don't enjoy this smutty, shallow "reality movie" nearly as much as I did. (04/26/2003)

The dead rise from the earth By Phillip Robertson
Mass graves are discovered every day in northern Iraq. And in Mosul, an old friend of Uday Hussein is taking charge. The resonance is eerie. (04/26/2003)

Santorum and gays
For the record: What the senator said, and what other Republicans are saying about it. (04/26/2003)

Letters
Readers respond to "Kamiya vs. O'Reilly," by the editors of Salon. (04/26/2003)

GOP defends Ayatollah Santorum By Joan Walsh
If the president truly believes the Pennsylvania zealot is "an inclusive man," we're all in trouble. (04/27/2003)

"People I Know" By Stephanie Zacharek
The only thing you'll remember about this sleepy drama is Al Pacino as a baggy-eyed New York P.R. kingpin. And the role isn't even close to his best. (04/25/2003)

"It Runs in the Family" By Stephanie Zacharek
Three generations of the Douglas clan -- Kirk, Michael and grandson Cameron -- star in a bumpy but brave family comedy about old age and mortality. (04/25/2003)

"Confidence" By Charles Taylor
In this con game, Dustin Hoffman chews gum (and the scenery) and Ed Burns does his regular-guy shtick. Again. And we're the marks. (04/25/2003)

"Identity" By Andrew O'Hehir
In James Mangold's brain-teasing, heart-stopping thriller -- think "The Usual Suspects" or "Memento" -- everybody in a lonely motel's got a secret. And someone's trying to kill them all. (04/25/2003)

"Good Faith" by Jane Smiley By Laura Miller
The Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist hits the jackpot with this keenly observed novel about an ordinary man's seduction by a grandiose real estate scheme. (04/26/2003)

Happy second birthday, Salon Premium!
Thanks to our readers, we're still raising Rush Limbaugh's blood pressure -- and Bill O'Reilly's, too. (04/25/2003)

A ham from God By Anne Lamott
On my 49th birthday, my back hurt and my soul hurt. But solace came in an unexpected form. (04/25/2003)

Would you buy a U.S. foreign policy from this man? By Jake Tapper
Why the State Department's propaganda campaign to win the hearts and minds of Arabs and Muslims is a mess. (04/25/2003)

War, interrupted By Mark Fiore
Here's the war you didn't see on TV. (04/25/2003)

Joe Conason's Journal
The surrendered Iraqi deputy prime minister Tariq Aziz might know the whereabouts of Saddam. He also has embarrassing stories to tell about U.S. leaders. (04/25/2003)

I'm lonely By Cary Tennis
I've kept my HIV-positive status to myself except for one time -- and that person doesn't communicate with me anymore. (04/25/2003)

Ask the pilot By Patrick Smith
Are jet contrails really CIA poison? And how do gay flight attendants get along with redneck pilots? (04/25/2003)

The agony of crow's-feet By Heather Havrilesky
ABC continues to build its legacy of skin-deep programming with a new installment of "Extreme Makeover," in which the road to fulfillment goes through the plastic surgeon's office. (04/24/2003)

Kissing into the wind By Heather Havrilesky
Daytime TV's first lesbian kiss wasn't exactly red-hot -- but for the gay-friendly fans of "All My Children," it was better late than never. (04/24/2003)

The Fix By Karen Croft
Stanley Tucci and Edie Falco go dancing, journos loot Saddam, and Twisted Sister go USO. Plus: O.J. says no to reality show! (04/24/2003)

Are dictators mad geniuses? By Laura Miller
Two new books suggest that demented world leaders like Saddam, Idi Amin and Baby Doc Duvalier might be more like that cranky guy in the next cubicle than Hannibal Lecter. (04/24/2003)

Tom the Dancing Bug By Ruben Bolling
Lucky Ducky goes to war! (04/24/2003)

When personal assistants attack! By Elizabeth Spiers
Lauren Weisberger talks about life as an underling at Vogue, how her editor shields her from negative press, and her new roman a clef, "The Devil Wears Prada." (04/24/2003)

Middle East peace: Another painful mirage? By Aluf Benn
With Abu Mazen replacing Yasser Arafat, the prospects for peace appear the brightest in years. But neither Bush nor Sharon seems interested in seizing the moment. (04/24/2003)

Dodging bombs for peace By Michelle Goldberg
Stationed in Iraq to witness the American invasion, these activists tell a different brand of war story. (04/24/2003)

Pro-choice groups agonize over fetal murder law By Mary Papenfuss
When a NOW leader said charging Scott Peterson for the murder of his unborn son threatened abortion rights, even some feminists were horrified. But that's been pro-choice orthodoxy on fetal-rights laws -- until now. (04/24/2003)

Move over, Saddam By Tina Brown
War coverage loses traction -- and makes way for Jessica Lynch, Laci Peterson and the male rescue fantasy. (04/24/2003)

Letters
Readers respond to "Nader in 2004?" by David Talbot. (04/24/2003)

Joe Conason's Journal
A right-wing friend of Paula Jones and Ollie North pleads guilty to child pornography. Plus: The most intriguing segment in that Santorum interview. (04/24/2003)

The world press on the war Compiled by Laura McClure
The Daily Telegraph accuses a Labour M.P. of receiving payment from the former Iraqi regime. (04/24/2003)

Inferiority complex By Cary Tennis
Going to strip bars with my husband is erotic but it also makes me feel inadequate. (04/24/2003)

Habla usted Clear Channel? By Eric Boehlert
If the FCC allows the two biggest Spanish-language media companies in the U.S. to merge, it'll create a media conglomerate that will dwarf all competitors -- and could help GOP-friendly radio titan Clear Channel deliver Hispanic votes for Bush in '04. (04/24/2003)

"Better Luck Tomorrow" By Charles Taylor
This cautionary tale about Asian-American suburban teens features predictable stereotypes -- the smooth operator! the jackrabbit sociopath! -- and doesn't tell us anything new. (04/23/2003)

"The Young Unknowns" By Andrew O'Hehir
Catherine Jelski's debut feature takes a cool, intriguing glance at a decadent Hollywood Hills party where the drugs go bad and the news gets worse. (04/23/2003)

The Fix By Karen Croft
Has Madonna lost her mojo? Have we had enough of O.J. and Jacko? And what is Matt Lauer going to do with a purse? Plus: Steamy sex on a London stage! (04/23/2003)

Bestsellers
McSweeney's tales, "The Concise Family Seder" and more in this week's bestselling books, courtesy of Powells.com. (04/23/2003)

Letters
Readers respond to "The Dangers of Democracy," an interview with Fareed Zakaria. (04/23/2003)

The K Chronicles By Keith Knight
A stumbling tour of the French Quarter. (04/23/2003)

Kamiya vs. O'Reilly
Salon challenges the bullying Fox host to stop misrepresenting our "Liberation Day" story and debate its author fairly. (04/23/2003)

I should have told him I was a dyke
I was a gay woman, he was a gay man. We tried. We really, really tried. (04/23/2003)

Nader in 2004? By David Talbot
It's the most divisive issue on the left. But some Greens now say we're in a "national emergency" -- and it's time to join forces with the Democrats to beat Bush. (04/23/2003)

A festival of liberation By Ferry Biedermann
At the long-banned pilgrimage to Karbala, joyous Shia faithful yell "Thank you, Bush!" even as their leaders angrily demand that the U.S. get out of their country. (04/23/2003)

Letters By Kirstin Marr
Green Party Media Committee member Kirstin Marr responds to "An Open Letter to Ralph Nader Voters," by Charles Taylor. (04/23/2003)

Open warfare
Pentagon ally Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker, calls Colin Powell's State Department "a clear disaster." (04/23/2003)

Joe Conason's Journal
Why Rick Santorum's denunciation of gays and endorsement of a Christian moral code isn't surprising at all. (04/23/2003)

Where are the weapons? By Robert Scheer
Did our president knowingly deceive us in his rush to war? (04/23/2003)

Crony capitalism goes to war By Arianna Huffington
Capitalism's crown jewel: The Iraq contract. (04/23/2003)

Attracting the wrong women By Cary Tennis
There's a kind of girl I like, but I don't seem to get anywhere with her because I don't speak the "cool people" language. (04/23/2003)

The PATRIOT software bonanza By Katharine Mieszkowski
There are profits to be made selling computer programs that snoop out money launderers and suspicious foreign students. (04/23/2003)

"When I'm happy I'm sad -- when I'm angry I'm funny" By Amy Kroin
Parker Posey calls from Starbucks to talk about "A Mighty Wind" and her hipster career as low-impact movie star. But don't call her the Queen of Indies. (04/22/2003)

This week on DVD
Classic Cole Porter and John Woo, Shane MacGowan and the Ramones, terror in Northern Ireland and the men behind the Motown hits. (04/22/2003)

Letters
"Oh, how the mighty have fallen": Readers write in about Dennis Miller. (04/22/2003)

The Fix By Karen Croft
Edward Norton disses the prez, Ari Fleischer has groupies, and man bites dog! Plus: Naked cocktail party in London shocks no one. (04/22/2003)

Smog: "Supper" By B.R. Bickford
Seasoned songwriter Bill Callahan, aka Smog, moves away from miserabilistic anti-folk toward more amiable and reflective songs. (04/22/2003)

Story Minute By Carol Lay
The little red hen who started a war. (04/22/2003)

A nation of fashion sheep By Stephanie Zacharek
A new book says clothes-addicted Americans still dress like zombies, whether it's Old Navy or Prada that's stealing our souls. (04/23/2003)

Letters
Readers respond to "The Sound Bite and the Fury," by Louis Bayard, and "Making Passes at Passover," by Sheerly Avni. (04/22/2003)

What happened to Iraq's army? By Ferry Biedermann
Nobody knows how many thousands of Iraqi soldiers were killed -- and the U.S. doesn't seem eager to let reporters find out. (04/22/2003)

Idiocy of the week By Andrew Sullivan
A star Republican senator's remarks compare consensual gay sex to polygamy and incest -- and it's even worse than it sounds. How will his party respond? (04/22/2003)

Joe Conason's Journal
Now Rumsfeld has Newt Gingrich railing against the State Department. It's time for Powell to resign. (04/22/2003)

Yo-yo man By Cary Tennis
I'm with a man who says he doesn't believe in love, but he's loving when he's with me. Help! (04/22/2003)

The revolution will be photographed By Katherine Catmull
Fotolog combines the community-creation powers of the Internet with the ease of digital photography. The result: Everyone's an artist. (04/22/2003)

Letters
What about workplace discrimination against atheists? Readers respond to Christopher S. Stewart's "Office Politics and God." (04/22/2003)

Reinventing the McDrama By Heather Havrilesky
"Boomtown" creator Graham Yost has given the TV cop 'n' lawyer formula an extreme makeover. Will NBC give his fresh and unique show a second chance? (04/21/2003)

The Fix By Karen Croft
Traci Lords tells all, Monica is the hostess with the mostest, and Steve Buscemi is mad about firefighters! Plus: Mike Piazza confesses every time he has sex. (04/21/2003)

The dangers of democracy By Michelle Goldberg
This season's intellectual pinup, Fareed Zakaria, author of "The Future of Freedom," explains why the romantic myth of freedom could harm Iraq -- and why power elites aren't so bad. (04/21/2003)

This Modern World By Tom Tomorrow
Winning the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people. (04/21/2003)

Propaganda or journalism? By Anthony York
Congress believes a U.S. government-run TV network can deliver independent news to an Arab audience -- and make them like us, too. (04/21/2003)

An Arab Mogadishu By Phillip Robertson
A report from the most violent place in Iraq. (04/21/2003)

Joe Conason's Journal
In his decision to make war on Iraq, one neocon argues, Bush benefited from "Divine Guidance." (04/21/2003)

The world press on the war Compiled by Laura McClure
Arab News: "The Arab media succeeded in deceiving the people." (04/21/2003)

Mystery man By Cary Tennis
We've been together five years and my boyfriend won't tell me where he lives! (04/21/2003)

The Napster backlash By Joseph Menn
When Savenapster.com founder Chad Paulson decided that the file-trading pioneer cared more about money than artists, he stunned the company by changing sides. An excerpt from "All the Rave." (04/21/2003)

A file-trading ship of fools By Farhad Manjoo
Don't scapegoat greedy record execs for Napster's failure, says Joseph Menn in "All the Rave: The Rise and Fall of Shawn Fanning's Napster." The inept bunglers who ran the company have only themselves to blame. (04/21/2003)

The sound bite and the fury By Louis Bayard
Literary bad boy James Frey says Dave Eggers can eat his dust. His self-promotion is tiresome, but his addiction memoir, "A Million Little Pieces," shows he has the right stuff. (04/19/2003)

Saddam's shadow By Ferry Biedermann
In Tikrit, the fallen dictator's home, Americans are seen as occupiers, not liberators -- and some residents say they'll drive them out. (04/19/2003)

Liberate Iraq's history now! By James G. Hershberg
The U.S. should seal its commitment to a free Iraq by releasing captured documents and its own archives, so Iraqis can examine their own past. (04/19/2003)

"Malibu's Most Wanted" By Charles Taylor
Don't be hatin' -- unless you're hatin' Jamie Kennedy's lame wigga act in this witless comedy. (04/18/2003)

"Lilya 4-Ever" By Charles Taylor
Lukas Moodysson's dark fable about a Russian teen prostitute is memorable and heartfelt. Is it also just too cruel to watch? (04/18/2003)

"Winged Migration" By Stephanie Zacharek
Jacques Perrin's fierce and marvelous bird documentary makes us feel like we're flying -- and reminds us that nature can be cruel. (04/18/2003)

"Holes" By Laura Miller
Aided by Sigourney Weaver and Jon Voight as evil grown-ups, this adaptation of the beloved children's book crackles with un-Harry-like life. (04/18/2003)

"Love & Diane" By Laura Miller
This epic documentary about a family struggling with poverty and welfare has the density of Balzac -- but the "system" it portrays works surprisingly well. (04/18/2003)

The Fix By Karen Croft
Jay Leno and Katie Couric pull a switcheroo, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein sell it all, and Tony and Carmela are immortalized by Furio. Plus: Do you know who won all the marbles? (04/18/2003)

Les Nubians: "One Step Forward" By Celeste Dawn Mitchell
Nubian princesses Helene and Celia Faussart explore Caribbean rhythms, Brazilian strings and Afro-jazz on their latest album. (04/18/2003)

Letters
Readers respond to a review of Niall Ferguson's "Empire: The Rise and Demise of the British World Order and the Lessons for Global Power." (04/18/2003)

Making passes at Passover By Sheerly Avni
What do you do when six single women descend on your community seder? Duck. (04/18/2003)

Sexual turbulence in Colorado Springs By Dave Cullen
The Air Force Academy's new hard-line policies will curb rape and harassment -- but they don't do enough to protect the victims. (04/18/2003)

The secret society By Tim Grieve
Under Attorney General John Ashcroft, America is becoming an Orwellian state where people are locked up and no one can find out why -- least of all a compliant Congress. (04/18/2003)

Those Cinderella Lakers By King Kaufman
If they weren't the three-time champs, they'd be the super-cool dark-horse pick as the playoffs start. (04/18/2003)

10 great moments in jingoism By Ben Fritz
You can't say TV news didn't do its part for the war effort. A highlight reel, starring Matt, Joe, Sean and Paula. (04/18/2003)

Letters
Readers respond to "WMD, MIA?" by Jake Tapper. (04/18/2003)

A model democracy Cartoon by Mark Fiore
What could be more American than looting? (04/18/2003)

Joe Conason's Journal
What does the first lady -- a former librarian -- think of her husband's failure to protect Iraq's cultural sites? (04/18/2003)

The world press on the war Compiled by Laura McClure
The editor of a Saudi Arabian newspaper asks, "What have the Arabs done to help themselves over the last 40 years?" (04/18/2003)

Food porn By Charles Taylor
"Nigella Bites" is, without apology, the most consistently lubricious show on the air. (04/18/2003)

I am a lone cow By Cary Tennis
Is it reasonable to expect a happy love life, or in the end will it just be me, Aunt Zoey and a few too many cats? (04/18/2003)

Ask the pilot By Patrick Smith
The pilot protests the destruction of a defenseless Iraqi airliner. Plus: Geeky details about flaps, ailerons, spoilers and slats. But not flaperons. (04/18/2003)

"What if someone stole the Constitution and the Liberty Bell?" By Karen Croft
An American expert in Islamic art tries to measure the cultural devastation caused by the Baghdad museum looting. (04/17/2003)

"The Real World," with beer bongs By Heather Havrilesky
MTV's "Fraternity Life" brings back all the boneheaded bluster and enforced insularity of campus Greeks and their semi-anarchic pack mentality. (04/17/2003)

The Fix By Karen Croft
Madonna likes sex, Colin Farrell likes Sean's wife, Oliver likes Castro too much and Cage likes his comic books more than he likes Lisa Marie! (04/17/2003)

"Empire" by Niall Ferguson By Farhad Manjoo
In Niall Ferguson's new book, the British Empire was a good thing for everybody -- and the American empire now being born should take lessons from our stiff-upper-lipped forebears. (04/17/2003)

Tom the Dancing Bug By Ruben Bolling
Now you can own a version of the M-1 Abrams tank: It's the M-Wunner! (04/17/2003)

Over your dead body By Sheerly Avni
Mary Roach talks about decay, body recycling, gravediggers and her new book, "Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers." (04/17/2003)

Dead man decomposing
An excerpt from "Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers," by Mary Roach. (04/17/2003)

The end of civilization By Louise Witt
The sacking of Iraq's museums is like a "lobotomy" of an entire culture, say art experts. And they warned the Pentagon repeatedly of this potential catastrophe months before the war. (04/17/2003)

Terrorism or hate crime? By Eric Boehlert
U.S. authorities apply different labels to crimes committed by two extremists -- one Muslim, the other Jewish. (04/17/2003)

The unfortunate poster boy By Joan Walsh
The U.S. military airlifted 12-year-old Iraqi orphan Ali Abbas to Kuwait for better medical care. But he's still angry that we killed his family. What's his problem? (04/17/2003)

The new idea men By Tina Brown
Forget the embeds. The pretty new things are war intellectuals like Fareed Zakaria, Paul Berman and Victor Hanson. (04/17/2003)

Letters
Readers respond to "Onward Christian Soldiers" by Max Blumenthal. (04/17/2003)

Joe Conason's Journal
Bush wants the U.N. to lift economic sanctions. The U.N. wants to verify any WMD. Let's make a deal. (04/17/2003)

The world press on the war Compiled by Laura McClure
An angry American peace activist has become a legend among U.S. troops stationed in Iraq. (04/17/2003)

I need some happy advice By Cary Tennis
It's spring break, my girlfriend is coming and I need to know what flowers to buy! (04/17/2003)

Office politics and God By Christopher S. Stewart
Muslims, Jews, Pentecostal Baptists -- religious discrimination in the workplace is an equal-opportunity troublemaker. (04/17/2003)

Don't mess with Wal-Mart By Katharine Mieszkowski
The bar code-hacking Web site Re-Code.com shuts down, though not without firing some last-second salvos at evil chain store hegemonic domination. (04/17/2003)

"Bulletproof Monk" By Charles Taylor
Chow Yun-Fat battles aging Nazis and trains an American disciple in this lightweight but delightful martial-arts romp. (04/16/2003)

"A Mighty Wind" By Stephanie Zacharek
Christopher Guest and his "Best in Show" cohorts are back, mocking the survivors of '60s folk music in this work of sideways comic genius. (04/16/2003)

The Fix By Karen Croft
Jack Nicholson talks about his LSD trip with Cary Grant, Sharon Bush talks to Kitty Kelley, and Tony Blair talks to Homer Simpson! Plus: Can Paula fill Connie's Jimmy Choos? (04/16/2003)

Eric Idle: "The Rutland Isles" By Andrew Cline
The ex-Monty Python star visits tropical islands that have been spared from English documentary makers in brown shorts. (04/16/2003)

Bestsellers
"Why Are We at War?" and more in this week's bestselling books, courtesy of Powells.com. (04/16/2003)

The K Chronicles By Keith Knight
Coming to your country soon! (04/16/2003)

Your glow stick could land you in jail By Janelle Brown
The latest incarnation of the RAVE Act punishes drug users and bystanders alike -- and tramples civil liberties. (04/16/2003)

Rise to the occasion
I spent 24 hours with him stark naked, doing my best. My best wasn't good enough. (04/16/2003)

Betrayal, or just business? By King Kaufman
In 2000 Roy Williams said he couldn't abandon his players to leave Kansas for North Carolina. Now he can, and some players feel betrayed. (04/16/2003)

"Not America, not Saddam, just Islam!" By Ferry Biedermann
In the Baghdad slum formerly known as Saddam City, gunfire and bloody mayhem break out in a packed meeting hall, as Shiite sheiks move in to Iraq's power vacuum. (04/17/2003)

WMD, MIA? By Jake Tapper
Hasty, incomplete news reports have suggested that coalition troops found chemical weapons, or even nukes, in Iraq. They haven't -- at least not yet. And the rest of world is watching skeptically. (04/16/2003)

Letters
Readers respond to "Reagan Blasts Bush," by David Talbot, and "Swinging Left" by Andrew Sullivan. (04/16/2003)

Joe Conason's Journal
We invaded Iraq to seize weapons of mass destruction, but a U.S. Army inspector suggests that the U.S should lower its expectations. (04/16/2003)

The world press on the war Compiled by Laura McClure
Iraqi witnesses say the rescue of Pvt. Jessica Lynch was staged. (04/16/2003)

Why the antiwar movement was right By Arianna Huffington
The speedy fall of Baghdad proves a preemptive strike was unnecessary. (04/16/2003)

"A bully can be stopped. So can a mob"
Tim Robbins lashes back at the lynch mob calling for his head and those of other peace activists. (04/16/2003)

He calls me stupid By Cary Tennis
The war, and our inability to disagree on it, has been hurting our relationship. (04/16/2003)

The joy of no sex By Sam Langley
Celibacy becomes an invitation to be a better father, a better citizen of the world, and, yes, even a better husband. (04/16/2003)

Death of a cheerleader By Om Malik
Red Herring is gone, and so is the boom it chronicled. But the magazine's optimism wasn't misplaced -- it was right on target. (04/16/2003)

Letters
It's time to break through the text barrier: Voice-operated-computer advocate William Crossman responds to Sheldon Pacotti's "Are We Doomed Yet?" (04/16/2003)

This week on DVD
"Spirited Away" and other classic anime from Hayao Miyazaki, an almost-forgotten '80s musical, the action star who couldn't and the long-awaited DVD premiere of "Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo." (04/15/2003)

Letters
Readers agree: "The Daily Show" is better than the news. Plus, thank god for Big Bird, and a defense of James Cameron. (04/15/2003)

The Fix By Karen Croft
Will Michael Moore throw a turd in the punch bowl? Will there be a lesbian kiss on a daytime soap? And who is sexier to French men -- Anna Kournikova or Britney Spears? Plus: A Marilyn Monroe crime story. (04/15/2003)

"The Songs of the Kings" by Barry Unsworth By Laura Miller
How a glorious war of liberation turned to maniacal carnage and devastation -- in this gripping historical novel, it happened 3,000 years ago, when the Greeks laid siege to Troy. (04/15/2003)

Story Minute By Carol Lay
Baghdad bagged. (04/15/2003)

Is Bush a stuffed pussy? By Lisa Gabriele
What the latest trend in taxidermy can teach us about foreign affairs. (04/15/2003)

Onward Christian soldiers By Max Blumenthal
Conservative fundamentalists with close ties to President Bush are planning a new missionary push in Iraq -- and they might already be converting U.S. troops to their cause. (04/15/2003)

Letters
Readers respond to "Liberation Day" by Gary Kamiya. (04/15/2003)

"Messy and slow, like eating soup with a knife" By Joel Turnipseed
Lawrence of Arabia's brilliant memoir reminds us that the hard part is not defeating Iraq, but occupying it. (04/15/2003)

Heat-packing journalists By Christopher Orlet
Thanks to CNN, journalists approaching military checkpoints are now presumed armed -- if not dangerous. (04/15/2003)

Joe Conason's Journal
The White House agitates -- falsely -- against Syria. Our allies keep cooler heads. But who will prevail? (04/15/2003)

The world press on the war Compiled by Laura McClure
As U.S.-Syria relations deteriorate, a British newscaster protests that the Syrian president "only recently had tea with the Queen." (04/15/2003)

How do I go on? By Cary Tennis
The love of my life was killed, and I can't stop thinking about him. (04/15/2003)

The copyright cops strike again By Farhad Manjoo
Two researchers at a computer security conference are served cease-and-desist orders moments before they're scheduled to speak. (04/15/2003)

Snatching "Victor" from the jaws of defeat By Jacob Kornbluth
My film opened on Sept. 11. My friend's movie, "Raising Victor Vargas," opened during the war with Iraq. We talk about timing -- and how to put politics in movies without becoming Michael Moore. (04/14/2003)

Dennis the menace By Heather Havrilesky
In his latest HBO special, Dennis Miller blends high-speed highbrow chatter with juvenile macho aggression, like a grade-school bully wearing his Sunday best. (04/14/2003)

The Fix By Karen Croft
Penelope and Charlize are in love, Spike Lee is pissed, and the country's hottest gossip columnist won't say if he's in the CIA. Plus: Justin Timberlake wins a burping contest (04/14/2003)

Gravy Train!!!!: "Hello Doctor" By Nick Hallett
The riotous debut offering from this electropunk outfit is a send-up of old-school hip-hop, '90s diva house and classic surf rock. (04/14/2003)

"The Spooky Art" by Norman Mailer By Aaron Hicklin
In a new volume of advice to young writers, the great man of American letters weighs his own legacy -- and finds it wanting. (04/14/2003)

This Modern World By Tom Tomorrow
SAPS: Mystery epidemic sweeps the nation. (04/14/2003)

Lynda Barry
Incoming! (04/14/2003)

We spay cats and dogs, why not people?
Readers respond to Daniel Costello's profile of an organization that provides voluntary paid sterilization services to drug addicts. Plus -- Saddam Hussein and the return of the mustache. (04/14/2003)

The war over the peace By Michelle Goldberg
The Pentagon, the State Department and the U.N. are fighting over who controls postwar Iraq. It's a battle that could be more critical than the military campaign. (04/14/2003)

Reagan blasts Bush By David Talbot
"My father crapped bigger ones than George Bush," says the former president's son, in a flame-throwing conversation about the war and the Bush administration's efforts to lay claim to the Reagan legacy. (04/14/2003)

Joe Conason's Journal
Was it coincidence that troops were sent to defend the Oil Ministry and not the National Museum of Antiquities? (04/14/2003)

The world press on the war Compiled by Laura McClure
A $200 million banking scandal in Jordan tars the Pentagon's choice to succeed Saddam. (04/14/2003)

Baghdad did not fall -- it was handed over By Jalal Ghazi
The Arabic media is rife with speculation that the Saudi regime brokered a secret deal between the White House and Iraq's ruling party. (04/14/2003)

Recovering and confused By Cary Tennis
I was raped during a blackout and didn't tell anyone. Now what do I do? (04/14/2003)

Who killed Miss Norway? By Tracy Spaight
Five years ago, the news that a beauty pageant participant had died in a car crash stunned her virtual world friends. But was it really an accident? (04/14/2003)

Swinging left By Andrew Sullivan
Ultimately, the best reasons for supporting the war were liberal, humanitarian ones. Will antiwar leftists be able to accept that? (04/13/2003)

"Look, Saddam is being pulled like a donkey" By Phillip Robertson
Kurds swarm into Kirkuk and take hammers to a hated statue of the dictator. (04/12/2003)

Cry, the despoiled city By Phillip Robertson
Abandoned by the Iraqi army and unprotected by Kurds or Americans, Mosul burns, as looters dismember its ancient splendors and its archaeological heritage is smashed to bits. (04/12/2003)

"Ghosts of the Abyss" By Charles Taylor
With an overblown techno-spectacle in giant 3-D IMAX, James Cameron disgraces those who died on the Titanic -- again. (04/11/2003)

"Anger Management" By Stephanie Zacharek
The only thing you'll be mad about is spending 10 bucks to watch Jack Nicholson and Adam Sandler try too hard. (04/11/2003)

The Fix By Karen Croft
Melanie Griffith bares her tattoo, Bill Clinton draws boos, Snoop Dogg draws fire, and Sean Penn needs driving lessons. Plus: John Lennon on Broadway? (04/11/2003)

Deerhoof: "Apple O'" By Marshall York
San Francisco noise pop band Deerhoof's glorious new album can soothe you to sleep or kick you in the head. (04/11/2003)

Bestsellers
A Gulf War memoir and more in this week's bestselling books courtesy of Powells.com. (04/11/2003)

Letters
Readers respond to an interview with pro-war liberal Paul Berman on the future of Iraq. (04/11/2003)

Falling better By Anne Lamott
It was the last Easter my friend Sue was ever going to have. So we celebrated with a ski trip. (04/11/2003)

The tyrant of Cooperstown By King Kaufman
The Republican hack who runs baseball's Hall of Fame censors "Bull Durham's" Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins. (04/11/2003)

Disasters of war
Photos you're unlikely to see on U.S. television. (04/11/2003)

Conservative constitutional catfight! By Jake Tapper
Right-wing activists team up with the left-wing ACLU to bash the PATRIOT Act. The Justice Department is not amused. (04/11/2003)

Sanitized for our protection By Eric Boehlert
The rest of the world is shown far more graphic war images than the U.S. media allows. Is the American public being insulated from the true horrors of the battlefield? (04/12/2003)

Rummy Co. Cartoon by Mark Fiore
The full-service Pentagon! (04/11/2003)

Letters
Readers respond to Salon foreign correspondent Phillip Robertson's coverage of the war in Iraq. (04/11/2003)

Liberation day By Gary Kamiya
Even those opposed to the war should celebrate a shining moment in the history of freedom -- the fall of Saddam Hussein. (04/11/2003)

The world press on the war Compiled by Laura McClure
Haaretz: "What was born this week in Baghdad was a new Middle East." (04/11/2003)

Joe Conason's Journal
The campaign to install a controversial dissident as Iraq's new leader begins in earnest. (04/11/2003)

Dating conundrum By Cary Tennis
Can you date a friend's ex if she's just sort of a friend? (04/11/2003)

When nudists swung By David Bowman
Reliving the glory days of Jaybird, the mid-'60s magazine for randy nature lovers. (04/11/2003)

Ask the pilot By Patrick Smith
The pilot goes south, to the anti-paradise of Santo Domingo and the tropic embrace of Guatemala City. (04/11/2003)

Why does everybody love "Raymond"? By Heather Havrilesky
Because its stories and cast make it one of the best, and funniest, sitcoms on TV. Creator Phil Rosenthal talks about the success of his show as it nears its final season. (04/10/2003)

The Fix By Karen Croft
Alec Baldwin rants, Sean Penn smokes, Nicole Kidman holds hands, and Rush Limbaugh makes things up! Plus: Could Meg Ryan be in love? (04/10/2003)

The Essex Green: "The Long Goodbye" By Anne O'Neil
The Brooklyn trio's latest CD charms with harmony-laden, sweet '60s pop tunes. (04/11/2003)

"It's a catastrophe for tyranny. It's a great day" By Suzy Hansen
Pro-war liberal Paul Berman celebrates the fall of Baghdad. But the real fight for Iraqi freedom, he warns, lies ahead -- and will take years. (04/10/2003)

Tom the Dancing Bug By Ruben Bolling
Where can God-Man be? (04/10/2003)

The 'stache is back By Shana Ting Lipton
It's fuzzy! It's scuzzy! And it's adorning upper lips all over L.A. (04/10/2003)

The last place we liberated By Jake Tapper
The White House calls Afghanistan a success story. But the failure to commit needed resources has left it a chaotic, increasingly dangerous country where violent warlords run amok. Are we going to repeat our mistake in Iraq? (04/10/2003)

Ecstatic, for today By Michelle Goldberg
Iraqis who have been divided in exile unite, if only briefly, to celebrate their country's release from "the choking hand of Saddam." (04/10/2003)

Pax Schwarzenegger By Neal Gabler
He's got the boots and the twang, but Bush is no cowboy when it comes to foreign policy. Instead, he's the Terminator, a cyborg lumbering through a very long revenge movie. (04/10/2003)

Saddam's horrors brought home By Tina Brown
The images out of Iraq are shaming. Why did it take so long for us to care? (04/10/2003)

The world press on the war Compiled by Laura McClure
There was rich symbolism in the way Iraqis celebrated the fall of Baghdad. Here's how to decode it. (04/10/2003)

Joe Conason's Journal
The libertarian Cato Institute claims that Human Rights Watch has never criticized Iraq. It's lying. (04/10/2003)

Among the Democrats By Jake Tapper
On a big night for the sitting president, his Democratic challengers gather together to rally the faithful -- and crack Bush jokes. (04/10/2003)

The old crush thing By Cary Tennis
The way he organized the office NCAA pool just stole my heart, but I'm afraid it's unrequited lust. (04/10/2003)

Letters
Monopoly? What monopoly? Readers respond to Chishen Wei's "The Comcast Shakedown." (04/10/2003)

"Please step to the side, sir" By Farhad Manjoo
The airlines' "no-fly" list is riddled with cases of mistaken identity. But the government's solution may be even more invasive. (04/10/2003)

Steal this barcode By Katharine Mieszkowski
Re-Code.com offers a do-it-yourself product repricing service. Wal-Mart is not amused. (04/10/2003)

"Not every question has an answer" By Ken Foster
Rosanne Cash talks about her ailing dad, the Dixie Chicks and the war, losing her voice and the new album that helped her find it again. (04/09/2003)

The Fix By Karen Croft
Madonna is everywhere, Pamela Anderson avoids a fashion faux pas, and Kato Kaelin won't go away! Plus: Can everyone just leave Aaron Brown alone? (04/09/2003)

Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks: "Pig Lib" By Rob Young
After a sub-par solo debut, Malkmus the Irreverent returns to form, effortlessly spanning the gap between quirky pop and hard rock. (04/09/2003)

The K Chronicles By Keith Knight
In this time of war, we take time out to focus on the positive. (04/09/2003)

Love came to the leather bar
It was a one-night stand -- until my shrink told me to follow the guy cross-country. (04/09/2003)

"Am-ri-ka! Am-ri-ka! Am-ri-ka!" By Phillip Robertson
After suffering years of Saddam's ethnic cleansing and a night of U.S. bombing, the residents of Mahad greet Americans with chants and stories and shouts of joy. (04/10/2003)

A battlefield far from the front By Mike McPhate and Jessi Hempel
With the anger of the Muslim world focused on Iraq, jihadis extend the war to volatile Kashmir -- leaving 24 Hindus dead and hope deeply strained. (04/10/2003)

Syria: Hoping the U.S. fails By Ferry Biedermann
While the regime hopes the U.S. stumbles into a quagmire, Iraqi exiles argue about whether Bush or Saddam is the bigger enemy. (04/09/2003)

How neoconservatives conquered Washington -- and launched a war By Michael Lind
First they converted an ignorant, inexperienced president to their pro-Israel, hawkish worldview. Then 9/11 allowed them to claim Iraq threatened the U.S. The rest is on CNN tonight. (04/09/2003)

Watching Saddam fall By Joan Walsh
I thrilled to see Baghdadis topple the statue of their tyrant. And yet it's entirely too early for us to know exactly what it means. (04/09/2003)

The world press on the war Compiled by Laura McClure
While Baghdad celebrates, elsewhere in Iraq a U.S.-backed Iraqi militia is terrorizing residents. (04/09/2003)

The view from Saddam's throne By Robert Scheer
Though the White House may declare victory in Iraq, the most dangerous days are ahead. (04/09/2003)

Legacy of the Tulia drug sting By Arianna Huffington
Thirteen people remain locked up in Texas on the word of a corrupt cop. In the bucks-for-busts world of drug task forces, that's not an aberration. (04/09/2003)

Joe Conason's Journal
Only the Iraqis themselves can determine whether the cost of this victory was too great. (04/09/2003)

A meditation on sex and death By Nuala O'Faolain
Why we need to make love to the Iraqis after we've made war -- and why we won't. (04/09/2003)

A May/December romance By Cary Tennis
In love, how big an age difference is too big? (04/09/2003)

"Well-behaved women rarely make history" By Katharine Mieszkowski
The computing world mourns the passing of technologist Anita Borg. (04/09/2003)

Letters
"You've pushed my love over the borderline": Readers respond to Heather Havrilesky's essay about Madonna's new antiwar video. (04/09/2003)

Out of luck By Heather Havrilesky
FX's new dark comedy "Lucky" follows a hipster Vegas gambler as he wallows in the low life. Don't bet on it. (04/08/2003)

This week on DVD
Starring Billy Bob on the way to a monster truck rally, Kim Basinger as a gangster's gal, and Lars von Trier before Dogme. (04/08/2003)

TV's boldest news show By Laura Miller
OK, it's fictitious -- but so is our presidency. Jon Stewart's "The Daily Show" pulls the pants down on the fakes and fanatics who are leading us into the future. (04/08/2003)

The Fix By Karen Croft
Bono will sing with Luciano, Russell sings to his bride, and Cher sings -- for the last time? Plus: Ozzie and Britney do fashion week in L.A.! (04/08/2003)

Letters
Joseph Braude responds to Laura Miller's review of his book "The New Iraq." (04/08/2003)

"The Cutting Room" by Louise Welsh By Charles Taylor
A Glasgow antiques dealer finds horrible pictures in a dead man's house, in this captivating thriller from a new Scottish writer. (04/08/2003)

Story Minute By Carol Lay
Will the real Saddam Hussein please stand up? (04/08/2003)

Is CRACK wack? By Daniel Costello
An organization that pays drug-addicted women to get sterilized is increasingly getting referrals from publicly funded agencies. Its supporters say it's saving babies from being born into hellish lives. Its critics say it's practicing "Hitleresque eugenics." (04/08/2003)

Sophomore jinx By King Kaufman
With freshman phenom Carmelo Anthony hurting, some unlikely heroes lead Syracuse over Kansas in the NCAA title game. (04/08/2003)

Sudden death from the sky By Phillip Robertson
The burning truck and scattered carnage bothered him and everyone who saw it. It became a mental fever that got worse the more we thought about it. (04/09/2003)

Home Front: Life during wartime By Andrew Nelson
In the Republican ranch lands of West Texas, the peace movement keeps a silent vigil. (04/08/2003)

The world press on the war Compiled by Laura McClure
The International Federation of Journalists has accused U.S. military commanders of targeting non-embedded journalists -- particularly al-Jazeera. (04/08/2003)

Joe Conason's Journal
Baghdad is falling. So why not wait until we have a clear shot at Saddam before dropping more bombs? (04/08/2003)

Personal earthquake By Cary Tennis
I'm in love with a man who was abused by a priest. (04/08/2003)

The Comcast shakedown By Chishen Wei
Flush with its purchase of AT&T Broadband, the biggest cable company on the block intends to make size matter. (04/08/2003)

"Sesame Street" cred By Heather Havrilesky
After 33 years, Snuffleupagus isn't imaginary and Elmo gets too much airtime, but the best kids' show ever still educates with honesty, humor and loads of charm. (04/07/2003)

The Fix By Karen Croft
Polanski is pissed, Halle Berry is naked, and Victoria Gotti is canned. Plus: Justin Timberlake in a British brouhaha! (04/07/2003)

The Go-Betweens: "Bright Yellow, Bright Orange" By Ross White
The Australian indie pop cult band from the '80s is back with a second album after reuniting in 2000. (04/07/2003)

Letters
Readers respond to Laura Miller on "The New Iraq," an interview with author Helen Knode, and a review of Hunter S. Thompson's latest book. (04/08/2003)

This Modern World By Tom Tomorrow
It's time to check in on ... Parallel Earth! (04/07/2003)

End of story By Michael Taeckens
He wasn't gay, but after he broke up with his girlfriend he dated me for four months. Then he shot himself. (04/07/2003)

The Salon Interview: Bill Moyers By Andrew O'Hehir
The conscience of American journalism speaks his mind about Bush, LBJ, Iraq, Vietnam, the triumph of America's global power and the withering of its democracy. (04/08/2003)

Seniors and phenoms By King Kaufman
Recent history favors veteran Kansas to win the NCAA title game, but recent history never met Syracuse freshman Carmelo Anthony. (04/07/2003)

The world press on the war Compiled by Laura McClure
Haaretz links U.S. pro-Israeli lobbyists to Iraqi opposition leaders. Plus more news from the international press. (04/07/2003)

Joe Conason's Journal
Most Americans no longer care whether weapons of mass destruction are found in Iraq. But to the rest of the world, the issue remains crucial. (04/07/2003)

I'm dangerous By Cary Tennis
I force good men to leave and keep the bad ones. What's wrong with me? (04/07/2003)

How do you say "regime change" in Arabic? By Katharine Mieszkowski
Don't look for your tattered dictionary -- just pull out the Phraselator! (04/07/2003)

"I don't need any lessons in patriotism from the likes of Tom DeLay"
The text of Kerry's fiery retort to GOP draft dodgers. (04/05/2003)

"The Man Without a Past" By Charles Taylor
Aki Kaurismaki's hip Finnish comedy delivers the kind of deadpan heart that Jim Jarmusch loves. (04/04/2003)

"The Guys" By Stephanie Zacharek
Sigourney Weaver shines as a writer who helps a New York fire captain, played by Anthony LaPaglia, find the words to remember the men he lost on Sept. 11. (04/04/2003)

"Cowboy Bebop: The Movie" By Stephanie Zacharek
This switched-on futuristic anime noir is visually stunning -- and it makes a lot more sense than "Spirited Away"! (04/04/2003)

"Phone Booth" By Andrew O'Hehir
Kiefer Sutherland is on the line, and he'll say anything to Colin Farrell to steal 80 minutes of your precious time. Just hang up! (04/04/2003)

"A Man Apart" By Jeff Stark
Yes, Vin Diesel still rocks. But you wouldn't know it from this dreary, predictable sub-"Traffic" action flick. (04/04/2003)

The Fix By Karen Croft
Clinton and Gere bury the hatchet, Jennifer and Brad try to stop watching reality TV and Rob Lowe is scared of vampires. Plus: "Sopranos" news! (04/04/2003)

Mat Maneri Quartet: "Sustain" By Ehren Gresehover
Avant-garde violinist Maneri's latest release is an ambitious work of thoughtfully constructed free jazz. (04/04/2003)

"Bay of Souls" by Robert Stone By Laura Miller
A Midwestern professor's kinky affair with a Caribbean colleague takes him to an island where violence and voodoo reign. (04/04/2003)

Hot, sweaty and scandalous By Nora Isaacs
Bikram Choudhury, founder of the fastest-growing style of yoga in America, has copyrighted his poses and is threatening to sue anyone who teaches his "hot" style without permission. Is this enlightenment? (04/04/2003)

Can this marriage be saved? By Mary Papenfuss
An expert says the U.S. and the U.N. may be at each other's throats right now, but they need each other too much to break up. (04/04/2003)

NBA to rescue Final Four? By King Kaufman
Don't you believe it. The league's likely new age limit will help owners' bottom lines, not college hoops. (04/04/2003)

Fury and favor in the Arab world By Eric Boehlert
While Qatar welcomes Uncle Sam, Egyptian police torture antiwar protesters. If the war lasts long, some say, the scales may tip toward rage. (04/04/2003)

"All kinds of metal was flying through the air" By Phillip Robertson
Under withering Iraqi fire, I hunker down on a hilltop with a handful of U.S. and Kurdish soldiers -- and cheer the cluster bombs. (04/04/2003)

Shock and awe -- revised! Cartoon by Mark Fiore
This time, there's enough for everyone. (04/04/2003)

How to think about this war if you're against it By Joan Walsh
I hope for a U.S. victory with minimum bloodshed and maximum freedom for the Iraqi people. But I also want the cakewalk conservatives to pay for their hubris politically. (04/04/2003)

Letters
A counterpoint to a Canadian reader's letter on Salon war coverage. Plus: Responses to "War? What War?" by Jake Tapper, and "Briefing for a Descent Into Hell" by Fred Branfman. (04/04/2003)

Joe Conason's Journal
Rumsfeld wants to turn Iraq over to Ahmad Chalabi and former CIA director James Woolsey. Maybe peace and democracy aren't the defense secretary's top priorities. (04/04/2003)

The world press on the war Compiled by Laura McClure
In Bush's postwar Iraq, a former CIA director with Israeli connections may head the Information Ministry. (04/04/2003)

Mike Kelly: A man of conviction By Andrew Sullivan
He criticized the Clintons and supported Bush's foreign policy -- and yet the first U.S. reporter to die in the Iraq war was more a liberal than many others who claim to the label. (04/04/2003)

Give 'em hell, Kerry By Joan Walsh
The presidential candidate -- and decorated war veteran -- fires back at his GOP critics. Will the rest of the Democratic Party take his lead and fight fire with fire? (04/04/2003)

Fear of fleeing By Cary Tennis
I actually spent a summer in Phoenix to get away from memories of a failed relationship. (04/04/2003)

Naked on the set! Finale By Paul Festa
Wherein my life becomes a surreal blend of "Hedwig" and "All About Eve." (04/04/2003)

Death and taxes By Farhad Manjoo
Do tax cuts plus war equal the right medicine for an ailing economy? (04/04/2003)

The Madonna video you can't see on MTV By Heather Havrilesky
A bootleg copy of her bomb-throwing "American Life" video proves provocative -- but not nearly as disturbing as her decision to yank it. (04/03/2003)

"American Life" -- the video
Watch or download it here. (04/03/2003)

The Fix By Karen Croft
Liv Tyler marries a hog, Russell wants his privacy, and Eddie Vedder pisses off some fans. Plus: The Brits name targets after Bond gal pals (04/03/2003)

The Believer By Matthew DeBord
Dave Eggers is back -- sort of -- with a lively new monthy magazine from his McSweeney's team that attacks poison-pen literary cynics. So do we dare criticize the Believer? (04/03/2003)

Tom the Dancing Bug By Ruben Bolling
Super-Fun-Pak Comix: Armchair Warrior, Jasper the Friendly American, and more! (04/03/2003)

"White Oleander" unplugged By Nell Bernstein
In her remarkable and unsentimental new memoir, "Like Family: Growing Up in Other People's Houses," Paula McLain recalls a tumultuous childhood in the foster care system. (04/03/2003)

Are we safer now? Are we as free? By David Talbot
Steven Brill talks about his new book, "After," and America in the "September 12 era." (04/03/2003)

Death trap By Louise Witt
Iraqis tell their American relatives of the daily horror of being caught between Saddam's death squads and the ferocious firepower of the U.S. military. (04/03/2003)

Why won't anyone listen to Gary Hart? By Jake Tapper
The former, and possibly future, presidential candidate says he pushed a resolution that could have kept the U.S. out of war. But no Democratic leader wanted to hear it. (04/03/2003)

Village people By Phillip Robertson
In Sator, a Kurdish town caught between Iraqi guns and American bombs, the elder digs in his heels and refuses to budge. (04/03/2003)

Preemptive strikes By Tina Brown
Bush and Rummy lose their starring roles -- and so do I. (04/03/2003)

Blair: "Mistakes will be made"
In an article written for the Arab press, Prime Minister Tony Blair explains why the U.K. is "reluctantly undertaking" this war despite the loss of lives. (04/03/2003)

Joe Conason's Journal
The Pentagon appears to back an Iraqi expat once convicted of embezzlement and theft to lead the post-Saddam government. But at least one prominent neocon has voiced doubts about Ahmed Chalabi. (04/03/2003)

The world press on the war Compiled by Laura McClure
Inside a fetid Iraqi torture chamber, the BBC discovers the discarded identity cards of dozens of men. (04/03/2003)

Natural selection By Cary Tennis
Is it a sign of self-hatred that I'm not attracted to men of my own race? (04/03/2003)

Ask the pilot By Patrick Smith
Will the war in Iraq spell doom for U.S. airlines and their workers? (04/03/2003)

"Raising Victor Vargas" By Stephanie Zacharek
A small picture about growing up and falling in love in New York's Lower East Side delivers far more than its own modest resources. (04/02/2003)

"The Good Thief" By Charles Taylor
A stoned Nick Nolte lumbers through Monte Carlo in Neil Jordan's dazzling, free-spirited remake of a French crime classic. (04/02/2003)

The Fix By Karen Croft
Ben and J.Lo star in a stinker, the Donald stars in a reality show, and Russell Crowe writes a down and dirty song. Plus: Who is the new Walter Cronkite? (04/02/2003)

Sybarite: "Nonument" By Thomas Bartlett
Former Silver Apples member Xian Hawkins' first album under the moniker Sybarite is a collection of intriguing cinematic mood pieces. (04/02/2003)

"Why are movies bad and how do women get dead?" By Barbara O'Dair
Film critic-turned-crime writer Helen Knode on her first novel, the soul-crushing deadness of Hollywood, the greatness of "Titanic" and her relationship with husband James Ellroy. (04/02/2003)

Bestsellers
McSweeney's tales, Howard Zinn and more in this week's bestselling books, courtesy of Powells.com. (04/02/2003)

The K Chronicles By Keith Knight
In the interest of objectivity, your humble narrator attends an anti-peace rally. (04/02/2003)

Blonde seeks Jew
I just love men with prominent noses and liberal attitudes. (04/03/2003)

"Support our troops. Bring them home"
Readers respond to "Why Is My Country Turning Against Me?" by Stephanie Booth. (04/02/2003)

Nightmare scenarios By Steven Brill
Would a dirty bomb make Washington uninhabitable? Would another terror offensive make civil liberties obsolete? The final installment from "After." (04/02/2003)

Death by sneezing By Arthur Allen
As the U.S. hunts for germ weapons in Iraq, world health officials scramble to stop a fatal mystery disease that spreads like the common cold. (04/02/2003)

War? What war? By Jake Tapper
Dean, McAuliffe and the DNC wine and dine the party faithful in New York, pretending affirmative action, abortion and ethanol are really what's on their minds. (04/02/2003)

Letters
A Canadian reader weighs in on Salon's war coverage. Plus: Responses to "'A Million Mogadishus,'" by Andrew Sullivan. (04/02/2003)

Briefing for a descent into hell By Fred Branfman
A wide-eyed extraterrestrial is instructed about how a man named Bush became the most powerful leader on Earth -- and how he led the planet into chaos. (04/02/2003)

Rebuilding Iraq By Laura Miller
American officials are squabbling over how to put post-Saddam Iraq back together again. The fate of the entire region may rest on whether they get it right. (04/02/2003)

Kucinich: "Stop this war now"
In a speech to the House, Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich urges representatives to "rescue this nation from a war that is wrong." (04/02/2003)

Joe Conason's Journal
Donald Rumsfeld seems furious about attacks on the war plan in Iraq. But he never hesitated to criticize the Clinton administration's war in Kosovo. (04/02/2003)

The world press on the war Compiled by Laura McClure
Rumsfeld tells Powell that he, not the secretary of state, will be in charge of postwar Iraq. (04/02/2003)

Corporate America's "most wanted" By Arianna Huffington
A roundup of the slimiest offenders on Wall Street. (04/02/2003)

Redefining "terror" By Robert Scheer
In the propaganda war, Iraqi civilian deaths are either "terrorist tactics" or "collateral damage" -- depending on who caused them. (04/02/2003)

Burning down the house By Cary Tennis
I need to be married to stay in the country, but I'm in love with someone who's not my wife. (04/02/2003)

This week on DVD
A smoldering tale of forbidden love. Plus: WB actors when they were young enough to play teenagers, and rare Beatles footage. (04/01/2003)

Hard luck, red wine and loneliness By Julene Snyder
Lisa Germano made her hauntingly beautiful record alone, then turned down a tour so she could take care of her cat. (04/01/2003)

The Fix By Karen Croft
Peter Jackson takes on "King Kong," Cher takes on Michael Jackson, and Al Gore sticks up for the Dixie Chicks. Plus: Is Vin Diesel a sensitive guy? (04/01/2003)

Story Minute By Carol Lay
When things get ugly, get a new slogan! (04/01/2003)

"Why is my country turning against me?" By Stephanie Booth
At an emotional Fort Dix support group, families of soldiers wonder why the country isn't unified behind them. (04/01/2003)

Put your pants back on!
Readers respond to "Bushes Against Bush," by Shanna Germain. Also, letters about Anne Lamott and a nurse's dispatch from Baghdad. (04/01/2003)

Protecting America By Steven Brill
In the second selection from "After," Tom Ridge is drafted for homeland security and Anthony Romero maneuvers the ACLU into the post 9/11-era. (04/01/2003)

Daschle's SOS By Jake Tapper
The nation's top Democrat wages his own little war. (04/01/2003)

Fact and fiction at the Wall Street Journal By Eric Boehlert
Liberal pundit Roger Wilkins gets slammed for a quote deemed insensitive to U.S. troops. Just one problem: Wilkins never spoke those words. (04/01/2003)

"For no good reason" By Michelle Goldberg
Military families opposed to the war face a double anguish: Losing their loved ones for a cause they don't believe in. (04/01/2003)

Joe Conason's Journal
Peter Arnett is arrogant, not anti-American. Plus: Ex-New York Mayor Ed Koch's casual disregard for Arab lives. (04/01/2003)

The world press on the war Compiled by Laura McClure
"It was insane ... I don't care if they nuke that bloody city": A harrowing report on the messy streetfighting in Nasiriya. (04/01/2003)

How did I get here? By Cary Tennis
I'm stuck in a box, like a dog that's been shocked into submission. (04/01/2003)