March 2004

These kids are alright By Thomas Bartlett
Songs from an indie bad boy, an actress and (sorry) Eminem. Plus: An instrumental loop I cannot get out of my head. (03/31/2004)

Alive and kicking By Charles Taylor
When the stripper extravaganza "Showgirls" opened, nearly every American critic howled in a Victorian rage. They would have felt better had they surrendered to its great, dirty appeal. (03/31/2004)

The Fix
Depp puts out call for naked people and Jack Black to wrestle big ape. Plus: Gore goes digital. (03/31/2004)

Bestsellers
"Against All Enemies" debuts strongly at No. 2, Schlosser lands two titles on the list, and "Positively Fifth Street" is in paperback, all on this week's list, courtesy of Powell's. (03/31/2004)

The K Chronicles By Keith Knight
Prince: One of 2 things from the '80s that deserve to come back strong! (03/31/2004)

Truth and beauty By Cary Tennis
He says he loves me, but he's taking her to Italy! (03/31/2004)

King Kaufman's Sports Daily
American League preview: The Yankees and Red Sox won't be 1-2 in the East, but pinstripes will still be all the rage in October. (03/31/2004)

Creepier than Nixon By David Talbot
The man who brought down Richard Nixon says Bush and "co-president" Cheney are an even greater threat to the country. (03/31/2004)

Right Hook By Mark Follman
After the deluge of personal attacks against Richard Clarke, Brooks and Lowry admit the counter-terrorism expert has credibility. Plus: Are the Dems too down with gangsta rap? (03/31/2004)

Condi's conundrum By David Corn
When Condoleezza Rice appears before the 9/11 commission, here's what she should be asked. (03/31/2004)

That audacious Richard Clarke By Karen Kwiatkowski
The Bush-Cheney campaign is riding a rickety horse to November: Their approach to war on terror. (04/01/2004)

Girls gone riled By Arianna Huffington
Will single women break Bush's heart in November? (03/31/2004)

Wednesday's must-reads Geraldine Sealey
(03/31/2004)

A triple skim latte and some talking points Geraldine Sealey
(03/31/2004)

"Stay calm" Geraldine Sealey
(03/31/2004)

Tuning in to the real liberal media Geraldine Sealey
(03/31/2004)

Blitzed Geraldine Sealey
(03/31/2004)

Learning to love mass murder By Peter Olafson
I'm not a violent guy. But I just cheerfully burned an entire marching band to death, then kicked a woman's head downstairs. OK, it's all virtual slaughter, but I'm starting to scare myself. (03/31/2004)

Letters
A latter-day Margaret Atwood, or just gross sensationalism? Readers respond to Robert J. Howe's "Miscarriage of Justice." (03/31/2004)

The Fix
Janet bleeped on Dave, but F-word not bleeped on Kimmel. Plus: Will Adriana get whacked? (03/30/2004)

Story Minute By Carol Lay
Even with her freakishly excellent vision, she'd never seen it coming. (03/30/2004)

Letters
Of breast-feeding and Bob Edwards: Readers sound off on whether public breast-feeding is nasty or natural, and whether NPR's ousted "Morning Edition" host is a saint or a bore. (03/30/2004)

Hair apparent By Maura Kelly
I told myself that coloring my gray streaks would somehow be a self-betrayal. Then I got a hair makeover, and suddenly, I'm the babe outside that I feel like inside. (03/30/2004)

Blogged By Cary Tennis
I think my ex's online rantings are hurting my chances with other women. (03/30/2004)

King Kaufman's Sports Daily
Baseball dares its fans to get up in the wee hours to see Opening Day. We're up to the challenge. A coffee-fueled diary. (03/30/2004)

The new face of the Democratic Party -- and America By Scott Turow
Barack Obama has come to graceful terms with his mixed-race heritage. Now, as he runs for the U.S. Senate in Illinois, he's connecting with voters across the color spectrum. (03/30/2004)

The Fox of war By David J. Sirota
The Bush administration's case for invading Iraq may have been riddled with unreliable claims, but that didn't stop White House-friendly Fox News from pumping it into America's living rooms. (03/31/2004)

Grand old profiteering By Joe Conason
Conservatives accuse Richard Clarke of using 9/11 revelations to peddle his book, but plenty of Republicans are cashing in on the war on terror. (03/30/2004)

The personal is political Geraldine Sealey
(03/30/2004)

Tuesday's must-reads Geraldine Sealey
(03/30/2004)

Watching the ad watchers Eric Boehlert
(03/30/2004)

Condi's about-face Geraldine Sealey
(03/30/2004)

Weighing the conditions for Condi Geraldine Sealey
(03/30/2004)

Those wacky Bush ads Geraldine Sealey
(03/30/2004)

The military industrial porn complex By John Feffer
Popular science magazines used to be aimed at the geeky wannabe inventor. Today, it's all about the glamour of war. (03/30/2004)

Letters
If stem cell research is banned, India can take care of that job sector, too. Readers respond to Farhad Manjoo's "Thou Shalt Not Make Scientific Progress." (03/30/2004)

I Like to Watch By Heather Havrilesky
"Wonderfalls" flirts with cancellation, just like "My So-Called Life" -- which returns in reruns -- and PBS airs a must-see documentary about immigrants. But first ... I think we need to have a talk. (03/29/2004)

The Fix
Julianne Moore knocks face-tweaking peers and Updike wins PEN award. Plus: An underwear model exposes Kennedy tryst. (03/29/2004)

Abridged too far By Hilary Flower
I went to the library to get my daughter "The Wind in the Willows." What I found was a happy-face, Disney-esque conspiracy to rob the classics of children's lit of their drama, their passion and their soul. (03/29/2004)

This Modern World By Tom Tomorrow
Slime and defend. (03/29/2004)

Abused husband By Cary Tennis
My wife beat me for years and the one time I fought back I got fired for it. (03/29/2004)

King Kaufman's Sports Daily
NCAA Tournament: No Hollywood endings but plenty of classics as the Final Four are set and high-flying St. Joe's is finished. (03/29/2004)

Bush's press slaves By Philip J. Trounstine
It's time for the Washington press corps to probe candidate Bush just as enthusiastically as they have John Kerry. (03/29/2004)

Shooting the messenger By James Pinkerton
Conservatives should hail former counterterrorism chief Richard Clarke, but instead they're smearing him. (03/30/2004)

Monday's must-reads Geraldine Sealey
(03/29/2004)

What did Hughes know -- and when? Geraldine Sealey
(03/29/2004)

Memo to Condi Eric Boehlert
(03/29/2004)

A little judicial activism Geraldine Sealey
(03/29/2004)

Sloganator lives Geraldine Sealey
(03/29/2004)

Paradise at $2 million an acre By Cliff Barney
The Bay of Banderas is being shaped into a globally financed integrated tourist mecca, based in Puerto Vallarta and including luxury resorts in the north and eco-tourist ventures in the mountains and jungles. (03/29/2004)

The Catholic factor By Andrew Greeley
Will John Kerry's fellow Catholics turn out for him the way they did for the last JFK? (03/27/2004)

"The Ladykillers" By Charles Taylor
Killer comedy? Not exactly. Tom Hanks, Irma P. Hall and a cat named Pickles do their best, but this Coen brothers remake just doesn't pay off. (03/26/2004)

"Jersey Girl" By Stephanie Zacharek
Never mind J.Lo: Ben Affleck and Liv Tyler shine in Kevin Smith's surprisingly unsentimental ode to fatherhood. (03/26/2004)

"Dogville" By Charles Taylor
Lars von Trier's Depression-era fable has been labeled "anti-American," but it's even worse: It's anti-human. (03/26/2004)

The Fix
Aretha thanks God for her recovery and release, Eminem's ex is back behind bars, and Ashton's still feeling chatty. (03/26/2004)

"American Jezebel" by Eve LaPlante By Laura Miller
A new biography heralds Anne Hutchinson, the proto-feminist pioneer who defied the theocracy of 17th century Massachusetts and paved the way for religious freedom in America. (03/26/2004)

Letters
Another round of responses -- rants, raves, confessions and praise -- spurred by "The Confessions of a Semi-successful Author." (03/26/2004)

A spinster's fate By Cary Tennis
Am I destined to be a great gal who just never finds the right man? (03/26/2004)

How much should we know about the sex life of Kobe Bryant's accuser? By Cathy Young
Rape shield laws were created to protect victims from having their sex lives used against them in court. But where's the line between protections for victims and the constitutional rights of defendants? (03/26/2004)

King Kaufman's Sports Daily
NCAA Tournament: Jameer Nelson and Delonte West dazzle for St. Joe's, but the end may be at hand for the Philly overachievers. Plus: A look at Friday's games. (03/26/2004)

Republicans for Kerry? By Michelle Goldberg and Paul J. Caffera
After enduring a sustained offensive from conservatives, Republican moderates are quietly mounting a counterattack against Bush, DeLay & Co. (03/26/2004)

A tale of two miseries By Gary Kamiya
It was my first visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories. But, coming after the killing of Sheikh Yassin, it was a kind of sped-up course in fear and loathing. (03/26/2004)

"We should have had orange or red-type of alert in June or July of 2001" By Eric Boehlert
A former FBI translator told the 9/11 commission that the bureau had detailed information well before Sept. 11, 2001, that terrorists were likely to attack the U.S. with airplanes. (03/26/2004)

John Kerry, international man of mystery? By Thomas Geoghegan
By wrecking the Western alliance, President Bush has paved the way for a President Kerry to rebuild it. (03/26/2004)

Searching for Colin Powell By Dennis Jett
The real Powell Doctrine is self-interest as national interest. (03/26/2004)

Beyond the Multiplex By Andrew O'Hehir
The films you probably missed -- but shouldn't! This month: The Jarmusch-Lynch problem, Iceland's "Noi," Russia's "The Return," "Osama" director Siddiq Barmak on his unlikely hit, and zombie flicks go back to basics. (03/25/2004)

The Fix
Britney Spears voted world's sexiest woman, Heath Ledger on playing gay, and Wham! the musical. Plus: Cultural creatives grab their political power. (03/25/2004)

Bestsellers
"Middlesex" is back in the top 10, "One Hundred Years of Solitude" returns to the list, and some books by a guy named Dan Brown, all in this week's list, courtesy of Powell's. (03/25/2004)

Tom the Dancing Bug By Ruben Bolling
Australopithecine 'tude for the Homo sapien dude! (03/25/2004)

Torn in two By Cary Tennis
I love the man I said I would marry, but I'm haunted by a man I had an affair with when I was 21. (03/25/2004)

What about Bob? By Alexandra Marshall
For the past 25 years, I've woken up to the voice of one man: Bob Edwards, the host of NPRs "Morning Edition." Now that he's been ousted, who will guide me through those early-morning hours? (03/25/2004)

Letters
Trust issues: Readers tell Cary Tennis what they think of the guy who read the diary. (03/25/2004)

King Kaufman's Sports Daily
NCAA Tournament: The Billy Packer vs. Phil Martelli showdown is here at last. Should game announcers be unbiased? (03/25/2004)

Burning down his master's house By Eric Boehlert
Former New York Times editor Howell Raines uses the Atlantic Monthly to savage his old newsroom for lethargy, sloppiness and "a culture of complaint." (03/25/2004)

Bush's war -- against Richard Clarke By Sidney Blumenthal
The White House's furious response to Richard Clarke only underscores the truth of his testimony. (03/25/2004)

Duck blind By Amanda Griscom
In the Sierra Club case, the real issue of impropriety is Cheney's, not Scalia's. (03/25/2004)

Condoleezza Rice's bad week By Martin Sieff
Bush's national security advisor dodged the 9/11 commission, but she can't evade its judgment. (03/25/2004)

The White House philosophers Cartoon by Mark Fiore
Providing "custom truth services" to voters since 2000! (03/25/2004)

Thursday's must-reads Geraldine Sealey
(03/25/2004)

No fundraiser left behind Geraldine Sealey
(03/25/2004)

Fox & (White House) Friends Eric Boehlert
(03/25/2004)

Claim vs. fact Geraldine Sealey
(03/25/2004)

Thou shalt not make scientific progress By Farhad Manjoo
Medical research is poised to make a quantum leap that will benefit sufferers from Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, muscular dystrophy, diabetes and other diseases. But George W. Bush's religious convictions stand in its way. (03/25/2004)

When tunes trump lyrics By Thomas Bartlett
A successful channeler of Bowie, beautiful noise from the men who would be N.E.R.D. and a (rare) brilliant contribution from David Byrne. (03/24/2004)

A harrowing, inspiring "Boy's Life" By Rebecca Traister
Filmmaker Rory Kennedy talks about the passion for social justice she shares with the father she never knew, and changing the world with her camera, one story at a time. (03/24/2004)

Model citizen By Heather Havrilesky
Will Yoanna's face become a household name? Who cares? Just tell us when the next season of "America's Next Top Model" begins! (03/24/2004)

The Fix
Prince gets a new label and Sandra Tsing Loh gets a new job. Plus: "The Passion or the Python"? (03/24/2004)

Letters
Writers, editors, publishers and, yes, even readers respond to "The Confessions of a Semi-successful Author." (03/24/2004)

The K Chronicles By Keith Knight
Papa's got a brand new book! (03/24/2004)

Letters
Is Katie Couric a cutting-edge post-feminist, or a slave to the patriarchy? And should we really care about a $7,500 haircut? Readers weigh in. (03/24/2004)

Sliding into middle age By Cary Tennis
I can't get a long-distance, younger woman out of my mind. (03/24/2004)

King Kaufman's Sports Daily
Tax breaks for millionaires? Certainly not! Plus: Death to the sideline interview! And: A moving tribute to Roy Campanella's widow. (03/24/2004)

Richard Clarke terrorizes the White House By Joe Conason
In a provocative Salon interview, the former terrorism czar fires back at the Bush administration, blasting its "big lie" strategy and "attack dog" Dick Cheney. (03/24/2004)

Richard Clarke terrorizes the White House By Joe Conason
In a provocative Salon interview, the former terrorism czar fires back at the Bush administration, blasting its "big lie" strategy and "attack dog" Dick Cheney. (03/24/2004)

That old-time "Southern strategy" By Jack Bass
How President Bush sent a message with his court appointments. (03/24/2004)

Blowing a whistle on Bush's 9/11 failures By Robert Scheer
Richard Clarke's damning critique of President Bush must be answered with more than the usual White House smears. (03/24/2004)

Letters
Readers weigh in on "Welcome to Armageddon," by Miles Harvey. Plus: Can you be a good liberal and still laugh at Bill Maher? (03/24/2004)

I'd like a tuna on white -- hold the mercury! By Arianna Huffington
The big issue in November may be the presence of mercury in your tuna sandwich. (03/24/2004)

Wednesday's must-reads Geraldine Sealey
(03/24/2004)

In the polls Geraldine Sealey
(03/24/2004)

The cost of war Geraldine Sealey
(03/24/2004)

Quayle's campaign prediction Geraldine Sealey
(03/24/2004)

Vietnam on the GOP scrap heap Geraldine Sealey
(03/24/2004)

Spreading the word Geraldine Sealey
(03/24/2004)

Live in Louisiana?
Join Salon and author Ken Foster in New Orleans (03/24/2004)

Miscarriage of justice By Robert J. Howe
Imagine a future where the punishment for not having your baby is a life sentence of hard labor. (03/24/2004)

"I remember the day ... " By Jason Roeder
Commentaries rejected by "All Things Considered." (03/23/2004)

The Fix
Phoenix and Witherspoon cast as the Cashes, Madonna and Paul McCartney set to tour, and was Elvis a Scot? Plus: Revelations from John Kerry's Friendster profile. (03/23/2004)

WayLay By Carol Lay
Turn around and close your eyes ... (03/23/2004)

Trust issues By Cary Tennis
How can I make my boyfriend believe I won't cheat on him? (03/23/2004)

Breast intentions By Larry Smith
Friends are baby booming. Nursing moms are suddenly everywhere. Why is the most natural thing in the world so bizarre? (03/23/2004)

Welcome to Armageddon By Miles Harvey
A joint investigation by Salon and Rolling Stone reveals why the Bush administration hasn't found any weapons of mass destruction: It's looking in the wrong place. (03/23/2004)

King Kaufman's Sports Daily
NCAA Tournament: The women aren't equal enough to play at the same time. Plus: Pool o' Experts a dogfight. (03/23/2004)

Banned in Britain! By Eric Boehlert
Fearful of Saudi lawsuits, the British publisher of "House of Bush, House of Saud" has backed down from issuing the book. (03/23/2004)

Dr. Dean's new Rx By Lisa Chamberlain
Howard Dean launches a new organization, Democracy for America. His first goal: Defeat Bush by taking on Nader. (03/23/2004)

Ariel Sharon's deadly gamble By Aluf Benn
While Palestinians rage at Israel's killing of Sheik Ahmed Yassin, the Hamas spiritual leader, the prime minister sees it as a possible road to peace. (03/23/2004)

Blood-thirsty Arabs, vigilante Jews By John Gorenfeld
What makes ex-USA Today reporter/fabulist Jack Kelley worse than other disgraced journalists is that he peddled the most divisive stereotypes imaginable -- and people believed him. (03/23/2004)

Tuesday's must-reads Geraldine Sealey
(03/23/2004)

Stalking celebrity donations Geraldine Sealey
(03/23/2004)

'What I call a tax gap' Geraldine Sealey
(03/23/2004)

In the polls Geraldine Sealey
(03/23/2004)

No rights for gay federal employees? Geraldine Sealey
(03/23/2004)

Triumph of the telcos By G. Pascal Zachary
Internet telephony advocates are predicting that free long distance means the downfall of Big Telecom. But it won't be so easy to topple the king. (03/23/2004)

I Like to Watch By Heather Havrilesky
MTV pimps rides -- so why not pimp lives? Plus: Bravo's new bickering couples and Larry David descends into self-indulgence. (03/22/2004)

The Fix
Carter blasts Bush, Blair. No big house for "Pee-wee." Plus, on TV: Gibson on Leno, and ex-White House counterterrorism chief makes the rounds. (03/22/2004)

The confessions of a semi-successful author By Jane Austen Doe
I've published several books, won adoring reviews, and even sold a few copies. But I've made almost no money and had my heart broken. Here's everything you don't want to know about how publishing really works. (03/22/2004)

You can save the endangered midlist author By Jane Austen Doe
Or you can turn the page. Here are five concrete steps you can take to help. (03/22/2004)

This Modern World By Tom Tomorrow
In a stunning turnaround, Sparky becomes a dyed-in-the-wool Republican! (03/22/2004)

Balancing act By Laurie Abraham
How much time should you spend with your kids? The author of a provocative new book, "Maternal Desire," argues that motherhood is an essential part of female identity. (03/22/2004)

I feel like a teenager By Cary Tennis
I'm married and won't cheat, but I keep thinking about a woman in my business school class. (03/22/2004)

King Kaufman's Sports Daily
NCAA Tournament: East Coast bias rocks! And so does getting blown out of your pool, so you can back underdogs happily. Plus: CBS, please go to the videotape. (03/22/2004)

The secret history of secrecy By John D. Podesta and Judd C. Legum
The closing of the American government. (03/22/2004)

Debunking the Economist -- again By James K. Galbraith
Is this the "new golden age of global capitalism"? The Economist thinks so -- and ignores the facts. (03/22/2004)

Monday's must-reads Geraldine Sealey
(03/22/2004)

Anti-terror paper trail Geraldine Sealey
(03/22/2004)

Unfit to print? Geraldine Sealey
(03/22/2004)

The new Pentagon papers, cont. Geraldine Sealey
(03/22/2004)

Smearing the messenger Geraldine Sealey
(03/22/2004)

Amazing Trade, how elite the sound By Joyce McGreevy
"Mine eyes have seen the glory of the efficiency of the Board. They are sampling better vintage now that jobs have been offshored." (03/22/2004)

A day of grim vindication By Michelle Goldberg
In New York, San Francisco and around the world, tens of thousands of marchers protested the Iraq War and the Bush administration assault on democracy. (03/21/2004)

"We are sleeping lions. We're waiting to eat Americans" By Jen Banbury
For the first time, I've started to feel unsafe in Iraq. (03/20/2004)

Letters
Readers weigh in on the use of the "A-word" and neocon frothing over the Spanish election. (03/20/2004)

New rule By Bill Maher
If we really want to stop terrorism, we have to get Muslim men laid. (03/20/2004)

Dick Cheney's glass house By Joe Conason
As Bush's hatchet man, he's carving up John Kerry as soft on al-Qaida -- and making his own history of ignoring terror threats and cutting defense programs fair game. (03/20/2004)

"Intermission" By Stephanie Zacharek
Colin Farrell may bowl you over as a seductive, hot-tempered petty crook in this mildly flawed, wildly ambitious Irish crime caper. (03/19/2004)

Brilliant mistake By Stephanie Zacharek
Screenwriter Charlie Kaufman's "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" is a desperately moving ode to romance. Why do the filmmakers undercut its power with a bag of ironic tricks? (03/19/2004)

"Taking Lives" By Charles Taylor
Angelina Jolie is hot on the trail of a serial killer in this dark ... very dark ... very, very, very dark thriller. (03/19/2004)

The Fix
Carl Bernstein rips "radical" Bush, Ben Affleck puts in good word for gay marriage, and Daryl Hannah confesses to penchant for jogging ... naked. (03/19/2004)

The Fishmonger Returns By Dave Eggers
How could he have known that he had political enemies who would decide to go after his good name -- which, yes, just happens to be Saddam. (03/19/2004)

How does it work? By Cary Tennis
As you mature, are you more able to love and trust, or do you become bitter from the pain? (03/19/2004)

Welcome to the quagmire By Juan Cole
The Bush administration invaded Iraq a year ago expecting a shower of rose petals. Today, the country is on the verge of chaos, and there may be no way to stop it. (03/19/2004)

King Kaufman's Sports Daily
Day 1 of the NCAA Tournament provides no shocking upsets, which may be an endangered species anyway. (03/19/2004)

Watch your mouth By Eric Boehlert
In its Thursday ruling against Bono and Howard Stern, the FCC announced that a new day of language policing has dawned. (03/19/2004)

The A-word By James Pinkerton
Is everyone who fails to follow Bush guilty of "appeasement"? (03/19/2004)

"Who cares what you think?" By Bill Hangley Jr.
That's what President Bush shot back at me when I told him what I thought of his performance. As November approaches, I have to thank him for pointing me toward exactly the right question. (03/19/2004)

Justice is duck-hunt blind Scott Rosenberg
(03/19/2004)

Friday's must-reads Geraldine Sealey
(03/19/2004)

Made in Burma Geraldine Sealey
(03/19/2004)

In the polls Geraldine Sealey
(03/19/2004)

Scandalous Geraldine Sealey
(03/19/2004)

Mike Ditka wants to help you score By David Amsden
TV ads for impotency drugs are targeting sports fans and beer drinkers, and they have a new message: If you're not taking a pill to help your sex life, you're not a real man. (03/19/2004)

Ask the pilot By Patrick Smith
Still ignoring those flight-attendant safety lectures? The pilot is displeased, and presents a refresher course in awful airplane crashes, in the water and on the land. (03/19/2004)

Why software still stinks By Scott Rosenberg
Programming must change -- but how? At a reunion of coding pioneers, answers abound. (03/19/2004)

A world of Hurt By Cintra Wilson
He's been a killer, an Elephant Man and an alien-infested, chain-smoking astronaut. And through it all, John Hurt has never been anything less than irresistible. (03/18/2004)

The Fix
The Donald hawks the T-shirt, thieves lift gold-plated gun from Elvis museum and Kylie Minogue converses with the dead. Plus: Will Janet pull a Courtney on Dave? (03/18/2004)

Eminem vs. Robert Frost By Scott Thill
Is hip-hop saving poetry -- or trashing it? Beneath the feel-good rhetoric of "Def Poetry Jam" and the "spoken-word revolution" is a battle over the future of literature's oldest form. (03/18/2004)

Tom the Dancing Bug By Ruben Bolling
The Natural World of Nature: This week, our closest relative, the chimpanzee, acting naturally! (03/18/2004)

I'm sick of soul mates By Cary Tennis
I don't believe that there is one person out there meant just for me. (03/18/2004)

The Cruella syndrome By Rebecca Traister
She's too rich! She's a boss from hell! She had a brow lift! Katie Couric, NBC's perky princess, is suddenly getting the media's queen-of-mean treatment. What's our problem with powerful women? (03/18/2004)

Glamour don'ts
Readers get their panties in a bunch over Cary Tennis' comments about thongs in the workplace. (03/18/2004)

King Kaufman's Sports Daily
Is Kentucky really the best? Can St. Joe's or Gonzaga go all the way? And how does Angelina Jolie fit in? The NCAA Tournament begins. (03/18/2004)

Will Bush be a casualty of war? By Tim Grieve
The president believes the Iraq war will help him win reelection, but the latest Baghdad bombings and new voter polls suggest he could become its victim. (03/18/2004)

Bush's war on truth By Eric Boehlert
The president insists on distorting John Kerry's words. But a simple check of the record exposes his con game. (03/18/2004)

To the Atocha station By Sidney Blumenthal
Bush administration neoconservatives try to force the political meaning of Spain's 3/11 into an ill-fitting 9/11 template. (03/18/2004)

H2Oops By Amanda Griscom
What good are drinking-water standards when they're not enforced? (03/18/2004)

School daze Cartoon by Mark Fiore
Presenting an updated refresher course on public education. (03/18/2004)

The sleeper issue of 2004 By Arianna Huffington
Arianna Huffington calls on progressives to present not just a political vision for America, but a moral one. (03/18/2004)

Thursday's must-reads Geraldine Sealey
(03/18/2004)

More Medicare bill intrigue Geraldine Sealey
(03/18/2004)

Now he tells us Geraldine Sealey
(03/18/2004)

Burying the lead Edward W. Lempinen
(03/18/2004)

Kerry's bad week Geraldine Sealey
(03/18/2004)

Wiring up the jungle By Cliff Barney
Integrating into the global economy brought Yelapa electricity and online booking for local bungalows. Not to mention crime, crack cocaine and a taste of big-city bureaucracy. (03/18/2004)

Singles only By Thomas Bartlett
I pick the songs that make the whole world cry: The voice Andre 3000 wishes he had, a band a lot like the (pre-hype) Strokes, and my favorite record so far this year. (03/17/2004)

The Fix
Call him Dr. Bono, don't call Pamela bimbo, Martha's mag gets nominated and Evita's shroud goes on sale. (03/17/2004)

Bestsellers
We think it's a first -- Dan Brown lands four books in the top 10. Also, a new book from Alexander McCall Smith, and Dr. Laura hangs in there -- all in this week's list, courtesy of Powell's. (03/17/2004)

The K Chronicles By Keith Knight
If looks could kill ... (03/17/2004)

Journey to the "planet of thin" By Kera Bolonik
The author of "Passing for Thin: How I Lost Half My Weight and Found Myself" talks about a lifetime of physical and psychic pain brought on by her weight, and even after losing 188 pounds, how far she still has to go. (03/17/2004)

Glamour don'ts By Cary Tennis
Our co-worker wears jeans that let us see her underwear when she bends over. How can we make her stop the visual pollution? (03/17/2004)

King Kaufman's Sports Daily
The NBA needs our help. It has to come up with an answer for March Madness. How about a 14-team tournament that we'll call April, uh, Something? (03/17/2004)

Right Hook By Mark Follman
Spain's post-3/11 upheaval: David Frum says the terrorists have won, Andrew Sullivan fears a pre-November "blood bath" inside the U.S., and David Brooks blames Colin Powell. (03/17/2004)

A Spanish inquisition By Robert Scheer
Will right-wing radio screamers now call for a boycott of Spanish olives? (03/17/2004)

Progress vs. products By Arianna Huffington
You know working stiffs are in trouble when the White House believes the stock market is the end-all of our country's economic health. (03/17/2004)

John Kerry's military mission
Blasting Bush's neglect of U.S. armed forces, the Democratic nominee vows to expand, better equip and support a 21st century military that will be "the strongest in the world." (03/17/2004)

Wednesday's must-reads Geraldine Sealey
(03/17/2004)

In the polls Geraldine Sealey
(03/17/2004)

Misled Geraldine Sealey
(03/17/2004)

Take that, Wolf Geraldine Sealey
(03/17/2004)

Subscribe today and get Granta and the New York Review of Books too
(03/17/2004)

Great new Premium benefits
Now you can get subscriptions to the New York Review of Books and Granta with your "without ads" Premium subscription. (03/17/2004)

One cable company to rule them all By Farhad Manjoo
Comcast's bid to buy Disney raises a specter even scarier than the witch in Snow White: A Mickey Mouse Internet. (03/17/2004)

Letters
Is the Jamaican music biz just so much bloodsucking globalization? And does Salon need to "lighten up" and learn to love "lowbrow" fare like "Straight Plan for the Gay Man"? Readers have their say. (03/16/2004)

"A stand against pompous gasbags" By John Gorenfeld
After firing humorist Sandra Tsing Loh for letting the F-word slip onto the airwaves, a public radio station offered her job back. But Loh said no, and tells Salon why. (03/16/2004)

The Fix
Gibson's Jesus meets the pope, Fidel Castro meets prime time, and Liza Minnelli doesn't want to meet any PETA members in a dark alley. (03/16/2004)

Lost in transition By Craig Unger
While the votes were counted in Florida, Bush Sr. went hunting in Spain with Prince Bandar -- and the incoming administration ignored warnings about al-Qaida. (03/16/2004)

The Fishmonger Returns By Dave Eggers
It was fascinating, this process, thrilling and so quick -- who knew manipulating political reporters would be so easy? (03/16/2004)

WayLay By Carol Lay
Don't spoil the illusion! (03/16/2004)

Teenage Waist-land By Stephanie Booth
An increasing number of obese teens are opting to undergo stomach staplings. Are they trading one type of hell for another? (03/16/2004)

Courting protocol By Cary Tennis
We're meeting face to face after months of tele-dating: Should I do more than buy her a cup of coffee? (03/16/2004)

King Kaufman's Sports Daily
Sports fans have some power over their TVs. Plus: Can TiVo make it tougher to fill out a Tournament bracket? (03/16/2004)

Rebirth of a nation By Norman Birnbaum
In the aftermath of the Madrid bombings, the election in Spain changed the European dynamic in the war on terror. (03/16/2004)

Letters
Readers respond to "The New Pentagon Papers," Karen Kwiatkowski's insider account of the Bush administration's secret intelligence unit that promoted the Iraq war. Plus: Are attack ads legit? (03/16/2004)

The Pinocchio presidency By Joe Wilson
A former diplomat says it's time to blow the whistle on the Bush administration's blatant lies. (03/16/2004)

Tuesday's must-reads Geraldine Sealey
(03/16/2004)

In the polls Geraldine Sealey
(03/16/2004)

Spain's blow to al Qaeda Geraldine Sealey
(03/16/2004)

The big gun Geraldine Sealey
(03/16/2004)

Bush deploys new attack ad Geraldine Sealey
(03/16/2004)

Skirting the real issue Geraldine Sealey
(03/16/2004)

'Sticky connections' Geraldine Sealey
(03/16/2004)

The new oil By Sonia Shah
Methane hydrates, locked deep beneath the ocean floor and Alaska permafrost, could be the next great energy source. That is, if they don't blow up in our faces and dangerously accelerate global warming. (03/16/2004)

I Like to Watch By Heather Havrilesky
"Cracking Up" joins the deranged family circus, "The OC" sets its Seth trap, and UPN becomes a shrieking violet over a wailing Shandi. Plus: Got a triple-tough stain of cherry pie, tobacco and David Gest on your dentures? (03/15/2004)

The Fix
Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick in "Strangers With Candy: The Movie," Prince on pushing the envelope, and Sean Penn, hair actor. Plus: Magazine to lose Martha's name? (03/15/2004)

The Arabian candidate By Craig Unger
How George W. Bush's close ties to Islamic lobbying groups -- and to an accused supporter of Palestinian terrorism -- may have brought him his razor-thin margin of victory in Florida. (03/15/2004)

This Modern World By Tom Tomorrow
You never know what Gotham City is going to throw at you next! (03/15/2004)

Smearing the messenger By David Talbot
The Bush machine aims its poison darts at another military hero -- Lt. Col. Karen Kwiatkowski. (03/15/2004)

Eaten alive By Cary Tennis
I'm consumed with thoughts of my ex-husband roasting on a spit. How can I stop hating him? (03/15/2004)

Lynda Barry
Plastic surgery soundtrack (03/15/2004)

Going negative By Eric Boehlert
He's the father of the modern attack ad, and he's behind the Bush campaign's new wave of anti-Kerry spots. Alex Castellanos is known as vicious, irresponsible -- and effective. (03/15/2004)

Behind the jobs debacle By James K. Galbraith
Bush's jobs forecast failed because there's been no jobs recovery at all. (03/15/2004)

King Kaufman's Sports Daily
Billy Packer talks smack, and sort of makes sense. That and other scary thoughts from NCAA Tournament Selection Sunday. (03/15/2004)

Office space By Joe Conason
Ralph Nader's got some explaining to do. Why is his campaign headquarters housed in his nonprofit's tax-exempt offices? (03/15/2004)

Monday's must-reads Geraldine Sealey
(03/15/2004)

Bush booted from cockpit? Eric Boehlert
(03/15/2004)

Bush's wife, mom worried Geraldine Sealey
(03/15/2004)

In the polls Geraldine Sealey
(03/15/2004)

In Rumsfeld's own words Geraldine Sealey
(03/15/2004)

Decoding humanity, down to the last atom By Andrew Leonard
Glyn Moody's "Digital Code of Life" tells the story of the bioinformatic revolution: The merging of computers and molecular biology. (03/15/2004)

Jamaica's new music revolution By Baz Dreisinger
That beat you can't get out of your head is reggae -- think Sean Paul, not Marley -- and it's inspiring everyone from Missy to Beyonce to No Doubt. Inside the Kingston studio with one of the riddim nation's masterminds. (03/13/2004)

Spanish bombs By Mark Follman
A top Clinton-era expert on Europe and security warns that if the deadly Madrid bombings prove to be the work of al-Qaida, it could transform politics throughout Europe. (03/13/2004)

New rule By Bill Maher
You can't be a Washington outsider if you're already president. (03/13/2004)

"Spartan" By Stephanie Zacharek
Val Kilmer delivers his lines like they're beat poetry in this thoroughly Mametized -- but not very thrilling -- search-and-rescue thriller. (03/12/2004)

"Secret Window" By Stephanie Zacharek
John Turturro is cleverly creepy and Johnny Depp appropriately tangle-haired and crotchety, but the real star of this Stephen King adaptation is the couch. (03/12/2004)

The Fix
Elvis Costello needles Bush, Mel Gibson contemplates another "Lethal Weapon," and Frank McCourt remembers life as a teacher. Plus: Britney's musical suicide note? (03/12/2004)

Did the Saudis buy a president? By Craig Unger
How much money has flowed from the House of Saud to the Bush family and its friends and allies over the years? No one will ever know -- but the number is at least $1.477 billion. (03/12/2004)

The Fishmonger Returns By Dave Eggers
Edward Longshanks fought fires, but was Edward Longshanks a firefighter? He was not. Edward Longshanks was a fixer. He was a cleanup man. He was a slate cleaner. He was an operative. (03/12/2004)

Rack 'em up By J.B. Orenstein
She looked great with small breasts, I told my plastic surgeon buddy as he pumped up his patient's implants. Hey, it's Vegas, he said -- there's no such thing as too big. (03/12/2004)

An "ex" headache By Cary Tennis
There ain't enough room in this town for both of us -- me and my boyfriend's ex, that is. (03/12/2004)

Tom DeLay's funny-money trail By Lou Dubose
The GOP strongman's political machine has stopped at nothing to extend its power. Now it's facing indictments for violating Texas campaign finance laws. (03/12/2004)

King Kaufman's Sports Daily
Some hockey fans draw a line between "violence" and "fighting." They're fooling themselves. Plus: ESPN does something exquisitely right. (03/12/2004)

Howard Stern's schwing voters By Eric Boehlert
The raunchy jockey is mobilizing his army of listeners against Bush -- and they could make a difference in November. (03/12/2004)

Letters
Influential Christian conservatives Howard and Roberta Ahmanson respond to Salon's story "Avenging Angels of the Religious Right." Plus: More readers, including a Navy veteran, outraged by Bush's 9/11 ads. (03/12/2004)

Advice to Kerry: It's all about heart By Fred Branfman
It's not enough to be smarter than George W. Bush -- you've got to show some real feeling. (03/12/2004)

How to make sure that Nader doesn't do it again By Seth Colter Walls
The Democrats need to take his issues seriously. (03/12/2004)

Friday's must-reads Geraldine Sealey
(03/12/2004)

Debunkering down Geraldine Sealey
(03/12/2004)

Strong-arm tactics Geraldine Sealey
(03/12/2004)

Bush's Muhammad Horton Geraldine Sealey
(03/12/2004)

Tides of inaccuracy Geraldine Sealey
(03/12/2004)

Say one thing, do another, cont. Geraldine Sealey
(03/12/2004)

Happily married couples gone wild! By Betsy Andrews
Middle-aged Penthouse Forum has become an improbable voice for family values -- as long as you turn your wife over to the cable guy. (03/12/2004)

Ask the pilot By Patrick Smith
The pilot reports from abroad: The immensity of Hong Kong International, picnicking in bomb craters in Laos' Plain of Jars. (03/12/2004)

Gameboys By Jeff Alexander and Tom Bissell
Back by popular demand, our video game junkies review "Mafia" and breathe heavily over the "Bra & Panties" match in the new "Smackdown." (03/11/2004)

The Fix
Kylie Minogue, dangerous; Tom cruises to Penelope's side; and Charlize Theron and Nelson Mandela love each other to bits. Plus: "Orgy" cut out of "America's Next Top Model." (03/11/2004)

The great escape By Craig Unger
Immediately after 9/11, dozens of Saudi royals and members of the bin Laden family fled the U.S. in a secret airlift authorized by the Bush White House. One passenger was an alleged al-Qaida go-between, who may have known about the terror attacks in advance. Our first excerpt from "House of Bush, House of Saud." (03/11/2004)

Tom the Dancing Bug By Ruben Bolling
For athletic success ... Spark Up! (03/11/2004)

Life, interrupted By Suz Redfearn
A chance meeting on a nude beach with my literary hero, Spalding Gray, inspired me to write. I was never able to thank him. (03/11/2004)

Damaged goods By Cary Tennis
I got engaged, then found out she is bipolar. How can I break it off with the least amount of hurt for both of us? (03/11/2004)

King Kaufman's Sports Daily
As the latest victim of a cheap shot begins his long recovery, stand by for some bogus anti-violence posturing from the NHL. (03/11/2004)

The bulldozer leads the way By Ferry Biedermann
He's crushed the road map, now he's ready to roll over his beloved Gaza settlements. Ariel Sharon is the only player still moving in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict -- and that's scary. (03/11/2004)

Bush waves the bloody shirt By Sidney Blumenthal
Max Cleland tells Salon: It's "the band of brothers against the slime machine." (03/11/2004)

Oiling up the energy bill By Amanda Griscom
As oil prices rise, so do chances for the stalled energy bill to finally get past the Senate. (03/11/2004)

Today's growth industries Cartoon by Mark Fiore
As the recovery ravages the workforce, find out which jobs are still safe and secure! (03/11/2004)

In the polls Geraldine Sealey
(03/11/2004)

Thursday's must-reads Geraldine Sealey
(03/11/2004)

The outsourcing czar Geraldine Sealey
(03/11/2004)

The Big Story on Faux News Geraldine Sealey
(03/11/2004)

The Franken factor Geraldine Sealey
(03/11/2004)

Booting the whistleblower Geraldine Sealey
(03/11/2004)

Odd man out Geraldine Sealey
(03/11/2004)

Y Tu Playa Tambien By Cliff Barney
A poverty-stricken Mexican town of 85 people is about to join the global economy. (03/11/2004)

Playing it straight By Heather Havrilesky
"Straight Plan for the Gay Man" asks: What's worse than an overplayed concept that was past its prime four months ago? Answer: An offensive joke that's not even funny. (03/10/2004)

The Fix
The Passion of the Martha and the aging of Prince. Plus: Roy Horn says he's working with Christopher Reeve's physical therapist. (03/10/2004)

The Fishmonger Returns By Dave Eggers
She has a donated castle and an army of volunteers wearing T-shirts saying "I Drank the Kool-Aid." So what is Rebecca supposed to do now? (03/10/2004)

AIDS: The black plague By Christopher Farah
Jacob Levenson talks about his new book, "The Secret Epidemic," which reveals a truth America has refused to confront. (03/10/2004)

The K Chronicles By Keith Knight
He still thinks you should vote for him. (03/10/2004)

Salon '04: Unembedded, unintimidated
Introducing Salon's new Washington bureau, led by Sidney Blumenthal, just in time for the presidential election. (03/10/2004)

Half crazy By Cary Tennis
He loves me, he loves me not -- why won't he make up his mind? (03/10/2004)

King Kaufman's Sports Daily
Tulane president and college sports crusader Scott Cowen says adding another lucrative BCS bowl isn't a contradiction to athletic reform. (03/10/2004)

A betrayal of democracy By Arturo Valenzuela
The former National Security Council chief on Latin America says that Bush has created a disaster in Haiti. (03/10/2004)

Exploiting tragedy By Robert Scheer
The White House is making political hay out of 9/11 -- even while it's stonewalling a full investigation of the national tragedy. (03/10/2004)

Right Hook By Mark Follman
Defending Bush's 9/11 ads, former White House speechwriter David Frum says terrorists will rejoice if Kerry wins the election. (03/10/2004)

The new Pentagon papers By Karen Kwiatkowski
A high-ranking military officer reveals how Defense Department extremists suppressed information and twisted the truth to drive the country to war. (03/10/2004)

The new Pentagon papers By Karen Kwiatkowski
A high-ranking military officer reveals how Defense Department extremists suppressed information and twisted the truth to drive the country to war. (03/10/2004)

Wednesday's must-reads Geraldine Sealey
(03/10/2004)

Look who couldn't come to dinner Geraldine Sealey
(03/10/2004)

GOP continues sparring with 9/11 families Geraldine Sealey
(03/10/2004)

The "Sex and the City" vote Geraldine Sealey
(03/10/2004)

Before and after Geraldine Sealey
(03/10/2004)

AP gives Bush-Cheney free ink
(03/10/2004)

Let's be FAIR Geraldine Sealey
(03/10/2004)

Coulter: "Muslims smell bad" Geraldine Sealey
(03/10/2004)

I am Indian. I am American. I do customer support. By Sumana Harihareswara
My cousins and I do the same kind of work. But their parents stayed in India, while mine moved to the United States. (03/10/2004)

The Fix
Clinton working on $10 million memoir, Tom Brokaw has no interest in running alongside John Kerry, and is O.J. headed back to court? Plus: The Neil Bush file: Sex and dirty money. (03/09/2004)

The Fishmonger Returns By Dave Eggers
In the 14 hours since Rebecca had given her speech, it had been downloaded 8,237 times and made its way around the world many times over. Now, her fans wanted her to speak to them. (03/09/2004)

Story Minute By Carol Lay
Guardian Angel: A cabbie's tale. (03/09/2004)

Premature phone sex By Cary Tennis
I haven't even kissed him yet and he's already told me everything he wants to do to me. (03/09/2004)

The menopause market By Pamela Paul
Forget hormone treatments -- menopausal women are raiding health-food stores for dong quai and wild yams. (03/09/2004)

King Kaufman's Sports Daily
Somnambulant top seeds and fuming bubble teams: Making peace with conference tournament week. (03/09/2004)

Florida, again By Tim Grieve
The 2004 presidential race could turn on the Sunshine State, just as it did in 2000. And the early evidence suggests Bush is in big trouble. (03/09/2004)

Letters
Readers debate whether the Bush campaign is stomping on sacred ground by using 9/11 imagery in its television ads. (03/09/2004)

The vast right-wing conspiracy is back in business By Joe Conason
Those delightful people who brought you Paula Jones, Willie Horton and Whitewater are back, and this time they've got John Kerry in their sights. (03/09/2004)

The Kerry plan By Arianna Huffington
Six things John Kerry needs to do to win in November. (03/10/2004)

Fair and balanced? Geraldine Sealey
(03/09/2004)

Tuesday's must-reads Geraldine Sealey
(03/09/2004)

Too much information Geraldine Sealey
(03/09/2004)

And now, some perspective Geraldine Sealey
(03/09/2004)

In search of the deep Web By Alex Wright
The next generation of Web search engines will do more than give you a longer list of search results. They will disrupt the information economy. (03/09/2004)

I Like to Watch By Heather Havrilesky
Princess the porn dog, Gasping Moron Motel, and Creepy Kiddie Hospital. Plus: Sue has PTSD from her encounter with Richard's flaccid wiener. (03/08/2004)

The Fix
Tina Brown predicts Martha's future, Gov. Arnold flexes his editorial muscles, and Jane Fonda discusses the shameful secrets of her marriages. Plus: Bush brothers miss Neil's wedding. (03/08/2004)

What to Read By Salon's critics
A man ages backward in the season's breakthrough literary event. Plus: An epic of love and violence in medieval Japan, swapping your old body for a hot young one, a sprawling social novel travels to the 1999 Seattle protests, and more. (03/08/2004)

"The Snow Fox" by Susan Fromberg Schaeffer By Laura Miller
Love, poetry and severed heads on pikes: A novel with some of the majesty of "Cold Mountain" immerses you in the complex social world -- and heinous cruelty -- of medieval Japan. (03/08/2004)

"The Towers of Trebizond" by Rose Macaulay By Charles Taylor
Dotty English eccentrics take a tour of Turkey in this delightful and long-forgotten 1956 satire -- which then takes an unexpected and sobering turn toward a crisis of faith. (03/08/2004)

"The Confessions of Max Tivoli" by Andrew Sean Greer By Christopher Farah
A man ages backward across the decades, and the same girl keeps eluding him and breaking his heart, in a breathtaking love story that's also the season's literary breakthrough. (03/08/2004)

"The Fountain at the Center of the World" by Robert Newman By Andrew O'Hehir
A sweeping social novel veers from corporate London to rural Mexico to the fateful street protests of 1999 Seattle. Is it graceful and elegant? Not so much. But you won't soon forget it. (03/08/2004)

"The Epicure's Lament" by Kate Christensen By Laura Miller
Hugo Whittier has no interest in humanity -- except to insult it and deprive it of his company. But the embittered and eloquent antihero of this delightful farce isn't quite ready to let go. (03/08/2004)

"The Body" by Hanif Kureishi By Stephanie Zacharek
Youth is wasted on the old -- an aging writer gets the chance to inhabit a young, beautiful body. But in this dense, literary horror fable, things don't go quite as planned. (03/08/2004)

This Modern World By Tom Tomorrow
The truth about George W. Bush's missing year revealed at last! (03/08/2004)

Do straight guys want to read a men's shopping magazine? By Larry Smith
Do gay men? Does anyone? A close encounter with Cargo, the new Lucky for men. (03/08/2004)

I put up with more than my girlfriend does By Cary Tennis
In an ideal relationship, shouldn't the annoyances be equally distributed? (03/08/2004)

King Kaufman's Sports Daily
Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds, playoff regulars: Why baseball's "competitive balance" problem is mostly myth. (03/08/2004)

Taking the battle to Bush By Peter Dizikes
It's time for John Kerry to stop talking about being a fighter and start being one. Here's the best way to knock Bush out. (03/08/2004)

Monday's must-reads Geraldine Sealey
(03/08/2004)

When context is inconvenient Geraldine Sealey
(03/08/2004)

In the polls Geraldine Sealey
(03/08/2004)

Plame probe update Geraldine Sealey
(03/08/2004)

RNC misleading local stations Geraldine Sealey
(03/08/2004)

Speaking of flip-flops Geraldine Sealey
(03/08/2004)

Lord of the purse strings By Joyce McGreevy
In a land devastated by deficits, one advertising campaign will rule them all. (03/08/2004)

Witchcraft and capitalism hit Mexican town Jo Tuckman
(03/07/2004)

Is "The Sopranos" a chick show? By Rebecca Traister
Why an ultraviolent drama about a New Jersey mafioso paints a more nuanced portrait of women than anything you'll find on Lifetime. (03/06/2004)

Letters
Marty Beckerman responds to his critics. (03/06/2004)

Letters
A reader whose mother and wife both survived 9/11 responds to Bush's new ad campaign. (03/06/2004)

Bush's "needless war"
Accusing the president of "pure, unadulterated fear-mongering," Sen. Edward Kennedy delivers a scathing indictment of the administration's case for invading Iraq. (03/06/2004)

Another crude slur By Joe Conason
With a campaign of distortion and lies, the right-wing smear machine is trying to impugn the military honor of John Kerry. (03/06/2004)

"Hidalgo" By Charles Taylor
This so-so western starring Viggo Mortensen and a very attractive horse never quite hits its stride. (03/05/2004)

"Starsky & Hutch" By Stephanie Zacharek
The puffy hairstyles, bad nylon shirts and leather-thong necklaces are there, but the big laughs, alas, are not. (03/05/2004)

"The Sopranos" hits its darkest note By Heather Havrilesky
In the show's gripping new start, Tony, Carmela, Dr. Melfi and the gang, increasingly cut off from their illusions and their supposed loved ones, freefall through a hopeless world of divorce, betrayal, lust and rage. (03/05/2004)

The Fix
Janet talks, Martha won't walk -- and her stock rocks. Plus: Jessica Simpson incites a riot and Ethan Hawke comes clean. (03/05/2004)

Bill Maher
In the American tradition of ridiculous compromise: Yes to gay marriage, no to gay mortgage! Or, thinking outside the box: Just let the hot chicks get married! (03/05/2004)

The Fishmonger Returns By Dave Eggers
The students show up en masse -- some fainting, some drooling -- at Rebecca's campaign headquarters. What, she wonders, could they possibly want? (03/05/2004)

Letters
"A self-centered blowhard" is one of the nicer epithets Salon readers hurl at 21-year-old Marty Beckerman, author of the drug- and sex-crazed "Generation S.L.U.T." (03/05/2004)

Romantic reality By Cary Tennis
I'm in love with a man whose lack of ambition is a problem, but it didn't come to a crisis point until "the ring incident." (03/05/2004)

President Bush: Don't use my husband as your mascot By A.R. Torres
A 9/11 widow's open letter to Bush about his new ad campaign. (03/05/2004)

King Kaufman's Sports Daily
That multiple-choice final Georgia basketball players had to take was harder than you might think. "How many points for a 3-pointer?" Hmm ... (03/05/2004)

Has Bush no shame? By Geraldine Sealey
Relatives of 9/11 victims say the president's new ad campaign desecrates ground zero -- and demand that he pull it off the air. (03/05/2004)

Bush's economic quagmire
Sen. Hillary Clinton says acute job losses, "reckless" tax cuts, and record trade and budget deficits prove that Bush is "woefully missing in action" on the U.S. economy. (03/05/2004)

Letters
Readers weigh in on Clear Channel's crucifixion of Howard Stern, and the rising battle against Bush over same-sex marriage. (03/05/2004)

Friday's must-reads Geraldine Sealey
(03/05/2004)

Calling Herbert Hoover Geraldine Sealey
(03/05/2004)

Say one thing, do another Geraldine Sealey
(03/05/2004)

Ask the pilot By Patrick Smith
The pilot refuses to get into a Boeing vs. Airbus name-calling match. Plus, never-to-be-heard highlights of the pilot's NPR appearance. (03/05/2004)

The Fix
Spielberg won't comment on "The Passion." Will Kerry dump McAuliffe? Plus: Larry David on wife's activism: "I've begged her to go back to her maiden name." (03/04/2004)

Tom the Dancing Bug By Ruben Bolling
What deadly menace may call upon the Super-Justice Team to pool their superpowers? (03/04/2004)

Too many first dates By Cary Tennis
I'm a 26-year-old grad student and I've never had a relationship. Are my standards too high? (03/04/2004)

King Kaufman's Sports Daily
It's time for baseball players to agree to steroid testing before the growing scandal overshadows the game. (03/04/2004)

Bush's Haiti nightmare By Tim Grieve
U.S. mishandling of the Caribbean coup could cost the president votes not only in Miami's "Little Haiti," but among Florida blacks and Cuban Americans, too. (03/04/2004)

The passion of Howard Stern By Eric Boehlert
The shock jock says radio colossus Clear Channel fired him because he criticized George Bush -- and he's sure as hell not going to go quietly. (03/04/2004)

Theocons vs. neocons By Sidney Blumenthal
With Mad Mel scaring the Jewish vote and Bush pandering to his theocratic base, the Republicans are quickly losing their secular swing voters. (03/04/2004)

Science? What science? By Amanda Griscom
The Bush administration's effort to manipulate scientific research has scientists from both sides of the partisan divide concerned. (03/04/2004)

The Administration Awards Cartoon by Mark Fiore
Now that the Academy Awards are over, the 9/11 Commission is doling out the Bushies. (03/04/2004)

Thursday's must-reads Geraldine Sealey
(03/04/2004)

Obsession with Saddam stymied anti-terror plan Geraldine Sealey
(03/04/2004)

England swings By Kamy Wicoff
Old Britannia puts prudish America to shame, with chic vibrator stores as ubiquitous as Gaps and sex-toy parties thrown by a royal granddaughter. (03/04/2004)

14th century video games By Andrew Leonard
In Lev Grossman's "Codex," an investment banker manages the neat trick of simultaneously getting lost in medieval England and a 21st century computer game. (03/04/2004)

Crime that pays By Heather Havrilesky
The unstoppable "CSI" franchise plots another spinoff for the fall. Just one question: Is this an investigative drama or a screwball comedy? (03/03/2004)

The Fix
Disney World removes Janet Jackson-inspired statue, Elle Macpherson lingerie ad yanked, and Neil Simon gets a new kidney. Plus: Mr. and Mr. Elton John? (03/03/2004)

Nups and nips By Baz Dreisinger
"Carmen & Dave," "My Big Fat" and "Newlyweds" lead the way as reality TV finds fertile new ground to exploit: Weddings. (03/03/2004)

"We stood by while this happened" By Suzy Hansen
Author Steve Coll discusses "Ghost Wars," his new book about how the U.S. abandoned Afghanistan, tried to work with the Taliban, and failed to stop Osama bin Laden -- even though terrified CIA agents knew he was about to strike. (03/03/2004)

The Fishmonger Returns By Dave Eggers
Rebecca continued a few more steps, keys in hand, and felt the line compress around her. She was surrounded. She wanted to scream. They were going to mug her. (03/03/2004)

The K Chronicles By Keith Knight
Has the once-macho he-master gone all soft now that he's a married man? (03/03/2004)

The state of your unions
Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome rocked my world. Too bad he also slapped my face and passed out. More tales from the front lines of marriage. (03/03/2004)

Unexplained phenomena By Cary Tennis
I came out at 16, but nearing 40 I'm still single and I can't seem to find love even in San Francisco. Should I give up? (03/03/2004)

King Kaufman's Sports Daily
Fans have plenty of good reasons to support ownership in sports labor wars. The readers write. (03/03/2004)

"Guantanamo on steroids" By Jen Banbury
Abu Ghraib was an infamous prison under Saddam. Now, for Iraqis seeking relatives detained by the U.S. military, it is still a place where men disappear. (03/03/2004)

Bracing for the backlash By Jennifer Buckendorff
In Massachusetts, some advocates of same-sex marriage are asking whether the cost of progress may be too high. (03/03/2004)

A passion for hatred By Robert Scheer
Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" is a blood libel against Jews, and every prominent Christian minister and priest ought to denounce it. (03/03/2004)

Right Hook By Mark Follman
Howard Stern declares war on Bush's "religious agenda"; Gary Bauer claims gay sex is deadlier than smoking. Plus: Presidential Prayer Team prays for the CIA to nab Osama. (03/03/2004)

Shielding Murder Inc. By Arianna Huffington
Bush's support of the latest immoral gun bill shows once again just how willing he is to do the bidding of the NRA -- even if it means sabotaging homeland security. (03/03/2004)

Wednesday's must-reads Geraldine Sealey
(03/03/2004)

The case for war: Sketchy and false Geraldine Sealey
(03/03/2004)

Fighting words Geraldine Sealey
(03/03/2004)

Ta-da Geraldine Sealey
(03/03/2004)

Brought to you by ... Geraldine Sealey
(03/03/2004)

Political ads or exploitation? Geraldine Sealey
(03/03/2004)

In search of the perfect clamshell By Leslie Guttman
Biodegradable Styrofoam seems like a no-brainer. So why has a company called EarthShell had such a hard time making money off its environmentally correct polystyrene substitute? (03/03/2004)

Don't worry, be sexy By Scott Rosenberg
The government tells the Supreme Court that Web publishers should relax -- a Web censorship law only applies to the "worst" porn peddlers. But why should we trust it? (03/03/2004)

Letters
Tolkien a pothead? And what would his position on gay marriage really have been? Readers respond to Steven Hart's "Who's Sauron -- bin Laden or Bush?" (03/02/2004)

The Fix
Walter Cronkite on the men he might have married, Narnia on the big screen -- and Benicio on Scarlett? Plus: Michael Jackson on himself. (03/02/2004)

The Fishmonger Returns By Dave Eggers
Rebecca's idea was radical: No money accepted, no money spent -- a campaign of ideas, a campaign of hustle and sweat, brains and legwork. (03/02/2004)

Story Minute By Carol Lay
Travel tip No. 1: Never travel with an old friend who's recently discovered that she's gay. (03/02/2004)

Meaningless sex! Rampant drug use! Teen debauchery! By Rebecca Traister
In "Generation S.L.U.T.," 21-year-old Marty Beckerman blows the whistle on Gen Y, chronicling its sexual excesses and perversions. (03/02/2004)

She's so insecure! By Cary Tennis
My girlfriend is brilliant but wracked with self-doubt. Her need for reassurance is wearing me out. (03/02/2004)

King Kaufman's Sports Daily
The BCS is repaired at last! Its inability to crown an undisputed champ remains, but you'll be happy to know the profit-sharing plan among Division I schools will improve. (03/02/2004)

Bush plays politics with 9/11 By Eric Boehlert
Republican speculation that Bush may use ground zero as a convention backdrop has some 9/11 victims' families appalled. (03/02/2004)

John Edwards' not-so-Super Tuesday By Tim Grieve
In objective mathematical terms, Edwards can't hope to catch John Kerry. And that leaves political thinkers pondering the deeper questions. (03/02/2004)

Letters
Two leaders of the sexual-abstinence movement respond to "Bush's Sex Fantasy," by Michelle Goldberg. (03/02/2004)

Bush's backfire By Richard J. Rosendall
Twelve years ago, the far right's culture war helped defeat a President Bush -- and it's about to happen again. (03/02/2004)

Branding Kerry with the L-word By Joe Conason
The Bush team and the pliant media are already hitting him as a Massachusetts liberal. Can Kerry counterpunch? (03/02/2004)

"Change is coming to America"
Wrapping up the Democratic nomination on Super Tuesday, John Kerry gives a gracious nod to John Edwards and Howard Dean, and prepares to battle Bush for the White House. (03/03/2004)

Tuesday's must-reads Geraldine Sealey
(03/02/2004)

What nerve Geraldine Sealey
(03/02/2004)

Their baloney has a first name Geraldine Sealey
(03/02/2004)

Super, super Tuesday Geraldine Sealey
(03/02/2004)

A primary day distraction Geraldine Sealey
(03/02/2004)

What happened in Haiti? Geraldine Sealey
(03/02/2004)

Dean wins at home Geraldine Sealey
(03/02/2004)

Edwards' plans Geraldine Sealey
(03/02/2004)

E-mail to Australia By Jim Fisher
From dull longing to document to electrical pulse ... (03/02/2004)

Stopping al-Qaida, a quarter at a time By Mitch Borgeson
Eugene Jarvis, legendary creator of "Defender" and "Robotron," is still making computer games for arcades. But his new bad guys aren't aliens -- they're terrorists who want to crash a plane into the White House. (03/02/2004)

I Like to Watch By Heather Havrilesky
ABC's cure for commitmentphobes almost makes up for big, fat obnoxious Fox. Plus: Cult movies, cultists and the joys of David Chappelle. (03/01/2004)

Oscar bombs By Cintra Wilson
"The Passion of the Frodo" sweeps, and more beautiful stars bravely impersonate the genuinely homely to great success. But all the crooked teeth in New Zealand can't save a dull, dull Oscar night. (03/01/2004)

And the Oscar went to. . .
Hobbits, a "Monster" and the man who was Spicoli. A list of the big winners -- and Salon's reader picks. (03/02/2004)

The Fix
Dr. Seuss' widow disses Austin Powers, "Big Brother" in Bahrain is a bust, and George Clooney wants to wash your car -- in a toga. Plus: Backstage Oscar quotes galore. (03/01/2004)

"Dresden: Tuesday, Feb. 13, 1945" by Frederick Taylor By Laura Miller
So the Allies ruthlessly -- and unjustifiably -- firebombed Germany's most beautiful city and murdered hundreds of thousands of people, right? Not quite, says a prominent British historian. (03/01/2004)

This Modern World By Tom Tomorrow
A brief history of marriage in America. (03/01/2004)

Letters
"Everyone should have the right to joy and happiness." Readers congratulate Carol Adair and Kay Ryan on their recent marriage, and call on the rest of the country to follow in San Francisco's footsteps. (03/01/2004)

Myriad emotions By Cary Tennis
I'm feeling so much about a new relationship that it's scaring me and flipping my world upside down. (03/01/2004)

King Kaufman's Sports Daily
NBA refs manage to blow the call even when they're right. Their inside-out protest against the league was all upside down. (03/01/2004)

In Ohio, the war has already begun By David Moberg
Super Tuesday might not bring much drama in the Buckeye state, but labor and other groups are mobilized for a fierce fight to defeat President Bush in November. (03/01/2004)

Monday's must-reads Geraldine Sealey
(03/01/2004)

Web of inaccuracy Geraldine Sealey
(03/01/2004)

Vermont for Dean Geraldine Sealey
(03/01/2004)

Was Aristide kidnapped? Geraldine Sealey
(03/01/2004)

In the polls Geraldine Sealey
(03/01/2004)

The new Inquisition Joan Walsh
(03/02/2004)

Undermined by Big Coal By Kris B. Mamula
In Pennsylvania's coal country, some people's homes are literally sinking into the ground -- because big mining companies own the earth under them. (03/01/2004)