When The Field Is Level
In California, minority students are "cascading" out of top schools and into the second tier. Is this good for them?

"Help Yourself"
Why a defender of affirmative action is quitting

College Prep from Day One

McCain's Next Battle (Nation/Campaign 2000)
The Senator could be Bush's big headache. He wants to raise hell about campaign-finance reform

The Cost of Poor Advice
Bush says he's compassionate. So why did he pass up a chance to help the poor get decent legal help?

Who Will Swallow Medicare's Bitter Pills?
The next political battle suddenly swings into sight: covering ever more costly prescription drugs


Democracy School
Kosovo needs a government. The U.S. is betting on the K.L.A.'s leader. Now he needs to learn how to govern

Israel's New Syrian View
Ehud Barak is plotting a big leap toward peace. The surprise jumping-off point: Damascus


Missing: One Man, Many Millions
Short on returns but long on schemes, barred trader Martin Frankel duped 11 insurance companies

Retraining Your Brain
How one company is using a new neurological theory to ease language and reading problems

Has Asia Recovered?
It's certainly on the mend. But a brand new set of problems poses more economic peril ahead

No Time For Fun
Students used to kick back when summer came. Now they're too busy beefing up their resumes


My Summer Scare (Personal Time/Your Health)
One doctor, reading my breast X ray, ordered a surgical biopsy. I panicked--and I'm glad I did

Stalking a Tiger (Personal Time/Your Money)
Asian and other emerging-markets funds are flying again. But risks abound. Think long term

Your Money (Personal Time/Your Money)

Photo Finishes (Personal Time/Your Technology)
Which is better for making digital snaps on the cheap--scanners or Kodak's new Picture CD?

PC Expo Roundup (Personal Time/Your Technology)

"I Saluted a Witch" (Religion)
An Army base in Texas becomes the hotbed for earth-goddess worshippers called Wiccans

Last Stand (Environment)
Battling both polluters and conservationists, the Miccosukees aim to save their Everglades home

Unionizing The E.R. (Medicine)
To combat managed care, doctors want to organize. But it's no magic elixir

Fella Down a Hole (Dispatch)
You don't know the frontier spirit until you've met Australia's hardy opal miners

The Kids Are Alright (Family)
While parents worry, a new poll by Nickelodeon and TIME shows that youngsters find the world a less scary place--and are in no rush to grow up

Margarine Misgivings (Health)
A once wholesome food sets off new health alarms

If It's Tuesday, You Must Be Tarzan (Health/Behavior)


Sick and Inspired (The Arts/Cinema)
The South Park movie has a mean streak--and a song in its heart

Bronx Bull (The Arts/Cinema)
Machismo stumbles in Spike Lee's inane drama

Where's Papa? (The Arts/Books)
He's hard to find in his fifth posthumous work, True at First Light, a so-called fictional memoir

Natural Wonder (The Arts/Photography)
A retrospective looks at Carleton Watkins, who helped invent the West

Comic N the Hood (The Arts/Press)
The Boondocks has scored with its brash racial humor, but not everyone's laughing

Ally in the Shadows (The Arts/Theater)
Calista Flockhart shows her dark side onstage

Donny Osmond (The Arts/Q & A)

The Lovers On The Bridge (The Arts/Short Takes/Cinema)
Directed by Leos Carax

Party Doll (The Arts/Short Takes/Music)
Mary Chapin Carpenter

Significant Other (The Arts/Short Takes/Music)
Limp Bizkit

The Chimp Channel (The Arts/Short Takes/Television)
TBS, Thursdays

The Hoop Life (The Arts/Short Takes/Television)
Showtime, Sundays

Thwak (The Arts/Short Takes/Theater)
The Umbilical Brothers

As Time Goes By (The Arts/Short Takes/Video)
BBC Video


What A Difference A Day Makes (Time Select/Travel)
If you've got the flexibility to travel off-season, which starts a minute after the prime season ends, there are some nifty bargains to be had

A Back-Saving Golf Swing (Time Select/Sports Medicine)
The older you get, the more likely you are to injure your spine on the links. Fortunately, you can adjust