Vol. 172 No. 13
COVER
For years the financial markets roared along as if there were nothing to fear. Now it's payback time--and all of us will be feeling the pain
NATION
Barack Obama has Democrats worried. But the candidate is calm. Here's why
Maxed-Out Moms (The Well / Campaign '08)
A new TIME poll shows John McCain and Sarah Palin are winning over the swing voters that both sides need in November. But will it last?
Facts, Fables & Fibs (Campaign '08)
Both candidates say they want to run a clean campaign. In reality, they are tossing mud in every direction
ESSAY
Advances in science are altering what it means to be human. So why aren't the candidates talking about it?
The Lying Game (Commentary / In the Arena)
Every politician stretches the truth. But McCain is running a uniquely dishonest campaign
Fashion Frills (Commentary / The Awesome Column)
mesmerizing array of models can do things to your brain
NOTEBOOK
The Numerati (Briefing)
Richard Wright (Briefing)
The Page (Briefing)
The Moment (Briefing)
9|15|08: New York
The World (Briefing)
10 ESSENTIAL STORIES
Verbatim
Milestones
Drawing Room (Briefing)
Pop Chart
Peter Camejo (Briefing)
WORLD
The number of women in poor countries who die in childbirth has barely changed in two decades — and this despite a host of medical breakthroughs. How can the incidence of this devastating human tragedy be reduced?
Postcard: Berlin (Postcard: Berlin)
Germans nostalgic for the Cold War can visit Checkpoint Charlie, ride in a Trabant and drink in a secret-police theme bar. In the new Germany, a hankering for the bad old days
BUSINESS
How to find your way through the market mayhem
RELIGION
TECHNOLOGY
GM's Volt could get the company--and the country--off petroleum
Still Life with Video (Life / User's Guide)
Nikon's new camera lets you shoot pictures like a pro and take high-def video like an amateur
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Last year's strike victims get a do-over. Has absence made us fonder?
Brief Lives (Books)
Two true stories about parents losing children, one to death, the other to madness
David Foster Wallace: The Death of a Genius (Appreciation)
David Foster Wallace captured the essential loneliness of American life. But he couldn't escape it
5 Things You Should Know About (Downtime)
Darth Vader's apprentice, a Duchess of Devonshire and an indignant Roth
PEOPLE
TO OUR READERS
From the campaign to the financial crisis, in print and online, TIME is taking new approaches to meet a familiar goal: giving you the truth