Newsweek articles from June 2006

Newsweek archives from June 2006

Terrorist Infiltrations; Right under our noses, evildoers have been sneaking into novel after novel. Can't anyone stop them?
June 5, 2006... Byline: David Gates Back in 1991, the novelist Don DeLillo told an interviewer that even before the Salman Rushdie fatwa, real-world political terror was starting to overshadow the work of novelists. "Today, the men [hey, it was 15 years...

A Death in the Family; Donald Antrim redeems the memoir with 'Afterlife.'.(Brief article)(Book review)
June 5, 2006... Byline: Cathleen McGuigan The memoir genre has taken a beating lately, which is just one reason to celebrate Donald Antrim's stunning new book, "The Afterlife." Antrim, the author of three praised novels, writes principally about his...

A Double Play for The Atlanta Braves.
June 5, 2006... Byline: Allan Sloan When baseball teams trade players, they often talk about how the transaction is a "win-win" for both teams--which rarely proves to be the case. But here's a potential swap that really would be good--financially, at...

Laying Enron to Rest; Convicted felons Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling may be trading pinstripes for prison stripes. These were 'the smartest guys in the room'?
June 5, 2006... Byline: Allan Sloan (With Carol Rust in Houston, Keith Naughton, Jennifer Ordonez and Judy Ganeles) Enron was the company that was going to change the world. And now, by God, it has--but not in the way that it had in mind. Once, Enron was...

Hedge Your Bets; The collapse of Enron shows the perils of putting your nest egg into just one basket.
June 5, 2006... Byline: Jane Bryant Quinn (Reporter Associate: Temma Ehrenfeld) If you're in a retirement plan that includes company stock, you owe Jeff Skilling and Ken Lay a vote of thanks. Due to their failures, 401(k)s are better today. Their own...

The Billary Code Edition.
June 5, 2006... Dan Brown's next challenge: Deciphering the code phrases in NYT front-pager on Clinton marriage. Good luck! Bush = Stop the presses! He finally admits he made some mistakes. That wasn't so hard now, was it? Lay - ...

Letters to the Magazine.(Letter to the editor)
June 5, 2006... Guess Who Knows Who You've Called? Readers expressed dismay and outrage at recent reports that the NSA has been examining the domestic phone records of hundreds of millions of Americans. "Why should our civil liberties be imperiled just to...

White Guilt, Deciphered.(Brief article)(Book review)
June 5, 2006... Byline: George F. Will The unbearable boredom occasioned by most of today's talk about race is alleviated by a slender, stunning new book. In "White Guilt," Shelby Steele, America's most discerning black writer, casts a cool eye on yet...

Fighting in the Shadows; Battles rage near the scene of 'Black Hawk Down'--And a covert American hand is tied to the warlords.(Somalia)
June 5, 2006... Byline: Michael Hirsh and Jeffrey Bartholet Mogadishu is a place most Americans would rather forget. During the 1990s, the "Black Hawk Down" debacle symbolized the dangers of dabbling in far-off lands we don't understand. TV images of a...

What We Need To Get Right; If the new prime minister fails, Moqtada al-Sadr will become the most powerful man in Iraq.
June 5, 2006... Byline: Fareed Zakaria; Write the author at comments@fareedzakaria.com. I'm glad that the president has finally admitted to some mistakes in Iraq. But what worries me is that he still seems to be persisting in one important error. In his...

Stepping Over the Line; Don't try sneaking north across Mexico's other border.
June 5, 2006... Byline: Joseph Contreras; With Monica Campbell Ever since he crossed into Mexico, Jose Moises has had nothing but trouble. Now the 30-year-old Honduran mechanic is hunkered down with other young illegal migrants in a rail yard just north of...

The Editor's Desk.
June 5, 2006... Byline: Mark Whitaker Even inside the walls of NEWSWEEK, it was a subject of intense controversy. When we published the 1986 cover story "The Marriage Crunch," on studies predicting that the chances of single women getting married...

This Week Online.(Charles Gibson)(Brief article)
June 5, 2006... Byline: Brian Braiker; For Brian Braiker's full interview, go to xtra.NEWSWEEK.com on MSNBC NEWSWEEK: As you take over the anchor duties at ABC, what are your thoughts about going up against Katie Couric at CBS? Charles Gibson, "World...

Red Carpet Burn; In Hollywood's golden age, the premiere was a symbol of grace and glamour. Now it's often a hugely expensive drag. And just try finding a star who actually wants to go.
June 5, 2006... Byline: Devin Gordon (With SEAN SMITH, JAC CHEBATORIS and RAMIN SETOODEH) Did you hear about the "Break-Up" premiere last week? No? What a night. A red carpet was involved. City blocks were closed off. Jennifer Aniston looked...

Surviving the Cure; Nothing comes between the X-Men and their genes.(Movie review)
June 5, 2006... Byline: David Ansen Those who take their X-Men very, very seriously may not be overjoyed with "X-Men: The Last Stand," the third (and probably not last) installment. Brett ("Rush Hour") Ratner has replaced director Bryan Singer, whose...

Enjoying the View From the Back Seat; The boys who are two of the great blessings in my life aren't really mine--and that's just fine with me.
June 5, 2006... Byline: Melissa Thomas; Thomas lives in New York City. I'm an annoying parent. There are two boys in my life who couldn't be more perfect, and I often bore friends, parents and non parents alike, with stories of Ben and Nick's adventures,...

A New Open-Source Politics; Just as Linux lets users design their own operating systems, so 'netroots' politicos may redesign our nominating system.
June 5, 2006... Byline: Jonathan Alter Bob Schieffer of CBS news made a good point on "The Charlie Rose Show" last week. He said that successful presidents have all skillfully exploited the dominant medium of their times. The Founders were eloquent...

Man in the Middle; As a corruption probe heats up on Capitol Hill, the spotlight falls on a California defense contractor with some powerful friends.(Brent Wilkes)
June 5, 2006... Byline: Mark Hosenball, Jamie Reno and Evan Thomas During World War II, the Royal Hawaiian, a grand pink palace on Waikiki Beach, was reserved mainly for officers and men in the U.S. Navy's Submarine Service. It was understood that the...

Breaking the Spell; The young D.C. sniper turns on his deadly mentor.(John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo)
June 5, 2006... Byline: Pat Wingert and Daren Briscoe For weeks, John Allen Muhammad had tried to dominate the courtroom, making believe he was a worldly wise trial lawyer. The convicted sniper, already sentenced to death for one of the murders in the 2002...

Newsmakers: Adrian Grenier, Cate Blanchett.(Interview)
June 5, 2006... Byline: Jac Chebatoris, Ramin Setoodeh He's returning for a third season of "Entourage" and will appear in "The Devil Wears Prada." Grenier spoke to Ramin Setoodeh. What's that beeping sound? Adrian Grenier: I'm getting out of my...

Perspectives.
June 5, 2006... "We have just begun to fight." Attorney Daniel Petrocelli, reacting to the conviction of his client, ex-Enron CEO Jeffrey Skilling, on fraud and conspiracy charges "I learned some lessons about expressing myself maybe in a little more...

Politics: How the Jefferson Search Put Bush in a Bind.(Representative William Jefferson)
June 5, 2006... Byline: Michael Isikoff, Holly Bailey and Richard Wolffe President George W. Bush's intervention in the dispute between Congress and the Justice Department over the FBI search of Rep. William Jefferson's office infuriated many senior...

Libya: Our Friend Muammar.
June 5, 2006... Byline: Mark Hosenball Just a month after the United States removed Libya from its list of terror-supporting states, the United States and Britain are helping Muammar Kaddafi crack down on some of his enemies. Police in Manchester and...

Consultants: Helping Olmert Get the Word Out.(Ehud Olmert)(Brief article)
June 5, 2006... Byline: Dan Ephron Top political consultants occasionally lend their services to foreign leaders. Last week GOP favorite Frank Luntz, whose client list has included Newt Gingrich and Rudy Giuliani, flew to Israel to coach Ehud Olmert for...

Investigation: Lessons of Abu Ghraib.(killing of Iraqi civilians at Hadithah)(Brief article)
June 5, 2006... Byline: John Barry and Dan Ephron It's unclear if possible charges against Marines allegedly involved in the killing of 24 Iraqi civilians last November will cause dismissals at the top of the corps. The investigation is continuing, but...

Beliefwatch: Lohasians.(Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability)
June 5, 2006... Byline: Steven Waldman and Valerie Reiss It's a Lohasian moment. The term for these 21st-century New Agers derives from an acronym created by marketers on the West Coast--LOHAS, as in Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability. The movie "The...

Fast Chat: Big-League Buffoonery.(Rob Neyer)(Brief article)
June 5, 2006... Byline: Bret Begun Rob Neyer's big Book of Baseball Blunders" details "the worst decisions and stupidest moments in baseball history." Neyer did the highlights with Bret Begun: What's the difference between a blooper and a blunder? ...

Science: Who's That Stunner?
June 5, 2006... Byline: Mary Carmichael Enlightened types say they're "self-aware" when they mean they're one with the universe. But for scientists who study animal behavior, the term "self-awareness" has always meant something much more down to earth....

Racing: With Cloned Mules, It's Nature vs. Nurture.
June 5, 2006... Byline: Elise Soukup When faced with an empty nest, most parents plan a trip or remodel the house. But when University of Idaho veterinary scientist Gordon Woods's last child left for college, he went a different route--he started cloning...

Marriage by the Numbers; Twenty years since the infamous 'terrorist' line, states of unions aren't what we predicted they'd be.(Cover story)
June 5, 2006... Byline: Daniel McGinn (With Andrew Murr, Karen Springen, Joan Raymond, Marc Bain, Alice-Azania Jarvis and Sam Register) When Laurie Aronson was 29, she had little patience for people who inquired why she still wasn't married. "I'm not a...

Three 'Rules' That Don't Apply; A Historian Upends Conventional Wisdom.(Marriage, a History: How Love Conquered Marriage)
June 5, 2006... Byline: Stephanie Coontz (Coontz is the author of "Marriage, a History: How Love Conquered Marriage" (Viking). She is director of research at the Council on Contemporary Families.) Marriage has changed more in the last 30 years than in the...

Can Barbaro Beat the Odds? Behind the scenes at the audacious operation that could save the leg, and the life, of a great racehorse who has captured America's heart.
June 5, 2006... Byline: Jerry Adler (With Alicia Barney and Alice-Azania Jarvis) You can see the x-rays on the web, of bones crisscrossed by dark fracture lines like weathered boulders, and even if you can't name the parts--pastern, cannon, sesamoid--it's...

Health: Your Tan Could Kill You.
June 5, 2006... Byline: Jennifer Barrett Lesley Miller might not have known until it was too late. Five years ago a friend spotted a dark mole on her right shoulder and urged her to get it checked. "The dermatologist took one look and said, 'That has to...

The Checklist; Our top picks for the week ahead.
June 5, 2006... WATCH Marilyn Monroe's 80th Birthday DVD Collection ($50; foxhome.com; May 30) Celebrate Norma Jean's birth with five of her movies, including "Let's Make Love," and a bonus documentary. to LISTEN TO 'It's Never Been Like That' by...

Road Test: BMW M Roadster; You're a bad boy.(Brief article)
June 5, 2006... Byline: Tara Weingarten BMW's new little toy is a major buzz maker and a naughty, naughty car. I tap the little round black button that reads SPORT. I press the gas pedal as I climb the freeway on-ramp and look in my mirrors to merge into...

Money: Back to Bonds?(Brief article)
June 5, 2006... Byline: Linda Stern The Fed seems to be near the end of its rate-raising binge, and long-term rates have finally started heading up. Does that mean it's time to invest in long bonds again? Maybe not yet. The spread between two-year and...

Technology: iPod's Talking Shoe.
June 5, 2006... Byline: Steven Levy In a match made in branding heaven, Nike and Apple got together last week to unveil, depending on whether you're a jock or a geek, a shoe that talks or an iPod that monitors your running sessions. The Nike+ iPod Sport...

Travel: Is That a Zucchini... ?!(summer festivals)(Brief article)
June 5, 2006... ***** CORRECTION: Correction: In "Is That a Zucchini... ?!" we should have said that the annual Maine Lobster Festival takes place in Rockland, not Rockport. Newsweek regrets the error. ***** Byline: Jamie Huish The Fourth...

Pets: At Home Fur Good.(Brief article)
June 5, 2006... Byline: Jamie Huish New addition to the family? Treat that kitten or puppy as you would a baby and petproof your house. Save their skin. Mix a teaspoon of olive oil into your cat's or dog's food every day. It will keep their skin from...

Ask Tip Sheet.(domain names)(Brief article)
June 5, 2006... Byline: Jamie Huish Who owns all the domain names we buy online? --Rob Verderame, Abington, Pa. No one technically owns the domain names, says attorney Richard Keyt. They're more like long-term rentals. The landlord is the...

See Reverend Run; Former Run-DMC rapper brings back the tough love.(Television program review)
June 5, 2006... Byline: Allison Samuels Angela Simmons wants a party for her high-school graduation, and boy, does she have ideas. A Plexiglas dance floor over the family swimming pool. Gift bags with iPods. And the finest food 250 teenagers can devour....

Your mother's maiden name; The notion of privacy has become, like Atlantis, a persistent and attractive myth. We thoughtlessly gave it away bit by bit.(Column)
June 12, 2006... Byline: Anna Quindlen I used to hear strange clicking sounds on my telephone and assume it was Verizon's usual level of service. Now I figure it's the National Security Agency. When USA Today broke the news that the Feds were tracking the...

Heroine by a Hairbreadth; Before the Pulitzer, her book was a goner. It's back.(Late Wife by Claudia Emerson)
June 12, 2006... Byline: David Gates Last year Claudia Emerson, a poet who teaches at Virginia's University of Mary Washington, published a collection called "Late Wife": one of those quarter-inch-thick volumes whose spines you cock your head to read on...

World of wonder; Pele in 1970. Maradona in '86. Zidane in '98. Every four years, one World Cup player makes history. Henry A. Kissinger--Nobel Peace Prize winner, former secretary of State, soccer fan--shares his golden moments before this year's June 9 kickoff.
June 12, 2006... Byline: Henry A. Kissinger On June 9, host country Germany will inaugurate a month of football frenzy by playing Costa Rica in the opening match of the 2006 soccer World Cup. For two weeks, there will be three matches a day as the 32...

A Woman Cloaked in Literature and Legend.(Letter to the editor)
June 12, 2006... Readers shared their beliefs about Mary Magdalene (and "The Da Vinci Code"), subject of our May 29 cover story. One woman said, "Mary Magdalene will forever be cloaked in mystery. Her belief in and love for God... rise above the barriers of...

Probing Bloodbath; The Marines were well prepared for war, but not for insurgency. Did some of them snap--and slaughter innocent civilians in cold blood?(Cover story)
June 12, 2006... Byline: Evan Thomas and Scott Johnson (With Sarah Childress in Baghdad, Salih Mahdi in Haditha, John Barry, Dan Ephron and Michael Hirsh in Washington, Michael Hastings in New York, Jamie Reno in San Diego, Rod Nordland in London, Stefan Theil...

Diplo-Dancing With Iran; Rice makes an offer to Tehran--with tough conditions.(Condoleezza Rice)
June 12, 2006... Byline: Michael Hirsh With Maziar Bahari A month ago Condi Rice was in deep trouble, and she knew it. The secretary of State's strategy for stopping Iran's nuclear program--by uniting major nations against Tehran--was in danger of falling...

How Long Will America Lead the World? The United States is still the dominant force in technology, innovation, productivity and profits. But Americans don't quite realize how fast the rest of the world is catching up.
June 12, 2006... Byline: Fareed Zakaria Queen victoria's diamond Jubilee, held in London on June 22, 1897, was one of the grandest fetes the world has ever seen: 46,000 troops and 11 colonial prime ministers arrived from the four corners of the earth to...

Seeing the bright side; A panel of foreign observers are cautiously optimistic about America's ability to weather global competition.(Discussion)
June 12, 2006... Byline: Reported by Stefan Theil in Berlin, Steven Ambrus in Bogota, Sudip Mazumdar in New Delhi, Melinda Liu in Hangzhou, Anna Nemtsova in Tbilisi, Rana Foroohar in London and Tony Emerson in New York To get a sense of how the rest of the...

How to Embrace Change; The new world economy is disorienting, but full of opportunities for us to seize.
June 12, 2006... Byline: Gordon Brown (The Rt. Hon. GORDON BROWN is the United Kingdom's chancellor of the Exchequer.) In the last year 1 million jobs have been lost from America, Europe and Japan--and one quarter of a million service jobs gone offshore....

The Editor's Desk.(Editorial)
June 12, 2006... Byline: Mark Whitaker As he was reporting for this week's cover story on an alleged civilian massacre in Haditha, Michael Hastings contacted a Marine he befriended while embedded with a unit near Fallujah last fall. The soldier said he...

This week online.(Susanna Schrobsdorff)(Interview)(Brief article)
June 12, 2006... Byline: Susanna Schrobsdorff; For Susanna Schrobsdorff's full interview, go to xtra.NEWSWEEK.com on MSNBC NEWSWEEK: Your new book looks at how the Internet shaped a generation. What's the answer? David Goodwillie, author of "Seemed...

Mr. Irreplaceable; Paul Westerberg on reuniting (sort of) with those beautiful losers, the Replacements.(Interview)
June 12, 2006... Byline: Jennifer Ordonez The replacements never had a big hit--just love from critics and fans, compelled by both the raw, smart music and the rock-and-roll behavior. Original lead guitarist Bob Stinson died of an overdose in 1995, but his...

Life in the Fast Lane; Pixar delivers 'Cars,' a typically eye-popping, if slightly uninspiring, story about the need for speed.(Movie review)
June 12, 2006... Byline: David Ansen From a teeming nascar speed-way to a dilapidated Southwestern town on the old Route 66, "Cars" fills the screen with super realistic computer animation so fanatically detailed, so packed with shiny goodies that it could...

Rosemary's Babies; More than ever, horror flicks like the new 'Omen' are relying on a shopworn movie tradition: the creepy kid.
June 12, 2006... Byline: Devin Gordon If you're a parent hoping to break your little boy or girl into movie acting, start by asking yourself the following questions: Does my child look at all like evil incarnate? Does he (or she) have translucent skin?...

Consumed by Guilt, I Just Stopped Eating; First anorexic, then bulimic, I always found new ways to punish myself. Finally, I'm whole again.
June 12, 2006... Byline: Ellyn Mantell (MANTELL lives in Watchung, N.J.) Recently I was out for dinner and ran into a woman I had not seen since leaving Emerson College in 1968. As we reminisced, I wondered if she had ever known how much I was suffering...

Politics of the Altar; GOP leaders are putting gay marriage back on the agenda. Will voters respond?
June 12, 2006... Byline: Debra Rosenberg (With Richard Wolffe, Holly Bailey and Karen Breslau) Back in 2004, suburban Seattle pastor Alec Row-lands watched with dismay as gay couples in Massachusetts flocked to courthouses and churches, exchanged vows and...

Newsmakers: Woody Harrelson, National Spelling Bee.(Interview)
June 12, 2006... Byline: Nicki Gostin, Devin Gordon Woody Harrelson plays a singing cowboy in Robert Altman's "Prairie Home Companion." Awaiting the imminent birth of his third child, he spoke with NEWSWEEK's Nicki Gostin. It's cool that you're in...

Perspectives.
June 12, 2006... "The epidemic continues to outpace us." United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, on global progress against AIDS. Annan says countries must redouble their efforts. "Canada is not immune to the threat of terrorism." Royal...

Conventional wisdom: The Crying Liberty Edition; Iraq's a bigger mess than ever, Iran's digging in its heals on nukes. What's "the decider" focusing on? The same-sex marriage issue.
June 12, 2006... Iraq - The last thing White House wanted was to relive Vietnam. Now it has its own My Lai. Really tragic. Paulson + Surprise! W forgoes crony and picks Wall St. biggie for Treasury Sec. But will Henry still be a deficit hawk? Chertoff...

Documents: How Homeland Made Its Antiterror Grants.
June 12, 2006... Byline: Mark Hosenball Homeland security officials slashed antiterror funding to New York City and Washington, D.C., while handing generous grants to Omaha, Louisville, Ky., and Charlotte, N.C.--even though, according to internal...

The Canadian plot: an international connection?(arrests of 17 alleged terrorist plotters)(Brief article)
June 12, 2006... Byline: Mark Hosenball Is there an international dimension to the arrests in Canada last weekend of 17 alleged terrorist plotters? In a written statement, an FBI spokesman said there was a "preliminary indication" some of the suspects "may...

The drug war: 'the best high they've ever had'.(the fentanyl-heroin cocktail can prove deadly)(Brief article)
June 12, 2006... Byline: Hilary Shenfeld Street users call it drop dead, executioner, flat-liner, the exorcist, Al Capone, fefe, Teflon and diesel. Cops know it as a deadly mix of heroin and fentanyl, an anesthetic and painkiller far more potent than...

Beliefwatch: Devil Day.(June 6, 2006)
June 12, 2006... Byline: Steven Waldman and Kim Winston This Tuesday, if you're filling out an application or writing a check, you might think twice when you write the common abbreviation for that date. For the first time in 100 years, the calendar will...

Fast chat: all-star journalist.("Rolling Stone" writer and former MTV2 VJ Jancee Dunn)(Interview)
June 12, 2006... Byline: Jac Chebatoris Sitting in the dark watching a movie with Brad Pitt or eating homemade fudge with Loretta Lynn was all in a day's work for Rolling Stone writer and former MTV2 VJ Jancee Dunn. Her memoir, "But Enough About Me... ,"...

Baseball: changing the subject.(2006 baseball season)(Brief article)
June 12, 2006... Byline: Devin Gordon Now that Barry Bonds has finally passed Babe Ruth on the career home-run list--and Hank Aaron is at least a year of slugging away--let's turn our attention from this unseemly sideshow and focus on the sweet little...

Band Tours: All Bused Out.(Brief article)
June 12, 2006... Byline: Alicia Barney The tour bus has long been an essential part of summer band tours. It not only gets the job done, it proudly declares that You Are Somebody. (Or at least that you're on your way there.) But this summer, some...

Microchips: Fido Once Was Lost, But Now He's Found.(Brief article)
June 12, 2006... Byline: Karen Springen A few weeks ago Chelsea, a cavalier King Charles spaniel, escaped from her home. A Wayne, N.J., animal-control officer waved a scanner over a micro-chip embedded in the skin between Chelsea's shoulders--and looked up...

Hank's likely headaches; To excel as Treasury secretary, Paulson needs something no one wants: an economic crisis that enables him to act as hero.
June 12, 2006... Byline: Robert Samuelson It's hard not to feel some sympathy for departing Treasury Secretary John Snow. He worked tirelessly for President George W. Bush, trudging all over the country to plug the administration's policies. In 2005 Snow...

Snap Judgement: Books.(Brief article)(Book review)
June 12, 2006... Byline: Nicki Gostin (Cathleen Mcguigan Jeff Giles) Heat by Bill Buford Former New Yorker fiction editor Buford got to do what every serious amateur chef dreams of: he apprenticed at Babbo, the flagship restaurant of superstar Mario...

15 Ideas to Recharge America; Our team of experts weighs in on how to keep pace in changing times.
June 12, 2006... can the united statesremain competitive in the changing global environment? NEWSWEEK asked 15 leaders in the fields of science, technology, education and business to assess the challenges we face and to offer some solutions. Entrepreneurs and...

The Future is in Their Hands; When North Carolina started losing jobs overseas, the state overhauled its education system to create a 21st-century work force.
June 12, 2006... Byline: Barbara Kantrowitz (With Pat Wingert) Chad Lewis is a burly 18-year-old with a passion for engines. In an ordinary high school, that passion might have distracted him from required courses in history, English and math. But Lewis has...

Shanghai starts up; A company of talented Chinese programmers is designing software that rivals Silicon Valley's best. And at about one third the cost.(Augmentum)
June 12, 2006... Byline: Steven Levy (With Melinda Liu in Beijing and Brad Stone in Silicon Valley) The shanghai Pudong Software Park didn't exist a few years ago. Now about 20,000 programmers negotiate traffic jams every day to get there. Throngs of...

An Identity Heist The Size of Texas.(laptop stolen with personal databases from Department of Veterans Affairs)
June 12, 2006... Byline: Steven Levy The nation was shocked last month to learn that a data analyst from the Department of Veterans Affairs had downloaded a database containing more than 26 million personal records, taken it home with him and then had his...

BlogWatch; A mainstream-media snapshot of what's hot (and what's not) in the ever-widening world of weblogs. For full links go to newsweek.com.(Brief article)
June 12, 2006... For black-celebrity gossip and snark--complete with pictures--ybf.blogspot.com is tough to beat. Since 2003, columnist Thomas Friedman has said more than 14 times that "the next six months" will determine Iraq's future, prompting...

Money: invest the time yourself.(a self-taught financial course is your best defense against bad advice)
June 12, 2006... Byline: Linda Stern Ours is a nation of financial idiots, according to plenty of surveys. But hey, who isn't intimidated by the jargon of mortgage bankers, insurance salesmen and stockbrokers? Educating yourself can be tough--and not...

Checklist: our top picks for the week ahead.(Buyers guide)(Brief article)
June 12, 2006... 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid: Collector's Edition' ($27; available June 6). Forget "Lethal Weapon." This is the best and best-looking buddy movie ever. 'Olivia Forms a Band' by Ian Falconer ($17.95). Boom, clang, crash! Is that...

Road Test: Grand Vitara; Are We There Yet?(Product/service evaluation)
June 12, 2006... Byline: Tara Weingarten It's cute (well, a little stubby), not too pricey and completely utilitarian. That makes Suzuki's newest Grand Vitara a great choice for that summer tradition: the family road trip. Unlike most SUVs, this one offers...

Ask Tip Sheet.(does jogging increase your weight?)(Brief article)(Column)
June 12, 2006... Byline: Jamie Huish Is it true that jogging increases your bone density, thus increasing your weight? -Tim Beatty, Eaton, Ohio Yes and no. Jogging does increase your bone density, but pounding the pavement will still help you lose...

Money: winning with zero.(putting line of credit debt on credit cards which offer zero percent interest for a year)(Brief article)
June 12, 2006... Byline: Linda Stern Interest on home-equity lines of credit is now pushing 8 percent. But several credit cards are offering "zero percent interest for a year." So why not take that debt and stick it on a credit card? It could save almost...

Living: healthy choices.(combine exercise and a healthy diet with mental exercises and stress-reduction techniques for good health)(Brief article)
June 12, 2006... Byline: Jennifer Barrett By now, everyone knows that regular exercise and a well-balanced, low-fat diet are good for your body. But new evidence shows that Sudoku helps, too. In a small study of people with mild memory problems, to be...

Technology: online warfare.(Field Commander )(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
June 12, 2006... Byline: N'Gai Croal Whether it's toy soldiers in a sandbox or Risk at the dining-room table, simulated warfare never gets old. Now Sony Online Entertainment's new game Field Commander ($37; amazon.com ) brings the pleasures of strategy...

Travel: score me a pizza?(some hotels are now offering teen concierges)(Brief article)
June 12, 2006... Byline: Hilary Shenfeld Ohmigod, like, who wants to visit some boring museum! To better serve the acne-and-braces set, some hotels are now offering "teen concierges" to advise their younger guests who are on family vacations. Mostly during...

Outdoors: a bicycle built for mountains.(Stumpjumper)(Trance 3)(Juliana Rxc)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
June 12, 2006... Byline: Paul Tolme The first mountain bikes were hefty clunkers with bone-jarring rides. Today's state-of-the-art models feature motorcycle-inspired suspension systems in the front and rear that let riders roll safely over rocks and roots....