NATION

The Missing Nine Months

Elizabeth Smart is finally found, but what happened while she was under the spell of a deranged drifter?

SCIENCE

Those Last Few Seconds

Did Columbia's crew see trouble coming, or was the end mercifully fast? Answers are starting to emerge

Fighting over Peanuts (Science/Health)

Doctors think they have a way to combat a deadly allergy. But don't reach for the nut bowl yet

BUSINESS

THE ARTS

Director's Cut (Movies)

He lost with Raging Bull and GoodFellas. Now Martin Scorsese tries, one more time, for that elusive Best Director Oscar

How Horror Sounds (MOVIES)

Watching the director make Dreamcatcher scary is a grim business. Our correspondent faces up to it

Laughter and Forgetting (Books)

Alzheimer's may well be the scourge of the new century. Three memoirs face it with wit and courage

Prime-Time Therapy (Television)

With a rare Latino comedy hit, George Lopez is giving his traumatic childhood a laugh track

BRIEFING

New Targets for Hamas?

With war looming in Iraq, U.S. intelligence officials worry about attacks from Hamas in this country.

WORLD

Essay: France's Game (Essay)

French opposition to the U.S. is not about Iraq but about who runs the world

Enter The Cleanup Crew (Iraq/With The Troops)

The second wave of U.S. troops would search for Iraqi weapons and try to befriend the locals

YOUR TIME

Mix and Mash-Up

Cutting and pasting together pop hits has never been easier — or more fun

No Fear of Falling

With rates at new lows, refinance your mortgage (again!) and restash your cash

GLOBAL BUSINESS

Putting On Heirs (TIME Global Business/The Families That Own Europe)

A new generation is leading Europe's biggest family firms toward new profits — and risks

Home Address: Paradise (TIME Global Business/The Global Life)

Sri Lanka, now at peace, offers great deals to expats and tourists alike

Come On Out! (TIME Global Business/Investing)

The fair-weather money has fled private equities — now it's time to buy

Sandy's Story (TIME Global Business/Book-Shelf)

You don't have to pity the Citigroup CEO to relish this tale of breaking down walls on the Street

Soulless Survivor (TIME Global Business/Executive Summary)

A new book chronicles the highs and lows of corporations since the first appeared in 12th century Italy