COVER

Bush's Lonely Election Season (Nation)

How the election became a referendum on an isolated President--and how it is likely to reshape American politics

Can Voting Machines Work? (Campaign 2006)

The U.S.'s new voting systems are only as good as the people who program and use them. Which is why next week could be interesting

Campaign 2006: Election Guide (Campaign 2006)

On Nov. 7, every seat in the House and 1 in 3 in the Senate will be up for grabs. Voters in 37 states will test ballot propositions

NATION

This Land Is My Land

How an eye-popping Supreme Court decision set off one of this year's most passionate election fights

WORLD

The Disappeared of Iraq

Far from the headlines, dozens of Iraqis are kidnapped every day. TIME investigates this criminal underworld--and tells the story of one man who survived it

SOCIETY

In Touch With Jesus (Religion)

Sugarcoated, MTV-style youth ministry is so over. Bible-based worship is packing teens in pews now

It's a Brand-You World (Lifestyle)

Need a job? Or a love life? Personal-marketing consultants can help you stand out from the crowd

BRIEFING

BUSINESS

SCIENCE

The Buzz on Bees

Scientists map the genes of the honeybee, a key agricultural pollinator whose numbers are plummeting

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Books: I See Him in Me (Books)

A world-famous writer and a refugee from Sudan collaborate on one of the year's most moving novels

YOUR TIME

PEOPLE

From Fact To Friction (Innovators / Documentary Film Makers)

With films gritty and grim, or warm and epic, directors of documentaries are helping define a vital new form of reality movies

LETTERS

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

Buying Your New Face (Time Bonus Section December 2006: Inside Business / The Boomer Effect)

There's a huge corporate battle to sell you one. New technologies and products are meeting baby boomers' ineleastic demand to smooth their wrinkles

Fashion: Tahari on a Tear (Time Bonus Section December 2006: Inside Business / Fashion)

The sportswear innovator is taking his contemporary outfit upscale with a luxury twist

Nice Girls Get Even (Time Bonus Section December 2006: Inside Business / The Sexes)

ADVICE GUIDES SAY THAT WOMEN DON'T HAVE TO BE MACHO IN THE WORKPLACE ANYMORE

Sports Business: Tennis Gets Reset (Time Bonus Section December 2006: Inside Business / Sports Business)

THE MEN'S ATP TOUR WAS DOUBLE-FAULTING UNTIL A NEW BOSS DEMANDED AND GOT RADICAL CHANGE FROM THE PROS

Change Agents: Are You Sticky? (Time Bonus Section December 2006: Inside Business / Change Agents)

A psychologist and an education expert explain how to get people to pay attention to what you say

CEO Speaks: Dow's New Vow (Time Bonus Section December 2006: Inside Business / CEO Speaks)

CEO ANDREW LIVERIS SAYS HE'S TRADING IN THE COMPANY'S TOXIC PAST FOR A GREENER FUTURE

Small Business: Rare Trees for Sale (Time Bonus Section December 2006: Inside Business / Small Business)

To preserve a threatened, ancient species, botanists are marketing its offspring

River Power Rises (Time Bonus Section December 2006: Inside Business / Technology)

HYDROELECTRICITY AND DAMS GO HAND IN HAND--BUT THAT MAY NO LONGER HAVE TO BE THE CASE

Foreign Influences: Good Call (Time Bonus Section December 2006: Inside Business / Foreign Influences)

T-Mobile's U.S. sales are sustaining its struggling German parent, but a big American shareholder isn't happy

Horses as Courses (Time Bonus Section December 2006: Inside Business / Executive Life)

Saddle up: This latest corporate-training iteration posits that running cattle can help you run a business

Investing: Where Fools Rush In (Time Bonus Section December 2006: Inside Business / Investing)

Most hot sectors have already cooled. You need to make a braver move: look hard at ill-performing areas