COVER

From TIME's Archive: The Great California Fires (The Well / Special Report)

Fierce winds and years of drought put the torch to hundreds of square miles in California and displace nearly a million people. How we got here and what — if anything — we can do

What to Save From a Fire (The Well / Special Report)

Californians told they had minutes to flee had to make fast decisions about what treasures to take. How does one decide?

Photo Essay

Fires Devastate Southern California

Blazes burn half a million acres and force the evacuation of hundreds of thousands.


What They Saved From the Fire

California fire evacuees and their most precious possessions, photographed by Jeffrey Lamont Brown at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego.

Web Exclusive

• After the Destruction...the Insurance
• Cue Disaster, Cut to Action Hero
• Why Californians Don't Leave
• San Diego's Inferno: Relief Ahead?
• Surfing the Santa Ana
• Emergency Evacuation at Dawn
• Viewpoint: The Silver Lining

WORLD

ESSAY

The Ramadi Goat Grab (Commentary)

There's progress in Iraq--Sunnis and Shi'ites are meeting and eating--but it needs a push from Bush

The Bald Truth

What does it take to become President? Good policies, sure, but mostly a full head of hair

HEALTH & MEDICINE

When Lite Gets Heavy (Life: Society - Living - The Power Of One - Business - Fit Nation - Ethics / Fit Nation)

Low-fat foods can pack a high-fat wallop if you don't look out for some hidden dangers

BRIEFING

A Hard Line on Cuba (World Spotlight)

With plenty of material support from Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, the embargo is not so painful as it once was

Bordering on War (The Moment)

What happens when your key allies are bitter enemies?

SOCIETY

Floating Your Own Boat (Life: Society - Living - The Power Of One - Business - Fit Nation - Ethics / Living)

The recent surge in solo sports has put kayaking into the mainstream

Golf's Swinging Singles (The Well / Sport)

Inspiring drives. Cutthroat competition. Transatlantic tension. And it's O.K. to talk about a handicap with a one-armed golfer

Video: One-Armed Golfers Hit It Big

Time.com's Sean Gregory covers the National One-Armed Golfers Association Championships in Las Vegas and finds inspiring play — with a healthy dose of competition

Beyond the Call of Duty (Power of One)

A naval nurse has made a career—and a difference—out of serving the needs of others

Geneva Conventions 101 (Life: Society - Living - The Power Of One - Business - Fit Nation - Ethics / Ethics)

Why medical students need to learn a lot more about what constitutes torture

Tattoo Bans (Life: Society - Living - The Power Of One - Business - Fit Nation - Ethics / Society)

Body art is big. But the Marines and some police are cracking down on it

BUSINESS

How Dumb Is Your Bank? (Life: Society - Living - The Power Of One - Business - Fit Nation - Ethics / The Curious Capitalist)

Citi looks stupid and JPMorgan smart, but they have a lot of misery in common

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Theater: Elitist, Moi? (Arts: Theater - Contrarian - Books / Theater)

Tom Stoppard isn't trying to be highbrow. To prove it, his new play is about rock music ... and revolution

Q&A with Tom Stoppard

The British playwright talks about rock 'n' roll, the state of theater and other matters with TIME's Richard Zoglin

Outing Dumbledore (The Contrarian)

J.K. Rowling brings a beloved character out of the closet. Here's why it's no gay triumph

SPECIAL SECTION

Broadway's Favorite Babe (Pursuits: Travel - Q&a / Q&A)

Director and choreographer Susan Stroman will take another bow this fall with Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein

Move Over, Maharajahs (Pursuits: Travel - Q&a / TRAVEL)

A new wave of small hotels and guesthouses makes touring the subcontinent more intimate

TO OUR READERS

LETTERS