COVER
Staring Down the Russians (The Well / Cover Story)
Zbigniew Brzezinski says the West must show Moscow it won't tolerate any attempt to reassert control over Georgia
The Bear Is Back on The Prowl (The Well / World)
The U.S. warned its ally not to be drawn into a Russian trap. When the fighting started, Georgia didn't stand a chance
Photos
The Russians in Ossetia
TIME photographer Yuri Kozyrev travels with Russian units in the separatist enclave
NATION
Dark Clouds in Florida for GOP (The Well / Campaign '08)
Miami's three congressional seats have been Republican strongholds. But in a tough year for the GOP, Little Havana can no longer be taken for granted
Not So Funny (The Well / Campaign '08)
Do all those old jokes work against Al Franken in his race for a Senate seat in Minnesota? You betcha
Four-Day School Weeks (Life / Education)
As gas prices go up and bus service eats into school budgets, more districts are starting to cut class
Who Can You Sue? Click Here (Life / Litigation Nation)
A new website aims to hook up people with lawyers who will take their grievances to court. Is this what America needs?
ESSAY
Samantha Power: A Question of Honor (Commentary)
Russia's assault on Georgia was wrong — but predictable. How humiliation can shape national interest
What's Wrong with Celebrity? (Tuned In)
The term is being used as an insult. But there are worse things for a leader to be
Say No to Class War
There's a new push for affirmative action by social class. As Mao's China showed, it's a terrible idea
BRIEFING
Isaac Hayes: From Shaft to Chef
The singer-composer, dead at 65, revved up the motor of testosterone in R&B and made even Hollywood take notice
Milestones
Bernie Mac
Pop Chart
Endangered Species: In More Danger
Analysis: The White House's proposed overhaul of the Endangered Species Act is its latest end-run around Congress to undo one of the real success stories of the green movement
The Page
Verbatim
The World
10 ESSENTIAL STORIES
A Brief History Of: Tabloids!!
The Skimmer
WORLD
A Handy Distance Between Gold and Silver (Sport)
Mexico's Cocaine Capital (The Well / World)
In Culiacán, the heart of Mexico's drug country, narco gangs massacre cops and one another — and are celebrated in song
Photos: The Battle for Culiacan
Murder proliferates in the home of Mexico's $25 billion drug-trafficking industry. Photographs by Anthony Suau for TIME
Big Splash! (The Well / Sport)
Beijing Pollution's Effect? It's Unclear (The Well / Sport)
The Medal Machine Is Cranking (The Well / Sport)
India's New Medal Record: 1 (The Well / Sport)
Beijing's Dinners and Revolutions
At high-powered dinners, China's old establishment and its successors break bread with their Western counterparts
SOCIETY
Getting Your Goat (Food)
With the help of a top chef, learning how to grill (and kill) a rising star among American meats
Video: How to Grill (and Kill) a Goat
TIME's Nathan Thornburgh learns the hard way about the reality of goat in America: it's a delicious meat, but sometimes you have to kill it yourself
TECHNOLOGY
The Off-Line American (Life / Nerd World)
McCain admits he's a Net newbie. But does that affect whether he should be President?
Point-and-Shoot Shopping (Life / Fashion)
Popular in Japan, camera-phone-based technology could turn U.S. handsets into storefronts
BUSINESS
The Great American Yard Sale (The Well / Business)
Beer to buildings, airports to biotech: foreigners are buying U.S. assets on the cheap. It matters more than you think
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
3-D Movies: Coming Back at You (Movies)
The retro format has been reborn for the digital age. You still need the glasses, but it's a whole new experience
Latin Lovers (Movies)
A fine Spanish romance from a man who sees passion as comedy
Home Thoughts (Architecture)
The past and future of prefab housing
Divided Souls (Books)
Dispatches from the dark side of childhood
5 Things You Should Know About (Downtime)
Clone wars, vintage Broderick and the Belle of Amherst
SPECIAL SECTION
Under the Radar (Global Business / Strategy)
How L'Avion, the lone business-class airline start-up to survive, got the critical choices right
Sashimi on Demand? (Global Business / Environment)
As bluefin-tuna numbers plummet, an Australian says he's found a way to farm the migratory fish