COVER
The Bold Man and the Sea (Cover Story)
Is Russell Crowe, star of Master and Commander and cinema's current hunk in a funk, really a sweetie after all? Nope. But he is full of surprises
ASIA
Police Academy 1
At an unusual school in West Java, the U.S. is training and arming Indonesian cops to fight terrorism
Buy Freedom (Letter from China)
To flee oppression, many North Korean women escape to marry Chinese men. Here are two tales of desperation
Fancy a Swim? (Letter from Thailand)
A stricken pop idol forces Thais to wake up and smell their polluted klongs
TECHNOLOGY
Coolest Inventions 2003
Among this year's favorites: fish-skin bikinis, a new love drug, transparent kayaks, a singing snorkel, the car that parks itself and the invisible man
GLOBAL ADVISER
Vino, To Go (TIME Global Adviser | Time Traveler)
How to choose a good in-flight wine? No problemexperts on the ground have done it for you
Hong Kong's Hot Tables (TIME Global Adviser | Diversions)
There are some bright new names in Hong Kong's dining firmament
Is There a Doctor in the Lounge? (TIME Global Adviser | Long Haul)
When illness strikes en route, what kind of medical care can you expect at the airport?
Chips with Everything (TIME Global Adviser | Next Time You're in ... Sydney)
Is Star City worth a visit? You bet
Lone Rangers (TIME Global Adviser | Do It Yourself)
Four hot places to meet new people on the road
Out of the Box (TIME Global Adviser | Style Watch)
The secrets to looking fresh on the road, in one easy package
BUSINESS
Too Much, Too Soon?
China is making more cars, TVs and washing machines than it can consume. Eventually, this glut could swamp the world
Global Markets
China's Bird on the Wing
Getting a Piece of the Action
How to invest in China, the world's biggestand riskiestuntapped marketplace
The Middle Landfill
China faces a choice between its economy and its environment
Colonel Sanders' March on China
Ruler of the mainland's chicken roost, KFC parent Yum! brands plans another cuisine invasion: Mexican food
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Strangers in a Strange Land (Books)
Nell Freudenberger's debut short-story collection, Lucky Girls, artfully explores life abroadand more
BRIEFING
So Sorry, Rummy (Notebook | Diplomacy)
Japan and Korea decline to help out the U.S. in Iraq
Making a Killing in China (Notebook | China)
In modern China, criminals and serial killers are finding it easier to get away clean
Not his Kind of Party (Notebook | Vietnam)
A confidant of Ho Chi Minh's is jailed by Vietnam's government for speaking out in favor of reform
Milestones (Notebook)
Events of the Week
Verbatim (Notebook)
Quotes of the week
Letters (Notebook)
Bollywood Goes Global