SOCIETY & SCIENCE

Is That Your Final Answer? (Education)

Those tougher tests that were supposed to inspire sagging schools have spurred parents, students and teachers to rebel against the exams' harmful side effects

Probing a Sea Puzzle (Archaeology)

The recovery of a pioneering Confederate sub may reveal why it sank minutes after its great triumph

The Bodies in the Barrels (Crime)

Police in Kansas go after a financial con man suspected of murderous prowling on the Internet

The Boy Who Loved Me (Crime)

A child molester and his ex-lover try an ill-fated escape. Did a controversial law drive them to it?

Twice As Nice (Living)

No longer merely a quick visit to the city hall, the second wedding is getting to be just as extravagant as the first

One for the Team (Sydney 2000)

Teresa Edwards has taken a solitary approach to her pursuit of another basketball gold medal

Shut Up by Talk (Press)

Tina yanks a book on the private lives of Bill's foes

THE ARTS

L'Humanite (The Arts/Short Takes/Cinema)

Directed by Bruno Dumont

Defiled (The Arts/Short Takes/Theater)

By Lee Kalcheim

Life with a Famous Dad (The Arts/Books)

Martin Amis assesses the ups and downs of his famous literary pedigree

The Age of Innocence (The Arts/Books)

An assured first novel evokes an old-fashioned childhood in which all seems strange and magical

Honk If You Love Jerry (The Arts/Cinema)

In the slick, silly Gone in 60 Seconds, Bruckheimer limns an ode to fast cars and the men who steal them

Star-toon Time (The Arts/Cinema)

The galactic graphics are spectacular in Titan A.E.

It's A Cool, Cool Summer (The Arts/Music)

Cowgirl? Pop chanteuse? Smoky siren? Will the real k.d. lang ever stand up? At last, she does

The Belle Epoque (The Arts/Music)

A quirky Scottish band's throwback pop is making adults swoon

David Sedaris (The Arts/Q&A)

David Sedaris' new book of essays is Me Talk Pretty Some Day.

Run, Chicken Run! (The Arts/Show Business)

The inmates of Hut 17 are planning a great escape. Viewers will get one in this high, wild and hen-some stop-motion adventure

Echoes of Rap (The Arts/Theater)

A hip-hop musical hits the stage at the Apollo

NATION

WORLD

After The Lion (World/Hafez Assad 1930-2000)

Assad's demise suddenly leaves Syria--and the Middle East--without a stable dictator

Heir Apparent (World/Hafez Assad 1930-2000)

The Doctor Will Lead You Now

BUSINESS

Connecting Flights

United's union with US Airways sets off a frenzy of merger maneuvering

Grounds For Appeal

The trial of the 21st century now moves to higher courts, where anything could happen

TIME BONUS

And The Beat Slows Down (Time Select/Global Business)

But will the business letdown be soft, hard-soft or hard? TIME's Board of Economists is divided, yet sees no chance of a recession

Mrs. Big's Big Deals (Time Select/Americans Abroad)

An audacious U.S. businesswoman has helped remake Poland's business culture, as well as one of its flagship firms

Admire Our Busy Signal (Time Select/Global Business)

Scandinavia's MeritaNordbanken is making up for its size by setting a world-class pace for Internet and mobile-phone banking

Armani Looks Ahead (Time Select)

The designer has high hopes for the new millennium, but key defections are raising concerns about his company's future

Heavyweight Champ (Time Select/Global Business)

For investors, the U.S. is where the action is. So money pours in and the dollar rules--but for how long?

Help Wanted For Europe (Time Select/Global Business)

While 15 million are registered as unemployed in the European Union, millions of jobs go begging for lack of qualified applicants

Testing Time for the VCs (Time Select/Global Business)

Seduced by soaring IPOs, VC wannabes are flooding the market. But as veterans are learning, the days of easy money are over

The Golden Diaspora (Time Select/Global Business)

Indian immigrants to the U.S. are one of the newest elements of the American melting pot--and the most spectacular success story

PERSONAL TIME

Daddy's Big Moment (Personal Time/Your Family)

Dads are hot right now and not just on Father's Day. New magazines and websites cater to them and promote a new style of parenting

Tips For Travelers (Personal Time/Your Health)

Trips abroad expand the mind but also expose you to health risks. Here's how to protect yourself

Sunburned (Personal Time/Your Money)

Wall Street loves to talk about the summer rally. Don't get suckered--it doesn't exist