September 17, 2001 | Vol. 158 No. 11

Is This Your Father's Recession?

George Bush vows not to let the slump take him down. Can he avoid Dad's mistakes? How he plans to brave the growing storm

Speeders, Say Cheese

Can a picture tell a lie? Supporters say red-light cameras save lives. Opponents say they're a scam

America's Best (America's Best)

Humorist: David Sedaris: Wry Slicer (America's Best / Humorist)

Neurotic, self-absorbed and laugh-out-loud funny, David Sedaris takes readers on a wild ride through his improbable life

Chef: Captain Cook (America's Best / Chef)

Thomas Keller of the French Laundry in the Napa Valley doesn't have to try too hard to impress. He just cooks really, really well

Baby Speedster (America's Best / Amateur Athlete)

When he became the fastest high schooler in history, Alan Webb made us care about track again

Feminist: Body Bard (America's Best / Feminist)

With her hit play The Vagina Monologues, Eve Ensler taught the nation to say the V word without pausing and brought a little joy back to feminism

Philanthropist: Quiet Giver (America's Best / Philanthropist)

After five decades of outsize charitable giving, Bostonian Tom White is down to his last few million--and still giving

Social Critic: Civic Booster (America's Best / Social Critic)

Scholar Andrew Delbanco is a patriot who doesn't wave the flag but uncovers its hidden meanings in America's greatest works of literature

Mary Catherine Swanson: The Upgrader (America's Best / Teacher)

By targeting the kids most schools allow to float by, Mary Catherine Swanson has turned thousands of average students into college scholars

Straight Talker (America's Best / Advice Columnist)

Forget those boring bromides. Carolyn Hax is the wise, tough friend everyone could use

Campus Crusader (America's Best / University President)

Like university presidents of an earlier era, Ruth Simmons is the moral compass of the school she governs

Pro Athlete: Little Big Man (America's Best / Pro Athlete)

With blinding speed and a new belief in team play, ALLEN IVERSON is simply unstoppable

Curator: The Exhibitionist (America's Best / Curator)

If you follow photography, where Anne Wilkes Tucker is going next is something you need to know

Home Economist: Clean Queen (America's Best / Home Economist)

With her book Home Comforts, Cheryl Mendelson has legitimized finding joy in the art of keeping house

Devils' Angel (America's Best / Coach)

By turning his basketball team into a family, Mike Krzyzewski has made the Duke Blue Devils perennial winners, on and off court

Spirit Raiser (America's Best / Preacher)

He is a virtuoso, a prodigy. The only thing more exhilarating than the style of T.D. Jakes' sermons is their rigor and compassion

Bush's (New) Go-To Guy

Once overlooked, DENNIS HASTERT is now seen as key to the President's agenda--and even his survival

Nest Maker (Interior Designer / Interior Designer)

So deep is the talent of Sheila Bridges, she can refine the lives of hip-hop entrepreneurs and former Presidents

How Much Does The Preaching Matter? (America's Best / Preacher)

In mainline white churches, it was a lost art for a generation, but there are signs that the sermon may be having a revival all its own

Who Will Save Us This Time? (Money In Motion)

Theologian: Christian Contrarian (America's Best / Theologian)

Stanley Hauerwas argues that many Christians aren't actually following the teachings of Jesus

Inside The Outsider

Japan is desperately pinning all its hopes on the strangest politician the country has ever seen

The Disgrace in Durban

An international discussion about racism is overdue, but not done this way

The Shame of Belfast

On the streets of Northern Ireland, children learn bigotry from those old enough to know better

South Korea: Kim Dae Jung: The Halo Slips (South Korea)

Education: Coloring The Campus (Education)

It's like the 1960s in reverse: the schools are trying to integrate, and the courts won't let them

Sport: Tennis: Williams Wins! (Sport)

Dad said it would happen, and he was right: Venus and Serena will set the future of women's tennis

34 Years Ago In TIME (Notebook)

Notebook: Sep. 17, 2001 (Notebook)

Eight Ball Out of the Back Pocket (Notebook / Page Two)

A Car Of Your Own, Sort Of (Notebook)

Milestones Sep. 17, 2001 (Notebook / Milestones)

Long...Live...The...King! (Notebook)

Exit Stage Right (Notebook / Page Two)

That Means I'm Fired? (Notebook)

Hurry, The Boss Is Coming (Notebook / Page Two)

Low-Tech Solutions (Notebook)

Numbers: Sep. 17, 2001 (Notebook / Numbers)

Over & Under (Notebook)

Fay Weldon's Object Lesson (Cartoon)

A novelist sells out, but, thank goodness, the rest of us have standards

The Great Society (From the Editor)

News Quiz Sep. 17, 2001 (News Quiz)