COVER

Movies: The Bold Man and The Sea (Movies)

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

NATION

A State In Flames

HOW A COMBUSTIBLE MIX OF DROUGHT, DEVELOPMENT AND FIERCE DESERT WINDS SPARKED ONE OF CALIFORNIA'S WORST NATURAL DISASTERS

WORLD

The Wounded Come Home (Iraq / The Iraq War: U.S. Casualties)

For every soldier who dies in Iraq, many more are injured. TIME takes an up-close look at the battle they face after the shooting is over

Where Things Stand (Iraq / The Iraq War: Rebuilding The Country)

Outside the tense Sunni triangle, Iraq is displaying a new dynamism. For a joint report, TIME and ABC News traveled the land to chronicle the changes

Can The Iraqis Police Iraq? (Iraq / The Iraq War: Policing Themselves)

After a wave of mayhem in Baghdad, the Bush White House is banking on it

HEALTH & MEDICINE

The Semiprivate Checkup (Health)

Tired of waiting two hours to see the doctor for 10 minutes? Try making your appointments en masse

BRIEFING

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

BUSINESS

Putin vs. the Tycoon

Was Russia's richest man arrested for mounting a political challenge to the country's President?

The Code Warriors (Time Bonus Section December 2003: Inside Business / Security)

Technologists are deputies in the fight against terrorism. How are they protecting us--and what must you do on your own?

Marketing: Avon's Makeover (Time Bonus Section December 2003: Inside Business / Marketing)

The beauty giant comes calling with a fresh face: a brand called Mark, made for teens to buy--and sell

Book Excerpt: Newman's Own Story (Time Bonus Section December 2003: Inside Business / Book Excerpt)

In an exclusive excerpt, the actor and his sidekick tell how they cooked up a food empire

Investing: Bubbling to Dow 10,000 (Time Bonus Section December 2003: Inside Business / Investing)

Investors are forgetting lessons of the tech crash. How to avoid repeating that history

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Music: The No-Hit Wonder (Music)

He's a gifted songwriter who refuses to become famous. Who says Ryan Adams needs to grow up?

YOUR TIME

SPECIAL SECTION

J.F.K. The Unseen Photographs (History)

As a young photographer, Jacques Lowe was invited into the Kennedys' inner circle. His pictures would help shape the Camelot mythology. From a new collection of his work, we offer a gallery never befo

PEOPLE

LETTERS