COVER
Less Vegas: The Casino Town Bets on a Comeback (The Well / Cover Story)
The casino town bet big on the real estate boom — and lost. But the rapid reset of home, hotel-room and casino prices has encouraged some in America's most optimistic city to go right back to the table
Hard Times Hit Las Vegas
Photographer Benjamin Lowy tracks the highs and lows of America's premier casino city
ESSAY
The Pink Recovery: Why Women Are Doing Better (Commentary)
Men are paying a higher price in this recession than women. Perhaps that's fair
Raising a Child Costs Some $221,000, Before College
It costs more than $220,000 to raise a child — and that's before paying for college. So what's it really worth?
WORLD
Postcard from Oak Bluffs (Postcard: Oak Bluffs)
The Obamas' vacation destination is a picture of racial harmony--and it's ready to cash in on their visit. Martha's Vineyard awaits the First Family
Afghanistan's Election: The Generational Divide (The Well / World)
Registered voters ages 18 to 25 range from 8 million to 10 million, out of a total of 17 million. Can they make a difference?
BRIEFING
The Moment
8|11|09: Pennsylvania
The World
10 ESSENTIAL STORIES
Spotlight: Congressional Aircraft
Prison Riots
The Skimmer
Book Review: A Colossal Failure of Common Sense by Lawrence G. McDonald
Verbatim
Milestones (Milestones)
Eunice Kennedy Shriver (Milestones)
John Hughes, Chronicler of '80s Teens, Dies (Milestones)
Hughes brought teen experience to life in films like Sixteen Candles, Ferris Bueller's Day Off and The Breakfast Club
Why Newt Gingrich Converted to Catholicism (Washington Memo)
The former Speaker finds a new home in the Catholic Church
LETTERS
Inbox
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Woodstock: How Does It Sound 40 Years Later? (The Well / Culture)
Peace, love and — oh yeah, music. The boomers' big weekend turns 40, but how does Woodstock sound after all these years?
Ponyo: A Hit from the Creator of Spirited Away? (Movies)
Does Japan's movie master have his first U.S. hit?
District 9: The Summer's Coolest Fantasy Film (Movies)
District 9 is a bracing mix of scare-fi and politics. It's also this summer's coolest fantasy
Mad Men: The Pauses That Refresh (Television)
Back for its third season, the sexy, smart Mad Men is still working its silences
The Time Traveler's Wife: Love, Death and More Love (Movies)
Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana star in The Time Traveler's Wife, an adaptation of Audrey Niffenegger's best-selling tale of a star-crossed love
Short List
TIME'S PICKS FOR THE WEEK
BUSINESS
Building a Media Empire Around I Can Has Cheezburger (The Well / Business)
Ben Huh's silly websites are doing what many powerhouses can't: making money online
Bernie Madoff's Other Legacy (The Well / The Curious Capitalist)
He helped create high-volume, high-speed trading. Now it's millisecond-fast--and scary
SCIENCE
Can Steven Chu Win the Fight Over Global Warming? (The Well / Profile)
Steven Chu, the Nobel-winning Secretary of Energy, says people caused global warming. He also says people, with science's help, can solve it
SOCIETY
Distracted Driving: Should Talking, Texting Be Banned? (Life / Technology)
Texting is dangerous. Dialing is too. But is hands-free technology that much safer?
Learning to Live (and Love) in an Empty Nest (Life / Social Norms)
As kids leave home, a cottage industry awaits parents looking to reconnect
Strangely Appetizing (Life / Web Watch)
A site for young foodies
PEOPLE
10 Questions for Ashton Kutcher (10 Questions)
The most popular man on Twitter plays a Lothario in the new film Spread. Ashton Kutcher will now take your questions
SPECIAL SECTION
Nokia Plays It (Not Too) Smart (Global Business / Phone Wars)
Why try to outcool Apple? There are billions to be made in midlevel smart phones
Bottled Up (Global Business / Thinking Big)
For the social-entrepreneur CEO of Belu, pursuing a purpose might be easier if he pursues a profit too
Seoul: World's Most Wired Megacity Gets More So (Global Business / Megacities)
The world's most wired metro area is extending city services with its U-city project. The U stands for ubiquitous
Business Books (Also In This Issue)
The American way of debt. Why our recent binge was so intense and the fallout so painful. Plus: Get ready for the world of $20 gasoline. The perils of the perpetually relocating worker