COVER
The Fort Hood Killer: Terrified ... or Terrorist? (Cover)
When an Army major turns mass murderer on America's largest military base, it fuels the worst fear of terrorism experts: Are lone wolves who don't need an al-Qaeda training camp the new threat to homeland security?
Photos: Inside the Apartment of Nidal Malik Hasan
A glimpse into the home of the Fort Hood gunman
The Troubled Journey of Major Hasan
A look at the life of the accused Ft. Hood gunman
NATION
The Rogue Returns: On the Road with Sarah Palin (Nation)
GOP heartthrob Sarah Palin is back in the spotlight, this time as an author. Is she running for office — or just the best-seller list?
America's Best College President: Gordon Gee (Education)
Can a 139-year-old school change to meet an economic crisis? Veteran university president Gordon Gee says, You're darn tootin'
Nine Presidents To Watch (Education)
One theme unites them: endless innovation
ESSAY
Why Did the Iraq Surge Work? (In the Arena)
There's no guarantee that counterinsurgency tactics will succeed in Afghanistan
Happiness Paradox: Why Are Americans So Cheery?
Times are hard — so what are we to make of the sudden outbreak of contentment?
WORLD
A Mandarin Grade School in Minneapolis
In a pioneering Minnesota charter school, you don't have to be Chinese to get a head start in Mandarin. Saying ni hao to language immersion in the heartland
A Mandarin School in Minneapolis
At the Yinghua Academy, elementary students of every ethnicity study subjects ranging from math to American history — in Mandarin Chinese.
Five Things the U.S. Can Learn from China (World)
While the U.S. remains mired in an economic funk, the Asian giant drives ceaselessly forward. On the eve of Obama's first visit there, a look at what the world's rising power can teach the U.S. now
BRIEFING
The Moment
11|10|09: Virginia
The World
10 ESSENTIAL STORIES
The Senate's Turn: Can Democrats Close the Health Care Deal? (Health Care Memo)
Now that the House has passed its health care bill with a vote of 220 to 215, Democrats on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue feel an even greater sense of urgency
Verbatim
Insider Trading
The investigation into the Galleon Group is the latest chapter in a long history of insider trading in the U.S. stretching back to the 18th century
The Skimmer
Book Review: The Faith Instinct: How Religion Evolved and Why It Endures by Nicholas Wade
Milestones (Milestones)
Sir John Crofton (Milestones)
Nien Cheng (Milestones)
LETTERS
Inbox (Inbox)
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Clooneypalooza: A Star Is Airborne (Movies)
In a fall-film trifecta, Gorgeous George goes off to war, into a foxhole and (best of all) up in the air
It's Twilight in America: The Vampire Saga (Culture)
On the eve of New Moon, the second film in the Twilight series, TIME's Lev Grossman reveals how a Mormon housewife's vampire saga became a universal obsession
'The Twilight Saga: New Moon,' The Portraits
Photos: The characters from the new film
Man of Constant Sorrow (Books)
The people in Raymond Carver's haunting stories have it hard. So did he
The Prisoner Review: A Pretentious Reimagining (Television)
A pretentious "reimagining" subtracts from the paranoid classic The Prisoner
Haus Beautiful: the Impact of Bauhaus (Exhibitions)
No other little school had as big an impact on the modern world as the beleaguered Bauhaus
The Haus of Modern Design
TIME Art and Architecture Critic Richard Lacayo on the long reach of the Bauhaus in modern design
Short List
TIME'S PICKS FOR THE WEEK
SOCIETY
YouTube Effect: Making Money from Viral Videos (Web Watch)
Keyboard Cat has generated some $20,000. A look at smart moves for stupid snippets
Cashing In on the YouTube Effect
Silly videos made them Internet stars. Here's how they made some cash
Video: YouTube Superstar Sam Tsui
Sam Tsui talks with TIME's Dan Fletcher about the video that made him a YouTube sensation
Guilt-Free Laundry (Life / Going Green)
Dry cleaning can be bad for your health and the planet, but there are greener alternatives
Photos: A Green Alternative to Dry Cleaning
Green Apple Cleaners uses nontoxic methods to clean its customers' clothes
What Gets Lost When Our Finances Go Paperless (Cash Crunch)
Companies are pushing to send only online statements — and what we lose in the process
Pimp My Bus Ride: Hip Intercity Motor Coaches (Travel)
Goodbye, malodorous passengers. Hello, free wi-fi. The new, hip intercity motor coaches
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
The 50 Best Inventions of 2009 (Best Inventions)
From a rocket of the future to a $10 million lightbulb, here are TIME's picks for the best new gadgets and breakthrough ideas of the year
Technology Roundtable (The Well / TIME 100 ROUNDTABLE)
Talking about the future of technology is a little like talking about the future of the future. The topic is so broad. Where do you start? Luckily, we had help from some of the smartest folks in tech--Jay Adelson, Jeff Han, Michael Arrington and Philip Rosedale--all previous Time 100 honorees. Strap on your rocket pack and let's go
TO OUR READERS
Inventing Our Age
Looking at the year's 50 best inventions, choosing the top 10 college presidents and remembering 1989
SPECIAL SECTION
A Turboprop Built for Trouble (Aircraft)
The business-jet industry is caught in a downdraft, yet Quest's Kodiak has found a niche
What If the Water Wins? (Cop15: Rising Seas)
Holland, master of resisting the sea, may shift strategies in a warmer, wetter world
Business Books
How we got seduced and abandoned by Wall Street and Washington. If you want to get things done, then stop multitasking. Don't blame capitalism for your problems