COVER

The Case for Optimism (World)

From technology to equality, five ways the world is getting better all the time

EDITOR'S DESK

FEATURES

Coal, Hard Truths (Nation)

After policy clashes, coal miners, wildcatters and refiners are fueling the campaign to deny Obama a second term

A Moment for Moderates (Worldview)

If pluralism and radical Islam have a future, stronger voices of tolerance are needed

BRIEFING

Field Goal (Health&Science)

How scientists are making football safer

I Spy (Tech)

Smart-phone parental controls are nothing to LOL about

COMMENTARY

Best Served Cold (Tuned In)

The Romney video shows us big-money politics as seen from the catering table

The Imaginary Campaign (In the Arena)

Romney is running against notions of a President and the economy that are at odds with reality

The Upside of Mystery (Viewpoint)

Obama and Romney have been called aloof. Why that may not be such a bad thing

THE CULTURE

True Blue (Movies)

What real cops think of the new LAPD drama End of Watch

Outsider Art (Movies)

Misfits begin to bloom in a bittersweet coming-of-age tale

The Princess Diaries (The Awesome Column)

In which I get to the bottom of my susceptibility to royal toplessness

Rites of Spring (Environment)

At 50, Rachel Carson's ecology classic is still under attack