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EDITOR'S NOTE |
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FEATURES |
| Things haven’t quite worked out as planned for the Baby Boomers: near the end of their watch, America is widely reviled, prosperity seems like a mirage, and things are generally going to hell. What could they do to make amends? |  | |
| Forty years after the comic strip began, its commune-dwelling characters—Mike, Zonker, B.D., Joanie, and the rest—have moved on to Boomer adulthood. Their evolution offers a telling chronicle of the past four decades, and what it felt like to live through them. |  | |
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| Joe Biden really, truly did not want to be vice president. But almost two years in, he’s found his stride. And his unique life trajectory— by turns tragic, comic, and triumphant—may have made him the perfect man for a highly imperfect job. |  | |
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DISPATCHES |
How Arnold Schwarzenegger might just have saved California SLIDESHOW: The most memorable moments of Arnold’s career |  | |
| At the next Junior Eurovision contest, Europe’s most repressive regime will go pop. |  | |
| A blind architect relearns his craft. |  | |
| For one close-knit National Guard Unit from Arkansas, Afghanistan hits home. |  | |
| Chimp sperm may unlock one of the riddles of human conception. But first you have to collect it. |  | |
Gallic ingenuity has turned failing farms and rundown châteaus into hidden tourist gems. SLIDESHOW: A photo tour of charming guesthouses in the French countryside |  | |
The do-it-yourself movement revives learning by doing. VIDEO: The author describes his personal experiences of hand-making everything from wooden spoons to musical instruments. |  | |
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BOOKS |
| How a subculture gained the world and lost its soul |  | |
| Jonathan Franzen’s juvenile prose creates a world in which nothing important can happen. |  | |
| Tony Blair’s memoir reveals him to be neither a cynic nor an innocent, but a man of some principle. |  | |
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COLUMNS |
| Some small businesses are struggling to get credit, but that’s the least of their problems. Those that survive the recession will be stronger for it and lead the economy’s recovery. |  | |
As Johnny Knoxville and friends release their newest film, has everyone finally wearied of their absurdist, violent, and sublime daredevilry? Or is it now in our cultural DNA? VIDEO: James Parker unearths scenes of the mayhem, daring, and absurdist violence that have made Jackass a lasting cultural phenomenon. |  | |
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POETRY |
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