CURRENT ISSUE
September 2011
Features
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What Ails the Taj Mahal?
Preservationists say the 250-year-old marble masterpiece is falling prey to shoddy repair work, graffiti, air pollution—even a deteriorating foundation. We sent a veteran correspondent to evaluate the claims
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What 9/11 Wrought
In a personal essay, the former editor of the New York Times raises questions about the nation's response
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Road Music
Long before country was cool, settlers and slaves created heartfelt "crooked tunes" that still enliven the mountains of southern Virginia
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Reversal of Fortune
It wasn't until after Samuel Morse failed as an artist that he revolutionized communications by inventing the telegraph
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Picky Eaters
California sea otters have highly specialized diets. That might just be their problem
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A+ for Finland
Kids aren't required to go to school until they're 7. Standardized tests are rare. And yet the Nordic nation's success in education is off the charts.
Departments
Super Model
William Wegman thought he was finished with dog portraits. Fay Ray had other ideas
On the March: September 1861
The war expands and Lincoln rejects an attempt at emancipation
Beyond Bourbon Street
From out-of-the-way jazz joints to po' boy shacks, a native son shares his favorite haunts in the Big Easy
Mail Pooch
For nine years, Owney rode the rails and the wagons on top of mailbags. Today, a stamp honors his odd service as the mascot of the mailmen
Down But Not Out
Fans still argue about who really won the 1927 "long count" fight between Gene Tunney and Jack Dempsey
The Struggle Within Islam
Extremists get the attention. But the forces of moderation are gaining ground
Strike Up the Brand
In an ever more competitive world, nations strive for the perfect slogan