Cover Story:
The Golden Lobe Awards
By Maggie Koerth-Baker
Abe Lincoln's corpse, Congo the Painting Chimp, and giant rabbits? This is one awards show that's wilder than the after-party.
Features:
An Unbiased Guide to Really Big Issues-Illegal Immigration
By Steve Wiegand
On the fence about the border? Let mental_floss help you navigate the thorny landscape of illegal immigration.
Actually, It Is Rocket Science: NASA's Brilliant, Far-Out History
By Mary Carmichael
NASA is turning 50 years old soon, so it's time to boldly go where no man has gone before. (No, not the ladies' room.) We're traveling through time to sneak a peek at the agency's illustrious past-and its potentially shaky future.
Waropoly: How History's Most Popular Board Game Helped Defend the Free World
By Brian McMahon
During World War II, Allied forces snuck special editions of Monopoly into POW camps. The result? Real "get-out-of-jail-free" cards for captured soldiers.
scatter_brained:
Food for Thought
By Lou Harry, Ian Lendler, Todd Tobias,
and Graeme Wood
Marinate a dozen poisonous apples, mix in the Taco Bell dog, and add just a touch of pig insulin. Presto! You've got the tasty recipe for this issue's Scatterbrained.
right_brain:
Masterpiece #99: The Notre Dame Cathedral
By Elizabeth Lunday
Masterpiece #98: The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds
By Ian Lendler
left_brain:
Diseases That Save Our Lives
By Joshua Rutledge
Can it be that one man's sickness is another man's savior? Read on as biologist Sharon Moalem postulates how diseases such as diabetes and cystic fibrosis are good for us-at least in the evolutionary sense.
spinning_the globe:
50-Cent Tour:
Appalachia
By Jennifer Drapkin
Whiskey Business: The Many Myths of Jack Daniel
By Eric Furman
The Secret Life of the Banjo
By Robbie Whelan
plus_the usual departments:
[know-it-all]
The Letter 'Q'
By A.J. Jacobs
[the_dead guy interview]
Leni Riefenstahl
With Michael A. Stusser
[the_quiz]
By Kara Kovalchik and Sandy Wood