Issue Contents

Jan-Feb 2009: Biggest Questions of 2009

MORE!

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Cover Story:

the most important Questions of 2009--answered!

By Ethan trex
Last month, we went to the dermatologist with a horrible rash. It seems we've got a case of burning questions, and there's only one cure--getting them answered immediately! Find out why Americans hate dollar coins, how hard it is to steal a nuclear weapon, why school buses don't have seat belts, and who's footing the bill for Obama's inauguration (hint: you).

Features:

nightmare on wall street: 4 other times the U.S. economy tanked

By greg sabin
If horse diseases and irresponsible copper speculation don't get your heart racing, they will soon. Grab some popcorn and brace yourself for the scariest moments of our financial past.

the rand corporation: the think tank that controls america

By alex abella
For nearly a century, one shadowy outfit in California has controlled the way we fight wars, explore space, build bombs, go to doctors, and talk on the phone. Learn the secrets behind the world's most powerful think tank, and why we'll never cut the strings.

scatter_brained:

Welcome to the jungle

Take a walk on the wild side with this month's Scatterbrained. We've got skin creams made of snake venom, children raised by monkeys, and a lesson or two from some real Amazon women!

right_brain:

masterpiece #92: rodgers & Hammerstein's oklahoma!

By bill demain

masterpiece #91: robert Smithson's "the spiral jetty"

By elizabeth lunday
Meet the man who took art out of the museum and placed it at the edge of the world.

left_brain:

mighty microbes: 4 little creatures that pack a big scientific punch

By maggie koerth-baker
Forget lab rats and monkeys. These tiny life forms are the real supermodels of science.

50-Cent Tour

Namibia

By jonathan smith
Need a place to hide from the law, but don't want to give up diamonds or Kentucky Fried Chicken? This African getaway just might hit the spot.