May/June 2005

As the World Burns By Bill McKibben, Chris Mooney, & Ross Gelbspan Think tanks and journalists funded by ExxonMobil are out to convince you global warming is a hoax.

FEATURES Climate of Denial: Introduction By Bill McKibben One morning in Kyoto, we won a round in the battle against global warming. Then special interests and pseudoscience snatched the truth away. What happened? Some Like It Hot By Chris Mooney A dose of doubt trumps years of solid science, but skepticism doesn’t come cheap. ExxonMobil is spending millions to sustain an echo chamber of global warming denial. Snowed By Ross Gelbspan Why the “balanced” media would rather promote paid flaks and fantasy than report the biggest story on earth P L U S : How an Asian tsunami flooded America with a conservative lie Exxon’s extensive doubt refinery Playing the race card (and getting it wrong) Global hot spots Big U.S. business sees the light, in Europe				Medicating Aliah By Rob Waters When state mental health officials fall under the influence of Big Pharma, the burden falls on captive patients. Ghost Children of Big Mango Photographs by James Nachtwey/vii Text by Philip Gourevitch We cringe at the suffering of street children. But why is the quality of our mercy constrained by age? The Middleman By Mark Schapiro What exactly was South African executive Asher Karni importing from the U.S. and exporting to Pakistan? Medical devices? Or the makings of a nuclear bomb? The Side Effects of Truth By Michael Scherer Dr. David Graham’s research has saved countless lives. So why is the FDA so eager to shut him up?

DEPARTMENTS Editor's Note Masthead Contributors Backtalk OUTFRONT Martial-rule America; Smut, breast implants, and other boobs on Capitol Hill; Rent to owe at Rent-A-Center; Ten Commandments kitsch; Disney’s Cultural Revolution; plus the profit-driven Hellraiser slashing bills for the uninsured PUBLIC DOMAIN The Parent Trap By James K. Galbraith The president’s Social Security overhaul promises to bring the family together—in a way that may split it apart. DISPATCH GigaFight By David Case When a sleepy Midwestern community tried to treat high-speed Internet like a public utility, commercial broadband giants spared no expense to win the Battle of the Bandwidth. MEDIA JONES Lauren Slater examines the spawn of the Nobel Sperm Bank; Jonathan Safran Foer on nightmares, 9/11, and fiction that matters; unearthing Orwell’s Burma; plus more book, music, and film reviews RE:ACTION Resources for getting involved P.S. The White House Gift Shop Cartoon by Greg Clarke