Welcome to the online edition of The New York Times Upfront, where you'll find a selection of articles from our print edition. (For information on subscribing to the print edition, with all its addtional articles, graphics, and teacher's edition, please click here.)

FEATURES

COVER STORY
A St. Petersburg teen on life in post-Soviet Russia.

NATIONAL
How much sway can a single Supreme Court Justice have?

NATIONAL
Young Muslims try to forge their own identity in post-9/11 America.

MEDIA
"Product Placements" are putting the commercials into TV shows.

INTERNATIONAL
Soaring pollution is a dangerous side effect of China's economic boom.

TIMES PAST
1991: The End of Apartheid
South Africa's racial-segregation laws were abolished after a long struggle.

DEPARTMENTS

NEWS & TRENDS
Getting cozy with sharks; the Scrabble championships; selling books a page at a time; and more

DEBATE
Is it time for an Iraq exit strategy?

OPINION
Excerpts from New York Times columnists

VOICES
Oliver Scher, 14, on his Hurricane Katrina experience

CARTOONS
Some lighter looks at what's in the news