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

Will Americans Vote Outside the Box?
Presidential hopefuls for 2008 include a woman, a black, a Hispanic, and a Mormon. Will one of them make it to the Oval Office?

INTERNATIONAL

Hurricane Hugo
After years of bluster, President Chávez takes Venezuela on a socialist course.

NATIONAL

Pesos for Pizzas?
A Texas pizza chain starts accepting pesos and hits a nerve in the immigration debate.

What's in a Mascot?
The complex relationship between the Seminole tribe and Florida State University

ENVIRONMENT

Polar Bears: On Thin Ice
The Arctic territory where polar bears roam is literally melting out from under them.

TIMES PAST

The Vietnam War
Thirty years after it ended, the Vietnam War still casts a long shadow over America.

DEPARTMENTS

NEWS & TRENDS
Burger wars, psychic squirrels, vanishing towns, rowdy libraries, and more

DEBATE
Should the Guantánamo prison be closed?

OPINION
Excerpts from New York Times columnists

CARTOONS
Some lighter looks at what's in the news