This issue in focus.

• Author: Zack, Ian

Dear Teachers,

We hope you had a terrific summer. As the Upfront staff prepared our fall kickoff issue, we happily faced a dilemma: which of three outstanding articles to put on the cover. "10 Things You Need to Know About Washington" boils the tempestuous politics in the nation's capital down to 10 basic questions your students can really get their heads around. "The High Price of Cheap Fashion" will have them debating whether the cheap clothes they buy at places like H&M and Gap keep unsafe sweatshops running in countries like Bangladesh and Vietnam. And "Watching You" takes a hard look at government surveillance in the post-9/11 era.

We opted for the surveillance story, much in the news...