Top 10 Your World Stories of 2008

1. McCain, Obama Offer Different Visions on Taxes
June 17: Make more than $250,000 a year? Watch out. Barack Obama wants to raise your income taxes. Social Security taxes, too. Run a corporation? Lucky you. John McCain wants to cut your business taxes.

2. Democrats Pushing 2nd Stimulus, GOP Resisting
September 10: With the economy the No. 1 issue just eight weeks from Election Day, majority-party Democrats are trying to push a second stimulus package through Congress.

3. Decision 2008: Campaign Guide
November 4: Democrat Barack Obama has secured enough electoral votes to be elected the first African American president of the United States, capping a meteoric rise for the freshman Illinois senator.

4. Campaign Watch: The Keys to the White House
June 27: Political polls and campaign gimmicks and gaffes may make the headlines. But presidential elections do not work the way the media, the pundits and the pollsters think they do.

5. 60-Plus, Ripped, and Natural Competitors
April 3: Dr. Neal Grossman didn’t make a habit of parading around his bedroom in his skivvies and admiring his physique in the mirror. But now Dr. Grossman is a competitive amateur bodybuilder.

6. Outrage: Widow Loses Out on Spouse’s Insurance
September 17: When Tom Amschwand was diagnosed with sarcoma in 1999, he made sure that all of his employee benefits would remain in place despite his going on disability.

7. How Does ‘Sex and the City’ Film Avoid the Age Problem?
May 6: Early on in the new "Sex and the City" film—and don't worry, we're not spoiling the plot here—Carrie and longtime love Mr. Big are in bed together. A passionate interlude? Nah, they're just reading.

8. Exclusive Interview With Barack Obama
October 6: Barack Obama pondered the question: Why wasn’t he attracting more support from older Americans? Polls showed him leading Sen. John McCain among voters under 50, but trailing among those over 50.

9. How to Keep Your Family in High-Tech Touch
August 4: As with so many grandmothers, Kathleen Jepsen was there when her granddaughter, Noor, got her first tooth and took her first steps. She’s seen Noor, in costume, practice her ballet moves.

10. A Couple Uproot Their Lives to Create an Animal Sanctuary
April 14: When she was in her 40s, Alayne Marker occupied an enviable spot. As a contracts and insurance attorney for Boeing in Seattle, Marker raked in big bucks doing work she enjoyed.

Photos/Illustrations (from top): 1. John McCain photo by Carlos Barria/Reuters/Corbis, Barack Obama photo by Brooks Kraft/Corbis; 2. Ivan Bajic/iStockphoto; 3. Brooks Kraft/Corbis; 4. Wally McNamee/Corbis; 5. Asger Carlsen/Getty Images; 6. Andrei Nekrassov/Dreamstime; 7. Nikolay Mamluke/iStockphoto; 8. Damon Winter/The New York Times/Redux; 9. Jose Luis Pelaez, Inc./Corbis; 10. Mark T. Osler/PJEYE.com