New Republic , Feb. 17, and Newsweek , Feb. 3 (posted Friday, Jan. 31) The New Republic 's cover story takes a skeptical look at California's medical-marijuana initiative. Touring California's "marijuana clubs" and head shops, the writer notes the similarities between the medical-marijuana culture and the recreational-marijuana culture: Many "medical" users are stoners with sham illnesses. The piece concludes that the medical-marijuana movement is a back door to legalization. Newsweek agrees that the Californian and Arizonan initiatives are far too squishy, but emphasizes that pot has some medical benefits--particularly in increasing the appetite. In a sidebar, drug czar Barry McCaffrey writes that more research is needed before medicinal marijuana can be legalized. Also in TNR , an article criticizes Bill Clinton for his naive, outdated views about kids and the Internet. The Net is no longer the vast electronic library that Clinton imagines; now it is a relentlessly commercial marketing tool, hardly suitable for classrooms. A story debunks the alleged links between racism and black illness (the Standard published a similar story more than two months ago). And TNR owner Martin Peretz, who is famous for his paeans to Al Gore, tops himself, calling the veep "a man rooted in the oldest idea of our civilization." Also in Newsweek , the Katharine Graham suck-up continues. Newsweek , which Graham owns, excerpts her autobiography at length, covering her major episodes--Watergate, husband's suicide, the Black and White Ball. Economist , Feb. 1 (posted Friday, Jan. 31) The cover editorial, "Why Government Should Not Be Salesmen," opposes export boosterism, calling it bad economics. When politicians sell a product overseas, they almost inevitably subsidize the domestic producer; this subsidy subtracts from the national economy. A long, related story lists the ways that governments hype exports (exchange-rate manipulation, subsidized R&D, trade missions, etc.), and bemoans their proliferation. The Economist especially condemns the tactics of the U.S. Commerce Department. Also, an article criticizes the FDA's sloth, and says that computer simulations and small early-stage clinical trials could speed the drug-approval process. And a story tells how NATO expansion is irritating Russia: Yeltsin & Co. may retaliate by improving ties with China, Iran, Iraq, and North Korea. New York Times Magazine , Feb. 2 (posted Thursday, Jan. 30) The cover story on Trent Lott doubts that he can control the Republican Senate. The majority leader, while conservative, cares more about passing bills than about ideology. This willingness to accommodate will alienate the Senate's ultraconservative "firebrands," who seek war against Clinton and the Democrats over the balanced budget, abortion, and flag-burning. A sidebar profiles nine such firebrands, including Phil Gramm, Sam Brownback, and Rick Santorum. Also, an article describes two families' experience of home schooling. Its (unsurprising) conclusion: Home-schooled kids probably learn more than school-schooled kids, but they risk isolation and social discomfort. Time , Feb. 3 (posted Tuesday, Jan. 28) Cute baby on the cover. "Fertile Minds" is sure to reinforce parental anxiety. Babies form permanent synaptic connections very early, so children who are not properly stimulated during their first year can be scarred forever. A related article concludes that the United States must spend more money on early-childhood development to ensure that babies are sufficiently stimulated. Also, Time interviews Charles Keating, whose S&L conviction (in Judge Lance Ito's court) was just overturned by a federal appeals court. Keating, who still owes $5.2 billion in civil penalties, is largely unrepentant. Speaking of civil penalties and O.J., an article finds that Simpson has protected himself well: Even if he loses the civil suit, he'll keep his $2.5 million retirement fund, his regular pension checks, and most of his future earnings. U.S. News & World Report , Feb. 3 (posted Tuesday, Jan. 28) The annual mutual-fund guide offers bad, if unsurprising, news: The market can't sustain its irrational high. U.S. News ' advice: Dump index funds and buy specialty funds. Real-estate funds and financial-stock funds are good bets. The magazine picks the 250 best funds "for the long haul" and ranks the 50 biggest stock funds (Vanguard Index had the best three-year performance). Also, a package of stories contrasts the inauguration's pomp with the urban decay of Washington, D.C. The New Yorker , Feb. 3 (posted Tuesday, Jan. 28) A profile of John Major depicts him as colorless and competent. Even though Britain is prospering, Major will lose the next election because he can't resolve the question--or rather "The Question"--of Europe. Most Tories loathe the European Union, and Major has alienated them with his ambivalence toward it. Henry Louis Gates Jr. contrasts highbrow black theater with the "Chitlin Circuit." The circuit's crude plays make "Good Times look like Strindberg," but they make money and draw huge black audiences (highbrow black theater does neither). An article details how the White House "marketed the prestige and glamour of the presidency" to collect contributions: Terry McAuliffe concocted the dollars-for-access scheme, and Clinton eagerly cooperated. Also, John Updike writes a self-indulgent essay about his books: "Somewhere in their several million pondered, proofread, printed words I must have done my best, sung my song, had my say." Weekly Standard , Feb. 3 (posted Tuesday, Jan. 28) "The Road from Hebron" applauds Benjamin Netanyahu for the recent peace agreement. The accord may finally compel the Palestinians to live up to their part of the bargain. It has also averted a potential Israeli civil war. An article blasts the United States for standing by while China demolishes democracy and free speech in Hong Kong. Also, yet another editorial praises the California Civil Rights Initiative. And a story makes fun of Clinton's inaugural address: "Nothing big ever came from someone so small." Harper's , February 1997 (posted Saturday, Jan. 25) A long article investigates Executive Outcomes, the firm of South African mercenaries hired to keep order in Sierra Leone. The author is ambivalent. On the one hand, EO has pacified the land and ended a bloody civil war. On the other, it works for greedy diamond corporations, supports a brutal military regime, and employs South Africa's most vicious ex-soldiers. The article predicts that private armies such as EO will become increasingly common. Also, an essayist deplores his own investments in global mutual funds: His money helps repressive governments and exploitative foreign companies (But you can't beat the profits, he admits). And a funny critique of DSM-IV, the standard manual of mental disorders: The manual classifies everything--from bad handwriting to snobbery to clumsiness--as a mental illness. --Compiled by David Plotz and the editors of Slate .