Economist , Aug. 16 (posted Saturday, Aug. 16) India's 50 th birthday is celebrated, ambivalently, as the cover package praises the country's democracy and condemns its history of socialism. Recent economic liberalization has started to improve living standards, but the editors urge the government to privatize and deregulate faster. A piece commends Madeleine Albright for her "splendid bluntness" and her belief that the United States must act as the world's moral (and actual) policeman. But even she may not be able to force peace on the Middle East. Also, an Economist obsession: The magazine advises Britain to legalize drugs, at least marijuana and ecstasy (MDMA). A related article describes, lovingly, the many medical benefits of pot smoking. New Republic , Sept. 1 (posted Friday, Aug. 15) The cover story marvels at Lanny Davis, the White House lawyer who does spin control for the Senate campaign-finance investigation. The administration's "minister for scandal," Davis brilliantly defused the Thompson hearings by convincing reporters that the witnesses' testimony was old news. "Heil Harvard" describes how Austria's far-right leader, the repellent Jorg Haider, is polishing his reputation by attending Harvard conferences and schmoozing American politicians. Haider, the author reminds us, praised the SS and has proposed expelling all immigrants and foreigners from Austria. A biography of efficiency expert Frederick Winslow Taylor is reviewed. The conclusion: Taylor was a terrible man, and he should be blamed for the dehumanization of the American workplace. New York Times Magazin e , Aug. 17 (posted Friday, Aug. 15) An article calls Japanese primary schools the best in the world. Why? Kids cooperate on everything, are encouraged to think creatively, and learn responsibility from chores. (They clean the school building because there are no janitors.) The bad news: Japan's high-pressure, exam-oriented secondary schools undo the primary schools' good work. The magazine interviews Boeing CEO Philip Condit, who defends the company's safety record, its acquisition of McDonnell Douglas, and its pro-China policy. Most astonishing moment: Condit likens the Rodney King beating to the Tiananmen Square massacre. The cover story profiles celebrity chef David Bouley, who's trying to launch a nationwide gourmet-food empire, complete with overnight delivery of flash-frozen, vacuum-packed, four-star meals. Time and Newsweek , Aug. 18 (posted Tuesday, Aug. 12) The Apple-Microsoft deal takes both covers. The shared conclusion is that the agreement is a win-win: Apple buys some needed time, Microsoft locks up the Macintosh applications market and wards off antitrust investigators. Time 's behind-the-scenes package follows Steve Jobs through the week leading up to the fateful speech. Funniest moment: When Gates asks Jobs what he should wear during the announcement, Jobs answers, a white shirt. Newsweek publishes a short interview with Jobs, who says that Apple will concentrate on the education and "creative content" markets. Newsweek also argues that Apple will fail to hire a strong CEO because nobody wants to work in Jobs' shadow. Both newsweeklies celebrate cities. Newsweek congratulates New York for its remarkable comeback, applauding its falling crime rate, cleanliness, swinging nightlife, and entrepreneurial immigrants. Time 's "City Boosters" pays tribute to big-city mayors who've privatized services, challenged employee unions, and supported school vouchers. Singled out for praise: Stephen Goldsmith of Indianapolis, John Norquist of Milwaukee, Ed Rendell of Philadelphia, Michael White of Cleveland. A pair of Newsweek articles commemorates the 20 th anniversary of Elvis' death. One recalls the earliest days of his career, when he toured the South in a Cadillac. The other remembers his twilight in Las Vegas, where female fans mobbed the auditorium every night. Time predicts the biggest El Niño of the century. A warm Pacific Ocean will wreak havoc in South America, cause drought in Australia, and bring a nice, mild winter to the United States. U.S. News & World Report , Aug. 18 & 25 (posted Tuesday, Aug. 12) A double issue probes 18 unsolved mysteries of science. Among them: How old is the universe? How do ice ages occur? Why do we sleep? Why does anesthesia work? (Best guesses: 12 billion years; absorption of carbon dioxide by grasses lowers temperatures; to process memories; not the foggiest idea.) A sidebar examines a handful of less pressing scientific puzzles, such as why dogs bark. An article chronicles a bizarre Egyptian espionage trial: An Israeli mechanic is charged with giving lingerie dipped in invisible ink to an Egyptian. The trial has exposed Egyptian paranoia about Israeli sex spies and inflamed already tense relations between the two countries. The New Yorker , Aug. 18 (posted Tuesday, Aug. 12) A long story describes Defense Secretary William Cohen's attempts to impose civilian authority on Pentagon leaders who don't trust him. Top brass loathe the Clinton administration for trying to gut their "warrior" culture. Cohen has faced down two generals who bucked his authority, but hasn't won (and will never win, the article predicts) the full confidence of high-ranking officers. The magazine prints the final entries in William S. Burroughs' journal. Best line: "That vile salamander Gingrich, squeaker of the House, is slobbering about a drug-free America by the year 2001. What a dreary prospect!" A piece chronicles the National Football League's effort to regain the fans it has lost to the National Basketball Association. The NFL's bright idea: Hire an MTV executive to craft a snazzy marketing campaign. The Nation , Aug. 25 & Sept. 1 (posted Tuesday, Aug. 12) The third installment in its "National Entertainment State" series dissects the American music industry. As in the Hollywood and publishing issues, the centerpiece of the music edition is a chart of corporate conglomeration: Six companies (Time-Warner, Sony, EMI, etc.) dominate the music industry. Articles criticize music journalists for ignoring black artists, praise the embryonic feminism of the Spice Girls, rejoice in the failure of U2's latest tour, and commend the few musicians (notably Ani DiFranco) who have rejected major-label control. Weekly Standard , Aug. 18 (posted Tuesday, Aug. 12) Summer camps have gone soft, concludes the cover story. Back in the good old days, roughhousing, risk-taking, fighting, noogies, and wedgies were encouraged, and helped make kids courageous. Regrettably, '90s campers are protected from all risk. A piece mocks the military's diversity training program for its squishy, idiotic, white-male-bashing uselessness. The editorial cheers Jesse Helms' attack on William Weld's nomination, then urges Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott to "squash [Weld] like a bug." National Review , Sept. 1 (posted Tuesday, Aug. 12) The cover story claims that an obscure Canadian businessman named Maurice Strong is the ringleader of a "creeping U.N. power grab." Strong currently serves as an adviser to the U.N. secretary-general, an adviser to the World Bank president, and presided over the 1992 Earth Summit as its secretary-general. He's also supervising U.N. reforms and environmental regulations that will cripple U.S. sovereignty, warns the article. Also, Rupert Murdoch writes an essay decrying the triumph of "neosocialism." Regulators, bureaucrats, and a "New Class" of mandarins are using their authority to erode individual liberty. Evidence cited: "Why can't I get my Fox TV news service onto more American cable systems and compete?" Vanity Fair , September 1997 (posted Friday, Aug. 8) VF traces Andrew Cunanan's bloody trail from San Diego to Minneapolis to Chicago to Miami. He favored hard-core S&M, belonged to a fraternity of rich, mostly closeted gay men called Gamma Mu, dealt drugs to support his lavish lifestyle, and lied to everyone about everything. A Harold Ickes profile says the ex-Clinton staffer is cruel, bullying, and smart. Clinton may have tossed him aside, but Ickes is retaliating by cooperating with campaign-finance investigators. Also, a pair of articles on celebrity marriage. One piece mocks Larry King for marrying too often, depicting him as needy, lonely, and desperate for attention. The other claims that the marriage of Rudy Giuliani and actress/TV journalist Donna Hanover is a façade: The New York mayor has been conducting an affair with his communications director for the past three years, and Hanover will separate from him after this fall's election. The story chastises New York media for ignoring the story, saying they fear alienating the vindictive Giuliani.