Economist , Jan. 24 (posted Saturday, Jan. 24) The cover editorial decries President Clinton's "temptations." 1) The Lewinsky scandal may overshadow the State of the Union, one of Clinton's last chances to "set out a distinctive programme for government." 2) Clinton is also tempted by the chance to blow the budget surplus on social spending--the Economist hopes he'll refrain. ... An article explains how game theory can help businesses. By tenuously cooperating with rivals (as Netscape, Sun, and Oracle do) and deceiving enemies, a firm can beat its competitors. ... An obituary mourns Mona May Karff, pioneering woman chess player. Karff, dead at 86, was born in Russia, moved to Boston, and won the American women's chess championship seven times. Of more than 450 international grandmasters, only six are women. The Nation , Feb. 2 and Feb. 9 (posted Friday, Jan. 23) A special double issue makes the case for nuclear disarmament. Jonathan Schell's cover story--the longest article in The Nation 's history--updates his 1982 book The Fate of the Earth . The article's conclusion: We should push for "horizontal" disarmament (taking weapons off alert, partially dismantling them) rather than "vertical" disarmament (abolishing weapons altogether). ... In an interview with Schell, Mikhail Gorbachev claims he proposed total disarmament to the Politburo. Gorbachev adds that Kremlin briefings on nuclear protocol baffled him. ... An essay pegged to Roe vs. Wade 's 25 th anniversary says that current proposals for "compromise" on abortion are ridiculous. Roe was itself a compromise: Radical feminists had lobbied for no abortion restrictions at all. New York Times Magazine , Jan. 25 (posted Friday, Jan. 23) Three articles analyze America's political apathy. One piece argues that the investing boom makes us solipsistic. Americans care too much about the state of their own stock portfolios, not enough about policies that affect us all. (Full disclosure: Slate 's Chief Political Correspondent Jacob Weisberg wrote the article.) ... Another piece claims our "placid" mood lets us ignore impending problems such as income inequality and mass layoffs. Americans should force themselves to become "indignant" in order to tackle these problems early. ... An article tracks the ongoing fight to get Food and Drug Administration approval for thalidomide, the drug that caused thousands of birth defects in the 1960s. Thalidomide relieves symptoms of AIDS and leprosy. Its new spokesperson? One of the deformed thalidomide babies, all grown up. He has reservations, but wants to help the afflicted. New Republic , Feb. 9 (posted Friday, Jan. 23) The cover story says liberals shouldn't get excited about the budget surplus because it could easily disappear. Instead, liberals should focus on a more pressing issue: building stronger unions. ... An article doubts the pope's visit to Cuba will change the country immediately, but it could encourage a more open society. That, in turn, might cause a peaceful transition from communism. ... A story says tourism is destroying the Chicago blues scene. Rich patrons flock to faux blues clubs on the yuppie North Side, while authentic blues men are left audienceless in the slums. Time and Newsweek , Jan. 26 (posted Tuesday, Jan. 20) This week's dog that didn't bark: According to the Drudge Report, Newsweek spiked a story about a Clinton affair with a 24-year-old White House intern. The story Newsweek does run about Paula Jones' sexual-harassment suit says that her lawyers are trying to prove that Clinton promoted women who slept with him. As a result, they are deposing other women linked to Clinton, including Gennifer Flowers and former White House aide Kathleen Willey. Time puts the pope and Fidel Castro on the cover, a week after Newsweek . The article rehashes the usual generalizations about their similarities: both in their 70s, both haters of rampant capitalism, etc. The difference: Catholicism will outlast Pope John Paul II; communism won't outlast Castro. Cuban official Ricardo Alarcón (see The New Yorker , below) doubts that the pope's visit will affect U.S. policy toward Cuba. ... Newsweek 's health cover story--yet another one--argues that everyone is slightly crazy. New genetic research suggests that the difference between "normal" behavior and mental illness is a matter of degree. For example: A person with one gene for obsessive-compulsive disorder might be extremely well-organized, but a person with five genes for it might be dysfunctional. (The package has a celebrity twofer: The cover shot is of Robin Williams; the inside illustrations are of cartoon shrink Dr. Katz.) Also in Newsweek , four hotshot Hollywood directors discuss the Oscars and make fun of studio execs: L.A. Confidential director Curtis Hanson predicts Titanic for best picture; Boogie Nights director Paul Thomas Anderson predicts L.A. Confidential . Time identifies the next big food boycott: swordfish. Lots of trendy restaurants have stopped serving the endangered fish. U.S. News & World Report , Jan. 26 (posted Tuesday, Jan. 20) The cover story insists that President Clinton has a distinct agenda: He emphasizes "opportunity and responsibility" (expanding day-care programs while cutting back welfare), "economic globalism" (the commitment to free trade), "fiscal discipline" (the balanced budget), and "government as 'catalyst' " (V-chip legislation). ... U.S. News runs a short interview with Clinton, as well as an accompanying piece on Clinton's obsession with second-tier, under-appreciated presidents. ... An article claims crime fiction's runaway success might kill the genre. A slew of best sellers prompted publishers to flood the market with mediocre mysteries--now readers think twice before buying. The New Yorker , Jan. 26 (posted Tuesday, Jan. 20) A special issue on Cuba. A profile examines Castro's likely successor, Ricardo Alarcón. He helped lead the Cuban revolution, lived in New York for 15 years, reads Joyce and Faulkner, and loves socialism. He vows to end the embargo and warm up relations with the United States. ... A story follows the quest to preserve Havana's crumbling buildings. Government architects restore noncontroversial, colonial-era structures. Tragically left in ruins: gorgeous Art Nouveau, Art Deco, and Modernist buildings. ... A writer prints letters he wrote while living in Cuba. At the height of the 1994 refugee escapes to Miami, the author sees his neighbor "repairing the blue fibreglass boat that has sat untended the entire time we've been here. Boats like his are now fetching up to five thousand dollars. Inner tubes went up to three hundred dollars in the last week." Atlantic Monthly , February 1998 (posted Tuesday, Jan. 20) A former CIA officer attacks the agency for recruiting tons of useless foreign agents who file reams of worthless intelligence reports. The upshot: The CIA's most talented are resigning in frustration. ... An article describes a bizarre disease that turns bodies into bone. Sufferers of fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva remain healthy inside, but their muscles and tendons ossify, leaving them paralyzed. So far, no explanation or cure for the disease's 18 living victims. ... A story says that many astronomers now deem Pluto too small to be a planet and want it reclassified as a large asteroid. (Odd scientific fact: There is no firm definition of "planet.") On Pluto's side: tradition. --Seth Stevenson