Economist , May 23 (posted Saturday, May 23) Reversing the Economist 's previous position, the cover editorial calls for action against Microsoft: "If Microsoft has broken the law, it should be punished. If it now poses an unfair threat to new companies, then its power should be curbed." Because the price for Windows has more than doubled since 1990 and because the apparent monopoly might "stifle services that would emerge with competition," the editorial concludes that Microsoft could be bad for consumers. ... A story finds another industry at a crossroads: horse meat. American plants exported $64 million worth of horse meat for human consumption in 1996, but protest groups and proposed anti-horse-meat legislation are quickly eradicating the business. ... An article claims that Saudi Arabia boasts a thriving black market for Viagra. The anti-impotence drug is illegal there but when smuggled in can bring up to $80 per pill. New Republic , June 8 (posted Friday, May 22, 1998) A cover package debunks the conventional wisdom that the high-tech industry doesn't know how to play the Washington game. Silicon Valley supports an influential, though high-minded, political action committee--TechNet--to sway the government's position on encryption, Internet taxation, and shareholder lawsuits. Meanwhile, Microsoft has bought a stable of aggressive, big-name lobbyists. It pays former Republican National Committee Chairman Haley Barbour $600,000 a year and employs a slew of ex-congressmen. ... A Harvard professor attacks the United States' condescending attitude toward India's recent nuclear tests. The posturing of hostile neighbors justifies India's own show of force. New York Times Magazine , May 24 (posted Thursday, May 21, 1998) The cover story describes the epidemic of psycho-cognitive illness among children Americans adopted from eastern European orphanages. The afflicted children--about 20 percent of the 18,000 adopted--are incapable of forming emotional bonds with their new parents, probably because the absence of attention and affection in infancy stunted brain development. They are often vicious, deceitful, and mentally slow. Lesson for all working parents: Children require regular emotional and physical engagement with parents. ... An article says that criminals and arms dealers use gun shows to skirt firearms laws. If you claim you are adding to your private gun collection, you can buy whatever weapons you want from shows without a waiting period or paperwork. Most guns sold at shows are people-killers, not hunting or target-shooting weapons. ... A piece recounts the Scrabble showdown between the world's best players and a computer programmed with all the words in the Scrabble dictionary. The computer won--barely. The human players found three nine-letter words in AEEGINTRS. Can you? (Answer: gratinees, agentries, reseating.) Time and Newsweek , May 25 (posted Tuesday, May 19, 1998) Newsweek 's 21 page Frank Sinatra cover package routs Time 's. Newsweek has articles about his incomparable music, surprisingly impressive film career, hipness, and relations with the powerful. An article says his daughter Tina and wife Barbara will squabble over his $200 million estate. Old friend Shirley MacLaine writes an adoring letter to him that begins "Dear Bedeviled Poet of Song ..." There are also dozens of fabulous pictures. Time 's eight page package regrets that Sinatra didn't die as he lived: fighting. Both mags downplay his thuggishness. The magazines agree that India exploded nukes in order to boost its self-esteem and that there is no imminent threat of conflict with Pakistan or China. Newsweek 's coup: a satellite photo of the test site. Time says that U.S. banks could be crippled by huge losses on Asian derivatives. Some U.S. firms have already written off hundreds of millions in bad derivatives, and that's just the beginning. (The article does not adequately explain what a derivative is, but no one ever has.) ... A piece claims Al Gore's plan to wire all classrooms and libraries to the Internet is in trouble. The scheme, paid for by a telephone surcharge, is costing more than anticipated, and critics in both parties are condemning the "Gore tax." Why should the feds pay for something most schools would do anyway? ... A piece hyping the movie Godzilla says the new monster is leaner, faster, and less scaly than his '50s predecessor. The new Godzilla also has no nuclear breath. U.S. News & World Report , May 25 (posted Tuesday, May 19, 1998) The short Sinatra package concludes that he was an "outstanding thug." ... The cover story says that the national drop in murders has been caused by the decline of crack. The viciously addictive, lucrative drug fueled violence in ways that other drugs don't. Smarter policing and more imprisonment also contributed to falling crime rates. Property crime is falling because people carry less cash and use more car alarms. ... An article says that Northern Ireland's Protestants are leery of the peace accord, because its amnesty provision will free many jailed Irish Republican Army bombers and assassins. The New Yorker , May 25 (posted Tuesday, May 19, 1998) A long profile of Benjamin Netanyahu depicts him as pompous, mean, adulterous, arrogant, deceitful, and cheap. His key influence is his father Benzion, a fierce, tyrannical intellectual who has nothing but suspicion and hatred for Arabs. Conclusion: Netanyahu's entire goal is to preserve his own power, and he doesn't care if that ends the peace process. The piece includes incredible quotes about Netanyahu from his allies : "He's not fooling anyone"; "People don't like such people"; "He is not a very trustworthy man." ... A piece says journalists and celebrities suck up to radio talk show host Don Imus because Imus has the power to make their books best sellers. (He's nearly as important to book sales as Oprah Winfrey.) Many donate $5,000 to Imus' charity in hopes that he'll tout their book. ... There are eight short Sinatra appreciations in "Talk of the Town." Peter Duchin quotes Frank's advice to him: "Kid, don't waste your time with these bums. You got stardust on your shoulders." A photo shows the shockingly ugly living room from Sinatra's '70s house. Weekly Standard , May 25 (posted Tuesday, May 19, 1998) The two cover stories applaud congressional Republicans for finally turning on Clinton. Gingrich et al. won't cooperate with him anymore, won't be quiet about his wrongdoing, and will make the 1998 election a referendum on his "political cynicism and ... abuse of office." ... A writer interviews O.J. Simpson about Clinton. Simpson says that the government shouldn't waste millions investigating Clinton's sex life and that Clinton should be excused if he did have sex with a young woman: "A 22, 23-year-old girl who has her mind set on a 50-year-old guy is more in control than the 50-year-old guy." ... The editorial argues that U.S. foreign policy is as feckless and incoherent as it was in the late '70s. Evidence: India's nukes, the Israeli negotiations debacle, failure of Iraq weapon inspections, etc. --David Plotz