New
Republic , March 31
(posted
Friday, March 14)
The cover
story smacks supply-side economics guru Jude Wanniski for his grandiosity,
tax-cut monomania, and all-around loopiness. Wanniski's flirtations with Louis
Farrakhan and Lyndon LaRouche have made him a pariah among the conservatives
who used to worship him. An article rejects the CW that the Supreme Court will
strike down the Communications Decency Act. The reason: New filtering software
makes it possible to restrict access to Internet porn without excessively
limiting free speech. TNR joins the chorus in favor of needle exchange,
saying that the Clinton administration's opposition to it has doomed thousands
of drug addicts to HIV infection. Also, a review demolishes Kathryn Harrison's
memoir, The Kiss , which recounts her affair with her father: It's "trash
with a capital 'T.' ... Just because she wrote it does not mean she had to
publish it."
Economist ,
March 15
(posted
Friday, March 14)
A
Euro-issue. The cover editorial touts next week's Yeltsin-Clinton summit
as a historic opportunity: If Russia and NATO can agree to a limited
partnership, it will secure the long-term peace of Europe. Also, plenty of EU
news: A long article counts the benefits of Europe's common market, while
another piece describes how eager Poland, Hungary, and the Czech
Republic are to join it. And the Economist declares that Britain's
National Health Service needs an overhaul: It's underfunded, and
its service is "third-rate."
New
York Times Magazine , March 16
(posted
Thursday, March 13)
The cover
story asks why Gov. George Pataki has been a more effective executive than most
New Yorkers expected. Its answer: He's bullied and prodded the Legislature to
cut taxes and spending. In the process, he's become more popular than his
mentor, Sen. Al D'Amato. A Jewish writer visits the Southern Baptists who are
trying to convert Jews: He is appalled by their aggressiveness. Also, an essay
on why modernist literature is so tedious (Henry James is singled out: "Does
anyone like to read him?").
Time and Newsweek , March 17
(posted
Tuesday, March 11)
Time 's cover story tries to explain "How Colleges Are Gouging U."
Tuition has risen twice as fast as inflation, says Time , mostly because
parents are willing to pay, but also because universities hoard their
endowments and pay their professors too much. An article hypes the Hale-Bopp comet, which will be visible
for the next month, as "the best celestial show in decades." Also, Time
claims that for the past year, the FBI has been seeking "Robert Jacques," a possible accomplice to Timothy McVeigh
in the Oklahoma City bombing.
Newsweek 's "Black Like Who?" explores the "new generation gap" among
African-Americans. The pop psychology: Middle-aged and elderly blacks, having
witnessed the gains of the civil-rights movement, believe in the system. But
young blacks are marginalized and angry. Gangsta rap is blamed for feeding the
kids' rage. In a sidebar interview, Bill Cosby lambastes trashy black TV shows
and movies. Also, Newsweek tells the weird story of Jerry Stuchiner, a
high-level Immigration & Naturalization Service agent alleged to have sold
passports to illegal Chinese immigrants. And an article accuses the Navy of
abusing its female combat pilots: Their fellow pilots and commanding officers
gave them the silent treatment instead of helping them.
U.S.
News & World Report , March 17
(posted
Tuesday, March 11)
"The
Quality of Mercy" indicts doctors for not prescribing effective painkillers
to the 34 million Americans who suffer from chronic pain. "Opioids" (such as
morphine and codeine) are fantastic pain relievers and almost never addictive.
But doctors are afraid to prescribe high doses for fear of lawsuits and
licensing investigations. A sidebar profiles a pain doctor who lost his license for
prescribing lots of opioids. An article says the Defense Department could save $30 billion a year
by hiring private contractors to run PXs, process paychecks, operate day-care
centers, etc. "The Cyber Vice Squad" notes the growing popularity of
Internet "filtering" software, which allows parents and corporations to block
access to naughty sites.
The
New Yorker , March 17
(posted
Tuesday, March 11)
A fashion
package. An article observes "coolhunters," the hipster consultants who are
hired by clueless clothing and shoe manufacturers to find the next big thing.
An article wonders whether Paris couture will accept hot young British
designers such as Alexander McQueen. Also, The New Yorker profiles
eccentric British writer J.G. Ballard: His cult novel Crash , about sex
and car accidents, has just been filmed.
Weekly Standard , March 17
(posted
Tuesday, March 11)
An
article mocks Newt Gingrich's writings as "gibberish"--a froth of loony New Age
slogans, weird lists, and incomprehensible diagrams. The editorial, which is
pegged to the Ron Fitzsimmons controversy, slams journalists for ignoring the
truth about partial-birth abortion: Even a cursory investigation would have
shown that the procedure is much more common than its defenders claimed. (For
Slate's take, see "Abortion Apostate.") Professional ex-Communists are on the cover:
Book reviewers lavishly praise Whittaker Chambers (subject of a new biography)
and David Horowitz (author of a new autobiography).
The
Nation , March 24
(posted
Tuesday, March 11)
The cover
story, "A Bad Air
Day," investigates industry lobbying to prevent stricter clean-air
standards. It accuses industry of fudging data to minimize the dangers of air
pollution, blames Republicans for kowtowing to corporate demands, and fingers
former White House counsel/lobbyist C. Boyden Gray as the polluters' heavy on
Capitol Hill. A long article describes the service unions' fight to organize in
Las Vegas: It has been more successful than the unions had expected.
--Compiled by David Plotz and the editors of Slate .
