Economist , April 12
(posted
Saturday, April 12)
The
cover story and editorial conclude, albeit unenthusiastically, that morality and
human rights have a place in foreign policy. Outside pressure often civilizes
undemocratic, inhumane nations (i.e., South Africa and the Soviet Union). But
the Economist is uncertain whether Western pressure can persuade China
to mend its ways. A gloomy
article details the obstacles that will face Zairian rebel leader Laurent
Kabila after he deposes Mobutu: opposition to his Tutsi soldiers by other
tribes, a roaming Rwandan army marooned in Zaire, and endemic corruption. A
piece on biological weapons cautions that 1) Iraq still has them;
2) they are easy to hide; and 3) they are phenomenally dangerous.
New
Republic , April 28
(posted
Friday, April 11)
Republicans hesitate to dump Newt Gingrich because his potential successors
would be worse, argues the cover story, "The Men Who Would Be Newt." Each of the heirs apparent is
dissected: Dick Armey is too dull, Tom DeLay is too volatile, John Boehner is
too treacherous. All are too conservative. An article about Labor
Secretary-designate Alexis Herman labels her the "least-qualified--and certainly most
scandal-plagued" of Clinton's Cabinet nominees. But she will cruise to
confirmation because Republicans prefer an ineffective labor secretary to a
fighter like Robert Reich. An article lambastes medical ethicists for being ill-trained. The most
damaging claim: HMOs hire ethicists who then justify the HMOs' decisions to
deny expensive treatment. Also, a piece claims that Jerusalem is not really a
holy city for Islam: Muslims claim it only to score political points off
Jews.
Vanity Fair , May 1997
(posted
Friday, April 11)
This
month's billionaire profile is Sir James Goldsmith, the corporate raider turned
politician. Violently opposed to the European Union, Goldsmith is spending $30
million to underwrite his anti-EU Referendum Party in the upcoming British
election. Much is made of his peculiar family: He keeps a wife, an ex-wife, and
a mistress. An article on crime novelist Patricia Cornwell finds her obsessive,
vengeful, and paranoid, and confirms that she had a lesbian affair with an FBI
agent (who was nearly murdered by her husband). An appreciation of art critic
Robert Hughes says he observes America better than anyone since de Tocqueville.
Also, Vanity Fair hypes its own: A long excerpt from a biography of
Claire Booth Luce focuses on her stint as VF 's managing editor. (The
magazine was "Condé Nast's prize gift to the haut monde .")
New
York Times Magazine , April 13
(posted
Thursday, April 10)
The cover
story chronicles a 46-year-old woman's heart transplant, from her diagnosis to
the "harvesting" of her new heart to the operation itself. (The highlight is a
photo of the old and new hearts sitting side by side in metal basins.) The
piece notes that the 10-year survival rate for heart transplants is an
astonishing 60 percent, orders of magnitude higher than it was in the '70s. A
baseball writer expounds his theory about what makes a great manager: Cunning,
intensity, and ego are useful, and almost all managers perform best in their
first few years with a team. The magazine profiles former anti-apartheid
activist Mamphela Ramphele, who now heads the University of Cape Town: She has
won admirers (and enemies) by insisting that the university not adjust its
standards to favor black students. Also, the semiannual "Home Design"
supplement insists that simplicity--incredibly expensive simplicity, that
is--is chic.
Time and Newsweek , April 14
(posted
Tuesday, April 8)
Time scoops
Newsweek on Ellen DeGeneres. Both magazines report that her sitcom
character comes out in the April 30 episode of Ellen , but only
Time 's cover package reveals that DeGeneres herself is lesbian.
("Now I feel comfortable with myself and I don't have to be fearful about
damaging my career if it gets out," she says.) The magazines agree that: 1) her
TV coming out is a milestone because it's the first time a show will have a
lead gay character; 2) advertisers and viewers won't strongly object; and 3)
Ellen is still a mediocre show.
Heaven's Gate survivor
Richard Ford/Rio DiAngelo takes Newsweek 's cover and reveals more weird
details about the cult. Among them: For several months members consumed nothing
but a concoction of lemonade, cayenne, and maple syrup; they communicated with
the cult leader only in writing; they were not allowed to have their own
thoughts. Ford, who still considers himself a member, refers frequently to his
own body as his "vehicle." Time tracks down other former cult members, who state that the group considered
suicide as long ago as 1994. One former member has put up a new Heaven's Gate
Web page containing messages from the "Away Team" (the suicides). Time
doesn't give the Web
address, though.
Time warns that
Antarctica may be warming. If its marine ice sheet floats free, worldwide ocean
levels could rise 20 feet. "Backlash Against HMOs" describes how doctors, patients,
unions, and government are banding together to fight restrictive HMO rules.
Also in
Newsweek , a commemoration of Jackie Robinson regrets that Americans have
forgotten his non-sports legacy as a civil-rights leader and role model. And a
peculiar bit of newsmagazine amity: Newsweek 's art critic profiles and
praises Time 's art critic, Robert Hughes, who is narrating a PBS series
on American art.
U.S.
News & World Report , April 14
(posted
Tuesday, April 8)
U.S.
News is famous for ranking America's best colleges. This week, it tells you
how to get into them. The cover
story chronicles the admissions process at the University of Pennsylvania,
then offers tips: High grades and low test scores are better than low grades
and high test scores; hard classes and extracurriculars impress admissions
officers; being an alum's kid does not guarantee admission. Also, an article illustrates the influence that political donations can
buy. Among the examples: TV broadcasters, who donate lavishly to Congress, were
given $300 billion worth of new licenses for nothing. Credit-card companies,
also big donors, blocked legislation that would lower late fees. A story claims that the illegal-immigrant-smuggling business is
booming: Asians and Central Americans pay as much as $28,000 for passage to the
United States.
The
New Yorker , April 14
(posted
Tuesday, April 8)
"American
Guanxi" describes how a pair of Clinton fund-raisers parlayed political
connections into personal gain. Nora and Eugene Lum, a Hawaiian couple, raised
tons of money from Asian-Americans for the Democratic Party, befriended Ron
Brown and other party bigwigs, used these political ties to buy an Oklahoma gas
company, and earned a $9 million profit on the deal without lifting a finger.
The conclusion: All this was sleazy but probably legal. A warm profile of
playwright Wendy Wasserstein, whose new Broadway play opens this month, depicts
her as an establishment figure who still thinks of herself as an outsider.
Also, a parent complains about how much time he must spend helping out at his
kids' private schools.
Weekly Standard , April 14
(posted
Tuesday, April 8)
"Crack-up
at Justice," the cover editorial, argues that Attorney General Janet Reno is an
ineffectual pawn of the White House and that the Immigration and Naturalization
Service and the FBI are rogue agencies. An article asserts that the FBI has
failed to prosecute 4,000 people who have been caught distributing child
pornography on the Internet. A long feature blames Yasser Arafat for the
failure of the Middle East peace process, contending that Israel has got
nothing in return for granting Palestinian autonomy.
The
Nation , April 21
(posted
Tuesday, April 8)
The
cover story says that
gay men must build a new culture that is not founded on sex: Gay community
centers, gay churches, and gay marriage would be its anchors. An article mourns the anniversary of the 1996 Telecommunications Act.
The act has benefited media conglomerates and reduced competition, and the
forthcoming implementation of digital TV will help the conglomerates even
more.
--Compiled by David Plotz and the editors of Slate .
