Economist , June 21
(posted
Saturday, June 21)
The cover
editorial and article endorse--tentatively--assisted suicide. The
magazine fears that doctors might eighty-six incompetent or impoverished
patients, but is optimistic that good laws and strict enforcement can prevent
such abuses. An article and editorial pegged to the G-7 caution that the
U.S. economy isn't as healthy as Americans believe: Productivity does seem to
be increasing, but imminent inflation, a low savings rate, and an aging
population may kill the boom. A piece on the fragmentation of American feminism
mocks old-school "difference feminists" and cheers the sassy, libertarian "pod
feminists" who are now in vogue.
New
Republic , July 7
(posted
Friday, June 20)
More on
Chinese evil. Beijing's persecution of Christians deserves to be an important
U.S. policy issue, says the cover story. The Chinese kill and jail Christians
and destroy Christian shrines. The piece credits Christian conservatives
(especially Gary Bauer) and neoconservatives for raising the issue. A book
review lionizes Chinese dissident Wei Jingsheng, whose letters from prison were
just published. An article calls new Turkish Prime Minister Tansu Ciller
"pathologically duplicitous," "craven," and phenomenally corrupt. Also, a story
explains why the much-touted emergency flood-relief bill is political
grandstanding. Congress purposely underfunds the Federal Emergency Management
Agency. Then, when disasters happen, it gives extra cash and takes credit for
providing "emergency relief."
New
York Times Magazine , June 22
(posted
Thursday, June 19)
More on
women in the military. The ambivalent cover story wonders whether the military
can survive without a hypermacho, violent male culture. Conclusion: It probably
can, but soldiers will take a long time to adjust. The American public may be
slow to accept the idea of women dying in combat, as well. (For the
evolutionary angle on a sexually integrated military, see Slate's "The Earthling.")
The piece also finds that most women soldiers lack the blood-and-guts instincts
needed in combat. An article contends that the United States can painlessly
resolve its entitlement crisis by admitting more immigrants and using a huge
tax credit to promote childbearing. Also, the magazine profiles first-term Rep.
Carolyn McCarthy, the Long Island Railroad-massacre widow elected to Congress
as a gun-control advocate. She's almost as saintly as her image, though she's
increasingly torn between her principles and political expediency.
Time and Newsweek , June 23
(posted
Tuesday, June 17)
The newsweeklies go tabloid.
Time 's cover story celebrates the 50 th anniversary of the
Roswell, N.M., "UFO" crash--a k a "The Incident." Time describes the
crash landing in vivid detail (right down to an alien giving first aid to a
wounded colleague), then concedes that the downed spacecraft was undoubtedly a
military balloon. Requisite alarming data: Thirty-four percent of Americans
believe aliens have visited Earth, and the Roswell festivities may draw 100,000
visitors. Newsweek 's cover story chronicles--with more than a little
Schadenfreude --the decline of the Kennedy dynasty. Evidence: the
disintegration of Rep. Joe Kennedy's marriage and the alleged affair between
Michael Kennedy and a teen-ager. The "protective aura" that once insulated the
family has vanished. A sidebar notes the political dynasties taking shape in
the Bush, Cuomo, and Jackson families.
Newsweek has plenty
of celebrity-murder news. In an interview, O.J. Simpson gripes about the Brown
and Goldman families and says he's trying hard to survive on $25,000 a month. A
story on the JonBenet Ramsey case says her parents are not the only suspects.
Biggest revelation: Contrary to press reports, it's possible that someone
entered the house from outside. The Ramseys left their front door unlocked, and
melting snow could have obscured footprints. (For a backgrounder, see Slate's
"The Gist.") The
magazine interviews Microsoft billionaire buddies Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer.
(Ballmer, a college classmate of Gates', is Microsoft's business chief.) They
say that Netscape and the network computer threaten Microsoft's prosperity.
Time profiles Ward Connerly, the black businessman (and rising
Republican star) who's leading the fight against affirmative action in
California.
U.S.
News & World Report , June 23
(posted
Tuesday, June 17)
A
cover story advises workers to exploit the best job market in
history by milking their employers for higher pay, flex time, continuing
education, shorter hours, gym memberships, etc. (Computer experts, not
surprisingly, have the most leverage.) An article explains why Clinton's much-ballyhooed race initiative is
so insubstantial: The poll-driven president was too scared of voter backlash to
risk endorsing affirmative action or criticizing police racism. Also, a
piece warns that the booming egg-donation business is an ethical
minefield: Does the egg donor have any claim on the child? Should the child be
told that it has two mothers? Should human eggs be bought and sold?
The
New Yorker , June 23 & 30
(posted
Tuesday, June 17)
The
annual fiction double issue exalts Indian writers. (This year marks the
50 th anniversary of Indian independence.) Salman Rushdie explains
why it's good that Indians write in English. He also contributes a short story,
as does Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. Amitav Ghosh recounts the forgotten history of
the Indian National Army, the Indian troops who deserted the British Army
during World War II to fight for the Japanese. An Indian doctor/author
describes the impossibility of practicing medicine in India--too much squalor,
too few supplies, and 25,000 cases of rabies a year. John Updike is the latest
reviewer to write a rave for Arundhati Roy's The God of Small
Things .
Weekly Standard , June 23
(posted
Tuesday, June 17)
The cover
story on Teddy Roosevelt exhorts America to emulate his
"nationalist-individualist" ideology. Roosevelt believed in the power of
government to accomplish grand tasks (e.g., build the Panama Canal), but he had
no patience for the nanny state. Today, such a "limited but energetic"
government could rebuild public trust. Criminologist John DiIulio claims that
inner-city "super-preachers" are the best hope for saving troubled kids from
crime: Churchgoing seems to prevent backsliding by recovering drug addicts and
former criminals. Also, another editorial opposing MFN status for China.
Vanity Fair , July 1997
(posted
Saturday, June 14)
Vanity
Fair indicates that the Senate's campaign-fund-raising hearings could be
the Watergate of the '90s if Sen. Fred Thompson can forge a bipartisan
consensus for a deep investigation. But so far, the Democrats aren't
cooperating and the Republicans have been ham-handed. (Full disclosure: the
piece is co-authored by Slate's Jacob Weisberg.) Yet another VF article
about Rupert Murdoch: It handicaps the race to succeed him.
Twenty-five-year-old son Lachlan, who ranks highest in the News Corp. empire,
is the favorite. But older daughter Elisabeth is tough and smart, and younger
son James is the boldest thinker. The cover story gushes about gay divorcée
Diana: She's freer, happier, and more devoted to charity than she was as
Princess of Wales. And she still wears great clothes.
Wired , July 1997
(posted
Thursday, June 12)
Highly
Panglossian. "The Long Boom" projects 25 years of global economic
prosperity. Thanks to free markets and (of course) high technology,
productivity will increase, environmental degradation will decrease, genetic
diseases will be eradicated, and a worldwide, multicultural civilization will
flourish. Possible obstacles: a plague, an ecological crisis, a U.S.-China war.
The piece includes a "world history" chart for the years 1980-2020: "Immigrants
drive revival of family" in 2014-16. "First designer kid" in 2020.
