Economist , Aug. 16
(posted
Saturday, Aug. 16)
India's
50 th birthday is celebrated, ambivalently, as the cover package praises the country's democracy and condemns
its history of socialism. Recent economic liberalization has started to improve
living standards, but the editors urge the government to privatize and
deregulate faster. A piece commends Madeleine Albright for her "splendid
bluntness" and her belief that the United States must act as the world's moral
(and actual) policeman. But even she may not be able to force peace on the
Middle East. Also, an Economist obsession: The magazine advises Britain
to legalize drugs, at least marijuana and ecstasy (MDMA). A related article
describes, lovingly, the many medical benefits of pot smoking.
New
Republic , Sept. 1
(posted
Friday, Aug. 15)
The cover
story marvels at Lanny Davis, the White House lawyer who does spin control for
the Senate campaign-finance investigation. The administration's "minister for
scandal," Davis brilliantly defused the Thompson hearings by convincing
reporters that the witnesses' testimony was old news. "Heil Harvard" describes
how Austria's far-right leader, the repellent Jorg Haider, is polishing his
reputation by attending Harvard conferences and schmoozing American
politicians. Haider, the author reminds us, praised the SS and has proposed
expelling all immigrants and foreigners from Austria. A biography of efficiency
expert Frederick Winslow Taylor is reviewed. The conclusion: Taylor was a
terrible man, and he should be blamed for the dehumanization of the American
workplace.
New
York Times Magazin e , Aug. 17
(posted
Friday, Aug. 15)
An
article calls Japanese primary schools the best in the world. Why? Kids
cooperate on everything, are encouraged to think creatively, and learn
responsibility from chores. (They clean the school building because there are
no janitors.) The bad news: Japan's high-pressure, exam-oriented secondary
schools undo the primary schools' good work. The magazine interviews Boeing CEO
Philip Condit, who defends the company's safety record, its acquisition of
McDonnell Douglas, and its pro-China policy. Most astonishing moment: Condit
likens the Rodney King beating to the Tiananmen Square massacre. The cover
story profiles celebrity chef David Bouley, who's trying to launch a nationwide
gourmet-food empire, complete with overnight delivery of flash-frozen,
vacuum-packed, four-star meals.
Time and Newsweek , Aug. 18
(posted
Tuesday, Aug. 12)
The Apple-Microsoft deal
takes both covers. The shared conclusion is that the agreement is a win-win:
Apple buys some needed time, Microsoft locks up the Macintosh applications
market and wards off antitrust investigators. Time 's behind-the-scenes package follows Steve Jobs through the
week leading up to the fateful speech. Funniest moment: When Gates asks Jobs
what he should wear during the announcement, Jobs answers, a white shirt.
Newsweek publishes a short interview with Jobs, who says that Apple will
concentrate on the education and "creative content" markets. Newsweek
also argues that Apple will fail to hire a strong CEO because nobody wants to
work in Jobs' shadow.
Both newsweeklies celebrate
cities. Newsweek congratulates New York for its remarkable comeback,
applauding its falling crime rate, cleanliness, swinging nightlife, and
entrepreneurial immigrants. Time 's "City Boosters" pays tribute to big-city mayors who've
privatized services, challenged employee unions, and supported school vouchers.
Singled out for praise: Stephen Goldsmith of Indianapolis, John Norquist of
Milwaukee, Ed Rendell of Philadelphia, Michael White of Cleveland.
A pair of
Newsweek articles commemorates the 20 th anniversary of Elvis'
death. One recalls the earliest days of his career, when he toured the South in
a Cadillac. The other remembers his twilight in Las Vegas, where female fans
mobbed the auditorium every night. Time predicts the biggest El Niño of the century. A warm Pacific Ocean
will wreak havoc in South America, cause drought in Australia, and bring a
nice, mild winter to the United States.
U.S.
News & World Report , Aug. 18 & 25
(posted
Tuesday, Aug. 12)
A double
issue probes 18 unsolved mysteries of science. Among them: How old is the
universe? How do ice
ages occur? Why do we sleep? Why does anesthesia work? (Best guesses: 12 billion years; absorption of
carbon dioxide by grasses lowers temperatures; to process memories; not the
foggiest idea.) A sidebar examines a handful of less pressing scientific puzzles,
such as why dogs bark. An article chronicles a bizarre Egyptian espionage trial: An Israeli
mechanic is charged with giving lingerie dipped in invisible ink to an
Egyptian. The trial has exposed Egyptian paranoia about Israeli sex spies and
inflamed already tense relations between the two countries.
The
New Yorker , Aug. 18
(posted
Tuesday, Aug. 12)
A long
story describes Defense Secretary William Cohen's attempts to impose civilian
authority on Pentagon leaders who don't trust him. Top brass loathe the Clinton
administration for trying to gut their "warrior" culture. Cohen has faced down
two generals who bucked his authority, but hasn't won (and will never win, the
article predicts) the full confidence of high-ranking officers. The magazine
prints the final entries in William S. Burroughs' journal. Best line: "That
vile salamander Gingrich, squeaker of the House, is slobbering about a
drug-free America by the year 2001. What a dreary prospect!" A piece chronicles
the National Football League's effort to regain the fans it has lost to the
National Basketball Association. The NFL's bright idea: Hire an MTV executive
to craft a snazzy marketing campaign.
The
Nation , Aug. 25 & Sept. 1
(posted
Tuesday, Aug. 12)
The third
installment in its "National Entertainment State" series dissects the American
music industry. As in the Hollywood and publishing issues, the centerpiece of
the music edition is a chart of corporate conglomeration: Six companies
(Time-Warner, Sony, EMI, etc.) dominate the music industry. Articles criticize
music journalists for ignoring black artists, praise the embryonic feminism of
the Spice Girls, rejoice in the failure of U2's latest tour, and commend the
few musicians (notably Ani DiFranco) who have rejected major-label control.
Weekly Standard , Aug. 18
(posted
Tuesday, Aug. 12)
Summer
camps have gone soft, concludes the cover story. Back in the good old days,
roughhousing, risk-taking, fighting, noogies, and wedgies were encouraged, and
helped make kids courageous. Regrettably, '90s campers are protected from all
risk. A piece mocks the military's diversity training program for its squishy,
idiotic, white-male-bashing uselessness. The editorial cheers Jesse Helms'
attack on William Weld's nomination, then urges Senate Majority Leader Trent
Lott to "squash [Weld] like a bug."
National Review , Sept. 1
(posted
Tuesday, Aug. 12)
The cover
story claims that an obscure Canadian businessman named Maurice Strong is the
ringleader of a "creeping U.N. power grab." Strong currently serves as an
adviser to the U.N. secretary-general, an adviser to the World Bank president,
and presided over the 1992 Earth Summit as its secretary-general. He's also
supervising U.N. reforms and environmental regulations that will cripple U.S.
sovereignty, warns the article. Also, Rupert Murdoch writes an essay decrying
the triumph of "neosocialism." Regulators, bureaucrats, and a "New Class" of
mandarins are using their authority to erode individual liberty. Evidence
cited: "Why can't I get my Fox TV news service onto more American cable systems
and compete?"
Vanity Fair , September 1997
(posted
Friday, Aug. 8)
VF
traces Andrew Cunanan's bloody trail from San Diego to Minneapolis to Chicago
to Miami. He favored hard-core S&M, belonged to a fraternity of rich,
mostly closeted gay men called Gamma Mu, dealt drugs to support his lavish
lifestyle, and lied to everyone about everything. A Harold Ickes profile says
the ex-Clinton staffer is cruel, bullying, and smart. Clinton may have tossed
him aside, but Ickes is retaliating by cooperating with campaign-finance
investigators. Also, a pair of articles on celebrity marriage. One piece mocks
Larry King for marrying too often, depicting him as needy, lonely, and
desperate for attention. The other claims that the marriage of Rudy Giuliani
and actress/TV journalist Donna Hanover is a façade: The New York mayor has
been conducting an affair with his communications director for the past three
years, and Hanover will separate from him after this fall's election. The story
chastises New York media for ignoring the story, saying they fear alienating
the vindictive Giuliani.
