New
Republic , Feb. 17, and Newsweek , Feb. 3
(posted
Friday, Jan. 31)
The New Republic 's
cover story takes a skeptical look at California's
medical-marijuana initiative. Touring California's "marijuana clubs" and head
shops, the writer notes the similarities between the medical-marijuana culture
and the recreational-marijuana culture: Many "medical" users are stoners with
sham illnesses. The piece concludes that the medical-marijuana movement is a
back door to legalization. Newsweek agrees that the Californian and
Arizonan initiatives are far too squishy, but emphasizes that pot has some
medical benefits--particularly in increasing the appetite. In a sidebar, drug
czar Barry McCaffrey writes that more research is needed before medicinal
marijuana can be legalized.
Also in TNR , an article criticizes Bill Clinton for his naive, outdated views
about kids and the Internet. The Net is no longer the vast electronic library
that Clinton imagines; now it is a relentlessly commercial marketing tool,
hardly suitable for classrooms. A story debunks the alleged links between
racism and black illness (the Standard published a similar story more
than two months ago). And TNR owner Martin Peretz, who is famous for his
paeans to Al Gore, tops himself, calling the veep "a man rooted in the oldest idea
of our civilization."
Also in
Newsweek , the Katharine Graham suck-up continues. Newsweek , which
Graham owns, excerpts her autobiography at length, covering her major
episodes--Watergate, husband's suicide, the Black and White Ball.
Economist , Feb. 1
(posted
Friday, Jan. 31)
The cover
editorial, "Why Government Should Not Be Salesmen," opposes export
boosterism, calling it bad economics. When politicians sell a product overseas,
they almost inevitably subsidize the domestic producer; this subsidy subtracts
from the national economy. A long, related story lists the ways that
governments hype exports (exchange-rate manipulation, subsidized R&D, trade
missions, etc.), and bemoans their proliferation. The Economist
especially condemns the tactics of the U.S. Commerce Department. Also, an
article criticizes the FDA's sloth, and says that computer simulations and
small early-stage clinical trials could speed the drug-approval process. And a
story tells how NATO expansion is irritating Russia: Yeltsin & Co. may
retaliate by improving ties with China, Iran, Iraq, and North Korea.
New
York Times Magazine , Feb. 2
(posted
Thursday, Jan. 30)
The cover
story on Trent Lott doubts that he can control the Republican Senate. The
majority leader, while conservative, cares more about passing bills than about
ideology. This willingness to accommodate will alienate the Senate's
ultraconservative "firebrands," who seek war against Clinton and the Democrats
over the balanced budget, abortion, and flag-burning. A sidebar profiles nine
such firebrands, including Phil Gramm, Sam Brownback, and Rick Santorum. Also,
an article describes two families' experience of home schooling. Its
(unsurprising) conclusion: Home-schooled kids probably learn more than
school-schooled kids, but they risk isolation and social discomfort.
Time , Feb. 3
(posted
Tuesday, Jan. 28)
Cute baby
on the cover. "Fertile Minds" is sure to reinforce parental anxiety. Babies form
permanent synaptic connections very early, so children who are not properly
stimulated during their first year can be scarred forever. A related article concludes that the United States must
spend more money on early-childhood development to ensure that babies are
sufficiently stimulated. Also, Time interviews Charles Keating, whose S&L conviction (in
Judge Lance Ito's court) was just overturned by a federal appeals court.
Keating, who still owes $5.2 billion in civil penalties, is largely
unrepentant. Speaking of civil penalties and O.J., an article finds that Simpson has protected himself well:
Even if he loses the civil suit, he'll keep his $2.5 million retirement fund,
his regular pension checks, and most of his future earnings.
U.S.
News & World Report , Feb. 3
(posted
Tuesday, Jan. 28)
The
annual mutual-fund guide offers bad, if unsurprising, news: The market can't
sustain its irrational high. U.S. News ' advice: Dump index funds and buy
specialty funds. Real-estate funds and financial-stock funds are
good bets. The magazine picks the 250 best
funds "for the long haul" and ranks the 50 biggest stock funds (Vanguard
Index had the best three-year performance). Also, a package of
stories contrasts the inauguration's pomp with the urban decay of
Washington, D.C.
The
New Yorker , Feb. 3
(posted
Tuesday, Jan. 28)
A profile
of John Major depicts him as colorless and competent. Even though Britain is
prospering, Major will lose the next election because he can't resolve the
question--or rather "The Question"--of Europe. Most Tories loathe the European
Union, and Major has alienated them with his ambivalence toward it. Henry Louis
Gates Jr. contrasts highbrow black theater with the "Chitlin Circuit." The
circuit's crude plays make "Good Times look like Strindberg," but they
make money and draw huge black audiences (highbrow black theater does neither).
An article details how the White House "marketed the prestige and glamour of
the presidency" to collect contributions: Terry McAuliffe concocted the
dollars-for-access scheme, and Clinton eagerly cooperated. Also, John Updike
writes a self-indulgent essay about his books: "Somewhere in their several
million pondered, proofread, printed words I must have done my best, sung my
song, had my say."
Weekly Standard , Feb. 3
(posted
Tuesday, Jan. 28)
"The Road
from Hebron" applauds Benjamin Netanyahu for the recent peace agreement. The
accord may finally compel the Palestinians to live up to their part of the
bargain. It has also averted a potential Israeli civil war. An article blasts
the United States for standing by while China demolishes democracy and free
speech in Hong Kong. Also, yet another editorial praises the California Civil
Rights Initiative. And a story makes fun of Clinton's inaugural address:
"Nothing big ever came from someone so small."
Harper's , February 1997
(posted
Saturday, Jan. 25)
A long
article investigates Executive Outcomes, the firm of South African mercenaries
hired to keep order in Sierra Leone. The author is ambivalent. On the one hand,
EO has pacified the land and ended a bloody civil war. On the other, it works
for greedy diamond corporations, supports a brutal military regime, and employs
South Africa's most vicious ex-soldiers. The article predicts that private
armies such as EO will become increasingly common. Also, an essayist deplores
his own investments in global mutual funds: His money helps repressive
governments and exploitative foreign companies (But you can't beat the profits,
he admits). And a funny critique of DSM-IV, the standard manual of mental
disorders: The manual classifies everything--from bad handwriting to snobbery
to clumsiness--as a mental illness.
--Compiled by David Plotz and the editors of Slate .
