Economist , Oct. 4
(posted
Saturday, Oct. 4)
A
cover editorial says the millennium bug is overhyped.
Fixing computers to recognize "00" as 2000, not 1900, is a pain, but will cost
only $300 billion worldwide. Cassandras had estimated a $3.6 trillion bill. A
story argues that manned space travel has been largely useless because
governments have treated space as an adventure, not a business. Space tourism
may be a future commercial market. Also, an essay claims that Britain's Booker
Prize for fiction is out of touch with readers. Great authors like Martin Amis
go unrecognized; lesser lights make the short-list.
New
Republic , Oct. 20
(posted
Friday, Oct. 3)
A cover
story rejects the notion that globalization will pacify China. Evidence from
history: English leaders believed trade ties to Germany would prevent a
conflict--then World War I broke out. An article accuses the Smithsonian of
sacrificing intellectual integrity to appease critics: Curators tone down
controversial exhibits when they offend Congress or industry groups. An essay
calls Bill Gates' new fantasy house a symbol of baby boomers' obsession with
control. The high-tech house creates "a technological cocoon that anticipates
your every need and protects you not only from danger, but from serendipity as
well."
New
York Times Magazine , Oct. 5
(posted
Thursday, Oct. 2)
The cover
story proclaims Ruth Bader Ginsburg a good choice for Supreme Court Chief
Justice when William Rehnquist retires. Unlike activist liberal judges such as
William Brennan, Ginsburg practices restraint and caution--good leadership
qualities for a divided court. An essay advocates legal, over-the-counter
syringe sales at New York pharmacies. Currently, needle-exchange clinics damage
neighborhoods by serving as magnets for addicts. Also, playwright Eric Bogosian
interviews comedian Chris Rock. Bogosian says Rock's race-laden humor "makes us
laugh not only because of perfect writing, skewed associations and rock-steady
timing but also because of pain."
Time , Oct. 6
(posted
Tuesday, Sept. 30)
It's
Promise Keepers week in the magazines. Time 's cover story questions the intent of the movement's leaders.
Founder Bill McCartney, former University of Colorado football coach, slips
pro-life and anti-gay messages into his rhetoric about responsibility and
forgiveness. NOW doesn't like the way Promise Keepers urges men to "reclaim"
their "role" as the head of the family. ( Time 's Ron Stodghill and
U.S. News & World Report 's Marci McDonald debate Promise Keepers
here.) Speaking of masculinity, a Time article notes the nail-polish-for-men trend. Best name for
a male-marketed color: Testosterone. Also in Time , a piece explores the massive empire of Martha Stewart, who
has just launched a new venture with Kmart. When compared to Thomas Jefferson,
Stewart replies, "I'm reaching more people. ... He had a job to do, and so do
I."
U.S.
News & World Report , Oct. 6
(posted
Tuesday, Sept. 30)
U.S. News ' inside
piece on the Promise Keepers says the group's wives generally welcome
their husbands' newfound religiosity and devotion to family. Only rarely do
Promise Keeper men become domineering; mostly they become more attentive. (In
case you missed the link above, U.S. News & World Report 's Marci
McDonald and Time 's Ron Stodghill debate Promise Keepers here.)
On the
cover, the magazine seconds the popular wisdom that this year's El
Niño will be the "century's biggest weather event." What will happen?
Californian hurricanes, African drought, destruction of Pacific fish and
seabird populations, floods in South America, etc. (For more weather hype, see
Slate's "Assessment" of El Niño.)
Newsweek, Oct. 6
(posted
Tuesday, Sept. 30)
Newsweek 's cover story on Bob Dylan claims that the songwriter's new
album equals his best work. A story on the IRS hearings (which were filled with
taxpayers' stories of "Kafkaesque torments") concludes that the IRS wields too
much power with too little accountability. A Newsweek article predicts
Marv Albert will not return to broadcasting: Adulterers like Frank Gifford are
forgiven, kinkmeisters like Albert are not.
Weekly Standard , Oct. 6
(posted
Tuesday, Sept. 30)
The
Standard traces the history of the Promise Keepers in a long article.
The group really does seek male spiritual renewal, not, as its critics claim,
political power or male supremacy. The group is commended for its ability to
tap spirituality without degenerating into self-centered men's-movement
histrionics. Founder Bill McCartney is much praised, too. The cover story, "Has
Fred Thompson Blown It?," concludes that he probably has. The campaign-finance
hearings have been too muddled and bipartisan to be compelling. Thompson's poor
performance has infuriated conservative colleagues, especially Trent Lott, and
may have crippled his presidential ambitions. An article disses Ted Turner's
$1-billion U.N. gift: It's not really worth $1 billion, it won't go to the
U.N., and he's only doing it to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
The
New Yorker , Oct. 6
(posted
Tuesday, Sept. 30)
A book
issue. A story says that publishing really is in crisis. Sales are flat,
profits are meager, advances are too generous, and returns are too frequent.
Astounding fact: Last year, 35 percent of books were returned to
publishers. Cynthia Ozick deplores the corruption and sentimentalization of
Anne Frank's diary. Her father and his American collaborators carefully edited
the diary to make it an uplifting, universal story, omitting her references to
sex, religion, and German anti-Semitism. What was lost? The sense of evil. The
editor of Ronald Reagan's autobiography contributes a funny, fond memoir about
preparing the book. Examples of Reagan's forgetfulness and inattention are
frequent.
The
Nation , Oct. 13
(posted
Tuesday, Sept. 30)
A
column suggests that the Freedom From Religious Persecution Act,
which would cut foreign aid and impose limited trade sanctions on nations that
persecute on the basis of religion, could force the United States to punish
some notable allies: Israel, Egypt, Northern Ireland, and Germany (where
Scientology is under the gun). (See Slate's "Cross-Purposes" for
another take on the act.) A story says Portland, Ore., provides a new model for
urban planning. The city's Urban Growth Boundary eliminates Los Angeles-style
sprawl. An editorial marvels that Ted Turner's $1-billion gift to the U.N.
represents only his earnings since January. Extreme concentration of wealth is
making billionaires more powerful than governments.
National Review , Oct. 13
(posted
Tuesday, Sept. 30)
On the
cover: NR founder/editor William F. Buckley Jr., lovingly illustrated,
gazing serenely into the distance. Inside: A long excerpt from Buckley's
Nearer, My God: An Autobiography of Faith . Sample passage (from
Buckley's description of his childhood): "We were superintended by ... three
Mexican nurses; fed and looked after by a cook, a butler, and two maids;
trained and entertained in equestrian sport by a groom and an assistant, making
use of Father's eight horses; instructed in piano by a 23-year-old New Yorker
who came and stayed with us three days of every week, giving us each a lesson
every day on one of the five pianos in the house. ..."
--Compiled by Seth Stevenson and the editors of Slate .
