Economist , Sept. 26
(posted
Saturday, Sept. 26, 1998)
The
cover editorial urges Japan to reform its banking system.
Japan's politicians must quit dithering and revive consumer confidence. If
Japan sinks into depression, it will take the rest of Asia with it. The
editorial also warns Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan not to lower
interest rates too soon: Rate cuts are a powerful weapon, to be saved for a
true emergency. ... An editorial welcomes the growth of domestic
services--butlers, nannies, cooks, etc. The piece pooh-poohs the notion that
this trend increases inequality. In fact, demand for servants helps low-skill
workers who might otherwise go jobless. ... An essay praises prewar
American pop lyricists (Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Ira Gershwin, et al.).
Hemmed in by censors and given to subtlety, these poets said "I love you"
without actually saying it. During the war and after it, directness became the
fashion, and lyrics lost their sophistication. Can any postwar song match this
prewar stanza from lyricist Leon Robin: "Venus de Milo/ Was noted for her
charms/ But strictly between us/ You're cuter than Venus/ And what's more,
you've got arms"?
New
Republic , Oct. 12
(posted
Friday, Sept. 25, 1998)
The cover
story says that science increasingly tolerates faith and meaning. Science had
become linked to the notion that the universe has no purpose, but scientists
are starting to argue that scientific phenomena are more meaningful than
random. ... An essay says Washington's thirst for impeachment stems
partly from a yen for parliamentary politics. Our system gridlocks when a
president becomes powerless. In Britain, a leader is simply ejected from office
when he or she can no longer lead, no harm done. ... "TRB" urges
feminists to reconsider: Should invasions of privacy really be necessary for
sexual harassment cases? Perhaps social sanctions can stop boorish behavior
more effectively than laws can. Such a shift would enable feminists not to look
like hypocrites when they defend Bill Clinton.
New
York Times Magazine , Sept. 27
(posted
Thursday, Sept. 24, 1998)
Three
profiles. The cover story assesses the kinder, gentler George Steinbrenner. The
Yankees owner no longer fires managers three weeks into the season, and his
relationship with players and other employees is now intense but cordial. All
this makes for a winning team. Steinbrenner may sell the Yanks soon to avoid
being the bad guy who moves the team out of Yankee Stadium. ... A piece
on former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld attributes his recent political
burnout to lack of ambition. Sharp, wry, and likable, Weld quickly sank from a
well-respected governorship to a failed Senate run to a failed bid to be
ambassador to Mexico. Now he's content to practice law and write mediocre
fiction ( Mackerel by Moonlight comes out this month). ... A story
profiles Todd Solondz, nerdy and independent director of Welcome to the
Dollhouse and the forthcoming Happiness . Happiness shows
sympathy for a pedophile--one reason the original distributor dropped it.
Time and Newsweek , Sept. 28
(posted
Tuesday, Sept. 22, 1998)
Both magazines move to the
"pox on all your houses" stance. Newsweek says that we've entered "slime
time" in the scandal, with no one safe from partisan smears. Time agrees
and seeks an exit strategy to end the mess. Its conclusion: Clinton should make
a deal for censure now, before he loses even more leverage. He "faces a 75%
chance that he will be impeached by the full House and put on trial in the
Senate." Time and Newsweek both profile the president's new team
of spiritual advisers, including the Rev. Gordon MacDonald--a reformed
adulterer who wrote a book about his sins. Time offers thumbnail
sketches of prominent members of the House Judiciary Committee, the body
deciding Clinton's fate. Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., will "log some of the best
sound bites," while Rep. James Rogan, R-Calif., "could emerge as a force for
consensus."
Time says that space tourism has a new proponent: former astronaut Buzz
Aldrin. Aldrin's ShareSpace company hopes to use jumbo-jet-style spacecraft to
bring tourists to orbiting space hotels.
U.S.
News & World Report , Sept. 28
(posted
Tuesday, Sept. 22, 1998)
The
cover story focuses on Hillary Clinton. Most of the women U.S.
News quotes think Hillary should take more of a stand, and they are
frustrated by her failure to make a statement about her husband's behavior. An
accompanying poll finds that 48 percent of respondents think the Clintons'
relationship is "a practical business and political relationship," while 18
percent deem it "a loving marriage that has troubles." ... Much praise for CNN's new documentary on the Cold War. The 24-part
series, a pet project of Ted Turner, is evenhanded, thorough, and
captivating.
The
New Yorker , Sept. 28
(posted
Tuesday, Sept. 22, 1998)
An essay
describes how President Clinton's current woes stem from his endorsement of
laws that let prosecutors look into the background of accused sexual harassers.
These laws, which allowed Paula Jones' lawyers to investigate Clinton's sexual
history, were never fair. As for Starr, his strategy is to "shore up a
questionable legal case with reams of graphic sexual material." ... An
interesting article goes behind the scenes in the development of a new sitcom.
The creators of Sports Night (premiering on ABC this fall) at first
fought the network, refusing to include a laugh track or dumb down their
script. Soon, however, they were won over to sitcom logic--the cautious
thinking that relies on past successes and renders most TV shows identical.
More Flytrap
...
--Seth
Stevenson
