Economist , Oct. 3
(posted
Saturday, Oct. 3, 1998)
The
cover editorial urges careful treatment of the world's
banks. The International Monetary Fund must bail out banks when their failure
might spur a worldwide depression (as in Asia). But in some relatively harmless
cases (Russia) we should let banks fail--otherwise gambling investors will
never learn their lesson. ... A story attempts to explain the drastic fall in crime in
American cities. Small saviors: new crime-fighting ideas (computerized
databases, the "broken window" theory), more policemen on the beat, and the end
of the crack epidemic. Big savior: the decrease in the number of boys aged 15
to 21.
New
Republic , Oct. 19
(posted
Saturday, Oct. 3, 1998)
The
cover story says the spread of suburbs has spurred the
rise of the Christian right. Back when evangelicals inhabited rural
communities, they were never forced to confront cultural enemies. Now that they
live in diverse suburbs, they have become separatists. Alarmed by cultural
differences, they have started home schooling kids and running for political
office. ... A story says that Russia is suffering another huge brain
drain. Smart, educated Russians who just recently achieved middle-class comfort
refuse to return to poverty now that the economy has collapsed. So they are
fleeing the country in droves.
New
York Times Magazine , Oct. 4
(posted
Thursday, Oct. 1, 1998)
The cover
story describes the chaos of Azerbaijan, a former Soviet republic holding the
rights to an oil lode in the Caspian Sea. Capital city Baku is "rampant with
ham-handed Russian spies, as well as Turkish gangsters (known for their proud
display of chest hair), black-eyed Chechen revolutionaries, paranoid American
diplomats, fanatical Iranian terrorists and financial speculators of various
nationalities." Baku's foray into capitalism has wrought violence, instability,
and corruption, but American companies are still investing. ... A story
tracks photography's growing legitimacy as an art form. New York's Metropolitan
Museum of Art has been steadily adding to its once meager collection, and
photography has become "the medium of the moment." Because millions of amateurs
own cameras and take pictures, photography sometimes gets little respect from
snobby museums.
Time
and Newsweek , Oct. 5
(posted
Tuesday, Sept. 29, 1998)
Time goes Oprah-overboard with four articles on the talk show host and her
new movie of Toni Morrison's Beloved (about a runaway slave dealing with
motherhood). Making Beloved was a deeply emotional experience for
Winfrey, but what isn't? Morrison at first disliked the film, but she is now a
fan. ...
Newsweek 's cover story: Home schooling--it's not just
for zealots anymore! About 1.5 million kids are home schooled, and many parents
insist it keeps their children engaged in hands-on learning. Newsweek 's
dubious list of recent home schoolees: Jessica DuBroff, the 7-year-old pilot
whose plane crashed; Rebecca Sealfon, the national spelling bee champion with
bizarre social tics; and Hanson, the teen-idol pop group with great hair.
Both mags
run wine stories. Newsweek covers the wine industry's push to make
Americans drink more wine. America produces more wine than any country save
Italy, France, and Spain, yet we rank near the bottom in wine consumption. The
Wine Market Council will launch a media campaign in February. Meanwhile,
Time salutes the wines of Chile. High quality and cheap, Chilean wines
are now the third-most popular imports, behind only French and Italian
vintages.
U.S.
News & World Report , Oct. 5
(posted
Tuesday, Sept. 29, 1998)
The cover
story ranks HMOs. Top three: Fallon Community Health Plan
(Massachusetts), Finger Lakes-Blue Choice (New York), and Tufts Health Plan
(Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island). An accompanying article profiles Boston's Community Medical Alliance, a small HMO
that stresses prevention over treatment and which even makes house calls.
... A story explains Japan's plummeting fertility rate: Women in
their late 20s don't want to sacrifice their independence to marriage and
motherhood. Japanese men don't help to bring up baby, and nannies are frowned
upon, so motherhood can ruin a woman's career. Japan's fertility rate is now
"one of the lowest in the world." ... Bummer Dept.: Some parents now
rent drug-sniffing dogs to search their teens' bedrooms. Drug-dog
rental (for home or office) is a growing industry: One rental facility
explains, "We give kids another out. If somebody says, 'Hey, try this,' the kid
can say, 'But what if the dogs show up today?' "
The
New Yorker , Oct. 5
(posted
Tuesday, Sept. 29, 1998)
"The Talk
of the Town" runs essays on Flytrap from Toni Morrison, Janet Malcolm, James
Salter, and others. All are pro-Clinton and anti-Starr. Morrison: "This is
Slaughtergate. A sustained, bloody, arrogant coup d'etat. The Presidency is
being stolen from us. And the people know it." Malcolm: "Since the object of
[Starr's investigation] was to turn the nation against the President, those of
us who deplored the investigation from the start can only take satisfaction in
Starr's bungling--in this time of few satisfactions." ... The fall books
section includes articles on Eudora Welty and Raymond Carver (a "prairie
existentialist") and reviews much new fiction.
The
Nation , Oct. 12
(posted
Tuesday, Sept. 29, 1998)
The
cover story argues
that devolution of power from the federal government to the states is an
opportunity for progressives. Giving power to local governments encourages
experimentation that the whole country can learn from. Examples cited: state
tobacco lawsuits, local anti-pollution taxes, higher minimum wages, campaign
finance reform at the state level, and better local mass transit. Drawback:
Progressive policies make a community less "business friendly," so surrounding
areas reap the economic benefits.
Weekly Standard , Oct. 5
(posted
Tuesday, Sept. 29, 1998)
The cover
story claims that "Hollywood Beats Harvard" in the Clinton administration.
Originally a bastion for Ivy League wonks such as George Stephanopoulos and Ira
Magaziner, the Clinton White House is now cozier with West Coast elites: the
Thomasons, Steven Spielberg, Barbra Streisand, etc. ... A story praises
the Miss America pageant for having "tilted the tiara from left to right." The
new Miss America is a born-again Christian who says Clinton should resign and
whose cause is diabetes awareness. The last Miss America "held progressive
views" and supported AIDS research. Apparently even diseases are partisan.
--Seth
Stevenson
More Flytrap
...
