Economist, April 19

(posted Saturday, April 19)

The cover editorial welcomes the idea of a tobacco settlement because it would protect children and compensate victims without crippling a legitimate business. Anti-smoking advocates are much chastised for their zealotry. A related article contends that a $300 billion settlement could improve tobacco companies' finances by cutting legal fees and eliminating future liability. A piece notes the growth of the private police industry: Security guards and rent-a-cops now outnumber police officers 3-to-1. A review of seven books about Hong Kong suggests that its best days may be ahead.

NewRepublic, May 5

(posted Friday, April 18)

An article denounces the recent TV-spectrum giveaway. The federal government could have raised $70 billion from auctioning the frequencies, but the TV broadcasters lobbied their way to a freebie. The massive cover book review praises Justice Antonin Scalia for changing the course of American jurisprudence from "common-law constitutionalism" to "originalism," then blasts him for betraying his own principles: Scalia has abandoned neutrality and now decides cases based on his own political views. Also, a piece discusses the aging of America's prison population. Geriatric cons cost three times as much as young prisoners (extra medical expenses, mostly), and their recidivism rates are incredibly low. Even so, prison officials rarely parole the older inmates.

New York Times Magazine, April 20

(posted Thursday, April 17)

The cover story argues that work has become like home and home has become like work. Thanks largely to total quality management, employees now feel appreciated and relaxed at the office. They find home (that is, child care) exhausting. The upshot: Workers don't care much about parental leave and flex time. "Everybody Else's College Education" challenges the prevailing notion that higher education is expensive and elitist: In fact, 80 percent of students attend public colleges, and their tuition averages less than $3,000 per year. Also, a photo essay by Sebastiao Salgado depicts Brazil's landless peasants.

Time and Newsweek, April 21