Economist, July 12

(posted Saturday, July 12)

An 18-page survey concludes that Russia is an appalling mess. The economy has shrunk for eight consecutive years, and the vast majority of Russians are struggling. The good news (sort of): Russians are too demoralized to start a violent revolution. The Economist anoints a populist economic reformer named Boris Nemstov as Russia's great political hope. The cover editorial and story say the rise of multi-party democracy in Mexico will stabilize the country politically but may slow free-market reforms. A piece applauds the phaseout of America's agricultural price supports, while warning that newly liberated American farmers seem to be taking too many risks: If crops fail, there could be a wave of farm failures.

New Republic, July 28

(posted Friday, July 11)

Secretary of Defense William Cohen may be thoughtful and bright, argues the cover story, but he's timid about using America's military might (in Bosnia, especially) and unwilling to make hard decisions about Pentagon budget cuts. TNR's late hit on Robert Reich's self-serving memoir points out how powerless cabinet secretaries are. (For Slate's take, see Jonathan Rauch's "Robert Reich, Quote Doctor.") An article asks why NASA sends American astronauts to the rickety Russian space station Mir: It's incredibly dangerous, generates no worthwhile scientific data, and costs U.S. taxpayers $100 million a year.

New York Times Magazine, July 13

(posted Friday, July 11)

A TV-insider cover story recounts the tribulations of ABC Entertainment President Jamie Tarses, the first woman to head a network entertainment division. Tarses, who revitalized NBC with shows like Friends, was supposed to do the same for struggling ABC. She hasn't, and is on the verge of losing her job. Her failure is blamed on immaturity. The magazine profiles hot young physicist Lee Smolin: His "evolutionary" theory posits that black holes give birth to alternate universes, and that our universe itself was created in the black hole of another universe. If true, the theory could unify relativity and quantum mechanics. Also, a photo essay about aging prison inmates.

Vanity Fair, August 1997