Economist, Jan. 17

(posted Saturday, Jan. 17)

The cover editorial urges the United States to lift its embargo on Cuba. With Fidel Castro aging and the pope visiting, now is a good time to reopen relations. Warmer dealings with Cuba might hasten its adoption of a free-market economy. ... The requisite Asian economic crisis story argues that the region's authoritarian regimes should be replaced by democratic ones. ... A story spots a disturbing trend in Bangladesh: Angered men throw acid in women's faces, disfiguring and blinding them. (Estimate: There are 100 acid attacks per year.) The Economist blames a male backlash against Bangladeshi women's growing economic independence. ... A profile salutes "Finland's Buster Keaton." Aki Kaurismaki hates Hollywood and directs sly, funny films. His latest is entirely silent.

New Republic, Feb. 2

(posted Friday, Jan. 16)

The cover story uses the trial of former Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy to slam the proliferation of picayune ethics laws. Special prosecutors wield unchecked power, settle political scores, and waste money. (Espy prosecutor Donald Smaltz spent $12 million investigating a $35,000 transgression.) Once we punished sleazebags by ostracizing them; now we unnecessarily jail them. ... "TRB" is skeptical of Republican efforts to credit Ronald Reagan with the current budget surplus. Doesn't that make Reagan responsible for the early '90s recession, too? ... A year after the Texaco-tapes scandal, a story ridicules the company's new diversity training. Silly games and animated fables anger executives and stretch racial divides.

New York Times Magazine, Jan. 18

(posted Thursday, Jan. 15)

The cover story laments the disappearance of abortionists. Young doctors don't learn the techniques because 1) they fear pro-life violence or 2) they consider abortion a low-rent procedure for second-class docs. Nearly two-thirds of abortion doctors are 65 or older, and some serve clinics in multiple states. ... A profile cheers Sherman Alexie, American Indian poet, essayist, novelist, and filmmaker. Alexie's forthcoming film, Smoke Signals (produced, directed, written by, and starring American Indians), depicts reservation life accurately and touchingly. ... A writer recounts his 3-year-long experiment with not talking on Sundays. His weekly silence annoys some but affords him "flashes of clarity." He also had "the best date of my life!": She did all the talking.

Harper's, February 1998