Economist, Oct. 17

(posted Saturday, Oct. 17, 1998)

The cover editorial claims that recent market volatility shouldn't cause large investors to fear risk. Such risk-aversion would provoke a recession. Instead, financial firms should keep more capital to guard against market upheaval. If firms "all start to reduce their risks simultaneously, it might trigger a vicious liquidity-draining cycle." ... A piece says cockfighting is on its last legs. The vicious sport (razors are tied to the feet of battling roosters) is still legal in four states but may soon be outlawed in two of them. ... A story mourns the end of Art Bell's radio show. Bell's national program covered "Area 51, the real messages of crop circles, the hidden third secret of Fatima, government experiments gone horribly wrong and irrefutable signs of the end of the world" and boasted 10 million loyal listeners. Bell signed off this week claiming a "threatening, terrible event" was forcing him to end his career.

New York Times Magazine, Oct. 18

(posted Thursday, Oct. 15, 1998)

A special issue on the business of sports. A story frets that media giants' purchases of sports teams will change the way games are played. Who'll stop Fox (owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers), Disney (Anaheim Angels), and Time Warner (Atlanta Braves) from forcing star athletes to play when it will boost ratings on their own networks or from altering rules to make sports more TV friendly? ... Several stories explore fan loyalty. In one, Baltimore Orioles fans sound off to the O's owner, demanding cheaper tickets and more dedicated players (the owner is noncommittal). In another, a New York Knicks fan complains that her courtside seats have shot up in price even as the team declines. ... Other stories profile a superagent winning mammoth contracts for his baseball player clients, a rookie quarterback learning how to play the endorsements game, and NBA Commissioner David Stern, who micromanages the league's image, coordinating everything from media coverage to promotional "sock giveaways."

Vanity Fair, November 1998

(posted Thursday, Oct. 15, 1998)

A gripping story describes the near-tragedy aboard space station Mir when a docking module crashed and punctured Mir's walls. The Russians and American on board frantically hacked at wires and sealed off the leak, just averting death. Other lowlights of Mir life: A cosmonaut gets drenched by an antifreeze leak, which burned his skin and nauseated him; Russian mission control tells the crew to calculate the soon-to-crash module's flight path by timing it with a stopwatch. The Russians couldn't afford to buy a range finder. ... A photo essay depicts America's 200 "most influential women." Leading off: Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. From the world of magazines: Tina Brown, former editor of The New Yorker, and Anna Wintour, editor of Vogue. ... Filmmaker Ken Burns promos his forthcoming Frank Lloyd Wright documentary by profiling the architect. The piece worships Wright's genius and scolds him for dastardly treatment of his family, but those who know Wright's story will learn little new.

Time and Newsweek, Oct. 19