Economist, Feb. 26

(posted Saturday, Feb. 20, 1999)

The cover story and editorial say deflation threatens the global economy. Deflation caused by overcapacity and flaccid demand could send the world into a depression. Japan and Europe must ease their tight monetary policies to boost consumer demand. ... Two stories urge Turkey to compromise with its Kurdish minority rather than continue to oppress it. Turkish Kurds don't demand separation, only limited autonomy, and Turkey ought to grant that to keep the peace. (One of the pieces begins with the mysterious sentence, "The Turks are cockahoop.") ... A piece notes the demise of Shaman Pharmaceuticals, a drug company that paid rainforest folk healers to supply healing plants that could be turned into advanced drugs. The lesson: Advanced screening technology, which allows companies to speedily test lots of plants for medicinal properties, is better than folk wisdom.

New Republic, March 8

(posted Friday, Feb. 19, 1999)

The editorial heartily endorses Hillary Clinton's contemplated Senate run, because it will finally stop her from injecting her politics into her husband's job. "We're far from certain that her brand of righteous liberalism is what the people of New York want or need," say the editors, "but we are sure that it would be healthy for the country to find out." ... An article tallies the early achievements of Minnesota Gov. Jesse "The Body" Ventura. He and his centrist brain trust have concocted progressive and equitable ways to spend the state's budget surplus and tobacco settlement bounty. ... Legal scholar Akhil Reed Amar calls on Congress to let the independent counsel statute (a "constitutional Frankenstein") die and to replace faulty Supreme Court decisions on executive privilege with a comprehensive bill on presidential legal liability. (For more of Amar's critique of the independent counsel statute, see this week's " Dialogue.")

New York Times Magazine, Feb. 21

(posted Thursday, Feb. 18, 1999)

The cover story proclaims the end of England's decline and fall. From the dismantled House of Lords to London's integrated suburbs, England is finally paying more attention to its cosmopolitan future than to its oft-eulogized past. ... A piece profiles Linux, an operating system which might pose the biggest threat to Windows. Written by Linus Torvalds, a Finnish programmer who couldn't afford to buy a commercial operating system, Linux is free, is maintained by a vast network of loyal volunteer programmers, and never crashes. ... The magazine introduces a redesigned front section, which grandly aims to chronicle "The Way We Live Now." Included is a new ethics column (written by Slate's own News Quiz-meister Randy Cohen), a feature on draft-dodging in Israel, and a guide to spotting bacteria in bologna sandwiches.

Time, Newsweek, and U.S. News & World Report, Feb. 22