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Economist, June 5
An article argues that Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic is trapped. Slobo made financial arrangements for a luxurious exile, but since his indictment as a war criminal the most he can hope for is a safe haven in Belarus. Not beloved by his people, Milosevic might be hard-pressed to retain power even with the support of his secret police, political cronies, and state-controlled media. … The cover story argues that the German economy has stalled because of a complicated tax system, overgenerous welfare, and excessive labor costs. Germany is dragging down the euro, but both might rebound because the new government is deregulating, unions are learning accommodation, and a cheaper euro may boost exports.
New Republic, June 21
The cover story argues that the vice presidency is worth more than a bucket of warm piss. As veeps Nixon and LBJ were administration outsiders, but Al Gore is a “Principal” who enjoys Cabinet-level authority and has weekly one-on-ones with the president. Unfortunately for Gore, the press is likely to focus more on his stilted campaigning than his eight years of insider experience. … An article mocks Elizabeth Dole’s scripted stump appearances. Opinion-makers may be tired of her act, but she is savvier than she seems. Her pro-gun-control stance and neutrality on abortion appeal to the increasingly prosperous and moderate GOP electorate, allowing her to seem like a maverick. … A piece attacks the rumormongering about George W. Bush’s past. Clinton raised the bar for bad-boy behavior. Americans won’t care about what Bush did, and nor should they. (Disclosure: Slate’s Timothy Noah wrote the article.)
New York Times Magazine, June 6
Adventure is the theme of the third installment in the magazine’s millennium series. … A writer explores his own brain through magnetic resonance imaging, finding the physical locations for his ability to speak Italian, his recognition of familiar faces, and his storytelling ability. … White novelist Richard Ford and black essayist Stanley Crouch re-enact Huck Finn and Jim’s voyage down the Mississippi River and pen their respective reactions: Crouch rejoices that it’s no longer anomalous for a black man and a white man to share a boat; but the trip leaves Ford unsettled about his own latent racism. … A photo essay documents competitors in an “adventure competition” in which teams had to hike, kayak, Rollerblade, and swim across 360 miles of Philippine jungles, mountains, lakes, and islands. Each team had to include at least one woman, use traditional, nonpolluting modes of transportation, and perform a social service project along the way.
Time, June 7
The cover report slams the Cox report for asserting more than it proves and hysterically claiming that all Chinese visitors to the United States are asked to spy for their government. The report actually documents the theft of only one warhead’s technology. … A related article contends that China’s military is no challenge to the United States’. China has no aircraft carriers or long-range strategic bombers. One ominous note: If China did steal American technology, it could take a great leap toward nuclear parity. … A piece urges national mental-health reform. One good step: A Senate bill to require insurers to cover mental-health treatment just as they cover other kinds of medical care.
Newsweek, June 7
The cover story exults that now is the best time ever to be black in America. Black employment, home ownership, academic achievement, and college enrollment are up; out-of-wedlock births, violent crime, poverty, and welfare enrollment are down. Blacks aren’t celebrating because they fear an economic downturn and because equality is still elusive. Whites still outearn blacks, black unemployment is twice the rate of white unemployment, and 13 percent of black men are disenfranchised because of felony convictions. … An article profiles middle-class black homesteaders who are regenerating ghettos. One common and successful idea: church-run credit unions.
U.S. News & World Report, June 7
The cover story clucks over the dismal state of Sino-U.S. relations. One vivid detail: After the embassy bombing, Chinese officials produced an anti-NATO music video. … Horrified by the rise of casual office wear, the garment industry is launching a PR campaign to popularize formal attire, says an article. All kinds of designers are getting in on the act: Sean “Puffy” Combs’ “fall collection is full of dressier sportswear.”
The New Yorker, June 7
An article questions the canonization of Edith Stein, a Jew-turned-Catholic nun who perished in the Holocaust. Stein’s dubious miracle–a prerequisite to sainthood–was to “cure” a Boston girl named after her who overdosed on Tylenol in 1987. … A piece describes the manifold accomplishments of National Institutes of Health Director Harold Varmus, who has won bipartisan support for the research center, focused the NIH on nuts-and-bolts research rather than disease-of-the-week fads, and artfully guided the human genome project. Varmus’ peaceful reign could be interrupted when the government decides soon if it should fund research performed with scientifically valuable but politically controversial stem cells from human embryos and fetuses. … A writer joins American women trekking through Bhutan–a remote, devoutly Buddhist, and unusually fecund country–in search of fertility blessings. None of the pilgrims produce children, but all are charmed by the enormous penises that decorate the country’s walls, stores, and homes.
Weekly Standard, June 7
An editorial darkly warns that China is modernizing and expanding its military in order to displace America as Asia’s dominant power. The Cox report might finally rouse Washington to the hostility of the Chinese government and end our destructive policy of engagement. … The cover story denounces the National Museum of American History. Multicultural prejudice distorts its presentation, stripping America’s history of its heroic high points. … An article flays Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., the head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee: He is an artless buffoon whose only asset is his family name, which he uses to woo donors and to intimidate opponents.
