Economist, July 24
The cover story concludes that technology has probably given birth to a “new economy,” though there is no statistical proof of it. Although America’s productivity growth spurt has been concentrated in the computer industry, anecdotal evidence suggests that technology increases the flexibility of capital in all industries. (Click here for Paul Krugman’s assessment of “new paradigm” economics.) … A survey postulates that it is not necessarily bad to be Canadian. Canada has universal health care, low inflation, low interest rates, and strong economic growth. On the downside, Canada’s economy is weaker than the United States’, and Canadians have an inferiority complex about their southern neighbor.
New Republic, Aug. 9
The cover package debates how to divide the surplus. One article argues for public investment in research, infrastructure, and education, based on the premise that the information revolution, not deficit reduction and low interest rates, undergirds our prosperity. Another piece, which embraces the notion that smaller deficits and lower interests rates have midwifed prosperity, proposes shoring up Social Security and Medicare, and saving the surplus. Some minor tax relief, such as an increase in the earned income tax credit, is also appropriate, as is boosting education and infrastructure investment. A final article calls for “monumental tax cuts” to restore faith in individualism, abolish the tax code’s dispiriting progressivity, and pare government down so it can’t do much.
George, August 1999
The jokes in the unfortunately timed “political humor issue” fall hideously flat. Guest editor Ben Stiller joshes about banishing John F. Kennedy Jr. and is photographed making off with John-John’s sports equipment. … A mock interview with Ricky Martin suggests that he is a secret policy wonk: He reads the New Republic and loves to expostulate on Puerto Rican sugar-cane subsidies and “la domestic policy loca.” … In a real profile, Rep. Mary Bono, R-Calif., defends herself from charges of promiscuity. “If I had had an affair with Newt Gingrich, I would have ended up on the Ways and Means Committee,” she retorts.
New York Times Magazine, July 25
The cover story worries about the implications of a gender-selection technology. The experimental “Microsort” process separates sperm carrying X chromosomes (which create girls) from those carrying Y chromosomes. Doctors impregnate women with embryos of the favored gender. Ethicists fear that the technique will further institutionalize sex discrimination. … An article warns that all computer networks are unsafe and that the plaintiff’s bar will reap millions from lawsuits prompted by network fiascoes.
Atlantic Monthly, August 1999
The cover story maps a political agenda to engage the apathetic Generation X: fiscal restraint, investment in education and training, and class-based affirmative action. … An article recommends a cup of “shade coffee.” “Sun coffee,” grown in high-yield rows, doesn’t taste as good. “Sustainable coffee,” grown in the shade amid other vegetation, is better for the environment and a great way to differentiate java in an overcrowded market. … A piece claims world population will fall in the next 50 years. In the past two decades, global fertility has dropped by 1.5 children per woman and industrialized nations have fallen below the 2.1 children-per-woman replacement rate. (Click here for a Slate “Dialogue” on population trends.)
Time, U.S. News & World Report, and Newsweek, July 26
Special editions mourn the passing of JFK Jr. (U.S. News junked copies of its original edition to put out the Kennedy special.) All are packed with full-page photos of John in various stages of his public life. Time has fresh shots of an anguished Ethel and a plaintive Rory Kennedy. The weeklies embrace the myth of the Kennedy curse. Time calls the clan “the first family of pain.” U.S. News says the death of JFK Jr. “seemed almost ordained.”
The cookie-cutter profiles note that Kennedy was a mediocre student but had a perfect 6-0 conviction record as a prosecutor. He became a devoted editor of George, which seems likely to founder in his absence. U.S. News says he met Carolyn Bessette jogging in the park, Newsweek says they met at a charity ball, but all agree it was a storybook romance. Newsweek reports that JFK Jr. actively explored a Senate run before Hillary Clinton expressed interest. His wife was afraid to fly with him, preferring to travel with a professional pilot or drive herself. U.S. News and Newsweek both declare JFK Jr. was not reckless like his cousins, but Time questions whether it was foolhardy for Kennedy to fly solo over the ocean. (Click here to find out why Slate recommends against flying to Martha’s Vineyard by yourself.)
A Newsweek article reassesses what turned the tide in Kosovo. Though NATO damaged civil infrastructure, the Serb army remained basically intact. Only the belief that ground war was imminent led Slobodan Milosevic to cave.
A U.S. News report distinguishes among different types of memory loss. Forgetting names is not a cause for alarm, but forgetting how to prepare dinner indicates loss of “executive functioning,” which signals the onset of dementia.
A Time article dismisses the hysteria over rationed health care. Ninety-seven percent of treatment decisions by doctors are approved by managed-care plans and 40 states already offer patients some protections against insurance plans.
Weekly Standard, July 26
The cover story chastises the “ideological ax-grinders” for exploiting the U.S. victory in the Women’s World Cup. “Blowhards” falsely claimed that the game demonstrated women are the same as men. Since female players are weaker and slower their play is more offense-oriented and therefore more exciting to watch. (Read William Saletan’s “Frame Game” on soccer politics here.) … An article salutes the 30th anniversary of the first moon walk by calling the space shuttle program a flop and the international space station a disaster. These programs have produced no significant scientific discoveries. Congress should cut NASA funding and let free enterprise flourish in space.
The New Yorker, July 26
A profile of New York Times Publisher and Chairman Arthur Sulzberger Jr. concludes that he has shepherded the company through profound changes while maintaining its integrity. Sulzberger created new sections, introduced color to the front page, enlivened the editorial page, and promoted minority viewpoints. His greatest challenge: bringing the Times to the Internet without sacrificing quality. … A dispatch mocks Herb Allen’s summer camp for moguls in Sun Valley. The media elite socialize during raft trips and water fights and vie for a place in the annual Annie Leibovitz portrait. … An item reveals that although an independent counsel deputy proposed indicting Hillary Clinton, most Starr staffers, including former ethics adviser Sam Dash, dismissed the idea as meritless.
