Economist, Aug. 14
The cover story assails the widening health gap between rich and poor countries. Of kids who die before age 5, 98 percent live in the developing world. Alliances between nongovernmental organizations and drug companies could catalyze research into the diseases that plague poor nations. … An article endorses an antitrust crackdown on Coca-Cola. Italy’s competition authority has concluded that Coke abused its dominant market position by preventing retailers from selling Pepsi. … A profile of porn mogul Steven Hirsch says that his Vivid Video dominates Silicone Valley because he recreated the studio system that used to govern Hollywood. Vivid cornered the market on porn queens by signing them to package contracts, promoting them heavily, and sending them on incredibly lucrative strip-club tours.
New Republic, Aug. 30
A piece blasts environmentalists for ginning up controversy over “endocrine disrupters,” man-made chemicals that allegedly disrupt human reproduction even in trace amounts. The research into endocrine disrupters has been wildly distorted, and there is no compelling evidence of the most spectacular claim: that the pollutants have lowered sperm counts. This hasn’t stopped greens from using endocrine disrupters to raise money and grab attention. … The cover story on the creepy marriage of Slobodan Milosevic says the Yugoslav chief is largely ruled by his wife Mira Markovic, a fervent Communist. Both believe that they alone stand against American world domination. … An article describes DigiPen Institute of Technology, a Seattle college sponsored by Nintendo where students learn nothing but video-game programming. The best students drop out and take high-paying jobs with game manufacturers.
New York Times Magazine, Aug. 15
The cover story asks: “Who Lost Russia?” Some blame the Clinton administration’s blind support of Boris Yeltsin and International Monetary Fund loans or America’s insistence on economic “shock therapy” for Russia’s deterioration. In fact, Russia was never America’s to lose: It has declined because of the corrosive legacy of communism on civil society. … An article attacks the insular Washington establishment. Bob Woodward’s latest book typifies the “lie-free, alcohol-free, womanizing-free” standards of the establishment. The moralistic reaction of the press to Clinton’s foibles demonstrates Washington’s elitist insularity.
Newsweek and Time, Aug. 16
The Blair Witch Project takes both covers; Time’s package is meatier. Both Time and Newsweek concur that the horror vérité flick’s success will prompt Hollywood to imitate Blair Witch’s guerilla marketing tactics: They include an amazing Internet site, fake “missing” posters for the film’s actors, and leaked previews. Time says the $35,000 movie will have the highest profit margin in film history. Both mags rehash now-familiar Blair Witch trivia: The filmmakers sent the actors into the woods for eight days with cameras and only a thin plotline for direction, then spooked their stars with nighttime raids. Time reports that some fans refuse to believe that the story is fictional.
Time wonders how the United States will handle “hard to place” recipients when the five-year welfare limit comes up in 2001. Persistent welfare cases don’t get jobs because of mental illness, substance abuse, transportation obstacles, child-care difficulties, and simple lack of interest. Liberals think more job training could help. Conservatives concede that some safety net may be necessary.
Newsweek notes that while the Dalai Lama promotes religious understanding and meditation, he opposes abortion, contraception, and homosexual acts. … An essay on the Atlanta shooter argues that he epitomizes the malaise of modern men disassociated from the bonds of fraternity and patriarchy that shaped their fathers’ lives.
U.S. News & World Report, Aug. 16-23
A double issue examines life in 1000 A.D. The Islamic and Chinese empires were world powers, but the conversion of the Magyars, Russians, and Vikings to Christianity was setting the stage for Europe’s ascent. A piece hints that China lost the massive technological advantage it held in 1000 because its mandarin bureaucrats imposed too many regulations. An article says that if you were alive in 1000, you probably would have been a miserable peasant. … A story says that there is still virtually no evidence linking the Sudanese pharmaceutical plant bombed by the United States last year to chemical weapons production or terrorist Osama Bin Laden. Officials in charge of the bombing never consulted the experts who could have told them that the plant was legit.
The New Yorker, Aug. 16
An article reprises the Microsoft antitrust trial. The software giant belatedly realized the importance of courting politicians and the press, but the Microsoft charm offensive is too late: The company has already been tarred as a bully in the court of public opinion. Bill Gates feels so embattled that he can’t contain his anger or make rational choices about how to settle Microsoft’s no-win predicament. … A piece speculates about the IPO potential of online pornographers. The sponsor of pussy.com is preparing to go public. Despite huge profits, many e-pornographers have a hard time finding bankers willing to represent them. … A profile of Oscar Goodman suggests that Las Vegas elected the mayor it deserves. The former mob-lawyer is crowd-pleasing, casino-friendly, and proud of his colorful past, just like the city he serves. … An item condemns the indictment of Linda Tripp as spiteful and politically motivated.
Weekly Standard, Aug. 16
The cover story joins the chorus against the Iowa straw poll and attacks the Iowa caucus, too. The straw poll is bogus because the candidates pay their supporters’ participation fees and the horserace-hungry media overblows its significance. The state is a poor bellwether, because it is disproportionately old, white, rural, and conservative. … An article details the desperation among the second-string candidates. Lamar Alexander sent out a press release to announce that Joe Klein was writing an item about his campaign. Steve Forbes allegedly attempted to hire temps to vote for him and is offering straw-poll supporters free balloon rides and face-painting for their kids.
