New York Times Magazine, Sept. 5
The cover story tracks four narcissistic young actors as they claw through Hollywood’s casting maw. They misrepresent their ages, dress the part of the ingénue, and make sure to be seen at the right hot spots pledging dedication to their craft. They all get cast, thanks to Hollywood’s determination to capitalize on the baby boomlet by churning out cookie-cutter teen dramas. … An article forecasts that commercially available high-resolution satellites will make the world safer by enabling watchdogs to monitor troublemaking countries. Rogue nations will be cowed by the prospect of surveillance. … In an essay, Peter Singer argues that every yuppie contributes to a child’s death when he chooses foie gras rather than donating to UNICEF (for more on Singer, see The New Yorker below).
Economist, Sept. 4
The cover story worries that earlier retirement and reduced birthrates in the West will contract the labor force and reduce living standards. Western nations should expunge pension incentives that encourage workers to quit early and should create more “bridge” jobs to ease the transition to retirement. … An editorial laments India’s failure to live up to its geopolitical potential. Despite having a billion people and the bomb, India attracts relatively little foreign investment and trade. If September’s elections lead to political stability, the next government could enhance India’s standing by harmonizing relations with Pakistan, liberalizing trade policy, and privatizing industry.
Time, Sept. 6
The cover story claims that Americans have embarked on “a national orgy of thrill seeking.” Bored Americans seeking the stimulation of endangerment are participating in more adventure sports, sinking more money into highly speculative stocks, and changing jobs with greater bravado than ever before because traditional risks have been minimized by medicine and government regulation. … Republicans and Democrats have hauled in record amounts of “soft money.” In the first half of this year, the GOP raised $29.4 million, and the Democrats raised $24.2 million. But the bumper harvest might be both parties’ last, according to an article. Donors are balking at perpetual political dunning. About 100 large firms have formed a committee to press for reform. Big companies such as General Motors have already spurned overtures for cash.
Newsweek, Sept. 6
The cover story questions whether high-stakes standardized tests are improving schools. Testing helps assess progress, but legislatures are mandating that kids be held back for failing, and some states are sanctioning schools for low scores. Schools are focusing their curricula on exams to the detriment of long-term learning. … A book excerpt traces the roots of the SAT. Reformers seeking to create opportunities for underprivileged students adopted the test to assess scholastic aptitude. Rather than equalize opportunity, the SAT turns the uppermost percentile into a privileged class and perpetuates the educational disadvantage of other test-takers. … An article rethinks the drug war. During the crack epidemic, Congress and the states imposed draconian mandatory minimum sentences for drug offenses. America needs to roll back these wrong-headed laws and treat drug offenders more compassionately.
The New Yorker, Sept. 6
A profile of Peter Singer, a proponent of ethical treatment of animals, pinpoints the radical philosopher’s inconsistencies. Singer argues that all sentient creatures are equally valuable and that you should donate your income until you’re as impoverished as a Bengali refugee, but he lives in comfort. He advocates euthanasia and condemns people for caring more about relatives than strangers, but he provides his Alzheimer’s-afflicted mother with around-the-clock care. … An article chronicles the aborted return of offbeat television. Hoping to revive the taste for surreal television, ABC hired Twin Peaks creator David Lynch to pilot a noirish program called Mulholland Drive. After insisting that the director cut down on cigarette-smoking characters and shots of dog poop, the risk-averse network ditched the series and filled its time slot with another Friends clone.
