Economist, Aug. 28

The cover editorial accuses the United States of covering up Russia's economic misbehavior. The New York money-laundering probe destroys the illusion that the Russian economy is becoming civilized. The West should admit that loans to Moscow are a naked effort to avert Russian implosion. ... A piece reports that workers are auctioning their services on Internet sites such as www.bid4geeks.com.

New Republic, Sept. 13

The cover story calls for an end to racial profiling. Eliminating racial profiling will make policing more difficult, but the cost is worth bearing because profiling burdens targeted groups, engenders rage against the police, and undercuts the ideal of a colorblind society. ... An article exhorts George W. Bush to answer the cocaine question. Americans don't want another president burdened by explosive secrets.

New York Times Magazine, Aug. 29

The cover story condemns the "Milosevic Generation." Serb twentysomethings are both despairing and corrupt. "Sponsor girls" trade sex for pilfered designer clothing. Most young Serbs are plotting to emigrate because there are no opportunities at home. All deny atrocities occurred in Kosovo. ... A profile hypes Marc Anthony as the next Frank Sinatra. The crooner followed Ricky Martin's footsteps from Menudo to Latin pop stardom, but Marc Anthony's angelic voice and passionate presentation will trump Martin's bubblegum appeal. His English-language debut should finally bring him crossover success.

Mother Jones, September 1999

Mother Jones joins the New York Times Magazine (above) in focusing on Serbia's lost generation. A sympathetic article about Serbian draft dodgers says tens of thousands of them crossed into Hungary to avoid serving in Kosovo. Only 2 percent have been granted political asylum, and few are authorized to work. Visas to Western countries are rarely granted. ... A piece denounces Alexander Haig for parlaying his brief stint as Ronald Reagan's secretary of state into a career as an international influence peddler. The former general helps defense manufacturers sell weapons to dicey countries such as China and Pakistan.

U.S. News & World Report, Aug. 30

California Institute of Technology vaults from fourth to first in the magazine's annual university rankings. Its three-to-one student-faculty ratio is much praised, as is its annual spending of $192,000 on each student. (The magazine revised its methodology to reward high spending on instruction.) Cal Tech's 900 undergrads are so hard-working that one computer science lab is scheduled from midnight to 2 a.m. ... Harvard, MIT, Princeton, and Yale fill out the top five. Swarthmore is the top liberal arts college. ... An article claims that research universities are refocusing on undergraduates in response to charges that they take students for granted. Boston University, for example, forced its three Nobel Prize winners to teach undergraduates.