Economist, Nov. 6
The cover story celebrates the 10th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Twenty-seven countries have sprouted out of the former Soviet bloc, and ethnicity has replaced ideology as Europe’s primary source of friction. Despite the growing pains of economic reform, including income contraction and worsening public health, a “free-market consensus” has emerged in the ex-Communist countries. … A survey argues that Britain is dematerializing. Power is being passed upward to the European Union and downward to new parliaments in Scotland and Wales. … A column claims that America has gone too far in its war against “the new evil empire”–tobacco. Anti-smoking billboards clog the streets, and smokers are ostracized.
New Republic, Nov. 22
The cover story claims that the Reform Party is kaput. After Ross Perot’s 1992 run, the mainstream parties assimilated his deficit-reduction platform. Campaign-finance reform was also co-opted. Without a cogent contrarian platform, a protest party is doomed. … A piece declares John McCain the victor in last week’s Republican debate. His congeniality made him look presidential next to the loony Alan Keyes. The piece also argues that George W. Bush’s draft-dodging, triangulating, and poll-tracking allow his Republican opponents to tar him as Clintonian. (Read Slate’s review of the debates.)
New York Times Magazine, Nov. 7
A cover package on Eastern European dissidents, 10 years after revolution. A profile of Adam Michnik traces how Solidarity’s key strategist steered Poland through “a reasonable revolution.” Michnik forged the worker-intellectual-church alliance that peacefully overturned Poland’s Communist regime. As the “conscience of the new Poland” and the editor of a successful newspaper, Michnik rationalizes economic growing pains as “the inevitable cost of joining the West” and advocates reconciliation with former Communists. … In an interview, Solidarity leader Lech Walesa faults the West for not doing enough to rebuild Poland’s economy and complains that ex-Communists have prospered. … An article argues that Americans are pessimistic, despite plummeting crime and unemployment rates, because the ideologically entrenched will not accept that the country can thrive without religion in the classroom or a paleoliberal in the White House.
American Prospect, Nov. 23
The liberal policy magazine switches from a quarterly to a glossy biweekly. An article predicts that George W. Bush will not be the next president. The affable, backslapping governor is too much like Bill Clinton. Voters disillusioned with the current president will elect the anti-Clinton–perhaps John McCain. … A piece argues that a Bush presidency would dramatically alter constitutional law. The Republican jurists who are on deck for Supreme Court nominations–J. Michael Luttig, Emilio M. Garza–are ultraconservative. A rightward tilt in the Rehnquist court could jeopardize abortion rights and the separation between church and state. … An essay argues that television has reversed childhood and adulthood. Shows such as Dawson’s Creek feature teens who act like adults, while shows such as Ally McBeal portray adulthood as “an extended adolescence.”
Time, Nov. 8
The first of five special issues about the 21st century imagines health and environment in the future. An item speculates that sex “will be more for recreation than procreation,” because parents will choose to clone themselves or genetically engineer “designer babies.” … A piece predicts that microscopic sensors in everything from toilets to toothbrushes will provide “automated checkups” and enable physicians to consult with patients through the Web. … An exclusive report reveals that controversial feminist Naomi Wolf is advising the Gore campaign on how to win the women’s vote. Wolf, whose $15,000 per month retainer was just cut to $5,000, urged Gore to condemn President Clinton for his sexual foibles and to become an “alpha male.” … An article reports that five tits-and-action TV shows are following in the profitable footsteps of Pamela Anderson Lee’s V.I.P., including Relic Hunter, starring Tia Carrere as a female Indiana Jones, and Amazon, featuring former model Carol Alt as a babe in the jungle.
Newsweek, Nov. 8
The cover story journeys to “HMO hell.” HMOs are raising their rates, and businesses are trimming health benefits. Sixty percent of Americans are “frustrated and angry” with the health-care system, and 70 percent favor federal intervention. A patients’ bill of rights might soothe them, though it would do nothing for the nation’s 44 million uninsured. … An accompanying survey ranks the 100 biggest health plans: Fallon Community comes out on top. … A piece cites new evidence that Sigmund Freud was right about dreams expressing unconscious desires. Neurological studies find that areas of the brain associated with visual imagery and emotion are particularly active during dream states.
U.S. News & World Report, Nov. 8
The cover story forecasts a space arms race. The availability of high-quality satellite imagery has prompted the Pentagon to develop a plan to dominate space, a scheme that includes the deployment of space-based lasers. Some senators want to create a fifth military service: the American Space Force. … A piece ponders the fate of the millions of Palestinian refugees living in Lebanese and Jordanian camps. Israel is unlikely to welcome their return, but permanently settling them in Lebanon and Jordan could cost billions and derail the peace talks. … An article says it is harder for women to control their weight because hormones predispose adolescent girls toward weight gain and women store more fat than men.
The New Yorker, Nov. 8
“Talk of the Town” publishes George W. Bush’s Yale report card. The candidate had a C average. His lowest grades were in American politics, astronomy, economics, international relations, and sociology. … An article describes the pleasures of sleeping with your baby. Parenting books warn that co-sleeping endangers an infant and makes it more difficult for a baby to learn independence. The author argues, based on his own experience as a dad, that co-sleeping creates a deep bond between parent and child. (For Slate’stake, see Robert Wright’s ” Go Ahead–Sleep With Your Kids.”) … A piece marvels at the coming wave of young, democracy-minded Iranians. The population has doubled since the 1979 revolution, and in 10 years Iranians under 30 will constitute the majority of voters. Frustrated young Iranians challenge the mullahs to allow more democracy, and the men sport goatees to identify themselves with reform.
Weekly Standard, Nov. 8
The cover story applauds C-SPAN for its populist programming. The network has become “an intellectual counterculture.” Brian Lamb’s objective interviewing style is a pleasant contrast to cable’s screaming matches. C-SPAN’s factual focus and lack of visual razzle-dazzle are a welcome relief from postmodern infotainment programs. … The editorial tells the Republican leadership to stop handcuffing the payment of U.N. dues to pro-life codicils. Otherwise, Republicans are in danger of appearing isolationist.
The Nation, Nov. 15
An editorial penned by Angela Davis, June Jordan, and Alice Walker pleads for the life of Mumia Abu-Jamal. They write that the man convicted of murdering a police officer: “ennobles the rest of us to deepen, enlarge, and improve our political opposition to a state gone mad.” … The cover story condemns suppression of minority voting through selective and unwarranted prosecution of voter fraud. In a 1994 investigation of absentee ballot forgery, authorities questioned nearly 1,000 Alabamians in predominantly black counties. Numerous blacks have been prosecuted, but only one white person has been–and she was charged with helping an African-American to vote.
