Economist, April 8 Steady economic growth has carried South Africa a long way since the end of apartheid in 1990, according to a series of articles. “South Africa has moved from being an international pariah under apartheid, boycotted and cut off, to become one of the most engaged, open and connected countries in the world,” says one piece. But Nelson Mandela’s “rainbow nation” dream is not yet a reality. Social separatism and wealth disparity plague the country. “Yes, the shacks in Cape Town now have electricity. But what else has really changed?”… The cover article describes a behavioral-economic theory called “soft paternalism” that tries to save people from themselves. This thinking leads casinos to bar compulsive gamblers for their own good. “Their aim is not the ‘nanny state’… Instead they offer a vision of what you might call the ‘avuncular state,’ worldly-wise, offering a nudge in the right direction, perhaps pulling strings on your behalf without your even noticing.”— M.M.
Nation, April 17 In the cover story, the author visits a Georgia College Republicans convention to marvel at Ralph Reed, the now-disgraced evangelical fund-raiser running for lieutenant governor. Though he is a co-founder of the Christian Coalition, Reed’s involvement with lobbyist-turned-jailbird Jack Abramoff and a fake “anti-gambling” campaign has caused disquiet among his typically faithful base. “If he does pull it off, it will mostly be a tribute to the persistence of evangelicals’ ‘see no evil’ attitude toward their political leaders,” he writes. … A piece calls for the reintegration of the “S” word into the progressive platform. Mentions of socialism have become taboo in American politics since the disintegration of the Soviet Union, leaving the left without “a vision, a sense of direction and an effective call to arms,” the author writes. … Joseph Stiglitz and James Galbraith are among the authors of a collection of essays that focus on developing a “strategy for taming global capitalism anew.”—S.S.
New Republic, April 17 The cover article finds the rampant “lifestyle porn” of the New York Times’newish “Thursday Styles” section unbefitting the paper of record. While the author forgives the Times’ “Sunday Styles” section for its excesses because it is “fundamentally about people, not products,” the “Thursday Styles,” with its overindulgent “Critical Shopper” column and occasional odes to fur, is criticized for pushing a particular lifestyle on oft-reluctant Bobos. The author did find, however, that the section seems torn between promoting conspicuous consumption and acknowledging the guilt of being a big spender. “With its wink-wink, nudge-nudge asides and deep-thoughts window-dressing, ‘Thursday Styles’ lets us indulge our desire to buy—or even simply to fantasize about buying—obscenely expensive trinkets while maintaining our intellectual integrity,” she writes. … An editorial condemns President Bush’s “guest worker” proposal, calling it un-American and positing that it would create a “nationless” group lacking upward mobility or prospects for citizenship, as has happened in with many transplanted Turks in Germany.—S.S.
New York Times Magazine, April 9 Health dangers, prison stints, and deep shame are byproducts of an abortion in El Salvador, where the procedure is outlawed. The cover story details the effects that this policy has on women, specifically poor women who cannot afford to leave the country or pay for a high-end (yet illegal) procedure. The situation provides a glimpse into a “new movement toward criminalization” that can be seen in parts of America such as South Dakota, which passed a bill to outlaw virtually all abortions, says the writer.… Nobody wants to live in North Dakota, according to an article. Fewer people reside in the state now than in 1930—as farmers started buying neighboring acreage to stay in the game and families who sold their land moved. What is left? “Abandoned houses. Empty stores. Churches without congregations. Community buildings gone dark.”… William Safire examines the words of war. When does “sectarian violence” devolve into “civil war,” he asks, explaining that one’s views affect one’s choice of political language.— M.M.
New York, April 10 A profile checks in with Rosie O’Donnell, who in 2002 walked away from a successful TV show and a burgeoning “global entertainment-and-lifestyle brand” (and the pile of cash that came with it) to spend her days decoupaging in her craft studio, blogging about having skin tags removed, and launching a gay family-friendly cruise line. Being away from the spotlight has allowed the former “Queen of Nice” to let it rip when she feels the need, like when she talks about Star Jones’ new book: “[I]t’s just like selling bullshit to the point that it’s sickening.”… James J. Cramer goads the New York Times, suggesting it shut down its printing presses and publish strictly on the Web. Says Cramer, “Digital’s not the way of the future; it’s already the present.”… An article chronicles how Dan Hoyt, a celebrated raw-food restaurateur, became better known for exposing his genitals to women on the subway. Hoyt says, “I’ve met women who enjoy it.” Right.—Z.K.
Weekly Standard, April 10 In a cover story, Christina Hoff Sommers reviews Harvard professor Harvey Mansfield’s new book on what makes a man a man. What separates the girlie men from manly men, Mansfield says, “is a quality that causes individuals to stand for something.” In short: cojones. … Fred Barnes offers four ways President Bush can beat out President Clinton as the “comeback kid”: Get rid of the dead weight on his staff; spend more time listening to the gripes of his congressional friends and foes; court the beltway media with off-the-record pow-wows; and expand his policy horizons to include dealing with illegal immigration, judicial confirmations, and tax reform. … Two Reagan-era Republican icons passed away last week. Richard Perle memorializes former Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger as “a man of man of integrity and humanity;” Lyn Nofziger, Ronald Reagan’s campaign consigliere, is remembered as a man with no enemies. Quite a feat for a political consultant.—Z.K.
The New Yorker, April 10 Confirmed foodie Bill Buford follows a former neighbor who dropped everything to pursue his fantasy job—oysterman. Buford gleans advice from experts about how to harvest, sell, and eat the slippery mollusks. He separates the slurpers from the chewers and finds that “in this still-living creature you will find the water and the food it ate—these living, fragile, handmade creatures tasting wonderfully of the health of the planet.”… Humorist David Sedaris remembers an odious weeklong bout with a depressed babysitter named Mrs. Peacock, who resembled anything but the gorgeous bird. The Sedaris children did Mrs. Peacock’s bidding, raking her skin with back scratchers and eating sloppy joes for a week, which provided endless material for their rant book. Here’s an excerpt: “Can’t speak English … Can’t go two minutes without using the word ‘damn.’ Can’t cook worth a damn hoot.”— M.M.
Time, April 10 An article marks the 100th anniversary of the San Francisco earthquake, which killed more than 3,000 people, by examining what earth scientists are doing to conjure up a game plan for what they know is coming soon—the next big one. A big concern is the thousands of buildings that are not earthquake-proofed and could be damaged beyond repair. “That is what the flooding from Katrina did to New Orleans, and the vividness of what it means to a modern city to lose so much housing and so many jobs has given the 1906 centennial a somber emotional edge,” the authors write. … A special report sums up competing bills that seek to curb illegal immigration. A Senate bill that would offer guest worker status and “a path to citizenship that would take 11 years” looks like it will be successful, according to an article. Time polls indicate that Americans, like Congress, are eager for immigration reform but are divided on how to go about it.—M.M.
Newsweek, April 10 Muqtada Sadr has gone from a wanted man to the vaunted leader of a growing group of Shiites. Sadr was a “minor cleric” charged with murder a few years ago. But his status as a low-level rabble rouser has given way to a grudging a recognition of his ability to attract followers. With 30 seats in the Iraqi assembly, Sadr’s group cast the deciding votes to make Ibrahim Jaafari prime minister. One problem: “Sunnis don’t want a prime minister beholden to the man they believe is responsible for sectarian hit squads, which are now claiming as many as 70 lives a day in Baghdad,” writes the author. … The world’s great tourist destinations are becoming off limits, says an article in the international edition. The strain of visitors and the wear and tear of time and weather are rendering travel areas unsustainable. “New Orleans nearly drowned. The Coral Triangle, a diver’s paradise, is as fragile as an eggshell. Visitors ride go-karts along the Great Wall of China and steal artifacts from the crumbling temples of Luxor. Even Stonehenge has been cordoned off.”—M.M.
Economist, April 1 An article claims that online applications might eventually eclipse Microsoft’s dominance of the software market. Suppliers such as Salesforce.com offer programs that may come to rival Microsoft’s big sellers, Windows and Office. “Online competitors have also mastered quick development and deployment times that Microsoft cannot match. Meanwhile open-source software—developed co-operatively and distributed free of charge—is also gaining ground,” according to the author. … Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been acting weird lately, an article claims. Recent economic decisions have offended the International Monetary Fund, while his handling of port relations with Cyprus has brought disdain from the European Union. The writer suspects that the PM knows what he’s doing, as parliamentary elections loom. “Lowering taxes, raising spending and snubbing Israel and America are sure vote-catchers in a country where unemployment has reached 11.2% and pro-Islamic feelings are on the rise,” the author writes.—M.M.
New Republic, April 10 An article by Noam Scheiber profiles lawyer Tommy Goldstein, who has earned rogue status for his unconventional tactics and unorthodox career path. He founded a law firm dedicated to Supreme Court litigation—the world’s first—and finds most of his clients through the controversial practice of cold-calling lawyers who have cases he believes are suited for the Supreme Court. “If you needed a heart surgeon, [Justice John] Roberts once mused to a reporter, you wouldn’t hire the one who called you out of the blue,” the author writes. Just 35, Goldstein has argued 16 before the court, most recently Georgia v. Randolph. … Ryan Lizza reflects on the career of Andrew Card and his masochistic streak. He describes Card’s eagerness to shoulder the blame for President Bush’s mistakes and speculates that Bush’s acceptance of his resignation must have been weirdly vindicating. “Finally, a dramatic public gesture by the president to indicate that it was Card who messed everything up,” Lizza writes.—S.S.
