Slate's Bizbox
other magazines: Summaries of what's in Time, Newsweek, etc.

By David Plotz
Posted Saturday, March 15, 1997, at 3:30 AM ET
New Republic

New Republic, March 31

(posted Friday, March 14)

The cover story smacks supply-side economics guru Jude Wanniski for his grandiosity, tax-cut monomania, and all-around loopiness. Wanniski's flirtations with Louis Farrakhan and Lyndon LaRouche have made him a pariah among the conservatives who used to worship him. An article rejects the CW that the Supreme Court will strike down the Communications Decency Act. The reason: New filtering software makes it possible to restrict access to Internet porn without excessively limiting free speech. TNR joins the chorus in favor of needle exchange, saying that the Clinton administration's opposition to it has doomed thousands of drug addicts to HIV infection. Also, a review demolishes Kathryn Harrison's memoir, The Kiss, which recounts her affair with her father: It's "trash with a capital 'T.' ... Just because she wrote it does not mean she had to publish it."

Economist

Economist, March 15

(posted Friday, March 14)

A Euro-issue. The cover editorial touts next week's Yeltsin-Clinton summit as a historic opportunity: If Russia and NATO can agree to a limited partnership, it will secure the long-term peace of Europe. Also, plenty of EU news: A long article counts the benefits of Europe's common market, while another piece describes how eager Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic are to join it. And the Economist declares that Britain's National Health Service needs an overhaul: It's underfunded, and its service is "third-rate."

New York Times Magazine

New York Times Magazine, March 16

(posted Thursday, March 13)

The cover story asks why Gov. George Pataki has been a more effective executive than most New Yorkers expected. Its answer: He's bullied and prodded the Legislature to cut taxes and spending. In the process, he's become more popular than his mentor, Sen. Al D'Amato. A Jewish writer visits the Southern Baptists who are trying to convert Jews: He is appalled by their aggressiveness. Also, an essay on why modernist literature is so tedious (Henry James is singled out: "Does anyone like to read him?").

Time and Newsweek

Time and Newsweek, March 17

(posted Tuesday, March 11)

Time's cover story tries to explain "How Colleges Are Gouging U." Tuition has risen twice as fast as inflation, says Time, mostly because parents are willing to pay, but also because universities hoard their endowments and pay their professors too much. An article hypes the Hale-Bopp comet, which will be visible for the next month, as "the best celestial show in decades." Also, Time claims that for the past year, the FBI has been seeking "Robert Jacques," a possible accomplice to Timothy McVeigh in the Oklahoma City bombing.

Newsweek's "Black Like Who?" explores the "new generation gap" among African-Americans. The pop psychology: Middle-aged and elderly blacks, having witnessed the gains of the civil-rights movement, believe in the system. But young blacks are marginalized and angry. Gangsta rap is blamed for feeding the kids' rage. In a sidebar interview, Bill Cosby lambastes trashy black TV shows and movies. Also, Newsweek tells the weird story of Jerry Stuchiner, a high-level Immigration & Naturalization Service agent alleged to have sold passports to illegal Chinese immigrants. And an article accuses the Navy of abusing its female combat pilots: Their fellow pilots and commanding officers gave them the silent treatment instead of helping them.

U.S. News & World Report

U.S. News & World Report, March 17

(posted Tuesday, March 11)

"The Quality of Mercy" indicts doctors for not prescribing effective painkillers to the 34 million Americans who suffer from chronic pain. "Opioids" (such as morphine and codeine) are fantastic pain relievers and almost never addictive. But doctors are afraid to prescribe high doses for fear of lawsuits and licensing investigations. A sidebar profiles a pain doctor who lost his license for prescribing lots of opioids. An article says the Defense Department could save $30 billion a year by hiring private contractors to run PXs, process paychecks, operate day-care centers, etc. "The Cyber Vice Squad" notes the growing popularity of Internet "filtering" software, which allows parents and corporations to block access to naughty sites.

The New Yorker

The New Yorker, March 17

(posted Tuesday, March 11)

A fashion package. An article observes "coolhunters," the hipster consultants who are hired by clueless clothing and shoe manufacturers to find the next big thing. An article wonders whether Paris couture will accept hot young British designers such as Alexander McQueen. Also, The New Yorker profiles eccentric British writer J.G. Ballard: His cult novel Crash, about sex and car accidents, has just been filmed.

Weekly Standard

Weekly Standard, March 17

(posted Tuesday, March 11)

An article mocks Newt Gingrich's writings as "gibberish"--a froth of loony New Age slogans, weird lists, and incomprehensible diagrams. The editorial, which is pegged to the Ron Fitzsimmons controversy, slams journalists for ignoring the truth about partial-birth abortion: Even a cursory investigation would have shown that the procedure is much more common than its defenders claimed. (For Slate's take, see "Abortion Apostate.") Professional ex-Communists are on the cover: Book reviewers lavishly praise Whittaker Chambers (subject of a new biography) and David Horowitz (author of a new autobiography).

The Nation

The Nation, March 24

(posted Tuesday, March 11)

The cover story, "A Bad Air Day," investigates industry lobbying to prevent stricter clean-air standards. It accuses industry of fudging data to minimize the dangers of air pollution, blames Republicans for kowtowing to corporate demands, and fingers former White House counsel/lobbyist C. Boyden Gray as the polluters' heavy on Capitol Hill. A long article describes the service unions' fight to organize in Las Vegas: It has been more successful than the unions had expected.

--Compiled by David Plotz and the editors of Slate.

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David Plotz is Slate's deputy editor. He is the author of The Genius Factory: The Curious History of the Nobel Prize Sperm Bank. You can e-mail him at .
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