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The Artless Museum

By Jeremy Derfner
Updated Friday, June 9, 2000, at 9:30 PM ET

New Republic

New Republic, June 19

An article says Bush adviser Martin Feldstein has squandered his reputation as a sensible economist with his advocacy of Social Security privatization. Feldstein, who famously resisted Reagan's tax-cuts-only approach when he was chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, has turned into a voodoo economist with a too-rosy view of privatization. But his exalted status as a Harvard professor makes people overlook his political biases. … The cover story, which pans London's new Tate Modern museum, regrets that contemporary museums have to be thrill-a-minute "funhouses" in addition to art galleries. The Tate Modern has gone a step too far: It doesn't even have any good art. … A piece argues that the in-state tuition subsidy for California colleges should go only to needy students. Too many rich kids get $40,000 in tax money to attend colleges they could afford to pay for, while the Cal State schools and junior colleges that most poor students attend remain underfunded.

Economist

Economist, June 10

An article debunks the myth that the Internet is completely unregulated. Several little-known bodies, including the World Wide Internet Consortium, the Internet Engineering Task Force, and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, set Internet policy, but their brand of government is radically new. These organizations are open to anyone who cares to join, publish transcripts of everything they do on the Web, and make decisions by rough consensus. … A piece claims the tens of thousands of infertile men who have reproduced through a process called intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) may have passed defects on to their children. Men with faulty DNA-repair machinery are likely to father infertile children susceptible to cancer, which has been linked to malfunctioning DNA-repair processes. … An article says the coups in Fiji and the Solomon Islands are likely to cause New Zealand and Australia to police the South Pacific more vigorously.

New York Times Magazine

New York Times Magazine, June 11

An issue about how technology will change the near future. Your lawn will never need mowing, your severed limbs will regenerate themselves, your French fries will contain vaccines, and your shirt will analyze your mood and release aromas to calm you down or cheer you up. What we will gain in computerized efficiency we will lose in delightful human quirkiness. (Time ran a similar package, "Visions 21," last month.)

Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone, June 22

Paul Allen, the unheralded co-founder of Microsoft and third-richest man in the world, is profiled. Worth $30 billion, Allen throws multimillion-dollar parties in Venice for Hollywood personalities, owns 10 homes and two professional sports teams, and dated Monica Seles. But he's also a shy momma's boy who worries a lot about the meaning of life. Ridiculous excess alert: Allen, a rock 'n' roll fanatic, keeps a musician around whose job is to jam with him.

Time

Time, June 12

The cover story tells you how to improve your memory. One trick: If you meet a man named Mr. Hamper with a big mouth, imagine stuffing dirty clothes into his big mouth, and you'll never forget his name. … A piece profiles Iranian President Mohammed Khatami, who could be the Mikhail Gorbachev of Iran. He believes Iran can have both Islam and democracy, and he has tried to advance freedom of the press and an open judicial system. But the hard-liners who still control the country have jailed many of his allies and tried to assassinate his main strategist. … An article claims George W. Bush granted his first stay of execution last month because support for capital punishment is especially low in the Great Lakes swing states.

Newsweek

Newsweek, June 12

The cover story argues that capital punishment should be reconsidered not on moral grounds but on practical ones. Too many death-row inmates turn out to be innocent, their lawyers are too often incompetent, and their race too often plays a role in their sentencing. Besides, the death penalty is too expensive and not a proven deterrent. … An article reports that in 1998 Janet Reno overruled recommendations from several high-ranking Justice Department officials, including the chief of the criminal division, to appoint an independent counsel to investigate Al Gore for campaign-finance violations. … A piece describes how the aging of video gamers—21 percent are 35 or older—is making games more violent and profane. New Nintendo games include sexy heroines and audible curse words.

U.S. News & World Report

U.S. News & World Report, June 12

The cover story says that 50 million Americans suffer chronic pain, and the number of chronic pain clinics has doubled since 1987. Depression and stress caused by pain make it even worse. Clinics combine physical therapy and drug and psychological treatments. … An article claims that old American sewers pose a serious environmental threat. In 1997, 51 million pounds of toxic waste overflowed from municipal sewers into public waters. Sewers are increasingly backing up into private basements, and a million people became sick last year from exposure to raw sewage. … A piece explains why the French refuse to extradite Ira Einhorn, the famed Philadelphia hippie and convicted killer who jumped bail to Europe in the late '70s. Einhorn has apparently become a symbol of French resistance to American cultural imperialism. He is cast as a victim of American barbarity, not a practitioner of it.

The New Yorker and Business Week

The New Yorker, June 12 and Business Week, June 12

Both run long profiles of Craig Venter, the scientist in charge of mapping the human genome for the Celera Genomics Group. The New Yorker explores the conflict of huge egos and philosophies between Venter and the scientists at the public Human Genome Project. Venter's opponents, including DNA discoverer James Watson, accuse him of trying to profit from the genome, and Venter criticizes them for being establishment bunglers who would be far behind where they are now if not for his efforts. … Business Week's cover package explains why sequencing the genome is the beginning of a scientific revolution, not an end in itself. Scientists still need to analyze it, isolate regulatory DNA that switches genes on and off, and understand the millions of proteins in the body. Dozens of companies are developing technologies to help cure diseases, and many—perhaps Venter's Celera—will fail.

Also in The New Yorker, an article claims that Japan is worried that its royal dynasty may wither. Crown Princess Masako has borne no male heir, raising the possibility of a female monarch. The elected government is racked with corruption and semi-fascist politics, but the royal family is steeped in liberal ideology.

Also in Business Week, a piece reveals that 57 percent of workers think Web surfing decreases their productivity, and 40 percent of companies now employ Web-monitoring software to keep their workers in line. One program even sends an alarm to human resources if an employee calls up a porn site. Privacy advocates argue that productivity has never been higher and employers are going too far.

Weekly Standard

Weekly Standard, June 12

The magazine inadvertently prints two copies of one of its cover stories, and doesn't print the other. The one that appears twice describes how Rick Lazio's Senate campaign is trying to recapture the magic of the McCain campaign by employing several of the same advisers, using a bus called the "Mainstream Express," and offering unfettered access to journalists. The problem: Lazio doesn't have a coherent message yet. The dropped story (which appears on the Web) analyzes how Hillary Clinton is customizing her campaign to Lazio's. She now has a better chance with unions and Jews, and she will also appear on television more to bolster her celebrity status and highlight Lazio's anonymity. … A writer says he was the first person to publish the work of the Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski. It was a humor piece for Saturday Review about how in the future humans would live under transparent domes and the government would control the movement of clouds.

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Jeremy Derfner is a former Slate editorial assistant.
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