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Mob City, U.S.A.

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

{{Today In Slate#19756}}

{{New Republic#85475}}New Republic, July 10 & 17

The {{cover story#2:http://www.tnr.com/071000/grann071000.html}} describes how the Mafia has corrupted Youngstown, Ohio. The local congressman, Rep. James Traficant, is expected to be indicted for his links to organized crime. Locals admire the mob because they think it brings a tough-guy image and some stability to the city. … An {{article#2:http://www.tnr.com/071000/paternostro071000.html}} reports that Fidel Castro, who once encouraged prostitution because it fueled the tourist trade, is cracking down on prostitutes because they make so much money that they have become capitalist role models for kids. … A piece says that Indian reservations are exploding with gang violence. The Bureau of Indian Affairs has identified 520 Indian gangs, and the murder rate on reservations has risen 50 percent since 1992.

{{Economist.#85478}}Economist, July 1

The {{editorial#2:http://www.economist.com/l.cgi?f=/editorial/AC/1-7-00/index_ld6100.html}} urges governments not to regulate genetic engineering very much. Governments do not have the right to prevent parents from making their children smarter or better-looking as long as the procedures are proven safe. … A {{piece#2:http://www.economist.com/l.cgi?f=/editorial/AC/1-7-00/index_as2208.html}} claims that the optimism of the recent Korean summit is already being deflated by erratic North Korea. It agreed to reunite only 100 families even though more than 7 million people have relatives across the border, jerked the Red Cross around on negotiations, and barred a reporter from an anti-Communist South Korean paper from covering an event.

{{ad.#85101}} {{New York Review of Books#85476}}New York Review of Books, July 20

A piece calls for comprehensive military reform but doubts it will happen. The American armed forces are bloated and slow, and its branches don't work together, but the necessary streamlining would mean less money to spread around, so politicians are scared to try it. Even worse, the new American military is determined to save American lives by not committing ground troops, but antiseptic air wars only slow down rogue states, they can't destroy them. (Click {{here#82762}} to read a Slate piece arguing that American military readiness is actually high.) … A review deplores the Dick Morris-style tactical cynicism that dominates both parties on global economic issues. Democrats could win back working-class whites by transitioning from identity politics to economic politics, but they won't because Democratic pols are greedy for corporate money.

{{Brill's Content#85477}}Brill's Content, August 2000

An {{article#2:http://www.brillscontent.com/August2000/lyall_spin.html}} says that Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles are using the British media to fight each other. Each has a royal press office that feeds its favored reporters, and the newspapers have taken sides in the battle. … A {{piece#2:http://www.brillscontent.com/August2000/russia_0700.html}} claims that the state controls the Russian media. It owns many TV stations and presses and forces them to air and print what it wants, and it taxes independents into bankruptcy.

{{NYTM.#85243}}New York Times Magazine, July 2

The cover story argues against the movement to replace government programs with volunteer organizations. George W. Bush and Colin Powell claim volunteers are better than government bureaucrats because they actually care about the people they help, but in fact volunteers lack the resources, the time, and the energy to give poor people everything they need. … An article hopes that Mexico's democratic parties on the left and right can unite to defeat the authoritarian and corrupt PRI in this weekend's presidential election. The right-wing candidate Vicente Fox has a chance to win, but traditional left-wingers are so wary of his religious fundamentalism that they may split the protest vote and throw the election to PRI.

{{List#85244}}List, Spring/Summer 2000

The première issue of a quarterly compilation of lists that "explores [our obsession with list-making] by appropriating it." Included in the inaugural issue are lists of: dead porn stars, the FBI's Most Wanted, phobias, and guests invited to Talk's launch party.

{{Time#85096}}Time, July 3

The {{cover story#2:http://www.time.com/time/magazine/articles/0,3266,48109,00.html}} says the nasty race to sequence the human genome is officially over. The private company Celera Genomics and the government-run Human Genome Project will make a joint announcement this week, but the long-standing feud between Celera's Craig Venter and government scientists continues. The government agreed to the deal because it was scared of being beaten. Venter was driven to the bargaining table because he had grown tired of being treated as a science-world pariah and because Celera's stock was plummeting. … A companion essay by DNA co-discoverer James Watson takes a stab at Venter by railing against those who would profit off the genome. … A {{piece#2:http://www.time.com/time/magazine/articles/0,3266,48083,00.html}} heralds the "new new economy." The Internet bubble has burst and startups are going under fast and furious. The positive spin: The market cleansing will make way for high-quality Internet biz.

{{Newsweek#85097}}Newsweek, July 3

The {{cover story#2:http://www.msnbc.com/news/425267.asp}} decries the increase in childhood obesity. One in three kids is either overweight or at risk. The reasons: too much fast food and TV viewing. … An {{article#2:http://www.msnbc.com/news/425204.asp}} calls Social Security a vestige of the New Deal in need of a serious overhaul. Social Security taxes are too steep; even so, the program will run out of money in about 15 years, and the $1 trillion trust fund is more accounting trick than reality. But privatization isn't necessarily the answer because it turns Social Security into a get-rich investment instead of social insurance. … A {{piece#2:http://www.msnbc.com/news/425175.asp}} tells the story of Andrew Chambers, a Drug Enforcement Administration free-lancer whose phenomenal drug-busting career is probably over because he often lied on the witness stand about his personal problems. … An {{article#2:http://www.msnbc.com/news/425128.asp}} profiles the comedy screenwriting and directing team of Peter and Bobby Farrelly (There's Something About Mary). They've discovered a formula for making gross movies that are rarely in bad taste and are often heart-warming. (Read David Edelstein's Slate review of their new release, Me, Myself & Irene {{here#84917}}.)

{{U.S. News & World Report#85098}}U.S. News & World Report, July 3

The {{cover story#2:http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/000703/zone.htm}} on sports psychology examines the phenomenon of being "in the zone." Sports psychologists borrow ideas from sources as varied as Zen Buddhism and the philosopher William James, but some of their psychologist colleagues think they're hacks, and many coaches call them crackpots. … An {{article#2:http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/000703/gas.htm}} says rising gas prices are a product of the laws of supply and demand not government regulation or oil industry price-gouging as described by George W. Bush and Al Gore. SUVs consume more gas than cars, and pipeline problems have kept supply down. Still, if prices stay high, incumbents could suffer in November.

{{The New Yorker#85099}}The New Yorker, July 3

An article profiles the mothers of the 5-year-old victim and 6-year-old suspect in the Flint, Mich., school shooting case. Both women are poor and both lived with abusive and unfaithful husbands who were in and out of jail. The victim's mother has become a heroic gun-control activist; the shooter's mother has been vilified by all. Both have hired legal teams and media handlers to help them sort through the tragedy. ... A piece profiles Johnny Mathis, the last of the crooners. He keeps a lower profile than Frank Sinatra did, even though he also had his days of drinking and romancing, and he strives for technical perfection like none of his peers. … An article says an early draft of The Great Gatsby, set for fall publication, reveals the literary trial and error behind Fitzgerald's masterpiece.

{{Weekly Standard#85100}}Weekly Standard, July 3

The {{cover story#2:http://www.weeklystandard.com/magazine/mag_5_40_00/skinner_feat_5_40_00.html}} profiles Oprah Winfrey as an entrepreneur who as built a billion-dollar brand by telling women to read self-help books and to accept that they've been victimized by men. … An {{article#2:http://www.weeklystandard.com/magazine/mag_5_40_00/emery_feat_5_40_00.html}} tells pro-choice Republicans to be clearer about how much they despise abortion, even while they maintain that it is a right. Feminist pro-abortion absolutists alienate most voters with their disrespect for life, but pro-choice Republicans are in line with the more morally complicated popular sentiment about abortion.

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Jeremy Derfner is a former Slate editorial assistant.
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