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America's Hottest New Disease: Self-Amputation

By Jeremy Derfner
Updated Friday, Nov. 17, 2000, at 8:30 PM ET

Atlantic Monthly

 Atlantic Monthly, December 2000

A piece casts doubt on the theory that "crypto-Jews" of Spanish descent still live in New Mexico. Aided by the state historian in the early '80s, a few local Hispanos started collecting evidence of their Jewish heritage. (They played with dreidel-like toys as children and slaughtered animals in the kosher style, for instance.) But new research shows they are probably descended from members of the Church of God (Seventh Day), a Protestant sect that sent missionaries to Mexico City early in the 20th century. … An article examines apotemnophilia, the phenomenon of physically healthy people who feel psychologically compelled to have their limbs amputated. Apotemnophilia is not as rare as it would seem, and several doctors believe in performing the amputations as a way to relieve inner pain. But it's possible that by recognizing apotemnophilia, doctors are inadvertently encouraging the spread of the condition.

New Republic

New Republic, Nov. 27

The cover story explains how the Democrats won the recount war on the ground. They were prepared for a recount before Election Day and had a full staff in place Wednesday, training Democratic observers on the finer points of pregnant chad. … A piece urges the Supreme Court to stay out of the presidential fray. The last time it got involved with presidential politics, in 1876, its impartiality was tainted by the inherent partisanship of the two-party system. If the judicial system must intervene, then the Florida State Supreme Court is the only proper authority. … The "Notebook" section prints "separated at birth" photos: Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris and rocker Ozzy Osborne.

Economist

Economist, Nov. 18

A piece argues that the cordial relations between France and Germany—the backbone of the European Union—are fraying over petty issues, such as whose general leads the EU rapid-response force and whether France will continue to treat German toxic waste. The squabbling could derail progress on significant matters, such as expansion of the EU east to Poland. … A piece suggests that bioterrorism is not a major threat. Alarmists call it the poor man's nuclear war, but only the most sophisticated terrorist organizations could master the complicated process of launching a biological weapons attack. Most countries that experimented with biological warfare in the 1970s eventually gave up because the results were discouraging.

Foreign Policy

Foreign Policy, November/December 2000

An article analyzes the world sushi market as an example of cultural and economic globalization. Bluefin tuna now links the economies of New England, Spanish fishing villages, and Tokyo. When the Japanese economy tanked in the early 1990s, sushi was popular enough around the world to save tuna-fishing New Englanders from ruin. … A piece debunks the myth of a global economy race to the bottom. NGOs and unions say globalization will encourage companies to pollute and to exploit workers in order to stay cheap and competitive, but the facts don't bear out their predictions. Companies keep standards high to woo the best workers in developing countries, and open markets, not closed markets, allow for the kind of global scrutiny that ensures decent working conditions.

New York Times Magazine

New York Times Magazine, Nov. 19

The cover story weighs the pros and cons of online universities. Williams College professor Mark Taylor has started the Global Education Network, an online education company that he hopes will become a degree-granting institution. It would bring the free market to uncompetitive, tenure-protected universities, because only the best classes and professors will remain in the curriculum. Many elite universities are wary of the idea because they fear it would kill the intellectual community. … A piece profiles Elaine Scarry, the Harvard English professor who advanced the theory that electromagnetic interference (EMI) caused the crashes of TWA 800, Swissair 111, and EgyptAir 990. Throughout her career, Scarry has brought her analytical and research skills to real-world problems, such as torture and nuclear weapons policy. Most airline safety experts disagree with her EMI theories, but the National Transportation Safety Board conducted a study of EMI in response to Scarry's work. … An article describes a brutal murder in a southern Kentucky town. An outlaw from the hills shot the straight-laced prosecutor from the valley the morning before his child-molestation trial started. The prosecutor shot back, both men died, and now they are symbols of different kinds of honor in the isolated Kentucky mountains.

Brill's Content

Brill's Content, Jan. 2001

The cover story explains why George Stephanopoulos can't win as a journalist. Democrats hate him for betraying Bill Clinton, and Republicans assume he'll always be a Democratic shill. High-minded journalists such as David Broder say politicos should never be allowed to cross over into the objective world of journalism. But despite it all, Stephanopoulos has enormous journalistic talent and has managed to earn the respect of most of his colleagues. … A piece blasts the media for taking so long to break the Firestone tire story, presumably because it lacked the sex and danger required to boost circulation and ratings. The few journalists who did report the story back in 1996 and 1997 failed to include contact information for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in their stories. As a result, aggrieved consumers didn't know who to complain to, and the government never learned about the problem.

Time and Newsweek

Time and Newsweek, Nov. 20

No surprises here. Both news mags run long election cover packages. Time has a minute-by-minute tick-tock of election day, focusing especially on how each camp reacted to having defeat snatched from the jaws of victory. … Newsweek argues that the post-election mayhem has reinforced the prevailing doubts about each candidate. Bush, whose campaign has been disorganized in response to the crisis, seems lazy and entitled. Gore, whose aides are scratching and clawing, seems like he will do anything to win. A Newsweek poll shows that 75 percent of Americans prefer waiting for a clear resolution in Florida to hurrying up certification.

Newsweek runs its traditional, endless (100 pages) chronicle of the presidential campaign. Time predicts that whoever wins will have a terrible time getting anything done, even though Washington is buzzing about how the close election shows that the country demands real bipartisanship. Bush has raised expectations among Democrats by trumpeting his ability to unify, but if he compromises too much, any one of several Republican factions could turn on him. President Gore would pay for ill will he has built up with congressional Republicans during his eight years as the Clinton heavy. … Arthur Schlesinger Jr. examines other succession crises in American history (1800, 1824, 1876, and 1888) and argues that this one is not so bad. He also proposes an electoral reform under which the college is preserved (thereby warding off demagogues and saving the two-party system), but the winner of the national popular vote would receive 102 extra electoral votes—two for each state and the District of Columbia.

U.S. News and World Report

U.S. News & World Report, Nov. 20

The cover story argues that the division in the electorate proves the nation is divided in two. Gore got blacks, unions, and big cities. Bush got whites and married couples. … Another piece takes the opposite tack, arguing that the election was close precisely because few explosive issues divide the country. The candidates got equal numbers of votes because they were more or less the same, and neither was particularly interesting. … An article laments the slow progress of judicial reform in Russia. Experiments with jury trials yielded positive early results, but authorities in Moscow have reverted back to the old judge-centered system. Judges routinely doctor transcripts to cover for their friends in the lower court, police officers often employ terror, and Russia has the world's second-highest proportion of jailed citizens. … A piece describes the failure of Pets.com, the online pet store. At its highest, the company's stock cost $14 a share, but now it is worth 22 cents. One venture capitalist explained the problem: "Just because you can buy something on the Internet doesn't mean that people will."

The New Yorker

The New Yorker, Nov. 20

A piece sees an opportunity for an uplifting politics to emerge from the current crisis but doubts that either possible president can seize it because neither seems to understand that "the public's greatest desire is to be liberated from the witless vehemence that engulfed the Clinton years." … An article traces the evolution of one of New York's finest restaurants, Chanterelle. Even though it's packed all the time, the owners struggle because it's tiny, the tables "turn" only once in a night, and there is no bar. Now they are opening a large bar-centered bistro, Le Zinc, to finance the superfancy Chanterelle operation they love. … A piece profiles Qatar, the most democratic nation in the Middle East. In 1995, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani took control of the 600,000-population country from his father and immediately instituted a dizzying array of reforms. Now there are elections, women can vote and run for office, and a government TV station broadcasts uncensored content that has the rest of the Arab world in a frenzy.

The Nation

The Nation, Nov. 27

The editorial finds an opening for progressives in the electoral mess. The Democratic base saved Gore from a blowout, and in the confusion the New Democrats may lose steam and yield power back to the left. … A piece describes the failure of the Green Party. Although some Democrats blame the Greens for the Florida debacle, the truth is they did not swing the swing states as many polls had predicted. Since Nader did not approach the 5 percent he needed for federal funding, the future of the party depends on his willingness to hit up his 75,000-member donor base for more money. … An article warns against the widespread use of DNA testing. States keep DNA databanks that could eventually be used to search for genetic predictors of criminal behaviors instead of to convict the guilty.

Weekly Standard

Weekly Standard, Nov. 20

The editorial says Gore's post-election behavior is worse than Bill Clinton's throughout the Monica Lewinsky scandal. "In the United States," the editors write, "we do not conduct mulligan ballots whenever some losing candidate's supporters claim they were somehow prevented from getting it right the first time." … An article reports that the Bush campaign was slow to respond to the electoral tossup in Florida because it expected to win the state going away. … A piece claims the maintenance of the Republican majority in the House is the untold story of the election. The Democrats launched the most expensive congressional campaign ever, but they picked up only one seat. The issues they hoped to win on, prescription drugs and gun control, were clear losers.

New York Review of Books

New York Review of Books, Nov. 30

A review examines the childlessness trend. Birthrates have plummeted since the 1960s as women have gained access to abortion and contraception. Many mothers decide to stay in the workplace and therefore tend to have fewer children. More adults remain unmarried and childless, largely because gays and lesbians who used to marry and raise families can now live openly as homosexuals. … A review blasts Arthur Herman's new Joe McCarthy biography, which attempts to rehabilitate the demagogue. Like McCarthy himself, Herman substitutes baseless attacks on his enemies (liberal historians) for well-considered argument. … An article advocates maintaining the strictest ethical standards in medical research abroad. A growing number of scientists want to loosen guidelines that require treating research subjects with the highest standards of care, even if those standards are unavailable in the country where the patient lives. Such guidelines reduce the effectiveness of studies and slow the development of treatments and vaccines, but others worry about the moral consequences of having two standards, one for Americans and one for, say, Ugandans.

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Jeremy Derfner is a former Slate editorial assistant.
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