Summaries of what's in Time, Newsweek, etc.

History Lesson

By Julia TurnerUpdated Friday, Sept. 26, 2003, at 6:50 PM ET

New Republic, Oct. 6
To dissipate some of the fog of the post-war, Amartya Sen takes on the notion that democratic values are Western ones, and that efforts to foster democracy elsewhere amount to cultural imperialism. "The championing of pluralism, diversity and basic liberties can be found in the history of many societies," Sen writes, citing "the long tradition of encouraging and protecting public debates on political, social and cultural matters in say, India, China, Japan, Korea, Iran, Turkey, the Arab world, and many parts of Africa." In a whirlwind tour of known history, Sen cites examples of "public debate"—which he defines rather broadly and likens to democracy—from all over the globe. … TRB: Peter Beinart argues that idolizing Wesley Clark does not a good foreign policy make. Once again, he writes, Democrats are "trying to solve an ideological problem with a biographical solution;" they have yet to come up with a convincing or coherent plan for rebuilding Iraq.

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New York Times Magazine New York Times Magazine, Sept. 28
Michael Lewis paints the California recall as a revolt by average Joes who loathe politicking and not the work of "right-wing nuts." There's Gray Davis' usually apolitical neighbor, who donated $2,000 to the recall drive because she doesn't much like the man. (At neighborhood gatherings, "He's a cold cookie," she says.) Lewis notes that recall bankroller Darrell Issa is now popular because he's not running, and chides Schwarzenegger aides for not following up when Issa made noises about an endorsement. "Could it be that they—like Davis—misunderstand the recall's spirit?" … An interesting piece about spam! Jack Hitt sits down with a "known spam operator," learns how to send bulk mail, and ferrets out some new tidbits: Many spammers live in Florida; some compile mailing lists with software that scans the Web for @ symbols. If you write your e-mail address as "yourname at hotmail.com," you're less likely get an inbox full of junk.

The New Yorker The New Yorker, Sept. 29
Hendrik Hertzberg's take on Arnold Schwarzenegger and the California recall is notable for its use of the phrase "electio interrupta"—he argues that "a political campaign, like an act of love … has an arc that is shaped by the participants' knowledge of how long it is going to last," and that the 9^th Circuit's now-overturned decision to postpone the election has discombobulated every candidate. … Scientists are working to help the blind see, as magazines (Wired and Slate among them) are fond of noting. Jerome Groopman details the state of the science: Researchers have implanted thin grids of electrodes or photoelectric cells in the eyes of the blind, with promising results. … Calvin Trillin's loving profile of New York Times legend R.W. "Johnny" Apple Jr. recounts many outrageous anecdotes in support of the following thesis: That old coot—what a talent! Slate's Jack Shafer begs to differ.

Does Bush Like His Air Dirty?
No! says Gregg Easterbrook in Time. (Though he does like his planet hot.) "Nothing you hear about worsening air pollution is true." The air is rapidly becoming cleaner, and Easterbrook worries that "misleading reporting and false pessimism" about air pollution and acid rain are distracting attention from the real issue: global warming. … Yes! says Elizabeth Kolbert in The New Yorker, detailing the Bush administration's support of revised rules that would allow power plant operators to renovate their facilities without installing new pollution controls. (They currently can't do more than "routine maintenance"—the new rules broaden the definition of maintenance considerably.) The administration asserts that its Clear Skies initiative would reduce pollution but neglects to mention that the initiative would accomplish this more slowly than existing laws. Kolbert's pessimism on this front, it should be noted, does not seem particularly "false."

Newsweek, Time, and U.S. News & World Report, Sept. 29
Newsweek takes the bait and trumpets retired Gen. Wesley Clark's late entry into the Democratic presidential race on its cover; Time, somewhat obstinately, refuses to nibble, featuring Ronald Reagan instead in a cover story that excerpts newly released letters. U.S. News forgoes both former and would-be presidents in favor of people making out: Its vaguely saucy cover courts readers for a piece on Internet dating.

On Wesley Clark, who may be less adept than some Democrats hoped: All three newsmags profile latecomer Wesley Clark, who already leads the other Democratic candidates in the most recent Newsweek poll. The pieces emphasize his polarizing career in the military (Newsweek's Evan Thomas notes that Clark met with success but was scorned as a "brown-noser") and his early missteps on the campaign trail. A few columnists ask: Is he just too late? Roger Simon of U.S. News says maybe; Jonathan Alter in Newsweek argues that raising less money thanks to a late start isn't necessarily a deal-breaker. Others wonder what to make of Clark's ties to the Clintons—the former president named Clark a Democratic "star" at a recent fund-raiser. Gloria Borger in U.S. News dismisses as piffle the idea that Clark will play a "stalking horse" for Hillary Clinton.

On Internet dating, which may be more scientific than you realized: In a piece on the prevalence of Web-based matchmaking services, U.S. News points out that they've been "a boon to social scientists" who seek to study the mating habits of American adults. What they've learned so far: Men like their women confident, and it's critical that couples have similar levels of intelligence, curiosity, and energy. No word on how researchers control for the fact that Internet daters occasionally lie.

On Dunkin' Donuts, which may be more successful than you thought: Ye who assume that Dunkin' Donuts is getting creamed by high-flying rivals Krispy Kreme and Starbucks are sorely mistaken: The company is "quietly thriving," thank you very much.

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