Comment by Mark Hertsgaard. A comment about television coverage of war and elections, which writer describes as simpleminded. In a new book about media coverage of the Gulf War, John McArthur says that Dan Rather told him that the Gulf War coverage "fits into a general trend of American journalism over the last five...

The Talk of the Town Independents by Mindy Aloff. Talk story about trying to get people to sign a petition to place Ross Perot on the Presidential ballot in New York state--after he has informally withdrawn from campaigning...

The Talk of the Town Passing Through by Louisa Kamps. Talk story about driving through Wisconsin and running into a stop-over for the Clinton-Gore campaign bus. Describes the scene while people wait. One old man had a sign which read, "Give Us Five Minutes and We'll Give You Eight Years...

The Talk of the Town Missing the Ball by Richard Cohen. Talk story about the baseball that Bill Buckner missed in the 1986 World Series, which Keith Olberman attempted to purchase. He is an anchor for ESPN Sports. Writer had trouble getting ahold of him. Tells how, despite Bill Buckner's statements to the contrary, he believes the ball to be the...

Fiction Archeology by Ivan Klima. The narrator helped out at a Celtic archeological dig in Czechoslovakia; he contemplated why the Celts would have left so suddenly, and considered death, genus loci (the spirit of place), and life after death. On the site were: Lida, the head archeologist; Petra, her assistant; Masha, a volunteer; and Vitek...

The Sporting Scene PLAYING DOC'S GAMES-I by William Finnegan. THE SPORTING SCENE about surfing, especially in San Francisco, and about Dr. Mark Renneker, a surfing fanatic there. Renneker is a family-practice physician, who keeps a detailed logbook of surfing conditions. He has done so since 1969. The longest period of time he has gone without surfing since 1969...

The Diplomatic Round DODGING THE PROBLEM by John Newhouse. THE DIPLOMATIC ROUND about international reaction to war in the former Yugoslav republics. Last spring's U.N. arms embargo on what was left of Yugoslavia was misdirected, denying arms to the overmatched forces of Bosnia. Serbia, the aggressor, will never run out of arms... On May 30th, the Security Council slapped...

Dancing by Alastair Macaulay.

The Current Cinema TRICKS by Michael Sragow.

Books by George Steiner.

Poetry Notes on the Reality of the Self by Jorie Graham. Watching the river, each handful of it closing over the...

Poetry Austin, Texas by Lars Gustafsson. A small, peaceful place where I could go about...

Poetry Mother at Eighty by Charlie Smith. You come in dream, Mother, or not at all, limping in the...