In Praise of August
Let's hear it for aquatic mules, butter cows, Smile Week and serenity

Pitchmen of the Kremlin
The Soviets soft-shoe toward the summit with slick p.r.

Owls: Out on a Limb

Shipshape?
An O.K. for General Dynamics

Under a Noxious Cloud of Fear
A toxic gas leak rocks "Chemical Valley" residents

Eye on the Oval Office (The Presidency)

Violence in the Coalfields
A strike roils the area where Hatfields and McCoys feuded

Still Down but Not Out
Twenty years after the riots, Watts wrestles with old problems


Last Minutes of JAL 123 (Disasters)
A holiday flight in Japan slams into a mountain and takes 520 lives

Manifesto for Disappointment (South Africa)
President Botha's much awaited speech fails to win applause

Rumbles on the Right

War and Hardship in a Stern Land (Iran)
A rigid theocracy harbors fanaticism and little hope for change

Fighting Back (The Philippines)
Marcos defeats a challenge

Under the Gun (Gutemala)
The familiar shock of murder

Photo Finish (Postscripts)
An ex-hostage's secret film


Cashing In on the Comet
Halley's approach launches a commercial bombardment


Eat American! (Food / Cover Stories)
Summer's bounty inspires young chefs

Fast Food Speeds up the Pace (Food)
Eating out is in, and the chains add variety to lure new diners


In Massachusetts: On the Beach (American Scene)


Strengthening Spiritual Ties
On his third tour, the Pope bolsters the church in Africa


Table of Contents (Table Of Contents)

A Letter from the Publisher

Quota Fight
Rethinking affirmative action

American Notes

World Notes

Milestones

Building a Hollow Skyline (Economy & Business)
A glut of offices, condos and hotels puts developers and lenders in jeopardy

Bountiful Harvest, Bleak Outlook (Economy & Business)
Bumper crops will add to the pressure on debt-ridden farmers

Summer Slump (Economy & Business)
Slow growth, weak currency

Tempests in a Pop Bottle (Economy & Business)
Coca-Cola's public relations problems bubble on

Business Notes


The Campus Value Line
College prices outstrip inflation in a seller's market

Test Case
The day the exams vanished


A Theological Tug of Wills (Cinema)
AGNES OF GOD Directed by Norman Jewison; Screenplay by John Pielmeier

Rushes

Moonbeams and Menaces (Theater)
A brilliantly idiosyncratic Dream at Minneapolis' Guthrie

'Round the World, a Boss Boom (Music)
Springsteen is rock's spirit in the night

"It's an Emotional Business" (Books)
Why are publishers paying millions for political memoirs?

Success Story (Books)
A CERTAIN PEOPLE: AMERICAN JEWS AND THEIR LIVES TODAY

Talking Blues (Books)
COPS: THEIR LIVES IN THEIR OWN WORDS


This Time the Gown Was for Real
Drowned out by choppers, Madonna and Penn exchange vows


People


Read the story


The Quality of Mercy Killing