But that kind of attention is creating a headache for Bush. His stated goal is to go out, “look [people] in the eye and find out if there’s the kind of support for me the polls seem to show.” But every time he tries, a fuzzy boom mike will be in the way. He’s calling this an “exploratory” trip; still, he doesn’t want to look as if he’s constantly fending off substantive (and personal) questions.
Bush may have no choice. His inner circle considered, then abandoned, the idea of “pool” (group) coverage at most stops. That’s for presidents, not candidates, they decided. But he’ll try to limit the media contingent when he makes one important stop: at his parents’ summer home in Kennebunkport, Maine. Beyond that, the Bush team is trying to leave nothing to chance. Veteran advance men from his dad’s presidency have been reactivated. And media aides have videotaped each site for viewing back in Austin. “Since we’re the front runner, everybody’s expecting perfection,” says a top Bush aide. “I’ll be happy if we just get through the week.”
KENNEDYMystery at Sea
Never mind who’s buried in Grant’s Tomb: what’s in Kennedy’s casket? Most conspiracy buffs agree that JFK lies in a mahogany coffin in Arlington. But when the National Archives released documents last week showing that a second casket used to transport the body from Dallas to Washington had been dumped into the sea in 1966, Internet chat rooms began buzzing about what it might contain. Best guesses: the dead president’s purportedly missing brain, or radioactive isotopes meant to deter evidence-seekers.
TRIALSMicrosoft Goes Back in the Dock
The Microsoft trial resumed last week after its three-month hiatus. With vacation tans, hallway banter and occasional catnaps, it had a decidedly back-to-school feel. But it didn’t take long before the old hostilities were back in evidence. Attorneys for the two sides spent the week impugning each other’s witnesses. And they remained galaxies apart on the issue of whether so-called information appliances and the AOL-Netscape alliance were true threats to Microsoft or the company’s rhetoric.
But one thing is different in this second act. Microsoft PR officials aren’t taking to the courthouse steps to spin. Sometimes heckled before the break at their alfresco briefings, they decided they’d let the day’s testimony speak for itself. Still, one Microsoft partisan couldn’t resist slamming the Feds before an IBM witness testifies for the government about Microsoft’s alleged dirty tricks: “They’re patching holes in their case with mesh.”
THE BUZZMother’s Little Over-the-Counter Helper
Gingko (for alertness), Ginseng (for energy) and Echinacea (to fight colds) have beeen popping up everywhere, and seem to work well. But be careful–none of this stuff requires FDA approval. The buzz on over-the-counter herbal and non-herbal supplements.
Enjoy Stronger Joints Glucosamine rebuilds cartilege in arthritic joints. Its sales top all supplements.
Not Diesel, Just D-Cup “Andro” (the McGwire pill) won’t make you stronger. It may give men bigger breasts.
Antioxidant Hits Occident Indian herbal combo Amrit Kalash is a better antioxidant than vitamins A and C. Fights free radicals, boosts immune system.
You’re Still Fat! Cellasene (big-selling cellulite “cure”) can’t fix those jelly thighs.
Not Sosa, Just So-So SAM-e (for depression) gets great press, sells well but it’s overrated and overpriced. The Wort’s both cheaper and better.
Don’t Worry, Be Thrifty St. John’s Wort works almost as well as Prozac, but without the side effects and at one fifth the price. Great for mild and possibly heavier depression.
UTAHA No-Pistol Pew
The Episcopal Church welcomes you," read the denomination’s familiar roadside greetings. But in Utah, Episcopalians are adding door-side signs with a new postscript: “but not your guns.” After a three-year debate, legislators recently exempted places of worship from the state’s wide-open concealed-carry laws, but required pastors to notify parishioners that pistols aren’t welcome. Local Mormon leaders have called guns “inappropriate,” without enforcing a ban. This summer, Gov. Mike Leavitt will call a special legislative session to address an outright prohibition. But Episcopal Bishop Carolyn Tanner Irish isn’t willing to wait. “After Littleton,” she says, “no more nice lady.”
CHESSThat’s E-Checkmate, Garry
World chess champion Garry Kasparov, undeterred by his 1997 loss to IBM’s Deep Blue computer, is now embarking on a new techno-challenge: he’s taking on the entire world, via the Internet. On June 21 he’ll make his first move and for the next 24 hours any visitor to Microsoft Gaming Zone (www.msn.com) will be able to counter, by choosing an option offered by one of five young chess whizzes. “I’m going to play a very serious game,” says the champ, who envisions this match as a forerunner of future mega-player games.
VITAL STATSC’mon Baby, Light My Briquets
The 55 percent of us who buy pricier gas grills are concentrated in affluent, colder exurbs. Down South, charcoal, used by 38 percent overall, is still king.
BEACH BAGUnto Us Too Much Sun Is Given
Wear Clothes Boost your sun defenses with wide-brimmde hats, shades and tightly woven clothing. UVB vs. UVA UVB rays cause burns and skin cancer. UVA rays (also foind in tanning booths) cause skin cancer and weaken the immune system. You need broad spectrum protection from both. Active Ingredients Cinnamates, the benzo family and others guard against UVB. Avobenzone (a.k.a. Parsol 1789) is the best UVA defense. Metal oxides (zinc, titanium) signal a sunblock. The oxides can now be made transparent. Block or Sunscreen Sunblocks lie atop your skin and reflect rays. Sunscreens go beneath your skin to absorb rays. Best bet: products that can do both at once. Dog Days Safest of all: abstinence. Seek out shade from 10 till 2.
Around the Blocks
Vampire Chic:Pink Stink:Tan I Am:Bikini Accessory:Our Pick:GREENSPANProtecting Your Investments
Bill Clinton has it; so do Hillary, Al and Tipper. Now Alan Greenspan has Secret Service protection, too. The Federal Reserve chairman had been guarded by the Fed’s own security team, but the Secret Service recently took over on an interim basis because of a “personnel shortage” at the bank. Sources insist that there’s been no threat to Greenspan. But investors may want to set their radio scanners to the frequency used by the guys with the dark suits and earpieces.
VIDEOGAMESA Ban on Trouble, With a Capital ‘B’
These days it’s V that rhymes with T that stands for trouble in River City. Mason City, Iowa, the model for the American burg in the musical “The Music Man,” has embraced a plan by Mayor Bill Schickel to rid itself of violent videogames. Schickel vows “zero tolerance” for virtual-massacre software. “Kids here know there are better things to do,” he says. “We could see a run on musical instruments.” Or pool cues.
TRANSITIONA Song of Excellence
Mel Torme was not for the musically faint of heart: his exquisite improvisations around the melody, dazzling sense of rhythm and stern belief that a song should never be sung the same way twice made him one of the jazz world’s classiest acts. He asked listeners to rise to his own level of excellence. Torme tirelessly devoted himself to all aspects of music: he was a writer (“The Christmas Song”), arranger, drummer, pianist and, for that matter, actor, novelist and pilot. He died last week at 73, from complications of a stroke.
Unlike the peppery Helen Gurley Brown, the other legend in the women’s magazine field was quiet and self-effacing. Ruth Whitney, who died last week at 70, edited Glamour for 31 years. Whitney understood that the magazine’s beauty and fashion roots were what made it a financial success. But she championed women’s issues, practiced award-winning journalism throughout and never strained to be trendy. As she told NEWSWEEK last year, she was proudest of sending this message to women: “You can do it.”
CONVENTIONAL WISDOMSummer Distraction Edition
C.W. Hillary = Making life tough for other Dems, but will give reporters a season to remember. ‘Notting Hill’ + Best-reviewed movie of the year. “Phantom Menace” for chicks of all ages. ‘Hannibal’ + “Silence of Lambs” sequel the beach read de rigueur. Stock up on Chianti, fava beans early. Baseball + Non-New Yorkers enjoying Yankee struggles, but interleague play mostly a bore. Gardening + Old: Put on jeans , toss seeds in dirt. New: Be the azalea, nature is an art form! Royal wedding - Not exactly Charles and Diana. And the CW has seen enough of Sophie.
