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Projects what the United States would be like under the leadership of George W. Bush. Topics of the economy, education, foreign policy, religion, guns and crime, health care, defense, and taxes that would be affected by his political views; How Bush could change the composition and influence of the Supreme Court on controversial issues such as affirmative action.

Presents an overview of the 20th century as the Century of the Common Man. Characterization of the first half of the century as having a rise of state power theme; The second half being notable for a liberation theme; Events in the United States involving soldiers, suffragettes, the civil-rights movement, opposition to the Vietnam war, feminism, and the information revolution.

Focuses on Hispanic American members of Generation X, or the so-called Generation N. Impact and numbers of the group; Ethnic identification; Influence on United States culture; Young women's reaction to traditional women's roles and appearance; Religion; Prejudices faced by Hispanic Americans. INSET: Critical Mas: 20 for 2000..

Focuses on the increasing number of elderly people in the United States. Predictions about the US elderly population by Peter G. Peterson in his book `Gray Dawn'; Economic, social, and political implications of aging; Impact of aging on education and society; Companionship for the elderly; Life expectancy; Declining US birth rate. INSETS: It's Not Just Here;Counting the Silver Hairs.

Discusses the birth of the overclass, formerly known in American culture as yuppies. Description of the overclass; Effort to lay claim to the middle class; How the overclass values competitive achievement; Why some are not proud to be associated with the overclass; The overclass' political contradictions; The ideology of `merit'; Michael Lind's book, `The Next American Nation'; More. INSET: The overclass 100.

Discusses how bisexuality is starting to become more mainstream. Celebrities such as Michael Stipe, Courtney Love, and Sophie B. Hawkins who have come out as bisexual; The bisexual movement of the 1990's; Sigmund Freud's belief; Alfred Kinsey's 1948 report; Bisexuality as a rupture in social structure; Paula Rust's book, `Bisexuality: The Psychology and Politics of an Invisible Minority'; More. INSET: A secret history. (public figures who are bisexual).

Contends that the images baby boomers have of 20somethings are mostly untrue--it's the stereotyping of Generation X, not the reality, that bites. Debunking the myths about them; Self-profiles by 13 20somethings; Fidel Vargas, 25, mayor of Baldwin Park, Calif.; Chris Barron, 26, singer for the Spin Doctors; Heather Da Silva, 27, hairstylist, New York City. INSET: The VIX list: Very important Xers (22 twenty-somethings of note).

Presents a humorous prediction on the decade of the 1990s in the United States. The Setting a Definite Serious Limit on the Deficit of No More Than $10 (to the 15th power) Act of 1996; Creation of the Department of Redundant Health Paperwork Department; Abandonment of computers for a device that enables the user to experience the sensation of reading a book; The `Interactive Salad Bar'; Virtual President Bob; More. INSET: Randy Shilts, author..

Twelve years after a landmark court decision, the agonizing moral issue of abortion still divides the United States and defies compromise. Now the debate has turned violent. Minutes into the first day of the New Year, a bomb ripped through a Washington, D.C. abortion clinic. It was the latest in a series of such attacks -- and underlined just how wrenching the national debate on abortion has become.

Recounts the best and worst events of 1989, divided into the categories of headlines, politics, money, fun and games, and show biz.

Reports on the country's preoccupation with the `60s and the focus on the `sins' committed by politicians who came of age then. Effects on Senator Dan Quayle; `60's events and society's need to come to terms with the sixties.

The 80s decade was a good time for most Americans, a time of peace and prosperity. For others it was bad, as greed and wealth became increasingly important. Material success was the standard of excellence for the 80s. With the fall of Wall Street, Jim and Tammy Bakker, revelations about Ivan Boesky and Gary Hart, the American mood is changing. Fun and greed are giving way to reasonableness in all areas, increased altruism, and the desire to stay home with family.

The article focuses on the problems with militarization of police departments in the U.S. Topics include the rioting that occurred in Ferguson, Missouri in response to the police shooting death of black teen Michael Brown, police power in the U.S., and efforts to prevent police brutality. Information is provided on freedom of speech and Americans' public opinion of police.

Offers social predictions for the United States in the next millennium. Education; Occupations; Population; Lifestyle; Health; Outlook.

Mentions the importance of sports to community and to immigrants in the 1900-1945 era of the United States. Description of the sports fan as viewed by journalist Steven Crist; Local loyalties.

Presents readers' letters in response to `One of the Bad Guys?' in the November 2, 1998 issue of `Newsweek.' Objection to the blame of Hollywood for societal stereotypes; The role of television news and reports of terrorism in the Middle East in the formation of United States stereotypes; Negative stereotpyes' role in motion picture marketing; Other points of view.

Discusses the public's fascination with the trials of O.J. Simpson. The fact that more people watched coverage of the verdict in his civil trial than watched the State of the Union speech given by President Bill Clinton in February 1997; The racial divide the trials exposed; The expansion of a new species of legal tabloidism in the US; Other prominent trials; The effect of this phenomenon on society-at-large.

Opinion. Contends that social programs Americans like cause social pathologies they fear. The views of David Frum, author of `Dead Right'; His contention that few conservatives are serious about combating the social ills they deplore; Ronald Reagan's failure to abolish any major spending program; Frum's kind words for Texas Senator Phil Gramm.

Predicts that Generation X will earn more and live better than they think, based on some emerging trends. Effects of size of the generation, rise in average earnings of male workers, marriage, babies, taxes; Why Xers talk like a Depression generation; What they have going including their record high levels of education, good work ethic, the rehiring cycle and the affordability of homes.

While the economic boom may not spur a return to the values and lifestyles of the 1950s and early 1960s, it is already fostering a rebirth of the national self-confidence and sense of well-being that were the hallmarks of that era.

If there's anyone who should find the advent of Yuppies an inspirational development, it's advertisers, marketing executives and all the other people who live to sell. What enhances the importance of being Yuppie is that they sit on top of the largest, richest, best-educated generation ever born. Their enormous economic muscle will continue to get stronger. As they grow older and richer, they will lead the baby boom into spending patterns yet uncharted.

Discusses the author's conversations with people about the 1960s, which usually end up awkward and embarrassing for him as he remembers his own radical behavior and feelings. Examples.

Focuses on Democratic Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan. Ideas that were championed by Moynihan while assistant Labor secretary under U.S. President Lyndon Johnson; Moynihan's conclusion that the Negro family was collapsing; Highlights of the so-called Moynihan Report; Moynihan's focus on the intergenerational impact of slavery and racism, as well as the transformation of the family; Observation that trends Moynihan saw in black families eventually became a reality for many whites; Suggestion that Moynihan misdiagnosed the breadth of the phenomenon; Comments of historian Stephanie Coontz, author of "Marriage, a History"; Moynihan's argument for true equality.

Comments on tragedy and violent events in the United States. Reference to the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy, terrorist attacks, anthrax letters, and sniper shootings; Impact of evil on the psyche of children not grounded in peace; Irony of safety concerns with car seats and parental controls on the Internet; Statement that there is a cognitive dissonance between consciousness of childhood safety and dangerous times.

Focuses on the airline industry. Problems faced by the industry in the wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks; Comment that Americans have come to regard air travel as an entitlement; History of air travel in the United States; View that the advent of jet travel altered U.S. society even more than the Internet; Impact on business; Outlook for the industry.

Comments on the roles of labor and leisure in United States culture, as of September 2001. How the definition of labor has changed in the last few centuries, to include greater rights and easier conditions for workers; Comment that an increasing trend of leisure has transformed how U.S. workers think about their daily lives; View that the work ethic is being replaced with a so-called fun ethic, which values leisure over labor and expects more benefits from jobs than just a source of income.

Comments on diversity in the United States. Reference to the books written by Michael Barone, including 'The New Americans: How the Melting Pot Can Work Again'; Argument that there are similarities between Irish, Italian, and Jewish immigrants of the early 20th century and blacks, Latinos, and Asians of the 21st century.

Focuses on the book 'Democracy in America,' by Alexis de Tocqueville. Details of Tocqueville's view of American sensibilities and society; Comment on the insight that individuality might become self-defeating selfishness.

Presents the author's experience on becoming American since her parents emigrated to the United States in 1966. How she borrowed history to replace the loss of her extended family; Memories that helped her rebuild a sense of belonging.

Discusses controversy surrounding a study that linked a decline in United States crime rates with the Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion. Publication of the study done by economist Steven Levitt of the University of Chicago and law professor John Donohue III of Stanford University; Statistics; Circumstantial evidence for the role of abortion in increased, as well as decreased, crime.

Comments on the cohesiveness of American society in light of the publication of `Is America Breaking Apart?' by John A. Hall and Charles Lindholm. Objection to political candidates' hyperbolic claims of United States difficulties; The homogenizing effects of mass media, advertising, mass spectator sports, consumption and popular culture; Immigration and assimilation statistics; Intermarriage.

Looks at the problem of racism in the United States in light of the February 1999 sentencing of white supremacist John William King for a racially motivated killing in Jasper, Texas. The difference between self-examination and condemnation; Public response to King's crime as a celebration of innocence; The lack of impact that King's sentencing has on continuing racial problems.

Presents readers' letters in response to `Tomorrow's Child' in the November 2, 1998 issue of `Newsweek.' Role in the future of United States children of social priorities debated and decided by the whole country; Objection to the article's suggestion that life for children in the next millennium will be better despite a growing gap between those who do and do not have the basic necessities of life in the US.

Opinion. Reflects on the paradox lived by first generation United States children of immigrants. Efforts of the author's Korean parents to ensure their daughter's assimilation; Her efforts to establish a cultural identity; The discomfort and confusion she felt when another Korean corrected her pronunciation of her name; The difficulty of satisfying her parents expectations and her own.

Opinion. Argues that government and the private sector need to work together to help solve the social problems facing the United States. The claim that simply more federal spending will not help; The author's praise of former US General Colin Powell's efforts to reinvigorate the spirit of volunteerism in the United States.

Presents the results of a poll of Americans in 1997 concerning their view of life in the 21st century. The gap between the rich and the poor; The prospects for war and peace; The future of work and play; The possibility of life in space; Predictions about politics, science, and the environment.

Opinion. Discusses discrimination and stereotyping in the United States. The author's perceptions and experiences as an Arab-American; How a 1985 hijacking changed Americans' perceptions of Arabs; The hijacking as the beginning of her political education; How she tried to forget her heritage; The proliferation of motion pictures in the United States which featured Arab terrorists; Achievements of the Arab world; Education as the key to understanding.

Opinion. Comments on the 1960s. The author's experience in campaigning for Eugene McCarthy; Why the death of 1960s activism lay in its naive claims of ideological purity; Why the 1960s were a rich time for the author, and America; How the 1960s changed American attitudes toward authority, sexuality and race; Why 1960s activists were correct about many things.

Describes the conventional wisdom for January 8, 1996. Players including Washington, D.C. shutdown, Congressional freshmen, the rich, the Internet and on-line smut, national championship football bowl game, and the millennium.

Opinion. Discusses how the object of the overclass should be to achieve consciousness of class, then work hard to make the divisions it creates smaller instead of larger. The existence of the overclass; Public education as the overclass' issue; Why the author chose public schools for his children; Overclass Hypocrisy; Why the United States needs a draft to require every young person to serve either in the military or in the community.

Opinion. Defends meritocracy as the ideal social order which is now under furious intellectual assault. Definition of meritocracy; Its criticism that it is dominated by upscale snobs; Increase in professionals; America as an open society; How change and insecurity define a competitive economy and a meritocracy; Michael Lind's book, `The Next American Nation.'

Opinion. Discusses President Bill Clinton's speech defending affirmative action in July, 1995 and notes the mistakes the White House has made in using affirmative action. How the quota-filling appointment of Janet Reno was one of the disasters of the presidency; Why the real American crisis is social and not legal; The University of California vote to restrict racial preferences; Clinton's balancing act; Reaction from congressional Republicans.

Opinion. Argues that the United States lacks a shared, reasonable method of judging all the programs, values, habits, and institutions, that some people want to get rid of. The author's Bob Newhart test for judging; Other tests.

Opinion. Criticizes the trend toward `talk-subjects' in the media and asserts that the discussions of topics such as Bosnia, family values and others is often detached from experience or action. View that all the talk from the White House about Bosnia, and all the talk in reaction to that, has nothing to do with real-life Bosnia; Bob Dole's comments on dirty movies; Other topics.

Opinion. Looks at the tendency of many people to ignore and look down on working class people and to discount the many contributions that the working class makes to American society. The transfer of wealth in the United States to the already affluent; Thoughts on the possibility of a class-based society that enriches only the lucky few.

Opinion. Contends that we are hounded by `psycho-facts': beliefs that are taken as real because their constant repetition changes the way we experience life. Why we feel assaulted by rising crime, increasing health hazards, falling living standards and a worsening environment; Why many theoretical dangers aren't large practical dangers; Overreaction to every conceivable danger; Why we should discriminate between psycho-facts and real facts.

Presents ten positive trends from the latest edition of the `Statistical Abstract of the United States,' published by the Census Bureau. American industry is now producing more than ever; The United States still leads the world in Nobel prizes; We are healthier and less accident prone than ever; Most children still live with both natural parents; We've improved the environment and energy use enormously.

Presents the conventional wisdom watch strategic retreat edition. President Bill Clinton switching attention to health-care plan; New York Governor Mario Cuomo's stalling to accept US Supreme Court Justice position; Media mogul Ted Turner; Cult leader David Koresh; More.

Asserts that crime, racial tensions, poor schools and other social ills matter more than high tech industry competitiveness. Riskiness of using competitiveness as a guide for public policy; Factors upon which our economic well-being depends; Dropping living standards; Why social and political problems are compromising our economic potential.

Opinion. Argues that the chances for social change are far greater now than they were 25 years ago. Comparison to urban race wars of the late 1960s; More sophisticated race relations; New social and economic thinking being aired.