O Henry

Time’s cover story last week trumpeted The Way Out of the latest Middle East crisis. I eagerly opened the issue.

The six keys to peace are: 1) get the U.S. involved [done!]; 2) don’t forget the Palestinians [check! Why didn’t I think of that?] 3) guarantee Israel’s security [should I take the trouble to finish the article?]; 4) stabilize Lebanon [genius!]; 5) handle Iran [sure, no problem] ; 6) pray for Iraq [we’ve tried everything else]. Well, at least the last suggestion isn't something you see every day.

I read to the end, which frankly didn’t take too long. Last week’s Time totaled 72 pages, about a third of them ads. The cover story could have been written by a high-school journalist. Things improved. The follow-up stories on Israel’s Prime Minister Olmert and the “Hizballah nation” provided color and were better written than the lead.

O Henry, how the mighty have fallen. Buying Time is not a value proposition. © 2006 Stephen Yuen