MEDIA LEAD SHEET/DECEMBER 15, 2008 ISSUE (on newsstands Monday, December 8). To book correspondents, contact Katherine Barna at 212-445-4859-Katherine.Barna@Newsweek.com-or Grace Huh at 212-445-5831-Grace.Huh@Newsweek.com. Read the issue and Web exclusives at www.Newsweek.com.
"The Religious Case for Gay Marriage" (p. 28). Religion Editor Lisa Miller writes that many opponents of same-sex marriage base their objections on Scripture, though she argues in this Newsweek cover that the Bible gives no reason why gays and lesbians should not marry-and a number of reasons why they should. "All the religious rhetoric, it seems, has been on the side of the gay-marriage opponents, who use Scripture as the foundation for their objections." A mature view of scriptural authority though requires the ability to move beyond literalism, as common practice changes and evolves over time. "Religious objections to gay marriage are rooted not in the Bible at all, then, but in custom and tradition," Miller writes.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/172653
"Mrs. Kramer vs. Mrs. Kramer" (p. 32). Senior Writer Lorraine Ali writes about a custody battle between two women who were joined in a Vermont civil union. Their relationship failed, one partner decided she was no longer gay and now they're fighting for custody of the daughter they both love. The case, Miller v. Jenkins, has important implications for gay parents everywhere.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/172554
"'They'll Open Up for This'" (p. 38). Rick Perlstein, author of "Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America," writes about the tapes of Richard Nixon and pages of his papers, newly released last week by the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum. Historians and researchers will now embark on the task of assessing the new data and integrating it into current debates. "Diplomatic historians will be especially keen to mine this new data because it sheds light on the sordid manner in which Nixon wound up the Vietnam War."
http://www.newsweek.com/id/172553
"The Abortion Wars Get Technical" (p. 39). Contributing Editor Dahlia Lithwick writes that two of the most pitched battles over reproductive rights in America turn on whether health workers can be forced to provide medical services or information to which they ethically object. The debate leaves women seeking reproductive services in a more tangled position than ever. "Almost completely missing from this fascinating legislative discussion of what health workers might be forced to do and say with respect to reproductive rights are the reproductive rights themselves. Whether we like it or not, the right to birth control, emergency contraception and-under most circumstances-abortion is still constitutionally protected."
http://www.newsweek.com/id/172593
"A Sequel to 'The Departed'" (p. 40). National Correspondent Suzanne Smalley and Editor-at-Large Evan Thomas report on John Connolly, formerly the FBI's most effective Mafia investigator in Boston, who is currently awaiting sentencing on a second-degree murder charge, which is believed to be mob-related. Connolly argues that he is innocent and that government investigators have to get close to their high-level informants in order to penetrate criminal organizations and that "while the government portrays him as a single rogue agent, Connolly describes himself as a 'scapegoat.'"
http://www.newsweek.com/id/172571
"Bill Gates Goes to School" (p. 42). Senior Editor Jonathan Alter profiles Bill Gates, who recently discussed education reform with Barack Obama in hopes that big money for education will be included in the stimulus package and fundamental school reform will be made a priority. Gates discusses the recession and the tech revolution and reveals that it's the longer-term outlook he's worried about. "He sees that social inequities at home and abroad are harmful not just morally but economically, which explains his obsession with confronting the high-school dropout rate. Over time, he explains, a less equal world hurts everyone."
http://www.newsweek.com/id/172572
"Financial Paradise Becomes a Mirage" (p. 44). Paris Bureau Chief Christopher Dickey writes that the world's economic woes have finally reached Dubai, considered "the land of fantasies come true," where fortunes are now crumbling. This city-state in the United Arab Emirates is the creation of worldwide commerce, with a lot of its money coming from nearby Arab oil powers. "To survive the failings of its free-for-all service economy, Dubai now has to fall back on conservative, oil-soaked Abu Dhabi, which has a sovereign wealth fund with assets on the order of half a trillion dollars, even after the plunges in the price of crude."
http://www.newsweek.com/id/172641
"World, Don't You Worry" (p. 46). Senior Washington Correspondent Howard Fineman writes that Barack Obama himself has become a global brand, and is now busy branding his administration with big-time political and business names that are products of big-time institutions that will help him restore the world's shattered confidence in the United States. Fineman believes these figures fall into three categories: "Ingredient brands," who are 'inside' another brand and help bolster it; "Driver brands," who are leaders in their field and "Legacy brands," who are respected for the longevity and trust they have built over the years.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/172573
"End of the Line for Islamabad" (p. 47). Newsweek International Editor Fareed Zakaria writes that if the Mumbai attacks were India's 9/11, it's response is quite different from the United States in the weeks following that event. Much of the debate among Indians has looked inward, focusing on their government's lack of preparedness, poor intelligence and bungling response, but the Indian government has not rushed to war. "The one country that could do more than any other to change the military's mind-set is America."
http://www.newsweek.com/id/172567
"Never Say Die" (p. 48). Correspondent Anne Underwood writes about the science of long life, which is looking at the secrets of aging on a cellular level and for ways to slow it down. Some critics of the scientific quest say that it is God's will that we should die when our time comes, though there have been no objections to the cleaner water, antibiotics and vaccines that have improved life expectancy over the past century. Others argue that keeping people alive longer will further strain the social safety net, though the goal for scientists is not to tack years of sickness onto the end of life, but to extend youth. "But to make it to 100... it takes more than virtuous behavior and avoiding a collision with a Mack truck. A person needs genes that slow aging and boost defenses against age-related diseases. About half a dozen such genes have been identified out of perhaps 100 or so that might exist."
http://www.newsweek.com/id/172561
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