COVER

CRIME: Murder In Miniature (CRIME)

At the age of 11, Yummy Sandifer killed and was killed. His short, violent life is a haunting tale.

CRIME: When Kids Go Bad (CRIME)

America's juvenile-justice system is antiquated, inadequate and no longer able to cope with the violence wrought by children whom no one would call innocents

NATION

A Fever for Tax Cuts (Government)

Buoyed by rising revenues, states embark on a binge of rate cutting. Will Clinton be tempted to join in?

Netwatch (Chronicles)

News, Culture, Controversy on the Internet

We're Outta Here (Chronicles)

The top 10 countries whose citizens officially sought asylum or refugee status in the U.S. in 1993

WORLD

The Line Starts Now (Cuba)

The U.S. agrees to accept more legal refugees as long as Castro keeps the rafters home

Haiti: This Time We Mean Business

Bill Clinton beats the war drums to pressure the military junta ( into calling it quits -- and to prepare the U.S. Congress and a skeptical country for war

SCIENCE

Not So Fertile Ground (Environment)

Some scientists fear that pollutants are damaging human reproductive systems

HEALTH & MEDICINE

Better Off Dead? (Health Care)

Lawmakers act as if modest reform is still alive, but it may do more harm than good

Let's Not Be Too Hasty (Medicine)

Activists who once clamored for speedier approval of AIDS drugs now favor a more deliberate approach

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

The Fairway Less Traveled (Ideas)

The author of a beloved self-help best seller pursues spirituality and self-fulfillment through the Zen of golf

BUSINESS

Clinton's Art of the Deal (Commerce)

The President and his Commerce Secretary woo Big Business with an aggressive Buy American policy

LAW

The Other Circus (Justice)

As prosecutors seek a life sentence for O.J. Simpson, a grand jury hears evidence against his pal Al Cowlings

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

MUSIC: Which Side You On? (Arts & Media / MUSIC)

Public Enemy, which performs what might be called classic rap, returns with a new target for its anger -- gangsta rappers

BOOKS: American Schubert (Arts & Media / BOOKS)

A scholar has written the first real biography and appreciation of Scott Joplin, one of this country's unheralded musical giants

CINEMA: Barbarians At the Gate (Arts & Media / CINEMA)

Robert Redford's Quiz Show is a smart, hugely entertaining depiction of a turning point in American cultural history

THEATER: Looking Amazingly Swell (Arts & Media / THEATER)

Carol Channing won a Tony for Hello, Dolly! in 1964. Now she's on tour with the show. Depressing? Anything but.

MUSIC: Maestro Zinger (Arts & Media / MUSIC)

History is repeating itself as farce at the Paris Opera as the conductor is forced out and a new director seizes power

TELEVISION: Network Scramble (Arts & Media / TELEVISION)

As the Big Three frantically strategize their new schedules for the fall, they've neglected one thing: good shows

BOOKS: Star-Crossed Politicos (Arts & Media / BOOKS)

James Carville and Mary Matalin's election memoir proves that whatever they feel for each other, their true love is campaigning

SPECIAL SECTION

Ripped From the Sky (Disasters)

Despite Flight 427's crash, air travel safety has been steadily improving

TO OUR READERS

ESSAY