Time Magazine Contents Page
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COVER: Was the fruit ban panic or prudence? How safe is our food and water? Two tainted grapes and a scare over apples lead to the destruction of tons of fruit. Are Americans overly sensitive to risk, or are there justifiable fears about what we eat and drink? -- Why Bush approved a ban on imported semiautomatic weapons. -- Did Reagan lie about, or merely forget, his efforts for the contras? -- A custody dispute over fertilized eggs.
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WORLD: As ferment in Eastern Europe reaches new heights, the West debates whether it should seek an opening
Not since Stalin slammed down the Iron Curtain has the region experienced so much change. So far, Washington and its allies have been restrained in trying to turn events in Moscow's front yard to their advantage -- and they may keep it that way. -- British and U.S. officials acknowledge bomb alerts prior to Flight 103's ill-fated voyage. -- Peru lurches toward chaos.
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SPACE: Discovery gets a big year off to a roaring start
A flawless lift-off and successful flight pave the way for missions that include the launch of the powerful space telescope and probes to Venus and Jupiter.
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ENVIRONMENT: An immodest proposal to banish smog
After more than 30 years of struggling to clean up the nation's No. 1 air- pollution problem, Los Angeles adopts a plan that may end its love affair with the automobile.
66
BUSINESS: America's small towns, increasingly short of jobs, services and citizens, must fight to stay on the map
Hamlets like Clay Center, Kans., have been sapped by an epic postwar migration to cities and suburbs, a trend that has accelerated in the past decade. As small towns shrivel, so does a way of life that helped define the national character. -- Despite qualms, the U.S. will assist Japan in building the FSX jet. -- The Mommy Track debate: Should motherhood put a woman on a slower career path?
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) RELIGION: A feast of Christian art from Africa
With wood, clay, paint and canvas, native artists across the continent are giving their own cultural expression to the themes that have inspired some of the greatest works of the Western tradition: the Nativity, the Madonna, the Crucifixion and the tales of the Bible. The results are vigorous, often passionate, testaments of faith.
82
HEALTH: Abortion involves little real risk
Surgeon General Koop testifies that the procedure has minimal physical and emotional consequences. -- Breathing cigarette smoke may cause cervical cancer.
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PROFILE: Wendy Wasserstein writes of women
Her Heidi Chronicles tells of a heroine who grew up a feminist, as did the writer, in a tale that tempers anger with humor and a sense of loneliness.
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MUSIC: With its new album, Green, R.E.M. is on the go
After a decade and six other records, this rock band based in Athens, Ga., has broadened its appeal without sacrificing its compelling, often eccentric style.
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LAW: Can the courts safeguard battered women?
A brutal wife killing in Indiana shocks a community and raises questions about the limited reach of the American legal system's protective arms.
8 Letters
15 Critics' Choice
16 American Scene
85 Video
85 Milestones
86 People
95 Books
106 Essay
Cover: Photograph by Matthew Klein