Spectator - England

This is the best read for knowing what people in Britain are thinking and arguing about this week, or half of them, anyway. It is shamefully and unashamedly politically incorrect. I must say I start at the back of the book, with the country's most preposterous agony aunt and well written, even touching columns on low life, City life, the turf etc. The book and arts reviews are superb. As for the political coverage, well, if that's what the Conservative British think, what am I suppose to do about it, huh? An excellent complement to Pravda and the Washington Post.

The Speccy, as it is known, is Britain's oldest continuously published magazine, first appearing in 1828. It covers politics, arts and lifestyle themes. The quality is high, except for the abysmal cartoons.

It is right wing, by British standards, and supports the Conservative Party. This bias is reflected in its editorials and most, but not all, of its articles.

Their spectator.co.uk website is very good. It contains most of what's in the print edition plus quite a lot that isn't. Some regular columns are not included in full, except with a paid online subscription. This is unfortunately true of my favorite, Dot Wordsworth's 'Mind Your Language', which covers topics relating to English usage. The crossword is a recent inclusion in the free online edition. Some readers used to buy the printed magazine just for that. Be warned that it is one of the most difficult crosswords out there.

Raymond Keene's chess column is one of the best there is. That also is available in full online, free.

Unusually for these days, the magazine features an original poem each week, and the standard is remarkably high.

You can get a very good idea of whether the Speccy is to your taste by visiting the website, (you have to register, but registration is free) and then you can decide whether to buy an online or print subscription.

If it seems too far to the right for you, take a look at its left-wing rival, The New Statesman.

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In a country where reporting is as self serving as politics, it's grand to find a publication so enriched with intelligent dialogue, insightful thinking, un-poisoned by our politics or big money interests. It's wonderful to read the POV of those with enough distance to be able to sift the insanity into meaningful discussion...not to mention the literary excellence and wit with which it is done. Intelligence and excellence are addictive, especially when it's so rare.

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If you live in the United States and love "The New Yorker", you will thoroughly enjoy "The Spectator". It is so refreshing to read about world events from a non-American point of view. Also you may find their humor as a completely different flavor. The Kindle really makes this possible since the print version of this magazine is exorbitantly expensive to receive in America.

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Modern Athlete & Coach

This is a great magazine from Australia mainly covering Track and Field but it also covers general health and fitness issues. This is a great resource for the Track Coach as well as fitness buffs and Cross Fitters. There is always good Advice regarding exercises and planning for competitions. There are also reviews of fitness equipment, Books and Videos. Fitness buffs will like this magazine. Coming from Australia the magazine is a little on the expensive side but I think a lot of people will find that it's worth it.

My warmest hellow to Mr. Jess Jarver.

I just read about his retirement. Although I never met "The Man" I thing He is one of the best for our family of athletics.

I'll be with you, from now on.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to join You.

Yours

Fotis Katsikas

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Bowling This Month

My instructor recommended this magazine and I am so glad I followed his suggestion. What a wealth of techniques and info that I have yet to see any where else. Every bowler should subscribe. It will take them to a whole new level!!

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Portals of Prayer - Large Print ed

I have read Portals of Prayer for many years; receiving it in large print has made enjoying it easy on my eyes.

Short, quick, concise and uplifting. No home should be without it.

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Vanity Fair July 2007 Africa Issue, Chris Rock/ Maya Angelou Cover

I regret that I didn't buy the issue with Chris Rock and Maya Angelou on the cover. I picked up the one with Jay-Z on it because I was trying to figure out who the light-skinned lady was: hey, Alicia Keys. I knew what these two had in common and low and behold, I saw the word Africa at the bottom. Even though I enjoyed the different covers, I don't understand why Bush and Condoleeza were on there at all; doesn't he have have an oil war to finish and her shoe shopping during a national crisis should be about now, right?

Enough with my political opinions. I have to give much respect for this magazine for covering such a huge issue, especially in the Motherland. I am enjoying reading the historical issues in Africa, as well as what is being done about the HIV/AIDS situation. But, my review this round is about that fool Chris Rock. I was having the worst day on the planet at work today, and I browsed through this magazine on lunch figuring I should read about someone who's really going through something. I flipped to the page with his article on "The Ugly African American" and laughed hysterically through the whole thing. My pod thought I was losing my mind but I made copies of Chris's article so they could read it too and they fell out laughing. I copied that article and passed it out to my buddies at work and they copied it and so on and so forth. Only Chris Rock could make such a serious subject seem so hilarious, and he still made sure it was informative. When he said he snatched the lollipop, my stomach hurt. I love him! Absolutely love him!

NYLON (1-year auto-renewal)

I first picked up a copy of Nylon in Chicago, while browsing the newsstands. I wasn't sure if I would like it--years of subscribing to Vogue, Elle, and some stupid tweeny magazines had almost put me off magazine-reading for good. And yet I always manage to be drawn to the racks.

Nylon was different from the get go. They always feature unknowns on the cover, and when, on occassion, a well-known celebrity is featured, the stories give us a new perspective on them.

Nylon is worth purchasing for the layout in itself. I could spend hours paging through each feature, marveling at the graphics, and the way the magazine is put together. I love how they base some of the beauty section on famous movies or bands.

Nylon also makes a point of covering bands, movies, and fashion designers that, until now, have remained obscure. Everything they feature is amazing--most of the music they recommend ends up on my Amazon wishlist!

I would highly recommend Nylon to anyone and everyone. This obscure magazine will stun you with its amazing artistic layout, and introduce you to new products you may have never discovered.

I got this free the other day and I've been having a hard time getting through it. Expensive fashion and makeup, with some articles on music that focus on the band members' preference for skinny jeans. British cosmetic brands they wish were available here? Hotels with great spas? I'm not sure who the target audience is.

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After reading a few of these I realized that Nylon is just a rich hipster kid reference manual.

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I decided to subscribe to this mag after one of my faves, Amber Tamblyn started writing a monthly column. Offbeat and never boring, Nylon brings you all the stuff that the other "fashion" rags skip over. Written for smart, web-savvy readers who want to know more than where to buy the next up and coming handbag. With a lot of collage-type pictorials, you'll never be bored. A lot of vintage stuff as well; "background checks" are great. Many web references for you to surf to as well. Defiantely a thinking-gals guide to fashion, media and music.

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PRO: Nylon is a visual feast. Just looking through it is highly stimulating and inspiring from a design/artistic point of view. The lay-out is clean, fresh, and unique. There is a big emphasis on indie/alternative art, film, music, fashion, and literature. I found Nylon through a long internet search for an intelligent, artistic womens' mag, and it is just that.

CONS: NY-LON stands for New York and London respectively, which gives one a big hint about the target audience. Heh heh. I live in middle America, and I don't have access to the kind of brands, restaurants, bars, shops, etc. so touted by this magazine. One issue was exclusively centered around London... yeah, I can really relate. Not. Magazines like Seventeen are MUCH better about featuring merchandise and content applicable to females of every socio-economic background and location.

IN CONCLUSION: In my opinion, the positives highly outweigh the negatives. I don't regret subscribing. I always love getting my Nylon in the mail. Get this magazine if you want to subscribe to a girl magazine, but you don't want to go the usual cosmo, vogue, 17 route.

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Engineering in Miniature

High quality publication, and the title is an accurate portrayal of the contents. Articles on all kinds of model engineering topics, and extensive reports of English model engineer club activities.