Vol. 134 No. 25

NATION

A Cute Number For the Taxman
The bill for Nancy Reagan's dresses may come from the IRS

American Notes CALIFORNIA
The Bishop Picks a Winner

American Notes CHRISTMAS
Eau de Skunk For Thieves

American Notes MARYLAND
Mencken's Musings

American Notes MIAMI
Breaking the Cycle

American Notes THE NAVY
Butt Out, Greenpeace

Easier Said Than Done
Bush and Gorbachev set ambitious goals at Malta, but they left little time for the hard bargaining still to come

Making Deals in Poland
It's a worthy idea, but Americans find little to build on

The Presidency
A Game of One-on-One

Warning: Further -- and Maybe Bigger -- Federal Bailouts Ahead
Risky loans and sloppy supervision could lead to crises that dwarf the $300 billion savings and loan fiasco

WORLD

America Abroad
Braking the Juggernaut

Canada The Man Who Hated Women
A sick obsession ignites the country's worst mass killing

Colombia Noble Battle, Terrible Toll
In his offensive against the coke princes, President Barco has dented the drug pipeline but hardly destroyed it. The narcos lash back by terrorizing the innocent

East-West Out of Control?
As the Communist order unravels at blinding speed, confusion looms

Is The Soviet Union Next to Explode?
Gorbachev insists he will not deep-six the party, but he may have no choice

Life in The Golden Ghetto

South Africa Probing the Hit Squads
De Klerk investigates a rash of apparent assassinations

The Philippines There Is Always a Next Time
Battered and baited by mutineers, Aquino gets tough and reaches for People Power. But she may not be able to act on the lessons gleaned from the latest rebellion

The Sweep of Change

What The Future Holds
A panel of TIME experts foresees East European instability -- and inevitable German unity in a reshaped Continent

Why Is This Man Smirking?

World Notes IRAQ
Some Deadly New Toys

World Notes NICARAGUA
A Plague on Both Houses

World Notes TAIWAN
Rebuff for the Kuomintang

SCIENCE

Endangered Earth Update Let Earth Have Its Day (Environment)
But the biggest demonstration in history should be only the beginning

Endangered Earth Update Now Wait Just a Minute (Environment)
Naysayers dispute the forecasts of doom and gloom

Endangered Earth Update U.S. Agenda Consumers It's Not Easy Being Green "Waste (Environment)
Not, Want Not" should become the slogan for the age

Endangered Earth Update U.S. Agenda Businesses Scrub That Smokestack (Environment)
Clean, efficient companies can put a shine on their bottom line

Endangered Earth Update U.S. Agenda Government Get Going, Mr.Bush (Environment)
Rich and profligate, America can spur conservation in countless ways

Endangered Earth Update the Fight to Save the Planet (Environment)
As concern for the environment grows, and some promising international initiatives take shape, the U.S. must do its share

HEALTH & MEDICINE

America Goes Stair Crazy (Health)
Better machines propel the popularity of step climbing

SOCIETY

The Furor over Wearing Furs (Living)
Assailed by animal rightists, many women face a difficult choice

SPORT

Never Having to Grow Up
The latest geriatric jocks are (creak, groan) baseball players

TECHNOLOGY

Old Masters, New Tricks
Italy has become the capital of computerized art restoration

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

Time Magazine Contents Page (Contents)
Vol. 134, No. 25 DECEMBER 18, 1989

Time Magazine Masthead (Masthead)
Vol. 134, No. 25 DECEMBER 18, 1989

BUSINESS

Business Notes ADVERTISING
Now the Wall's A Billboard

Business Notes AUTOS
O.K., So We're Human

Business Notes COMPUTERS
The Elephant Tries to Dance

Business Notes LEGISLATION
Down with Smellagrams!

Business Notes SAVINGS AND LOANS
Hey, That's Not Me on TV

A Torrent of Dirty Dollars
Money laundering is a runaway global industry that serves customers ranging from cocaine cartels to tax-dodging corporations

Money Angles
When a House Is Just a Home

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Having A Hell of a Time (Theater)
When Satan takes the stage, audiences wind up with angelic smiles

Of Time and the River (Cinema)
Coming to terms with bravery and tomfoolery

Of Time and the River (Cinema)
Coming to terms with bravery and tomfoolery

Tidings Of Color and Joy (Books)
An orchid at the Arctic Circle? A chair carved like a sunflower? A teapot shaped like a bellhop? These beauties to behold can be a gift to give

PEOPLE

Vindication Of a Hard-Liner (Interview)
Long the prophet of Communism's doom, ZBIGNIEW BRZEZINSKI foresees the end of the U.S.S.R. in its present form

TO OUR READERS

From the Publisher (From The Publisher)

ESSAY

Should the U.S. Help Gorbachev?