For Mr. Dickey, such writing is par for the course, and he's far from unique at Newsweek (I have to read it as part of my job, if you can believe it). Apparently, groups of Newsweek reporters are given regular assignments to report on subjects they are unable to grasp before their deadline, so they proceed to fill space with trendy prose intended to hide the fact that they have no idea what they're talking about. Non sequiturs and logical contradictions abound. For the most part, Newsweek is no longer a serious publication, if it ever was.

"..trendy prose.." is right. I subscribe to about eight news publications, and over the years I have found reading Newsweek leaves me ... I can't think of the right word to describe the visceral emptiness I feel. But no articles in that magazine give that fulfilled feeling of 'damn, what a great article'. I find myself rereading paragraphs because the subsequent paragraph feels out of place, and in the end, there is no profound conclusion to sum things up nicely because, it seems, there is nothing to sum up. Does Anna Quindlen write for Newsweek? I can't remember... She makes me nervous because I'm always afraid she's going to lose consciousness mid-stream. Rewrap that and you get stream-of-consciousness writing from someone who doesn't understand premise, body, conclusion. 'Trendy prose' begone. Um, I could always cancel my subscription. But nah.. I like the letters to the editor that gripe about the articles too much.

Yes, Anna Quindlen writes for that rag.

Quindlen? Wasn't that the woman in the coma years back? Oh, wait. Karen Anne Quinlan. Sorry.

I thought they meant Kathleen Quinlan