Time

44

COVER: The world' s oceans face a growing threat from man- made pollution

Across the globe, the seas have been sending urgent signals that they are perilously close to their capacity to absorb civilization' s wastes. The most visible damage has been to coastal zones, where fouled waters and littered beaches are costing the fishing and resort industries billions of dollars. The loss in quality of life for everyone is incalculable. See ENVIRONMENT.

14

NATION: Democrats revel in their unity as Dukakis finally shows he can inspire

Atlanta becomes a display of unprecedented harmony as the nominee and Jesse Jackson find common ground. How the concordat of cooperation was hammered out. -- Moments of high comedy at the convention, from TelePrompTer snafus to VIPS locked out of the Omni. -- Former Defense Secretary James Schlesinger critiques Dukakis' foreign policy.

26

WORLD: Iran' s acceptance of a cease- fire could signal an end to the bloody gulf war

With the Islamic Republic' s troops stunned by a string of battlefield defeats, the frail Ayatullah Khomeini grudgingly submits to "God' s will." -- Would peace between Iran and Iraq send oil prices skyward once again? -- Contra hard- liners threaten new battles in Nicaragua. -- An album of stark photographs from Ethiopia' s rebellious and famine- plagued province of Eritrea.

23

Essay

Sure, the Democrats are hypocrites about the word liberal. But so are the voters, who learned their hypocrisy from the G. O. P.

38

Economy & Business

Minor- league owners score grand- slam returns. -- Pressure for a minimum- wage hike. -- Japan' s growing investment in Australia.

52

Art

Georges Braque, master of cubism and collage, may be the century' s most neglected great painter. A new exhibition fills in a few gaps.

53

Cinema

Big Top Pee- wee is a bright, peppy circus comedy in which America' s child of all ages loses his virginity. Pretty cool, huh?

55

Video

A made- for- TV convention, short on substance, prompts questions about whether the networks' saturation coverage is justified.

62

Technology

Using computer graphics and controls, the newest simulators re- create reality -- or sci- fi fantasy -- with gut- wrenching accuracy.

70

Law

In an effort to keep juries from falling asleep, lawyers are taking acting lessons to punch up their courtroom performances.

72

Design

Skywalks, those enclosed bridges linking downtown buildings, provide warmth in cold weather; they also cast a chill on urban life.

4 Letters

9 American Scene

58 Music

61 Press

61 Milestones

65 Books

74 People

Cover: Illustration by Don Ivan Punchatz