Time

TO OUR READERS 4

LETTERS 8

CHRONICLES 19

MILESTONES 25

THE PRESIDENCY: Mastering the Juggling Act 28

After a troubled start, Clinton has a winning streak abroad Diplomacy: Albright is America's blunt instrument

31

THE POLITICAL INTEREST: A Good Deal with North Korea 34

Why Clinton's agreement is a triumph of creative diplomacy

INTERVIEW: Clinton Explains His New Approach 35

The President on foreign policy and a bully he once knew

AIR SAFETY: A Fatal "Bump" in the Sky 37

Did a plane's wake vortex contribute to the crash of Flight 427?

DISASTERS: Flood, Fire and Frustration 38

Southeast Texas gets a one-two punch from Mother Nature

PUBLIC EYE: Alienable Rights 39

Politics, not conscience, fuels an anti-immigrant initiative

ISRAEL: Hamas Havoc 40

Islamic terrorism rattles the peace process

GERMANY: European Dreaming 42

Kohl wins four more years to work on his unification plans

BUSINESS: Oh, What a Dish! 44

Direct-to-home satellite broadcasts win viewers from cable TV

ON THE MONEY: The War on Gobbledygook 51

Mutual funds may start to communicate in English for a change

COVER: Revolt Against the Schools 52

A grass-roots movement of parents and teachers is attempting to reshape public ( education, setting up alternative schools that are free from stultifying bureaucracy and leaden curriculum but still funded by taxes

When Public Goes Private: Corporate profits from pedagogy

56

Home Sweet School: Fed up, some parents go it alone 62

SPORTS: Greed and Stupidity All-Stars 65

It's not just baseball and the N.H.L., it may be the N.B.A. too

ROYALS: What Was He Thinking? 68

Prince Charles' revelations raise doubts about his judgment

THE ARTS & MEDIA

Culture: A new showcase for relics of the First Americans and proof that theirs is still a living culture 72

Television: Deservedly, ER is the season's surprise hit

75

Theater: A Merchant of Venice set in Venice, California

78

Derek Walcott's adaptation of The Odyssey 78

Books:Tobias Wolff looks back on his service in Vietnam

81

Knee-jerk curmudgeon P.J. O'Rourke on environmentalism 81

In Family, a New Yorker humorist gets serious 84

Jazz: The brilliant, tormented career of pianist Bud Powell

86

Obituary: Burt Lancaster 1913-1994 89

PEOPLE 91

ESSAY 92