Gray Areas
This stated mission of this on-line and hard-copy publication is "to examine the gray areas of life. We explore subject matter which is illegal, immoral and/or controversial." While I find their assertion that "the government has done a great job of splitting people up" a bit naive < having worked for and with several government agencies, I now see that the bureaucracy is far too disorganized to accomplish anything that sinister, with abuses of power like Oliver North's shenan igans or Watergate being the exception rather than the rule. It's probably us that split us/U.S. up, not them. Anyone for Pogo? > their content is interesting, well-written, and entertain ing. Currently on line are stories with subjects ranging from police entrapment techniques to prison life to drugs. Each of the pieces I read was thought provoking and filled with details, whether they were personal remembrances or essay. A good deal o f research seems to have gone into this publication, and while the issues raised in Gray Areas are up for debate, its quality is not. A very professional effort.

Kill Yourself
This 'zine is as punk as Gray Areas is professional. Dedicated to "everything that is wrong in the world," Kill Yourself draws on everyday experiences and urban myth to produce rants of varying significance. Regular columns and poetry fill ou t the mix. My favorite thing in the current issue is a kick-ass poster-style graphic of a quarter, dime and nickel, all heads up so that you can see that they're all looking the opposite way that Lincoln does on the penny. Under this, there's a who's wh o of current Republicans from Ronny to Rush to Newt, who are captioned with "they all turn their heads from the man who freed the slaves." Heavy! In this same issue, one author tackles reapportionment of resources by talking about chairs, another claims that war and famine are the only solution for population control, and another decries the minimum wage as irrelevant, in the light of an inflationary product/people ratio he presents. I would say that some of these guys should spend more time checking t heir statistics or studying economic theory, etc., before they expound -- but -- with their clearly stated purpose (" If you have been enlightened or intrigued by something we say, our purpose has been served") such strict accuracy is hardly important. After all, who says that so-called "facts" aren't mostly responsible for "everything that's wrong with the world" in the first place? To interpret Kill Yourself as prescriptive would be missing the point. A good read for those days when you're pissed off but have too much energy for apathy.