These are hard times for science in America. Evolution has been demoted to "theory" thanks to fossil-hating Intelligent Design thugs, NASA budget cuts and stem-cell restrictions are forcing research scientists overseas, American students now rank lower in science proficiency than several species of marine life, and the last three "Star Wars" movies sucked. Arthur C. Clarke didn't die of natural causes, folks. He simply couldn't bear to look anymore. Which is why, now more than ever, we need Scientific American. This gorgeous glossy has been making science entertaining -- or at least, trying to -- since 1845. That means SciAm …

I'm getting a hobby, thanks to a new bimonthly. Billed as "the wine magazine for everyone," color and aroma, lowercase like e.e. cummings, is a wine lifestyle magazine. Its initial reach is the hotels, restaurants and wineries of California, but by year's-end, it plans distribution in key cities: Chicago, New York, Las Vegas. On the magazine's Web site, Brandon Beeson, president and executive publisher, says he envisioned a pub that "elegantly intertwines the eminence of Orange County with the mystique of wine culture."

What's the point of reviewing Architectural Digest only to make fun of (pretentious) rich people and their multi-million dollar bibelots? That approach gets as obvious and tiresome as making fun of Donald Trump's hair. (And in the bad hair department, hasn't everyone moved on to Javier Bardem's Dora-the-Explorer page-boy look in ''No Country for Old Men?'')

Everyone should learn to consume wisely. And since most Americans don't know how, trust the people who do: National Geographic Green Guide. The premiere issue, which hit newsstands March 4, supplies resources for green living and pairs green coverage with product and behavior tips. For sports fans, there's Fair Trade Sports, a U.S. supplier that guarantees a fair wage, prohibits child labor and promises a football's inner lining comes from responsibly harvested rubber trees. Pakistan, widely believed to be the most dangerous country in the world, also makes 70% of the world's sports balls. Who knew? I mean beside the …

Ah, democracy. Is there anything it can't ruin? I speak here not of obvious things like Iraq, or California, but of those finer pursuits better left untouched by the masses, things like journalism, pornography, and gourmet magazines. Such was the reaction this January when Bon Appétit underwent a minor relaunch; let's call it a reheating. A quick glance at the food blogs reveals a sense of betrayal, slightly informed by snobbery, at the "dumbing down" of Condé Nast's beloved gastro-pub. Apparently, the February issue's cover recipe called for some prepackaged pancake mix. Won't somebody think of the children?!

Youth can be enterprising -- and these days, the entrepreneurial lab is either a dorm room (Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg) or a garage (Google's Sergey Brin). In the case of Bryan Sims, who founded brass, it's both. Brass -- young today, rich tomorrow -- is a quarterly with a mission: help young adults 16-25 understand money and achieve their financial goals. Note to Bryan: send the blueprint for your mag to the White House. So far, the Bushies have as much chance of grasping sound economic policy as your cat has of getting a pilot's license.

Back in the dark ages of print news, daily papers provided us with the most immediate updates on the world situation -- while Time and Newsweek delivered analysis and trend pieces. These days, follow-up commentary on every kind of news story -- from earth-shattering to trivial -- can be found almost immediately on the Web. Consider post-Oscars spin, one of my annual guilty pleasures. Three days after the broadcast, I'd already read pieces on everything from Diablo Cody's Pebbles Flintstone look to why Best Picture-winning producer Scott Rudin's shout-out to his male lover wasn't followed by a close-up of said …