ife's been too grim lately, so we've decided to take a break from the tooth-loosening brutality of "hard-hitting" news. This week's Weekly Wire is devoted to kinder, gentler, soft-hitting news. These articles may not force you to rethink your worldview, but they'll certainly take your mind off last week's tragedies. Take this upbeat story about the relationships between young models and their mothers. Who says all mom-n-daughter beauty partnerships have sinister, Jon-Benet Ramsey undertones? Some of these duos couldn't be happier, even when the younger halves choose to appear in Playboy.

sych yourself up for a look at the world's second oldest profession in this precognitive cover piece. Don't tell James ("The Amazing") Randi, but these extrasensory perceptors -- also known as psychics -- can be as fun to talk to as they are to debunk. And don't forget to read the humorous sidebar, which contains a conversation with an employee of the La Toya Jackson hotline, who admits La Toya is just a "front." I knew she was going to say that.

  probably shouldn't pretend all this week's articles avoid the dark side of life. Might as well admit it: we've got two editorials on that whole Princess Diana thing. Surprisingly, neither of them blast the paparazzi. One defends the photographers' right to follow Diana, since she thrived on publicity; the other calls for the release of the car-crash pictures, claiming they're legitimate news photos. If you want to chime in with your opinion, or just complain about how tiresome it's all become, don't hesitate to do so in our Talk Back BBS.

n other grim media-centered news, try this one on for size: Imagine you're a female news journalist and you've been following the case of an alleged serial killer. You obtain an interview with the suspected murderer in which he confesses several striking, revelatory personal details. It's a terrific scoop, but there's one hitch -- the suspect takes a liking to you, and won't leave you alone. Sounds like the premise for a movie starring Julia Roberts or Jodie Foster, doesn't it? But it really happened to this unnerved reporter.

n less cinematic news, we've also got articles about the rise of charter schools, disgruntled Intel employees, online medical advice, and one columnist's crush on New York Times writer Maureen O'Dowd. For a final burst of soft-hitting news, don't forget to enjoy our regular Odds & Ends column -- and while you're at it check out the latest addition to our "wacky news" line-up: Mr. Smarty Pants, whose trivia tidbits are so zany, you just might laugh your high-I.Q. breeches off.

Talk Back
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Model Moms
Memphis fashion models talk aobut the role their mothers play in their careers. [2]
Elizabeth Lemond

The Passing of a Princess
The Media and Princess Diana. [3]

Desperately Seeking the News
In praise of paparazzi. Semper fi, Di. [4]
Henry Walker

Arrested Development
For your average alleged mutilation murderer, Lemuel Prion is pretty good about keeping in touch. [5]
Karen Brandel

Psychic Friends
Austin has more than its share of psychics, astrologers, and curanderas. [6]
Marc Savlov

LaToya Jackson Psychic Network
Sidebar to Psychic Friends. [7]

Tales Out of School
The debut of our new education column, replacing "AISD Notebook": Charter schools get support from both conservatives and liberals. [8]
Roseana Auten

The Doctor is In(ternet)
Your technophobic guide to useful (and useless) sites on the World Wide Web. [9]
Devin D. O'Leary

Intel Hell
Peeking into the high-tech world of tomorrow--today! [10]
David O. Dabney

Columnist Boy In Love
Can a Southern Arizona good ol' boy find love and happiness with a rapier-sharp East Coast liberal? Jeffy's eager to try! [11]
Jeff Smith

Odds & Ends
Timed-release news capsules from the flipside. [12]
Devin D. O'Leary

Mr. Smarty Pants
Our resident know-it-all unearths the latest trivia. [13]
R.U. Steinberg

Now What?
Can't get enough news? You're in luck -- more news is created every day. Our Now What? page offers a plethora of recommended links to help keep you living in the present. [14]

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Is Elvis Cool?
Two Flyer columnists debate the essence of the E-Factor. [08-11-97]
Susan Ellis and Jim Hanas