Healthy competition clone covers: I guess it’s time for both Time & Newsweek to run health-related covers simulataneously, since it’s been, what, almost 11 months since the last time?

And, oh, by the way. If that Newsweek cover looks familiar, it is. Here it is side-by-side with the February 24, 2003, issue of Newsweek.

For an explanation of the rexblog feature, Clone Covers, visit [Macro error: Can't evaluate the expression because the name "ftpSite" hasn't been defined.]
. Previous 2004 [Macro error: Can't evaluate the expression because the name "ftpSite" hasn't been defined.]

More of Time’s Wal-Mart strategy? On the vaporzine front, next year Time Inc. will publish two issues of Racing Fan, a magazine about NASCAR, according to Advertising Age. (source: Crain’s New York Business)

Magazine trend story? These three items have hit my in-box the last couple of days:

(1) “Muslim Malaysia has banned 40 books and magazines published in Britain and the United States deemed to have unsuitable sexual content.” (Agence France-Presse)

(2) “A district magistrate in the capital, Islamabad, ordered all copies of the 22 November issue (of Newsweek) to be destroyed. The issue contains an article about murdered Dutch film-maker Theo Van Gogh and pictures of a woman with Koranic verses inscribed on her body.” (BBC)

(3) “Kuwait yesterday launched an investigation into a Shi’ite magazine that caused an uproar by allegedly insulting Islam. Information Minister Mohammad Abulhasan said the Lebanese Al Minbar magazine, which was being printed illegally despite being banned since 2003, was blasphemous.” (Gulf Daily News)