PERISCOPE

Why? "The main reason has been severe restrictions on the types of missions they are allowed to undertake," says a U.S. defense analyst under Pentagon contract who works closely with special-forces units (he declined to be identified because his work is classified). While the Army's Delta Force and the Green Berets get the best "direct action" and unconventional-warfare missions, SEALs say they are often relegated to being VIP escorts in Iraq or to rescue missions, the defense analyst says. Making matters worse is that the Army has locked up most of the senior command.

The result is that hundreds of SEALs have not re-enlisted, while others have resigned their commissions, helping to reduce the SEAL population from about 3,000 to about 2,500, says the defense analyst, citing official Pentagon numbers. Asked to respond, SEALs spokesman Cmdr. Jeff Bender said: "We can't go into the nature of our missions. But I'm unaware of low morale, and I would have to look further into whether re-enlistments are down."

Many SEALs have left for higher-paying jobs--and sometimes better action--with private security firms with a heavy presence in Iraq. The Navy has offered a $150,000 bonus for senior officers who re-enlist for six years. But John Arquilla, who teaches at the Naval postgraduate program at Monterrey, California, says, "These men don't become SEALs for the money, and they don't stay SEALs for the money," he says. "They do what they do for the prospect of action." And these days, they're clearly not getting enough.

Russia: The Truth Be Told

As the sole survivor from the gang of terrorists who took hostage a school in Beslan last summer, 24-year-old Nurpashi Kulayev should be the most hated man in Russia. But since his trial began on May 16, public sentiment toward him has shifted dramatically. Bereaved parents of some of the 330 victims, who once threatened to tear him to pieces, now see Kulayev as their only hope of uncovering exactly what happened inside the school.

The reason for their change of heart: distrust of the government. The Kremlin never informed the public of the correct number of hostages, and many Russians doubt that a parliamentary investigation team--due to report its findings in September--will acknowledge any mistakes the government may have made in the rescue attempt. Enter Kulayev: "We need him to tell the truth," said Susanna Dudiyeva, whose son died in the siege.

Kulayev's testimony so far has been sensational. He has claimed that the explosion that set off the storming of the school occurred because a state sniper shot one of the gunmen who had his foot on a detonator. He also described how the government fired at the school from a tank. It's no wonder Kulayev's account--which contradicts the state's version--has transformed his image. Even some hostages see him in a new light. "Kulayev is a pawn," says Beslan survivor Regina Kusayeva. "Our government did nothing to save the hostages."

India: Cooler Heads Prevail

When armed terrorists tried to blast their way into a heavily guarded religious shrine claimed both by Hindus and Muslims in Ayodhya last week, India's Hindu opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seized on the opportunity to call for nationwide protests against Islamic terrorists they claim are backed by the Pakistani government. But just a day later, the BJP did an about-face, adopting a far softer tone. "Just as we must never associate Islam with terrorism, we should also refrain from linking every act of terrorism in India with the people and government of Pakistan," cautioned Sudheendra Kulkarni, a moderate BJP leader. The Pakistani government echoed the sentiment, and the situation in Ayodhya quickly returned to normal.

Such moderation is rare when it comes to India-Pakistan relations. But since the BJP lost power last year, it's been trying to moderate its anti-Muslim stance. Last month Advani even praised Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Pakistan's founding father. While that infuriated militant Hindu groups who have traditionally supplied cadres to the BJP--some extremist Hindu leaders even demanded that Advani be sacked--the comments sat well with the electorate. With an atmosphere of optimism in the country, thanks to a booming stock market and a stable government intent on pursuing a peace process with Pakistan, most Indians now realize that Hindu-Muslim flare-ups can do them no good. Clearly, the BJP leadership is coming to the same conclusion.

Philippines: Alone on the Archipelago

The "people power" demonstrations that have called for the resignation of Philippines President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo--under fire for alleged vote-rigging in last year's election--have been paltry. But a shift in elite sentiment could yet bring her down. Former allies in the business community, among civil-society organizations and in the Roman Catholic Church have all turned against Arroyo. "At the core of these concerns are the issues of leadership and credibility," declared her Finance secretary, Cesar Purisima, shortly after he and eight cabinet members and two bureau heads resigned in protest last week.

Arroyo seems to be placing her faith in a proposal floated by former president Fidel Ramos, who suggests convening a constitutional convention to change the Philippines from a presidential to a parliamentary system: that would allow Arroyo a graceful exit a few years before her term ends. Political uncertainty, however, is already crippling the Philippines economy: after the cabinet members announced their resignations, the peso fell to a low of 56 to the dollar. "We can't go on like this," says Lorenzo Lichauco, a Manila-based stockbroker. "The economy will go into a tailspin." That's news neither Arroyo nor her rivals want to hear.

U.S. Economy: Lay Off The Hype

Remember all the fearful talk about America's "jobless economy"? It's faded lately, but not with good reason. Though the U.S. economy continues to grow, the job market has yet to post a strong recovery. Some 146,000 jobs were created in June, but U.S. firms also announced 110,996 layoffs, the highest level since the start of 2004, according to a new report from Challenger, Gray and Christmas. Worse, June is typically not a bad month for firings. CEO John Challenger says the latest cutbacks reflect a series of "mega-layoff" announcements by firms like IBM and General Motors, and may foreshadow a downturn.

Employment has always recovered more slowly than the economy. But the number of new jobs created in June was only 25 percent above the number of layoffs, and the new jobs created since 2003 pale in comparison with the hiring that accompanied the ' 90s boom. Challenger says no new industry has emerged to drive job growth, as tech did then. Meanwhile increasing global competition is pressing bosses to lower headcount and payroll. That fallout from globalization is inexorable, which does not bode well for the future.

Avian Flu: Migration Migraine

Since the outbreak of a deadly strain of avian flu in late 2003, more than 140 million chickens and other fowl across Asia have been slaughtered and 54 people have died. Worse news may be on the way: last week, scientists in Hong Kong and China reported that the lethal virus can be transmitted by migratory birds, fueling fears of a human pandemic.

Since April, the highly pathogenic form of influenza has killed an estimated 5,000 geese and gulls around Lake Qinghai in western China. Because some of these birds migrate as far as Siberia and South Asia, experts fear the virus could put a large segment of the world's poultry population--a major human food source--at risk. Some worry the virus could even make its way to Europe.

This doesn't necessarily mean large numbers of humans will catch it, says William Schaffner, an infectious-disease specialist at Vanderbilt University. But the more the disease spreads, he says, the more likely it is to mutate and be transmitted to people. That's cause enough for concern.

Exhibits: Crazy for Kabuki

After Russian film director Sergei Eisenstein saw a performance of Japanese Kabuki theater in Moscow in 1928, he declared it "a grand, total provocation of the human brain." A new exhibit at London's British Museum, "Kabuki Heroes on the Osaka Stage, 1780-1830," shows why he was so captivated. Prints, paintings and books bring to life this vibrant form of theater, which once flourished in the Japanese cities of Osaka and Edo (now Tokyo).

The exhibit sets the stage with a huge woodblock depicting the interior of Nakamuro Theater in Edo, showing its distinctive, gable-roofed stage. Below, crowds fight rival fans and munch on vast platters of food. Intense conflicts also developed among star actors, and the highlights of the exhibit are colorful portraits of these performers which were circulated among fans.

The two cities embraced very different forms of Kabuki--Osaka opted for gentle, lifelike dramas while the Edo performances had a rougher, more flamboyant style. But both were renowned for their intense moments of high drama. Many plays featured cross-dressing sons, cheating wives and more plot twists than Shakespeare. And an actor could elicit cries of delight from the audience simply by holding a certain pose for an instant. The reaction from visitors to this new exhibit will likely be more muted, but just as appreciative.

Flossing: That's Way Too Many Mr. T's! (The Lie Is 'A.')

At your typical American college dorm, very little good is accomplished at 3 a.m. Will Pearson, Mangesh Hattikudur, Neely Harris and Lisako Koga at Duke University provided no exception. "We'd stay up late debating politics, religion or something more silly than that," Pearson says of the group's freshman year. Sounds inconsequential, but in 2001 they turned those late-night ponderings on life into Mental Floss, a tongue-in-cheek magazine stocked with smart trivia that pulls in some 32,000 subscribers.

Now comes "Mental Floss: The Trivia Game," which could be described as a 9 a.m. literature class meets a 1 a.m. campus social. The questions manage to be both cheeky and brainy--they're co-written with real live professors from Stanford, Vanderbilt and, naturally, Duke. (Sample question: "Which has more cell chromosomes, a human being or a potato?" Answer: your french fries are more complex than you think.) There's an even number of right-brain and left-brain queries, so an engineer won't have an advantage over an art historian. "I think we all look back on college and realize that there's a certain body of information we're supposed to know," says Pearson. "We want to revisit our classes." Or, at the very least, relive those enlightening 3 a.m. nights.

Star Power: Cruising Along

Maybe it's a back-lash against the backlash. Despite taking a beating in the press for his recent couch-jumping, psychiatry-slamming antics, Tom Cruise's movie and religion are doing just fine, thank you. "War of the Worlds" raked in $21.2 million its opening night, which is on a par with blockbusters "X-Men" and "The Incredibles." Cruise is getting blockbuster numbers for Scientology, too. First-time visitors to Scientology centers have more than doubled since this time last year, the church reports. Sales of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard's book "Dianetics" increased by more than 300 percent in June at Barnes & Noble stores. "Scientology" is one of the fastest-growing Web searches, according to Google and Lycos. "It's nice that he's talking," says Marc Cosentino, chaplain of the Church of Scientology of New York, who's seen an influx of curious visitors at his center. "People hear him on TV and want to know what we're all about." Getting info is fine. Just please stay off the furniture.