Angel >> Edward Gorey Famous for his hilariously bleak poetry and pen-and-ink drawings, Gorey died last week at the age of 75. His most famous work was The Gashlycrumb Tinies, in which each letter of the alphabet has its own grisly tale: "A is for Amy who fell down the stairs. B is for Basil assaulted by bears." Because of the macabre nature of his work, it was often thought that he must be either "dead or English." In fact, he lived much of his life in New York and was, until last week, alive.

Insect >> U.S. Nuclear Policy America is pushing ahead with its plans to create a missile-defense shield, to serve as a defense against possible nuclear attacks. And recently the U.S. Senate rejected the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, while Russia has ratified this global accord to limit the development of new nuclear weapons. In the post Cold War era, the U.S. has the dubious distinction of leading the nuclear arms race.