These two incidents severely strained the relationship between the author and the magazine, and Thompson contributed far less to the publication in later years.

This means among other things, that the ties between the magazine and the Fellowship will be reinforced with the assurance of collaborative potency for the future.

Though there was still no explicit tie between the magazine and the NRA, their relationship was extremely close.

Mr. Aibel said that he had not told all of his reviewers about the financial arrangements between the magazine and the musicians.

"But just because there's a collaboration between the magazine and the advertiser is not enough to be deeply concerned about."

And there were already ties on the corporate level between the magazine and the network.

However, in July 2002, the contract between the magazine and MTR was terminated.

The article on the Web site said that the mistake had never been detected, despite continuing contact between the magazine and the lab.

"They cannot be wholly independent because of the relationship between the credit card company and the magazine."

Still, the mutually beneficial relationship between the Met and the magazine can seem as confusing as the old 17-issue publishing schedule.