Magazine world view: Hot M&A'; Playboy cuts; Meredith cuts; Economist phones it in

• Media M & A heats up in first half (Folio:) 
• Playboy reduces headcount again (Folio:)
• Digital magazines don't encourage socializing (New York Times)
• Seventeen.com relaunches with social-network push (Mediaweek) 
• Conde Nast to launch newsstand-only special editions (Audience Development)
• Bloomberg BusinessWeek snags new circulation head from Hearst (Audience Development) 
• Cygnus folds weekly edition of Printing News; picks up custom contract (Audience Development)
• Why Google is good for journalism (eMedia Vitals)
• Meredith cuts rate bases at Ladies Home Journal, Traditional Home (Folio:)
• Stealing stories: are Time and Politico hypocrites on copyright? (DailyFinance)
• The Times they are a charging from today (July 2)  (Jon Slattery)
• Author Christopher Hitchens diagnosed with cancer (Guardian)
• People prefer print -- and not paying for news (Guardian)
• The Economist reports success of mobile phone mag sales (Press Gazette)
• Why' readability' is loved by readers but hated by publishers (Brand Republic)