The Chicago Tribune
Alito Defended Officials From Wiretap Suits
By DONNA CASSATA
Associated Press Writer
Published December 23, 2005, 3:58 PM CST
WASHINGTON -- Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito defended the right of government officials to order domestic wiretaps for national security when he worked at the Reagan Justice Department, an echo of President Bush's rationale for spying on U.S. residents in the war on terror.
Then an assistant to the solicitor general, Alito wrote a 1984 memo that provided insights on his views of government powers and legal recourse -- seen now through the prism of Bush's actions -- as well as clues to the judge's understanding of how the Supreme Court operates.
The National Archives released the memo and scores of other documents related to Alito on Friday; the Associated Press had requested the material under the Freedom of Information Act. The memo comes as Bush is under fire for secretly ordering domestic spying of suspected terrorists without a warrant.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., said Monday he would ask Alito about the president's authority at confirmation hearings beginning Jan. 9. The memo's release Friday prompted committee Democrats to signal that they will press the conservative jurist about executive powers.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-alito,1,7704748.story?coll=chi-news-hed
Italian Judge Issues Warrants in Abduction
By AIDAN LEWIS
Associated Press Writer
Published December 23, 2005, 3:38 PM CST
ROME -- An Italian judge has issued European arrest warrants for 22 purported CIA operatives wanted for the alleged kidnapping of an Egyptian cleric, a prosecutor said Friday.
Prosecutor Armando Spataro said the warrants allowed for the arrest of the suspects in any of the 25 European Union member countries. Italy issued warrants for the arrest of the 22 suspects within its own borders earlier this month.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-italy-cia,1,7472584.story?coll=chi-news-hed
Tracks give archeologists foot in door to 18,000 B.C.
Discovery of aboriginal runner's dash and children's wanderings, pressed in ancient Australian mud, are called `the nearest we've got to prehistoric film'
By Rod McGuirk
Associated Press
Published December 23, 2005
CANBERRA, Australia -- Children meandered around their parents' ankles. A man, likely a hunter, dashed through the mud. Somebody dragged a dead animal along the shores of a lake.
Now the footprints they left some 20,000 years ago are giving a fresh perspective on the lives of Australian aborigines.
Since an aboriginal park ranger stumbled upon the first print in 2003 in Mungo National Park, 500 miles west of Sydney, archeologists helped by local aborigines have excavated 457 other prints from the region's shifting sands.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/technology/chi-0512230200dec23,1,1407033.story?coll=chi-news-hed
Eavesdropping on readers
Published December 23, 2005
How dangerous.
--John Osbolt
Elmhurst
President Bush's surveillance program violates the law and the basic principles of our country. The law provided him with a way to do necessary surveillance and he simply ignored it. If we accept his argument that the program is an inherent part of his powers as commander in chief, then he can do virtually anything without consulting any other branch of government. Some of his supporters may believe that he would not go too far, because they trust him, but this violates the basic principle that we are a country of laws and not of men. Would those supporters have trusted Bill Clinton or Richard Nixon with such powers?
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0512230219dec23,0,6895977.story?page=2&coll=chi-newsopinioncommentary-hed
China Daily
Japan FM's 'China threat' remarks criticized
By Qin Jize (China Daily)
Updated: 2005-12-23 06:15
China yesterday criticized Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso for making "extremely irresponsible" remarks about the so-called China threat.
"As a foreign minister, to incite such groundless rhetoric about China is extremely irresponsible. What is the purpose?" asked Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang at a regular press conference.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-12/23/content_505846.htm
222 people punished for coal mine accidents
(Xinhua/chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2005-12-23 16:27
A total of 222 people were punished after being held responsible for six catastrophic coal mine accidents that occurred across China since November last year, the government announced in Beijing on Friday.
The central government investigation into and handling of the six major accidents. It said that 126 officials, including two vice provincial governors, received disciplinary penalties within the Party or the government, while 40 others were stripped of their administrative posts.
The State Council, China's cabinet, has decided to "record a demerit" for Gong Deshun, former vice governor of the northwestern Shaanxi Province, for his responsibility for a coal mine gas explosion on November 28, 2004 which killed 166 miners.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-12/23/content_506125.htm
Evolution tops 2005's scientific breakthrough
(Reuters)
Updated: 2005-12-23 16:05
Two days after a U.S. judge struck down the teaching of intelligent design theory in a Pennsylvania public school, the journal Science on Thursday proclaimed evolution the breakthrough of 2005.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-12/23/content_506121.htm
China and OPEC start energy dialogue
(AFP)
Updated: 2005-12-23 07:49
China and the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries ( OPEC) started an energy dialogue aimed at ensuring a steady supply for one of the fastest growing economies, officials said.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-12/23/content_505871.htm
New York's 3-day transit strike ends
(AP)
Updated: 2005-12-23 08:32
Faced with mounting fines and the rising wrath of millions of commuters, the city transit union sent its members back to work without a new contract Thursday and ended a crippling, three-day strike that brought subways and buses to a standstill.
Union members were told to return to their jobs starting with the evening shift. Buses were expected to be rolling again by evening. And most subways were expected to be running by the Friday morning rush, just two days before Christmas.
"I'm ecstatic that it's over, but I'm still really mad that they did it," said Jessica Cunningham, 21, who was in town for the holiday. "I really think it's screwed up that they decided to strike the week before Christmas."
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-12/23/content_505932.htm
Microsoft, Google settle over employee
(AP)
Updated: 2005-12-23 15:18
Microsoft Corp. said late Thursday it had reached a settlement with rival Google Inc. and former employee Kai-Fu Lee, ending a legal battle that had exposed behind-the-scenes rancor between the companies.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-12/23/content_506107.htm
Reactions over campus sex education BBS polarized
By Echo Shan (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2005-12-23 15:49
Li Feng, a sophomore at a Hebei university, used to feel sick over misguided fear of having contracted STDs (sexually transmitted diseases) despite not having any intimacy with his lover.
However, after consulting the campus BBS (bulletin board system) "Eden," a site themed on sex education, the man in his early twenties has dismissed any disease phobia.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-12/23/content_506114.htm
Beijing Olympics tickets to go on sale in early 2007
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2005-12-23 13:44
BEIJING, December 23 (Xinhua) -- Tickets for the 2008 Beijing summer Olympics will go on sale in early 2007, and the those for the Games' opening ceremony and the finals of some hot events will be more expensive, according to the organizing committee of Beijing Olympic Games on Friday.
"We will not unveil the tickets sales scheme until early next year," said Liu Jingmin, vice mayor of Beijing and vice executive president of the Games' organizing committee.
"Except for those reserved for the Olympic family, most of the tickets will be sold on the market. Foreign spectators in 202 countries and regions worldwide can buy the tickets via their own Olympic committees," said Liu.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-12/23/content_506093.htm
Asia celebrates Christmas with a twist
Chef Max Huber, executive chef of a hotel, makes a chocolate Christmas tree at a hotel in Bangkok.
Few Asians are Christian but people across the vast continent are embracing the holiday as a great excuse for shopping, partying and even romance.
Come December, Christmas lights brighten shopping streets in cities from Beijing to Colombo, while images of Santa Claus and Rudolph adorn office buildings, shops and restaurants.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-12/23/content_506061.htm
Christmas Eve spells romance
Christmas Eve in some parts of the world may find parents battling crowds of other last-minute shoppers or struggling to assemble toys as their children sleep, but in Japan the holiday is as much for couples as for kids.
Magazines aimed at the young and in love are filled with advice on the best places to stroll down streets illuminated with stunning displays of Christmas lights, the best restaurants for a cosy dinner for two -- and the best hotels for a romantic night.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-12/21/content_505272.htm
San Francisco Chronicle
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
Los Alamos lab chief leaves no doubt who's in charge
5 workers exposed to deadly plutonium in accident this week
The new director of the Los Alamos National Laboratory cleared up one question Thursday about who will be in charge of ensuring the troubled weapons lab is run efficiently and problem-free under a new management team led by the University of California and Bechtel.
"I'll be responsible ... absolutely," said Michael Anastasio, brushing aside concerns about the lines of authority under management that will take effect June 1.
The challenge that he faces in reforming the weapons lab was dramatized by revelations that surfaced Thursday of another lab accident in which five lab workers were exposed to deadly plutonium used in nuclear bombs. They have been under medical observation since Monday's accident, which is under investigation, said lab official Kevin Roark.
Anastasio, who is departing as chief of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to take over Los Alamos in mid-2006, said he had been unaware of the accident and declined further comment. Since management of the lab by the new UC-Bechtel Corp. consortium will not begin until June, it cannot be held responsible for what happened, he said.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/12/23/BAGB7GC5SF56.DTL
Los Alamos in the right hands
Friday, December 23, 2005
AWARDING A NEW contract to the University of California for management of the Los Alamos National Laboratory is good for the nation -- as much as it upholds California's long-standing scientific renown.
Keeping UC in charge of the nuclear weapons program it helped inaugurate more than six decades ago serves to recognize the university's unique credentials in a field vital to national security. The decision by the U.S. Department of Energy capped a competitive-bidding process in which UC was teamed with the Bechtel Corp. and a pair of other partners to win out over a bid submitted by Lockheed Martin Corp., the biggest arms-maker, and the University of Texas.
UC's history-making management of the New Mexico nuclear complex goes back to World War II and Berkeley scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer's "Manhattan Project" to build the first atomic bombs.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/12/23/EDGU6GBNVD1.DTL
Plight of stolen baby penguin raises global concern
London -- Police ran down leads and the Royal Navy was on alert Thursday in the search for Toga, an 18-inch-tall baby penguin stolen from an Isle of Wight zoo last weekend, creating a national soap opera rivaling Elton John's same-sex wedding for media coverage.
"We're all a bit ragged here, to say the least," said Kath Bright, manager of Amazon World Zoo Park, which has received nearly $13,000 in donations -- including $600 from the United States -- to offer as a reward for the safe return of the 9-pound South African jackass penguin.
The theft has been covered exhaustively in the British media -- and television stations as far away as Australia. Sky News, which had a grim-faced reporter live at Amazon World, showed photos of Toga throughout the day and urged anyone with information to call in.
"No questions asked," an anchor said. "We just want to get Toga back to his mum and dad."
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/12/23/MNGFCGCBMO1.DTL
Alito Argued to Overturn Roe in 1985 Memo
By DONNA CASSATA, Associated Press Writer
Friday, December 23, 2005
(12-23) 07:42 PST WASHINGTON, (AP) --
Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito wrote in a June 1985 memo that the ruling that legalized abortion should be overturned, a position certain to spur tough questioning at January's confirmation hearings.
In a recommendation to the solicitor general on filing a friend-of-court brief, Alito said the government "should make clear that we disagree with Roe v. Wade and would welcome the opportunity to brief the issue of whether, and if so to what extent, that decision should be overruled."
The June 3, 1985 document was one of 45 released by the National Archives on Friday. A total of 744 pages were made public.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2005/12/23/national/w065142S13.DTL
C H A P T E R F O U R T E E N : :
Friday, December 23, 2005
In March, Alicia Parlette, a 23-year-old Chronicle copy editor, learned she has a rare cancer spreading from a tumor on her hip. While she waits to see if treatment with the drug interferon is successful, she struggles with her fears and tries to carry on a normal life.
For the past five months, I have had problems with my weight.
http://www.sfgate.com/alicia/
FILM REVIEWS
A hunt for terrorists -- without heroes or evildoers. 'Munich' is an amoral look at men on a deadly mission.
Munich: Drama. Starring Eric Bana, Daniel Craig and Ciaran Hinds. Directed by Steven Spielberg. (R. 167 minutes. At Bay Area theaters.)
Steven Spielberg's "Munich" is an unlovable movie. It's morally ambiguous, which means there's no real rooting interest. It's episodic, with the same kinds of episodes repeated over and over, so there's little sense of forward motion. It feels philosophically and politically confused, so there's no message to take from it, and it doesn't have a single movie star in the cast, unless you count Eric Bana.
Yet everything that keeps it from being lovable could be looked upon as a virtue, and everything about it is intentional. Moreover, the episodes, in and of themselves, are compelling, and though the movie runs 167 minutes, it never drags. It ends precisely as it should end, with an extended shot that says more with one image than ever could have been said with dialogue.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/12/23/DDGSFGBKCI1.DTL
Cold truth on the Arctic
Friday, December 23, 2005
FOR THE moment, at least, the U.S. Senate got the message -- the American people want to keep the 1.5-million acre Arctic National Wildlife Refuge off limits to oil drilling. That was the case in 1980, when Congress passed a law making sure it had the final say on any move to drill in an area regarded as "America's Serengeti,'' and it remains so today.
Not that the oil industry and its friends on Capitol Hill will stop trying. The past quarter century has been marked by fierce battles over whether to open the Arctic wilderness to drilling. Usually unspoken, the specter of campaign donations and retribution often loomed over the debate.
Even so, the bare-knuckled tactics this week of Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, set a new low for shameful maneuvering on this issue. Stevens thought he held the ultimate hole card by tucking approval for Arctic drilling into a defense-spending measure. He effectively dared pro-environment senators to swallow the amendment or vote against a must-pass funding package of support for our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Chair of the powerful Appropriations defense subcommittee, Stevens openly reminded his colleagues of past favors, and darkly suggested that his memory would be long for those who defied him on this vote.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/12/23/EDGU6GBNVF1.DTL
South Africa fallout from gay marriage ruling relatively light
Stephanie Hanes
Sunday, December 18, 2005
Johannesburg -- Marie Fourie sounded almost giddy as she recalled the moment earlier this month when South Africa's highest court ruled that gay couples have the right to marry.
"It was a great day for me," the 54-year-old said. "After four years of fighting, it was sweet victory."
Although she and Cecelia Bonthuys, her partner of almost 12 years, were always optimistic that their court case would succeed, Fourie said they were still relieved when they heard the decision. And now they can't wait to have a party for their lawyers, friends, and all the people who supported them.
This, of course, is the feel-good part of the script.
In San Francisco and Massachusetts, Spain and Britain, wherever there has been a political or legal decision in support of gay rights, at first there are always the happy couples, laughing, crying, kissing, talking about relief and vindication.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/12/18/INGOAG7JFS1.DTL
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