Full Moon Fever
The State Department issued new security warnings for Americans
overseas. It cautioned that those participating in New Year's
festivities might be targeted by terrorists. Domestically, the FAA
buckled down on airport security, and the Border
Patrol increased staffing at all checkpoints. Two Algerians--one of whom was
carrying bomb-making materials--have been arrested in the last week while
trying to enter the United States illegally from Canada. The nervous spin:
There's no safe haven from millennial terrorists. The calm spin: Then we might
as well relax and hope for the best.
Floods and mudslides devastated Venezuela. More than 100,000
are homeless and 5,000 to 25,000 are feared dead in what most are calling the
worst natural disaster in the country's history. The Venezuelan press accused
President Hugo Chávez's government of being ill-prepared for the storm. The
Chávez administration countered that the press was "contributing to the anguish and confusion " by speculating
about the damage without firm figures. The only bright spots: 1) Reconstruction
will create hundreds of jobs; and 2) urban overpopulation will be
reduced as refugees are relocated to rural areas.
Wednesday's full moon appeared bigger, brighter, and longer-lasting
than any in the previous 133 years. The event resulted from the
rare
coincidence of three phenomena: 1) the moon was at its yearly closest
to Earth; 2) the Earth was near its closest to the sun; and 3) it was the
winter solstice--the longest night of the year. Astronomers estimated that the
moon appeared 7 percent to 14 percent larger than normal and 3 percent to 7
percent brighter. In Internet chat rooms, it was hyped as 1) a
once-in-a-lifetime event; and 2) yet another reason to view the millennium as
extraordinary. Astronomers demurred, comparing the visual effect to the
difference between a 100-watt and a 107-watt light bulb: "Statistically, it's a
neat thing, but visually it's a dud."
The Clinton administration announced stricter auto pollution
controls. The regulations will 1) make oil companies reduce the sulfur
in gasoline; and 2) require sport utility vehicles and small trucks to meet the
same emissions standards as cars. The measures, which will be phased in
beginning in 2004, are a compromise aimed at splitting the cost of emissions
reductions between automakers and refineries. Environmentalists' spin: This is
the biggest clean air victory since the phaseout of leaded gas.
Car and gas companies' spin: Consumers will pay for these changes at showrooms
and service stations. Environmentalists' counterspin: Great--the added costs
will reduce pollution even more.
The Vermont Supreme Court granted gays greater partnership
rights. The unanimous ruling held that "the state is constitutionally
required to extend to same-sex couples the common benefits and
protections that flow from marriage under Vermont law." The court left it to
the legislature to determine whether gay couples will get these rights through
marriage or domestic partnership. Opponents of gay rights called the decision a
"deeply disturbing" blow to the institution of marriage,
but they promised to limit its effects to Vermont. Gay rights activists deemed
it a triumph of "our common humanity" that paves the way for similar rights
nationally.
Russians elected a new parliament. Communists will retain the
largest number of seats in the lower house, but the Kremlin-backed Unity party
made large gains. Russian analysts said the results reflected popular support for the Chechen war, strong
leadership, and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Western observers worried that
the vote signaled an increase in Russian nationalism, but they drew hope from
the increasing routineness of elections .
John McCain and Bill Bradley made a joint appearance in New
Hampshire. They pledged support for campaign-finance reform and
promised to forgo unrestricted donations ("soft money") if they won their
respective nominations. The spins, in order of increasing cynicism: 1) McCain
and Bradley crossed a "partisan and ideological divide" for the sake of reform;
2) they strengthened each other's images "as political outsiders who
speak their minds and could shake up the system in Washington"; and 3) they
ganged up to take pot shots at the front-runners.
Israel and Syria agreed to continue peace talks. The
negotiations between Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Shara and Israeli Prime
Minister Ehud Barak were the highest-level talks ever. They did not address
substantive issues but did set a schedule for discussions next month aimed at ending their 50-year-old
disputes. Syria aims to win Israeli withdrawal from the Golan Heights, which it
lost in 1967. Israel wants official recognition from Syria and increased
security along its border. Optimists said 1) the talks so far have achieved
their goals, and 2) a successful accord could spread peace throughout the
Middle East. Pessimists countered that 1) setting a schedule wasn't much of an
achievement, and 2) both sides signaled little willingness to compromise. (See
"" for more on the talks.)
Peanuts cartoonist Charles Schulz is retiring. He is 77
and has colon cancer. He said he was leaving "to focus on my health and my
family without the worry of a daily deadline." The comic strip is nearly 50
years old and is carried by 2,600 newspapers in 75 countries. Fans attributed
Peanuts ' enduring popularity to its gentle humor, universal themes,
and sympathetic portrayal of the "little man." Cynics attributed it to the
strip's $1 billion merchandising juggernaut. Cartoonists lauded Schulz
as a pioneer.
Willie Brown was
re-elected as San Francisco's mayor. Brown, the city's first black mayor,
won 65 percent of the vote in a runoff election with fellow Democrat City
Supervisor Tom Ammiano. Ammiano, who would have been the city's first openly
gay mayor, forced the runoff after launching a write-in campaign just three
weeks before the November election. Ammiano ran on a platform of tenants'
rights and reduced gentrification. But Brown painted him as "an inexperienced
free spender." The gloomy liberal spin: Even in San Francisco, a true liberal
can't win. The rosy liberal spin: Only in San Francisco would Brown not be
considered a true liberal.
