News & Reviews

Clinton apologizes in Greece Saying sorry President Clinton wound up a 10-day, six-nation European tour. In Greece, the president apologized for U.S. complicity in a 1967 military coup that led to a military crackdown in the birthplace of democracy. He said the United States had an "obligation to support democracy" rather than protect its Cold War interests by supporting Greece's harsh military junta. His remarks coincided with long-standing street demonstrations which mark the anniversary of the coup and include denunciation of the United States. "When the junta took over in 1967 here," Clinton said, "the United States allowed its interests in prosecuting the Cold War to prevail over its interest, I should say its obligation, to support democracy, which was, after all, the cause for which we fought the Cold War. It is important that we acknowledge that." Anti-American protests during Mr. Clinton's visit yielded a night of mayhem in central Athens. Hooded rioters among a crowd of 10,000 evening demonstrators set fires and smashed storefronts and banks. The protest was not about past U.S. policy, however. It was aimed against U.S. policy in Kosovo, Bosnia, and the American-led bombing of Yugoslavia, a traditional Orthodox Christian ally of Greece. IRS agent becomes a TV millionaire Taking it from someone else Internal Revenue Service agent John Carpenter may be ditching his day job; he's found a more lucrative way to collect large sums of other people's money. Shrugging off boos from the audience, the 31-year-old tax collector raked in the largest game-show prize in history last week-$1 million-from ABC's Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? An English-imported, dumbed-down version of Jeopardy, the show is making other millionaires. The show put ABC at the top of the ratings race with more than 20 million viewers per episode. museum director uses discretion, shuts down shock art 'Responsibility to the public' The Detroit Institute of Arts was all set to show an exhibit of pseudo-art, such as a work called "Bathtub Jesus" that featured a doll wearing a condom. Then the new museum director, Graham Beal, stepped in and shut it down. Whether it will ever open isn't known. DIA spokeswoman Annmarie Erickson told the Detroit News: "The museum has a responsibility to the artist and an even greater responsibility to the public." NHL'S Gretzky honored One more honor for a crowded trophy case Wayne Gretzky entered the National Hockey League Hall of Fame with his usual humility, crediting his teammates and a passion that drove him always to want more from himself. "I felt like I'd never done enough. If I had three goals, I wanted five goals. If I had seven points, I wanted to get the eighth point," he said. The 38-year-old holder of 61 NHL records set almost every conceivable scoring record, won every major NHL award multiple times, and led four Stanley Cup championship teams. The No-Comment Zone