News & Reviews

Protesters against Seattle trade conference riot Seattle slew Save the whales, smash a Starbucks. Demonstrations against the World Trade Organization turned violent last week in downtown Seattle as rioters trashed the streets for hours, creating havoc, breaking glass, and spraying graffiti at a meeting of the organization. Police in riot gear fired red pepper spray in plastic pellets as protesters chained their bodies together to prevent officials' motorcades from getting through. Protesters shattered windows from NikeTown to The Gap to Santa's Village outside Nordstrom. While leftist groups denied any connection to the carnage that held up the 135-nation trade gathering, a city that was decked out for Christmas was turned into something resembling a war zone within a few hours. By Wednesday evening, Seattle police, along with 200 National Guard troops and 300 state police officers, had rounded up over 400 demonstrators, including 200 arrested in a city park just two blocks from President Clinton's hotel. Authorities imposed a night curfew and declared a state of emergency. Mr. Clinton, speaking to WTO delegates, condemned "the small number who were violent and who tried to prevent you from meeting," but said he was "glad the others showed up. They represent millions of people who are now asking questions" about the rules of world trade. But delegates snubbed Mr. Clinton's call for the WTO to tie labor and environmental regulations to trade. He received lukewarm applause from the 1,000-plus delegates at the end of his speech. Supachai Panitchpakdi, Thailand's commerce minister, later told reporters that such regulations could prompt trade ministers from developing countries "to walk away from any agreement on a new round" of trade talks. Baseball great wants back in sport A rose with thorns? Is Pete Rose headed back to baseball? Ten years after being banned from the game for allegedly betting on the Cincinnati Reds, the team he managed at the time, the 58-year-old's lawyer has a meeting scheduled with Major League Baseball's top lawyer, Bob DuPay. While Mr. Rose called the meeting a first step on the road to reinstatement, Mr. DuPay downplayed the meeting's importance. Mr. Dupay said baseball commissioner Bud Selig would not attend the meeting, and Mr. Selig has said many times that he knows of no new evidence to merit lifting the ban. Mr. Rose recently was one of 25 players elected to baseball's All-Century team. He won the largest standing ovation among the All-Century players introduced at the second game of the World Series. Mr. Rose said his lawyers would attack the evidence against him obtained by investigators 10 years ago. Idahoans rally around symbol Cross atheists Is a cross on private property unconstitutional? A former American Atheists spokesman is campaigning against a 60-foot cross that overlooks Boise, Idaho. The Idaho Jaycees built the cross on public land in 1956 and purchased the plot for $100 in 1972 to avoid church-state problems. Chicago talk-show host Rob Sherman wants to sue, claiming the deal was rigged and the First Amendment violated. About 10,000 people marched to the statehouse in protest of his efforts, with support from Lt. Gov. Butch Otter: "It is in private property that the roots of all freedom exist," he told the crowd. "You want to build a church, you want to start a religion, go get yourself a piece of private property." The No-Comment Zone