SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2001

A Cultural Stalemate
The nomination of rap star Eminem for four Grammys exposes the contradictions within both liberalism and conservatism. Can they be resolved?, WASHINGTON

ENERGY CRISIS
California: The State That Everybody Loves to Punish
By SUSAN F. RASKY
      BERKELEY -- They are dancing on our ruins again. They being the major East Coast news organizations and trend watchers who breathlessly chronicle our trials by fire, flood, drought, earthquake and assorted man-made calamities.

ISRAEL
Sharon, the Dream Killer
By YOSSI MELMAN
      TEL AVIV -- The bustle on Sheinkin Street is typical. Young customers who fancy new clothes and electronic gadgets browse in its fashionable shops and boutiques. Others sit around tables in cafes and restaurants enjoying the winter sun.

HEALTH
FDA Fails to Give Olestra Fair Weight
By HENRY MILLER
      STANFORD -- The sad truth is that we are a bunch of fatsos, and getting fatter.

DRUGS
Fighting a War Armed With Baby-Boomer Myths
By MIKE MALES
      SANTA CRUZ, CALIF. -- Remarks by retiring drug czar Barry McCaffrey and accolades for the Steven Soderbergh film "Traffic" by drug-policy reform groups frame a vigorous drug-war debate--circa 1970.

IRELAND
Influx of Immigrants Leads to a Sharp Rise in Irish Racism
By KEVIN DONEGAN
      BERKELEY -- An Irish welcome isn't what it used to be. The country that for more than 150 years sent its people abroad in search of a job or a new life is denying those same aspirations to its newest and most vulnerable residents.

ASIA
China, Taiwan Move 95 Miles Closer to Political Cooperation
By ROBERT MANNING
      WASHINGTON -- Last Friday, 10 Taiwanese business leaders sailed from the Taiwan-controlled islet of Kinmen to Xiamen on the Chinese mainland.

LOS ANGELES TIMES INTERVIEW
LEE BOLLINGER
By KENNETH R. WEISS
      In the years since the University of California abolished affirmative action in 1995--and California voters expanded the ban statewide by passing Proposition 209 a year later--the focus of the national debate on the issue has shifted elsewhere.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Noisy Classrooms
      It should be illegal to have classrooms so close to a freeway (much less an interchange). I'm sure the noise is bad enough--stressful and distracting. But breathing all that exhaust must be damaging as well.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR
CIA in Academia
      "Academics and Spies: The Silence That Roars," by David N. Gibbs (Opinion, Jan. 28), reveals an otherworldliness uncommon even by contemporary academic standards.

EDITORIAL
Power: a Start on Long Path
      The state Legislature's actions in the past week should mark a watershed in California's power crisis--a point at which the state is beginning to gain control over the situation.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Childhood Vaccines
      Eric L. Hurwitz's Jan. 30 commentary on vaccinations was well-titled ("Parents Should Know Both the Benefits and Risks of Vaccinations") but quickly lost focus.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Prayer
      Given what President Bush is doing to the separation of church and state, a prayer is about all our Constitution is going to have left. GARY GARSHFIELD Irvine Search the archives of the Los Angeles Times for similar stories.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Los Angeles' War on Graffiti
      Your Jan. 29 editorial endorsing a revival of the war against graffiti could not be more timely. This very week I had planned to request our homeowners association (Franklin Hills) to take an active role against graffiti.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Philanthropy
      Re "Teaching How to Give Stirs Doubts in Business Schools," Jan.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Alaska Oil Drilling
      How shortsighted are President Bush and his Interior secretary, Gale Norton? They want to destroy a protected habitat for one year's worth of oil. In one year we will be forced to come up with a long-term solution.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Donations and Policy
      It is sad to think that the points Arianna Huffington (Commentary, Jan. 28) makes need to be made, or that it is a surprise to anyone.

LOS ANGELES METRO
Probe, and Preserve, Angels Flight
      In the case of the tragic crash on the Angels Flight funicular railway Thursday, it will take a while for a 21st century investigation to fully understand what went wrong with the line's 19th century-style technology.

EDITORIAL
An Intolerable State
      The United States, the world's richest and most powerful nation, is burdened with a foreign policy apparatus ill-organized to deal with post-Cold War realities.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Mayor Gives Raises to Top Managers
      Re "Riordan OKs Hefty Raises for Top Officials," Jan.

COMMENTARY
Blaming Television and Movies Is Easy and Wrong
By KAREN STERNHEIMER
      Conclusions in the recent surgeon general's report linking violence with the media are dangerously misleading. It is only fitting in the electronic age that we continually turn to popular culture to explain our social problems.

COMMENTARY
Banning Breeds Won't Prevent Killer Dogs
By MATTHEW MARGOLIS
      So you think we should ban a breed of dog because one of its kind maimed or killed someone? Then let's ban all 400-plus breeds, because aggression is not breed specific.

COMMENTARY
Pentecostal Roots Can Guide Ashcroft Well
By DONALD E. MILLER
      The Senate approval of John Ashcroft as attorney general signals an important shift in the religious demography of the United States.

COMMENTARY
Internal Strife Menaces Mexico's Agenda
By F. ANDY MESSING JR. AND, LEONARDO HERNANDEZ
      The latest political changes in Mexico have brought hope to many Mexicans that their country is moving away from corruption and toward a cleaner democratic system.

THE STATE
Internet Pioneers, There's Gold in California's Old Economy
By PETER L. BERNSTEIN AND, PETER J. DOUGHERTY
      PRINCETON, N.J. -- At its zenith, the great dot-com bubble was frequently compared to a gold rush. Now that the bubble is burst, dreams of instant Internet riches have vanished, much like those of the gold frenzies of the past.