Print edition for December 13, 2005

Letter: Our leaders could learn much from past: If he had studied the Vietnam War he would have noticed that patriotic people do not especially like to have foreign troops invade their country and tell them how to run it. Sure, Iraqis wanted to get rid of Saddam, but he was their sadistic dictator and it was their business to get rid of him, not the United States'.

CCSN program is tops: The Community College of Southern Nevada's accrediting agency recently ranked the college as the best in the country for promoting online automotive safety and environmental training.

What warrants a penalty of death?: A man charged with murder is facing the death penalty because of a previous conviction for second-degree arson.

Census answers puzzling: By Timothy Pratt; Something had been bugging Roberto Ramirez about a million-plus people across the nation who checked off certain boxes during the 2000 Census.

Entertainment scene shifts: The world of entertainment was a much different planet in Las Vegas when Cirque du Soleil debuted "Mystere" at Treasure Island in December 1993.

Editorial: A no-calorie, high-risk snack: "Infosnacking" has been dubbed the 2005 Word of the Year by Webster's New World College Dictionary, and it means "checking e-mail, Googling sports scores, shopping online and surfing the latest headlines" while at work.

Letter: Proposition 13 not root of Calif.'s woes: First, there was no lack of funds for the school system -- they were just wasted on an excess of administrators, unnecessary psychologists and psychiatrists, class-size reduction beyond our ability to pay, time and money wasted teaching political correctness, establishing a false sense of self-esteem, dumbing down the education goals, new revisionists' textbooks -- the list goes on and on.

Yucca work raising eyebrows: The chairman of the Nevada Board of Regents -- a Las Vegas attorney who was on Gov. Kenny Guinn's short list to replace former Attorney General Brian Sandoval -- may soon assist Lincoln County in efforts related to the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository.

Search is on for drugs to treat gambling addiction: By Liz Benston; For problem gamblers dealing with an addiction to slots or blackjack, help may soon come in the form of a pill.

Kruger: Rebels not in dire situation: UNLV basketball coach Lon Kruger knows more than a few fans of the program might be discouraged by the 2-5 team's current five-game losing streak, which included a just-concluded 0-4 road trip.

Flashpoint for Dec. 13, 2005: State Sen. Bob Beers on Monday filed his change to the Constitution that will dramatically change how government spends. This is a good thing. Oh, not the contents of the initiative, which is an artificial way to impose faux fiscal responsibility and turn legislators into automatons. No, it is good because it will force the elected jellyfish to either find spines or be labeled invertebrates. For too long, politicians of both parties have tried to have it both ways -- spend freely but claim to be fiscal conservatives. Now they can no longer escape and it is time for them ...

Editorial: Fairer way to nominate a president: Many states say it's unfair that Iowa and New Hampshire always get to go first. Because of the current system, the candidates virtually live in Iowa and New Hampshire in the months leading up to the elections -- pretty much ignoring the rest of the nation. Second, Iowa and New Hampshire are overwhelmingly white and don't reflect the nation's ethnic diversity, let alone that of the Democratic Party.

Binion witness to go on trial: David Kihara; A local businessman who testified in the Ted Binion murder trial in 2000 is now facing legal woes of his own.

Editorial: Climate change treaty in a fog: The Bush administration's chief negotiator, Harlan L. Watson, walked out of the discussions on Friday as other delegates criticized the United States for refusing to advance the goals of the United Nations' 1992 climate change treaty and its 1997 addendum, the Kyoto Protocol.

Columnist Jeff German: How the LVCVA is still paying the price over slogan: Fallout from the botched "What happens here, stays here" slogan deal never seems to end.

Letter: Hills are alive -- with sound of construction: The beauty of the desert lies in the hills. The hills that surround our valley are ever changing with dancing shadows. The view changes with every glance, from deep grays and purples to intense gold that bids the sun good night.

Rocking to bilingual radio: By Timothy Pratt; "Ninguna como tu ... that's what makes me love you."

Officer adds to list of firsts: By Brian Wargo; Twenty-two years after she became Henderson's first female police officer, Jutta Chambers tonight will become one of the highest-ranking female police officers in Nevada when she is sworn in as deputy chief.

Columnist John Katsilometes: The latest outreach efforts at the Sand Dollar Blues Lounge: Sunday morning is the time to be at the Sand Dollar Blues Lounge -- if you have no desire to experience the blaring rhythms of Scott Rhiner and Moanin' Black Snakes, or don't want to stumble onto a sticky dance floor populated with beer-swilling blues revelers.

'A world away for a day': While Las Vegas goes after tourists from around the world, Boulder City is launching a marketing campaign intended to lure Southern Nevada residents.