Milestones

HANNAH BEECHSENTENCED. NUON PAET, 52, former Khmer Rouge officer, to life imprisonment for the 1994 murders of three Western backpackers; in Phnom Penh. The verdict marked the first conviction of a senior Khmer Rouge cadre, stoking hopes that other former officials of the murderous regime will be brought to justice. But opposition leaders maintain that the ex-rebel commander was brought to trial only because the victims were foreigners and express little confidence that Cambodia's judicial system will bring top leaders to account for a reign of terror that claimed some 2 million Cambodian lives.ELECTED. OSCAR GOODMAN,59, unrepentant ex-Mafia defense lawyer, as mayor of gambling mecca Las Vegas, Nevada. Critics worry that the brash attorney, who played himself in Martin Scorsese's film Casino, will compromise efforts to portray America's fastest-growing metropolis as a family town.KILLED. FRANCISCO PACO STANLEY,57, wisecracking Mexican TV show host, in a brazen daylight slaying that jolted a nation inured to pervasive violence; in Mexico City. Crime has skyrocketed since the 1995 peso crisis, and ruling party members blame the capital's mayor, presidential hopeful Cuauhtemoc Cardenas, for failing to clean up the streets.SENTENCED. JONATHAN AITKEN,56, disgraced former British cabinet minister, to 18 months' imprisonment, for perjury and perverting the course of justice; at London's Old Bailey Court. While testifying during his doomed 1997 libel suit against the Guardian newspaper and Granada Television, the former Tory minister lied about who picked up a 1993 Paris hotel bill. The media alleged that a Saudi businessman covered the tab, which would constitute an ethics violation.CONVICTED. CHARLES SCHWARZ,33, New York city police officer, of pinning down a Haitian security guard while a colleague, who pleaded guilty last month, tortured him in a police station bathroom; at a New York federal court. Schwarz and fellow officer Justin Volpe could face life imprisonment for the 1997 attack, which polarized the immigrant-rich city and focused attention on police brutality against racial minorities. Three other officers were acquitted.APPOINTED. LOUISE ARBOUR,52, principled chief prosecutor of the United Nations war crimes tribunal, to the Supreme Court of Canada; by Prime Minister Jean Chrtien. A veteran judge on Ontario's court of appeal, Arbour has spent the past three years investigating alleged atrocities in the Balkans, making headlines last month when she indicted Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic for crimes against humanity.Better Late Than Never: California has earmarked $158.5 million for library purchases and weeding out old books. Here are titles to be retired in 1999:Rockets into Space (1959)
How would it feel to stand on the moon? In a few years men in spacesuits will walk on the moon.

The Wonder World of Ants (1937)
When I was a boy I wanted to go to Africa and see wild animals and the wild dark people as they live in nature.

Blondes Prefer Gentlemen, Brunettes Too-Redheads Included! (1949)
What kind of girl do you have in mind? ... someone who's a cross between June Allyson and Elizabeth Taylor ... a gal with a sharp sense of humor, neatly stacked ...

I'm Glad I'm a Boy! I'm Glad I'm a Girl! (1970)
Boys are doctors. Girls are nurses. Boys are presidents. Girls are first ladies. Boys fix things. Girls need things fixed.
California has earmarked $158.5 million for library purchases and weeding out old books. Here are titles to be retired in 1999:

Rockets into Space (1959)
How would it feel to stand on the moon? In a few years men in spacesuits will walk on the moon.

The Wonder World of Ants (1937)
When I was a boy I wanted to go to Africa and see wild animals and the wild dark people as they live in nature.

Blondes Prefer Gentlemen, Brunettes Too-Redheads Included! (1949)
What kind of girl do you have in mind? ... someone who's a cross between June Allyson and Elizabeth Taylor ... a gal with a sharp sense of humor, neatly stacked ...

I'm Glad I'm a Boy! I'm Glad I'm a Girl! (1970)
Boys are doctors. Girls are nurses. Boys are presidents. Girls are first ladies. Boys fix things. Girls need things fixed.The U.S. Congress is contemplating raising the President's salary from $200,000 to $400,000. One day the U.S. head of state may be able to buy his Singaporean counterpart a drink:

Singapore: $465,000
Japan: $375,735
Russia: $320,000
Taiwan: $303,000
Costa Rica: $250,000
Britain: $165,000
Australia: $80,000
Ukraine: $5,000