ick Cheney, the GOP nominee for vice president, won an early retirement stock package worth $33.7 million from Halliburton Co., a Texas energy company where he served for five years as chief executive, according to figures released by the company yesterday. Under the terms of his retirement, Cheney would be barred from cashing as much as $6 million worth of his stock options for up to three years. As a result, Cheney could be serving as vice president while he receives huge sums from an oil services company with operations in the Middle East and other areas of political conflict around the globe. Cheney, who was Halliburton's chairman and chief executive officer, released a statement yesterday, saying, ''I will do whatever I need to do to avoid any conflict of interest.'' (Los Angeles Times)
Senator helped ease Caroline Kennedy's fears
LOS ANGELES - Shortly after addressing the Democatic National Convention, at a sumptuous party at cousin Maria Shriver's, Caroline Kennedy was just as calm and direct as she had been on stage, and a bit more relaxed.
Though she had been a bit uncertain when her speaking role was first proposed, she said, she put her faith in her uncle, Senator Edward M. Kennedy.
''Teddy told me I'd enjoy it before it was over,'' she said. About halfway through, when she noticed ''Caroline'' signs in the crowd, she said she knew he had been right. (Globe Staff)
Police puppet provides some unintended humor
By and large, the protesters filling Los Angeles streets this week are earnest. They hold up slogans, which seems mostly to annoy the delegates as they arrive and depart the Staples Center. Sometimes, however, an unexpected sense of humor comes through. Take, for instance, the giant street puppets.
There are the fanciful puppets. And then there is the ominous police puppet, a gigantic officer dressed in full riot gear, weapon at the ready. The puppet comes complete with siren, and at a demonstration yesterday against police it went off loudly during a speech.
''Oops, sorry, that was an accident,'' the person inside the puppet said, apparently through a bullhorn. The crowd, uncowed by this ''cop,'' just laughed. (Globe Staff)
Lieberman skips panel on media censorship
Senator Joseph I. Lieberman was supposed to show up, but some Hollywood biggies said it was his convention speech preparation, not his moral crusade against TV and movie violence, that kept him away from a Creative Coalition panel yesterday on the suddenly hot topic of media censorship. Representative Edward J. Markey of Malden did come to defend the television V-chip, the parental program blocker.
Actor William Baldwin, producer/director Sydney Pollack, actress Juliette Lewis, and talkmeister Montel Williams acknowledged the industry's excesses, but said it should police itself. Even Bill Bennett, who wrote ''Book of Virtues'' and with Lieberman confers annual ''Silver Sewer'' awards for offending programs, said he opposes government regulations, too.
''What this country needs is a good dose of Jewish guilt,'' said Bennett, suggesting that Lieberman's moral authority, not government censorship, should curb Hollywood's obsession with sex and violence. ''Maybe we should just feel bad about it.'' (Globe Staff)
