June 15, 2004

Chinese media and cultural community in Beijing are openly complaining about $300-million National Theater nearing completion near Tiananmen Square; photos; much-derided titanium and glass complex was designed by French architect Paul Andreu, subject of scrutiny since collapse of his terminal at de Gaulle Airport; government has still not lined up operating group as it remakes capital for 2008 Olympics, razing old neighborhoods and building new roads, subways and modern architectural monuments; local designers say projects by world's leading architects are overpriced, out of touch with Chinese history and inappropriate for poor country (M)

Article on recent rash of novels about author Henry James; Colm Toibin, author of The Master and David Lodge, whose book, Author, Author, is scheduled for publication in fall, comment on interest in James over last two years; Richard Howard, who has written poems about James, says interest is result of rise of James as literary figure and considerable amount of good biographical work on subject; photos (M)

Supreme Court, with eight justices voting, overturns California appeals court ruling against leaving 'under God' in Pledge of Allegiance, while keeping issue alive for possible resolution in future case; only Chief Justice William Rehnquist and Justices Sandra Day O'Connor and Clarence Thomas comment on merits of case, finding 50-year-old revised version with phrase to be constitutional; other five justices say plaintiff, Dr Michael A Newdow, lacked standing because his daughter's mother, Sandra Banning, has final say on child's education; she supports pledge as written; photos; Antonin Scalia recused himself after publicly criticizing California ruling (M)

American Psychological Association has decided to use term participants to describe people who volunteer for psychology experiments instead of calling them subjects; Dr Henry L Roediger II, Washington University, St Louis, psychology department chairman and founder of Sufferers of Participant Phobia, finds change in term, which generated 18 pages of language guidelines from association, subject for humorous editorial; photo (S)

Los Angeles Lakers prepare to face Detroit Pistons in Game 5 of NBA finals; photos (M)