TIME: Almanac 1995

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<text id=94TT0099> <title> Jan. 31, 1994: Chronicles:The Week </title> <history> TIME--The Weekly Newsmagazine--1994 Jan. 31, 1994 California:State of Shock </history> <article> <source>Time Magazine</source> <hdr> CHRONICLES, Page 19 THE WEEK:JANUARY 16-22 </hdr> <body> NATION Another L.A. Disaster A major earthquake measuring 6.6 on the Richter scale struck near Los Angeles, killing 55 people and causing an estimated $15 billion to $30 billion in damage. The quake's epicenter was in a community northwest of L.A. in the densely populated San Fernando Valley. Across the city and its suburbs, houses collapsed, streets buckled and gas and water mains ruptured. Overpasses of three heavily traveled freeways fell in; repairing them may take a year or longer. More than 1,000 aftershocks occurred, and at week's end 20,000 displaced residents were sleeping in parks and on the streets for fear of re-entering their damaged homes. President Clinton visited the area and promised immediate aid, including $41 million to repair highways and $200 million for housing. Inman Out--Way Out In a news conference widely regarded as "bizarre," Bobby Ray Inman withdrew as Clinton's nominee for Secretary of Defense. The retired admiral and former deputy director of the cia insisted in a disjointed monologue that his decision was prompted by attacks on him in the media and a belief that Republicans had plotted his character assassination. At week's end Deputy Defense Secretary William Perry, 66, appeared to be at the top of a short list of possible nominees that the President was studying. Special Counsel Begins Work Attorney General Janet Reno named Wall Street lawyer Robert Fiske, a Republican, to be special counsel in charge of investigating President Clinton's involvement with the Whitewater Development Corp. and the Madison Guaranty Savings & Loan while he was Governor of Arkansas. Fiske, 63, is a former U.S. Attorney who served in the Ford and Carter Administrations. He said that he would not use Justice Department prosecutors in the probe and that he expects to question the President and Hillary Rodham Clinton under oath. Special Prosecutor Ends Work Special prosecutor Lawrence Walsh submitted the final report on his seven-year, $40 million inquiry into the Iran-contra affair. While Walsh's report states that neither President Reagan nor Vice President Bush committed crimes, it does say that Reagan "set the stage for criminal activities by others" and that Bush was fully involved in the affair despite his public comments to the contrary. Tonya Harding Questioned The circle of intrigue tightened around figure skater Tonya Harding last week as her ex-husband Jeff Gillooly was arrested and charged with assault in the Jan. 6 attack on Harding's rival, Nancy Kerrigan. Meanwhile, Harding's bodyguard, Shawn Eckardt, implicated her in the attack in an affidavit released by police and in an interview on ABC's PrimeTime Live. Harding, who was questioned by the fbi for nearly 11 hours, maintains her innocence and has not been charged. A Disaster L.A. Was Spared A frigid mass of arctic air gripped the nation's Midwestern and Eastern states, where a number of cities recorded their coldest days ever. The cold is blamed for the death of at least 130 people. A Woman at the Citadel As a result of a ruling from Supreme Court Justice William Rehnquist, Shannon Faulkner became the first woman to attend day classes at the Citadel, the all-male military college in South Carolina. Rehnquist's ruling allows Faulkner to study without cadet ranking while her sex-discrimination lawsuit against the school is pending. Children Under Siege The Children's Defense Fund called for a "cease-fire" last week in the gun violence it says kills one child every two hours or "one classroomful every two days." The group released its 1994 State of America's Children report, which says murder is now the third leading cause of death among children ages 5 to 14, following accidents and cancer. Mrs. Bobbitt Acquitted A Manassas, Virginia, jury found Lorena Bobbitt not guilty by reason of insanity of malicious wounding, concluding that she was so mentally impaired that she could not resist the impulse to sever her husband John Bobbitt's penis. Mrs. Bobbitt was committed to a mental hospital for at least 45 days for observation. WORLD Russian Reformers Out President Boris Yeltsin and Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin announced a new, conservative Cabinet that is expected to reverse or slow down many of the reforms designed to create a market economy in Russia. The country's most prominent advocate of free markets, Economics Minister Yegor Gaidar, had previously resigned, charging that the government was not committed to economic reform. After the Cabinet announcement, Gaidar's reformist comrade-in-arms, Boris Fyodorov, quit his post as Finance Minister and said the country's economic policy was taking a "turn back." Said Chernomyrdin: "The period of market romanticism has ended." Syrians, Israelis to Talk Peace Syrian President Hafez Assad, meeting with President Clinton in Geneva, said his country seeks "normal, peaceful" relations with Israel--under certain conditions. Among them is the complete return of the Golan Heights, which Israel captured in 1967. Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin said that before a substantial Israeli withdrawal from the Golan Heights could be considered, his government would hold a national referendum on the subject. Israel plans to resume peace talks with Syria this week in Washington. Serbs, Croats Sign Accord The foreign ministers of Croatia and the Serbian-led rump state of Yugoslavia signed an agreement in Geneva to improve their relations and to open diplomatic offices in each other's capital beginning Feb. 15. Diplomats feared that the separate Serb-Croat agreement could be a precursor to overt military cooperation against Bosnia. To Strike or Not to Strike? Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali told the U.N. Security Council that without a substantial new ground presence there would be little point to using air strikes against Bosnian Serbs, as threatened by NATO leaders at their summit meeting in Brussels earlier this month. U.N. officials advised Boutros-Ghali that air strikes would endanger U.N. peacekeepers and humanitarian-aid workers. Overture to Mexican Rebels Mexican President Carlos Salinas called a special session of Congress to offer full amnesty to the Zapatista National Liberation Army, which stunned the country with its New Year's Day rebellion in the southern province of Chiapas that killed at least 107 people. No Political Cleanup in Japan Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa lost a battle to reform Japan's notoriously corrupt political system when the upper house of parliament rejected his legislative package by a vote of 130 to 118. Hosokawa had staked his five-month-old administration on the reforms, which would have eliminated corporate contributions to individual political campaigns, provided public funds to political parties, and redrawn election districts throughout the country. Despite the defeat, Hosokawa vowed to try to revive the reforms this week. BUSINESS Improving Economy The Federal Reserve reported that, except for Southern California, the economy is improving almost everywhere around the nation, spurred on by strong consumer spending, manufacturing activity and home construction. The puzzlingly slack employment demand continued, however: the Labor Department reported that initial jobless claims increased to 380,000 for the week ending Jan. 15, the highest level in six months. Bentsen in Asia On a trip to Asia, Treasury Secretary Lloyd Bentsen told Chinese leaders that the U.S. will not renew Beijing's most-favored-nation trading status if the government does not significantly improve its human-rights record. In turn, the Chinese told Bentsen they would let U.S. officials inspect five prisons suspected of producing goods for sale to the U.S., which forbids the importation of products made by prison labor. China will also allow U.S. and other foreign banks to enter some cities that are now closed, and to receive yuan deposits. Just before Bentsen arrived in China, U.S. and Chinese negotiators reached an accord on new quotas for Chinese textiles. A U.S.-Japan Deal Japan announced a plan, acceptable to the U.S, that would open up bidding on major Japanese public works projects to all qualified construction bidders, including foreign ones. Paramount Flip-Flops In yet another about-face, the board of Paramount Communications urged shareholders to accept a revised merger bid from Viacom, its preferred suitor, spurning a hostile offer from QVC Network, which the board had previously approved--twice. The new, complicated proposal increases the cash portion of Viacom's bid and offers some protection against a decline in the value of the stock portion. Analysts value both the QVC and Viacom bids at about $10 billion. qvc can now come back with its own new bid. A person close to the Paramount board told Time that QVC chairman Barry Diller is "short on cash and synergy." Time Warner Poison Pill Time Warner, the world's largest media conglomerate and the owner of TIME magazine, adopted an anti-takeover plan, known as a poison pill, that would block a creeping takeover of the company. In such a takeover, the acquiring party gains effective control of a company without the board's consent and without purchasing a majority of the company's shares. Under its plan, Time Warner will flood the market with new, diluting shares if anyone attempts to acquire more than 15% of its stock. Seagram, the Canadian spirits company, currently holds nearly 12% of Time Warner and intends to increase its stake to 15%. SCIENCE Deep-Space Iron Mystery Astronomers have discovered that iron is more abundant in distant quasars than in the sun. Since the light arriving from the quasars began its journey billions of years ago, there must have been more iron when the universe was young than there is now--an astonishing conclusion, since iron is manufactured in stars, and should have been scarce in the early universe. By Christopher John Farley, Sophfronia Scott Gregory, Michael D. Lemonick, Michael Quinn, Jeffery C. Rubin, Alain L. Sanders INFORMED SOURCES Military Blocks Plutonium Investigation Washington--The Defense Department refuses to tell Energy Secretary Hazel O'Leary exactly how much plutonium is used in its weapons around the world. O'Leary has been on a campaign to make public the government's uses and abuses of radiation and radioactive material over the years. However, Pentagon officials maintain that giving her information about the exact amount of plutonium used in the military's stockpile of strategic and tactical warheads would compromise security. McDougal's Moves Little Rock--Jim McDougal is under criminal investigation for his actions as former head of a failed S&L connected to the Whitewater mess. He portrays himself as an innocent victim of thrift regulators, but evidence in an unrelated case in 1988 suggests that he had something on his mind before the regulators arrived. His secretary during this period testified that McDougal "vacated the offices at the S&L building...He did not want to be accessible to the examiners to have to answer any questions at that time." Chelsea, Live on Tape Washington--The President and the First Lady have been careful to limit public exposure of Chelsea Clinton--she's not even in the family Christmas card. However, Chelsea does appear in a promotional video for Sidwell Friends, the private school she attends. A representative of the school says the video is not used for recruiting, though it was shown at an alumni Christmas party and an admissions event. Chelsea's screen time is brief enough that the White House isn't protesting. Says Lisa Caputo, Hillary Clinton's press secretary: "She's really not treated any differently than the other kids." SO THAT EXPLAINS THE EARTHQUAKE--GATT! "With the earthquake that hit Hollywood...(God) has shown where his sympathies lie."--FRENCH FILM MOGUL DANIEL TOSCAN DU PLANTIER, REFERRING OBLIQUELY TO THE TRADE BATTLES BETWEEN THE U.S. AND FRANCE OVER AMERICAN MOVIES HEALTH REPORT THE GOOD NEWS -- When coronary arteries are clogged, smaller arteries expand to take over some of the blood flow. A new drug, still unnamed, has been shown to enhance the process in dogs. If it works in humans, it could be a cheaper, safer alternative to standard bypass surgery or balloon angioplasty. -- Nicotine gum, nasal sprays and patches have now been definitively proved effective in helping the motivated quit smoking. -- Doctors now understand, after 40 years of using it, how one antituberculosis medication works: Isoniazid interferes with a protective coat around the TB bacillus. The discovery may lead to new medicines that could overcome drug-resistant forms of TB. THE BAD NEWS -- A link has appeared between silicone breast implants in mothers and digestive problems--including vomiting and intestinal pain--in the children they are nursing. The symptoms are not uncommon, but in a study of eight children whose mothers have implants, six suffered from ailments resulting from a problem in the lower esophagus that also affects some women with implants. -- The first known case of human infection with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), a cousin of AIDS-causing HIV, has been documented in a laboratory worker. No one knows whether the virus, which isn't fatal in monkeys, will be deadly to humans, harmless or somewhere in between. Sources--GOOD: American Heart Association; Lancet; Science. BAD: Journal of the American Medical Association; New England Journal of Medicine. JUST IN CASE YOU HADN'T HEARD--THE '60S ARE OVER It finally happened--Bob Dylan has allowed The Times They Are A-Changin' to be used in an advertisement on television. The ad went on the air this month, but it is not the first--only the most amazing--example of the commercial use of a rebellious classic. -- Song: The Times They Are A-Changin', Bob Dylan -- Product: Coopers & Lybrand, accountants For an undisclosed sum, Dylan permitted the Big Six firm to use folkie Richie Havens' rendition of his protest anthem. The company cannot use Dylan's name, even when discussing the spot. -- Song: Teach Your Children, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young -- Product: Fruit of the Loom underwear For $1.5 million, Fruit of the Loom used 30 seconds of the song, with writer Nash himself rerecording it. "I'm not that precious about my music. We're not talking Mozart here," he said. -- Song: Revolution, the Beatles -- Product: Nike athletic shoes Michael Jackson owned the rights to the Lennon and McCartney composition, Capitol Records owned the original masters, and so for $500,000 Nike was allowed to use the actual voices of the Beatles. -- Song: Born to Be Wild, Steppenwolf -- Product: The Ford Mercury Cougar With a yuppie, his leather jacket, and his Cougar, the ad was part of a campaign that also used Proud Mary and the Beatles' Help. In three years the average age of Cougar buyers fell from 44 to 35. -- Song: Satisfaction, the Rolling Stones -- Product: Snickers candy bars Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, the songwriters, and ABKCO, the owner of the rights to the song, were made an irresistible offer in 1991: $4 million, with $2.8 million going to the composers. -- Song: Turn! Turn! Turn!, the Byrds -- Product: TIME the weekly newsmagazine Folk legend Pete Seeger set words from the Book of Ecclesiastes to music, and the Byrds' version became a huge early hippie hit. In the ad it segued into "Hi, I'm Nancy, an operator here at TIME." INSIDE LOS ANGELES Jackson's Secret Deal with His Accuser Sources in the MICHAEL JACKSON camp say they want to make "this case go away" and confirm that the civil suit against the singer for alleged child abuse may be settled out of court as early as Jan. 25. Under the terms of the agreement, Jackson will maintain his innocence and the boy will agree not to talk. Under California law a juvenile cannot be compelled to testify, so he will be out of the reach of prosecutors. Reports of a $30 million deal are "preposterous" say sources; some speculate the boy will get $5 million in cash and a trust fund. WINNERS & LOSERS WINNERS JOHN MADDEN Manic football analyst follows N.F.L. to Fox--for $30 million SHANNON FAULKNER First female student allowed to register at Citadel military college LOS ANGELES METROLINK Postquake ridership leaps from hundreds to thousands a day LOSERS SHARON STONE Trying to "stretch" in Intersection, she's universally panned BOBBY RAY INMAN When the press says "rambling," you know they mean "nuts" PAUL EBERT The prosecutor in both Bobbitt trials can't get a conviction in either HOW QUICKLY THINGS CHANGE... Only about a month ago, President Clinton nominated Bobby Ray Inman to be Secretary of Defense. Here's what people were saying about him then: Representative Ronald Dellums (Democrat, California), House Armed Services Committee chairman: "A very clear and brilliant thinker." Senator Robert Dole (Republican, Kansas): "A very good person for the job." Lawrence Korb a Reagan-era Pentagon official: "One of the smartest people I've ever met, and one of the neatest too. He'll make the trains run on time." Senator John McCain (Republican, Arizona): "The best-qualified man I know and probably the most brilliant military officer I have known." Representative Dave McCurdy (Democrat, Oklahoma): "A perfect choice." Senator John Warner (Republican, Virginia): "An absolutely superb choice." THE 10 MOST GENEROUS CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTORS NAMED AS AMBASSADORS 1 Swanee Grace Hunt $328,700 AUSTRIA 2 K. Terry Dornbush $253,750 NETHERLANDS 3 M. Larry Lawrence $196,304 SWITZERLAND 4 Edward Elliott Elson $182,714 DENMARK 5 Pamela C. Harriman $130,902 FRANCE 6 Alan John Blinken $46,933 BELGIUM 7 Daniel L. Spiegel $40,796 U.N., EUROPE 8 Richard Holbrooke $30,050 GERMANY 9 Madeleine K. Albright $29,350 U.N. HEADQUARTERS 10 Thomas L. Siebert $28,935 SWEDEN Totals from nominees, their families and their businesses. Source: AP THE PRESIDENT--CONCEIVABLY The few who can actually recognize all the members of President Clinton's Cabinet will note as they watch his State of the Union address on Jan. 25 that one Secretary is missing from the audience. It is a little-known tradition that one Cabinet member does not attend the speech, lest some calamity occur and wipe out everyone in the line of succession to the presidency. There is no rule for how the designee is chosen, but he or she is typically told at the last minute. For too long, the men and women who shoulder this terrible burden have done so in obscurity. Here are some of their stories. TERREL BELL, Secretary of Education under Reagan. How he heard: Call from chief of staff James Baker to his car phone while on his way to speech. What he did: Watched at home with his wife. How it felt: "I was disappointed It was the first time the Reagan Cabinet was appearing publicly. And ((Baker said)) we'll pass this around, but he never did." WILLIAM BENNETT, Secretary of Education under Reagan. Wisecrack: To Secret Service agents after speech (as reported by Donald Hodel, below): You mean I don't get to be President? LAURO CAVAZOS, Secretary of Education under Bush. How he heard: About to head for Washington after giving a speech in Tyler, Texas, he was told by his staff he "was it." What he did: Watched speech with his wife in motel room. What he ate: Sandwich and Coke. EDWARD DERWINSKI, Secretary of Veterans Affairs under Bush. What he did: "Went to a "safe" pizza parlor staked out by Secret Service several miles outside town. Topping: Sausage. Indiscretion: Asked why he wasn't at the speech, he told several people what had happened. The White House admonished him. "What was I supposed to do? Lie? I was watching a ball game? I was visiting a sick aunt?" DONALD HODEL, Secretary of Energy under Reagan. Times chosen: Three (he thinks). What he did: In one instance, watched speech in a general's office at a Colorado Air Force base; in another, loaded a moving van while Secret Service blocked off street. DREW LEWIS, Secretary of Transportation under Reagan. How he felt: "I was disappointed, but on the other hand, it was interesting to watch it on television and see all your colleagues there." What he did: Watched with an aide and ate pizza. Topping: Extra cheese, sausage, onion, pepperoni. MANUEL LUJAN, Secretary of the Interior under Bush. Special circumstances: He recalls being the pick during Desert Storm. Where he went: "Arrangements were made with the Defense Department. I can't tell you where." How he felt: "I was very anxious. I was very happy when the speech was over. It was kind of overwhelming." EDWIN MEESE, Attorney General under Reagan. What he did: In San Diego for a meeting, he spent the evening at a fish restaurant near the harbor. SAMUEL PIERCE, Secretary of Housing under Reagan. Significance of his absence: According to Alfred Kingon, secretary to the Cabinet under Reagan, "Everyone is interested in what the President has to say, how he's going to say it, who is sitting with the First Lady, are there any mystery guests. I don't remember anyone asking me, `Where is Sam Pierce?'" -- By Melissa August </body> </article> </text>