TIME: Almanac 1995

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<text id=94TT0461> <title> Apr. 25, 1994: Chronicles:The Week </title> <history> TIME--The Weekly Newsmagazine--1994 Apr. 25, 1994 Hope in the War against Cancer </history> <article> <source>Time Magazine</source> <hdr> CHRONICLES, Page 23 THE WEEK:APRIL 10-16 </hdr> <body> NATION Mitchell Turns Down the Court In a surprise move that clearly baffled and dismayed his Senate colleagues, retiring Senate majority leader George Mitchell turned down the President's offer to be nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court to succeed Justice Harry Blackmun. Mitchell said he wanted to devote his full efforts to passing the President's health-care plan. Speculation immediately shifted to minority contenders, including Connecticut federal Judge Jose Cabranes, Solicitor General Drew Days and New York federal Judge Amalya Kearse. Cigarette Chiefs Get Blasted For more than six hours, the top executives of the nation's seven largest tobacco companies underwent a hostile televised grilling before California Congressman Henry Waxman's House health subcommittee. The executives denied that cigarettes are addictive or that their companies manipulate nicotine content to keep smokers hooked. Cigarettes are no more addictive than coffee, tea or Twinkies, allowed one executive. "The difference between cigarettes and Twinkies," responded Waxman sharply, "is death." Hillary's Profits Revised--Up The White House disclosed that a second commodities-trading account maintained by Hillary Rodham Clinton during 1979 and 1980 produced a $6,500 profit--not a $1,000 loss as the couple had previously maintained. The cost to the Clintons: $14,615 in back taxes and interest they agreed to pay voluntarily. President Clinton complained tartly to newspaper editors that it was impossible to recall precisely family finances of 15 years ago: "You think I should have shut the whole Federal Government down and done nothing but study these things for the last two months?" House Backs Ultimate Penalty The House demonstrated its get-tough mood by voting the death penalty for more than 60 crimes, from carjacking murders to treason, as the new crime bill made its way through Congress. Kelso's Stars At the urging of top Pentagon officials, the Senate Armed Services Committee recommended 20 to 2 that Admiral Frank Kelso be permitted to retire with his four stars--and accompanying pension--intact. This despite his role in the Tailhook scandal, which remains in dispute. The full Senate is expected to agree. Trust-Fund Warnings The government issued revised estimates on the solvency of Social Security and Medicare. Both remain in trouble: the Social Security old age and disability trust funds are expected to run out of money in 2029, the Medicare hospital trust fund in 2001. Congress faces the task of finding a solution. Honk If You Like to Drive! To the praise of an assemblage of politicians vying for credit, including Democratic Vice President Al Gore and Republican Governor Pete Wilson, the quake-damaged pivotal Santa Monica Freeway reopened to Los Angeles' car-addicted commuters, who wasted no time forsaking public transportation. Flood Season Again The country's midsection got an unpleasant reminder of the great flood of '93 when heavy spring rains swelled rivers to overflowing in several states, once again sending residents scurrying to higher ground and bringing out legions of sandbag volunteers. At least six deaths were reported. WORLD Gorazde Threatened The embattled Bosnian city of Gorazde, once designated a "safe area" by the U.N., was close to collapse after heavy attack from Bosnian Serb forces when U.N. officials announced that a cease-fire was likely that would leave the Serbs with most of the land seized in their recent offensive. On Saturday a British Sea Harrier jet, flying under nato command, was shot down as it searched for a Serb target. Earlier in the week, U.S. aircraft bombed Serb positions and imposed a momentary quiet on the area. By the weekend, however, Serb forces were reportedly two miles from Gorazde's center. Ethnic Strife Continues The Rwandan capital of Kigali was ravaged by continued ethnic violence between the Hutu and Tutsi tribes as bands of marauders armed with guns and machetes roamed the streets in search of victims. The numbers of dead were estimated to reach into the tens of thousands by week's end, with Belgian troops scrambling to evacuate the last foreigners from the city. Despite tentative talks with government forces that began Friday, rebel troops warned that any non-nationals remaining in the city after 24 hours would be considered hostile. Caught in "Friendly Fire" Twenty-one United Nations personnel, including 15 Americans, and five of the Kurds they were trying to help died Thursday after two helicopters were mistakenly shot down by U.S. fighter planes over the "no-fly" zone in northern Iraq. Defense Department officials said Friday that the jets signaled the helicopters electronically, but did not receive a response identifying them as "friendly." Another Bombing in Israel New fear gripped Israel after another suicide bombing--the second in a week--claimed five Israeli lives and left 28 injured. On Wednesday, a Palestinian with explosives strapped to his body blew himself up after boarding a crowded bus in Hadera. Heir Apparent? The spotlight was on Japanese Foreign Minister Tsutomu Hata amid speculation that he would inherit the post vacated by former Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa, who resigned two weeks ago. Like Hosokawa, Hata has been an outspoken critic of Japan's scandal-plagued political system; he also faces the challenge of holding together the fragile seven-party coalition that brought Hosokawa to power. Parliament is expected to vote on a new Prime Minister this week. No Deal Efforts by former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger to mediate the South African political crisis fell apart after Zulu leaders repeated their demand that the nation's all-race elections be postponed. Kissinger's mediation team had hoped to resolve the conflict between African National Congress members and Zulu nationalists, who are demanding a sovereign state and boycotting the April 26-28 election. Face to Face Also on Thursday, A.N.C. leader Nelson Mandela and President F.W. de Klerk sparred in their first and only televised debate, attacking each other over economic policy and who was to blame for the country's political violence. The debate ended on a conciliatory note as the two leaders agreed to "go forward together." BUSINESS P&G Takes a Hit Procter & Gamble announced that it was taking a $102 million after-tax charge on its third-quarter earnings because it was "badly burned" by two derivatives contracts. Derivatives, the subject of a congressional hearing last week, are complex financial instruments whose value is derived from the overall direction of a financial market like stocks or interest rates. Sanctions Against Taiwan President Clinton announced that the U.S. will impose limited trade sanctions against Taiwan for its continued trade in products made from endangered species, including tigers and rhinos. SCIENCE Cancer Culprit Researchers looking for mutant strands of DNA in skin-cancer cells have discovered a gene that may be at the root of many--if not most--cancers, including such major types as lung, breast, brain, bone, bladder, kidney, ovary and lymphocyte. In healthy tissue, the gene acts as a brake on runaway cell division. Scientists hope that by replacing damaged genes with healthy ones, they may someday be able to prevent many types of cancer. Cancer-Research Apology Under harsh questioning at a congressional hearing, the heads of the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute apologized for their failure to properly monitor a falsified breast-cancer study. The officials reiterated their belief in the validity of the study results, despite the flaws. THE ARTS & MEDIA Journalism's Finest Among this year's Pulitzer prizewinners: Eileen Welsome of the Albuquerque Tribune for her reporting on human radioactivity experiments; William Raspberry for his commentary in the Washington Post; and freelance photographer Kevin Carter for his haunting shot of a tiny Sudanese girl stalked by a vulture. E. Annie Proulx' The Shipping News won the fiction prize and Edward Albee's Three Tall Women won for drama. By Melissa August, Philip Elmer-DeWitt, Margaret Emery, Christopher John Farley, Lina Lofaro, Michael Quinn, Jeffery Rubin and Alain L. Sanders HEALTH REPORT THE GOOD NEWS -- George Bush's mom was right--at least about broccoli. Scientists have shown that a substance found in crucifers (broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and other crunchy vegetables) actively blocks formation of cancerous tumors in rats. -- Experts say new vaccines and treatments for a common type of influenza called Hib can prevent up to one-third of the cases of hearing loss in young children. -- People who have AIDS are living about a year longer than they were at the start of the epidemic, largely because of improved treatments for Pneumocystis carinii, an AIDS-related pneumonia. THE BAD NEWS -- Two leading antioxidants, beta carotene and vitamin E, gave no protection against lung cancer in a controlled test of 29,000 Finnish smokers, and may have done some harm. -- Researchers investigating the high incidence of breast cancer on New York's Long Island found that women who lived near chemical plants in the late 1960s have a 60% greater chance of developing breast cancer after menopause. -- Many blacks lack an enzyme that breaks down a key carcinogen in tobacco smoke, which may help explain why black men who smoke are 48% more likely to develop lung cancer than white men who smoke. Sources--GOOD: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Ear and Hearing, Journal of the American Medical Association. BAD: The New England Journal of Medicine, New York State Department of Health, American Health Foundation. NAME THAT MUSICAL CLICHE Trailers for Serial Mom feature the song Bad to the Bone--a musical workhorse (by George Thorogood and the Destroyers) whose use in movies and TV is rivaled only by James Brown's I Got You (I Feel Good). So who's raking in bigger royalties? Bad to the Bone MOVIES: Christine Flesh and Bone Problem Child Problem Child 2 Slayground Talk Radio Terminator 2 Vice Versa MOVIE TRAILERS: The Sandlot Serial Mom TV SHOWS (partial list) Coach Married...with Children (3 shows) Melrose Place Miami Vice Tequila and Bonetti Who's the Boss? VIDEO GAMES Super Nintendo "Rock 'n Roll Racing" Total: 39 I Got You (I Feel Good) MOVIES: Good Morning, Vietnam K-9 Mr. Baseball Mr. Destiny Mr. Jones The Mommy Market Moving Violations No Man's Land White Men Can't Jump Who's Harry Crumb? MOVIE TRAILERS: Frankie and Johnny TV COMMERCIALS (partial list): AlliedSignal Automotive Constitution Healthcare Senokot Laxative Swanson Le Menu Lightstyle Total: 32 THEY ALL LAUGHED--NOT Jackie Mason: Politically Incorrect, a new Broadway show featuring the rabbi turned comedian, received decidedly mixed reviews when it opened two weeks ago. But you wouldn't know from the newspaper ads... WHAT MASON'S AD SAYS WHAT THE ACTUAL REVIEW SAID "Meat-Cleaver Comedy!" -- Associated Press WHAT THE ACTUAL REVIEW SAID "It's meat-cleaver comedy performed by a harsher, less funny Mason." WHAT MASON'S AD SAYS WHAT THE ACTUAL REVIEW SAID "People all around me were falling out of their seats with applause, cheers, and laughter." -- Newark Star-Ledger WHAT THE ACTUAL REVIEW SAID "People all around me were usually falling out of their seats with laughter the other evening, so I guess my sense of humor simply doesn't tune into Jackie Mason's comic wavelength." WHAT MASON'S AD SAYS WHAT THE ACTUAL REVIEW SAID "We laugh and marvel." -- New York Newsday WHAT THE ACTUAL REVIEW SAID "There's a chip on his shoulder these days that, when he digs deeper than Bobbitt-Harding-Menendez for material, puts an unpleasant defensive spin on the observations. We laugh, sure, and marvel..." INSIDE WASHINGTON Is Rehnquist Getting Itchy? Retiring Senate majority leader George Mitchell, who last week turned down a nomination to the Supreme Court, may get a second chance to join the court--as Chief Justice. Current Chief Justice William Rehnquist, a widower, recently started dating a woman who lives on the West Coast. Sources say he appears to be developing a greater interest in his private life at the same time that he's tiring of the court's legal grind. If Rehnquist decides to resign during Clinton's presidency, Mitchell would probably be the leading candidate for the post. WINNERS & LOSERS WINNERS EDWARD ALBEE Virginia Woolf playwright wins a remarkable third Pulitzer BROCCOLI GROWERS Farmers anticipate big sales for cancer-fighting vegetable THE INTERNAL REV. SERVICE Tax-week surprise: a $14,615 bonus from Mr. and Mrs. Clinton LOSERS STEVE CARLTON Hall of Fame pitcher's alleged anti-Semitic remarks cause furor TOBACCO EXECUTIVES Congressional sub-committee rejects Twinkie Defense 2 NAT. MEDICAL ENTERPRISES Shrink chain paying record $300 mil. plus to settle fraud charges ART FOR AL'S SAKE One of the perks of being President or Vice President is that you get to decorate your home with paintings from the National Museum of American Art. The Clintons made news when they borrowed an abstract by Willem de Kooning--a White House first. The Gores' selections are more traditional. They may also be reflective of the vice-presidential mindset: -- Marjorie and Little Edmund (1928), Charles Tarbell. A metaphor for powerlessness? A glum child (a Gore-ish blond!) is dandled on the knee of a large adult. -- Peacock in the Woods (1907), Thayer & Meryman. The brilliant peacock clearly deserves to be front and center but is obscured by bothersome, less deserving foliage. -- Street Scene, Tangier (Man Leading Calf) (circa 1910), Henry Ossawa Tanner. Another image of subservience: the calf must go wherever its master leads it--no matter how well-implemented the calf's ideas for reinventing government. -- Idle Hours (1895), Harry Siddons Mowbray. The title says it all. INFORMED SOURCES Who's Eating the Borscht in Baikonur? Moscow--Baikonur, Moscow'S PRIME SPACE LAUNCH FACILITY, has been in chaos for the past two and a half years, with persistent theft of gold-plated electronic parts from space rockets and satellites. Now, say recent U.S. visitors to Baikonur, there are pilferers in the pantry. Cosmonauts complain that thieves have raided the supply of specialty foods prepared for their comrades on the orbiting Mir space station. Canned meats, bread, oranges and borscht have mysteriously--but, in this land of privation, not surprisingly--vanished from the rocket manifests. More Criticism for Commerce Boss Washington--WILLIAM CLINGER, the ranking Republican on the House Committee on Government Operations, is demanding details on Commerce Secretary RON BROWN'S personal investments in telecommunications firms. Clinger wants the information because Brown, as head of Commerce, influences the industry. Brown, citing an internal review that cleared him of possible conflicts of interest, is refusing to hand over further documentation. NO MAN ABOVE THE LAW--OR SOMETHING "I ALSO BELIEVE THAT THE LAW SHOULD APPLY TO ALL CITIZENS, ONE STANDARD FOR NATIVES AND OTHERS NOT DIFFERENTLY." -- FORMER PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH TO THE SINGAPORE BROADCAST CORP. ON THE CANING PENALTY PRESCRIBED FOR AN AMERICAN TEENAGER CHARGED WITH VANDALISM ZHIRINOVSKY BEAT Russia's top ultranationalist, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, enjoyed a springtime visit to France...Tuesday: Attended a Council of Europe parliamentary meeting in Strasbourg, where he complained about the limited visa he'd been given. He told fellow parliament members, "You are not democrats, you are agents of the CIA." He hurled clumps of tulips at student protesters and boasted that his singular political style is "in key" with the Russian people: "It's like in sexual relations," he explained. "You have to be in harmony." Wednesday: Was said by a Russian newspaper to have filed suit against local political opponents who, he claimed, had insulted his dignity and honor. Thursday: Accused European Council members of stealing his hat--a fisherman's cap--from a guarded cloakroom. Friday: Revealed that "World War III started on April 11, when NATO bombed Bosnian Serbs. This date must be remembered for future historic references." The bombing actually began on April 10. </body> </article> </text>