TIME: Almanac 1995

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<text id=93TT0836> <title> Sep. 20, 1993: The Week:News Digest </title> <history> TIME--The Weekly Newsmagazine--1993 Sep. 20, 1993 Clinton's Health Plan </history> <article> <source>Time Magazine</source> <hdr> THE WEEK, Page 17 NEWS DIGEST </hdr> <body> NATION The Health-Care Plan at Last Even as Hillary Rodham Clinton briefed congressional leaders on her husband's yet to be announced health-care plan, a 239-page draft document detailing the scheme was leaked to the press late last week. The plan would cost the government $700 billion over the first five years and be funded in part by $105 billion in new taxes on large corporations as well as additional taxes on tobacco and alcohol. The White House will also seek $238 billion in Medicare and Medicaid savings. On Capitol Hill, the First Lady said the Administration was open to discuss changes in the plan, but not from "a standpat, negative, naysaying opposition." Gore vs. Inefficiency Referring to the U.S. government as a "quill pen in the age of WordPerfect," Vice President Al Gore unveiled a plan with more than 800 recommendations on how to restructure it--and theoretically save $108 billion over the next five years. Gore appeared on Late Show with David Letterman to soft-sell the scheme, at one point ridiculing the arthritic federal bureaucracy by strapping on safety goggles to smash a government-approved ashtray in the officially sanctioned way. Illiterate America A sweeping study ordered by Congress found that nearly half of all adult Americans read, write and understand arithmetic so poorly that they have difficulty performing modern life's basic tasks. The survey noted that 90 million U.S. adults don't have the language skills to write a business letter or read a bus schedule. About a quarter of those people are immigrants unfamiliar with English, but surprisingly, 6% of the low-literates work as managers. Verdict on a Burning Two white men were convicted of attempted murder, kidnapping and robbery for setting a black man on fire last New Year's Day in Tampa, Florida. Mark Kohut, 27, and Charles Rourk, 33, could face life in prison. Another Murder in Miami On the other side of Florida, a German tourist was shot and killed by robbers as he and his wife drove in from the Miami airport. Uwe-Wilhelm Rakebrand was shot in the back after he refused to stop when a van bumped his rental car from behind on the freeway. A young couple and an accomplice have been charged in the murder. Lesbian Yes, Mother No A county circuit judge in Virginia ruled last week that a woman's lesbianism made her an unsuitable parent. Sharon Bottoms lost custody of her two-year-old son to her mother Kay Bottoms. Kay complained that the boy called Sharon's lover "Dada." New Surgeon General In a 65-to-34 Senate vote, Dr. Joycelyn Elders of Arkansas was confirmed as Surgeon General. The controversial candidate endured a three-month battle in which conservatives tried to depict her as a free-sex radical out of touch with the mainstream. Court Date for Dr. Death Dr. Jack Kevorkian will stand trial in Michigan for helping a young man commit suicide. A district judge ruled last week that a new state law prohibiting assisted suicide had to be enforced, rejecting arguments from Kevorkian's lawyers that the law was unconstitutional. Kevorkian, meanwhile, was present at the apparent suicide of another Michigan resident--the 18th case on his record. National Service Go-Ahead The Senate voted 57 to 40 in favor of a compromise version of President Clinton's plan that would allow 100,000 college students to swap public service (1,700 hours) for tuition money ($4,725 a year for two years). The White House hopes to have the program up and running next year. WORLD Giving Peace a Chance Brushing aside the protests of hard-liners on both sides, Israel recognized the P.L.O. as the representative of the Palestinian people and the P.L.O. recognized Israel's right to exist unmolested. Yasser Arafat also suggested that Palestinian residents of the occupied territories end their nearly six-year-long anti-Israeli rebellion. Other long-standing Middle East stalemates began to budge as well: Jordan was poised to conclude an "agenda for peace" with Israel as soon as a P.L.O. deal for self-rule was signed. Following Israel's lead, the U.S. will also begin direct talks with the P.L.O. Black and White Together Multiracial national elections won't happen until next spring, but black South Africans are already getting a measure of power. The white leadership has agreed to a transition council, made up of representatives from all political parties, that will help oversee several departments of the government, including the army and the police. The council, like the country, will be mostly black; in response to its creation, the African National Congress will call for an end to international sanctions against South Africa. Nevertheless, violence aimed at derailing the measures is expected to continue. Bosnian Business as Usual Bosnian Muslim President Alija Izetbegovic flew to Washington to ask President Clinton to set a deadline for the use of force if Bosnian Serbs do not lift their siege of Sarajevo. Instead, President Clinton advised him to head back to the bargaining table with Bosnian Serbs and Croats; Clinton said the U.S. will not intervene militarily, though U.S. troops could help monitor a peace agreement, if Congress approved. Back in the Balkans, one big surprise: Bosnian Croats admitted what the Muslims have long been claiming--that conditions for Croat-held Muslim prisoners are inhumane. Welcome Back, Ferdy The body of exiled dictator Ferdinand Marcos finally returned to the Philippines for burial, four years after he died and seven years after he was overthrown in a popular revolt backed by the military. The government of Corazon Aquino had resisted a Marcos return, but her successor, President Fidel Ramos, a cousin of the dictator, judged that enough time had passed. Only 7,000 people from Marcos' home province greeted the body on its return; his widow Imelda had predicted 1 million. Fire Fight in Somalia U.S. helicopters fired into a crowd in Mogadishu, apparently killing or wounding more than 100 people, including women and children. U.N. peacekeeping officials insisted the shooting was a last resort to save the lives of U.N. troops who were being attacked. The attackers on the ground, supporters of fugitive warlord Mohammed Farrah Aidid, killed a Pakistani soldier and wounded two more and also wounded two Americans. The U.S. Senate, increasingly concerned about the situation, passed a resolution urging that the President seek congressional approval if he wants to keep the troops there beyond Nov. 15. Omens in Haiti Haiti's new Prime Minister, Robert Malval, reinstated Port-au-Prince's mayor, Evans Paul, despite threats by armed goons, among them civilian police auxiliaries, that they would kill both men if the mayor tried to recover his old job. Paul was ousted along with President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in a 1991 military coup. After the mayor's return,the thugs who had seized city hall killed six Aristide supporters. Days later, businessman Antoine Izmery was dragged out of Mass and executed. Aristide is expected to return to power next month. BUSINESS IBM Has a Yard Sale Beleaguered IBM plans to get rid of 40% of its real estate holdings in the U.S. Executives hope to save $250 million a year by breaking or renegotiating leases and renting out or selling surplus space--including the company's former North American headquarters in Purchase, New York, and 300,000 sq. ft. of a Manhattan high-rise. Lorenzo Grounded Again A Department of Transportation judge, citing a "pattern and practice of disobeying orders," ruled that Frank Lorenzo's proposed new airline, ATX, should not be allowed to fly. The airline industry's unions, who blame Lorenzo for the downfall of Eastern Airlines, led the fight against the start-up to keep their bitterest corporate antagonist out of the business. Risky Rentals Avis, Hertz and other rental car companies are using computer screenings to refuse cars to as many as 1 in 10 potential customers. Drivers can be turned down for having too many traffic violations and for drunk-driving convictions. Mobile Moguls Merge Renault of France and Volvo of Sweden announced they would merge, forming the sixth largest automaker in the world and the second largest in Europe. The companies predict the marriage will save them $5.2 billion by the end of the century. SCIENCE Save That Tiger Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt has formally certified that both Taiwan and China are flouting international agreements by continuing trade in products made from endangered tigers and rhinos. Tiger bones and rhino horns are used in traditional Chinese medicine, but both countries will have to weigh tradition against the threat of possible trade sanctions. MEDIA & THE ARTS Jack the Rip-Off Warner Books canceled The Diary of Jack the Ripper just one month before it was to appear in bookstores. A dealer in historical documents deemed the writings fake since, among other findings, the penmanship was not Victorian and ink tests showed the papers were written around 1921. New Divisions for Baseball Major league baseball teams will play the same teams more often and play-offs will be longer starting next year, thanks to a new format that will chop the American and National leagues each into three geographical divisions. A wild-card qualifier from each league would join the division leaders in the play-offs. The makeup of each of the six divisions may be finalized this week. -- By Ginia Bellafante, Christopher John Farley, Sophfronia Scott Gregory, Michael D. Lemonick, Eric A. Meers, Sidney Urquhart Home Of The Brave, Land Of The Fee Talk isn't cheap. Amway distributors reportedly paid $100,000 for George Bush to address their convention. For Ronald Reagan on the podium, prepare to shell out $60,000. A fee schedule for other Reagan-Bush alums: Caspar Weinberger $30,000 Reagan Defense Secretary Brent Scowcroft $25,000 Bush National Security Adviser Patrick Buchanan $18,000 Reagan director of communications Dan Quayle $12,500 Bush Vice President Robert Gates $12,500 Bush CIA director Source: Capital Speakers Inc. Health Report THE GOOD NEWS -- The National Academy of Sciences says the fda should begin the approval process for RU-486, the so-called French abortion pill. The drug has already been tested in Europe. Besides preventing pregnancy, it may be useful in treating fibroid tumors, endometriosis and even cancer. -- The FDA has approved tacrine, the first drug shown to have an effect, though limited, on Alzheimer's disease. -- Doctors have devised an in utero operation for treating myelomeningocele, a birth defect in which the spinal cord protrudes from the spine, leading to paralysis and incontinence. The operation, which uses a skin graft to patch the spine, has been tested successfully in sheep. THE BAD NEWS -- Statistics indicate that people over 65 are hospitalized as often for alcohol-related disorders as for heart problems. -- Lorenzo's oil, the cinematically celebrated "cure" for adrenoleukodystrophy, a nervous-system disease, is worthless for adults suffering from the disorder, says new research. -- A medical study of 180 U.S. newlyweds shows that arguing can be unhealthy. Reasoned disputes are O.K., but sarcasm and put-downs can result in elevated blood pressure and weakened immune systems. -- The largest survey ever done on flatulence has determined that in Australia, at least, men emit intestinal gases nearly twice as often as women. Sources--GOOD: AP; Neurosurgery; AP. BAD: Journal of the American Medical Association; New England Journal of Medicine; Science News; New Scientist One Church, One Pope--And 20 Popemobiles Vatican garages house six of the four-ton, bulletproof Popemobiles. And a surprising 14 other heavy-duty papal vehicles stand at the ready around the world. (The one John Paul rode through Denver last month was shipped up from Mexico.) Land Rover manufactured the first Popemobile for his visit to Britain in 1982, shortly after the Pontiff survived an assassin's bullet. Since then, almost everywhere John Paul went, new Popemobiles were sure to appear--manufactured and generally donated by Renault, Peugeot, GM, Toyota and Mercedes Benz, among others. Last week, on his trip to the Baltic states (his 61st foray out of the Holy See), the Pope took along his Mercedes and Land Rover models. The Morning Line Congress girds itself for a pitched battle over the Clinton health-care plan. What are the odds that most of the plan will be enacted? When will the first floor vote be? PLAYER JOHN MCLAUGHLIN Host of The McLaughlin Group ODDS 3 to 1 VOTE DATE Aug. 5, 1994 COMMENTS "An avalanche of TV commercials from lobbying groups. Thunder on the left from those who want single payer. Thunder on the right from those who oppose any taxes. But despite the treacherous weather, Hillary will prevail." PLAYER REP. DICK ARMEY Republican, Texas ODDS 3 to 1 VOTE DATE June 1994 COMMENTS "The health-care fight will make the budget battle seem like a game of patty-cake." PLAYER SEN. BARBARA BOXER Democrat, Calif. ODDS 7 to 5 VOTE DATE May 1994 COMMENTS "This has to be cast as a bipartisan issue. I think the security of every American and of our economy as a whole rests on fair and comprehensive health-care reform." It's a Gift to Be Simple Each September fashion magazines philosophize on the look of the fall season in somewhat highfalutin editorials. This year the style manifestoes all say austerity is in--we wouldn't have guessed. "What ties fall's looks together is a fresh aesthetic that's equal parts romantic and acsetic: Styles are streamlined, softly constructed, largely unadorned."--Vogue "[A] fall icon is the monastic dress--long, chaste and as spare as a monk's humble quarters."--W "A definite outline of what looks `Right'--wearable, rational, elegant--has become discernable. The strength of fashion now is in its almost total plainness and simplicity."--Harper's Bazaar Or Forever Hold Your Peace... "This is not two people who had too many beers and went to Vegas. I am not going to lie before God about the birth and conception of his kids."--SHEILA RAUCH KENNEDY, ON THE ANNULMENT REQUEST OF REP. JOE KENNEDY, HER EX-HUSBAND, WHO WANTS TO REMARRY IN CHURCH Winners & Losers WINNERS AL GORE A plan and Letterman make him visible--and fun--for now GARY KASPAROV Champ's rogue chess match steals thunder of "official" tourney NOUREDDINE MORCELI At 3:44:39, Algerian miler shaves almost 2 sec. off record LOSERS FRANK LORENZO His latest attempt to re-enter airline industry queered by judge CHEVY CHASE His late-night Fox debut is the sorry TV debacle of the year MIAMI "Hot" city is burned again as yet another German tourist is killed in a robbery In The Line Of Fire "He sews better than I do...We fight."--SUHA ARAFAT, 29, DESCRIBING HER YEAR-OLD MARRIAGE TO THE 64-YEAR-OLD P.L.O. CHIEF Informed Sources Hanoi's Time for Sharing Washington--This Tuesday, Clinton must decide whether to end or extend the trade embargo against Vietnam, which is decades old. Last week Hanoi deemed it the right time to share with the U.S. several sacks of documents that may shed new light on the fate of MIA-POWs. Among these are the much sought after "Blue Books"--internal documents of the Vietnamese Ministry of Defense that detail exactly where Americans were captured and held. Pentagon insiders say it's the largest amount of intelligence Hanoi has ever given to the U.S. Bubbles, Can You Spare a Dime? Los Angeles--Absorbed by his conveniently timed world tour and fighting off accusations of child abuse, Michael Jackson has scrapped a music video he was to make to promote the fall movie Addams Family Values. Jackson was supposed to pick up the tab, at least some of which was already spent. Initial reports put the cost at $1 million, but sources familiar with the production have told Time that the proposed video budget was actually closer to $5 million. Says an Addams insider: "It wasn't just a clip; it was supposed to be a 10-minute film." At the New FBI, the F Is for Family Washington--When Louis Freeh's son Brendan, 7, came down with flulike symptoms, the new FBI chief blew work early. The G-man's fatherly concern is teaching the FBI's hard-driving agents that it's just fine to put family first. He took a morning off to go with his two eldest kids on their first day at school. Says Freeh: "I intend to do all that stuff. I promised my wife that's the only condition on which I decided to take this job." The Crystal Ball "What is happening in Serbia shows the need for a United States of Europe. The Republic of Europe, the Continental Federation: there is no other political reality than that."--VICTOR HUGO, 1876 </body> </article> </text>