TIME: Almanac 1995

home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search

/ TIME: Almanac 1995 / TIME Almanac 1995.iso / time / 092694 / 0926991.000 < prev next >

Wrap

Text File | 1995-02-26 | 21.6 KB | 510 lines

<text id=94TT1300> <title> Sep. 26, 1994: Chronicles The Week:Sept. 11-14 </title> <history> TIME--The Weekly Newsmagazine--1994 Sep. 26, 1994 Taking Over Haiti </history> <article> <source>Time Magazine</source> <hdr> CHRONICLES, Page 9 The Week: September 11-17 </hdr> <body> NATION "Your Time Is Up. Leave Now." With these blunt words President Clinton served warning on Haiti's military rulers to leave the country peacefully, or else a U.S.-led invasion would commence shortly. But the following day, perhaps to muffle strong congressional criticism, he eased up a bit and announced that former President Jimmy Carter would lead a high-level delegation to Haiti for one last try at getting the junta to step down. The 11th-hour mission, which also includes former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Colin Powell and Senate Armed Services Committee chairman Sam Nunn, left Saturday amid rumors that Haitian strongman Raoul Cedras and his two top aides were at last considering a peaceful departure. Aristide's Promise Meanwhile, at a White House gathering for representatives of the 24 countries that will contribute troops to the U.S.-led invasion force, deposed Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide pledged reconciliation once he is reinstated. "We say no to vengeance. We say no to retaliation," Aristide promised his military adversaries. "You will not be isolated. You are the sons of the land. Do not be afraid." Things That Go Bump Just before dawn on Monday, Sept. 12, a small red-and-white Cessna crash-landed on the White House lawn, ripped through a venerable magnolia tree planted by President Andrew Jackson and smashed into the side of the White House, just under the Clintons' bedroom. Fortunately, the First Family was spending the night across Pennsylvania Avenue at Blair House. The crash raised questions about White House security and why air-traffic controllers at National Airport did not notice the tiny plane on their radar screens. Noting that the pilot had a history of depression and substance abuse, investigators suggested the bizarre episode was a successful suicide attempt rather than a bungled publicity stunt. The Once and Future Mayor It was a stunning victory for a man who, just four years ago, was sentenced to six months in prison for possession of cocaine. Former Washington mayor Marion Barry astonished even his most fervent supporters by trouncing city council member John Ray and incumbent mayor Sharon Pratt Kelly in the Democratic mayoral primary. Kelly, who won four years ago as a reformer in the wake of Barry's arrest, did not win a single precinct. Crime Bill Becomes Law Three weeks after a crime bill was passed by Congress, President Clinton signed the bitterly contested measure into law. Exhorting Americans to "take personal responsibility for themselves, their families and their communities," Clinton warned that the $30 billion legislation on its own would not end the escalating violence in this country. First Birthday for "Rego" On the first anniversary of the Administration's ambitious efforts to "reinvent government," President Clinton, with project leader Al Gore at his side, took a pair of scissors and snipped through a symbolic tangle of red tape to claim that the initiative had already saved $47 billion. How? By removing more than 70,000 workers from the federal payroll, mostly through buyouts and retirements, and cutting paperwork. Kickoff for National Service In yet another White House photo op, nearly 15,000 youthful volunteers--most via video hookup--were sworn into Americorps, the country's new national-service program. The volunteers will perform community-service work in exchange for help with college tuition. The program could expand to as many as 100,000 participants during the next three years. Health Care: Still Not Dead Against all odds, health-care reform registered a faint but detectable pulse on Capitol Hill as various alliances of legislators continued to seek some form of compromise. While both positive and negative reports surfaced, there was no official action. USAir Crash: Still a Mystery Investigators sifting through the scattered wreckage of USAir Flight 427 are no closer to discovering why the Boeing 737 suddenly nose-dived to the ground, killing all 132 aboard. The FBI ruled out any suggestion that the aircraft was sabotaged in order to silence one of the passengers--a drug informant who had been testifying to federal prosecutors in Chicago. O.J. Blood Ties There were widespread reports that a batch of final DNA tests point to O.J. Simpson as the source of at least two of the blood drops discovered leading away from the bodies of Nicole Simpson and Ronald Goldman. Damages for an Oil Spill A federal jury in Anchorage, Alaska, ordered the Exxon Corp. to pay a whopping $5 billion in punitive damages to commercial fishermen, property owners and Alaska natives harmed in the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. Exxon said it would appeal. Damages for a Killing A Louisiana judge awarded more than $650,000 to the parents of a Japanese teenager who was shot to death by a Baton Rouge homeowner as the youth was asking directions to a Halloween party. "I felt the intelligence and reasoning of America in the judgment," said the dead boy's mother after the decision. Last year a criminal court acquitted the homeowner, Rodney Peairs, of criminal charges of manslaughter. WORLD Liberian Coup Attempt Fails Peacekeepers from eight West African nations used tanks and gunboats to defeat a faction of the former Liberian army that tried to overthrow an interim government; it was the latest outbreak of fighting in Liberia's five-year-old civil war. The attempted putsch came three days after the country's three main warring factions signed a United Nations-approved peace pact. Cairo Conference Concurs After nine days of wrangling over abortion and semantics, the U.N. population conference formally agreed that the key to limiting world population growth rests with the advancement of women. Delegates from nearly 180 countries--as well as the Vatican, which joined the consensus in a "partial manner"--endorsed a document that argues for meeting health and education needs as one of the most effective brakes to population growth. Separatists Win in Quebec Voters in Quebec elected a government committed to making the Canadian province an independent country. Jacques Parizeau, leader of the Parti Quebecois, which captured 44.7% of the vote, vowed to hold a referendum within 10 months on whether Quebec should secede, though polls during the campaign showed that most Quebeckers do not want independence. Bosnian Serbs Defy U.S. The U.S. announced it will work to end the U.N. arms embargo against the Bosnian Muslims unless the Bosnian Serbs accept a Western-sponsored peace plan by Oct. 15. However, the Serbs said they would defy the ultimatum, and U.S. allies, including Russia, Britain and France, oppose lifting the embargo. I.R.A. Broadcast Ban Lifted In a concession to the I.R.A. after its cease-fire announcement last month, British Prime Minister John Major lifted a ban on broadcasting the voices of Irish Republican Army leaders. Former PM Margaret Thatcher banned the I.R.A. voices from British broadcasts in 1988, but radio and TV stations simply used actors with Northern Irish accents to dub the comments of Republican activists. W.W. II Bomb Explodes in Berlin Three construction workers were killed and 14 people were injured when a World War II-era bomb exploded at a building site in what used to be East Berlin. The blast was triggered by drilling that was being carried out for an office complex. BUSINESS Elsie, Meet Mr. Kravis Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co. agreed to acquire financially troubled Borden Inc. K.K.R. will swap $2 billion of its holdings in R.J.R. Nabisco in exchange for all of Borden's outstanding stock. In a second part of the transaction, R.J.R. will issue additional new shares worth $500 million to Borden in exchange for a 20% stake in the company. The arrangement, which is still pending final agreement, would dilute K.K.R.'s holdings of R.J.R. Nabisco, the company it bought for $25 billion in 1989 in the most expensive takeover in history, from 35% to 17.5%. Stocks Hit Seven-Month Peak Thanks partly to good news on inflation, traders sent the Dow Jones industrial average climbing 58.55 points on Thursday, to 3953.88, its highest level in seven months. The market gave back some of its gains the next day, closing down 20.53 points. Germans Regain Bayer Aspirin The German chemical firm Bayer paid $1 billion to regain the American rights to its name by buying the North American over-the-counter medicine business of Sterling Winthrop. A Bayer chemist, Felix Hoffman, developed the company's production process for its most famous product, aspirin, in 1893. Bayer lost its American patents and copyrights in 1918, when the U.S. government seized the firm's assets following World War I. SCIENCE Transistor Breakthrough Researchers in France have developed an electronic transistor that contains no metallic parts. Instead they used paper-printing technology to assemble very thin layers of plastic that mimic the properties of silicon chips. Because plastic is so much more flexible than metal, the devices could theoretically be used to create such futuristic items as video screens that roll up like window shades or bendable computers the size of credit cards. SPORT It's Over Baseball's acting commissioner Bud Selig made the anticlimactic announcement: because of the 34-day players' strike, the remainder of the 1994 season, including--for the first time in 90 years--the World Series, has been canceled. In its place: further acrimonious bargaining lasting no one knows for how long. By Kathleen Adams, Melissa August, Leslie Dickstein, Christine Gorman, Michael Quinn, Jeffery C. Rubin, Alain L. Sanders and Sidney Urquhart HEALTH REPORT The Good News -- After an intense four-year search, researchers report that they have isolated the gene responsible for a hereditary form of breast cancer that may afflict one in 200 women. Although the discovery will not lead to any improvements in medical treatments in the near future, scientists hope it will teach them something about how breast cancer develops. -- Some people with leaky heart valves may not have to undergo surgery for their condition. A study of 143 patients shows that taking Procardia, a widely prescribed drug for the treatment of high blood pressure, can decrease the size of a leak, thereby reducing the need for an operation. The Bad News -- When it comes to prostate cancer, an ounce of prevention may lead to too much cure. According to a controversial mathematical analysis, routine screening of men over age 50 may lead to treatment of tumors that are growing so slowly they are unlikely to prove fatal. In those cases, the risk that surgery could cause incontinence or impotence may be greater than the risk of dying from cancer. -- Current tests for genital herpes are not sensitive enough to detect all cases in which a mother might pass the virus on to her newborn child. Researchers estimate that the true rate of infection is about eight times higher than standard tests now show. Sources-GOOD: Science; The New England Journal of Medicine. BAD: Journal of the American Medical Association, Journal of the American Medical Association. LAZARUS OF THE WEEK Poised to get his old job back, former Washington mayor Marion Barry may be proof there's no such thing as bad publicity. INSIDE WASHINGTON Accusations About Aristide Put Justice in a Bind With Haiti as the White House crisis du jour, Administration officials have been unhappily juggling some hot potatoes lobbed into the Justice Department by federal drug informants--namely, a series of uncorroborated but sensational allegations that Jean-Bertrand Aristide, Haiti's erstwhile President, took hundreds of thousands of dollars in look-the-other-way money from Colombian drug cartels while in office. Though none of the claims have been supported, and the sources may have suspect motives, jittery officials fear that discounting the accusations would incur charges of political favoritism. "My guidance is to go by the book and to follow any leads that are appropriate," Deputy Attorney General Jamie Gorelick told TIME. WINNERS & LOSERS Winners SENATOR CHARLES ROBB--His wan anti-Ollie race aided by withdrawal of arch-rival Doug Wilder. THE BRECK GIRL--She's back as Dial hunts for the next Basinger or Brinkley. DIANE SAWYER--She gets Nicole's family; Barbara Walters gets Ron Goldman's. Losers N.Y. YANKEE DON MATTINGLY--Future Hall of Famer headed for first playoff ever...until strike. FEDERAL AVIATION ADMIN.--Catching hell for flight with unscheduled White House layover. THE FINE ART OF KICK BOXING--Can sport of Van Damme survive nude Patti Davis video? NEWT'S EYE VIEW "It's a sad commentary and something every American has to come to grips with that you could have people in a city like Washington so desperate that they would vote for a convicted felon with a totally failed record and a man who clearly is going to have an impossible time trying to deal with the Congress." -- House minority whip Newt Gingrich, on Marion Barry's victory in the Washington Democratic mayoral primary "((Gingrich)) said through a spokesman that he `will strongly support Colonel North and looks forward to campaigning for him in Virginia.'" -- From a June 7 Washington Times report on Oliver North's campaign for a Senate seat INFORMED SOURCES Pulling Out His Coattails Richmond--DOUGLAS WILDER's scuttling of his independent Senate candidacy in Virginia probably saves the seat for incumbent Democrat CHUCK ROBB. But wait--there's a flip side: Democrats may lose two tight House races in which they were counting on a large turnout of blacks voting for Wilder to translate into votes for regular Democrats lower down on the ticket. Calling Mrs. Doubtfire Washington--With HILLARY CLINTON's chief of staff MARGARET WILLIAMS planning to leave after the fall elections, Administration officials are quietly searching for someone to recast the First Lady's image by mixing in a little more tradition and tea sipping. "We need a young Liz Carpenter-type," sighs one official, referring to Lady Bird Johnson's inventive Texas-bred press secretary. Key question in job interviews: What should Mrs. Clinton's next project be? Good answer: Promoting the needs of children. One Less Thing for Hard Copy to Worry About Los Angeles--JOHN DUNTON, the so-called O.J. MYSTERY WITNESS who went to jail rather than talk to a grand jury investigating O.J. Simpson's pal Al Cowlings, is appearing less and less mysterious. An L.A. County district attorney told TIME he interviewed Dunton in late 1987 while prosecuting a jailhouse murder. "It was clear he had zippo credibility," recalls the D.A., describing Dunton as "a wannabe informant" and worse: "He's a flake." THE PRESIDENTIAL MILITARY-INTERVENTION SPEECH: A PRIMER Need to persuade America it's time to ship the Marines off to a troubled country somewhere hot? Here's how, based on actual presidential addresses regarding actual U.S. invasions: KEY POINT #1: Not Just Foreigners Are in Danger but Americans Too: JOHNSON--Dominican Republic: "Only an immediate landing of American forces could safeguard and protect the lives of thousands of Americans " NIXON--Cambodia: "I have concluded that the actions of the enemy in the last 10 days clearly endanger the lives of Americans who are in Vietnam " REAGAN--Grenada: "There were then about 1,000 of our citizens on Grenada, 800 of them students in St. George's University Medical School." BUSH--Panama: "General Noriega's reckless threats and attacks upon Americans in Panama created an imminent danger to the 35,000 American citizens in Panama." CLINTON--did not address this point KEY POINT #2: Look, I've Done Everything I Can JOHNSON: "I and all the officials of the American government worked with every weapon at our command to ((restore peace))." NIXON: "I say tonight: All the offers and approaches made previously remain on the conference table whenever Hanoi is ready to negotiate seriously." REAGAN: did not address this point BUSH: "I took this action only after reaching the conclusion that every other avenue was closed " CLINTON: "For three years we and other nations have worked exhaustively to find a diplomatic solution, only to have the dictators reject each one." KEY POINT #3: We Will Also Fight with Vaguely Wilsonian Rhetoric JOHNSON: "At stake are the liberty of a nation and the principles and the values of all the American republics." NIXON: "If, when the chips are down, the world's most powerful nation acts like a pitiful, helpless giant, the forces of totalitarianism and anarchy will threaten free nations and free institutions throughout the world." REAGAN: "((Grenada)) was a Soviet-Cuban colony, being readied as a military bastion to export terror and undermine democracy. We got there just in time." BUSH: "The Panamanian people want democracy, peace and the chance for a better life in dignity and freedom." CLINTON: "History has taught us that preserving democracy in our own hemisphere strengthens America's security and prosperity." KEY POINT #4: The Boys Will Be Home for Christmas, or Thereabouts JOHNSON: Did not address this point NIXON: "Once enemy forces are driven out of these sanctuaries and once their military supplies are destroyed, we will withdraw." REAGAN: "It's our intention to get our men out as soon as possible." BUSH: "The U.S. intends to withdraw the forces newly deployed to Panama as quickly as possible." CLINTON: "The vast majority of our troops will come home in months, not years." SMART CRIMINALS, FOOLISH CHOICES New York City--After executing a smooth $1.9 million jewelry heist at Tiffany's two weeks ago, the decidedly unstreetwise thieves fenced their wares directly on the streets of Times Square and Harlem. Offering $10,000 pieces for as little as $200, the group was quickly rounded up by police. West Plains, Missouri--A man attempting to pawn a stolen bracelet was apprehended earlier this month when the pawn shop owner recognized the jewelry--it was his wife's. Indianapolis--A would-be drug user was nabbed in June after inadvertently dialing a police detective instead of his drug dealer's beeper. The detective played along with the conversation and later busted the caller after posing as his supplier's associate. Charleston, West Virginia--In March a knife-wielding mugger accepted a $300 check when his victim could only produce $12.50 in cash. The thief was arrested the next day trying to cash the check. Lynn, Massachusetts--After $4,466 was stolen from the Equitable Cooperative Bank in February, the robber was tracked down minutes later in his getaway car--a hailed taxicab. Identification was made easier by the fact that the criminal was still wearing the mask he used during the stickup. Memphis, Tennessee--While pillaging a local home last winter, a burglar left behind his red and white Nikes. Realizing later where he had lost them, he returned and asked the lady of the house if she had found a pair of colorful athletic shoes lying about. She called police. He was arrested shortly thereafter. BESUBORU LIKE IT OUGHTA BE Unlike its American cousin, Japanese major league baseball (pronounced besuboru) is in the grip of pennant fever: Sunday: In a Central League showdown, the first-place Yomiuri Giants beat the second-place Hiroshima Carp 3-1, making up for their worst ever defeat the day before (a 19-5 loss to the Carp). Wednesday: Orix Blue Wave superstar Ichiro Suzuki (left), who tends bonsai in his off-hours, broke a 43-year-old record with his 192nd hit of the season (George Sisler set the U.S. record of 257 in 1920). Friday: Suzuki went hitless as the Pacific Division's first-place Seibu Lions beat the second-place Orix 6-1, moving four games ahead. Rain--not a labor dispute--canceled besuboru's other Friday games. </body> </article> </text>