TIME: Almanac 1995

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<text id=94TT1332> <title> Oct. 03, 1994: Chronicles:The Week Sept. 18-24 </title> <history> TIME--The Weekly Newsmagazine--1994 Oct. 03, 1994 Blinksmanship </history> <article> <source>Time Magazine</source> <hdr> CHRONICLES, Page 21 The Week: September 18-24 </hdr> <body> NATION What White House Shake-Up? Leon Panetta announced his long-promised and much anticipated shake-up of the Clinton White House staff. The result: some clearer lines of authority but no major changes. Press Secretary Dee Dee Myers, whose ouster had been widely rumored, even got a promotion and greater access to the President--reportedly after circumventing Panetta and making a last-minute plea directly to Clinton. Health-Care Maneuvers Despite attempts at a heroic compromise with a bipartisan, mainstream group of colleagues, Senate majority leader George Mitchell's efforts to pass some kind of health-care reform bill this year teetered on the edge of death. Republican leaders warned that a last-minute rescue effort could jeopardize G.O.P. support for global trade legislation. And some leading reform advocates, preferring to regroup for a fresh start in the next Congress, issued a "do not resuscitate" request. Cabinet Money Problems The cloud of a possible independent-counsel probe fell over Housing Secretary Henry Cisneros: the Justice Department indicated it was beginning a preliminary review of Cisneros' payments to a former mistress and the statements he made about the money to federal agents prior to his appointment. Meanwhile, Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy, who is already the target of an independent counsel investigation regarding his travel expenses, let it be known that he has been voluntarily writing personal reimbursement checks to various benefactors in order to clear up any appearance of impropriety. Nuclear Freeze Following a review of the nation's nuclear deterrent, the Pentagon announced it had decided to keep the current arsenal essentially intact, given the uncertainties of the post-cold war world order. By and large, U.S. nuclear forces will not be reduced beyond changes necessitated by Bush-era treaties with Moscow. Primary Warnings The week's primary results were not happy ones for Democrats. In Oklahoma, voters ousted veteran Representative Mike Synar, a liberal Clinton ally and an anti-tobacco, antigun war-horse. Nominated in his place was Virgil Cooper, a retired school principal. In Washington State, House Speaker Thomas Foley won a mere 35% of the vote in his state's open primary; four Republican candidates received the balance of the vote. "We are in a period of hesitation and uncertainty," President Clinton told Democrats at a post-primary pep talk. His prescription: "What we have to do is make this election our friend." The Simpson Case With jury selection in the O.J. Simpson murder case set to begin on Monday, prosecutors and defense attorneys spent their last week of pretrial hearings arguing over the admissibility of critical evidence seized by police at Simpson's estate. Judge Lance Ito ruled in favor of the prosecution on the vast majority of the disputed evidence. He also attacked what he called "outrageous" and "incorrect" reporting on the case and threatened to kick TV cameras out of the courtroom. WORLD Haiti Accepts U.S. Forces The Haitian junta reluctantly agreed to the arrival of U.S. forces, who asserted control over the Caribbean island's military and police. American troops were initially forced to watch uncomfortably as Haitian police savagely beat civilians--at least one of them to death--but they were later given permission to use force to prevent such violence. On Saturday, Marines killed eight Haitian men in a firefight outside a police station in Cap Haitien. The U.S. soldiers, who numbered 12,000 at week's end, also disabled many of the heavy weapons of the Haitian army. But army commander Lieut. General Raoul Cedras continued to confound diplomats with his insistence that he would not leave Haiti even after Aristide's return. Pope Cancels U.S. Visit John Paul II, history's most peripatetic pontiff, canceled a four-day October visit to the New York City area and Baltimore, Maryland, citing a need for more recovery time from orthopedic surgery he underwent after a fall in April. The Vatican announced that John Paul, 74, still plans to make his 63rd trip abroad, to Asia, in January, but the cancellation of the American trip spurred speculation about his overall health and possible successors. Panic in Western India A plague deadlier than the bubonic broke out in the Indian city of Surat, killing at least 51 people. Some 400,000 residents jammed trains and buses in a panicked exodus from the polluted industrial city. Serbs Attack, NATO Retaliates Bosnian Serbs fired a rocket-propelled grenade at a French armored personnel carrier on U.N. peacekeeping duty outside Sarajevo, wounding a French soldier. In retaliation for that attack and three others by the Bosnian Serbs, three NATO jets destroyed a Bosnian Serb tank that had violated the 12.5-mile exclusion zone around Sarajevo. Attempting to further isolate the Bosnian Serbs from their longtime backers in Serbia, the U.N. Security Council voted to ease minor sanctions against Serbian-dominated Yugoslavia. The move came after Serbia's President agreed to enforce an embargo on the shipment of war supplies to the Serbs in Bosnia. Serbs "Cleanse" 3,000 In the largest example of "ethnic cleansing" in nearly two years, armed Bosnian Serbs forced more than 3,000 Muslims from their homes, robbed them and herded them over battle lines. The Muslims--mostly women, children and the elderly--were expelled from the Bijeljina district in northeastern Bosnia. Suu Kyi Meets with Generals Aung San Suu Kyi, the opposition leader in Burma, met with the two generals who govern the country for the first time since she was placed under house arrest five years ago. A government-controlled newspaper described the meeting as "cordial," without giving details. Suu Kyi won the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize for her nonviolent efforts to restore democracy to Burma. Russian Nukes' Power Cut Off The overdue electricity bills hadn't been paid, so Moscow's regional power authority cut off the electricity--to the central command of Russia's strategic nuclear missile forces. The headquarters, in a Moscow suburb, was forced to switch to a backup generator; its overdue bill totaled almost $1 million. An official statement said that "the military preparedness of the strategic missile forces was not impaired and is, as always, at the necessary level." But later in the week, nuclear submarine-building plants in the Arctic city of Severodvinsk were forced to shut down when the local power company cut off their juice. BUSINESS Trade Deficit Widens Thanks largely to slow overseas sales of American aircraft and increased prices for imported oil, the U.S. trade deficit rose sharply in July to its second highest level in history. The gap, $10.99 billion, was nearly 22% higher than the June figure. Stock markets tumbled on the news, with the Dow shedding 101.6 points for the week. Contours, Mystiques Recalled Before even 250 of the cars were delivered, Ford Motor Co. recalled its brand-new Contour and Mercury Mystique sedans. Reason: a static electricity charge can build up on a shield attached to the fuel-filler pipe, igniting fuel vapors. The cars had been hyped by one of the most expensive advertising campaigns in company history. SCIENCE Genetic "Superchip" Scientists at the Argonne National Laboratory near Chicago have designed a special-purpose biochemical "superchip" that can determine gene sequences--the precise arrangement of the chemical building blocks that make up a strand of DNA--1,000 times as fast as conventional means. If it performs as promised, the 1-in.-sq. chip could shave years--and hundreds of millions of dollars--off the Human Genome Project, the worldwide effort to decipher each of the 100,000 genes found in a human cell. SPORT Congress Steps to the Plate Members of a House judiciary subcommittee struck fear into the hearts of major league baseball owners when the lawmakers said they might consider stripping the sport's antitrust exemption if players and owners do not soon settle their strike. By Kathleen Adams, Philip Elmer-DeWitt, Lina Lofaro, Michael Quinn, Jeffery C. Rubin, Alain L. Sanders and Sidney Urquhart HEALTH REPORT THE GOOD NEWS -- Another reason to exercise, at least for women: a new study says moderate but regular physical activity--jogging, swimming, playing tennis four hours a week--can reduce the risk of breast cancer as much as 60%. The benefits are greatest for women who have given birth and who exercised in their teens and 20s. -- Research shows surgeons have lower blood pressure, lower pulse rates and perform better in stress tests when they listen to music that they like. Of 50 doctors tested, 46 preferred to operate to classical music, two chose jazz and two favored Irish folk tunes. No word on how they perform when they hear music they don't like. THE BAD NEWS -- Premature babies with extremely low birth weights--less than 1 lb. 10 oz.--face a host of neurological difficulties, according to a new study. Nearly half of those who survive to school age suffer from learning disabilities, 25% have poor vision, and 21% have IQs lower than 70. However, preemies born today can be treated with new intensive-care techniques that reduce complications. -- Women treated with the infertility drug clomiphene (trade names: Clomid and Serophene) have a 2.3 times greater than normal risk of developing ovarian cancer. The risk is even higher for women who take the drug for a year or more. Sources--GOOD: The Journal of the National Cancer Institute; Journal of the American Medical Association. BAD: The New England Journal of Medicine and Journal of the American Medical Association; The New England Journal of Medicine. POINT MAN OF THE WEEK Lieut. General Hugh Henry Shelton, commander of the U.S. occupation force, has the unenviable task of bringing order--and maybe justice--to Haiti. INSIDE WASHINGTON Duck! He's Got a Microphone! Washington--Seeking an official "star witness" to testify this week on the Haiti occupation, the House Foreign Relations Committee was hoping for an important Administration figure like Secretary of State Warren Christopher. But the White House refused to cooperate, concerned that its spokesman would be savaged by Republican committee members. Then word got out that the committee was about to call on a well-known "unofficial" witness: free-lancer Jimmy Carter. Figuring that it would be preferable to take a predictable beating than to be dodging loose-cannon fire, the White House quickly reconsidered its position. The likely Administration witness at this week's Haiti hearings: Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott. WINNERS & LOSERS Winners JULES VERNE--His newly found 1863 novel predicted cars, faxes, Franglais. MITCHELL RUPE--Obese con who tried to eat his way off scaffold gets reprieve. HOME IMPROVEMENT--ABC sitcom nails NBC's Frasier in programming skirmish. Losers GIANNI VERSACE--His empire is under scrutiny for the latest Italian fashion: bribery. COURT TV--Televising of federal trials gets poor reception from judges. REPRESENTATIVE MIKE SYNAR--Clinton ally loses primary to a 71-year-old ex-school principal. JUST HAPPY TO SEE HER "Mrs. Cedras was impressive, powerful and forceful. And attractive. She was slim and very attractive." -- Jimmy Carter, recalling one of the highlights of his mission to Haiti I LOVE JEDDAH IN THE SPRINGTIME As American troops take control of Haiti, debate rages on: Should Raoul Cedras, the allegedly soon-to-be-ex-dictator, stay on in Haiti after giving up power? Or should he opt for sybaritic exile? A look at the current life-styles of other former strongmen and presidents-for-life might help him make up his mind: IDI ("Big Daddy") AMIN fled Uganda in 1979 with his wife and 23 children for sanctuary in Saudi Arabia. Occasionally he dons traditional Arab garb and joins other Ugandan exiles for coffee in a downtown Jeddah hotel. A devout Muslim, Amin lives quietly in a modest villa outside the city, tending a vegetable patch and feeding his goats and chickens. JEAN-CLAUDE ("Baby Doc") DUVALIER has fallen on hard times. Following his 1986 flight from Haiti to the French Riviera, he installed his shopaholic wife Michele and their children in a palatial home near Cannes. Two years ago, Mme. Duvalier divorced him, taking the children and a large chunk of the assets. Duvalier quickly ran through his remaining funds--once estimated at $400 million--and now lives with his mother Simone, 80, in a scruffy villa with no telephone (cut off for unpaid bills) and a broken wire fence surrounding an unkempt garden. Last week he disappeared for parts unknown. JEAN-BEDEL BOKASSA, the so-called Butcher of Bangui who was deposed as Emperor of the Central African Republic in 1979, was released from prison last September. During his six years of incarceration he underwent a mystical conversion to Christianity and declared himself the 13th Apostle of Christ. He lives alone, under informal guard, in a small three-bedroom house in downtown Bangui. ALFREDO STROESSNER, the dean of western despots after 34 years of iron rule in Paraguay, was ousted in 1989 after a military coup. He fled to Brazil, where he lives in a well-guarded mansion in Brasilia. Stroessner is said to enjoy fishing and traveling around the country visiting his former military buddies. He is also known to be an ardent fan of Xuxa (pronounced Shoo-shah), Brazil's Barbie-esque kiddie-show hostess. THEY CALL HIM "FLASH" PANETTA Leon Panetta's anticlimactic though long-awaited shake-up of White House personnel finally took place last week. How long awaited? Panetta Vows Quick Review at White House -- headline, Wall Street Journal, 6/29/94 "I'm going to make a recommendation to the President, hopefully soon, with regards to what changes need to be made." -- Panetta himself, on Face the Nation, 7/10/94 White House Awaiting Panetta's Prescription -- headline, Los Angeles Times, 7/24/94 "Panetta's suggested changes...((are)) expected to happen later this month, when Washington goes on vacation." -- National Journal, 8/6/94 Panetta May Deliver After Labor Day -- headline, Washington Post, 8/31/94 "The White House personnel shake-up may occur next week." -- USA Today, 9/9/94 "Sources say chunks of the long-awaited White House personnel shuffle were just about good-to-go at the end of last week, but that Haiti thing got in the way." -- Washington Post, 9/21/94 BESUBORU LIKE IT OUGHTA BE Unlike its American cousin, Japanese major league baseball (pronounced besuboru) has two weeks left in its season. Last week's highlights: Saturday: After blasting a "sayonara," or game-winning, homer, slugger Hiromoto Okubo of the first-place Yomiuri Giants (Central League) is so overcome with emotion that he bursts into tears on reaching home plate in a 6-4 victory over the Hanshin Tigers. Tuesday: League-leading hitter Ichiro Suzuki, of the Orix Blue Wave (second place, Pacific League) smacks the 200th hit of his record-breaking season in a 6-5 win over the Chiba Lotte Marines. Thursday: The Tigers lose again, 4-0, as Chunichi Dragons pitcher Kuo Yuan-tzu becomes only the fifth hurler in besuboru history to win 100 career games. Friday: The once mighty Giants lose, 1-0, to the fifth-ranked Yokohama Bay Stars, forcing a tight pennant race with the second-place Hiroshima Carp and third-place Dragons. </body> </article> </text>