TIME: Almanac 1995

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<text id=94TT1509> <title> Oct. 31, 1994: Chronicles-The Week:October 16-22 </title> <history> TIME--The Weekly Newsmagazine--1994 Oct. 31, 1994 New Hope for Public Schools </history> <article> <source>Time Magazine</source> <hdr> CHRONICLES, Page 19 The Week: October 16 - 22 </hdr> <body> NATION The Politics of Association Trying to bolster the flagging campaigns of two Democratic heavyweights, President Clinton traveled to New York and Massachusetts and stumped for Governor Mario Cuomo and Senator Edward Kennedy, both of whom have apparently decided that the President's pariah status is nothing compared with theirs. "The fog is beginning to clear," proclaimed the hopeful President in Framingham, Massachusetts, as he urged voters to pull Democratic levers "for the agents of change, not for the agents of yesterday." The Politics of Immigration Republican California Governor Pete Wilson's re-election strategy hit an unexpected snag when former Housing Secretary Jack Kemp and former Education Secretary William Bennett made a big show of their opposition to California's popular ballot Proposition 187. Wilson has avidly supported the measure, which would bar illegal immigrants in the state from receiving public services. Kemp and Bennett lambasted it as a "fundamentally flawed, constitutionally questionable `solution'" and castigated politicians who would use the issue of illegal immigration for political gain. Wilson shot back that the two "Washington" G.O.P. pols had hung around the capital "too long." The Politics of Crime Was it a calculated political ploy or a spontaneous burst of maternal anger? California pundits spent the week scratching their heads over whether Democratic underdog Kathleen Brown had helped or hurt her campaign to unseat Wilson by invoking a family tragedy. In a televised debate the week before, during which Wilson had continued to pound Brown as being soft on crime, she had thumped him back with this: "You cannot imagine what it's like to be a mother...waiting for your daughter to come home in the evening and having her come home and comfort her because she's been raped...You can't understand that, so don't question my commitment to be tough on crime." The next question: Did the revelation of her daughter's rape give Brown momentum, or did questions about the context of the revelation slow her down? The Politics of Taunt Florida Governor Lawton Chiles and Republican challenger Jeb Bush squared off in one of the most heated and taunt-ridden debates of this election season. From Bush: "I know the Governor gets all upset when I bring up my mama and daddy. He just can't handle that." And from Chiles: "I don't see where...past service gives ((parents)) the opportunity to give one of their sons Texas and the other Florida." (George W. Bush, another son of the former President, is seeking the governorship of Texas.) The Simpson Case Judge Lance Ito spent much of the week doing legal pirouettes. After threatening to throw out key DNA blood tests because the prosecution may have taken too long to submit blood samples for analysis, Ito backed off and decided the tests should be admissible. Then, after having resumed the screening of prospective jurors, he decided to suspend the questioning temporarily. Reason: the need to ponder the impact of a sensational, allegedly tell-all book by a friend of Nicole Simpson's that accused O.J. of threatening his wife. Finally, Ito decided to reverse an order he had issued earlier in the week barring reporters from portions of the jury-selection process after defense attorneys dropped their opposition to the presence of the media. Texas Submerged Large swaths of southeastern Texas were deluged by torrential rain and widespread flooding. Pipelines burst under the roiling San Jacinto River, sending burning gasoline snaking downstream. At least 18 people lost their lives throughout the drenched region, and some 13,000 were chased from their homes. Not-So-Crystal-Clear Water The private non-profit Environmental Working Group released a study showing that traces of five commonly used agricultural weed killers are seeping through soil and streams and into the drinking water of some 14 million Americans, mostly in the Midwest. The poisons pose slightly increased cancer risks. The Environmental Protection Agency acknowledged there was cause for "concern" but not "alarm." Fewer Coins in the Tin Cup Though the '90s are often presented as a more caring decade than, say, the '80s, Americans are apparently giving less of their time and money to charitable causes. Independent Sector, a coalition of volunteer groups, reported that 3.4% fewer Americans volunteered last year than in 1991; during the same period, the average annual donation among the 73% of households that give slipped $19, to $880. WORLD More Peace in the Mideast Jordan and Israel announced formal agreement on a peace treaty, the first such pact between Israel and an Arab nation since the treaty with Egypt in 1979. After 46 years in an official state of war, the reconciliation will boost commerce and facilitate travel between the two countries. President Clinton will join Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Jordan's King Hussein for the official signing ceremony on Wednesday on the border between the two countries. More Terror in the Mideast Seeking to undermine Israeli-Arab peacemaking, a suicide bomber from the Hamas organization of Palestinian Islamic militants detonated a package of tnt on a crowded bus in normally placid Tel Aviv; 21 people were killed. The especially grisly suicide attack came just days after the bloody denouement of a Hamas kidnapping in which two Israeli soldiers and three Palestinians died. Rabin vowed to crack down on Hamas suspects and urged Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to do the same. Nuclear Buyout After months of a tense standoff, the U.S. and North Korea reached a broad agreement that would freeze and then dismantle North Korea's declared nuclear program (but not, perhaps, all of the secret weapons program) and move the nations toward normal political and economic relations with each other for the first time. In return for the halt, the Clinton Administration and its allies will provide North Korea with two light-water reactors, worth an estimated $4 billion, as well as up to 500,000 tons of heavy oil a year. International inspectors will be allowed to monitor North Korea's declared nuclear sites to make sure the freeze is carried out, but it will be at least five years before they can inspect sites Washington suspects contain clues to the North's nuclear-weapons program. Haiti's Smoother Ride Jean-Bertrand Aristide pledged to appoint a Cabinet not only of the poor, whose cause he championed, but also of the wealthy elite--the very people who helped oust him from power three years ago. A diverse government, he insisted, would prevent upheaval and ease the transition to democracy. Meanwhile, with the cost of gasoline soaring to $37.50 per gal. on the black market, the U.S. and Aristide signed a $15 million agreement to stabilize prices. Kohl's Big Slide Chancellor Helmut Kohl's 12-year-old governing coalition survived major losses in Germany's national election, clinging to a narrow majority in the parliament over the combined opposition. High unemployment, particularly in the country's eastern sector, and swelling public debt contributed to the Christian Democrats' drop in seats, from a 134-edge to just 10. American-style disillusionment with incumbents ran so rampant that former communists from East Germany, who now call themselves Democratic Socialists, won 30 seats. Christmas Talks The British government propelled the Northern Ireland peace process further by announcing that talks could start before Christmas. Calling the quiet of the Irish Republican Army's guns "more compelling than words," Prime Minister John Major explained that the seven-week-old cease-fire was enough for British officials to begin preliminary talks with Sinn Fein, the I.R.A.'s political wing. Major also lifted travel restrictions within Britain on two top Sinn Fein leaders and said all border crossings with the Republic of Ireland will be opened. Saddam's Isolation Saddam Hussein must have felt lonelier by the day last week as even somewhat friendly nations registered their disapproval of his aggressive behavior toward Kuwait. The United Nation's Security Council voted unanimously to condemn his actions. The Russian Foreign Minister, Andrei Kozyrev, who had tried to ease pressure on Iraq, said he did not want to "dramatize" the situation and affirmed that Washington and Moscow were in agreement on the need for full Iraqi compliance with U.N. resolutions. Finally, U.S. jets flew dry runs over Iraq as a forceful reminder of their heavy presence in the region. Foreign Minister Surfaces Rwanda's Foreign Minister, Jean-Marie Ndagijimana, who allegedly vanished in New York City earlier this month--along with $187,000 in cash he had brought with him to finance the country's embassy in Washington and its United Nations mission--surfaced in Paris. He denied taking the money. Rwandan officials at the U.N. claim that the mission is left with "zero" cash. BUSINESS GM's Flaming Pickups After a two-year federal investigation of 4.5 million pickup trucks, Transportation Secretary Federico Pena accused General Motors of knowingly manufacturing defective trucks with exposed fuel tanks that can explode and burn in side-impact crashes. The Department of Transportation has scheduled a public hearing in December to decide whether the nation's No. 1 automaker should recall its line of pickups built between 1973 and 1987. In a 1988 redesign, GM moved the fuel tanks inside the trucks' protective body frames. U.S. Probes NASDAQ The Justice Department has launched an antitrust investigation of the dealers who make NASDAQ's stock markets, a move that will probably result in cutting their profit margins. The inquiry centers on possible price fixing in the spread between what investors pay and then sell stocks for on NASDAQ. As a result, Justice charges, the computer-trading system of NASDAQ, which bills itself as the "stock market for the next 100 years," gives big traders advantages over small investors. By Kathleen Adams, Robertson Barrett, Michael D. Lemonick, Lina Lofaro, Michael Quinn, Alain L. Sanders and David Seideman HEALTH REPORT Good News -- Yo-yo dieting--i.e., cycles of weight loss and gain--may not be harmful to your health after all. A new study has failed to find incidences of increased body fat and heart and metabolic problems that were hinted at in earlier research. -- The controversy about RU-486, the French abortion pill, may be moot. Research shows that a combination of two drugs already available in the U.S., methotrexate (a cancer and arthritis medication) and misoprostol (an ulcer drug), is 90% successful at ending pregnancy if given during the first eight weeks. Bad News -- More than a quarter of all pancreatic-cancer cases appear to be caused by smoking. That adds up to nearly 7,000 victims each year in the U.S. alone. The disease, often not detected until after it has spread, is generally fatal. -- A powerful anticlotting drug often given to heart-attack patients can have some very serious side effects. Two separate studies have shown that when given in moderately high doses, heparin can cause excessive internal bleeding that can lead to paralyzing and even lethal strokes. Heparin is believed to be reasonably safe when taken in lower doses. Sources--GOOD: Journal of the American Medical Association. BAD: Journal of the National Cancer Institute; Circulation. BELLETTRIST OF THE WEEK Was Faye Resnick's book about Nicole Simpson a caring tribute to a slain friend? Was it manipulative? Was it cynical? Was it optioned? INSIDE WASHINGTON An Offer Roone Arledge Couldn't Refuse? David Kendall, Bill Clinton's private lawyer, has been working very very hard to keep Whitewater out of the headlines. On Sunday, Oct. 16, he flew from Washington to New York City to persuade ABC News not to air a piece about Arkansas state trooper L.D. Brown, who says he has given information to Whitewater investigators that may help substantiate a former Arkansas municipal judge's claim that Clinton pressured him into making a fraudulent small-business loan. Though Kendall made ABC newspeople aware of certain episodes that may call the trooper's credibility into question, network sources say the up-close-and-personal presentation was in no way responsible for their decision to hold off on running the story. WINNERS & LOSERS Winners ANN RICHARDS--Texas floods provide nonstop photo op for Governor in tight race. CHANCELLOR HELMUT KOHL--Written off in spring (including by us), he survives German vote. CONNIE CHUNG--Scoops husband Maury Povich for first Faye Resnick interview. Losers PRINCE CHARLES--No one's buying his victim pose in maudlin new authorized bio. JUDGE ROBERT CAHILL--Baltimore jurist under fire for giving wife killer an 18-month sentence. THE NASDAQ STOCK MARKET--Embattled board now being investigated for price-fixing. SECRETS OF HIGHLY PAID CAMPAIGN CONSULTANTS REVEALED! It's not hard to figure out what candidates are being told to say this fall: "George Pataki, politics as usual." --Attack ad for New York Governor Mario Cuomo against his Republican opponent "It's politics as usual." --Representative Martin Frost (D-Texas), answering accusations of election-law violations "We need Bill Martini in Congress to end...politics as usual." --New Jersey Governor Christine Whitman, endorsing a local Republican candidate for Congress "Burns is clearly `politics as usual.'" --Jack Mudd, Democratic challenger to U.S. Senator Conrad Burns (R-Montana) "Old-style politics as usual." --Broadcast ad for Connecticut gubernatorial candidate William Curry, Democrat, on his Republican opponent John G. Rowland "It's cynical, Washington politics as usual." --Virginia Senate candidate Oliver North, criticizing a Bill Clinton fund-raising appearance for Democratic incumbent Charles Robb JUDGE THEM NOT BY THEIR COVERS Two headline-making books went on sale last week: Crossing the Threshold of Hope by Pope John Paul II and Faye Resnick's Nicole Brown Simpson: The Private Diary of a Life Interrupted. Some preliminary store-by-store sales figures (through Oct. 21) <table> <tblhdr><c><c>Pope<c><c>Resnick<c> <row><c type=a><c type=i>Ordered<c type=i> Sold<c type=i>Ordered<c type=i> Sold <row><c>B. Dalton, New York City<c>600<c>60<c>200<c>55 <row><c>B. Dalton, Los Angeles<c>140<c>1<c>160<c>60 <row><c>Waldenbooks, Denver<c>140<c>0<c>50<c>10 <row><c>B. Dalton, Chicago<c>40<c>3<c>80<c>10 </table> MADELEINE ALBRIGHT: MUSE The Iraqi government newspaper recently published a poem addressed to Madeleine Albright, the U.S.'s feisty ambassador to the U.N. It is by Ghazi Al-Tha'i, described as "a famous poet." <list> <item>1.Albright, Albright <item>Alright, alright <item>You are the worst <item>in the night <item>Why do you throw-over <item>the peace leaves <item>and maintain the papers of fight? <item>Why do you hate the day <item>And love the night? <item>Don't put out the light. </list> <list> <item>2.Albright <item>Blind hatred without proof <item>Deception, deception, deception <item>And wailing <item>Wailing <item>Wailing. </list> ((Note: There are four more stanzas.)) THE 10 MOST POPULAR HALLOWEEN COSTUMES SOLD LAST WEEK AT TOYS "R" US <list> <item>1) Mighty Morphin Power Rangers <item>2) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles <item>3) Simba (from The Lion King) <item>4) A generic witch <item>5) Nala (from The Lion King) <item>6) Belle (from Beauty and the Beast) <item>7) Jasmine (from Aladdin) <item>8) Barney <item>9) A generic angel <item>10) Batman </list> NOT THE LOVE BOAT "It is a great job for deviant human beings." --Departing Representative Fred Grandy (R-Iowa) on serving in Congress NETWATCH--News, Culture, Controversy on the Internet Al Gore Had a Hand in This A spiffy Peter Max rendition of the White House, a Camelot-ish photo of the President on horseback, recorded meows from Socks--these offerings and more are available at the White House's strenuously friendly new Internet site (address: http://www.whitehouse.gov). Users can also "tour" the mansion (except the family quarters) and download cartoons poking fun at Al Gore. More in the familiar style of the federal government are the retrievable studies and press releases from the likes of the EPA and the Small Business Administration. White House officials stress that the site was designed by non-taxpayer-funded interns. E-mail Netwatch at timestaff1@aol.com BATTLE OF THE BUZZ WORDS Last week's champ "Gridlock" vs. challenger "Hot Button" Number of mentions in the press and on TV talk shows, through 10/20. Hot Button:40, Gridlock:112 DISPATCHES: THIS OLD PALACE By Amy Wilentz/Port-Au-Prince, Haiti Jean-Bertrand Aristide's presidential palace was in a state of wild disarray all last week, though the Haitian government did manage to put on a fairly elegant reception for some 500 distinguished visitors and guests on the Saturday of Aristide's return--a triumph all the more remarkable for the palace's lack of running water. The President's people had been especially nervous since a number of the invitees supported the 1991 coup d'etat against Aristide and were no doubt looking forward to a social debacle. But the Americans arrived with six portable toilets, and the Haitians lugged water up two flights of stairs to the reception level, and the party came off more or less without a hitch. That was the new government's first taste of what awaited it inside the palace, Haiti's seat of government. The ritzy residential floor, decorated by Michele Duvalier in the slickest French style of the late 1970s, had not been occupied since Aristide's quick exit in 1991 and was, according to a member of Aristide's kitchen cabinet, "unlivable"--dusty and moldy and smelling faintly of sewage. The beautiful granite bathrooms had all been destroyed, their fixtures removed. Upstairs in the President's offices, the situation was worse. The computers Aristide had left behind when he was booted into exile had been stolen. Every last bit of office equipment was gone--Aristide's staff members were still begging pens from journalists on the day after he arrived--and only a very few electrical outlets were working. As late as last Wednesday, there was still just one functioning phone in the entire palace. Aristide wanted to spend his first night home at his private residence just outside town, but he was told by his security people that his safety there could not yet be guaranteed. So he chose to remain in the palace and slept in his office on a pull-out couch sent over by a helpful friend. There was no working shower; the President had to bathe a la paysanne--peasant style--using buckets of water and a sink. The President's discomforts, however fleeting, reflect some of the more basic needs his government will have to address in its first few months in power. Schools languish in disrepair. Garbage is piled high around the capital, and the municipal dump is an unsightly waterfront horror that breeds disease. Roads are barely navigable; in some places, the potholes have grown so large and deep that they are known in Haitian Creole as tonmbo, or tombs. At midweek, gasoline had still not made it to the nation's pumps, and the stockpiled supplies of street dealers were dwindling. It was a characteristically Haitian irony that only when the embargo was over did the gas shortage begin. Despite all the problems facing his country, and despite his difficulties bathing, Aristide is plainly delighted to be home. "Look," he told Time, "obviously we're not going to solve everything in our first few days, and if we just don't shoot ourselves in the foot, we'll be doing a good job." </body> </article> </text>