TIME: Almanac 1995

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<text id=93TT0554> <title> Nov. 29, 1993: Chronicles </title> <history> TIME--The Weekly Newsmagazine--1993 Nov. 29, 1993 Is Freud Dead? </history> <article> <source>Time Magazine</source> <hdr> CHRONICLES, Page 17 THE WEEK:NOVEMBER 14-20 </hdr> <body> NATION The Comeback Kid, Part 29 The North American Free Trade Agreement passed the House by a larger than expected tally of 234 to 200. Reflecting the odd alliance that the vote on the pact engendered, 75% of Republicans voted with the President, while only 40% of Democrats did so. The fate of the agreement had been in grave doubt, and Clinton virtually staked the future of his presidency on its passage, so the victory was substantial. Critics charged that Clinton used too many special deals to sway legislators, while supporters claimed that Clinton's horse trading demonstrated his savvy. Next: The Pacific The day after the NAFTA vote, Clinton flew to Seattle, where his victory strengthened his hand considerably at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Council meeting. The four-day gathering marks the first time the 17 Pacific Rim leaders have ever met as a group as well as the first time an American President has met with a Chinese leader since the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. The President hoped to use the conference to encourage the opening of new markets. Gay Ban Unconstitutional A federal appeals court ruled that the armed forces cannot expel anyone on account of his or her sexual orientation. The U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that Joseph Steffan was wrongfully dismissed from the Naval Academy in 1987 and ordered him to be graduated immediately and given a commission. The effect that the decision will have on the military is unclear. The lawsuit was a challenge to the old policy on gays, but the reasoning appears also to apply to the new "Don't ask, don't tell" policy. No 51st State Citizens of Puerto Rico voted 48% to 46% in favor of remaining a commonwealth of the U.S. instead of pursuing statehood status. As a result, Puerto Ricans will still enjoy nearly all the rights of U.S. citizenship along with special tax breaks. And the island can continue to field its own Olympic teams. Rollins Testifies Ten days after telling reporters about spending $500,000 to suppress black-voter turnout during the New Jersey gubernatorial race, Republican strategist Edward Rollins gave a deposition to the New Jersey State Democratic Committee, which has filed a civil suit against the campaign of Governor-elect Christine Todd Whitman. Rollins said Friday his original story was a lie, concocted as a "head game" with rival political consultant James Carville. Justice Department Fraud According to a federal appeals court, the Justice Department committed fraud and "acted with reckless disregard for the truth" when it withheld evidence that could have prevented the 1986 deportation of Cleveland autoworker John Demjanjuk. The evidence would have shown that someone else may have been Ivan the Terrible, the Nazi death-camp guard Demjanjuk was accused of being. Football So much for the luck of the Irish. So much too, it seems, for Notre Dame's chances to win the mythical national football championship. The week Notre Dame had ascended to the top of the polls, gritty Boston College knocked off the Irish in a 41-39 thriller. Undefeated Nebraska now becomes top dog. At least for the time being. WORLD Sweeping Away Apartheid South Africa's white minority government and black political leaders approved a new constitution that ends apartheid. The 142-page document, two years in the writing, guarantees freedom of speech, movement and political activity for all citizens. The charter also provides for transitional quasi-legislative bodies to oversee national elections next April 27, the first in which blacks, who constitute 75% of the population, will be permitted to vote. Out of Hiding Shortly after the U.N. called a halt to its unsuccessful search for Mohammed Farrah Aidid, the Somali warlord emerged from hiding to celebrate with thousands of shouting and dancing supporters. In addition to dropping its $25,000 reward for Aidid's capture, the U.N. announced the release of eight of his aides. The gestures are intended to encourage Aidid to join in negotiations that Washington now hopes will end the country's clan warfare. U.S. special envoy to Somalia Robert Oakley met with Aidid after he came out of hiding. Said Oakley: "The U.S. realized we made a mistake getting involved" in the hunt for Aidid. Israel and P.L.O. Keep Talking Meeting at a secret location in Cairo, Palestinian and Israeli negotiators said they were confident that by their deadline, three weeks from now, they will reach an accord on the details of limited Palestinian self-rule in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank town of Jericho. Israel has agreed to restrict the presence of its troops to Jewish settlements, a long-standing Palestinian demand. Yeltsin Bends Russian President Boris Yeltsin said the presidential election he promised for June 12 is still on despite his "personal views" that it should be postponed. Yeltsin also announced a broad new approach to combatting Russia's runaway crime problem. The measures include expanded police powers to search passengers and cargo. Iraq Moves on Shi`ites Government forces in Iraq have accelerated their campaign to clear opposition Shi`ite Muslims from a vast marshland in the southern part of the country. Engineers have diverted water from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers to drain large areas of the swamps, home to an estimated 200,000 people, and Iraqi soldiers have burned villages and carried out summary executions. Some witnesses have described attacks using chemical weapons. Cleaning Up Japanese Politics Japanese Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa won a powerful victory when the lower house of Japan's parliament passed his four-bill reform package. The country's notoriously corrupt political system will undergo a major overhaul if the bills are passed by the parliament's upper house, as expected. Among the changes are a switch to single-member constituencies and a ban on corporate campaign donations to individual politicians. War-Crimes Inquiry The first international war-crimes tribunal since the Nuremberg trials following World War II opened in the Hague, but the 11-judge panel investigating atrocities in the former Yugoslavia has none of the alleged perpetrators in custody and is not empowered to try defendants in absentia. Crackdown in Nigeria Defense Minister General Sani Abacha ousted Nigeria's interim President Ernest Shonekan and announced that he was abolishing virtually all democratic institutions in the country. Abacha helped install Shonekan in the first place last August and is believed to have aided in the ouster of Nigeria's previous leader. Korean Noses to Be Buried The remains of 20,000 noses cut from the faces of slain Koreans by invading Japanese samurai in 1597 will be buried this week in Puan, 135 miles south of Seoul. The noses were discovered in Japan by a Korean historian in 1983 and were kept at a temporary site until a permanent tomb could be found. BUSINESS Airline Strike American Airlines, the nation's largest domestic air carrier, was struck by its 21,000 flight attendants, who are seeking, among other things, better pay and work-rule changes. The dispute caused flight cancellations, passenger confusion and the prospect of nightmarish travel problems before and after Thanksgiving. Signs of Better Times Government figures for October indicate that the economy is steadily improving. Rising for the third month in a row, housing starts surged 2.7% to their highest level in more than 3 1/2 years. And increasing for the fifth month in a row, industrial production jumped 0.8% to register the biggest gain in almost a year. However, the Labor Department said that in a test run the new employment-survey method it plans to introduce in January showed a higher jobless rate for the year ending in August: 7.6%, vs. the reported 7.1%. The main reason was the use of questions that eliminate bias against women. GM's Pension-Gap Solution Scrambling to put its underfinanced pension plan on a sounder footing, General Motors announced that it would seek to reduce the plan's $24 billion shortfall--the largest such deficiency for any U.S. corporation--by contributing $5.7 billion worth of one class of its common stock to the plan. The proposal will need approval from the Federal Government. The company also announced an unprecedented agreement with Toyota under which it will build GM cars in the U.S. that will be sold in Japan as Toyotas. High-Tech Patent "Outrageous!" "Incredible!" "Stunning!" Such were the reactions of software developers when they learned that California-based Compton's NewMedia, a leading developer and distributor of computer multimedia products, had obtained a patent on the multimedia technology that is used by virtually every company producing CD-ROMS. The technology was thought to be in the public domain. SCIENCE Lucy's Big Brothers The petite, 3 1/2 ft.-tall chimplike creature nicknamed Lucy who walked upright through Ethiopian valleys more than 3 million years ago lived amid humanlike animals as much as a foot taller. But were those more imposing bipeds a different animal or simply large males of Lucy's species? A team of scientists headed by Tim White of the University of California, Berkeley, uncovered new evidence that those males were the same species as Lucy. THE ARTS & MEDIA Le Grand Louvre Paris' Louvre Museum celebrated its 200th birthday with the inauguration of the Richelieu wing. This second phase of the museum's spectacular $1 billion renovation--the dream of President Francois Mitterrand and the work of Chinese-American architect I.M. Pei--nearly doubles the museum's exhibition space. -- By Melissa August, Sophfronia Scott Gregory, Eugene Linden, Michael Quinn, Jeffery C. Rubin, Alain L. Sanders and Sidney Urquhart I'VE LOOKED AT HUGE MEDIA MERGERS FROM BOTH SIDES NOW...In 1989 Paramount's chief argued that Time's attempt to merge with Warner was really a sale, so he should legally be free to horn in. With his own merger, the tune changed. "Once [Time Inc.] made the agreement with Warner's, they put themselves available to other bidders." -- Paramount chairman and CEO Martin Davis, June 6, 1989 "Paramount chose to merge with Viacom; it did not choose to put Paramount up `for sale.'" -- Paramount brief filed last week in opposition to the QVC Network's suit to block the merger HEALTH REPORT THE GOOD NEWS -- Researchers have identified a protein responsible for cell death in mammals. When the protein goes awry, it may be a factor in Alzheimer's disease, rheumatoid arthritis and even forms of cancer. In separate studies, scientists have inhibited the protein's function, raising hopes for new treatments for these illnesses. -- A newly developed vaccine promises to protect sick and premature infants against respiratory syncytial virus, which causes 4,500 deaths each year in the U.S. -- Scientists are developing testing procedures that will allow doctors to screen unborn infants for genetic abnormalities such as Down syndrome by isolating fetal cells in the mother's blood, thereby reducing the need for riskier procedures. THE BAD NEWS -- Hantavirus, the mysterious and lethal disease carried by rodents, has so far afflicted 42 people in the U.S., killing 26 of them. Now scientists are discovering new variants of the disease among different species of rodents living in Europe, raising concern that fresh outbreaks may occur. -- Unexpectedly large numbers of America's elderly suffer from hunger: 63% of elderly Hispanics, 42% of elderly blacks and 26% of elderly whites. Hispanics suffer most because many of them do not receive Social Security. -- Should global warming continue, scientists now fear, certain infectious diseases may flourish as the range of disease-bearing mosquitoes and other insects expands outward from the tropics. INSIDE WASHINGTON A HIDDEN BENEFIT OF THE NAFTA VICTORY Apart from the well-known benefits that will accrue to Bill Clinton in the wake of his NAFTA victory, another possible advantage is seen for the President by some White House aides: a measure of independence from Hillary Rodham Clinton and the left-of-center tug of her office. The First Lady opposed making NAFTA a top priority this fall, senior officials point out, and remained silent on the subject for weeks. But Clinton campaigned hard for the treaty anyway, proving he could overcome long odds--and his wife's doubts--and win. WINNERS & LOSERS WINNERS NEWT GINGRICH G.O.P. bad boy delivers NAFTA for Clinton, now bizarrely in his debt JIANG ZEMIN Chinese leader meets with Clinton in Seattle. Tiananmen? Huh? JOSEPH C. STEFFAN Court orders Navy to commission dismissed gay midshipman LOSERS DONNA KARAN Cancels high-profile plans to take fashion firm public ROBERT CRANDALL Unbeloved American Airlines head shocked at success of strike MPAA MOVIE RATERS Nix trailer with full frontal male nude--from Sistine Chapel DUTY, HONOR, FRUITS AND VEGETABLES In the last hours of the debate over NAFTA, many stirring words were spoken about free trade, open borders and America's courageous march into the future. Some of the most high-flown oratory was uttered by Representatives who once opposed the agreement but obtained Administration promises of a better deal and quite suddenly changed their minds. If you went by the rhetoric of the Florida delegation, for example, you would quickly conclude that many of those who switched sides did so because of their ideals--and that they were unswayed by the White House offer of greater protection for citrus, sugar and vegetable growers: "I believe we crafted a new agreement that will benefit Florida and all of America. I have full confidence that America and Florida can compete with anyone globally, and look toward the future with hope, not fear, about the effects of free trade." -- TOM LEWIS, REPUBLICAN "I concluded--and firmly believe--that NAFTA is a job creator that will increase the economic opportunities for every American We can stand pat with the same old solutions, or we can take a bold new direction and run with this opportunity." -- CARRIE MEEK, DEMOCRAT "The expansion of trading markets is essential for our prosperity History has proven that isolationism is detrimental to this country." -- ALCEE HASTINGS, DEMOCRAT "A yes vote says to the world that America is alive and well and a champion of free enterprise. It says to our neighbors in this hemisphere that we can be trusted to negotiate faithfully and fairly. And it says to Americans--in business, on the farm, to workers and professionals and their families at home--that we can compete and win. Bring on the world--we're ready." -- PORTER GOSS, REPUBLICAN INFORMED SOURCES DEAR LEON--BUZZ OFF, LOVE CHRIS WASHINGTON--Secretary of State Warren Christopher has written a stern letter to Leon Panetta, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, complaining about the OMB's desire to cut the State Department's annual budget 10%, along with that of all other agencies. Despite its weighty content, the two-page, single-spaced letter, a copy of which was obtained by TIME, is addressed Dear Leon and signed simply Chris, the Secretary's familiar name. THE ULTIMATE CRANK CALL POTOSI, MISSOURI--With 20 hours remaining until he was to be executed, Lloyd Schlup, dozing in his death-watch cell in Potosi State Correctional Center, received a call on the phone that 12 hours later would bring his reprieve by the Governor. A voice mentioned Schlup's family, staying nearby, and said, "The state will take care of you tomorrow. We'll be glad to put them out of their misery." In terror, Schlup began to vomit. Who were the resourceful telephone ghouls? Almost surely prison employees. LARRY THE SHRINKING VIOLET WASHINGTON--The night of the Administration's nafta victory, Treasury Secretary Lloyd Bentsen and his wife welcomed Washington's brightest and best to their 50th wedding anniversary party. Among the 250 guests gathered at Blair House were both Clintons, most of the Cabinet, and...dressed down in a cozy white warmup outfit, CNN's Larry King, who astonished fellow guests by exclaiming, "They owe it all to me!" Presumably King was referring to NAFTA and not the Bentsens' half-century of marriage. WACKO JACKO AND THE BEANSTALK As far as Walt Disney World is concerned, Michael Jackson is still a hot film property--his movie Captain EO "continues to be one of our most popular attractions," says a spokesman. Several months ago, however, the star felt decidedly fragile discussing his film career at a dinner with some of Hollywood's biggest players: according to reports last week, Jackson at one point inexplicably laid his head down on the table and began to cry uncontrollably. Maybe he was thinking of the films he already has in development at various studios, including Columbia Pictures, corporate sibling of his record company. Here they are, according to an industry-insider list of projects-in-the-works: JACK AND THE BEANSTALK: a musical adaptation of the classic fairy tale. MICHAEL JACKSON PROJECT: a.k.a. MIDKNIGHT--a Pinocchio-like fable about a boy becoming human. MICHAEL JACKSON MUSICAL: a myth of an outsider a la Shane. A town is under the thumb of a gang, and Michael Jackson saves the day. </body> </article> </text>