Beyond the Farm
[Ed. note: Beyond the Farm is a weekly news update written by Lance Gleich, a student at Stanford University. It is distributed via e-mail. Newspeak will be publishing this column on a weekly basis with the author's permission. We hope that this added feature will be useful and informative for those of you who might not have another opportunity to keep up with world events.]
For the week preceding this Saturday, January 14th, 1995, here's a review of what happened Beyond the Farm:
Severe flooding has affected the state of California. By Jan 9th, the Russian and Napa Rivers in the area north of San Francisco had already overflowed their banks, prompting a declaration of emergency from Governor Pete Wilson (R). By Jan 14th, 38 counties had been declared disasters by the governor in southern, central, and northern California after 14 days of rain. Federal disaster areas have been declared in 34 counties. 3000 people are homeless and damage is estimated at $300 million.
Russian President Boris Yeltsin declared a cease-fire in the Chechen conflict Jan 10th, but commanders did not carry out his orders. Yeltsin then took direct control of Russian forces Jan 11th, effectively taking all powers from Defense Minister Pavel Grachev. Chechnya's President, Dzhokhar Dudayev, called for talks Jan 11th, but instead a new offensive was launched by the Russians including elite forces. On Jan 14th, the important Ministry Building in the capitol of Grosny was taken by the Russians and the Presidential Palace was in flames.
The four-month cease-fire in Bosnia was supposedly solidified Jan 11th, with the Muslims agreeing to turn over to the UN their position on Mt. Igman above Sarajevo and the Bosnian Serbs agreeing to reopen roads to Sarajevo. However, the roads had not been opened as of Jan 14th. Meanwhile, Croatian President Franjo Tudjman stated Jan 12th that he wants UN troops to leave his nation at the end of March.
They're Talking About It...
The talk in Washington is all about the Balanced Budget Amendment. Enough votes have been found in the House to pass the amendment, though the situation in the Senate is less clear. Meanwhile, Senator Christopher Dodd (D-Connecticut) was selected as spokesperson for his party and House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Georgia) had to fire the new House Historian after it was revealed that she had criticized a history exhibit for not including the viewpoint of the Klu Klux Klan.
In Shorts...
Russia signed a contract to build nuclear power facilities for Iran Jan 9th...a power outage closed Newark airport Jan 9th... the new Warner Brothers (WB) television network debuted Jan 9th; the United Paramount Network (UPN) debuts on Jan 16th...National Hockey League owners and players reached an agreement including free agency for senior players which ended their strike Jan 10th; it was ratified Jan 13th and a 48-game season with full playoffs will begin Jan 20th...seven people were killed by 300 peasants who tried to take over Chicamuselo, Mexico Jan 10th as the Mexican peso fell again, to 5.9 to the dollar...52 people were killed when a Intercontinental Airlines DC-9 crashed enroute from Bogota to Cartegena, Colombia Jan 11th...5000 firefighters from all over North America traveled to Seattle Jan 11th to honor four firefighters who died in an arson fire last week at a food processing facility in the International District... the jury in the O.J. Simpson case was sequestered Jan 11th...Malcolm X's daughter, Qubilah Shabazz, was charged with plotting to murder Louis Farrakhan Jan 12th...the first American killed in the Haitian operation was Gregory Cardott, killed Jan 12th by Haitians who ran a roadblock...the Algerian opposition signed an agreement Jan 13th to work for a peaceful solution...a train wreck in Bangladesh Jan 13th killed at least 100...in Italy, Umberto Dini was asked to form a government Jan 13th...the all-female crew of America3 defeated Dennis Connor's Stars and Stripes in the first match of the America's Cup yachting race Jan 13th...fires in Burbank IL and Moorehead MN killed 12 children Jan 14th...Saudi Arabia reportedly massed troops on its border with Yemen Jan 14th.
Finally...
Legos have principally been a toy for boys, and attempts by Lego to modify their products to appeal to girls have never succeeded. Now, Lego is trying a new line called "Bellville" which features larger, pre-formed blocks, purple and pink colors, felt in addition to plastic, and domestic themes. A feminist group spokeswoman expressed outrage at the "severe stereotyping inherent in this product." When the same spokeswoman was asked if she had played with Legos, she replied, "No. I never really like construction."
And that's what happened Beyond the Farm.
Sources this week included All Things Considered (NPR), the Associated Press newswire, the BBC Newshour (BBC/PRI), the Christian Science Monitor, KCBS radio news, KGO radio news, Marketplace (PRI), and Reuters.
c. Lance Gleich, Stanford CA
Beyond the Farm is designed to provide a reasonably short summary of a week's events. It may be distributed/forwarded/ posted anywhere. Comments, criticisms, and requests for e-mail subscription additions or deletions should be e-mailed to "lglitch@leland.stanford.edu." Congratulations on keeping up with the world around you!
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