Beyond the Farm
For the week preceding this Saturday, February 18th, 1995, here's a review of what happened Beyond the Farm:
Events have moved swiftly in Mexico. In elections held Feb 12th, the center-right opposition National Action Party (PAN) soundly defeated the ruling PRI party in elections for the governship of Jalisco and mayorship of Guadalajara, Mexico's second largest city. The PAN's gubernatorial candidate, Alberto Cardenas, led with 54% of the vote to the PRI candidate Eugenio Orozco's 36%. On Feb 14th, President Ernesto Zedillo gave a speech in which he called for the end of the military campaign against the EZLN rebels in Chiapas, but did not revoke arrest warrants for their leaders. Chiapas governor Eduardo Robledo of the PRI simultaneously announced his resignation. EZLN leader Subcommander Marcos remains free and unidentified (last week's identification has turned out to be false).
A cease-fire was reached between Russian and Chechen forces Feb 13th. The agreement ends the use of heavy artillery and aircraft by both sides in Chechnya. Russian President Boris Yeltsin gave a major speech Feb 16th in which he held to his belief that the Chechen invasion was a good idea and blamed the problems on the army. On Feb 18th, Yeltsin announced that documents about the Soviet A-bomb program in the 1940s would be released.
The House passed the Republican measure to change last year's crime bill funding for police officers to more flexible but abusable block grants by a 238-141 measure Feb 14th despite the President's threat to veto the legislation. The House drew more fire from the White House by passing the National Security Revitalization Act 241-181 Feb 16th, which would cut the US contribution to the UN and prohibit US troops from being under foreign or UN control. Most international analysts believe the bill would lead to the end of UN peacekeeping forces.
They're Talking About It...
the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education ruled Feb 15th that medical schools must teach abortion. Meanwhile, anti-abortion groups have decreed that pro-choice Republicans need not run for President if they expect full support.
In shorts...
A major storm dumped up to five feet of snow and killed six between Washington state and Texas early in the week...Nelson Mandela failed Feb 12th to convince eleven women in the African National Congress Women's League not to resign over Winnie Mandela's leadership...the official tour of Brentwood in the O.J. Simpson trial took place Feb 12th; testimony this week included officers Risky and Phillips...a 6.2 earthquake near Homer, AK caused little damage Feb 12th...Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Indiana) announced Feb 12th that he is running for president; Rep. Newt Gingrich (R-Georgia) announced Feb 13th that he wasn't running; columnist Pat Buchanan (R) announced Feb 16th that he was...eight people died when a tourist plane crashed at the Grand Canyon Feb 13th...a cease-fire was reached between Peru and Ecuador Feb 13th, though fighting did not stop until Feb 16th...a Federal judge overturned the Justice Department's antitrust agreement with Microsoft Feb 14th..."Forrest Gump" led the field with 13 Academy award nominations Feb 14th...Taliban student rebels gained ground against other rebel groups near Kabul, Afghanistan Feb 14th...a general strike in Burundi started Feb 15th..."The Coalition" of 23 conservative Democrats started meeting Feb 15th...the crash of a DC-8 freighter in Kansas City Feb 16th killed its crew...most-wanted hacker Kevin Mitnick was arrested Feb 16th...four soldiers died of hypothermia in Florida swamp training Feb 16th... tornados caused damage in Alabama Feb 16th...violence broke out in Botswana Feb 16th over a student murder...Colin Ferguson, who acted as his own lawyer in the Long Island Railroad Massacre case, was found guilty Feb 17th...the NAACP voted Feb 18th to replace William Gibson with Merle Evers Williams as head of the organization...a 6.6 earthquake near Eureka, CA caused little damage Feb 18th.
Finally...
There's one more story about Boris Yeltsin on the wires this week. He apparently has a new advisor, a mystic from former Soviet Georgia named "Juna." She claims to use "bio-energy" to the nation's advantage. In Leo Laporte's words, "If I were Boris Yeltsin, I'd take all the help I could get."
And that's what happened Beyond the Farm.
Distribution Note...
Beyond the Farm is now available and ARCHIVED on the World Wide Web at "http://www.leland.stanford.edu/~lglitch/" as of Saturday, Feb 18. All of this year's issues are already posted; 1994 will be added as time allows.
Sources this week included All Things Considered (NPR), the Associated Press newswire, the BBC Newshour (BBC/PRI), the Christian Science Monitor, KCBS radio news, Marketplace (PRI), Meet the Press (NBC), Monitor Radio (PRI), This Week with David Brinkley (ABC), and the World News Roundup (CBS radio.) -- Lance Gleich, Stanford CA
Beyond the Farm is designed to provide a reasonably short summary of a week's events for people who would otherwise have no chance to keep up with current events. It may be distributed/forwarded/ posted anywhere. Archives are located on the World Wide Web at "http://www.leland.stanford.edu/~lglitch/". 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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