Beyond the Farm
For the week preceding this Saturday, March 25th, 1995, here's a review of what happened Beyond the Farm
During rush hour in Tokyo Mar 20th, deadly sarin nerve gas was released from containers on several subway cars and in several subway stations. Eight people were killed and 4700 injured by the gas. Japanese police raided the headquarters of the religious sect Aum Shinri Kyo, which believes the world will end in 1997, on Mar 21st, and found some of materials necessary to make sarin, along with fifty malnourished members of the sect. By Mar 25th, the police had raided over 50 other sect locations, and found materials to make enough sarin to kill 4 million people and antidotes. However, sect leader Shoko Asahara claims the materials were for agriculture and defense rather than sarin production and denies any involvement in the Mar 20th releases.
President Clinton signed the bill ending unfunded federal mandates Mar 22nd. Mar 24th was also a big day for the Contract with America, as the Senate passed a line-item veto (recession) bill and the House passed a hotly-debated welfare reform bill, 234-199. Under the "Personal Responsibility Act," welfare would become a block grant to states; Rep. Sam Givens (D-Florida) led the debate against the act, calling it cruel to children, which prompted ugly exchanges on the House floor. On Mar 25th, the Senate Appropriations Committee passed only $13 billion in cuts, compared with the House's $17 billion.
They're Talking About It...
The Montana legislature passed a law March 22nd which would have required homosexuals to register as sexual offenders if prosecuted for consentual homosexual acts. Facing outrage from around the nation, the bill was amend to exclude language about homosexuals the next day.
In shorts...
The Canadian rail strike spread to Canadian National Mar 18th, shutting down all long-distance railroads in Canada...An Israeli bus was ambushed in the West Bank Mar 19th...the Social Democrats were the biggest winners in Finland's elections held Mar 19th...violence in Burundi's capitol Bujumbura killed 17 Mar 19th and 6 Mar 20th...Thomas Grosso was executed by the state of Oklahoma Mar 20th...it was announced Mar 20th that President Clinton will travel to Russia in May...a pile-up on the I-10 Mobile Bay Bridge in Alabama injured 70 Mar 20th...fighting broke out again in Bosnia Mar 20th as the Serbs attacked Tuzla, killing 19; fighting continued throughout the week...Turkey sent 35,000 troops into northern Iraq Mar 20th to attack the PKK rebels, prompting slow protests from Iraq...part of the Olympic Stadium construction in Atlanta collapsed Mar 20th...Pat Buchanan announced his candidacy for president as a Republican Mar 20th; California governor Pete Wilson (R) formed an exploratory committee for the same purpose Mar 23rd; Pennsylvania Robert Casey, a Democrat, also formed a committee on the same date...Renato Ruggiero will be the first leader of the World Trade Organization in a deal worked out Mar 21st...a postal worker killed 4 at a Montclair NJ post office Mar 21st...Kato Kalin started testimony in the OJ Simpson case Mar 21st and stepped off the stand Mar 23rd...Russian Valery Polyakov returned to Earth after a record 438 days in space Mar 21st...a media executive was killed in Algeria as violence escalated against the press and progressive women Mar 21st; at least fifteen civilians were killed this week...the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at a record 4139 Mar 24th...ethnic fighting between the Konkombas and Nanumbas in Ghana broke out Mar 24th...a refugee crisis in Liberia seemed to be looming Mar 25th as the civil war continued...Mike Tyson was released from prison Mar 25th...Americans David Dalibati and Bill Barloon were sentenced Mar 25th to eight years in Iraqi jails for illegally entering that country.
Corrections...
[Yes, I'll even correct the kicker.] The correct amount of alcohol found in outer space was 4 x 10^20 pints. This correction, along with recent misspellings not formally announced, has been made in the archives.
Finally...
With the Pakistan Stock Market fading, traders decided to take drastic action. 1000 sheep were brought onto the trading floor, paraded outside, and then sacrificed. The market did shoot upward for an hour--but then started falling again and closed down for the day, after which traders had to clean up the mess.
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 California State Capitol Report (KXPR), the Dave Ross Report (CBS radio), the MacNeil/Lehrer News Hour (PBS), Marketplace (PRI), Meet the Press (NBC), Morning Edition (NPR), Paul Harvey News and Comment (ABC radio), the Reuters newswire, Sunday Morning (CBC/PRI), and the World News Roundup (CBS radio) - Lance Gleich, Bellevue WA
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