Beyond the Farm
For the week preceding this Saturday, April 22nd, 1995, here's a review of what happened Beyond the Farm:
A car bomb which may have contained two tons of munitions exploded outside the Federal Building in Oklahoma City on the morning of Apr 19th, destroying one-third of the building. At least 87 people were killed, including 17 children in a day care center, and 400 injured, with about 150 still missing and rescue operations continuing as of Apr 22nd. On Apr 20th, Attorney General Janet Reno offered $2 million for information leading to the arrest of two white men suspected in the bombing. One of those men, identified as Timothy McVeigh, 27, was arrested by police one hour after the bombing for having unregistered weapons in his car when he was pulled over for speeding and not having license plates. Authorities in Perry, OK later realized McVeigh matched one of the descriptions and turned him over to the FBI Apr 21st. Also on Apr 21st, Terry Nichols turned himself in to authorities in Kansas City, MO, and his brother James Nichols was arrested; both are being held as witnesses and had prior association with McVeigh. McVeigh was reported to have described himself as "a mad bomber...opposed to everything about the Federal government" in his America On-Line profile. The other suspect in the largest terrorist incident in United States history has yet to be found or identified.
In Japan, two additional incidents of gas releases have resulted in hospitalization. In Yokohama Apr 19th, the release of an unknown gas at a subway station led to 400 needing medical attention, and on Apr 21st, an additional incident in Yokohama injured 25. Neither involved sarin, used in the attack earlier this month, though the Aum Shinro Kyo cult is suspected in these latest incidents.
They're Talking About It...
Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala claimed on a CNN talk show Apr 15th that "the nation's best and brightest did not go to Vietnam." After Shalala failed to clarify the statement, she was soundly criticized by conservatives as a member of the "Liberal Elite."
In shorts...
Senate majority leader Robert Dole (R-KS) announced his opposition to the nomination of Henry Foster as Surgeon General Apr 16th...Israeli forces killed three Hamas members allegedly on a bombing mission near Hebron, West Bank Apr 16th...the Coast Guard stopped a vessel with 116 Haitians hidden on-board off Florida Apr 16th...Russian defense minister Pavel Grachev announced Apr 16th that his nation would not meet Conventional Forces Treaty reduction goals...protests broke out over food prices in Bangladesh Apr 16th...Philippine foreign minister Roberto Romulo announced his resignation Apr 17th over the case of the Filipino housemaid executed in Singapore...the conference to decide the fate of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) began Apr 17th...an air force Lear jet carrying several high-ranking officers crashed in Alabama Apr 17th, killing 4...Kenya's Komos Masnidetti won the Boston Marathon for the second straight year Apr 17th...Russian forces claimed to capture the last Chechen-held lowland city, Bamut, on Apr 18th, but by Apr 19th it was clear that they had not...children's rights activist Igbal Masih was killed in Islamabad, Pakistan Apr 18th...President Clinton held a poorly-televised news conference Apr 18th at which he explained the need for welfare reform...the US dollar dropped below 80 to 79.75 yen on Apr 19th...Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN) declared his candidacy for President Apr 19th, calling for a 17% national sales tax to replace the income tax; other Republicans are calling for a flat income tax... France set an ultimatum for assurances from the UN for its forces to be supported in Bosnia Apr 19th or it would withdraw them; three French soldiers were killed near Sarajevo Apr 22nd...Judge Lance Ito interviewed jurors in the OJ Simpson case Apr 20th; one demanded being excused, and the next day 13 jurors mutinied by demanding to see Ito before returning to the jury box because three guards had been replaced...clashes have broken out between the Tamil Tigers and government forces in Sri Lanka, including attacks on fishing boats Apr 20th...a Greek navy commander was killed by a bomb Apr 20th in Athens...a pipe bomb caused no injuries at Canada's Prince Edward Island parliament Apr 20th...62 people were apparently killed by a militia in Liberia Apr 20th...two Americans were convicted of spying in Iran Apr 20th...Israeli and the PLO reached a final agreement for transfer of power to the Palestinian Authority Apr 21st... the Lord's Resistance Army killed 82 in northern Uganda Apr 22nd...the 25th anniversary of Earth Day passed Apr 22nd.
Finally...
Someone took the concept of a "fire-sale" on cellular phones in Batavia, NY a little too seriously. A store had only a limited number of phones for sale at the reduced price, and a man who arrived at the beginning of the sale was told he would not receive one. He proceeded to pull out a grenade and demand a phone. Fearing a terrorist incident, the store sold him a phone but called police, who arrived in time to arrest the man. He then demanded to call his lawyer on his new phone.
And that's what happened Beyond the Farm.
Sources this week included All Things Considered (NPR), the Associated Press newswire, BBC Newshour (BBC/PRI), the Capitol Gang (CNN), the Christian Science Monitor, Marketplace (PRI), Meet the Press (NBC), Newsdesk (BBC/PRI), Paul Harvey News and Comment (ABC radio), the Reuters Newswire, the Rush Limbaugh Program (EIB/EFM), This Week with David Brinkley (ABC), To the Best of Our Knowledge (Ideas network), Weekend Edition (NPR), and the World News Roundup (CBS radio). Compiled by: 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 "lance.gleich@leland.stanford.edu." Congratulations on keeping up with the world around you!
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