Beyond the Farm
A weekly e-mail news summary - WORLD EDITION
For the week preceding this Saturday, September 16th, 1995, here's what happened Beyond the Farm:
Hurricane Marilyn devastated the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico late on Sep 15th. Over 80% of the buildings on the U.S. island of St. Thomas were destroyed or damaged in a situation described as worse than hurricane Hugo. President Clinton declared a disaster area in the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico Sep 16th. Death tolls are unavailable but will undoubtedly reach the dozens if not even more.
The United States embassy in Moscow was attacked Sep 13th by a terrorist who shot a rocket-propelled grenade at the building. There were no injuries. However, the incident showcased the growing gap between Russian sentiment and US policy; the US sent Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbot to Moscow Sep 15th to try to patch up diplomatic relations, but the public relations gap will remain.
They're Talking About It:
Will Colin Powell run for president? Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich made it clear Sep 10th that he thinks it is a bad idea that would ruin the presidential race, though on Sep 16th Gingrich seemed willing to allow Powell to compete for the Republican nomination. Powell himself appeared on ABC's 20/20 Broadcast Sep 15th and made it clear he would run as a moderate if he ran at all; he described himself as a "fiscal conservative with a social conscience." He began a book tour Sep 16th; he will make a decision on whether and how he will run after the tour is complete.
In Shorts:
- The television show "E.R." dominated the Emmy awards Sep 9th, winning eight awards. NBC won 28 awards; CBS, 19; and ABC, 4.
- A plane crash near Richmond, VA killed 12 Sep 10th, including a man on the ground.
- Deijon Sanders signed a seven-year, $35 million contract with the Dallas Cowboys Sep 10th, ended the controversy over where that athlete would play professional football.
- Delegates to the Women's Conference in China agreed to language stating that women should be able to control their own sexual freedom Sep 11th after a conflict with conservative delegates. The conference ended Sep 15th.
- The space shuttle Endeavor launched a satellite Sep 11th called a "flying saucer" which was designed to make crystals for computers more fine than possible on the Earth, but it and other experiments encountered a variety of trouble.
- Protests in Santiago, Chile turned into riots Sep 11th on the anniversary of the overthrow of Salvador Allende.
- A van exploded in Baltimore Sep 11th, killing five. A man was later arrested for killing his family.
- A bus explosion in Brazil Sep 11th killed 24; gasoline being transported on the bus caused the explosion.
- Quebec announced Sep 11th it would hold a referendum on independence from Canada Oct 31st.
- A 7.3 earthquake shook Mexico City Sep 14th, killing at least four.
- The Dow Jones Industrial Average broke 4800 for the first time Sep 14th by closing at 4801.80.
- Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich (R-GA) called Minority Leader Richard Gephardt (D-MO) a "liar" Sep 14th for his criticisms of the Republican Medicare reform proposal which he says will hurt the elderly by either raising their fees or forcing them to join an HMO. President Clinton has threatened to veto the measure.
- A computer ring to divert funds from personal accounts at Citibank was broken by international police Sep 15th.
- Three Mexican aircraft collided crashed at an airshow Sep 16th, killing four.
- The Pope arrived in South Africa for his first visit since the end of apartheid Sep 16th.
- The swimsuit competition remained in the Miss America pageant Sep 16th after nearly 75% of callers favored the competition.
Finally:
Having trouble with a computer? Is it winning? Robert Keeper, a student at the University of Delaware, became so outraged at the behavior of his computer that he started pacing around his room. In a spurt of anger, he punched his window with such force that he not only broke the window, but his entire body fell through and down thirteen stories to his death Sep 10th. As several commentators have noted, the computer won.
And that's what happened Beyond theFarm.
Compiled by: Lance Gleich, Cheyenne WY
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