Beyond the Farm
For the week preceding this Saturday, September 23rd, 1995, here's what happened Beyond the Farm:
Efforts to reform Federal social programs continue to take the spotlight in Washington DC. The Senate passed a welfare reform proposal Sep 19th, 87-12, which would cut overall funding and make welfare a block grant to the states. President Clinton supports the Senate proposal, but has threatened to veto a harsher House proposal, and it is unclear what will come out of the conference committee. Meanwhile, similar changes to the Medicare program (making it a block grant to the states and cutting $186 billion from the program by the year 2002), passed out of a House committee Sep 22nd 27-18. President Clinton may veto the measure which some Democrats claim pits the senior and child recipients of Medicare against one another. Finally, the Freedom to Farm Act moved to committee Sep 20th; it would cut $113.4 billion in subsidies, eliminate entitlement status for subsidies, and allow greater freedom in crop choice for farmers.
An AWACS air surveillance plane crashed in Alaska Sep 22nd, killing 24 people. The fatalities were the first since the military started flying the modified Boeing 707 aircraft in 1977. Engine failure is suspected in the crash; the flight recorder box was recovered Sep 23rd.
In the Balkans:
- The UN on Sep 17th ordered smaller weapons removed by the Serbs from the exclusion zone around Sarajevo than originally called for in the cease-fire agreement, prompting protests from the Bosnian Serbs.
- However, the Serbs had moved enough heavy weapons to meet a Sep 17th deadline and NATO flights continued to be halted. A new 72-hour ultimatum was then set, which the Serbs also met.
- The Bosnian government claimed Sep 19th that it had taken 12% of Bosnian from the Serbs in the previous week, and UN estimated the Muslim-led regime as holding 50% of Bosnia.
- Banja Luka was taken by Bosnian government forces Sep 21st; it had previously been a Serb stronghold.
- Serbian troops moved in from Serbia to bolster Bosnian Serb forces Sep 21st.
- The Bosnian government claimed Sep 23rd to find a mass grave with 540 bodies in an area recently retaken from the Bosnian Serbs.
They're Talking About It:
O.J. Simpson spoke to the court in the absence of the jury Sep 22nd and proclaimed that he would waive his right to testify, then re-iterated his plea of not guilty. The Defense then rested, so the case should go to the jury Sep 25th. The jury will have the options of convicting on first degree murder, convicting on second degree murder, or acquittal, according to a decision by Judge Ito Sep 20th. The defense did not make the expected effort to discredit the character of LA policeman Philip Van Adder.
In Shorts:
- Hong Kong held its first and last fully democratic elections Sep 17th; in a major snub to China, 16 of 20 seats were won by pro-democracy forces including 12 by the Democratic Party. China plans to ignore the assembly when it takes over Hong Kong in 1997.
- Somali warlord Mohamed Farah Aideed captured the port city of Baidoa Sep 17th. Other warlord have since threatened the re-start of the civil war in Somalia if Aideed does not leave the city.
- The "worst typhoon since World War II" hit Tokyo and Japan Sep 17th, but no remarkable damages or injuries were reported.
- Indigenous people involved in a month-long road block in British Columbia gave up their effort Sep 17th.
- An independent candidate for president of Algeria was assassinated Sep 17th by fundamentalists.
- The space shuttle Endeavor landed Sep 18th after testing new thermal space suits Sep 17th.
- Philadelphia crime bosses Anthony Piccolo and Vincent Pagaro were to trial Sep 18th.
- The Turner and Time-Warner boards approved the merger of their two companies Sep 19th.
- An Iranian airliner on a flight to Israel was hijacked Sep 19th by a disgruntled flight attendant. The 177 passengers were freed when the hijacker gave up after landing at a southern Israeli air base.
- The text written by Unabomber was published by both the New York Times and the Washington Post Sep 19th; the FBI hopes not only that the Unabomber will hold to his promise not to bomb anymore, but that the publication will lead to clues resulting in his arrest.
- Turkey's first female prime minister, Tansa Ciller, resigned Sep 20th.
- The United States' foreign trade deficit reached a record $11.5 billion Sep 20th.
- AT&T announced plans Sep 20th to split into three companies in the largest corporate breakup in history. 8600 jobs will be lost as a result of the split.
- Japan announced its largest economic stimulus package ever Sep 21st.
- Sen. Bob Dole (R-KS) announced Sep 21st that Dan Quayle (R) will take a key role in presidential campaign organization.
- Malcolm (Steve) Forbes, Jr., declared his candidacy for president as a Republican Sep 22nd; the billionaire's campaign will focus on economic issues.
- A helicopter crashed at Crater Lake, OR Sep 22nd, killing 7 aboard.
- In Ruby Ridge congressional hearings, the focus has shifted to whether FBI deputy director Larry Rizzo improperly implemented a shoot-on-site policy.
- Israel and the PLO were expected to sign a map for the next stage of their peace agreement Sep 24th.
- The nation's air traffic control trouble continued Sep 23rd, as the ATC center near Pittsburgh, PA went out of commission for a time.
- Orville Redenbacher, the man on the popcorn label, died Sep 20th at the age of 84.
Finally:
The compiler has been serving as a car host with the Pacific Limited railroad excursion since Sep 15th, and the "City of Portland 50th Anniversary Run" has passed over trackage which has not seen a passenger train, to say nothing of a steam locomotive, for 25 years. When the Union Pacific sponsored similar excursions a few years ago, a farmer had the gall to sue the railroad after his cows had 2% lower milk production the day after the train passed by; he claimed the steam locomotive had caused unnatural stress on his bovines. On this trip, the train passed through Lava Hot Springs, ID Sep 18th. On Sep 19th, at least 18 mountain lions escaped from an animal park in Lava Hot Springs and started terrorizing the town. 14 lions had to be shot the next day; an additional four have been shot since. No word on whether the town's residents will file a class-action suit for exciting the felines, but those of us on the train think the animals were railfans that wanted to get closer to the engine.
And that's what happened Beyond the Farm.
Sources this week included All Things Considered (NPR), the Associated Press newswire, the Christian Science Monitor, CNN Headline News, KNX radio news, KSL radio news, the MacNeil/Lehrer News Hour (PBS), Morning Edition (NPR), Newsdesk (BBC/PRI/OPB/Chronicle), Newsday (BBC/PRI/OPB/Chronicle), Paul Harvey News and Comment (ABC Radio), the Reuters newswire, and Weekend Edition (NPR). Special thanks to Josh Gergely for providing computer equipment these past two weeks. Compiled by: Lance Gleich, Kennewick WA
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