Beyond the Farm

For the week preceding this Saturday, February 17th, 1996, here's what made the News Beyond the Farm:

A bad week on the nation's railroads left eleven dead and dozens injured. A BNSF freight train lost its brakes in St. Paul, MN Feb 15th and crashed into a Canadian Pacific yard office, injuring eight. Sabotage is suspected in that incident. On Feb 16th, Amtrak's Capitol Limited collided with MARC commuter train #298 at Silver Springs, MD, killing eleven including eight Job Corps members. A snowstorm hampered rescue operations. Signal equipment failure or human error are believed to have led to the two trains meeting at speed.

The Week in the Balkans:

• The US announced a meeting among the Balkan leaders Feb 14th. However, two days of talks Feb 16th and 17th in Rome led nowhere.

• Military investigators concluded Feb 15th that the first US casualty in Bosnia, Donald Dugan, had tried to defuse a mine himself, leading to his death.

• NATO discovered a terrorist training camp in Sarajevo Feb 16th. The Bosnian government denies knowledge of the camp, but most of those found at the facility were Bosnian Muslims; the rest were primarily Iranian.

• Hundreds of Serbs started to flee Sarajevo Feb 17th in an orchestrated demonstration against Bosnian governance of the city.

They're Talking About It:

• The civil trial against O.J. Simpson continues to attract interest. Faye Resnick testified Feb 12th and 13th, and claimed that Simpson had repeatedly beaten Nicole Brown Simpson. When Kato Kaelin took the stand Feb 14th, he was heckled by Simpson, repeatedly and despite warnings from the judge to remain calm. Simpson has also been quoted as telling Marcia Clark that he would answer any question from her if he were allowed to film the session and sell it on videotape.

In Shorts:

• A bomb exploded at the Diplomat Hotel in Manama, Bahrain Feb 11th, killing four people, all local residents. A Shiite group claimed responsibility; Bahrain is ruled by Sunni Muslims.

• Two bombs went off in the Algerian capitol of Algiers Feb 11th, killing 17. The bombs were apparently aimed at journalists.

• Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres called new elections Feb 11th, apparently in an attempt to ensure his Labor Party's re-election while memories of Yitzhak Rabin remained strong, and to help pressure Syria into continuing peace talks.

• British Prime Minister John Major stated Feb 11th that he wouldn't speak with Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams until the IRA restores a cease-fire. Another bomb was found in London Feb 15th, but it was de-fused before it caused any damage.

• The Dow Jones Industrial Average broke the 5600 mark for the first time Feb 12th. The current record stands as 5601.35 on Feb 13th.

• Felix Rohatyn removed himself from consideration for the second highest post in the Fed Feb 12th after objections from Republicans.

• Taiwan placed its army on high alert Feb 12th after continued threats from China; US Secretary of Defense William Perry heavily criticized Chinese threats Feb 13th.

• President Clinton signed an Immigration Order Feb 13th which prevents Federal contracts from going to companies which have hired illegal aliens within the past year.

• Vice President Al Gore re-started the ENIAC computer Feb 13th on its 50th birthday.

• A prosecutor formally filed corruption charges against Colombian President Ernesto Samper Feb 14th.

• Federal agents raided two K-Mart stores in Florida Feb 14th to seize cash register money until the corporation paid for an age-discrimination settlement.

• Premier-designate Antonio Maccanico admitted he couldn't form a government in Italy Feb 14th.

• The investigation of the "Gulf War Illness" was reopened Feb 14th.

• The four television networks announced Feb 14th that they are working on a voluntary scheme to rate their programming in terms of sex and violence.

• Nigeria arrested Femi Falana, a human-rights activist, Feb 14th.

• While in Iran Feb 15th, Louis Farrakhan reportedly stated, "God will destroy America by the hands of Muslims."

• The Nationalist Party was the only party to participate in elections in Bangladesh Feb 15th; violence on election day killed 13.

• Larry Pratt, a co-chair of the Pat Buchanan presidential campaign, resigned Feb 15th after being charged with being involved with white sumpremacists. He denies the charges, but new ones continue to come out daily.

• Russian President Boris Yeltsin and Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov both announced they were running for president Feb 15th.

• A weapons depot exploded Feb 15th in Kabul, Afghanistan.

• A rocket just missed the US embassy in Athens, Greece Feb 15th.

• Gary Dockery, who spent 7 1/2 years in a coma, underwent lung surgery Feb 15th and reportedly is making a remarkable recovery.

• An earthquake over 6.0 on the Richter scale hit Indonesia Feb 17th, killing at least twenty.

• Ten cases of Ebola were reported in the African nation of Gabon Feb 16th, with authorities scrambling to contain the epidemic. Contact with monkeys may have been a factor in this outbreak.

• Gary Kasparov won his match against IBM's Deep Blue computer Feb 17th. He won three times, lost once, and drew twice in the match.

• NASA launched the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezous (NEAR) spacecraft Feb 17th.

• Former California governor Edmund "Pat" Brown died Feb 16th at the age of 90; he was governor form 1958 to 1966.

• Actor McLean Stevenson died Feb 16th; he was 66.

Finally:

And that's what made the News Beyond the Farm.

Sources this week included All Things Considered (NPR), the Associated Press newswire, the BBC Newshour (BBC/PRI), the Chris Clark Program (KGO-AM), the Christian Science Monitor, Marketplace (PRI), Newsday (BBC/PRI), Newsdesk (BBC/PRI), and the Reuters newswire. Compiled by: Lance Gleich, Stanford CA

News 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 is distrubuted by direct e-mail and is published by Worcester Polytechnic Institute's student newspaper, "Newspeak," when that institution is in session. It may be distributed, forwarded, or re-posted anywhere. Check "http://www.stanford.edu/~lglitch/btf/btf.html" on the World Wide Web for back issues and further information. 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!