Weaver's News Spin
July 1998
A review of events and their interpretation.
Thursday, 16 July
After another night of bomb-throwing by Protestant hard-liners, police move into fields near Drumcree church, arresting at least 20 people and searching for weapons used in the standoff between Orange Order marchers and the police. Orangemen were moved out as army specialists come in to deal with several suspected bombs. A spokesman for the Orange lodges in Portadown said more is to come. No injuries were reported after 300 people threw bombs and fireworks at police overnight.
The burial of Russia's last czar divides the nation he once ruled. A three-day burial ceremony for Czar Nicholas II, his family and servants, costing 5 million rubles, has been scaled back owing to disagreements among the religious and political elite. The czar and his family were executed by Bolshevik revolutionaries on July 17, 1918 Their bodies were dumped in a mass grave in the forest outside Yekaterinburg and doused with acid, where they remained until they were unearthed in 1991.
David Letterman's show is taken off air in seven Southern and Midwestern cities -- including Wichita, Mobile and Mason City -- this week because the stations' owner Nick Evans of Spartan Communications had trouble getting tickets for people who wanted to see the "Late Show" taped in New York. Instead, viewers are being 'treated' to a mixture of PIFs, sitcoms like "Mama's Family," "Married With Children," and "Judge Judy." Evans readily agrees that a ticket dispute was behind his decision. He also says he's unhappy with Letterman's low ratings. Rob Burnett, executive producer of the "Late Show," told AP: "I think this is the type of fellow that is used to getting the best table at a restaurant at a moment's notice while the rest of us have to wait in line."
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Wednesday, 15 July
A deadly heatwave in Dallas causes officials to declare a public health emergency. The action makes public buildings available as cooling centres. The death toll officially rose to eight when the Dallas County Medical Examiner ruled that four more deaths this week were caused by the heat. Sixteen people have died in Dallas County from the heat so far this summer. Extreme heat has also caused at least six deaths in Oklahoma and 16 more in Louisiana.
Three men plotted to kill President Clinton and other officials by injecting them with a cactus thorn coated with deadly virus, according to newspaper reports. The men, possibly linked to a Texas separatist group, were jailed two weeks ago after sending e-mail threats to federal officials. They were developing a cigarette lighter that would shoot the thorn into the victims, according to the Brownsville Herald. Marvin Martian denys involvement with this plot, saying that it stood far too high a chance of success, and didn't involve the eludium q-36 explosive space modulator.
Negotiations to develop an international court falter in Rome. Some countries, led by Canada, want a strong, independent court. Others, led by the USA and France, fear this would threaten their authority. The court will try war leaders and those charged with crimes against humanity. An agreement must be reached by Friday.
Six are charged with mischief in Clarenville over a bizarre election stunt that Jean Chretien was at last year. The six forced reporters to walk to a site linked with the Hibernia oil rig rather than take boats. Or something along those lines.
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Tuesday, 14 July - Bastille Day
A full-page ad by Christian groups claiming homosexuals could change their sexual orientation through God sparks outrage among gay rights supporters. The ad, in the New York Times, features the testimony of a "wife, mother and former lesbian" who says religion changed her sexual identity. Tracey Canaty of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force says her organization views the ad campaign as a new attack on homosexuality, saying it represented "bigotry, hatred and intolerance." In a masterpiece of planning, the free telephone number connected callers to a confused Arkansas building firm.
A home made bomb factory find in Toronto. The laboratory, sited above a comic book store, had enough material to blow the brains out of a number of people.
Ted Beckham fears his son, David, could be driven out of the English game following his sending off against Argentina in the world cup two weeks ago. Fans at Man United's opening away game, West Ham, will show Mr Posh Spice up to 10,000 red cards.
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Monday, 13 July
A 500 pound bomb is defused near Newry courthouse. Orangemen throughout the province parade on the anniversary of King William's victory in the Battle of the Boyne 308 years ago. There's no sign of the Drumcree stand-off ending.
Japanese Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto resigns after his ruling party's stunning defeat in elections dominated by voter anger over his failure to pull Japan out of its worst recession in decades. Hashimoto grimly concedes defeat and will step down to take responsibility. "The defeat was my fault," he said after a meeting of party leaders approved his decision to resign. The ruling Liberation Democratic Party wins just 44 seats out of the 126 contested -- half of Parliament's upper house -- in Sunday's elections.
France's World Cup celebrations are marred in Paris overnight when a panicked driver ploughs into a group of fans packing the Champs-Elysees to celebrate. About 60 people were injured, some seriously. The accident comes as more than a million revellers stream to the historic avenue after France defeated Brazil 3-0 for the nation's first-ever World Cup. Witnesses said the driver was pulled from the car and beaten by the crowd.
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Sunday, 12 July
More protests at the Drumcree battlefield. Fighting the continuing rain, a hard core of demonstrators maintained a sporadic missile attack on the 20 foot high barrier. Police replied with plastic bullets, arresting two people on the wall. Talks continue.
Three boys are killed in a fire at Ballymoney; police treat it as arson, and believe it to be linked with the ongoing crisis. Pressure grows on the Loyalists to call the protests off as a result.
Japan elects members to its upper house; it's the first elections since the economic crisis hit the economy last autumn. The ruling Liberal Democrats lose over a quarter of their seats; the resignation of Prime Minister Sakimoto is expected tomorrow.
Essex win the One Day Cup, after bowling out Leicestershire for just 76 runs. Ilott and Cowans take three wickets apiece, as Nixon makes 26* and the peripatetic Extras top scores with 28. Essex win by an Embarrassment and More.
Michael Schumaccer wins the British Grand Prix to cut the gap at the top of the drivers' championship to two points. Mika Hakkinen leads for much of the race, but the safety car comes out in the rain, allowing Schu to close right up and overtake him.
France wins the World Cup, beating Brazil 3-0 in the Paris final. Two goals from Zidane, and a late strike from Petit allows the home side to claim victory over a Brazilian team that is totally outclassed.
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Saturday, 11 July
London was just moments away from a bomb attack yesterday. Scotland Yard says it foiled a bombing attack with the arrest of three men. All of them were carrying explosive devices that were set to go off within minutes of the arrests. The Met blames a former IRA general for the plot. 10 people are helping police with their boxing practice inquiries.
Protestant marchers and their Catholic opponents begin talks to try to negotiate a way out of a confrontation that has sorely tested Northern Ireland's recent steps toward peace. British Prime Minister Tony Blair proposed the "indirect contact talks" yesterday, in which the two sides sit in different rooms, and mediators move between them. Blair's chief of staff, Jonathan Powell, wrote letters to the Protestant Orange Order and the Catholic Garvaghy Road residents' association, proposing that each side name four participants for talks on Saturday morning.
Some of Washington's top lawmakers have found their attentions preoccupied by thoughts of Beanie Babies recently. A representative of US Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky, America's tough-talking trade negotiator, admits that Barshefsky had run foul of an American trade law when she returned with President Clinton from China. While in China, Barshefsky purchased a number of Beanie Babies to take home. The company that distributes the doll has placed a limit of one Beanie Baby per family for people re-entering the United States.
The One Day Cup Final sees Essex make 268/7 in their 50 overs. Prichard makes 92, and Hussain 88 in a 134 partnership for the second innings, before Mullaley takes 3/32. But rain stopped Leicestershire from starting their reply; if there's no play tomorrow, it's likely the counties will share the trophy rather than go through a bowl-out. The contest is the last in this format.
Croatia finish third in the World Cup, after beating the Netherlands 3-0.
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Friday, 10 July
20,000 Hard-line Protestants determined to force a march through a hostile Catholic neighborhood in Northern Ireland tried to break through a police line, and several police officers are injured in a fifth night of violence. At least three policeman are hurt by an explosive device thrown by Protestant extremists who joined the angry crowds in Portadown.
After thinking for two days on ways to restore civilian order, Nigeria's military leadership commutes to long prison terms six death sentences for those connected with a plot to topple the late dictator Sani Abacha. An official statement says Abacha's former deputy, Lieutenant-General Oladipo Diya, and two of the other convicted plotters have their sentences cut to 25 years in prison, while three more death sentences are commuted to 20-year terms.
Scientists find fresh genetic evidence that Jews who consider themselves part of the priestly class known as Cohanim really are part of an unbroken line extending back thousands of years. The Cohanim are said to be descended from Moses' brother, Aaron. Last year, scientists found the Y chromosome in modern-day Cohanim had been passed from father to son. A new study in the journal Nature concludes the Cohanim status has gone on longer than 700 years and maybe as long as 3,000.
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Thursday, 9 July
A team of doctors arrives in Nigeria to conduct an autopsy on Chief Abiola, amid rumours of murder. It includes the chief coroner of Ontario.
Police use plastic bullets against Orange rioters in Portadown. The Orange leaders meet with Tony Blair, but there's no quick solution, in spite of the urgings of the First Minister to end the crisis before the symbolic July 12.
For the first time ever, basic cable networks outperform NBC, CBS, ABC and Fox for a week in prime-time. This happens in all available measurements; total viewers, ratings and audience share. The head of the cable trade organization said cable's rise wasn't an overnight phenomenon, but "a long-term trend that has been building momentum."
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Wednesday, 8 July
A defence review is leaked to Conservative newspapers and that party. Competing spins: 1) It's orchestrated by the Labour party, to remove a nasty scandal over people paying for access to ministers; their cause is not helped when a party apparichtik refuses to answer questions on that topic from the BBC. 2) It's orchestrated by elements within the MoD who are annoyed at the results of the review. 3) It's orchestrated by the Tories, so that they can put forward spin 1.
Chief Mashoud Abiola of Nigeria dies suddenly. The Chief, believed to be the winner of an annulled 1993 election, had been held in detention since, but was due to be released. Ten die in protests following the news.
A Canadian Internet service provider says Microsoft's new Windows 98 suggests his customers should go elsewhere. The suggestion pops up in several error messages on computer screens: "You might want to try selecting 'other Internet provider' from the list of Internet service providers," one of the messages said in part. Microsoft says the messages were an innocent mistake and would be changed.
Solo home runs by MVP Roberto Alomar and Alex Rodriguez help the American League beat the Nationals 13-8 in the highest-scoring All-Star game ever. The runs come in all sorts of ways as balls carry far in the Mile High air and deeply-positioned outfielders see a lot of balls drop in front of them. Alomar got three hits and won the MVP award a year after his brother, Cleveland catcher Sandy Alomar, earned the honour. Rodriguez also had three hits for the AL and Devon White, a substitute, had three for the NL.
Semi final 2 at the World Cup.
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Tuesday, 7 July
Drivers in China face personality tests to determine their suitability for the role. Chinese officials say that only those drivers they call "agile" are not prone to crashes; those described as "straight", "aggressive" and "obtuse" are more liable to bump. Officials come up with the stunning observation that some drivers are better than others at different skills: some are better at driving in the dark, others on short journeys. Counselling and training will be available to drivers deemed as higher risk.
The Government won't make a register of nannies. They would prefer to see parents take responsibility for the safety of their own offspring. Chief Doctor of Spin, Peter Meddlesome, welcomed this as another way in which Nu Labour was breaking with the nannyish habits of old socialism. Conservative leader William Hague pointed out that this was a government representative crowing about inaction, and deplored it as another example of style over substance.
People in Calgary spend the day digging out from a freak hail storm. More
than 43 millimetres of rain and hail fell on the city, clogging drains
and leaving a blanket of slush. The weather dampened attendance at the
Calgary Stampede. The news comes on the day the UN confirmed global warming of 0.5 C in the last year.
Semi Final 1 in the World Cup. Brazil progress; they take the lead in the first minute of the second half, but the well deserved Dutch equalizer comes with five minutes to play. Neither side quite scores in extra time, but the Brazilians progress 4-2 on spot kicks.
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Monday, 6 July
Violent clashes in Portadown following the banning of the Orange Order march. Loyalists say they'll stay put until the ban on the march is lifted; the local and national governments say they won't lift the ban.
Diplomatic observers accredited in Yugoslavia are to have free movement into Kosovo, in a move designed to defuse violence in the Serbian province. The patrols come as part of a declaration agreed to by Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic and Russian President Boris Yeltsin last month.
England manage to draw the third test. Atherton falls for 94 in the morning, but Stewart's dismissal for 153 sparks a mini-collapse. Croft and Ramprakash steady the ship, and Croft's 37 steers the ship to 379/9. Match drawn
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Sunday, 5 July
In Drumcree, the police stop loyalists from marching down the Garvachy Road. Dr Paisley says shouts that this is a disgrace, breaks the solemn bonds between a man and his right to look a complete prat in front of other people's houses while bawling at the top of his voice.
Pete Sampras wins a superb Wimbledon final, beating Goran Ivanisevic 6-7, 7-6, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2. It's the first time Sampras has been taken to five sets in a Grand Slam final, and marks his fifth win in six years at Wimbledon.
England are bowled out for 183 in their first innings. Adams returns 4/63, Donald and Ntini both 2/28. In the second innings, Atherton makes 81* and Stewart 114* as England close on 211/2. England trail by 168 with eight second innings wickets left.
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Saturday, 4 July
The Prime Minister calls for calm on both sides ahead of tommorrow's march at Drumcree. Trenches and barbed wire fences are in use to block access to the disputed march route.
Jana Novotna wins the Wimbledon Ladies' Final. She beats Natalie Tauziat 6-3, 7-6 (7-2).
The Netherlands progress to the last four of the world cup, beating Argentina 2-1 with a late, late winner. And Croatia stun Germany 3-0 to book their place in the last four.
South Africa look set to win the 3rd test. They declare their first innings after an hour at 552/5. England get to a solid start, making 94/2 before Atherton falls for 41, Stewart for 40, Ramprakash 30 and the side closes at 162/8. Adams takes three of the wickets to fall. England require another 190 runs to avoid the follow-on, with two wickets in hand.
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Friday, 3 July
Linford Christie wins a libel action at the High Court. He accused armed robber John McVicar of saying he had only become Olympic and World champion 100m sprinter after using drugs, an allegation that's cost McVicar a six figure sum.
Pete Sampras and Goran Ivanisevic meet again in a Wimbledon final. Ivanisevic ousted Richard Krajicek 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 6-7, 15-13 in a match that lasted nearly three and a half hours. Pete Sampras beat Briton Tim Henman 6-3, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, dropping his first set of the tournament. The two met in the 1994 final - Sampras won then in straight sets.
South Africa advance to 487/4 in the second test. Kirsten makes 210, Kallis 132 in a stand of 238 for the second wicket. Cullinan is out for 75.
More penalties in the world cup. France oust Italy after a 0-0 draw. Brazil progress past Denmark 3-2 after conceding a goal within 100 seconds.
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Thursday, 2 July
Arson attacks on nine Catholic churches in Ulster. Unionists devoted to the Orange order are widely blamed for the desecrations. Toy Bair visits one of the sites, and pledges support for the peaceful majority in the province.
Natalie Tauziat and Jana Novotna will contest the Wimbledon final. Tauziat ousted Natasha Zvereva 1-6, 7-6 (7-1), 6-3; after looking down and out in the first set, she rallied as the Belarussian faltered to take a famous victory. Novotna's 6-4, 6-4 victory was somewhat more sedate, avenging her final defeat at Martina Hingis' hands last year.
South Africa have the Third Test for the taking after just one day. They make 237/1 - Kirsten 98*, Kallis 117*. It's not polite to mention the England bowling figures.
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Wednesday, 1 July - Canada Day
David Trimble is elected First Minister of the nascent Ulster Assembley, with Seamus Mallon of the SDLP elected as his deputy. The inaugral meeting was marred by repeated requests to discuss the banning of a march next weekend.
A Religion teacher resigns after pupils found him stripping in a nightclub. The teacher, from Bournemouth, needed a part-time job to pay off mounting jobs and a huge mortgage.
Quarter finals day at Wimbledon. Richard Krajicek completes his expected victory over David Sanguinetti 2-3-4. He'll play Goran Ivanisevic, who beat Jan Siemerink 6-6-6; neither player lost his serve. Pete Sampras makes light work of Mark Philipoussis, winning 6-4-4. And Tim Henman completes the line up, beating Petr Korda 3-4-2. He's the first Briton to make the last four since 1973.
In the ladies, there are upsets. Monica Seles falls to the only unseeded player left in, Natasha Zvereva, 6 & 2. Nathalie Tauziat downs second seed Lindsay Davenport 3 & 3. Jana Novotna puts out Venus Williams 5 & 6, thanks in part to some very lucky line calls. She'll meet Martina Hingis, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 conqueror of Arantxa Snachez-Vicario.
And Sammy Sosa's mark for most home runs in a month is 20.
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This page updated July 16, 1998