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IV OTA7’ C Tl "I O" O Associated Press X Tl W W CT Edited by Roger Price Russian cabinet resigns Ministers storm from parliament amid criticism MOSCOW — The Cabinet of President Boris Yeltsin submitted its resignation en masse Monday, telling a combative parliament that aban doning free market reforms could heighten inflation and block Russia’s entry into the world marketplace. Yeltsin asked his ministers to continue working a few days through the end of the parliament session, when he will decide whether to ac cept their resignations, Deputy Pre mier Yegor Gaidar said. The Cabinet’s departure could create the worst governmental crisis since the Soviet collapse in Decem ber. The ministers had been threaten ing to quit to protest parliament’s vote Saturday to demand changes in Yeltsin’s economic reforms. Several legislators said they thought the resignations were a bluff, and Parliament Speaker Ruslan Khasbu latov addressed the ministers with such derision that they walked out of the 1,046-membcr Congress of People’s Deputies. “Don’t try to blackmail us. We are not afraid of anyone or anything,” Khasbulatov told the ministers, draw ing cheers from many lawmakers. “If you want to work, dear mem bers of the government, you have everything that is necessary to your work,” Khasbulatov added. Several lawmakers began chant ing “Shame! Shamc!”atthe ministers in the front row of the vaulted parlia ment chamber in the Grand Kremlin Palace. Khasbulatov cut them off. “Don’t,” he barked. “There is no shame. These kids have just lost their heads,” he said, referring to the Cabi net. At those words, the ministers rose to their feet, grabbed their papers and stalked out. “We will not allow anyone to in sult the Russian government,” an angry Gennady Burbulis, Yeltsin’stop aide, told reporters. A pro-reform bloc, Democratic Rossiya, later announced a petition drive to remove Khasbulatov as chair man, the Interfax news agency said. Khasbulatov appeared on Russian television to apologize and profess support for Yeltsin. “If they are offended, then God as my witness, I offer them my deep Brian Shollito/DN apologies in front of the whole coun try,” Khasbulatov said. The Congress of People’s Depu ties is dominated by former Commu nists, including many who want to revoke Yeltsin’s decree-making powers and have been pushing him to soften the transition to a market econ omy. On Saturday, lawmakers passed a resolution that left Yeltsin’s powers intact, but demanded that the govern ment raise salaries for government workers while cutting taxes. Labor party head resigns after loss LONDON — Neil Kinnock an nounced his resignation as leader of the Labor Party on Monday, ending a nine-year term in which he rebuilt the party but failed to regain control of the government. Kinnock called his decision “an essential act of leadership” follow ing the party’s fourth straight elec tion defeat to Conservatives on April 9. The loss was a shattering blow to both Labor and Kinnock, who took the party from disarray to a credible challenge to Prime Minis ter John Major’s Conservatives. “He took our party from almost political oblivion and put it on the brink of victory,” said Labor fi nance spokesman John Smith, 53, a Scottish lawyer favored to be named to succeed Kinnock at a special party convention in June. Kinnock, 50, looked tense and drawn as he read a prepared state ment in an office at the House of Commons. “It is not to do with any personal sensitivity,” he said. The leadership shuffle threat ens even more problems tor Labor by renewing conflicts between moderates and left-leaning factions. Under Kinnock, the party dropped a raft of vote-losing leftist policies: unilateral nuclear disar mament, widespread nationaliza tion of industries, withdrawal from the European Community and curbs on private schools. Kinnock, a Welsh coal miner’s son, and his deputy Roy Hatter slcy, who will also quit, will stay on as caretakers until June. Both will remain in politics as rank-and file members of Parliament. “1 am appalled by the way we are being bounced into this,” said Ken Livingstone, a left-wing Lon don legislator. In addition, the leadership con test will focus on the influence of labor union chiefs in the party. Kinnock claimed the Conserva tive victory was due to the harsh attacks on Labor by the vigorously pro-Conscrvalive newspapers that predominate in Britain’s national press..,' - Flooded tunnels close most of downtown Chicago CHICAGO — Downtown Chicago virtu ally shut down Monday when a river’s retain ing wall ruptured, sending water cascading into a tum-of-the-century tunnel system deep be neath the city’s business district. Workers apparently plugged the breach late Monday. Power to most of downtown, which was shut off during the day, was expected to remain out for at least another full day while the tunnels were drained, officials said. Only nine building basements flooded, but thousands of workers downtown were evacu ated at midday, and thousands more were sent home at the fringe of the problem area as a precaution. Traffic was snarled and commuters jammed trains and buses in an eerie, early rush hour. Broken retaining wall lets river in under city No injuries were reported. The flooded tunnels, which form a network 40 feet below ground throughout downtown and once were used for coal delivery and ash removal, house Commonwealth Edison’s elec trical transformers. So the company shut power off as a precaution. “Water and electricity don’t mix, and we’re doing this for the people’s safety,” said Marga ret Winters, spokeswoman for the electric company. Mayor Richard Daley requested that the entire Loop be evacuated. Among the buildings to send workers home were the Sears Tower, at 1 lOstories the world’s tallest building, and the 80-story Amoco Build ing. In those buildings, workers were sent home before power was turned off, sparing them the ordeal of walking down tens of flights of stairs. At some tall buildings, workers had to leave on foot. Trading halted for the day at the Chicago Board of Trade and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, both of which were forced to close. The Board of Trade said it wouldn’t reopen before Wednesday. The other two exchanges expected to reopen Tuesday. City workers threw gravel, rocks, sandbags and mattresses off barges into the river, hoping to plug the funnel-shaped, car-sized hole in the retaining wall, which holds the Chicago River in its course. “It’s slowing it down, but we have to sec,” Daley said. Later, workers were planning to pour ce ment into the hole from a truck with a long hose. If that didn’t work, officials planned to throw concrete blocks into the break. The mayor said the cause of the problem was not immediately determined. There was no street flooding, although some buildings pumped water from their basements through hoses that emptied into the streets. The problem was first reported at 6 a.m. It occurred below water level, and was visible on the surface only as a whirlpool in the river filled with debris. Arab shops open longer to give economy a boost JERUSALEM — Shortened work hours and frequent strikes were once centerpieces of the four-year Pales tinian uprising. But now economic reality has set in. The PLO-backed leadership of the revolt, under pressure from Arab merchants, has approved longer shop hours and reduced strike schedules. The decision, announced in leaf lets circulating in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip for the past week, has raised concern among hard core activists that the move will be read by Israel as a sign of flagging Arab support for the revolt. And some Israeli experts do sec it as a retreat. But Arab businessmen, who have watched sales and profits plummet, were glad for the reprieve. The Pales tinian economy is in very bad shape. “If we want to improve our econ omy, shopkeepers need more hours to work,” said Walid Hawash, a grocery wholesaler from the West Bank town of Beit Sahour. The reduced work day and frequent strikes had been intended to show that the Palestini ans, not the Israelis, were in control of life in the territories. In the end they were self-defeat ing, sharply reducing Arab economic output and sending many Arab buy ers to Israeli outlets. The Palestinian economy also lost its traditional support from the oil rich Persian Gulf states, who turned away from the occupied territories and the Palestine Liberation Organi zation after they supported Iraq in the 1991 Gulf War. An expert on economic develop ment, Hulailch believes the uprising leadership should encourage indus trial production and commercial ac tivity to build support for the peace process. NelJra&kan Editor Jana Pedersen Art Director ScollMaurer 472-1766 General Manager Dan Shattll Managing Editor Kara Walla Publications Board Assoc. News Editors Chris Hoptensperger Chairman Bill Vobejda Kris Karnopp 472-2586 Photo Chief Mlchella Paulman Professional Adviser Don WaHon, 473-7301 FAX NUMBER 472-1761 The Dally Nebraskan (US PS 144-080) is published by the UNL Publications Board. Ne braska Union 34,1400 R St.. Lincoln, NE. Monday through Friday during the academic year; weekly during summer sessions. Readers are encouraged to submit story ideas and comments to the Dally Nebraskan by phoning 472-1763 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m Monday through Friday. The public also has access to the Publications Board. For Information, contact Blll Vobejda, 472-2588. Subscription price is $50 for one year. Postmaster Send address changes to the Dally Nebraskan, Nebraska Union 34,1400 R St .Lincoln, NE 68586-0448 Second-class postage paid at Lincoln, NE. ALL MATERIAL COPYRIGHT 1992 DAILY NEBRASKAN Nuclear activist attacks Reagan LAS VEGAS — A man rushed a stage while former President Reagan gave a speech Monday, grabbed a crystal statue Reagan had just been given and smashed it. Pieces of the statue hit Reagan, who appeared startled but wasn't hurt. The man then tried to speak into the microphone, but security offi cers grabbed him and threw him to the ground before hustling him away. The 81-year-old Reagan was jostled during the scuffle. Other officers rushed Reagan to the side of the stage. Reagan returned to the podium soon after, picked up a piece of the broken statue, then finished his speech to the National Association of Broadcasters. “I think I’m going to go out and sec who that guy is,” Reagan said at the end of his speech. Reagan later told reporters: ‘‘He hit me with a fist, but it just bounced off.” The protester was Richard Paul Springer, 41, of Arcadia, Calif., said Secret Service spokesman Carl Meyer in Washington. Springer was in Secret Service custody. There was no immediate word on any charges. Springer is the founder of the 100th Monkey anti-nuclear group, said Lisa Law, a group organizer. She said Springer came up with the idea of staging a week-long series of events protesting nuclear testing at the Nevada Test Site. Lawyer defends clear, concise writing DALLAS—For purposes of para graph (3), an organization described in paragraph (2) shall be deemed to include an organization described in section 501(c)(4), (5), or (6) which would be described in paragraph (2) if it were an organization described in section 501(c)(3). Clear enough? Most legal matters concern ordi nary people with ordinary problems. So why is legal writing so extraordi narily difficult for an ordinary person to understand? Why docs a judge write “ab initio” instead of “from the beginning?” Why would a lawyer begin a sentence “Accordingly, in the interest of brev ity," then continue for 76 words? Part of the answer is legal heri tage, said Bryan Gamer, a Dallas lawyer and author. “Traditionally, lawyers have set themselves apart too much from the rest of the world by using pompous, archaic language that has long since disappeared from ordinary English \ discourse,” Gamer said. For the second year, Gamer is leading a State Bar of Texas contest of poor legal writing, or “legaldegook ” Entries are submitted by the hun dreds. The example in paragraph (1) won last year’s Woolincss Award. The Serpentine Sentence Award winner, all 174 words of it, came from a brief filed with the Texas Supreme Court. Try fathoming this entry, written by an Illinois judge: “Parens patriae cannot be ad fundandam jurisdictio ns. The zoning question is res inter alios acta.” He meant he didn’t have jurisdic tion. From the winner of the What Language Is This? Award, Gamer offers: “No savings and loan holding company, directly or indirectly, or through one or more transactions, shall . . acquire control of an uninsured institution or retain, for more than one year after other than an insured institution or holding company thereof, the date any insured institution sub sidiary becomes uninsured, control of such institution." At seminars for lawyers and in a course at Southern Methodist Uni versity’s law school. Gamer pleads for clear writing. “The distinguishing characteristic of the greatest lawyers, whether judges or practicing lawyers, is that they present complex legal ideas in simple, straightforward language so that almost anyone can understand,” Gamer said. “Lawyers are frequently writing about inherently interesting subjects. And yet lawyers can make the most exciting subjects dull.” Sometimes, he said, the message can be lost even when the writing is clear. Take last year’s award-winner for Funniest Typographical Error in an Appellate Brief: , “In the index to this brief, the Court will Find a copulation of au thorities on this subject."