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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 7, 1998)
Rebel elected Venezuela’s president ■ Hugo Chavez’s victory was declared a coup for the poor and a defeat for the country’s long-ruling elite powers. CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - Former Lt Col. Hugo Chavez, who staged a bloody coup attempt six years ago, was elected president of Venezuela on Sunday. It was a stunning blow to the political and eco nomic establishment that has ruled the country during 40 years of democracy. People poured into the streets, dancing, setting off fireworks and honking horns in celebration of what many viewed a victory of the poor over a political elite that has failed to ease poverty and control rampant cor ruption. “Venezuela is being bom again,” Chavez declared as results were revealed. “Once again, the people of Simon Bolivar have shown themselves to be a grand people,” he told the Venevision television network. Chavez often invokes South American liberation hero Bolivar in his speeches. With 78 percent of die vote counted, Chavez had 56 percent compared to 40 percent for Yale-educated businessman Henrique Salas Romer, according to official results from the National Electoral Council. The voting Sunday was orderly, and turnout was high for Venezuela at 65 percent Chavez immediately appealed for national “recon ciliation” and sought to assure investors that he would pursue prudent economic policies. He said he would not impose exchange fcontrols or other radical eco nomic measures as his opponents have claimed “We are going to instill confidence, and that’s my first message to investors,” Chavez said. “You the investor, if you have capital abroad, bring it here.” For the first time, neither ofVenezuela’s two tradi tional parties fielded candidates. In 1992, Chavez tried and failed to overthrow Venezuela’s democratically elected government His critics asserted he would impose a leftist dictatorship and roll back free-market economic reforms. Because of this, his candidacy was seen as a warning by much of Latin America. The campaign took on overtones of class warfare. Chavez’s militaristic rhetoric terrified middle and upper class Venezuelans, and many fled to Miami. “He’s a crazy man on the loose, a communist” said Elena Alamos, an elderly woman casting her vote in Caracas’s upper class Altamira district Chavez’s leftist Patriotic Pole coalition, which calls for fewer privatizations and a slowing of free market ectmomic reforms, already won a plurality of Congress in Nov. 8 regional elections, breaking the two traditional parties’ 40-year political stranglehold. His call for a new constitution and dissolving Congress has scared investors and exacerbated an eco nomic crisis. Foreign oil companies, including Exxon, Mobil, Shell and British Petroleum, have put some of their investment plans on hold. Secret society gives happy people solace DALLAS (AP) - If you’re happy and you know it - shhh! There’s a spot for you in the Secret Society of Happy People. “If you’re happy but don’t admit it because other people don’t want to hear it, then we’re the society for you,” says founder Pam Johnson. The society, founded in August in the Dallas suburb of Irving, promotes the idea that it’s OK to be happy, despite the lack of positive response from others. That’s especially true at Christmas, Johnson says, challenging advice columnist Ann Landers on the subject of family news letters enclosed with holiday cards. “Spare us the details of the Ivy League schools your children are attending and the honors and awards they have received during the year.... Just let us know in a handwritten note that your family is well and doing something useful,” said a recent letter signed “Your Cousins in Illinois.” Ann Landers responded: “Dear Cousins: Thank you for expressing sentiments that are sure to be shared (and appreciated) by millions of read ers. Including me.” In a letter to Landers, Johnson demanded an apology “to the millions of people you made feel bad for want ing to share their happy news.” Happiness is about recognizing the happy moments of your life, not about competing with others, Johnson wrote. “Happy moments are good things that need to be shared more - not less,” she said Landers’ editor in Los Angeles, Katherine Searcy, said she would pass along Johnson’s letter and request a reply from the columnist Americans waste a lot of time dis cussing topics like: “My girlfriend/boyfriend is a jerk,” “I don’t like my job,” “I need to lose 30 pounds,” “If I only had more money,” and “I need to buy something,” Johnson said The society does not suggest that people should pretend they are content or ignore real problems, but urges peo ple to stop grousing and answer the question: “Are you happier than you admit you are?” “Most people think about it for a moment and they reply, ‘You know, I am,”’ Johnson said. According to Johnson, the society has about 60-plus secretly happy members and recruits mainly through its Internet site: http://www.sohp.com. A member who signed herself “Beth,” posted a personal testimonial to happiness. “I work with people with disabili ties who have suffered injuries from car accidents, falls, etc. They constant ly inspire me by showing up at therapy in the morning with a smile on their face and a kind greeting for everyone - perhaps because they recognize how lucky they are to be alive!” die wrote. “He’s mixed. So there is nowhere he can find peace.” Crisis illustrates plight of Africa’s mixed families MWANZA, Tanzania (AP) - Oscar Niyiragira would love more than any thing fbr his family to be able to go home to Burundi, but returning to his ethnically segregated homeland would mean almost certain death. Instead, Niyiragira, his wife and four children will be among 228 mixed marriage refugees from Burundi and Rwanda who have left refugee camps in. Tanzania on their way to a new life in the United States. The first group flew out Sunday. Niyiragira is a Burundian Hutu. His wife, Regine Katabarwa, is a Tutsi. Fbr their four children, no place in Burundi, split by ethnic civil war, would be safe. In both Rwanda and Burundi, Tutsis are minorities with Hutus making up more than 80 percent of the population. “You know, his one is neither Hutu nor Tutsi,” Niyiragiia said of the 3-year old son. “He’s mixed. So there is nowhere he can find peace. If he goes on the side of the Tutsis, he'll be killed. Ifhe goes into Hutuland, he’ll be killed.” Recommended by the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees - which has been running camps for millions of refugees throughout Africa’s volatile Great Lakes region for the past decade - these families are only a handful of the more than 250,000 Burundian and 6,000 Rwandan refugees in Tanzania. The United States, which has agreed to take in 78,000 refugees from around the world in the 1998-99 fiscal year including 12,000 from Africa, 1 opened its doors. “Their options for Tanzania were very limited: They can’t go home, and in Tanzania, they would remain under refugee status,” said Kevin Richardson, U.S. Refugee Coordinator for East Africa. To be accepted, the refugees at the Mkugwa camp in northwestern Tanzania underwent screening by a U.S. immigration officer and tests to see if they were free of contagious diseases. On Wednesday, seven buses carry ing the refugees left Mkugwa for Mwanza in northern Tanzania, where they received medicine and clothing. On Sunday evening, the first plane load of 57 refugees were to fly to Nairobi, Kenya and then to John E Kennedy airport in New York. From there, they would head to final destina tions across die United States. “Ifl can get to a country where there is peace, I think I can stay there and con tinue my life,” Burundian-born Emm anuel Sibomana said in halting English. “It is an extraordinary opportunity.” Sibomana, 33, is a wood carver. His Hutu family fled Burundi^ civil war in 1972 and settled in Rwanda where he met his Tutsi wife and had a scai. But the 1994 Hutu government sponsored Rwandan genocide of more than half a million Tutsis and moderate Hutus sent the young family into exile, first to the former Zaire, and finally, Tanzania. They are going to Washing ton, D.C. Niyiragira fled Burundi in 1993, after Tutsi paratroopers killed the coun try’s first democratically elected presi dent. Bloodletting between the Tutsi military and Hutu rebels has since killed more than 200,000 Burundians. Annan,-Gadhafi reach no deal on bombing; talks called positive TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) - U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan failed to reach agreement Saturday on bringing two Libyans to trial for the 1988 Pan Am airliner bombing despite what he called “fruitful and positive” talks with Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. Annan said, however, he believed an arrangement for trying the two Libyan suspects could be secured in “not an inordinate” amount of time. Anhan is trying to persuade Libya to go along with a plan to try Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi and Lamen Khalifa Fhimah before a panel of judges in the Netherlands. They are accused in the Dec. 21, 1988, bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland, that left 270 dead. “Libya has also agreed to a trial in a third country and believes that it ought to be possible to find answers to all other outstanding issues,” Annan said. “It will require some time but not an inordinate amount” Libyan Foreign Minister Omar al Muntasser confirmed Annan’s assess ment of the time frame. A decision would have to be taken up by Libya’s People’s (Sbngress, which opens its next session on Dec. 8, he said. In Washington, deputy State Department spokesman James Foley said the United States is awaiting a briefing, but is “disappointed” that Libya has not complied with U.N. Security Council resolutions. VMt~r. Queetlone? Comments? Managing Editor: Chad Lorenz Aik for the approprwe section editor at Associate News Editor: Bryce Glenn Associate News Editor: Brad Davis Of e-mail dnWJmLedU. Assignment Editor: Kasey Kerber Opinion Editor: Cliff Hicks General Manager: DanShatdl Sports Editor: Sam McKewon PobUcathms Board Jessica Hofmann, A&E Editor: Bret Schulte Chairwoman: (402)466-8404 Copy Desk Chief: Dine Broderick Professional Adviser: Don Walton, Photo Chief: Matt Miller (402)473-7248 Design Chief: Nancy Christensen Advertising Manager: NickPartsch, Art Director: Malt Haney (402)472-2589 OuBne Editor: Gregg Steams Asst Ad Manager: Andrea Oeltjen Diversions Editor: Jeff Randall ' ChasHeld Ad Manager: Marni Speck Fax number. (402)472-1761 World Wide Web: www.uni.edu/DaflvNeb The DaiJy Nebraskan (USPS144-080) is pubtished by meWSilicatjons Board, Nebraska Union 34,1400 RSI, Lincoln, NE 68588-0448, Monoay through Friday duming the academic year; weekly during the summer sessions.The pubic has access to the Publications Board. Readers are encouraged to submit story ideas and comments to the Daily Nebraskan by calling (402) 472-2588. Subscriptions are $55 for one year. 7 Postmaster. Send address changes to the Daily Nebraskan, Nebraska Union 34,1400 R St, Lincoln NE68588-0448. Perkxfical postagepaid at Lincoln, NE. ALL MATERIAL COPYRIGHT1998 THE DAILY NEBRASKAN Illegal immigrants rescued from sea by Russian ship ROME (AP) - A Russian ship rescued SO illegal immigrants from the waters off Malta after they were thrown overboard by their smug glers, according to a report Sunday. Ten people were missing and feared drowned. The smugglers apparently pan icked when they saw the Russian merchant ship approach Saturday night in the Mediterranean, about 90 miles south of Malta, according to Italian RAI state television. Officials aboard an Italian naval vessel helping in the rescue said there was little hope the search would find any survivors Sunday in the rough, cold waters, RAI reported. The smugglers were likely trying to take the people to the Italian island of Sicily, RAI said. Thousands of people try to slip into Italy illegally, looking for a route into Western Pnrnnp Hip pramfru’e Inna laraplv unpatrolled coasts attract smugglers, who pull up to beaches during the night and chop off immigrants who have paid for die voyage. Catholic church set on fire by religious rioters UJUNGPANDANG, Indonesia (AP)—A Catholic parish lamented the burning of its church in Ujungpandang on Sunday after it was burned down Friday. It was the latest in religious violence to hit Indonesia in recent weeks. Rioters smashed windows and set fire to the Kare Catholic church, burning pews and prayer books and destroying stat ues and other holy ornaments. During the past two weeks, at least 25 churches and 18 mosques have been burned or ransacked by the followers of rival faiths in five cities and towns across the sprawling island nation. About 90 percent of Indonesia’s population is Muslim. Tensions are on the rise amid political turmoil, student protests and the worst economic crisis in decades. Sunday, thousands of Indonesian farmers protesting higher fertilizer prices burned vehicles and looted fertilizer storehouses in Biota, about 300 miles east of Jakarta, the state run Antara news agency reported. Sacajawea among finalists for dollar coin appearance WASHINGTON (AP) - Sacajawea, the Shoshone teen-ager who accompanied explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to the Pacific Ocean almost two centuries ago, gazes serenely from a proposed design for die new dollar coin. She looks over her shoulder, as if ready to go. Her infant son sleeps on her back. It’s among six finalists for the gold-colored coin that Americans will find in their pockets starting in 2000. No one knows exactly what 16 year-old Sacajawea, who joined the Lewis and Clark expedition in 1804, looked like. But all the proposals, according to U.S. Mint Director Philip Diehl, “are realistic depictions of Native American women.” Starting today, Americans can see the designs on the Mint’s Internet site and select their preferences: http://www. usmint.gov.