The Tennessean du lieu suivant : Nashville, Tennessee • Page 2

2 A Tu day, Pcmbf 221 199 THE TENNESSCAN 2 WORLD IN 5 MINUTES (implied from staff atul uiiv njiorts .4 A 'H4 Gerst Haus' move forcing couple to surrender their land Gerst Haus, the popular East Nashville watering hole that garnered community sympathy when it was displaced by the Tennessee Oilers stadium, is uprooting property owners at another location. And it's being done with the city's help. Last week, the Metro Development and Housing Agency exercised its power of eminent domain to take land from William and Nina Steele to create a new site for Gerst Haus. MDHA has offered the couple $201,300 for the tract, a fraction of what the Steeles claim it's worth. On IB.

i Social Security overpayments discovered, to be stopped soon A computer glitch has resulted in Social Security's reserve account earning higher interest than it should be, an error that is gaining the retirement program billions of extra dollars from the federal Treasury. In a letter to key members of Congress last week, Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin said a fix is in the works. The correction, he said, won't take away money already unintentionally credited to Social Security along with several other government programs similarly affected. But it would stop additional overpayments in the future. On 17A.

rL NOT QUITE RUDOLPH DeDe Schadegg gets ready to harness Cupid, a large gelding reindeer, at her Bismark, N.D., ranch. Schadegg's earthbound reindeer are popular at parties. "We get a call just about every day during the Christmas season," the rancher said. Mourners revisit Lockerbie i To the mournful lament of bagpipes and prayers of healing, the people of Lockerbie, Scotland, paid tribute to the 270 people killed 10 years ago yesterday, when a bomb hidden in a suitcase sent Pan Am Flight 103 crashing down on this town. The hundreds who packed Dryfes- dale Parish Church heard messages from Brit-! ish Prime Minister Tony Blair and President Clinton, who renewed their vows to punish the culprits of the Dec.

21, 1988, blast. But they also heard quiet sobs that echoed throughout the century-old church. On 4A. DEFYING CHINA Faced with a choice between a crash landing in the Himalayas or the possibility of being forced down by China's armed forces, three balloonists seeking to circle the world nonstop pressed on into Chinese air-; space yesterday, hoping for a last-minute change of heart by Beijing. On 4A.

DISSIDENTS JAILED Sending a chill ing message to its opponents yesterday, China sentenced two of the nation's most prominent dissidents to a combined 24 years in prison for trying to establish an independent political par-; ty. In a bold effort, organizers Xu Wenli and I Wang Youcai had sought official recognition for their "China Democracy Party" in this one-par-; ty state. Their group became the first to chal-, lenge the Communists openly since they took I control of the country in 1949. On 4A. CHANGING TRADITION Commercial ism, American-style, has come to Christmas in West Africa.

From shoppers crowding a mall in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, to Nigerian Muslims buy-; ing pine trees, the traditional West African Christmas a relatively quiet day of church, food and a few gifts for the children is slowly giving ground to the material version. On 6A. I GIRL STABBED WITH ADDICT'S NEEDLE A 10-year-old Norwegian girl was stabbed by a drug addict with a hypodermic needle while Christmas shopping, in an attack that has horrified and infuriated the country. The attack, which was the top story in many Norwegian newspapers yesterday, underlines concerns that crime may be on the rise in Oslo, considered one of the world's safest cities. The attack took place Sunday in a downtown Oslo shopping mall, where the unidentified girl and her mother were buying Christmas presents.

According to reports, a man known to be a drug addict approached without warning and stabbed the girl with a needle. It will take at least six months for tests to determine if the girl has been infected with the HIV virus, which causes AIDS. EE Late-term abortion ban lifted Lyme disease vaccine available UT lineman earns rare praise Phillip Fulmer just does not gush over offensive linemen. So imagine the surprise when Fulmer started making statements like these: "Cos-ey Coleman, as long as he continues to work, as long as he stays hungry to learn, as long as he watches his weight, he will be an Ail-American. He is that good." And Fulmer has made such claims about Coleman more than once.

On 1C. A federal judge yesterday threw out Iowa's ban on a specific late-term abortion procedure, ruling that the law is unconstitutionally vague and violates privacy rights. In his 20-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Robert Pratt said the law does not clearly define the procedure that critics refer to as a "partial-birth" abortion. "Because physicians are forced to guess at the act's meaning, they are likely to 'steer far wider of the unlawful zone' than if the act were more clear," Pratt said.

Officials for the Center for Reproductive Law and Policy said Pratt's decision is one of 17 court decisions blocking such laws. The Food and Drug Administration approved the world's first vaccine against Lyme disease yesterday, a shot anxiously awaited in tick-infested regions but one that won't eliminate the threat. On 13 A. STIMULATING MEMORY Why do you remember prom night so well when you dont have a clue to what you did two nights later? In part, a study says, you can thank a certain nerve. Researchers found stimulating this nerve in people improves memory.

They say the finding might someday help victims of stroke or head injury. Scientists already know part of the story is the body's response to emotional arousal. The body releases adrenaline and other hormones into the blood. The new work points to the vagus (pronounced VAY-gus) nerve, which extends from the brainstem to most of the body's internal organs. Studies in rats have suggested the arousal hormones use the vagus nerve to tell the brain it should hang onto particular memories.

The work appears in the January issue of the journal Nature Neuroscience. mm Latest round of banana war 100 tariffs on imports The Clinton administration announced yesterday that it plans to slap punitive tariffs of 100 early next year on hundreds of millions of dollars in European imports, effectively doubling their price. It's the latest action in a six-year battle over Europe's banana import rules. On 3E. Asteroid-bound robot missing Scientists have lost radio contact with a robot spacecraft on a mission to track, and maybe land, on a fast-moving giant asteroid.

Contact was lost as the spacecraft was being accelerated to catch the asteroid. On 14A. Some GOP moderates now stand behind censure Polls find public support of president increasing the survey. Early last week, the ABCWashington Post poll turned heads in Washington when it reported that57of Americans would preferthat Clinton resign rather than "fight the charges" in the Senate if he was impeached. But once Clinton was impeached, only 42 of those surveyed said he should quit rather than "fight" The Gallup, NBC and CBSNYT polls all found that only one-third of the public or less say Clinton should resign in each case a measurable decline from the share that favored resignation before the House vote.

The surveys largely converged in finding scant support for a Senate vote to convict Clinton. The ABCIWasiiington Post, CBSNYT and Gallup surveys all found that about two-thirds of Americans believe the Senate should not vote to convict and remove Clinton. Indeed, the surveys found little support for the Senate holding a trial at all. Asked what the Senate should do next, just 31 of those polled by Gallup said it should hold a trial; 36 said it should censure Clinton; and 32 said it should drop the matter entirely. The NBC poll produced a similar result.

In the CBSNYT poll, two-thirds of those surveyed said the Senate should reach a compromise with Clinton rather than hold a trial. LosAnteles Times WASHINGTON Rather than generate pressure on President Clinton to resign, the House decision to impeach him instead has solidified the public consensus that he should serve out his term and provoked a sharp backlash against the Republican Party, a flurry of national polls taken after Saturday's historic action has found. Four surveys all taken in the wake of the House's largely party-line impeachment vote found Clinton's approval ratings sharply rising, in most cases to record levels. Assessments of the GOP, meanwhile, continued the steady three-month decline that began when the House launched the impeachment process early this fall. And in a sharp recoil against Saturday's vote to approve two articles of impeachment against Clinton, the surveys also found that just more than 60 of Americans disapproved of the House decision.

On the broadest measure of support, Clinton's job approval ratings spiked upward over the weekend to the highest numbers several polling organizations have recorded in his presidency. Polls Saturday and Sunday by NBC, the CBSINew York Times and GallupCNNUSA Today all found Clinton's job approval rising about seven percentage points since last week to a high point of 72 or 73, depending on terday about asking the Senate to avert a trial. His spokesman, Ken Johnson, said, "The feeling is the president paid a terrible price for his actions. The Clinton presidency has been indelibly stained by impeachment" He said House Republicans could vote only up or down on impeachment. "That was a lousy choice, but the only one allowed under the Constitution," he said.

"Our hands were tied. Too much blood has been spilled already and there's a time to begin the healing process." One alternative was offered yesterday by former Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter, requiring that Clinton concede he lied under oath, a step his aides insist he will not take. With that in mind, or perhaps merely as a bargaining tactic, some White House aides say censure may be unworkable, "It just may be there's no acceptable form of censure, so why go through that?" said one Clinton adviser. A trial, he said, would provide the country with a "definitive end to this thing." Further, several senior Republican senators have said that they have a constitutional duty to at least begin a trial. Sen.

Mitch McConnell, who is likely to play a prominent role in any trial, said he would like to see the Senate vote on the two articles of impeachment before considering alternatives. But he said he believed it could be done quickly. He said there was "a lot of discussion about at what point is censure an appropriate discussion. My view is we need to commence the trial. Otherwise it just completely makes short shrift of the action of the House." Republicans have said that they expect Sen.

Robert C. Byrd, the Senate's leading expert on rules and procedures, to support their contention that the Senate is obliged to open a trial. But yesterday, Byrd kept his options open. "Whether there is a trial or whether there is some other solution, that decision must be made by senators," he said, "and it must be bipartisan or it will have absolutely no credibility with the public." He made a similar argument for the primacy of the Senate. He warned that the White House should not expect to control the terms of a censure resolution.

"For the good of our nation, there must be no 'deal' involving the White House or any entity beyond the current membership of the U.S. Senate," he said. Delaware and Jim Greenwood of Pennsylvania, which they prepared to send to Trent Lott, the Senate majority leader. They released its text last night, and plan to send it today. "We are not convinced, and do not want our votes interpreted to mean, that we view removal from office as the only reasonable conclusion of this case," they wrote, although the articles of impeachment for which they voted each concluded; "Wherefore, William Jefferson Clinton, by such conduct, warrants impeachment and trial and removal from office." They argued in their letter that while it was "questionable" whether the House had authority to deal with censure, the Senate clearly has "the authority and the precedents to consider a range of options.

Those options should include a tough censure proposal, which would impose a fine and block any pardon." The congressmen all voted Saturday against allowing the consideration of a Demo-crat-ic move to allow a House vote on censure. Another House Republican who voted for impeachment, WJ. Tauzin of Louisiana, was consulting with colleagues yes Israeli officer considers run for prime minister Wilson panel OKs zoning Spring vote expected for Israeli government 3 i Benjamin Netanyahu in opinion polls. According to his closest asso 3 "There is no compassion for us," CRASH member John Hurd told the commission. "It is all these big expensive companies that get what they want" Opponents have focused on problems with traffic, noise and possible water pollution from the track Some who live near the proposed facility say they will be unable to sell their homes because no one wants to live that close to a racetrack.

But I Back the Track member Judy Cox, a local real estate agent said there will be plenty of people wanting to relocate near the raceway. "I've gotten calls from people who want to live next to the racetrack," Cox said. "They want to park cars in their yards." Rowland of District 12, where the track is proposed. "I can kind of understand the concerns. This is going to drastically affect them the rest of their lives.

I don't think any commissioner sitting on this board tonight would want this in their district." Track supporters, wearing black-and-white "I back the track" sweatshirts and hats, applauded wildly when the vote was finally taken. Project backers and opponents from County Residents Against Speedway Havoc (CRASH) were each given 30 minutes to present their views in a one-hour public hearing before the commission session. JERUSALEM (AP) The man with a very good shot at becoming Israel's next prime minister has no party affiliation and has never uttered a word about politics in public. He is Amnon Lipkin-Shahak. a former armed forces chief-of-staff whose views on the issues that divide Israel Mideast peace and the secular-religious divide can only be guessed at Still a serving officer in the Israel army, he is barred from making public statements.

But that will change, his associates said, Thursday when he leaves the army. Critics call Shahak a "virtual candidate," suggesting he is like a computer-generated concoction of wishful thinking on the part of Israelis longing for new figure in politics. "Now, his ideas are unknown. But once he decides to run, he will only lose power," said Aliza Goren, an adviser to the Labor party leader, Ehud Barak. Maybe.

But for months Shahak has consistently led Prime Minister against Palestinians." Saeb Erekat the head of tlie Palestinian negotiating team, wrote an urgent letter to Israeli cabinet secretary Dan Naveh saying: "This is a dangerous decision, whose meaning, in effect, is a halt to the peace process." 'This is the most crucial time since 1967," Netanyahu said, noting that the country's borders and the future status of Jerusalem are all on the table in negotiations that theoretically are supposed to begin in earnest at the end of January. But the move to elections will also be a chance for Israelis to reassess a prime minister who has suffered a series of cabinet defections and presided over a downturn in the economy despite his free market policies. "They and the public don't support you because you deceive them," said opposition Labor Party leader Ehud Barak "They simply understand that you are leading them nowhere at best, and to disaster, at worst" ciates, Shahak, SHAHAK 54, has decided to seek the premiership via an as-yet unformed centrist party. The son of late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, Yuval Rabin, said he would throw his support and that of his left-wing lobby group behind Shahak Asked by Israel TV when he would declare his candidacy, Shahak said yesterday: "Ultimately, everyone will know what was decided. Everyone just needs to wait and see." Israel TV said he would announce his candidacy Thursday.

Like Barak and Netanyahu, Shahak is a former commando. A paratrooper, Shahak led a daring raid that blew up the Democratic Front headquarters in Beirut in 1973, killing scores of Palestinians. A protege of Rabin, he later led a set of peace negotiations with the Palestinians. ing to keep implementing the Wye agreement but only if the Palestinian Authority stops all violence and incitement against Israel, announces that it will not unilaterally declare a state in May and collects all illegal weapons in areas under its control. While Washington has backed Israel on the prisoner issue and spoken out against unilateral moves from either side, State Department spokesman James Rubin yesterday said the United Suites expects Israel to adhere to its agreement to withdraw from more West Bank land even during an election campaign.

Senior Palestinian officials yesterday warned that any further delay in implementing the agreements will lead to "grave consequences." Ahmand Tibi, an adviser to Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat called the Israeli cabinet decision a "declaration of war i In some editions of Saturday's Tennessean, an incorrect photograph accompanied the Johnny Paycheck item in Brad About You on Page 3A A correct picture can be found on page 4B of today's paper with an updated story on Johnny Paycheck. The newspaper regrets tlie error..