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Page &The Battalion/Friday, August 3, 1984 SHOE by Jeff MacNelly HEY.HtfAT&yr WWCff 7 ymtassai Y6AU. F 7 IlWWKI5HOUt-P0£ | WHefii a$k POP. T1 ME OFF AEOUNP W0Z£. €;jeHerson Communications. In ^ nbuted by Tribune Media Servi Family incomes rising Census Bureau reports United Press International Postmaster general warns unions not to go on strike United Press International WASHINGTON — Postmaster General William Bolger Thursday warned the nation’s 600,000 union ized postal workers that he will fire them if they go on an illegal strike against the U.S. Postal Service. In a separate interview, Bolger said the Postal Service has prepared contingency plans for a walkout “and will take the necessary steps to implement them if we have to.” The dismissal threat, contained in an interview with editors of The Washington Times and confirmed by a Postal Service spokeswoman, brought sharp responses from top postal union leaders. “He’s a bully. He’s provocative. He’s a tyrant,” said Letter Carriers President Vincent Sombrotto. Both Sombrotto and American Postal Workers Union President Moe Biller made it clear Wednesday during a joint National Press Club speech that a strike was a distinct possibility, even though illegal. “It’s like a kid. It’s like ‘I’ll dare you to do it’,” said Biller. “We’re not going to be provoked.” Sombrotto said Bolger’s threat would not prevent his union from striking, but acknowleged “it does make it more difficult in some re spects.’ Negotiations on a contract be tween the Postal Service and its two major unions representing 500,000 of the workers broke off July 20, with the government insisting on a three-year wage freeze for current employees and a 23 percent pay cut for newly hired workers. The unions plan to decide their next step — including a possible ille gal nationwide walkout -— during si multaneous conventions in Las Ve gas beginning Aug. 20. “I will fire them,” Bolger said of postatl employees that go on strike. “If they commit an illegal act in ei ther wildcat or nationwide strikes, I will fire them.” Bolger’s warning was the strong est by a government official since President Reagan fired more than 11,400 professional air traffic con trollers in 1981 for going on strike against the government. Reagan re fused to give the controllers their jobs back later. WASHINGTON — In a report certain to fuel the election-year de bate over President Reagan’s fiscal policies, the Census Bureau said Thursday the average family’s in come rose last year but more than one out of seven Americans re mained in poverty. The median family income, ad justed for inflation, climbed 1.6 per cent to $24,580 during 1983’s eco nomic recovery — the first jump in four years, the agency said. At the same time, the government’s official poverty rate climbed slightly, from 15.0 to 15.2 percent, with the esti mated number of people below the federal poverty line rising from 34.4 million to 35.3 million. The bureau described the small rise in the poverty rate as “not a sta tistically significant change,” but crit ics who claim Reagan’s policies have hurt the poor pounced on the fig ures as political ammunition. Rep. Robert Matsui, D-Calif., re called that last fall David Stockman, head of the Office of Management and Budget, told his House Ways and Means subcommittee “he was ‘absolutely confident’ the poverty rate would decline for 1983.” Gordon Green, a Census assistant division chiefforsodi nomic statistics, said the newpotti rate offered no answer to the (|n tion of whether Reagan’s polo have hurt the poor. Green told a news conferenceil many other factors would haveto considered, such the impact ofij cific changes in social programs,| said, however, he believes thept erty rate will drop next year. Matsui said, “Mr. Stockman was wrong and he and this administra tion are going to be held account able.” “We don’t make guesses, wede even make projections on pom but we know we are going throupl very strong recovery right not Green said. 900,000 tons purchased U.S.S.R. buys U.S. grain United Press International WASHINGTON — The Soviet Union’s unusual summer grain-buy ing spree continued Thursday with the purchase of another 900,000 tons of American grain — 700,000 tons of corn and 200,000 of wheat. The latest sales, estimated to be worth $140 million, included 600,000 tons of corn. nounced for the first time 100,000 tons announced previoa without a known destination. H new wheat sales will be counted ward the agreement’s second ven House denies aid to rebels United Press International WASHINGTON — The House voted Thursday to deny aid to Nica raguan rebels, ignoring Republican leader Robert Michel’s warning that the move forces the United States to be either an “interventionist bully or an isolationist wimp.” It was the fourth time in a year that the Democratic-led House has voted to refuse covert CIA aid to the rebels, who are fighting the Marxist- led Nicaraguan government. The denial of funds is contained in a bill authorizing intelligence op erations for fiscal 1985, which was approved 294-118 and sent to the Senate. In California, where President Reagan is vacationing. White House spokesman Larry Speakes re sponded to questions about the vote by saying, “We’ll continue to work for full funding of our Central American request” in the Senate. The Senate Intelligence Commit tee already has approved a bill au thorizing money for intelligence op erations in fiscal 1985 and its measure reportedly contains $28 million for the Contras. While the Republican-controlled Senate generally has backed the ad ministration’s requests for funds for the Contras, it went along with the Democratic-controlled House in June and refused to give the rebels $21 million in additional aid for fis cal 1984. The Agriculture Department re ported that latest sales, estimated to be worth $140 million according to current #prices, included 500,000 tons of corn announced for the first time and 100,000 tons of corn pre viously reported without a destina tion. All 600,000 tons will be counted toward the second year of the latest U.S.-Soviet grain agreement negotiated last summer. Another 100,000 tons of corn will be counted toward the agreement’s first year, which ends Sept. 30. The sales of hard red winter wheat include 100,000 tons an- The department reportedtki other 200,000 tons of Amoi corn was purchased by private, porters from foreign sellersandl to a destination yet to be annouM Officials have given several ex|i nations for current heavy grain buying, ranging from aii tempt to take advantage of cun prices to a sign that the Sovieto has deteriorated. Democratic presidential candidate Walter Mondale, in his acceptance speech last month in San Francisco, assailed the Reagan administration’s “illegal war” in Nicaragua. “The critics of the president say they cannot tolerate a secret war,” said Michel, R-Ill, Thursday. “Ah, they cry, if only we were doing these things openly and above board.” Woman charged in ticket scalping Burned-out United Press International Youngest heart transplant waging ‘gallant’ fight for her life United Press International LONDON — The world’s young est heart transplant patient, 13-day- old Hollie Roffey, waged a “gallant” fight for her life Thursday with doc tors’ saying her condition was critical but slightly improved after a second major operation. “The improvement is there ... a slight improvement,” National Heart Hospital administrator Tom Cosgrove said. Cocooned in a sterile, plastic bub ble in the hospital’s intensive care ward, the baby was waging a “gallant fight” for her life after receiving a new heart Monday and undergoing emergency surgery Wednesday, a nurse said. Flowers and letters of encourage ment have been pouring into the hospital since Hollie’s heart trans plant operation when she was 10 days old. Cosgrove said Hollie’s heartbeat was almost normal and her color had improved since the emergency sur gery Wednesday to correct a perfo rated bowel. “We hope the next 48 hours will show further signs of im provement,” he said. Cosgrove said the main concern was that an infection could have been caused by the hole in Hollie’s bowel, but said the fact that her con dition had not deteriorated since the bowel surgery was a hopeful sign. “The longer she remains stable, the longer the heart seems not to have been affected by the (bowel) surgery. It makes us more confident no infection has been caused,” Cos grove said. “It was very bad news that we had this supplementary problem which nobody could have expected,” he said. LOS ANGELES — The wife of multimillionaire Apple computer wiz Steven Wozniak was arrested outside the Olympics gymnastics meet for scalping a pair of choice tickets for double their face value, police said Thursday. Police confiscated about $ 11,000 worth of other Olympic tickets found in Candice Wozniak’s purse when she was arrested Wednesday night outside Pauley Pavilion at UCLA. Mrs. Wozniak, 29, was taken to a nearby command post and released after signing a citation promising to appear on the misdemeanor charge in West Los Angeles Municipal Court Aug. 15. More than 50 people have so far been arrested in Los Angeles and several suburban cities for scalping tickets at Olympic venues. It is against the law to sell sports tickets above their face value at the site of the competition. Officers said they heard Mrs. Wozniak call out to the crowd out side Pauley Pavilion that she would sell a pair of top-scale $95 tickets for a minimum of $300. She allegedly completed the sale, for $400 total, after a bidding war lasting about 10 minutes. Undercover officers then moved in and Mrs. Wozniak reportedly pro tested, “My husband is already in the gynmastics games. My husband paid $100,000 for those tickets.” She claimed Wozniak was given about $15,000 worth of tickets in re turn for a $100,000 donation to the Los Angeles Olympics Organizing Committee. bulb hindei! satellite ' K United Press Intemationtl WASH INGTON — A burn« light bulb 22,000 miles abovel will slow tracking of hurra headed for the East and Gulfc and make it harder to predict loij does and dangerous storms, exp« told Congress Thursday. The LAOOC confirmed Wozniak, who founded Apple Computer and put together the US rock and coun try music festivals in Southern Cali fornia in the summers of 1982 and 1983, made a $100,000 contribution. “It’s my impression that it’s an in nocent mistake,” said LAOOC spokesman Steve Montiel. “Any tick ets they had were tickets they had purchased for their own use under the patron program.” John Me Elroy of the Nal Weather Service told a Senate ence subcommittee that a weather satellite went blind Sunt night because a light bulb bun out. He said the satellite directot the National Weather Service, i the panel loss of the GOES-West tellite — launched in April 198! | would be devastating. “We’re all hoping that doesp happen,” he said. c g; Olympic athletes wear space-age uniforms Hallgren said his agency is ing GOES-West — now at 135i grees longitude — to 98 degreest stean gitude to cover the continti a [ on . United States and protect the 1| \{ on( and Gulf coasts during the hu! 0 i| ^ cane season. United Press International LOS ANGELES — When Ameri can track and field athletes hit the sweltering Olympic competition field today, they will have a space- age advantage over other compet itors. The 111 U.S. team athletes will be outfitted in warm-up suits and com petition uniforms designed by NASA scientist Lawrence Kuznetz, who has worked as a consultant with the Italian clothing manufacturer Kappa Sport for the past year. Applying technology used in space suits for American astronauts, Kuznetz and Kappa Sport came up with a doubleknit, aluminium- coated fabric that deflects sun rays and pulls perspiration from the body. A built-in cooling system keeps sweating to a minimum. “You feel good in them,” said U.S. sprinter Ray Omstead, a member of the Olympic relay team. “They make you feel cooler. They’re not like other uniforms, not like cotton,,. We’re going to win in them.” Although American team mem bers say they are pleased with the suits, the company made some changes after athletes complained about the silver-gray color when the uniforms were first shown in Feb ruary. “But the majority of the ones who were against it didn’t make the Olympic team.” “Some of the black athletes had a strong reaction (to the silver uni forms), because they said it was the color of the confederate flag,” said Kappa Sport marketing coordinator Maria Pia Mottino. Because some athletes thought the uniforms should bear the colors of the American flag, Mottino said Kappa also made red suits — not equipped with the cooling system — and added to the silver uniform a red, white and blue stripe down the pant legs. Because of the aluminium coating, the “cool” suits come only in silver. Inventor Kuznetz, who left NASA two months ago to devote full atten tion to the track suits, likened the conditions at the Los Angeles Col iseum, the competition site, to a moon crater. The satellite should be in pi 510111 Aug. 21, and at the end of the to cane season, Nov. 30, it shifted to 108 degrees for forecasting of winter storms com out of the northern Pacific. “The sun rays come into a crater on the moon and can’t escape, mak ing it extra hot,” he said. “When the sun comes into the stadium, it stays there. If it is maybe 85 degrees in the stands, it will be about 110 degrees on the surface.” The move will reduce coveragtj and hamper weather forecastin] for Hawaii, Alaska and the Pad “It was one of the choices that to be made,” Hallgren said. 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