riday, October 14,1988
The Battalion
Page 15
eagan OKs changes
proposed for welfare
I WASHINGTON (AP) — President
Reagan on Thursday signed the first ma-
or overhaul of the nation’s welfare sys-
em since it was created in the Great De-
iression. He said the new law is a
message of hope” to those mired in a
ife of dependency and destitution.
But that message to welfare recipi-
nts, said the president, also contains a
emand from the citizens who pay the
ills.
“For too long the federal government,
nth the best of intentions, has usurped
te responsiblity that appropriately lies
nth parents,” said Reagan at the sign-
iigceremony in the Rose Garden. “In so
loing, it has reinforced dependency and
parated welfare recipients from the
tainstream of society. ”
The legislation contains the most
weeping revision of the nation’s princi-
al welfare program — Aid to Families
with Dependent Children — since it was
created in 1935.
Under the agreement reached after two
years of legislative straggle, the govern
ment has pledged to provide training and
support systems to destitute parents if
they take steps to become independent.
Each state must operate a Jobs Oppor
tunities and Basic Skills (JOBS) pro
gram to educate, train and find employ
ment for the AFDC recipients. Over
seven years, states will be entitled to re-
cieve $6.8 billion in federal matching
funds to pay for employment and train
ing activities.
The president touted the measure’s
work and education requirements, as
well as its provisions increasing pressure
on absentee parents to pay child support.
Also present for the signing was the
chief architect of the bill, Sen. Daniel
Arab storyteller
receives Nobel
for literature
STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) —
Naguib Mahfouz of Egypt, an Arab
storyteller who chronicled the search
for human values from the Nile delta
of the Pharaohs to the back alleys of
modem Cairo, won the 1988 Nobel
Prize for literature Thursday.
Mahfouz, the first Arab writer to
win the award in its 87-year history,
has been compared to Charles Dick
ens for his vivid portrayals of pov
erty.
One book of his was banned in
Egypt, and another attacked former
President Gamal Abdel Nasser’s do
mestic and pan-Arabist policies.
The Swedish Academy honored
him for advancing the art of the
novel, a relatively new genre in Ar
abic literature.
“His work speaks to us all,” the
academy said.
Mahfouz, 76, was awakened from
an afternoon nap at his Cairo home
and told the news. He said he was
very happy and thankful for the Arab
world and added:
“I congratulate the Egyptian peo
ple that one of its small people won a
big award, (but) it’s not too big for
Egypt. I hope this will be the first
step for our literary generations. We
have taken a lot and must now give. ”
The award continued a recent trend
of the 18-member body to seek lau
reates outside the mainstream of Eu
ropean and American literature.
Wole Soyinka of Nigeria was hon
ored in 1986. Exiled Russian poet Jo
seph Brodsky won last year.
Mahfouz, the son of a Cairo civil
servant, has shown little admiration
for contemporary Arab writers, in
cluding himself.
Once asked to appraise his work,
he said: “Probably like the rest of
modem Arabic literature, fourth or
fifth rate. ’ ’
The 1988 prize is worth $390,000,
but it inevitably brings a further bo
nus in royalties and prestige. Sigrid
Kahle, a Swedish specialist in Arabic
literature, said Mahfouz could proba
bly use both.
“Still, at his age, he can’t support
himself as an author, and he’s not
lacking for enemies,” she said.
The Egyptian laureate said his frail
condition might keep him away from
the Swedish capital, and one of his
two daughters or another representa
tive may accept the prize.
The academy commented his work
for contributing to “a powerful up
swing for the novel as a genre and for
the development of the literary lan
guage in Arabic-speaking cultural cir
cles.”
Though widely read at home, Mah-
fouz’s realism and his reputation as a
“free thinker” have dampened his
popularity.
Egyptian censors banned his 1959
novel, “Children of Gebelawi,”
touched on religious themes not ac
ceptable for publication in Egypt.
The book was printed in Lebanon,
and is still banned in Egypt. A 1967
novel, “Mirimar,” took aim at Nas
ser’s domestic policies and politics.
But President Hosni Mubarak and
other officials sent congratulations
Thursday.
Some of Mahfouz’s earlier novels
were set in ancient Egypt, but had
sidelong looks at modern society, the
academy said.
The academy also cited “God’s
World,” a collection of stories. “The
artistic treatment of the existential
questions is forceful and the formal
solutions often striking,” the an
nouncement said.
In all, Mahfouz’s works include 40
novels and collections of short sto
ries, many of them available in En
glish and other languages.
Mahfouz also is credited with more
than 30 screenplays, about a dozen of
them based on his novels.
Patrick Moynihan, D-N.Y.
“I’ve been waiting 20 years for this
day,” Patrick said. He added that he
hoped its features would take hold fully
by the end of the century. Under the
complex piece of legislation, various
programs have differing starting dates.
Under the bill, states are required for
the first time to offer people on welfare a
broad variety of education, training and
work programs.
Mothers of young children are re
quired to participate. They retain medi
cal coverage for a year after they find a
job, and they will be far more likely to
get child support payments.
For the first time, the federal govern
ment will require all states to pay cash
benefits to two-parent welfare families.
Only 27 do so now.
Starting in 1994, one adult in each
two-parent welfare household must par
ticipate in a job search and, if it fails,
work 16 hours a week in a state-orga
nized work activity. A young parent may
work instead toward a high school di
ploma.
All states will be required to provide at
least some cash .benefits to families with
unemployed fathers living at home.
Non-custodial fathers will face new
pressure for child support payments,
with states required to identify more of
them and automatically withhold pay
ments from their wages.
Those most likely to feel the immedi
ate effects of the welfare bill are able-
bodied women with children aged 3 and
over. They are the prime targets of the
new JOBS programs to be developed by
each state.
Authorities
charge teen
in arson case
JEFFERSON, N.H. (AP) — Police
arrested a teen-ager and charged him
with setting one of two dozen fires that
have plagued the White Mountain area
recently. The arrest came one day after a
former firefighter was accused in several
other blazes.
Lawrence Coulter, Jr., 19, of Jeffer
son, was charged with setting a fire ear
lier this month at a vacation home in Dal
ton, two towns away from Jefferson, the
scene of most of the fires, police said.
Someone at a neighboring home saw a
man walking from the house about, the
time of the fire and took down the man’s
license plate number, but state Police Lt.
Gary Sloper declined to say if the plate
was traced to Coulter.
On Wednesday, police charged Lance
Lalumiere, 23, of Jefferson with setting
one fire in Jefferson and said they will
seek indictments charging him with 15
others. LaLumiere was charged with set
ting fire to his brother’s house in August.
Jefferson has been plagued by 21 ar
son fires since May. During the period,
there have been at least three suspicious
fires in nearby towns — the one Coulter
is charged with setting and two in August
in Lancaster.
Penate OKs death penalty
tor drug-related killings
t.WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate on Thursday voted to
- A capital punishment for drag-related killings, as lawmak-
,h ers lurched past procedural snarls and finally began debating a
$2.6billion drug bill.
U®Thc capital punishment language, retained in the legislation
on a 64-25 vote, was just one of many provisions in the 600-
^ pagc, campaign-season measure that would strengthen the
government’s arsenal against drug offenders.
Blhe lawmakers easily defeated two other efforts to weaken
the death penalty language, and then adopted by an 88-0 vote
a provision that would allow fines of up to $10,000 against
Ople who possess even small amounts of illegal drags.
|The failed effort by liberals to strip the death penalty lan-
age from the bill was a major step toward extending federal
Capital punishment statutes because there is similar language
in the harsher, House-passed version of the legislation. Con
gressional leaders want to send the drug legislation to Presi
dent Reagan before adjourning for the year in the next few
days.
“The death penalty is necessary and long overdue as a
weapon in the incredible butchery that is taking place on
America’s streets,” said Sen. Alfonse D’Amato, R-N.Y.
Liberals from both parties, however, derided capital pun
ishment as an ineffective vestige of less enlightened times.
“The desire for vengeance, for eye-for-an-eye justice, is a
principle and a mentality unworthy of civilized government
and of this body,” said Sen. Mark Hatfield, R-Ore.
The bill would allow capital punishment for drug traffickers
who kill civilians or law enforcement officers. Hatfield’s
amendment, which was defeated 64-25, would have removed
the death penalty from the bill and replaced it with mandatory
life imprisonment without possibility of parole.
Iranians agree with U.S. leaders
»n issue of hostage negotiations
WASHINGTON (AP) — Iran has told
Hie United States it is not interested in
dealing with unauthorized individuals
over the release of American hostages, a
top diplomat said Thursday,
assistant Secretary of State Richard
- Murphy said the Iranian message had
v been part of communications between
the two countries conducted through
Switzerland and other countries that have
diplomatic ties to Iran.
The United States has not authorized
any individuals to strike deals with Iran
' over the release of the hostages, held by
pro-Iranian militants in Lebanon, he
said.
“We have made sure through those
same channels I referred to that the gov
ernment of Iran has received that same
message, and they realize our position
and they affirm they are not interested in
dealing with private citizens and unau
thorized individuals,” Murphy said in
testimony before the House subcommit
tee on Europe and the Middle East.
Murphy did not say when that commu
nication took place.
Former Iranian President Abolhassan
Bani-Sadr said earlier this month that an
emissary for Vice President George
Bush had negotiated the release from
Lebanon of Mithileshwar Singh, a U.S.
resident from India. Secretary of State
George Shultz last week denied that and
other reports about negotiations with
Iran.
Murphy said the United States has re
peatedly made clear to Iran that the con
tinued detention of Americans in Leb
anon would preclude any improvement
in relations between the two countries.
“There will be no deals made for their
release,” he said. “They must be re
turned forthwith. ”
Asked about reports that the hostages
may be held by Palestinian groups, Mur
phy said the United States did not have
any evidence that the Americans are in
the hands of anyone but Lebanese faith
ful of the Hezbollah, or Party of God.
Hezbollah is closely allied with Iran.
DOUGLASS
WINTERIZE!
COLD WEATHER SERVICE
* CHECK BATTERY AND STARTER
* CLEAN AND INSPECT BATTERY
TERMINALS
* INSPECT RADIATOR/HEATER
HOSES
* DRAIN RADIATOR AND REPLACE
ANTI-FREZE??
* INSPECT ALL FLUID LEVELS
WAS $48.50 NOW $17.50
WISSKM
OIL AND FILTER
CHANGE
WAS $23.00
NOW
$10.50
WHEEL BALANCE
AND ROTATION
$28.00
GOOD FOR NISSAN CARS AND TRUCKS USING NISSAN PARTS *
DOUGLASS NISSAN _ „
1214Texas Av 775-1500
Floriculture-Ornamental Horticulture Club
PLANT SALE
October 15,1988 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.
Indoor Foliage Plants,
Hanging Baskets,
and much, much more !
m
COMMONS
QUAD
LUBBOCK ST.
PI ANT 5 ALL
LAMAR ST.
LIBRARY
December & May Grads
M.E., Chem E.,
and M.B.A.’s with technical undergraduate degrees:
What does an engineer
do in
MANUFACTURING
MANAGEMENT?
FIND OUT!
PROCTER & GAMBLE
will be hosting an open house
Tuesday, Oct. 18 7:00 p.m.
MSC, Room 206
Sign up for interviews will be Oct. 17-26 at the
Placement Center.
Prices Do Not Indu
Prices Do Not Include Sales Tax. Not
cocnblnsble with any other coupon offer.
PRICE SLICER SPECIAL
ONE LARGE
7-TOPPING
COMBO PIZZA
s 6
99
1
...... ,.XQt..'Nd4
coupon effetv
PRICE SLICER SPECIAL
TWO LARGE
SINGLE-TOPPING PIZZAS
■
i
99
EXPIRES
Dec. 31. 1688
raiA
t with »nv other coupon i
PRICE SLICER SPECIAL
TWO LARGE
7-TOPPING COMBOS
$
90
KZZA
-L:
Dec. 31. 1968
Prices Do Not Include Sales Tax. Not
combtnable with any other coupon offer.
PRICE SLICER SPECIAL
m SMALL SINGLE
^ TOPPING PIZZAS &
1 GALLON COKE ONLY
14
99
PIZZA
Prices Do Not Include Sales Tax. Not
comblnable with any other coupon offer.
PRICE SLICER SPECIAL
Pizza Rolls
Pepperoni & Cheese or
Sausage & Cheese
<E90
'^T fcaJr 1/2 dozen
10” per dozen
pizza
PRICE SLICER SPECIAL
ONE LARGE SINGLE
TOPPING & CHEESE
$5 95
Additional Topping 69C
razA
EXPIRES
Dee 31. 1688
LUNCHEON SPECIAL
1 SMALL SINGLE TOPPING
PRICE SLICER . . .
CARRY OUT ONLY 11-3
MONDAY - FRIDAY
ONLY
PIZZA
Born N* Baked In Texas
FREE
DELIVERY
900 HARVEY RD.
764-6666
Available in original
or Texas pan crust
Please mention coupon when ordering
3upon when ordering jg