n726  0300  18 Jan 79
 
BC-Simon 01-18
Editors:
    Context: a commentary on current affairs.
By ROGER SIMON
(c) 1979 Chicago Sun-Times
    CHICAGO - The Mayor's Office of Blocked Streets, Frozen
Roads and Total Confusion has issued the following emergency bulletin:
    Because the city's snow-removal efforts have been inadequate,
the help of every citizen is needed. If Chicagoans will
take the following steps, this city can be saved from disaster.
    1. Eat snow. There are an estimated 3,099,391 people in
Chicago, plus an additional 3,883,509 in the metropolitan area.
    If every man, woman and child ate just 17 pounds of snow,
city streets would be clear by Easter.
    The Mayor's Office of Snow Cookery has published a list of
easy-to-prepare recipes for microwave, crockery-pot and deep-dish
dining. Snow, combined with tomato sauce, a few cloves of
garlic, white pepper and shallots, makes a tasty dish for home
or office.
    The Mayor's Office of Best Snow Recipe is offering a $5 award
for the most original recipe using snow, sleet, ice or street
salt as its main ingredient.
    2. Mail snow to a friend. Even in the worst weather, the mail
always goes through. Therefore, the Mayor's Office of Snow
Mailing has advised residents that special delivery packages of
snow are now being accepted.
    All Chicagoans, especially those with friends in Houston,
Oklahoma City, Los Angeles, Birmingham, New Orleans,
Tampa and Little Rock are urged to begin mailing snow
immediately.
    Twenty-gallon Hefty bags packed with snow and ice would cost
only $87.50 to mail anywhere in the continental United States.
    Imagine the delight of friends and relatives-many of whom
have never seen it-at receiving genuine, Chicago snow.
    The mayor has offered to autograph all packages going to New York.
    3. Pack. If heavy snows continued, the Mayor's Office of
Head-'em-Up-and-Move-'em-Out will put Plan Bail-Out into effect.
    This plan calls for all people whose last name begins with the
letters A through M to move to Atlanta.
    Those whose last name begins with N through Z will move to Miami.
    Residents of neighborhood Bridgeport can remain where they are,
since their streets are clear. (Mayor Michael A. Bilandic is from
Bridgeport.)
    Residents are advised that they may bring personal effects
with them, but are not allowed to bring Christmas trees,
funny hats or anything made with garlic.
    4. Pretend it's not there. The Mayor's Office of Putting
One Over on the Public has advised residents that no
snow has fallen on the city streets since 1967.
    ''We don't know what all the complaints are about,'' officials
said. ''Some people whine about every little thing. A few thousand
people can't get to work; all traffic comes to a halt; supplies
of bread, milk, heating oil and coal start to run out and pretty
soon it's bitch, bitch, bitch.
    ''What's the big deal? What trees do they plant?''
    5. Sit on it. Experts at the Mayor's Office of Sitting on It,
estimated that if every city worker sat down on the snow, all
snow and ice in Chicago would melt within 12 hours.
    ''No city workers can sit down on the job as well as our
workers can,'' the mayor promised Tuesday.
en    (endit SIMON) 1-18
 
 
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n024  0808  19 Jan 79
 
BC-GSA 2takes
By ROBERT PEAR
c. 1979 Washington Star
    WASHINGTON - The federal government, eager to recover the millions
of dollars lost in the General Services Administration scandal, is
preparing civil lawsuits against GSA employees, store managers and
private businessmen who it says swindled the agency.
    Justice Department attorneys are focusing first on persons who
pleaded guilty to charges such as bribery, filing false claims and
conspiracy to defraud the United States.
    But John K. Russell, a department spokesman, said Thursday, ''even
if a person in a criminal trial is acquitted, it doesn't mean he's
immune from a civil suit.''
    To date, 32 of the 40 persons indicted in the GSA scandal have
pleaded guilty.
    The general pattern, as described in federal grand jury indictments,
is that government employees; in return for approving false claims,
received ppayoffs in the form of color television sets, freezers, and
air conditioners, jewelry, microwave ovens, automobiles, furniture
and other valuable goods.
    Dennis R. Trietsch, special counsel to the inspector general of GSA,
the government's central housekeeping and procurement agency, said,
''GSA is making every effort to recover any money that its employees
or former employees have fraudlently taken from the government.''
    Some investigators fear that plea-bargin agreements struck with GSA
defendants may jeopardize the government's ability to recover the
maximum amount to which it is entitled.
    For example, they ask, if a person filed false claims totaling
$100,000 but pleads guilty to one count of an indictment involving a
$15,000 loss, can the government later sue to recover the full amount?
    The answer, in general is yes, according to govonment lawyers, who
say the criminal and civil cases are separate.
    Daniel Clements, an assistant U.S. attorney in Baltimore, said,
''The way we are taking pleas won't interfere with civil recovery in
any way whatsoever.''
    (More)
    
    
ny-0119 1108est
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a255  1543  19 Jan 79
AM-Fire,180
    MOSCOW (AP) - A fire broke out Friday night in the apartment
building used by the Soviets to beam microwave radiation at the U.S.
Embassy directly across the street.
    Soviet firefighters and about 20 pieces of equipment were rushed to
Tchaikovky Street to combat the blaze, which erupted at about 11 p.m.
(3 p.m. EST).
    Cause of the fire was not announced by fire department officials nor
did they give any report on injuries or the extent of damage.
    U.S. officials identified the building as the site of a rooftop
transmitter from which the Soviets have been beaming microwave
radiation at the U.S. embassy.
    American sources in Moscow have said they believed the microwaves
were intended to foil U.S. electronic intelligence-gathering
operations at the embassy.
    There were reports that the radiation posed a health hazard to
embassy employees, but a study on the abnormally high white blood cell
levels found among U.S. personnel concluded the condition was
unrelated to the microwaves.
    
ap-ny-01-19 1841EST
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a002  2159  19 Jan 79
PM-News Digest,
              AP NEWS DIGEST
              Saturday PMs
 
    The General Desk supervisor is Ellen Nimmons (212-262-6093). The
Laserphoto Desk supervisor is Rick Kareckas (212-262-8102).
 
    
           IRAN:
 
               Khomeimi Vows To Return
 
    TEHRAN, Iran - Ayatullah Khomeini vows to return to Iran ''at the
opportune moment'' following mass demonstrations for an Islamic
republic headed by him. Slug-PM-Iranian. New Material. 500. Laserphoto
NY2.
 
               TODAY'S TOPIC: The Shah's Missteps
 
    TEHRAN, Iran - Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi's handling of the events
that forced him to leave his country is being studied here as a
classic casebook of mismanagement of a political crisis. Critics say
he was indecisive, lacked foresight, and failed to mend fences with
religious foes. Slug PM-Topic-Shah's Missteps. An AP News Analysis by
Otto C. Doelling. Will stand. 890. Laserphoto NY9.
 
           CAMBODIA: Ancient Temple Under Attack
 
    BANGKOK, Thailand - Vietnamese forces attack troops of the fallen
Cambodian regime in an ancient Buddhist temple on a 2,000-foot-high
cliff. Slug-PM-Cambodian. Developing. 500. 
 
           NUCLEAR POWER: Report Repudiated
 
    WASHINGTON - The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has set the
stage for renewed debate over increased use of nuclear power by
repudiating the main report it has been using to demonstrate the
safety of nuclear power plants. Slug PM-Nuclear Power. New material.
May stand. 500.
 
           WINTER WEATHER:  Another Round
 
 
    UNDATED - Less than a week after a killer storm gripped the nation,
killing dozens and stranding thousands of travelers, another spate of
harsh weather dumps snow, sleet and rain from the Great Plains to New
England. Slug PM-Storms. Developing. 550.
 
           FIRE: Moscow Building Burns
 
    MOSCOW - Fire sweeps the top floor and roof of the nine-story Soviet
apartment building used to beam microwave radiation at the U.S.
Embassy across the street. Slug-PM-Fire. New Material. 400.
 
           SHOOTINGS:  Violence In San Francisco
 
 
    SAN FRANCISCO - At least four persons are shot, one fatally, in a
dispute that apparently began over a parking space, police say. Slug
PM-Shootings. New. Developing. Laserphoto staffing. 400.
 
           BLANTON: Set to Music
 
 
    NASHVILLE, Tenn. - ''Pardon Me, Ray,'' an uptempo country tune
sparked by the pardoning ways of former Gov. Ray Blanton, is tops in
Music City, U.S.A. Slug PM-Blanton-Record. New, will stand. 450.
    
ap-ny-01-20 0058EST
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a999  2342  19 Jan 79
. . .u.S. sources said they
believed the microwaves were designed to foil U.S. electronic
intelligence-gathering operations at the embassy.
    The radiation reportedly posed a hazard to embassy staffers, but a
study of their abnormally high white blood cell counts concluded that
it was unrelated to the microwaves and medically insignificant.
    On Aug. 26, 1977, a fire believed caused by some kind of electrical
fault raged through the embassy's upper floors, where much of the
classified work is done.
    Soviet firefighters got access to the areas when they battled the
blaze, but U.S. Ambassador Malcolm Toon said that there apparently was
''no compromise'' of classified documents or code equipment.
    
ap-ny-01-20 0240EST
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a039  0241  20 Jan 79
PM-International Overview,430
    MOSCOW (AP) - Fire swept the top floor and roof of the nine-story
Soviet apartment building believed used to beam microwave radiation at
American spy gear at the U.S. Embassy across the street.
    No casualties were reported in the blaze that erupted Friday night
and the cause was not known. Fire raged through the sensitive upper
floors of the embassy itself just 17 months ago.
    The apartment fire broke out about 11 p.m. and Soviet firefighters
and about 20 pieces of equipment, including ambulances, sped to
Tchaikovsky Street to battle the blaze.
    Police told foreigners who stopped to watch to leave, but sources
said a group of American security officers were observing the fire
from the embassy roof, bristling with sophisticated spy antennas.
    The fire appeared to be contained about 2 a.m. today, although smoke
still hovered over the roof area, where U.S. officials have spotted
the transmitter they say beams microwaves at the 10-story embassy.
    ---
    BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - Vietnamese forces were reported bombarding
troops of the fallen Cambodian regime holed up in the ancient
Buddhist temple of Preah Vihear on a 2,000-foot-high cliff in northern
Cambodia.
    They were also reported battling holdout troops on Kong Island off
the coast of southwestern Cambodia, at Takeo in the southeast, Svay
Rieng on the border with Vietnam and in the remote northeastern
provinces.
    Thai and Western sources said the holdout troops also were massing
near the vital northwestern city of Battambang, previously captured by
the Vietnamese, and said they had received reliable reports of
logistics problems and food shortages among the Vietnamese.
    ---
    TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Ayatullah Khomeini has vowed to return to Iran
''at the opportune moment'' following mass demonstrations for an
Islamic republic headed by him.
    The exiled Moslem opposition leader told a French television
interviewer the marches Friday were ''a spectacular referendum by
which the Iranian people say they don't want the shah, his dynasty,
Regency Council or government, but want an Islamic government.
    ''I will return to Iran at the opportune moment,'' he said, without
elaboration.
    Khomeini organized the processions from his residence-in-exile
outside Paris and was kept informed of their progress by telephone.
They coincided with the 40th day of mourning for the 7th-century
Moslem patriarch Iman Hossein, founder of the Shiite sect, who was
assassinated by rival Sunni Moslems.
    
ap-ny-01-20 0540EST
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a228  1341  20 Jan 79
AM-Moscow Fire,460
By BARTON REPPERT
Associted Press Writer
    MOSCOW (AP) - A spectacular blaze in a Soviet apartment building
near the U.S. Embassy appeared Saturday to have destroyed one of two
transmitters used by the Russians to bombard the embassy with
microwaves.
    At the height of the fire later Friday night, flames lit up the
Moscow skyline and black smoke spewed from the roof and top floor of
the apartment building, situated across the street from the embassy.
    Soviet firefighters struggled to control the stubborn blaze and at
least 14 fire trucks, including several ambulances, responded to the
call.
    Soviet officials at the scene refused to divulge any information on
the cause of the fire, the extent of damage or whether there had been
any casualties.
    It did not appear that the large, 10-story building had been
completely evacuated since many residents could be seen standing on
the balconies outside their apartments.
    Embassy officials, who asked not to be named, said they would not
know for sure until Monday whether the fire had knocked out the
transmitter because its beams generally are switched on only between 8
a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.
    The fire did not affect a second microwave transmitter, situated
across a side street south of the embassy.
    Low-strength but strongly-focused microwave beams, emanating from a
number of points, have been detected at the embassy since 1953.
    U.S. officials have said they do not know the specific purpose of
the microwave bombardment, but they theorize the beams are intended to
jam U.S. electronic intelligence-gathering equipment or to trigger
Soviet surveillance devices planted in the embassy.
    Until February 1976, detailed information on the microwaves was
limited only to a handful of top U.S. diplomats here and State
Department officials in Washington.
    But an increase in microwave power - up to 18 microwatts per square
centimeter - prompted the department to authorize classified
briefings for embassy employees and dependents. Word of the briefings
soon leaked to the press.
    Aluminum mesh screens were mounted on all embassy windows to cut the
amount of radiation penetrating the building.
    Research on the biological effects of low-level microwaves led to
concern that long-term exposure to the radiation might endanger
embassy employees, some of whom both live and work at the building.
    But an epidemiological study financed by the State Department and
released last November claimed that ''no convincing evidence'' could
be found to link particular health problems with exposure to the
radiation.
    Nonethless, the United States has repeatedly asked that the beams -
whose intensity has remained below 2 microwatts during recent months
- be turned off altogether.
    
ap-ny-01-20 1640EST
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a081  0706  22 Jan 79
PM-Embassy-Radiation,170
    MOSCOW (AP) - U.S. officials confirmed today that a weekend fire at
a Soviet apartment building has knocked out one of two Soviet
transmitters beaming microwave radiation at the American Embassy.
    An electronic check this morning showed there was no detectable
signal coming from the burned out transmitter atop a 10-story
apartment building directly across Tchaikovsky Street from the
embassy, said the officials, who declined to be identified.
    However, they said sophisticated monitors showed that a second
transmitter south of the embassy was still operating.
    The apartment building was hit by a fire late Friday night that
reduced the transmitter site - a small, shack-like structure on the
roof - to a charred ruin. But U.S. officials had to wait until today
to verify that the transmitter was lost because the Soviets generally
operate them only during the week.
    The specific purpose of the microwave transmissions has never been
disclosed. But U.S. officials have theorized they could be aimed at
jamming American electronic intelligence-gathering equipment or
triggering Soviet surveillance devices planted inside the embassy.
    
ap-ny-01-22 1005EST
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n520  0317  23 Jan 79
 
BC-Sked 01-23
 
INTERNATIONAL
 
UNDATED (Larson - Sun-Times - POPE) - Pope John Paul II is expected
to be more than an ambassador of good will for Christ on his
trip to Mexico and the Dominican Republic - as observers
watch whether he tilts for the poor and oppressed.
Attention religion editors. (1,300) - a521, a522 FNSPM
 
TEHRAN (Bushinsky, 3d story - Sun-Times - CIA) - A colossal U.S.
failure to gather accurate intelligence coupled with gross
misjudgments has increased the danger that Iran may be lost
to the West as a steady source of oil. (1,050) - a523,
a524 FNSPM
 
ANKARA (Borowiec - Sun-Times - TURK) - The promise of U.S.
funds may give a brief respite to the embattled govenment of
Premier Bulent Ecevit - although more is needed to heal the
sectarian-political rift tearing Turkey apart. (950) - a525 FNSPM
 
BONN (Shears - Telegraph - SPY) - In an apparent effort to offset
the propoganda effect of the defection of an intelligence agent,
East Germany revives a two-month old defection of a ''NATO
lieutenant-commander.'' (700) - a526 FNSPM
 
LONDON (Swain - Telegraph - BRITAIN) - Britain's leading
breweries join in a fight against increasing violence in
pubs, which causes $40 million a year in damage - apart
from the cost of suffering and injuries. (300) - a527 FNSPM
 
MOSCOW (Telegraph - RADIATION) - The U.S. Embassy in Moscow
switches on its monitoring devices to calculate the extent of the
damage done by a fire to Soviet equipment used to bombard the
embassy with microwave radiation. (350) - a540 FNSPM
 
BUSINESS AND FINANCIAL
 
UNDATED (Mutter - Sun-Times - SECURITIES) - The gruesome job market
for securities analysts may brighten soon...The N.Y. Stock
Exchange gets ready to welcome its first European-based members.
(650) - a528 FNSPM
 
LAS VEGAS (DeBat - Sun-Times - HOMES) - Beware if you are
shopping the suburbs for a new home because the American dream
could turn into a nightmare, FTC Comr. Ellisbeth Hanford Dole
warns at the NAHB convention. (650) - a529 FNSPM
 
CHICAGO (Idaszak - Sun-Times - JOHNSON) - Despite the problems
of doing business with the Nigerian connection - George
Johnson of Johnson Products Co. leaves no doubt about the
potential benefits in the oil-rich nation. (1,000) - a530, a531 FNSPM
 
CHICAGO (Barnhart - Sun-Times - BRUNS) - Brunswick Corp.
predicts record earnings and sales for 1978 and says
things look good for 1979 - and chairman K. Brooks Abernathy
doesn't see a downturn in leisure product spending.
(300) - a532 FNSPM
 
CHICAGO (Bonner - Sun-Times - SPENDING) - A stingy contributor
to the nation's economic expansion in recent years, capital
spending has shown surprising strength of late and might
well continue strong through the early 1980s.
(700) - a533 FNSPM
 
LAS VEGAS (DeBat, 2d story - Sun-Times - MORTGAGE) - The shortage
of mortgage money should be relieved this spring by new loan
plans unveiled by Fannie Mae - helping to eliminate financing
problems that impede urban remodeling. (650) - a534 FNSPM
 
UNDATED (Bonner, 2d story - Sun-Times - ROSSI) - Former bricklayer,
tomato farmer, taxi driver and adventurer Anthony Rossi steps
down as head of the  Tropicana frozen juice empire he founded
28 years ago - without any misgivings. (350) - a535 FNSPM
 
CHICAGO (Idaszak, 2d story - Sun-Times - BREWER) - The Jos. Huber
Brewing Co. of Wisconsin resumes production after its temporary
closing - ''the unfortunate result of problems that developed
with the Peter Hand acquisition.'' (400) - a537 FNSPM
 
SPORTS
 
UNDATED (van Dyck - Sun-Times - REC) - When it comes to RVs,
what you want is what you get more than ever before - because
recreational vehicles now have everything from microwave
ovens to king-sized beds. (850) - a536 FNSPM
 
MIAMI (Schulian - Sun-Times - HERO) - Having taken the boring
Super Bowl and remaking it into a masterpiece, Terry
Bradshaw makes you wish the NFL could put on such a show
every year - and maybe it could, if he were always the quarterback.
(1,200) - a538, a539 FNSPM
en    (endit SKED) 1-23
 
 
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n536  0321  23 Jan 79
 
BC-Rec 01-23
Attention: Sports editors
By DAVE VAN DYCK
(c) 1979 Chicago Sun-Times
    They tell the story about the recreational vehicle owner
who paid for his RV by setting up a chair and desk and
deducting it as an office on his income tax.
    It's possible it was a more luxurious office than
many executives enjoy. Certainly, some people vacation in better
comfort than they spend their home hours. There are people who
have air-conditioned RVs who don't have air-conditioned homes.
    More than ever before, what you want is what you get. RVs now
have microwave ovens, stereo tape decks, padded wet
bars - all built in - as well as shag carpeting, showers,
king-sized beds.
    That's fine for the luxury-minded, but even the simplest
RV now comes equipped with stove, ice box, sink, linoleum
floor, electrical and water hookups and thick beds.
    Bill Kervin, executive director of the Chicagoland
Recreational Vehicle Dealers Assn., says the vehicles have
something for every taste and almost every pocketbook.
    The cheapest model is something new, utility-type trailer
that opens like a clam shell for sleeping and sells for
about $750. The cheapest fold-down-type RV costs about
$1,600 but sleeps six and has stove, sink and ice box.
    Among the most expensive models is one that sells for
about $50,000, is 32 feet long and has just about everything
one could ask for, including a big engine to motor you
around the country.
    ''People are buying everything,'' says Kervin. ''My
personal impression, though, is that the two top sellers
in our area are the minimotor home and van, and the
fold-downs. We see people moving up to more expensive
models, but we've also seen trends where people go
simpler - from the real luxurious models to the simpler
ones they pull.''
    And Kervin expects ''continued growth because it's
getting more and more expensive to travel the other way.''
    The American Automobile Assn. and U.S. Department of
Agriculture compared figures for a family of four (two adults and
two teenagers) on a two-week, 1,000-mile vacation where
gasoline costs 65 cents a gallon.
    Here are the figures for automobile travel: gasoline
$42.90; lodging at $30 a night $420; meals at $40 a day $560.
Total $1,022.90.
    Here are the figures for RV travel: gasoline $72.15;
campground fees at $7 a night $105; meals at $11 a day $154.
Total $331.15. Of course, this does not include the cost of
the RV itself.
    As for the different kinds of RVs on the market, the
industry considers seven, although there are all kinds
of variations:
    -Camping trailers: This is the cheapest kind, sometimes
called fold-downs or popups. They have canvas walls that
resemble a tent but a hard floor, sleep six and come
with stove, ice box and sink. Their popularlast two years, mostly because of th-
e price and simple
design which makes for easy pulling behind an auto.
    -Travel trailers: These are perennially the best sellers
because they can be pulled behind an auto, but offer anything
from airconditioning to showers to toilets.
    -Fifth-wheel trailers: These have appeared for less than a
decade and hook onto a pickup truck bed just as a semi-truck
trailer attaches to its cab. Fifth-wheels are popular
because most are ''double deckers'' and they offer good
use of room with sleeping bunks above the truck bed.
    -Van conversions: A little like a super station wagon, in
that they can be used every day. Most have beds, sinks,
ice boxes and many have roofs that have been raised to
accommodate standing up easily.
    -Mini-motor homes: These are built on van chassis, but
are larger and more elaborate. The length rangs from 17 to
25 feet; and the interior is open so that a passenger can
walk right into the back.
    -Pickup campers: This is a good cheap way to go camping for
those who already own pickup trucks. The slip right into
the bed of the truck; but an 11-foot slide-in with
air-conditioning can cost under $3,500, less than half
what you would pay for a mini-motor home or van conversion.
Plus, the camper always can be lifted off when not in use.
    -Motor homes: The ultimate, they can come with anything.
Most come with builtin generators so there is always
electrical power even when it is being driven. Some
homes in the 20-foot range can be bought for about $10,000.
rr    (Endit Van Dyck) 01-23
 
 
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n540  0546  23 Jan 79
 
BC-Radiation 01-23
Editors:
The following is from the London Telegraph Foreign Service.
It is for use only in the United States and Canada.
Daily Telegraph, London
MOSCOW     - THE U.S. Embassy here has switched on its
monitoring devices to calculate the extent of the damage done
by a Moscow fire to Soviet equipment used to bombard the
embassy with microwave radiation.
    The weekend fire in a Russian apartment building facing
the embassy was watched by American diplomats, through
windows screened to protect them against the radiation, with
understandable satisfaction as it raged through the upper stories
where the Soviet equipment is housed.
    The Americans say the Russians have been bombarding their embassy
from the top floors of the nine-story building for the last
few years with dangerous doses of radiation. It is not clear
whether the radiation is used to eavesdrop on the embassy or
to counter American listening devices on the embassy roof. These
are said to be capable of picking up phone calls and even
conversations in passing Soviet limousines.
    The microwave radiation is only switched on by the Russians
during weekday embassy working hours, so the full extent of
the fire damage could not be judged immediately.
But even if the equipment has been destroyed, this will not
completely put an end to the radiation, which also is directed
from the rooftop of another Soviet building on the
other side of the U.S. Embassy.
    Embassy officials in the past have contended that the bombardment
has been a health hazard and that the radiation has caused blood
disorders among the staff. All embassy windows are now
fitted with mesh screens to reduce the harmful effects
of the radiation. Soviet workers have been repairing damage
done by the fire, which blazed for several hours.
    Trees outside the apartment block were covered in a thick coating
of ice caused by spray from leaky firehoses.
The Soviet police refused to say whether there were any
casualties in the fire.
    The upper floor of the U.S. Embassy, housing electronic
eavesdropping equipment, was gutted by fire in August, 1977.
hb    (Endit Telegraph) 01-23
 
 
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n581  0547  23 Jan 79
 
BC-Sked 1stadd 01-23
 
INTERNATIONAL
 
WASHINGTON (Ingersoll - Sun-Times - ARABIA) - Unlikely as it seems,
oil-rich Saudi Arabia may find itself in financial trouble
as early as 1985 - if the Saudis don't call off their spending
spree and slow their economy's growth rate. (500) -a 511 FNSPM
 
TEHRAN (Bushinsky - Sun-Times - IRAN) - With one out of 10
Iranians unemployed, fuel in short supply and essential food
imports dwindling, revolution-swept Iran is paying a heavy price
for its political turmoil. (1,250) - a512, a513 FNSPM
 
JOHANNESBURG (Kennedy - Telegraph - HOMELANDS) - Black South African
''homeland'' leaders claim Prime Minister Pieter Botha is considering
a massive takeover of land by the 10 bantustans to make them
viable entities. (600) - a514 FNSPM
 
MOSCOW (Beeston - Telegraph - MISSING) - Soviet authorities hope
the nationwide census now under way will help answer question
of the whereabouts of hundreds of thousands of ''missing''
persons - who have gone underground. (700) - a515 FNSPM
 
TEHRAN (Bushinsky, 2d story - Sun-Times - KHOMEINI) - Prime
Minister Shapour Bakhtiar's hard-pressed government reportedly
makes plans to cope with the mass excitement likely to be
generated by the return of Ayatollah Khomeini. (600) - a516 FNSPM
 
ROME (Laurence - Sun-Times - GROMYKO) - Soviet Foreign Minister
Andrei Gromyko is in Rome for the first major contact between
the Vatican and the communist bloc since John Paul II became
Pope - with possible far-reaching consequences. (1,050) - a517,
a518 FNSPM
 
LARIS (Field - Telegraph - BOKASSA) - Emperor Bokassa I of the
Central African Empire imposes a curfew in the capital Bagui
after weekend riots by students - in which an unspecified
number of troops were killed. (400) - a519 FNSPM
 
UNDATED (Larson - Sun-Times - POPE) - Pope John Paul II is expected
to be more than an ambassador of good will for Christ on his
trip to Mexico and the Dominican Republic - as observers
watch whether he tilts for the poor and oppressed.
Attention religion editors. (1,300) - a521, a522 FNSPM
 
TEHRAN (Bushinsky, 3d story - Sun-Times - CIA) - A colossal U.S.
failure to gather accurate intelligence coupled with gross
misjudgments has increased the danger that Iran may be lost
to the West as a steady source of oil. (1,050) - a523,
a524 FNSPM
 
ANKARA (Borowiec - Sun-Times - TURK) - The promise of U.S.
funds may give a brief respite to the embattled govenment of
Premier Bulent Ecevit - although more is needed to heal the
sectarian-political rift tearing Turkey apart. (950) - a525 FNSPM
 
BONN (Shears - Telegraph - SPY) - In an apparent effort to offset
the propoganda effect of the defection of an intelligence agent,
East Germany revives a two-month old defection of a ''NATO
lieutenant-commander.'' (700) - a526 FNSPM
 
LONDON (Swain - Telegraph - BRITAIN) - Britain's leading
breweries join in a fight against increasing violence in
pubs, which causes $40 million a year in damage - apart
from the cost of suffering and injuries. (300) - a527 FNSPM
 
MOSCOW (Telegraph - RADIATION) - The U.S. Embassy in Moscow
switches on its monitoring devices to calculate the extent of the
damage done by a fire to Soviet equipment used to bombard the
embassy with microwave radiation. (350) - a540 FNSPM
 
 
THERAN (Bushinsky - 4th - Sun- Times - SHAH) - The
shah of Iran won't be coming to the U.S., says a high
palace source. Meanwyile, loyalists show off armed muscle they
vow will back the Bakhtiar government. (950) - a550 FNPSM
 
SPORTS
 
UNDATED (van Dyck - Sun-Times - REC) - When it comes to RVs,
what you want is what you get more than ever before - because
recreational vehicles now have everything from microwave
ovens to king-sized beds. (850) - a536 FNSPM
 
MIAMI (Schulian - Sun-Times - HERO) - Having taken the boring
Super Bowl and remaking it into a masterpiece, Terry
Bradshaw makes you wish the NFL could put on such a show
every year - and maybe it could, if he were always the quarterback.
(1,200) - a538, a539 FNSPM
 
UNDATED (Downey - Sun-Times - NBA) - Phoenix goes to
the head of the class for steals on the basis of the latest
trade . . . All star coaches complete their squads for the
Feb. 4 NBA game. (800) - a545 FNSPM
 
MIAMI (Sons - Sun-Times - SUPER) - The fellow who shoulders the
Super Bowl headaches goes home happy, with an almost
perfect event behind him. (1,350) - a547, a548 FNSPM
 
 
hb    (more) 01-23
 
 
cd
...
(End missing.)
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n135  1957  24 Jan 79
 
BC-SOUND 2takes
By HANS FANTEL
c. 1979 N.Y. Times News Service
    NEW YORK - One fruitful method of spotting the turning points of
cultural history is to trace the origin of words denoting new
thoughts or things. Etyologists scrutinizing the 1970's will note the
emergence of the word ''simulcast,'' meaning the simultaneous
broadcasting of a program over television and FM radio, with the
picture going the normal route while the sound is sent out in
wide-range stereo by a collaborating radio station. The virtue of
lifelike sound is thus added to television, benefiting in particular
programs in which music plays an important part.
    The enthusiasm for such simulcasts as ''Live From Lincoln Center''
or ''Evening at Symphony'' on the part of music-minded viewers points
up the dismal fact of television's sonic impotence. If it were
capable of adequate sound, there would be no need for simulcasts.
    Having opened the ears of a discriminating segment of the television
audience, simulcasts now raise the question of how much longer the
public will put up with regular television sound, which typically
ranges from miserable to poor. The question is by no means
rhetorical. In fact, television networks are scrambling to upgrade
their audio now that its sorry condition has been exposed by contrast
with the excellent simulcasts.
    But simulcasts - done mostly under noncommercial auspices - are not
the only prod stirring the major networks from their lethargy. Films
have also contributed toward making audiences more sound-conscious.
Undoubtedly, the popular appeal of ''Star Wars'' and other
technically advanced film productions was at least partly due to
their wide-range, Dolby-encoded, multichannel sound tracks. Such
examples of superb image-plus- sound presentations made broad
segments of the public painfully aware of television's sonic anemia
and apparently convinced network managements that something drastic
had to be done.
    Part of the trouble lay with the lines linking the network stations.
Their norms were set circa 1950, long before hi-fi and stereo raised
the general level of aural expectation. These lines generally cut off
all sound above 5,000 Hertz, limiting available fidelity to that of
an ordinary AM radio.
    It was the Public Broadcasting Service - often more venturesome than
the commercial networks - that took the first bold step to break this
bottleneck. PBS did away with most of its lines. For more than a
year, the system has been distributing its programs via satellite,
thereby gaining access to wide-range audio channels accommodating the
entire frequency band from 30 to 15,000 Hz. Since the television
transmitters themselves fully encompass this band, the audio quality
on PBS thus reached par with that of FM broadcasts, though, of
course, the sound is mono only.
    Goaded by this technical coup, the commercial networks lost no time
in countering the PBS move. By mid-1978, all three networks had
abandoned the old muffled-sounding telephone lines that used to carry
television audio signals across the country. Instead, they now use a
system called diplexing, which permits the audio part of a broadcast
to be piped along the same wide-range microwave links or coaxial
cables that carry the video signal. As a result, all networks now
have the capability of broadcasting high-fidelity sound.
    (MORE)
    
ny-0124 2257est
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