European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - June 15, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 the stars and stripes monday june 15,1987 contras making gains officials say Washington a the estimated 15,000  contras Row deployed inside i hair Homeland arc becoming an increasingly effective fighting Force and could soon pose a major Challenge to mat coun try s leftist government according to while House officials. The upbeat assessment from the Battlefront contrasts with the political trends in Washington where the disclosures from the Iran mantra affair arc believed to have seriously weakened the administration s Case for continued Aid to the rebels. White House officials insisting on anonymity said rebel attacks have caused blackouts in the Northwest and Southern sections of Nicaragua and there it in creasing evidence of popular support among peasants for he Contra cause. The officials said a Contra unit recently overran a sandinista Garrison in Cen trial Jin Olega province lulling 25 sol Diers. The rebels also were said to have captured targe amounts of military equipment including 1bo.ooo rounds of ammunition. In recent Days the Contra also have downed a soviet supplied Mi-8 helicopter and destroyed an Oil and chemical storage facility in Rama. They have also destroyed Bridges dropped propaganda leaflets and shown an ability much Tike the guerrillas in Vietnam 20 years ago to melt into the Countryside when confronted with Superior Force the officials said. The contras axe doing a lot better than expect cd said one official. He added that a recent state department prediction that the contras could achieve their objectives within two to four years May have to be revised Down Ward. But the administration ii haunted by the possibility that Congress May not go along with additional funding for the insurgents when the current $100 million allocation runs out at the end of septem Ber. In january retired army Gen. Paul Gorman former commander of . Forces in Central America told Congress he believed the contras were not capable of achieving a military Victory Over Nicaragua s sandinista government. He de scribed the contras As a Cross Border raiding Force hat could operate indefinitely but raining their Flag in Man Agua no i Don t see  a month later. Gorman modified his opinion to say he believed the Coli Las now have a fighting Chance to present to the nicaraguan people in alternative to the oppressions and militarism of the government in  on the Day that the contras overran the Jin Olega Garrison. Assistant Secretary of state Elliott Abrams testified before the joint committee investigating the Iran Centra affair. Those two events on june 2 reinforced the impression among some official that the administration biggest problem is the Congress and no the contras military prowess. Abrams admitted that he misled con Gress last november in not disclosing that he had solicited a $10 million contribution for the contras from the Sultan of Brunei last summer. Abrams also was on the defensive be fore the joint commit ice because his de Nials last fall about . Government involvement in private Contra re Supply flight have since been contradicted. Abrams Bat said he was kept in the dark about the . Role. Several congressmen have said tha Abrams has outlived his usefulness As head of the slate department s latin american affairs Bureau. But Abrams with he enthusiastic support of Secre tary of state George p. Shutlz seems determined to stay on until the end of president Reagan s term in office. Reagan however pointedly refrained from praising Abrams when asked about his embattled aide last week. He simply said he administration position had been outlined by Shultz. Reagan s muted backing for Abrams produced speculation that the president May be concerned thai former while House aide it. Col. Oliver North or others who ivc not yet testified May dispute Abrams version of event. If that happens the president would be less vulnerable to criticism than if he had Given Abrams a ringing endorse ment. Damaging disclosures by North or others could also weaken the already tepid support the contras have in con Gress. There is no disagreement that if a Vole on Contra Aid were held now the administration would lose. It was Abrams who suggested the two year to four year time Frame for the in Raveling of the sandinista government. But that prediction offered in congressional testimony several weeks ago. As Sumes no cutoff in . Funding for the rebels. But if Aid is suspended there is Gener Al agreement that it would signal a Vir Tual end to the nicaraguan resistance. Liftoff for make a wish kids App Cio Netty 50 balloons hailing from the is. Northeast Region staged a mass ascension Friday to Benefit the Mike i wish foundation. The liftoff was one of the Efens of Hie three Day Miller hot air balloon Fesl tit Jamesville Beach in Syracuse . The foundation Fol Falls lifelong wishes of terminally ill children. New wire service to offer alternative Montpelier it. Up a Small group of weekly newspaper editors plans to launch a National wire service that targets alternative publications not now served by mainstream news outlets it was announced saturday. Founders of the service oiled ally net will offer an Eclectic mix of articles and editorials to woo a Broad spectrum of subscribers from left Wing weeklies to More sedate arts oriented publications. Nal Winthrop publisher of the Burlington it based Vanguard press and an Aller aet founder said six weekly editors from across the country Are putting together the service. They initially expect to have 3$ weekly subscribers from coast to coast. F they Are successful at the end of the first year of operation they will later go after broadcast clients Winthrop said. Organizers said several private foundations provided 1100,000 in Grants for the project which is slated to Start distributing material for publication in september. While Alternet s targeted subscribers Are less Apt to launch scathing political attacks than their gadfly counterparts of the 1960s, they nevertheless have something in common Winthrop said. They have such meager resources compared to the dailies. It s very difficult for them to initiate the sort of in depth investigative reporting that they were in most cases founded to provide he said. Old chinese herbal potion May ease arthritis Washington up the extract of an Herb mentioned in ancient chinese medical books As a remedy for painful joints has proved effective against rheumatoid arthritis in preliminary studies a researcher has said. Or. Tao Xue Lian associate professor of internal Medicine at the Academy of medical sciences in Beijing said patients who topic an extract of the Herb s roots experienced significantly less morning stiffness and joint tenderness. They also had fewer Stift joints and experienced improved grip strength and walking Speed she reported at the annual meeting of the american rheumatism association. Tao said at a news conference the Plant known As rank grass or Thunder god Vine is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis in a few hospitals in China but there s a Long Way to go before it can be recommended More widely. Patients taking the drug mentioned in ancient medical manuals As a joint pain remedy suffered some significant Side effects. Thirty one percent of female patients age 49 or younger who received the extract for 12 weeks temporarily stopped menstruating. Some patients also experienced Abdo Minal discomfort and skin reactions including rash and thinning of skin an nails but none of these were severe enough to warrant discontinuing treat ment. In the trial 70 people with rheumatoid arthritis were split into two groups. One group was Given the extract called t2. For 12 weeks while the other received a Placebo or Dummy drug. Then the two groups switched for four weeks. Tao said she and colleagues arc trying to isolate the Active compound in to and figure out How it works. T2 is extracted by soaking in alcohol the roots of the Herb known formally As Tripler Gium Wilford Hook. The essence is made Imo tablets. Or. William Arnold an association spokesman said t2 is a highly experimental treatment and until further re search is done rheumatoid arthritis patients should continue their regular prescribed treatments. In a separate report researchers re ported that children Wilh juvenile rheumatoid arthritis can safely take Gold treatment by Mouth. The treatment has been Given by injection. Injections of compounds containing Gold have been used to treat rheumatoid arthritis since the 1920s. An Oral form became available far adults in 1985. The study was conducted by the Pedt Atric Rheuma ology collaborative study group Al Baylor College of Medicine i Houston. More than 2 million americans Are under treatment for rheumatoid arthritis the most severe form of an Trilis with 200,000 of them receiving guld treatments.  Wilford i Tunk on the mfr god me l up graphic