European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 02, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 2 the stars and stripes monday May 2,1988 3 e. Germans flee bad Bramstedt West Ger Many a three East German labourers fled their communist Homeland to West Germany by slipping past Border guards an crossing a Lake that Borders the two countries police said in bad Grams Ludt in the Northern West German state of Schleswig Holslin said one Man escaped by swimming across the Lake and that two others were found exhausted in a Small boat by West German Border authorities. Police declined to release the names of the men citing longstanding policy. Spread of locusts Rome a if unchecked swarms of desert locusts devouring crops in North Africa might spread to East Africa the near East Pakistan and India. . Officials said Friday. If the swarms spread extraordinary efforts will be needed to Avert major food losses and agriculture Organiza Tion director general Edouar Saouma said in a statement. . Experts said a swarm Cov ering .4 Square mile can contain so million insects weigh a total of100 tons and cat its weight in fresh vegetation each Day. Airlines safety report Washington a Feder Al authorities in More than 2,000 inspections of Eastern and Conti Ncneal irl incs jets Hyp so far found Noy grossly Unser aircraft according Gnu the Chi prof the Feder Al Allan Mcartor Saio of the inspections Ujiro Vnod minor safely infractions planes to be a Xci out of service and at to be characterized the percentage As not unusually High. Call for expulsion Riyadh saudi Arabia a a saudi arabian newspaper called Friday for the expulsion of Iran fro the 46-nation organization of islamic conference and a kuwaiti news paper urged Arab countries to sever ties with the persian Calls by the pro government newspapers followed saudi Arabia rupture of diplomatic tics with Iran on tuesday in retaliation for what was described As terrorism and sub version by the saudi statement referred to riots by iranian pilgrims at Mecca last year during the annual Pil Grimage to islam s holiest riots led to the deaths of 402 people an attack on the saudi arabian embassy in Iran and Ira Nian strikes on snipping in the Oil Rich Gulf Region. Base commanders oppose leave for pare Hjal problems study shows by Chuck Vinch \ Washington Bureau. Washington the vast majority1-,of military installation commanders worldwide Don t want a special category of leave for personnel who need Lime off to give birth or care for infants and sic children. Complaints from the Inadequacy of military leave to cover those situations prompted rep. Pat Schroeder d-colo., to re quest the Survey of 368 base com Manders. Schroeder a senior member of the House armed services commit tee is deeply involved in military fam ily issues. The Survey showed that in som cases leave policies Are discretionary and Don t meet generally acceptable medical practices regarding child care. But More than 96 percent of the respondents believe their authority to Deal with parental leave problems is at least adequate and 86 percent belief there is no need to create a special Typ of leave beyond what is currently available. Of that still does t satisfy Schmo Cdr who said in a press release issued last week that she intends to press defens Secretary Frank Carlucci to Institute the new Type of leave. The Survey showed that less than 12percent of have special policies governing leave for the report said that the existing pro Gram is flexible enough to address the parental leave needs of the military family today and that expansion of existing Tropf Totorp. Pat Schroeder pushing for new leave category programs is not needed it said annual leave is sufficient takeover most situations. Jef the showed that in More than 98 pm refit of the cases concerning childbirth commanders granted thesta omm leave requests of their person but Schroeder argued that service members Only gel 30 Days of annual leave and the american College of obstetricians and gynaecologists recommends a six to eight week recovery period for an uncomplicated pregnancy. Most private sector employers offer disability insurance coverage for that length of time. Short disability leave is medically irresponsible Schroeder said. It also puts in a double bin because they Are expected Back at work before their infants Are eligible for placement at an on base child care = most military child care facilities won t accept infants under 6 months old and most private sector facilities set six weeks As the minimum age. Schup Cdr said that while one option i unpaid leave few military personnel Are Able to us that because of the financial hardship that can result. While most respondents said they arc satisfied with ii Trent practices a minority voiced the opinion that annual leave should be used principally for morale building vacation purposes not to administer to the health care needs of Mili tary families. Federal employees9 health plan made Urfe pm Washington a the Feder workers health insurance program is in efficient overpriced and offers inadequate coverage to its 10 million beneficiaries according to a report presented to the government Friday. The Washington Post urday s editions that the spurt to the office of personnel found that the health Flatt costs $785 million More than it Mould for the benefits i provides and will Only get worse unless an cd. I umber of employees we get a really Good de of said pm or wipe constancer Tornor. We Don t Havetta of tally Good the report on the Federal employee health benefits program which Cov ers Federal workers retirees and their de Pendents in prepared by the consult ing firm of towers Perrin Forster & Crosby. The 28-year-old benefits pro Gram has grown to include 480 health consultants found that those plans compete to attract the healthy and avoid the sick rather than competing to offer the Best benefits at the cheapest need to attract the Healthiest workers Means no plan can offer High Levels of coverage in certain critical areas such As Mcm health drug abuser nursing care the consultants found. Gooey Oil spill Shoreline in Calif turns into major disaster for wildlife Martinez. Calif. A the Acci dental release of at least 175,000 Gallons of a particularly gooey form of crude Oil has turned from a minor inconvenience Sailor in san remo hit killed Isy italian train san remo Italy is a 6lhfleet Sailor lbs struck and killed by a train thursday when a apparently to Edo help an old cry comm. A . Consul ate spokesman said Friday. Witnesses Sau Puhac Petty officer was retrieving Thoj Rovi s umbrella or Cane like she had dropped Overa Short Brick Wall on the tracks when he Wau truck said Michael Hahn. He Sailor was Hahn the Sailor was from the guided missile destroyer Dewcy on port Call in san Mcmo. This is a sin a crime against god creation and makes a City boy want to cry said Joseph Vallachi. 43, of Santacruz who drove 120 Miles to voluntarily help state Crews remove Oil from a Cit Park Shoreline. The april 23 spill already has killed200 Birds and Small animals. The spill of san Joaquin crude from Shell Oil co s major Northern California refinery occurred Afler a broken storm Drain pipe running through the Middle of an Oil Lank allowed crude to be siphoned out the company s practice of keeping valves open during storms was a violation of Federal environmental regulations. It has been a frustrating week for Doz ens of volunteers trying to care for dying wildlife and for cleanup workers Strug gling to remove the Tarry muck. They have been bin along a 15-Milestretch of waterway from the Marquinez Strait to the Mouth of the Sacramento san Joaquin Delta a major sport fishing Region and at Peyton Slough Marsh Andryco Island critical wildlife habitat for the endangered Clapper rail and dozens of other Bird species including various ducks Blue Heron Black rail and califor Nia Brown Pelican. This is the worst possible thing that can happen to a pretty place like this said Sheri Banks 21, a member of the California conservation corps who helped gather up Oil. It la never be the same. I Don t think Aman s hands can clean All this up added fellow corps member Steven Reed 19, Nib Bing his gloves on yellow protective cover alls nearly Black below the Chest. Shell Oil people should be the one forced to come Down Here and clean these rocks themselves he said. Those sentiments arc echoed by Cit residents by state officials who blasted Shell for violating Federal regulations and environmentalists who fear for the future of California s dwindling wet lands where Many Shore and water Crea Tures Breed and reproduce. Local boat owners Many of whom make living by taking sport fishermen into the Delta. Tear the Oil will harm the Estuary delicate food Chain and possibly deplete fish stocks already reduced by decades of water Quality problems in the Dola. Environmentalists Are concerned Over the effects of Oil in the marshes. The marshes Are devastated. An there arc toxins in that Oil that Are seeping into the environment every Day said sea Welsh a biologist and vice president of mount Diablo Audubon society
