European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - October 26, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 28 news briefs the stars and stripes wednesday october 26,1988 soviet icebreakers near trapped whales in Arctic Barrow Alaska a soviet icebreakers tuesday a catch two whales trapped in inc High arc tic As rescuers prepared operation breakthrough a to for broke att Mph to smash through an ice Wall blocking the animals path to open seas. The vessels were reported about 20 mile Northeast of Point Barrow before first Light in Barrow said coast guard spokesman Ken freeze in Alameda Calif. A helicopter was being prepared to take representatives of the National oceanic and atmospheric administration and inc coast guard to the ship along with an inter Preter. Freeze said. The soviet news Agency Tass in a dispatch from Moscow said the larger of the two ice Breakers he Admiral Makarov had been slowed by heavy ice and fog that reduced visibility 1o less than 200 Yards. B-2 stealth bomber to be unveiled nov. 22 Washington a the air Force will Roll out its b-2 stealth bomber on nov. 22 at a government owned Plant in Palmdale Calif., inc Pentagon said tuesday. Defense department spokesman Dan Howard said he would t be a bit surprised if inc air Force limited the guest list for the ceremony As Well As inc aspects or viewing angles from which the new plane can be viewed. Some aspects of inc technology arc still highly classified he indicated. Howard said the air Force had not set a Dale for the plane s first flight Bui Hal Milestone is expected to occur nol Long after the Public unveiling. The air Force and Pentagon have previously re leased an artist s drawing of the plane showing it resemble a huge flying Wing without a Normal fuselage and cockpit. The bomber takes its stealth nickname from the fan that its design and materials Are intended to keep it from being visible to radar. Disabled Man loses lawsuit he parked without seat Belt Hamm West Germany a a Man Par Al Zed from the Waist Down when his parked car was rammed by another vehicle has lost a lawsuit be cause he was not wearing a scat Bell when he was injured. A court spokesman noted however that the ruling was a one time decision due to the insurance policy clause which mandates wearing a Seal Belt even if the car is parked and the motor  added Hamm court spokesman Karl Heinz hug Mann tuesday la does nol apply to the Overall Seal Bell  German Law requires All passengers in Pri vate care to Wear Seal belts when the motor is run Ning. Hug Mann said the Man was paralysed in an Accident Al a service station while he was waiting in his parked car with the motor off a violation of his insurance policy but nol the Law. Hug Mann said inc coun decision Only involved special daily insurance payments to the injured Man during his stay in the Hospital which amounted to about 5,000 Marks $2,850 his other Hospital and medical care payment were nol affected by the insurance clause said hug Errann. Only 15 survivors found after typhoon sinks ship Manila Philippines a rescuers tuesday in 140-Mphtook Al least 97 lives. Darkness and bad weather forced an overnight sus pension of the search for survivors of the Dona Mari Lyn which replaced the Dona Paz on the sulpicio lines run Between Manila and Taloban. The Dona Paz Sank last dec. 20 after a collision and More than 3,000 people perished. More than 100,000 filipinos were made homeless by Ruby which was reported in the South China sea late tuesday heading West with lop winds of about oomph in suburban Manila . And philippine helicopters rescued hundreds of people stranded on rooftops and in Trees by inc flooding mar Kina River. Coast guard officials said inc 2,845-ton passenger liner Sank monday in the Visayas sea about 300 Miles Southeast of Manila. La was carrying 451 passengers and 60 Crew Mem Bers from Manila to Taloban on la Etc Island when in radioed a distress Call said Carlos go general manager of sulpicio lines. A lieutenant at the coast guard station in Cebu said rescuers found 11 survivor on Mari Pipi Island and another Small Island and four people were found alive in the  Gambito Vic president of sulpicio put the number rescued Al in. There was no explanation for the  Dona Paz was overloaded with passengers bound for Christmas with relatives in Manila when in and a Tanker collided in a Busy shipping Lane off Mindoro Island last december. Us sister ship the Dona Marilyn went Down Mon Day on the Manila Taloban run. The ships were authorized to Cany Aboul 1,400 passengers and Crew. Optic gals reported 25 people missing because of typhoon Ruby Al Bagayan de Oro a coastal City on Mindanao Island and is unaccounted for after a crowded bus plunged into a swollen River monday in antique province. The red Cross said 26 bodies were recovered from the  on Luzon and other islands caused landslides and washed away Bridges. Carlos Dominguez the agriculture Secretary said preliminary estimates put damage to crops Al nearly$46 million but casualty and damage reports were incomplete because of poor communications. Reagan from Page 1 pin has railed against big government in washing Ion. He has used numerous speeches during the cur rent presidential Campaign to warn Hal democrats would return the Nalion to the Era of big brother and big  but neither Reagan nor vice Percsi Donl George bus showed any such qualms this year about the Bill creating a new department of veterans affairs the 14thcabinet-level Agency and one devoted to pursuing the interests of a select group of individuals. The House and Senate also paid election year homage to inc nation s 27 million veterans with both Chambers giving easy approval to the Bill earlier this fall. In approving the change the House rejected argument that Selling up the new department would Lead ultimately to increased spending and in brushed aside admonitions that in was engaging in an election year ploy. Supporters of the legislation argued that the Veter ans administration already has the Firth largest budget among Federal agencies and merits being put on Par with other Cabinet departments. The a serves 27 million veterans and 49 million dependents or survivors with a budget of 130 billion. It will dispense $14 billion in income maintenance and$626 million for education and rehabilitation assist Ance this year. On monday Reagan signed legislation with Little fanfare authorizing inc department of defense to . Military installations considered unnecessary. The president Cave that politically sensitive Issue a much lower profile with his signature of the Bill noted Only in a White House press release. That Bill has the potential of saving the government up to j5 billion a year As Pentagon officials pare Down the list of 3,800 . Military installations. It sets up a complicated base closing procedure thai essentially cuts through a Thicket of Laws enacted by Congress in the past decade to thwart Pentagon efforts to shut Down bases Champion from Page 1 Gold i be been going to a lot of schools in Colum bus and Augusta a talking about  Mercer s Mother lives in Augusta. While in West Germany to out process he s staying at the Home of his old Baum older coach sgt. I St class Ray Lilly. Well Lake him around to the schools in the Baum Holder area this week Lilly said. After a week or two of publicity he s going Back to boxing training. He does t know Hal. Rift Ake him to the bomb squad Baum older s boxing learn Mercer has an 11 . Dale Friday at Baum older s Hall of champions. The gym will hold a ceremony for its most famous Champion. He May attend a boxing smoker saturday Al Wil Flecken. Would Mercer return to work at his old motor Pool what s wrong with the motor Pool said Mercer who worked in the motor Pool when he was t boxing or on the armoured personnel Carrier ill do whatever i m told. When you have a military id card you go where you re told Mercer who said he will leave the army in january to turn pro said he might leave West Germany on nov. 4 Lor army recruiting Tours at us. High schools. He also May delay his departure until dec. 2. But on tuesday Mercer was still a Soldier standing in front of his company s Welcome Home Ray sign. Before he was whisked away to Baum older some one said it was Good to see Mercer Back it s Good 10 be Back too he said. Ski from Page 1 Star wars defense downward from $115 billion to $69 billion. Phase one does t include the More exotic High Energy laser beams or Neutral particle beam weaponry that earned the Star wars program us futuristic name. Rui it docs include space based and ground based missiles designed to Knock incoming nuclear warheads out of the sky. The . Missiles would not be tipped with warheads. Instead they would be designed to cripple incoming missiles simply by the Force of Impact. Some congressional leaders have claimed a phase one Star wars defense would protect the United states from less than 16 percent of incoming soviet nuclear warheads in a full scale War. The system also would Likely be obsolete the Day in was deployed because the Penta gon has underestimated the Toyiel Mili tary s resolve to come up with inventive countermeasures according to demo cratic Sens. J. Bennell Johnston of Loui Siana Dale bumpers of Arkansas and William Proxmire of Wisconsin. All Are member of the Senate appropriations committee and sur wars critics. Abrahamson said he believes Many critics of see Are Well  but he believes Ibey also arc poorly informed on what is a Complex topic. Cost reductions in phase one of the Star wars program have been made through lop notch research he said nol by watering Down the defensive system. I believe we Are also making significant Progress in making the second and third phases a lol More affordable than people imagine. That is part of our Job Abrahamson said. He offered no specific Dollar amounts. The second and third layers of the Star wars defense would include High Energy lasers designed to complement phase one s More tradition Al missile killers. Culs in the Price lag of phase one basically were made by reducing the number of proposed space based missile interceptors while increasing their Range and Speed and increasing the number of those to be housed on Earth. The exact number of How Many of each Lype of interceptor would be used is classified. Abrahamson said Long delays in the nation s space shuttle program have slowed laser research somewhat but he said a key Experiment is planned for a shuttle flight in late 1990 in which Low Energy lasers will be reflected from mirrors at the rear of the shuttle. A More elaborate lest involving a larger Mirror and a More intense beam of laser tight is on tap for 1995 or 1996, he said. Abrahamson is scheduled to be re placed As ski director by air Force it. Gen. George. L. Moughan or