European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 8, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 b the stars and stripes sunday March 8, 1992 Page 4 o i no o Mno Niew a g 10 m conservatives targeting Public to two controversial programs raise Washington apr for 25 years Public broadcasting has prospered through the use of Federal funds without Federal control airing such favourites As sesame Street masterpiece theater and the Macneil Lehrer news hour. But now conservative republicans in the Senate Are saying things have gone too far. They Are unhappy about a Public broadcasting service program called tongues untied which portrayed the lives of Gay Black men and another called Maria s world which documented the salvadoran guerrilla movement. The conservatives also done to like the idea of Bill Moyers who  democratic president Lyndon Johnson a press Secretary hosting news documentaries. And they think the children a television workshop should be Cut from the Federal Dole because it generates income from products featuring sesame Street characters. Led by Republican Leader Bob Dole of Kansas and sen. Jesse Helms of North Carolina they aired their concerns briefly last week on the Senate floor. But they Are Likely to bring ail their forces to Bear this week if the democrats Start debate on the Bill that authorizes the existence of the corporation for Public broadcasting the Agency that disperses Money for pub National Public radio and local Public radio and television programming. Supporters of Public broadcasting see it As a fight for the systems survival. A a it a scary a said John m. Lawson director of National affairs for the association of americans Public television stations a in that a lot of people think it is the beginning of a Long attack on Public broadcasting in the United states that could Lead to a slow erosion in funding and Public  the republicans insist they done to want to kill Public broadcasting. But a we have a duty to Analyse closely All authorization Bills and All appropriations Bills a Helms says. The republicans have not said specifically How they would try to Amend the authorization Bill but speeches Given on the Senate floor last week indicated they object t0 a the size of the funding request a $1.1 billion Over three years starting in fiscal 1995 in View of other demands on the budget. A programming they consider biased. To this pcs chief operating officer Robert Ottun Hoff responded a there is no pcs political Agenda to the left right or Center. Our Job is to provide a diversity of programs. There has to be a place in this country where we hear from a variety of viewpoints. A continued Federal funding of the children a television workshop producer of sesame Street. Ellen Morgenstern a spokeswoman for children a television workshop said licensing the characters for commercial products started 10 years after the show opened because government funding  diminishing and the show  in danger of dying. Sen. Jesse Heims of Ivory eau my majr Aura world s computers avoid Michelangelo epidemic a. Enmor pc native vice president of the company a from wire reports san Francisco a computer users worldwide dodged the much awaited Michelangelo virus for the most part Friday. A the crisis  mainly averted a said Marty Tibor president of synapse data recovery in san Rafael Calif. A most people who had data to lose took  but there were some frustrating exceptions. The environmental group save the whales for one had its monthly newsletter wiped out by the virus. Other cases involved Uruguay a military and the Wall Street firm of Drexel Burnham Lambert. The much awaited virus  a rogue computer program designed to destroy personal comp Sci riles on March 6, the 517th anniversary of the great italian artists  Large business and government organizations used anti virus software to pre empt any threat. . Officials said they were unaware of any damage to government or military computers caused by the virus. Many of the victims were Small businesses and Home computer users who ignored or somehow missed the Waves of warnings about the virus. At los Angeles based save the whales Maris Siden Stecker said she had heard the warnings but did not take them seriously. A you always think its not going to happen to you said Sidenstecker a co founder of the group. At scattered Points around the world other computers came Down with the mysterious virus As Well a the German government said about 80 computers were hit in that country but there were few incidents elsewhere in Europe where the virus is believed to have originated. A about 1,500 computers a mostly pharmacies that share information a were affected in South Africa said Charles Rutstein staff researcher at the National computer Security association. A three companies in Shanghai China lost data in a Small number of computers a news reports said. Rutstein said that Media reports had exaggerated the threat but that the heavy Advance publicity had helped limit the damage. A the press Blitz worked a he said. A we killed a lot of viruses last  computer viruses Are spread via shared computer disks and they can usually be eliminated with inexpensive anti virus computer programs. Syman Tec the leading Vendor of anti virus software said that it had distributed 250,000 copies of a free program designed to kill the Michelangelo infection. Rod Turner executive vice president of the company said about 15,000 of the people who had received the program found a virus. Most Large businesses and government organizations have programs in place to screen for viruses and thus Michelangelo  not a significant threat. A we were not affected and we did not install any special software a said Michael Chee a spokesman for Blue Cross of California which uses computers to process claims for More than 5.5 million californians. A i think reports of this virus were greatly overblown a Western digital corp., a computer component Vendor in Irvine Calif., found about a dozen Michelangelo viruses on its 500 computer workstations worldwide said spokesman Robert Blair. He said that the viruses were found in a scan of computers thursday and that no damage had been detected. The virus  eliminated in the past few weeks from one pc at the Tribune of Oakland half a dozen pcs at los Angeles television station Knic and 10 at the san Jose Mercury news. A Mercury news computer lost data Friday however when a machine  restarted with an infected disk. Chinese newspapers also carried warnings about another virus called a Black Friday that strikes infected computers on Friday the 13th. Next Friday is March 13. Gotti witness stays Calm under lawyer s grilling fugitive captured escaped murderer David Williams is led into the Raleigh county jail in Beckley  on Friday by state trooper , Moore right and Cpl. . Mccomas. Williams 33,  one of three killers who tunnelled out or the West Virginia Penitentiary 2 w weeks ago. He  captured hours after he broke into the Home of a couple in new Martinsville w va., forced them to make him breakfast tied them up and then stole their car police said. A second Escapee Fred Hamilton  captured in Oklahoma last week while the third Tommie Mollohan remains at Large. New York up mob turncoat Salvatore Gravano said Friday he told the government about every crime he Ever committed in the mafia because if he held even one Back it could a come Back to haunt  Gravano weathered his second Day of persistent Cross examination from Albert Krieger the lawyer defending John Gotti m his murder and racketeering trial and appeared to be wearing Down the attorney More than the other Way around. Earlier in the week Gravano identified Gotti As the head of the nations most powerful organized crime family himself As his unde Boss and co defendant Frank Locascio As the family a consigliere or Counselor. Gotti and Locascio Are on trial in . District court in Brooklyn for racketeering murder gambling Loans harking obstruction of Justice and bribery. The trial began feb. 12. In his first Day of Cross examination thursday Krieger mixed sarcasm and accusation in an attempt to shake the credibility of the governments key witness known in the underworld As a Sammy  but Gravano appeared unshaken As he blamed his life As a cold blooded killer on a bad environment during his childhood Friday Krieger pressed the witness about his motivation for testifying against his former Boss prompting several objections from the prosecution that were sustained by judge i. Leo Glasser. A my intention  to quit take a plea go to prison do my time be debriefed a Gravano said. A if it meant testifying i would  a you knew John Gotti would never plead guilty that come hell or High water be would always choose to face a jury for judgment a the lawyer said his voice rising. A i knew he  go with the same plea arrangement i Aid a Gravano replied getting the first of several laughs from the packed courtroom. Gotti As he has throughout Grava not a week on the stand appeared to listen closely without emotion As his former right hand Man continued to build a substantial Case against him. At another Point Gravano said a a it  be in my Best interest to hide something from the government. It would Only come Back to haunt  a you Wash your past clean with this plea a Krieger said. A yes a replied Gravano who now faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison As part of his Deal with the government