WHAT'S NEW, Friday, 23 June 1989 Washington, DC
1.
THE EMERGENCY CHINESE VISA ADJUSTMENT ACT OF 1989
has been
introduced by Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). To compel the return of
students, China required them to seek J-1 exchange visas, under
the terms of which they must return to China for two years before
applying for a change of status. On June 6, the Attorney General
authorized an Extended Deferral Program, allowing the students to
stay in the US for one year, but they would remain ineligible for
permanent resident status. The Pelosi bill waves the two-year
return requirement. Chinese Student Associations on 118 campuses
are urging adoption of the bill. In a letter to Congress, they
point out that students in the US, who have openly denounced the
Chinese government's brutality, could be branded as traitors.
2
. MYTHICAL WEAPONS ARE NOT CHIC THIS YEAR. BRILLIANT PEBBLES
(or
"loose marbles" as Rep. Charles Bennett (D-FL) calls them) did
not catch on in the money-starved Congress. Both the House and
Senate are looking at SDI as a "cash cow" that can be milked to
pay for conventional weapons. In the House, Bennett has again
teamed up with Tom Ridge (R-PA) to hold down SDI funding. They
will introduce a floor amendment to the defense bill to limit
total DOD/DOE funding for SDI in FY 90 to $3.1B, a cut of $1.8B
from the $4.9B Bush request. And they have the muscle to pass
it; a bipartisan coalition of 33 key House members is behind
them. Similar amendments by Bennett and Ridge were passed in
each of the last three years, but the House cuts were largely
nullified by the Senate. Differences between the House and Senate
versions are usually split right down the middle in Conference,
so the more conservative Senate simply jacked up its figures for
SDI to offset much of the House cuts. But this year, the Senate
needs the money and the compromise figure is expected to be under
$4B. The other major "cash cow" will be the B-2 stealth bomber.
3. THE INTERNATIONAL PLUTONIUM CONTROL ACT (H.R.2403)
calls for
negotiations with the Soviet Union on a verifiable ban on the
production of weapons-grade fissile materials. In hearings on
Tuesday before a House Subcommittee, the bill was opposed by
Administration witnesses who argued the Soviets could resume
production more quickly than the US. But Frank von Hippel of
Princeton pointed out that the Soviets are producing arms-grade
materials right now, while US production is completely shut down.
4. IS COLD FUSION PRACTICAL? YES! UNLESS IT'S ENERGY YOU WANT.
People are making money right now. Patent lawyers and lobbyists
for the University of Utah have been paid about $300,000. A cold
fusion kit consisting of a test tube with electrodes and an Alka-Seltzer
is on sale at $4.95, "regular price $5M." Just add heavy
water. A company calling itself Princeton Fusion Reports, formed
by three MBAs, is marketing a report entitled "Cold Fusion: An
Objective Assessment" for $647. The advertisement announces, "We
believe cold fusion is real." At least the money is real.
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