Admirals see simulation of periscope sweep

Admirals see simulationof periscope sweep
PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii -- Navy admirals watched a computerized simulation Friday of the periscope search conducted before a U.S. submarine struck and sank a Japanese fishing vessel.
The video showed how easy it would have been for USS Greeneville Cmdr. Scott Waddle and another officer to miss the boat in choppy seas and overcast skies with only 80 seconds devoted to the search.
It also showed how the 180-foot ship would have been clearly visible had Waddle conducted a standard three-minute search at a higher power and depth.
Vice Adm. John Nathman, who is presiding over a Navy court of inquiry into the collision, said the court would not draw sweeping conclusions based on the re-enactment.
"There's nothing absolute about this," he said. "This is a way of finding out what we can diverge from."
Transplant waiting list
WASHINGTON -- The waiting list for organ transplants has surpassed 75,000 for the first time, a benchmark that officials marked with a plea for more donations.
The list has been steadily growing for years as techniques improved, more hospitals began programs and more doctors recommended transplants for their patients.
At the end of 1990, 20,481 people were on the waiting list. Last weekend, the list hit 75,069, the United Network for Organ Sharing said Friday. The waiting list has grown by at least 10 percent each year since 1990.
FCC drops investigationinto 'RATS' TV ad
WASHINGTON -- The Federal Communications Commission ended on Friday its investigation of a Republican National Committee commercial that Democrats said included a subliminal message.
The FCC said it would take no further action after questioning broadcast stations about their decisions to air the commercial in which the word "RATS" flashed on the screen for a split-second.
The commission queried 217 stations alleged to have broadcast the ad -- which took on Democratic presidential contender Al Gore's plan to add prescription drugs to Medicare.
In their responses, 179 stations said they aired the ad. Of those, 162 said they were not aware the ads flashed the word "RATS." Some stations that did know said they could see the word and so they didn't believe it was subliminal.
Government saysmemorial to be delayed
WASHINGTON -- Justice Department lawyers told a federal court judge Friday that any construction of a new World War II memorial was still months away.
The lawyers told U.S. District Judge Henry H. Kennedy Jr. that the approval of the memorial by the National Capital Planning Commission may be tainted because former chairman Harvey Gantt had joined in the decision even though his term had expired.
Once that issue is resolved, the agency that will build the memorial, the American Battle Monuments Commission, will wait at least 30 days before awarding any construction contract, and will give opponents at least one week's notice, the Justice lawyers said.
It was not known Friday how long it would take to decide whether the old approval was still valid or whether a new hearing by the planning commission would have to be held, giving opponents a new chance to present evidence to stop construction.
Panel issues statementon Florida's election
WASHINGTON -- After a testy debate, a majority of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission concluded Friday that Florida's election last year was marred by "significant and distressing" barriers that discouraged qualified voters from casting ballots.
The majority found that elections officials had failed to ensure adequate resources to handle a heavy voter turnout. Commissioners said an initial review of evidence showed that at least one unauthorized police checkpoint was set up near a polling place, that non-felons were improperly removed from registration rolls and that many voters received defective and complicated ballots.
They found that many blacks did not vote because they were assigned to polling sites that lacked adequate resources to confirm their eligibility.
"It is my hope that Florida officials, as well as officials in other jurisdictions, will promptly resolve these major problems, which they allowed to occur, instead of hoping with the passage of time the public will forget," Commission chairwoman Mary Frances Berry declared.