News stories from Monday December 21, 1981
Summaries of the stories the major media outlets considered to be of particular importance on this date:
- A reopening of auto labor contracts appears increasingly likely. The United Automobile Workers union said that its councils at General Motors and Ford would meet on Jan. 8 to decide whether talks should be opened to modify the existing contracts or negotiate new ones because of the industry's financial troubles. [New York Times]
- Forty-two buildings were damaged by an explosion in a coin-operated laundry in Sylacauga, Ala. The blast also injured three persons and ignited a fire that leveled half a block. The fire chief said that natural gas was leaking at the site but that the cause of the blast was undetermined. [New York Times]
- The uranium industry is depressed, in part because of the 1979 accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania and the consequent opposition of many Americans to nuclear power. The signs at Grants, N.M., on old Route 66, describe it as "the uranium capital of the world," but it is now dying. [New York Times]
- An author defended his banned book at a federal court hearing in Bangor, Me. Dr. Ronald Glasser, who wrote "365 Days," containing 17 vignettes about the Vietnam War, testified that only four-letter words could capture the anguish of the wounded soldiers he depicted. [New York Times]
- The issue of nuclear safeguards has provoked sharp debate among technical experts. Some American specialists charge that the International Atomic Energy Agency is not capable of detecting all clandestine diversions of nuclear material to weapons building, but other experts say that the detection capabilities, although imperfect, are good enough to deter any potential wrongdoer. [New York Times]
- The occurrence of toxic shock not involving menstruating women who use tampons is much wider than previously thought, according to a new study by the Federal Centers for Disease Control. The study found that the victims of the potentially fatal syndrome include postsurgical patients, burn patients, women who have just given birth and people with boils and abscesses. [New York Times]
- A strike by 2,800 Polish coal miners in Silesia was confirmed by the Warsaw radio. There were also reports that activists from the Solidarity labor movement had barricaded themselves inside a steel mill in Katowice. The broadcasts, monitored outside Poland, said that the miners had been on strike since last Tuesday. [New York Times]
- Pope John Paul II extolled freedom in his annual peace message. He declared that all men should strive to prevent every form of warfare, but he added that "peoples have a right and even a duty to protect their existence and freedom" against an unjust aggressor. [New York Times]
- Possible sanctions against Poland and the Soviet Union if martial law is not eased soon were discussed by President Reagan and the National Security Council, administration officials said. They also said any announcements on trade or financial sanctions would not be made until consultations with allies are concluded in a day or so. [New York Times]
- American Jewish spokesmen urged Israel and the United States to reassert their ties in the face of what was widely regarded as the worse crisis in relations between the two allies. The spokesmen said they doubted that Israel would rescind its annexation of the Golan Heights, and most urged Washington to cancel its suspension of a strategic accord. [New York Times]
- A resignation at the Voice of America created a stir. The departing official is Bernard Kamenske, the news divison director, who is a strong advocate of journalistic independence for the agency. Journalists at the Voice of America say that there has been an increasing tendency under the Reagan administration to increase the network's propaganda or commentary function. [New York Times]
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Stock Market Report
Dow Jones Industrial Average: 873.10 (-2.66, -0.30%)
Arms Index is the ratio of volume per declining issue to volume per advancing issue; a figure below 1.0 is bullish. | |||||||||||||||
| Market Index Trends | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | DJIA | S&P | Volume* |
| December 18, 1981 | 875.76 | 124.00 | 50.95 |
| December 17, 1981 | 870.53 | 123.12 | 47.22 |
| December 16, 1981 | 868.72 | 122.42 | 42.37 |
| December 15, 1981 | 875.95 | 122.99 | 44.13 |
| December 14, 1981 | 871.48 | 122.78 | 44.81 |
| December 11, 1981 | 886.51 | 124.93 | 45.84 |
| December 10, 1981 | 892.03 | 125.71 | 47.02 |
| December 9, 1981 | 888.22 | 125.48 | 44.80 |
| December 8, 1981 | 881.75 | 124.82 | 45.14 |
| December 7, 1981 | 886.99 | 125.19 | 45.72 |