Word: whether
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...country if perestroika is to succeed. Last week the Lithuanian legislature defied Gorbachev's wishes and legalized rival political parties, setting the stage for other Soviet republics to do the same. This week radical delegates are expected to propose a debate in the Congress of People's Deputies on whether to delete Article 6 of the national constitution, which enshrines the party's "leading role" in Soviet society...
...East Germany it remained uncertain whether the Communist Party's last- ditch effort to fashion a new identity could save it from extinction. With the party's upper echelon disgraced, the taut discipline snapped down below. A half million of the 2.3 million cardholders have deserted the party in recent weeks, and last week middle-ranking members joined the opposition groups in crying for the departure of the power brokers who for 41 years imposed their rule. Citizens worked with the regular People's Police to prevent the shredding and theft of incriminating documents. Airline flights to Rumania were suspended...
Ames is a tough target for environmentalists because he devised the test that is used to determine whether chemicals are carcinogenic. Nonetheless, Janet Hathaway of the Natural Resources Defense Council argues that talk about natural carcinogens deflects attention from industry's responsibility for environmental risks. Ames, she says, exaggerates levels of natural toxins and understates the exposure to and effect of synthetic chemicals...
...meantime, the U.S. should begin to take unilateral action. The centerpiece of such a policy should be a comprehensive drive to cut gaseous emissions by conserving energy. Whether or not global warming is an imminent threat, curbing energy use would produce a more breathable atmosphere and reduce American dependence on unreliable foreign sources of fossil fuels...
...rise as much as 4.5 degrees C (8 degrees F) within the next 60 years. Another 11.3 million hectares (28 million acres) of tropical forest were destroyed. The ozone hole over Antarctica remained alarmingly large, and scientists reported evidence that a second hole was developing over the Arctic. Whether or not all of the dire predictions come to pass, they underscore a chilling message: the planet is in grave trouble. If nations do not take drastic action, it could one day be unfit as a human habitat...