1994 Year in Review

 Highlights:

• Departure from Morocco, home leave in the U.S. and arrival in Athens early September just in time to close out the fiscal year. 
• Prior to leaving Morocco I visited the south of Spain.  Driving up to Tangier and taking the ferry to Algeciras, Spain.  Visits to Ronda, Granada (The Alhambra) and Costa del Sol including Malaga, Torremolinos and Marbella. (See separate Blog
• Tennis tournament November 5, 1994.  Enjoyed tennis at the American school and Politia Tennis club and squash Politia as well.

Politia Tennis Club

                    

                                                       Dining at the club            

• Numerous CODELS including Shelby in December and Sarbanes in January.

U.S. Events:

·         Olympic figure skater Nancy Kerrigan attacked (Jan. 6); three arrested in attack (Jan. 13).

·         Aldrich Ames, high C.I.A. official, charged with spying for Soviets (Feb. 22).

·         Four convicted in World Trade Center bombing (March 4).

·         Clinton accused of sexual harassment while Governor of Arkansas (May 6).

·         O. J. Simpson arrested in killings of wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and friend, Ronald Goldman   (June 18).

·         US Supreme Court approves limit on abortion protests (June 30).

·         Senate confirms Stephen G. Breyer for Supreme Court (July 29).

·         Major league baseball players strike (Aug. 13).

·         Newt Gingrich named House Speaker (Dec. 5).

World Events:

·         Serbs' heavy weapons pound Sarajevo (Jan. 5-6).  Thousands dead in Rwanda massacre (April 6).

·         South Africa holds first interracial national election (April 29); Nelson Mandela elected   President.

·         Israel signs accord with Palestinians (May 4), peace treaty with Jordan (Oct. 17).

·         IRA declares cease-fire in Northern Ireland (Aug. 31). Ulster Protestants declare cease-fire (Oct. 13).

·         Aristide returns to Haiti (Oct. 4), forms Government with Prime Minister and Cabinet (Nov.   9).

·         US sends forces to Persian Gulf (Oct. 7).

·         Russians attack secessionist Republic of Chechnya (Dec. 11 et seq.).

Movies:

Best Picture "Schindler's List".  Best Actor Tom Hanks "Philadelphia".  Best actress Holly Hunter "The Piano"; Best supporting actor Tommy Lee Jones "The Fugitive"; Best supporting actress Anna Paquin, "The Piano.  Best Director Steven Spielberg "Schlinder's List".  Best Foreign Film "Belle Epoch".  

Super Bowl

Super Bowl XXVIII was between the Dallas Cowboys and Buffalo Bills.. The Cowboys defeated the Bills for the second straight year by the score of 30–13, winning their fourth Super Bowl in team history, tying the Pittsburgh Steelers and the San Francisco 49ers for most Super Bowl wins. This is the only time that the same two teams have met in consecutive Super Bowls. The defending Super Bowl XXVII champion Cowboys finished with a 12–4 regular season record, despite key players missing games due to injuries. The Bills were making their fourth consecutive Super Bowl appearance, but still seeking their first title, after also finishing with a 12–4 regular season record, largely through the strength of their no-huddle offense.

After trailing 13–6 at halftime, the Cowboys scored 24 unanswered points in the second half. The Bills had built their lead off of running back Thurman Thomas' 4-yard touchdown run. But just 45 seconds into the third quarter, Thomas was stripped of the ball, and Dallas safety James Washington returned the fumble 46 yards for a touchdown to tie the game. From there, Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith, who was named the Super Bowl MVP, largely took over the game. On Dallas' next possession, Smith was handed the ball seven times on an eight-play, 64-yard drive that was capped off with his 15-yard touchdown run. He later scored on a 1-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. Overall, Smith had 30 carries for 132 yards and 2 touchdowns, while also catching 4 passes for 26 yards.

World Series

The 1994 World Series was canceled on September 14 of that year due to a strike by the MLB Players Association that started on August 12. It was only the second time in MLB history that a World Series was not played in a given season (the first being in 1904).  This was to have been the first year of a regularly scheduled three-tier playoff system, with the National League and American League divided into three divisions (East, Central, and West) at the start of the 1994 season. (An unscheduled three-tier system was used in 1981 due to the shortening of the season by a mid-season labor dispute.) The new playoff system (involving a wild card team in each league) did not go into effect until the 1995 postseason.