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f* • •/*>* " TRENDS Tuesday, August 27,1985 Section B War-torn Nicaragua is seen first By Joe Agnew Herald staff writer Summer vacations are traditionally viewed as a time to get away from the everyday pressures of work and the city; a time to spend in the sun with loved ones and friends; and a time to forget about the sometimes disturbing complexities of world problems. For reasons that don't have to be explained, most people would never think of spending two weeks in a war-torn Central American country, whose many impoverished residents face both malnutrition and the constant threat of gunfire. Yet the recent trips to Nicaragua by two Fox Valley-area residents -- Cinny Poppen and John Mateyko -- are better described as personal fact-finding missions than vacations. Now that they are safely back in the United States, both feel they have eyewitness proof to what they have believed for a long time: That the Reagan administration's continued funding of the government-opposed contras has little popular support from the Nicaraguan people; that U.S. reports of religious repression are unfounded and greatly exaggerated; and that the current Sandinista government has made more strides in improving health and education in three years than the Somoza dictator­ ship did during its 40 years of rule. Both area residents went to Nicaragua at different times and with different groups. Mateyko visited Nicaragua from July 18 to August 1 with 18 other Americans, and Poppen with 16 other Americans from July 12 to 26. Both were members of delegations sponsored by Witness For Peace, a Christian, grassroots organization that has sent over 1,100 Americans to Nicaragua as observers and peace ambassadors since 1983. Both were there shortly before another Witness For Peace group was taken hostage -- then eventually released unharmed -- by Costa Rican-based contras. Besides eyewitness accounts, Poppen and Mateyko say their conclu­ sions are based on discussions with a variety of sources, including clergymen, civilians, businessmen, and persons associated with both the Sandinista government and several opposition parties. Because the trips have no connection with the Sandinista government, none of the Witness For Peace delegations are guaranteed government protection. Both groups experienced constant disruptions in their sched­ ules, either because the rainy season made roads impossible to travel, or persons scheduled to speak with them made last-minute cancellations. Upon arriving, both said their groups were given sobering briefings on how to react if confronted by contra soldiers, if caught in crossfire, and preventive health measures. Although they heard many horror stories and the nightly sounds of gunshots, the two are also able to describe the beauty of Managua and other villages' parades, fiestas and pageantry. They said they were left in awe by the countryside's lush green vegetation, and the beautiful colors of its tropical flowers and birds. But they were mostly impressed by the will of its people. Dundee resident Poppen said she went to Nicaragua because it is hard to get any real information about the crisis in that country. "1 already had an opinion about the situation, but going there made it emotional and powerful," said the divorced 47-year old mother of three. Mateyko, 38, and an 18-year resident of Elgin, has for a long time been collecting human rights reports compiled by the United Nations, c h u r c h e s a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l a g u c t e . A s h ? p o i n t s o u t , w , _ _ _ , lift-well as many senators and members of Congress. "Either Reagan was lying -- or they (the reports) were," Mateyko said. "The untruth was somewhere." From her various discussions, Poppen said she learned that no matter how disgruntled people are with the present government, they all agree that things are much better than they were under the Somoza family. She said at present the two biggest issues in the country are inflation and the military draft, both which are popularly believed to be caused by the current civil war. "It's an imposed civil war," she said. "Without the support of the U.S. government, it would stop." For the average Nicaraguan, Mateyko said, the foremost political sentiment is neither pro or anti-Sandinista, put rather simple patriotism toward their country. He said it is called "Nicaragua Libre," and he compares it to the same nationalism experienced by U.S. citizens during its world wars. He noted that the first thing he saw after arriving at the airport was a welcome sign bearing that expression, and that it is also on every car license plate. "First, before pro or anti Sandinista, people are pro- Nicaragua," he said. "They hear about every move the U.S. makes. It's like the kiss of death." The only places the contras maintain support is in the rural areas where they maintain their presence, Mateyko noted. He said it was his impression that their support came as a result of their numbers, or because of the symbol of power they represent to down-trodden, illiterate people. In most other areas, however, the contras are viewed as terrorists. Both Poppen and Mateyko heard many stories about the rape and torture imposed by the contras, which they both believe is psychological warfare designed to frighten people into abandoning their government- provided land, homes and schools. NICARAGUA-- Page 5B SSBMI In a and Cinny Herald photo by Eddy Montville with friends outside the Crystal "Let Nicaragua Live." The two have recently returned from John Mateyko of Elgin, second from right, trips to the war-torn region. of Dundee, far right, hold a banner urging W* 4 fPE . V ^ % divorce Crime of the Week PEOPLE TALK Program set on hearing loss For most people, hearing loss doesn't happen overnight. It is a gradual process, becoming notice­ able over time as conversations with friends, family and business associates become more difficult to hear or understand. Even for people who choose to use a hearing aide, comprehending con­ versations can become a problem if they do not understand the proper care and use of the device. The faster Seal Society for Mc- Henry County will be offering an Aural Rehabilitation program in September to adults with hearing loss who are having difficulty communicating. Basic techniques lor effective communication, methods to com­ pensate for hearing loss, and in­ struction on proper care and opera­ tion of hearing aides and other devices will be taugfet by a qualified speech pathologist. Attitudes about hearing loss, lip reading and speech reading techniques will also be discussed. The four week program includes group discussions of one and a half hours each. Individual therapy ses­ sions will be scheduled for those who need them, as determined by an initial screening. "The goal of the program is to improve the patient's ability to communicate with family, friends and others in a variety of surround-1 ings," Easter Seal Speech Patholo­ gist Blair Barkal said. Deadline for registration is Au­ gust 30. Call Easter Seals at (815) 338-1707 to learn more about this nmtfiram and nnct Ameche and movies Glimpses Steve Martin and Ride Moranls will star in the movie version of the off-Broadway hit "Little Shop of Horrors," which was based on the 1961 B-movie that starred Jack Nicholson. The voice of the movie's other star, the bloodthirsty Venus flytrap, will be Levi Stubbs of the Four Tops. NIMC lecture scheduled on managing medications Silver savers program open to seniors People 60-years old or older can sign up for the Southwestern Bell silver savers program at McHenry County Senior Citizens' Council of­ fices, 1-c, 1M Crystal Lake Plaza in Crystal Lake. The indentification card entitles seniors to discounts and special of­ fers found in the silver pages direc­ tory. Coupons can be clipped from the directory for further savings. For more information, call the council office at 455-2157, or 1-800- When Don Ameche quit making movies he also quit going to see them. Ameche says he saw only three -- "The Godfather," "Kramer vs. Kramer" and "E.T." -- in a 10-year period. He was well off financially and came out of retirement for a role in "Trading Places" only after he was given the same salary that Ray Miland was to have gotten for the role. "Hell, I'd gone for 12 years without making a picture so what was the difference?" he told People magazine. Ameche, 77, has become something of a senior sex symbol with his role in "Cocoon" but says he wouldn't choose near-eternal life like his character in the movie. "I wouldn't go," he said. "I'm a very contented, peaceful man." Ameche, who has been seperated from his wife for 19 years but won't because of their Catholic faith, says he thinks of himself as "someone who had decent looks and could sing decently well." Guitar hero Guitarist Roy Buchanan says he turned down a chance to join the Rolling Stones when Brian Jones died in 1969, which was fortunate for his health. Still, Buchanan had a few wrecks in the fast lane on his own. "If I had joined the Stones I'd probably be dead by now," he says. "I got into the drug scene real bad toward the end of the '60s." There was the time John Lennon agreed to play on Buchanan's album in 1971 and showed up at the studio to find Buchanan out of hand. "I was too torqued to play," he said. "I just passed out." Now, having given up drink and drugs, he's enjoying the success of his new album, "When a Guitar Plays the Blues," as well as the emergence of guitarists like Stevie Ray Vaughan and George Thorogood. "They sure help old codgers like me," Buchanan says. "When the kids start listening to them they also start looking into the music to see who else was around." He says Jeff Beck will be playing on his next record. 's beauties Harper's Bazaar via UPI Among the 10 most beautiful women in the U.S., according to September's Harper's Bazaar, are: top left, Linda Evans; top right, Diana Ross; bottom left, Jadyn Smith; bottom right,̂ Con­ nie Sellecca. Others in the top 10 were: Cheryl Tiegs, Barbara Walters, Isabella Rossellini, Catherine Oxenberg, Molly Ring- wald and Rebecca DeMornay. "Did I take my pill? How long ago did I take it? Did I take enough?" Northern Illinois Medical Center wants to help the older adult avoid accidents with the medicine that comes into their lives in later years. Kelly Violi, RPH, a NIMC phar­ macist, will be speaking on "Avoiding Medication Mishaps," in Room 861 at NIMC on Wednes­ day, Sept. 11,1985,1:30-2:30 p.m. The program, presented by the NIMC education department, will cover such issues as what to do if you forget to take your medicine and how to manage medications safely. What should you do if you take too much? There will be a time for answering the questions you've been wanting to ask. This lecture is part of the Older Adult Lecture Series which is designed to help answer questions concerning the needs and changes experienced by the older adult. The program is held monthly, and a different topic is offered each month by the NIMC staff and other health-related profes­ sionals. The next program coming up after the one on medication mishaps will be "Medicare and •* You," on Oct. 9. The medical center is located at Route 31 and Bull Valley Road in McHenry. To pre-register for the free lectures call the education department at 815/344-5000, exten­ sion 3861. EASTER SEAL MEETING The annual membership meeting of the Easter Seal Society for Mc­ Henry County will be held at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, August 27, at the Easter Seal Therapy Center, 708 Washington, Woodstock. From disco to hospital This week Crime Stoppers is seeking information on two burglaries to autos in Cary. Sometime during the night of June llth, two cars in the Brigadoon Subdivision of Cary were broken into. One car was entered and a Sanyo cassette player and Numark stereo equalizer were taken. In the second incident, the thieves drove or pushed an MGB Roadster two blocks from where it was parked. They then took a Pioneer KP400 stereo with Sanyo speakers and a Pyramid equalizer from the car. Police investigations noted that in both thefts the stereos had been removed without damage to the Lorna Luft, sister of Liza Minndli and daughter of Judy Garland, is looking for a quieter life and thinks her new role on "Trapper John, M.D." is just the thing. "Mother and Liza loved all the traveling around with their tours and the excitement of appearing on stage," she says. "Not me. I've done all the running around, seen all the discos and walked oh enough stages. Now I'm grown up with a commitment to my family." Luft and husband Jake Hooker moved from New York to Los Angeles, thinking it would be a better place to raise their 15-month-old son and good for her career. She likes the security of being on a television series and will play nurse Libby Kegler on "Trapper John." "I know I'm not as flamboyant as Liza -- who is my best friend -- or my mother. But you make a choice about whether to be a person with flair. I'm outgoing, but that's not flamboyant. cars, indicating that the thieves brought tools with them. Crime Stoppers pays cash rewards of up to $1,000 for in­ formation leading to the arrest and filing of criminal charges ime against offenders. If you have any i n f o r m a t i o n a b o u t t h e s e burglaries to autos in Cary, or in­ formation on any other crimes, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-762- STOP.