NATION/WORLD The Michigan Daily - Friday, October 17, 1997 - 7 *Acapulco struggles to stay ydrated ACAPULCO, Mexico (AP) - Standing in huge, snaking lines along Acapulco's sweltering, dust-caked streets, thousands of people pleaded Thursday for one of life's most basic necessities: Water. The shortage of clean water has come critical since Hurricane Pauline tore through southern Mexico last week, killing at least 230 people. Officials are trucking in tens of thou- sands of gallons a day, but it is not enough to quench the thirst of an increasingly desperate population of 1.5 million. Thousands of people lined up to pick up half-liter bottles of water at a distri- ution center in the Parque las Lajas Wighborhood yesterday. Some came as early as 3 a.m. To prevent unrest, a sol- dier with an automatic rifle stood guard at the front of the line. Paula Tomatzin, a 27-year-old taco vendor, made it to the front of the line but was turned away by a worker. She had an iodine mark on her right hand, showing that she had already picked up her daily ration. "It's not enough for my whole family. need more. I have three little children and they don't have enough to drink," she begged. It didn't work. Tomatzin walked away, head hanging low. The relief center's director, Juan Jose Alarcon, said it was tough to turn people away, but many hadn't gotten AP PHOTO Ricardo Salazar waits for his turn to recieve more drinking water with his sons Angel Salazar, 1, and Ricardo Salazar, 3, In La Laja neighborhood in Acapulco, Mexico. The shortage of clean water since Hurricane Pauline has become critical. any water yet. He was supposed to stop handing out water at 5:30 every afternoon, but he kept the center open an extra couple of hours Wednesday because the lines were still long. Even then, he had to turn people away. "Shamefully, most of Acapulco is without water" he said. "There is a great need." The deadly flash floods unleashed by Hurricane Pauline on Oct. 9 mangled water pipes throughout the city and heavily damaged the two main aque- ducts that carry river * water to Acapulco's water purification plants. The smaller of the aqueducts was repaired Wednesday, and by yesterday 30 percent of city residents had running water far at least part of the day, said Eleno Garcia Benavente, an official with the National Water Commission. Crews delivered an extra 1.3 million gallons a day in bottles and tanker trucks. But in many neighborhoods, there simply wasn't any. In the western suburbs, women piled up sacks of flood-muddied clothes and took hourlong bus rides to a river where they could bathe and do their washing. Downtown, people scooped water from an open, gurgling manhole. On the banks of the fetid Camarones River, people dug holes in the mud, let the sediment sink and scooped up liquid from the top. Some were drinking it. "It isn't good to drink, but we're thirsty," said Selene Toribio Abellanera, 21. "We adults can han- dIe it, but children aren't as strong and we have to look for bottled water for them." She had waited five hours to get that bottled water - a ration of about 1 1/2 quarts for her family of four. Already, waterborne diseases have begun to appear. Officials said yester- day that Acapulco had eight confirmed cases of cholera, a bacterial infection that causes diarrhea, dehydration and sometimes death. Doctors warned of a possible epidemic. Reunited triplets part of health study ®19-year-olds meet in surprise reunion, only to learn they were part of a behavioral experiment Newsday It seemed almost a miracle - three ung men, strangers who had grown up in separate families, discovering by accident that they were identical triplets. The public devoured their inspiring story as it made headlines around the country in 1980. The trio, who had grown up in the New York area, appeared on "Good Morning America," "Today," "Donohue" and "Geraldo Rivera." A movie of their lives was in the works. But for all the intense media cover- age, a side of this seemingly happy story has remained untold for 17 years, a secret about their childhood that stunned the triplets, Eddy Galland of New Hyde Park, David Kellman of Queens and Robert Shafran of Scarsdale. For when they found one another at age 19, they also realized that they had been part of a human experiment - apparently funded partly by the National Institute of Mental Health. For years the same researchers came to each of their homes under the guise of conducting a "child development study." Throughout their childhoods their behavior had been charted, their person- alities monitored, their relationships with their adoptive parents scrutinized. The same researchers had gone from the Gallands to the Kellmans to the Shafrans, never telling the boys or their parents the study's true nature or that the boys had identical siblings living nearby. Others were studied, as well, including about a dozen pairs of identi- cal twins put up for adoption through the same adoption agency that placed the triplets - Louise Wise Services of New York City. Seventeen years after they first learned of the study, the two living triplets still harbor feelings of anger. "How can you do this with little children? How can you do this to a lit- tle baby - innocent children being torn apart at birth?" asked Robert Shafran, who now lives in Brooklyn and is entering law practice. David Kellman, now of Maplewood, N.J., wonders why he couldn't have grown up with his brothers. "We were robbed of 20 years together," said Kellman, the proprietor of Triplets Roumanian Steak House in New York City. COMMUNICATIONS U S West Communications Undergraduate Recruiting Presentation U S West Communications is seeking talented individuals for its Intern and College Hire program. College Hires All new hires will participate in a two-three year rotational Development & Training program. The program will typically consist of the following type of rotational assignments: * Supervisory Assignment " Staff Assignment * Cross Functional Assignment Interns All intern positions will participate in a structured three month Development & Training program which may, include a particular project in the following disciplines: " Supervisory Assignment * Staff Assignment All interested students should attend an information presentation to be held on the evening of October 20, from 6:00-7:30pm and 8:00-9:00pm at the Michigan League, Conference room #4. Social security boost at nearly a 10-year low WASHINGTON (AP) -Along with 44 million other Americans who receive Social Security benefits, Rufus Clayton will see his monthly check grow next year by just 2.1 percent - in .bjs case, $10.50 - the lowest cost-of- ving raise in a decade. "They give you a little increase," said Clayton, 77, a retired bricklayer who helped build the Pentagon. "But you can believe me, you don't have ... extra money on Social Security. I mean, you have to watch your budget and watch it close.' Like about 15 percent of retirees, Clayton's only income is from Social ecurity. Next year's cost-of-living Increase, announced yesterday, will push his monthly check to about $514.50 from this year's $504. Clayton, who lives in a subsidized apartment for low-income elderly, still won't be able to afford market-rate rents in the nation's capital. And Clayton also will have to forgo buying any more of the snappy hats and ties he likes to wear. "That's the way you get through," layton said. Checks from the government's biggest benefit program are adjusted annually to keep inflation from eroding their buying power. For 1998, the adjustment means that starting in January the average monthly check for retirees will rise by $16 to $765, said Commissioner Kenneth Apfel. The maximum check for retirees will rise to $1,342 from $1,326. PARENTS Continued from Page 2. and catch the football game. "My parents and my 12-year-old brother are mainly coming for the foot- The average monthly payment to dis- abled workers will rise to $722 from $707. And the maximum monthly Supplemental Security payment for 6.5 million elderly or disabled individuals with low incomes also will rise 2.1 per- cent, or $10, to $494. That's the secovid-lowest cost of liv-. ing increase since the adjustment became automatic in 1975. The low was 1.3 percent in 1987. "It is low, but that's the direct result of low inflation," Apfel said. "This low inflation is very good news." Separately, the agency said that for 144 million working Americans, the maximum annual earnings subject to Social Security payroll taxes next year will rise to $68,400 from $65,400. Because the rate at which earnings are taxed remains at 6.2 percent, the maxi- mum Social Security tax will be $4,241. The cost-of-living adjustments are based on changes in the Consumer Price Index from the third quarter of one year to the third quarter of the next. Union contracts guarantee about 5 million working Americans similar raises tied to inflation, the AFL-CIO says. For most workers, however, raises are not a sure thing and wages grow at a lesser rate - a seasonally adjust- ed 0.8 percent during the 12 months that ended June 30 for all civilian employees, the Bureau of Labor Statistics says. from home. "It gives kids a chance to see their parents and it's something to look forward to;' she said. Events begin tonight with a perfor- mance by a capella group 58 Greene at the Power Center at 8:30. Tickets will be available for $8 at the door. AP PHOTO Senior citizens Margaret Joublanc, left, and Jeanne Martin compare painting tech- niques in an art class at the Washington Adult Center in Phoenix, Ariz. WILLIAMS Continued from Page 1. The silhouettes will be displayed in the Art Lounge of the Michigan Union along with art, poetry and T-shirts from combination of displays is educational. "In a way, since the display is so diverse itself, it reflects how diverse domestic violence is,' Stella said. "People do live on,... this is a part of the healing process.