The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 64, No. 20, Ed. 1 Monday, November 15, 1976 Page: 3 of 8
eight pages : ill. ; page 20 x 14 in.View a full description of this newspaper.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
International briefs
(ZNS) County police in
Baltimore, Maryland, have
been ordered to stop issuing so
many traffic tickets because
the county is running out of
ticket books.
(ZNS) If you think you've got
an insect problem, how about
the new "superbug" that is
showing up in South America?
Scientists in Peru are
concerned about a flying
insect, about four times larger
than a common house fly, that
thrives on garbage, is immune
to pesticides and can live for
months without food or even
air.
The name of this creature is
the "chirimacha." Health
officials report that although
the so-called "superbug" is
often a parasite on small
animals, it prefers to make its
home in human kitchens
where it can munch on
leftovers.
On top of everything else,
Science Digest says that the
chirimacha often carries a rare
tropical disease that is almost
always painfully fatal.
(ZNS) A state college in
Michigan, confused by the
federal law against sex
discrimination, has given up
labeling its restrooms "men"
and "women."
Instead, Lake Superior State
College labels the restrooms in
its new athletic facility
"number one," "number two,"
and "number three." Women
currently use number one
while men use number two.
By employing this method,
the college explains, if one sex
complains about unequal
facilities, the mien and women
can simply reverse room
numbers for awhile.
At present, no one is using
number three—because no
one's sure who that one is for.
(ZNS) The throw-away way
of life in the U.S. is
threatening to bury America
under mountains of trash.
The Massachusetts Audu-
bon Society reports that
America's annual trash heap
includes about 17 billion cans,
38 billion bottles and jars, 4
million tons of plastic, 7.6
million television sets, 7
million cars and trucks and 35
. million tons of paper.
(ZNS) A study in Germany
has concluded that modern
"classical" music can make
musicians ill. Perhaps it is
even worse than rock music.
Two German researchers
say that the music of
Stockhausen, Henze, Berio,
Webern and other modern
classical composers—music
which is filled with dissonan-
ces, loud bangs in unexpected
places and irregular rhy-
thms—is causing nervous-
ness, headaches, insomnia
and depression among many
of the musicians who perform
it.
The study found that 72 out
of 93 members of a classical
orchestra which plays the
modern tunes reported being
nervously affected by
concerts.
Prevention Magazine,
which reported the study,
suggests it isn't the loudness of
the music that's causing the
problem. Says Prevention: it
is "its lack of design that
makes itself felt by shock
effects for which the listener—
and even the musician—is
totally unprepared for
psychologically."
(ZNS) What are the most
dramatic sounds on a movie
soundtrack?
According to a group of
motion-picture engineers, the
ten most effective sounds to
use are a baby's first cry; the
blast of a siren; the sound of
waves crashing on rocks; the
roar of a forest fire; a foghorn;
the slow drip of water; the
galloping of horses; the sound
of a distant train whistle; the
howl of a dog; and the
wedding march.
The last one, the wedding
march, reportedly has the
power to bring forth almost
every human emotion-
including tears, sadness, envy,
regret, sorrow and supreme
joy.
(ZNS) Former Beatle Paul
McCartney, in the wake of the
Soviet decision to release some
of his recordings in Russia,
says he twould like to tour the
USSR with his band Wings.
Soviet officials recently
announced plans to circulate
McCartney's "Band on the
Run" in Russia. The album
reportedly has been selling on
the Soviet black market for
prices as high as $85 for a
single copy.
(ZNS) Should the "Ku Klux
Klan" really be known as the
"Ku Klutz Klan"?
The Illinois legislative
investigating commission,
which recently looked into
Klan activities in that state, is
reporting that the radical
white hate group is "so inept"
that they have trouble burning
crosses.
The commission recently
issued a report on the K.K.K.
which describes one typical
cross-lighting ceremony
which had been infiltrated by
investigators.
The report states: "While the
men were trying to raise the 60
foot cross, the ropes snapped.
The cross crashed back to
earth, almost crushing several
Klansmen. Then they decided
to chop off ten feet from the
bottom to make the cross
lighter and easier to raise.
"After taking a few swings,
the Klansman wielding the
only available ax missed his
mark and broke the handle in
half. He had to finish the job
with a hatchet. In all, it took
almost three hours for the
Klansmen to raise and secure
the cross."
When everything else was
ready, the Klansmen could not
get the cross to burn because
the report continues, "the
Klansmen had wrapped the
cross in a flame retardant rug
pad instead of the usual
burlap."
The report concludes that
rather than being a threat to
the community, "the Klan of
today belongs in a comic
strip."
(ZNS) An angry bank
customer in Doraville,
Georgia, has been charged
with a felony after he
physically attacked and beat
an automated teller which
refused to give the man back
his bank card.
Police report that "Tillie,"
the mechanical bank teller,
"was assaulted and suffered
internal damage" after John
Hulme began hammering
away at the machine with a
heavy instrument.
Hulme was charged with
felonious criminal damage to
property, and "Tillie," well. . .
she is reportedly suffering
damage estimated at over
$1000 from the angry attack.
Tillie has not explained why
the card was not returned.
(ZNS) A former government
worker and amateur astrono-
mer says that a detailed study
of U.S. space agency
photographs reveals that
something very peculiar is
occuring on the surface of the
moon.
The researcher, George
Leonard of Rockville,
Maryland, reports he has
become convinced that
intelligent creatures are
actively mining the lunar
surface, and that government
agencies are aware of this
project.
Leonard has authored a
book on his observations titled
Somebody Else is On the
Moon. His book reproduces
official NASA photographs
which he says show gigantic
construction objects at work
digging on the lunar surface.
Leonard claims to have
sighted a pipe between two
and three miles long; a ladder
or tread from a "mammoth
vehicle"; "a motor as big as the
Bronx"; and two-mile long "X-
Drone machines" which
reportedly are digging new
craters and tearing down old
ones.
NASA, in- the meantime,
suggests that Leonard is "just
another one of those nuts."
(ZNS) If your friends
already have pet rocks and
sand breeding kits, how about
getting them a square egg
maker for the holidays?
The square egg maker, the
brainchild of Stan Pargman of
Miami, is for the host or
hostess who is tired of oval-
shaped eggs that slide all over
plates.
So the square egg maker
works like this: A warm, peeled
hard boiled egg is placed into
the chamber, the top jis
screwed down, compressing
the egg, and the device is then
stored in a refrigerator for
about six minutes.
When the top is unscrewed,
presto. . . you've got a cube-
shaped egg.
So far, one large deparment
store has sold out its supply of
1000 square egg makers, and
the orders for the $6 devices
are still pouring in.
What's next? Perhaps round
dice.
(ZNS) The federal govern-
ment's General Services
Administration (GSA) has
quietly but efficiently installed
more than 100 photo-sensitive
flag poles around the United
States which automatically
raise and lower the American
Flag each day.
The poles, which are located
at selected federal office
buildings, post offices and
court houses, rely on light
sensors to automatically send
Old Glory to the top of the pole
at daybreak, and bring the
flag down at nighttime. They
all work remotely; no humane
are involved.
The GSA, while saying that
no exact cost figures exist,
estimates the average cost ot
each automatic pole is about
$4000.
The light-sensitive flag
staffs are being introduced
reportedly to free federal
employees to do more
important things.
The GSA admits there are
some problems, however: some
flags won't obey commands to
stay at half-staff; and. othex
come down and go back up
every time a cloud passes
overhead and darkens the sky
a bit.
D00MESBURT
YEAH, YOORE
RI6HT— TRY
THE HOSPITAL.
\
THArS- WHY DONT
STRANGE.. YOU CALL
JOANIE'S REDFERrfS
NOT HOME.. HOUSE?
AT SEVEN IN \
THE MORNING!
RICKS? YDUTH/NK
SHE AND RICK..
~N0.. NO, CLYDE,
CANT Be!
RING!.
R/N6L --
BLONPe!
UH..SH0ULP DONT
I? I MEAN, mem-MY
~ RIN6! IT'S YOUR. MOTHERS
RING! PHONE! IN FRANCE!
RICK! CDUU?YOU
■RING! THE: ANSWER fT,
RING! PHONE! J0ME?
I'M IN THE
HELLO?.
IS THAI
YOU, RICK?
^ SHOWER!
BLONPIE!
GINNY? HEE.HEE!
i UlHAVO HAP-
\ RENIN,'
girl?!
WELL, I DETAILS' ■
LIKE I WANT
HIM- DETAILS'
H ^
■
UM.. YEAH■■
WEIL.. YEAH?
\
ji&p'/ju/fiit.
the rice thresher, monday, november 20, 1976 — page 3
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
McFarland, Carla. The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 64, No. 20, Ed. 1 Monday, November 15, 1976, newspaper, November 15, 1976; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth245311/m1/3/: accessed June 20, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.