PINES OF CAROLINA GIRL SCOUT COUNCIL. INC
Route 8. Box 59, Ratetgn. North Carofcna 27012
SERVING 20 COUNTIES TELEPHONE ?B2 3 021
Where the Money Goes
m Pines of Carolina Girl Scout Councrf
COUNCIL COSTS
CaO?n
3614 box*?
Tent with fty
ptatform 4 beds
1314 bo?M
&
C?no?
S47 bo i?
4 ho*e Ui trine
? 76 boiM
COO K I 1'. MOSEY -? Where tin ? money front the sales oj Girl Scout cookies
is shown by this chart. Hoke County Girl Scouts and Brownies are taking
orders for cookies till February S. The cookies will he delivered between
March S and 22.
The Johnson Company
INSURANCE
AUTO ? FIRE
HOMEOWNERS ? COMMERCIAL
V.*" .tk<n f*. >r/ J ( /f/rj/ ?
1 10 E. Central Avenue Phone 875-3550
Pierced Duck, Menacing Cobra, Playboy Bird
Made 1981 An Antic Y ear In Animal Kingdom
Those Held mice infected with
bubonic plague that threatened
President Reagan on his California
ranch and the stranded shark that
got roped by Vice President Bush
on a Maine beach were not the only
wild creatures that made news in
l%l.
An assortment of animals that
Noah would be proud of crept into
headlines around the world by
causing trouble for some humans,
helping others, and by just
struggling to survive -- sometimes
unsuccessfully -? in a world domi
nated by humans, the National
Wildlife Federation found in its
annual survey of animal antics
during the past year.
Med flics on the West Coast,
gypsy moths in the East, a duck
with an arrow through her breast, a
baboon that turned in a false tire
alarm. and a deadly snake that
pulled duty as a night watchman
were among non-human news
makers.
Donna the Duck was the victim,
and then heroine, of one of the
most bizarre wildlife stories. The
tiny mallard became a national
celebrity when she appeared at a
Las Vegas. Nev.. country club with
an arrow through her breast. After
two weeks of trying, veterinarians
finally caught her. removed the
arrow, and released her. At last
report Donna was continuing her
charmed life on a pond in the
middle of the club's golf course.
Nipper, a ferret, made news --
and ferreted out some news -- by
lending a hand, or paw. to the
British Broadcasting Corporation.
The tiny weasel-like creature pulled
TV cables through a twisted under
ground duet connecting Bucking
ham Palace to commentators out
side and thus enabled BBC to
broadcast to the entire planet a
part of the commotion surrounding
the wedding of Prince Charles and
Lady Diana.
Not all animals were so helpful,
the NWF survey found. Alexis, a
baboon, brought sis fire trucks
I JLUflii n nnnnnnwwmrcv
HARDIN'S FOOD STORE
(BESIDE FIRE STATION)
ROCKR8M, N.C.
AND
COLE'S FOOD STORE
(Except Gasoline)
MAIN ST., RAEFORD
OUQSDOD
V AWES
We are small enough to be friendly,
and large enough to serve your every
need.
Mmm if
racing to the scene when she
grabbed the lever on a fire alarm
box next to her quarters in a
Baltimore research lab. Trouble is.
there was no tire. Jonathan, a horse
in Del Mar. Cal., turned in two
talse alarms before his owner
stopped the horsing around by
fencing off an alarm box.
All kinds of critters tangled with
electricity. An owl knocked out a
power system in Klamath Falls.
Ore., when it landed on a hot line
with a snake in its beak. The snake
caught fire and 5,200 homes went
dark. In a prison at Dallas. Tex., a
hungry four-fool king snake, look
ing for prey, knocked out three
generators for three hours. In
Washington, D.C.. it was an errant
squirrel that caused a blackout on
Thanksgiving Day.
Another invention of man. the
drainpipe, nearly cost the life of a
black and white cat named
Squeaky in Reston. Va. Instead he
cost his owner $1,500 when it took
two crews of plumbers two days to
dig Squeaky out of an underground
trap into which the drainpipe -- and
his curiosity -- had led him. On the
other hand, a 45-pound alligator
got out of his outdoor pen at the
Denver Zoo without any help from
humans. The 'gator, inevitably
named Albert, was captured 28
days later in a park pond.
A mess of reptiles made news
when a Georgia dealer in protected
wildlife handed over a bag con
taining a do/en eastern indigo
snakes in exchange for SI. 200. His
customer turned out to be a federal
agent who had videotaped the
snakescam" transaction. Other
reptiles illegally traded and seized
by the feds included Indian
pythons. Gila monsters and a
Jamaican boa.
It was in London that a "very
u'nemous cobra was placed inside
a showcase containing the world's
third largest star sapphire to
discourage theft of the rare gem
from Sir Lanka. Other animals that
did people's work included two
dolphins named Lady and Molly
whose services were sought by a
Florida ship salvager to locate silver
bars in the wreckage of two Spanish
galleons that sank off Key West in
1622.
Several species of wildlife made
news for their roles in scientific
research. At Athens. Ohio, biology
researchers transferred the genes of
rabbits to mice and then to their
oflspring - a breakthrough in
genetic engineering that could lead
to the transfer of traits from one
species to another. In an Oak
Ridge. Tenn.. laboratory, crickets
gave scientists some clues to
dangerous side effects of con
taminants in synthetic fuels bv
sprouting extra eyes and heads.
Not all lab critters enjoyed their
assigned roles, the NWF report
showed. In an experiment reported
in the Journal of the American
Medical Association, a ferret in
jected with a respiratory virus got
even with the experimenter when
the scientist bent over to check the
animal lor watery eyes and other
symptoms. I he ferret sneezed and
'he researcher caught the virus. A
California brain surgeon sued the
University of Oklahoma and others
for $2.75 million, claiming he was
permanently disabled" when a
chimpanzee named Washoe bit off
the noddle finger of his right hand
during a visit to the University's
Institute for Primate Studies.
In Montgomery County. Md.. a
medical researcher was fined
$3,015 for failing to provide ade
quate care for six monkeys in his
lab. But in Ann Arbor. Mich.,
another medic operated on a
3Vj pound Boston terrier named
Sweetie Pie and removed half a
pound of metal, including HO cents
in coins, from her stomach.
The National Zoo in Wash
ington. D.C.. imported a male
panda named Chia-Chia all the way
from London to mate with its
famed but shy female. Ling-Ling.
All that happened was that Ling
Ling got beat up. But in Green
County. Wis., a judge had to sign a
court order to restrain a bull owned
by Glen Schmid from mating.
Schmid s bull, his neighbors
charged, jumped their fence and
"immaturely impregnated" eight of
their heifers. And in Miami the
pink talmingos that ornament the
infield at the Hialeah race track
mated successfully for the first time
in nine years.
An amorous bird thought to be
extinct made news by reappearing
in the mountains of New Guinea.
Ornithologist Jared Diamond first
heard a birdcall that sounded like
"someone shoveling gravel." then
spied a bird that more than a dozen
expeditions had tailed to find since
the turn of the century -- a yellow -
fronted gardener bowerbird.
Courting a female perched near
by. the rare bird had built a tour -
foot - high bower of sticks and
fronds in the shape of a maypole
around a sapling. Stacked in the
bower were three piles of brightly ?
colored fruit. To express his ardor,
the orange - crested male, held a
bright blue fruit in his bill, pointing
it toward the female.
The 20-minute wooing ended^
sadly for the bower builder. Th?
female, apparently unimpressed,
flew away. A Yale biologist called
the bowerbird's behavior "without
parallel in the animal world." But
Dr. Diamond saw some parallels
between the exotic birds and
domestic playboys with expensive
pads and vans.
"The males with the dullest
plumage build the fancies^
bowers." he said. "It's like the dulV
young man with a fancy sports
car..."
"Things That Matter"
by Lucien Coleman
REMEMBERING TWO
ASSASSINATED PRESIDENTS
On November 22, 1963, an
assassin in Dallas aimed a cheap
Italian carbine at the President of
the United States and fired three
shots that changed the trajectory
of history.
In the days following the fatal
shooting of President John F. Ken
nedy, historians and writers began
comparing the circumstances of his
death with similar tragedies. This
surfaced an amazing series of
parallels between the careers and
deaths of Kennedy and Abraham
Lincoln.
Lincoln was elected President in
1X60. Kennedy in I960. Each, in
Ins own way an outspoken pro
ponent ot civil rights. Lincoln
issued his Emancipation Proclama
tion in I8b3; Kennedy proposed his
Civil Rights Law in I9h3.
Both Lincoln and Kennedy were
shot in the head on a Friday in the
presence of their wives by a
Southern-born assassin.
Both were succeeded by a
Southern Democratic Vice
President named Johnson. An
drew Johnson, Lincoln's suc
cessor, was born in 1808. Lyndon
B. Johnson, who followed Ken
nedy, was born in 1908.
Lincoln's murderer, John
Wilkes Booth, was born in 1839.
Lee Harvey Oswald, who was ac
cused of murder of Kennedy, was
born in 1939. Both of these men
were murdered before they could
be brought to trial.
President Lincoln had a
secretary named Kennedy. Presi
dent Kennedy had a secretary nam
ed Lincoln. Lincoln's secretary
had advised him against going to
Ford's Theater, where he was shot.
Kennedy's secretary had advised
him not to go to Dallas.
Most would agree that these
parallels are purely coincidental.
But, for anyone who fs inclined to
be the least bit superstitious, they
are numerous enough to provide
plenty of food for thought.
TIMES OF THE SIGNS
I don't know about you. but I'm
getting a little tired of having my
lite regulated by signs.
Last night my wife and 1 went out
to do a little shopping. When we
walked into this store, the first
thing that greeted our eyes was the
sign on the door: "NO FOOD OR
DRINKS ALLOWED INSIDE
THE STORE." Well, that was
okay. I wasn't hungry or thirsty,
anyway. But. then, there was this
other sign hanging on a handrail --
a handrail, of all things -? "DO
NOT TOUCH." Now, I ask you.
what are you supposed to do with a
handrail if you aren't allowed to
handle it.
What really bugs me is the
hypocritical sign just inside the
entrance of most discount stores:
"FOR YOUR SHOPPING CON
VENIENCE. PLEASE CHECK
ALL BAGS AND PARCELS AT
THE SERVICE DESK." Conven
ience. my eye! How stupid do they
think i am? Why don't they just
come right out and say they're
afraid of shoplifting?
It's getting so you can't go
anywhere nowadays without being
reminded that you are an un
authorized person. "UN
AUTHORIZED VEHICLES WILL
BE TOWED AWAY AT
OWNERS EXPENSE."
"AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL
ONLY ." The more I see these signs
plastered all over parking lots and
doorwayy. the more I wonder what
you have to do to get authorized.
Being an unauthorized person all
the time can give you an inferiority
complex.
We're literally surrounded by
signs telling us what we can't do:
"KEEP OFF THE GRASS." "DO
TEL: 875-4277
FARM CHEMICAL, INC. |
Complete Pest Control Fumigation Service
Weed Control & Fertilization
Roaches ? Rats ? Termites
P JO. Box 667 Home Phone 876-5098 Raeford. N.C.
J
NOT ENTER." "NO TURNS."
"NO STOPPING." "NO PETS.*
"NO CHILDREN." "REE? I
OUT." "NO TRESPASSING."
"NO RUNNING." "NO STAND
ING." "DO NOT SIT ON FUR
NITURE." "DO NOT HANDLE."
SILENCE. It gets to be very
vexing.
Occasionally, though, all this
sign-posting is good lor a chuckle
or two. In our community is a
theological seminary where manig
students park their cars alonji
neighborhood streets during class.
After having his driveway blocked a
tew times, a local resident put up
the sign. "THOU SHALT NOT
PARK HERE." At the same
school, the one parking spot on
campus which nobody ~ but no
body -- ever violated was the one
that belonged to the President.
That is. until some construction
workers came along. After the
President had been crowded out j
his parking place by pickup trucks
a few times, a new sign appeared"
"DON'T EVEN THINK OF
PARKING HERE."
1 couldn't help but smile at a sign
I saw on a street in London,
England, one day. It said, simply:
"MAKE NO NUISANCE." I won
dered how many people turned
away from that sign not knowing
what they weren't supposed t i
make. *
My all-time favorite, though, was
the hand-lettered sign posted by a
church custodian after unsuccess
ful attempts to keep people from
messing around with the electrical
switches, sometimes blacking out
who'e areas of the building. The
sign read: "IF YOU DON'T
KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DO
ING. DON'T DO NOTHING."
OUR DOMESTICATED KILLEf^
s'ar'ed out to be a pleasant
family drive on a Sunday after
noon. The mother was enjoying a
birthday. It also turned out to be
her last day.
Without warning another car
burst through an intersection and
slammed into the family's car. The
driver of the other car was up* j
licensed, uninsured, and drunkP I
Especially drunk. While two of the
occupants of the other car lay dying
in their own bltntd. a person who
was working to save their lives
heard the drunken driver, sitting in
his car. veil repeatedly. "Somebody
get me a ? - drink."
The man was arrested the next
day and charged with two counts of
manslaughter, wanton endanger
ment. and failure to maintain I
insurance. His prior convictior^ I
included driving while intoxicated,
drunkenness in a public place!
carrying a concealed weapon, and
two counts of operating a motor
vehicle without a license. Yet. he
was out of jail on bond before his
victims were in their graves.
A month earlier. 13 - year - old
Cari Lightncr of Fair Oaks. Calif.,
had been killed by a drunken drivex.
as she walked to church. TW
impact threw her body 120 feet.
The driver, who had been arrested
tour times on drunken-driving
charges, drove away. Two days
before killing Cari. he had been
released on bail alter being arrested
on drunken-driving and hit-and
run charges.
The same question keeps haunt
ing me. Why do drunken drivers
get away with murder? And I mean
that quite literally. Drunkii
drivers repeatedly get away with
murder. Halt of all fatal highway
accidents take the lives of 25.000
people in traffic accidents every
year. And 750.000 more Americans
are maimed or seriously injured
each year in accidents involving
alcohol. The General Accounting !
Office estimates that the annual
toll is $5 billion in lost wages, ?
medical costs, insurance costs ar/4 I
property damage.
But. at long last, a number of j
congressmen in Washington are
sponsoring legislation designed to
get drunks off the road. They
deserve all the support we can give
| them. A drunk behind the wheel of
a car deserves no sympathy from
anyone He. or she. is a potential
j killer. The sooner we face up to
that obvious truth, the safer welL
t all be.