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9 ' r'n", niiiii I I .A f" ir Rain tonight It will be variably cloudy and coll today with the high in the mid-40s. Rain with a chance of snow is expected tonight. Friday will be cloudy and colder with the temperature in the lower 40s. Early break With today's issue, the DTH begins its Spring Break. Publication will resume on Monday, March 3. Best wishes for a sunny, relaxing vacation. Serving the students and the University community since IHV3 Volume 85, Issue No. 99 Thursday, March 2, 1978, Chapel Hill, North Carolina Please call us: 933-0245 Students stock upon spring By BEVERLY MILLS Staff Writer Suntan oil, swimwear, even contraceptives if you're like many other UNC students heading south for spring break, you're stocking up now. Despite winter snow and bitter cold. Chapel Hill merchants say, sales of warm-weather items have increased markedly in the past two weeks. "I sold all the suntan preparations I had left over from last year," said John Woodard, owner of Sutton Drugs. "I was lucky to get some more in on time." "Everybody who comes in seems to be going to Florida for spring break. I've been warning them about sunburn. People had better buy sunscreens since they've been in all winter." Woodard said baby oil, iodine and sunglasses are also selling fast. "People also seem to be stocking up on recreational needs," he said. "Sales in contraceptives have gone up drastically. My sales have doubled on all kinds of contraceptives. That's about $200 worth." Libba Craddock, department manager of Ladies Sportswear for lvey's, said sales of swim suits have increased with the approaching spring break. "We sold a lot of swim suits on Monday," Craddock said. "We expect to sell even more this weekend. We have about 500 suits in stock, and we're expecting more." Another item that's going fast at lvey's is ladies track shorts. "This is a big, new look this year," Craddock said. "Rather than tailored shorts like we saw last year, everyone seems to be buying gym shorts. I guess ...but bad weather could hamper plans Heading South for spring break? Imagine yourself on a Florida beach, bright sun overhead, blue sky surrounding, you're soaking up the rays. But, wait. What if it rains? It happened last year students in Fort Lauderdale saw the sun only two days during their week in the city where the boys are. And there's a good chance it could happen again, says Allan Gustafson, a meteorologist at the U.S. National Weather Service in Raleigh. "It's a bad, bad weekend' to go to Florida. The only thing I can tell you is that Fort Lauderdale will probably have rain this weekend. Agrees to support student vote Carrboro board to press for Ma Bell taxes By CAROL HANNER Staff Writer The Carrboro Board of Aldermen voted Tuesday night to begin working for student voter registration and trying to secure unpaid taxes from Southern Bell. The Chapel Hill Aldermen approved two similar actions in their meeting Monday night. . The Carrboro aldermen voted to have Town Attorney Michael B. Brough assist the Orange County Board of Elections' attorney in defending student-voter registration. The Orange Committee, a group of Conservative Orange County Democrats, Circ.m By ZAP BRUECKNER Staff Writer I walked through the falling snow and mud puddles around Dorton Arena peeking in the windows at multicolored concession stands that flashed like a gigantic pinball gallery. Already I felt my spirits rise from the dreary world outside. A mass of people huddle around the North Gate, shivering and waiting for the security guard to open the doors. Everyone is waiting to see the 107th edition of the Ringling Bros, and Bamum & Bailey Circus, which is in Raleigh through Sunday (Call (919) 755-0350 for ticket information). "Come on in folks!" I step into the arcade of concession stands that sell everything from cotton candy and cokes to circus posters and sparking "zap" guns. The "Greatest Show on Earth" doesn't start on the arena floor; it starts here where the program barker greets everyone with a merry shout and a huge colorful program for sale. Merchants shake red and blue flashlights or "zap" guns while yelling: "Circus lights! Circus lights! Get a souvenir!!" Youngsters no taller than the toy-laden tables stand on tiptoe to look at that's what the girls will be taking to Assistant Manager of Hackney's Sporting Goods, Dave Hammer, said men are buying bathing suits and tennis equipment. "A few people have come in to buy tennis rackets and tennis wear for Florida." Craddock said girls have been buying bright-colored wrap . skirts, but the clothes aren't tailored this year. The young, feminine look is what's selling. s" ' i 'X'mm$ p-r - . - - . . 1 While you may have visions of basking in the sun like these students at Granville Towers during spring break, if you're heading south you may run into rainfor at least the weekend, according to meteorologists. "There's a low pressure system over the Gulf of Mexico that will be moving east into Florida Thursday and Friday, bringing showers and thundershowers. No doubt about it." Gustafson said the weather has been fairly rainy in Florida so far this year, with highs in f.he upper 60s and low 70s. Gustafson looks at his weather maps, then assures UNC students that even if they had planned another trip, the weather likewise would be bad. "The low pressure system, once it moves over Florida will affect us, too (in North Carolina). We expect rain Friday, quite a bit of it, then ending Saturday. wants to stop students from registering to vote in Orange County. Superior Court Judge James H. Pou Bailey heard testimony in the case Monday. He promised to rule on the matter March 6 if those involved do not reach an agreement. Brough will assist the Board of Elections' attorney with legal research. "The facts are not really what is being disputed," says Brough. "The issue rests on matters of law, such as what authority Bailey has to change the student-voter registration process. The aldermen asked their Procedures Committee to further study what direct action the aldermen can take in the voter- 'Greatest Show' has special kind of magic batons and pinwheels. All to the rhythm of "Circus lights! Circus lights!!" "Get your programs here. It's a long three hour show. Program barker Frank Kora, a stout red suited, white-capped man of 5 1 , continues to reach out tq the passing masses with his merry shout apd smile. He's been with the circus for 31 years and has worked every area of concessions. Kora tried other jobs during his life but came back to the circus because it was more satisfying. "I enjoy what 1 do and bark. I like to put a smile on their (the crowd's) faces," Kora He believes the circus has remained a popular form of entertainment because the acts are perfected and improved each year. He explains that the performers work very hard to create new acts for the show. The danger in certain acts also attracts big audiences. "This is the greatest show on earth. . . nothin' that could come near it," he said with a grin. With this in mind I walk into the arena as the glittering troupe of performers parade around the ring on foot, C3mel, horse or elephant. The show starts to the tune of supplies. . . Florida," he said. "It seems like therewas more talk about it last year, though. We're not selling as much specifically for spring break like last year. 1 think the cold and snow is a part of it." Larry Trollingcr, manager of Ken's Quickee Mart, said students have not come in for their spring break beer yet. "They'll put that off till the last minute," he said. "About Friday they'll come in for the beer." If the UNC student is headed north to sightsee in Boston or west to visit Indianapolis or Chicago he will run into major snowstorms. If he's headed toward the west coast he'll meet a low pressure system dumping rain on Los Angeles. If he's planning a week at Vail, Colo., he'll find snow and high temperatures near 30 degrees and lows of 12 degrees. There's . Tain in Atlanta. "It's not a very good weekend no matter where you go," Gustafson said. "But by Sunday it should be breaking up and it will be cooler." - LESLIE SCISM registration issue. In another decision, the board endorsed a proposal by the Chapel Hill Board of Aldermen to write Southern Bell requesting voluntary payment of taxes on almost $24 million in previously untaxed Chapel Hill property. Because of a tax loophole, Bell only had to pay taxes on a small portion of its Chapel Hill branch property in 1977. After buying the telephone system from UNC last March for $25 million, Bell payed taxes on only $1,873,027 of the property. Carrboro Mayor Robert Drakeford will meet with Chapel Hill Mayor James Wallace and Orange and Chatham county ringmaster Kit Haskett's song: Smile, world, smile, It's not such a bad world after all, Come on smile, smile, smile... For three hours the crowd escapes the snow, mud and other worldly problems as they watch a continuous stream of action in the three rings. Clowns play in a jazz band and jump on trampolines while kids, (both those tykes with cotton candy in their faces and older ones with beards) roar with laughter. The trapeze artists swing across the arena amazing the crowds, as does the tightrope walking Carrillo brother, who among other feats, jumps rope on one foot 42 feet above the ground. No wires no nets. Gunter Gebel-Williams enters the caged center ring to tangle with what the program describes as "a copious collection of sharp clawed carnivores, deadly denizens of the jungle." In other words he tangles with leopards, panthers, pumas -and tigers. There also is a circus Mardi Gras during the show where 25 to 30 children, chosen at random, become a part of the show. They don pointed hats and are escorted to the center ring in the hands of clowns and beautiful, glittering dancing women. Cliff Supports direct financial aid Geer says Carter package better than tax-credit bill By BETSY H.A(.LKR Associate Editor Students dependent on financial aid w ill sutler if a proposed tuition tax credit bill now before the Senate is passed. William Geer, director .of student aid, said Wednesday. The Carter administration, w hich opposes tax credits as a means of subsidizing education, has.sent a substitute $1.5 trillion student aid bill to the Senate designed to help more middle-income families send their children to college. "Carter's package would put money in the hands of students at the beginning of each term, whereas the tax credit would simply be lost in the family's finances," Geer said. Rep. William Ford. D-Mich.. introduced Carter's proposal to the House Feb. 8. The bill, as introduced by Ford, would extend basic grant eligibility to students with family incomes up to $25,000, increase funding of supplemental grants and college work-study, and make familieswith incomes up to $45,000 eligible for guaranteed loans with interest subsidized by the government while the student is in college. Mexican pot treated with chemical; on N. C. streets, dangerous if eaten By MICHAEL WADE Staff Writer Mexican-grown marijuana that has been sprayed with a deadly herbicide could pose a serious danger to local marijuana users, particularly those who eat the drug rather than smoke it. According to a Drug Enforcement Administration spokesperson, there probably is some Mexican-grown marijuana in Chapel Hill, and it may have been sprayed with the herbicide. The Mexican government has been using pilots in American planes to spray marijuana fields with the herbicide, paraquat, in an attempt to cut down on the flow of the drug into the United States. Birth defects and more than 100 deaths in commissioners to write the letter. In another action, the board voted to reimburse fines and void tickets issued for fire lane parking violations in Harris Teeter, Revco and The Station parking lots. After discussion on whether the fire lanes were marked properly, the board passed the recommendation which ended a moratorium Feb. 14 on ticketing vehicles in non residential fire lanes. Property owners will be notified that they must mark the fire lanes clearly by March 10, 1978. After that time, violators who park in properly marked life lanes will be ticketed. aW" .Ll.H..li.Ull.l .1.11 II HIJ yMMWIIIMMimUIII.nl. . - f f R h ? J-A m J 'Bv f tin i: " . " . ,V - 'lull f till l i I I 3 ,, - i : . ffL.M l ' In the center ring the stilt man, balanced high above ground, parades effortlessly before a packed house of avid circus goers. Meanwhile, in the' second ring, a clown entertains Bizzell, 7, and Brad Williams, 7, both of Smithfield were two of those chosen. "I had fun," Cliff Bizzell said. "1 was a little frightened," Brad Williams said, although he admitted he had a good time. For Riki Seltman. 15, of Bavaria, West Despite Cartel's warnings that the nation cannot afford both tax credits and expansion of student aid. two such bills are floating in the Senate. The Senate Human Resources Committee has approved a bill similar to Ford's to aid middle-income, post-secondary students through existing programs, and the Senate Financial Committee has approved a tax credit bill. The tax credit bill approved by the finance committee Feb. 23 w ould allow a $250 credit lor college and vocational school tuitions in the next two years. Alter Aug. I, 1980, it would permit credits tip to $500 for parochial and private school tuitions as well as for college and vocational school costs. lo expand basic grants, college work study and guaranteed student loans, the president's fiscal 1979 student aid budget request is $5.2 billion. The current level is $3.8 billion. Carter proposes a $250 basic grant to families whose income bracket is between $ 1 6.0(H) and $25,000 per year. The grant would he much more beneficial to the student than a tax credit, Geer said. Carter's budget request represents the the United States have been linked to consumption of the chemical, according to an article in the Feb. 24 issue of Science magazine. Dangerous levels of the toxin have been found in samples of smuggled marijuana seized by law enforcement officials in National Institute on Drug Abuse studies. There is no known antidote. Richard Broughton of the Greensboro district office of the Drug Enforcement Administration said the sprayed marijuana could be dangerous to local users. "I'm sure there's plenty of marijuana (in Chapel Hill) from Mexico. That's the cheapest you can find. Colombian (considered a much higher quality of marijuana) is double the price of Mexican." Broughton said there is no way to estimate how much Mexican pot reaches North Carolina. Research is being conducted at several institutions in the nation, including this area's Research Triangle Institute, to determine the effects of paraquat and its possible neutralization by heat when burned and smoked. According to the Science article, researchers already have concluded that hazardous amounts of the herbicide are unlikely to be unhaled in marijuana smoke. Research Triangle scientists have been analyzing the smoke from burning paraquat treated marijuana to determine if the herbicide could break down into other harmful chemicals when burned. Dr. Richard Hawks of NIDA, coordinator of a $35,000 federally funded study of paraquat, said preliminary tests have indicated it breaks down into a harmless chemical, but a spokesperson for RT1 emphasized that the research is at an intermediate stage now. Germany, it was her very hrst circus. Her American cousin, Heinz Seltman. 53, of Raleigh never had been to a big-time circus either. Both left with smiles. "I he ringmaster begins singing his farewell song as the last act finishes: .4 circus lakes magic, "biggest single infusion of aid for middle income students since adoption of the G.I. bill at the end of World War II," Rep. Ford has said. The Senate passed tuition tax credits by a vote of 65-12 last year and the House opposed it. Claiborne Pell, D-R.L, who introduced the Senate legislation on student aid expansion Feb. 10, said it will be very difficult to derail a tax credit and asked, "Will, the President veto it?" Congress will soon choose between tax credits and expanded student aid. "This nation cannot afford, and 1 will not accept, both," Carter said in a recent press conference. Carter's program would help students in a far more equitable way than would a tax credit, Geer said. "A tax credit would benefit families at income tax time, but in August families would still feel the pinch of inflation on the one hand and the high cost of education on another," he said. "The issue is critical to all of our students dependent on financial aid. Student aid will be cut if tax credits are enacted." "We don't know enough now to say anything about the research," the spokesperson, who asked not to be identified, said. "We would prefer to hold on to any information until we're sure about it. In fact, I'm forbidden to say a thing about it." He said the results would be reported as soon as the research is completed. NIDA tested 71 samples of marijuana confiscated in drug busts in the southwestern United States. Researchers found that 10 percent of the samples contained measurable amounts of paraquat. The concentrations of paraquat in the samples ranged from 3 to 650 parts per million. The Environmental Protection Agency sets the tolerance level of the chemical in foodstuffs at 0.05 to 0. 10 part per million. Although State Department officials said the United States has tried to discourage the use of paraquat by Mexican narcotics control agents, the United States has spent $40 million in direct funding " for the program, according to the Science article. Paraquat is sprayed on the Mexican fields after the marijuana is located by infrared aerial photogaphy. Sunlight is the catalyst that enables the herbicide to dry the leaves of the plants into a fine powder that makes it useless for smoking. For a plant to be destroyed, it must sit in bright sunlight for one to two days. Mexican growers who harvest the plants soon aftef they are sprayed process them into kilogram packages (bricks) and send them across the border before the chemical has had a chance to deteriorate the plants. The chemical stays intact in the marijuana because it is no longer exposed to the sun. Paraquat was originally attractive for the spraying program because it breaks down when it contacts soil and thus does not linger in the environment. "( .K,-"Jo,;,, children of all ages. And while all this is going on. the action continues in the third ring with Gunther Gebel-Williams. Staff photos by Zap Brueckner. A circus takes magic, We just pull a circus out of our hats. The show is over. I walk through the blowing mist and mud puddles but the circus magic hums in my head: magic that leaves you with a smile on your face, excitement in vour bones and cotton candy on your lips.
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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March 2, 1978, edition 1
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