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Show m 22 A The Salt Lake Tribune, Sunday, March Editors note: Todays Common Carrier article was written byElva Stark. Part of the authors activities in safety include being a founder and chairwoman for 20 years of Utahs Youth Safety Conference. She was a past safety chairman of the Utah Congress of Parents and Teachers (PTA). Opinions expressed in Common Carrier do not necessarily reflect those of The Salt Lake Tribune or the Common Carrier board of lay editors. Articles in this department are determined by the lay board, which of Tribune works independently reportorial or editorial policies. The Common Carrier board, of the representing a cross-sectio- n community, is composed of the Rev. France Davis, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, chair TT Less Probation 14, 1982 man; Dr. Paul sity mrnym ynyrTqf A. reference man; Tim director, Gloriod, a Watt Bid to Stall Drilling Mogren, Univer- Marriott Library librarian, vice chairRice, public relations Utah AFL-CIJohn retired Army colonel, Gwen Hovey, a civic of Utah Wont Appease Skeptics and Mrs. worker and League of Women Voters member. The board seeks articles from all segments of the community. Articles need not be professionally prepared, but must be less than four pages of double-space- d type copy. They should pertain to the economic, political or social wellbeing of the Intermountain area. Articles would be timely, have unity of purpose, a central theme, promote dialogue and be challenging. Material should be mailed to Common Carrier, The Salt Lake Tribune, P.O. Box 867, Salt Lake City, Utah 84110. By Philip Shabecoff c. 1982 N.Y. Time News Service WASHINGTON Interior Secretary James G. Watt, in an almost insouciant move, has made a bold bid to snatch victory for the administrations public lands policy from the jaws of what appeared to be approaching political defeat. On national television, Watt, in a marked departure from past policy, said he would ask Congress to withdraw federal wilderness areas from all drilling and mining activities for the rest of this century. He also said that areas proposed for protection as wilderness areas but not yet acted upon by Congress would similarly be withdrawn. Critics of Watts land policies reacted with surprise and skepticism. When the fine print was read in the legislation that was later introduced, the critics declared their skepticism Under current law, the federal wilderness system, 80 million acres, is technically open to well-founde- Common Carrier All Adults Must Protect the Child Resource By Elva Stark f i Children are called Utahs best crop. It is tragic when so many of our youngsters are either killed or maimed before they really start fo live. It is equally disastrous when a child is deprived of a parent killed in an unnecessary accident. , What can you do to safeguard the world's children? All adults have a greatest resource responsibility to protect, educate and set a good example for our young. Accidents can be reduced with safety education, engineering, legislation and well enforced safety laws. i Home Safety Theres no place like home for accidents; so safety begins at home. Some causes of home accidents to children are: 1. burns and scalds from bonfires, matches, lighters and hot liquids. 2. drownings in bath, fish ponds, unguarded Swimming pools and irrigation ditches. 3. suffocation and strangulation from improper bed clothing, from ingestion of various small objects, and suffocation in abandoned Refrigerators. f 4. falls from running and climbing or a tumble down the stairs. 1 5. firearms and ammunition. 6. poisoning by common household items and medicines. ! 7. electrocution from unprotected electric outlets and worn extension cords. 8. cars backing out of driveways. ; 9. maiming from ordinary home appliances, garden and farm machinery. 10. permanent injuries from animal bites. 11. children left alone or with unqualified sitters. Our homes should be built, furnished and maintained for safe living. Parents should make a survey of their home for unsafe conditions and practices and make corrections where necessary. Have frequent safety drills to train children to do the right thing in an first aid kit. emergency. Invest in an Know how to use it and teach children first aid. Install an approved smoke alarm and fire extinguisher. Take a CPR class and learn the Heimlich Manuever. Wood stoves and kerosene heaters should lx installed and operated correctly. Fence your children's play area. Safeguard your family's recreation. . From birth to one year of age the infant must lx1 given 100 percent protection from accidents. As the child becomes older, education should accompany protection until he Ix'comes aware qf the hazards of life and is able to look out for his own welfare. When children start to school there are new hazards. Teach children the safest route to walk or ride a bicycle to school, how and where to cross the street and how to avoid mishaps ((child molesters) that might occur between home and school. Where children ride the bus to school, they need to know the safest route to bus stop, the safe place to wait for it. and how to get on and off the bus safely. Sch(X)l buses should be made and operated as safely as possible. Where there are no sidewalks, teach children to walk facing traffic. Bicyclists should ride on the street in direction of traffic. Several years ago our Legislature funded sidewalks so children could walk safely to school, but if the V snow is not cleaned off, sidewalks Please shovel your walks! are useless. Traffic Safety Utah Road Death Toll Almost One A Day (Highway deaths in 1981 were 384) was a headline in Tribune on New Year's Day. The article, based on statistics of the I'tah Department of Public Safety Highway Safety Division, continues, What if you were told that every year in Utah, $50 million would be stolen out of the state's economy, and a community the size of Alta would be wiped off the map? . . its a tragic leap forward from 1974 when drivers freshly conscious of the new national r set the states speed limit of 55 modern-da- y low total of 228 deaths. If this article incites you to make a lifetime resolution to do your bit to curb unnecessary traffic injuries and fatalities you can: 1. Buy, maintain and operate a safe car. The new, small cars must be made as safe as possible. There have been many safety defect recalls that should be corrected. We need car safety inspections. If there is fraud in this program, perhaps legislation can take care of . miles-an-hou- it. 2. Slow down and Live! In Utah most fatal crashes were caused by excessive speed. At the Governor's 1980 Highway Safety Conference, Charles F. Livingstone, Department of Transportation National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said, The 55 mph speed limit has proved to be the single most effective highway safety measure ever introduced in this country. Even though current compliance is only about 50 percent, the speed limit is still saving some 50,000 lives each year. Speed also determines the severity of a crash. The force of impact is much less at 55 than 70 mph. Thank you, Gov. Matheson, for supporting the 55 mph. 3. Buckle up! It is estimated that we could cut the traffic death rate by nearly one third if occupants in car crashes were properly restrained, but only 11 percent of motorists use belts now available to them. Its a pleasure to step into a car with automatic seat belts, but there are no automatic restraints for infants and small children. Utah is doing well in educating parents on the necessity of approved safety carriers for infants and small children. Some states have laws requiring children under 4 to be restricted when riding in a car. 4. Dont drink and drive! Have you heard about MADD, Mothers Against Drunk Drivers? Their children were killed or maimed by drivers under the influence. They have been on the Phil Donahue show and received publicity in many magazines. MADD has petitioned President Reagan to appoint a commission to develop realistic solutions to the drunk driver problem and seek reform on the state level. They have instigated federal legislation which provides tougher penalties for persons convicted of drunk driving. Eight states have MADD chapters. We could use one in Utah. 5. Motorcyclists and bicyclists wear helmets! In Utah in 1980 there were 44 motorcyclists killed of which only 5 (11 percent) were wearing helmets. Livingston at the Governors Conference on Highway Safety said, Utah repealed its helmet law in 1977, except for those 18 and under. If you want to concentrate on one measure sure to improve the safety picture in of a law to Utah, work for the require motorcyclists to wear helmets. 6. Consult your doctor about the side effects of any drugs you take, and dont take alcohol when taking medicine. If you have high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, check with your doctor before driving. 7. Do your sleeping in bed to avoid crashes caused by sleeping at the wheel. On long trips take a rest break every two hours. 8. Make certain your vision is good. If you need glasses, wear them. Dont tire your eyes with excessive night driving, and have your eyes checked regularly. 9. If you are an older driver, avoid rush hours and long hours at the wheel. Be certain your general health is good. 10. Have a good attitude when you drive. Some drivers are intolerant, aggressive, and reckless. Dont drive when you are emotionally looked up at his mother and upset. A said, Mommie, you better drive, daddy is such a restless driver. Pedestrians do not jaywalk! Drivers of a vehicle take care to avoid colliding with any pedestrian or bicyclist and exercise precaution con11. when observing any child or obviously fused, incapacitated or intoxicated person. 12. Joggers beware! Wear light colored clothing with reflector strips and stay off heavy travelled roads. Now that Utah has doubled the price of a drivers license and increased the fee for media finagling. Last October, one of my columns cited the Miller-GorarCalifornia research findings which proved incontrovertible that forced either to integrate busing had failed utterly schools or to improve educational achievement on the part of American students. Now a new Tennessee study by Vanderbilts Willis Hawley has surfaced which shows roughly the same results of compulsory desegregation: no significant scholastic improvements for black kids accompanied by a simultaneous loss in achievement by their white classmates. But this time the wire services were apparently under orders to gussy up this educational debacle with the aid of verbal cosmetics. Writer Rick Hampson did his choice the fairy story. Note Carefully of words in the following quotations from the wire service story: i Public schixil desegregation SEEMS to improve the work of minority students w ithout hurting white students' performance. And: Desegregation SEEMS to have posALTHOUGH it has itive effects on children not been as successful as its advocates hoped it V would be. d . m v . . And note this weasel wording: Although the DOES NOT PROVE DESEGREGATION WORKS, it provides a basis for disputing claims that desegregation CANNOT work, Hawley said. Pause here to contemplate the way this web is being woven around you: "SEEMS" ; DOES NOT PROVE; ALTHOUGH"; PROVIDES A BASIS FOR DISPUTING; etc. report Semantic garbage. Verbal swill. There's more: School integration CAN lead to housing Not DOES; just CAN." integration. if Shucks, almost anything CAN do anything remote ixissibilities are multiplied to approach infinity. And: There is LITTLE evidence that riding a school bus is bad for students . ." SOME evidence, you'll notice, is admitted. But the way Hampson words his evasion, the picture of . fine, upstanding busing roots itself and burgeons in your brain like a pulchritudinous panorama of praiseworthy progress instead of the Rust of the Century which it has proved to be. And so on and on, to the point of nausea. . Semantic hocus-pocuDownright deception. Are you as revolted as I am by this palpable propaganda disguised as news? Mind you, Im not blaming Vanderbilt University or Dean Huwlcv and his committee of 15 w hich conducted thccven-yea- r national Half-truths- life. Community Safety is a big job. Make a survey of your area to determine the outstanding needs and then seek the cooperation of the citizens to combat the hazards. It is best to select a limited number of definite objectives and work diligently for their successful completion. Support enforcement of safety laws for traffic, transportation, building and fire regulations. Excess Earnings Payments Due on Social Security Universal Press Syndicate If you worked at a job in 1981 and also received Social Security benefits, and what you earned exceeded the amount set by Social Security, you must submit by April 15 to Social Security a report of your total earnings. If you were 65 or over, you could earn $5,500 in 1981 and still collect Social Security benefits. If you were under age 65, the figure is $4,080. For all earnings over the limits, the tax is $1 for each $2 in excess earnings. The report also must show expected 1982 earnings. The report forms are generally mailed to beneficiaries, but can also be picked up at any Social Security office. Social Security uses the reports to determine if benefits being paid are correct. Those with jobs this year are urged to plan their work to avoid the possibility of ending up with excess amounts. as soon as possible. Such benefits cannot be paid before the month of application. Eligible for benefits are certain members of the family of a person who has worked long enough under Social Security to qualify. Also eligible are unmarried children under 18, or e under 19 if high school students; and an unmarried son or daughter 18 or over who was severely disabled before age 22 and whose disability continues. Others who are eligible are widows and widowers 60 or older; a surviving parent caring for the deceased workers child under 16, or who is disabled and is getting a benefit based on earnings of the deceased worker; widow or widower, age 50 or older, who becomes disabled within seven years of the workers death or within seven years after benefits as a mother or father end. Anyone discovering his earnings are in excess should notify Social Security at once to avoid receiving an overpayment, which by law must be paid back in a lump sum or deducted in installments from future benefit checks. Alphabet Soup Earnings limits are increased annually to reflect increases in general wage levels. For 1982, the limits are $6,000 for those 65 or over and $4,440 for anyone under 65. The eamings limit does not apply to beneficiaries 72 and over. In the case of the death of a worker, the family should apply for Social Security benefits Hacks Distortions Make My Gorge Rise Los Angeles Times Syndicate Enjoy being deceived? Get a kick out of being manipulated? Relish being bamboozled? If so, today's column will hardly be your cup of tea. Skip over to the sports section, if not, on the other hand, read on. Its a classic example of te Bol) Walton Max KaflVrtv '( registeration of vehicles, I hope there will be sufficient funds to correct Utahs battered, unsafe highways, fund our high school driver education program and restore the written and eye tests for driver license renewals. The only driver education program for the majority of our drivers was these tests. With test coming up the driver procured an Driver Handbook and studied it. Sight can deteriorate before one realizes it. When an out of state friend, applying for her drivers license, couldnt read the chart, the examiner said, Perhaps if you had your glasses, you could do better. My friend said, Yes. She had not realized that her eyesight was failing. When it was brought to her attention, she bought glasses. A half blind driver might not see a pedestrian or the child on a bicycle. If he injured or killed someone, the experience would haunt him the rest of his study. They didnt claim that forced busing had been successful; at most, they claimed that it had not been as total a debacle as most of us professional observers are convinced it was and is. Its the way the wire service hack sabotaged the statistics and fouled up the findings and distorted the data that makes my gorge rise, as the old novelists used to say. Opinions and bias and even prejudice have their place in journalism to be precise, in columns like this one. When you read one of us columnists, you expect to get a certain point of view; thats what were paid for. But confound it! You shouldn't expect to find it in a news story. When William Randolph Hearst pulled this sort of printed indoctrination a generation ago, it was properly called yellow journalism." Today, its taken for granted that front page news stories are slanted and twisted out of all resemblance to the truth. Your recourse? Why, to read your daily paper and to listen to the 10 oclock TV news cynically, sardonically, skeptically and suspiciously. Distasteful? Certainly. Your alternative? To be systematically lied to about almost directly or indirectly everything in exactly the same way you've been lied to about the effects of forced busing. Dr. Rafferty welcomes questions for use in this column once each week, but regrets he cannot answer all mail personally. Please send your questions to him in care of this paper- (c) 1982, Losngeles Times Syndicate full-tim- leasing to development interests through Dec. 31, 1983, after which they would be closed. Until now no leases have been granted. Watt, while stating that the wilderness areas should be the last public lands to be exploited, had taken the position that the law required him to grant leases, a position contested by his critics. He was also seeking to have the permission for leasing extended 20 years, until' " the year 2003. But now Watt said that he wanted to bar all development in wilderness areas, starting as soon as Congress could act, until the year 2000. Not only that, he would also withdraw from mining and drilling all areas proposed for designation as protected wilderness. However, when the proposed legislation, which was introduced by Rep. Manuel Lujan was examined by the skeptics, Jr., they charged that it offered far less protection for the wilderness than current law. Instead of allowing the wilderness system to remain technically open to leasing for 20 months and then closing it forever, he proposed that the areas be closed now and then in 18 years be reopened for congressional disposal. The proposal also contains a number of provisions that would substantially change the status of wilderness and proposed wilderness areas to accord with the administrations policy of making public lands more accessible to development to foster economic growth and support national security. One provision would allow the president to withdraw any part of the system to meet an urgent national need. Congress could block the president only if both houses passed laws to do so within 60 days, and even then the president could veto the laws. Other provisions would allow proposed wilderness lands under the jurisdiction of the National Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management to be released for non-- , wilderness uses in two to six years unless Congress specifically voted to protect them. Under current law, they remain protected unless Congress acts. chairman of Rep. John F. Seiberling, the White Energy Committees Public Lands and National Parks Subcommittee, said it was the most sweeping and devastating anti- wilderness bill I have ever seen. , , . Jay D. Hair, executive vice president of the National Wildlife Federation, the nations biggest conservation group, called it a sneak attack. He charged the interior secretary with a shocking display of duplicity, asserting Watt publicly promised to protect wilderness areas and then submitted legislation that would destroy the wilderness system." But Douglas Baldwin, spokesman for Watt, insisted that the legislation would assure protection of the wilderness system and said that the environmental groups had an ulterior motive for criticism. The secretary, on behalf of the wilderness, Baldwin said, has fired a machine of the torpedo into the money-makin- g conservation groups and they are desperate to keep the wilderness issue alive by falsely attacking a good idea. Watts proposal was a recognition of political realities ; in recent months it became apparent that Congress was not going to go along with keeping the wilderness system open to leasing after 1983. In fact, proposals to grant leases in specific wilderness areas aroused such opposition that Watt found it necessary to call a moratorium on such leasing until after the congressional elections in November. Watt himself commented that the administration had to change its tactics. Some conservationists have expressed the fear that the new proposal is intended to pave the way for the government to sell off vast areas of public lands to private interests. Because of the uproar, even Republicans regard the proposal with caution. The interior secretary and his aides contend that the proposal is basically intended to assure that the wilderness areas are the last federal lands to be opened for development. But they have a lot of persuading to do because critics call Watts plan simply the latest disguise for a land grab by energy, mining and other development interests. If Spelling live Bores You, Toy With Evil Pacinoromes From Tulsa, Okla., a generous reader writes: Ive dipped my ladle into your alphabet soup and it tastes good. You obviously love words. So do I. You play word games. So do I. What are your favorites? Thank you for asking, dear reader. (Thank you too for your kind culinary compliment). I have been playing word games for more than a quarter of a century (since I was 8 in fact) and of the hundreds I have tried these may not be the most sophisticated but they are the ones Ive most enjoyed. To play the games you need two or three friends and the rules. If you have the friends, I have the rules, so what are we waiting for? BACKWARD SPELLING: or chosen by The leader announces a word and popular acclaim players must take turns to spell that word backwards. They have only 10 seconds, so if they falter, fumble or make a mistake, they drop out. The first player to spell the given word correctly and inside the time limit gains a point. The player with most points after a set number of words has been called is the winner. COFFEEPOT: One of the players must cover his ears while all the others choose a secret verb. When the verb has been chosen, the victim uncovers his ears and begins to question the others, substituting the word coffee pot for the mysterious verb. How often do you coffeepot? might be one question. Can the over-80- s coffee-po- t with ease21tyight be another. The victim is allowed 10 questions, to which he must be given sensible replies, and after which he must guess the identity of the secret verb. If he guesses correctly he gains a point and another player becomes the victim. The first player to score five points is the winner. JUST A MINUTE: Players take turns to talk on one subject tor just a minute. They start with 10 points apiece and wheq they have been talking for 60 k A, d seconds, without hesitating, repeating themselves or deviating from the subject, they are awarded another five points. However, if they are guilty of hesitation, repetition or deviation they lose two points. Before the game starts an impartial observer should be chosen to select the subjects, impose the penalties and keep the score. The more ridiculous the phrases, Jie more entertaining the 60 seconds become. Almost anyone can talk about Having a bath for just a minute, but it is not so easy to keep going with topics like "Rat catching in Oswego and I was a teen-ag- e taxidermist.' MESSING ABOUT IN QUOTES: One player comes up with a phrase or quotation or cliche and the other player has to suggest who might have said it. The players then swap roles. Nobody is awarded any points, penalties or prizes, but with quick-witteplayers the game can be a joy. To set you goinq, who said, "Thank God its Friday? Why, Robinson Crusoe, of course! well-know- n d WORD ORDER: The first player calls out a word at random, the second player follows with another word suggested by the first word, the third player with another suggested by the second, and so on round the group. Were the first word apple it might be followed by pie, sky,' blue,' color, television,' 'set,' match, stick, cane, sugar, and so on. After a few rounds the first player suddenly shouts Reverse order!' at which point the last player to speak must remember the word before his and all the words are repeated round the group in the reverse order from 'sugar' to cane to 'stick' to match to set to television to color to bluo to sky to 'pie' to apple. Anyone hesitating, getting the words in the wrong order or forgetting a word lose hi chance. The player who has lost the feweet chances after five rounds is the winner. Have fun! 'i Hi |