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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1953-7-29, Page 6antastic Pleas .. Heard in. Court A slimming diet which en- tails cett«rng out sugar entirely can cause loss of memory. This suecessful defence was put for- ward by a Sheffield woman ace ((used of shoplifting. Another woman shoplifter pleaded h vain after walking out of a store with a stolen hat, "It was so amall I forgot it was on my head," she insisted.. Highly ingenious are the ex- planations 'often given when peo- ple appear in court. A London lad, brought before the Bench for failing to report Mr Army service, protested that his calling up papers hadn't mentioned what year he was supposed to report. Another young man, challenged after he had failed to obey a police siren when his car was being followed, innocently explained that he thought it was a girl whistling in the back seat. Some explanations, though they may read like highly sen- sational story plots, are abso- lutely genuine. One motorist, charged with dangerous driving at Daytona Beach, was allowed M go free. His defence? - That there was a snake in his hat! He had bought it at a pet shop and put it in his hat for safety. But it crawled down his arm and quite took his mind off hie driv- ing. He was considerably luckier than the motorist arrested and charged for exceeding the speed limit. "The wind was so strong that it just pushed the car along," was his naive and un- successful defence. Anyone who knocks down a policeman and gets away with it must be considered lucky But the judge, far from imposing a fine, accepted a Detroit man's plea "I saw a big bee land on his neck just above the col- lar," the offender declared, all wide-eyed and innocent, "I didn't want himt to get stung so I hit the bee as hard as I could." An invalid was saved from jail at Newark, New Jersey, though he had ruthlessly held up a night-club bartender and robbed him of $500. His employers de- scribed him as a quiet, well-be- haved and exemplary man. And the judge merely put him on probation after hearing that he was being treated for arthritis with the new drug cortisone (for rheumatic complaints), which combined with a few drinks had temporarily changed his charac- ter. "It could effect some transient personality change," said a doc- tor in evidence. Also dismissed was the case against a Detroit woman charged with harbouring rats in her home. She had, she protested, ratproofed her house so success- fully that the pests that were al- ready in couldn't get out! But there was no sympathy for the Montreal` lodger who knocked a hole in his landlord's wall because he wanted more air. He was made to pay $40 dam- ages. Children often disarm their ac- cusers. A fifteen -year-old Ip- swich girl, charged with tres- passing on a railway line, ex- plained that she was merely put ting her four-year-old brother on the rails in order to take a photograph of him. But perhaps the most charm- ing excuse, which no one with any sense of chivalry would op- pose, was given by seven little French girls, aged eight to twelve, when confronted by an angry farmer, Raymond Giraud, who accused them of uprooting a complete field of his cabbages. "We were only looking for babies!" they declared. Rebwous Film is Sleeper — Outdraws„ 3,7D Films lee He tells the Emperor he can- not and will not recant. A religious movie titled ";Mar- tin Lttther," originally filmed for church showings, made such a hit In a Minneapolis theater that the Lutheran Church Productions decided to show it in other public Pt 0 v i'e houses throughout the country, It outgrossed the 3-D movies and recent smash hits like "Hans Christian Andersen," "Pe- ter P a n" and "Moulin Rouge." The film traces the life of the 16th century reformer from his days as an Augustinian monk to the Diet 01 Augsburg where Lu- ther learned that the evangelical princes would support his break from the Catholic Church. Most of the film was photographed in the actual streets, churches, and monasteries of the time. Niall MacGinnia, an Irish actor, plays the soul-searching Luther, with striking realism. Many Catholics helped make the film. Aroused citizens learn that Luther may be burned at the stake. Many rise in his defense. The split within the Church has started. -Ll ri lusna Archbishop'of Mainz shows. Charles V Luther's writings. Minutes later Luther is accused .of heresy before the Diet of Worms. Luther leads his congregation in thanksgiving prayer. The Protestants stood firm against Charles V's demand they recant. Feet on the Ground A notice recently issued by U.S. Army Headquarters and headed• SMOKING IN BED VIOLATIONS runs as follows: "As a result of inquiries per- taining to a definition of 'smok- ing in bed,' the following defini- tion is Offered as one definition for the assistance of those who are in doubt as to the meaning of the term: 'when an individual assumes any position on or in any bed, canvas cot, steel cot, etc., with or without bedding, and then proceeds to smoke, he is "smoking in bed," except that when a persgn has both feet up- on the floor or the ground he cannot be considered as being "in bed." In the event a per- son reclines upon a bed with one or both feet off the floor or the ground, and that by the turther act of smoking he should cause the bed to catch fire, he should be considered as being in bed be- cause he is using the bed as a bed and not as a chair as he is doing when he sits upon the bed with both feet upon the floor or the ground.'" So now We know just where we are! TALL TALE A hen and a pig were saunter- ing down the main street of an Indiana town when they passed a restaurant that advertised "Delicious harp and eggs: 75 cents." "Sounds like a bargain," approved the hen. "That owner obviously knows how to run his business." "It's all very well for you to be so pleased about the dish in question," observed the pig with some resentment. "For you it is all in the day's work. Let me point out, however, that on my parti it represents a ge- nuine sacrifice," Ouch( — Clarinda, a Barred Rock hen, is the pride and joy of her towner crnel no wonder as she laid an egg measuring eight inches in circumference. Recently she finished hatching out a letting of duck eggs, but the ducklings all died. Clarinda Is shown above comparing the big egg with a normal-sized one. TIIEI'Al�N FRONT The cawing of a crow comes sharply from a thicket There is anxiety and terror in the sound. Then it changes to a downright moan—an urgent pleading for help. Crows within a mile hear the call and respond readily. They wing their way in flocks towards a clump of evergreens to help out their troubled comrade. * * * As they near their objective, a volley of gun shots suddenly blast at them. Several are caught within range and fall to the ground. A grinning hunter steps out in the open with a crow call dangling from a cord around his neck. "Good krochology!" he muses. "Krochology" is a new word coined by Les Morrow, outdoor columnist of the Montreal Herald, and means "the science of call- ing and shooting crows." He des- cribes this science in a new book- let, "Calling All Crows," issued by the ammunition division of Canadian Industries Limited. In his introduction, Mr. Mor- row says that the aim of the true conservationists is not to eliminate predators — animals which feed on other animals use- ful to Man — who also have their place in nature's plan, but to con- trol them where their numbers are excessive. Crows and mag- pies are not only an expensive nuisance to farmers, but they also destroy the eggs of song and game birds and feast on their fledglings. By controlling them, sportsmen will earn the gratitude of farmers, protect game and song birds and enjoy unparalleled off- season shooting, The booklet tulle how year- round hunting is possible by go- ing after rabbits, coyotes, fox and wolves during the months when hunting game birds and big game is not permitted. • + Dips in chlorine treated water prolong freshness of chilled pouI- try, it was found in recent ex- periments by Dr, M. Wayne of the Washington Ca -operative Farmers Association. Prior to cooling in ice water and cutting up, birds were dipped for 30 seconds in water contain- ing 1,000 parts per million of free chlorine, during Dr. Miller's experiments, They were then stored in a temperature of 33 degrees Fahrenheit, After two weeks they had about one-tenth the bacteria count of untreated birds stored under similar con- drtions. Their odor and appear- s - ante was satisfactory while un- treated poultry had soured. * * * After 18 days in storage, dip- ped birds showed slight off -odors while birds not dipped in the chlorine bath were decomposed, • ,, 0 * The degree of insect infesta- tion in grain can now be accura- tely determined by an apparatus using the beryllium window x-ray tube recently introduced for industrial use by the General Electric Company. 0 KK * When fully developed and in common use, thex-ray method of locating infestation is expected to result in an appreciable con- servation of food products. Up till now, millers and other food processors have found other methodscostly, time-consuming and inconclusive. * + + The new equipment reveals not only the extent of infestation, but determines the degree, stage and reproductive potential. In- dications are that it will be adap- ted to other uses such as deter- mining the degree of checking in grain, germination in corn and effectiveness of fumigants. • + g The unit used for x-raying grain samples is a special cabinet resembling a one -burner cooking range. A tray of grain is placed on top of the open cabinet then photographed on an x-ray film. The film is a fine-grained emul- sion to provide high contrast and fine detail. . • r + Summer is the season for in- sects. Thousands of types and species are invading our crops and forests as well as being a nuisance to humans and animals. • Loading the fight against the insects hordes is a group of pro- fessional men known as entom- ologists. Their knowledge of the habits and life cycle of insects has provided agricultural chem- ists with information of prime importance in the development of weapons for insect control. DDT, methoxychlor, rotenone, benzene hexachloride, parathion and many other insecticides came into general use only after en- tomologists ntomologists had supplied chemists with the facts about the "enemy," + * • The ground work of the en- tomologists was largely respon- sible for the suceeeefu1 grass• hopper control program In Wes- tern Canada. They preceded the planes in the lari!a scale aerial spraying of forest in New Brun- swick this year and in 1952 to combat the voracious spruce bud- worm. They are uncovering the breeding places of the great lo- cust swarms which have ravaged for centuries several areas of Eurasia and Africa. Their pre- diction of possible. insect infes- tation by egg counts the year before has made it possible for industry to prepare insecticides for a forthcoming year's cam- paign. „ * • But the entomologists are not interested solely in killing bugs. Many are working on the propo- gation of useful insects like bees. One group makes a special study of predators—insects which are harmless to man but destroy harmful insects. • * + Because of Canada's extensive forests and food producing areas, entomologists are contributing a great deal to Canadian 'economy. Their ceaseless efforts to reduce the millions of dollars in losses caused by insects annually in this country should be encouraged in every way, Valuable Stamps Some people don't care a hoot about stamps, but some millions of people, from China to Peru, from Bongo -Bongo to Timbuctoo, live for little else except their collection of stamps. Stamps are like the clues in a detective story, they contain hidden messages, and the great reward for a successful solution is the rapid increase in the value thereof. Many stamps look alike super- ficially, but when you have gauged their perforation, deciph- ered their watermark, and look- ed it all up in the code book, which anyone interested can ob- tain, you will find exactly the veer in which they were printed. And, behold, they are no longer alike, but some are rare and others common. Nearly all the most ordinary stamps of Australia and Ire- land have two issues exactly the same, except that the perfora- tions are different and the right set of perforations cause the stamps to be worth double the others. In the United States the post office has a special Philatelic De- partment, and collectors need only register their names to have every new issue sent to them and be told where the first plate will be sold. Over there they bring out a new commemorative stamp al- most one a fortnight, Illustrating some historical eve*nt"'or anniver- sary. Rarest in World You can still take stamps from one country to another without tax, and perhaps that is why the market in very valuable stamps is so vigorous. But you cannot buy from different countries so easily because of currency re- strictions. Stamps from countries behind the Iron Curtain are losing their popularity„ whereas the British Going To Search For Uranium? Nifty Yourself a Book on Botany! A botany bandbook•is the new. est 1001 of the' trdnium prdspec- tor in his search for the precious radioactive element, Knowledge of certain, common western plants can supplement, `and to some extent replace, the clicking Geiger counter as a guide to uranium ore near the surface, according to a report by Helen L. Cannon of the United States Geographical Surve$, The report is a triumph of the new science" of geobotanical prospecting which is coming into wider use in searching both for ores and oil. In another variation minerals are sometimes gathered by burn- ing plants that are partial to them, and then smelling the ashes. In Scandinavia, gold has been recovered by burning the ashes of horsetail weed, and the rare element germanium has also been recovered in this way, Two -Year Study Miss Cannon spent two years studying the vegetation of the Colorado Plateau, the chief United States source of uranium - bearing carnotite, to determine the effect of uranium -vanadium deposits upon plant life, writes Roscoe Fleming in the Christian Science Monitor. The report lists plants of the plateau region which may guide seekers to .uranium ore beds be- neath them. These plants are useful, however, not because of their tolerance to uranium, but because they absorb selenium, which is found there in ore that also contains uranium. Most plants cannot stand se- lenium, an element resembling sulphur, but others have grown to tolerate it and perhaps even to require it. These latter plants have long been a problem to ranchers, since .they are also harmful to cattle. Now, however, they have taken on a new use. Their presence, together with the equally significant absence of types of vegetation that cannot stand selenium, canui g de pros- pectors to ore -rich areas. - Common „Plants "The commonest of these guide plants throughout: the district," Miss Cannon's report says, "are rabbitbrush, shadscale, Mormon tea, milkvetch, and grassek. Jun- ipers, scrub _ oak, serviceberry, and cliffrose are common on some of the h1her mesas.t "Sulphur -tolerant plants of the mustard and lily families are also good guides." Most useful indicator at below 6,000 feet is the milk vetch, whose deep roots can show up uranium as much as 50 feet be- , low the surface of the earth. Itis both common and easily recog- nizable. Prince's Plume, a tall plant with conspicuous yellow flowers, is another good indicator, and one not limited to lower alti- tudes. One guide to ore is a change of species of saltbush. Over an ore bed the common narrow - leafed saltbush is replaced by the wider -leafed shadscale va- riety. Effects Change The report notes that this change "affects the appearance of the vegetation to a remark- able degree,- and this appear- ance is probably subconsciously used by many prospectors."' The appearance of indicator plants Is not a sure sign of un - Empire new issues are bought as soon as they come out. Maybe next year a new country will start to grow popular, and if you have a good set of their stamps you mast find them in- crease in value. South American republics are cheap at the moment, and whole sets can be obtained for a penny a stamp. Who shall say what their value will be in a few years' time? del'lying, araniunl•Ax's, ;1?uti:,tt»y comprise one of the best surface guides, They are also a boon to the airborne prospector, since they can be easily recognized from the air, s The report -says that another Way in which plants can be used in the hunt for uranium is by chemical analysis, Plant physiologists have shown that all higher plants use as food infinitesimal amounts of uranium, which apparently aids in their growth, The amount taken in varies with the amount present in the soil. in the arid regions of the Col- orado Plateau, the moisture- seeking roots of the juniper and milk vetch will reach 20 to 30 feet into the earth. Plants grow- ing over mineralized bedswill take 1r1 'more uranium through their roots than those bedded in limestone. - By burning pieces of these plants, the concentration of car- notite ore in their _beds can be determined by the amount of uranium they have absorbed. These plant -roots are so sensi- tive to the content of their soil that sometimes bark from dif- ferent sides of a juniper tree will shote, different amounts of uranium. The only place where the plants of. the 'plateau' show un- natural stunting or bleaching of leaves due to radioactive ores is near "dumps and areas of mine seepage, where the metals are oxidized," Miss Cannon says. •,t4. Papered House With Cigar Bands First thing a visitor sees when he calls on Mr. Nico Molenaar in the little fishing village of Volendam, Holland, is the amaz- ing "wallpaper" which adorns the walls and ceilings of his house. It consists entirely of colour- ful cigar bands. There are at least 250,000 bands which he has collected all over the world dur- ing the past eight years. So in- tricate and ornamental are 'the designs that it has taker: Mr, Molenaar three years to stick therm in position. If is his proud boast that, with the help of his wife, he has made all the colours match. Cigar - bands ` with golden stars with flags and vari-coloured trade marks — all have their place in the unique tapestries. Each band is carefully stuck on to wall or ceilint, with glue. Particularly attractive rs the pattern above the Ivfolcnaars' dining -room chandelier. B ue Ribbon Babe—Little Colleen Kelly, 23 -month-old Irish -Korean beauty, tottered off with the Miss Baby Hawaii of 1953. Litter -ally Good -A proud mamasheep keeps o close watch on her abnormally large litter o five Tombs on a farm in Schleswig- Halslein region of Germany, Nor!erav <heop reproduce only two-. ..«" a "mt4 „.