European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 14, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Monday april 14, 1986 the stars and stripes Page 11 Ann Landers dear Ann Landers my brother was pushed to incredible limits by our parents. From the Day he was born no mat Ter what he did it was never Good enough. He finished second in his class at Yale. When he was one year away from getting his . In physics my Mother told him i want to introduce you to my Friend but Don t Tell her you Don t have your . Yet. I said you already have  my brother developed severe psychological problems and has been institutionalized for the last four years. I have spent a lot of time around High achieving graduate students and saw Many parents who were distraught when their babies walked talked and even grew at near average rates. Just today a Friend called. She was worried because her 4-week-old infant was not smiling yet. I asked her when babies usually Start to smile. She re plied at about six  please Tell the mothers and fathers who read your column that if they want an exceptional infant one who grows fast is coordinated Early sits up Early and walks to get a Chimpanzee. Chimps develop so rapidly they make humans appear retarded by comparison. To be emotionally healthy one must have a Normal childhood with ample time to develop desirable qualities become intelligent Socia ble to achieve at comfortable rate enjoy life and feel Good about one s self. Too bad my parents missed the boat in Calif. Dear Friend Well said. Thanks for an excellent letter. Dear Ann Landers my husband and i Are expecting our fourth child in a couple of months. My Hus band s sister is being married 10 Days after my due Date. Since she knew when our baby was due it s Clear that she did t care whether i was present or not. The wedding is a four hour drive from our Home my husband was asked to be an usher. He very much wants to be at his sister s wedding. My first response was to Tell him to go and enjoy himself whether or not i go. He agreed to take the older children Ages 5 and 7 with him. After thinking it Over i realized that i am not Happy about staying Home alone for three Days with a toddler and a Newborn. His family wants him to be at the rehearsal dinner. My husband sees no reason Why i can t care for myself and the children in his absence. My going with him is now out of the question because the paediatrician says i cannot take the baby out of town until it is at least three weeks old. My husband said he would stay Home with me if i Felt i really needed him but it would ruin his relation ship with his family. This is a Burden i do not wish to carry so i told him to go and i would hire someone to stay with me. I am very Hurt by his desire to be with his family rather than with me at a time when i need him. Sensitive ind. Dear my the Bride looks like the real villain to me. She could have scheduled her wedding three weeks later and avoided a lot of Trou ble. Insist your husband go and hire help for you. If he stays Home hell never forgive you and neither will his family. But Between you and me a father of three kids under 7 years of age should be Man enough to put his pregnant wife before his sister. Readers wishing to write to news America Syndi Cate columnist Landers May address their letters in care of the stars and stripes Apo 09211, . Forces All letters to the editor must contain the full printed name and address of the writer and must be signed. We do not read unsigned letters but we will withhold your name on request and protect your privacy. All letters Are subject to editing. Smoke Detector did not sound alarm writer says i am writing the stars and stripes hop ing that military personnel living in govern ment quarters can be advised of a possible safety Hazard concerning the fire alarms in government quarters. On Jan. 30, i was sleeping in the bed room of my quarters and my wife started a pot of Coffee. After she started the Coffee she went upstairs to get something from a Friend. At about 5 10 . I was awakened by some sounds in the House. When i woke up the hallway was completely full of smoke and the lights in the House would not come on. I went into the hallway and could see flames coming from the Kitchen. I could not see the Telephone to Call the fire depart ment because of the smoke. After i put the fire out with a Rug 1 called the fire depart ment and they sent a fire inspector. I could not understand Why the fire alarm failed to go off. When the fire inspector arrived he advised me that the Coffee pot s thermostat had shorted out causing the Complete electrical system to Short out. The inspector advised me that fire alarms in some government quarters were directly hooked up to the electrical system and they have no Means of backup Power in Case the electrical system shorts out. If 1 had t been awakened by the sounds of the fire the Complete House could have burned with me in it. The fire inspector advised me that he had requested that the fire alarms be equipped with a Battery As Means of backup Power but his request was turned Down. 1 Don t know who turned Down his request but they Are Messing around with our lives and i Don t appreciate it. This safety Hazard should be fixed As soon As possible before someone Dies be cause the fire alarm did t work. My suggestion is the same As the fire inspector s. All fire alarms that Are hooked directly to the electrical system of government quart ers should have a Battery installed As a backup Means of Power in Case the electrical system shorts out. I thank you in Advance for any help you May give me with advising the military personnel who live in government housing of this Hazard. Staff sgt. Brian c. Gray Neu Bruecke Germany editor s note we received two replies to this letter. The first is from Dean Davis chief Usa eur fire Protection in the past two years smoke detectors have been installed in almost All . Army government family housing and in Many of the leased units. Installation instructions included the requirement for connecting the detectors to the hallway lighting circuit. The use of Battery powered detectors was thoroughly considered but rejected be cause the leading . Fire Protection authority the . National fire Protection association in its life safety code re quires single station smoke detectors to be powered by House electrical service. The Battery powered single station detectors Are cheaper to buy and install but Are not considered As reliable As those powered by House current. Apparently your smoke Detector failed to alarm because it was connected to the same circuit As the Coffee pot. This is highly unusual since the Standard practice in Ger Many As in the United states is to install a separate circuit in the Kitchen. The Baum older directorate of Engi Neering and housing Dehas a result of the fire investigation is checking this out and will process changes where similar conditions exist in leased housing. The government housing units do have hallway lighting circuits separate from the Kitchen and this has been recently con firmed in Baum older. Demo has auction information i was wondering if they Ever auction off army furniture. I was interested in Pur chasing the furniture because i like the style. Could you please give me some information on when and where the next auction will be or Tell me who to get in touch with to find out Robin Sylvester Hanau Germany editor s note a spokesman from the defense property disposal Region pub Lic affairs office replies the defense re utilization and Market ing Region Europe is receiving a vast Quan Tity of household furniture from military family housing offices throughout Ger Many mainly in the v corps and Vii corps areas. The furniture we Are Selling is the d Mark purchased furniture from the 1950s and 1960s. The wooden tables Are just that Good solid Oak As Are the Coffee and end tables nightstands chests of drawers and dressers. Some of the furniture is being sold on local auction but most of it is being sold at retail sales either at the local defense re utilization and marketing office demo or a nearby location. Many of our demos have regular retail sales scheduled on a monthly basis such As our location at Mainz Kastel which has one the fourth Friday rain or Shine. ,. The writer should Contact the nearest demo for exact times and dates. If they Don t know where the nearest demo is they can obtain the information by writing the marketing division has Damre Apo 09633-7478. 6 votes for an s style show should anyone have doubts about their own quarters it is a simple matter to trip the circuit breaker for the Kitchen outlets and then see if the smoke Detector still has Power. If you find it does not or if still in doubt Call your Deh housing office or the fire department business Telephone. As a follow up we Are asking All Dehs to con firm that detectors Are correctly installed. Thank you for bringing this serious situation to everyone s attention. The second reply is from it. Col. Wil Liam a. Schilletter acting director. Operations and maintenance division Deputy chief of staff for engineering and serv ices. He Safe an alternate Power source such As Bat Tery backup is not required by air Force directives or the . Fire codes for House hold single station smoke detectors. Approximately 12 to 15 years ago smoke detectors were recognized As valuable Early warning devices for the Type of fires occurring in domiciles. At this time a decision was made to install smoke detectors in military family housing. The majority of existing quarters do not have available a separate electrical circuit for these detectors. The present practice is to connect the smoke Detector to the near est electrical circuit that cannot be de energized except at the electrical Power panel. When existing Safe military family quarters receive major Interior renovation or new military family quarters Are constructed an Independent electrical circuit will be provided for smoke detectors. We read with alarm that some an viewers want style replaced. What would replace it More inanities such As the Guy who lost his Driver s License due to Drunken driving and has a wife too stupid to learn to drive after being bombarded on a daily and nightly basis with situation so called come Dies so absurd and unfunny one is filled with the desire to cry rather than laugh wife beaters child abusers drug abusers and the Gamut of unpleasant subjects Elsa and style provide Brief comic Relief. Pen pals i want to write to pen pals of All Ages and from All Over the world. Barbara Miller 1227 Marvine St. Bethlehem a. 18017 please print my name in your pen pal column. Edgar ale ado 5012 bedbug Eft filed Rich Ebert sir. 2 West Germany so Here Are six votes for  we think it s the funniest program on an. It generates More comment in offices than any other. We All wonder How amusing the various Headquarters would be if All the secretaries became fashion conscious and wore to work the ludicrous get  shown on  Way to go Elsa Anne Moffett . Miller Kelly Gre Weller Holly Downing Joseph s. Mccord Karen a. Rigsby Ramstein a Germany crests Exchange anyone interested in exchanging unit crests please Send the item or a list of crests that you have to me and i la do the same. I would appreciate any and Al help. Sgt. Ronald t. Junod 1st transportation company Box 832 Apo .,  09696-0032 european edition capt Dale k. Patterson us editor in chief cmdr Jeffrey s. Zakem us Deputy editor in chief . Blackwell m. Proctor . Mcdermott production manager managing de. Circulation manager this newspaper is an authorized unofficial publication for members of the military services overseas. Contents of the stars and stripes Are not necessarily the official views of or endorsed by the . Government the department of defense or the . European command. The appearance of advertising in this publication including inserts or supplements does not constitute endorsement by the department of defense or the stars and stripes of the products or services advertised. Everything advertised in this publication shall be made available for Purchase use or patronage without regard to race color religion sex National origin age marital status physical Handicap political affiliation or any other non Merit Factor of the purchaser user or Patron. Military address the stars and stripes Apo 09211. International mail the stars and stripes Postrach 11 10 34, d-6100 Darmstadt 11, Germany. 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