European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 30, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse Sunday August 30, 1987 the stars and stripes Page 7 playmate ignores complaints to visit vets Des Moines Iowa a Playboy Magazine s playmate of the car breezed through wards Ai a veterans administration Hospital Here ignoring complaints from some employees that her visit was demeaning to women. I m Here to visit the vets. Nothing can stand in my Way Donna Edmondson said Friday on her visit to he Hospital. She said the objections were unfortunate. About 110 of the Hospital s 1,072 employees and volunteers signed a letter complaining that such events Are an inappropriate stimulus for hospitalized veterans and that previous visits by bunnies from the pcs Monics area Playboy club Ted a few patients to crack Diny jokes and mate improper demands of nurses. Such visits encourage an attitude among patients that our importance is related to bust size youth and physical attributes and not our ability and intelligence said nurse Barbara Kuske. A few protesting staff members wore Green rib Bons a color associated with demonstrations by the National organization for women seeking ratification of the equal rights amendment. At the same time several women on the Hospital staff crowded around Edmonson to gel autographed pictures for their husbands As the 21-year-old North carolinian made her rounds in a Low Tut Cotton dress. I think it s about the Best thing that s happened Here said Carol Duane Mick 50. Of pcs Moines. Who received a bedside visit from Edmondson. Hospital director Wayne Maddocks said the pro test was lodged by a Small percentage of the Hospi Tal s staff and that Playboy has a Long history of helping a hospitals. He said Edmondson visited Only veterans who wanted to meet her and that a hospitals have Long encouraged visits from athletes Beauty Queens and other celebrities to show veterans that people care about them. Tom Piltman. A 42-year-old pcs Monics Man who is confined to a wheelchair wailed for More than an hour for Edmondson to arrive. Thanks for com ing he told her. It was Nice seeing a pretty heavy marijuana use May affect concentration new York a a study of Long term heavy users of marijuana found very slight decrease in concentration a Bililies and Short term memory prob lems that May have shunted users toward jobs that arc less mentally demanding researchers say. The decreases were Loo Small to cause obvious problems but it s still cause for concern said study co author Bryan Page of the University of Miami medical school. It puts you at a competitive Dis advantage. Other drug researchers cautioned Hal the effect May have come simply from the users most recent marijuana dose and that men in the study smoked far More than most american users. I think it s a Good set of studies but i Don l think it settles the whole matter said Ken Adams chief psychologist at the veterans administration medical denier in Ann Arbor mich., and professor of psychology and psychiatry Al the University of Michigan the research financed by he nation Al Institute on drug abuse was presented Friday Al the annual meeting of he american psychological association. The researchers described in in re cell Telephone interviews about is.2 million americans smoke marijuana regularly according to Federal figures. Other estimates arc closer to 40 million or to million the study compared the performance of 27 users and 30 non users in Costa Rica on sophisticated mental peer pressure sonworalotofprwsure., is act of 100,000 re Ponds randomly we cod item 500,000 sunny tests said Page research associate pro Fessor in the Miami school s psychiatry department. The All male group averaged 6.4 Mari Juana cigarettes a Day for an average of More than 30 years said study co author Lack m. Fletcher an associate professor of psychology Al the University of hous ton in University Park. The users were asked to abstain from marijuana about two Days before taking the tests which included memorization of word lists and a computer procedure that measured Speed of information processing he said. As a group the users scored lower than the non users did in tests measuring Short term memory and concentration. Ii is nol Clear which of those abilities was More diminished Fletcher said the findings showed very very Subtle differences he said. These Aren t people who need treat ment. These arc All productive individuals. There s no evidence of anything like a motivational syndrome in which people become passive and uninterested in their surroundings he said. But the deficit apparently causes marijuana users 10 gravitate toward jobs that require less mental ability said Page who studied 15 users and 16 non use son the Job. Page recorded their Levels of mental activity every five minutes through the Day on a five Point scale. As a group the users showed significantly less menial activity than non users did he said. The study suggests but docs not prove that mental performance caused the employment difference the researchers said for example societal disapproval of marijuana use May have forced Sirj into the less demanding jobs. Page said. Lester Grinspoon associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard medical school said no single study can be taken As definitive on Long term effects of marijuana. The whole thing about the cannabis literature is you can find anything you want in it he said. It runs the Gamut from this drug must be the work of the Devil to there s absolutely no Conse Quence from using this drug Al All " warriors weapons highlight Soldier of Fortune oily Las vegas Nev. A As children romped in a nearby Pool aging warriors practice choke holds and camouflage Clad shoppers revealed in an array of deadly to Sal the eighth annual Soldier of Fortune convention. More than 4,000 veterans mercenaries and others spoiling for a right gathered at a Lai vegas strip resort to engage in combat techniques Exchange War stories and examine the latest in exotic weaponry. A sign Al the Entrance to the Sahara hotel s convention Center admonished no carry in weapons prompting one portly Middle aged Man to ask that mean i Golta leave my Mac-10 automatic weapon at Home the How has become an annual future Here with veterans rappelling Down the Side of the hotel con ducting Pugil stick Competition in the Pool and listen ing to speakers promote ars wailing to be fought. This year s Competition included a repeal of pre Vious years with Parachute jumping sub machine gun shooting and Small arms firing. Topics of seminars included Mozambique Freedom fighters South Africa under siege strategic defense initiative and National defense terrorism soviet disinformation hostage survival the wars in Afghanistan and Central America and a hypothetical invasion of Europe. James Harliss of Gilbert equipment co. Of Atlanta extolled the attributes of the us As-12. An automatic hot Gin his company imports from South Korea. The at . Alcohol. Tobacco and firearms turned us Down he said of efforts to sell the gun to the civilian Market. They said in had a Lack Ofa sport ing purpose. It shot Down a cinder lock Wall with one 0-round drum. At said no the civilian Market does not nitty this " Harless acc Ounice. Down the aisle a company touted the guardian Zapper a Slun gun with a 50,000-Wall kick designed to cause loss of muscle control in an a Short distance away browsers sifted through Slacks of to shirts. Their messages carried a common thread god guns and guts made America let s keep All three i d rat her be judged by 12 than carried by 6." War the ultimate competitive happiness is a warm machine kill pm All god sort pm one shirt carried a likeness of Marine it. Col. Oliver North. The proceeds from the sales were to to donated to the Central american Hospital fund a sign read. Nearby a Glass Jug begun to till with currency ear marked for the Afghanistan Freedom fighters. $9 million suit filed in Texas youth Camp tragedy Kerrville Texas a the family Ofa teen Ager who drowned when a Church bus ran into floodwaters filed a $9 million negligence Suil and by again11 the operators of the youth Camp where the boy and other youngsters were staying. The family of John Bank Stem jr., 17, alleged in he suit filed in District coun thai officials of the pot o Gold youth Camp near Comfort Texas were negligent in Al lowing ihi1 Ilfin Agurs. To leave the Camp on july 17 when the Guadalure Riser Wei cresting to an All Lime h High. Ten teen a its were killed Lii a the he and Van were swept away b the River. Bon Lulon s body has never been recovered and state game wardens who had been searching for it said they would have to end the Hunt however a private group financed by Dallas billionaire h. Ross Perot is continuing the Vii vhf the suit. Fish a h Dolkins attonii1, Mart. Naco. Nam i As inns tilt1 Camp. Has arc Avenue Baptist Church of san Antonio which of cries the Camp and administrators of Boih. The suit claims the Church Camp failed to eur Rise a High degree of care in properly supervising the campers. Bankston was among 43 people travel ing in a bub and an Ulm a by the so ago Ille Road do Polivi Church of Batch san nov a i suburb. The Svagois Ille group Anil several other groups had been Al the Camp a week and Vive trying 10 leave Over a Road about 180 feel from the mar. Some buses made in but floodwaters in gulled the Seagoville be Hie Lei. A grand jury declined to indict any one in the a Den i
