European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 30, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 the stars and stripes monday january 30,1989 army plans big expansion at fort Irwin Washington a As Congress ponders recommendation to close 86 smaller military facilities the army is preparing to buy 200,000 acres adjacent to us main training area to accommodate modern tanks planes and electronic gear that need More and More room for Large scale Maneu vers. Army officials said they need $29 million to expand the National training Center at fort Irwin next to death Valley in California. By comparison the base alignments and closing commission has said $693 million can be saved annually by shutting the facilities it recommended. Former defense Secretary Frank c. Carlucci has already sent the commission s recommendations on base closures to Congress which take effect unless blocked by both houses. Senior lawmakers say rejection of the package is unlikely. Likewise Congress has not objected to the army plans to buy the land next to the 632,000-acre fort Irwin. The expansion conforms with the commission s expression of acute concern about the requirement of the armed forces for adequate training  Paul w. Johnson Deputy assistant army Secretary for installations and housing said the army also is considering a 63,000-acre expansion of a training facility at Yakima wash., and needs another major training Center of at least 600,000 acres. Current budget requests do not contain Money for acquiring the second major training facility which Likely would be a joint air Force army project John son said. Two problems cited repeatedly by Pentagon an commission officials Are that bases established in re Mote areas during world War ii Are now surrounded by dense populations and that the services require More land to train with increasingly faster More pow Erful and More sophisticated weaponry. The five nautical Miles required by a world War i fighter aircraft for Aerial Man Euver have grown to 40 Miles today the commission said. That Range will extend to 100 Miles As the services introduce the next generation of fighters Over the next decade it said. Similarly an army mechanized battalion needs More than 80,000 acres to practice Standard Maneu vers its world War ii predecessor required fewer than4,000," it said. For army brigades consisting of two or More Battal ions fort Irwin is the Only base Large enough to train with High Speed my Abrams tanks and Bradley fight ing vehicles Johnson said. The need for mane vering room seems to have crept up on army in the 1960s and 1970s. In 1971, the army turned fort Irwin Over to the National  the need for open spaces the army re claimed fort Irwin in 1981, and now counts it among its key facilities around the Globe. Stigmatize Zed with a Winner amid a cacophony of loud cravats Geraldine Friedman of upper Montclair n j., displays one of the Best of the worst the tie on her neck placed second in the ugliest tie in America contest held in new York by the ital Ian Trade commission to push its imported ties. The 25 ties on Friedman s arms were her prize. Bid to Block classified data at North s trial rejected Washington up attorney general Dic Thornburgh turned Down a late bid by the National Security Agency to Block use of some classified information at Oliver North s Iran Contra trial to Start tuesday a source said sunday. An inter Agency committee of intelligence experts has been reviewing secret documents requested by the prosecution and defense to determine whether . Security would be compromised if the material were released at the trial. Similar objections raised this month forced Independent prosecutor Lawrence Walsh to drop two key charges conspiracy to defraud the government and theft of government property against the former White House aide allegedly committed while North was Mastermind ing the 1986 . Arms sales to Iran and the diversion of sales profits to the nicaraguan Contra rebels. Still standing Are 12 felony counts against North. His jury trial is scheduled to begin 9 30 . Tues Day before . District judge Gerhard Gesell. The 12 counts include obstruction of Congress destruction of documents and acceptance of illegal gifts. If convicted on All counts North faces a maximum 60years in jail and $3 million in fines. The National Security Agency the government super secret Monitor of worldwide communications went to Thornburgh because he has final say on such matters under the classified information Protection act. The source said the Asa appealed to Thornburgh with out the support of other members of the inter Agency intelligence group which includes representatives of the Cia and the state Justice and defense departments. Chess pay no computer rises to rank of 30th in United states Pittsburgh a look to your pawns and pieces human the 30th-ranked chess player in the United states is a machine. Deep thought a computer built by graduate students As a Hobby kind of thing came out of nowhere to beat Hitech the world s top rated chess playing program in november. Certainly a year ago no one thought this was possible Vince Mccambridge an International master and spokesman for the . Chess federation said last week. It brings the Specter of a computer world chess Champion by the end of the Century closer to  Hitech the erstwhile Champion was one of Many formidable opponents deep thought beat at the association of computing machinery tournament in Orlando fla., win Ning its ranking As the 30th Best chess player human or mechanical in the United states. Until that november tournament Hitech built by Carnegie Mellon University professor Hans Berliner had been the game s Best electronic  thought built by five Carne Gie Mellon graduate students Lack the chess knowledge that Berliner programmed into Hitech but More than compensates by being almost six times faster. By achieving a rating of 2,551under the . Chess federation sys tem deep thought als9 won the Fredkin intermediate prize for be coming the first machine to surpass the 2,500 Barrier. Hitech ranks just above 2,400 world Champion Garr Kasparov of the soviet Union by comparison ranks above 2,800.at the software too works open in Long Beach calif., in november the machine beat International master Jeremy Silman and Alex Fishbein and played Mccambridge to a draw. Dee thought s Only defeat came against Walter Browne who holds the world chess federation s highest rank grandmaster. Browne is a . Chess federation Champion. Buddies help travellers Battle lonesome blues Minneapolis a traveler who Don t want to see the sights alone can find a Friend through travel buddy which provides companions who will accompany anyone any age to an wherein the  since Dona m. Risdall began operating travel buddy out of her Home in suburban Bloomington in 1987, the  has provided buddies for More than 100 travellers in the United stat Sand overseas. The buddies get their tick ets paid by the clients but pay other expenses. I think they relax a lot More when they re on a trip with a buddy i think it s extra Security Risdall said. Among her clients Are the elderly the slightly handicapped and children. The youngest were two girls Ages 6 and 7 who flew with a buddy to visit their father m Texas. _ she got the idea for the service at her Job As a front desk assistant at an athletic club m Bloomington. Just time and time again i heard Romany say my wife or husband has passed away and they d love to travel but they Don t want to go  Risdall 49, started her business wit about $5,000, which was used mostly for printing and mailing brochures. For a fee $65 for non members $45 for members Risdall lines up traveler with a buddy of similar Back ground and interests. The annual membership fee is $25, and travellers either can make their own travel arrangements or Risdall will make them. She screens All prospective buddies and requires references. She said she has about 50 men and women of All Ages in her listings. This month Risdall began a Branc operation in Dallas out of a former travel buddy s Home and she s thinking about a Branch in Arizona. A get acquainted session is arrange Between the traveler and the prospective buddy if both Are from around Minneapolis. If the client lives out of state Ris Dall chooses the buddy. Risdall whose friends tease her for being a Workaholic has t taken a Vaca Tion in years. When a trip to Hawaii comes along i m going to go she said