European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 15, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday May 15, 1992 the stars and stripes a Page 7actor Reed Dies at 59 of cancer Pasadena Calif. A Robert Reed a shakespearean trained actor who never quite reconciled himself to his role As the Model father on tvs the Brady Bunch died of Colon cancer his family said wednesday. He was 59. Reed died tuesday night at Huntington memorial Hospital said his daughter Karen Baldwin. A the fought a very Tough Battle for about six months a she said. Reed appeared in movies on Broadway and several television shows but he was probably Best known As the patriarch of the Brady Bunch. The show debuted sept. 26, 1969, and was an Abc Friday night fixture until aug. 30, 1974. It has remained enormously popular since then spawning several cast reunion shows a popular satirical play and a recent Tell All Book by Bany Williams who played family member Greg Brady. Reed played Mike Brady the widower father of three boys who married a widow played by Florence Henderson with three daughters. The Brady Bunch was a Vintage american family show where minor events such As driving tests and jilted dates anchored entire episodes. By All accounts Reed did no to care much for such Standard fare. Williams said in his Book growing up Brady that Reed often wrote pages Long memos comparing what he deemed poorly written Brady episodes with a Midsummer nights dream or citizen Kane. A we fought Over the scripts a Reed said in a 1983 interview with the Asso workers get help with earnings data Robert Reed fit photo dated press. A always Over the scripts. The producer Sherwood Schwartz had done Gilligan a Island. Just gag lines. That would have been what the Brady Bunch would have been if i Hadnot  bom in Highland Park 111., Reed studied drama at Northwestern University and attended London a Royal Academy of dramatic arts and the University of London. Fellow students included Diana Rigg Albert Finney and Peter of Toole. In addition to his daughter Reed is survived by his Mother Helen Rietz and a grandson William Ryan. Memorial services still unscheduled Are to be held in los Angeles and new York. Washington a the Federal government agreed wednesday to make it easier for workers and retirees to Correct their social Security earnings records. The agreement followed disclosure that some wages of nearly 10 million workers May not have been credited to their social Security accounts because of errors by employers or the government. Such uncorrected errors would result in a loss of a portion of retirement benefits. In some cases workers could be denied benefits altogether. The agreement was part of the settlement of a lawsuit against the government by the National committee to preserve social Security and medicare. The committee which claims 5 million members sued to Force the social Security administration and internal Revenue service to resolve a heavy backlog of erroneous records and adopt procedures to prevent a recurrence. A this settlement is what we thought beneficiaries Are entitled to a said Max Richtman executive vice president of the committee. In about 10 percent of the cases checked employers quarterly reports to the irs showed a total of wages paid that is higher than shown on the w-2 forms the employers file once a year with social Security. It is the w-2 figures that go into each workers social Security earnings record. The suit was filed after the general accounting office found among other things that from 1978 through 1984, $58.5 billion of wages had not been credited to individual records even though social Security taxes had been withheld. That was 0.8 percent of the $7.4 trillion of wages paid during that period. The settlement requires new efforts by the irs and social Security to resolve conflicts Between their records. It also makes it easier for workers and retirees to Challenge records. Under the agreement social Security will be required to accept a persons claim to have earned wages for which no precise government record exists if a there is no contradictory evidence. A the government has a record of the persons earnings from that employer in the year immediately before or immediately after the year in question. A and the earnings alleged were consistent with the workers earlier and later wages. Present rules require a employers signed statement a w-2 form or pay slips to Correct earnings records. Those can be difficult to obtain especially for a Retiree. The government also agreed to a five year program to publicize the need for workers to periodically Check their earnings records save their w-2 forms and other documentation of wages and notify social Security in Case of a change in name and for businesses to make sure their reports Are accurate. Social Security is developing new instructions to help employers avoid common reporting errors. The irs has started a computerized program to spot businesses that have mismatched wage records in prior years. Change of address policy underwire by the new York times Washington a some lawmakers Are raising questions about the ability of companies to obtain the names and addresses of millions of people who leave forwarding information with the Post office. Since 1985, the . States postal service has been licensing a computerized list of All its change of address forms to marketing insurance and credit companies. As a result people who have moved and want to keep their new addresses private cannot do so if they want the Post office to Forward their mail. As required by the 1974 privacy act the postal change of address form reads a filing this form is voluntary but your mail cannot be forwarded without an order. If filed your new address May be Given to  the postal service says it is not Selling the list which would be illegal but Only licensing computerized Access to it. But the marketing companies can sell the updated addresses to other businesses enabling Catalon companies for example to pursue potential customers from one address to another. The information subcommittee of the House government operations committee was scheduled to examine the dissemination of the so called National change of address list at a hearing thursday. A i have two concerns about the Coa a said rep. Bob Wise d-w.va., chairman of the subcommittee. A first people done to have adequate notice and second they done to Nave a  Wise said he would propose that each change of address card include a Box to be checked by those who do not want their names and addresses to be disseminated. Currently 23 direct mail marketers credit bureaus and insurance companies buy the list for an initial licensing fee of $80,000 and a yearly charge of $52,000. The 1974 privacy act and postal service Laws say the licensees May Access but not copy the list and can use it Only to update addresses on existing mailing lists. Robert Ellis Smith publisher of the privacy journal said the Issue was the danger of personal information becoming easily accessible. A does any postal customer expect when he or she innocently fills out a change of address card at the local Post office that he or she is providing an address update to the nations major mailers a Smith asked. Acc proposes fines for to radio hoaxes Washington apr radio and television stations that air hoaxes intended to alarm the Public would face fines of up to $25,000 under a proposal before the Federal communications commission. The Washington Post said the monetary Sanction was proposed because current punishments a lifting a stations License or sending it a letter of reprimand a were deemed either too severe or too Light. The acc was expected to approve the Sanction at a meeting thursday the Post said. The proposal was prompted in part by a january 1991 incident in which St. Louis station she pm interrupted its Normal programming to broadcast a warning of a nuclear attack accompanied by simulated warning tones of the emergency broadcast system. The 50-second hoax came in the midst of the persian Gulf War. The pc cd a complaints and investigations Branch reported receiving nine radio and two television hoax complaints in the past three years. For that reason broadcasters including the lbs and Abc networks argued that the new Rule was unnecessary and could impede creating programming. Abc also said Orson Welles classic 1938 broadcast of a War of the worlds a concerning a fictitious Martian Landing could be banned under the proposed rules. But the acc staff said such hoaxes As reports of a station taken hostage in Phoenix showed the need for the new sanctions. A people take these things pretty literally when they hear them on the air a Kathleen Ham an attorney in the pc cd a policy and plans Branch told the Post. A some Are More obvious than others but some can tie up emergency  smoke in Cabin forces evacuation of Airliner from wire reports los Angeles a passengers used emergency escape chutes wednesday to exit a United airlines Jet after smoke was detected in the planets Cabin during Takeoff authorities said. United flight 778 to Newark n.j., was nearing Takeoff Speed when the Pilot noticed the smoke and brought the plane to a Stop said Elly Brekke a spokeswoman for the Federal aviation administration. No fire was detected on the Boeing 767, Brekke said. United airlines Crews were investigating the cause of the  pack ruins show Umatilla Fla. A four High school seniors were suspended from class for 10 Days tuesday and banned from graduation ceremonies after releasing a pack of rats in a crowded auditorium during a performance of the musical Oklahoma a everybody went crazy a said Umatilla High school Junior Chris Neal one of 400 students who attended the performance last Friday. One teacher and five students were bitten but Quick thinking school officials calmed the crowd and rounded up the 11  Laws protested Albany . A a gun rights groups plans to offer some unusual welcoming gifts to people attending the democratic National convention in new York City this summer a a a Welcome to fear City survival guide a and for less than $10 a Day rental of a bulletproof Vest. Gerald Preiser executive director of the 4,200-member federation of new York state Rifle amp pistol clubs said wednesday it was All part of a a novel protest of new York s gun control Laws