European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 4, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Monday january 4, 1993 the stars and stripes craps Page 7 members of the Nasa team in Antarctica try to Correct a problem on the spidery robot Dante at the rim of mount Erebus during last week s preliminary attempt at descent. Greenbelt my. A Nasa scuttled its Dante Mission to explore the inside of an Active Volcano at the Bottom of the world with a spidery robot after its fiber optic umbilical Cord broke officials said saturday. / the Mission was called off after scientists concluded they could t repair the break or ship a new Cable to the Antarctic site before severe weather set in said Randee Exler a spokeswoman at the Goddard space flight Center. It. Barbara. Selby another Nasa spokeswoman said getting the new Cable to the icy continent could have taken Quot several  despite the Cable break which occurred near the robot itself Mission director Dave Lav cry called the Effort an Quot unqualified  he said it demonstrated that scientists could someday control a robot on another planet from Earth. Quot the disappointment is that we weren table to conclude the scientific part of the Mission a said Exler. Scientists had hoped the robot could spend three Days inside the Volcano. The 8-foot-tall robot a named for the 14th-Century italian poet Dante Alighieri who wrote the divine comedy a stalled Friday after descending Only s 21 feet into the Crater of mount Erebus. In greek mythology Erebus is the last Stop before hades a Stop that Dante makes in the t Ivins comedy. Controlling the half ton machine from a hut about a mile from the Volcano scientists had hoped to lower it 700 feet into the Crater. They will retrieve it before leaving Antarctica Exler said scientists at first thought the problem was in a computer that controls the robot but later discovered a break in the fiber optic Cable Selby said. She said the Cable which cannot be readily spliced apparently was kinking at several Points As it was unrolled and the break occurred at one of those Points. Because of increasingly severe weather conditions scientists Haa to Complete the project and leave the area by Jan. 15, she said. In the first session of satellite monitoring saturday scientists at Goddard got a relatively Dull View of the Mountain from a camera in the hut. Before the Craft stopped moving Friday they had been viewing scenes from a camera attached to the robot. Dante remained perched 21 feet Down into the Crater. Dante Laden with scientific gear and cameras was to have started its venture into the volcanoes Crater thursday morn ing. But weather and the restive Volcano interfered. Sees irony in  John Sherwood the Washington Post Williamsburg a. A two Hundred years after to Bacco farming gave an economic boost to a new democratic nation the crops use a smoking chewing snuffing a has been banned in colonial Williamsburg a town sized museum that re creates this country a revolutionary origins. Quot and we re probably late a said William e. White director of historical area presentations and Tours. A a in a not sure we re leading a change Here As we re bringing ourselves into the late 20th  starting with the new year this replication of Virginia a colonial capita and living exhibition of 18th Century culture snuffed out tobacco use in All of its More than 50 major historic buildings and numerous lesser structures. The new policy also cuts out smoking for colonial Williamsburg a 3,400 employees in any building within its 220-acre preserve. The ban includes about 500costumed workers some of whom smoked pipes As part of their re creations of 18th Century characters. There is irony colonial Williamsburg officials concede. The new world was discovered in a search for Gold but the English who never found the Ore built Early America on the riches harvested from tobacco crops and in Williamsburg where George Washington Thomas Jefferson Patrick Henry George Wythe and others nursed the concepts of Independence and democracy tobacco smoke was As prevalent at tavern meetings As was the heresy of revolution. Quot for us it is a dichotomy a said Jeremy Fried manager of character interpreters who also plays the role of a colonial lawyer. Quot we re portraying the society that was built on the tobacco  but Fried readily acknowledged that times have changed Quot and because of Modem insight and understanding we know that tobacco is not recreational its dangerous a. A for the nearly 1 million tourists who visit colonial Williamsburg each year the ban will go largely unnoticed. Most historic buildings such As the taverns crafts shops residences and the governor s Palace already ban smok ing officials said. And the nonprofit foundation s 20th Century motels and restaurants will retain designated smoking areas. A a a a but the new ban installed for reasons of employee health As Well As historic preservation and fire safety will most directly affect those smoking employees who were afforded private indoor break areas or who smoked As part of their act. While officials said the smokers represent a dwindling minority there Are some whose habit will be altered \ / a a. A a a a a a Quot ill just leave my cigarettes at Home a said John Lowe 53, who has worked for nearly a Quarter of a Century in the historic District. Lowe portrays a Benjamin Powell a a town Carpenter and he often uses a Clay pipe As one of his props. Attiat pipe he says no longer blows smoke. �?o1 would like to retain designated smoking areas a said Lowe a pack a Day Puffer. A but in a just have to live with it. In a not going to be sitting around biting my Fine mails Over  a not so Steven Holloway 37, who daily dons his Brown frock coat cocked hat and White Cravat to portray Quot John Connelly Quot the town Constable. Quot i fully intend to smoke even if i have to put on a jumpsuit to fire up in my car a he  knotted canc Holloway spoke with the revolutionary Zeal of his forefathers a i have every intention of obeying the indoor policy but in a going to smoke outside. I m going to bring out my Clay pipe and smoke it in Public. Then he added with an Eye either toward tory sympathizers or toward his Boss Quot. On City property Quot Mother who left 2 girls a report says St. Charles Iii. Up a the Mother of two girls left Home alone while she and her husband took a mexican vacation acted As if she had done nothing wrong and showed a Quot so what a attitude when questioned by police it was reported saturday. Quot she did not seem to feel she had done anything wrong. Her attitude seemed to be a so what a a wbb to quoted an unidentified investigator As saying. The report said Sharon schoo 35, was questioned for about four hours after she and her husband David 45, returned from a nine Day Christmas vacation in Acapulco Mexico. The Kane county couple were arrested minutes after their plane landed tuesday apparently unaware of the National outrage Over reports they left Nicole 9, and Diana 4, unattended in their Home 5 Miles West of St. Charles 111. Law enforcement sources said the parents left a note telling the children they could Only eat two meals a Day and what time to go to bed. The parents left detailed instructions telling the children they could have dry Cereal for breakfast and prepackaged microwave meals for dinner thl television report said. A the parents kept a detailed inventory of the food in the House and they warned the two children that if they came Back and they found that anything else beyond that Cereal and those microwave meals was missing they would be punished a said wbb reporter Mike Parker. The schoos spent two Days in jail and were released after posting $5,000 Bond each thursday night. The children have been placed with a Foster family and the Illinois department of children and family services has scheduled a hearing tuesday. Neighbors on Nancy Lane in Campton township said they be been offered Money by National tabloid newspapers to Tell what they know about the family. Better tasting alligators Aren t just a lot of Crock Gainesville Fla. Up a University of Florida scientist said he has found a Way to grow bigger tastier alligators. Animal science professor Paul Cardeilhac has been studying alligators and crocodiles for 13 years and has discovered How to make the creatures More Fertile faster growing Mabet Ter tasting. Cardeilhac has been working with Frank Godwin owner of the Gator land Alligator farm and attraction in Kissimmee. Through their work Cardeilhac said he has achieved some improvements in Alligator production. A a we be doubled their growth rate and quadrupled their reproductive rate we be solved the disease problems so that where we used to have a 35 percent mortality rate we now have a less than 1 percent mortality rate a he said. Quot we be come up with a new diet and we be made it much less stressful for them Quot Cardeilhac a research has been responsible for changing the flavor of Alligator meat. It used to taste fishy but after changing the animal s diet from purely fish to a combination of fish and beef products the meat has gotten More flavorful Godwin said. A it sort of tastes like veal or Chicken a Godwin said. Godwin removes the eggs once they Are Laid and hatches them to a climate controlled Nursery. Affer a year in the Nursery the baby gators Are transferred to another building and fed a special High protein diet. After their second year the Young gators Are transferred to pools. There they Are allowed to grow to 6 feet which takes about another year. The gators Are then  Godwin said he gets $5 to $10 per Pound for Alligator meat and $21 to $55 per foot for hides