G
O
G
Sun Spots Interfere With
Communications Systems
8 FAY VAN SCHOIACK
Due to circumstances beyond
a;f control, we cannot continue
ww Droaacast, the radio an
nouncer said apologetically.
A bit frustrating to have your
(jfevorite program on radio or TV
terminated in this manner but
'tr th next year or two, inter
ruptions may occur with incrcas
irtf, frequency. As the mischief-
maker is approximately 93.000,
. 000 miles distant from the earth,
there is nothing to be done but
endure with patience."
8ots Increasing
"Scientists tell us that the num-
l?er of spots on the sun are in
creasing and will continue to
gain in numbers till 1957-53
when the peak of the 11-year
sunspot cycle will be reached'.
Also that spots on the sun spell
trouble for communication sys
tems of all kinds.
"What as sun spots? How can
a spot on the sun 93,000,000 miles
away from the earth have any
thing to do with a radio or TV
program?" someone may be won
dering.
Sun spots are great swirling
cyclones of electrified particles
coming from the interior of the
C&un. They appear as dark patches
on the sun's surface. During sun
spot activity huge masses of
these electrified particles are
shot into space, and quickly
(lach the earth, causing a mag
netic disturbance in the upper
portion of the atmosphere, called
the Kennelly-Heaviside layer.
Long distance radio waves can
not penetrate this layer. They
rise until they strike it and then
aQi reflected or "bounced"
around the earth to a receiving
station. However, the magnetic
disturbance in the Kennelly-
Heaviside layer caused by sun
spot activity make it possible for
the long distance waves to travel
through this layer (which nor
mally acts as a shield) and be
lost in space.
Communications Hampered
As a result, radio and televis
ion is often blacked out and
telegraphic communications ham
pered. Police radios and other
networks may , be disrupted for
hours at a time. Voices and pic
tures from foreign countries are
likely to come in on TV sets.
On Thursday, Feb. 24, 1956,
it was reported to have been al
most impossible to make radio
telephone calls from Britain to
- the United States and Canada.
.At that time a large number of
groups of sun spots was reported
by a Cambridge university as
tronomer, Dr. D. W. Dewhirst.
Sunspots may be any size from
just visible to 100,000 miles or
more in diameter. The largest of
the group observed on Feb. 24
was abaut 10 times as big as
the earth. Usually they last only
a few days, but sometimes a spot
will not disappear for months.
-' One on record persisted for
IV2 yers, but that was most ex-
ceptional.
The northern lights or Aurora
Borealis is another result of sun
spot activity. The electrified par
ticles from the sun act on the
gases in the upper layers of the
air causing them to glow in much
the ame manner that a current
of electricity affects the gas in
a neon sign.
Weather conditions upon the
earth seem to have some connec
tion with sun spots but this has
not been proven. However, when
spots or storms on Old Sol are
nearing the maximum of the 11
year sun spot "cycle there are
likely to be floods in some parts
of the world, droughts in others,
and in general, an excess of un
usual weather conditions.
303 SO. FRONT - PHONE 2-5595
VENUS AND THE MOON
Sky gazers .on the Pacific
coast will be privileged to enjoy
a particularly spectacular Venus-
moon conjunction during the
evening hours of Thursday,
March 15, when the crescent
moon and brilliant planet will
appear to be very close to each
other low in the western sky.
A conjunction (astronomical)
is the meeting or passing of two
or more heavenly bodies in the
same degre of the zodiac, or the
sky-path in which the sun,
moon, and planets travel.
Observers with time and pa
tience can watch the moon pass
north of the planet with approx
imately the width of the moon
as distance between them. As
Venus has almost reached its
time of greatest brilliance and
the setting hour is approaching
the latest possible for observers
in north temperate latitudes this
conjunction makes an opportun
ity for several kinds of striking
photographs
Old Luna and the "Goddess of
Love and Beauty" will be visible
from 7 to 10 p.m., but will be
nearest each other from 8 to 9
p.m. (PST).
American Catholic
Convicted in China
Hong Kong (li.Pj Another
American Catholic priest im
prisoned in Shanghai has been
tried and convicted of espionage
and sentenced to four years in
jail, it was reported Saturday.
Catholic sources here said
Father John Houle of Glendale,
Calif, apparently was tried last
October and that he wrote his
mother about it on Christmas
day.
These sources said Houle's
sentence was made retroactive
to June 15, 1953, the day he
was arrested in Shanghai. He is
one of seven priests jailqd in
Shanghai now.
Presumably Houle would be
eligible for release in June, 1957.
The Communists, however, have
freed some convicted Americans
ahead of time , for "good be
havior." Two other Americans, Father
Thomas Phillips, a Jesuit of San
Francisco, and Father Joseph
McCormack, a Maryknoll priest
of New York, also were tried
and convicted last fall., They
were arrested the same day as
Father Houle.
According to reports received
here, Phillips' was sentenced to
three years' imprisonment and
McCormack to five years.
If these sentences were made
retroactive Father Phillips pre
sumably would be released this
summer.
Jury Finds Forrest
Guilty of Assault
Hillsboro (U.R) A Washing
ton County Circuit court jury
last night returned a guilty ver
dict against Louis Forrest, 25-year-old
former Scofield school
board member charged with
beating Mrs. Esse Robertson, a
teacher at the school. Forrest
was charged with assault and
battery.
The jury deliberated more
than 3 hours before returning
its verdict by a 10 ' to 2 vote.
Judge Glen Hieber said he
would impose sentence early
next week.
The southernmost U.S. town
is Florida City, Fla.; the north
ernmost, Penasse, Minn.
USED
AS LOW AS
Conviction of Gold
Upheld by Court
W&shington (U.R) The U.
S. Court of Appeals has upheld
conviction of former union lead
er Ben Gold on charges of false
ly filing a non-Communist affi
davit with the National Labor
Relations board.
The court voted 4-4 Friday to
uphold the conviction. It would
have taken a majority vote to
upset the verdict. There is one
vacancy on the court at pres
ent. Gold's attorney, Joseph For
er, said he will appeal the decis
ion to the Supreme Court. Gold
is free on bond from a one-to-three
year prison sentence until
his appeal is finally settled.
Gold was head of the Interna
tional Fur and Leather Workers
union which was expelled from
the CIO in 1949 on grounds it
was Communist controlled. '
Gold admitted he was a Com
munist for 30 years, but said he
quit the party in order to sign
the non-Communist oath in
1950. . The Taft-Hartley labor
law requires union leaders to
swear they are riot Reds if their
unions want to use NLRB ser:
vices. . '
The government claimed
Gold's membership continued
despite his public letter of resig
nation. Gold's attorneys claimed
much of the evidence against
him was introduced improperly
to influence the jury.
Gold resigned his union post
after his trial. He said he want
ed to devote all his time to
fighting a law he said was de
signed to deny legal privileges
to Communist-infiltrated unions.
Man Pleads Innocent
To Hatchet Slaying
Bakersfield (U.R) Donald
Wyciskala, 22, of Bismarck,
N.D., accused hatchet slayer of
Mr. and Mrs. James Askew, of
Seattle, has pleaded innocent
and innocent by reason of in
sanity to a double' murder
charge.
Superior Judge Robert A.
Lambert Saturday set April 4
for a board of alienists to report
to the court on the suspect's
sanity. If found sane, trial will
begin immediately for Wycis
kala. Wyciskala admitted he killed
the ,couplc Feb. 5th near McFar
land. He was arrested later in
New Orleans. He had claimed
Askew had "nagged" him about
his driving while they were en
route to Los Angeles.
Grange
Phoenix Grange
Phoenix Grange will meet
Tuesday, March 13.
The lecturers program will
be at 8 p.m. and Mrs. Frank
Perl will show slides taken In
foreign countries.
Slides of England were shown
at the Feb. 14 meeting, and
Mrs. Perl was invited to show
those of other countries at this
later date.
The orogram will be open to
all Grange members and friends.
The regular meeting will fol
low. -
In the Tropical Chamber on
the Naval Air Test Center, Pat
uxent River, Md., technicians
recreate a climate comparable to
weather on South Pacific is
lands. Their purpose is to test
airplane equipment under trop
ical conditions.
AS LlVB By
Imposition Is Usually
An Early Childhood Habit
Some people make a practice
of imposing on others. They ex
pect others to do things they can
' ii Derfectlv well
do for them
selves because
they find it
easier that
way.
Very often,
the person
who imposes
on others has
acquired the
h a bi t during
Dr. Hurlock
his childhood. He has been per
mitted, or even encouraged, by
indulgent parents to let them
carry the burdens he should
have been carrying for himself.
Mothers are more often to
blame for this than are fathers.
They like to feel needed and
wanted, especially when their
children grow up and are able
to do many things for them
selves. And, because -children
are naturally lazy, as are adults,
they quickly accept the help
they get
In time, the habit of letting
ethers do things for them grows.
They not only expect people to
do things for them but they go
so far as to ask or- demand it.
, Of course, if they "' can get
away with it, it piakes life easier
for them. Buy sooner or later,
every persorfwho is in the habit
of imposing on others will find
himself in a position - where
there is no one to turn to. Then
he will be in a tight spot. Never
having learned to assume, re
sponsibilities or do things for
himself, he is at a loss to know
how to tackle the problem that
confronts him.
Permitting oneself to be im
At the sign
ELIZABETH HURLOCK, PH.D.
posed upon is bad for anyone.
It takes too much of his time
and effort with the result that
he is either overworked or he
must neglect some of his own
responsibilities. Of even greater
seriousness, the person who per
mits himself to be imposed upon
finds he receives little appre
ciation for his efforts and this
makes his bitter and resentful.
In time, this resentment de
velops into a suspicion of all
who ask him to do anything. He
is so on the defensive from his
past experience that he becomes
uncooperative and this makes
people dislike and shun him.
LETTERS. FROM READERS
Helping at Home: "My son
and his wife are living in our
home and both work. They pay
me room and board but neither
offers to help. My daughter-in-law
keeps their room clean and
does their laundry but that is
all. Shouldn't they do more io
help? B. M.
(A) What arrangement did
you make with your son when
he brought his wife to live in
your home? Did you ask them
at that time to assume certain
duties or wasn't that mentioned?
I should think you could have
a family discussion about the
work, and ask your son and his
wife to assume certain responsi
bilities. As both work, you
cannot expect as much help as
if your daughter-in-law were at
home all the time.
Fretfulness: "I have noticed
that my children, 5 and 3 years
of age, get very fretful late in
the afternoon, even when they
have had naps or rests. Why is
it?' C.L.
(A) Your children are doubt
less hungry or tired or both. If
they have had a good rest after
mountains to ski or simply to get to the other side.-You'll want to stop first to 'fill up on
new Royal 76 gasoline. It's the West's most powerful premium. It melts mountains. Gives
your car rocket-burst power on the open Toad; glass-smooth idling when you're inching
ahead in city traffic. Fill up on new Royal 76 before you take off on any driving adventure.
of the big 76 where
UNION OIL COMPANY
Monday, March 12, 195S
Open House Scheduled
At New Hilt School
Hilt An open house in the
recently completed Hilt elemen
tary school will be held at 7:30
p.m. Friday, March 16. The board
of trustees of, the school has in
vited the public to visit the
school during the evening.
A plaque commemorating the
services of Mrs. Stella R. King
to the community of Hilt will be
presented to the school by Her
man Baumann on behalf of the
citizens of Hilt. '
ANCHORED
Ionia, Mich. (U.R)- A 22-foot
pleasure cruiser in dry dock had
to be anchored Friday. Flood
waters from a nearby river
flooded the building.
their midday meal, they are
doubtless hungry. Try giving
them a snack, such as fruit juice,
milk, fruit, cookies, or bread and
butter after their naps and see
if this doesn't help. Children
are usually fretful when they
are hungry.
Carry Cane: "My husband in
sists upon carrying a cane even
when he doesn't 'need il. I iell
him it will make people think
he is a dandy. Am I right."
M.M.
(A) In the large cities, men
carry canes with frock coats
when they are dressed for spe
cial occasions. Otherwise, car
rying a cane is usually limited
to times of need, such as after an
illness or in old age. I am afraid
people will think your husband
is showing off unless he wears
dressy clothes when' he carries
a cane.
(Copyright 19SS, General Fea
tures Corp.) ;
LSI
you know you always
OF CALIFORNIA
Bulgaria Has New Law
Governing'Adulterers
Vienna, Austria (U.R) Adult
erers' in Bulgaria can be sen
tenced to prison terms of up to
three years, Budapest newspa
pers reported today.
The newspapers said a new
law .gives Bulgarian criminal
courts the power to sentence per-
MERRIFIELD
ROBERT ELLIOTT
tea; tkit jjkix.juaimmwM run 1
The Connecticut fAufual
LIFE INSURANCE CO.-HARTFORD
"Over 100 Years" 1
Lobby Medford Hotel in Medford, Oregon
1015 Equitable Building in Portland, Oregon
. - i
Doesn't matter why you drive up
get The Finest
MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE FIVE
A WV-2 Super Constellation
of the Navy's Airborne Early
Warning Wing, Atlantic, is
painted a smokey black. In the
future, all Navy patrol planes
will be painted the same color.
sons to six months in prison in
most cases, while "severe" cases
are punishable by sentences of
three years.
- MITCHELL
Agency
Congratulates
ROBERT A.
ELLIOTT
as
"MAN OF THE MONTH"
for leading the agency
in paid for business
during the month of
February for this company.