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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (April 13, 1959)
6A MAIL TRIBUNE, Medford, Oregon, Monday, April 13, 1939 Machines Learn By Experience New York, (Science Serv ice) Automatic control devices can be " designed to learn through experience to im prove their performances, as a result of a new theory re ported here today. Robert Kalaba and Richard Bellman of the RAND Cor poration, Santa Monica, Calif., said they applied new math ematical methods to devise a system of controls that im proves a machine's perform ance by adapting it to cur rent circumstances. The mili tary and commercial implica tions of such devices are "im pressive," they reported to the Institue of Radio Engineers meeting here. - A machine built using these principles would be instruct ed both in the routine opera tions of arithmetic and in ways to modify its routines in accordance with the nature of the solution. What Is The Law? This column is prepared as a public service by the College of Law. Willamette University, Salem, to ex plain basic legal principles, not to provide legal advice. The reader is cautioned not to apply these cases to his own problems without an attorney's advice, for . dif fering facts may change the outcome. Statutes on Wills Can Operate Contrary to Plan In 1956 Joe was a very suc cessful businessman who, al though he was 43 years old, had never married. He had made a will while in the mili tary service in World War II which gave all of his property to his two sisters, Joan and Jane. His sisters were his nearest and most beloved rel atives. In 1957 Joe married Emma, a 28-year-old divorcee. He did not make another will after the marriage. Joe and Emma proved to be incompatible and their marriage was on the brink of dissolution when Joe was killed in an automobile accident in 1958. Despite the will, Emma inherited all of Joe's property, married Char lie (who was well aware of her financial status) and lived happily thereafter. Jane and Joan are now struggling along on a small pension. Victim of Rules Joe never intended to leave his sister's destitute. But he was to blame for their pover ty because he failed to keep his personal affairs in order. He was the victim of two rules of law which are basical ly beneficial but which may operate to injure the negli gent. One of these laws, on the books in most states, holds that marriage automatically revokes all wills executed by either spouse before the cere mony. Statutes pronouncing this rule are enacted by legis latures to protect the deserv ing wife. It was the presump tion of the legislators that most wives fall into this category- It would have been un just to have all of Joe's prop erty go to his sisters under his will if his wife had been his faithful companion for 40 years. Property Distributed Another law provides that if a person dies without a will his property is distributed in accordance with the plan pro vided by statute. The law also applies if the will is revoked. This plan is designed to take care of the ordinary situa tions. In Oregon and most states a wife and children share the property of a de ceased husband if he leaves no will. The wife gets all of the property if there are no children. Unfortunately Joe, Joan and Jane did not represent the orthodox family arrange ment and the statutory plan operated in a way clearly con trary to the desires of the deceased. TANKER EXPLODES Hheus, Brazil -4JPD- Twenty five persons were reported dead or missing Saturday in an explosion and fire aboard the Brazilian oil tanker Urba ton. Twenty other persons were injured when the tanker blew up while unload ing asphalt in this northern Brazilian port. BIG GREEN RED FIR Slabwood Double Load $ I OfJO 300 cu. ft Jumbo Load $ f A 00 400 cu. ft 1 Order Early - Quick Delivery Fhatas Fuel Go. SP 3-5378 The Family Council Editor's note. The Fnl council consists ol a judge a psychiatrist, Uree clergymen, a newspapei editor a women's editor and two writers, tach arUcle is a summary nf an actual report. The Family Council does not give advice: it merely report on problems that hay been dealt with by responsible agencies ana counselors Mrs. J. F. - My daughters- in-law resent me. Leonard F. She doesn't let us do things for her. Mn. J. F. - I am a 60-year-old widow, living alone and working part time to support myself and not be a burden on anyone. My husband died a year ago, leaving me next to nothing. t My big pleasure in life is my grandchildren. My two sons each have three children and I love spending time with them. I like to have one fam ily or the other over every Sunday for dinner. In addi tion, I visit a couple of eve nings a week. I'm not the type to make a pest of myself. I just talk to the children for a while. I don't even want a cup of coffee. In spite of this my daughters-in-law seem to resent me. They always seem to find ex cuses for not coming to the regular Sunday dinner. They are very cool to me when I visit. I have done everything I can to be the right kind of mother, but somehow I seem to have failed. Leonard F. - My wife and I try our best to do things for Mother, but she never lets us. My brother says the same thing. We would like to contribute to Mother's support, but she won't let us. She says she doesn't mind working, but complains all the time of tiredness. We try to stick to a strict schedule for her Sun day visits, but it doesn't al ways work out right. Things sometimes come up and we can't make it. Also, Mother has a habit of bringing the kids things they shouldn't have before bed time. But if we say anything she is off us for weeks. She always acts as though she is unwanted and sometimes won't even take off her coat. The Council - Probably it would help everyone concern ed if Mrs. J. F. would admit to herself that she is lonely and frightened and actually wants more from her children than they are able to give her. She doesn't want money at this time, or even more con tact with them, but a sense of security. Undoubtedly Mrs. J. F. is deeply troubled by her sud den loneliness and can't help thinking about the future -about the time when she may not be able to work or to maintain herself. Perhaps her sons can give her some re assurance on that score. From both accounts it is apparent that they would not desert her. Once she has acknowledged her own fears, Mrs. J. F. would realize that she must try to get over her self-pity and take a more realistic view of things. She actually has as much security as a person can reasonably expect. She can take some pride in her ability to work and be independent, and this should strengthen her inner most feelings. Mrs. J. F. could gain addi- 1 WVLH v . "aSX EVEEY YEAR. 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