Newspaper Page Text
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by Zane Binder
1 BUICK PARK AVENUE
ossum@ix.netcom.com
nong luxury cars, Buick’s Park
re Ultra is unique: it’s the only
ze, American-built vehicle offer
men a modicum of performance.
>h still managing to deliver the
m-soft ride many North
icans crave, its supercharged
plant makes it a standout. At a
trice of $36,250 it’s also a good
ide, the supercharged Ultra is
and pleasing. The front buckets
ide, soft, power-adjustable and
1. There’s a decent-size glove
m overly elaborate dual cuphold
h “writing pad,” provisions for a
and fax, and much more. The
ench seat accommodates three,
or *9B there’s a “trunk pass
ji” to accommodate long objects
is skis. The trunk itself is spa
and nicely finished.
5 instrument panel contains a
y of analog gauges. Driver and
tger “Next Generation” reduced
airbags are standard, the outside
■s fold down, and the locking
1 is keyless.
sature comforts and luxury
nent abound. CFC-free air con-
NOMEN AT
WORK
by TAMARA JONES
ere’s a rapist who has been terrorizing women in an area close to my neigh
ed in Manhattan for almost a year. His modus operandus is to watch for
tial victims going into non-doorman houses, or houses where the doormen
'one off duty, usually after midnight He follows them in and attacks them,
week ago, I talked with some of my neighbors about die situation and we all
1 that if we return to our apartments during hours when we’re most unlike
ee anyone we know, we need to be especially suspicious of any unfamiliar
i who may try to follow us into the building. We also agreed that if a
er enters the elevator, the wisest thing to do is get out before the doors close
se the intercom to alert the superintendent that someone is prowling around.
I that being said, one of the women admitted she felt uneasy about “possi
sulting a perfectly innocent person.” She also made the point that we would
bly be more suspicious if the person were black or Hispanic, than we would
vere white. She said that she wondered if it wasn’t better to give the bene
he doubt to the stranger because the chances of his being a thief, a rapist, a
or all three were very low.
>f course, disagreed, and said I would prefer to err on the side of possibly
ig someone to suffer hurt feelings than to take a chance that someone could
more serious damage to me. Besides, I feel sure any man who didn’t have
itentions would understand any woman’s reluctance to be alone with a
er. Indeed, he would probably hope the womenfolk in his family would act
uch caution.
11,1 an appreciate that many people may feel uncomfortable about possi
nsulting’’ a blameless person. What do you think? Please send your com
to me c/o King Features Weekly Service, 235 East 45 Street, New York,
»17.
998 King Features Synd., Inc.
EXTRA INFO
ditioning and heating with a special air
filtration system, variable effort mag
netic rack and pinion steering that’s
dealer-adjustable for preload, tilt
wheel, power locks, antilock power 4-
wheel disc brakes, an alarm system,
cruise control, traction control, auto
matic load leveling, daytime running
lights, and much more make driving a
pleasure.
Under the front-drive Ultra’s hood
resides General Motor’s supercharged
3.8 liter, 240 HP V 6 with balance
shafts for smoothness. This 2-valve
per-cylinder engine delivers stellar
performance in this 3,827-pound car,
with 0-60 times averaging eight sec
onds. Efficiency on premium unleaded
rates high too, being observed at 15
city and 26 highway (EPA 18/27).
Ride and handling merit high
marks. The Gran Touring Package sus
pension delivers adequate control and
decent tossibility though “float” and
“plow” are apparent in some situa
tions. Don’t even think about the stan
dard suspension! Aggressive drivers
beware ... it’s a combination found in
no other car, one that takes getting
used to! The tires are good quality but
should be large, sticky performance
types. The turning circle is 40 feet,
average, for the class.
What’s the bottom line? It’s a large
family vehicle with performance pre
tensions, a hint of “boulevard” ride,
and a unique combination of features.
It’s also one of the nicest cars manu
factured by General Motors!
© 1998 King Features Synd., Inc.
InFoLinK
by Zane Binder
INTERNET TAXES
opossum@ix.netcom.com
Governments, as we’re all aware,
have a seemingly insatiable appetite
for taxes. Couple this desire with the
evolving world of the Internet and
confusion reigns.
• How should states and nations
tax Internet access services? Should
they at all?
• When you buy a tangible item
over the ‘Net, how should state and
national sales taxes (a fixture in
many countries) be collected? Who
should do it ... and do states and
nations through which the Internet
“wire” incidentally passes have a
right to “transit” fees too? How about
Customs?
• Should intangibles such as
software, architectural drawings, and
audiovisual depictions be taxed at
all? After all, they don’t “exist” in the
same sense as clothing.
It’s these topics, all akin to the still
ongoing and fiercely debated state,
national, and international “unitary”
tax laws, that were discussed May
18-20 in Geneva by the 132 nations
of the World Trade Organization.
President Clinton firmly opposes
Internet access taxes, and those on
“intangibles” too. His stand on tangi
bles is less certain. Enormous sums
are involved. By 2002 Internet
commerce could reach S3OO bil
lion, up from today’s paltry $8 bil
lion.
In the U.S., the National
Governor’s Association
(www.nga.org) favors a single
Internet tax and tax rate levied and
determined solely by each state. This
is important as in many states rates
vary widely dues to local county and
municipality levies. On mail order
purchases, and to a lesser extent
Internet purchases, many states today
Trivia Test
1. Name the two characters whom
comedian Paul Lynde portrayed on the
1960 s sitcoms, “The Munsters” and
“Bewitched”.
2. Which amendment to the
Constitution abolished slavery?
3. Name the state capital of New
York.
4.. Can you name the three big
world leaders who partiepated in the
February, 1945 Yalta Conference in the
Crimea, U.S.S.R?
5. In one of American history’s
worst tragedies, can you name the New
Hampshire school teacher who was
killed along with six other astronauts
on February 3, 1984 when the space j
shuttle. Challenger, exploded after J
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expect out-of-state vendors to collect
and remit taxes on purchases by their
own residents. Legally the situation
has always been cloudy; only a few
large vendors do. Most Netizens
know this and take advantage of the
considerable tax savings available on
major purchases! The stakes for
states are high: 22 of the 50 rely
on sales and excise taxes for more
than half percent of their revenue; in
another 22 states it’s between 40 and
49 percent. More information on
this subject critical to Netizens
can be found at www.usic.org and
www.zdnet.com/zdnn/content/inwk/
0514/307146.htm1.
Whether you favor the arguments
of state governments seeking to
maintain and/or increase their tax
revenue or weigh in as a “free trader,”
now is the time to become informed
and involved!
© 1998 King Features Synd., Inc.
liftoff?
6. What name was Bud a nickname
for on “Father Knows Best”?
7. Where is Madonna’s original
home state?
8. What fohner American vice pres
ident once stated, “If you’ve seen one
slum, you’ve seen them all”?
Trivia Test Answers
1. Dr. Dudley on ‘The Munsters”
and Uncle Arthur on “Bewitched"; 2.
13th Amendment; 3. Albany; 4. U.S.
President Franklin Roosevelt, Prime
Minister Winston Churchill of the U.K
and Premier Josef Stalin of the
U.S.S.R; 5. Christa McAuliffe; 6.
James; 7. Michigan; 8. Spiro Agnew; si
©1998 King features Synd., Inc.
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Entertainment extra • 6/5/98 thru 6/11/98
A \ V I - • • - z • .-Alt >, - t 2 v a i
Exira
by Evelyn Ludvigson
Q. Is it true that Leonardo
DiCaprio doesn’t want to do
romantic roles anymore? I read
somewhere that he wants to
become another Robert DeNiro.
Does he mean that about both the
movie and DeNiro, or is ail this for
publicity? Marcus J.
A. DiCaprio has always admired
DeNiro. But he’s not alone in that.
The New Yotk-bom actor has always
been a role model for many actors
who see him as, perhaps, the greatest
actor in the English-speaking world
working today. And, by the way, that
sentiment is offered as well by
English actors who come out of a tra
dition that has produced some of the
finest thesps in films, theater and
television.
Apparently, Leonardo’s advisers
feel that if he’s to grow in his craft,
he’s got to do roles that “stretch” his
talents, and after coming off a series
of romantic ventures (‘Titanic,” for
example) he believes he has to make
the move now.
Personally, I would have hoped
that he hadn’t chosen as his first
foray into film villainy the starring
role in “American Psycho.” While the
book about a sadistic Wall Street type
who tortures women and does
unspeakable things to homeless peo
ple and children is a brilliant but
chilling satire of the consumption
crazed ‘Bos, I feel any movie adapta
tion might wind up glorifying sadism
in pursuit of box office profits.
Q. Whatever happened to hock
ey star Wayne Gretzky’s movie
career? I remember when he left
the Edmonton Oilers to join a team
in Los Angeles, he said he wanted
to go into movies. Is that still one of
his goals? Jacqueline L.
A. Gretzky, or as the hockey world
calls him, “The Great Gretzky,” is
currently starring on ice for the New
York Rangers. His wife, of course, is
a working actress. Wayne says he still
likes the idea of moving into movies
when he retires from the arena, so,
we can say, yes, that goal is still on.
Q. I saw Lance Hendricksen of
“Millennium” starring Mx
Abraham Lincoln in the TV film,
“The Day Lincoln Was Shot.” He
was really great in the role. My
questions are, was he born in
Norway and will “Millennium” be
renewed? Susan F.
A. Hendricksen was bom in
Brooklyn, New York.
“Millennium” will return to the
Fox network in September with con
siderable cast changes as well as
story line adjustments.
Q. I enjoy watching “OZ” on
HBO, partly because I love the sto
ries and I like watching Ernie
Hudson. What is the status of the
show? Helen E.
A. The new season of “OZ” will
resume any week now with Ernie
reprising his role on the show.
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