Thursday, Jug 30, 1977
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Roge free
Court nixes death for rape
a .555.tggt g ggctytss 5:~~'
TONY MILLER, Lenny Dale, and Reuben Che
tune with the FreewheelExpress bicycle deli
Freewheel E
packages fron
By LORI CARRUTHERS
Over a year ago Reuben Chapman fantac-
sized what Ann Arbor would be like without
cars. From this mental meandering grew a
small enterprising . bicycle delivery service
known as the Freewheel Express.
"Our main motivation is to show that all
shopping can be done by bicycle," Chapman
said.
The service operates within the central Ann
arbor city boundaries of Maple, Stadium,
Huron Parkway, Eisenhower and Plymouth
Road, at a small fee of $1.50 for delivery of
rackages up to 15 pounds. Special deliveries
outside of these areas and weight limits are
possible at a slightly higher expense with a
weight limitation of 100 pounds.
"PRICE OF delivery is very low compared
to other similar ventures," Chapman said.
Chapman is proud that this business is self-
(anaged and has no stockholders.
"Just a simple living and an honest wage,"
le said, and "all of us like to ride bikes,"
Freewheel Express consists of a core of six
workers with friends and relatives occasion-
ally offering moral and monetary support.
The business operates out of Chapman's liv-
tog room. Reuben Chapman, Tony Miller, Len-
ap
ive
K1
r
,rt
i
Dnolv Photo be CHRISTINA SCHN1101ER
kman hupe to pedal ther way Intame and for-
ery service.
press pedals
SDale, Larry Kaatz, Debby Greenspan, Sue
Budin and Andy Ring are both the employes
and owners of the Service, a novel business
concept. K
FREEWIJEEL EXPRESS went into oper-
ation on May 2, after a few experimental de-
liveries in April by Chapman.
The smog-spewing motor transports have
posed the only hazards the Frewheel Express
has faced on the road.
"You can really taste the pollution when a
boo passes,", high school student Miller said -
EMP>LOYE DALE agreed with an accom- '
panying 'yeech'. For Dale, the dangers are
four way stop signs.
"Tney (ctr drivers) don't notice you a
whole lot at a stop sign," Dale noted hiding
behind his green sunglasses. Drivers will al~
ternate at c stop sign, ignoring the bicyclist
Freewhe Express has distributed over 100
coupons entitling a free sample delivery to
senior citieas, handicappers and Diag strut-
lers.
"I would rather use iy energy passing out
coupons tha spendin' doll'rs on newspaper
ads " Chapman said.
See BICYCLE, Pate 7 "
Freewhel Exress as dstributed over 1001
WASHINGTON (/t' 'The SUpreie ourtI banned use of the death
punishment may be an invalid penalty for any crime but mirder.
The court toted 7-2 to strike down the death penalty imposed
on condemned Georgia rapist Fohrlich iAonthony ('oker. A majority
of six justices raled that rape may never be punished by deat'h.
A T.lOUGtll ThIE decision affects )nit six of the .150 prisoners
on death rows, it may have a profound inpact on thy history of
capital punisheiit in the United Stotts.
Had the court decided that states iiiav imptose the death
penalty for crimes in which the life of the victim is not taken, its
reasoning could have opened the door for future rulings that capitad
punishment is an appropriate penaty for such crimes as treason,
espionage, hijacking, terrorism or kidnaping.
Reaction bo the rape ruling was nixed but sotmtet womiten's
groups that have been crusading for rape crisis centers and a
crackdown on rapists said that severe penalties tave hampered
attempts to convict rapists.
ELEANOR SMEAL, presideit of the National t(rgaization for
Women, said "rape is a serioum and heios crime and sol uld be
severely punished. But the fact is that judges and juries aren't
convicting." With less severe penalties, site said, 'NOW hopes that
more rapists will be nonvicted.
A Chicago-based group, Women Against Rape, said "We never
advocated more severe penalties. Judges are reluctatit tot put rap-
ists away for what judges think are relatively minor acts. In Ihi-
nois, rape carries a 4 to 20-year sentence and this is hard to convict
on.
The American Civil Libe'ties Union, which oppioses the death
penalty under any circumstances, noted that 405 of the 455 people
See SUPREME, Page 7
City planners give OK to
traffic circulation scheme
By SUE WARNER
City Planning Commission
members voted 7-1 last night to
adopt - and pass on to City
Council for approval - a traf-
fic circulation plan designed to
define city traffic problems and
offer possible solutions.
Joe Monroe, Assistant Plan-
ning Director, called the plan a
"problem solving process."
"ITS PURPOSE is to identify
a problem, if there is a prob-
lem, and a procedure for resolv-
ing it," Monroe explained.
The plan, as discussed in
February called for the widen-
ing of Geddes, Depot and Main
Streets to four lanes and Hill
St. to four lanes between Wash-
tenaw and Main..
The t105-page document was
rewritten, and although it camne
to the same conclusions about
where city traffic snarls exist,
it met with strong opposition
from citizens' groups and com-
missioners who were against
some of the specific construc-
tion recommendations.
THE PLAN as passed last
night recommends only moni-
toring of city traffic and trans-
portation patterns on a yearly
basis, with individual studies to
be aimed at problem areas.
Last night's meeting was a
continuation of a Tuesday night
session which was postponed
when it became apparent to the
six commissioners in attend-
ance (the number of affirmative
votes necessary for adoption)
that commissioner Nancy White
would not agree to the propos-
al.
However, the full eight-ment-
ber committee was on hand for
last night's roll call vote which
decided the issue within ten
minutes of the meeting's start.
"IT IS EVASIVE, it hedges
and it rambles, but it doesn't
propose or recommend when
and where I feel it should,"
White said of the plan.
"This document has beconse
"''i onnn a eoia try - tit - please - everyone
dtcument, an appeaser, and in
so doing has lost its strength
as a circulation plan," she add-
ed.
Last night's action is the cdl-
inination of a circtilation study
process which began in 1971
when city council appropriated
$100,000 for the traffic and
transportation study, with the
intention of discovering strong
solutions to circuiation prob-
lems.
Peanut pant
And in other march-of-progress news, C.G. More-
head has provided art connoiseurs with a very
tasteful new creation - paint which uses peanut
butter as its base. Morehead, a Kentucky arist has
asked President Carter to sign his first peanut but-
ter painting so that it can be auctioned off for
charity.
Fish food place
doesn't flounder
Viscount Newport, who last year met inflation
head on by opening a posh caviar restaurant, has
sold a quarter of a ton of the costly fish eggs in the
first 12 months his London Caviar Bar has been
open. "There are always people about with money
for something special," says the 29-year old enter-
preneur. "The best time is in a big economic
slump." Newport opened his place, actually a fish
-TODAY-
restaurant with caviar as its specialty, as Britain
lurched toward a $20 billion deficit and staggered
under runaway inflation. Many of his friends said
he would lose on the venture. They couldn't have
been more wrong. Caviar Bar waiters said, for ex-
ample, that one customer the other day lunched
on a half-pound of caviar, a bottle of Dom Perignon
champagne and assorted other victuals. The bill
was $139.40.
New bean gleaned
A Brazilian m crobiologist in Columbus, Ohio be-
lieves he has discovered a better coffee plant. But
he's not quite sure yet. "We don't know what we
will get, except a different plant," said Maro Son-
dahl, who has been doing research on ways to grow
coffee plants with beans that can withstand Brazil-
ian frosts. Sondahl and Ohio State Associate Pro-
fessor William Sharp succeeded in changing the
genetic information on a leaf of one coffee plant
and "grew" a plant without a seed. Everything
worked out in the laboratory - the plant seemed to
stand up to cold conditions. The real test, however
comes next with the transplanting of the coffee
plants to soil in Brazil. If it works, Sondahl hopes
it will lead to a cheaper cup of coffee.
Happenings
. . . don't begin today until the fashionably late
hour of 7:15 p.o., when the Christian Science Or-
ganization holds its weekly meeting in room 43104
of the Union . . . the audio/visual center presents
a free showing of Braverman's Condensed Cream
of Beatles and Yellow Submarine in MLB 3 at 7:30
p.m... . and organist Jacqueline Livesay will pound
the pipes of Hill Auditorium in an 1:00 recital.
On the outside
Today will be partly sunny, warming up to a high '
of 84. Tomorrow will be hot and humid with a
chance of thunderstorms, a high of 86, and a low
near 60.