Ninety-four Years of Editorial Freedom j:1 I E air 4wa 4I31 Itch Snow and freezing rain changing to rain the day. High around 40. Vol. XCIV-No. 73 Copyright 1983; The Michigan Daily Ann Arbor, Michigan-Sunday, December 4, 1983 Fifteen Cents Eight Pages Israeli jets bomb Palestinian bases tin Leban on From AP and UPI BEIRUT, Lebanon - Israeli jets bombed and strafed guerrilla bases in Lebanon's central mountains yester- day, and the U.N. Security Council agreed on a plan to evacuate PLO chief Yasser Arafat and his fighters from Tripoli. The council decided that ships would fly, the Lebanese flag as they take Arafat and his Palestine Liberation Organization loyalists out of Tripoli, then raise the U.N. flag once they are in international waters. THERE WAS NO immediate reaction from Arafat, who had reqpested that his fighters be evacuated by ships flying U.N. flags. Israeli invasion forces drove Arafat and his guerrillas out of Beirut 15 mon- ths ago. He has been under siege in Tripoli since Nov. 3 by rebel forces who accuse him of softening his stanee toward Israel. The Tel Aviv command said all Israeli jets returned safely after, scoring "accurate hits" A1i headquar- ters and bases of Syrian-backed Palestinian guerrilla units in apd around the towns of Bhamdoun and Sofar. THE ISRAELI command said the air strike was in retaliation for a "long array" of guerrilla attacks on the Israeli army occupying southern Lebanon. In Beirut, U:S. Marines said they See ISRAELIS, Page 3 Greyhound talks produce pact WASHINGTON (AP) - Greyhound lines and the union representing its drivers reached tentative agreement last night on a settlement aimed at en- ding the strike against the nation's largest inter-city bus company, federal mediators announced. Mediator Kay McMurray said the union's bargaining council "over- whelmingly" approved the accord and that Greyhound also agreed to it. He said, however, striking drivers and other employees would remain off' the job until the agreement is ratified, probably by Dec. 20. "I DON'T think there will be any problem to obtain the ratification," said McMurray, who is director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. Neither Greyhound nor, union of- ficials were present at McMurray's an- nouncement, postponed two hours because of what the mediation service said were unspecified "problems." McMurray said the 31-member coun- cil of the Amalgamat Transit Union was expected to m ke "a strong recommendation" that the rank and file accept it.f The mediator said details of the agreement would not be made available right away. Earlier, company chairman John Teets and a union official denied a report from a union source that the negotiators had come to an understan- ding. Both the union and management stood firmly by a self-imposed news blackout over the indirect talks that began Friday. Accordingly, sources who would discuss the talks would not permit use of their names and were only minimally informative. More than 12,700 drivers, mechanics and other Greyhound employees represented by the union struck Greyhound, the nation's largest inter- city bus carrier, Nov. 2 after the com- pany insisted on pay cuts averaging 9.5 annually over the next three years. Reagan blames liberals for U.S. social problems From AP and UPI WASHINGTON - President Reagan, scorning "well- intentioned Great Society-type programs," yesterday blamed liberal social programs for breaking up families and causing high rates of black illegitimacy. Reagan used his weekly radio address to combine his oft- repeated homilies against big government and in support of traditional family values. Citing his record of reducing inflation, interest rates and unemployment, Reagan said, "There is no question that many well-intentioned Great Society-type programs con- tributed to family breakups, welfare dependency and a large increase in births out of wedlock." He said in the 1970s, the percentage of single mothers rose , from 8 percent to 13 percent among whites from 31 percent "to a tragic 47 percent" among blacks. SPEAKING FROM Camp David, Md., a mountain retreat cleared in the 1930s by the Depression-era Civilian Conser- vation Corps, the president said: "Tragically, too many in Washington have been asking us to swallow a whopper: namely that bigger government is the greatest force for fairness and progress. "But this so-called solution has given most of us a bad case of financial indigestion," said Reagan. "How can families survive when big government's powers to tax, inflate and regulate absorb their wealth, usurp their rights and crush their spirit?" In this co ner-Daily Photo by DAN HABIB Michigan's Eric Turner moves past Troy Mattson of Northern Michigan during yesterday's 96-78 Michigan victory at Crisler Arena. The two guards would later be involved in a fight that cleared both benches. See story, page 8. Personal robot: Man's new friend By ERIC MATTSON Personal robots - the term conjures up visions of C-3PO and R2D2. Yet while today's personal robots may fall way short of fulfilling the dreams of fervent "Star Wars" fans, the less-than-year-old industry is growing rapidly, and the present models are capable of some remarkable things. BENTON HARBOR'S Heath Company was the first manufacturer to begin shiping Personal robots, and sent off its first model - dubbed Hero 1 - last Decem- ber. Since then, the 21-inch, 40-pound marvel has made numerous television appearances, been featured in Time and Newsweek, and even cut a record with science fiction writer Isaac Asimov. "Basically, it's a walking computer," according to Ron Johnson, educational product developer at Heath. Hero 1 can be programmed to perform tasks a year in advance. It's also capable of telling jokes; speaking foreign languages; singing and dancing; detecting motion and heat; and using its sonar system to follow its master without bumping into walls. HERO 1 CAN speak, too, using the 64 basic sounds in the human voice pattern. This enables it to com- municate in an unmistakeably mechanical yet quite intelligible voice. Like everything else, however, Hero 1 has its price. The robot retails for $2,500 assembled or $1500 in kit form, although the prices will drop as technology makes mass production cheaper, according to John- son. The price hasn't kept the public from buying their very own robot. While Heath will not reveal specific sales figures, the company has sold "thousands" of Hero 1 models, according to Douglas Bonham, direc- tor of educational marketing and development. HERO 1 was designed to be an educational device and not a mechanical maid, Johnson said. Like other robots on the market, Hero 1 is incapable of any real labor saving activities, like washing the dishes. But many buyers are purchasing robots because they're novelty items and not because of their educational value. Johnson pointed out that the "first-one-on-the- block" syndrome plays a role in many of Heath's sales - Hero 1 has starred in some commercials for Heath's parent company, Zenith. "It's a great way to get attention," said Bonham. It also can be used just for having some fun, as Johnson and.his fellow robot specialists have demon- strated when they bring Hero 1 to exhibits around the country. HERO 1 travels on his own seat on the plane, since : Heath officials don't like to entrust the robot's safety to airline baggage handlers. Of course, Hero 1 has to pass through airport security while still in his packing crate, and security officials are usually suspicious when Johnson tells them them there's a robot in the box. Johnson managed to get the best of security of- ficers at one airport, who demanded that Hero.1 be removed from his crate. He programmed the robot to respond to its unpacking with, "It sure feels good to get out of that goddamned box!" In the home, Hero 1 can perform one household task - replacing man's best friend as a watchdog. The walking computer can be used to somelextent as a limited security system. THE ROBOT can switch itself on and off every ten seconds and ask, "Is anyone there?" If it "hears" a voice, it answers, "Be quiet, I'm trying to sleep," then turns itself off. But "a true household robot is probably 15 years away," according to Johnson. To make robots a commop household item, manufacturers will have to develop a good vision system to replace the current sonar system, and will have to design robots with two arms instead of the one Hero 1 now boasts. HOMES ALSO will have to be designed around the needs of the robot - split level dwellings are out for robots, at least until someone makes one that can climb stairs. The exact future of personal robots is simply See HOME, Page 2 Hero 1, a personal robot produced by a Benton Harbor firm, can sing, dance. tell jokes, and serve as a burglar alarm for its owner. The manufacturers hope to make it much more versatile in the near future. Power failure hits MTS and 2,00.0 city homes Detroit Edison officials are still trying to determine the cause of a power failure early yesterday morning that left 2,000 Ann Arbor residents and parts of North Campus without power for up to three and a half hours. Edison spokesman Marty Bufalini said the power company is in- vestigating two separate incidents that may have caused the blackout. Power lines fell at a construction site on Wall street near midnight, and minutes later, a transformer at an Edison sub- station at Broadway and Pontiac Trail exploded. Bufalini said .that Edison workers have not determined whether the two incidents are related. Lights flickered in dorms and houses near campus, and power at the Univer- sity's MTS computer system was out for about an hour. Students trying to complete class assignments had to wait until 1:30 a.m. to use computer ter- minals. Programmers finished repairing minor damage to MTS programs caused by the blackout shortly after 2 a.m., according to computing center supervisor Jane Baker. - Neil Chase Hill Street's Hunter LOS ANGELES (AP) - Viewers who were wondering whether straight-arrow Lt. Howard Hunter committed suicide at the end of last week's "Hill Street Blues" television show: Don't hold your breath. Look at your TV listings instead. PRODUCERS.OF the NBC Emmy Award-winning show were coy about the answer Friday, but people who bought early edition Sunday newspapers simply had to glance at the TV listings for the Dec. 8 show to learn that Hunter lives. "Fellow officer J.D. LaRue 0 becomes something of a hero as he saves Lt. Hunter's life," read the blurb in the Television Times section of the Los Angeles Times. Similar items appeared throughout the country. The TV listings were included in early Sunday editions, published yesterday. CHICAGO SUN-TIMES television critic P.J. Bednarski reported yesterday that Officer LaRue, played by Kiel Martin, had gotten in- to Hunter's apartment and shoved ' the gun away from Hunter's head. survives In the Dec. 1 show, Hunter, played by actor James Sikking, was despondent because he had been revealed as a go-between in a police bribery incident years earlier, He had been duped into the action, and it was a minor thing to everyone but Hunter. Asked Friday if Hunter killed himself, executive producer Steven Bochco replied: "You gotta wat- ch...I can't say anything. The material speaks for itself." But so did the TV listings. TODAY Get your Gargoyle Coleslaw kid THE DEMAND for the gift sensation of the 1983 season - the coveted Cabbage Patch Doll - has become so great that the managing editor of the Nampa, Idaho Press- Tribune says his was nabbed by ruthless dollnappers. Rick Coffman said his doll, named Jacob, was taken from the! locked trunk of his car Tuesday night in the newspaper's narkin l o The nevt mnrninr CnCffman racivd a ransnm you. Love Rick,' " he said. "It's obviously a gag by someone at the paper. And it may be everyone at the paper." Nonetheless, Coffman placed the ad hoping to secure the safe release of the doll - part of a Coleco line that has prompted bedlam in shopping centers across the country as consumers scramble to buy the personalized gift items. Purchasers of the individualized dolls receive adop- tion papers giving them custody of the Cabbage Kids and telling them their names. Coffman, a 36-year-old bachelor, said he bought Jacnb honing tn reell him hfore Christmas. was named by President-elect Richard Nixon to head the Council of Economic Advisors. * 1970 - Ann Arbor Mayor Robert Harris said he had not yet decided whether he would seek re-election in April, con- tradicting reports from knowledgeable sources that the mayor had decided not to seek another term. * 1978 - In anticipation of widespread infractions of the new law which raised the drinking age from 18 to 21 when it went into effect Dec. 22, the Ann Arbor City Council unanimously passed an ordinance making violation of the I i i