SEASON’S GREETINGS — Well, as your dutiful columnist prepares his last column of the semester, he has decided that rather than start off on a controversial topic, as is the norm, we’re going to touch on a problem which has hounded many people for some time. That is — what do you buy a male for Christmas. I know, there’s always the electric socks, the aquamarine tie, and the aftershave lotion, but I’m talking about something the guy can use. I wish I had a nickel for every unopened bottle of aftershave which was given me as a Christmas gift.
Here’s just a brief list of things that I for one wouldn’t mind an eleventh hour Santa placing under my tree: a backgammon table with strategy paperback to go with it ($7-$100); an actual gumball machine ($10-$40); deco table cigarette lighter ($5-$10); a set of bedroom speakers for a stereo system ($50-$150); a pocket watch ($35-$200); a subscriptions to any one of my favorite magazines ($10-$15); one of the pocket cameras currently in vogue ($11-$60).
BETTY’S COMMENT, REVISITED — Concerning the now famous comment Betty Ford made on her teenage daughter’s sex life, the best joke I have heard to date came during a recent Tonight Show, when a guest quipped, “Anybody that’s going to buy an 18-year-old Ford is gonna take it out for a couple of spins anyway.”
HEADLINE OF THE MONTH AWARD goes to the Washington Post for its page on beauty: “THE REIGN IN SPAIN IS MAINLY ON THE WANE.”
BACK TO ST. NICK’S SEASON — A couple of tips, I’ve found useful in the past: for those of you receiving record albums as gifts over the holidays, remove the plastic covers on same immediately. The plastic is known to shrink, thus wrapping enclosed records.
Also, in case any of you camera buffs gets a chance to do some snow photography, a couple of points to keep in mind is the extreme light of the reflected sun off the snow can cause your battery operated camera meter to give a reading off as much as three stops. A selenium-cell meter, such as most old Weston’s or Luna-Pros’ should do the trick. Also when taking your expensive camera and lens in from out of the cold, condensation on the exterior of the lens surface may occur. Allow the lenses to dry out before using them inside. One final tip — rather than expose your camera lens to the element, attach a 1-A filter. Besides protecting your front lens surface, your color tones will be improved and much haze will be cut.
EQUAL TIME FOR WITCH HUNTERS — Concerning the law passed in Tennessee which would require public school teachers to give equal time to Biblical and other religious sides to the how of creation whenever evolution is discussed, it has been brought up that future laws might demand time for other outdated notions, such as the moon causing lunacy, the earth being flat, the sun revolving around the earth, etc. it all makes about as much sense, right?
IN CLOSING, I only hope that all of you and yours enjoy your holidays, survive your exams (and next semester’s registration), and use this final edition of the fall ’74 TC NEWS for something other than lining your bird cage . . . BILLY BURTON