Indiana Gazette from Indiana, Pennsylvania • Page 7

Page Friday, May 17, 1996 tSfrc (Jmzette Stephanie Owens developed the Happy Hopper. It plays a tune as a reminder to put the toilet seat down. (AP photo) Invention show mixes practical, ridiculous By NIKI KAPSAMBELIS Associated Press Writer MONROEVILLE, Pa. Stephanie Owens has a pet peeve, one that many women can recognize instantly: men who leave the toilet seat up. After reading letters to Dear Abby and watching a TV sitcom in which a couple argued about the toilet seat, Owens wracked her brain and came up with the Happy When offenders leave the toilet seat up, a vinyl-covered, postage- stamp-sized alarm plays a tune politely reminding them to put it down.

"You could get different tunes the 'Bonanza' theme maybe, or 'Let Me Call You she said. Owens, of Bradenton, was among the vendors displaying 1,500 products Thursday at IN- PEX, the Invention-New Product Exposition held annually in this Pittsburgh suburb since 1982. Billed as the world's largest trade show for inventors, the convention attracts would-be Thomas Edisons offering everything from the practical to the ridiculous. Some, like Australian veterinarian John Steinfort, tried to solve dilemmas that arose in then- professional lives Years of treating milk fever, a condition common to dairy cows, led Steinfort to invent the Cow Jack. Milk fever weakens a cow's hindquarters they fall and have trouble getting up.

The Cow Jack is a steel frame that supports up to 40 percent of a bovine's weight. As the cow is braced, its muscles can be rehabilitated. "It gives the animal encouragement, because they're actually said Steinfort, who has sold about 50 prototypes in Australia at $800 apiece. Peter Michalos, an eye surgeon from New York City, demonstrated his On Target Eye Drop Delivery System a set of black wraparound goggles.designed to help squeamish patients administer then: own eye drops. A bottle can be screwed to the middle of each lens, and when it's squeezed, the drop goes through a pinhole and into the eye.

"With this, you can never poke yourself in the eye," Michalos said. "And the other thing is, because it's dark, you never see the drop coming." The convention is a testing ground for a mind-boggling array of inventions with names like the Beer-O-Meter (a gauge for empty kegs), the Portable Snowman Maker (for the Frosty-impaired) and the Catch-It Cap (a baseball cap mounted with a glove for catching pop flies at the game). Most vendors are looking for manufacturers and distributors, but hardly anyone expects to become a millionaire. Many claim they just want to improve the world. Magdalena Herring of Florida displayed her X-rated game of "Pin the Tail on the Donkey," in which male and female body parts are pinned on life-sized naked human figures.

Herring says her goal is to help people suffering from sexual dysfunction. Proposal gives legislature say on slogan By HEIDI RUSSELL Associated Press Writer HARRISBURG Spending millions of tax dollars to market Pennsylvania tourism should be left up to the state legislature, said a Democratic lawmaker who introduced a bill to halt governors from swapping state slogans. Rep. Anthony DeLuca, D-Allegheny, said he is tired of new governors changing state slogans when they take office and spending millions to promote their phrase. The bill bans the state Department of Commerce, which comes under jurisdiction of the governor, from spending any money for a new state slogan without authorization from the General Assembly.

It is in the House Tourism Committee for consideration, DeLuca said. In March, Gov. Tom Ridge announced a new slogan, "Pennsylvania Memories Last a Life- time." The Commerce Department spent $3.4 million for a six-month research and marketing contract with Poppe Tyson WCP, a Pittsburgh advertising agency. The slogan replaced "America Starts Here," which was introduced by former Gov. Robert P.

Casey. Casey eliminated former Gov. Dick Thornburgh's slogan, "You've Got A Friend in Pennsylvania." "It's starting to get ridiculous," DeLuca said. "Every time we get a new governor, we get a new slogan, and it costs a tremendous amount to replace signs and come up with new advertising campaigns." He said he was surveying other states to find out how many others repeatedly change their slogans. Ridge's spokesman Tim Reeves said the state legislature appropriated $8.14 million for tourism promotion in the 1995-96 budget, and some of that was targeted to the slogan campaign.

Tourism, the second-largest industry in Pennsylvania, reaped travel spending of $18.5 billion in 1993 and created 344,000 jobs, he said. "It's an easy shot to make when you say we spent $3.4 million. The vast majority of that went to marketing," Reeves said. DeLuca said his bill was not intended to take a shot at Ridge, but to prevent other governors from repeating the practice. "It seems that in a few years, if Ridge is not re-elected, we'll ask if a new governor gets a new slogan.

Sometime this has to stop," he said. Reeves said he questioned the Democrat's motivation. "I would be curious if he proposed a similar bill after a governor from his party changed the widely-successful slogan, 'You've Got a Friend in after taking office," he said. Officer accused in beating arrested before PITTSBURGH (AP) A police officer accused of getting drunk while off-duty and pistol-whipping a motorist had two previous arrests, and a councilman says the city must get tough on troublemaking cops. Darrel B.

Faulk, 31, rammed a car driven by Michael Scholler, 21, of BeUevue, on a Pittsburgh street, police said. Faulk and Scholler got out of their cars, and Faulk grabbed Scholier by the throat and began beating him with his gun, police said. Police arrived to find Faulk on'top of Scholler, pointing a gun at him, officers said. A test showed Faulk's blood alcohol level was above the legal limit Tuesday night. He was charged with aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, simple assault and driving while intoxicated.

"Patrolman Faulk is clearly a menace and a danger to the general, public and should not be allowed to continue carrying guns or representing the Pittsburgh police department," city councilman Sala Udin said Thursday in a letter to Mayor Tom Murphy, The Pittsburgh Post- Gazette reported in Friday's editions. Udin has criticized the mayor and the police department for failing to Elsie Hillman to give up Republican committee post ensure officers are properly disciplined. "It seems to be horrendous if the alleged incident as reported is true," said Deputy Mayor Sal Sirabella. He said such behavior "will not be condoned." Faulk was reassigned to a desk job while the case is pending. He could not be reached for comment late Thursday because his telephone number is not listed.

The Post-Gazette said Faulk had been arrested in 1989 for threatening a mall security guard and his fiancee with a gun while off-duty. He was accepted into a program for first-time offenders and sentenced to two years' probation and 150 hours of community service. The police department decided no further action was necessary, said Assistant Chief Charles Moffatt. In 1992, he was arrested on two counts of drunken driving and one count of careless driving after his car hit a utility pole in Pittsburgh while he was off-duty. The charges were dropped last February after Faulk's attorney argued that Faulk was improperly coerced into taking the blood test that showed he was drunk.

Faulk pleaded guilty to careless driving. Acting Public Safety Director Kathy Kraus disciplined him on that charge this week, but she and other police officials declined to disclose the punishment. PITTSBURGH (AP) National Republican power Elsie Hillman says she feels fine at age 70, but is quitting her political post after two decades to make room for her personal life. "I don't have a health problem," Hillman said. "I have a family and friends problem.

I don't have enough tune for my family and Hillman has announced she will not seek re-election as Pennsylvania's representative on the National Republican Committee, a position she held for 21 years. When Ronald Reagan sought a new attorney general, he accepted the candidate she recommended, former Gov. Dick Thornburgh. Hillman was an early supporter of George Bush for president, Tom Ridge for governor and John Heinz for Congress. She was one of Ridge's first and heaviest contributors and chaired Bush's successful 1988 campaign in Pennsylvania.

An abortion rights advocate in a party that is increasingly anti-abortion, Hillman said she still will work for an "abortion neutral" plank in the GOP platform. Ridge recently called her "a passionate, passionate moderate." The wife of Pittsburgh industrialist Henry Hillman also recently left her longtime post as chairwoman of WQED, Pittsburgh's public television station. She was expected to continue financial support to Republicans, especially moderates. Her political activism dates to the 1952 presidential campaign, when she became an "Eisenhower girl." Hillman made her plans known in State can now charge inmates medical fees HARRISBURG A bill to levy a fee on state prison inmates for medical services was signed into law Thursday by Gov. Tom Ridge.

The law takes effect immediately. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Stewart Greenleaf, R-Montgomery, requires any fees collected to be deposited in the state's general fund. The state Corrections Department will set the fee. No inmate will be denied medical services because of an inability to pay.

But the Corrections Department will be allowed to recover through civil action any amount owed for medical services within one year release of the inmate. Corrections Commissioner Martin Horn said other states that collect fees have seen sick-call reductions of up to 50 percent. 2,271 motorists caught in police speed blitz HARRISBURG (AP) State police officers quadrupled their average daily speeding tickets during a 24-hour speed blitz on Wednesday, said police commissioner Paul Evanko. The police cited 2,271 motorists for speeding on state highways. Last year, the state police issued an average 608 speeding tickets per day.

Troopers also cited four motorists for drunk driving and issued 623 other citations, Evanko said. The blitz was conducted throughout the state, but police focused efforts on highways with speed limits of 55 and 65 mph. "Stop by and see what good, friendly service is all about" We all have a lot of choices as to where we do our banking. So why then are more and more people choosing us? Our commitment to Indiana goes beyond offering quality financial products at competitive rates (check for Hopefully you would expect that from a bank. But we're so much more than we strongly believe in old fashioned friendliness and common courtesy.

Simply employ competent people who also go out of their way to make banking with us pleasant. We're working for you Indiana, and we appreciate the opportunity! INDIANA FIRST FDIC I INSURED Downtown Office: 935 Philadelphia St. Indiana, PA 15701 Phone Townfair Center Office: 475 S. Ben Franklin Road Indiana, PA 15701 Phone a letter to party leaders and state committee members. Her four-year term expires Aug.

15. She has endorsed state Republican Party Chairwoman Anne Anstine to be elected her successor at the party's meeting June 8 in Harrisburg. Laurie Simmons, executive director of the governor's political committee, said Ridge has endorsed Alan Novak, a lawyer from Chester County, which is outside Philadelphia, to succeed Anstine as state chairman. Flower Vegetable Plant Sale SATURDAY, MAY 18 25 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Ben Franklin Elementary School SPONSORED BY INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL BAND Proceeds to go toward the band's participation In the '96 Grange Bowl Parade.

December 23.1996. Wonderful Life in Bethany Place We salute June Allyson and the Jimmy Stewart Museum Committee "BILL OF RIGHTS" Let me grow as i be and try to understand why I want to grow like me. Not like my Mom wants me to be. Not like my Dad hopes I'll be Or my teacher thinks should be Please try to understand and help me grow Just like me! Anonymous or men Kindergarden Class 1995-1996 Keys Montessori School 695 School Street, Indiana, Pa. (412) 349-5680.