The Roanoke Times from Roanoke, Virginia • 33

the Roanoke Times A robot snail? slug MIT for this I do believe time to call in the dogs and put out the fire when we discover that the Massachusetts In stitute of Technology has created a robot snail BEN BEAGLE I mean MIT is where all the smart guys hang out Right? But I say all we needed Pedro: A robot slug The Associated Press reported re 0 cently that slimy trail that snails and slugs putter along has long puzzled biolo I know that and I minored in biology I did know that stepping on a slug while shoeless is enough to make brave men say: I assume this was not the kind of giant slug or snail that would be af ter Sigourney Weaver Just your av erage slug that you stepped on when you flew out the door when the dog ran away for the second time that day Scientists say the loathsome stuff that you even want to look at is known as Newtonian which may be a good or a bad thing to know like at this point to lecture you on Newtonian but too ignorant to do so as sume however that these fluids fall up instead of down) A slug is a slug is a slug I mind telling MIT that slugs are miserable creatures al though divinely created as all of us are even though we wonder why that should be so far as slugs are concerned All right all of you people who like to step on slimy things that sometimes have horns read on: project carries a twofold purpose: first to understand how the mode of locomotion works and secondly to observe how liq uids behave at a very small scale a field known as Hey Bob The next time you put salt on a snail remember that Salt just flat out dissolves them And let do the rest Any of you people who put salt on a snail and seen what happens can go figure out the Jum ble keep going and going Sure you can terminate slugs with salt and you can as I under stand it from my daughter in law kill them with cheap beer But in my opinion these robot snails will run amok and salt and cheap beer stop them These things will be perfectly ca pable of sliming your dog and using your Mastercard to buy whatever it is that robot snails need And know your PIN At present the MIT snail is a creature of plastic mainly The wire service said the snail is about 10 inches long and housed in a rub bery membrane that moves forward on the thin layer of I think I just heard somebody say The institute feels the wire ser vice says that this project may lead to more treatment for can Until this happens take good care of your Mastercard and be ready to say when you go out barefoot for the Suhday paper bridal histories W' TVLISTINGS 2 I A COMICS45 A 1 Jt A jz Unveiling fed I it I I jW sfe iw IV Hr vt was HHilxHl HHL MHVmH xtMwMiMaEEj HHssr WIHI JBBHBBKBHPSbsHHbHwSeSi ll lifci rtiirt i Photos by STEPHANIE KLEIN DAVIS I THEROAXOKE TIMES Julia Coates Littlefield (above in mirror) of Lexington dons the she wore at her wedding (top) in 1962 at RE Lee Memorial Episcopal Church Littlefield who was the first Lexington bride to wear the veil re calls choosing her dress with the veil in mind was a mystique about it she says A veil once worn by Italian royalty has been passed among Lexington brides for decades BETHMACY THE ROANOKE TIMES LEXINGTON Only in Lexington can a modem bride connect herself to 19th century Italian royalty via a Washington DC bom philanthropist who summered in Italy socialized with movie stars and is said to have operated a hideaway for refugees from the Nazis That connection is a vintage lace man tilla referred to as the in honor of its storied donor the late Lexingto nian Alma Pio vano Once worn by Queen Margh erita of Italy (1851 1926) the veil was brought to Lexington by Piovano and has been reverentially passed among Lexington brides for decades Since 1962 ib 11 11 1 A i COURTESY JULIA MAHTINSM1TH Alma Piovano (in a 1974 photograph) brought the veil to Lexington 19 brides have donned the ivory veil which is kept under lock and key in an archival quality box at the Rockbridge Regional Li brary Administrative assistant development coordinator Beverly Slaydon keeps track of the veil's comings arid go ings Brides to be do not have to make a de posit on the veil she said this town is so small that know how to chase you Lexingtonians in the know can scan list of brides and tell you related to whom which marriages have dis about one third or 17 percent below the national average and specu late in some cases as to why the couples divorced The bridal histories are as intertwined as the tatting on the veil Bride Nos 5 and 9 are sisters The father of No 1 6 is mar ried to No 7's sister Bride No PLEASE SEE VEIl3 Waitress dishes about life Carrie Keranen has begun to figure prominently in the NBC reality story arc By JUUE HINDS DETROIT REE PRESS In New York the cliche is that every waiter is an actor hoping to be discovered But Carrie Keranen is different The 27 year old Oak Park Mich native owes her big break to waiting ta bles on the NBC reality show which airs Sundays at 10 pm on NBC The latest series from riiastermind Mark Burnett follows celebrity chef Rocco DiSpirito as he launches a Manhattan eatery named on 22rid and copes with a full plate of business tensions personal conflicts and even a kitchen fire Keranen works at when not audition ing for acting jobs or doing stand up comedy The Uni versity of Michigan graduate has lived in New York for about three years She has begun to figure prominently in the story arc Will the flan hit the fan in upcoming episodes? Keranen dished what she could by phone: i Wl Ui more dramatic chefs or waiters? With the kitchen staff much more temperamental All of a sudden somebody flips out and loses it On the waitstaff there are certain people you can assume are going to have a problem every night the secret to getting good tips? Touch I always find tliat putting a hand on shoulder or their upper arm another way of making someone feel taken care of Maybe it goes back to the mother nurturer thing Especially for men physicality not to mention a smile is something that gets a good tip the biggest complaint waiters have about diners? I don't mind people being high maintenance wanting their dressing on the side What bears a complaint is people who sit there and tell you how to do your job how the food should be prepared what the policy should be just because they eat out a lot You know what? Open your own restaurant! Describe Rocco in three words Charismatic Volatile Unbelievably charming four But three are adjectives I PLEASSEEWAITRESsf4 WE DA A 6 2.