News Briefs

A group of self-described Cambridge "freaks" and some Harvard students are planning a street-sweeping parade on Massachusetts Avenue tomorrow as part of a campaign to get people to say "thank you" to group they appreciate.

Gene Smith-one of the organizers of a group called HOP, which is sponsoring the parade- said yesterday that the clean-up effort was to thank sanitation workers "for doing the shit work of picking up garbage all year."

Smith said that HOP was "unilaterally" declaring tomorrow "Thanksgiving Day." and that people should "think of other people to thank."

HOP's parade will leave Putnam Square at 2 p.m. and sweep the street in the direction of Harvard Square. The marchers will use brooms provided by the Cambridge City Manager's office, and a city truck will accompany them.

"HOP" is not an acronym; the group's name, Smith said yesterday, expresses its devotion to "joyful motion, like jumping up and down."

The Red Cross blood drive- now in its third day at Memorial Hall- is well on the way towards its goal of collecting 1000 pints of blood from the Harvard community by Friday.

As of yesterday, about 400 Harvard students, faculty, and employees had donated pint bags of blood for use by Boston area hospitals.

"Every indication is that it will be a real good drive," said Mrs. Samuel Bojar, chairman of a group of Harvard faculty wives assisting the drive. She said that the first two days had brought "far more response than in the past years."

After giving their blood- which takes about five minutes- donors are required to rest for fifteen minutes to regain their strength before leaving Memorial Hall. They are instructed not to smoke for 30 minutes and to drink lots of liquids for several days.

It was generally agreed that the physical hardship of giving blood is negligible. One donor said that his Red Cross nurse had soothed him during the operation by saying, "wiggle your toes and think happy thoughts.

Two Eliot House roommates tuned in a dozen numbers late to Monday night's Selective Service lottery, and sat through the calling of more than 300 birthdays before they realized that something might be wrong.

The date of their births- Sept 14- had come up first in Richard Nixon's draft sweepstakes, but it was not until 335 numbers had been picked that Robert S. Cartright '71 and L Gaunce Lewis '71 began to panic.

They had listened carefully and copied down each date and its number patiently. but the radio announcer's recap made it all too clear that their care and patience had been for nought.

"This lottery idea may backfire on the administration." remarked Cartright, a conservative math major from Missouri. "We low numbers are being radicalized."

The Weathermen will demonstrate in front of the Cambridge Police station at 2 p.m. today to demand the release of James W. Paradise, a 16-year-old dropout who has been associated with the Weathermen.

Weathermen spokesmen say the hour-long demonstration will be non-violent.

Paradise testified at the trial of 24 Weathermen Saturday that he had been forced to sign a statement saying that Weathermen were involved in a shooting incident at the police station on November 8.

Police Chief James F. Reagan denied that Paradise is being held by the Cambridge police. He also said the police have no specific plans to deal with the demonstration. "We play these things by ear," he said. "We're ready to handle any situation that may develop."