News In Brief

AMPLE PROOF THAT THIN IS OUT

"They are," says the director of photography for Quelle, the giant international mail-order fashion house, "simply more credible." Who is? Why, male models for its catalogs who have a bit of a front porch instead of the stereotypical hard, washboard-like stomach. Since many men are at least a few pounds overweight, the Frth, Germany-based company has decided to search for some "with plenty of substance" to show off its clothes for next spring and summer. Two-thirds of Quelle's customers are women who, it's believed, will respond favorably to the sturdier guys because "they know they are not married to Robert Redford."

HE JUST COULDN'T WAIT

In Fordyce, Ark., Sherman Lee Parks was back in county jail last week even though a judge had just ordered him freed. It seems Parks, who had yet to learn of the jurist's ruling, chose that very day to escape after serving nine months for burglary. It took police less than 24 hours to re-arrest him.

Survey calculates access that people have to parks

Rhode Island is known for its scenic coastline, but that doesn't mean residents have good access to it. A new study by the privately funded National Park Trust finds the Ocean State has the fewest acres of preserved lands per person. In fact, all the states scoring in this category have ample shorelines. On the other hand, those with the most park acres per capita are in the West and are sparsely populated. The states that ranked at either end, which the National Park Trust determined by dividing state population by acreage:

Most park acres per capital 1. Alaska 2. Wyoming 3. Nevada 4. Montana 5. Idaho

Fewest park acres per capital 1. Rhode Island 2. Ohio 3. New Jersey 4. Connecticut 5. Massachusetts

- Associated Press

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