Word: picked
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...halls of Congress about cracking down on gun sales, and a few actual proposals. Some would ban the high-powered paramilitary weapons that, foes say, have only one use: to kill human beings. Others would institute a federally mandated waiting period, generally 15 days, before a qualified buyer could pick up his gun. (Under the bewildering mosaic of state laws now in effect, waiting periods range from 30 days in New York to zero in Virginia and Oregon, where Purdy bought his rifle.) Such a cooling-off period is thought necessary to allow time for a thorough background check that...
...crack dealers. "In considerably more than half the crack arrests we make, we also seize firearms -- that is, good firearms," reports Robert Stutman, head of the Drug Enforcement Administration in New York State. "The paranoia induced by the drug, which most of the traffickers use themselves, makes them pick the best weapons available for protecting themselves, and they have the money...
...pair of former Texas Rangers, now tending a small ranch in South Texas, suddenly pick up stakes and launch a cattle drive to Montana. Why? A friend has convinced them that there are big opportunities up north. What's more, says one, "I want to see that country before the bankers and lawyers all get it." But if the truth be told, the long trek -- initiated by an almost chance remark, beset by terrible hardships -- seems a futile whim...
...Soviets, the new system is nothing less than revolutionary. Instead of being presented with the name of a single party-approved candidate, voters will pick from a slate of several nominees. Moreover, the elections will be conducted by secret ballot. But because of the complex, overlapping rules, the route from nomination to election is difficult to understand and often seems open to manipulation. The new law makes nominating candidates so confusing that some sessions have degenerated into brawls as factions accused one another of exploiting the fuzzy regulations to rig the outcome...
Last week the naysayers appeared to pick up a bit of ammunition in the continuing debate. A study by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters shows that the climate in the 48 contiguous states of the U.S. has remained pretty much unchanged for nearly a century. By analyzing data gathered at weather stations across the U.S. between 1895 and 1987, meteorologist Kirby Hanson and two NOAA colleagues found that the average annual temperature had fluctuated between 52 degrees F and 54 degrees F, with no statistically significant long- term trend either...