His Insurance Has Special Claus

--Santa Claus has the best flying safety record ever, but could he withstand the scrutiny of insurance underwriters? “From the underwriter’s view, landing a private craft--of a sleigh and eight tiny reindeer--on a rooftop would be classified as more dangerous than sky diving down a chimney,” said Agent Jerry Moorbeck of the Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co. The Nashville, Tenn., Banner further checked and also found the jolly old elf may be high-risk, what with all those roof-top landings. Garrett E. Ball of Equitable Life Assurance Society of New York and underwriter Moorbeck added that underwriters would scrutinize the more hazardous aspects of Santa’s work--risks he shares in common with private pilots and sky divers. “But you’ve got to believe me,” Ball said. “We would examine very carefully anyone--Santa or any pilot--who landed regularly on rooftops.” Then, he would have to lose weight, and there’s that pipe clenched firmly in his teeth. “Since it’s not cigarettes, I’d try to help him get the best possible rating,” Ball said. After all, his life expectancy is forever.

--Comedian Lily Tomlin’s Christmas tree festooned with soup cans and silver panty hose and artist Andy Warhol’s evergreen trimmed with autographed cash were auctioned for thousands of dollars in New York’s Night of 100 Trees. The fourth annual edition of the star-studded benefit for the New York Special Olympics also included elaborately trimmed evergreens donated by other celebrities.

--Princess Yasmin, the daughter of actress Rita Hayworth and the late Aly Khan, gave birth to a son, her first child, as yet unnamed, in New York. The princess, guardian of her mother, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease, was married to Greek shipping magnate Basil Embiricos on May 15, but the two have since separated.

--Amarillo Slim’s gambling skills are matched only by his oratory powers, and he used both in whipping Willie Nelson in an expensive domino match in Las Vegas. Slim, whose real name is Thomas Preston, took the best-of-nine match, 5 to 2, at the Golden Nugget casino to win a Jeep, but he and Nelson also had a side bet that reportedly exceeded $100,000. Slim kept up a constant chatter throughout the two-hour match. “If it wasn’t for me, this game would be boring,” Slim said. “Old women and babies play this game, you know,” he told Nelson. When asked why he didn’t talk more during the match, Nelson said: “Slim’s talking enough for both of us.” Slim said the key to his victory was outdrawing Nelson in the last three games.