At a Convention of Tubers, the Biggest Hit Is a Flop

If television watching is your bag, you just may be a couch potato. That’s a TV addict who gets his or her fix from the sofa, or couch. Hundreds of the addicts had the opportunity to sharpen their viewing--and lounging--skills over the weekend at the first National Couch Potato Convention in Lincolnwood, Ill. Sponsored by a Chicago public relations firm, the two-day convention featured a “free-form sofa-flop” contest in which contestants were judged on how well they landed in a TV-viewing position after jumping onto a couch, as well as a lecture on the value of television. “I watch television from 6 in the evening to 6 the next morning,” said Hope Jacobson, 38, who works, coincidentally, at a Chicago TV station. “I’m not ashamed of being a couch potato. I’m here to learn how to improve my couch potato ways.”

--It’s as plain as could be: Whoever can cart away the Boeing 707 can have it--free. But, so far, the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia has not had any luck in clearing the jet from the parking space at its museum. Built for $5.5 million in 1960, the Foxtrot Papa was a gift from British Airways, and it has been used as an exhibit. But because of a planned $41-million museum expansion, the 707 has to go. “We got about 80 letters,” museum spokeswoman ZeeAnn Mason said of the offer made last November. “A lot expressed interest but were not in the position of financially orchestrating such a deal.” She said that the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey had thought of using it at John F. Kennedy International Airport for educational tours and rescue training. However, the agency scotched the idea after it estimated it would cost $420,000 to crate the 152-foot, 70-ton plane to the airport. “The 707 was right for the ‘70s and ‘80s. For the ‘90s, it is more appropriate that we treat space exploration, which will be a major part of our new Futures Center,” said Joel N. Bloom, museum president.

--As Don Lewis of Healy, Alaska, said, the state Supreme Court “has overruled the Almighty.” Lewis’ daughter, Diane, stood before the court in her own defense, arguing that mandatory liability-insurance forces her to depend on an auto insurance company for protection instead of the Almighty. Diane, 18, saw the issue as a violation of a contract that she said she had with God. The court last week upheld a 90-day license suspension for a minor collision in 1985.