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The Battalion Friday
Texas A&M University September 16, 1977
The Senator
Humphreyism (hum-free-is-m) n. after Sen. Hubert Horatio Humphrey, 1911 - an eternal
and unflagging optimist, strengthened by disappointment and undarkened even by the cer
tainty of the approaching sunset.
There is yet no such entry in today’s dictionaries — but save a place for it.
The bright, unbounded optimism of this remarkable man is indeed a
classic example of an indestructible spirit, a spirit like a hardy summer rose
that blossoms and blossoms even as the days grow shorter.
The essence was captured so tenderly in the news photo of the senator’s
return to his home in Wavely, Minn.
There he was, pale and gaunt, the familiar smile creasing his drawn face,
walking into the outstretched arms of his beloved Muriel.
There he was, looking weak and haggard but walking without assistance.
And there he was, 15 days after surgery had revealed an inoperable
cancer, saying with typical Humphrey ebullience, “I feel better than anyone
has a right to.”
Sacramento Bee
Some never learn
Well. So much for the theory that putting a fellow in jail straightens out his
head.
Asked if he would break into Democratic Headquarters at the Watergate
again, G. Gordon Liddy, released from prison last week after serving 52
months for having masterminded the first break-in, said he would.
Liddy, who seems to have read a lot of books, sprinkled his sparse com
ments with Latin phrases, references to grand opera, and self-appraisals that
suggested he was acting out a life story written by an old pulp magazine
writer.
If a President asked him to commit a crime again, Liddy said he would
reply, “Fiat voluntas tua. ” That’s genuine Latin, folks. It means “Thy will be
done.’ Understandable when a religious person says it about God — but, in
this country at least, a bit scary when said of the President or any other
elected official.
Considering what the other Watergate malefactors got, Liddy s sentence
was extremely severe. He took it stoically, and you’ve got to admire him for
that. President Carter did right in cutting his sentence.
“I submit to you that I did not break,” Liddy said proudly. But we’d
submit to you that such men are dangerous in our free system. We re not
sorry he’s out of jail — but we’d sure be worried if he ever got into a position
of power again.
The Atlanta Constitution
Slouch by Jim Earle
I’ve been expecting you to get out th’ volleyball everyday which makes
me wonder if this is physics and not physical education!
IRS adds color
The Internal Revenue Service says next year’s income tax forms will be
easier on the eyes and brain, with a soothing pastel color scheme and
simplified arrangement.
Perhaps, but IRS says something like that about every year, and only a
rank optimist would get his hopes up.
At least IRS puts a little variety into the annual headache by changing the
forms every year.
The Houston Chronicle
Campus
Th
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Miller appoints two assistants
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Dowling
Texas A6cM University Pres
ident Jarvis E. Miller has ap
pointed Glenn Dowling anil
Steve Pringle assistants to the
president. Both men assisted
Dr. Miller when he was dim-
tor of the Texas Agricultural
Experiment Station (TAES),
the position he held prior to
being named president ofTem
A&.M Aug. I.
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Wiley College officials indicted .
The president and two former officials of VY'iley College in Mar-
shall, Tex. were named in a 10-count indictment this week foral-1
ledgedly embezzling more than $250,000 in federal education funds I
Named were Robert E. Hayes, Sr., president of the school I
since 1971, Bhagwan S. Gupta, vice president for administra I
tion and fiscal affairs and George W. Merchant, a former chid ao |
countant and business manager who is now budget director at Bishop
( Allege in Dallas. The indictment said the three conspired toemher- I i
zle, steal and convert to their own use and the use of others $255,91 E <
in federal education funds from September 1972 to June, 1975. Hit I !
three also provided "false, fictitious and fraudulent statements and I ‘
representations to agencies of the federal government, the indirt- I <
ment said. Each count of the indictment curries a possible penaltyd I '
$10,(XX) and five years in prison or both. I t
Oil reserve stored in salt domes [ 1
I c
A Federal Energy Administration official s;ud yesterday the got- I i
eminent may begin pumping oil into the Bryan Mound salt domes [ v
near Freeport, Tex., during the first week of October as part of the I
program to establish a strategic crude oil reserve. Thomas E. Noel | 1
assistant administrator for management and administration of the [ 1
FEA, said some caverns in the Bryan Mound salt domes are ready It I
begin receiving oil, and others are in the final stages of testing and I v
preparation by the FEA. The strategic reserve project is a $20hillioi I '
plan to store up to 1 billion barrels of crude for use in the eventofi 1
national emergency such as a war or an embargo on oil imports. The
Bryan Mound s;dt domes have a capacity of about 60 million barreM E '
crude', Noel said. The government is already storing oil in the West I
Hackberrv salt caverns near Cameron, La. I *
Nation
Japanese execs do business differently
'Put it on the expense account’
By ATSUKO CHIBA
International Writers Service
jl ' ; •;
TOKYO — Step into a quiet bar here
any evening and you are 1 likely to witness a
curious sight. A Japanese executive garbed
in a gray suit is talking with a colleague as
three or four bar girls flank them, pouring
their drinks and even popping tasty
morsels into their mouths, like mothers
feeding babies.
And when the executive leaves, usually
before midnight, there is no need for him
to pay the check. His favorite bar girl has
been keeping track. At the end of the
month, she will present his company with
a bill, which will be duly deducted from
his expense account. The size of his ex
pense account is, of course, commensurate
with his rank in the firm.
This practice tells a good deal about the
way business is done in Japan. Much of it
is conducted informally, with corporation
entertainment allowances covering the
costs. And bar girls, who are neither tra
ditional geishas nor modern prostitutes,
play the important part of hostess — a role
usually reserved for executive wives in
other countries.
The bars at which these transactions
occur are specialized spots. Some cater to
senior executives, while others are fre
quented by middle-level managers. Most
bear a distinct occupational flavor in the
sense that they are used exclusively by
literary figures, entertainers, civil servants
and other professions.
What they all share in common is that
they are a preferable alternative to offices
as places of business. Naturally, they are
made more attractive by the presence of
girls.
Every company — and every depart
ment in every company—has a budget for
entertainment that is allocated among the
firm’s officials according to their status.
Many executives can therefore write off all
their lunches, dinners, drinks and
weekend golf matches on their expense
accounts. One businessman recently re
vealed to me that his entertainment allow
ance is three times the size of his salary.
Altogether, the statistics indicate, the
annual sum spent by Japanese corpora
tions on executive entertainment inns to
nearly $8 billion — or some $2 billion
more than the country’s defense expendi
tures.
The system stems in part from the old-
fashioned Japanese practice of men meet
ing for political and business discussions in
geisha houses. Under this practice, the se
riousness of the evening would be relieved
by the geishas, who were skilled
entertainers.
This custom has faded away, but corpo
rations cling , to the idea of generous
cnlcrtaiiimeut allowances for reasons that
suit contemporary convenience.
For one thing, it is cheaper for com
panies to give executives lavish expense
accounts rather than higher wages, since
retirement pensions are calibrated to
salaries and can thus be kept low,
In addition, entertainment allowances
are exempt from taxes within certain
limits, and under Japan’s rigorous fiscal
structure, an executive would rather have
a large tax-free expense account than a
high salary that would be chewed up by
the government.
The system is basically inequitable,
however, since it excludes clerks, re
searchers and other employees who do not
conduct outside company business. Also
excluded are executive wives as well as
professional women, who would not be
welcomed by the bar girls.
Most of the bar girls are either divorcees
or unwed mothers, and some of the larger
nightclubs provide round-the-clock nurse
ries for their children. Many earn as much
as $200 per day from a basic salary aug
mented by commissions on the customer
bills they collect. Their incomes are often
higher than those of the executives they
entertain.
Not all of these girls are social outcasts. I
know one who is currently studying
English literature at college and plans to
continue the job after graduation. She is
especially popular with Japanese execu
tives who entertain foreign clients.
Many bar girls, whatever their personal
lives, are witty and well-educated. They
read newspapers and magazines, and at
tend plays and concerts, in order to be
able to converse with their clients. In this
respect they are ahead of Japanese house
wives, who are rarely taken out or have
guests in their homes, and have con
sequently become recluses.
Bar girls are not necessarily pretty or
sexy. Their job is to serve as a hostess,
furnishing the competitive executive with
an atmosphere in which he can relax or
conduct business in a relaxed fashion.
Many dream of saving enough money to
open their own bars.
Ultimately, the money for this way of
life is provided by the Japanese taxpayer,
who indirectly bears the burden of the de
ductible expense account. But it is a way
of life that is not going to be reformed until
the fiscal structure is changed, and that is
far off.
(Ms. Chiba writes on social issues from
Japan)
Letters to the editor
Grody jokes are part of yell practice
Editor:
I’ve been a student here at A&M for
three years now, and at every Midnite Yell
Practice I’ve been to, there has also been
beer, booze, and drunks. And aftrer every
Midnite Yell, sure as clockwork, some of
fended little goody two-shoes decides it’s
high time to reform all us immoral Aggies.
Shame on us. We drink, we lust, and we
laugh at dirty jokes.
Now, I’ll be the first to admit that Kyle
Field is no place for alcohol — I drink
mine before I go — but don't deny me a
good joke! Laughter is as important a part
of the spirit that makes up the 12th Man as
our more serious songs and yells. It’s obvi
ous that Miss Vanater is worried about
dirty jokes, sexual desire, poor taste, and
about our whole moral fibre here at A&M;
but Miss Vanater also seems to have a few
mistaken beliefs. She stated in her letter
that jokes should be inspirational or
motivational, and insinuated that dirty
jokes provoke lust (doubtless it’s her
Victorian fervor clouding her brain).
Jokes are neither motivational, nor in
spirational, but pre-intended to make
people laugh. I found the “dumb Ag
gie/camel joke amusing. The man’s sexual
habits wasn’t the point — the fact that he
was just another dumb Aggie was. Perhaps
it wasn’t the classiest thing I’ve ever heard
(I doubt we ll be hearing it in any inau
gural addresses anytime soon.), but, quite
frankly, I’ve never heard of a funny, high
class, tasteful joke.
Miss Vanater s insinuation that the jokes
inspired lust is pure rubbish. I think it a
pretty good bet that those Aggies with
those gorgeous dates didn’t require a joke
to get their procreative instincts going,
and that a good number did not just go
home and make popcorn.
Miss Vanater sounds like the kind of
person who would vote for salt peter in the
mashed potatoes. I, for one, don’t need
her.
—John L. Graves ’79
Fees discriminate
Editor:
I am still quite confused about the
Legget renovation proposition, the logic of
taxing non-Legget residents seems highly
unreasonable. A cost is always followed by
a benefit, and of course Legget is recieving
all the goodies while the other non-
airconditioned dorms suffer the peeling
paint, rotten carpet, and totally sub
standard living conditions.
The lower cost of these University
owned slum dwellings is the major reason
for occupying such halls as Walton,
Puryear, Hart, and the “Hotard Hilton”.
Money is quite scarce for the students who
five here, otherwise fighting mosquitoes,
roaches, rats, and the blistering heat could
be avoided by moving to a more expensive
dorm.
The University cited the outrageous in
crease in the building use fee as being
necessary to “supply new buildings and
renovate old structures at A&M.” Why
can’t the $100 increase a semester in this
fee be applied to the Legget fund? The
income from traffic ticket money alone
could also pay off Legget, and still have
cash left over in the K. K. kitty! The rais
ing of fees for those living in the other
infested sweatboxes is discriminatory and
unjustified, we are the ones who can afford
it least!
—Lloyd Andrews
A Hotard resident ’78
Venders no help
Editor:
The venders and distributors of soft
drinks, candy, and other concessions on
campus need refresher courses in basic
business, economics and distribution
theory. They don’t seem to realize that the
product must be available at the point of
sale (machine) at the time the consumer
demands it (24 hours a day) and in a form
the consumer desires if all possible sales
are to be made.
I am writing specifically about the vend
ing machines in the Academic Building,
although the machines in almost all major
buildings on campus are in the same con
dition. By one o’clock each afternoon at
least one half of the products in all the
machines except the cigarette and canned
drink machines are gone. It becomes im
possible to get the bottled soft drinks or
candy of your choice. Often the remaining
products are either unpopular brands or
are smashed, mutilated or stale items.
Things are pretty bad when supposedly
profit maximizing, competitive companies
begin to perform in the way we have come
to expect of regulated industries.
—Cletus B. Bayer
Kansas City declared disaster
President Carter has declared Kansas City, Mo. a disaster ami
making immediate federal aid available for the victims of flash Hood
ing which killed more than 20 persons and caused damages expected
to total billions of dollars. Police found three more bodies WednS
day, raising the death toll to 22 from Monday night s deluge, (.'alters
declaration makes flood victims eligible for immediate federal ;i
flousing for the homeless, grants, low-interest loans for Inusinesiw
and special unemployment compensation for workers who lost their!
jobs because of the flood. Along with requests from Kansas Gov.
Robert Bennett and Missouri Gov. Joseph P. Teasdale, Sen. Thomas
F. Eagleton, D-Mo., wrote Carter that the flood-related properl};
damage “is likely to run into the billions of dollars. An Amelia
Insurance Association spokesman said very few damaged businesses,
were insured.
Powell accused of dirty tricks
Republicans say White House Press Secretary Jody Powell
"dumb in spreading an erroneous rumor about a GOP senator. Pn«
ell acknowledged he "tipped” a Chicago newspaper to a rumor tlrat
Percy accepted free plane rides and other favors from a corporation
and a bank-information which later proved wrong. Percy is the mill
ing Republican on the Senate panel looking into allegations surround
ing budget director Bert Lance. Powell, a Lance defender, report
edly was peeved with Percy’s aggressive conduct in the prok
House Republican Whip Robert Michel accused Powell of "sneab
and distasteful conduct and said, “The ivory-pure Carter Whitr
House has been caught in dirty tricks. Powell, facing a barrage if
questions from White House reporters, said he talked with the Presi
dent about the matter and “pointed out to him that I had described
my actions as being innappropriate, regrettable and dumb. Hr
added, "As is so often his habit, he seemed to accept my analysis
the situation without question.
World
Ethiopia ‘proves* Somalia in war
FI
Ethiopia has shown a group of foreign reporters what it said is priHifl
that Somali tanks and armored vehicles are taking part in the bloixlv
“dust war” in the Ogaden desert. The journalists visited the city id r
Dire Dawa this week where fighting was reported up until four cbm |
ago. Army Maj. Tadesse Takle Hai Many showed reporters sevend
Somali vehicles, including nine Soviet-made T55 tanks, be said were
captured or damaged when Ethiopian forces repulsed a Somali tail
attack Aug. 16-17. He also showed reporters other captured vehicles
with Somali army license plates, including three types of truck
equipped with rocket launchers. Somalia has consistently denied its
forces are directly involved in the Ogaden fighting, which it says is
waged by guerrillas of the Western Somalia Liberation Front.
Weather
Partly cloudy and hot today and Saturday. High both days mic-
90s, low tonight low 70s. Winds from the southeast 8 to 14 mph
The Battalion
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munity newspaper. Editorial policy is determined by the
editor.
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MEMBER
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Editor jo*
Managing Editor MaryAlkv" 1
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Spots Editor P*
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