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The Battalion
Vol. 71 No. 67
10 Pages
Tuesday, December 6, 1977
College Station, Texas
News Dept. 845-2611
Business Dept. 845-2611
Inside Today:
The B-CS bike plan, p.6
County tornado detection system, p.
Lt—k,.,
p. 10.
lliams, Com
essed thef (
le quiets
' d'e game.
‘ two teams
as the po
Cougar sei
nything at|
rad brealc
tter than
^eace talks hurt
)y Egyptian action
United Press International
gypts rupture of diplomatic relations
h five Arab nations has hurt Middle
peace efforts, but Secretary of State
us Vance will tour the region’s capitals
[inning Friday in an attempt to repair
damage.
resident Anwar Sadat’s government
said dak' nday severed relations with Syria,
ather Hons
' last game
should bt
I won’t tele
William;
re was st
a Moses mi
16-sard
h the real
e than w
ear coach !
assured
ship, theBi
e for the
p, Iraq, Algeria and Southern Yemen
jjrdered their ambassadors to leave
Egypt’s diplomats
re ordered home
within 24 hours,
those countries we
nediately.
)nly hours earlier, the Arab hard-liners
l the major Palestinian groups had de-
fed in Tripoli, Libya that they were
ezing diplomatic relations with Cairo
(ause they opposed Sadat’s peace con-
with Israel.
The rift threw the Arab world into its
most explosive crisis in recent memory
and appeared all but to bury chances for a
comprehensive Middle East peace settle
ment in the near future.
The Soviet Union unleashed a biting
personal attack on Sadat and Israel said it
was saddened by the break in Arab ties.
In Washington, the State Department
said Vance will fly to Cairo Friday from
Brussels, where he is to attend a NATO
meeting. After Cairo, Vance is scheduled
to go to Jerusalem and probably will visit
Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon
as well.
Officials said Vance will not attend the
Cairo talks beginning Dec. 14, but lower-
ranking Israeli, Egyptian, U.S. and U.N.
officials will be present.
Vance’s journey is a tacit recognition
that it will be impossible to convene a
onfusion lingers
bout auto taxes
Geneva conference before the end of the
year, which had been his target. American
officials still hope there will be a confer
ence early in 1978.
In Moscow, the official Tass news
agency accused Sadat of betraying the
Palestinians and said he “dances to the
tune of the imperialist circles.”
The attack came as a Philip Habib, the
State Department’s No. 3 man, opened
talks with the Soviets in an attempt to pre
vent a rupture between the superpowers
on the Middle East issue.
In London, Israeli Prime Minister
Monahem Begin said Israel was saddfened
by the break in Arab relations.
“We don’t rejoice in the severance of
diplomatic relations because what we want
is a comprehensive peace settlement by all
our Arab neighbors,” he told a London
dinner party.
Diplomats feared that not only would
Syria now go ahead with plans to bypass
the pre-Geneva peace talks with Israel in
Cairo, but that it might also boycott any
eventual Geneva peace conference.
Without Syrian participation, the signif
icance of any such parley would be severely
diminished.
Aggie cherubs
Kiitta/ion pfioto by Tina I.incii
Underclassmen in company H-2 serenaded their
juniors and seniors Monday with Christmas carols
— in traditional Corps fashion. Freshmen and
sophomores dress in sheets and halos each night
during Dead Week, as ordered by their up
perclassmen.
13 of 221
By KAREN ROGERS
onfusion and puzzlement abound
the A&M Consolidated School Dis-
ittax office’s decision to tax cars. B ut Tax
essor-Collector Jewell Ellis refuses to
; about it.
he decision to tax automobiles is a con-
ersial one although Texas law allows
sonal property including cars to be
:d. And it is still not clear to some who
be taxed and when they will be and no
wers seem to be forthcoming.
-5766
• WOOD
te
2-7052
$0>
.2611
)ow president
o be speaker
Paul F. Oreffice, president of
Dow Chemical U.S.A., will be
Texas A&M University’s mid-term
commencement speaker.
Oreffice will address Texas
A&M’s candidates for graduate de
grees at 7:30 p.m. Friday in Rudder
Auditorium and undergraduate de
gree candidates at 9 a. m. Saturday
in G. Rollie White Coliseum.
The university is holding two
mid-term graduation ceremonies for
the first time to insure adequate
seating for families and friends
of the degree candidates.
More than 1,500 students are ex
pected to graduate this weekend,
Lacey said. Monday, three to four
hundred of them are graduate stu
dents.
Oreffice has been president of
Dow Chemical U.S.A. since 1975.
He joined Dow in 1953 and held
successive positions in Italy, Brazil,
Spain and Coral Gables, Fla., be
fore returning to the firm’s Midland,
Mich., corporate offices financial
vice president of The Dow Chemi
cal Company in 1970.
While general manager of Dow’s
Spanish operations, he received the
Encomienda del Merito Civil (Or
der of Civil Merit) from the Spanish
government for his contributions to
the development of the chemical
and plastic industries in Spain.
He was bom in Venice, Italy, but
came to the U.S. when he was 12
years old. He is a 1949 chemical en
gineering graduate of Purdue Uni
versity and received an honorary
doctor of engineering degree from
his alma mater last year. He serves
as a director of the Purdue Research
Foundation.
In addition to heading Dow
Chemical U.S.A., Oreffice is a di
rector of The Dow Chemical Com
pany. He also serves on the boards
of the Manufacturing Chemists As
sociation and Junior Achievement,
^
Ellis defended his decision to tax cars
two weeks ago. He said that 80 people had
rendered their ears for taxing purposes, so
the rest of the cars must be taxed. Now he
refuses to comment.
Ellis refers questions to Merrily Moore,
attorney for the ad valorem tax division of
the State Comptroller’s Office in Austin.
Students who bought their license tags in
College Station or who are registered to
vote in Brazos County as of last Jan. 1, may
be taxed, Moore said.
“Once they’ve registered their car there
or registered to vote, they are claiming that
place as their residence, Moore said. “By
law, you’re supposed to register the car in
the county where you live. What they need
to do if they don t want to pay taxes, is to
register their cars at home.”
Travis County, where the University of
Texas is located, taxes cars. University stu
dents who register their cars there or are
registered to vote there, pay the tax, said
Moore.
School board member Bill Fitch ex
plained the car tax as he understands it:
“A list was puchased from a firm in Hous
ton that specializes into going into county
records. They dug out the cars registered in
the A&M Consolidated School District:
those who bought car license tags here.
The car tax may be to keep the school
district from being accused of discrimina
tion, Fitch said.
He pointed out that some people, such as
those who rent apartments, do not pay a
real estate tax, while those who own land do
pay. This creates an unfair tax burden and
to even things out the school district will tax
cars, he said.
“I’m not satisfied with the way things are
going. We could solve the problem by get
ting a new tax assessor, but he would be
faced with the same problems,” Fitch said.
“He (Ellis) doesn t think he works for
me. I think the entire school board won
ders where we are in this. Our attorney
tells us we don’t have any control over the
tax office.
“The only way to be equitable with au
tomobiles is to leave them all off. It’s
created a very poor relationship between
the public and the tax office and it’s getting
worse. A lot of people say they ’re not going
to pay the tax.
Overnight cure for obesity
Fasting: A risky way to diet
By JAMIE TOWNS
Karen’s mother and friends were
shocked at the way she looked when she
came home from Texas A&M for Christ
mas break. Karen had always had a slight
weight problem, but since going away to
college she had gained 20 pounds.
Karen blames her weignt problem on
starchy dorm food and vending machine
junk food.
However, Karen loves Sunday nights
when the dorm cafeteria closes and she
and her friends stuff themselves at a local
pizzeria.
Karen, an 18-year-old freshman, is a
prime example of many college students
who fail to adjust successfully to a new eat
ing routine after leaving home. They enjoy
the freedom of eating what and when they
please. And often students like Karen find
themselves a good deal heavier before
their first semester is over.
When the realization that they have be
come overweight dawns on these stu
dents, some may seek an “overnight”
cure.
Fad, crash, liquid diets fail to work and,
as a last resort, many college students are
fasting. Fasting brings a dramatic weight
loss without counting calories. But these
students, most of whom are women, often
fail to count the risk to their health.
While fasting, the dieter eats no food at
all. The body first draws on its fatty re
serves for energy. And though it is true
that fasting is the quickest way to lose
weight, the fast has many disadvantages.
Frances Reasonover, food nutrition
specialist for the Texas Agriculture Exten
sion Service for Texas A&M, says, “While
a person is fasting, the excess of body fat
will cause the rise of blood fat — blood
lipids — and this can promote blood vessel
and heart disease. ”
Reasonover says that she believes “fast
ing is dangerous because of a loss of 65
percent lean body tissue as compared to 35
percent fatty tissue. ”
Fasting also can disrupt the nervous sys
tem and lead to anemia.
Dr. C. Goswick, Director of the A&M
Health Center, says fasting is also bad for
the kidneys. It puts an extra load on them,
sometimes producing malfunction of the
kidneys.
Not only is fasting dangerous physically,
but emotionally as well. On a fast, the
blood sugar level is unstable, often causing
mental confusion.
Today medically advised fasting is used
primarily in treatment of severe obesity,
and the dieter is usually hospitalized dur
ing the fast.
Dr. Goswick says that a person who is
fasting should be monitored closely and
under a doctor’s supervision. No one — no
maitter how perfect his health — should
fast without a doctor’s permission.
People with heart disease, ulcers,
tumors, diabetes or pregnant women,
should never fast.
Though fasting seems to get rid of excess
weight quickly, the dieter’s weight often
zooms upward once the fast is broken. It is
still true that the real problem for every
dieter is keeping the weight off on a nor
mal regime.
Though fasting seems to be a fast solu
tion, it can turn into a long-range problem.
,i i ^
Snow, ice, high winds sweep country
United Press International
Winter’s most serious onslaught of
snow, wind and ice swept across the upper
half of the nation in waves today, and a
warm spell in parts of the South produced
turbulence, tornadoes and record-
breaking temperatures.
Heavy snow warnings and travelers ad
visories were in effect early today from the
Pacific Northwest to New England. Gale
force winds pummeled the Washington
and Oregon coasts and the western Great
Lakes. Snow, sleet or freezing rain fell just
about everywhere north of the Mason-
Dixon line.
The National Weather Service issued
heavy snow warnings during the night for
portions of eastern Washington State and
Western Montana, where up to 8 inches
was expected.
Elsewhere, travelers advisories were is
sued for the mountains of Colorado, where
snow was drifting. Officials warned of av
alanche dangers along a line from Grand
Junction to Colorado Springs. Heavy
snows also stopped cloud-seeding opera
tions in drought-stricken areas of the state
where 2 to 3 feet of snow has accumulated
since last Thursday.
In Kansas, buffeted by high winds, snow
and freezing rain, farmers who planned to
begin a “tractorcade” to the state Capitol
in Topeka to protest low crop prices said
they would not be deterred.
“Weather won’t make any difference,”
said one of the planners hoping to rally
public sentiment for the planned Dec. 14
national farmers strike.
While the western storm system was
moving slowly eastward, the NWS warned
of more perils from’ an older system, cen
tered in western Pennsylvania early today.
Snow covered a wide area from the Ohio
Valley and lower Great Lakes through
New England. Rochester, N.Y., and To
ledo, Ohio, reported 8 inches and Mount
Washington, N.H., reported 5 inches. A
thick snowfall hampered traffic in the
Chicago area Monday night. In
Chautauqua County, N.Y., deputies said
10 inches of snow covered the roads.
More travelers advisories were in effect
today from the middle Mississippi Valley
through the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley,
and into southern New England and the
Middle Atlantic Coast states. Heavy snow
warnings were issued for nothern Illinois
and northern Indiana, southern Michigan
and portions of New Hampshire and
Maine.
Gale warnings were hoisted on Lakes
Superior, Michigan and Ontario and along
much of the New England coast and storm
covered parts of Lakes Michigan and Erie.
In the South, meanwhile, the mixture of
warm and cold air caused springlike turbu
lence. Tornadoes and severe thun
derstorms swept through South Carolina,
injuring three persons, damaging build
ings, overturning mobile homes and trees
and battering towns with gusty winds.
Spartanburg County officials said a tor
nado and high winds struck the Cedar
Springs area of Spartanburg about 2:15
p.m. Officials said six mobile homes were
damaged but there were no injuries.
The state with the most contrast in
weather was Texas. Snow flurries and
freezing drizzle accompanied tempera
tures in the 20s and 30s in the Panhandle
Monday, while in the Rio Grande Valley,
McAllen baked under 95 degree tempera
tures.
Judge gives approval to laetrile use
United Press International
OKLAHOMA CITY — A federal judge
Monday gave laetrile supporters the right
to use the substance without federal re
strictions. Food and Drug Administration
officials said they expected to appeal the
order.
“In our opinion, this cannot go unchal
lenged,” an FDA spokesman in Washing
ton said. “It’s almost a certainty that we
will appeal.”
FDA associate chief counsel Eugene
Pfeifer said he had not read the ruling, but
expected “after we study the decision we
will pursue the appeal.”
“I can’t comment on the decision at
length, but we have already filed a brief in
which we argued persuasively that laetrile
is a new drug and the right of privacy does
not extend to cover laetrile,” Pfeifer said.
The ruling came from U.S. District
Judge Luther Bohanon, who has handled
many requests from cancer patients who
wanted permission to import and use lae
trile.
Earlier, he had set up requirements for
laetrile users, including one that they file
doctors’ affidavits in federal court saying
they had terminal cancer.
But on Monday he ordered the De
partment of Health, Education and Wel
fare and the Food and Drug Administra
tion to allow laetrile use by any person
“who is, or believes he is, suffering from
cancer. ”
The controversial drug, made from the
pits of apricots or other fruits, was banned
by the FDA, which said it had not been
approved as a new drug.
However, Bohanon said laetrile did not
come under the new drug restrictions.
The judge also ordered HEW and the
FDA not to interfere with any doctors ad
ministering laetrile to patients.
He said HEW, the FDA and the U.S.
Customs Service must distribute informa
tion to their employees within 20 days that
the drug could be obtained legally.
Bohanon also said he was retaining
jurisdiction in the case so he could settle
any disputes.
Last August Bohanon ordered FDA and
Customs Service agents to stop detaining
laetrile shipments entering the United
States.
The FDA announced Nov. 2 it was
printing posters saying laetrile was worth
less and could be dangerous to people with
cancer.
The posters said laetrile may be con
taminated and that it contains cyanide
which may cause poisoning when taken by
mouth.
“Laetrile is worthless in the prevention,
treatment or cure of cancer,” the posters
said.