Viewpoint
Top of the News
The Battalion
Texas A&M University
Thursday
October 5, 1978
Shortages fuel Russian black market
First of a 2-Part Series
By DR. JEROME LOVING
Now that Francis Crawford of the Inter
national Harvester Co. is safely out of the
Soviet Union, I would like to tell the stu
dents and faculty of Texas A&M Univer
sity something of my experiences in Russia
last winter, specifically my own “ac
tivities” in the black market.
For three months my family and I lived
in Leningrad (old St. Petersburg), where I
lectured on American literature as a senior
Fulbright Fellow for the U.S. Council for
the International Exchange of Scholars.
Our experiences could fill many such es
says as this one, but today I want to dwell
on the standard of living Soviet Union citi
zens have to contend with and therefore
why the black market is such a thriving
enterprise in that curious country.
The term “black market” is not used
much in our country because our technol
ogy and commerce give us all we want,
provided we have the money. But things
we take for granted in America Russians
can’t get easily or at all, regardless of how
many rubles they have. Fresh fruit and
vegetables, for instance, were not availa
ble in the markets during the winter
months except on rare occasions, such as
Communist holidays.
Meat is expensive and weighed on the
scale for the buyer with the bones placed
on top of the cut. Once bananas came up
for sale and a line formed around the
block. Then a shipment of skinny Arkansas
chickens caused near pandemonium. Of
course, Russians get in any line they see,
for they know it will have something they
need.
Letters to the Editor
Dr. Jerome Loving
In fact, the situation is so difficult that
an office or factory cell will release one of
its workers each afternoon to cruise
around the city with a number of avuska
(personal bags; there’s a paper shortage in
the U.S.S.R., too) to shop for the rest.
Every member of the typical Soviet fam
ily carries a bag around with him wherever
he goes—just in case something is sud
denly available. Often we saw items sold
right out of the back of the truck making a
delivery. Without your bag you are simply
lost. When you buy eggs, for example,
they literally hand you ten eggs!
The national shortage is not limited to
food, of course. Russians can hardly ever
find for sale their best vodka, which is
produced generally for export and tourists.
Clothes are easier to find, but expensive.
A man’s shirt can cost 25 or 30 rubles-
-even though the average monthly income
is about 120 rubles.
Anything stylish (read “western”) is
gone the day it goes on sale. This surprised
me, for I found most of the Russians to
have new and fashionable winter coats. I
discovered from my more candid students
that this was due to the black market and a
rather intricate network of national cor
ruption.
When a fresh stock of desirable coats,
dresses, or whatever comes into a depart
ment store, the clerks buy most of them
for family and friends. Say 100 coats arrive;
the staff buys 95 of them, one goes in the
display window, and four are available for
general sale! Of course, many of the 95
find their way onto the black market.
Cosmetics for women are even harder to
come by. One cold winter afternoon my
wife and son were searching Nevskiiy
Prospect (Leningrad’s Fifth Avenue) for a
gift store in which to spend some of the
rubles the University was paying me for
my lectures. (Russian money is worthless
in all but Communist countries.)
Finally they came upon a store that
looked promising, but they couldn’t get
close enough to look in the window be
cause it was surrounded by shoppers form
ing a loosely gathered line. My wife asked
one of those queuing up and was told it
was a cosmetics store. A new and in
frequent shipment of Polish products had
just arrived.
Later we learned from our students that
these cosmetics are crude compared to
those in America and West Europe. Other
delicacies such as panty hose can be found
only on the black market and cost seven or
eight rubles.
Therefore, when I read in the newspap
ers that Crawford had been accused of de
aling in the black market, I wasn’t at all
surprised. For as an American in the
Soviet Union you are a very special person
indeed.
First, you can give people news from
the West, information they never receive
(except for Voice of America broadcasts)
unedited and often obscured by Pravda
(Truth). TV news is no better: when they
show a map of America, it is distorted into
looking like an overweight Florida (puny
America!).
Second, you can give much-needed En
glish language books to students and intel
lectuals. But most importantly you carry
those green U.S. dollars that buy so much
on the black market. And you have those
western clothes so dearly wanted by young
Russians.
Americans and other foreigners are con
stantly approached on the streets by
people offering to buy their money or their
clothes. Every day my wife and I received
offers for our jeans, up to 150 rubles for a
single pair.
Dr. Loving is an English professor at Texas
ALrM.
Editor’s Note: Friday’s article details
Loving’s own reluctant dealings in the
Russian black market.
Grass sitting demonstration against memorial
Editor:
This letter was prompted by the act of a
student sitting on the grass in front of the
Memorial Student Center, Tuesday Oct.
3.
I think the actions of the person who
was sitting on the grass surrounding the
MSC Tuesday morning were selfish and
childish. He was aware of the respect most
Aggies show for the memorial and knew
the response he would evoke from
passers-by. He seemed delighted by the
attention he was receiving.
I viewed his actions as a demonstration
against the memorial and think this type of
person is not worthy of the affluence and
security our veterans of wars have
provided our country.
—Ron Greenwade, ’79
CT notes
Editor:
An open letter to North side non-regs
from a Corps Turd:
Tradition is, of course, a big word
around here. Some would say change is
the opposite of tradition. Well, I happen
to know that this is just not true. Change
can work hand-in-hand with tradition or
tradition will die. But in many cases
around this campus it is not a question of
whether things should change or whether
tradition should remain. We, the stu
dents, simply receive word from some
“Higher up” that this is the policy, and
that’s that.
I think that sucks.
The Corps of Cadets is a good indication
of the way things are going around campus
in general. Policy is dictated to the masses
with relatively little input from the mas
ses. To be specific. Corps policy usually
has little support from a great many CTs.
The leaders show support, against their
feelings in some cases, because they don’t
want to cause trouble or draw attention to
themselves. (I know this is not true in
some cases, some Corps leaders really do
support a lot of that nebulous B.S.)
Why am I mentioning this? Your late
night quads, food fights, and other not-
so-publicized activities no longer exist on
the Quad. They “the establishment” have
alleviated the so-called problems. They
merely mention the fact that they will do
away with Corps family-style meals which
would, of course, disintegrate the basis of
Corps life. The Corps, not being just
ROTC members as other cblle'ge ROTC
units, is closer to a fraternity than just a
sleazy ROTC detachment. The entire
basis of this concept stems from all the
good bull things that go on around here-
-not just marching to chow and quietly sit
ting down to dinner. No. Occasionally we
like to raise hell.
Too bad, non-regs. They now have you
to control, but not as easily as they control
us. So have a fun time while you can in the
spirit of Animal House, or Saturday Night
Live, or Steve Martin or any other excuse
the establishment wishes to use for our
fun-loving nature. Just remember this: we
Corps Turds love A&M and senior boots
and non-regs that don t moon us and don’t
sit on the MSC grass out of respect for
those Ags who died in WWII.
Don’t worry Corps members. I know
some of you will disagree with this; I won’t
try to change things you believe are right
simply because someone told you they
were right. It wouldn’t do any good and I
know it. I have no say-so about what goes
on around here, but after having been a
radical, struggling through school for three
years (1.97 GPR) I have had more fun rid-
ing my motorcycle through the dorm and
coming in drunk during the week as a fish
than you can imagine. I have mellowed,
ready to die, tired of getting demerits and
sitting weekends. Obviously it did no
good, all those weekends I sat, as I still
feel the same and no establishment can
change the way I feel, just piss me off.
To all a good change.
-James L. Hime, ’79
Animal effects
Editor:
That hilarious motion picture, “Animal
House,’ has really had quite profound and
pronounced effects on the contemporary
Texas Aggie psyche. And, to be sure, this
“Animal House ‘fever according to many
periodicals, is sweeping college campuses
all over America as well.
At A&M this’fever ostentates itself in
various ways — from throwing apple pie
across the dining hall and instantaneous
moonings, to an increased incidence of
highly gross language in public places.
(Indeed, the tossing of the “apple pie” is
very symbolic, isn’t it?)
Having made this observation during
the month of September with many other
Aggies, I would like now to make some
important points.
First of all, the picture “Animal House”
was a satire on such animalistic behavior
as well as a comical comment on the stiff
ness of the ROTC. That is to say, by being
a satire, it was not filmed — as far as I can
see — as a model for appropriate human
behavior.
The seond point I should like to make
relates to the “Animal House” ‘fever’ per
se. In relation to Aggieland this simply
demonstrates one distinct thing: that we
have succumbed to the influence of
American film as readily as the “average”
American student; which reveals two
things: (1) It reveals that we lack the integ
rity supposedly inherent in Aggies. (2)
And also, it reveals that we, the average
Aggie, lack simple manners and common
courtesy.
Fellow Aggies, we came to Texas A&M
to learn how to protect ourselves from the
“law of averages.” Let us give it a try.
—Walter Lawrence Prehn, III, ’79
Not all water
Editor:
I would like to stress a few points relating
to coverage of the “Dunn Hall Massacre.”
So far, all news relating to last Wednes
day’s fight has put Dunn Hall in an in
teresting light. The articles and editorials
give the impression that Dunn Hall was
expecting a nice, clean water fight; while
the evil war mongers on the north side,
totally devoid of school spirit, conspired to
throw oranges, other rotten fruit, and pig
manure.
The story was only partially complete. I
freely admit that the north side used eggs,
peaches (rotten), and heaven forbid, water
balloons. What was not talked about, and
seems to have been ignored, was a few
tricks set up by the “peacefully” inten-
tioned Dunn Hall residents.
I personally tripped over some fishing
line tied between the trees. Any oranges
thrown by the north side were picked up
after the initial assault of water was met by
a large barrage from Dunn Hall. Also used
by Dunn Hall residents were tomatoes,
wet rolls of toilet paper, hardened clumps
of detergent, and shaving can bombs.
This is hardly what I would call an inno
cently planned water fight.
The final issue is the big one. The pig
manure. I freely admit that it was brought
by a few northside residents; but, I put
down all claims that this was an organized
plan of the entire north side. The manure
was brought by a few residents from the
north side, of their own accord. From
there many north side residents stepped
aside while, admittedly, some did
help.
What was also not stated was that the
Dunn Hall residents were not too
squeamish to steal a trash can full of ma
nure and use it of their own volition.
This article is not to clear all guilt from
the north side. It is rather, to make people
realize that Dunn Hall was not as innocent
as they tried to show. I also think some of
the Aggie Spirit is lost by manure fights. I
personally abstained from that part of the
war. But also, I think something is missing
when the news media will not dig deep
enough to give'an unbiased account of a
situation.
— David"Teich, ‘82
Editor’s note: There was never any
Battalion .news article summing up the in
cident, or outlining the various claims
that have been made in letters to the
editor about the situation. A caption
under the pictures simply stated what was
happening in those pictures. The purpose
of an editorial (which also ran on the
event) is to present an opinion.
Rude Aggies
Editor:
Last Tuesday’s MSC grass episode made
me ashamed to be an Aggie. It seems odd
to me that the entire Texas Aggie Band
could walk past the MSC last Saturday af
ternoon on the way to yell practice and not
a soul yelled at our visitors and students
who were on the grass. I was nearby and
was rather proud that even our red-ass Ag
gies had learned the meaning of courtesy.
My strengthened Aggie pride was dashed
on Tuesday when only one person had the
courage to help a person being perse
cuted. In my mind those who stood up for
Lindsey Scoggin were the only true Aggies
there. I am sure no Aggies died in hopes of
saving democracy for the likes of the rude
Aggies at the MSC. If it has to be a choice
between hatefully upholding tradition or
abandoning it. I’m afraid some of our die
hard Aggies will be creating 2 percenters
— the very thing they detest.
— Susan Beckman ’79
Seen worse
Editor:
Concerning last Friday in Sbisa: I person
ally do not know of anyone who came to
that great dining hall for the sole purpose
of raising hell or to out do any dorm or
previous years. I have been here since the
fall of 1974 and I believe I can safely state
that I have seen worse. I, personally, can
not condemn dorm yells or Aggie yells in
Sbisa. I do get a little disturbed at a
chicken leg hitting me in the back during a
yell. Hell, that is not good “bull,” but I’ll
live.
Concerning the idea that food fights
raise food cost, I ask about the $47,000 for
the computer register system which works
every now and then or about the workers
who stand at the doors doing nothing. I’d
also like to know how the students some
how manage to steal $20,000 worth of sil
verware each year, that a lot of silverware
per student.
I will say one thing, I will still yell in
Sbisa on Fridays before a home game, that
is harmless, words don’t hurt — a plate
might.
—Scott Farthing, ’78
P S. Blaming the “food fight” on the
movie “Animal House” is very far-fetched.
It . s *'^, e sa yjng “We’ve Never Been
Licked made Texas A&M what it is today.
Slouch
rfr
FOOTBALL GEATIHG
by Jim Earle
On
ZTZl
rn
1--1 1 y
—1
p
fflU
ADMITTEDLY, THESE ARE FAR FROM IDEAL, BUT WE DO
HAVE A NEW BLOCK OF SEATS AVAILABLE FOR THE GAME AT
A REDUCED PRICE!”
CAMPUS
Book contest open until Oct. 30
Students currently enrolled at Texas A&M may enter the sixth
Student Book Collectors Contest until Oct. 30. Contest prftes j n .
elude eight $100 awards and three $25 honorable mentions. Contest
rules and an entry form are included in brochures available near the
first floor circulation desk in Sterling C. Evans Library. An entn
consists of an annotated bibliography of 25 titles from a collection, a
short statement describing the collection and a completed entn
form. Finalists will be asked to bring the 25 books to the library f 0r
final judging. Winners will be announced at a Nov. 3 awards cere
mony.
STATE
Itnc
Rke
9 sti
Vedn
atr t<
erk
'W'i
ipl'ke
pont
dnnili:
Al
UT bus drivers might strike
Shuttle bus drivers at the University of Texas, who transport
thousands of students and faculty to and from school-may strike soon.
Members of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1549, which rep
resents the Transportation Enterprises drivers, late Tuesday gave
their leaders permission to call a strike “any time from this moment
on. " Transportation Enterprises operates the shuttle buses under a
contract with UT. The union has walked out twice in six years, the
last time in 1976 when the strike lasted four months. Union president
Robert Griffith said the union has not had a contract since the 1976
strike and has received no pay raises. He said a negotiation session
with TEI is scheduled for Oct. 11," but we may be on strike by that
time.”
IS
jrll
i 1
FORI
Indictments expected in bribery
Indictments were expected to be returned today by a federal grand
jury in connection with an alleged $1 million bribery scheme perpet
rated against Southwestern Bell Telephone Co. The Dallas Morning
News said it has been told by sources that among those expected to
be indicted on federal racketeering charges is R.A. (Pete) Acker,
retired Southwestern Bell vice president for data systems. Federal
prosecutors have already indicted a former executive of a small Collin
County bank Monday for failing to report to the Internal Revenue
Service the transfer of more than $48,000 to Acker from Dallas busi
nessman Joel McQuade, who was also investigated in the case.
WORLD
Finnish army plane crashes
A Finnish army plane carrying 15 prominent citizens crashed intoa
lake, killing all on board including including three members of Par-
liament, a military spokesman said today.The right engine of the
pC-3 turboprop caught fire and exploded one minute after taking off
from Kuopio Airport in central Finland Tuesday, the spokesman
said.The pilot tried to make it back to the airport but crashed 200
y ards short, killing all 15 aboard including the three crew members in
the <*rmy s worst air accident ever. The passengers were participating
in ® civil defense course that the Defense Ministry' regularly gives to
prominent Finns. Finland’s worst civilian crash was in 1961 when 25
persons died.
Ships collide in Mediterranean
An Algerian ship sank in the Mediterranean early today after collid-
ing with an Italian vessel, and 26 of the Algerian craft’s crew were
missing, the Cartagena Navy command said. A base intelligence offi
cial said an air and sea search was launched for the 26 men reported
missing from the 1,598-ton Algerian ship Colo. The collision occurred
60 miles east of the Cape of Palos and the Italian ship involved was
the 8,390-ton Expreso Marilyn, the spokesman said. The Italian ship
was not badly damaged and continued under its own power.
lurk pi
I or
tali
Jlic \\
jg her
lama
ad to (
■tm
[4 mil
pear
l'd t
Ti the
ire
j limn
our I
stop]
lifers
din re
l 1 1
t too I
Ked \
1 was
nien s
I nine
■ie pa:
oman,
plied
He
jullen.
ng. Seal
:) wrii
I long
But slit]
111 and
ing to gi
Rig tim
jeside>
I the
neroti
dured
atig
I the
aivs. SI
Mourners gather at St. Peters
ftvo di'
nl ^d he
lect he
Bants s
mg stie!
iliree ti
haulei
[lead 1:
aides s
(ks at
A hundred thousand mourners gathered Wednesday in rain-swept
£;jT < if r . s s 9 uar e in Vatican City as the Roman Catholic Church said
l i.. ° ° 15e J 0 ' n Paul I, the smiling pope whose humor and
form ! ,t r> Ca j t,V f?? l the wor,d dl ' ri 'ng his 34-dav reign. The pope, the ,|
IZZ ^dma! Afoino Luciani died of a heart attack last Thursday a. 11
the age of 65. Ninety five of the cardinals who will choose John Pauls
b,n fwo° r f f| eg,nn i l j 8 1,1 3 ? eCret conc,ave Oct. 14 attended the mass,
d H nor f ei 7. ri n0t take an active P art in service because they
C irf qf Wt i ■gnitaries from 114 nations, including Mrs. Lillian
Carter, the mother of the U.S. president, attended.
J won’t
iss Ta\
lijybe iii
■ Bahan
nld mal
Jdn't."
6SSSSS
Cargo transport aids cosmonauts
5 000 O mf t j r ° gr r SS car i g ° trans I :,ort roared into space today wil
Kovalenok d A°. f SU P p,ies Soyuz 29 cosmonauts Vladim
d ntl A f X f nder J va nchenkov, who have been in orbit for
chTnkov wh!?k Info " Tled Sovie t sources said Kovalenok and Ivai
return to e irth , e ^ an dle,r rec nrd-breaking mission on June 15, w
.nothb dhnu fh • e r i hl * i" 0nth after stowi ng the fresh supplies ar
Tass said Pr eir ® s P ace Inb. The official Soviet news ageni
launched TuSd" 5 4 ’ r f r " yin g a 21/2 -ton cargo of fuel and supplies, w:
dock with the fk-f Hl f oes we H, the unmanned capsule shou
hours after its launch" 8 6 SpaCe laborator y approximately -
WEATHER
atures and a Tno/° d k y Wl be partl V c| oudy with mild temper-
be in th^ unnor on- Chan u e of thunder showers. The high will
be southaa P ^friv 8 2? 3 low in the up P er 5 ° ,s - Winds will
tonight as a cold frnnt 1 ° mph and stron 9er increasing winds
tonignt as a cold front passes through the area.
The Battalion
no, guarantee p „bl„h any IcnZ Eacl T ■*
numbcr^^ftaaftoT ° f “ Ul n>hoZ
Station, Texas 77H43. Building, College
MEMBER
Texas Press Association
Southwest Journalism Congress
Mail subscriptions are $16.75 per semester Sin cm
school year; $35.00 per full year A,!v » $33 ' 25 P er
nished on request. Address: The Battalion"^o T
Reed McDonaUl Building, College Static' ^ 77^3
nited Press International is entitled exclusively to tl
use for reproduction of all news disn».,.l, . tlle
Bights of reproduction of all other matter h ^ t0 ''
Editor Kin 1
Managing Editor
Assistant Managing Editor . Karen
Sports Editor David ^
City Editor J all, ' e !
Campus Editor Andy" ! J
News Editors Debbie P*
Beth Calhoun
yiJ
Editorial Director . .Lee Roy
Staff Writers Mark Patterson
Pendleton, Sean
Michelle Scudder,
Faulkenberry, Diane B 1 ®
Cartoonist Doug ^
Photographer Ed*- 1
Regents. The Battalion is a
supporting enterprise opera
a university and comrnw
ditonal policy is determine
846-5;