Viewpoint The Battalion Texas A&M University Friday January 23, 1980 Slouch By Jim Earle “I had a real keen salute to show them our appreciation for releasing our hostages, but I decided that it would be in bad taste. ” Crosswalk Fairy not trusted Rehashing a year of goofs on a diet of crow In the farming community that I grew up in the traffic was usually pretty scarce. ’Bout the only things that ever came by with much fre quency were tractors and it was relatively easy to avoid being run over by one. When we went to town with my parents, crossing the street was a major operation. My little brother and I were gripped by the hand until our fingers turned blue and the fingernails threatened to pop off in the street. “Look both ways before crossing the street, and then look again.” That warning was so engraved in my mind from childhood, that when I came to Aggieland and saw people just nonchalantly stepping out into the street without even a glance, I cringed. It took me nearly two and a half years before I could bring myself to step out into the student crosswalk without a two-block survey of the street. Now, I know that students have right-of-way in the crosswalks. At least that’s what everyone keeps telling me. It’s sort of like knowing you have some magical power to protect you but you aren’t completely convinced. The first time I decided to trust the Good Crosswalk Fairy there was a car coming at least a block away. It was moving pretty slow and I had decided not to make a fool of myself and run across. I would be calm and I would WALK! When the first toe touched the little stripy piece of pavement, I waited for the thunder and lightning and flashing neon that said “You Big Dummy” but nothing happened. Hallelujah!! Notepad By Tracy Fenton Besides the fact that my heart rate was out of control and my pupils had dilated, I had made it across the street in one piece. After that experience I began to build up my courage and became quite an expert in street crossing. The drivers that don’t stop or slow down for you to cross the street are either in a hurry and never saw you in the first place, think pedes trians are mentally deficient, or have a guilty conscience for not letting you across and won’t look at you as they drive by. Then there are the drivers that like to play games with your mind. They stop for you but every time you stick your foot out in the street they rev their motor. These people have a warped sense of humor. Avoid them. There are also drivers that are basically law abiding citizens and obey the signs that say “Stop for Students in Crosswalk” but don’t par ticularly like to. They are the ones that drive off at the same split second that your foot leaves the pavement. Since I had gotten pretty confident in street crossing, I suppose I was lulled into a false sense of security. That and the fact that I be lieve the line about the police being here to watch over us nearly did me in last semai After a long day at school and work,^^ walking back to my car in the Zachry pan lot. When I came up to the first part crosswalk, I looked to my left because it’s ai way street and I’m still not too sure t! Crosswalk Fairy always pays attention. Well, there was a College Station police coming slowly down the street about 100yt away. Not close enough to worry about started across the street and kept waiting him to stop. He never did and went bye! enough the ruffle the hair on the baekoli head. That wasn’t enough! He made a U-tum around the boulevd caught me halfway across the street on theoli side of the crosswalk. You’ve heard aboutba caught between a rock and a hard place? H was it, gang. I didn’t know whether to nil across or stop and let him go on his merrylit way. I finally had to stop because he showed indication of doing so. To make matters even worse he never lool at me. It was like being circled by a bigsk Well, I really don’t know what to Maybe police are a step above the Good Cr. walk Fairy in the pedestrian mythology. I just know that I may never be the same returned to the sweaty-palm, wide-eyed, i heartbeat syndrome every time I cross street. Crosswalk or not. Cops or no cops Tracy Fenton is a journalism studentm former Battalion reporter. By DAVID S. BRODER WASHINGTON — The hint that this would be a vintage year for political punditry was right there in the first week of 1980. “The safest election bet in America — for the past genera tion — has been that the Democrats will win Congress, ” I wrote on Jan. 6. “Chances are, the bet will pay off again in 1980.” While you, dear reader, were savoring the aftermath of your Christmas feast I was on a self-imposed diet of crow: I was rereading the myself. It was not the first time. Three years ago, it struck me that a good year-end device for let ting you, the readers, know that I know that you know what a klutz I am would be to rehash some of my own mental boners. You know, a touch of humility to build rapport and trust for the new year. The trouble was, the first two times I tried it, I was blinded by my own brilliance. Sure, there were a few clinkers; but to fasten on them and ignore the number of times the dash of dead line-wisdom had proved prophetic would have been a terrible distortion of the record. The commitment to journalistic truth prevented me from fulfilling my sincere desire for self- abasement. This year, happily, there is no conflict be tween humility and objectivity. You can hardly reach into the file of past columns without find ing some howler: On Jan. 27, the “semi-official White House line” was reported to be that Sen. Howard H. Baker, Jr. (R-Tenn.) would be President Car ter’s “toughest and worthiest opponent,” for mer President Ford might be “the strongest rival of all,” and George Bush is being taken “more seriously.” Ronald Reagan? He barely rated a mention. On Feb. 24, it was said that “while all the press attention has been on New Hampshire, the Bush organization has been hard at work in those Southern states (South Carolina, Geor gia, Florida and Alabama), giving him a com petitive base from which to move on Reagan in Reagan’s bedrock territory.” That was some move! Reagan beat Bush by margins of 3-to-l to 5-to-l in the four states. On March 23, I tried to change my luck by switching to baseball, complaining in the annual Chicago Cubs’ column about the “immi nent” trade of super-reliever Bruce Sutter to the Cardinals. That prophecy was only nine months premature — more accurate than most in this year of misjudgement — but an embar rassing slip, whether it concerns the arrival of a trade or of a baby. On April 2, it was back to politics with the marvelous comment, “There is more issue- content in this compaign than in any other re cent election. ” Rereading the column, I cannot fathom whatever made me say that, but there it is in black-and-white. As Ring Lardner said, “You could look it up.” Speaking of literary allusions, the most embarrassing goof of the year came in a try for lyricism on April 6. Talking about President Carter’s habit of timing optimistic announce ments for primary election days, I quoted what I said was a lyric from “Showboat” — “Maybe Tuesday will be my good news day.” As several dozen of you were kind enough to point out, that line is from the George and Ira Gershwin classic, “The Man I Love,” and not from “Showboat.” When I checked with the Ultimate Quotation Authority, George Will, he even played the Ella Fitzgerald recording over the phone to make it perfectly clear I was wrong again. There was a serious misstep on the trail of error on Aug. 10, when the Devil made me write, “Public disillusionment with the Demo cratic record is widespread enough to raise the possibility of a big Republican victory at all levels of the ballot. ” But by Sept. 7, I was back in form, declaring “Michigan is potentially one of (John) Anderson’s best states.” He got 7 per cent there. On Oct. 22, I credited Vice President Mon dale with “swinging Wisconsin from Reagan to Carter.” Later, somebody sneakily swung it back to Reagan, without my knowledge, but still that’s a nice accolade for Mondale to take with him into retirement. On Dec. 7, just to show my knack had not ended with the election, I wrote a column that was full of praise for Evergreen State College in Olympia, Wash., and its president, former Gov. Daniel J. Evans. I figured the topic was a bit parochial but would please the Olympia newspaper, which carried my column. Wrong again. It turns out the local editor takes such a dim view of Evans that he cancelled the column outright. With luck like that, you can guess how sorry I am to see 1980 end. The Reagan Era poses new tests, but I am determined to keep alive the tradition of being first with the wrongest judgment. And for you good readers who have put up with all this, a bit of reward. Many of you have begged for the identity of the hidden-away-in- the-woods New Hampshire restaurant where the Swiss chef cooks in an 18th century farm house kitchen for a tiny clientele — the place I savored as the site of “the best evening” of the whole 1980 campaign. It is Crystal Quail and Center Barnstead. It is open only certain nights and then by reserva tion only. Some of you may think a recommen dation from me is a guarantee of ptomaine. Not so. Trust me. Have I ever misled you? De A&M ;etl It have Collej Bil “] I Not what’s said, but the way they say it By LeROY POPE United Press International NEW YORK — Understanding language isn’t enough to communicate successfully in modern business, says the head of a Los Angeles firm devoted to teaching people how to interpret non-verbal signals. Michael McMaster and Dr. John Grinder, linguist and psychologist, partners in Precision Model, stage seminars and conferences for the executives and employees of blue chip firms, teaching them to depend not so much upon what people say as on the non-verbal signals they give during negotiations, conferences and ordinary conversation. For example, if the person you are talking with and seeking something from leans back in his or her chair, gazes at the ceiling from time to time and otherwise seems utterly relaxed, you should match that attitude without obvious mimicry, McMaster said. If you persist in sitting forward in your chair, staring intently and trying to create a brisk atmosphere, you’re licked, he said. McMaster and Grinder say the essence of successful oral communication in today’s world lies in being aware of the other person’s mood his or her body posture and head position, rate of breathing, repetitive gestures and tone of voice, and adapting to it. “That’s the way to get your message across in a job interview, or in talking to your superiors your subordinates or in trying to make a sale ” McMaster said. ’ It is not enough simply to listen to what the other person is saying. You must respond. To improve your abilities as a communicator he said, you must ask yourself: Do I know what I’m after, what I want* specific outcome of this talk or meeting to ^ How much flexibility do I have? jj 5 willing am I to change the way I think, talk 1 move my body in response to the other per-® How willing am I to adjust in order to getwl' 1 ' want? How aware am I of the effect of what Ij 1 said or did — the feedback? Have I respond to the other person in the most approP nJ way? It s axiomatic, McMaster said, that the 5 ® cessful managers in modem business aret who can deal with a deluge of information, writtpn a nr) ^v-,,1 T«.’ „ cplpctiOD Warped By Scott McCullar MEMBER Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism Congres l ’ S P S 045 360 Managing Editor!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Angelin™ Cone!° n H S^ mEdUm N - sE <"- ::: Venice Sports Editor ^ K , M e y er Asst. Focus Editor " ' SusarT Staff Writers ra US ? n *i°P kms G ' BrUSt ’ Terry Duran » Cind/cee Jon Heidtke, Belinda McCoy, Kathy O’Connell’ Cartoonist Photo Editor t 0tt MeOullar Photographer Gammon EDITORIAL POUCY The Battalion is a non-profit, self-supporting newspaper on- erated as a community service to Texas A&M University and Bp'an - College Station. Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those of the editor or the author, and do not necessarily renre sent the opinions of Texas A&M University administrators or faculty members, or of the Board of Regents. Questions or comments concerning any editorial ^ should be directed to the editor. LETTERS POLICY Tetters to the Editor should not exceed 300 words in W , an are subject to being cut ifthev are longer. The editorr ^ , reserves the right to edit letters for style and length. ma e every effort to maintain the author’s intent Each t must also be signed, show the address and phone number oH writer. Columns and guest editorials are also welcome, and^ SU Ject to f ^ e same length constraints as letters. Addre m