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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 13, 1981)
Entertainment supplement to The Battalion This year cools Texas heatwave The hot summer really wasn’t By K. McElroy Battalion Staff Last summer's heat justified air-conditioning, Slurpees and shade. Eggs fried on sidewalks, and iced tea never remained that way. The official hype term was "The Texas Heatwave," and everyone's goal was to survive it. Surviving hasn't been that diffuclt this time around, and summer — especially for those who think in academic terms — is practically over. The severe heat that everyone prepared for was minimal. It's been hot, but a local weather service confirms that it was not as scorching as last year. Bob Strauss, of the state cli matologist's office, says this summer seems cooler than last year, but temperatures have actually been normal for this area. The average high tempera ture for College Station in June 1980 was 94.1 degrees, a normal reading for that month. But the July temperature marked the Texas Heatwave — the average was 100.3 degrees. In the shade, no less. The average high for August was 98. In comparison, this summer has been arctic. The average temperature for June was a mild 89.1 degrees. And last July, the average was only 92.5. The highest it ever got in July was 98, two degrees cooler than last year's average. Last summer the mercury hit 103 in June, and 104 in July. Strauss says climatologists consider it hot outside when the temperate hits 95 degrees. This year it didn't hit 95 until the mid dle of the summer, July 19th. "It's fairly late (for that high)," he said, "but it's not the latest it's ever been." He also said that even though the tem peratures are slightly lower than yearly averages, it's been a fairly dry summer. The last four sum mers have alternated climate — 78 was hot, but 79 was wet. Last summer was hellish, but this year is cooler. Even though there's a wide gap between this year's high Slow dancing sufficed; however, if done too slowly, it only increased the heat. temperature and last's, the low temperatures are consistent — the average for Jume and July 1980 is 73.6. The average tem perature for the past two months was 73.9 The Beutel Health Center was prepared to treat hordes of Texas A&M University students suffering from heat ailments. However, the number has been smaller than last year's, which is exactly what C.B. Goswick, head of the Beutel Health Cen ter, expected. My hero! Kim Conner, a junior at Texas A&M University, shows off a Darth Vader doll from her collection of "Star Wars" pictures, books and other memorabilia. Conner is a journalism major from Galveston. Photo by Sherylon Jenkins "I hope last year was the ex ception," he said. "I would say that we haven't had as many students in with heat problems, " he continued, "but I don't have any statistics. The heat has not been as oppres sive as it was last year, and peo ple are a little more sensitive ab out the heat." But some students still don't know how much sun they can take. Probably thinking the sun isn't so bad this summer, tan ners were spending more time in the sun, so the Health Center has handled more sunburn cases this year than last. So technically, it hasn't been as hot as last summer, but to the untrained sweat glands there wasn't that much difference. It was still too hot to do any of the following activities: — for males to wear corduroy jeans — for females to wear pan tyhose — for males to grow beards — for females to wear make up — for anyone to take interme diate tennis at high noon (only 16 students took the course the first summer ses sion) — for moviegoers to wear mosquito netting to The Grove — for drinkers to sip Irish Cof fee; everyone slurped dai quiris instead — for soapers to venture out in the afternoon, when it was much cooler to stay indoors and watch "General Hos pital" — for dancers to boogie. Slow dancing sufficed; however, if done too slowly, it only in creased the heat. Maybe dancing is best saved for when the sun goes down. Figuring galactic relations By Scott McCullar Battalion Staff Well the hot summer is almost over, and the baseball strike isn't really worth talking about any more, or the airplane con trollers' strike, or the royal wed ding, so what can you talk about at back to school parties? "The Empire Strikes Back" is in town again, and there are sev eral things to think about and look for while watching the movie or talking with friends af terwards. Some of these con cepts aren't common know ledge and speculating on these ideas will only add to anticipa tion of the series' next chapter, "The Revenge of the Jedi", due out the summer of 1983. If any thing, it is hoped that these questions will only add to the present confusion. What is Darth Vader's real identity? (or who is that behind those Foster Grant's?) Vader tells Luke Skywalker that he is his father. Even though Vader tells Luke this at a moment of tension and fatigue, Luke seems to feel it is the truth, even though he does not want to be lieve it. He was told by Ben "Obi Wan" Kenobi that his father was killed by Vader, but Luke's pow ers of the Force seem to tell him not easy that Vader is really his father. Mark Hamill said in an inter view that someone reminded him that Luke's father and Darth Vader were supposed to have fought during the "Clone Wars." Ah-Hah! Is it possible that Vader is a surviving clone of Luke's father? That may explain why Luke's feelings tell him Vader is really his father, while still seeming to feel it is a lie. While talking to Vader the Emperor makes a passing men tion to "the son of Skywalker." What is that all about? And while we're talking about the Emperor, why does his face look like a cross between Obi Wan and Yoda? He talks like Obi Wan. Vader addresses him as "master" and the Emperor seems to know all about the force. Oh well, back to Luke. When Luke fights the image of Vader in the cave on Yoda's planet in the Dagobah system, he reveals a face inside Vader's mask that is his own. This is probably more concerned with Luke's facing the dark side of the force within himself, as Yoda tells him there is nothing in the cave other than "that which you take in with you," but could it concern the Continued on page 2