opinion
Slouch
Earle
“It’s the ultimate in vending machines! First, it was bot
tles, then paper cups; and now they’ve eliminated the
cups!”
Gum-in-cheek music
at a “pop” concert
by Dick West
United Press International
WASHINGTON — Last March, accord
ing to a letter that has fallen into my
possession, a college student in Connecti
cut wrote a leading bubble gum company
asking it to supply percussion instru
ments for a campus dance recital.
Pertinent excerpts follow:
“I am giving a dance performance in
which the audience will participate in
creating the music ... the music will be
chewing noises. I plan to have the audi
ence chewing gum ... I am writing to sev
eral chewing gum corporations to see if
any one is interested in supporting the
arts by donating the necessary seven hun
dred pieces of gum.”
I hardly need add that the gum cor
poration to whom this opportunity was
tendered practically fell all over itself re
sponding affirmatively.
Its enthusiastic acceptance sprang
both from a desire to uphold the tradi
tion of corporate support of the arts and
from the fact that it markets a brand of
bubble gum trade named “Bazooka.”
For younger readers, let me pause
here to explain that the original bazooka
was a musical instrument, or contraption,
Fitted together by radio comedian Bob
Burns from several odd lengths of pipe
and a funnel.
(Another bazooka namesake was a
World War II portable rocket launcher,
although I doubt the latter would be suit
able for dance rhythms.)
In my time, I have known several
talented masticators who might qualify as
bubble gum virtuosi. Never, however,
despite a vast range of musical experi
ence, have I heard an entire concert audi
ence simultaneously popping the stuff.
Such an event did, and does, arouse
my cultural instincts. A dance choreog
raphed for 700 pieces of bubble gum
simply is not something you get a chance
to see every day, I don’t care if you’re
Baryshnikov, Balanchine or whoever.
Alas, it was not to be.
I also have in my possession a follow
up letter, written in April, in which the
dance student announced a change of
format.
Pertinent excerpts follow:
“Having the audience chew Bazooka
bubble gum has great potential for the
accompaniment to a dance, but the
dance, in such a situation, must fit the
music perfectly. Otherwise, the meaning
of the music and the dance may be lost...
as the dance progressed, it has become so
complicated in itself, that adding the
Bazooka would be a cheapening gim
mick.”
Although the student promised to “try
again to choreograph an appropriate
piece” next year, by that time I fear it will
be too late.
An esthetic concept with the entertain
ment potential of this one isn’t going to
lie barren very long. You can bet on that.
Within a few weeks, I’ll warrant, some
Broadway musical producer will be using
bubble gum to accompany such dance
numbers as “Chattanooga Choo-Choo,”
the theme from “Jaws” and “I’m Forever
Blowing Bubbles.”
All it takes is a lot of cheek.
The Battalion
USPS 045 360
Member of
Texas Press Association
Southwest Journalism Conference
Editor Diana Sultenfuss
Managing Editor Phyllis Henderson
Associate Editor Denise Richter
City Editor Bernie Fette
Assistant City Editor Gary Barker
Sports Editor Frank L. Christlieb
Focus Editor Nancy Floeck
Assistant Focus Editor Colette Hutchings
News Editors. . Tracey Buchanan, Cathy Capps,
Daniel Puckett, Mary Jet Rummel,
Staff Writers Cyndy Davis, Susan Dittman,
Beverly Hamilton, John Lopez, Hope E.
Paasch, Bill Robinson, Dana Smelser, Joe
Tindel, John Wagner, Laura Williams,
Rebeca Zimmermann
Cartoonist Scott McCullar
Graphic Artist Richard DeLeon Jr.
Photographers
David Fisher, Jane Hollingsworth
Peter Rocha, John Ryan, Colin Valentine
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Battalion/Page 2
May 3, 1982
Reagan sets diplomatic trip
by Helen Thomas
United Press Internationa)
WASHINTON — President Reagan
will make his debut on the world’s diplo
matic stage when he travels to Europe in
early June.
Up to now Reagan’s other foreign
travels — to Ottowa, Cancun and Jamaica
— have been side skirmishes compared
to the nine-day swing that includes two
major summit meetings and visits with
the Pope, a queen and other world
leaders.
To prepare himself, Reagan will read
comprehensive briefing books and hold
advance meetings with his chief advisers
on all the major issues he is likely to con
front. The CIA also prepares special
films on the leaders he will meet so that
none will be completely a stranger to
Reagan on first encounter.
In the world of summitry, the United
States is often on the defense. But that is
not Reagan’s style. In major speeches be
fore the Parliament in the Royal Gallery
in London, to the Bundestag in Bonn
and at the Berlin Wall, he is expected to
lay down in explicit terms the main goals
of U.S. foreign policy.
U.S. relations with allies are in some
ways at the crossroads, and Reagan has a
lot of fence mending to do.
He will also have to contend with anti
nuclear demonstrations in various capit
als, having aroused fear from early state
ments that he views a limited nuclear war
in Europe as conceivable. He has since
backed away from such positions, but the
memory lingers on and his hardline poli
cies in the nuclear field have added to the
suspicion.
He departs Washington June 2 and his
first stop will be Paris, where he will rest
from thejet lag beforejoining the leaders
of six other Western industrialized na
tions for a three-day economic summit in
the magnificent Palace of Versailles,
where he will have to contend with critic
ism of high U.S. interest rales.
From France, Reagan will fly to Rome
for a six-hour stay. He will meet with
Italian President Sandro Pertini. He also
will pay his respects to other Italian lead
ers, but the high point will be his visit to
the Vatican to see Pope John Paul II.
Then on to London for two days
where he will be the guest of Queen Eli
zabeth II at Windsor Castle. The British
are planning grand doings for Reagan,
including lunch at No. 10 Downing
Street with Prime Minister Margaret
Thatcher and a state dinner at the Castle
at a long table that seats 160 guests.
But the cameramen are waiting for the
big moment when the queen invites
Reagan to go horseback riding on the
grounds of Windsor Castle. It’s Reagan’s
favorite form of relaxation and it will be a
from long sessions
lennary
a Texas
respite
affairs.
From England, he will travel lol h Texas
where he will attend the 15i
NATO meeting with otherheadsoti
The alliance is in disarray with the
sion and mixed signals that have
coming from various partners
The nuclear issue has put heavy|L
ure on some of the European leader
West German Chancellor
trician v
being pi
ery Fric!
Dan Pos
’he two
t in t
1th Cent
releasee
Officials
luure'w
Schmidt, in particular, is pushingh;|L.| ies i^,
reaffirm the U.S. intention of placii;[ rec j
termediate range advanced m
weapons in Europe to counter
Reagan says are 300 long range S|
missiles targeted at Western Eurf
capitals from the Soviet Union.
As is traditional for any Amel’ :)(l,) T° l
president who visits Germany, atP 1 se< ‘ Ut ‘
the Berlin Wall is essential to real
once again the U.S. determination
fend the West against any S)
onslaught. The symbolic gesture
established by John Kennedy whtiDr. Robe
made his famous “Ich bin ein BerlBDepartn
speech at the wall in 1961 with thoup 11 Anin
of cheering Germans at the scene. P‘£ er y- Sal
Much planning is going into the
Reagan’s aides say it will be grui
ed Iron
ng table
|mal Cli
)ol, whe
|e.
They also know that Reagan’s leadel
ability will be severely tested at a|
when the Western world is look™
new directions and understanding.
Less guns but more crimes
vocation
Set Int
Editor:
I knew it, I just knew it! It was bound
to happen! We’ve cussed and discussed
all the other “hot” items such as politics,
education, abortion, nuclear war, etc. un
til somebody (Mr. Barker) just had to
bring up gun control. But since we’re on
the subject, we might as well get the facts
straight because somebody's been feed
ing of Spot something other than dog-
food.
According to recent data compiled by
the FBI America’s most violent major
metropolitan areas, Boston, New York,
Baltimore, Washington, D.C. and Cleve
land have extremely rigid gun laws. Even
more remarkable is that their crime rates
have jumped alarmingly since those re
spective cities passed their latest anti—
gun laws.
Among smaller cities (population
250,()()() 'to 500,000), Miami leads the
country in violence. Miami requires a
police permit in order to purchase a
handgun, a handgun proficiency test for
purchases and a waiting period on hand
gun sales (to verify purchaser’s informa
tion.) It has also banned the stile of so-
called “Saturday Night Specials 1 '. Miami
is now plagued by an overall violent
crime rate of 3417.7 per 100,000 per
sons, four times that of its neighhor, J;ic k-
sonville. Jacksonville, whose murder rate
is only one-fifth that of Miami’s, hits none
of the restrictive gun laws that Miami hits
enacted.
Reader’s
Forum
se
one-third of all violent crime. In 197(3,
Decision Milking Information surveys
showed that the crimes most feared In
people were robbery, burglarv and mur
der in the course of those ct imes. Hand
guns were involved in only 4 percent of
those crimes. T hus, any anti-handgun
legislation would be aimed at only 4 per
cent of the crimes most feared In the
American public.
Also, it federally funded study just re
leased by the Justice Department had
these comments:
— There is “no persuasive evidence”
to support the commonly expressed y iey\
that “much homicide yvould not occur
yvhere firearms are generally less
available";
— “Any action taken to deny firearms
to yvould-be-criminals rvill necessarily
deny them to vastly larger group of per
sons who yvill never even contemplate,
much less commit, a violent criminal act
— T he proportion of American fami-
llress .
lies acknowledging gun oyvnershi|) I
remained constant at about 50 p« j ;
since 1959, but the percentage ow [
handguns has increased;
— About three-fourths of privi
oyvned guns are used for sport and
creation — the remainder for
defense;
— Betyveen 1968 and 1978,there«
large increase in sport shooting aiiI
estimated 10 million long guns and3
lion handguns yvere purchased for
purpose. T his led the researchers km
elude that there yvas no validity to ,
common claim that handguns have
legitimate sport or recreational tise l
— “In point of fact, no credibleslj
of sport and recreational handgun lines L.
has even been conducted, and iIkT
fragments of evidence that do el
strongly suggest that handguns ad
likely to be owned for sport and reei|
tion as for any other reason.”
Somebody please relay this inforil
tion to Barker so that he might pass ill
tool' Spot. By the wav Barker. Ivc « Geor^
snortin’, buckin’, bitin’, kickin’Coll ■
would enjoy meetin' with of Spot. ff mes L
iellW.
Brian Cheevers
Graduate in agricultural econom lobert
la H.
Georg'
obert E
ell W.
the small society
by Brickmo
Wesley
Other FBI crime data reveals that be
tween 1974 and 1930, overall violent
crime rose 26 percent. During those
years firearm involvement in violent
crime fell 12 percent. While the per c api
ta ownership of handguns increased 24
percent since 1974, their involvement in
murder fell 7 percent during that period.
Refuting the charge that guns are the
factor in crimes of violence, data shows
that firearms are involved in less than
XF X MAP
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©1981 King Features Syndicate, Inc. World rights reserved.
£>'2.0'&2icxUt
George - I
Bryan Ki
Ellen Lyi
Lynda D
Lorenzo
Kelley E!
Phyllis T
Mary Air
Chris Cu
Kevin A.
William