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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 18, 1982)
national Battalion/Page 12 November 18, doCtcxjz zStat ion'i finz {JtaHian ZEitauiant 696-7311 Thursday: Wine Sampling Sample a glass of your favorite wine from our wine list either with dinner or while relaxing in our comfortable new lounge. (You don't have to buy the whole bottle.) Lunch 11-2 Dinner 5-10 404 Shopping Center East University Gene splicing under scrutiny Ne United Press International WASHINGTON — Scientists say fears that advancements in genetic engineering soon could influence human intelligence and personality are preposter ous, but a presidential commis sion is proposing continued close scrutiny of gene splicing. The President’s Commission for the Study of Ethical Prob lems in Medicine and Biomedic al and Behavioral Research told a House subcommittee Tuesday that fears of people being turned into Frankenstein mons ters by genetic engineering were exaggerated. The House Science and Technology oversight subcom mittee was to hear the concerns of various religious organiza tions about genetic engineering on Wednesday. The presidential commission recommended continued over sight of genetic engineering by a commission of public and pri vate volunteers, or a permanent official body. “Whatever format is chosen, the group should be broadly based and not dominated by genetics specialists or other sci entists,” it said. Commission members said while objections to “playing God” deserve serious attention, they are “not persuaded the sci entific procedures in question are inherently inappropriate for human use.” It said, “Especially close scru tiny is appropriate for any proc edures tnat would create in heritable genetic changes or that are aimed at enhancing ‘normal’ people, as opposed to re medying recognized genetic de fects.” Dr. Richard Axel, of Col umbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons, said Tuesday, “The idea of introduc ing genes into humans has con jured up frightening and un natural scenarios.” But, he said, “I do not antici pate successful gene transfer into the nervous system or into the skin, for that matter, in the near future.” Axel said it would be unethic al not to use genetic engineering to eliminate symptoms of many genetic diseases. David Jackson, chief scientific officer of Cenex Corp. in Gaith ersburg, Md., said the idea that scientists could use gene splicing to manipulate “complex human characteristics such as intelli gence, aggressiveness, personal ity, good looks, and so forth in the forseeable future ly preposterous.” Committee Chairman Gore jr., D-Tenn., said his probably will recommend tion of a permanent f< commission to act as a watch over genetic engineering is nology. is simp- HOW ABOUT CflNCUN for CHRISTMAS BREAK? 5 days — 4 nights airfare & accommodations $ 298 00 Come by Old South Restaurant (Kroger Center) 2404 S. Texas for details United Pre f American ft “Those who c; Alexander Capron, the lean t, teach; idential commission's exeisiteach, teach tt director, said although >F But folk wi: gious leaders were comnjin the natior perceiving a lack of governmlfeachers’ colle tal oversight, we have nof((iiJ|isis of con in the gene splicing now ^teaching from planned or undertaKenthetJ A newly damental danger’ to hwlTeacher Exa values, social norms or eililjiosed to helj principles that alarmed thfrlproviding a ki fleeing that “tl the teaching j< Bn’t are kept Now you know Train hearings continue United Press International One might expect that since humans are so biologically com plex, they’d have more DNA than lower oganisms. Not so. Both lillies and salamanders have about 20 times as much per cell. But most may be excess bag gage. In fact, no one even know why it’s there. Rehiring disturbs official eet high sta The test candidates in i and arithmeti eral knowled Listening mumcation United Press International BATON ROUGE, La. — The chairman of the National Trans portation Safety Board says it is “disturbing” that the engineer and brakeman of a derailed train had each been fired twice before the disaster. obed. One wou At a hearing Tuesday into the Sept. 28 derailment and explo sion of a chemical train in Livingston, La., NTSB chair man Jim Burnett expressed con cern about the spottyjob records of Illinois Central Gulf Railroad engineer Edward Peyton QUE PASA? SCO/V MSC SCONA 28 a conference that challenges stimulates informs THE LATIN AMERICANS CHALLENGES AND ALTERNATIVES a topic that demands our attention SCONA: informative... stimulating... challenging <s£> CP V --xF' The American Heritage Dictionary NEW COLLEGE EDITION THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE I Ht WCmiNARV Ftm HOMl.VCHOOK AND Of TIC t K^turiai * Aiittdudif I* !>* v*"* Ac rtsht »!«0 rtKto "oy • Ovr< »ys«Wft cntrb'i Mik Red Cover Now on Sale $QOO Reg. ‘IS 88 WOW Standing in long line like this for yearbook pictures doesn’t have to be another A&M tradition... Juniors Seniors Grad Students You have until Dec. 17th to have your photo taken for the 82-83 Aggieland. Go by Yearbook Asso. (1700 Puryear behind Culpepper Plaza) 693-6756 Today and avoid waiting in line!! • H11 1 i'IIM 11 1'iiiiwBifliiinwp I'i'iii'd* ii'iii/ > ye***- - Robertson and brakeman Rus sell Reeves. “It’s disturbing to me that we have that kind of people with that kind of record handling a hazardous material train,” he said. Robertson, 42, had been fired for dereliction of duty, in cluding drinking on call, and had been reprimanded for sev eral incidents, including one that resulted in a collision be tween locomotives. Reeves, 31, who railroad medical officials once said had an eye defect severe enough to “probably disqualify a brake- man,” had been fired for indict ments for selling drugs. Records show ICG officials found metha done in his urine in 1969 and recommended future spot checks for drugs. Earlier testimony revealed an ICG clerk, Janet Brumfield Byrd, 34, who said she was “along for the ride,” was at the controls when the train derailed, forcing evacuation of 2,700 peo ple for two weeks. She said Robertson and Reeves j^ ac l iers ^ nov drunk and kept falling asM'^'L but a n After the derailment, p i 11 recent yet arrested Robertson, ReevesShooted in s Byrd and charged themtvitli® 6 v ' ew ie . c< ckless handling of hazatdff 6 wastes. They were firedlB ,som j . railroad for speedinganddil 3111 * ;,c l mini * ing while on call. With the qualt Burnett asked railroad'j* * r ‘ na nical supervisor Lonniew s . Natl Stearns about earlier testip'® ninatlon that one of the men wastj railroad officials not to be upset about the latest firin cause he could be rehired, “Will any of these people] re-employed?” Burnett astei “I have no idea at this pe whether they will be t| employed or not,” Stearnsi sponded. “I have enough coil dence in my management they will make the right del As a resul nee 1950, h Job records showed Robe; son and Reeves were related other ICC employees and Its had been rehired on a “lenie basis.” ‘Woody’ goes to Smithsonian United Press International WASHINGTON — If the Gallup Poll were to conduct a survey to determine the five most popular movie cartoon characters in cinema history, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Bugs Bunny, Popeye and Woody Woodpecker surely would be high up on the list. However, only one — Woody Woodpecker — has been hon ored with an exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution. That distinction was re corded Tuesday when 17 Woody Woodpecker artifacts went on display in the Smithso nian’s Museum of American History. They are now part of the popular-entertainment collec tion along with the ruby slippers Judy Garland wore in “The Wizard of Oz” and the jailhouse door from the set of the “Barney Miller” television series. The Woody Woodpecker ob jects were donated to the museum by Walter Lantz, 82, pioneer animated film producer who created the first W.W. car toon in 1940. As Lantz tells it, he got the idea on his honeymoon. A real woodpecker kept waking up the newlyweds early in the mornit by rappingon their cottage rod he said. The bride, actress Grace Sol ford, became the voice Woody. Her specialty, whichsli has done countless times ink 30 years of dubbing, is ii> famous woodpecker laugh In all, Lantz producedaW 400 Woody Woodpecker d toons, a feat described by~ las Evelyn, the museum’s^ director, as “a truly profouJ accomplishment.” In accepting “a giftofgrtf significance,” Evelyn did noli dicate why the Smithsonian ho: ored an animated woodpeck rather than, say, a mouse, a did or a rabbit. It could be that Walt Disne' creations are legally restricted^ amusement park promotion Woody Woodpecker has neve been associated with a ventuK of that sort, although hewastk subject of a 1947 hit song. For Walter Lantz, the Si# sonian ceremony was thehij light of 55 years of work forll* same studio. “I’ve won all sorts of aw he said, “but never an this.”