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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 5, 1983)
Page 14/The Battalion/Monday, September 5,1983 5£3^'Ct)'^i5i9 Rainmakers at work in Texas despite experts’ harsh criticism United Press International In drought-scorched fields across the High Plains and Mid western prairie, men aim machines at the barren sky and promise rain. They call themselves weather modification specialists. Far mers call them rain-makers. They come with the droughts. “In west Texas, they came in droves when the bad, hot weath er hit,” said Bill Braden, agricul ture spokesman with Texas A&M University. Experts say the century-old art of weather modification thrives across the region. In south central Oklahoma, farmers and ranchers help dis tribute small electric generators that spew particles into the atmosphere in hopes of induc ing high-domed thunderheads” to produce rain. In the Diablo Plateau of west Texas, water officials lobby state officials to accelerate the licens ing process for cloudseeding projects. The hitch in rain-making, some experts say, is that there is Need A Car??? Call Car Finders New or Used! Any Make, Any Model! Let us find you that Special Car Best Prices for Aggies! 822-2425 24 Hour Beeper Phone 361-8425 no proof it works. “I hate to dispel all the hopes because of all the believers,” said Wayne Decker, atmospheric sci ence professor at the University of Missouri. “But there have never been demonstrated any positive results from such things as cloud seeding. “I mean never, never.” Decker said the university conducted experiments in cloud-seeding for four years in southern Missouri. “Sometimes it rained. Some times it didn’t. We could never demonstrate that we caused the rain.” “We tried a lot of weather modification. All we ever got was hail and storms, hardly any rain,” said Tom Cook, 46, a dry land wheat farmer from Levant, Kan. Because of the hail and storm threat, the Texas Farm Bureau network was forced to issue guidelines on when and where modification techniques should be used. Weather modification began as a science during the Civil War when observers noted it rained after heavy artillery barrages. Initially they thought the sound of thunder induced rain. Ex- Shop Post Oak Mall For Post Oak Mall Auction-Sept. 20 kinko's copies CLASS READERS “MAN WHO WASN’T THERE" 10:00 "FRIDAY 13lh" 7:40 BOTH IN 30 perimenters, including C.W. Post, the cereal maker, set off dynamite from hot-air balloons or mountaintops. After World War II, silver iodide particles were injected into super-cooled cloud forma tions created in laboratories and rain resulted. The region’s most successful weather modification project us ing silver iodide is underway in west Texas on 3,700 square miles of farmland from Abilene to Odessa. “We’ve been involved for 13 years and we wouldn’t be spend ing the money and time if we didn’t think it worked,” said Owen I vie, director of the Up per Colorado River Authority. “Our reason for getting in volved was to increase rainfall and runoff into the lakes.” The UCRA owns two small planes that seed clouds selected by an agency meteorologist tracking wind movement and conditions. When the planes find promising updrafts, they release the miniscule particles — 3,000 amount to a pin-point. It costs the agency $80,000 annually to maintain the prog ram, but Ivie said critics are scarce. “We have some who complain that we make it rain too much, and others who complain on re ligious grounds. They say if God wanted it to rain, it would rain.” Bob Riggio, licensing agent with the Texas Water Resources Department, said it is against the law to practice rain-making in Texas without a license. But the flim-flam artists still exist. “In the latest scam somebody approached the Dallas area and asked farmers to put $10,000 or $20,000 in escrow in a bank,” he said. “They said if it rains in the next month or so, they get to collect the money. If it doesn’t rain, the money stays. The rain makers have nothing to lose.” Riggio said applications for weather modification programs are on the upswing. Mideast conflict continues in Syria “We just got a call from the Red Bluff water district (near El Paso) to start up a program, us ing a California contractor. The water district used seeding in the late ‘70s, then discontinued it,” Riggio said. “Now the district wants us to speed up the permitting process so the program can be started quickly.” Jim Kinder, a farmer from Cookietown, Okla., near the Texas border, heads a group that has been investing in ground-based particle gener ators since 1972. “Everybody was taking our efforts for granted until 1981 when we stopped the program and we had our first below aver age crop in years,” he said. “With the program we’ve had three bumper crops and five av erage ones. “We have some 25 to 30 generators in Texas and Okla homa. We think it works,he said.” Now you know United Press International The traditional greeting of Jews, sholem aleichem, which means “And unto you, peace” also is used by Muslims, except it begins with an s instead of an sh and uses a k instead of a ch, thus: salaam aleikum. >:> Professors, make your class readings available to your stu dents at a discount rate and no cost to you. $r “NATIONAL LAMPOON VACATION'’ (R) ■7:30-9:40 “HERCULES” (PG) CINEMA III Post O.ik M.ill SCHULMAN THEATRES MON-FMLYNITESCH.6 TUE-WSLY NITEMQII United Press International Israeli forces pulled out of Lebanon’s Shouf Mountains Sunday, fighting off a Syrian tank advance with an air strike and leaving behind a region engulfed in sectarian warfare. A U.S. Marine was slightly wounded in the new clashes. Artillery battles between Christian and Druze Moslem factions raged across the re gion and spilled again into the capital, slamming into the suburbs and Lebanese army targets near the U.S. Marines who surround Beirut airport. Barrages of shells and rockets sprayed across the Christian half of the city and one stray rocket fell in west Beirut. Radio reports listed two people dead. Among the casualties was a Marine who was lightly wounded by shrap nel in the arm. He requested his name not be released. An Italian peacekeeper suffered light wounds in the arm and leg. The battle for the Shouf overshadowed a car-bomb attack in the south of Beirut, the stronghold of the Shiite Moslems who rebelled against the government of President Amin Gemayel last week. State-run Beirut radio re- E orted nine charred and torn odies, including that of a child, and another 14 wounded. Syria, which immediately began to advance in one area vacated by the Israelis, said the Israeli withdrawal to the long-term positions south of the dangerous Shouf meant “Lebanon becomes parti tioned.” • U.S. Middle East envoy Richard Fairbanks met Presi dent Amin Gemayel at the presidential palace. In Washington, senior Middle East envoy Robert McFarlane met at the White House with President Reagan and con gressional leaders. Asked if the Israeli pullout would spoil U.S.-led peace efforts, Reagan said, “No, Israel had already delayed (the pullback) twice at our re quest.” Lebanese army plans to fill the void left by Israel appeared to collapse in the face of the abrupt pullback and the bitter fighting be tween the Christian Lebanese militiamen and their Druze enemies, backed by Syrian troops. Some of the heaviest fight ing erupted around the town of Bhamdoun, 12 miles east of Beirut, where Syrian troops were apparently intent on re taking positions lost to Israeli troops during the invasion 15 months ago. “Two Israeli air force planes flying missions to cover the movement of the Israeli Defense Forces conducted three strafing dives against four tanks that crossed over from Syrian-held territory in the Bhamdoun area,” the Israeli military command said in Tel Aviv. Christian Phalange radio said its Lebanese Forces also destroyed two Soviet-made T- 55 tanks in the Syrian advance on the town — a Christian en clave surrounded by Druze villages. Israeli forces, moving under air cover, roared from the mountains in mile-long convoys of tanks, armored personnel carriers and troop trucks. The nighttime evacua tion took only a matter of hours. The only serious threat came when the forces were fired at with light weapons near the Christian village of Deir El Kamar, but “Isi tanks fired several shells the source of the fire was lenced,” an Israeli spokesm; said. The chaos in the wakei the withdrawal plunged Lebanese government deepf into crisis. It had vowed to deploytli army in the vacant Isi positions to head off t Christian-Druze fighting, the Druze, accusing the: of backing the Christian warned it would fight army attempt to enter mountains. The only Lebanese art base in the Shouf came und attack by Sunday morniii| with the army reporting “gin men” had killed one soldi iving a coach’s ass and wounded six at theirpos The player in th tions in Kfar Malta. jonRivera. The co; Heavy fighting ragedalo:|eart-stopping end- the coastal highway soutln awkins — a tackh Beirut after the last Isra fety and a 19-17 ' convoys had passed, withlk This was a wild < Lebanese army trying to da lint- It shouldn’t t the Druze gunmen who it inch the outcome, mediately took up positions ad to see it to beli The Israelis official First, some back announced their long-awai« ndy Pratt kicks a 2: pullback in the middle oftl !jd. Simple enoug hours after '“ D r, ~ n — [WAS, AS Joe K; night, nours atter tt| But wait. Call roi Lebanese government hirst and goal at tht protested the redeploynw ear offense. Kap] was under way without pros Respect,” he says 1; ised coordination with i gain before the er army. Syria, seeking Lebanon’s withdrawal agn u ment with Israel, has bach the revolt against Gemayel both the Druze and Shi ettingseven, Ka mlations. Damascus h POP refused to withdraw its 40,111 troops from Lebanon. Wait again. Cal fi Uvera makes his p to bb acktoTexas,” Kap ‘ ’s Rivera. A colorful buncf By taking away I back in the Cal c BUT KAPP WA Dmes to saving tail ra’s Revenge f; lilbert who fumble Israel has refused tostagtJj vei complete withdrawal of estimated 30,000 troops m oorexchange that less Syria and the Palestiniai ^ was rea d y t0 f do the same. kinko's copies 1500 Harvy »o«d 764-06161 201 COLLEGE MAIN 846-8721 ‘STAVmG ALIVE” (PG) SCHULMAN 6 775-2463 775-2468 2002 E. 29th Computer newspaper for laymen “STRANGE BREW” (PGI % M ' -7:45-9.45 i# K “RISKY BUSINESS” <R» STARSHIP When You Care Enough Keep up with important dates with a School Calendar Peanuts, Garfield, and Heathclif calendars available. We have all of your Back-to-School needs! Pens, Posters, stationery and more! Culpepper Plaza 693-3002 7:15 9:45 MR. MOM 7:20 9:50 EASY MONEY 7:25 9:40 WAVELENGTH 7:25 9:40 WAR GAMES 7:10 9:35 FLASH DANCE MANOR EAST III 822-8300 MANOR EAST MALL 7:20 9:55 RETURN OF THE JEDI 7:25 9:45 THE MAN FROM SNOWY RIVER 7:25 9:40 METALSTORM United Press International AUSTIN — The First Com puter Chronicle, a twice- monthly newspaper aimed at educating the layman about high technology, is attempting to convince technical neophytes that computers are money makers as well as money-savers. Bill McCown, a management consultant, and partner Doug Powell, whose background is in direct mailing, began the publi cation in June and describe its progress as “phenomenal.” The Chronicle, distributed free of charge, features articles and columns by a variety of com puter specialists. It is aimed at businesses with $25 million or less in annual sales that either already have computer systems or are interested in getting them. “One of the major things peo- E le miss with computers c isn’t tow to do their accounting func tions and the financial sides of their businesses, but what I call the power of customer contact — who their customers are, the type of things they buy, when they buy them,” said Powell, 33, the paper’s advertising man- ager. “The main reason people should be interested in compu ters is because they can make you money and not just count your money.” The Austin area is a prime spot for a publication like the Chronicle because of the city’s growing computer industry. The new, multi-million-dollar Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corp., a research pool backed by a consortium of major U.S. firms — will be oper ating in Austin late next year. McCown, the Chronicle’s edi tor and publisher, said too many computer publications are filled with “computerese” that might tend to confuse the layman. The Chronicle’s articles are geared away from the more technical aspects of computers. “It has always been my feel ing that it is not necessary to understand what makes pistons go up and down in order to know how to drive a car,” said McCown, 45. “The purpose of the paper is to present information about computers and formats so that people can hopefully figure out what questions they need to ask so that when they go in to talk to a computer salesman they won’t be at his mercy.” He said 60 percent of the paper’s 15,000 subscribers, who receive the publication through The 6-3,215-pot 120 passes for 16 7-0 lead. Then things fell bird quarter, pick! he last play of the Itwent like this.' ante. Gilbe [uaner started, th( “It wasn’t a dele direct mail, already haveco puter systems and want toll more about them. The remi ing clients are interested infii lownfall. I had rec< ing out how computers mil /here I was aimin help their businesses. Advertisers are “really body that wants to reach sion-makers and people in to upper-middle income ranj 3st it. Look at the McCown says. Powell and McCown pul $40,000 to begin the newspaf equired ten yard in June with a 12- tion. The Chronicle’s next is ater, first will be an expanded 20 paj and the co-owners say they pect the publication to coni ituard spent muc to grow. “On June 15, we rental facility and moved, just dedil based it down) at to do it and jumped right si in the middle of it,” McCo said. “The success has been nomenal. SKYWAY TWIN 822-3300 2000 E. 29th White House orders NASA to tone down Glenn image Manor East Shopping Center 822-2092 YOU LONGESTYARD United Press International NEW YORK — In a bit of space politics, the White House ordered NASA not to portray Democratic presidential candi date John Glenn as a “super hero” during the space agency’s 25th anniversary. THE UNDERGROUND In its current edition News week said the White House also was unhappy with NASA Admi nistrator James Begg, claiming he had a “lack of political sensi tivity.” prominently in several of NASA’s commemorative publi cations — but not too prominen tly, Newsweek said. 7 (SBISA DINING CENTER BASEMENT) NOW OPEN As the first American to orbit Earth, Glenn is mentioned The magazine quoted an un identified Reagan aide as saying, “We’ve told (NASA) to give the guy his due but not to make him a superhero.” Glenn, a Democratic candi date for president and U.S. senator from Ohio, also is in terested in not allowing his i® age as an astronaut to oversb dow his political credentials, magazine said. As for Begg, an unidentif* senior Reagan administra! official told Newsweek sail White House was angered photographs of California tical activists Jane Fonda Tom Hayden at the launchii of the space shuttle Challen] last June. Kapp straighten' be a man," Gilb BUT AS MUCH • The only schc earn messed up its ilartedthe game at ♦The Aggies we ngone that could lefense. His first iwn, however. Tht jes need a Tw • A fourth quat irst and ten at the jain one yard in i missed a 4- IN THE AGGI [ood things agains )all successfully in line seniors, onej dan team did its jo iiasm its membei Aggies from aban Most important :omeback is a coir ,app said he was And glad Ron R , 60 min UNDERGROUND DELI UNDERGROUND SNACKS AND STORE AND GAMES ★ DOUGHNUTS—SWEET ROLLS ★ HAMBURGERS—FRENCH FRIES ★ EGGS—BACON ★ ICE CREAM—CONES—CUPS ★ BISCUITS—SAUSAGE ★ SANDWICHES—SNACKS ★ SANDWICHES—SOUPS ★ NACHOS—TACOS ★ SALADS—SALADS—SALADS ★ COOKIES—CANDIES ★ HOT LINKS—BARBECUE ★ BURRITOS—ENCHILADAS ★ PACKAGED AND CANNED SNACKS ★ VARIETY MEATS—CHEESE ★ PERSONAL ITEMS—ASPIRIN ★ POOL TABLES—GAMES BREAKFAST—7:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. 11:00 a.m.-11:00 p.m. MON.-FRI. LUNCH—10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. 4:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m. SUNDAY MON.-FRI. TAKE OUT FOODS QUALITY FIRST” NOW PRESENTS ALL YOU CAN EAT FARM RAISED CATFISH OR CHICKEN FRIED STEAK only g 5 95 2025 TEXAS AVE. 77S-7 6 * 2 IMS United Press Inte The Texas A&M attract more m eir football opei tniture sale att And the Califo :ars have demon of behy me strange finisl Word band can So some oddbal med likely at K turday. Sure en right out of me showed up o hint the Aggies, cswill use the sto i’s 19-17 victory ildren for years Actually, thing mt as expected g weekend of iuthwest Conferc It was gener; ings would get o puston and they (mston Cougars gthe Rice Owls, jue game o mrsday. And few peoj