\
Biiliar with
rag, they
ig in place,
starting a
ccupiesthe
ychological
om the el-
.wind,
i down, this
our vehicle
he uphols-
keep you
tip form a
ish contact,
irching for
ts visible at
paint an X
ss signal-
spare tire
il fire,
t water, he
kit on any
iu have no
ty.
i being sid
f dehydra-
y
5
t the GOP
youth as-
tzbusters,"
inters,” in
con men,
he federal
d Manhat-
ce.
imnist has
Reagan no
rnation of
President
the site of
:ion “The
oor Walter
t Mondale,
man of ae
ry modern
:e summer
by almost
nd college,
lishly short
shirts and
rly studied
y jocks and
vie for the
mpaign to
“Revenge
this world,
seek their
nphs, as it
it is based
uth of this
nerds than
Friday, August 31, 1984/The Battalion/Page 7B
Therapist: laughter best
United Press International
SEATTLE — Robin Faye-McNair
has several prescriptions for her psy
chiatric patients at University Hospi
tal — drawing cartoons, watching
soap operas and wearing Halloween
masks.
The occupational therapist firmly
believes in the old saying that laugh
ter is the best medicine, especially
when it comes to healing emotional
wounds.
“1 think humor helps because you
can look at different areas of your
life without making it so serious,”
Faye-McNair said. “It allows people
to relax a little bit and open up.”
Faye-McNair, who is an amateur
cartoonist, encourages her patients
to express their feelings by drawing
cartoons, which she says makes it
easier for them to discuss and cope
with their problems.
“Sometimes it’s kind of hard to ex
press emotions and things that peo
ple keep hidden,” she said, adding
that patients who can sketch their
feelings in cartoon form “don’t feel
as threatened.”
For patients who have difficulties
with interpersonal relationships,
Faye-McNair turns to episodes of
the daytime soap opera “One Life to
Live.” After patients watch a show,
they discuss the characters and how
they manipulate one another.
“Soap operas are ... so extreme it
borders on humor,” Faye-McNair
said. “They help patients see they’re
acting out a role. It allows them to
see options or other ways of behav
ior.”
She also has a collection of Hal
loween-type masks, with expressions
ranging from sad to angry to happy,
and encourages patients to wear a
face that depicts their mood that
day.
Patients who benefit from her
special brand of therapy are suffer
ing from a range of mental prob
lems, including anorexia, depression
or low self-esteem. Because each pa
tient has specific needs v Faye-Mc
Nair says approaching problems
from the bright side doesn’t always
work — at least not right away.
“I sort of see myself as planting
some seeds,” she said. “If it’s done in
a way that gives people the opportu
nity (to be humorous), but doesn’t
force them, they may take up on it
later."
One patient who blossomed un
der Faye-McNair’s approach was
DeeDee Murry, 23, who entered the
program in October 1983 suffering
from anorexia nervosa.
“When I first came I wasn’t very
receptive,” Murry said. “I had a lot
of trouble in showing emotions. The
humor group was very good for
me.”
After 14 weeks of treatment,
Murry left the hospital early this
year and now returns once a week as
an outpatient. But she believes she is
well along the road to recovery, and
attributes much of her progress to
the humorous approach.
Looking at things with a smile
comes naturally to Ms. Faye-McNair.
“Humor has always been a big
coping mechanism in my family,”
she said.
Not everyone uses humor prop
erly, she noted, recalling a patient
who had such a sarcastic attitude
that her humor was lost on everyone
else around her.
Through therapy, however, the
patient started using the humorous
approach Faye-McNair said.
By sharing her coping skills with
others, Faye-McNair believes she is
helping people “to use their humor
ana to see when it’s getting in the
way.”
Fire-stricken Montana gets
help; weather, winds ease
United Press International
HELENA, Montana — Cooler
temperatures and lighter winds gave
an army of more than 5,000 fire-
fghters a chance Wednesday to con
tain some of the blazes that have al
ready blackened 150,000 of acres
timber and grassland across much of
Montana.
Of the thousands of professional
and volunteer firefighters battling
the blazes, only one serious injury
has been reported to date — a fire
fighter seriously burned three days
ago and sent to a hospital in Salt
Lake City.
While ground crews had two ma
jor range fires in the southeast cor
ner of the state nearly encirled, air
planes and helicopters loaded with
retardant were being used to hold
the line on some of the 16 other ma
jor fires burning in virtually every
other part of the tinder-dry state
since the weekend.
Great clouds of smoke continued
to pour from the 22,140-acre North
Hill Fire north of Helena, but none
of the homes on the northern fringe
of the state capital evacuated earlier
in the week were immediately
threatened.
“Their south line is holding well,”
said Paula Walker of the governor’s
office, “but they do have planes
standing by to drop water and retar
dant if they think the fire will
threaten homes.”
Homeowners near Roundup in
the central part of the state were not
so lucky escaping the wrath of the
state’s biggest blaze — the 75,000-
acre Hawk Creek Fire north of Bil
lings.
“Our damage assessment people
are out taking a look at things,” said
Margaret Spiker of the Red Cross.
“It may be 70 homes in all. Not all of
them have been destroyed, but i
good majority of them have.
Among those to lose their homes
in the heavily damaged Bull Moun
tain area about 30 miles north of Bil
lings were Jo and Curtis Ellis.
“At our place, the wind was so
high and the heat of the fire was so
intense that it made a storm ahead of
it and combusted the trees across the
highway,” said Mrs. Ellis. “That was
what was so horrible.”
Some homeowners had to con
tend with looters before the embers
had even cooled. Mark Clark said he
confronted four uninvited visitors to
his property during the night.
“I hid next to the truck and they
turned off the lights as they got in
the yard,” Clark said. “They got out
of the outfit: and started for the
house. When I yelled at them, they
backed off and said they were just
checking to see if eveyrone was safe.
I know they had pillaging on their
minds.”
The massive Hawk Creek Fire was
still moving Wednesday, but fire of
ficials said the pace had been slowed
greatly and no additional homes
were in immediate danger.
“Up until now, they’ve been using
retardant just to protect homes and
barns,” said John Gibson of the In
teragency Fire Center. “Now, the
winds have subsided some — not a
great deal — but they’ll start using it
(retardant) on the fires,” Gibson
said.
The aircraft helped bolster the ef
forts of a multi-agency firefighting
crew combined of local volunteers
and experienced fire crews from
California, Arizona, New Mexico,
Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, Ore
gon, Washington and Alaska.
“They’re moving in so fast now
that I don’t think anybody knows for
sure exactly how many (firefighters)
there are,” Gibson said.
Though warmer temperatures
and higher winds were forecast
again for later in the week, fire offi
cials were looking Wednesday to
contain the 11,250-acre Pine Hills
Fire in the southeast corner of the
state, as well as the 2,500-acre Wheat
Well located just to the south.
Still giving firefighters trouble
450 miles to the northwest was the
Houghton Creek Fire between Libby
and Kalispell, although an earlier es
timate of it having blackened 20,000
acres was downgraded Wednesday
to 10,900 acres.
Nearly 300 people living south of
Libby were evacuated because of the
fire, which destroyed two homes and
closed a portion of U.S. highway 2.
Another big fire was the 12,800-
acre Mount Centennial Fire near the
Rocky Boys Indian Reservation in
north central Montana, while the
Napi Peak Fire had blackened about
3,500 acres near the Blackfeet In
dian Reservation.
National disasater declarations is
sued earlier in the week made fed
eral funds available to fight the
Hawk Creek, North Hill and
Houghton Creek fires.
SIG EP
Tues. Aug. 28
Thurs. Aug. 30
Fri. Aug. 31
Sun. Sept. 2
Tues. Sept. 4
Thurs. Sept. 6
KaMikazi Party
\ \ A
Luau '84
An I
& Queso-2:00
b Happy Hour
ilson - Live
Beach Club
ce...
Explore your poteMtial in becoming a
mepiber of Texas A&,M's finest,
846-9927
693-8303
DANCE CLASSES
Parkway Medical Clinic
are starting soon at
2604A South Texas Avenue
Graham Central Station
693-0202 or 693-0204
★C&W (beginner advanced)
Women's Medical Services
★Jitterbug
★Breakdancing
IUD—Birth Control Pills—Infections—Physicals
Cancer Smears—Pregnancy Testing—Menstrual Disorders
John Benson & Linda Barron
ALL SERVICES CONFIDENTIAL
693-0461 846-4375
20% Student Discount
Call for Info.
Boafd-Certified OB/GYN Doctor on Staff
MSC OPAS
MEMBERSHIP
open to all FRESHMEN and TRANSFER students
Applications available in 216 MSC
Applications due Tuesday, Sept. 4 5 p.m.
Interviews Wednesday, Sept. 5
For more information call MSC Programs
Office 845-1515
Kappa Sigma Fraternity
Sat. Sept. 1 8 p.m.
Treehouse Village Pavillion
For more info, call: 764-2000
260-1152
822-0548
Texana National
Bank
ANNOUNCES
THE
“MAROON & WHITE”
ACCOUNT
designed for Aggies
- 5.50 monthly service charge
- no minimum balance
- unlimited checking
- PULSE automatic teller available
Texana NationalBan k
OF COLLEGE STATION
701 Harvey Road (Hwy. 30) • College Station • 696-5483
MEMBER F.D.I.C.