Page 14/The Battalion/Monday, January 21, 1985
NEWS
i i M iilil l>
u
IN MAKELY
Howdy Mister Tree, Sir!
Practice went on as usual for the Fish Drill Team despite sub
freezing temperatures Sunday afternoon. Tod Pruning, a
freshman physics major, practices voice control by shouting
commands while standing next to a tree.
City expenditures on police
rise above education costs
Associated Press
rig
lice protection has surpassed educa
tional costs for the first time, and
municipalities are paying more of
their own expenses than they have in
more than a decade, the Census Bu
reau reports.
The nation’s cities spent $10.7 bil
lion on police protection in 1982, up
8.5 percent from the year before,
the bureau says.
Education spending slipped to
second place with a total of $9.8 bil
lion down 3.1 percent from the year
before.
As recently as 1960, police costs
ranked only fourth among city gen
eral expenses, trailing spending for
education, highways ana sewers and
sanitation. Police expenses remained
fourth in 1965 but climbed into sec
ond spot in 1970 and remained
there until the current report.
Nationwide, however, cities fi
nance only a relatively small percent
age of education programs, with
most school systems operated by
counties or independent districts,
says Vance Kane of the Census Bu
reau’s Governments Division.
ms!
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Computer mart opens in Dallas
Associated Press
DALLAS — Infomart, a $97 mil
lion attempt to market computers
from one trade mart the way cloth
ing and furniture marketers do,
opens the doors to its mammoth
white building today amid skepti
cism from some industry observers.
The 1.5 million square-foot-struc-
ture, located near downtown Dallas,
is the first of several planned high-
technology trade centers where pro
moters hope competitors will sell
their products and services.
“In its simplest form, it’s a meet
ing ground, so buyers can sell and
meet and understand each other,”
said Bill Winsor, Infomart’s presi
dent and general manager. “It’s sim
ilar in many aspects to furniture and
clothing sellers.”
The project — a structure of
white metal and reflective glass mod
eled after London’s Crystal Palace
and financed primarily by Dallas de
veloper Trammell Crow — is located
near Crow’s World Trade Center, a
trade mart that deals heavily in fur
niture and clothing.
Major tenants include Interna
tional Business Machines Gorp.,
Texas Instruments Inc., Eastman
Kodak, Xerox Corp., Burroughs
Corp., Durango Systems, Timber-
line Systems Inc., General Tele
phone Co. of the Southwest and UC-
CEL Corp.
Xerox and General Telephone
have leased 25,000 square feet, while
IBM will occupy 24,000 square feet,
Winsor said.
Some industry observers have
questioned whether Infomart will be
effective, considering the rising
number of computer stores and
other trade-related shows.
Observers point to Infomart’s
scaling back of projections through
its three-year construction as an ex
ample of the difficulty such projects
face.
At least 74 companies have signed
lease agreements, including three on
Friday, Winsor said, well short of the
300 developers originally predicted
or even the current projection of be
tween 255 to 275 companies.
But Winsor says some tenants
have leased more square feet than
anticipated, and he believes Info
mart can survive in the volitile com
puter retailing industry by attracting
potential computer buyers and then
channeling them into the specialized
stores after they make their product
choices.
The Infomart backers are so con
fident of success that plans are un
derway for a 1.3 million square foot
facility on Times Square in New
York, expected to open in 1988,
Winsor said.
“We also have plans to build an
other facility in Los Angeles and we
are building another in Paris,
France,” Winsor said.
Boscom, a rival trade mart, is un
der construction in Boston and de
velopers are studying the possibility
of similar centers in San Francisco,
Atlanta and other cities.
By the end of 1985, Infoi
should be 80 percent full, Win
said.
“We certainly wouldn't be i
pleased if it were 100 percent'
said.
1 he recent shakeout of cod
nies in the computer industryhasl
had an adverse affect on thel
marl project, Winsor said, poinitl
out that most of the affected cod
nies produced a limited number]
products.
“We’ve been calling on comparJ
that had a diversity of products,'
said.
So far, 42 trade shows, sympi
urns and exhibitions are booked]
Infomart for 1985, Winsor said.
“Our expectations on theorigi
bookings were 25 to 28," Wu
said. “We probably underscopeda
acceptance of the meeting emu
ment w e had created.”
Michigan takes partin cross-border deal
Canada trades moose for turkeys
Associated Press
TORONTO — In an unusual ex
pression of cross-border friendship,
Canada is sending some of its plenti
ful moose to Michigan’s moose-less
Upper Peninsula in an attempt to es
tablish a herd of the majestic ani
mals.
The moose-lift begins Tuesday in
Algonquin Park, a large wilderness
region about 200 miles north of To
ronto, where specialists from Michi
gan’s Department of Natural Re
sources hope to catch at least 15
adult moose to bring home.
The moose hunters plan to oper
ate from the air, circling in a heli
copter until they can shoot a suitable
moose with a tranquilizer gun.
“They’ll be darting the moose in
the bush,” explained Larry Powell,
assistant superintendent at Algon
quin Park.
The moose then must be bound
and blindfolded and hooked up in a
sling to be carried by another heli
copter to a staging area. There each
animal is to be crated and trucked
express to his or her new home, 500
miles to the west.
“We hope we can get the moose
out,” Powell said. “It might be as
simple as falling out of a tree.”
The method has been used in the
Western United States, but in open
country rather than dense forest.
Powell said the Canadian moose
hunt was scheduled for mid-winter
in hopes that the moose can be
flushed into the open — perhaps in
the middle of a frozen hike because
of the snow.
“If there wasn’t any snow, we’d
have a heck of a time getting the
sling under him,” Powell said.
The moose, largest of the deet
family, stands as high as 7 , /z feet at
the shoulder. Adult males weigh well
over 1,000 pounds and have antlers
that spread as wide as six feet. They
are very' strong sw immers.
The moose are not actually a gift,
but Canada’s part of a trade. Last
year 150 Michigan wild turkeys were
shipped to Ontario, where theyi
said to lx* thriving.
Michigan now has draft righis
30 Ontai io moose over the nextu
years, out of an Algonquin Pi|
herd (relieved to number sev
thousand.
If the moose hunt goes smootbl
it is possible that all 30 will be trait
planted in the next two weeks.
Michigan officials said it was
likely that 15 to 20 would be mou
by Feb. 1, with the rest captui
next winter.
opei
about $60,000, much of it for thel*
licopters.
Woman receives 1-cent hospital bill
Associated Press
ODESSA — After paying off most
of a $3,000 medical bill, Amalia
Gonzales said she was shocked when
she opened one more bill from Med
ical Center Hospital — for one
penny.
“I just thought it was pretty stu
pid, paying 20 cents to get 1 cent,”
she said.
Her husband, Louis Gonzales, de
cided to personally deliver the
penny.
“They gave me a receipt,” he said.
“If I owed it. I needed to pay it."
Joe Battaglia, the hospital’s busi
ness office director said that under
most circumstances, the bill would
not have been mailed. A 50-cent bill
is not worth collecting, he said, let
alone a 1-cent bill.
In most cases, debts under $5 are
not billed. But the Gonzales bi
into a special category, he said.
“If someone can only affords
pay $2 or $3 per month, they i
nave payments below the amoui
the computer normally would I
for,” Battaglia said.
McDonald's
DRIVE-THRU
WINDOW
MCDONALD’S
INTRAMURAL HIGHLIGHTS
At University Drive
Now at Texas and S.W. Parkway
At Manor East Mall
McDonaldsI
■ I
BREAKFAST EVERY
MORNING
IM GAMEPLAN
ENTRIES OPEN
TEAM BOWLING — Bowling, it’s not just a job; it’s an
adventure. Team Bowling entries open Monday, Jan.
21 and close Tuesday, Jan. 29. Teams consist of four
bowlers with only one TAMU bowler per team; CoRec
teams consist of two women and two men. All league
games and the firstround of playoffs must be paid for in
advance at the Intramural —Recreation Office, 159
East Kyle. The entry fee is $18.50. Team Bowling divi
sions include: Men’s, Women’s, Dorm and Indepen
dent and CoRec.
FOR RAIN OUT
INFORMATION CALL
845—2625.
COMING EVENTS:
Preseason Softball Tournament
Slow Pitch Softball
Slam Dunk
Free Throw
Wallyball
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
McDonald’s Intramural Highlights is sponsored each Monday in the Battalion by
your local McDonald’s® Restaurants at University Drive, Manor East Mall and on
Texas Avenue. Stories are written by members of the Intramural Staff, graphics are
by Joel Hickerson, and photos are by Tom McDonnell and Marcy Basile.
Team Bowling entries open Monday, Jan. 21. Space is lim
ited, so sign-up early!
LOCKER
RENTALS
Lockers will be avail
able for rent in all
locker rooms beginning
Monday, Jan. 21. The
cost for rental is $10 for
the semester and $20
annually.
*
WALLYBALL
Volleyball? In a racquetball court? Only at TAMU,
right?
Wrong. Wallyball is taking the country by storm,
and doing a good job of it.
The combination of volleyball and racquetball
works, despite the unusual mix. The result is a fast-
paced strategy game played by six people, three
people per team. Skills in both games help but defi
nitely are not required.
Wallyball is one of the newer events for the In
tramural Department. Players in last year’s tourna
ment had little or no experience and thoroughly en
joyed themselves. Try it. You might find you like the
game, too.
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Outdoor Soccer Games Are Underway This Week. Go Out and Support Your Favorite Team!