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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (June 28, 1985)
DU the van grubby i the sale of /hat I w y tape d s get w east in »pay- ; deck than i; the ithout suck >any wou revenue. 1 is “there’ s ,” Someone should ev enced whai : else’s nalism 0 Editor frr s Editors Editor r [or »rine Hurt Anderson dter Smith !t Leopold Cassavoy, ,i« nempaptt £ A&M mi . those of tht vcessarilr no- rotors, /acultr /, f'ridif thir <r holidtiv jni f l6.ro per tt- full year. .tU .j McDonili . .Station, TX {4j-2630. Ad- TX77M 0 The Battil- Texas 778t5 Friday, June 28, 1985yThe Battalion/Page 3 LOCAL J, ~T ' II I11 i l l 111IM WI WHIH ■lil/iiilH MMaaaHMMaMMMiltaMriiMMMI A&M students train aboard ship Associated Press ABOARD THE TEXAS CLIP PER — It was well past midnight as the training ship Texas Clipper churned southward across the Cult of Mexico. The moon seemed to scuttle along the horizon to the west, alternately dodging behind low clouds, then reappearing to illumi nate a silvery path across the sea. On the darkened bridge of the ship, sophomore Arne Christiansen stood watch in the tedious hours. It’s hard to explain, but 1 love it — the quiet, the sea itself,” he said. It matters not to Christiansen that he is training for a little-understood pbin a seriously declining industry at a school the state had proposed to kill. The lure of the sea never has been evidenced more strongly than in the 200 merchant students at Texas Judge orders bridge to be torn down Associated Press WACO — A state district court jury has ordered a $100,000 bridge over the Brazos River torn down, de spite the claim of a sand and gravel company owner that he needs the bridge to stay in business. The jury Wednesday also ordered bridge owner John Trice to pay the state $88,000 in damages for ob structing a navigation route and trespassing on state property. Trice, owner of J&J Sand and Gravel, built the bridge four months ago. In testimony during the six-day trial, Trice said that he built the bridge to shorten the distance from his company on the river’s south side to markets on the river’s north side. The bridge is located on the Bra zos River between the Patrick Com munity and Gholson. Trice said his business would fail without the bridge, which shortens the route from Waco to Dallas by 35 miles. In his final summations to the jury, Assistant Attorney General John Richard Carter said the Brazos River has been reserved for the pub lic since the first Spanish land grants were issued. The bridge is the river’s only man made obstruction between the Lake Whitney dam and Waco, he said. The jury deliberated more than six hours oefore reaching the ver dict. Carter said after the ruling Wednesday that the decision pre served the public’s right in its waters. In his defense, Trice said he re ceived permission from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to alter the river bed and received approval of the bridge’s design before build ing it in March. A&M University at Galveston, most of whom are now aboard the Texas Clipper for its annual summer cruise. “I just always knew this is what 1 wanted to do,” said Kristyn Mangold of Richardson as she and other ca dets took their turn on maintenance duty. While most of her friends from Dallas work toward business degrees at other universities around the state, Mangold works toward a de gree in marine biology and a third mate’s license. Like Christiansen and the other merchant marine cadets aboard the Clipper, Mangold is not deterred by poor job prospects or recent legis lative attempts to close her school. Job worries are old hat by now. The number of cargo ships sailing under the U.S. Hag has dropped from 580 to 492 since 1 980. The decline of the U.S. merchant fleet poses a threat the the nation’s independence, the students say. More than 94 percent of all U.S. ex ports and imports are now carried by foreign vessels, according to the U.S. Maritime Administration. “And the really sad part is that there is no awareness of this prob lem,” said senior Stu Lilly of Dallas. In spite of the grim industry con ditions, most students are confident they can find work, however — if not on a ship, then as ballast control officers on semi-submersible off shore drilling rigs. “I always hear how bad it is, but all my friends have found jabs. You just have to get out and look for them,” said senior James Hazzard. insult was added to in jury in March when the Texas House Ap propriations Committee voted fo close A&M-Galveston and sell the campus as a budget-cutting move. “I had no warning whatsoever,” A&M- Galveston President William Clayton said. The action later was rescinded, but not before a kick in the shins from “Texas Monthly” magazine, which suggested that the university’s bayside campus be “sold to Holiday Inn.” As much as possible, however, those problems have been left ashore while the Clipper makes its 2V2-month voyage to the Mediterra nean. Ports of call will include St. Georges, Bermuda; Las Palmas in the Canary Islands; NAPLES, Italy; Cadiz, Spain; and Ponta Delgada in the Azores Islands. The Ship will re turn to Galveston Aug. 4. Wiatt: Careless attitude invites property thefts Return of Holley's comet Prof offers viewing tips By DONNA DAVIS Reporter Dr. Roger A. Smith, of the Texas A&M physics department, calls most comets “dirty snowballs,” but Hal ley’s Comet is special, he says. The reason Halley’s is so special is because it returns about every 75 years. Unlike other comets, Halley’s has a short orbit that usually brings it hack into the earth’s orbit within a lifetime. The comet last crossed the earth’s orbit in 1910. Smith said if it weren’t for the gravitational pull of Jupiter and Sa turn, Halley would return in a con sistent amount of time. But, since the pull does slightly alter Halley’s orbit, the period sometimes changes. Smith said the comet consists of two parts: the head, made of ice and dust, evaporates in orbit, leaving a trail of gas and particles behind called the tail. The tail is the shooting effect illus- rated in pictures of comets, and of ten is confused with shooting stars, he said. Smith said when Halley’s is ob served it will seem to be motionless, even though il is constantly moving. Comets are brightest when closest to the sun, Smith said. But, this time, since the earth will be further away from the sun in its orbit, Halley’s comet will be harder to sight, he said Smith also said to beware of mer chants trying to sell cheap telescopes to view the comet. Only a good set of binoculars will give the visual advan tage needed to see the comet, he said. Before mid-April of next year, Halley’s will be easiest to spot in the early-morning southern sky and at sunset after the middle of April. Smith suggested that Halley’s could be more easily observed from a point south of College Station, away from the haze of the city lights. The physics teaching observatory, near Easterwood Airport, will be open so interested viewers can have a better place to watch the comet. Smith said. Smith, also the adviser for the As sociation of Amateur Astronomers, said some of the group members will be present to assist observers with the telescopes. Smith said the club probably will start looking for Hal ley’s Comet sometime in January. By BRIAN PEARSON Staff Writer Irresponsible backpack and bicy cle owners at Texas A&M are practi cally begging thieves to steal their property, a University Police De partment representative said. Although the percentage increase of backpack and bicycle thefts from last year to this year is unavailable, the numbers have greatly increased, said Bob Wiatt, director of the de partment. From September 1984 to May 1985, 256 bicyles at an estimated va lue of $44,531 were reported stolen, he said. Wiatt said the careless attitude of people on campus has caused thieves to go on a stealing rampage. “People think nothing is going to happen if they leave their backpack unattended or their bicycle unsecu red,” Wiatt said. “Then they’re to tally shocked when they come back and find that somebody ripped ’em off.” Wiatt said some students have been taking action to find bicycle and backpack thieves. One student who had his back pack stolen came back the next day with a friend and put a decoy back pack in the same spot, Wiatt said. A “student” came by and took several books out of the backpack and walked off. The two students watch ing caught the student and brought him to the University Police. “This student, as it turns out, we had talked to the week before be cause he was involved in the forging of several thousand dollars worth of checks by using identification that had been reported stolen from back packs in the past which he claimed he had merely ‘found’ in restrooms,” Wiatt said. The student was taken to Brazos County Jail Thursday, he said. Wiatt said the student admits to the forgery but denies stealing any thing. “You take a handful of people like that who don’t mind stealing one or two backpacks a day, and they can create havoc,” he said. University Police tire using several techniques to combat the problem of the thefts, Wiatt said. He said the department is having plain-clothes policemen ride around campus on bicycles and look for peo ple stealing things. He said suspi cious-looking vehicles carrying seve ral bicycles are stopped and investigated. Wiatt said the majority of thefts of bicycles occur during the day. He said people just walk up unnoticed and steal unsecured bicycles off of the racks. He said no one in the area thinks the bicycle is being stolen. “We are urging the people to use common sense and put a good chain and lock on their bicycle,” Wiatt said. “The main thing is the careless at titude on the part of the owners of these pieces of property,” he said. “Be aware that this is not ‘Alice in Wonderland,’ this is the real world.” B-CS children to compete in finale of Summer Playground Program By PATRICIA CAMPBELL Reporter Bryan and College Station chil dren will be competing in a field day today for the grand finale of the first Summer Playground Program of fered by the Bryan Recreation and Parks division. The activities, starting at 8:30 a.m. at Tanglewood Park on Carter Creek in Bryan, include sports com petitions such as tug-of-war, and nonathletic games. Ribbons will be awarded to every child and each of the three schools participating will receive a trophy for first, second or third place, according to the total number of points each has accumu lated during the games. “We try to keep a balance between athletic and nonathletic activities,” iutura Robertson, director of the program, said. “One of the funniest games we play is the lifesaver pie game when the kids have to find a lifesaver in a whipped- cream pie without using their hands. We al ways have tons of fun.” The Summer Playground Pro gram is offered to all children be tween the ages of 6 and 12. The chil dren are separated into three groups which meet at three locations: Crockett Elementary School at 401 Elm Street, Fannin Elementary School at 501 Baker St. and Lamar Elementary School at 1901 Villa Maria Road. Each group meets at its respective school on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8:00 to 12:30 p.m. During the course of the session, three full-time staff members, in cluding one director and two assis tants for each school, will take the children on field trips to Pooh’s Park, Brazos Valley Museum, Bryan Police Station and T riangle Bowl. The children also will go swim ming once a week, learn about seve ral safety programs, do arts and crafts and watch educational films. Registration for the second ses sion will be held at all three play grounds on July 2 and 3 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The cost per child is $15. Registration for the session is on a first-come-first-served basis and will be limited to 60 children. This ses sion will run from July 8 to July 31, when the second and final field day will be held. Around town sponsors used ^jrrk^ure$iii0 Mothers Against Drunk Driving is holding a used furniture sale Saturday beginning at 8 a.m. at 1812 W'ebh in College Station. Over 800 pekes of furniture, including dressers, couches and beds, will be (iillM Hill Games Galore, 1511 5. Texas Ave„ has been selected as one of 25 family arcades nationwide to be a site for CARETS Campaign for Af rica fund-raisei video contest. For more information on the ton test, contact Games Galore 693-7711 < Blood pressure checked free at Wendy’s Wendy’s restaurants in Bryan-College Station are hosting free All You Can Eat - Daily Specials 4,10 p.m. Sunday Pancakes $1.99 All You Can Eat Mon. Tues. Wed. Thurs. Fri. Saturday Spaghetti Shrimp bpecial Steak Dinner $1.99 $4.99 $4.99 All You Can Eat All You Can Eat Complete m S' INTERNATIONAL HOUSE of PANCAKES® RESTAURANT 103 N . College Skaggs Center of each month in the College Station Wendy’s, 202 Southwest Parkway and the fourth. Tuesday of each month at the Bryan Wendy’s , 3216 Texas Ave> The free checkups will be available frorn 8 to 11 a.m, j: :: , ^ r V) ' ’\\iH.N' wiv iA'.' ,' Going out of Business Sale 9 n. m. - 4 p.m. Saturday June 29 Free draft Beer, Discount prices on all beer, wine food items, glassware, tables, chairs everything must go 4410 College Main 846-1812 Summer 1 bdrm Fridoy Nights 5-10 p.m. All you can eat $6 95 Call Today! 693-3232 1901 W. Hollemann-off 2818 (behind Treehouse Village Aptmts.) Country Style Ribs Cole slaw, beans, cornbread $1°° Margaritas 5:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. Everyday ' 1727 Texas Ave/Culpepper Plaza College Station, Tx. 893-4054