r.-v*'
Page 4/The Battalion/Tuesday, November 3,1987
4^
One Month
Unlimited tanning
$29 95
1003 Gniversity Dr. East
Limited Offer
One Month
Unlimited Aerobics
$25°°
846-1013
The School of Allied
Health Sciences
Presents
A HEALTH CAREERS
SYMPOSIUM
Thurs., Nov. 5. 5 : 15pm
Blocker Building, room 158
Learn about :
Health Info. Management
Health Related Studies
Medical Technology
Occupational Therapy
Physical Therapy
Physicjan's Assistant
^, v-
y HAS MOVED
YOUR^/f^ haircut place
sunshine
CUTS & CURLS
REOPENING
SPECIAL
li (TlatriX Penn
$29 00
Post Oak Square
1300 E. Harvey Rd.
Call 846-0084
Two More Reasons
to come to
L p<yy-aworksJ
1. Deep Dish
It's good enough
to make you fainG
2. Breadstyxz
A light snack or
great with the salad bar.
%
A&M actors show
misunderstandings
between cultures
By Staci Finch
Reviewer
When different cultures come
into contact for the first time, misun
derstandings inevitably arise. Such
was the case in “The Wind Dancers,”
the latest Aggie Players production,
which opened Friday in Rudder Fo
rum.
The play tells the story of Sir
Frances Drake’s encounter with the
Olamentko Indians of Calfornia in
the summer of
1579. As the
Review play opens, the
Indian widow
Kulupis (Emma
Charlotte Reading), is mourning the
death of her husband. The Indian
death rituals are explained by the
old Indian man, Petanyah (Casey
Malarcher). The Indians believe
their deceased go to the Island of the
Dead, which lies across the water. So
when Sir Frances Drake’s ship ar
rives, the Indians believe all aboard
are dead.
Misunderstanding follows misun
derstanding as the Indians try to
convince the “dead” to leave by giv
ing them gifts. Drake and his crew
believe the Indians are paying hom
age to them and claim themselves
rulers of the land.
Martell Stroup was convincing as
Drake. He portrayed a man who had
compassion for different cultures,
but who also could execute a mem
ber of his own crew. Stroup showed
these extremes of behavior in a be
lievable way, so the character didn’t
seem like two different people.
Reland Garrett, who played
Drake’s captured Cimaroon mis
tress, was not as believeable. Garrett
tried too hard to be cynical, and con
sequently, her character never
seemed to develop.
The romance between the two
characters also lacked depth. Al
though the characters may not have
liked each other, Drake showed no
evidence of the sexual attraction to
justify his capture of Maria in the
first place. Whenever the two actors
made physical contact, it was awk
ward and stilted, as if their charac
ters had just met, not as if they
shared the same bed.
But the romance between the
sailor Dennis Martyn (Billy Griffin)
and the Indian girl Peleet (Lanell
Pena) was delightful. Griffin was be
lievable as his sexual attraction to
Peleet evolved into love. Pena was an
excellent flirt, and the audience em
pathized with both of them as they
tried to bridge their cultural gap.
Many of the characters seemed to act
on only one level. Consequently, the
plot didn’t build in intensity, but
only in volume. Many of the charac
ters tried to show their feelings with
grand gestures and overemphasized
lines, and didn’t trust the audience
to understand subtlety.
There were exceptions, however.
Kathy Drum was wonderful as
Samki, the little Indian boy. Drum
didn’t have much to say, but she
didn’t need lines to develop her
character. Drum never lost focus,
and always reacted to the characters
around her.
Another exception was Casey Ma
larcher, who played Petanyah. Por
traying age is always hard for the
young, but Malarcher had no prob
lem. He wisely chose not to play a
“typical” old man with a quaky voice
and shaky walk, (which often de
tracts from what the character has to
say), but merely let his makeup
speak for itself. His narration tied
the action together, and never was
boring.
Overall, the play was entertaining
and skillfully used humor to remind
the audience that misunderstand
ings between cultures occur when
people really don’t try to understand
each other, and that misunderstand
ings can lead to exploitation of peo
ple who are really the same as every
one else.
The play will continue its run
through Saturday.
Key.
<1 — Lightning
£■ -Fog
It
— Thundentonw
• • — Rain
— Snow
n
— Drizzle
— Ice Pelleti
^ — Rain Shower
— Freezing Rzin
Sunset Today: 5:36 p.m.
Sunrise Wednesday: 6:37 a.m.
Map Discussion: Weak low pressure dominates the central plains will
light showers associated with the cold and warm fronts. A vigorous
upper-level low pressure area off the West Coast is producing showtn
over California. High pressure and fair weather dominates tne East
Coast. Morning fog is patchy along the Texas gulf coast. Showers
associated with a tropical depression are widespread over the eastern
Gulf of Mexico and Florida.
Forecast:
Today. Hazy and warm with a high temperature near 81 degrees.
Morning fog will burn off to mosdy sunny skies with variable douds
Winds will be light and southerly.
Tonight: Patchy late-night fog and clouds will appear, with a low
temperature near 54 degrees and winds nearly calm.
Wednesday. Little change with mostly sunny skies, a high temperaturt
near 82 degrees and winds increasing out of the south and southwestai
10 to 15 mph.
Weather Fact: Isopycnic — a line connecting areas of constant air
density, it often also is used in oceanography to depict regions of
constant water density.
Staff Meteorologist
A&M Department of Meteorology
Political scientist says age, education
of Texans play part in voting apathy
By Dana Pipes
Reporter
State demographics, population
mix and education levels of voters
contribute to low turnout in Texas
elections, a Texas A&M political sci
entist says.
Of the about 50,800 registered
voters in Brazos County, Dr. James
Dyer says only about 20 percent, or
10,060, are predicted to vote in to
day’s election. The ballot includes
the controversial measure that
would legalize pari-mutuel betting in
Texas.
A major factor contributing to this
voter apathy is the wide range of
voter groups in Texas, he says.
“Texas has high numbers of de
mographic groups that tend not to
vote,” Dyer says.
Overall, Texas is a young state
where many people don’t vote be
cause of age factors, he says. As the
state ages, more people who pre
viously weren’t involved in the vot
ing process most likely will become
voters, which will increase voting
percentages, Dyer says.
Education levels also have an ef
fect on voter turnout.
“Generally, people with less edu
cation vote less,” he says.
Dyer says on the average, individ
ual interests in issues determine the
percentages of voters who will turn
out.
“Elections tend to be dominated
by people who feel strongly about
particular issues,” he says. People
who are pleased with the political
system or who are critical of it are
apathetic about voting. Dyer says.
Because there are no real incentives,
voters tend to vote out of a sense of
duty.
Because of the high number of
elections in Texas, voters tend to
lose interest in the issues concerned.
“A reduction of the number of
elections might increase voter part
ipation,” Dyer says.
Another factor contributing t
past voter apathy in Texas was t/
Democratic party’s domination (
the political system, he said. Ft
many years, the state elections we::
decided in the Democratic primar
which made the general electionaf
pear less significant.
The current trend of competitio
between the Democratic and Repul
lican parties in Texas gradually Fa
added significance to state election!
“The competition between tit
two parties possibly may increase i»
terest in the election system,” Ik
says.
Town recovers from leak of hydrofluoric acid
TEXAS CITY (AP) — Residents
returning to their homes Monday
washed down porches and yards to
remove the residue of the weekend’s
hydrofluoric acid leak.
Forty-two people remained hospi
talized for treatment of respiratory
problems stemming from the indus
trial accident Friday that released a
toxic cloud and forced the evacua
tion of about 3,000 people.
Sunday night, people living near
the Marathon Petroleum Co. plant
were allowed to go home, returning
to neighborhoods that were turned
an autumn brown by the toxic acid.
Many residents hosed down their
porches and yards to get rid of fluo
ride residue from the leak. Residents
also were warned to wash their cars,
throw out exposed food and clean
eating utensils.
“Everything was green but now
it’s autumn all in one day and that’s
too fast,” David Olivo said Sunday
after he returned to his home a few
blocks from the plant.
Maria Guttierrez said, “My leaves
are all brown. This place looks de
serted.” Despite assurances from city
and Marathon officials, Guttierrez, a
convenience store clerk, said she
feared for the safety of herself and
her 2-year-old son.
“The smell is too strong,” she said.
The toxic acid spilled after a crane
accidentally dropped its load, rup
turing pipes leading into a hydroflu
oric acid storage tank. When the acid
came into contact with air, it vapor
ized, sending a toxic cloud skyward,
Marathon spokesman Bill Ryder
said.
At AMI-Danforth Hospital, 40 _
patients remained hospitalized Mon
day with respiratory problems, hos
pital spokesman Beverly Boase said.
Since Friday evening, the hospital
has treated 600 people and admitted
133, she said.
At Mainland Center Hospital, 171
people were treated and two remain
hospitalized, hospital spokesman Pat
Kirk said Monday.
Marathon has agreed to pay hos
pital costs for people who sought
treatment by 12:01 a.m. Monday.
Those treated after that time can file
claims with the company, he said.
Progress of the cleanup operation
was slow because of the delicate na
ture of the task and numerous safety
precautions, Ryder said. He said
pipes draining the chemical needed
to remain chilled, posing a tricky
problem.
Emergency crews emptied tli|
ruptured tank at 9:40 p.m. Sunday
Mayor Emmett Lowry said, ■
think they should have brought in:
bigger pump from the beginningK
pump that darned stuff out of then
quicker. We’re glad it’s over an(
we’re ready to go on now.”
Pumping began at 1:15 p.m. Sat
urday but was complicated by tw
daytime temperatures. Hydrofluoii
acid — used to make a gasoline o(
tane enhancer used to etch glass ant
clean metals — vaporizes when tt*
temperature hits 67 degrees, a com
pany spokesman said.
Texas City was the site of thena
don’s worst industrial disaster whet
the docked freighter SS Grandcamp
filled with ammonium nitrate fert
lizer, exploded in April 1947, killira
576 people and injuring 5,000.
I
N
817 South Texas Avenue across from Eastgate, next to Red Lobster in College Station
$ 49Puts You
On The Right Side
Of The Tracks.
It’s two minutes until your class starts
in Kleberg and you’re stuck in
Blocker—on the wrong side of the
tracks.
Scooter Brown's can get you there on a
Honda Spree for only $49.00 per
month. It's the scooter leasing plan
Aggies have been waiting for!
The Spree is easy to operate with an
automatic transmission, electric start
and incredible gas mileage—over 100
mpg.
Eliminate your parking problems and
get to class with time to burn. Call
Scooter Brown’s today at 693-7360.