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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 31, 1988)
Page 20rThe Battalion/Wednesday, August 31, 1988 RUSH TAU KAPPA EPSILON A Tradition of Excellence TUESDAY AUGUST WEDNESDAY AUGUST FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 'SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 'MONDAY SEPTEMBER THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 'SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 30 31 2 4 5 8 10 7:00 p.m.-IFC SMOKER AT RUDDER TOWER 8:31 p.m.-OPEN PARTY AT THE TKE HOUSE 8:31 p.m.-OPEN PARTY AT THE TKE HOUSE 1:30 p.m.-VOLLEYBALL & FAJITAS WITH KAPPA KAPPA GAMMA AT THE TKE HOUSE 7:30 p.m.-MONDAY NITE FOOTBALL AT ZEPHYR CLUB 6:00 p.m.-SMOKER COAT & TIE AT THE TKE HOUSE 11:00 a.m. 1:00 p.m.-LUNCHEON AT ZEPHYR CLUB ^Indicates Invitation Only For Information Call Darren Smith—Rush Chairman £ 693-3495 Scott Reagan—President 822-6004 TEXAS AVENUE S. PARKER When Saving Money Rings a Bell That’s the maximum we ll charge you per minute to call anywhere in Texas from 11 p.m. to 8 a.m. any day of the week, all day Satur days and until 5 p.m. on Sundays, (even less to some locations) For more information or to sign up: Contact our office at the corner of 22nd and Texas in Bryan or Drop by our booth in the MSC (Thru Sept 2) 779-2830 779-2830 Truioor FoUatje Plants HangVng ftaskcfc avid tattcVi,nvv*drk more! LUBBOCK ST. <*se We AGGIE PEER ORIENTATION PROGRAM EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE IN ROOM 108 YMCA DEADLINE: SEPTEMBER 2, 5 PM Department of Student Affairs 845-5826 FCC abused discretion in racial case, courts say Floriculture-Ornamental Horticulture Club PLANT SALE DON’T LET YOUR ROOM BE CAUGHT WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Court of Appeals has ruled the Fed eral Communications Commission “abused its discretion” by renewing a broadcasting license for two Texas radio stations without conducting a hearing on claims the owner dis criminated against black employees. A three-judge panel of the appel late court has ordered an FCC hear ing into whether Pyle Communica tions of Beaumont Inc., owner of KIEZ-AM and KWIC-FM, discrimi nated against black workers and failed to meet affirmative action ob ligations required by law. “It’s a very positive ruling,” said David Honig, attorney for two black groups who challenged the FCC’s decision to grant Pyle Communica tions a license renewal. “The FCC won’t be permitted in the future just to wash out without hearing serious allegations of racial discrimination in broadcasting.” Pyle acquired the tw’o Beaumont stations in 1981 and by 1983, the number of blacks at the two stations f ell from 1 1 to one. During the period, the stations hired 112 new employees but only three were black, and none stayed on the job longer than two months, the ruling said. “This was by far the most egre gious case of discrimination brought before the FCC in 22 years,” Honig said, yet the FCC granted the license renewal based on Pyle’s answers to three letters sent by the agency over three years. Pyle applied for the license rene wal in 1983 and the FCC granted it a short-term renewal in 1987, said Richard Bozzelli, special assistant to the FCC general counsel. At issue, the court ruled, is why black employment dropped so dra matically after the stations were ac quired by Pyle and why blacks were so underrepresented in subsequent hiring by the stations during the pe riod from 1981 to 1983; why the li censee contradicted itself in statements to the FCC about the rea sons for the departures of several black employees; and why the sta tions were unable to maintain an ad equate affirmative action program during the years in question, as re quired by FCC regulations. “The record evidence in these three areas raises troubling questions that remain unresolved about whether the licensee practiced inten tional employment discrmination,” the court said. “The commission acted unreaso nably when it pronounced itself sat isfied on these points based entirely on the licensee’s sketchy and some times contradictory explanations.” A documented pattern of inten tional discrimination will almost in variably disqualify a broadcaster from obtaining or retaining a li cense, the court said in its ruling. Furthermore, stations must show , they have an affirmative action plan in place, as part of their federal mandate to serve the public interest. “We hold that the commission’s decision (to renew the license) was not consistent with the requirements of the Communications Act of 1934 that the commission hold a hearing when a ‘substantial and m question of fact is presented,' Aug. 19 ruling from the U.S,( of Appeals for the DistrictofCt bia said. “Under these circumstaiK? commission abused its discreii issuing the license renewal,' court held. FCC officials said the a; woidd hold a hearing on the is raised by the Beaumont Bran the National Association for tit vancement of Colored F the National Black Media Coal Robert W. Healy, attorns Pyle, said through a spoke Tuesday that his law firmasat against commenting on clients! Pyle did not return a half-i phone calls Monday and Tin from the Associated Press. Sweeney agrees to debate with foe WASHINGTON (AP) — Republi can Rep. Mac Sweeney has agreed to debate his Democratic challenger, attorney Greg Laughlin, who lately has sharpened his criticism of the two-term congressman. “When the House goes out of ses sion, we ll debate as frequently as our schedule allows,” Sweeney’s adminis trative assistant, Steve Goldstein said. Laughlin has been calling on Sweeney to debate him around the sprawling 14th District of Texas, in cluding a face-off on the steps of sev eral courthouses. Goldstein said the congressman would likely debate Laughlin in a se ries of radio debates and questioned the call for a courthouse-steps meet ing as show over substance. “Is the purpose of the debate show, or is it to listen to people’s views? Obviously, if it is the latter the medium for getting the message out to the greatest number of people in our district would be radio,” Gold stein said. Sweeney said Monday he would debate Laughlin on four to eight oc casions before the Nov. 8 election. One radio debate is scheduled for Oct. 10 in El Campo, Goldstein said Tuesday. Laughlin said he stepped up his attacks on Sweeney’s job perfor mance about a month ago, and has issued statements referring to him as “Slippery Sweeney” and saying: “It’s time the 14th District had a real con gressman for a change.” “I’m out there every day (cam paigning in the district),” Laughlin said Tuesday. “I’m hearing a lot of disenchant ment with Mr. Sweeney’s job perfor mance — of not keeping ap|>oitit- ments, returning phone calls and answering letters. I just hear it every day.” The West Columbia attorney chal lenged Sweeney two years ago, los ing by a margin of 52.3 percent to 47.7 percent. Political observers say Sweeney has the toughest re-election light of any Texas congressman this year. He is the first Republican ever elected to Congress from the 22- county district that skirts Austin, Houston, San Antonio and Corpus Christi. In calling for the debates, Laugh lin said in a statement: “It’s time for Mac Sweeney to stand up and be counted. He does one thing and says another. He hides his record. There are important differences between Mac and me.” In Victoria Monday, Sweeney said he welcomed the opportunity to de bate his opponent on the issues and the Democratic Party platform, “which endorses gun control, abor tion on demand and a homosexual bill of rights; and to hear my oppo nent’s position with regard to the Democratic Party’s presidential can didate’s policy that grants furloughs to murderers.” Laughlin said he wanted to debate Sweeney on such issues as veterans and the controversy over a proposed toxic waste dump at the Boling salt dome. Pipe shorty helps increasi drillers’ costs HOUSTON (AP) - The os plentif ul inventory of oili drill pipe is almost usedupn contract drillers who barely enough business to keep I doors open sav they'll betlieoi who l>ear the increasing costs Mills that were idle when was selling at bargain-bascne prices just a year ago arepn mg again. But the shortage hasincrtii prices and drillers say they unable to pass along thecoscl cause of tight competition drilling jobs. “You really can’t pass al any additional cost for anyth Charles Yeargain of Rowan said. “You just go with the tide ! bid what the market will I and you either lose a littleoi lose a lot. You don’t niakera Drill pipe prices are notasfe today as they were befott prices came crashing down, But day rates for drillers* are well below what then then, while pipe costs are Gi| ing up. In 1980, one high-tpii grade of 5-inch drilling pipt 540 per foot, accordingtoand cer with one major drillingt( pany. A year ago, companies (o buy serviceable pipe for as In* $5 or $0, but today new tool joints ready for connw costs $25 to $30. “Many drillers fear that sudden upturn comes, where we gel the pipe, ” one driller the Houston C/ironic/e.“Mai us haven’t built up a big invent because of cash flow constrain Charles McPhail, preside® I exas Steel Conversion Inc. his volume last month wasd about 30 percent from June apparent reflection of a shorn in the marketplace. The year for the firm specs ing in the forging and heattn ment of pipe ends hadstarteii ahead of 1987 volumes, McH said. “The marketplace is prettv simistic,” he said. Already companies aretfl as long as four to six month pipe deliveries of some grades, Yeargain said. 25-inch-tall man searches for a wife 3 times his size NEW DELHI, India (AP) — In the narrow and crowded lanes of the old bazaar, a 25-inch-tall man sits in a store selling candy and hoping to find a wife. “It is a hard life to be a dwarf, and to be the world’s shortest living matured man is even harder,” Cul Mo hammad said in his whispery voice as he counted coins and handed sweets to children much taller than he. Mohammad is 3.3 inches shorter than the shortest living adult listed by the 1988 Guinness Book of Re cords, Nelson de la Rosa of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. “No one noticed me before, until a local newspaper reporter had a chance meeting with a friend of mine, who told her about me,” Mohammad, 32, said in an in terview Tuesday. He is the eldest of four children of Noor Mohammad and Fatma Begum. “My first issue were twins, Gul and Zahoor. Both were dwarfs,”’ Fatma said in her one-room home in the Ballimaran district of Old Delhi. “Zahoor died after four years, but Gul lived to be come a man.” Her other children, a boy and a girl, grew to normal size. Gul, which means {lower in the Urdu language, is lonely and wants to get married. He was 10 when his father died. His mother soon re married, and Gul was sent to live with his maternal un cle, where he stays today. “I want to marry someone who is of normal height so that she can carry me around, feed me and give me baths ... I do not want to live on the charity of my rela tives forever,” he said. His arms are so short that his hands “can’t reach his head while bathing," said his aunt, Nargis Begum. Mohammad started his candy business witliK vestment of about $35, but he has been robbedt"W “I could not do anything. 1 have decided "I 1 marry I will ask my wife to sit with ineinthec store,” he said with a broad smile. Mohammad, whose only vice is smoking,giggle stantly. “I used to get very upset when people laughed) 1 but I figured out if I laughed back that fixes the® said. “Being the shortest man is not a joke. It is a hard tence,” Mohammad said. Walking is difficult for Mohammad, who pays 1 30 cents a day to teen-agers who piggyback him' he wants to go. “I can’t get onto a rickshaw or sit on a bicycle,ll ficult to balance,” he said. Mohammad’s neighbors are fond of him. “Hi pride. When he becomes world-famous, we will very, very happy,” said Ashraf Rizvi, a travel age |,, brought Mohammad to the attention of the M Herald newspaper. Mohammad’s uncle, Manzoor Hussain, said) _ once tried to buy him. “I would have gladly if let Mohammad work in the circus but to loseh® ever is something impossible.” He said the circus offered the equivalent of for Mohammad, a staggering amount in India the per capita annual income is $290. Hussain hopes Mohammad will find a bride. “But who will marry him? Maybe one day wh® 1 famous someone will come and offer him her the uncle said. “But the problem is that Moh® wants a normal-height women, not a dwarf likeW