Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 6, 1991)
State & Local The Battalion (USPS 045 360) Member of: Associated Press Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism Congress Texas Daily Newspaper Association Texas Intercollegiate Press Association The Battalion Editorial Board Editor Timm Doolen Managing Editor Todd Stone City Editor Sean Frerking News Editors Jennifer Jeffus Callie Wilcher Art Director Richard James Lifestyles Editor Rob Newberry Sports Editor Jayme Blaschke Opinion Editor Keith Sartin Editorial Policy The Battalion is published da ily except Saturday, Sunday, holi days, exam periods and when school is not in session during fall and spring semesters. Publication is Tuesday through Friday dur ing the summer sessions. The newsroom phone number is 845- 3316. The Battalion is a non-profit, self-supporting newspaper oper ated as a community service to Texas A&M University and Bryan-College Station. The Battalion news depart ment is managed by students at Texas A&M University and is a division of Student Publications, a unit of the Department of Jour nalism. Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those of the edito rial board or the author, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Texas A&M stu dent body, administrators, faculty or the A&M Board of Regents. Comments, questions or com plaints about any of the editorial content of the newspaper should be directed to the managing edi tor at 845-3313. Subscriptions Mail subscriptions are $20 per I i semester, $40 per school year and $50 per full year: 845-2611. POSTMASTER: Send address I changes to The Battalion, 230 Reed McDonald, Texas A&M University, College Station TX 77843-11 11. Second class postage paid at Col lege Station, TX 77843. ! Location: The Battalion, 216 Reed McDonald, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-11 11. Campus mail stop: 1111. Advertising Advertising information can be obtained from the advertising de partment at 845-2696 Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., I or by visiting the office at the En glish Annex. Advertising Manager Patricia Heck Battalion Adviser Robert Wegener Production Manager Paige Force BATTIPS The Battalion encourages its readers to contribute story- ideas and suggestions by call ing BATTIPS, The Battal ion's phone line designed to improve communication be tween the newspaper and its readers. The BATTIPS number is 845-3315. Ideas can include news sto ries, feature ideas and person ality profiles of interesting people. Readers also are en couraged to offer any other suggestions that could im prove the newspaper. Health center gives tips on enduring PMS Editor's note: The Battalion will run a weekly column on bet ter health habits provided by the education department of the A.P. Beutel Health Center. By Elizabeth Logan Special to The Battalion Ask just about any woman on the Texas A&M campus if she has experienced premenstrual syndrome (PMS), and she'll probably say "yes/' Ask any man and he'll agree. He might also say that it's just an excuse for a foul mood. PMS is characterized by up to 150 different symptoms, several of which are quite common. Some of the physical conditions are discomfort in the abdomen, muscles and breasts; sleepiness; headaches; and increased appe tite and food cravings. Psychological symptoms might include mood swings, irri tability, sadness or loneliness and reclusive tendencies. No one is quite sure how many women experience PMS. Depending on the researcher's definition of PMS, estimates range from 16 to 80 percent of all women. Further, some 5 to 10 percent of these women have very severe symptoms, which some doctors are now calling PMD, premenstrual disorder. The symptoms of PMS gener ally begin seven to 10 days be fore the onset of a woman's menstrual period and disappear by the first day. Several theories have been proposed about the cause of PMS, such as fluctuat ing levels of the ovarian hor mones estrogen and progeste rone. Women with PMS, however, have not been proven to have abnormally high or low levels of either hormone. In addition, re cent research indicates that some PMS patients produce too much or too little tnyroid-stimulating hormone. Thirdly, an associa tion between PMS and depres sion has been made. How can a woman deal with PMS symptoms? First you should check with your physi cian before you self-diagnose PMS. It is important to note that no single solution works for every one, and what helps one symp tom might do nothing to relieve another. The following is a list of possible antidotes for various physical and emotional prob lems: FI Relaxation techniques can cause physiological and psycho logical changes such as de creased metabolism and breath ing rate and increased calmness. Exercise might stimulate the release of pain-relieving hor mones and nelp fight mild de pression. It is also an excellent source of stress relief. PI Ibuprofen or other pain re lievers taken in over-the-counter form helps relieve cramping. A stronger prescription might be necessary if over-the-counter va rieties are not effective. In addition, certain dietary changes might help relieve symptoms: □ Avoid salt to help reduce water retention. □ Reduce caffeine intake. Most people will be more com fortable if they do without the "jitters" associated with caffeine. □ Beware of sweets. Many women crave simple carbohy drates and chocolate during PMS. Eating too much sugar might pick you up, but you will come down and you'll probably feel worse than before. □ Avoid alcohol. Althouf drink might be relaxing, much alcohol can lead to a ha: over which might intensify P) What can men do to hel; woman experiencing PMS? □ Keep in mind that PM. 1 not "all in her head," and usually not just an excuse foi] ritability. □ Be empathetic and un derstanding but not patronizk: □ Do not take stress-rela: actions personally. If a frit acts out of character or is unu: ally moody, just let it pass. □ Just leave her to herself t allow her the space she needs A final note to women: DT cuss any questions or concerj might nave about PMSw Thieves take statue from Rudder lobby Sometime during the night of May 15, thieves apparently hid in Texas A&M's Rudder Theater Complex until it was closed and then stole a unique bronze statue from the lobby. Reports indicate that the thieves dragged the 300 pound statue through the lobby to a re mote part of the complex, re moved it from its base and car ried it out the front door. The statue has been assessed at about $3,000. University officials report that the seven-foot solid bronze statue, titled "Nude girl with a shell," was one of four statues cast in 1963. University detec tives believe the statue still is in the local area and is readily rec ognizable. o/.i,-, ^ This week the University Po lice Department and ©rime Stop pers need your help in identify ing the pe^nle responsible for this theft. , j you have informa tion that < Id be helpful, call Crime Stoppers at 775-TIPS. When you call. Crime Stoppers will assign you a special coded number that will protect your identity. you migti your physician. Other m„ problems not related to P! might cause similar symptom; Senate, House differ on budget AUSTIN (AP) — Senate leaders Monday were adding up the total cost of their pro posed state budget, a tally that likely will run about $2.2 bil lion higher than a controversial spending plan passed by the House. Lawmakers are struggling in a special session that ends Aug. 13 to write a 1992-93 state budget in the face of a pro jected $4.8 billion deficit. The current budget year ends Aug. 31. After more than 14 hours of debate, the House voted at 3:33 a.m. Monday to adopt an ap proximately $56.1 billion spending plan. That budget would spend $32.5 billion in general, tax- supported revenues. That is about $1.8 billion more than the state comptroller says will be available, but $2.9 billion less than the cost to contimii current services, according tc budget staff members. The remaining $23.5 billior includes federal funds and spe cific-purpose state monies. In contrast, the Senate Fi nance Committee's plan woulc require about $34.8 billion ii general revenue, according to committee Chairman John Montford. STOPPER wmmmmmmmmmm 775-tips If your call leads to an arrest and grand jury indictment. Crime Stoppers will pay you up to $1,000 in cash. Crime Stop pers also pays for information on any felony crime or the location of any wanted fugitive. Senate unveils plan to modify business tax AUSTIN (AP) — Senate leaders on Monday proposed a plan to overhaul the state's major business tax, saying it would raise an additional $800 million for the state while protecting small businesses. The measure is similar to a House proposal in one key aspect: it >vould require corporations to pay a tax on either capital assets or corporate prof its, whichever is higher. However, the Senate plan would exempt par nerships and independently owned small bus nesses. The House proposal would tax the it comes of both. "Unlike the House version, these reforms c: not impose an income tax on Texans who ou: their business outright or in a partnership," sail Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock. ** YES! WE HA VE STUDENT AIRFARES! % w LONDON $375 PARIS $369 FRANKFURT $405 MADRID $445 HONG KONG $559 COSTA RICA $229 ONE WAY FROM HOUSTON ALSO TEACHER and BUDGET FARES! EURAIL PASSES USSR/Europe Tours Language Learning Centers Counci Ifravel _ 1-512-472-4931 Group tries to get voting lines redrawn EDINBURG (AP) — A group that says legislators discrimi nated against minorities by us ing faulty census data to draw up new voting boundaries took the state to court Monday in an attempt to get those lines re drawn. Attorneys for several South Texas residents who say they were not counted in last year's census petitioned 332nd District Judge Mario E. Ramirez to issue an injunction that would force legislators to accept adjusted census data. They also asked that the court order a new set of plans be drawn up using the data, which would take into account a large portion of the state's population that was not counted. The '90 census missed 500,000 to 600,000 Texans, especially mi norities, in its final tally, said Jim Harrington, the lead attorney for the plaintiffs. "The Legislature failed in its duty to create an opportunity for minorities" to vote equally, Har rington told the judge. "This court has the right to make the determination under Texas laws as to what voting rights are." The state's lead attorney, Re- nea Hicks of the Texas Attorney General's office, countered b saying that since neither of reapportionment plans devisecl by the Legislature has been ap proved on the federal level, nc| one was being harmed by the new lines. In addition, Hicks said the state was currently fighting ifsj own battle in federal court to ge i the government to release ad i justed census figures. Hair spray company agrees to change misleading labels AUSTIN (AP) — The Alberto-Culver Co. has agreed to change how it advertises its hair spray products, removing what Attor ney General Dan Morales called misleading and unsubstantiated environmental claims. Morales said Monday the company agreed after negotiations with 10 states to modify its "green" claims and pay some le gal costs for the states. Alberto-Culver claimed that the absence of chlorofluorocarbons in several of its hair sprays made the products neutral to the earth's upper ozone level, and therefore en vironmentally safe. Morales said. However, the company did not acknowl edge in advertising or packaging that the presence of pollutants such as butane and propane in the hair sprays contributes to the concentration of hazardous ground level ozone or smog. Morales said. "One of the truly encouraging signs of environmental concern is the willingness of people to invest their household expenses in products which are environmentally friendly," Morales said in a statement Mon day. "But those businesses who seek to profit from this selective 'green' shopping by pro moting certain goods as clean and safe to the climate without proof will be pursued by my office as violators of Texas' consumer protection laws," he said. LSAT study skills EDUCATIONAL GROUP We complete the puzzle. COLLEGE STATION - 764-8303 Earn Extra Money As a Graduate of The II&R Block Income Tax Course Thousands of people learn how to prepare Income fax return* from II&R Block and then earn money as income tax preparer* II&R Block, the world's largest Income tax preparation service) offers its Income Tax Course starting September 5. Morning an! evening classes are available and will be held In Culpepper Plus in College Station. Experienced Instructors teach tax law, theory and application* Classroom discussion and practice problems provide student* with a thorough understanding of each tax topic included In the course. Students learn how to handle Increasingly eomplef Income tax situations as the course progresses. Ideal for people who want to Increase their tax knowledge, the course teaches students how to save money on their taxes mai also prepares them for rewarding career. The affordable fee Includes textbooks and supplies. Graduate* receive Certificates of Achievement and continuing educatieB units (CEIJ's). Qualified graduates of the course may be offered Job Interviews with II&R Block but are under no obligation W accept employment. Those Interested In more Information about the H&R Block Income Tax Course may contact the R&R Block Income Tat School at 10700 Stancliff Hoad., Houston, Texas 77090 or call II&R Block's toll free line at 1-800-527-7346.