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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 11, 1994)
mber 11, mis for a bowl ap- the Cardinals ological aspect and coming off 1 said. “They it lots of nega- between a big ity and team aring individ- mior tailback of the record- this season, of 1000 yards ireer, after he son. Thomas ) career rush- lowns behind ■ touchdown - another kick- >ved into third ackoff return 43.4 yard av- dl-time charts who is now and fourth in inebacker and io Armstrong 2 players are 1 to achieve, a we’ve got two p big, “ Arm- ship team we rs 'age 5 reir play. Southwest mg, but well r at our best, ell and take i said. “But red up for hose danger- ng, Corbelli las another meet this r everybody play their Lime night, bably been )wnfall all is our big- CorbelW if we d( e best we Elephants Donkey! Texjs A&M Houston Baylor SMU Arizona Duke Alabama SW La. Stanford Bengali Texas T«h Bengali Cowtxiys Chiefs s Guests: f ’Of.689) of the list, “ prings and is Learn. He’s a ngth because ram, he’ll be nachine.” 3.8 rebounds 'evine High p 15 players was also re- Tutgers and id, “ Devine an ounce of phenomenal idous three- a junior at three-point derson, back gitimate 25- isses a shot, last year’s ice” and in win a con- the other e including le national lis, golf der equity lat it has ;n’s athlet- Friday • November 11, 1994 gg«|p: I l Life alnft miuicli astic Lost wallets cost owner more in time and hassle than money LYNN BOOMER 1 -~]ost my life last Mon day. That is, I lost my I.D. holder and every thing in it. This means that my driver’s license, A&M I.D., MasterCard, gas card, movie rental cards, ATM card, health insurance card and dozens of other vital cards are missing. I never realized how dependent we are on little 2 inch by 3 1/2 inch pieces of plastic until I was caught without all of mine. Tuesday morning I had a major paper due. I thought nothing of spending all of Monday night pounding away at my computer keyboard in a last-minute effort to finish what was supposed to be a half-semester’s work. I had fig ured out to the minute how much time I had left to print out the paper before running to catch the bus. It was at this preplanned time that I discovered my I.D. holder and the bus pass inside it were missing. Frantically, I told myself not to panic and then cursed myself for losing the necessary card on the one day of the week that neither roommate was home and available to give me a ride. I called everyone I knew, and not one of them was home. I called bus operations, and the kind lady on the other end of the phone told me I could ride the bus for only 50 cents. As I noted my sole 83 cents on the dresser, I figured I could hitch a ride home after turning in my paper. Then the lady informed me that I needed to go to the Koldus building to buy a bus coupon. I almost collapsed in a state of utter horror until I re membered that I have a car. Quickly, I got into it and drove toward campus. On my way, it occurred to me that for a couple of bucks I could park in mud lot and not risk getting a yellow love note from the PITS. Figuring I could get some money out of my checking ac count, I pulled into the bank’s parking lot and headed for the ATM. Then I realized my ATM card was gone. Undaunted, I decided to head inside to cash a check. Until I remembered that my driver’s license was missing too. I jumped back in the car and headed to the nearest day student lot, hop- I never realized how depen- mg my car • would be incon- dent we are on 2 inch by 3 1/2 spicuous amidst inch pieces of plastic until! parktogtag^it was caught without them. would have been, — ; — had I ever gotten aspaqe. . . After circling the lot several times, I finally gave up and parked in a staff lot, with less than a minute to spare be fore class. Believe it or not, I did not get a parking ticket. That was the highlight of my day. When I got home, I informed my roommate that I might have to pay rent a teensy bit late because I was currently unable to use my ATM card to transfer sufficient funds from my savings to my checking account. I wrote a check for the entire amount of money in my checking account and meekly promised to get her the rest of the money as soon as I got to the bank. As it turned out, the first time that the bank’s open hours coincided with my free time after work and classes ended up being that Friday. Unfortunately, that was the same day that the apart ment manager called to inform us that our rent check would be subject to a $40 late charge if we didn’t pay it im mediately. It got it taken care of, but I am no longer in my roommates’ good graces. I imagine that my current troubles are only the begin ning. I have no way of obtaining cash, short of writing checks to people I know and having them give me money. If I get sick today, my only medical option is Beutel, as my health insurance card is gone. And the free car wash certificate I was saving for the time when the grime on my car became unbearable is gone now also. The one thing I didn’t lose is my Athletic Pass. I can draw a ticket to the TCU game, but I’m stuck listening to it on the radio until my student I.D. reappears. My only comfort is that whoever has my little I.D. hold er in their possession has two canceled credit cards, seven cents in Aggie Bucks and two movie rental cards with late charges on them in their hot little hands. Still, if anyone finds it, I will gladly reward them with $20. I will be eternally grateful. Lynn Booher is a junior English and psychology major The Battalion Editorial Board Belinda Blancarte, Editor in chief Mark Evans, Managing editor Jenny Magee, Opinion editor Sterling Hayman, Asst, opinion editor Editorials appearing in The Battalion re flect the views of the editorial board. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of oth er Battalion staff members, the Texas A&M student body, regents, administration, faculty or staff. Columns, guest columns, cartoons and letters express the opinions of the authors. Contact the opinion editor for informa tion on submitting guest columns. Celebrities' diseases get extra attention Columnist With the recent diagnosis of former President Ronald Reagan with Alze- heimer’s, it seems fair to conclude that life threatening illnesses do not re ceive as much attention as they de serve until a celebrity or public figure becomes a victim. Alzeheirner’s, a disease that causes mental and physical deterioration of the brain, affects four million Americans, but hasn’t received half as much attention or research as it deserves in recent years. Now, because a former president has come down with the disease, public awareness is expected to rise. The same can be concluded in cases involving other celebrities and public fig ures. Nancy Reagan strug gled with breast cancer; Rock Hudson died an AIDS-related death; Magic Johnson tested positive for the HIV virus; Karen Carpen ter died after a long battle with anorex ia. In all examples, the diseases did not receive adequate attention until someone in the spot light was affected. Other people besides celebrities con tract these diseases. AIDS and Alze- heimer’s are human conditions and peo ple deserve the right to be informed at all times and not just when a celebrity has become ill. Information, advancements and awareness should not come as a result of 0 T3o!ch^/^ TRAD money or power. People’s lives are be ing lost every day to fatal illnesses, and they do not always have the re sources to stimulate more research and information in an effort to find a cure. A celebrity might have more money than the average person, but that does not make their battle with a disease any more important or awful. It is unfortunate that the media han dles such cases by talcing the opportunity to disseminate information to the public about a disease just because a public fig ure puts it in the spotlight. Journalists need to reconsider that the manner in which they report and re spond to these sto ries molds the way the public thinks about these dis eases. People get a sick all the time — all people. But, when the media inflates pub lic figures’ suffer ing, it perpetuates the idea that the common person is secondary. In ad dition to presenting a distorted and sen sationalized picture of the diseases. Alzeheirner’s, anorexia, breast cancer and countless other diseases are real. They are diseases that have a profound effect on all walks of life. Constant atten tion and research is critical if we hope to find a cure one day. However, such awareness should not come as a result of a public figure becoming ill — it should be available at all times regardless of who has become a victim. Tearing dowsi dbrmnis raises questiosis about reSocataoira Unknown to many common Aggies, a cur rent battle is being fought within the confines of our campus. This fierce war is being waged by the residents of Law and Puryear, whose dorms will be demolished this school year. The residents of Law and Puryear have known about their dorm’s fate for many years, and thus have had ample time to prepare for alter nate housing. In spite of this fact they have waited until their final year to decide on proposing to be allowed to take over Legett Hall without prior notice. They say they need to preserve their “unity” and should be allowed to stay together. The reasoning in their argument is all wrong. Unlike true Aggies, they have claimed that the Aggies in Legett are lesser Aggies than those that live in Law and Puryear. They feel that the unity among the residents in Leg ett is inferior to that of Law and Puryear. So inferior in fact, they feel justified in seizing Legett and kicking the current residents out of their home, without the same prior notice they had in losing their own. If the Law and Puryear proposal is allowed to occur, a dangerous precedent will be set con cerning dorm changes and moves. It’s quite possible that if Legett is allowed to be taken, it would be justified for Legett to take another dorm to preserve their unity. The Resident Hall Association works in a democratic fashion, meaning that your repre sentatives are supposed to act on behalf of our views. If you in fact agree that any dorm, in cluding yours, should be allowed to be taken to preserve another’s unity, then by all means voice your support for Law and Puryear. Oth erwise Long Live Lady Legett! Craig Pritzlaff Class of’96 Srsjured dog needs owners before her time runs out On Wednesday night a medium-sized, tan and white, female dog was hit by a car on Lin coln in College Station. She is wearing a pur ple collar with white paw prints on it. It is of utmost importance that her owners are found. She is at the A&M Small Animal Clin ic with a badly broken leg at the very least. If her owners are not found within 48 hours, she will be put to sleep. Please, Ags, if you live in the area of Lin coln, and you know who she might belong to, or if she belongs to you, call the Small Animal Clinic. She can’t be more than a couple of years old, and she deserves a fighting chance. Also, thanks to all who helped Wednesday night, including my roommates, the officer, the two guys who stopped, the girl who had two tests the next day, the guy who took the dog to the clinic and everyone at the Small Animal Clinic - way to be, Ags! (No thanks to whoever hit her and didn’t stop.) If you own this dog, please call. She needs you! Catherine Eckert Class of ’95 The Battalion encour- ‘ages letters to the editor and will print as many as space allows. tetters must be 300 words or less and include tbe author's name, class, and phone number. We reserve the right to edit letters for length, style, and accuracy. Address letters to: The Battalion - Mail Call 013 Reed McDonald Texas A&M University College Station, TX 77843-1111 fax: 409/845-2647 E-mail: 8aU@tamvm1 .famu.edu Culturally relative practices reflect the societies where they are utilized ften times, or at least one time or another we’ve all done things or behaved in ways that those around us may deem improper. These actions usually involve a lack of re spect for other people and range from “hogging the phone” to a myriad of dining rules. These rules are gener ally familiarized by Emily Post and“Miss Manners” who spend their lives settling bets in the newspapers and giv ing Americans guidelines for etiquette. Please note that I said, “Americanis” for I have always chuckled in wonderment at the way “properness” is defined by societal and geographical borders. For instance, as a child, I was taught the “correct” way to hold a fork. No one can really state why there is a cor rect way, but holding a fork upside down is apparently a definite “no no.” In America, that is. One evening my family was watching “Masterpiece The atre” or some other fairly stuffy British production and the characters - portraying aristocrats - were using their forks upside down. “What gives, Mom?” I said. “Did someone not teach the Duchess of Doodlychestershire how to hold a fork correctly?” Then here it came. “Uh, well Frank, the British people are, um ... different, and uh ... well, not really different - but, urn ... that’s just the way their mommies teach them to hold a fork that’s all, now let’s be quiet and watch the rest of the show.” To this day, I still don’t have what I’d call a good answer. I figure as long as the food makes it into your mouth - and you don’t get fired for eating chocolate mousse with your hands at a business lunch - any method is a “good” one. It’s difficult to stomach, but dining practices are socialized, pure and simple. The “proper” and “improper” ways of eating are nothing more than arbitrary rules set for some society by someone or some committee who has the respect of the popu lace for some reason. We humans are essentially sheep who have to be told how to act. And it doesn’t matter so much what the actions are, but mainly in what society the actions are taking place. This social fact is most notice able to me in the ways societies re gard eating, greet ing and sexuality. Because The Battalion is not considered “cutting edge” journalism and sexuality is bad, evil and disgusting, I won’t go into why breasts and tushies are not for public display in our little society. Europe and the rest of the world have always been just plain ol’ wrong in this capaci ty - and there’s no reason to even think about it further. Thhhhuuup. (sound of small mind closing) However, there is an area where sexuality and greeting actually meet, namely kissing. Yes, kissing. We live in a very kissy subculture here at A&M. We’re used to it. And except for the close-up of a glistening string of saliva shown on national TV at a game last year, no one seems to mind. Lip-locking is practically an Aggie pastime because some homy, but brilliant CT came up with the idea of smooching at football games. I can still hear him, “Listen up, guys! When the busses full of girls get here, tell all of ‘em they have to kiss you when the team scores. If we all stick to our stories, we can pull this off.” The rest is history. But only OUR history. It’s a different story in Japan. I read that the media over there are having a cow be cause some young people are actually kissing in public. Mind you, Japan has a large commercial sex industry - with late night TV, porn publications and even nudity in regular magazines. But still, public kissing and even hug ging is considered improper. It’s OK here, not OK there. What gives? It seems that in Japan, the “public” part is the problem. Because the Japanese regard personal restraint so highly, kissing in view of other people is considered a shameful act, like picking your nose or something. What a crazy, mixed-up culture. I imagine a major Aggie kiss—a-thon like the t.u. game would’ve forced many shocked Japanese right out of the stadium. “What a disgusting, unrestrained culture.” They might say... Frank Stanford is a graduate philosophy student Lip-locking is practically an Aggie pastime because some horny, but brilliant CT came up with the idea.
