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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 19, 1995)
Page 2 • The Battalion Wednesday I oi clc $5 Inf 90 be ii! Pi: op Study blames shrimping boats for trashing beaches of Padre Island □ Litter from the Gulf of Mexico has been washing up onto the shore. PADRE ISLAND NATIONAL SEASHORE (AP) — One day the beach is nearly pristine. On another day the sands are trashed with milk jugs, plastic sacks and all sorts of other garbage. It’s a given that Gulf of Mexico currents and winds determine which days and where the floating garbage washes up on Padre Is land National Seashore, part of the longest undeveloped barrier island in the United States. National Park Service re searchers have worked on a tougher question: Where does it all come from? Their new study concludes that shrimping boats are more responsi ble than anyone else for littering a section of the Texas Gulf Coast. It hits an industry that already feels it has been unfairly maligned for envi ronmental unfriendliness. “The shrimping items are by far what we get the most of,” said John Miller, chief of resource pro tection at the 68-mile national seashore. “The total of it is just absolutely mind boggling when it doesn’t have to be that way.” Experts say that besides making the beach an eyesore, the trash can harm birds and marine animals, in cluding endangered sea turtles. Last year Miller devised a study of 16 miles of beach on the northern tip of the federally protected seashore. Each day the researchers cleared and cataloged the garbage, collecting nearly 41,000 items for the entire year. “The same time they (shrimpers) are out there, we get an increase in these types.of items,’’ said Sean Baker, a re sources management specialist "We would like to work with the shrimpers to solve this prob lem." — Sean Baker, resources management specialist who conducted much of the study. “We would like to work with ^.hem to solve this problem rather than being antagonistic with them.” “I think they are full of it. They are just looking for somebody to blame,” responded Jimmy B. Rus sell, president of the Texas Shrimp Association. “It kind of offends me that someone would say that.” Russell said Texas shrimpers are conscientious about stowing trash on deck until they get back to port. Wilma Anderson, executive direc tor of the shrimp association, said some trash accidentally washes overboard shrimp vessels in high seas. But she objected to the impli cation that shrimpers intentionally dump most of the garbage that ends up on the beach. Anderson -said the Navy, off shore oil operations and shipping vessels are equally responsible for marine debris. But Miller said the study associ ated only 13 percent of the items with offshore oil and shipping. An other 13 percent came from un known sources. Chief Boatswainsmate James Stanbro, in charge of the Coast Guard’s Port Aransas station, said most of the 70 shrimping boats that his crews inspect com ply with anti-dumping rules. He emphasized that it’s a difficult, subjective judg ment as to how much a vessel should go through garbage over a long period at sea. “My preference would be that the shrimping industry deals with this problem themselves,” Miller said. But he hinted that the study might lead to stricter enforcement. “It’s an absolute atrocity that we allow this to continue on our oceans,” he said. Shrimpers already believe that government agencies have unfairly blamed them for a large number of sea turtle deaths. Under the Endangered Species Act, Gulf of Mexico shrimpers are required to use “trap doors” to allow turtles to escape trawler nets. Three people shot while rafting in Mexico □ The rafters were being robbed until a Mexican army helicopter scared the gunmen away. AUSTIN (AP) — Three people were shot and robbed while river rafting in southern Mexico, the Austin American-Statesman reports. Gill Ediger, 47, of Austin, said he was wounded in the leg in the April 6 shooting, the newspaper re ported Tuesday. Ursula Sommer, 37, of Switzer land was struck four times by bul lets, including .once in the upper back, and Karlin Meyers, 34, of Long Island, N.Y., was shot in the elbow, the paper said. Ediger said his wound was treated in a clinic in Palenque, in northeastern Chiapas, Mexico. The others were treated there, then flown to a Miami hospital and later released. Ediger said four men with ri fles began firing at his group of about 20 rafters from a bank of the Usumacinta River, which di vides Chiapas from northwestern Guatemala. Mexican troops have been sta tioned in Chiapas since clashing with Zapatista guerillas last year. The fighting has stopped, but thou sands of rebel troops remain holed up in rural Chiapas. The rafters said the attack on them didn’t appear to be linked to the uprising. “As far as we could tell, (the robbers) had no political affilia tion,” said Ediger. “There was nothing to indicate they were any thing but bandits.” The rafters were ordered to pull over to the bank of the river and were being robbed at gun point when a Mexican army heli copter happened to fly by and frightened off the thieves, who fled with some of the rafters’ valu ables, Ediger said. Asked whether he would be tackling the Usumacinta River again soon, rafter Blake Harrison, 44, of Sante Fe, N.M., said, “I’m not sure I could give you a flat yes or no, but I figure you can be robbed on the streets of Austin.” Homeward bound Preparing for the ride home, Bradley Gohlke, a freshman environmental design majo’ unlocks his bicycle. L wor CounseLine labi) p , icha: Student Counseling Service can help with treatment of depression By Dr. Juan R. Riker Student Counseling Service Most of us feel depressed sometimes. Unfortunately, many of us in this culture have been conditioned to do one of two things with depression: either ig nore the feelings and hope they will go away or “self medicate.” The latter can be done in any num ber of ways, including eating, drink ing, using drugs, overworking and compulsive sexual behavior. The prob lem with these methods of dealing with depression is that none attend to the underlying causes. Ignoring the feelings, of course, won’t make them go away. Attempting to numb the pain is po tentially even more harmful, as we may fool ourselves into believing the problem is gone, such as constantly taking pain killers to deal with a phys ical problem. The illness isn’t being treated, only the pain. Depression, of course, can become dysfunctional and can seriously impair one’s ability to carry out normal tasks. In terms of assessing your own depres sive feelings, it can be helpful to examine them along four dimensions: frequency, severity, duration and consequences. How often do you feel depressed? Every day? Once a week? How bad do you feel? Totally hope less, like things will never change? Or just in a mild funk? How long does your depression last? A day? A week? A month? Finally, has your depression led to consequences, such as physical prob lems, problems with relationships or problems on the job or at school? If your answers tend to be on the more severe end of the continuum, it is probably time to consider getting help. There are several common symptoms of depression: Physiological: • Changes in sleeping patterns • Changes in appetite • Dramatic weight loss or gain • Fatigue or general low energy level • Physical pain, such as headaches or stomach aches Emotional: • Depressed mood, feeling sad, apa thetic or irritable • Feelings of worthlessness • Feelings of helplessness and hope lessness Cognitive: • Negative and critical self-talk such as “I can’t do anything right” • Distorted thought processes, such as minimizing positive events and mag nifying negative ones Behavioral: • Diminished interest in and enjoy ment of previously pleasurable activi ties • Difficulty concentrating or making decisions • Neglecting responsibility and per sonal appearance If you believe you may be experienc ing depression, it is important to realize that you do have options and you are not powerless. Depression is often an indication that there is something wrong that needs attention. The first thing to do is a self-assess ment. What is going on in your life? Are you feeling overly stressed? Are the de mands placed on you too much? It ' ln 5 may need to think about cutting back some areas. You may need soc L? 1 breathing room. Talking with a counselor is age [ Qw first step, and this may be all that needed. If your symptoms are extremelys* vere and include thoughts of suicide,t if the symptoms have been present lot long time, antidepressant medicate l on can also be helpful Here on campus, the Student Coi seling Service is an excellent resource Trained counselors, psychologic and psychiatrists are available to hi you develop a course of action to mi age your depression. In addition, thi are numerous off-campus commute resources and private practitioner! the Bryan-College Station area. the live boa swo Ip P ■as :S3i ip •P PARALEGAL INSTEAD OF LAW SCHOOL til just 5 months you can make your degree work for you as a Paralegal. Internships • Scholarships Nationwide Job Placement College Degree Required Call for a free video "Your Career In Law // 1-800-848-0550 DON'T MISS YOUR CHANCE TO TAKE A FULL LENGTH PRACTICE GMAT DENVER PARALEGAL INSTITUTE 1401 19th Street • Denver, CO 80202 American Bar Association Approved •Take a full-length GMAT (including the essays). •Receive a personalized, detailed score report. •Learn your GMAT strengths & weaknesses. Date: Saturday, April 29th Time: 9:00am-1:00pm Place: Room 113, Wehner Bldg. Cost: $5 in advance, $7 at the door. Sign up at our table in Wehner or at The Princeton Review office 313 Dominik Dr., College Station. 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