The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, February 18, 1998, Image 6

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    ’ The Battalion
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WW %Jr mm ■
Wednesday • February 18,19)
Focus on Taiwan crash
shifts to cause, victims
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Investi
gators reconstructing the route of
China Airlines Flight CI676 fo
cused Tuesday on why the jet
veered off a seemingly routine ap
proach at the last moment, crash
ing and exploding into flames just
short of the runway.
It was Taiwan’s worst plane crash,
killing 203 people — everyone on
board, including at least four Amer
icans, and seven on the ground —
and destroying a string of homes
near Taipei’s airport Monday.
Soldiers, police and firefighters
picked through shoes and engine
parts Hiesday, looking for remains
and personal items to help identify
the victims. Cries of grieving relatives
mixed with Buddhist funeral chants
at a blue-and-orange tent nearby.
Most of the dead were tourists
returning home from the resort is
land of Bali, but Taiwan’s respected
Central Bank governor, his wife,
and four other finance officials also
were aboard.
Dazed by his loss, Chien Ming-
hsing looked Tuesday for the re
mains of 13 relatives, including his
son, daughter and his grandchil
dren. They were vacationing to
gether on Bali.
Eighty-six victims had been
identified by Tuesday.
Although the plane crashed in fog
and a light rain, investigators were
looking elsewhere for a cause. Initial
information suggested that despite
the weather, the veteran pilots had
been on a routine approach until
just before the accident.
Flight data records had been re
covered and sent to the United States
for analysis, airport officials said.
A recording of cockpit conversa
tions with the control tower indicat
ed that the pilot of the twin-engine
Airbus sought permission to land
when the jet still was on course.
He then lost touch and did not
answer a question about whether he
would try a second approach. The
recording offered no information to
confirm reports from the airline that
the pilot was trying a second ap
proach when the plane crashed.
Two beeps were then heard on
the tape. Chang Kuo-cheng, Tai
wan's deputy director of civil aero
nautics, said they could have been
from the plane’s warning system.
Chang said the plane touched
ground off the runway, hit a util
ity pole and a highway median
about 200 feet from the runway.
It then skidded into several hous
es, surrounded by fish farms, rice
paddies, factories and warehous
es, and exploded.
A resident near the airport
told a radio station that he saw
the jetliner apparently prepar
ing to land, “as if the pilot mis
took the spacious highway for
the runway.”
St. Mary's Respect Life Commission &
Peace Lutheran Church invite you to hear the story of:
Narma McCorueu
Who was "Roe" in the "Roe vs. Wade" Case that
legalized abortion in the United States.
Norma McCorvey is now a Christian and an encouraging
member of the Pro-Life Movement
Friday, February 20, 1998
7:00 p.m. Rudder Theater
TAMU MSC Stark MBA/Law West Coast Trip
March 15-22, 1998
Spring Break
Visit top business and law schools in California,
Stanford, UC Berkeley, USC, and UCLA,
and the Thunderbird School of International Management
in Glendale, Arizona
10-12 student trip participant spaces
Preferred qualifications: Sophomores and Above
with GPA 3.5 overall or significant student leadership experience
with a 3.3 over the last 45 hours
Estimated Cost $800.00
Applications to include resume, copy of transcript of coursework and
Personal statement (1 page) explaining why you think this trip will be helpful
to you in developing your career and life paths
Contact Amy Callaway at 693-1999
Or Paul Henry and Charlotte Jamieson at 845-6790
Email: phenry@tamu.edu orjamieson@tamu.edu
Applications due by 5:00 p.m on Thursday, February 19
Persons with disabilities please call 845-6790 to inform us of your special needs.
r
oME/y
Ms
o
The Women In Science and A
Engineering (WISE), an organization of
women graduate and undergraduate
students, staff and faculty will host its
fifth annual all-day professional and
career development conference.
The conference "Designing Your Career" which will take place on
Saturday, February 21, 1998, at the MSC on the Texas A&M cam
pus, will focus on giving participants the skills and insights needed
to succeed in the scientific and technological workplace of the year
2000 and beyond.
Participants will select from topics such as:
Outsmarting Entropy
What is Professionalism!'
Visual Thinking: Entering Through the Back Door
This year's keynote speaker will be the Associate Provost for
Undergraduate Programs and Academic Services at Texas A&M
University, Dr. Sal lie Sheppard.
Contact Nancy Magnussen at (409) 845-5587 or via e-mail at
nancy@isc.tamu.edu for registration information. Free child care
will be provided on site. Registration deadline is February 19.
Sponsors: Office of the Vice President for Research and Associate
Provost for Graduate Studies, College of Engineering, College of
Agriculture and Life Sciences, College of Geosciences & Maritime
Studies, College of Veterinary Medicine
Corporate Sponsors: GTE, Bayer Corporation, Schlumberger,
DuPont, and Tl (corporate sponsors will have representatives at the
conference)
V
Voters turn out for Indian election
despite threats of rising violeno
NEW DELHI, India (AP) — Indi
ans voted in large numbers despite
bomb explosions and shootings dur
ing parliamentary elections,
prompting government officials and
analysts to declare Tuesday diat the
world’s largest democracy is thriving.
More than 55 percent of regis
tered voters turned out Monday to
elect 222 deputies in the first phase
of staggered voting, similar to
turnout figures in previous elections.
It will take five more days of balloting
to complete the elections for India’s
545-seat lower house of parliament.
“In the turbulence of a maturing
democracy, the elections are a re
sounding success,” said B.G. Vergh-
ese, political analyst at the Center
for Policy Research.
Election-related violence
killed 22 people Monday. Twenty
died in eastern Bihar state amid
land mine explosions and clash
es among rival political groups.
One person died in the north
eastern Assam state and another
in southern Andhra Pradesh.
At least four boys were killed by
a bomb blast Tuesday in the
southern town of Coimbatore, po
lice said. The boys were playing
cricket in a neighborhood park
dominated by Muslims when they
opened a bag containing the ex
plosive. Explosions in the same
town killed 54 people Saturday.
In the northern state of Pun
jab, 20 political activists were in
jured Tuesday in fighting between
armed members of the governing
local Akali Dal party and the in
fluential Congress Party.
The voting went ahead in as
many as a quarter million polling
stations. Polling will have to be
scheduled again in several hun
dred districts because of violence
or other problems. More than 600
million Indians were registered
to vote in the staggered ballot,
choosing from among some
5,000 candidates from more than
100 political parties.
In the remote northeastern
Tripura state, where an ongoing
insurgency and decades of ethnic
conflict has claimed hundreds of
lives, turnout was 85 percent, offi
cials said. In Assam — where a
banned separatist group, United
Liberation Force of Assam, threat
ened violence if voters ventured
out — turnout was 43 percent.
“People defied the boycott
call," said Assam Chief Minister
Prafulla Kumar Mahanta.
Violence did have an impact. In
1996, about 69 percent of the elec
torate voted in Assam. In Tamil
Nadu, where a series of bomb blasts
Saturday killed 54 people and in-
Qoiden National Honor Society
General Meeting
Wednesday, Feb. 18 th • 7:00 p.m. MSC 201
^THURSDAY
LADIES NIGHT
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Coming April 2nd
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RECORDING
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Diision .Livestock 1 * RACY BYRD &
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> what are the Islamic Beliefs?!
> what Islam says about Jesus?!
> what is the Islamic concept of
Salvation & Judgment?!
EDUCATE yourself on the fastest growing way of life in
the world today 6t attend ISLAM 101 this semester!!!
^ No Registration Required!
-y- Plenty of Informative Discussion!
Answers to Your Questions!
Sessions Start TONIGHT!!!
Schedule:
Feb.18
MSC 342
March 4 & 25
TPM
April 8 & 22
For more info call: 862-9452
or email: islaml0l@tamu.edu
Sponsored by Muslim Students’ Association
India’s elections turn violent
More than 55 percent of
India’s registered voters
participated in the first
phase of parliamentary
elections Monday, despite
bomb explosions, threats
of violence and shootings.
Violent incidents
© Bihar: Twenty die amid
land mine explosions,
snatching of ballot papers
and intimidation of voters
Assam: One dead
Andhra Pradesh:
)ne dead
Coimbatore: At least
four boys killed Tuesday.
Explosions Saturday killed
54 people.
Tamil Nadu: Bomb
blasts Saturday killed 54
people and injured
nearly 200
Boundary
ciairnod t.y India
CHINA
New Q
Delhi
©
One
Bombay
Arabian
Sea
INDIA
©
oo
BANGLADESH
Andhra Pradesh
Coimbatore
SRI
LANKA
jured nearly 200, only 45 percent of
the electorate voted Monday.
N. Bhaskar Rao at the Center for
Media Studies said turnout was also
affected by apathy from voters who
believe the elections will only result
in another deadlocked parliament.
Elections were called three years
early after 1996 voting resulted in
no party winning a majority in par
liament. Politicians tried and failed
to form an enduring rainoi
coalition government.
The Congress Party, whicfcl
governed India for all but five
since independence, hasbeei
tered by accusations it is con
and out of touch. The Hindu
tionalist Bharatiya Janata Pari
expected to win the most sea
these elections, but not thern^
ty needed to govern alone.
Takina the
GftE
in April?
Another reasoi
to sign up for
The Princeton
Review NOW:
Veteran Instructors
[ The teachers For this April’s pencil and pa
per GRE here at TAMU have over 14 years
combined persona I experience helping people
do their very best on this difficult test.
You deserve every advantage.
Courses start th|| Saturday.
THE
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(409) 696-909!
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ODDER OF OMEGA
PRESENTS
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ED COLORS
Tuesday, February 17 - Greek vs. Corps - 7:30*9:30 pi
Basketball Game at G. Rollie White, admission $2.
Wednesday, February 18
Penny Wars begin outside the MSC by Rudder Fountain
Sign-In tables will be set up. Your chapter must suppi
their own decorated container.
Thursday, February 19 - Intramurals Begin - 3-6 pi
Duncan Field - Your chapter can set up Greek Letters o
the field!
Pat Green - 8:00 p.m.-l:00 a.m.
Pat Green at the Texas Hall of Fame!!
Elvis T. Busboy & Blues Butchers will be opening.
$10 in advance/$12 at the door.
Friday, February 20 - 3:00-6:00 p.m.
Intramurals at Duncan Field - Flag Football Only !!•
WHOOP!
Saturday, February 21 - Philanthropy Event -12:00 pi
We will accompany the Boys & Girls Club to the
A&M Basketball game at G.Rollie White Colliseum
First Ever Greek Week Finale and Awards! - 8 p m
At the Tap
THE
TEXAS
X OF FAME
1998
^Barracuda Bar^
Proceeds benefitting the Still Creek Ranch