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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 16, 2000)
cMafie. PneatuMux* Qe*Uend> # 9 9 Of BRAZOS VALLEY Page 4A AGGIELIFE Thursduy. Noveink K jay. No THE BATTALION STILL HURTING FROM A PAST ABORTION? ♦ Peer Grief Counseling ♦ Help for Symptoms of Abortion Trauma ♦ 10-week Recovery Program ♦ Emotional & Spiritual Support ♦ Free & Confidential Call and ask for the PACE (Post Abortion Counseling & Education) Director. 846-1097 3620 E. 29TH ST • BRYAN www.rtis.com/hope Killing Time Caleb Carr Published by Random Hon; TONIGHT The InternationaUAssignment Hong Kong Antoine Black Published by S Affiliated Ladies" Night Mr. Styles is the modern equivalent of Shaft — or so the author would like readers to believe. The International is a series based on the adventures of Ladies 18 and up in FREE all night! s 1.00 PINTS ALL NIGHT 1.00 BAR DRINKS TIL 11 P.M. 696-5570 for details Party Safe and Designate a Driver Julian Styles, an African-American businessman with an affinity for beautiful women and shoot- ’em-ups in exotic locations. Sound familiar? Un fortunately, this book does not live up to either the James Bond or Shaft characters. The author concentrates on making his charac ter a new-age Renaissance man — highly educated and sophisticated, but quick with his fists, or guns, as the case may be. This technique would be mere ly hackneyed if not for the author’s incorporating one more facet to the character — a cool hip side. This aspect might have been endearing on the big screen, but in print it falls flat. Lines like “baddest mutha in the sea” just do not work in print. Overall, the author does little to set moods for events, relating them in chronological order like a laundry list rather than making the reader feel like a part of the action. The characters are so stereo typical they are unbelievable in an age of unbe lievable characters. Every element in the book is meant to create an atmosphere of opulence and splendor far beyond the reader’s life. This is the only part of the book that creates any atmosphere at all. But for those who cannot afford Jaguars, the book comes off sounding pretentious rather than glamorous. (Grade: D) — Jason Bennyhojf Caleb Carr is quickly establishing utation as the consummate crime rae of his first hit. The Alienist, wouldef: latest work. Killing Time. Carr retains highly detailed writing style that mad previous writings so engaging, 1 setting his detective drama in the past moves it 23 years into the future. This book is filled with plot twists surprises enough to keep even theta tentive reader spellbound. A departure: his Alienist series, the plot centersnm the influences of technology on socies on crime. In the futuristic setting Can scribes, the Internet is the primary®M ras t_ en information and disinformation world. Carr explores the degree to v4 such misinformation could ultimately heart w; ceive people and the effect it could has 0 p an , world politics and economies. Dr. Gideon Wolfe, the protagonistrj book, is a psychiatrist and criminolm mirrors the doctor in the Alienist send (API lique ct the heat aecuratf tients v surgery found. The I [which [which i: Ining tei [only tin The sitive tl attacks even k Dr. Ra; istudy. The jern Uni ical S) studied <n I yj— Learn More Do More. Chang and Eng Darin Strauss Published by Penguin Books Experienced Trainers State-of-the-Art Facility Satisfaction Guarantee Small classes for personal attention Pleasant learning environment Morning and afternoon refreshments TECHNICAL TRAINING Microsoft Exchange Server 2000 (5-day class) Call for details COMING SOON! A+ and Net+ classes coming soon! Darin Strauss’ first novel, Chang and Eng, the product of three years of research, weaves the tale of conjoined twins from Siam, better known as Chang and Eng. Although their names proba bly do not ring any bells, the book is based on the actual lives of the twins, whose canvassing of two continents in the 1800s left such a mark on people that, to this day, conjoined twins are still called Siamese twins. The book is historical fiction, meaning that while most of and perhaps all the characters in the story existed, the dialogue is merely Strauss’ account of what Eng may have thought or felt. Strauss is a talented writer. However, he falls into the same role he is trying to vilify — spectator — and reduces the twins’ story into the same fluff that Eng grates about for 23 chapters in the novel. The most infuriating element of the novel is that, because the language of the novel is lyrical and well-structured, readers might get the impression they are better than the leering, cat calling spectators Chang and Eng catered to during their lives and can understand and sympa thize with their grotesque bond. No, no, no. Through Chang and Eng, Strauss is playing a 21st century barker, cajoling readers into the tent, letting them feel the 5-inch band of cartilage and then spilling the twins’ dirty laundry of alcoholism and adul tery all over the stage as a finale. While the novel does attempt to present the twins in a respect ful and unremorseful way, it fails them by throwing in enough cal lous, tabloid bits to make the novel trying. Strauss shows him self to be a gifted writer, but his first novel is a bust. (Grade: D) — Beverly Mireles qu his brilliant but enigmatic personality gins the story searching for thecriminalti sortium that ordered the doctoringofara puter disc that showed the assass the first female American president, tries to prove the assassination theorytlaj| world believes is a hoax, but he soonfc himself trapped in the organization hei hunted. The rest of the novel centers ot self-examination about whetherheisu mately doing the right thing by teaching: pie the evils of misinformation,ont he has merely been brainwashed by these! aggrandizing criminals who surround him This is truly a novel for this modema»] of information and technology s may be overly paranoid, it is an read. (Grade: B+) —Jason Bern 1 A = Literary classic ^ = A cut above ^ = Passable reading Q = Don’t buy it F = Waste of pape DAY CLASSES 9:00 - 4:00 p.m. Nov, 13: Intro PowerPoint 2000 Nov. 14: Advanced Access 2000 Nov. 15: Advanced Excel 2000 Nov. 17: Intermediate Quick Books Pro 2000 Nov. 20: Intermediate Word 2000 Nov. 27: Intermediate Word '97 Nov. 28: Intro Windows '98 Nov. 29: Intermediate Excel '97 Nov. 30: Intro PowerPoint '97 Dec. I: Advanced Excel '97 Dec. 4: Advanced Word ‘97 Dec. 5: Intro Excel '97 Dec. 6: Intro Access '97 Dec. 7: Intermediate Access '97 Dec. 6: Intro Word '97 Call (979) 846-9727 for more information or register online at www.MicroAgeCS.com Authorized PROMETRIC T E S TIN G MsfMUSkM /MicroAge” Microsoft Certified Solution Provider College Station Service and solutions that work 8°t smiles? AGGIE OWNED AND OPERATED Class of 2001 Bring your smiling faces to AR Photography to get your FREE Senior picture taken for Texas A&M’s 2001 Aggieland yearbook. No appointment needed. Extended sittings available for $10. Visit AR Photography at 1410 Texas Ave. South (next to Copy Corner) or call 693-8183. 20 AGGIELAND (979) 845-268 I http://aggieland.tamu.edu artery c reporte land Jc The tradith and a softwa readin The heart ii 78 pen dicatic tioiiiir giopla: to the 1 In s 75 pei dead,j strong plasty. “T quite p Beller cardio panyir He edon Latin & Dance Music Party ^Benefiting 'Toys Tor Tots" for the CfvUdren of Honduras Friday tS[pvemBer 17tfi 8:00 p.nu -1:00 am. OQiiyfits of CoCumBus JHaCC LEONARD RD. BRYAN GROESBECK ST. Midnight ‘Drawing for a l(pund ‘Trip AirCine Tichjet*lll s 5.00 Ter ‘Person StlCproceeds go to the Toys for Tots for the children of Honduras Sponsored 6y the Honduran Aggies •us 4/states The Texas A&M Debate Society PRESENTS. Resolved: The United States should significantly alter its system of electing a President. Date: Thursday, November 16 Time: 7:30pm !|| Place: Rudder 308 Come and enjoy this public debate brought to you by the Texas A&M Debate Society and the Department of Spdech Communication. Aggieland Ducks Unlimited Fall 2000 Banquet November 16, 2000 Brazos Center 6 pm Aggieland Ducks Unlimited www.geocities.com/tamu_du/index.html Presale tickets available @ Sullivan's Outfitters, MSC Box Office, or Burden and Sons Outfitters Presale tickets $25/person or $40/couple $30/person or $50/couple at the door Ticket price includes Membership to Ducks Unlimited For more info email iamt i du€*Hiotmat1 .com The Brazos Center is located on Briarcrest: l A mile past Highway 6 J.