Penn State University - La Vie Yearbook (University Park, PA)

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National Inflation Americans are perhaps becoming con- ditioned to a soaring inflation rate, one which has increased more than 19 per- cent in the past year. Construction has slowed, along with industrial expansion. High interest rates have forced consum- ers to rely less on credit buying and begin using cash. OPEC has raised the price of energy resources by 99 percent since 1979, with gas reaching a high $1.30 per gallon. In addition, the prime interest rate went from 11.5 percent in 1979 to over 18.5 percent in a year. The Consumer Price Index, a standard measure of inflation, showed an increase of almost 100 per- cent in the past decade. But perhaps there are a few bright spots amid the gloom. Even though food prices are 20 percent higher than they were in 1978. a Barbie doll costs 10 per- cent less than in 1979, and the basic Bic pen still sells for its 1959 price of 29 cents. eCarol Koehler ABSCAM Operation ABSCAM uncovered a major bribery scandal while stirring criticism of its own methods. It was per- haps the largest. and most controversial federal investigation of corruption to in- volve Capitol Hill. As details seeped out, 31 federal, state and local officials were identified as subjects of the inquiry. Ca- reers were threatened, the entire New Jersey casino industry was thrown into turmoil. and Congress itself was under a cloud once again. ABSCAM also raised serious ques- tions about the undercover listing oper- ation used to snare the suspects. Federal agents. masquerading as wealthy Arabs, put out word of their interest in buying political influence and met with interest- ed parties at various locations. ult was a setup. a goddamn setup, thundered House Speaker Tip OiNeill. Others were troubled because the news media ran the story in great detail before a single piece ofevidence was pre- sented to a grand jury. Some congress- men and the League of Arab States also objected to ABSCAM for ttdistorting and abusing the Arab image. L eScott Smith 12 National Mount Saint Helens Erupts In April 1980, Washington State's 677-foot volcano. Mount Saint Helens, erupted several times, finally settling 1,300 feet below its original height and killing at least 18 people. Nearly five inches of ash and dust covered surround- ing areas before it was cleared away with snow removal equipment. Over 150 miles of timber was knocked down and the officials feared damage to three nearby dams. In addition, ash and dust had to be blown off crops to prevent damage. The volcano, part of the Cascade Range, lies 40 miles west of Portland. Heat Wave Hits Southwest Early last summer. the southwestern states experienced one of the worst heat waves to ever hit the area. Temperatures soaring up to 110 degrees claimed the lives of many. The heat wave originated when a massive high-pressure system moved north from the Gulf of Mexico, stopping over Texas and covering the Southwest with a six-mile-wide blanket of tropical air. For many, the heat wave was only a minor inconvenience to be combated with air-conditioning in homes. cars, and offices. However, the poor and elderly could not find such reliefand. therefore, fell victim to the unrelenting heat. Loss of crops and animals were also high. eJim Metzgar Mount Saint Helens is a relatively young volcano. about 37,000 years old. The eruption was the first in the continental United States since 1917 when Mount Lasson in North California completed a series of volcanic events. Since Mount Saint Helens was to erupt for some time. the event came as no shock to authori- ties. The mountain first began to roar. and in the next few days, the volcano issued a column of smoke, debris, and ash that towered 20,000 feet above the mountain. Mount Saint Helens contin- ued to be active into the winter months. -Jim Metzgar Toxic Shock News of a disease labeled toxic shock syndrome, which claimed seven lives in a relatively short time. Symptons included fever, vomiting, diarrhea, rash, de- creased blood pressure and internal or- gan malfunction. Fifty-two of the 55 re- ported cases were women, most of whom were having their menstrual period. Death was caused from a rapid drop in blood pressure. Investigations showed that nearly all the women used tampons. particularly a new brand named Rely. Proctor 8L Gam- ble immediately recalled their product, while other tampon manufacturers is- sued warnings on their packages. The disease. which infects 2,000 peo- plc a year, is probably caused by a toxin released into the blood stream by a bac- teria. eCindy Halterman

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Vance Resigns . Secretary of State Cyrus Vance re- sngned from office in May 1980 in pro- test of President Carterls attempt to res- cue the American hostages in Iran. He was the first Secretary of State since William Jennings Bryan to leave a presi- dent on an issue of principle. After a final face-to-face meeting to change the Presidents mind on the issue, Vance wrote out his resignation. Carter recruited Senator Edmund Muskie to replace Vance. Muskiels nomination was well received in Con- gress, by the media, and around the world. In his 22 years on Capitol Hill, Muskie rose to become a member of the Senate's inner circle, as well as one of its most popular and respected members. Few doubted that his blunt style and Cengressional connections would make him an effective advocate of foreign poli- Cy and establish him as a formidable counterweight to White House national security advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski. -Scott Smith Billygate For several months. Billy Carter had been paying visits to the terrorist coun- try 0f Lybia. No one paid much atten- tion until he applied for registration as a foreign agent six months after he re- ceived a $220,000 ttloan from the Ly- bian government. Members of Congress began raising eyebrows. Why had Billy waited so long to register and what part did the White House play? The new catchword became uBilly- gateii as a Senate investigation was con- ducted. Did Billy intervene on Lybiais behalf so the Carter administration Would lift the ban on the delivery of eight C-130 Hercules military aricraft to the country? Did someone in President Carteris State Department tip Billy off to register before he was found out? The Senate hearing revealed discre- pancies between the stories of Billy Carter, the White House and the Senate Department, but the committee could not conclude that anything illegal had occurred. The incident uncovered little except for a few more stones on the President's rocky road to re-election. -Cindy Halterman Draft Resumes A decision was made to register four million l9-and-20-year-old men in America for the draft. The $13.3 million plan. a reaction to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. involved collecting the names. addresses. and dates of birth. along with the Social Security numbers of all eligible men. Draft registration methods were explained over 7.000 radio stations. 730 television stations, and in 2.500 newspapers. In January, a similar registration occurred for all the men who had reached the age of 18. Anyone failing to sign up faced a $10,000 fine or a five-year jail sentence. though the Selective Service admitted it would have a difficult time identifying offenders. However, registration at local post offices went rather smoothly. The event was stalled for a short time while the American Civil Liberties Union took the issue to court. complain- ing that a men-only registration was dis- criminatory. But the protest was short lived. If the quality of the all-volunteer army continues to deteriorate, the need for a partial draft may develop. -Jim Metzgar j Women Graduate Last spring. for the first time in histo- ry, women were among the graduates of the nations service academies. At the US. Military Coast Guard Academy New London, Conn, 227 women received diplomas and became commissioned officers in the armed forces. Although some of the traditional physical training requirements were re- laxed for them, the women held their own in the classroom; many graduated in the upper third of their classes. Howev- eri dropout rates for women were sub- stantially higher. For those who made it to graduation. problems still remained. Combat duty. the quickest route to promotion, is barred to women by law, leaving admin- istrative jobs for them. Additonally, the women graduates agree that the acade- miesl hazing rituals were particularly in- tense for them because they were such a novelty. One graduate offered this ad- vice to those women who will follow her: liHang in there. his not impossible. We muddled through. alill Rippey J National 1 l

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Actorsi Strike On July 21. after negotiators failed to agree on a new contract, 60,000 mem- bers of the Screen Actors Guild tsAGl and the American Federation of Televi- sron and Radio Artists tAFTRAl struck the motion picture and television indus- W. The two-month walkout, the longest actorsl strike in history, halted work on 50 television series and more than 20 films. The central issue in the negotiations Was how to compensate performers in PFOgrams sold to cable television and to manufacturers of video cassettes and discs. The actors union finally agreed to accept a contract that assured them of 4-5 percent of gross revenues after the sale of 100,000 cassettes or discs, and 4.5 Percent after each pay television outlet has shown a film or program for 10 days. TheIunion also accepted a 32.5 percent minimum pay increase over the next three years, raising their present salary of $225 a day to $298. -Jill Rippey Who Shot J .R.? . One of the big news stories of the year involved CBS-TVis Friday night soap opera, iiDallasii, the story of the oil e and ranching - rich Ewings. uThe guy everyone loves to hate, the villanous JR. Ewing, was shot by an unknown as- sailant in the last episode of the 1979 season. Fans of the show were left hang- lng throughout the summer and well into fall wondering whodunit. llDallas had such a large following in England that even the conservative BBC ran a story on J.R3s shooting. Wagers totalling over $235,000 were placed on the assailant in London alone. And in answer to Britainis cry of HR. for Presi- dent, Larry Hagman, who plays J.R., replied in character, ftSure. But first Cengress has to raise the salary to $5 million a year?' As of June, Londoners had the closest odds set as: Kristin Shep- ard, 4-1; Sue Ellen Ewing, 3-1; and the suPposedly dead Dusty Farlow, 2-1. The dilemna over llDallasii was finally resolved Nov. 21 at 10:56 pm. Who shot J1.R.? His mistress and wifeis sister Kris- tin Shepard. eCarol Koehler Alfred Hitchcock He was called the master of suspense, a technical genius, the most popular and celebrated filmmaker ever. Sir Alfred Hitchcock died on Apr. 29, 1980, in Los Angeles, of arthritis and kidney failure. He was a conservative man, a connois- seur of fine foods and wines, a practical joker and a multimillionaire. Hitchcock studied engineering and art at St. Ignatius College. He directed his first film, The Pleasure Garden. in 1925. then went to Hollywood in 1939 and made his Oscar-winning film Rebec- ca. His television show that began in the late 195015 caught up millions of viewers in psychological thrillers. Films such as North By Northwest, The Birds, Spell- bound, and the ever-popular Psycho earned him international acclaim. Hitchcock received the Irving G. Thal- berg Memorial Award from the Motion Picture Academy in 1967 and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1979. Films, television, cameo appearances e all were a part of the man who delivered his most famous line in his own solemn voice . . . 1'Good evening. -Carol Koehler Steve McQueen On Nov. 7, actor Steve McQueen, 50, died of a rare form of cancer, labeled mesothelomia. Known for his tough guy rules in more than two dozen films, McQueen could be seen driving in a dar- ing car chase in Bullitt, leading a prison escape in Papillon, and masterminding an intricate theft in The Thomas Crown Affair. His life offscreen reflected his film image. A reform-school graduate, he later worked as a deckhand, a lum- berjack. and an oil rigger before turning to acting. Other more personal interests include motorcycles, airplanes, and auto-racing. He denied rumors of illness for months. Although he was told of his ail- ment in April 1980. After conventional treatment did not help, McQueen flew to Juarez, Mexico to receive laetrile ther- apy and an unorthodox nutritional treat- ment, designed to include a special diet, nutritional supplements, and ffpositive thinking. eJim Metzgar j Peter Sellers Once hailed as 11the Prime Minister of Mirth, comedian Peter Sellers died from a heart attack in August at age 54. He is remembered for his diverse comic roles in numerous films, copying voices and mannerisms of his associates. Born in 1925, Sellers was expected to follow the example of his parents and grandparents, all music hall entertain- ers. However, while imitating his offi- cers in the R.A.F., he discovered his true talent was mimicry. His first work was with the BBC on the Goon Show. After starring in the film, I'm All Right, Jack. Sellers developed a reputation for his ffworkaholic, a drive he retained even after suffering a heart attack at age thir- ty-eight. Much of his fame stemmed from one character, the bumbling Inspector Clou- seau in the Pink Panther film series. His latest critical success was as the idiot gardener, Chance, in Being There. Oth- er famous Sellers works include Dr. Strangelove, Lolita, The Mouse That Roared, and What's New Pussycat? eJim Metzgar J ohn Lennon In late December 1980, John Lennon, ex-member of the legendary rock group, the Beatles, was shot and killed by a der- anged assassin named Mark Chapman. Lennon was 40 years old. Born in Liverpool, England, in 1940, Lennon formed his first rock and roll band at age 16 with Paul McCartney. George Harrison and drummer Ringo Starr joined a few years later. The Bea- tles gained increasing popularity and in- ternational acclaim between 1962 and 1970 as ftBeatlemaniail swept around the world. Although the group disband- ed upon the arrival of the Seventies, the Beatles left a permanent mark on the music industry. In 1966, Lennon met artist Yoko Ono, whom he later married, and devoted much of his energy toward raising their son Sean. Because Lennon believed that peace and love were possible answers to the worlds problems, his death became a tragic irony mourned by millions around the globe. - Jim Metzgar J National 13