1985_10 The Daily Collegian October 1985

              Page 2
OPINION
Oct. 21,1985
He's King of Horror Mountain
No contemporary writer has captured
the imagination ofthe American motion
picture industry as strongly as Stephen
King. By the close of 1984, every one of
King's published novels had been adapted
for the screen or was in some stage of
production. One short story, "Children of
the Com"(from "Night Shift"), had been
translated onto film and "The Body"
(from "Different Seasons") was under
development. "Silver Bullet," the film
adaptation ofthe little known King novella
"Cycle of the Werewolf," was released
Oct. II.
Nearly every major director in the horror
genre has handled a King property and
Steven Speilberg is slated to direct "The
Talisman," King's recent collaboration
wilh Peter Straub. King himself has written
three original film anthologies ("Creep-
show," "Creepshow 11." and "Cat's Eye"),
each based upon previously published
material and new tales conceived especially
for the screen. Early in 1986. King will
make his directorial debut with "Maximum
Overdrive," based on the short story
-Trucks."
Despite the popular success of his fiction
tors, adaptations of King's works has proven
unbalanced at best.
The second best adaptation is "Carrie."
(1976) directed by Brian DePalma.
DePalma's earlier films include "Sisters"
(1973), "Dressed to Kill" (1980) and
"Scarface" (1983). "Carrie" is probably
the most significant of the adaptations be¬
cause it was the springboard for some
major talent. Sissy Spacck and Piper
Laurie received Academy Award nomina¬
tions. John Travolta. Nancy Allen. Amy
Irving and William Katt arc among other
actors to begin their careers with "Carrie."
On the heels of "Carrie" was a bland
four-hour, run-of-the-tube adaptation of
"Salem's Lot" (1979) on CBS. Despite a
teleplay that captured the spirit of the
novel, the poor direction by Tobe Hooper
("The Texas Chainsaw Massacre." "Pol¬
tergeist") condemned it lo lackluster.
"The Shining" (1980), produced and
directed by Stanley Kubrick. King said
that it was the worst adaptation, but con¬
siders it a "flawed masterpiece." Kubrick
is successful to a point with the effects.
No, not the bloodbath scenes, but the
effects on you mind. Unfortuneately, even
good mental hocus-pocus cant compen¬
sate for a story that makes no sense.
Of the film adaptations. King's favorite
is "Cujo"( 1983), directed by Lewis Teague
("Alligator." "Cat's Eye"). This is ironic
since "Cujo" is as far as King has gotten
from a straight horror story in a full-
length novel. Another interesting wrinkle
is that King was responsible for the one
major change from book to film: the
retracting of Tad Trenton's death.
The most innovative director of a King
property was David Cronenberg, the
twisted mind behind "Rabid"( 1977), "The
Brood" (1979). "Scanners" (1981) and
"Videodrome"(!982). In 1983, he adapted
""The Dead Zone," which proved to be a
real departure for the director. "Zone"
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The founder of the "slash^and-stalk"
epic adapted "Christine" in 1983. John
Carpenter's "Halloween" (1978) sired a
slew of sexist imitations while "Escape
from New York"(l98l)and "The Thing"
(1982) proved how good a cheap film
could be. Carpenter bought the rights to
the novel while it was still in manuscript
and the film was released four days before
Ihe hardcover edition hit the stands.
Next was "Children of ihe Corn,"( 1984)
an occasionally inspired, but. alas, ulti¬
mately forfeitable 90-minuie adaptation
of a 22-page short story. Director Fritz
Kiersch cranked out the thing in less than
a month, and it shows. The film is highly
exploitive of King's name and it's one
redeeming feature is that it stars a lot of
actors who might go on to better things.
"Firestarter" (1984), once optioned by
Carpenter, instead fell into the capable
hands of Mark Lester ("Class of S4"). It
attempted to utilize a lot of big-name tal¬
ent (George C. Scott. Martin Sheen, Art
Carney, Louise Fletcher) like "Carrie,"
but fell far short of its impact.
And finally, there was "Silver Bullet,"a
faithful, above-average adaptation. Re¬
grettably, the film suffers from the worth¬
less "padding" that ruined "Children of
the Corn."
Speculation is the key term here when
discussing King adaptations. King's screen¬
plays for "Cujo" and "Children of the
Corn" were rewritten by others who were
awarded sc
n credit. What might have
Currently, King is working with George
Romero (well-known for his "Night ofthe
Living Dead"trilogy) on the film adapta¬
tion of "The Stand." He said that it will be
the last time hell attempt to adapt one of
his novels ("It's too much like eating left¬
overs.") and will concentrate on original
Maybe the master of the macabre will
become the master of the movies after all.
Increase not necessarily
imminent, says Hansen
STUDENT
BASKETBALL TICKETS
Lottery applications are now available in the AS Office,
CU 316, Joyal Administration Cashier or the Bulldog
Stadium Ticket Office. Applications will be accepted
starting Monday, October 28.
'Lottery Application
'Cashier Check or money order payable to
FSU Ticket Office. (No cash or personal check)
'Self addressed stamped envelope
-TO-
Joyal Administration Cashier 8:30 - 5:00
 or FSU Ticket Office 9:00 - 6:00
NO APPLICATIONS ACCEPTED
AFTER 6PM FRIDAY,  NOV. 1
DRAWING WILL TAKE PLACE
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4TH AT 10 AM
SATELLITE CU
If you are not picked during the lottery you can pick up your
deposit refund beginning Tuesday, Novembe'r 5th at the FSU
ticket office. ^^^^^^^^^^m^^^^^^^mtmiIMm
The location of Camp-In Ticket Sales to be held
Saturday, October 26 will be broadcast on KFSR.
between 12-2 PM the same day.
Students are busy with classes, home¬
work and part-time jobs so I would like to
point out a few issues that need immediate
student attention. These concerns are
brought about by either a time deadline or
effects on your wallet.
The item concerning students'money is
the rumored fee increase. Many people
That is not necessarily true. The CSU
Board of Trustees has proposed a fee
increase of 10 percent. Such an increase is
equal to SSI and would bring the base
tuition total to J630 a year. However,
before the increase is imposed it must pass
with the State Legislation. Recent action
taken by our legislators and the Governor
leads me to believe that this will not occur.
J ust this year State Legislators passed a
bill limiting and defining student fee
increases. The bill sets the maximum fee
increase at 10 percent. The new law goes
on to say that any increase must be
"gradual, moderate and predictable."
Deukmejian last year appropriated JI4.3
million to maintain undergraduate fees at
the previous years' level. There have also
been rumors that the Governor will be
committed to maintaining fees at the same
level. The Governors' commitment to
maintain students' fees suggests that the
CSU Board of Trustees proposal will not
1 for I
s the
scheduled graduation date. As it stands
the ceremony is planned for the middle of
finals week. Spring semester finals are
scheduled to begin in the middle of the
week and continue into the next. Grad¬
uation is planned for the weekend between
The Senate plans to discuss this potential
problem at its October 22 meeting. A
decision to either support the scheduled
graduation date or oppose it will be made
at this time. It is important that you, the
students, let the senators know your feel¬
ings on the issue so thai they may best
work in your interest.
The final item I would like to bring to
yourattention is the possibility of bringing
the Kaplan IS AT Prep Course on campus.
This eight session course designed to
prepare potential law students for the
Kaplan Law School Admission Test Prep
Course has never before been offered in
the valley. We are working to change that.
If the minimum of 20 applicants register
for the test it will be offered. Kaplan's
course is one ofthe most highly regarded
for preparing students for the LSAT.
More information and registration forms
are available at the Associated Students
Office in the College Union #316.
Jeff Hansen
President, Associated StudenU
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Oct. 21,1985
NEWS
PagcS
El Salvador: 1525-1950s
El Salvador is the smallest and
most densely populated country in
Central America. It has a population
of 5 million people, with over I mil¬
lion of those refugees.
Since 1980, the United Slates has
provided the Salvadoran government
with over SI.7 billion in aid with
over three-quarters of that amount in
military or military-related aid.
The goal ofthe Reagan administra¬
tion has always been to defeat a revo¬
lution in that country, a revolution
lhat Reagan has consistanlly por-
"democracy."
Critics of Reagan's military support
ofthe Salvadorarrgovernment say the
roots ofthe revolution lie in decades
of poverty and oppression.
The causes ofthe current political
turmoil is the subject of this three-
part series, the first of which exam¬
ines Salvadoran history from 1525 to
the 1950s.
The Spanish conquered the area
that is now known as El Salvador in
1525. It became a part of tbe Cap¬
taincy/General of Guatemala. Under
Spanish rule, a debt-peonage system
was established in which plantation
owners owned most of the arable
land, and in which families lived and
worked on the plantations and were
paid in food and clothing.
Indigenous Indians were allowed to
remain on communal lands, where
nfood. .
The 1880s marked the beginning of
a "coffee boom" in Latin America
that reshaped the political and eco¬
nomic conditions in El Salvador.
Coffee growers needed larger plan¬
tations and cheaper labor to compete
with their South American
counterparts.
Indians and peasants that had been
allowed small plots of land to grow
their own corn and beans were sud¬
denly and violently forced off their
land. Whole villages and communal
lands were absorbed into the coffee
plantations.
The Salvadoran oligarchy, later to
be known as the "Fourteen Families,"
aligned itself with the military. Mil¬
itary officers were given top govern¬
mental posts in return for the protec¬
tion of the plantations.
By tbe 1920s, virtually all the ara¬
ble land in the country was in the
hands of the oligarchy. The banking
system, the markets, and the govern¬
ment were completely dominated by
what Walter LaFeber, a Cornell his¬
torian, calls "the military-oligarchy
"The history of El Salvador is the
history of being ripped off," said
CSUF history professor Loy Bilder¬
back. "Healthy governmental institu¬
tions were never allowed to develop."
Robbed of their land and thcir
food supply, the vast majority of Sal-
vadorans began to starve.
As the coffee plantations grew in
size, com, beans, and fruit became
increasingly scarce. Food had to be
imported, but only the rich could
afford it.
Some of the "coffee barons" began
to invest their profits in railroads and
industry, and they developed close
ties with North American business.
The depression of 1929 cut coffee
revenues by over one half. Worker
and peasant unrest began to grow.
The president at the time, Pio
Romero Bosque, tried to open up the
political system for the first time in
Salvadoran history. Mass movements
grew, and Romero became known as
"the Father of Salvadoran demo¬
cracy." As a result, the oligarchy
regrouped and moved away from the
government.
A military coup in 1931 installed
Gen. Maximiliano Hernandez Mar¬
tinez as president. Tbe oligarchy and
the miliury were still in control.
In 1932, Augustin Farabundo
Marti began to organize a mass
The government learned of Marti's
plans. Marti and other leaders had
second thoughts about the rebellion,
and it was called off. This news did
not reach the rural areas, and large
numbers of poorly armed peasants
began to uke control of the land.
The oligarchy retaliated, and Mar¬
tinez's army massacred 30,000 people
in a two-week period. Marti and
other leaders were captured and shot.
Martinez became the oligarchy's
hero, and be was granted informal
recognition by tbe United Sutes, and
later fully recognized by Roosevelt in
1934.
Martinez remained E] Salvador's
miliury dictator until 1944.
He had fascist sympathies and had
to be persuaded by the United Sutes
to declare war on the Axis powers
during World War II.
"It is a greater crime to kill an ant
than a person," he once said,
"because tbe person is bom again at
death while the ant dies forever."
Any type of union activity under
Martinez was immediately labeled
"communist." The army ran tbe coun¬
try in all matters except finance and
agriculture, which were controlled by
the oligarchy.
After Martinez was forced from
power, the miliury reuined political
control. Other miliury dictators such
as Col. Arturo Armando Molina and
Gen. Humberto Romero were
brought to power through fraudulent
elections.
Following a world-wide cotton
shortage during World War II, a tex¬
tile industry began to develop and
cotton production increased sharply.
By the 1950s, land ukeovers by ihe
oligarcy accelerated to accommodate
the growing demand for cotton,
industrialization reached new highs,
and U.S. interest and involvement
Acid deposition in Sierras studied
A long-term study on the effects of
pollution in the Sierra Nevada is being
conducted with the assistance of a CSU F
professor.
Geography professor Donald Morgan
said the study is to "check the situation of
acid deposition in the Sierra, especially in
the national parks."
Morgan said over a decade ago, acid
rain was noted in this country and Western
Europe. It was connected, he said, to
industry and the burning of fossil fuels
that contain sulfur compounds.
"The soil can buffer acid rain and acid
deposition for a while," said Morgan, "but
the soil will eventually run out of the
compounds that neutralize tbe acids."
He said the reason tbe Sierra Nevada is
being looked at carefully is because it has
very thin soil and a lot of granite areas.
"Any acid rain or acid deposition would
collect very quickly in the lakes and
streams,"said Morgan. "That's why they're
very concerned."
Morgan said the national parks started
conducting biological surveys about two
years ago and are concerned about the
sutus of conditions now. He said the
parks' long-term study involves 12 univer¬
sities and some government agencies.
Morgan said be thinks one reason why
there wasn't any excitement about acid
deposition until recently was because they
thought it was just a problem with sulfur.
He said the valley doesn't have any
nature areas where sulfur compounds are
put into the atmosphere, other than the
oilfields around Bakcrsfield.
Morgan said oilfield units have scrub¬
bers, which lowers sulfur, levels.
"We thought we didnt have anything to
worry about," said Morgan. «l
He said it's been discovered that not
only sulfur compounds produce acid cond¬
itions, but nitrogen compounds also pro¬
duce acid conditions that are corrosive
and can damage life forms.
Morgan said "When nitrogen came on
the line," they realized that it was a
problem produced by automobile exhaust.
"We have our fair share of automobiles,"
he said.
According to Morgan, the Air Resources
Board of California put some money into
the program because of tbe potential
problem of nitrogen and the "transport of
acidic material into the area.*'
Morgan said acidic deposition is spread
not only by rain, but also by snow and
dust carried on tbe wind.
He said the board contracted UC Davis
to conduct the study. Three sites were set
up at Ash Mountain, Giant Forest and
Emerald Lake.
Al the sites, he said measurements of
the surface wind and winds above the
surface were Uken.
Morgan said that to measure winds
above the surface, they used helium-filled
pilot balloons. He said balloons were
released at the three sites at a synchronized
time about every four hours. About every
30 seconds during the release, direction
and elevation angles of the balloons were
He said two CSUF students did the
readings at Emerald Lake for the 10-day
observation.
Morgan said the dau is now being
reduced at UC Davis and when it is
compiled, they'll start analyzing the infor¬
mation.
"If we can understand it and control
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