Bob Dylan durning a solo performance at the Spectrum. by Doug Gibboney In high school, the counselors had what they called gifted under-achievers, these being students who had the ability but were not making good grades. Bob Dylan, with his recent work, has become the gifted under-achiever of the music world and his latest album, Planet Waves, does little to reverse this trend. Nine new Dylan compositions make up this record, his first on the Asylum label. Of these, only four approach the standards expected of an artist of Bob Dylan’s magnitude. The four songs, “Something There is About You,” “Forever Young,” “Dirge,” and “Wedding Song,” are well written and sincerely performed in the same vein as the 1970 New Morning lp. The remaining five are artificial love songs, resembling Tin Pan Alley rejects from old Perry Como albums. Even the expertise of the Band, which serves as a backup group on this album, cannot save such sorry numbers. Particularly infamous are “On a Night Like This,” and “You Angel You,” both of which are enough to make any Dylan buff want to hide. This album is not a disappointment because Dylan does not return to his old role as the folksinger/gunslinger of the fabulous sixties. At age 32 and father of five, the mature, family man image is quite acceptable. The album is a disappointment because it simply is not the best a talent like Dylan can produce. And he does have plenty of talent left; that has been well proven in the nation-wide tour he is now doing. He and the Band have been churning out some fine and fiery music from city to city. What, then, is the reason for this mediocre effort of a genius? Perhaps Dylan has become so intent in defining what he’s not that he has lost sight of what he is. In a recent interview, he stated he is an entertainer, nothing more, nothing less. That’s fine assuming he entertains but there is no way Bob Dylan can become Cher Bono. The half-hearted cliches that make up much of Planet Waves are attempts at exactly that. University Park, Pa., There’s been a lot of news in the newspapers the past few weeks about research involving preordained sex control in human beings. Parents have been told that they might, in the near future, be able to choose the sex of their offspring. But an internationally known scientist at The Pennsylvania State University cautions that we shouldn’t be overly optimistic about such a monumental breakthrough. Dr. John O. Almquist, professor of dairy physiology and a recognized expert on the breeding of farm animals through artificial insemination, warns that society might not be ready to handle such “power.” And he points out that for decades the public has been alerted by various members of the scientific community to the inevitability of pre-ordained sex control. Dr. Almquist says that he has seen various experiments in the area, publicized as “sure-fire” successes, “go just so far’’ before reaching less-than-startling conclusions. Recently, there has been much written, both in scientific and lay publications, about a technique developed in Berlin which allegedly can greatly increase the likelihood that parents wanting to produce a son can do just that. This method, very basically, involves screening sperm from human semen that would produce females. The “left-over” sperm would then be used in artificial insemination processes to produce male offspring. Dr. Almquist emphasizes, though, that even when the sperm that produces males and females is separated, a tremendous achievement in itself, the odds against successful completion of conception are great. Thus, he is wary of many of the early statistical reports stemming from such research. He feels that early reports of marked successes often later “balance out” statistically, showing that the “breakthrough” wasn’t so March 1, '1974 *• * * in cmiril mind-boggling after all. Dr. Almquist is quick to point out that successful applications of sex control techniques to farm animals would be of tremendous economic importance if accompanied by no harmful effects on fertility. “But it is one thing to work for sex control methods that can produce a higher proportion of heifers for dairy farmers and steers for cattlemen, and another thing to apply this knowledge to human life,” he says, “I‘m not so sure I want to be associated with that part of it.” WAIK-A-THON On May 5, 1974 a Walk-A-Thon is being sponsored by the March of Dimes. Currently there are three Walk-A-Thons planned for the Harrisburg Area; one on the East Shore; one on the West Shore and one in Carlisle. Starting points have not yet been determined. Walkers are sponsored either by themselves or by someone else. The minimum sponsorship is 10 cents a mile. As of this date we have three students who are participating - Lisa Yaffo, Pat Mevin and Bill Matthews. Obviously we need more people to make this work. Please come out and support this fine organization. We need your help. Interested students can contact Bill Matthews in the S.G.A. Office, W-104 or Call 787-1663. Thank You. KmRBBBSBBH»m)NHt9»I: "It is by the goodness of God that in our country we have those three unspeakably precious things: Freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, and the prudence never to practice either of them." SXXX»KKK«»»B*KK**»BSS«* Bob Dylan Asylum 7E-1003 ** * * •- Mark Twain C.C. Reader C.C, Cookery Onion Soup 1 qt. Potato Peel Broth 4 large Spanish onions 5 oz. butter (Red onions) 2 cups water 1 small bay leaf % tsp. thyme 1-2 tsp. lemon juice 1-2 Tbs. brandy salt and pepper sliced French bread grated Gruyere cheese Potato Peel Broth peels from 6-7 large potatoes 1 onion 2 carrots 1 small stalk celery V/x qts. water parsley 1 clove garlic salt and pepper 1. cut up all the vegetables and add them to water. 2. Simmer with all the spices for about one hour. 3. Cut up the Spanish onions into quarters and saute them in butter until golden brown. 4. Put onions into the potato peel broth with all the other ingredients. 5. Simmer for 'A hour. 6. Just before serving the soup, pour soup into a casserole and top with the French bread and cheese and bake in a hot oven (about 350 degrees) for 15 minutes. 7. Serve immediately. 8. This recipe makes a good French onion soup and will serve about six people. (Continued from Page 1) after hearing all of tne evidence shall within five working days, make his disposition known to all parties to the dispute and to the Academic Appeals Board. 5. If the grievant is not satisfied with the action taken by the Dean of Faculty he shall have the right, within two working days after receiving notice of the Dean of Faculty disposition, to request that a grievance be submitted to the Provost by filing notification of such intention to the Dean of Faculty. Upon receipt of this request the Dean of Faculty shall be required to submit the following information to - the Provost: (a) A written statement of the original complaint. (b) A summary of action taken in an effort to resolve the grievance informally. (c) The complete transcript of the evidence received by the appropiate committee. (d) A report of the action taken by the Dean of Faculty after receiving the recommendation of the Academic Appeals Board. (e) A representative chosen by the grievant shall attend and may present any additional statement in support of, or opposition to, the findings to the Academic Appeals Board. 6. The Provost shall within ten working days of the date of receipt of information, either resolve the grievance or hold a hearing on the grievance with the grievant. Within said ten days period the Provosts shall indicate his position in writing to the grievant with a copy to the Academic Appeals Board. APPEAL PROCESS REGULATIONS in addition to the above, the following regulations shall prevail. 1. No reprisals of any kind shall be taken against any student for participating in any grievance. 2. The number of days indivated at each level shall be considered as maximum unless the grievant acts within the aforesaid time limitations, his grievance shall be deemed waived. 3. In the event that a violation of academic rules has been made involving probation or suspension the grievant may remain in school while his grievance is being processed. 4. A grievance may be withdrawn at any level by the grievant. S. In the event that the element of time becomes a crucial factor which results in the dismissal of the grievant or non-graduation the grievant will have the option for an immediate reviewal at all levels and subsequent action. Band On the Run Paul McCartney & Wings Apple by Jim Bollinger At last! Great news from McCartneyland for Beatle-freaks! J.P. has finally come up with an entire LP (or at least 85% of one) that demonstrates a measure of the talent everyone thought he had. In Band On the Run, we finally see some glimpses of the genius that created “Yesterday,” “Hey Jude,” and countless others. Here at last, Paul McCartney has produced music that compares favorably with that of his Beatle days It seems that, in Band On the Run, Paul has devested himself of most of the trappings that caused his major Wings fiascos. He’s whittled the band down to just himself, Denny Laine, and, of course, Linda M. In this latest effort, Paul has finally learned to relegate Linda to the very background (in most cases) and bring the music to the fore, and to not rely so much on nonsensical lyrics, apparently remembering the fact that he’s really more musician than profound writer. The title cut is one of the best on the album, and sounds like a throwback to the Golden Age Beatles of Sgt. Pepper’s. It’s changing tempo and general good sound make it a fast-moving, pleasant song, of the type that Paul has had trouble coming up with in the past four years. Another nice feature of the album is his masterful use of the Moog synthesizer. Althought he’s no Kieth Emerson, he certainly knows how to get maximum effect out of the Moog (as was previously evidenced in “Six O’Clock,” his major contribution to Ringo). His most effective use of the Moog comes in “Jet” and “1985.” “1985” is a fine work, generally reminiscent of “A Day in the Life” in the sense that it is well done and builds to a great climax. Please don’t misunderstand, it’s definitely not “A Day in the Life,” but it shows that he still has what it takes. In another vein, Paul pays tribute (though some may say sarcasm) tq his former writing partner, John Lennon, with a piece that is so Lennonesque, you have to check the label twice to be sure that it is indeed McCartney. This cut must certainly be a triumph for Paul, who must feel.that he has indeed come far since their days of Collaboration (or that, “anything you can do, I can do”). And I’d have to agree with him. He’s caught the essence of Lennon; not the brilliance, but definitely the essence, which is a big step in the right direction. Other noteworthy cuts are “Mamunia,” which features more nice work with the Moog; “Bluebird,” which almost falls apart, but is salvaged at the end by good musicianship; and “Picasso’s Last Words,” which is a nice little tune that’s easy to carry and fun to listen to (a la “When I’m Sixty-Four”). Looking at the low side of the album, we find the worst cuts are “Mrs. Vandebilt” and “Helen Wheels,” not necessarily in that order. “Helen Wheels,” a current single release, was not originally planned for inclusion in this album, but was added as an afterthought, as evidenced by the exclusion of its lyrics from the album jacket, and a recent interview with McCartney. It sounds pretty much like the Ram - Wild Life type of stuff. It’s only possible redeeming value may be some pretty nifty lead guitar work. “Mrs. Vandebilt,” however, is a complete waste of vinyl; very juvenile, and out of the “Hi-Hi-Hi,” “Mary Had A Little Lamb” vein. One last comment on the album as a whole. This is the first album from any of the four former Beatles that incorporates the same quality that made Sgt Pepper’s and Abbey Road immortal: continuity. Although it certainly doesn’t measure up to these classics, Band On the Run has all the basic ingredients, and it can be considered as something of a diamond-in-the-rough. Be that as it may, Band On the Run is the best that McCartney’s come up with yet, and it certainly shows great progress and promise for Paul’s future, and the future of the rumored Beatle reunion (may it come about soon). When in doubt choose “C” This advice to students who have a case of the objective test shakes comes from Dr. David W. Stickell, supervisor of examination services at The Pennsylvania State University. “Of course, the best advice for test-takers is to know the material,” Dr. Stickell explained. These little rules of thumb for taking objective tests are a part of what Dr. Stickell calls test wisdom. “Test wisdom can help an examinee get a better score on an objective test, especially if the test has not been carefully constructed,” he added. Besides the answer “c” being predominant in objective tests, Dr. Stickell offers these guidelines: - A choice which doesn’t fit the opening of the question grammatically is not likely to be the correct answer. - The right answer is often the longest of the four or five choices offered. - In true-false tests, the use of specific determiners such as, “never,” “always,” etc. usually means the statement is false. - Read the questions carefully Page 3: ** * * to make sure that you have interpreted them correctly. Many students give the right answer to a question that was not asked. “These pointers should help the student who knows his material to eliminate some choices. If he can use these rules of thumb to eliminate even two of four answers, he will have increased his probability of choosing the right answer to 50 percent,” he added. Dr. Stickell, who worked for four years at Educational Testing Service (ETS), Princeton, N.J., assisting in the construction of tests such as the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), said, “A carefully constructed test leaves very little room for the use of these tidbits of test wisdom. However, there are a number of loosely constructed tests that the average student will come in contact with.” So, according to Dr. Stickell, if a student knows the material, but still does poorly on objective test, he may do well to learn some of the techniques of test wisdom.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers