i) Pp 3 :N i | FR ed A A RRS AR 4 ARR 4 a SRI SRNR RE ARR RE SR TR RA Lion's Eye 1 i CT Bes or hE A 2 a we LAE TURE i JR ¥ 2 ook Revicw ALIEN by Alan Dean Foster. A Warner paperback. 270 pp. $2.25 Most film yovelizations can be summed up in one word: awful. Not Alien, however; Alan Dean Foster, one of the most imaginative and able science-fiction writers to come out of the seventies, has taken - what could have been an exer- cise in hackwork and produced an excellent and suspenseful novel. The setting is the Nostromo, a huge space tug towing a mile- wide, mineral ore refinery com- plex behind it. The crew of seven spends the time en route between solar systems in ‘“‘hypersleep,’”” a form of cryogenic suspension. — As the novel (and, of course, the film) opens, members are emerging from hibernation, thinking that they have arrived back at Earth. It turns out that they're actually many light-years away, in the vicinity of the star Zeta II Reticuli. It seems that the ship's com- puter, ‘Mother,’ had picked up what appeared to be a distress call from a large planetoid in the Zeta II Reticuli solar system. Under interstellar law, all such calls must be answered -immediately; so Mother diverted the Nostromo from its normal course. The Nostromo detaches itself from the refinery complex and lands. The crew finds the planetoid a barren, foreboding . place of howling winds and semidarkness. Three astronauts are dispatched to find the source of the transmis- sion. They discover a huge alien starship, its crew dead for cen- . turies. © One of the explorers, Kane, volunteers to be lowered into the crew the alien ship's hold. There he finds thousands of egg-like co- coons, one of which -to Kane's misfortune- breaks open. The occupant of the cocoon is a tiny, acid-secreting parasite which burns through the visor of Kane's space helmet, at- taches itself to his face, and shoots a tubular appendage down his throat. Oddly enough, the creature keeps Kane alive by pumping oxygen into his lungs through the tube. Back on board the ship, at- tempts to detach the thing pro- ve futile - and dangerous: it bleeds acid when cut, acid strong enough to burn through the ship's hull. Later, however, the creature dies, and Kane ap- parently returns to good health. The crew has not seen the last of the alien, however. The monster has a three- stage life cycle similar to that of earthly insects: larval, pupal, and adult. (All the details of the alien's biological makeup are based on scientific fact; bizarre as the creature is, something like it could theoretically exist). Although the larval alien is dead, the pupa lives on - inside Kane himself. The mess hall scene, in which the pupal creature bursts forth literally - is incredibly horrify- ing. The tiny monster escapes into the bowels of the Nostromo, where it soon undergoes the final metamor- phosis, into an insatiable, car- nivorous adult. Three scenes which were cut from the movie (to provide bet- ter continuity) are included in the novel. One concerns what the monster is really doing with its victims. In the film, the au- dience is lead to believe that the thing merely devours its prey, but in the novel the reader finds that it has a terrible ulterior SAC. - presents MONTE. CARLs at the Delaware County Campus FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12 7:00 p.m. in the Student Lounge -Sponsored by the Student Activities Commission- *PRIZES'™ An the bequnma... J8Jo3 1 {[e" [o]) [of FH e7.Y & Now On Display Why Electric? Condensor Tail Pipe Cail FuelPump Rings Radiator Spark Plugs Water Pump Anti Freeze Ignition Wires Hoses Engine Pipe Fuel Lines Muffler NO Gosoline : Pollution Noise Engine Oil Distributor Points Valves Air Filters Carburetor Starter Solargen of Springfield 428 Baltimore Pike Springfield, Pennsylvania 19064 (215) 328-5666-7 and'T.G.L.F. motive. Alien proves that an excellent movie can become an equally good book. The novelization even has an advantage over the film: Foster makes the characters seem much more developed and three- dimensional. The facts that the book has already sold over two million copies and has been chosen as a selection of The Science-Fiction Boob Club are testimonies to its excellence. Alien is definite- ly not for reading on stormy evenings. —Stephen Luttrell ENERGY. We can’t afford fo waste it. Apparently the hottest issue at the Delaware County Cam- pus today is not Salt II, is not the Middle East, is not Cuba, is not nuclear energy, is not gasoline prices, is not the papal visit, and is not even presiden- tial candidates. In fact, this issue is not discussed in any classroom nor is it the topic of any lecture at this campus. The rock and roll - disco controversy is a classic underground issue. The proof is the writing on the wall. Offensive and obscene limericks and epigrams scatch- ed on restroom stalls are worn out art forms, now replaced by profound slogans such as: ‘Rock-n-Roll Will Never Die," “Disco Rules,” "(Thank God It's A Word On Words Thorndike and Barnhart have never been busier. Thorndike and Barnhart, along with Webster and others, are, of course, the compilers of our American dictionaries. With our rapidly changing culture and lifestyle, words are changing meaning at a pace even Howard Cosell can't keep up with. “Hot Dog,” ‘‘Chicken,” “Turkey,’' and ‘Fruitcake’ are just a few of our more colorful multi-purpose words. They were, and still are, most often found on the menus of restaurants throughout the United States and the World. But calling someone any of these ‘‘names’’ nowadays is considered unfriendly at best - and downright dangerous at worst. With the growing trend to give food names a dual mean- ing, English teachers in the future might be admonishing students to ‘‘please use words from the four basic food groups for a well-balanced essay." Personally, I'm looking for- ward to the day we assign a new meaning to brussels sprouts. The world is anxiously awaiting, and when it comes I'm sure we'll “take it with a grain of salt.” —Steve Armstrong “Disco Sucks,’ a ce October 11, 19797 § student on the run. Jelly (any flavor) . Add jelly on top. Serve. $0.00 tm ed. 4. Serve, Enjoy! this newspaper. Colas Cook A continuing series of quick and easy recipes for the college Peanut Butter & Jelly Crackers Peanut Butter (creamy or - chunky) Crackers (Saltines or any snack variety) Cholestoral-free peanut butter and natural fruit jelly on crackers is a tasty and nutritious after-school snack that's easy to prepare. PB & J Crackers can be served with juice or milk. Here are two popular methods of preparation: Open-face Spread peanut butter to taste on one cracker. Sandwich 1. Spread peanut butter to taste on one cracker. 2. Spread jelly on another cracker. 3. Press peanut butter cracker to jelly cracker: hold until bond- SPECIAL TREAT: PB & J Muffins For an added treat or change of pace, peanut butter and jelly can be spread on toasted english muffins using the above recipes. Ask mom or dad to help you cut and toast the muffins. Send your favorite quick and easy recipes to: College Cook, c/o Campus Observer The Beat Goes On... Friday - Friday being the disco sabbath.) This power struggle of leisure-time-tastes poses special problems to students, especial- ly to freshmen students still forming personal values. Should one become nihilistic or narcissistic? Or, should one assume a middle of the road position and risk beign though of as a weekender, which is equivalent to a lily-hearted cultural boobie. Or, should one escape the dilemma by listening only to country music and find oneself excommunicated from most of his generation and in the company of pot-bellied truck drivers and animal husbandry majors. One could always opt for classical music and opera, but this is the dreaded isolationist position. Classical fans among students are about as numerous as Eskimo keyboard players. Actually, there are no easy solutions for freshmen to decide which camp to pitch their tent in. But, there is some common sense advice available to save one from embarrassment, ridicule and a thoroughly wret- ched evening. These are only suggestions and can be ignored Students Attend The Office of Student Affairs, in conjunction with the Undergraduate Student Association (USA), sponsored a Student Leadership Conference at the campus September 29. The conference was the first of its kind at the Delaware County Campus. Student representatives from all campus organizations and clubs attended. The conference included discussions and workshops on Organizational Planning, Motivation, Communication, and more. John V. Cooney, Allentown Campus Director, addressed the conference on “Making Parliamentary Pro- cedure Work." Seminars designed speficially for presidents, vice-presidents, secretaries, and treasurers were also on the agenda. In the past, organization representatives from all of the ’ ‘Commonwealth Campuses met at a joint conference. Judging from the success of this first conference, the Annual Leader- ship Conference may become a traditional event at the Delaware County Campus. Over 60 students attended by either the cock-sure and brave or the foolish and naive. While- al a rock concert: a) Don’t wear an evening suit with tie. You'll be suspected of being connected with the law and nobody will sit near you. b) Don't go with a coke spoon on your necklace. It will be assummed you have a gram and you'll be expected to share it. c¢) Don’t ask women to hustle. They'll peg you either for a pimp or a male chauvinist and they'll probably kick you in the groin. While al a discotheque: a) Don't wear your No-Nuke T-shirt. Discotheques are: ‘ex- tremely apolitical and you'll go over as big as a Bob Dylan album. b) Don't talk about the Doors. Disco fans are ignorant of early West Coast sounds and will probably think you're referring to the cover-charge, which is considered vulgar because a cover-charge is only money. ¢) Don't introduce your brother or sister as your brother or sister. Discos thrive - on the mystique of singles and long term relationships of any kind are taboo. —John Kimport Conference this year’s conference. Several faculty and staff members also participated. : —Judy Sealy Juggernaut Continued From Page 1 spoons. The band has performed at several festivals, including the Philadelphia Folk Festival and the Philadelphia Bluegrass Festival. The group has also ap- peared at several clubs in France, England and the United States; and has perform- ed on television and radio shows - some of which have been broadcast in the Philadelphia area. The band’s appearance here was sponsored by the Artist and Lecture Series Committee. Artist and Lecture Series events are free and open to the public. —Dennis Glover Keep Red Cross ready.
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