thebattalion
this day in
rld wohistory
Jan. 27, 1973
● wednesday,
U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War ended as North Vietnamese and American representatives signed an agreement in Paris. The U.S. agreed to remove all remaining troops within 60 days thus ending the longest war in American history. Over 58,000 Americans had been killed, 300,000 wounded, and 2,500 declared missing. A total of 566 prisoners of war had been held by the North Vietnamese during the war, with 55 reported deaths.
january 27, 2010
● serving
texas a&m since 1893
● first paper free – additional copies $1 ● © 2010 student media
coming thursday
Aggie in Haiti Dr. Tom Rivers, Class of 1992 who is an orthopedic surgeon went to Haiti with the Greene Team. He arrived five days after the earthquake hit to help survivors.
voices
Terrifying beginnings What is it exactly that motivates terrorists? Is it our differing religions, our education, our culture or maybe even our deep rooted want not to be terrified?
food
Vietnamese spring rolls Learn how to make simple spring rolls, Vietnamese-style. They are cheap and fun to make for any occasion.
Jonny Green --- THE BATTALION
A bald eagle was found with a gunshot wound to his wing Jan. 16 near Lake Livingston. Part of the wing had to be amputated, and the bird is with Charlie Rohack, director of the Eyes of Texas Wildlife Rescue in Bryan.
National symbol shot Never to fly again, eagle finds home near Aggieland The eagle is at least over the age of 5, since that is the age when eagles become sexually active, and this is a nesting and breeding eagle, Rohack said. The eagle was not killed when he was shot with a high-powered rifle; however, his wing was damaged irreparably. “He’s not going to be releasable,” Rohack said. “People don’t realize that these birds are protected under federal law, and you can not even possess the feathers of these birds.” Rohack said the number of illegal shootings typically goes up after Christmas, after children are given guns as gifts.
Ann Littmann The Battalion The eyes of Texas Wildlife Rescue in Bryan have seen many injured birds of prey over the years. With injuries ranging from electrical burns to the results of being hit by cars. Workers at the rescue center have the ability to nurse these creatures back to health and release them into their natural habitat. However, Charlie Rohack, who runs the Eyes of Texas Wildlife Rescue, said she was shocked when she heard someone had shot down a bald eagle near Lake Livingston.
Popularity in textbook rentals soar Online bookstores change the market Robert Carpenter
trends 3
Femmatas Listen up, it’s the Femmatas, Texas A&M’s newest female a capella group.
sports 4
Should he stay or go? The debate on whether or not Brett Favre should call it a career.
Pg. 1-01.27.10.indd 1
“This is the second eagle shot this year. The first was shot near Waco and was unfortunately killed,” Rohack said. “I can’t “I actually even fathom why someone would do feel a lot of this. Right now I have three [birds of prey] with gunshot wounds.” anger toward the Some Texas A&M students are person who shot outraged at this tragic occurrence. “I actually feel a lot of anger this beautiful bird.” toward the person who shot this beautiful bird,” said junior biomedical sciences major Katie LiKatie Licht cht said. “I don’t see how someone junior biomedical sciences major See Eagle on page 6
The Battalion Five hundred pairs of men’s tube socks, 72 Old Spice deodorant sticks, 19 copies of “Hannah Montana: The Movie” (Deluxe Edition), two tickets to a U2 concert and one Coach shoulder bag. Any of these items could be purchased with the average $600 American college students spends on textbooks each semester, ac-
cording to the Student Advocacy Network. Senior biology major Paige Castelino said $600 can be burdensome for even the hardest working students. “It’s a lot of money, especially when you are thinking that college students already have to pay a lot for tuition,” Castelino said. In order to keep these semi-annual costs under control, many students said they’ve begun to turn to
nontraditional venues in search of the lowest prices. “Originally I was buying textbooks off-campus because I figured they would be better prices than
at the MSC,” said Ben Becker, a sophomore physics major. “But [starting] last semester, I figured out it was better to look in advance and get your textbooks online.” There is an entire online industry devoted to selling textbooks to budget-conscious students. Web sites such as Half.com, Textbooks.com, Ecampus.com and others are devoted to the
Nuclear research room to open in March
“Understanding American Politics and Government,” John J. Coleman Average Prices: New copy at bookstore: $84 Used copy at bookstore: $63 Rental: $56.44 eBook: $64.32
See Textbooks on page 6
Abbott challenges A&M student leaders Katy Ralston The Battalion
Reinhart said his research revolves around understanding how drugs regulate enzyme functions. “If a drug binds to a protein, it will cause it to no longer function, or it will bind to protein and block the protein.”
The MSC-affiliated Abbott Family Leadership Conference continues to break the mold as a meaningful conference devoid of lengthy boardroom tables, uncomfortable chairs and monotone droning. Started by Frank and Joanie Abbott in 1995, the conference was created to encourage sophomore and junior Aggies to explore the relationship between leadership and values, and to establish leadership styles based on ethics, values and morals. Hosted twice a year, once in San Antonio and once in Austin, the conference brings together 70 Aggie students and more than 30 diverse speakers for five days of mentoring. This year the San Antonio conference takes place today through Jan. 31 and the Austin conference will occur Feb. 17 through Feb. 21. Conference Chairman Marty Morrison, a senior accounting major, said what’s unique about the conference is the amount of time students spend delving into topics, unlike other conferences that only last for two or three days. Another aspect of the conference that sets it apart from others is a family focus, Morrison said. While attending
See Nuclear on page 6
See Abbott on page 6
Madiha Rizvi Special to The Battalion The spinning charge and magnetic field of atoms will help determine molecular structures with the addition of a nuclear resonance room in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics. The room, slated for completion in March 2010, is necessary as it is one of the core “[We are] approaches to structural biology, said trying to Gregory Reinhart, professor and head understand components of the Biochemistry and Biophysics of biology to department. “In order for us to understand the scientific basis of how aid us in our knowledge.” biology works, we need to see what molecules look like, see the structures performing functions,” he said. Reinhart said the room will provide a way for researchers to uncover findings that will guide people to understand the structures and better use them in the future. “[We are] trying to understand components of biology to aid us in our knowledge of fundamental processes,” he said.
By the numbers
Jonny Green — THE BATTALION
Workers eat lunch inside the new Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging facility attached to the Biochemistry/Biophysics Building on West Campus. The state-of-the-art research facility is scheduled to be completed in March.
1/26/10 10:52 PM