The Battalion: February 24, 2010 by The Battalion

thebattalion

this day in

history Feb. 24, 1867 The House of Representatives voted to impeach President Andrew Johnson. The vote followed bitter opposition by the Radical Republicans in Congress to Johnson’s reconstruction policies in the South. However, the effort to remove him failed in the Senate by just one vote.

● wednesday,

february 24, 2010

● serving

texas a&m since 1893

Arctic meets Aggieland thebatt.com

Submit your photos Send The Battalion your pictures in the snow to photo@thebatt.com.

coming thursday

Sherwood Forest Fair opens Former students Eric Todd and George Appling founded a Renaissance festival to open Saturday.

Above, Sophomore leadership studies major Steven Brown, and sophomore psychology major Ian McKnight with their “Aggie Corps” snowman on Tuesday. Below, Snow covers the grass near Kyle Field.

inside

Bottom, Snow balls sit at Sul Ross’s feet.

food | 3

Burger Business Booms Restaurant has unique interpretation of the hamburger.

sports | 5

Swimmers compete Big 12 championships begin today in the Student Recreation Natatorium.

Photos by Jeramie Heflin — THE BATTALION

Sophomore communications major Jenn Chu, sophomore education major Stephanie Scargall, freshman psychology major Maggie Alewine and freshman kinesiology major Becky Simmons hug a tall snowman in Simpson Drill Field on Tuesday. The University canceled class at 5 p.m. Tuesday due to weather conditions until at 10 a.m. today. Buses will begin running at 9 a.m.

Fruit flies give insight into obesity Researching bugs could help health voices | 7

Fat doesn’t ﬂy free Kevin Smith reacted badly after being asked to vacate the airplane for being obese.

Melissa Appel The Battalion Texas A&M research with fruit flies could raise insight into human eating habits and obesity. Research conducted in the department of biology by professor Paul Hardin and graduate student Abhishek Chatterjee, showed that fruit flies have a daily cycle regarding taste. Manipulating this daily cycle directly impact-

ed food consumption. “My group works with circadian rhythms, which are daily rhythms with unique characteristics,” Hardin said. “They control behavior, biochemical and physiological cycles even when you remove all aspects of the environmental cues.” Multiple research projects have addressed circadian rhythms in multiple species, but fruit flies — scientific name Drosophila — provide

Wehner goes energy friendly VANCOUVER 2010 OLYMPICS

The Battalion was unable to print an updated medal count because production ended early due to winter weather and the campus closure.

pg. 1-2.24.10.indd 1

Melissa Appel The Battalion Something as simple as turning off a light switch could simultaneously reduce the budget expenses and decrease the carbon footprint of Texas A&M. As part of a campuswide effort to improve energy efficiency, Students in Free Enterprise, a student organization in the Mays Business School, initiated a campaign to decrease energy consumption in Wehner Building. “[The mission of the enterprise is] to bring together the top leaders of today and tomorrow to create a better, more sustainable world through the positive power of business,” said Kaitlyn Rice, criteria manager for environmental sustainability. Members are involved with the business environment and community around them with programs and service projects in areas such as success skills, business ethics, financial literacy and environmental sustainability. As part of the environmental arm, the group teamed with the Energy Steward Program, a campus initiative to improve energy efficiency. “With a growing campus and a multi-million dollar annual purchased utility budget, an active

program to improve operating efficiency and reduce energy consumption remains a high priority,” said Les Williams, associate director for utilities and energy management. “The purpose of the Energy Stewardship Program pilot program is to work closely with various departments, building proctors and occupants to raise awareness and reduce energy consumption while meeting customer needs through proactive involvement of Energy Stewards assigned to specific facilities.” The organization evaluates the energy use — and misuse — within the department. “SIFE Texas A&M hopes to increase awareness of energy conservation on the campus as a whole and chose to start their campaign in their college home of Mays Business School, and thus the Wehner Building,” said adviser Cynthia Billington. The group began by sending Energy Stewardship Advocacy forms to the faculty and staff in Wehner, describing the changes that could be made to decrease energy consumption. “We then went around all Wehner offices and checked if people had implemented the See Energy on page 4

an appropriate and easily manipulated research model for comparisons with humans. “Fruit flies are a fantastic model for what’s going in humans,” Hardin said. “They are similar with circadian clocks, learning and memory and sleep. The genes involved in flies are very similar to those involved with humans.” In a two-year research project, primary author Chatterjee investigated the behavior of fruit flies sticking out their proboscis – the major taste organ – to “taste” their environment See Fruit flies on page 8

Fruit ﬂy facts ◗ Kingdom: Animalia ◗ Phylum: Arthropoda ◗ Live for eight -10 days

◗ Feed on decaying fruits and vegetable

◗ Females lay around 500 eggs

Student campaigns begin Students will see an increased number of banners and signs around campus as open campaigning for student body elections begins today. As part of the new shortened campaign and election time span, candidates and their campaign staff will have from today until midnight on March 2 to get their message out to students. Candidates were allowed to visit with on-campus organizations on Monday and Tuesday night. Positions available in the spring elections include student body president, senior and junior yell leaders, Class Council presidents, Residence Hall Association ofﬁcers and Class Agents. Students are encouraged to get involved in the campaigning and learn about the candidates who

are asking for votes. Most campaigns offer Facebook groups and Web sites with more information about the candidates and their platforms. The Election Commission also posts a Candidate’s Guide on their Web site with a short biography for each candidate. Voting will take place March 3-4, through the Web site http://vote.tamu.edu. Election results will be announced on the evening of March 4 at the Sul Ross Statue. If necessary, run-off elections will occur the following week. “A vote is the most powerful instrument of student opinion,” said Election Commissioner Jacob Lopez. For more information, visit the Election Commission Web site at http://election.tamu.edu. Melissa Appel, staff writer

2/23/10 6:59 PM

How to be a successful student

Y L L U F PED P I U Q E

The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi and Honors Programs will be have a “Student Success Expo” from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. today in the Academic Building Rotunda.

Today becoming sunny High: 47 | Low: 33

Band to march at livestock show

The Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band will march in the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo downtown parade at 10 a.m. Saturday. It begins the festivities for the livestock show season which is March 2-21 in Reliant Stadium.

Thursday sunny, night rain high: 63 low: 46 Friday 30% chance of rain high: 55 low: 39 Saturday mostly sunny high: 58 low: 41

pagetwo courtesy of NOAA

thebattalion 02.24.2010 For daily updates go to thebatt.com ● Facebook ● Twitter@thebattonline

Give me your lunch money Carmen Tompkins, freshman general studies major, Mary Vu, a sophomore general studies major, and Phillip Khun, a junior meteorology major, promote the PB&J Project Tuesday. The Project donates lunch money for Kenyan hunger relief.

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University TV show outrages campus SAN DIEGO — The University of California, San Diego has halted funding for student media after a TV segment ridiculed black students outraged by a party mocking Black History Month. The head of the campus Associated Students froze funding for 33 media outlets after one outlet, The Koala, ran a student TV episode last week calling black students ungrateful and using a derogatory term for blacks. Associated Students President Utsav Gupta says he wants a timeout until the campus can craft a policy on student-funded media. The Koala, which has a reputation for airing offensive material, made fun of reaction to an offcampus fraternity party this month.

Eating disorders seminar Thursday An internationally known speaker on eating disorders will speak Thursday night as part of National Eating Disorders Awareness Week at 7 p.m. in the Archery Room of the Student Recreation Center. Jenni Schaefer, class of 1998, will be speaking about her personal struggle with eating disorders and her recovery. Coordinator for the event Rhonda Rahn said in addition to the well-known eating disorders bulimia and anorexia, there are other disorders not otherwise specified. One is more of a disordered eating, she said. “Someone will starve themselves for a week so they can fit into a dress or the week before spring break; they won’t eat anything and work out two times a day to fit into a bikini of

something,” Rahn said. Rahn said the seminar focuses on all types of eating disorders and behaviors that might signify one. Schaefer has been featured on “Entertainment Weekly” and is scheduled to appear on “Dr. Phil”. She has written the best-selling book “Life Without Ed” and “Goodbye Ed, Hello Me.” The event is open to the public and free. There will be informational tables outside the room at 6 p.m. with information regarding eating disorders, resources to get help on campus and how to help a friend who may have an eating disorder. Student Counseling Services will also be available at the event for anyone needing to speak with a counselor. Katy Ralston, staff writer

Students return after shooting ALABAMA — There was no easing back into classes at the University of Alabama in Huntsville on Monday: Many students and teachers had to return to the building where three professors were gunned down more than a week ago. Classes resumed on the campus where authorities and witnesses say Amy Bishop, a biology professor bitter over being denied tenure, opened ﬁre in a small conference room, killing three colleagues and wounding three others. Band members from nearby Oakwood University greeted the UAH students as they returned to campus, playing music and offering hugs. Meagan Warner, a student walking into the Shelby Center for Science and Technology, said she appreciated the support. “I have four classes in this building today, and it helps me feel at ease and that it’s safe to be back on campus again,” she said. School administrators said the corner of the building where the slayings occurred was off limits. Associated Press

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Advertising: Publication of advertising does not imply sponsorship or endorsement by The Battalion. For campus, local, and national display advertising, call 979-845-2696. For classified advertising, call 979-845-0569. Advertising offices are in The Grove, Bldg. 8901, and office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Fax: 979-845-2678.

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things you should know

5 before you go “My Children! My Africa” audtions

The Aggie Players will have auditions for their April performance of “My Children! My Africa” from 6 to 9 tonight in Blocker 107. To sign-up or for more information go to the callboard outside of the Fallout Theater, Blocker 140.

Food Festival

Sbisa will have a Southern Food Festival, a special event where they will serve various foods from the south from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday in the Sbisa dining hall.

Eating disorder awareness

OPAS gets groovy

Jenni Schaefer, class of 1998, will speak on campus as a part of National Eating Disorders Awareness Week at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Student Recreational Center Archery Room.

The 15-member cast of Groovaloo, an energetic dancing group who have been on NBC’s “Superstars of Dance” and “The Ellen Degeneres Show” will be performing from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Thursday in Rudder Auditorium.

Authors Dagoberto Gilb and ZZ Packer will be featured by Callaloo, the Texas A&M-based journal of African Diaspora at an “Austin Writers Reading” at 7 p.m. March 1 in the Stephen W. Hawking Auditorium in the Mitchell Institute for Fundamental Physics & Astronomy building.

Writers’ reading

b! thebattalion 02.24.2010 page3

scene

From gas station to a new location

Laura A. Sanchez

Stover Boys Burgers is famous for having no lettuce on any of its burgers. “It throws the burger off. Lettuce just harles Stover is no ordinary burger joint owner. He wilts. It’s just not right,” Stover said. is a tall, tattoo-wearing and charismatic entreThe restaurant does offer a “Sell preneur who began his business next to a gas “Stover Boys Burgers” Out Burger” that features station one year ago. lettuce for those who want opened in August 2009 in Stover Boys Burgers opened in August one. a 300-square-foot space 2009 in a 300-square-foot space next to a gas Although many other station. The restaurant was the winner of next to a gas station. The restaurants may offer the 2009 Best of the Brazos Valley for Best Jonny Green — THE BATTALION restaurant is the winner burgers “your way,” New Restaurant. of the 2009 Best of the Stover Boys Burgers offers Jordan McDonald, junior sociology major, and friend Braiden Adams enjoy “I literally bought a $600 grill and a $400 Brazos Valley for Best a much different tecnique Stover Boys meals. The Stover Boys Burgers restaurant is uniquely decorated fryer and put a couple hundred bucks in furniand urges customers to try New Restaurant. with comic strips and posters on the walls. ture and started my business,” Stover said. burgers “our way.” The owner spoke about his restaurant in an onCustomers of Stover Boys Burgers frequently comment “You can change it if you line forum and overnight his business boomed, he said. on one of the most popular items on the menu — the bacon want to. We’re not saying don’t change it. Have it our Four months later, Stover had to relocate his business because double cheeseburger. way means this is exactly how it’s planned,” Stover said. of the overcrowding in the restaurant. Stover keeps a piece of fur“I always love coming here,” said customer Julian Alcozer. Stover’s burgers are 95 percent fat-free because of the cooking niture in his new location as a reminder of how far he’s come. “The burgers just have a different kind of flavor that’s so different temperature. Stover uses fresh meat for his burgers. The milk“It just turned into a parking lot. It turned into something we shakes sold at the restaurant are made with homemade ice cream, and unique. I was hooked ever since the first time I came here.” couldn’t control, quick,” he said. Stover also established a Single Mothers Appreciation Proand most burgers come with a side of sweet potato fries. Stover’s way of advertising was different from what most gram through his restaurant that allows a single mother to receive Stover said he hires people who are eclectic just like his people would consider beneficial. He decided not to list his com- restaurant. the thanks she deserves for her hard work. pany phone number in the city listings. Stover wanted to attract “I was raised by a single mother, and I feel like single mothers “We used to joke and say that you had to have been arrested a his customers by word of mouth. deserve some recognition. Typically, we give them a free meal, least once to work here,” Stover said. “I refused to put my name anywhere. I actually went to all the get them a haircut and just give them a break and a thank you for Current employee, 19-year-old Tyler Garrett, said Stover will tattoo shops and put a flyer out that said ‘we know you have a what they do,” Stover said. let you know how he wants things, but in a good way. friend that knows how to find us.’ We did that, and that brought Stover plans to open a location in downtown Bryan at“Square “Charles is not really like my boss; he’s more of like my friend. I in a lot of people,” he said. One Bistro.” don’t really have someone on my back all the time,” Garrett said. Stover said he credits much of his success to the family support “I just want people to know that I would never purposely The atmosphere at the restaurant is not a typical in and out from his wife, Ashley, and two sons. The “Boys” in Stover Boys sell them an inferior product. We hand-make everything, we burger place. The facility is filled with comic book strips and Burgers is for Stover’s two sons, 7-year-old Lute and 4-year-old don’t cut corners. There is thought behind everything we posters plastered on the walls. Steed. Stover plans to pass on the restaurant to his sons when cook,” Stover said. Stover said the project to cover the wall took more than 50 hours. they get older, if they choose to manage it. The Battalion

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comics/news

page 4 wednesday 2.24.2010

thebattalion

Energy Continued from page 1

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changes we wanted to see,” Rice said. “If they had not taken place, we left notes on their desk reminding them what they could do to be energy efficient.” Energy efficiency steps suggested by the stewardship program include turning off lights when leaving the room, turning off unneeded electrical equipment and maintaining the thermostat at a standard level of 70 degrees Fahrenheit for heating and 75 degrees Fahrenheit for cooling. The energy campaign is one of many programs the stewardship program plans to implement to target departments and buildings. “The ESP program has been successful at developing a grassroots effort of occupant involvement reducing the energy consumption of campus through building specific advo-

cacy programs,” Williams said. Within Wehner, the implemented changes have already generated a positive result, both in energy reduction and in money savings, Rice said. “The largest savings we have seen in one week has been about $1,400 since the launch of our campaign,” Rice said. “[Mays Business School Dean Jerry] Strawser has taken a special interest in this program since a 20 percent energy reduction would result in savings of $156,000 just for Mays Business School.” Bala Shetty, the executive associate dean of Mays Business School, said the administration was excited about the opportunity to team with students for this campaign. “We are happy to partner with this student-led initiative to bring awareness to energy conservation in the building,” Shetty said. “Conservation is a worthy goal, especially in this difficult economic climate.

The fact that our students are leading the effort makes the initiative even more meaningful.” Although the changes might seem inconvenient at first, the organization has observed that participants are quickly joining in the excitement of the campaign. “I have received several emails from faculty and staff applauding the organization’s efforts,” Billington said. “In those e-mails, many noted they are starting to notice where they can be more energy conscious.” ESP plans to use the efforts of Aggies to reach the goal of reducing energy consumption in existing campus buildings by 15 percent. “Direct involvement by faculty, students and staff with Aggie Spirit is needed to make the Energy Stewardship Program successful and achieve this goal,” Williams said. “With your active involvement in [ESP], our University will also be known for excellence in energy efficiency and sustainability.”

ATTENTION All On-Campus Residents

ALL current on-campus residents are required to complete the Housing Decision 2010 process to RENEW or CANCEL their housing for the fall 2010 – spring 2011 academic year.

February 22nd (8 a.m.) – February 26th (5 p.m.)

On the Residence Life Homepage (http://reslife.tamu.edu/)

afford dable living ose to campus clo Dear Fellow Aggies: A federal debt of $12 trillion dollars and growing is a clear and present danger. It threatens our country and the future of our children and grandchildren. It’s wrong to saddle them with so much debt. To put a trillion dollars in perspective, if a person spent a million dollars per day, every day since Christ was born, he or she would still have over 700 years to go before spending ONE trillion dollars. Our federal debt is TWELVE trillion dollars.

all Live with it

If re-elected, I will propose and vigorously support a resolution for a constitutional convention to pass a Balanced Budget Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. In the current ﬁnancial downturn, Texas has fared better than most other states. Our budget is balanced; we have reduced taxes, and we have saved over $7 billion dollars for a rainy day. Our Congress in Washington should do the same. This is our home. It is worth protecting and defending. If you send me back to Austin, I will.

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2/23/10 6:40 PM

Roundup

sports

Coming Friday

Today Men’s basketball No. 23 Texas A&M

8 p.m.

at Baylor Baseball Stephen F. Austin

3:05 p.m.

at Texas A&M

Reed Arena ofﬁcials should change the system for students to enter games.

Swimming Big 12 Championships

thebattalion 02.24.2010 page5

all day

at Texas A&M

Thursday

Big 12s come to A&M

Softball Texas A&M

5:30 p.m.

vs Fordham at Calif. Texas A&M

10:30 p.m.

vs Oregon at Calif. Swimming Big 12 Championships

all day

at Texas A&M

Friday Baseball Texas A&M

6 p.m.

vs Western Kentucky at Waco, Texas Softball Texas A&M

Swimmers and divers descend upon College Station for men’s and women’s conference championships

5 p.m.

vs UNLV at Calif. Texas A&M

7:30 p.m.

vs San Diego State at Calif. Track & Field Cross Country Big 12 Championships

Beau Holder

all day

at Ames, Iowa Men’s Tennis Texas A&M

noon

vs St. Edward’s Texas A&M

6 p.m.

vs TCU Women’s Equestrian WEF Collegiate Equitation 6 p.m. Challenge at Wellington, Fla. Swimming Big 12 Championships

all day

at Texas A&M

Saturday Men’s basketball No. 23 Texas A&M

1 p.m.

vs Texas Women’s basketball No. 15 Texas A&M

3 p.m.

at Colorado Baseball Texas A&M

1 p.m.

at Baylor Softball Texas A&M

noon

File photo — THE BATTALION

Junior guard Donald Sloan and the No. 22 Aggies travel to Waco to face off with No. 24 Baylor. The matchup is set for 8 p.m. tonight at the Ferrell Center.

vs Stanford at Calif. Track & Field

No. 22 A&M pays visit to No. 24 Baylor

Cross Country Big 12 Championships

all day

at Ames, Iowa Swimming Big 12 Championships

all day

at Texas A&M

Sunday Women’s Tennis Texas A&M

10 a.m.

at South Florida Men’s Tennis Texas A&M

1 p.m.

at LSU Baseball Texas A&M

5 p.m.

vs Texas State at Waco, Texas Men’s swimming Texas A&M Last Chance at Texas A&M

all day

Women’s swimming SCM Reveille Invitational at Texas A&M

all day

The No. 22 Texas A&M men’s basketball team will try for a sweep against in-state rivals, No. 24 Baylor in a Big 12 road contest Wednesday in Waco. Head Coach Mark Turgeon’s squad has won three straight Big 12 road games, dating back to a 77-74 win against Missouri on Feb. 3. Turgeon said that winning on the road has been a necessity this season. “We’ve had to win,” Turgeon said. “For us to get where we want to be and be the best team we can be we had to

become a better road team and our guys have figured that out.” Offensive leader Donald Sloan said with the team sitting at 8-4 in conference, it feels similar to his freshman season when the Aggies went 13-3 in Big 12 play. “We’re not tense,” Sloan said. “Everybody is relaxed, everybody is confident. I really think those games we won by 2 points, 3 points, really helped our confidence and put us where we are today.” T.D. Durham, staff writer

The Battalion They’ve navigated the ups and downs of the regular season, but the true season? For the A&M swimming and diving teams, that begins now. Today kicks off the Big 12 Swimming and Diving Championships, in the Student Recreation Center Natatorium. It is the sixth time in the 14 years of the Big 12 Conference’s existence A&M has hosted the event. The championships will last today through Saturday, beginning with the diving preliminaries at 4:30 p.m. this afternoon and the swimming relays at 6 p.m. The No. 7 Aggie women will dive into a clash with the other five women’s programs, No. 3 Texas most prominent among them. The Longhorns have won nine of the 13 Big 12 titles. “I want them to step up and compete and enjoy the competition,” said women’s Head Coach Steve Bultman. “[The girls] have worked hard, and I want them to enjoy the fruits of their labor.” While there is a importance placed on winning the meet, Bultman stressed the emphasis is qualifying as many swimmers as possible for the NCAA championship meets. Men’s Head Coach Jay Holmes agreed, saying his team would be looking for qualifying times. “I’m looking for fast swimming and competing,” he added. “It’s a three-and-a-half day meet and we get two-and-a-half hour sessions. I want my guys showing up with intensity and focus and [just] swimming.” The focus on qualifying rather than winning the meet is most essential on the No. 19 Aggie men’s side. The No. 1 Longhorns have won the Big 12 Championship every year since the conference’s inception and, before

t n u o c s i d a s r e f f o GM s t n e d u t s e g e l l o c to ? s d a r g t and recen y. No wa

WAY.

that, had won every Southwest Conference title since 1980. “In the Big 12s, it’s all about getting to the NCAAs,” said junior Team Captain Balazs Makany. “At the end, it’s not about what you do in conference. It’s what you do in the championships.” Still, Makany said he is excited to see what the meet brings. “We had a hard-working team this year. We just did our job. I’m expecting the freshmen and sophomores to perform their best. The juniors and seniors, I want to see them achieve a lifetime best time, if not an NCAA one.” Senior Casey Strange echoed the sentiment. “I’m excited to see how the freshmen react and perform,” he said. “This is the hardest training they’ve had to do in their lives.” Omar Enriquez, wrapping up a stellar freshman year, said he is up to the challenge. “I know the competition level will be real good,” Enriquez said. “I’m just looking to do my best.” Both the men and women are gearing up in the hopes that they can place as many swimmers as possible during the meet, rather than having to finish strong at the Last Chance Meet after the conference championships are over. Only a select few teams that qualify a large number of swimmers and divers have a shot at the NCAA title. The divers for the men and women, led by Head Diving Coach Jay Lerew, find themselves in a different boat. Three of the four men’s divers and all five of the women have qualified for at least one event in the zone regional championships. The coaches and athletes alike look forward to what lies ahead. “We’re looking to qualify,” Bultman said. “All you can do is do the best you can.”

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EDITOR’SNOTE The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the various authors and forum participants in this paper do not necessarily reﬂect those of Texas A&M University, The Battalion or its staff.

call must be fewer than 200 words and include the author’s name, classification, major and phone number. Staff and faculty must include title. Guest columns must be fewer than 700 words. All submissions should focus on issues not personalities, become property of The Battalion and are subject to editing for style, clarity and space concerns. Anonymous letters

will be read, but not printed. The Battalion will print only one letter per author per month. No mail call will appear in The Battalion’s print or online editions before it is veriﬁed.

voices Fitting onto the flight MAILCALL GUESTCOLUMNS

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evin Smith is way fat; his words, not mine. But the actor/ ob could use neither words director’s famous role as Silent Bob nor fame to “justify” his obesity to Southwest Airlines. On Feb. 13 he was kicked off a flight becausee of a seating policy requiring overweight flyers to purchase two seats. Cruel? When was the last time rd your flight and you thought you saw Professor Klump waiting to board to yourself, “I hope I sit next to THAT guy?” Southwest’s Customer of Size policy (euphemism, anyone?) states: “Customers who are unable to lower both armrests and/or who compromise any portion of adjacent seating should proactively book the number of seats needed prior to travel.” Kevin had purchased two tickets for a flight — check. He decided to fly standby on an earlier flight, and when he sat down in the single remaining seat aboard, he was able to wedge the armrests around his “roles” — check. Then came Suzanne the flight attendant, who informed Smith that the captain had deemed him a “safety risk.” Apparently, Kevin technically had the armrests down, but was compromising a portion of the adjacent seating — no check. From there he proceeded to lambast the airline from his Twitter account, 15 Tweets in the first hour, giving them a thorough cussing and challenging the logic of the Customer of Size policy. Between checking baggage, overpriced airport food and the monotony of the layover, flying can be inherently stressful. It sometimes seems airlines do little to ease the angst passengers, specifically in the arena of coach seating. Southwest Airlines is about average when it comes to comfort of seating; their all-leather seating provides 32 to 33 inches between seatbacks and 17 inches of width. That adds up to less than 4 square feet, the definition of comfort. With numbers like that, it may seem a stretch to say Southwest — or any other airline, for that matter — is truly concerned about passenger comfort. However, Southwest apparently takes my desire to claim lordship over those very costly 3.896 square feet quite seriously. Maybe they realize people are cramped to begin with, and for the sake of the customers they want to make the flight as comfortable an uncomfortable experience as possible. But what defines uncomfortable? Sitting next to sick or smelly people is certainly uncomfortable. In October, I had the privilege of sitting next to a man who, although nice enough, apparently didn’t believe in deodorant. He smelled like two-a-days. After reading the report about Kevin Smith I asked myself, “Should Mr. BO have been kicked off?” Then Jazz Air answered the question for me. Earlier this month, the Canadian airline deplaned an American man whose body odor was described by a passenger as “brutal.” Neither Mr. BO nor Kevin Smith owes me anything except a shower and some legroom if I’m sitting next to them on a flight. It’s called common courtesy — something over which Smith was apparently irate for Southwest not

Evan Andrews — THE BATTALION

Adam Bechtold having, in his opinion, shown him. I had a nice conversation with Mr. BO, and I’m glad he wasn’t bumped to another flight, but I was disappointed with his personal hygiene habits. Airlines know most passengers would prefer quiet affliction to an awkward and seemingly rude confrontation with a complete stranger; the airlines are right in

They h go to bbat ffor you, andd at the h endd off the h taking the responsibility for that conversation day usually wind up with, except in highly on behalf of their customers publicized cases such as this, a win-win As politically incorrect as it may be for situation. Ninety-eight percent of their Southwest and many other airlines — including Delta, American, Kevin Smith may Customers of Size receive a complete refund for the extra seat. Forget Midwest and JetBlue, to name be unhappy, but a few — to deplane excessively Southwest’s policy about the fact that a passenger 100 overweight passengers, I am glad saves passengers a pounds overweight is flying the equivalent of two extra checked bags, they do. It tells me the airline horrible ﬂight. they usually get a refund to boot. is willing to stick their neck out, Southwest, I’ll be flying with you next risking a public censuring and diatribe time, and I expect all 3.896 square feet. by a foul-mouthed Hollywood B-lister so I can at least pretend to be comfortable. All that said, Southwest has acknowledged Adam Bechtold is a senior history major and is the inherent sensitivity of the issue. The policy special to The Battalion. is about the best an airline can have, as it places passenger comfort above avoiding confrontation.

Funding ‘new’clear power

resident Barack Obama announced the Department of Energy is offering a conditional $8.3 billion loan guarantee for construction of two new nuclear reactors in Georgia. This announcement is one of the most sensible to come out of Washington in some time and will hopefully get the U.S. energy policy on track. The federal clean energy loan guarantee program, created under The Energy Policy Act of 2005, authorizes the department to issue loan guarantees to eligible projects that “avoid, reduce or sequester air pollutants or anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases” and “employ new or significantly improved technologies as compared to technologies in service in the United States at the time the guarantee is issued.” A nuclear power reactor has not been built in the U.S. since the 1970s. In the aftermath of the accident at Three Mile Island Unit 2, construction of power reactors was hampered significantly. Many reactors under construction were never completed. The reactors completed finished 10 years behind schedule and significantly over budget because of constantly changing regulations and litigation by anti-nuclear groups. There are 56 power reactors under construction worldwide, 20 alone in China. Seeing this global embrace of nuclear energy, the U.S. nuclear industry is ready to make a comeback or a “nuclear renaissance” as the industry puts it. To date, 28 Combined Operating License (COL) applica-

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Jeremy Northum

of a power reactor because last time, tions have been submitted to the U.S. in the 1970s, they lost a lot of money. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. In the past, utilities were unable to Once granted a COL, a power utility pay off the loans because of all of the is authorized to build and operate a delays. After all, it’s difficult to make nuclear power plant. This is signifithe loan payment on a power plant cant because in the past, a utility was when it’s not producing any electricrequired to obtain a permit to build ity. Utilities all over the country are a site and once it was built, utilities ready to go, but they can’t get a loan. had to obtain a permit to operate This is why the first conditional (this is where litigation came loan guarantee offer is so in). However, there is still an important. It will act as an Nuclear power insurance policy of sorts unresolved issue keeping needs funding the U.S. from expanding its for financial institutions to solve nuclear fleet. loaning money for the our energy As worldwide construcconstruction of power problems. tion demonstrates, the issue reactors. The loan guaris not technical; it’s about antee program has an initial money. Like many other busivalue of $18.5 billion, and the nesses wishing to expand, power utili- Obama administration announced ties need to take out a loan to build a it will seek an increase to $54 bilreactor. However, financial institulion. This is nowhere near enough tions are not in a hurry to loan out to guarantee the loans of 28 COL billions of dollars for the construction applicants, but it could be enough to

jumpstart the effort. The idea of securing financing for reactors from foreign sources has been thrown around in the industry. Many might not be too happy with the government putting so much taxpayers’ money on the line, but in this case, there isn’t much of an alternative. With the U.S. economy still recovering, the last thing the country needs is to have a foreign country hold the bank note on our power plants. Electricity demand in the U.S. is only going to increase in the future. If the U.S. is going to meet this demand in an environmentally responsible manner, nuclear power must be included.

MAILCALL From Sarah Wood, senior animal science major Being an occasional cyclist myself, I understand that sometimes you have to be a little reckless to get where you need to be in a certain amount of time. That being said, twice in the last week I’ve come close to hitting cyclists who were being just plain stupid. The first occurred when a guy on his bike darted across Wellborn at Holleman when he had a “Don’t Cross” light. The truck in the next lane and I had the green light and were both going the speed limit. We both had to hit our brakes to avoid hitting the cyclist ... who didn’t even look around his hood to see if we were coming! The second occurred today, at Wellborn and George Bush, when a student on her bike darted across Wellborn when, again, she had a “Don’t Cross” light. I was turning right onto Wellborn and, again, she didn’t even stop and/or look to see if someone was coming. If you’re going to be reckless in high-speed (compared to on-campus) areas, at least do so smartly, so no one (namely YOU) gets hurt.

Jeremy Northum is a nuclear engineering graduate student.

2/23/10 5:47 PM

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WASHINGTON — Where to next? It’s a simple question that NASA can’t answer so easily anymore. The veteran space shuttle fleet is months from being mothballed and the White House has nixed a previous plan to fly to the moon. For the first time in decades, NASA has no specific space destination for its next stop, although it has lots of places it wants to go. Future space flight, NASA officials say, now depends on new rocket science and where it can take us. That uncertainty may not sit well with Congress, which will be grilling NASA chief Charles Bolden on Wednesday and Thursday in the first hearings since the George W. Bush moon mission was shelved. There are only a few places in space where humans can go in the next couple of decades. NASA wants to go to all of them, with the ultimate destination, as always, being Mars. Associated Press

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Acct 209

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with chemical receptors. The behavior is associated with sensing the environment and with eating. After noting that the frequency of this behavior was not uniform throughout the day, Chatterjee sought to determine how taste neurons affected eating habits and metabolism. “Flies have circadian rhythm in taste. Clocks in the taste neurons dictate this rhythm,” Chatterjee said. “A clock-controlled kinase molecule underlies this rhythm.” Researchers suppressed the expression of the kinase — a process known as gene knockout —and noted the changes in eating behavior. “We found if you block the clock in taste neurons, the flies were eating more,” Hardin said. “Even though they’re eating a lot, they’re still hungry. The signal is not getting back out [to the brain] to say, ‘Stop eating.’” These results show the clock, or circadian rhythm, is involved in determining the amount eaten by an individual. “Clocks in taste neurons are required to restrict food consumption,” Chatterjee said. The implications of this could lead to questions regarding the eating habits and patterns of humans, which could have significant relevance to an American society plagued with obesity. “Mammals, like flies, have rhythm in taste and feeding,” Chatterjee said. “Components of Drosophila clock are conserved in humans, and the taste system of flies and man are remarkably similar, so it is possible that clocks in our tongue may control how much we eat.” “It would be snazzy if they could use this mechanism to control eating in humans, but only if they could do this without adverse side effects,” said Tyler Moquin, a freshman general studies major. The precise mechanism of how the disrupted clock is affecting the path from sensory receptors to brain sensory integration centers is yet unknown. Chatterjee and Hardin plan to further analyze at the molecular level the integration of taste sensation, biological clock and resultant eating habits. “It may be an issue of metabolism,” Hardin said. The connection of circadian rhythms and metabolism has also been made in previous mammalian research. “Mammals lacking circadian clock show increased metabolic defect and aging,” Chatterjee said. Even with human implications and applications left to be investigated and determined, the research at A&M is a starting point. “The remarkable thing,” Hardin said, “is that a really small group of cells out in the proboscis can have a profound impact on the eating habits of the animal.”

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