The Battalion: July 16, 2009 by The Battalion

Patrick Clayton — THE BATTALION

thebattalion ● thursday,

july 16, 2009

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Blood center opens doors To celebrate the June 2 opening of The Blood Center of Brazos Valley’s Neighborhood Donor Center in College Station, a ribbon-cutting ceremony followed by a tour of the facility was at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday. “We really wanted to create a convenient place for donors to come,” said public relations associate Sheena Abraham. The center, on Rock Prairie Road, includes four donor-screening rooms, six collection beds, a large donor relaxation area with fresh-baked cookies and a children’s play area, according to giveblood.org. The mission of the Blood Center of Brazos Valley is to partner with the community to help save and sustain lives by providing a safe supply of blood, blood components and related services. In 2008 in the Brazos Valley, hospitals needed about 14,000 donations. The College Station Neighborhood Donor Center opens at a good time, because donations typically decline in the summer, according to giveblood.org. Abraham said the opening of the College Station Neighborhood Donor Center, the first blood center in College Station with a permanent location, is a testament to cooperation with local hospitals. In order to donate blood, a person must be 17, at least 110 pounds and in good health. Commit for Life, the Texas Gulf Coast blood donation program, encourages everyone to donate once every three months. The blood donation process takes one hour. The No. 1 reason a person is not allowed to donate is for a low iron count. Blood from volunteer donors is used to treat patients with trauma, fractures, cancer, burns and heart disease, as well as other ailments. Kalee Bumguardner, editor in chief

Shuttle launches with AggieSAT-2 Space Shuttle Endeavour launched at 5:03 p.m. Wednesday from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The launch has been postponed five times. The first and second launches were canceled due to a hydrogen leak on the external fuel tank. The third, fourth and fifth launches were canceled due to unsafe weather conditions. Shuttle Endeavour carries two small satellites, AggieSAT2 and BEVO-1, which were designed and constructed by students from Texas A&M University and the University of Texas at Austin. The satellites will collect flight data on a Global Positioning System receiver and analyze the data. “We’re just full of anticipation of seeing our satellite go into space — it’s a oncein-a-lifetime opportunity,” said AggieSAT lab principal investigator Helen Reed. Endeavour’s mission is slated to last for 16 days, which will include docking and repair of the International Space Station and five spacewalks. Julie Rambin, staff writer

Costumes from top left: Snitch, Ron Weasley, Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom, Dobby, Moaning Myrtle, Hermione Granger, Death Eater, Luna Lovegood, Voldemort and Harry Potter, Slytherin student, and Hogwarts student. Stephen Fogg — THE BATTALION

Halloween in July By Laura Sanchez | The Battalion

ovie fans around the globe awaited the sixth Harry Potter movie, released Wednesday. Tickets were available many in advance and accommodations had to be made in theaters in College Station and Bryan because of its popularity. Audiences for midnight showings were the first to see “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” in theaters Tuesday. Potter premieres had attendees dressed in wizard or schoolgirl outfits to fit the part of their favorite character from the movie. “I’ve been to every midnight showing of Harry Potter and they always have this kind of turnout. It’s always full of people and there

Farm town

A&M researchers look for causes of dead zones ■ Low oxygen body of water harmful to marine life Patrique Ludan

Brazos County resident Lois Vaughn sells locally grown produce Wednesday at the Brazos Valley Farmers Market in Central Park, which is from 4 to 7 p.m. every Wednesday through August.

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Being wizardly : See more costumes from the movie premiere. battalion asks | 5

See Harry Potter on page 2

Jeremy Northum — THE BATTALION

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Catching the snitch: Learn about the Texas A&M Quidditch team and game played against ‘The Battalion’ staff. sports | 3

The Battalion Low oxygen levels have returned to the Gulf of Mexico along the coast of Texas, indicating the return of a dead zone, according to Texas A&M researchers. A dead zone is an area in an ocean, lake, bay or estuary, where hypoxia, or an oxygen concentration of less than 2 milligrams per liter, is found. In 2007, a research group, including Steve Dimarco, associate professor of oceanography, found a dead zone off the coast of Freeport, Texas. The dead zone is off the coast of south Galveston. The hypoxia contained within the water is already below levels that are considered harmful to marine life. The researchers used a waterquality monitoring system to detect the dead zone. The system provides hourly updates on water salinity, temperature, oxygen and other data. The research is funded by the

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research, CSCOR. There are an estimated 200 dead zones located throughout the world as of 2006, according to a 2008 UN Environmental Program report titled “In Dead Water.” One of the largest dead zones predicted this year is off the coast of Louisiana, separate from the Texas dead zone, according to NOAA-CSCOR. The Louisiana dead zone is predicted to measure around 7,450 to 8,456 square miles, or an area roughly the size of New Jersey. The largest dead zone recorded in the Gulf occurred in 2002 off the coast of Louisiana. NOAA has not estimated the size of the dead zone near the coast of Texas. The first observations of a dead zone near the Texas coast were made in 1970 by Don Harper, a professor at Texas A&M University-Galveston. “Those observations did not allow us to determine how long it lasted, how big of an area it covered, or what definitively caused it,” Dimarco said. See Dead zone on page 2

7/15/09 10:18 PM

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Kalee Bumguardner, Editor in Chief Mattie Williamson, Managing Editor Meagan O’Toole-Pitts, City Editor Jason Staggs, Opinion Editor Jill Beathard, Lifestyles Editor Brett Sebastian, Sports Editor Karen Cruickshanks, Graphics Chief Christine Soriaga, Photo Chief THE BATTALION (ISSN #1055-4726) is published daily, Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters and Monday through Thursday during the summer session (except University holidays and exam periods) at Texas A&M University. Periodicals Postage Paid at College Station, TX 77840. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Battalion, Texas A&M University, 1111 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843-1111. News: The Battalion news department is managed by students at Texas A&M University in Student Media, a unit of the Division of Student Affairs. News offices are in The Grove, Bldg. 8901. Newsroom phone: 979-845-3313; Fax: 979-845-2647; E-mail: metro@thebatt.com; website: http://www.thebatt.com. 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: 979845-2678. Subscriptions: A part of the Student Services Fee entitles each Texas A&M student to pick up a single copy of The Battalion. First copy free, additional copies $1. Mail subscriptions are $100 per school year. To charge by Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express, call 979-845-2613.

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Harry Potter Continued from page 1

are always the few that like to dress up, it’s quite entertaining,” said senior chemistry major Crystal Penaloza. Tickets were sold out before the movie premiered on Tuesday night. “I was very excited when I got there. There was a very long line, but the good thing is that I bought my tickets beforehand,” said Ana Santamaria, a local fan of Harry Potter. “Everyone was very excited to see the movie and couldn’t stop talking about it before it started.” “Harry Potter and the HalfBlood Prince” is based on one of J.K. Rowling’s seven Harry Potter books. She sold the film rights to Warner Bros. in 1999. “There was a long line, and mostly everyone there had read the books,” said Ariana Rangel, a local Harry Potter fan. Reviews for the movie were mixed on whether the film depicted the book sufficiently. “The movie was more than what I expected. Although it isn’t as good and as detailed as the book, the movie was still great,” Penaloza said. “It highlighted all of the major parts really well.” The film drew audiences of all ages. “There were a lot of adults there surprisingly, and not just kids,” Santamaria said. “It’s nice to see that this movie attracts all different kinds of people.” Fans were lined up hours before the movie was scheduled to begin at the College Station Cinemark. “I had to wait a while just because I got to the movie theatre around 8 p.m. to get a good seat,” Penaloza said. “Luckily, the people at Cinemark allowed us to start seat-

Earthquakes continue in N. Texas

ing at 7:30 so that we wouldn’t have to sit and wait outside.” Conversations continued in the theater until everyone was seated and the film was about to begin, Penaloza said. “When we got in there, everyone got really quiet and paid close attention to every detail,” Santamaria said. “It turned out to be scarier than the other movies. We all expected the young Harry Potter with magic and quidditch. This one was so dark and a little like you were seeing a horror movie, but this movie actually did go by the book more.”

Cleburne, Texas, was hit Friday by a 2.0 magnitude earthquake, the seventh in two months. Researchers from Southern Methodist University are working with the city to determine the source of the quakes. “At this point we are focused on making observations, recording the data and organizing it in a form that we can use for later research,” said Chris Hayward, SMU geophysics research projects director. The research project will continue through to the end of 2009. “We are excited to ﬁnd out that the earthquakes continued after we put the instruments in the ground – sometimes that doesn’t happen,” Hayward said. The natural gas drilling taking place in Cleburne could be responsible for the quakes, Hayward said. “There’s the possibility that these are natural,” he said. “There’s a possibility that these are something else.” Julie Rambin, staff writer

“Everyone was very excited to see the movie and couldn’t stop talking about it before it started.”

Dead zone Continued from page 1

The observations made are designed to show how frequently hypoxia occurs near coastal Galveston. “This is important because it will provide valuable information for coastal managers to make decisions concerning coastal fisheries and other living resources,” Dimarco said. “In a broader sense, it will also provide extremely valuable data to determine the causes of coastal hypoxia and potentially to model its effects on marine organisms.” Dead zones are caused by nutrient runoff, which comes from different types of agricultural activity. This stimulates an overgrowth of algae, which then sinks, decomposes and finally consumes most of the life-giving oxygen supply in the water. Other causes of these dead zones come from climate change, according to a United Nations report.

— Ana Santamaria local Harry Potter fan

Many of the viewers were satisfied with the movie, and with the wait. “It was probably my favorite of all the ones so far,” said sophomore English major Jared Rogers. “It was dark like the last movie, but still kept its humor like the first ones. It’s been a while since I’ve read the books, but I think it was pretty accurate.” Theaters will continue to have various viewings throughout the week on multiple screens. The seventh Harry Potter movie will be released in 2010. “I’m looking forward to the last movie that’s based on the seventh and last book. It’s supposed to be split into two movies that will be released in 2010 then 2011,” Rangel said.

“There is general consensus that different climate change scenarios could affect the dead zone of the northern Gulf of Mexico (which includes both Texas and Louisiana),” Dimarco said. “More rainfall could make it worse, changing wind patterns could make it worse or better depending on the character of the change; a warming climate could make it occur more frequently.” Researchers are not certain how to reverse the process of dead zones. “There is likely a human component, but there is good evidence that this is a natural condition which has been going on for a long time (more than 1,000 years off of Louisiana),” said Dimarco. The Texas Sea Grant College Program is reviewing a proposal by Dimarco and his team for additional funding, said Texas Sea Grant College Program director Robert Stickney. “His work is extremely important and we are very supportive of it,” Stickney said.

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7/15/09 9:40 PM

Soaring to new

Jordan Bryan — THE BATTALION

thebattalion 7.16.2009 page3

heights

New Media To see clips from the game, as well as an interview with Quidditch Club founders Kristen and Aimee Howarth, visit www.thebatt.com.

Jeremy Northum — THE BATTALION

Eight members of the Texas A&M Quidditch Club met up with The Battalion staff members 5 p.m. Friday at Simpson Drill Field to play two games of Muggle Quidditch.

Editor’s Note Staff members from The Battalion met eight players from the A&M Quidditch Club to learn about and play Muggle Quidditch, a sport based on that played in the Harry Potter books and films. The Battalion organized a team to play Muggle Quidditch against the Texas A&M Quidditch Club Friday. No, we didn’t fly around on broomsticks. We did have to hold them between our legs though. Staff members met eight members of the club and played two games in the scorching heat of a College Station afternoon. “It’s Muggle Quidditch, so it’s pretty much the same as wizard Quidditch, except for we don’t fly, we run instead, and the Snitch is a combination of a person and a ball,” said senior marketing major Kristen Howarth. “A Muggle is a nonmagic person.” A game of Quidditch ends when the Snitch is caught. The Snitch is one of the team members who ties a yellow sock with a tennis ball inside it to the back of their shorts. The Seeker from each team chases the Snitch, who can hide anywhere on campus.

Pg. 3-07.16.09.indd 1

The other players remain on the field and attempt to score goals by throwing the Quaffle into one of the three hoops at each end of the field. Beaters throw Bludgers, kickballs in Muggle Quidditch, at opposing players in order to defend their goal. Each goal is worth 10 points and the Snitch is worth 30. In Harry Potter’s world, the Snitch is worth a grand 150 points. Kristen and Aimee Howarth said the rule is designed to make the game more fair. The Howarth sisters found out about Muggle Quidditch in fall 2008 by watching a video on YouTube of the first team, created at Middlebury College in Vermont. “We thought it was just incredible, and we need to start a team at A&M,” senior psychology major Aimee said. “We saw a group on Facebook started by another girl that goes here, Elizabeth; it was just a group of people that wanted to do it. We got with her and it just kind of kicked off from there.” The Middlebury team founder also created a rulebook, as well as the Intercollegiate Quidditch Association. A&M played Louisiana State University’s team in Baton Rouge in spring. They played for the best out of three games and lost, but Kristen said there

Stephen Fogg — THE BATTALION

Senior environmental design major Karen Cruickshanks attempts to run the Quaffle down the field. was a misunderstanding about some rules. “We realized we had different rules so it was kind of iffy, but hopefully they’ll be at the World Cup and we can play them again,” Kristen said. The IQA World Cup is open to any team who has the means to travel there. A&M hopes to attend this year. The Battalion lost both games Friday. The score of the first game was a whopping 90-40. The score of the second game, played without the Snitch, was 60-40. “Playing Quidditch sounded silly at first but I had a really great time and it was an intense workout,” said The Battalion graphics editor Karen Cruickshanks, senior environmental design major. “I loved seeing my friends’ reactions when I told them I played Quidditch.” Kristen and Aimee said they’ve made a lot of friends and memories through the Quidditch Club, which has about 30 members. “It’s really cool to think of something, like, ‘wow that would be so cool to do’ and then actually doing it and actually seeing it become successful,” Kristen said. Kristen’s twin Aimee echoed her sentiment. “You really can do anything you set your mind to, that phrase is true,” Aimee said.

Stephen Fogg — THE BATTALION

Senior business administration major Clay Harley defends the goal as sophomore geology major Leigh Slattery aims at one of the hoops.

7/15/09 9:47 PM

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FOR SALE $75,500. 3bd/2ba 4yr-old manufactured home at Lake Somerville bordering Birch Creek State Park, about-1/2acre. texpianokate@yahoo.com 2008 Palm Harbor double wide manufactured home still under warranty, in Sunset Ridge. 3bd/2ba with large front and back (covered) decks. Storage building also. Great student or family home. Need to sell. $64,500 Call 830-456-9484. Mobile home near 2bdrm/1ba., w/d, fridge. 979-985-5413 after noon.

HELP WANTED NANNY(S) WANTED: to care for year-old twins in our home (CS). Full-time 8AM-5PM M-F preferred will consider MWF or TR. Must: be pet lover, non-smoker, have reliable trans, driv license, previous multi-child experience (toddlers), pass ref/bkgd chk. RESUME: bestinbayview@gmail.com

campus, $10,000.

HELP WANTED Assistant teachers part-time. Working with children 18-mo. through 6-yrs, great learning opportunity for education majors or anyone wanting experience working with children. Please apply at swlccs@gmail.com or 979-693-6556. Athletic men for calendars, books, etc. $100-$200/hr, up to $1000/day. No experience. 512-684-8296, photoguy@io.com Callaway Villas, a private student housing residence hall, is accepting applications for a Community Assistant. Apply in person at: 305 Marion Pugh or online at http://www.studenthousing.com/ company/employment.asp. EOE. Career Apparel now hiring retail sales position P/T. Apply in person 4001 E. 29th #103. 979-260-2727. Cleaning commercial buildings at night, M-F. Call 979-823-5031 for appointment. Cook, cashier and runner, 7-day a week position. Background check Evening employment. 979-776-8135, call for an appointment. DONALD TRUMP LAUNCHES NEW BUSINESS! Ground floor opportunity, marketing positions only at this time. Denny’s tuesday July 21 6pm. RSVP 979-985-5590. Leasing agent needed, license required. Contact BrazosLand Properties 979-846-0606. Local business needs office assistant M-F. No weekends. Apply at 3320 S. College Avenue 979-779-7042. Receptionist needed for local Ag owned real estate firm. Close to cmapus. We are currently looking for 2-people to work either M-F 8am-11:30am or M-F 2:30-5pm, $8/hr. Email resume and fall schedule to front-desk-job@hotmail.com

Teacup puppies: Maltese, Shorkies, Maltipoos, Yorkies &Poodles. $500 &up. 979-324-2866, linda_d_54@yahoo.com

REAL ESTATE 1999 16x76, 3bd/2ba in Rolling Ridge Trailer Park. 1178sq.ft., corner lot with front and back fenced yards, decks, new wood flooring and carpet, island in kitchen, all appliances, W/D hookups, close to TAMU, $28,000. 972-679-6891.

ROOMMATES $475/mo. +bills, for 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom, pets okay on approval. Call 925-998-6108. 1 roommate needed. Spacious 2 story townhouse in Canyon Creek. Fully furnished. 4/2.5 $400/mo. +1/4 utilities. 713-823-9341. 1-female roommate needed for 2009-2010 school year. 3bd/2ba townhouse. $425/mo. +utilities. 979-574-4582. 3 roommates wanted. 4bd/2ba house, bike/walk to TAMU, $500/mo., utilities included, large yard, easy access to Blinn, 832-492-8447. Male roommates wanted in 4bd house. $300/mo. +1/4 bills. 979-777-4379. Roommate needed. 2bd/2ba on shuttle route, $500/mo., includes all bills. 936-591-1053. Roommate needed. 4/4 University Place condo, W/D, private bath, pool, volleyball court, on shuttle. Prelease for summer or fall. $300/mo., call 979-690-8213 or 979-422-9849. Roommate, house 1/2-mile from campus, furnished, $400/mo., +1/4 utilities. Steven 512-762-2151. Roommates needed. Two male roommates needed for 3/2 duplex off of University Drive in College Station. On TAMU and Blinn bus route. Great Location. Small deck and fenced yard. Small pets allowed w/deposit. Partially furnished, W/D included. Lease $350 per month and 1/3 of utilities. Call 361-230-9119 or 210-845-6474. Available 8-15-09. Sub-leasing one bedroom in 2bd/2.5ba Cottage at the Woodlands of College Station. $700/mo. For information call 817-271-2939 or e-mail thebangor@yahoo.com

TUTORS ESL tutoring and editing, masters level teacher, $15/hour. cmizc@aol.com

puzzle answers can be found online at www.thebatt.com

STUDIES IN PROGRESS RED DRY SCALY PATCHES OF SKIN ATOPIC DERMATITIS STUDY (ECZEMA)

Volunteers ages 18 and older needed to participate in a 6-week clinical research study with an investigational topical medication for atopic dermatitis (RED, DRY, SCALY PATCHES OF SKIN). Eligible volunteers will receive at no cost: • Study related ointment for 4 weeks • Physical Examination • Dermatological Assessments • Compensation up to $300 for time and effort For more information please contact:

J&S Studies, Inc. 979-774-5933 1710 Crescent Pointe Parkway, College Station, TX 77845

voices

page 4 thursday 7.16.2009

thebattalion

MAILCALL From Stephen Brown, senior history major Monday’s article, “On the defense,” about the benefits of self defense was excellent. However, it neglected the best defense from muggings, rapes and mass murders such as the Virginia Tech tragedy: allowing holders of concealed handgun license to legally carry handguns on campus. To obtain a CHL, you must be 21 with no criminal record or history of mental illness, undergo a background check by the state, submit fingerprints to the FBI and attend a 10-hour class teaching conflict resolution and laws concerning concealed carry, and pass a shooting proficiency test. Statistics show the small portion of Texans willing to undergo the process required for a CHL are far less likely to commit a crime of any sort than the average citizen, while criminals will break any law necessary to achieve their goals. The laws prohibiting weapons on campus do not stop criminals, only those who obey the law. Allowing concealed carry on campus is not a “free pass” for anyone to bring a gun to class. It simply allows faculty, staff and students who already legally carry almost everywhere else to protect themselves on campus, as well. Women should not be forced to forfeit their right to protection to obtain an education. After all, a gun is a better deterrent than a four-inch keychain to a large male rapist.

From Duncan Heard, senior general nutrition major While I wholeheartedly agree with Parijat Sanhi’s assertion in “Freedom is no excuse for unethical behavior,” that smoking is an extremely poor choice, it should nevertheless be a choice. Freedom is not an excuse for hedonism. Freedom is the ability to choose and reap the benefits and consequences of your choices. People who choose to smoke do not abandon or ignore reason — they simply believe (falsely, in my opinion) that the benefits offered by smoking outweigh the costs, just as I believe the costs far exceed the benefits. The people who are in the position to make these laws to ban smoking seem to fancy themselves as benevolent parents who are just looking out for our well-being and that we, as children, are too dumb or simple-minded to decide how to live. An increase in taxation on tobacco products is unlikely to thwart a potential smoker from picking up the habit. It would, however, disproportionately affect the poor and uneducated, who make up the majority of smokers in this country and who have very little, if any, disposable income to spend on increases in taxes. As the great Roman orator Cicero said: “The more laws, the less justice.”

From Reid Zevenbergen, graduate student in aerospace engineering I know that there have been questionable issues of The Battalion in the past, but seriously? Issuing a paper that is 90 percent “Harry Potter” and “Twilight?” This marks a new low in journalism standards in the six years I have been at Texas A&M University. I understand that the summer months can be kind of slow, but please, have a little pride. Don’t let The Battalion get to the point where the only reason people pick it up is for the Sudoku or crossword puzzles.

Potter series presents no harm to children

he release of “Harry Potter and the HalfBlood Prince” has rekindled the controversy between lovers of fantasy and religious fundamentalists, who argue that the Harry Potter series promotes witchcraft and Satanism. These arguments are just as baseless and, frankly, ludicrous as they were in 1997 when the first book was released. To say that Harry Potter, a fictional series, encourages children to become witches and wizards is like saying that “Twilight” encourages young girls to seek out vampires and get bitten. I have read many famous and not-so-famous fantasy novels, and to have such a public outcry against Harry Potter when the others get ignored, or, like C.S. Lewis’ Narnia books, even lauded for religious symbolism, is purely illogical. In fact, contrary to Harry Potter’s unfounded reputation as anti-religious, it actually encourages many Christian values. The series is based on the concept of “good vs. evil,” and operates under the assumption that good must always triumph. The theme of love permeates the series, as well, and in the end Harry wins because love is more powerful than anything else. The final book, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” is the source of much of the evidence used for religious symbolism in the Harry Potter series: The Deathly Hallows as the Holy Trinity, the resurrection of Harry from death, and the biblical quote from Matthew 6:21 on Dumbledore’s family tomb, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also,” which refers to knowing which things in life are truly valuable. These all point to the subtle Christian theme of the books, and to author J.K. Rowling’s Christian background.

Kalee Bumguardner

Children and adults know how to separate fact from fantasy. The newest argument against the Harry Potter books is Rowling’s announcement in 2007 that she has always thought of Dumbledore as gay. Religious fundamentalists say that this is the nail in the coffin for whether or not the Harry Potter series is against the Christian religion, but I disagree. For one thing, whether or not it’s acceptable for Dumbledore to be gay, considering we live in the 21st century, there simply isn’t any reference to it in the books, unless the reader stretches the language to its metaphorical maximum. Rowling said in a question and answer session: “It is what it is. He is my character and as my character, I have the right to know what I know about him and say what I say about him.” To me, this is as bad as saying, “Oh, and by the way, 20 years after the books are set Ron contracts a fatal disease, goes crazy and kills everyone.” If it is not in the books then it did not happen. The most important thing to look at is how impressionable young minds are. In my opinion, children are smart enough to separate what is fact and what is fiction, and for this reason, the Harry Potter books are just a fun, easy read. Kalee Bumguardner is a junior agricultural communications and journalism major, and editor in chief.

7/15/09 9:11 PM

7.16.2009 page5

thebattalionasks

Which Harry Potter character are you dressed up as and why?

By Stephen Fogg and Meagan O’Toole-Pitts The Battalion

Kate Newman Class of 2008 “A Snitch, because I was on the Texas A&M Quidditch team and they had a Harry Potter costume party. I was looking for something different and creative, and it looks really good.”

Marina Briggs Blinn College sophomore anthropology major “I dressed up as Severus Snape because he is misunderstood, he does despicable things, but he is still good. I like the duality. “

Peyton Austin A&M Consolidated High School junior “Ron Weasley, because I love a good, strong redhead.”

Sam Phinney A&M Consolidated High School junior “I came as Harry Potter because he always shows courage, even when no one is watching him.” Far left: Kody Taylor A&M Consolidated High School senior “I am dressed up as a Death Eater. I had all of the materials, so it was the most convenient. “

Left: Samantha Price Class of 2008 “Herminone Granger, because she is the brains behind the operation.”

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news

page 6 WWW.TEXASHALLOFFAME.NET

¸ 979-822-2222

thursday 7.16.2009

thebattalion

Where on campus?

With special guest: Gary Kyle

ALL TICKETS $6 AT THE DOOR $2 OFF WITH RODEO TICKET STUB Jeremy Northum — THE BATTALION

Think you know every nook and cranny of Texas A&M? Test your campus know-how by e-mailing The Battalion and telling us where you think this photo was taken. The first people to get the answers correct will have their names published in The Battalion. Send your response with your name, class and major to photo@thebatt.com.

Correct responses

With special guest: Johnny Lyon

ALL TICKETS $10 AT THE DOOR $2 OFF WITH RODEO TICKET STUB ALL AGES WELCOME

Sunday, July 19

Free Dance Wednesday, July 22

Johnny Cooper Thursday, July 23

$1,000 Ladies’ Bikini Contest Friday, July 24

Aaron Watson

Bo Hee Yoon, sociology graduate student Dan Sipes, senior ﬁnance major Alexander Godbey, senior economics major Lauren Thompson, junior agricultural communications and journalism major Kirbie Haynes, senior interdisciplinary studies major Lisa Caldwell, Class of 2001 Li peng Yu, agribusiness graduate student Marc Nunez, senior agribusiness major Brant Alan Wilbourn, senior agricultural economics major Eric Beckham, senior petroleum engineering major

Wednesday’s answer George Bush Presidential Library

Senate approves plan to revamp US health care WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama achieved a milestone Wednesday when a Senate committee approved a plan to revamp the U.S. health care system. The Senate panel’s action, which attracted no Republican votes, came as the president’s campaign organization rolled out television ads to build support for his top domestic priority. Obama met with Republicans at the White House in search of an elusive bipartisan compromise on his call to expand coverage to the nearly 50 million uninsured Americans as well as restrain spending increases in health care. But the 13-10

party-line vote in the Senate health committee signaled a deepening rift in Congress. While Democrats respond to Obama’s call for action with renewed determination, Republicans are using harsher words to voice their misgivings. In the House, Democrats began pushing legislation through the first of three committees, although moderate and conservative members of the rank and file were demanding changes. In the Senate, lawmakers were considering fees on health insurance companies as a new source of potential financing for a $1 trillion package that’s short on funds.

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