thebattalion ● thursday,
april 30, 2009
● serving
texas a&m since 1893
● first paper free – additional copies $1 ● © 2009 student media
Swine flu spreads across world, one step from pandemic H1N1 virus hits home in U.S., reported in 11 states Lauran Neergaard Associated Press WASHINGTON — The swine flu outbreak began hitting home across the U.S. Wednesday, spreading to 11 states and closing schools amid confirmation of the first U.S. death — a Mexican toddler who visited Texas with his family — and the confinement of dozens of Marines after one came down with the disease in California. Some 100 schools were closed, and more might need to be shut down temporarily, President Barack Obama said, declaring, “This obviously is a serious situation.” The total confirmed cases in the U.S. rose to nearly 100, with many more suspected. The Geneva-based World Health Organization sounded its own ominous alarm, raising
Countries takes drastic steps to contain the virus
its alert level to one notch below a full-fledged global pandemic. Said WHO Director General Margaret Chan: “It really is all of humanity that is under threat during a pandemic.” Dr. Richard Besser, acting chief of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in Atlanta there were confirmed cases in ten states, including 51 in New York, 16 in Texas and 14 in California. The CDC counted scattered cases in Kansas, Massachusetts , Michigan, Arizona, Indiana, Nevada and Ohio. State officials in Maine said laboratory tests had confirmed three cases in that state, not yet included in the CDC count. And the Pentagon said a Marine at the Twentynine Palms base in California had been See U.S. flu on page 2
Maria Cheng
ASSOCIATED PRESS
An Egyptian girl provides food for pigs Wednesday, at her family’s private farm, located in one large pig farming center north of Cairo, Egypt. Egypt began slaughtering the roughly 300,000 pigs in the country as a precaution against swine flu.
Associated Press From Egypt’s order that all 300,000 pigs in the country be slaughtered to travel bans and putting the kibosh on kissing, the world is taking drastic — and some say debatable — measures to combat swine flu. Egypt ordered the pig slaughter even though there hasn’t been a single case of swine flu there and no evidence that pigs have spread the disease. Britain, with only five cases, is trying to buy 32 million masks. And in the United States, President Barack Obama said more of the country’s 132,000 schools may have to be shuttered. At airports from Japan to South Korea to Greece and Turkey, thermal cameras were trained on airline passengers to see if any
“There is no association that we’ve found between pigs and the disease in humans.” — Dick Thompson, WHO spokesman
were feverish. And Lebanon discouraged traditional Arab peckon-the-cheek greetings, even though no one has come down with the virus there. All this and more, even though world health experts say many of these measures may not stop the disease from spreading. On Wednesday, the World Health Organization raised its pandemic alert to the second-highest level, meaning See World flu on page 10
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She can’t use her legs so I’m going to dominate the hell out of mine.
Riding for a
cause By Katy Ralston | The Battalion
A
fter 4,000 miles, 32 states and 63 days, sophomore marketing major Matt Proctor plans to emerge a changed person and see a changed America. This summer Proctor will participate in the cross-country bicycle trek Journey of Hope to raise awareness for people with disabilities on behalf of the nonprofit organization Push America. Proctor was motivated by the story of sophomore marketing major Betsy Helbing and has dedicated his journey to sharing her story. Helbing’s wheelchair disability does not stop her from living a life full of hope and compassion, he said, and he believes it’s his duty to carry that message to others. “She can’t use her legs so I’m going to dominate the hell out of mine,” Proctor said. Proctor met Helbing at the beginning of their freshman year — she was his roommate’s girlfriend. He said he knew that Helbing was someone special. “As soon as I met her I could tell she was a bubbly, ecstatic, love-to-be-alive, happy girl,” Proctor said. It was only two weeks into her first semester when Helbing’s life was rocked by tragedy. She fell three stories from a bridge and lost the use of both of her legs. Looking back, Proctor said he was amazed at the faith and grace Helbing radiated
throughout the ordeal. One and a half years later he said she continues to be the same joyful person she was before. “You would think something as traumatizing as that would take a permanent hold on you,” he said. Proctor and Helbing are both sophomore marketing majors and live in the same apartment complex. These areas of overlaps in their lives allow them to see each other on a regular basis.
“I’m looking forward to taking what Betsy has to the people that may be struggling more with what’s happening to them. It is all about acceptance, about making them feel loved.” — Matt Proctor, sophomore marketing major
Helbing has embraced life with a disability and said although it may look like her life has changed immensely this is not the case. “Everyone thinks my life is altered but I honestly feel the same,” Helbing said. “It’s not that hard because my friends help me out so much and I still do all the same things like working out time for school and hanging out with my friends.” The accident has given Helbing a renewed perspective and deeper insight that has enabled See Proctor on page 10
Veteran donates money for Walk Merideth Zdenek The Battalion Class of 1951 Vietnam veteran Don Hughes Sr. donated $4 million to the restoration of Military Walk. The plan was presented by President Elsa A. Murano to the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents Jan. 22. “The idea of restoring Military Walk was initiated by [former A&M president Robert] Gates several years ago, and I promised him I would do all that I could to make this important project become a reality…I could not be more delighted by this outcome, and I can assure you that Dr. Gates is also very pleased,” Murano said. When first paved, Military Walk was used as the Corps’ pathway to Sbisa Dining Hall.
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After a plaque was designed for the walk, thousands of Aggies have walked by without realizing the significance of the tradition. “Well, I know it’s the path that the Corps marched down every day for chow back when Sbisa was the only dining hall….As far as the plate in the ground? Well I couldn’t tell you why you shouldn’t walk across it other than it’s most likely a memorial to former Aggies who died in the wars and it’s just a sign of respect to not walk directly over it or on it,” said Taylor Gillespie, a sophomore communications major from outfit P-2. Military Walk evolved from a dirt road in the early 1800s to See Military Walk on page 2
Natasha Sankovich — THE BATTALION
Tree City USA Bryan, Texas earns the title of Tree City and moves toward digital documents and files By Megan Keyho| The Battalion This year, Bryan, Texas met all of the standards set by Tree City USA and for the 21st time was named a Tree City USA. The requirements necessary for a city to apply to become a Tree City are to have a tree department, tree care ordinance, community forestry program and an annual budget of at least $2 per capita and a citywide observance of Arbor Day. Sponsored by the Arbor Foundation in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service and the National Association of State Foresters, the Tree City USA program names thousands of cities every year that corresponds with their requirements. “This is a program we are very proud to be part of,” said Jordan Bryan Darrell Lovelette, Bryan’s diTHE BATTALION
rector of parks and recreation. “Over the course of that time we have been taking care of trees over the city properties, maintaining everything we have and making sure that when trees come down we are putting ones up in their place.” “This is something we have done for 21 years, it is important for us to preserve our trees,” said April Saginor, City of Bryan communications director. “It is something we aesthetically [want] as well, it looks good for the city and we want to encourage our residents to look good as well.” In addition to becoming a Tree City USA, Bryan is also taking its own initiatives to become more environmentally friendly. With its Web site, www.begreeninbyran.com, the city is encouraging residents to be environmentally friendly. Bryan has become the first city and first government agency to join The Green Grid Consortium, an organization See Tree City on page 7
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