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sports Beard earns Big 12 honor Texas A&M senior Jessica Beard and Taylor Jungmann of Texas were named 2010-11 Big 12 Athlete of the Year by the conference office. Beard, a native of Euclid, Ohio, becomes the first Texas A&M nominee, male or female, to be honored as the Big 12 Athlete of the Year. A double NCAA champion in the 400 meters this season, Beard also anchored the Aggies to victory in the NCAA 4 x 400 relay as A&M established school records during the indoor and outdoor seasons. Aggie Athletics
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nation &world Death toll rises in Syria BEIRUT — Syrian security forces backed by tanks and snipers launched a ferocious assault Sunday on defiant cities and towns, killing at least 70 people and possibly many more as the regime raced to crush dissent ahead of Ramadan.
texas Texan pays $15 for house FLOWER MOUND — It sounds like a Texas tall tale — a man finds a 2-story, 3,250-square-foot house in a middleto-upper class Dallas suburb of Flower Mound worth $340,000. He likes it and moves in after paying just $15. Kenneth T. Robinson laid claim to the 14-year-old house under the obscure Texas law of “adverse possession,” commonly known as “squatter’s rights.” The Dallas Morning News reports Robinson determined that the owner of record moved out about a year ago and cannot be found, and the property wasn’t listed for sale. He filed an affidavit of adverse possession with Denton County for a $15 fee, turned on the utilities and moved in. Associated Press
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Little love r Big 12 o f Adrian O’Hanlon III: Bebe believes Aggies want to stay put but polls say otherwise.
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midst recent developments with the Longhorn Network and the concerns stemming from Big 12 members, questions about Texas A&M’s commitment to the Big 12 are rising again after many officials commented on an ESPN report.
Vote online ◗ Visit The Battalion’s Facebook page to vote on whether or not A&M should leave for the SEC. The poll currently sits at 57 votes with 37 in favor of such a move.
The recent clamoring comes after an ESPN reporter said A&M officials confirmed roughly 60 percent of the Aggie fan base would approve a move to the SEC. Big 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe said at the conference’s media days that he believes most Aggie fans would choose to stay rather than bolt for the SEC. “I don’t know where he’s getting that from, that’s not the sense I get from those folks,” Beebe said. Beebe explained his belief that A&M officials, coaches and administrators are committed to the conference and believes Aggie fans relay the same trust. When asked what Aggie fans would say in 10 years if the move to the SEC were in the immediate future, Beebe said they would regret it.
A&M nearly joined the SEC last summer after Colorado and Nebraska left for greener pastures in the PAC12 and Big 10, respectively. Aggie fans called for action but were stifled when Beebe gave the remaining Big 12 members cash to keep the conference afloat. With rumors resurfacing about A&M’s commitment to the conference, The Battalion polled its fans and the results showed that roughly 60 percent of voters think A&M should leave the Big12 for the SEC. SECession was a viable option last summer but with a schedule established and money to be made for 2011, a move is out of the question this season. Has the window closed on A&M’s opportunity to SECede? All signs point to yes…for now.
Preparation for the 2011 season is under way, the round-robin conference schedule is in place, and the Big 12 has agreed to evenly distribute 76 percent of this year’s football and basketball money to its remaining 10 schools. Texas A&M President Bowen Loftin said in a statement that A&M is set to receive $20 million annually but this See Big 12 on page 3
film
Saddle down Jared Baxter: Bond and Indy waste first teamup
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irector Jon Favreau steps out of the Iron Man suit and saddles up for his genre mix ‘n mash, Cowboys and Aliens. Osa Okundaye — THE BATTALION
Whether it be football, basketball, baseball or any sport out there, the longstanding rivalry between Texas A&M and The University of Texas never fails to cause a stir amongst fans. In the modern age of Facebook and Twitter, the competition extends beyond the playing field and onto the Internet. Aggies can show their pride on Facebook by visiting www.facebook.com/tamu where U.T. holds a 315,207 -284,023 lead in “likes.” U.T.’s The Daily Texan newspaper currently edges The Battalion in number of “likes” on Facebook 2,871 to 2,407. To tip the scales in favor of A&M, visit the official Battalion Facebook page and click “like.” Readers can also follow @thebattonline to receive the latest news and updates via Twitter.
On paper, this sci-fi western has all the big name directing, producing and acting talent one could ever want to successfully pull off such a jarring combination. Bond meets Indy and Spielberg stamps his executive producer credit along with a carriage full of screenwriters, but Favreau fails to capitalize on the film’s crazy potential. The result is a point A to point B plot that delivers little excitement and whose characters fulfill the western archetypes with limited appeal. Daniel Craig’s gunslinger — also wrist-clasped laser shooter — awakes in the middle of the desert with no memory of who he was or how he
got there. After making his way to the town of Absolution, he meets up with loner and hottie, Ella (Olivia Wilde), and soon establishes himself as the town’s one-man wrecking crew. Craig is as cool and suave as always and manages to bring an Eastwood “man with no name” vibe, keeping silent for the most part and speaking with calculated one-liner precision. Standing tall and iconic by Craig is Harrison Ford as the cattle tycoon and iron-fisted Colonel Dolarhyde. He’s the hardened, Indian-hating war hero who runs the streets of Absolution See Cowboys on page 2
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