Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 1993)
mas .» V m' J a Wednesday, December 1,1993 The Battalion Page 3 !linton signs ontroversial Irady Bill The Associated Press WASHINGTON - As James 3rady turned in his wheelchair :o watch. President Clinton signed into law the most sweep- ng handgun control bill in a quarter century Tuesday. 'Americans are finally fed up with violence," the president de- lared. Cheers and applause erupted fin the East Room as Clinton kigned the long-fought bill be- Ifore an audience of law enforce ment officials, mayors, gover- ors, members of Congress, and : amilies who have lost relatives to gun violence. The new law will require a five-day waiting period and background check on handgun buyers when it takes effect in 90 days. It was named for Brady, the White House press secretary who was gravely wounded and left disabled in the 1981 assassi nation attempt against then- President Reagan. Reading slowly from notes as his wife, Sarah, held a micro phone for him, Brady called the ceremony "the end of unchecked madness and the commencement of a heartfelt crusade for a safer and saner country." It was the first major gun bill since 1968 when Congress banned mail-order purchases of rifles, shotguns, handguns and ammunition and curbed out-of- state buying of those firearms. Clinton said the Brady bill fi nally passed "because grassroots America changed its mind and |j demanded that this Congress not i| leave here without doing some thing about this. And all the rest of us, even Jim and Sarah, did Iwas to somehow light that spark that swept across the people of this country and proved once again that democracy can work." "America won this battle," the president said. "Americans are finally fed up with violence that cuts down another citizen with gunfire every 20 minutes." A major anti-crime bill is ex- i|{)ected to be high on the agenda 1 for- Clinton and Congress next year. IPS a politically popular is sue, since polls show that vio- ■ lence-weary Americans say £i*n| crime is their top fear. Clinton said that opponents have successfully portrayed gun I restrictions as an impingement on the American culture of hunt- lesignedfaf|’ n S®j9 fishing. “ We have taken this impor tant part of the life of millions of Americans and turned it into an instrument of maintaining mad ness," the president said. "It is crazy," Clinton said. "Would I let anybody change that life in America? Not on your life. Has that got anything to do with the Brady bill or assault weapons or whether the police have to go out on the street con fronting teen-agers who are bet ter armed than they are? Of course not." He said that signing the Brady bill was "step one in tak ing our streets back, taking our children back, reclaiming our families and our future." Critics contend the Brady bill will have a limited effect because criminals will simply buy their weapons in illicit markets. -IE Battaliox intersec- rive. igy, physics, cguis. Til d pre-cow vare. laustive files eview alw' E Ton Review to Princeton tes Texas Christmas tree industry booming after start with A&M The Associated Press DALLAS — The Texas Christmas tree industry has grown up. Take Glen Gray, for example. Gray and his wife, Bitsy, began planting Vir ginia pine trees in Van Zandt County 13 years ago, when the Christmas tree industry was getting a push start from Texas A&M University's Agricul tural Research and Extension Service, Their St. Nick's Picks farm now has about 30,000 trees and a little something for every visiting family member. "We've got a team of horses, hayrides, an arts and crafts tent that's got hot dogs, barbecue and other goodies, and Santa Claus," said Gray, 63. "1 don't know what else they'd want." Texans haven't always been so lucky. The Christmas tree in dustry in Texas began in 1972 with one tree farm in Smith County and another one in Orange County, and with a team of A&M re searchers hoping that the tiny Virginia pine seedlings would take root. Twenty years later. Gov. Ann Richards proclaimed December as Texas-Grown Christmas Tree month to honor an industry that had grown to 448 farms in 103 counties with a statewide economic impact of $17 mil lion. Texas growers now pro duce West Texas pine, cedar. South Texas pine, Arizona cypress, and even Virginia pine. Lanny Dreesen, market ing coordinator for the Texas Christmas Tree Growers As sociation, said he joined A&M's extension service as a forester in 1976 and saw the industry peak during the 1980s. "Soon the news got out that we could grow trees in Texas," Dreesen said, "We had our best increase in 1989, with peak membership at 480 members." "It's stabilizing now with members that are more serious about farming," he said. The tree growers' association works with the Texas A&M Agricultural Extension Service and the Texas Agriculture Department to provide its mem bership with information about advanced growing and marketing techniques and the best pesticides and farming equipment to buy. The association now has 317 members which in clude suppliers and growers and 300,000 to 400,000 Christmas trees for sale this year, Dreesen said. The membership fee is $40 a year, and $15 to be listed in the growers brochure published in No vember for Christmas sales. Dreesen said the growers in this industry are rather unique: The more experienced growers are willing to share with the inexperienced ones. One pair of experienced growers in Mont gomery County ask growers to remember the "mom and pop" stops that gave the industry its sweetest beginnings. "The best thing for the mom and pop farm is to stay small, the smaller the better. When the farms f et so large, it gets to be like a large theme park," red Whiteside, 74, said. "If you could keep the size down, the customers could enjoy themselves." Whiteside and his wife, Catherine, owned Whiteside's Christmas Tree Farm before leaving the business last year. They said theirs was one of the first farms to start planti ng. They began operation in 1978. Whiteside said the tree in dustry is not a get-rich-quick venture. He said some people get "dollar signs in their eyes, and think they can put a seed in the ground, come back at Christmas time and cut it off and decorate it.” The Whitesides said they sold the tree farm because the work was more than they could physically handle. Mrs. Whiteside, 70, said that the industry has gotten to be very commercial. "We were building on family tra dition, and we had a wonder ful time doing it,” she said. "Some of the farms are so big and so busy we didn't want to be that way." However, Dreesen said the farms have become more commercialized as a matter of practicality. "Hayrides are necessary to get the customers to the fields and back,” he said, adding, "If they can get the experience then it's a lot more fun, so they get a double benefit." Besides hayrides, many farms now offer one or more of the following attractions: petting zoos, gift shops, picnic and playground areas, bonfires, na ture trails, snack bars, free drinks and cookies, horseback riding, mule-drawn wagons, music, face painting, craft fair, photo sittings with Santa Claus and bed and breakfast. Janet and Richard Johnson, owners of the Cy press Spring Tree & Berry Farm, 36 acres in Franklin County, also sell strawberries, blueberries and blackberries in season, as well as Christmas trees. The farm has a log cabin, and a team of hors es and a wagon to carry customers to the tree fields. "On weekends we've got a bonfire going every night," Mrs. Johnson said. "It's a family affair." Angel ttenZJ'm. S.Anvuro.v Shuttle mission to include 5 spacewalks in attempt to repair Hubble telescope The Associated Press CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.- Feel free to put in your 2 cents worth once spacewalking astro nauts start trying to fix the Hub ble Space Telescope. That's what it costs each American citizen each week in taxes to operate and maintain the billion-dollar-plus observatory, which has bad eyesight, bad memory and a bad case of the jit ters. Space shuttle Endeavour was due to blast off before dawn Wednesday on the multimillion- dollar mission, considered the most complex shuttle flight and biggest repair job in space ever. Bad weather threatened to de lay the flight. Forecasters gave only a 30 per cent chance of favorable condi tions for the scheduled 4:57 a.m. EST launch. The telescope's future lies in eight gloved hands — four spacewalkers who will go out in pairs to install corrective lenses, a new wide-field planetary cam era, new solar panels, new gyro scopes, new computer and more. A record five spacewalks are planned during the 11-day flight, and three more are possible if problems arise with either Hub ble or the shuttle. The tab for the mission is $629 million: $251 million for Hubble parts, ground operations and re lated activities and $378 million for the shuttle trip. While just about everybody has criticized NASA for launch ing Hubble with an improperly ground mirror, few have com plained about the basic premise of studying the universe above Earth's distorting atmosphere. Nonetheless, some scientists have complained that ground ob servatories could do the job al most as well. David Leckrone, Hubble's se nior project scientist, said he doesn't think American taxpay ers have gotten their money's worth out of Hubble — yet. The telescope has been in orbit 31/2 years and has 111/2 years of work remaining. Once Hubble's vision is re stored and the telescope can peer back 14 billion light-years with clarity instead of 4 billion light- years, Americans will be "getting a bargain for the money invest ed," Leckrone said. elite editor ; irts editor Sports editor y in, Jan ; Miura, Step!®*; Hopkins II ola,Jay Robbins, juezada and j ' 5 a&M Universil' in the DivisH Reed McDon- d advertising'“j Monday lhrollt I year. To c™ 1 ? 1 1 DECEMBER GMDS I F you ordered a 1993 Aggieland and haven't picked it up, stop by room 216 Reed McDonald Building between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Yearbooks will not be held and refunds will not be made on books not picked up during the academic year in which they are pub lished. If you did not order a 1993 Aggieland, you may purchase one for $30, plus tax, in room 015 Reed McDonald. I F you ordered a 1994 Aggieland and will not be on cam pus next fall to pick it up, you can have it mailed. You should stop by room 015 Reed McDonald between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and pay a $5 mailing and handling fee. Refunds will not be made on year books not picked up during the academic year in which they are published. I F you ordered a 1993-94 Campus Directory and haven't picked it up, get in room 216 Reed McDonald Building, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. If you did not order a Campus Directory, you may purchase one for $3, plus tax, in 230 Reed McDonald. Brussels • Paris • London • Rome • Spain • Israel ■ Chart a Course for Success... • • • The waters of international business and commerce are difficult to navigate. Let us guide you through the ebb and flow of global change. Combine the excitement of Graduate study in an International setting with the academic excellence of A Boston University Degree. • Master of Arts in International Relations • Master of Science in Management • A Boston University Degree • Admission in January, April or September write: 755 i Common wealth Ave., 105, Boston, | , 02215 r call: 617.353.2982 fax: 617.353.7120 r DAY TELEPHONE BOSTON UNIVERSITY | EVENING TELEPHONE -? ^ ' I am interested in: O A Master of Arts in International | Relations EJ A Master of Science in Management ■ O Brussels Program CD Paris Program D London Program I 0 Rome Program 0 Spain ProgramO Israel Program | To receive free information by fax, call 617.353.2744 ext. 150 Paris * London • Rome » Spain • Israel B ecause the future is your biggest concern. College presents a number of demands — from bomeworb and exams to intemsbips and pre-graduation interviews. I berefore, you shouldn’t bave to be worried about finding dependable, quality bealtbeare. Tbe Brazos Valley Women’s Center understands tbe deli cate, changing needs of today s woman. From preventive checkups and screening to state-of-tbe-art treatment, our med ical staff offers tbe highest level of femi nine health care avai lable. David R. Doss, M.D. G. Mark Montgomery, M.D. Royal H. Benson, III, M.D. Fellows, American College of Obstetrics & Gynecology BRAZOS VALLEY WOMEN'S CENTER 1701 BRIARCREST DRIVE, SUITE 100 BRYAN, TEXAS 77802. TEL: 776-5602 agwa Ladies Weekend AT WED-THUR-FRI-SAT ALL LADIES 18 and OLDER GET IN FREE TIL 11:00pm & NO COVER FOR 21 and OVER ALL NITE LONG! 75ct DRAFT BEER $1 .25 BAR DRINKS ALL NITE LONG! RETRO Voted "Best Donee Club" B/CS Monthly Nov. 1993 4353 WELLBORN RD. WESTGATE CENTER Next to Cargo Bay 268-4353 , Commerce National Bank November 29, 1993 Dear Graduate, CONGRATULATIONS on your graduation from Texas A&M University and best of luck as you are now about to begin a new career! Your hard work and dedication are the traits we value in customers. Commerce National Bank is offering special new car financing to all 1993 TAMU graduating Seniors. With proof of employment and no credit problems, 100% FINANCING will be available. If a new car is in your future, please stop by our original location on Texas Avenue in College Station or our new location on Briarcrest in Bryan. We are looking forward to fulfilling your financial needs. Gig ’Em Aggies! Sincerely, Randy Malazzo Assistant Vice President Member F.D.I.C. 2405 Texas Avenue South P.O. Box 10089 College Station, TX 77842 409/693-6930