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Page 2
The Battalion
Wednesday, Decembers,
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Williamson County approves package for Appl
The Associated Press
GEORGETOWN — Williamson County
officials Tuesday approved a financial
package to lure Apple Computer. The vote
came one week after they gained national
attention for rejecting the computer giant
because of its pro-gay benefits policy.
Apple said it would accept the new in
centive plan. Political and business leaders
and gay rights advocates hailed the com
mission's change of policy.
"Jobs prevailed over prejudice," said
David Smith of the National Gay and Les
bian Task Force.
Apple spokesperson Lisa Byrne said af
ter the commissioners voted, "As far as we
can see, the project will move forward."
But others opposed the decision. "Once
again, we see an entity of government that
has sold out its moral beliefs for economic
growth," said Jeff Fisher, state director of
the American Family Association.
Last week, county commissioners voted
"Once again, we see an entity of government that has sold
out its moral beliefs for economic growth."
-Jeff Fisher, state director of the American family Association
3-2 to reject a tax abatement that Apple had
sought for its proposed $80 million cus
tomer support center.
The three commissioners who voted
against the abatement cited Apple's policy
of providing health benefits to the domestic
partners of its gay and lesbian employees.
Dozens of communities urged Apple to
relocate to their areas, saying they either
supported the company's policy or
wouldn't interfere. .
But Texas leaders, including Gov. Ann
Richards, tried to control the damage and
renegotiate with Apple, whose facility was
expected to bring 1,700 jobs to the area by
the end of the decade.
The negotiations apparently paid off. On
Tuesday, the commissioners voted 3-2 for a
modified incentive plan that will reimburse
taxes paid by Apple in exchange for giving
the county the right of way for roads and
other improvements on the Apple site.
Although both plans will affect the tax
rolls. Commissioner Mike Heiligenstein,
who shepherded the compromise, said the
new plan is not a taxpayer-paid subsidy to
Apple. "We can track Apple dollars specifi
cally to Apple," he said.
He said the new plan will be worth
about the same amount to Apple as the tax
abatements would have.
Commissioner David Hays switched his
vote. In a prepared statement he read dur
ing the commissioners' meeting. Hays said
it did not represent a switch in his values.
"Last week I was asked to vote to use
taxpayer dollars to subsidize, andthi
tacitly endorse a benefits policy with
1 disagree. Today's vote does nothing
kind," he said.
"Apple's relocation to our count
mean millions of dollars each year
be used to educate our children,
roads and bridges, and keep our
low," Hays added.
Williamson County, which has
doubled in size and become more
ban over the past 10 years, is dh
north of Austin.
The county of about 140,000
Ik t
percent white, relatively affluentandr pc
ly Republican.
An opinion poll taken last week la
Austin American-Statesman foundh ^ 1
percent of the county's residents!
proved of the commissioners' dec®
reject the Apple tax abatements, wk
percent approved.
Construction of the Apple facilitvj
probably start next year and becompa
in 1995.
1994 Mobil Cotton Bowl
Cotton Bowl tickets still available
Mobil Cotton Bowl tickets are still
available through the Texas A&M
Athletic Ticket Office. Students with
ticket options may purchase their
tickets at the ticket windows in front
of G. Rollie White, while the general
public may purchase tickets inside
the lobby of G. Rollie White. The
ticket office is also taking orders over the phone with a Visa
or MasterCard and Discover.
For ticket orders and information, contact the ticket office
at 800-800-7928 or 409-845-2311. The ticket office is open
from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. each day. Mobil Cotton Bowl
tickets are $42 each.
Midnight Yell Practice
For those faculty and stu
dents planning to travel
to Dallas for the Cotton
Bowl on Jan. 1,1994-
Midnight Yell Practice
will be held at the Shera
ton Park Central, located
at the intersection of In
terstate 75 and Loop 635.
NASA installs parts to fi
Hubble's nearsightedne
The Associated Press
SPACE CENTER, Houston - NASA's
high-altitude repair crew installed re
placement parts to fix half of the Hubble
Space Telescope's nearsightedness Tues
day and then rested before going out to
complete the job.
Even as they exulted that "we won the
division and we are now in the playoffs,"
NASA officials cautioned against taking
success for granted.
The result of the repairs by the Endeav
our's crew should be a telescope that will
live nearly up to the original promise of
getting crisp images and detailed scientific
data from the faintest and oldest bodies in
the universe.
But NASA was stung before. The
agency suffered its greatest embarrassment
not long after the April 1990 launch of the
Hubble when it had to admit thatthe| i
94.5 inch-diameter lens had been o
to the wrong specifications, leavir.f
telescope blurry-eyed.
So officials went to great lengths •;
than halfway through the repair r..:.
to lower expectations.
"I have to keep emphasizing, it
six to eight weeks until we have the
to measure whether we have totals;
partial success, or whatever," said Hi
program scientist Edward Weller..
not declare total success."
With ease born of hours of practk;
spacewalking astronauts on the
shuttle installed a new camera whosi
rors compensate for the flaws creai:
the telescope's misshapen main mine
A second team was set to installa
device that intercepts incoming lip:
corrects it before it hits three other
optical instruments.
w
Wednes
slight ra
highs ru
Jews to celebrate Hanukka
with menorah tree lighting
Thttrsd;
cloudy,
chance <
Friday;
highs n<
By James Bernsen
The Battalion
As Christians prepare to celebrate
Christmas, Jews are preparing to celebrate
Hanukkah with friends and family.
Reuben Ehrlich, vice president of the
Hillel Jewish student organization, said
Christians think Hanukkah is a Jewish
Christmas, which is a mistake even though
the two holidays share similarities.
"We give gifts at Hanukkah because
giving gifts is fun," he said. "But that's not
the emphasis of the holiday at all."
Rabbi Peter Tarlow said Hanukkah is
one of the smaller Jewish holidays, but it
gets more recognition because of the time
of year in which it falls.
"It's around Christmas," he said. "It
happens to have similarities, and the com
mercialism makes it seem bigger than it re
ally is."
Hanukkah dates back to 100 B.C., when
the Jews rose up against the Assyrians for
religious freedom.
A Jewish tribe, the Maccabees, captured
Jerusalem and prepared to celebrate by
lighting the traditional menorah (cande
labra), but there was only enough oil for
one day.
The candle was lit anyway andwasi
to have miraculously lasted for
Jews light candles to celebrate every
for eight days, starting on the 25th
Kislev, the first Jewish month ofwinta
The light of the candles symbolize
dom, both in the general sense,
dom from the Assyrians.
Hanukkah is celebrated every Decei
to remind Jews of the miracle, but it is
overshadowed by Christmas.
Tarlow said the minority status of
and other non-Christians makes then
uneasy with the prevalence of Chris'
symbols and songs during the holidays
"It is very hard to be a non-Chris'
during Christmas, but at least thisgh’ts
something," he said.
Ehrlich said Hanukkah is not a rep
ment for Christmas.
"For me, it was always a comply
separate thing," he said. "Probably!
(Jewish) people see it that way."
Hillel will sponsor a menorah ligl
for each of the next eight nights, stai
Wednesday at 5:30 in the Hillel Cerf
George Bush Drive.
"It gives us a chance not onlyto;
brate the holidays but to get a break'
studies as well," Ehrlich said.
T-SHIRTS
4»
f
Only $16!
I H S PfTR' J AY BO N S
Post Oak Mall (next to Beall's)
Follow the yellow brick road with Dorothy and her
friends as the Royal Shakespeare Company brings the magic
of "The Wizard of Oz" to life. From the black and white of
Kansas to the Technicolor splendor of the Emerald City, you'll
experience this family classic as never before!
January 22, 1994 • 3:00 p.m. / 8:00 p.m. • Rudder Auditorium
Tickets are on sale at the MSC Box Office - TAMU,
or charge by phone at 845-1234
Come of age with MSC OP AS... and see the world in a new light
with disabilities please call 845-1515 to Inform us of your special needs. We request notification three
(3) working days prior to the event to enable us to assist you to the best of oiir ability.
The Battalion
CHRIS WHITLEY, Editor in chief
JULI PHILLIPS, Managing editor MARK EVANS, City editor
DAVE THOMAS, Night News editor ANAS BEN-MUSA, Aggie life ediW
BELINDA BLANCARTE, Night News editor MICHAEL PLUMER, Sports editor
MACK HARRISON, Opinion editor WILLIAM HARRISON, SportsetW
KYLE BURNETT, Photo editor
Staff Members
City desk - Jason Cox, James Bernsen, Michele Brinkmann, Lisa Elliott, Cheryl Heller, Kim Horton, Jan
Higginbotham, Jennifer Kiley, Mary Kujawa, Kevin Lindstrom, Jackie Mason, Kim McGuire, Carrie Miura,Sep^
Pattillo, Geneen Pipher, Jennifer Smith, Mark Smith and Andrea Taormina
News desk - Rob Clark, Jennifer Petteway, Irish Reichle, Khristy Rouw and Heather Winch
Photographers - Mary Macmanus, Marty Allen, Amy Browning, Lauren Donahue, Varnell HopkinsIH
Tommy Huynh, Kevin Ivy, Tim Moog, Gus Morgan and Holly Organ
Aggielife - Dena Dizdar, Jacqueline Ayotte, Margaret Claughton, Lesa Ann King and Joe Leih
Sports writers - Julie Chelkowski, Matt Rush and David Winder
Opinion desk - Toni Garrard Clay, Lynn Booher, Tracey Jones, Jenny Magee, Melissa Megliola, Jay Rot*
John Scroggs, Frank Stanford, Jason Sweeny, Robert Vasquez and Eliot Williams
Cartoonists - Jason Brown, Boomer Cardinale, Clifton Hashimoto, George Nasr, Gerardo Quezada an!
Edward Zepeda
Graphic Artist - Angel Kan
Clerks- Grant Austgen, Eleanor Colvin, Wren Eversberg, Carey Eallin and Tomiko Miller
The Battalion {USPS 045-360) is published daily, Monday through Friday during the fall and spring
and Monday through Thursday during the summer session (except University holidays and exam pen* 5
Texas A&M University. Second class postage paid at College Station, TX 77840.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Battalion, 230 Reed McDonald Building, Texas A&MUn4
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News: The Battalion news department is managed by students at Texas A&M University in the Div 1 *’
Student Publications, a unit of the Department of Journalism. Editorial offices are in 013 Reed Mcv'
Building. Newsroom phone number is 845-3313. Fax: 845-2647.
Advertising: For campus, local and national display advertising, call 845-2696. For classified advertisNj
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