MONDAY
March 22,1999
Volume 105 • Issue 112 • 8 Pages
College Station, Texas
ow Jones Average
reaks 10,000 mark
BY BETH MILLER
The Battalion
break wV
uge,La„
•siana State -,
xxj Country
a ms compe!
». 2 Dukea r :
ie field, whic
opponent Te
^offitsstiort
■n, a fourtke,
ament, the C
5kendofFeb,2
shman Arna.
sgiate title by s.
who finishes-
astyear.pia::
te Aggies wtr
■ to break the"
set in 1981&
Dndontheti
and Marta C
■rage.
. 8 am Frida eg
;0 a.m. Sure I
2 iayoA.
I'jVall Street endured a roller-
DftS r ^ e * ast wee ^ when the
Jones Industrial Average
over b$ J1A ) danced around the record-
teuking 10,000 mark,
sportingevr The DJIA made history at 9:51
aak period fl. Eastern time last Tuesday as
•me): broke 10,000. The average has
?t (o close with five digits.
JAY,MARCHli Jhe DJIA is the oldest U.S.
ng —NCAA market index, and it is called an
te.Ark. reiage because original calcula-
— LSI - 0 | Sj fj rst 0 f which was j n
Rouge, La 39 ()j were computed by averag-
locks.
jhe average increased from
,000 to 9,000 in 9 months and
oni 9,000 to 10,000 in 11
loliths.
National and local experts’
lY, MARCHconcerning the future of
— LSU/FairwcP DJIA vary. National investing
Rouge, La. ports debated Tuesday whether
iis — University 10,000 mark would serve as a
b.Mo. Uing for the average or whether
rasTechUriwetyould continue to increase, per-
ms doubling in the next decade,
■ohn Anderson, vice president
IY, MARCH l in d resident manager of the
eduled Iryan-College Station Merrill
Hch office, said predicting the
^’MARCHIijia i n terms of specific-date
j ' c: mi frames is not always reliable.
° Uge ;i.jTo predict when the market
hapelHill.H.CrJ, do any h in g, I think, is a
-DukeUni^ 01 s § ame > he said.
U-Hawaii,Ho''-W iiric ^ erson sa ^ h is better to ex-
^ne past market trends and
l|ke long-term predictions about
DAY, MARCk^hpt it will do over time, rather
lis —Northman within a limited period of
Raleigh, N.C. me.
outhwestTe®: Me said DJIA predictions are
San Marcos.
Dog paddle
Dow |ones Milestones
April 17, 1991
The market closed
above 3,000.
November 14, 1972
The 1,000 mark was
broken as the market
finished at 1003.16.
February 9, 1966
Trade briefly rose
above 1,000, but
closed at 995.15.
ns
va.
;xas Tech
Iowa S'j
often based on market timing,
which includes investment fluc
tuation and changes.
Rose Van Arsdel, vice president
of investments and certified fi
nancial planner for A.G. Edwards
& Sons Inc. in Bryan, said she is
confident the DJIA will close
above 10,000 soon, but she is not
sure if it will be this week.
Van Arsdel said the DJIA is a
low indicator of the market be
cause it contains only 30 major
stocks, while the Standard &
Poors 500 (S&P 500) contains 500
stocks. She said stocks and in
vestments have been in an un
usual situation the past few years
because DJIA and S&P 500 figures
have been influenced by a small
number of stocks.
“Twenty percent of the stocks
have accounted for the gain,” she
said.
Anderson said temporary in
creases and decreases often influ
ence investors.
He suggests Americans con
fused about investing seek advice
from consultants and experts so
they are not swayed by temporary
trends.
“If [investors] allow greed and
fear to determine what they will
do next, they may make the
wrong decision,” he said.
'
„ ,v
SALLIE TURNER/Thf. Battalion
David Nobles, (left) a senior construction science major, and John Lunn, (right) a senior manage
ment information systems major, enjoy the last few moments of spring break as they play with
their dogs Abby (left) and Hunter (right) at Research Park Sunday.
AY, MARCH li
Border
NEWS IN BRIEF
wS«#rmer student
b U m“iiccused of spying
nnecticutBaf STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS
il,Honolulu,H- : ,, . .. +
W-S. scientist and former Texas
<, MARCH 13^ !i raclua te student Wen Ho Lee
BorderOlynt as been accused of leaking nu-
lejr secrets to China, which
— LadyGar-P arke d investigations of Lee and
y ClubGC. th er U.S. labs.
imingandDi"! *- ee - w ho has been neither
hips, Athens.timged nor arrested, received his
-National Asters in engineering from A&M
burney, Morn 1 1966 and his doctorate in 1970.
|e was fired March 8 from his job
versify of Ws® 16 Los Alamos National Labo-
lis University-ttory in New Mexico after refusing
nal, Honolulu) answer questions from the FBI.
The investigation centers around
'JLV. t> unauthorized transfer to China
[the 1980s of secret information
\Y, MARCH2‘n how to make small nuclear
Border Olympea pons and has prompted
larges from leading Republicans
— LadyGaoiiiat the Clinton administration has
l Club GC. sen lax on security with China,
imingandOfi The Clinton administration said
hips,AthenSi|e Chinese benefited from the
— National ichnology stolen from the nuclear
burney, Montea pons lab, but the U.S. govern
ment acted decisively once alerted
versityofCabthe security breach.
Hawaii, Bank Officials said investigations
I, Honolulu,conclude without charges be-
ilversttyofNg pressed, and many allegations
irthridge. ave been dismissed.
-Baylor In#
ipring Break crime
S “w on campus
ourney, Mont The Spring Break crime rate on
ie Texas A&M campus was low
— LadyGan^punding to crime reports re-
ClubGC. ;'ved thus far, Bob Wiatt, director
impionshipt University Police Department
itational, Hof id.
Wiatt said officers patrolled
parking lots and other areas on
campus last week and encoun
tered two driving-while-intoxicated
incidents and two automobile bur
glaries.
He said they issued a large
number of criminal trespass warn
ings to non-students on campus.
“It’s always quiet when [stu
dents] are gone, but this year it
was tranquil,” he said. “We were
very pleased.”
Wiatt said criminal activity dur
ing spring breaks in past years has
varied.
He said statistics are not con
clusive yet because reports will
continue to be made as students
return to campus.
Internet-fee hike: fact or fiction?
Federal Communications Commission ruling subject of confusion
BY SALLIE TURNER
The Battalion
A rumor surrounding a Federal Communi
cations Commission action declaring Internet
use as interstate rather than local has created
confusion.
Dr. John Pike, director of the Center for
Telecommunications Technology Manage
ment, said the ruling means the Internet could
be subject to additional fees similar to those
imposed on telephone companies, and the ad
ditions could include a per-minute charge for
use of the Internet.
“Up until now, Internet access has had no
access charges,” he said. “The ruling could
change the future of dial-up networks by mak
ing calls that are now local calls a long-dis
tance phone call.”
Charlie Stenholm, a member of the U.S.
Congress, said the rumor is false, and the is
sue is not a cause for concern.
FCC officials said the manner in which con
sumers obtain and pay for internet access will
not change.
Pike said the FCC ruling will not affect ex
isting contracts with Internet service
providers, and Internet consumers using a sev
en-digit number will not incur long distance
charges. He said he is concerned about con
tract renewals including additional per-minute
charges.
Stenholm said members of Congress re
ceive letters from constituents daily con
cerning the possibility of long-distance
charges for Internet usage. He said that the
FCC has no intention of assessing a per-
minute charge.
Stenholm said the Omnibus Appropriations
Bill, which was signed into law October 21,
1998, contains a provision for Internet related
taxes — the Internet Tax Freedom Act estab
lished a policy against state and local govern
ment interference with Internet commerce for
the next three years.
NATO troops poised to attack after failed talks
BY AMANDA STIRPE
The Battalion
Following failed peace talks with Yugoslav
President Slobodan Milosevic in Paris last
week, international monitors in Kosovo have
begun evacuation of the area, signaling a pos
sible attack by NATO troops.
President Clinton addressed the nation Fri
day saying air strikes in Kosovo could become
a reality. The United States has positioned 200
American warplanes in the area and will send
three more electronic warfare planes and four
refueling aircraft including B-52 bombers and
F-117 stealth bombers. Warships and sub
marines are settled and ready for an attack
against the 40,000 Serbian troops and police
at the border.
Embassies of the United States, Canada,
Britain, Germany, Austria and France in Bel
grade have begun evacuating.
The failed peace deal would have allowed
self-rule for Kosovo during a three-year peri
od; would have allowed 28,000 NATO troops,
including 4,000 Americans, to patrol the area;
and would have kept Kosovo in Serbia.
"A lot... of the motivation
is public relations and
putting up a good image
of NATO.”
— Dr. Stjepan Mestrovic
A&M professor
Dr. Stjepan Mestrovic, a sociology profes
sor at Texas A&M, said he is skeptical of un
derlying reasons for the attack. He said it
could have spurred out of the fact that NATO’s
50th anniversary is in April, and that elimi
nating genocide in Europe would benefit
NATO’s image. He said Serbs have been at
tacking since 1991, so a NATO attack at this
moment is not necessary.
“A lot, not all, of the motivation is public
relations and putting up a good image of
NATO,” Mestrovic said. “It is about the cred
ibility of NATO. ”
Mestrovic said another motivation could
be criticism of the Clinton administration that
has surfaced throughout the past year.
“It’s a huge public relations issue,” Me
strovic said.
Mestrovic said that Milosevic, who utilizes
strong technology, will prefer air strikes be
cause if the country is bombed, he can keep
power and create a positive image for himself.
Mestrovic said even if Milosevic is beaten, he
will be viewed positively by his people be
cause of his efforts.
“This is going to be messy because the
Serbs will try to keep the part of Kosovo that
they have now, like Bosnia, but the real con
cern should be them taking another country,”
Mestrovic said.
Dr. Alexander Pacek, an associate professor
of political science and an expert in Eastern
Europe, said the attack is risky because the
Serbian air-defense system is strong. He said
the risk of the military strategy, which is to
fight a defensive war on its own turf, is a con
cern.
“Clinton is trying to prepare people, but
not for the worst,” Pacek said. “Watch for the
extent to which he gets on the air more and
talks about the risks. ”
Pacek said there are several possible attack
motivations, but White House credibility is a
major factor. He said a concern should be the
possible spread of the conflict into Greece and
Turkey.
“The idea is not to defeat Serbia,” Pacek
said. “The purpose is to force settlement after
an attempted negotiation failure. ”