riday, October 26, 2001 (price must a J anteed results jJ day the ad i$s ancelled earlt /VAMTED r average. Als;^ Flexible hours pm at Golden 0 ap the Booze kw open-container law s good for A&M students ecently, the law enforce ment agencies of Texas were forced by the feeler- government to adopt a new pen container policy which will help fight drunk driving. This new weapon comes in the form of a law that went into effect on Sept. 1, 2001, in response to a federal ultima- m. It stated that the govern- lent would deny road mainte- an EN5O0, m ance fundin g to any s * at e that eat, $2400/060 oes not adopt an open-contain- policy similar to the one man- aied in Texas. The new law ates that it is now ille- al for any occupant of vehicle to possess an pen container in the assenger area of a ehide. The addition 300 miles, Mup lore. Runs (« 18. ETS = ferret Spa.": w cage and alar rs). S340/O.B.O. adult females. I >75-1601. as a great sete doption! FeeW ire. Student fe 1295. ESTATE azos Animal s-i fthisnew law will ieiterpets.org featly reduce drunk Boxer, akc,5* riving in the College tation area and will elpmake the roads lore safe for every- me. flany students riticize this new 'drm/2bth home :■) 1W as too Call Linda SlhNrr [riot, however by our^openh: asksnothing lore than what be rea- onably expect- d from either he passenger rifle driver of yfijpte. The ce 3/2/2 brick Im Large backyard. 79-575-8912.28! rm/2bth homjiiS 1 ersity. $102,500. day at 76W502 . ori ( |ol(llaw, which lowed open 1 MATES Icontainers to be Longmire. Greatal P^Sengei area 3-miies fromca.m» ifa vehicle, was Cail ws ' ar(0o | eil j en ( to 764-2753(h). >; e ff ect j ve . gy aking advan- d for spring semes , rtments. 2bdm$ 2geofthis n2/mo. Call Set aw, any driver ho was drink ed spring ladison Pointed bypass their , 2bills. 695-2/11. pink off to a fICES CHAD MALLAM • THE BATTALION SAP, new2bdrf teen g er 0r set h down in a CU P w/d, $400 tlflf older to avoid penalty. An offi- ercould only issue a ticket if rm/2bth house. if edriver had actually been seen route, fencedta «inking from the open contain- utilities. 695-99i- :r, ed ASAP, $3I»1 Secondl y’ the old law :bth. Call Ryaiti flowed passengers to drink ^hile riding in a vehicle, an semester W clion that cou,d be potentially !5/mo. On bus® «ry dangerous if the passengers 2. iistracted the driver. CAR- J OOL, the student run designat- ddriver program also sees re Driving. Lots Mnking passengers as a poten cket dismissal ial danger and requires that all M-T(6pm-9pm). )atrons ] eave their alcohol at Sat- Fri(6p!^ SaHSam-Z* 1 Walk-ins r vest price alio^ Ste.217. 84&L" 1 y (cp ooi7) Cartoon of the Day their place of departure. “Due to safety issues and stu dent regulations, we don't allow alcohol in our cars,” said Kent Evans, current chair of CAR- POOL. In effect, this law makes driving safer by eliminating one of the many distractions that a driver faces. Opponents also complain that the law would interfere with the transportation of alcohol from place to place, but in reality, it provides plenty of leeway for those students who are transport ing alcohol. Students must under stand two things about the new law, first what can be counted as an open container, and second, where an open container can be stored. In order to understand the law’s stance on alcohol transportation, it must be understood that any con tainer on which the seal has been broken counts as open. This means that even if the container is resealed with a cap, it still counts as an open container so long as the permanent seal has been broken. Secondly, it is important to know where an open con tainer can be stored. The legal places for an open container are in the trunk of a car, in the cargo area of an SUV, in the bed of a pickup or in a locked glove box. As long as students fol low these guidelines, they should have nothing to fear from the new law. To further ease stu dent’s fears, the local police have stated that they are not out to abuse this law. “We would rather have peo ple become informed about the new law and comply voluntarily than have them find out about it through us issuing lots of tick ets. We are trying to educate the public about the new law,” said Officer Dan Jones of the CSPD. Breaking this law results in a class C misdemeanor, however the penalty can be stiff, reach ing 285 dollars or more. Instead of fighting the new law, students should embrace it as a good way to make the streets of Bryan/ College Station safer for everyone. Tim Dyll is a senior electrical engineering major. MAIL CALL iva Yoga- All L? : '979)268-3838 VEL ) 2002- 4-nigl)ts : $446- 7-nights _ 3. Join the f ed availability' at l-SOO^l! 1 DRS >m France, 79-485-0375. was inappropriate Non 695-9193, &T Non Peer Coun^ In response to Oct. 23 Cartoon oose hunts in ^ ^ Day. 11.-382-2644. I want to let you know that as a part of the Aggie family, and asa muslim woman, I was very offended with the cartoon that you had in The Battalion on Oct. 23. It showed a picture of a woman wearing the hijabi head covering) and a shirtless man wearing a turban and hav- a stick of dynamite in his pants, I assume was some kamikaze’ stunt. I do not see humor in that. It is an insult to every muslim. First of all, muslims do not go to bars, because drinking alco hol is prohibited in Islam. Secondly there is not a single teaching in Islam that says we support terrorism (suicide is also prohibited in our religion of Peace). In this cartoon you are implic itly saying that terrorism equals Islam whether you mean it or not. I considered this inappro priate and unacceptable. I expect that The Battalion will take responsible action regarding this matter and I would suggest for your crew, to show more professionalism and do a background check before you display in public before you make your own conclusion about the subject, especially when you are dealing with sen sitive issues such as this. Your so-called humor could have a horrendous effect on someone else’s life. These days muslim women wear head covers as a part of their faith and we do not feel as safe as we did before the terri ble attacks on September 11. There have been a number of horrible backlashes toward muslims throughout the nation since the attacks. I do not think your cartoon helps alleviate this problem, and it could certainly distort people’s view of Islam, which is already portrayed poorly by the media today. This comic you have is a good example. Public must be informed adequately about anthrax O ver the last couple of weeks. Anthrax has been in the top head lines every day. New cases are continuously emerging. As a result, Americans are becoming frightened, but they seem more fright ened of the unknowns of anthrax, rather than of the disease itself. The reason for this is not many people know exactly what anthrax is. The general public should be made aware of these anthrax cases, but there is no need for the hysteria that has overwhelmed many families. Fear of the unknown is one of the greatest fears possible, for there is no way to handle this except to become educated about the fear. Anthrax is caused by the spore-forming bacterium, bacillus anthracis. It is found most commonly in hoofed mammals, such as sheep and cows but also can infect humans. There are three types of human anthrax, the most lethal of the types being inhalation anthrax. The other two types are intestinal anthrax and cutaneous anthrax. Cutaneous anthrax is the more preva lent type that currently is being contract ed throughout the United states. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), “Skin infection begins as a raised itchy bump that resembles an insect bite but, within one to two days, develops into a vesicle and then a pain less ulcer, usually one to three cm in diameter, with a characteristic black necrotic (dying) area in the center. Lymph glands in the adjacent area may swell.” Proper antibiotic treatment is very effective, and death is rare with proper care. It is important to realize that simply touching Anthrax spores will not cause disease. It must be either inhaled or passed through a cut on the skin to become potentially hazardous to one’s health. However, American citizens are fright ened, as shown through the purchases being made days after the terrorist attacks. Gas mask sales have soared to the point where most stores are out of stock, and chemical warfare suits have also become a hot commodity. Despite the warnings given by some of the store owners that the suits were collector’s items, and there was no guarantee as to the effectiveness of it for biological war fare. Gas masks are worn mainly to pre vent various types of gases, smoke and dust. They were not designed with the intent to protect people from contracting potential infectious agents that may be released into the air. In any case, many of these agents are damaging even after mere exposure to the skin, and unless one were to go around suited up daily in a chemical warfare suit, just the presence of a gas mask does not guarantee safety for the owner. The main idea that Americans now need to come to realize is that while the threat of biological warfare is far more imminent than it ever has been in the his tory of the world, it must be handled cau tiously, and with knowledge and under standing, not with ignorance and hysteria. We must face this potential threat with bravery and courage and exemplify Plato’s definition, “Courage is a special kind of knowledge: the knowledge of how to fear what ought to be feared, and how not to fear what ought not to be feared.” Becoming informed about the basics of Anthrax is the first step. The unknown lies at the base of every fear. With knowledge and understanding, the fear can be controlled. Ruby Lee is a sophomore computer science major. AMEY BHAN • THE BATTALION Dini Sunardi Graduate Student Muslim student misguided In response to Tauhid Albar’s mail call on Oct. 24: I take offense to Mr. Albar’s letter. I would like to explain to him that American women are not the decadent sinners he seems to think. We are simply free to live our lives as we wish, to dress how we choose, to go where we want, and yes be a lit tle decadent at times. We are not ignorant or infidels for sit ting at a bar or leaving the house without our heads cov ered or a permission slip from our fathers or husbands. I sup pose that is a slap in the face to you or your God but mine thinks that it’s just fine. Liz Hudson Class of 2001 I find it interesting that one person has taken it upon him self to represent the entire muslim community. I can hon estly say that I do not usually agree with the Uncartoonisfs opinions but he is entitled to have those opinions, no matter how uninformed they might be. We have something in this country called the Constitution that gives even wannabe jour nalists a chance to express their opinions. The muslim community is already having a hard time with PR due to the recent terrorist attacks by a small group of peo ple who have also taken it upon themselves to represent the entire muslim community. It does not bode well with anyone when one person who does not represent all muslims sends veiled threats to The Battalion about “slapping someone in the face.” If you want people to respect you and your culture, do your part to not give people the impression that you are all vio lent people. Justin Lee Class of 2003 CARTOON OF THE DAY "TVLt IWcft ViT