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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 10, 2002)
NEWS NElls HE BATTalij! ?A Thursday, October 10, 2002 ttute er hnalty i executions 3 man to bep 1976 was execua i Wednesday ^ount for only a ill executions intf« 3S. I 10femafe 5 males i Penalty Infomtata I that the (souls ic killed are sau her dying they »ii ttith. \\! by Wuomos, sai . over. It wasane® a little bittooea.'} >uld have suffered •e. She was offlis THE BATTALION Date-rape drug detecting coasters may not work E.R. visits up from GHB usage The use of an illegal party drug that is also used as a "date-rape” drug has risen in recent years. GHB, or gamma hydroxybutyrate, is a hallucinogen that causes intoxication and incapacitation. Estimated number of visits to U.S. emergency rooms due to GHB/GBL usage* 5,000 4,000 3,000 2,000 1,000 J 94 '95 ’96 ’97 ’98 ’99 00 'Gamma derivative of olactone, or GBL, is a IB. SOURCES: Department of Heatlh and Himan Services: www.projectghb.org AP SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Colleges around the country are buying millions of coasters that test for “date-rape” drugs in drinks. But some experts say the coasters are ineffective and could lead to more assaults by creating a false sense of security. The manufacturers — who also make fake snow and party foam — say the 40-cent paper coasters are 95 per cent accurate. The coasters have test spots that are supposed to turn dark blue in about 30 seconds if a splash of alcohol contains drugs often used to incapacitate victims. In tests at the Michigan State Police Crime Lab, however, the coasters failed to react clearly to drinks spiked with gamma hydroxybutyrate, a major date- rape drug known as GHB, said forensic scientist Anne Gierlowski. ”We tested red wine, cola, whiskey and orange juice and because three out of the four have color already, it was very hard to decipher a color change,” she said. “It’s a nice idea, but it’s prob ably a nicer idea for the people selling them because they’ve probably made a lot of money.” Plantation, Fla.-based Drink Safe Technologies Inc. has sold about 50 million of the coasters since March, mostly to colleges and convenience stores, said president Francisco Guerra. Guerra likens the coasters to con doms: While not 100 percent safe and effective, they are a good prevention tool. “I’ve had 100 people say this saved them from getting raped,” said Guerra, a former magician. “Before me, there was no way to detect it. It’s nice to be able to do something about it.” A federal task force recently esti mated that college drinking leads to an estimated 70,000 sexual assaults or rapes annually. Yasmine Timberlake, a sophomore at San Jose State University, was grate ful for the coasters handed out by the YWCA at a bar near campus. “We’re girls, and we’ve got to be careful,” she said, putting a handful in her purse. “That’s all we can do.” And students are now openly talking about date rape at St. Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, which bought 800 coasters to pass out to freshmen. “That’s the purpose: to educate them and to make them more aware,” said Donnie Jeffrey, who runs St. Mary’s alcohol-awareness program. The coasters’ labels promise they will help “identify the presence of illicit drugs in beverages.” But in response to questions from The Associated Press, co-inventor Brian Glover, a New York dentist who dab bles in chemistry, acknowledged that the coasters can identify just two of the many date-rape drugs — GHB and ketamine. u Vve had 100people say this saved them from getting raped. — Francisco Guerra president of Drink Safe Technologies Inc. There are 36 drugs on the street classified as date-rape drugs, too many for police field tests to detect. said Trinka Porrata, a retired Los Angeles detective who is an authority on GHB. “I’m horrified to think people are actually buying it and passing it out. I think it will do more damage than it will ever do good,” said Porrata, a board member of Project GHB, a pre vention and education organization. “If it was that simple, we could shut down all of our crime labs.” Porrata tested different varieties of drugs on the coasters. Some test spots turned a slight shade of blue within 30 minutes; others did not change color until hours later, she said. The Drug Enforcement Administration also advises against putting faith in tests that cannot keep up with the constantly changing chemistry of illegal drugs. “In cases where there are scientif ic advances, the bad guys get around it faster than the good guys can,” DEA spokeswoman Rogene Waite said. “I would urge people to be real ly, really, really careful. It’s so dan gerous, I wouldn’t want them to rely on one thing.” Census bureau must release adjusted count PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A federal appeals court ruled to the Census Bureau must release its statistically adjusted count for every state, county and neighborhood in the coun try — a decision that could affect how billions in govern ment money is distributed. Democrats, big-city politi cians and civil rights groups have charged that the 2000 cen sus missed 3.2 million people -most of them minorities and the poor — and that many com munities are being short changed government funding that is distributed by popula- :nt| tion. In a unanimous decision AW/afeTuesday, a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the pub lic is entitled under federal open-government law to see the ?d wit ■Laden the network'soaa Chicago suburbs steering conspiraa 1 support to terra- ley. money laua and mail fraud, ed. Amaout ci d to 90 years it ut parole, Ashcroi ; to the indictm Internationa) iged in a patre: to support Isla^ und the world' . The organizatm ;re al-Qaida a militant gnu Census Bureau’s adjusted fig- Ur cs, which show how many people were probably missed. The court rejected Census Bureau arguments that releas- ln f? the data would expose sen sitive internal debates and have a chilling effect” on future policy discussions at the agency. Census Bureau officials eclined to comment and teterred calls to the Justice epartment, where spokesman arles Miller said no decision as E 16611 made on whether to appeal to the Supreme Court, c would not comment on the ^ng itself. i, ^ecutors said, day Amaout"! sent $685/ i trip to Bosnia^ siting trial in Net o kill Americans nbassies in KeiW 0 years ago."* i the racketeer^ the ter After census takers and cen sus questionnaires were sent out in 2000, the Census Bureau used mathematical formulas to estimate how many minorities, renters and others might have been missed in inner cities, rural areas and other places. Those figures are often called the “undercount.” But the Census Bureau refused to release the under count, contending the adjusted figures are unreliable and would cause political battles over federal funding. The bureau has instead been releas ing only the unadjusted popula tion counts arrived at through census takers and question naires. The ruling only mandates that the Census Bureau release the adjusted figures. It does not actually force the bureau to use those numbers in place of the unadjusted figures that were issued for political redistricting and the distribu tion of billions in federal fund ing. A 1999 U.S. Supreme Court ruling bars the use of adjusted numbers for reapportioning congressional seats. However, the Census Bureau has left open the possibility of using adjusted data for federal funding in the future. And state and local governments would be free to use the adjusted num bers for redistricting and for distributing tax dollars, unless the laws there say otherwise. P ICKING UP your 2002 Aggieland is easy. If you ordered a book, look for the distribution table today in front of the Reed McDonald Building. (Go to the Reed McDonald basement in case of inclement weather.) Please bring your Student ID. If you did not order last year's Texas A&M yearbook (the 2001-2002 school year), you may pur chase one for $40 plus tax in 015 Reed McDonald. Hours: 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. Cash, checks, Aggie Bucks, VISA, MasterCard, Discover and American Express accepted. Let's Co -M. ■■■ aw _M_ Out To Eat Thursdays in The Battalion ■ uammm ■ mmsmmm m mmmmm m CENARE Italian Restaurant FREE TOASTED RAVIOLI Large selection of.authentic entree’s under 4 10.00 plus ask about Date Night *25.00 per couple Includes appetizer, 2 salads, 2 entree’s, & a dessert to share * Only Tuesdays and Wednesdays 404 University Dr. 696-7311 Mariyas Greek and American Grill Authentic Greek Food 1 Vegetarian Dishes • Gyros 1 Texas Size Hamburgers • Baklava 5% off w/purchase w/rhis coupon* Expires 1 f -6-02 Closed Monday. Tuesday - Thursday 1 lam - 9pm, Friday - Sac, 1 lam - 10pm, Sunday 1 lam - 9pn *1 coupon per person, please MEXICAN CAFE 33 I 2 S. College Ave., Bryan Serving the freshest and best mexican fast food for over 32 years. Half-Price Crispy Tacos w/ purchase of Large Drink Present coupon when ordering. Limit 10. Expires I 1-6-02. One coupon per person, per order. Not valid with any other offer. Drive thru open late - after Midnight Yell . I 1804 Welsh 693-2337 A&M Consolidat - TEXAS BAR-B-Q Come and Get It! SANDWICHES Buy 1, get 1 FREE When you present this ad. Coupon good for up to 5 tacos. 504 Harvey Road 696-7383 Valid until November 30, 2002 • Rudy’s accepts the Aggie Card m m awsm m m lomMEea m 3© tuyrn 1 ' Receive ' 10% OFF with this coupon x offer not redeemable with any other discounts ^ 693-7300 Limited delivery area with MO or more order * * m VIETNAMESE NOODLE SOUP Our special combination of Vietnamese spices makes Pho Jo lx ns different from all others. If you are looking for a new dining experience that is flavorful and healthy, give us a try. You'll he glad you did. I 1 i NT 2501 S. Texas Ave., Suite CIOS Mon-Thur: I I am-10pm Fri-Sat: I I am-10:30pm ** Sunday: I 2prr© Oprn^|| IFREE EGG ROLL! M.00 OFF , I w/ purchase of any entree i any entree | I One coupon per visit Coupon expires 10/31/02 J One coupon per visit. Coupon expires 10/31/02 I 1901 Texas Avenue B2 College Station • 979-696-1250 (Ne xt to Super Pro Nails, in the new Hobby Lobby Shopping Center) m m mmmmM m mmmmm m | ( lHe ‘Edge Cafe ! df JAVA. COZHKT “Northgate’s Newest Eatery” Now serving breakfast, lunch, dinner, and “illy” Europe’s best-selling coffee. Bring rii fo7 FREE shot of Espresso or cup of coffee m i - '/V • Wood fire pizzas • Individual stir fry \ •Teas, smoothies, Italian soda’s • Much, much more! Located within Tradition Dorm across from Burger Boy 2>\ j FREE APPETIZER with meal purchase and this coupon f)p cuanecf & nperntc.rf 222 n. main in historic cfoiantoran hrejan 979.822.2675 1