If You Have Something To Sell,
Remember:
Classifieds Can Do It
Call 845-0569
The Battalion
Large hall and classrooms with
commercial kitchen available.
Perfect for dances, parries, receptions and
corporate training or meetings.
Pricing starts at $250/day
orris at (979) 822-1600
Tues.-Fri. 8am-5pm
ag!
Call Robert Ni
Kealuv c
Realty & Investment Company
FREE LOCATOR
260-1200
PRELEASING NOW for Jan, May & August 2004!
Across from campus, next to Taco Bell.
www.united-rico.com
9s
■rai-
igat- e
X
it
it
What is the Talgate ChaBonge?
Student groups will be given their very own spot on campus to ocmpeto in a
tailgate competition before thatu. gamel WHOOPI
Frtday, November 28, 2003 - A&M vs. tot Game Dayi
E-mai ocatt&shinrn tamuadu to sign 14) for the way fm ccnipetibori! Pleese Inckjcto the
name of your student grtxp. contact person, e-mal addess, and phone ncmber
be Snom 10-11am. Taiga** tMeim at 11 an unti ktek-otr at ZdCI
CHEAP PGZA ROLLS & MUSIC
Brought to you by:
Off Campus 7'ggies, Pal Activities Councf, and Business Student Course*
.4
OFF CAMPUS AGGIES PRESENT
THE FIRST ANNUAL
Trample ln. 5K
FUN RUN
Early Registration: $12
(By Nov. 18)
Late Registration: $15
**Start & Finish @
West end of
Pedestrian Walkway
@ Welbom**
“Test Your Time" Race:
Guess your time. Closest
time wins! Prizes for
I'-i" 1 places.
NO WATCHES!!!
FASTEST time (l a
place) prize awarded in
each division.
NOVEMBER 22
9 A.M. START
QMlXtlOS SUB
Tuesday
Buy Regular or Large Sandwich
Get 22oz. drink and chips
FREE
Dine-ln and take out only.
Check out our new menu
Sandwiches starting
at $ 1.99!
I 10 College Main • 846-7000
Mon.-Sat. 10:30am-10:00pm Sun. I 1:00am-1 Opm
This store not affiliated with Texas Avenue location.
Student Counseling
^mJletpfin
Are you a good listener? Do you like to help others?
Are you a responsible & committed person?
MtipZinm tleeded!
All majors are welcome!
Interviewing now to begin service in the Spring.
Training is January 12-17, 2004.
The HelpLine is sponsored & supervised by the
For more information, contact
Susan Vavra at 845-4470 x133
or Susan-Vavra@tamu.edu.
STUDENT
COUNSELING
SERVICE
IFY0U ORDERED a 2004 Aggieland and will not be on campus next
fall to pick it up, you can have it mailed. To have your yearbook for
the '03-04 school year mailed, stop by room 015 Reed McDonald
Building or telephone 845-2613 (credit cards only) between 8:30
a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and pay a $7 mailing
and handling fee.
Cash, Check, Aggie Bucks, Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express accepted.
d 2004
12
Tuesday, November 18, 2003
Business inventories rise giving
hopeful sign for future of economy
By Jeannine Aversa
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON—
America’s businesses — which
have been keeping supplies fair
ly lean — boosted their stock
piles of unsold goods in
September for the first time in
six months, a sign that compa
nies may be feeling more confi
dent about the economic recov
ery’s staying power.
The Commerce Department
reported Monday that business
es’ inventories rose by 0.3 per
cent in September, a turnaround
from the 0.4 percent drop
reported in August. September’s
rise was the first since March,
when businesses also increased
their supplies at warehouses and
backlots by 0.3 percent.
Economists were expecting
inventories to be flat in
September.
“With inventories swinging
over to now showing increases, a
watershed has been reached,”
declared an optimistic Ken
Mayland, president of
ClearView Economics.
“Inventories will be a major part
of the 2004 economy story,
along with a capital spending
boom and swelling exports.”
In another encouraging sign,
the increase in inventories in
September came even as busi
nesses’ sales rose by a solid 0.6
percent, the biggest gain since
July. That marked an improve
ment over the 0.3 percent
decline registered in August.
But the report failed to buoy
Wall Street. The Dow Jones indus
trials lost 57.85 points to close at
9,710.83, as new fears of terror
ism weighed on investors.
With the economy improving,
economists are hopeful that busi
nesses will feel more certain about
the sustainability of the economic
resurgence and will ramp up
inventories, a development that
would boost economic growth.
After a long capital invest
ment drought, businesses are
slowly increasing spending and
adding jobs, two crucial ingredi
ents that must continue for the
economic recovery to be lasting,
economists say.
Near rock-bottom short-term
interest rates, along with
President Bush’s third tax cut,
helped give the economy a big
boost during the summer.
The Federal Reserve is
expected to hold its main short
term interest rate at a 45-year
low of 1 percent at its last meet
ing of the year in December, as
well as into part of 2004, econo
mists predict. Holding short
term rates at such low levels
might motivate consumers and
businesses to spend and invest
more, something that would lift
economic growth.
Inventories rise
Businesses’ stockpiles of unsold
goods rose by 0.3 percent in
September, the first increase
since March.
+0.3%
Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep
SOURCE: Dept of Commerce
AP
In September, wholesalers
boosted inventories by 0.4 per
cent and sales rose by 0.5 per
cent. Retailers increased inven
tories by 1 percent as sales
dipped by 0.3 percent. At facto
ries, inventories dropped by 0.4
percent as sales jumped by 1.4
percent.
The economy grew' at a
breakneck rate of 7.2 percent in
the third quarter, the best per
formance in nearly two decades.
There’s a chance that the
increase in inventories in
September could nudge up the
government’s second estimate of
third quarter economic growth,
as measured by the gross domes
tic product, economists said.
League MVP
NEW YORK - Fin;:
American League
Asking price: about $179
An hour after
the second player
place team to win a I
Valuable Player award,
Rodriguez confirmed tlia
Texas Rangers have talta
him about a possibletradi
“Management
approached mewithaste
and some choices, and l ! i
going to keep my doors
right now,” Rodriguez si
Monday from Mexico din;
conference call.
Rodriguez received
points for the Amenta p r j ar
League award invotingtyM in •
Baseball Writers' Associatm T n
of America. Toronto first tei|’ H
man Carlos Delgado wi
ond with 213 points,!
by New York Yankees
Jorge Posada with 194
or
B)
Spears receives sts
LOS ANGELES (AP)-
of Hollywood Boulevard is
“In the Zone" of Brin
Spears.
The pop star received a
on the Hollywood Walt
Fame Monday before nesi
2,000 screaming fans
The event took place one
after her corset-jigg
appearance on the Ante’
[and associ
assessn
Anderr
lollege o
r of p:
icated at
Julian
tent maj
ovemen
rt of t
niversit
iore dive
Music Awards and a dayte
her latest album, “IntheZo'i
was set to arrive in stores
Democrats largely disapprove of GOP’s
Medicare drug plan, but AARP approve
By David Espo
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON
Republicans won the blessing
of the politically influential
AARP Monday for their
emerging Medicare prescrip
tion drug bill, but Sen. Edward
M. Kennedy countered with a
scathing attack on the meas
ure, saying it included a “$12
billion slush fund to lure sen-
Medicare bill nearing completion
lilttMlin.l
Republican congressional leaders hope to push the Medicare legislation through the Hots;
and Senate in the next couple of days. The package was endorsed Monday by the AAR :
which is launching a three-day advertising campaign to help pass the bill.
Major provisions
iors” into private coverage.
At the White House,
President Bush arranged to meet
with lawmakers who have spent
months negotiating the deal and
now must find votes to pass it.
William D. Novelli, CEO of
the AARP, said in an Associated
Press interview that his group
would “pull out all the stops” to
pass the legislation, including a
three-day television advertising
campaign this week.
The bill is not perfect, he
conceded, “but the country
can’t afford to wait for perfect.
On balance, it’s the right thing
for seniors in America and
their families.”
Kennedy, D-Mass., his
party’s leading spokesman on
health matters, said the program
would offer private insurance
more money to insure the elder
ly than traditional Medicare
spends. At the same time, he
said a $12 billion fund to offer
additional incentives amounted
to a “slush fund.”
The day’s events signaled the
onset of a politically charged
clash over the legislation, which
Republican congressional lead
ers hope to push through the
House and Senate in the next
several days.
The bill would create a pre
interim drug card
In 2004 and 2005,
seniors eligible to
purchase a dis
count card estimat
ed to yield drug-
cost savings of 15
percent or higher.
Low-income senior
would get an annu
al subsidy of $600.
Main drug benefit
In 2006, beneficiaries
could sign up for a stand
alone drug plan or join a
private health plan. They
would be charged a pre
mium of $35 per month,
or $420 per year. After
meeting a $275 deduct
ible, insurance would pay
75 percent of drug costs
up to $2,200.
Coverage gap — No coverage for drug costs
between $2,200 and $3,600 out-of-pocket.
Catastrophic coverage —When out-of-
pocket spending reaches $3,600, insurance
covers 95 percent of drug costs or requires
a modest co-payment.
Low-income subsidies — The premium,
deductible and coverage gap would be waiveC
for people earning up to $12,123 a year.
Retiree coverage — Starting in 2006, uplo
$70 billion in tax-free subsidies to employers
who maintain drug coverage for retirees.
SOURCE: Staff to Medicare bill negotiators
Mark StaK'
scription drug benefit for 40
million elderly and disabled
Medicare beneficiaries begin
ning in 2006. Participants
would be offered a chance to
purchase coverage at a monthly
premium of $35, with a $275
deductible, a gap in coverage
and protection against extreme
ly high annual expenses.
At the same time, the bill
would establish a new role for
private health plans in Medicare,
encouraging them to offer sen
iors the choice of receiving cov
erage under managed care plans
such as preferred provider
organizations. That system
encourages use of certain doc
tors but allows patients to go
elsewhere if they pay extra.
Republicans yearned for
AARP’s endorsement of the bill
as an effective foil against
Democratic attacks that the
GOP is out to destroy the gov
ernment-run health insurance
program for 40 million older
and disabled Americans.
Republican congressional
leaders sealed a tentative agree
ment Saturday with two
Democrats, Sens. John Breaux
of Louisiana and Max Baucus of
Montana. Their next step is to
await word from budget experts
to make sure the measure does
n't exceed the $400 billion, 10-
year price limit that Bush
imposed earlier this year in
requesting legislation.
After that, the leaders can see
whether the political and policy
calculations they made hold up.
In five months of bargaining,
the GOP leaders struggled to write
a bill that could appeal to enough
conservatives to clear the House,
while gaining enough support
from moderate Democratic sena
tors to avoid a filibuster.
Other than Breaux and
Baucus, no congressional
Democrat voiced support for the
legislation over the weekend,
although others are expected.
“Many will reach the decision
that this is better to pass than not
Reci
Mor
thro
to pass,” Baucus predicted
Neither Kennedy nor Set;
Democratic leader Tom Da^
has yet threatened a filitet
Neither found much to It
the proposed legislation,
judge by their rhetoric.
“It keeps drug pricesliij
causes two to three m®
retirees to lose drug coveni
and coerces seniors
HMOs,” Daschle, D-S.D.,sf
in a statement.
House Democratic
Nancy Pelosi of California^ ■j-j -■
the losers in the deal wereofl \ D-
Americans, while the wiitf
were “the Republicans’spec*
interest cronies. Republic
leaders are giving
dollars in windfall profits to 1 '
pharmaceutical industry ...
giving billions of dollars
slush fund for HMOs.”
The legislation creates a-
hi i I ion fund to help manaf
care plans take hold
Medicare population
* Ms£- Ota life, *
Tables on sale now!!!
$35
MSC Box Office
*
Questions?
Contact the E.D. of Marketing
845-1515
htto *• //mscooenhouse. tamu. edu
*
AUS’
exas S
Tue
ncrease
[Using r
panted
*et state
he sprii
The
WISE
ACME
THE BATTALION
Classifieds
To place an ad, phone
845-0569
B
THE
are astc
ystem
vlark
‘It’s cl
)ody tl
ping t
up sign
Afte
appropi
ilgher i
Legist a
itave pi
ies in
mission
own tui
Yudt
System
mg tui
known
would
legislati
The
178,(XX
Arlingt
Dallas,
San A