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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 11, 2004)
)Ri: NEWS 7A BATTALION Wednesday, February 11, 2004 sideoi. • THE BATTALION ' does- paying s grad- nmon- momy. is earn izientson West Campus take cover from the rain Tuesday afternoon. The Brazos Valley is currently under a flash loodwatch, and the showers are not expected to stop until Wednesday afternoon at the earliest. Viacom to shed Blockbuster stake By Seth Sutel IHtASSOCIATED PRESS :os, 2 'ration For 'sityof s host NEWYORK — Viacom Inc., the media conglomerate that mW and CBS, is getting ddofitstontrolling stake in the Muster video rental chain indlakinga $1.3 billion charge tnreflectthe declining value of k business. The charge put Worn well into the red for its tet fiscal quarter. Ironically, the reason Viacom finally bought Blockbuster 10 years ago was for the large amounts of money it made, which Viacom needed at the time to finance its bid for Paramount in a heated takeover battle against rival suitor QVC. Today. Blockbuster still makes money, but its revenues are declining and investors are worried about its prospects given that giant retailers like Wal-Mart Stores Inc. are flood ing the market with cheap DVDs for sale. The video rental busi ness is also facing challenges from emerging technologies such as video-on-demand, per sonal recording devices like TiVo, and even the DVD rent- by-mail service offered by Netfiix Inc. Viacom has been considering what to do with its 81 percent stake in Blockbuster for some time, and apparently its efforts to find a buyer have failed. Now Viacom says it plans to divest the stake using a tax-free split-off transac tion, under which Viacom share holders would have the option of exchanging some of their stock for shares in Blockbuster. ar sto- people md." opula - :s tM riguez Rican ways id an<l ays' Ricans main' mesa) vote in delet' Wright from page 1A “We have a lot more in common, and we need nwork together to help each other,” she said. Wright said Black History Month is important fotwhites because it forces them to face race rela te head-on. “Whites can’t be neutral on race,” he said. “If they Kneutral they are aligned with the opposition." s Wells, a sophomore psychology and [science major, said he agreed that whites be race-neutral, and must take steps to a difference. “Ithink Dr. Wright’s speech was incredible and istepforward,” Wells said. “I’m a big advocate of iversity, and 1 think it’s exactly what this Jniversity needs.” Wright said whites have always been positive ly involved in the civil rights struggle and that lacks should be aware of this. “There’s a long line of whites who have made t contribution to blacks in America,” In a question-and-answer period following the speech, Wright answered questions about the Prairie View A&M voting rights, affirmative action and campus diversity. Wright said he knows that Prairie View A&M students, have the right to declare residency in Waller County, where Prairie View A&M is locat ed, regardless of what Waller County District Attorney Oliver Kitzman believes. Wright also said he believes a predominately white campus such as A&M should take steps to give students an interracial experience, such as reaching out to its sister campus. “It is not enough for any university to say, ‘we’re open and welcome,’” Wright said. “We need to go back to that word ‘afflmiative.’There still is an under representation of blacks on campuses like this.” Wright concluded the speech by saying that race relations have come a long way, and that the progression of race relations is directly related to races working together, especially in conjunction with Black History Month. “Ultimately, I think Black History Month says that we can do remarkable things against incredi ble odds,” Wright said. OZONA GRXLL |NG 9 .pK wed *1 pints thurs *1 wells weekday lunch specials 11-4 JT r l/afentine Qift 9\[p Other Herbal Body ’Wraps • Massages • European Facials • Pedicures / Manicures and much, much more! Godiva Chocolates with every purchase. Recieve a bonus gift with a purchase of $ 100 or more. erne BRAZOS VALLEY WOMEN'S CENTER 774-6032 No*v Open Saturdays! St. Joseph Professional Building • 2700 E. 29th St., Suite 330A • Bryan David Gardner’s is offering special financing* now through Valentine’s Day! Give in to romance and propose with an engagement ring from David Gardner’s Jewelers. cJavic) qarc) INER'S 113 WIDEST SELECTION « ORIGINAL DESIGNS w EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE 522 UNIVERSITY DR EAST 764.8786 BETWEEN THE SUIT CLUB & AUDIO VIDEO MSC Voices of a Generation “America remains an open-policy nation of opportunity for anyone who is willing to work hard in pursuit of their vision of the American Dream - Ericka Dunlap 2004 Wednesday, February n, 2004 7:00 PM Rudder Theatre Admission is free Tickets available at MSC Box Office Or call 845-1234 845-1514 http://voices.tamu.edu
