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sports Naquin wins team MVP The Texas A&M baseball team announced its annual team award winners on Wednesday, as voted on by the members of the squad. Sophomore right fielder Tyler Naquin was selected as the Marion Pugh Most Valuable Player after fashioning a Big 12 Player of the Year and AllAmerica campaign during his second year in Aggieland. he Spring, Texas, native led the nation and ranked fourth in A&M single-season history with 104 hits as he batted a Big 12-best .381 on the season to earn second team All-America accolades.
● thursday,
june 23, 2011
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Photos by Jay Kapadia— THE BATTALION
Grimes County residents meet in St. Joseph’s Church to discuss wildfire damages and property loss Wednesday in Stoneham, Texas.
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texas House disputes bill Texas House Republicans are fighting among themselves over abortion language within a major health care reform bill. At issue is the bill’s language on abortion for fetal abnormalities. It bans state funding for hospital districts that finance abortions except in cases where the life or overall health of the mother is at risk. But it has another exception in cases where a fetus has a severe abnormality. The full House hasn’t voted on the measure while both sides negotiate.
nation &world Pulitzer winner illegal A prize-winning journalist who covered presidential politics and the 2007 Virginia Tech University shootings for The Washington Post is going on U.S. network television to announce he is an illegal immigrant. Jose Antonio Vargas tells ABC News in interviews airing Thursday and Friday that he is outing himself as one of millions of illegal U.S. immigrants after living with the secret for years. Associated Press
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Judge Betty Shiflett, who ordered the mandatory evacuations for Grimes Country, encourages residents to stay positive Wednesday night at St. Joseph’s Church in Stoneham, Texas.
Residents come together for news and support Natalee Blanchat The Battalion Residents of Grimes County met at a town hall meeting at 8 p.m. Wednesday to discuss the status of their homes. The meeting was held at the Saint Joseph’s Catholic Church in Stoneham Texas, with over 200 residents in attendance. The meeting was initiated by Father Edward C. Kucera Jr., who gave an opening prayer reminding attendees that even through the struggles residents are facing, the members of Grimes county are “a community that supports each other in good times and bad.” Fire Information Officer, Justice Jones, facilitated the meeting. He said the purpose was to inform residences on the status of the fire and answer their questions. “We feel very strongly that the residents need to know what their situation is and we wanted to make sure that they understand what’s going on, and that they’re well informed,” Jones said. “I think that 99 percent of the reaction was overwhelmingly
supportive and the residents were very appreciative of the efforts of the volunteer and career fire departments.” Chris Heaton, operations section chief for The United States Forest Service and National Incident Management Organization, spoke at the meeting. He said 5,280 acres have burned and 75 percent of the fire has been contained. “Seventy-five percent is in the contained line around most of the perimeter and some of that line is indirect -- meaning that we’re still under a mile and there is the potential for flare ups,” Heaton said. “So we want to get in and work that a little bit more before we call it 100 percent contained,” Heaton said, that while he has dealt with numerous fires, the conditions in Texas— including the lack of rain and the high humidity— has made it a strenuous effort to contain the fire. “To sum it up, the conditions in Texas this year are causing fires to burn in a way that is not typical, and the tactics that we See Meeting on page 3
tradition
Jared Baxter: Guaranteed medieval satisfaction
Gettin’ giggy with it since 1930
A
t first glance, HBO’s ‘Game of Thrones’ may appear to be ‘Lord of The Rings’ on TV, but 10 episodes and an entire season later, it’s much, much more.
O’Dell Harmon The Battalion When you clinch your fist and stick your thumb towards the sky, people may mistake it as a gesture for good job, while others may think you’re trying to hitch a ride, but in Aggieland, it is the signature hand sign for Gig ’em. Gig ’em was coined by P.L. “Pinky” Downs (class of 1906) at yell practice in 1930 before a football game against TCU. Downs asked the crowd, “What are we going to do with those Horned Frogs?” Taryn Tipton, Chair of Traditions Council, said. “He then proceeded to answer his own question by yelling, ‘Gig ’em, Aggies!’” For emphasis he made a fist with his thumb extended like he was holding a frog gig. Gig ’em is the universal sign of approval for Aggies.” Since then Gig ’em has become a sign of respect and support. “It’s almost a unification vote, I suppose like all traditions,” Jared Fradette, senior genetics major said. “But whenever we join together on a solid Gig ’em after a speech or lecture it’s like we all gave it the Aggie ‘seal of approval.’” Other students see it as our way of challenging other schools.
“Well I always looked at it as whip’em good, kind of like to tackle the phrase hook’em,” Ricardo Arancibia, a junior physics major said. Gig ’em also rallies students together whenever Aggies face any challenge together as a unit. “First and foremost it means tradition, the Aggie tenacity when an Aggie is faced with a challenge.” Chris Beasley, a senior communication major said. “No matter what, we persevere to find a way to BTHO a problem.”
Welcome to the fictional world of Westeros, adapted straight from the pages of author George R. R. Martin’s best-selling series, A Song of Ice and Fire. This is a land where “summers span decades and winters can last a lifetime,” and kings, queens, lords and all sorts of nobility fight for control of the “Iron Throne”; a mesh of swords and weaponry signifying the one true ruler of the Seven Kingdoms. No fantasy series would be complete without fantastical elements—otherwise, it’s just a bunch of Englishmen speaking without contractions and killing each other. At Westeros’ most northern point lies “The Wall,” a glacial barrier that would make the Great Wall of China jealous. This gargantuan structure separates Westeros from the mysterious ice covered region of the North; where savages, foul creatures and a mythical bunch of murderous zombies called “The White Walkers” rise up every few thousand years.
See Gig ’em on page 2
See Thrones on page 3
Osa Okundaye — THE BATTALION
Thumbs up not always a good sign ◗ Gig’em is not a universal sign for “good job” or “OK.” In some countries, like Iraq or Iran, it is see as an obscene gesture, so remember to be mindful when traveling the world.
Read the books ◗ The fifth book in George R.R. Martin’s series, A Dance With Dragons, is set for release July 12.
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