The China-U.S. Relations Conference: A Rundown

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V o l u m e 1 3 , I S S u e 2 , N o V e m b e r 2 0 1 1

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The official student publication of the Bush School of Government and Public Service

The fifth annual China-U.S. Relations Conference occurred on Sunday, Octo-ber 23 and Monday, October 24 at the Annenberg Conference Center. Dozens of Bush School students and faculty

Cheryl A. MitchellMPIA '12

Photo by Dr. Lorraine Eden

participated in the event.The conference began Sunday at

noon with Texas A&M’s Singing Ca-dets performing the national anthem of both countries (in English and Manda-rin). Ambassador Zhang Yesui from the People’s Republic of China then ad-dressed the audience, speaking in place

The annual Tour de Brazos bike ride drew 28 students and faculty on Oct. 22.

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P S Former students here to help

Public service and soul searching

Don't be afraid to ask for help

Staying alert the natural way

8B/CS restaurants ranked, BCS style

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See China on Page 3

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Aggieland's loveable quirks

The Tour de Brazos — A Bush School Tradition

Bush School students and faculty, 28 in all, set off on the annual Tour de Bra-zos Valley on a balmy Saturday morning October 22.

Dr. Charles Hermann set the pace and his trusty sidekick, the lovely Janeen Wood, anchored the middle of the pack, while Professor James Olson, organisa-teur extraordinaire, brought up the rear, overseeing maintenance and morale. Kate Rezabek and Casey Braswell rode along in the rescue van, watching over the party with Dr. Eden taking pictures.

Reid Squires and Lindsay Taylor took part as the only MPSA representatives.

Acting Dean Andrew Card also joined the group along with his wife, Reverend Kathy Card, who came to bless the cy-clists prior to their departure. The Dean did his part to kick-start the tour with a blowout on the first mile, and said he was thankful that a blowout was the worst he experienced, given that he hadn’t ridden since George W. Bush was president.

Although, according to Travis Stalcup, first-year MPIA student, the Dean did make the offer: “If I die, make my funeral a fundraiser for the Bush School.” Travis

Casi BuchMPIA ‘13

See Tour on Page 2

of Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Yang Jiechi. Zhang’s talk emphasized the four priorities of the China-U.S. relationship: viewing the China-U.S. relationship from a new perspective (not as a zero-sum game); working towards mutual economic interests; achieving

10Prison rodeo not to be missed

12 Rock the Republic returns

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STUDENT LIFE

The Bush School Former Student Network (FSN) is excited about the current school year. We initiated the Dialogue Program, created regional representative positions, continue to raise funds for the Andrea Pool Scholarship, and hope to work closely with current students to augment their internship and job searches.

The first steps taken by this year’s officers were to solicit more input and action from former students around the country. The majority of Bushwhackers are primarily located in Washington D.C., Austin, Dallas and Houston. Therefore, the FSN board decided to designate regional representatives who could organize local gatherings and share important information with their fellow regional

members in those areas. Additionally, we created new regional representative positions for members located in New England and the Midwest so every Former Student can be involved.

Students in the 2004-2008 classes most likely met or studied with Andrea Pool. She was a dear friend to all and represented our school well. After Andrea passed in the early fall of 2009, a scholarship was created to help Bush School students — a great cause that befits her memory.

The Dialogue Program is a great success. We have approximately 30 former students leveraging their expertise and positions to help current students prepare for public service after the Bush School. With federal and state budget cuts looming, it is important, now more than ever, that current students use any tool available to reach their goals.

The internship portion of your graduate experience is one of the best opportunities you possess. We encourage you to reach out to former students to find out which agency, non-profit or contractor is looking for interns. Often, many of us can direct you to the best person to contact while putting in a good word for you.

With the job scene more competitive than ever, our degree can be the piece of our application that separates us from the rest. The more we proliferate talented Bush School graduates throughout the nation and into top positions, the more prestige the Bush School gains. In this spirit, we ask you take advantage and reach out to us for any help you might need in building and fostering relationships and networks. All you need is opportunity and that is what we hope to provide.

By the Bush School FSNExecutive Board

The Public Servant 2011-2012 Staff List

Casey Braswell, Editor-in-ChiefThomas Buchanan, Copyeditor

Jeremy Twitchell, Layout Editor

Section Editors: Student Life: Kristin Simpson and

Paige EricsonLocal: Alyssa Johnson and

Courtney BurgeOpinion: Courtney Rottman and

Jessica YeoThe Radish: Calen Caple

Entertainment: Victoria LinkStaff: Joe Aguiar, Andrew Bobo, Casi Buch, Chase Carter, Ashley Herron, Richard Luna, Nicola Mallik, Debe

Nwanze, Rustin Rhone, Ashley Spradlin, Lindsay Taylor, Katie White,

Rachael Young

The views expressed in this publication are those of bush school students, not necessarily those of the George Bush

School of Government and Public Service.

“If I die, make my funeral a fundraiser for the Bush School.”

— Dean Andrew Card

Former Student Network Initiatives Moving Forward

also commented that he was “impressed that Dean Card showed up for the ride. It shows how committed he is not just to the school, but to engag-ing with students and enhancing their overall experience.”

The first leg of the trip took the group to a tour at the historic Messina Hof estate. The group also had the op-portunity to taste five wines, courtesy of Pro-fessor Olson. After the tasting and tour, Dean Card was able to rejoin the crew and finish the ride.

Dr. Hermann kept morale high around the midway point of the trip, enticing the group to finish strong because C&J BBQ awaited them at the top of the hill. The

troupe dined together at C&J and then took back roads to the starting point.

Other than a slight wind, the weather was perfect for the duration of the ride and the event received overwhelmingly positive reviews. Several students said

the ride was the high-light of their time so far at the Bush School. Ashley Faddis, a first-year MPIA student, was delighted to par-ticipate in the ride and reflected, “How many other graduate schools would organize a wine tasting/bike ride with their professors, stu-

dents and dean?” This is just another reminder of one

of the many things that make the Bush School such a special place. So, if you missed out on this Tour de Brazos Val-ley, be sure to sign up early next year!

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include a health blog, a customizable tip generator, and even an “energy audit” that will give you personalized recom-mendations. I used the tip generator and read several suggestions that changed some of my intuitive assumptions about productivity. Here are a few that I found to be most helpful:

1. “Take Back Your Lunch.” Schwartz suggests taking an extended break from work to get out of the office (or the Al-len building, in our case) to get lunch, get your mind off of work, and recharge your batteries over a meal. I have often patted myself on the back for only tak-ing a few minutes for lunch and getting right back to work. Interestingly, this is actually counterproductive.

2. “Take More Breaks During the

It’s 2 p.m. and you’re in a small, stuffy study room with fluorescent lighting. You have three articles to read and a paper to write by tomorrow, and you’re run-ning on hardly any sleep. You’ve nearly exhausted your expendable income on energy drinks and coffee. Nothing seems to help – your eyelids can hardly stay open. What do you do?

Performance health expert Tony Schwartz has some tips, implemented in a number of influential organizations, which may offer help to weary graduate students in this common predicament. His approach seeks to upend the prevailing notion that longer hours produce better results and more output. Instead, he seeks to enhance productivity and creativity by balancing brief, intense work periods with periods set aside for renewal. Firms as diverse as Google, Ford, Ernst & Young and even the National Security Agency have enlisted his services.

I was skeptical, but with a client list that impressive, I decided to give it a try.

Schwartz’s website, theenergyproject.com, offers several free tools to help people lower their stress level and increase engagement in their work. These tools

views of how the West views China. Art explained that the moderate school, which argues that “structure is not destiny,” holds steadfast to the idea that simply because a road is bumpy does not mean that it is impassable; the China-U.S. relationship may be complex, but is by no means doomed to failure.

The second session, “Advancing China – U.S. Trade and Commercial Relation-ships,” had presentations in both English and Mandarin Chinese. Among the speak-ers was Mr. James Chen, regional director of Asia-Pacific at the state’s Economic Development and Tourism Office, who cited the interesting fact that if Texas were a country, it would have the 13th

Pro Tips for Battling Grad School GrogginessSTUDENT LIFE

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Andrew BoboMPSA '13

ChinaFrom Page 1

Day.” Schwartz cites studies that have shown that the body is not designed to focus intensely for more than 90 minutes at a time. Taking a 15-minute break to walk around has actually increased the amount of study material I retain.

3. “Do the Most Important Thing First.” Schwartz says that we have our highest energy levels, as well as the fewest distractions, in the first hour or two of the work day. Therefore, we should set aside the first 60-90 minutes of the day to accomplish our most important task (which you determine the night before). This practice is a direct attack on my tendency to procrastinate!

If you’d like to learn more, the website is worth a look. www.theenergyproject.com.

and maintaining strategic, mutual trust; and properly handling disagreements.

Following breakfast, the conference recommenced on Monday morning with opening remarks from Zhang before moving onto the four sessions. The first session discussed grand strategy and its implications for China-U.S. relations. One major recurring theme of the session was the way in which the West views China’s rise, which was also presented as “a return to power” and “a power transition,” respectively. According to Dr. Robert Art, there are three major

largest GDP in the world. Also on the trade panel was Nathan

Moore from the Mary Kay Corporation, detailing the growth of Mary Kay in China and discussing new initiatives such as its women’s small business venture fund, which provides small loans for women wanting to start their own businesses. The fund is worth $2.7 million at present.

During lunch, attendees were addressed by Deputy U.S. Secretary of State Wil-liam Burns.

Energy sessions were presented in the afternoon, in the areas of research and development policies as well as opportunities for joint energy research.

Courtesy http://www.reshapethenation.com/blog/images/posts/man-sleeping-at-desk.jpg

STUDENT OPINION

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Public Service is My Choice

“It is an awesome place!”

This was my answer when my friends asked me about the Bush School. This is my second semester at the Bush School, and with every day that passes, I become more confident that it was the right choice to come here. To teach is one thing; to teach by example is

an absolutely different thing. And this is what the Bush School offers: an opportunity to interact every day with great professors who served their country in different capacities.

To be a public service official means that you will be responsible for the prosperity of your people. It is a huge task, and if you choose to bear it, you could affect the lives of millions. I come from a country that used to have a great civilization. When my country’s name — Iraq — was mentioned 40 years ago, the first thing that would come to one’s mind is the Sumerian, Assyrian and Babylonian civilizations, skillful engineers and

doctors, great poets and artists, and the beautiful city of Baghdad. Now one cannot remember but war and death. My people have been suffering for a long time because of greedy public officers who, instead of serving the country, exploited it. My country is a great example of how important it is to educate and train responsible public servants.

I believe that we all chose to study international affairs from the public service aspect to make a difference in this world; hence I want to remind you all, my friends, that it takes a nation to build a civilization and one man to ruin it. Please don’t be that one.

Finding Your 'Why' in Public Service

In South Africa, when a Xhosa boy reaches the age of manhood, part of his rite of passage is being taken to the mountain and left in isolation for four weeks with the words: “Think about the person you want to be and why when

you return home.” The initiate spends the next four weeks reflecting on this question during long periods of isolation. Separation from other people and basic comforts causes initiates to face their lives with brutal honesty and reflect on the person they aspire to be in relation to others. Upon their return, they are expected to lead their communities, families and themselves with a greater sense of responsibil-ity and purpose.

Nelson Mandela, a Xhosa man, reflected upon how he drew upon his experience as an initiate to deal with his loneliness when he was imprisoned. Most importantly, prison provided him the space to find his why. It was this why that sustained him through the hardship and isolation. Even more so, it was his strong why that inspired South Africans to find their own reasons for peace.

So, to the person reading this article right now and considering a career in public service what then is your real why? The Bush School of Government in many respects resembles the mountain. Both are characterized by com-plexity and reality. Both prepare the initiate for a place in serving the world, community, and themselves; whilst the

contexts are different, the lessons are primarily the same.

The initiates represent the students and professors. Even-tually, individuals in both groups will leave the doors of the Bush School for the last time, and in the isolated space of their own thoughts, will have to ask themselves whether they found their purpose for serving through public service.

Finding those reasons amongst the traffic jam of our realities is an almost impossible task for many to achieve. Running from one task to the next, deadline to deadline with no space for a breath in between characterizes our re-ality. Perhaps that is why it is that much more important to find that why. Finding purpose within complexity is at the heart of our curriculum, simulation and reading: why not extend that to ourselves? It is that purpose that will drive us in dark times to continue moving forward. With that collec-tive purpose, we can and will drive the world forward.

In Zulu there is a saying that says: “Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu;” it translates to “A person is a person through other people.” Thus, inherent in the message to the initiate is finding their why in relation to others. The initiate under-stands that their responsibility is not to themselves alone. The greatest reflection of their leadership and manhood is not in the accolades bestowed upon them, but rather in the way they serve the most vulnerable and marginalized in their communities. In a nutshell, as much as their why must serve them it must also be connected to serving others. Thus, the final thought I leave you with: “Is your current why strong enough to get you through the challenges that lay ahead of you?”

Warren ChalklenMPSA '13

Hamid Nour Al-AameriMPIA '13

STUDENT OPINION

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Take Advantage of Bush School's Resources

By this point in the semester, all of us are to a point where we are mentally, if not physically, fatigued. For first years, some of you may still be asking if the Bush School was the right move for the next chapter of your life (especially those of you that just got done taking Dr. Griffin’s or Dr. Lahey’s midterm). Second years, most of us are finally done with quant classes and got past the hump of finding an internship, but now is the fun stuff of capstone and, oh yeah, that employment thing. The current situation may look bleak.

I am writing to tell you that this is not the end, and that you will succeed. The Bush School is a family, and not just the students. The professors, staff, and administration all work to better each of us and facilitate our growth. Some of you may think that you are in

Jonathan DumireMPSA '12

a situation that cannot be overcome, but speaking from experience, I tell you the tools and people are here to make sure that you make it through and come out better on the other side. Your advisors, your program directors and their staffs, Dr. Matt Upton, Sally Wade, Student Government, and your fellow students, are all here hoping you succeed and are willing to help. If you are having a problem finding an internship, first-year students, don’t hesitate to ask for help from Dr. Upton, your advisors, and of course, second-year students that share your professional goals.

To second years, many of you know that our professors have an open door policy. Take advantage of their knowledge and connections to advance your career; they love to help, because if you do something good, that makes them look good, too. Like Dr. Upton said in his LinkedIn

professional development talk, 60-80 percent of jobs come from networking. It is important to realize at the Bush School that you are not alone.

I encourage all of you to reach out and make connections with fellow students and with your professors. Utilize the opportunities that the Bush School affords us, whether it is a Brown Bag that interests you or professional development money for conferences. To quote our school’s namesake: “public service is a noble calling,” and all of us at the Bush School have that calling just like you. It may be in Chinese affairs or non-profit management, but nonetheless we all have the same goal, which is to sacrifice the total optimal good of ourselves to make others better. So why would you not tap into that system? Use the tools of the Bush School – it will make you and the Bush School a better place.

Keep Astros in the National League

Since 1962, the Houston Astros have represented Texas in Major League Baseball. Great players like Joe Morgan, Nolan Ryan and the “Killer B’s” led the Astros to numerous division titles and the National League Pennant. Unfortunately, the Astros have suffered a recent change of fortune. In 2011, the ‘Stros lost a franchise-record 106 games, while their usually irrelevant in-state rivals, the Texas Rangers, won a second consecutive AL Pennant. Adding insult to injury for Astros fans, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig wants to uproot the foundering Astros from their rightful place in the National League Central and move them to the American League West. This is unfair to the Astros franchise and fans.

Bud Selig has essentially chosen the Astros to shoulder the costs of his political objectives. MLB’s collective bargaining agreement expires this year, making the commissioner particularly sensitive to player demands – and the players want balanced leagues. The National League currently has sixteen teams, while the American League has only fourteen. The players association argues

that two fifteen-team leagues would give each team the same chance of winning the wild card playoff spot. Moving the Astros from the NL Central to the AL West would result in two, fifteen-team leagues, but the players’ argument is wrong. Changing the number of teams won’t affect each team’s chances of winning. Playing October baseball depends on the quality of the franchise, not the quantity of opponents. Each league has consistently irrelevant franchises and perennial contenders, whether they have fourteen teams or sixteen.

Making this slight adjustment does not merit the cost to the fans. Baseball fans like to root for their league, whether in the All-Star Game or in arguments with fans of the other league. Moving our team to the other league creates a minor existential crisis. If that weren’t bad enough, the Astros playing in the west will also result in nearly half of their division games being broadcast late at night, according to west coast scheduling. This means fewer fans can watch, and less revenue to invest in rebuilding the team.

Selig chose the Astros ostensibly to foster an in-state rivalry between the Astros and Rangers, but the real

Chase CarterMPIA '13

See Astros on Page 9

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Student Insurgency Expanding

Students at the George Bush School of Government and Public Service have formed an insurgency against Texas A&M University’s Transporta-tion Services and are growing at such a rate that an application process for membership has been enacted by its student leaders.

Sabotaged motorcycles, infiltrated cyber networks, and compromised tow trucks have all been traced back to students in a Technical Collection class, where the insurgency is said to have evolved from an initially harm-less class simulation.

Transportation Services has a long and sordid history of misuse of its power and students became so fed up with tickets and towed cars as they tried to carry out their simulation for Technical Collections that they decided to emphasize the ‘practical fo-cus’ of the Bush School curricula and begin a protracted insurgency against the hated Transportation Services, end-ing parking tickets in lot 41 once and for all.

A Bush School professor, who is a British expat and also a victim of

Transportation Services, says that he supports his students’ actions and denounces Transportation Services as despotic and discriminatory, saying, “my eco-friendly smart car was legally parked on the left side of the road but they still wrote me a ticket! Their fla-grant misspelling of the word ‘colour’ was enough to make me want to shake my fist at them!”

This professor is not alone in his sentiments and other Bush School faculty have been flocking to the movement in unprecedented numbers, clamoring to aid the freedom fighters with expert advice on espionage, nego-tiations, leadership, and grand strategy against Transportation Services. Such an explosion of interest has forced the insurgency’s leaders to begin an appli-cation process for new membership.

New members will be subject to rigorous testing by a former British Special Forces officer at the Bush School who has experience as a spe-cial operations trainer prior to coming to the US. “My new insurgents must be sharp, decisive, and sneaky. I don’t want any sissies in this operation. It would also be nice if they knew what a proper high tea was.”

Amy MurphyMPIA '12

Bush School's War on Dipterarism Heating Up

Joe AguiarMPIA '12

According to a memo provided by Wikileaks to The Radish, Professor Layne’s intro to IR theory class botched the targeted assassination of a high-value insect during class discussion on October 2 of this semester.

According to the report, which leaked earlier last week, students were given swat-to-kill authorization upon visible confirmation of the target. It could not be confirmed which family the insect belonged to, but the report did confirm that it is from the order Diptera, the same classification as the common housefly, a nuisance that mankind has been battling for years. The Bush School has considered this an existential threat to its students not being annoyed since its founding in 1999.

However, during former SGA president Ben Maddox’s administration, the fight to combat this problem came to be known as the controversial “War on Diptera” and offensive measures were greatly expanded. Some hawks went as far as trying to jam legislation down the throats of Bush School students that would put bug zap-pers in every classroom, would mandate a six-week crash course in fly-swatter wielding as well as the mandatory wearing of the H-E-B brand knockoff of Off! bug spray at all times.

Civil libertarians, mostly a collection of elitist snobs from coastal regions at-tempting to impose their values on elitist regional snobs from the south, lobbied

H-E-B Pursuing B/CS Hegemony

When Albertson’s closed its doors for the last time on October 7, it marked the end of bipolarity in College Station. Early on, H-E-B adopted an aggressive strategy to bleed Albertson’s dry.

“I told my managers, ‘We’re going to be No. 1, no matter the cost,’” said a regional director for the independent grocery chain. The keys to H-E-B’s success were friendly baggers and check-out clerks, consistently low prices, and a store environment that doesn’t remind customers of an

underfunded state hospital. Albertson’s poor selection and dour

employees were no match for the merciless delight H-E-B workers seem to take in fulfilling their customers’ every wish.

“Ideologically, we’re just complete opposites,” one H-E-B employee remarked. “We believe folks should be free to buy what they want. Albertson’s represents an evil empire. They’re killing America!”

To finish the job, nocturnal bargain hunting grad students infiltrated Albertson’s after dusk to purchase

Travis StalcupMPIA '13

See HEB on Page 7

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he Radish

Bringing you the finest in investigatory journalism since last month Richard Luna

MPSA '13

Bush School's War on Dipterarism Heating Up

vehemently against these measures and were given a head of steam when it was revealed that a former SGA treasurer had close ties to former H-E-B cashiers, result-ing in a scandal now known as “Off-gate.” Warner Brothers is currently in negotiation with Oliver Stone to write a screenplay depicting the events.

Other critics of the War on Diptera asked whether it was realistic that the Bush School could eliminate its dipter-arist problem, arguing that as long as the Bush School has such porous doorways, flies will always find a safe haven in the building. Offensive measures, they argue, are just a stopgap for what is a systemic problem.

The October incident in Professor Layne’s class reveals the deep fissures that continue to exist between security hawks on the one hand and civil libertarians on the other. We have to ask ourselves what costs we are willing to pay to secure our classrooms from minor distractions. There used to be a time when we captured flies in jars and gave them an opportunity to defend themselves against accusations of being mildly annoying. “Those were fireflies; fireflies are awesome,” has been the common retort. But in a school that puts a premium on ethics and professional-ism in public service, we must consider all insects the same.

Not only does this event provide a valu-able recruiting tool for dipterarists all over the world, but it undermines our mission here at the Bush School and it delegiti-mizes our namesake.

Bush School professor Dr. Edwina Dorch announced in class on Monday that students will no longer be required to write three-page summaries based on the assigned readings each week. Instead, students will have to tweet her a summary of the articles before class begins.

“Here at the Bush School, we want our students to write concisely and efficiently,” Dorch said. “I’m hoping they don’t need to take up the full 140 characters allowed in a tweet. If they can do it in 100 or 120, then I’ll know they have a future ahead of them.”

Students we talked to leaving her class on Monday were optimistic about the new assignment.

“I tweet all the time, so I don’t think I’ll have a problem with it,” MPSA graduate student Fernando Torres said. “It will definitely save me time so that I can work on Dr. G’s Econ class or learning Stata.”

Others were baffled by the announcement.

“Are you kidding me? How does this even get approved?” asked MPSA graduate student Maria Garnett. “We have over 100 pages of assigned

reading for next week. How does she expect us to summarize all of that into one tweet? It’s ridiculous.”

Professor Dorch says she understands some of the concerns students may have, but told them to be patient.

“Will it be hard at first? Absolutely, but if we don’t challenge them to write this concisely then they’ll never learn,” Dorch said. “Plus I’m tired of reading the same thing over and over every semester; I need a break.”

The Radish staff asked other faculty at the Bush School if professor Dorch’s new tweet policy will catch on in their classes.

“I’m thinking about having class just through twitter,” economics professor Dr. James Griffin said. “I’ll tweet out my lecture and when students need to turn in their homework they’ll have to mention me with @drGeconomics, this way I know for sure I’ll get it.”

Quantitative methods professor Dr. Gina Reinhardt declined to officially comment, saying that while using Twitter in the classroom is definitely an interesting approach, she would need to see more supportive data before she would institute a ‘tweet only’ policy in her classes.

Homework in 140 Characters or Less

the few remaining cans of ranch-style beans.

Now that the dust has settled on the price war battlefield, H-E-B has to decide what to do with its newly acquired piece of property on the frontier that separates College Station from Bryan.

“What happens next depends a lot on how aggressive H-E-B wants to be. They could take the provocative step of annexing the space and turning it into another H-E-B outpost. Or they could turn it into a Halloween Express that specializes in slutty Mrs.

Potatohead costumes,” said George Friedman of Stratfor.

In the meantime, H-E-B seems intent on leaving the empty store as a warning to nearby organic upstart Village Foods. Dr. Chris Layne, an amateur baseball statistician, suggested that H-E-B’s true motivation was always to develop a buffer between its sphere of influence and its newest rival, Wal-Mart.

With a business model that relies on cheap Chinese imports and the denial of even the most basic rights of its employees, Wal-Mart will be a real challenge to H-E-B’s newfound hegemony.

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LOCAL LIVING

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Applying the BCS to B/CS DiningBy Thanks & Gig 'Em

How To…Decide Where to Eat in the Bryan/College Station Area

When thinking about where to dine in the metropolis that is Bryan-College Station, there needs to be a formal process of how to make decisions. Seeing as the last twelve years of the NCAA college football BCS rankings have gone without controversy, the au-thors have decided to apply a similar method to our dining options.

Methods. Not just for Dr. Lahey’s class anymore.

The BCS, as you know, is a com-bination of subjective rankings and quantitative data to decide the best football teams. We have decided to make a B/CS-BCS ranking that combines our subjective poll of best restaurants and the quantitative data surrounding which restaurants are the most favorable towards stomach stability. Disclaimer: our results are statistically significant at the 5% level.

The complete B/CS-BCS rankings

are as follows:1. Blue Baker 2+1=32. C&J’s 2+3=53. Casa Rodriguez 1+5=64. Fuego 4+3=75. Chef Cao’s 4+5=9Using our scientific analysis, it

is clear that Blue Baker and C&J’s should battle for the B/CS champion-ship of best restaurant. Chef Cao’s had a low preseason ranking and suffered the loss of a number of key members from the cooking line.

However, Casa Rodriguez finishing outside the top two for the third year running has increased calls to allow Bryan conference teams to compete in the championship with College Station

teams. This problem may be ameliorated

next year as College Station is plan-ning on annexing Bryan, allowing the conferences to realign, placing Casa Rodriguez and the rest of the Bryan restaurants in the B/CS super con-ference. However, rumor is that the College Station conference will only accept the downtown Bryan restau-rants, as the other restaurants will not be able to stand up to the stronger competition.

Unfortunately, even though every conference wants Hullabaloo’s, they continue to remain independent and plan to begin their own cable station in partnership with the Food Network.

Dining on the RunChukwudebe Nwanze

MPSA '12

The gourmet food truck business is a burgeoning market in the Bryan/College Station area. Prior to 2010, there were no businesses that catered to this market, but some locals now seem to have embraced the idea.

The local industry received a major boost when local business Chef Tai’s Mobile Gourmet was named “America’s Favorite Food Truck” by the Food Network.

Chef Tai, whose formal name is Tai Lee, was born and raised in South Korea and emigrated to the U.S at the age of 13. He attended college at Texas A&M as a member of the Fightin’ Aggie class of 2002, majored in finance, and he combined his studies with a job at a restaurant as a waiter.

While working as a waiter, he noticed that when clients came in for lunch, they were particular about having two things: a good place to eat and a good place to relax. This effort to differentiate great hospitality from service provision

was the cornerstone upon which Lee would later develop his business. Lee defines service provision in a restau-rant as the provision of food for the exchange of money; whereas hospitality is going above and beyond service. As such, Lee explained that he sees his customers as guests who have come to dine in his private kitchen.

Lee estimates that his main business venture, Veritas Wine & Bistro, captures 15% of the market, most of whom are professional working adults. He estimates that about 0.25% of the student population of 48,000 patron-izes his business, and the food truck is an effort to expand by providing food within a student budget and offering catering services, which Veritas does not provide.

The truck has been an instant success, turning a profit in its first six months of existence, which Lee said is a rare feat in the restaurant business. The truck offers lunch six days a week and dinner three days a week, and he uses social media tools such as Twitter and Facebook to an-

BCS

The Coach’s Tastiness Poll:

1. Casa Rodriguez 2. Blue Baker 3. C&J’s 4. Fuego 5. Chef Cao’s

The Sagarin Stomach Stability Computer Rankings

1. Blue Baker .93272. C&J’s .89343. Fuego .82184. Chef Cao’s .81365. Casa Rodriguez .4736

See Truck on Page 9

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TruckFrom Page 8

Aggieland is Odd (In a Good Way)

College Station is odd. Odd in an Elmore City, Oz, or Twilight Zone sort of way. As far as I can tell, there are no children here, and I only spot the elderly getting Sunday lunch at Jason’s Deli. If you don’t go out of your way, these two age groups seem to oddly not exist. I was in a Costco near my hometown and couldn’t remember what to do with them in public settings- they move erratically, and I was afraid I would step on one of them.

But everyone here oddly knows how to two-step. You may be tempted to think it’s in the water (which, if you haven’t noticed, tastes odd, too), but there is an explanation. Before beginning classes at A&M, most freshmen attend a summer brainwashing conference called Fish Camp, where they are taught our cult-like Aggie yells, War Hymn, and how to two-step. There is not a lot to do in College Station, so we dance, and do other odd things Aggies before us invented, which we now call “traditions.”

People in College Station are honest. Oddly honest. I once forgot a pea coat in class and, as I was not a diligent student, did not attend the class again until the middle of the following week. When I returned, my coat was still there, across the back of my chair exactly as I had left it. The only exception to the “Aggies do not steal” rule is bikes, which are fair game to be put in a tree if left unlocked. People are oddly genial, too. Men go out of their way to open doors for girls, and people often say “Howdy” to complete strangers.

If one wanted too, one could attend a Bible study-related event any day of the week, in any coffee shop, at any time in College Station. I was talking to another Aggie one afternoon in Sweet Eugene’s on Skype. “Hold on,” he said from across the country, “Are your headphones in? I don’t want to interrupt someone’s Bible study.” I looked around and sure enough, three boys next to me were discussing Romans, Chapter 12.

You’ve probably noticed that everyone here wears either a maroon shirt, or something North Face (or, a maroon North Face). Our footwear is almost exclusively Rainbow, Chaco, or Sperry. And the girls seem to think the only jewelry choice available to womankind is oversized pearl earrings. Aggie wardrobes are more homogenized than the Hill Country Farm milk we all purchase at the H-E-B on Texas Avenue, but less cheap.

As shocked as you may have been to arrive here, I can assure you that we Aggies are equally shocked when we enter your world. While abroad, I constantly remind myself to watch my things and not talk to strangers. I forget that normal people don’t go out of their way to open doors, or say "Howdy." I’m thrown off by the expectation that I wear things other than North Face and Nike. And, I forget that out in the real world, it’s less normal, and maybe a bit pushy, to talk about the lesson I learned from Romans 12 without solicitation.

But, as odd as College Station is, it has become home. And, while it is always nice to have things to do other than two-step, when I’m away I find myself wishing I could click my heels and return to the odd Twilight Zone of Aggieland.

Victoria LinkMPIA '12

nounce its location. The food truck no longer visits the Presidential Museum as it did last semester, because of con-flict with Dining Services. The clos-est stop to campus for lunch is A&M Methodist parking lot (Northgate). Chef Tai provides location and status updates on Twitter, @cheftai; and on his website, http://www.cheftai.com.

LOCAL LIVINGBCS

Aggie Replant started in 1991 as an effort to replant trees used in bonfire. On October 22, the organization planted 295 trees.

Three Bush students participated with PSO to plant a tree outside a College Station Apartment Complex. Thank you to those who came out.

Keep an eye out for future PSO events!

PSO UpdateAstrosFrom Page 5

reason is because he has leverage over Houston. The commissioner knows he can use the move as a condition to approve the sale of the franchise to prospective new owner Jim Crane. This tactic is unsportsmanlike to say the least. In no other game is tradition and history more important, and moving the Astros disregards both.

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ENTERTAINMENT!

State Fair Epitomizes All Things TexasCourtney Burge

MPIA '13

This year marked the 20th year that I have attended the State Fair of Texas, and while it has lost some of its luster over the years, I still have a great time with my family. For those from out of state or who have never gone, it truly is a great experience and one that can be compared to noth-ing else. Other states have their fairs, but Texas’ is, in my biased opinion, the best one out there.

Upon entering the fairgrounds, you are immediately awed by Big Tex, a talking statue more than thirty feet high. Big Tex welcomes you into the fair and occasion-ally updates you on big events happening around the fairgrounds. With his bigger-than-life-size cowboy boots, booming Southern voice and ginormous ten-gallon hat, Big Tex epitomizes the Texan of the Old West.

There are so many things to do and see that it’s almost impossible to spend less than a full day there. Big name

bands such as Hanson and Lady Antebellum entertain crowds during the evening. Kids and adults compete in the midway to win stuffed animals bigger than themselves. The largest Ferris wheel in the Western hemisphere takes sight-seers up hundreds of feet to catch a majestic glimpse of the Dallas skyline at night.

And then there’s the fried food. One of the most re-nowned events of the State Fair is the fried food cooking competition. This year’s entries included fried salsa, fried sauerkraut balls, fried bubble gum, and fried pumpkin pie. I never had any interest in trying the foods before, but my family decided to try each one. Sadly, my fried pumpkin pie was nothing to write home about. The bubble gum, (which was really a marshmallow), and salsa were tasty, but surprisingly the sauerkraut balls, complete with raspberry chipotle dipping sauce, took the cake.

For anyone looking for an authentic Texas experience, the fair is open for six weeks during the fall, so make sure you try to go before graduation!

Cowboys and Convicts Jeff Willey

MPIA '12

If you haven’t been to the Angola State Prison Rodeo yet, you need to place it at the top of your ‘to do’ list. Reflecting back on my day spent here, it’s hard to recall any event which I’ve attended that came close to this level of enjoyment.

There’s something for everyone here. The event, which takes place every Sunday in October, includes not only its namesake rodeo, but also a va-riety of handcrafted goods for sale by inmates and all of the favorite treats you might expect to find at a county fair. The gates open at 9 a.m. and the vendors’ stalls remain open until 5 p.m. With a $15 admission price, this is a bargain well worth the trip.

I was initially staggered by the amount of infrastructure dedicated to the rodeo, but this shouldn’t come as a surprise, considering that the event has been running since 1964. Prison rodeos used to be much more com-mon across the South, but they are

Photo by Jeff WilleyAn angry bull interrupts a friendly poker game between inmates of the Angola State Prison during the prison's annual rodeo event.

an increasing rarity. This is a shame, because it’s not too often that we, as a society, get to experience this culture.

Hand-crafted items for sale by inmates range from jewelry and paintings to furniture – and the prices are an outstanding bargain when you consider the high degree of craftsman-

ship. While the state takes a portion of all proceeds (between 22%-25%), it’s nice to see prisoners afforded the op-portunity to supplement their families on the outside with some additional income and maintain some level of productivity despite incarceration.

See Rodeo on Page 11

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ENTERTAINMENT!

The portion collected by the state goes towards supporting the penal system and compensation of victims.

The scheduled events are some of the best live entertainment I have ever been exposed to. The prison-ers, many of which have little or no experience in these events, put on a good show. While you’ll find all of the rodeo staples here, including bareback bronco riding, bulldogging, and bull riding, you’ll also find some events unique to Angola like ‘Convict Poker,’ where four inmates sit at a poker table as a bull is unleashed upon them and the last man seated at the table wins.

The Angola State Prison Rodeo has set a new set of high expectations for any rodeos that I attend in the future – and I don’t expect that those expec-tations can ever be met by another rodeo.

RodeoFrom Page 10

Vipassana: 10 Days of Mental Clarity

They say that, “Silence is the most powerful scream,” so just imagine what would it be like to spend 10 days in silence. An encephalitic cry, a.k.a high-pitched screaming, which could potentially unleash the peace within? Well, that’s pretty much what I experienced when I undertook my first ever Vipassana meditation course.

Vipassana is a Pali word, which means to see things as they really are. It is described as a way of self-transforma-tion through self-observation, which is basically akin to the ultimate expression of Socrates’ dictum, “know thyself.” Besides being non-religious, the technique is based on scientific laws of interconnection between mind and matter, that is, how the physical sensations in the body are linked to one’s thoughts, emotions, judgments and reactions. The idea is to develop a healthy mind by jettisoning all mental impurities (such as negative emotions, greed, anger, aver-sion) and generating awareness and equanimity.

Vipassana technique can be learned by attending a 10-day silent residential course at any vipassana meditation center. What does the course entail? Observing a 10-day “noble silence,” meaning no verbal or non-verbal com-munication (no speaking, eye contact or hand gestures) to ward off all possible distractions, 100 hours of medita

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Preeti SoodMPSA '12

tion under the guidance of teachers and vegetarian meals. Interestingly, there is no charge or fee for the course. Yes, it’s all free!

The first three days are spent in practicing “Anapana” meditation, that is, concentrating around the nostril area to calm the mind and sharpen awareness. The actual vipassana meditation starts on the fourth day, when the mind is much quieter and calmer and you delve deeper into the practice. While I was enthusiastic to learn the technique, I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t struggle with it. I did have some brief moments of lack of enthusiasm and boredom (after all it’s 10 days). But I promised myself not to fail the course and stay until the finish line.

The essence of Vipassana mediation lies in the fact that it is scientific, very practical and, most importantly, expe-riential in nature. Every person has his/her own experience when embarking on this journey of self-reflection. Do I see a miraculous change in myself after the course?

I would say it was a majorly rewarding experience for me for sure; perhaps somewhat magical. I certainly see myself with a much more sharply-focused head. I’m much more productive, equanimous in situations and peaceful. I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone.

If you have even slight curiosity to delve into master-ing your mind, go for it! For more details about the course, you can visit www.dhamma.org or talk to me any time.

Across

2. This coffee shop lets you pick from an array of cups hanging above you!5. Known for its large burritos, this famous establishment started in C-Stat.7. The _____________ Wolf, local ice rink. 8. The best place to get fried chicken.9. George H.W. Bush Presidential ______________

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1. Thursday nights are free for ladies at this dancing place!3. ___________ tree; don't walk under it unless you want to be perpetually single!4. 80,000+ fans come here most weekends in the fall.6. Great place to get Froyo!

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THE BACK PAGE

Need to get your groove back? Check out the Rock the Republic music festival. This two-day event will be held in downtown Bryan on November 11-12. Musical acts and slam poetry readings will be held at venues throughout downtown, including Village Café, Palace Theatre, and Good Time Charley’s.

The first festival in 2009 drew 3,500 attendees, followed by 4,500 the following year. Founder Cody Marx Bailey said he created the event to bring a little diversity to the area.

“Living in BCS and having nearly 365 days a year of country music, we really felt that there was a large void here for other genres," Bailey said. "We wanted to bring indie rock, hip-hop, blues, electronic to the forefront of this event.”

Hosting over 100 musical acts and drawing fans from as far as Austin and Houston, the event is a great opportunity for music fans to discover new artists. Breakout new artists set to perform include Black Pistol Fire, Parking and Trey Brown & Mission Dorado. The spoken word portion of the event will feature the Texas All Star Poetry Slam and a statewide haiku competition.

“If you've never experienced Slam Poetry, be sure to take a peek,” Bailey said. “Through the past two years, we have found that the poetry that goes on throughout the event really shocks people who have never heard it. It's not traditional poetry. It has a bite to it and approaches a hip-hop influence.”

Tickets are available online (two-day pass, $15 in advance/$20 at the gate; one-day pass, $10). You can also check out the lineup, get parking info, and read about the bands and poets on the website at http://2011.rocktherepublic.com.

SUDOKU

Rock the Republic, Nov. 11-12

Ashley HerronMPIA '12

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