The Daily Campus: October 5, 2011

Volume CXVIII No. 24

» INSIDE

Reaching out to commuters through tires

By Katherine Tibedo Campus Correspondent

“WELFARE QUEEN’ TALKS RAGS TO RICHES Author tells of her journey from poverty to sucess as a novelist.

FOCUS/ page 7

A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN Jaspers can’t keep up with the No. 1 Huskies at Morrone Stadium.

www.dailycampus.com

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

The Commuter Student Association held a demonstration on how to change a tire and look under a car’s hood on Tuesday. A small crowd gathered on Fairfield Way outside the Student Union to watch the demonstration, as David Perko from the UConn Motor Pool explained stepby-step how to change a tire and jump start a dead battery.

The event’s was inspired by the need for commuter students to know how to handle car troubles during their travels to and from campus. “[It’s a] good thing to know how to change a flat tire … in order to be more prepared for school,” said senior commuter David Faenza, one of three students running the event.

Shannon Wanagot and Ryan Tabtabi, both senior commuters as well, also ran the event.

Perko walked students though how to change a tire. He started by pulling the jack out of the trunk of the car. He explained that in most cars, directions on how to use the jack are located with the spare tire. He then showed how to jack up the

car, after loosening the bolts holding the wheel onto the car.

After jacking up the car, Perko removed the wheel and put the spare in place, explaining to students to tighten bolts on the spare wheel as much as possible before removing the jack, and tightening even more after removing the jack.

“Put your weight into it,” Perko said.

Following the demonstration on how to change a tire, Perko went on to explain how to jump-start a battery. Holding up two jump cables, he said the black cable was the ground cable and the red was positive.

Always, he cautioned, attach the cables to the dead battery first, and always connect the red cable to the live battery first; connecting the black first could cause a spark resulting in an explosion.

As part of Commuter Student Appreciation Week, the event also served as a way to help commuter students feel connected on campus.

The Commuter Student Association is an organization that aims to give a voice to off campus students. The demonstration is part of the week long Commuter Appreciation Week.

JESSICA CONDON/The Daily Campus

David Perko of the UConn Motor Pool demonstrates to students how to jump start a dead car battery.

“We try to do commuter appreciation week for commuter students [to feel connected,]” said program coordinator Ashley Trottier. Trottier went on to express that commuter students often feel disconnected from the UConn community. Junior transfer

student Rebecca Guimond elaborated saying she joined the Commuter Student Associations as a way to get involved.

“I’m a commuter...it’s really hard to get involved in clubs because most of them meet at night,” Guimond said.

MEN’S SOCCER TEAM REMAINS UNDEFEATED

MEM gains popularity

By Elizabeth Bowling Staff Writer

EDITORIAL: Clubs should not depend on USG for funding.

efiting us greatly,” said Tracy, a 6th-semester political science major. “Having Student Affairs split up into distinct topics has made us much more effective and focused. We’re going to be able to change a lot on campus this year, mostly because the Student Affairs Chair won’t have to spread himself as thin as in years past.”

Other members of USG agree that the new setup will be beneficial to the student body as a whole.

The Management and Engineering for Manufacturing is becoming very active on campus. MEM, as it’s more commonly known, is both a major and a society specifically at UConn. It is a joint degree of industrial engineering and operations and business management. The small, co-ed major has about 70 people this year but the society is open to any major. Engineering majors are encouraged to join.

MEM Vice President Candice Young said the difference between MEM and mechanical engineering is, “We know how to manage the costs a company might have. We have the business side that sets us apart.”

According to President Tracy O’Connor, the small major has “a lot of alumni that want to help us. We do a lot of networking.”

In fact, on Tuesday, Sensata, a company out of Massachusetts, will be coming to UConn to talk to MEM. Sensata will be recruiting for both interns and full-time employees and they are looking at UConn because one of their most impressive employees is a UConn alum.

Dymax, a company in Torrington, will also be speaking to UConn’s MEM Society this semester. The students are invited to visit Dymax’s plant as a way to learn about future employment options.

The MEM Society will also be having a banquet in the spring.

The Dean of Engineering and the Dean of Business will be at the dinner with alumni and students. A prominent person from the industry will be in attendance to speak about advances in the management and manufacturing industry.

Abigail.Ferrucci@UConn.edu

Elizabeth.Bowling@UConn.edu

Clubs should run indepdent fundraisers.

COMMENTARY/page 4 INSIDE NEWS: New health insurance program instituted for state workers.

NEWS/ page 2

» weather

High 66 / Low 38 THURsday/FRIDAY

High 59 Low 36

ED RYAN/The Daily Campus

UConn goalie Andre Blake makes a dramatic save in his team’s 3-0 victory over Manhattan, bringing their record to 11-0-0. Story on page 14.

Clear.

High 62 Low 45

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Katherine.Tibedo@UConn.edu

» CAMPUS

SPORTS/ page 14

WEDNESDAY

Overall, those running the event deemed it a success.

“We got a lot of people and I always need a refresh in how to charge a dead battery,” Tabtabai said.

USG institutes structural changes

By Abigail Ferrucci Staff Writer UConn’s Undergraduate Student Government (USG) has made some major changes for the upcoming year, though some of the committees have stayed relatively unchanged, including Academic Affairs, External Affairs, Funding Board and Student Affairs.

Promotions and Recruitment has had an official title change to Recruitment and Retention, and Student Affairs now has five subcommittees: Health and Wellness, Diversity and Multi-

Cultural Affairs, Residential Affairs, Sustainability, and Transportation and Commuter Affairs.

According to Jordan Hegel, West Campus Senator for USG and a 5th-semester political science major, the Recruitment and Retention committee now has more of a “USG human resources mission as opposed to promoting events, which is now handled by the executive.”

The new design to Student Affairs is towards the goal of better sharing the entire workload of USG, according to Colin Neary, the chair for

the subcommittee on Diversity and Multi-Cultural Affairs, and a 7th-semester English major.

“The change is to emphasize to the student body that their student organizations are in fact student-run,” Neary said.

Sam Tracy and Lindsay Chiappa, the student body president and vice president, saw the new subcommittees as a means of increasing the transparency and productivity of USG, according to Neary.

“I feel like the big changes we made in USG’s committee structure are already ben-

What’s on at UConn today...

Erasing Borders 2011: Exhibition of Contemporary Indian Art 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Jorgensen Auditorium, Gallery Come see an exhibition of painting, prints, installation, video, and sculpture by artists of the Indian diaspora.

Lecture: “30 Years of AIDS in America’s Gay Communities” Noon to 1:30 p.m.

Student Union, 403 Author and journalist John-Manuel Andriote will discuss how and why gay men in America have been both the hardest hit and most visible advocates for an appropriate response to the health crisis.

Staying Healthy On-the-Go 12 to 1 p.m.

Student Union, 104 Spend an hour with a registered dietitian and learn how to stay healthy while on-the-go! The door prize is a $100 Nike gift card!

Lecture: CT Latinos Demographic and Economic Future 6 to 8 p.m.

Student Union, PRLACC Author Orlando Rodriguez focuses on family economic security, demographics, and K-12 education finance.

-DAVID ART

The Daily Campus, Page 2

DAILY BRIEFING More than 1,800 Thomas Built buses recalled

HIGH POINT, N.C. (AP) — A major school bus manufacturer is recalling more than 1,800 buses to repair a faulty part.

The parent company of High Point, N.C.-based Thomas Built Buses says it initiated a safety recall campaign and has alerted the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. It says a bolt included in the clamp assembly may break when it’s subjected to stress.

The federal agency says the recall involves three series of Thomas Built school buses manufactured from Sept. 1 through Dec. 31 of last year. The High Point Enterprise reported (http://bit. ly/oBVDiA) that the recall involves clamps on engines supplied for the buses by Cummins Inc. Thomas Built Buses is a unit of Daimler Trucks North America LLC, which is part of German Automaker Daimler AG.

Body of ex-Venezuelan leader leaving US

ATLANTA (AP) — A political party official says a casket bearing the remains of former Venezuelan president Carlos Andres Perez is on a plane flying from Atlanta to Caracas, nine months after the exleader died in Miami.

Edgar Zambrano told The Associated Press by telephone Tuesday that he was boarding the flight carrying Perez’s body. The carrier, Delta Air Lines, said the flight left about 5:15 p.m. EDT with an expected 9 p.m. arrival in the Venezuelan capital.

Perez died in Miami on Dec. 25 at age 88, triggering a lengthy legal battle between his companion and his estranged wife over whether he would be buried in Venezuela or the U.S. Perez was president of Venezuela from 1974-79 and again from 1989-93.

The remains had been kept in a Florida mausoleum since June.

$48M awarded to man in Motrin blood blisters case

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Southern California jury has awarded $48 million to a man who got a severe skin disorder and mouth blood blisters after taking the pain reliever Motrin.

Christopher Trejo filed the negligence suit against McNeil Consumer Healthcare, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson.

Trejo says he was 16 when he took Motrin to get rid of aches and alleviate a fever. He says the over-the-counter drug caused his skin to become covered with lesions and his mouth to fill with blood blisters.

Trejo claimed the Motrin he took in October 2005 didn’t have adequate warnings about side effects.

City News Service reports the now-22-year-old Westchester man wasn’t in court for Monday’s verdict.

Motrin, a trade name for ibuprofen, is used to reduce fever and mild pain.

Pa. couple locked boy, 7, in coffin SCRANTON, Pa. (AP) — Police have arrested a couple after a 7-year-old diaper-clad boy was found crying in the basement of a filthy northeastern Pennsylvania home, where he claimed he was forced to sleep in a coffin.

The Times-Tribune of Scranton reports that investigators filed endangerment and unlawful restraint charges against the boy’s mother, 26-year-old Lori Gardner, and his stepfather, 31-year-old Brian Sleboda.

The couple turned themselves in Tuesday afternoon. It’s not clear if they have an attorney.

Court documents say the boy told officers he was sometimes bound with duct tape and told ghosts inhabited the basement.

The newspaper reports that neighbors heard the boy crying last week and called police. When officers arrived, the boy asked “Are you here to help me?”

Officials say the bug-infested home has been condemned.

Police link 2 to slaying, teen’s disappearance

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Authorities say two people suspected in the killing of an Everett, Wash., woman last week are now wanted in the disappearance of an Oregon teenager.

Police in Oregon and Washington identified the two suspects Tuesday as 31-year-old David Joseph Pedersen and 24-year-old Holly Grigsby.

Oregon State Police Lt. Gregg Hastings says the two are believed to have been in a car Sunday owned by 19-year-old Cody Myers, of Lafayette. He disappeared after leaving for a weekend jazz festival in the Oregon coastal town Newport.

Police in Everett say 69-year-old Leslie Pedersen was found dead Wednesday with her hands tied with duct tape and a bloody pillow wrapped around her head. Her husband — named David Jones Pedersen — is missing, as well. Police say the suspect is his son.

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Wednesday, October 5, 2011

News

New health insurance program for state employees Employees of the state of Connecticut are starting to see savings and increased benefits on their health care plans.

Comptroller Kevin Lembo announced that “more than 50,000 state employees-or 96 percent of those employees on the state health care plan, have enrolled in the new Health Enhancement Program” according to a press release.

The Health Enhancement Program, effective this past Saturday, will save money for the state employees and taxpayers, as well as provide other benefits to

the state’s employees.

“One of the program’s goals is to reduce costs by focusing on prevention, rather than expensive acute care that often results from lack of coordination of health care,” Lembo said.

Employees that opted for the new program will pay lower monthly premiums and have no deductible for in-network care for the plan. Those with certain chronic conditions, like diabetes, asthma, heart disease/failure, high cholesterol or hypertension, will receive a $100 cash payment and reduced co-pays on certain prescriptions. “[The program] will help our workforce and their families live

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — A woman who killed her newlywed husband and chopped and cooked his body parts over Thanksgiving weekend in 1991 is seeking release from a California prison.

Omaima Nelson, an Egyptianborn former model and nanny, is set to appear before parole commissioners Wednesday at the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla where she has been serving a life sentence.

Nelson was convicted of murdering her 56-year-old husband William Nelson in a grisly killing that authorities likened to the fictional slayings of Hannibal Lecter.

Prosecutors said the then-23year-old killed Nelson and likely plotted to steal from him as she had done with other middleaged men she had seduced in the past. Authorities said she tied up her husband of less than a month, killed him and dismembered the body, churning his parts through a garbage disposal that neighbors said ran nonstop in the hours after the murder.

Authorities found some of Nelson’s body parts stuffed in garbage bags and mixed with leftover Thanksgiving turkey.

His hands had been fried in oil and his head boiled and stuffed in freezer, said Randy Pawloski, a senior deputy district attorney in Orange County who prosecuted the case and will argue against her release.

“She’s tremendously dangerous,” said Pawloski, adding that

Nelson sought help from two different boyfriends to try to remove her husband’s teeth and dispose of his remains to cover her tracks.

During the highly publicized trial, Nelson took the stand and said she stabbed her husband — a former pilot and convicted drug smuggler — with scissors while he sexually assaulted her.

A psychiatrist testified that she confessed to cooking her husband’s ribs barbecue-style and tasting them but later denied engaging in cannibalism. He said he believed she was psychotic when she killed Nelson.

Defense attorney Thomas Mooney argued his client was circumcised as a child growing up in a squalid section of Cairo, which made sex extremely painful, and was repeatedly raped and abused by her husband in the weeks after the couple wed.

Jurors found Nelson not guilty of first-degree murder, citing insufficient evidence of premeditation, but convicted her of second-degree murder.

They also found Nelson guilty of assaulting a former boyfriend with a gun.

She is serving a prison sentence of 25 years to life.

Nelson appealed but lost in 1995. In 2006, she sought parole claiming she had found salvation as a born-again Christian and married an older man, who has since died. But parole was denied by commissioners who found her unpredictable and a serious threat to public safety.

Nelson told the parole board

By Abigail Ferrucci Staff Writer

healthier lives by identifying medical issues early through prevention and better management of chronic conditions,” Lembo said.

According to the press release, employees were notified of requirement to enroll by Sept.

15. Efforts to inform employees included open enrollment fairs at worksites, direct notices to employees and an informational link on the comptroller’s website.

A representative for the state of Connecticut could not be reached for questions on how the new program could affect UConn students or employees.

“I’m glad to see such a large amount of employees taking

advantage of the health benefits that the state is offering,” said Caitlyn Schultz, a 7th-semester accounting major. “I hope that the money it saves in the long run will go towards our state schools and hospitals.”

“It’s good that more options are being available for more workers,” said 7th-semester psychology major Rachel LaMarche.

“Prevention is key when you want to reduce pre-existing conditions.

If you prevent health issues now, you will have less later. I don’t think it’ll be less money spent necessarily, but money spent more wisely.”

Abigail.Ferrucci@UConn.edu

Calif. wife who killed, cooked husband seeks parole

AP

In a 1992 photo, Omaima Aref Nelson enters a Santa Ana, Calif. courtroom. Nelson, who killed her newlywed husband and chopped and cooked his body parts over Thanksgiving weekend in 1991 is seeking release from a California prison.

she had been living in the fast lane, hopping from man to man and drinking and using drugs.

She told a prison-appointed psychologist that she had thought about killing Nelson before carrying out the murder.

“I felt that I was doing the right thing by exercising this judgment as I was killing him,” she said during her 2006 parole hearing. “I’m not denying that I did what I did and I’m very sorry for the ... family...”

Terrence Scott, who represented Nelson on appeal, said he doubted she would be released except perhaps to a mental institution. He said she had chopped up her husband in an effort to avoid meeting him in the afterlife in accordance with Egyptian mythology.

Mooney, who represented Nelson during her trial, said prisoners serving life sentences aren’t often released but hoped she might be.

Illinois murder convict accused in 5 Calif. deaths

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — A former U.S. Marine who was convicted of three murders in Illinois will be returned to California to be tried in five other murder cases, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Andrew Urdiales, 47, will arrive Thursday to be prosecuted in killings committed in Orange, Riverside and San Diego counties from 1986 to 1995, the Orange County district attorney said.

Urdiales has prior convictions in Illinois for killing two women in 2002 and another in 2004.

He is accused of killing four of the Southern California women while stationed at various military facilities in the three-county region and of killing the fifth while on vacation in Palm Springs in 1995.

Urdiales was arrested in 1996 in Indiana when he was stopped by police while loitering in an area known for prostitution.

Officers found a gun in his truck that was identified through ballistics analysis as the weapon used to kill three women in Illinois.

He was charged with the five Southern California murders in 1997.

Urdiales moved to Southern California in 1984 as a 19-year-old Marine.

On Jan. 18, 1986, prosecutors allege, Urdiales drove from Camp Pendleton to Saddleback College, where 23-year-old Robbin Brandley was stabbed to death as she walked to her car after volunteering as an usher at a jazz piano concert. She was stabbed 41 times with a serrated hunting knife in what authorities believe was a random attack.

More than two years later, on July 17, 1988, prosecutors allege, Urdiales picked up 29-year-old Julie McGhee, who was working as a prostitute in Indian Wells.

She was shot in the head and her body was left in the desert.

Two months later, on Sept. 25, 1988, he picked up 31-year-old Maryann Wells in San Diego and shot her in the head after having sex with her in an abandoned industrial complex, according to the district attorney.

The following year, he picked up 20-year-old Tammie Erwin, who also was working as a prostitute, and shot her three times in Palm Springs, prosecutors allege.

The three women were shot with the same firearm, which Urdiales dismantled and threw away sometime after Erwin’s death, according to authorities.

Urdiales returned to his native Illinois

but came back to Palm Springs for vacation in 1995, four years after his military discharge.

Prosecutors say he picked up Denise Maney on March 11, 1995, in Palm Springs and stabbed her to death after having sex with her in the desert.

Farrah Emami, a spokeswoman for the district attorney, said Urdiales did not have a California attorney and wouldn’t have one appointed until he arrives and makes a first court appearance. A first appearance hasn’t been scheduled yet, she said Urdiales had been sentenced to death for three murders in Illinois, but two of those sentences were commuted to life without the possibility of parole in 2002 by thenGov. George Ryan. When Illinois banned the death penalty this year, Urdiales’ third death sentence also was commuted to life without the possibility of parole.

All five Southern California cases will be prosecuted in Orange County in a combined court proceeding.

Urdiales could be eligible for the death penalty in California if convicted, but Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas has not yet made a determination on whether to pursue death.

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NYC East River chopper crash kills 1; 4 rescued

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

The Daily Campus, Page 3

News

NEW YORK (AP) — A helicopter with five people aboard crashed into the East River on Tuesday afternoon after taking off from a launch pad on the riverbank, killing one passenger and injuring the others.

New York Police Department divers pulled the dead woman from about 50 feet of water about an hour after the Bell 206 helicopter went down around 3 p.m. All the passengers appeared to be British tourists, police said.

Officers usually assigned to counterterrorism duties heard of the crash and arrived at the scene to find the chopper inverted in the murky water with just its skids showing on the surface. Firefighters also responded to the scene.

The pilot, Paul Dudley, and three passengers were bobbing in the chilly water, and it looked as though a man was diving down and coming back up, possibly in an attempt to rescue the remaining passenger, witnesses said.

Officers jumped in and pulled out two women and a man, police spokesman Paul Browne said. The women were in critical condition, and the man was stable. All were hospitalized. The pilot made his own way to the riverbank and remained at the scene.

The private chopper went into the river off 34th Street in midtown Manhattan, a few blocks south of the United Nations headquarters. It’s unclear what happened, but witnesses reported it was sputtering and appeared to be in some type of mechanical distress.

Joseph Belez was watching helicopters from a boardwalk.

“It was going up, and then all of a sudden it just spun

itself and went down to the water,” he said. “I was just watching it take off, and it was just all of a sudden spinning.

It just went down. It was a shock. It really was.”

A massive rescue effort was under way within minutes of the crash, with a dozen boats and divers down into the cold, grey water searching for the fifth passenger.

Britain’s Foreign Office said it was investigating reports the passengers were British.

Joy Garnett and her husband were on the dock waiting to take the East River ferry to Brooklyn when they heard the blades of a helicopter and saw it start to take off from the nearby helipad. She said she saw it do “a funny curlicue.”

“I thought, ‘Is that some daredevil move?’” she said.

“But it was obviously out of control. The body spun around at least two or three times, and then it went down.”

She said the chopper had lifted about 25 feet off the ground before it dropped into the water without much of a splash. It flipped over, and the blades were sticking up out of the river. She said people on the dock started throwing in life jackets and buoys. Two people came up out of the waves.

“It didn’t make much noise,” she said. “It was just a splash and sunk.”

The weather was clear but a little windy Tuesday, with winds of 10 mph gusting to 20 mph and visibility of 10 miles, according to the weather station at LaGuardia Airport, across the river in Queens.

There were a few clouds at 3,500 feet above sea level, well above the typical flying altitude for helicopters.

Carlos Acevedo, of Puerto Rico, was with his wife at a nearby park area when they saw the helicopter go down.

“It sank fast,” he said. “In seconds. Like the water was sucking it in.”

Lau Kamg was leaving a dentist’s office and was walking nearby when he saw the chopper go down. He said it appeared to be in distress.

“The sound got my attention,” he said. I saw it splash.”

The helicopter, a Bell 206 Jet Ranger, is one of the world’s most popular helicopter models and was first flown in January 1966. They are light and highly maneuverable, making them popular with television stations and air taxi companies. A new one costs between $700,000 and $1.2 million.

The East River has been particularly tricky for pilots because of its many bridges and its proximity to LaGuardia, one of the nation’s busiest airports. In 2006, New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle died when the Cirrus light

GEORGETOWN, Texas (AP) — A Texas grocery store employee who was wrongly convicted and spent nearly 25 years in prison in his wife’s beating death walked free Tuesday after DNA tests showed another man was responsible. His attorneys say prosecutors and investigators deliberately kept evidence out of court that would have helped acquit him at trial.

Michael Morton, 57, was convicted on circumstantial evidence in the August 1986 death of his wife, Christine.

Morton said he left her and the couple’s 3-year-old son to head to work at 5:30 a.m. that day and steadfastly maintained through the years that an intruder must have been responsible.

Prosecutors had claimed Morton killed his wife in a fit of rage after she wouldn’t have sex with him following a dinner celebrating his 32nd birthday.

The case in Williamson County, north of Austin, will likely raise more questions

about the district attorney, John Bradley, a Gov. Rick Perry appointee whose tenure on the Texas Forensic Science Commission was controversial.

Bradley criticized the commission’s investigation of the case of Cameron Todd Willingham, who was executed in 2004 after being convicted of arson in the deaths of his three children.

Some experts have since concluded the forensic science in the case was faulty.

Bradley did not try the original case against Morton. But the New York-based Innocence Project, which specializes in using DNA testing to overturn wrongful convictions, has accused him of suppressing evidence that would have helped clear Morton sooner. That evidence – including a transcript of a police interview indicating that Morton’s son said the attacker was not his father – was ultimately obtained by the Innocence Project through a request under the Texas Public Information Act. Using techniques that weren’t available dur-

ing Morton’s original 1987 trial, authorities discovered Christine Morton’s DNA on a bloody bandana discovered near the Morton home along with that of a convicted felon whose name has not been released.

Bradley agreed Morton should be freed from prison after the other man’s DNA was linked to a hair discovered at the scene of a similar slaying, that of Debra Jan Baker, who was beaten to death in her bed with a blunt object in January 1988.

Morton was already in prison by then.

District Judge Sid Harle signed an agreement between prosecutors and Morton’s attorney Monday recommending his conviction be overturned. It was passed on to the state Court of Criminal Appeals, which will make the final ruling. That could make Morton eligible for $80,000 per year he was wrongfully imprisoned under a state compensation program – about $2 million total.

Somalis get life in prison for US yacht hijacking

AP

Divers prepare to enter the waters of the East River after a helicopter crashed, Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2011, in New York. A helicopter with five people aboard crashed into the East River on Tuesday afternoon after taking off from a launch pad on the riverbank, killing one and seriously injuring at least two others.

plane he was flying crashed into a residential building while trying to make a turn over the river.

On Aug. 8, 2009, a small plane collided with a helicopter over the Hudson River, on the other side of Manhattan, killing nine people, including five Italian tourists. A government safety panel found that an air traffic controller who was on a personal phone call had contributed to the accident.

The Federal Aviation Administration changed its rules for aircraft flying over New York City’s rivers after that collision. Pilots must call out their positions on the radio and obey a 161 mph speed limit. Before the changes, such radio calls were optional.

Earlier that year, an Airbus 320 airliner landed in the Hudson after hitting birds and losing both engines shortly after taking off from LaGuardia. The flight, U.S. Airways Flight 1549, became known as the Miracle on the Hudson plane.

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — A Somali pirate leader and an armed guard aboard a yacht where all four Americans aboard were killed off the coast of Africa were sentenced to life in prison on Tuesday.

The owners of the Quest, Jean and Scott Adam of Marina del Rey, Calif., along with friends Bob Riggle and Phyllis Macay of Seattle, were shot to death in February several days after being taken hostage hundreds of miles south of Oman.

They were the first Americans killed in a wave of piracy that has plagued the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean in recent years.

Mohamud Salad Ali and Ahmed Sala Ali Burale are the fifth and sixth men who have pleaded guilty to piracy in the case to be sentenced. Ali received a second life sentence that he will serve concurrently with the other one because he also pleaded guilty to hostage taking resulting in death.

That charge carried the possibility of the death penalty, but prosecutors agreed to the lesser sentence as part of a plea deal.

Ali has detailed for investigators how piracy operations in Somalia work and has agreed to help prosecutors as they pursue charges against other men. Of the 19 men who originally boarded the Quest, 11 have pleaded guilty, four were killed, three are facing murder charges and one was released because he was a juvenile. Another man who served as a land-based negotiator also faces piracy charges in the case.

Ali’s attorney, David Bouchard, told U.S. District Judge Mark Davis that Ali had told the other pirates not to harm the Americans before and after he boarded a US Navy warship that had begun shadowing the Quest after the hijacking. Ali was one of two men who went aboard the Navy ship to negoti-

ate with federal officials.

Bouchard said video evidence that will likely be shown in the murder trials proves that under Ali’s leadership the Americans were treated well. He said the Americans were never tied up, were allowed to sleep in their own beds and cook their own meals. He said the video showed that before the U.S. warships arrived that everyone seemed to get along and they all drank alcohol together.

Ali — a former policeman who recruited men for the expedition — was on board one of the Navy warships when the killings occurred.

The Navy had offered to let the pirates take the 58-foot sailboat in exchange for the hostages, but the men refused because they wouldn’t get the kind of money they wanted.

Hostages are typically ransomed for millions of dollars.

“Mohamud Salad Ali led the pirate attack, and his refusal to release the four Americans — even with the opportunity to proceed to Somalia with the Quest — reveals the callous regard that Somali pirates have for their hostages and the threat they pose to any U.S. vessel on the high seas,” U.S. Attorney Neil MacBride said in a statement.

During sentencing in federal court, Ali said through an interpreter that it was not his intention for anyone to get hurt.

Burale said he tried to stop the shooting on board the yacht once it began and surrendered once the military boarded the boat. He and Ali both expressed their condolences to the victims’ families. He also said through an interpreter that he wanted to help the U.S. stop piracy in Somalia. His attorney, Melinda Ruth Glaubke, said the 22-yearold father of five also had told his probation officer that he would regret his involvement in the episode for the rest of his life.

» FINANCIAL Texan freed after DNA clears him in wife’s slaying Bank of America website

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still having problems

NEW YORK (AP) — Bank of America’s consumer online banking service was slow for a fifth day Tuesday, and the bank still wasn’t saying what the problem was.

The bank said many times starting Friday that it had resolved the problem, but visitors to its home page still saw an error message for much of Tuesday saying the site was “running slowly” and customers might experience delays or have difficulty accessing parts of it.

The message encouraged customers to try again at “a non-peak time” or visit an ATM or one of nearly 6,000 branches to get into their accounts.

Bank of America Corp., based in Charlotte, N.C., is the largest U.S. bank by deposits and has 29 million online customers.

Spokeswoman Tara Burke

said the website problems were not the result of hacking.

She declined to “break out the root cause” for the problems but said the bank was continuing to assess the situation.

She said Tuesday evening that the site was largely operating normally.

This wasn’t the first time this year that Bank of America’s website experienced problems. Customers also had difficulty accessing their accounts in January and March. In both instances, the bank said the problems resulted from routine system upgrades.

The most recent stumble is significant because of its duration, said Ben Rushlo, director of performance management at Keynote Systems Inc., which monitors the performance of company websites.

He said it was the longest

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“It’s extremely unusual in 2011, given the prevalence of online banking and that it’s the de facto way people interact with banks,” Rushlo said.

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There’s no way they would’ve intentionally taken down their home page.”

Rushlo said that the incident doesn’t seem connected with Bank of America’s announcement Thursday that it would start charging customers $5 a month to use their debit cards.

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Page 4

www.dailycampus.com

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

The Daily Campus Editorial Board

Melanie Deziel, Editor-in-Chief Arragon Perrone, Commentary Editor Ryan Gilbert, Associate Commentary Editor Michelle Anjirbag, Weekly Columnist Tyler McCarthy, Weekly Columnist Jesse Rifkin, Weekly Columnist

» EDITORIAL

Clubs should not depend on USG for funding

L

ast week, the leaders of UConn’s 500-plus clubs and organizations were sent an unfortunate e-mail which informed them that, once again, the Undergraduate Student Government funding board had run out of funds and that there would be no session three funding for their clubs. While USG was disappointed by a repeat of last year’s situation, they’ve assured clubs that they’re doing everything in their power to ensure that this problem will finally get fixed.

However, students should not rely on USG to be the sole source of funds for their clubs any longer.

USG’s decision to take steps in session four to resolve this problem shows that they have a renewed commitment to properly allocating their resourses. However, one thing that remains consistently out of their control is how much money they’re able to spread and how they’re able to spread it. The funding board is in the awkward position trying to accommodate more than their budget, which was slashed 11 percent this semester, will allow. While it is their job to fund the clubs, it is unrealistic for clubs to expect USG to be responsible for all of their funding with no help from the organizations themselves.

This isn’t to say that clubs and activities committees should have to pay out of pocket, like many have to do given the current dry well of funds – that would be unfair and diminish the need for an Undergraduate Student Government funding board.

It’d be ideal if presidents and vice presidents could meet the funding board half way and raise a certain amount of money themselves. Getting money from the USG is a bit of a gift horse and a generous luxury that students have had the benefit of for a while. It’s not unreasonable to suggest that more clubs elect a treasury position and work to raise money for their activities and recourses. This would not only relieve some of the responsibility on USG’s wallet, but also make it more difficult for clubs to end up without a dime of funds as well.

While it is true that this situation is an unfortunate and embarrassing lack of hindsight on behalf of the USG, there is also responsibility and blame on the general mentality of the leaders and administrators of UConn’s many clubs. The attitude of a give-and-take nature between these two groups needs to change from a customer service mentality to a more equal and peer-like mentality. It should be in which those involved have not only their club in mind, but also the other clubs on campus who require funding and work for the benefit of the school as a whole.

The Daily Campus editorial is the official opinion of the newspaper and its editorial board. Commentary columns express opinions held solely by the author and do not in any way reflect the official opinion of The Daily Campus.

To fedora hater: Anything beats a fez, eh?

Shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, sautee it. There’s, um, shrimp kebabs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo, pan fried, deep fried, stir fried. There’s pineapple shrimp and lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich... That’s, that’s about it.

Microsoft Word corrected the phrase “The United States is the unipole” to “The United States is the nipple”. To turn my polisci paper in with or without the correction that is the question!

I don’t like the towels at the gym. they don’t do a very good job of covering my lovely lady lumps.

My roommate hasn’t touched her 20lb accounting book all semester but we just found out that it is a good substitute for a nut cracker!

This test of the emergency alert system went a lot better than the classic “There is no alerts” text from last year.

Dear Paul Pasqualoni: fix UConn’s defensive issues this week, or be prepared to see “I think West Virginia just scored again” in the InstantDaily on Monday.

Some may call having 25 AIM screenames to use for InstantDaily submissions “strange” and “excessive.” I call it “tenacity” and “dedication.”

What does it say about me if getting my 3000-level English midterm back with a star sticker on it totally made my day?

I fell asleep at the gym today. Best workout I’ve ever had.

Send us your thoughts on anything and everything by sending an instant message to InstantDaily, Sunday through Thursday evenings. Follow us on Twitter (@ InstantDaily) and become fans on Facebook.

Republican pool lacks emotional appeal

O

n this date four years ago, Barack Obama, John McCain and Hillary Clinton all had filed the necessary paperwork to officially launch their candidacies for the presidency.

For the 2012 election, the Republican field of presidential candidates has yet to even be finalized. It was not until yesterday that New Jersey Governor Chris Christie officially ruled out a run.

Meanwhile, former Alaska goverBy Jesse Rifkin nor and 2008 viceWeekly Columnist presidential candidate Sarah Palin is still mulling a run, and rumors are swirling that Wisconsin congressman and house budget committee chairman Paul Ryan is as well.

Why was there such a clearly defined pack of contenders in 2008 but such an amorphous and shifting group in 2012? In my opinion, it is because – at least as the political landscape stands right now – it would be very difficult to find a Republican that can win against Obama.

Sure, the national debt is higher now on the day Obama took office, while the employment rate is lower. But here is the key – a substantial and important percentage of ballot-casters do not vote based primarily on such factors. Instead, such factors remain secondary to whether a candidate is tall, good-looking and appears friendly and ‘relatable’ to the average American voter.

American history has proven this trend over and over again, especially with the increasing use of the visual medium of tele-

vision in presidential campaigns beginning in the 1960 election. Have you ever noticed that the last time we elected a bald president was Dwight Eisenhower in 1952, right before television came into the picture?

That is not a coincidence.

Bill Clinton, a Democrat, was elected in 1992, and proved unpopular enough that in 1994 voters elected Republicans in such large numbers that the party gained a majority in the House of Representatives for the first time since 1948. One would think Clinton would have thus lost his reelection bid in 1996. The only problem is that the Republicans nominated Bob Dole, a 73-year-old Senator from Kansas who looked a bit like Frankenstein. In the television era, such a candidacy was practically doomed from the beginning.

George W. Bush, a Republican, ascended to the presidency in 2000 despite failing to receive a plurality of the popular vote. By 2004, the economy was underperforming, our environmental record was at historic lows, and it has long since been determined that Iraq possessed no weapons of mass destruction. Democrats chose to nominate Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, an uncharismatic and rather dull candidate, to challenge Bush. People liked Bush – they saw him clearing brush and chopping wood on his ranch, and many felt as though he was almost like a friend. Kerry appeared much colder and serious. Perhaps the biggest surprise should be that the election results were as close as they were.

Emory University political psychologist Drew Westen explains this phenomenon perfectly in his excellent book “The Political Brain:” “The vision of mind that has captured the imagination of philosophers, cognitive scientists, economists, and political

scientists since the eighteenth century – a dispassionate mind that makes decisions by weight the evidence and reasoning to the most valid conclusions – bears no relation to how the mind and brain actually work.

When campaign strategists start from this vision of mind, their candidates typically lose.”

Applying that lesson to the political situation at the moment, it becomes much clearer to understand the current state of affairs. Why do most polls show Obama tied or slightly leading in head-to-head matchup polls against such likely opponents as former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, Texas Governor Rick Perry or Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann – even though other polls consistently show that less than far less than half of respondents believe the country is heading in a positive direction? It is because no current option from the slate of declared Republican candidates offers the emotional appeal necessary to combat a likeable family-oriented, basketball-playing, committed husband like Obama.

Time and time again, election results have gone to the candidate who can best win over voters with both rational reasoning and emotional connectivity. It may seem as though the dismal economy and stagnant unemployment rate would give the rational edge to the Republicans. However, Obama still has the upper hand when it comes to emotional connectivity. If the Republican Party wants a decent chance at capturing the White House next year, they must beat the President in that area as well.

Weekly columnist Jesse Rifkin is a 3rd-semester political science major. He can be reached at Jesse.Rifkin@UConn.edu.

Death penalty is fundamentally unethical

A

little over a week ago, Troy Davis was executed for the murder of police officer Mark MacPhail. The case is steeped in controversy over Davis’ guilt and the strength of evidence.

However, the particulars

By Chris Viering of the case Staff Columnist aside, his and all criminal executions violate sound principles of American justice. Furthermore, the arguments in favor serve as flimsy and insubstantial justifications for what amounts to revenge justice. From Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton to Rick Perry and Newt Gingrich, democrats and republicans alike on the national stage support the death penalty. The key arguments in favor emphasize the right to life, the rights of the victims (or loved ones) and the costs of life imprisonment. These arguments present extreme degrees of hypocrisy and a lack of understanding of core principles of our government and justice system.

The right to life is “inalien-

QW uick

able,” by way of our own Declaration of Independence, our judicial system and our national consciousness. By definition, this right cannot be taken away under any circumstances; otherwise, it would not be inalienable. A murderer violates this right, and thus receives the harshest punishment possible for his crime. However, the government also violates this right when sponsoring an execution. The right to life cannot be applied in cherry-picked cases where it is determined appropriate; it must be applied broadly and universally. At the same time, a murderer’s crimes (and especially a non-murderer’s) do not justify further violation of this inalienable right. Whether the individual still poses a threat or committed extremely heinous crimes is not relevant because no outside circumstances have any relevance. By its own wording, any citizen’s life cannot be taken from them in any situation.

Advocating for the victim, similarly, makes enormous logical jumps. Aside from the obvious issue that no one can advocate a deceased persons desires, the “inalienable right to life”

“T he O bama it

still exists and is not invalidated by emotional trauma. Our justice system is designed to be blind to bias, including that of victims. Democratic presidential candidate Michael Dukakis faced an extremely negative response when he said that he would not support the theoretical execution of a man who had raped his own wife. Raising such an issue is to bring an emotional bias into a judicial ruling.

As callous as it may seem, the justice system punishes criminal acts, solace and closure for victims is a secondary effect. To allow emotional considerations would violate the impartiality of the courts and open the way for a variety of abuses.

Some have proposed that, economically, executions should be cheaper than life imprisonment, the typical alternative to the death penalty. Ignoring the high cost of appeals, one sees the most grievous violation yet of the right to life, placing monetary concerns over the very existence of another human being.

Not only does it violate the same right a murderer does, that the preceding arguments ignore,

it regards human beings as property to be efficiently managed and disposed of if becoming too costly. Arguing as such cheapens both life and justice; they become commodities beholden to fiscal policy and not punishment of crimes.

United amongst capital punishment support and the inherent hypocrisy, is that the death penalty lowers governments to the level of criminals. Criminals have no principles or codes of ethics; governments do, and hence why governments cannot in good conscience violate their own principles so egregiously.

In order for the right to life to be as sacred, as completely unshakable as we regard it to be, it cannot be violated under any condition. To do so transforms our right into a privilege to life; something that can be given and taken away at an outside being’s whim. We’d reject all that we as humans hold dear, regardless of the precedent that would be set.

Staff Columnist Chris Viering is a 5th-semester history and English double major. He can be reached at Chris.Viering@UConn.edu

campaign is offering a chance to win dinner with the president for $3. T his would explain his new campaign slogan : ‘H ey , I’ m cheaper than A rby ’ s .’” –C onan O’B rien

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Comics

The Daily Campus, Page 5 I Hate Everything

by Carin Powell

Side of Rice

by Laura Rice

Royalty Free Speech

by Ryan Kennedy

Editor’s Choice

by Brendan Albetski

Horoscopes To get the advantage, check the day’s rating: 10 is the easiest day, 0 the most challenging.

by Brian Ingmanson

Aries (March 21-April 19) -- Today is an 8 -- Slow down and breathe deeply. Take time to allow your ideas to ferment a little for greater depth. Don’t worry about how to make it happen (yet). Imagine that future realized.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) -- Today is an 8 -- New opportunities abound in your career. Don’t worry if results don’t show up immediately, and stay in action. Practice makes perfect. Be especially alert and flexible.

Gemini (May 21-June 21) -- Today is an 8 -- Widen the view to consider the big picture.

Where do you see yourself? Picture your perfect roles. Don’t give up your day job yet.

You have some surprises up your sleeve.

Cancer (June 22-July 22) -- Today is a 6 -- You can’t over-prepare today. Be willing and open to revelations that go beyond your organization, and you might even enjoy them. Keep your backup plans handy.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) -- Today is a 6 -- Your partnership plays an important role today.

Support your loved one, even if it means saying no to other demands. Don’t bend under pressure. You’re needed today.

Mensch

by Jeffrey Fenster

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -- Today is an 8 -- When was the last time you made a mess in a creative way? Get out some colors, and express your wildest dreams. You can always clean it up later. You’ll love the results.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) -- Today is an 8 -Changes at work may seem like more than you can handle. Doing what you really love enhances your creativity and satisfaction.

Given a choice, choose with your heart.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) -- Today is a 7 -- Give in to the urge to be domestic.

You’ll figure out how to take care of all your obligations. Curtail flamboyance in favor of simple, home-cooked recipes.

Procrastination Animation

by Michael McKiernan UConn Classics: I Love The Smell of Old Comics in the Morning Phil

by Stephen Winchell and Ben Vigeant

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) -- Today is an 8 -- Thinking it over may be a good idea after all. Get into the books for the next couple of days, and satisfy your curiosity to the fullest. Practice increases ease.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- Today is a 7 -- The money game is getting more interesting. Resist the temptation to spend it all. Emotions and intuition fuel your motivation. Envision a dream fulfilled. Then act for that.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) -- Today is an 8 -- Now you’re coming into your own. Remind yourself of your own power, and it grows.

Inspiration feeds it. You’re ready to make changes for the better, especially at home.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) -- Today is a 6 -- Time lost in your own thoughts serves you well. Surprise friends with a new idea. Might as well keep going for what you want. It’s always good to review that.

Based on True Sean Rose

by Sean Rose

#hashtag

by Cara Dooley

Super Glitch

by John Lawson

Got something you want to see in the comics?

Send us your ideas! <dailycampuscomics@gmail.com>

The Daily Campus, Page 6

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

News

Mercedes Benz buys naming rights for Superdome

Michigan man who killed seven, self ‘just lost it’

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.

(AP) — An ex-convict who killed seven people in July before taking his own life in a Grand Rapids shooting spree had pledged in a suicide note to take his mother-in-law “with me.”

Grand Rapids police released new information about the case Tuesday, including video and audio recordings.

Officials probably won’t ever know with certainty why Rodrick Dantzler fatally shot a former girlfriend, his estranged wife, his 12-year-old daughter and four others related to them, including his mother-in law, police Chief Kevin Belk said.

Dantzler’s suicide note “obviously indicated his frustration” with his estranged wife and her parents, Belk said. “Why he continues his rampage throughout the day . . . I don’t think we’ll ever know.”

Dantzler shot at four police officers July 7 as he led them on a 12-minute chase through city streets and nearby highways, a prosecutor’s report said. He wounded two people in downtown Grand Rapids during the chase and took three people hostage in a fourhour standoff. He released one before killing himself.

The 34-year-old fueled himself during the rampage with snorts of cocaine, police said.

He told his friend Willie Cunningham that he was upset with his estranged wife, Jennifer Heeren-Dantzler, 29, because she had taken his 12-year-old daughter for three days and not returned her.

In a suicide note left for his mother, he complained, “it seems like everyone that loves me walk (sic) out of my life.”

Dantzler blamed his mother-in-law for talking Heeren-

Dantzler into leaving him, writing, “I dont (sic) have anything nice 2 say about her! I gonna take her with me!!!”

Kent County Prosecutor William Forsyth said police found an empty 12-shot clip at his in-laws’ home and a 30-shot clip emptied of all but three bullets with Dantzler where he died.

“It would appear that he was simply a very angry man,” Forsyth wrote in his report on the shootings. “Driven by anger and emboldened by alcohol and cocaine, he murdered his in-laws, his wife and his daughter. He next murdered Kimberlee, Amanda and Marissa Emkens.”

Dantzler previously dated Kimberlee Ann Emkens, 23.

He also killed her sister, Amanda Renee Emkens, 27, and her niece, Marissa Lynn Emkens, 10.

Dantzler had a criminal record as far back as 1992, when he was charged as a juvenile with breaking and entering and car theft. That was followed over the next eight years by charges of trespassing, domestic violence, destruction of property, larceny and assault.

He couldn’t legally own a firearm because of his criminal record but used a stolen .40-caliber handgun in the shootings.

He called Cunningham for a ride on the afternoon of the shooting spree but didn’t initially tell him about the slayings.

Cunningham told investigators his girlfriend called him about an hour later and said seven people were dead and police were looking for Dantzler.

When Cunningham asked his passenger what had happened, Dantzler said he’d “just lost it.”

He told Cunningham he’d killed his father-in-law first

DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) — Ford Motor Co. said Tuesday it will add 5,750 jobs and invest $4.8 billion in its U.S. factories as part of a new contract deal with the United Auto Workers union.

The four-year deal was reached early Tuesday after eight straight days of bargaining. UAW leaders were expected to release further details of the contract later Tuesday at a meeting of union leaders in Detroit. The deal is subject to a vote by union members.

John Fleming, Ford vice president of manufacturing, said most of the new hires will be paid a lower wage than Ford’s older workers.

The agreement is expected to lower Ford’s labor costs, which are the highest in the U.S. auto industry.

“The tentative agreement will enable us to improve our

overall competitiveness here in the United States,” Fleming told reporters at Ford’s headquarters in Dearborn.

Fleming would not give details about where the new jobs would go. He said the jobs are in addition to 7,000 new positions that Ford announced earlier this year. The $4.8 billion in investments is also in addition to $1.4 billion previously announced.

Ford likely matched some of the provisions in the General Motors Co. agreement that was reached last month. The GM deal gives workers $5,000 signing bonuses, $1,000 a year for three years to cover inflation and at least $3,500 in profit-sharing this year. GM was able to avoid a pension increase for the first time since 1953, and Ford’s terms are expected to match that.

The pact still must be approved by Ford’s 41,000

AP

Grand Rapids Police Chief Kevil Balk, right, speaks during a news conference in Grand Rapids about a report detailing their investigation of Rodrick Dantzler’s mass murder spree. Grand Rapids police released new information about the case Tuesday, including video and audio recordings.

and then his mother-in-law, estranged wife and their daughter. He also said he’d killed someone else but didn’t mention he’d killed seven people in all.

Cunningham urged Dantzler to turn himself in but Dantzler said he wanted to kill himself instead. Cunningham noticed police cars approaching from the rear and jumped out of the white Suburban without stopping the car. Dantzler slid behind the wheel and took off with police in pursuit. Eventually, he crashed and fled on foot.

Belk praised the three people taken hostage that evening for their coolness under pressure.

“Their actions were remarkable,” he said.

All three hid as they saw Dantzler running through their backyard, but he found two of

them, Steve Helderman and Joyce Bean. He eventually released Bean after receiving Gatorade and cigarettes.

When a special response team got in through the home’s basement about halfway through the standoff, Dantzler took Helderman with him into a bedroom closet. Megan Holmes came out from under the bed to try to calm Dantzler when he became agitated and threatened to shoot Helderman, Dantzler ended his killing spree by shooting himself in the head at 11:29 p.m.

The others killed in the shooting spree were Dantzler’s 12-year-old daughter, Kamrie Deann Heeren-Dantzler; his mother-in-law, 52-year-old Rebecca Lynn Heeren; and his father-in-law, 51-year-old Thomas Heeren.

Ford to add 5,750 US jobs

» POLITICS

AP

Eohn Fleming, Ford executive vice president, Global Manufacturing and Labor Affairs, left, and Marty Mulloy, Ford vice president, Labor Affairs field questions during a news conference regarding Ford Motor Company and the United Auto Workers union (UAW) reaching a tentative agreement on a new four-year labor contract.

UAW members, who work at 27 plants and other facilities around the country. Voting is expected next week. Approval could be a problem because many expected the company to restore pay raises and other

benefits they sacrificed to help Ford through tough financial times starting in 2007.

UAW leaders said the contract keeps Ford’s costs and prices competitive but increases profit sharing.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The home of the New Orleans Saints and site of six Super Bowls will be renamed the Mercedes-Benz Superdome under a deal with the German automaker announced Tuesday.

The deal will allow MercedesBenz USA to have its name associated with championships in college and pro football and men’s college basketball over the next 16 months — plus an NFL team that has gone from a doormat to Super Bowl winner. The stadium also hosted a Republican presidential convention and a visit from the pope, and once served as refuge for thousands of miserable victims of Hurricane Katrina.

The team holds authority to sell naming rights to the 73,000seat, state-owned stadium through their lease, which runs through 2025.

A price for the 10-year naming-rights deal was not disclosed. Gov. Bobby Jindal said the agreement was between the Saints and Mercedes-Benz — and the automaker had asked not to have the price released to the public.

Mercedes-Benz also owns naming rights to arenas in Shanghai and in Stuttgart, Germany. The Superdome is the company’s first such venture in the United States.

Andrew Zimbalist, a Smith College professor who studies sports economics, said the economy has made the sale of naming rights difficult lately.

He said that the British bank Barclays paid less than expected in 2007 for naming rights for the Brooklyn arena that will house the NBA’s Nets, as did the MetLife insurance company in a deal this summer for naming rights to the New Jersey stadium where the Jets and Giants play football. He also cited the fact that Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has yet to sell naming rights for his stadium that opened in June of 2009.

“It’s been a very difficult time to sell naming rights,” Zimbalist said.

Gov. Bobby Jindal called the agreement “a great partnership between two world-class organizations” and touted the savings that taxpayers would enjoy by elimination of a state payment to the team.

Superdome manager Doug Thornton said the addition of the naming-rights deal to extra revenues from new seats, luxury boxes and expanded concession stands and clubs will eliminate the state’s payment, which he said totaled $13.8 million last year. That revenue deal went into effect with the current NFL season.

“It goes from $13.8 million to zero,” Thornton said.

The Superdome opened in 1975. It has gone through many renovations, including a massive rebuild after Katrina ripped off its roof when the storm struck in August 2005.

The Superdome was consid-

ered a total loss by some lawmakers, who debated if it was worth restoring after the 2005 storm. The roof had been torn off and the building flooded.

Evacuees filled the building, stewing in the heat without lights, air conditioning or working bathrooms, a scene that epitomized the chaos of the disaster.

The stadium reopened for the 2006 Saints season as the first part of a multiphase $336 million renovation project paid for by the state that was completed this past summer. Workers have replaced, refurbished and added seats; created new club facilities and luxury suites; and installed new video systems and scoreboards.

“Having big upcoming events is attractive to those wanting naming rights,” Zimbalist said.

“But as strange as it sounds, the role the Superdome had during Katrina and the attention it drew probably turned out to be a positive.”

Upcoming events are expected to attract an affluent demographic targeted by the automaker that’s owned by Germany-based Daimler AG. The Sugar Bowl and BCS college football championship are scheduled in January 2012, followed by the NCAA’s men’s Final Four basketball championships in April 2012 and the Super Bowl in 2013.

Ernst Lieb, chief executive of Mercedes-Benz USA, said the city’s successful rebuilding after Katrina was another major factor in agreeing to the deal.

“I don’t think three or four years ago, Mercedes-Benz would have thought about going into a relationship like this,” he said.

A naming-rights deal had been an elusive goal for the Superdome, one of the few readily recognizable stadiums without one. Lieb said Saints owner Tom Benson’s wife, Gayle, came up with the idea of approaching Mercedes-Benz.

Her husband is a longtime owner of Mercedes-Benz dealerships in New Orleans and San Antonio. Serious talks began in April when Benson visited Germany.

“We look forward to this deal doing great things for the city, this stadium and the New Orleans Saints,” Tom Benson said.

In addition to a familiar football venue, the stadium was the site of a 1987 visit by Pope John Paul II and the 1988 Republican National Convention.

Built at the edge of New Orleans’ business district, the stadium has a place in local lore, which holds it was built on the site of a former cemetery. In voodoo-conscious New Orleans, some speculated that was one reason why the Saints didn’t have a winning record from their first season in 1967 until 1987. Their break-out season came after Pope John Paul II celebrated Mass before thousands on the stadium floor.

Christie says it’s final: No GOP presidential run

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — After a surge of new speculation, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie declared with finality Tuesday that “now is not my time” to run for president, dashing the hopes of Republicans still searching for someone other than front-runners Mitt Romney and Rick Perry.

Christie had insisted for months that he wouldn’t run.

But then came an intense weekend of reconsideration before he made a firm announcement at a news conference at the New Jersey Statehouse. His decision means the campaign now basically belongs to Romney and Perry, battling to take on President Barack Obama three months before the first GOP voting.

Though both men have extensive party support, Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, has failed to win over some skeptical conservatives, and Perry, the Texas governor, has been falling in opinion polls as quickly as he had risen.

Christie was the latest, perhaps

last, hope of some establishment Republicans who had already been rejected by Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan and others who declined to run for president in 2012. He’s been governor of New Jersey for less than two years, but he’s cut the budget, curtailed public sector unions, and dealt with a Democratic legislature with disarming and combative confidence.

Christie disputed the idea that his name was just one more on that list.

“They weren’t searching.

They came right to one target, and it was me,” he said Tuesday.

“And it has always been me.”

But he said he was sure, “Now is not my time.”

There are still other potential challengers. Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman is showing some promise in New Hampshire; former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum has support from social conservatives in Iowa and former Godfather’s Pizza

CEO Herman Cain is rising in national polls. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin still hasn’t said whether she’ll run.

But Christie’s announcement leaves Perry and Romney as the two Republicans who have the profile, campaign organization, fundraising prowess and earlystate promise for a serious run at the nomination.

Within hours, Christie donors started picking sides. The Romney campaign said Ken Langone, the Home Depot financier who helped lead the push to get Christie to run, had jumped on board. Iowa businessman Gary Kirke, who met with Christie earlier this year to urge him to run, announced he would support Perry.

Both Romney and Perry will be pushing for the support of Christie himself, who now could become something of a 2012 GOP kingmaker. He declined to endorse a presidential candidate on Tuesday, but he promised his backing would mean something if and when he does.

“I’m not a halfway kind of

guy,” Christie said.

His support could help give Romney credibility among the tea party conservatives who haven’t fully embraced the Massachusetts governor. And it could give Perry a way to quiet concerns about his viability.

Whoever wins, Christie said he wasn’t seeking the job of vice president.

“I just don’t think I have the personality to be asked,” he said. “I’m not looking for that job.”

The race’s two-man dynamic has already been on display.

Romney’s campaign didn’t bother to attack his Republican opponents, instead focusing on Obama, until Perry joined the race. In the weeks since Perry announced his campaign, the two men have gone after each other on immigration and Social Security. Perry’s campaign is focused almost solely on beating Romney.

“We’re not running against Herman Cain,” David Carney, Perry’s top strategist, said in a recent interview.

Christie’s declaration is a relief for Romney. The pugnacious, East Coast, blue-state governor has a profile that’s similar to the former Massachusetts governor’s — and they draw from much the same pool of money and support. GOP establishment figures, donors and luminaries who were encouraging Christie to jump in might now try to help Romney. And the moneyed, business-minded donors in New York and New Jersey who were waiting on Christie are now free to back the technocratic Romney, a former venture capitalist.

For Perry, Christie’s exit is more complicated. Now, he’ll only have to worry about positioning himself against one candidate. He won’t have to worry about losing his conservative, tea party support to the budget-cutting New Jersey governor. Romney has gone largely unscathed in recent debates as news and interest has focused on new entrant after new entrant; now it’s more likely that upcoming debates will force Romney

to answer tougher questions.

But Romney also won’t have to worry about attacking anyone besides Perry — and Obama.

And Perry has run into trouble dealing with his own vulnerabilities. He spent the past weekend in New Hampshire defending his record on immigration at town hall meetings. And now he’s facing questions about a family-leased hunting camp branded with a racially insensitive name.

Both Perry and Romney will now begin to scramble for the donors who had been waiting on Christie. Romney has already proven he’s the Republican race’s financial leader, bringing in $18 million during his first quarter as a presidential candidate. Perry hasn’t yet had to file a financial report, but aides say his numbers will show he is competitive with Romney.

Still, with Obama and the Democratic Party set to raise close to $1 billion for the general election next year, those numbers don’t seem so high.

THIS DATE IN HISTORY

BORN ON THIS DATE

1953

On October 5, 1953, the New York Yankees defeat the Brooklyn Dodgers to win their fifth World Series in a row.

www.dailycampus.com

Guy Pearce - 1967 Kate Winslet - 1975 Nikki Hilton - 1983 Jesse Eisenberg - 1983

The Daily Campus, Page 7

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

“Welfare Queen” talks rags to riches Halloween costumes that will get you action

By Holly Battaglia Campus Correspondent

It might be too soon, but I couldn’t resist the urge to start talking about Halloween and how it is the best holiday (besides your birthday) for getting laid. Here are some costume ideas that are worth writing home about:

ARI MASON/The Daily Campus

Author and performing artist, Erika Lopez, spoke to students yesterday about her past experiences with food stamps and life on welfare. Lopez has earned awards for her numerous novels that document her journey out of poverty and into the role of a public speaker and role model.

By Joseph Katz Campus Correspondent Revered author and performance artist Erika Lopez presented her latest work, “The Welfare Queen,” yesterday afternoon in a crowded classroom in the School of Business. Lopez’s intense and autobiographical performance, part of a series of events sponsored by the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies and the Puerto Rican and Latin American Cultural Center, began with the New York-native’s idealistic years as a Philadelphia art student, but later gave way to soul-baring discussion of her experiences as a poor, bisexual and Latin American

writer in San Francisco.

“When I was young, we didn’t give a [expletive] about the front of the bus, because the bus was disgusting,” said Lopez. Her descent into poverty from the ranks of “the hip, detached and ironic” was not easy.

“I would prefer changing a tire with a stick of butter in one hand, and a shard of glass in the other,” said Lopez, first humorously, on the trials of lesbian sex, but later on the hardships she faced as a writer.

Lopez, who arrived clad in silver shawl and faux-fur brazier, injected numerous doses of distinctly Latin-American humor, as well as radical-

Spotlight on: UConn Marching Band

By Kimberly Wilson Campus Correspondent The UConn marching band is entertaining crowds at football games and parades this year with a variety of contemporary tunes ranging from music by Lupe Fiasco, to Cee-lo Green, while inciting school spirit and enthusiasm.

The marching band performs at every football game, the Veteran’s Day Parade in Hartford, the Mansfield Parade and UConn’s Homecoming Parade to name a few. At the UConn versus Iowa State football game, the band honored UConn President Susan Herbst during their half-time show, chronicling Herbst’s life through music and drill.

The band played music by ‘Chicago’ and the song ‘New York, New York’ because Herbst lived in both cities and dedicated a song to her alma mater, Duke.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the UConn’s national honorary band fraternity, Kappa Kappa Psi, and the 47th anniversary of the band sorority Tau Beta Sigma.

UConn Marching Band director Dr. David Mills describes the band as representative of the UConn student body and its school spirit.

“We’re out there being a store window for the student body, as well as a positive ambassador for the school,” Mills said.

The band directors, staff, council and members all contribute to creating a successful band season. Practicing over 6 hours per week, the band

manages to put new material on the field every week with new music and drill combinations.

“A lot of work goes into coordinating the band,” Lauren McCue, communications coordinator of the band and a 7th- semester communications major said. “We have a band council comprised of 9 officers, each with different jobs that help the band run smoothly.”

This year’s show, entitled “The Show Goes On,” features UConn band members Brian Thompson as a rapper and Bob Barney as a guitarist to compliment the modern and up-beat tunes.

“What I like about the show is that it’s something new,” said Victoria Outhouse, a 3rdsemester chemistry major and second year member of the marching band.

“I don’t know of many bands that have one of their members rap.”

“Everybody knows the music and knows the lyrics.

I love how the student section enjoys our show, getting involved and singing the lyrics. It’s an exciting show and we are not finished with it yet, so our show is still going on,” she said.

“They put pop culture out onto the field,” said Matthew San Angelo, a 5th- semester allied health sciences major, regarding the band’s performance at their halftime show this weekend at the UConn versus Western Michigan football game.

Kimberly.Wilson@UConn.edu

ly political diatribe, into her work.

Professor Guillermo Irizarry, who professed his admiration for Lopez’s farcical style in his introduction, said, “her work challenges normative visions of race, sex, and gender… and reminds us that autobiography can be cover for undiscovered truths.”

Years after publishing awardwinning books like “Flaming Iguanas,” “Lapdancing For Mommy,” and “They Call Me Mad Dog!” with Simon & Schuster, Lopez recounted the distress of returning to food stamps, and later to the welfare line.

“The smell [of the welfare office] was what all economic problems

boil down to,” said Lopez to laughter, “it was a poor people smell… like cold peanuts.” After imagining the odor of the middle class (“Credit-worthy… and like lawn clippings”) Lopez revisited her qualms with contemporary society.

“The word ‘potential’ has become a bogeyman to my generation,” she said.

In a brief, but spirited, questionand-answer session, Lopez once again returned to this discourse on apathy. She referred often to a metaphorical “pulling out” by her peers of color, and stressed that her generation must transcend an existence as “plastic human beings.”

“They try to drug you if you are powerful and alive,” said Lopez.

“You have to get off on the thrill – that’s how it is to be a colored girl in business,” she said, after making allusions to rapper Chuck D. and filmmaker Spike Lee, both influential artists of color.

Lopez’s words, particularly those which stood out as a call to action, seemed to resonate with students in the room. 5th-semester psychology major Samantha Hills sat up front for the length of the performance, and described Lopez’s story as a reflection of her own in ways.

“It was inspiring and cathartic,” she said.

Joseph.Katz@UConn.edu

Like a TV network, Yahoo launches fall programming

AP

Actress Judy Greer, left, and chef Jared Sokoloff are shown in a scene from the online series “Reluctantly Healthy,” for Yahoo.

NEW YORK (AP) — With TV network style, Yahoo is launching a fall slate of shows in a bid to strengthen its original programming.

On Tuesday, Yahoo Inc. announced that it will begin premiering seven new Web series this week, all targeting female audiences. That adds to the approximately two dozen original series on Yahoo, which often pull in much higher viewership than other, higher profile video hubs.

Yahoo sites generated 45.5 million unique viewers in August, according to comScore Inc., which was sixth best and above both Hulu and AOL. In the same month, Yahoo Studios had all 10 of the top 10 most-watched online video series, according to comScore.

“I absolutely liken us to the fifth network or really the first digital network,” says Erin McPherson, vice president and head of original programming at Yahoo.

The new shows generally take an unscripted, lifestyle programming strategy. Judy Greer (“Arrested Development”) hosts “Reluctantly Healthy,” a series about cooking and exercising for those with little time. Niecy Nash (“Reno 911”) hosts a relationship show, “Let’s Talk About Love.” ‘’Ultimate Proposal,” with Cameron Mathison (“All My Children”), will use a team of experts to help men deliver a memorable marriage proposal.

An eighth show, not specifically targeting women, is also set to launch in November: “The Failure Club,” a show about people trying to overcome a fear, produced and hosted by documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock.

Yahoo is also planning further additions, with series focusing on other demographics and genres. With its own Los Angeles production house, it’s easy to see Yahoo as a budding video factory – only making 3-minute to 5-minute vid-

eos instead of 30- or 60-minute programs.

On Monday, Yahoo announced a partnership with ABC News, which will further Yahoo’s video news coverage. Yahoo is also considered a possible suitor for Hulu, the online video service that Yahoo syndicates.

Original and syndicated programming will be gathered in a new video site, Yahoo! Screen.

Yahoo’s push into original programming is taking several pages from the broadcast book, like marketing shows’ start times, a Web rarity, and offering up finished programs to advertisers rather than have a series sponsored by one brand.

“We’re both a TV network and a studio,” says McPherson.

“We’re creating our own original content – we do have an in-house Yahoo Studios team – and then we partner with folks like Ben Silverman’s Electus and Morgan Spurlock’s company and others.”

1) Sexy St. Francis of Assisi This is really unexpected, yet easy to do. St. Francis of Assisi was the patron saint of animals. So, naturally your chosen bottle of alcohol will be Patron, and you will write on the label, “Saint of Animals.” Get the idea? Now everyone knows who you are.

For the actual costume, wear a skimpy robe. You are, after all, trying to look sexy.

The most important part of the get-up is the accessories, which in this case is a bunch of animals. You can choose to go with one attention-grabber, such as a live cat. If that is not your style, (or if you are allergic to cats), then maybe you want to try pinning a bunch of plush toys to your robe. There is really no way to go wrong with this costume.

You can also substitute him with any other saint of your choice.

2) Anything Classically Slutty To quote Lindsay Lohan’s character in the movie, Mean Girls, “Halloween is the one night a year when girls can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it.” This quote is incredibly true, for girls and guys. So, here is my rationale. Everyone deserves to dress up as something really cliché on one occasion. I am talking about sailors, bunnies, French maids, cops, pool boys in leopard thongs and other things I can’t think of at the moment. I don’t care if it’s unoriginal. Do it for the sake of irony.

3) Mr. and/or Mrs. Owlsworth A girl in my chemistry class sophomore year told me that she tried to make an owl costume for Halloween, but failed because she couldn’t sew on all the individual feathers in time for the holiday. I have since spent some time contemplating how one would go about making an owl costume. Have you ever heard of tarring and feathering? The method I thought of harkens back to the tradition, minus the pain and embarrassment.

Basically, you put on a leotard and some papier-mâché wings and slather them in glue. Next, you stand outdoors and have a friend throw feathers at you from all directions. Voila. You are an owl.

Halloween is the best time of year to aesthetically convey your sense of humor, sex appeal or both. It doesn’t necessarily mean you’re dressing to get screwed, like a character from a Bret Easton Ellis novel. However, your costume can certainly affect your likelihood of getting it in.

To quote Catherine Morrow, 7th- semester political science major, “I once hooked up with a guy because I liked his Buddy the Elf costume.” I believe that says it all.

Holly.Battaglia@UConn.edu

The Daily Campus, Page 8

FOCUS ON:

GAMES Recently Reviewed

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Focus

Game Of The Week

Fifa Soccer 12 PS3, XBOX 360

Your game reviews could be here!

Stop in to a Focus meeting, Mondays at 8 p.m. at the DC Building.

Glitches don’t distract gameplay in “Battlefield 3”

Courtesy of Amazon.com

1. Dark Souls (X360/PS3) 9.5 2. Fifa Soccer 12 (PS3, XBOX 360) 9.0 3. NBA Jam: On Fire Edition (Arcade) 8.5 4. Pro Evolution Soccer 2012 (X360) 8.0 5. Out of the Park Baseball (PC) 8.0 6.Rage (X360/PS3) 8.0 7. NHL 12 (PS3) 8.0 8. Harvest Moon: The Tale of Two Towns (DS) 6.5 9. Rotastic (X360) 5.0 10. X-Men Destiny (X360/ PS3/Wii) 4.0 Score data from Gamespot.com

Upcoming Releases October 11 Forza Motorsport 4 (X360) Ace Combat Assault Horizon (PS3) Hulk Hogan’s Main Event (X360) October 16 Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure (PS3, X360, 3DS, Mac) October 18 Rocksmith (PS3, X360, 3DS) PowerUp Heroes (X360)

Focus Favorites

Kirby’s Epic Yarn With the recent release of the innovative “Kirby Mass Attack,” and the upcoming release and return to Kirby’s standard gameplay design in “Kirby’s Return to Dream Land” for Wii, the pink puffball is having a pretty eventful fall season. But that won’t make me forget last year’s masterpiece of a Kirby game: “Kirby’s Epic Yarn.” It was actually one of the first perfect-10 scores I ever gave for The Daily Campus, and I still stand by that statement.

Why? Because it achieved everything it wanted to flawlessly.

There’s practically a zen-like quality to its conflict-free platforming, mixed with eye-candy visuals and one of the best video game soundtracks I’ve ever heard. If you want a challenge, the game offered it with all the medals and items to unlock. One of the few video games that literally has something for everybody.

- Jason Bogdan

PS2 Classics worthy of HD re-release

By Jason Bogdan Senior Staff Writer

Amazon.com

Despite several technical glitches, the beta version of “Battlefield 3” delivers quality gaming with fancy new weapons and top tier color displays. There are many changes in the game that will also appeal to frequent gamers.

By Megan Toombs Campus Correspondent The “Battlefield 3” Beta, released Sept. 29, and gamers excited for the official game release on Oct. 25. Though the beta only allows users to play multiplayer games on one map, “Operation Métro,” in Rush mode, the final game will allow gamers to play in campaign mode or the new co-op mode, featuring a separate story line, that still plays like a campaign.

The beta map is an interesting choice because it is uncharacteristic of “Battlefield.” It is much smaller, leading to faster paced gameplay and has no vehicles or limited destructive environments. It seems more like “Call of Duty” than “Battlefield.” Another noticeable element of this map is the much brighter colors. It is nice to show the colors and visuals the game is capable

of in the beta. It gives high hopes for the same quality of visuals for the official game.

Currently, there are several problems in the beta that should be fixed by its release date. One is texture popins, which negatively affect the otherwise great visuals.

Hit detection is also a problem. Sometimes when shooting other players, it simply doesn’t register, which could be associated with lag, one of the biggest problems. The first day of the beta the servers were so overloaded that gamers couldn’t even get online to play the game, though the lag has since improved. Basic glitches include wall glitches and through-the-ground glitches.

There are lots of changes in this upcoming “Battlefield” game such as new guns, attachments, attachment system and changes within classes.

Though the beta didn’t

include any vehicles, it is good to hear that jets, last seen in 2005 with “Battlefield 2,” will be returning in this game.

New guns with big names you can look aforward to seeing include; the M4 Carbine, the Glock17 and Glock18, a .44 magnum revolver and a P90. The starting guns for each side are now unique and not universal, which adds an interesting aspect to the game.

The offensive side receives more American style military weapons, whereas the defensive side gets more European style military weapons. These new guns still seem fairly balanced, so that no gun is too powerful at all ranges.

Gamers will be excited about new attachments available like various red dot, holographic and ACOG sights. Other new attachments include a heavier barrel and a suppressor that can be added to any gun, whereas before

that was only available to the engineering class. A new laser sight attachment gives a tighter reticle for increased accuracy when not aiming down the sights. Because balance is key, the trade-off is that the laser can give away your position because enemies can see your laser.

There is also a new attachment system where each gun unlocks its own attachments as you use it, whereas before attachments unlocked universally no matter the kind. Different guns can have different attachments, even if they are the same gun type.

With all these new changes and improvements, “Battlefield 3” is sure to satisfy gamers looking for a good first person shooter game with great visuals, intense maps and increased variety among guns, attachments and classes.

Megan.Toombs@UConn.edu

“Binding of Isaac” is simple, classic

By Jason Bogdan Senior Staff Writer Is it possible to make a great indie game in about 120 days? Based on what “Super Meat Boy” creator, Edmund McMillen did with “The Binding of Isaac,” it actually is.

There’s a title for the genre that the game falls into: roguelike. It is, essentially, an old-school dungeon crawler that utilizes random dungeon layouts with several doses of tough love for players. “The Binding of Isaac” definitely follows that spirit; it’s hard as nails, and you have only one life to survive the five levels of unpredictable challenges.

If you die, then you’ll have to start all over, without all your cool upgrades.

There’s one thing that McMillen and his indie team added that makes “Binding of Isaac” stand out from other games of its genre, like the “Mystery Dungeon” franchise, which was plagued by traditional turn-based gameplay: it’s actually fun to play, over and over again. Inspired by arcade classics like “Smash TV” and “Robotron,” it brings a four-way-perspective, dualstick-esque shooter to the mix that fits the Zelda-like dungeons like a slipper.

Does “Isaac” defy logic by being pitch-perfect, despite the few months it took to be developed? Not exactly.

From the time I’ve spent playing it, there are a number of game-crashing bugs and

framerate issues that still need a number of patches to fully fix. Also, despite the fact that the artwork is the same great stuff that was in “Super Meat Boy,” it’s not for everybody. The enemy and dungeon designs are completely disgusting, to go along with the dismal story. I know what they were going for: a tale that’s a “hilarious” parody of the Biblical story it’s named after. Except, it’s so dark and forgets to actually be “funny,” that it just feels disconcerting.

Also, this game is perfect for multiplayer, online or offline, or leaderboards. But it doesn’t have it.

Even so, this game is a fantastic value at $5 on Steam.

In fact, spend the extra dollar for the soundtrack too.

Fans of “Super Meat Boy’s” superb tunes will most likely love this as well. It’s a synergy of two genres that works extremely well.

It even has extra characters, hidden treasures and more levels after you beat the campaign, to make the pricetag feel like even more than a steal. Yes, this is a game that doesn’t hide its 120-day development cycle with its one game mode and bugs (though some have already been patched).

But, a great gameplay concept that’s built with enough heart and imagination truly can be made in such a short time span.

Jason.Bogdan@UConn.edu

Photo courtesy of Gamepro.com

Between the classic graphics and weapon techniques, “The Binding of Isaac” is money well-spent

The Binding of Isaac

PC

8.0

/10

The Good

-One of the best $5 things you can buy this year -It takes the dungeon format of the old “Legend of Zelda” games, and mixes it with the four-way shooter styling of arcade classic, “Smash TV.” Brilliant.

-The soundtrack is fantastic, and is only a dollar to download on Steam.

The Bad

The art style and storyline will be intolerable for most.

-The whole thing could use more patches, until the hours-long campaign becomes completely risk-free

It seems that re-releasing games from the previous console generation in 1080p and with widescreen support has become a recent trend. “Prince of Persia,” “Splinter Cell,” and “Tomb Raider” are a few examples. It’s been especially popular on the PS3, with PS2 classic series like “God of War,” “Metal Gear Solid” and “Sly Cooper” seeing an HD version and trophy support. But not all the greats from the PS2 era have been re-released for all the new gamers to enjoy. Here are a few franchises that also deserve a double dip.

“Jak & Daxter:” Interestingly enough, there was a rumor earlier this week that pointed to a “Jak” Collection release on the PS3. If it is the real deal, then people are in for a treat. The first was one of the few “Super Mario 64” clones done right thanks to fun platforming and an interesting story. The next two games of the series took a page from “Grand Theft Auto” with their darker storytelling.

The change didn’t satisfy everybody, but I loved those games. I also hope the surprisingly good racing game– and the most recent game that everybody forgot to buy would make for an excellent purchase all together, if they were to release it.

“Ratchet & Clank:” I actually feel like I’m cheating for not just putting this in the same paragraph with “Jak & Daxter.”

Both were outstanding action platformer series from the PS2 era that felt made to released alongside one another and Sly Cooper. While there are PS3 Ratchet games, the PS2 ones deserve HD. The first three games show the chronology of how Insomniac Games develop the series into what it was for the future games. The main trilogy is a must for the 720p-1080p treatment.

Kingdom Hearts: After “Kingdom Hearts II,” the series went in the weird direction of retelling the original story and loading up on prequels. It all just makes me want to experience the original two games even more. The visuals hold up to even today’s standards, making for an HD transfer that almost feels blasphemous for not having happened already.

“Grand Theft Auto III/Vice City/San Andreas:” Yes, these games have been released multiple times on all other systems.

But to me, the “GTA III” trilogy is a definitive, PS2 experience.

Will it feel old and make players wish they actually didn’t revisit it? Probably. But this trilogy is a historical piece of gaming that helped to shape the industry into what it is today. On that basis alone, the legacy deserves a higher definition with achievement support. Open world games might have improved exponentially, but there’s just no replacing the satisfaction of driving in a streak of destruction with those great 80s tunes.

Jason.Bogdan@UConn.edu

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

The Daily Campus, Page 9

Focus

Poetic Release throws down at the Student Union

By Kim Halpin Staff Writer Tuesday night, Poetic Release held an event at the Student Union allowing a variety of poets to showcase their talents.

Poetic Release President Devin Samuels started off the night with a spoken word poem of his own before opening up the floor to members of the audience. Most had previously signed up to share and brought with them their poems and performances.

These performances were not restricted to poems, as many

performers opted to share their hip-hop or rap compositions.

The audience responded well to the pieces, accompanying them with a background beat, and encouraged Imac to share another of his songs.

The featured poet of the night was Kendel Joseph, who has competed in many Brave New Voices competitions. Tuesday Joseph performed multiple pieces inspired by his personal life, family and experiences that he has recently had.

In “Nineteen” and “Twenty,” he spoke about the superficial ways that college kids and young adults choose to fill their

time: love, alcohol, sex and the purely exciting feeling of wanting to go out and do something.

Joseph referenced the feeling to trying to resist jumping off a building.

“I was surprised it wasn’t just poetry, but entertainment as well,” said Katie Histen, a 7th-semester kinesiology major.

“Kendall Joseph was especially powerful and gave me goose bumps.”

Two sisters, originally from Queens, N.Y. gave an energetic performance of their own after Joseph. They explained that they were going to break the idea “that all girls rap like

Nicki Minaj.” The audience was definitely appreciative of their performance, giving them a standing ovation and asking to hear more of their songs.

Time constraints limited them to two songs, to the dismay of the audience.

The final portion of the evening was devoted to a poetry slam competition. This consisted of several students performing original works and subsequently being judged by five random audience members on a scale of one to 10. The contestants had only three and a half minutes to perform what they had brought before a time pen-

alty was issued.

Topics ranged from adolescent love, childhood pain, suicide, soldiers in Iraq and personal potential. Risa Duff, a 1st-semester student, inspired audiences with her line stating that her purpose was for anyone “living below their potential to rise up and take what is theirs.”

The audience was encouraged to offer snaps, shouts or stomps for lines that they particularly connected with and wanted to let the poet know. They were also allowed to challenge judges’ scores if they did not coincide with their thoughts.

The overall winner of the slam was Jerrol Mitchell, a 3rd-semester nursing student.

Second place went to Mikhial Gilbert, and third place went to Stephanie Blasnick.

“I want to spread the art of poetry in and innovative and energetic way, so that other will be as excited about poetry as I am,” said Samuels, a third semester A.C.E.S. student. He also expressed his appreciation to all members of Poetic Release for putting on the event.

Kimberly.Halpin@UConn.edu

“Jesus Christ Superstar” headed for Broadway’s Neil Simon Theater NEW YORK (AP) — What’s the buzz? A hit production of “Jesus Christ Superstar” in Canada is coming south to Broadway.

Producers announced Tuesday that the rock musical about the last days of Jesus written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice will hit New York in the spring, a move that was widely expected.

Previews will begin on March 1 at the Neil Simon Theatre and an official opening is set for March 22. Des McAnuff, the artistic director of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Ontario, where the revival originated this summer, will again direct.

“I’m extremely happy, and very, very happy for the company of actors because I think they anticipated that this might happen and I certainly haven’t discouraged them from believing that,” McAnuff said by phone from Italy.

The guitar- and keyboard-driven musical, which debuted on Broadway in 1971, includes such songs as “What’s the Buzz?” ‘’Superstar” and “I Don’t Know How to Love Him.” The original production earned five Tony Award nominations, including one for Ben Vereen, who

played Judas. A film version was released in 1973.

The musical dramatizes Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, the unrest caused by his preaching and popularity, his betrayal by Judas, the trial before Pontius Pilate and his ultimate crucifixion. It marked an early collaboration between Lloyd Webber and Rice, who would go on to create “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” and “Evita,” which is coming to Broadway in the spring of 2012.

“Superstar” was first introduced as an album before being staged on Broadway and McAnuff says his production is very faithful to the original recording. “We’ve treated it more like an opera than a musical,” he said. The new production also teases out the story’s love triangle.

The latest stage production opened at the Canadian festival in June and ends its run there on Nov. 6 before moving to the La Jolla Playhouse in La Jolla, Calif., for final tweaking from Nov. 18 to Dec. 31 before its Broadway run.

A number of other productions put on at the Stratford Festival have found their way to Broadway, including 2002’s

“King Lear” with Christopher Plummer and the 2009 production of “The Importance of Being Earnest,” starring and directed by Brian Bedford.

Though no casting was announced for Broadway, McAnuff anticipates keeping together most of the cast he originally molded, including Chilina Kennedy as Mary Magdalene, Paul Nolan as Jesus, Josh Young as Judas Iscariot, Bruce Dow as King Herod, and Brent Carver as Pontius Pilate.

Producers hope “Jesus Christ Superstar” will find a receptive Broadway audience that has already seen revivals of such 1970s-era shows as “Hair” and “Godspell,” which starts performances later this month. It also taps into the religious-themed musicals that have settled on Broadway — “Sister Act” and “The Book of Mormon.”

“I think there is that great expression, ‘There’s something in the air.’ I suppose that’s what it is,” said McAnuff, who was a teenager when he first saw “Hair” in Toronto. “That kind of anarchic process that went into creating albums and shows in those days is perhaps taking on a kind of new respect.”

AP

Paul Nolan portrays Jesus in “Jesus Christ Superstar,” in a performance from the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Stratford.

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Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Focus

Doctor's girlfriend talks calls, shipments in Jackson case

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dr. Conrad Murray's complicated love life became entangled with the life and death of his patient Michael Jackson, prosecutors suggested Tuesday as they called a parade of women witnesses who received phone calls from the doctor as Jackson was near death.

The evidence was designed to show that the doctor was trying to juggle his medical practice, personal life and superstar patient all at the same time and was so distracted he failed to give Jackson proper care.

Murray's phone records from the day Jackson died were displayed in court as a backdrop for testimony of those at the other end of the cell phone calls.

Three of them were current and former girlfriends and one was the manager of Murray's Houston office.

Nicole Alvarez, who lives with Murray and is the mother of his small son, was a key witness. She said she received a phone call from Murray as he rode in an ambulance beside Jackson's lifeless body on June 25, 2009.

"I remember him telling me that he was on the way to the hospital in an ambulance with Mr. Jackson and not to be alarmed," Alvarez said. "He was worried I would hear about it."

Three more calls to her were recorded that day but she didn't remember the conversations.

Alvarez was depicted as an unwitting conduit for Murray's purchases of the powerful anesthetic propofol which Jackson craved as a sleep aid.

Murray is charged with involuntary manslaughter, accused of giving the star an overdose of the drug and failing to respond properly when he found him not breathing.

Murray has pleaded not guilty, and his attorneys claim Jackson took the fatal dose himself.

Alvarez recounted how she

received many shipments of boxes for Murray in April, May and June 2009 but didn't open them and had no idea of their contents. The pharmacist who shipped them to her Santa Monica apartment from Las Vegas testified that he thought he was shipping to Murray's medical office.

FedEx and pharmacy receipts displayed by Deputy District Attorney Deborah Brazil showed that they contained large amounts of propofol, sedatives and a skin whitening cream used to treat the skin disease vitiligo from which Jackson suffered.

Tim Lopez, the Las Vegas pharmacist who filled orders from Murray, testified that over four months he purchased 255 vials of propofol, 20 vials of the sedative lorazepam, 60 vials of midazolam and several tubes of lidocaine which was intended to numb injection sites. He also purchased saline solution in IV bags.

Alvarez, who had given birth to Murray's son in March 2009, recalled the doctor telling her that he was Jackson's private physician. The 29-year-old actress said she found it exciting.

"It was Michael Jackson!" she exulted when she recounted meeting the star. She said Murray surprised her, telling her he was taking her to meet someone and then they arrived at Jackson's home.

"I was speechless," Alvarez said. "I couldn't believe I was meeting Michael Jackson."

Alvarez smiled frequently and was often breathless during her testimony. She told of her romance with Murray that began at a Las Vegas night club and drew her into the glamorous world of Jackson's inner circle.

She said she and Murray met Jackson several other times.

"Michael was very interested in the baby," she said. "He saw my stomach growing with the preg-

AP

Prosecution witness Nicole Alvarez looks toward the jury box as she testifies in Dr. Conrad Murray's trial in the death of pop star Michael Jackson in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2011.

Dr. Conrad Murray has pleaded not guilty and faces four years in prison and the loss of his medical license if convicted of involuntary manslaughter in Michael Jackson's death.

nancy. He wanted to schedule a visit so he could see my son."

Alvarez said she brought the little boy to Jackson's home twice for visits.

When they settled into her Santa Monica apartment, Alvarez said, Murray began keeping odd hours but she never asked why. He would leave at about 9 p.m. and not return until the morning. He would tell her he was "going to work," she said, and she presumed he was at Jackson's home.

She said she had plans to move to London with Murray when he toured with Jackson but those plans ended when the superstar died on June 25, 2009.

"I never finished packing," she

'The 3 Musketeers in 3D' holds London premiere

said sadly.

In opening statements, a prosecutor said Murray had received more than four gallons of propofol while working with Jackson, most of it sent to Alvarez's home. Murray told police after Jackson's death that he was giving the singer propofol as a sleep aid.

Alvarez was preceded to the witness stand by other Murray girlfriends.

There was Michelle Bela, who met him in in February 2008 when she was working at a Las Vegas social club and he was a patron, she said. They exchanged phone numbers and began dating.

In 2009, she said, he told

her he was working as Michael Jackson's personal physician.

On June 16, she said he left her a voice message. Brazil asked to play the audio, but the judge rejected it.

The prosecutor indicated that Murray told Bela he wanted to see her before he left on tour. A few hours before Jackson died, he left her a text message, she said.

She was followed to the stand

by Sade (Sha-day) Anding, a Houston waitress who met Murray at a steak house where she worked in February 2009.

She said they became close and Murray referred to her as his girlfriend.

His phone call to her was the

last one before Jackson died.

Phone records show that it was made at 11:51 a.m.

"What he said to me is 'Hello, it's Conrad Murray. How are you doing?'" she recalled. "I said, 'Fine, but I haven't heard from you in a while.'" She said he told her he was fine, but "I started telling him about my day and then I realized he wasn't on the phone.

"I pressed the phone to my ear and I heard mumbling and voices. Like the phone was in his pocket. I heard coughing," she said.

She said she kept saying, "Hello, hello, are you there?"

When there was no response, she hung up.

Chaz Bono struggles, Ricki Lake soars on 'Dancing'

AP

AP

British musicians Howard Donald, from left, Mark Owen and Gary Barlow from band Take That, arrive for the UK premiere of The Three Musketeers in 3D.

In this image released by ABC, Ricki Lake, left, and her partner Derek Hough, perform on the celebrity dance competition series, "Dancing with the Stars," Monday, Sept. 26, 2011 in Los Angeles.

AP-EU-Britain-The-ThreeMusketeers/465 'The 3 Musketeers in 3D' holds London premiere LONDON (AP) — Musketeers Athos, Porthos and Aramis on Tuesday swashbuckled their way down the red carpet at a London shopping center for the world premiere of "The Three Musketeers in 3D." Actors Matthew Macfadyen, Athos, Ray Stevenson, Porthos, and Luke Evans, Aramis, were joined at the launch by Logan Lerman, who plays their hotheaded archenemy, D'Artagnan, and a bevy of stars.

The family adventure — based on Alexandre Dumas' historical novel of the same name — sees the 17th-century band of heroes set out to defend the French Queen's honor and protect her country from war.

Director Paul W.S. Anderson of "Resident Evil" fame, told The Associated Press that the themes of the book have stood the test of time, and that his version of the classic story is

LOS ANGELES (AP) — "Dancing With the Stars" contestants were asked to perform routines that reflected the most meaningful time in their lives, and when the dancing was done, Ricki Lake was in first place and Chaz Bono was in last — just like last week.

Another contestant will be dismissed from the hit ABC show on Tuesday. Judges' scores are combined with viewer votes to determine who is ousted each week.

Lake earned the season's highest score yet for her rumba. She said the dance symbolized finding love again after a painful divorce, and judges rewarded the routine Monday with 27 points out of 30.

Bono, who said this year has been his most meaningful because "I'm happier than I've ever been," danced a rumba to a song his father wrote called "Laugh at Me." Bono said its message is, "if you have a problem with me, then it's your problem, not mine."

different to its predecessors.

"Love, honor, courage, friendship, these are classic themes that never go out of style," said Anderson. "But I think every generation deserves its own version of 'The Three Musketeers.' The story may stay the same, but the way it's executed and brought to the screen will always differ."

Anderson said with the advent of visual effects, he has been able "to bring to life 17th century Paris and London in a spectacular way that's never been able to be done before."

Largely shot on location in Bavaria, Germany, the film features former model turned actress Milla Jovovich as M'Lady De Winter.

The 35-year-old said utlising 3D for the movie really helps to capture the audience's imagination.

"The 3D aspect is really interesting because we shot in the most beautiful castles, in the most beautiful costumes and you really feel like you're

walking into some virtual reality time machine," she said.

Jovovich also gushed about having the opportunity to work with director/husband Anderson again, referring to him as "an amazing captain of the ship."

The two were married in 2009 after meeting on the set of "Resident Evil," which Anderson wrote and directed, and in which Jovovich starred.

"Oh I get spoilt working with Paul because it's such a beautiful energy on set... He's so technical, so organized, so kind and he really knows what he wants so it's just amazing to be able to go on set with him," she said.

"It's always just a lot of fun," she added. "You know we make fun movies together and people just have the best time."

Actor Ray Stevenson also described Anderson's enthusiasm as "infectious," declaring "The Three Musketeers in 3D" ''one of the most happiest sets I've worked on."

The 42-year-old activist has drawn outspoken ire and support as the first transgender contestant on "Dancing With the Stars." The only child of Cher and Sonny Bono, Bono was born female and underwent surgery to become a man. He legally changed his gender last year.

"Just showing up here takes incredible amounts of courage," judge Carrie Ann Inaba said.

Bono earned 18 points — one better than last week but still the lowest of the 10 contestants.

"We don't get high scores here for some reason," he said after the show. "We're the people's champion but not the judges'."

Fans saved Bono and professional partner Lacey Schwimmer from elimination last week despite last-place scores.

"Regardless of if we do go home or not, we put out a message that's really important to us," Schwimmer said after Monday's episode, "basically

just standing up for yourself and being OK with who you are."

"We've had a great time, so if we go home, we go home," Bono said. "We were here and we did what we needed to do."

Cher tweeted Monday: "God hope Chaz hangs on till next week so I can come sit in the Audience & Watch."

Like Bono and Lake, most contestants upped their scores from last week. Singer Chynna Phillips improved by five, collecting 26 points for the rumba she danced to her own song, the Wilson Phillips hit "Hold On." She tied for second place with actor J.R. Martinez, an Army veteran severely burned while serving in Iraq who said his rumba was "a tribute to the men and women that didn't make it home."

The ballroom audience gave the routine an extended standing ovation, and Martinez was so moved by the dance and its response that he could hardly speak.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

The Daily Campus, Page 11

Sports

» MLB

Beltre hits 3 HRs; Texas finishes off Rays

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The was really good," Beltre said. "Today Texas Rangers are headed back to the AL something changed, I felt more comfortchampionship series, thanks to a power able at the plate, and I did something to surge by Adrian Beltre that few players in help my team win." major league history have matched.

Beltre hit solo shots off Hellickson in Beltre hit three straight home runs and the second and fourth innings, and added the defending AL champions advanced another solo drive against Game 1 winagain, beating the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 ner Matt Moore in the seventh. The Rays in Game 4 Tuesday to win their playoff weren't the only ones who had trouble matchup. keeping up with Beltre — a television camTexas took this best-of-five series and eraman trying to run alongside Beltre to ended the Rays' remarkable run to the capture the image as the star jogged home AL wild-card spot. The Rangers will play did a face-first pratfall. for the pennant against the winner of the Beltre signed with Texas in the offseason Detroit Tigers-New York Yankees series. after playing last year in Boston. He and Beltre became just the seventh player to Kinsler tied for the team lead with 32 homhomer three times in a postseason game, and ers, and Beltre had been on a late-season the first since Adam Kennedy of the Angels tear going into the playoffs. in 2002. Babe Ruth, Reggie "That's one of the main reasons Jackson and George Brett also I came to this team. We're looking are on the list. right now, but we still have a 4 good The Texas slugger connect- Texas long way to go," he said. ed in his first three at-bats. Tampa Bay 3 Texas reached the World Series Given a chance to tie the big for the first time last year, but lost to league record of four homers San Francisco. in a game, Beltre hit a routine flyout in the Down 2-0 early, the Rays literally rammed eighth against Wade Davis. their way back into the game.

Neftali Feliz gave up a run in the ninth Sean Rodriguez drew a one-out walk in inning before closing for his third save of the second and took off when Matt Joyce the series, preserving the victory for Matt lined a two-out double to the gap in rightHarrison. center field. Rodriguez barreled around Texas won for the fifth straight time on third base and plowed into catcher Mike the road overall — all at Tropicana Field Napoli, jarring the ball loose. Rodriguez — in the opening round. The Rangers elimi- knocked Napoli backward, scrambled to his nated Tampa Bay in five games last year. feet and touched the plate with his hand.

Ian Kinsler led off the game for Texas by It was the second plate collision in homering on the second pitch from rookie the playoffs this year. St. Louis' Jon Jay Jeremy Hellickson. ran over Philadelphia's Carlos Ruiz in Then it was Beltre's turn. He came into an unsuccessful attempt to score during the game in an 1-for-11 slump in this series Game 2 of the Cardinals' matchup against before breaking loose. the Phillies.

"The first couple games their pitching Manager Rob Washington and the Rangers

BASEBALL

trainer left the dugout to check on the woozy Napoli, who remained in the game. Napoli got more attention in-between innings and stayed in the lineup.

The play energized the crowd of 28,299, about 4,000 less than Monday night, which was announced as a sellout. But several innings later, the Rays' season was over.

Rodriguez scored all three runs for the Rays. He drew a one-out walk and scored on Casey Kotchman's single, but Feliz retired the next two batters.

Tampa Bay certainly gave its faithful, and fans everywhere, quite a ride in the final month. Manager Joe Maddon's team overcame a nine-game deficit against Boston in the wild-card standings, then rallied from seven runs to beat the Yankees on the last day of the regular season to reach the playoffs for the third time in four years despite a small payroll.

Harrison, who made a relief appearance in the Rangers loss in the series opener, pitched five innings and won in his first postseason start. The Texas bullpen took over after that.

Texas' five consecutive division series road wins matches the second-longest streak in big league history. The Atlanta Braves won a record eight straight from 1995-99 and the Yankees won five in a row from 2003-05.

Moore stymied the powerful Texas lineup by working seven scoreless inning in the opener at Arlington. The Rays brought him on again in hopes of holding the Rangers to a 3-2 lead, and it looked like the move might work. The 22-year-old lefty retired the first six batters he faced before Beltre led off the seventh with an opposite-field shot into the stands in right.

» NHL

AP

Texas Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre (29) hits his third home run of the game in the seventh inning against the Tampa Bay Rays.

» MLB

'Hawks give GM extension Buckner ball goes on auction

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Blackhawks have given Stan Bowman a threeyear contract extension through the 2015-16 season, rewarding the youngest general manager in the NHL with more opportunities to bring home another Stanley Cup championship.

The 38-year-old Bowman is entering his 11th season with the Blackhawks and third as the head of team operations.

The team won the Stanley Cup two season ago, snap-

ping a 49-year drought, and Bowman has been key in locking up Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, Patrick Sharp, Brent Seabrook and Corey Crawford to longterm deals.

"It's quite an honor," Bowman said. "I feel very proud to be a member of this organization. We've come an awful long way."

Team President and CEO John McDonough announced the contract extension Tuesday. Terms were not dis-

closed.

"We're very, very proud of the job Stan has done," McDonough said. "I've seen his confidence grow personally and professionally. Stan is a winner, he's a tireless worker."

Last year, the Blackhawks' bid for a repeat ended in a seven-game Western Conference quarterfinals series with Vancouver. Bowman said he's optimistic about the 2011-12 Blackhawks, who open the season Friday at Dallas.

NEW YORK (AP) — The Bill Buckner ball is back in play.

The prize souvenir from the 1986 World Series will go on eBay this month with a $1 million price tag, put up for auction by the Grammy-nominated songwriter who once bought it from actor Charlie Sheen.

Seth Swirsky owns the ball, along with a bevy of bats, gloves and other mementos tied to the likes of Shoeless Joe Jackson, Johnny Vander Meer and Eddie Gaedel. He celebrates the game's lore, and has written

three books based on his letters to and from ballplayers.

"I love my collection. I don't think I've ever sold anything from it," Swirsky told The Associated Press from his home in Los Angeles. "But that ball, it's time to pass it along, to let someone else enjoy it."

Swirsky plans to begin the online auction on Oct. 15, and it won't last long. He intends to close the bidding late on the night of Oct. 25 — at the exact minute of the 25th anniversary of Buckner's famous error.

Swirsky said he decided to part with a favorite piece while driving around last week, a day after watching Boston collapse on the final night of the regular season.

"The myth of Buckner continues. There he was on 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' last month.

Everybody knows where they were when that play happened," he said. "I wasn't in a gloating mood. This isn't about, 'ha, ha, the Red Sox lost.' I'm not a Red Sox hater, I'm a baseball history lover.

» NCAA FOOTBALL

WVU coach disappointed over empty seats at game

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen says he's disappointed there were thousands of empty seats for the Mountaineers' most recent home football game.

About 46,000 fans attended West Virginia's game with Bowling Green in a cold, steady rain Saturday in Morgantown.

Holgorsen went on at length during his weekly news conference Tuesday, questioning why the attendance was so low compared to a sellout crowd

of more than 62,000 the week before during a night game with LSU. Holgorsen says it's his job to correct his team's problems on offense, defense and special teams from week to week. He says now it's up to the fans, including students, to fix the fact that his players played in the cold in a partially empty stadium.

"No matter what the excuses were, our players didn't buy into it," Holgorsen said. "But obviously our fan base did.

"Whatever our expectations are with our players as far as preparing every week and going to the game and playing our best, I highly encourage our students and our support to take the same approach. You only get seven opportunities a year.

What's so hard about it? Is it too cold? It wasn't too cold for our players. It wasn't too cold for our coaches, our managers and our trainers."

No. 16 West Virginia (4-1) plays at home Saturday against Connecticut (2-3).

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The Daily Campus, Page 12

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Sports

Toss Up? The NFC East is wide open in 2011

By Ryan Curto Campus Correspondent

Normally, one of the most dominant and fierce division in the NFL is the NFC East.

With the Cowboys, Eagles and Giants fighting for a playoff spot perennially, this division is one from which it is always difficult to emerge victorious. However, through the first month of the season, the NFC East appears to have been flipped on its head. The Washington Redskins are tied with the New York Giants for first place, while the favored Philadelphia Eagles are in last, trailing a struggling Dallas Cowboys by one game. With the division clearly lacking its normal powerhouse reputation, it is difficult to predict who will emerge on top. However, considering the struggles of the Eagles and Cowboys and the losing reputation of the Redskins, the Giants have a slight advantage over the rest of the division.

The Giants’ ability to make it out of the NFC East will

not necessarily come as a result of their dominance over other teams. In fact, the Giants defense has been so severely decimated by injury that in order to win, many backups will need to produce.

Fortunately, the Giants defense has been plagued by injury during a year in which the rest of the division may be able to help them win.

The Redskins boast a 32-48 record since 2006 and now put their trust in a quarterback who has only played one full season in his nine-year career.

However, durability is only one of Rex Grossman’s setbacks. Although this year the Redskins are in first place, Grossman has already turned the ball over seven times while throwing for six touchdowns.

Even in the year that Grossman was able to make the superbowl, he threw 20 interceptions. It is hard to imagine the Redskins making a run in the NFC East given their previous losing records and knowing the history of Grossman.

The Cowboys also do not appear to be in contention in

the NFC East. As a team, the Cowboys have surrendered more points than they have scored. Tony Romo is showing again that he simply cannot perform in the second half of games. Last week, he threw three interceptions late in the game to allow the Detroit Lions to come back and win in Dallas.

The Eagles are another team within the division experiencing struggles. Originally picked to be the “Dream Team” of the NFL, the Eagles are 1-3.

But, a losing record is not the worst part about their season this far. The Eagles have held leads in the second half of all of their games but have failed to win 75 percent of the time.

The Giants have a slight advantage to emerge victorious in the NFC East. They have a quarterback in Manning who has grown accustomed to winning under pressure, and a defense that has been able to help the Giants win.

Ryan.Curto@UConn.edu

By David Marinstein Campus Correspondent

Throughout the first four weeks of the NFL season, we all expected to see a dominant Philadelphia Eagles team.

Thus far, we’ve seen exactly the opposite. The Eagles have been riddled by injuries and lack team chemistry. The team that was supposed to be a “Dream Team” coming into the season with a truck-load of big name free agents is currently 1-3, on a three-game slid. But, despite the negatives so far, there’s no doubt the Eagles will figure it out and be the NFC East’s playoff representative.

During the offseason, the Eagles brought in Vince Young, Ronnie Brown, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and most notably, Nnamdi Asomugha (to name a few). Each of these players were significant to the success of their prior teams and are expected to elevate the Eagles to the class of the league. With the NFL lockout shortening training camps

and the preseason, the team was not able to finish creating real team chemistry with these new players before the season began.

Despite this, the Eagles came into the season with a top ranked defense in the entire NFL. Currently, Philadelphia’s rushing defense is 30th in the NFL (the passing defense is decent, at 11th).

Going player by player, the defense should be as good as expected. But again, the shortened training camps had an effect in terms of the team figuring things out. Throughout the rest of the season, expect improvement-major improvement. When this team can learn how to play together, it will be a true defensive.

On the offensive side, the Eagles have Michael Vick as their starting quarterback.

Vick finished second in MVP voting a season ago and is arguably the most exciting player in the NFL. He threw for over 3,000 yards and 21 touchdowns and rushed for 676 yards and 9 touchdowns.

It was truly a remarkable 2010

season for him. So far this season, Vick hasn’t been the same player. He seems to be making more mistakes throwing the ball but he’s been getting hit more and suffering more injuries. When Vick is healthy, guarantee that opposing teams should be worried.

The Eagles will be as good as people expected them to be.

They just need some more time to gel together as a team (on both sides of the ball). It happens in all sports. When a socalled “super team” is formed in the offseason, it always takes more time for them to get to that level of greatness expected of them (there was a pretty good example in the NBA this past season… remember?). The Eagles don’t have an easy schedule but it’s definitely one that they can come out alive from. With so many uncertainties with all the other teams in the NFC East, look for Philadelphia to emerge as the playoff team from the division.

David.Marinstein@UConn.edu

» MEN'S TENNIS

UConn sweeps Hawks, continue winning ways

By Mike Corasaniti Campus Correspondent After the weather postponed its Sept. 28 match against the University of Hartford to Monday, the UConn men’s tennis team continued its winning ways over the Hawks with a clean 7-0 sweep.

The Huskies began their second dual match of the season with dominant doubles play to earn the first point of the day. In the one spot, senior captain Scott Warden and his partner Jacob Spreyer easily took care of Hartford’s Marco Neves and Aneil Bhalla with an 8-5 victory. Under Warden’s and Spreyer’s lead, the UConn duos of Jai Yoon and Wei Lin along with Teddy Margules and Peter Surovic

both defeated their Hartford opponents 8-2.

Starting off singles play was Spreyer who quickly took care of Hartford’s Alex Holdstein with a 6-2, 6-1 win. The rest of the singles action proved to be more of the same when Warden and Lin quickly followed Warden with straight set victories of their own.

Sophomore Ryan Carr, who saw his first action of the fall season after coming off an injury, dominated Hartford’s Eric Floum shortly after, giving up only three games en route to a 6-0, 6-3 win. Ending the Huskies dominant outing were wins by Surovic and Yoon who, although could not put away their matches in straight sets, easily took the third sets from Hartford’s Josh Isaacson and Bhalla, respectively.

» MLB

Yankees force Game 5

DETROIT (AP) — Curtis Granderson made two spectacular catches against his former team and A.J. Burnett came through when the Yankees needed him most, leading New York past the Detroit Tigers 10-1 Tuesday night to send their AL playoff series back to the Bronx for a decisive Game 5.

Derek Jeter rebounded from a game-ending strikeout Monday, putting the Yankees ahead to stay with a two-run double in the third inning. Granderson also had an RBI double and New York broke it open with six runs in the eighth.

Shaky all season, Burnett started only because Game 1 was suspended by rain Friday.

He was in trouble in the first after loading the bases on walks but Granderson made a leaping grab of Don Kelly's line drive in center field, preventing at least three runs.

Game 5 is Thursday night in New York. Rookie right-hander Ivan Nova, who shut down the Tigers in the opener, is expected to start against Doug Fister.

Nova and Fister both came on as relievers Saturday after Game 1 started Friday night but was halted after 1½ innings.

Huskies shift focus to the Irish from A LEAGUE, page 14 used the wide areas to perfection with both fullbacks bombing forward to create even more space for the Huskies to attack.

With the team retaining possession so well, even when they did lose the ball they were able to immediately press with two or three players to win the ball back or cause an arrant pass that was intercepted.

UConn went up 2-0 in the 18th minute when Andrew Jean-Baptiste went on a marauding run forward from his right back position and played a low cross which bobbled around on the wet Morrone Stadium pitch, only to find Juho Karppinen sitting inside the box who drilled home the Huskies second goal.

UConn tacked on a third goal in the 42nd minute when Diop received the ball, turned then tried to place a left-footed shot in the corner only to be rejected by the post. The rebound came to Diouf who took a low shot, which was cleared from the line by a Manhattan defender, the rebound fell to Diop, who originally started the attack, and he shot it into

the vacant net.

A 3-0 lead at half time is unfamiliar territory for the Huskies and coach Ray Reid used this opportunity to make three changes. Flo Liu, Allando Matheson and Chris O’Brien all started the second half.

UConn only got 5 shots in the second half compared to 16 in the first half, but UConn still eased to a 3-0 victory.

With another shutout, Andre Blake set a new record with eight straight matches allowing 0 goals. His last goal was given up over 720 game play minutes ago. Blake was never really tested with a tough shot but he stayed focused throughout.

“I don’t really think about the streak you know, I just wanna go out there and do the best I can,” Blake said. “I wanna go out today and give 100 percent, then tomorrow get up and give 110 percent, then the next day 120 percent. There is always room for improvement.”

The Huskies take their 11-00 record on the road when they travel to Notre Dame on Saturday Oct. 8.

Miles.DeGrazia@UConn.edu

After Monday’s win and performances against Hartford at the Fairfield and UConn Invitationals, the Huskies are now 15-0 (6-0 in doubles, 9-0 in singles) against the Hawks in the fall season.

The Huskies will see Hartford again when they return to fall tournament action this weekend when they travel down to Hamden for the Quinnipiac Invitational.

Along with Hartford, UConn will be seeing many old faces when they match up against Quinnipiac, Fairfield University, Sacred Heart, Bryant and Boston University.

The tournament begins Friday at 3:00 p.m. and will continue through the weekend.

RACHEL WEISS/The Daily Campus

Michael.Corasaniti@UConn.edu

A UConn tennis player uses his forehand on a return during a 6-1 win over Siena at the UConn Tennis Courts on Sept. 21.

Zielinski: Silence, rather than negativity, is the best way to go from THE, page 14 Stooges”. At the time, Williams Jr. tried to justify his comments and later claimed to be misunderstood, but to no avail as the damage had already been done. In a swift but expected response, ESPN cut its ties with Williams Jr., removing him from its broadcast almost immediately.

In what promises to be another week’s theme, we often see history repeat itself. Revisiting the comments of Pittsburgh Steelers’ running back Rashard Mendenhall provides a great parallel to Williams Jr’s current situation. Mendenhall, who took to Twitter following the death of Osama Bin Laden, suggested people should not take joy in bin Laden’s death as many of us never knew him. More importantly, he added that most of Americans only witnessed one side of the story.

Unfortunately for Mendenhall, his opinion flew in the face of an otherwise widespread exuberance from the American public. Likewise, whether his opinion was right or wrong, Mendenhall stood to gain nothing from voicing his opinion, with everything to lose if it was received poorly. Arguably the biggest illustration of a lack of support came from his own team, as the Steelers released a statement saying they did not agree to any extent with Mendenhall’s opinions, but rather supported the military and its

actions to the fullest extent.

Returning to Williams Jr.’s comments, the power of silence becomes entirely visible. Williams Jr., through his simple yet hyperaddictive phrase “Are you ready for some football?” had risen to prominence and attached himself to one of the biggest American sporting traditions. But through his ill-fated decision to share his extreme opinions on Obama and U.S. politics, Williams Jr. watched his relationship with ESPN burn to ashes within seconds. Admittedly, different phrasing may have prevented Williams Jr. from losing his ESPN contract, but no guarantee existed. Rather, the smartest thing for Williams Jr. to do would have been to keep his opinions to himself and shift the conversation to a new subject. In a society where the media has an ability to thrust negativity into the spotlight, even the best public relations stood no chance of saving Williams Jr. All in all, one simple rule of thumb could have saved Williams Jr: if you have nothing good to say, don’t say anything. As we have learned, silence is powerful, but as soon as it is broken, the power is lost. Unquestionably, everyone is entitled to an opinion, but as Williams Jr. demonstrated, no good comes from blatantly expressing negativity.

Christopher.Zielinski@UConn.edu

There's only one men's basketball national champion...

There's only one No. 1 men's soccer team...

And there's only one Daily Campus Sports Section.

Agabiti: There are sporting arenas around the whole UConn campus from SPORTS, page 14 competition.

University Dining Halls No, this is not on the list because my buddies and I channel our inner Joey Chestnut every time Whitney brings out the barbecue wings.

There are far better ways to express your competitive side than stuffing your face with chicken.

Instead, go with paper football. Take a triangularly folded piece of paper, have a friend make a field goal post using his or her index fingers and thumbs and try to flick the paper through the uprights.

Maybe you’ve noticed and maybe you haven’t, but when you stack one dining hall cup inside of another, the top cup spins pretty much at will.

Here’s where it gets good. If you blow on the spinning cup at the right angle, it jumps and if you do it right, you can get the cup clear out of the bottom one and on to the table. Once you’ve mastered that, put an empty cup right in front of your stack and try to get the cup to jump into the empty one. It works.

I’ve jumped four empty cups before. Youtube search “Best cup stacking” to see what I mean.

But if a dining hall employee asks you to stop, be respectful and stop. They’re just doing their job.

Any open field While some look at the open fields and quads on campus and admire the landscaping and the aesthetic value of it, I see a place to play sports.

The quads on campus are great for anything from frisbee, to football, to baseball or even lacrosse. I’ve even seen kids playing capture the flag on the lawn in front of Whitney Dining Hall before.

Get creative, open fields are great.

Swan Lake The lake in front of the chemistry building is home to more sporting events than you think.

As I was walking around Monday, I saw a guy fishing there. Honestly, I didn’t think anything could live in there without being radioactively mutated. Maybe he was trying to snag some trash out of it.

Either way, he was fishing.

Last year, I saw something really cool there: kids playing ice hockey on the frozen-over lake. Whoever it was that I saw playing hockey that day, great call.

Dormitory Hallways This one I know is illegal, so I’m not condoning or endorsing hallway sports.

I’m just saying that some of the most fun games I’ve ever heard of or taken part in have been in hallways.

My freshman year, I lived in Sprague, in East, in an all guys dorm. Let me just say that it was the quietest and most boring dorm building at UConn and there’s no debate about it. I lived in a corner room with a radiator at the end of the hallway and in between bouts of studying, that hallway became a bullpen and the radiator became a wiffleball strike zone. Thanks to a solid few months of practice, my slider and riser are now close to unhitable.

It doesn’t end there. I’ve played soccer in that Sprague hallway, too, and it was great because in a place that’s so quiet, nobody ever complained and only once did an RA tell my friends and me to stop. I’ve also heard stories of water gun fights, football games and even a slip & slide taking place in hallways.

Daniel.Agabiti@UConn.edu

TWO Wednesday, October 5, 2011

PAGE 2

What's Next

Home game

Away game

The Daily Question Q : “Who is the American League favorite right now?”

A : “The Kansas City Royals.”

Home: Rentschler Field, East Hartford Oct. 26 Pittsburgh 8 p.m.

Nov. 5 Syracuse TBA

Nov. 19 Louisville TBA

Oct. 15 West Virginia 7 p.m.

The Daily Roundup David Stern

» NFL

AP

Mercedes-Benz buys naming rights

» Pic of the day

Oct. 22 Georgetown 7:30 p.m.

Women’s Soccer (5-5-2) Oct. 7 South Florida 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 9 Marquette 2 p.m.

Oct. 14 Pittsburgh 7 p.m.

Oct. 16 West Virginia 1 p.m.

Oct. 22 Providence 1 p.m.

Oct. 9 Virginia 11 a.m.

Oct. Princeton 2 p.m.

Field Hockey (10-1) Oct. 7 Georgetown 3 p.m.

Oct. 7 Oct. 9 Virginia Georgetown 3 p.m.

11 a.m.

Volleyball (9-9) Oct. 7 South Florida 7 p.m.

Oct. 11 Fordham 7 p.m.

Oct. 15 St. John’s 7 p.m.

Oct. 21 Oct. 23 Villanova Georgetown 7 p.m.

2 p.m.

Oct. 9 Quinnipiac All Day

Oct. 12 Bryant 2 p.m.

Men’s Tennis Oct. 7 Quinnipiac All Day

Oct. 8 Quinnipiac All Day

Oct. 28 Conn.

Champs.

All Day

Women’s Tennis Oct. 7 Bowdoin College 2:30 p.m.

Oct. 12 Bryant 2 p.m.

Oct. 15 New England’s All Day

AP

Oct. 16 New England’s All Day

Los Angeles Laker’s Kobe Bryant listens during a news conference following NBA labor talks meeting between basketball players and owners on Tuesday.

Oct. 18 Quinnipiac 2 p.m.

Men’s Cross Country Oct. 8 Oct. 15 Oct. 21 New England Conn. College CCSU Mini Champ.

Champ.

Meet TBA TBA TBA

Oct. 29 Big East Champ.

TBA

Nov. 12 NCAA Northeast TBA

Women’s Cross Country Oct. 8 New England’s TBA

Oct. 15 Conn.

College TBA

Oct. 21 CCSU Mini Meet TBA

Nov. 12 NCAA Northeast TBA

Nov. 21 NCAA Cham.

TBA

Golf Oct. 10-11 Oct. 15-16 Oct. 30 Connecticut Shelter Kiwah Island Cup Harbor All Day All Day All Day

Rowing Oct. 22 Head of the Charles All Day

Oct. 29 Head of the Fish All Day

Nov. 1 Kiwah Island All Day

Email your answers, along with your name, semester standing and major, to sports@dailycampus.com. The best answer will appear in the next paper.

» That’s what he said

This could be a while

Men’s Soccer (11-0-0) Oct. 8 Oct. 12 Oct. 15 Notre Dame Providence Pittsburgh Noon 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m.

“Who is the National League favorite right now?”

– Kyle Campbell, 7th-semester visual media studies major.

-NBA commissioner David Stern on the lockout.

Oct. 15 South Florida TBA

Next Paper’s Question:

“We were not able to make the progress that we hoped we could make.”

Football (2-3) Oct. 8 West Virginia Noon

The Daily Campus, Page 13

Sports

THE Storrs Side

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The home of the New Orleans Saints and site of six Super Bowls will be renamed the Mercedes-Benz Superdome under a deal with the German automaker announced Tuesday.

The deal will allow Mercedes-Benz USA to have its name associated with championships in college and pro football and men’s college basketball over the next 16 months — plus an NFL team that has gone from a doormat to Super Bowl winner. The stadium also hosted a Republican presidential convention and a visit from the pope, and once served as refuge for thousands of miserable victims of Hurricane Katrina.

The team holds authority to sell naming rights to the 73,000-seat, state-owned stadium through their lease, which runs through 2025.

A price for the 10-year naming-rights deal was not disclosed. Gov. Bobby Jindal said the agreement was between the Saints and MercedesBenz — and the automaker had asked not to have the price released to the public.

Mercedes-Benz also owns naming rights to arenas in Shanghai and in Stuttgart, Germany.

The Superdome is the company’s first such venture in the United States.

Andrew Zimbalist, a Smith College professor who studies sports economics, said the economy has made the sale of naming rights difficult lately. He said that the British bank Barclays paid less than expected in 2007 for naming rights for the Brooklyn arena that will house the NBA’s Nets, as did the MetLife insurance company in a deal this summer for naming rights to the New Jersey stadium where the Jets and Giants play football. He also cited the fact that Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has yet to sell naming rights for his stadium that opened in June of 2009.

“It’s been a very difficult time to sell naming rights,” Zimbalist said.

Gov. Bobby Jindal called the agreement “a great partnership between two world-class organizations” and touted the savings that taxpayers would enjoy by elimination of a state payment to the team.

Superdome manager Doug Thornton said the addition of the naming-rights deal to extra revenues from new seats, luxury boxes and expanded concession stands and clubs will eliminate the state’s payment, which he said totaled $13.8 million last year. That revenue deal went into effect with the current NFL season.

“It goes from $13.8 million to zero,” Thornton said.

The Superdome opened in 1975. It has gone through many renovations, including a massive rebuild after Katrina ripped off its roof when the storm struck in August 2005.

THE Pro Side

Huskies receive honors this past Three preseason favorites head into Week 5 disappointed week in the college sports capital

By Andrew Callahan Senior Staff Writer Lamb and Oriahki named to Wooden Preseason Top-50 Reigning national champions Jeremy Lamb and Alex Oriahki are two of 10 Big East players to be selected from a group of 50 nationally as candidates for the John R. Wooden award. The sport’s highest honor is handed out at the end of the season to the country’s best player in college basketball.

BYU’s Jimmer Fredette took home the honor a year ago for the men, while UConn’s own Maya Moore did so for the women. Over his own 2010-11 campaign, Lamb dropped 11.2 points per game and grabbed just over four rebounds.

His improvement over the course of the Huskies’ championship run has since been described by an opposing coach as something never seen before.

Meanwhile, Oriahki was a force down low on both ends of the floor, averaging just under 10 points and nine rebounds. His performance in the national championship game was later lauded as the best of anyone on the floor and UConn

will look to their junior center for continued control of the paint.

Andre Blake snares second consecutive Big East honor Freshman goalkeeper Andre Blake continues to loom large in net for the Huskies after posting his sixth and seventh shutouts of the year last week. These performances earned him Big East goalkeeper of the week for the second consecutive week. As of Tuesday afternoon, Blake has not allowed a goal in over a month, since the Huskies’ 4-1 win over California on Setp. 4th.

Additionally, the Jamaican native was also bestowed with a spot on topdrawersoccer.com’s national team of the week. Connecticut is quietly approaching the NCAA record of 11 straight matches without allowing an opposing goal.

Jestine Angelini tabbed as Big East’s top defender Following a 3-0 week over tough and sometimes nationally ranked competition, No. 4 UConn field hockey has a lot to be proud of. Senior back Jestine Angelini is no exception as she takes home this award.

Andrew.J.Callahan@UConn.edu

By Jimmy Onofrio Staff Writer The first month of the NFL season has been a tale of major surprises and major disappointments. While teams like Detroit and Buffalo have fans wondering if they can keep it up, fans in cities like Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Atlanta are hoping things will start looking better soon. Three teams that were expected to finish at or near the top of the standings have been showing major signs of weakness in these first four weeks.

Here’s a brief look at what has been going wrong: Philadelphia: The Eagles probably wish they could blame their lackluster 1-3 start on Michael Vick’s various injuries, but Philly’s quarterback has been excelling behind center despite multiple injuries. After jumping out to a 20-3 lead Sunday against San Francisco, the Eagles fell apart defensively, losing 24-23. Vick threw for 416 yards and ran for 75 more, but that was not enough to carry his team to victory.

Disjointed play and poor coach-

ing decisions have contributed to Philly’s slow start.

Pittsburgh: The Steelers’ topnotch defense has been the only thing keeping them together thus far. With Ben Roethlisberger still recovering from a sprained left foot and neither running back playing very well, the Steelers’ offense has been struggling. The best pass defense in the league has done its part, although the run defense looks a little shaky, giving up 120 yards per game.

Pittsburgh will need to show more energy on the field if they are going to take control of the division.

Atlanta: While the Falcons have held their own against a mediocre schedule, their defense will really be tested in the coming weeks. Two undefeated teams, Green Bay and Detroit, and Cam Newton’s explosive Carolina pass attack are on the schedule. For a team that has not recorded a sack in its last three games, pressuring the quarterback needs to be the focus of team practice this week.

James.Onofrio@UConn.edu

» INSIDE SPORTS TODAY

P.13: Mercedes-Benz buys Superdome naming rights. / P.12: Phillies power past Cards. / P.11: Beltre sends Rangers to ALCS.

Page 14

Wednesay, October 5, 2011

Sports are everywhere

www.dailycampus.com

A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN

Jaspers can’t keep up with the No. 1 Huskies at Morrone Stadium

By Miles DeGrazia Campus Correspondent

Dan Agabiti This past week, I was working on an assignment for one of my journalism classes and was required to compile a photographic slideshow on a topic of my choice. I figured that it’d be good for me try and expand my horizons and do something I’m not familiar with. So, the topic I ended up going with involved finding five pieces of art on campus and getting the story behind them. Now, just so we’re clear here, I’m not an art guy at all; my thing is sports.

My column starts here on page 14 and not a few pages back, over in Focus for a reason. So when I tried to go about that assignment with the mindset of “there’s art everywhere, I just have to find the most interesting ones,” I failed dismally and went with really obvious pieces, because it was honestly the best I could do.

But, what I can find everywhere is a sports venue. You can hand me just about anything or put me anywhere on this planet and I’ll find competition. As a kid, when I was in the car while it was raining outside, I looked at the moving drops of water on the window as if they were racing and would pick one that I thought would win. When college football bowl season rolls around, my brother Mike and I crank out a spreadsheet, complete with the point spread for every single game and take turns picking games, betting two dollars on each of them. I mean, how else are we supposed to make the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl interesting?

So now that I’m back to talking sports, what I’m familiar with, here’s a list of the four best unofficial places on campus to find them. These are in no particular order and what I mean by “unofficial” is that the place can’t be used at all for any club, intramural or official university sport for

» AGABITI, page 12

The Power of Silence

By Chris Zielinski Sports and Society Columnist With the return of the NFL, Monday Night Football is once again a staple. As any viewer knows, MNF guarantees a few important things: a solid matchup, highlights galore from Sunday, sound analysis

by Jon Gruden and of course, the classic Hank Williams Jr. intro song. But due to some choice words regarding President Barack Obama and the political system in the United States, Williams Jr.’s presence on MNF has been erased.

ESPN’s subsequent removal of Williams Jr., who had been a mainstay on MNF telecasts for over 20 years, demonstrates vividly the power of silence.

Williams Jr. appeared on “Fox and Friends” to discuss the 2012 GOP field and had some choice words for recent political events. Specifically, in his criticism of the recent golf meeting between Obama and John Boehner, Williams Jr. made a shocking analogy, suggesting it was equivalent to Adolf Hitler playing golf with Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel.

Seemingly shocked by his comments, the hosts asked him to further explain himself, which only led to Williams Jr. referring the Obama, Biden and Boehner as the “Three

» ZIELINSKI, page 12

ED RYAN/The Daily Campus

The undefeated UConn men’s soccer team beat winless Manhattan 5-0, last night to move to 11-0-0. After back-to-back 1-0 double-overtime wins, the No. 1 Huskies enjoyed a much less strenuous affair. It took the Huskies just 241 seconds to break the tie when Carlos Alvarez scored. The attack started when Stephane Diop played a quick one-two with Tony Cascio which gave Diop enough room to hit a cross, which just overshot an outstretched Mamadou Doudou Diouf. But Alvarez was backing him up and after settling the ball he calmly curled a leftfooted effort into the far post to put the Huskies up 1-0.

“Well it was a scrappy game, the weather added to that but the team knew that we had to perform. We all remembered about last year and we need to take every game seriously if we want to bring championships back to UConn.”

Alvarez said.

UConn enjoyed most of the possession throughout the match with the Jaspers, dropping deeper into their own half to defend. UConn

Carlos Alvarez dribbles the ball up the field in UConn’s 3-0 blowout win over Manhattan at Morrone Stadium on Tuesday night. The No. 1 Huskies will take their talents to Notre Dame this weekend.

» HUSKIES, page 12

MEN’S SOCCER

3

0

Huskies welcome change of pace on pitch

By Mike Corasaniti Campus Correspondent

What a difference a game makes.

Coming off two dramatic 1-0 double-overtime victories, the No. 1 UConn men’s soccer team felt a much welcome change of pace on a cold, rainy Tuesday night when they rolled to a 3-0 win over Manhattan College.

“We played hard and moved the ball well tonight,” Alvarez said. “We didn’t underestimate them. Remembering what happened last year when we lost, we know that any team, any day could beat us.

At the end of the day, no game is easy.”

Making Manhattan look ugly If there was any hope going into the game for the win-

less Jaspers, it was dashed never really any true sense of within the first five minutes danger. Despite the lack of when Carlos Alvarez sent a pressure, the Huskies never cross from the left side by relaxed.

Stephane Diop into the bottom “We never underestimated left corner of the Manhattan them, we don’t underestimate net. UConn never our opponents,” looked back after Diop said. “We grabbing that early have the winlead. ning mentality to UConn, who respect our oppofinished with nents and always 21 shots in the play hard.” game compared Fatigue not a to Manhattan’s problem for dom8, indeed never inant Huskies on Notebook seemed to take Tuesday night the pressure off UConn’s of the undersized Manhattan second and third goals of squad that rarely seemed to the evening came from Juho threaten the UConn defense. Karppinen and Diop in the Other than a deflected ball 18th and 42nd minute, garoff of the UConn defense in nering all the insurance they the 51st minute, the Huskies would need for eight guys off back four and keeper Andre the bench to see some action.

Blake shut down the Jasper’s “Tonight was good. This attack so well that there was type of game helped a lot of

MEN’S SOCCER

the guys get some rest,” Diop said.

The Huskies, who have been playing consistent two game weeks, are confident that fatigue will not be a factor this Saturday.

“We’ve got the best coaches and trainers in the country,” Alvarez said. “Fatigue won’t hurt us.”

“These guys are a very mature group, they’ll be fine,” said coach Ray Reid.

Streaks and records galore, breeding confidence With the win, the Huskies not only protected their flawless 11-0-0 record and their No. 1 national ranking, but they also set a school record for consecutive shutouts with their eighth straight clean sheet. Junior captain Alvarez was very clear about UConn’s intentions with the current streaks they are riding.

“We’re looking to bring championships back to Connecticut,” Alvarez said.

UConn set for Big East matchup in South Bend Next up on the schedule for the Huskies is a trip to South Bend, Indiana. UConn will be in full force with the return of junior defender Max Wasserman from a stomach virus when they take on No. 12 Notre Dame for their third Big East match-up of the season. “[Notre Dame] is a very good team,” Reid said. “We’ll just have to be good on both sides of the ball.”

“It’s going to be a tough game but if we play our game and stay on task we’ll be fine,” Alvarez said.

Michael.Corasaniti@UConn.edu

UConn makes quick work of Hartford

6-foot-3 senior Allison Nickel, who recorded four blocks and six kills on the night. From the first set the After a streak of five losses defense stepped up in order to in a row, the UConn women’s get the ball back for the team. volleyball blew out Hartford “Defense was a huge part in three games on Tuesday of the win. We had 47 digs in night. The night was filled a 3 set match; that’s huge,” with statistical highlights for Strauss-O’Brien said. the Huskies.

More than a few UConn Mattison Qualye had 13 players found open kills and 10 digs, spaces to put up 37 her fourth doublekills on the night. In double of the seamatches, 3 previous son. Junior Kelsey UConn the offense failed to Maving record- Hartford 0 click, but the Hawks ed 20 digs in the found the opposite match, and early in to be true. Pinpoint the second set, recorder her accuracy and incredible 1,000th career dig. More than velocity were mainstays of anything, it gave the 9-9 team the revitalized offense, which a much-needed win. featured contributory kills “It was an important win, from 7 different players. The it’s always important to win, Huskies as a whole turned out especially at home. We’ve just 11 errors, compared with been battling injuries all sea- Hartford’s 23. That made son, and its good to final- the difference on key rallies ly win,” said coach Holly where the defense was able to Strauss-O’Brien. keep UConn in the game long Hartford was noticeably enough to finish. intimidated by the Huskies’ “We took care of the little front line, which featured things and the big things,”

By Aaron Kasmanoff-Dick Campus Correspondent

VOLLEYBALL

Strauss-O’Brien said.

The Huskies, 0-4 in Big East play, are tied for last in the conference with St. John’s. Tuesday’s win puts them at .500 on the season but does nothing to elevate their standing. On Oct. 7, the Huskies will face rival USF, who is 2-2 in the Big East.

“We have to continue to take care of business. We can’t let the opponents get in long runs. We have to keep siding out at a high percentage,” Strauss-O’Brien said.

Jordan Kirk left the game midway in the first set after recording 1 assist and 1 dig.

She had no kills on the night and she did not return. Karson Ratliff had a big night for the Huskies, racking up 5 kills.

Middle Hitter Jackie Wattles had 9 kills and 2 blocks on the night. Sage Espositio recorded 3 straight service aces in the second set to lift Uconn 13-10 over Hartford at a key juncture.

Aaron.Dick@UConn.edu

ASHLEY POSPISIL/The Daily Campus

Libero Kelsey Maving spikes the ball during UConn’s sweep of Hartford at Gampel Pavilion.