The Daily Campus: Dec. 1

Volume CXVI No. 62

» INSIDE

Neag named No. 1 for kinesiology

By Sabrina Herrera Campus Correspondent

CELEBRATE THE NEW JORGENSEN

Melinda Doolittle joins the Boston Pops Saturday at venue’s reopening.

FOCUS/ page 7

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Wednesday, December 1, 2010

UConn’s doctoral kinesiology program was recently ranked No. 1 in the nation by the National Academy of Kinesiology.

UConn stood up against 66 other institutions that offer doctoral programs, including Penn State and Columbia, ranked No. 2 and No. 4 respectively.

The school’s program specializes in two fields: exercise science and sports manage-

ment, emphasizing the physical and social aspects. This includes studies in environmental physiology, exercise nutrition, thermodynamics and heat training.

Dr. Carl Maresh, professor and department head of Kinesiology, accredits much of the program’s success to their well-developed, tight-knit facuty. With world renowned names in the field, like Dr. William Kraemer and Dr. Linda Pescatello, and other what Dr.

Maresh calls “stategic highers”, the small faculty of eleven publishes an average of 80 separate research papers each year.

Maresh said it’s not just the faculty’s results that help in the program’s success, but also that the team aims to work together, to both support and feed off each other.

“We try to engender collaboration in our students and let them know that collaboration is the only way to be successful,” Maresh said.

Maresh said the staff’s willingness and like-mindedness also creates a motivating environment for their students.

“It develops this ‘trickle down effect.” I can see the motivation trickle down to the program’s students, all the way down through to masters and undergraduate level students,” Maresh said.

Applicants to the doctoral program, whether they are looking to go into academia, research or government cor-

ESPN figures tell success stories

Walker scores 30 in comeback 62-55 win.

SPORTS/ page 14 EDITORIAL: OBAMAS NO DIFFERENT THAN THE REST OF US

COMMENTARY/page 4 INSIDE NEWS: A BIT MORE VITAMIN D IS GOOD, BUT NOT TOO MUCH People from ages 1 to 70 should get no more than 600 IUs a day.

NEWS/ page 2

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John Minton, associate producer for Sunday NFL Countdown on ESPN, speaks at a panel on Tuesday. The panel, hosted by the UConn Sports Business Association, consisted of four current ESPN employees who shared stories of their journeys to these positions.

By Abigail Ferrucci Campus Correspondent For students who dream of one day working for ESPN, the biggest name in sports, the reality might be closer than they thought.

The UConn Sport Business Association hosted four ESPN staffers for a panel at the ITE building Tuesday night.

The panelists were SportsCenter producer Jon Lavoie, associate producer for Sunday NFL Countdown John Minton, coordinating producer Maureen Hassett-Lindsey and SportsCenter anchor Kevin Negandhi.

Each of the panelists shared their stories about how they arrived at ESPN. Regardless of the path they took, their advice to students hoping to break into the world of sports

reporting was similar: it will take a lot of hard work and persistence.

“I don’t know if it was actually my resume or just my constant pestering that finally got me a job interview with ESPN,” Lavoie.

John Minton, one of the two alumni on the panel, said that he knew in high school that he wanted to work for ESPN. Throughout college, everything he did was strategically planned to help him attain his goal.

“It was too easy to be average, there were too many other people who were exactly the same as me,” Minton said. “What is really important is that you are putting yourself out there to be in the best position to succeed.”

The speakers wanted students to know that those who want to become involved in the sports business should not limit themselves.

Kevin Negandhi, the most notable panel member, admitted that his job isn’t all fun and games.

“There are probably 5,000 people that work at ESPN, and I only know a few hundred of them. But everybody’s job is important,” Neghandi said. “I get all the attention, good or bad. Whether something is actually my fault or if someone screws up behind the scenes, people still think it is the anchor’s fault.”

Lavoie said he hadn’t always known that he wanted to work in sports, and because of this he had to work even harder later on.

“I didn’t take the proper steps at UConn, but [later] I was persistent and I worked hard,

» HOPEFUL, page 2

Retiring Chris Dodd delivers final Senate speech WASHINGTON (AP) — Retiring Sen. Chris Dodd thanked his colleagues, supporters and friends as he delivered his final speech on the Senate floor Tuesday, saying he will miss both the people and his work, and he urged Congress to find paths to bipartisanship.

Dodd, whose personable style won him friends in both parties, noted it is common for retiring senators to say they will miss the people, but not the work.

“You won’t hear that from me,” he said. “Most assuredly I will miss the people of the Senate. But I will miss the work, as well.”

Dodd thanked the people of Connecticut for his three decades in the Senate. He is the state’s longest serving senator.

“I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to the people of Connecticut whose confidence, patience, and spirit has given my life and its

work meaning,” Dodd said.

Dodd drew hugs, a few tears and praise from colleagues on the crowded Senate floor, a departure from the chamber’s usual formality, as his wife and two young daughters looked on from the gallery.

Speaking as the lame duck session of Congress wraps up, Dodd bemoaned the corrosive power of big money in Congress.

“Our electoral system is a mess,” he said. “Powerful financial interests, free to throw money about with little transparency, have corrupted the basic principles underlying our representative democracy. And, as a result, our political system at the federal level is completely dysfunctional.”

Dodd, 66, announced in January that he would not seek a sixth term. At the time, he was trailing former Republican Congressman Rob Simmons in the polls.

» DEPARTMENT, page 2

Union rallies for Pratt & Whitney jobs in Conn.

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER

First family sets good example for the nation to follow.

porations, should expect a difficult application process. The doctoral kinesiology program is selective and accepts one-fifth of its applicants, none without an interview. Ninety-four percent of those accepted decide to attend. These two things, selectivity and yield, are just a fraction of what the NAK takes into accournt when ranking programs. The NAK also accounts for students’ Graduate Record

AP

Retiring Sen. Christopher Dodd, D- Conn., looks over his farewell speech in his office on Capitol Hill in Washington on Tuesday.

EAST HARTFORD (AP) — Angry union workers at Pratt & Whitney in Connecticut rallied Tuesday, demanding job security as the jet engine maker says it will shut two plants when its labor contract expires Sunday.

About 200 union members, blowing whistles and horns, gathered at the International Association of Machinists’ East Hartford office across the street from Pratt & Whitney’s corporate headquarters.

“We need to draw the line and tell this company it’s time to make a commitment to growing jobs in Connecticut,” chief union negotiator James Parent told the crowd.

Several workers and retirees wore stickers that said “strike.”

But Parent said in an interview he will not predict whether the two sides will find a compromise or workers walk out if an agreement is not reached.

The Machinists beat the subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. in federal court earlier this year, preventing it from shutting two engine repair shops in Connecticut and shipping 1,000 jobs to Columbus, Ga., Japan and Singapore. But the legal victory is good only as long as the union’s three-year contract with Pratt & Whitney is in force.

Pratt & Whitney said on its website it has tentatively decided to shut the plants, subject to negotiations. It will not discuss contract talks, but has cited declining business and competition.

“These conditions will not change without action,” the company said.

Gradual improvements in the economy and the aviation industry require agility to remain competitive, Pratt & Whitney said.

Since 1993 the contract has required the company to make every reasonable effort to keep work in Connecticut in consultation with the Machinists. Recent proposals by the company would end that, the Machinists said.

“The ax could fall on any or all of us at any time,” the union told its members.

Parent said he told the company that if it seeks to end the job security provisions, “you have a hell of a fight on your hands.”

“It’s absolutely, totally unacceptable,” he said. “It is hard to see, based on this proposal, how we reach agreement.”

The battle over jobs is not new. Pratt & Whitney currently has 3,700 employees, which is 2,000 fewer than it had 10 years ago. The last strike against Pratt & Whitney was an 11-day walkout in December 2001.

In December 2004, Machinists avoided a strike by rejecting the union leadership’s recommendation against a proposed contract.

Union officials faulted the agreement for, among other reasons, lacking guarantees of job security.

Here’s what’s on at UConn today...

Online Silent Auction All Day Online and Depot Campus More than 100 items will be up for bid to benefit UConn’s Community School for the Arts’ scholarship fund.

Visit www.csa.uconn.edu/auction

Computer Drive 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.

S.U., Table by Theater Donate your working computers to Computers 4 Education who will refurbish the computers and send them to underprivileged institutions in Hartford.

Gingerbread House Registration 2 – 5 p.m.

Student Union Hallway Support Habitat for Humanity by registering to enter a gingerbread house-building contest. The price for admission is $10 and the submission deadline is December 7.

ART4AIDS 7 – 8 p.m.

Student Union, 310 Come to the art gallery to view pieces made by UConn students and staff in observance of the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

-VICTORIA SMEY

The Daily Campus, Page 2

DAILY BRIEFING »STATE

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

News

Students ‘die’ for mountaintops

Police ID 3rd victim in E.Hartford slaying

EAST HARTFORD (AP) — East Hartford police have identified the third person killed in a Thanksgiving Day attack they say was marked by “extreme violence.”

Police said Tuesday that 53-year-old Michael Ramsey was the remaining person whose identity had not been previously announced.

The other victims were 60-year-old Pamela Johns and 74-year-old Beverly Therrien. Police say Johns had recently moved into Therrien’s home to care for her.

Authorities said all three died of blunt force trauma that did not appear random, though the motive is unclear.

» NATION

All US-bound airlines to get info for watch lists

WASHINGTON (AP) — All 197 airlines that fly to the U.S. are now collecting names, genders and birth dates of passengers so the government can check them against terror watch lists before they fly, the Obama administration announced Tuesday.

Getting all air carriers that travel to or through the U.S. to provide this information marks a milestone in the government’s counterterrorism efforts and completes one of the 9/11 Commission’s recommendations. The program, called Secure Flight, has been delayed for years because of privacy concerns and went through three versions before it was approved. It’s designed to give U.S. authorities more time to identify and remove suspected terrorists from flights and reduce instances when passengers are mistaken for people on terror watch lists.

Fewer than half of Americans have had HIV test

NEW YORK (AP) — Fewer than half of Americans have had an AIDS test since guidelines were expanded to include routine screening, according to a government report released Tuesday.

Last year, an estimated 45 percent of Americans ages 18 to 64 reported they’ve had an HIV test at least once in their lives, up from 40 percent in 2006. That’s an increase of 11 million people to 83 million people who have ever been screened, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in Atlanta.

CDC director Dr. Thomas Frieden said the increase was significant and encouraging, while one outside expert called it disappointing.

“The numbers show that progress is possible. They also show how much more progress is needed,” Frieden said during a teleconference.

In 2006, the CDC urged routine testing for everyone ages 13 to 64, even if they’re not in high-risk groups. For those at high risk, including gay men and intravenous drug users, annual testing is recommended.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JASON ORTIZ

Amber Albee, a 5th-semester agriculture resource and economics major and the CFO of Idealists United, participates in a protest of mountaintop removal on Tuesday.

Hopeful ESPN Department head Report: A bit more vitamin employees hopes to keep No. D is good, but not too much Latest Pompeii collapse: WASHINGTON (AP) — Got tions by the Institute of Medicine 1 ranking Garden wall gives way appreciate panel milk? You may need a couple that ranged from 200 to 600 IUs,

» WORLD

ROME (AP) — A stretch of garden wall ringing an ancient house in Pompeii gave way Tuesday after days of torrential rain, the latest structure to collapse at the popular archaeological site.

Pompeii officials said an inspection found that a 40-foot (12-meter)long section of wall forming part of the perimeter of a garden area near the House of the Moralist gave way in several points. They said the extreme sogginess of the soil brought down the wall in an area that hasn’t been excavated near the house.

Italy’s is struggling to preserve its immense archaeological wealth for future generations.

A few weeks ago, Italy was embarrassed when a frescoed house, the Schola Armaturarum, where gladiators prepared for combat, was reduced to a pile of stones and dust in seconds. Less than a year ago, another building, the House of the Chaste Lovers, collapsed in Pompeii.

UN weather agency: Scorching heat soon routine

CANCUN, Mexico (AP) — The brutal heat waves that killed thousands of Europeans in 2003 and that choked Russia earlier this year will seem like average summers in the future as the Earth continues to warm, the U.N. weather agency said Tuesday.

The last decade confirmed scientific predictions of 20 years ago that temperatures will rise and storms will become more fierce — and those trends are likely to continue, said Ghassam Asrar, who heads the climate research center at the World Meteorological Organization.

The WMO was due to release details on the last decade’s global temperatures later this week at the U.N. climate conference in this Caribbean resort city, but Asrar said it was the warmest on record.

Scientists say the warming trend is caused mainly by industrial pollution accumulating in the atmosphere and trapping heat. Negotiations conducted under U.N. auspices have been trying to find ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to keep temperatures from rising to levels likely to have disastrous consequences.

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from ESPN, page 1

from NEAG, page 1

and eventually found the breaks I needed and made my own breaks,” Lavoie said. “I offered to work for free at a local channel, cutting clips and covering Ravens’ games.”

Students in the audience were appreciative of the advice.

“It is my dream to work at ESPN,” said Gavin Mestel, a 3rd-semester accounting major. “I learned that there are all different paths, but the end result is limitless.

Anything is possible if you work hard enough.”

Abram Tolwell, president of the Sport Business Association and a 7th-semester sports management major, was happy with the event’s turnout.

“We wanted students to get insight into the communications aspect of the business,” Tolwell said. “We were happy to have them. ESPN is a big name which people respond well to.”

Examination scores, student placement in postdoctoral positions, faculty publications in refereed scientific journals and external grant funding among other factors.

While highly competitive now, the doctoral program wasn’t always this secure. It has stood for 25 years, but it wasn’t until 12 years ago, when Maresh became department head, that they decided to “hone in on the stronger areas, eliminate weaker concentrations and really focus the program.”

As far as what the next five years hold in store, Maresh hopes to keep the No. 1 position by making strategic improvements in research initiatives and hiring the right experts.

Until the next ranking, the Neag staff can only admire the blue congratulatory banner hanging in the department’s office.

Abigail.Ferrucci@UConn.edu

Sabrina.Herrera@UConn.edu

cups more than today’s food labels say to get enough vitamin D for strong bones. But don’t go overboard: Long-awaited new dietary guidelines say there’s no proof that megadoses prevent cancer or other ailments – sure to frustrate backers of the so-called sunshine vitamin.

The decision by the prestigious Institute of Medicine, the health arm of the National Academy of Sciences, could put some brakes on the nation’s vitamin D craze, warning that super-high levels could be risky.

“More is not necessarily better,” cautioned Dr. Joann Manson of Harvard Medical School, who coauthored the Institute of Medicine’s report being released Tuesday.

Most people in the U.S. and Canada – from age 1 to age 70 – need to consume no more than 600 international units of vitamin D a day to maintain health, the report found. People in their 70s and older need as much as 800 IUs. The report set those levels as the “recommended dietary allowance” for vitamin D. That’s a bit higher than the target of 400 IUs set by today’s government-mandated food labels, and higher than 1997 recommenda-

depending on age.

But it’s far below the 2,000 IUs a day that some scientists recommend, pointing to studies that suggest people with low levels of vitamin D are at increased risk of certain cancers or heart disease.

“This is a stunning disappointment,” said Dr. Cedric Garland of the University of California, San Diego, who wasn’t part of the institute’s study and says the risk of colon cancer in particular could be slashed if people consumed enough vitamin D. “Have they gone far enough?

In my opinion probably not, but it’s a step in the right direction,” added prominent vitamin D researcher Dr. Michael Holick of Boston University Medical Center, who said the new levels draw needed attention to the vitamin D debate and encourage more food fortification.

Vitamin D and calcium go hand in hand, and you need a lifetime of both to build and maintain strong bones. But the two-year study by the Institute of Medicine’s panel of experts concluded research into vitamin’s D possible roles in other diseases is conflicting.

Some studies show no effect, or even signs of harm.

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Senate passes bill to boost food safety

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

The Daily Campus, Page 3

News

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate passed legislation Tuesday to make food safer in the wake of deadly E. coli and salmonella outbreaks, potentially giving the government broad new powers to increase inspections of food processing facilities and force companies to recall tainted food.

The $1.4 billion bill, which would also place stricter standards on imported foods, passed the Senate 73-25. Supporters say passage is critical after widespread outbreaks in peanuts, eggs and produce.

Those outbreaks have exposed a lack of resources and authority at the FDA as the embattled agency struggled to contain and trace the contaminated products.

The agency rarely inspects many food facilities and farms, visiting some every decade or so and others not at all.

The bill would emphasize prevention so the agency could try to stop outbreaks before they begin.

Farmers and food processors would have to tell the Food and Drug Administration how they are working to keep their food safe at different stages of production.

President Barack Obama praised passage of the bill and urged the House to act quickly on the legislation.

“We are one step closer to having critically important new tools to protect our nation’s food supply and keep consumers safe,” he said.

Despite wide bipartisan support and unprecedented backing

from many major food companies, the legislation stalled in the Senate as it came under fire from advocates of buying locally produced food and operators of small farms, who said it would could bankrupt some small businesses. Senators eventually agreed to an amendment by Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., to exempt some of those operations from costly food safety plans required of bigger companies, rankling food safety advocates and larger growers but gaining support from farm-state senators.

No such exemption exists in the House version, which passed in July 2009. The House bill, favored by food safety advocates, includes more money for FDA inspectors and would charge fees to companies to help pay for the increased regulation.

It would also include stricter penalties for food manufacturers who violate the law.

Senate sponsors tweaked the bill – eliminating the fees and reducing the amount of money spent on inspectors, for example – to gain votes in their own chamber and to make the bill more palatable in the House, where many members of both parties voiced concern about the legislation’s impact on small farms and businesses when the bill passed last year.

Erik Olson, director of food and consumer product safety at the Pew Health Group, said advocates are pleased with the Senate bill and realize there is not

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A U.S. intelligence assessment concludes that Iran has received advanced North Korean missiles capable of targeting Western European capitals and giving the Islamic Republic’s arsenal a significantly farther reach than previously disclosed.

The suspected shipment – mentioned among the flood of classified State Department memos obtained by WikiLeaks – could also give Iran an important boost toward joining the powerful group of nations with intercontinental ballistic missiles, defense experts said Monday.

The U.S. suspicions carry still another jolt: reinforcing international fears about the possibility of closer nuclear cooperation in the future between Iran and North Korean engineers, who have already staged atomic tests.

U.S. officials presented the claim in a meeting with top Russian security officials in late 2009 but did not offer conclusive evidence of the transfer of at least 19 socalled BM-25 missiles, according to the confidential Feb. 24 memo posted by the WikiLeaks website, which specializes in disclosing confidential documents.

It also noted that “Russia does not think the BM-25 exists” and questioned why there have been no Iranian tests of the missile, believed to be based on a Russian

design that could be fitted with nuclear warheads.

Still, the U.S.-Russia meeting found ample common ground over concerns that North Korea appears to be actively engaged with Iran in exporting weapons systems and possible nuclear expertise. A U.N. report accusing North Korea of exporting banned nuclear and missile technology to Iran, Syria and Myanmar was sent to the Security Council earlier this month.

“This just confirms a lot of the rumors and reports about the capabilities of the North Koreans and gives more credence to those who support a defense shield against Iran,” said Theodore Karasik, a regional security expert at the Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis in Dubai.

Independent defense analysts say the possible acquisition of longer-range missiles fits into Iran’s step-by-step claims of being able to reach farther from its borders. A year ago, Iran said it successfully test-fired an upgraded version of its Sajjil-2 missile with a reported range of 1,200 miles (2,000 kilometers), putting Israel, U.S. bases in the Gulf and parts of southeastern Europe well within reach.

The range of the BM-25s parent design – the submarine-launched Russian R-27 – is about double: 2,400 miles (4,000 kilometers), the memo said. That covers Western Europe, Moscow and much of

AP

Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa (left) and Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., talk to reporters on the Food Safety legislation that passed the Senate, Tuesday, on Capitol Hill in Washington.

enough time to push for some of the stronger House provisions.

“We think the Senate bill is a major step forward for public health,” he said.

The bill’s prospects are still unclear since there is little time

during the brief lame-duck congressional session for the House and Senate to reconcile different versions. Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin, the sponsor of the Senate legislation, said he has agreement from some members in the House to

pass the Senate bill, which would send the legislation straight to the president’s desk.

Senators rejected several unrelated amendments to the bill, including an amendment to place a moratorium on ear-

marks, or pet projects in lawmakers’ states and districts, and one to repeal an arcane tax provision that helps pay for the president’s new health care law. Supporters said the amendments would have killed the bill’s chances in the House.

The Senate legislation would: – Allow the FDA to order a recall of tainted foods. Currently the agency can only negotiate with businesses to order voluntary recalls; – Require larger food processors and manufacturers to register with the Food and Drug Administration and create detailed food safety plans; – Require the FDA to create new produce safety regulations for producers of the highest-risk fruits and vegetables; – Establish stricter standards for the safety of imported food; – Increase inspections of domestic and foreign food facilities, directing the most resources to those operations with the highest risk profiles. The riskiest domestic facilities would be inspected every three years.

The bill would not apply to meat, poultry or processed eggs, which are regulated by the Agriculture Department. Those foods have long been subject to much more rigorous inspections and oversight than FDA-regulated foods.

The federal Centers for Disease Control has estimated that tens of millions of Americans are sickened and thousands die from foodborne illnesses each year.

US says Iran got missile boost from North Korea

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This photo released by the Iranian army, claims to show the launching of a Shahin missile in armed forces war games, outside the city of Semnan about 140 miles (240 kilometers) east of the capital Tehran, Iran, Thursday, Nov. 18.

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Such a missile could give Iran the ability to carry much larger warheads and give technicians the ability to study and copy an advanced propulsion and guidance systems – all key elements if Iran ever seeks to develop a nuclear arms program as some Western

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leaders fear. Iran, however, says it only seeks reactors for energy production and medical research.

It would not be the first time Iran has relied on North Korean missile technology. Iran’s Shahab-3 missile, first displayed in 1998, is based on North Korea’s Nodong-1 design.

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But the American claims, if true, could mark the first delivery to Iran of a fully operational and state-ofthe-art North Korean missile. “(Iran) is working on improving their accuracy and not just their range. No one is challenging them and they aren’t hiding this,” said Ephraim Kam, an Israel-

based expert on Iranian affairs.

“And there is no doubt that North Korea has given them tremendous assistance in developing these missiles.”

The American document did not offer details about the suspect sale or transport of the missile.

But another memo describes how Chinese officials failed to intercept shipments of missile parts transiting from North Korea to Beijing, where they were put on Iran Air cargo flights to Tehran.

Besides simply boosting Iran’s military muscle with more powerful missiles, the suspected BM-25s would give Iranian technicians a firsthand look at large missile designs and systems toward possibly developing long-range, or intercontinental ballistic missiles, with ranges of up to 3,400 miles (5,800 kilometers) and beyond.

The State Department memo said Iran could view the BM-25 components as “building blocks” for long-range missile development.

Paul Rogers, an expert in defense affairs at the University of Bradford in Britain, said Iran could be seeking to move from its main arsenal of liquid-fueled missiles – that would include the suspected BM-25s – toward longer-range, solid-fueled rockets such as the current known top weapon, the Sajill-2.

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Wednesday, December 1, 2010

The Daily Campus Editorial Board

John Kennedy, Editor in Chief Taylor Trudon, Commentary Editor Cindy Luo, Associate Commentary Editor Michelle Anjirbag, Weekly Columnist Arragon Perrone, Weekly Columnist Jesse Rifkin, Weekly Columnist

» EDITORIAL

Obamas no different than the rest of us

E

very president and his family takes a certain amount of flack from all areas of society when they are in office. In our society, it is almost obligatory to pinpoint every little perceived flaw in the closest thing this nation has to royalty, and use it to detract from the positive image of the country’s first family. For the Obamas, the case has been no different.

Recently, Michelle Obama has been receiving criticism not for her politics, her “Let’s Move!” initiative or her active attempts to make the White House – her home at the moment – the “people’s house” and accessible to the American people. The criticism the first lady is currently facing is based on the fact that Washington, D.C. socialites expected the Obama family to revive the glamour and social environment of JFK’s “Camelot,” and they are just not seeing that happen. It is insensible to expect an image of “American royalty” to reappear in a period of austerity. At a time when politics have become increasingly personal, an idyllic picture of family and grandeur is not going to renew the hope of a nation still struggling to recover from recession.

Even though some socialites and senators’ wives are less than happy that their season is not as filled with balls and brunches held in the name of politics and philanthropy, the Obamas have managed to embrace being a new kind of presidential family, and are hardly as secluded as some sources would have the public believe. While their political entertaining may have staved off, and their inner circle become more compact in light of the recent political turmoil – we have heard less about cocktail parties and benefit galas lately – the Obamas have verifiably reached out to more of the general public than any recent presidential family.

They have shown themselves as people enjoying the lifestyle of middle-class and upper-middle-class families, while reaching out to minorities, veterans and the average American family. Regardless of politics, the White House has been made more accessible, and the family in it is actively attempting to bridge the societal gap that exists between politicians and the people they represent. They are candid about their family problems and family dynamic, while simultaneously showing themselves to be people, parents and leaders of a nation. Overall, they are setting an example of a healthy, modern family life – something difficult to accomplish in an environment where an unfortunate elbowing accident during a recreational basketball game resulting in stitches is considered “breaking news.”

Regardless of their politics or social calendars, Americans should celebrate their first family, at least for the next two years. The political arena has been a social one as well in the past, and while much diplomacy can be achieved over a punch bowl, the majority of us do not decide our futures at cocktail parties and gala dinners – and there is no reason to require the same of the Obama family.

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.

So why does UConn make the New Hampshire Wildcats look like Kentucky and the Kentucky Wildcats look like New Hampshire?

If Maya Moore and Kemba Walker ever had a child, his name would be Jesus, and he would shoot laser beams out of his eyes.

Who would win in a fight, Kemba Walker or a hurricane? But the name of the hurricane is Hurricane Kemba.

There is a very creepy one-sided conversation going on between my roommate and TV Kemba Walker.

Hey Kemba, did you here there might be a lockout in the NBA next year?

Superman’s hero is Kemba.

Jeremy Lamb can tie his shoes without bending over.

Jeremy Lamb looks like the blue monster from Space Jam. Oriakhi should change his name to Teriyaki because his defense is finger lickin’ good.

UConn block party. I’ll bring the hotdog buns.

I think we should just play all our home games in Maui from now on.

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.

US should not ignore North Korean threat

A

merican humorist Will Rogers once said, “Diplomacy is the art of saying ‘nice doggie,’ until you can find a rock.” In the case of North Korea, the United States is dealing with a crazy pit bull and has few rocks left to throw.

The North’s recent shelling of

By Arragon Perrone a South Korean Weekly Columnist city, an attack that killed four and injured 16, opens the door for the United Nations to represent the international community by standing with the U.S. and South Korea to oppose North Korean aggression.

When the U.S. invaded Iraq seven years ago, it made the U.N. politically irrelevant on the international stage. But the status quo of today is not the status quo of 2003. Today, the U.S. cannot afford to become unilaterally embroiled in another foreign conflict if the Korean situation worsens. Only with the help of an active, supportive U.N. can North Korea be held accountable for further aggression, which at this point could mean war.

To continue with Rogers’ metaphor, let us consider a neighborhood that America must defend against vicious dogs. Ten years ago, the neighborhood was pretty nice. America had a lot of rocks and there were not a whole lot of dogs. The neighborhood had been safe ever since that Russian terrier up and died without a single rock being thrown. But then came 9/11, and a new breed of animal came into the neighborhood. It was some kind of stray. No one knew where it came from or who owned it, but some of the worst neighbors on the block were said to feed it scraps.

America remembered seeing it years before, when it used the stray to attack that old Samoyed. After the stray wounded the beast, America had patted its head and left it alone.

America thought the stray would just go away and die – or something like that.

Then came 9/11, and America realized how dangerous that stray actually was. The

neighborhood came together, gathered up all of its stones and hurled them at the snarling stray. But the stray disappeared and nobody could find it. America decided to take the offensive and identify any other possible strays in the neighborhood. It wrote up a list and identified three: the mean Iraqi mongrel, the Iranian wolf and the vicious North Korean pit bull. Against the advice of its weaker neighbors, America picked up its stones and hurled them at the mongrel, knocking it dead.

Feeling slighted and a little embarrassed that they couldn’t throw as well, the other neighbors gathered all their stones and refused to let America have any more.

“Now, the North Korean pit bull has attacked an innocent ally, South Korea, and the United States is low on rocks.”

Now, the North Korean pit bull has attacked an innocent ally, South Korea, and the United States is low on rocks.

Logically, the neighborhood (the international community working through the United Nations) needs to collect their rocks (their combined military and diplomatic power), join America and get behind their wounded ally. If the North attacks again – possibly even harder this time – and the international community does nothing, the civilized world effectively tells North Korea and other brutal, violent regimes that they can go so far as to physically attack neighboring countries and no one will stop them.

The situation in the Koreas is tense and uncertain. The U.S. and South Korea are engaged in war games, which the North has hypocritically warned may cause “full-blown war.” While diplomats scramble, North Korea continues to move towards a nuclear

future. Yesterday, the North announced that it is currently operating a uranium enrichment plant powered by “thousands of centrifuges.”

Siegfried Hecker, a Stanford University scientist who has visited the facility, says it could be quickly converted to produce highly-enriched uranium for nuclear bombs.

In the worst-case scenario, which recent events have revealed to be quite possible, North Korea develops a nuclear weapon and, in another act of paranoid aggression, nukes the South. If that happens, the U.S. would probably launch a joint airstrike with South Korea against the North’s capital, Pyongyang, and bear the price for whatever goes wrong. A better alternative is for U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (himself a South Korean) to offer the U.N.’s unflinching support for the South Korean government in anticipation of an attack, and urge the U.S., Britain, France, Germany and other allied nations to offer military support if the North escalates the conflict. If the North goes ahead and bombs South Korea, the allied nations would then rally together under the UN flag and invade while a missile strike hits Pyongyang.

There is hope for the U.N. in this stage of international politics. Even though the UN has been damaged by the United States’ unilateral action against Iraq, inaction in Rwanda and Darfur and its own internal corruption (e.g. the 2000s oil-forfood scandal), it still has the power to provide greater legitimacy to a military strike.

In doing so, it can rise out of the ashes and return to global significance. But if the U.N. just sits back and lets individual nations take the lead against North Korea, it cements its own diplomatic irrelevancy and leaves America to deal with the neighborhood dogs once again.

Weekly columnist Arragon Perrone is a 5th-semester political science and English double major. He can be reached at Arragon.Perrone@UConn.edu.

Four Loko ban furthers paternalistic government

Y

ou have likely heard by now that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has forced the producers of Four Loko and other alcoholic

By Thomas Dilling e n e r g y drinks to Staff Columnist remove caffeine from their products. Connecticut and several other states have even stopped shipments of the product.

While both the state and federal governments may have the legal authority to regulate the product, the justification for doing so is lacking in merit and furthers a widespread paternalistic attitude toward all consumers, specifically college students.

The ban is based on a handful of scientific studies over the last five years that led to the same conclusion: energy drinks combined with alcohol make people feel less intoxicated than drinking alcohol by itself. To many consumers, this might be considered a great benefit, but to researchers and politicians this sets the grounds to ban the product. After all, if you feel less intoxicated, you may drink more, causing a higher blood alcohol content and everything that normally comes with it.

In a letter sent to Connecticut’s attorney general, Richard Blumenthal, who led the charge

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against Four Loko, a group of researchers used the term “psychoactive drugs” to refer to both caffeine and alcohol. The term may sound scary, but we might as well label your morning coffee as a brew of psychoactive drugs as well. The Center for Science in the Public Interest has dubbed the beverages “alcospeed,” while Blumenthal prefers the term “witch’s brew.” These terms serve no purpose other than to frame the discussion in such a way that detracts from substance and promote an agenda.

“In fact, the scientific studies cited by the FDA do not even test the pre-mixed alcoholic bevarges...”

Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer has called the drink “toxic.” But adding caffeine to alcohol does not magically convert the drink into battery acid. No study has shown that caffeinated alcohol is inherently more dangerous than alcohol itself. According to the director of drug information at the LAC-USC Medical Center in California, the claim that mixing

caffeine and alcohol is itself harmful “seems to be an urban legend.”

The only increased harm stems from choosing to drink more alcohol while in a state where one’s perceived intoxication is lowered.

The FDA cited the perception effects of caffeine as the sole reason to label it as an “unsafe additive” when mixed with alcohol. The FDA’s Principal Deputy Commissioner only made a very generalized claim: “these products pose a public health concern.” The FDA’s press release reads, “caffeine and alcohol is associated with risky behaviors that may lead to hazardous and life-threatening situations.” This statement sets a dangerous precedent: when all that is needed to ban a product from the marketplace is an association with a risky behavior. In fact, I would prefer it if the FDA cited “horrible aftertaste” as its justification, since I have less control over my taste buds than I do over my behavior.

The Center for Disease Control factsheet on caffeinated alcoholic beverages lists statistics on the youth population’s usage of these products. These stats have also been used as a factor to promote the ban. But to cite illegal underage consumers of alcohol as a reason to make illegal an alcohol additive is just silly. So not only

is a ban on the beverage a swipe in the face of consumer freedom, but it was pushed with language that degrades any useful discussion, arguments that push protection suited for minors on the entire population and science that doesn’t conclude any direct causal threat.

In fact, the scientific studies cited by the FDA do not even test the pre-mixed caffeinated alcoholic beverages that they have effectively outlawed. They test the effects of mixing energy drinks like Red Bull with alcohol. So, if the regulars were to make conclusions solely on the research, they would only be able to ban the act of mixing caffeine with alcohol, which can still be done by a bartender or by any individual. This further demonstrates how impractical it is to think that you can prevent the consumption of two legal products by making a mixture of the products illegal.

The regulator’s actions only make adding caffeine to alcohol less precise, less convenient and more costly for the political gain of politicians who seek to crusade against politically incorrect beverage industries and further inflate their egos.

Staff Columnist Thomas Dilling is a 5thsemester biology major. He can be reached at Thomas.Dilling@UConn.edu

“According to the TSA, most of the people protesting the new body search procedures are men. At last they’re getting to see what it’s like to be groped by someone who won’t take no for an answer.” –Jay Leno

The Daily Campus, Page 5

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Comics

I Hate Everything

by Carin Powell

www.happydancecomics.wordpress.com

26 Glass section 27 Former senior, for short 30 “Rio __”: John Wayne film 31 Wingspread, say 32 Madison Ave. figures 34 Dijon honey 35 Statistical input 36 Reed instrument 37 Red, white or Blue Nun 38 Bitty start?

39 Islamic branch 40 Gambler’s favorite woman?

44 Svelte 45 1551, on monuments 48 “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” villain 49 Keen judgment 50 Marked deck users 53 Movie barbarian 54 Swiss Army __

56 Foe hiding, in a way, in the puzzle’s four longest answers 58 Hot times in the cité 59 Catty remark 60 Old gold coins of France 61 Bank (on) 62 Auto club service 63 Year, in Yucatán

Super Glitch

by John Lawson

Down 1 Embarrassed reaction, maybe 2 Shining brightly 3 Exclaims suddenly, with “out” 4 “Do something about it! I dare you!”

5 Betwixt and between 6 Egg, to Ovid 7 Right-hand man 8 Tiptoe 9 Succinct 10 Place with bars 11 Where to find four knights 12 “Friendly skies” co.

13 “Masterpiece” airer 21 Hatchet man 22 “Coal Miner’s Daughter” subject Loretta

Classic JELLY!

by Elise Domyan

Across 1 Chews the fat 5 “Here’s to ...” tribute 10 Lingerie size 14 Inuit word for “house” 15 Like bighorns 16 Obsessed fictional captain 17 Modeler’s aid 18 More inclined to butt in 19 Comes together 20 Viral illness associated with a rash 23 Paint base 24 A major, e.g.

25 Healthful resort 28 911 responder, for short 29 Lanchester of “Witness for the Prosecution” 33 Like Fran Drescher’s voice 35 List that comes from the top 38 Cuba or Mallorca 41 Thumper’s friend 42 Agenda listing 43 Possible response to “Gotcha!”

46 Like some waves 47 Have to have 48 Fond du __, Wisconsin 51 “School’s out” response 52 “Eeeuuw!”

55 Bloodsucker 57 Pie with a fluffy topping 62 Tight 64 Sister’s daughter 65 Humorist Bombeck 66 “Going __, going ...”

67 On the wrong side (of) 68 Track competition 69 Stir-fry cookers 70 Full of juicy tidbits 71 Longings

Happy Dance

by Sarah Parsons

The Daily Crossword

Horoscopes

Poop

by Michael Badulak

Aries - Your dreams are stirring up your desire for change. Put together a well thought out plan for what you envision. Small steps make big progress.

Taurus - Social activities cement relationships, as you meet unusual individuals. Don’t try to imitate their glamorous style.

Instead, invent your own.

Cancer - Great ideas flow between you and key associates. You agree that a persuasive message is needed, and have a variety of ways to make that happen.

Dissmiss the Cynics

by Victor Preato

Gemini - Use all the facts at your disposal, as you create a plan for change. Maintain workflow at the same time.

Decide how much time to spend on each task.

By Michael Mepham

Nothing Extraordinary

by Thomas Feldtmose

Leo - Financial questions cause you to question a basic premise.

Can you afford the renovations you’d planned? It’s more attainable if you break it into manageable stages.

Virgo - Concentrate your energy on practical, creative ways to solve a household issue. Family members may disagree at first but respond to the logic.

Libra - Your practical thinking makes life run smoothly now.

Challenges at work become opportunities when viewed anew. Personal responsibilities benefit from logic.

Bucephalus

by K.X. Ellia

Scorpio - Take time for personal attire and appearance today.

Visit your neighborhood salon and try something new and different. Take a calculated risk.

Sagittarius - From the perspective of another, you see a way to re-think their problem.

You’ll need to slow down to accommodate the situation.

Create a game plan early.

Capricorn - A new person on the scene asks key questions. To answer them, think about it well.

Take time to consider creative options. Then present choices to the team.

Aquarius - You’re on familiar ground with group activities now. Consider the needs of individuals and coworkers as you challenge old concepts.

You’ll know just what to say.

Pisces - Changes depend on advice received from an older person with a sterling creative track record. Use what you need now and store the rest for future reference.

Classic Pundles and Droodles

by Brian Ingmanson

www.cupcakecomics.com.

Why The Long Face

by Jackson Lautier

The Daily Campus, Page 6

House clears Indian, black farmer settlements

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House on Tuesday passed landmark legislation to pay for some $4.6 billion in settlements with American Indians and black farmers who say they faced discrimination and mistreatment from the government.

Lawmakers voted 256-152 to send the measure to President Barack Obama, whose administration brokered the settlements over the past year.

The package would award some $3.4 billion to American Indians over claims they were cheated out of royalties overseen by the Interior Department for resources like oil, gas and timber. Another $1.2 billion would go to African-Americans who claim they were unfairly denied loans and other assistance from the Agriculture Department.

The settlements have broad bipartisan support but had stalled on Capitol Hill over costs until the Senate broke a stalemate earlier this month.

Although the Senate passed it without opposition, most Republicans opposed it in the House. Many argued the individual settlements have merit but objected to lumping them together in a single bill with other provisions, including deals on four long-standing disputes over Indian water rights.

Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, said Democrats weren’t really paying for the bill as they claimed but were simply tapping unused funds in unrelated programs.

“When we approve new spending we should offset that by spending cuts,” Brady said.

News

AP

Elouise Cobell watches a Senate Indian Affairs Committee hearing on the multi-billion dollar Cobell v. Salazar law suit regarding decades of mismanagement of Indian lands in Washington.

Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, likened the black farmers program to “modern-day reparations” for African-Americans and argued along with Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., that the claims process is rife with fraud.

Democrats and at least one Republican supporter countered that the bill protects taxpayers while offering fair compensation for people who were mistreated.

Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., noted that a federal judge has held the federal government in contempt for not funding the Indian case and called it a “bargain for the American taxpayers” that will avoid tens of millions of dollars in court costs.

“We are correcting historic wrongs that should never have

occurred in the first place,” he said.

In the Indian case, at least 300,000 Native Americans claim they were swindled out of royalties overseen by the Interior Department since 1887. The plaintiffs originally said they were owed $100 billion, but signaled they were willing to settle for less as the case dragged on.

The case is known as Cobell after its lead plaintiff, Elouise Cobell, a member of the Blackfeet Tribe from Browning, Mont.

For the black farmers, it is the second round of funding from a class-action lawsuit originally settled in 1999 over allegations of widespread discrimination by local USDA offices.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

CBS News overhauls its morning show

NEW YORK (AP) — CBS News abruptly gave “The Early Show” a complete makeover in an attempt to freshen the show, replacing co-hosts Harry Smith and Maggie Rodriguez with its current Saturday anchor team of Chris Wragge and Erica Hill.

The network is also replacing weather forecaster Dave Price with Marysol Castro, formerly of ABC’s “Good Morning America” weekend edition, and adding Jeff Glor as the regular news reader.

The new team will start Jan. 3.

There had been little inkling that alterations were afoot, although the show had changed its executive producer, David Friedman, within the past year. Friedman said he believed the new team had the right energy and chemistry to embark on another effort at lifting the show out of third place in the network morning news ratings.

“It’s less about what we weren’t getting and less about a generational change or a different direction,” Friedman said.

“We just literally think this is the right team going forward.”

“The Early Show” has consistently ranked behind the morning champ, NBC’s “Today” show, and ABC’s “Good Morning America.” The week before Thanksgiving was typical. “Today” averaged 5.6 million viewers each day, “GMA” had 4.6 million and “The Early Show” had 2.9 million, the Nielsen Co. said.

CBS News President Sean McManus said he won’t be expecting any immediate rat-

AP

Dave Price (center) performs with Backstreet Boys Howie Dorough and Brian Littrell on CBS News’ “The Early Show” in New York. CBS News is completely overhauling “The Early Show” broadcast team.

ings changes in a time where “Today” hasn’t lost a single week in nearly 15 years. But he said he believed the new team will help the show grow.

“This group, I think, will work very well together,” McManus said. “I think the chemistry will be very good.”

“We just felt the timing was right to start planning for the future,” he said.

Smith had the longest tenure on “The Early Show.” He was the sole survivor from

2002 when CBS installed a four-anchor team that included Smith, Hannah Storm, Julie Chen and Rene Syler. Chen still contributes occasional reports to the show; the others have left CBS News.

Smith also hosted a previous CBS morning show from 1987 to 1996. CBS said he’ll stay at the network as a news reporter and primary substitute at the “CBS Evening News,” ‘’Face the Nation” and “Sunday Morning.”

THIS DATE IN HISTORY

BORN ON THIS DATE

1913

Henry Ford installs the first moving assembly line for the mass production of an entire automobile.

www.dailycampus.com

Lou Rawls – 1933 Woody Allen – 1935 Richard Pryor – 1940 Bette Midler – 1945

The Daily Campus, Page 7

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Celebrate the new Jorgensen ‘American Idol’ finalist Melinda Doolittle joins the Boston Pops Saturday at venue’s reopening

By Kimberly Halpin Campus Correspondent “American Idol”-famed Melinda Doolittle will be coming to Jorgenson Saturday to perform with the Boston Pops in honor of the venue’s gala reopening of its newly renovated hall.

The Pops approached Doolittle after they completing a Gospel tour with her about collaborating on another show during the holiday season. Doolittle said she cannot wait to be rehearsing with them again this week.

“They’re amazing to work with!” said Doolittle.

“Completely accommodating!”

The show will consist of a mixture of instrumental pieces, performances by Doolittle, and pieces from the internationally renowned Gloria Dei Cantores Choir. Doolittle said that she will be performing in both parts of the show with both of these groups, and she

has heard rumors of a St. Nicholas appearance.

Doolittle said she has always loved giving vocal performances, but was limited to back up singing until her appearance on the sixth season of “American Idol.” “’American Idol’ gave me a platform to do what I’ve always wanted to do- what’s in my heart,” Doolittle said.

Competing in “American Idol” was described as “slightly traumatic, but definitely worth it.” She added that she wouldn’t have made it through without her faith.

After the show, Doolittle sang at venues such as the White House and Carnegie Hall, and in countries as far as Singapore and Zambia.

She has also been able to perform with artists like Percy Sledge, Kid Rock, Lone Star and fellow “Idol” contestant Ruben Studdard.

Among her accomplishments are two albums titled

“It’s Your Love- Remixes” and “Coming Back to You.” She has also published an inspirational memoire titled “Beyond Me,” which she says is full of life lessons.

Doolittle said during the show people only could see glimpses of her personality, and that “people wanted to know why [she] is the way [she] is”. By writing the book Doolittle was able to explain to her fans the forces that have shaped her personality, and pass on some pieces of advice that her supportive mother gave to her.

A portion of the proceeds from her book have been donated to her campaign “Malaria No More.” Doolittle was alerted to the fact that one million children are dying of Malaria, even though it’s preventable during Idol’s Gives Back show. In response, she started the campaign so that

» IDOL, page 9

Heart or head?

By Alessandra Petrino Campus Correspondent

Photo courtesy of MySpace.com

Third-place ‘American Idol’ finalist Melinda Doolittle will perform with the critically acclaimed Boston Pops at the Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts Saturday.

He’s serious, and don’t call Shirley Leslie Nielsen, prolific comedic actor, remembered for three of his finest films ByJason Wong Campus Correspondent On Nov. 28, 2010, celebrated Canadian–American actor and comedian Leslie Nielsen passed away. Nielsen’s career achievements include receiving UCLA’s Jack Benny Award for his comedic roles and becoming the 1,884th personality to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

He is also on Canada’s Walk of Fame and was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. Nielsen was also awarded with the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television, and Radio Artists’ Award of Excellence. Students would probably know him best as the president in “Scary Movie 3” and “Scary Movie 4,” but below is a brief description of his top three works and why we loved them.

No. 3 “Forbidden Planet”

AP

Top: Leslie Nielsen in a scene from ‘Naked Gun,’ in which he played accident-prone detective Frank Drebin. Bottom: Nielsen with actress Nicolette Sheridan at the 1996 premiere of the film ‘Spy Hard.’

Lunchtime Learning focuses on tips to manage holiday stress

By Loumarie Rodriguez Campus Correspondent

It’s that magical time of year once again, filled with holiday cheer, a sense of wonder, and, of course, stress. The holiday season can certainly be stressful, as well all strive to create the picture-perfect celebration, ward off those holiday pounds and find the best gifts. Luckily, we can find a little relief from the pressure, thanks to a Lunchtime Learning Seminar hosted by the Department of Human Resources at noon on Tuesday in the Student Union, titled “The Stress of the Holidays,”

a part of the university’s Caring about “U”Conn program.

Employee Assistance Program representative David Francis handed out quizzes to the audience of students and staff members, so they could rank which parts of the holiday season causes them the most stress. These aspects included things such as family gatherings, gift giving and even holiday parties. Francis made sure he covered it all with his PowerPoint presentation, “Tis the season to be merry… (Or not).” The presentation listed common irrational beliefs associated with the holidays, such as “I should spare no expense to make the perfect holiday…”

Francis explained how not to fall into these traps that can compile to ruin seasonal celebrations. He then offered tips and ideas on how to solve the common dilemmas and stressful situations we encounter each year.

The main stress-causing areas identified were family, gifts, expectations and health. These areas tend to cause much grief for many people, and Francis made sure he thoroughly explained different solutions for these holiday conundrums.

Overall the presentation attracted few questions from audience members and concluded with a

» HOLIDAY, page 9

In 1956, this was Nielsen’s biggest non-comedic role as Commander John J. Adams in a science fiction film that, although probably slow and plodding by today’s standards, was nevertheless an instant success. The characters, plot and setting were inspired by those in Shakespeare’s “The Tempest. It also fea-

tured an all-electronic music soundtrack, as well as one of film’s first robots with personality. As for why we loved it: Gene Roddenberry, the creator of “Star Trek” said that “Forbidden Planet” was one of his inspirations.

No. 2 “The Naked Gun: From the Files of the Police Squad!”

In 1988, Nielsen played police officer Frank Drebin in this comedy that is the first in the series. Nielsen is famous for the scene where he goes undercover as an opera singer at a baseball game and butchers the National Anthem. That­–and the slapstick comedy featuring a lot of puns and gags–made this film one of our favorites.

No. 1 “Airplane!”

In 1980, Nielsen played Dr. Alan Rumack. This comedy film satirized the disaster film genre and solidified Nielsen’s career of comedic roles. His most famous one-liner comes from this film; when asked, “Surely you can’t be serious?”, he responds with a curt, “I am serious. And don’t call me Shirley.”

Leslie Nielsen, you will be missed. R.I.P.

Jason.Wong@UConn.edu

» TECHNOLOGY

Nintendo says Wii sales got boost on Black Friday

NEW YORK (AP) – In a toldyou-so moment for Nintendo, sales of the Wii console are picking up, with 600,000 of them sold in the U.S. last week, according to the company.

Nintendo Co. said Tuesday it sold 900,000 units of the DS handheld gaming system during that time. Put another way, the Japanese video game company said U.S. shoppers bought about 9,000 Nintendo systems every hour during the week of Black Friday. It did not provide international sales figures.

Sales of the Wii have dropped this year as shoppers opted for high-definition consoles from Sony Corp. and Microsoft Corp.

And the yen’s strength against the dollar cut into the company’s bottom line. But Nintendo has maintained it will do well during the holidays, as it always does.

Nintendo’s products are geared less toward hardcore gamers and more toward family customers, who will spend a bigger chunk of their discretionary budget at Christmas, Hudson Square analyst Daniel Ernst said.

Sony, meanwhile, said it has sold 4.1 million units of the Move motion controller worldwide since it went on sale in the U.S. in September for most regions except Japan, where it hit store shelves in October.

In relationships is it better to follow your heart or your head?

Blaise Pascal, a 17th-century mathematician, physicist, inventor, writer and philosopher, once said, “The heart has its reasons of which reason knows nothing.” It’s one of my all-time favorite quotes.

Even a man that was so enthralled in the physics of how the world works knew that sometimes the heart works in ways that can’t be understood scientifically.

And, as much as we would like to be able to pinpoint why the heart feels what it feels and makes humans do things they do, there is no logical answer to how the heart works with emotions.

Listening to your heart isn’t always the best choice for that reason; emotions can be erratic, and leading with your heart can be dangerous, especially when others are involved.

So, in relationships, is it better to listen to your heart or your head? Should it be a combination of rationality and emotion? When do you listen to one over the other?

“Definitely listen to your head in relationships,” Ryan Tepperman, a 5th-semester journalism and political science major, said. “Our emotions aren’t always rational, so if you think something’s wrong, it probably is, even if your heart wants to tell you something different.”

For example, those of you who watch “Sex and the City” must remember how Carrie keeps her own apartment throughout all of her relationships. This is an instance in a relationship when you should listen to your head.

Even though a person may believe moving in with their significant other is a good idea in their heart, because they assume they will eventually marry or even just spend the rest of their lives together, you have to be logical.

Listening to your heart in this case is dangerous and could cause you a huge loss if you ever did break up. In finances, like home-ownership, one should always have a back-up in case that love doesn’t last.

Imagine breaking up and not having a place to live because you risked everything you had on a hunch that your love would last. You’ve just become homeless because you listened to your heart instead of your head in a financial situation. It’s never a good idea.

What about when it comes to sex? If everyone listened to their head when it came to sex, there’d be a lot fewer virgins and a heck of a lot more babies in this world.

Just because humans have the capability to think logically doesn’t mean they can’t make something that is irrational logical for the time being.

How many people do you know who logically believe “I’ll wrap it and tap it and that’s that?” My guess is quite a few.

Reason is great, when used correctly. However, in our society, any idiot can make himself look smart by reasoning why he did something ridiculous. Just because you said you stole a cookie from the cookie jar to share it with your friends doesn’t mean it’s right. Just because you used a condom doesn’t mean having a one-night stand with the girl wasn’t dumb. I mean, at least do it twice.

When it comes to sex, is it really better to listen to your

» SEPARATING, page 9

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FOCUS ON:

GAMES Recently Reviewed

1. Pac-Man Championship Edition DX (PS3) 9/10 2. Donkey Kong Returns (Wii) 8.5/10 3. Sonic Colors (DS) 8/10 4. Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom (PS3, Wii) 7/10 5. EyePet (PSP) 5/10 6. Adrenaline Misfits (X360) 5/10 7. Splatterhouse (X360, PS3) 4.5/10 8. Tom Clancy’s HAWX 2(Wii) 3.5/10 9. Naruto Shippuden: Dragon Blade Chronicles (Wii) 3.5/10 10.Deca Sports Freedom (X360) 3/10 Score data from Gamespot.com

Upcoming Releases Dec. 7 Tron: Evolution (Win, PS3, X360, NDS) Tron: Evolution - Battle Grids (Wii) Word of Warcraft: Cataclysm (Win, Mac) Dec. 12 Supermario All-Stars (Wii) The Agency: Covert Ops (PS3, Win) Dec. 21 TrackMania Wii (Wii)

Focus Favorites

Game Of The Week

As I look back on 2010 and the many games I’ve played and cherished, I remember No More Heroes 2, the very first game I ever reviewed for the Daily Campus. I didn’t know how I should pace the games I planned to review, so I actually played this game nonstop for two days. Normally playing games for more than three hours at a time would become a chore for me, but this was one of the rare exceptions. It’s a superior sequel to the original with consistently great battles mixed with an overflowing amount of style.

-Jason Bogdan

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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (X360)

Sonic passes with flying colors

Games of the year: Part I

By Jason Bogdan Staff Writer Image courtesy of Gamespot.com

Sonic the Hedghog and his friend, Tails the Fox, head out for some adventure in the franchise’s latest intstallment, Sonic Colors.

Hedgehog’s latest debut makes use of 3-D format

By Jason Bogdan Staff Writer “Welcome back Sonic. I missed you.” That’s a phrase I’ve wanted to say about a Sonic game ever since the blue hedgehog first delved into the 3-D format. But no matter how much I wanted to say those words with Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Heroes and Sonic Unleashed, I could only shake my head. Things have looked up for Sonic with 2-D games like Sonic Rush and Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1, but I still wanted a legitimately great 3-D game with my favorite video game character. Ladies and gentlemen, I bring you Sonic Colors for the Wii. Dr. Eggman has created an interstellar amusement park powered by the energy source of aliens called “Wisps” that he claims are “not evil,” but Sonic is always ready to uncover and stop the true menace. Essentially, it’s just a catalyst for Sonic to

explore many colorful worlds, but I was actually surprised by the cut-scenes. Don’t get me wrong, they’re terrible “Saturday morning cartoon fodder.” But the script is so cheesy and self-referential that the camp value made me laugh plenty of times and look forward to more.

But if there’s one thing Dr.

Eggman did well, it was to create danger-prone amusement parks that are a consistent blast with Sonic. That’s right, folks; there’s no “except for suchand-such parts of the game” here. It’s just Sonic running through exceptionally designed levels from beginning to end, and it’s truly wonderful. There are some moments from the

Sonic Colors

Wii, DS

9

/10

The Good

-Undeniably the greatest 3-D Sonic game available.

-Music and graphics are some of the best the Wii has to offer.

-Stages are replayable, thanks to Wisp powers and hidden red rings.

The Bad

--The cut-scenes are campy riot.

-Some of the later levels make for plenty of cheaps deaths, with a lack of extra lives to make up for it.

perspective of behind Sonic, but they’re so simple and fun the camera never gets in the way. Otherwise, this is Sonic going through beautiful 2-D obstacles with enough 3-D depth to make it feel up-to-date and replayable. The only real problems are that some of the later levels get too hard and the wall jumps suck, but the awesome Wisp powers that can turn Sonic into things like a laser or a drill all but make up for it.

It’s also unbelievably well presented. The graphics are some of the best for the Wii with plenty of stunning environments and only a few moments of slowdown when there’s a ton of action. The music is also the very best Sonic’s ever had with a mixed soundtrack from techno to beautiful orchestral scores.

I can go on for hours about how surprisingly good this game is, but I’ll just say what I said when I reached the credits: “Welcome back Sonic. I missed you.”

Jason.Bogdan@UConn.edu

Namco outdoes itself with new Pac-Man

By Jason Bogdan Staff Writer

No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle (Wii)

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Focus

How does one surpass perfection? The original Pac-Man Championship Edition was perfection in the form of a brilliant reprisal of the classic Pac-Man arcade game, and we were all settled with that being as far as Pac-Man can go. Well, guess what Namco did with the DX sequel?

It took perfection and left it completely in the dust with the release of one of the most insanely fun arcade experiences available.

DX takes the awesome blueprints of the original Championship Edition that has Pac-Man going from the left side to the right col-

lecting all the dots needed with mazes on each side consistently changing. But there are three things that DX adds that make it oh-so special: oodles of ghosts, speed and bombs. Instead of just four ghosts in the maze, each changing side has numerous sleeping ghosts that chase after Pac-Man once you get close enough to them. You’ll start a match with a scant few ghosts, but within minutes you’ll have an entire army behind you.

Don’t worry about the situation becoming instantly harder. Once you get the precious power pellet, that conga line of ghosts becomes vulnerable, resulting in one of the most pleasurable moments in video game form. When you munch on those dozens of ghosts,

Pac-Man Championship Edition DX

PS3, X360

10

/10

The Good

-Pac-Man has never been as much fun and satisfying.

-The various graphics and incredible music make for an outstanding presentation.

-Tons of game modes and score leaderboarsd to add great replay value.

The Bad

--Even if there were ten times more of the extra modes and mazes, it’ll leave you wanting more.

From beginning to end, this has been a fantastic year to be a gamer.

From Mass Effect 2 in January, to Donkey Kong Country Returns in late November, there have been many good reasons for video game fans to spend their money: 2011 has quite a challenge to beat. But for now, here are some categorical mentions of the 2010 games with my personal top five for next week. Enjoy!

Best Underappreciated Game: Bayonetta

In a time where games like Devil May Cry have lost their luster, many people didn’t expect much out of Bayonetta, with poor sales as proof. But Bayonetta turned out to be one of the greatest action games in years, with all the fluid combat and style to leave the beloved DMC in the dust.

Best Downloadable Game: PacMan Championship Edition DX

Experiencing such brilliant downloadable games like Limbo, Super Meat Boy and Comic Jumper, it really says something that Pac-Man DX is unquestionably my choice. It’s one of the most enjoyable arcade game experiences ever.

Best App Game: Cut the Rope

I love Angry Birds as much as the next guy, but Cut the Rope is really something else. How something as simple as cutting a candy off a rope for a cute green monster can amount to hours of fun sounds implausible. But just spend the 99 cents and see for yourself why this is one of the best apps you can get on your iPhone/iPod Touch.

Best Portable Game: Super Scribblenauts

Although next year the DS will finally take a bow to its successor, the 3DS, there were still some fantastic games from a new Professor Layton to a superb Pokemon remake. But Super Scribblenauts took the ambitious first entry and crafted a sequel that fixed all the problems and reached its potential as a truly unique puzzle game.

Best Multi-Console Game: Red Dead Redemption Photo courtesy of Gamespot.com

Pac-Man gets a makeover with the DX version of the Championship Edition, complete with new graphics, great music and tons of new game modes.

Pac-Man gets faster and the sound effects get even louder. Even after eating many parades of ghosts, it still has me on the edge of my seat.

The increasing speed does make the game more frantic – and therefore fun – but thankfully it doesn’t make it inevitable to die by speed 50. Every time you get in harm’s way, it triggers a bullet time speed with just enough time to escape. But if all does seem lost, there’s the handy addition of bombs that take down some speed and put all those chasing ghosts in their cage for a precious few seconds. It’s the combination of all these new perks that makes

the Pac-Man formula into something truly special.

DX is so unbelievably good that I can’t go back to Championship Edition, awesome game as it is. This Pac-Man game has made big changes, but each is so wholly satisfying there’s no looking back. It doesn’t even need all the different eye-candy graphic styles, incredible music or the many extra modes, but a new version of perfection can always use some nice icing on the cake.

Jason.Bogdan@UConn.edu

For your PS3 or Xbox 360, you can own the best Grand Theft Auto game that isn’t a Grand Theft Auto game. The great story and GTAstyle gameplay was really something else–even with the many iterations on that formula released–and the multiplayer was actually good.

Biggest Surprise: Sonic Colors (Wii) Sure, I was impressed by the E3 videos, but I still had a “but this is a 3-D Sonic game, so something has to suck about it” in the back of my head. Not only was Colors truly remarkable all around, but it’s a great step forward for Sonic to finally stand alongside Mario in modern platforming greatness.

Jason.Bogdan@UConn.edu

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

The Daily Campus, Page 9

Focus

» WILLIAM & KATE

» BROADWAY

Vendors rejoice at British royal wedding

LONDON (AP) – A William and Catherine monogram mug?

A pair of hand-crafted swan paperweights? A dainty wedding bell, perhaps?

With the array of romantic memorabilia flooding the market, royal fans worldwide don’t have to wait till next year to celebrate Prince William’s wedding.

Almost as soon as the prince announced his engagement to long-term girlfriend Kate Middleton, souvenir shops and chinaware producers have been inundated with order requests for special edition mugs, plates and assorted collectibles. In a generally bleak retail landscape, British businesses have high hopes the wedding can bring in some badly needed cash.

“We’ve taken masses of presales orders, and people have actually placed orders on items that they can’t even see pictures of because they’re not available yet,” said Stephen Church, whose family has been selling collectibles from a shop in England’s Northampton for over 100 years.

Manufacturers have had special tableware designed months ago – it only took the official announcement of when (April 29) and where (Westminster Abbey) for the race to cash in to begin in earnest.

It’s a retail fever that has gripped people from all corners of the world. There is strong interest from collectors in the U.S. and other countries with no royals, Church said. As for Britons – especially those living overseas – owning royal memorabilia could be a way to connect with their country and display patriotism.

“For the British, it’s a feeling of security,” he said. “It’s part of life’s routine that the royal family is there. Buying commemorative products is part of cherishing them.”

Royal births, coronations and weddings have been marked with souvenir ceramics for centuries, and the commemorative china industry is nearly as steeped in tradition as the royal family itself. So skip novelty items like cell phone covers and mouse pads – serious collectors will be sticking to mugs and plates, Church said.

“People aren’t looking for something different,” he said.

“With a royal event, it’s all about tradition.”

So what’s on offer?

To share royal adulation with the love of your life, consider getting a specially commissioned royal “loving cup”

‘The Scottsboro Boys’ to close Dec. 12

AP

From left, Derrick Cobey, Julius Thomas III, Brandon Victor Dixon and Josh Breckenridge are shown in a scene from ‘The Scottsboro Boys.’

NEW YORK (AP) – “The Scottsboro Boys,” a musical based on the real story of nine black teenagers framed for rape and wrongfully put on death row, will close Dec. 12 on Broadway.

Producers said Tuesday the show, directed and choreographed by Susan Stroman, will have played 49 performances and 29 previews. It marks the final collaboration of songwriters John Kander and Fred Ebb;

Ebb died in 2004.

“The Scottsboro Boys,” a hit earlier this year off-Broadway, frames the 1930s-era story as a minstrel show and then immediately subverts it by having an all-black cast, except for the master of ceremonies, John Cullum.

Other Broadway shows that have recently announced closings include “Elling,” ‘’La Bete” and “A Life in the Theatre.”

» FASHION AP

Britain’s Prince William and his fiancee Kate Middleton are seen at St. James’s Palace in London, after they announced their engagement last month. Prince William and Kate Middleton will marry April 29, 2011 in Westminster Abbey, the historic London church where Princess Diana’s funeral was held.

– a mug with two handles.

Aynsley China, which has been making chinaware to mark royal events since Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897, has one of these gems. They also have royal engagement-themed plates and coasters featuring portraits of William and Middleton. The designs have been ready for six months and will hit the shops just before Christmas, sales director John Wallis said.

Royal Doulton, another chinamaker, has a similar floraledged plate that has a picture of the youthful couple gazing lovingly at each other.

Church predicts particularly strong demand for memorabilia from Halcyon Days, a prominent china company known for the hand-painted enamel boxes it makes to celebrate big royal occasions.

For memorabilia with a twist, Royal Crown Derby has a set of white and gold swan paperweights, called William and Catherine, with necks curved to represent a heart.

Cygnet paperweights can come soon, too – the company is already lining up designs for the next range, in anticipation of royal babies.

“It won’t be long before we start (product) modeling for children,” sales director Simon Willis said.

Suitably for such a fairytale

wedding, the company is also making a royal Welsh dragon – the mythical symbol of Wales, where William is based. The designers have been creative with the product line: there are also W&C monogram heartshaped trays, wedding bells, a set of dwarfs wearing commemorative hats, and a paperweight featuring a hand-painted peacock and roses that will cost more than 3,000 pounds ($4,665) each.

Royal fans on a commoner’s budget need not despair. Easy access to digital technology means that almost anyone can print a picture of William on a mug, and many cheaply made T-shirts, tea towels and thimbles are up for grabs on the auction site eBay.com.

Just don’t count on them becoming cash in the attic a decade or two on: Hundreds of souvenir items like biscuit tins and stamps marking Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s 1981 nuptials swamp the site, with few inviting much bidding interest.

The list of businesses taking advantage of the royal wedding craze goes on.

The supermarket chain Tesco is targeting women who want to copy Middleton’s style on the cheap with a 16-pound ($25) version of her dark blue silk engagement dress, while QVC, an online and television shopping company, said

sales of its 34-pound ($53) “diamonique” knockoff of Middleton’s sapphire and diamond engagement ring rocketed 800 percent the day after the engagement.

All that merchandise can add up to as much as 18 million pounds ($28 million) of retail sales, said Neil Saunders, consulting director of retail researchers Verdict. And that’s just the engagement – the wedding itself can bring in more than 26 million pounds ($40 million), Saunders said, on top of the hundreds of millions that tourists already spend every year on visiting palaces and buying monarchy-related souvenirs.

For Ron Smith, who runs an online business selling royal commemorative items, the meaning of collecting royal products has changed since the Victorian times when subjects collected those items to show their allegiance to the British crown. Smith said he has taken many inquiries about the upcoming royal wedding from nonCommonwealth locales such as Alaska and Japan, as well as from royalists in Canada.

“People these days don’t buy it because they are loyal to the crown,” he said, adding that many of his clients are middle-aged or older and simply started collecting things once they retired and found little else to do.

» OBITUARY

‘Runway’ designer does T-shirts for World AIDS Day NEW YORK (AP) – There’s a reason Mondo Guerra shared his story about being HIV positive on the reality show “Project Runway.” It’s just at the time, he wasn’t quite sure what it was.

In hindsight, though, Guerra thinks he was compelled to it because “now I have the ability to bring attention to a cause,” he says.

“Things happen for a reason,” he adds. “Now that this is my life now, it has brought some opportunities. I think it’s inspired a lot of other people to be courageous and step forward.”

He also can raise money for AIDS research in a new partnership with online retailer Piperlime. Mondo, a “Runway” fan favorite this season, designed two limited-edition

T-shirts to launch Wednesday, to coincide with World AIDS Day. For each shirt sold, $20 will be donated to amFAR, an organization that focuses on AIDS research.

One shirt shows a tree with a single heart hanging from a branch and the other features a colorful skull in the Day of the Dead theme that dominated Guerra’s final collection on the TV show.

The Mexican tradition of Day of the Dead isn’t about death at all, he says, it’s about celebrating the memory of loved ones.

“I think it’s a smart choice to use this for this cause.”

The T-shirts are for women, though Guerra notes, “They actually printed a male version in extra small just for me.”

Holiday spending and choosing the right gifts cause stress this season from LUNCHTIME, page 7 pamphlet with tips of do’s and don’ts for this holiday season.

Asked what causes him stress during the holidays, Jae Choi, a 3rd-semester undecided major, said “I worry about spending a lot of money on presents. I need to care about what family and friends receive.”

Bryan Pfalzgraf, a 1st-semester actuarial science major, added, “finding the right present for everyone and it being an

even price is a big worry.”

JP Lacombe of the UConn Department of Human Resources helped set up the whole event. Lacombe explained that this area of the organization is an “umbrella for caring about UConn.” He also said that they try to hold events like this at least twice a month, and have a calendar online listing the information for the dates and topics of these seminars.

Loumarie.Rodriguez@UConn.edu

Monicelli’s films captured Italy’s flaws, sins Idol guest star advocates for

ROME (AP) – Deftly mixing comedy with tragedy, director Mario Monicelli laid bare Italy’s flaws and sins for a half-century on the screen.

In his final script of his own life, he chose a dramatic ending: Plunging off the fifth-floor balcony of a Rome hospital Monday night where he had been admitted several days earlier.

Monicelli, 95, is being mourned as the last great master in a generation of Italian comic film directors who satirized society, along with Dino Risi and Pietro Germi.

“He will be remembered by millions of Italians for the way he moved them, for how he made them laugh and reflect,” President Giorgio Napolitano said Tuesday in one of many messages of condolences mourning the Oscarnominated director.

Monicelli was being treated for prostate cancer at the San Giovanni hospital when he leapt to his death, landing near its emergency room entrance to the shock of many patients and relatives waiting at one of Rome’s busiest hospitals.

Carlo Verdone, one of Italy’s most popular comic actors, told Corriere della Sera that Monicelli recently was quite depressed and increasingly

closed into himself. “Perhaps he couldn’t stand old age any more,” he said in an interview published Tuesday.

Monicelli helped make Italian comedy famous worldwide with such movies as “Big Deal on Madonna Street” and “The Great War.” He directed some of the finest Italian actors, from Marcello Mastroianni to Alberto Sordi.

Whether set in the Middle Ages, World Wars or modern times, Monicelli’s characters captured the best and the worst of Italians, embodying ignorance, cowardice, generosity and courage in unequal doses. In his most accomplished works, he could effortlessly elicit laughs while touching on serious, even dramatic themes.

“A comedy that is ironic, sometimes bitter, in some cases even dramatic, tragic: This is what Italian comedy is,” Monicelli once said.

“Big Deal on Madonna Street,” the black-and-white classic released in 1958, describes the adventures of a few poor devils organizing a big-time heist that ends up going awry. The movie stars Vittorio Gassman, Mastroianni, Claudia Cardinale and Italian comic icon Toto. A remake

prevention of malaria

from CELEBRATE, page 7 people can help purchase the bed nets which cost only $10, to protect the children from infected mosquito bites while they sleep.

“There’s a tangible end in sight. The disease can be eradicated as early as 2015,” Doolittle said.

She is committed to helping others reach their dreams as well. She said she wants to keep singing and be a part of seeing others find their success as well.

Tickets to the show can be purchased through the Jorgensen box office.

Kimberly.Halpin@UConn.edu

Separating emotions from sex is a difficult thing from HEART, page 7

AP

Italian film director Mario Monicelli, waves to his fans as he received a tribute during the open ceremony at the 56th San Sebastian Film Festival in San Sebastian, northern Spain in 2008.

of the movie, “Welcome to Collinwood,” starring William H. Macy and George Clooney, was made in 2002.

Monicelli’s 1959 movie “The

Great War” tells the tragicomical story of two young Italians – played by Gassman and Sordi – who try to avoid going to the front during World War I.

heart rather than your head?

“Probably listening to your heart is better because sex is supposed to be an emotional thing,” Tepperman said.

Though I’ve already said this in a previous Sex and the UniverCity article, I feel the need to reiterate that unless you are completely sure you can separate your emotions from sex, listening to your head over your heart is prob-

ably not the best bet.

For those that can separate emotions from sex, listening to your own reasoning why it’s a good idea to have sex with the guy in your English class that you don’t know won’t be a huge issue.

A combination of using your head in a relationship and using your heart when it comes to sex will make a better life for us all.

Alessandra.Petrino@UConn.edu

The Daily Campus, Page 10

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Focus

» TV

» OBITUARY

CBS News overhauls its morning show German tenor Peter Hofmann dies at 66

NEW YORK (AP) – CBS News abruptly gave “The Early Show” a complete makeover in an attempt to freshen the show, replacing co-hosts Harry Smith and Maggie Rodriguez with its current Saturday anchor team of Chris Wragge and Erica Hill.

The network is also replacing weather forecaster Dave Price with Marysol Castro, formerly of ABC’s “Good Morning America” weekend edition, and adding Jeff Glor as the regular news reader.

The new team will start Jan. 3.

There had been little inkling that alterations were afoot, although the show had changed its executive producer, David Friedman, within the past year.

Friedman said he believed the new team had the right energy and chemistry to embark on another effort at lifting the show out of third place in the network morning news ratings.

“It’s less about what we weren’t getting and less about a generational change or a different direction,” Friedman said.

“We just literally think this is the right team going forward.”

“The Early Show” has consistently ranked behind the morning champ, NBC’s “Today” show, and ABC’s “Good Morning America.” The week before Thanksgiving was typical. “Today” averaged 5.6 million viewers each day, “GMA” had 4.6 million and “The Early Show” had 2.9 million, the Nielsen Co. said.

CBS News President Sean McManus said he won’t be expecting any immediate ratings changes in a time where “Today” hasn’t lost a single week in nearly 15 years. But he said he believed the new team will help the show grow.

“This group, I think, will work very well together,” McManus said. “I think the chemistry will be very good.”

“We just felt the timing was

AP

Dave Price, center, performs with Backstreet Boys Howie Dorough and Brian Littrell on CBS News' 'The Early Show' in New York in May. CBS News is completely overhauling 'The Early Show' broadcast team.

right to start planning for the future,” he said.

Smith had the longest tenure on “The Early Show.” He was the sole survivor from 2002 when CBS installed a four-anchor team that included Smith, Hannah Storm, Julie Chen and Rene Syler. Chen still contributes occasional reports to the show; the others have left CBS News.

Smith also hosted a previous CBS morning show from 1987 to 1996. CBS said he’ll stay at the network as a news reporter and primary substitute at the “CBS Evening News,” ‘’Face the Nation” and “Sunday Morning.”

Alerted that changes were coming, Smith said he took a “long walk on a cold golf course” Sunday and reflected on doing the CBS morning show for 17 of the last 25 years. “To be honest, I’m incredibly grate-

ful for the opportunities I’ve had,” he said, confirming that he plans to stay at CBS. “I have given them everything I can possibly give,” said Smith, 59. “I wish the people who follow nothing but the best. God love ‘em, I hope they can move the (ratings) needle more.”

Wragge worked in sports, including a stint as a sideline reporter at events for NBC, until he made the jump to news in 2006. Beside his weekend job at CBS, he had been anchoring local news broadcasts at the network’s New York affiliate, a job he’ll give up to go national.

Hill, who came to CBS from CNN, briefly filled in for Rodriguez last year when Rodriguez was on maternity leave.

She’s the only holdover from the current daily program, although in a different role. Currently, she

reads the newscasts.

Wragge and Hill’s growth as a team has been evident on Saturday mornings, and they’ve proven adept at shifting between hard news and lighter fare, McManus said.

“They’re uniquely suited to each other and to the morning show genre,” he said.

Friedman said it’s an advantage for CBS that its regular viewers know each of the new personalities, except for weather forecaster Castro.

“You’re not introducing somebody to the morning genre that has never been in the morning genre,” he said. “That is a little bit tougher.” That’s likely a reference to the other recent morning transition, where George Stephanopoulos replaced Diane Sawyer as a co-host at “Good Morning America” late last year.

BERLIN (AP) – German tenor Peter Hofmann, who became famous for his performances of Richard Wagner operas, died Tuesday. He was 66.

The Rheinische Post newspaper quoted his brother Fritz Hofmann saying he died at a hospital in Wunsiedel in Bavaria. The mass-circulation newspaper Bild also reported Hofmann’s death after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease.

“Peter Hofmann, unlike few others, bridged the gap between entertainment and serious music,” Culture Minister Bernd Neumann said in a statement. “His accomplishments as rock singer in the Phantom of the Opera, but even more his exceptionally gifted interpretations of Wagner, are unforgettable.”

Hofmann made his name performing at the annual Bayreuth festival celebrating the music of Richard Wagner. He toured stages across the world, including the Metropolitan Opera in New York, and performed as the main character of the Phantom of the Opera musical

AP

Peter Hofmann.

in Hamburg.

His international breakthrough came in 1976, when he played Siegmund in Wagner’s “Ring” cycle at Bayreuth.

Starting in 1990, he starred 300 times in the German version of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical Phantom of the Opera, performed in Hamburg. He also hosted a TV show in Germany and performed Elvis Presley songs on a tour across Europe.

» LEGAL Cops: Thurman stalker called her office NEW YORK (AP) — Officials say a man convicted of stalking Uma Thurman has been arrested in Maryland on charges that he called her office despite a New York court order to leave her alone.

Brooklyn prosecutors say Jack Jordan was arrested Nov. 23 in North Potomac,

Md., on charges of violating a restraining order by calling the actress’s office. He is being held pending extradition to New York, where he will be arraigned on the charge.

It’s unclear whether Jordan has a lawyer. The attorney who previously represented him said Tuesday he hasn’t heard from Jordan.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

The Daily Campus, Page 11

Sports

Gagne lifts Lightning over Maple Leafs 4-3 in OT

TORONTO (AP)—Simon Gagne made an impressive return to the Tampa Bay Lightning lineup, scoring 1:15 into overtime Tuesday night for a 4-3 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The star forward also provided a screen when Martin St. Louis tied the game with just 8.7 seconds left in regulation.

It was quite a night for Gagne, who had missed 18 games with a neck injury. The overtime winner came on a 2-on-1 rush with Brett Clark and was his first goal as a member of the Lightning.

St. Louis had two goals and Ryan Malone also scored for Tampa Bay. Nikolai Kulemin scored twice and Kris Versteeg had the other goal for Toronto.

It was the beginning of an important three-game homestand for a Maple Leafs team

that has dropped eight in a row away from Air Canada Centre.

With the playoffs drifting further from view, this stretch of the schedule seems critical.

Toronto’s struggling offense got a nice gift just 1:25 into the game. Lightning goalie Dan Ellis was unable to handle a long bouncing shoot-in, triggering a play that ended with Versteeg scoring his seventh goal after Tyler Bozak’s attempt went wide.

A familiar story line developed from there as Toronto goalie Jonas Gustavsson was called on to make a couple of tough saves.

He kicked out his right leg to deny Dominic Moore and seemed to distract Dana Tyrell when he stacked the pads on a breakaway chance.

The Maple Leafs appeared to

go ahead 2-0 before the intermission, but Luke Schenn’s goal was quickly waved off because Clarke MacArthur was deemed to have interfered with Ellis. Replays appeared to show Victor Hedman backing the Toronto forward into the crease.

Tampa Bay tied it at 1 after a nice play by Gagne, who was in the lineup for the first time since Oct. 21. He stopped the puck behind the goal and got it quickly to Malone, who beat Gustavsson with a wraparound at 5:18 of the second period.

Kulemin put the Leafs ahead by two goals with a hard shot from the top of the circle on a power play at 11:51 before adding an insurance marker just more than 7 minutes into third, knocking in a loose puck after it had taken a funny bounce off the boards and fooled Ellis.

AP

Lightning's Simon Gagne, left, celebrates after scoring the overtime-winning goal against the Maple Leafs in Toronto on Tuesday.

UConn says it's earned shot at BCS game STORRS, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut isn't making any apologies for putting itself in position to receive a BCS bowl berth.

The four-loss Huskies have been a Division I program for less than a decade, but will earn at least a share of the Big East title, and the conference's automatic BCS bid if they beat South Florida (7-4, 3-3 Big East) Saturday night.

While that might not sit well with people in East Lansing, Mich. or Boise, Idaho, the Huskies (7-4, 4-2) believe that if they win Saturday, they will have earned their spot in what likely will be either the Fiesta or Orange bowl.

"I know that people were giving Boise a lot of stuff, and Boise's a great team, they can play, but why not give us a shot as well," quarterback Zach Frazer asked. "We have a right to be there, if we win out."

UConn holds tiebreakers over West Virginia and Pittsburgh, the other two teams still in the conference race.

After starting the season 3-4, and 0-2 in the conference, the

AP

Sophomore safety Jerome Junior fights off a tackle during UConn's 38-17 victory on Saturday.

Huskies have reeled off wins against the Mountaineers and Panthers, as well as Syracuse and Cincinnati.

Last year, the Huskies also started slowly and finished on a four-game winning streak, beating South Carolina in the PapaJohn's Bowl.

That season, they had to overcome the death of cornerback Jasper Howard. This year, they

lost quarterback Cody Endres, who was suspended from school after failing a third drug test.

"Ever since I've been at UConn, we've always had our backs against the wall and we've always been out there trying to prove ourselves," said Zach Hurd, an offensive tackle and team captain. "This is just another one of those games."

This will be the second time

in program history the Huskies go into a game with a chance to win a BCS bid. In 2007, the Huskies won a share of the Big East title, but West Virginia went to the Fiesta Bowl after beating UConn 66-21 in Morgantown.

Linebacker Lawrence Wilson played in that game, and said it taught him a lesson.

"You've got to be focused," he said. "You've got to try to not so much buy into the hype during the week, but keep your eyes on what's at stake."

This week, there have been rumors swirling around the coach, whose name has been linked to jobs from Miami to Minnesota.

But Edsall said he won't let that become a distraction.

"I have not talked to anybody, nobody has talked to me," Edsall said. "My focus has been on South Florida and getting ready for them. The kids know me. They know what my focus and approach is."

So for now, the Huskies will concentrate on South Florida, and try not to think about the game as being the biggest in the school's history.

UConn recovers from halftime deficit for win from BETTER, page 14 outside and one guy inside consistently,” Calhoun said, referring to Walker and Oriakhi.

“We played terrible in the first half,” said freshman guard Shabazz Napier, who finished with 11 points. “We didn’t play Connecticut basketball. We didn’t play the way we played in Maui. We just showed how immature we are.”

New Hampshire outrebounded the Huskies 39-38, taking advantage of a listless UConn team on the boards.

Oriakhi had three blocks and one rebound in the first half after two personal fouls limited him to eight minutes. Ferg Myrick led the Wildcats with 19 points. James Valladares added 12 and Dane Diliegro had 10 rebounds. The Wildcats played without leading scorer Alvin Abreu who is out with a torn ACL. “I thought our kids really, really competed... I thought we were in a great spot at the half,” said UNH coach Bill Herrion.

UConn had 10 blocks in

the first half and finished with 13 for the game. The Huskies were 8-for-26, 30.8 percent, shooting from the field in the first.

“Things weren’t going right for us,” Walker said. “As a team, we weren’t making any shots. It just wasn’t falling for us in the first half.

The Huskies outscored New Hampshire 39-31 in the second half and took the lead for good with 14:08 left. The Wildcats, 4-2, cut the lead to five with one minute left in the second half before Walker iced the game with four free throws in the final 60 seconds.

“I’m disappointed,” Calhoun said. “I’m not going to waste my time on yesterday, Maui. I will waste my time on today, tomorrow in practice.”

The Husky offense was stagnant through the contest’s first nine minutes. The Wildcats led 11-6 at the 12:30 mark. Myrick hit a 3-pointer to stretch the lead to eight points eight minutes into the half.

Coming out of a media timeout at the 11:21 mark, UConn looked like a differ-

ent team. Roscoe Smith’s block sparked a Walker-led fast break. Walker was fouled and made 1-of-2 free throws.

With Donnell Beverly in, the defense pressed and forced a backcourt violation. Beverly fed a streaking Walker for the easy lay up and two possessions later found Walker again for a 3-pointer. After another Smith swat, Beverly took it himself, driving the lane and and finishing with a lay up to cut the Wildcat lead to two, 16-14, with nine minutes remaining.

New Hampshire, however, would go on a 5-3 run, and the Wildcats held the lead until Walker’s free throws with 40 seconds left in the half tied the game. Valladares hit a 3-pointer on the next possession, but Walker answered with a jump shot at the buzzer to cut the lead to one heading into halftime.

UConn has now won six in a row over UNH, and leads the all-time series 91-25.

Matthew.McDonough@UConn.edu

Write for the Daily Campus sports department!

Meetings Mondays at 8:30 p.m. at the DC, 11 Dog Lane

The Daily Campus, Page 12

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Sports

» MLB

Tulowitzki guaranteed $157.75M by Rockies

DENVER (AP)—Troy Tulowitzki and the Colorado Rockies are looking ahead with 2020 vision.

The sides agreed Tuesday to a new contract that pays Tulowitzki an additional $132 million over seven seasons through 2020, a deal that means Colorado has guaranteed the All-Star shortstop $157.75 million in the next decade.

“I’m really lucky,” Tulowitzki said. “I can’t wait to be here my entire career.”

Tulowitzki wanted to be like his idol, Cal Ripken Jr., who played in just one city, and not his mentor, St. Louis slugger Matt Holliday, whose departure from Denver a couple of years ago after 11 years in the Rockies organization deeply affected him.

“I didn’t want that to happen to me,” Tulowitzki said.

“I wanted to stay here for my career and not deal with all the other stuff. I’m sure he’s in a great place now and I know he’s happy but at the same time, this is where I want to be.”

Tulowitzki’s 10-year contract is the eighth-highest in baseball history, trailing two of Alex Rodriguez’s deals ($275 million and $252 million) and agreements for Derek Jeter ($189 million), Joe Mauer ($184 million), Mark Teixeira ($180 million), CC Sabathia ($161 million) and Manny Ramirez ($160 million).

The genesis of the extension was a heart-to-heart talk with general manager Dan O’Dowd in his office at season’s end.

“They were just discussions about life,” O’Dowd said.

“The maturity of understanding the continuity and stability of things and what he’s trying to become as a man led me to say to our owner, ‘I think maybe we should explore this right now.”’

A second chat in O’Dowd’s office, this time with team owner Dick Monfort sitting in, got the negotiating started on the deal.

“I said it definitely is a possibility I want to be here my whole career, but there’s a lot of things that have to work out, such as money, such as a commitment to winning,” Tulowitzki said. “And all the answers I received from the beginning stayed on a straight line. They never veered off.

And they sold me.”

And the Rockies paid him.

Tulowitzki, 26, already had been guaranteed $25.75 million through 2013 under the $31 million, six-year contract he agreed to in January 2008.

Asked about the character-

Colorado Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki talks to the media Tuesday in Denver during a news conference announcing his contract extension through the 2020 season.

ization that the Rockies ownership hasn’t been committed to winning, O’Dowd said: “I will say this, that we’re not committed to winning at all costs.”

“Maybe there’s a perception we’re not committed to winning because we don’t go out and do the Mike Hampton and Denny Neagle thing anymore, but if

you didn’t notice that didn’t work out too well,” O’Dowd said of Colorado’s colossal contracts that blew up in the franchise’s face in the early 2000s.

“And so we are committed to try to hold onto our own internal players before we hold onto anything external.”

Both sides are taking risks:

Tulowitzki will be 35 by the time the contract expires and he could have some monster years during that time.

Despite missing 33 games with a broken wrist last season, Tulowitzki won his first Gold Glove and NL Silver Slugger awards after hitting .315 with 27 homers and 95 RBIs.

AP

“They felt like they had a guy they wanted to be the face of the franchise and they came after him,” Tulowitzki said. “And on my side, I love the game and that’s more than enough money than I’ll ever need in my entire lifetime.”

Tulowitzki said he believes the Rockies are on the cusp of

something big and that ownership promised him he won’t have to carry the load by himself.

The Rockies are hoping to have these kinds of big contract announcements regarding ace Ubaldo Jimenez and star slugger Carlos Gonzalez in winters to come, although it could prove an insurmountable challenge to keep both of them in purple pinstripes beyond 2014, when they would become free agents.

The Rockies are close to securing prized left-hander Jorge De La Rosa for a couple of years, keeping one of the most sought-after arms on the open market from leaving Denver. O’Dowd said there was still some issues to be ironed out, such as getting De La Rosa from his native Mexico to Denver for a physical.

“De La Rosa was a huge acquisition for us,” Tulowitzki said. “You’re talking about a guy that we had that has top-notch stuff.

A lot of teams were after him but at the end of the day he kind of realized like I did that you don’t get what you get here in every place.

“He loves playing here, I know that. He wanted to be a part of this for the next two or three years. I’m sure he turned down some money to stay here and that’s what it’s all about.

If you want to make a commitment, do it. If you don’t, go and get the top dollar, but you might not be the happiest.”

Tulowitzki receives $5.5 million next year, $8.25 million in 2012 and $10 million in 2013 as part of his previous contract, which contained a $15 million team option for 2014 with a $2 million buyout.

Under the new deal, he receives $16 million in 2014, $20 million in each of the following five seasons and $14 million in 2020. Colorado gets a $14 million option for 2021 with a $4 million buyout.

In both 2020 and 2021, if it’s exercised, Tulowitzki’s salary could escalate by up to $6 million annually depending on his finish in MVP voting, whether he is an All-Star or earns Gold Glove or Silver Slugger awards and other criteria.

Tulowitzki has finished fifth in MVP voting the last two seasons.

“I want to be the best player in this game,” Tulowitzki said.

But more than that, he wants to win a World Series, and now he’s got 10 more chances to do it in Colorado.

“It’s an important day for our franchise,” O’Dowd said, “but hopefully we have a lot more important days in front of us.”

Notebook: Edsall hoping Todman can continue Zielinski: Heat need to appoint a leader from GIVING, page 14 “I hope he’s got one more left in him,” Edsall said. “We’re smart with him during the week, we don’t let him get beat up, he gets as many reps as he needs to get to be prepared for the game.”

Reyes had three tackles and an interception he returned 79 yards for a touchdown. And although Lawrence Wilson took the touchdown away after a block in the back, Reyes was all over the field against the Bearcats.

“Kendall’s really stepped it up and is playing very well,”

Edsall said. “He’s being a tremendous leader. He’s creating havoc in there, in the middle.

He’s going to need to continue to do that because he has some tough match ups this weekend.”

TCU moves to the Big East Edsall said he congratulated TCU coach Gary Patterson on the Horned Frogs move from the Mountain West to the Big East, effective in 2012.

“I’m excited about it,” Edsall said. “I think it strengthens us from a football end and from an allsports situation. I’ve been on that campus before; they have great

facilities, a solid athletic department down there. Your getting a tremendous football program coming into the conference.”

Some people have said the move does not make sense geographically, but Edsall shuns that talk.

“It’s ridiculous, that’s ludicrous,” Edsall said. “The Big East went out and just made a move that makes the conference stronger. You really get sick sometimes about all the negativity. To me it’s a really positive step.”

Matthew.McDonough@UConn.edu

McDonough: Give NASCAR’s Johnson credit from JIMMIE, page 14

Westwood and has lost a little bit of popularity in some circles of fans after cheating on Elin Nordegren. Federer has had to battle rival Rafael Nadal on the court for the world’s No. 1 ranking, while Johnson has controlled his sport for the most part. Bryant plays in a team sport, but the Black Mamba still hasn’t won every MVP or NBA title in the last half-decade. If you want to compare him to teams, no pro sports team has won five championships since the Celtics won eight in a row from 1959-1966.

Johnson has won 53 career races and his fifth champion-

ship puts him two ahead of Cale Yarborough’s three-in-arow from 1976-79. NASCAR greats like Richard Petty, David Pearson, Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon have never won more than two straight titles.

In his 2010 drive to five, Johnson won six times, had 17 top-five finishes and had 23 toptens, including one win up the road at Loudon, N.H. It wasn’t an easy title run for him, as he became the first driver in the seven-year history of the Sprint Cup to win the championship after trailing in points heading into the final race.

Like a true champion, when many experts thought his streak would end, Johnson turned it into another gear (possibly literally) and legged out another championship.

The No. 48 car will be synonymous with our generation of NASCAR drivers whether we pay any attention to it or not.

Johnson’s streak of five straight Sprint Cups should go up there with another impressive streak that is taking place right on campus. No matter what the sport, women’s basketball or racing, whether you’re a fan of it or not, it should be admired and respected.

I’ve never watched a full lap of NASCAR on television, let alone a full race. But next season during the Chase I may tune into a few of Jimmie Johnson’s races.

Even if I just flip it on when I’m ready to take a nap.

Matthew.McDonough@UConn.edu

to find success in Miami this winter

from COLD, page 14 direction by labeling communication as an area requiring improvement. Although further improvement is needed, coaching is not the central issue, as the true problem and solution lie within the “Big 3”.

Basketball is a team game; don’t let anyone tell you differently. But basketball is not a game of limiting the talents of superstars and deciding who will play what role on a given night. In other words, what James, Wade and Bosh need to do is be selfish. Yes, that’s correct; I’m advocating selfishness as a solution.

The Heat’s current system of alternating the scoring leader on a per game basis, coupled with trying to be completely equal, is a fantasy. Let me be clear, I am not suggesting that Heat players start focusing solely on individual performance. That is a preposterous concept and guarantees futility. Rather, I am suggesting that the solution to the Heat’s problem will come with the emergence of a leader. As it stands, the Heat have three leaders, and have essentially created a team within a team.

The desire to share the ball, scoring and glory is commendable, but praise means

nothing if you aren’t winning.

Thus, I propose that the Heat decide who the “go–to guy” is going to be and run with it.

The easiest and most logical solution points to James being annointed as the front man, the reigning MVP is the most talented player on the team and, more importantly, is used to having the ball in his hands.

Nonetheless, regardless of who is labeled the alpha player, the situation will not be easy immediately. As much as they preach the “all for one and one for all” motto, egos definitely might be bruised. However, if Miami is serious about winning, then the players will get over these smaller issues. To understand this solution, one needs to look no further than the current champions, the Lakers. With Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol forming one the best duos in the league, there is still no question as to who the leader is. Even when Gasol is excelling, which is pretty much every game, Bryant will always be the go–to guy on the floor. Clearly, if they plan on being the champs, the Heat need to follow suit and find a system that utilizes the superstars, but with a defined leader at the helm.

All in all, the versatility of scoring options that

once was the Heat’s biggest strength now appears to be their biggest roadblock to success. Undoubtedly, the Heat are in a class of their own when it comes to talent. Unfortunately, the equality they seek to maintain has unintentionally put a cap on the superstar talents of James, Wade and Bosh. By working to maintain a common balance, the Heat have created an environment conducive to streaky players, going for 30 one night and then single digits the next. What the Heat should strive for is to have the talents of one individual flourish, so that others benefit from the consistency provided by a leader. To visualize, simply rewind to a year ago, when James had an extremely less talented team but a substantially better record. The most importance difference is that this year, James and the Heat have a team talented enough to win it all. Call it a crossroads, call it a turning point, call it whatever you prefer; but whatever you choose, the underlying theme is obvious. To move forward as a team, the Miami Heat need the emergence of one from the trio of superstars.

Chris.Zielinski@UConn.edu

TWO Wednesday, December 1, 2010

The Daily Question Q: Who will win the NFC West?

A: “The 49ers. Momentum is on their side.”

PAGE 2

Tomorrow’s Question:

Will UConn men’s basketball finish the season higher or lower than its current No. 7 AP ranking?

Hardik Vyas, 3rd-semester biology major

What's Next

Home game

The Daily Campus, Page 13

Sports

» That’s what he said

The Daily Roundup

Away game Gampel Pavilion, XL Center

“I’d sign up for that again.”

Football (7-4) Dec. 4 USF 8:00 p.m.

– Jets coach Rex Ryan on his team’s two interceptions against Patriots quarterback Tom Brady in Week 2.

TBA Bowl Game TBA

» MLB Dodgers trade INF Theriot to Cards for Hawksworth

Rex Ryan.

» Pic of the day

ST. LOUIS (AP)—The St. Louis Cardinals got a new infielder in Ryan Theriot, the Los Angeles Dodgers fortified their bullpen with Blake Hawksworth.

Dealing from surplus after signing free agent infielder Juan Uribe, the Dodgers sent Theriot to St. Louis for Hawksworth on Tuesday.

The Cardinals completed another deal, too, signing free agent pitcher Brian Tallet. Theriot and Tallet were teammates on the 2000 LSU team that won the NCAA title.

Theriot hit .270 with 29 RBIs last season while with the Chicago Cubs and Dodgers. He has played both middle infield spots, but prefers shortstop.

“We felt this was a really good fit for us,” Mozeliak said. “This is not necessarily the last move we’re going to make between now and opening day, but if we did have to start today he would likely be our shortstop.”

Music to Theriot’s ears.

“I think every player as a competitor should go in there with that mindset,” Theriot said in a conference call. “I don’t want to be that utility player, I want to be out there playing. I can’t help a team if I’m sitting on the bench.”

Look ma, one hand

Men’s Basketball (6-0) Dec. 8 Dec. 20 Dec. 22 Friday Dec. 27 FairleighCoppin St. Harvard UMBC Pittsburgh Dickinson 7:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. 8:30 p.m.

7:00 p.m.

7:30 p.m.

Women’s Basketball (6-0) Tomorrow USF 7:00 p.m.

Dec. 5 Dec. 21 Dec. 9 Dec. 19 Sacred Marquette Ohio St. Florida St. Heart 7:30 p.m. 2:30 p.m. 7:00 p.m.

1:00 p.m.

Men’s Hockey (3-6-3) Friday Dec. 4 Niagara Niagara 7:05 p.m. 7:05 p.m.

Dec. 10 Dec. 29 Sacred Holy Cross Heart 7:15 p.m.

7:05 p.m.

» NFL 49ers must prepare to move forward without RB Gore

Dec. 30 TBA TBA

Women’s Hockey (6-8-1) Dec. 4 Boston University 1:00 p.m.

Jan. 2 Dec. 8 Jan. 1 Dec. 5 Union Dartmouth Dartmouth Providence 1:00 p.m. 2:00 p.m. 4:00 p.m. 2:00 p.m.

Men’s Track and Field Jan. 21 Jan. 29 Jan. 20 Feb. 4 Jan. 15 UConn Great Dane Saturday Night Collegiate Yale Invite at the Armory Heptathalon Invite Invite 9:00 a.m.

5:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m. 9:00 a.m.

TBA

Women’s Track and Field Jan. 15 Armory Invite All Day

Jan. 22 URI Invite 10:30 a.m.

Feb. 5 Jan. 28/29 Feb. 4/5 Penn St. New Balance Giegengack Invite Invite Invite All Day All Day 2:00 p.m.

AP

Miami’s Durand Scott shoots a jumper against Mississippi in an NCAA college basketball game at the BankUnited Center in Coral Gables on Tuesday. Scott had 27 points, 6 rebounds and six assists in Miami’s 86-72 win.

Men’s Swimming and Diving Dec. 4 Harvard 2:00 p.m.

Jan. 29 Jan. 28 Jan. 22 Feb. 5 Bucknell Seton Hall Bucknell Yale Invitational 1:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m.

1:00 p.m.

Noon

Feb. 11 Jan. 29 Feb. 5 Jan. 28 Big East Bucknell Yale Bucknell Championships Invitational 1:00 p.m.

6:00 p.m.

All Day All Day

What's On TV

NCAA BASKETBALL: No. 6 Michigan State at No. 1 Duke 9:30 p.m. | ESPN Senior guard Kalin Lucas and the Spartans face senior guard Nolan Smith and the Blue Devils tonight at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Michigan State is 5-1 with its only loss coming to UConn by the score of 70-67. Since the loss, coach Tom Izzo’s team has won two straight coming into tonight’s matchup.

Duke is 6-0 with its best win against then No. 4 Kansas State by a score of 82-68. Tonight, the defending NCAA champions will look to stay undefeated on the season.

AP

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP)—Frank Gore’s season is over—and what a hit for the San Francisco offense.

The 49ers placed their star running back on season-ending injured reserve Tuesday. Gore fractured his right hip during the Niners’ 27-6 win at Arizona on Monday night and was scheduled to undergo further tests to determine the severity of the injury. The team made the announcement less than two hours after Mike Singletary’s weekly news conference, then released a statement from the coach.

“It is unfortunate that we had to place Frank on IR,” Singletary said. “He is not only a great football player, but a tremendous leader. He plays with such passion and desire, two traits that will serve him well as he recovers from the injury.”

Singletary said he wasn’t sure when Gore got hurt. The two-time Pro Bowler, in his sixth NFL season, ran for 853 yards and three touchdowns this season and also caught a team-leading 46 passes for 452 yards and two TDs. Gore’s 24 100-yard rushing games are the most in 49ers franchise history.

Losing him is a big blow for San Francisco, which at 4-7 is only a game out in the NFC West despite an 0-5 start.

THE Storrs Side

THE Pro Side

UConn in position to win Big East and claim spot in BCS game

Auburn claims No. 1 BCS ranking after win over Alabama

By Colin McDonough Senior Staff Writer

Women’s Swimming and Diving Jan. 22 Seton Hall 1:00 p.m.

E-mail your answers, along with your name, semester standing and major, to sports@dailycampus.com. The best answer will appear in tomorrow’s paper.

On Oct. 23, the UConn football team was left for dead. The Huskies were 3-4 and 0-2 in the Big East. Louisville blew out UConn 26-0 and dropped the Huskies to last place in the conference. Now, more than a month later, UConn heads to South Florida with a chance to wrap up the Big East championship and give the school its first BCS berth.

The Huskies have reeled off four big wins in a row to put themselves in position to clinch the conference title, and when they kick off against the Bulls at Raymond James Stadium at 8 p.m. on Sunday, they will need the momentum from their four-game winning streak.

It started with a 16-13 overtime win versus West Virginia.

The Huskies came back from an early 10-0 deficit to win on a Dave Teggart boot in the extra period to beat the Mountaineers for the first time in school history.

Next up was Big East leader Pitt. UConn converted a key fourth down on their own 19-yard line with a Jordan Todman run to

ice the game.

Syracuse posed a challenge, that the Huskies passed, to get their first road win of the season. After Pitt lost again to West Virginia, it put the Huskies in the driver’s seat to a BCS bowl.

Finally, UConn did not disappoint on Senior Day and dispatched Cincinnati in its final home game to move within a victory over USF of a possible Fiesta or Orange Bowl berth.

It seems incredible that the Huskies have given themselves a chance to win the conference after starting out so slowly. Coach Randy Edsall credits the turnaround to the end of off-the-field distractions (i.e. Cody Endres).

Although Edsall and the team do not want to talk about the implications that Saturday’s game holds to the program, UConn’s improbable transformation in the latter part of the season should not go unnoticed. An 8-4 unranked team may spark controversy making the Fiesta Bowl out of the weak Big East conference. But with the BCS in college football, nothing should surprise anyone anymore.

Colin.McDonough@UConn.edu

By Dan Agabiti Staff Writer This week, there is a new team atop the BCS standings. Auburn’s 28–27 win over Alabama in Tuscaloosa was enough to catapult them from No. 2 to No. 1, bumping also undefeated Oregon down to No. 2.

But the question looms as to whether or not Auburn deserved the move past Oregon. Both of the human polls that factor into the BCS rankings declared Oregon to be the top team in the nation.

While it does not matter which team is No. 1 and which team is No. 2–the top two teams make the National Championship Game–the debate rages on.

Auburn supporters say that their four wins over top–25 talent within the toughest conference in football, the SEC, should be more than enough to get them to No. 1, and they should stay there.

Oregon’s case rests on the fact that they are undefeated as well, and boast three victories against top–25 teams, two of which

came on the road. Combine that with the fact that their offense is the highest in the nation, averaging more than 50 points per game, and the Ducks have a solid case for the No. 1 spot.

Arkansas joins the top–10 A win over LSU for Arkansas bumped them up from No. 12 to No. 7. Now have nothing to do but wait and see how the rest of the season plays out. It is obvious that they will be playing a bowl game in January, but where that game is and who they are playing is still yet to be determined.

Bye bye, Boise The biggest loser of this weekend was Boise State. They came two chip–shots away from making another BCS bowl game. Their loss to Nevada takes them out of the top–10 and out of BCS contention.

Where they will be playing their bowl game is unknown, but what is known is that it is not going to involve fiestas, oranges, roses or sugar.

Daniel.Agabiti@UConn.edu

» INSIDE SPORTS TODAY

P.13: Dodgers trade Theriot to Cardinals. / P.12: Rockies lock up Tulowitzki through 2020. / P.11: Lightning beat Leafs 4-3 in OT.

Page 14

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Jimmie Johnson deserves his due

Colin McDonough People around here don’t watch NASCAR much. The only exposure to the sport in the region is the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 (formerly the New England 300) at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Other than that, most sports fans have a plethora of pro and college teams to follow in the area.

Most people probably would rather take a long, relaxing nap on their La-Z-boy than watch a full NASCAR race. Who knows? Maybe people turn on stock car races to fall asleep.

Regardless, Jimmie Johnson should receive credit where credit is due.

Johnson won his fifth consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Series by beating out Denny Hamlin and Kenny Harvick at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 21. Johnson finished second in the race to Carl Edwards, but raced well enough to win a record fifth title.

Johnson’s accomplishment may have been overshadowed over Thanksgiving break by football and turkey, but it is finally time to take notice of one of the best drivers in history, even if we’re in New England.

Johnson has dominated his sport more in the last five years than Tiger Woods, Roger Federer and Kobe Bryant did theirs. Woods has only won four majors in the last five years, while battling injuries and personal issues. Woods has lost his No. 1 ranking to Lee

www.dailycampus.com

Football faces USF eyeing Big East crown

By Colin McDonough Senior Staff Writer

conference title and a first-ever BCS berth at South Florida on Saturday night.

“We’ve won and stayed in the hunt,” Edsall said. “Now if we win, we win a championship. And with that championship comes the reward of going to a BCS game.”

The UConn football team is preparing for its biggest game in school history. But coach Randy Edsall and the Huskies are trying to keep it business as usual.

“The guys have put themselves in position Edsall’s future to accomplish the goals Edsall’s name they want to accomNotebook has swirled around plish,” Edsall said. in recent years for “We’ve been playing one-game coaching vacancies across the seasons; if we lost one we were nation. This season, Edsall’s done. This game is no different name has been mentioned to fill than all those other games that voids at Miami or Minnesota. we just played. If you win you But the all-time winningest move on, if you don’t win you coach in UConn history is not don’t get as big a prize.” saying a word about anything After starting 0-2 in confer- other than leading the Huskies ence play, UConn has won its to the BCS. last four games to give itself a “There’s nothing to talk chance to clinch the Big East about,” Edsall said. “I have not

FOOTBALL

talked to anybody, nobody’s talked to me. There is no need to address it. The kids know me.

They know what my focus and my approach is. I’m just getting ready for South Florida and that’s the bottom line.”

Big East honors Although the Huskies are vying for the ultimate Big East team award, Jordan Todman and Kendall Reyes received individual conference accolades this week. Todman was named Big East offensive player of the week after scoring three touchdowns while gaining 175 yards on the ground in the Huskies’ 38-17 over Cincinnati on Saturday. Edsall hopes Todman will have enough left in the tank for another monster performance to lead them to the BCS.

» NOTEBOOK page 12

LILIAN DUREY/The Daily Campus

Junior running back Robbie Frey runs the ball in UConn’s 38-17 win over Cincinnati Friday.

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER

Walker scores 30 in comeback 62-55 win

By Matt McDonough Associate Sports Editor

Another America East opponent, another halftime deficit.

After trailing 24-23 at the half, the No. 7 UConn men’s basketball team, in its first game since winning the Maui Invitational, used a better second half, led by junior captain Kemba Walker, to sneak past New Hampshire 62-55 before 8,558 at Gampel Pavilion.

Walker finished with a game-high 30 points, which put him two points shy of becoming the 45th Husky with 1,000 career points.

Sophomore center Alex Oriakhi had seven points and 10 rebounds in 25 minutes. The Huskies trailed Vermont 36-33 at the half on Thursday, but Walker’s 42 points carried them to a 89-73 blowout win. This time around, however, UConn (6-0) did just enough to win the game, causing disappointed looks on the players’ faces and a displeased coach Jim Calhoun.

“We certainly didn’t take a step forward by any stretch of the imagination, which is what I wanted this team to continue to do,” Calhoun said, noting that his team lacked focus and good body language throughout the game.

Calhoun said Walker bailed the team out again, and the teamwork that went on during Sunday’s good practice did not translate to the game.

“It’s getting to the point where there’s one guy

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» McDONOUGH page 12

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Cold winter looms for Heat

By Chris Zielinski NBA Columnist Sometimes the spotlight is unavoidable. Surprise to no one, the Miami Heat can testify to this notion better than anyone else in the NBA. My sentiments go out to San Antonio, whose inspired play has led them to first place in their conference and rightfully deserves more notice from the NBA community. Likewise, someone give Russell Westbrook a pat on the back, as he unquestionably should receive more attention for his continuous outshining of MVP favorite Kevin Durant.

Yet, this is the norm in the NBA this season; a season where headlines come to die, and we all knew it was coming.

Riveting storylines flow in and out on a weekly basis, but like a royal flush, the microscopic analysis of the Heat trumps all.

Injuries, lack of chemistry and player and coach frustration have all become synonymous with the Heat. A win over the rebuilding Wizards is now considered an accomplishment, whereas a month ago, it was considered about as guaranteed as Good Ole Tom telling you gold is at a 20-year high. Yes, with a current five–game stretch of easier opponents, a winning streak is nearing for the Heat, but this temporary success cannot conceal the obvious issue: the Heat need a solution.

For many, the return of Pat Riley is the focal point of the proposed solution. However, this is not the issue, as current coach Erik Spoelestra needs more time with the team. As a matter of fact, he has already moved the team in the right

» ZIELINSKI page 12

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JIM ANDERSON/The Daily Campus

Sophomore center Alex Oriakhi dunks the ball over UNH defenders during UConn’s 62-55 win over the Wildcats in Gampel Pavilion on Tuesday night.

» UCONN, page 11

Walker saves UConn from hangover loss to UNH

By Mac Cerullo Sports Editor Returning home from a hugely successful week in Maui, the Huskies looked as if they would’ve rather stayed in Hawaii.

Though UConn managed to win the game by seven points, UNH significantly outworked the Huskies, leading 24-23 at the half and repeatedly hitting big shots to keep the game close until the very end.

“They simply outplayed us, outworked us,” Calhoun said. “It was the first time all year it was not fun coaching this team.”

The most telling statistic was the offensive rebound differential. UNH pulled down 18 offensive rebounds, translating into 16 second-chance points.

The Huskies also turned the half was far worse, howevball over 12 times, leading er, with Walker scoring 15 to an additional 14 points points and nobody else on the for the Wildcats. team scoring more Though sophothan two. more forward Alex Despite the Oriakhi helped apparent lack of calm things down focus, Calhoun in the second half, insisted that the his absence for performance had much of the first nothing to do with half due to early the team’s new No. Notebook foul trouble led to 7 national ranking. huge problems in “ N o t h i n g the paint, where the Wildcats to do with rankings, we did much of their damage weren’t ranked when we early on. beat Kentucky but we were In the end, the difference ranked tonight and neither wound up being Kemba Walker. one of them are jump shots “We had Kemba offensive- or boxing out or getting ly, and then we had very little rebounds,” Calhoun said. else,” Calhoun said. “Kemba “Being ranked had nothing bailed us out again.” to do with anything.”

Calhoun said that the team Walker scored 30 points in the game, with the only other had an excellent practice on Husky scoring in double fig- Sunday, but despite that, the ures being freshman Shabazz team wasn’t ready to play Napier, who had 11. The first last night.

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Walker closes in on 1000 Kemba Walker came within a basket of reaching the 1,000 career points mark in last night’s win, falling just short at 998 in his 76th career game.

He will almost certainly pass that mark on Friday when the Huskies take on UMBC. Had Walker reached the mark last night, he would have tied Tony Hanson for the most points scored by a player in a game to reach 1,000 career points. Hanson scored 32 points at Maine on Jan. 17, 1976 to reach the mark.

Last night Walker finished with 30.

“It’s big time, of course there’s some great players that’ve come through here who’ve scored 1000,” Walker said. “It’s definitely a big accomplishment for me.”

Walker will be the 45th player in UConn history to

reach the milestone, and the 15th player to reach the mark in his junior year. The most recent player to pass the 1,000 career points mark at UConn was Stanley Robinson, who reached 1,000 career points on Jan. 13 of last season against Pittsburgh.

Ollie back on the bench

Assistant coach Kevin Ollie was back on the sidelines to make his coaching debut after missing the Huskies’ first five games due to an eye injury suffered at practice on Nov. 10.

Ollie was stretching with the team before practice when a band snapped and struck him in the eye. He had not coached since, but did make the trip to Maui to be with the team during the tournament.

Michael.Cerullo@UConn.edu