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LIFE & ARTS • PAGE 6

Historic setting offers playground for assassins The latest release in the “Assassin’s Creed” series gives players the opportunity to build up a cadre of fellow assassins in Rome. Read The Daily’s AJ Lansdale’s review.

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Monday, November 29, 2010

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Regents postpone policy changes Proposal that would give OU greater leeway in hiring, firing was pulled from agenda DANNY HATCH The Oklahoma Daily

The OU Board of Regents will not discuss a proposed staff handbook addition that would shift OU to an at-will employment doctrine during Tuesday’s meeting. The changes are being protested by the Students for a Democratic Society and the Living Wage for OU Coalition. The item will not be discussed or voted on at Tuesday and Wednesday’s regularly scheduled meetings in Norman, according to an email sent by OU Vice President and General

Counsel Anil Gollahalli. “Most of the changes are being done to President David Boren requested that the move universities closer to the at-will docproposal be postponed, univertrine, which allows employers to do what sity spokesman Chris Shilling they want with their employees for no reaONLINE AT said. son,” DeLozier said. “The state allows at“President Boren wanted to OUDAILY.COM will doctrine, but it’s our position that the personally review the policy university is historically responsible for before discussing,” Shilling » Link: OU Board providing employees with a stable work said. “I think he wants to put an of Regents meeting environment.” amount of time into looking at agenda At this time, Shilling and DeLozier do it and discussing it with his emnot know if the proposal will be addressed ployees before he brings it up to the Board of at the Jan. 26 and 27 OU Board of Regents Regents.” meeting in Oklahoma City. Grant DeLozier, political science and new “We didn’t receive word of that,” DeLozier graphic design junior, is a member of Students for a Democratic Society and an organizer of SEE REGENTS PAGE 2 the Living Wage for OU Coalition.

FOOTBALL | STOOPS LEADS SOONERS TO 8TH CONFERENCE TITLE GAME

MATT CARNEY/THE DAILY

Football coach Bob Stoops celebrates after the Sooners’ 47-41 win over the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Saturday in Stillwater. The win created a three-way tie atop the Big 12 South standings between OU, OSU and Texas A&M. The Sooners were No. 9 in Sunday’s BCS rankings, which gave OU the tiebreaker and will send the Sooners to the Big 12 Championship game against Nebraska on Saturday in Arlington, Texas. Student football season ticket holders can reserve up to four bowl game student tickets online at 7 a.m. Tuesday. If any are left over, non-student season ticket holders can purchase them at the Athletics Ticket Office starting at 10 a.m. Requests for group seating will be available from 10 a.m. Tuesday to 5 p.m. Friday. Group forms must be completed at the Athletics Ticket Office and are limited to 20 students per group. However, group seating is not guaranteed. Students need to purchase a ticket prior to making a group request. Tickets can be purchased by current OU student football season ticket holders online at www.soonersports.com. For more coverage of the OU-OSU football game, see page 5.

Student to run for City Council Long interest in city politics leads sophomore to run for Ward 7 representative CHASE COOK The Oklahoma Daily

An OU sophomore announced his decision to run for Ward 7 City Council member, taking his frustrations with city government into his own hands. “When a city starts expanding outward, it becomes very cost prohibitive for cities to provide services,” said Stephen Holman, political science sophomore. “We have to build fire stations and police stations further away.” He said one of his major concerns with Norman is its expansion outward. Holman feels that Norman should encourage building upward and creating more density. He said he wants help make Norman a city that keeps students and families in the area. He decided to run for Ward 7 after Doug Cubberley announced he wasn’t running again. Cubberley did a great job for this city, Holman said. Holman also cited his devotion to city politics as a contributing factor to his candidacy. He said he started watching the City Council channel in sixth grade and began attending their meetings in high school. “As of the last three years,” Holman said. “I’ve missed four City Council meetings.” Alan Atkins, City Council member of Ward 1 who is not seeking re-election, said a younger member could bring a fresh perspective, but anyone running should be wary of the work involved. “It is a challenging position,” Atkins said. “You are working with your peers to come up with policies that are better for the entire community.” The Norman City Council is separated into eight wards. Each ward represents a different section of the city and residents of that ward vote for the candidates specific to their ward. Two Norman residents have announced they will run for Ward 1: Chris Lewis and Roger Gallagher. Other than Holman, no one has announced a bid for Ward 7. “There is no other town I would rather live in Oklahoma,” Holman said. The Norman City Council primary election is March 1.

Victorian Christmas celebration to include shopping Historical Moore-Lindsey House will bring various vendors to it’s traditional holiday festivities EMILY HOPKINS The Oklahoma Daily

For the first time, visitors can shop while they peruse the decorations at the Moore-Lindsey Hou s e Vi c t o r i a n C h r i s t ma s celebration. “ T h e e v e nt i s a Vi c t o r i a n Christmas open house, so it’s mostly just immersing you in how the Victorians would celebrate their Christmas,” said Angela

Gutierrez, curator of the house and cur rent Oklahoma City Community College student. The Moore-Lindsey House, located at 508 N. Peters Ave., was built in 1899 by William and Agnes Moore. The Moores moved in 1907 and sold it to their niece, Daisy Lindsey, and her husband. The city of Norman purchased the house in 1973 to turn it into a museum. This year, for the first time, there will be vendors at the house during the Dec. 10 Christmas celebration.

A LOOK AT WHAT’S NEW AT Read about how the holiday weekend made fashion blogger Chelsea Cawood thankful for jeggings, trapper hats and lingerie

“People will want to come to this event to look at the museum all prettied up and also to learn about the Victorian Christmas and how they would decorate the house, as well as coming and enjoying Norman’s history and having some snacks and helping the museum grow,” Gutierrez said. Employees of the house try to make its appearance different every Christmas by rearranging furniture and adding new decorations. “We have all of the various rooms in the house decorated,” said Vernon Maddux, president of

the Cleveland Country Historical Society. “We’ll also have the mannequins set up wearing Victorian dresses.” The Victorian Christmas event is held in conjunction w ith the 2nd Friday Circuit of Art, a monthly tour of the arts district hosted by the Norman Arts Council. “With the 2nd Friday, a lot of times we’ll have businesses or organizations participate by being open later that night or doing some special programming,” said Erinn Gavaghan, Norman Arts Council executive director.

INDEX Campus .............. 2 Classifieds .......... 4 Life & Arts ........... 6 Opinion .............. 3 Sports ................ 5

If you go WHAT: Victorian Christmas at the Moore-Lindsey House WHEN: 6 to 9 p.m. Dec. 10 WHERE: 508 N. Peters Ave. INFO: The event is hosted by the Cleveland County Historical Society. For more information, call 405-321-0156.

TODAY’S WEATHER 60°| 32° Tuesday: Sunny, high of 51 degrees Visit the Oklahoma Weather Lab at owl.ou.edu

2 • Monday, November 29, 2010

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CAMPUS

Reneé Selanders, managing editor dailynews@ou.edu • phone: 405-325-3666

Mall opens early for Black Friday Shoppers flock to mall for early morning sales, look for deals and tradition at local stores CHASE COOK The Oklahoma Daily

Today around campus » Sooner Ballroom Dance Club will hold a ballroom dance class 2 to 10 p.m. in the Oklahoma Memorial Union’s Molly Shi Boren Ballroom. » Pan American Student Association will meet 6 to 8 p.m. in the Union’s Associates Room.

On Black Friday, Sooner Mall allowed retail stores to open at midnight for the first time since it opened in 1975. About 10 stores decided to open at midnight, said Lynn Palmerton, senior general manager for General Growth Properties. JCPenney did not open at midnight. Kim Eddy, a JCPenney employee since July, said a line of people were waiting to come through the doors when she arrived to work at 3:45 a.m. “I was dreading coming to work today,” Eddy said. However, Eddy said she had a good experience and would be willing to work it a second time around. Stephanie Haley, JCPenney manager and 1988 OU alumna, has been working for JCPenney for 22 years. The store’s busiest hours are in the morning while time sensitive deals are still available, she said.

» Pre Medical Profession Club will meet 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Union’s Traditions Room.

REGENTS: To discuss land purchase, benefits

» Saudi Student Association will meet 7 to 9 p.m. in the Union’s Scholars Room.

Continued from page 1

Tuesday, Nov. 30 » The Transfer Student Advisory Board will host a transfer leadership class 3 to 4 p.m. in the Union’s Heritage Room. » Sooner Ballroom Dance Club will meet 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. in the Union’s Will Rogers Room. » OU Improv Club will meet 7 to 9 p.m. in the Union’s Frontier Room.

Wednesday, Dec. 1 » Society of Chinese Students & Scholars will meet 4:30 to 6 p.m. in the Union’s Sooner Room. » Sooner Curling Club will meet 6 to 7 p.m. in the Union’s Heritage Room. » Student Longboarding Association will meet 8 to 9:30 p.m. in the Union’s Alma Wilson Room.

Thursday, Dec. 2 » Latino Student Life will meet 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Union’s Alma Wilson Room. » Dances From Around the World will take place 6 to 9 p.m. in the Union’s Molly Shi Boren Ballroom. » Baptist Student Union Paradigm will meet 8 to 10 p.m. in the Union’s Meacham Auditorium.

Friday, Dec. 3 » African Christian Fellowship will meet 7 to 10 p.m. in the Union’s Frontier Room. » Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Friends will host a Gender Bender Ball from 8 p.m. to midnight in the Union’s Scholars Room.

Saturday, Dec. 4 » The Sooner Ballroom Dance Club will host a Snow Ball from 8 to 11 p.m. in the Union’s Molly Shi Boren Ballroom. The club will offer ballroom dance lessons from 7 to 8 p.m. » O.U. Improv! will perform 8 to 10 p.m. in the Union’s Scholars Room.

said. “We’re gonna watch what happens.” Although the regents will not discuss additions to the staff handbook, the will look at a number of additional items. They will discuss amendments to OU ’s Defined Contr ibution Plan and Retirement Policy. Also on the agenda is a resolution to honor newly named Rhodes Scholar Sarah Swenson. Swenson, zoology senior, became OU’s third Rhodes Scholar in 11 years, and its 28th since the scholarship was established. Boren also recommends that the Board begin to plan for the football team’s

OU to host Quidditch tournament Hogwarts on Campus will host its inaugural Quidditch tournament in early December. OU’s Quidditch teams have been scrimmaging and are preparing for a tournament Dec. 6 to 8, University College freshman Kathryn Bautista said. Sean O’Rourke, political science junior, said matches have already been set up against other schools, and the OU representative team will be determined by the winner of the upcoming tournament. “[The International Quidditch Association] told us once they found who could play on the actual OU team that we could start to challenge [Oklahoma State University] and teams from Texas,” Bautisa said. The tournament will take place throughout Dec. 6 to 8 on the South Oval. The time of the matches have yet to be determined. — Danny Hatch/The Daily

association in a post-season bowl. According to the meeting agenda, “It is necessary to seek authorization for the President, the Athletic Director or their designee to award purchase orders and sign contracts associated with the University’s participation in a bowl game.” Finally, the administration is seeking authorization from the Board for its purchase of the property located at 1138 Lincoln Ave. in Norman. The meeting will begin at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday and re m a i n i n g re s o l u t i o n s will be heard at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday. Both meetings will be held in the Oklahoma Memorial Union’s Scholars Room.

“We do 80 percent of our daily business before noon,” Haley said. Although most sales happen in the morning, Sooner Mall’s retail stores were packed all day with shoppers looking for deals. “I’ve spoken with a few of them and they said it was very successful,” Palmerton said. Angie Dixon, a Wynnewood native, has been coming to Black Friday sales with her mom, sister-in-law and two friends for the past six years. This year, they wore black shirts that said “Black Friday girls” on the front and “Shoppin’ till we drop” on the back in pink lettering. Dixon said the trip is a “girls’ day out.” Their husbands were left at home. “We don’t ask them to come,” Dixon said. “They stay home and babysit, which they probably prefer.” Even though Black Friday has a history of violence, the mall doesn’t do anything different to ensure safety because the customer’s safety is their primary concern year round, Palmerton said. “We ensure the customer’s safety 24 hours a day, 12 months out of the year,” Palmerton said.

Director of bands, music professor honored for excellence in the arts Director of bands and music professor William Wakefield was recognized as the Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts’ 2010 Irene and Julian J. Rothbaum Presidential Professor of Excellence in the Arts. Wakefield has worked at OU since 1985 and serves as the School of Music’s director of bands and coordinator of ensembles. He conducts the Waind Symphony and William Wakefield coordinates doctoral and master’s wind conducting programs. “Dr. Wakefield is a consummate professional, gifted artist and master teacher,” Rich Taylor, Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts dean, said in a press release. “His passion for and devotion to our students and the OU School of Music makes a difference each and every day. His positive personality and optimistic outlook are contagious and legendary. He is most deserving of this prestigious award and high recognition.” The award has been presented annually since 1995 to recognize exemplary leadership in the arts and arts education. — Daily staff reports

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Monday, November 29, 2010 • 3

THUMBS UP ›› OU will host its first Quidditch tournament on Dec. 6 (see page 2)

OPINION OUR VIEW

Jared Rader, opinion editor dailyopinion@ou.edu • phone: 405-325-7630 COLUMN

Holiday spending days are a hoax Banning Just when you thought the nightmare of Black Friday had ended, the fat cats at the corporate retail offices and their zombie followers are gearing up for Cyber Monday. Because if there’s another day offering lower-than-usual prices, that must mean you haven’t purchased everything you need. We may sound like Scrooges, but having one day devoted to rabid consumer culture is bad enough. Do we need two? If you haven’t heard, Cyber Monday is a term that was created by Shop.org, when they used it to describe the predicted increase in online sales in 2005. Since then, sales have only increased each Monday after Thanksgiving for the last five years, according to comScore, a company that specializes in Internet market research. Between 2008 and 2009, Cyber Monday sales increased from $846 million to $887 million — a 5 percent increase, according to comScore. That’s just on the Monday after Thanksgiving. Online sales cash in on the Black Friday madness as well. Will Cyber Monday sales increase again this year? If Black Friday’s online sales are any indication, it looks like they will. On Friday alone, consumers spent $648 million, a 9 percent increase from 2009, according to comScore. These spending holidays benefit only a handful of shoppers. The biggest, most advertised deals are the ones that sell out the quickest. If you couldn’t tell, it’s really just a way to get you into the store or online. The official Black Friday website (blackfriday.com) is blatant: “As retailers began to realize they could draw big crowds by discounting prices, Black Friday became the day to shop,” the site says. “There are numerous doorbuster deals and loss leaders — prices so low the store may not make a profit — to entice shoppers.” Yes, some of the stuff in the stores is marked so low that stores lose money on those items. These are called loss leaders, and are often popular items, like flat screen TVs. But store executives hope you buy enough extra stuff to make an overall profit. Often, these hot items are located in the back of the store, so that you will see several other items you had no idea that you needed until that point. It works similarly online, with big advertisements and “recommendations” for other products that relate in some

way to the one you’re looking for. After the most coveted items sell out, often within the first hour or so, hundreds of shoppers are left in the store or on the Web. You’re already there, so you might as well buy something! These spending holidays are designed to wring as much spending out of you, the consumer, as possible for the benefit of the big chain stores. For everything you bought during Black Friday or plan to buy during Cyber Monday, ask yourself why you bought it. If your answer is because it’s half price, you’re falling into their trap. Just because something is half price doesn’t mean you need it. Imagine if the $45 billion spent over the weekend, according to the National Retail Federation, didn’t go to the stores, but to charities or other benevolent initiatives. How many mouths could have been fed? How much life-saving research could have benefited? Yes, it helps the overall economy when the big stores do well, but do we want an economy that relies on Walmart and Target? Is this economy beneficial to our communities or the shoppers? Smaller businesses stand no chance against the Walmarts, Targets, and Best Buys, or the online sites like Amazon.com. Given the recession, it’s understandable that shoppers would wait for the days when prices are lowest, and then shop at the discount stores. American Express’ small business unit created a national campaign called Small Business Saturday in an effort to remind shoppers to spend at their local stores, but there’s no indication that small stores have benefited from the initiative, and it’s unlikely that it will ever become a routine. None of this bodes well for the mom and pop stores in your local shopping center. Many of them are suffering as it is and can’t afford to mark prices extremely low. Money can’t buy the relationships and personal customer service found in these businesses, and it’s fading fast as the impersonal online stores and monolithic discount retailers dominate the scene. This holiday season, reject rabid consumerism and buy only what you need.

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COLUMN

Perceptions, personalities cloud voters’ political decisions This Thanksgiving break provided me with some muchneed to change, to become needed political grounding. In breaking from my collegiate more perceptive of the policy STAFF COLUMN MN bubble, I talked to normal people for once and made a few changes that may not be tanrealizations. One of these realizations was the importance gible immediately? Or do poliJerod Coker er of perceptions. ticians need to work harder to I’m a policy guy, and couldn’t care less about politicians’ make results more tangible? personalities or personal lives. Whether President Barack As always, the answer is Obama smokes means nothing to me; whether Christine both; but the politicians are in O’Donnell was ever a witch means even less. Rather, I care a much better position to change than the average citizen. about a person’s policy stances on things like health care, As we just saw with the midterm elections, the White House education, war, etc. and Democratic public relations machine is broken, and the However, this is apparently not the mainstream. Most peo- conservative Republican machine is running full steam. ple care about personalities and tangible results. George W. Democrats who voted for health care reform allowed Bush was the rootin’ tootin’ cowboy you could watch football themselves to be demonized, running from the very policy and have a beer with. Regardless of whether or not this was they worked so hard to implement. Meanwhile, Big Business an accurate portrayal of his personality (it’s not) is immate- Republicans managed to get “populist” Tea Party support! rial: perceptions are what matter. This shows clearly the power of perceptions. Obama is seen by many as a stuck up, teleprompterReality takes a back seat to what people perceive to be scripted, Harvard intellectual elitist. Once again, perceptions true. It is for this reason that politicians who are serious matter. about helping America, Obama in particular, need to grow Most people don’t look at the policies that resulted from some spine and clear up perceptions so that they mesh with these two presidents; rather, they base their opinions off reality. of their perceptions of their It’s hard to support a president personalities. and a party that appear to have As much as I disagree, I underdone nothing. Health care reform Reality takes a back seat to what people stand. People look to the presiso watered-down that hardly perceive to be true. It is for this reason that was dent, and if they like the guy, they anyone has felt any effects of it, and politicians who are serious about helping trust him to do the right thing; if the Democrats are running from it not, well, we get what we have America, Obama in particular, need to grow like the plague. How are they supnow. posed to garner 2012 support actsome spine and clear up perceptions so The Bush/Obama comparison ing like that? that they mesh with reality.” works well again here. People The same is true for financial retrusted Bush, “The Decider,” to form, equal-pay legislation, student lead them after 9/11. The Patriot loans, community service funding Act? Sounds good to me. Invading Iraq? Sure, whatever it and the slew of other legislation that has come about under takes. Cutting taxes during a war? I hate taxes! Good idea! Obama’s term. Obama and the Democrats simply need But when Obama, that elitist Harvardite, tries to give ev- to step up and pat themselves on the back for the changes eryone health care, no way José. they’ve implemented. It’s not that people even knew what was in the Patriot Act My hope is that it’s all a big, ingenious political maneuver or why we were going into Iraq, they liked W. because he on Obama’s part. He’s saving the credit-taking and opposiwas one of them; similarly, most people don’t know what tion-blaming for his 2012 bid. In his next term he will really “Obamacare” entails, but they don’t want it because they get stuff going and make some really big changes, like the don’t like Obama. ones we expected after we elected him. Even those who do look at policy results get bogged down Maybe in 2012 he’ll grow a spine and make the other with complexities and nuances. Democrats do the same, so that they can take credit for what For example, even after health care reform (which was a they’ve done, push for more and refuse to yield to the Party step in the right direction, but woefully falling short of opti- of No. mal), most people don’t think anything has changed. Maybe he’ll clear up some perceptions. Maybe. And they’re right to think that. Family and friends of mine still don’t have health care, even after supposed “reform.” — Jerod Coker, They don’t care that some big bill passed that is supposed to journalism senior help; they see no differences. Now the issue arises of what needs to change. Do people Comment on this column at OUDaily.com

Meredith Moriak Reneé Selanders LeighAnne Manwarren Jared Rader James Corley

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earmarks, a ‘solution to nowhere’ There’s an old adage of government spending, often attributed to the late Sen. Everett Dirkson: “A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you’re talking real money.” The remark still echoes in the halls of Congress, mostly ignored by politicians who would rather waste time trying to ban earmarking, a useful practice which accounts for only 1 percent of the annual federal budget. Republicans and Democrats alike hail it as a step towards govSTAFF COLUMN N ernment accountability and a shrinking deficit. Steven Zoeller ler Whether this is lame duck grandstanding or they seriously believe their own claims, it only takes a quick review of facts to realize it’s a step backwards. The very nature of earmarks is distributive. By definition, they are appropriations of funds in a spending bill to benefit local projects. This means attaching less earmarks doesn’t make the original bill any lighter, it only sends the funds in fewer directions. Recall, as mentioned earlier, that earmarks account for only 1 percent of the annual federal budget, or $16 billion — not “real” money by any means, and a trifle compared to that wasted in health care spending. Combine this fact with your knowledge of earmarks, and you’ll be strained to make a strong logical link between banning them and shrinking the deficit. Sen. Mitch McConnell — who until recently championed earmarks to vastly improve the capitol of his state of Kentucky — claims that “the abuse of [earmarking] has caused Americans to view it as a symbol of the waste and out-of-control spending that ever y Republican in Washington is determined to fight.” For every useless We can agree with evbridge and beer erything but his solution. Yes, earmarks are a symmuseum... there’s a bol, but that’s it. In a way, charity or medical he admits a ban would institute that receives be merely symbolic. funding it wouldn’t And indeed, there have been cases of abuse; that usually get without which comes to mind earmarks.” first is the infamous “bridge to nowhere,” an Alaskan bridge connecting the mainland to an island with a population of about fifty. However, for every useless bridge and beer museum — whether you’ll regard that Wisconsin expense as worthwhile or not is a matter of taste — there’s a charity or medical institute that receives funding it wouldn’t usually get without earmarks. If the problem is money going to undeserving projects, then why not ban that instead? Which brings the focus on the politicians who’ve been fighting earmarks all along, most famously Sen. John McCain, who recently teamed up with Oklahoma’s own Sen. Tom Coburn. Together, they are pushing for a Senate vote on an earmark moratorium. McCain and Coburn maintain that earmarks are corrupting and shady, but in more cases they actually serve as tools of compromise. They’re also fairly transparent, with a modern application process and records kept on representative and senator websites. Again, if politicians have problems with the process, why not reform it rather than pass a temporary ban? It’s counterproductive and keeps funding from worthwhile recipients on the local level. Interestingly, Oklahoma’s other Senator, Jim Inhofe, wants to keep earmarks, for some of the reasons listed above. He’s advised to keep that position, as are any other fiscal conservatives who’ve come to recognize this as an illusion of progress. Sen. Coburn once said, “We’ve got to start doing the things most important first and least important last.” If the new Republicans in Congress truly want to start an era of fiscal responsibility and deficit management, a ban on earmarks belongs near the bottom of the list, if it belongs on the list at all. They need to start looking at “real money.” — Steven Zoeller, University College freshman

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Our View is the voice of The Oklahoma Daily Editorial Board, which consists of the editorial staff. The board meets at 5 p.m. Sunday through Thursday in 160 Copeland Hall. Columnists’ and cartoonists’ opinions are not necessarily the opinions of The Daily Editorial Board.

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www.wildcareoklahoma.org

By Bernice Bede Osol

Monday, Nov. 29, 2010

5 8 3 1

7 9

2 3 7 4 7 1 1 4 5 8 6 3 9 2

4 2 8 5 3 9 2 9 3 6 2 8 7 5 6 1

Previous Solution 5 1 6 4 7 8 9 3 2

2 4 7 1 9 3 8 6 5

3 8 9 5 6 2 4 7 1

9 7 4 2 1 6 3 5 8

1 5 8 3 4 7 2 9 6

6 2 3 9 8 5 1 4 7

8 3 5 7 2 4 6 1 9

7 6 1 8 3 9 5 2 4

4 9 2 6 5 1 7 8 3

Monday- Very Easy Tuesday-Easy Wednesday- Easy Thursday- Medium Friday - Hard

Instructions: Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9. That means that no number is repeated in any row, column or box.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) - Don’t optimistically take bows prematurely for something you have yet to accomplish. If things don’t work out as you anticipate, things could get quite embarrassing.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) - If the position you hold is in the minority, consider the fact that maybe you’re a bit too far out for most. If you want to get along with people, you’d be smart to accept their views.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Unless you follow though on your goal in an orderly manner, there is a strong chance that you will leave out some kind of small but essential element. Don’t gum up the works.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) When it comes to a topic others are discussing that affects you, try to hear what is really being said instead of what you want to hear. They may have some pearls of wisdom to offer.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Keep your good intentions under wraps and don’t volunteer to manage the complicated affairs of another. If you involve yourself, it could cost you both money and a huge headache.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) - If, in order to gratify a momentary desire of yours, you ignore your budget and spend money that you know you shouldn’t, you’ll be sorry later when you won’t be able to pay for something you really need.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) - Even if your ideas or suggestions are far superior to those of your peers, and you know it, they’re not likely to be heeded if you offer a weak presentation. Speak strongly and mean it.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) - If you let your normal awareness for detail and order desert you, it’s likely that you will allow your judgment calls or important decisions to be based on faulty premises.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) You’re in for a big surprise if you think that others will come behind you and finish the work you’ve left undone. Your charm can get you a lot of things, but it can’t do your job for you. TAURUS (April 20-May 20) - It isn’t likely to be anything you’ve done that makes people so unfriendly; it’s just the mood of the day. Don’t compound it by turning your nose up at the jerks. Live and let live.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) - Guard against an inclination to make huge jobs out of what are in reality little ones. If you are illogical or unmethodical, you will greatly complicate your life and make yourself miserable. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) - That intense nature of yours won’t give you much room to be tolerant with pompous or arrogant individuals. Avoid gatherings where you know just such types will be in attendance.

ACROSS 1 Planet’s shadow 6 Defect 10 ___ and void 14 Impales 15 Turner of film 16 One of the seven continents 17 Pompous 19 “___ the word!” 20 Suave TV sleuth Remington 21 Pickles of “Rugrats” 22 Warner ___ Studios 23 Large coffee holder 25 Musical style of Trinidad 27 Chinese food staple 32 Big fat mouth 33 Kachina craftsman 34 Tequila serving size 36 “Fawlty Towers” character 40 Cries made in passing? 41 Marksman, at times 43 Wizard 44 Russian summer home 46 Highway part 47 Sweat spot 48 Opposite of “nope”

50 Ship repair site 52 Dart shooter 56 Violent leader? 57 Peru’s capital 58 Abbr. that might appear above “e-mail” 60 Destroyed a balloon 65 Frosts, as a cake 66 Really small 68 Sound of exasperation 69 Bart’s teacher, Krabappel 70 Orange Muppet 71 “Freeze, Fido!” 72 Meg of “You’ve Got Mail” 73 Watermelon coverings DOWN 1 Sounds with grimaces 2 Of little consequence 3 Creamy cheese 4 Blood vessel network 5 Safe haven 6 Waitress on “Alice” 7 Like floor tile 8 Monkeyshine 9 Attack en route 10 Foolishly sentimental weakling 11 Seize, as a

throne 12 Wheels for rock stars 13 Range rope 18 Weatherspoon of the WNBA 24 Zero, to Nero 26 Chocolate ___ (dog) 27 African nation or boy’s name 28 Georgetown player 29 Oil cartel 30 Indecisive 31 Desert wanderer 35 Mortise insert 37 Mystery author Paretsky 38 Marty Feldman in “Young Frankenstein” 39 Profane

42 Duplicate a duplicate 45 Mo. for Leos 49 Miniature golf club 51 One who apprehends 52 Ignorance, proverbially 53 Okay, legally 54 Alpha’s opposite 55 High-maintenance 59 Singer Horne 61 Actress Gilpin of “Frasier” 62 Sean of “Dead Man Walking” 63 Children’s author Blyton 64 Coloring materials 67 One of the Bobbseys

PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

LETTER EXCHANGE by Morgan Coffey

(Editors: For editorial questions, contact Nadine Anheier, h i @ li k )

HOROSCOPE

Universal Crossword Edited by Timothy E. Parker November 29, 2010

The Oklahoma Daily | OUDaily.com

SPORTS Also on OUDaily.com

Monday, November 29, 2010 • 5

OUDAILY.COM ›› Women’s basketball wins trio of weekend games at Travelers Invitational in Norman

FOOTBALL » Team breaks fourth-quarter stigma in Bedlam win

Oklahoma

James Corley, sports editor dailysports@ou.edu • phone: 405-325-3666

VOLLEYBALL » Sooners to host first, second rounds of NCAA championship tournament

Okla. State

OU busts through Pokes, into title game BCS ranking pushes Sooners through 3-way South tie, into final conference championship against Nebraska

Bedlam by the numbers

AARON COLEN The Oklahoma Daily

After an unpredictable final year for the Big 12 as we know it, the dust has settled and we’re left with a classic matchup of conference powerhouses to end an era. With OU’s thrilling 47-41 win over Oklahoma State on Saturday in Stillwater, the Sooners clinched a berth in the Big 12’s last title game to play historic North program Nebraska this Saturday in Arlington, Texas. After a summer when the Big 12 was nearly blown up by realignment, the conference — especially the South — was turned on its head for much of the season. Baylor led the division for a period and finished the season bowl eligible. Texas finished last in the division. The Sooners earned the right to play in the conference title game by winning the BCS tiebreaker over OSU and Texas A&M by rolling in at No. 9 in Sunday’s rankings. OU’s season has been one of shifting expectations. The preseason South favorite came out strong during the first half of the season, starting 6-0 and rising to the top spot in the first BCS ranking with national title aspirations. Who better to But when Missouri upset the topplay in the Big 12 ranked Sooners on national televiMATT CARNEY/THE DAILY Championship sion and Texas A&M downed the True freshman Trey Millard (33) drags Oklahoma State defenders in Saturday’s Bedlam game in than Nebraska, Sooners at Kyle Field, two-loss OU Stillwater. The Sooners won 47-41 to earn a spot in the Big 12 Conference Championship. seemed to be crumbling. right?” Despite the hype, OU had no trouble in a 53-24 win over Baylor — TRAVIS LEWIS, for its first true road victory of the SENIOR LINEBACKER season, so everything came down Football report card: OU-OSU to Bedlam. LANDRY JONES: A+ The Sooners were the underdogs, both in the rankings and The sophomore quarterback had chances to make plays at the end, in the eyes of national analysts. Yet even though they were on and he did. Sports enthusiasts call that clutch. the road in one of the biggest games in Bedlam history, they » Oklahoma vs. Nebraska came out on top. WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS: A+ There is no time for an OU letdown after an emotional ri» 7 p.m. Saturday at Junior tight end James Hanna and senior receiver Cameron Kenney valry-game win. The Sooners have just one week of practice Cowboys Stadium in combined for 271 yards and three touchdowns. before facing the BCS No. 13 team in the country, a team that Arlington, Texas DEFENSE: A was a clock tick away from winning last year’s conference title » OU leads overall series Three interceptions and constant pressure on OSU quarterback against Texas. 44-38-3 and is 3-1 in Brandon Weeden was enough to give OU a chance to win. So on Saturday, OU and Nebraska will meet in what neutral-site games could be a storybook conclusion to this era of the Big 12 Conference. — Clark Foy/The Daily » Read the full report on OUDaily.com » OU is 6-1 all-time in Big “Who better to play in the Big 12 Championship than 12 title games Nebraska, right?” senior linebacker Travis Lewis said with a grin after the Bedlam win.

Big 12 Football Championship

588

Total offensive yards gained by OU on Saturday, 209 more than Oklahoma State

468

Passing yards for sophomore Landry Jones, tying the single-game school record and giving Jones one more 400-plus yard game than any other OU quarterback

141

Yards for senior receiver Cameron Kenney, nearly double his previous season high of 73 against Florida State

107

Offensive plays the Sooners ran against Oklahoma State — 62 passing, 45 rushing

All-time 10-plus win seasons for the Sooners, a national best, after OU improved to 10-2 with the Bedlam win

Fourth-quarter points for OU, the most by the Sooners in the last period this season

OU running backs in nine years to surpass 1,000 rushing yards in a season after senior DeMarco Murray did Saturday, also in 2008 — Compiled by James Corley

6 • Monday, November 29, 2010

The Oklahoma Daily | OUDaily.com

LIFE&ARTS

OUDAILY.COM ›› Read about Daily staffer Sydney Allen’s first Black Friday shopping experience, complete with Texas trash-talking

Dusty Somers, life & arts editor dailyent@ou.edu • phone: 405-325-5189

VIDEO GAME REVIEW

Latest ‘Assassin’s Creed’ delivers solid sequel The “Assassin’s Creed” series offers a different sort of experience within the world of video games. Part historical game and part sciencefiction, the series seems to be finding its legs with its latest installment, “Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood.” The first game, set during the Crusades, was solid but repetitive. “Assassin’s Creed II” fixed a lot of those issues and was one of my favorite games of 2009. This newest iteration doesn’t mess too much with what made its predecessor great. “Brotherhood” features Desmond Miles, a modernday assassin, continuing to live through the memories of Ezio Auditore de Firenze, the protagonist of “Assassin’s Creed II,” immediately after that game’s conclusion. After the Auditore villa in Monteriggioni, Italy, is razed by a Papal army, Ezio travels back to Rome to rebuild the city and defeat Cesare Borgia, leader of the Papal military. As with the rest of the series, “Brotherhood’s” storyline stays pretty close to historical events, only taking minor liberties (such as the hijack and destruction of a wooden tank built by L eonardo da Vinci). Historical figures including the Borgia family, Da Vinci, Niccolo Machiavelli and Caterina Sforza all show up during gameplay. Ga m e m e c ha n i c s a re largely similar with some minor changes. The great majority of the game takes place in Rome, with primary memories involving

Game info WHAT: “Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood” RELEASED: Nov. 16 PUBLISHER: Ubisoft PLATFORMS: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC (in 2011) ESRB RATING: Mature for blood, sexual themes, strong language, violence THE DAILY’S RATING: 8.5/10 undermining Borgia power, assassinating key officials, aiding others and building up the Brotherhood of Assassins — a big addition to the game. Saving citizens from the guards’ cruelty will bring them into the Brotherhood, and they gain experience over time from helping you deal with problems in Rome itself. Ezio also can send assassins out across Europe to complete contracts for money and experience. The more experience your assassins have, the more deadly they become and the more difficult contracts they can take on. Aside from the primary memories, there’s nearly an endless amount of things to do within single-player mode. Some of these tasks include rebuilding Rome’s landmarks and infrastructure, tearing down guard

PHOTO PROVIDED

“Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood” gives players the opportunity to fight evil forces in Rome. The game also features appearances from historical figures like Leonardo da Vinci and Niccolo Machiavelli. It’s available now on PS3 and Xbox 360, with a PC version scheduled to hit stores in early 2011.

The most interesting new element of “Brotherhood” STAFF COLUMN MN is the online multiplayer, a first for the series. Each AJ Lansdale le session has each player tasked with assassinating a target or targets or with towers, exploring the Lairs fleeing and eluding their of Romulus, assassinat- assassins. ing Templars and destroying war machines that the Bring this coupon in Borgia forced Da Vinci to for $44 Month Special build. for fo December Decemb only! Any memories have the Take Kickboxing, potential for “full synchroBoxing, MMA or Jujitsu! nization,” which is required for 100 percent completion Get in shape of the game. Each memory and lose weight for the holidays has a “full synch” objective, so you can eat! such as taking no damage, not being detected or comCONAN’S pleting the mission within a Kickboxing-Boxing-Karate Academy given amount of time. 322 E. Gray • 366-1204

headshot bonanza typical of most shooters. The game isn’t flawless, though. Some of the controls take a bit of getting used to, and the parkour moves can be a little difficult. The game occasionally automatically locks on the wrong target as well, which is problematic when using the crossbow, throwing knives or pistol. It would be nice to be able to move the targeting at will on projectile weapons, rather than having to auto-target. And the missions in which detection results in automatic failure get tedious very quickly, as do some of the “full synch” objectives. As a whole, “Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood” is a satisfying game, particularly if you liked the previous installment. For better or worse though, the single player mode isn’t incredibly different from its predecessor. I’d recommend putting “Call of Duty: Black Ops” down for a bit and giving this one a try.

Unlike other online modes in games like “Call of Duty” or “Halo,” “Brotherhood” rewards variety and stealth in your kills. The player with the most kills may not necessarily win the game, and — AJ Lansdale, it’s a nice change from the professional writing senior

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