The Oklahoma Daily

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 3, 2010

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news Open WIFI networks orks may be convenient, ent, but log on at your ur own risk, networkk experts warn. Seee page 3A.

Wom Women’s basketball faces Texas in the Red River Ribalry tonight in Norman. tonig See page 5A.

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Read a tribute to J.D. Salinger. See ee page 1B

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UOSA RESCINDS, REPASSES BILL Identical legislation passed after possible Open Meeting Act violation TROY WEATHERFORD Daily Staff Writer

UOSA passed a bill Tuesday night setting a date for a vote on amendments to the UOSA constitution — a bill identical to the one

passed Jan. 26 in possible violation of the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act. “This bill we’re considering again in order to be transparent,” said Matthew Gress, UOSA vice chairman.

The bill sets the election date for amendments to the UOSA constitution as March 30 and 31, concurrent with spring elections.

Representative Shayna Daitch made a successful motion to rescind the original bill

passed Jan. 26.

“It doesn’t make sense to pass the bill twice,” Daitch said.

Following the meeting during announcements, Daitch said she would like to bring someone in to talk to UOSA about the Open Meeting Act to ensure congress is familiar with it.

Daitch said rescinding the bill was the right choice.

“If you do something illegal or inappropriate you need to undo it. So we went back and fixed the mess we created,” she said In an e-mail sent to UOSA members Monday night and forwarded to The Daily, Gress stated his reasoning for reintroducing the bill: “We heard this bill last week but because the newspaper criticized Congress for lacking transparency, Chairman Jennings has UOSA CONTINUES ON PAGE 2

Marriage bill faces scrutiny Openly gay attorney says bill’s author is doing a ‘disservice’ to his constituents CHARLES WARD Daily Staff Writer

MARCIN RUTKOWSKI/THE DAILY

Zane Whobrey, biochemistry junior, bags groceries in Xcetera located in the bottom of the Walker tower Tuesday evening. Xcetera started a new program using green bags to be more ecologically friendly. Students who use the green bags will receive credit toward free merchandise.

Xcetera rewards eco-friendly students Campus store offers free drinks, prizes to students who use reusable bags CASSI TONEY Daily Staff Writer

Campus convenience store Xcetera is giving students incentives to use reusable bags when they shop.

Shoppers receive stamps each time they use their “Crimson and Green” reusable bags at Xcetera. When shoppers receive 10 stamps on

the cards, Xcetera rewards them with a free fountain drink and enters them in an end-of-semester drawing for free prizes.

Students who consistently bring their reusable bags have a chance to win aluminum canteens, T-shirts and coupons to campus dining locations, Housing and Food Services spokeswoman Lauren Royston said by e-mail.

“While these [reusable] bags were on hand for students to use, as well as available for purchase from Xcetera, we noticed that students were making purchases and using plastic grocery

sacks,” Royston said.

Ashley Stewart, University College freshman, said she thinks the new rewards system is beneficial.

“The process right now with getting rewards will help a lot with using the green bags,” Stewart said.

Anna Deshurley, University College freshman, said she thinks more people would use the “Crimson and Green” bags if they understood the environmental impact reusable bags have compared with plastic bags.

XCETERA CONTINUES ON PAGE 2

Chat with UOSA sees low turnout UOSA leaders say ‘Coffee with UOSA’ gives students a chance to voice opinions, collaborate TROY WEATHERFORD Daily Staff Writer

UOSA leaders met Tuesday evening to talk to students and hear their concerns.

The informal chat in Cate Center was the first of three “Coffee with UOSA” events planned for this semester, in which members of student congress, UOSA Graduate Student Senate, UOSA Superior Court and Campus Activities Council will sit down and discuss ideas and issues with students.

“I think it’s a really great program,” said UOSA Chairman John Jennings. “It’s a great way to meet regular students and informally talk about ideas.”

UOSA President Katie Fox said she had originally envisioned the event as “Coffee with Katie and Dewey” during the president and vice president’s campaigning, but after the election it expanded to include the rest of student leadership.

“We wanted to get to know [regular students] on a personal level COFFEE CONTINUES ON PAGE 2

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NEIL MCGLOHON/THE DAILY

UOSA leaders Katie Fox, Kely Van Eaton, Seth McNayr and Anum Syed converse while enjoying complimentary coffee at the Coffee with UOSA event Tuesday night. UOSA plans to host the event often in order to help students learn more about student government.

© 2009 OU PUBLICATIONS BOARD

A gay and lesbian rights discussion on campus Tuesday took aim at a 100year-old law that could punish people for performing marriage ceremonies not recognized by the state statutes.

Former Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner Jim Roth, a Democrat who was the first openly gay man to hold statewide office in Oklahoma, criticized a bill Rep. Jason Nelson, R-Oklahoma City, recently filed for consideration in the upcoming session of the Oklahoma Legislature.

House Bill 3408, as written, would strike two words and add six to Title 43, Section 14 of the Oklahoma statutes.

That section addresses criminal punishments for people who are authorized by the state to officiate at weddings but perform illegal marriages. Nelson’s proposed bill would give custody of those arrested under that statute to the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, instead of the state penitentiary.

That language prompted Roth, an attorney at Oklahoma City firm Phillips Murrah, to express concern about ministers who perform commitment ceremonies for gay and lesbian couples, even though such ceremonies are not recognized by the state.

“If he walked his neighborhood, as I think a good candidate would, I bet he’d meet a lot of non-traditional households and so he is doing them a disservice by not serving all of them,” Roth said. “But that’s ridiculous, isn’t it? To try to arrest clergy for performing whatever you want to call it. I know it’s not legally recognized as a marriage, but if you want a commitment ceremony and your church is cool with that, why is the state trying to incarcerate you? It’s stupid.”

Nelson, however, said Roth mischaracterized the nature and intent of his bill.

Nelson said the bill is a shell bill, a device commonly used by state legislators, reserving the right to address issues which may come up during a legislative session. “[A shell] bill isn’t meant to actually be passed as it’s originally filed and introduced.

It’s not meant to actually do MARRIAGE CONTINUES ON PAGE 2

VOL. 95, NO. 89

2A Wednesday, February 3, 2010 Caitlin Harrison, managing editor dailynews@ou.edu • phone: 325-3666 • fax: 325-6051

Xcetera Continues from page 1 “Using paper or plastic sacks consumes resources that could be easily cut out,” said Trey Gaylord, engineering physics sophomore.

When students reuse their own bags, it benefits the store financially because Xcetera does not need to buy as many plastic bags, Gaylord said.

Stewart and Deshurley said they

OUDAILY.COM » GO ONLINE TO CATCH A VIDEO ABOUT THE CHOCOLATE FESTIVAL WHICH TOOK PLACE IN THE UNION OVER THE WEEKEND.

only learned of the program because they saw the stamp cards on the Xcetera counter.

“I think they’re doing a good job keeping the campus green and everything but the recycling efforts and stuff like that aren’t well advertised,” Deshurley said.

Royston said OU’s other green initiatives include Hydration Stations, campus recycling and requests for on-campus restaurant guests to take a straw or lid only if they are leaving the dining area with their drinks.

Marriage Continues from page 1 anything,” said Keith Gaddie, OU political science professor. “But down the road you may discover you need these shells to carry legislation to deal with emergencies that come up or issues that arise.”

Nelson said he would not act to advance HB 3408 unless issues with a child support reform bill he coauthored that became law in 2009 arose during the current legislative session.

“What purpose would it serve to run a bill that only swaps one word for a synonym,” Nelson said by e-mail. “What purpose would it serve to run a bill that contains language

Coffee Continues from page 1 and see what kind of changes they would like to see on campus,” said UOSA Vice President Dewey Bartlett.

“What they like and don’t like.

What improvements or suggestions they have for us as a student government.”

Around 40 people attended the

already in the law? How could Section 14, which was written in 1910 ... Address samesex marriage? Same-sex marriage was not a hot political topic in 1910. The fact is, the bill is a place-holder for any issue addressed in Title 43.”

Gaddie said Nelson’s bill appeared to be “pretty obviously” a shell bill.

Roth also said state Rep. Sally Kern, R-Oklahoma City, was “mutually offensive” when she said in 2009 that gays were a greater threat to America than Islam. “[Oklahomans] are kind of scrappy, but we have a lot of loud people who are unqualified,” Roth said. “And I always think that when someone’s saying that kind of crazy stuff they’re basically saying to the world, ‘I am too incompetent to do work that matters, so look what I’m doing.’ Solve poverty, or

OUR COMMITMENT TO ACCURACY

UOSA

The Daily has a long-standing commitment to serve readers by providing accurate coverage and analysis. Errors are corrected as they are identified. Readers should bring errors to the attention of the editorial board for further investigation.

Continues from page 1 agreed to hear it again,” Gress said. “Chairman Jennings considers it an act of good faith to show the newspaper and the campus that Student Congress has and will continue to be as transparent as possible.”

event, but few attendees were not in student leadership positions.

Jean Maxime, finance and accounting junior, said he attended the event because his friend is a member of UOSA. “It’s really nice to have people together but to be honest, I don’t really know what they want — the purpose of it all,” Maxime said.

Bartlett said he thought attendance would improve at the next meeting.

He said he hopes the coffee

help a kid learn, or do something that actually moves the ball forward.”

Kern said by e-mail, “I have no response other than it’s a free country and Jim Roth is entitled to his opinion as I am entitled to mine.”

Richard Ogden, vice president and director of the firm Mulinix, Ogden, Hall, Andrews & Ludlam, said he was considered for the recent opening in the U.S. Attorney’s office for Oklahoma’s Western District. Sandy Coats eventually received the presidential appointment and subsequent Senate confirmation for that position, which covers both Norman and Oklahoma City. Ogden said vigorous enforcement of the recently passed Matthew Shepard/James Byrd Jr. hate-crimes legislation would have been a priority for him as U.S. Attorney.

talks will provide students the opportunity to voice their opinions and collaborate with other OU student leaders.

“Our vision of this is, if we could, we would have all of Cate filled with people,” Bartlett said.

Fox said she thought the event was a success.

“I’m really excited about the turnout, especially with the bad weather,” Fox said.

“Coffee with UOSA” will be held again March 2 and April 6.

“I think that Sandy Coats, who was appointed as the U.S. Attorney, will serve the president well, serve the nation well,” Ogden said. “I definitely had a point to make, and I’m not for sure as to whether or not that agenda will be the same.”

Ogden said he would have enforced the hate-crimes law through teaching, as well as through prosecution.

Coats, through First Assistant District Attorney Bob Troester, declined to comment.

The speech and question-and-answer was sponsored by United Students, a group “dedicated to issues of equality and equal rights for all people regardless of gender or sexuality, particularly within the legal and political arenas,” United Students president Brooke Butner said by e-mail.

MORE FROM THE MEETING UOSA extended the deadline for applications to Undergraduate Student Congress until Feb. 12 due to the January ice storm.

The original deadline was set for today.

There are seven undergraduate seats open — two in physical sciences, two in business and one each in life sciences, international area studies and communications, UOSA Secretary Brittany Pritchett said.

There are also an undetermined number of associate seats open, she said.

Associate members are similar to representatives except they can only vote in committee meetings and can’t make motions or amendments, Pritchett said.

Student congress also approved $1,950 in compensation to 13 student groups that operated polls during the fall election.

Jeff Riles, first-year law student, was confirmed as the election chairman for

the UOSA spring election. He also acted as election chairman in the fall.

“He’s the best that we’ve ever had,” UOSA President Katie Fox said. “He’s very thorough and very fair.”

UOSA representative Robert Jackson was unanimously expelled from congress because of excessive absences.

Jackson has not come to any UOSA meetings or responded to emails relating to his expulsion, Pritchett said.

-TROY WEATHERFORD/THE DAILY

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

3A

Attorneys speak about representing gay clients United Students hosts speakers to advise law students on legal issues surrounding homosexuality CHARLES WARD

Daily Staff Writer

Attorneys with gay and lesbian clients should take special care in drafting wills, business documents and performing other legal services for them, a pair of Oklahoma City attorneys told an audience Tuesday at the OU College of Law. “I do get into quite a bit of estate litigation, trust and estate litigation, because it does often involve litigation when a [member of a] gay or lesbian couple die,” said Richard Ogden, a partner at the Oklahoma City law firm Mulinix, Ogden, Hall, Andrews & Ludlam. “I would say that if there’s anything I can impart upon you that if people come to you who are gay and lesbian, boy, make sure you cross all the ‘T’s and dot all the ‘I’s because if there is any opening then people will try go through that.”

Jim Roth, an attorney at Oklahoma City firm Phillips Murrah, also took part in the speech and question-andanswer period sponsored by United Students.

United Students is a group “dedicated to issues of equality and equal rights for all people regardless of gender or sexuality, particularly within the legal and political arenas,” United Students President Brooke Butner said by e-mail.

One of Roth’s first legal experiences was representing the surviving partner of a same-sex couple, who he said was fighting to retain the property the couple earned while they were together. The family of the dead partner opposed the claim.

“In Oklahoma, there’s still a lot of opportunity for really antiquated laws to pop up when you least expect it to make men and women, in some instances, feel less than a full citizen,” Roth said. “And our state statutes, in my opinion, and case law have a long way to go.”

Roth said during his second year of law school at Oklahoma City University, OCU required students to sign a “morality pledge” which prohibited homosexuality. Roth, who earned his law degree in 1994, said he was worried the school would kick him out for his homosexuality.

“Hopefully, people that are in your shoes today no longer feel that pressure that you actually might not be able to pursue your professional dreams because of who you are,” Roth said to the group of mostly law students.

Lawyers who are gay or lesbian do not generally need to worry their sexual preferences will be used against them when they are practicing their craft in Oklahoma courtrooms, Ogden said.

“I think the judges and attorneys have no problem with someone being gay or lesbian,” Ogden said. “I think you can

get outside of Oklahoma and you may run into some issues.

But I must say for the most part the judges and other attorneys in this state are highly respectful as a person first. Who you may be in your private life is who you may be in your private life.”

Roth became the first openly gay man to hold statewide office in Oklahoma when Gov. Brad Henry appointed him to an open seat on the Oklahoma Corporation Commission in 2007. Roth said a female former client who underwent a sex-change operation inspired him to be open with his sexuality with friends, family and employers. He said he represented the woman in her petition to legally change her name.

“This person has the courage to have gone through what she has gone through to live an authentic life,” he said.

“There’s no excuse for the rest of us not to do that.”

He lost his 2008 bid for election to the same office to Republican Dana Murphy, 52 to 48 percent. He said he believed while bias against homosexuals might have played a small part in his loss, it was largely a part of strong general support for Republican candidates in Oklahoma that year.

Roth encouraged students to stand for political office. In an interview following the event, he said he had not ruled out running for office again at some point. However, he said his name “would not be on a ballot” in 2010.

Open WiFi networks leave computers, data at risk Safe wireless practices help keep data safe, say technology officials CASEY WILSON

Daily Staff Writer

Choosing the right wireless network can mean the difference between surfing the Internet safely and being caught in a hacker’s web.

Zane Gray, OU IT network specialist, said people risk having their personal data stolen when they use any non-trusted wireless networks.

Data can be physically controlled with a wired connection. But when someone uses a wireless connection, the data is sent and received through the air, Gray said.

“When you transmit data from your wireless device, any wireless device within range receives that signal,” he said.

Wireless devices, such as laptops, generally ignore or discard data that is not intended for them to receive, Gray said.

“However, some hackers take advantage of this inherent characteristic of wireless to capture data,” he said.

Nick Key, OU IT spokesman, said OUWifi and OUGuest are trusted networks that

employ network-level security that helps to the device and for online accounts, or by reprotect users from hackers, malicious activ- moving any personal data from the device, ity, viruses and other Internet dangers.

Gray said.

“However, OU IT cannot protect user Stephanie Rollins, University College data that is transmitted to freshman, said she uses WAYS TO BE SAFE the open air,” Key said. wireless networks every Key said a non-computday and only uses the wireer comparison would be less networks provided Other ways to be safe when that of a bank only being through OU. surfing wirelessly: able to protect its clients’ Nevertheless, she said, Ensure the Internet connecmoney when that money is she is sometimes contion is encrypted. in the bank. cerned someone could be Install the latest patches and “Your bank cannot send obtaining personal inforvirus protection programs. an armored car to your mation from her computer.

Use personal firewall softfront door to protect your “I don’t know what ware, and encrypt any personal assets on the way to the other people know about files. bank,” Key said. computers so they could Other ways to be safe when If people log onto unbe using [the wireless netowning a home wireless router: familiar networks, the work] to look on my comUse the “hide” feature on the networks’ administrators puter,” she said. router. may be able to gain access Personal data also can Use a MAC address filter. to their computers, said be stolen if someone leaves Use the standby option when Mohammed Atiquzzaman, a home wireless network the router is not in use. computer science open to the public, Gray Source: Zane Gray, OU IT netprofessor. said. But most wireless work specialist Those who use an routers offer encryption “open” wireless network options to the user, he can improve security by visiting only trust- said. worthy sites, having a strong password for “Encryption, which is always

Medical professional compares U.S., Canadian health care Surgeon discusses strengths, weaknesses of the countries’ systems with students DANA SWANN

Daily Staff Writer

A Canadian surgeon told a group of students that the pressing issue in U.S. health care — millions of uninsured citizens — is nonexistant in the country’s northern neighbor Tuesday.

Dr. Lee Hunter, who now works in the U.S., told a group of about 20 students at Henderson Tolson Cultural Center the government-funded health care system means medical insurance is not necessary in Canada.

“Forty to 45 percent of every tax dollar paid in Canada goes to health care,” Hunter said.

The Canadian government is the primary medical provider and there are very few private clinics, she said.

The downfall of the health care system in Canada is rationing, and a patient may wait years for non-urgent procedures, Hunter said.

Hunter came to OU to discuss medical economics and the health care reform bill currently in congressional committee. OU’s Medical Ethics and Issues Discussion Panel hosted the speech.

Lynn Mercer, biochemistry major, attended the speech and said it was interesting to hear these things from such a different perspective, because Canada’s health care system is so different from the U.S. system.

Zoology major Niekia Franklin, president of MEIDP, said Hunter has an unbiased view of the health system because she has worked in both the U.S. and in Canada.

Hunter was asked which country had the superior health care system.

“I don’t know if there is such thing as a perfect health care system,” she said.

POLICE REPORTS The following is a list of arrests and citations, not convictions.

The information given is compiled from the Norman and OU Police Departments. At times, the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Department and the Oklahoma City FBI will contribute to these reports. All those

listed are innocent until proven guilty.

POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA Wesley Dunaway, 18, 1801 Brookhaven Blvd., Sunday, also possession of drug paraphernalia Douglas Steven Murray, 33, N. Porter

Avenue, Monday, also obstructing an officer and transporting an open container

ASSAULT AND BATTERY David Marc Lemmon, 41, 301 Triad Village Drive, Sunday

ASSAULT AND BATTERY WITH A DEADLY WEAPON Francisco Villa Gonzalez, 30, 1616 E. Aladmeda St., Monday

DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE Robert Fitzalan Graves, 23, 700 De Barr Ave., Monday

CAMPUS EVENTS

TODAY The Society of Professional Journalists will hold its first meeting of the semester at 7 p.m. in the commons area of the new wing of Gaylord Hall.

Pink and Black Ball tickets will be sold from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. in the Oklahoma Memorial Union. Tickets cost $15.

The free Architecture Career Fair will take place from 12:30 until 3:30 p.m. in the Oklahoma Memorial Union Ballroom.

Christians on Campus will host a

Bible study from 12:30 until 1:15 p.m. in the Oklahoma Memorial Union’s Traditions Room.

There will be a free resume writing seminar for Arts and Sciences majors from 3 to 3:30 p.m. in the Crimson Room of the Oklahoma Memorial Union.

Alpha Phi Omega will host a rush informational from 4 to 5 p.m. in the Sooner Room of the Oklahoma Memorial Union.

Campus Crusade for Christ will meet from 9 to 10 p.m. in the Santee Lounge on the fifth floor of Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

THURSDAY Douglas Goetsch will read as part of the Everett Series from 7 to 9 p.m. at Jacobson House Native Art Gallery, 609 Chautauqua Ave. The event is free.

A free “Welcome Back to Science and Engineering Party” will take place from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Lawrence G. Rawl Engineering Practice Facility.

Alpha Phi Omega will host a rush informational from 7 to 8 p.m at Adams Center social lounge.

recommended, will help restrict who can access your home network,” Gray said.

When encryption is not an option someone can restrict who can access a home wireless network by reducing the transmission power of the wireless router or turning off the wireless router when it is not in use, Gray said.

Atiquzzaman said one risk of leaving a network open is someone can connect to the network and perform administrative functions, which can result in network security threats.

“The hacker may change the network settings or even block others from accessing the network,” he said.

Steven Ferguson, computer science senior, said he has a home wireless router and uses an encryption program to keep it safe.

“I’ve got mine locked down pretty well,” he said.

Ferguson said he often uses wireless networks on campus and does not have any concerns someone could hack into his computer.

“But I also don’t keep anything sensitive on my laptop,” he said.

4A

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Max Avery, opinion editor dailyopinion@ou.edu • phone: 325-7630 • fax: 325-6051

Letters to the editor can be found online at:

OUDAILY.COM

COMMENT OF THE DAY »

In response to Jordan Rogers’ Monday column on greenwashing.

YOU CAN COMMENT AT OUDAILY.COM

“So true, that is why we need to purchase locally. Americans will find this concept very hard to wrap their minds around. We aren’t able to sacrifice for future generations. In a world where 6.3 billion people want to live like 300 million Americans, things don’t look pretty in the future. I hope that we can lead in example, but that of course is a fairy tale.”

-TAG

OUR VIEW

GOV. HENRY NEEDS TO SPEND MORE ON EDUCATION Gov. Brad Henry adamantly refused to allow cuts in education spending Monday during his State of the State address. He is looking out for us, but not enough. He needs to allocate more funds to education rather than keep things where they are — too low.

Now is a time when it’s easy to forget college students. We aren’t reliable voters, we are only mildly interested in health care and we’re still in our bubble outside the job market.

We aren’t highly salient, thus we aren’t

making headlines. Politicians could easily ignore us without consequences.

Despite this, Henry remembered us yesterday. He has the best interest of the state and its college students at heart.

Education is a long-term investment.

Spending on college students won’t benefit the state in the next quarter or year, but in 10 or 12 years it will be a worthy investment.

Henry is trying to protect our funding just days after the OU Board of Regents decided to increase our fees. A remarkable

STAFF COLUMN

You don’t need that!

An epidemic has swept the nation. It has been growing for some time. It has to do with American consumerism, but a captitalist-consumer economy is too easy a diagnosis of the problem. The problem is a combination of commodity culture and human nostalgia.

It is hoarding. Hoarding of magazines, birthday cards, old notes, Virgin Mary candles, all the T-shirts you wore when you were still in high school and all the free jive from student fairs.

Despite our lack of active use of these things, we keep them because they mean something to us, or we fool ourselves into thinking we’ll maybe use them someday. However, because the ABBY magazines are out of date, the cards WILLIAMSON cannot be reused, the notes are no longer relevant to current classes, and the wicks on those candles were lost to a wax-pool long ago, we buy up to date products, clothes and new notebooks for our new classes. The storage space dwindles and thus begins the cycle of hoarding.

Most of us hoard on some level, with the minimum being a bunch of old clothes one does not wear any more and the maximum being turning your home into a veritable landfill.

Psychologists consider compulsive hoarding a mental disorder. It is even real enough to have its own reality show with A&E’s “Hoarders,” which documents people dealing with the shame of their over-cluttered homes and the fear and compulsion to hold on to all of it. The consequences of hoarding are not limited to crowding a room, but increases the likelihood of infestations, fire and is likely to inhibit your ability to host guests or have others in your home thus often spiraling into loneliness and depression.

So why do we do it?

Extreme hoarding, such as filling your house with Snapple labels and egg cartons, is obvious in its manifestations, but what about hoarding on a small scale? Many students (myself included) keep old notes semester after semester thinking, “I’ll use this for reference!” are more often than not deluding themselves. You do not need your notes from that comic-book-as-novel class. Understandably, you feel sentimental because you enjoyed the class, and you put a lot of effort into it. Yes there is lots of valuable information between those notebook pages, but believe me, you will not look at it again. You will not use those 75 glass Tazo tea bottles for some vague half-formed idea for an art project.

It will all most likely sit in your closet, basement or attic until the next time you move.

This is not to say you should not be sentimental. There are certainly things that one likes to hold on to, such as an old baby blanket, but an old baby blanket will survive 15 to 20 years with good care. That poster you made for a class project, while totally cool and impressive, will deteriorate.

Pieces of your past that can be archived are one thing, but needless junk is another.

If you have a box of three broken flashlights or a bowl of several totally awesome but slightly defective sunglasses throw them out.

It is too bad such things have to make their way to a landfill somewhere, but it’s no use making your life a dumping ground. Go through your stuff. I guarantee you will find loads of needless articles of clothing, papers, letters, knickknacks, and broken this or that.

Get rid of them either by taking it to a thrift store, throwing them in the trash, or recycling them properly. Then learn from your patterns of purchase and abandonment.

Sustainability is the catchword nowadays. Part of that process is learning how to minimize waste.

Commodity culture does not mesh well with healthier living, in both a personal and global way. Going through your junk will help you realize what is useful and what is not. Learning the difference between what you need and what you want is the first step, then comes learning how to buy smart, reliable, durable products that are practical.

Other good and easy ways to cut down and keep cut down are to just say no to 12 free stress balls next time they are offered, recycling the unused half of your notebook instead of buying new ones, and getting your “new” clothes from free boxes or organizing clothing swaps. It is hard to tell the hoarder inside you “let go, shhhhh, just let go,” but totally necessary. You will thank me next time you move.

Abby Williamson is a letters and English senior.

juxtaposition.

But it’s nice knowing someone’s got our back.

Gov. Henry is pulling from Oklahoma’s Rainy Day Fund, not just for higher education, but for the entire state budget, so he doesn’t have to raise taxes or cut too much spending.

But we would like to see him pull more from the fund for education. It’s really going to be raining on us once we get out of college and feel the weight of our college loans on our backs.

STAFF CARTOON

A.J. Stafford is a psychology senior.

STAFF COLUMN

Fraternities, cleaning duties, rush and the quest for brotherhood There is no bond like the bond of brothers. It is a bond made infallible. The word “brothers” connotes the dripping, sweet glue that binds men, young and old, together for life.

Together. For. Life.

Brotherhood has no limit, it has no age. It is an unconditionally bound relationship.

Let this be the eulogy to your days as an only child in this great, big world, dear newly-initiated fraternity boys.

Look, men. Look at the days that have passed.

Remember them well, those preliminaries.

Remember the beginning, when many of you were taken out to fancy dinners. Remember the delicious free meals and the kind smiles that were flashed at you. Remember the petty conversation that may BROOKE or may not have reeled you in to your respective MYERS house. Remember being a chosen one, how good it must have felt to know you were wanted.

The Sorting Hat had done its bit, and you became another component in the category you apparently fit well. Some of you were jocks, some of you were cowboys, some of you were smart, some of you were stupid, some of you were attractive, some of you spent money in great amounts, some of you wore Polo well, some of you had impressive fluid capacities, some of you were good at getting girls, some of you really knew how to party. You all truly had your uses for your respective houses.

As new initiates, we can look back together on all the things you’ve had to do to make yourself worthy of admission. It has been a brutal trek, but you have made it.

When you were just wee little monkeys (we can’t call you pledges, since it’s illegal, and I rather like the name “monkey” — it has a cute little dehumanizing effect), you were made to do awful things. But those awful things were intelligently and symbolically designed so you would feel brotherhood seeping from your pores as you sweat while doing your duties, such as cleaning up the after-party leftovers in a fraternity bathroom while dressed in a nice suit. You were asked to be humiliated for a noble cause, making right-angle turns and speaking to no one but your pledge brothers for a week. You were deemed house-keeper at any hour of the morning, be it 2 or 5 a.m.

Boys, you were disrespected by the guys you would call

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your brothers, and you trusted they had dignified intentions; they trashed the house and yelled in your face while you were made to clean it all up. Your older brothers taught you lessons in presentation, forcing you to wear a suit everyday for a week without washing it. You were stripped of your identity, given no choices, brought down to a lowly level. You memorized names and numbers and more names and “star facts” about all the members of your respective houses. You were sleep deprived, abused, belittled, humiliated and asked to love it.

I envy you, though, for all that you gained from the experience. You formed a brotherhood with those experiencing the same struggles you were. You have learned, from deprivation, to appreciate so fully the honor bestowed upon you to be a part of something so much greater than yourself. You are one of them now.

You have truly accomplished something in life. You can now proudly display those prized Greek letters. You have been given a number — and it represents you! You are now four digits that say one thing: “I made it, I’m somebody!” And you are. You are somebody.

You’ve come so far. Your traits have blossomed. In fact, you might have added some you didn’t have in the first place.

Many of you have truly been changed. And it’s only the beginning.

Maybe, if you didn’t once sport Polo and Sperrys, you do now. Maybe, if you didn’t have long, side-swept hair under a backwards cap, you do now. Maybe, if you didn’t wear cowboy boots originally, you do now. Maybe, if you didn’t dip before, you do now. Maybe if you couldn’t do the frat snap, you can now. Maybe, if khaki wasn’t your color, it is now. Maybe, if getting chicks in bed wasn’t on your agenda before, it is now.

Maybe, if you didn’t drink then, you do now. Maybe, if you cared more about school work than Greek letters, you don’t now.

Maybe, if you were different from everyone else, you’re not now.

Congratulations, guys, you’re a whole lot like everybody else!

Brook Myers is a University College freshman.

Please e-mail any Letters to the Editor to dailyopinion@ou.edu. Letters should be aproximately 250 words and may be on any topic. Please send us your phone number, year and major or affiliation with OU.

T=: O@A6=DB6 D6>AN Jamie Hughes Caitlin Harrison Ricky Maranon Lisa Phan Max Avery Michelle Gray Marcin Rutkowski

Pulling from the fund would be like buying us some rain boots, and we would greatly appreciate it.

We’re in a recession; now is the time to spend money to boost the economy.

And what could be better than spending it on a long-term investment like higher education?

The great economist John Maynard Keynes would be proud of this investment.

Hopefully Henry will decide we need to spend more on this good thing rather than remain content to leave it underfunded.

phone: 405-325-3666

e-mail: dailynews@ou.edu

The Oklahoma Daily is a public forum and OU’s independent student voice.

Letters should concentrate on issues, not personalities, and should be fewer than 250 words, typed, double spaced and signed by the author(s). Letters will be cut to fit. Students must list their major and classification. OU staff and faculty must list their title. All letters must include a daytime phone number. Authors submitting letters in person must present photo identification.

Submit letters Sunday through Thursday, in 160 Copeland Hall. Letters can also be submitted via e-mail to dailyopinion@ ou.edu.

Guest columns are accepted at editor’s discretion. ’Our View’ is the voice of The Oklahoma Daily.

Editorial Board members are The Daily’s editorial staff.

The board meets Sunday through Thursday at 4:30 p.m. in 160 Copeland Hall.

Columnists’ and cartoonists’ opinions are not necessarily the opinions of The Daily Editorial Board.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010 5A

« FOOTBALL For updates on National Signing Day visit

Aaron Colen, sports editor dailysports@ou.edu • phone: 325-7630 • fax: 325-6051

OUDAILY.COM

Women’s golf raises expectations As the spring season approaches, OU women’s golf team seeks consistency, balance RICKY LY Daily Staff Writer

PHOTO PROVIDED

Junior Ellen Mueller watches her shot after striking the ball.

HEAD COACH VERONIQUE DROUIN Drouin is in her first year as head coach of the OU women’s golf team after being an assistant coach at the University of Georgia from 2006-2009.

While Drouin was at Georgia, the team finished in the top10 three times and in the top-20 four times in the National Championships.

Georgia produced 11 All-Americans and two SEC championships while Drouin was on the staff.

With the fall season behind them and inexperience no longer a viable excuse, the ladies of the OU women’s golf team are looking to find steadier play as a team and a consistent rotation to balance the strong play the Sooners displayed in the fall half of their schedule.

With a new leader in first-year head coach Veronique Drouin, expectations may have been low for the Sooners heading into their season-opener. But OU did anything but disappoint as the team started off its fall schedule with a top-five finish at the rain-shortened Texas A&M "Mo" Morial tournament in Bryan, Texas.

Drouin said the showing in Texas was a good start for a young group, but the tournament was not the best indicator because teams were able to get in only one round of play before weather rained out the final two rounds of the 54-hole event.

But consistency issues plagued the team in its following two tournaments as Oklahoma faced tougher competition in fields featuring multiple top-25 teams.

OU ended up leaving the tournaments in New Mexico and Illinois with 15th-place and 13th-place showings, respectively.

“We start really, really well if you look at the scores,” Drouin said. “We have really good scores on the front nine, then we get to the back nine, and we struggle a little bit coming in down the stretch. Those things are little factors we have to work on with nervousness.”

In their final competition of the fall, the Sooners tied for seventh at the Alamo Invitational in San Antonio, Texas, which was shortened to only 18 holes due to thunderstorms. But the top-10 result came in a field that featured No. 10 Tennessee and No. 23 Texas A&M among the contenders.

As Oklahoma tees off its season in Puerto Rico, the Sooners will look toward a pair of upperclassmen to help the team contend in the seven competitions currently slated for the spring schedule.

The Sooners are led by junior Ellen Mueller, who leads the team with a 72.63 scoring average, nearly four strokes below what the Evansville, Ind., native averaged during her sophomore year. In the four

tournaments OU competed in during the fall, Mueller notched two top-five finishes, as well as a top-10 and top-15 finish.

“It’s funny … throughout the summer in the individual tournaments I played, I didn’t feel like I was performing to my best level,” Mueller said. “I just kept feeling that it was going to turn around and anytime now I was going to shoot really well.”

“Ellen is very consistent. She hits it down the middle, hits it on the greens. She’s that kind of player that just makes the golf game look easy,” Drouin said.

According to the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings, Mueller is listed as the No. 30 individual golfer in the nation.

Besides Mueller, senior Chelsey Collins was the only other Sooner to compete in every tournament during the fall. Collins opened the season with an eighth-place finish in the season-opener before earning a top-50 finish in the fall finale.

“You can tell [Chelsey] worked really hard,” Drouin said. “She’s the kind of player who really wants to contribute with the team. I think she’s going to be an instrumental player coming down the stretch here this spring.”

Freshman Taylor Schmidt and sophomore Kelly Short produced strong results in the final two tournaments as Schmidt recorded two top-30 finishes and Short came away with a top-20 and top-50 finish to finish the fall season.

“I’m very competitive. I want to do everything I can to make this team the best it can be,” Schmidt said.

“We have been working hard and I think this team has enough drive and heart that we’ll be fine going into the season.”

With a solid group of veterans and a surging class of newcomers, stronger results and conference honors are just some of the expectations loaded onto the team this year.

Also, for the first time since 1998 OU will host the Big 12 Women’s Golf Championship in April at the Jimmie Austin OU Golf Course.

Mueller said although golf is not one of the top sports in the Big 12, the fact has not stopped the team from practicing and improving its performance.

“We have been working hard and we’re just excited for the Big 12 to come to Norman and hopefully people will be able to come out and watch us,” Mueller said.

OU will kick off the spring half of its schedule Sunday at the Lady Puerto Rico Classic in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico.

HPV Fact #16: It is estimated that each minute in the US, there is a new case of genital warts.

HPV Fact #8: Guys can’t get screened for HPV. So there’s no way to know if a guy has the virus or is passing it on.

Why risk it Visit your campus health center. hpv.com Copyright © 2010 Merck & Co., Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in USA.

21050004(39)-01/10-GRD

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Wednesday, February 3, 2010

«

MEN’S BASKETBALL

GALLON TRIES TO FILL BIG SHOES FOR OU Gallon was introduced by a middle school counselor to his AAU coach.

While he began playing on the team in eighth grade, the Sooner big man said he was just your average Joe. “Eighth and ninth grade I really didn’t play,” he said.

“I was just learning. When I came from California, somebody saw me and said they wanted to introduce me.”

That somebody was Tiny’s middle school counselor, who introduced him to his future AAU coach. Upon working out for the team, the coaches were in awe of how nimble Gallon considering how big he was. When he started receiving significant playing time in tenth grade, Gallon was a hulk at 360 pounds.

Now 6-foot-9, 290 pounds, the not-so-“Tiny” Gallon said his eating habits may have been hard to break at first, but now it is just a routine.

“A lot of it is just staying away from eating late,” he said. “That really is the key. If you eat late and go to sleep, it’s going to stay on you. I’ve also been having fruits and stuff for snacks. It’s been easy this year because I started doing it back in my junior year [in high school], so I’m used to it.”

After playing ball on Houston Hoops with current freshman teammate Tommy Mason-Griffin, Gallon found himself with the opportunity to go to Oak hill Academy in Virginia, a place many would call the biggest basketball factory in the nation that is the high school alma mater of current NBA stars such as Carmelo Anthony, Rajon Rondo and Josh Smith (to name a select few).

And while many may take it for granted due to his gargantuan size, Tiny’s high school game was not the norm for a 6-9 behemoth.

NEIL MCGLOHON/THE DAILY “Usually I would just face up and shoot,” the then-unFreshman forward Tiny Gallon tries to get past an opposing player blockable Gallon said. “I did a lot of dribbling and shootfrom Iowa State during the game Jan. 27 in Norman. ing. I didn’t play down low a whole lot. I was either at the top of the key or the short corner.”

While the transition from the life off a high school to CLARK FOY Daily Staff Writer college student has not been hard to adjust to, the adaptation of his game to that of a college center, Gallon said, has been Most college basketball players have worked all their lives difficult and there are several things he is not used to. “[In] high school I ran at my own pace, I did what I wanted to be where they are today. Many began playing basketball the day they were born, or shortly thereafter. Those who to do and on the court, everything ran through me,” he said. move on to play professionally do not stumble upon basket- “Now I’m getting teammates involved and there’s a lot more running and setting screens, so it’s a big transition.” ball—they make it a lifestyle early in their lives.

“I played against some good players in high school, but With every rule there is an exception. Consider OU freshhere...it’s like men now, and so I’m having to use my strength man standout center Keith “Tiny” Gallon that exception.

“I really only started playing organized basketball my a lot now.”

Gallon is currently working on his inside game with his tenth grade year,” Gallon said.

After moving to Houston from California in eighth grade, back to the basket. He admits it is difficult, but said he is

progressing alright and expects to become a much better player.

As if having to change his playing style was not tough enough, the highly-touted Gallon stepped into the old role of Sooner legend Blake Griffin, last year’s first overall pick in the NBA draft.

“I wanted to come here and show a lot of people that I can do those things, basically trying to do everything Blake did,” Gallon said. “And I think I still could but right now it’s just difficult learning a new game, having my back to the basket and stuff like that.”

But one does not just come in a pick up right where Griffin left off, as Gallon has figured out for himself, as he feels the pressure of filling such big shoes quite often.

“Everyday,” he said. “I feel it everyday, but I mean I’m only a freshman and a lot of people do [forget that] but I’ll be alright.”

Despite the constant banter and being in the public eye, the 19-year-old freshman uses all the attention and critics to his advantage.

“A person like me, I use that stuff like it’s gas because I go out there and I use that as constructive criticism and to work harder,” said Gallon.

Perhaps the hardest thing, said Gallon, is the 12-9 season the Sooners have found themselves in the middle of after being ranked as high as 17th in the nation preseason.

Athletes like Gallon, he said, are not used to losing, especially after leading Oak Hill Academy to an outstanding 40-1 record his senior season after a 35-4 season the year before.

But like so many on the team, Gallon said he believes they have the athleticism and talent to turn the season around, it’s just about finding the mental toughness and pulling things together.

Right now, Gallon says his focus is just on improving as a player, person and teammate. Staying out of foul trouble, continuing to get in shape and lose weight and honing his inside skills, mainly his defense, are his priorities at the moment.

And just like so many Oak Hill players before him, Gallon admits he does think about his future and possibly the NBA, but that is not as important to him right now as winning at OU is.

“That’s every kid’s dream; every basketball player’s dream,” he said. “It takes a back seat now, I’m not really trippin’ about the NBA, I just really want to focus on winning the rest of [this season’s] games” While his dreams are common for a basketball player, his personality is not.

It is not every day you meet a 6-foot-9, 290-pound “kid”.

«

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Red River Rivalry features matchup of two ranked teams Thompson, Sooners look for conference win in rivalry game at Lloyd Noble ANNELISE RUSSELL Daily Staff Writer

OU women’s basketball will have its hands full tonight when the Texas Longhorns roll into town for this season’s first installment of the Red River Rivalry.

The Sooners are currently ranked No. 13 and the Longhorns have recently moved up to No. 17 in the nation.

This annual rivalry is traditionally highly anticipated by fans and with both teams ranked in the top 25 this year’s game will be no exception.

Senior forward Amanda Thompson said that playing at home is a real advantage and gives her team a boost.

“I love playing at the Lloyd Noble Center,” Thompson said. “I feel like it gives everybody a little adrenaline rush.”

OU is currently 5-2 in what is arguably the toughest conference in college women’s basketball.

The Sooners recently struggled in a close win over Texas Tech down in Lubbock and suffered a road loss to Iowa State earlier in the week.

OU will be looking for a chance to turn the tide of sub-par play.

Texas is 3-3 in the Big 12, but the Longhorns

are coming a huge victory over the Baylor Bears and their freshman standout Brittany Griner.

The Longhorns are led by senior guard Brittany Raven who averages more than 15 points a game for the Austin squad.

“They have been playing well lately and they are going to come out with an attacking mentality,” Thompson said.

For OU to be successful, Thompson said ,there are a couple things the Sooners need to focus on in this game.

“We just need to push the ball and execute plays,” Thompson said.

Sooner success will not only be defined by stopping the Longhorn momentum, but also by running the Sooner offense in an efficient manner.

Thompson said the key for OU in this game is to keep executing on offense and playing their style and speed of game.

Additionally, Thompson said strong defense is something she can personally bring to the table.

“I feel like I can just be active on the defensive end,” she said.

Thompson has been averaging more than 11 points per contest and almost 10 rebounds.

The senior forward and her Sooners will put their game plan to the test tonight at 7 in Lloyd Noble Center.

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AP PHOTO

Senior guard Nyeshia Stevenson steals the ball from a Texas Tech player during the first half of the game on Jan. 30 in Lubbock, Texas.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

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ONLINE »

Joshua Boydston, L&A editor dailyent@ou.edu • phone: 325-5189 • fax: 325-6051

Go to OUDaily.com to watch Brand Rackley interview students about new entertainment news, including the announcement of a new Mortal Kombat movie, on “Entertainment and U.”

Salinger Remembered

J

.D. Salinger died Thursday at age 91. For most of recent history, Salinger went unnoticed in his day-to-day life and in ours. He was never on Oprah’s couch or at Larry King’s desk. Since 1965, Salinger’s only public affairs were a final interview in 1980, and a few scattered legal battles in the 1980s and in 2009. He is famous for his reclusive nature, but more famous for his important, influential works.

Salinger published his first story, “A Perfect Day for Bananafish,” in “The New Yorker” in 1948. This story catapulted him to acclaim and success almost instantly.

He wrote and published more short stories and novels, including 1951’s “Catcher in the Rye,” 1963’s “Nine Stories” and 1961’s “Franny and Zooey,” Salinger’s “Catcher in the Rye” is like a friend you had when you were much younger. Your ideas have changed, you’re not as idealistic, you’re a different person now. But coming back to that old friend, you still find the same connection that you used to have. Almost 50 years after its publication, young people can still relate to Holden Caulfield and his feelings of not fitting in, yearning for innocence of days gone by and desperately wishing that everyone could be genuine.

The story is timeless, and it’s one of those books that almost everyone claims as their favorite. But next time someone says “Catcher in the Rye” is their favorite book, take a second before rolling your eyes at how obvious it is. After all, it’s true that we live in a world full of phonies, and school can feel like a waste of time, and really it’s all just crumby.

I asked a few members of the English department to comment on Salinger.

“J.D. Salinger’s wryly humorous stories capture audiences because readers find great pleasure in their satire and wit,” said graduate student Nathan Shank. “But underneath the veneer of beat comedy are stories dealing with some of the themes literature has always prized: love, family, spirituality, and basic human conflict.

Besides, no one who has read about Holden Caulfield can possibly forget him.”

OU Professor Jim Zeigler said the 1950s were “The Decade of Salinger.”

“Like Elvis, James Dean, Allen Ginsberg, and other counterculture heroes of the era, Holden Caulfield – the protagonist of Salinger’s ‘The Catcher in the Rye’ – was a rebel who appealed to Americans aspiring to be more optimistic than McCarthyism, atomic bombs and massive resistance to civil rights would seem to allow.”

Salinger had a knack for putting that lost, empty feeling we all experience into the perfect words. His recent death is an opportunity to give him a second look. Go back to the world of Holden Caulfield, or experience it for the first time. Check out “Nine Stories” or “Franny and Zooey” from Bizzell. Salinger may no longer be with us, but his words and stories will live and speak for him, as they always have.

Annika Larson is a professional writing sophomore.

PHOTO PROVIDED

THE DEAD WEATHER COMING TO TULSA

ELECTRIC SIX ADDED TO NMF LINEUP

RAZZIE NOMINEES ANNOUNCED

Blues rock band The Dead Weather revealed that they would be stopping by Oklahoma on their upcoming spring tour.

Detroit-based party-rockers Electric Six are the latest addition to the Norman Music Festival lineup.

The nominees for the 2010 Razzie awards were announced Monday.

The show will take place on April 22 at 8:30p.m. at Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa, OK.

They join Dirty Projectors and Grupo Fantasma as main stage acts. Festival organizers made the announcement Monday night on Oklahoma City radio station 105.3 The Spy.

Leading the pack with nominations was “Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen,” which was nominated for worst picture, director, screenplay and actress.

Electric Six gained notoriety in the early 2000s with their playful brand of garage rock.

Other nominees included “Old Dogs,” “All About Steve” and “Land of the Lost.”

It is well known for their singles “Danger! High Voltage” and “Gay Bar.”

Sandra Bullock could potentially be the first actress to win both and Oscar and Razzie in the same year with her nominations for “Blindside” and “All About Steve.”

The Dead Weather is Jack White’s newest side project, and saw commercial and critical success with the release of their debut album, “Horehound.”

Tickets go on sale Friday at 10a.m. at protix.com. and cost $31 with service charges.

Norman Music Festival will take place April 24 and 25 and will be free to the public.

Daily Staff Reports

9

number

crisis line

[help is just a phone call away]

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OU Number Nyne Crisis Line 8 p.m.-4 a.m. every day except OU holidays and breaks

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Wednesday. February 3, 2010

OSCAR NOMINATIONS’ HITS AND MISSES The Academy Awards took another step toward ncing the list foregone conclusions Tuesday, announcing of nominees in yet another year wheree there aren’t he major likely to be any surprise winners in the categories.

The most any film fan est can hope for is a Best he Picture victory for the “The Hurt Locker,” thee m only respectable film standing in the way off the dreaded “Avatar.”” miBoth films lead the nominations with nine nods each.

The big news — or attempted DUSTY big news, at least — of the year is SOMERS ture field. the expanded Best Picture hing radiBut rather than do anything cal with its extra five slots, the Academyy rounded out the list with the usual suspects and diluted the meaning of an Oscar nomination even further.

I appreciate the nods for “Up” and “A Serious r, but when Man,” my two favorite films of the year, they’re rubbing shoulders with “The Blind Side.” ns all that I’m not sure the nomination means much.

ACTING AWARDS It’s nice to see Jeff Bridges get a nomination, mination, and eading role, most likely the win, for Actor in a leading even if “Crazy Heart” wasn’t any greatt revelation. nd Jeremy George Clooney (“Up in the Air”) and Renner (“The Hurt Locker”) are well deserving n too, but it’s a shame theater veteran Michael Stuhlbarg wasn’t recognized for his brilliance in “A Serious Man.” The acting talent in the lead actress

category is suprem supreme: Helen Mirren, Meryl Streep ... Sandra Bullock?

B The awards season’s love affair with the mawkish “The Blind Side” is i a bit of a puzzler, but it’s no great m mystery that Bullock will be taking ho home the gold.

Presu Presumably, very few Academy memb members saw Tilda Swinton’s magne magnetic, barn-burning turn in “Julia.

“Julia.”

Eve Even the supporting nomination nations will likely yield not a single ssurprise, despite the track record of ther there being at least one upset in the supporting support categories. Mo’Nique ( “ P re c i o u s” ) a n d C h r i s t o p h Wa l t z (“Inglourious Basterds”) are far out in front of the pack. pac

crafted, but ultimately artificial screenplay.

BEST DIRECTOR/PICTURE It’s a one man, one woman race in the director category and, wouldn’t you know it, they used to be married. That might have lent some sense of fun competition to the category if James Cameron’s (“Avatar”) achievement even came close to approaching the level of ex-wife Kathryn Bigelow’s (“The Hurt Locker”).

As it stands, these are the two to beat, as are their respective films in the Best Picture category. The Academy can bray and bleat about the 10 Best Picture nominations this year all it wants (and it sure is — a press release from them promises “you’ve never seen Oscar like this!” Yeah right.). The nominees that don’t have corresponding Best Director nominations are orphans adrift in the Oscar sea without a prayer.

WRITING AWAR AWARDS SMALL VICTORIES Even though “Avatar” “ is running rougheveryt shod over everything in its path, at least the Academy had en enough good sense to disregard its recycled plotline for any achievement in writing.

Many worthy fi films are included in these W two categories. With Quentin Tarantino’s ye one of Pixar’s most imbest screenplay yet, pressive achievem achievements and the Coens’ delightfully dark sc script all getting recognized scre for original screenplay.

Adapted screenplay scr nominations include the best-written bes satire in a long time — the uproarious “In the Loop Loop.” It will win if there’s any justi justice, but even money is on “Up in the Air” — a nicely

While it’s pretty clear this is going to be a year to forget at the Oscars, a few small victories ensure it’s not a total loss. Terry Gilliam’s highly imaginative “The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus” scored nominations for its art direction and costume design, the haunting, Ingmar Bergman-like “The White Ribbon” was nominated for Best Foreign Film and for its cinematography and one of the best biopics of the decade, “Il Divo,” was recognized for its makeup. Hey, you take what you can get.

The 82nd Academy Awards are March 7, and will be broadcast on ABC. Dusty Somers is a journalism senior.

ULTIMATE X #1 some of the best-selling superhero comics of our time. So I’m After killing off characters we’ve still willing to take a risk on this book grown to know and love in the Ultimate today and fingers crossed, it doesn’t Universe, Jeph Loeb returns writing the disappoint. new Ultimate book, “Ultimate X.” Loeb insists that the book isn’t about X-Men DEMO VOLUME 2 #1 or mutants in particular but about life Speaking of returns, Brian Wood after “Ultimatum.” and Becky Cloonan return to their Anyone that read “Ultimatum” 12-issue stand-alone indie understands why few are interhit series “Demo”. ested in this book; Loeb’s Marvel The issues promise to have work stinks. the same feel as the first volOk, that’s a bit unfair but it ume and deal with the same caught your attention. Loeb is subject matter: young girls one of the best comic book writworking out both emotional ers out there but as of late, he’s and supernatural issues. been slacking.

“Demo” is popular, not just “Ultimatum” started out re- OSI among indie comic connoisally strong — Charles Xavier mur- AKEN’OVA seurs, but also mainstream dered, deaths of numerous sureaders alike because of its meperheroes worldwide, etc. — then ticulous pacing and watching God knows what happened by the sixth characters develop in just one issue. issue.

Becky Cloonan’s manga inspired art“Ultimates 3” felt like it had nothing to work might take a little getting used to, do with the previous two books before it, but I promise it will grow on you. I rewhich were action packed epic sagas, in- cently started reading the first volumestead Loeb presented us with a pedestrian murder mystery which is available everywhere-and so far, that disconnected readers from the characters. it’s a very good read.

Despite his recent creative slump, Jeph Loeb has written

Osi Aken’Ova is a film and video studies senior.

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OU STUDENT VIES FOR DATE WITH WITH POP STAR AUDREY HARRIS

Bowie says some of his hall mates are as passionate about his efforts as he is.

They try to get together on Wednesdays or Thursdays and talk about different ways to publicize the Facebook group, Braeden Zamarron, Bowie’s hall mate said.

Zamarron, a psychology freshman, said, “At first I thought he was crazy, but then all these people were joining his group.

Now I’m thinking this thing could actually happen.”

Devon Moseley, a religious studies sophomore, is Bowie’s RA. Bowie said Moseley is one of his biggest supporters.

“He’s just an average guy, trying to do something big that a lot of people tell him that he can’t do,” Moseley said.

According to Swift’s tour schedule on her MySpace, she has three days between her concert in Cincinnati and her concert at the Ford Center on March 11. Bowie says he hopes this means Swift will have a day to spare for a date before her concert.

In addition to the Facebook group, Bowie also campaigns for his cause on Twitter.

He’s following Swift’s record company in the hopes that he’ll get noticed. But for his plan to work, Bowie says he needs people to join the group and continue inviting their friends.

The group has 5,464 members.

Daily Staff Writer

Taylor Swift has had a big year. Countless awards, her first acting role in a movie, a boyfriend, and a date with an OU student?

For Jared Bowie, a sophomore Business Marketing student, a date with Taylor Swift may become a reality next month.

In December, Bowie created a Facebook group expressing his desire to take Taylor on a date while she’s in Oklahoma City for her concert tour.

He got the idea after he had a dream he was dating her.

“I had a dream that she was my girlfriend. It sounds creepy, but it’s not,” Bowie said. “Then I woke up, and she wasn’t. And I was so sad.”

After his dream, Jared walked down his dorm floor’s hallway and heard a hall mate playing a Taylor Swift song. Bowie says he couldn’t understand it, but he felt heartbroken.

Within a day, Bowie created a group called, “Taylor Swift Go On a Date With Me When You’re in OKC,” in the hopes that he’d get noticed and get a date with Taylor like he’d dreamed about.

People may call him crazy but as Jared puts it, he’s just a normal guy who wants a

JALL COWASJI/ THE DAILY

Jared Bowie, business marketing sophomore, wears a T-shirt praising Taylor Swift. He has spent much of his time dedicating videos and posts to the popular icon in the hopes of getting a date with her. date with a beautiful girl.

And if this normal guy gets a date with the beautiful girl, he’s prepared.

“There are two options I’m thinking of,” Bowie said. “Either I’d take her to an

exclusive country club I’m a part of here in Oklahoma, because I wouldn’t want her to get ransacked with people, or I hear she likes experimenting with food, so I would make her dinner at my house.”

Thai. The panel will include law professors Harry Tepker, OU; Carl Esbeck, University of Missouri; and Eduardo Peñalver, Cornell; Kevin Theriot, counsel for Haskell County; and Micheal Salem, counsel for James Green. The panelists will take questions following their discussion. The public is encouraged to attend both sessions in the Bell Courtroom at the OU College of Law. Session I begins at 12:30 p.m.

Session II begins at 1:55 p.m.

care,” said Joseph Ferretti, senior vice president and provost of the OU Health Sciences Center.

Prior to joining the faculty at the OU Health Sciences Center in 2006, Benefield held faculty and administrative positions at Texas Christian University’s Harris College of Nursing and at Old Dominion University. Benefield’s research and community outreach efforts bring together distance family caregivers, communication technologists, engineers and nurse scientists in promoting “aging in place,” especially for older adults with dementia living at home. Among other research awards, she has received a $2.6 million grant from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation to establish the Reynolds Center of Geriatric Nursing Excellence at the OU College of Nursing.

CAMPUS BRIEFS LAW PANEL TO DISCUSS TEN COMMANDMENTS SUIT The OU College of Law and the Oklahoma Law Review will host a First Amendment symposium Feb. 12, entitled “Signs of the Times: The First Amendment and Religious Symbolism.”

Jared Weir, editor at the Oklahoma Law Review, said by e-mail that recent events in Stigler, Okla, have drawn national attention. A monument that included the Ten Commandments was installed in 2004 on the Haskell County courthouse lawn.

James Green challenged this monument in 2005 as a violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. The county won in federal district court, but Green prevailed on appeal to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. The county has now appealed the case to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Weir said the symposium will focus on the Haskell County case and the Establishment Clause issues raised by displays of religious symbols on government property. Session I will feature two speakers: Peter Irons, author of “God on Trial” and professor emeritus at the University of CaliforniaSan Diego, and Thomas Berg, professor of law at the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis. Following their speeches, the speakers will take questions from the audience. Session II will feature a panelist discussion moderated by OU law professor Joseph

-Daily Staff Reports

COLLEGE OF NURSING GETS NEW DEAN OKLAHOMA CITY — Dr. Lazelle Benefield has been named dean of the University of Oklahoma College of Nursing.

Benefield, the Professor and Parry Chair in Gerontological Nursing and director of the Donald W. Reynolds Center of Geriatric Nursing Excellence, has served as interim dean since Nov. 1. She replaces Carole Kenner, who accepted a position at a nursing school in Boston.

“I am proud of the work and progress Dr. Benefield has brought to the OU College of Nursing. I am confident that she will help continue our efforts to enhance the educational experience at the OU Health Sciences Center and work to find solutions for the critical job shortages we face in health

-Daily Staff Reports

OU SELECTED TO REPRESENT STATE AS WINNER OF INNOVATOR AWARD OU’s Center for the Creation of Economic Wealth has been selected to represent Oklahoma as the winner of the Southern Growth Policies Board 2010 Innovator Award at a ceremony June 7 in Lexington, Ky. The Center for the Creation of Economic Wealth commercializes Oklahoma technologies by engaging interdisciplinary students, researchers and

entrepreneurial mentors to strengthen and diversify the Oklahoma and U.S. economies through nurturing technology-based enterprise.

“The University of Oklahoma is proud to be recognized by the Southern Growth Policies Board for its catalytic economic impact on Oklahoma and the Southern region. OU’s Center for the Creation of Economic Wealth provides a unique environment for faculty, students and alumni to combine their talents around OU innovation to strengthen the global competitiveness of our region and nation,” said Daniel Pullin, vice president for strategic planning and technology development.

CCEW participants engage in entrepreneurial outreach and commercialization activities.

The Southern Growth Policies Board annually honors Southern initiatives that are improving economic opportunities and quality of life in the region. The 2010 awards recognize creative initiatives in the region that not only are aimed at helping communities recover from the recession, but are also proactive, with the goal of helping communities better reposition themselves with a stronger economy in the future.

This year’s conference, hosted by Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear, will carry the theme “Driving the Next 20 Years: Creating the New Automotive Industry in the South.”

-Daily Staff reports

WACKY ACKY NEWS NM ROAD CRASH TURNS INTO 238-POUND POT BUST TUCUMCARI, N.M. — Tracks in the snow leading from a crashed car to the nearby bridge overpass on New Mexico’s I-40 just didn’t look right to officers.

State police say that officers patrolling the stretch near Tucumcari Saturday found that 40-year-old Henry Alan Lowe of El Paso, Texas, had lost control of his sedan and crashed into a snow pile.

Then they noticed tracks leading back and forth from the trunk to the bridge.

They allege that partially hidden under the overpass were large plastic wrapped bundles and inside was about 238 pounds of raw marijuana with an estimated street value of more than $642,000.

Police say Lowe was arrested after treated for a gash to his head.

—AP

WITHOUT GROUNDHOGS, ALASKA TO CELEBRATE MARMOT DAY JUNEAU, Alaska — Alaska now has its own version of Groundhog Day. Then-Gov. Sarah Palin signed a bill last year to make every Feb. 2 Marmot Day in Alaska.

The bill was introduced by Sen. Linda Menard, a Wasilla Republican.

Because groundhogs are not common in Alaska, Menard says it made sense for the marmot to become Alaska’s version of Punxsutawney Phil, the Pennsylvania groundhog famed for his winter weather forecasts.

Menard’s bill didn’t give marmots any weather forecasting duties, but she hopes the state will create educational activities around the animal.

Adopt - An - Area Adopt an Area starts next week! Look for your organization!

ALFA Flight A

Delta Tau Delta

P Beta Sigma Phi

Air Force R.O.T.C. A

Delta Upsilon

P Delta Theta Phi

Alpha Chi Omega A

Gamma Phi Beta

Phi P Gamma Delta

Alpha Gamma Delta A

EEngineers Without Borderss

Phi P Kappa Psi

Alpha Kappa Alpha A

Phi P Kappa Sigma

Alpha Kappa Delta Phii A

H Hispanic American Student Association

AUSTIN, Texas — Austin police say a man who called 911 to complain about alleged bank fraud was arrested when he was found with a machete and 20 other knives or blades. Douglas Dockery, 50, was jailed Monday on charges of unlawful carrying of a weapon, plus having prohibited weapons such as a switchblade or knuckles.

Police documents indicate Dockery also was held on a warrant out of Bexar (bayr) County. Travis County electronic jail records provided no further details on that case or listed an attorney for Dockery, whose bail was $14,000.

Police said Dockery was arrested Saturday night outside a convenience store. The machete, with a 16-inch blade, was fastened to Dockery’s right leg.

Alpha Omicron Pi A

IIota Phi Theta

Alpha Phi A

KKappa Alpha

Alpha Phi Alpha A

KKappa Alpha Psi

Alpha Phi Omega A

KKappa Alpha Theta

Alpha Tau Omega A

KKappa Delta Chi

Beta Theta Pi B

KKappa Kappa Gamma

Catholic Student Assoc.

C c c.

KKappa Kappa Psi

—AP

Chi Omega C

KKappa Sigma

Delta Chi D

LLambda Chi Alpha

Delta Delta Delta

N oc.

Non-Traditional Student Assoc.

Delta Epsilon Psi D

Okla. Student Volunteers O

Delta Gamma D

Omega Delta Phi O

Delta Phi Omega D

O Omega Psi Phi

Delta Sigma Theta D

O Our Earth

—AP

MAN WITH 21 KNIVES ARRESTED AFTER CALLING POLICE

MAN UPSET OVER GAS PUMP, DRIVES SUV THROUGH WINDOW PINSON, Ala. — A man was charged with attempted murder after authorities said he drove his truck through the window of a service station. Jefferson County Chief Deputy Randy Christian said a 49-yearold man pulled into a BP station on Alabama 75 in Pinson Sunday morning and got into a dispute with the clerk because the pump was turned off. Christian said the station has a pay-first policy.

Christian said the suspect went back to his Ford Explorer and drove through the plate glass window and into the counter.

Christian said a deputy eventually subdued the suspect with a stun gun.

He was treated by paramedics and then jailed on charges of attempted murder and resisting arrest.

His bond is set at $63,000.

—AP

Pi P Beta Phi Pi Kappa Alpha RUF/NEK Lil Sis R SSigma Alpha Epsilon SSigma Gamma Rho SSigma Lambda Gamma SSigma Nu SSigma Phi Epsilon Zeta Phi Beta Z Adams A Cate C Couch C SSooner Walker W

Way to go! Keep up the good work!

Volunteer u Programs Our Traditions through Service to State and Society LeadershipStrengthening Development and Volunteerism • leadandvolunteer.ou.edu

The University of Oklahoma is an Equal Opportunity Institution. For accommodations on the basis of disability, call 325-2340

4B Wednesday, February 3, 2010 Thad Baker, advertising manager classifieds@ou.edu • phone: 325-2521 • fax: 325-7517

C Transportation

PLACE AN AD Phone: 405-325-2521 E-mail: classifieds@ou.edu

Fax: 405-325-7517 Campus Address: COH 149A

Line Ad ..................................................................................3 days prior Place your line ad no later than 9:00 a.m. 3 days prior to publication.

Display Ad ............................................................................3 days prior Classified Display or Classified Card Ad Place your display, classified display or classified card ads no later than 5:00 p.m. 3 days prior to publication.

PAYMENT s r

r

HELP WANTED

AUTO INSURANCE

Auto Insurance

DEADLINES

Quotations Anytime Foreign Students Welcomed Jim Holmes Insurance, 321-4664

Employment HELP WANTED STUDENTPAYOUTS.COM Paid survey takers needed in Norman 100% FREE to join. Click on Surveys.

TM

Payment is required at the time the ad is placed. Credit cards, cash, money orders or local checks accepted.

RATES Line Ad

There is a 2 line minimum charge; approximately 42 characters per line, including spaces and punctuation.

(Cost = Days x # lines x $/line) 1 day ..................$4.25/line 2 days ................$2.50/line 3-4 days.............$2.00/line 5-9 days.............$1.50/line

10-14 days.........$1.15/line 15-19 days.........$1.00/line 20-29 days........$ .90/line 30+ days ........ $ .85/line

Classified Display, Classified Card Ad or Game Sponsorship

Contact an Acct Executive for details at 325-2521.

2 col (3.25 in) x 2 inches Sudoku ..............$760/month Boggle ...............$760/month Horoscope ........$760/month

2 col (3.25 in) x 2.25 inches Crossword ........$515/month

POLICY The Oklahoma Daily is responsible for one day’s incorrect advertising.

If your ad appears incorrectly, or if you wish to cancel your ad call 3252521, before the deadline for cancellation in the next issue. Errors not the fault of the advertiser will be adjusted. Refunds will not be issued for late cancellations.

Employment

CLASS MONITORS WANTED!!!

Available positions in the OU Athletics Department!!! Junior, Senior, Graduate, and Post-graduate applicants only!!! Hiring for Spring 2010. Call 325-8453 for more info!!!

$5,000-$45,000

PAID EGG DONORS up to 9 donations, + Exps, non-smokers, Ages 19-29, SAT>1100/ACT>24/GPA>3.00 Contact: info@eggdonorcenter.com University College is seeking current students to work with the Summer Enrollment Program for entering freshmen. Positions are FT temporary May 18 - July 30. Pay is $8/hour with weekends/holidays off.

Application at uc.ou.edu. For questions, contact Brian Nossaman at bnoss@ou. edu or 325-3521.

TUTORS WANTED!!!

Available positions in the OU Athletics department!!! Junior, Senior, Graduate, and Post-graduate applicants only!!!

MATH - All Levels!!!

Hiring for Spring 2010. Call 325-0554 for more info!!!

Bartending! Up to $300/day. No exp nec.

Training provided. 1-800-965-6520 x133.

MISAL OF INDIA BISTRO Now accepting applications for waitstaff.

Apply in person at 580 Ed Noble Pkwy, across from Barnes & Noble, 579-5600.

PART-TIME LEASING AGENT Needed for MWF and every third Saturday.

Can be flexible thru the week. Saturdays mandatory. $8/hr. Call 405-360-7744 TUTORS WANTED!!!

Available positions in the OU Athletics Department!!! Junior, Senior, Graduate, and Post-graduate applicants only!!!

ALL SUBJECTS!!!

Hiring for Spring 2010. Call (405) 3254828 for more info!!!

ENGLISH TUTORS WANTED!!!

Available positions in the OU Athletics Department!!! Junior, Senior, Graduate, and Post-graduate applicants only!!!

Hiring for Spring 2010. Call (405) 3258376 for more info!!!

Sandy Beaches needing 2 Nail Techs @ OU dorm location ASAP! Call 364-7344 or visit sandybeachesok.com

J Housing Rentals APTS. FURNISHED $400, bills paid, efficiency LOFT apartments, downtown over Mister Robert Furniture, 109 E Main, fire sprinkler, no pets, smoke-free. Inquire store office.

1 bdr furnished apt near campus, $425 + electric, $200 deposit, no pets - 886-6709

J Housing Rentals Starting at: 1bd $399 / 2bd $510 Pets Welcome! Large Floor Plans! *Some Restrictions Apply Models open 8a-8p Everyday!

360-6624 or www.elite2900.com

SPECIAL! NEAR OU, 1012 S College $295/mo. 360-2873 / 306-1970.

HOUSES UNFURNISHED 515 S Ponca: 3 bd, 2.5 ba, CH/A, W/D hookups, gas FP, close to OU, $850/mo + deposit.

829 Miller: 1 bd, 1 ba apt, near OU, CH/A, appliances, carpet, $400/mo + deposit.

Norman Campus Properties 305 S Peters, 329-1922 AVAILABLE IN MAY A short walk to OU, 1-5 blks west of OU, nice brick homes, wood floors, CH/A, W/D, disposal, good parking.

3 bdrm $990-$1,500 2 bdrm $700-$900 1 bdrm $420-$500 Bob, MISTER ROBERT FURNITURE 321-1818

ROOMMATES WANTED Take over this lease at THE COTTAGES OF NORMAN! $450, all bills paid, 3 F roommates, avail Feb 1st. 903-821-4257

ROOMS FURNISHED NEAR OU, privacy, $230, bills paid includes cable, neat, clean, parking. Prefer male student. Call 329-0143.

APTS. UNFURNISHED

Millions of Americans expose themselves to noise levels above 85 decibels for hours at a time – the level audiologists identify as the danger zone. Lawn mowers, sporting events, live or recorded music, power tools, even traffic and crowded restaurants can sustain these levels. If you’re around noises like these for prolonged periods, you’re risking permanent hearing loss. For more on the 85 dB threshold, and ways to protect your hearing health, visit ASHA.org.

Lowest Prices of the Year! $99 Deposit / 1/2 OFF 1st Months Rent*

1-800-638-8255

The Oklahoma Daily will not knowingly accept advertisements that discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, religious preference, national origin or sexual orientation. Violations of this policy should be reported to The Oklahoma Daily Business Office at 325-2521.

Help Wanted ads in The Oklahoma Daily are not to separate as to gender. Advertisers may not discriminate in employment ads based on race, color, religion or gender unless such qualifying factors are essential to a given position.

All ads are subject to acceptance by The Oklahoma Daily. Ad acceptance may be re-evaluated at any time.

3

Universal Crossword Edited by Timothy E. Parker February 03, 2010

ACROSS 1 Like some turkey meat 5 It may be shaken in anger 9 Brief guest appearance 14 Bridle attachment 15 Banned apple spray 16 “Better get ___ on” 17 Burrowing bony-plated animal 19 “Table for one” type 20 Sacred music genre 21 Brook catch 23 “On top of that ...”

26 Writer Hemingway 29 Layered pastry 33 Nutlike Chinese fruit 34 They may be gray or restricted 35 Visit for a second time 37 Magazine department 38 Ax 39 ___ four (small teacake) 40 Bittersweet coating 41 Jackson 5 hit of 1970 42 Colorful Indian attire 43 Ball-gown fabric 44 Argentine

grasslands 46 By leaps and bounds 48 Play the temptress 49 Twelfth Jewish month 50 Dummkopf 52 Church VIP 57 Ship’s seepage 59 Sport with a goalkeeper 62 Shoelace part 63 Engagement enders?

64 Box-spring support 65 ___ two-shoes 66 Cause for a lawsuit 67 Hangover at home?

DOWN 1 Wet blanket 2 “Nautical” prefix 3 What swish shots miss 4 “Sack” lead-in 5 Ribbed silk fabric 6 ___ at ease 7 Erie Canal mule of song 8 Carriage horse’s pace 9 Item counted by a dieter 10 Check information 11 Monaco resort town 12 The apple of Adam’s eye 13 “Love, Reign

18 22 24 25 27 28 29 30 31 32 36 39 40 42

___ Me” (hit

by The Who) Negotiating goals Lease anew Achier Erstwhile Piercing in tone Like members of the nobility Consonants like M and N Fit for farming Small transgression Acorn’s destiny Fiber used to make rugs Toyota model Strauss’ “Ariadne ___ Naxos” Part of SPCA

43 President before Polk 45 Prodded gently 47 Least covered 51 Lamebrain 53 Section under a concha 54 7UP alternative 55 Scandinavian king 56 Thank-you item 57 Lawn mower attachment 58 “Need ___ on?”

60 “And now, without further ___ ...”

61 Craggy prominence

PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

© 2010 Universal Uclick www.upuzzles.com

LO AND BEHOLD! by Adam Crosse

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HOROSCOPE

By Bernice Bede Osol

Copyright 2008, Newspaper Enterprise Assn.

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PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) -- Before requesting assistance, it might be essential to first gain the confidence of a person whose support is needed now.

Take plenty of time to develop a friendly rapport with him or her.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) -- Many interesting ideas could come out of a discussion with friends who know how to analyze things in a realistic and practical manner, even if there is one among the group who is a bit brainwashed.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) -- Act in harmony with your thoughts, and don’t let anyone convince you otherwise, especially with regard to career aspirations. You’ll quickly know if they’re any good.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) -- Keep the lines of communication open with someone who always has some interesting ideas to toss around. It not only keeps your mind hopping; it can expand your thinking as well.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) -- Even if you have a few false starts, you should be able to find the solution to a nagging domestic problem that, until now, has been evading you.

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Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2010 AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) -- You may not know it, but others put considerable value on your ideas and suggestions. The powers-that-be will be looking to you for direction.

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LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) -- Keep your thinking flexible because you could make a few false starts. You need an open mind in order to resolve any issue or problem that may be troubling you.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -- With your clever mind, even though you may not be looking, you should be able to find several small ways of economizing, such as repairing something yourself instead of replacing it.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) -- Although you might be in the mood to socialize or play a sport much of the day, as nighttime falls, you are likely to want to curl up and relax. Don’t plan anything for the evening.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) -- Both friends and family members will have a difficult time keeping secrets from you, especially if you suspect them of holding something back.

However, don’t probe -- it’s none of your business.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) -- Mix with longstanding friends if you have the time, because it should prove to be more fun than usual; just don’t overdue it, physically or financially.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- Although you might only realize a modest return on something, your pride of accomplishment is likely to exceed most things that money can buy.

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

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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.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

5B

DEFENSE OFFICIALS SAY LIFT MILITARY BAN ON GAYS It’s time to repeal the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell� policy serve openly in the military, up from 52 percent in 1994. and allow gay troops to serve openly for the first time in hisOn Tuesday, several Democratic senators praised Mullen tory, the nation’s top defense officials declared Tuesday, with and Gates for what they said was courageous stance, but a the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff proclaiming that ser- number of Republicans spoke strongly against the idea of a vice members should not be forced to “lie about who they repeal. are.�

Gates drew unusually pointed criticism from Republicans However, both Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint on the Senate Armed Services Committee for saying the reChiefs Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen asked for a year to study view would examine how, not whether, to repeal the ban. the impact before Congress would lift the controversial Arizona Sen. John McCain, the top Republican on the panel, policy. icily told Gates he was disappointed in his position and sugReversing the Pentagon’s 17-year-old policy toward gays gested the Pentagon was usurping Congress’ job. “comes down to integrity,� for the military as an institution “Has this policy been ideal? No, it has not,� McCain said. as well as the service members themselves, Mullen told a “But it has been effective.�

Senate hearing. Unpersuaded, several Republican senators Gates, who says he is a Republican, is the only member of said they would oppose any congressional effort to repeal the former President George W. Bush’s Cabinet whom Obama policy. asked to stay on. He has gained a reputation for both candor Ten months before voters elect a new Congress, some and caution. Mullen’s words were a forceful endorsement Democratic leaders also were leery of trying to change the from a careful man, and his very appearance, starched unipolicy this year when both sides concede Republicans are form and four stars on view, made a statement as well. likely to pick up seats, especially after GOP Sen.-elect Scott Gates said change was inevitable and called for a yearlong Brown’s surprise victory last month in Massachusetts. internal study into how it would occur.

Repealing don’t-ask-don’t-tell is not a winning campaign He told the senators he understood that any change in strategy for a party under siege especially in the South and the law was up to them. But he made it clear he believes it Midwest. is time to do away with the 1993 policy, and by implication “What do I want members to do in their districts? I want the outright ban on gay service that preceded it. Alongside them to focus on jobs and fiscal responsibility,� said House Mullen, that put the Pentagon’s top leadership at odds with Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., classifying gays in the uniformed leaders a rung or two below, as well as with and military in a category of “a lot of other issues� that will invari- also with senior members of Congress. ably come up. “No matter how The Pentagon announced an “You don’t have to be straight to shoot straight,�

I look at the issue,�

11-month review of how the ban Mullen said, “I cannot could be lifted, as President Barack — SEN. MARK UDALL, D - COLORADO escape being troubled Obama has said he will work to do. by the fact that we have But there is no deadline for ending the policy that dates to in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie President Bill Clinton’s tenure and that gay rights advocates about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens.� are pressing to overturn.

Noting that he was speaking for himself and not for the other In the meantime, Gates announced plans to loosen en- service chiefs, Mullen added: “For me, it comes down to inforcement rules for the policy, which says, in essence, that tegrity — theirs as individuals and ours as an institution.� gays may serve so long as they keep their sexuality private.

Gates has appointed a four-star Army general, Carter Obama has called for repeal but has done little in his first Ham, and his own chief legal counsel, Jeh Johnson, to conyear in office to advance that goal. If he succeeds, it would duct the assessment. He also has requested legal advice on mark the biggest shake-up to military personnel policies how the military can relax enforcement standards of the cursince President Harry S. Truman’s 1948 executive order in- rent policy. tegrating the services.

McCain, the ranking Republican on the panel, bristled Homosexuality has never been openly tolerated in the at the Pentagon decision to pursue the study, saying he was American military, and the 1993 policy was intended to be “deeply disappointed� and calling the assessment “clearly a compromise that let gay men and women serve so long as biased� in presuming the law should be changed. they stayed silent about their sexuality. Clinton had wantFor their part, Democrats hailed the internal review but ed to repeal the ban entirely, but the military and many in suggested they wouldn’t wait too long. Sen. Carl Levin, the Congress argued that doing so would dangerously disrupt committee’s chairman and a Michigan Democrat who has order. long opposed the ban, said he was considering legislation Repealing the ban would take an act of Congress, some- this year that would temporarily suspend dismissals of gays thing that does not appear close to happening. under the current policy until a full repeal could be passed.

Since ‘don’t ask, don’t tell� was established, much has Democrat Mark Udall said his Colorado constituents pride changed. Five states and the District of Columbia have adopt- themselves on allowing others to live and let live. ed laws permitting marriage of gay couples, while nine other “You don’t have to be straight to shoot straight,� said states have granted similar rights to gay domestic partners.

Udall, quoting longtime Arizona Republican Sen. Barry The public’s attitude toward gays and lesbians also has un- Goldwater. dergone a significant shift. A Pew poll last year indicated that The tenor of the hearings could change significantly when 59 percent of Americans favor allowing gays and lesbians to lawmakers hear from other senior military officials. Each

PHOTO PROVIDED

Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Michael Mullen, right, accompanied

by Defense Secretary Robert Gates, testifies Tuesday on Capitol Hill in Washington before a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell� policy. of the service chiefs is expected to testify this month on his 2011 budget, and Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Conway is said to have serious concerns about the upheaval that a change to “don’t ask, don’t tell� could cause.

Mullen said it was his sense that rank-and-file troops would support the change. “I have served with homosexuals since 1968,� Mullen said in response to questions from Republican Sen. Sessions. “There are a number of things cumulatively that get me to this position.�

Scott Duane Fair, a former Army helicopter flight engineer, voiced his strong objection to repeal in a comment posted on the Army’s official Facebook page, saying straight service members shouldn’t be forced to share sleeping quarters and showers with those who are openly gay.

In a phone interview, 30-year-old Fair said he had a troubling experience as a young private when a higher-ranking soldier propositioned him in a California barracks room. Fair said he reported the incident to commanders, who took no action. “For somebody to go around flaunting their sexuality is going to make a lot of people more uncomfortable,� said Fair, who left the Army in 2001 because of a disability.

On the other hand, Jason Jonas, a 28-year-old former Army staff sergeant from Tempe, Ariz., said he knew of openly gay soldiers in his intelligence unit at Fort Bragg, but their lifestyle never affected unit morale. “I don’t think it is anybody’s right to say who can and who can’t fight for their country,� said Jonas, who served in Afghanistan before being hurt. He is no longer in the Army. “Nobody cares. Don’t ask, don’t tell is kind of a joke.� —AP

First primary of year to decide showdown in Illinois Illinois Democrats in the nation’s first primary picked candidates to defend the governor’s office and a U.S. Senate seat from the onslaught of a Republican Party eager to exploit Democratic disarray in President Barack Obama’s home state.

The targets include the Senate seat Obama held before moving to the White House. Mark Kirk, a moderate five-term congressman, had a huge lead in early returns — 62 percent to 18 percent for his nearest competitor, Patrick Hughes, with one-third of precincts reporting.

The race appeared to be much closer on the Democratic side, with Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias slightly ahead of former prosecutor David Hoffman.

Losing the Senate seat in the increasingly Democratic-leaning state would be a bigger personal embarrassment for Obama than Republican Scott Brown’s upset victory last month in Massachusetts, which took away the late Edward M. Kennedy’s Senate seat.

The GOP also hopes to win the governor’s mansion after years of turmoil under Democrats. First Gov. Rod Blagojevich was arrested and kicked out of office on federal corruption charges, including allegations he tried to sell an appointment to Obama’s seat. Then his successor, Pat Quinn, got into a vicious primary battle.

Quin accused his opponent, Comptroller Dan Hynes, of ducking tough budget decisions, ignoring the desecration of human remains at a historic black cemetery and trying to divide voters along racial lines.

Hynes called Quinn indecisive and incompetent, charging that he also wants to raise taxes on middle-class voters.

Election officials said voter turnout was low across the state, and many voters seemed fed up with politicians.

The governor’s race, for both Democrats and Republicans, was close in early returns.

The nominees who emerge from the bruising midterm primary will fight for the chance to run a state so deep in debt it can’t pay bills on time and must consider painful service cuts, higher taxes or both.

Quinn sought a full term after being thrust into office a year ago when Blagojevich was expelled. After walking to vote near his home, Quinn sounded prepared for victory or defeat. “There’s an old saying, ‘One day a peacock, the next day a feather duster,’� he said. “I have to be ready for anything.�

It initially appeared Quinn would easily win the Democratic nomination. But that

was before The Associated Press disclosed that his administration was quietly granting early release to some prison inmates, including violent offenders. It also was before Hynes introduced an ad featuring footage of the late Chicago Mayor Harold Washington — a revered figure to many black voters — harshly criticizing Quinn.

Quinn responded by linking Hynes, whose office regulates cemetery finances, to the scandal at a historic black cemetery outside Chicago where bodies were double-stacked in graves or dumped in weeds.

He alleged Hynes ignored the atrocities at Burr Oak Cemetery, the resting place of civil rights-era lynching victim Emmett Till and other prominent African-Americans, because he lacks “human decency.�

Democratic voter Rich Hammer, 58, said he wasn’t excited about either candidate.

But the unemployed Chicago resident decided against voting for Quinn because he served as lieutenant governor when Blagojevich was in power. Hammer said that association, “albeit innocent,� tainted Quinn.

Republicans believe they have a strong shot at the governor’s mansion because both Democratic candidates proposed income tax increases and because Democrats have been so tainted by Blagojevich.

Most of the exchanges among the Republican candidates for governor focused on who was most adamantly opposed to raising taxes. Polls suggested the top contenders were state Sen. Kirk Dillard, businessman Andy McKenna and former Attorney General Jim Ryan.

Obama, who cast an absentee ballot, tried to recruit some big-name Democrats, including popular Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, but came up empty.

The Democrats who did get in the race have their own troubles. Giannoulias, the leader in the polls, has limited experience — a single term as state treasurer and a job at a family bank now in financial trouble.

Chicago Urban League President Cheryle Jackson is a former Blagojevich aide.

Hoffman is an unknown to most voters.

Republican leaders rallied around Kirk as their choice for the party nomination, despite complaints from some GOP activists that Kirk’s support of gun control and abortion rights makes him too liberal. —AP

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Wednesday, February 3, 2010

PART OF OKLA. IMMIGRANT LAW NOW ENFORCEABLE A federal appeals court panel on Tuesday upheld much of an injunction against Oklahoma’s tough anti-illegal immigrant law but said the state can now force public contractors to cross-check employee names against a government list of eligible workers.

In a divided opinion, a three-judge panel of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver ruled that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and several other pro-business groups had legal standing to challenge Oklahoma’s immigration law.

The law sought to subject businesses that hire illegal immigrants to financial penalties, dictate who can and cannot be fired and require contractors to withhold taxes for workers without proper documentation.

The panel said that though the plaintiffs would likely triumph with most of their claims, Oklahoma can direct employers to a federal database of workers eligible to work in this country.

The judges also granted Attorney General Drew Edmondson some immunity from the lawsuit.

The case will now be returned to the U.S. District Court in Oklahoma City for a judge to decide whether a permanent injunction against the law should be issued, said Charlie

CAPITOL BRIEFS PARTY BUS LEGISLATION ADVANCED TO FLOOR OKLAHOMA CITY — The Senate’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee has approved a measure to ensure party bus companies don’t enable underage drinking.

Sen. Debbe Leftwich, D-Oklahoma City, said she introduced Senate Bill 1762 because of an incident that occurred in her district.

“Students at one of our area high schools pooled their money and rented a party bus for prom night — then proceeded to drink while on the bus while the driver apparently did or said nothing at all to stop them,” Leftwich said in a statement. “They were completely drunk when they arrived at their prom and if school officials hadn’t been observant and detained the students, they probably would have eventually wound up on the road.”

Leftwich said SB 1762 would make it illegal for a person owning or operating a hired bus or limousine service to knowingly transport minors who are drinking or in possession of alcohol or low-point beer.

The act would be a misdemeanor with a fine of up to $500 for the driver and for the owner of the vehicle. Those convicted of a subsequent offense would face the fine and the loss of the driver’s commercial license. In addition, the company owning the vehicle could be barred from operating in Oklahoma for one year.

“If a company is willing to do business with minors there needs to be some accountability on the company’s part,” Leftwich said.

SB 1762 now moves to the full Senate for consideration.

POSSIBLE EMERGENCY CONTACT OPTION ON YOUR LICENSE OKLAHOMA CITY — A bill to help ensure families can find out in a timely way when a person has been severely injured or killed in an accident has cleared its first hurdle. Senate Bill 1779 was approved by the Senate Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee on Tuesday. The bill’s author is Sen. Sean Burrage, who was contacted by a friend after tragedy struck her family.

“Her cousin had been killed in an automobile accident in the middle of the night but the family didn’t hear about it for 12 hours. Law enforcement had tried diligently to reach someone, but wound up having to break into the victim’s apartment in order to find the name and number of someone to contact,” Burrage, D-Claremore, said in a statement. “My bill would enable Oklahomans to provide an emergency contact number so that a friend or family member could be notified should the unthinkable happen.”

Under Senate Bill 1779, anyone applying for a driver license or identification card, or renewing their license or ID, would have the option of providing emergency contact information. The information would be entered into a database maintained by the Department of Public Safety.

“This would be strictly optional and the information would be entered into a database that law enforcement could access if a person became incapacitated,” Burrage said.

Burrage’s legislation will next be considered by the full Senate.

—Daily Staff Reports

Price, a spokesman for Edmondson.

“The court overturned one provision and upheld the other two,” Price said. “Our attorneys are still reviewing the ruling, and we’ll be preparing for the issues in regards to permanent injunctions before the district court.”

Rep. Randy Terrill, R-Moore, who authored the law, said the state has not decided its next course of action. The state can ask for a rehearing before the 10th Circuit, appeal the case to the Supreme Court or allow it to proceed before U.S. District Judge Robin Cauthron, who blocked enforcement of the law.

The plaintiffs will be allowed to challenge a provision in the law that bars businesses from discharging workers who are known U.S. citizens or permanent residents while retaining illegal immigrant workers.

The court also rejected Oklahoma’s claim that requiring contractors to withhold taxes for undocumented workers was a tax issue and not a civil penalty.

“Its purpose is to regulate conduct rather than to raise revenue,” U.S. Circuit Judge Carlos Lucero wrote for the panel.

The judges did allow Oklahoma to require public agencies or private businesses that do work for public institutions to refer to an Internet-based government list of eligible workers

when hiring. Those employers would be barred from hiring anyone who is not the Basic Pilot program list. At the national level, participation in the program is voluntary.

Oklahoma’s decision to make the program mandatory in spite of Congress’ determination that it should be voluntary indicates the chambers of commerce will likely succeed in showing that the state has undermined Congress’ judgment, according to the court ruling.

“The balance of equities tips in the chambers’ favor, and the public interest is served by an injunction,” the decision says. “Oklahoma does not have an interest in enforcing a law that is likely constitutionally infirm.”

The harshest provisions of the law were set to take effect July 1, 2008, but Cauthron blocked enforcement a month before.

Provisions of the law that survived included a prohibition on transporting or harboring an illegal immigrant and a prohibition against illegal immigrants receiving most public assistance or taxpayer-funded benefits.

—AP