The Oklahoma Daily by OU Daily

TUESDAY MAY 5, 2009

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news Ever wondered what the true meaning of Cinco de Mayo is? See what students said. PAGE 3

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Looking for a few good books to read? Check out this week’s bbook reviews. PAGE 7

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F SEVENTY-ONE PEOPLE HAVE VOTED ONLINE AND 61 PERCENT SAY THEY’RE HEY’RE NOT YET WORRIED, BUT THEY’R THEY’RE PAYING CLOSE ATTENTION TO REPORTS. OUDAILY.COM » ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT H1M1 FLU?

Culturally conscious classes enrich education experience JFK, body image, The Beatles, Star Wars—all centerpieces in courses on popular culture JAMIE BIRDWELL The Oklahoma Daily

Although math, science and pre-civil war history may be important to a higher education, there are other classes being offered in the summer and fall that add a little more spice to the collegiate career. The classes are available for just about anyone to take, assuming there’s enough space, and they offer variable credit hours.

WHO KILLED JFK? Who Killed JFK is an honors class offered this fall that explores the different theories of how President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, said Steven Gillon, Honors College adjunct professor. Gillon, a History Channel resident historian, said he will have a book on the assassination called “24 hours After” published this fall. The book will have its own History Channel two-hour prime-time documentary set to air along with the release, Gillon said. Both the book and the documentary follow the first 24 hours after the Kennedy assassination and President Lyndon Johnson’s investigation into each theory of the assassination. The students will be broken up into groups, each assigned a different theory to study. Students will examine each theory and make an informed judgment on which one they think is correct. Who Killed JFK is an honors course and open to all students, if it doesn’t fill up with honors students first. Who Killed JFK is a one hour, 3,000 level honors course.

BODY IMAGE VS. REALITY: POP CULTURE AND THE BEAUTY MYTH Originally taught as a freshmen seminar, Yaisa Mann, graduate research assistant in

MICHELLE GRAY/THE DAILY

Ryan Slesinger, English graduate student, will be teaching Six Years in the Life: The Beatles and Counterculture, which will be offered during May intersession, as well as Star Wars and the Hero’s Journey, which will be offered during August intersession. English, said she decided to turn a class about self esteem into an upper division elective that discusses the issues of body image, pop culture and cultural standards. The idea for the class comes from Mann’s dissertation, which explores self esteem and unifying the way girls can relate to one another. The class has many guest speakers from all different fields. The speakers are divided into two categories: experts and those who have experienced difficulty with their body image.

Mann also has “body outlaws” come in, people who don’t conform to the ideal standards of body image, she said. In addition to guest speakers and participating in class, students have weekly readings and are required to write online blogs about body image and things that have affected them, whether in class, by observation or in the news, she said. Body Image vs. Reality: Pop Culture and the Beauty Myth is a three hour, 3,000 level

Course evaluations moving to the web Saving time, money cited as primary incentives for switch CADIE THOMPSON The Oklahoma Daily

Students in the College of Arts and Sciences will now fill out their course evaluations online. The College of Arts and Sciences is now using a new program called eValuate, which allows students to answer questions online about the quality of the courses in which they are enrolled for the spring semester.

Course surveys previously have been on paper and hand written with a pen or pencil. The switch from paper to electronic will help save money, protect the environment and conserve class time, said Kelly Damphousse, Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “I think it will be better all the way around,” he said. The program will help reduce costs because about 70,000 evaluations are filled out each year. The efforts will help save OU $10K a semester, Damphousse said. EVALUATIONS CONTINUES ON PAGE 2

PAIGE LAWLER Contributing Writer

Oklahoma is known as part of the “Bible Belt,” where people cling to their faith, especially during times of struggle. Barrett Zuskind’s faith helped him get through some tough family circumstances. His parents went through a nasty divorce four years ago, and Zuskind, a petroleum engineering junior, said his church friends were like lifesavers. Even now, when things in his life are going

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SIX YEARS IN THE LIFE: THE BEATLES AND COUNTERCULTURE This May intersession class uses one of the most famous bands in the world, The Beatles, to assess the counterculture of the 1960s in the United States, said English graduate student Ryan Slesinger. CLASSES CONTINUES ON PAGE 2

Professor speaks to Congress on research funding Scientist urges fed. government to continue to fund research LEIGHANNE MANWARREN The Oklahoma Daily

Identification Survey, more Americans are rejecting the Christian religion than in the past. The survey shows 75 percent of Americans consider themselves Christian, an 11 percent drop since 1990. Mark Carter, staff member at Student Mobilization (StuMo), the college life group at Generation Church on Lindsey Street, said the results of the survey are not especially surprising to him. Across the U.S., about 90 percent of college students won’t set foot in any church throughout their college careers, Carter said. Zuskind volunteers at StuMo, and said although many freshmen walk through the doors every week, he’s noticed a decline in NUMBERS CONTINUES ON PAGE 2

FUNDING CONTINUES ON PAGE 2

The College of Arts and Sciences is moving to paperless evaluations and offering a raffle incentive for students to participate.

well, he continues to go to church every week. He is friends with everyone at the student ministry where he works, including the leaders. “I want to stay connected with God and my religion — it makes me a better person,” Zuskind said. Zuskind’s fiancée, Amanda Black, said her faith helped her get through an obstacle, too. Her older brother developed brain tumors last year, and Black, an advertising junior, said her family couldn’t have handled it without sticking together. “I don’t know what I would have done without God and my faith,” Black said. But people like Zuskind and Black appear to be increasingly rare in today’s society, even in the Sooner State. According to the American Religious

G. RANDY KELLER

The importance and benefit of funding scientific research was the hot topic as one OU scientist participated in a recent panel discussion in Washington, D.C. Geology professor G. Randy Keller took part in the annual “Congressional Visits Day,” April 28-29, sponsored by the Science Engineering and Technology Working Group, a collection of more than 30 organizations that represent science and technology in academic, government and private industries. “It was really impressive to stand up with other big schools such as Harvard and MIT representing OU,” said Keller, Geological Society of America councilor. Keller said after speaking with members of Congress, the panel answered questions from the media about funding scientific research. “While this administration is kinder to funding research than the previous

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ZACH BUTLER/THE DAILY

Though strong in state, Christianity sees drop-off in numbers More young Americans seek unconventional spiritual uplift

women’s studies course.

VOL. 94, NO. 147

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Numbers Continues from page 1 membership over the years. Eventually, the number will level off until about only half of Americans will consider themselves Christian, Zuskind predicted. Carter said Christianity is declining on college campuses, and some students’ hearts are not in the right place to begin with. Young Americans are turning to negative outlets such as drugs to help ease their problems, but in reality these choices are making things worse, Carter said. College students seem especially tired of hypocritical leaders, Carter said, and those who remain faithful tend to prefer places of worship that are authentic and straightforward. He said the recent economic turmoil is contributing to disillusionment. “The system in America is broken,” Carter said. “Many people are struggling, and the United States is becoming one of the most economically depressed countries in the world.” Although Oklahoma is not completely immune from the national trend moving away from Christianity, Carter said many people in the state have developed a different

Funding Continues from page 1 ones, this is a yearly event to discuss the importance of science and technology for the government,” Keller said. According to the National Science Foundation, funding for scientific research could increase 3 percent a year if funding was at the same level as other countries’ scientific funding. “With more funding to scientific research, one of

understanding of what being a Christian means. Charles Kimball, head of OU’s religious studies program, said he believes the national survey focused on the big picture, rather than on specific branches of the religion, such as Baptism or Catholicism. Kimball said although older traditional churches are seeing a decline in numbers, larger mainstream churches, or “megachurches,” are increasing in popularity. Linguistics senior Kelsey Snapp volunteered with the Journey Church youth program for two-and-a-half years, and said he thinks fewer people are going to church than in the past. Snapp said there are several reasons for this, but a major factor is modern culture. “Once you get to the point of trying to explain the unexplainable, people turn to science and stop relying on faith,” Snapp said. Although there has been a decline, Oklahomans still are attending church more than people from other states, Snapp said. Some people are turning to a different form of spirituality, Kimball said. Evangelicals, or born-again Christians, are very common across certain parts of the U.S., including Oklahoma, he said. “I think in that sense, Oklahoma is the proverbial buckle of the Bible Belt in a very real way,” Kimball said.

the main benefits would be that young people will want to enter the scientific research field,” Keller said. “It is tough to go into science or engineering or other things with little pay off, but with more funding, we can have the same positive impact on the country as we had before.” Keller said while the pay off with research is not speedy, he believes there is a trickle-down process to different industries such as oil, natural gas and environmental issues. He recalled

the scientific funding of the 1950s and 1960s, when the U.S. raced to catch up to and surpass the Soviet Union, which launched the world’s first Earth-orbiting artificial satellite, Sputnik, in 1957. “I was affected by the Sputnik event but now we have kind of had a long decline since then,” he said. “The government believed that the industry should take over [funding responsibility] but the industry does not pay off. The government needs to take back the responsibility.”

Classes Continues from page 1 Slesinger’s class will cover 1964 to 1970, beginning with the arrival of The Beatles to the United States. The class will examine the lyrics and movies made by The Beatles, as well as assess different articles gathered around the time period the group was most prevalent. The class will focus on what The Beatles meant in correlation to the sixties counterculture, Slesinger said. Before 1965, American culture was more generalized and the sixties brought about change to make way for a more niche culture, he said. Slesinger said The Beatles recognized the hippie movement, became popular and were able to spread the movement because of their popularity. Six Years in the Life: The Beatles and Counterculture is a three hour, 2,000 level University College course.

STAR WARS AND THE HERO’S JOURNEY Star Wars and the Hero’s Journey, also taught by Slesinger, is an August intersession class that examines the Star Wars films alongside a book by Joseph Campbell called, “The Hero With a Thousand Faces.” Slesinger said George Lucas, director of all the Star Wars films, gained his inspiration for the series from Campbell’s book. The class will study the

MICHELLE GRAY/THE DAILY

English graduate student Ryan Slesinger created two unique courses focusing on pop culture. Years in the Life: The Beatles and Counterculture and Star Wars and the Hero’s Journey will be offered during the May and August intersessions, respectively. importance of the Star Wars phenomenon in American pop culture and why the films have such staying power in society, Slesinger said. Slesinger said the class will watch every movie, starting with Episode I and go in chronological order according to the Star Wars world. In addition, the students will read “The Hero with a Thousand

CAMPUS NOTES TODAY

Evaluations Continues from page 1 Although the system is expected to work better than paper evaluations, there still may be some drawbacks, he said. He said it’s likely there will be a decrease in respondents to the online surveys because there will no longer be class time allotted to filling out the evaluations and students may not feel obligated to fill out the survey. To encourage students to participate in the surveys, the college is entering students who complete the evaluations into a drawing for free iPod Shuffles. Damphousse said the college also is taking steps to make sure the evaluations are accessible to all students enrolled in a class in the college. He said the college has sent out emails to students enrolled in his college’s courses reminding them to take the survey and has the link to the course evaluations posted on the Desire 2 Learn Web site. A link to the course evaluation Web site also is posted on the college’s Facebook and Twitter pages.

UOSA President Katie Fox, international area studies senior, was involved in providing feedback to OU officials about the program and said the it will have a positive impact. She said students in the College of Arts and Sciences already have expressed positive feedback for the program. But cutting costs and going green are not the only incentives for moving the evaluations online, she said. Fox said other universities already have made the move to electronic evaluations and have seen more productive feedback. Damphousse said students who fill out the electronic evaluations are likely to give more thorough answers in the open response part of the surveys because they can respond at their leisure. Students also can look at their professors’ evaluation data from the previous semester on the Web site, Damphousse said. He said every semester a report is compiled from the course evaluations and is used to produce a report about the instructor. This information will now be available to students who are filling out surveys online about their enrolled courses in the College of Arts and Sciences.

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More than 80% of germs are spread by the hands. Wash your hands to stop the transmission and kill the most common germs that may make you sick.

Other ways to prevent the spread of common germs: • Do not share cups, plates, utensils,

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Faces” and compare the films with the book. The class will examine the mythological and philosophical roots of Star Wars and find overall meaning in its place in our culture, Slesinger said. Star Wars and the Hero’s Journey is a three-hour, 2,000 level University College course.

CHRISTIANS ON CAMPUS Christians on Campus will host a Bible study at noon in the Oklahoma Memorial Union. OU LIBRARIES OU Libraries will be available to help students

with term papers and assignments at 7 p.m. in Couch Center. WEDNESDAY CHRISTIANS ON CAMPUS Christians on Campus will host a Bible study at 12:30 p.m. in the Oklahoma Memorial Union.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

SOONER SAMPLER: WHAT ARE THE ORIGINS OF CINCO DE MAYO? A day to celebrate Mexican beer. The time for unlimited margaritas. For some college students, there’s no better time to toast a favorite Mexican beverage — for those over 21, of course — than Cinco de Mayo. But, given its esteemed reputation among partiers across

“I don’t know, honestly.” BRIA STEWART, UNIVERSITY COLLEGE FRESHMAN

the U.S., just how knowledgeable are students about the history of such a cherished holiday? Contrary to popular belief, the first sip of cerveza tonight isn’t celebrating Mexico’s independence. Cinco de Mayo actually recognizes the Mexican army’s victory over French

forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. The date of Mexico’s independence is actually Sept. 18, 1810. Three of the five students we questioned got the answer right. Now you can, too. Salud. — Reneé Selanders/The Daily

“I know it’s a Latin holiday, so I don’t really know what they celebrate.”

“Isn’t it a battle that the Mexicans won over the French?”

“The fifth of May – doesn’t it have to do with their independence?”

“It celebrates a Mexican victory over French forces, I think.”

COURTNEY DIEHL, PSYCHOLOGY SENIOR

JUSTIN MOORE, SPANISH AND ENGLISH SOPHOMORE

JOHN SALVIE, FINANCE AND MIS SOPHOMORE

JOSH KOPELMAN, UNIVERSITY COLLEGE FRESHMAN

PHOT0S BY AMY FROST/THE DAILY

New system to make health care info more accessible Centralized model may advance state health care JARED RADER The Oklahoma Daily

The OU School of Community Medicine and IBM have collaborated to build an IT-based, electronic healthrecord model in hopes of improving Oklahoma’s health care record. The strategic partnership would, over the next several years, develop a network of physicians, hospitals, pharmacies and labs working together to share information on patients. Physicians will be able to access a larger and fuller picture of a patient’s health care record, said Daniel Duffy, senior associate dean of academic programs at the School of Community Medicine. He said the current model of electronic medical records is problematic because medical data is isolated in the offices of various health care providers, making it difficult and redundant

for patients and doctors to access information at another site. The new electronic model will centralize all the data in electronic medical records into one easily accessible database. “The idea is to create a system that can take the information collected at each site and make it available in a health information exchange,” Duffy said. “This way, it would be possible for me to have information, say, on my patient from an emergency room they visited last week.” David Kendrick, director of medical informatics at the School of Community Medicine, said it was surprising that health care information hadn’t before been centralized in a health information exchange system. He said the new project is a step in the right direction. “It’s as if there was always a vast expanse of desert and until there were highway stripes painted on it, we didn’t know where to drive,” Kendrick said. “Now that we have the stripes and the road signs, the road is much clearer to improving health care in Oklahoma.”

Kendrick said the complexity created by the presence of many health insurance companies, like Blue Cross and Medicare, also will be reduced with a centralized electronic health care system. “All [health insurance companies] have different rules and it can be very painful to file,” he said. “Having many payers is OK from a market-driven perspective, but it’s a very difficult for systems integration.” Oklahoma ranks last in the nation in terms of access to health care, quality of care, health equity, avoidable hospital use and cost, and health status, according to the School of Community Medicine’s Web site. IBM executives and OU physicians are optimistic this project will improve Oklahoma’s health care record and serve as a model for other health systems and primary care practices across the country. “This initiative puts Oklahoma in a unique position to leap forward in terms of quality of health care,” Duffy said.

POLICE REPORTS Names are compiled from the Norman Police Department and OUPD. The reports serve as a record of arrests, not convictions. Those listed are innocent until proven guilty. MUNICIPAL WARRANT Saeed Mohammed Alyakoub, 20, 730 Stinson St., Saturday POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA Jonathan Ray Arnold, 33, 2137 Melrose Court, Sunday, also possession of drug paraphernalia PETTY LARCENY Sheena Roslind Marie Bauer, 22, 3301 W. Main St., Saturday Audrey Shari Jordan, 27, 601 12th Ave. NE, Saturday DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE Jeffrey Andrew Bloomgarden, 64,

Jenkins Avenue, Saturday, also transporting an open container Brian Coleman Rayburn, 22, 1333 E. Lindsey St., Sunday COUNTY WARRANT Joshua S. Boutwell, 25, 1145 Biloxi Drive, Sunday Sondra L. Hill, 46, 2520 W. Main St, Sunday PUBLIC INTOXICATION Adan Garcia-Delgado, 38, 1226 Classen Blvd., Saturday Terry Mercer Evans, 52, 333 N. Interstate Drive E, Sunday, also possession of drug paraphernalia Tiffany Marie Greenwood, 21, 1015 E. Brooks St., Sunday Alexander Vinet Halkins, 29, 1345 12th Ave. NE, Saturday

COMMENTS OF THE DAY »

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

In response to Tyler Branson’s Monday column about iGoogle replacing human interaction.

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

YOU CAN COMMENT AT OUDAILY.COM

OUR VIEW

As you say, this has the net effect of making us smarter, more alienated people, and it is something that we have to constantly be on guard for. But this is the march of history, you know? We simply need to know more things to be good citizens and members of society, and the impersonal-

yet-hyperefficient access to knowledge that we have is essentially the bedrock of achieving that goal. No amount of hand-wringing can change that fact, but the bargain that we’re all apparently willing to make to be more intelligent doesn’t have to be Faustian. - JJANOWIAK

YOU AREN’T THAT BUSY

Online evaluations a privilege, should not be taken for granted Instructor and professor evaluations are, or should be, a privilege rather than a hassle for students. Students shouldn’t take this task for granted by ignoring the College of Arts and Science’s new online system for evaluations. It shouldn’t take a bribe, like a free iPod Shuffle, to get students to take two minutes out of their days to go online and evaluate their professors. Professors and administrators don’t ignore the evaluations. They consider them for salary increases, tenure possibilities and overall performance reviews. And many professors take them seriously in evaluating their own work and determining which changes, if any, they need to make to enhance learning for

their future students. All of that considered, we don’t think it’s too much to ask spending a few minutes online offering constructive criticism that will ultimately contribute to educational improvement. Furthermore, it’s important for students to participate in the online evaluations so the work to move them online is not in vain. The paperless efforts are to be commended. They make the evaluations faster. It saves money and thousands of sheets of paper, and students are more likely to take them seriously when they aren’t forced to do them in class. But all of this is negated if students take the privilege for granted. Make sure you aren’t guilty of doing as much.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY LILLY CHAPA/THE DAILY

Students’ lack of time management leaves them feeling busier than they should. Go online to the opinion blog to find out why you’re not that busy during the final two weeks of the semester.

Opinionated? Apply today for summer and fall cartoonist and columnist positions. Contact Luke Atkinson for summer at ljatkinson88@gmail.com and Will Holland for fall at will.j.holland-1@ou.edu.

STAFF COLUMN

Autism Speaks promotes hysteria, ignorance Autism Speaks is the world’s largest and most prominent autism advocacy organization. Through its partnerships with Toys “R” Us and other businesses and its stable of celebrity spokespeople, it is able to raise well more than $30 million per year. It would be natural to assume that donating to such a medical charity would be a good thing. Advances in the efforts to cure diseases such as breast cancer and AIDS have come largely as a result of widespread public concern. Wouldn’t a few dollars one might ZAC otherwise spend SMITH on luxury items be better placed in the hands of Autism Speaks? Contributing to an organization that speaks up for autistic individuals would be wonderful. With my donation, this group could campaign for greater understanding and acceptance of those with autism and help influence society in such a way as to be more accessible to them. Such an organization would be well deserving of your and my support. However, such an organization

also would be pretty much the polar opposite of Autism Speaks. Autism Speaks, whose sole concern seems to be “fix[ing]” those with autism, engages in scaremongering, distorts facts and dehumanizes those they are supposedly speaking for, all as a matter of policy. Autism Speaks has likened having autism to being in a car wreck, being struck by lightning and being fatally ill. Autistic children are said to have been “kidnapped” from their families. Learning to live with and understand a person’s autism-related characteristics is not an option— autism must be defeated and the person rescued. This attitude has been most effectively distilled in an advertisement designed by the unrelated New York University Child Study Center. The ad, which is presented in the form of a ransom note, reads, “We have your son. We will make sure he will not be able to care for himself or interact socially as long as he lives. This is only the beginning. [From] Autism.” This variety of approach, while no doubt useful for scaring up donations, obviously promotes the stigmatization of autism. Autism Speaks is abundantly eager to engage in these tactics. Autistic children are “stolen” from

their families — soulless husks, they live lives devoid of human emotion, or so the portrayal goes. The incitement of hysteria fills Autism Speaks’ coffers, but at the cost of further alienating a group of individuals who already face numerous social challenges. The most unsettling example I’ve seen of Autism Speaks’ dehumanization of autistic individuals is contained in its 2006 film “Autism Every Day,” which features, among other things, a mother claiming that she would have murdered her autistic daughter but for the existence of her other, neurotypical daughter. That this would have been an insane or at least critically misinformed choice is not highlighted. Individuals on the autism spectrum, when not being obliquely portrayed as soulless androids, are turned into mascots. My favorite example of this is the Toys “R” Us-associated charity that offered donators of $10 or more a complementary tote bag decorated with art by a real autistic person. Oh boy! For $20 can I get a souvenir photo taken with him, too? How is it, one might wonder, that an autism advocacy organization could be comfortable promoting these views? Why don’t those autistic individuals involved in the group’s running do something to moderate its

speech? The answer is that the autistic are not represented, even by a single individual, in the group’s leadership. Perhaps having an autistic board member would betray the fact that autism doesn’t render one totally nonfunctional. Autism Speaks is like an allwhite NAACP. The organization also spends a significant portion of its budget researching the connection between childhood vaccination and autism. The hypothesis that vaccination can lead to autism is unsupported by any evidence and runs counter to what we do know about autism’s probably primarily genetic basis. But this has not stopped Autism Speaks from pouring funding into research on the topic, presumably in the hope of finding a link which would accentuate the paranoia around autism. The truth is that, while individuals on the autism spectrum face difficulty integrating into a society constructed by and for the neurotypical, many autism-associated idiosyncrasies are useful and positive. Take, for example, the characteristic attention to detail and fascination with repetition that led artist Andy Warhol, who was probably autistic, to create some of his most

recognizable works. Recognizable contemporary individuals on the autism spectrum include actors Dan Aykroyd and Daryl Hannah, singers Ladyhawke, Gary Numan, Craig Nicholls (of the Vines) and Peter Tork (of the Monkees). In fact, many high-functioning autistic individuals and individuals with Asperger syndrome (“aspies,” for the hip) prefer to live as they are, regardless of the inconvenience, and find the notion that they must be rescued from the ravening demon of their autism insulting. But, even if one accepts the premise that autism must be controlled (presumably through prenatal testing and abortion, as with Down syndrome), Autism Speaks remains an unprincipled organization that actually fights the understanding and acceptance of the people it purports to represent. If you’d like to contribute to an organization making an effective effort to improve the lives of autistic individuals, I’d suggest the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network, found online at www.autisticadvocacy.org. The next time a Toys “R” Us cashier tries to guilt you into giving a few dollars to Autism Speaks, buy yourself an oversized Chupa Chups instead.

Zac Smith is an English junior.

STAFF COLUMN

Growing ‘indie’ culture short on substance, past relevance I still remember the angry sermons my brother got from my dad for buying clothes from Goodwill Industries in the early- and mid-’90s. The argument went something like: “We can afford to buy you new clothes.” and I suppose that was also the reason my brother went to thrift stores and countless hole-in-the-wall venues. In a time of ease and ma s s -p ro d u c t i o n , h e sought lived-in clothes, and music free from the gloss and tripe of popular SLATER and commercial interests. RHEA And though I didn’t know it then, my brother and his friends were founding members of what would become one of the most prevalent zeitgeists of our generation. Nearly 20 years later, today’s new bohemians dominate this town and our nation’s youth. And with the recent music festivals and back-to-earth festivities, they’ve been out in force, armed with their Jonas Brothers sport coats and Capri-length blue jeans, their Ray Ban Wayfarers and organic soaps.

Meredith Simons Nijim Dabbour Jamie Hughes Mack Burke Ray Martin Zach Butler

Worse still, I cannot count the times I’ve heard the slight new Bob Dylan album described as a “masterpiece,” and in the floweriest, elliptical Rolling-Stone prose to rival his own poetry. Frankly, I’m as cheesily indie as the next guy. I have the new Dylan record on vinyl along with close to 1,000 other records (not to rival my brother’s mammoth 4,000-LP collection). I wear old-man sweaters and Ray Bans, too (although I’m considering losing them) and I grandiosely hammer out papers and poems on a 1960’s-era typewriter. The problem is that in the token gestures of our hemp-scented young, in the branded defiance of a generation dispossessed of need and needy for dispossession, is the selfrighteous idea that our personal habits alone — our earthy living-is-its-own-worthy-end, and is itself protest enough of the ills of our world. Transcendence won’t be, and cannot be found in the inward-turning communehouses, or in the precious, affected wailings of the next self-important singer-songwriters. What made the indie culture of the ’90s relevant was its departure from convention, its reaction against mass-production,

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its appreciation of substance and its humble search for meaning in a world offering little but convenience and asking less of its youth. But at some point, past the big lapels and primary colors, shoulder pads and other never-missed fads of that time, and facing the rise of our token-minded Captain Planet generation, the Wal-Mart interests caught on, and what was an earnest, real and softspoken movement became as contrived and empty as what it sought to subvert. What is more, the “Time Out of Mind” Dylan spoke of and channeled in his true 1997 masterpiece of that name is passed, and if these ideals are to mean anything, they have to be applied to a ready world. I don’t mean to insinuate that all who espouse the indie-ethics of recent years are disingenuous, unrealistic or inauthentic, and far from it. And if society must elevate a style and sub-culture to mass-production, one could do worse. But those who love the authentic, real and worthwhile must seek it out and realize that much of what is being sold to them is fiat, pat and mass-produced. And in a world so needful of original thinking and passionate action, the earthy

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talismans — the countless obscure records and old men’s discarded shirts, the newwave skirts and scarves — the Goodwill aesthetic is simply that — a look — and is nothing but a beginning. The great depression of the past 20 years and of Cold War détente and boomer ease, the lack of an urgent national cause that dressed our nation’s youth in second-hand clothes for outward expression of an inner need, is gone. We face challenges as great as any generation in the history of the world has faced, and as such make great generations. And the infinite wash of minds, hearts, hopes and devastating needs that covers the earth is the greatest sum of people, violence and hate and wisdom and hope that ever has been and ever was. These are historic times, the needs are great, and the dividends greater — in purpose and meaning, and for lives that atrophied for want of need itself. Do something. If you need any ideas, see the government’s new volunteer Web site at www.serve. gov. Slater Rhea is an English literary and cultural studies and letters senior.

The Oklahoma Daily is a public forum and OU’s independent student voice. The opinion page is produced by a staff of columnists and cartoonists who are independent of The Daily’s news staff. Letters to the editor are welcomed. Letters should concentrate on issues, not personalities, and should be fewer than 250 words, typed and signed. Letters may 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. Submit letters to dailyopinion@ou.edu or in person Sunday through Thursday in 160 Copeland Hall.

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Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Warrant charges Craigslist suspect with RI assault

JURY SELECTION BEGINS FOR NORMAN TRIPLE HOMICIDE State seeking death penalty Jury selection began Monday behind closed doors in Cleveland County in the murder trial for a man charged in the shotgun slayings of three women at a house near the University of Oklahoma campus. William Eugene Davis, 52, is charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the Sept. 4, 2007, killings of his two sisters and the mother-in-law of one of the victims. Authorities say Davis used a 12-gauge shotgun to kill Tami Link, 52; her sister Sheila Ellis, 56, and Link’s mother-in-law, Letannah Bishop, before being disarmed by Link’s husband, Joseph Brent Link. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. Joseph Link, a blind Vietnam War veteran, told police Davis showed up at his home seeking help applying for Social Security benefits. Link said he heard a series of gunshots and brushed past a person he believed to be Davis as he responded. He told police he then tracked “a smell,” possibly alcohol, outside to the front porch where he confronted Davis, pummeling him with his fists and then grabbing the shotgun away from him and using it to hit Davis in the head. Authorities say Davis also threatened Link, muttering, “I’ll kill you too, you (expletive deleted,” prompting prosecutors to charge Davis with an additional count of assault with intent to kill. Davis’ injuries were so severe authorities initially thought he was a victim, and a Cleveland County mug shot taken days later shows Davis’ swollen face covered with cuts and bruises. Once he was sure Davis was unconscious, Link said he called 911, then yelled for his son, Stephen, who was about 75 yards away in the back yard, according to a police affidavit. Brent and Stephen Link tried to administer first aid to the women until an ambulance arrived. On Monday, District Judge Lori Walkley prevented the public and

Defandant pleads not guilty, faces life without parole if convicted of murder

a telephone message left Monday with her office. Irven Box, another veteran defense attorney, said judges will occasionally question potential jurors in private about their opinion on the death penalty, but not shut the public out of the courtroom entirely. “The courtroom has never been closed in any death penalty I’ve covered in 40 years of practice,” Box said. “It’s my opinion that the courtroom ought to be open.”

WARWICK, R.I. — A medical student jailed in Boston on suspicion of killing a masseuse he met on Craigslist was charged Monday in an arrest warrant with pulling a gun on a stripper in a Rhode Island hotel. The warrant accuses Philip Markoff of assault and weapons violations. Authorities had previously said Markoff was the suspect in the April 16 robbery attempt at a Holiday Inn Express in Warwick. A Las Vegas stripper who offered lap dances told Rhode Island authorities that she was bound with cord and held at gunpoint by a man she met through the Craigslist classified advertising Web site. She said her assailant fled when her husband came up to the hotel room. Police had earlier described the suspect as a tall white male with blond hair, which matches Markoff’s description. Attorney General Patrick Lynch, at a news conference Monday, said he had no doubt about the identity of the woman’s attacker. “It was Philip Markoff,” Lynch said. “He will be brought to justice.” A law enforcement official speaking on condition of anonymity previously told The AP that investigators found Markoff’s fingerprint in the hotel. They also believe he sent text messages from there. But police and prosecutors refused to discuss the evidence Monday. Markoff, a second-year medical student at Boston University, was arrested April 20 while driving with his fiancée to Foxwoods Resorts Casino in Connecticut. He was charged with the April 14 killing of Julissa Brisman, a 25-year-old New York City resident who advertised on Craigslist, at the Boston Marriott Copley Place hotel, in the historic Back Bay district. He also has been charged in a robbery at a Boston hotel of another masseuse police say he met through the site. Markoff has pleaded not guilty. His lawyer, John Salsberg, did not return a phone message Monday but has said his client is innocent and has his family’s support. Markoff’s fiancee, Megan McAllister, visited Markoff in jail last week and has said she still loves and supports him but will be cooperating with prosecutors. Her lawyer has said the couple’s wedding, which had been scheduled for August, is being “dismantled.” Because Markoff, 23, is a suspect in a homicide case in Boston, it could take six months to a year before he makes his first appearance in a Rhode Island courtroom, Lynch said. But he said he was committed to prosecuting Markoff even if it could take a couple of years and even though Markoff faces life without the possibility of parole if convicted of murder in Massachusetts.

—AP

CLEVELAND COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE/AP PHOTO

This September 2007 booking photo provided by the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office shows William Eugene Davis. Davis is accused in the shotgun slayings of three people at a home in Norman. Jury selection began Monday in Cleveland County District Court. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. media from attending jury selection proceedings, or voir dire, a move that many veteran courtroom observers say is unusual. “I’ve never had voir dire closed in any of the 42 capital cases I’ve tried,” said Oklahoma City defense attorney James Rowan. “They will occasionally have individual voir dire where jurors are taken into the judge’s chambers. “But to close a courtroom, there has to be a pretty substantial reason for that.” Walkley did not immediately return

NEWS BRIEFS COMPLAINT FILED AGAINST OKC SURGEON TULSA, Okla. — A 15th medical negligence complaint has been filed against an Oklahoma City surgeon who made international headlines after performing a risky operation in 2006 that left a Russian teen brain dead. Plaintiff Linda K. Martin filed the civil complaint against surgeon Paul Christopher Francel in Oklahoma County District Court last Wednesday.

OKLA DEFENDS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT LAW DENVER— Attorneys for Oklahoma went before a federal appeals court Monday to defend a law that requires companies doing business with the state to use a federal database to verify their workers and contractors are eligible to work in the U.S.

DEMOCRATS NAME INMAN LEADER DESIGNATE OKLAHOMA CITY — Democrats in the Oklahoma House Monday chose Rep. Scott Inman of Del City as their leader designate and picked other members of a new leadership team that will take control of the House’s minority party following next year’s legislative elections.

SWINE FLU SKIPPING OKLAHOMA SO FAR OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma was among 14 states without a confirmed swine flu case Monday, but health officials said it is likely the state will soon lose this distinction. A total of 286 cases have been reported in 36 states, including nearby Texas, Kansas, New Mexico and Colorado, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The only confirmed U.S. death from the disease is a toddler from Mexico who died in Texas.

Banker defends Coffee; Democrats not satisfied Top Democrats calling for Sen. Coffee’s replacement OKLAHOMA CITY — A banker on Monday said Sen. Glenn Coffee made “a standard business loan” to pay off a federal income tax lien of almost $29,000, but Democrats said too many questions are unanswered and Coffee should be replaced as the top Senate leader. H.K. Hatcher, president of NBC Bank in Oklahoma City, sent out a news release saying the loan from his bank was routine. “The loan is a straightforward, customary business transaction in accordance with all the standards set forth by NBC Bank and banking regulations. This loan is no different from the hundreds we transact for customers every month,” Hatcher said. The banker gave no details of the loan, however, such as what collateral was used. Democrats demanded earlier that Coffee resign as Senate president pro tem if he did not divulge those details. Coffee has said only that the loan was collateralized, the interest rate was 5.5

percent and repayment is to be with “personal funds.” Senate Minority Leader Charlie Laster, D-Shawnee, said little still is known about the Coffee loan. He said: “The May 4th press release from Sen. Coffee’s banker — which labels Sen. Coffee’s loan as ‘a standard business loan’, left unanswered critical information: Did a third party help Sen. Coffee secure the loan? What is the collateral for the loan? What is the source of funds by which Sen. Coffee repaid the loan?” Laster said since Coffee continued to refuse to disclose details of the loan “it is our hope that the Senate will work together to elect another Republican president pro tempore...When trust of public officials is at an all-time low, we believe Sen. Coffee should step down.” Laster said Democrats “call for the election of a Republican member” of the Senate to place Coffee. He said the Senate needs a leader “whose character and integrity have not been questioned in order to restore public trust” to the 48-member legislative body. Coffee said Democrats are guilty of “raw, unvarnished partisanship” in their demand. “My suggestion for Sen. Laster and

his friends is to quit hiding behind sensational press releases and start concentrating on passing something positive for the citizens of Oklahoma,” he said. Republicans hold a 26-22 edge over Democrats in the Senate. It takes 25 votes to elect a Senate leader. Democrats continue to criticize Coffee’s campaign expense reports, questioning $58,000 Coffee reimbursed himself in 2008 for travel, meals and lodging. “In fact, since 2006, Coffee has spent over $200,000 from his campaign, during which time he never had an opponent,” Laster said. “Sen. Coffee transferred over $134,000 from his campaign to himself for personal reimbursement for travel, meals and lodging.” Coffee said using campaign funds for travel and lodging is appropriate and it is “irrelevant” for Laster to note he has not had an opponent in a political race during the period. “However, I have traveled this state and indeed the nation successfully campaigning for fellow Republican candidates, and he (Laster) knows this all too well,” Coffee said in a statement. —AP

CHESAPEAKE ENERGY POSTS 1Q $6B LOSS COLUMBUS, Ohio — Chesapeake Energy on Monday posted a nearly $6 billion loss for the first quarter as tumbling natural gas prices forced one of the nation’s largest gas producers to write down the value of its gas and oil properties.

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Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Obama targets overseas tax loopholes Proposal is aimed toward keeping jobs in U.S. STEPHEN OHLEMACHER Associated Press

RON EDMONDS/AP PHOTO

President Barack Obama and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman arrive to make statements on tax reform, Monday, May 4, 2009, in the Grand Foyer of the White House in Washington.

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama promised sternly on Monday to crack down on companies “that ship jobs overseas” and duck U.S. taxes with offshore havens. It won’t be easy. Democrats have been fighting — and losing — this battle since John F. Kennedy made a similar proposal in 1961. Obama’s proposal to close tax loopholes was a reliable applause line during the presidential campaign, but it got a lukewarm response Monday from Capitol Hill. Sen. Max Baucus of Montana, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, said the plan needed further study, even though similar ideas have been around for years. The president’s plan would limit the ability of U.S. companies to defer paying U.S. taxes on overseas profits. At the same time, Obama would step up efforts to go after evaders who abuse offshore tax shelters. Obama said his plan would raise $210 billion over the next 10 years, though no tax increases would go into effect until 2011. That’s an average of $21 billion a year, less than a 2 percent nick in a federal budget deficit that is projected to hit $1.2 trillion in 2010. Lost revenue isn’t the only problem, Obama says. He contends the current system gives companies an incentive to invest overseas rather than creating jobs in the U.S. “It’s a tax code that says you should pay lower taxes if you create a job in Bangalore, India, than if you create one in Buffalo, N.Y.,” Obama said Monday. The business community argues the deferral system helps them compete against foreign companies

that pay taxes only in the countries where they generate profits. The bottom line? “Nobody should miss the fact that this is about revenue,” said Raymond Wiacek, head of the tax practice at the law firm Jones Day. “These companies have the money, and the U.S. government needs the money.” Obama also proposed a package of disclosure and enforcement measures designed to make it harder for financial institutions to help wealthy individuals evade taxes in overseas accounts. Obama said the government is hiring nearly 800 new IRS agents to enforce the tax code. “I want to see our companies remain the most competitive in the world,” Obama said at a White House announcement. “But the way to make sure that happens is not to reward our companies for moving jobs off our shores or transferring profits to overseas tax havens.” Obama’s plan would impose billions of dollars in new taxes on many of the nation’s largest corporations, including Google, General Electric, HewlettPackard, Intel and Johnson & Johnson, tax experts said. But it falls well short of the broad overhaul of the tax system that will probably have to wait until at least next year — after Congress deals with health care and energy. In exchange for the increased taxes some companies would have to pay, Obama agreed to make permanent a research tax credit that would provide firms about $75 billion in breaks over the next 10 years. The credit currently is to expire at the end of the year. Obama has widespread support in Congress to crack down on tax evaders who illegally hide assets in tax havens. But he faces stiff opposition — even within his own party — to increasing taxes on the legal transactions of U.S. multinational companies.

GEORGIA LEADS THE NATION IN BANK FAILURES Experts say old laws, regulations partially to blame RUSS BYNUM Associated Press

GIBSON, Ga. — The banner above FirstCity Bank still reads “Celebrating 100 Years of Service,” but the 690 residents of this rural community aren’t in the mood — not since government regulators locked the door, emptied the vault and closed the only bank within nearly 20 miles. Georgia leads the nation in bank failures, with nine banks shut down

in the past year. Still, few in tiny Glascock County suspected the financial meltdown driven by toxic real-estate loans would scuttle the place they deposited paychecks earned from sawmills and row-crop farming, their local lender for buying tractors and pickup trucks. “We need a bank, definitely,” says 70-year-old Charles Usry, who fits cars with new brakes and tires at his small auto parts store across Main Street from the now-empty FirstCity. “If you don’t have a bank, eventually people are going to go somewhere else. The towns are going to die.” Eleven Georgia banks, most

surrounding Atlanta, have been shuttered by regulators, followed by nine in California and four in Florida. Experts predict more could be closed in Georgia in the future. But what propelled Georgia to No. 1 in bank failures is complicated. Experts say it’s a combination of an antiquated state law that favored a plethora of smaller community banks over multi-branch giants; a population explosion in metro Atlanta that fueled massive suburban real estate development and a crush of new banks formed to cash in on the Atlanta boom shortly before the market tanked.

Helping doctors ask about drug, alcohol problems Inquiries aimed at identifying abusers LAURAN NEERGAARD ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON — If more doctors started asking, would more drug and alcohol abusers ‘fess up so they could get help? It’s a huge irony of health care: Go to the emergency room and you’ll be asked about a tetanus shot, even though “most of us have never seen a case of tetanus,” says Dr. Gail D’Onofrio, emergency medicine chief at YaleNew Haven Hospital. Yet although up to half of ER visits involve illegal drugs or alcohol, typically “we don’t ask it. It makes no sense whatsoever,” says D’Onofrio, who teaches new doctors to break that chain of silence. A new program from the National Institute on Drug Abuse aims to help health workers past the stigma and ensure that more patients are asked for simple clues to addiction at every visit — not just in the ER, but anytime they see a doctor. It’s a step-by-step computerized guide that takes patients’ answers to various behavior questions, analyzes their risk for a serious substance use problem and tells doctors what next

steps to take. A patient admits to experimenting with heroin? A few more questions about how often, when and if he felt cravings can guide how big his risk is for ongoing drug use and what intervention is needed — plus remind the doctor to administer an HIV and hepatitis test. Someone else insists she’s a social drinker? If she’s ever had four or more drinks in a day, she may have a bigger problem. The goal: To get substance abuse treatment for more of the 23 million Americans estimated to need it. Only about 2 million today get that help, NIDA says. Better would be finding people early, when substance abuse is just taking hold and a doctor intervening might keep it from getting worse. A government study last year found that some simple doctor steps — brief in-office counseling or referral to a specialty center — could help slash drug use by patients coaxed to come clean. They have plenty of opportunity. Studies suggest people with brewing drug or alcohol problems actually see the doctor more often than their sober counterparts. They have a lot of injuries, and a tougher time with problems ranging from high blood pressure to liver disease.

First, Georgia is home to a huge number of state and federally chartered banks. At the end of 2008, Georgia had 334 banks. That’s more than California, which has nearly four times Georgia’s population, or Florida, which has twice as many people. Only five states — Texas, Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa and Kansas — have more banks than Georgia, according to the FDIC. What these states had in common, until the mid-1990s, was some of the nation’s most restrictive laws on branch banking. Georgia, for example, prohibited banks from opening branches across county

lines until 1996. The law shielded local banks from worrying about competition from out-of-town rivals. It also guaranteed that Georgia, with a whopping 159 counties, would have a correspondingly large number of banks. “It was really a belief that local banking was the best banking and you did not want to have the big city banks dictating the amount of credit available to small town and rural America,” said Steve Verdier, director of congressional relations for the Independent Community Bankers of America.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

« MOVIE BLOG

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

OUDAILY.COM Need more L&A? Check out our blogs on OUDaily.com. This week, The Daily’s Jono Greco recommends movies to kick off your summer.

BOOK REVIEWS

‘Funbook’ is ‘Highlights’ gone wrong I used to read “Highlights” magazine book should include. But then there are the paper dolls. quite a bit as a kid. My favorite was a recurThere’s one for each member of ring bit called “Goofus and Gallant,” a twoto-four panel comic of (I’m assuming; she thanks them in the sorts in which two broth- “Acknowledgments” section, at least) ers – Goofus and Gallant Brockett’s family: a sister, a brother, a mother – would illustrate different and father. Each doll has little paper accesaspects of morality or good sories to go along with it. These accessories behavior through their re- are intended to be humorous: “prescription” drugs, a “thong revealing” skirt and a “chip spective actions. T h e a p t l y - n a m e d for the shoulder” for the sister; a nun’s habit Gallant would perform a and a wooden cross for the mother doll; a task that generated posi- bottle of wine for the father; a power suit, ADAM tive results – share with Blackberry phone and a joint for the brother. KOHUT his friends, say, or make The brother doll is the strangest to me; by all his bed without being told accounts, it looks as if brother is a success– while Goofus would do ful guy (he also comes with an “overpriced just the opposite – leave his bed unmade, his briefcase” and a pair of “expensive jeans”). room a shambles and not let his friends (how Why on earth, then, are we poking fun at the he had them at all, I have no idea) anywhere guy for smoking a little weed every now and near his toys. There was no middle ground then? Give him a break, Brockett, he’s just with these two – Gallant was always the gold- trying to unwind after a busy day of bringing en child – a goody-two-shoes mama’s boy home the bacon. Ain’t no crime in that. There are also the “Special – while Goofus was the rebel Day Cards,” which are greeting without a cause, a guy who cards that are personalized for acts like a general prick every each member of the family. chance he gets. My mother Again, passive aggressiveness used to call me Goofus, and reins. The “Dad” card reads I’m still a little bitter (although “Thanks for not calling me by I can’t help but think she was at my sister’s name again today!” least partially justified in doing The “Mom” card thanks so). mommy dearest for “always But does my bitterness doing the minimum;” the count as an unresolved family “Granpoppy” card congratuissue? I don’t think so. lates old grandpa on “four Catheryn J. Brockett’s book, hours of sobriety today!” “The Dysfunctional Family “THE DYSFUNCTIONAL Overall, this “Funbook” is Funbook,” on the other hand, is nothing more than a coping chock-full of them (it reminds FAMILY FUNBOOK” mechanism that has manime of a “Highlights” issue gone $11 Amazon.com fested itself commercially; horribly wrong; additionally, Brockett is literally making it is one of the saddest books I fun of her family to make herself feel better, have ever read). On the surface, the “Funbook” is an ac- and marketing it to people who might retivity book – roughly the size and shape of a late to her (very specific) problems. Either coloring book – designed to “keep you sane that, or the book’s target audience lives in your whole visit home,” according to the a sitcom family (albeit a very dark one, like “8 Simple Rules” after John Ritter died and front cover. But Brockett’s book is full of implicit – and David Spade replaced him). “Cheaper than therapy!” is emblazoned quite disturbing – meaning. “I wrote this book after I broke up with on the book’s front cover in loopy script. I my family,” Brockett writes in the “About the suppose so, but is Brockett referring to the Author” blurb on the book’s last page, a fact reader or herself? That’s pretty obvious (hint: which is apparent through passive aggres- herself). Buy it if you want, I guess, but the sive jabs at her family, which are cleverly dis“Funbook” will mostly just make you feel guised as “activities.” Oh, for the most part they’re innocent sad. You’d be better off with Dad’s bottle of enough, these activities: crossword puzzles, wine and brother’s joint. word searches, directions for “kitchen science projects” – all the stuff of an activity Adam Kohut is a professional writing senior.

Legacy of OK captured in poem “Work is Love Made Visible” by Jeanetta the head with a cast iron skillet for raising a Calhoun Mish tells a story like an old photo hand to her / He quit drinking after that / I album recalls memories past. want to believe I have her spunk.” It took Mish, an Oklahoma native, twenty The title poem, “Work is Love Made years before she came back home to get her Visible,” is a moving homage to her PhD in American literature and write this Grandmother, who worked hard, long hours book of poetry and fam- at a garment factory to sew clothes for her ily photographs. It took grandchildren. “Even now, I can recite every years of hard traveling, article of granny’s handiwork,” Mish writes, heartbreak, hardship, “proclaim the delight of something made just love and introspection to for me / Sing the alchemy of love and labor / produce this testify that after working all day, wonderfully day after day / my granny would touching and sit at her sewing machine / and honest look attire me in vestments of love.” at herself, and Next to the poem is a picture of TYLER by extension, her grandmother, circa 1940, Oklahoma BRANSON which evokes powerful emopeople. tions of family connections, reHer wr itspect and admiration. You can ing exemplifies the Oklahoma feel her sentiment. character of resilience, strife, Other poems praise legdetermination and hard work. acy and the importance of Her language is articulate and Oklahoma connections. For simplistic at the same time. instance, “Ashes and Dust,” a For instance, in “Rosasharn poem about gardening, touts, Reports from California in the “WORK IS LOVE MADE “Yet for five generations my famVISIBLE” 21st Century,” a poem from the ily’s strong hands / have crumpoint of view of the fictional $11 Amazon.com bled red dirt clods, sown precharacter Rose of Sharon from cious seeds / and pulled weeds the John Steinbeck classic “The until our fingers ached.” Grapes of Wrath,” Mish bemoans the loss of “For My Brother,” is a deeply sad poem language in literature, or even life in general: juxtaposing the actual obituary of her “Anyway, they say I’m quite the character,” brother, titled “What I Wrote, ” with a longer, Mish writes as Rose of Sharon, “Even though Mr. Steinbeck’s “virile, realist style” / is “no brutally honest poem called “What I Didn’t longer viable.” Wouldn’t you just know it? / Write,” which mourns the tribulations of her brother’s history with alcohol abuse. Plain talk is out of fashion.” “Work is Love Made Visible” does a fanFamily is a heavy influence in “Work is tastic job of juxtaposing hard moments and Love Made Visible.” Poems championing her grandparents and great grandparents, all somber reflection with positive imagery of from Oklahoma, interweave among stories home and the importance of family, if not of personal strife and self-reflection. “Great for the purpose of garnering support and granny Iness had eleven children, my grand- love, at least to situate herself and to discover pa / One of nine who lived long enough to more about who she is and where she comes grow up,” she writes in the poem “A Woman’s from. Interwoven through these themes are Inheritance,” a poetic history of the women in images of Oklahoma and resilience, a biting her family, “She gave me a strong body and intellectualism and a “plain talk” that is most a stubborn will / Her mother, Mary Ella, was definitely not out of fashion. less than five foot tall / but she once knocked her drunken, belligerent husband / Upside Tyler Branson is an English senior.

Whiskey and wild women

PHOTO PROVIDED

Like Hank Williams Sr., Damion Suomi writes songs about booze and broken hearts.

NEW MUSIC

Tuesday

Album brings back folksy bar songs The self-titled debut album from Damion Suomi on P is for Panda Records is an uproarious, honest folk-fusion – combining different elements of gritty acoustic guitar, whiskey-bent lyrics and a charming pop sensibility that welcomes multiple listens without getting trite or old. Suomi (pronounced SueMe) runs the gamut of the singer/songwriter genre, at times giving us foot-stomping, hand-clapping shoutalongs, (“Sunday Morning,” San Francisco”), and other TYLER times seducing us with inBRANSON triguing, emotional ballads (“Archer Woman”) that really showcase his musical chops. For Suomi, his self titled album isn’t searching for grandiose themes or lofty methods of self-actualization. Rather, Suomi’s themes focus on what any good folk artist should— booze, broken hearts, and, well, that’s about it. But it’s done in such an honest way that doesn’t take itself too seriously, adding a complex, candid layer that’s stripped down to just bare, unapologetic emotion. For instance, “What a Wonderful Game” gives a bare, uncomfortable take on a purely sexual relationship. The sing-along drinking tune “Sunday Morning,” with a twangy, acoustic upstroke guitar part, boasts “I went to dinner with a bottle of wine / I drank it all in record time / I thought we’d stop / But we drank all the way ‘till Sunday morning / We drank ‘cause we had nothin’ else to do.” On one level it’s a folky bar song, inviting clinking glasses and arm-around-your-buddy chanting. However, “Sunday Morning” has the caveat “I thought that we’d stop,” which

suggests vulnerability and a sense that this isn’t as leisurely and rebellious as one might think. It’s a somber drinking song disguised as reckless amusement. Or “Ghost,” which grieves about a long lost lover in a frank and evocatively depressing lamentation: “I’m not one for whiskey / But I’ll drink it down tonight / I am not a liar / But I’ll sing one here tonight / I don’t love you / I don’t love you anymore / And I will sing it ‘till it’s true.” Suomi’s country sensibilities also show through on “Ghost” and a slew of other songs on the album, which add an extra coat to his musical paint. “Waltz” borrows classic country guitar and “One More Time” actually steals its melody directly from Hank Williams Sr.’s “Cold Cold Heart,” which is no doubt on purpose, a throwback to country music’s ultimate, hauntingly sad song writer. Musically, though, Suomi’s vocals are reminiscent of R.E.M. or the Counting Crows, which really show through on “Archer Woman,” and “Darwin, Jesus, the Devil and Me.” His style goes from the classic country roots of a simple fiddle and acoustic guitar to alt-country flair like that of the Wallflowers of Chris Isaac, using full-band instrumentation, interesting bass grooves and minor chords. Add to it punk-rock sing-a-longs and overt alcoholic references in the vein of “Against Me” (“San Francisco,” “Sunday Morning,” “Oh Won’t you Please”), and you have a unique and charming take on folk music. And after the bottles are finished, ash-trays overflowed and the bar-lights have come on, Suomi leaves us with at least some hint of a positive message, despite the whole album spent drinking and feeling sorry for himself. On the song “Save Your Ass,” he confidently asserts, “Nobody’s ‘gonna save your ass except for you,” suggesting that nobody can take charge of your own life and fight your personal demons but yourself. Then again, the closing song on the album orders to “never trust the tongue of a female,” which shows the cycle isn’t broken at all, and Suomi is back to his old, self depreciating, broken hearted tricks again. Tyler Branson is an English senior.

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Employment HELP WANTED Attention College Graduates! If you are looking for a career in the Criminal Justice Field, please call Avalon Correctional Services, Inc. 405-752-8802 or 800-919-9113 Ask for Human Resources! Riverwind Hotel is now hiring: Night Auditor, Front Desk Representative, Housekeeping (must be available to work Sat & Sun). All positions are P/T (16-30 per week). Please apply in person at Traditions Spirits corporate office: 2813 SE 44th, Norman. Take Hwy 9 West past Riverwind Casino, travel 2 1/2 miles, right on Penn, immediate left. 405-392-4550.

There is a 2 line minimum charge; approximately 45 characters per line, including spaces and punctuation.

Downtown OKC law firm seeks F/T paralegal with great communication/writing skills. Need a self-starter. Email/fax resume to haley@cunninghamandmears. com, or call 232-1675

Contact an Acct Executive for details at 325-2521.

2 col (3.792 in) x 2 inches Sudoku ...........$760/month Boggle ............$760/month Horoscope .....$760/month 1 col (1.833 in) x 2.25 inches Crossword .....$515/month (located just below the puzzle)

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 325-2521, 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. 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 reevaluated at any time.

Summer Special! 1 BLK FROM OU, very nice 4 room apt, 800 sf, wood floors, 1018 S College, Apt 8, $275/mo. Call 360-2873 or 306-1970.

2 bd, 2 full bath, w/d, first floor of The Edge, $850/mo, no pets. Call 414-4046.

Post Oak Apartments 1-2 bed apts available! Newly renovated. Visit postoakliving.com - 364-3039, 705 Ridgecrest Ct. 1 BLK FROM OU, very nice 4 room apt, 800 sf, wood floors, 1016 S College, Apt 1, $295/mo. Call 360-2873 or 306-1970. FREE RENT or up to $300 off First Mo! Student and Military Discounts Models open 8:30-5:30 M-F; 10-4 Sat 1-2 bedroom apts/townhomes with washer/dryer hookups in 2 bedrooms. Pets Welcome! Free Tanning! Immediate Move-in! Two locations: Apple Creek and Hillcrest Estates Call us at 329-2438 or 360-2048 or look us up online, apartmentguide. com P/L Now for Summer & Fall! *Free Membership at Steel Fitness! $99 Deposit! No Application Fee! Models open 8a-8p Everyday! Elite Properties 360-6624 or www.elite2900.com

HOUSES UNFURNISHED Available 4/18 1700 Jackson Dr. 3/2/2 $950 Available 6/1 1413 Peter Pan 3/1.5/2 $950 140 Alameda Plaza 3/2/2 $1000 321 Waterfront 4/2/2 $1260 Contact Wendy at KW, 473-6832 Summer Special! NICE 3-4 bd, 2.25 ba. 929 Branchwood, $700. 1621 Chaucer, $800. 2326 Lindenwood, $1000. Call 3602873 or 306-1970

HOUSES UNFURNISHED AVAILABLE IN AUG Short walk to OU, 4-6 blks west of OU, nice brick homes, wood floors, CH/A, w/d, disposal, good parking. 4 Bdrm $1,600 3 Bdrm $1,500 Bob, MISTER ROBERT FURNITURE Mon-Sat, 321-1818 NICE 3-4 bd, 2.25 ba. 612 Ash, $750. 1621 Chaucer, $850. 826 Jona Kay, $975. 2326 Lindenwood, $995. Call 360-2873 or 306-1970 3/4 bed, 2 ba, W/D, yard maintained. Adjacent to S Greek area. $1000/mo. 918-271-3336 Available Aug 1. 3 bd/2 ba $1500/month. 1609 S Pickard. 366-1700 or 818-4441

3 bd $820/mo. & 4 bd $870/mo. Less than 1 mile from OU, CART, w/d, pool, 24hr maintenance. www.oig.biz or call 364-5622

Housing Sales

CONDOS 3 bd/2 ba condo approx 1200 sq feet. Close to campus, recently updated & has a fireplace. Appliances may stay. $62,000 - call Bill Prust 921-4877

107 E Acres, 3 bd, 1 bth, fenced back yard, hardwood floors. $600/month. 714-726-1204 3-4 bed homes near campus. Reasonable. 329-4119

CONDOS FURNISHED 4 Bed/4 Bath Condo for Rent Norman - The Edge Less than 1 mile from Campus. Furnished Living Room, Dining Room, Kitchen, W/D, Hi-speed internet. $350/Mo + utilities - pdawson. pd@verizon.net

SHORT WALK TO OU 1-5 blks west, nice brick homes, wood floors, CH/A, w/d, disposal, good parking. 4 Bdrm $1,800-$2,000 3 Bdrm $750-$1,500 2 Bdrm $600-$800 1 Bdrm $420-$460 Bob, MISTER ROBERT FURNITURE Mon-Sat, 321-1818

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8 4 2 9 2 1

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7 9 6 9 5

2 5 1 8 7 6 3 9 4

7 4 3 5 2 9 6 8 1

6 8 9 3 4 1 5 2 7

5 6 4 7 3 8 2 1 9

9 7 2 6 1 4 8 3 5

1 3 8 9 5 2 7 4 6

4 2 7 1 6 3 9 5 8

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

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

Looking for leasing agent at Bishop’s Landing Apts. Call 360-7744 for application. $7.50-8.00 / hr, flexible hours. F/T during breaks. STUDENTPAYOUTS.COM Paid survey takers needed in Norman 100% FREE to join. Click on Surveys.

Universal Crossword

Detailed-oriented Individuals Able to Work in Fast-paced Environment Should Apply. As a leader in community banking, Republic Bank & Trust is committed to providing a unique, quality experience to our customers, community and bankers. We currently have the following positions available:

Edited by Timothy E. Parker May 05, 2009

HIGHLIGHTING OR COLOR

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116 S. Main, Noble 127 N. Porter 872-1661 360-4247

Must present this coupon

129 N.W. Ave. 1215 W. Lindsey 360-4422 364-1325

Send resumes, along with cover letter to P.O. Box 5369, Norman, OK 73070, Attn: Human Resources or by fax to (405) 5795400. Republic is an EOE. MISAL OF INDIA BISTRO Now accepting applications for waitstaff. Apply in person at 580 Ed Noble Parkway, across from Barnes & Noble, 579-5600. SeekingSitters Moore/Norman is looking for professional babysitters. If you are looking for a fun, flexible summer job please apply online at seekingsitters.com SUMMER LIFEGUARDS & SWIM INSTRUCTORS. Aquatic staff and competitive swimmers. Apply at the Cleveland County Family YMCA, 1350 Lexington Ave. EOE. Bartending! Up to $250/day. No exp nec. Training provided. 1-800-965-6520, x133.

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ACROSS 1 Statistical components 5 Sinister spirit 10 Parental challengers 14 Vigorous enthusiasm 15 Deposed leader’s fate, sometimes 16 Soft drink flavor 17 Circus purveyors 20 Stuff that goes off 21 Santa’s burden 22 Can’t forgo 23 Like staples 24 Atoms that have gained or lost electrons 26 Primary source of income 32 Comedy club sounds 33 It lands at Ben Gurion 34 Bale fodder 35 Checked out 36 Herculean types 38 Gael’s language 39 Stay forever, as in jail 40 Argument’s weakness 41 Cooperates with crooks 42 Song in “The Paleface” 46 Doublecurved molding 47 Mediterra-

nean gulf 48 Pleasant scent 51 Word on le menu 52 Nitrogen, e.g. 55 Inn 59 Give off 60 Cousin of a gazelle 61 Song for Madama Butterfly 62 Rat Pack nickname 63 Map collection 64 Roentgen discovery DOWN 1 Thing of interest? 2 Parsons with a Project 3 Acerbic 4 Shakers leader Lee 5 Strong request 6 Perfecta, by another name 7 Ritzy wrap fur 8 Timeworn 9 Bird’s honker 10 Worst for driving 11 ABC’s “The ___” 12 Appealed earnestly 13 Recites, as prayers 18 “___ directed” (medicine alert) 19 Void, as a marriage

23 It’s drawn with a rifle? 24 Not up to anything 25 Seaport in Scotland 26 Marshy backwater 27 Butler in a Civil War flick 28 Site of the first labor of Hercules 29 Hurled 30 Some bridge players 31 Food grains 32 Spearmint or peppermint 36 Get to the point? 37 “Anything ___?” 38 Ravencolored, to Poe 40 Colonel Klink’s foil 41 One way to

Fantasy Sports Company seeks talented, aggressive people to promote products this summer. Earn generous commissions while having fun! 423-667-5718 or bruce@paythefan.com

J Housing Rentals APTS. FURNISHED Furnished 1 bdrm studio, utilities pd, corner of Flood & Boyd, bills paid. Perfect for serious grad student. 329-2310. Room for rent $314/month. Most bills paid, fully furnished. Call 321-8877

Previous Answers

be taken 43 Club member? 44 Nine days of prayer 45 Doesn’t look forward to 48 Tucked in 49 “Do” followers 50 Wednesday was named after him 51 Asian sea 52 She had a “Tootsie” role 53 Vast continent 54 Reprieve from the governor 56 Org. involved in seizures 57 Short diner order 58 Office staple

PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

“B NICE” by Lorrie Cutchins

PAID EGG DONORS up to 9 donations, + Exps, non-smokers, Ages 19-29, SAT>1100/ACT>24/GPA>3.00 Contact: info@eggdonorcenter.com

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

Taylor Ridge Townhomes 2 Bdrm, 2.5 Bath, Fully Renovated Townhomes near OU! Pets Welcome! • Call for current rates and Move-in Specials!!! Taylor Ridge Townhomes (405) 310-6599

JUNE RENTAL 850 S Flood - $475+bills. 212 S Flood - $600+bills. Smoke-free, no pets, 1 year lease, security dep. 360-3850

GET PAID TO PLAY OUTSIDE! Girl Scout Resident Camp near Tulsa has counselor positions open for young women ages 18 and up. May 27-Aug 2. Starting salary $170/wk + meals & lodging. Work SunFri. For application, call 918-745-5213 or email KHarley@gseok.org

• Mortgage Loan Closer Prepares closing instructions and packets for title companies. Prepares loans to ship for purchase and insuring, and ships postclosing documents. Maintains regulatory documentation and closing calendar. 6-months mortgage operations or 1-year banking experience required. • Marketing & Community Relations Support Specialist – Responsible for a variety of administrative duties including but not limited to promotional follow-up, administering service recovery program, supporting referral/incentive tracking, organization of marketing and promotional items, scheduling and coordinating calendars as assigned. Assists with development and coordination of customer events.

TOWNHOUSES UNFURNISHED

805C Cardinal Creek Condo’s, 2 bdrm, 2 bth gated community, pool, weight room, on-site washer/dryer, close to campus, nice enviroment to study, overlooks OU golf course $585/mo. Call (580) 7634278

Make up to $75 per online survey, student opinions needed www.cashtospend.com.

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Classified Display, Classified Card Ads or Game Sponsorship

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your ad.

P/T office assistant/receptionist for OKC advertising agency. Answering phones, filing, errands, etc. Email resume to ideas@insightokc.com - $8/hr, 20 hrs per week.

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

J Housing Rentals J Housing Rentals J Housing Rentals J Housing Rentals

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

BASEBALL » See more photos from Monday’s game.

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

OUDAILY.COM BETH NALEWAJK/THE DAILY ILY

BASEBALL

SPORTS BRIEFS HERNANDEZ ON WALLACE AWARD WATCH LIST Junior shortstop Bryant Hernandez was named by the College Baseball Foundation and Mizuno to the watch list for the 2009 Brooks Wallace Award. The Wallace Award, which was created in 2004, had been presented annually to the national player of the year. This season, for the first time ever, to award will be presented to the country’s top shortstop. Hernandez has led the Sooners in many offensive categories this season, hitting .372 with nine home runs and 51 RBIs BRYANT HERNANDEZ heading into Monday night’s game. Hernandez also has a .923 fielding percentage on the season. Both the Wallace Award and the Howser Trophy, which has recognized the best player in college baseball for 23 years, will be presented at the College Baseball Awards Show on July 2 in Lubbock, Texas.

WISE ADDED TO JOHNNY BENCH WATCH LIST

ELIZABETH NALEWAJK/THE DAILY

Junior pitcher Garrett Richards tries to pick off Southern Utah’s Bo Cuthbertson at first base during Tuesday’s game. The Sooners beat the Thunderbirds, 14-5.

OU rolls Southern Utah, 14-5 JONO GRECO The Oklahoma Daily

After an emotional come-from-behind victory Sunday against Kansas, the No. 18 Sooners came out firing on all cylinders Monday in a 14-5 rout of the Southern Utah Thunderbirds at L. Dale Mitchell Park. The Sooners (35-14)took control from the start and got a solid outing from junior starting pitcher Garrett Richards (7-2). The Sooners used small ball to get on the board early against the Thunderbirds (22-19). After two singles, junior shortstop Bryant Hernandez bunted runners to second and third and senior designated hitter J.T. Wise hit a sacrifice fly to center to give OU the 1-0 first-inning lead. Southern Utah tied the game in the top of the second, but OU reclaimed

the lead with six runs in the bottom half of the inning by hitting around the order for the 20th time this year. Freshman catcher Tyler Ogle and junior first baseman Aaron Baker hit back-to-back doubles in the bottom half of the inning, and a string of singles by the top of the order helped contribute to the six-run inning. Ogle and Baker each had productive games Monday evening. Each player had three hits, and the two combined to go 6-7 with two doubles and two RBIs while scoring five runs. Wet field conditions helped OU during the inning. Rain water that accumulated in the outfield caused balls to come to a halt, allowing runners to score or advance an extra base. After giving up two runs in the top of the fourth, the Sooners responded with a run on a single by Baker to take a 9-3 lead.

SOONERS TAKE ON TEXAS-ARLINGTON TONIGHT The Sooners finish off their five-games-in five-days stretch against the University of Texas at Arlington Mavericks 6:30 tonight in Arlington. The Mavericks boast a 26-21 record and the majority of their wins come at home. They are 18-6 within the confines of Clay Gould Ballpark and are 1-4 against Big 12 opponents this season. OU will be looking for its third-straight victory and will try to extend its record to 5-3 in games played in the state of Texas. — Jono Greco/The Daily

Hazing?

Not on our campus. Report incidents at:

325-5000

All calls are anonymous. The University of Oklahoma is an Equal Opportunity Institution.

During the fifth inning, the Sooners reached double-digit runs for the 19th time this year when junior shortstop Bryant Hernandez reached base on an error that scored senior second baseman Matt Harughty. Hernandez later scored on a Southern Utah balk. OU got out of the fifth inning after scoring five runs and extending its lead to 14-3. Senior third baseman Trey Sperring blasted a three-run homer over the left-center field wall to cap off the Sooners’ scoring for the inning. Richards rebounded from an outing Saturday when he gave up three runs in two-thirds of an inning. In five innings Monday he gave up three runs on six hits while striking out four. After the Sooners got up by 11 runs head coach Sunny Golloway took the majority of the starters out of the game and allowed his younger players to get some experience. Only two starters – Wise and left fielder Casey Johnson – finished the game. OU’s offense settled down once the backups came in and was held scoreless while the Thunderbirds plated two runs in the final three innings to bring the final score to 14-5.

READ THE FULL STORY ONLINE AT OUDAILY.COM.

Senior catcher J.T. Wise was added to the official watch list for the 2009 Coleman Company-Johnny Bench Award. The award has been presented since 2000 to the country’s top catcher. Last season, Florida State catcher Buster Posey took home the award. Wise is one of only two Big 12 representatives on the list along with Kansas’ Buck Afenir. On May 14, the list will be narrowed down to ten finalists. At the end of May, a national voting panel will vote to decide on three finalists, which will be announced J.T. on June 3. A final vote from the national committee WISE will take place during the College World Series. The finalists will be brought to Wichita and announced at the Greater Wichita Sports Banquet on June 26. Prior to Monday night’s game, Wise had a .392 batting average with 15 home runs and 47 RBIs. — Daily Staff

HOROSCOPE By Bernice Bede Osol

Tuesday, May 5, 2009 TAURUS (April 20-May 20) -- Use your judgment when it comes to enjoying the good things in life. You’ll pay a price with any kind of overindulgence, from stressing your muscles to partaking in too many substances.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) -- If you choose to goof off, that’s one thing. But if you induce another to do likewise, you could get in a whole lot of trouble when those depending on him or her come down hard on you.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) -Try to treat everyone the same so that you don’t inadvertently offend or slight a friend by paying lots of attention to everyone but him or her.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) -- Try to avoid people who lack good taste or the social graces because they could unintentionally embarrass or offend you. You’ll only have yourself to blame.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) -- Those outside your home with whom you share your day may think you’re pretty nifty. However, sadly, the members of your family may not say the same when asked. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) -Although most wouldn’t know it, you could feel a bit insecure and in need of some attention or acknowledgement. A shrewd manipulator who is aware of this might twist you around his or her ﬁnger. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -- Desire might outweigh your prudence and sales resistance, so if you’re smart, you’ll stay away from expensive stores. You could easily weaken and purchase something frivolous and/or expensive. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) -- When involved in a close relationship, give the other person the beneﬁt of the doubt about his or her intentions. In other words, give this person a chance to explain.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- Acknowledge the accomplishments of others; don’t be jealous or blame them for your lack of achievement. Use the situation as motivation to do better next time. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) -- Unfortunately, people in general tend to lack a cheerful disposition and outlook, but that doesn’t mean you have to be one of them. Don’t let negativism cast a cloud on your day. PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) -- If you are apathetic or indifferent about your ﬁnances or commercial affairs, someone is likely to spot this and take advantage of you. Don’t place yourself in a vulnerable position. ARIES (March 21-April 19) -This is likely to be one of those days when no matter how hard you try, it might be impossible to please anyone. It’s not you; people in general seem to have thorny attitudes. Take it in stride.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

STAFF COLUMN

SPORTS BRIEFS SENIOR DYE NAMED TO ALL-BIG 12 TEAM Senior woman’s golfer Kendall Dye was named to the All-Big 12 team late last week. The team is made up of the 10 highest-ranked golfers in the Golfweek/Sagarin ratings after the Big 12 tournament last weekend. Dye was named to the All-Big 12 team for the second straight season. She recently tied for first place in the Big 12 Championships in Lubbock, Texas. Dye will be the Sooners’ lone representative at this week’s NCAA Central Regional in Columbus, Ohio, which begins Thursday. Oklahoma State, who easily won the Big 12 tournament, dominated the conference honors. Four of the 10-person AllBig 12 team come from OSU. The Cowgirls also took the Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year, both given to Caroline Hedwall.

SOFTBALL BIG 12 TOURNEY BRACKETS SET

DAVID BERGMAN/AP/MIAMI HERALD

In a 1990s photo, Alex Rodriguez is seen when he played for Westminster Christian high school in Miami. Journalist Selena Roberts makes the case that Rodriguez likely used steroids in high school and may have taken HGH while with the New York Yankees, in her new biography of the MVP.

Roberts’ claims questionable I

n Selena Roberts’ book, “A-Rod: The Many Lives of Alex Rodriguez,” the Sports Illustrated writer reveals that Yankees’ third baseman Alex Rodriguez may have used steroids in high school and let opposing batters know what pitchers were coming in blowouts while with the Texas Rangers. In previous interviews, Rodriguez denied using steroids outside of his three-year tenure with the Rangers, and there have been no other reports of him tipping pitches. Also, he has said that Roberts is paid to basically stalk him and write nothing but negative things about him. Whether or not Roberts’ allegations about the one-time sure-fire hall of famer are true, should we believe

what she or her sources say about Rodriguez rather than believe the man himself? One can argue we cannot believe him because he will say whatever he can to protect himself from any more damage that he has self-inflicted. So, we automatically don’t trust anything he says JONO and take anything GRECO the A-Rod haters say as absolute truth. Roberts, who took over as the Sports Illustrated back-page columnist when Rick Reilly left for ESPN, has become the leader of the Rodriguez witch

hunt. Even though there is no documentation that supports her current allegations, anything she writes is all that is needed to find him guilty in the court of public opinion. She has been a credible journalist for many years, but I don’t think what she writes — or what anyone else who publishes a book based on investigative hearsay and rumors while dismissing those who side with Rodriguez writes — should be considered 100 percent truth. I may be completely wrong about this, but I would rather believe the player himself than rumors and allegations. Roberts’ book likely will be a best-seller soon, but what is written should be taken with a grain of salt until her claims are proven true. Jono Greco is a journalism sophomore.

The Sooners, who won the outright Big 12 regular season title and already knew their seeding for this weekend’s Big 12 tournament, learned their draw for this weekend. OU will play at 1:30 p.m. Saturday on the main field at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City. The Sooners will face the winner of Friday’s matchup between the No. 8 seed Iowa State and the No. 9 seed Kansas. If the Sooners win their Sunday afternoon game, they will advance to the semifinals, to be played at 7:30 p.m. on the main field. The championship game is slated for 11:30 a.m. Tickets can be purchased from the Oklahoma City All Sports Commission. Session booklets are $40. Single session tickets will be available at the stadium on game day.

BRADFORD, PARIS SCHOLAR FINALISTS Sophomore quarterback Sam Bradford and senior forward Ashley Paris have both been named finalists for the 2009 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar award. Twenty student athletes, 10 male and 10 female, were named finalists. The winners will be announced in the May 28 issue of Diverse: Issues in Higher Education magazine. The nominees must keep a grade point average of 3.2 and remain active in the community and on campus. About 600 student athletes were nominated for this year’s award. The Asche Sports Scholar award was established in 1992 to honor minority undergraduate students. — Daily Staff