Want cheese with that? Diverse selection of cheeses helps local food store find its niche. LIFE & ARTS, PAGE 10 Catch video coverage at OUDAILY.COM THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA’S I NDEPENDENT STUDENT VOICE
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CAMPUS NEWS More than 50 OU students appeared at the state legislature Tuesday to talk about possible budget shortfalls for higher education and proposed legislation that would allow concealed weapons on campuses. The OU delegation outnumbered any other institutions participating in Higher Education day, said Kurt Davidson, political science senior and chairman of Undergraduate Student Congress. “Overall I think it went better than expected. A lot more legislators were available to talk to students,” he said. Legislators seemed receptive to student points of view, he said. Norman Reps. Scott Martin, R, and John Sparks, D, emphasized their goal to cooperate for the community regardless of party differences. About 65,600 adolescents and young adults a year are diagnosed with cancer. Find out how students deal with classes along with chemotherapy. Page 3.
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Sanchez attorney argues for new trial • Law students listen to hearing in Dick Bell Courtroom MEREDITH SIMONS The Oklahoma Daily Attorneys for Anthony Castillo Sanchez appealed Tuesday for a new trial for the Norman man sentenced to death for raping and killing OU student Jewell “Juli” Busken in 1996. Law students, attorneys and Busken’s parents were in the audience as oral arguments were presented in the Dick Bell Courtroom in the OU College of Law. Michael Morehead, Sanchez’s lead attorney, argued that Sanchez didn’t receive a fair trial because he was illegally restrained during the trial and the collection of the DNA evidence that implicated him in the crime was a violation of his constitutional rights. Sanchez stood trial in Norman in February 2006. He was forced to wear restraints throughout the trial, despite an Oklahoma law that says defendants “in no event shall be
Amy Frost/The Daily
A panel of judges hears the appeal case contesting evidence regarding the 1996 murder of OU student Juli Busken by APPEAL Continues on page 2 Anthony Castillo Sanchez. The case was heard in the Dick Bell Courtroom inside the OU College of Law.
SPORTS The men’s basketball team is traveling to Waco, Texas tonight to take on Baylor. Find out what you need to know about tonight’s match up as OU looks to stay perfect in conference. Page 7.
LIGHT SHOW
LIFE & ARTS Local musician and OU alum Ryan Reid is not a sad person, but his music is. Read more about him on page 9.
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Lightning strikes north of campus Tuesday as seen from atop the Asp Avenue Parking Garage during a thunderstorm that dumped .51 inches of precipitation over the metro area, including baseballsized hail, according to the National Weather Service. A tornado damaged homes and businesses in the Oklahoma City area Tuesday afternoon, carving a path of destruction several miles long and damaging or destroying six homes, according to the Associated Press. No serious injuries were reported. See page 5 for the story and check out OUDaily.com for more photos from the thunderstorm.
OU professors challenge Education and Academic Freedom Act • Detractors fear that if passed, the bill could hurt Okla. education WILL HOLLAND The Oklahoma Daily Two OU professors are trying to block a proposed bill they say is a veiled attempt to teach creationism in Oklahoma public science classes. Professor Victor H. Hutchison and Associate Professor Richard Broughton, both in the OU Department of Zoology, passed out fliers and lobbied state senators to kill this bill, the “Scientific
Education and Academic Freedom Act.” The bill was written by State Sen. Randy Brogdon, R-Owasso, who did not return calls Monday and Tuesday from The Daily. The bill allows teachers in Oklahoma public schools to teach the “scientific strengths and scientific weaknesses” of topics including evolution, global warming and human cloning. Broughton called the bill “misleading” because he said it calls into question the validity of evolution, something Broughton said is definitely true. “To suggest that [evolution is] controversial in science is ridiculous,” Broughton said. Hutchison said if this bill passes it could harm the quality of education at public schools and it could hurt the state’s economy by making top scientists think twice before taking jobs where the validity of evolution is questioned.
Casey Luskin is a proponent of the bill and spokesman for the Discovery Institute. A member of the Discovery Institute wrote a proposal similar in model to this bill, Luskin said. Last year variations of the proposal were submitted to legislatures in six states, Luskin said, and it passed in Louisiana. He said he has not had any contact with Brogdon regarding this bill, but the Oklahoma proposal is similar to the version written by the Discovery Institute. He said the proposal is not against evolution. Instead, he said it is in favor of academic freedom and the protection of the rights of teachers. “Our side is not against teaching the scientific evidence for evolution,” Luskin said. He emphasized part of the bill that says, “This act only protects the teaching of scientific information, and this act shall not be construed to
promote any religious or non-religious doctrine, promote discrimination for or against a particular set of religious beliefs or non-beliefs, or promote discrimination for or against religion or nonreligion.” Hutchison said the majority of scientists believe the science behind evolution is completely true. He said he believes intelligent design does not have a place in the classrooms of public schools. “There is no controversy within science,” Hutchison said. “The controversy is in culture.” Broughton said the bill may keep teachers from being able to test their students’ understanding of this science. He pointed out a portion of the bill that says, “No student in any public school or institution
BILL Continues on page 2
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News
Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2009
Student democracy activist group returns • Group had been inactive at OU for more than 30 years ASHLEY BODY The Oklahoma Daily
Amy Frost
Wilbur “Bud” and Mary Jean Busken, parents of Juli Busken, talk with reporters following a hearing in the Dick Bell Courtroom at the OU College of Law Tuesday.
Appeal Continued from page 1
tried before the jury in chains or shackles.” Morehead and Jennifer Strickland, the attorney representing the state, said Sanchez was given a choice between wearing ankle shackles or a shock collar. Shock collars fit underneath clothing and, if activated by security personnel, deliver 50,000-volt electric shocks. Morehead said Sanchez’s attorneys urged him to wear the collar, which would not be visible to jurors, but he initially resisted. “Mr. Sanchez was terrified by this electrical device,” Morehead told the appellate justices. During the jury selection phase of the trial, Sanchez appeared in the courtroom wearing leg shackles, but officials made efforts to conceal the shackles from jurors. Strickland said after jury selection was over, Sanchez opted to wear the shock collar for the remainder of the trial. Morehead argued that trial court judge William Hetherington shouldn’t have forced Sanchez to wear any restraints at all. Justices questioned how restraints that couldn’t be seen could have impacted the outcome of the trial, but Morehead said the restraints’ influence
on Sanchez, not their prejudicial effect on jurors, was the source of his complaint. “Mr. Sanchez said, ‘I cannot deal with the idea of having 50,000 volts strapped to my body,’” Morehead said. “I’m asking for you to send this back for a new trial, where Mr. Sanchez can be tried with his full faculties.” Strickland argued that the restraints were justified because of Sanchez’s violent history and construction at Cleveland County Courthouse forced Sanchez to sit closer to the public during the trial than most defendants. Justices seemed skeptical of Morehead’s claim that the shock collar interfered with Sanchez’s mental abilities during the trial. They repeatedly asked Morehead for evidence of such interference and asked why Sanchez hadn’t submitted an affidavit to that effect. “Nice argument,” Justice Gary Lumpkin told Morehead. “Good appellate advocacy. But no basis.” In the second part of his presentation, Morehead argued that Sanchez’s rights were violated when a sample of his DNA was entered into a national database. Sanchez’s DNA entered the database after a 2004 convic-
tion on second-degree burglary charges. He hadn’t been a suspect in Busken’s murder until then, but his DNA matched DNA that had been found on Busken’s clothing, and he was subsequently charged with her rape and murder. Courts have found that taking DNA samples amounts to searching an individual, and Morehead argued that the Oklahoma law, which mandates that DNA samples be collected from convicted felons, is a violation of the Fourth Amendment protection from unreasonable search and seizure. Strickland dismissed the idea, saying courts have held that prisoners have diminished, if any, Fourth Amendment rights and that many courts have specifically ruled that DNA sampling is constitutional. Justices also challenged the idea that collecting DNA samples from felons is a rights violation. “The Fourth Amendment applies to unreasonable searches. How in the world is the search of a convicted individual in state custody unreasonable?” Lumpkin said. It could be months before the five-judge panel that heard the appeal returns a decision on the case.
The new OU chapter of Students for a Democratic Society is growing and making plans for on-campus activism, including the publishing of “an underground newspaper,” according to members. The group wants to take up issues important to students like protesting cuts to higher education funding in the 2009-10 state budget, pushing for the Bizzell Memorial Library to stay open 24 hours a day and fighting for increased student input in class offerings, said Sean Hughes, letters sophomore. Hughes will serve as this chapters’ president. “I think there is great potential here, and I hope that a lot of people get involved,” in the new group, Haas said. “I expect great things from our chapter.” They plan to start production of a new publication that will resemble a newsmagazine, with articles, artwork, poetry and essays, on March 1, Hughes said.
City Council cracks down on trash Norman City Council unanimously approved an ordinance that will hold businesses and individuals accountable for trash that is not properly thrown away. With an overflow of trash and litter surrounding the shared dumpsters on Campus Corner, businesses there asked the City of Norman to help them find a solution. “This city ordinance would be allowed under state law with the presumption of lowering the littering in the Campus Corner area and other parts in Norman,” Assistant City Attorney Rebecca Frazier said. “The attempt is that if two or more bags of trash is found outside a dump site, the latest owner of the trash will be held accountable.” When throwing away the overflowing trash, sanitation officials will determine who is responsible
The original SDS disbanded nationwide in the early 1970s, said Ron Haas, expository writing professor. Haas serves as advisor to the group. A group of students who took Haas’ class about the 1960s were inspired to revive the society, he said. The students discovered the society had been opening new chapters since 2006 and wanted to reopen OU’s chapter, Haas said. In the 1960s, the group focused on civil rights and protests against the Vietnam War, but the current chapter will have more freedom in the topics it covers, like supporting the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, advocating increased financial student aid and protesting the war in Iraq, Anderson said. The chapter meets Monday nights. Fifteen members attended the most recent meeting. Hughes said he hopes the organization will be an outlet for students to get civically involved in a way that will have a real impact. “If we’re strong in our diversity then we can create a strong base,” said Lauren Anderson, international and area studies sophomore. Anderson will serve as this chapter’s secretary. “We should be working together on these issues that we will be inheriting as a generation,” she said.
through its contents. Anyone found guilty of littering, will be subject to a fine of $50 to $75 and/or 60 days in jail. — LEIGHANNE MANWARREN/THE DAILY
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BUSKEN CASE TIMELINE Without a suspect in Busken’s murder, the Cleveland County district attorney files charges against “John Doe.”
Sanchez stands trial. He is found guilty on all charges and sentenced to death.
2000
2006
100
TH
1996 Jewell “Juli” Busken, then a ballet performance senior, disappears early on the morning of Dec. 20 after dropping a friend off at Will Rogers World Airport. Her body is found near Lake Stanley Draper later that day. An autopsy reveals that she has been bound, raped and shot in the head.
Bill
Continued from page 1 shall be penalized in any way because the student may subscribe to a particular position on scientific theories.” Hutchison said Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry vetoed a similar bill last year. “Since it is a bill not related to higher education, the university is not lobbying for the outcome of the bill,” OU President David L. Boren said in an e-mail. “Of course, a university should not prevent any of its students, faculty, or staff from expressing their opinions on any public issue as it is their constitutional right of free speech.”
2004 A DNA sample collected from Anthony Castillo Sanchez is determined to match DNA found on Busken’s body. He is arrested and charged with rape, forcible sodomy and firstdegree murder.
2009 Sanchez’s attorney argues that Sanchez deserves a new trial because his rights were violated by restraining devices and DNA collection.
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Campus News
Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2009
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Student survivors aid other cancer patients • Students aim to live life to the fullest despite struggles KATE CUNNINGHAM The Oklahoma Daily While many students are buckling down and stressing out about a semester of tests and term papers ahead, other students approach classes with a positive perspective. They credit their outlook to surviving cancer. About 1.4 million Americans will be diagnosed with cancer this year, according the Lance Armstrong Foundation Web site. A 2005 study showed about 65,600 cancer patients were classified as adolescents and young adults. Three cancer survivors — zoology senior Jennifer Wallace, marketing junior TJ Hutchings and multi-disciplinary science senior Danny O’Donnell — are working to do in Oklahoma what Armstrong has done for cancer sufferers around the country. They are using their experiences with the disease to help other cancer patients.
Jennifer Wallace During high school in Oklahoma City, Wallace was an enthusiastic honors student hoping to play volleyball at a highprofile, out-of-state university. When she was 16 years old, however, she went to the doctor because she noticed she felt much weaker than usual. “Just getting out of the shower, drying my hair and getting dressed made me out of breath,” she said. “I would have to sit down.” She was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a cancer of the blood cells, in March 2003. ALL is the most common form of childhood leukemia, the National Cancer Institute’s Web site states, although Wallace said survival rates decrease significantly for ALL patients who are older than 10. Wallace started an aggressive course of treatment at The Children’s Hospital at OU Medical Center.
Although her cancer went into remission within a month, she underwent the 32-month program of chemotherapy and steroids recommended for ALL patients and faced some unexpected obstacles. Wallace said she had an allergic reaction to medication making her unable to walk and she had to relearn to walk once the effects wore off after several days. She also contracted pancreatitis, and said she was neutropenic throughout her course of chemotherapy, meaning that even the lowest fever landed her in the emergency room. “The [chemotherapy] wasn’t working at first with my body the way [doctors] thought it would,” Wallace said. “That was scary. That was my first inkling of the idea that I might not get better, which was really upsetting for me. I had just kept thinking ‘I’m going to beat this.’” With only a centimeter of hair left, Wallace was able to graduate on time, and her classmates even crowned her homecoming queen. She said that her cancer was a major factor in her decision to come to OU, not only because of her lost dreams of collegiate volleyball, but she had developed relationships with the doctors that she didn’t want to leave behind. “There was no way I could be away from my support system, [or] leave the hospital I was still getting treatment at,” she said. Wallace said once she started classes at OU, she structured her medical appointments around classes she could afford to miss. She said most of her instructors were understanding about her condition. Now cancer free, Wallace has decided to give back to the cancer community. She has joined the UOSA-sponsored American Cancer Society Relay for Life fund-raiser the past four years. This year she is the event’s chairwoman. Wallace is on the board of directors of the Oklahoma Children’s Cancer Association. She also started a weekly art therapy group for child cancer patients at the hospital where she received treatment just a few years ago. “I don’t see how you can see what I’ve seen and not love doing this,” she said. “I can be having the worst day ever, and I go up there and those patients make me
Photos by Chelsea Garza/The Daily
Zoology senior Jennifer Wallace, marketing junior TJ Hutchings and multi-disciplinary science senior Danny O’Donnell, all cancer survivors, are now volunteering with cancer support groups to help other battling the illness. realize it’s not so bad. Once you’ve been there, you get it.”
TJ Hutchings In 2004, when Hutchings was 17 years old, he was diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma, a bone cancer. Tests revealed a baseball-sized tumor in his hip and spots on his lungs. Hutchings said he accepted his diagnosis with a positive attitude. “I feel like my family took it worse,” he said. “A lot of things have come my way .... it could have been worse.” Hutchings had hoped to earn a baseball scholarship, but he said those hopes were dashed when he had to take time off school his senior year. He went through 42 weeks of chemotherapy and eight weeks of radiation. The radiation caused holes to form in his intestines, which led to three surgeries to repair the holes. He said he took the complications in stride. “Don’t look at treatment as a burden, look at it as a gift,” he said. Hutchings officially went into remission in July 2005, but couldn’t walk well and had to continue physical therapy through December of that year. He now volunteers at the same place he received treatment, The Children’s Hospital at OU Medical Center.
Hutchings said he does it to show appreciation for the people who helped save his life and to show the patients they can get better. Although he is in remission, Hutchings’ fight has continued. Last March, he had a kidney removed due to complications of his cancer. Hutchings said he has learned important life lessons from his cancer experiences. “I wouldn’t change anything,” he said. “I get to live my life to the fullest. Some people that [live to] 100 don’t get that.” Hutchings said he has started to appreciate the small things in life because he has realized they can be taken away at any moment. “Small conversations with friends or spending time outside on a nice day .... you realize those things matter when they’re not there anymore.”
Danny O’Donnell Unlike Wallace and Hutchings, O’Donnell was an OU student when he was diagnosed with testicular cancer in July 2007, one month before his 22nd birthday. “They told me you’re going to have to drop out of school; they wanted me to go home,” he said. “They said you’re going to be sick… you’re not going to be able to
study or take care of yourself, but I said ‘I don’t think that’s going to happen.’” Instead, O’Donnell enrolled in nine credit hours, soon increasing to the 12 required to be a full-time student. He also worked as a teaching assistant and maintained a 3.75 grade-point average while undergoing aggressive chemotherapy, he said. “I just kept busy .... that was what got me through it, I always had something to do,” he said. “Granted, I was tired. Sometimes I’d be sitting there studying and just fall asleep, which kind of makes it hard.” O’Donnell underwent two cycles of chemotherapy at Cancer Care Associates in Norman. He has been in remission since October. His experiences have prompted him to also engage in cancer-related community service. Last summer, he worked as a counselor at Camp Cavett, a summer camp at Lake Texoma for terminally ill children. Wallace recruited him to volunteer for Relay for Life last year. This year, he serves as the event’s recruitment co-chairman. He plans to graduate from OU in May and become a physician’s assistant. He said students who think something is wrong should not delay seeing a doctor. “Don’t be afraid to go to the doctor,” he said. “I only waited 11 days.... that’s why I’m as healthy as I am today.”
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Opinion
Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2009
OUR VIEW
STAFF CARTOON
Ray Martin, opinion editor dailyopinion@ou.edu phone: 325-7630, fax: 325-6051 For more, go to oudaily.com. Matt Reed — broadcast and electronic media senior
Professors show need for academic freedom bill The bill is hardly religious. It does not allow for Two OU professors who are adamantly opposed to Senate Bill 320 – a Science Education and Academic the teaching of fundamentalist religious doctrines Freedom bill filed by Sen. Randy Brogdon, R-Owasso like creationism. In fact, it protects only scientific discussion. – have recently shown why the bill is necessary. The bill states, “This act only protects the teachZoology professors Vic Hutchison and Richard Broughton have passed out fliers encouraging oppo- ing of scientific information, and this act shall not sition to the bill, which would permit high school be construed to promote a religious or non-religious science educators to teach the strengths and weak- doctrine, promote discrimination for or against a particular set of religious beliefs or nonnesses of science topics that can cause controversy. OUR VIEW beliefs, or promote discrimination for or against religion or non-religion.” The blatant misrepresentation of the is an editorial The professors are in a minority of bill that Hutchison and Broughton display selected and debated people who don’t think the scientific creates a climate of fear that warrants such by the editorial board and written after a strengths and weaknesses of evolution academic freedom legislation. majority opinion is should be taught. A Zogby poll released We think the bill would encourage stuformed and approved dents in science classrooms to make honby the editor. Our View earlier this month shows 80 percent of is The Daily’s official voters agree students should have the est inquiries about the scientific validity of opinion. academic freedom to discuss both the certain theories, including “biological evostrengths and weaknesses of evolution lution, the chemical origins of life, global as a scientific theory. Of those, 54 percent strongly warming and human cloning.” The bill would allow teachers to present all of the agreed. Only 17 percent disagreed. The professors claim the theory of biological evoscientific information available. Both of those are essential to the free flow of ideas in an academic set- lution has no scientific weaknesses. This is a naïve ting, and such freedom is essential to a democratic claim. If it were true, these scientists should encourage it to stand alone as a theory that is discussed and society. The flier is out of line, and is full of claims that are questioned rigorously in the classroom. Charles Darwin said: “…a fair result can be easily discredited by a quick reading of the bill itself. The fliers’ authors’ attempt to conflate evaluating sci- obtained only by fully stating and balancing the facts entific theories with religion is indicative of the very and arguments on both sides of each question.” We agree with Darwin, and think this bill could go attitude that causes educators to be hesitant in how a long way in ensuring that happens. they answer students with scientific questions.
THE RUNNING ARGUMENT
Who was more influential: Darwin or Lincoln? Lincoln
Editor’s note: Thursday is the birthday of Charles Darwin and Abraham Lincoln. This is the third installment of a week-long argument about who was the more influential man. The columnists will respond to each other each day. The claim that evolution was not a pre-Darwinian theory is not just hyperbole, it is simply untrue. Zac Smith himself provided an excellent example in yesterday’s column: Jean-Baptiste Lamark had already published fully coherent theories and mechanisms of evolution in 1802, before Darwin’s birth. Prior to this, natural philosophers, the scientists of antiquity, such as Anaximander and Empedocles proposed theories expounding evolution as early as 500 B.C. Not only had evolution been observed for millennia before Darwin’s time as Mr. Smith stated, it had indeed been studied by scientists who also proposed mechanisms for evolution’s occurrence. Furthermore, I’ve never claimed that Darwin
Darwin
“invented the theory of evolution,” because, as I have just demonstrated, several scientists before him proposed both theories of evolution and theories of the mechanism of evolution. Lincoln was, in fact, a staunch abolitionist. Before either his election as president or the start of the civil war, Lincoln was well known for his strong and vocal beliefs against slavery. Lincoln was faced with the only civil war in U.S. history. He put abolitionism second to restoring the union, JULES something any sane person of Lincoln’s beliefs would do. This KUNZE by no means discredits his morals or beliefs. Jules Kumze is a biomedical sciences senior.
Jules Kunze unfortunately misinterprets my noting that most any hypothetical replacement president would have exerted roughly the same influence as Lincoln. Lincoln’s accomplishments were facilitated by circumstances which advantaged him toward being able to accomplish them. Lincoln led the Union to victory, not because of any unique personal attributes, but because circumstances helped make him leader of a country warring an inferior opponent. ZAC One might as well revere SMITH Lincoln for having veto power. Darwin, on the other hand, was not circumstantially equipped in favor of making his revolutionary discovery. There were
STAFF COLUMN
Lottery hasn’t worked as Henry promised
I N D E P E N D E N T
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NEWSROOM DIRECTORY Meredith Simons Nijim Dabbour Jamie Hughes Mack Burke Ray Martin Zach Butler
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Zac Smith is an English junior.
COMMENTS OF THE DAY
why people bother playing the Lottery – I think you’d have more fun simply setting a pile of cash on fire. It remains that barely 79 percent of the money promised annually has been earmarked for education over the life of the lottery. Lottery officials claim they can deliver more funds to the state if revenue restrictions are lifted. They claim while Oklahoma education may get a smaller percentage of total revenues, they will get a larger total dollar amount if these restrictions are overturned. They claim this will allow them to offer larger payouts and prizes, which will entice more people to play. This has been shown to work in a few states, but is far from guaranteed. The Lottery faces a major problem: how to convince a dwindling number of people to throw their money away in spite of increasingly overwhelming odds. Certainly, promises of $300 million a year were unfounded. A total of $236 million is a lot of money, but far less than the roughly $1.1 billion we should have at this point. If this were a corporation, and revenues fell short of projections by 78 percent, heads would roll. At the very least, those in charge would be fired or forced to resign, an audit would be ordered and the board of trustees would demand full accountability. But since this is the result of projections made by a government entity there is no uproar. There is no demand for accountability, and no one is going to be fired. It is business as usual, and that is pathetic. I don’t think it is unreasonable for the Oklahoma Lottery Commission to apologize for inflating estimates and lying to Oklahomans. Instead of airing commercials that tout the success of the lottery and spin information to cover the massive mistake, a 30-second commercial starring Henry and the folks at the lottery commission would go a long way in making amends for this blunder. Lying about lottery revenues sets a bad example for our children – and as politicians unceasingly remind us – children are our future.
In response to last week’s Next Step series I would like to comment on The Daily’s Next Step series. I appreciated the piece on picking a major, especially since in my experience at OU the most successful students are those who are passionate about their majors. The final piece on getting Into graduate School, however, was a disappointment due to the omission of Ph.D. programs. With an aging faculty, many of whom will retire in the next decade, in addition to current shortages for faculty in areas such as nursing and business, we need more of our brightest students to step it up and earn the highest level of education possible. - MADE BY SOPHIA MORREN, DOCTORAL STUDENT IN GEOGRAPHY AT OUDAILY.COM
In response to Stephen Carradini’s Feb. 10 column about a Daily headline The video is in the public sector. Get over it. All they did was run a headline and you’re worried it’s going to offend one person? Ridiculous. - POSTED BY MFHAYES AT OUDAILY.COM
Joe Hunt is an economics and history senior.
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or words from an anonymous speechwriter – this was a deliberate ploy by state politicians to mislead the very people they are charged to serve. The people of Oklahoma were, no doubt, fooled by the promises of easy money and a large supplement to state education funding. According to the approved legislation, 35 percent of lottery revenues must be deposited quarterly into an education fund, while 45 percent of the revenues go to sustain the payouts. The final 20 percent is largely unaccounted – roughly $20 million in fiscal year 2005 – but is probably “required” for administrative purposes. In fiscal year 2005, just more than $65 million were added for Oklahoma education, well short of a $300 million projection. The estimates of $300 million a year were pure poliJOE tics, an inflated imaginary number HUNT concocted to fool voters. The latest figures from the Oklahoma Lottery Commission report total revenues of just less than $205 million – and only 35 percent of that will go towards education. A major flaw in the Lottery legislation is that it was meant to act as a supplement and not a replacement – but a national study by Homer Erekson, dean of the business school at the University of Missouri Kansas City, shows of the 42 states with legalized gambling, funds that were earmarked for education have gone on to replace dollars that originally came from the general fund. His report claims education doesn’t really benefit, and more than likely suffers decreased funding due to a lottery. Oklahoma has a law that says lottery funds cannot be diverted away from education, but it hasn’t been enforced as stringently as most Oklahomans would like. According to the numbers, the average Oklahoman over the age of 18 spends $76 a year playing the lottery. Of course, the numbers are skewed a bit, because there are many Oklahomans that have never played the Lottery, yours truly included. I don’t understand
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Perhaps you’ve seen the commercials on television. The camera pans over a very diverse group of students, and every one of them is smiling. The voiceover talks about how the children of our state are the future. Finally, the omnipresent voice alerts viewers to the fact that the Oklahoma lottery has contributed $236 million to the Oklahoma Education Lottery Trust Fund since its inception. That’s a lot of money, but it’s a misleading claim. Lawmakers crossed the line with the ltimate ploy that the governor and other politicians utilized: that proceeds from the lottery, an estimated $300 million a year, would go to support education in Oklahoma. Oklahomans were duped into voting for this legislation because it promised to pump a large amount of money into our education system. Lottery supporters in state government promised in 2002 and 2003 that if the lottery was approved, the education system in Oklahoma would enjoy an additional $300 million a year from revenues. No wonder the lottery passed by such a large margin. We now know that those estimates were beyond inflated. According to the Oklahoma Lottery Commission, a grand total of an additional $236 million have been pumped into Oklahoma education funding, but the number falls exceedingly short of projections. It has failed to deliver on the promise of $300 million per year because, as the commercials themselves declare, $236 million has been added for education. In an email exchange with the director of the Oklahoma Lottery Commission, Rollo Redburn, questions regarding promises of Lottery revenues were ignored. Mr. Redburn declared, “regardless of the promises made, the fact remains that $236 million have gone to education that otherwise would not have.” This is a tired line that surreptitiously avoids the real issue: why has the lottery failed to deliver on its promise of $300 million a year? You might argue Americans are used to broken promises, and that this campaign rhetoric was no different. However, this time it feels much more personal. This wasn’t the act of players on some national stage
hundreds of other naturalists studying in 1859, and that Darwin was the only one who published “On the Origin of Species” was the result of his unique personal characteristics, of his being Darwin. Most of Lincoln’s accomplishments, on the other hand, were a result of larger circumstances surrounding the position he occupied. The U.S. may currently be the only superpower, but to compare influencing its policies to completely overhauling biological science is jingoistic vanity. Kunze hasn’t offered any evidence-based contradiction to this. Incidentally, I wouldn’t consider it “ludicrous” to claim that Lincoln didn’t play a major role in reshaping the postwar U.S., given that he died less than a week after the war’s conclusion.
U N I V E R S I T Y
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News
Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2009
5
Tornado kills at least three in southern Oklahoma OKLAHOMA CITY — At least three were killed when a tornado ripped through a southern Oklahoma town, authorities said Tuesday. The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management also said 20 to 50 people were injured when what meteorologists described as a large, violent tornado moved through Lone Grove. Amber Wilson, the emergency management director for nearby Ardmore, said damage was extensive in the town of about 4,600 about 100 miles south of Oklahoma City. The tornado was one of several unusual February twisters that touched down in Oklahoma, including the Oklahoma City metropolitan area, where homes and businesses were damaged, but only three minor injuries were reported there. Six homes were damaged or destroyed near the Oklahoma City suburb of Edmond and several businesses reported damage in both cities Tuesday afternoon. Hours later, a tornado described by meteorologists as large and violent moved through the south-central Oklahoma town of Lone Grove, injuring several people and doing “extensive” property damage. Wilson said officials throughout the county were trying to get ambulances and other first responders into Lone Grove. Earlier Tuesday, a tornado touched down in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area, leaving damage but no serious injuries. The National Weather Service says anoth-
damaging several shopping centers and restaurants at a major intersection. One wall of a Chuck E. Cheese restaurant collapsed, windows were blown out, and a piece of the eatery’s awning was thrown into a tree alongside an adjacent restaurant. Signs were stripped and cars were damaged in the parking lot. It then moved through the Boulder Ridge Apartments, a spread of two-story units surrounding a courtyard. Shawn Tiesman, 33, moved to the apartment complex from Iowa about four months ago and got his first taste of Oklahoma’s notorious weather but without the same protection of his former home. “Where I’m from, we’ve got basements,” Tiesman said. “I’m amazed that there’s no basements here.” Instead, he invited his upstairs neighbors into his apartment and then used his futon mattress to barricade them into a walkin closet. When he emerged, he couldn’t believe the wreckage. A large section of roof was blown off an apartment building and part of a wall was AP Photo/Bill Waugh blown off another. One apartment had a gaping hole knocked in its side. A building containing the business of Four Seasons Paintless Dent Removal is shown after winds from a tornado knocked down power lines, Parked cars were shifted by the wind damaged homes and businesses Tuesday in Edmond. and smashed into each other. A line of fencing and a light pole were knocked to the er tornado did damage in north-central Shop manager Michael Jerry said he were just there minutes before. The steel ground where the twister moved into the Oklahoma. went home to eat and watch the weather girders are in a ball.” backyard of two homes, leaving tree limbs, The tornado damaged an Edmond busi- reports as the storm moved into the area. In northwest Oklahoma City, the twist- children’s toys and a smashed air conditionness park, turning a body shop and the “It’s just surreal,” Jerry said. “You just er apparently developed near Wiley Post ing unit strewn in its path. vehicles inside into a twisted ball of metal. don’t believe it. Especially knowing you Airport and then headed northeast before — AP
Okla. senators vote no on economic package • Sens. Coburn, Inhofe vote along GOP party line
AP Photo/Mark Pardew
Firefighter David Tree shares his water with an injured Australian Koala at Mirboo North after wildfires swept through the region on Monday.
Australia wildfire death toll expected to pass 200 HEALESVILLE, Australia — The high death toll from hundreds of wildfires across southeastern Australia has forced authorities to re-examine an accepted survival strategy when blazes threaten: Get out early or hunker down and fight. Many people waited too long and perished as they tried to escape the weekend infernos. “People need to understand that a late departure is the most deadly,” fire chief Paul Rees said. Recovery teams moving into burned out towns in Victoria state found charred bodies on roadsides and in wrecked cars — grim signs of futile attempts to flee the raging wildfires fed by 60 mph (100 kph) winds, record heat and drought. The number of deaths was expected to surpass 200, and a few fires were still burning. “The clear evidence is that the most dangerous place to be is on the road,” Rees, Victoria’s country fire authority chief, told reporters Tuesday. The scale of the disaster has shocked a nation that endures deadly firestorms every few years. Authorities defended their preparations and actions during the fires that swept southeastern Australia on Saturday, saying the extreme weather conditions made catastrophe almost inevitable. But they agreed that the “stay and defend” policy, under which homeowners remain to protect their properties from fire, needed to be reviewed. “It is the application of that policy and a lack of an alternative that we need to work on,” Rees said.
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Evacuation is not mandatory in high-risk areas, and Australia’s wildfire services largely comprise volunteers who lack the resources to protect every home. In Victoria, there is no formal alert system to warn of approaching wildfires, though the Country Fire Authority distributes advice and updates on its Web site and through radio broadcasts. One expert suggested Australia’s shifting demographics could be partly to blame for the scale of the tragedy. Mark Adams of the Bushfire Cooperative Research Center told Australian Broadcasting Corp. Television that many urbanites who moved to city outskirts have no experience with wildfires and rely wholly on the fire service for help. But families who have lived in the area for generations are prepared to battle blazes themselves, Adams said. The wildfires outside Melbourne, Australia’s second largest city, destroyed more than 750 homes, left 5,000 people homeless, and burned 1,100 square miles (2,850 square kilometers) of land, the fire authority said. While the official death toll stood at 181 Tuesday evening, Brumby said there were an additional 50 bodies that the coroner had not identified and were not included in the official tally. “This is going to be a significant number. It will exceed 200 deaths,” he said.
— AP
OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma’s two senators on Tuesday voted against a $838 billion economic recovery plan that could conceivably funnel millions of dollars in road and education funds into a state budget that has a $600 million hole. Sen. Jim Inhofe called the plan, which is being pushed by President Barack Obama, as “more of the same from Washington,” although Inhofe and Sen. Tom Coburn, both Republicans, were on the losing side of a 61-37 vote. The plan now will head to what could be difficult House-Senate negotiations because of the differences in the bills passed by the two bodies. State officials are taking a wait-and-see approach before determining how much money Oklahoma might receive from any federal plan. “The numbers have changed so much over the last few weeks it’s impossible to make an informed statement on it,” said Paul Sund, a spokesman for Gov. Brad Henry. State Treasurer Scott Meacham echoed that sentiment. “We’re not sure what we’re going to end up with at the end of the day,” Meacham said. “Obviously, if there’s money for transportation that would be helpful, and for the state Medicaid program, because they have been pulling money away from us last few years. ... Depending on what they do with education, it could help us, too. “It’s Congress, so there’s no telling what they’re going to do for you, or to you.” In a statement, Inhofe said his office had received “a flood of phone calls and e-mails” in opposition to the plan. “I know the American public understands exactly what this bill does: spend more money that our nation doesn’t
have,” Inhofe said. “This bill does very little to put people back to work and little to help get our economy moving again. “It’s not about providing tax relief or building roads and bridges. Rather, the current crisis is being used to permanently change the relationship between the federal government and the American people.” Inhofe maintained that only 7 percent of the bill was for infrastructure spending. Coburn said the foundational principles behind the bill “were tried and failed in the 1930s” and that it represented “the worst act of generational theft in our history.” Long a critic of what he calls pork projects, Coburn said the bill’s authors “made zero effort to eliminate any wasteful spending to help pay for this package even though Congress wastes at least $300 billion every year.” Coburn said the bill “includes a grossly irresponsible bailout ... that will reward states that refused to live within their means while punishing states like Oklahoma that planned ahead and set up rainy day funds to make it through economic downturns.” Meacham, a Democrat, said he was not surprised that Coburn and Inhofe voted with all but three Senate Republicans against the bill. “You sort of expect almost everything Congress does is a party-line deal,” he said. “Unfortunately politics gets in the way of a lot of what they do in Congress. People wish they would focus on what they need to do for our country. “I think there obviously are valid criticisms of the package, as there would be any package. There’s no way to put together a package free of criticism.” Meacham said the members of Oklahoma’s congressional delegation “have to consult their conscience and ask if this is a good thing for our state or not” but added that he was “not in a position to make that call.”
— AP
Medical society probes octuplet fertility doctor LOS ANGELES — A national medical society is investigating whether a fertility doctor followed its guidelines when he implanted six embryos into a Southern California woman who gave birth to octuplets last month. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine confirmed Tuesday that it’s investigating because Nadya Suleman says she received invitro fertilization for all 14 of her children at the same Beverly Hills fertility clinic. Suleman, 33, told NBC’s “Today” show that she was implanted with six embryos in each of her six pregnancies, resulting in four single births, a set of twins and the octuplets. No more than three embryos are considered the norm for a woman her age, and fertility experts and medical ethicists have been critical of the Jan. 26 birth of the octuplets. The society has contacted Suleman and her doctor, and is prepared to assist the Medical Board of California, which is also looking into the pregnancy, the society’s president, Dr. R. Dale McClure, said in a statement.
AP Photo/NBC NEWS
This undated picture provided by NBC News shows Maliyah, one of the octuplets Nadya Suleman gave birth to on Jan. 26. “Our guidelines provide the flexibility to give each patient treatment individualized to her needs, and her best chance to become pregnant without risking high-order multiple pregnancy,” said McClure. “However, it seems that the guidelines may not have been followed in Ms. Suleman’s case.” Neither the society or the medical board identified Suleman’s physician,
Dr. Michael Kamrava. Kamrava, a specialist who pioneered a method of implantation, was identified Monday as a result of an NBC interview with Suleman, who said she went to the West Coast IVF Clinic in Beverly Hills and that all 14 of her children were conceived with help from the same doctor.
— AP
6
Sports
Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2009
Women’s Basketball
Sooners face Cyclones tonight and pick up 3 assists per game. Ezell may be difficult to guard considering her versatility. She also grabs three rebounds per game and has a solid assist-to-turnover ratio. The Cyclones have three players averaging at least 9 points per game, but Ezell should be the main focus as she is the only starter who has scored over 10 per game. ANNELISE RUSSELL Ezell is also coming off a big game against No. 8 Texas A&M with 18 The Oklahoma Daily points and 3.5 assists. Lloyd Noble will not be an easy place for Iowa State to pick up a road The Phillips 66 Big 12 Women’s Basketball Players of the Week prewin. If Ezell can post high numbers and break down the Sooner rhythm, pare for a clash Wednesday night at Lloyd Noble Center. the game will be tight until the end. OU freshman guard Whitney Hand, named Big For OU to have success against the Cyclones, 12 Freshman of the Week, and Iowa State sophoHand needs to be a big part of the equation. more guard Heather Ezell, named Big 12 Player The freshman guard is averaging 10.1 points per of the Week, take to the court Wednesday night as What: No. 2 OU vs. No. 16 Iowa State game and shoots 43 percent from 3-point range. No. 2 OU hopes to keep their Big 12 winning streak When: 7 tonight In the Sooners’ last game against OSU, Hand put alive against the ladies of No. 16 Iowa State. Where: Lloyd Noble Center; call the up 12 points and brought down seven rebounds. Ezell is a sophomore guard on a senior-heavy athletics ticket office for ticket informaAgainst Texas A&M, Hand’s defense is what line up for Iowa State and is the only Cyclone to head coach Sherri Coale called “the glove” in her tion have started every game this season. efforts to get a hand in the face of the Aggies. She excels from the 3-point line, shooting more In the conference play, Hand has averaged than 40 percent and knocking down more than 60 more minutes (31.3) than any player, including All3-pointers this season. American senior center Courtney Paris. But the Sooners must be weary of Ezell’s other Against a top team like Iowa State, who has only dropped two games attributes as well. She makes use of her time at the line, hitting 85 perto Baylor and Kansas State in the Big 12, OU will need Hand to provide cent of her free throws this season. While averaging 12.6 points per game, she also makes the time to dish valuable minutes.
° Game pits Big 12 Players of the Week against each other
BE THERE
WHITNEY HAND
HEATHER EZELL
Amy Frost/The Daily
Steve Pope/AP Photo
Iowa State’s Heather Ezell was the Big 12’s Player of the Week last week.
Freshman guard Whitney Hand was the Big 12’s Freshman of the Week last week
NEED MORE? For post-game coverage of men’s and women’s basketball, go to OUDaily.com first. Post-game reactions from players and coaches, photos and more can be found online.
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STAFF COLUMN
A-Rod didn’t cheat, still should face consequences As scandal surrounds Alex Rodriguez this week, many feelings I have toward his story and steroids in general have been resurrected. First of all, I do not think steroids are wrong. According to aresteroidslegal.com and usdoj.gov, steroids are legal with a valid prescription in every state but Arizona, where they are considered dangerous drugs. MJ I understand that some enhancers are illegal, but CASIANO others aren’t. These enhancers are bringing baseball back to a high level of excitement. Nobody cares what’s going into their bodies, as long as they’re hitting further and throwing harder than ever. But it’s a rule, and everyone has to abide by it, unfortunately. Everyone always associates steroids with cheating. Is it cheating? No. Cheating is sleeping with another woman when you’re married, or stealing the answers off your teacher’s desk for an exam. Steroids are not cheating. They’re more of an aid, like getting a tutor for a challenging class. And although I don’t think what Rodriguez took was wrong, I think the way in which he admitted everything was a bit lousy. It all starts with the high podium on which fans and media put him on. The “Rodriguez was supposed to prove that clean players can succeed at a professional level,” podium. He ruined that and only admitted to using steroids because of the negative rep that Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens are now getting. Anyone can admit something after it’s already known. Why don’t we just forgive terrorists, as long as they apologize? Rodriguez said he only used performance enhancing drugs for three years with the Texas Rangers from 2001-03. And he said that estimate is pretty accurate. Either it’s accurate or it’s not. Although he swears these were the only years he used it, Rodriguez hasn’t always been known for telling the truth. Like with his wife for instance. Or that time “A-Fraud” told Rangers owner Tom Hicks he “would never abuse his body in that way,’“ when asked about steroids. That turned out to be fiction. It doesn’t make sense to me why A-Rod would begin using steroids after he’s already averaging around 40 home runs, 100 runs batted in and batting around .300 per season. That seems like something he would do as a teenager to try and reach the pinnacle of baseball, not to get ahead in a league in which he was already the best. There may be more to the story than we know, but people are looking past that because of his honesty. Obviously, Rodriguez and I are on the same page when it comes to steroids, but he broke the rules and has to live with the consequences. But its OK, A-Rod. You were young. Plus, you own a nice sweater. MJ CASIANO IS A BROADCAST AND ELECTRONIC MEDIA SOPHOMORE.
Sports
Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2009
7
Men’s Basketball
Sooners head to Waco to take on Baylor • No. 2 OU faces unranked Baylor at 8 tonight in Texas. The Daily’s Eric Dama matches up the two teams, who last met when the Sooners beat the Bears 95-76 on Jan. 26.
SIDE BY SIDE OU’S PROJECTED STARTERS POSITION
JERSEY
PLAYER
HEIGHT
“
HE SA SAID IT
WEIGHT
YEAR
POINTS/ GAME
REBOUNDS/ GAME
Forward
23
Blake Griffin
6’10”
251 lbs.
Sophomore
2.3 ppg
14.0 rpg
Forward
32
Taylor Griffin
6’7”
238 lbs.
Senior
8.9 ppg
5.9 rpg
Guard
5
Tony Crocker
6’6”
206 lbs.
Junior
10.5 ppg
3.5 rpg
Guard
13
Willie Warren
6’4”
207 lbs.
Freshman
15.0 ppg
2.1 rpg
Guard
20
Austin Johnson
6’3”
176 lbs.
Senior
8.6 ppg
2.8 rpg
“I have a lot of respect for their players just their offensive ability and the way they can put up points. The past two times we’ve played them in the first two years I’ve been here they’ve been really interesting and fun. We’ll be excited to play them.” — Head coach Jeff Capel on Baylor
Forward
4
Quincy Acy
6’7”
205 lbs.
Freshman
6.7 ppg
4.5 rpg
“We got up so much, then we had a lapse. We were up 16 or 17 last year and all of a sudden just like that they strike because of how they score, and we were able to pull back.”
Forward
23
Kevin Rogers
6’9”
250 lbs.
Senior
12.9 ppg
7.9 rpg
Guard
0
Curtis Jerrells
— Capel on OU’s last meeting with Bay-
6’1”
205 lbs.
Senior
16.4 ppg
4.6 rpg
5
Henry Dugat
lor
Guard
6’0”
173 lbs.
Senior
12.2 ppg
3.5 rpg
Guard
45
Tweety Carter
5’11”
185 lbs.
Junior
10.7 ppg
2.9 rpg
BAYLOR’S PROJECTED STARTERS
ADVANTAGE/DISADVANTAGE When OU shoots from outside: Advantage OU The Sooners have been hot from the outside lately, especially junior guard Tony Crocker and freshman guard Willie Warren, who have combined for 64 3-pointers over the past 14 games. Senior guard Austin Johnson has also had some hot streaks this year.
When Baylor shoots from outside: Advantage Baylor The Bears rank second in the Big 12 with a three-point shooting percentage of 38 percent. Five players, four of whom are guards, average double-figures in points.
When Baylor gets the ball down low: Advantage OU
“We’ve won. That’s what matters. But we haven’t been playing like we wanted to.” — Junior guard Tony Crocker on OU’s recent close wins “Whenever you make your first shot, you get it going. It was just a team thing. They found me open in spots where I was wide open to make the shot.” — Crocker on his hot start against Colorado “It’s wonderful. You’ve got the best guy in college basketball on your team. It makes it a lot easier with everything. You can go to him whenever you want, whatever you need. He’s not a selfish guy. He’ll kick it back out.” — Crocker on playing with All-American sophomore forward Blake Griffin
Again, the Bears are too guard-oriented to compete with the Sooners’ big men. The Griffin brothers and junior guard-forward Juan Patillo should lock down the paint with much of the focus centered on the perimeter.
ticism, icism, but a lift on offense. ense He has “He gives us a big lift, obviously, not just his athleticism, me. Defensively, he’s solid. He H can a knack for being in the right place at the right time. block shots when you least expect it.”
When OU gets the ball down low: Advantage OU
ffin — Sophomore forward Blake Griffi n on the reorward Juan cent emergence of junior guard-forward Patillo
Two words: Blake Griffin. Last time these two teams met the super sophomore had his way with the Bears, recording 20 points, 17 rebounds and four assists.
Merrill Jones/The Daily
OU head coach Jeff Capel
Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2009
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A drunk driver ruined something precious. Amber Apodaca. Friends Don’t Let Friends Drive Drunk.
7 3
5 8
1 9 4 7 5 6 9 8 7
6 9
2 1
7 2 1 9 4
Previous Solution
9 2
6 4 9 2 3 7 1 5 8
7 6
8
5 2 7 4 8 1 9 6 3
1 8 3 5 9 6 2 4 7
3 5 1 8 2 4 6 7 9
2 9 6 7 5 3 4 8 1
4 7 8 6 1 9 5 3 2
9 1 4 3 6 8 7 2 5
7 3 5 1 4 2 8 9 6
8 6 2 9 7 5 3 1 4
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.
Universal Crossword Edited by Timothy E. Parker February 11, 2009
ACROSS 1 “___ for the poor!” 5 Citizen arresters 10 On the Marmara 14 You may wear it out 15 Chekhov or Bruckner 16 Assume command 17 Bald eagle’s cousin 18 Lines of operation? 19 Statue part 20 A darn good guess? 23 Vandalize 24 Paris abductee 25 Its popularity is short-lived 28 Took the lure 30 Scoffed at 34 Parodies 36 A foot wide? 38 Tortelli on “Cheers” 39 Clear view? 43 Type of common denominator 44 “Erie Canal” mule 45 Clan division 46 Foot bones 49 Catch, to Hamlet 51 Singer Kiki 52 Oscar winner for “Reversal of Fortune” 54 ___-jongg 56 Not a yes or no 61 Mercedes competitor
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8
R.T. Conwell, advertising manager classifieds@ou.edu phone: 325-2521, fax: 325-7517 For more, go to oudaily.com.
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.
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62 Call forth 63 Invisible emanation 65 Pride of one in a pride 66 Find a new tenant for 67 Cereal for kids 68 Hardly nude 69 One-way transports 70 Newcastle upon ___, England DOWN 1 A service winner 2 Oral histories 3 Breed of tailless cat 4 Letter opener? 5 Some bakery offerings 6 Formerly 7 Hidden reserve 8 Performed a database operation 9 Preserve fodder 10 Tirana residents 11 Hassock, e.g. 12 Settle (into) 13 Lime drink suffix 21 You might get one by raising your hand 22 Left Bank thank you 25 Rock fracture 26 Concern for some
sleepers 27 Legally prohibit 29 Giveaway shirt 31 Cut partner 32 Choose the window instead of the aisle? 33 “Convivio” author 35 Cowardly 37 Wheels of Fortune, for short? 40 Video game system name 41 Shell guider 42 Takes a dive 47 Solitary figures 48 Tearfully complain 50 Bighorn’s sound 53 Broke a commandment
55 Not one of the Hiltons 56 Consisting of two parts 57 Actress Purviance 58 Scratched (out), as a living 59 Suppress, as emotions 60 Ireland, in verse 61 Gremlins came out of their factory 64 Cancel abruptly
PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER
© 2009 Universal Press Syndicate www.upuzzles.com
“A BITTERSWEET PUZZLE” by Ken Swalls
Previous Answers
Luke Atkinson, L&A editor dailyent@ou.edu phone: 325-5189, fax: 325-6051 For more, go to oudaily.com.
Life & Arts
Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2009
9
CAMPUS NOTES TODAY
THURSDAY
CHRISTIANS ON CAMPUS
BLACK GRADUATE STUDENT ASSOCIATION
Christians on Campus will hold a Bible study at 12:30 p.m. in the Oklahoma Memorial Union. CAREER SERVICES Career services will hold an interviewing workshop at 2:30 p.m. in the Oklahoma Memorial Union. WOMEN’S BASKETBALL The women’s basketball team will play Iowa State at 7 p.m. in the Lloyd Noble Center.
The Black Graduate Student Association will hold a research symposium 11 a.m. in the Oklahoma Memorial Union. OKLAHOMA CITY GREATER GRADUATES Oklahoma City Greater Graduates will hold a symposium about how to make a good first impression at noon in the Oklahoma Memorial Union. CAREER SERVICES Career services will hold an interviewing workshop at 3 p.m. in the Oklahoma Memorial Union’s Crimson Room.
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. photo provided
Ryan Reid plays his guitar at a show in Oklahoma City. Reid graduated from OU in 2007, traveled to New York and returned to record his EP with his new label.
AGGRAVATED DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE Wesley Jason Scott, 31, Jami Drive,
STAFF COLUMN
Monday
Broken dreams inspire song on his therapy sessions. Reid seems desperate to be regarded as a tortured soul, but — strangely — he is reluctant to reveal the meaning behind any of his songs, much less the reason as to why his heart bleeds. “Home” — and Reid’s music in general — gives listeners “a very intimate glimpse” at his life. But what’s the point if his musical diary is locked, the key closely guarded by Reid himself? “A lot of people ask me ‘What does this song mean? Tell me what this is,’” he said. “I never like to do that; it’s kind of like giving away the ending to a movie. I know exactly what it meant to me whenever I wrote it, but one of the best things about music is the simple fact that it can mean whatever you want it to mean.” Regardless of what his listeners take from his music, however, there must be something that fueled the painful fire in Reid’s soul. Otherwise, it would not be possible for him to pen bleak lines such as “a shadow falls upon a broken window/there’ll be no light today.” Or to title songs “Modern Day Tragedy.” Or “Broken Dreams.” His songs aren’t necessarily about girls — Reid can’t remember the last time he had a girlfriend — and they don’t reflect his political beliefs, or the state of society. The most he’ll say is that “Freedom,” the final song on “Home” is about an “amazing person” who passed away.
• OU grad returns home and releases new EP “Home” ADAM KOHUT The Oklahoma Daily
Ryan Reid’s music is depressing, but he’s not a sad person. He may wail lyrics such as “my thoughts imprison me in a cage with no bars, no lock and no key,” and he may describe himself as a “bleeding heart,” but that doesn’t make him innately sad, according to the 28-year-old Oklahoma native and OU alumnus. “I fell in love with the sad song a long time ago, and I think maybe that shaped me as a poet and a musician,” Reid said. “[But] I don’t want to convey only sad thoughts. I think some of the lyrics give you room to say ‘There is hope.’” Reid graduated from OU in 2007 with a degree in classical cultures. Immediately, he set himself on the path to becoming a musician. His debut solo EP, “Home,” was released Tuesday. The six songs on the album, recorded at Flatland Studios in Stillwater, are much the same — acoustic guitar, Reid’s strange voice, and gutwrenching lyrics so personal that listening to them feels a bit like eavesdropping
Perhaps his music is a personal reminder of his three years in New York — a musically unsuccessful period in Reid’s life in which producers tried to change Reid’s style, to mold him into a cash cow for a niche audience, to transform him into something he is not. This was Reid’s reason for leaving the Big Apple. He opted to travel back to Oklahoma, where he signed with Tough Records, an independent label in Stillwater. “[In New York] you get caught up in the rat race, really,” Reid said. “And I just needed a reminder of home. Being home inspired the whole EP. It captured me at a moment in my life that was — it was complete honesty.” Paradoxically, this honesty is also safe, Reid said. He puts himself out there when he performs, but guarding the meaning behind his songs protects him from potential embarrassment. Reid does not want his audience to explicitly know what makes him tick, though he’ll give them plenty of vague hints. “Music is an amazing gift that we’ve been given. It’s my voice; I’m standing up there playing guitar and singing, and it’s my ideals and my thoughts — and sometimes my innermost secrets — that I’m screaming, and yet it’s completely safe, because music makes it safe.”
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100TH EDITION OF TRADITION: DON’T MISS YOURS Haven’t purchased your yearbook yet? Do so now and save $5. Bring this coupon to Copeland Hall Room 122 or call 405-325-3668 and mention this ad to receive $5 off your order. From student life to athletics and academics, Sooner, one of the nation’s top yearbooks, has got you covered. Don’t miss your opportunity to own the special 100th edition. Offer expires Feb. 16.
Sooner is a publication of OU Student Media, a department in the Division of Student Affairs.
PETTY LARCENY Rhett William Welsh, 21, 3499 W Main St., Saturday
MUNICIPAL WARRANT Joseph Taylor Buford, 18, 1024 24th Ave. NW, Monday Daniel Joseph Yunker, 24, Acres Street, Monday
COUNTY WARRANT
PUBLIC INTOXICATION Tyler Ray Brown, 19, 3401 Woodsboro Drive, Sunday
Benjamin Charles Madewell, 29, 217 E Daws St., Monday Travis Jamaul Phipps, 20, 1400 W Lindsey St., Sunday
Christians on Campus Bible Study Today: Wednesday Feb. 11 12:30 - 1:15 pm Governors Room in Union www.christiansoncampus.cc
HOROSCOPE By Bernice Bede Osol
Copyright 2008, Newspaper Enterprise Assn.
Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2009 AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) -Whatever you decide to take on will be something that is done in a manner that will benefit others as much as it does you. You are luckier when working along with others, so don’t hesitate to team up. PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) -There are indications that you will get a second shot at something that you had previously failed to take advantage of. There may not be a third chance, so don’t let this opportunity slip by once again. ARIES (March 21-April 19) -- The busier you are, the better you’ll like it and the more you are apt to get done, so plan a full agenda and see how well you can perform. Probably a lot better than you ever thought possible. TAURUS (April 20-May 20) -- One of the things you do best is to organize situations for everybody who works at your side in a manner where all will perform at their peak. Just don’t be pushy or bossy about it and they will happily comply. GEMINI (May 21-June 20) -What is your secret to success is relying upon the same methods or tactics that recently worked out so effectively for you. Don’t change horses in midstream because you are onto something. CANCER (June 21-July 22) -Your greatest rewards will come from getting involved with others in some kind of joint endeavor. Working collectively will help you operate within your strengths while letting others do what you can’t.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) -- A painful, personal past experience can be employed advantageously when you use it to avoid making a similar mistake once again. Although you might not want to recall it, it will be wise to do so. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -- Your knowledge and expertise can be used effectively, but you might have to toot your own horn in order to make others aware of your abilities. Even if it is a bit embarrassing, it is the smart thing to do. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) -- One of your best assets is your ability to reorganize things others have bungled, whether it is a massive undertaking or merely minuscule. The important thing is to do so as tactfully as possible. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) -Although there might be one little fly in the ointment, on the other hand, things are really quite good, so don’t let that tiny bug stop you from sticking to your original objectives and doing your thing. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) -- Don’t hesitate to contact an associate of yours who is a clever thinker if there is a project that needs something you’re missing. He or she is likely to be the one who can fill in the omitted pieces. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- The sweet scent of money is in the air if you’re alert enough to sniff it out when it is in your proximity. Don’t turn your back on anything just because you weren’t looking for it.
10
Life & Arts
Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2009
Put your best food forward
were destined. Forward Foods is the result of a community’s love of good food, a couple’s dream and a series of very fortunate events. “We sell things that taste really good,” Reynolds said. “That’s our guiding principle. Food should be a pleasure.” DANIEL PUMA Forward Foods sells many specialty The Oklahoma Daily items usually not found in a standard grocery store. They sell over 200 kinds Upon entering Forward Foods, you of cheese, imported pastas, various herbs are greeted with a warm hello from the and spices, a variety of oils and vinegars man behind the register. The sights and and many other items. Many of their the smells overwhelm your palate as products are organic and all natural. “A lot of organic or natural food tastes your eyes dart from product to product. The walls, the shelves and the counters really good,” Reynolds said. “People are as full of items as the stadium on confuse us with a health food store. Our is full of people on gameday. Heading principle is we are a tasty food store.” Lincoln Torrey, local customer and toward the back of the store, a case filled with over 200 kinds of cheeses calls out food lover, expressed the same idea. “There’s a difference between health to you like a siren luring sailors to their food and gourmet food,” Torrey said. shores. The lady behind the counter makes “The day Forward Foods opened, I cashed in my tip jar, sense of the visual and spent $125. I could overload before your do that every week.” senses burn out like a He said there fuse. She guides you are a lot of specialty on a quest for tasty Forward Foods food marts where fear food. Her name is Suzy of illness and toxins are Thompson. The man 123 E. Main St. stressed as opposed to greeting customers at eating and good foods the front of the store is (405) 321 - 1007 “Forward Steve Reynolds. Foods is for people Thompson and who love to eat,” Torrey Reynolds are a marsaid. ried couple who own For those intimidated by food, Forward Foods, a specialty food and cheese market in downtown Norman. Thompson said she wants customers to Forward Foods was a dream of theirs for ask questions, especially when they’re years, but the way in which everything facing a case full of cheese with foreign fell into place leads you to believe they names attached to each one.
• Local store offers gourmet selection and lots of cheese
CHECK IT OUT
Zach Butler/The Daily
Forward Foods employee Wills Brewer weighs a half-pound of St. Andre cheese for a costumer Tuesday afternoon. “Informing people and making them comfortable is the most important thing we do,” Thompson said, “Sampling is one of our favorite things to do in the store.” Forward Foods success could be seen before the store opened its doors. Thompson worked at a café in The Opolis in Norman. Reynolds also worked there, sharing time from his other job as a banker. Thompson said while working at the café, customers would approach her about cheese, knowing the kind of aficionado she was becoming. “We organized cheese sales over the weekends,” Thompson said. She said the first time there were about 20 different cheeses and they sold out. With each sale, they doubled their volumes of cheese and continued to sell out. “Customers would stand in the rain, sleet, and snow for 45 minutes just to get
cheese,” Thompson said. Torrey said Forward Foods was the thing that Norman was missing prior to its opening. When Thompson and Reynolds put the ball in motion to open the store, they said the hardest obstacle to overcome was finding a location. They didn’t want to put it in a brand new strip mall, so they narrowed their choices between Campus Corner and Downtown Norman. Coincidentally, Thompson said one of their neighbors had an open space downtown. “I don’t think our store would have worked as well on Campus Corner,” Thompson said. Now that their store was open, Thompson and Reynolds could put the customer first and get to work. “Informing people and making them
comfortable is the most important thing we do,” Thompson said. She said their goal is to answer what people are hungry for and constantly improve the store. Thompson said some of the changes they hope to make would involve hosting wine and cheese tastings and cookbook signings. In addition, they want to start providing events that are education based to help customers learn more about specialty food items. In regard to the owners, Torrey said Thompson and Reynolds are just wonderful people. “Their passion for and knowledge about cheese and gourmet food is phenomenal,” Torrey said “Plus they are excited about sharing that passion.”
N NORMAN
Want more about Forward Foods? Check out the video online at OUDaily.com
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