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December’s graduating seniors may walk before finals •New schedules designed to avoid additional conflicts PAIGE LAWLER The Oklahoma Daily Although some seniors are sticking around Norman after finals for convocation ceremonies, others will walk before taking their exams. Several colleges are holding their convocation ceremonies before or during finals week. December grads in the Gaylord College, the College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences, the Weitzenhoffer College of Fine Arts and the

College of Liberal Studies will participate in ceremonies Friday and Saturday, days before finals are scheduled to begin. John Hockett, assistant dean of Gaylord College, said the ice storm isn’t the reason the school is holding its graduation on Friday, a week before other ceremonies that are scheduled for Dec. 20. He said convocation is a week early due to scheduling conflicts and student convenience. “It just seems like the right thing to do,” Hockett said. Spring ceremonies are normally tailored around the university graduation, but in winter semesters, the colleges are given more flexibility, Hockett said. Other convocations are scheduled much later than last year, with dates only five or six days before Christmas, he said.

Public relations senior Elyse Richardson said she is ready to graduate and is glad to have convocation early so her family can attend. “My family is invading Norman on Thursday,” Richardson said. “I can enjoy my last few days without flipping out about finals.” Richardson said she only has one paper and one final left in her college career, but the earlier convocation date would stress her out if she had more on her plate. “It would be really hard to have five finals

Out-of-state students and students leaving town for the holidays would have to stay in Norman much later, and others want to focus on finals without having to stress about a ceremony, Hockett said. “I think our heads and hearts are in the right place,” he said. Gaylord College has experienced a high turnout of confirmations from graduating seniors and their families.

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CLEVELAND COUNTY

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Voters pass sales tax for county jail

The Daily’s Dusty Somers participated in a conference call interview with “Bride Wars” stars Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway. See A&E, Page 8.

• Low voter turnout likely due to poor weather CAITLIN HARRISON The Oklahoma Daily Even though turnout was low, Cleveland County voters approved one-fourth penny sales tax Tuesday to fund the construction of a new jail in Norman. The tax increase passed by a vote of 5,610 to 3,161. The new jail will be built at Franklin Road and 24th Avenue N.W. The low voter turnout was probably due to cold weather, said Mary Francis, election official at the St. Thomas Moore University Parish polling location. Only 34 voters had voted at the location by 6 p.m., an hour before polls closed. Only one of these voters was a student, despite the fact that the church is across the street from OU”s campus. “This whole area should be full of college students,” Francis said. Election official Tom Norwood said he knows many students are registered to vote, judging by the high voter student turnout for the presidential election. He said the jail tax is an issue students do not care about or fully understand. “I think the voter turnout on the fourth [of November] shows that voters will turn out when they understand the issues,” he said. Norwood said some people opposed the tax because the proposed jail will be farther outside town than the current jail, which could create unnecessary work for police officers who will be required to transport inmates farther from the courthouse. But he said most people who have opposed it probably care more about having to pay the tax than about the jail itself. “No one cares about jails,” he said. “It’s a money issue.” Mark Prickett, Cleveland County voter, said he cares about the jail, which is why he voted for the tax. The county needs a new jail, he said. The new jail will be safer, larger and easier to expand than the county’s current jail, which is outdated and overcrowded, Rusty Sullivan, Cleveland County District 3 commissioner, said. Construction on the facility will begin next March, according to a report on Cleveland County’s Web site. The new facility is scheduled to open in November 2011.

SPORTS The men’s basketball team returns to Norman to take on Maine at 7 tonight. Page 5. The Daily hands out its second batch of regular-season football awards, and this time we honor the Sooners’ defense. Page 7.

CAMPUS BRIEFS Cold-weather readiness Temperatures dipped into the 20s on Tuesday, and sleet and snow fell intermittently throughout the day. If you haven’t already, it’s time to prepare for winter. The OU Health Sciences Center released a fol the following tips to help students get ready for winter: wi h At home, have at least three days’ worth of food and water, an alternate fuel source such as a generator and/or ﬁrewood, and have ash a ﬂashlight or extra batteries, candles and matche matches/lighter. y car, carry extra clothing, blankets In your sh Carry an emergency kit with and shoes. snacks water and other supplies and keep the snacks, tan full. gas tank

helping

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TODAY’S INDEX TOD

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Bridgett ridgett Kiefer, anthropology sophomore, and Brian Watts, anthropology senior, search for materials for a research paper on Tuesday afternoon in he Bizzell Memorial Library. Kiefer, who is deaf, and Watts, who is blind, have become friends since meeting in class early in the semester. the

• Blind student, deaf student create special bond MEREDITH MORIAK The Oklahoma Daily reparing to climb the stairs in Dale Hall, Bridgett Kiefer looked at friend Brian Watts and asked, “Ready?” Watts pulled out his walking cane for aid while climbing the two flights of stairs. At the beginning of the semester, Watts, who is blind, asked Kiefer about the date of a test for one of their anthropology classes. Kiefer, who is deaf but speaks clearly and reads lips well, answered his question.

After running into each other repeatedly in the Oklahoma Memorial Union, the two started eating lunch together and have become close friends. They proofread each other’s papers and spend a lot of time together studying for classes through instant messaging. Watts, anthropology senior, said having Kiefer, anthropology sophomore, look at his papers and catch grammatical errors is advantageous. “We help each other and work together,” Watts said. On the other hand, Kiefer said Watts is valuable in helping her create the concepts and outlines of her papers. “We have a little competition going between the two of us to see who gets the better grades,” Kiefer said. “We always score within a few points of each other.” Having a blind student and a deaf student in class was daunt-

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News

Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2008

Students push for courses in Vietnamese, Korean Walk

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ASHLEY BODY The Oklahoma Daily OU boasts a sizable number of students of Korean and Vietnamese descent, but OU offers no programs in either language. The department of Modern Languages offers 10 different foreign languages, as well as four Native American languages. Of these 10 languages, Chinese and Japanese make up the Asian language portion. “China and Japan have received significant attention not only at OU, but at colleges and universities across the country, largely because of these countries’ economic and political influence in the contemporary world,” Japanese professor Elyssa Faison said. “This emphasis on China and Japan at OU is driven by these more global forces.” There were more than 1,200 students with Asian background at OU in 2007. “President [David L.] Boren always talks about diversity, and adding more Asian classes would attract more students to OU because not many colleges offer those languages,” said Vietnamese-American Nghia Phan, nursing junior. This would also call for the hiring of more faculty members which would be a problem because of OU’s current hiring freeze and the state of the economy, Faison said. “I fear that the bottom line at this point is that we do not have the financial resources to begin offering new languages,” said Pamela Genova, chair of the modern languages department. “We are constantly reviewing and considering possible future options for various languages, and are doing

Helping Continued from page 1 ing at first for anthropology professor Karl Rambo. “They are doing very well and are good about stopping me when they don’t understand,” Rambo said. Kiefer said the competition has motivated her to be a better student and work harder. “We studied more at the beginning of the semester, and I think we found out we were overachievers,” Kiefer said. “We’ve balanced it a little more now.” The two agree their disabilities have a lot of similarities — more than most think. “Our disabilities affect our lives in ways that are subtle,” Kiefer said. They both said they understand each other and can relate. “We are good sounding-walls for each other and understand what it is like to live in a hearing and seeing world without being able to do so,” Watts said. “It’s affected us differently, but in the same way.”

Lacy Anderson, MD Family Medicine

our best to fulfill the needs of students here at OU.” Most universities around the country are able to start programs like these through large amounts of private or government funding, both of which have not yet been made available to OU. Many students and officials said languages give students the tools to understand other cultures and people groups. This is important to Americans because of how much the nation deals with Asian countries, said Jinsoo Kim, president of the Korean Student Association. “Learning new languages could give students a broad perspective,” Kim said. “Most Asian countries have a long history of more than 500 years. The history has naturally melted into the language. It’s possible that there is an invisible wall between American students and Korean students because of the way they think, it can cause a miscommunication. I think a Korean class can solve that problem.” Even though OU only offers two Asian languages, it does offer a variety of languages that are closer to Oklahoma. The university offers four Native American languages: Choctaw, Cherokee, Creek and Kiowa. OU is the home to one of the country’s premier Native American studies programs, Faison said. The program also offers courses in Native American history, anthropology, and literature as well as languages. The Native American language program began in the early 1990s. “The program began with Choctaw and interests began to grow within the students. So, OU began to offer more languages,” Choctaw professor Lee Sealy said. “Currently, all the classes are pretty full. It enables the students to feel a connection. Even if they aren’t Native American, they feel like they can better understand Oklahoma and its culture.” This model is what the Asian language program strives to resemble. Like the Native American languages program, many Asian-American students say they would be able to

Kiefer said she doesn’t feel like she has an actual place to fit in. “I feel very isolated from the rest of them,” Kiefer said. “Even though I function in the hearing world, I’m not a hearing person. I’m in-between worlds and not really a part of the deaf community.” Watts said his disability is more apparent, and the public recognizes it more easily. “A lot of times people don’t realize you’re deaf, and you tend to pull out of conversations because it just gets really awkward,” Kiefer said. Everyday tasks are a little bit different for Watts, whose computer and telephone talk to him so he knows what is on the screen. He said he types from memory and can hear everything he types because he has an audio computer. To read textbooks for class, Watts scans the pages into his computer, which reads them aloud to him. During class, Kiefer reads the teacher’s lips while her transcriptionist sits next to her and documents the lecture. “It’s too hard for me to look at the pro-

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build a personal connection with their heritage, and hold on to a part of their ancestry. “It’s important because many of us are forgetting our language and our cultural way of thinking,” said VietnameseAmerican Sally Lee, microbiology sophomore. “It leaves us without a cultural identity because so much of our culture is in our language.”

fessor and take notes at the same time,” Kiefer said. “This way, if I miss something, I [can] look over at the laptop screen and can see what he said.” Watts takes notes using a small machine that has six keys and Braille. The machine speaks to him and repeats what he wrote down. Watts said he has few problems during class, but sometimes he has to ask for clarification when a professor points to a slide and says, “As you can see here.” Both Kiefer and Watts have pet peeves about their disabilities and the common misconceptions associated with them. “I’m blind, not visually impaired,” Watts said. Kiefer said it annoys her when she is referred to as “death” instead of “deaf.” Watts and Kiefer said they always planned to attend college, but that having support is crucial to obtaining a college degree. When Kiefer was diagnosed as severe to profoundly deaf at two months of age, her mother returned to school and become a speech patholo-

gist. Kiefer said she remembers attending classes at Oklahoma State University with her mom and that she always knew she was going to attend college. Through her mother’s persuasion, Kiefer began talking at an early age and rarely uses sign language. She wears hearing aids, reads lips and speaks clearly. Sign language is used only in loud or emergency situations, she said. Parents must be careful not to shelter their children too much, Watts said. It is important for blind individuals to develop life skills like crossing busy streets. Watts said his parents allowed him to be independent, but he has met other people who lacked important daily living skills because their parents sheltered them. “Sometimes adults will want to send you off to a special school, and it’s really important that you have a parental advocate that will keep you in the public school system,” Watts said.

the next week when [my family] is here,” Richardson said. She said a later convocation date would be more of an annoyance for students with a heavy load during finals week. Other students have no preference on the matter. Communications senior Nick England said he has no plan to attend his convocation ceremony on Dec. 20. He said his other experiences are what have made college such a memorable time in his life. “There are more important things to me than walking across a stage,” he said. In the liberal studies program, the average student is 38, with a full-time job and a family, said Trent Gabert, associate dean of the program. Many of them would have to rearrange their schedules to walk. In a survey sent out to the students, the majority thought a date as late as Dec. 20 was too close to Christmas. Nothing can prevent an ice storm, but the program has never had the intention of canceling the convocation in case of one, Gabert said. “You just try to do the best you can,” he said. For a complete graduation schedule, log on to OUDaily. com.

CORRECTION Due an editor’s error, The Daily misidentiﬁed photos of the Sooner football team in Tuesday’s edition. The pictures of DeMarco Murray, Manuel Johnson and Mossis Madu were labeled with the incorrect names.

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

ERROR SUBMISSIONS e-mail: dailynews@ou.edu phone: 325-3666

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• Students see language as bridge to culture

Ken Bowlware, DO Family Medicine

Muhammad Habib, MD John Robertson, MD Family Medicine Family Medicine

Sell your books back at these campus locations December 15 – 19, 9am – 4pm: University Bookstore (Stadium) Sooner Shop (Corner of Lindsey & Jenkins) Union Bookstore Satellite Campus Locations

831WBB08

Ellis Goodwin, managing editor dailynews@ou.edu phone: 325-3666 fax: 325-6051 For more, go to oudaily.com.

Campus News

Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2008

Students’ roads to BCS Championship vary because of cost • Students say getting to Miami is worth the price CAITLIN HARRISON The Oklahoma Daily

Lindsey Allgood/The Daily

A budget can help students track expenses and save cash. Some have found other ways to cut costs like choosing to drink water at restarurants, or cashing in on special deals offered by some credit cards.

Students use alternative methods to save

Yonathan Reches, civil engineering junior, pays about 60 cents for a gallon of diesel to fuel his 1978 Mercedes. After taking two semesters of organic chemistry, Reches said he learned to make his own biodiesel from vegetable oil and methanol. “It’s a simple chemical process,” he said. In the wake of a teetering economy and student loans, Reches is one student searching for ways to save. Reches, who is from Israel, said the environment, the cost and his political beliefs made him want to take on the project, which has reduced both the amount of resources he uses to drive his car and greenhouse gases. “I didn’t like the idea [of who] I was financially supporting buying oil,” Reches said. “[The] people getting my money are

LINDSEY JENKINS

JAMIE HUGHES The Oklahoma Daily

the same who want to kill my family.” The cost of materials used to make his fuel cost about 60 to 65 cents per gallon, considerably less than it would take to buy a gallon, he said. Ryan Iseman, economics senior and President of the OU Investment Club, said he saves his money so he can invest in the stock market. “My dad has always invested,” he said. “I had some savings bonds and cashed those and opened a couple [stock trading] accounts. That was eight years ago.” Iseman said he mostly does simple things to save money. “I’m real careful about going out to eat,” he said. “I mostly get a water at a restaurant.” Skipping the candy bars and soft drinks in vending machines and giving up a few cups of Starbucks coffee a week are simple ways to conserve, Iseman said. Using credit cards to gain money is something Iseman said he does to invest even more. He said he has four credit cards that offer cash back rewards, and he pays them off each month. Iseman also makes a general budget. He said he doesn’t record every purchase,

FOOTBALL STADIUM

• Recession forces some to spend money sparingly

OU IT STORE

but keeps in mind what he earns from his job, what his parents give him and what he needs to pay off that month. Saving is a virtue, said Dr. A.J. Kondonassis, emeritus economics professor, but students should be spending and consuming to put money back in the economy, he said. “[I would] not advocate saving right now,” he said. Reches said he gives back some of the money he saves from making his own biodiesel to various organizations. “I’ll never use all the money I have,” he said. “I don’t see any reason hoard it.” Kondonassis said the U.S. has never saved enough, and once the country is no longer in a recession, it would be wise to save. “Saving is a good idea, especially when the economy is doing well,” he said. Iseman said in an e-mail that students should do what is right for them at the moment, but a bad economy does not justify excessive spending. Iseman said he advises students who don’t know a lot about the market to invest in diversified stocks because when the market grows, the holder has a better chance of making money.

When Jon Skuta came to OU, his dad promised if OU ever made it to the National Championship game, he would be going — no questions asked. “Finally being able to go my senior year is kind of a good way to end my four years here at OU,” said Skuta, public affairs and administration student. “So I’ve been looking forward to this for years.” Unlike many students, Skuta isn’t paying a dime for the trip himself. He said his dad is paying for his ticket, and his dad’s frequent flyer miles and hotel points will cover the rest. “I’m fortunate enough that I’m not having to pay for it,” Skuta said. Skuta said he bought his $180, ticket at 7:01 a.m. the day the tickets went on sale last week. “I called my sister to make sure she was up to get her ticket, and by 7:05, I had my ticket and was back asleep,” he said. “It was kind of like OU-Texas. I woke up way ahead of time because I was so anxious to get it.” Skuta said the entire trip will easily add up to $800 or $900 for most students, but he said he would go even if his dad were not paying for it. “It’s kind of one of those things, like the Visa commercial, it’s priceless,” he said. “You can’t really put a price on the opportunity to go and hopefully watch the Sooners win.” Amanda Black, advertising junior, said she paid $300 for her ticket, which she bought from another student. She paid for the ticket herself, but she said her parents will cover the airfare. “I’m flying with my parents, but I’m

staying with a bunch of friends,” she said. “We’re putting seven girls in one room so the hotel’s not that expensive.” Craig Murphy, meteorology sophomore, said he is paying his own way to the game. To save money, he plans to drive to Miami with his roommate and split the cost of gas. “It’s definitely my money, but I am going to ask for Christmas money for the trip,” he said. Murphy said he will be in Pennsylvania for the holidays, and his roommate will be in Tennessee, so he plans to meet his roommate in Chattanooga, Tenn., and ride together from there. “It’s like a 15-hour drive to Miami,” he said. “We might just pull over and sleep on the side of the road. Road trips are a lot of fun,” he said. Murphy and his roommate will each spend about $50 to $60 on gas. He said they are looking at staying in a hotel about 10 miles away from the stadium, which will cost $130 per night. Murphy said to him the game is partly just an excuse to go to Miami, and he is considering scalping his ticket in Florida, if he can sell it for at least $500 or $600. “I think it’s a once in a lifetime thing,” he said. “We’ll always be able to talk about it.” Skuta said going to the National Championship is an opportunity he would not miss. “I would give up spring break to go to the National Championship,” he said. “I have a feeling it’s going to be more intense than Texas Tech. I think it will make the experience incredible.” This National Championship is the first in recent years that OU has had a good chance of winning, which makes it more exciting, Skuta said. “I think in years past we’ve kind of gone to the National Championship game ... with not real high hopes,” he said. “I really think it’s just going be one of those games that will go down as [one] of the best college football games in history.”

Opinion

Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2008

OUR VIEW

Hailey Branson, opinion editor dailyopinion@ou.edu phone: 325-7630, fax: 325-6051 For more, go to oudaily.com.

Daniel Deering — advertising senior

STAFF CARTOON

Graduation gaffe Ever heard the phrase, friends stay for the weekend “What’s done is done?” because of graduation, and they Probably. also have a final at Ever heard the 8:00 Monday mornOUR VIEW ing, chances are litphrase, “What’s done is an editorial is done, kind of?” tle studying will be selected and debated Probably not. It’s done. by the editorial board ridiculous. This could be parand written after a majority opinion is For some December ticularly harmful if formed and approved graduates, though, a student is barely by the editor. Our View what should be done passing a class that is The Daily’s oﬃcial opinion. with graduation is could keep her or not. him from graduatBecause some coling. leges’ graduation ceremonies Returning to class after gradare this weekend, many stu- uation also takes away some dents have to return to class of the psychological triumph next week to finish finals. that is supposed to go with the We understand the univer- ceremony. sity’s desire to avoid cancelling When students graduate, ceremonies because of winter they should be able to celebrate weather, as it had to last year. the completion of their college But we do not think gradua- career without stressing over tion should be scheduled before doing well on their last exams. finals week to avoid cancellaStudents who graduate in tions. May do not have to worry about May graduations could be returning to campus. affected by weather (ever Students who graduate in heard of tornados?), but they December should not have to are not moved out of fear of suffer a disadvantage because bad weather. they choose to grab their diploGraduations before finals are ma during a different month. not helpful for students hoping All graduations should be at to pass. the proper time: the weekend If students have family and after finals.

STAFF COLUMN

Tis the season to feel oppressed Everyone likes to feel oppressed. It’s American, and it makes us proud when we overcome the odds. It justifies us when we fail to reach the American dream. This is why people imagine that they are suffering from oppression. I was very surprised recently when a white-straightChristian-male explained to me how he is oppressed by the system. It didn’t occur to him that he was in the bracket of the most powerful people in the country, and statistically, he will make more money than any other demographic group worldwide. Yet he feels oppressed. His Christian beliefs are trounced upon by the “War MAX on Christmas,” and he thinks his job opportunities are AVERY limited by affirmative action. What terrible oppression. Christmas is a time of peace and charity. Creating imagined oppression is the real war on Christmas; it helps us forget what Christmas is all about. But that’s not what people talk about when discussing the “War on Christmas.” They talk about the words “Merry Christmas.” We are focusing on a few minor things and forgetting the big picture. We have also forgotten what Jesus Christ stood for. It is almost forgotten that Jesus was a civil disobedient, pacifist, minimalist who lived in a colonized state and spoke of redistributing wealth. We rarely look at his example anymore. Instead, too much attention is given to misunderstood Old Testament verses that are used to excuse anger against the decedents of Ham or the partiers of Sodom. The notion that the group with the most influence, power and numbers in this country — white Christians — are being oppressed is completely absurd. There are many possible reasons for the members of the dominant demographic in America to think they are being oppressed. My demo-

YOUR VIEWS Tone of column offensive to audience

graphic (that dominant category of white-straight-Christian-males) is manipulated or misinformed into believingit is. Talk to a Congolese woman, a Native American, a Colombian unionist, a Chinese statistician or a Saudi Arabian Shiah Muslim if you want to hear about oppression. The Christmas season is upon us, and it’s the time when we hear the cry of pain about the War on Christmas to be trumpeted from the rooftops. But it’s not oppression. Christmas is the only official national holiday that is also a religious holiday. Is that fair to other religions? I’m sorry if you can’t write Merry Christmas on some official notes, but you’ll find Christmas elsewhere, like advertisements and churches, businesses and buttons. All us who fit into the category of the most statistically prosperous people in the world should use this holiday season to be thankful for all the blessings our demographic has been granted. We should show our our gratitude by giving to the organizations that work to protect the underprivileged, less fortunate and the legitimately oppressed. Some good organizations are Oxfam, the Salvation Army, Doctors without Borders, Amnesty International, the NAACP, the ACLU and the United Way. Or, if you want to support locally, donating your time, money or food to Food and Shelter for Friends would be a great help. It would be far more Christian to give to those charities than to whine about imagined oppression. We have been blessed with vast quantities of extra with which to give. Few of us know what real hunger tastes like, or real poverty feels like. We need to be thankful for this time of giving and share some of our blessings with those who need it the most. We should make someone else’s Christmas a little more merry.

After reading the OU Daily Monday, I found myself quite appalled at a column written by Zac Smith, not because of the issue or the content, but because of his blatant disrespect for the beliefs of other people and poor knowledge of the subject at hand. At first sight, the column caught my eye as being disrespectful toward people with religious beliefs. “If creationists would trouble themselves to learn the basic facts of evolution from a credible source” seems a little forward, but I kept reading, despite the fact that creationists do generally have a common knowledge of evolution and most likely understand the THEORY better than Smith. I understand that natural selection promotes evolution. However, it is impertinent to look down upon anyone who believes in creation. The fact that retroviruses evolve quickly to adapt has nothing to do with “God simultaneously poof(ing) everything into existence,” and is a red herring fallacy that pertains simply to retroviruses. Also, the fact that evolution is a THEORY means that it is not a fact, as Zac would imply. It is impossible to be “both a theory and a fact” but it may be possible where Smith gets his facts. Scholars who put forth the theory of evolution believe that life miraculously sprung forth from the common elements on our planet that we are all made of, such as carbon. Although my views are obviously different then Smith’s, I find that it is not the issue which offends me, but it is his approach toward his audience.

Max Avery is a political science senior and a guest columnist for The Daily.

Donny Lowry Petroleum engineering sophomore

STAFF COLUMN

Learning should be true objective

I N D E P E N D E N T

ing of the material. Now, though, this is not true. Everyone expects an A, from students to their parents. Teachers feel pressured to give out As because, to some degree, how they are paid and viewed by the department depends on how well their students do in the class and how highly the students evaluate them. We feel compelled as a generation to feel that if we aren’t bringing home a 3.5 or close to it, we are failing. But arguing that tests are “tricky” won’t accomplish anything. What we need to understand is that if we want an A, we have to be willing to work for it. In this class in particular, I think we are receiving the grades we deserve. We are at this university to learn, not to make As. Sometimes we forget that. There is coming a time when we will no longer be doing home-

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work or taking tests. And when that time comes, it won’t matter if we got an A, B or C. What will matter is whether or not we learned the material and if we retained any real knowledge. It is the responsibility of our teachers to make sure that goal is accomplished. They need to make it their main concern for us to leave this university with an education. If that comes at the expense of a few letter grades and some harsh evaluations, so be it. I am proud of the professors who challenge us. I have had several great teachers since coming to OU, and the common trait among them is that they wanted me to learn, not necessarily make a good grade.

While I agree with the overall sentiment expressed in the Our View ‘Pregnancy discrimination intolerable,’ I strongly encourage The Daily to reevaluate whether such discrimination is “as blatant as sexism.” It is not only “as blatant as sexism,” but it is sexism. Can men become pregnant? Clearly, the answer is no. Because the female sex is the only one biologically capable of pregnancy, then discrimination based on pregnancy is, by definition, sexism. It is important to note that women (particularly pregnant women and women with children) are not only discriminated against in employee hiring practices, but they also face discrimination with respect to work-related promotions, inservice trainings and pay. The rise in complaints filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission concerning pregnancy discirimination should not be justified as an inevitable consequence of the recent economic crisis; this should sound a deafening alarm to the general public and to the institutions intended to regulate such injustices that something is not right. Women do not receive equal pay for equal work within the formal labor force; just as troubling, mothers’ contributions to the household economy are not even considered, let alone rewarded. For a society that so regularly and audibly reveres motherhood, it is hauntingly ironic that it simultaneously penalizes women for having families. Sarah McGuffee History senior

Jordan Rogers is an industrial engineering junior. His column appeared every other Wednesday.

O F

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T H E

tests were “tricky.” That was a mistake. Since then, classes have been completely halted by students complaining about the content of his tests — saying that they are, heaven forbid, tricky. Our professor defends himself by saying he doesn’t care if we can robotically work through problems on tests that are taken from the homework. He wants us to understand the material backwards and forwards. He jokes that in the real world, our bosses won’t ask us to “solve for x.” I couldn’t agree more. But this issue shines light on a bigger controversy: the current expectations of students. Times have really changed in how we view grades. There was a time when the B, and even the C, was considered average, while the A was reserved for the kids who really had an exceptional understand-

I have a teacher who seems to be the one teacher in the engineering department who has a since of humor. He laughs at himself and jokes with the class. Often, he will interrupt his own lecture to talk about something comJORDAN pletely random. Incidentally, ROGERS his relationship with the class has been very open. Students don’t mind bringing up issues that they have with him right in the middle of a lecture. I think this kind of openness in a classroom is really great, but listening to what the students grumble about is a little frustrating. In one of the first weeks I had with this professor, he admitted that on some of his evaluations students had commented that his

Pregnancy discrimination a form of sexism

U N I V E R S I T Y

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through Thursday, in 160 Copeland Hall. Letters can also be submitted via e-mail to dailyopinion@ou.edu. Guest columns are accepted at editor’s discretion. ’Our View’ is the voice of The Oklahoma Daily. Editorial Board members are The Daily’s editorial staff. The board meets 1 p.m. Sundays in 160 Copeland Hall. Columnists’ and cartoonists’ opinions are not necessarily the opinions of The Daily Editorial Board.

Sports

Corey DeMoss, sports editor dailysports@ou.edu phone: 325-7630, fax: 325-6051 For more, go to oudaily.com.

Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2008

STAFF COLUMN

Don’t order your rings just yet I

Amy Frost/The Daily

Freshman Willie Warren (13) attempts to dribble past a defender during OU’s Dec. 4 game against USC. The Sooners won that game 73-72, the closest outcome of their currently undefeated season. The No. 5 Sooners return to Norman to take on Maine at 7 tonight.

Basketball returns to Norman • Sooners take on Maine at 7 tonight ERIC DAMA The Oklahoma Daily Fresh off their first road win of the season — a 69-44 rout of Tulsa — the OU men’s basketball team returns to Norman to take on Maine at 7 tonight at Lloyd Noble Center. With their latest victory, the Sooners improved to 8-0 on the season and moved up one spot in the AP poll to No. 5, their highest ranking since Nov. 2005. OU has come out flat defensively in previous games this season, and in order to continue their recent success, head coach Jeff

Capel said his team must avoid repeating those defensive problems. “Maine is a solid team,” Capel said. “It’s going to be imperative for us to really get after it on the defensive end.” Maine’s biggest strength is its guard play, especially from behind the three-point line. The Black Bears, who enter tonight’s game shooting 38 percent from three-point territory, will rely mainly on junior Mark Socoby (15.3 ppg) and freshman Gerald McLemore (12.6 ppg). “If you watch both of those guys,” Capel said, “they’re both shooting very high percentages from the three-point line. They understand how to get their shots off and how to move without screens. We’re going to have to try to get them out of rhythm with what they like to do. We can’t

“Our guys understand that they’re going to get shots because of [double-teams on] Blake. They just have to step up and be able to make those shots.” — Head coach Jeff Capel allow them to get comfortable.” Speaking of comfortable, junior Tony Crocker has been struggling to find a groove early in the season. But in Sunday’s game against Tulsa, Crocker tied a personal season high by scoring 12 points. However, he said he does not intend on trying anything different against Maine. “I just kept doing the same thing I’ve been doing since we started,” Crocker said. “Just shoot when you’re open. They just happened to go in for me. I also felt good just shooting around before the game.” Although the game appears to be centered around the perimeter play of both teams’ guards, Maine, like every other opponent on OU’s schedule, will have to consider Blake Griffin. All of the Sooners’ opponents thus far have tried double-teaming Griffin, and because of Maine’s weak post presence, it’s pretty much a certainty Griffin will have at least two bodies around him tonight. “Our guys understand that they’re going to get shots because of [double-teams on] Blake,” Capel said. “They just have to

step up and be able to make those shots.” Griffin doesn’t seem to mind the attention too much. Despite the two — and occasionally three — players trying to defend him, the sophomore still has managed to average a Big 12-leading 24.8 points and 16.3 rebounds per game. “I think we’re all just a lot more comfortable, mainly from experience,” Griffin said. “Every day we practice people getting doubleteamed, from both post to post and guard to post.” Griffin was named the Big 12 Player of the Week last Sunday for the third time in three weeks to start the season. Texas Tech’s Andre Emmett is the only other player in conference history to earn the weekly honor three straight times. Before the game begins, fans will have an opportunity to have autographs signed by the Big 12 Champion football team and have their picture taken next to the Big 12 Championship trophy. The event will begin at 5:30 p.m. and will run until the basketball game starts. Doors open for students at 5 and to the general public at 5:30.

OU Physical Plant’s

Bike Sale

(abandoned bikes left on campus) Amy Frost/The Daily

Sophomore Blake Griffin (23) prepares for a shot against USC. Griffin has faced double- and triple-teams all season, and is prepared to do so again tonight.

Hazing?

Not on our campus. Report incidents at:

325-5000

Friday, December 12, 2008 9:00 am - 4:00 pm 2725 S. Jenkins $25 or less • Cash or checks now hiring

coming soon

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

asian cuisine - sushi - steaks - cocktails

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t’s funny what you will hear in class. Earlier this week two young lads were conversing about none other than the OU football team. As I recall, one of the fellows said, “We might as well order them rings already.” There were a few things that bit my apple about that one statement, none of which had to do with grammar. First, I’d say it’s incorrect for him to associate as a part of the football team by saying “we.” Sure, he can associate all he wants with the school, because he goes to OU; but from his apparel, I’d say he’s far from associated with the athletic program — unless Tapout and Affliction started sponsoring the football team. MJ With that out of the way, I’d like to move on to the other half of his sentence: rings. CASIANO OU is very fortunate to be playing in this game, as is Florida. A case could be made for many other teams to play in the national championship game. Obviously, Utah and Boise State could argue to play for the championship because they are the only undefeated teams left at this point. While this game would receive the worst ratings in BCS bowl history, they make a valid point. Alabama could argue their only loss came to a second-ranked Florida team, while the Gators loss came to a team that only recently snuck into the top twenty-five. Or perhaps Penn State and USC could argue their impressive conference titles and how the solo losses came against eight-win teams. Then there’s Texas. In the last five weeks, the Sooners proved to me — and many others that doubted their chances — that they are worthy of playing in the championship, but let’s not forget that Florida will not fade easily. In fact, the croc-wearing former Heisman winner — Tim Tebow — has the most heart I’ve seen in my short football life. Plus, he’s involved with missionary trips, which leads me to believe that Jesus is on his side. Besides that factor, they’ve played well the entire season, even in the loss to Ole Miss. They have talent across the board, including a guy named Percy Harvin that is the most electrifying player since Reggie Bush. Obviously, this is going to be a tough game, and one that will be won by whichever team has the ball last. So don’t go to Jared to buy that ring just yet, wait until Jan. 9. — MJ CASIANO IS A BROADCAST AND ELECTRONIC MEDIA SOPHOMORE.

SPORTS BRIEFS Wilson wins Broyles Award OU offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson won the 13th-annual Frank Broyles Award Tuesday. The award is given to the nation’s best assistant coach. This is the second time Wilson has been nominated for the award, but this is his first win.

Fans encouraged to buy licensed products The OU athletic department sent an e-mail Tuesday encouraging fans to make sure they purchase officially-licensed NCAA products. Officially-licensed merchandise bring money to OU, and ensure that customers are buying products that have met the university’s labor and manufacturing standards. Official merchandise will display a collegiate product hologram somewhere on the product itself or on the tag. — DAILY STAFF

Classifieds

Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2008

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Male needed to work with male individual with developmental disabilities. &7.50/hr to start. Paid training. Please call Panhandle Opportunities at 942-4822 or fax resume to 942-4993. Financial institution has immediate opening for an experienced teller. Previous banking experience or experience in retail is preferred. Strong customer service skills req. Earn monthly performance incentives in addition to salary. Part time positions available. Apply in person at First Bank & Trust Co., 2330 36th Ave NW, Norman or send resume to Human Resources, PO Box 580, Duncan,OK 73534. EOE, M/F/D/V.

J Housing Rentals APTS. FURNISHED $400, bills paid, efficiency LOFT apartments, downtown over Mister Robert Furniture, 109 E Main, fire sprinkler, no pets, smoke-free. Inquire store office. 2 bedrms starting at $299 lease today, move in tomorrow! Call 366-0999.

APTS. UNFURNISHED VERY NICE!!!, 800 sf, 1 bdrm, living room, kitchen, bth, wood floors, 1 block OU, 1018 S College, $275/mo. Call 306-1970 or 360-2873. Walk to Campus -3 bdrm. apt $600 a month -1 bdrm. apt $350 a month -1 bdrm. all bills paid $475 a month (duplex) Call Sharon 397-3200 at Metro Brokers Walk to Campus! Efficiency $375/MO. + 1/2 OFF 1st MO. RENT. Water/Sewage/Trash Paid. Corner of Boyd and College. For more info contact Elite Properties at 360-6624.

J Housing Rentals

APTS. UNFURNISHED 1/2 OFF 1ST MONTHS RENT Dec. & Jan. Move-ins only! $99 DEPOSIT! PETS WELCOME! Models open 8a-8p Everyday! 1&2 bedrooms available! Elite Properties 360-6624 or www.elite2900.com 2BR, 1/2BA apartment, $550/mo, $300 dep. email: eforren@ou.edu or call 226-3285 Downtown Norman 3 bdrm loft apt or 1,000 sq ft office with kitch & bath over Mister Robert Furniture, 109 E. Main. $990/mo. Water & gas paid. See BOB, Mr. Robert Furniture.

Housing Sales

HOUSES FIRE YOUR LANDLORD! OWN YOUR OWN HOME! GET A DOG! One bed home, totally new throughout including kitchen and bath. Payments cheaper than rent. $58900 sales price. Gwen @ Metro Brokers of OK 820-5454 (B/O) Available Now Restored 5 bedroom bungalow with hardwood floors & central heat and air. $1000 a month. Sharon at Metro Brokers 397-3200.

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HOUSES UNFURNISHED 2 bdrm house, 4 blks to OU, wood floors, CH/A, stove, refrig, w/d, no pets, $600/mo. Call BOB, MISTER ROBERT FURNITURE, 321-1818. 2709 Deer Chase Cir., 4bd, 21/2 bth, loft overlooks family room, 3 car garage 329-2310. Nice, large 3-4 bd, 826 Jona Kay, 3/2/2/2 living, fp, 2000sf, $950/mo; 2326 Lindenwood, 4/2.5/2/3 living, 2400sf, $995/mo. 360-2873 or 306-1970. 1531 W Hayes, 3bd, 2ba, 2 car, 2 lvg, $795/mo, $600 dep. 219 Monticello, 2bd, 1.5ba, 2 car, $695/mo, $600 dep. 217 Monticello, 3bd, 2ba, 2 car, $725/mo, $600 dep. See at normanrentalsonline.com or call 6279511

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Housing Sales

CONDOS 2 bdrm, 1.5 bath, 928 sf, upstairs with brand new carpet and tile, 1 mile to OU, $39,000. Holly Van Auken, Dillard Group, 326-1999.

Previous Solution

7 9 5 6 2 1 8 4 3

8 6 4 3 7 5 1 9 2

2 1 3 4 8 9 6 5 7

5 2 1 9 3 7 4 6 8

6 4 7 2 5 8 3 1 9

9 3 8 1 4 6 7 2 5

4 8 9 5 1 3 2 7 6

3 5 2 7 6 4 9 8 1

1 7 6 8 9 2 5 3 4

DifďŹ culty Schedule: 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 December 10, 2008

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ACROSS 1 Fanny packâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attachment 6 â&#x20AC;&#x153;___ are silent in times of warâ&#x20AC;? (Cicero) 10 Antiquing aid 14 Ordinary writing 15 Tons and tons 16 Jerry Lewis film â&#x20AC;&#x153;Friendâ&#x20AC;? 17 Popular grilled fish 19 Britt, the Green Hornet 20 â&#x20AC;&#x153;90125â&#x20AC;? band 21 Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in boots 22 Deciduous trees 24 Chophouse request 25 Turnpike no-no 26 ___ rasa 29 Not as a group 32 They keep the wheels turning 33 River to the Adriatic Sea 34 Schmear topper 35 Many a rock star is on it 36 Silly character 37 Trident part 38 Lisbon-toMadrid dir. 39 â&#x20AC;&#x153;Step on it!â&#x20AC;? 40 Retinal area 41 New faces on bases 43 Least hale 44 Accord, for

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POLICY

one 45 Garrett of sitcoms 46 Major port of Ukraine 48 Fleet component 49 ___ Lingus (Irish airline) 52 Face up to, as a challenge 53 Certain baked dessert 56 â&#x20AC;&#x153;Do it, or ___!â&#x20AC;? 57 Sole 58 Overplay onstage 59 â&#x20AC;&#x153;â&#x20AC;Ś and ___ the twain shall meetâ&#x20AC;? 60 Prestigious British school 61 Novelist Alexandre DOWN 1 Pretty agile for oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s age 2 Arboristâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s focus 3 320 make a mile 4 It bore Balaam 5 Foreign correspondents, perhaps 6 Memory failure, e.g. 7 High points of Europe 8 Trial and tribulation 9 Plan of attack 10 Use a clothesline 11 Pimento setting 12 Islamic

bigwig 13 Units of 100 ergs per gram 18 Certain mystique 23 Part of routine auto maintenance 24 Hand wringer 25 Consolidate 26 Snuffy Smithâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s son 27 Part of a nerve cell (Var.) 28 Salad dressing choice 29 Glade targets 30 Fifth canonical hour 31 Priestâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s permission to leave the diocese 33 Trunk artery

36 Like some missiles 37 Let the cat out of the bag 39 Attilaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s horde 40 Truck used for hauling 42 Play list? 43 1979 hostage locale 45 â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Hotelâ&#x20AC;? novelist Elizabeth 46 Broken mirror, perhaps 47 Remove, in editing 48 Cherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ex 49 Very small matter 50 Musical James 51 Widely cultivated cereal grasses 54 Bunkum 55 Australian bird

PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

ÂŠ 2008 Universal Press Syndicate www.upuzzles.com

â&#x20AC;&#x153;COLOR COORDINATEDâ&#x20AC;? by Jill Cohan

The Oklahoma Daily is responsible for one dayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s incorrect advertising. If your ad appears incorrectly, or if you wish to cancel your ad, call 405.325.2521 before the deadline for cancellation in the next issue. Refunds will not be issued for early cancellation. Errors not the fault of the advertiser will be adjusted. 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. Help Wanted ads in The Oklahoma Daily are not classified as to gender. Advertisers understand that they may not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion or gender unless such qualifying factors are essential to a given position. All ads are subject to acceptance by The Oklahoma Daily. Ad acceptance may be re-evaluated at any time.

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Previous Answers

Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2008

2008 OU football awards: Defense Editor’s Note: This is the second of a four-part series on the college football postseason. The first two days will feature OU awards, while the last two days will feature BCS breakdowns and a look at this year’s Heisman Trophy candidates

BEST ROLE PLAYER AWARD For the player whose role was essential to the defense

Linebacker Austin Box MOST VALUABLE DEFENSIVE PLAYER

Stats: 36 tackles, 6.5 for loss, one interception, one deflected pass

For the player who has had the biggest impact on the defense

Tackle Gerald McCoy Stats: 26 tackles, 10 for loss, 6.5 sacks

GERALD MCCOY

McCoy hasn’t recorded the highest amount of tackles on the team, or the most tackles for loss, but he has disrupted opponents’ run game without fail by breaking through the line. McCoy — who was selected as a defensive captain at the beginning of the season — doesn’t always bring down the ball carrier when he breaks through the line, but he consistently forces running backs into other tacklers. He is also only a sophomore and is already one of the most phyiscally intimidating linemen in the Big 12, which means the offensive lines on OU’s schedule next year will likely face an even more dominant McCoy.

AUSTIN BOX

THE MR. CONSISTENCY AWARD For the defense’s most reliable leader

Safety Nic Harris Stats: 64 tackles, three for loss, one fumble recovery, six passes deflected

THE STICKY FINGERS AWARD

Safety Lendy Holmes Stats: 79 tackles, 1.5 for loss, five interceptions, four deflected passes

For the player who best limits the opponent’s best receiver

Cornerback Dominique Franks Stats: 39 tackles, four interceptions, 10 deflected passes

DOMINIQUE FRANKS

TRAVIS LEWIS

For the player with the most interceptions

SHUTDOWN CORNER AWARD

Franks has been a star while defending the pass all year. He has shut down numerous big-play receivers, or at least limited them to the point of relative inneffectiveness. Against Texas Tech, Michael Crabtree only caught six passes for 62 yards, well below his average, and scored no touchdowns. Franks also held Missouri’s star receiver Jeremy Maclin to 46 yards and one touchdown. Perhaps more impressive, without Maclin’s 27-yard touchdown pass, he caught six passes for 19 yards. Franks has also intercepted four passes and scored two defensive touchdowns.

Box filled in for injured Ryan Reynolds halfway through the season. Box is a freshman and is relatively new to the complex defense Brent Venables runs, but Box’s role as the starting linebacker after the Kansas State game has helped solidify OU’s defense as a whole. The two-game funk the defense suffered against Kansas and Kansas State could be credited to Box’s unfamiliarity with the system. But as a whole, his role in the defense has been much appreciated.

LENDY HOLMES

His 135 tackles lead the team and his 12 tackles behind the line of scrimmage and four interceptions are both second on the team. Coaches disagreed about whether he should be a starter at the beginning of the season, but his performance has left little doubt about his potential. For such a young player, he has made a quick transition and is just the latest of many first-year starting linebackers in Brent Venables career to perform well.

Holmes gets this award for creating a disturbance in the secondary all year long. He has been the roaming, pass-defending player the Sooners have dearly needed. He has played both cornerback and safety, and that rotation around the defense has given him experience to better read offenses. He has consistently jumped on plays that may have fooled him in the past, and he’s done it consistently. His 79 tackles also rank second on the team, which is an impressive number as a safety.

NIC HARRIS

THE FUMBLE KING AWARD For the player with the greatest penchant for causing fumbles

Linebacker Keenan Clayton Stats: 76 tackles, 10 for loss, 4.5 sacks, six forced fumbles

THE FRESHMAN PHENOM AWARD For the best first-year player

Linebacker Travis Lewis Stats: 135 tackles, 12 for loss, 3.5 sacks, four interceptions Lewis’ performance in his first season may have been good enough to qualify for defensive MVP with McCoy, but he is also a lock for the most important freshman on either side of the ball.

Harris has always been an emotional leader for the defense, but his role expanded this year after Ryan Reyolds was lost for the season. After Reynolds’ injury, Harris spent time switching betwen middle linebacker and safety. He never complained about the situation, and his role as a bridge between Reynolds and Austin Box — and then again between Box and Mike Balogun — helped keep the defense solidified.

KEENAN CLAYTON

Clayton’s six forced fumbles number twice as many as any other player on the team. He has shown a natural ability to separate opponents from the ball, whether with a big hit or a timely strip. His 76 tackles also rank third on the team, and he routinely has run down running backs and receivers with his exceptional speed. A converted safety, he has made a relatively smooth transition to the linebacker position. His athleticism has proven difficult for offensive lines to defend.

HOROSCOPE By Bernice Bede Osol

CAMPUS NOTES The Daily draws all entries for Campus Notes from OUDaily. com’s comprehensive, campuswide calendar. To get your event noticed, visit OUDaily.com and fill out our user-friendly form under the calendar link.

WEDNESDAY CHRISTIANS ON CAMPUS A Bible study will be at 12:30 p.m. in the Union’s Sooner Room. MEN’S BASKETBALL The team will play the University of Maine at the Lloyd Noble Center.

THURSDAY FRED FILMS Two films will be shown at 7 p.m. at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art.

POLICE REPORTS Names are compiled from the Norman Police Department or the OU Department of Public Safety. The report serves as a public record of arrests or citations, not convictions. The people here are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

PUBLIC INTOXICATION Timothy Jack Cossey, 46, 3400 block W. Main Street, Monday

POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA Gabrielle Ryan Courange, 30, 1000 block W. Boyd Street, Monday Larry C. Simpson, 45, 1800 block Jackson Drive, Sunday, also possession of drug paraphernalia

GRAND LARCENY Charles William Shipley, 38, Mount Williams Drive, Monday

VICIOUS DOG Heath Donogan Weatherly, 24, 1800 block Candlewood Drive, Monday

Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2008 SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) -- There is nothing lazy about you, but you could end up very busy yet accomplish little for your efforts if you don’t outline your work beforehand. Be proficient, not just active. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- Once again, you might be tempted to test the fates by trying to do something you failed at previously. Instead of repeating past mistakes, learn and profit from them. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) -- Although your way of doing things might be superior to other family members, if you simply try to push things on them, they’ll rebel. Handle matters in ways that won’t lose support. PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) -- Your intentions might be good, but if your manner of presentation is harsh, they’ll be offensive to others. Take extra care as to how you conduct yourself when making suggestions. ARIES (March 21-April 19) -- A number of gains are possible concerning your financial interests, but that doesn’t mean you can let up on your frugal spending habits or you could be right back where you started. TAURUS (April 20-May 20) -- You’re a self-starter, but it’s essential to distinguish between when it’s OK to assert yourself and when to back off. If you get signals that you’re overbearing, stand down.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) -- Usually you can be trusted to keep secrets, but if you are a bit gabby, be careful that you don’t slip and reveal something you shouldn’t. CANCER (June 21-July 22) -- You’re smart and practical in areas where you can realize advancement and gains, but you must still be careful about getting too self-assured and missing something big. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) -- Selfinterests shouldn’t become so important at this time that you succumb to using methods you’d be embarrassed to talk about later. Maintain your high standards at all times. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -- Advice based on knowledge gained from your personal experience will be effective and helpful to others. The opposite will be true if you simply pretend to have the answers. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) -- Be extra careful when managing money matters that affect others as well as yourself. It won’t sit well if you take heedless chances when handling the ﬁnancial affairs of those who trusted you. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) -- There’s a chance you could opt to accept someone’s questionable judgment and ignore excellent advice simply because it comes from a person you dislike. Keep your priorities straight.

Arts & Entertainment

Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2008

Adam Kohut, A&E editor dailyent@ou.edu phone: 325-5189, fax: 325-6051 For more, go to OUDaily.com.

Q&A with the women of ‘Bride Wars’ The Daily’s Dusty Somers participated in a conference call with Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson, the stars of “Bride Wars,” a comedy following Emma (Hathaway) and Liv (Hudson), two best friends who become rivals after scheduling their respective weddings on the same day. “Bride Wars” opens Jan. 9 in theaters nationwide.

Kate, you are one of the film’s producers. Do you have a particular method for choosing which movies you’re interested in producing? KATE HUDSON: No. In terms of movies that I have in development now, they run the gamut of all different types of genres. I felt that this one was, because of the nature of people and how people like to make comedies, and this being such a really nice concept — high concept comedy — this one was sort of really a nice one out the bat for me to be able to get going. It was really a long process. It was a five-year development process, and now I think we’re at about six-and-a-half years of this movie being in process.

Anne, do you have an interest in producing films in your career? ANNE HATHAWAY: I think it’s something, theoretically, I find appealing, but I’ve never felt compelled to do it up until now. I think, like Kate was saying, it’s a long process producing something, developing something, so I’d like to make sure that it’s a story I want to tell. To be honest, if I produce, I most likely wouldn’t act in it.

Of all the underhanded tricks Liv and Emma pull on one another in the film as the wedding date approaches, which one was your favorite? AH: I think my favorite one [that my character, Emma,] pulled, because it was the meanest, was the weight gain. That’s low. That’s something that girls don’t do to each other. I know how hard I have to work to lose that last five pounds, so to kind of mess with that I think is wrong. But it’s kind of fun to think that Emma was driven to such a point of desperation that she could justify it to herself. KH: For me, I have to say the tanning

salon was fun. And part of it was on that day I wore what Liv’s version of a disguise is, and I walked in, and what we would do is every time we did a take, I’d do a different character.

just see me walking down the street and fall in love with me, and that’ll be that.

Are there any similarities between you and your characters?

AH: It was kind of a vague notion, and I just assumed that Leo and I would find some kind of happy medium between our two aesthetics and have a glorious wedding. It doesn’t look like that’s going to happen, however. So my fantasies have taken a left turn. I actually have never really planned my wedding, but like Kate, I was kind of more thinking about the guys.

KH: You sound like all of my relatives. I just want you to know, I feel like I’m talking right now to family Hawn — it’s so funny. I feel like Liv, for me, the similarities with her are just kind of understanding somebody who is driven — if she wants something, she’s going to get it. AH: I could relate to the fact that Emma is much happier keeping the peace than causing a ruckus. I could definitely relate to that, but just as Kate has a stopping point, I have my boundaries for what I will put up with, and where I’ll hold my tongue is a lot earlier than Emma’s. It kicks in earlier, so I think that I’m kind of happier sort of stepping back, but I also don’t let people walk all over me.

Most little girls fantasize and plan exactly how they want their wedding day to be. What were your wedding fantasies as little girls? KH: My fantasy when I was growing up was always more. My parents weren’t married, and we were always like “Why aren’t you married?” And we had it so ingrained in us that you didn’t need to sign a piece of paper to say that you’re a family or that you love each other. So that was how we were programmed. Then, of course, I meet Chris and I’m like, “I’m getting married!” And then all of a sudden I got really excited about it. So for me it was really more about who was going to be the guy that I would spend the rest of my life with, who would be my partner. And then when I met that partner, I was very excited about possibly calling up Vera Wang and seeing what she could do for me. AH: I think that I, in my fantasy, was like, well, Leonardo DiCaprio and I will meet at some point, and he’ll

KH: Careful what you wish for!

What is one thing you learned about each other, or from each other, while making the movie? KH: That’s a good question. We haven’t been asked that yet. OK, I’m going to answer both. One thing I learned about Annie is that she is absolutely fearless. One thing I learned from Annie is — and we’re kind of similar in that way — is that we’re very open and honest about the things that are going on in our lives. Annie is a tough cookie, and I think I learned that professionalism that goes with living your life and going through things and showing up. And Annie really shows up. That was a nice thing to watch. AH: Thank you! Thank you. I think that applies to you. I don’t think that’s something you have to learn. One of the things that I learned from Kate was Kate does something which is so incredibly rare in an actress, which is [that she is] able to find the balance between being professional and having fun. And sometimes I can get lost and mired down in kind of the professional side of things and Kate just – without sacrificing any of the work, without taking it any less seriously than anyone else – manages to just bring a sense of fun two absolutely everything. I think I kind of assumed that I needed to torture myself in order to produce good work and I just learned from Kate that you can produce spectacular work, as she does in this film, without going through that process.

In interviews I’ve seen on TV both of you seem like really likable, laid back women, but you have to tap into your inner Bridezilla for the film. How did you do that? AH: Imagination. We’re human beings, so I think we understand what it’s like to be jealous, what it’s like to be competitive or catty. Maybe we don’t indulge those feelings. Maybe we try not to live in that world, but I think

Photo provided

Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway star in “Bride Wars.” The film hits theaters Jan. 9. those urges are understandable. I think having experience with that kind of helps. But also, the script was so great in providing a logical emotional back story for the characters to explain why they go off the deep end the way that they do, why this war was in some ways a long time coming, and so there was a certain freedom that the script gave us because it was grounded in truth. KH: I tapped into my inner Bridezilla by, I think, acknowledging and watching some of my friends go through some stuff and understanding the stress of it myself when I got married, and I think the other thing is just as females, we all know. We get really worked up. We’re very emotional creatures. And sometimes you can get a little carried away. For me, with this movie, it was so fun to be able to make fun of our-

A&E BRIEFLY LA Film Critics award ‘WALL-E,’ ‘The Dark Knight’

Tyler Perry copyright suit decided

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Film Critics Association has gone populist on its picks for best movies of 2008, choosing the animated smash "WALL-E" as No. 1 and the Batman blockbuster "The Dark Knight" as runner-up on Tuesday. Sean Penn was named best actor for the ﬁlm biography "Milk," while Sally Hawkins received the best-actress prize for the British comic drama "Happy-Go-Lucky." The late Heath Ledger won the critics group's supporting-actor honor for his turn as the Joker in "The Dark Knight," while Penelope Cruz was chosen for supporting actress in the Woody Allen romance "Vicky Cristina Barcelona," as well as her role in the drama "Elegy." Danny Boyle took directing honors for "Slumdog Millionaire," with Christopher Nolan the runner-up for "The Dark Knight." ''Happy-Go-Lucky" director Mike Leigh won for best screenplay. Globe nominations and critics prizes can boost Oscar prospects, particularly for lesser-known ﬁlms such as "Happy-Go-Lucky" and "Slumdog Millionaire." Oscar nominations will be released Jan. 22, with the awards ceremony scheduled for Feb. 22.

DALLAS — A woman who accused actor-screenwriter Tyler Perry of stealing material from her play for his movie "Diary of a Mad Black Woman" lost her federal lawsuit against the entertainer on Tuesday. Jurors in the East Texas town of Marshall found Donna West did not present evidence that supported her claim of copyright infringement. In the lawsuit filed in May 2007, West argued that Perry lifted material from her "Fantasy of a Black Woman." The play was performed three times in 1991 in Dallas and West contended Perry could have gained access to the script in 1998 when he presented his plays at the Dallas Black Academy of Arts and Letters. Perry, who testified during the trial, insisted that his screenplay is an original work. His work on the film gained him several awards and nominations. "We are very pleased that the jurors understood that Tyler Perry is an incredibly talented person who has no need to copy the work of others," attorney Veronica Lewis said in an e-mail to The Associated Press. Attorneys for West plan to seek a new trial. — AP

selves. I think girls get crazy, but we can also laugh at ourselves really well. We don’t get the opportunity to do that very often in movies, so it was really fun to be able to do it with something as important as your wedding day. To a lot of women, as it should be, it is the day that you’re going to spend the rest of your life with, hopefully, the man that you’re marrying. It just felt sort of like you can tap into all of those things you’ve learned as a girl throughout the years. For me it wasn’t friends though – there is that girl who would probably go to those lengths and I just run as far away as I can from girls like that. It’s like, “Uh-oh!” I really think you can smell it like a mile away. You can smell that girl who would probably do things to start sabotaging your life.

— D USTY S OMERS IS A JOURNALISM JUNIOR.

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