The Oklahoma Daily

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WEDNESDAY, JAN. 21, 2009 © 2009 OU Publications Board

SPORTS The football season doesn’t kick off until early September, but it’s never too early to try and predict what will happen in 2009.

The Daily’s Jono Greco breaks down what the Sooner football team will accomplish next season. Page 6.

The men’s basketball team is undefeated in conference play this season, but it faces off tonight against a team that beat them by 18 points last season. Check out a preview of tonight’s match up against Nebraska. Page 7.

LIFE & ARTS Does the national anthem capture the American spirit? The Daily’s Adam Kohut explains the need for change. Page 9.

“The Art of Kissing,” a film made by OU alumni, debuts in Meacham Auditorium. The Daily’s Dusty Somers describes the premiere.

Page 10.

CAMPUS BRIEFS The broadcasting and electronic media department of the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication has revamped its curriculum to include a more commercial focus.

Find out who and what has been added to the new program. Page 5.

OU will unveil a new state-of-the-art, $2.5 million radar that will give more accurate data for weather forecasters. The radar will be ready for use in two months. Page 5.

Newly separated twins Preslee and Kylee Wells are still listed in “critical condition” at the OU Children’s Hospital in Oklahoma City, said hospital spokesperson, Allen Poston.

Poston said Preslee Wells suffered minor breathing problems last night but she is doing better today.

Poston spoke with the family last night but has not had a chance to speak with physicians who are working closely with the girls.

A press conference is scheduled at the OU Children’s hospital Thursday, Poston said.

The twins were the first conjoined twins to be separated at OU’s Children’s Medical Center in nearly 25 years, Poston said.

— MATTHEW MONTGOMERY/THE DAILY

OUDAILY.COM

Mr. President Barack Obama sworn in at historic inauguration

If you have Twitter and want to get instant news and video updates, subscribe to The Daily’s Twitter feed at Twitter.com/OUDaily.

Check out video from the inaugural watch party at Meacham Auditorium, where students gathered to witness Barack Obama’s historic first moments as president.

• An OU junior gets chills — from something other than the sub-freezing temperatures — at Obama’s inaugural address HAILEY BRANSON The Oklahoma Daily EDITOR’S NOTE: Hailey Branson is a journalism student and Daily staff member spending the semester in Washington, D.C. as an intern for the Washington Center for Politics in Journalism.

TODAY’S INDEX Life & Arts 9, 10 Campus Notes 13 Classifieds 12 12 Crossword Horoscope 13

Campus News 5 Opinion 4 Police Reports 13 Sports 6, 7, 8 Sudoku 12

WEATHER FORECAST

TODAY LOW 36° HIGH 66°

THURSDAY LOW 41° HIGH 71° Source: Oklahoma Weather Lab

WASHINGTON — It was evident everywhere and in every form in Washington, D.C. this weekend.

It was evident in the voice of the crazed and jubilant woman on a late-night train Monday taking photos of strangers in ball attire.

And in the rooms of the downtown office buildings where hundreds of workers slept on the floor under their desks, myself included, in order to avoid the unprecedented crowds while getting to work Tuesday morning.

And in the warmth of the hug I received from an elderly woman from San Francisco who traveled thousands of miles to witness history, a woman who had hugged countless people she had never met.

It was evident: The inauguration of President Barack Obama Tuesday moved and inspired many in this country in ways that can’t be numbered or even fully understood.

From where I stood – for hours upon hours in freezing weather – I couldn’t see Obama or the Capitol building where he and Vice President Joe Biden took their oaths. For that matter, I couldn’t even see the National Mall, which, designated to hold the public who hadn’t received tickets, was closed off because it filled so quickly.

But from where I stood in front of the Washington Monument with the tens of thousands who watched the ceremony from an enormous video projector, the mood could not be lifted any more.

From black suit to blue jeans, I was in a veritable cross section of humanity. To my left was a man named Brahma Valeti, a man from India who works in the U.S. with new technology. Behind me, a French woman, speaking loudly on her phone.

In front of me stood a small, white woman who offered me snacks as we waited. Three rows ahead was a Muslim woman in a hijab.

To my right, a young Asian man from Colorado. To my left, a black woman named Ayana Harvey, who brought her daughter, Autumn Davis, 8; her brother, Robert Rome, 11; and her sister, Ariel Davis, 13. She wanted them to witness history.

We stood for hours, the ground beneath our feet hard and cold, and our conversations friendly and warm.

As the video screen flashed images of the high-profile guests entering the event setting, there were mixed reactions. Cheers for Gen. Colin Powell and Beyonce.

Boos for former President George W. Bush. Laughter at the faces made by Obama’s youngest daughter, Sasha.

When First Lady Michelle Obama was first shown in a bright greenish dress, one woman shouted, “That’s right, Michelle! You look like a sexy string bean, that’s right!”

The opening prayer by Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., was the first highly pre-publicized moment of the inauguration ceremony. In the prayer that pundits in the weeks before pondered and debated incessantly, Warren surprised many by saying, “I humbly ask this,” he said, “in the name of the one who changed my life: Jesus.”

As Warren quoted the Lord’s Prayer, the diverse group in the crowd said it along with him, a move both surprising and inspiring.

Screams pierced the air when

CHILLS Continues on page 2

• OU students gain international perspective with online discussion panel LAUREN STALFORD The Oklahoma Daily OU students went online Tuesday to exchange thoughts on Barack Obama’s inauguration live with students halfway across the globe.

Paul Rundquist, a former congressional operations specialist with the Library of Congress, and honors professor Ben Alpers led a video conference featuring students from OU and the American Studies Institute in Leipzig, Germany.

German students’ opinions on the new U.S. president reflected worldwide interest in the event, said David John Gagne, meteorology junior. “[The inauguration] is not just an American thing,” Gagne said.

Many of the German students studied in the U.S., said Alpers, who recently spent time at the university in Leipzig. “[German students] have a reservoir of appreciation of American culture and America’s role in Germany’s history,” he said.

Students from both OU and Germany reacted positively to the inauguration, said University College freshman Kendra Whitman.

Members of the German panel said Obama is an inspiring leader who empowers the common man.

Rundquist said parts of the new president’s speech, however, did not live up to expectations, and that Obama’s address on domestic affairs sounded like it was written by a committee.

The panel discussed Obama’s choice of words during his address, particularly on Obama’s call for Americans to sacrifice.

Rundquist said Obama was trying to prepare America for a continued recession during his first term.

Some students focused on the hope of the Obama presidency.

“It was very sincere, and delivered as much promise as his campaign,” Gagne said. “As a meteorologist, I’m very excited what Obama will do for the science community.”

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Inauguration 

Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2009

DC dispatch: Sooner braves cold Facebook follies and crowds in nation’s capital EDITOR’S NOTE: This week, former Barack Obama campaign worker Ryan Bowling traveled to Washington, D.C. with another OU alumnus to join a third friend, also an OU graduate, who lives in the nation’s capital. The three of them woke before dawn Tuesday morning to walk to the National Mall, where they watched Obama being sworn in as the nation’s 44th president. Tuesday afternoon, Bowling called The Daily’s newsroom to describe his experiences. This is what he said:

RYAN BOWLING

“We woke up at about 4 a.m. and readied ourselves for an extremely cold day. We walked from my friend’s apartment, which is at 15th and Rhode Island, and found our way to a gate at 7th and B amongst, oh, 10,000, 15,000 [people].

“It was the gate that made a lot of news this morning as being clogged. The gate was supposed to be opened at 7 [a.m.], but it wasn’t, so we left. We found our way back through this throng that had grown increasingly impatient and we went to 18th Street.

“18th puts you between the Washington and Lincoln [Monuments], and once we were there we found some good seats, although we lost feeling in our feet and our hands. [The temperature was in the teens, the windchill in the single digits.]

“We were working our way to the Washington Monument, and you come up over a hill and it’s people as far as you can see, all the way to the Capitol building, and it’s an extraordinary sight. I can only compare it to seeing the Grand Canyon. There’s a lot of anticipation

and expectation, but when you arrive there, it still takes your breath away...

“One of the things that was most touching to me was a group of about seven or eight young people near us who were Spanishspeaking. One young woman was holding a microphone and a recorder, and once the speaking began around 11 [a.m.], she asked someone else in her group if they could translate, so another person began very quietly, very subtly, translating the speeches from English into Spanish.

“For me, it compounded the significance of what the election meant today. It was truly a global and international event. It signified the importance of minorities and their place in the American fabric...

“There was a gentleman behind us who had brought a drum, so in times of quiet he played the drum and it was almost a drumroll to the next speech. It really made for a very celebratory atmosphere.

“We were thinking about the crowd as we were leaving, this massive throng of folks, and we all agreed that it was as true reflection as it possibly could be of what America is. It was old and young and black and white and Hispanic and Caucasian and Southeast Asian.

“It was the entire spectrum of American society, and we all remarked on how special that was.”

— RYAN BOWLING IS A DEVELOPMENT OFFICER FOR OU’S INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS CENTER. HE GRADUATED WITH A POLITICAL SCIENCE DEGREE IN 2007.

If CNN didn’t provide enough reaction to President Barack Obama’s inauguration Tuesday, Facebook filled in the gap. A quick scan of Sooners’ Facebook status updates revealed ideas and emotions across the political spectrum. Here’s a sampling: According to Facebook, someone at OU…

…can’t stop crying... …is working and reveling. All at once, no less. …says thank you President Bush! …wishes Daddy and Granny could see this. 1/20/09. …is glad Bush is going back to Texas, where he belongs. …is tingly and teary-eyed. …is watching the inauration on hulu.com. …is watching the inauguration at the Union! …is at the inauguration. Oh man... I have never seen ANYTHING like this.

Chills Continued from page 1

Michelle Gray/The Daily

Students and staff gather to watch the inauguration of the 44th United States President Barack Obama on Tuesday morning in the Nancy Mergler Library, located in David L. Boren Hall.

Obama took the stage. In front of me, a purple-gloved hand holding a peace sign waved every few minutes.

“Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less,” Obama said. “It has not been the path for the fainthearted — for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame.

Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things — some celebrated, but more often men and women obscure in their labor — who have carried us up the long, rugged path toward prosperity and freedom.”

In front of me, the kind woman with the snacks nodded fervently.

“For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness,” the new President said. “We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus and nonbelievers.”

Beside me, Brahma Valeti wept.

“Let it be said by our children’s children that when we were tested, we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back, nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God’s grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations,” Obama said.

I got chills that weren’t caused by the weather.

— COMPILED BY DAILY STAFF

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

CORRECTIONS Due to an editor’s error, John Paul Albert was misidentified in a photo that accompanied a Tuesday story about the death of OU senior Billy Khourie. Albert is a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, not the president of the fraternity.

Due to an editor’s error, the date of the start of the Oklahoma legislative session was incorrect in a Tuesday story about the state’s Rainy Day Fund. The session begins on Feb. 4.

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

Photo Essay

Inauguration nation

Photos clockwise from above: President Barack Obama, his wife Michelle, left, Vice President Joseph Biden, and his wife Jill, right, are escorted by Major General Richard Rowe from the steps of the Capitol after Obama was sworn Tuesday.

Jossie Redmond of Crawford, Miss, cheers on the National Mall during the ceremony.

President Barack Obama waves as he walks down Pennsylvania Avenue on his way to the White House.

Taylor Moody, 5, waves her flag while attending an assembly celebrating the inauguration in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Sara and Julita Gil of Spain show off their Obama temporary tattoos at the Lincoln Memorial.

Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2009

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Opinion

Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2009

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

OUR VIEW

Commencement speaker should make big splash Remember last year’s commencement speaker? Neither do we. We want this year’s event to be a big splash, and if the administration picks one of the following people, it won’t be anything short of a tidal wave.

If President Boren and his staff have already chosen and booked the speaker, we hope it’s one of the following people.

OUR VIEW is an editorial selected and debated by the editorial board and written after a majority opinion is formed and approved by the editor. Our View is The Daily’s official opinion.

Barack Obama No explanation needed. The new president has to speak somewhere, so might as well make it Oklahoma.

George H. W. Bush If President David L. Boren’s book “Letter to America” is any indicator, our president respects the 41st commander in chief. Regardless of how much you cringe when you hear the name Bush, any former president is a step up.

Judith Miller Talk about someone who knows how to roll with life’s punches – Miller was a top-notch investigative

STAFF CARTOON

reporter with the New York Times before being thrown in jail for refusing to reveal sources that leaked information about nuclear weapons — or the lack thereof — in Iraq.

David McCullough

Jon Stewart

Robert Gates

Some would rather have Stephen Colbert, but Stewart is an actual person. His show is taken considerably more seriously than “The Colbert Report,” and his content is more original.

He’s made headline news often as of late, being one of the few leaders who is esteemed highly by both the Obama and Bush administrations. There might be rivalry issues, as Gates is a former Texas A&M president.

A top-notch historian who has earned respect from liberals and conservatives alike, McCullough has won a Pulitzer Prize, and wrote the book that turned into the HBO series “John Adams”. He’s already familiar with campus, as he accompanied George H. W. Bush on a visit to campus less than two years ago.

David Letterman

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Troy Aikman

Sean Hannity and Alan Colmes

It might be the Governator’s first trip to the Sooner State. The movie star/politician is sure to be a big hit.

The former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and three-time Super Bowl champion is an Oklahoma native. He graduated from Henryetta High School, and played two years for the Sooners before transferring to UCLA.

They were the second most-watched political analysts on cable television (Bill O’Reilly leads that category) until Combs bailed. People would undoubtedly turn out en masse to see Hannity and Colmes. There’s another advantage: OU couldn’t, and wouldn’t be accused of liberal or conservative bias.

Bill Nye If the “Science Guy” can speak at Johns Hopkins, he can speak at OU. Bill Nye is a science nerd, sure.

First and foremost, though, he’s an entertainer.

There are likely few OU students that didn’t watch “Bill Nye the Science Guy” growing up.

The host of “The Late Show” delivers memorable commencement addresses. Amidst the comedy, he would offer legitimate wisdom for graduating seniors.

Sally Ride In 1983, Ride became the first woman and, at the time, the youngest person ever, to enter outer space.

Geraldine Ferraro The first woman VP candidate is still alive and well. She’d be a great speaker, and a great inspiration for college graduates looking to “break the mold” in their careers.

Oprah WInfrey Few names on this list carry as much popularity.

Oprah would draw a huge crowd. And who knows, she might give all of the graduates free cars.

Tiger Woods Woods doesn’t have many Oklahoma ties, other than winning his first major championship as a father in Tulsa. He might be busy rehabbing his broken leg or preparing to defend his U.S. Open title, but Tiger Woods is arguably the greatest and most dominant athlete on the planet.

STAFF COLUMN

Joshua Wadlin — entrepreneurship senior

Americans should ditch all racial comfort zones n Nov. 4, Americans made the decision to elect Illinois Sen. Barack Obama as president of the United States.

On Tuesday, president-elect Barack Obama became President Obama.

Some people believe, perhaps idealistically, that the election of Barack Obama will cause nirvana.

This is speculation.

Obama faces a myriad of issues, but some people think he’s already solved the race problem.

Not that we have a race problem in the U.S., we just don’t talk about it at all.

The only way that race relations KAYLE will change in the U.S. is if and BARNES when people are willing to go out of their comfort zones. Instead of ordinary resolutions like saving money, losing weight or being a better person, what about taking the minority friend challenge?

Don’t think that just because we have a mixed president you’re off the hook. Everyone has a role to play in this challenge. I think everyone should do their part to create a truly more perfect union by making a friend of any ethnicity different from his or her own. I’ve started observing how little inter cultural and racial interaction goes on in this part of the country. When interactions do happen between people of different cultures, they are sometimes really awkward.

Recently, I was at Logan’s with some friends and

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we were moving to the music. Per usual. A guy came over and said, “I should come over here and dance with you all because you’re dancing.” That was fine.

Then he felt the need to tell me that he was black.

He wasn’t.

I wasn’t offended — just confused. I’m happy he felt comfortable or drunk enough to talk about race, but I wish the exchange had been more meaningful.

Too many times people are afraid to talk about race, and they end up staying ignorant.

A recent New York Times article headlined “Talk About Race? Relax It’s OK,” cited studies on colorblindness done by researchers at Tufts University and the Harvard Business School. It concluded that whites, including young children, might attempt to avoid talking about race or even acknowledge racial differences with blacks, so as not to appear prejudice. This is silly.

Ignoring race in America is as feasible as ignoring your face. However, it seems that the more interaction people have with people of other groups, the less scary the move from the unknown to normal.

One thing Obama has done is at least put race on the table by moving into the most important and monochromatic house, until now, in America.

We will not solve the problems of racial injustice or ignorance overnight, but the conversations we begin having on this campus can change our nation for the better.

Kayle Barnes is a professional writing senior. Her column usually appears every other Tuesday.

STAFF COLUMN

Inaugural prayer was below Warren’s pay grade

T H E

I N D E P E N D E N T

S T U D E N T

I just can’t understand why Rick Warren would identify himself so publicly with policies he openly opposes. allow partial-birth abortions and expand federal funding for abortion. He openly opposed Proposition 8 in California, legislation which mandated marriage as between a man and a woman.

Including Bishop Robinson, a mainline liberal Christian minister who rejects the inerrancy and authority of the Bible, seems to be a consistent move for Obama.

Including Warren, an outspokenly-conservative public evangelical figure, is another matter entirely. In bringing both in for a token spiritual reference, it seems that the new president hopes to ally himself with both polemics in the moral/political debate.

A fascinating element for me in this topic is the fact that Warren and Obama have discussed both of these matters publicly in an interview format. In August, when Warren hosted a presidential forum in which Obama and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., were questioned on their policies, Warren quizzed Obama on his beliefs in both areas. To his credit, Obama was consistent, combining political spin with

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T H E The Fine Print:

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and a controversial figure himself. In an attempt to reach out to differing groups, the Obama camp angered many on both sides of the political fence.

As for Warren, his identification with Obama and rise to even greater fame in the U.S. begs the question: with his positions on hot-button topics morally and politically, coupled with his belief statements about the Bible and its authority, how could he conscientiously agree to this?

Abortion and homosexuality are understandably emotion-evoking and intense moral issues, especially in a nation in which government and law are based largely on Judeo-Christian morals. Blood typically boils when I have conversations about both issues. How to define human life and human marriage are historically two vital questions to be asked of any culture. The dichotomy of the perceived “progressive” ideas and the more traditional and conservative viewpoints creates this tension and often miscommunication among Americans who disagree.

The stance of President Obama on each issue is unavoidably clear. His liberal voting record as a senator marks him as staunchly supportive of abortion and homosexual rights. He has stated publicly his intentions of advocating the Freedom of Choice Act, legislation that would

Contact Us:

understand the magnitude of the moment. I recognize the opportunity given. I am relieved as an American to see the beliefs and efforts of Martin Luther King and others realized. But I just can’t understand why Rick Warren would identify himself so publicly with policies he openly opposes.

History was made Tuesday in the United States. The inauguration of Barack Obama as the nation’s 44th president is the first of an African-American.

In the midst of a flurry of preparations for the event, Obama made an interesting decision inviting Rick Warren, a JON best-selling author and MALONE California evangelical pastor, to perform the invocation. Given the left-leaning tendencies of the Obama campaign, outcry from the homosexual community against the more conservative Warren came quickly and angrily.

The Obama camp then brought in V. Eugene Robinson, an equally polemical religious figure within the Episcopal Church, to deliver an invocation during the celebration at the Lincoln Memorial.

He is the first open homosexual accepted into the Episcopal bishopric in the U.S.,

assertions which were pro-choice and pro-homosexual. Likewise, Warren is to be lauded for his willingness to press the issue when it came to abortion; Obama’s response to a question about when life begins was pretty weak, as he stated that “answering that question with specificity…is above my pay grade.”

Trying to get elected into the position known as “leader of the free world” should make a person be specific on such controversial and important issues. This makes Obama’s selection of Warren as a visible spiritual ally at his inauguration all the more perplexing, but also raises eyebrows as to Warren’s credibility as a conservative evangelical.

As a Christian, I agree with Warren in believing strongly that the Bible is the ultimate authority on all areas of human existence. In fact, Saddleback Church — where Warren is pastor — identifies itself on its website with classical Christian doctrine when it states that it believes the Bible to be “truth without any mixture of error.” As such, I heartily agree

U N I V E R S I T Y

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

Letters should concentrate on issues, not personalities, and should be fewer than 250 words, typed, double spaced and signed by the author(s).

Letters will be cut to fit. Students must list their major and classification. OU staff and faculty must list their title. All letters must include a daytime phone number. Authors submitting letters in person must present photo identification. Submit letters Sunday

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with Warren’s position on the value and sanctity of human life. We both agree that human existence biologically and personally begins at conception. His opposition to abortion has been both strong and public. He also agrees with the Bible in its clear definition of marriage as between a man and a woman, supporting and promoting Proposition 8 in public statements.

However, in accepting this invitation to perform the invocation, Warren ignored these foundational issues which are relevant to him both as a pastor and as an American. Identifying himself with Obama in such a public way may promote increased discussion of these topics. In fact, Warren’s press asserts that “Hopefully individuals passionately expressing opinions from the left and the right will recognize that both of us have shown a commitment to model civility in America.” This desire is to be commended. However, taking part in this historical day undermines Warren’s theological and moral convictions as a Christian.

Connecting himself with the convoluted political liberalism of Obama is, I would assert, below Rick Warren’s pay grade.

Jon Malone is an English education graduate student. His column appears every other Wednesday.

O K L A H O M A

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.

Campus News

Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2009

‘Hi-def’ radar comes to south campus • PRIME to be more accurate than Doppler radar Clark Foy The Oklahoma Daily A new state-of-the-art radar system will be available on the south campus for handson student research and education in two months.

The radar, a $2.5 million project, has been under construction for ten months. Students in meteorology, chemical and mechanical engineering will use the system in classes this semester, said John T. Snow, dean of the College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences.

“It continues to make our weather program grow, which is already the best in the nation, if not the world,” he said.

“The radar is one of a kind,” said Robert Palmer, director of the project and meteorology professor. “It has the highest resolution of any radar in the United States.”

The radar, called the Polarimetric Radar for Innovations in Meteorology and Engineering (PRIME), will gather weather data much like the Doppler radar, but the data will be more accurate and in finer detail, Snow said.

“PRIME is a generation beyond current radars,” Snow said. “It gives us much more details about what a cloud looks like inside and the rain drops themselves.”

“Think of it as a higher definition television,” said Tian You Yu, associate professor of the College of Electric and Computer Engineering.

The radar does not predict the weather, but it does give meteorologists the data they need to forecast it, Yu said.

Yu said also the higher definition allows for a better model to be seen and observed, which will allow meteorologists to gather more detailed data and a more accurate weather forecast.

The radar resembles giant golf ball and can be seen be seen from State Highway 9, east of the National Weather Center, Snow said. It will be used in several graduate and undergraduate classes for special projects and research, said Palmer.

James Cornwell/ The Daily

OU’s P.R.I.M.E. Radar will be used for meteorological and engineering research. Visible from Highway 9, the P.R.I.M.E. Radar is like no other as it provides the highest resolution of any radar found in the U.S.

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Broadcasting gets a revamp • More hands-on curriculum, innovative faculty added KALI CARTER The Oklahoma Daily The broadcast and electronic media program has recently been expanded to include commercial production, which will now give students a chance to broaden their studies to more than just the production of news.

While the program will still have a newsoriented curriculum, there are many other elements of broadcasting and electronic media, said Scott Hodgson, broadcasting and electronic arts sequence head.

“There are movies, documentaries and commercials along with the production, so it’s not just about news anymore,” he said.

This semester will also be the first time freshmen can take on the degree program instead of waiting until their junior years.

“It’s a huge change, but it makes all the difference in the world for students to start learning this stuff earlier,” Hodgson said.

“The courses add on skills, so it’s much easier for them to do bigger projects later on since they began the education earlier, along with chances for them to win regional and national awards before graduation.”

One reason for the redesign is to increase the number of students within the program, Hodgson said. He said he would like to see the program become one of the top five in the country, but the program isn’t big enough yet.

“We’re trying to find unique, high-end opportunities for our students to participate in,” Hodgson said. “The more students we have, the more things we can do.”

The faculty has also created a more handson curriculum to help students learn the skills they need and the ability to apply those skills in real situations, he said.

“We are bringing in people with many credits in the film industry who can really have an impact on our students.”

For example, Kini Kay, former sound effects editor for movies like “Boogie Nights,” is one of the new faculty members with industry experience.

Hodgson said the changes have been an improvement to the program and the benefits of joining are more plentiful now than ever.

Win $10,000 to help spread peace!

The Davis United World College Scholars is offering $10,000 awards to 100 undergraduate students or groups of students, at participating colleges and universities, to design and implement a project to promote peace.

Projects must be done during the summer of 2009. They can be anywhere in the world, as long as they promote peace.

The possibilities are endless. Judging is based on projects that are most promising and can be completed.

All undergraduates at OU are eligible to apply.

Deadline for applications is Jan. 30, 2009.

For more information email: davispeaceprojects@ou.edu

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Sports

Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2009

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

Zach Butler/The Daily

Sophomore defensive tackle Gerald McCoy returns an interception against Florida in the BCS Championship against Florida on Jan. 8 in Miami, Fl.

Way too early football predictions • With the 2009 season still months away, The Daily begins looking into its crystal ball JONO GRECO The Oklahoma Daily Now that Sooner Nation has had almost two weeks to grieve and recover from the loss to Florida, it’s time to move on and take advantage of the cliché “there’s always next year.”

The Sooner fans received good news when Sam Bradford, Jermaine Gresham, Trent Williams and Gerald McCoy decided to return to school, meaning OU could aim for a possible trip to Pasadena, Cali. in January 2010.

With about seven months until the first game, let’s look into the crystal ball and predict what the 2009 season has in store for the Sooners.

Nebraska — a team many have in their pre-season top 25 — are played on the road. As usual, the team’s season will likely come down to what happens in Dallas.

The Sooners could go undefeated and my prediction of a one-loss season will go out the window if they beat Texas. Still, that Oct. 17 game scares me. I felt somewhat uneasy about this year’s Red River Rivalry as well, and look how that one turned out.

Trap Game: Brigham Young University Cougars (10-3 in 2008); Sept. 5, 2009 Finishing third in the Mountain West Conference in 2008 and, coming off a bowl loss, BYU has a chip on its shoulder after failing to live up to title of BCS buster in 2008.

This season opener is potentially dangerous because of its location, the new Dallas Cowboys stadium in Arlington, Texas, because the Sooners have not fared well on neutral fields in recent years. Since the game will be played about 200 miles south of Norman, the game can in essence be considered a home game, while the Cougars will travel 1212 miles from Provo, Utah.

Even though this is an early season non-conference game, the Sooners have no reason to overlook the Cougars after the latest debacle in Miami. Also, the Sooners are no strangers to being upset by a non-BCS School. BYU won’t roll into Arlington and expect a thrashing, so neither should OU.

Projected Lineups:

Record: 10-1 (7-1) Unfortunately, I doubt the Sooners will run the table next season. That’s something that rarely happens.

While looking at the schedule, no one team outside of Texas looks to stand too much of a fighting chance against a Sooner team that put up the most prolific offensive numbers in football’s modern era.

The Longhorns are returning many of their key players from last season, including Heisman runner-up Colt McCoy, but will take a hit in their passing game as Quan Cosby graduated this year.

The three non-conference games already scheduled look winnable, but also potentially dangerous and not to be overlooked. The Sooners square off with Tulsa at home, Miami at Dolphin Stadium and BYU in Arlington, Texas for the season opener.

Zach Butler/The Daily Outside the Texas game, OU’s conference games should be Sophomore quarterback Sam Bradford will return winnable as the squad plays the normal Big 12 South schedule and a potentially tough Big 12 North schedule as Kansas and for another season.

Offense: O-Line: LT: Trent Williams, LG: Brian Simmons, C: Jason Hannan RG: Alex Williams, RT: Cory Brandon; QB: Sam Bradford; RB: DeMarco Murray/Chris Brown; WR: Ryan Broyles, Adron Tennell, Jameel Owens and Dejuan Miller; FB: Matt Clapp

JONO GRECO

Defense: D-Line: DT: DeMarcus Granger, DE: Auston English, DE: Jeremy Beal, DT: Gerald McCoy; MLB: Ryan Reynolds/Austin Box; OLB: Keenan Clayton Travis Lewis; Safeties: Quinton Carter and Sam Proctor; CB: Brian Jackson and Dominique Franks

Breakthrough Player: Austin Box, Linebacker.

Even though Box got some quality playing time during the regular season before being sidelined for the Big 12 Championship and National Championship games with a knee injury, he was not necessarily a player that opposing offenses were forced to game plan against. That could change in 2009.

Box showed a lot of progress and impressed the coaching staff during his brief stint as a starter in 2008, and he’ll use that conference-play experience to move forward into next season. If Box works hard during the offseason and proves himself during spring and summer practices, he should nab a starting linebacker position and make an eventual and major impact on defense. His major competition at middle linebacker will be oft-injured senior Ryan Reynolds, but look for the coaching staff to find a way to keep Box on the field.

Alcohol Recovery Group A support group for members of the OU community.

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Sports

7

Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2009

Quick Hits

Player to Watch

Player to Watch

STEVE HARLEY

BLAKE GRIFFIN • With Nebraska’s heavily guardoriented offense, sophomore forward Blake Griffin will have plenty of opportunities to score in bunches down low.

Notable Amy Frost/The Daily

Freshman guard Willie Warren drives past USC’s Daniel Hackett in a game on Dec. 4 at Lloyd Noble Center.

• The Sooners lost to Nebraska last year in Lincoln, 63-45.

• Senior guard Steve Harley leads the team in scoring and assists.

He will need to make sure the Nebraska offense doesn’t miss a beat if the Cornhuskers are going to compete with OU.

Notable • The top eight scorers are all guards.

Men’s basketball looks for win No. 18 against Nebraska ERIC DAMA The Oklahoma Daily When Nebraska comes to Lloyd Noble Center tonight to take on the men’s basketball team, the two teams on the floor may not be polar opposites, but they’re pretty close.

Basketball is often a game of match ups. Coaches begin play a chess game using substitutions and play calls to try to control the tempo of the game.

Examples of match ups pitting total opposites against each other are size versus speed or a slow-tempo team against the seven-seconds-orless Phoenix Suns’ style of offense of a few years ago.

The Cornhuskers bring to the table a very different style of play than the more traditional, inside-outside attack employed by the Sooners.

While the Sooners are reliant on sophomore forward Blake Griffin, the Cornhuskers tend to go with a smaller line up.

The key to the game will be which team is able to control the tempo and style of the game.

“They’re tough,” head coach Jeff Capel said. “They’ll defend you. We

Regular Season Basketball

know we’re going to have to guard without fouling. We’re going to have Griffin, and he’ll be looking to continue to provide that when the Sooners take on Nebraska this evening. to contain penetration.”

“My confidence level is a lot higher right now, and I think that has a The Cornhuskers are expected to start four guards which may lot to do with it,” Johnson said. “I’m just doing the explain Capel’s concern about penetration and same thing. I was in a slump for a while, but I think his team getting in foul trouble. It may also have Be There I broke my way through it.” something to do with the fact that the Sooners lost The Cornhuskers are 2-1 in conference play, to Nebraska by 18 points in Lincoln last season.

What: No. 6 OU vs. Nebraska including a win over Missouri and a blowout win “They’re going to be really well prepared,” Capel When: Tonight, 8:05 p.m. over Kansas State on Saturday. Both of Nebraska’s said. “They beat us pretty good [last year]. They Where: Lloyd Noble Center Big 12 victories have come in Lincoln, however. out-toughed us, they outworked us, and that’s the Contact the OU Athletics office for Ticket The Cornhuskers lost 65-53 against Iowa State in same mentality they have every time they step on information. their lone conference road game. the floor.”

Nebraska’s top four scorers average between In their match up last year, OU managed a mea9.0 and 13.0 points per game. To combat that, the ger 12 points in the first half. They went on to score Sooners must move well and slow down, if not 33 second half points, but compared to the numbers they’ve put up this year, their final total of 45 is pretty scanty, too. stop, the quick guards, Capel said.

“We can’t just rely on dribbling,” he said. “We have to move and do Senior guard Austin Johnson, last week’s Big 12 Player of the Week, averaged 17.0 points, 5.5 assists and 3.0 rebounds in OU’s wins over things necessary to help us have a good offense. Defensively we have to keep guys in front, contain three-point shots, contain drives and not Texas and Texas A&M. He provided a constant outside threat when teams double-teamed get in foul trouble.”

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8

Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2009

Sports

Sports world pauses as Obama takes office JOSEPH WHITE AP Sports Writer WASHINGTON — Muhammad Ali and Magic Johnson had prime seats at the Capitol. LeBron James watched from a hotel room in Los Angeles with his two sons. Across the country, coaches rescheduled practices, and even the Super Bowl had to take a back seat Tuesday to the inauguration of Barack Obama.

“This day means a lot to inner-city kids, to African-American kids, to everyone,” said Cleveland Cavaliers star James, who contributed $20,000 to Obama’s campaign but couldn’t attend the swearing-in because his team is on a West Coast road trip.

“This day will last forever. It will be in books. It will be in schools. It will be in classes. It will be on test questions. It means a lot not only on this day, but for the rest of the days to come and the years to come.”

It takes a lot to bring the sports world to a standstill, but there was no ignoring the magnitude of the moment. Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin pushed back his first pre-Super Bowl news conference one hour so it wouldn’t conflict with the inauguration.

“What we’re doing here today pales with what’s going on in our nation’s capital,” Tomlin said.

The Boston Celtics, on the way to Miami for a road game, voted to change their flight schedule and arrive in time for the players to watch the ceremony from their hotel, even though coach Doc Rivers offered to tape it for them.

“They said, ‘No, we want to see it live. We think it’s that important,’” Rivers said. “One of them said, ‘Twenty or 30 years from now, I want to say I saw him speak live when he came in.’ I guess it will be like JFK in a lot of ways. I’m glad our guys have the awareness of real life.”

Guard Ray Allen upped them all, attending the inauguration in person with Celtics owner Steve Pagliuca before joining the team in Florida.

“It was so overwhelming. ... Sitting right in front of the Capitol, all people kept doing was looking behind them,” Allen said. “You could see all the way from the Capitol building to the [Washington] Monument.

You could see millions of people. It was amazing to watch.”

Pagliuca said he was proud to represent a Celtics team that was the first in the NBA to draft a black player and to hire a black coach.

“It was people coming together; kind of a peaceful feeling came over the crowd,” Pagliuca told The Associated Press. “The crowd had a hope and a joy. For that many people to be that peaceful was very moving.”

In Fairfax, Va., George Mason men’s basketball coach Jim Larranaga used “Yes, we can!” as his thought for the day when practice began at 11:30 a.m. He pulled his players off the court 27 minutes later and took them to the locker room to watch the swearing-in and Obama’s speech. The players broke out in applause several times, then returned to finish practice.

Even ESPN deviated from its sports programming to broadcast the swearing-in, and ESPN Classic followed with a 10-hour “Breaking Barriers” marathon featuring African-American athletes such as Arthur Ashe, Jack Johnson and Eddie Robinson.

Sports metaphors were heavily in play. Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino, said he was thrilled by Obama’s speech but noted the challenges the new president is facing.

“I think, unfortunately, he’s taking over a bad program with bad players right now,” Pitino said.

Jason DeCros/AP

In this Sept. 24, 2008, file photo, Former boxing heavyweight champion of the world Muhammad Ali watches from the audience during the opening plenary of the Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting in New York. Ali is scheduled to be an honored guest at Monday’s, Jan. 19, 2009, Bluegrass Ball, a celebration sponsored by the Kentucky Society of Washington.

Kansas City Chiefs coach Herm Edwards watched the inauguration under the same gloomy cloud millions of Americans share — worried that he’s about to lose his job. His team went 6-26 over the last two seasons.

“I think the country has been waiting for something like this,” Edwards said.

“We should all embrace it, regardless of our background — religious, economic, heritage, it doesn’t matter.”

Baseball players found it easier to attend the inauguration because they’re out of season. Free agent — Lebron James reliever LaTroy Hawkins, who had a seat about 100 yards from the Capitol, said he thought of his grandmother, who died in 2006, as he watched Obama take the oath. He said the sports world paid more attention to Obama’s rise because of the proportion of African-Americans on many teams.

“It has to do with race,” Hawkins said. “A lot of African-American

“This day will last forever. It will be in books. It will be in schools. It will be in classes. It will be on test questions. It means a lot not only on this day, but for the rest of the days to come and the years to come.”

people feel now they can relate to someone in the White House, and that somebody in the White House can relate to them. He can understand their struggles. He can understand what it means to be black in the United States.”

New York Mets general manager Omar Minaya also had a good view, not far from singer Alicia Keys.

“I hope all kids will look at today and realize how great a country we have,” said Minaya, who was appointed this month to the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports by outgoing President George W. Bush.

On the other side of the world, tennis star Serena Williams followed pre-inaugural events on television during the Australian Open, although she felt it probably was wiser to tape the inauguration rather than watch it live at 4 a.m. local time.

“I try to stay politically neutral, don’t get involved in worldly matters,” said Williams, who doesn’t vote because she is a Jehovah’s Witness. “For me, because I am black, seeing that happen, I would be blind if I didn’t take interest in it.” — AP ___ AP Sports Writers Tom Withers in Cleveland; Alan Robinson in Pittsburgh; Jimmy Golen in Boston; Will Graves in Louisville, Ky.; Doug Tucker in Kansas City, Mo.; and John Pye in Melbourne, Australia; and AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum in New York contributed to this report.

Luke Atkinson, L&A editor dailyent@ou.edu phone: 325-5189, fax: 325-6051 For more, go to oudaily.com.

Life & Arts

9

Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2009

National anthem needs change I went to the movies a few weeks ago to see the new Tom Cruise film. It sucked. It’s funny, sandwiched between a commercial advertising the online purchase of movie tickets and some dude singing about the joy of Coca-Cola, was something that kind of surprised me: a recruitment video for the U.S. National Guard.

But this was no ordinary recruitment video; it was quasi-music video for somehow-stillADAM around alternative KOHUT rock band “3 Doors Down.” The song they performed was called “Citizen/Soldier;” the music video depicted a solider fighting off the British in the beginnings of the Revolutionary War — a period in which the United States did not have a National Guard — and a soldier who finds a lost child in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. He also holds a deflated football and looks sad.

What surprised me about “Citizen/ Soldier,” however, was not the blatant glorification of the United States military (joining the military sure seems like a quicker way to sign your own death warrant than a prolonged battle with lung cancer, yet cigarettes are banned from the world of television advertising), it was the choice of a band like “3 Doors Down” to lure (I’m assuming) young people into a life of camouflage jumpsuits and close-cropped haircuts.

Now, I am not going to argue the popularity of “3 Doors Down”. The band has released five albums, three of which have gone platinum (2000’s “The Better Life” sold 6 million copies; 2002’s “Away from the Sun” sold 4 million). But who listens to them? Just about everyone I talk to insists they do not like them.

But these people are obviously out there. There are (apparently) millions of cock rock fans lurking in the shadows of Best Buy, waiting to snatch up Creed’s latest “Greatest Hits” album or Nickelback’s newest release, and they have made the guys in these bands very rich and very famous. Still, a track like “Citizen/Soldier” does not possess the transcendental qualities necessary to attract a large audience for the National Guard. Someone, somewhere along the line, screwed up big time.

It is not just the National Guard with

a mess on their hands, either; it is the entire United States. In addition to having a terrible military recruitment song, this country has another musical number that is in desperate need of change: the national anthem.

I am in no way attempting to sound unpatriotic, but “The Star-Spangled Banner” is simply a bad song. In fact, it sucks; it doesn’t even have a chorus. It is my second least favorite song, directly preceded by Buckcherry’s “Crazy Bitch.”

The national anthem is also a one-hit wonder. What else has Francis Scott Key ever done? He is the Lou Bega of the early 1800s (although “Mambo #5” is not timeless, and “The Star-Spangled Banner” is).

Assuming we agree “The StarSpangled Banner” needs to go, I have selected a potential replacement, according to three criteria.

First, because of the “SSB’s” popularity, the new national anthem must be

Axl Rose would never try to take over the United States. He only wants to take over our airwaves. popular as well. In other words, it needs to be a hit single from a widely known band. The song must be recognizable by all generations. The lyrics also must be able to be easily learned and remembered.

Second, the song must have been written and performed by an American band.

This stipulation eliminates many obvious choices, one being “Sirius/Eye in the Sky” by The Alan Parsons Project (better known as the Chicago Bulls’ opening theme), The Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter” is also (disappointingly) out of the picture (war, after all, is just a shot away). Anything from Led Zeppelin, The Beatles and AC/DC is forbidden as well.

Finally, our new national anthem needs to send the appropriate message.

It needs to tell other countries that we are the United States, we are badass and we will not take your shit. These are not nec-

essarily my views, but it’s basically what “The Star-Spangled Banner” is saying.

This is why our new national anthem must be Guns N’ Roses’ “Welcome to the Jungle,” off 1987’s “Appetite for Destruction.”

Everyone knows Guns N’ Roses, probably because of “Welcome to the Jungle.”

If I played the song for my mom — a woman who regularly listens to the soundtrack from “Wicked” — and asked her to name that tune (and the band who performed it), I’m confident she could do it. My grandparents could as well.

Guns N’ Roses was formed in Los Angeles, Calif. They are completely American (and completely eligible to be the performers of our new national anthem). Axl Rose would never try to take over the United States. He only wants to take over the airwaves.

“Welcome to the Jungle’s” lyrics fit the attitude the United States wishes to convey nearly perfectly. Originally written about Los Angeles through a newcomer’s eyes, “Welcome to the Jungle” tells the listener anything they want is available to them, so long as they possess the cash to pay for it. In other words, “you can taste the bright lights/ but you won’t get them for free.”

This is very true. In the United States, everything is within reach. At the same time, our society is cutthroat. We are engaged in a constant struggle to reach the top and stay there.

“Welcome to the Jungle” is also inherently aggressive. The jungle — or the United States — will bring you to your knees. It wants to watch you bleed.

You’re in the jungle, baby, and you’re gonna die (should you cross us).

The song ends with a final warning to would-be enemies of the States: “ [The United States is] gonna bring you down.”

This is followed by a taunt (“Ha!”).

Now, imagine attending the next sports game you attend. Envision rising to your feet and gazing at the red, white and blue as the first notes of “Welcome to the Jungle’s” opening riff begin to blare over the stadium’s speakers. Imagine Slash and Axl Rose having an active role in fostering patriotism for the United States.

Now place your hand over your heart and proceed to headbang.

–ADAM KOHUT IS A PROFESSIONAL WRITING SENIOR.

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AP photo

William Balfour, the man accused of killing the mother, brother and nephew of Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Hudson.

Balfour pleads not guilty CHICAGO (AP) — Jennifer Hudson's brother-in-law pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges he shot to death the Oscar-winning actress's mother and brother and the 7-year-old son of his estranged wife.

William Balfour, 27, entered not guilty pleas to first-degree murder and home invasion charges after nodding to members of his family gathered in the last of three Cook County courtrooms he appeared in Tuesday.

Balfour is married to Jennifer Hudson's sister, Julia Hudson. He is charged in the October deaths of the sisters' mother, Darnell Donerson, their brother, Jason Hudson, and Julia Hudson's 7-year-old son, Julian King.

Prosecutors allege Balfour shot the three in a jealous rage because he was upset Julia Hudson had been dating another man.

Prosecutors first asked the case be reassigned to another judge, though they did not give a reason. Presiding Judge Paul P. Biebel Jr. then reassigned the case and Balfour entered his plea in the final courtroom.

Defense attorney Joshua Kutnick said he plans to ask at Balfour's next court appearance, set for Jan. 27, that Balfour be moved from a state prison in Joliet to Cook County Jail to make it easier to meet with him.

The bodies of Donerson and Jason Hudson were discovered Oct. 24 at the family's South Side home. King's body was found three days later in an SUV on the city's West Side.

Balfour was arrested shortly after the killings and held in Chicago police custody for 48 hours — the longest a person can be held without charges — before his transfer to state custody on what authorities said was a parole violation. He was charged with murder last month.

A publicist for Jennifer Hudson declined to comment Tuesday. She was a finalist in the 2004 season of "American Idol" and won her Oscar in 2007 for her supporting role in "Dreamgirls."

The 27-year-old singer and actress released her self-titled debut album in the fall but hasn't made public appearances since the killings.

Hudson is expected to sing the national anthem at the Super Bowl on Feb. 1, and she is nominated for four awards at the Feb. 8 Grammy Awards.

–AP

10

Life & Arts

Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2009

Lizzy Brooks/The Daily

Junior drama major Jordan Brodess (second from right) stands with filmmakers Ursula Devine and Joseph Campo and co-star Dustin Patterson (right) after the OU Premiere of The Art of Kissing Monday evening at Meacham Auditorium.

Campo shows off their Best Oklahoma Film Award from the third annual Trail Dance Film Festival.

‘Art of Kissing’ packs Meacham • OU alumni produce, direct independent film A near capacity crowd got schooled in how to smooch and how to shoot a film Monday night in Meacham Auditorium with the premiere of “The Art of Kissing,” a feature film made by OU alumni.

Joseph Campo, 2008 drama graduate, directed the film, and Ursula Devine, 2008 professional writing master’s graduate, produced it. “The Art of Kissing” folDUSTY lows the trials of Arthur Bennett, SOMERS a college freshman who has yet to pucker up with someone special.

“This is a very special evening,” said Andrew Horton, professor in the film and video studies program and an associate producer on the film. “I believe strongly you can make a good film without millions of dollars or tons of special effects.”

The film was largely shot on OU’s campus, with a significant portion of the equipment provided by the school of drama. The filmmakers were given an entire dorm floor to shoot on and full access to a wide range of campus locations, Campo said.

“I don’t know if any other university would’ve been as generous as this one,” Devine said.

Monday night marked the first time the film had been shown to a large audience.

“We’re crapping in our pants because we haven’t shown it to [hardly] anyone,” Campo said before the film.

“The Art of Kissing” opens with Arthur (Jordan Brodess) coming to generic Mid-Central State University; overbearing mother (Judith Midyett), dopey father (Darryl Cox) and bratty younger sis-

ter (Magen Mattox) in tow. Arthur is embarrassed quickly by his mom’s safety paranoia (she’s worried about Internet-related electrocutions) and his dad’s bumbling attempts at advice (a well-intentioned chat about the birds and the bees goes south quickly).

Still, Arthur has bigger problems on his hands after his rambunctious roommate Andy (Dustin Patterson) finds out about his lack of necking experience, and proceeds to post the information on the school’s personals page.

Soon, Arthur is being chased by hordes of sorority girls eager to help him out, but he’s not too keen on the idea, leading to a number of silly chase scenes featuring him diving behind bushes.

“The Art of Kissing” is familiar fare, but the material is lifted by the eagerness the filmmakers obviously felt for the project, and the generally appealing performances by the mostly amateur actors.

Brodess was a nice casting find, and displays the kind of haplessness that his character requires with ease.

Cox, a professor in the film and video studies program, and Midyett are also both quite funny as Arthur’s parents.

There are a few distracting anachronisms (Long lines for enrollment? Does everyone fear the Internet like Mrs. Bennett?) and the ending comes rather abruptly, but “The Art of Kissing” is a winning independent film, and given the financial and time restrictions – $30,000 and 18 days – quite an accomplishment.

The film recently won Best Oklahoma Film at the Trail Dance Film Festival in Duncan. It was a great learning experience on how to make a film, Campo said.

“I think there’s a lesson here,” Horton said as the evening wrapped up. “There ain’t no one way. Go out and try it.”

AP Photo

In a Nov. 13, 2007, file photo actor Heath Ledger attends a special Cinema Society and Hogan hosted screening of “I’m Not There” at the Chelsea West Cinemas in New York. The $87 million, 575-seat Heath Ledger Theater in the capital, Perth, was named after the actor.

Alleged late actor’s drug tape case over in Los Angeles court ANTHONY MCCARTNEY Associated Press LOS ANGELES — The legal battle over a video that purportedly shows Heath Ledger doing drugs two years before his death has ended, an attorney said Tuesday.

Neville Johnson, an attorney for the former People magazine freelancer who briefly appears on the tape and later sued to get it destroyed, did not disclose terms of the arrangement. He would only say, “The matter has been resolved.”

Johnson filed the lawsuit in April on behalf of the reporter, identified only as Jane Doe. An attorney for Splash News & Picture Agency, the paparazzi firm that surreptitiously shot Ledger in the freelancer’s hotel room in 2006, said Tuesday he could not comment.

The video surfaced after Ledger’s death last January. “Entertainment Tonight” had plans to air part of the footage and showed a teaser, but backed off after receiving pressure from stars and publicists. The full video

eventually surfaced on the Internet, but became increasingly difficult to find over time. On it, Ledger is heard talking about his wife and daughter and prior drug use.

Splash had contended throughout the case that the reporter did not have a valid claim since her face in the tape was blurred. They argued that only Ledger could claim wrongdoing, and his privacy rights died with him. A judge initially agreed with the argument, but later restored many of the suit’s allegations.

A judge recently rejected motions by Johnson to inspect Splash’s computer and e-mail records and take the deposition of the shooter, who now lives in Japan.

Johnson had sought to question the man about who paid for the drugs that appeared in the video. The reporter’s lawsuit contended that Splash’s employees provided the drugs to Ledger.

Another case seeking the release of Ledger’s $10 million life insurance payout to his daughter, Matilda Rose, is currently scheduled for an August trial in Los Angeles Superior Court.

– DUSTY SOMERS IS A JOURNALISM JUNIOR

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National News

Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2009

11

Kenyans celebrate Obama’s presidency NAIROBI, Kenya — From the shantytowns of Kenya’s capital to the rural homestead of Barack Obama’s relatives, thousands of Kenyans slaughtered goats, hoisted American flags and partied into the night Tuesday as a man they see as one of their own ascended to the world’s most powerful office.

In Nairobi’s sprawling Kibera slum, residents raised a U.S. flag and declared Kenya to be America’s 51st state. In the village of Kogelo, where Obama’s father was born and some family members still live, 5,000 people gathered as 10 bulls and six goats were slaughtered for a luxurious feast at a time when the country is enduring a crippling food crisis. Women dressed in colorful print cloths performed traditional dances to the rhythms of cowhide drums.

“Yes, yes, yes!” shouted Maurice Odoyo, 34, joining hundreds of people trying to catch a glimpse of Obama’s speech on a 12-inch television set up in a clearing in Kibera, one of Africa’s largest slums. “His father comes from this country. Obama will remember us, how we are suffering.”

The election of a black American president with African roots stands as a powerful symbol on a continent where so many people’s hopes are hobbled by crushing poverty and corruption.

And in Kenya, a struggling country of 38 million riven a year ago by a deadly postelection crisis, Obama’s presidency was a source of pride and inspiration.

Kibera is a stark reminder of the poverty in a country where one in five people get by on less than a dollar a day. The slum is a maze of tin-roofed shacks where raw sewage flows through dirt tracks. On Tuesday, children wearing Obama T-shirts huddled by a bonfire to keep warm.

Despite Kenya’s problems, Obama’s victory has enthralled the nation.

“We missed the Kenyan presidency but we got a bigger one, the American throne,” Seth Oloo, a physician in the western town of Kisumu, told The Associated Press.

Obama was born in Hawaii, where he spent most of his childhood raised by his mother, a white American from Kansas. He barely knew his late father, an economist from Kogelo. Obama

“I hope my girl will grow as tough as Michelle.”

Kenyan Christine Aoko has visited his Kenyan relatives three times there, and his stepgrandmother, Sarah, and other relatives traveled to Washington for the inauguration. She says they are close, although they have to speak through an interpreter.

Since Obama was elected, the road to Kogelo has been tarred and the government has brought in electricity and water. Local youths hope Obama will bring factories for them to work in.

Samuel Omondi said if Obama could bring such changes, he was welcome to take over from his own country’s scandalwracked government.

“I hope Kenya to be one of the American states,” the 33-yearold Kogelo resident said.

At the biggest hospital in nearby Kisumu, Christine Aoko named her newborn daughter Michelle, after Obama’s wife.

“I hope my girl will grow as tough as Michelle,” Aoko said.

Nairobi’s popular Carnivore restaurant, where tourists dine on alligator and giraffe, ordered an extra 240 crates of beer for partygoers watching the inauguration.

But many caution against placing too much hope in the idea that Obama will make Africa a top priority.

“It is lost on many of us that despite his Kenyan roots, Barack Obama is as American as apple pie, and will never be president of Kenya,” said a column in Kenya’s Daily Nation newspaper.

“True, he does have an attachment to this country, but it would be foolish of us to wait for him to direct Air Force One and the entire American fleet to bring goodies to our starving shores.”

AP Photo

— AP Kenyans gather in Tuesday in Kisumu, Kenya, to celebrate the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States.

Historic moment unfolds in frigid temperatures

AP Photo

President-elect Barack Obama takes the oath of office from Chief Justice John Roberts to become the 44th President of the United States on Tuesday on Capitol Hill in Washington.

WASHINGTON — The National Mall pulsed with celebration and history Tuesday as a vast, excited crowd bore witness to a transfer of power like none other.

Energized by Barack Obama’s moment, hundreds of thousands of people, likely to end up at more than 1 million, clogged the scene, cheering the dignitaries as they filed onto the inaugural stand at the Capitol.

Obama walked quietly and with the merest stirring of a smile through the halls to his position on the stand and his place in history as the first black president.

The crowd erupted in jubilation as he strode out.

Trumpets blared. Former Presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush, the latter walking haltingly with a cane, embraced.

Enduring below-freezing temperatures for hours, people streamed from subway stations and thronged past parked buses, emergency vehicles and street vendors to Pennsylvania Avenue and the National Mall for the inauguration. Ticket holders approaching the inaugural site filed through security sweeps in lines coiled like cinnamon rolls.

The shattering of racial barriers with the inauguration of the first black president lent a deeply personal dimension for many in the crowd as well as a historical landmark for all.

“I’ve been real emotional all morning thinking about my grandmother and the heroes whose shoulders we stand on,” said Lyshundria Houston, 34, here from Memphis, Tenn., after more than 20 hours of travel. Houston, who is black, said: “They’d be so proud.”

Coming from the city where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, she reflected on the civil rights

movement on her way to the parade, and said: “Sometimes that makes the cold go away.”

At the Capitol, a plexiglass shield extended about two feet up from the balustrade around the speaker’s platform. Muhammad Ali took his seat on the platform, as did actor John Cusack and director Stephen Spielberg. A huge cheer rose from the Mall as the image of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy flashed on jumbo TV screens showing the veteran Massachusetts Democrat, who is fighting brain cancer, heading toward his seat on the inauguration stand.

The district fire department responded to dozens of calls from people falling down or complaining of the being cold, D.C. fire and EMS department spokesman Alan Etter said. About two dozen were hospitalized.

Etter said medical personnel were having trouble getting to people quickly around the mall because of the throngs of people, but he added that everyone who needed help has eventually received treatment.

“Obviously the crush of people downtown is making it very challenging,” Etter said. “We’re doing the best we can.”

By 4 a.m., lines of riders had already formed in suburban parking lots for the Metro transit system, which opened early and put on extra trains for the expected rush. Many parking lots filled up and had to be closed.

Streets around the Capitol quickly filled with people, and security checkpoints were mobbed. The cold registered at a frosty 25 degrees Fahrenheit at late morning.

— AP

Defense: Prosecutors want to pause Guantanamo Bay trials GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba — Guantanamo prosecutors want to put the war crimes trials on hold while the future of the widely criticized tribunals remains in doubt, military defense lawyers said Tuesday.

Prosecutors want an indefinite continuance of all pending cases while President Barack Obama’s administration reviews the military commissions system and the legal alternatives for prosecuting suspected terrorists, said Navy Lt. Cmdr. William Kuebler, a military defense lawyer who represents a Canadian being tried before the tribunals.

Air Force Col. Peter Masciola, the chief defense counsel for the Guantanamo military commissions,

said the chief prosecutor, Army Col. Lawrence Morris, called him to discuss the proposal. Defense lawyers oppose an indefinite stay and would challenge the motion if filed, fearing it is a bid to buy time to preserve the system.

Defense lawyers want to scrap the Guantanamo military commissions and have pending charges formally withdrawn without prejudice, which would allow authorities to refile them later in a traditional U.S. military court martial, a civilian court or a combination, Masciola said.

The military has charges pending against 21 men and officials had said they intended to charge dozens more.

“It appears to be an ongoing last ditch effort to save this disgusting mess,”

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Masciola said. “They don’t, like us, think the commissions process is fundamentally flawed.”

Navy Cmdr. Jeffrey Gordon, a Pentagon spokesman, declined to confirm the defense attorney accounts, saying: “We do not discuss internal consultations among the trial parties.”

A spokesman for the military commissions said the chief prosecutor was not immediately available to comment.

Both sides are scheduled to reconvene Wednesday for more pretrial hearings in two cases — the trial of five men charged in the Sept. 11 attacks and Omar Khadr, a Canadian accused of killing a U.S. soldier in Afghanistan — and “will continue until directed otherwise,” Gordon said.

Kuebler, who represents Khadr, said the military judges are likely to reject an indefinite stay. Some defendants might also oppose the idea, including the Sept.

11 suspects, who have said they want to plead guilty to charges that carry a potential death sentence.

The proposed indefinite delay, Kuebler said, seems like an effort to buy time in hopes of finding a way to preserve the system.

“It appears to be an ongoing last ditch effort to save this disgusting mess,” he said.

The behind-the-scenes maneuvering came on the day a military judge adjourned the war crimes court just before Obama was sworn in by noting the future of the commissions is in

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doubt. The hearings were dismissed until Wednesday “unless otherwise ordered.”

Obama has said he will close Guantanamo and many expect he will suspend the widely criticized war-crimes trials created by former President George W. Bush and Congress in 2006.

Obama’s nominee for attorney general has said the so-called military commissions lack sufficient legal protections for defendants and that they could be tried in the United States.

Despite the doubts about its future, military judges decided to press on with this week’s session, perhaps the last to be held at the U.S. base in Cuba.

— AP

12

Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2009

PLACE AN AD Phone 405.325.2521

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Announcements ENTERTAINMENT FEMALE SINGER NEEDED Local Recording/Publishing/Production Company seeking fresh, sound to develop into possible solo/collaborative projects. Song writing and live performance skills important. Please call 405945-1959 or e-mail us studio115norman@yahoo. com.

C Transportation AUTO INSURANCE

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

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Place your classified line ad by 9 a.m., Monday-Friday to run in the next issue.

Display Ad. . . . .3 days prior Classified Display or Classified Card Ad are due 3 days prior to publication date.

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Credit Accounts Businesses may be eligible for credit in a limited, local billing area. Please inquire with Business Office at 405.325.2521.

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1 day ............. $4.25/line 2 days ........... $2.50/line 3-4 days........ $2.00/line 5-9 days........ $1.50/line 10-14 days.... $1.15/line 15-19 days.... $1.00/line 20-29 days.... $ .90/line 30+ days ..... $ .85/line

HELP WANTED Innovative Court Solutions seeks P/T Male Drug Tester. Flexible hours. Contact 329-9100 for more information.

Norman Zoo Tour Guides needed, flexible with your class schedule. For info call 366-7229.

Have the summer of your life at a prestigious coed sleepaway camp in the beautiful Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania, 2 1/2 hours from NYC. We’re seeking counselors who can teach any team & individual sports, tennis, gymnastics, horseback riding, mt. biking, theatre, tech theatre, circus, magic, arts & crafts, pioneering, climbing tower, water sports, music, dance, or science.

Great salaries and perks. Plenty of free time, internships available for many majors. On campus interviews on 1/28/2009. Apply online at www. islandlake.com. Call 800-869-6083 between 9 & 5 eastern time on weekdays for more information. info@islandlake.com.

J Housing Rentals

HOUSES UNFURNISHED 3 room efficiency, 413 Elm,$395/mo, bills paid, one year lease, smoke-free no pets. Call 3603850.

AVAILABLE IN MAY A short walk to OU, 1-5 blks west of OU, nice brick homes, wood floors, CH/A, w/d, disposal, good parking.

3 Bdrm $1200-1800 2 Bdrm $700-$900 1 Bdrm $420-$460 MISTER ROBERT FURNITURE 9-4 pm, Mon-Sat, 321-1818

FETCH THIS PAPER YOURSELF TAKE A SMALL STEP TO GET HEALTHY www.smallstep.gov

Employment HELP WANTED

$5,000-$45,000 PAID. EGG DONORS for up to 9 donations, + Exps, non-smokers, Ages 19-29, SAT>1100/ACT>24/GPA>3.00 Contact: info@eggdonorcenter.com Bartending! Up to $250/day. No exp nec. Training provided. 1-800-965-6520, x133.

Mystery shoppers wanted for easy tanning salon assignments! National market research company seeks individuals to complete assignments for a local tanning salon chain and other retailers. tanning session reimbursed for completion of online survey. Please apply at www.bestmark.com Now hiring lifeguard, swim instructors, and AM pool managers. Apply at the Cleveland County Family YMCA, 1350 Lexington Ave. EOE.

High School diploma and additional education at a college or technical school level req. Law school student preferred. Valid OK drivers license & satisfactory motor vehicle record. Knowledge of courtroom proceedings and practices. $7.75/ hr. Work Period: 15 hours per week maximum.

Approximately 10 hours in the courtroom Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday afternoons and 5 hours serving processes. Selected applicants must pass a background investigation and drug screen. Application deadline: Open recruitment.

Obtain application at: 201-C West Gray, Human Resources Dept., City of Norman, 3665482, Web: www.normanok.gov. EOE/AA.

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.

The onset of eye disease may not Wanted: Enthusiastic, Motivated Individuals.

As a leader in community banking, Republic Bank & Trust is committed to providing a unique, quality experience to our customers, community, and bankers. We currently have the following positions available: PT Courier, M-F 2:00-8:00pm; must be 21 years of age and have a clean driving record for insurance purposes. Applicants are encouraged to apply in person at 401 W. Main, Norman, Ok. Republic is an EOE. NOW HIRING! CHEDDAR’S RESTAURANT! Need energetic, motivated individuals to work in high paced environment, hiring all positions, great pay and benefits! Accepting applications NOW, apply within, 1300 24th Ave NW, Norman, intersection of Robinson & 24th (just south of the Super Target.)

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

Recreation Leader (PPT) Parks and Recreation 12th Ave Recreation Center Must be at least 16 years of age. Experience working with youths in a recreational atmosphere. $9.70/ hr. Work period: May vary. Must be able to work a minimum of 15 to 20 hours per week.

35 hours during the summer. Monday - Friday 2:30-6:00 pm during the school year. Application deadline : Open recruitment. Obtain application at: 201-C West Gray, Human Resources Dept., City of Norman. 366-5482, Web: www.normanok.gov. EOE/AA

APTS. UNFURNISHED 1 BLK FROM OU, very nice 4 room apt. 800 sf, wood floors, 1014 S College, Apt 6, $300/mo.

Call 360-2873 or 306-1970.

be as visible as the appearance of new wrinkles. An eye doctor can spot the early warning signs of vision problems like glaucoma and macular

NEAR OU, privacy, $260, bills paid includes cable, neat, clean, parking. Prefer male student.

Call 329-0143.

3 bd LOFT downtown Norman above Mister Robert Funiture, 109 E Main, $1200/mo, water & gas paid. BOB at Mister Robert Furniture, 321-1818.

degeneration, as well as other serious health conditions such as diabetes and hypertension. Early detection is key.

For men and women over 40, it might be wise to look into your eyes. For more

1 week only 2 bd/2bth 1000 sq. ft. includes FREE covered parking. Rate was $610 NOW $569. Offer exp 1/25/09. Call today before they are gone 366-0999.

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1

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

Previous Solution 5 6 1 3 9 7 8 4 2

8 2 3 6 1 4 5 7 9

4 7 9 8 2 5 6 3 1

3 5 7 2 6 8 9 1 4

2 8 6 1 4 9 3 5 7

1 9 4 7 5 3 2 6 8

9 1 2 4 3 6 7 8 5

6 4 8 5 7 2 1 9 3

7 3 5 9 8 1 4 2 6

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 January 21, 2009

Classified Display Ads

ACROSS 1 Honey bunch?

5 Basin blocker 9 Underground explorer 14 Linchpin’s setting 15 Bereft 16 St. Teresa’s birthplace 17 Hope/ Crosby film destination 18 Early South American empire 19 Best Picture winner of 1976 20 Spielberg TV anthology 23 Canal of renown 24 Unburden 25 Sympathetic attention 28 Estate extent 31 Bonobo, e.g.

34 Travel method 36 Vladimir Nabokov novel 37 “Take ___ from me!” (“Here’s some advice”) 38 Wendy Wasserstein play (with “The”) 42 A.D. word 43 “Diamond ___” 44 Cool, in the ‘50s 45 Certain voice vote 46 Eschew the landfill

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

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small step no. 34

Deputy Marshal (Part Time) Municipal Court

TM

Payment

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R.T. Conwell, advertising manager classifieds@ou.edu phone: 325-2521, fax: 325-7517 For more, go to oudaily.com.

49 Seuss character 50 Swinger’s selection 51 Pull down, so to speak 53 Nathaniel Hawthorne work 60 Bad thing to have in one’s armor 61 Bibliography notation 62 ___ voce 63 Burn, as hair 64 Unabetted 65 Service ender 66 Useful talent 67 Salacious look 68 Front the money DOWN 1 “Ali ___ and the Forty Thieves” 2 Academic challenge 3 Legend of scat 4 Take without asking 5 Certain medical facility 6 More protracted 7 Pursuers of the Fellowship of the Ring 8 Airborne pest 9 Stephen King classic 10 Give a wide berth to 11 Smoking or drinking, for many

12 Benevolent beasts?

13 Loser to “Million Dollar Baby” for Best Picture 21 Rial big spender?

22 The Phantom’s instrument 25 Actor Hawke of “Alive” 26 Where gladiators battled 27 Pouring cats and dogs 29 Before the bell 30 Bother, to the bard 31 Book filled with legends 32 Vatican masterpiece 33 English Derby town 35 Words to a preacher 37 Top gun 39 Boyer of the Yankees

40 Bad sound to make during a sobriety test 41 Utterly lethargic 46 Loud music, to some 47 First name in Canadian pop stars 48 Route to the roof 50 Overindulgence 52 Type of blockade 53 What you’re looking at 54 Team data 55 Spot for 10 spots 56 Wind up on the stage?

57 Sorbet choice 58 With no ends sticking out 59 Contents of some banks 60 Richmond was its cap.

PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

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13

Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2009

Mail-hoarding carriers uncommon but embarrassing

AP Photo

In this undated photo released by the U.S. Postal Service, undelivered third-class mail is shown at the home of a postal carrier. Several mail carriers have been accused of failing to carry out their appointed rounds.

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 listed are innocent until proven guilty.

DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE Patrick Douglass Nesbitt, 20, 300 West Boyd St., also possession of drug paraphernalia, Saturday Christina Maria Singletary, 38, 1800 156th Ave. NE, Monday

PEEPING TOM Aaron Francis Clagget, 34, 730 Stinson St., Sunday

James Earl Shockley, 26, 101 S Andover Dr., Monday

COUNTY WARRANT Levi Clayton Eden, 23, East Main Street, Monday Terry Warren Jarlsburg, 61, 1530 E Lindsey St., Monday

PUBLIC INTOXICATION Joshua Eugene Lee, 22, 3500 Bob Bush Dr., also assault and battery upon a police officer, Monday

TODAY MEN’S BASKETBALL OU will play Nebraska at 8 p.m. at the Lloyd Noble Center.

Hull, 34, and her attorney had no comment after the guilty plea. The maximum penalty is a year in prison, but Hull is hoping for probation.

The Postal Service says there were 333 cases of theft, delay or destruction of mail by employees or contractors filed in the fiscal year that ended Sept.. 30.

Some involve just a single piece of mail, such as money or gift cards taken from an envelope. A California postal manager was sentenced to 18 months in prison for stealing thousands of DVDs. More than 600,000 postal employees in March received a reminder in their pay statement that delaying, stealing or throwing away mail is a crime. “You don’t have to be a genius to know,” it read with an image of Albert Einstein.

“It’s not a systemic issue; the majority of employees are hardworking and honest,” said Agapi Doulaveris, spokeswoman for the Postal Service’s internal investigators.

Postal Service spokesman Gerry McKiernan said steadily decreasing mail volume — down by 9 billion pieces in the last fiscal year — and route changes should help alleviate any stress felt by carriers.

In North Dakota, prosecutors will recommend probation for Allen Prochnow, 62, when he is sentenced in March for delaying and destroying mail. Four tons of mail — up to 10 years old — was removed from his house in Wahpeton, including 3,000 pieces of first-class mail.

“He’d see a magazine he’d like to read and pretty soon it was quite a bit of mail,” defense

STATE BRIEFLY Oklahoma still tied to oil-gas taxes OKLAHOMA CITY — As the nation tries to wean itself from dependence on foreign oil, Oklahoma’s dependence on oil and gas revenue to fund state government programs appears to be increasing.

This worries state treasurer Scott Meacham, who points to the volatility in the oil and natural gas markets.

In 2008, 14 percent of the state budget, or $825 million, was derived for oil and gas taxes. That’s up from 12 percent the previous year.

Phased-in state income tax cuts over the last few years has contributed to the increase in the dependence on oil and gas revenue for state programs and services.

MOLESTING PROPERTY

Memorial museum remains closed after flood

Kevin Joseph McCarthy, 33, 401 12th Ave. SE, Monday

OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum remains closed four days after a mechanical malfunction caused water to pour through the official repository for the Oklahoma City bombing.

A problem with a rooftop air handler Friday caused the leak.

Spokeswoman Kari Watkins said Tuesday that no artifacts were lost because of the water leak.

Contractors have brought in more than 20 industrial dehumidifiers and fans and pulled up carpeting to speed the drying process. Electrical and air conditioning work

MUNICIPAL WARRANT

CAMPUS NOTES

DETROIT — Some of those who are supposed to endure the snow, rain and gloom of night to deliver the mail have resorted to hiding tons of it in garages, a self-storage unit and the dark of their basements.

Carriers from North Dakota to North Carolina have been hauled in recently for hoarding mail. Though the U.S. Postal Service says the offense is rare, it smacks at the agency’s image.

“I heard a couple of people come in and say, ‘Can I pick up my mail — or is it in storage?’” said Annette Koss, the postmaster in Howell, 50 miles northwest of Detroit. A former carrier there, Jill Hull, pleaded guilty Tuesday to deserting the mail, a misdemeanor.

The part-time, fill-in carrier had kept thousands of pieces of unopened mail, including 988 first-class letters, in a self-storage unit that managers opened in September after she failed to pay her bill. Some of the mail had postmarks from 2005.

“We just didn’t understand it,” Koss said.

“It’s such a stupid thing to do.”

During a brief hearing in federal court in Detroit, Hull simply said, “I was unable to deliver all the mail.” A postal investigator said in a court filing that Hull had intended to catch up with late payments and apparently keep the mail under lock and key until she died.

No one on the rural route had complained about any missing mail.

“Looking back at her time sheets, she was leaving early everyday,” said Koss, who became postmaster shortly after the discovery.

“It’s like it got dark and she didn’t know what to do with the mail.”

SCHOOL OF MUSIC The concert “Ethnic Signatures” is at 8 p.m. at Catlett Music Center’s Pitman Recital Hall.

Rossitza Jekova-Goza, violin, and Stephanie Leon Shames, piano, will perform. The concert includes Jewish, Eastern European, Finnish and American music.

“We just didn’t understand it. It’s such a stupid thing to do.”

Postmaster Annette Koss lawyer John Goff said. “A lot of it was piled neatly along walls in the house. In his own mind he was building a bunker. ... His most frequent answer has been, ‘I don’t know why.’”

A tip from a meter reader led authorities last year to the home of Steven Padgett, 59, a carrier who delivered in the Apex, N.C., area.

Authorities used four trucks to remove thirdclass mail that had been stashed in his garage for six years.

Padgett felt “it was almost a relief to get caught,” defense lawyer Andrew McCoppin said in a court filing.

“He denied that it stemmed from an antijunk mail moral protest. It seems more likely that this man ... could not admit to himself or his employer that he was beginning to have difficulty getting the job done,” McCoppin said.

Padgett was placed on probation and fined $3,000 — a penalty that was mostly paid by MailChimp, an Atlanta company that specializes in marketing through e-mail, not traditional mail.

“We’re doing everything we can to stop junk mail. We can relate” with Padgett, said cofounder Ben Chestnut, tongue-in-cheek.

—AP

is also being performed.

The museum houses almost a million artifacts, documents, images, artwork and other items related to the bombing of Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building.

Tulsa firefighters under investigation TULSA — The city of Tulsa is investigating whether some firefighters falsified their participation in training courses necessary to keep their paramedic or emergency medical technician licenses.

Fire Chief Allen LaCroix said Monday it appears some firefighters reported that they had attended continuing education classes but wrote down incorrect dates for their training. The classes are required to maintain their status as EMT’s.

“I’m not an EMT, or a first responder,” LaCroix said. “All I knew was that I was being told that we were doing our job. With me not being a part of the process, I didn’t know how the process actually worked, but I should have known. It’s a black eye for the department, but it will make us a better department when this is over.”

— AP

HOROSCOPE

By Bernice Bede Osol

Copyright 2008, Newspaper Enterprise Assn.

Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2009 AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) -- Although you aren’t usually an emotional person, these kinds of interactions with others will be very important to you. Contacts between you and your friends are apt to be deeper than usual.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) -- People you meet for the first time will be exceptionally impressed by your warm personality. The lesson to be learned is that good things can result when you are more open and sociable.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) -The odds are tilted in your favor when it comes to competitive situations. People in general are a bit emotional, and this is the realm that you understand and can control better than they.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -- If you need comfort from the demands of the world, this is a good time to seek out a private place or request the company of someone you find pleasant to be around

ARIES (March 21-April 19) -- There could be strong, restless urges within you to get away from routine situations and do something different, but this can be done in different ways. Try the mental route rather than the physical one.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) -Listen to your gut feelings when communicating about personal considerations, and you won’t lose your objectivity. Your usual casual conversations can get rather emotional when talking about yourself.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) -- Emotional tendencies are apt to be far more intense than usual, and you might be drawn to people who have a strong influence over your moods and feelings. Be careful that you don’t get possessive.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) -Lady Luck generally favors you, but if you start to confuse your needs with how many financial properties you possess, you might not take advantage of her offerings.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) -- Maintaining a degree of detachment and objectivity will be far more difficult than usual, so take care that you don’t get yourself involved in any kind of manipulation of feelings.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) -- Because you are likely to find greater enjoyment in your work than usual when involved with a creative endeavor, you’ll easily be much more productive than usual in the process.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) -- Personal and subjective considerations could override all other factors, making you feel an unnatural sensitivity to people or things. Your emotional sensors might be tuned up a bit too high.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- You’ll be far more effective if you can quietly stay in the background, where you can keep your pulse on events without anyone noticing. The less you say, the more you’ll learn.

14

Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2009

Don’t Miss

the Chance to Nominate an OU Professor, Staff Member or Student for a $20,000 prize!

All undergraduate, graduate and professional students as well as full-time faculty and staff members on OU’s Norman, Oklahoma City and Tulsa campuses are eligible to be nominated for the $20,000 Otis Sullivant Award. Only members of the OU community are eligible to be considered for the prize.

The award is funded by a $500,000 endowment established by Edith Kinney Gaylord of Oklahoma City shortly before her death in 2001. It is named in honor of the late Otis Sullivant, the chief political writer for the Daily Oklahoman who for 40 years was one of the state’s most influential journalists.

Nominees should exhibit intuitiveness, instant comprehension and empathy, be observant and interpret from their experience. The benefit to society and the broader community, which comes from the nominee’s insight, also will be considered.

Nominations for the Sullivant Award may be made by calling Sherry Evans at the President’s Office at 325-3916, writing to Evans at the Office of the President, 660 Parrington Oval, Room 110, Norman, OK 73019-0390, or by picking up forms at the President’s Office. Applications must be submitted no later than 5 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 18.

The University of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity institution.

- THE IMPACT OF EXCELLENCE