The Oklahoma Daily

THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA’S I NDEPENDENT STUDENT VOICE

VOL. 93, NO. 49 FREE — Additional Copies 25¢

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 29, 2008 © 2008 OU Publications Board

Treasurer: Resources may protect state from recession • Higher education to receive most pressure in economic downturn RAY MARTIN Daily Staff Writer State officials say Oklahomans are safe — at least temporarily — from negative local repercussions of the U.S. economic downturn.

State Treasurer Scott Meacham said Oklahoma has collected nearly $170 million more than necessary in revenue so far this year, and the cushion will stabilize the state should the national decline turn into a local crisis.

The national economy took a downturn in recent weeks after the bankruptcy of numerous investment

firms that issued illegitimate credit swaps to consumers with high-risk mortgages.

“I think the message is we are looking really good for this fiscal year,” Meacham said. “We have good surplus funds and the state should do well for meeting its commitments for higher education through June SCOTT 30. Unemployment here is very low.

The poverty numbers could be betMEACHAM ter, but we’re above the national average.”

Non-seasonally adjusted unemployment in Oklahoma was 3.5 percent in September, which is down .3 points from August and .6 points from a year ago, according to reports from the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission.

OESC Chief Economist Lynn Gray said Oklahoma is and will inevitably continue to be affected by the national economy, which he expects to be declared offi-

SPORTS

cially in recession sometime in the next few weeks.

Despite unemployment rates superior to those of most states and less housing bubble-induced spending, he said, Oklahoma is far from recession-proof.

“Things aren’t as bad here as they are in other parts of the country,” Gray said. “But I think there is a real chance at hardship in this state. We’ll feel this recession. Employment is growing, but it’s considerably slower than it was 18 months ago.”

If the national crisis spills over into Oklahoma, Meacham said the greatest impact will be on students and those in higher education, and that the 2010 fiscal year will be tight. He said the state spends more than half of its revenue on education, and that cuts in spending would put more pressure on students and their families to foot tuition bills.

“I know it won’t be good news for all students,” Meacham said. “All of them need to hope that the economy does not affect us here in Oklahoma very

OKLAHOMA ECONOMY AT A GLANCE • Oklahoma has the 10th-fastest-growing economy in the United States.

• The state is reporting higher-than-expected revenues this year.

• Unemployment in Oklahoma is decreasing.

• High energy prices have buoyed state revenues, but a decrease in prices could hurt Oklahoma.

• Higher education will bear the brunt of future budget cuts.

STATE Continues on page 2

HALLOWEEN

WINDS OF CHANGE: PART 3 OF 3

The volleyball team was unsuccessful in its first bid to take down No. 3 Texas, but the Sooners will try to get even tonight. Page 5.

Adams residents offer safe Halloween

CAMPUS BRIEFS Rice visits campus Forty-eight hours before early voting starts, state Sen. Andrew Rice is visiting OU to encourage students and Norman community members., said a spokesman for the Rice campaign.

Rice, a Democrat, is running for the U.S. Senate seat against Republican Jim Inhofe.

Rice will speak to students at 6:15 p.m. in the Oklahoma Memorial Union’s Sooner Room.

• Trick-or-treat alternative adds security, festivity

CORRECTIONS

KATE CUNNINGHAM Daily Staff Writer

Poll data incorrect Due to an editor’s error, The Daily cited an AP test document as an actual poll in an article about the House of Representatives race between U.S. Rep. Tom Cole and Blake Cummings in Tuesday’s Election Guide and as a result incorrectly reported that Cole only leads Cummings by 5 points. The AP does not conduct polls for House races.

Voter ID cards not required Due to an editor’s error, an article on voting in Tuesday’s Election Guide incorrectly stated that a state-issued voter identification card is required to vote in Cleveland County. According to Michael Clingman, secretary of the Oklahoma Election Board, voters do not need voter identification cards.

Voters do not need IDs unless they are voting in their first federal election since registration. Any form of state or national ID is acceptable, as are utility bills that include the voters’ name and address. Voter who do not have IDs can fill out a provisional ballot. The Daily regrets the errors.

Jerry Wofford/The Daily

News 9 Opinion 4 Police Reports 9 Sports 5, 6 Sudoku 8

WEATHER FORECAST

TODAY LOW 39° HIGH 70°

THURSDAY LOW 47° HIGH 74° Source: Oklahoma Weather Lab

impacts to the radars,” Sandifer said.

Weather researchers’ concern with radar clarity, however, should not be seen as an anti-wind energy stance. Sandifer said they support wind energy, but would like to be considered in the development phase of new wind farms.

“We’re trying just to reach out to those developers and to the public in general,” Sandifer said.

The U.S. government operates a network of 159 radars installed across the country to track weather for the National Weather Service, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Defense. The radars were installed in the 1990s at a cost of $1.4 billion to the taxpayers.

Radars have filters that remove stationary targets in the radar’s line of sight, like trees and buildings. The source of the turbines’ interference with the radars is in the movement of the blades.

“Radar sees that as a moving target and clutter filters are typi-

WIND Continues on page 2

ADAMS Continues on page 2

Oklahoma: Where the wind comes changing the plains •Wind might not only supply much-needed energy, but also jobs for Oklahomans EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the third and final installment of The Daily’s three-part series on wind energy in Oklahoma.

JERRY WOFFORD Daily Staff Writer

TODAY’S INDEX A&E 7, 10 Campus Notes 9 Classifieds 8 8 Crossword Horoscope 9

Witches, batmen and princesses knocked on the doors of Adams Center residents Tuesday night.

And after the traditional “trick-ortreat,” the residents filled their bags with candy.

About 500 costumed children roamed the hallways of the dorm as part of Adams Center’s annual Safe Trick-or-Treat, where Norman children can go door to door in the dorms for Halloween candy.

“I love kids, so I knew this would be fun,” said University College freshman Jessica Losurdo. “I loved seeing all their costumes.”

The night of ghouls and ghosts was complete with a moon walk, costume contest and haunted house.

Richard Day, president of the Adams Resident Student Association and civil engineering sophomore, said as a safety precaution, parents had to sign a waiver for their child to participate, and the child was then required to wear a numbered wristband that corresponded with the number on the waiver form.

“We have never had any security issues in the recent past,” Day said.

“However, last year, some parents forgot to pick their kids up at the end of the night.”

Student volunteer guides led groups of children from floor to floor to knock on dorm doors for candy.

Volunteers also were posted at the door in every hall, along with four campus security officers standing by on the ground floor where the bulk of the population congregated.

Norman resident Frances Case, who has brought her two children to trick-or-treat in the dorms for the last four years, said she was impressed by the safety precautions taken.

“It’s one of the best places you can go [trick-or-treating],” she said.

“There’s always so much staff around to watch the kids.”

The only residents from whom children could take candy were volunteers who had previously agreed to participate.

“I think it’s a good idea to have trick-

Instruments in a lab in One Partners Place on the south research campus tests wind turbine effects on radar on a small, controlled scale Tuesday.

Researchers are looking to see what interference the turbine causes so they can adapt the radar’s coverage.

t’s an election year, and nearly every politician and government official has been touting wind energy, or at least the expansion of the nation’s — and Oklahoma’s — energy portfolio.

Both presidential candidates say they want more development of wind energy. Both Oklahoma U.S. Senate candidates, Republican Jim Inhofe and Democrat Andrew Rice, support the expansion of the wind industry and the infrastructure to support it. The candidates for the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, which regulates the energy industry, do as well.

Others within the government and those in charge of existing infrastructure, however, would like to see more thought go into the turbines before they stand up.

I

Radar interference Because of the height of wind turbines and their moving blades, Doppler radars can receive interference from turbines if they are too close to radars, causing radar screens to show corrupted data, said Maj. John Sandifer at the Radar Operations Center at the National Weather Center.

At the center, a team of researchers and government officials is trying to work with utility companies across the country on the placement of turbines while developing ways for the radar to filter out the clutter to ensure they can still protect people from dangerous weather.

“A lot of the developers aren’t even aware that there are

Photo provided by the Radar Operations Center

These radar signatures show one example of how wind turbines can affect weather radar if the turbines are in the radar’s line of sight.

2

News

Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2008

Wind

State

Continued from page 1

Continued from page 1

cally not designed to remove those types of returns,” Sandifer said. “What we’re seeing, basically, is moving clutter.”

The clutter on the screen created by the wind turbines can affect the judgment and response time of meteorologists monitoring weather events, said Commander Scott Saul of the Radar Operations Center.

“The fear is you can get overwhelmed with too many of these,” Saul said.

Wading through the clutter Saul said as more turbines are installed across the country, the impact they will have on forecasters and how forecasters will respond to the clutter is a mystery.

An accumulation of different wind speeds, turbines, locations and directions affect how returns appear on forecasters’ screen.

“We see different signatures, which makes it more difficult to detect,” said Sebastian Torres, a research scientist with the radar research division of the National Severe Storms Laboratory.

Officials encourage developers to come to them early in the process so they can analyze the potential impacts, at no cost to the developer, and tell the developers what those impacts would be and how they can be avoided.

But many developers don’t go through the radar operations center because they don’t know about impacts to the radar, Sandifer said.

“Unfortunately, a lot of developers don’t find out that we’re here until they’re ready to pour concrete,” he said.

Researchers at OU are trying to determine what the signature from the turbines looks like and how it can be filtered out to lessen the turbines’ effects on the radar.

“Right now, we’re working on the detection problem, just being able to automatically detect where the wind farms are,” said Robert Palmer, the director of the Atmospheric Radar Research Center at OU and a professor of meteorology.

The future of the industry

Many elected officials are pushing for development of the wind industry, especially in Oklahoma. It has become a talking point on the campaign trail for many politicians seeking roles in state and national government.

The race for Oklahoma corporation commissioner is associated with wind energy.

The three-person commission regulates the energy industry in the state.

Incumbent Jim Roth, a Democrat, believes the wind industry will be the source of Oklahoma’s next boom.

“Oklahoma and its wind present an enormous opportunity for America’s energy future,” Roth said. “It will be what oil and gas was in the last century.”

Roth said tens of thousands of jobs could come to Oklahoma as it ascends to the top of the wind industry world. The first wind farm began operation in 2003, and Oklahoma is already producing the sixth most wind energy in the country.

Roth’s challenger, Rep. Dana Murphy, is also a supporter of wind energy but wants

to consider a broader scope of energy sources, including oil and natural gas, said her political adviser Steven Rhymer.

“Wind is just one of many alternative sources we need to explore,” Rhymer said.

Government incentives for wind farm developers could help the industry expand even more, bringing more jobs to the state, including construction work and infrastructure maintenance, and money from other states wanting to purchase Oklahoma’s clean energy, said Britton Rife, a spokesperson with the Oklahoma Wind Power Initiative, a joint push by OU and Oklahoma State University to expand wind power in the state.

“Renewable portfolio standards and production tax credits for wind energy are two policies that could help advance the wind industry by providing financial incentives for investing in renewable energy technologies,” Rife said. “How the industry will change and develop in the next five, 10 and 20 years will depend upon the policies implemented by our elected officials.”

much. We might just not have the money to put into [education] if the budget is tight. We wouldn’t have a choice.”

Although there are some concerns about the future, Oklahoma is currently home to the tenth-fastestgrowing economy in the country, Gray said.

Gray said that Oklahoma has not suffered from the burst of the “housing bubble” like many parts of the country. In a housing bubble, home prices accelerate and force individuals to take out equity loans that increase state spending.

“It’s huge that we don’t have to suffer that letdown like other states do,” Gray said.

Adams Continued from page 1

Panel of professors discuss foreign policy • Board’s goal to inform students as much as possible in coming election WHITNEY ORTEGA Daily Staff Writer A board of OU international and area studies professors discussed the presidential candidates’ foreign policies at a lecture Monday to help further inform students for the vote they will soon undertake.

“Foreign policy really was the critical issue of the campaign up until the last few weeks. Now the economy is the priority. Though [foreign policies] don’t have front page coverage, it’s still important,” said Zach Messitte, vice provost for international program. “The election of the next president is critical to the entire world, not just Iraq and Afghanistan.”

The lecture focused on what the presidential candidates have done in the past, what they’ve said they’ll do, and what they are actually expected to do in respect to foreign policy. Each of the panelists spoke about a different topic affecting a different region.

The panelists were hoping to help undecided voters make more informed decisions.

“The most important thing, frankly, is they have to vote,” McPherson said. “They really need to vote and they have to have an informed vote.”

International Area Studies junior Bobby Smock said he attended in order to help him decide for whom to vote.

“I think a lot of people are undecided like me.

Hopefully this will help me decide 100 percent who

to vote for,” Smock said.

McPherson believed the subject was not only timely but also interesting to students.

“The university is increasingly internationalizing and the students should be interested in this topic and should want to learn more about foreign policy,”

McPherson said.

“The whole world is waiting to see who will be America’s next president,” Middle Eastern studies professor Joshua Landis said. “So long as the American public is not informed we’ll continue to have stupid foreign policies.”

or-treating here so kids don’t have to go door-to-door,” said University College freshman Makenzie Wait, an Adams Center resident and volunteer. “It’s so much safer when it’s contained in one building.”

Funding for the candy came from the University of Oklahoma Student Association and the Halloween decorations were purchased through the Adams Resident Student Adviser budget. For trick-or-treaters with allergies, Adams’ Tarman Tower was designated an allergy-free zone, passing out candy without nuts.

THE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES AND...

Humanitarian intervention

Latin America

Sen. John McCain opposes genocide and mass murder. He opposed giving funding to Somalia and opposed sending troops into Haiti and Bosnia. However, during the Kosovo crisi, urged the president to send troops.

Sen. Barack Obama opposes genocide and mass murder. He doesn’t have McCain’s experience in humanitarian intervention, but he is expected to act against genocide if it occurs during his term.

McCain has more experience than Obama with Latin America, including work against drug trafficking. He has supported securing the U.S.’s southern border and easing the path to citizenship for alien residents.

Obama has opposed NAFTA and is willing to rework the boundaries set by the trade agreement. He has not spoken much about border security or immigration.

CORRECTION

— ALAN MCPHERSON, LATIN AMERICAN STUDIES PROFESSOR

— HEINZE

Economic policy

The Middle East McCain believes the war in Iraq is and will continue to be the main front in the war on terror. He is also in favor of sending U.S. troops into Syria or Iran.

Obama wants fewer U.S. troops in Iraq and more in Afghanistan. “Syrians, as well as most Middle Easterners, [would vote] for Obama, because they see McCain as continuing Bush’s policies.”

— LANDIS

McCain is expected to face significant challenges in working with a Democratic Congress on international economics issues, although he agrees with Obama that the U.S. should intervene in global financial affairs only when it is absolutely necessary. He believes expansion drives growth and supports NAFTA and the South Korea Free Trade Agreement.

Obama plans to double foreign aid, but he could face intense pressure from to maintain or increase economic growth.

— MITCHELL SMITH, PROFESSOR OF EUROPEAN INTEGRATION AND POLITICAL ECONOMY

Lacy Anderson, MD Family Medicine

Ken Bowlware, DO Family Medicine

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

• Due to an editor’s error, the estimated start date for construction of the SkyDance bridge in Oklahoma City was reported incorrectly in a front-page story in Tuesday’s Daily. Construction on the bridge will begin in March 2010, not March 2011.

• Due to an editor’s error, Kyle Reimer’s year was listed incorrectly in a Tuesday story about TOMS shoes. Reimer is a visual communications senior, not sophomore.

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

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

On the Issues

Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2008

3

How McCain, Obama would handle commander-in-chief role • Next president to inherit wars in Iraq, Afghanistan RYAN BRYANT Daily Staff Writer Talk of the teetering economy has dominated conversations between the presidential candidates the last few weeks, but the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq still loom as a significant foreign policy concern for the next president.

The presidential candidates would take drastically different approaches in handling the wars.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said the U.S. government should not set a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq.

According to McCain’s campaign Web site, his plan would keep American troops in Iraq as long as necessary to secure the country’s interests, while simultaneously working to bolster Iraq’s economy. McCain said he plans to use a portion of the Iraqi government’s budget surplus to employ Iraqi citizens in infrastructure projects and to restore basic services to the country.

McCain’s plan also would call on allies of the U.S. to put pressure on Iran and Syria, whom he accuses of abetting violence by training militias that would kill American and Iraqi troops. In addition, his plan would oppose all unconditional dialogues with hostile foreign leaders.

AP Photo

A U.S. solider patrols Asad Abad as an Afghan boy looks on Tuesday near the Pakistani border in eastern Afghanistan.

Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., supports a phased withdrawal of forces from Iraq over the course of 16 months.

According to Obama’s campaign Web site, the withdrawal would be directed by American military commanders in consultation with the American and Iraqi governments. Obama said a residual force would

remain in Iraq to conduct counter-terrorism missions in conjunction with the Iraqi military. The plan will also train Iraqi security forces, if the Iraq government moves toward political reconciliation and away from sectarian division.

Obama said he would launch an aggressive effort to reach diplomatic stability in the region by holding talks

SEN. BARACK OBAMA, DILL.

with Iraq’s neighbors, including Iran and Syria. Obama said this strategy would secure Iraq’s borders from the meddling of neighboring countries and provide financial support for reconstruction in Iraq.

The candidates agree that more troops should be committed to the conflict in Afghanistan, but they disagree on how U.S. forces could best fight terrorism on the ground and acquire support from Afghan citizens.

Political science professor Gregory Miller said bolstering the American military presence in Afghanistan could cause unintentional negative consequences.

“Having more troops in Afghanistan might push more moderate Afghans to oppose our presence,” he said. “Regarding al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan, putting more troops on the ground wouldn’t necessarily solve that problem.”

Obama said he would commit two to three additional combat brigades to Afghanistan and ask for greater military and financial contributions from North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s allies.

Obama also would propose $1 billion in annual, nonmilitary assistance to Afghanistan to aid the country’s economy and cut down on narcotics trafficking.

McCain’s plan would commit three additional combat brigades to Afghanistan and double the Afghan army. McCain said he would use the same counterterrorism strategy in Afghanistan that is currently employed in Iraq. Also, he would create additional funds through an international trust fund financed by the U.S. and its allies.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, RARIZ.

ON THE LESSONS OF THE IRAQ WAR “We’ve spent over $600 billion so far. We have lost over 4,000 lives. We have seen 30,000 wounded, and al-Qaeda is stronger now than at any time since 2001. We are still spending $10 billion a month at a time when we are in great distress here at home.”

“I think the lessons of Iraq are that you cannot have a failed strategy that will cause you to lose a conflict. We are winning in Iraq. We will come home with victory and honor. Now, we will see a stable ally in the region and a fledgling democracy. The consequences of defeat would have been increased Iranian influence.”

ON THE MISTAKES IN IRAQ “I think we can be as careful getting out as we were careless getting in. But we have to send a clear message to the Iraqi govern- “In my study of military history, I never heard of a withdrawal and a reduction of military presence as being a winning strategy. ment as well as to the surrounding neighbors that there is no military solution to the problems that we face in Iraq.”

The fact is that we are succeeding. That’s the thing that the Democrats won’t realize. And of course I’m saying it’s a recipe for failure.”

ON AFGHANISTAN “I would send two to three additional brigades to Afghanistan. Keep in mind that we have four times the number of troops in Iraq, where nobody had anything to do with 9-11 before we went in, where, in fact, there was no al-Qaeda before we went in.

That is a strategic mistake.”

“With the right strategy and the right forces, we can succeed in both Iraq and Afghanistan. I know how to win wars. And if I’m elected president, I will turn around the war in Afghanistan, just as we have turned around the war in Iraq, with a comprehensive strategy for victory.”

ON PURSUING TERRORISTS IN PAKISTAN “If the United States has al-Qaeda, [Osama] bin Laden, top-level lieutenants in our sights, and Pakistan is unable or unwilling to act, then we should take them out.”

“[Obama] said that he would launch military strikes into Pakistan. Now, you don’t do that. You don’t say that out loud. If you have to do things, you have to do things, and you work with the Pakistani government.

Source: Ontheissues.org

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ENROLLMENT BEGINS IN NOVEMBER - MAKE YOUR ADVISING APPOINTMENT NOW! Find your enrollment window at enroll.ou.edu.

Prepare for your advising appointment by following five simple steps: 1. Look at checksheets.ou.edu to review your degree plan and suggested semester-by-semester plans.

2. Use Degree Navigator (degree.ou.edu) to view your progress toward completion of your degree requirements.

3. Think 15! Completion of less than 15 hours per semester may require additional semesters or alternative means to graduate on time (ou.edu/15).

4. Create up to three trial schedules at enroll.ou.edu and bring those with you to your advising appointment.

5. Create a list of questions for your advisor, including: Can I get more information about studying abroad? Are there student organizations that relate to my chosen career field in which I should be involved? Are there additional scholarship opportunities for me? How do I find out about research, shadowing and internship opportunities?

●●●

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Visit ou.edu/graduatesooner to find resources to help you plan for graduation!

Proceeds Benefit United Way of Norman.

For More Information or to be a part of OU’s Live United : Give United Campaign, Call 325-3161.

The University of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity institution.

4

Opinion

Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2008

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

OUR VIEW

Sen. Barack Obama best choice for president We are not afraid.

We are frustrated.

We have grown up watching our country suffer the consequences of eight years of poor leadership, corruption and hatred-infused party politics — all of which could have been avoided.

We worry about getting our first jobs in the midst of a faltering economy.

We desperately yearn for a country in which the peaceful diversity under which we have thrived during college can truly exist, from rural Oklahoma to the city lights of New York.

Do we wish things were different?

Yes. But frightened we are not.

Despite the claims of Sen. John McCain and his campaign, we do not fear the future.

Though times are hard, we have hope for the days ahead.

And we picture being led during the days of the next four years by Barack Obama as president.

Sen. Obama doesn’t just talk about change. He embodies it.

Unlike President George W. Bush and John McCain, Obama is someone who is conciliatory.

He does not see the

world in terms of black and white, good and evil.

It will take a leader who does not split the world into friends and foes to change the world standing of the United States for the better.

McCain has proposed forming a League of Democracies to “act where the U.N. OUR VIEW fails to act.” He has said the collaborators is an editorial could work together to sanction Iran. selected and debated by But such a league is an elitis elitist the editorial board and partitioning of a world tha that written after a majority is already fractured. opinion is formed and We do not wish approved by the editor. to see the United Our View is The Daily’s States make more official opinion. world enemies enemie by further sep separating itself itsel from the U.N U.N. and from countries that may not be d democracies but do not pose any threat to America.

Obama aadvocates dealing with Iran diplomatica diplomatically before resorting to threats or fo force.

We pre prefer this method of leadership.

If the United States is to be a moral lea leader again, it must be able to accomplish its goals by talking rather than fighting.

It is time th the Bush Doctrine policies of pre-emption be forgotten.

We don’t ne necessarily think a President Obama would m make us feel safer — but we w were particularly unsafe also don’t think we to begin with.

We recognize th that the wars we are involved in, our increasingly negative world image and a more deadly than terrorhatred and division in our own country are ist attacks. tha McCain to try something We think Obama is more likely than different. that for some, some change cha We understand that, can be scary.

AP Photo McCain appears to be a safe choice, with 21 years of experiDemocratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. addresses supporters ence in the U.S. Senate, compared to Obama’s three years.

in the rain at a rally in Chester, Pa., Tuesday.

But being a senator for longer has not made McCain a better executive than Obama.

McCain was tied to the well-known Keating Five in 1989 for exercising poor judgement in what would become a corruption scandal during the savings and loan crisis.

Despite his claims to be a maverick, McCain is a politician.

He has proved through the years that he is willing to make irresponsible moves to grab attention and votes.

Does McCain really think Gov. Sarah Palin was the best pick to run for the second highest office in the nation? We think not.

With that choice, McCain put the needs of his campaign ahead of the needs of his country.

We fail to see how “maverick” is a nickname to be proud of anyway. We want a president who will carefully consider each decision he makes and will seek qualified advice before making those decisions.

As an executive, Obama actually has outperformed McCain.

Obama defeated the Clinton political machine and has run a successful, well-disciplined campaign in which he has proven he is ready to manage a massive bureaucracy.

He has taken the high ground in a campaign in which he has been called a terrorist and un-American, and in which he has been threatened by hate groups and even people at political rallies.

Obama has shown grace under a fire of hate that should never have been ignited in the first place.

McCain’s campaign, on the other hand, has almost imploded several times.

With his politics of fear and his gross misunderstanding of the economy and the world around him, McCain has shown that he could be a president who leads the country to the brink of destruction and then tries pull it back — just like President Bush has done.

We want America to head in a new direction.

The country is in the midst of an economic crisis, an interminable war started because of misinformation and a declining sense of world leadership.

But we have faith that America can once again be seen as the land of opportunity and possibility it is.

We have faith that even after 219 years of a white man in the Oval Office, it is a place where someone with dark skin named Barack Hussein Obama can be elected president.

We know our country will pull through, no matter who is elected next Tuesday.

But we believe America needs a man like Barack Obama.

STAFF COLUMN

It is unfortunate that Matt Felty mischaracterized the interaction between Joe Wurzelbacher and Sen. Barack Obama in his opinion column “Joe the Plumber unclogs Obama campaign’s rhetoric.”

Felty apparently did not listen to the ENTIRE interaction between Obama and Joe. Obama answered Joe’s question fully. He talked with Joe and explained his tax plan and how it would affect small businesses.

Obama’s tax plan would NOT discourage small businesses, as most businesses don’t receive personal incomes greater than $250,000 a year. In fact, only about 2 percent of households in the U.S. claim $250,000 or more a year in personal income.

A progressive tax system like the one we have right now will take more from those who make more to fund necessary projects such as infrastructure and education that every American will benefit from.

When Joe was interviewed after the debate, he admitted he won’t actually make nearly enough to see a tax increase and will get a larger tax cut under Obama’s plan than McCain’s.

The veiled assertion that people who don’t make a lot of money don’t work hard is hard to swallow. The fact remains that 95 percent of Americans make less than $250,000 a year. These are the secretaries, janitors, teachers, retail associates, etc., who continually work hard and pay more for everything.

They can’t afford to save any money for retirement because they can’t always keep up with the bills for heating their homes or filling their cars with gas to get to their jobs.

Under Obama’s plan, this group of people will receive a cut or reduced tax liability. Yes, some who earn very little money will be eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit and, if they have children, an additional tax credit would enable them to receive money from the government. However, everyone pays the payroll tax (15.3 percent) on the first $102,000 of yearly income, so everyone will always pay some tax. Once you reach the maximum allowed by law, then you don’t pay any more payroll tax.

And as we have seen, when you give tax breaks to those who already have a lot of money, nothing trickles down.

People have forgotten the differences between the Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton health care plans. Clinton was the candidate who wanted to make health care mandatory.

Under Obama’s plan only large companies would pay into a common pool for those who don’t have health care, and that is only if they “do not offer coverage or make a meaningful contribution to the cost of quality health coverage for their employees.” Health care should not be a responsibility of the people. It is a RIGHT of the people.

Readers must remember that it was McCain who invoked Wurzelbacher 21 times in the last debate. With such a prominent role in the McCain campaign, the accuracy of the story has to be determined because the truth has been an elusive thing to the McCain campaign since the beginning of September.

Please read and understand the full context of any comment made by anyone before commenting and blatantly misrepresenting them.

Now that Joe has become the foundation of the McCain campaign, you need to be aware of what that foundation actually is and be informed.

KEVIN GOEBBERT, MATT KUMJIAN, ALEX SCHENKMAN, KIM KLOCKOW, BRYAN BURKHOLDER METEOROLOGY GRADUATE STUDENTS

T H E

I N D E P E N D E N T

This election, vote conservatively The upcoming election is the most significant election in our country’s history.

The errors and hardships that have plagued us for almost a decade now need to be repaired if we want America to achieve its previously glorious reputation — and we must act fast.

As a college student, I expect to be in a liberal atmosphere, and I haven’t been disappointed.

I can’t walk 20 feet without seeing a button supporting Sen. Barack Obama or a sign or a classless bumper sticker that says Bush stinks.

I can hardly say I’ve seen the same support for McCain.

Obama has run a successful campaign preaching change from the Bush administration.

What concerns me is that, in light of how dreadfully President George W. Bush has handled his responsibilities as the president, millions of voters are running away from the Republican Party.

Because Bush was a Republican, many people feel that, in order to change, we need Democrats in office.

My opinion is entirely different.

If we want change, we need an actual Republican in office.

Looking at Bush’s history of proposed and signed legislation, one can see how he rules as a politician.

The PATRIOT Act, for example, infringes on our liberties as citizens by allowing the federal government to finger through our private lives, e-mails, phone calls, etc., which is obviously a violation of the Fourth Amendment.

The PATRIOT Act might be the most liberal piece of legislation to ever be passed in our country’s history.

If people are intimidated by this bill, the correct

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Bush can hardly be called conservative, as shown by his record, and putting more liberals in D.C. would only escalate the problem. action shouldn’t be to run to the Democratic Party, but to embrace conservatism — an ideology based on keeping the size of the federal government small in the interest of keeping personal freedoms.

Most true Republicans would have never glanced at this bill seriously.

It’s unfortunate that it was passed as quickly as possible after 9/11, when everyone was extremely concerned about security.

The bill might not have passed, but it was named JORDAN with the loaded “patriot.”

ROGERS word This was done with the knowledge that most congressmen would fear voting against it, thinking they would be labeled un-American.

I found the recent economic bailout to be particularly frustrating.

The companies that were bailed out made extremely risky decisions and went bankrupt.

Because we have a freemarket economy in America, where government intervention is kept at a minimum in the interest of competitive business and freedoms, the government should have let these businesses die for making poor business choices.

Instead, we gave them $700 billion and are planning to give them more.

For a free-market economy

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to be successful, we have to allow businesses to fail — even big ones.

Now the government owns tons of banking stocks. That in itself is frightening.

Once again, outside his party lines, Bush pulled like crazy for the bailout to pass.

So did Obama and, unfortunately, Sen. John McCain.

The bailout is liberal legislation if I’ve ever seen it.

It increases the size of the federal government and intervenes in the functioning freemarket economy to save failed businesses that made their own fate. And, as a side note, the market is looking worse than before.

Obama’s handling of the economy will include a larger and more involved federal government. If you didn’t like it with Bush, you won’t like it with him either.

Obama also wants to revoke the tax plan enforced by Bush and instead decrease taxes for Americans making less than $250,000.

McCain, on the other hand, wants to keep nearly the same tax plan we have now.

The flaw in McCain’s campaign is that he should take Obama’s plan and combine it with his own, making lower taxes for everyone.

Taxes are used to fund the federal government, and, in the interest of empowering states by keeping the federal government small, a true Republican should run a campaign on lowering taxes, period.

Plus, money not invested in D.C. gets invested in the

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economy.

If you’re a fan of lowering taxes, maybe even installing a flat tax rate and getting rid of the IRS, you should probably be voting conservatively.

Maybe not for McCain, but conservatively nonetheless.

If you are disgusted by the Bush administration, bravo.

He has done a horrible job running this country and has made very unethical decisions.

I seriously encourage you, however, not to take out your frustration by voting for a bunch of Democrats.

Bush can hardly be called conservative, as shown by his record, and putting more liberals in D.C. would only escalate the problem.

I would instead encourage you to vote Republican. And

by Republican, I mean real Republicans who value power of the people.

Maybe consider conservative independents.

Also, vote the incumbents out of office.

That would be real change.

Under Bush, we have sacrificed our freedoms, liberties and our justice in the name of security.

In the harsh but true words of Benjamin Franklin, “Those who would give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”

Let’s keep the government small to keep our freedoms great.

Let’s vote conservatively.

JORDAN ROGERS IS AN INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING SENIOR. HIS COLUMN APPEARS EVERY OTHER WEDNESDAY.

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Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2008

Volleyball team ready to face rival Longhorns • Sooners travel to Austin to play Texas MATT WELCH Daily Staff Writer These days, it’s a tall order to ask any team in the country to walk into Austin, Texas, and leave with a victory, and that’s not even referring to the Longhorns’ football team.

The OU volleyball team will attempt to answer the call this evening when it aims to snap No. 3 Texas’ 23-match home winning streak at 6:30 when the two square off from Gregory Gymnasium.

While the Sooners’ 4-8 conference record (8-12 overall) makes any hope of a third-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance a bit of a long shot, OU head coach Santiago Restrepo has his squad focused for the toughest remaining match on the schedule.

“You prepare the same way every day, and you prepare to beat every single team,” Restrepo said. “It will be much tougher at their place. I know it went four [sets] last time we played [Texas], and hopefully we work better at our passing and running our offense the way we usually do it.”

Texas (16-2, 9-1 Big 12) drew first blood against the Sooners earlier this season, when they bested OU 3-1 in Norman.

Since the squads’ first meeting, the Longhorns haven’t suffered any kind of setback in performance, as they remain only one match behind undefeated No. 2 Nebraska in the Big 12 standings.

In fact, Texas has actually gotten better.

The Longhorns entered their Oct. 1 matchup with the Sooners with a conference-high .315 hitting percentage, which at the time was the fifth-highest hitting clip in the nation.

Texas has since upped that mark to .344 and is now second in the nation — trailing only No. 1 Penn State — in hitting percentage. The Longhorns have also improved their marks in assists per set, digs per set and kills per set, while senior middle blocker Lauren Paolini is ranked second in the nation with a .486 hitting clip.

The Sooners still have a statistical edge in the digs category and freshman outside hitter Cailtin Higgins said the Sooner defense will need to be the difference maker if they’re going to tame the vaunted Longhorn offense.

“We’ve worked on covering our hitters because they block a lot of balls, so we really have to do that to get more points,” Higgins said. “On defense, they have some big hitters and if we can dig a lot of balls, I think we’ll be successful.”

It has been 23 matches since the Longhorns last tasted defeat within the confines of Gregory Gymnasium, a venue

where Texas has been virtually untouchable. It was a little more than two years ago on Oct. 18, 2006 when the Longhorns fell in five sets to eventual NCAA champion Nebraska.

Following the Texas match, there is upside in the remainder of the Sooners’ schedule. With four of OU’s final seven matches in Norman, senior libero Lacy Barnes knows brighter pastures aren’t too far off. “[Texas] is our toughest match left, so things should be going up soon,” Barnes said. “We have another good chance to beat another ranked team on Wednesday, so we just have to keep moving on to the next game.”

OU will be looking to rebound from a 3-0 defeat at the hands of No. 2 Nebraska last Saturday. Held to one of their lowest hitting marks of the season at .075, the Sooners matched Nebraska stridefor-stride in the opening set, but fell just short down the stretch, dropping a 25-21 decision in the first frame.

The Cornhuskers pushed the pace even further during the following two sets, hitting more than .400 in both and forcing the Sooners out of synch on offense and defense.

Freshman setter Brianne Barker was active on both ends of the action, contributing 24 assists, a team-high 10 digs and a rally-saving dive onto the scorekeepers table in the first set.

Sophomore middle blocker Sarah

Amy Frost/The Daily

OU’s Chrissy Disarro (12) attempts a spike during the Sooners’ Oct. 1 game against Texas in Norman. OU lost that match, and will be looking to even the season series tonight in Austin.

Freudenrich led the offensive attack for the third consecutive match, posting a team-high eight kills, while red-

shirt sophomore middle blocker Francie Ekwerekwu and junior outside hitter Bridget Laplante added five each.

Women’s basketball welcomes ex-WNBA player to staff • Kendra Wecker joins OU after playing at Kansas State ANNELISE RUSSELL Daily Staff Writer OU women’s basketball is picking up a new recruit, but she will remain on the sideline. Kendra Wecker, former basketball star at Kansas State, has jumped ship and now calls Norman home.

Wecker started her career playing high school basketball in Marysville, Kan., where she won a state title and was named USA Today Kansas Player of the Year. When it came time to pick a college, it came down to KSU or OU. “[Kansas State and Oklahoma] were in my top two schools coming out of high school,” Wecker said.

Wecker ended up staying in Kansas, due in part to proximity to her home, and went on to have a successful career in Manhattan that included winning Big 12 Player of the Year in 2005 and numerous national award nominations.

In college, Wecker was known for being a force and giving teams trouble with her ability to control

remained close with the people she initially met at the game and be physical at the same time.

She was a versatile playmaker and opposing teams OU during her signing decision.

“I kept in touch with coach [Sherri] Coale ever were mindful of what she could do on the court.

Wecker said some of her greatest memories play- since I graduated college,” Wecker said.

It was this connection and some ideal timing that ing college ball were making it to the Sweet 16 her brought the Big 12 Allfreshman year because Star to Oklahoma. no one gave the Wildcats’ After entering the inexperienced team much WNBA in 2005, Wecker of a look. suffered an ACL injury She also said playing almost immediately a close game at home that sidelined her for against OU that year was the entire season. special because the OU Last season, team included Sooner Wecker played for the greats Stacey Dales and Washington Mystics, LaNeisha Caulfield. but was let go from Many of the games the team. That is when Kansas State played opportunity came against OU in Wecker’s collegiate career were — OU assistant Kendra Wecker knocking.

Wecker said it just close and both teams so happened when she struggled against one was released from the Mystics there was a position another, especially on the road, Wecker said.

Wecker graduated from Kansas State in 2005 and open for her on the OU staff as a graduate assistant.

While it might seem difficult to join a club she was selected fourth overall by the San Antonio Silver Stars of the WNBA. After she left school, she still competed against for so long, Wecker said she feels

“The closeness of the team and staff makes it like a big family and that is something similar to the way things were at Kansas State.”

MEN’S BASKETBALL NOTES Team close to full strength

she fits in with the Sooners and has found a home with OU. “The closeness of the team and staff makes it like a big family and that is something similar to the way things were at Kansas State,” Wecker said.

The new Sooner can be caught on the sideline laughing with players, but also providing a mentoring and leadership role.

Coaching at OU gives the former player a chance to reconnect with the college game. Wecker said she preferred her time playing in college to her brief stint in the WNBA. Wecker said working at OU is the right fit for her and she hopes to gain as much knowledge as she can from the players and staff in the OU program.

She said she hopes her experience here at OU will benefit her in the future.

“I hope to get into coaching one day and try everything while I’m here,” Wecker said.

Wecker said it’s all about experience and trying new things and she is learning as much as she can possibly soak up.

Wecker was a prized recruit for the Wildcats, but now the Sooners might find some redemption in having a leader like Kendra Wecker on the bench this upcoming season.

Adopt - An - Area Area Ratings For This Week

The men’s basketball team started full team practice on Oct. 17, and so far the team has stayed relatively healthy. Junior forward Juan Patillo recently returned to practice, while another junior college forward, sophomore Kyle Cannon remains sidelined with a groin injury.

“Knock on wood, everyone else has been pretty healthy,” head coach Jeff Capel said. “We’ve been fortunate to stay away from the injury bug thus far. Hopefully it can stay the same way.”

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At his press conference on Tuesday, Capel said that at this point, he’s only sure of three players who will start when the Sooners play their first regular season game Nov. 14.

“Definite starters: Blake Griffin, Tony Crocker, Austin Johnson,” Capel said. “That’s it.”

OU lost two players who started several games last season in center Longar Longar and guard David Godbold. The Sooners have seven newcomers — including talented freshman Willie Warren — and four other returning players who could fill the final two open positions.

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Capel surprised by preseason prediction The Sooners were picked in the coaches’ poll as the preseason favorite to win the Big 12. In a conference with powerhouses like Texas and defending champion Kansas, Capel said he was surprised by the selection.

“Hey, it’s great,” Capel said. “We’re excited about it. I want guys we recruit to want to come to OU to be a preseason favorite in the Big 12 and to have a chance to have kind of the bulls-eye on their back. That’s what we hope to get this program to on a consistent level.”

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The Sooners will host an intrasquad scrimmage this Saturday at 3:30 p.m. inside the Howard McCasland Field House. The doors will open at 2:30 p.m. The scrimmage is free and open to the public.

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The amount of student season tickets sold this year is significantly higher than in the past few seasons. Capel said he hopes that improved student attendance will help the team this year.

“I’m really proud of our students for getting out and getting those tickets,” Capel said. “I hope it does make a difference.

For one thing, our guys, hopefully they appreciate it, and I know they do. I mean really appreciate it and understand the difference than it could make.”

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Sports

Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2008

STAFF COLUMN

It’s not the size of the dog in the fight henever there were fights in high school, the bystanders tended to cheer for the skinny kid with glasses who wasn’t supposed to win.

Especially when he was fighting the stocky jock who bullied everyone.

Since I’ve begun my journey at the college level, nothing has changed.

Except this time, it’s football teams and not students.

If you’re reading this newspaper, you understand exactly what it’s like to be bitten by the BCS buster.

When someone mentions Boise State, the only thing I can possibly think about is the MJ infamous Jared Zabransky handoff to Ian Johnson in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl, which CASIANO resulted in Johnson proposing to his girlfriend after the overtime victory.

Simply put, it was the perfect Cinderella story, and the Broncos became the epitome of the BCS buster. They proved that a smaller conference can provide winners at a high national level, regardless of the opponent.

Every year America hopes for the Cinderella story in all sports, but it seems like college football makes these opportunities more desirable by the fans.

Last year fans witnessed yet another miracle season from the WAC as Colt Brennan led the Hawaii offense to the Sugar Bowl.

Although the Warriors lost, it was entertaining to see a team nobody thought could compete with the best get a chance to prove critics wrong.

This season is no different; TCU, Utah, BYU, Ball State, Boise State and Tulsa are all ranked in the top 20 and have a chance at playing in a BCS game.

BYU was the most hyped out of this bunch heading into the year, but has done a near 180-degree turn since losing to TCU. During the last game of the season, Utah and BYU play each other, while Utah and TCU go head-to-head two weeks prior. If TCU can win out, its resume will look the best since the only loss came at OU. On the flip side, Tulsa, Boise State and Ball State don’t play any ranked teams from here on out.

It’s been a while since there were this many potential BCS busters, and none of these teams stick out more than another.

I’m not sure if one of these teams will make it, or which one it would be if it does happen. But I do know one thing: I’ll be cheering for the underdog.

Yeah, the skinny kid with glasses.

W

— MJ CASIANO IS A BROADCAST AND ELECTRONIC MEDIA SOPHOMORE.

Alexander returns from stabbing • Lineman keeps positive attitude despite rough start to the year KYLE BURNETT Daily Sports Writer Redshirt freshman defensive end Frank Alexander entered this season prepared for his first taste of college football.

He got that taste in OU’s first game of the season against Chattanooga, but it would be six weeks before he would see the field again.

On the night of the Sooners’ victory over Chattanooga, Alexander was attacked and stabbed during an altercation at a Norman night club and was incapable of playing.

Alexander was “a victim and in the wrong place at the wrong time” according to head coach Bob Stoops.

Stoops said Alexander’s progress the last few weeks has been very good and he is really coming on as an essential part of the defense. “[Alexander] has really been a spark the last couple of days,” Stoops said. “It’s finally that we feel he’s in game condition, and I believe he can even play this week without the brace.”

Alexander’s impact has been felt already. Against Kansas State he had three tackles and forced a fumble on an important Wildcat possession.

“He’s made some nice plays,” Stoops said. “The sack and forced fumble ... was a big play for us,” Stoops said. “He is really starting to come on.”

After being stabbed, Alexander was taken to the emergency room and had extensive work done on his arm to repair the damage.

Alexander said he realizes things could have been much worse.

“I woke up in the hospital with my parents standing around

me, and I know I had them real scared when they got that call that night,” Alexander said. “The doctors came in and told me that the cut was really close to my artery and if that had been hit I might not be here right now. I just thank the Lord that it wasn’t serious enough to take my life.”

The fight during which the injury occurred happened quickly, and resulted in an assailant cutting a muscle in Alexander’s forearm.

“I don’t really know how it happened, but I freaked out because a bottle hit me in the head first,” Alexander said. “Then my friend saw I was cut and there was blood running down my arm and he said I needed to go to the hospital, so we got out of there.

“I got to the hospital and they had to wrap my arm up in a shirt because of all the bleeding, and then they put me on anesthesia and I woke up the next morning.”

Alexander said.

After learning what happened, the coaching staff became concerned for Alexander’s health and visited him in the hospital.

“When something like that happens, you’re just thankful that he’s OK and it’s not worse than it is,” Stoops said. “You know he’s going to miss a period of time, and you look at a young man’s life and that’s what matters. So as much as anything we just wanted to know that he was OK and going to be OK.” When the coaches visited Alexander it made the freshman realize they still trusted him and cared for him.

“The coaches visited me and they just told me to get back stronger,” Alexander said. “They were there for me. They didn’t put anyone to follow me when I’m going out and it was really nice of them to do that.”

Senior center Jon Cooper said Alexander has maintained a positive attitude after the ordeal and still jokes around with teammates. Cooper said Alexander’s ability to look past what happened has helped improve morale in practice.

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“The doctors came in and told me that the cut was really close to my artery and if that had been hit I might not be here right now. I just thank the Lord that it wasn’t serious enough to take my life.”

— Defensive end Frank Alexander “He’s always had a great attitude about [his injury],” Cooper said. “He was always joking in the locker room when he had that big old sling on.”

Cooper said Alexander would even talk about what he was going to accomplish once he returned to the lineup.

“He’d say, ‘I’m going to come back and get a couple sacks’ when he’s joking about it with those edge guys,” Cooper said.

“He’s had a great attitude about it and worked really hard to come back as soon as possible.”

Cooper added that Alexander hasn’t been hesitant to return to full-speed practice.

“I really don’t get to go against him too much in practice, but I see that he is a very physical player,” Cooper said. “He’s banging up against Trent [Williams] and Phil [Loadholt] and those bigs, and he’s holding his own.”

OTHER FOOTBALL NOTES Stoops names players of the game At his weekly press conference Tuesday, head coach Bob Stoops announced the Sooners’ players of the game against Kansas State.

After a productive and balanced day from the offense, Stoops named four offensive players of the game.

Senior left tackle Phil Loadholt and senior center Jon Cooper anchored the offensive line and earned the honor.

Junior running back Chris Brown and sophomore running back DeMarco Murray powered for a combined 309 yards and five touchdowns and were the other two offensive players of the game.

Redshirt freshman linebacker Travis Lewis recorded 15 tackles and two interceptions and was the Sooners’ only defensive player of the game.

Box played ‘OK’ Stoops said redshirt freshman linebacker Austin Box’s performance against Kansas State showed the bright side of his future, but he has room for improvement.

“He did OK, but again you expect him to keep improving and getting better the more he plays and the more experience he gets,” Stoops said. “There’s a lot in there and some of it definitely needs to improve.”

Box was second to Lewis with nine tackles in the contest, one of which was behind the line of scrimmage.

— JOEY HELMER/THE DAILY

Arts & Entertainment

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

7

Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2008

Hudson suspect had June drug arrest JOHN O’CONNOR Associated Press

AP photo

Kevin Smith’s latest film, “Zack and Miri Make a Porno,” opens Oct. 31.

Q&A: Kevin Smith on porn

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The convicted felon suspected in the slayings of Oscar-winner Jennifer Hudson’s mother, brother and nephew was arrested after police allegedly found crack cocaine in his car in June, but authorities declined to return him to prison on a parole violation, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press.

A judge dismissed the charge for lack of probable cause in July, but under the strict rules of the state’s parole program, William Balfour could have gone back to prison just for the arrest.

No one has been charged in the shooting deaths of Hudson’s mother, Darnell Donerson, her brother, Jason Hudson, and 7-year-old nephew Julian King, but Balfour has been named as a suspect. Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis said Tuesday he is confident the case

will be solved.

Balfour — Julian’s stepfather and the estranged husband of Hudson’s sister — served seven years for attempted murder and vehicular hijacking. Court records show that in 1998 Balfour stole a Chevrolet Suburban and, with the vehicle’s owner clinging to the top, intentionally rammed it into a light pole, fence and iron gate.

According to a Chicago police report, officers pulled Balfour over June 19 after hearing gunshots and seeing his car moving at a high rate of speed. Inside the vehicle, police said, they found a rock of cocaine with a street value of about $100 on the driver’s seat.

Balfour’s parole history report indicates a parole supervisor declined to issue a warrant to revoke Balfour’s parole after his arrest for possession of cocaine.

“Per supervisor ... no warrant,” the report reads. “Agent to monitor offender, impose sanctions.”

Corrections Department spokesman Derek Schnapp said officials determined “the evidence that was presented during that time wouldn’t have necessarily warranted a violation.”

Court records do not indicate the reason a judge found no probable cause for the drug arrest.

A felony arrest usually is enough for Corrections to revoke parole, said Thomas Peters, a Chicago criminal defense attorney who represents parolees.

“Even though the criminal case is dismissed does not mean that you necessarily get a pass on a parole violation because the standard of proof is much less,” Peters said.

Peters added, however, that officials also would have considered Balfour’s fairly clean record as a parolee and that he apparently still had a job. In addition, he said, jail and prison overcrowding often play a role in determining whether parole is revoked.

• The Daily’s Tyler Branson participated in a conference call interview with Smith to talk about the film, the controversy that followed it and Jason Mewes’ penis. evin Smith, director of such films as “Clerks,” “Dogma” and “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back,” is unapologetic about his new romantic comedy “Zack and Miri Make a Porno,” which stars Seth Rogen (Zack) and Elizabeth Banks (Miri). The film follows the pair as they attempt to make an adult film to solve financial problems.

“Zack and Miri Make a Porno” hits theaters Oct. 31.

K

Yeah, initially the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) gave us an NC-17 rating.

We tried to work with them, but they wouldn’t budge. So I said, “Look I want to appeal this, I don’t want to cut anything more out.”

The appeal process allows you to have one final bite at the apple. So we accepted the NC-17 and took it to the appeals screening, and they watch the movie. Then the filmmaker gets 15 minutes to plead their case, then they make their decision by a secret ballot whether to uphold the NC-17 or return it to the R. I actually felt like I might lose, but they overturned it and I got to keep everything I originally put in the movie. All the sequences that I felt were the movie are totally still in there.

TYLER BRANSON

What’s the big deal with the word “porno?” What about that word offended people

so much?

I don’t know, man. I didn’t realize how big it was going to be. I assumed the people who were going be turned off [by the word] wouldn’t go see the movie anyway. But once we got over that hurdle with the MPAA I assumed it would be the last of it.

But then cities wouldn’t let us put our billboards up and there was even a Dodgers game where we ran a spot and we got a ton of negative feedback, nevermind the fact that there are a zillion erectile dysfunction ads in the place.

I was flabbergasted because I figured that we used the cutest way possible to describe the word. It’s got that “o” at the end. It makes it cuddly and cute; it doesn’t sound offensive.

And you know, the thing that bugs me is how stupid people can be. When’s the last time you saw the word “porno” in a porn title? I don’t know why people are confusing what is so blatantly a comedy with a porn flick. I mean, how can you object to the term? How else would you f**king describe it? It would be like walking in to Blockbuster and seeing “action” and saying “I don’t like this term; it offends me.”

What was Jason Mewes’ reaction to doing frontal nudity?

You know, I thought he’d say yes immediately, because he shows his c**k quite readily to anyone he knows. I’ve known him for 18 years now, and I’ve seen his d**k more than anyone.

So I figured it wouldn’t be a big deal for him to whip it out.

But surprisingly he changed his mind at the last minute because he had a fiancé, and he didn’t want to jeopardize anything and stuff like

Photo provided

that. But he asked her about it and she said it was OK, so he went ahead and agreed to it.

What did the style of Seth Rogen, who is frequently cast in Judd Apatow movies, bring to your traditional group of actors?

It really combined well. And at the end of the day they are all professionals who love to act. They all honor the script, too. And what Seth is genius at is that he’s innately talented at ad-libbing material that sounds like it’s organic to the film. But the ad-libs also sound like they are coming out of the character’s mouth and not Seth’s, which is great.

How did growing up in New Jersey affect your style?

I think the area in Jersey affected the dialogue I write, which is frank and candid, peppered with vulgarity — it’s how we grew up and how we speak. I imagine any place else wouldn’t be that different, though. I can’t say that the great state of Jersey influenced me other than the people I hung out with.

What’s it like to go from a low budget film like “Clerks” to a film like “Zack and Miri Make a Porno?”

Well it was a 15-year process for me, so it was a relatively slow process. And also, whether I got 10 bucks or 10 million bucks, my job doesn’t change. I write the script and rehearse the actors to act out the script almost exactly the way I heard it in my head, if not better. So I’d say my job doesn’t change much.

How much is this film autobiographical?

Well, if you scrape away the porno and the overtrappings of the story in terms of a bunch of people getting together to make a porn, it really is the story about how we made “Clerks” to a certain degree. The experience of making “Clerks” 15 years ago definitely informed the plot of this movie.

Why did you decide to base the film in Pittsburgh?

I’m drawn to suburbia more than I am the big cities. With Pittsburgh, the city really shuts down at like six at night. You could be on the main drag at eight, nine at night and it’s empty — the whole place seemingly shuts down. So I wanted to shoot this movie in like, one of the last places you’d ever expect people to make porn, which is why I chose the suburbs of Pittsburgh. I guess it just comes down to me being drawn to smaller towns and less of the big city stuff.

— TYLER B RANSON IS AN ENGLISH AND HISTORY SENIOR.

Sooner

CHALLENGE

40-Day

I heard there was a little bit of a hassle trying to get the movie down to an R rating.

AP photo

Jeffery Wilder passes a makeshift memorial Tuesday outside the Chicago home of Darnell Donerson, who along with her son, Jason Hudson, were found shot to death inside the home on Friday. On Monday, Donerson’s grandson, Julian King, was found shot to death in an SUV on the city’s West Side. Donerson is the mother of singer and Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson.

Take your health and wellness to a higher level one challenge at a time!

Sooner 40-Day Challenge is a free self-paced health and fitness program designed to challenge students, faculty and staff in every aspect of wellness with a different challenge for 40 days. The program, beginning November 3, 2008, provides motivation to develop lifelong health habits.

Participants benefit by: Completing and submitting a weekly health and fitness log Attending fitness and nutrition seminars Receiving weekly e-info Having fun while developing a healthy lifestyle Increasing knowledge and awareness of healthy habits Recommended for intermediate to advanced level participants.

Please return this form to the Huston Huffman Center front desk (hours: M-F, 8 AM - 6 PM) or to Health Promotion on the second floor of Goddard Health Center (hours M - F, 8 AM - 5 PM) to register and receive your packet of materials. Sign-up ends October 31, 2008.

PLEASE SELECT:

STUDENT

FACULTY/STAFF

NAME (Please print) E-MAIL ADDRESS ®

Health Services

Student Affairs

PHONE NUMBER PARTICIPATING AS:

INDIVIDUAL

TEAM

TEAM NAME

* A voluntary assumption of risk and informed consent must be completed prior to participation in the Sooner 40-day Challenge. Points will not be included in weekly tallies until a consent form has been recieved for that participant.

Please consult your health care provider before starting a walking program or any form of physical activity. Accommodations on the basis of disability are available by contacting 325-4611 x41777. The University of Oklahoma is an Equal Opportunity Institution.

Classifieds

Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2008

PLACE AN AD Phone 405.325.2521

E-Mail classifieds@ou.edu

Fax 405.325.7517

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.

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PETS Adorable French bull dogs, Yorkshire terriers, and English bulldogs, male and females available for sale, full breed, AKC reg. Health guarantee, 8 wks old, $700.00. Contact Jessica for more info at jessy_jefferson@hotmail.com.

C Transportation AUTO INSURANCE

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

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TM

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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 Attention Student Work $15 Base/Appt Flex sched, scholarships possible, customer sales/service, no exp nec, all ages 17+, conditions apply. Norman/OKC/Moore Call Now, 405-307-0979 SeekingSitters is opening in the Moore/Norman area, and is looking for qualified, reliable sitters to work flexible hours. FT/PT, days, nights, and weekends available. If you are interested apply at seekingsitters.com.

LEGEND’S RESTAURANT is now accepting applications for daytime waitstaff, pastry chef, and catering staff. Apply M-F, 2-4 at 1313 W. Lindsey.

PAYMENT s r

Employment

HELP WANTED Make up to $75 per online survey www.cashtospend.com.

PT cook, must be over 21, exp req. Apply in person 2-4pm. Henry Hudsons, 3737 W Main.

TELLER - Financial institution has immediate openings for an experienced teller. Previous banking experience or experience in retail is preferred.

Strong customer service skills req., earn monthly performance incentives in addition to salary. Full and part time positions available. Apply in person at First Bank & Trust Co., 923 W. Main, Duncan, or send resume to human resources, PO Box 580 Duncan,OK 73534. EOE, M/F/D/V. Bartending! Up to $250/day. No exp nec. Training provided. 1-800-965-6520, x133.

We pay up to $75.00 per online survey! www.cashtospend.com.

NOW HIRING! Coach’s Brewhouse, 110 West Main for front of house positions, servers, bartenders. Call 321-BREW(2739) to set up an interview. Must be 21 to apply.

America’s FAST LANE is now hiring lube techs, car wash attendants, service advisors, cashiers, and management trainees. Full and part-time positions are available with no experience necessary. Fast Lanes offers competitive pay, flexible schedules, and opportunity for advancement. Apply in person at 1235 West Main Street, Norman OK or call 321-5260.

$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 SOONERSNEEDJOBS.COM Paid survey takers needed in Norman 100% FREE to join. Click on Surveys.

J Housing Rentals

1 bdrm of 3 bdrm house for rent, female only to join other 2 female students. No pets/smokers, very close to OU, all bills paid, but elec has 1/3 cap., $325/mo. Call 909-238-2941.

J

Housing Sales

FETCH THIS PAPER YOURSELF

HOUSES Westside Norman home, 1525 sq ft., 3 bdrms, 2 full baths, carpeted bdrms, tile kitchen, Laminate wood floors in hall, and living/dining. $138,000. Go to: www.forsalebyowner.com, lising #21888775 or Call Vicki 405-414-2154.

TAKE A SMALL STEP TO GET HEALTHY www.smallstep.gov

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.

APTS. UNFURNISHED VERY NICE!!!, 800 sf, 1 bdrm, living room, kitchen, bth, wood floors, 1 block OU, 1018 S College, $275/mo. Call 306-1970 or 360-2873.

Brookhollow & The Cedars, 1-2-3 bed apt homes, approx 1 mi from OU. Great prices & service.

Your home away from home! 405-329-6652

PRE-LEASE FOR JANUARY $99 Deposit/ NO app fee!

Pets welcome/ Large floor plans!

1&2 bedrooms Available!

Models open 8a-8p Everyday!

Elite Properties 360-6624 or www.elite2900.com

HOUSES UNFURNISHED Near OU, 3 bed, 1.5 bth, ch/a, garage, no pets, 504 Inwood Dr, $750/mo., deposit required. Call 996-6592 or 329-1933 One bedroom brick house on Parsons st. Close to OU, wood floors, C/H&A, stove, refrigerator, garage, smoke free, no pets, $460/mo. Call Bob, Mister Robert furniture 321-1818.

Now leasing for MAY 2009, 3 bdrm brick houses, 2-4 blocks from OU, Call Bob at Mister Robert’s furniture 321-1818.

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

Winter Specials Universal Crossword Edited by Timothy E. Parker October 29, 2008

Classified Display Ads

ACROSS 1 State capital on Budd Inlet 8 In the thick of 14 Pays what is due 16 Detective played by Peter Lorre 17 Quick hands artist 19 Soft drink specification 20 Manhattan ending?

21 Emergency room imperative 22 Something to doff 24 Lush sound 27 Space aliens, for short 28 Mucks about 34 They may arouse you 35 They’re blue, in rhyme 37 Carmela portrayer on “The Sopranos�

38 Tractor-trailer combo 39 Polite interruption 41 Stately shade-giver 44 Lauder and Chandler 46 Has a promising future 48 French pronoun 50 “This ___ recording�

51 My ___, Vietnam 52 Prefix with

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ROOMMATES WANTED

8

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

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8 “___ making myself clear?�

9 Mohawksporting actor 10 “___ helpless as a kitten up a tree ‌â€?

11 Attended to a final detail 12 Type of weasel 13 Civil wrongs 15 Mosh ___ (rock concert area) 18 Baseball’s

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29 Ye-Shoppe link 30 Like games that go into overtime 31 Krispy ___ Doughnuts 32 “___ to a Kill�

(Bond film) 33 Under, in poetry 36 Spotted 38 eBay transaction, perhaps 40 Where the Knicks play, initially 42 ___ chi (martial art

PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

Š 2008 Universal Press Syndicate www.upuzzles.com

“IT’S A ZOO� by Arnold Landers

The onset of eye disease may not 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 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 information, visit checkyearly.com.

A public service message from Vision Council of America and AARP.

Previous Answers

form) 43 B&O et al.

44 Seventh letter of the Greek alphabet 45 ___-fi 47 “Ready when you are!�

48 Wreck beyond repair 49 Yellowish earth tone 53 Auction caveat 55 The elected 56 Melt together 57 Switch addition?

58 ___ Records (comedy label) 59 Minor quarrel 61 Time of anticipation 62 Neckline cut 63 Traveler’s discount gp.

64 “I Have a Dream� monogram

Details

Campaigns silent on education issue Forget Joe the Plumber. Joe the teacher wants to know what happened to education as an issue during the presidential campaign.

“The country, if education is something they’re concerned about, they’ve got to seek it out,” said Joe Post, a 17-year-veteran language arts teacher at a middle school in the Cleveland suburb of North Ridgeville, Ohio. “It’s not going to be on the front page of the newspaper in this election.”

Bill Clinton in 1996 and George W. Bush in 2000 ran successfully on education issues. Last month, in an Associated Press-Yahoo poll, 46

percent of respondents called education an “extremely important” issue to them personally _ ranking it higher than housing prices, taxes, immigration or the environment.

But in the end, education couldn’t steal much attention from the global financial meltdown, not to mention Sarah Palin, Tina Fey, Bill Ayers and Joe the Plumber.

Only in the last question of the last presidential debate did it get detailed treatment before a mass audience. But time ran out before Republican Sen. John McCain or Democrat Sen. Barack Obama could be pressed for more than

a platitudinous outline of their plans.

Not even an eight-figure effort from a pair of billionaires could shift the spotlight to education.

Last year, foundations started by Eli Broad and Bill Gates pledged up to $60 million on a campaign called “Ed in ‘08” to press the candidates to make education an issue in the 2008 election.

The campaign set up field offices in the early primary states, pushed education questions at town-hall candidate meetings and bought ads on TV, radio and the Internet.

Organizers insist the campaign

was a success. But the funders ultimately capped the campaign at around $25 million. Education never rose to anywhere near the top of the national agenda — and another $35 million wasn’t going to change that.

“It’s really unusual at least in recent history that education has had such a diminished status,” said Mike Petrilli, vice president for national programs and policy at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute.

“There’s no reason it shouldn’t be as big an issue as health care, or global warming or energy.”

— AP

Prison official’s wife accused of helping prisoner escape

CAMPUS NOTES The Daily draws all entries for Campus Notes from oudaily.com’s comprehensive, campus-wide calendar. To get your event noticed, visit oudaily.com.

AP Photo

Bobbi Parker, a prison official’s wife accused of helping a convicted killer escape and then living with him for more than a decade, waits in a Greer County courtroom, Monday, in Mangum, for a preliminary hearing to determine whether or not she should face a trial.

“You don’t sit on the front porch and drink coffee,” Cowley said. “Just the appearance would be an impropriety.”

Dial, who died in 2007 at age 62, pleaded guilty to escape and maintained until his death that he kidnapped Parker at knifepoint and forced her to drive him from the prison.

“I was a hostage-taker and will probably live to regret it,” Dial said in a jailhouse interview shortly after his capture. “But now

A bible study will be at 12:30 in the Oklahoma Memorial Union’s Sooner Room.

UPB • A healthy habits seminar will be at

at the Kappa Sigma House.

• A seminar on plagiarism will be at 3 p.m. in the Carnegie Building, room 200.

ANIMATION & COMIC SOCIETY

SCHOOL OF MUSIC The Sutton Faculty Concert Series will be at 8 p.m. in the Sharp Concert Hall.

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

COUNTY WARRANT Susan Rebecca Fajt, 31, 1500 block Vine Street, Sunday Chadwick Christopher Lavender, 32, 5500 block Alameda Street, Monday

DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCELIQUOR OR DRUGS/ACTUAL PHYSICAL CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE Sara Beth Flores, 32, 2300 block West

A general meeting will be at 8 p.m. in Dale Hall, room 211.

THURSDAY SUSAN G. KOMEN FOR THE CURE “Komen on the Go” will be at 9 a.m. on the Union’s east lawn.

A haunted carnival will be at 8 p.m.

POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA Paul Francis Freddo, 23, 1600 block Ann-Branden Boulevard, Sunday Brandon Colby Schopf, 23, Newman Hall, Monday, also possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of controlled dangerous substance and driving under suspension

A fun walk will be at 11:30 a.m. on the North Oval.

PSYCHOLOGY CLUB A social event will be at 7 p.m. in Dale Hall, room 200.

XENIA INSTITUTE A panel discussion regarding conflicts in the media, the military and the public will be at 7 p.m. in the Robert S. Kerr Auditorium of the Sam Noble Museum of Natural History.

FRED FILMS Two films will be shown at 7 p.m. in the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art. SCHOOL OF FINE ARTS A guest pianist will perform as part of the Norton Visiting Artist Concert Series at 8 p.m. in the Sharp Concert Hall.

Linda Lee Lancaster, 35, 300 block N. Interstate Drive E., Sunday Ernest Lee Lewis, 34, 300 block N. Interstate Drive E., Sunday

PUBLIC INTOXICATION Donald Zane Wasio, 20, 1100 block E. Lindsey Street, Sunday

— AP

HOROSCOPE

By Bernice Bede Osol

Copyright 2008, Newspaper Enterprise Assn.

Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2008 SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) -Small frustrations with which you might have to contend from time to time shouldn’t put a damper on all the good things that will happen to you at this time.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) -- Your material prospects are much brighter than usual, although they might derive from some unexpected sources.

Explore hidden, seldom-tapped moneymaking channels.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) -- If you allow Lady Luck to run your day and don’t try to alter conditions to suit what you think is best, you will have a greater chance of events working out to your liking.

After noon, ad $1

WITH HAIRCUT • $49.99 Non-Requested Stylist Only

Open 7 Days A Week!

127 N. Porter 360-4247

LONDON — With Iceland, Pakistan, Hungary and Ukraine already clamoring for mountains of cash aid, the $250 billion set aside by the International Monetary Fund to help struggling nations through the economic crisis is beginning to look puny.

China and oil-rich Persian Gulf states should fund the bulk of a major boost in the IMF’s bailout pot, Gordon Brown, the British prime minister who has burnished his reputation by taking the lead on the financial meltdown, said Tuesday.

Those countries have the largest currency reserves and therefore should do the most, Brown said, without specifying how much more money should be added to the fund for helping nations whose banking systems and currencies are being battered.

“We must act now. We must set up the fund as quickly as possible,” Brown told reporters before heading to Paris for further talks on the crisis with French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- The best course of action will be the one that you establish for yourself, for which you can assume a leadership role and not be dependent on anyone else.

PETTY LARCENY

HIGHLIGHTING OR COLOR

116 S. Main, Noble 872-1661

McCain gains backing of Joe the Plumber

A seminar on healthy habits will be at 3 p.m. in the Carnegie Building, room 200.

HAIRCUT • $10.99

The Works $16.99 Shampoo/ Cut/Blowdry

PHILADELPHIA — Sooner or later, someone will win this World Series.

Just not Tuesday night. Too wet. Besides, the baseball commissioner went home to Milwaukee.

Maybe the Phillies and Rays can play ball Wednesday night. But snow showers are in the forecast.

Players and fans remained in limbo Tuesday, with Game 5 still suspended from the previous night. It was tied at 2 in the sixth inning when a steady downpour turned Citizens Bank Park into a quagmire, washing away the foul lines and turning home plate into a puddle.

The Phillies lead 3-1 in the best-of-seven matchup, meaning Philadelphia could be close to winning a championship the city desperately craves.

Or perhaps not.

“It’s kind of like overtime in a sense, I guess,” Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said. “Or sudden victory.”

“It’s just the way it is,” he said. “There’s no crying about it.”

The teams are tentatively set to resume at 8:37 p.m. tonight.

UPB

UNITED WAY

KAPPA SIGMA

Indian Hills Road, Sunday

POLICE REPORTS

I don’t. Doing a life sentence, at my age, I wouldn’t trade it for the past 10½ years.”

But prosecutors painted a different picture, claiming Bobbi Parker fell in love with the con man and ran off with him. They said a search of the pair’s East Texas trailer, which had only one bed, uncovered photographs, cards they exchanged, a box of condoms, Viagra instructions, a vibrating sex toy and a love letter she wrote to him.

2 p.m. and 4 p.m. in the Carnegie Building, room 200.

A Halloween bash will be at 6:30 p.m. in Kaufman Hall, room 232.

CHRISTIANS ON CAMPUS

Whither the weather: Wacky World Series on hold

IMF likely to need more money for its bailout fund

FRENCH CLUB

TODAY

WORLD NEWS BRIEF

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Joe the Plumber endorsed Republican John McCain for president on Tuesday.

Samuel J. Wurzelbacher gained national attention when Obama told him during a campaign stop that he wanted to “spread the wealth around.” Their exchange about Obama’s tax plan aired countless times on cable news programs, and McCain repeatedly cited Joe the Plumber in their third and final debate and again at campaign events.

McCain points to Wurzelbacher as an example of the middle-class worker who would be hurt economically by an Obama presidency, however, Wurzelbacher likely would fare better under Obama’s tax plan because it calls for no tax increase for working couples earning less than $250,000 a year — Wurzelbacher himself earns far less — and provides for a middle-class tax cut.

In a McCain rally at a flag store, Wurzelbacher said he feared that Obama would turn the U.S. into a socialist nation.

When a McCain supporter asked him if he believed “a vote for Obama is a vote for the death of Israel,” Wurzelbacher replied, “I’ll go ahead and agree with you on that.” He didn’t elaborate on how Obama, who has said his commitment to Israeli security is “nonnegotiable,” would be caustic for the Jewish state.

SEAN MURPHY Associated Press MANGUM — A decade after a convicted killer escaped from an Oklahoma prison and vanished along with the assistant warden’s wife, the two were found living together on a Texas chicken ranch.

Now, the woman, Bobbi Parker, is back with her husband and fighting in court to prove she was a kidnap victim, not a lovestruck accomplice to the escape.

On Tuesday, a judge ruled Parker, now 46, must stand trial on charges she helped Randolph Dial break out of the Oklahoma State Reformatory in Granite. The ruling came after evidence was presented at a preliminary hearing that Parker and Dial shared a bed for a decade and acted like husband and wife.

During the hearing, Parker’s soft-spoken husband, Randy Parker, chatted with his wife and occasionally leaned on the back of her chair. He has said only that the couple’s marriage is strong and that they are looking forward to putting the case behind them.

Dial began spending time with Bobbi Parker while she oversaw a pottery program at the prison. With a charming personality and a gift for gab, Dial was granted minimum-security status and allowed to roam the prison grounds with little oversight.

The inmate and the assistant warden’s wife worked together in the pottery shop in her garage on the prison grounds. They were also seen sipping coffee on her porch swing.

Their behavior didn’t look right, Jack Cowley, the former warden of the prison, testified at the hearing. He said he was considering moving the pottery shop into another building when the pair disappeared.

9

Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2008

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

Buy one dinner or lunch and get one free!

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) -- Lady Luck will be attentive to your involvements, especially those that are group-oriented. If you look like a winner and act like one, you will find that you are one.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) -There should be no excuses as to why you can’t do anything you want. The aspects allow for just about any activity you wish to pursue; it’ll satisfy your needs.

Second meal must be of equal or lesser value. exp. 10/30

\

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) -Almost any relationship you want to improve can become more harmonious and meaningful with a little effort on your part.

Don’t sit back and wait for life to happen.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) -Your talents and abilities should be used to the fullest on things that could have a good effect upon your material circumstances. You have what it takes to derive returns from more than one source.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) -You could be extremely fortunate not only for yourself but for those with whom you share your day. Lady Luck has singled you out for special attention, so put her generosity to good use.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) -- A personal matter looks as if it’s going to work out for you in ways that will meet your highest expectations. Keep the faith, and keep plugging ahead.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -Although you are likely to be well received by most everyone, it could be members of the opposite sex who’ll find you the most appealing. If you’re looking, be sure to get out and mingle.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) -- If you’ve recently acquired a bit of a financial surplus, don’t let it burn a hole in your pocket. It’s OK to spend a little for fun, but put most of it in places where it won’t be wasted.

10

Arts & Entertainment

Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2008

A&E BRIEFLY Obama makes time again for ‘The Daily Show’

•The Daily’s Tim Bennett looks at this week’s comic releases.

‘FINAL CRISIS: RAGE OF THE RED LANTERNS #1’

‘IMMORTAL IRONFIST #19’ TIM BENNETT

Geoff Johns begins his “War of Light” storyline in this “Final Crisis” tie-in, that looks to have major ramifications for the Green Lantern universe outside of “Final Crisis.” The danger of telling a story about a war between eight different factions is readers might have problems following allegiances.

In order to keep the story focused, look for Johns to highlight the conflict between Hal Jordan and Sinestro. Johns also plans to keep readers relating to the space-opera by clinging to his four main characters of Hal, John, Guy and Kyle.

Johns’ writing of these characters has always been strong since he reunited them in “Green Lantern: Rebirth,” so their interactions should be a strong point of the book.

CHESTER, PA — Gotta make time to laugh in a campaign — and court the youth vote.

In the midst of a mad dash toward the election, Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama will make time Wednesday to appear on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” with its host, Jon Stewart.

The satirical news review, which covers the election under the banner of “Indecision 2008,” offers candidates a chance to show off their ability to be humorous if they can respond off the cuff.

Stewart also tends to put candidates on the spot on news of the day.

Obama will tape his appearance via satellite today during a campaign swing in Florida. The segment is scheduled to air at 11 p.m. EDT. This will be Obama’s fourth time on the show. He last appeared on April 21, the eve of the Democratic primary in Pennsylvania.

Obama’s Republican competition, John McCain, has been a guest on Stewart’s show, too.

Both candidates will be making the most of TV on Wednesday.

Obama has bought 30 minutes of prime time to make the case for his candidacy and discuss the economy; the program will air on CBS, NBC and Fox. McCain will be interviewed on CNN’s “Larry King Live.”

Photo provided

Iron Fist Danny Rand desperately attempts to find the secret to surviving a deadly attack from a new enemy who has killed every Iron Fist before — with one exception: Danny’s mentor Orson Randall. Writer Duane Swierczynski has provided a seamless takeover from Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction, keeping a solid writing quality but shifting the series’ focus from political intrigue in the mystical city of K’un Lun to Danny’s daily life in New York, as Danny attempts to refocus his struggling company and fights for his life. Travel Foreman’s art is strikingly different to the subdued work of original series artist David Aja, but brings the book an energy and attitude more fitting of the current storyline’s setting.

Reeves takes stand, says he didn’t run into pap LOS ANGELES — Keanu Reeves and the paparazzo who’s suing him took turns on the witness stand Tuesday, offering different accounts of an incident the photographer said left him seriously injured.

Reeves told jurors in the civil case that he moved his Porsche forward slowly to try to get the paparazzo, Alison Silva, to move out of his way.

Reeves had just finished visiting a relative in Rancho Palos Verdes in March 2007 and had been followed by Silva from the Sunset Strip.

Reeves emphatically told jurors he did not hit Silva with his bumper.

Silva testified the opposite, saying the bumper of Reeves’ Porsche hit his knee and sent him reeling backward. He then fell and contends his wrist was seriously injured, limiting his ability to work.

“What really happened, the car hit me, and I went backward and tried to protect myself,” Silva said.

Silva’s testimony was interrupted by a court recess. He will retake the stand today, when Reeves’ attorney will have a chance to question him.

He is suing Reeves for lost wages and medical expenses. A judge has already barred him from seeking punitive damages.

The 28-year-old Brazilian told jurors he wasn’t really paying attention to Reeves’ car but trying to get a shot of the actor.

Photo provided

‘THOR #11’

‘THE BOYS #24’ “We Gotta Go Now” continues with part two of the story, in which Hughie infiltrates a thinlyveiled parody of the X-Men. Although nearly every storyline so far has involved the boys taking on a different super team, Ennis has kept the series fresh by slowly introducing new elements about Hughie’s allies in each issue, constantly expanding characterization. Expect to learn more of the enigmatic Butcher’s motivations as the series enters the second act of its approximately 60 planned issues.

Photo provided

J. Michael Strazynski’s reboot of Thor is a little more than a year old, but already Thor’s world has been populated with memorable characters who are both gods and humans. Although the major storylines have slowly developed, Strazynski has filled the comic with so many smaller relationships and conflicts that issues still feel dense with story. Issue 10 introduced further political intrigue in Asgard as Loki, reincarnated as a woman after Ragnarok, turns Baldur against his brother, Thor.

Oliver Coipel’s art brings Asgard to life and keeps energy high during action sequences.

Barenaked Ladies’ Page faces drug case in NY court FAYETTEVILLE, NY— Barenaked Ladies singer and guitarist Steven Page is due back in an upstate New York courtroom Tuesday to answer cocaine possession charges.

The 38-year-old Toronto musician was arrested in July while visiting two women at their suburban Syracuse apartment. Police were checking on a car they found parked across the sidewalk with its driver’s side door open outside the apartment.

Authorities charged Page with fourth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a felony that carries a maximum penalty of up to 15 years in prison.

Photo provided

— AP

— TIM BENNETT IS A PROFESSIONAL WRITING SENIOR.

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