Issue 146, Volume 75 by The Cougar

1934 – 2009

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Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Issue 145, Volume 75

thedailycougar.com

Board of Regents

Future students will face new standards Rules concerning automatic acceptance and general aptitude test score requirements are changed for 2012 incoming freshmen

By Gordon Furneaux The daily cougar The UH System Board of Regents approved new freshman admission standards last month for first-time students. Beginning fall 2012, students graduating in the top 15 percent of their class will gain automatic acceptance. By 2014, automatic acceptance will be given to incoming freshman who graduate in the top 10 percent. These students would also not be required to provide SAT or ACT scores for admittance, as most applicants would. Provost John Antel said the main reason for this is to ensure more students graduate on time. “We wanted to make sure we took students who are prepared and that have a chance to graduate,” Antel said. This is the first step in a progressive process to become a more competitive research

institution. The SAT and ACT score requirements have also changed. UH will require high school graduates in the top 26 to 50 percent to have a score of 1100 or 21 respectively, while the top 16 to 25 percent will need a score of 1000 or 21. The requirements differ from other Texas schools, but by 2014, when the top ten percent rule takes effect, UH will match other schools’ freshman requirements. For students who do not fall in the top 50 percent of their graduating class, other requirements will be taken into consideration for admittance. “The test scores are one indicator of ability to do college work but so are a lot of things, so we look at class rank and individual reviews,” Antel said. En v i ro n m e n t a l science sophomore Andrew Alleman said he likes the changes made to the admission requirements.

Graduate College of Social Work professor Brené Brown has been selected to share her research on humanity’s fear of vulnerability as part of the TEDx Houston conference this weekend. The format for the conference involves brief 18-minute discussions between the panel and audience members, who must apply to be a member of the audience. “It is a unique experience because it compels you to take one piece of your work and focus on why it’s important to you, and why you think it’s meaningful and relevant to others,” Brown said. “You can’t teach in 18 minutes. You can only hope to ignite passion and inspire people to want to know

“It would be harder to get in,” Alleman said. “But there would be less students that would be put on academic probation or risk being kicked out because they were unable to keep up with their grades.” Education senior Marnita Johnson said it is best for the students, as well as the school, that standards are raised, because one way to measure the status of a school is by the number

of students who do not gain acceptance. “Academics are way more important than anything else,” she said. “I see a lot of high school students who are not prepared and it will help them focus on academics. If they don’t get in they can go to HCC and do what I did.” Many students fall into this category, which Antel and the other regents considered when

Phishing scams target student info

UH to host city’s leaders in thinking By Ashley Evans The daily cougar

Wiki commons

Incoming freshmen will face new test score requirements since the Board of Regents approved changes to admission requirements in May.

Campus IT security warns that hackers are using false UH e-mails to gather information gg

they voted on the new standards. “Individual reviews are very important. Let’s say you have an applicant who did not test very well, but worked full time during high school or maybe the student has great talents in other areas,” Antel said. “The individual reviews allow you to look beyond the test scores to other factors. One size does not fit all.” news@thedailycougar.com

Think before you click. gg

courtesy of Brené Brown

Graduate College of Social Work research professor Brené Brown will speak on vulnerability and culture at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts’ Wortham Theatre on Saturday, June 12. more.” Brown has spent over a decade researching the concepts of shame, fear, compassion and authenticity. At the heart of her research is the concept of vulnerability so, when given an 18-minute window, she decided that would be most important to talk about. “We are a very vulnerabilityphobic culture and many of our struggles in society today relate back to our inability to sit see TED, page 6

By Gordon Furneaux The daily cougar UH has recently become a target of a form of online impersonation known as phishing. Web impersonators, or phishers, have been sending e-mails claiming to be official university officials in order to gain secure information from students. Chief Information Security Officer Mary Dickerson said these attacks have been occurring more frequently in universities across the country. “The information security vendor RSA issued a report in which they note that January 2010 saw a 21 percent increase in phishing attacks over December 2009,” Dickerson said, adding that the report noted a growing trend of phishing attacks against colleges and universities.

“From our observations, they seem to come in waves,” she said. “The past 45 days have been exceptionally heavy for phishing attacks at UH.” A common lure used by phishers is sending e-mails to students under a false UH banner in order to gain students’ e-mail passwords. “They may set up a phishing site to obtain users’ e-mail credentials, which would allow the phisher to log into the user’s e-mail and obtain information on other accounts the user might have (banking accounts, etc.) or use the victim’s e-mail account to send spam or new phishing messages,” Dickerson said. Although students are the ones being victimized, the hacking begins by first finding e-mail addresses for students from the university. see PHISHING, page 6

Do not reply to e-mails or pop-up messages that ask for personal or financial information Do not open any attachments in suspicious e-mails Do not click on any links embedded in suspicious e-mails Research the subject line of a suspicious e-mail to determine if that subject line is a known phishing scam

Ways to spot a fake UH e-mail gg

If it asks for personal information

Bad or fuzzy graphics

Outdated UH logo

Incomplete “From:” address

gg gg

Bad capitalization Bad grammar

Lack of contact information

No signature

Source: UH Information Technology

2 n Wednesday, June 9, 2010

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Thursday

Friday

93˚ 78˚

93˚ 79˚

C A L E ND A R

» Send event information to calendar@thedailycougar.com

WEDNESDAY Christopher Farnsworth’s Blood Oath: 6:30 p.m., Murder by the Book, 2342 Bissonnet St. 77005. Blood Oath is the first in a series of supernatural thrillers featuring Nathaniel Cade, a vampire different from most other undead characters we’ve been seeing on television and in movies these days. Cade was captured by the U.S. Army and is being forced to protect the president from threats by the undead and whatever otherworldly creatures that might come along. Mix vampires, who literally drink blood, with D.C. politicos, who may as well, and toss in an overconfident Oval Office liaison, a few conspiracies and some biological weapons, and you have quite a literary cocktail. For more information, call 713-524-8597 or visit www.murderbooks.com. The event is free.

THURSDAY City of Ships: 10 p.m., Super Happy Fun Land, 3801 Polk St. 77003. Florida’s metallic City Of Ships just released their second full-length LP, Look What God Did to Us, late last year. The band’s sophomore album was included in Decibel’s end of year ‘best-of’ list and drew praise from metal mavens of all

CORR E C T I ONS gg

ONE-STOP SHOPPING. Shopping for textbooks made easy.

Buy books when you register in Peoplesoft » 1. Log in to UH Self Service at http://my.uh.edu

2. Select “My Class Schedule” under Enrollment

3. Select “Show Enrolled Classes” and press “Filter.”

4. Then scroll down to and click to get a list of your textbooks ready for purchase!

Saturday

94˚ 78˚

stripes for its staunch post-hardcore grind. Fans of the like-minded Cave In and the nearly-departed Isis will find City Of Ships a nice fit for their ears. The band’s complex riffs will easily sink into the pores of any devoted math-rocker worth his or her Gravity Records collection. The event is free and, as always, will include a potluck dinner. For more information, call (713) 880-2100.

FRIDAY TMF Young Artist Series: This is a Jazz Institute Concert directed by Noe Marmolejo. Talented high school and college jazz musicians will perform tunes ranging from classical to contemporary in a big band setting. Admission is free. For more information, contact the Moores School of Music at 713-743-3313.

SATURDAY TMF Classical Minds Guitar Festival: 7:30-9 a.m., Moores Opera House. Jennifer Grassman, a vocalist and pianist, and Valerie Hartzell, a classical guitarist, will be performing at UH this Saturday morning. Tickets are $15 for the public and $10 for students. For more information, contact the Moores School of Music at 713-743-3313.

» Report errors to editor@thedailycougar.com

Corrections will appear in this space as needed.

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ab o u t About the Cougar The Daily Cougar is published Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters, and Wednesdays during the summer, at the University of Houston Printing Plant and online at http://www.thedailycougar. com. The University seeks to provide equal educational opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability or veteran status, or sexual orientation. The Daily Cougar is supported in part by Student Service Fees. the first copy of the Cougar is free; each additional copy is 25 cents. Subscriptions Rates are $70 per year or $40 per semester. Mail subscription requests to: Mail Subscriptions, The Daily Cougar, University of Houston, Houston, TX, 77204-4015. news tips Direct news tips and story ideas to the News Desk. Call (713) 743-5314, e-mail news@thedailycougar. com or fax (713) 743-5384. A “Submit news item” form is also available online at thedailycougar.com. Copyright No part of the newspaper in print or online may be reproduced without the written consent of the director of the Student Publications Department.

i s s ue s ta f f n

Copy editing

Moniqua Sexton, Jack Wehman, Travis Hensley

Production

Sarah Neill

Closing editor Matthew Keever

Wednesday, June 9, 2010 n 3

The Daily Cougar

SPORTS

COMING NEXT WEEK: See how the Cougars track and field team fared at the national championship

EDITORS Christopher Losee, John Brannen E-MAIL sports@thedailycougar.com ONLINE www.thedailycougar.com/sports

Track

National contest to assess Cougars’ stamina By John Brannen THE DAILY COUGAR

The Cougars track and field season is on the verge of conclusion but perhaps also its climax. Ten athletes made the trek to Eugene, Ore., to compete in the NCAA Championship meet beginning today and running through Saturday. With two relay teams and six individual athletes competing, the Cougars like their chances to score points. It is the first trip to the national championship for four of the Cougars, including freshman Errol Nolan. Nolan was 0.18 seconds away from qualifying to the NCAA Indoor Championship in the 400meter dash but achieved his goal this outdoor season. Nolan’s ambitions for the meet are to beat his personal-best of 45.59 and to land in the top eight of the race, which would give him All-American status. Nolan said to expect big things in his first nationally televised meet. “Stay tuned in,” Nolan said. “I

CourTesy OF UH ATHLETICS

Freshman Errol Nolan hopes to run away from the pack at his first national championship appearance Wednesday. Nolan will be participating in the 400-meter dash and will anchor the 4 x 100-meter relay. plan on doing something special.” Throughout the season, head coach Leroy Burrell had to shuffle the third leg on the men’s 4 x 100-meter relay team, but at the conference championship he found the right lineup. Football stars Isaiah Sweeney and Tyron Carrier will run the first two legs, with Joe Irabor at third and Errol Nolan as the anchor. On the women’s side, Burrell said throughout the season he is confident the 4x100-meter relay

Fighting Words

Talking smack and sports

At issue: After testing positive drug test, did Cushing

deserve to win Defensive Rookie of the Year re-vote?

»»Joachim Clarke: Stand by

your man

Brian Cushing deserved to win the re-vote of AP defensive Rookie of the Year regardless of what the NFL says he took. Cushing has been banned for four games for testing positive for HCG, a nonsteroidal substance that increases natural testosterone production. Cushing denies the use of HCG and is basically saying that having HCG levels over the allowed limit is a natural occurrence in his body and he worries that this might occur again. But regardless of whether or not Cushing took a banned substance, the vote was re-cast and he kept his award. Even though he won with 18 votes instead of 39 before the revelation of his alleged PED use, Cushing still deserves the award because truthfully, he was the best defensive rookie of the year. Apparently the AP panel of broadcasters and

writers who vote on these things agree with me. The re-vote is silly. What’s done is done and we just came to the same conclusion anyway. I personally don’t think that Cushing intentionally took any performance-enhancing drugs. I’m also a diehard Texans fan and incredibly biased, but that’s beside the point.

team will be competitive at the national championship. The likely lineup is Christie Jones, Whitney Harris, Kalyn Floyd and Grecia Bolton to finish the race. Along with relay duty Grecia Bolton qualified for the 100-meter dash. Christie Jones and Kalyn Floyd qualified for the 200-meter dash. UH will be represented by Chris Carter in the triple jump and Wesley Bray in the decathlon. Carter qualified in the 2009

validity of Cushing’s accomplishments, then don’t vote for him. If PED usage has no bearing on Cushing’s performance then vote for him. This result is not a shock. We’ve seen this before. Shawne Merriman was suspended for four games for PED use, but still was voted to the Pro Bowl. Rodney Harrison was suspended for four games, but now has a spot on NBC’s Football Night in America. Despite the tests for PEDs and four-game suspensions, I think people are so smitten with the game that they don’t care. Joachim, Cushing wasn’t held accountable, so he’s going to say whatever he wants about it, but what he took was an illegal substance and that’s why he was suspended. But like I said, most people don’t care.

»»Chris Losee: Not down for

»»Tristan Tippet: Who cares

doping

It’s very simple. Here was a chance for people in the football world to reaffirm their stance on PED usage and they did. Their stance is that taking PEDs and getting caught is not enough of an offense to have a postseason award taken away. If that’s the case than by all means Brian Cushing does deserve to win the AP Rookie of the Year Award. The reasoning is simple. If PED usage is wrong and takes away the

Texan’s linebacker Brian Cushing received NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year Award after testing positive for hCG --a precursor for steroid use-- in September of 2009. Did he deserve it? No of course not, I cannot understand how Cushing could have been considered after a second vote on the grounds of his use of a banned substance. In some cases, professional athletes are punished after admitting or testing positive for banned

anyway?

season and Bray returns to the National championship after making an appearance in 2008. Like in any sport, preparing for a championship situation is not just about physical condition but mental toughness. Leading up to the event coaches, family and teammates have voiced their support to the athletes. Nolan said some of the best advice he has received is the simple kind. “The one I hear the most and the one I like to hear is ‘just have

fun.’ When I have fun I run my best. Another one I hear is ‘it’s just another race.’ Hearing that relaxes me,” he said. Despite any calming influences, Nolan said he is eager for the competition to begin. “I feel anxious,” Nolan said. “Duck on the pond for now.” The action is slated to kick off at 3 p.m. today at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field. sports@thedailycougar.com

It’s your turn. Share your opinions of Cushing online substances. Cushing was punished and suspended for the first four games of the 2010 season, but myself as well as many others feel like he should not have been included in the secondary vote and that the consequences were inconsistent with the violation. The 18 out of 50 delegates that cast their vote on Cushing’s drug induced performance acknowledged cheating and gave the impression that problems are not just with the players, but within the NFL organization itself. The true test will be Cushing’s sophomore year, and whether he can put up the same numbers to squash some of the chatter that has him under a magnifying glass going into the 2010 season.

»»Judge Brannen: Cushing

Going off appearances it seems there is apathy regarding athletes who use PEDs. But I cannot cosign Tristan’s point because 19 voters changed their vote from Cushing to either Jairus Byrd, Clay Matthews or Bryan Orkapo to spite Cushing‘s enhanced performance. Julius Peppers won the award in 2002 and it was later revealed he tested positive; the same goes for Shawne Merriman in 2005. The remaining 18 voters did not want to change the precedent. If it is any consolation the NFL stripped Cushing of his secondteam All-Pro commendation and is ineligible for the Pro Bowl yet he remains two-time 2009 Defensive Rookie of the Year.

is who we thought he was

Verdict

I disagree with Joachim because Cushing said that doctors told him the only way hCG was found in his body was by injection or tumors. Cushing said he was worried he would succumb to the tumors. To his credit, he played his rookie season with reckless abandon and sacrificed his body regularly so for him to think he was at death’s doorstep is unconvincing.

Chris gets the Face Time because if the NFL and the AP was serious about enforcing a zero tolerance drug policy, Cushing should not have been included in the re-vote.

Facetime World Cup starts Friday. Go USA!

4 n Wednesday, June 9, 2010

The Daily Cougar

OPINION

COMING NEXT WEEK: If the president swears, should we really care?

EDITOR Andrew Taylor E-MAIL opinion@thedailycougar.com ONLINE www.thedailycougar.com/opinion

THE DAILY COUGAR

EDITORIAL CARTOON

e d i t o r ial B o a r d Matthew Keever, Editor in Chief Newton Liu, Managing editor Hiba Adi, News editor Jose Aguilar, News editor John Brannen, Sports editor Christopher Losee, Sports editor Travis Hensley, Life & Arts editor Andrew Taylor, Opinion editor

STAFF EDITORIAL

Religious leaders should set better examples

JASON POLAND The Daily Cougar

Changing colleges saves change Summer school has been a perennial source of cheap credit hours for students whose budgets are smaller than others’. Tuition for twelve hours of summer school is almost three times cheaper than a full-length semester, making summer classes very enticing for anyone Jack Wehman on a tight budget. That is, until people see the price difference between a summer semester at UH and any local community college. Students who take classes during the summer at UH will pay literally a thousand dollars for their classes – or more – than those who transfer their credits from a community college. It’s understandable that the university can’t afford to give prices quite as low as a community college; our campus is much larger (and nicer) and requires a proportionate amount of money to maintain its facilities. But when six hours of credit at San Jac costs less than

just the fees for one summer class at UH, something is wrong. The credit is the same, but the total tuition for a summer semester is $1200 more at UH than a community college. What is really disconcerting about the cost of summer school are the mandatory fees imposed on students. Even if a student is enrolled in only one online class, he or she still has to pay the fees for the UH Wellness and Recreation center as well as computer lab fees. These fees increase for every class added. For classes held on campus, mandatory fees almost double. Some students don’t even have the luxury of choosing a vastly cheaper option. Seniors are required to take their last 30 credit hours at UH, regardless of what classes they have left – even if it is a foreign language or non-major prerequisite. This means seniors trying to get their core class hours are forced to pay three times what the class would cost somewhere else. It’s unfair, especially considering UH would have gladly

accepted transfer credit for the class had it been taken before the 30 hour cutoff. The university’s biggest summer school drawback, however, is that there is no way to find these fees until you have enrolled in classes. There is no way to find out exactly how expensive a class will be until you place it on your schedule – and even then fees are determined on a class-by-class basis, making it extremely difficult to try and compare prices between two UH classes. Trying to compare classes across colleges is even more of a hassle. If UH really cares about saving students’ money, it needs to provide a listing of all of the fees students will incur for each semester in each class – and include a comparison of roughly how much the class would cost at a nearby community college, as well. If insurance companies can compare direct quotes, surely an institution of higher learning can do the same. At least then students will be able to see exactly how much more they will spend for their credits.

Scope of oil spill beyond belief The gulf coast sea floor is bleeding oil at an unbelievable rate. Even if it were in a novel, the story would still be unfathomable. Seven weeks Casey after the leak began, Goodwin British Petroleum, the international corporation responsible for the leak, despite the company’s vast resources, has failed to do more than funnel off a portion of the continuing leak for later sale. With every passing day, the problem merely grows. The images coming out of the hardest hit areas are shocking: surreally horrible photographs of seabirds covered in thick, splotchy layers of oil; beaches devastated by tar balls and residue; the ocean so coated with slime that it reflects a rainbow of colors in the sunlight. There is currently no way to calculate the long-term human and environmental

costs of the oil spill, but the gulf will be feeling them for a long time to come. British Petroleum has no excuse for the damage it has caused or the fact that it was not prepared to respond to a disaster on the scale of the April 20 explosion. BP has only taken ineffective baby steps in the direction of fixing the problem it started, and it’s not nearly enough. BP needs to accept full responsibility for what it has done and, as President Obama recently demanded, pay for every dime of the damage it is causing. This includes reimbursing in full any fisherman who lost valuable income because fishing is impossible when an oil slick covers the ocean surface. So far, BP has been paying each boat owner who can prove his business $5,000 a month and deckhands $2,500 a month. This amount of money is cumbersome considering it does not even match a quarter of what they might earn if

they were able to work. As of Monday morning, BP had filled over 18,000 claims—about half the total number of claims submitted to them—together worth over $48 million. That sounds like a lot, but it is a tiny fraction of what they should be paying. Even BP’s efforts to stem the flow of oil seem flawed and money-motivated. Rather than simply plugging the well, BP has chosen to instead re-cap and funnel the leak, continuing to harvest the oil the way they had been before the explosion occurred. Instead of destroying the well that caused such a catastrophic leak, BP has set itself up to continue profiting from it. It may take generations for all of the marine animal populations to return to the levels they are at now. BP must make a long-term investment to return the environment to what it was before oil started flowing into the Gulf of Mexico.

Perhaps we’re the only ones who are tired of religious leaders falling short on their morality, but we doubt it. On Tuesday, a Houston minister was arrested in connection with his wife’s murder. His wife, 56, was shot just a week after his church was burned to the ground in what police are calling “a suspicious fire,” according to KTRK in Houston U.S. Federal Marshalls announced that Rev. Tracy Burleson, his 20-year-old son, and his son’s girlfriend, Tyonne Marie Palmer-Pollard, were all arrested in connection with the murder of Burleson’s wife, Pauletta. Burleson was not being cooperative when arrested on Tuesday, officials said, so he was brought directly to Harris County homicide headquarters. The Burleson family has a history with law enforcement, too. According to court documents, Burleson and his slain wife were previously charged with abusing their two boys by allegedly hitting them with an iron, extension cord, shovel and wooden board. Does anyone else think that’s just sick? And how did this man become, and remain, a reverend? Coupled with the accusations brought against the Catholic church, and considering countless other such cases, we at The Daily Cougar wonder what is going wrong. When did religion stop uniting people? Perhaps the more pertinent question is; how did such low-lifes manage to climb up the ladder and become authority figures in the religious community? “The word reformation is a sensitive one for Catholics, raising the specter of one of the church’s great historical challenges. But it has faced down danger before,” Jeff Israely and Howard Chua-Eoan wrote in a Time Magazine article. “Ratzinger once cited the legendary Cardinal-diplomat Ercole Consalvi, who, when told that Napoleon was out to destroy the Catholic Church, exclaimed, ‘He will never succeed. We have not managed to do it ourselves.’ This crisis may yet be the catalyst for change. “ Some of us on the staff are Christians, and it makes us sad to see such things happening within churches. Faith is an important aspect of all of our lives, and since this kind of behavior has apparently become commonplace amongst religious leaders, we suggest you investigate your rabbi, reverend, etc., if you haven’t already.

E D I TOR I A L p o licy STAFF EDITORIAL The Staff Editorial reflects the opinions of The Daily Cougar Editorial Board (the members of which are listed above the editorial). All other opinions, commentaries and cartoons reflect only the opinion of the author. Opinions expressed in The Daily Cougar do not necessarily reflect those of the University of Houston or the students as a whole. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The Daily Cougar welcomes letters to the editor from any member of the UH community. Letters should be no more than 250 words and signed, including the author’s full name, phone number or e-mail address and affiliation with the University, including classification and major. Anonymous letters will not be published. Deliver letters to Room 7, University Center Satellite; e-mail them to letters@ thedailycougar.com; send them via campus mail to STP 4015; or fax them to (713) 7435384. Letters are subject to editing. ADVERTISEMENTS Advertisements published in The Daily Cougar do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the University or the students as a whole. GUEST COMMENTARY Submissions are accepted from any member of the UH community and must be signed with the author’s name, phone number or e-mail address and affiliation with the University, including classification and major. Commentary should be kept to less than 500 words. Guest commentaries should not be written as replies to material already printed in the Cougar, but rather should present independent points of view. Rebuttals should be sent as letters. Deliver submissions to Room 7, University Center Satellite; e-mail them to letters@thedailycougar.com; or fax them to (713) 743-5384. All submissions are subject to editing.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010 n 5

The Daily Cougar

LIFE+ARTS EDITOR

COMING NEXT WEEK: Can Rockstar continue to deliver 5-star quality? We review Red Dead Redemption to find out.

Travis Hensley E-MAIL arts@thedailycougar.com ONLINE www.thedailycougar.com/life_arts

Summer Fest brings H-Town’s youth to its feet By Matthew Keever The Daily Cougar Over the weekend, Free Press Houston hosted its second annual Summer Fest in Eleanor Tinsley Park, and the event was, without a doubt, amazing in every sense of the word. Houston is well known for being a worker-bee oriented kind of city, more of a hometown for 9-to-5ers than hip youngsters (or young hipsters, I guess). And Austin is Texas’ party city as well as where, all the cool stuff is, right? I disagree, but for years this has been the general consensus of the young people here. But Houston proved something to itself, its young citizens and music lovers nationwide last weekend: we can be hip, too. And we can make it to work on Monday after the party is over. Summer Fest, which played host to over 50 local and national artists, brought (what we assume was) the largest crowd ever to gather at Eleanor Tinsely Park. Since its inception last summer, the festival has grown exponentially and managed to book such well-known acts as Girl Talk and The Flaming Lips, who headlined on Saturday and Sunday night, respectively. I may not be the biggest fan

of Girl Talk – for God’s sake, the guys catchphrase is, “I’m not a DJ.” – but the guy can definitely pull a crowd, and if this is what Houstonians want to see, I say bring more Girl Talks. For as much as I didn’t enjoy the mashup artist, I thoroughly enjoyed every other aspect of the festival, including The Flaming Lips and all their weird, abstract imagery. A bevy of local artists including Fat Tony, B L A C K I E, Wild Moccasins, Golden Axe and The Manichean all delivered noteworthy performances, and out-of-towners, both well-known and under the radar, did too. Some of us think that, given the festival’s growth and success in only two years, Houstonians may have their very own version of Austin City Limits on their hands soon. And who would complain? Not I, and not the city of Houston, either. “The city of Houston really got behind us,” said Omar Afra, the events coordinator and owner of Free Press Houston, from the stage. “Anyone have someone from Austin sleeping on their couch?” At this point, the crowd erupted. This weekend really was proof that Houstonians want and are willing to pay for music festivals. And all this in a town that is seen by so many as missing a

Keon Michael Arjmandi The Daily Cougar

Summer Fest gives Houston exposure to local music as well as more popular bands like the Flaming Lips. soul and a music scene? Take that, doubters. Even The Flaming Lips, who hadn’t headlined a show in Houston in 10 years, were impressed. “It was nothing personal,” the Lips’ lead singer Wayne Coyne said to the crowd. “But we

promise we won’t wait that long to come back again.” All in all, this weekend made it clear that the city of Houston does indeed have a soul, a soft spot for arts, entertainment and fun and a young fan base that will hop on board even the craziest of ideas.

Five years ago, the idea of something like Summer Fest was seen as impossible. Three days ago, our city did the impossible. If you weren’t there, don’t miss it next year. arts@thedailycougar.com

Forget Sarah Marshall and get yourself to the theater By Mathew Keever The Daily Cougar

Universal studios

Get Him to the Greek gives audiences a look behind the scenes of a rock star’s life, making it a must see movie this summer.

Get Him to the Greek is a Judd Apatow film; a world where nice guys don’t finish last and rock stars, even mean-spirited ones, show their soft side by the time the credits roll. I hope I didn’t spoil anything for you, but if you’ve seen any of Apatow’s other films –The 40-Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Superbad and Forgetting Sarah Marshall, to name a few – you knew it was coming. In Get Him to the Greek, audiences are given a more in-depth look at Aldous Snow, played by Russel Brand, as well as a young, kind-hearted music enthusiast Aaron Green, played by Jonah Hill, whose character is not a spinoff of his character in Forgetting Sarah Marshall. The storyline, from the opening credits, is hardly novel, but definitely hilarious. Aldous Snow has just released a new CD, African Love Child, in hopes that it will benefit African communities. But, as is the case with so many rock stars, it is made clear to the audience that Snow knows absolutely nothing about Africa, nor any of its plights. In a montage of magazine articles about the album, one head-

line in Rolling Stone calls the album the worst thing to happen to Africa since apartheid. From there, hilarity ensues. Brand’s character is seen on a television show bragging about his sobriety with his then-wife Jackie Q, played by the scene-stealing Rose Byrne whose character deserves a spinoff as well, who is drunk and tells Snow that she misses the days when he partied. Then another montage runs, and the audience knows that Aldous Snow is once again boozing, binging and doing drugs. More headlines fly across the screen, reading that Jackie Q has left Snow and has also won custody of their child, Naples. Enter Jonah Hill; the pudgy, lovable, kind-eyed Hill is in his element in the film, playing what seems to be a sort of grown up version of his character from Superbad. While he is incredibly awkward and not the most handsome person, his heart and humor shine through, and as the audience chuckles heartily, Hill is berated on screen time after time by his costars. His boss, played by P Diddy, sends him to London to pick Snow up, take him to New York City for an appearance on the Today Show, then to Los Angeles for his

10-year anniversary concert at the Greek Theater… all in 72 hours. Of course, everything goes terribly wrong. Green, a long-time fan of Snow’s, sees the darker sides of his favorite musician, and in his attempts to get the rocker to the airport on time, finds himself in one hilarious situation after another. Coupled with Hill’s quirky, awkward demeanor, the film hits audiences in both the funny bone and heart. By the end of the movie, does the pompous, narcissistic rock star see the softer side of life and learns to enjoy the little things? If you’ve seen an Apatow movie before, you probably know the answer, but you also know that the in-between always justifies a predictable finale. arts@thedailycougar.com

IN REVIEW Get Him To The Greek Rated: R for strong sexual content, pervasive language and drug use throughout Starring: Jonah Hill, Russell Brand, Rose Byrne, Sean Combs and Elisabeth Moss Verdict: It’s a great summer movie.

news

6 n Wednesday, June 9, 2010

TED continued from page 1

comfortably with it,” Brown said. “It is profoundly dangerous to not be able to hold and embrace what makes us vulnerable.” Brown said that as soon as people allow themselves to be vulnerable, they open up to courage and inspiration. TED is a national non-profit organization that focuses on “ideas worth spreading” in the worlds of technology, education and design. The organization allows for independently organized events in cities across the country such as TEDx Houston. The purpose of the conference is to bring some of the city’s most influential people together in

one room to discuss and debate innovations in technology, education and design. “What I love about (it) is that it’s really a love affair with the city,” Brown said. “It’s an exciting, fresh and relevant look at what Houston’s doing.” The event organizer and a committee compiled a roster of Houston’s thought leaders under the theme of “expanding perceptions.” They hope to not only expand the audience’s perceptions on the topics presented but, according to their Web site, to also expand others perception of what Houston has to offer. Brown said she hopes the event will bring understanding and recognition to the city and bring Houston’s thought leaders to a world stage. Also representing UH at the

conference will be assistant professor of Creative Writing Matt Johnson. Johnson is an author whose latest novels are The Great Negro Plot and Incognegro. The roster also includes Baylor and Rice universities, business professionals and innovators from the Houston area. Since the national organization’s inception in California in 1984, the conference has been host to speakers such as former Vice President Al Gore, Bill Gates, and UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The TEDx conference will be held on Saturday, June 12 at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts’ Wortham Theatre. Application forms to be a part of the audience are available on the conference web site. news@thedailycougar.com

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PHISHING continued from page 1

This is a problem taken seriously by the university’s Information Technology Security, which works in cooperation with appropriate Internet organizations and law enforcement to identify and stop phishers whenever possible. “We actively work with Internet Service Providers to disable accounts for identified malicious users and Web sites,” Dickerson said. “We also work within the campus and UH System network to block this traffic when it can be identified. The UH Enterprise Mail Administration team has also implemented security measures on the mail servers and gateways to address these attackers.”

Help Wanted

Not every phisher will be caught, but the IT Web site states there are measures to take in order to not become a victim if and when these false messages are sent. There are many clues to stop the spread of phishing on campus. The main red flag is being unaware of where the e-mail came from. Other warning signs include old, fuzzy UH logos, a lack of contact information, and no signature at the bottom of the messages. Students can find more tips at the IT Web site if they feel their information has been phished. “The most important thing is to not provide your personal information unless you can verify the organization you are reporting it to,” Dickerson said. news@thedailycougar.com

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ADD Circus by Chris Jacobs

Robbie and Bobby by Jason Poland

today’s sudoku How to play

Each row must contain the numbers 1 to 9; each column must contain the numbers 1 to 9; and each set of 3-by-3 boxes must also contain the numbers 1 to 9.

Previous puzzle solved

610.HB.4x3.5.HUDC.CS:Layout 1

6/4/10

10:30 AM

today’s crossword ACROSS 1 Fathoms 7 Host — Sajak 10 Deep cut 14 Apartment renters 15 Pizarro’s quest 16 Roman legion 17 Slumbering 18 Dolt 19 Sound of the tone 20 Rice paddy beast (2 wds.) 23 Like baked apples 26 Really big tees 27 Makes jokes 28 Zipped through 29 Reporter’s query 30 — Lobos of music 31 Cartoon frame 32 Itinerary word 33 Lingerie items 37 Yes, in Kyoto 38 Conger 39 Bonn connector 40 “Little piggie” 41 Authorize 43 Carder’s demands 44 Monopolize 45 Non-verbal OK 46 ER personnel 47 Crimson Tide 48 Stitch loosely 51 Gaze at 52 Upholstery choice 53 Vitamin C (2 wds.) 56 Pride member 57 Be a landlord 58 Firstborn 62 Laid off 63 Historian’s word 64 Icy downpours 65 Sparks and Beatty 66 Any ship 67 Buy gas (2 wds.) DOWN 1 College stat 2 Legal matter 3 E-mail provider 4 Hurled forth 5 Request urgently 6 Equinox mo. 7 With no great

Page 1

20 23

42 45

67 ©

success 8 Sheiks, usually 9 Soy product 10 Long chat 11 Circle sizes 12 Make steel from iron 13 Flu shots 21 Breathe out 22 Narrow inlets 23 Hidden supply 24 Body of water 25 Fixed the pilot 29 Exercise, as power 30 Secures a contract 32 The President, at times 33 Kind of pig 34 — Hawke of “Gattaca” 35 Wide 36 “Love Story” author 42 Chants

4 6 Clergy member 47 Invited 48 Actress Ina — 49 Put — (save) 50 Berate 51 Long bout 52 Country house 54 Humdrum 55 Overhead 59 Cartoon mice — and Meek 60 Good name for a cook? 61 Recipe qty.

2009 United Feature Syndicate INC.

Previous puzzle solved M E N S

A L E C

AM H MO A B R S O T T G A P MA R A C A OR E GON T I R E D I D A WO F E N D E R A L A AME N S N E I GH B T OR E B EWE R B

A P P L E S

T R E A D

L O Y K E S V S E OR A S R A

H A H I L O L L B O O E D P R E V A N D O P E L E D R I O D E C L I D E O A D R L Y O E D U D S S

A B U G

F I N E

T E D S

A K I T A

L E V E R

S N A R E

A S T I

C H A T

O A H U

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Wednesday, June 9, 2010 n 7

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SPORTS

8 n Wednesday, June 9, 2010

The Daily Cougar

Summer Book Club

UH NOTEBOOK

Noble on way out

Open to all UH students, staff, faculty, & affiliates.

Cougar Sports Services

After 16 seasons, head baseball coach Rayner Noble will be ending his time at the helm of the UH baseball team. Noble posted a 551-420 record with eight NCAA Tournament appearances, but after delivering two consecutive below .500 seasons, the athletic department has decided to move in a different direction. The athletic department has yet to comment on the situation, but several g g Rayner Noble reports surfaced Friday that Noble had coached his last game for UH. Noble is signed through the 2013 season and was expected to make over $700,000 during that time. Both sides are negotiating Noble’s remaining contract. The move comes as a surprise to UH faithful. Despite recent struggles there was optimism surrounding the team after a late run to make the C-USA tournament but it was not enough for Noble to salvage his job. This marks the beginning of another coaching search for new athletic director Mack Rhoades. Once Noble and the athletic department can agree to terms and find a replacement, this will be Rhoades’ fifth new coaching hire. Noble played at UH from 19801983 as a pitcher, and then played in the Astros minor league system

Meet in the Women’s Resource Center (UC-2nd floor) to discuss our summer reads:

Sister of My Heart by UH Professor Chitra Divakaruni

Just Kids by Patti Smith

June 16 Noon

July 23 Noon

Email archlib@uh.edu to request copies of the books Sponsored by

We can’t hear you. Mostly because we’re a newspaper and we don’t have ears. But we would love to get your voice heard. Send us a guest column, around 400-600 words on a topic of your choosing, to opinion@thedailycougar.com.

THE DAILY COUGAR

Learning Support Services Summer 2010 Workshop Topics Room 321 Graduate College of Social Work Length: 50 minutes. Please be on time. No admittance after 5 minutes past the hour. Must register on line by going to 'workshops-signup' at www.las.uh.edu/lss

WEEK 3

TOPIC Note taking

College level reading

Reducing test anxiety

Preparing for the GRE

Improving concentration

Understanding motivation

Procrastination

Preparing for and coping with final exams

TIME Wednesday, June 16 at 2 p.m. Tuesday, June 22 at 4 p.m. Tuesday, June 29 at 10 a.m. Friday, July 9 at 2 p.m. Wednesday, July 14 at 2 p.m. Friday, July 23 at 11 a.m. Tuesday, July 27 at 12 noon Friday, August 6 at 2 p.m.

between 1983-1987. Noble started his coaching career at Rice serving under head coach Wayne Graham for three years before making the move to UH in 1987. Noble served as an assistant until 1994 when he replaced Bragg Stockton to become head coach. Noble won two C-USA Coach of the Year awards during his tenure at UH. Rumors are circulating that the athletic department will again look to Rice for their next coach with assistant David Pierce at the forefront. Four Coogs selected in MLB draft Several Cougars have been rewarded for their prolific play on the diamond with the news they have been drafted to the majors. UH shortstop Blake Kelso was selected as the first pick to the Washington Nationals. Pitcher Michael Goodnight was drafted in the 13th round to the Cleveland Indians. The hometown Astros picked catcher Chris Wallace in the 16th round. Pitcher Ty Stuckey was taken in the 26th round by the Cincinatti Reds. With 50 rounds in the draft, it is possible and likely that more Cougars could be reporting to MLB teams. The selections add on to a long list of UH players who have been drafted. The baseball program has produced more professional athletes than any other sport at UH. Apart from the Cougars, every other team in the C-USA can boast they had at least one player selected in this year’s draft. sports@thedailycougar.com

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