Issue 152, Volume 75 by The Cougar

1934 – 2009

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Issue 152, Volume 75

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UH takes precautions Students’ cheating remains an issue at educational institutions

By Amanda Trella The daily cougar From grade school to university campuses, academic dishonesty can be found at almost every education level. However, professors are taking a growing number of precautions to make sure cheating and plagiarism does not occur.

This has caused many students — especially college students — to try and figure out new and innovative ways to not only cheat on an exam or paper, but to cheat the system itself. At UH, many professors have turned to Turnitin.com, requiring students to submit their essays or term papers to the automated online plagiarism detection service, which cross-checks a student’s writing with everything available on the Internet. With this Web site in place, students are no longer able to copy

and paste sections of published work into their assignments and claim it as their own. This isn’t the only way UH professors are trying to end academic dishonesty. Many classes now require students to take exams at testing centers throughout the campus, such as CASA or the CLASS Electronic Testing Center. Nonetheless, students are still finding ways to break the system. “I have seen students write answers on the insides of their see DISHONESTY, page 8

Professor joins elite engineer academy

Center aims for artistic variety

By Neal Dasgupta The daily cougar

By Ashley Evans The daily cougar This season the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts features local and international talent in a variety of mediums. The events cover various creative outlets including film, interpretive dance, laser graffiti and the spoken word. The exhibits and events focus heavily on community involvement and on bridging the relationship between UH and its surrounding communities. “We are excited to roll out a 201011 season that is timely and relevant, while also being celebratory and fun,” Director of the Mitchell Center Karen Farber said. “The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts has identified some key themes that continue to influence our programming over the past five years and beyond.” The season kicks off with OIL, a documentary theater piece by Texas-born artist Amy Patton. The exhibition will be at the Blaffer Art Gallery Aug. 28-Nov. 13. Her inspiration for the work came from the 1927 Upton Sinclair novel “Oil” about the Teapot Dome Scandal during the Harding administration. Patton’s interpretation plays on the “petroleum-based lifestyle” familiar to many Houstonians and the social implications of this way of life. An event close to the heart of the university is the “Life is Living” Houston festival in November which see ARTS, page 6

Kendra berglund The Daily Cougar

The UH Center for Academic Support and Assessment, located on Holman St., is one of many programs initiated to take precaution against academic dishonesty. CASA has a list of rules and regulations that they ask students to be aware of.

KENDRA BERGLUND The Daily Cougar

Keep the change

he parking meters, shown on Holman St., now offer credit and debit cards as a payment option. Parking meters are located throughout the University campus. The new individual meters offer a 10 hour limit, compared to older meters still located on campus that offer only a two-hour maximum. Time restrictions and hours of operation are posted on the meters.

The Chinese Academy of Engineering recently inducted UH visiting professor Surendra Shah as a foreign member. He is one of only four engineers and the only civil engineer in the world to gain this title in the CAE. “It is a great honor,” UH Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Department Chair Abdeldjelil Belarbi said. Shah learned of his induction during the 10th general assembly of the Chinese Academy of Engineering in Beijing. China’s President Hu Jintao was in attendance at the assembly. “It is very difficult to be elected as a member and even more difficult to be elected as a foreign member of Chinese Academy,” Belarbi said. To be inducted as a foreign member, one must be the member of the academy of his or her own country — in Shah’s case, the U.S. “Then you must be nominated by five members of CAE,” Belarbi said. “These members must demonstrate that the nominee has made outstanding contribution in their field, and they have made significant contribution to China.” The member’s duties involve advising government and private industries on science and technology issues along with research and development. In a UH release Shah said his main goals are to utilize engineering academies to help find solutions to major problems facing India, China

Abdeldjelil Belarbi gg

Surendra Shah

and the U.S. Shah, originally from India, received his bachelor’s degree in his home country. He received his master’s degree from Lehigh University and his doctorate from Cornell University. Shah will join the UH faculty full time in January after completing his year-long commitment at UH, which involves promoting interdisciplinary research and education on concrete materials. The Chinese Academy of Engineering’s mission is to initiate and conduct strategic studies, provide consultant services for decision-making of nation’s key issues in engineering and technological sciences and promote the development of engineering and technological sciences in China and devote itself to the benefit and welfare of the society, according to its Web site. “The Chinese Academy of engineering, similar to U.S. Academy of Engineering, elects a very select member in their academy.” Belarbi said. “This (induction) is the highest honor an engineer can receive.” news@thedailycougar.com

SECTION

2 n Wednesday, July 7, 2010

STILL LOOKING FOR FALL CLASSES? Find online classes that fit your schedule and classes at one of our convenient offcampus teaching sites, including the new UH Northwest Campus.

The Daily Cougar

CAMPUS BEAT FORECAST Thursday

Friday

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CALENDAR

» Send event information to calendar@thedailycougar.com

TODAY Lecture by Michelangelo Sabatino: Blaffer Art Museum from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Blaffer Art Museum presents a lecture by Michelangelo Sabatino, UH assistant professor of architectural history and theory coordinator in conjunction with Tomás Saraceno: Lighter than Air. Admission is free. For more information, contact jbowen@central.uh.edu.

Visit us at distance.uh.edu

713-743-3327

Staff Council Elections LAST DAY TO VOTE

Polling Sites: General Services Building – Training /Conference Room Ezekiel W. Cullen Building – First Floor Lobby

Questions? Contact Maria Saldana at 3 -9206 or mjsaldana@ uh.edu University of Houston Staff Council 273 Cullen Performance Hall Phone: 713-743-1578

year. Admission is free for this show. For more information, visit www.houseofblues.com/venues/clubvenues/ houston. Eyes Wide Open: Jewish Community Center located at 5601 S. Braeswood, 7:30 p.m. The Jewish Community Center of Houston will host a screening of the 2009 Israeli film Einayim Pkuhot (Eyes Wide Open). The film tells the story of a married Orthodox Jewish father of four who falls in love with a 20 year-old male student. Tickets are $10. For more information, visit www.jcchouston.org.

While the Lights Were Out: Lambert Hall Performance Theater, located at 1703 Heights Blvd., hosts a new take on the old-school murder mystery at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and at 3 p.m. on Sundays.

Phosphorescent with Shiny Around the Edges: House of Blues at 8 p.m. Indie folk rock band originally from Athens, Ga. will present tonight alongside black metal band Shiny Around the Edges. Phosphorescent released their fifth studio album Here’s to Taking It Easy earlier this

Free Workshop: Room 107C in the Social Work Building, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Introduction to Mac OS X. This is a free IT Training class provided by the UH IT Training to our employees, friends and students. For more information, contact Don Perry at dperry@uh.edu

CO R R E C T I O N S

How to Vote: Vote Online at www.uh.edu/sc/voting from 6 am to 5 pm TODAY! • Must know your employee ID • Must be benefits-eligible staff member (50% FTE or greater)

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Streetlight Manifesto with Dan Potthast, The Wonder Years and The Supervillains: Warehouse Live at 7:30 p.m. New Jerseyan ska band stops tonight at Warehouse Live on their summer tour. They will be joined by MU330 singer Dan Potthast, Philadelphia punk band The Wonder Years and Floridian ska band The Supervillians. Ticket prices start at $13. For more information, visit www. warehouselive.com.

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about 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.

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Sarah Neill

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sports

The Daily Cougar

Wednesday, July 7, 2010 n 3

Baseball

New head coach hopes to restore baseball prestige By Keith Cordero Jr. The daily Cougar After seven years of awaiting a head coaching job, Todd Whitting learned that good things come to those who wait. Whitting was recently hired to take the reins as the Cougars new head baseball coach. “It’s great to be back home; I told a lot of people when I left to go to TCU that the main reason I left was to go better develop myself as a coach, to prepare to come back to the University of Houston at some point as the head coach,” Whitting said. Whitting leaves TCU in good shape, having helped coach the Horned Frogs to their first NCAA College World Series appearance in school history and a 54-14 season. “My time at TCU is something that means a lot to me,” Whitting said. “For me it’s about the next chapter. We’re looking forward to having that same success at the University of Houston.” In less than two weeks on the job, Whitting has hired two assistants. Trip Couch will serve as recruiting coordinator, and Jack Cressend will be the pitching coach. Couch’s last job was an assistant coach at the University of Texas. Before that, he was an assistant at UH from 1995-2000, serving as hitting coach. Cressend’s last stop was at Tulane, where he was an assistant coach for two seasons.

With the arrival of Whitting, there was a departure from former coach Rayner Noble, who left after 16 seasons in Houston. Whitting had nothing but praise for Noble. “I wouldn’t be sitting in this chair here today if it wasn’t for Rayner Noble; he gave me my first job in college coaching. I played for Rayner, I owe a lot to Rayner — I have a great deal of respect for Coach Noble and what he’s done with this program,” said Whitting. Whitting takes over a competitive and talented team that had six players taken in the 2010 MLB Draft, led by shortstop Blake Kelso and pitcher Michael Goodnight. “We have a core of an NCAA team, it’s a regional type team that we’re going to put on the field, and I’m really excited about where we’re at, at this point,” Whitting said, “This is not a situation where I’m coming to this program to rebuild it; I’m coming to reload it quickly and play for championships.” Although it is Whitting’s first head coaching position, 15 years as an assistant in Texas baseball at UH and TCU is not a bad résumé for coming back to a familiar place like Houston. “There’s a comfort level here for me actually in taking this job, because I am so familiar with the University of Houston,” Whitting said. “This is my dream job, it couldn’t have been a better set up

UH NOTEbook

Keenum gets award consideration Cougar Sports Services

Quarterback Case Keenum has garnered more preseason recognition. Apart from being a Heisman Trophy candidate, Keenum was named to the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award watch list, along with 21 other of the nation’s top signal callers. Only seniors are eligible for the award. He was also one of 30 players named to the watch list for the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award. The O’Brien award is given to the best quarterback in college football, g g Case Keenum regardless of classification. Last season Keenum was a finalist with former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow and Colt McCoy of Texas. McCoy won the award in 2009. Cougars get pro experience; team adds recruit Aubrey Coleman had a successful campaign for the New Orleans Hornets’ summer league team. In five games, Coleman averaged 11.4 points and 3 rebounds. In his best game Coleman scored 19 points,

collected five rebounds and three steals. Kelvin Lewis only played one game for the Houston Rockets summer league team in garbage time, but was productive. In 12 minutes Lewis logged 8 points and was two for three from 3-point land. Trumaine Johnson is the latest addition to the men’s basketball team. Johnson last played at the University of San Diego, where he averaged 11.6 points. In 2008 Johnson helped guide USD to the NCAA Tournament. “He’s an explosive guard who can score and play hard-nosed defense. Trumaine is a veteran who helped lead his team to the NCAA Tournament. His experience certainly will be valuable to our program,” head basketball coach James Dickey said in a release. Tough schedule ahead for women’s basketball In hopes of reaching the women’s NCAA tournament the Cougars have scheduled a challenging set of non-conference games. The schedule includes six teams who reached the tournament last season, including Marist University, Texas Christian University, University of Nebraska, Tulane and Lamar University. sports@thedailycougar.com

for me.” The College World Series and the regional playoff system provides underdogs like Houston and smaller market schools that are unranked a chance to win in it all. South Carolina will be the defending champs next season. Looking back to 2008, Fresno State won it, facing elimination almost the entire way. “We all start on the same starting line, nobody in this country is any closer to Omaha (Nebraska) then we are right now; we are all the same, so we all have the same opportunity in getting there in the end,” Whitting said. sports@thedailycougar.com

COUrtesy of Uh athletics

Todd Whitting has his sights set on an immediate turnaround for the UH baseball program. After helping guide TCU to the College World Series, Whitting hopes to carry his success to UH.

You deserve a factual look at . . .

The Great “Peace Flotilla” Ambush How Israel fell into a trap, carefully set by its enemies A short while ago, a “peace flotilla” of six ships set out to bring relief to the so-called “beleaguered” Gaza Strip and to break a naval blockade that Israel had imposed. Five of the ships peacefully obeyed the instructions of the Israeli military to unload their cargo in Ashdod, an Israeli port. There the cargo was examined. That which was, indeed, peaceful cargo, was promptly transferred to Gaza. The sixth vessel, the MAVI MARMARA, offered violent resistance to the Israeli commandos who had boarded the vessel. A melee ensued in which nine of the “peace lovers,” all Turks, offered violent armed resistance and were killed.

What are the facts?

Israel. Tens of thousands of truckloads of food, medicines, and other essentials are allowed into Gaza Sponsored and egged on by Turkey. This “peace on a daily basis. There is no shortage of medicine. flotilla” was sponsored by a Turkish terror Gasoline and diesel oil are amply provided. Israel organization disguised as a “charity” and supplies electricity to the Strip. The only thing that encouraged and egged on by the Turkish Israel does not allow to enter is material that could be government. Its principal purpose was not to bring used to construct weaponry. supplies to Gaza, but to confront Israel, which had Every day all Gazans who need medical attention instituted a naval blockade against the Gaza Strip. It that is not available in the Strip are allowed passage to was a win-win situation for the flotilla: Either they be treated (without cost, of would reach Gaza and thus accomplish their stated “… Israel’s effort to stop the ‘peace course) in Israel’s world-class hospitals. It is remarkable that purpose or they would flotilla’… cast righteous Israel all this help is being extended become “martyrs,” an almost while Gilad Shalit, the Israeli more desirable outcome for (once again) in the role of villain. soldier who was kidnapped by this group. What a sham!” Hamas over four years ago, is Gaza is under the control not allowed even a visit by the Red Cross. of Hamas, which is considered to be a rogue terror The blockade of the Gaza coast is essential for regime by the United States and many other preserving the peace. Had Israel allowed the “peace countries. It is sworn to the destruction of Israel. flotilla” to enter a Gaza port, it would inevitably have Israel, in a splendid gesture of good will, had led the way to the establishment of a de facto Iranian abandoned Gaza, removed its military and evacuated port in the Mediterranean, 40 miles from Tel Aviv and all 9,000 of its citizens, who had lived there for not much farther from Jerusalem. It is quite likely generations. This gesture of good will was a futile that the cargo of the “peace flotilla” was indeed one. Instead of showing any appreciation for Israel’s peaceful goods. But there can be no question at all accommodation, the Hamas government of Gaza that, once the blockade was broken or abandoned, showed its “gratitude” by lobbing thousands of subsequent shipments would have included Iranian rockets on an almost daily basis into Israeli cities armaments too bulky or too heavy to supply through within its reach. the tunnels and, most likely, also well-equipped and Hundreds of tunnels connect the Egyptianwell trained-Iranian military personnel. What controlled Sinai with Gaza. Huge amounts of country would possibly allow anything like that to contraband, including rockets and other weapons – happen? virtually all of them of Iranian provenance – enter It is, of course, most regrettable that the Gaza through these tunnels, under the benevolent intervention of Israeli commandos to stop the neglect of the Egyptian military. “peace flotilla” caused the deaths of nine Turks. But No hunger or emergency in Gaza. The clamor it was unavoidable. The trained “activists” of the that Gaza needs outside help, that its inhabitants MAVI MARMARA confronted the Israelis with lack the essentials for leading a normal life, is simply hatchets, spears, clubs, and firearms, threw one not correct. It is a propaganda ploy to demonize commando overboard, and insured that a fire fight Israel. There is no hunger in Gaza and no hardship could not be avoided. Nine deaths, nine martyrs, was other than that imposed by its terrorist government, the expected and ultimately desired result. whose only inalterable purpose is the destruction of Israel acted exactly as it should have and as could have been expected. No country would allow a blockade to be broken. Can anybody imagine that, even without an established blockade being in place, the U.S. Coast Guard would allow a vessel of a foreign country to dock in an American port without obeying an order to stop and be searched if necessary? But the world got into an uproar, the U.N. went into overtime, and Turkey – the instigator of the whole affair – declared Israel to be a criminal nation and recalled its ambassador. All of this happened only a short time after North Korea, without provocation, torpedoed a South Korean vessel, causing the deaths of 46 sailors. The world barely noticed. Angry mobs did not parade through the capitals of the world and no North Korean flags were burned. But Israel’s effort to stop the “peace flotilla” exercised the irate attention of the whole world and cast righteous Israel (once again) in the role of villain. What a sham! This message has been published and paid for by

Facts and Logic About the Middle East P.O. Box 590359 ■ San Francisco, CA 94159

Gerardo Joffe, President

FLAME is a tax-exempt, non-profit educational 501 (c)(3) organization. Its purpose is the research and publication of the facts regarding developments in the Middle East and exposing false propaganda that might harm the interests of the United States and its allies in that area of the world. Your tax-deductible contributions are welcome. They enable us to pursue these goals and to publish these messages in national newspapers and magazines. We have virtually no overhead. Almost all of our revenue pays for our educational work, for these clarifying messages, and for related direct mail.

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The Daily Cougar

OPINION

COMING NEXT WEEK: Will the economy be the most important issue for the midterm elections?

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

THE DAILY COUGAR

EDITORIAL CARTOON

editorial B oard 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

Paper offers more than just grades and headlines

JASON POLAND The Daily Cougar

BP did not learn from its mistakes Three months, 13 human lives, millions of barrels of oil, one public relations disaster and immeasurable environmental damage later, BP shows no signs of having learned its lesson. As Casey a business, BP’s first Goodwin priority has always been making money, and its behavior this weekend clearly demonstrated that it still views other issues with financial motivation as the top priority. On Thursday, BP began testing its latest attempt to stop the flow of oil that has been spewing into the Gulf of Mexico since April 20. The 48-hour integrity test was designed to determine whether a new cap on the wellhead could entirely contain the leak. The test appeared to be successful, with no signs of any leakage from the wellhead. For the first time since April there was no oil flowing into the Gulf. In fact, the test was so successful that the US government allowed BP a 24-hour extension to continue testing the new

cap. By Sunday, when the 72-hour mark passed, BP continued allowing the cap to hold, despite a lack of government approval. At that time, BP was aware of the chance that the pressure from the working cap would cause oil to leak out from other portions of the pipe. Since the first hours of the test, pressure measured on the cap was significantly lower than anticipated, something BP credited to the fact that the well was drying up. However, there was also a chance that this unexpectedly low pressure is the result of oil leaking out of other portions of the well. If this were the case, the resulting leak would be much more difficult to contain until the relief wells are finally completed. On Sunday, the Associated Press released that a seep had indeed been located near the site of the oil spill. Not enough information was available at the time to determine whether the seep contains hydrocarbons, but if it does, the oil leak will become that much more difficult to control. BP’s decision to keep the cap on

was one doubtlessly influenced by the company’s desires to profit, which is heavily tied to its public appearance. BP stock prices shot up at the end of last week as investors received news of the cap’s success, but the prices are still significantly lower than they had been before the disaster. If BP unplugs the well and allows the leak to resume flowing the way it had been, the company will fall even more in public opinion. However, what the company seems to ignore is that by catering to their own financial interests they are putting other things at great risk. By keeping the well plugged, they are increasing the pressure build up and the chances of an oil leak in the sea floor. If such a leak occurs, there will not be any way to stop it until after the relief wells are completed, potentially allowing much more oil into the Gulf than allowing the well to stay partially open for a few more days until more is known. Casey Goodwin is a mechanical engineering freshman and can be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com

Muslims deserve religious rights Throughout this year there have been many attacks on Muslims and their faith. On May 26, the conservative talk show host Michael Berry made remarks that should have Andrew Taylor had criminal consequences. His on-air outburst was so clearly ignorant that it defies rational thinking. “I’ll tell you this — I hope somebody blows it up,” Berry said on KPRC-950 AM. He was directing his remarks at the proposed mosque to be built a few blocks from ground zero, the memorial site where the World Trade Center towers once stood. This is the kind of unacceptable behavior that spreads toxic sentiments across our country. Berry’s statements are crucial to the movement that others like Sean Hannity and Sarah Palin passionately continue. Yesterday, the topic was heating up yet again pertaining to a Twitter battle between

Palin and Michael Bloomberg. From her Twitter account the Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin tweeted “Ground zero mosque supporters: doesn’t it stab you in the heart, as it does ours throughout the heartland? Peaceful muslims, pls refudiate.” Those who argue against the building of mosques are forgetting what the first amendment of the Bill of Rights is all about. The first amendment states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” The issue of contention with the construction of mosques is subtler than it’s being portrayed. Conservatives and republicans who are taking stances against the spread of Islam in the U.S. are really trying to use this to infuriate those who are subject to believing the smears that are issued by Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity. The staff at Fox News continued this by

creating a big deal about the president’s NASA agenda. President Obama’s NASA agenda has a foremost goal to open up and better develop the relationship with Muslim countries, as well as other non-traditional nations. The criticisms of people like Palin, Hannity, and Limbaugh look idiotic once the facts are considered. There is nothing about the Muslim community that should pose threats to our friends or neighbors. Furthermore, there is no difference between building a mosque or a church. The Islamic community has as much of a right to construct their places of worship, as does any other religion. The scare tactics of the conservative right are unoriginal and it’s a tough bet, because if they fail to convince enough people with their unsubstantial points they will fall to reality and truth. Andrew Taylor is an economics senior and can be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com

As the Fall 2010 semester continues to get closer and closer, we suggest UH students – incoming freshmen and super seniors alike – get involved oncampus, and there’s no better place to do that than at The Daily Cougar. Students can learn a lot if they are involved in our publication, and you don’t even have to be a journalism student, either. “Newspapers aren’t what you’d call a growth industry,” Michael Koretzky said in a recent Huffington Post article. “These days, it’s easier to land a job on the Deepwater Horizon than in a newsroom. So I tell every student I meet at Florida Atlantic University: Work hard at the University Press, and I promise you a job in almost any other industry.” Yes, you’ll learn how to hone your skills as a writer, which is a much-needed and overlooked skill in college these days, but you’ll also deal with so much more as a writer or a copy editor or, assuming you stay involved, an editor. The Daily Cougar is the only on-campus organization that puts out a finished product every day. Period. Here, students manage deadlines, learn how to interview and have a chance to report on what they believe is important at our University. “The editor in chief has to contend with replacing writers, photographers and designers who just graduated and training the newcomers while publishing a paper at the same time… [and] decides what gets covered and what doesn’t, writes stories and columns, placates irate readers and soothes heated staff conflicts that inevitably arise on deadline,” Koretzky said. Oftentimes, members of the editorial board will hear students complaining about administration, fees, or the University as a whole, and if you work for us, you’ll have the opportunity to find out firsthand from administrators why things are the way they are. So come on; submit an application. The opportunities are endless, not only for advancement here, but in the real world. So if you’re curious, don’t be; just come into our offices and find yourself a beat (or set up a blog on our Web site) and doors you never thought would open will. And your mom would love to see your name in the school newspaper. Really, she would. You know it’s true.

E D I TO R I A L policy 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, July 7, 2010 n 5

The Daily Cougar

LIFE+ARTS EDITOR

COMING NEXT WEEK: Can Angelina Jolie prove her spy cred in Salt?

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

Jack’s Facts

Nolan makes movie magic ‘Inception’ adds to a long of line of great movies — and he’s not done yet

By Jack Wehman The Daily Cougar For all the money that Hollywood burns through, they put out very little new content. Most studios seem very content mastering the formula of what makes a perfect boxoffice gross instead of trying to push the envelope and make something great. But it wasn’t always this way. Back in the ’50s and ’60s, directors were trying to get away from the contrived methods of telling stories — and arguably none were more successful than Alfred Hitchcock, a man who re-engineered the way thrillers are told. Fast-forward to today’s movie landscape, and one man stands out like Hitchcock once did. Amidst the rubble of Michael Bay knockoffs and cheap horror remakes, Christopher Nolan is poised to bring back intellectual movies like Hitchcock did so long ago. Nolan, like Hitchcock, actually believes his audience is intelligent. He gives them just enough information for them to draw their own conclusions, and doesn’t pander to the lowest common denominator. Instead of explaining everything to death, Nolan will show something important — and leave the interpretation up to the viewer.

Songs to ge t

Both Hitchcock and Nolan are obsessed with strong characters as well. In Inception, Leonardo DiCaprio’s character Cobb provides the lens through which we view the action; in Hitchcock’s classic Rear Window Jimmy Stewart provides the same strong character focus for the plot to revolve around. Nolan’s Memento and Hitchcock’s Psycho are also complete character studies; we are singularly obsessed with Memento’s main character’s inability to remember the past, just as Norman Bates’ passion for killing fuels Psycho’s narrative. The similarities don’t stop there. Nolan and Hitchcock are both obsessed with the darker side of humanity; from Nolan’s obsession with anti-heroes to Hitchcock’s fascination with murder, both directors seem to hone in on the distressed side of emotions and how they force people to do terrible things. However, while Hitchcock was always cognizant of his audience’s discomfort and tried as hard as he could to keep the uneasiness flowing, Nolan takes things a step further — he makes his audience confuse themselves with each new scene. It’s like he’s playing Jenga with his plot structure, always taking things higher and higher, balancing the different elements

perfectly until people no longer know what the original shape even looked like. Hitchcock once said, “Give them pleasure - the same pleasure they [the audience] have when they wake up from a nightmare.” Nolan wholeheartedly shares this concept. From his early black-and-white movie Following to 2000’s Memento,

Nolan is focused on creating a world filled with liars, cheats and thieves — and those are the good guys. Nolan’s villains (once again, like Hitchcock’s) are terrifying portrayals of exactly how twisted a person can become; the Joker and Norman Bates are some of the most purely evil creations to grace the silver screen. When Hitchcock started to make

movies, Hollywood’s finest stood up and took notes; you can see his influence everywhere, from horror to drama to psychological thrillers. Moviegoers can only hope that Nolan’s influence is as powerful and far-reaching as his predecessor’s continues to be. arts@thedailycougar.com

internet

loc

k ed up to Fo ls om Pr is o n / Jo h n n y C a sh C o c a ine Blu e s / Jo h n n y C a sh Th e Wa ll / Jo h n ny C a sh S a n Q ue n t in / Jo h n n y C a sh St a r k v il le C it y Ja il / Jo h n ny C a sh In t h e Ja ilh o us e No w / J o h n ny C a sh I G o t St r ip e s / Jo h n n y C a sh H u r t / Jo h n ny C a sh L o ng Blac k Ve il / Jo h n n y C a sh C o n fe s s io n O f A Bro k e n H e a rt / L in d s ay L o h a n

mix tape: Singing for the blue

Courtesy of Warner Bros.

‘Inception’, the newest film by Christopher Nolan, takes place inside the dreams of the main characters and pulls no punches when it comes to twisting plot lines and confounding situations.

he police don’t ride around with car stereos, so if you can pull off listening to this mix, bravo. You could also just send it to Lindsay Lohan and Wesley Snipes. We would but we don’t feel like buying Confession Of A Broke Heart on iTunes. Plus, who really knows the price of stamps anymore.

Smoking new Playboy Web site The adult magazine has started a new look for the work place gg

By Matthew Keever The Daily Cougar For years, men who actually want to read Playboy Magazine at work have been haunted by the naked women who are plastered all over the pages of the print edition as well as the publication’s Web site, but no more. Playboy launched a work-safe Web site yesterday, The Smoking Jacket, giving men who claim to only read it for the articles a chance to prove their claims. “The smoking jacket isn’t just something I like to wear around the mansion,” says Hugh Hefner in the web site’s welcome video. “Next to the mansion, it’s the best hangout on the planet.” The Web site will not include the longer articles and interviews, because Playboy.com doesn’t want to lose too many hits to its sister web site, but the site’s inception was the product of lots of market research. “A lot of our audience logs on (to Playboy.com) after work, and we saw that we were missing a golden opportunity to reach guys

when they’re online the most: if you’re the first person to circulate when they’re sitting at their desk, this information among them.” not working, sending e-mails to While College Humor, The their friends,” said Jimmy Jellinek, Oatmeal and a bevy of other Web Playboy’s editorial director in sites also offer PG-13 content a recent Chron.com article. for adults to kill time with, “Basically, [it’s] a juke box of cool.” Playboy has at its disposal more Playboy.com is just the kind of competent and accomplished Web site that has companies around writers, editors, cartoonists, the nation setting up Firewalls and marketers and, of course, monitoring their beautiful women workers’ browsing in the sidebar. “...We saw that we history, but The Web site were missing a golden sometimes men will be safe for opportunity to reach want to visit a web most workplaces, site that’s simply scantily clad guys when they’re online but laid back, and this women are still the most: when they’re plastered on it, and will give them the opportunity to do it just might be sitting at their desk.” so without having to risqué enough to be minimize windows blocked, but again, any time a coworker walks by. only time will tell. But is it just a novelty? Only time In the meantime boys, this one’s will tell, but since it’s connected to worth bookmarking. For all you Playboy (and has the same marketing know, it could disappear in the near team), the site will most likely boom future, but with Hugh Hefner (who and attract many, many readers who is a genius, for those of you who are looking for a way to spice up don’t know) behind the wheel, The their otherwise dull workday, if only Smoking Jacket will probably attract by word of mouth and infamy for its young, male readers for years to connection to Hef. come. “It’s all about social currency,” And for those of you who still live Jellinek said. “You want to be the first with your parents, it’s probably not guy of your friends to send the funny blocked yet, so check it out. joke, the crazy video ... You can be the coolest guy among your friends arts@thedailycougar.com

NEWS

6 n Wednesday, July 7, 2010

ARTS continued from page 1

focuses on urban development and neighborhood sustainability. “We are deeply committed to working with UH’s local neighborhood, the Third Ward, by partnering with individuals and organizations that share our belief in the transformative power of the arts,” Farber said. “‘The Life Is Living’ Festival with Marc Bamuthi Joseph is a celebration of that neighborhood and its uniqueness.” The festival will feature local and celebrity artists performing hiphop, spoken word and various other activities including community service and volunteer projects. “I think it’s great that UH is involved in an outreach program like

this to get people involved in helping the community,” Photography senior and aspiring filmmaker Mike Gault said. “Art is a great medium for expression — it helps you to discover your inner voice and passion, and to use it in such a positive way is phenomenal.” Farber and the Mitchell Center continuously attempt to explore the intersection between art and sustainability by asking what sustains people and how creativity influences their daily choices. According to Farber, this is evident in the upcoming projects. “This year and in the future, the Mitchell Center will continue to present dynamic programs that ignite dialogue about the themes and issues that surround us,” Farber said. news@thedailycougar.com

The Daily Cougar

courtesy of the cynthis woods mitchell center for the arts

The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center is working with the “Life is Living” project, involving Marc Bamuthi Joseph, which focuses on urban development and neighborhood sustainability and will take place this November in Houston.

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COMICS & MORE

The Daily Cougar

COUGAR COMICS

Find more daily strips at thedailycougar.com/comics

A.D.D. 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

Wednesday, July 7, 2010 n 7

today’s crossword ACROSS 1 Slugger — Ruth 5 Consumer gds. 9 Dressy synthetic 14 Groundless 15 Composer — Satie 16 Wash away 17 Attendee’s reward (2 wds.) 19 Goody-goody 20 Recede 21 Not on your —! 22 Minds 23 Lineage 25 Drinks with scones 26 Cable network 27 Jabber 30 Actor Willem — 33 Dorm dwellers 34 Long fish 36 French airport 37 Kind of race 38 Singer — Dee 39 Curator’s deg. 40 Came to the rescue 41 Jaded 42 Lost traction 44 Minuscule 45 Comedian’s stock 46 Broad-minded 50 Jeweler’s lens 52 Nothing special (hyph.) 53 Mex. neighbor 54 Gem measure 55 Fish-fry treat (2 wds.) 57 Wrecking-ball swinger 58 Toward shelter 59 Tackle-box item 60 Kind of buffet 61 Tousle 62 Jazzy — Horne DOWN 1 Stuck around 2 Hacienda brick 3 Splotches 4 Poetic

44 46

52 55

62 ©

3 Yields territory 3 35 Recline 37 Fingerprint part 38 MOMA artist 40 Made fit 41 Jazz genre 43 Lizard with a fringe 44 Daydreams 46 Fails to place 47 Delhi coin 48 Rockies resort 49 Derek & The Dominos hit tune 50 Zhivago’s beloved 51 Spoken 52 Kirk’s helmsman 54 Hypo units 55 Scenery chewer 56 Web addr.

Directions:

1. Use your QR code reader on your smartphone to take a picture of the code below. 2. Log on the website provided by the QR code and submit your information to the drawing. Your personal information will NOT be shared with anyone. This is part of an ongoing research project at the UH College of Technology. Contest ends July 30, 2010 at 11:59pm CST 1 entry per person Only (1) winner will be selected.

Winner will be notified via email on July 31, 2010

Snap here

Hot. Fresh. Daily. www.thedailycougar.com

contraction Fine wool Snowbank Dimensions Barely scrape by 9 Iterates 10 Take into custody 11 — be surprised! 12 Track postings 13 Before marriage 18 Annapolis frosh 22 Exciting 24 Bok — 25 Tire feature 27 Plied a gondola 28 Darth’s daughter 29 Cartoon shrieks 30 Mr. DeLuise 31 Woofs 32 Harsh criticism

5 6 7 8

28 34

Win a $50 Amazon.com gift card!

This drawing is sponsored by THE DAILY COUGAR

9 16

Snap to win!

How does this work? Users with a camera phone equipped with the correct reader application can scan the image of the QR Code causing the phone’s browser to launch and redirect to the programmed URL. (Source: Wikipedia)

2010 United Feature Syndicate INC.

Previous puzzle solved RO B X E N A L I C K S N E E R NON S OHO B A UM E R N I L A S S T S H A Y T EMP A RME G E OD

Z I T I

C O V E T I N G

E O S S P A OR D E

OD E P U S E S T P K E A A E R C K T T E L O B A D R A C E B E F S S E P E N I Z E D E R L E L A I R

L A Y U P A C U T E OC K E T E S S E A S U S S L E F EWE R D E A R D A V E I T T E D M I E A R B Y RO L E AME N S EW

NEWS

The Daily Cougar

DISHONESTY

 

continued from page 1

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fingers or write formulas on an eraser that they bring into the testing center with them,” alumnus Philip Thomas said. “It’s baffling they never get caught, because those are the most obvious places to check if I were a professor.” The testing centers do not allow students to bring anything other than a writing utensil and an eraser into the room, so those taking the exam are no longer allowed to bring in their phone that may have had the answers written in a text or a calculator that could have had the solutions programmed into its memory. Also, the centers have proctors circling students during the exam period, use lockdown browsers so the student cannot look up information online, and have security cameras. Students tend to have a harder time cheating in closely watched settings, but many classes overlook the obvious cheating that may occur. Students taking online classes at UH are required to take the exam in a lockdown browser, but it’s possible to borrow someone’s laptop and use it to look up answers or search Powerpoint slide shows. However, online classes are not the only way students continue to cheat the academic integrity system. “In the big classroom settings, where there are over 400 kids, I feel like cheating is more likely to happen. I have seen people take out their notes and slide it under their exam papers or even write answers on their arms, and they never seem to get caught,” sign language interpreting senior Angela Calhoun said. Regardless, academic dishonesty at UH has decreased in recent years with the addition of testing centers and the implementation of Web sites such as Turnitin.com, according to the Office of Academic Program Management. However, the struggle between academic integrity and dishonesty is more than likely a continuous matter. news@thedailycougar.com

www.thedailycougar.com

 

Where do I get the latest UH news?

8 n Wednesday, July 7, 2010