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STUDENT AFFAIRS
Director moves into new position to focus on diversity, accessibility President Renu Khator announced the appointment of Elwyn C. Lee to a new Cabinet-level position on Thursday. Lee, who has served as the vice president of student affairs for the past twenty years, will now serve as the vice president for community relations and institutional access. “I am confident that his leadership and broad range of experience will enhance our commitment to academic freedom, equality of opportunity and Lee diversity in all of its human dimensions,” Khator said in a UH news release. J
Naheeda Sayeeduddin
THE DAILY COUGAR UH Residential Life and Housing and UH Dining Services presented their strategic vision plans for 2012, which include rate increases for some of the amenities available to students. The first of two town hall meetings took place on Wednesday afternoon and opened with a presentation by Assistant Vice President of University Services Emily Messa and Interim Director for Residential Life and Housing Javier Hidalgo. “It was important for us to have goals as we looked at where do we want to go with residential life and housing in the very near future,” Messa said. With UH well on its way to flagship status,
Messa said, President Khator’s next goal is to make UH a primarily residential campus. To do that, UHRLH plans to launch a major overhaul of Moody Towers and the Quadrangle. The renovation, estimated to cost around $5 million, will begin this summer and is expected to last 92 days. “This renovation is for the most part aesthetics, covering some infrastructure issues. Some of those infrastructure issues will be the elevators,” Hidalgo said. “It’s not necessarily an issue that we have ignored, but it’s an issue that requires a significant (amount of) money.” The Moody Towers renovation includes removing the old furniture and replacing it with new moveable furniture, while the INCREASES continues on page 3
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THE DAILY COUGAR
No announcements have been made as to who will replace Lee when he leaves Student Affairs on Feb. 17. “This new position is but another phase of my commitment to the University of Houston, another opportunity to continue to contribute to our collective efforts to take this University to even greater heights,” Lee said.
CORRECTIONS Report errors to editor@thedailycougar.com. Corrections will appear in this space as needed.
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EVENTS Celebrate Tier One status The Cullen Performance Hall will be the setting of UH celebrating its new status as a Tier One research university. Doors will open at 10:30 a.m., with the event beginning at 11 a.m. The event is free. Showing of Albert Herring - The Moores School of Music is showing Albert Herring by Benjamin Britten. General admission will cost $15, and students can buy tickets for $10.The show begins at 7:30 p.m.
FOR MORE EVENTS, CHECK OUT thedailycougar.com/calendar
Esmeralda Valdez, director of Auxiliary Services, explains the planned changes for the 2012-2013 school year. | Naheeda Sayeeduddin/The Daily Cougar
SGA approves appointment, code changes
“If so, the University will be stronger through the combined talents of the extraordinary people from diverse backgrounds.”
The Weekend is not looking good.!
January 28, 2011
Rate hikes draw concern
If the goal can be achieved, Lee believes the position will enhance UH.
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“Although they are not identical, each has, at its core, the goal of working to ensure that their respective university is accessible to different communities and a place where opportunities are available to talented individuals from all walks of life,” Lee said.
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Many flagship universities have similar positions, Lee said in an e-mail, citing the University of Texas Austin, Texas A&M and Rice University.
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Issue 82, Volume 76
Rally for immigrant rights
B
ills recently proposed by state representatives have been compared to Arizona’s SB 1020. A rally held on the steps of the capitol drew opponents of the bills. Daily Cougar reporter Daniel Renfrow made the trek to Austin. Read his report on page 3. | Daniel Renfrow/The Daily Cougar
SGA discussed rule changes for the upcoming elections, and how the new judicial branch, which was implemented last semester, will play a part in a special session held on Wednesday. SGA changed part of its election code in response to candidates violating election code the night before the last elections were over in Spring 2010. “The reason for the changes is that we feel the process is not clear and worded weird,” SGA Public Relations Director Mila Clarke said. “Because of this, individuals are able to find loopholes in the election process.” Under the old rules, candidates were prohibited from canvassing door-to-door and sending mass e-mails to University of Houston students. Candidates, however, opted to employ such tactics because the punishment for the infractions was minimal. The election code that will implement the stricter policy on infractions has been revised. The new rules indicate that when infractions occur during the election process, complaints can be filed with the election commission. Once a complaint has been filed, the candidate has 24 hours to file an appeal. If the appeal is successful, it will then be taken up by the judicial branch, which is headed by Chief Justice Taylor Kilroy. “The Judicial Branch serves as a watch dog,” Kilroy said. “It does not handle student cases and is different from the hearing board. “We’re here to make sure elections run smoothly and that no one abuses power,” Kilroy said. SGA officers unanimously approved Terry Chung for the position of assistant election commissioner. In his new capacity with the SGA, Chung will assist in the oversight of upcoming SGA elections. He was nominated after applying for the position interviewing with President Prince Wilson. The SGA’s next meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 9 in the University Center Cougar Den. news@thedailycougar.com
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1. Arab students face racism, prejudice 2. Reinterpretation of laws is rational 3. Wal-Marat not welcome, says Heights community 4. The solution to our deficit is taxing 5. Cut Salaries, not student programs 6. Taurus or Aries: Has your astrological sign actually changed?
FEATURED COMMENTS Re: Reinterpretation of laws is rational
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Re: Reinterpretation of laws is rational
“The U.S. Supreme Court has never ruled on the issue of whether a child born to illegal aliens should be given automatic citizenship. The 1898 case involving Kim Wonk Ark dealth with his parents who were LEGAL residents of the United States. No changes to the 14th Amendment are needed. All that is necessary is a law requiring that at least one parent be a citizen or LEGAL resident and then let the courts decide. I am the third comment to be featured in this space! I think that’s just wonderful, don’t you? I love the Internet.”
“Alot of people are overlooking one simple fact. ( ILLEGAL ) immigration. It is breaking the law. It’s not racist, it’s not heartless, or mean to want to enforce our laws. If my family was homeless and starving, could I break into someone’s home and steal their food and sleep in their beds. No that would be illegal entry, I would — user “Dave Gorak “ go to jail and my children would be taken from me, it would NOT Re: Reinterpretation of laws is rational matter what my reasons were “It’s not to bypass some easy for doing that. ” to follow laws. After thousands — user “guest” of dollars, years of waiting, and lots of red tape you MIGHT Re: Reinterpretation of laws is rational “Your problem is that you’re not become a legal citizen assuming the US wants you for work, you asking why people are trying to get over here. The economic have family here, or the cap hasn’t been reached. Otherwise, desperation felt in much of the US doesn’t care why you the global south, though want to immigrate. Even if it’s caused largely by US policies and those of other developed/ for political persecution like so many people who are fleeing neo-imperialist countries, Mexico now” is completely ignored when
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NEWS
The Daily Cougar
Friday, January 28, 2011
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Oponents of recently proposed legislation in the Texas Legislature responded by organizing a rally on the steps of the capitol in Austin. A number of UH students made the trip in order to show their opposition. | Daniel Renfrow/The Daily Cougar
Group protests new immigration bills Daniel Renfrow
THE DAILY COUGAR An estimated 300 people gathered in front of the Texas state capitol in Austin for a rally supporting the Latino community and immigrant rights. The rally was held in response to immigration legislation proposed for the 82nd legislative session. Opponents have denounced the bills as imitations of SB 1070, the immigration bill passed in Arizona last year. However, supporters of these bills say they are necessary. The rally began at Austin’s Central Presbyterian Church and continued onto the front steps of the capitol building. Members of the crowd, that included a number of University of Houston students, chanted slogans along the way. Once in front of the capitol building, the crowd chanted, “We are students,” and “We are family,” as they waited to listen to a panel of speakers before participating in group meetings with their state representatives. UH Sociology junior Brendan Laws participated in the rally. “Immigration is a big part of my life. My father was an immigrant,” Laws said. “It just connects to the history of my family. I’m here to tell them how the bills will destroy my community and family.” The proposed bills include HB 197, a bill that requires proof of citizenship in order to work in Texas and
INCREASES continued from page 1
new moveable furniture, while the Quadrangle room furniture will be refinished. Additional room upgrades for both residential halls also include new paint, flooring and window treatments. The lounge areas and bathrooms for Moody and Quad will also be renovated. The renovations will bring in around a 6 percent increase in the rates for living in the Moody and Quad residential halls. “Part of that increase is to pay for that $5 million loan that will pay for those renovations,” Hidalgo said. Hidalgo added that other residential facilities will increase their rental rates to cover future expenses, but not as high as the Moody and Quad rates. UH Dining Services also presented their strategic vision for the 2011-
would charge employers with a Class A misdemeanor if they’re found to have employed undocumented immigrants. Another bill that has been introduced, HB 17, allows police officers to arrest someone without a warrant if the officer suspects that the individual is undocumented, and if the officer believes the person is committing or has committed another offense. Kevin Taylor, principal of Henry F. Waskow High School from Belton, Texas was in front of the capitol building with a group of students when the rally took place. Taylor supports a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, but believes that the federal government’s laws should be enforced. “There’s a legal way to enter our country,” Taylor. said “Do it legally.” State Rep. Dan Huberty, District 127 agrees that the federal government’s laws pertaining to illegal immigration should be enforced. “Unless the federal government does something, we have to enforce our borders. Sometimes it creates animosity,” Huberty said. “I get both sides of the argument.” HB 464, a bill proposed by Rep. Tim Kleinschmidt, District 17, is another of the bills being protested. The bill, which would repeal the Texas DREAM Act, would directly affect undocumented University of Houston students if passed. The Texas DREAM Act was signed into law by Governor Perry and allows undocumented students to pay
in-state tuition. “We will fight it to make sure the Texas DREAM Act is not repealed,” Rep. Ana Hernandez Luna, District 143, a UH alumna, said. “We know that education is the key.” Jeronimo Cortina, UH assistant professor of political science, weighed in on the situation of undocumented college students. “Why penalize these kids who were brought here without their consent? It just doesn’t make sense,” Cortina said. “The state is not paying for them. They are residents of the state. They pay property taxes,” Cortina said. “The only thing they don’t have is their migratory status.” English junior Alejandro Caballero attended the rally in support of a friend. “The new bills would destroy a lot of dreams,” Caballero said. “Many people would be devastated and America would be missing out on a lot of talent.” Huberty believes that expanding the number of work visas and green cards and shortening the waiting time could achieve a practical solution for the illegal immigration problem. This would enable more people to immigrate into the country legally, Huberty said, noting that this solution is rarely talked about in the media. “There are people who want to come here legally to work,” Huberty said. “We need to give them that ability.”
2012 school year, which included rate increases in meal plans – a decision leaving some students on edge. “We need to know how much of the increase is needed for basic expenses of what UH dining needs. We need to know how much is for Aramark’s profit, so that we can make informed decisions on how much it should be,” sociology junior and pre-med student Brendan Laws said. According to Director of Auxiliary Services, Esmeralda Valdez, the rate increase was based on consumer price index projections for food. “The three (residential meal) plans that are increasing are averaging an increase about 3.8 percent overall,” Valdez said. “That is basically to cover what we are projecting or anticipating that the consumer price index cost of the food will be based on that data.” There will also be an increase in door pricing, which has not increased since 2009.
Although the main purpose of the town hall meeting was to give students clear and concise information on the proposals, sociology senior and student member of the Food Services Advisory Committee, Marianela Acuna-Arreaza, still felt left in the dark. “What worries me is that UH Dining is not presenting the whole picture on how they are doing economically,” she said. “They are not presenting how much their revenues are and how much their profit is, and how it’s being distributed.” Proposed meal plan options are posted online at www.uh.edu/af/fsac. htm. The UH Residential Life and Housing presentation can be viewed at www.uh.edu/af/pressrelease/PR2011/ RLHRateIncrease.pdf. The second town hall meeting took place Thursday evening.
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The Daily Cougar
opinion THE DAILY COUGAR
EDITOR Andrew Taylor E-MAIL opinion@thedailycougar.com ONLINE www.thedailycougar.com/opinion
THE CLIMATE CONUNDRUM Courtesy of USBICEF
EDITORIAL BOARD EDITOR IN CHIEF MANAGING EDITORS NEWS EDITORS SPORTS EDITORS LIFE
& ARTS EDITOR
OPINION EDITOR
Jack Wehman Newton Liu, Christopher Losee Jose Aguilar, Cristi Guerra John Brannen, Joshua Siegel Mary Baak Andrew Taylor
STAFF EDITORIAL
Challenger’s sacrifice will never be forgotten
T
wenty-five years ago at 10:38 a.m., the space shuttle Challenger lifted off from the launch pad. Seven men and women were preparing to do what only a handful of people in the entire world have been able to achieve — becoming an astronaut.
Dick Scobee, Michael Smith, Judith Resnik, Ellison Onizuka, Ronald McNair, Gregory Jarvis and Sharon McAuliffe died that day, trying to explore past Earth’s boundaries. That day people around the world mourned the Challenger Seven together, remembering that nothing great ever comes easily. They were brave people assigned an incredible task, and that sacrifice should never be forgotten. The tragedy struck especially close to home for Houston. In the months that followed, the Rogers Commission, under the order of President Ronald Reagan, pieced together every event that led up to the Challenger’s demise. It was a tough time for the NASA community, as all shuttle activity was shut down for 32 months. Fortunately, NASA was able to come back from the accident, and continues to push the limits of what science can achieve. However, now NASA faces a crisis of a different nature — budget cuts. America’s once-proud space exploration is in its twilight stage; soon, the US will send men and women into space no more. In Reagan’s eulogy to the seven astronauts, he said, “Sometimes, when we reach for the stars, we fall short. But we must pick ourselves up again and press on despite the pain. “Our nation is indeed fortunate that we can still draw on immense reservoirs of courage, character and fortitude — that we are still blessed with heroes like those of the space shuttle Challenger.” Now it seems the space program is in danger of being just another casualty in the budget crisis. So today at 10:38 take a moment to reflect on what great heights the US — and the world — has achieved through our pursuit of greatness. And take a moment to remember the Challenger Seven.
E D I TO R I A L P O L I C I E S 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) 743-5384. 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.
Sick days should not be future pay days
B
udget problems and fiscal deficits are all the rage right now with Houston being no exception. Everything from public education to essential services are feeling the low tide of the fall. For the Houston Fire Department in particular, things like retirement pay are garnering attention. Let us begin by acknowledging the service that firefighters give the city. It is not an occupation to take David lightly. With that said, Haydon no occupation should be immune from simple rules like expiring sick days. The Houston Chronicle reported a $10 million budget shortfall in the HFD from last year, with millions of dollars of the allocated firefighting budget going to pay retirees who accumulated unused sick days, holidays and vacation days.
That’s not to say that the corporations, businesses and public sector workers don’t already have the unfair advantage when looking at the power struggle between boss and employee. But let’s be serious; there are more important matters of workplace justice than garnering money from cashing in unused sick and vacation days. For most, sick days do not accumulate; they expire. Imagine if every worker of any occupation could simply convert their sick days and vacations into liquid assets. Imagine if everyone did so simultaneously. Chaos would ensue. In this situation, it looks like the workers are to blame. If they were not so greedy, they could be helping to ease the monetary burden of the city of Houston. However, you really cannot blame the firefighters; they are only taking what is expected. If the fine print hadn’t allowed this situation, then it would not
have arisen. If the firefighters went into employment with the understanding that they could hoard sick days, then they cannot be held at fault, because who wouldn’t take advantage of that? Regardless of who is to blame, there are only so many things you can do to beat around the bush before you have to step on some toes and reduce a few people’s overly large incomes. There are plenty of other public servants who retire with disproportionate pay. Even though most of us do not run into burning buildings for a living, most of us do not get to turn our unused sick and vacation days into cash. This is a perfect example of a flaw in the city’s financial system, and one reason why the budget deficit is so sizeable. David Haydon is a political science junior and may be reached at opinion@thedailycougar. com.
GUEST COMMENTARY
One size doesn’t fit all in grad school A doctorate in biology is required for a diverse array of careers, but the University of Houston’s graduate degree program disregards the long term goals of its students with its stifling uniformity. This “one size fits all” approach fails to adequately prepare many Ph.D. students for their chosen areas of work, and, consequently, acts as a deterrent for others to enroll in the graduate program. I am entering my third year of a Ph.D. program in cell biology, and have become increasingly frustrated with the department’s instructional approach. The current program is tailored under the naive belief that all those who enter the Ph.D. program intend to work at research oriented academic institutions similar to UH. I wish to pursue a career in teaching biology at the junior or community college level with no plan of ever conducting research. Despite
my intended goal, I must meet the exact same requirements as those who wish to engage solely in research. The same is true for the person wanting to be a patent lawyer or to work in the pharmaceutical industry. While I agree that there should be a minimum baseline that all Ph.D. students meet in order to graduate, some consideration should be given to the desired plans of the students as well. Just as a requirement that all undergraduate biology majors take the exact same courses would make little sense; the stringency of the graduate degree program is equally absurd. Would a potential botanist need or even want to take all of the same courses as a premed student? We are not even given the option of expanding our curriculum. Biology graduate students are strongly discouraged and in many cases not allowed to even take courses outside of
those offered by the department. As a result, we do not have the opportunity to take any classes in business practices, law, sociology, chemistry or any other areas that may serve our long term goals. In my case I would benefit more from teaching additional biology labs than from conducting additional research. Alternatively, some students gain little by teaching and would be better served by only conducting experiments. What benefit does either of us gain by having our future plans ignored? The department should take this into consideration when it mandates such a rigid Ph.D. curriculum. Marc Anderson is a 3rd year graduate student working on a Ph.D. in cell biology in the Department of Biology and Biochemistry. This commentary has been shortened for length; read the full version at thedailycougar.com.
Friday, January 28, 2011
The Daily Cougar
sports
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EDITORS John Brannen, Joshua Siegel E-MAIL sports@thedailycougar.com ONLINE www.thedailycougar.com/sports
overtime
FILE PHOTO/THE DAILY COUGAR
TICKETS
Several plans being offered for upcoming seasons With the start of both baseball and softball seasons coming in February, UH Athletics is offering several ticket options for fans. For $24, fans can buy a four-game package to see softball games of their choosing at Cougar Softball Stadium. For $36, fans can guarantee a spot at all six Saturday home games. The baseball team is offering the Grand Slam Package, where for $32 fans will receive tickets to the Ole Miss and Rice games, plus two others. For $48, fans can watch all seven home games played at Cougar Field. — Cougar Sports Services
SWIMMING & DIVING
LSU set to host meet; Cougars rack up weekly C-USA awards The Cougars will head to Baton Rouge, Louis. this weekend to face off against LSU and Conference USA foes Rice and Tulane. The action starts tomorrow and goes on through Saturday at LSU Natatorium. For their efforts last weekend, swimmer Kim Eeson and diver Lacey Truelove won Conference USA Swimmer and Diver of the Week, respectively. It is the second time Eeson won the award and the third for Truelove. — Cougar Sports Services
GOLF
Cougars add sophomore transfer The newest member to the UH family should add more depth to a roster already thick in young talent. Will Dusenberry transferred from Dallas Baptist University and is a welcome addition “Will is going to be a tremendous asset to what we are doing. Although he is only a sophomore, he has a lot of competition under his belt,” head coach Jonathan Dismuke said in a release. “He is a local player, so it is nice to have him back in the Houston area. We have a tough semester ahead of us, and Will came along at a good time for our program.” — Cougar Sports Services
TENNIS
UH looks to sweep through Louisiana with wins The Cougars go on the road for the first time this season, in the first of two trips to the Pelican State this season. Friday, the Cougars will hit the court to play Cenetary in Shreveport, Louis. Saturday, the team heads to Grambling, Louis. to compete against Grambling State. Last weekend, the No. 3-ranked Baylor Bears spoiled the season debut, beating UH 6-1. — Cougar Sports Services
Brittney Scott chipped in with 14 points and was one of four Cougars to score in double figures. The Cougars return home to face SMU for a Sunday showdown at Hofheinz Pavilion. | Aaron Cisneros/The Daily Cougar
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Cougars steal win over UCF Seniors help rally from late deficit, UH extends win streak to seven games Cougar Sports Services
UCF was less than a minute away from putting an end to the Cougars’ winning streak, but timely rebounds and clutch free throws keyed them to a 71-68 comeback victory Thursday at UCF Arena. UH appeared to have a comfortable lead throughout the majority of the game but let UCF hang around. With 1:06 remaining, the Knights battled all the way back to take a slim three-point advantage. Aisha Patrick was fouled by Porsche Landry but missed the one-and-one at the free-throw line.
Lesslee Mason drew contact and sunk both of her free throws to get within one. On the ensuing possession, Gevenia Carter missed a jump shot, and Courtney Taylor recovered the rebound and drew a whistle in the process. She sank both free throws to push the Cougars ahead for good at 69-68. “UCF is very good and very talented, and we’re extremely fortunate to get out of here with a win,” head coach Todd Buchanan said in a statement. “But I’ll certainly take it. “We just have to learn from this, and thank goodness we get to learn through a winning experience.” The Cougars will look to stretch their win streak to eight when they play SMU Sunday. “No question, it was too close,” Buchanan said. “We’ll go back to the drawing
board and try to get everyone ready for a very good and very hungry SMU team on Sunday.” The Cougars next contest tips off at 2 p.m. Sunday at Hofheinz Pavilion. sports@thedailycougar.com
AT A GLANCE SCOREBOARD
UCF ...................27 40 Houston .......... 31 41
68 71
KEY STAT
13
With 10 points and 12 rebounds Courtney Taylor has
WHAT’S NEXT?
The Cougars will host SMU at 2 p.m. Sunday at Hofheinz Pavilion.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
UH seeking to rebound against ECU Cougar Sports Services
The Cougars (11-8, 3 3 Conference USA) have lost two consecutive games when they held a lead in the final minutes but fumbled it due to missed opportunities. Head coach James Dickey said the team must fix the mistakes that have plagued them in the last two games if they want to beat ECU (11-9, 3-3) on Saturday.. “Any time you’re on the road, that’s certainly one of the things you have to make sure you’re focused and play great defense,” Dickey said. “They’re athletic and skilled. We’re going to have to make sure we don’t turn the ball over or give them second chances off turnovers or offensive boards.” Point guard Zamal Nixon said ECU’s standout guard Kent Brock could cause problems against the Cougars. The game will tip off at 5 p.m. Saturday
Head coach James Dickey and the Cougars hope to correct the mistakes that plagued them in their last two losses against UTEP and Rice.| Newton Liu/The Daily Cougar and will be televised on CBS College Sports. The game will also be broadcast on 790 AM KBME.
Additional reporting done by Lance Jaramillo sports@thedailycougar.com
LIFE&ARTS
The Daily Cougar
Friday, January 28, 2011
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BOX OFFICE
Statham kills people, blows stuff up in ‘The Mechanic’ Simon West’s remake of the 1972 film, ‘The Mechanic’ is sure to please audiences Ryan Popham
THE DAILY COUGAR In “The Mechanic,� Jason Statham plays a man by the name of Arthur Bishop. With heavy concentration, intense skill and patience, he takes his targets out in ways other than just pulling a trigger. When Bishop’s mentor, Harry McKenna (Donald Sutherland) is killed, McKenna’s disappointment of a son (Ben Foster) confronts Bishop to show him how he can be a mechanic to avenge his father’s death. After some convincing, Bishop agrees to show him the ways of being a successful assassin. They begin working together on assignments. Tony Goldwyn also makes an appearance as Bishop’s employer, Dean, who does not approve of him bringing in an outside man on his jobs. The plot thickens as the movie goes on. Enough action scenes, explosions and brutal violence makes for a jolting movie experience until the final frame. Being a remake of a 1972 action flick of the same name starring Charles Bronson, director Simon West does a better job this time around — which is saying
something in regards to his last success with “When a Stranger Calls.� The modernization of “The Mechanic� takes a new direction, but hangs on to the key plot points of the original film with enough room for extra twists and turns. Fans of the original will not be disappointed with the remake. Ben Foster is in his element as Steve McKenna, a turbulent, reckless individual bent on revenge — and always resorting to violence. Scenes of heavy drinking allow for noteworthy cinematography, blurring the picture, focusing inand-out to exemplify the drunken stupors he resorts to. Shoot-‘em-up action movies are released at a rapid pace, but what makes “The Mechanic� different is that the assassinations are plotted out in specific ways and do not necessarily always end with the same old outcomes. The abundance of gripping scenes, the overall gritty nature and tone of the movie is countered with comedic relief that gives a nice balance — and prevents the film from being overly violent. This movie marks Simon West’s best since “Con Air,� and fans of that movie along with movies similar to “The Transporter� trilogy will surely enjoy “The Mechanic.� Statham’s character has reflections of Frank Martin from “The Transporter� action movies, but it works for this role as well. Foster plays a good character, as he’s had experience in roles like
Jason Statham stars as Arthur Bishop in ‘The Mechanic.’ The film opens in theaters everywhere today. | Courtesy of CBS Films these before — his most notable performances include “Alpha Dog� and “30 Days of Night,� and he’s no less impressive as a substanceabusing assassin trainee here. If you’re looking for something to see this weekend that doesn’t take much thought — one that
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will allow you to just turn off your brain for an hour and a half — “The Mechanic�will fill in the void with an extra dose of shock value. It keeps the audience engaged in the continuously violent, nerveracking plot and provides a good supply of laughs.
All of the elements — the director, actors, writers, cinematography and music — work well together to make for a gratifying movie experience that’s worth the time and money. arts@thedailycougar.com
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COMICS & MORE
The Daily Cougar
Friday, January 28, 2011
comics
crossword
That Monkey Tune by Michael A. Kandalaft
ACROSS 1 Good-natured 5 World’s fair 9 Moby Dick foe 13 Indy champ — Luyendyk 14 Kitchen gadget 15 Romantic island 16 Mrs. Peel portrayer 17 Honshu port 18 Formal observance 19 Guru’s home 21 Not hither 22 — Man Triathlon 23 Peaks near Bern 25 Mild oath 27 Learns (2 wds.) 31 Exhaled loudly 35 — fixe 36 Laundry problem 38 Car-dealer’s option 39 Estuary 40 Lukewarm 42 Hwy. 43 Exit ramp sight 46 Midway attraction 47 Come off as 48 Microscope sight 50 Paints the town red 52 Invitation letters 54 Ding-a- — 55 Fronton half 58 Noah’s vessel 60 Tenacious 64 Cause to yawn 65 Sudden charge 67 Mark’s successor 68 Poached items 69 Olfactory input 70 Fit of pique 71 Whistle sound 72 Lincoln’s st. 73 Reproving clucks
Dim Sum by Ho Yi Lau
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
DOWN 1 Supergirl’s real name 2 Part of the eye 3 Close at hand 4 Abase 5 Daughter of Hyperion
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Fracture photo (hyph.) 7 Tea variety 8 Shaggy apes 9 Condense 10 “Aquarius” musical 11 Choir voice 12 Good, in Guatemala 14 Soil builder 20 Capp and Capone 24 Terrific 26 Have a cough 27 Terra — 28 Common expression 29 Groovy 30 Term-paper need 32 Lagomorphs 33 Ms. Lauder 34 Views as 37 Basin type 41 Knocks or mocks
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Most uncanny Deli units Hint at “Venus” singer She loved Lennon Bluenose Aid and — Company emblem Jason’s vessel Drawer handle Six-shooters QB — Kramer Flecks Watchdog’s warning
2010 UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE INC.
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H O N G
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L A R V A S E C A D RO P R
R U P I A N S L I D S K NO T
K L A N A S E B E E S A S H Y E A A P E S F OR T L S E O B R A GO T U R E S R T T OO OWN
S I D L E S H A I D A N S
H A S T D Y E P S T E H R S G E C R A T E
C A A L MU OM
V E O E C K E
R I MA ON E S I L L S A B E SWA T O AWE R R I S E E N S E DG E D
BRE EA AKF FA AST
MUFFIN MELT AND COFFEE OR FOUNTAIN DRINK!
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Friday, January 28, 2011
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