Issue 98, Volume 76

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This movie should be deported

sports

Baseball team destroys UTA

t h e o f f i c i a l s t u d e n t n e w s pa p e r o f t h e u n i v e r s i t y o f h o u s to n s i n c e 1 9 3 4

THE DAILY COUGAR thedailycougar.com

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Poetry readings by awardwinning authors on Wednesday The Poetry and Prose Reading series will begin with a reading from professors Nick Flynn and Tony Hoagland at 5:30 in the UH Honors College Commons.

Flynn, winner of the PEN/Martha Albrand Award for the Art of the Memoir, is currently developing a film based on his book, “Another Bull... Night in ... City,” slated for release in 2012.

Hoagland is the winner of the Jackson Poetry Prize, the O.B. Hardison Jr. Poetry Prize and the Mark Twain Award, and has written four award-winning poetry collections.

Both authors will have books available for sale after the reading. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Mike Emery at pemery@uh.edu or call 713-743-8186.

— Julian Jimenez/The Daily Cougar

FEEDBACK

Taming the Bard, Jefferson Ayesha Mohiuddin

THE DAILY COUGAR A lecture on Friday emphasized the political, ethical, social and economic aspects of Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” that affect society today.

The Ross M. Lence Master Teacher Residency at UH invited political scientist Michael Zuckert for the two-day event last Thursday and Friday in the Rockwell Pavilion.

“It was an opportunity for students to hear an international scholar bring an interdisciplinary approach that brings together Renaissance literature ... with political theory,” Libby Ingrassia, communications director in the Honors College, said.

“Students got the chance to hear a nationally-known expert take on a play

by one of the best-known writers in the English literature canon,” Ingrassia said. “For political science, English and history majors, it’s a chance for professional development.”

Zuckert led a symposium on Jefferson’s moral philosophy Thursday night.

“The colloquium on Jefferson’s moral philosophy used Jefferson’s works to engage phronesis students in a discussion of the intersection of morality and philosophy,” Beth Borck, director of development at the Honors College, said.

As both a political scientist and a teacher, Zuckert holds an international reputation as a scholar.

“We are excited to engage an interdisciplinary thinker in the tradition of TEMPEST continues on page 3

Chemical, clinical duo perfecting antibiotics

The new UC will include a theatre, a Senate chamber for the SGA, dining options and several other additions that will be revealed in detail at the event.

— Emily Holley/The Daily Cougar

Experiment helps pinpoint the best medicine for patients

CORRECTIONS Report errors to editor@thedailycougar.com. Corrections will appear in this space as needed.

Taylor McGilvray

THE DAILY COUGAR

75 LO 53 HI

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67/57

74/63 74 4/63 63

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Michael Zuckert lectured on aspects of Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” and Thomas Jefferson’s moral philosophy. | Paris Jomadiao/The Daily Cougar

RESEARCH

The first opportunity will be on Tuesday in the UC Lone Star Room at 5 p.m. and again on Wednesday in the UC Big Bend Room at 11 a.m. Attendees will also be given the chance to ask questions.

WED WE

February 21, 2011 Read. Recycle. Repeat daily.

Students, faculty, alumni and staff will be given two chances to see the initial concepts for the first phase of the new University Center this week.

TUE

®

facebook.com/thedailycougar

Students given opportunity to hear details of UC renovations

today

Monday

HONORS COLLEGE

Got news? E-mail news@thedailycougar.com or call 713-743-5314

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Issue 98, Volume 76

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75/55 75/ /55

EVENTS Free Instructor-Led, Hands-On Computer Training Computer classes are being offered to students, alumni, faculty and staff. A class introducing Excel 2010 will be held from 10 a.m. to noon in room 110-6 of the Social Work Building.

In Motion The Moores School of Music is presenting a contemporary saxophone ensemble from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. General admission is $10, $5 for students and seniors.

FOR MORE EVENTS, CHECK OUT

thedailycougar.com/calendar

1960s architecture debated

S

tudents, faculty and visitors joined Thursday and Friday to discuss 1960s architecture after hearing keynote speakers from UH, the University of California, Rice, Texas A&M, New York and Yale universities. The College of Architecture also announced the World Cities minor, effective this spring, which combines architecture, history and classical courses. | Nine Nguyen/The Daily Cougar

Two professors are developing a way to use computer simulations to speed up the normally costly and time-consuming task of creating new antibiotics.

Michael Nikolaou, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, and Vincent Tam, associate professor of clinical sciences, are leading the project.

“By capturing key interactions between drugs and bacteria, we can evaluate a large number of variables by use of computer simulations,” Tam said.

According to Nikolaou, the experimentation process starts with preliminary data and the use of mathematical modeling and computer simulation to narrow down the experimental data.

“After you start using a new antibiotic, bacteria starts to develop a resistance, so there is a perpetual need to develop new antibiotics,” Nikolaou said.

Traditional methods of drug development can take 10 to 20 years and hundreds of millions of dollars, and there is not enough time or resources ANTIBIOTICS continues on page 3

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“Realize of course that the $832 million in “federal education funding” would have required Texas to completely shelve its education standards in favor of the one-sizefits-all, lowest-common-denominator Common Core Standards created (illegally) by the US Department of Education, education standards which are SO low that many of the states which originally adopted them are even now trying to back out.”

— user “Dave Mundy” Re: Fears of Arabic, Muslims is irrational

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“What i was getting at is that being a Muslim is incidental to al-Qaeda’s political aims. They would be just as determined if they were Buddhists or scientologists. Labeling Islam and Arabic culture as Dangerous does nothing but reinforce an us vs them bunker mentality.”

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Cash, Checks, Credit Cards, and Cougar Cash accepted.

Re: Fears of Arabic, Muslims is irrational “The total population of the Middle East is about 349 million people according to the Middle East Review of International Affairs. The total Muslim population in the Middle East is about 20% of the total followers.

Meaning roughly 300 million out of

349 million are Muslims. Now they are not all radical Muslims, but many are fundamentalists who prohibit women from driving, showing themselves in public etc.”

— user “RickyRicardo” Re: Petition to fight cuts started “We may not be hurting as much as say CA right now, but we’re definitely going to hurt more in the long run.

It’s time for young folks to start voting, not just during presidential elections, but state elections as well (which often have a bigger impact on you and I). As long as young folks don’t vote, and older people do... this all shall come to no surprise.”

— user “Tina” Re: Petition to fight cuts started “These kids still have the option to go to community college for two years and save themselves money, save taxpayers money, alleviate traffic, increase admissions standards for UH”

— user “William” Re: Students don’t take violence to heart “Men being abused and falsely being accused of abuse is a shame and equally disgusting as when it happens to women. However, this issues has to be taken one step at a time. Women are more likely to be raped or sexually abused and are more likely to report it. I’m sure that there are support groups for men who have been sexually assaulted and falsely accused.”

— user “bohoinparadise” Re: Taking bullies by the horns “I have taken many bullies by the horn in high school. I miss it.”

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ENGINEERING

Corporations, community come together for student success Ayesha Mohiuddin

THE DAILY COUGAR The University of Houston’s Engineering Alumni Association will be celebrating the 60th anniversary of National Engineers Week with a reception and program on Tuesday.

Engineers Week is a worldwide celebration that gives recognition to engineers who annually contribute several hours toward public service.

The event is always held on the Tuesday during National Engineers Week.

“The UH EAA Engineers Week event is a celebration of the

significant contributions of engineers, and how engineers’ work touches nearly every aspect of our lives,” Cynthia Oliver Coleman, founder and annual chair of the event, said.

The UH EAA was established over 25 years ago to create awareness and to support the UH Cullen College of Engineering, its students and its alumni.

After Tuesday’s event, the funds raised from the past seven years will total more than $166,000.

The funds are cash awards from engineering corporations and professional organizations, Coleman said.

“Each year UH EAA hosts the Engineering Alumni Awards Gala,

Engineers Week reception and program, tailgating and other activities for UH engineering alumni, students, faculty and staff to participate in,” Coleman said.

The event is an opportunity for engineering students to unite with other students who are in the same field and have the same interests.

Steven Saing, an electrical engineering major, will be attending the event for the first time.

“Engineers Week sounds like a great idea and I’m definitely looking forward to going,” Saing said.

“It’s really important to educate everyone about who engineers are, what their goals are and what benefits they provide to the

society.”

The association is planning to continue hosting the Engineers Week event annually.

“The UH EAA Engineers Week event is dependent on the generous support of engineering corporations, professional organizations and engineering alumni,” Coleman said.

This year, the organization raised more than $37,000 from supporters, which include BP, Cameron, ExxonMobil, Fluor Corporation, FMC Technologies, GenOn, Hewlett Packard, Marathon Oil Corporation, Shell, the Society of Women Engineers-Houston Area, Traffic Engineers Inc., the UH Petroleum

Engineering Advisory Board and engineering alumni.

Organizers expect about 200 engineering alumni, students, sponsors, faculty and staff to participate in the event, which will include a game of of “Engineering Jeopardy.”

There will be award presentations, light hors d’oeuvres and beverages, prizes and competition.

The UH Engineering Alumni Association is a chartered constituent association of the University of Houston Alumni Association. It has been an award-winning association for 11 consecutive years. news@thedailycougar.com

CRIME

Patrols increase after robbery; vehicle burglaries on the rise Louis Casiano

THE DAILY COUGAR Campus police have stepped up patrols around Farish Hall in an effort to prevent any further incidents following an aggravated robbery last week.

Last week, a student was approached from behind and robbed at knifepoint in an exterior restroom in Farish Hall.

“We’ve adjusted our patrol patterns in order to more effectively

deter crime,” UHPD Lt. Brett Collier said. “We try to be seen so people know that we’re accessible.”

After the incident, an email circulated to all UH staff and students notifying them and providing tips on how to stay safe on campus.

UHPD officers are the first responders to any crimes reported on campus. Most crimes range from theft to disorderly conduct, with violent crime being a rare occurrence.

The department has made efforts in increasing visibility by having officers patrol on foot, bicycles and golf

carts, and by wearing high visibility uniforms with bright colors.

Theft and vandalism are common crimes reported to UH police.

Collier advises anyone with valuable property to get it registered with the University of Houston Department of Public Safety and never leave it unattended.

Most students at UH commute and park their cars in one of the parking lots that outline the campus.

Chemistry senior Ty Tsai was the victim of vandalism when his car

was keyed four years ago in one of the economy parking lots.

“I reported it to the police and they said they would look into it, but no one was ever caught,” Tsai said.

This month, there have been several instances of motor vehicle burglaries in UH parking lots. Increased lighting and emergency call boxes have been added in order to report crimes or emergencies. The pressing of the call box button connects directly to a police dispatcher.

The presence of officers on campus during the evening is important

TEMPEST continued from page 1

Professor Lence,” Ingrassia said. “Zuckert considered a range of thinkers and topics in his lectures, including civil rights amendments to the Constitution, the Constitutional Convention and the Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest,’ as well as the roots of Jefferson’s moral philosophy.”

Education major Wendy Alatorre got a new perspective on Shakespeare’s

A packed Honors College Commons welcomed visiting scholar Michael Zuckert on Friday for a lecture on Shakespeare’s “The Tempest.” Zuckert spoke as part of the Ross M. Lence Master Teacher Residency. | Paris Jomadiao/The Daily Cougar

for Tsai, who has a Wednesday class that gets out at 9 p.m.

“There’s always a police car waiting outside the building when I get out of class,” Tsai said. “Plus, me and my friend walk together to the parking garage to stay safe.”

In addition to increasing presence patrols, UHDPS offers crime prevention courses free of charge.

For more information, visit www. uhdps.edu/police/report_a_crime. html. news@thedailycougar.com

“The Tempest” after attending the lecture.

“I didn’t realize how much Shakespeare’s literature was associated with modern politics,” Alatorre said. “I definitely understood the literature a lot better after listening to him. He was very articulate.”

Zuckert is currently working on his latest book titled “Completing the Constitution: The Post-Civil War Amendments.” news@thedailycougar.com

Sound like you?

These symptoms could be more than just PMS — they can also describe PMDD (Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder).

ANTIBIOTICS continued from page 1

to evaluate all the combinations of variables. This forces the researcher to rely somewhat on luck when choosing combinations, Tam said.

A very large amount of the experiments that are done come out negative, which means that either the antibiotic does not have a therapeutic effect or the dose of the

antibiotic is toxic, Nikolaou said.

The computer simulation would act as a virtual screening process, said Tam. “It would help accelerate development by suggesting experiments with higher rates of success,” Nikolaou said.

This method, he said, will also help clinics identify the correct treatment for a patient, which is typically a slow process.

The correct dosage, frequency of

dosage and length of treatment are all factors that this method would help to determine, explained Tam. The first wave of funding for the research came through the University’s Grants to Enhance and Advance Research program.

Subsequent support has been granted by the National Science Foundation and pharmaceutical companies. news@thedailycougar.com

Baylor College of Medicine is conducting a clinical study of FDA-approved drugs ,YAZ and YASMIN, to determine if they are effective in relieving PMDD stress in women ages 13 to 20. Participants will complete a diary in addition to receiving medication in this study.

Females between 13 and 20 experiencing these symptoms and comfortable with tampon use may be able to participate. Parental consent is required under age 18.

Call 713-798-7549

obgynresearch@bcm.edu

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Monay, February 21, 2011

The Daily Cougar

opinion THE DAILY COUGAR

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

I WANT YOU TO LET EM’ GO! by Felipe Campos

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

Abortion legislation gets green light from Senate

T

exas Senators passed Bill 16 on a margin of 21-10. This bill, as some may recall, requires doctors to perform a sonogram two hours before allowing a pregnant woman to have an abortion.

During said sonogram, doctors are legally required to describe the physical attributes of the fetus to the woman and give her alternatives to terminating her pregnancy.

It was only a month ago that Gov. Rick Perry proposed this senseless bit of legislation; however, it received much criticism because it required the sonogram to be performed 24 hours before a woman went through with having an abortion.

What’s disconcerting about this is how a piece of legislation so mindless could pass with a majority vote — and with tighter constraints. In the course of a month, the proposed preventative measures for which it was initially criticized for have grown narrower and crueller.

We don’t understand how the Texas Senate could swing the majority vote in the first place — though using the right words and employing biblical references in a pro-life debate to strike the pathos of the rest of the party certainly helps.

“Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.

He knows all of us,” Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Texas, said, according to the Houston Chronicle.

The biggest concern we have is that, in the middle of a multi-billion dollar budget crisis, the state Senate has passed a bill that requires even more tax dollars to sustain.

Furthermore, forcing a pregnant woman to be subject to trauma for a decision that is entirely her own is an extreme form of government intervention.

Whether people agree with abortion or not, leaving someone with no option but turning over control of her body and using cruelty to push a conservative agenda is an abomination of human rights.

If lawmakers have been successful in this not-sonoble endeavor, one can only wonder which rights they’ll be able to steal from you next.

The government has far overstepped its boundaries in passing this piece of legislation. In fact, Bill 16 exactly the opposite of what the doctor ordered.

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.

America dithers in the Middle East

O

n Feb. 11, the Egyptian people achieved what no expert thought possible: A popular revolution was able to force the Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak to step down after 30 years in power. People all over the region rejoiced at the second successful uprising in a mere two months. Other countries began to plan their own days of protest, including Algeria, Libya, Yemen Dana and Bahrain. If the El Kurd Tunisians and Egyptians could gain their freedom, then Arabs everywhere were determined to achieve the same for themselves.

Unfortunately, the brutal security forces in these countries have been quick to react.

Over 70 people have died in Libya during protests thus far, targeted by the thugs of the dictator, Muammar al-Gaddafi. In Manama, Bahrain, nonviolent protestors (including women and children) were

viciously attacked and massacred by the police on behalf of the corrupt monarchy.

Internet and other forms of communication have been cut off in both countries, so we can only imagine what these governments hope to achieve hidden away from public scrutiny.

As usual, the American response to the uprisings in the Arab world has been positively shameful. Just as the Obama administration made no move to support the protests in Tunisia and Egypt until after their success, the recent calls for stability and affirmations of US support are just disgraceful attempts to “ride out” the wave of restlessness. Only when the regime is on our list of belligerents will the US outright condemn the violence against peaceful demonstrators.

Otherwise, ambiguity or open support of dictatorship is all the Arab people can expect. Bahrain’s geographical location makes it perfect for harassing Iran, which is why we have a Naval base there — along

with no intention of changing the status quo.

The US has historically supported authoritarian regimes in the Middle East against the democratic will of their people.

When pan-Arabism erupted across the Middle East in the 1950s and ’60s, the United States did its best to encourage anti-democratic sentiment by allying with the Saudi regime and buying off strongmen like Saddam Hussein. After Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser’s death (considered the icon of pan-Arabism), we helped prop up the cruel Anwar Sadat in Egypt.

Today’s uprisings represent a resurgence of pan-Arabism, with the same themes of self-determination, dignity and freedom. However, the protestors today understand the mistakes of the past. Social justice is the ultimate goal.

Dana El Kurd is a economics junior and may be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com.

Domino democracy won’t come easy

A

domino democracy seems to be occurring in the Middle Eastern states, a move that is reminiscent of the spread of communism in the 1940s and ’50s. The times appear to be ripe for change.

The people of the Middle East are growing increasingly restless and resentful of what they know to be tyrannical or puppet regimes, and Marcus with the advancement Smith of communication and information technologies, the world has become a smaller place.

In the Middle East, youth unemployment is said to be at a high of 25 percent.

The populations of these collected countries want to enjoy the freedoms given in other modern countries: they seek employment, equality and do not want their lives to be decided by the whim

of dictators who live in palaces while claiming to be working in the people’s best interests.

Even though Tunisia and Egypt had their uprisings go relatively smoothly and peacefully, this should not be expected for every country.

Countries that face regimes like these know to expect brutality for their dissension, and understand any peaceful negotiation is difficult if not impossible.

If this revolutionary trend continues, it is inevitable that for some nations change won’t be signaled by open dissension and peaceful protest, but the firing of rifles and the smell of gun smoke.

If domino democracy in the Middle East is a reality, then the question must be asked: How will a democratic Middle East affect regional and national stability? New governments don’t immediately erase old grievances, and could even cause them to swell. How many countries will look to the

US for support, and the support of their neighbors? How many will be resentful of America’s support of the dictatorships they worked so hard to topple?

It’s clear that numerous regimes with unhappy subjects are fearful of such uprisings occurring in their own nations, and have since taken preemptive steps to ease the population. In Kuwait and Bahrain, monetary bonuses were tacked on to salaries. Algeria promises to lift emergency rule, and the proposed constitutional amendment that would increase the presidential term in Yemen has been suspended.

But if we can take President Mubarak’s denied proposal of waiting until the next election to step down to quell the Egyptian uprising as evidence, these protests aren’t changing anything fast.

Marcus Smith is a creative writing freshman and may be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com.

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Monday, February 21, 2011

The Daily Cougar

sports

EDITORS John Brannen, Joshua Siegel E-MAIL sports@thedailycougar.com ONLINE www.thedailycougar.com/sports

overtime

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

UH wins regular season C-USA crown

AARON CISNEROS/THE DAILY COUGAR

Lance Jaramillo

SOFTBALL

THE DAILY COUGAR

UH conquers nationally-ranked opponents The Cougars won all five games at the Houston Hilton Plaza Invitational, sweeping three ranked opponents in the process — a first in UH history.

It took extra innings, but the Cougars beat No. 16 LSU Sunday on a walk-off single from Reina Gaber that drove in Ashleigh Jones for the deciding run.

“To win five games when three of our five games were against ranked opponents is exciting for us,” head coach Kyla Holas said. “Offensively, today wasn’t the way we’d like it to go, but we found a way to win. Sometimes in tough games that’s all you’ve got to do, find a way to win. I was proud of them for that.”

Saturday’s double-header was a tale of two teams. They opened up with LSU and were dealt a four-run deficit early. The Cougars managed to storm all the way back to beat the Tigers in eight innings.

The second game was less of a challenge as the Cougars blew out Southern 12-2 in in a run-ruled five inning game.

The Cougars opened up the invitational Friday with a 3-2 win over No. 20 Oklahoma State. The Cougars scored a single run in the first three innings and were able to fend off a late rally from the Cowgirls.

In its second game, UH came out with a 6-0 win over the Nicholls State Colonels. Senior pitcher Amanda Crabtree had a dazzling performance, earning the first no-hitter of her career.

“That is a very difficult thing to do,” head coach Kyla Holas said. “It’s 100 percent a team effort, no doubt. It’s a big thing for us and it was really good to see the whole team contribute and get behind that.”

— Cougar Sports Services

TENNIS

Streak comes to a halt for UH The Cougars had a weekend worth forgetting, dropping both of their matches.

Northwestern State beat the Cougars 6-1 on Sunday.

Louisiana-Monroe got the best of UH in the single and doubles events winning 4-3.

With the pair of losses the Cougars are 6-4 on the season.

“We have to put this weekend behind us and try to get healthy,” head coach John Severance said in a release.

— Cougar Sports Services

GOLF

Season resumes today The Cougars open their spring season today at 8:15 a.m. at the Rice Intercollegiate held at Westwood Golf Club.

UH will be competing with 14 other schools, including host school Rice. The Cougars are coming off of a strong fall season that saw them finish in the top seven in the three events they competed in.

The tournament wraps up with another 18 holes tomorrow at 8:15 a.m.

— Cougar Sports Services

lead had ballooned to 11-0. Jake Runte capped off the scoring by blasting a tworun home run in the eighth to bring the Cougars’ total to 15.

Morehouse went seven innings, allowing four baserunners and striking out six, while only conceding one earned run.

Jordan Lewis followed that up with seven innings of shutout pitching in the following game.

Dakota Dill finished up the game, pitching two innings and preserving the shutout.

Sunday’s starter, Taylor Hammack, only lasted 3.2 innings and gave up three earned runs, but Matt Creel came in and quieted the UTA bats, throwing four-anda-third shutout innings.

Clinging to a five-run lead late, the Cougars would close the door on UTA when John Cannon scored to give them a 6-4 advantage.

For the weekend, the pitching staff combined to post a 2.00 ERA over 27 innings of work, while holding UTA to a .250 batting average.

The Cougars will host Stephen F. Austin at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Cougar Field before beginning another three-game homestand against Ole Miss on Friday.

The Cougars cut the nets down as they clinched Conference USA with a 77-61 win over UTEP Sunday at Hofheinz Pavilion.

The Miners made it a tight game early with six lead changes, but their biggest lead was only three points with 13 minutes left in the first half.

The Cougars took the lead with a run and never relinquished it. Courtney Taylor led the Cougars’ attack.

Senior forward Lesslee Mason tied her career high with 15 rebounds and Brittney Scott poured in 23 points with an array of jump shots as the Cougars steamrolled to their 13th straight victory.

“Words will not ever be able to describe how proud I am of these kids and my entire staff,” head coach Todd Buchanan said. “Everybody has bought in, everybody has continued to buy in and everybody has done their due diligence to get us to this point.”

The Cougars’ first goal has been crossed off the list, but there’s still more work to be done.

“If we don’t go 16-0 we’re going to be disappointed,” Mason said. “If we lose a game in the tournament it will be disappointment. We’re expecting to go undefeated and go straight to the tournament.”

Buchanan is constantly giving his team words of encouragement and instruction on the court. He said he hopes the Cougars do not grow complacent.

“They want a ring,” Buchanan said. “What do they want to put on the ring? You’ve got a ring now, you need to go win the conference tournament championship. What do you want that ring to say? I want it to say ‘16-0.’ I want it to say ‘Conference tournament champs.’”

UH travels to Marshall (8-18, 4-9) at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Cam Henderson Center.

sports@thedailycougar.com

sports@thedailycougar.com

For the most part, Taylor Hammack and the UH pitching staff had an easy go in the season’s first threegame series against the UTA Mavericks. Hammack ran into trouble Sunday, but Matt Creel came in for relief and maintained the Cougars’ lead. | Aaron Cisneros/The Daily Cougar

BASEBALL

Cougars get the broom out for UTA UH survives UTA on Sunday after dominating first two contests Gilbert Requena

THE DAILY COUGAR The Todd Whitting era is off to a perfect start, as the Cougars swept their opening weekend series with UTArlington, beating the Mavericks 6-4 in the series finale Sunday.

“To win your first three games of the season is a huge confidence boost for the ball club,” Whitting said. “For these guys to come in and execute everything that we’ve worked on since the fall to a T is really good.”

An offensive outburst propelled the Cougars (3-0) to their best start since 1993.

In its first turn at bat, UH rang up the Mavericks (0-3) for five runs and did not stop all weekend, outscoring UTA by a total of 30-9.

Offense gives ample support for pitchers The Cougars were able to jump out to early leads in each of the three games, allowing their pitchers to relax on the mound and throw strikes.

“Once we got the lead everything just calmed down,” Codey Morehouse said. “I just went about it like it was intra-squad.”

By the end of the fifth inning the UH

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Culpepper burns defense, UTEP flattens UH Anna Gallegos

THE DAILY COUGAR With a minute left, and the result well out of reach, point guard Zamal Nixon was uncharacteristically whistled for a technical foul. It proved to be symbolic of the Cougars’ frustrations.

The Cougars battled back several times but lost 76-64 Saturday at the Don Haskins Center in El Paso.

In what has become a familiar mantra this season, head coach James Dickey

said the team was lacking a complete performance.

“We have to play a lot better than we’re playing right now,” Dickey said. “We have to play for the full 40 minutes.”

The Cougars (12-13, 4-8 C-USA) never had a lead, and the closest they came to overtaking UTEP was a two-point deficit with eight minutes remaining in the first half. UTEP (20-6, 8-3) cruised to an eightpoint cushion at halftime.

UH got within five points on a Maurice McNeil layup 5:53 left in the second half.

The Miners responded by reeling off six

unanswered points.

The Cougars could not match the effort of UTEP’s leading scorer Randy Culpepper, who scorched the Cougars for 33 points.

Alandise Harris led the Cougars in scoring with 18 points. McNeil had 13 points, and Nixon had 11 points and six assists.

The schedule will not get easier for the Cougars when they take on Memphis (207, 8-4) at 8 p.m. on Tuesday at the FedEx Forum. sports@thedailycougar.com

6

!

Monday, February 21, 2011

LIFE&ARTS

The Daily Cougar

ART SHOW

Student talent showcased in library

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Guilty pleasures playlist

W

eâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve never been people to be ashamed of the tunes that are in our respective libraries, but there are some songs to which you know every word and listen to with the volume all the way up in your car â&#x20AC;&#x201D; so long as the windows arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t down and youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re alone. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d probably rather not let people know that youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re still jamming Senses Fail, but regardless, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re never going to give you up, Coogs. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Mary Baak Black nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Yellow Wiz Khalifa

Pure Imagination Anthony Newley

All I Wanted Paramore

Bite to Break Skin Senses Fail

Alberto Sosa

THE DAILY COUGAR The fourth annual Student Art Exhibit was unveiled on the third floor of the M.D. Anderson Library last Friday. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It displays the incredible talent of our students across the disciplines. We have pieces from physics, biology, engineering and history, among others,â&#x20AC;? said Dean of Libraries Dana Rooks. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It grows every year. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a way for the libraries to be engaged with our students on a different level of knowledge. We get a lot of credit for the diversity of our student population, but not enough

for the diversity of our studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; talents, which can be seen here.â&#x20AC;?

Paintings of colors, people, ships, Herbie Hancock and drawings of knights and sugar skulls reveal that talent in the show grows each year.

Karesha Brown, the only digital artist and a senior in environmental design, showed visitors at the event the incredible imagery that can be created with the click of a button and a vivid imagination. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I paint with my mouse. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been doing it since the age of two,â&#x20AC;? Brown said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I use Illustrator and Photoshop and no tablet.

My piece is about mothers who smoke and how their babies are

smoking cigarettes too.â&#x20AC;?

Not the most comforting image, but certainly one of the more interesting ones, Brownâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s piece hands an enormous amount of bright color to depict the sad scene of a futuristic humanoid holding a cigarette in her stomach.

Also from the College of Architecture was Luis Pantilla. A more traditional artist, Pantilla used his brush strokes to create two unique paintings. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an exploration of how different mediums can be incorporated into architecture to move STUDENT ART continues on page 8

PHILANTHROPY

Celebration Guns Stars

Dance On was toe-tapping success

Total Eclipse of the Heart Bonnie Tyler

Rymonda Davis

THE DAILY COUGAR Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Not My Name The Ting Tings

Teenage Dream Katy Perry

The Anthem Good Charlotte

Never Gonna Give You Up Rick Astley

Some of the classics, including Chubby Checkerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;Twistâ&#x20AC;? and Michael Jacksonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thriller,â&#x20AC;? kept participants moving at the fourth annual Dance Marathon held in the University Centerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Houston Room this past weekend.

Participants included Greek organizations Phi Mu, Delta Upsilon and Tau Kappa Epsilon, as well as a number of other UH students. Contributions from dancers and sponsors totaled

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Christine Sirrieh, a communications sophomore and recipient of the largest individual fundraiser award, supports Dance On because of its unification of students, children and their families. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see children with illnesses present,â&#x20AC;? Sirrieh said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Everyone was together and having fun, and that is what matters.â&#x20AC;?

Dance On, the largest student-run philanthropy effort nationwide, is dedicated to

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COMICS & MORE

The Daily Cougar

comics

Monday, February 21, 2011

!

7

crossword

LIMBO by Paolo Aninag

Must Be Something in the Water by Brandon Alexander

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

ACROSS 1 Touchdown 5 Bracket type 8 Cartoon chipmunk 12 Mexican pots 14 Chocolate cookie 15 Alpine goat 16 Exhausted 17 Agrees silently 18 Fill to the gills 19 Currently 21 Ploy 23 Veto 24 Ave. crossers 25 Naval off.

26 Sagittarius 30 Phony handle 32 Stall 33 Using a vise 36 Lecturer’s spot 37 Sparkled 38 Very, informally 40 Turning around 42 Twilled fabric 43 In excess of 44 Bamboo eaters 45 Riled up 48 Prior to yr. 1 49 Suffers from 50 Hooded pullover 52 Contraptions 57 M or L 58 Musical symbol 60 Dumbfounded 61 Eclipse, to an ancient 62 Dogpatch verb 63 Mideast nation 64 Aromatic Himalayan plant 65 Campers, for short 66 — off (miffed) DOWN 1 Academic’s robe 2 No-cholesterol spread 3 — — unto itself 4 Angelina Jolie role 5 Winged god 6 Pioneered 7 Got behind (2 wds.)

8 Kind of brake 9 Slacken off

1

2

3

4

12

13

16 19

27

28

Tue, Feb. 22

UC Salt Grass (Rm 216)

Wed, Feb. 23

UC Aegean (Rm 82)

Thu, Feb. 24

Room 7, UC Satellite (behind Starbucks)

21

34

50

44 49

51

52

57

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64

65

53

59

Visit houstonianyearbook.com/photos or call 800-883-9449 to find out more.

GRADS: TAKE YOUR CAP & GOWN PHOTO!

45 Brick worker 46 True inner self 47 Earthmover, for short 49 Axe handle 51 Split in two 52 For the guys 53 — — the picture!

54 Title 55 “En garde” weapon 56 Dispatch 59 Ms. Ullmann

54

55

56

60 63 66 ©

Walk-ins welcome! Dress sharp and show up!

39

42

48

10 Open the door (2 wds.)

11 Board mems.

13 Australian city 14 Black gemstone 20 Oxygen source 22 PDQ 24 Breezy talk 26 Append 27 Horses do it 28 Muse of history 29 “— la vista, baby!”

30 Single-handed 31 Femme fatale 33 Spud garnish 34 Computer whiz 35 Bowled over 37 Kind of race (hyph.)

39 “— Miserables” 41 “Fernando” band 42 Walk nonchalantly 44 Felt boot

35

38

41

47

11

31

43 46

10

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37 40

9

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The photographer will be available at the following locations from 9am-2pm & 3pm-5pm each day.

UC Spindletop (Rm 242)

18

33

Class of 2011 seniors and yearbook portraits are being photographed FREE ALL WEEK!

Mon, Feb. 21

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8 15

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YEARBOOK + SENIOR PORTRAITS Location

7

14

23 26

6

20

THE TIME IS NOW FOR Date

5

2010 UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE INC.

Previous puzzle solved K E B A B

E L U D E

T A M S

E D I T

A M E S

L O L A

A S P K L A RG E O OR E N A T A F E V E D E D S R N U S A N C E B A L L U R I OR E A N D MS

I E L N K A N E D S E R S E R MO S I D E T I D N A E N NG A U T C RO T U N

J O R V A I P A L R A L V E E S S H E ON E S

M A X I L L A S

I N I T

L I D O

D E E R

L U T Z

I D E A

D E P P

S T L E D U A V E N T I C E T A R A Y

8

!

Monday, February 21, 2011

LIFE&ARTS

STUDENT ART

Garces of Booker Lowe Gallery.

They curated the event and gave juror choice awards to works with which everyone on the jury could connect.

It is very difficult to lay out pieces in a show in a way that makes sense, but at this event it’s actually very interesting how they all work together to create a collective voice, one that comes from individual points of view and works together to create an exhibit that showcases just how diverse UH really is.

The Student Art Exhibit will be on display through April 15 on the third floor of the library.

continued from page 6

people,” Pantilla said. “It’s about learning how to do other things and find character in ordinary things.”

“It’s crazy,” said art major Kentra Gilbert, whose work is featured in the exhibit. “I’m doing this all day. I don’t know when computer science majors or engineers have time to make these pieces. It seems like they’d have the busiest schedule.”

“Everything is great,” said two of the jurors at the event, Katherine Veneman from the Blaffer museum and Lucinda

arts@thedailycougar.com

DANCE

the future. Although she is only in 6th grade, music moves her and each year her involvement and support for Dance On grows.

Dance On continues to touch patients’ lives with each passing year.

Alejandro Martinez, an 8th grader and patient of Texas Children’s Hospital since the age of two, is grateful for Dance On because it gives him hope for the future.

“I am trying out for the junior varsity baseball team next year … I have so many things to look forward to in life, and I am very thankful for that.”

continued from page 6

doesn’t turn away patients based on insurance or income,” Jones said.

Many of the participants adopted the unofficial motto “For the children” as they mustered up enough energy to stay awake throughout the night. There were a number of former patients present who participated in Wii games, balloon relay races, Ping Pong games, and dances with the Dance On participants.

Southern gospel music singer Keri Len Spivey has performed at Dance On for the past four years and hopes to continue doing so in

arts@thedailycougar.com

Join the conversation.

Comment on any article at thedailycougar.com

The Daily Cougar

BOX OFFICE

‘Tango’ is actually more of a fiasco Jorge Porras

THE DAILY COUGAR Immigration Tango is a romantic comedy set in Miami, Fla., where an illegal-alien couple asks another American couple to switch partners and marry them so as to avoid deportation. As if the men agreeing to this partner swap wasn’t already a bad idea, the men begin to fall in love with the other’s girlfriend — and predictably so.

As if this kind of dramatic irony wasn’t already overplayed, there is an INS agent who catches on and checks in on the validity of the marriages.

At this point, you might be wondering why you’ve never heard of “Immigration Tango” before. It is probably because there have only been about four commercials total aired advertising this movie, and for good reason.

Movies such as this one display how low the standards must be to become a screenwriter, and the fact that a movie of this quality took four writers working together to fail so miserably is unbelievable.

The plot was a recycled version of “The Proposal” with Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock, with a Latin twist. Much of the movie was more of an overdone travel commercial for the city of Miami.

The story is flawed from the start.

The problems begin when a Russian immigrant Elena’s (Elika Portnoy) student visa is about to expire while she’s living with her Columbian boyfriend Carlos (Carlos Leon) on his boat. She must find a job or try to find an American man willing to be married to her for two years and run the risk of being charged with a felony if ever discovered.

The rest of the film is full of lazily written scenes that endlessly swing

McCaleb Burnett and Elika Portnoy star in the latest box-office flop,“Immigration Tango” alongside Carlos Leon and Ashley Wolfe. | Courtesy of Mutressa Movies.

— the movie finally comes to a very cheap ending.

A few things are apparent: the directing was terrible, the writing was unforgivable and the acting was a joke. Then again, it would be ridiculous to expect something groundbreaking from an actor like Carlos Leon, whose last major role was Henchman-B in “The Big Lebowski.”

Keep your eyes peeled for “Immigration Tango” in the $1 bin in gas stations, along with every other movie whose sole purpose is to promote Miami on an extremely low budget. And for those of you who are thinking about making this movie a part of your next date, you should probably save your $9 for something that will at least be worth it in the end.

and miss every potential bit of humor.

Soon after the switch — which was understood as a platonic agreement — is made, Ashley Wolfe’s character, Betty, oversteps the boundaries of the strictly platonic living agreement she has with Carlos.

As the movie comes to an end, the plot takes a turn, which was more like a half-hearted attempt to add shock value to the story — however, this swing-and-miss plot twist almost defeats the entire purpose of the film as a whole.

No matter how unoriginal the plot may be, it holds no candle to how excruciatingly painful it is to watch these b-string actors utter predictable punch lines and awful stereotype phrases.

After watching this monstrosity unfold for an hour-and-a-half — though it seemed like an eternity

arts@thedailycougar.com

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