Issue 136, Volume 76 by The Cougar

D SI

FROM GRASSROOTS TO ROOFTOPS,

GO GREEN

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

@thedailycougar

facebook.com/thedailycougar

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

UH celebrates Earth Day today Students are invited to come celebrate another year of being green at UH’s Earth Day celebration from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. today in Butler Plaza. “People should come out and celebrate Earth Day, an event that initiated a world-wide sustainability movement,” said Billy Garner, marketing coordinator for University Services. “Also, see how UH has become one of the leaders in sustainability among the nation’s universities.” Events planned include a weather balloon launch, recycled games and prizes, Recycle Man and free giveaways. Green Mountain Energy will also be there to announce the Green Mountain Energy Solar, a large solar array system the company is donating to UH.

Taylor McGilvray

Read. Recycle. Repeat daily.

THE DAILY COUGAR Students, professors and members of the community discussed issues such as immigration, voter turnout and corporate funding in elections at SPEAK OUT, a rally to increase student awareness and participation in government. The event was held Tuesday in the University Center Satellite. Brendan Laws, a sociology junior, spoke to students about the importance of immigration to our economy and

recognizing immigrants’ rights. “We have an economy that is dependent on migrant labor,” Laws said. “(As an immigrant), not only do you have to worry about paying rent and surviving, you have to worry about speaking up for your rights.” Laws stressed that increasing security at the borders will not decrease immigration. “The only way to stop immigration is to improve conditions in other countries … in the past 10 years as security has gone up, so has immigration because desperate times call for desperate measures,” Laws

SPEAK continues on page 10

Engineering team tops all US schools

UH is hosting the “Love Makes a Family” exhibit until May 4 on the third floor of the M.D. Anderson Memorial Library. The exhibit, which is aimed at fighting homophobia, was created by the Family Diversity Project, an organization that advocates the equal and fair treatment of marginalized demographics and their families.

Cougars narrowly miss first overall, place second to team from Mexico

“Love Makes a Family” uses images of LGBT parents and is combined with text from interviews with their family members to show visitors a different perspective of what it means to have a family.

Misti Mynhier

THE DAILY COUGAR A UH undergraduate team placed first among US teams and second overall in the regional Chem-E Car Competition, advancing to the national competition. The competition took place the last weekend of March at Texas A&M University. The UH Cullen College of Engineering team came in second to Mexico’s Tech de Monterey who took first place honors. The team is now preparing for nationals at the 2011 American Institute for Chemical Engineers National Student Conference, Oct. 14, in Minneapolis. “This is a top honor for UH, students and the

For information about the exhibit, visit www.lmfct.org. — Julian Jimenez/The Daily Cougar

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

88 LO 73

said. Another issue discussed was the lack of participation in government by young people. “It’s important for this university community that’s comprised of young people to get involved in not only the next election, but the grassroot issues,” said Lorenzo Cano, associate director for the Center for Mexican American studies. Cano stressed the importance of young people getting together to make their voices heard.

AWARDS

Exhibit informs visitors on lives of LGBT parents and families

CHEM-E CAR continues on page 3

Morning clouds, sunny afternoon....

89/71 89/ 89 /71

April 21, 2011

UH ‘speaks out’ at event

— Taylor McGilvray/The Daily Cougar

FRI FR RI

Students are encouraged to come out, have fun and learn ways to continue to make UH a leader in the sustainability movement.

today

Thursday

CAMPUS

newsline

Issue 136, Volume 76

SAT

SUN SU

MON MO

88/71 88/ /

88/72 88 8/72

88/73 88 8/73

EVENTS Earth Day Carnival To celebrate Earth Day, the University is having a carnival from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.at Butler Plaza outside of M.D. Anderson Memorial Library. Curren$y The upcoming New Orleans-based rapper is headlining at Warehouse Live tonight at 9 p.m. Doors open at 8 p.m., and tickets start at $20.

FOR MORE EVENTS, CHECK OUT thedailycougar.com/calendar

Honoring women of the world

H’s Council of Ethnic Organizations held its Women of the World banquet Tuesday inside the University Center’s Houston Room. The Nigerian and Vietnamese student associations, Sigma Lambda Gamma and Soka Peace performed for guests. Dr. Elizabeth Gregory, director of the Women’s Studies Program, spoke at the event. Dinner and desert were also served. | Nine Nguyen/The Daily Cougar

STUDENTS

Former Cougar offers new book-selling option Darlene Campos

THE DAILY COUGAR A UH alumna kept in mind her difficult experiences of trying to resell textbooks during her time as a student when she created a website where students could go to buy or sell textbooks. Emely Galvez, 22, founded the online service Houston Book Exchange in November 2010, just a month before she graduated from UH. The website, www.houstonbookexchange.com, allows college students to sell their textbooks straight to other TEXTBOOKS continues on page 3

■

ONLINE

Thursday, April 21, 2011

SHOW YOUR U of H STUDENT ID & GET 10% OFF YOUR MEAL! D! O FO N S! A INE S! ! I L A W ER TIO IT T EAT BE PA S A RE GR XA OR G TE DO UT O

Mandola’s Deli

is now OPEN for LUNCH AND DINNER 4105 Leeland Across the Freeway on Cullen!! www.MandolasDeli.com

MUST SHOW UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON STUDENT ID & GET 10% OFF TOTAL FOOD PURCHASE after 3pm. LIMIT ONE ID per person, per order, per visit. GOOD ON FOOD ONLY - Valid after 3pm. Not valid on alcohol (sorry, it’s the law).

The Daily Cougar

online

The best stuff from our website, comments and blogs. See what you’re missing: thedailycougar.com

TOP READS 1. Get your hands off my packed lunch! 2. Texas: the fastest state in the US 3. Bioware: Job well done in latest Dragon Age installment 4. COOG Radio makes debut 5. Rising gas prices punish students 6. Space city gets snubbed out of orbiters

Re: Not all cops deserve a bad rap, but these do

“Officer Moore was only on the force for 2 months - working a shift with a corrupt 20 yr veteran. He must’ve been under extreme pressure from his superior here.” — user “Bob”

FEATURED COMMENTS Re: Space city gets snubbed out of orbiters

“Politics over History. I don’t care what people are saying about political power and money and costs and tourists attractions. Houston deserves to have a shuttle. To some people its no big deal but to many historians it is. It’s ‘Houston, we have a problem,’ not LA or NY, etc.” — user “Linda Morales” Re: STAFF EDITORIAL: High schoolers storm out over teacher layoffs

“Every student that walked out should be suspended for skipping class. There is no legitimate reason for them to walk. Their parents and neighbors are the ones that voted in the tax rates and every entity has a budget. Get back behind the desk and crack a book and learn something.” — user “travelerr”

Re: STAFF EDITORIAL: New bill could turn trials into witch hunts

“The harder on crime u r, and the more times u get ur name out there to seem like you’re protecting the good people, the better ur chances of election/re-election. that’s what a lot of it comes down to.” — user “timothy van ludwig” Re: Space city gets snubbed out of orbiters

“Houston dominates when it comes to MANNED space missions. They deserve a shuttle, but not at the expense of LA. LA has more than “a few” reasons beyond the shuttles being manufactured there. They also tested, designed and engineered the shuttles. That, and the scientists are at JPL which is mission control center for all the Mars missions and spacecrafts sent to all seven planets.” — user “David”

THE STUDENT PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE IS CURRENTLY ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR THE POSITION OF

EDITOR IN CHIEF of The Daily Cougar for Summer/Fall 2011 — AND —

of the 2011-12 Houstonian yearbook APPLICATION DEADLINE:

5 P.M. APRIL 21 ELECTION: 4 P.M. THURSDAY, APRIL 28 TO REQUEST AN APPLICATION, VISIT ROOM 12,

■

Layout Editor

Christopher Losee closee@thedailycougar.com Multimedia Editor

Newton Liu (713) 743-5361 photo@thedailycougar.com ■

News Editors

Sports Editors

John Brannen Joshua Siegel (713) 743-5303 sports@thedailycougar.com ■

Life & Arts Editor

Mary Baak (713) 743-5302 arts@thedailycougar.com ■

Opinion Editor

Andrew Taylor opinion@thedailycougar.com ■

Web Editor

Matthew Keever webeditor@thedailycougar.com

Jose Aguilar Cristi Guerra (713) 743-5314 news@thedailycougar.com

Advertising

(713) 743-5340 ads@thedailycougar.com ■

Classifieds

(713) 743-5356 classifieds@thedailycougar.com

Business Office Phone (713) 743-5350 Fax (713) 743-5384 ■ Mailing address ■ ■

Room 7, UC Satellite Student Publications University of Houston Houston, TX 77204-4015

ABOUT THE COUGAR The Daily Cougar is published Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters, and Tuesday and Thursday 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.

UC SATELLITE OR CALL 713-743-5335. The SPC meets monthly during the school year to hear updates from the department’s units, to give a forum for public comment and to elect the editors in chief of The Daily Cougar and Houstonian yearbook. For more information, visit www.uh.edu/sp/committee

Editor in Chief

Jack Wehman (713) 743-5362 editor@thedailycougar.com

■

EDITOR IN CHIEF

■

Newsroom

ISSUE STAFF ■

Copy editing

Bethel Glumac

■

Production

Nine Nguyen

■

Closing editor

Newton Liu

NEWS

The Daily Cougar

CHEM-E CAR continued from page 1

engineering program”, said Daniel Alavi, an engineering and finance double major. “UH can now take pride in becoming part of the elite engineering schools across the nation.” Previous winners of the Chem-E Car Competition include Cornell University, Northeastern University and the University of Michigan. To receive top honors at nationals, each team must design and construct a chemically powered vehicle that meets specific size criteria and is able to carry a specified cargo. The teams will be told at the time of the competition the distance the car must travel and the specified cargo that the vehicle will carry. Entries deemed unsafe by the judges were disqualified. A combined score based on distance traveled and creativity determined the winner. For the Southwest Regional Competition at Texas A&M, the distance a team’s car had to travel was between 50 and 100 feet, and it had to carry a weight between zero and 500 milliliters of water over

TEXTBOOKS continued from page 1

students, essentially eliminating the need to post signs on bulletin boards around campus, or to sell on sites like Amazon or even to bookstores, which generally give students only a fraction of their original investment. “I started it because I always sold my textbooks to other students by using Facebook, Craigslist, eBay or posting flyers on campus,” Galvez said. “I wanted to create one website to make it easier for all students to connect, instead of going through the hassle of using all the other methods available.” The website aims to connect students with each other so that they can buy, sell or swap textbooks with each other. “The goal of Houston Book Exchange is to cut out the bookstore in order to make and save students more money,” Galvez said. For the upcoming summer and fall academic terms, Houston Book Exchange will be offering a book scholarship for students going to college in the Houston area. The summer scholarship is $150 and the fall scholarship is $300. One scholarship will be awarded per semester. To apply for the scholarship, a student must write an essay of no more than one page explaining why he or she deserves a book scholarship. Interested persons must also be current member of Houston Book Exchange. Membership for the service costs $1.99 for 30 days. As a member, students can post and request an unlimited amount of books on the website. “I hope to attract enough members to one day have advertisers on the website so that I can offer this service to students for free,” Galvez said. Summer scholarship entries are due by May 31. The deadline for the fall book scholarship is July 31. Textbook scholarship entries should be emailed to Scholarship@ HoustonBookExchange.com. news@thedailycougar.com

that distance. The UH Chem-E Car team designed a vehicle that was powered by a zinc-oxygen battery and employed a stopping mechanism triggered by breaking a circuit. “This would not only be a great honor for the UH Engineering Department, it would also be great for them to win the prize money to add to their creation next year”, Alavi said. According to AIChE’s website, first, second and third prizes at nationals will be $2,000, $1,000 and $500 respectively. The Chem-E Car Competition team captain is Walter Barta and team members include William Payne, Tanya Rogers, Ed McDowell and K.C. Schuette. Additional contributors included UH AICHE officers, Abel Morales, Jorge Cubas and Allen Lo. Micky Fleischer, adjunct professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, served as faculty adviser For additional information on UH Engineering News visit, www. erg.uh.edu. For up-to-date news on the Chem-E Car National Competition, visit www.aiche.org. news@thedailycougar.com

Thursday, April 21, 2011

■

UH ABROAD

UH student gets ready for Germany Scholarship recipient, one out of 75 nationwide, set to live and work abroad for the next year Jesus Acevedo

THE DAILY COUGAR From July 2011 to July 2012, University of Houston communications junior Carlos Valenzuela will call Germany home after being awarded the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals Scholarship. Valenzuela is one of 75 recipients out of 550 students who applied for the program from across the nation. “I’m going to be the first one from UH to be awarded the scholarship, so I feel pretty good and proud,” Valenzuela said. “But I feel like I have a responsibility to not only represent my country (US), but also UH.” The organization was looking for individuals that are diplomatic, flexible, and are passionate in their

career field, as well as have working experience, said Amy Stiegler, program specialist for the program. While in Germany, Valenzuela, along with the other students, will spend the first two months in intensive language course training to help them assimilate to the country. Luckily for Valenzuela, he has been speaking German for three years now. “It’s going to help on the internship level, and it’s a plus,” Valenzuela said. “Working in the German environment it’ll make it easier to communicate with my co-workers.” After the language courses, Valenzuela will spend four months studying at a German university. The remaining five months will be spent at an internship of his choice. “It’s unlike any other typical study abroad program,” Stiegler said. “It’s significant because in today’s economy, where it is really tough to find a job, someone can see on their resume that they were able to find an internship in

Germany (and that) really gives them a leg up on other applicants.” As far as getting homesick, Valenzuela said he doesn’t know when or if it will hit him, but he did get to talk to some of the current participants of the program. “They told me, ‘The first three months you’re all excited about being there, that you forget about your family and don’t call them,’” Valenzuela said. “But they told me, ‘When those three months are over, you’ve established yourself and … the excitement is over, that’s when you start getting homesick.’” The Bundestag, Germany’s national parliament, and the US Congress, through the US Department of State, fund the yearlong program. As part of the program, 75 German students will spend an entire year in the US living and working. Stiegler said the program began in 1983 to represent the 300th anniversary of the first German settlements in America. news@thedailycougar.com

Click on it: www.thedailycougar.com

IFC would Like to congratulatE the following Greek men on making Dean’s list for the 2010 Fall semester Sig Ep Michael Pisana Daniel Contreras Darren Randle

TKE Thomas Waidhofer Gustavo De Azevedo Toby Castro Thomas Shide

Kappa Sigma Kenneth Edge Michael Nassif Saman Esmaily Sina Vasighi Khai Tran Ryan Callard

FIJI Maged Ayyad Shawn Warnke Neil Canales Juan Sarabia

Pi Kappa Alpha Casey Looney Jay Mathur Tarillah Ikemi Millard Mehrinfar Hunter Jackson Fabio Henriques Christian Villareal

Lambda Phi Epsilon Shawn Reddy James Han Raymond Cui Cheng-Hsiao Wang Alan Tran

Sigma Chi Ravindra Gudor Brad Jamison Daniel Vecino Hank Fuselier Alex Wilkins

Sigma Pi Ethan Wheat Chris Van Vilet

Pi Kappa Phi Walter Moser Stefan Stajanovic Zack Irons Yuri Braga

Triangle Bryan Barton Jagdish Vasani Nicholas Ostendorf

Delta Upsilon Rayyan Baabdullah Michael Allen Sean Boulet

Phi Kappa Psi Mouhamed Husseini

■

Thursday, March 21, 2011

The Daily Cougar

opinion THE DAILY COUGAR

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

SHAKING THINGS UP 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

Privacy issues surface again with technology

pple’s iPhone 4, which floats between being the most popular smartphone to being tied with Google’s Android phone, is a device that is known for its seemingly limitless capabilities. But sometimes the capabilities that are amazing about these devices can also be alarmingly revealing.

In a blog posting on Gizmodo.com, editor Sam Biddle wrote about a new development that has many gadget geeks buzzing with curiosity and some iPhone owners creeped out, Biddle included. Two researchers, Pete Warden and Alasdair Allan, stumbled upon data that was collected on several Apple products which tracked the precise location of the products with timestamps while keeping a record of it for an extended amount of time. The data, which is based off of latitude and longitude coordinates and accompanied by timestamps, is shockingly accurate. According to an O’Reilly Radar blog post, Warden and Allan wrote, “the presence of this data on your iPhone, your iPad, and your backups has security and privacy implications.” The long record of your locations and the corresponding timestamps isn’t the entire reason to be worried or nervous. Furthermore, what also worries both researchers is that this information is unprotected despite being discreetly hidden through file folders. According to the researchers Warden and Allan, “what makes this issue worse is that the file is unencrypted and unprotected, and it’s on any machine you’ve synched with your iOS device. It can also be easily accessed on the device itself if it falls into the wrong hands.” The researchers and many other writers who are concerned about this have asked Apple why this information is being recorded, but have so far not heard a response. But this development isn’t one to panic about; rather it’s one to be conscious of. Moreover, if any iPhone or smartphone user has a right to be worried it should be due to the fact that technology has become so advanced that what we don’t know is often what can hurt us. When it comes to personal information, we should know when we’re being tracked and for what purposes.

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.

Growing indoors kills atmosphere

hose advocating for the decriminalization of marijuana presently have only a handful of credible backers, but they may soon gain an unexpected ally in the form of environmentalist groups and conservationists. A recent report coming out of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory estimates that clandestine marijuana cultivation Marc uses nearly one percent Anderson of the nation’s power supply and dumps an enormous amount of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Forced indoors in order to avoid detection, pot growers rely on artificial lighting and other energy-intensive practices that render marijuana as one of the most environmentally costly crops in the country. Such methods could be avoided if growers were granted the legal right to farm marijuana openly without fear of prosecution.

Grown in a more traditional manner, marijuana’s ecological impact would be greatly curtailed, making weed far more “green.” Although these factors alone do not form a compelling argument for the decriminalization of pot, they certainly add to the growing list of reasons favoring a change in our drug policy and are an easy target for environmental reformers. Financially speaking, marijuana is this country’s largest cash crop. With a value of close to $40 billion annually according to drugscience.org, pot easily surpasses the $23 billion a year for corn and $17 billion a year for soybeans. But unlike plants grown for legal purposes, marijuana must be grown secretively and in highly unnatural settings. The lighting, ventilation and irrigation systems needed to sustain indoor plant growth end up costing several billion dollars in extra energy expenditures per year according to a report done by Evan Mills, a staff scientist at The University of California. By

factoring in these operational costs, Mills estimated that present day marijuana growers use the same amount of energy as 2 million household homes. As a result, the production of one kilogram of marijuana equates to about 3,000 kilograms of CO2. Again for comparison, one kilogram of soybeans nets a meager 0.26kg of CO2. Essentially, current drug laws are promoting the needless destruction of the planet. Mills estimated that if it were legal to grow cannabis, energy efficiency in its production would improve by 75 percent or more. In an attempt to construct an inclusive assessment of both environmental and economic costs, researchers considered indirect expenditures associated with marijuana cultivation as well. Damage to buildings due to electrical fires and improperly installed irrigation systems adds a significant amount to the cost of ANDERSON continues on page 5

Secular loophole brings Arizona justice

recent ruling by the Supreme Court to allow Arizona to continue a controversial school-choice program has many Americans outraged. Justice Elena Kagan, the second of President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court appointments, has come out in opposition of the ruling charging that the “damages taxpayer standing in Establishment cases”, which was Neimon not the case under the James Flast v. Cohen case. Flast v. Cohen was a case decided under the Warren Court which set precedent on matters involving the Establishment Clause. Furthermore, Justice Kagan goes on to slam fellow benchmate Justice Anthony Kennedy and his opinion which allows the Arizona program to continue. Kagan asserts that “by ravaging Flast in this way,

the majority ‘damages one of this nation’s defining constitutional amendments.’” That amendment is the First Amendment of the US Constitution which houses the Establishment Clause, a policy recognizing a deliberate separation between church and state by disallowing the state to make laws respecting an establishment of religion. The peculiar system in Arizona that’s stirring up dissent within the Court is its option to allow taxpayers to pay up to $500 of what they owe to the state to a non-profit of their choice. A disproportionate amount goes to schools and promoting in material and/or instruction some form of religion. Justice Kennedy wrote in his concurring opinion that the program’s financing comes from taxpayers; therefore those bringing the lawsuit can claim no harm from the state and lack standing to sue. However, Justice Kagan is less than

thrilled and relatively unimpressed with her associate calling his opinion a “novel distinction” that has “as little basis in principle as it has in our precedent.” The frustrated Justice Kagan goes on to clarify that “whether a state finances a program with cash grants or targeted tax breaks the effect is the same.” Arizona arguably is in violation and does too much to dissolve established precedent. Justice Kagan makes a good point: whether a state finances a program with cash grants or through specifically targeted tax breaks and credits, it’s all disambiguous means to a very clear end. That end being the financing of religious schools for the promotion of specific morals and values in students but under a different name: tax credit. It’s almost like the Obama Administration’s change of the political jargon after JAMES continues on page 5

OPINION

The Daily Cougar

ANDERSON continued from page 4

Thursday, April 21, 2011

■

More than apologies are owed to Recy

indoor pot growing. Air quality also takes a hit, with one kilogram of weed producing the equivalent emissions of driving across the country five times. These values dwarf any amounts that are produced by merely smoking the drug. This study is premised on the fact that marijuana will continue to be grown whether or not it is legal to do so. Obviously, current drug policies are doing little to curtail the growing of cannabis. So as marijuana production continues unabated, draconian laws are causing substantial economic and environmental harm. It is unlikely that the societal impact of legalizing marijuana would be more damaging than the ecological effects of sustaining its criminalization. If disputed that claims of pot’s medicinal value do not sway lawmakers, then perhaps the added incentive of saving the planet might.

ast month, the State of Alabama officially apologized for the lack of justice granted to a survivor of rape during the Jim Crow era. Recy Taylor, the survivor, was 24 years old when the assault happened in 1944. She was kidnapped at gun-and-knifepoint by a group of white men in a car, and then raped by six of them before being thrown back on the street. The assailants openly admitted to their crime, but because the victim was black and the attackers were white Brendan men of economic privilege, Laws the white police officers refused to take Taylor’s side. When the case was brought to trial, the all-white, all-male jury found the rapists innocent, though none of the attackers even showed up to testify. In history books and mainstream media, the Jim Crow era sexual assault is rarely brought up. Most curriculum focuses on voting rights, segregation, and violence committed against those who

Marc Anderson is a Cell Biology graduate student and may be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com.

Obama gives intellectually dishonest speech

JAMES continued from page 4

Bush to publically distanced themselves from the embattled former president, though the policies and practices are basically the same. Nevertheless, one should applaud the Arizona lawmakers for finding a pretty lofty loophole and grounding a policy that is beneficial to their state around federal restrictions and limitations. Justice Kagan is right, a pig by any other name is still a pig, and Arizona is prized with a 5-4 win in favor by the Court, a testament to its superior breeding. The States know what their constituents need and want, as well as how best to serve those needs and wants specifically. Kagan and her appeals to derail what she perceives will become a national phenonmenon of states combing through law books to stake out their own positions in getting around the Establishment Clause is evidence that the clause should only apply to the federal government. The Supreme Court made the best decision with respect to states’ rights in allowing Arizona to continue allowing taxpayers the freedom to direct their tax dollars. Justice Kagan however, though accurate in her assertion that the state is merely getting around the clause, should scale back her raging rhetoric and concentrate on more relevant national issues that seek to reduce civil liberties and other injustices, rather than picking on a state for rounding about federal limitations in how it funds its moral future. Neimon James is a political science sophomore and may be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com.

Speak up whenever you want. Register with the Web site and comment on any article at thedailycougar.com

GUEST COMMENTARY

resident Barack Obama’s recent speech from George Washington University on the federal debt and deficit was shocking in its intellectual dishonesty, even by Obama standards. Given, the whole idea of Mr. Obama speaking on this topic was akin to Jeff Skilling giving a lecture on business ethics. And yet it still amazed Steven me. Christopher Much of his speech was terribly predictable. How does the President propose we lower the deficit? Raise taxes on the “millionaires and billionaires.” The only problem is, regardless of how much Mr. Obama soaks “the rich”, it could never pay for the spending he has proposed in his first two budgets since taking office. In the entire history of the United States, the federal government has never collected more than of 20 percent of GDP in taxes. Throughout the 1950s and 1970s, the top marginal income tax rate was in the 90 percent range. We still didn’t collect more than 20 percent of GDP in taxes. Fast forward to Mr. Obama’s proposed 2012 budget; the President proposes outlays of roughly 23 percent of GDP for the next 10 years, and that’s

resisted, and the plethora of other human rights abuses that happened in this country during that era. However, white men raping black women in the United States has been far too common, since the times of chattel slavery. There has been far too little vocalization of the problem or justice felt by survivors. Though many historians and writers cite the crime as common, there were zero convictions of southern white men for rape or attempted rape of black women between 1865 and the mid 1960s according to David Pilgrim, a sociology professor at Ferris State University. Rosa Parks and other civil rights activists originally took up the case, but gained little momentum in the wake of other injustices committed during that era. To gain perspective, two days after the rape, the house of Mrs. Taylor and her family was firebombed. So 66 years later, Recy Taylor and her family picked up the case again, and despite the pain of the tragedy, they successfully campaigned for an

apology from the state of Alabama for the injustice they facilitated and amplified. An apology like this hardly makes up for the damage done to Mrs. Taylor, her family and their community, but it is an important step in the right direction. Because of how common this crime was, this apology could open up the door for others who also suffered, and help to build of a broader anti-racism, anti-rape movement. The case is important still, because rape is hardly a problem of the past. Almost one in five women in the U.S. will be sexually assaulted in her life, and African American women are still assaulted at a higher rate than the overall population. Additionally, it is estimated that only 40 percent of sexual assaults are reported at all. There is still so much to be done to end sexual assault in this country and in the world, but Recy Taylor is a hero for fighting for justice, no mater how long it took. Brendan Laws is a sociology sophomore and may be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com.

LEAVE US YOUR OPINION AT LETTERS@THEDAILYCOUGAR.COM

not even the worst part. These percentages are based on a GDP denominator that grows around 6 percent annually — an assumption that has no basis in reality. This means that Mr. Obama’s proposed outlays will be in excess of 23 percent of GDP. He and I both know that this nation will never reduce our national debt by spending over 23 percent of GDP and bringing in 20 percent or less. But he continues to nod and wink at you, telling you that he will “make hard decisions” and ensure that government “lives within its means.” Unfortunately, the most disturbing portion of the speech was yet to come. Obama went on to suggest that we eliminate many income tax credits and deductions. I’m all for this; credits and deductions skew economic incentives and artificially inflate the value of certain goods and services relative to others. Even Mr. Obama’s bipartisan deficit commission, whose recommendations he otherwise completely ignored, suggested this be done. The President’s justification for doing so was the troubling part. He referred to the elimination of these deductions as “spending reductions in the tax code.” Aside from the semantic absurdity of the

phrase itself, the logical conclusion of his reasoning is startling. To Mr. Obama, the income of every American belongs to the government before it is even taken from you. In other words, the entirety of earned income in the United States belongs to the government and therefore allowing you to keep more of your own earned income is no different than giving your money away to someone who did not earn it. There is a bizarre conceit among progressives that a person has a right to everyone else’s income but not to their own. Thus, Mr. Obama can claim that by taxing some taxpayers less, we are somehow “redistributing income,” as if it was taken from one individual and given to another. In the President’s mind, your income never belonged to you anyhow. It belonged to the government, and he allowed it to be “distributed” to you. President Obama’s argument, and the purposeful lack of clarity surrounding his rhetoric, should shake any American who has even a semblance of respect for individual liberty to the core. Steven Christopher is a freshman finance MS student.

Get certiﬁed to teach English anywhere in the world in... s TESOL certiﬁed recognized around the world!

s Experienced and qualiﬁed instructors with Master’s degrees and experience teaching locally and overseas!

s Convenient location and class schedules! s Support before, during and after course!

days

s Competitive prices with special discounts available!

Search www.youtube.com, keyword: Lone Star TESOL Visit our website at: www.lonestartesol.com Email us at: lonestartesol@gmail.com

■

Thursday, April 21, 2011

The Daily Cougar

sports overtime

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

SOFTBALL

UH deals upset to No. 19 A&M Fourth-inning rally spurs close win over Aggies; fans set attendance record Jesus Acevedo

THE DAILY COUGAR

COURTESY OF UH ATHLETICS

TRACK AND FIELD

UH gears for LSU competition The Cougars are down to two final meets before the Outdoor Conference USA Championships. Head coach Leroy Burrell and his team will compete in the LSU Alumni Gold Meet at Bernie Moore Stadium in Baton Rouge, La. on Saturday. The women’s 4x100-meter relay team of Tai’Shea Reese, Whitney Harris, Kalyn Floyd and Grecia bolton tied its best time last weekend at the Mt. Sac Relays with a split of 43.81 seconds — good for the seventh best mark in the NCAA. Sprinter Kelvin Furlough will also look to improve upon his personal-best last weekend in the 400-meter dash of 46.29 seconds. After this weekend, the Cougars will head up north from April 28-30 to Philadelphia for the Penn Relays. They will receive more than a week off to prepare for the C-USA Championship from May 12-15 at Rice. — Cougar Sports Services

GOLF

Conference championship begins Sunday; summer camp dates released

Wednesday was a feel-good night for the Cougars as they rallied back from an early deficit against No. 19 Texas A&M to win 4-3 in the fifth annual Striking Out Breast Cancer Game. Cougar Softball Stadium was packed with 500 people past capacity, for a record total of 1,672. Half of the proceeds from ticket sales go toward the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Houston affiliate. The Cougars (32-14, 13-5 C-USA) fell behind early in the first inning 2-0 when A&M second baseman Melissa Dumezich hit a home run off freshman pitcher Diedre Outon. Outon was a last-minute replacement for senior Amanda Crabtree, who sat out with an undisclosed injury. The freshman only lasted half an inning, giving up two hits and two earned runs. “We decided to go with Diedre thinking they hadn’t prepared for that and defensively wanted to save Donna in case there was trouble,” head coach Kyla Holas said. “Unfortunately she didn’t get out of the first inning. But as a freshman you need that experience and now she’s got it, and knows what to learn.”

The Cougars werer eager to greet first baseman Melissa Gregson after she blasted a three-run home run to center field, giving them a 4-2 advantage at the time. For Gregson it was Gregson’s 15th home run of the year. | Nine Nguyen/The Daily Cougar Senior Donna Bourgeois took over with one out in the top of the first, eventually picking up her 12th win of the season. She allowed six hits and one earned run during six innings pitched, while pitching four scoreless innings. Holas said Bourgeois did a great job and was proud of her, acknowledging that she came in a crucial moment and

pitched like a senior should. “That’s my job, that’s what I’m here to do,” Bourgeois said. “That’s what we work every day for and if you’re not ready when you come in, then why come in at all. You have to be ready at all times.” SOFTBALL continues on page 7

BASEBALL

The Cougars will look to surprise the field this weekend when they begin the Conference USA Championship on Sunday at the Texarkana Country Club in Texarkana.

UH set for next chapter in C-USA play

If UH can capture the conference title, it would qualify for the NCAA Regional Tournament from May 19-21. The location is to be determined.

Cougars welcome ECU squad on a roll; pitching staff welcomes back junior Ray

The NCAA Championships are June 1-4 at the Karsten Creek Golf Course in Stillwater, Okla. Young golfers looking to learn from head coach Jonathan Dismuke and his players are invited to sign up for two sessions of the Cougar Golf Academy. The first camp is from June 13-16 at Greatwood Golf Club in Sugar Land. The second camp is from June 20-23 at the Houston National Golf Club in Cypress.

Gilbert Requena

THE DAILY COUGAR Even though Easter is on Sunday, the Cougars are hoping not to lay any eggs this weekend. UH (19-19, 6-3 Conference USA) will

Both camps are open to boys and girls from ages 8-18. For people who apply today the fee is $715, the walk-up fee is $815. Those interested can find more information at www. houstongolfcamp.com

try to remain atop the conferece standings as they host a three game series against conference nemesis East Carolina (24-12, 6-6). The Cougars are in a four-way tie for first place with Memphis, Rice and Southern Miss. “We are only a couple of weeks into league play, but I couldn’t be happier with where we are at,” head coach Todd Whitting said. “If we didn’t let that game at Marshall slip away from us we would be in first place all by ourselves. The good

thing about the position we are in is that we control our own destiny.” In order to remain at the top of C-USA the Cougars are going to have to have strong performances at the plate and on the mound. The Cougars’ chances of performing well at the mound will be a bit higher the rest of the season as they welcome back pitcher Jared Ray. Ray has been sidelined with a BASEBALL continues on page 7

PLAYER PROFILE

Catcher shares knowledge

— Cougar Sports Services

Cannon learns how to manage pitchers behind the plate C-USA

UTEP wins women’s golf crown

Joshua Siegel

THE DAILY COUGAR

The Miners earned their first-ever Conference USA Championship on Tuesday, the first in program history with a three-day score of 904. UTEP’s Teresa Nogues was the individual champion with a score of 218, finishing two strokes over par. Tulsa was close behind with a score of 906, coming in second place. Rounding out the top three was Tulane in third with a scoer of 907. UH is the only school in C-USA that does not have a women’s golf program. — Cougar Sports Services

In his first full season as a starter, junior catcher John Cannon is hitting .311 with a .422 on-base percentage, 22 runs and 17 RBI. Cannon has started all 38 games this season | Joshua Siegel/The Daily Cougar

When his playing days are over, junior catcher John Cannon wants to teach high school math or history. During his career as a backstop for the Cougars, he is already getting on the job training through managing pitchers, mentoring younger players and having to deal with tedious activities like squatting for 27 outs or blocking 0-2 breaking balls in the dirt. Cannon was offered a scholarship to UH while attending a summer showcase camp at Cougar Field going into his senior year at Hutto High School.

“That week I think I threw out about four guys and hit really well, so right there, they brought me over and offered me a spot,” Cannon said. As a backup his first two years on campus, Cannon was like a sponge soaking up information from starter Chris Wallace and coach Jorge Garza. “Coach Garza was a really big player’s coach,” Cannon said. “I learned a lot from him. “He kind of took me under his wing. He did a lot of things to help me prepare for where I am right now.” From Wallace, Cannon learned the ins and CANNON continues on page 7

SPORTS

The Daily Cougar

Thursday, April 21, 2011

StylishLiving TS PARTMEN A N W O T WN TIFUL DO

BEAU

THE T A S T F LO K

R A P L L A B

Junior catcher John Cannon’s favorite part of catching is throwing out baserunners. Cannon has relished every opportunity this season, gunning down a Conference USA leading 14-of-27 potential basestealers. | Courtesy of UH Athletics

CANNON continued from page 6

outs of being the pitching staff’s personal shrink. “He actually helped me mature and learn to talk to the pitchers,” Cannon said. “He taught me that with different pitchers, it takes different things to motivate them. Some guys you have to go out there and get in their face and they’ll step up if you start yelling at them. “But there are other guys, if you yell at them, they’ll just fold. You just have to go out there, and calm them down and try to relax them.” Cannon recalls as a freshman having to jog out to the mound to calm down an upperclassmen that had worked himself into a jam. “I went out there and told him to calm down and he was still struggling, so I went out and told him a joke,” Cannon said.

SOFTBALL continued from page 6

In the bottom of the third, the Houston offense awoke with three hits and four runs. Catcher Haley Outon hit a single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. Katy Beth Sherman single moved Outon to third who would later come home after A&M catcher Nicole Morgan threw to first base trying to get Sherman out at first. The error produced the Cougars’ first run.

BASEBALL continued from page 6

shoulder injury since 2009. He sat out the entire 2010 season rehabbing the injury and is primed for a comeback. Ray is scheduled to start on Thursday and is chomping at the bit to get out on the mound. “I’m just excited,” Ray said. “At one point I thought that I would never pitch again. I’m just excited to be able to be out there and have the opportunity to pitch again.” Ray is not only excited to get back on the mound, he also believes that he can regain the form that made him a regular Friday night starter in 2009. “I expect to do well,” he said. “Just because I haven’t pitched

“I don’t even remember what the joke was. I just got him laughing and from there on he went out and threw three scoreless innings after that.” It is not enough to know what makes the Cougars’ pitching staff tick and what motivates them, Cannon also must be on top of their repertoires and know what to expect on each pitch — some of the Cougars throw hard, some softer. Reliever Dustin Fuerst throws from a submarine angle. “Everything he throws just moves a different way,” Cannon said. “His changeup actually rises, which I don’t know how you do that, but he learned somehow,” Having to endure the endless squatting does have its advantages. “When we’re at home I get to learn the umpire’s strike zone in the first inning,” Cannon said. “It gives me a chance to see how far the umpire is going to give off,

which gives me better plate discipline when I’m up at bat.” In 17 games at Cougar Field this season, Cannon is hitting at a .392 clip, compared with .250 on the road. On the diamond, Cannon enjoys nothing more than throwing out potential basestealers. “It’s the biggest joy,” Cannon said. “Going out there and just showing off your arm and just seeing how many people you can throw out.” Off the field, Cannon reverts to the role of teacher. He has taken freshman catcher Kyle Bacak under his wing . “I’ve helped him learn along the way,” Cannon said. “He hasn’t had a lot of playing time this year, but he has been working hard to get better and to help the team later on, like next year.”

CONCRETE FLOORS

GAME ROOM AND THEATER

FULL SIZE WASHER/ DRYERS

SPIN/AEROBIC STUDIO

GARAGE PARKING

INTERNET CAFÉ WITH WIFI

PET FRIENDLY

Lofts at the Ballpark 610 ST Emanuel Street Houston, TX 77003

888-371-3797 LoftsAtTheBallPark.com

sports@thedailycougar.com

and went after it Houston 4, Texas A&M 3 Junior comes and it felt good.” through in the The win is SCORE BY INNING RHE A&M 200 001 0 – 391 clutch the Cougars 0 0 400 0X – 441 First baseman Houston sixth against a Melissa Gregson WP: Bourgeois, 12-6. LP: Sisk, 14-5. ranked opponent Announced Attednance: 1,672 stepped up to in either the the plate and coaches poll or delivered a home run right down USA Softball and puts their mark center field driving in three runs against ranked teams at 6-2. and giving the Cougars their first UH will head to San Marcos lead 4-2. this weekend for a doubleheader “The first-at bat, I swung on the against the Bobcats. The first first pitch and it felt good,” Greggame is slated for a 5 p.m. start at son said. “Next at-bat I knew that Bobcat Field. she was thinking outside more, sports@thedailycougar.com so I just saw and it was plate level

in two years doesn’t mean that I forgot how to pitch. “My expectations for myself are very high and I think that they are realistic. I expect to do well and pick up where I left off.” Whitting is being cautious with Ray and said that he doesn’t want to rush him. “Time will tell what Jared brings to us,” Whitting said. “He hasn’t pitched in two years, but hopefully he’ll come out and be that guy that he was. “His simulated games have gone very well and so have his bullpen sessions, but I want to see how he does in competition. But, it would not surprise me if he goes out there and dominates.” Ray and the Cougars will face an ECU team that comes to Cougar

DOWNTOWN VIEWS

Field having won three of its last four contests. The Pirates have a 6-6 record in conference play, but have recorded the second-most total wins in the conference with 25. Catcher Zach Wright leads the Pirates’ offensive attack. Wright provides the power in the lineup and leads the team in home runs (9), RBI (27), runs scored (30) and slugging percentage (.585). The Cougars won last seasons series against ECU two games to one, but ECU holds the all-time series lead against UH 18-15. The series will get started at 6:30 p.m. today at Cougar Field. It will resume at 6:30 p.m. Friday and wrap up at 1 p.m. Saturday. sports@thedailycougar.com

What was your excuse again? You now have one more reason to place your yearbook order today: an iPad could be yours. More importantly, you’ll be investing in a keepsake you’ll cherish for a lifetime: your college memories encapsulated in the Houstonian Yearbook.

Order must be placed by April 29, 2011 to be eligible for the drawing. Get the order form and read about our iPad giveaway @

yearbook.com

■

Thursday, April 21, 2011

The Daily Cougar

life+arts

EDITOR Mary Baak E-MAIL arts@thedailycougar.com ONLINE www.thedailycougar.com/arts

showtime

PHOTO BY DAVID JAMES / TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX

NEW RELEASES

Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Big Happy Family Rated: PG-13 for drug content, language and some mature thematic material Genres: Comedy Director: Tyler Perry Cast: Tyler Perry, Bow Wow, Loretta Devine, Cassi Davis, Lauren London

Water for Elephants Rated: PG-13 Genres: Drama Director: Francis Lawrencel Cast: Robert Pattinson, Reese Witherspoon, James Frain, Christoph Waltz, Hal Holbrook

African Cats Rated: G Genres: Action, Comedy Director: Keith Scholey, Alastair Fothergill Cast: Samuel L. Jackson

The ensemble cast of Scott Kaiser’s “Now This” features 19 actors and actresses that play a total of 62 characters. The play can be seen at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Performing Arts through Sunday. | Photo by Pin Lim, courtesy of UH School of Theatre and Dance

THEATRE

Cast bonds, spreads message Ellen Goodacre

THE DAILY COUGAR

IN THE BOX OFFICE

Scream 4 Rated: R for strong bloody violence, language and some teen drinking Genres: Horror, Suspense/Thriller Director: Wes Craven Cast: Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, Emma Roberts, Hayden Panettiere, David Arquette

Rio Rated: G for mild off-color humor. Genres: Animation, Action, Comedy Director: Carlos Saldanha Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, Jaime Foxx, Leslie Mann, Rodrigo Santoro

After months of rehearsal, the cast of “Now This” will be performing the play’s world premiere this week until April 24. And after working to develop the play, the cast is eager to see how their audiences respond. “I hope the audience listens to the needs of these characters and gets the messages that they try to share or that they learn from these characters mistakes,” said junior Andrew Garrett, who plays William Zagnut. “This production could be watched for the spectacle of the theater, but I think that would do the play a great injustice. It has meaning behind it.” Because the play has never been performed for public audiences, the cast

has had a hand in its development. “I felt a great sense of freedom while rehearsing, because this is the first time that any of these characters will be performed,” said senior Kimberly Hicks, whose character is Amana McNugget. “I didn’t feel restricted by what previous actors did, or how previous performances were done, I felt that I could be a lot more daring.” During rehearsals and the production of the play, cast members were given the opportunity to get to know each other, and they worked closely. Some attribute the success of the production to the bonds that have been formed. “The most fulfilling part of being a part of this cast was the ensemble we formed at a very early stage,” said freshman Katie Maddox, who plays Amy Clearblue. “The dedication level brought

to this project far exceeded that of any other show I have been a part of. I could not have asked for a more wonderful cast and crew.” The cast of the play varied in age and classification across the board. The cast consisted of freshman through seniors, graduate students, and a hired actor to play the role of the narrator or ‘First Voice’. Joel Sandel, who plays ‘First Voice’, said that this is just one more thing that made this cast and the production special. “One of the most exciting things about working with this company of actors is watching these amazingly gifted young artists, at the outset of their careers,” Sandel said. “Too often acting jobs become just that, ‘jobs’. To be among CAST continues on page 9

RESTAURANT REVIEW

The Conspirator Rated: PG-13 for some violent content

Only the dessert menu will leave you Raven

Genres: Animation, Action, Comedy Director: Robert Redford Cast: Alexis Bledel, Justin Long, James McAvoy, Evan Rachel Wood, Robin Wright

Soul Surfer Rated: PG Genres: Family Drama Director: Sean McNamara Cast: Dennis Quaid, AnnaSophia Robb, Helen Hunt, Jeremy Sumpter, Craig T. Nelson, Carrie Underwood

Jorge Porras

THE DAILY COUGAR Located on the north end of the village, the Raven Grill sits tucked away in the corner of a strip of boutique shops serving up dishes with Tex-Mex influences. The interior resembles a modern day bistro, with a modest selection of wine and a quaint patio. Unfortunately, this is one of the few good things about the restaurant. After being seated, our waitress came to the table with bread and butter, which wasn’t warm or toasted in the least bit. From the menu, the Ceviche and Tuna

Carpaccio caught my eye, and were brought to us fairly quickly. At first glance with the Carpaccio, I saw it was sliced thick, when a traditional Carpaccio is meant to be paper-thin slices. But this was thick steak strips and with the bed of greens it appeared to be more of a salad, which would be perfectly fine if called that. Misnomers aside, it was a pretty tasty dish; it had a nice dressing with some acidity and a hint of wasabi, although I could have done without the bits of tuna tendon left on the fish. The Ceviche is advertised to have a Texas influence to it. Looking down at the plate, I saw a lovely Ceviche with fish cured in

lime juice with a crown of tortilla chips surrounding it, making the portion size of the ceviche looking that much smaller … where is Texas being presented in this dish? After the appetizers, the main course was brought to the table: a bowl of pot roast with two slices of toasted sourdough bread followed by a plate of red fish tacos with rice and black beans. The Pot Roast was rich and full of flavor. It was a bowl full of root vegetables and beef swimming in a thick ocean of port wine sauce, though it was very heavy especially for the dinner menu. I wished the portion RAVEN continues on page 9

LIFE&ARTS

The Daily Cougar

CAST continued from page 8

this young company, teeming with such energy and enthusiasm, has been a tremendous gift.” The cast has talked about all that the play has to offer and why they themselves were excited about the production. It is their hope that the same things will attract audiences. “Another attractive quality in the show was its sharpness,” Garrett said. “It had a message and it didn’t matter if I was offended by it because that’s the way life is. “The play was in your face, reflecting all the flaws of modern humanity, and refuses to let up, to excuse or pardon itself on behalf of one person’s views.”

playlist »

Don’t give up hope just yet

ith finals and the end of the semester just around the corner, it’s easy to feel like there is no light at the end of the tunnel. Even though finals might seem more like a Dementor’s Kiss, remember that if you can make it through the middle of May, you can survive anything. It’s important that you don’t give up hope just yet — ending the semester on a high note just takes a little bit of determination. Here are ten songs to help you get through the last few weeks of class. — Mary Baak

arts@thedailycougar.com

RAVEN

Don’t Stop Believing Journey

Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger Daft Punk

Something Good Can Work Two Door Cinema Club

Faith George Michael

Survivor Destiny’s Child

Something to Believe In Bon Jovi

Cold Desert Kings of Leon

Hope for the Hopeless A Fine Frenzy

Ambling Alp Yeasayer

Hero Regina Spektor

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Missed a print edition? Browse recent publications in our virtual newsstand. THE DAILY COUGAR.COM /print-edition

:$17 $ -2% ,1 632576 35" Join the UH Athletic Communications Staff

continued from page 8

arts@thedailycougar.com

You will gain valuable experience Press Release writing // Media pitches Organizing press conferences // Maintaining UHCougars.com // PR contacts for Houston’s 16 sport teams All-Access for all UH sporting events

Contact Jamie Zarda at 713-743-9406 or by email at jczarda@central.uh.edu

Join the crowd. www.thedailycougar.com/register

size was smaller. I know that this is Texas, but this was a big bowl of pot roast. As for the fish tacos, I have never seen an entire dish be an absolute let down, from the seasoning to the side dishes to the price. The tacos had a chipotle mayonnaise that completely overpowered the taco, leaving the other ingredients to be experienced through texture. When dealing with chipotle, you should always use it sparingly when you are trying to blend it with other flavors, otherwise you are left with a single note dish. As for the price, it was $17 for two fish tacos — need I say more? I don’t care if God opened a taco stand selling the greatest tacos ever created, they still wouldn’t cost $17. For the dessert, I selected in similar fashion to a trailer park preparing for tornado season; hoping for the best and expecting the worst. I had no idea what I was in for. The blueberry with coconut tart and the cherry crisp arrived at the table, both served with a side of vanilla bean ice cream. These two dishes, for lack of a better word, were perfect. It is astounding how poor the previous dishes were, nearly bringing my morale down to nothing. However, thanks to the dessert, it had changed my recommendation from, “stay away” to “you must have the dessert”. The blueberry is encrusted with a soft warm blanket of crust and soaks up the ice cream, creating a perfect bite every time Tart cherries topped with toasted nuts are balanced by the sweet creamy flavor of the vanilla bean ice cream, my favorite part of the entire meal. While Raven Grill has many faults, they are not impossible to fix. If the chef was only to taste the food and check the seasoning, half of the problems would be sorted out. The menu looks to be full of interesting dishes and gives a feel of a rustic Texas-style bistro. The dishes simply need more refinement and prices need to be reset to a much more affordable range. Although the dessert was phenomenal, it did not save the entire dinner and certainly was not worth the $70 check.

■

Hot topics. Cool discussions. Join the conversation today on any article online and foster a healthy debate about the issues and events of our times. Now featuring quick log-on with your Facebook or Twitter account profile. Check it out today!

THE DAILY COUGAR.COM

■

NEWS

Thursday, April 21, 2011

The Daily Cougar

STUDENT INTEREST

Service offers students help in form of mentors Company started by students has enlisted over 1,000 professionals to proffer advice, help Jorge Porras

THE DAILY COUGAR For most people, having a mentor can make all the difference when it comes to choosing the right career path, but it is never easy to find someone who has the time or willingness to be a mentor — until now. Studentmentor.org is a nonprofit organization that brings professionals from all walks of life, like accountants, lawyers, engineers, doctors, writers and even fighter pilots, who are all ready and willing to help out students who are in need of guidance and a mentor. Co-founders Stephanie Bravo and Ashkon Jafari built the organization with hopes to help out students who are in positions similar to where they found themselves in not too long ago. “I was really lost and had nowhere to turn to, luckily my boss was my mentor and really helped guide me,” Jafari said. “We still keep in touch to this day.” Jafari explains that the website

is set up for students to choose exactly what kind of relationship they would like to have with their mentor. “Whether you would like a long-standing mentor who can follow you through your college and professional carrier, or if you are looking for a quick opinion,” it is all up to the student. Finding your mentor through the organization is very easy, Jafari said. “Go to the website to log on, it only takes a minute to connect … and you will be matched with multiple mentors with their basic info and career history.” Once a student is logged in and has their mentor selected, they are given the option of communicating through e-mail, by phone or face-to-face if the geography permits. Though the mentors involved in the organization are dedicated to a single student, the students are actually encouraged to seek out at least two mentors. Though it may be a young company, in just the six months since opening, the organization has helped students from more than 200 campuses nationwide, and has more than 1,000 mentors for students to count on. news@thedailycougar.com

Sandy Abrmayr, of the nonprofit organization Public Citizen, spoke to attendees of the SPEAK OUT event about the trouble with private corporations having the same rights as public citizens . | Jasmine Umenyi/The Daily Cougar

SPEAK continued from page 1

Sandy Abrmayr of Public Citizen, a nonprofit organization used to represent consumer interests in Congress, passed around a petition to create a constitutional amendment to prevent corporations from having the same rights as regular citizens. “C o n g r e s s m e n ow e t h e i r

classifieds HELP WANTED

HELP WANTED

Surrogate Mothers Needed.

(713) 771-9771

LOW COST INSURANCE Liability from 38, auto*, home, business. Buy and Pay by phone Call today for Great student discount: 281-498-3133, 713-484-7707

THE DA

MONTESSORI SCHOOL in Museum district. Looking for Subs/Assts. Flex hrs. Excellent for child dev, Education or Psy majors! Call 713-520-0738 *STUDENTPAYOUTS.COM* PAID survey takers needed in Houston. 100 percent FREE to join! Click on Surveys.

TO: GAR THE D A

ILY COU

HELP WANTED

COUNTRY CLUB

www.cooperinstitutearm.com email : ivf@cooperinstitutearm.com

EYE CARE PRIVATE PRACTICE FOR SALE 25K. 713-816-1443

713-743-5356 classifieds@thedailycougar.com thedailycougar.com/classifieds

RIVER OAKS

Earn $25,000+, Ages 21-39.

FOR SALE

news@thedailycougar.com

òô

Egg Donors Needed. Ages 21-32. Earn $5,000+, High demand for Asians.

GUNS!!! Do you have your Concealed Handgun License. Sign up for a class today.AMK123@LIVE.COM for more info

“For many years, people have been very passive, and decisions are made for them, having very disastrous consequences,” said Fred Schiff, associate professor in the school of communications and organizer of the event. “Ordinary people have to get active if they want any say in which way the country, state and university goes.”

jobs, housing, services & more

Undergraduate Research Assistantships available for qualiﬁed students. Duties include producing and testing superconducters for a prototype superconducting motor. Instructions will be given. Prefer students interested in scientiﬁc research. All majors acceptable. Part-time at UH main campus. $9.50/ hour. FAX resume to 713-747-4526

is accepting applications for the following job openings: Certiﬁed Lifeguards, Experienced Dining Room Servers, Experienced Baker, Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivables. To apply email hr@riveroakscc.net fax 713-529-2579

òô

BULLETIN BOARD

positions to corporate money,” Abrmayr said. “Just in this last election, (corporations) spent $300 million in ads.” Other speakers at the event included Don Cook, a member of the Green party, who discussed the deregulation of banks; Angela Pompey, a communications senior, who discussed the struggles of minorities; and George Reiter, a UH physics professor, who discussed the economy.

CHECK OUT Cougar Classifieds online: thedailycougar.com/classifieds

RENTALS RENTALS Beautiful Downtown Home available for lease 5 min. from UH campus, easy access to Hwys. 59 and 45 4 bdrs, 3 1/2 baths, 2396 sq ft. microwave, W/D and refrigerator included. Looking for 4 friends/ students to lease home.

Call (281) 797-6162

LUXURY APARTMENTS with 1 & 2 bedrooms . Near UH. Call agent Cherie 832590-0185 . www.mycherielocator.com Garage Apartment Spacious 1 bedroom apartment one block from U of H. Appliances and electricity included in rent. Email jpowers@designbuildhouston.com THANKS for reading The Daily Cougar!

OUG C : ILY C Y L O OUGT E DAI TAHR

TO: TO:COUGAR THE DAILY AR THE DAILY COUG O: TO: T AR UGAR THE DAILY COUG : TO THRE DAILY CO THE DAILY COUGA TO: UGAR ILY COAR HE DACOUG TDAILY TO: TUOG:AR THE DAILY COT DA: ILY COUGAR AR HETO TO: THE DAILY COUG R A G U THE DAILY CO

We love letters. Send us one. Click on “Write a letter” at thedailycougar.com or simply e-mail editor@thedailycougar.com

THE DAILY COUGAR

The Daily Cougar

COMICS & MORE

Thursday, April 21, 2011

comics

crossword

Robbie + Bobby by Jason Poland

ACROSS 1 Terra â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 6 Hoops nickname 10 Roman foe 14 Districts 15 The â&#x20AC;&#x153;elephant boyâ&#x20AC;? 16 Low-fat spread 17 Aquariums 18 El â&#x20AC;&#x201D; (ocean current) 19 Pick up and go 20 Win over 22 Overhauled 24 Small-business magazine 26 More suggestive 27 Drive back 31 Banned pesticide 32 Bradley and Sharif 33 Sound thinking 36 Muscle used in push-ups 39 Wrinkle 40 Arm bones 41 Cats do it 42 Sooner than anon 43 Remote 44 Took an oath 45 Carbondale sch. 46 Mink substitute (2 wds.) 48 Hills 51 Lab course 52 Large number 54 Become known 59 NFL kicker Matt 60 Comet feature 62 Groom carefully 63 Power-tool brand 64 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Stanley Gardner 65 Touch up 66 Crying shame 67 Edit out 68 Broad valleys

Chili Fingers by Nam Nguyen

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 Kismet 2 OPEC country 3 Rip apart 4 Compel 5 Falls upon 6 Tax-form ID 7 Tresses

21 24

22 25

51 53

ÂŠ

Yokum lad Movie hit of 1951 (2 wds.) 10 Promise 11 Marry in haste 12 Pry bar 13 Angled a nail 21 Hosp. workers 23 â&#x20AC;&#x153;Moneytalksâ&#x20AC;? group 25 Yo-Yo Ma plays it 27 Audition goal 28 Bahrain VIP 29 Window part 30 Suffix for depart 34 Lennonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wife 35 Fish landers 36 Campus figure 37 Pale brown 38 Chastity Bonoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mom 40 Howled 41 Blow away 43 Has a cough

31 33

8 9

â&#x2013;

44 45 47 48 49

Was stingy Ill-humoredly Expert Tough fabric Pitcherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dream game (hyph.) 50 Nab 52 Recipe amt. 53 Kind of pickle 55 â&#x20AC;&#x153;Cope Bookâ&#x20AC;? aunt 56 Lurch 57 DNA component 58 Tacklesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; neighbors 61 â&#x20AC;&#x153;Crooklynâ&#x20AC;? director

2010 UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE INC.

Previous puzzle solved S E A L

U S M A

B A U D

J U R Y R WA P I ON E G OWE L A T E F R E S S J EWE A V A N M I N C A L T E

Y E H B U E D T I A S H U HM A O L R T E R

E L E G Y L U N A Y E L P

A S B A A L T E D I I L T E I X N G L L R A AM E A

A S K R I U N S G T Y E R B R OO A R T E R

R A M P A R T

O V A L

M E R E

A R T S

A K R HO ON M I A E N S T T I

C O U N T

E S T E E

T S OW O A L T

THIS AINâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T YOUR GRANNYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S BINGO HALL!

$0.25 PITCHER OF BEER!! Thursdays at

Paradise

BRING THE AD, AND GET IN THE GAME!

Thursday Nights. Beer, BYOB, and Bingo Bash at... Bingo Paradise 1520 College Ave South Houston, TX 77587 Facebook.com/houstonbingo Drink responsibly, and always designate a driver. Bring in this ad! %LQJR SURFHHGV EHQHĂ&#x20AC; W &LW\ZLGH &OXE RI &OXEV /LFHQVH $PHULFDQ /HJLRQ 8QLW $X[LOLDU\ /LFHQVH

A QUARTER BUYS A PITHCER OF BEER! BINGOPARADISEHOUSTON.COM

These articles arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t going to comment on themselves, now are they? www.thedailycougar.com

■

SPORTS

Thursday, April 21, 2011

FIGHTIN’ WORDS

The Daily Cougar

Talking smack and sports

With college sports taking a backseat this time of year, what is most worthy of your time? Keith Cordero Jr.: Orange is still the focus

Christopher “Avatar” Losee: Out of this world

Now that the NCAA Tournament is over and UConn is king, the world has shifted focus to the NBA Playoffs.

Keith, everybody knows that the playoffs are the only thing on television, but that just shows that you aren’t a sports genius like myself.

With all due respect to “America’s Pastime” in Major League Baseball, sports fans are locked in to arguably the deepest NBA playoffs of recent time. Derrick Rose, the soon-to-be MVP, is an absolute freak of an athlete and a highlight reel waiting to happen. With his ability on the court and his knack for late-game heroics throughout the season and in the first two games against the Indiana Pacers, Rose is an attraction all to himself. You have plenty of other storylines this year including a potential 3-peat for Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers. Can the Bosh, LeBron and Wade in Miami pull through and win a title? Are the dynamoc duo of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook from the Oklahoma City Thunder as good as advertised? As long as the playoffs last, with every series being a seven-game marathon, you have to watch every night as teams battle it out hoping to make it to June and the Finals. Once the Finals are over and a Champion is crowned (come on Knicks) the focus shifts to the MLB summer stretch and NFL training camps if they manage to get out of this terrible lockout situation.

TALK BACK

If you hadn’t been under the spell of the playoffs for the last week, you would know that there are other sports that matter. Take women’s roller derby for example. It’s fast and very competitive, and it’s way better than watching the New York Knicks match up against the Boston Celtics. I also can’t forget the best television that ESPN can offer, which of course, is ESPN Classic — football or basketball. The NBA playoffs may satisfy your attention span, which is the equivalent to a rat or bear. So Keith, when your watching your NBA playoff matches, I will be catching up on unforgettable moments in the wide world of sports, specifically roller derby and shuffleboard. College basketball already had its crowning moment. We all know what really matters in sports right now, and that isn’t the NBA playoffs. Signing off forever, - Avatar Losee

Joshua Siegel: Baseball makes up for hoops heartbreaks Just like last Fighting Words, Keith takes the obvious answer and Chris says ridiculous things, proving he actually knows nothing about anything. I’m going to pretend that Chris’s answer didn’t happen and only address Keith “Coco” Cordero. The NBA Playoffs are hands down the most exciting thing on television. They are great and I love them. However, because my New York Knicks want to rip my heart out every time they step on the court, I must get my sports satisfaction from other areas. For me, at this very moment, maybe I might enjoy watching the Yankees continue to win and the Red Sox lose a little more than watching Toney Douglas make bonehead plays and Jared Jeffries do Jared Jefferies things. As a Knicks and Jets fan, my sports fan heart has been wounded many times. The 0-2 deficit to the Celtics seems to be prolonging the inevitable — a first-round exit. Watching the Yankees eke out wins with retreads Eric Chavez and Bartolo Colon and seeing the Boston Red Sox lose with all of their shiny new players is like the panacea to the wound that is reopened anytime Bill Walker touches the ball.

Judge Brannen: No idea what I just read Given the quality of all three of these answers, it isn’t hard to tell that it is that part of the semester where everything is a full-fledged juggling act. For Chris and Keith specifically, it must be a case of senioritis. The easy and correct answer is the NBA playoffs. Like Cordero pointed out, the level of talent in the league this season has led for some dramatics in the early part of the first round. With all due respect to college players, it is a breath of fresh air to watch basketball where there are minimal missed free throws and the games are guaranteed to have a higher score. Josh, I applaude you for going with the baseball answer, but you also just kind of used your space to rant about all of your favorite East Coast teams. Verdict Chris, and Keith it’s been a pleasure working with the both of you for your time here. Thanks for all the hard work. I’ll give the Facetime and the win to Keith for being a member of The Daily Cougar staff way before any of us. You started in 2007, and that’s like 10 years in Daily Cougar years. Facetime NFL Draft coming up, where will Cam Newton go?

What do you think? Post comments at thedailycougar.com/sports

LUCKILY THE GM COLLEGE DISCOUNT DOESN’T. In fact, it’s the best college discount from any car company,1 and can save you hundreds — even thousands — on an eligible, new Chevrolet,2 Buick or GMC. If you’re in college, a grad program or even a recent grad...take advantage today and save on a new ride that will let you make your own splash on the road!

2011 GMC Sierra 1500

2011 Chevrolet Malibu

(discount example)

Malibu LS MSRP starting at

$ 22,735.00 3

MSRP of Malibu 1LT as shown Preferred Pricing3 Consumer Cash4

Find us on Facebook: facebook.com/gmcollegeprogram

Price You Pay Your Discount

$ 23,585.00 $ 22,853.97 – $ 3,500.00 $ 19,353.97 $ 4,231.03

Sierra 1500 Reg. Cab WT 2WD MSRP starting at MSRP of Sierra 1500 Crew Cab XFE with optional equipment as shown3 Preferred Pricing3 Consumer Cash4 Down Payment Assistance5 Price you pay when you finance through Ally or GM Financial Your Discount

$ 21,845.00 $ 35,585.00 $ 33,624.92 – $ 2,500.00 – $ 2,005.00 $ 29,119.92 $ 6,465.08

Get your discount today at gmcollegediscount.com/save.

1) Eligible participants for the GM College Discount include college students (from any two- or four-year school), recent graduates who have graduated no more than two years ago, and current nursing school and graduate students. 2) Excludes Chevrolet Volt. 3) Tax, title, license, dealer fees and optional equipment extra. See dealer for details. 4) Not available with some other offers. Take retail delivery by 5/2/11. See dealer for details. 5) Not available with some other offers. Take retail delivery by 5/2/11. Must ﬁnance through Ally or GM Financial. The marks of General Motors, its divisions, slogans, emblems, vehicle model names, vehicle body designs and other marks appearing in this advertisement are the trademarks and/or service marks of General Motors, its subsidiaries, afﬁliates or licensors. ©2011 General Motors. Buckle up, America!