Issue 118, Volume 77

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June 27, 2012 Issue 118, Volume 77

CRIME

Police charge student for art vandalism Julie Heffler

THE DAILY COUGAR Shocking the Houston Police Department and art critics alike, UH student Uriel Landeros has been charged with two thirddegree felonies, criminal mischief and felony graffiti, after allegedly defacing Picasso piece “Woman in a Red Armchair” at the Menil Collection on Friday.

A video posted on YouTube last week shows Landeros walking up to the painting, spraying on an image and walking away. According to the man who shot the video, an anonymous source, Landeros claimed to be honoring Picasso’s work by spraying “conquista,” Spanish for “conquest,” and a picture of a bull onto the painting.

Crime Stoppers, the organization that identified Landeros, is calling upon Houston residents for their help in capturing the University student.

“Landeros is described as a white male, standing 5’8”, weighing 180 lbs. Anyone with information about the location of Uriel Landeros is asked to call Crime Stoppers,” Crime Stoppers wrote in an email.

Vance Muse, the communications director at the Menil Collection, recounts the steps taken by the museum once the crime was discovered. “(The graffiti) was spotted instantly. Luckily, we have a conservation lab, a world-renowned lab, right down the hall. The painting was removed and rushed down there where it now undergoing study, treatment and repair,” Muse said. “Our Chief Conservator, Brad Epley, has (not been) talking to the press because he has been so intent on restoring this piece.”

Muse said he is thankful that despite the incident, “Woman in a PICASSO continues on page 3

Remotes rife with disease Research team surveys hotels, find the dirtiest items Channler Hill

THE DAILY COUGAR Recent Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management graduate, Katie Kirsch, a recipient of the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship program for summer 2011, took her opportunity head on.

Sparking a collaborative effort between two additional schools, Purdue University and the University of South Carolina, Kirsch and a

researcher from each school sampled swabs from various surfaces in hotel rooms in South Carolina, Indiana and Texas.

According to the study, one hotel was sampled from each state, while three hotel rooms were sampled from within the particular hotel, ending with a sample size of nine.

The hotel rooms were all average-sized, containing two queen beds, and in each hotel room, samples were taken from 19 areas.

GERMS continues on page 2

Eugene Alford is the first patient to walk with the Rex Bionics Robotic Exoskeletons. Professor Jose Contreras-Vidal developed the technology that allows Alford to control the mechanism just by using his thoughts. | Images courtesy of Jose Contreras-Vidal

RESEARCH

Disabled use mind control Professor creates movement device that can be operated through thoughts Alexandra Doyle

THE DAILY COUGAR Jose Contreras-Vidal, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at UH, is working on a revolution in the realm of bionic robotics. He is working to give the disabled the gift of mobility, not through wheelchairs or joystick controlled apparatus, but through a set of robotic legs modified to function under the direction of the brain itself.

The Rex Bionics Robotic Exoskeleton is a contraption that fits around each leg and the torso, along with two armrest extensions and a joystick. The user is strapped and braced into the device, which is capable of walking up stairs and is stable enough that it cannot be unintentionally knocked over with a person inside of it.

Contreras-Vidal has been working to harness the electrical impulses of the brain and translate them into commands for the REX machine.

“Think about a symphony; it’s a collection of instruments and players that synergistically work to produce a musical piece,” Contreras-Vidal said.

“The brain consists of multiple areas, all somewhat specialized — just as the musical instruments

— and the concerted actions of the ensemble results in in a neural symphony leading to cognitivemotor actions and movements.”

According to Contreras-Vidal, the major way in which his work differs from other research is that it focuses on the lowest frequencies of the neural impulses of the brain to decipher those associated with motion.

Another major difference is the use of electroencephalography instead of intracranial electrodes or receivers that must be implanted surgically into the brain.

Contreras-Vidal said this was an unconventional approach.

“It was thought to be very hard, if not impossible, to ‘read the brain’ using EEG with enough accuracy to develop neural interfaces.

Our work has not been simple,” Contreras-Vidal said.

Contreras-Vidal’s accomplishments with REX come on the heels of his research on developing a brain-to-computer interface at the University of Maryland. He was awarded a Research and Development Award for the School of Public Health. This award-winning research included moving a cursor on a screen when subjects thought about moving it, giving great implications not only for the realm of medicine but also for that

of video games and virtual gaming communities.

Contreras-Vidal decided against trying to wrestle with intracranial electrodes because of the issues associated with the technology.

“There are still many unknown and known problems with invasive methods based on intracranial electrodes. Some of these problems are associated with the surgical risk, motion of the electrodes, biocompatibility, degradation of signal integrity,” Contreras-Vidal said.

“There is much interest and federal funding in understanding why intracranial electrodes fail, because this represents a road barrier for clinical use.”

According to Contreras-Vidal, his “NeuroRex” carries none of the risks associated with intracranial electrodes and still responds to thought.

On June 13, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Enterprise Forum of Texas hosted a series of lectures on “New Innovations in Medical Robotics” at the Methodist Hospital Research Auditorium where Contreras-Vidal unveiled his work with Eugene Alford.

Alford is a patient who is paralyzed from the waist down. He REX continues on page 3

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SGA

Tobacco talk continues Max Gardner

THE DAILY COUGAR The Student Government Association held a senate summer session meeting June 20 in the Elizabeth D. Rockwell Pavilion.

The Bylaws Reformation bill was unanimously passed, which called for a completely revised version of the old bylaws that govern the SGA. This was made to allow for more clarity and conciseness; the

GERMS continued from page 1

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Kirsch became highly interested in potentially starting this project after taking a food, safety and sanitation class at UH, taught by assistant professor Jay Neal.

Neal was also the professor to oversee Kirsch’s research for the SURF program. Initially, Kirsch became a part of an ongoing project in the Food Science Lab at UH and decided to expand into her own research.

The study was on methods to develop better practices for housekeepers in hotels by using a model used by the food industry known as Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points which identifies and eliminates the risk for biological, physical and chemical hazards that could potentially exist.

Kirsch and Neal believe this would be an ideal system to apply to hotel rooms and would recommend this principle to hotels for the future.

“The research wasn’t done with the consumer in mind. It was to validate the housekeeping methods that are being done by hotels,” Neal said.

“There are tens of thousands of hotel housekeepers that are doing a great job.”

By using a environmental

SGA continues on page 3

sampling kit, researchers were able to discover that high-touch areas like hotel remotes and light switches were among the areas where bacteria was more apparent in the 19 areas sampled. Researchers also found that the highest levels of contamination came from housekeepers’ cleaning carts, particularly from the mop, sponge, and towels, which may be used to clean multiple rooms. However, with such a small sample size, it must be noted that this is simply a preliminary study.

“It’s a very good preliminary study. I am very proud of the research because it was funded by the SURF program. This shows that an undergraduate research can get international recognition for her work,” Neal said. “(Kirsch) got calls from Paris, Mexico City, Chile and has an interview with a group out of Canada on Tuesday. With getting international recognition, we need to make sure we are being diligent in promoting what the original objectives were.”

Kirsch was able to present her findings Sunday at the American Society for Microbiologists ASM Conference, in San Francisco, Calif. and will be attending Texas A&M in the fall for her masters in food science and technology and said she is excited to have a stronger base of microbiology. news@thedailycougar.com

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The passage of the new bylaws allowed public relations senior Jeanette Rivera to be fully appointed as Director of Public Relations. This was only possible because of the summer Senate’s new ability under the new set of bylaws to bypass a clause that disallowed full appointments to be made during the summer session.

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REX continued from page 1

sought out the professor personally for hel, and — with the help of the NeuroRex machine — he was able to take several steps.

The professor’s research continues in the realm of brain-tomachine interface with not only the task of restoring the ability to walk but also with assisting those with upper arm problems to regain dexterity in those limbs.

Contreras-Vidal acknowledges the difficulties in translating to clinical work. Luckily, his knowledge, from engineering to neuroscience and computer engineering, has taught him the value of cooperation between the disciplines.

“Our clinical translational work requires further training in health system engineering, rehabilitation engineering, regulatory sciences and others to name a few,” Contreras-Vidal said.

“This is of course a challenge unless you have a team of collaborators from those disciplines.

It is why UH and the Texas Medical Center must work on a close partnership to innovate rehabilitation engineering and other emergent neurotechnologies.” news@thedailycougar.com

PICASSO continued from page 1

Red Armchair” will remain mostly undamaged and will be up shortly.

“We were shocked and saddened. Every museum enjoys and relies on a trust with their visitors,” Muse said. “The Menil is free of charge. It is a shame that that courtesy was taken advantage of.

However, the painting will be fine and back up soon.”

Most UH faculty were reluctant to comment on the situation, hoping to preserve Landeros’s privacy.

However, Director of the UH School of Art, Rex Koontz did state that he hopes the relationship cultivated between the Menil and the University will be preserved in spite of the incident.

“As well as providing our students with invaluable experience of important artworks, the Menil Collection has been especially generous in offering UH students internship and job opportunities,” Koontz said. “These real-art-world opportunities give our students a tangible advantage in the art world after they graduate. This is especially important because many of our students are the first in their family to enter the art world.”

While a quick Internet search reveals bloggers applauding Landeros’s bravery and rebelliousness, not all his peers feel the same. Economics senior and Vice President of the UH rugby team on which Landeros plays, William Chuoke, has conflicted feels upon hearing about this graffiti.

“Uriel ‘Rufio’ has always been a good friend, teammate and student here at UH. The whole situation saddens me and the team deeply,” Chuoke said.

For more information on the case, visit www.houstonpolice. org. To report any information on Landeros’s whereabouts, contact Crime Stoppers at (713) 222-8477. news@thedailycougar.com

Wednesday, June 27 2012

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RESEARCH

Team discovers possible lost city Two UH professors aid company in tentative finding of an ancient civilzation, use laser technology Channler Hill

THE DAILY COUGAR The ancient myth of the existence of the lost city of Ciudad Blanca, Honduras may soon be confirmed.

Two UH professors, Ramesh Shrestha and William Carter, are using their knowledge and skill regarding an Airborne LiDar to map a remote region of the country’s Mosquitia rain forest, a project lead by Steve Elkins and funded by a Hollywood film production company.

Both Ramesh Shrestha, director of the National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping, and William Carter were able to assist archaeologists — who have spent years on ground-work — in finding what may appear to be building ruins and agricultural terraces.

“I think that the head of the project, Steve Wilkins, was also the motivator and the pusher of the project,” Carter said.

“He said if it turns out to be what archaeologists were trying to find, they will be on the ground for decades studying the time.”

Researchers from NCALM, funded by the National Science Foundation, joined into a collaborative effort with the University of Houston and University of California-Berkeley, being among the first to become a part of the research.

This project was strictly under the Geosensing Systems Engineering Graduate Research Program at UH. By using the Airbone LiDar, UH professors were able to view beneath the highly dense canopy by blanketing areas of the canopy with billions of lasers.

Based upon what the technology was able to see — what appear to be man-made features — will now result in a ground exploration early next year.

The Airborne LiDar is able to give the

Along with Steve Elkins and Under the LiDar, LLC, professors Ramesh Shrestha and William Carter have mapped some of the terrain in Honduras. | Courtesy of the National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping, UH for UTL, LLC information to the scientists quickly, so they can advance and expedite the science, instead of waiting to map the region in another generation.

Digital Elevation Models were also used in the research and were generated from XYZ coordinates. They will allow researchers to see how high possible buildings were and what size they were by producing geodetic images below surface of the rainforest.

“After processing, we did see things that don’t look like nature could do. It looks like there were some man-made features on the canopy,” Shrestha said.

Despite their speculation, Shrestha and Carter’s sole purpose was to find out what the technology can provide to look beneath the surface of the canopy.

It is up to the archaeologists to further determine what the professors actually found.

“I believe the sight (we mapped) was much larger than (the archaeologists) knew. The terraces were subtle. Some of them were different by more than a foot. On the ground you can’t tell if you’ve come to the edge of the terrace; it’s very difficult to do that. The city may have had two-to-three times the people they estimated,” Carter said.

“We know it’s not just one or two small buildings; they built roads. (What we’ve done), it doesn’t replace the archeologists on the ground who take the age of the ruins and taking samples, looking for particulars. We are added value.” news@thedailycougar.com

CAMPUS

Technology school hosts STEM camp Julie Heffler

THE DAILY COUGAR A week long camp organized by Gov. Rick Perry and the Texas Workforce Commission is being hosted at UH until June 29. The Governor’s Science and Technology Champions Academy focuses largely on education surrounding science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Five teachers and 55 students, winners of the ExxonMobil Texas Science and Engineering Fair, will be on campus over the course of the week.

Raymond E. Cline, Jr., associate dean of the research and graduate studies at the College of Technology and principal investigator on of the program, hopes that the program will attain its goal of enrichment in STEM fields.

“Students and teachers attending the camp

SGA continued from page 2

Further discussion was held on the tobacco-free transition planned for next year, including the provision of nicotine patches for students. It was determined that a communication campaign will be required in the fall to help raise awareness of the new policy. Additionally, tentative locations for the one-year temporary tobacco-use areas were discussed.

“Where those temporary smoking areas will be, we don’t know yet,” SGA President Cedric Bandoh said.

“We are considering that there may

will have hands on experiences with a number of technological and scientific challenges,” Cline said.

“It is our goal to provide students with experiences that extend and challenge the lessons they have learned in classrooms and through their own science fair experience. We hope to provide teachers with a rich set of experiences that they can translate back into their own classrooms to further motivate and inspire their own students.”

According to Cline, the camp’s declared theme is “Science and Technology Used in Exploring Extreme Environments.” Much of the focus of the camp will be honed in on the aerospace, defense and energy industry technology. Robotics will also play a crucial role in the education of the students as both students and teachers will go to NASA’s “Mars Yard” — a neutral buoyancy lab — and build their own

have to be a significant amount near residential areas.”

Regardless of where they choose to place those areas, the Tobacco Task Force in charge of drafting the new policy and overseeing its enforcement made a slight alteration. Rather than immediately removing the temporary smoking areas after the first year, they will review them at the end of the 20122013 year to consider making them permanent, Bandoh said.

There was also talk about the SGA’s online presence and the are work being done to make themselves more accessible to students. news@thedailycougar.com

underwater vehicle.

Cline believes this camp to be the best recruiting method of young kids for STEM careers.

“The GSTCA is among dozens of sciencebased summer camps funded with TWC WIA Statewide Activity Funds that support Gov. Perry’s initiative to prepare Texas’ future workforce with advanced skills required for high-demand careers,” Cline said. “Using summer camps as a tool for recruiting and retaining students in the STEM disciplines has been cited as a best practice for increasing graduates in the computer and engineering fields.”

“We believe that we have designed a program which will inform them and give them opportunities to expand their knowledge and skills in science and technology,” Cline said. news@thedailycougar.com

Ozone threatens all Joshua Mann

THE DAILY COUGAR It’s no secret that Houston’s air is filthy, but Tuesday featured the highest concentration of ground-level ozone in several years, peaking shortly after 3 p.m.

The effects of high concentration in ozone can be dangerous; the pollutants can trigger asthma attacks, and mortality rates rise slightly in the days following the peak, said Barry Lefer, a

professor in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences who studies pollution and climate change. Even healthy individuals can experience negative health effects.

“It’s kind of like a sunburn on your lungs,” Lefer said. “It’s oxidizing them and burning them, so you’ll have shortness of breath and dizziness.”

Lefer and his UH colleagues collect data from five monitoring towers around Houston, one of OZONE continues on page 8

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The Daily Cougar

OPINION THE DAILY COUGAR EDITORIAL BOARD EDITOR IN CHIEF MANAGING EDITOR NEWS EDITOR SPORTS EDITOR LIFE & ARTS EDITOR OPINION EDITOR

Joshua Mann David Haydon Julie Heffler Andrew Pate Allen Le Lucas Sepulveda

STAFF EDITORIAL

Politicians don’t fail to entertain constituency

F

riday’s Republican primary runoff debate for the US Senate between Ted Cruz and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst could have been renamed “The battle to be Tea Party Champion”.

Cruz and Dewhurst parroted each other down to the black suits and blue ties. They spouted nearexact beliefs about policies. U.S. military? Keep spending but fight less. Immigration? Mexicans are alien intruders from another planet. Social security and retirement? Work until you’re dead. Unemployment? Obama is waging a war on jobs.

It’s as though they hired the same speech coach.

Most of their sentences fit into sound bites that mean nothing. Both repeated the term “Obamacare” and “career politicians” so many times it was as if whoever said it the most would win an ice cream sundae.

The only rational explanation for this farce of a debate is that Cruz and Dewhurst think the only people listening (and voting) consist of hard-nosed right-wing Tea Party movement fundamentalists, and they’re depressingly accurate. Dewhurst won more votes during the initial primary, but Cruz is the Tea Party favorite. Hence the doppleganger comedy.

The fact that one of these two is going to replace Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson is the punchline.

Incidentally, Democratic candidates Paul Sadler and Grady Yarbrough are also in a runoff for the Senate seat, but Texas hasn’t elected a Democratic senator in over 20 years, and November 2012 is shaping up to be a repeat of 2010.

The Democratic candidates spoke at a public television station in Dallas Tuesday, protesting that Dewhurst and Cruz have spent millions on their campaigns. Sadler reportedly spent $90,000 thus far and Yarbrough $80,000. Federal Election Commission records report that Dewhurst spent upwards to $17 million in May, and Cruz spent approximately $4.5 million.

Cruz and Dewhurst are set to debate again before the July 31 runoff election, but unless the Tea Party movement decides they care about public education and affordable healthcare, the content will probably be a rerun.

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 to (713) 743-5384. Letters are subject to editing.

ADVERTISEMENTS Advertisements 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.

EDITOR Lucas Sepulveda E-MAIL opinion@thedailycougar.com ONLINE thedailycougar.com/opinion

Surface is a dangerous move for Microsoft

D

uring a recent press conference, Microsoft announced the release of their first tablet product, the Surface. The move comes more than two years after Apple’s release of the iPad. No official release date has been Nick set, but the tablet hints Bell that Microsoft doesn’t have much choice but to diversify themselves outside of their normal PC products.

Apple’s early success with the iPad yet again proved that Microsoft was going to have to reassess their product line, due to the trend-setting innovative power Apple has garnered in the consumer market.

The news came as a surprise to many people, thanks to Microsoft’s ambiguous announcement of a press conference concerning a “major announcement.” Microsoft has been a lumbering giant in technology for years now, as shown by its stock growth in the past five years compared to Apple.

The announcement of the Surface is a painful reminder that Microsoft is moving increasingly towards a post-PC environment.

More than three-fourths of Apple’s revenue for 2011 was post-PC devices; the products have bolstered Apple’s leverage over Microsoft. The iPad has over 200,000 apps and Apple has already branded itself as the bellwether of post-PC products; this makes it even tougher for Microsoft to make the Surface a hit product, especially because it’s reported that it could run up to $1,000.

Technological specs aside, the tablets were presented as a showcase for the new Windows 8 operating system. While Windows 8 has been highly anticipated, Microsoft is sending the message that

Photo courtesy of Microsoft PR someone should buy the tablet because of this feature as opposed to the actual product itself. From a marketing standpoint, the Surface is a new Microsoft product made with a newer Microsoft operating system. From a market standpoint, the Surface was only created to catch up with Microsoft’s late shift towards the mobile trend and uses a new operating system that was only created to cover the previous OS’s mistakes.

Not a good look.

The tablet is making up for the lack of capitalization on a new concept. However, while it may not be a product that will scoop up a large percentage of market shares, it will whittle at Apple’s. One major advantage that Microsoft has over Apple’s iPad is Microsoft Office, which will reel in business and scholastic users.

Microsoft has been hit-or-miss with much of their product line when trying to expand their reach into various

markets. Xbox, Microsoft’s gaming console, has been an international success while the Zune was a hideous attempt at rivaling the iPod. PC sales are the only aspect in computer technology that Microsoft continues to dominate.

The Surface, entirely a Microsoft product, is a low blow to Microsoft’s vendors who have been loyal to their operating systems and products even since the explosion of Apple technology, notably HP and Dell. If the Surface is Microsoft’s plan to make a shift towards diversifying their mobile products line, they are on the verge of burning bridges in the PC world and entering a volatile market where they have no real previous success at the same time.

Nick Bell is a media production senior and may be reached at opinion@thedailycougar. com.

Rio+20 fails to deliver effective plan

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ast weekend, several thousand of Earth’s foremost diplomats, statesmen and environmental raconteurs watched the clock in a room in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The meeting they’d arrived for had been scheduled, rescheduled Bryan Washington and unscheduled before they’d reached Brazil. It wasn’t until three days before the event that they could agree on a syllabus. Several hours later, they changed it. The next day, they changed it again.

It’s just about all they accomplished.

This is because Rio+20, as the follow up to the UN’s last trophy banquet, wasn’t a third-world picnic. It was actually an international staring contest. Most of the important nations, which is to say the entities with the dirtiest fingers, and the means to wipe them clean, were present. Their respective team chants, including “healthy environment for all,” “no hunger for all” and “clean air for all,” were counterbalanced by “reaffirm,” “recognize,” acknowledge” and “urge”.

“Failure” was also in vogue.

In spite of the summit’s namesake, there just weren’t many additions being

made. The problems being addressed, like global fossil fuel dependency, and the monopolization of living necessities in ailing nations, simply weren’t the sort of thing that could be eliminated in a single weekend, even if it was summer. The notion that “change needs to be made” arose more than once. Sha Zukang, the conference’s secretary general, reminded guests that his job wasn’t to co-sign any of the conclusions being made but to ensure that his guests remained equally unhappy. “Equally unhappy means equally happy,” he chided.

Costa Rica’s president was quick to reply.

“Those who have failed you, Mr. Sha, are the governments. Those are the ones who have failed you, sir.”

But honestly, the mere concept of the United Nations is an exaggeration itself.

Pure hyperbole. Any other establishment claiming to speak for citizens of the Earth — all seven billion of them — would be met with immediate dismissal at best. More stifling is the guise that they could pull it off in three days. Why, then, do we attribute heavenly status to

a group of men and women who can’t decide on the appropriate location for “making change,” let alone the changes that need to be made themselves?

Where is the university that’s forging those licenses? Who’s funding them?

And why, since their inception, have they been handed to the most indecisive people?

Even still, there were bright spots.

Men and woman unaffiliated with the political spectrum had their say. The summit went out of its way to highlight that these were “individuals” speaking, and it was fitting. They spoke about living in present day Beijing, Laos, San Francisco and Brussels. They talked about driving to work. They talked about pollution in their yards. And, on the whole, it wasn’t what they were talking about that was remarkable. It’s the fact that they were talking. Speaking concrete languages. Standing by their words.

One wonders, in the end, why they aren’t speaking louder.

Bryan Washington is a sociology sophomore and may be reached at opinion@ thedailycougar.com.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

The Daily Cougar

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EDITOR Allen Le E-MAIL arts@thedailycougar.com ONLINE thedailycougar.com/arts

EVENTS

CINEMA

City illuminates with Pride

History, horror combine in new vampire film

Houston’s LGBT community concluded its weeklong celebrations and festivities, which lead up to this year’s 34th annual LGBT Pride Festival and Parade sponsored by Pride Houston this weekend. The streets in Montrose blared with loud hip-hop music. | Nine Nguyen/The Daily Cougar Annette Santos

THE DAILY COUGAR The annual Houston LGBT Pride Festival and Parade sponsored by Pride Houston caused an influx of people who covered the streets in the Montrose neighborhood Saturday.

According to a Facebook profile created by Pride Houston, 320,000 people attended this year’s celebration.

Bleachers, tents and roadblocks were set up the night before.

As the Saturday morning sun came out, so did people who dawned bright red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple apparel.

The pre-parade festival

was held from 1 to 7 p.m.

“Houston brings together people and this event brings together people,” said senior business major Dug Hoang who was in attendance.

“It’s about supporting the culture and the metropolitan aspect of Houston and how it’s different from the rest of Texas. It is its own culture and its own life. Pride is a big part of it. It’s a huge event and it’s been getting bigger every year. We don’t care whether you’re gay or straight or bisexual, we appreciate you regardless.”

Music blasted from every street corner as crowds of gay and straight alike gathered throughout the day.

Disc jockeys pumped the latest beats as people competed in friendly dance-offs.

Senior Colleen Osborn and a group of friends were stationed on the corner of Westheimer Road and Yupon Street. This was Osborn’s second year at Pride.

“I have some very close friends of mine who are gay,” Osborn said. “I’d love nothing more than to let them know that I care about them.”

When the parade finally began well past the scheduled time of 8:15 p.m., the air was hot and sticky and the crowd dense, but the cheers were electric.

As beads were thrown from the parade’s float, the crowd became a sea of hands reaching for freebies. Condoms and wet T-shirts were also thrown into the crowd.

Several local radio stations marched in the nighttime

parade, including 104.1 KRBE and Mix 96.5. Wells Fargo had a color guard line with rifles that were spun, tossed and caught.

Elaborate streams of rainbow-colored lights illuminated the streets and toned men dressed in golden body armor in the parade won cheers and whistles from the crowd.

Despite all the festivities and questionable costume choices by some of the attendees, the true message of Pride remained clear.

“It means a lot. It means just pride to show that gay people do exist and we have meaning,” Christina Berck, who has attended the parade for the past five years, said.

THE DAILY COUGAR Garnering recognition and respect in the art community is the opposite of luck; it takes dedication, hard work and uniqueness to allow your pieces to stand out.

El Franco Lee II said those are his aims.

“I want to freeze money moments in time that reflect the state society is in, whether good or bad,” Lee said. “I’m holding a mirror up and reflecting my ideas and opinions at the same time.”

The University of Houston graduate is headlining his very own exhibition on July 9 in the Art Hub Gallery at Houston Community College Northeast. The exhibit will end its run on August 9.

Lee is the third artist to be featured at the newly

It also depicts a dead James Byrd, a victim of an infamous 1998 Texas hatecrime, in black and white.

“Tookie Williams Redemption” is another interesting piece that will be featured. It shows a largerthan-life Stanley Tookie Williams, who was a leader of the Los Angeles Crips street gang, encouraged an end to gun violence between rival gang members.

Williams’ hands are outstretched as he resides on a cloud that is raising him above the wretched reality that he helped create.

It is a sanctimonious portrayal of Williams and his “redemption.”

Some will disagree with elevating a convicted killer through this medium, but this painting is the essence of confrontational art.

“People can learn about what visual signals draw

THE DAILY COUGAR

them to art as well as what symbolic aspect, popular culture aspect, figurative aspect (and) familiar visuals strike emotion. They will find out if art can trigger an emotion in them,” Lee said.

Lee is comfortable being the headliner of his own exhibit.

“I’ve had my fair share of solo exhibitions. I’d rather it be this way so my point can be fully understood,” he said.

Lee’s paintings combine realism and surrealism using scale to put together a compelling message.

Next for Lee are exciting opportunities overseas.

He is expected to participate in another art exhibit representing Texas and American contemporary art in the fall in Greece, which is not a bad followup to headlining your own exhibit. arts@thedailycougar.com

arts@thedailycougar.com

arts@thedailycougar.com

UH grad earns month-long solo exhibition minted gallery since its grand opening in February.

He will send 45 works of art to the exhibit, which will include hand drawings as well.

Lee’s exhibit is called “True Realities: Confrontational Art.” Lee said he expects to offend the viewer at times, but says you grow and learn from the message he depicts. “(I want to show) my personal notes of things that need to be depicted in the painting medium — the lack of true representation of the southern black male experience in the art world.”

Lee’s favorite painting to be featured is “Red, White, Black, and Blue.”

It is an image that displays a mixture of sports stars of the past and present including athletes from the MLB, NBA and NFL in the midst of on-field conflict.

Edgardo Aguilar

Seth Grahame-Smith’s novel “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” comes to life in this mash-up of history and fantasy.

History buffs who do not mind a bit of a rewrite of American history may enjoy this alternative world where the president-to-be takes on the vampires of the Old South.

Action and fantasy junkies will also enjoy the handto-hand combat scenes that border being over the top.

Though the film is meant to be nothing but a fun action film, there is a sense that there was a lot left on the cutting room floor.

After witnessing the murder of his mother by a vampire, a young Abraham Lincoln (Benjamin Walker) vows vengeance and goes after the man responsible for her death.

He is almost killed during his first attempt, but is saved by vampire hunter Henry Sturgess (Dominic Cooper).

Under Sturgess’ mentorship, Lincoln becomes apt at vampire hunting while wielding his weapon of choice — an axe.

The young Lincoln is later sent to Springfield, Illinois where he struggles to balance hunting vampires, his burgeoning political career and his feelings for Mary Todd.

Opposing him is Adam (Rufus Sewell), a vampire who believes the time has come for vampires to have their own nation.

While Grahame-Smith adapted his own novel for the big screen, the one question that comes up is how much did he leave out of the movie?

The pace at which Lincoln goes from training to killing vampires to hunting them down and then leaving that behind to become a politician is rather quick.

The movie quickly fast-forwards to a nation at war and Lincoln, already president, makes the tough decision of whether or not to continue fighting.

The only thing that ties the pacing is nothing more than a voice-over explaining what the audience does not get to see. There also appears to be very little vampire hunting.

The 3D experience of the film is only effective when it comes to scenes with the vampires but does not add much to the movie other than that.

Be sure to pay close attention to the 3D effects when the vampires rise in the film — it adds an indescribable effect on the audience and is a great use for something other than just making things come flying out of the screen.

Fans of the book may be a bit disappointed with the film as there appears to be plenty of backstory left out of the movie in order to keep it under 2 hours.

Despite the weak script and other flaws of the movie, this is still a fun action-based film that tries to play with fantasy and history.

FINE ARTS

Christopher Shelton

“Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” premiered this weekend and debuted as No. 3 at the box offices. The film grossed $16.3 million. | Courtesy of Stephen Vaughan/20th Century Fox

THA

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SPORTS

The Daily Cougar

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

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7

EDITOR Andrew Pate E-MAIL sports@thedailycougar.com ONLINE thedailycougar.com/sports

FOOTBALL

Levine, staff pick up ninth commit of 2013 class in Florida quarterback St. Thomas Aquinas (FL) quarterback John O’Korn verbally committed to UH Friday afternoon, bringing the Cougars 2013 recruiting total up to nine.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, O’Korn developed a strong bond with head coach Tony Levine and his staff upon visiting campus.

Scout.com ranks the quarterback 61st at his position nationally.

Touted as a three-star QB, O’Korn even caught the eyes of the coaching staff of the defending national champion, Alabama Crimson Tide, following two visits to the Tuscaloosa campus.

With the most recent pickup, the Cougars have climbed to as high as No. 49 in recruiting polls — a feat worth mentioning with only nine recruits in. By comparison, Scout ranked UH’s 2012 recruiting class 57th in the country.

In total, six UH recruits hail from Texas, two from Louisiana and now O’Korn becomes the first from the state of Florida.

— Andrew Pate

SOCCER

Sophomores Joseph Young and TaShawn Thomas will be two key pieces for Houston under third-year head coach James Dickey. The duo, along with a talented freshman class have fans believing 2012-2013 could be a special year at Hofheinz Pavilion. | File photo/The Daily Cougar

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Dickey, Coogs preach physicality “Toughness” is name of the game in summer workouts, conditioning for UH team Christopher Shelton

THE DAILY COUGAR Acting under a new rule that allows coaches to supervise summer practices, the Cougar men’s basketball program is embarking on a plan to get more “tough” as a basketball team.

“Overall, I want us to be a tougher basketball team, mentally and physically,” head coach James Dickey said. “(Toughness) is just something we stress everyday. We’ve got some toughness drills that the guys do. We’ve got to be challenged both mentally and physically. We’re mindful of the fact that we’re still quite a ways away from the season, but at the same time, we are trying to set a tone.”

Dickey claims this new physical attitude would supplement UH’s growth by

pushing the team to do the little things that matter most.

“We’re working on our defense,” Dickey said. “We want to compliment that with rebounding, and we certainly want to take good care of the ball, not turn the ball over.”

Incoming freshman are perhaps the biggest beneficiaries of more practice time in the summer. The transition from high school to college is a big step.

Classes are tougher, basketball practice is harder and there is more competition and responsibility.

Supervised summer practice allows the acclimation process to be smoother and permits for more time to make the transition with less immediate pressure.

UH has two “diaper dandies,” forward Daniel House and center Valentine Izundu, who are participating in summer practice. House is a highly touted five-star player. ESPN ranked him 19th among all players and sixth among small forwards.

House and Izundu are a part of a recruiting class ranked in the top 25 by

ESPN (21st), so lofty expectations are sure to trail House during his career at UH. His teammate, sophomore TaShawn Thomas, is impressed with House so far.

“He’s not like me last year,” Thomas said. “He’s not playing timid. He’s talking, trying to step up and play a big role as a freshman.”

Thomas said the incoming freshmen will have a leg up when the season rolls around.

“I see a lot of talent,” Thomas said.

“They’re hitting that freshman wall just like I did last year. We just have to keep them moving and get them past that.”

The additional workouts have received major applause from players and coaches across the country. Locally, the sentiment is no different.

“Now that we have these two-hoursa-week workouts, I know it’s going to help us out a lot,” Thomas said. “I know if I’d had that, it would have helped me out a lot last year.” sports@thedailycougar.com

VOLLEYBALL

Former phenom turns professional Ricardo Rivera

THE DAILY COUGAR When Lucy Charuk got the call that she had been nominated as Third Team All-American, she was informed a short trip to San Antonio for the awards banquet would take place over the winter holiday.

Less than a month later, as Charuk accepted her honor from the American Volleyball Coaches Association, an offer to leave the University of Houston presented itself.

“I ended up talking to one of Coach (Molly Alvey’s) friends, and the idea of starting my professional career in January came up,” Charuk said. “Strangely enough, there was a job open in Croatia to start the year.”

A spot for the Croatian A League squad Split 1700 — one that would require Charuk to postpone her final semester at UH— needed an immediate answer. The chance to start her professional career would not be guaranteed in the summer, and given that her collegiate career was finished, there was little

that held Charuk in Houston.

“When the season ended at UH, I was somewhat disappointed with how it finished,” Charuk said. “We had high expectations for that team, and we followed them through for the first half of the season, but we couldn’t quite pull through. Before the offer came up, I had made the decision to stay in Houston over the spring, but when I got the invite, I couldn’t turn it down.”

Unlike her leading role at UH, a CHARUK continues on page 8

Former Western Michigan coach brings experience, success to program On Monday, Suzie Grech officially joined the UH soccer program as an assistant coach, said first-year head coach Chris Pfau in an announcement.

Under Grech, the Western Michigan Broncos improved in total wins every year, tying the school record for most overall and most conference wins with a 14-8 (8-3 MAC) in 2011.

Grech served as an assistant coach at Western Michigan beginning in 2008 before being promoted to interim head coach in December 2009 and full-time head coach in 2010.

Prior to Western Michigan, Grech spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Marshall and one year coaching high school soccer.

Grech began her collegiate playing career at the University of Michigan where, as a standout goalkeeper, she helped her squad to four NCAA appearances.

Following her graduation from Michigan in 2005 with her bachelor’s degree in physical education, she received her master’s degree in sports administration from Marshall in 2006.

— Andrew Pate

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Former co-captain Luckenbill passes away following battle with cancer Former UH All-America honorable mention and NBA player Ted Luckenbill passed away Sunday in Dallas at the age of 72.

Luckenbill also played a major role in Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game, grabbing two offensive rebounds that set up Chamberlain’s final two points in March 1962.

He was a member of the Cougars basketball team from 1958-1961, playing a total of 72 games while averaging 16.6 points and 9.7 rebounds per game.

During his senior year, Luckenbill was co-captain and averaged 18 points and 10.1 rebounds per game, earning him an All-America honorable mention.

After leaving UH, he was drafted No. 15 overall by the Philadelphia Warriors in 1961. Luckenbill would go on to score 196 points in 87 NBA games — a career that was ultimately cut short after being diagnosed with testicular cancer at the age of 23.

While at UH, Luckenbill played under legendary coach Guy V. Lewis, helping the Coogs to their first two winning seasons under the new coach.

— Andrew Pate

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Wednesday, June, 27 2012

JUMP

The Daily Cougar

OZONE continued from page 3

June 27th - Band Featuring Payboyz

which is located on the University of Houston’s main campus.

“We can see how much pollution is coming towards Houston, how much pollution is in Houston and how much pollution is being exported out of town,” Lefer said.

“What’s different about (Tuesday) compared to other days? Every day you have people driving their cars and the power plants doing their thing and the oil refineries doing their stuff,” Lefer said. “The answer is the weather.”

Ozone levels rise on hot, sunny days when the wind isn’t blowing, Lefer said. “(Ozone) doesn’t come out of the tailpipes of cars; it doesn’t come out of the power plants. It’s the precursors that come out,” he said.

“So on a windy day, all that stuff gets blown out of town, but on these days with very light wind speed, it has time to cook.”

Children and people who have lung conditions like asthma are

especially susceptible, Lefer said, but everyone should be careful about exerting themselves outside when the ozone levels are at an unhealthy level.

“The problem is that on days like today, it’s really nice,” Lefer said.

“Often times, people go out and exercise, which is what you don’t want to do.”

As to the long term health effects of pollution, people who grow up in high-pollution areas like Houston tend to have weaker lungs and a higher chance of having asthma than those who did not, Lefer said.

It’s unusual for ozone levels to spike at this time of year; ozone concentration usually peaks once in April or May and again in August, September or October, Lefer said.

“There’s sort of two peaks in ozone,” he said. “But every year is different, because it’s really weather dependent.”

Data from the monitoring towers, called the Houston Network of Environmental Towers, is available online at hnet.uh.edu. news@thedailycougar.com

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CHARUK continued from page 7

starting position was not assured when Charuk arrived in Croatia.

The competition, described

by Charuk as “very similar to C-USA,” was top heavy, much like at the collegiate level.

“The top seven or eight teams were a small step up from C-USA level, but the bottom half was a lot less competitive,” she said. “But I went in having to earn my starting position, like anyone else.”

After averaging just under 1.5 blocks per set in her senior year at UH, Charuk came in hoping to utilize her speed and length at net to help the struggling Split 1700.

In her first action as a professional, she made a splash, blocking several key balls on the way to the team’s first victory with her on the front line.

“I tried to make a good impression right away,” Charuk said.

“That first night I put up some big blocks, and that’s just what they were needing.”

Looking forward, her time in Croatia will be the stepping-stone to what Charuk hopes is a long, productive professional volleyball career. Within five years, her goal is to move on from Split 1700 and join an Italian 2 A league, where she will split time between Italy and her home in Canada.

“I hope this can be a career for me,” she said “Hopefully I left some leadership behind, and stuff just gets bigger and better for the school and myself.” sports@thedailycougar.com

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