08-05-09 by The Daily Texan

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Wednesday, August 5, 2009

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UT given funds for flu study Shelley Neuman | Daily Texan Staff

Lauren Meyers, associate professor in the college of Natural Sciences, is studying the connection between human behavior and influenza.

By Syeda Hasan Daily Texan Staff UT researchers received a grant from the National Institutes of Health to study how influenza is spread throughout populations using mathematical models to improve prevention methods. The $3 million grant awarded this month is part of the Models of Infectious Disease Agent Study, a national research project which aims to contain disease outbreaks by predicting how they evolve and spread. Lauren Meyers, UT biology asso-

ciate professor, said the group uses computer models to simulate the spread of influenza among individuals by analyzing human contact patterns. She said researchers use these findings to create mathematical formulas which will predict the spread of disease. “We can use computer programs to forecast how disease is going to spread in the population and then to evaluate how different sorts of intervention methods, like vaccination, the use of antivirals or school closures will impact the

Drug demand leads to violence

spread of disease,” Meyers said. She said the research team hopes to help the government take the proper steps to prevent and limit the spread of H1N1, the swine flu virus. “In the long run, we’re hoping just to better understand how flu spreads, how individuals’ perceptions and decision-making impact the spread of disease,” Meyers said, “And how in general, we can take into account that kind of information and design even more effective methods for changing peo-

ple’s behavior and improving our ability to control the spread of diseases like flu.” She said individuals can help prevent the transfer of infection by getting flu vaccinations. She said although vaccines are not available for the swine flu virus, the disease can be prevented by taking hygienic precautions such as washing hands regularly and avoiding coughing or sneezing around others.

FLU continues on page 2

Web site focuses on Texas politics, explores medium Texas Tribune’s online status ‘is a sign of the times’ in news media

Photos by May-Ying Lam | Daily Texan Staff

Above, Sergio Nogueira watches footage of a drug war shoot-out at the Drug Demand Reduction Advisory Committee’s Border Symposium. Below, Michael Hanson speaks about Operation Detour, a program to raise awareness of criminal activity and narcotics.

Committee suggests higher drug restrictions for college students By Francisco Marin Daily Texan Staff In a chilling and gruesome video shown to about 50 people at a symposium Tuesday, a camera panned across a blood-soaked tiled shower, where seven men hung from their feet, tortured and decapitated. The camera lowered to floor level and slowly rotated, revealing the heads of those who crossed paths with one of several dominant drug cartels near the U.S.-Mexico border. “We’re talking about human beings, about real human people,” said Guillermo Valenzuela, director of international and border affairs for U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes of Texas. “It’s hard to imagine because we’re not of a criminal mindset, but imagine what it takes to get seven men in one room and torture and kill them like that. The drug issue is one that will take your life — whether you’re in-

volved with smuggling or even just taking the drugs.” Valenzuela spoke at the Drug Demand Reduction Advisory Committee symposium, which was established in 2001 by the 77th Texas Legislature. State agencies and members from different geographical areas in the state must contribute to the effort, as mandated by the bill.

Drug use skyrockets for youth In a formal report to state leaders, the committee made the recommendation to mandate comprehensive alcohol and other drug-reduction strategies targeting college students. Specifically, the committee recommended that the boards of regents for all state-funded colleges and universities in Texas en-

DRUGS continues on page 2

said. “The newspapers and TV have been shrinking and we’re hoping to expand it.” Ramsey said being able to work for a niche publication By Ben Wermund was part of the draw in taking Daily Texan Staff the job. Against the ever-changing “The original idea was so innews media horizon, a land- teresting to me,” he said. “If mark is rising, as traditional you want to cover this stuff, a journalists leave positions in deal like this comes along and print to join a new Web site de- you look at it and my reaction voted to Texas politics. is ‘Why in the world wouldn’t Since its inception last month, I do that?’” the Texas Tribune, an in-developRamsey said the fact that the ment, nonprofit news site, which new outlet is online is a sign of is intended to focus solely on Tex- the times. as politics, has acquired report“If we were doing this 100 ers and editors from newspapers years ago, we would be proand magazines across the state. posing a tabloid,” he said. “It’s The outlet was started by Aus- the current technology of news. tin-based busiIt’s a whole nessman John different mediThornton and um than we’ve former Texas had in jourMonthly EditorIf we were doing this nalism’s hisin-Chief Evan tory and it’s 100 years ago, we Smith, who left the medium would be proposing the magazine of choice right to start the new now. There’s a tabloid.” site. a whole gen— Ross Ramsey eration that is T h e Tr i bune has hired former editor never going to newspaper get their news Texas Weekly off the driveand television reporters from way, but [inacross the state stead] get it off who have covthe screen.” ered Texas politics extensiveTracy Dahlby, UT School of ly. Brandi Grissom of the El Journalism director, said the Paso Times, Emily Ramshaw rise of Internet news sites presof The Dallas Morning News ents challenges not only for and Elise Hu from KVUE print media, which has to comNews have all joined the staff pete with it, but also for the mewithin the last month. dium itself. Ross Ramsey, former editor “We’re living in an age where of Texas Weekly, a state poli- these new online publications tics online newsletter which are beginning to take on more the Tribune bought out, recent- prominence and it’s a very inly became managing editor of teresting phenomenon to obthe new site. serve the degree to which they “We’ve sort of evolved into can churn out reporting like a world where the people who newspapers have done,” Dahlplay [politics] all the time — by said. “The newspapers have the lobbyists and others — are really supplied and paid for pretty well-informed, but the a lot of the good reporting on rest of us kind of have to catch what they’re doing,” Ramsey ONLINE continues on page 2

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EMS asks for more funds after cutting budget By Syeda Hasan Daily Texan Staff After voicing concern over cuts to their funding from the city last week, members of the Austin Emergency Medical Services department will propose a new budget plan to the City Council this morning in an effort to increase their allocations of the city budget, which they say the EMS needs to serve Austin effectively. EMS director Ernie Rodriguez said that last year the EMS and other city departments were asked to make cuts to respond to the budget gap in Austin. He said in response, EMS froze several open job positions and did not fill them, which allowed the city to keep additional revenues in its budget. He said in its new plan,

EMS is proposing to fill these positions as well as new ones to increase the quality of its service. He said the department would also like to see additional funds for resources such as radio equipment, stretchers and vehicles. He said EMS has scaled back their increases for years and is now asking the City Council to address their needs. “It’s been quite a while since we’ve added ambulances and personnel because the city has been in a budget reduction period for several years,” Rodriguez said. “What our concern is, is that the growth in the EMS volume seems to be pretty steady at about three percent [annually], and so we’re expecting a 3 percent growth and requesting emergency assistance.

We need to work progressively to keep up with demand. We need to have enough ambulance and enough personnel to meet those growing needs.”

Preparing for the future Rodriguez said that with flu season approaching, EMS is trying to be proactive to prepare for a potential increase in calls, particularly from areas of Travis County with a low volume of emergency vehicles. “We’ve already improved response times up to two minutes in some regions,” Rodriguez said. “But we still have some parts of the county that are difficult to get to, the ones that are furthest out and those are part of an improvement plan that we’re working on

with the county.” Steve Stewart, president of the Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services Employee Association, said EMS postponed contractual pay increases that employees were scheduled to receive this year. He said their efforts have provided $8.4 million to the general city fund. “The city manager hasn’t put a dollar back into the EMS,” Stewart said. “We’re having to pull units to high volume areas of the city to cover call volume, and that’s leaving other areas of the city uncovered. If there is a high-priority call in those areas, we’re not going to have a good response time there.” He said the job cuts EMS

EMS continues on page 5

Shelley Neuman | Daily Texan Staff

An EMS worker fixes a gurney outside Brackenridge Hospital on Tuesday evening.

NEWS

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

ONLINE: Niche media attract niche advertising From page 1 which Web traffic is based. If the newspapers go away, who takes up the slack in good journalism?” Ramsey said while the Tribune is starting as online-only, it has not ruled out a possible print edition in the future. “We’re not writing anything off, we just think the best platform right now is online,” he said. “One exciting thing is, we’re going to try a lot of things and we expect to bomb a lot of those things. We’re not married to online.” George Sylvie, UT journalism associate professor and head of the multimedia journalism department, said niche publications like the Tribune are on the rise, because advertising is easier to attract to such outlets. “We’re definitely seeing some mass-to-class transition going on because advertising is so hard to get,” Sylvie said. “It’s easier to get advertising that attracts a specific, more clearly defined audience, because it’s more obvious what products they buy.” He said the nature of the site is indicative of the fact that, despite hard times, there is still a need for news media. “Really what we’re seeing here is media are not dead and that Peyton McGee | Daily Texan Staff people still have needs for specific People gather to discuss the Texas Tribune’s online format. The news Web site has not ruled out future print editions. topics,” Sylvie said.

DRUGS: Youth programs seek to curb drug usage From page 1 force campus alcohol and drug policy through alcohol screening and by notifying parents of students under 21 who have violated the policies. The committee also recommended that the presidents of these public institutions appoint campus-wide task forces that include administration, faculty, staff, student body and community representatives. The task forces would be required to ensure campus enforcement of drug and alcohol polices.

The symposium examined the skyrocketing rates of drug use in the state, especially among youths ages 13 to 18. “If we continue at this rate, we’re going to see new records,” Valenzuela said. “We thought we had it at its worst last year when the state set new records, but we can already see how bad it has become between the Sinaloa and Juarez cartels just by looking at the last few months.” The Mexican cartels have made immense profits by catering to an insatiable market in the U.S., Valenzuela said.

That market is not just limited to stereotypical demographics either, said Jane Maxwell, a research scientist at UT’s Addiction Research Institute. “We’ll be seeing an increase in whites, especially white women, using crack cocaine in the next few years,” Maxwell said. “The Texas school surveys don’t match the perceptions of who uses what drugs. Border kids used a little more tobacco, a little less alcohol, but they are much more prone to using cocaine and crack cocaine.” Snorting heroin, Maxwell said, has become increasing-

ly popular among youths and young adults because of the advent of “cheese,” a drug cocktail consisting of heroin and Tylenol PM. Statewide, nearly 800 more people under the age of 30 in Texas were admitted to state health service centers for heroin in 2008, compared to 2007’s figures. “Sixteen percent of our high school seniors have used cocaine and crack cocaine, and we’re paying people in product,” Maxwell said. “My source would go across the border with 11 bags and she’d be given one bag to sell or put up her nose or whatever.”

Border efforts Mike Hanson, an assistant chief patrol agent for the Del Rio U.S. Border Patrol, said that efforts to curb youth’s fascination with drugs have proven successful. “A lot of people don’t realize border patrol isn’t just involved with immigration — we concentrate on drugs and antiterrorism efforts, too,” Hanson said. “One of our core goals is reduce crime in border communities and to raise the quality of life. Our youth, though, are so desensitized to violence in video games, on TV and in movies.” Hanson said that econom-

ic difficulty has forced many youth to get into the drug business. “They’re vulnerable to a lack of employment opportunities — a kid in Austin can get a job working at McDonald’s or whatever, but opportunities like that aren’t available in Del Rio,” he said. “It’s quick, easy money, and if the cartels can entice them to do one load and the kid makes it, they’re hooked.” Hanson is part of an effort called Operation Detour, a “narco terrorism awareness” program aimed at informing youth in high schools about the drug business. The program utilizes cryptic posters of dead drug dealers, graphic video of dramatized shoot-outs and speeches from local leaders on the dangers of smuggling. Courtney Seals, a graduate student in the LBJ School of Public Affairs who attended the symposium, said that it is that kind of initiative that inspired her to work with at-risk youth and youth involved in gangs. “It’s cheesy, but kids are the future,” Seals said. “We live in a violent culture, and even though we’re so modern, there’s not enough attention being paid to our media and entertainment sources that glorify drug and gang life. We’re losing family values and losing our community.”

THE DAILY TEXAN Permanent Staff

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FLU: Computer

models could protect public From page 1

Paul Damien, UT junior business administration professor, said using mathematical models to predict the infection patterns of influenza can help government officials better decide when to close schools or take other steps necessary to keep children healthy. “That requires an understanding of the infection rates in a given locality,” Damien said. “We’re interested in studying what the transmission rates are. That is, if the schools are kept open, how fast will the influenza virus spread among the population?” He said the computer-generated predictions can help keep the public safe by informing people of what precautions to take and when. He said the researchers have recently sent out questionnaires to individuals who were infected by the swine flu virus to better understand how to address their transmission patterns. “Having knowledge among the public is always a better thing than not having it at all,” Damien said. “Some people feel that there’s too much media fear-mongering, and I don’t think that that is essentially true in the sense that it’s better to have information available so people can prepare proactively and make the right decisions to prevent your friends and family from getting influenza.” He said the study has shown evidence that the swine flu virus could show a significant presence in the fall. “Rather than trying to get caught up at that time, if we have all the pieces in place now, then health officials and the pharmaceutical companies who produce the drugs [for the disease] can pro-actively respond to it if the epidemic reaches those proportions,” Damien said.

THE DAILY TEXAN Volume 110, Number 46 25 cents

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Wednesday, August 5, 2009

T HE DAILY TEXAN

Arrested Sudan woman becomes political symbol By Mohamed Osman The Associated Press KHARTOUM, Sudan — Sudanese police fired tear gas and beat women protesting at the trial Tuesday of a female journalist who faces a flogging for wearing trousers in public. Sudanese journalist Lubna Hussein could receive 40 lashes if found guilty of violating the country’s indecency law which follows a strict interpretation of Islam. The 43-year-old says the law is un-Islamic and “oppressive,” and she’s trying to use her trial to rally support to change it. “I am not afraid of flogging. ... It’s about changing the law,” Hussein said, speaking to The Associated Press after a hearing Tuesday. Hussein said she would take the issue all the way to Sudan’s constitutional court if necessary, but that if the court rules against her and orders the flogging, she’s ready “to receive [even] 40,000 lashes” if that what it takes to abolish the law. Hussein was among 13 women arrested July 3 in a raid by the public order police on a popular cafe in Khartoum. Ten of the women were fined and flogged two days later. But Hussein and two others decided to go to trial. In an attempt to rally support, Hussein printed invitations to diplomats, international media, and activists to attend her trial which opened last week. She also resigned from her job in the U.N.’s public information office in Khartoum, declining the immunity that went along with the job to challenge the law. Around 100 supporters, including many women in trousers as well as others in traditional dress, protested outside the court Tuesday. Witnesses said police wielding batons beat up one of Hussein’s lawyers, Manal Awad Khogali, while keeping media and cameras at bay. No injuries were imme-

Abd Raouf | Associated Press

Sudanese journalist Lubna Hussein, right, is kissed by a supporter as she enters court in Khartoum, Sudan on Tuesday on charges of wearing trousers in public. Hussein faces a punishment of 40 lashes on the charge of “indecent dressing,” a violation of the country’s strict Islamic laws. diately reported. “We are here to protest against this law that oppresses women and debases them,” said one of the protesters, Amal Habani, a female columnist for the daily Ajraas Al Hurria, or Bells of Freedom in Arabic. While the police broke up the

Canine cruiser

demonstration outside the Khartoum Criminal Court, the judge adjourned Hussein’s trial for a month to clarify whether her resignation has been accepted by the United Nations. The 1991 indecency law was adopted by Sudan’s Islamic regime which came to power after

NATION BRIEFLY Border agents find marijuana worth thousands of dollars

Darrin Phegley | Associated Press

Garry Henry cruises along in Henderson, Ky. with his dog Savannah on Tuesday. Henry said he’s been riding tandem with dogs for 20 years. He said he used to have up to three with him at a time and has logged more than one million miles with the animals.

LAS CRUCES, N.M. — It’s been a busy start to the month of August for Border Patrol agents working the El Paso Sector. Agents recovered 950 pounds of marijuana in four separate incidents. Federal agents say the pot has a street value estimated at more than $750,000. Agents seized marijuana during a traffic checkpoint in Alamogordo Saturday. A search of a Chevy Avalanche revealed 214 bundles of marijuana with a combined weight of 524 pounds. The contraband has a street value of $419,200. Agents recovered 350 pounds of marijuana while chasing smugglers near Lordsburg. — The Associated Press

Salvage grocers see higher sales as people try to save For many, less desirable goods offer an affordable discount worth the price By Ivan Moreno The Associated Press ARVADA, Colo. — You won’t find a perfectly ripe tomato at Martin Palumbo’s grocery store. You won’t even find a perfect can of tomatoes. What you will find are lots of dented cans of tomatoes, and a growing number of customers hungry for these and other staples sold at deep discounts, such as cereal boxes crushed by forklifts and bottles of salad dressing past their “sell-by” dates. Sales at Palumbo’s Friday Store in suburban Denver have surged in recent months, mirroring the trend at so-called salvage grocers nationwide, as the recession makes frugal living appealing to more Americans. Groceries eat up 12.5 percent of American families’ budgets, on average, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. So while food prices generally have fallen from last summer’s record highs, many people — not just the poor — have reasons to bargain-shop for groceries.

To capture a piece of this market, big-box retailers such as Target Corp. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. are selling more food these days. They are snatching business from traditional grocers, who are trying to hold on to customers by packing their shelves with more no-frills products. At the very end of the food retailing chain are the salvage grocers, whose prices are often more than 50 percent less than traditional grocers’. People who frequent salvage stores do the bulk of their food shopping at traditional grocers, where dairy and produce are more plentiful and there is lots of variety for everything else. A trip to the salvage grocer, they say, is more like a treasure hunt — what’s available one week may not be the next time around. That’s certainly the case at Palumbo’s store, which is more accurately a warehouse the size of two large garages with cement floors and bare white walls. Amid the rows of crumpled cereal boxes and past-prime meat, customers may stumble upon everything from gourmet cheese to rattlesnake sausage. It all depends on what Palumbo’s broker

ships him — some of which must be thrown out because it’s stale or the packaging is opened. “I haven’t brought my older son here — he’d probably frown on it,” said Stacey McQuown, a Friday customer who recently walked out with a box of crackers, energy drinks, frozen beef and ice cream toppings. McQuown, 41, a bookkeeper for a wholesale florist shop, estimated that she saves about $40 a week by shopping at the Friday Store. Demand for salvage groceries has grown so much in the past year that prices — sometimes less than half traditional retail prices — have begun to creep higher, store owners say. There are hundreds of salvage grocers operating in more than three dozen states. In Madison Heights, Va., about 90 miles west of Richmond, there’s Anderson’s Country Market. In Kentwood, La., there’s the B & D Salvage Grocery, about 60 miles northeast of Baton Rouge. And in Carollton, Ga., there’s the T&W Salvage Grocery, about 40 miles west of Atlanta. Most salvage grocers rely on word-of-mouth advertising.

a coup led by President Omar alBashir in 1989. It follows a strict interpretation of Islamic law that imposes physical punishment on “those who commit an indecent act that violates public morale; or who dress indecently.” Trousers are considered indecent under the law. Activists and

lawyers say it is implemented arbitrarily, and leaves the definition of “indecent acts” up to the implementing police officer. Hussein said the law is unconstituational, and is not supported by Islamic text. Flogging is a common punishment for drinking and making alcohol, and whatev-

er else the law enforcer deems indecent. Recently, a famous Sudanese singer, who took to the stage under the influence of alcohol, was flogged. “Flogging is an insult to human dignity,” Hussein said. “If the [rulers] claim this is based on Islamic Shariah, can anyone show me a verse in the Quran or in the prophet’s teachings that speak of flogging women because of their dress code?” Rabie Abdel Attie, a government spokesman, called the uproar over the case politically motivated and said only the constitutional court can decide to repeal the law. “There is no need for all that noise. There are clearly political motivations behind this thrust,” he said. The public order police force patrols the streets of Khartoum, enforcing an alcohol ban and often scolding young men and women mingling in public. Hussein said many women endure the flogging in silence, because they fear the stigma associated with being tried under the indecency law. Hussein wore the same clothes Tuesday that she wore when arrested, including the dark-colored pants that authorities found offensive. She said she is required to wear the outfit to court so officials can see the clothing when making their decision. But Hussein said she’s also been wearing the outfit every day, even when not in court, to highlight her case. Her trial opened last Wednesday but immediately adjourned to give her the opportunity to resign from her U.N. job. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Kimoon said he was “deeply concerned” about Hussein’s case and that flogging is a violation of international human rights standards. The U.N. Staff Union urged authorities last week not to flog Hussein, calling the punishment cruel, inhuman and degrading.

4 Wednesday, August 5, 2009

OPINION

Editor-in-Chief: Jillian Sheridan Phone: (512) 232-2212 E-mail: editor@dailytexanonline.com Associate Editors: Jeremy Burchard Roberto Cervantes

T HE DAILY TEXAN

GALLERY

VIEWPOINT

Kim Jong Il’s tantrum North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has issued a special pardon for U.S. journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee, according to The Associated Press. The pardon came in response to a visit by former President Bill Clinton. Lee and Ling were arrested in March at the Chinese-North Korean border while reporting on North Korean defectors for San Francisco-based Current TV, a media venture launched by Al Gore. They were sentenced to 12 years “reform through labor” in June on charges that they entered the country illegally to conduct a smear campaign, according to CNN. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton requested last month that the journalists be granted amnesty, but strained relations between the U.S. and North Korea only made the situation worse. This year alone, North Korea has launched a long-range rocket, conducted a nuclear test, testfired a barrage of ballistic missiles and restarted its atomic program against the demands of the U.N. Security Council. Amid all of North Korea’s shows of defiance, Bill Clinton took a personal trip to North Korea to meet with top North Korean officials to appeal for the journalists’ release, and he was successful. Spokesmen for the White House have made it clear that Clinton did not act on behalf of President Obama. But North Korean state media said Clinton offered Kim “words of sincere apology” for the journalists’ transgressions, and “courteously” conveyed President Barack Obama’s gratitude for North Korea’s leniency. “That’s not true,” Robert Gibbs, White House press secretary, told reporters in Washington. North Korea treated the visit as what its reclusive leader wished it was — a U.S. concession to his misguided policies. Senior officials — including Kim Kye Gwan, the vice foreign minister who serves as the country’s chief nuclear negotiator — met Clinton as he exited the plane. Many have speculated that all of Kim Jong Il’s egregious flaunting of international protocols is one massive temper tantrum for attention. Kim and the Korean state media’s laughable manipulation of Clinton’s visit proves the point. Obama didn’t need to visit. No concessions were made. All Kim wanted was to be acknowledged by the world. He just needed someone to say they were very sorry and ask him nicely to please let the nice ladies have their lives back. The U.S. should keep using this tactic. The best way to work with an obstinate North Korea may not be with an iron fist, but with a soft pat on the head. — Jillian Sheridan for the editorial board

Save civil liberties By Mahala Guevara Daily Texan Columnist

In the wake of 9/11, the Bush administration drastically enhanced the powers of government. The Patriot Act, passed by Congress and signed by the president in late 2001, gave the federal government unprecedented power. It became legal to wiretap the phone calls of U.S. citizens without a court warrant, subpoena their library, medical and financial records and even enter and search their homes without ever informing them. The rationale for the Patriot Act was that we were at war, and that the new nature of the conflict demanded a new response. Senators and representatives who would normally balk at such a vast expansion of government power decided to extend Bush the benefit of the doubt, and the act passed with broad bipartisan support. We were afraid, so we trusted. Nearly eight years later, we have a lot more information about how those powers were used and abused. Journalists have been wiretapped, librarians have been gag-ordered and no one has been immune from potential government spying. Constitutional scholars and average U.S. citizens alike have expressed grave concerns that the Patriot Act is in violation of the United States Constitution, specifically the Fourth Amendment and the writ of habeas corpus. But the Patriot Act was just the beginning. The Bush administration routinely avoided, stretched and acted outside the law. The systematic torture of detainees, the secret CIA assassination program and Vice President Cheney’s attempts to convince the president to authorize the deployment of the U.S. Army on U.S. soil are three among many examples. More information comes to light nearly every week. But this comes as little surprise to many of us. By 2008, a majority of Republicans and Democrats alike had disavowed the authoritarian policies and the “above the rule of law” attitude of the Bush administration. As candidates, both President Obama and Senator McCain called loudly for a new direction for the country. Obama stumped against the Patriot Act, the use of torture and the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, and was elected in large part because the public responded to his message of the restoration of civil liberties and the rule of law. Although there are deep ideological differences among U.S. citi-

GALLERY

zens, respect for our Constitution, Bill of Rights and our tradition of the rule of law remain some of the most widely accepted principles in our political discourse. Unfortunately, the campaign’s promises have not become today’s political realities. In May, President Obama proposed that suspected criminals could be subject to prolonged preemptive detention. This means that someone the federal government suspects may commit a crime in the future can be imprisoned indefinitely. While it may seem that this keeps the public safe from “dangerous terrorists” at first glance, the truth is this system of preventative detention is the hallmark of an authoritarian regime. We already have laws against conspiracy to commit a crime. Anyone plotting harm may already legally be detained. The sole purpose of indefinite preemptive detention is to imprison those we cannot prove are conspiring. Prison without a crime: This is what Myanmar, North Korea, Cuba and Iran do. Is this what the United States should be doing? We haven’t yet seen widespread abuse of government police power by the current administration, but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t be worried. One thing that we’ve learned from the circumstances surrounding the Patriot Act is it is a terrible idea to turn over large amounts of unqualified power on the assumption those wielding it will use it wisely, no matter how good the idea seems at the time or how scared we are. The safety of our civil liberties cannot depend on the goodwill of the Executive branch. Yes, there are many other things on our national agenda: The economy is ailing, unemployment continues to rise, many state and local governments are in severe fiscal crisis and health care debates rage on. All of these issues are important, but none are as important as our civil liberties. They are the very foundation of our democracy. The more time that goes by, the harder it will be to undo this extreme concentration of power. We cannot wait for the end of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; they may last a long, long time, and there can always be another war, another excuse. Our Constitution was written to serve in times of war as well as times of peace. Restoring our civil liberties should be our number-one policy goal — we must act quickly, before an entire generation grows up without them. Guevara is an economics and Latin American Studies junior

Failed schools must fail and members of the community were outraged that a school which, according to the Austin AmericanStatesman, received low marks by the state for eight School pride plays an important role in the colle- out of the past 10 years, was finally closing its doors. giate universe. It translates to strong alumni bases Though AISD has approved a proposal to try to keep that provide essential networking benefits in the job Pearce Middle School open, the rationale for doing market. It can lead to successful alumni — like UT’s so is not in the best interest of students. own Red McCombs — donating large sums of monThere are certain community-oriented aesthetics ey for the benefit of their alma mater. in public schools that are not inherently bad, yet can School pride might also be the deciding factor in be problematic when it comes to the actual educawhy some of the best and brightest students choose tion of the students. Parents often look fondly upon UT over boring schools like Rice and Vanderbilt. children attending and passing through the same However, in terms of the primary and secondary ed- schools they did. The type of community foundation ucation, school pride is overrated, unnecessary and this pattern builds is quite obvious. even damaging in excess. It may lead some of the However, priorities are skewed when communimost important figures in students’ lives to lose fo- ty members advocate for academically unacceptable cus on what matters most. schools to remain open for the sake There is an obsession lately of community continuity. Parents in Austin and other cities across must ask themselves to evaluate Texas with trying to keep failing whether having their children reand deserted public schools open. ceive an education from the same Schools that time The consensus of those who favor school as they did matters as much keeping failing schools open is as having their children receive an and again cannot that the city, the school board and education that supersedes theirs. meet minimal society are giving up on students. If parents are supposed to want All they are really doing, though, what’s best for their children, why standards are is cutting their losses on instituinsist on keeping their children in nothing more than tions that failed to perform. bad situations? Schools that time and again Students that once found thembreeding grounds can not meet minimal standards selves in a school that produces for academic are nothing more than breeding unacceptable scores and an atmogrounds for academic mediocrity. sphere for academic apathy have mediocrity. Such is the case with Austin ISD’s the opportunity to start over in Pearce Middle School, which has schools that actually meet crucial received an “academically unaceducational standards. Moreover, ceptable” ranking by the Texas students will be forced to adapt Education Agency for five conto a better learning environment if secutive years. Robert Scott, the state’s education ushered into a well-performing school. commissioner, ordered the closure of the school earThe Daily Texan reported yesterday that 99 Ausly last month. tin public school campuses met the state accountPast failures on the part of educators and school ability requirements. If the students of Pearce Middle boards coupled with dismal attention from par- School were to transfer to one of these institutions, ents create unsuitable environments for cultivating they will be put in a place with proven success in edyoung minds. When an animal is trapped in an oil ucating the city’s youth. spill, people usually try to rescue that animal from It’s tough to see tradition broken, but sometimes it the toxic environment and place it somewhere it can works out for the best. Important aspects of our sobe safe — not try to clean up the place while the ani- ciety, such as the education of our youth, are too immal suffers in the meantime. portant to be subject to such a trivial phenomenon as There was a significant amount of disapproval middle school or even high school pride. There is no by members of the Austin community when Pearce sense in wasting tax dollars and young minds just to Middle School was set to close for the upcoming keep schools that do not benefit the community. school year, similar to the uproar that occurred when Avelar is a government senior Johnston High School closed a year ago. Parents By Joshua Avelar Daily Texan Columnist

THE FIRING LINE

LEGALESE

Health care reform is a crock The editorials and editorial cartoons advocating health care reform in The Daily Texan are ludicrous. Contrary to what those pushing health care reform (read: socialized medicine) down our throats say, no one in this country has ever been denied medical care. Anyone who doesn’t have insurance goes to an emergency room. There isn’t a doctor or dentist in this country who hasn’t given free service at least once in his or her professional career. The people who say they can’t afford health insurance do not go without iPods, televisions, cable service, computers, second cars, cell phones and the toys they consider essential to life. If your kids need medical care, you go without those luxuries in order to pay for it — not ask your neighbor for it. No one at the Texan was even born when Medicare and other social programs were shoved down our throats. The mantra then was not “40, 47 or 50 million uninsured (the number changes daily),” it was that thousands of the elderly were subsisting on dog food. It was a crock, but the public bought into it. Medicare pays nothing but bureaucrats who will soon need a new cushy job when Medicare goes completely belly-up. The only reform needed would be for government to pay physicians’ malpractice insurance fees. I challenge any of your staff or readers to tell me just where those “millions of uninsured” figures come from. They too are a crock.

— Susan Reeves Austin

Opinions expressed in The Daily Texan are those of the editor, the editorial board or the writer of the article. They are not necessarily those of the UT administration, the Board of Regents or the Texas Student Media Board of Operating Trustees. All Texan editorials are written by the Editorial Board, which is listed in the top right corner of this page.

SUBMIT A FIRING LINE E-mail your Firing Lines to firingline@dailytexanonline.com. The Texan reserves the right to edit for brevity, clarity and liability. In a Firing Line, specify the article you are responding to, and keep your response under 350 words. Unsigned Firing Lines will not be printed.

SUBMIT A GUEST COLUMN The Daily Texan welcomes guest columns. E-mail your column to editor@dailytexanonline.com. A column should be between 500 and 800 words. Guest columnists are limited to two columns per month. The Texan reserves the right to edit for brevity, clarity and liability.

RECYCLE! Please recycle this copy of The Daily Texan by placing it in a recycling bin or back in the burnt-orange stand where you found it.

By M Daily T

5A CLASS

NEWS

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Locals meeting to stimulate jobs East Austin community takes action to preserve local economy and youth By Pierre Bertrand Daily Texan Staff In a small, crowded room of the Southwest Key East Austin Community Development Center, local residents gathered on Tuesday to hear how they could stimulate jobs in their neighborhood. In the third installment of a four-part summer seminar, five local business leaders shared personal anecdotes and keys to success throughout their careers. The goal of the seminar was to discuss ways to stimulate jobs and bring equality to East Austin, with a particular emphasis on the areaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s youth population. Pete Montoya, a retired local contractor whose construction company built Capital Metroâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s headquarters as well as a couple of fine arts buildings on the UT campus, said the community needs to do more to ensure that all children get an education that suits their needs. Societyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s preoccupation with higher education alienates those children who are not interested in college. Since those children are not being catered to, they fall through the gaps and typically drop out, he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;One of the things I feel like John the Baptist on is telling people some kids are not meant to go to college,â&#x20AC;? Montoya said in front of a crowd of about 30 people. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Some kids are handson, but we force them into schools and they have no interest. We should give them a break in life and teach them how to weld.â&#x20AC;? He said employers import labor from other countries because of workersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; willingness to work. Youths who drop out of the education system do not have the chance to develop other working skills and thus are at a disadvantage. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are importing people from the other side [of the border] because they are here to work,â&#x20AC;? Montoya said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s something instilled in them from sunrise to sunset.â&#x20AC;? Paul SaldaĂąa, the former chair of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce who runs his own public relations firm, said the economic situation in the area is changing due to increased development and gentrification, but the main issue limiting job growth in East Austin is day, month day, 2008

UNS AD IRNE FOR ONL

E! FRE d wor

ad s

on l y

EMS: Department gave up

raises to fix cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s deficit From page 2 made to bolster the city budget are preventing them from operating efficiently by causing other employees to take on those additional responsibilities. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like for the city council and the city manager to start to use the revenue that weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re generating to provide better EMS service to the citizens, at least the revenue that we gave up in raises,â&#x20AC;? Stewart said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We realized the city was in a financial strain and we didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to see EMS cut even further, so we negotiated our contract to give up our raises this year, and the city took that money and spent it somewhere else.â&#x20AC;?

A shortage of resources City councilman Chris Riley said he feels the concerns of the EMS should be considered in this morningâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s budget briefing. â&#x20AC;&#x153;EMS employees really have stepped up and have offered suggestions that are resulting in significant new revenues for the city and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also true that weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not doing as well on our EMS response time as we should be,â&#x20AC;? Riley said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have real concerns about that, and I expect to be asking about it and looking for ways that we can get some more funds into the EMS budget that would help reduce those response times.â&#x20AC;? He said allocating funds for as little as one more emergency vehicle would help the EMS respond more quickly to calls. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We need to make sure that all appropriate measures are in place so that when someone picks up the phone and calls 911 because they have a life-threatening emer-

gency, they know that they will get prompt and immediate attention,â&#x20AC;? Riley said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A shortage of resources can have a direct impact on how prompt the response is.â&#x20AC;? Assistant City Manager Michael McDonald said that while city officials appreciate the efforts of the EMS to close the budget gap, they never indicated that those contributions would result specifically in extra resources for EMS. â&#x20AC;&#x153;These are very difficult times, so we first went into this budget with the goal of knowing that we are in a recession and trying to avoid layoffs,â&#x20AC;? McDonald said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We had to make some pretty tough decisions with regards to the pay increases.â&#x20AC;? He said that he was in direct communication with EMS when they voted to delay their pay increases to supplement Austinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s budget. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Those pay reductions were always communicated to them [as a step] to help close the general fund gap that we have,â&#x20AC;? McDonald said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was never communicated to them that by voting in a decrease that they would get additional resources.â&#x20AC;? He said that he has not seen the specific proposals that will be presented by the EMS, but city officials will work hard to create a budget plan that they feel will work best for Austin. â&#x20AC;&#x153;At this point, no final decision has been made,â&#x20AC;? McDonald said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The sacrifice that the EMS made with forgoing their pay raise and extending it to the end of the contract is going to help us with what weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re proposing to close the budget, but that was the reason we went into discussion with them. We did not go into discussion with them to come up with a way by which they would forgo pay raises and get additional resources.â&#x20AC;?

Working at the car wash

Shelley Neuman | Daily Texan Staff

Rosa Gonzales speaks about the hardships her husband and she faced while opening up their business, J&F Carpet. Gonzales spoke as a part of the East Austin Summer Speaker Series at the Southwest Key East Austin Community Development Center on Tuesday evening. the persistent stereotype people have of the area. SaldaĂąa said people still feel threatened by the neighborhoods east of Interstate Highway 35. The stereotype is limiting the entrance of jobs in the area and, because people still fear East Austin, companies will not relocate to the area and

banks will not offer loans to upstart businesses. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think we have to do away with that,â&#x20AC;? SaldaĂąa said. The overall lack of resident involvement also hampers the community. The Hispanic population rarely votes, so some do not take the community seriously. At the same

time, jobs are not concentrated in the area, which means many residents have to commute to work. This causes an exodus of workers from East Austin into other parts of town, he said. 1â&#x20AC;&#x153;What we need to do is encourage people to bring their jobs back [to East Austin],â&#x20AC;? SaldaĂąa said.

CLASSIFIEDS

May-Ying Lam | Daily Texan Staff

Victor Melenvez and Alejandro Castillo, car cleaners for San Fernando Motors, give the lotâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vehicles a wash.

CLASSIFIEDS THE DAILY TEXAN

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All Transportation, Announcement, Services & Merchandise ads are 50%off regular rates and appear online at no charge unless you opt for enhancements which will incur additional nominal charges. For more information or assistance please call Classified Clerk at 512-471-5244 or email classifieds@ dailytexanonline.com

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6A SPTS

SPORTS

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Sports Editor: Austin Talbert E-mail: sports@dailytexanonline.com Phone: (512) 232-2210 www.dailytexanonline.com

T HE DAILY TEXAN

COLLEGE FOOTBALL By Chris Tavarez Daily Texan Columnist

Florida’s only shot at rematch with Ole Miss would be for SEC Championship Ole Miss was the only team in the country to defeat Florida, the 2008 national champions, last season, so they’ve proven they can beat the best of the best. The only question is whether they can do it again. If Mississippi wants to shock the college football world for the second time in as many seasons, they’ll have to get through the SEC West first. After a quick glance at their western foes, two teams pop out — Alabama and LSU. The two other West teams have brand-new head coaches, one of whom is a first-time head honcho, and a coach in his second year in the program. The first run-in for the Rebels of the bottom three in the West is Arkansas, Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt’s former team. This game is a home one for the Rebels, which should help lessen the emotion for Nutt since he doesn’t have to walk into his old house to coach against his old players. And with less emotion for Nutt should come a less exciting game. Last year’s game was a two-point thriller, but after another year under Nutt’s system it should be much less exciting and result in an relatively easy win for the Rebels. The next game will be a trip to Jordan-Hare Stadium to face off against Auburn. Auburn had a down year last year, and should have another down year by Tiger standards under first-year head coach and former defensive coordinator Gene Chizik. Being on the road might make this game interesting, but Nutt should have his team focused and ready for the Tigers, resulting in another Mississippi win. Ole Miss wraps up the season with a trip to Mississippi State, under the guidance of Tim Tebow’s former mentor Dan Mullen. But it will take a lot more than just one season for Mullen to turn around the Bulldogs enough for them to be competitive in this old-school in-state rivalry. The real tests for the Rebels will come earlier in the season when they face off against the defending Western Division champ, Alabama. Last year, the then-No. 2 Crimson Tide squeaked by Mississippi 24-20 in Tuscaloosa. This year, Ole Miss gets the benefit of some home cooking when ‘Bama rolls into town on Oct. 10. The Crimson Tide will miss their starting quarterback from 2008, while Mississippi will get the benefit of having second-year starter Jevan Snead at the helm. If Ole Miss can get through this test, which it should be able to at home, the only major hurdle left will be LSU. And fortunately for Mississippi, it’ll be another home game when the Bayou Bengals come marching in. Contrary to Alabama, LSU will be on the upswing this year, but will still have some questions to answer at quarterback. But the Tigers are always a scary team, and this most likely will determine how the west will be won, so both teams should be ready. But because Ole Miss came so close last year, knows who’s taking snaps from under center and get to play in Oxford, the Rebels get the nod and western crown — setting up a rematch with Florida. But unlike last year, Florida won’t get to play in the swamp. This potential matchup would be fought on neutral ground in Atlanta. Mississippi proved it could do it last year in as hostile an environment as there is in all of college sports, but this game would be in a stadium half-filled with Ole Miss fans, which can only make it easier, right? If the Rebels can get another big stop on fourth down along with another blocked extra-point attempt, they might be the ones with roses in their mouths, leaving the Gators chomping on thin air.

Familiar face returns to K-State After taking three seasons off from football, Snyder is back in charge of Wildcats

By Austin Talbert Daily Texan Staff As much as the Big 12 changes — the rise of the spread offense, highscoring games where defenses struggle to survive, the recent dominance of the South division — some things never change. Bill Snyder is the coach at Kansas State, again. “Well, I think emphasis has certainly changed,” said Snyder of the changes since he left football in 2005. “We’re sitting in the capital of change in regards to offensive football in the Big 12 Conference, and there have been some changes in that respect.” When Snyder retired from coaching after the 2005 season, it was his 17th and final season as the Wildcats’ head coach, or so fans thought. But after the program struggled through the Ron Prince years and added Snyder’s name to the stadium in Manhattan, he has returned to rebuild the Kansas State program he built into a national power. “I don’t know if it will be any different than maybe what some others have experienced. That wasn’t the purpose behind re-entering Kansas State University’s football program,” Snyder said. “Primarily, it had to do with the people of Kansas State, tremendous support people that we have. K-State Nation, so to speak. Our football family.” Snyder, who will turn 70 in October, will attempt to rebuild Kansas State with a coaching staff familiar with his system, including his son Sean, who is the Wildcats’ director of football operations. “It’s a demanding thing no matter how you look at it. I think it is for every coach regardless of what their age happens to be,” Snyder said. “I’ve got a lot of good people around me that help a great deal. Sean is here. I couldn’t do it without Sean. We’ve got the coaching staff. I think 10 out of the top 13 people in our organization either played for me or worked for me at Kansas State University or did both. We get a lot of people that understand the system and are a great asset to me. So it makes life a little bit easier.” Kansas State may be down, but this rebuilding job is nothing compared to the first time Snyder brought Kansas State out of the dark ages of college football. Before he took over, the Wildcats were dismal and had failed to win a game in 27 tries. But Snyder built them into a power, rattling off 11 straight bowl berths. “The program has come a long way since that period of time,” Snyder said. The players, most of whom were recruited by Prince, are eager to start the new season under the Wildcat legend. “I am excited,” said linebacker

Donna McWilliam | Associated Press

Kansas State football coach Bill Snyder is shown during Big 12 Media Day in Irving, Texas on Wednesday. Alex Hrebec. “I hear everyone, all “He, himself, isn’t very rah-rah. But the time, talk about him. I am excit- he knows so much about the game. I ed about it.” have learned a lot under Coach SnySince Snyder took over after the der already.” end of last season, Snyder is still the the Wildcats have same hard-nosed already seen the coach he was before, changes. just a bit older. “He is a little bit “How I am difmore old-school,” He [Snyder] is a little f e re n t ? ” S n y d e r said Carson Coffsaid. “Well, less hair. bit more old-school. man, who is expectThere’s no dark tint If I had one word to to it whatsoever.” ed to be the Wildcats’ starting quar- describe him, it would While he can’t pinterback. “If I had point the exact perbe ‘demanding.’” one word to describe sonal changes he has him, it would be ‘de— Carson Coffman undergone, he does manding.’ He derecognize how quickexpected Wildcat ly the recruiting landmands a lot.” starting quarterback scape has changed While the excitesince he retired. ment has returned to “Cyberspace has the program, don’t kind of taken comexpect Snyder to mand of a lot of difshow it. “I wouldn’t say he is the most en- ferent things, particularly recruitthusiastic person,” Coffman said. ing. The speed of the recruiting pro-

‘‘

cess has changed rather dramatically over the last four years,” Snyder said. “It’s a little frightening in that respect. Here are young guys that haven’t played as a senior yet, and they’re in your program already, and you’ve extended all those offers. And that’s pretty consistent with what’s going on all over the nation.” But Snyder must adapt to the new game. “I get up every morning early in the morning, and you get this BlackBerry thing out, and it’s got all the recruiting services, and they each have a long story on every youngster that is above the age of four in the nation. Tells you what he had for breakfast and what position he plays and who’s recruiting him and so on,” Snyder said. “So, I mean, it’s so much, it’s so very, very visible and so national right now, which is a little — it’s a change for me, but it’s, you know, over the past two or three years it’s been a change for everybody.”

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Expectations are up as Mississippi looks for first SEC title in 46 years Team name: Mississippi Rebels Head coach: Houston Nutt Conference: SEC 2008 record: 9-4

No. 5

Key players: r Dexter McCluster — Senior — WR/ RB 655 rushing yards, 6.0 yards per carry, 6 rushing touchdowns 44 receptions, 625 receiving yards, 1 receiving touchdown McCluster led the team in rushing yards and receptions last season, making him a rare Reggie Bush-like player. While Snead is the quarterback, the 5-foot-8-inch back will be the most important and most dangerous player on the field, creating openings for Snead. r Joshua Shene — Senior — K

17-21 field goals, 52-52 PATs In the SEC, there will be close games no matter who’s playing, and having an All-American-caliber kicker gives any team a slight advantage for those last-second chances that could decide the game.

Game to watch: Sept. 26 at South Carolina The Gamecocks defeated the Rebels last season in Oxford and Jevan Snead has not forgotten. Ole Miss must show that they are for real in the first test of the season which is also their conference opener. The word on Ole Miss: The people in Oxford, Miss. have something to look forward to this fall as the Rebels have a strong core that many believe is capable of not just competing for the SEC Championship, but also for a national championship. The Rebels avoid matchups with Florida and Georgia this season and have a favorable schedule, if possible, in the SEC.

Ole Miss hopes to stay at the top of conference after years in the cellar By Dan Hurwitz Daily Texan Staff Remember the big quarterback controversy following the Longhorns’ 2005 nation championship? Mack Brown had the choice between three freshmen in Colt McCoy, Sherrod Harris and Jevan Snead. After McCoy won the starting job and set records as a freshman quarterback, Snead opted to transfer to Ole Miss and try to earn the starting role for the Rebels. Snead’s excellent play has almost allowed the fans of Mississippi to forget the name Eli Manning as the Rebels have possibly their best chance to win the SEC for the first time since 1963. Handing the Florida Gators their only loss on their way to another SEC Championship and national title in 2008, Ole Miss helped let the world know that the Rebels are no longer a pushover in the SEC. Mississippi brings a six-game winning streak, including a win against Texas Tech in last year’s Cotton Bowl, into this season.

But prior to the six consecutive victories, the Rebels had two losses to teams in the bottom half of the conference against South Carolina and Vanderbilt — both in Oxford. The Rebels lost some talent, including 600 pounds up front belonging to NFL first-round picks Michael Oher at offensive tackle and Peria Jerry at defensive tackle. But of course, to be fifth in our rankings they have plenty of players returning who are capable of leading this team to an SEC Championship. In addition to Snead, the offense returns its top playmaker, Dexter McCluster, who Nutt tries to play as a hybrid receiver/tailback. McCluster has been described as a poor man’s Reggie Bush and as another Darren McFadden in the same Houston Nutt system — except Nutt will probably let Snead do all the passing since McCluster’s only two completed passes last year were interceptions. Nutt is most excited about his defensive line. The Rebels will bring back defensive ends Greg Hardy and Kentrell Lockett, who will have their hands full against some of the top of-

Butch Dill | Associated Press

Mississippi quarterback Jevan Snead speaks to the media during an availibility at the Southeastern Conference football Media Days in Hoover, Ala., on July 23. fenses in the nation. Also returning is the Rebels leading tackle from last season, Kendrick Lewis, who has become the leader of the defense. “He’s the one that really took the baton from those four captains,” Nutt said at SEC Media Day. “He took the baton at 5:30 in the morning. You knew the first morning of those workouts who was going to be your leader.” Prior to the win against Florida last season, the Rebels

had not won an SEC game in more than 700 days. Now, all of a sudden, they are getting tons of attention and are hoping not to be the bust of the 2009 season. But Nutt doesn’t care about what the experts have to say. “Last year, the same group of experts picked us towards the bottom,” Nutt said. “Same group of experts now picking us towards the top. We tell our team, ‘What does that mean?’ Doesn’t mean anything.”

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LIFE&ARTS

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Life&Arts Editor: Leigh Patterson E-mail: lifeandarts@dailytexanonline.com Phone: (512) 232-2209 www.dailytexanonline.com

T HE DAILY TEXAN

RESTAURANT REVIEW

A flip-side to the hip-hop block New Chinese

eatery boasts decent food and fair price

Courtesy of Atmosphere

The wildly enthusiastic Slug speaks to The Daily Texan about being involved with Atmosphere, the pretentious thug mentality of the hip-hop culture and the changing audiences at their wild, energetic shows.

Unique music artist talks about records, personal lyrics and wild shows By Francisco Marin Daily Texan Staff Who said hip-hop was dead? Where most hip-hop artists are apt to brag about their drug use, their blinged-out lifestyle and the beautiful women they’ve had, Slug (Sean Daley) of Atmosphere is simply content to point out his addiction to coffee and sex, the poverty he faced growing up in Minneapolis and the deranged antics of Lucy, a seminal figure in the modern hip-hop sphere. Following the recent release of their free 7-song EP “Leak at Will,” Atmosphere is gearing up for the last leg of a tour that has taken members Slug and Anthony Davis (Ant) across the U.S., around Europe and back again. Meanwhile, Slug has been prolific as ever. “I just finished another Felt record with MURS, which I’m hoping will come out by the end of the year, and Ant is getting with Brother Ali on a new record,” Slug said. “When we get home, we’re going to pick up where we left off with a new project — an EP or two, or even an album. We haven’t made an album since, fucking shit, 2008? We just want to make a shitload of music.” The wildly enthusiastic Slug speaks with all the excitement of a child at a carnival, but his words carry the emotional gravitas of a wisened hip-hop legend. On the song “Feel Good Hit of the Summer,” off of the new EP, Slug masterfully weaves lyrics into a deep, personal narrative detailing his addictions to cigarettes and his strange experiences with a plethora of drugs. “That song is my own introspection, not really about our vices in general,” Slug said. “But I see the audience getting younger and younger and seeing so much glorification

about getting faded and fucked-up. I wanted to write a song about vices that was more realistic instead of talking about getting drunk and dropping X.”

‘‘

There’s always something crazy going on [at the shows] — people expressing their appreciation by screaming, yelling, showing off parts of their body. Every show, it gets wild.” — Sean Daley member of Atmosphere

That drive for authenticity has been the guiding force behind the duo’s popularity throughout the years. While Atmosphere started off making lo-fi beats and aping the styles of its contemporaries, Slug quickly found out that the development of his personal narratives really set him apart from the rest of the crowd. “I mean, truthfully, I’m not mad at mainstream rap and hip-hop, but I think one of the problems with them is the culture of its identity,” he said. “It’s the kids that draw the lines around the artists and around themselves — and when I grew up, you didn’t pick which branch of the tree you

wanted, you embraced the whole tree. If a motherfucker was dope, you listened to him. There’s no reason you can’t have me in the same archive as Scarface, Aesop Rock, Devin the Dude. Kids aren’t allowing themselves to to take it in and not draw their identity lines around it. This is not just a culture, but an experience.” At the same time, Slug has made less and less references throughout Atmosphere’s last few albums to Lucy, a lyrical figure many listeners thought represented his ex-girlfriend. “I think when I reached a point when it just became a caricature of itself, I backed off,” Slug said. “Lucy was never intended to be a symbol for why people hate their girlfriends — it was supposed to be about codependency. To alcohol, to drugs, even music for that matter. When I realized people weren’t tapping into the relationship aspect of it, I backed off because I don’t want that to be written on my tombstone, you know? Lucy’s an icon for all these things that we get addicted to.” As for tonight’s show, Slug is as pumped as ever despite tragedy at a past show. “There’s been a lot of crazy things that happened at our shows. One girl died at one of our shows once — she was killed, so it was pretty fucked-up,” Slug said. “But on the more positive side, there’s always something crazy going on — people expressing their appreciation by screaming, yelling, showing off parts of their body. Every show, it gets wild.”

By Risa Punzalan Daily Texan Staff There are tons of places to get dim sum near campus, but newly opened Fortune Chinese Seafood makes it a unique experience. From the very low prices to a wide variety of menu offerings, it’s worth a visit. The first thing to note about Fortune Chinese Seafood is the service. Upon entering the restaurant, one is immediately greeted by a pleasant hostess and aptly attended by the waitstaff throughout the meal. The inside decor looks pretty standard — it hasn’t changed much from the restaurant’s predecessor, another Asian restaurant called Kim Son. Fortune Chinese Seafood is best visited during the weekend, when it offers full dim sum cart service (on weekdays they only have a steam cart with steamed dim sum goodies). Guests also have the option of ordering off the menu. On the cart, there are a number of interesting dishes worth trying but none of them are really perfect. The taro root cake was steamed with a nice browning from a brief sear. It tasted fine, but the texture was a bit off, as if it had not been cooked long enough. It tasted a bit better with soy sauce, but what doesn’t? The shrimp wrapped in rice noodles — delicious and perfectly chewy — greatly benefitted from a small splash of soy sauce as well. Patrons can also order chicken feet, an item that may sound and look off-putting, but was actually quite yummy. The flavors were very nice, with subtle background spices. The texture was exceedingly gelatinous and a little weird at first, but hey — chicken feet should be an adventure. The baked barbecued pork buns were made with a sweet, thin bun and an equally sweet filling, combining to be way too sweet. Some of the buns also lacked filling, or just had really big air bubbles from being baked. The absolute best dish of the evening was the fried taro root; A crispy, fried outer shell encased the silky taro interior. It was delicious, albeit a tad salty. In all, most of the food at Fortune Chinese Seafood was tasty. Some of the offerings were hit or miss, but the best parts of the restaurant by far were the prices: Dim Sum dishes range from $1.95 to $3.95, excellent prices for the quality of the food. WHAT: Fortune Chinese Seafood WHERE: 10901 N. Lamar Blvd., Suite 1-A WHEN: Steam cart service is offered Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Full cart service is offered on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dinner service is offered from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

WHAT: Atmosphere WHERE: Stubb’s Bar-B-Q WHEN: Tonight, doors open at 7 p.m. TICKETS: $23 - $25

May-Ying Lam | Daily Texan Staff

Vun Ziegler orders dim sum at Fortune Chinese Seafood Restaurant, which opened one month ago on North Lamar Boulevard.

HUMP DAY

By Mary Lingwall

The Guttmacher Institute, one of the world’s preeminent sex and reproductive health think tanks, released a study in December based on new evidence supporting the efficacy of the withdrawal method at preventing pregnancy. Rachel K. Jones, the lead author of the study and a senior researcher at Guttmacher, focused on withdrawal both as a practice that could slightly increase protection during an unprotected sex situation and as a method that could increase protection as a backup method for couples using birth control, or birth control in conjunction with condoms. After Jones’ “Better than noth-

ing or savvy risk-reduction practice? The importance of withdrawal” was published in the June issue of Contraception, a scholarly journal on contraceptive technologies and the news media went into a tizzy. In her critique of the study, Tracy Quan, a blogger for Internet news hub “The Daily Beast,” referred to Guttmacher as “a respected think-tank known (until now) for its sane … approach to sexual health.” Most sexual health advocates agreed with Quan and were upset by the article — especially with regard to its possible implication that it would influence young people to make the decision to use withdrawal instead of condoms. But there was still a small fringe group who saw a very different point under the surface of the article — a point not about withdrawal’s efficacy, but about our blithe trust in condoms. One of these fringe readers was Amanda Hess, a blogger on gender and culture for the Washington City Paper’s “Sexist” blog. “One of the interesting things to me about this study … is that it placed withdrawal slightly

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Avoid premature withdrawal, know the facts about Guttmacher study

below condoms,” Hess wrote. “And still, most of the response has been, ‘there’s no way this could ever work, this is some frat dude conspiracy.’ And so perhaps what this study reveals isn’t that withdrawal is a very good option, but rather that we have a bit too much faith in condoms.”

The Guttmacher study reported that “perfect use” effectiveness of withdrawal (i.e. that the male partner knew exactly when he was going to ejaculate and that he pulls out of the vagina prior to the start of his ejaculation every single time he has sex) is 4 percent, while “typi-

cal use” effectiveness (which accounts for user failure) is about 18 percent. Guttmacher’s reliability information about condoms is startlingly similar to that of withdrawal. “Male condoms have perfectand typical-use failure rates of 2 percent and 17 percent, respectively,” Jones reported. So what are sexually responsible young people supposed to do with this article and the somewhat contradictory and unsettling information it poses? Does the article suggest that we can finally throw caution to the wind and use the old “pull and pray” as a primary method of contraception? Or are we now supposed to even be scared about condom efficacy, as Hess would suggest? First of all, it’s important to understand what perfect vs. typical use means. For condoms, perfect use is pretty easy to achieve: You apply the condom correctly before penetration, use lube to prevent friction-induced breakage and use a new condom for each act of intercourse. So these typical-use statistics that make condoms look as ineffective as withdrawal don’t actually mean that condoms are faulty,

but rather that some condom-users are not using them correctly. Condom-use errors are userinduced, whereas withdrawaluse errors are due to the natural dangers implicit in the method. For example, many young men aren’t always sure when they are going to ejaculate. But most importantly, the reason for casting withdrawal in negative light is simple: Withdrawal offers absolutely zero protection from STIs. Want to compare that with condoms? Easy: 0 percent vs. 98 percent, according to “Contraceptive Technology,” the reference the Food and Drug Administration uses to guide its reproductive health policies. For young people who are still experimenting with their number of partners, issues of commitment and verbal communication skills regarding sexuality and sexual health — withdrawal is laughable as a safe sex option. But when mutual monogamy, annual STI testing and an ability to use a method consistently and correctly becomes a viable option for your lifestyle, withdrawal may become significantly less taboo.