The Daily Texan 11/18/09

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Horns might find their best from the bench Wednesday, November 18, 2009

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Research: job crunch affecting graduates Sara Young | Daily Texan Staff

Anthropology professor Kamala Visweswaran, UT Press office assistant Dawn Bishop and McCombs School of Business academic adviser Briana Mohan, holding her daughter Mallika, listen to a discussion during the Teach-In forum held Tuesday evening in Painter Hall.

Budget situation ‘a perfect storm’ By Hudson Lockett & Lena Price Daily Texan Staff Despite his confidence in the security of his position, Texas State Employees Union organizer James Rubarth-Lay lost his job as a senior software analyst for UT’s Information Technology Services during a round of layoffs in late October. Although he thought he would recover and find another job, he said there aren’t any openings that match his skill set or salary requirements in Austin. Soon, he’s going to have to start accepting unemployment checks. Rubarth-Lay was one of six

speakers at the Union’s teach-in held on campus Tuesday. The goal of the forum was to educate students and staff about the University budget situation and to put a face on some of the recent cuts that have been made across the school. Thomas Palaima, a classics professor and member of the Faculty Advisory Committee on Budgets, opened the forum by giving a brief presentation about the budget. Palaima said the budget situation was worse than he or anyone else had initially expected. “This is a perfect storm,” Palaima said.

Impact on students The speakers at the forum discussed budget reallocations and explained to the 50 students and staff who attended how the changes could affect them. During the event, a petition was circulated that called for a stop to any further layoffs within the University. Psychology sophomore Caroline Taylor said she told most of her friends about the cuts, but they either don’t know about them or don’t care. “It’s kind of frustrating because students should care,” Taylor said.

“It’s hard to get a good undergraduate education with fewer classes and fewer teachers.” Anne Lewis, a lecturer in the Department of Radio-TelevisionFilm, questioned the need to reduce the size of UT’s teaching staff. She said that in order to make an impact on where the cuts are coming from, faculty and staff need to be fully included in the decisionmaking process. “What happened in Liberal Arts and with these petitions gives me a lot of hope,” Lewis said.

TEACH-IN continues on page 2

10 years later, Aggies remember victims of bonfire tragedy By Jordan Haeger Daily Texan Staff Ten years ago, Texas A&M University and UT set aside their rivalry when 12 students were killed after the collapse of A&M’s annual bonfire. Students grieve after the Aggie Bonfire collapse in 1999. Today marks the 10th anniversary of the tragedy.

Matt Hempel Daily Texan file photo

The long-lived tradition ended abruptly when the 59-foot tower of 5,000 logs collapsed, injuring 27 people, including several students. A&M will hold a memorial this evening followed by a candlelight vigil at 2:42 a.m., the time at which

the bonfire collapsed. School spokesman Tom Hughes said it’s important to remember the tragedy and the Aggies lost, as well as those who helped to save the lives of their fellow students. He said he remembers football players desperately trying to move logs off the pile to free students trapped underneath. “It was a very, very trying day,” Hughes said. Ruth Wetherington was a freshman in 1999 when the bonfire collapsed. She said she was excited to attend her first bonfire as a student because it was one of the reasons she chose to attend A&M. Fifteen minutes after the bonfire collapsed, Wetherington and some friends arrived on campus and heard the news. Wetherington’s older friends wanted to go help, but

some thought it wasn’t a big deal as the bonfire had collapsed a few years ago, and no one was hurt. When they arrived, they could immediately tell something terrible had happened, she said. “When we pulled up it kind of hit me how sad they were,” Wetherington said. “We heard people crying and screaming.” Wetherington said her male friends immediately ran to wake up friends who could help move the logs off the students. Mark Gold, Wetherington’s brother and the former student body president, said the bonfire collapse has affected the University more than anything else in its history. Gold said he received the opportunity of a lifetime when he was able

By Jordan Haeger Daily Texan Staff Hiring for new college graduates is down 40 percent from the previous year, according to a recent survey. Large employers a year ago anticipated to hire an average of 114 college graduates with a bachelor’s degree per company. They ended up hiring 64, said Phil Gardner, director of the Collegiate Employment Research Institute at Michigan State University, which conducted the survey. “That’s a lot of ground loss,” Gardner said. The survey collected information from more than 1,800 companies nationwide, including large Fortune 100 companies and small Austin-based consulting and accounting firms, Gardner said. He said the projected labor contractions for last year were greater than he expected. “Last year, we thought labor would contract by about 8 percent,” he said. “When November rolled around and things really got bad, it contracted another 35 or 49 percent.” Gardner said graduates will have to bring more than a degree to the table when looking for a job in coming years. Employers are looking for employees who have critical-thinking skills, the abilities to work with a team and to work on a project without

JOBS continues on page 2

Austin food banks report increases in client needs By Molly Triece Daily Texan Staff Despite Austin’s economic stability, some residents, including many students, are sometimes forced to eat unhealthily in an effort to make ends meet, according to officials in Austin’s food bank industry. According to a 2006 survey conducted by the Basic Needs Coalition, 74 percent of Central Texas food providers reported an increase in requests for food and 24 percent of the agencies had to turn away some of those requests because of a lack of resources. El Buen Samaritano, a food pantry in Austin, has seen a 55 percent increase in patrons since the last fiscal year, which food pantry spokesman Ivan Dávila said does not reflect data from BusinessWeek magazine that names Austin as the second-strongest economy in the nation.

HUNGER continues on page 2

MEMORIAL continues on page 2

Study abroad event highlights UT’s global presence By Shabab Siddiqui Daily Texan Staff Germany and Australia are not neighbors, hummus and Chex Mix do not share origins in any culture and the Peace Corps is not a country. But at the Students for Study Abroad Student Mixer, pretty much anything goes. “This is just more laid back,” said organization President Lisa Khan. “It’s just a way for mentors and potential study abroad students to meet each other.” The Tuesday evening social was held at Gregory Gym as part of UT’s International Education Week. Entertainment and food were provided at various study abroad program booths, and former study abroad students shared their stories. Natcha Techachainiran, a sophomore electrical engineering ma-

jor from Thailand, said she hopes to study abroad in Germany. “I plan to go there, so I got to talk to people who have already been there,” Techachainiran said. “You also get to know more people.” The event is one of many attempts by the University to increase its presence internationally. According to the most recent UT study abroad statistics, the University ranked third in the country behind only New York University and Michigan State University in the number of students studying abroad during the 2004-05 school year. The most popular destination that year was the United Kingdom, followed by Italy, Spain, France and China. Almost 60 perEric Ou | Daily Texan Staff cent of the students took part in UT faculty-led programs, as opposed to Katrinia Donnellan leads students in an Irish céilí dance at a mixer held by Students for Study Abroad at Gregory Gym. This event is one of the many ABROAD continues on page 2 events that will be held for International Education Week.

Jordy Wagoner | Daily Texan Staff

Food pantry coordinator Rosa Carroll gives Olga Psamaniego items from the El Buen Samaritano Food Pantry in South Austin on Tuesday afternoon.


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abroad: Study highlights rise

in shorter, summer programs From page 1 individual- or University-affiliated programs. The study abroad bug, though, has hit the nation as a whole. A report released Wednesday by the Institute of International Education found 262,416 U.S. students studied abroad during the 2007-08 school year, an 8.5 percent increase from the year before. The institute’s report noted certain emerging trends among study abroad programs, including a rise in shorter study abroad periods, such as summers. The study found that 56 percent of all study abroad programs last for eight weeks or less. Secondly, while European destinations remain popular, several non-European countries reported double-digit percentage increases in study abroad students hosted over a one-year period . The number of American students studying abroad in the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Latin America increased between 10 to 20 percent. Social work professor Dorie Gilbert is leading a Maymester

to Ghana during the summer of 2010. She said her program, titled “Ghana – Community and Social Development,” specifically offers students a different type of study abroad program. “There’s not only an opportunity for students to go where we traditionally don’t offer,” Gilbert said, “but students participate in meaningful volunteer projects.” A third trend the report highlights is an increase in the diversity of majors participating in study abroad programs, straying away from the traditional liberal arts- and business-dominated participants. Billy Wood, a senior lecturer at the Cockrell School of Engineering, is leading a Maymester to Vienna during the summer of 2010. He said the study abroad experience gives his students an opportunity to see engineering from a different perspective. “We don’t understand the concept of old in this country,” Wood said. “[In Vienna], you can see centuries or thousands of years of engineering growth. Our students are going to be working in a global economy. It’s a tremendous experience for [them].”

memorial: Figures from UT, A&M

emphasize solidarity over rivalry From page 1 to meet the families of those who died in the collapse, including the family of Tim Kerlee Jr., who was trapped near the top of the stack. Kerlee chose to stay there to guide rescue workers to other people trapped beneath him but later died in the hospital. Gold said such students are heroes not only because they worked to uphold the school’s favorite tradition but because some of them gave their lives to help their friends when that tradition turned fatal. Parisa Fatehi, UT’s Student Government president in 1999, said she and then-President Larry Faulkner had traveled to College Station that night to attend the ceremony as representatives of UT. “It was heartbreaking and also strengthening in that there were so many students and members of the community who came out to support each other,” Fatehi said. “It was a time when it just felt like suddenly there were no boundaries between UT and A&M students. We just felt like you needed to comfort your friends and be there for them in a very vulnerable time.”

That year’s annual Hex Rally became a memorial service for those who died, said Jim Boon, executive director and CEO of the Texas Exes. “This was a time when we needed to stand shoulder to shoulder with our colleagues at A&M,” he said. Boon said Texas Exes has been in contact with members of the The Association of Former Students at A&M to let them know the organization is thinking of them, but there is no plan to commemorate the event at UT this year. The Hex Rally will take place as scheduled with no planned mention of the tragedy. Some Aggies have mixed feelings about reinstating the bonfire tradition. “We are so big on tradition, and we want to keep that tradition alive,” said architecture senior Lisa Bradley. “What happened 10 years ago is something that will never be forgotten.” Wetherington said the bonfire is a symbol of unity at A&M, and she would love to see it reinstated as long as it is done safely. “That’s what the bonfire was created to do was to bring everybody together and create a sense of unity,” she said.

The Daily Texan Permanent Staff

This newspaper was written, edited and designed with pride by The Daily Texan and Texas Student Media.

Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jillian Sheridan Managing Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Stephen Keller Associate Managing Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . David R. Henry, Ana McKenzie Associate Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jeremy Burchard, Dan Treadway, David Muto, Lauren Winchester News Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sean Beherec Associate News Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pierre Bertrand, Austen Sofhauser, Blair Watler Senior Reporters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Viviana Aldous, Bobby Longoria, Rachel Platis, Lena Price Enterprise Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Andrew Kreighbaum Enterprise Reporters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hudson Lockett Copy Desk Chief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Robert Green Associate Copy Desk Chiefs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cristina Herrera, Nausheen Jivani, Matt Jones Design Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Thu Vo Assistant Design Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Shatha Hussein Senior Designers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Taylor Fausak, Lynda Gonzales, Olivia Hinton Photo Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . May-Ying Lam Associate Photo Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bryant Haertlein, Peter Franklin, Caleb Miller Senior Photographers . . . . Lauren Gerson, Mary Kang,Tamir Kalifa, Peyton McGee, Sara Young Life&Arts Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Leigh Patterson Associate Life&Arts Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Brad Barry, Francisco Marin Jr. Senior Features Writers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Audrey Gale Campbell, Lisa HoLung, Ben Wermund Senior Entertainment Writers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Robert Doty, Mary Lingwall, Robert Rich Senior DT Weekend Writer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Amber Genuske Sports Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Austin Talbert Senior Sports Writers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Will Anderson, Wes DeVoe, Blake Hurtik . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dan Hurwitz, Laken Litman, Michael Sherfield, Chris Tavarez Comics Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Carolyn Calabrese Web Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Annika Erdman Associate Web Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Erik Reyna Multimedia Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Juan Elizondo Associate Multimedia Editors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kara McKenzie, Rachel Schroeder Editorial Adviser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Richard Finnell

Issue Staff

Reporters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Molly Triece, Jordan Haeger, Israel Perez . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Vidushi Shrimali, Shabab Siddiqui Photographers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Eric Ou, Jardy Wagoner Life&Arts Writers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Allistair Pinsoff, Javier Sanchez, Gerald Rich . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Audrey White, Jackie Newell Copy Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Kelsey Crow, Vicky Ho, Michael Moran, Megan Jones Wire Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Beth Waldman Page Designers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lindsey Estes, Chris Benavides, Mustafa Saifuddin Sports Writer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jordan Godwin Columnists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anna Russo, Calvin Sloan Comics Artists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Gabe Alvarez, Katie Smith, Amelia Giller, Nam Nguyen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ryan Hailey, Miles Luna, Rachel Weiss, Jermaine Alfonso Web Technician . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jonathan Damrich Videographer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Debbie Finley Volunteer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . John Harden

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

TeacH-in: Employees, students grapple

with proposed University budget cuts From page 1 She referred to a proposal to cut the number of required foreign language hours in the College of Liberal Arts last month that was withdrawn by Dean Randy Diehl after faculty outcry against the idea. Lewis said lecturers in the College of Communication can make a maximum of $26,000 a year and essentially have to reapply for their jobs every semester. “We need job security,” Lewis said. “We need equal pay for equal work, we need health benefits and we need the basics that every worker in this country needs.” Anthropology graduate student Mohan Ambikaipaker said the cuts would be detrimental to graduate students, as well as undergraduates and lecturers. The budget cuts in the College of Liberal Arts could reduce the size of the incoming graduate student class by up to 25 percent.

After a brief question-and-answer session, audience members were asked to gather in smaller groups around the auditorium to discuss possible solutions for the situation. Away from a corner dedicated to a possible undergraduate coalition, Lewis said that when asked by their department chair, radiotelevision-film staffers refused to choose 12 staff-taught production classes to be cut from the curriculum in the coming year.

Following the Money In front of a crowd of about 60 students, staff and faculty, Palaima gave credit to administrators for their handling of University money. “I think that they’re trying to do their best in a very difficult situation,” Palaima said. “And the fact that the situation isn’t worse than it is is to the credit of people like [Vice President and Chief Financial Officer] Kevin Hegarty, who were very fiscally conservative when other

institutions were really spending money like mad.” The flow from endowment money to UT institutions depends on how investments of the Permanent University Fund performed in recent years. The policy put in place by the UT System Board of Regents averages how much the endowments handled by the UT Investment Management Company returned over the past 12 quarters. It then extracts 4.75 percent from those returns to create a given year’s funding pool — the Available University Fund. This money is divided between the A&M and UT systems, with two-thirds allocated to UT. Of the UT System money, at least 45 percent goes to UT-Austin for “academic excellence,” which entails library upkeep and improvement, special academic programs and research. Mary Knight, director of the Budget Office for UT-Austin, said some salaries, both partial and whole, rely on these funds. The UT Investment Management

Company is charged with investing endowment funds to produce greater returns for the A&M and UT Systems. A recently released annual financial audit showed a loss of about $1.5 billion between August 2008 and August 2009. The loss of nearly 15 percent of the endowment’s value is far less severe than the losses faced by many other universities but may exert a lasting impact on how much money is distributed. Knight said that the newest figures from the UT System predict money from the Permanent University Fund will continue to decline and is expected to drop to $145 million in the 2011-2012 fiscal year. The drop represents a $20 million decrease in the fund’s value since 2008. Knight added it was important to take into account potential changes in the market — good or bad — when looking ahead. “We can’t base a recurring budget on something that may not be there in a few years,” she said.

Jobs: Hiring rates may rise with economy From page 1 supervision, he said. One thing Gardner said graduates won’t have to worry about is competing with more experienced workers who have been laid off. Of the companies surveyed, “only 11 percent said they might consider someone with more experience but in general they said no,” he said. Companies may not be willing to pay the experienced employees what they want, he said. Or employees with experience may come to a job with certain expectations. If those expectations are not met, those employees may leave, Gard-

ner said. “People who graduated last year and a year before are not positioned that well in the labor market,” he said. “There will be competition that way.” Matt Berndt, director of Career Services for the College of Communication, said not everyone in every industry and in every state is affected the same way. “Nationwide the unemployment rate is about 10 percent right now, if not surpassing that,” he said. Berndt said the career services counselors advise their students in the same ways they always have. Berndt advises students to start their job searches early, and make

sure they let potential employers know why they are a good fit for the job. “Students who think that they’re going to be able to go find their dream job right now are not being realistic,” he said. Like credit companies who are still lending money, but only to safe investments, companies are still hiring, but only people they are sure about, he said. Electrical engineering senior Dan Ruegger said the engineering field is competitive even without the added stress of a recession. “I do stress about it,” Ruegger said. “Hopefully, I’ll get a job. If not, I’ll come back and get an MBA.”

Ruegger said he has a friend who, despite work experience and all the right qualifications, is not hearing back from the oil companies she interviewed with. The survey indicates that while hiring rates for recent graduates are bleak, they may level off in 2010 as the economy begins to rebound. “We have reached where economists think the unemployment rate is going to go,” Berndt said. Berndt said unemployment has hit its lowest point and will now slowly start to rebuild itself. “It’s not going to get much worse,” he said. “It’s going to get better, but it’s going to get better slowly.”

Hunger: Food banks face shortages of healthy goods From page 1 “What I’m advocating is that despite Austin being named an economically stable city, we are still facing hunger,” Dávila said. Dávila said that the food pantry has been able to provide food for all those who request it, but other pantries and food banks that are short on resources have had to turn customers away or switch to cheaper, less nutritional food. “I’ve heard of some places just giving away donuts, but we stress health here,” Dávila said. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported this year that households that are just scraping by try to avoid skipping meals by serving smaller portions or eating cheaper, less-nutritional foods. Many people in this category are members of the

The Daily Texan Volume 110, Number 116 25 cents

CONTACT US Main Telephone: (512) 471-4591 Editor: Jillian Sheridan (512) 232-2212 editor@dailytexanonline.com

working class who fall above the federal poverty line of $21,000 per year but have a family to support, Dávila said. The Center for Public Policy Priorities found that an income of at least $53,080 would be needed to cover the expenses of a family of four in Austin. “Even people living on twice the poverty level struggle to make ends meet,” said Celia Hagert, senior policy analyst for the center. “Even in good economic times those people still struggle, and when things get worse, it’s almost impossible.” Texas offers a variety of programs aimed at alleviating hunger, including a food stamps program and a school lunch program for underprivileged children. Hagert said that Texas does not have any intiatives outside of these federal-

ly funded programs to help those who are hungry. “Texas spends less on its citizens per capita [than other states],” Hagert said. “It’s become a vicious cycle, and Texas has not made enough of an effort to break those cycles.” Student Financial Services director Tom Melecki said that several hundred students have come to the student financial services office facing lower than expected family contributions to their college costs because one or more of their parents has lost a job or experienced financial setbacks since the 2008 FAFSA. For students who find themselves short on cash, all that financial services can do is refer them to Hire a Longhorn. “Federal and state aid is very generous, but there is a limited

amount,” Melecki said. Melecki said financial aid also offers help to underprivileged students through programs such as Bevonomics, which helps students budget their grant money. Undeclared sophomore Douglas Helsel said that despite these additional programs, financial aid simply does not equip students with enough resources to last a semester. After paying tuition with his Pell grant, Helsel was left with $1,900 for living expenses for over three months. “I spend most of my money on food,” Helsel said. “If you live off campus, you don’t have access to home for food throughout the day. It’s harder this year than last year and what it’s come down to is me eating increasingly unhealthy to ration my money.”

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Wednesday, November 18, 2009

T he Daily Texan

Fort Hood attack sparks in-depth Pentagon review By Anne Gearan & Pauline Jelinek The Associated Press WASHINGTON — The Pentagon will investigate its procedures in light of the Fort Hood shooting rampage, looking at how all the military services keep a watch on potential problems within their ranks, officials said Tuesday. The probe is still in the planning stages, but would be a broad examination beyond the particulars of Army psychiatrist Nidal Malik Hasan, officials said. Defense Secretary Robert Gates wants a unified probe that hits all corners of the Pentagon, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said. “This is shaping up to be a DoD effort,� Morrell said, using an abbreviation for the U.S. Department of Defense. “This is larger than the Army. There are issues that need to be looked at department-wide, and the focus at this point is trying to figure out some of those questions,� he added. The investigation would consider some questions Morrell described as immediate, although he would not be specific, and some he said will take longer to frame and sort through. Another official said there will be a fast look at whether the military has missed red flags that might signal there are other potentially dangerous service members out there. That official spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is still being organized. The Army has also been preparing to launch its own internal probe. The Pentagon review could supersede that, although it is not clear whether the Army will still go ahead separately. Though it’s still undecided who would do such a review and exactly what it would include, officials are working to make an announcement about it soon, a senior defense official said Tuesday on condition of anonymity. Morrell said there has been no decision on the structure,

time line or staffing for the upcoming Pentagon review. “He’s trying to come to a resolution of this as quickly as possible, but this has not been nailed down quite yet,� Morrell said of Gates’ actions. Hasan, an Army major, is accused of killing 13 people in the Nov. 5 shooting rampage at the Texas base. Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey had said earlier that the service would take a hard look at itself following the Nov. 5 shooting incident. Any new review would have to be careful not to interfere with the ongoing criminal investigation, defense officials said. And so it could look at things outside that realm such as personnel policy and practices and whether there are adequate health services for troubled troops, one official said. A top priority, this official said, likely would be to look at red flags missed in Hasan’s case, with an eye toward ensuring there are not other similar missed cases out there waiting to happen. “A tragedy like this certainly gives this institution an opportunity to reflect on whether we are doing everything that we can and should to prevent something like this from happening,� said Defense Department spokesman Bryan Whitman. He said Gates has not made any decision on a defense-wide review. Two military officials said Tuesday that Casey is looking at forming an investigative panel. It would look at Hasan as a whole, his career development and at what point someone should have or might have raised an alarm, one of the officials said. The other said the terms of what the panel would do have not been defined. The proposed Army probe would focus on Hasan’s six years at Washington’s Walter Reed Medical Center, where he worked as a psychiatrist before he was transferred to Fort Hood in July, one said.

Andy Wong | Associated Press

President Barack Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao, right, walk past a Chinese honorguard during a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Tuesday.

US, China promise cooperation By Charles Hutzler The Associated Press BEIJING — President Barack Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao promised a determined, joint effort to tackle climate change, nuclear disarmament and other global troubles during their first full-blown summit Tuesday, but made scant progress beyond goodwill. After two hours of talks and a separate meeting over dinner the night before, the presidents spoke of moving beyond the divisiveness over human rights, trade and military tensions that have bedeviled relations in past decades. “The major challenges of the 21st century, from climate change to nuclear proliferation to economic recovery, are challenges that touch both our nations, and challenges that neither of our nations can solve by acting alone,� Obama said, standing with the

Chinese leader in the Great Hall of the People. Hu, who heads a collective leadership that often has preferred to go it alone internationally, said: “There are growing global challenges, and countries in today’s world have become more and more interdependent.� On climate, Obama said the United States and China are looking for a comprehensive deal during next month’s climate change summit that will hopefully “rally the world.� Obama said the goal at the Copenhagen meeting should be an agreement that has “immediate operational effect,� not just a political declaration. As the world’s two largest consumers and producers of energy, Obama said the United States and China must play a key role in negotiating an agreement. Hu committed to helping, but only within China’s coopera-

tion and capabilities. With each of the big issues, from global warming to the Iranian and North Korean nuclear programs, persistent differences bubbled up in the form of indirect barbs during the joint appearance. Stung by new U.S. levies on imports of Chinese-made tires and steel pipes, Hu said he told Obama that, given a still struggling global economy, both countries “need to oppose and reject protectionism in all its manifestations in an even stronger stand.� Obama later called on China to relax controls that keep the Chinese currency relatively weak and thus help fuel exports — something Beijing officials have rejected in recent days. Obama also pointedly raised human rights, saying they are fundamental to all. “We do not believe these principles are unique to America, but rather they are universal rights

and that they should be available to all peoples, to all ethnic and religious minorities,� Obama said in his only nationally televised remarks on the sensitive issue. The mixture of promises and lasting differences underscored how intertwined the superpower United States and rising power China are, and the difficult task Obama faces in managing friction with an authoritarian, sometimes testy Beijing. On his first visit ever to China, Obama said he was mostly striving to better understand China, a geopolitical force on its way to becoming the world’s second-largest economy. “Our relationship going forward will not be without disagreement or difficulty,� Obama said. “But because of our cooperation, both the United States and China are more prosperous and secure.�

Suspect pleads guilty in Elizabeth Smart case, apologizes for kidnapping By Jennifer Dobner The Associated Press SALT LAKE CITY — Seven years after she was abducted at knife point, Elizabeth Smart has an apology and guilty plea from one of her kidnappers. “I am so sorry, Elizabeth, for all the pain and suffering I have caused you and your family,� Wanda Eileen Barzee, 64, said Tuesday. “It is my hope that you will be able to find it in your heart to forgive me.� The appeal came minutes after Barzee pleaded guilty to federal charges of kidnap-

ping and unlawful transportation of a minor in U.S. District Court. She also said she was “humbled as I realize how much Elizabeth Smart has been victimized and the role that I played in it.� Smart, now 22 and preparing to serve a mission in Paris for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was not in court to hear the apology. But her father, Ed Smart, said outside court that forgiveness was a possibility. “Absolutely,� he said. “We all make mistakes in life ... and if we can’t forgive each

WORLD BRIEFLY Twins joined at heads undergo successful separation surgery MELBOURNE, Australia — A team of 16 surgeons and nurses successfully concluded 25 hours of delicate surgery Tuesday to separate twin Bangladeshi girls who had been joined at their heads,

other, heaven help us.� During the hearing, he said he hoped Barzee realized what she did was “absolutely wrong and absolutely horrible.� Smart was 14 when she was taken from the bedroom of her Salt Lake City home, sparking a search that riveted the nation. Nine months later, in March 2003, Barzee and her now-estranged husband Brian David Mitchell were arrested after they were spotted walking on a suburban street with Smart. Elizabeth Smart has said that within hours of the ab-

sharing blood vessels and brain tissue. It is too early to know whether the two-year-old girls, Trishna and Krishna, suffered any brain damage during the marathon operation, an outcome doctors said had a 50-50 chance. The girls will remain in an induced coma for monitoring for several days after the surgery. “The teams managed to separate their brains, and they are both

duction, Mitchell took her as a polygamous wife and then raped her. Smart said Barzee washed the teen’s feet and dressed her in robes before the ceremony. Barzee often became upset over Mitchell’s relationship with Smart, but that sentiment would never last, Smart said. She could have faced a life sentence for the kidnapping charge and up to 15 years for the other count. However, under the plea deal, she is expected to receive 15 years in prison, with credit for about six years already served.

very well,� Royal Children’s Hospital chief Leo Donnan told reporters. “Now we have the long task of the reconstructive surgery, which will go on for many hours.� Plastic surgeons finished reconstructing the girls’ skulls using a combination of their own skin, bone grafts and artificial materials about five hours after the separation surgery ended.

— The Associated Press

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Elizabeth Smart kidnapper Wanda Barzee, who pleaded guilty to abducting and illegally transporting a minor across state lines in 2002, gets into a car following a federal hearing Tuesday in Salt Lake City. Colin Braley Associated Press


OPINION

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Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Editor in Chief: Jillian Sheridan Phone: (512) 232-2212 E-mail: editor@dailytexanonline.com Associate Editors: Jeremy Burchard David Muto Dan Treadway Lauren Winchester

T HE DAILY TEXAN

GALLERY

OVERVIEW No Trail of Lights The lights coming from Zilker Park won’t be quite as bright this holiday season, but at least they’ll be there. The city of Austin announced that it will not play host to the annual Trail of Lights festival this year, nor will it seek an outside promoter to sponsor the event. The city broke the news by announcing Thursday its plans to instead put on the 2009 Zilker Tree Holiday Festival for nine nights starting Dec. 13. While the event will feature music and entertainment, the festivities will be scaled down to keep the event free. The news may be surprising to some, considering the city’s efforts to approve a $5 entrance fee for the Trail of Lights earlier this year. Facing a tight budget and a struggling economy, the city was forced to choose between allowing an outside company to hold the event and charging to put on the event itself. The city chose not to put on the festival at all. Instead, the Zilker Tree Holiday Festival will permit families to still head down to the park for free holiday fun (and a reduced price of $10 parking). It’s hard to imagine a majority of families and couples not paying an entrance fee for the full-fledged annual tradition, but the city’s desire to offer a free celebration instead will be appreciated by Austinites forced to cut back on holiday expenses this year.

UDems’ Ride-N-Register University Democrats members will ride the Riverside Cap Metro bus routes and register voters from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and Thursday. Given the historically lackluster turnout of young voters, UDems’ ride-and-register tactics may be the best way to register students who wouldn’t otherwise take the time to register or simply haven’t thought about the process. Those wishing to help need not be members of University Democrats — they can simply stop by the bus circle in the East Mall between classes. In the spirit of bipartisanship, several members of College Republicans have agreed to help with the effort. As the goal of registering voters should be a bipartisan one, it’s nice to see members from the University’s political organizations working to positively affect local politics rather than getting caught up in national talking points.

Shami throws his hat into the ring Houston-based businessman Farouk Shami has announced his candidacy for Texas governor. Shami will run as a Democrat and pledges not to accept any money from special-interest groups. Given Shami’s extremely deep pockets, that pledge doesn’t seem too far-fetched. Shami is best known as the inventor of BioSilk hair products and the CHI ceramic hair-straightener line as well as his for dedication to green technology and philanthropy, according to his campaign Web site. Though Shami is relatively obscure in the world of Texas politics, he’s already made a big splash with interesting promises and internationally renowned business practices. Shami told the Austin American-Statesman he will use $10 million of his own money in the Democratic primary and that if elected he would “waive the governor’s $150,000 annual salary and accept just $1 to serve Texas.” Shami, a long shot, is “100 percent sure” that he will be the next governor of Texas. We’re not quite as convinced, but we are excited to see his campaign unfold.

The petroleum civil war By Calvin Sloan Daily Texan Columnist

The petroleum world is at war with itself, and the stakes of the quarrel are high for all of us. The debate concerns the concept of peak oil — the term used to describe a global limit of oil production — its timing, and its implications. Oil is the lifeblood of modern economies. Without it, the world as we know it would cease to exist. That is not journalistic hyperbole. Given our petroleum dependence, or in the more candid words of former President George W. Bush, our “addiction,” we would be foolish to ignore warnings about the future supply of this precious commodity. Some respected analysts have forecasted such warnings. Businessman Warren Buffet — who recently made headlines for directing his company, Berkshire Hathaway, to acquire BNSF Railway — has declared that “it’s going to be difficult … to get [oil production] up much.” Just days ago at the Petroleum Geology Conference in London, after witnessing a debate on the issue, roughly twothirds of the geologists present voted against a motion stating that “peak oil is no longer a concern.” If the flow rates of conventional and unconventional oil sources are approaching — or, as the more pessimistic peak oil adherents argue, have already reached a plateau — we will soon be facing an unprecedented economic obstacle. As former British Prime Minister Tony Blair said in April of 2002, “The price of oil can be the difference between recession and recovery.” Some economists, such as James Hamilton of the University of California, San Diego, have suggested that high prices were partly responsible for the unfolding of the current financial crisis. Most alarmingly, recent accusations reveal that instead of raising awareness about peak oil, governments have been suppressing the truth about its proximity. On Nov. 9, a day before releasing its annual report, the International Energy Agency was criticized by two whistleblowers for allegedly capitulating to U.S. pressure to downplay decline rates and overplay the chances of finding new reserves.

One of the sources, a senior official still active in the agency, stated that “many inside the organization believe that maintaining oil supplies at even 90 to 95 mbpd would be impossible, but there are fears that panic could spread on the financial markets if the figures were brought down further.” The other source stated bluntly, “We have already entered the peak oil zone. I think that the situation is really bad.” Just weeks ago, David Fridley, a scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory who worked directly under Energy Secretary Steven Chu, further pushed the notion that the U.S. government is choosing to remain silent on oil supply woes, proclaiming that Chu “knows all about peak oil, but he can’t talk about it. If the government announced that peak oil was threatening our economy, Wall Street would crash. He just can’t say anything about it.” Our present approach to energy may be seriously altered within the next decade, and not by climate legislation. The further development of new technologies is more important now than ever before, but it seems highly likely that sweet crude, with inherently high energy returned on energy invested, does not have an equal substitute. In 2005, the U.S. Department of Energy sponsored the report “Peaking of World Oil Production: Impacts, Mitigation, and Risk Management.“ The findings were grave. According to the report, even if a crash program were to be implemented a decade before the fact, a production peak would still severely disrupt the global economy. In an interview conducted this September, the report’s lead author, Robert L. Hirsch, said, “Peak oil is a bigger issue than health care, than federal budget deficits. … There are no quick fixes.” A culture of denial will prove to be disastrous for properly mitigating this problem. The answer lies in universities, human ingenuity and research and development, in students and faculty like us. Perhaps the U.S. government will wake up to this reality and start properly allocating capital in a responsible manner before it’s too late. Sloan is a government senior.

LEGALESE

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Opinions expressed in The Daily Texan are those of writer. They are not necessarily those of the UT administration, the Board of Regents or the Texas Student Media Board of Operating Trustees.

E-mail your Firing Lines to firingline@dailytexanonline.com. Letters must be more than 100 and fewer than 300 words. The Texan reserves the right to edit all submissions for brevity, clarity and liability.

The state of abortion in Travis County By Anna Russo Daily Texan Columnist In the shadow of the national buzz over women’s reproductive choices, Austin has its own reproductive battle to fight. In the last month, the Travis County Healthcare District board meetings have been fraught with controversy over abortion. The board is considering renewing two contracts with organizations that perform abortions. In 2004, the district inherited the contracts, which total $450,000 per year, from the city of Austin. The contracts with Whole Women’s Health of Austin and Austin Women’s Health Center are set to expire in December. The Medical Assistance Program, which these contracts cover, provides full reproductive coverage, including abortion, for women in Travis County who are uninsured or who fall 100 percent below the poverty line. The clinic receives no other government money. “The rest of its financial support comes from its clients who have insurance, their own money or some other source to pay for their services,” Terry Sallas Merritt, vice president of Whole Women’s Health, told the Austin American-Statesman. Perla Cavazos, a former Austin City Council candidate who is on the board of Planned Parenthood, told the Statesman she believes “it’s a matter of equity for low-income women.” At a meeting in October, Victor Carillo, chairman of the Texas Railroad Commission, encouraged the board to vote against the contracts. “Use tax money for beneficial, life-affirming, lifesaving measures, not lifedestroying measures,“ he urged the board. Chris Danze, a local business owner and abortion opponent, told

the board members, “On judgment day, you will be held accountable for the decision you make.” It seems to me that the Danze needs to take a page from his own book. The pro-life opponents of the assistance program are the same people promoting the “alternative to abortion” program that funds Crisis Pregnancy Centers. CPCs are pregnancy resource centers that claim to provide accurate information about abortion, pregnancy, STDs, adoption, parenting and many other issues. Over four years, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission contracted out $8 million in Texas tax money to fund CPCs. The current contractor, Texas Pregnancy Care Network, received $2.5 million this year to fund the centers. Annual reports by NARAL ProChoice Texas have found that “this program is grossly inefficient, fails to offer recommended services for pregnant women and potentially endangers women’s health by offering medically inaccurate information.” A recent round of investigative visits to CPCs revealed many disheartening experiences. Even though the National Cancer Institute and many other leading medical organizations have stated that there is no relationship between induced abortion and a subsequent higher risk for breast cancer, 100 percent of the CPCs visited referred to a link between abortion and breast cancer. Employees at all visited CPCs told women that they would have to answer to their relationship with God as a result of their abortion, violating the guidelines of the Texas Pregnancy Center Network to remain nonjudgmental. An employee at one center even told a woman that females were built to have children and to terminate a pregnancy would be unnatural because a woman’s purpose

THE FIRING LINE

is to bear children. These are just a few of the many examples of misinformation and misleading tactics that NARAL has documented. At the beginning of the October meeting of the Travis County Healthcare District board, Joe Pojman, executive director of the Texas Alliance for Life, said regarding the Medical Assistance Program, “I think a lot of people would be surprised and outraged to know property taxes — which some people believe are rather high — could be used to pay for abortions at the rate of almost half a million dollars a year.” Well, Pojman, a lot of people might be surprised and outraged to find out that over $2 million per year goes to centers that mislead and misinform women about their health care options and offer virtually no medical services. According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, at least 16,000 women per year have lost access to true reproductive health services, like the services provided by Whole Women’s Health, because the money has been reallocated to CPCs. Carillo is right that tax money should be used for “beneficial, lifeaffirming, lifesaving moments,” but deceptive information by CPCs does not benefit women. Health centers such as Whole Women’s Health and Austin Women’s Health Center provide “beneficial, life-affirming, and lifesaving moments” by giving women accurate medical information to make choices that are best for them and their families. On judgment day, Danze will also be held accountable for the decisions he makes, and deciding to lie and deceive women may not be looked upon favorably.

viduals who decide not to attend public universities.

— Joseph Gauthier Engineering junior

Obscuring the true cost of public education In “Higher education needs federal support,” Joshua Avelar outlined a remedy crafted by the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities for dealing with the funding problems higher education is facing. The basic premise is that current funding methods for public universities are inadequate and inefficient. Currently, universities obtain the majority of their funds through the state government. As such, changing the funding source from the state government to the federal government will only hamper accountability and efficiency. Accountability and efficiency will only be restored when we truly understand the costliness of public education. Consider this: In the 2008-09 year, all funds (i.e., taxes) appropriated to Texas higher education were $19.9 billion. Considering Texas’ tax base as only non-retired adults, the cost per person to fund higher education over a person’s lifetime is nearly $64,000. Add to this four years of tuition and room and board for a whopping total of $100,000. The average private four-year college education costs roughly the same amount, but the student to faculty ratios are much lower. The true cost of public education is being uncovered as “students have been required to pick up an increasingly larger portion of the ... tuition and fees [which are linked] directly to dwindling state investment — and not to increases in the actual cost of educating a student, a figure which has been essentially flat,” according to the report by Mark Yudof. Therein lies the problem with APLU’s solution — it is no solution. What Avelar and APLU propose to do is nothing more than shuffling money around, which further obscures the true cost of public education. If we are truly interested in reining in the cost of education and improving its quality, we must return tax dollars to indi-

Russo is a women’s and gender studies senior.

Answer the question Due to the blatant unilateral actions of Palestinian supporters in firing three polemical articles into Israeli territory on Monday, a hurt Israeli supporter responded with a unilateral move of his own, and much like the unilateral Israeli moves we hear about on the news, this one strayed off course a bit and may have caused a little more collateral damage than was originally intended. What these particular Texans For Israel spokespeople are failing to realize is that nobody wants to boycott anything and everything that has ever had anything remotely to do with Israel. I couldn’t care less if an Israeli person invented the cell phone or if Natalie Portman is extremely attractive, that has nothing to do with the fact that Palestinians still live as a stateless people imprisoned behind giant concrete walls without basic necessities such as water, power or cell phones (go figure). If TFI doesn’t condone the human rights violations, then where is its outrage over the atrocities inflicted daily upon the Palestinians? Why do their spokespeople answer criticism of the occupation by telling us that we should all chill out because Israel invented a bad operating system? I can’t think of two less related topics. Stop trying to shift the world’s attention over to cool Israeli contributions to technology or some dubious U.N. report that nobody even brought up in the first place and just answer the questions you are asked.

— Adam Cameron Middle Eastern studies senior


5 UNIV

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News

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Leaders bring higher-education concerns to public By Shabab Siddiqui Daily Texan Staff Lawmakers and policy advisors discussed transparency and accountability at a roundtable discussion focused on higher education Tuesday. The event, hosted by the Texas Public Policy Foundation, featured state Reps. Dan Branch, R-Dallas, and Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, as well as Rick O’Donnell, a senior fellow of the foundation. “A well-educated workforce is vital to the well-being of our state’s economy,” said Elizabeth Young, the foundation’s higher-education policy analyst. “Most people generally forget about college, forget about higher education once their kids graduate from college. But a notable portion of your tax dollars funds higher education, and it affects everyone.” Branch, who serves as chairman for the Texas House Committee on Higher Education, said while students pay for about a quarter of higher-education fees, the rest are indirectly paid for by taxpayers through state and federal governments. He said a major issue facing Texas is the loss of a net of almost 8,000 college freshmen every year who opt to attend higher-education institutions outside the state. The figure includes the number of inputs, or out-of-state students, who come to Texas. “This is really bad because in terms of momentum, everything else is coming our way,” Branch said. “We should be a net importer of students if we’re as interesting

“College is no longer a fouryear endeavor here in Texas,” Castro said. “Enrolling students is one thing, but graduating students and actually finishing off is another.” The two representatives also addressed closed-door tuition meetings at UT, at which members of The Daily Texan staff were denied entrance. Branch said he was unaware of the issue, but supported the idea of having as many people at the table to respect the taxpayers. “Ultimately, the process should be done in the open,” Branch said. “I’m one in support of that.” Castro said he was also unaware of the issue, but agrees with Branch. “I think in higher [education], especially because the students are many of the customers, they should have as much information as possible,” Castro said. O’Donnell, who also serves as president of the Acton Foundation for Entrepreneurial Excellence, said it is important to treat both the students and the taxpayers as customers. He said students should receive the best education possible, while the taxpayers should receive returns for their investment in the form of helpful reTamir Kalifa | Daily Texan Staff search. Young said accountability State Rep. Dan Branch, chairman of the Texas House Committee on Higher Education, sits on a panel hosted by the Texas Public Policy and transparency will only be Foundation to discuss transparency and accountability in higher education. beneficial. “The ultimate goal of improved of a place to work and live as we ernment official is split between system has a reputation for being comings. He said the state should higher-education transparency is seem to be.” being both a cheerleader for and a among the best in accountability focus many of its resources on en- to help college students receive the Castro, vice chairman of the critic of the higher-education sys- and transparency compared to oth- suring that students are adequately best education possible at the lowcommittee, said the job as a gov- tem. He said the state’s education er states, but still has major short- prepared for college. est possible price,” Young said.

State representative tackles redistricting, voter ID bill By Israel Perez Daily Texan Staff State Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Fort Worth, spoke about a variety of political issues as he fielded questions from students Tuesday at the Dorothy L. Gebauer Building. The talk, entitled “An Afternoon with Representative Marc Veasey,” was part of the Texas Politics Speaker series. Texas Politics is a project of UT’s Liberal Arts Instructional Technology Services dedicated to informing students about how the state government works through video, textbooks and the speaker series, according to the group’s Web site. Veasey was elected to represent District 95, which includes Fort Worth, in the Texas House of Representatives in 2004. He served on three committees during the 81st legislative session, including the redistricting committee, which is in charge of drawing House district borders. “Nothing will be as fearlessly debated as redistricting will be,” Veasey said. “Things are smooth right now [in the Legislature.] Redistricting can change all of that.” Redistricting refers to the redrawing of existing congressional districts with different geographical boundaries based on population data from the U.S. Census, according to the Texas Redistricting Web site. “People really get passionate about the topic, as well they should,” Veasey said. “People’s livelihoods are directly tied to who their congressman is.” Veasey said residents of rural areas are worried about losing representation because more Texans are moving to large metropolitan areas such Houston and Fort Worth. “That’s who is going to pick up more clout,” he said. Government graduate student Adam Myers asked the representative exactly how the redistricting

Scissors and shears on the east side

Dan Ojeda, a Barber at Dan’s Hair Styling, looks out onto East Sixth street while his niece Anjelina plays on the sidewalk.

Tamir Kalifa Daily Texan Staff

Orchestra relieves stress with songs Austin Symphony plays to help Dell Children’s patients, families heal

Kari Rosenfeld | Daily Texan Staff

State Rep. Marc Veasey speaks to a group of students about redistricing and environmental regulation Tuesday afternoon. process works. Veasey responded that a computer is much more accurate in drawing congressional districts but that it can’t predict changes in population. “The software can’t predict if an area is going to change demographics, and it’s going to affect politics and the community,” he said. Another audience member asked the representative about

the voter ID bill pushed by Republicans, which would have required voters to show identification when casting their ballot. Veasey answered that Democrats blocked the bill because it would have had a negative effect on their constituents. “The students should be concerned about it particularly because with all the commuting and the going back and forth [from home,]” he said.

By Viviana Aldous Daily Texan Staff While some students rock out to music on their way to class to de-stress before a test, the Austin Symphony Orchestra’s “Happy Notes” concert series similarly aims to de-stress patients at Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas and their family members. The series began Thursday, when musicians played for nearly two hours. It will continue twice per month through February. Various ensembles, such as a brass quintet, string quartet and a harpist, will perform in front of patients in either the center’s lobby or its cafeteria. “Happy Notes is a series of

concerts to give something to the patients to do other than concentrate on the disease,” said Don Hill, the orchestra’s spokesman. “It aims to relax the patients, their families and the staff.” Music can be beneficial as a form of therapy for those who are ill, not feeling well or recovering from physical trauma, said Michelle Wibbelsman, a UT ethnomusicology lecturer. “Music works at an affective level and is not just processed by the brain but [is] experienced with the whole body,” Wibbelsman said. “For those who believe in a holistic approach to health, music can play an integral role in healing the soul and the mind beyond a limited focus on the physical injury itself.” Hill said the orchestra has received positive feedback after Thursday’s performance.

“We had a couple of the staff members tell us Thursday just hearing that music coming through the halls rejuvenated them,” Hill said. The Texas Commission on the Arts, which in part funds the series, provides grants for organizations that participate in health and human services. Music is often associated with emotions, including joy, happiness and sadness, said UT musicology lecturer Guido Olivieri. The right music can have the power to affect mood, thus making the patient stronger for the healing process, he said. “One who has found a certain type [of music] that helps [him or her] get in a better mood and have good feelings, certainly then music has the power of connecting directly with the feelings and the heart,” Olivieri said.

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Wednesday, November 18, 2009

The day the music died

Diplomat expresses unease over US policy Representative from Venezuela speaks about Obama’s ‘open mind’

Sara Young | Daily Texan Staff

Jesse Soto, left, removes a jukebox from Pete’s Bar while Clieda Menchaca looks under the hood of a car on East Sixth Street on Tuesday afternoon.

Councilman plans to diversify streets By Rachel Platis Daily Texan Staff A segment of Airport Boulevard could become a testing ground for a new type of zoning that would allow for a more pedestrian and bike-friendly area. City Councilman Chris Riley was invited to the Sustainable Neighborhood Association meeting Tuesday night to talk about improvements to transit corridors and to discuss future plans for Airport Boulevard. He said that he expects to propose a resolution to City Council on Dec. 10 to further the conversation and details regarding the corridor. Riley introduced and discussed form-based zoning, an alternative to the use-based zoning currently in use. The codes would apply to the section of Airport Boulevard between Lamar Boulevard and the Mueller Development, which measures approximately one mile, according to Damon Howze, president of the Highland Neighborhood Association. “This zoning has the potential to up property value, which would allow infrastructure rede-

velopment and make the whole area a more bicycle and trafficfriendly street,” Howze said. Howze said a grocery store doesn’t exist in their neighborhood, and as a result, residents have to drive to Rundberg Lane or Red River Street to pick up groceries. Form-based zoning will create a more mixed-use space. “The zoning would basically allow for a more livable and attractive area,” he said. Steven Zettner, a member of Sustainable Neighborhood Association, said he’s heard a wide variety of opinions on the issue from landowners and Austin residents who have lived in the area for years. Zettner met one man at a planning meeting last week who was a committed environmentalist and proponent of the “24hour” downtown. On a comment card, the man wrote, “Urban sprawl is bad” three times, and underlined it. On the other end of the spectrum is a man who, in a letter to Zettner, expressed how he didn’t want to live in New York, Philadelphia or Miami. He wanted to live in Austin. The

man listed reasons why sprawl works and talked about how children can be raised safely in suburban settings. Zettner identified himself as a “middle man of modern interest” who identified with both viewpoints. “These are legitimate and heart felt concerns that come from both individuals,” Zettner said. “How do you create truly family and senior-friendly urban town centers that are attractive and safe for kids? That’s the challenge.” Riley suggested that neighborhood associations and business owners collectively visualize an “appealing place” and graphically paint what is seen. “We can radically simplify the whole development process if everyone agrees in advance as to what type of form we want to see in an area,” he said. He said that urban design is a concern that faces the entire country. “We have to start thinking about ways to structure cities so that we don’t have to get in a car to do everything we need to do,” Riley said. “If certain corridors

Jordy Wagoner | Daily Texan Staff

Antonio Madrid and Damon Howze listen as City Councilman Chris Riley talks to members of the Sustainable Neighborhood Association about a proposal to revamp zoning laws at their meeting on Tuesday evening.

could be transformed to accommodate population growth, you could achieve a lot of things.” By living in close proximity with one another, residents get a chance to know their neighbors and business owners, Riley said. Some who attended the meeting said that many areas of Austin have the potential for redevelopment and growth. “If you look at the north end of [Highway] 183, it’s not exactly an area that warms my heart,” Riley said. “I’ve heard from people [who] live there that they don’t feel that they live in the ‘Live Music Capital of the World.’” Airport Boulevard is another area that’s not necessarily inviting, he said, and many neighborhood residents have been dissatisfied for a long time. “It’s not really on par with South Congress, for example,” Riley said. “When you have relatives come to town, you’re not likely to take them to Airport. But there’s some interesting possibilities there.” Improvements for infrastructure could be financed through various options, including turning the area into a tax increment finance district. A portion of the increase in property values could be captured to channel money back into the corridor and fund road improvements, Riley said. Such efforts also have the potential to accommodate affordable housing, he said. Carol Huntsberger, owner of the seafood market/restaurant Quality Seafood, first heard of the new zoning proposal for Airport Boulevard at an informational meeting at City Hall. Business owners, neighborhood associations and landowners in the area were invited to the meeting to give input and hear about the future of Airport Boulevard. “It’s wonderful to see so many groups working together and discussing options that are beneficial to business owners and residents,” she said. “There is a lot of room in Austin available to us to upgrade and update, and that’s very appealing.”

Water utility begins monitoring to calculate 2010 prices By Israel Perez Daily Texan Staff Austin Water Utility announced this week that Austinites should make special attempts to conserve water as the utility conducts its annual wastewater averaging cycle, which will determine the price customers will pay each month. The averaging period began Nov. 16 and ends in March. During the period, each customer’s water use will be measured for three consecutive months, said Jill Mayfield, spokeswoman for the utility. The two periods with the lowest daily usage will then be averaged and used for wastewater average billing for the year, she said.

Customers will see their new wastewater rate on their April 2010 utility statement. Mayfield said customers should always be mindful of how much water they are using regardless of the wastewater averaging cycle. “Water is a limited resource, so don’t let the water run,” she said. “Take shorter showers. Turn off the faucet when you’re brushing your teeth.” Sarah Parker, president of Thirst, a University organization that aims to inform students about global water problems and local action that can be taken, said she makes it a point to turn off the faucet. “I used to let the water run while I was brushing my teeth,

but I realized how wasteful letting the water run can be,” she said. Parker said her organization is dedicated to informing students about the importance of water conservation by holding benefit concerts and weekly meetings. Although the organization is new, Parker said she and the other group members have many ideas in mind for next semester including an H2O-only day, in which students would refrain from drinking water. “People need to remember that water is a precious thing and should not be wasted,” she said. “Over one billion people worldwide do not have access to clean water.” Mayfield said the most im-

portant thing customers can do to prevent water waste is to look for leaks. “Leaks really add up. It’s important to fix a runny toilet or a dripping faucet because they will affect how much you pay every month,” she said. Mayfield added that customers want to be even more aware of their water usage because Austin is continuing to face an unusually long drought. Nicole Tahtouh, a UT government senior who lives off campus, said she tries to conserve as much water as possible because her bill fluctuates month to month. “It’s important to conserve water and to be aware of how much you’re using,” she said.

By Molly Triece Daily Texan Staff Students and faculty filled the Eastwoods Room of the Texas Union on Tuesday to hear the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela’s ambassador to the United States. The speech comes at a time when the Latin American country’s past rocky relations with the U.S. are entering a period of restoration. Bernardo Alvarez Herrera was originally appointed to the position in 2003 but was recalled by the Venezuelan government in 2008. His recall came following Venezuela’s decision to expel its U.S. ambassador to show support for Bolivia, which was in the midst of a diplomatic dispute with the Bush administration. Herrera served as the nation’s head delegate to the Union of South American Nations and president of the Bank of Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas before being reinstated as Venezuelan ambassador to the U.S. by the Obama administration. Plan II and sport management senior James Magown has family in Venezuela. He said that President Hugo Chavez’s threats of war with Colombia worry him, and that the U.S. is in a position to influence relations between the two countries. Chavez is arming the Venezuelan-Colombian border after an agreement between the U.S. and Colombia was established to allow the construction of U.S. military bases in Colombia. “President Clinton had really great diplomatic relations with Venezuela, and it was really easy to travel back there, but now I don’t feel safe,” Magown said. “It’s really dangerous for someone who doesn’t look Venezuelan.” Juliet Hooker, associate director of the Teresa Lozano Long Institute of Latin Amer-

ican Studies, helped organize the event and said the ambassador ’s speech is relevant to students as Venezuela emerges as a leader in Latin America. “Our understanding of Venezuela as both an interesting process of change and a major player in the international arena is critical,” said institute Director Charles Hale. Herrera said that relations between the U.S. and Venezuela soured when the U.S. began its war on terror. He recalled an incident in which the U.S. bombed Afghanistan, hitting a house with five children. Afterward, Chavez condemned the United States’ actions as terrorism. The Bush administration told Venezuela that nobody stood behind them if they did not stand with the U.S., Herrera said. “Venezuela is not doing anything to the U.S.,” Herrera said. “It’s exactly the same case as Cuba. What has Cuba done to the U.S.?” Herrera said many Americans in Congress and in the media accused Venezuela of human trafficking and media censorship, but never of a direct offense against the U.S. “I don’t think it is a problem with the Obama administration. I think he has an open mind,” Herrera said. “The question is, who is setting up policies with Latin America?” Obama said his administration will not support military coups in Latin America that interfere with democratic processes, but the government in Honduras established as a result of the country’s coup in June is still in power. Herrera said these oversights are reminiscent of U.S. policies toward Latin America in the 1980s, which he said were more of an effort to maintain U.S. dominance than to support democracy in Latin America. “Venezuela’s problem is an emblematic case of how the U.S. uses the same politics of the past and ignores changes in recent years,” Herrera said.

Eric Ou | Daily Texan Staff

Bernardo Alvarez Herrera, Venezuelan ambassador to the United States, speaks to students and faculty about the relationship between the United States and Latin America Tuesday in the Texas Union.

UT professor receives grant for male infertility research Pharmacy professor John Richburg has been awarded a grant to continue his work investigating the relationship between certain environmental pollutants and male infertility. The National Institutes of Health awarded Richburg received a five-year $1.5 million grant to study the effects of chemicals on male fertility. Richburg said his interest in male fertility stems from his interests in cell-signaling and the reproductive system that he developed during his postdoctoral training at Brown University. Cellsignaling “is when cells respond to their environments by remaining passive or changing functions,” he said. “I’m a toxicologist [who] really looks at the cellular level and how chemicals actually cause toxicity [and] can affect male fertility,” Richburg said. “What’s specifically of interest these days is not what happens when you are an adult male, but chemicals you are exposed to throughout later growth periods. “ Richburg previously conducted a research in partnership with the Lance Armstrong Foundation to find ways to prevent the loss of fertility that often accompanies chemotherapy in males. “I was on all the morning shows describing that. Men as young as 15 as old as 30 years old get testicular cancer. Often, [with treatment,] we upset the health or physiological functions of them that way. Many of these

men undergo treatment that destroys their fertility before they even have a chance to start a family,” Richburg said. — Vidushi Shrimali

2010 journalism maymester in China lacks applications The study abroad office announced last week that 2010 journalism Maymester program in China has been canceled. At least 15 students are needed for the program, but this year only nine applied. “The point [of the program] is to try to get people out in the real world covering real stories and help them confront the challenge of covering a big, important beat like China,” said journalism school Director Tracy Dahlby, the program’s instructor. The program in China offered credit for J349T or J395 and was titled “Reporting China: A Foreign Correspondent’s Workshop.” Maymester program applications were due Nov. 1, and students are notified before Thanksgiving about their acceptance to and the status of the program. Since its inception in 2008, the program has had more applicants than spaces available. Dahlby said about 40 people applied for the program in 2008 but that fewer than 40 applied for the 2009 Maymester. Dahlby said he hopes the program will attract enough applicants for 2011. “I’d like to rest a year and replenish the pool,” he said. “It’s a good program.” — Viviana Aldous


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

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T HE DAILY TEXAN

THE EDIA D A O TM NL DOWS STUDEN ! TEXAONE APP IPH

Depth will be Texas’ deadly weapon

! GET YOUR FEED ON

To earn playing time, freshmen must learn to keep up with the flow

SIDELINE MEN’S BASKETBALL TOP 25

By Laken Litman Daily Texan Staff Texas head coach Rick Barnes can substitute player after player, but the tone on the court will stay the same. After Texas demolished UCIrvine 89-42 in the season opener, the No. 3 team showed the nation that its weapon of choice this year is depth. Because of this, making it to the Final Four might not be the most difficult part of the season. Instead, it might be the internal fight for playing time. But to get minutes, Barnes said his players have to go with the flow. “We talk about flow. How do we maintain the flow?” Barnes said. “We’ve got a group of guys who understand what we need to do, and when we go to the bench, it’s up to the guys who come into the game to maintain that flow.” Point guard J’Covan Brown was the lone starting freshman in Sunday’s game. But after his first two turnovers (he had a total of five) and a few missed shooting opportunities, Barnes replaced Brown with junior Dogus Balbay. “You can’t allow missing shots to affect the other things, and that’s what young players mostly do,” Barnes said. “It’s not all about making baskets. As long as they come in and do their job, we’ll be fine, but if they don’t, that’s when you go to the next guy. J’Covan made a lot of good looks to pass and shoot, but those are the things he’ll make with time.” Though Brown appeared jittery at the start, fellow freshman Avery Bradley said that none of the freshmen were nervous about their Longhorn debut. “We weren’t nervous at all,”

Temple 45 No. 20 Georgetown 46 No. 23 Clemson 79 Liberty 39 Charlotte 59 No. 8 Duke 101 Hofstra 67 No. 13 Connecticut 76 North Carolina-Asheville 49 No. 11 Tennessee 124 Arkansas 66 No. 22 Louisville 96 Gonzaga 71 No. 2 Michigan State 75 Louisiana-Monroe 61 No. 17 Oklahoma 72 Northern Illinois 61 No. 25 Illinois 80 Memphis 55 No. 1 Kansas 57

NBA Golden State 108 Cleveland 114 Oklahoma City 100 Miami 87 Indiana 91 New Jersey 83 LA Clippers 102 New Orleans 110 Phoenix 111 Houston 105 Toronto 112 Denver 130 Chicago 101 Sacramento 87 Detroit 93 LA Lakers 106

Sara Young | Daily Texan Staff

Seniors Damion James (5) and Dexter Pittman (34) and freshman Jordan Hamilton (23) hustle to grab a rebound in Sunday’s game against UC-Irvine. With a perfect combination of upper and lower classmen, Texas has a lot of talented depth on its roster. Bradley said. “We were more excited than nervous to get out there and play. We played well for our first game. We’re learning, and I feel that next game all the mistakes we made [in our first game], we’re just going to continue to get better.” The touted freshmen quartet, who came in as the No. 2 recruiting class in the nation, produced a combined 35 points, 12 rebounds and five steals in 76 minutes on Sunday. Brown’s start made him the 24th freshman in UT history to start a season opener. He also tallied 13 points in 21 minutes. Bradley recorded

VOLLEYBALL

10 points, two assists and two steals in 22 minutes, and Jordan Hamilton and Shawn Williams also racked up doubledigit minutes and contributed to the rotation. Though Barnes and the rest of the team are excited about seeing their freshmen in action, there is more work to be done than meets the eye. “We are excited about the freshmen class, but right now they’re not ready to play at the level of intensity we need to play at, and that’s what I’ve told them,” Barnes said. “That’s the biggest thing they’re going to have to learn. Obvious-

ly, they got in double digits [in points], but we can’t have them on the other end giving up that many [points] either.” Barnes may be worried about his defense right now, but as the season progresses and the freshmen grow more comfortable on the collegiate court, a bigger problem might be having too many options. The last time Texas had this amount of talent was in 2003 — the year they made it to the Final Four. “Basically, on this team you really don’t have starters. You have veterans, but really anyone could start on any night,” said senior center Dexter Pittman.

“That’s how good we are.” The Longhorns’ second game of the season will be at the Frank Erwin Center at 8 p.m. Texas plays Western Carolina as part of the regional round in the O’Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic.

TODAY: No. 3 Texas vs. Western Carolina WHERE: Frank Erwin Center TONIGHT: 8 p.m. ON AIR: ESPNU

FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK

No. 2 TEXAS vs. KANSAS STATE

Horns won’t take KSU lightly By Jordan Godwin Daily Texan Staff On paper and on film, the Kansas State Wildcats look like one of the worst teams in the Big 12 Conference. But the Longhorns will have to forget that when they take the court tonight. “We have a really mature and experienced team, but we have to be able to take care of those situations,” said head coach Jerritt Elliott. “What we’ve done in the past means nothing

when we enter a match like this.” The same song could have been sung before the Longhorns hosted Texas Tech a week ago. The Red Raiders entered a treacherous Gregory Gym — home of the second-ranked team in the country — and spanked Goliath’s tail in the first set. The worst team in the Big 12, ranked last in the conference in nearly every statistic imaginable, pulled off a big first set victory. Sure, they

lost the war 3-1 in the long run, but Texas Tech changed one thing about Texas — perfection against unranked teams. The Longhorns had swept 12 unranked teams before the slight slip last Wednesday, and with Kansas State, they’ll look to prove they can beat a first-round-like team once the NCAA tournament begins in two weeks. “The light is at the end

ELLIOTT continues on page 8

The Longhorns jump to defend against Texas Tech in last week’s 3-1 win. The team hopes to come out strong early as they face Kansas State tonight.

Peter Franklin | Daily Texan Staff

Quarterback Colt McCoy and the Longhorns high-five fans after trouncing Baylor last weekend in Waco. With a win on Saturday against Kansas at home, McCoy will become the winningest quarterback in college football history.

McCoy looks to break career win record Lauren Gerson Daily Texan Staff

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

No. 13 TEXAS 58, No. 1 UCONN 83

Huskies devour No. 13 Texas

By Dan Hurwitz Daily Texan Staff The look of frustration on the face of head coach Gail Goestenkors was very different from the laughs and smiles coming from UConn’s Geno Auriemma as the final seconds ticked off in the Huskies 83-58 win against Texas at San Antonio’s AT&T Center Tuesday night. With the win, the defending national champion Huskies extended their NCAA-

best winning streak to 41 games after dominating the Longhorns in their first loss of the season. The top-ranked Huskies controlled the pace of the game from the opening tip to the final buzzer as the Longhorns remained winless against the perennial powerhouse of the Big East. On both sides of the ball, UConn overpowered the Longhorns. The Huskies defense held Texas to shoot-

ing only 33 percent, forcing them to take outside shots that would not fall. Texas was unable to get much production from their post players, combining for only 12 points. They were also beat on the boards by 15 rebounds. UConn’s Maya Moore, who was last year’s national player of the year, got off to a quick start by making two early three-pointers and

UCONN continues on page 8

By Blake Hurtik Daily Texan Staff For the five players left from the 2005 recruiting class, Saturday’s game against Kansas will be their last at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. With a win, quarterback Colt McCoy would break the record for most career wins by a quarterback. And although he has modestly played off the record by saying he’s just focusing on the game “like any other week,” setting the record would speak volumes about how far McCoy and the rest of the 2005 class have come. With just 15 members and no fivestar recruits, the class was considered weak by Texas standards. McCoy, center Chris Hall, guard Charlie Tanner and linebacker Roddrick Muckelroy were all three-star recruits. While Texas coach Mack Brown could care less about recruiting ratings, he does like to rib his quarterback every once in a while about being overlooked by other schools.

“[Brown] just jokingly [says], ‘Hey you remember me? I was the one who came to Tuscola and found you in the woods,’” McCoy said. The same could be said about the other members of the class. All were overlooked by bigger schools. Now, five years later (all four, along with reserve punter Trevor Gerland, redshirted), the remaining players have carved out nice careers. Hall and Tanner as stalwarts on the line, Muckelroy as the team’s leading tackler and McCoy as the player who has nearly every school record a quarterback can hold. Part of their success has come from their drive to prove the doubters wrong. “Probably since that class didn’t get any credit might have motivated them more. I do know that Colt was not as highly recruited as some other quarterbacks, and he’s been challenged by that the whole time he’s been here,” Brown said. “Maybe that class has been more driven to make

sure they get more in the end than in the beginning.”

Rolling running game It may have taken 10 games, but the Longhorns finally feel that they have established an identity in the running game. Cody Johnson’s 16-carry, 109-yard, two-touchdown performance at Baylor confirmed the Texas coaches’ beliefs that the beefy 242-pound back was the best option at tailback. “I do think that we’re at least headed in the right direction,” Brown said. “We were really, really hard on the offensive linemen about run blocking after Central Florida.” Of course, it wouldn’t be the Longhorns’ style to have it completely up to one player. While Johnson is again listed as the lone starter, freshman Tré Newton has reclaimed the No. 2 spot after rushing for 82 yards, including a 45-yard touchdown against the Bears.

DEFENSE continues on page 8


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DEFENSE: Cornerbacks take their picks From page 7 Newton has fully recovered from a concussion he suffered while playing against Colorado . Offensive coordinator Greg Davis likes having multiple options out of the backfield. “I think we took a step forward,” Davis said.

Shut-down corners After he intercepted Landry Jones in the Oklahoma game, cornerback Aaron Williams hadn’t seen many balls thrown his way.

Against Baylor, he showed why. He came down with a crucial pick in the end zone to kill any momentum the Bears had mustered. But he isn’t the only Texas cornerback making life difficult for opposing quarterbacks. Sophomore Curtis Brown has emerged as another shutdown corner, while junior Chykie Brown had a big sack on Baylor quarterback Nick Florence and nearly recovered a fumble for a touchdown — something he heard about plenty in the film room.

It’s been a big improvement over last year. The Longhorns are allowing just 182 passing yards per game after giving up 259 a game a year ago. They’ve also made 19 interceptions this year, compared to just six in 2008. “[It’s gone] from getting picked on to nobody looking your way,” Curtis Brown said. “It’s a good feeling, but a boring feeling at the same time. It’s getting to the point where it’s a hard decision which side you want to throw to.”

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

TOP 10

Longhorns against Frogs would be dream match

ELLIOTT: Horns to face unimproved Wildcats From page 7 of the tunnel,” Elliott said. “We know what we have to do, and nothing’s changing — we can only control one day at a time, and that’s what we have to focus on to get where we want to be at the end of the season.” When Texas traveled to Manhattan six weeks ago, they were facing a Wildcat team in a similar situation they’re in now. Kansas State was the third-worst team in the conference, just ahead of Colorado and Texas Tech. Currently at 4-12, they haven’t made many improvements. In

that match, Kansas State outperformed any previous opponent the Longhorns had faced, hitting .300 on the attack. “They hit very well against us last time, and we’ll have to bring a lot of energy to make sure we can handle it,” Elliott said. “They have the weapons to be able to challenge us, and we’ll have to play well to be successful.” But as well as Kansas State played, the Longhorns were better. Texas hit at a .392 clip and swept past the Wildcats in close sets, winning by an average of four points per set. With just two

matches remaining in Gregory Gym, the seniors said they’ll play to ensure they don’t slip up in the final stretch. “The most important thing is that we just take it one match at a time,” said libero Heather Kisner. “We definitely talk about how we can improve in every single match, and we don’t take any opponents lightly.”

WHERE: Gregory Gym WHEN: 6:30 p.m.

Greinke wins Al Cy Young Award By Ronald Blum The Associated Press NEW YORK — When the phone rang, Zack Greinke let it go — he didn’t recognize the number. Only after listening to the voice mail did he call back and find out he’d won the American League Cy Young Award. The Kansas City Royals ace easily beat out Felix Hernandez for the honor Tuesday after a spectacular season short on wins but long on domination. Winning

his life. It’s been quite a turnaround for Greinke, who led the AL in losses in 2005 and quit baseball for six weeks the following year after being diagnosed with a social anxiety disorder. Greinke went 16-8 with a major league-low 2.16 ERA this season and received 25 of 28 first-place votes and three seconds for 134 points in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

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TCU fans celebrate with their team on the field after TCU beat Utah 55-28 on Saturday in Fort Worth. The Horned Frogs have defied the BCS all season and have proved that they deserve their No. 4 ranking.

TODAY: No. 2 Texas vs. Kansas State

MLB

left the extremely shy Greinke with mixed emotions. “Back in Orlando, I haven’t really got a whole lot of attention from people, which has been nice,” he said. “So I hope it doesn’t get that way, where everyone is like, ‘Oh, hey, Zack, hi.’” He’d prefer to remain anonymous when he’s not on the mound. He’s not looking forward to being introduced at banquets as “Cy Young Award winner Zack Greinke” for the rest of

Tom Pennington | Associated Press

COLORADO

CENTRAL FLORIDA KANSAS

By Austin Talbert Daily Texan Columnist Eureka! I have discovered the perfect solution to the problem plaguing the BCS. But don’t let me mislead, it is definitely not what you are thinking. See, you are too elementary. You sit at home and cry for a playoff system to replace the BCS, but you must get out of this simplistic mindset. You are selling yourself too short. My solution is much more complex, better befitting the BCS. Instead of eliminating the loopholes and complex rules for selecting which teams play for what, I ask that we make the system more complicated, more confusing and add even more inane loopholes — just to keep viewers at home guessing. And as this season drags on into relative predictability, it presents the perfect opportunity to spice up our post-season. Because the promise of the Southeastern Conference championship game between two undefeated juggernauts, No. 1 vs. No. 2, is so enthralling, I want to make things just a bit more interesting. So moments after the SEC champion is crowned and earns its spot into the BCS national championship game, I want to set up another spectacular showdown — the Texas state championship. If both Texas and TCU finish the season undefeated, we will have a showdown of the No. 3 and No. 4 teams for a spot in the BCS title game. But first, we must overthrow the Big 12’s allegiance to itself and especially its worthless northern division. Because regrettably, the current system we have relies on the Big 12 North division to actually be respectable, which of course it is not, and hasn’t been since I was in middle school. So in response, I propose the “Compromise of 2009”: In case a Big 12 division winner is not in the BCS top 25, and a team in one of the states the Big 12 encompasses is ranked in the BCS top eight, the divisional champion will lose its spot in the championship game and the non-Big 12 team ranked in the BCS top eight will play instead. We would get two pre-BCS games to decide who plays in

Saban’s head, was no match for the Horned Frogs this year.

the BCS national championship game, and more importantly, we get the answer to who is the best team in Texas. But if TCU wears its hideous silver frog-print pants in more than one game per season, the team forfeits its claim at the preBCS qualifier and Texas automatically advances.

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Boise State

The Great Potato War wasn’t much of anything as Boise State baked, mashed, fried and au-gratined their way past Idaho.

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Texas

It was beautiful sight Saturday, a play so genius, so well-executed, so amazing that it was hard to believe it was called by Greg Davis. You see, against Baylor on Saturday, Texas’ execution of nearly 80 lackluster wide receiver screens this season culminated in what will be remembered as the best play the Longhorns have run all season. We must remember the beautiful touchdown pass to Jordan Shipley, where Shipley, who has executed the key block on the screen play thousands of times this season, breaks off his blocking path and smoothly sprints behind the defense, resulting in a touchdown that was smoother than butter and easier than Marilyn Monroe. The only problem with the play: It was used to put Texas up 28-0 on Baylor.

2

Florida

With Bearcats closer Tony Pike back in the fold, they barely outlasted West Virginia. Pike threw four passes, two of which were touchdowns, capping off drives for the Bearcats. Pike, now spoiled, has asked for only touchdown passes for the rest of the year.

7

Georgia Tech

Who said the Yellow Jackets couldn’t pass? Josh Nesbitt, who has been a super running back as of late, completed only six passes for 195 yards and two touchdowns in a 49-10 win over Duke, in which Georgia Tech scored 49 unanswered points.

8

Pittsburgh

The Panthers have put yet another nail in Charlie Weis’s rather large coffin. They get their chance at ending another life — Cincinnati’s BCS life — in the final week of the season.

9

South Carolina quarterback Stephen Garcia Ohio State wished his jersey was comprised While everything has completely of camouflage after bechanged in the Big 10, ing ripped mercilessly into numernothing really has changed, and ous pieces by the Florida defense. Ohio State will once again be representing the conference in Alabama the BCS. Of course, Jim Tressel Nothing can stop Ala- and the Buckeyes will again find bama, not even the inces- a way to lose their bowl game, sant ringing of thousands upon continuing another college football constant. thousands of cowbells. Apparently, the only prescription to fix Greg McElroy’s inabiliOregon ty to operate as an efficient quarWell, so much terback is more cowbell. for the most domi-

3

4

TCU

Not even the evil forces at Nike, who designed TCU’s hideous pro-combat uniforms, could stop the Horned Frogs. Utah, who has made a living squashing TCU’s BCS hopes before going on to crushing Nick

10

nating win over USC in a decade. Oregon’s thrashing of the Trojans last month wasn’t even the worst beat down USC has suffered in a three-week span. Mad props to Stanford who shredded the Trojans in the Coliseum, which has quickly become home field for the Cardinals — who have won two straight against USC in Los Angeles.

UCONN: Moore, Charles torch Texas

with double-doubles, Nash scores 22 From page 7 stopping consecutive fast breaks on defense, which might have otherwise been easy scoring opportunities for Texas. All five of Connecticut’s starters scored in double figures, and the team was led by Moore with 20 points. She torched the Longhorns for 22 as a freshmen when the two teams last met in the 2008 NCAA Tournament. Moore and Tina Charles both had 11 rebounds which were good for double-doubles. The Longhorns were led by junior Kathleen Nash, who scored 22 points and added nine rebounds. Senior Brittainey Raven, who did not start for the second straight game as a punishment for missing class, added 14 points.

Brittainey Raven dribbles past a UTSA guard in the Horns first game last week. UT dropped its second game to No. 1 UConn Tuesday.

Lauren Gerson Daily Texan file photo


9 CLASS

9

Life&Arts

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

viDeo game revieWS

PLaY revieW

“Sick”

Play features mix of talented actors, interesting script

Courtesy of Gearbox

The new video game “Borderlands” could be thought of as a mix of “World of Warcraft” and “Call of Duty.”

Video game fusion, sequel satisfy MW2, as everything from the campaign to the revamped multiplayer adds in enough unpredictable elements to take even the most jaded players by surprise. However, this isn’t always a good thing. The story of the main campaign is stuck in a Michael Bay mindset of constant insanity and explosions that often detract from the high points, and it can be hard to get bearings on the who, where and why of the missions you are a part of. On the other hand, new additions to multiplayer, like death streak (die enough times and unlock a bonus), add enough rewards that it even makes losing fun. MW2 isn’t quite as well structured as “Half-Life 2” or has the personality of “Uncharted 2,” but if

‘Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2’ (Xbox 360, PC, PlayStation 3) By now, you most likely have heard enough about the controversial airport level (SPOILERS!) and publisher Activision’s boast that “Call of Duty” has the strongest opening ever (yes, that includes film). But is it good? Since this is the sequel to one of the best games of recent years, let’s set the bar higher by asking “Is it the best game ever?” Like most video game sequels, MW2 doesn’t set off in a new direction as much as it improves on every aspect of the first while raising the stakes. You can now set off an atom bomb in multiplayer matches that will end the game. day, month day, 2008 This is a perfect metaphor for

the original “Modern Warfare” was your favorite game, then you will most likely think this is the best game ever. — Allistair Pinsoff

this year. You play as one of four classes that reflect what you’d expect from any role-playing game (rogue, healer, etc.) and play through a long list of missions with up to three friends; you level up, move to new areas ‘Borderlands’ and take on new missions. (Xbox 360, PC, PlayStation 3) There really isn’t much story, but If you like “World of Warcraft” the game still manages to have a and “Call of Duty,” then, by all strong personality between its eyemeans, you should like “Bordercatching, comic book look and its lands.” cast of oddball characters. Sometimes game-x-meets-gameIt’s hard to explain the magic of y comments overlook certain elthe game on paper, since so much of ements of a game, but “Borderthe fun is how well it controls and lands” really is that simple. It’s how crazy it can be with friends. 1 Shooting people and collecting new a game that distills the most basic and enjoyable parts of shooters gear isn’t anything new in video and role-playing games and merg- games, but it’s not something that es them together to form one of the will get old anytime soon, either. LASSIFIEDS most addictive games you’ll play — Allistair Pinsoff

C

By Javier Sanchez Daily Texan Staff Capital T’s new production of the Zayd Dohrn drama, “Sick,” cordially invites audience members to spend an evening in the strange home of Maxine and Sidney. In the safe haven on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, stands a modern home, tastefully decorated in whites and grays. Plastic lining hugs the furniture and, combined with Velcro adhesive, acts as a barrier in the doorways sealing out all the impurities of the outside world. The play begins when the patriarch of the household, a professor by the name of Sydney (Joe Reynolds), comes home after playing a few rounds of squash. With him is Jim (Joey LePage), one of his most talented graduate students, who is trying to get the professor’s signature for a fellowship grant. But in this uncommon invitation, Sydney has broken the rules of the household. His germophobic wife, Maxine (Rebecca Robinson), is very surprised to find a stranger in their house, and becomes fearful for the health of their children, who suffer from numerous severe allergies. Their daughter, Sarah (Taylor Gill), is a 19-year-old aspiring poet, who longs for experiences outside of the home in which she and her brother have been homeschooled since they were infants. Davey (Stephen Mercantel) is a red-eyed disabled teenager with awkward, nasally tendencies and an oxygen tank. As their strange night commences, it is Jim who bears witness to the unhealthy

compulsions of the family. A play of this nature seems to require the best talent. Luckily, this production generously delivers, and every member of the company contributes to the success of the show. LePage does a fine job at keeping the action going, as most of the play revolves around the family’s interactions with him. He brings a nice subtlety to the part while never making Jim too passive. The actor who really shines in this production, however, is Stephen Mercantel as Davey. When he first emerges from upstairs, slowly peeling away the plastic that keeps him safe, it is a slightly mortifying, yet terribly funny suspension of time. He saunters about with his oxygen mask, and everything seems to slow down with him — your eyes follow his every feeble move. In essence, Mercantel is great with Davey’s pacing. He also garners the most laughs in the show, especially when Jim is alone with him and Davey begins to ask some inappropriate questions about the birds and the bees. This production is pretty simple in its execution. In terms of spectacle, the set is unapologetically drab. But what is most enjoyable about the production is its simplicity. Only one evening is spent with these characters, but it is enough to understand their deepest insecurities and how they function with each other. Equally disturbing and hilarious, “Sick” makes for an evening well spent.

Weekly Rates: Campus chocolate: Creations can serve as heap:ECareer ‘ups and downs’ $100 – Large RTISE NT V D DE ! $50 – Medium tasty treats, artistic masterpieces R STUAprevent ION didYOARUnot success in T Z I N $25 – Small O GA music industry, worldwide Contact Joan at 512-232-2229 or email joanw@mail.utexas.edu

CORKBOARD From page 12

“Heroes.” Heap has faced the ups and Subsequently, Imogen Heap downs of the music industry, was put back on the music yet she remains collected, waitmap. ing to give her audience a reWith a growing worldwide markable show. fanbase, Heap’s third solo alWHAT: Imogen Heap w/ bum Ellipse, released on Aug. Tim Exile 25, debuted at the No. 5 posi-

From page 12

tion on Billboard’s “Top 200 Albums” chart, and the song “Not Now But Soon” has already been featured on the soundtrack of the NBC show

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used to paint the chosen picture, layer by layer. The entire piece is safe to eat, but Simpson says 90 percent of her customers want to preserve their paintings rather than devour them. She recommends keeping the art in a cool, dark place in its original box until you are ready to display it. The more light the painting is exposed to, the more it will fade. Wearing cotton or latex gloves is also advised to prevent fingerprints. The lifespan of her art varies, but Simpson claims she has a two-

year-old painting that is only just beginning to fade. “Chocolate actually has a very long shelf life,” Simpson says. In addition to painting, the artist is crafting a line of chocolate jewelry for the holiday season. Winter is a busy time for Simpson, while the hot and humid Texas climate keeps her out of business in the summer. Simpson uses this break to further her research in chocolate and market her work. The next frontier she hopes to conquer? Sculpture. “I can just picture myself competing in a Food Network chocolate challenge,” Simpson said.

CLASSIFIEDS THE DAILY TEXAN

3B

“Sick,” the latest play from Capital T, follows the lives of a family living in New York City. The two children have severe allergies that prevent them from leaving home.

Courtesy of Capital T

ADVERTISING TERMS There are no refunds or credits. In the event of errors made in advertisement, notice must be given by 10 am the first day of publication, as the publishers are responsible for only ONE incorrect insertion. In consideration of The Daily Texan’s acceptance of advertising copy for publication, the agency and the advertiser will indemnify and save harmless, Texas Student Media and its officers, employees and agents against all loss, liability, damage and expense of whatsoever nature arising out of the copying, printing or publishing of its advertisement including without limitation reasonable attorney’s fees resulting from claims of suits for libel, violation of right of privacy, plagiarism and copyright and trademark infringement. All ad copy must be approved by the newspaper which reserves the right to request changes, reject or properly classify an ad. The advertiser, and not the newspaper, is responsible for the truthful content of the ad. Advertising is also subject to credit approval.

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11 ENT

11

LIFE&ARTS

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Pumpkin pie soda reignites passion for the orange gourd

PUMP IT UP Courtesy of ArcAttack

ArcAttack, a band that marries musical and scientific experimentation, brings its unique twist on musical physics to the UT Main Mall tonight.

ArcAttack plans to illuminate UT By Gerald Rich Daily Texan Staff The unmistakable smell of ozone will permeate the air tonight as the members of halfband, half-science experiment ArcAttack begin to fire up their electric singing Tesla coils at the UT Main Mall. Bolts of lightning will shoot out from the silvery, doughnutshaped coils, filling the night with electric snaps and sizzles. Slowly, these sounds will meld into a distinct melody before the rest of the bands’ guitars and bass fire up, joined by a robotic drummer who can pound

the double bass faster than any human. For those who are interested in the science of it all, ArcAttack takes famous physicist Nikola Tesla’s wireless energy transmitter, or Tesla coil, and modifies the frequency of the electric discharges to produce musical notes. These notes are then controlled by a keyboard to “throw out electrical arcs up to 12 feet long, each one acting as an instrument with a sound reminiscent of the early days of the synthesizer,� according to the band’s Web site. The result is all the drama of a classic rock-and-roll performance

with the thrashing of heavy metal, the bite of punk music and a dash of nerd-pop thrown in as the band covers video game and sci-fi theme songs. Whether the audience completely comprehends the exact physics of ArcAttack doesn’t matter after the first few seconds; everyone gets quickly swept up by the spectacle. It doesn’t take an electrical engineer to enjoy the classic Super Mario Brothers theme song being blasted with half-a-million volts of electricity. ArcAttack recently finished traveling across Europe, electrifying thousands with its music.

WHAT: ArcAttack WHERE: UT Main Mall WHEN: Today, 6:30 p.m. TICKETS: Free Associate chair in the physics department Sacha Kopp hopes the concert will draw a sizable crowd to the Main Mall. “The physics department and the Society of Physics Students scheduled it at the end of the year as a nice treat for the students,� Kopp said. “It’s a great way to see physics rather than just talk about it.�

By Ben Wermund

When I started this column, I had a very clear goal in mind. I had just lost the pumpkin love of my life, and I was set on moving on. I was looking for my pumpkin fix around every corner, from Jack in the Box to Wal-Mart, all the way to the bottom of the bottle. Nothing I tried was quite right. All of my reviews became negative, even though I genuinely enjoyed many of the pumpkin items I tried — too many to include in a weekly column. Pumpkin candies, pumpkin drinks and pumpkin seeds all lost their seasonal novelty and became just stops on the seemingly endless autumnal hunt. But then I had a moment of clarity. Why was I stressing so much over finding one complete and total fix? One morning earlier this week, at least three people made the same suggestion to me for my next col-

12

Wednesday

umn: pumpkin soda. The multiple suggestions, along with my renewed passion for the search, seemed to say that this soda was the right direction to go to begin the hunt again. While I know there are at least two different types of pumpkin soda, Maine Root made the one I found. According to its Web site, the soda won an award for being the best new product at a natural products expo in Boston. Like the Jack in the Box shake I tried in October, the soda is a pumpkin pie soda, not just a pumpkin soda, which means it has the added sweeteners and spices to make it delicious and more than orange pulp. With 40 grams of sugar, it’s as sweet as pumpkin pie, and the natural flavoring helps give it a taste of real spices, not the chemically developed ones found in the Jack in the Box shake. Maybe it was just the timing, just after my pumpkin epiphany, but the soda hit the spot. The ratio of pumpkin to spice was as close to perfect as the pumpkin spice latte I used to love so much. The only real way to bring it any closer the ideal pumpkin-drink fix would be to warm it up — which I did not try, but can imagine would not actually be a good idea. I’m not saying I’ve found the final stop on the pumpkin-search express, but I definitely liked where I visited this week.

HUMP DAY: dividing line between friendly, romantic relationships From page 12 which is the most popular form of birth control in the U.S, and yes, certain brands have indeed proven to decrease a woman’s sex drive. However, birth control pills with these side effects aren’t the only

choice when it comes to birth control. For instance, if your girlfriend was actually concerned about her sex drive, she could easily switch to a lower-dose hormonal method like Nuva Ring or even a non-hormonal method like the ParaGard IUD. Finally, even if she were more

into you, she is still too busy to be with you. It is perfectly fair for her to have a busy life and to put romantic relationships at the bottom of her priorities. But just because she has made that choice doesn’t mean you have to repress yourself. You want someone who likes

what you like (things like kissing, maybe even sex), and your girlfriend doesn’t like those things. So get a different girlfriend. I say all of this with the assumption that after 13 months of dating, you know a bit about your girlfriend. You didn’t share any infor-

mation about the possibility of sexual abuse in her life, so I didn’t really touch on it. But it sounds like there is a possibility that physical intimacy in general bothers her in a way that demonstrates a history of trauma. In this case, I would advise seeking help from a more qual-

ified person like a member of Voices Against Violence or a professional counselor. In the end, only you can properly assess if this relationship is over or not. But in my opinion, I think you and your girlfriend are really just friends.

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12 LIFE

Life&Arts

12

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

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

T he Daily Texan

Experimental artist climbs back up the musical heap Heap, whose return to Austin has been long-awaited, will play a sold-out show By John Ross Harden Daily Texan Staff It’s taken two-and-a-half years, 5,000 miles and a launch to stardom for Imogen Heap to come back to Austin. Tonight, Heap, who was once nominated for a Best New Artist Grammy, will perform on the stage of La Zona Rosa, marking her return to Austin with what promised to be a show to remember. Hundreds of screaming fans, packed shoulder-to-shoulder, will likely fill up the venue. Imogen (IH-moe-juhn) Heap is winding down the North America portion of her worldwide “Ellipse Tour.” The tour, which promotes her new album Ellipse, will have stopped at 29 cities upon its completion and has already sold out more than half of the venues. Heap is a singer who thrives on musical experimentation, meshing the use of synthesizers, piano melodies and impressive vocal hooks in her songs. After enjoying moderate UK success in the late ‘90s, everything seemed to be going for Heap until she was cut from her original record label (Almo Sound) after it was bought out by Universal Records in 2001. Without a label, she was forced to put everything on the side-burner and hope for a chance to pick up where she left off. That chance came when hit Fox television show, “The O.C.,” began using songs from her 2005 album Speak for Yourself. Of the four songs used by the show in a year’s time, “Hide and Seek” drew the most attention, making its way onto the highly-acclaimed British radio station BBC Radio 1. The once-No. 1 downloaded iTunes track has remained Imogen’s most popular. Recently, its chorus has been featured in hip-hop star Jason DeRulo’s song, “Whatcha Say.”

HEAP continues on page 9

Lara Haase | Daily Texan Staff

Paula Simpson creates completely edible reproductions of famous paintings using chocolate canvases with a food coloring and luster dust mixing as paint. She is one of three chocolatiers in the world who makes this kind of work.

Painter brings chocolate into art By Jacquelyn Newell Daily Texan Staff Paula Simpson’s art isn’t just beautiful, it’s downright delicious. The self-proclaimed “chocolate lady” has been making a name for herself ever since she displayed a couple of chocolate paintings in the window of her truffle shop during a local art fair. Because of her customers’ excitement about her new project, Simpson decided to close her store and focus all of her time on chocolate paintings. “I had been painting since my childhood, as a hobby,” Simpson said. “And I fell in love with chocolate — the way it looks, smells and, of course,

tastes. Until then, I just hadn’t figured out a way to ON THE WEB: incorporate the two.” Simpson’s art is sold in Exclusive video of the “chocolate lady” three sizes: 2-by-3, 5-by-7 and 12-by-14 inches. The @dailytexan largest is three pounds of online.com solid chocolate and costs between $150 and $250, depending on the artwork. The 5-by-7s, roughly the size of a large photograph, are priced from between $50 and $70. For $20, the minis make great favors for a dinner party or wedding. Because they are all hand painted, no two will be

exactly alike. The chocolatier will paint anything your heart desires, but her two favorite paintings to replicate are Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” and Cezanne’s “Apples and Biscuits.” Each piece is set in its own chocolate frame and painted on your choice of chocolate. Simpson prefers dark because of its shiny finish and ability to absorb color. Using a mixture of vodka and powdered white food coloring, Simpson creates a “canvas” on top of the chocolate background. Food coloring and lustre dust, a finely ground edible shimmer powder, are

CHOCOLATE continues on page 9

Emo-rock group reunites, concludes tour in Austin By Audrey White Daily Texan Staff Emo-rock darlings The Get Up Kids will wrap up their 2009 U.S. tour tonight at Emo’s Austin. Folkrock artist Kevin Devine and littleknown Louisville band Mansions will be supporting. The show promises to be a pleasant cacophany of indie rock, combining three acts that are distinct but clearly have shared musical roots. Each band bases its lyrics on the human emotion and plays a blend of alt rock and indie styles. The Get Up Kids are touring together for the first time since their breakup in 2005 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Something WHAT: The Get Up Kids w/ Kevin Devine and Mansions WHERE: Emo’s Courtesy of Jeremy Cowart

Imogen Heap, the Grammy award-nominated songstress best known for her track “Hide and Seek,” performs tonight at La Zona Rosa.

WHEN: Today, 8 p.m. TICKETS: $20

To Write Home About, their most-acThe Get Up Kids, a 90’s claimed album. The band also conindie-rock firmed that it has written enough band returns new material for an album or a seto Austin for a ries of EPs. Since the hiatus bereunion tour gan, members have pursued work following the with other bands including Reggie band’s 2005 and the Full Effect and The New breakup Amsterdams. Kevin Devine grew his fanbase by touring with alternative-rock band Brand New in 2006 and 2007. This is his second tour after releasing Brother’s Blood in April. Devine’s songs range from acoustic ballads to electrified rock numbers, making his music appealing to a range of listeners. Mansions, fronted by Chris Browder, released its first full-length album, New Best Friends, through Doghouse Records in March and has Courtesy of since been touring constantly to proThe Get Up Kids mote it. Browder also released a series of EPs at the end of 2008. The show has to compete with Heap concert at La Zona Rosa the Kevin Devine and The Get Up Kids both The Mountain Goats show at same night. But for emo, folk and show will be a head-bobbing good Antone’s and a sold-out Imogen alternative music fans, Mansions, time.

Lack of sexual desire could be more than a side effect

Inspirational Photo Results are not typical and will vary

HUMP DAY By Mary Lingwall

Dear Hump Day, I have been dating my current girlfriend for 13 months. When we first started dating, we didn’t fool around a lot but still did about once every couple of weeks. Now, it seems that my girlfriend hates to even make out. I will try to initiate something, and she’ll look like it puts her off. I don’t get to see her much

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except for the weekends. I love to hang out with her, but I also want to show her how I feel sexually. It’s not like she isn’t in the mood, it’s like she hates the thought of it completely. She claims she is very stressed and that her birth control takes away her sex drive. Is it possible for birth control to completely destroy her sex drive altogether? Am I expecting too much, and should I just enjoy being with her instead of being so worried about

sexuality?

— Horny Homie

Horny Homie, Short answer: DUMP HER! Long Answer: Wanting to express yourself sexually is definitely not too much to expect from an adult relationship. It sounds to me that either your girlfriend is just too scared to leave you or that she is just not into intimacy.

Either way, if physical intimacy is important to you, you need to leave this relationship because you and your girlfriend seem to want different things. This is not to say that healthy relationships must be physical, but some of the aspects of your current relationship that you mentioned in this letter make me think that the root of your relationship’s problems is that she is just not that into you. First of all, she doesn’t like to kiss you. I know plenty of people who aren’t into physical displays of affection, but I have never met anyone who is actually “put off” when his or her significant other tries something as simple as kissing. Don’t most people call someone they care about but don’t want to kiss, a friend? Second, she claims that her birth control is “completely destroy[ing] her sex drive,” but she won’t switch birth control methods. It sounds like she is using a combined hormonal birth control pill,

HUMP DAY continues on page 11


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