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THE DAILY TEXAN DT WEEKEND
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Dancing in the Moonlight
Rollin’ at The Stalin Thursday, November 19, 2009
Libraries document activists’ research By Melissa Pan Daily Texan Staff Some people engage in human-rights activism through protests and rescue missions. Meanwhile, some librarians at UT address the issue in another way: documentation. UT Libraries debuted its Web site for the Human Rights Documentation Initiative on Monday. The initiative aims to provide access to and archive research that relates to human rights. The site includes primary-source collections related to human rights, a blog and a Twitter feed with updates on new resources uploaded to the site, as well as upcoming events. The idea for the initiative arose from a conference Vice Provost Fred Heath attended in 2007 on humanrights archiving and documentation. “UT Libraries definitely realized there was a need to have that kind of a program,” said Tiffany-Kay Sangwand, a UT human-rights archivist. The initiative received a $1.2 million grant in July 2008 from the Bridgeway Foundation, a Houstonbased nonprofit that seeks to fund organizations committed to solving societal and community problems. The foundation is part of Bridgeway Funds, an investment management firm. “We’re carving out a new space for what libraries can do,” Sangwand said. “Libraries aren’t just a place where you can check out books. Libraries can also play an important part in preserving this documentation, not only for academics, but for activists as well.” The initiative’s current projects include working with the Kigali Memorial Center, the Free Burma Rangers and the Texas After Violence Project. The Kigali Memorial Center, named after the capital of Rwanda, collects testimonies from survivors of genocide, perpetrators and those involved in court proceedings. “What UT is doing is digitally preserving the video recordings, making copies and working with them to build a Web site to make these resources accessible,” Sangwand said. The Web site documenting the genocide is set to release in April 2010, in time for its 16th anniversary. Free Burma Rangers is a nonprofit based in an unspecified location in South Asia that provides medical aid, food and protection to internally displaced
RESEARCH continues on page 5
Program aids in job placement abroad for multiple fields
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Band electrifies, educates campus
Shelley Neuman | Daily Texan Staff
Patrick Brown, UT alumnus and member of the band ArcAttack, performs on the Main Mall on Wednesday evening. The band created the original Singing Tesla Coils, which they utilize in their performances. The Tesla coils are modified to produce musical tones by modulating their spark output.
ArcAttack’s concert harnesses electricity to combine music, physics By Priscilla Totiyapungprasert Daily Texan Staff Standing in front of the Tower while 1 million volts of electricity danced off his hands, UT alumnus Patrick Brown can say his return to
campus was literally an electrifying experience. Brown acted as a human lightning rod as part of a performance Wednesday night with his band, ArcAttack, which performed to a
crowd of hundreds on the Main dents Brown, Joe DiPrima, Tony Mall. The event, hosted by the UT Smith and Craig Newswanger. Society of Physics Students, was Nodding their heads to the compart electro-noise rock concert and puter-stylized notes and rapid part mad-scientist lab experiment. The band consists of Austin resiVOLTAGE continues on page 2
ON THE WEB: Watch ArcAttack @ dailytexanonline.com
Researchers conduct gaming analysis By Alex Geiser Daily Texan Staff Researchers found that the appearance of avatars in video games and other virtual platforms affects the way a user plays the game, according to a study released in September. The study, which is available online and will appear in the December 2009 issue of “Communication Research,” was conducted by two researchers at UT, Jorge Pena and Nicholas Merola, and Cornell University professor Jeffrey Hancock. It consisted of two experiments. In the first, 51 participants were randomly assigned either a dark- or white-cloaked avatar and were separated into two groups by cloak color. “We wanted to see how cues from the color of an avatar’s clothing were able to
prime the user,” said Merola, a doctoral student in communications. “The results showed that compared to the people using avatars dressed in white, people using avatars dressed in black showed more negative intentions and attitudes.” In the second study, 100 participants were assigned avatars dressed as a Ku Klux Klan member, a doctor or transparent. They were shown an ambiguous picture and asked to write a story about the scene they saw. Merola said those dressed as Klan members wrote stories with more aggressive themes, like murder. “It’s not something we are constantly aware of, but at the same time, in the back of our minds, we have some
AVATAR continues on page 2
Organization links Longhorns to career opportunities in more than 700 countries
Derek Stout | Daily Texan Staff
Jorge Pena, a communication studies professor, studies the way in which the appearance of avatars in video games affects how a gamer plays.
Chinese transfer students adjust to Austin lifestyle
By Alex Geiser Daily Texan Staff A nonprofit student-run organization encouraged UT students and recent graduates to sign up and find work abroad at an information session Wednesday night. The Association of Students in Economics and Commerce, a global exchange organization, helps current students and graduates of two years or less find opportunities that match their interests, like overseas internships. “If you are determined to go somewhere, then there is a 100 percent chance that you will go there,” said Lauren Tipton, business honors senior and president of the organization. The program connects students with management, technical, education and development jobs.
JOB continues on page 2
TOMORROW’S WEATHER
Derek Stout | Daily Texan Staff
Han Luo, a doctoral candidate from Beijing, works at the English as a Second Language help desk for students on Wednesday afternoon.
IN PRIZES FROM
texasstudentmedia.com/iphoneapp/
By Priscilla Totiyapungprasert Daily Texan Staff At his Riverside apartment, business junior Siming Yang cooks familiar spicy Chinese dishes to remind him of his home in Jinhua, China. It will probably be several years before he heads back to Jinhua, but Yang said he has adapted to the American lifestyle while still maintaining his roots thanks to Austin’s large Chinese community. Yang is one of 620 Chinese interna-
tional students at UT. Although the University has not seen a significant increase in Chinese international students in the past few years, the United States, with 98,510 students enrolling in American universities in the last year, has seen an increase of 21 percent. In the spring of 2008, Yang left his hometown to pursue studies in economics and accounting at UT. Yang said his parents encouraged him to
TRANSFER continues on page 5
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Thursday, November 19, 2009
avatar: In-game character
influences player behavior
selves, and unconscious in how we act and react.� understanding of what’s going Merola said the research on,� Merola said. would be most helpful to videoIf players are given the opportu- game designers, as it gives them nity to choose their avatar, Mero- more of an idea about what to inla said the effect they found in the clude in a game to trigger a cerstudy would be even stronger, as tain reaction. their actions — good and bad — “It speaks a little bit to how would be more intentional. the way we appear [in a virtual Pena, the communications pro- setting] affects the way we think fessor who conducted the study, about ourselves and feel about said the researchers were asked a ourselves,� Merola said. series of in-depth questions after Jonathan Begnaud, an undethe experiments were completed clared junior and gamer, said to gauge whether they were aware when he first started gaming, he of the researchers’ intentions. chose avatars that were most simPena said that participants in ilar to himself. Now, he looks for the first experiment thought the characters with similar fighting test was about decision-making, styles to his favorite character of and those in the second thought it the past — the one who foughtRobert Wo was a personality study. with yo-yos in “Guilty Gear.� Inon Wednes Andrew Dillon, dean of the “Street Fighter III,� he plays as anic growth i School of Information, said the anime-looking woman in a white way people choose to dress cor- karate outfit. responds with their personali“I myself am more of what they ties. He said a person’s appear- call a ‘turtle,’� Begnaud said. “A ance both evokes certain respons- turtle is someone who walks a lot es from others and affects how he and takes less risks.� or she interacts with people. Although his white outfit and “What you are seeing in a vir- passive style fit in line with the tual world is a natural exten- researchers’ findings, he doesn’t sion, I believe, of how humans think the outfit affects the way convey and react to each other he plays. B in the real world,� Dillon said. “The tools she actually has to D “It is both conscious, as in the play the game affect how I play,� While H choices we make to convey our- Begnaud said. searchers economic its popula and hell, a he aily exan this growth Volume 110, Number 117 missionarie 25 cents The pair McCleary Retail Advertising: CONTACT US cused on r (512) 471-1865 nomic dev joanw@mail.utexas.edu Main Telephone: fect of econ (512) 471-4591 Classified Advertising: religion in (512) 471-5244 and 2006. Editor: classifieds@dailytexanonline.com McClea Jillian Sheridan draws on (512) 232-2212 from three editor@dailytexanonline.com The Texan strives to present all infor-clopedia of mation fairly, accurately and completeManaging Editor: ly. If we have made an error, let us knowrated intern about it. Call (512) 232-2217 or e-mail They fo Stephen Keller managingeditor@dailytexanonline.com. (512) 232-2217 economies managingeditor@ to particip dailytexanonline.com tivities but COPYRIGHT ly increase News Office: tendance u Copyright 2009 Texas Student (512) 232-2207 ing money Media. All articles, photographs news@dailytexanonline.com negatively and graphics, both in the print and “It’s nat online editions, are the property Web Office: religious p of Texas Student Media and may (512) 471-8616 not be reproduced or republished try grows online@dailytexanonline.com in part or in whole without written time becom you are g permission. Sports Office: (512) 232-2210 sports@dailytexanonline.com
From page 1
Shelley Neuman | Daily Texan Staff
Oliver Greaves, John DiPrima and Patrick Brown are members of the band ArcAttack. The band incorporates the usage of Singing Tesla Coils, to generate an ‘electrifying’ performance.
voltage: Musicians combine physics
with songs for organization’s first show duce an A note, which requires the band to send 440 pulses, beats, audience members also got DiPrima said. a physics lesson while watching During the performance, the the jolting electricity display. band asked for a brave audience The band produced the electric- member to participate in the show ity through Tesla coils, high-volt- by stepping into a metal cage in beage resonance transformers that tween the two sets of Tesla coils. Viproduce 500,000 volts of electrici- sual communication freshman Shae ty each, DiPrima said. By turning Schoenle said he was a little scared the coils on and off, the band cre- but wanted to do it for the thrill. ated a pattern of pitches for their After Schoenle scrunched his songs based on pulses transmitted over-6-foot frame into the cage, Arby the coils. cAttack performed their original For instance, 440 hertz will pro- song “Tremelololo!� while bolts of
From page 1
campus watch SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK BUILDING, 1925 San Jacinto Public Intoxication: Several UT faculty and staff members called in a welfare concern for a coworker who was acting strangely. The investigation revealed the coworker was under the influence of an alcoholic beverage to the point Austin-Travis County EMS needed to transport the subject to a local hospital for treatment. Occurred on 11/16/09 at 7:29 PM. Compiled by UTPD Officer William Pieper
electricity struck the cage. When the song ended, Schoenle casually stepped out of the cage and proclaimed the experience as “so cool, but it smelled weird.� ArcAttack concluded its performance with encore performances of the Zelda and Mario theme songs. Hayley Manning, president of the UT Society of Physics Students, said she wanted to do something more grandiose this year with the normally low-key organization. With help from the Universi-
ty’s physics department and revenue generated by selling society Tshirts, which read “Physics is like Sex,� the organization put on its first concert. “In the past, we just [had] weekly meetings and lectures,� Manning said. “People would just try to sit through the lectures for the free pizza, and even I’d be falling asleep. We just wanted to throw a fun, big event this time.� ArcAttack plans to record its first album early 2010, following a New Year’s performance in Austin.
job: Initiative makes global connections across the world, which students can connect with once they apply. Business majors are encouraged The program is open to all mato apply for management jobs, all jors, and foreign language proof which are paid. Technical jobs ficiency is an added benefit, but include science and engineering not necessary. opportunities, which are also all “We can get you started right paid. Positions teaching English away,� Tipton said. “If you sat overseas are paid based entirely down with us for like an hour, on the employer, while develop- we could do it in one sitting.� mental jobs are all volunteer or The total cost of the program nonprofit. is $500 — $45 for the application The organization is linked to fee and $455 to match the student an online database with connec- with a company. Airfare is not intions in more than 700 countries cluded.
From page 1
Tipton advised students to sign up online and get into the system before Dec. 21, as prices are scheduled to increase in January. Anissa Dejoux, a business sophomore who attended the info session, hopes to work abroad this summer or the next in Europe. “It seems like the best choice,� Dejoux said, explaining that the help the organization provides students and the low cost of the program makes it stand out. “It makes it seem possible.�
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The Daily Texan Permanent Staff
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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
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Reporters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Alex Geiser, Melissa Pan, Perez James, Priscilla Totiyapungprasert Photographers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shelley Newman, Derek Stout, Michael Baldon Life&Arts Writers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Kate Ergenbright, Gerald Rich, Rene Hunyh, David Sieloff Copy Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Claire Cardona, Gabriella Fontes, Carolyn Webb Sports/Life&Arts Copy Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Vicky Ho Columnists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Daniel Earnest, David Muto Comics Artists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ryohei Yatsu, Alex Diamond, Connor Shea, Sammy Martinez . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jeremy Johnson, Michael Bowman, Emory Ferguson, Monica Tseng Web Technician . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Nikki Kim, Alice Ju Volunteer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Risa Punzalan
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T he Daily T exan
Shuttle Atlantis docks at station, unloads supplies
By Marcia Dunn The Associated Press CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Space shuttle Atlantis arrived at the International Space Station on Wednesday for a weeklong stay, and the astronauts quickly unloaded a huge platform full of spare parts needed to keep the outpost running for another decade. The platform — 16 feet by 14 feet — contained pumps, storage tanks and other equipment weighing hundreds of pounds each. Robot arms did the heavy lifting, just hours after the two craft came together 220 miles above the Pacific, between Australia and Tasmania. So far, all indications are that the shuttle made it through Monday's liftoff just fine, NASA officials said. The astronauts surveyed their ship Tuesday for any signs of launch damage, and a quick look at the laser images shows everything in good shape. Experts will continue to analyze the data, as well as the approximately 300 digital photos that were taken Wednesday. The only shuttle problem of note — more a nuisance than anything — involved the laptops. The astronauts had to contend with a poky connection rather than the usual DSLtype high speed, which slowed the transmission of pictures, charts and e-mails between Atlantis and Mission Control.
Critical operations were not affected, said flight director Mike Sarafin. Atlantis will remain at the orbiting outpost until the day before Thanksgiving, enough time for the two crews — 12 astronauts total — to unload nearly 15 tons of spare parts. Half of that gear was moved from the shuttle to the station shortly after the docking. Besides pumps and tanks, Atlantis is dropping off a hefty gyroscopes, battery chargers and extra snares for the robot arm, as well as some small, fragile science experiments. Perhaps the most delicate are four butterfly larvae, a student experiment. The plan is for the larvae to develop into Painted Lady butterflies over the next week or two and return on the next shuttle flight in February. The first of three spacewalks — to install a spare antenna and some cables — will take place Thursday. NASA is stockpiling the space station with as much equipment as possible, taking advantage of the spacious shuttle payload bay while it can. Once the shuttles are retired next fall, the orbiting complex will lose its biggest supplier. Officials hope to keep the station operating until 2015, possibly 2020 if President Barack Obama gives the go ahead. Five shuttle missions remain after this one.
NASA | Associated Press
Guests at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center view the launch of space shuttle Atlantis on Monday.
Musadeq Sadeq | Associated Press
Afghan President Hamid Karzai, front left, walks with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, front right, at the presidential palace in Kabul on Wednesday. Zardari arrived in Afghanistan to attend Thursday’s inauguration of Karzai.
Afghan president readies speech
By Deb Riechmann & Kathy Gannon The Associated Press KABUL — Under intense pressure to fix his corrupt government, Afghan President Hamid Karzai sought to strike a balance in his second inaugural speech Thursday: answer international demands for reform while appeasing his political allies who returned him to power. Karzai begins a second term facing an increasingly violent insurgency, an administration crippled by corruption, high unemployment and an impoverished population frustrated by eight years of war and few, if any, improvements to their daily lives. An official familiar with a draft of the speech said Karzai would not pepper his address with rhetoric criticizing the international community. Still, Karzai is likely to wag his finger at foreign do-
nors, as he has done before, for allowing millions of dollars to be skimmed from aid contracts before Afghans ever see the assistance. The official, who requested anonymity to avoid upstaging the president, said Karzai would repeat his demand for assistance to be funneled through the Afghan government as opposed to international organizations. While Karzai was expected to address rampant graft and bribery that has corroded his government, his message is not likely to satisfy the international community, which is hinging future aid and troops on his resolve to clean up corruption. The Karzai government unveiled an anti-corruption and major crimes unit this week just as Afghanistan slipped three places to become the world's second most-corrupt country, according to an annual survey by Transparency International.
"They've done some work on that, but in our view, not nearly enough to demonstrate a seriousness of purpose to tackle corruption," U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told reporters Wednesday during her flight to Kabul. "We are concerned about corruption and we obviously think it has an impact on the quality and capacity of governing. So we're going to be persistent, asking for the kinds of outcomes that we think reflect that they are serious about this. But I can't predict what will or won't happen at this point." On Sunday, Clinton linked additional civilian aid to better accountability on how the Afghans spend the money. In his speech, Karzai also is expected to urge insurgents to lay down their weapons as well as share his vision of an Afghan security force that eventually can take
over the defense of the nation, allowing foreign forces to leave, said a presidential confidante who also declined to be identified so as not to upstage the address. Clinton, who was to attend the inauguration, said the U.S. does not have a long-term military stake here. "We're not seeking to occupy Afghanistan for the undetermined future," she said. "We don't want bases in Afghanistan. And I think that's an important message." That's exactly the message the Afghan government needs the Taliban to hear if there is any hope of getting the insurgents to the negotiating table. A senior NATO official, who sought anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about Karzai's address, said the international forces want to hear Karzai embrace his security forces and back that up with resources.
European Union leaders battle for new positions
By Robert Wielaard The Associated Press BRUSSELS—The European Union is about to pick its very first president, a post conjured up after years of tortuous political machination to give the bloc a unified voice on the world stage. But what is emerging from the halls of power on the eve of the historic decision is confusion and cacophony. There are still no official candidates, and yet more than half a dozen politicians are said to be in the running. Prospects range from the world-famous Tony Blair to a little-known figure named Herman Van Rompuy, the unassuming prime minister of Belgium. Nevertheless, at a dinner Thursday the 27 EU leaders are to pick the president — as well as a foreign minister for Europe — in a ballot that looks more like something between a lottery and
WORLD BRIEFLY Senate health bill to cost $849 billion, cover 94% of Americans WASHINGTON — The political stakes enormous, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid launched long-awaited health care legislation Wednesday estimated to extend coverage to 94 percent of eligible Americans at a cost of $849 billion. Initial maneuvering on the Senate floor was expected later in the week on the measure, bitterly opposed by Republicans eager to deny President Barack Obama a victory on his top domestic priority. Officials have said the measure would require most Americans to carry health insurance and would mandate large companies to provide coverage to their workers, as well as ban insurance company practices such as denying coverage on the basis of pre-existing medical conditions.
a dogfight. Diplomats are bracing for an hours-long battle over these and other jobs for political pals, which many expect will last into the small hours of Friday. The whole process appears to make a mockery of the EU's lofty and long-stated aim of "streamlining" the European decisionmaking process by creating executive positions that will make Europe stand tall in the world. Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, holder of the rotating EU presidency, suggested Wednesday it be an uphill slog to get agreement on the two top jobs. To come this far, the EU made the Irish vote twice in a referendum, brushed aside hostile French and Dutch ballots for an earlier version of the plan, and strong-armed the Czech president into signing a European treaty so
California requires TVs to be more energy efficient by 2011 SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Power-hungry TVs will be banned from store shelves in California after state regulators Wednesday adopted a first-in-the-nation mandate to reduce electricity demand. On a unanimous vote, the California Energy Commission required all new televisions up to 58 inches to be more energy efficient, beginning in 2011. The requirement will be tougher in 2013. The commission estimates that TVs account for about 10 percent of a home’s electricity use. The concern is that the energy draw will rise by as much as 8 percent a year as consumers buy larger televisions, add more to their homes and watch them longer. Commissioners say energy efficiency standards are the cheapest and easiest way to save electricity.
densely written that critics have compared it unfavorably to the phonebook. For Europe, it's a familiar conundrum: the continent longs for strong leadership but, in the end, decision-by-consensus is built into the very core of the European project. Thus, in order to pick a president, leaders must strike the right balance between big countries and small, rich and poor, east and west, socialists and conservatives. Enter Van Rompuy. The conservative Belgian leader, whose impish demeanor seems to match his lightweight political credentials, has emerged as an unlikely front-runner and may reign victorious simply by virtue of being the least offensive candidate. Blair, with star power in spades, had been an early favorite for the presidency — but it appears na-
tional leaders like the energetic French President Nicolas Sarkozy got cold feet when they realized they might get upstaged. Furthermore, many Europeans chafe at the prospect of being led by a Briton who as prime minister kept Europe at an arm's distance and his nation out of the common EU currency. And Blair's staunch support for the Iraq war makes him anathema to millions on a continent that was largely opposed to the invasion. Van Rompuy's other rivals include Dutch Prime Minister JanPeter Balkenende, Luxembourg Premier Jean-Claude Juncker, Toomas Ilves, the Estonian president, and Vaira Vike-Freiberga, the former Latvian president, Somewhat oddly, the EU reform treaty does not spell out what the EU president's job really is, but it might give the EU a bigger profile on the world stage.
MAKE YOUR SPRING BREAK MEANINGFUL Volunteer in Israel with JNF
Shaping Israel’s Future Today For more information and to REGISTER visit
www.jnf.org/springbreak or contact us at asb@jnf.org or 212-879-9305 x245 This trip is partially sponsored by a generous grant from the Repair the World Foundation.
www.jnf.org
Compiled from Associated Press reports
Colin Braley Associated Press
OPINION
4
Thursday, November 19, 2009
T HE DAILY T EXAN
After losses, a new path for equality
VIEWPOINT
Rally for equal rights
By David Muto Associate Editor
UT students are active. We’re outspoken. And, for the most part, we want to improve the world. But we have a much easier time speaking in unison at football games than we do when it comes to addressing issues of equality on our campus. In the decades since the ’60s, when UT students were famous for overcrowding the West Mall to speak up for civil rights and protest the Vietnam War, student demonstrations have cooled, popping up on the Union patio, the Capitol lawn and the Tower steps. Most of the time, they’re pretty uninspiring. We encourage all students to do their part to change that today. Burnt Orange Benefits and StandOut are holding a rally on the Union patio today at noon to push for the extension of domestic partner benefits for UT employees. Instating domestic partner benefits on our campus is an issue we should all be able to get behind. Failing to provide benefits for the partners of gay and lesbian faculty and staff members hurts UT on a practical level by restricting its ability to recruit and retain top faculty, and on a more ideological level by undermining its reputation as a progressive, diverse institution. Students, staff and faculty have been asking for these benefits for over a decade. During that time, eight out of 10 comparable public universities adopted forms of domestic partner benefits, making UT an unappealing place of work for a large subset of the population. According to the Pride and Equity Faculty and Staff Association, tenured faculty and staff are leaving UT, and others are turning down offers in favor of the other 304 universities, including all eight Ivy League institutions, that provide partner benefits. But neither UT President William Powers nor the Board of Regents has the legal authority to offer domestic partner benefits. The System is hamstrung by Texas statutes and the Texas Constitution — which define marriage as a union between a man and a woman. According to the section of our state’s insurance code that refers specifically to UT and Texas A&M University, the only individuals who are considered dependents of employees — and are eligible to receive benefits — are spouses, unmarried children under 25 and disabled children. The Texas Family Code defines “spouse” as a legally joined partner of the opposite gender from the filer. So while we rally at the Union, our voices would be best heard at the Capitol. The Legislature alone has the ability to amend the codes that prevent UT from offering domestic partner benefits. Not that we are letting Powers or the regents off the hook: They’re responsible for lobbying the Legislature to enact policies that aid the UT System. Rather, UT should stop the internal fighting over whom is to blame and focus its collective energy on the Capitol.
It’s an interesting time to be young and gay in America. It’s a time when gay teenagers are coming out at younger and younger ages. A time when parents — even grandparents — are requiring far less nudging toward attitudes that more closely resemble ours. A time of comfort in which we — the G’s, the L’s, the B’s and the T’s of the ever-growing acronym — have been able to go about our lives with relative ease, our sexualities oftentimes defining us no more than our straight counterparts’. But today’s on-campus rally for domestic partner benefits reminds us that after a year of surprising and stinging electoral defeats for gay-rights supporters, the world outside the “post-gay” niche we’ve come to carve for ourselves is — for the time being, at least — standing still. Two weeks ago, voters in Maine repealed a legislative decision that in May legalized gay marriage in the state. The loss came one year after Californians passed Proposi-
tion 8, reversing a state judicial ruling that had overturned a ban on gay marriage six months earlier. The defeat in California left gay-rights activists, who saw the largest blue state in the union as friendly territory, shell-shocked but energized. For them, liberal Maine, a year later, was the new line in the sand, a small test for a enlivened generation of young gay leadership. On Nov. 3, they were once again met with an unexpected, demoralizing defeat. These battles weren’t supposed to be ours to fight. Compassionate friends and family members have joined us on personal paths toward acceptance that, for many of us, signaled changing winds. Polls that showed a slow but steady increase in support for marriage equality since Massachusetts legalized gay marriage in 2004 convinced us that the work would be done for us as we entered adulthood. But these advances have quickly been pulled from under us, reminding us that the cycles of rejection, sorrow, frustration and exhaustion that we faced as adolescents, as we willingly forget, will follow us into the future. History is on our side, they say, but history often moves frustratingly slowly. A year ago, on one such historic night, Presidentelect Barack Obama, in front of thousands for whom his election indicated a sweep-
GALLERY
Intramural sports can be an absolute joy to participate in. There really is nothing better in the world than getting together with friends and throwing the football around or shooting some hoops. Come to think of it, in my experience here at the University, some of my better memories involve doing those very things. However, with almost everything else in life, there are always vandals who attempt to corrupt and ruin your good old-fashioned fun. In the world of IM sports, I’ve deemed these ruffians high school heroes. If you’ve ever played any level of IM sport, you know exactly who I’m talking about. It’s that same guy who peels out of every parking lot he has ever parked in, drinks Muscle Milk in class and prefaces every story he tells with, “Yeah, I was working out the other day ...” In preparation for a game, he arrives 30 minutes early just so he can go through the same routine that he went through back when he was a starter on the varsity squad at his high school (most likely a large school in West Texas or in a Houston or Dallas suburb). He carries with him a dilapidated equipment bag that is meaningful for two reasons. First, it dons the glorious logo of his alma mater, and second, in a Mary Poppins-esque man-
FIRING LINES 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.
LEGALESE Opinions expressed in The Daily Texan are those of the editor or the writer. They are not necessarily those of the UT administration, the Board of Regents or the Texas Student Media Board of Operating Trustees.
Muto is a journalism and Spanish senior.
Fighting for women
High school heroes: Those who ruin intramural sports for the rest of us ner, it carries all the sports goodies any little leaguer could ever dream of. For instance, along with a pair of backup cleats, it wouldn’t be unusual to find a pair of gloves, athletic tape and a bag of chew within the mystical sports container. Located on his bicep in a sleeve, his iPod travels everywhere he goes. Before a match, it would be customary to observe a high school hero “rocking out” to his favorite Rage Against the Machine or Linkin Park song, likely because that is exactly what he listened to before “taking state in ‘06.” The attire of a high school hero is also usually a dead giveaway. Generally, he likes to wear Under Armour shirts to accentuate his developed physique. However, if all of his performance apparel is dirty, he wouldn’t be caught dead in anything other than a dry-fit shirt. He also owns a variety of baggy basketball shorts that, regardless of his waist size, are always XL. He loves his Nike Shox but also likes to lounge about in flip-flops and long socks. His number-2 haircut is always kept fresh, and the lady at Supercuts knows just how he likes it done. Though he would vehemently deny it, he loves to accessorize himself with a lanyard on which hangs the key to his room in Jester and a frayed hat that features his favorite professional sports team. On the field, he overexerts himself in ev-
ing shift in the notion of equality in America, promised a “new dawn” for the nation. Obama, who has resisted fierce advocacy for queer rights, has yet to tie the same rush of history that put him on that stage in Grant Park to the personal struggles of the GLBT community. Smaller strides, including pressuring similarly calcified forces in the fight for benefits for domestic partners of UT employees, are now more important than ever. UT President William Powers is on our side and recognizes the human issue at play, he has said. But UT administrators and the Board of Regents must feel the full force of the support for gay rights if they are to take our case to the Texas Legislature, which has denied UT’s efforts to extend partner benefits by citing a state constitutional amendment that banned any legal recognition of gay relationships. We’ve seen more losses than we expected. But in inheriting these battles, we’ll also be able to lead the charge to see them through. We’re indebted to those who came before us, allowing us to live lives of comfort and contentment, but the battle — though frustrating and exhausting — isn’t over. We have work to do.
THE FIRING LINE
— Jillian Sheridan for the editorial board
By Daniel Earnest Daily Texan Columnist
Editor in Chief: Jillian Sheridan Phone: (512) 232-2212 E-mail: editor@dailytexanonline.com Associate Editors: Jeremy Burchard David Muto Dan Treadway Lauren Winchester
ery possible way and makes the game a drag for anyone else involved — including his own teammates. Armed with an abnormal knowledge of obscure IM rules, he argues with the student referee after several plays throughout the game, belittling his contemporary every step of the way. When he accomplishes something of value for his team, he ensures that everyone knows it was him. When something bad happens, he is quick in pointing out whose fault it was and attempts to find a more adequate replacement for the wrongdoer on the field. After all, winning is absolutely everything. Now, you might say that I seem incredibly bitter, and I confess that you are absolutely correct. My C-league, co-ed soccer team encountered a team full of high s c h o o l h e ro e s w h o t u r n e d o u r f r i e n d l y match into a game that was simply not fun for The Whole Family, which is the name of our team. To all of those out there who are looking to relive their high school grandeur at the expense of us who are looking to simply have fun, do yourself and everyone else a favor and get out of the C-leagues. Please? Oh yeah, and go out and buy some new clothes. You’d be amazed what you can find outside Academy. Earnest is a finance senior.
RECYCLE! Please recycle this copy of The Daily Texan. Place the paper in one of the recycling bins on campus or back in the burnt-orange news stand where you found it.
The abortion debate frustrates me. I am a pro-life, Catholic male who has volunteered for Texas Alliance for Life and on numerous occasions visited abortion clinics to pray for all people — doctors, mothers, fathers and children — who are affected by abortion. As such, I have strong opinions about how to deal with unintentional pregnancy and become angered when articles such as Anna Russo’s are published concerning property taxes being used to “mislead and misinform women about their health care options and offer virtually no medical services.” I’d like to know whether Russo looked at Texas Pregnancy Care Network’s Web site (the one National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League found “grossly inefficient”) or tried to contact them. Not only does the network provide a resource furnishing questions and considerations for women to bear in mind when considering an abortion (also published in the booklet “A Woman’s Right to Know,” written by the Texas Department of Health), but it also provides an exhaustive list of resources, including shelters, counseling, medical referrals, baby clothes, food and furniture. I’m still curious how these services and information “potentially [endanger] women’s health,” as NARAL put it, especially when the information is released by the state. You should note that these services are comprehensive and in many cases free. There is a misconception that the pro-life movement is so caught up in trashing the opposition that the women, children and families involved are trivialized. If you looked into more of what Texas Alliance for Life stands for and the true, loving meaning behind the pro-life movement, you might come to realize that those who work under the title “pro-life,” including Joe Pojman, the executive director of Texas Alliance for Life, are also fighting for women so they can live with the choices they and their partners made. After all, abortion isn’t curing an illness — it’s masking the symptoms.
— James Kleineck Structural engineering graduate student
Putting pressure on Israel In response to Zachary Garber’s Nov. 17 Firing Line, I would like to correct some basic facts that Texans For Israel seems incapable of grasping. First of all, the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign is narrowly focused on those corporations that are directly involved in human rights abuses or that are profiting from the occupation by expropriating Palestinian resources. As an example of the former, the bulldozers used by Israel to demolish Palestinian homes are made by the Caterpillar Corporation (such as the D-8 and D-9 models). As an example of the latter, much of the produce sold abroad by the Agrexco agricultural company is grown by Israeli settlers on stolen Palestinian land. This type of BDS campaign was formerly successful in ending apartheid in South Africa. But if TFI feels that there is a better way of pressuring Israel to comply with international law, the Palestine Solidarity Committee is open to suggestions. Second of all, the Microsoft Corporation is housed in Redmond, Wash., not Tel Aviv. If one consults the Wikipedia entries for “Windows Vista,” “Windows 7” or “History of Microsoft Windows” and searches for “Israel,” there are zero matches. In all likelihood, programmers from every developed nation made minor contributions to the newest operating system (it’s a massive project). I guess TFI is so desperate that it is claiming something like this as Israel’s “great contribution.” By similar logic, I suppose Cuba could claim to be the great victor of World War II.
— Savannah Sterling Garmon UT alumna
5 UNIV
Texas fails March of Dimes report on premature births
Peyton McGee | Daily Texan Staff
Robert Woodberry, a sociology professor at UT, sits in the courtyard of the University Presbyterian Church on Wednesday. Woodberry recently contested a pair of Harvard professors’ research that claimed economic growth is determined by a population’s belief in heaven and hell.
UT professor challenges Harvard economic study By Alex Geiser Daily Texan Staff While Harvard University researchers found that a nation’s economic growth coincides with its population’s belief in heaven and hell, a UT professor attributes this growth, in part, to Protestant missionaries. The pair from Harvard, Rachel McCleary and Robert Barro, focused on religion’s effect on economic development and the effect of economic development on religion in their studies from 2003 and 2006. McCleary and Barro’s report draws on information compiled from three surveys and an encyclopedia of religion, that incorporated international data. They found that as countries’ economies improve, people tend to participate less in religious activities but their religiosity actually increases. Similarly, church attendance uses resources, including money and time, and thus negatively impacts the economy. “It’s natural to see a decline in religious participation as a country grows richer because your time becomes more valuable, and you are going to be more pro-
ductive,” McCleary said. “That doesn’t mean your religious beliefs go down.” She said the productivity learned through religiosity pushes people further in the workplace, helping them succeed and improving the overall economic situation of the country. “The religion teaches you values like trust and working hard and honesty,” McCleary said. “It’s contributing to those values that leads you to be more productive.” Robert Woodberry, a sociology professor at UT, said the research out of Harvard is flawed, and the team was wrong in applying the same belief and attendance measures to all religious groups, despite cultural differences. Woodberry said that while Buddhists and Hindus may believe in hell, their perception of it is different from the Christian one. In addition, he said because church attendance is not required in certain religions, using these measures as a means of comparison does not render accurate results. “The mismeasurement is correlated with something that is driving economic growth, and if the effect were real, we would expect
it to happen in different regions of the world,” Woodberry said. “We would expect the pattern to be consistent, which it’s not.” Woodberry argues that the spread of literacy, technology and civic institutions by Protestant missionaries plays a larger role in economic development. He said the missionaries became involved in promoting literacy in the late 1800s — mostly so people could read the Bible — in a time when the elite tried to keep books from the poor, middle-class and women. As other religious groups saw the effectiveness of printing materials, they too started printing, and competition heightened, he said. “The religious competition was spurring the transfer of resources to poor people and women, and over time that changes the class structure,” he said. “Once you have a society where there is a high level of religious competition and freedom, through ultimately religious pressure, comes a high quality state of education,” he said. This, in turn, has led to economic growth and development, Woodberry said.
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Thursday, November 19, 2009
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The bassist of Kevin Devine and the Goddamn Band tunes his guitar before performing at Emo’s on Wednesday night.
transfer: China sets goal to improve
access to quality secondary education From page 1 attend a university in the United States that they thought would provide a good education and more resources toward his career. Although Yang thinks Chinese international students tend to study more than American students, he said he enjoys what he calls a more casual atmosphere. “American people like leisure,” Yang said. “The Austin environment is also very good, and there are a lot of holidays here.” Other than academic pursuits, Yang also serves as president of the Chinese Students and Scholars Association. After he graduates in 2012, Yang wishes to pursue an internship in the United States before returning to China to apply his new skills in a different kind of economy. This has become a growing trend between the coun-
tries, said Peggy Blumenthal, the executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Institute of International Education. Blumenthal said that as countries like China improve access to primary and secondary education, they now face the problem of not having enough high-quality universities to accommodate the growing number of prospective undergraduate students. American universities entice international students, both undergraduate and graduate, with their hands-on research opportunities and interdisciplinary ways of teaching, Blumenthal said. Despite the recession, parents continue to pool family resources to send their children to the United States, including exploring less expensive college options such as public schools and community colleges, she added.
“With the one-child policy in China, more and more parents are able to invest their considerable wealth into securing a firstclass education for that child,” Blumenthal said. International students oftentimes pursue graduate studies in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math — areas where there are not enough American students applying, Blumenthal said. The international students then return to China, where the job market is currently better than in the United States, she said. “International exchange in higher education continues to provide students across the globe with the opportunity to learn new languages, cultures and skills that contribute to the development of their home countries and to deepening ties with the United States,” Blumenthal said.
By Perez James Daily Texan Staff Texas earned a failing grade on the March of Dimes Premature Birth Report Card for the second year in a row. Each year, the March of Dimes gives a report that ranks each state, and the nation overall, on the number of babies born before 37 weeks of gestation. The preterm birthrate in Texas is 13.6 percent, higher than the national rate of 12.7 percent. Texas’ grade indicates that the state as a whole is failing because of three factors: uninsured women, women who smoke during pregnancy and late preterm birth. March of Dimes urges federal and state support of smoking cessation as part of maternity care. According to the March of Dimes Web site, there are other risks for preterm births including multiple births, like twins, that are typically delivered early, problems with the uterus or cervix, certain infections during pregnancy and family
medical history. “There are major factors that are causing us to receive an ‘F,’” said Sheila Austin, director of program service for Texas March of Dimes. “Our goal is to create awareness with [the] general public.” Premature babies are usually underweight and underdeveloped. Their lungs may not be developed enough to work on their own, and their immune systems may not be ready to fend off germs, according to the March of Dimes Web site. The March of Dimes is known for working with maternal and child health partners across Texas to give the premature a better start in life. According to a 2007 report from the Institute of Medicine, the average first-year medical cost, including both inpatient and outpatient care for preterm infants, is about ten times as much as that of full-term infants—first-year medical costs for preterm babies is $32,325 and $3,325 for full-term infants.
The March of Dimes is working to lower rates of preterm births by providing a range of education and intervention programs, including smoking cessation efforts and consistent care before and during pregnancy. “March of Dimes offers programs to help families to be aware about certain situations,” said Zakiya Larry, a spokeswoman for March of Dimes. “One way is the [Travis] County CenteringPregnancy Center. It’s a group model that provides an innovative alternative to traditional prenatal health checkups.” According to the March of Dimes Web site, the group is supporting the legislation to ban smoking in workplaces and hopes to see a reduction in numbers of women exposed to secondhand smoke. “Large numbers of babies encounter problems during the process of early pregnancy.” Larry said. “By not smoking and putting yourself at risk, it gives that baby a fighting chance.”
research: Initiative preserves survivors’ stories From page 1 refugees in Burma. In the summer of 2009, Nicholas Rejack, a library sciences graduate student, went to the organization’s office to digitally capture 172 mini-digital video tapes, one week’s worth of the 900 total tapes of footage dating back almost a decade. The videos document such aspects of the Burmese conflict such as military training, rescue missions and living conditions of the refugees. “The portrayal of the issues of Burma in the media in the U.S. don’t emphasize the issues the ethnic minorities face,” Rejack said. “They have been struggling against the central government before
the end of the second world war. There are more deeper, complex issues that just never get brought up in the American media.” Because of the sensitivity of the videos’ content and in order to protect the whereabouts of the refugees featured in the footage, UT will not release the videos to the public anytime soon. “The documentation is up to Free Burma Rangers,” said Christian Kelleher, archivist and project manager of the Human Rights Documentation Initiative. “They’re the authors of this material. It’s really up to them, how and when it’s made publicly available.” The Texas After Violence Program, an Austin-based nonprof-
it, is partnering with the initiative to make public its interviews with people who have been impacted by the death penalty, including families of those executed, families of murder victims, jurors, clergy and law enforcement officials. “There’s no way in the world that we could afford a server that could host and show all of those interviews, plus all the supporting material,” said Virginia Raymond, UT professor and founder of the program. “We’re hoping these documentations will be used by artists, counselors, historians, anthropologists, to people who work in violence prevention programs, to law enforcement officials, to people who care about the nature of violence.”
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ExposurE
E-mail: photo@dailytexanonline.com Phone: (512) 471-8618 www.dailytexanonline.com
T he Daily T exan
“THE STALIN” letnapark A local skateboarder takes a rest by the metronome after injuring his left foot while practicing at Letna Park.
Tomås Stejskal, a professional skater from the Czech Republic, carries his board he named “My Ride.” As the day winds to a close in the city of Prague, skateboarders mostly in their teens, begin to slowly arrive at what they call “The Stalin” in Letna Park. This area was once home to a 50-foot-tall statue of Joseph Stalin until it was destroyed in 1963. Now, all that remains is the graffiti-covered stone base of the statue most frequented by the skateboard wheels of Prague’s youth and a large orange metronome erected in 1991 which overlooks the city. The skaters have claimed this spot to give themselves a common place to get away from the bustling city and meet up to practice after school and on the weekends. — Derek Stout
A crowd looks on as several professional European skaters hit “The Stalin” in June for the Stalin Skate Jam competition.
A pair of tattered skate shoes hang from a power-line running over Letna Park.
Top, two young skaters from Prague practice their grinding techniques during the fading hours of sunlight. Bottom, Marek Zaprazny launches across a gap between ramps as a fellow skater looks on during the Stalin Skate Jam.
7 SPTS
SportS
Sports Editor: Austin Talbert E-mail: sports@dailytexanonline.com Phone: (512) 232-2210 www.dailytexanonline.com
Thursday, November
T he Daily T exan
TExAS 3
KANSAS STATE 0
Horns hit .357 to sweep the Wildcats Team notches 23 total kills in front of smallest home crowd of season
GET YOUR
SIDELINE MEN’S BASKETBALL No. 10 Butler 67 Northwestern 54
By Jordan Godwin Daily Texan Staff The bellowing sound of a Destinee Hooker kill echoed off empty concrete bleachers in Gregory Gym Wednesday night. “We’ve been working really hard in the practice gym on a lot of aspects of our game,” said junior outside hitter Juliann Faucette. “We know that how we practice carries over into the game.” But Faucette didn’t enter the locker room before the match expecting a crowd similar to the one at team practices. It was second-ranked and national championship-hopeful Texas’ second-to-last home game of the season, and unlike their typically faithful fans, the team members remembered to show up. In one of its most dominant victories on what could be a magical season, Texas swept past Kansas State with ease. “We know that the fans aren’t the team,” Hooker said.
Nebraska 55 Saint Louis 69 Texas Southern 77 Colorado 88 Toledo 68 Cincinnati 92
NBA Cleveland 91 Washington 108 San Antonio 94 Dallas 99 Miami 80 Atlanta 105 New York 110 Indiana 103 Oklahoma City 94 Orlando 108
Michael Baldon | Daily Texan Staff
Texas’ Michelle Kocher, right, sets up Rachel Adams in Wednesday night’s sweep of Kansas State. The Longhorns overwhelmed their opponents on offense and defense, tying their mark for least points allowed in a set this season.
SWEEP continues on page 8
E D TH ME A O L T N DOWS STUDEN ! TEXAONE APP IPH FEED ON
Faucette honored before game as third member of team on all-time kills list By Chris Tavarez Daily Texan Staff Move aside, Babe and Lou. There’s a new murderers’ row in sports, and it’s in Austin. Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and the rest of the 1927 Yankees will forever be known collectively as “Murderers’ Row” because of their ability to crush the ball and put up runs like nobody’s business. But Texas’ trio of All-Americans Destinee Hooker, Ashley Engle and Juliann Faucette are putting up points in the form of kills as though each game might be their last. Hooker, Engle and Faucette all rank in the top 20 on Texas’ all-time kill list, with Faucette as its most recent addition. Before the Longhorns’ 3-0 sweep of Kansas State Wednesday night, Faucette was honored for earning the 1,000th kill of her career earlier this season. “It’s just an honor with all the players in the past before me who have reached that, with [Demetria Sance]
and Destinee Hooker,” Faucette said. “I just always thought it would be really awesome to reach that [level]. It’s a lot of kills in three years.” And that is perhaps the most impressive aspect of her achievement: the fact that she still has three regular season matches, the postseason —
two more than K-State’s game high, Faucette’s performance still played second fiddle to Hooker’s 15 kills. When viewed in a historical context, though, it’s fitting because Hooker ranks fourth on the all-time list with 1,638 kills. But with all the extra time Faucette has left in her career at Texas, Hooker’s fourth-place spot may be in jeopardy. “Honestly, if she does [pass my mark], go for it,” Hooker said. “It’s a good honor to be up there with It’s a good honor Olympians and whatnot. If she breaks the record, she breaks the reto be up there with cord. I’m not trippin’ on that at all,” Olympians.” she joked. With this kind of offensive talent — Destinee Hooker at his disposal, Head Coach Jerritt outside hitter Elliott’s job is a little easier. “It makes me a better coach,” Elliott said of his team’s success on the attack. “More options: I have a lot which could be as many as 10 more of things that we can do offensivematches — and her entire senior year ly. We can attack the set a little bit in front of her to climb up the all-time more, get teams out of system and keep them more off-balance. Having list, on which she ranks 18th. Her eight-kill performance against to defend three hitters at all times is the Wildcats moved her to 1,032 ca- very difficult.” With that caliber of offensive reer kills, just six in front of student Lauren Gerson | Daily Texan Staff assistant coach Lauren Paolini, who power and versatility, I don’t think helped lead last year’s squad to the the old Bronx Bombers would mind Julian Faucette reaches for the ball against K-State. Faucette joined the Longhorns’ 1,000-kill club . final four. Even with her eight kills, sharing their nickname.
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Charlotte 84 Philadelphia 86 Golden State 95 Boston 109 New Jersey 85 Milwaukee 99 Houston 97 Minnesota 84 LA Clippers 91 Memphis 106 Toronto 91 Utah 104 Detroit 81 Portland 87
NHL Philadelphia 3 Sacramento 2 Florida 6 Buffalo 2 Dallas 3 Detroit 1 Phoenix 3 Minnesota 1
INTERNATIONAL SOCCER United States 1 Norway 3
Senior earns post-season hon
MEN’S BASKETBALL
no. 3 Texas 73, WesTern carolina 41
Role players step up in Longhorns’ second win Varez Ward drives against Western Carolina on Wednesday night. Ward earned increased minutes in Texas’ second game as an important role player.
Derek Stout Daily Texan Staff
By Laken Litman Daily Texan Staff With the spotlight constantly on the senior veterans and touted freshmen, the seven other players who make up No. 3 Texas’ roster get lost in the shuffle. In the Longhorns’ 73-41 win over Western Carolina Wednesday, junior Gary Johnson proved worthy of some attention. Though Johnson is a veteran, his teammates and coaches have dubbed him one of the most improved players on this Longhorn team throughout the preseason, and he showed Wednesday night how hard he’s been working. “I feel like I played my role [against Western Carolina], and that’s what this team is based on — guys playing roles,” said Johnson. “I feel like we’re going to win as long as guys don’t get out of what they do, what they work on and what they practice. Me playing my role, I feel like I did a pretty good job.” Johnson’s work ethic earned
him 19 minutes on the court, where he racked up 10 points and seven rebounds. “There’s no question Gary changed the game when he came in,” said head coach Rick Barnes. “I told him before the game, I wanted him to be the game changer when he came in, and that’s what he did.” F r e s h m a n Av e r y B r a d l e y also earned double-digit minutes against the Catamounts. Although he didn’t get a starting spot in the lineup, he proved why he was the nation’s No. 1 recruit by being a blockade on defense, not to mention the fact that he threw down a few Harlem Globetrotter-esque dunks. “Avery finally showed what he’s capable of doing,” Barnes said. “Defensively, he was really good. When he came in the game in the first half, his mentality was that he was going to lock in and guard. He got a few cheap fouls in
BASKETBALL continues on page 8
Freshman Brown still work in progress at the point By Will Anderson Daily Texan Staff What a difference three days make. For the second straight game, Texas coach Rick Barnes start-
horns. Against UC-Irvine on Sunday, Brown turned the ball over five times and didn’t have any assists. The story was much different Wednesday night. Brown scored 10 points and
“He can score. We knew he could score,” Barnes said. “He’s a very good basketball player in terms of his basketball IQ.” Brown shot 100 percent from beyond the arc with a pair of
“Believe it or not, he’d still rather pass the ball,” Barnes said. But Brown proved he could score in multiple ways. On UT’s last possession of the first half, he received an inbound pass from
Eric Ou | Daily Texa
Senior captain Emily Anderson corrals the ball against Nebrask Oct. 16. ESPN Magazine named Anderson an Academic All-Am
Anderson tabbed an Academic All-American by ESPN Magazine Texas senior captain Emily Anderson was named to the 2009 ESPN The Magazine Academic AllAmerica First Team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America on Wednesday. Anderson is the first Longhorn in program history to earn Academic All-American honors twice in a career and the second to be tabbed as a first-team honoree. She earned a Second Team Academic All-American nod in 2008. The defender boasts a 4.00 GPA in the Accounting/MPA program in the McCombs School of Business. Since her freshman year in 2006, Anderson has picked up three First Team Academic All-Big 12 honors, two ESPN The Magazine CoSIDA First Team selections and an ESPN
Anderson was one of fou horns to start every one of games over the course of th season. Over her four-year Texas, she posted 11 goals a assists for 26 points and wa a stronghold in the Longho fensive third. To be eligible for ESPN Magazine Academic All-A can honors, student athlet be a varsity starter or key maintain a cumulative gra average of 3.30 on a 4.00 s have reached sophomore ic and academic standings or her current institution a nominated by his or her s formation director. Since t gram’s inception in 1952, has awarded Academic A ican honors to more than student athletes in Divisio III and NAIA, covering al
8 SPTS
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SportS
Thursday, November
sweep: Kansas State fails
to find rhythm in defeat From page 7 “We knew we still had to come out with our game, and we just made sure we had fun.” Texas surrendered the first point of the match, but by no means did the point loss define the first set. After a slightly slow start, Texas found its rhythm and nearly doubled the Kansas State output, 25-13. With a balanced serving of kills, Texas hit .357, much better than Kansas State’s -.086. Hooker had a huge block in the set and went on to lead the team with four solo blocks and four assists. “Blocking has definitely been a focal point in our practices,” said Texas coach Jerritt Elliott. “And for Destinee to block that many balls tonight was really exceptional for us.” Just when the Wildcats thought the beating couldn’t get any worse, the Longhorns elevated their game even further in the second set. Texas took 11 of the first 13 points and posted numbers just as impressive as the first set. Texas’ defense held Kansas State
to just 10 points, the third-fewest points allowed by the Longhorns in a set on the season. In the first half of the third set, Kansas State tried to put up a fight, but its roar quickly became a dying whisper. After tying the set 7-7 and celebrating wildly as a result, the Wildcats eventually became roadkill once again, losing the final set 25-17. “We all felt really planted and had a lot of balance,” Faucette said. “We’re definitely starting to find our rhythm at the right time of the year, heading into the playoffs.” And the smallest home crowd of the season witnessed a particularly special home game. The Longhorns improved their season record to 21-1 and now stand three victories away from their second-best season of all time, but only 2,057 were present for the thrashing. “It was our best home performance of the year,” Elliott said. “Our blocking was very good, we played very [efficiently] and we were able to put a lot of pressure on Kansas State the whole night.”
Derek Stout | Daily
Freshman J’Covan Brown, right, fights through a Western Carolina defender on Wednesday. Brown upped his assists from the last game committed six turnovers in 21 minutes against the Catamounts.
brown: Barnes unhappy with turnover From page 7
Michael Baldon | Daily Texan Staff
Texas’ Ashley Engle, left, and Amber Roberson celebrate after Wednesday’s victory. Texas allowed just 10 points in the second set.
SPORTS BRIEFLY Hicks trying to keep majority ownership of Texas Rangers DALLAS — Texas Rangers owner Tom Hicks is putting together a group of local investors, including Hall of Fame quarterback Roger Staubach, for a bid that would enable him to keep majority ownership of the team. “I’m exploring my own group,” Hicks said in a report on ESPNDallas.com, one of four local media outlets he spoke with Wednesday. “Sizable commitments have been made.” Proposals to buy the Rangers are due Friday. “To me, local support, sponsorship, and ownership are better for
the Rangers,” Hicks said. Groups led by Pittsburgh attorney Chuck Greenberg, Houston businessman Jim Crane and White Sox special assistant and former sports agent Dennis Gilbert have been identified as potential bidders, and all have previously met with team officials and toured Rangers Ballpark. When contacted Wednesday night by The Associated Press, Hicks said “it’s all a process,” but wouldn’t elaborate. He has owned the team since 1998. Nolan Ryan, the Hall of Fame pitcher who just completed his second season as the team’s president, could become involved in ownership of the team, either with Hicks or another of the potential buyers. — The Associated Press
Damion James with fewer than five seconds left. Brown accelerated as he drove past half court, then slipped past his defender with a behind-the-back dribble before hitting a pull-up jumper at the buzzer. “I know he’s a good player,” said Western Carolina coach Larry Hunter of Brown. “I know his reputation and have some feel for his game, but it was just a typical Rick Barnes basketball team.” Brown didn’t just play at the point, either. With fewer than five
minutes to go in the first half, Brown and junior Dogus Balbay shared the floor, with Balbay playing more of a traditional pointguard role while Brown shot from the outside and drove the lane. “We put him off the ball and let Dogus handle it,” Barnes said. “I can’t think of one time that we’ve practiced where those two guys were out together.” It was an unusual lineup, assembled due to senior Justin Mason’s foul trouble. “We put [Brown] there because, again, he can score,” Barnes said. “We told him that when he goes
to that position, he has to play with a scorer’s mentality. And he did. He handled that okay.” Brown wasn’t infallible against Western Carolina, however. He sat much of the second half and committed six turnovers, as many as Balbay and Varez Ward combined. “He’s turning the ball over way too much,” Barnes said. “We know he’s better than that. That’s where he’s going to have to tighten it up.” Brown is one of the hardest workers on the squad, according to his teammates. Prior to
Sunday’s game, he sho three hours early to pra shot. On Wednesday, Te scheduled to begin its p shootaround at 3:30 p Brown was there an hou hand and had a sweat g the time Barnes walked the floor. “The kid loves the ga loves to play,” Barnes said Perhaps all of that ext is paying off for Brown. H overs are up, but so are h and his minutes. For no the team’s starting point g a role that is his to lose.
basketball: Texas’ bench play strong in easy victo From page 7 the back court, but the concentration was there.” After the UC-Irvine game, Barnes said that the freshmen needed to learn to play defense and contribute to the flow of the game before they could rake in the minutes. It seemed as though they got the message just in time for Western Carolina. The Longhorns held the Catamounts to 17 points in the second half. “After Irvine, we spent a day just working on defense,” Barnes said. “I thought [against Western Carolina] it was a conscious effort
of our team doing that.” Barnes added that although the fense is what we concentr Offensively, however, the Long- defensive effort was there, 21 turn- and we did a good job wi horns had a total of 21 turnovers. overs were unacceptable. Eleven different play action against Western C and 10 of them reached digit minutes. Barnes wa mix and match a lot of the The defense is what we concentrated on.” around the court in differ tions to get different looks — Rick Barnes, head coach said that he plans on doi of that throughout the sea “We can play a lot of ways with a lot of differ “We scored 73 points tonight “Offensively, we didn’t talk a ple,” he said. “The chemis and probably could have had 100 lot about it before the game, and it this team has been unbe if we didn’t turn the ball over,” showed,” Barnes said. “We had 21 and as long as we do that said senior Damion James, who turnovers, not a very effective job tinue to learn, we’ll find had three of the turnovers. from the free-throw line. The de- use everybody.”
‘‘
nBA
Nowitzki leads Mavs past San Anton Associated Press DALLAS — Dirk Nowitzki scored 11 of his season-high 41 points in overtime and the short-handed Dallas Mavericks held on to beat the injury-depleted San Antonio Spurs 99-94 on Wednesday night. Nowitzki’s three-point play with 2:28 left in overtime put Dallas in front for good, 92-91. After Jason Terry hit a 15-footer, Nowitzki made a 3-pointer on Dallas’ next possession to stretch the lead to 97-91. D re w G o o d e n a d d e d 1 7 points and 11 rebounds before fouling out late in the fourth quarter to help Dallas extend its winning streak to four games. Gooden, who finished last season with the Spurs before signing with the Mavericks on July 20, started at center with Erick Dampier out because of an unknown illness. Dallas was also without starters Josh Howard and Shawn Marion because of left ankle injuries. Tim Duncan had 22 points and 14 rebounds for the Spurs, winless in four road games this season. The Spurs were without starting guard Tony Parker, who aggravated his sprained left ankle in Saturday night’s loss to Oklahoma City. San Antonio also lost guard Manu Ginobili in the first quarter due to a strained left groin. With the game tied at 80, Gooden was credited with a basket on a goaltending call against Antonio McDyess with 1:58 left in regulation to put Dallas ahead. Duncan drove to the basket on
Tony Gutierrez | Asso
Dallas’ Dirk nowitzki drives on Antonio McDyess of the Spurs second half of the Mavericks’ 99-94 overtime victory on Wedn converted both free throws to knot the score at 82 with 31 seconds remaining. Nowitzki’s tip-in 17 seconds later gave Dallas an 84-82 lead, but Duncan’s jump-hook with 2.3 seconds remaining drew San Antonio even. Dallas had a shot to win in regulation, but Duncan blocked
break after a cold-shoot half by both teams. San converted 13 of its 38 fi attempts, while Dallas for 43. The Mavericks carrie 59 lead into the fourth ending the third with s swered points capped Thomas’ follow with
9 CLASS
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News
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Judge rules Army Corps at fault for Katrina flooding
Ying Xu, an assistant professor in the department of civil, architectural and environmental engineering, gave a lecture on phthalates, a group of chemicals from petroleum, which have proven to be harmful and are found in most households. Some have been found to cause asthma in children.
By Cain Burdeau The Associated Press NEW ORLEANS — A federal judge ruled Wednesday that the Army Corps of Engineers’ failure to properly maintain a navigation channel led to massive flooding in Hurricane Katrina, a decision that could make the federal government vulnerable to billions of dollars in claims. U.S. District Judge Stanwood Duval sided with six residents and one business who argued the Army Corps’ shoddy oversight of the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet led to the flooding of New Orleans’ Lower 9th Ward and neighboring St. Bernard Parish. He said, however, the corps couldn’t be held liable for the flooding of eastern New Orleans, where two of the plaintiffs lived. Duval awarded the plaintiffs $720,000, but the government could eventually be forced to pay much more in damages. The
ruling should give more than 100,000 other individuals, businesses and government entities a better shot at claiming billions of dollars in damages. “Total devastation could possibly have been avoided if something had been done,” said Tanya Smith, one of the plaintiffs. “A lot of this stuff was preventable and they turned a deaf ear to it.” The 36-year-old registered nurse anesthetist lived in Chalmette close to the channel when Katrina hit. She was awarded $317,000 in property damages, the most of any of the plaintiffs. Duval referred to the corps’ approach to maintaining the channel as “monumental negligence.” “It’s high time we look at the way these guys do business and do a full re-evaluation of the way it does business,” Bruno said. He said he expected the government to appeal.
Postal Service drops work as Santa’s helpers 1 Shelley Neuman Daily Texan Staff
Plastic residue raises concerns Campus CLASSIFIEDS
day, month day, 2008
CORKBOARD
By Melissa Pan TISEStaff RTexan E Daily T V D E A D N PhthalateRmay beNa! familiar STUnot O U I O the Iplasticizer word,Ybut is a faZAT RGAN found just about miliar O substance
anywhere. The chemical was found to have risks that may affect the health and development of humans, according to research conducted by civil engineering professor Ying Xu, who presented her research at a meeting for the Center for Women’s and Gender Studies Faculty Development Program on Wednesday afternoon. Phthalates are substances used to make plastic more flexible. Products that contain phthalates include laser printers, perfumes, vinyl flooring, plastic bottles and children’s toys.
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“It seems like we’re working and living in [an indoor] toxin factory, but people spend 95 percent of their time indoors,” Xu said. Experiments performed on male rats exposed them to different types of phthalates. The testis weight of the rats dropped by 40 percent after exposure to the chemicals. In humans, exposure to phthalates is associated with some changes to prenatal development and asthma. In an indoor environment, phthalates may significantly slow typing speeds and increase headaches. According to the research Xu presented, children experience higher exposures to phthalates than adults, higher than the reference standard set by the Envi-
ronmental Protection Agency. In addition, oral ingestion of household dust contained the highest amount of exposure to the substance. Other exposure pathways include inhalation and absorption through the skin. There is currently no federal regulation on the amount of phthalates that can be in plastics. California has banned the use of phthalates in children’s toys. “It’s very depressing—the idea that we’re living in poisoned environments,” said Susan Heinzelman, director of the faculty program. For people looking to decrease their exposure to phthalates, Xu suggests opening windows to bring in fresh air to dilute pollutants, using less plastic and using
glass bottles. The faculty development program, in its fourth year, is comprised of faculty members in their first or second year at UT and aims to create a community for them to interact and adjust. About two dozen students and faculty members attended Xu’s lecture, which was followed by a question-andanswer session. “My own work has been very much informed by gender theory, so I’m happy to have the opportunity to exchange ideas with people who work on similar topics,” said Slavic professor Tatiana Kuzmic. Kuzmic, a member of the faculty development program, said the lecture was “informative and frightening.”
By Rachel D’Oro The Associated Press ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Starry eyed children around the world are writing letters to the jolly man at the North Pole, but this holiday season they’ll not likely to get a response from Santa or his helpers. The U.S. Postal Service is dropping a popular effort begun in 1954 in the small town of North Pole, in Alaska’s interior, where volunteers tackle up to 150,000 letters addressed to Santa. Postal Service officials cite pri-
vacy concerns loomed last winter when a postal worker in Maryland recognized a volunteer in the agency’s Operation Santa program as a registered sex offender. The postal worker interceded before the individual could answer a child’s letter. The Postal Service now prohibits volunteers in such programs to have access to children’s last names and addresses. Postal Service spokeswoman Pamela Moody says dealing with the tighter restrictions is not feasible in Alaska.
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Thursday, November 19, 2009
theatre: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Chaosesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; showcases
studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; talent, dedication From page 12
producer Alex Reynolds remain optimistic about the productionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s accessibility. At the center of all these layers and ideas lies something readily familiar â&#x20AC;&#x201D; love. Whether through crude Shakespearean innuendos or tragic unrequited affection, most of the characters interact with love. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what drives them in and out of scenes and realities. Additionally. the non-theatre majorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; performances were excellent. From the pain of Melanie Scruggs and Christine Manthuruthilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rejected love to the humor of Aubrey Slaughter and Andrew Thomas Wortham, all of the cast
members dedicate themselves to their characters with the seriousness of any professional. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Everyone in The Broccoli Project really gravitated toward this play and helped out a lot,â&#x20AC;? Bisewski said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think it would have been really cool if the cast could help write the play more next time.â&#x20AC;? WHAT: Plan II Honors play â&#x20AC;&#x153;Chaosesâ&#x20AC;? WHERE: The Burdine auditorium, Room 106 WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday Sunday TICKETS: $5 at the door
rules: Men should find balance
Courtesy of The xx
The music of British band The xx sounds like The Cure polished to an R&B sheen. The band will play a sold-out show tonight at The Mohawk Austin.
music: Band copes with altered lineup From page 12
While the bandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rise to fame has been quick, it hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been â&#x20AC;&#x153;I guess it ended up sounding without setbacks. A few weeks more like [the producer] than us, ago, keyboardist Baria Qureshi left which is our fault. We didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t real- the band. ly give him any direction,â&#x20AC;? Croft â&#x20AC;&#x153;We were comfortable as a said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We found, through working four-piece. We got to the place with these producers, that we al- where we knew the set inside ready had the sound we wanted.â&#x20AC;? out. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a new challenge now,â&#x20AC;?
Croft said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got to rise to it. ... I think itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exciting.â&#x20AC;? And fortunately for The xx, audiences so far have been responsive to the bandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new lineup. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We played a show in Philadelphia a few nights ago, and we opened with â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Intro,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; and the whole place was just jumping,â&#x20AC;?
Sim said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was just a sea of movement. It goes from that to people standing very still with their eyes closed.â&#x20AC;? The xx will find out whether Austin is too cool to dance at tonightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sold-out show when they open for Friendly Fires at The Mohawk Austin.
between script, own personality From page 12
Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s up to the reader how literally to take everything this book They are designed to make you a proposes. It is undoubtedly full of better conversationalist, more in- ideas and practices that can help teresting to be around and more men overcome their insecurities comfortable with yourself. The and shyness when it comes to enpicking-up-women aspect is al- countering the opposite sex. For anyone struggling in these areas, most secondary. While the bookâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not entirely the book is recommended. That said, it also serves to causleazy, the tools Strauss forces you to earn (and he does make you tion that there should be a balance earn them) can be used for good between following the proposed as well as evil. The book warns, script on its pages and allowing â&#x20AC;&#x153;With great power comes great re- oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s personality to shine through. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Rules of the Gameâ&#x20AC;? is sponsibility,â&#x20AC;? and though the line may be cheesy, the second and incredibly interesting. Just folthird sections of the book make its low Straussâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; words more than his actions. relevance apparent.
memoir: Lack of insight into struggle with faith reinforces chick-lit stereotype From page 12 questioning of her Mormon faith. This slightly unconventional coming-of-age story depicts Bakerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s struggle to remain chaste as she is suddenly thrust into the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dating scene. Bakerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life has all the makings of a good memoir, but â&#x20AC;&#x153;The New York Regional Mormon Singles Hallow-
een Danceâ&#x20AC;? disappoints readers who are looking for anything resembling insight. One of the central themes throughout the memoir is Bakerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s struggle with accepting her Mormon faith and translating it into her life as a young single woman in New York City. Baker fails to adequately describe her faith to readers unfamiliar with the religion or offer
thoughts about her tumultuous relationship with her faith. At times, Baker begins to delve deeper into her connections with Mormonism but ultimately pulls away before asserting anything thought-provoking. Her memoir reads like shallow chick lit, and Baker embodies the stereotype of the genre perfectly. She frequently muses on her desire to find a boy-
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friend and be as pretty as her perfect older sister, Tina. Bakerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s experience as a standup comedienne is the only thing that can save her book from being discarded or shoved under a bed. At times, her stories are downright laugh-out-loud funny, particularly her anecdotes about her family. In one notably amusing recollection, Baker imparts to read-
ers the advice she received from her parents upon her rejection to Brigham Young University and decision to attend New York Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Tisch School of the Arts to purse a degree in acting. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My mother rolled her eyes. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s one more thing,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; she said. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;There are these clubs in New York where men pay larger women to dance with very little cloth-
ing on; donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do that.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? Although Bakerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s honesty, comedic writing style and extraordinary raw material are the perfect recipe for a successful and engaging memoir, something just isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t right. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance,â&#x20AC;? like a slice of low-fat, sugar-free chocolate cake, leaves readers unsatisfied.
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12 LIFE
Life&Arts
12
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Life&Arts Editor: Leigh Patterson E-mail: lifeandarts@dailytexanonline.com Phone: (512) 232-2209 www.dailytexanonline.com
T he Daily T exan
The xx discusses music industry, artistic process
Londonites collaborate, blend genres to create unique sound on debut album
Jordy Wagoner | Daily Texan Staff
Kyle Evora plays the character Felipe in The Broccoli Project’s latest production, “Chaoses,” written and directed by Plan II Honors student Hannah Bisewski.
Plan II players engage complex plot By Gerald Rich Daily Texan Staff As audience members slowly trickled into the Burdine auditorium early Saturday night and chatted before the show, suddenly, and without any change in stage lighting, a planted cast member jumped up from the audience and began prefacing the play. The audience is left to wonder where reality stops and the fiction begins in “Chaoses,” the latest play by Plan II student organization The Broccoli Project. “Not only is it a play within a play, it’s like a play within a play within a play. There are plots crossing over, bending and interweaving,” said writer/director and Plan II junior Hannah Bisewski. “It speaks to how immutable that line is between reali-
ty and fiction. The characters in piec- ramblings initially seem like pure es of fiction, whether it’s a conscious fantasy, the audience slowly learns effort or not, are althat the stories actuways trying to tranally lie somewhere scend the limits of in between fiction their own fiction.” and reality. The play begins While this com... it’s like a play with a present-day plex philosophijournalist wishing within a play within cal plot may seem to move away from overly ambitious for a play.” the stark realism of the auditorium and news reporting. He theater, — Hannah Bisewski ‘make-do’ sets out to write a “Chaoses” embraces writer/director its setting. The cast slightly fictionalized yet reality-based frequently acknowlmemoir. The jouredges the clearly visnalist then visits an ible crew while reelderly couple and begins to listen maining in character. Most scene to the husband’s hilariously risque changes are done with the lights up, ramblings about his princess falling effectively reminding the audience in love with a pirate. Although these that all the plays within plays are a
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part of the larger play, “Chaoses.” The only potential problem with “Chaoses” is that some may find it too complex. On campus alone, its opening weekend performance competed with those of the UT Department of Theatre and Dance’s production of “Pride and Prejudice” and the Roundabout Players’ “Reefer Madness: The Musical.” Even though “Chaoses” is wonderfully pensive and humorous, it requires much more attention than the popular romance story or a musical satire about marijuana. Even without a competitive opening weekend, some may be turned off by the play’s intellectualism. Nevertheless, Bisewski and
THEATRE continues on page 11
By David Sieloff Daily Texan Staff Members of the group The xx dress like the goth kids from South Park, gush about Lady Gaga and, in one song, really bring to mind “Wicked Game” by Chris Isaak. These ingredients, by all accounts, should not have produced something as self-assured, cohesive and dark as the band’s recently released debut album, xx. Sweetly sung words between lovers and band members Oliver Sim and Romy Croft float above music that sounds like The Cure polished to an R&B sheen. “I’ve got a big love for bands like The Cure or My Bloody Valentine, and I’m big fan of R&B bass,” Croft said. “I like mixing it up. I think it’s just the way that we all are.” The three 20-year-old Londonites in The xx have a strikingly original vision and the will to make it happen, both traits that usually only come with experience. The band formed while all the members were attending London’s Elliott School, which also produced Hot Chip, Burial and some of the members of Fleetwood Mac. The xx signed with British record label Young Turks early into the musicians’ careers. “They gave us a lot of freedom, time and no pressure,” Croft said of Young Turks. “It was a helping hand. We were given a lot of gigs and space.” The xx was also writing new material during this time. “A song would start with me or Oliver working on a verse or chorus and sending it over iChat,” Croft said. “We’ll go back and forth until we get it to a place where we’re happy and add bass and guitar to where it’s very skeletal. Then we give it to Jamie [Smith], and he brings the whole rhythmic section, and it builds from there.” The band cites influences from a wide range of pop music, and it shows. “I think I’ve watched the new Lady Gaga video on YouTube, like, 50 times,” Croft said. “We’re more ‘I like this song, I like this song’ rather than ‘This is a bitchy pop singer’ or whatever.” After about a year of writing, gigging and making a few demos, The xx began recording its album using Young Turks’ new, Spartan recording studio. “We were the first ones to get in there,” Sim said. “There was none of the time or money pressure we would have had at a big studio. It was a cool place. There were people coming in and out all the time, and there was always music playing.” The band had the chance to work with multiple producers, such as Diplo, while making its new album, but ultimately the band members produced the album themselves.
MUSIC continues on page 11
Your Mom’s burgers satisfy with ‘impressively soft’ buns Downtown restaurant reimagines classic dish, provides friendly service
By Rene Huynh Daily Texan Staff D e s p i t e i t s n a m e , Yo u r Mom’s Restaurant and Delivery is not a cute, old-fashioned burger joint. You won’t see portraits of Elvis hanging next to collectible CocaCola Co. paraphernalia, nor will you find floral-print curtains or those quaint milk shake glasses. Instead, you’re in for creative, tasty burgers from the epitome of a hole-in-the-wall. Dim lighting, stained leopard-print sofas and crinkly plastic red lanterns oddly harmonize in a very tight space. Basically, it’s the grungy, attic-like extension of a bar. Located on the second floor of the Headhunters Club building on Red River Street, Your Mom’s is a bit hard to find at first since there isn’t a sign clearly in sight. But once we did manage to find the restaurant, a friendly face popped out from behind the counter to greet us.
Almost instantly, we felt at home. This was Aidan, one of its owners. He was personable and chatty, making comfortable small talk as he gave us burger recommendations and took our orders. “We’re like your moms,” Aidan said, good-naturedly referring to himself and his business partner. “We’ll take care of you.” And they did. When asked if they offered a sampler basket of fries, onion rings and fried pickles (so we could avoid the need to purchase three separate orders), he casually cocked his head to the side and said, “Hmm, we don’t really have that. But we can. How about we prepare you a basket for $3.50?” Score. Not only was Aidan flexible, but the improvised basket contained a lot of food for its price. “You’ve ordered our first sampler ever,” he remarked playfully as he set it down on our table. Although the sampler basket was good, the real stars of the evening were, of course, Your Mom’s burgers — complete with spunky names and even spunkier components. We went with the two most highly recommended versions: the
Frida Kahlo ($7.50) and the Marie Laveau ($7.50). The prices were a bit higher than we were used to paying for individual burgers that didn’t come with sides, but they were also packed with more ingredients than usual. As expected, the burgers had distinctly different personalities. The Frida Kahlo was an eclectic, free spirit with pepper jack cheese, chorizo, a fried egg, avocado and lime spread. Although we couldn’t really taste all of these exotic burger ingredients, especially the ones with a subtler taste, together they offered a scrumptious blend of different textures. The Marie Laveau, on the other hand, was Southern and sassy. The half-pound burger patty was blackened Cajun-style, stuffed with boudin and topped with a remoulade sauce. The Cajun seasoning added just the right amount of spice and flair to each bite. In general, the burger buns were impressively soft yet still held up throughout the eating experience, despite the burger’s sauciness and plethora of ingredients. If you’re looking for a straight-
Shelley Neuman | Daily Texan Staff
Ryan Blackmore, owner and chef of Your Mom’s Restaurant and Delivery, prepares a Frida Kahlo burger. Your Mom’s is located on Red River Street above Headhunters Club. laced burger restaurant, Your Mom’s is not the place for you. But
if you just want to chill in a low-key er and a margarita, Your Mom’s environment with a fabulous burg- won’t disappoint. Or disapprove.
BooK REvIEwS
Memoir portrays difficulty of entering Pickup artist’s book aims to increase dating scene while preserving tradition male self-confidence in social settings By Kate Ergenbright Daily Texan Staff Elna Baker is a 27-yearold virgin. She’s also an actress, writer, comedienne and practicing Mormon living in New York City, or as her mother once called it, “Babylon.” Her latest book, “The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance,” gives readers an intimate glimpse into one woman’s quest to find a man while staying true to the traditions of her conservative faith — all the while, being constantly surrounded by temptation in New York social circles.
In the memoir, Baker begins her story at the annual New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance, an event organized to bring together single Mormons living in Manhattan. According to Baker, this event has an ulterior, unspoken motive: “How else would we Manhattan Mormons meet, marry, then make more Mormons?” This event serves as the reader’s introduction into Baker’s life — a life full of awkward romantic encounters and a continual
MEMOIR continues on page 11
‘Rules’ does more than simply increase reader’s ability to talk to women By Jonathan Rienstra Daily Texan Staff If ever there was a man to adhere to the policy of “Do as I say, not as I do,” he is Neil Strauss, notorious pickup artist and author of the book “The Rules of the Game.” After being tutored by VH1 pickup artist Mystery, Strauss wrote a book specifically designed to enable the reader to
win the affection of any woman he desires. It sounds sleazy, but this is where it gets tricky — it really isn’t. The first part of the book is a 30-day course on becoming adept at “openers,” “hooks” and “loops” so that by the end, you can meet women and dazzle them with your skills. What this course actually is, though, is a self-help book meant to make a man more self-confident. The skills pitched by Strauss work for any situation.
RULES continues on page 11