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THE DAILY TEXAN LIFE&ARTS PAGE 12
SPORTS PAGE 7 Bring on the Cornhuskers
Brownies get a holiday twist Tuesday, December 1, 2009
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Economy afflicts holiday charities
UT System combines student Web sites Budding partnership to allow students simple, more secure database log-ins
Photos by Erik Reyna | Daily Texan Staff
Above, veteran Dave Burney belongs to The Salvation Army Employment Services Program that assists homeless men and women in preparing to re-enter the workforce, obtain stable employment and make a successful transition from shelter to affordable housing. Below, Salvation Army kitchen volunteer Hailey McCracken and employees Janet Guevara and Veronica Chavez serve food to needy families.
Gap grows between needed services, available funds to help applicants By Rachel Platis Daily Texan Staff Toothbrushes, rather than toys, are on the wish lists of some Austinites this year. As the holiday season approaches, charities are adjusting to meet demands associated with the downturn of the Central Texas economy. Organizations including Orange Santa, The Christmas Bureau of Austin & Travis County and The Salvation Army are coping with an increased need for services while seeing a decrease in funds received. Peter Frumkin, a professor at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, said that the recession has put a lot of stress on nonprofits and increased the need for necessities. “At the same time, a lot of pressure has been put on the donor side,” he said. “As the market went down, people lost a fair amount of wealth, so we’re seeing a combination of increased need and reduction in charitable funds.” UT’s Orange Santa is one organization that has generally been able to provide toys and resources to most of its applicants, said Susan Clagett, the associate vice president for the Office of Relationship Management and University Events.
School of Architecture ranks fifth in journal By Audrey White Daily Texan Staff The School of Architecture’s undergraduate and graduate programs received a fifth-place national ranking by the journal DesignIntelligence. The journal’s rankings judge which schools best prepare graduates for the workplace with a series of surveys filled out by architecture firms and private con-
tractors throughout the world. The ranking is the most recognized by employers and universities, said James P. Cramer, the journal’s editor and publisher. “The rankings help hiring groups compare notes about where quality is being delivered, and quality matters,” Cramer said. “All schools are not
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The program takes donations that disadvantaged families can “shop” for at the Orange Santa Holiday Store. Last year, Orange Santa served 498 Austin families. So far this year, 550 applications have been received. Clagett said that people donate in a myriad of ways, whether by giving a toy or working at the store. The 500 volunteer positions are currently filled. “We certainly hope to meet the needs of all the families that have applied,” Clagett said. “But you never really know until the Holiday Store opens if you have enough gifts for each age group and gender.” Other local charities have heard from donors that they may not be able to give as much this year. The Christmas Bureau of Austin & Travis County matches donor families with families in need to build a relationship and provide a holiday for them, said director Cynthia Colpaart. By the end of the season, 6,000 to 7,000 families will be up for “adoption.” “There is a horrific need in Austin for this kind of service,” Colpaart said. “This year and last year, we’ve come to serve families who have woken up one morning and
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By Lena Price Daily Texan Staff A new UT System partnership will help protect student and staff identities by allowing them to log in to a variety of research databases with one University-issued username and password. The InCommon Federation, an organization that streamlines access to service Web sites, will act as a liaison for all UT System universities and Web sites that want to make their services available for students and faculty. It creates a terms-of-use policy that both parties agree to, and students will not have to release personal information to each individual service. The goal of the partnership is to improve privacy and security for people who use service Web sites, said Lois Brooks, director of Academic Computing at Stanford University and chairwoman of the InCommon Steering Committee. The user will no longer have to divulge personal information such as social security numbers, addresses or dates of birth for services like the National Institutes of Health. The service will eventually give students complete control over what pieces of their identities will be released. Instead of creating separate account information for the NIH Web site and those of other services, students will be directed to a general page which requests the University-issued ID and password. At UT, the log-in page will look like that of UT Direct. “This solution provides campuses, both large and small, much greater control over users’ personal information,” Brooks said. “At the same time, it provides a more scalable way for campuses to provide a richer, easier to use [and] safer online experience for students, faculty and staff across the board.” Clair Goldsmith, UT System senior advisor for information technology, said the partnership will allow students to work across UT System institutions more easily. He said this is important because research foundations tend to award grant money based on how well the university system can collaborate with other institutions. “This partnership creates an infrastructure to foster that collaboration,” Goldsmith said. The new infrastructure created by the partnership already exists, and each UT System campus will be able to take advantage of it. UT’s Information Technology Services will be in charge of authorizing which students have access to which resources and setting up log-in information.
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UHS waits to acquire H1N1 vaccine H1N1 Flu Clinic Schedule
• Thursday, Dec. 3, 1 – 6 p.m. Delco Center, 4601 Pecan Brook Drive • Friday, Dec. 11, 1 – 6 p.m. Toney Burger Center, 3200 Jones Road • Tuesday, Dec. 15, 1 – 6 p.m. Delco Center • Thursday, Dec. 17, 1 – 6 p.m. Toney Burger Center Source: Austin/Travis County Health & Human Services Department
By Nehal Patel Daily Texan Staff Although H1N1 flu shots will soon be available through the Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services Department, University Health Services is not yet confirmed to receive any doses. UHS may receive approximately 1,500 doses by Dec. 14 at the earliest, but it is unlikely the vaccine will be available on campus before students, faculty and staff leave for the winter holidays, said UHS Associate Director Jamie Shutter. Michael Baldon | Daily Texan Staff “From our end, we’ve done A UT alumnus holds back his sleeve to receive a bandage after getevery single thing [the Texas ting his H1N1 flu vaccination. His position as an Austin public librarian made him eligible to get the vaccination. FLU continues on page 2
Arrested football player possessed 4.5 Xanax pills Ann-Marie Huff | Daily Texan Staff
Architecture senior Jeff Watson designs layouts for final review in a Goldsmith Hall studio on Monday afternoon.
By Bobby Longoria Daily Texan Staff Another freshman UT football player will be watching the team’s visit to the Big 12 Championship game on TV in Austin this weekend. Freshman defensive back Mar-
cus Davis was arrested on charges of driving while intoxicated and possession of a controlled substance later determined to be Alprazolam, also known as Xanax, early Saturday morning in Pearland — only days after UT’s win against Texas A&M Univer-
sity at College Station. “It doesn’t affect the team at all,” said UT head coach Mack Brown at a press conference Monday. “We had two young men make a poor decision, and they are being punished for it.” Brown suspended 18-year-
old Davis for the remainder of the season and said that he will not be allowed to make the trip to Dallas with the team. Davis is the second UT football player to be arrested this month.
ARREST continues on page 5
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Tuesday, December 1, 2009
The Daily Texan Volume 111, Number 123 25 cents
CONTACT US Main Telephone: (512) 471-4591 Editor: Jillian Sheridan (512) 232-2212 editor@dailytexanonline.com Managing Editor: Stephen Keller (512) 232-2217 managingeditor@ dailytexanonline.com News Office: (512) 232-2207 news@dailytexanonline.com Web Office: (512) 471-8616 online@dailytexanonline.com Sports Office: (512) 232-2210 sports@dailytexanonline.com Retail Advertising: (512) 471-1865 joanw@mail.utexas.edu Classified Advertising: (512) 471-5244 classified@dailytexanonline.com The Texan strives to present all information fairly, accurately and completely. If we have made an error, let us know about it. Call (512) 232-2217 or e-mail managingeditor@dailytexanonline.com.
Michael Baldon | Daily Texan Staff
Anna Lizeth Perda-Diaz bawls into her mother’s chest as nurse Leticia Avila administers the 20-month-old’s vaccinations Monday afternoon. Perda-Diaz received a total of five vaccinations, one of which was for H1N1 at the Shots for Tots clinic in North Austin.
COPYRIGHT Copyright 2009 Texas Student Media. All articles, photographs and graphics, both in the print and online editions, are the property of Texas Student Media and may not be reproduced or republished in part or in whole without written permission.
CORRECTIONS Gaylord Jentz’s name was misspelled in an obituary published on Wednesday’s front page about the former UT business law professor. The Texan regrets the error. In an article that ran on page 7 under the headline “Domo arigato Mr. Robotathon,” the number of people who joined the Robotics Club in 2009 was mis-stated. Forty new members joined the club this year. The Texan regrets the error.
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flu: Clinics provide vaccine to certain groups From page 1 Department of State Health Services] asked, but they apparently don’t see us as a priority group,” Shutter said. “It’s frustrating because we have seen other clinics receive their doses, but we don’t know if we will get any or not.” If the vaccine shipment does arrive in December, UHS will try to hold a clinic before the Uni-
“What do you mean ‘why?’ They’re our allies.”
partment has an ample supply of doses for about 18,000 to 20,000, said spokeswoman Carole Barasch. The department has been receiving shipments of the vaccine since late October and is expecting to receive around 7,000 more doses sometime in the future, she said. The department will hold four H1N1 flu shot clinics in December. The shots will be available
Web: New technology From page 1
“The partnership is going to streamline the log-in process for a lot of online services that students use,” said C.W. Belcher, ITS soft-
The Daily Texan Permanent Staff
This newspaper was written, edited and designed with pride by The Daily Texan and Texas Student Media.
Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jillian Sheridan Managing Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Stephen Keller Associate Managing Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . David R. Henry, Ana McKenzie Associate Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jeremy Burchard, Dan Treadway, David Muto, Lauren Winchester News Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sean Beherec Associate News Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pierre Bertrand, Austen Sofhauser, Blair Watler Senior Reporters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Viviana Aldous, Bobby Longoria, Rachel Platis, Lena Price Enterprise Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Andrew Kreighbaum Enterprise Reporters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hudson Lockett Copy Desk Chief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Robert Green Associate Copy Desk Chiefs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cristina Herrera, Nausheen Jivani, Matt Jones Design Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Thu Vo Assistant Design Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Shatha Hussein Senior Designers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Taylor Fausak, Lynda Gonzales, Olivia Hinton Photo Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . May-Ying Lam Associate Photo Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bryant Haertlein, Peter Franklin, Caleb Miller Senior Photographers . . . . Lauren Gerson, Mary Kang,Tamir Kalifa, Peyton McGee, Sara Young Life&Arts Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Leigh Patterson Associate Life&Arts Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Brad Barry, Francisco Marin Jr. Senior Features Writers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Audrey Gale Campbell, Lisa HoLung, Ben Wermund Senior Entertainment Writers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Robert Doty, Mary Lingwall, Robert Rich Senior DT Weekend Writer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Amber Genuske Sports Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Austin Talbert Senior Sports Writers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Will Anderson, Wes DeVoe, Blake Hurtik . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dan Hurwitz, Laken Litman, Michael Sherfield, Chris Tavarez Comics Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Carolyn Calabrese Web Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Annika Erdman Associate Web Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Erik Reyna Multimedia Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Juan Elizondo Associate Multimedia Editors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kara McKenzie, Rachel Schroeder Editorial Adviser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Richard Finnell
ware practices manager. “We definitely plan to make use of it.” Brooks said the educational environment has rapidly evolved over the past five years with the advent of networked resources and distance-learning technologies, so more collaborations across geological boundaries are necessary. “As participation in the federation grows, as with the recent addition of the UT System, we exponentially grow the number of collaborations that can occur between participating universities and their service-provider partners,” Brooks said. Individual campuses can begin implementing the system at their discretion.
also eligible. “We are trying to provide the vaccine to as many people who fit our criteria as possible,” Barasch said. “If there is a demand, we will be able to fulfill it.” H1N1 vaccine distribution should be similar to seasonal flu vaccine distribution, so large drug stores with pharmacies should have the shot soon if they do not already, Barasch said.
Baby you can drive my car
Lauren Gerson | Daily Texan Staff
Graduate students Tramaine Berryhill, Carl Booker and Dorian Robison apply the third of five coats of “foam coat” to preserve and smooth the edges of their 10-foot styrofoam car sculpture. Their work will be displayed during the Dance Repertory Theatre’s “Canción del Cuerpo” performance on March 5, 6, and 7 at the B. Iden Payne Theatre.
SPECIAL ELECTION: Vote on the Election Reform changes to the SG Constitution on Dec. 1 & 2
Issue Staff
Reporters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cara Berndt, Audrey White, Hannah Jones, Nehal Patel Sports Writers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rishi Daulat, Shabab Siddiqui, Austin Ries Life&Arts Writers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Javier Sanchez, David Sieloff, Alexa Hart, Jonathan Rienstra Columnists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dan Treadway, Joshua Avelar Editorial Cartoonist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Michael Murphy Copy Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Megan Gottlieb, Claire Cardona, Molly Nesbitt Sports/Life&Arts Copy Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Amanda Hicks Wire Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Dylan Clement Page Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tarrah Miller Comics Artists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jermane Affonso, Nam Nguyen, Amelia Giller, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ryan Hailey, Rachel Weiss, Katie Smith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Miles Luna, Alex Diamond Web Technician . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jonathan Damrich Videographer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Paul De La Cerda
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Director of Advertising . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jalah Goette Retail Advertising Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Brad Corbett Account Executive/Broadcast Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Carter Goss Campus/National Sales Consultant. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joan Bowerman Assistant to Advertising Director. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C.J. Salgado Student Advertising Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kathryn Abbas Student Advertising Manager. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ryan Ford Acct. Execs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lauren Aldana, Anupama Kulkarni, Ashley Walker, Natasha Moonka . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Taylor Blair, Tommy Daniels, Jordan Gentry, Meagan Gribbin, Darius Meher-Homji Classified Clerks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Teresa Lai Special Editions, Editorial Adviser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Elena Watts Web Advertising . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Danny Grover Special Editions, Student Editors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kira Taniguchi Graphic Designer Interns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Amanda Thomas, Lisa Hartwig Senior Graphic Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Felimon Hernandez
Need to have your wisdom teeth removed? Right now, PPD is looking for men and women for a post-surgical pain relief research study of an investigational medication. Surgery for qualified study participants will be performed by a board certified oral surgeon. Financial compensation is provided upon study completion and the surgery is performed at no cost.
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by appointment only for all uninsured or under-insured Travis Country residents whose health care provider does not have the vaccine. The clinics are available to those who are pregnant, those between six months to 24 years and those who are household contacts or caregivers to infants less than six months old. People who are 25 to 64 years old with a chronic disorder or disease are
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versity closes for the holidays, most likely on Dec. 17, Shutter said. The clinic would be open to all students, faculty and staff, and the shot would probably cost $5. “There is a restricted amount of vaccine in Texas because we have a limited supply that can’t meet demands,” Shutter said. The Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services De-
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Tuesday, December 1, 2009
T he Daily Texan
NATION BRIEFLY Obama set to reveal strategy for Afghan war from West Point WASHINGTON D.C. — After months of debate, President Barack Obama will spell out a costly Afghanistan war expansion to a skeptical public Tuesday night, coupling an infusion of as many as 35,000 more troops with a vow that there will be no endless U.S. commitment. His first orders have already been made: At least one group of Marines will be in place by Christmas. Obama has said that he prefers “not to hand off anything to the next president” and that his strategy will “put us on a path toward ending the war.” But he doesn’t plan to give a more exact timetable than Tuesday night. The president will end his 92day review of the war with a na-
tionally broadcast address in which he will lay out his revamped strategy from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. He spent part of Monday briefing foreign allies in a series of meetings and phone calls. Before Obama’s call to Britain’s Gordon Brown, the prime minister announced that 500 more U.K. troops would arrive in southern Afghanistan next month — making a British total of about 10,000 in the country. And French President Nicolas Sarkozy, whose nation has more than 3,000 in Afghanistan, said French troops would stay “as long as necessary” to stabilize the country. Obama’s war escalation includes sending 30,000 to 35,000 more American forces into Afghanistan in a graduated deployment over the next year, on top of the 71,000 already there. There also will be a fresh focus on training Afghan forces to take over the fight. — The Associated Press
Greek oil tanker with $20 million in crude hijacked By Katharine Houreld The Associated Press NAIROBI, Kenya — Crews on oil tankers aren’t allowed to smoke above deck, much less carry guns, for fear of igniting the ship’s payload. That’s one of the main reasons Somali pirates met little resistance when they hijacked a U.S.-bound supertanker carrying $20 million in crude. The Greek-flagged tanker — traveling from Saudi Arabia to New Orleans — had no escort when it was hijacked Sunday because naval warships are stretched too thin. The problem has been further exacerbated because pirates have expanded their operations to hundreds of miles out at sea. The hijacking, one year after the seizure of a Saudi supertanker led to heightened international efforts to fight piracy off the Horn of Africa, has highlighted the difficulty of keeping ships safe in the region — particularly oil tankers. The Maran Centaurus was about 800 miles off the coast of Somalia when it was hijacked with 28 crew, said Cmdr. John Harbour, a spokesman for the EU Naval Force. On Monday, it was headed toward Somalia’s lawless coast. While some ships traveling in the region have been outfitted with high pressure water guns and piercing noisemakers to repel pirates, even this is shunned on oil tankers for fear of triggering a response from pirates armed with guns and rocket-propelled grenades.
“If you’re not allowed to smoke a cigarette on the upper deck of an oil tanker, why would you want someone with a weapon up there?” said Graeme GibbonBrooks, who heads the private security company Dryad Maritime Intelligence. There is also the threat that an accident or gunfight could lead to a leak that would devastate thousands of miles of ocean or coastline. Protecting the huge tankers that carry more than half of the world’s oil supply is made even more difficult because of their slow speed. Expense and legal worries rule out armed escorts on a separate ship, Gibbon-Brooks said, suggesting the best way to evade attack was for tankers to increase speed and steer the ship 30 to 45 degrees either side of its course. The swinging motion increases wake, destabilizing pirate skiffs, and keeps the low stern moving where pirates usually board. Trailing nets or lines behind vessels can also help by fouling the propellers of pirate skiffs. The Maran Centaurus was traveling about 11 knots when it was hijacked, according to Maj. Marten Granberg of the EU Naval Force. Twenty percent of global shipping is funneled into the narrow, pirate-infested Gulf of Aden that leads through the Red Sea to the Suez Canal. The route is bordered on one side by the failed state of Somalia and on the other by the increasingly unstable country of Yemen.
Carlos Dias | Associated Press
Portuguese Naval Marines guard Somali pirates during a joint operation with Seychelles and EU forces in the Somali Basin on Sunday.
WORLD BRIEFLY
and force Iran to turn to black markets and smuggling for nuclear equipment, said nuclear expert David Albright.
Iran defies UN, plans to build 10 nuclear enrichment facilities Iran detains five British citizens TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s anafter intercepting racing yacht nouncement of plans to build 10 more uranium enrichment facilities is largely bluster after a strong rebuke from the United Nations’ nuclear agency, analysts said Monday. Nonetheless, the defiance is fueling calls among Western allies for new punitive sanctions to freeze Iran’s nuclear program. U.S. and European officials were swift to condemn the plans, warning that Iran risked sinking ever deeper into isolation. Iran responded that it felt forced to move forward with the plans after the International Atomic Energy Agency passed a resolution Friday demanding that it halt all enrichment activities. Iran’s bold announcement Sunday appears to be largely impossible to achieve as long as sanctions continue to throw up roadblocks
LONDON — Iran is holding five British sailors after stopping their racing yacht in the Persian Gulf, the British government said Monday. Oil prices spiked 2 percent to $77.45 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange as the news broke before settling slightly at $77.28. The yacht, owned by Sail Bahrain, was stopped on its way from the tiny island country to the Gulf city of Dubai on Wednesday when it “may have strayed inadvertently into Iranian waters,” Britain’s Foreign Office said. Sail Bahrain’s Web site said it had been due to join the 360-mile Dubai-Muscat Offshore Sailing Race. Compiled from Associated Press reports
Tara Todras-Whitehill | Associated Press
A Palestinian child stands in front of a banner with portraits of prisoners during a demonstration calling for the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails in Gaza City on Monday.
Prisoner swap meetings endure By Mohammed Daraghmeh The Associated Press RAMALLAH, West Bank — Senior Hamas officials said Monday that the Islamic militant group is still wrangling with Israel over the names of 50 prisoners it wants released in exchange for a captive Israeli soldier, signaling significant gaps in the way of an anticipated deal. Last week, Israeli and Hamas officials spoke of progress, raising speculation that an agreement could be wrapped up within days. Hamas is demanding some 1,000 prisoners in exchange for an Israeli soldier it has held for more than three years. But Hamas officials said Israel is still balking at including prominent political leaders and top Hamas militants it holds. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the German-mediated negotiations. At the top of the contested list is Marwan Barghouti, a popular leader of Hamas’ rival Fatah, who is serving five consecutive life terms for his role in shooting attacks that killed four Israe-
lis and a Greek monk. Barghouti is seen as a possible successor to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and Israel is wary of freeing him. Israel is eager to win the release of Sgt. Gilad Schalit, whose plight has generated much sympathy from the public. At the same time, the government fears a deal could bolster Hamas at the expense of Abbas. A German mediator has been based in Jerusalem for the past three months, shuttling regularly to Gaza to broker terms of the agreement, a Hamas official said. He said that in addition to the 50 disputed names, the sides are also arguing over Israel’s demand that some 130 people be deported after their release. Hamas wants that number reduced. Still, in Gaza, Hamas’ interior minister Fathi Hamad said Hamas hoped to complete the deal by the Dec. 14 anniversary of its founding, or Dec. 27, the oneyear anniversary of a fierce Israeli offensive in Gaza. “It will be a celebration of the liberation of prisoners from the jails of the occupation,” he said.
A Palestinian border official confirmed that two German diplomats had entered Gaza from Israel on Monday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter with the press. Mohammed Nazal, a senior member of Hamas’ exiled political leadership based in Damascus, Syria, said progress was being made. “The German mediator is very active, very professional. He devotes his time shuttling between the Palestinians and the Israelis negotiating over every single name on the list,” he said. Israeli officials have refused to discuss the status of negotiations. But in response to a petition filed by a victims’ rights group, the Israeli Justice Ministry confirmed that a total of 980 prisoners were set for release — the first concrete details on the deal the Israelis have made public. It refused a request to identify the prisoners who would be freed and said the names would be made public once the deal was approved. “In principle, there is a possibility that 450 prisoners who were
demanded by Hamas will be released. Their release is being studied meticulously in accordance to various considerations and on a rational security basis,” the statement said. “In addition there will be a unilateral release as a gesture to the Palestinian people where about 530 additional prisoners will be released.” Meanwhile, on Monday Israel began enforcing a 10-month moratorium on new housing construction in West Bank settlements, which it announced last week in an attempt to restart peace talks. The military said inspectors tasked with stopping illegal building handed out a number of stop-work orders and confiscated some building equipment. The West Bank settlers council issued a statement saying it would not cooperate with the inspectors. The Palestinians — who want a complete halt in settlement building — have said the moratorium is not enough because it does not include east Jerusalem or 3,000 West Bank homes already being built or approved for construction.
SWAT extend search for police murders suspect By Manuel Valdes The Associated Press SEATTLE — A heavily armed SWAT team stormed a Seattle home Monday where they thought they had cornered the suspect in the slaying of four police officers at a coffee shop, only to find out that he was not in the house and still on the loose. The discovery added new urgency to the manhunt for Maurice Clemmons as police canvassed the neighborhood with search dogs and hundreds of officers were deployed around Seattle for any sign of the suspect. Authorities put up a $125,000 reward for information leading to his arrest. Police had been positioned overnight at a Seattle home where they thought Clemmons was holed up and spent hours trying to communicate with him, using loudspeakers, explosions and even a robot sent into the house. But when the SWAT team went inside, he was nowhere to be found. Pierce County sheriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer said the location of Clemmons was not known, and it’s possible he still could be in the neighborhood. Troyer also said people who know Clemmons told investigators he had been shot in the torso in his bloody struggle with the officers. “If he didn’t get a ride out of there, he could still be in the area,” Troyer said. Seattle police spokesman Jeff Kappel said there was evidence Clemmons was on the property at one point, but officers could not determine whether he was in the house itself. Kappel would not describe what the evidence was, but said it was a “good tip” that led them to the home. At one point, what sounded
Kevin P. Casey | Associated Press
Seattle SWAT team members leave in their vehicle from the area where they believed the suspect in the killing of four Lakewood, Wash. police officers was located on Monday. like gunshots rang through the neighborhood, but Kappel said no shots were fired. Troyer said warrants for firstdegree murder have been issued against Clemmons in the killings of the officers from the Tacoma suburb of Lakewood who were gunned down in a coffee shop Sunday morning at the start of their shifts. Clemmons has a long criminal history, including a long prison sentence commuted by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee nearly a decade ago, and a recent arrest for allegedly assaulting a police officer in Washington. Authorities allege he killed Sgt. Mark Renninger, 39, and offi-
cers Ronald Owens, 37, Tina Griswold, 40, and Greg Richards, 42, as they worked on their laptop computers at the beginning of their shifts. Clemmons is believed to have been in the area of the coffee shop around the time of the shooting, but Troyer declined to say what evidence might link him to the shooting. Pierce County sheriff’s spokesman Lt. Dave McDonald confirmed Monday that investigators searching the coffee shop had recovered a handgun carried by the shooter, but he did not know if it was the weapon used in Sunday’s shootings. McDonald would not say what type of weapon it is.
Investigators say they know of no reason for gunning down the officers, but court documents indicate Clemmons is delusional and mentally unstable. “We’re going to be surprised if there is a motive worth mentioning,” said Troyer, who sketched out a scene of controlled and deliberate carnage that spared the employees and other customers at the coffee shop in suburban Parkland, about 35 miles south of Seattle. “He was very versed with the weapon,” Troyer said. “This wasn’t something where the windows were shot up and there bullets sprayed around the place. The bullets hit their targets.”
OPINION
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Tuesday, December 1, 2009
T HE DAILY TEXAN
Editor in Chief: Jillian Sheridan Phone: (512) 232-2212 E-mail: editor@dailytexanonline.com Associate Editors: Jeremy Burchard David Muto Dan Treadway Lauren Winchester
GALLERY
VIEWPOINT
Kinky the yellowdog Democrat In 2006, I signed a petition to put Kinky Friedman on the ballot for governor of Texas. In his first run for governor, he was running as an independent. Being an independent suited him. When I ran into him on a street corner in Fort Worth four years ago, he was standing alone, wearing all black and smoking his trademark cigar. He shook my hand and said all he needed to say — some snarky comment about Gov. Rick Perry. As an independent, his “fight the man” stance was cute. Endearing, even. “Why the hell not?” he asked, and even though the rest of us knew why the hell not, it was fun to ponder a state in which Willie Nelson would hold a statewide office. This year, Friedman kicked off another campaign for governor, this time as a Democrat. And this time, while he is trying to paint himself as a more serious candidate, his campaign comes across as a little insincere. In his attempt to walk the line between Democrat and independent, he has frequently lost balance. In a recent interview on Fox Business Network, his attempt at balance was more a stagger than a walk. Friedman started off the interview by objecting to interviewer Neil Cavuto’s assertion that Friedman is a Democrat. Friedman clarified, “What I am is an oldschool, independent-thinking, yellow-dog Democrat,” which, he said, means he is “for power to the people.” He then launched into a tirade about “the common man.” Friedman’s rhetoric is entertaining and inspiring in a very Texan way. It is exactly the type of rhetoric that was probably encouraged in his Plan II Honors classes at UT. But it quickly came apart when he was asked to apply it to a real policy question. Cavuto asked him what the old school, independent-thinking, yellow-dog Democrat thought about health care reform, and Friedman was conflicted. If he supported it, he might offend “the common man.” If not, he might alienate the Democratic party. He compromised, saying, “As a Democrat, I would have to be for it … with great misgivings.” Friedman did not strengthen support for him within the Democratic Party or outside of it by announcing that he supports health care reform but that it could be “the biggest debacle that ever happened.” But the most awkward moment of the interview came when Friedman compared himself to Jesus. Friedman called Perry “Prince Humperdink.” Cavuto called it a mean comment, and Friedman defended his character, concluding that he is a “Will Rogers, Jesus Christ kind of person.” Friedman is a character of epic proportions, but he is no longer believable as an independent straight-talker and is still not a serious candidate for governor. By toning down the sarcasm and upping the politics, he has lost the sincere, good-hearted quality that made him the candidate you wished you could vote for. He was better as a plain old independent underdog. — Jillian Sheridan for the editorial board
GALLERY
Texas legislators fight grade inflation By Joshua Avelar Daily Texan Columnist In this country, responsibility is shared between a plethora of government-funded institutions, including the responsibility of providing education to the nation’s children. The practice of providing public education differs from state to state, and rightfully so — each state has its own culture and problems to deal with in unique ways. But there are certain standards that need to be met for the benefit of our society and for certain practical reasons. According to a report by The Daily Texan last week, a new law passed by the 81st state legislative session has made several Texas school districts uncomfortable without any good reason. The new law states that school districts “may not require a teacher to assign a minimum grade without regard to student’s quality of work, and may allow a student a reasonable opportunity to make up or redo a class assignment or examination for which the student received a failing grade.” The Texas Education Agency has made it a point to enforce this new law by restricting districts from requiring
any “minimum grading.” The state Legislature setting a reasonable standard for Texas’ school children seems like a rare yet admirable occurrence, which it is, but that idea does not resonate well with six Houston-area school districts. Fort Bend, Aldine, Klein, Alief, Anahuac and Clear Creek independent school districts joined forces in a lawsuit to seek clarity in the situation. However, there is nothing cloudy about this situation to clear up. The law specifically states that school districts cannot require that teachers assign minimum grades to students any longer. The TEA has therefore argued that Texas school districts should be prohibited from telling teachers to assign minimum failing grades. The TEA is not a perfect organization by any means, but it has taken the right course of action in this regard. The TEA is simply enforcing a law to which it is obligated to adhere, and for some reason these school districts have failed to recognize this. The school districts mentioned are throwing in the towel early in an attempt — or lack thereof — to tackle what seems to be a logical and minimal task: Give students the grades they deserve. Texas, along with any state in the nation, should be finding ways to have its
young citizens succeed in their educational endeavors, not give them crutches for what seems to be a poor excuse for educational empathy. Texas does admittedly have issues with students successfully completing their public school education. According to the comptroller’s office, only 78.3 percent of Texans above the age of 25 hold a highschool diploma, ranking last in the nation. Even those looking forward to the next stage in educational achievement are not doing so well, as the average SAT math score for Texas students in 2005 ranked 46th in the nation, with the average verbal score ranking 49th. The problems that Texas faces with its education system cannot be solved by grade inflation, which the Legislature has finally recognized. However, its problems may stem from the fact that Texas ranks No. 46 in the country in per-pupil state funding. The low rankings in academics paired with the low funding statistics are not coincidental. Lawmakers in Texas have already started moving in the right direction with this slashing of minimum grade practices. Hopefully, they can expand upon this speck of progress next time they meet. Avelar is a government senior
Tiger Woods in the rough By Dan Treadway Associate Editor
THE FIRING LINE Context for Austin’s green efforts In the Nov. 25 article, “City to get its hands Dillo Dirt-y,” my comments were not primarily relating to wastewater. When asked about Austin Water Utility’s environmental record, I spoke about relatively token efforts of conservation compared to the hundreds of millions of dollars to be wasted on a new water (not wastewater) treatment plant. My comment about flat demand was also in reference to water treatment. As for Hornsby Bend, I had no comment except that improvements would be good. My comment about an administrative order was clearly addressing the Environmental Protection Agency’s lawsuit and resulting federal administrative order requiring Austin Water Utility to ad-
dress the raw sewage leaking into neighborhoods all over Austin just a few years ago. More recently, AWU attempted and failed to place a new water treatment plant No. 4 on first one environmentally sensitive property and then another. I support and applaud AWU’s conservation efforts including outreach and rebates for low flow toilets etc. AWU’s water quality protection lands acquisition and maintenance programs have received many hours of Sierra Club and other environmental organizations’ volunteer support. But we can’t allow small efforts at greenwashing close our eyes to larger scale transgressions — $500 million to drain the lake faster and $2 to $4 million for conservation. The math speaks for itself. — Chris Lehman, Chair Sierra Club Austin
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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.
Monday morning, while on my way to the airport at the conclusion of another successful, artery-choking Thanksgiving, I was listening to “Mike and Mike in the Morning,” the most tolerable sports radio show on the air. When I tuned in, they were discussing the Tiger Woods situation. In a bizarre case, it was revealed that early Friday morning, Woods crashed his car on his Florida estate, suffering facial lacerations. When I first heard the report, something sounded off. It seemed strange that an experienced driver would back into a fire hydrant — they tend to not be placed right next to driveways — and then proceed to crash into a tree in a neighbor’s yard. For one, you have to assume Woods’ estate is gigantic, and to hit a tree in a neighbor’s yard, the car must have traveled three miles at least, I assumed. As expected, rumors began to swirl surrounding the incident, and as expected from the media, controversy escalated. The National Enquirer, sometimes mistaken for a news source, suggested that Woods was having an affair with a club hostess from New York City, which led to an altercation between him and his Swedish model wife, Elin Nordegren. Other outlets have even suggested Nordegren was beating Woods as he tried to escape the house. It doesn’t get much saucier than that. As bizarre as these accusations seem, it’s even more bizarre that the mistress in question has hired
Gloria Allred, an esteemed attorney with a high price tag, to represent her. As the radio hosts described the story, one of them, Mike Greenberg, brought up an interesting point. He asked, “If you’re Tiger Woods, the first billionaire in the history of professional sports, do you forfeit your right to privacy in exchange for all the riches your time in the public sphere has allowed you to accrue?” Woods has only released a brief statement on the matter in which he defended his privacy and accepted fault for the accident without revealing any other details. Woods is not only the most recognizable American athlete today, but he might be the most recognizable American period. He’s a sports marketer’s dream. Woods is of African-American and Asian descent and plays a game dominated by white players. But he doesn’t just play golf — he’s the best in the world, arguably ever. Aside from this, he’s always been considered a jovial, funny and, above all, decent guy, which sadly enough is hard to find among athletes in our society. Because of this, America has lent its trust to Woods, which has led Woods to earn more money in corporate endorsements than any athlete in history. Tiger Woods the golfer may be worth millions, but Tiger Woods the personality has proven to be worth billions. Now, this clean-cut and trusted American hero has violated our sensibilities through his involvement in a supposed scandal. While a statement on Woods’ Web site asserts that he believes the situation is being overblown and that he has nothing to hide, at the same time he’s refused to talk to police to clear
up the matter. If there’s one thing that is completely lost on most celebrities in the midst of turmoil, it’s that America is a fierce public to those immersed in a scandal but forgiving public to those who are forthright. Whatever the details of the situation surrounding Woods’ accident, they likely don’t compare to what Kobe Bryant went through a few years ago when he was accused of raping a woman in Colorado. Rather than sweeping everything under the rug, Bryant came out and said publicly that he had committed adultery, and he apologized to his family as well as his fans for doing so. Whether he committed rape was never revealed, as the two settled outside of court, but the precedent remains that Bryant held a press conference to reveal his side of the story. Today, whether justified or not, Bryant has regained his status as one of the most revered basketball stars on the planet, with far more fans regarding him as an NBA all-star than an accused rapist. Professional athletes are not shy when it comes to accepting praise for their accomplishments. Literally everything they do right is publicized, written about and complimented. It’s when they do something wrong that their true character is tested. Because of his refusal to acknowledge the public that adores him, it seems Woods’ image as a beloved American sports star is now stuck in the rough. He needs to pull off another signature comeback to emerge from this situation with his reputation untarnished. Treadway is a political communication and American studies junior
5 UNIV
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NEWS
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Fayette coal plant Consumer Web sites face lawsuit emphasizes state’s high C02 output Attorney general accuses companies of misleading holiday bargain-hunters
By Lara Berendt Daily Texan Staff Environment Texas rated a coal-fired power plant serving Central Texas as the fifth dirtiest in the state in November. The environmental advocacy group’s report, based on 2007 carbon dioxide emissions data from the Environmental Protection Agency, found Texas to be the worst in the nation that year for carbon dioxide pollution from power plants. The Fayette Power Project near La Grange, owned by Austin Energy and the Lower Colorado River Authority, emitted over 13.2 million tons of carbon dioxide in 2007, equivalent to the pollutants from 2.3 million cars, according to the report. The Fayette plant has been in operation since 1979 and is run by the LCRA. Authority spokeswoman Tara Wells said that historically, the authority has spent millions of dollars to ensure that the plant goes above and beyond required emissions reductions. As far as coal-fired plants go, Wells said Fayette has always been recognized as one of the cleanest in the state. The plant received special recognition this year from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for reductions in other types of emissions, she said. “We definitely want to do what we can to reduce the plant’s impact on the environment,” Wells said, adding that the authority is in the early stages of participating in studies to determine the best plan for reducing the plant’s carbon dioxide emissions. Environment Texas seeks a swift phase-out of the Fayette plant and strenuous efforts at improved efficiency in the Austin area. Johnson expressed concern that the commission remains reluctant to explore carbon dioxide emissions regulation, but she said
she’s pleased to see Austin Energy and the authority taking initiatives to curb these pollutants. “If Austin wants to be an environmental leader, we have to quit coal,” said Environment Texas spokeswoman McCall Johnson. Johnson said the group supports an Austin Energy proposal to City Council to reduce the plant’s usage from 32 percent of Austin Energy’s production to 23 percent by 2020 by relying on other, less-pollutant power sources and adding more local solar and wind energy resources. The proposal also includes nine amendments addressing issues including the goal to make current buildings more energy-efficient and increased distribution of resources, including solar rooftops, by 2020. Austin Energy spokesman Carlos Cordova said the company acknowledges that the Fayette Power Project creates 70 percent of Austin Energy’s carbon emissions while supplying less than one-third of Austin’s power. For these reasons, Austin Energy has proposed the reduction in the plant’s usage, as well as setting emissions goals to 17 percent below 2005 levels, he said. “[The proposal] shows you that Austin Energy is on the forefront of reducing emissions,” Cordova said. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality regulates the state’s power plants, but carbon dioxide is not currently a regulated pollutant, said Andrea Morrow, a spokeswoman for the commission. “Texas has been focusing on increasing energy efficiency and producing clean, renewable power,” said TCEQ Commissioner Buddy Garcia in a statement. “These programs have resulted in cleaner air and reduced emissions of all kinds, without new regulations from Washington that are based on questionable science.”
By Nehal Patel Daily Texan Staff Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott charged several price-comparison Web sites with “unlawfully misleading online shoppers about the quality of certain Internet merchants” Tuesday. The lawsuit comes days after the busiest shopping weekend of the year, during which an increasing number of people are looking online to buy their holiday gifts. The state filed a lawsuit a g a i n s t I n t e rc e p t , L . L . C . , which runs several price-comparison sites, including www. shopcartusa.com, www.diduprice.com, www.flyingprices. com, www.digitalsaver.com and www.pricingdepot.com. Intercept had a choice to either pay a $300,000 civil penalty or shut down operations immediately. All of the Web sites were shut down by Monday evening. “The price-comparison sites were running a cash-for-rating scheme where favorable ratings were purchased and not earned,” Abbott said on Tuesday. A separate lawsuit against EveryPrice.com Inc., which runs www.everyprice.com and www.lowpricedigital.com, was filed as well. The action seeks civil penalties of up to $20,000 per violation of the Deceptive Trade Practices-Consumer Protection Act, plus attorneys’ fees. According to the lawsuit, EveryPrice presented itself as “operating neutral and unbiased price-comparison Web sites and providing comprehensive information about merchants and their products, when in truth and in fact, EveryPrice accepts payments from merchants in return for representing to consumers that such merchants are trust-
ARREST: Discipline left up to University From page 1 Redshirt freshman D.J. Monroe was arrested Nov. 15 for the same offense and suspended indefinitely by Brown. According to an arrest affidavit, at 6:48 a.m. Saturday, a Pearland Police Department officer responded to a suspicious vehicle call after Davis’s vehicle was seen driving on its front left rim. The vehicle was located more than 3.5 miles southeast of the original location to which the officers were dispatched. The stopping officer said Davis pulled into a parking lot and then asked him for help, since his front left tire was gone and he had been driving on the rim. Davis was initially detained in a patrol car, and as officers got him out, he was reaching in his pocket with a white pill in his hand. He dropped the pill and was found with 4.5 pills of Xanax in his front right pocket. Davis commented during ahis field sobriety test that he couldn’t complete the test even if he was sober. He admitted to taking a half a bar of Xanax, and when asked if he had a prescription for the pills, he said that he was holding them for a friend. “The fact the vehicle was not operating at its full capacity — and neither was he — placed drivers at risk, because at either time, he could have lost control of his car and injured someone else,” said Pearland Lt. Onesimo Lopez. Davis was taken to the Pear-
Eric Ou | Daily Texan file photo
Freshman defensive back Marcus Davis will not play the rest of the season after being charged with a DWI and possession of Xanax pills. land City Jail on a $3,500 combined bail for both offenses, which he posted Sunday. NCAA officials said illegal activity is not the concern of the association, and any punitive decisions regarding drug- or alcohol-related activity outside of a championship game, or random NCAA drug testing, are for each individual school to make. Before Monroe and Davis, players Lamarr Houston, Sergio Kindle and Henry Melton were arrested for driving while intoxicated in August 2008, July 2009 and June 2007, respectively. Houston suffered a onegame suspension, and Kindle and Melton were suspended for three games each. Brown said the coaching team counsels players on behavior, drugs and alcohol and that each
player follows a community service program. He said players are innocent until proven guilty and that the coaching team will defend them until that point. If a player is convicted of a crime, Brown, UT President William Powers and Athletics Director Deloss Dodds will reach a common decision. “When a young man is a football player, he gets so scrutinized that if he makes a poor decision, he gets crucified in the media. He gets a lot more bad publicity for being accused of a poor decision than he does returning a touchdown,” Brown said. “I don’t think it’s fair to those young guys. They are treated differently than other people across the country and on campus, but that’s the deal — it’s what we’ve told them, and that’s what it is.”
Photo Illustration by Lauren Gerson | Daily Texan Staff
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott filed a lawsuit against several price-comparison Web sites. The suit claims that the sites misled online shoppers about merchant ratings. It was discovered that positive ratings for various shopping sites were being purchased instead of earned. worthy and reliable.” “These sites have received consumer complaints about endorsed merchants, but the complaints never made it to the surface where other online shoppers could read them,”
Abbott said. Abbott advised shoppers to do their own research to find reputable Web sites. “I’ve always used a lot of skepticism when I use the price-comparison Web sites, so
I just try to find the most credible one,” said accounting senior Jane Mathew. “Multiple, positive customer reviews are really important for me. I usually Google the Web site to see what people are saying about it.”
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University
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Architecture: Curriculum balances practical, theoretical From page 1 created equal. They have different faculties, resources, facilities and leadership. These rankings in DesignIntelligence serve as a way to emphasize the importance of quality.” Since the rankings were first published 11 years ago, UT has consistently ranked at the top. Architecture dean Fritz Steiner said that since he took over eight years ago, the undergraduate program has been in the top 10 every year,
and the graduate program has at least been in the top 15. In the 2010 list, UT was the only school with both its graduate and undergraduate programs ranked in the top five. This year, the undergraduate program in interior design was ranked 10th among national interior design programs. The graduate landscape architecture program, which has only had three graduating classes, was ranked 12th, a feat which Steiner called “mind-blowing.” He attributes
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Sports Editor: Austin Talbert E-mail: sports@dailytexanonline.com Phone: (512) 232-2210 www.dailytexanonline.com
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Tuesday, December 1, 2009
T he Daily Texan
E D TH MEDIA A O L T N DOWS STUDEN ! TEXAONE APP IPH T YOUR FEED ON!
Texas thinks back on Nebraska games
GE
SIDELINE NCAAM TOP 25 1. Kansas (5-0) 2. Texas (5-0) 3. Villanova (6-0) 4. Purdue (5-0) 5. Kentucky (6-0) 6. Duke (6-0) 7. West Virginia (5-0) 8. Syracuse (6-0) 9. Michigan State (5-1) 10. North Carolina (6-1) 11. Tennessee (5-1) 12. Washington (5-0) 13. Florida (6-0) 14. Connecticut (4-1) 15. Ohio State (5-1) 16. Georgetown (4-0) 17. Gonzaga (5-1) 18. Clemson (6-1) 19. Texas A&M (5-1) 20. Louisville (4-1) 21. Florida State (6-1) 22. Cincinnati (4-1) 23. Butler (4-2) 24. UNLV (5-0) 25. Portland (5-1)
BIG 12 STANDINGS North No. 22 Nebraska (9-3, 6-2 Big 12) Missouri (8-4, 4-4) Kansas State (6-6, 4-4) Iowa State (6-6, 3-5) Colorado (3-9, 2-6) Kansas (5-7, 1-7)
South No. 3 Texas (12-, 8-0) No. 20 Oklahoma State (9-3, 6-2) Texas Tech (8-4, 5-3) Oklahoma (7-5, 5-3) Texas A&M (6-6, 3-5) Baylor (4-8, 1-7)
NFL New England 17 New Orleans 38
NBA Memphis 93 Utah 120 Philadelphia 102 Dallas 104
Joey Castillo | Daily Texan file photo
Then-freshman Colt McCoy celebrates with teammate Lyle Sendelin after Texas’ 22-20 come-from-behind victory over Nebraska in 2006. The Longhorns will face off against the Cornhuskers for the Big 12 title for the third time in the conference’s history.
Big 12 Championship game brings back fond memories for Brown, Longhorns By Michael Sherfield Daily Texan Staff No matter what happens Saturday, Colt McCoy will always have fond memories of Nebraska. Long before the Cornhuskers stood in McCoy and Texas’ way to a Big 12 and possible national championship, there was the simple matter of a conference game in 2006. It was snowing, the winds were howling and the freshman quarterback was making his first-ever trip out of Texas for a football game. With his team down
by two, McCoy led Texas to the winning field goal with 20 seconds left. “It was the first game I ever played out of state,” McCoy said. “It was fun — I’ll remember that game forever.” Mack Brown has his own memory of the Huskers. In his first trip to Lincoln in 1998 as Texas’ coach, Brown learned why Nebraska’s fans are known as the “classiest fans in college football.” “When the Nebraska fans gave Ricky [Williams] the standing ovation and yelled ‘Heisman’ as he left the field,
[it] was as good a sportsmanship moment as I will ever see,” Brown said. “That took me to tears. That just doesn’t happen, and it should. I keep the picture in my office because it’s such a special moment.” It wasn’t the first run in Brown had with Nebraska, a program he had idolized growing up in the coaching ranks. “One of the reasons I went to Iowa State [to coach] was because I wanted to see how Oklahoma and Nebraska were winning,” he said. “When I got to Iowa
State, I found out. It wasn’t good. But I found out.” Since then, Brown has found success against the Huskers, beating them five out of six times with Texas. His one loss was in the Big 12 Championship game in 1999. Texas leads the overall series 8-4. “It’s been great games. All of them have been close,” Brown said. “I know I like coaching against them. It’s part of my history as a college football fan.
TEXAS continues on page 8
Chicago 97 Milwaukee 99 Indianapolis Golden State
NCAAM BASKETBALL UNC-Asheville 57 No. 4 Kentucky 94 Colgate 58 No. 7 Syracuse 92 Mount St. Mary’s 62 No. 14 Georgetown 83 Marist 56 Holy Cross 68 Florida International 62 Bowling Green 67 Penn State 69 Virginia 66 Winthrop 51 Appalachian State 70 Albany 65 Florida Atlantic 81 Jacksonville 54 Georgia State 64 South Carolina State 66 High Point 74 Fairfield 80 Hofstra 84 Quinnipiac 62 Navy 65 Montreat 50 Presbyterian 68 Saint Josephy’s 73 Rider 81
BiG 12 FooTBaLL
Conference coaches wait on their fate, deny speculation By austin Ries Daily Texan Staff In the midst of end-of-season coaches’ evaluations, three names from the Big 12 have been at the forefront. One doesn’t have to worry, one is barely hanging on and the other doesn’t want to talk about it. While many critics believed last Friday’s game against Nebraska was going to be Colorado coach Dan Hawkins’ farewell, Chancellor Philip DiStefano and
Athletic Director Mike Bohn informed the team after its Thanksgiving walkthrough practice that Hawkins would still be the coach next season. I guess the powder blue jerseys didn’t do anything. “Dan represents the university’s values on and off the field, and his team has been competitive this year,” DiStefano said. “He has done all that we have asked him to do, and although we all desire more victories, we also recognize
NCaa FooTBaLL
Notre Dame fires Weis, Camaraderie gets Horns to fast start Chiefs show no interest By Doug Tucker The Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Mo. — After Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis was fired on Monday, Chiefs coach Todd Haley insisted that the team has not contacted Weis about joining
the staff in Kansas City. But Haley, a rookie head coach who also is calling plays as offensive coordinator, acknowledged that someday he would prefer to let some-
CHIEFS continues on page 8
N.J.I.T. 53 Seton Hall 93 Alabama State 55 Tulane 82 Saint Mary’s 78 San Jose State 71 CS Bakersfield 74 CS Northridge 81
Millligan 59 Winston-Salem 85
David Zalubowski Associated Press
BIG 12 continues on page 8
woMEN’S BaSKETBaLL
Columbia 55 Sacred Heart 60
Lynchburg 93 Virginia Military 108
starting over with a new coach right now takes us away from, not closer to, our goals for CU football.” Many fans and critics insist that money influenced Bohn’s final decision to keep Hawkins, who is 16-32 with a 2-20 road record and 10-21 resume in the Big 12. “Well, money is always a consideration in big-time college football,” Bohn said. “It wasn’t the
Colorado coach Dan Hawkins shows his frustration during the Buffaloes’ loss to Nebraska on Saturday. Hawkins was granted one more year as head coach.
Paul Sakuma | Associated Press
Former Notre Dame coach Charlie weis walks off the field after his last game as head coach, a 45-38 loss to Stanford.
By Dan Hurwitz Daily Texan Staff With only 10 players on the roster, the Longhorns have been lucky that everyone gets along. In fact, each player recognizes that the chemistry of these 10 women is something they have never had with any other team. Everyone knows each other’s roles and has used them to start off the season with a 4-2 record, which they hope to improve tonight when the Longhorns host Oral Roberts. Some of the players have known each other for four years and others just six months, but the Longhorns have a sense of camaraderie that helps when they spend nearly six straight months together. “We are a very small team, so we rely on everybody heavily,” said guard Yvonne Anderson. The small team is nothing new for head coach Gail Goestenkors, who coached Duke to the Final Four with only eight players before she arrived in Austin. Goestenkors has been sure to recruit players she thought would fit in well with the rest of the team, including this year’s fresh-
Curt Youngblood | Daily Texan Staff
Junior Kathleen Nash goes in for a layup against North Texas in Texas’ 96-52 win over the Mean Green on Nov. 20. men Lauren Flores and Cokie ing spent Thanksgiving together Reed, whom she believes are al- at the U.S. Virgin Islands where, ready making an impact. along with playing basketball, “They [Flores and Reed] add a they went snorkeling and enjoyed new dimension to the team that spending time at the beach. I think really brings the team to“We love each other,” Reed said. gether,” Goestenkors said. “Ev- “We get along well and we don’t erything that they do, they want have any problems. It’s great.” to do with the whole team.” The camaraderie off the court The team has gotten to know each other even more after havTEAM continues on page 8
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Tuesday, December 1, 2009
chief: Haley, Weis coached
together for New York Jets From page 7
John Russell | Associated Press
Vince Young throws the winning touchdown pass in the final seconds of the Titans’ 20-17 win over the Cardinals. Young is most remembered for his winning touchdown run in the closing minutes of the 2006 Rose Bowl to give Texas the 2005 National Championship over USC.
texas: Young’s late heroics no surprise From page 7
I think it’s an exciting challenge for me because I respect them so much. Coach Osborne was one of those guys I grew up wanting to be like.”
D.J. distraction Texas freshmen D.J. Monroe and Marcus Davis will not travel with the team or play Saturday against Nebraska in the Big 12 Championship game as part of their suspensions for driving-while-intoxicated charges. Davis was arrested Saturday, joining Monroe on the
Young start a drive at his own 1yard line with the game on the line Sunday, he knew what to expect. “I had a feeling he might just do it again,” Brown said. “I was really proud. To watch Colt with the oneminute drill right before the half Thursday night and to watch Vince score yesterday was a lot of fun.” Watching perfectly-orchestrated two-minute drills has become commonplace for Brown and offensive coordinator Greg Davis— first with Young then McCoy at quarterback. Both showed their Invincible talents again last week, with McWhen Brown got a glimpse of Coy needing only one minute to the television set showing Vince lead a touchdown drive before sidelines after the kick returner was suspended following a similar incident earlier this month. “I’m not going to play either one of them this weekend,” Brown said. “I told the team: Your focus needs to be on your family, your faith, your grades and your team. If its not, I’m not taking you. The seniors have worked way too hard for a freshman to be a distraction. We’re not going to let it happen.”
the half against A&M. Young took a little longer, going 18 plays and converting three fourth-downs to score the winning touchdown as time expired against Arizona. Matt Leinert watched from the sideline as Young delivered the winning score on 4th down, much as he had in 2006 in the Rose Bowl — the last time the two quarterbacks faced off. “We score so much before the half or at the end of games … it’s one of the trademarks of our offensive team,” Brown said. “That’s why I think I had this weird feeling that Vince would do it yesterday.”
iNTeRNaTioNal SoCCeR
Swedes’ late heroics defy expectations By Rishi Daulat Daily Texan Staff They said he couldn’t score in the big games. Consider that myth officially crushed. Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic smashed in the only goal of the 159th edition of the “El Clasico” rivalry as Barcelona took down Real Madrid at Estadio Camp Nou, 1-0. Ibrahimovic was hurt all week and missed Barcelona’s midweek Champions League fixture against his former club, Inter Milan. He still wasn’t entirely fit for “El Clasico” and remained on the bench until the 51st minute, when he went in for French handball hero, Thierry Henry. Just five minutes later, the 6-foot4-inch striker, once dubbed a “half-ballerina, half-gangster” by the Swedish press, made himself a Barcelona legend. Real Madrid’s Gonzalo Higuain had a great opportunity on goal, but his shot was blocked by Barca captain Carles Puyol. The block led to Dani Alves flanking down the right side, and the Brazilian right back put in a superb swinging cross to Ibrahimovic. The giant striker bare-
Manu Fernandez | Associated Press
FC Barcelona’s Zlatan ibrahimovic of Sweden reacts after scoring against Real madrid during a Spanish la liga soccer match on Sunday. ly stayed onside before latching on with his left foot and powerfully volleying in past goalkeeper Iker Casillas. Barcelona bought Ibrahimovic from Inter this summer in a transfer worth around $70 million. The move, at first heavily criticized because of the forward’s spotty record in the Champions League, has paid off for Barcelona — the sensational Swede has scored nine goals in only 13 games.
There were multiple opportunities for both sides, yet surprisingly, two of the world’s biggest superstars, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, were guilty of missing the two best chances. Ronaldo had a glorious opening early on after Ricardo Kaka put him through perfectly. The Portuguese winger blew his one-on-one with keeper Victor Valdes, however, when he shot low and the goalie made a beautiful kick-save away. Barcelona had a similar situa-
tion toward the end of the match when Messi was put clear by an Alves pass. The nifty Argentinean was all alone with Casillas, but he made a mess of the opportunity when he shot almost directly at the Spanish goalkeeper. Barcelona was forced to hold on with 10 men after the 63rd minute, when Sergio Busquets earned his second yellow card. Real Madrid’s Lassana Diarra also earned a red card, but his second yellow didn’t come until the 90th minute. With the three points, Barcelona regained the lead atop the La Liga table. Real Madrid falls to second place with 28 points, two points behind the leaders, and Sevilla is in third with 26. In the Premiere League, Chelsea destroyed Arsenal 3-0 at Emirates Stadium. Didier Drogba’s brace combined with Thomas Vermaelen’s own goal put the Blues five points clear of second place Manchester United. In other matches, Liverpool won at Everton 2-0, Wayne Rooney was a hat-trick hero in United’s 4-1 drubbing of Portsmouth, and once again, Manchester City earned a draw, this time with Hull City, 1-1.
one else be coordinator and call the plays. “I believe in my heart of hearts that’s the way to be the most efficient,” Haley said. “It’s fun calling plays. There’s no doubt about that. I’ve also said my job is to be the head coach of the team, and if and when that’s possible, I would think that, in my opinion, is the best way to run the operation. If you get the right situation.” Weis and Haley worked together when they were assistants with the New York Jets. Weis also won Super Bowls as the offensive coordinator in New England, when Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli was the Patriots’ vice president of player personnel. “I shared an 8-by-8 office with Charlie for three years in New York, oh, by the way,” Haley said with a grin. “I know Charlie about as up close and personal as you could know him.” Haley said there would be no coaching staff changes for the Chiefs (3-8) until after the sea-
son. He also emphatically denied reports that Kansas City had already contacted Weis. “I can say with clear conscience there’s been no contact,” Haley said. “The focus in this building is putting this team in the best possible position to succeed each day and each week, and that’s where the focus is. As far as staff goes, that would be something I would have — that would be a decision I would have to make.” Haley called plays for Arizona last year, helping the Cardinals reach the Super Bowl. After taking over in Kansas City, he fired offensive coordinator Chan Gailey 13 days before beginning his first season as a head coach. Calling his own plays hasn’t worked very well for Haley’s talent-thin Chiefs. They rank 14th in the AFC in total offense. “As I’ve said earlier, at the end of the year, I will do anything and everything to evaluate the areas of this team and coaching staff that we can get better at,” Haley said.
team: Despite early losses,
Horns confident in ability From page 7 has translated to success on the court for the Longhorns. “Our chemistry of being able to play together and not have any negative thoughts or comments within the team is special,” said senior Brittainey Raven.
TUESDAY: No. 17 Texas (42) at Oral Roberts (3-1) WHERE: Frank Erwin Center (Austin, TX) WHEN: 7 p.m. ON AIR: KVET 1300 AM
big 12: Oklahoma State blows BCS
hopes, Sooners unbeaten at home From page 7 determining factor. The bottom line was Dan Hawkins is the right coach for CU at this time.” The coaching situation at Kansas is still up in the air after the Jayhawks ended their season Saturday with a heartbreaking loss to Missouri, but there is still no word on Mark Mangino’s future. Along with investigations by the school for his treatment of players, the Jayhawks lost the final seven games of their season after starting 5-0. Finally, after Notre Dame fired coach Charlie Weis on Monday after a string of disappointing seasons that ended with a fourgame losing streak, Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops’ name has been thrown around as a possible replacement. Stoops, who ended the regular season Saturday with a 27-0 rout over Oklahoma State, repeatedly denied the rumor, calling it “ridiculous.” “On the record, I am not [interviewing],” Stoops said. “This is the first I’ve heard of this [rumor].”
BCS Bowl hopes gone for OSU It was once again the season that could have been for Oklahoma State this Saturday in Norman, Okla. after Oklahoma shut them out 27-0. The Cowboys lost a lot more than a single football
game. They also lost the chance for a birth in the Fiesta Bowl. But coach Mike Gundy doesn’t want this one game to overshadow this year’s success, including their second straight nine-win season. “I don’t want to take away from what they’ve done this season,” Gundy said. “This is just one loss.” And while the Cowboys finished second in the Big 12 South, they still were unable to show up in their two biggest games of the season against Texas and Oklahoma — the teams they have to beat in order to make a stand in the south.
No place like home for the Sooners Home field advantage has a big impact on college football, and no other team knows this more than Oklahoma. While the Sooners were inconsistent most of the season with five losses, they were a perfect 6-0 at home with a combined score of 276-47. Saturday’s win stretched their wining streak at home to 30 games — the best in the nation. The last time they lost on Owen Field was in their 2005 home opener against TCU. “We don’t talk about it too much,” said running back DeMarco Murray. “But I think we take a lot of pride in it.”
mlB
Jeter adds to accolades with Sports Illustrated’s ‘Sportsman of the Year’ By Howie Rumberg The Associated Press NEW YORK — Derek Jeter posed in his crisp pinstripe uniform, resting a shiny black bat on his shoulder, while a photographer lying on the ground near the entrance to a Bronx subway station snapped pictures of the New York Yankees shortstop from a low angle. Photographing the Yankees captain from below to make him look more regal seemed beside the point. Jeter already has an image that is larger than life. Jeter was back at Yankee Stadium a couple of weeks after winning his fifth World Series title, capping a stellar season with a photo shoot for his latest achievement: Sports Illustrated’s sportsman of the year. “It’s unbelievable. It was completely unexpected. It came out of the blue,” Jeter told The Associated Press during a break in the photo shoot. “When I heard it,
what can you say? It’s one of the greatest honors you can achieve in sports.” The 35-year-old Jeter is the first Bronx Bomber to be tapped for the award, which has been given out since 1954. Swimmer Michael Phelps was last year’s recipient. “That’s even harder considering all the great Yankee players that have played for this organization,” said Jeter, standing under the banners depicting Yankees greats that hang in the Great Hall of the new stadium. “So I hope I’ve done them proud.” Sports Illustrated Group editor Terry McDonell certainly thinks he has. “This verifies my idea that he is on the level of Ruth and Gehrig,” McDonell said. “He’s the greatest shortstop in the history of the game.” Some other baseball players to win the award are Sandy Koufax (1965), Tom Seaver (1969), Cal Ripken Jr. (1995); and the re-
cent nemeses of Jeter’s teams, Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling (2001), and the Boston Red Sox (2004). All business between the lines, Jeter has become one of the untarnished ambassadors in the steroids era of baseball through steady play and quiet leadership on and off the field. “He’s so classy,” McDonell said. “He brings a dignity and elegance to the game.” Jeter ’s 2009 season was remarkable. He batted .334 with 18 homers and 66 RBIs with 30 steals to help lead the Yankees to their first World Series title in nine years — a frustrating drought for the player who won four championships in his first five seasons. As calls swelled for Jeter to switch positions after his contract expires in 2010, the 10-time All-Star went out and had one of his best defensive seasons: He made a career-low eight errors in
winning his fourth Gold Glove. He also passed Yankees icon Lou Gehrig’s club record for hits, won the Hank Aaron Award as the AL’s top hitter, and was given the Roberto Clemente Award for excellence on and off the field. The World Series victory might have been Jeter ’s most cherished accomplishment this year, but what clinched the sportsman award for him was his philanthropic work. Jeter’s Turn 2 Foundation has doled out over $10 million in grants since 1996 to organizations that help keep young people away from alcohol and drugs. “It’s about the manner of the striving and the quality of the effort, too,” McDonell said. “Off the field he has grown so much as a member of the community.” Coming 15 seasons into a career full of honors, the award could be seen as a lifetime achievement, but both McDonell and Jeter dismissed the idea.
New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter is shown on the cover of Sports illustrated, which named him Sportsman of the Year, the magazine announced monday.
Gregory Heisler Sports Illustrated
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Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Researcher speaks about cartel, gang stereotypes in U.S.
Ann-Marie Huff | Daily Texan Staff
Travis County Judge Sam Biscoe discusses the importance of the 2010 Census at a press conference Monday morning at Austin City Hall. Census Day occurs every 10 years and is used by community leaders for everything from planning schools to health care services.
Committee stresses census’ value Austin officials expect substantial population growth since 2000 count
sume meeting after National Census Day on April 1 with regular weekly meetings. The committee co-chairmen are County Judge Eric Shepperd, Travis County Constable Bruce Elfant and Alejandro Ruelas, cofounder of LatinWorks advertising agency. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the role of the Complete Count Committee is to promote the value of accurate and complete census data and have a positive impact on questionnaire response rates. Austin’s current population is expected to show substantial growth compared to the 2000 Census, according to UT sociology professor and demographer,
By Hannah Jones Daily Texan Staff Mayor Lee Leffingwell and County Judge Sam Biscoe launched 2010 Census efforts Monday at City Hall by introducing members of the Complete Count Committee, a citizen-driven committee that will work with the community on distributing Census information. Leffingwell spokesman Matt day, month 2008 Curtis said day, the committee went through a training session Monday night and will meet again Dec. 7. The committee will re-
RTISE ADVE TUDENT S ! YOUR NIZATION A ORG
Robert Hummer. city’s population. The 2000 Census reported “With roughly 50,000 students Austin’s population at 656,562 and a city population that’s and the overall population in about 750,000 or so, that is a sigTexas at 20,851,820. Persons age nificant percentage,” Hummer 25 and over with a bachelor’s de- said. “Austin is no longer a real gree accounted for 40 percent of college town compared to other the Austin population, 17 percent places, but by having a large colhigher than Texas as a whole. lege population, it keeps the age “We’ve seen continuing devel- structure young.” opments, including the construcCurtis said the Complete tion of new neighborhoods and Count Committee contains memthe re-development of the east bers who know the community 1 and will be able to provide side,” Hummer said. “My educat- well ed guess is that Austin has con- necessary insights about the cultinued to grow at a fairly impres- ture and city to increase census sive rate. That being said, when information efforts. LASSIFIEDS there’s an economic downturn, “Everyone should fill out the the growth slows somewhat.” census form,” Curtis said. “Even The UT student population students should fill it out, even if has also played a large role in the they are renting or buying.”
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By Hannah Jones Daily Texan Staff Luís Astorga, an expert on the Mexican drug trade, told an audience at the Teresa Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies on Monday that the American public must understand that the history of Mexican drug cartels did not start in the last few years, but at the beginning of the 20th century. Astorga, a researcher at the Institute of Social Research in Mexico City, studies the relationship between the Mexican politics and drug trafficking as well as changes in national drug policy under Mexico’s current president Felipe Calderón. “The objectives of prohibition are to reduce consumption of drugs [and] reduce the production and number of people involved in drug trafficking, and the results of this prohibition have not helped,” he said. “Something has to be changed. It is not possible to eradicate these drugs.” Astorga said that one must take into account the political situation in each country affected by drug trafficking. Normally, the political field can contain and control drug trafficking. However, in Mexico the political and drug trafficking fields and security institutions have all collapsed, he said. Astorga also accused the United States and Mexican governments of fabricating statistics about the drug trade to stoke political support for drug control efforts. “When you ask U.S. and Mexican officials to see the methodology of how they gathered data, they cannot explain it because it was invented,” he said. “They
Contact Joan supplement at 512-232-2229 joanw@mail.utexas.edu the lack of dona- or Army,email don’t have as many items
From page 1
never thought they’d be where they are because of the drastic economic hit.” Some sponsors are scaling back on the size of giving but continue to participate by adopting smaller families to lessen costs. “Most of our sponsors aren’t ruling it all out just because times are tough,” she said. Colpaart said many pantries are maxed out, and the possibility of partnering different or-
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are using some political figures so people can imagine the problem is different or bigger than in reality.” He also explained that Hispanics, as a group, have been misrepresented by U.S. authorities. “When U.S. authorities talk about the influence of Mexican drug trafficking organizations and their partnership with Hispanic criminal groups, they don’t say most of the Hispanics are Americans, and this may increase the xenophobia of Hispanics,” Astorga said. “They should speak of the citizenship of gangs, not the ethnicity of gangs.” Bryan Roberts, director of the Mexican Center at the Long Institute, said that over the years, the U.S. drug agencies and their Mexican counterparts have had a relatively cooperative relationship but that neither side has tackled the underlying issue. “Both countries are very concerned with the issue and it is a huge security issue with both sides. The difficulty is how one can properly handle this,” Roberts said. “The ability of the Mexican local authorities to handle drug trafficking is pretty minimal.” Astorga said that Mexico must build strong democratic institutions in order to restrict the drug trafficking to the U.S. But Roberts said building up local institutions requires a political consensus that Mexico has not reached and also requires U.S. commitment. “What’s likely to happen short term is more accommodations between local political leaders and drug traffickers,” Roberts said. “In return for ending violence, there will be a toleration of drug trafficking.”
ganizations together for survival was brought up at a meeting for nonprofits she attended in October. Other charities are also making the adjustments necessary to ride out the economic storm. The Salvation Army prepared for the months ahead by eliminating overtime and making necessary personnel cuts to preserve services. The organization hopes to raise $300,000 this year through their annual Red Kettle Christmas Campaign, which will help
tions that have come in this year because of the economic climate, said spokesman Raul Munoz. Munoz said that people are staying at the shelters longer than ever because there are few sustaining jobs available. Gifts and donations, including food or blankets, have also decreased because people are holding onto their possessions longer, he said. “Subsequently, our thrift stores, which provide low-cost items and fund The Salvation
on the shelves,” he said. Munoz said that people donate with the knowledge that the organization provides basic services that some are unable to provide for themselves and that a small donation is what “keeps the lights on.” “We’re sustained because people want to know that those in need are being housed and fed and clothed and that a child of The Salvation Army has a toothbrush and toothpaste,” he said. “That’s what we do here.”
Erik Reyna | Daily Texan Staff
Dr. Luís Astorga, researcher at the Institute of Social Research of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, discusses international drug problems and the repercussions they have had on world economic and social transformations.
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10 COMICS
10
9 7 5 7 3 4 7 2 3 4 5 6 8 2 8 6 4 6 1 5 3 2 7 8 7 2 4 3 2 4
COMICS
Yesterday’s solution
9 8 2 7 6 5 4 3 1
6 3 1 8 2 4 7 5 9
7 4 5 9 3 1 2 6 8
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8 6 9 3 4 2 5 1 7
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Tuesday, December 1, 2009
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Life&Arts
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Film: Director
travels nation to distribute music movie From page 12
happened. “There’re a lot of music films that are about looking back at a bygone era,” Christ said. “This is what history is. You should’ve been there. But, I realized in the past few years that documentary can be in the present. You can make a powerful story about your age and about your peers.” “Echotone” is a child of this realization. After considering subjects for the documentary, he came up with a few local bands, including Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears, Bill Baird of Sunset and Cari Palazzolo of Belaire “Austin calls itself the live music capital of the world, but a lot of people are putting that into question,” he said. “So I knew there was a framework there. And that’s how I went after it. “If we had just made it about Joe Lewis, it wouldn’t be a good film. Just Bill, it wouldn’t be a good film. Just the politics of the city, it wouldn’t be a good film.” To create balance, aside from talking with developers and citizens hell-bent on stopping the “noise,” Christ and cinematographer Robert Garza decided to film the city waking up. “You see cranes moving in harmony,” he said. “You see this giant furnace being carried. And it’s almost dancing. And the sun’s rising behind it all. It’s beautiful. So the fact that all these condos are going up means we get prettier shots. I could complain a lot about it, which I do. But the density downtown allows us to live out here and not have the prices jacked up too much.” And though he still waits for the response from Sundance, Christ said he’s not banking on going to the festival. “We’re...just crossing our fingers that there’s an executive sitting in the theater who’s going to tell us that the mothership says it’s successful,” he said. The team has decided on a more grassroots approach to distribution that includes traveling with the film to 65 cities around the nation, screening it for influential bloggers and selling DVDs over the Internet, though he hopes that as many people as possible will see it on the big screen. But before the distributing work takes over, Christ continues to work on the final cut. “Hopefully, we’re sitting in the theater, and we can look up at the screen and think that every frame is where it needs to be,” he said. Be sure to check out the teaser going online Dec. 3 at echotonefilm.com.
metric: Band’s
opening act well worth trip to see From page 12 with her impressive vocal range, sparkly outfits and their energetic stage presence. Opening for Metric is Band of Skulls, a rock trio from Britain. They were launched to fame after their unreleased track “Friends” was featured on the soundtrack for the Twilight saga’s latest installment, “New Moon.” But don’t be deterred by that fact — Band of Skulls’ noisy rock ‘n’ roll is far from Cullen-esque. Their debut, Baby Darling Doll Face Honey, released in March, features the kind of rough-andtumble, bluesy rock that isn’t anything new but likable nonetheless. The guy-and-gal vocals provided by guitarist Russell Marsden and bassist Emma Richardson are executed nicely, a sexy medium for lyrics that seem to take a backseat to guitar riffs and drums beaten almost abusively. Baby Darling Doll Face Honey’s 11 tracks journey through a variety of different styles, from messy garage rock to softer acoustic ballads. Undoubtedly, Band of Skulls’ performance will be a loud one. Their music is the kind of rock that was meant to be heard live, and their foot-stomping, headbobbing jams might well be worth the trip downtown.
Courtesy of The Whigs
The Whigs’ perfectly realized pop-rock, liberally sprinkled with crunchy guitar hooks, hits every pleasure center in the brain carved out by early ‘90s alt-rock.
Early ‘90s alt-rock inspires Southern trio Georgia-based group to perform several songs from upcoming release By David Sieloff Daily Texan Staff The Whigs probably sound like something you’ve heard before. The band’s perfectly realized pop-rock liberally sprinkled with crunchy guitar hooks hits every pleasure center in the brain carved out by early ‘90s alt-rock. The Whigs’ albums could almost pass for a bunch of lost
R.E.M. B-sides if it weren’t for Parker Gispert’s powerful vocals — a howl that gives the band a southern rock spice not too far from former tourmates Kings of Leon. The only instruments on a Whig’s song are guitar, bass, drums and vocals, and it’s obviously a point of pride. They sound like underdogs trying to push their limiting power-trio formation to its breaking point, quite literally in the case of drummer Julian Dorio. It’s exciting, but the directness also allows them to
show a little vulnerability. A true Southern band, The Whigs recorded its first album Give ‘em All a Big Fat Lip in 2005 in an empty frat house in Athens, Georgia while the band members were all attending school. Due to a distrust of major labels, the album was self-released, though that hardly stopped the music press from talking about them. In 2006, Rolling Stone called them “The Best Unsigned Band in America,” and Dorio was named “Best Drummer” by Esquire magazine in 2007.
Last year saw the release of the band’s second album, Mission Control, on Dave Matthews’ ATO Records. The record was, as expected, more polished than the previous outing but no less urgent. The thundering drums, deft bass playing and slashing guitars in “Right Hand on My Heart” show a maturation from their earlier material in all the right ways. The album was well-received, and that year, the band played the “Late Show with David Letterman” and South by
WHAT: The Whigs w/ The Features, A Giant Dog WHERE: Emo’s, inside WHEN: Today, doors at 9 p.m. TICKETS: $12 Southwest to promote it. The Whigs have plans to release a new album in early 2010 and have been playing a number of songs from this upcoming release on their most recent tour, which brings them to Emo’s tonight.
reviews: Releases reminiscent of earlier successes From page 12
John Mayer Battle Studies
It has been three years and roughly 37 relationships since John Mayer released Continuum, so it seems about the right time that he comes out with his latest album, Battle Studies. Checking in at a healthy 50 minutes, Battle Studies can best be described as exactly that: a study of one man’s battles. With songs like U2-esque “Heartbreak Warfare,” “Assassin” and “War of my Life,” it’s safe to say
that this album is cathartic for Mayer. The battle is best shown in the penultimate song, “Friends, Lovers or Nothing.” It’s a slow-burning pop ballad that might go on a bit too long, but then, that’s kind of the point of a song about trying to figure out what two people are supposed to mean to one another. On the album’s first single, “Who Says,” Mayer strips it down for a song about getting stoned, trying to remember a faded girl and maybe going to Japan. It also shouts out Austin, so it’s got that going for it. It is a lighter affair that matches Mayer’s public goofiness, and it works. In fact, the album, and Mayer, would be better served if some of the self-deprecation that he exudes in his daily life found itself in his music more often. The weakest song in the collection is “Half of My Heart.” There is a lot of potential in the foot-tapping tempo, but Taylor Swift’s addition to the song is so minute that it seems tacked on. Mayer overpowers her on the scant few lines they share and the one time in the chorus callback she can be heard, it is distracting.
That said, the album as a whole shows that Mayer does not waste the time he takes between albums. It might be three years in the making, but the album is polished without being overproduced, pop-ish when it needs to be, soulful and vibrant when desired (see the funky cover of Robert Johnston’s “Crossroads”) and dramatic at times. — Jonathan Rienstra
Susan Boyle I Dreamed A Dream
In the vast array of YouTube sensations, the musical stylings of Su-
san Boyle were ubiquitous. She wowed the doubtful judges and the disapproving audience when she sang the ballad “I Dreamed a Dream” on “Britain’s Got Talent.” The show itself seemed to place all of its bets against the 47-yearold singer. Many blatantly reviled her appearance, as if a relatively dowdy woman would be unable to hold her own in a singing competition. But Boyle emerged victorious, gaining the love and support of everyone who happened upon her voluminous voice. What resulted from this performance and the millions of views on YouTube was a debut album, aptly titled, I Dreamed a Dream. Made up mostly of older songs, it presents an uninteresting queue of rehashed classics. Among them is the Stones’ “Wild Horses”, which Boyle sings quite well, despite what feels like a lack of real energy. With this opener, she takes her time with the song, her angelic voice cautiously revealing the songs’ lyrics as if she is afraid to sing a song made popular by someone else.
Relative publishes incomplete Nabokov novel By Irina Titova The Associated Press ST. PETERSBURG, Russia — Vladimir Nabokov’s final, fragmentary novel went on sale Monday in two versions in Russia, more than 30 years after he asked that it be burned upon his death. The emigre Russian wrote “The Original of Laura” on index cards in 1975-77, the last years of his life. He asked his wife and son to burn the cards after his death, said Tatiana Ponomaryova, director of the Nabokov museum in St. Petersburg, where the versions were presented Monday. One contains reproductions of the English-language index cards. The other, in Russian, puts the words into conventional text form. His son Dmitry, who decided to publish the work, wrote in the preface that his father wouldn’t have been against the move. The fragmentary book may
Dmitry Lovetsky | Associated Press
Copies of “The Original of Laura” by Vladimir Nabokov are seen during the presentation of the novel’s Russian edition in Nabokov’s museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Monday. be frustrating to many readers accustomed to the polished writing of Nabokov, whose novels including “Lolita” and “Pale Fire” are regarded as some of the best English
prose ever written. But scholars at the presentation found it intriguing. “Now we have a unique opportunity to play Nabokov as Rubik’s cube. That is we can
try to decide ourselves how the plot should go,” said Valery Timofeyev a Nabokov expert at St. Petersburg State University. “In fact, we now have a sample of the author’s laboratory, where all the stages of the writer’s work can be seen. It is great material for teaching philology students, too.” “Today, when every word of Nabokov is worth its weight in gold, this book is like finding a treasure,” Russian writer Sergei Kibalnik said. The book was published in the West in early November and reviewers took note of its postmodernist conceits, in which the narrator tells of an affair with a young woman that later became the basis for a best-seller purportedly written by him. “It’s not a novel. It’s a plot of a plot,” said Boris Averin, a Russian literature historian at St. Petersburg State University. “But it is very interesting from that point of view.”
Her rendition of Skeeter Davis’ “The End of the World” similarly feels generic, with little attention paid to the actual music of the song. Here, she is accompanied by a soft guitar melody, which is pleasant in its own way but it again fails to stir any semblance of emotion. Also on this album are a few songs of a more religious inclination, including “How Great Thou Art” and “Amazing Grace.” In these, Boyle is accompanied by an incongruous choir, which belts out lyrics with more fervor than the star performer before them. The title track appears to be unchanged in this CD release. It is the same wonderful arrangement that made everyone fall in love with her in the first place. It is a shame that her other songs don’t really match the level of grandeur of “I Dreamed a Dream.” Nonetheless, the people chose her, and the album gives them what they want — easily consumable music that immediately becomes less interesting after its first listen. — Javier Sanchez
ENTERTAINMENT BRIEFLY ‘Twilight’ publisher announces green goals, tree-saving plans NEW YORK — Future sales of Stephenie Meyer’s novels should be green in more ways than one. The Hachette Book Group, whose authors include Meyer and Malcolm Gladwell, is the latest publisher to announce a broad range of environmental goals. The new policy features promises to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent by the end of the next decade and, by 2012, to increase tenfold — to 30 percent — the amount of recycled fiber. “It is imperative that our industry be mindful of our impact on the planet, and we believe that our progressive policy will encourage other publishers to be equally focused on these important issues,” Hachette CEO David Young said Monday in a statement. According to Hachette and the Green Press Initiative, a nonprofit that consults with publishers on the environment, Hachette’s plan will save more than 267,000 trees. — The Associated Press
12 LIFE
LIFE&ARTS
12
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Life&Arts Editor: Leigh Patterson E-mail: lifeandarts@dailytexanonline.com Phone: (512) 232-2209 www.dailytexanonline.com
T HE DAILY TEXAN
CD REVIEWS
Well-known Film depicts changing music scene artist vibrant, while debuts show promise Documentary tells story of local bands as Austin’s cultural landscape evolves
By Robert Doty Daily Texan Staff It’s what only twentysomethings consider the morning — 11:30 a.m. on a Sunday, and Nathan Christ, fresh out of bed with a shaved head and tousled beard, sits on the back porch of Seneca Falls Co-op with a cup of coffee in his hand and a cigarette perched between his fingers. Sitting at the picnic table immediately outside his bedroom window, he’s unmistakably in his element. Dressed in tight jeans and a hoodie, he strikes you as the curious spawn of a hipster, a grizzly bear and Buddha. He and I are talking about “Echotone,” his documentary that tells the story of a handful of Austin bands against the backdrop of Austin’s rapidly changing cultural landscape. He’s sent a cut of the film to Sundance and is waiting to hear back from them. Of the 5,000 entries this year, the festival will accept only 50, and he hopes “Echotone” will be one of them. But Christ and his editing partner are still laboring over the final cut. It’s been well over a year since he began work on the film and he will continue to work on the distribution but, as it nears completion, he simultaneously radiates pride in his work and relief at its coming completion. Christ (rhymes with “tryst”) has been involved with filmmaking since elementary school. “Our generation has always had cameras around us,” Christ says. “My brother and I always used our parents’ VHS camera. We made something like 50 VHS tapes from when we were eight onwards. I knew from the beginning that I wanted to tell stories.” Initially, Christ had a hard time doing that. “There is a difference between working in film and making film,” he explains. “I was working in film for too long, getting coffee for MTV executives, working on shows — I saw myself getting stuck in that. So I went traveling.” It was only after his return to Austin that the pieces of “Echotone” started coming together. “I saw that a change was happening with Austin — with how it defines itself with downtown, the Red River district, and all of the condos and the high-rises going up. There was a story that had to be told, and we had just enough drive and just enough money.” For a year and a half, Christ and the rest of the “Echotone” production team woke up at dawn just
The Gabe Hayes Band You Got It Despite the advent of technology that allows unsigned bands to create and produce their music, it’s still a rarity for these groups to have well-polished albums available for the listening public. But, every once in awhile, a home recording that shows promise is released. The rookie mistakes are there, but so is something else: potential. Thankfully, that’s the category that You Got It, the debut record from The Gabe Hayes Band, falls into. The first noticeable thing about the album is the tightness with which the band plays. The group is comprised of good friends, which is apparent from the relative ease with which the musicians play off each other. There aren’t excruciating snafus that often plague rookie albums; this is an album that has been thought out, agonized over and painstakingly constructed for maximum listening pleasure. Hayes’ smoky vocals are nothing if not intriguing. At times his falsetto warbles, at others there are slight cracks in sustained notes. But he makes it work. This is not a record destroyed by autotune, and although the inconsistencies can make for troubled listening at times, those moments are balanced by ones of sheer brilliance. The first three tracks are probably the weakest on the record, but starting with the fourth, the band shows what it’s made of. “Please!” is an electric guitar-driven slice of the kind of pop John Mayer wishes he was making again. Immediately following that is “Jonah,” an adventurous epic that serves as the group’s modern day version of “Turn the Page,” with moody atmospherics and fleshtingling episodes. Completing the excellent three-song sequence is a cover of The Beatles classic “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown).” The track isn’t some cover thrown in for length, though, as the arrangement takes the song in a new direction, invoking a tribal feel under the song’s beautiful melody. You Got It, like any debut album, has some inconsistencies and evidence of a young band still learning, but it’s not a throwaway. There are moments that mean something, moments that say, “Give this band time, and you just might be on the verge of something special.”
REVIEWS continues on page 11
Courtesy of The Gabe Hayes Band
The Gabe Hayes Band have self-released a well-polished, painstaking album that shows more potential than the usual home recording.
Lara Haase | Daily Texan Staff
Filmmaker Nathan Christ enjoys a cup of coffee in his backyard and contemplates the near end of production on his new documentary. His work focuses on musicians trying to make it in the “Live Music Capital of the World” upon a backdrop of cultural change in an increasingly growing city. A teaser for the film will be released Thursday at echotonefilm.com. to get the perfect shot, followed bands through their unassuming days into their raucous nights, spent innumerable hours editing in dark rooms and lived on next to nothing.
“We made this from the bottom Before starting work on “Echoup instead of from the top down,” tone,” Christ had little interest in Christ said. “There was no one tell- documentaries, partly because of ing us what to do. It wasn’t a 12- their emphasis on what’s already hour workday. It was around the clock. We just went.” FILM continues on page 11
Canadian band returns Peppermint turns routine dessert into holiday treat Minty brownies prove to Austin to push CD a perfect sugar cookie Quartet’s latest release combines dark melodies with synth-laden beats By Alexa Hart Daily Texan Staff Back in Austin to promote their newest album, Fantasies, the Canadian quartet Metric will join forces with Band of Skulls tonight at La Zona Rosa. Fantasies is Emily Haines and the gang’s first release since 2007’s Grow Up and Blow Away, their previously unreleased debut from 2001. The band marries danceable beats and dark melodies while Haines displays her versatility as a vocalist. The
Peppermint brownies are made with crushed peppermints and served warm for the holidays.
alternative this season
WHAT: Metric WHERE: La Zona Rosa WHEN: Today, doors at 8 p.m. TICKETS: $23 dark, haunting “Twilight Galaxy” lulls listeners into a false sense of security before a gritty guitar intro to “Gold Guns Girls,” followed by the driving “Gimme Sympathy.” How well the group is able to pull off the synth-laden tracks of Fantasies in a live venue remains to be seen. But Haines and her band are unlikely to disappoint,
METRIC continues on page 11
Courtesy of Metric
Canadian indie rock band Metric will play tonight at La Zona Rosa to promote band’s five-track EP Plug In Plug Out, which was released exclusively on Amazon for 30 days in October.
By Lisa Holung Daily Texan Staff As the winter weather settles in, I want nothing more than to curl up by a fireplace and enjoy a cup of hot chocolate and some holiday baked goods. As much as I love icing individual gingerbread men and sugar cookies, sometimes I crave a festive sweet treat that requires a little bit less work. To satisfy this craving, I turn to peppermint brownies, a classic dessert with a minty twist. The key to success with these brownies is ensuring that the peppermints are crushed into small enough pieces so as not to warrant a trip to the dentist. To achieve the best results, crush candy canes inside of a plastic sandwich bag with a meat mallet, making sure to place a towel over the bag in case a few shards of peppermint escape. These brownies are at their best when served warm, since the rich chocolate and melting peppermint swirl together for a bite of dessert that will please adults and children alike. So do something different this year and bring brownies to the holiday cookie exchange. Then again, nobody said you had to share.
Rachel Taylor Daily Texan Staff
Tasty Tuesdays Ingredients
peppermint br ownies
¾ cup flour 1 cup sugar 1 tsp. salt ½ cup vegeta ble oil 2 eggs 1 tsp. vanilla ½ tsp. mint ex tract ¼ cup cocoa Crushed pepp ermint pieces
ON THE WEB
Directions
• Combine flour, sugar, salt, co peppermint pieces togeth coa and er. • Add vege table oil, eggs , vanilla and mint extract to mixture. Bl • Pour batte end well. r into grease d 8-inch square pan. • Bake at 35 0 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
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