February 5, 2013

TODAY’S FORECAST HI: 74o LOW: 57o Chance of Rain:

20%

Volume 123 / Issue 5

AP Photo/Summit Entertainment, Jonathan Wenk Recently released zombie flick, “Warm Bodies” earns five paws for its comedy, characters and plot.

P4

SHSU students talk about their favorite Superbowl advertisements.

P5

P3

Both the mens and womens SHSU basketball teams won.

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Thursday, January 31, 2013

Campus

NATION & WORLD

SGA holds focus group, properly represent students at TSUS Board of Regents meeting JAY JORDAN Senior Reporter

AP Photo/The Dothan Eagle, Jay Hare

Alabama hostage taker dead, boy safe An Alabama man who killed a bus driver by shooting him and kidnapped a 5-year-old boy has been killed. Jimmy Lee Dykes, a Vietnam war veteran, held the boy in a bunker for six days until the FBI rescued the boy. “The child is doing good,’’ Sheriff Wally Olson said at a news conference Monday night.

Four people found dead in Georgia apartment Police in Georgia are investigating the deaths of two children and two adults who were found in their apartment Monday night. The deaths are believed to be a murder suicide.

It is unclear how long the bodies have been there.

Student Government Association will host a focus group today in order to properly represent the student body at the quarterly Texas State University System Board of Regents meeting in Austin, Texas. SGA will visit the state capitol from Feb. 13-15 and represent SHSU’s student opinion on whichever issues the student body wants mentioned.

SGA Vice President, Kolby Flowers, said that SGA hopes to figure out which issues SHSU students are passionate about.

“We want to make sure that we’re portraying the opinion of the student body properly and correctly,” said Flowers. “[We’re] working very hard so we get the biggest student involvement we can get.”

Sam Houston has been represented in the past, but last year’s Board of Regents ban of tobacco on campus went against

what the student body wanted.

SGA hopes to have a bigger impact on the board’s decisions this year.

This year SGA is meeting with Texas congressmen in order to have more weight in the discussions during the meetings. They will be meeting with Rep. John Otto and the office of Sen. Charles Schwertner to discuss university issues on a legislative level.

The focus group will meet today and Feb. 12 in room 304 in the Lowman Student Center at 4:00 p.m.

provided by SGA

REPRESENTING STUDENTS. SGA wants to be able represent the student body when they go talk to the TSUS Board of Regents

National

Navy SEAL’s death goes viral, former congressman gives frigid response

Officials oppose Voting Rights Act challenge Black elected officials from Alabama and some of the state’s most prominent civil rights lawyers are urging the Supreme Court to preserve key provisions of the 1965 Voting Rights Act in a case the court will hear later this month. Officials in Shelby County say the disputed Voting Rights Act provisions unfairly burden their county and other locations by requiring them to get federal approval before making any changes to their elections procedures.

AP Photo/Nick Ut

A tour bus crash killed at least seven people and sent 17 to hospitals.

Investigators look for answers after fatal Southern California crash. A tour bus company involved in the Southern California crash that left at least seven people dead including a 13-year-old boy, has failed more than one-third of its vehicle inspections during the last two years, federal records revealed Monday.

AP Photo/The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Paul Moseley, File

GUN CONTROL. Navy SEAL Chris Kyle died at a firing range 50 miles north of Fort Worth, Texas, on Sunday. Former U.S. Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) tweeted, “Chris Kyle’s death seems to confirm that ‘he who lives by the sword dies by the sword. Treating PTSD at a firing range doesn’t make sense.”

Kyle was best known for writing “American Sniper” and holding a record number of sniper killings during his tours. For the rest of the story go to page two.

State

Two bills proposed in TX that could prevent discrimination against LGBT community JAY JORDAN Senior Reporter

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Two bills are being proposed in Texas Congress that proponents say will further civil rights and prevent discrimination against the LGBT community.

Sen. Rodney Ellis D-Houston introduced SB 73 in the Texas Senate in Nov. 2012. The law would prevent insurance companies from discriminating against members of the LGBT community on their insurance policies.

According to equalitytexas. org, “Currently, insurers cannot discriminate based on race, color,

religion, national origin, age, gender, marital status, geographic location, disability or partial disability. This bill would expand the prohibition of discrimination to include sexual orientation and gender identity/expression.”

In a press release by Equality Texas, “Insurance companies make rate and coverage decisions all the time, but insurance decisions should be based upon facts, not bias and prejudice.”

According to the Human Rights Campaign, LGBT individuals are denied health insurance coverage, claims related to gender transition, and other various problems specific to the LGBT group.

Opponents to anti-

discrimination bills say that enforcing such laws on an insurance company defeats its purpose.

Fox News’ John Stossel said in an article published by reason. com, “Above all, discrimination is what makes insurance work.

If the state forces insurance companies to stop discriminating, that kills the business model. Nodiscrimination insurance isn’t insurance. It’s welfare.”

In another battle for LGBT rights, Rep. Rafael Anchia D-Dallas introduced HB 201 in Nov. 2012 that would allow LGBT couples to adopt a child by changing the wording of Texas’ Health and Safety Code.

The current code says that in the event of a supplemental adoption, the parents must be one man and one woman.

“Every child deserves their own family, and every adopted child deserves to have their legal parentage reflected on their Supplemental Birth Certificate,” said Anchia. “Instead of protecting the rights of children, the current language of the Health and Safety Code leaves these children in legal limbo and inappropriately questions the legitimacy of their parentage.”

SB 73 and HB 201 are to be voted on in upcoming sessions of the state congress.

Page 2

News

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

houstonianonline.com/news

Campus

AKA wears red to honor heart disease SOPHIE NELSON Staff Reporter The Sam Houston State University chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA) sorority hosted the national Pink Goes Red Day on campus Feb. 1 in support of heart disease awareness.

The event is part of a campaign put on by AKA sororities across the world to raise awareness for heart disease, the number one killer of women.

According to Vice President of the SHSU chapter of AKA, Raeauna Bowen, this is the tenth year AKA has partnered with the American Heart Association on a nationwide scale, which means over 260,000 members participated. Bowen then detailed exactly why AKA chose heart disease as their focus.

“Our sorority’s colors are pink and green, but for one day out of the year, we bleed red in honor of heart disease,” Bowen said. “We want to raise awareness in society because many people, especially women, never think about how much and how often it really affects people.”

President of AKA at SHSU, Asia Singer, also strove to emphasize how important the campaign

against heart disease is to their sorority.

“I want people to realize that it’s not just about the color red,” Singer said. “When we wear red, we telling people to know that it can happen to them, and to be aware of the symptoms, because knowing can save your life.”

According to the AKA website, the sorority originally chose heart disease because it is the number one killer of women, and especially concerns African-American women who have increased risks due to high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity.

Bowen said that the SHSU chapter of AKA spread the word to students to wear red on campus through social media and fliers around campus. She estimated that at least 200 people participated on campus and over 200,000 nationwide.

Bowen said that she hopes more research on how to prevent and treat heart disease will be the next step.

For more details on heart disease visit http://www.heart.org/ HEARTORG/. For more detail on the AKA sorority visit the local sorority or http://www.aka1908. com/.

provided by akaweb.net

BLEED RED. The SHSU Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha wore red for a day in honor of heart disease. This is a change for them because their colors are normally pink and green. AKA has done this nation wide with the American Heart Association for ten years.

Tech

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Youtube viewers may have to pay for certain channels CHRISTIAN VAZQUEZ Staff Reporter Google is planning to release paid subscription packages for a number of YouTube channels which may go into effect this spring. Networks such as Machinima, Maker Studios, and Fullscreen are speculated to be on board according to Adage.com The subscriptions are rumored to cost between $1 and $5 per month. This will allow viewers to watch episodic content from companies that have found success on the video sharing site.

The students at Sam Houston State University have mixed opinions over the idea of paid subscriptions.

One student doesn’t think it will make it.

“It won’t go far,” junior

student Joey Balderas said.

“It’s a lot like what Google+ tried to do with social networking; it never picked up”.

The idea started back in December 2011, when Google first applied to put a patent on a server called Self-Service Channel Marketplace. The SelfService Marketplace is an online store where users can pick and choose which channels they want to pay subscriptions for.

Essentially, the paid subscriptions will work much like cable’s pay-perview service in that users can pay for the right to view premium videos in each channel. The service that YouTube plans to implement will also allow users to utilize both automatic and manual renewal options, and will allow users to cancel at anytime.

According to the brief

description of the patent from Faqs.com, the “content hosting system allows content providers to create channels of video content and make them available to users in a marketplace”.

Students had mixed feelings about whether or not they would pay for the subscription.

Balders felt that it was unnecessary to do so.

“Since most videos are available for free, I wouldn’t,” he said.

Another student had no problem with paying for the subscriptions out of convenience.

“I would pay. It’s convenient, so why not,” said freshman Kimberly Mendoza.

Jessica Mora said she would and understands from a business perspective.

“Time is money, so I don’t see the problem with it,” said Mora.

National

Paul criticized for controversial tweet STEPHEN GREEN Editor-in-Chief Former U.S. Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) is under fire for a recent tweet about the death of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle.

Paul entered the fray of the gun control debate on Monday after sending out a tweet that was less than empathetic towards the murdered SEAL. “Chris Kyle’s death seems to confirm that ‘he who lives by the sword dies by the sword,’” Paul said on Twitter. “Treating PTSD at a firing range doesn’t make sense.”

Kyle, 25, was at a firing range 50 miles north of Fort Worth with his friend Chad Littlefield, 35, on Sunday when Eddie Ray Routh allegedly fired his weapon on the pair.

Although Paul has a long-standing history with support of the military, many Twitter users turned on the former OB/ GYN. “Shocked and disappointed in @RonPaul for this,” Chris Knox said on Twitter. “Rush to judgement.”

Kyle was best known for writing

“American Sniper” and holding a record number of sniper killings during his tours.

Officials said Routh claims he was suffering from PTSD at the time and was “suffering.”

The investigation is still ongoing. Routh was arraigned on the day of the shooting.

Page 3

Viewpoints

Tuesday, February 5, 2013 houstonianonline.com/viewpoints

Word on the street What was your favorite Super Bowl commercial and why?

I loved the Taco Bell commercial when all of the old people left the retirement home for a night out. It reminds me of some of the Jolly Fox nights here at SHSU! - Jenn Scott Sophomore, Nursing I liked the KIA car commercial with the baby planet. It was good, especially how it ended because I imagine that’s how my conversation with my child will go when the time comes.

- Ryan Bowers Senior, History

Campus evacuation plan not made aware to students, staff

Morgan Mears says SHSU needs to inform campus of its plan

A

fter recent events, the shooting that occurred at Lonestar North Harris community college and the terroristic phone calls that the Huntsville Memorial Hospital received regarding students at Sam Houston, many people are frightened and worried that SHSU has not notified its students of its evacuation plan.

Hardly any students know they can access the university’s evacuation plan online and others feel the plan itself is lacking in some areas.

English professor David Gaines, Ph.D, explained that he had seen the plan and knew that he was able to view it online. However, sophomore criminal justice major, Brandy McLaughlin stated that she was unaware that “SHSU even had a plan to begin with,” and that she did not know that the plan could be

ASHLEY PRCHLIK Staff Reporter

L

ast week was an eventful one on campus.

Between the threats received Friday Jan. 25 and the elevator fire in the SmithHudson business building, KatSafe has been keeping students up-to-date on possible dangerous situations on campus.

It is important for students and faculty to be aware of what is going on around Huntsville, especially if it is something that could be a serious problem. KatSafe is a very important and beneficial program the university has implemented to keep Sam Houston State University safe.

Without it we would not know the details of what is going on or how the situation is being taken care of. I am one to worry so I always feel better when I receive the updates on my phone letting me know the current information.

KatSafe’s website says that most students receive the notifications through email, but they highly encourage that everyone use their phone number as well.

KatSafe uses various methods to reach students such as email, voice messages, text

The Wheat Thins one with the yeti. I thought it was the funniest one seeing as how there were only two or three good commercials.

- Joshua Outlaw Junior, Criminal Justice

I liked the Budweiser Clydesdale commercial.

It literally brought tears to my eyes.

- Taryn Gann Junior, Public Relations

R. McKinney describes his transition into a vegetarian way of life

I

’m quitting cold turkey. No, really, that lunch meat that hides in the bottom drawer of your fridge until you get desperate enough to peel back the film and make a sandwich (which is never as good as imagined), I’m giving it up. I’m giving up all meat actually. A born and raised Texan is going to attempt a vegetarian life – no more steaks for breakfast!

I’m already longingly reminiscing of the days when I would drive through McDonald’s and get a McDouble…or 12 (I’m fairly certain the prefix “Mc” means

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messages and even uses technology to reach the hearing impaired. Sam Houston also uses its Facebook and Twitter pages to keep students informed.

SHSU says many students “would not be notified via text message because they haven’t signed up.” It is imperative that all students sign up for KatSafe notifications on their phone, because email is not checked as frequently as text messages. Communication is a two-way street. Students must pay attention in order to receive the full benefit of the school’s security system.

If a serious problem were to arise on campus or in the community it is extremely necessary for students and faculty to know the details. This way, if a student finds out important information about the issue they can report it to the police.

The KatSafe website also urges students to make sure their information is current. This information can be updated through Sam Web and it only takes a few simple steps.

The alert system is a great resource that Sam Houston has implemented and all universities should use a program like this. Students can report suspicious activity or anything that could possibly be dangerous helping everyone stay safe. Previous events that have happened on

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--To view the procedures, visit h t t p : / / w w w. s h s u . e d u / ~ h r d _ w w w / r i sk _ m an ag e m e nt / d o c s / flipchartemergencyprocedures.pdf.

Send us some feedback on what you think of SHSU’s evacuation plan.

campus have allowed officials to detect the flaws and make the necessary changes so that the system is as efficient and successful as it can be.

After the Nerf gunman incident in 2010, where students were informed of a gun scare hours after the fact, new computer alert systems and 12 on-campus sirens were added to ensure students’ safety. Since these more recent events have occurred, more improvements will continue to be made.

With the recent shootings that have happened at schools all over the nation, a program like this could be key in helping prevent these situations in the future.

When threats were received Jan. 25, I felt relieved when I got the KatSafe texts explaining the progress of the investigation. I was not in Huntsville at the time, so it was nice to still be told what was going on and to know when everything had been cleared.

I encourage all students to make sure their information is updated in the university’s system or to sign up if you have not yet done so. It is an informational alert system and is perfect for the technology-driven world we live in - allowing important information to get around as fast as possible.

PAWS UP to Beyonce’s half-time performance and the Destiny’s Child reunion. It was awesome!

“greasy,” what does that say about In the long run, I wouldn’t so much me?). Taco Bell seems like only a be saving money by buying cheap distant memory in the rear view burgers; I would be spending more mirror – how I long for a beefy of my health. So, instead of trying to keep myself away from five-layer burrito. I those places I will focus am committed to this more on changing though. I want to trail what I eat in general; a new way for myself. in hopes of building a Sure, I may not be better awareness of my able to get enough to health. feed a small village This is going to with the change I be difficult, I can tell find in my couch. In already. I have to the end, am I really change the way I look winning by finding at food. Instead of the cheapest food? I focusing at the calorie mean, when I think count with a rather of the way I would lust after a gas station RICHARD MCKINNEY relaxed eye, I now have Staff Reporter to look at what food chimichanga (which contains. This may be are actually quite even more difficult in delicious if you can get past the smell) reminds me of a college.

Junior psychology major, gambling addiction. The smell of a deep fryer would make my salivary Terrinice Hayes, was vegetarian glands go into overtime. What I’m for five years, “It wasn’t hard until trying to say is that eating all of I got into college. Belvin didn’t this fast food isn’t healthy for me. have as many options as Old Main

PAWS UP to National Pancake Day. Free pancakes at IHOP, people.

Editorial Staff Faculty Adviser

professors c o u l d tell their students about the plan and how it works on the first day of class when they are discussing MORGAN MEARS t h e Staff Reporter syllabus, esp ecially after tragedy has struck so close to home.

Veggie tales: quitting cold turkey

The Audi commercial where the kid goes to prom alone... I was that kid. It was funny.

- Johnny Trejo Freshman, Criminal Justice

Robin Johnson

UPD on campus; it goes against everything that they have learned when it comes to what to do when facing danger.

The plan also includes printable evacuation diagrams of the Recreational Sports facility, the HKC and Johnson Coliseum. However, much of the typing on the printable diagrams is too tiny to read and it is illegible online as well. The plan does not account for the numerous other buildings that are located on campus. The plan assumes those that are in the buildings that are not listed are able to follow the few rules about hiding or exiting the building.

The plan needs to have bigger, easily readable diagrams and it needs to explain why students and staff should call the University Police before calling the Huntsville Police Department. Students need to be made aware that this plan exists and is available to them on a daily basis;

SHSU alert system keeps Kats safe

The one with the sexy man in Calvin Klein underwear. His slicked back hair, hot body and pre-run stretches made me want to sprint.

- Desirée Gipson Freshman, Nutrition

PAWS UP

accessed from the school’s website.

Sam Houston State University has not advertised its evacuation plan enough because too many students are unaware of its existence and where they could go to become educated on the plan.

After viewing the evacuation plan online, McLaughlin stated that she felt that the directions to some of the situations listed on the plan were unclear. One such plan that she found confusing were the steps that the plan list in case of a bomb threat. The plan itself explains that one is to first record down the conversation in which the threat is made and to then call 4-1000 for assistance, and to then meet and assist University Police personnel.

When people are taught to first call 911 when an emergency arrives it causes confusion when they view the plan and see that the first step is to call 4-1000, the number for

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PAWS DOWN

Staff Reporters Morgan Mears Taylor Likens Karmen King Carian Parker Richard McKinney Ashley Prchlik Ryan Bowers Christian Vazquez Audra Berry

Market and most of them were not nutritionally beneficial,” he said.

This is a big issue for this campus and an increasing issue worldwide – balancing nutrition with taste, efficiency, and even aesthetics. For those that don’t know, Belvin used to have a cafeteria in the basement.

Yes, that place where people live used to smell like grease all the time – or so I’ve been told.

Through this semester I will keep you up to date on my progress (because I’m sure you’re all dying to know my diet). I will find recipes to help those vegetarians out there, report on resources available and focus on the pressing issue of how easy or hard this might be in college. Hopefully, if I’m successful, I can push myself to go full dietary vegan by April (we’ll reassess the reality of that goal a little later – I just love butter and cheese).

So, I’m quitting cold turkey.

Good-bye drive through, hello produce aisle!

PAWS DOWN to a subpar year of Super Bowl advertisements.

They just weren’t good.

PAWS DOWN to illness spreading around the Houstonian office and the university.

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Tuesday’s Issue Friday at 5 p.m.

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Page 4

Arts&Entertainment

Tuesday, February 5, 2013 houstonianonline.com/a-e

Faculty showcases unique artwork CHEYENNE SIMPSON Multimedia Reporter Students and faculty buzzed with excitement as they gathered on Friday to view and discuss faculty artwork displayed in the 53 rd Annual Faculty Art Exhibit.

Held in the Gaddis Geeslin Gallery, the exhibit features various works from 12 faculty members at Sam Houston State University that display unique elements of their artistic techniques and individual styles.

Digital animation, a video light show, chairs made out of dirt and a lamp in the shape of a human leg are among the unique art pieces displayed in the gallery.

The faculty art exhibit began 53 years ago and since then has showcased new faculty artwork every year for the campus community.

The exhibit is a place for faculty members to show off their most creative work while showing viewers that there is more to art than meets the eye.

Michael Henderson, an art professor at SHSU, explained how the use of words and subconscious thought played into his collage of art.

“The tunnel is like a labyrinth and the idea of leaving a thread behind to find your way out to the end. For me that thread was text which was like stream of conscious text that described my thoughts,” said Henderson.

One of the most eye-catching pieces in the gallery is the piece

Aubrie Walker | The Houstonian

BUILDING SHELTER. This pieces titled “Shelter” was built by SHSU art professors Annie Strader and Matthew Weedman. It features two chairs made from dirt and a large projection of a house to represent memories and history embodied in a house. The exhibit will be displayed until Feb. 14.

entitled, “Shelter”, which was built by art professors Annie Strader and Matthew Weedman.

The piece is a replica of an original work that was first showcased in Arkansas last year. Strader and

Weedman made this piece to represent the essence of a home.

“The house as a place that embodies the memory, you think about the house and the spaces inside that home you think about

your own history,” Strader said.

“In this piece we are interested in people connecting their own memories and histories.”

Many of the pieces on display have been found in other exhibits

across the U.S. and now have a temporary home in the Gaddis Geeslin Gallery until Feb. 14.

For more information call the department of art at (936) 2944311.

‘Warm Bodies’ delivers unique take Super Bowl Ads: The on zombie genre, classic love story good, bad and creepy ALEX DIAZ Contributing Reporter

ZEKE OSBORN Contributing Reporter

“Warm Bodies”, released Friday, took a unique, modern twist on the idea of the zombie apocalypse and delivered it as a romantic comedy that made the film a success.

The zombie trend has been used time and time again as a popular expression of humanity’s vision of the end of the world. Despite the multitude of zombie movies such as “Zombieland”, “Resident Evil”, and “Walking Dead”, there has not been a single example that used the environment as the setting for a love story, particularly one between a human survivor and a zombie.

The movie stars an incredibly talented up and coming actor, Nicholas Hoult, as ‘R’, an unusual zombie in a category of his own. He looks and acts the part, but deep down he yearns for companionship that is always restricted from him due to his inability to communicate with humans.

It is not until his pack of zombies attack a group of survivors and his eyes fall upon Julie, played

by Teresa Palmer, that his need to feed transforms into the need for love. This is when the true charm to the movie really comes through.

The two lead actors share an on

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(AP Photo/Summit Entertainment, Jonathan Wenk)

ZOMBIE TAKEOVER: This film image released by Summit Entertainment shows Rob Corddry as Marcus (left), and Nicholas Hoult as ‘R’ (right) in a scene from “Warm Bodies.” The film earned $20 million in its opening weekend, beating out last week’s champ, ‘Hansel and Gretel’

–screen chemistry that makes their budding relationship appear natural and not at all as creepy as a girl falling for a zombie boy initially sounds.

While the dialogue among the characters and romantic plot are a bit corny at times, the “corniness” played an important role in the movie because it was never overdone to the point of being annoying. As a romantic comedy set within the zombie apocalypse, such light-hearted humor is needed to maintain the audience’s focus on the fact that this is a love story first and foremost, and not just another gory, creepy addition

to the zombie movie genre.

Popular for his work on the movie “50/50”, director Jonathan Levine did an excellent job brought a new twist to the romantic comedy genre that immediately grabbed audiences’ attention and maintained it throughout the duration of the movie. With a different take to a love story that is fresh and original, a talented cast that performed their roles well, and the inclusion of zombies to satisfy everyone’s inner nerd, this film is a must-see for any fans of romantic comedies.

We give this movie five out of five paws.

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Plenty of free time. Internships available for many majors. On-campus interviews on Feb 20. Apply online at www.islandlake.com. Call 800-869-6083 between 9 and 5 eastern time on weekdays for more information. info@islandlake.com.

The Super Bowl is a singular occasion in the world of advertising. Corporations spend millions on precious seconds of advertising, which in turn influence millions of people.

Super Bowl commercials have become an anticipated occurrence for Americans, and each year during the game ads are televised that make us laugh, tear up and sometimes just weird us out. Here’s a look at this which of these multi-million dollar commercial masterpieces touched the hearts and minds of the nation and which ones left the crowd scratching their head.

CUTEST COMMERCIAL: VW’s “Get Happy” ad worked so well as a whole. The Jamaican accent juxtaposed with the rigid work environment, combined with the positive vibes present throughout, accentuated the car company’s desired motto “Get Happy.” As offensive or trite as this commercial might have been, it was fortunately well done and pretty hilarious to boot.

THE TEAR-JERKER: Alcohol has certainly been associated with emotions throughout history (and not always in the most positive way) but who would’ve expected Budweiser to produce such an emotional commercial?

The touching story of friendship between man and horse played out in their “Brotherhood” ad delivered an effective, heartfelt

message that left everyone from hardcore fans to uninterested party-goers with watery eyes.

MOST INTENSE: The Dodge “Farmer” commercial could be described as an advertising monolith. A proud, two-minute salute to agriculture, forcing itself into anyone watching’s brain almost by sheer length alone.

Though at first viewing it seemed slightly strange and bleak, the commercial provided a strong message promoting not only Dodge trucks but the future of agriculture in America as a whole.

THE WORST: A model, a nerd, and the Internet, ingredients for the best Super Bowl ad ever?

Wrong, these are components one of GoDaddy’s Super Bowl ads, which may as well have been titled “The Most Awkward Thing You Will Ever Watch.” The ad seemed pleasant enough until model Bar Refaeli began making out with pasty, acne-faced guy to her left. And then it kept going, and going, until the sound of lips smacking together sloppily made viewers across the nation lose their appetites.

THE BEST: Taco Bell’s “Viva Young” ad was the hands down the best of the Super Bowl. The hilarity of Fun’s Spanish parody of their hit song “We Are Young” combined with the equally funny and yet touching antics of the elderly partiers made for a memorable commercial that held sway in comedy and emotion. *See page 6 for pictures

Page 5

Sports

Tuesday, February 5, 2013 houstonianonline.com/sports

Bearkats win weekend in Corpus Christi Men snap three Southland Smith scores 1,000th game losing streak Standings point in 68-53 victory CONNOR HYDE Sports Reporter The Sam Houston State men’s basketball squad snapped a three-game losing streak with second half momentum to secure a 55-51 victory against Texas A&M Corpus Christi Saturday in Corpus Christi.

Demarcus Gatlin led the Bearkats accumulating 15 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double against the Islanders. Gatlin’s 15 point streak came in the second half in the final 20 minutes.

“Demarcus came out and really gave us a spark in the second half,” Coach Jason Hooten said to GoBearkats. com.

The Islanders surged early in the first half shooting 48 percent from the paint, 50 percent from beyond the arc, and sinking 80 percent of their free throws. Johnathan Jordan headed TAMUCC’s offensive scheme with 17 points, sinking five of eight free throws.

SHSU went into half time down by eight (28-20) closing the half with a missed jumper from freshman guard Paul Baxter.

Lockdown defense and shooting for 46 percent kindled the Bearkats’ offense to narrow the Islander’s lead to one (28-27 in the opening minutes of the second half.

Gatlin opened up in the second half sinking five of his first seven shots.

SHSU guard Darius Gatson accounted for four free throws in the remaining 30 seconds which broke the 50-50 tie and allowed the Bearkats to keep a comfortable lead to snap their losing streak.

The Bearkats return to Huntsville for two games at home Thursday at 7:45 p.m. and Saturday at 3:45 p.m. to face-off against conference rivals McNeese State and Lamar University at Johnson Coliseum.

Thursday’s matchup will celebrate “Whataburger” night including a special halftime promotion where Whataburger coupons will be dispersed to winners at both games.

“Domino’s Pizza” day will follow Saturday during both men’s and women’s games.

Live coverage against McNeese will be aired on ESPN3.

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MEN

CODY LEWIS Sports Editor

Stephen F. Austin

9-1

Oral Roberts

9-1

Northwestern La.

8-2

Southeastern La.

6-4

Sam Houston State

5-4

Nicholls State

5-5

Central Arkansas

4-6

McNeese

2-8

Texas A&M-CC

1-8

Lamar

0-10

WOMEN

Sam Houston State

8-1

Lamar

7-3

McNeese

7-3

Oral Roberts

7-3

Central Arkansas

6-4

Nicholls State

5-5

Stephen F. Austin

4-6

Northwestern La.

3-7

Southeastern La.

2-8

Texas A&M-CC

0-9

Chanice Smith scored her 1,000th career point and Sequeena Thomas recorded her 14th career double-double as the Sam Houston State women’s basketball team rolled to their fifth straight win, defeating Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 68-53 on the road.

Smith’s 1,000th point came from a layout assisted by Thomas early in the second half of the game. Smith would finish the game with eight points.

“She needed eight points and got her eight points,” Bearkat head coach Brenda Nichols said.

“She had her whole family here to see it, so it was great she was able to do that.”

Sam Houston now has three active players who have 1,000 points or more. Britni Martin and Thomas have both passed that point.

The Bearkats (12-9, 8-1 SLC) trailed by one point going into halftime, but did not have a problem coming back in the second half and dominating the Islanders (1-19, 0-9 SLC). The Kats improved all three of their shooting percentages by at least ten and outscored the Islanders 43-27 in the second half alone.

“It was a grind for us especially in the first half,” Nichols said. “I thought at a time we were getting frustrated, but came out and played much better [in the second half.]”

Thomas pumped out another dominant performance, totaling 14 points and 15 rebounds one game after pulling down her 1,000th rebound.

Jasmine Johnson matched Thomas with 14 points and Martin chipped in 13.

Thomas did not have the only double-double, however. Corpus Christi’s Ashley Darley dropped 29 points and pulled down 11 rebounds but it was not enough to get her team a win. The next player closest to Darley was Jessica Jammer, who scored eight points.

The Bearkats now hold a two game lead in the Southland Conference halfway through this year’s conference season.

They will return home Thursday to face McNeese State, the only team within the Southland conference that the Bearkats have lost to.

It will be “Whataburger” Night and the game will tip off at 5:30 p.m., followed by the men’s game at 7:45 pm. Both games will be televised on both ESPN3 and the Southland Television Network.

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Katrina Keotting | The Houstonian

HARDBALL: SHSU student Parker Farley launches first homerun of the

homerun derby softball fundraiser Saturday afternoon.

Charity softball homerun derby proves to be big hit KATRINA KOETTING Staff Reporter Participants struggled to make contact against Sam Houston State’s softball pitchers during the first annual softball homerun derby Saturday at Bearkat Softball Complex.

Nineteen teams consisting of three to four contestants came out to participate and square off against the Bearkats’ strong pitching rotation.

Freshman pitcher Amber Neal sent the first teams back to the dugout whiffing at her fastball.

According to Neal, drawing fans to the field no matter how they do at the plate benefits the team.

“I think it will get us a bigger crowd out here and bring a lot of support for our team,” Neal said.

For some of the participants, facing game speed pitching was surprising.

“I thought it was going to be soft toss but this is more fun,” SHSU student Parker Farley said.

“I think it’s more competitive.”

Farley punched the first homerun with a towering shot over left center field. Farley would end his first round with two more homeruns giving his team, “The Foxy Four,” a comfortable lead.

“Not very many of these

homerun derbies are against fast pitch pitchers they’re usually slow pitch, but we knew our field would hold probably the slow pitch so we decided we would go with our pitches.” Softball head coach Bob Brock said.

Pitchers started to adjust their speed to allow an increase in homeruns. Assistant coach Adrian Gregory pitched against the top three teams to give her players’ arms rest.

“Below Average,” consisted of SHSU fans Jeff Denny, Preston Guestavo, Stevyn Raverin and Maryah Cathey, would go on to win the team category.

Parker won the individual men’s category, and Maryah won the individual women’s category.

Together the fundraiser collected close to $2,000 to fund softballs, bats and traveling expenses, said Brock.

According to Brock, the event gave his girls a chance to have fun and come together before the season gets underway.

“For the team it’s a really nice day of relaxing and being together and getting some team bonding,” Brock said.

SHSU softball will kick off the spring season with a tournament in Waco, Texas on Thursday and have their home opener against Texas A&M on Feb. 13 at 5p.m.

Page 6

Tuesday, February 5, 2013 houstonianonline.com/a-e

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