The Vista Nov. 30, 2010

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Campus Quotes

Homosexuality

A Feast for the Eyes

Football

Should homosexuals have the right to marry?

The Catholic Church and Homosexuality.

Check out the photo spread from Thursday’s Thanksgiving dinner.

Highs and lows of the Bedlam bash.

NOV. 30, 2010 uco360.com twitter.com/uco360

THE VISTA

UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL OKLAHOMA’S student voice since 1903.

EDITOR’S SENSE, AUTHOR’S PRIDE

By Cody Bromley / Staff Writer Behind every great writer is a great editor, or so the saying goes.

Recently, 1,100 pages of manuscripts by the English romance novelist Jane Austen have found their way to the Internet. Analysis of these manuscripts led Oxford professor Kathryn Sutherland to suggest that the author was not as perfect as literary scholars might have wanted to believe.

In an interview with the Associated Press, Sutherland said that manuscripts show Austen as a

PHOTO BY GARETT FISBECK

Literature

messy writer.

“We see blots, crossings out, messiness; we see creation as it happens; and in Austen’s case, we discover a powerful counter-grammatical way of writing. She broke most of the rules for writing good English,” Sutherland said.

The secret behind the polishing of Austen’s works may not be a female writer after all, but a man. Sutherland said that letters between Austen and poet William Gifford suggest that he, at least for some

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Elizabeth Zablatnik feeds her son, Yelko, Thanksgiving dinner that was provided by the Edmond Hope Center and surrounding churches. See more photos on page 5.

THANKSGIVING AT UCO

By Garett Fisbeck / Photo Editor

M

ore than 1,000 people were fed at 29th annual Edmond Community Thanksgiving dinner that was held in the University Ballrooms on Nov. 25.

The dinner, which fed those in the Metro area community in need, provided a meal of turkey, potatoes, vegetables and dessert.

“The event went fabulously,” Mike Laska,

director of the Edmond Community Thanksgiving Dinner, said.

“We can’t thank UCO enough for letting us use the facility. We look forward to being back next year.”

Approximately 1,200 meals were left over after the event. Leftover prepared meals were giving to the Jesus House and non-prepared foods were distributed to Edmond Hope Center, Samaritan House and Meals on Wheels.

Green for Green

GREEN SCHEME NETS STUDENTS GREENBACKS Student, faculty and staff could be looking at $5,000 in grant money to implement a green idea on campus.

Campus Green Scene has put together a “green” video contest in which participants make a video and post it on their site for a chance to win grant money to put their idea into action on their college campus.

According to campusgreenscene. com, they are looking for the most innovative, impactful and creative submissions.

Tim Tillman, Central’s Alternative

Transportation coordinator said, “Have fun with it, be creative…these are your peers that are going to be evaluating it…we want the project to have some merit, but what you’re really doing, is you’re putting forth your most creative ideas.”

Tillman recently attended the Creativity World Forum and mentioned that many of the presenters he heard that day are just like the students we have here on campus.

A lot of them were young, innovative thinkers.

“We have that same level of cre-

ativity all over campus, and your generation tends to be very sustainability oriented, you just think that way, you were raised with it, you were immersed in it, so it’s not a new or evolutionary to your generation,” he said.

UCO is known for being a “green” campus, as well as other universities in the state.

“We are on the cutting edge, nationally. Every school in the state has something interesting and innovative going on,” he said.

Tillman mentioned that Okla-

Campus Events

WEATHER TODAY

H 49° L 28°

PANEL SHINES LIGHT ON SEX

homa State University has an incredible public transit system that they own, and that the University of Oklahoma has great bicycle and pedestrian facilities.

One thing that Tillman has helped to change in the ways of UCO and transportation is the CityLink buses that run around Edmond and to Oklahoma City. Before these buses were implemented, students had the option of taking the “Eddie.”

Tillman said that the “Eddie” averaged 42 riders per month. Last month, the CityLink buses that just

run the route that serves campus reached 3,000 riders.

“The word sustainability means just that…we tend to link it to green initiatives…but we have to, as a society, focus on building things and creating things that can be sustained, that will last,” he said.

“We can’t just continue to, as a race…continue to burn through our natural resources without any sort of thought of what’s going to happen 100 years from now, or 500 years from now, and we’re ap-

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PHOTO BY CODY BROMLE Y

By Emily Davis / Contributing Writer

By Cody Bromley / Staff Writer

TOMORROW H 59° L 33°

More weather at www.uco360.com

DID YOU KNOW? There are more nerve cells in the human brain than there are stars in the Milky Way.

“Any more questions?” Mallory Varner asked, as she walked up and down the dark aisles of the Pegasus Theatre.

On the Thursday before Thanksgiving, the UCO chapter of the National Organization for Women held a panel discussion called “Sex in the Dark.”

“We do a panel every semester, and this time we just voted on doing a sex-ed panel because it’s a topic that needs to be discussed,” Varner, senior humanities geography major and the president of N.O.W. at UCO, said.

Varner was collecting notecards with questions on them. Audience members who wanted to ask questions could write them on a notecard and have their questions read and answered without being embarrassed or identified.

On stage, the only two lights illuminating the auditorium were shining right down on center stage.

There sat two health professionals with a table full of prophylactics and pamphlets.

The “two amazing sexperts,” as Varner described them, were Cynthia McGough, an eight-year employee of the state health department, and Jean Kriesky, a former employee in the health department STD clinic, as well as a current registered

Panelists Cynthia McGough (left) and Jean Kriesky (right) answered questions about sex at Pegasus Theatre on Nov. 18. The event was organized by the National Organization for Women.

nurse and former graduate of UCO. The questions for the panel addressed myths, mis-educations, and some questions that seemed just for giggles. For example, Kriesky dispelled a myth about the possibility of getting pregnant during “that time of the month.” She said that it is possible for a woman to become pregnant during her period, as women ovulate at different times, and some women can ovulate and grow an egg during their period.

A topic that was the center of several questions was anal sex. Both panelists cautioned that the sexual activity has risks.

“It’s considered risky behavior,” Kriesky said.

The reasoning for the status of risky behavior is that the muscle controlling the sphincter can be-

come weakened over time, resulting in a loss of bowel control or hemorrhoids.

A recurring piece of advice given by the panelists was condoms. Both panelists said that condoms are one of the best ways to prevent infection of a sexually transmitted disease.

“Birth control pills, spermicides, none of these protect against sexually transmitted diseases,” Kriesky said.

A recent and unlikely advocate that came out for that position a little over week ago was Pope Benedict XVI who said that condom use might be acceptable, or at least morally logical, to be used to prevent the spreading of HIV/AIDS. The head of the Catholic Church was not suggesting that the

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The Vista is published as a newspaper and public forum by UCO students, semi-weekly during the academic year except exam and holiday periods, and only on Wednesdays during the summer, at the University of Central Oklahoma. The issue price is free for the first copy and $1 for each additional copy obtained.

EDITORIALS Opinion columns, editorial cartoons, reviews and commentaries represent the views of the writer or artist and not necessarily the views of The Vista Editorial Board, the Department of Mass Communication, UCO or the Board of Regents of Oklahoma Colleges. The Vista is not an official medium of expression for the Regents or UCO.

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OPINION

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NOV. 30, 2010

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CAMPUS QUOTES

Should homosexuals have the right to marry?

KELSIE WHITT

SHARLOTTE FULGENZI

HIEN DUONG

Freshman - Biology and Forensic Science

Junior - Journalism

Sophomore - Radiology

LETTERS The Vista encourages letters to the editor. Letters should address issues and ideas, not personalities. Letters must be typed, double-spaced, with a maximum of 150 words, and must include the author’s printed name, title, major, classification and phone number. Letters are subject to editing for libel, clarity and space, or to eliminate statements of questionable taste. The Vista reserves the right not to publish submitted letters.

Address letters to: Editor, The Vista, 100 N. University Dr., Edmond, OK 730345209, or deliver in person to the editor in the Communications Building, Room 131. Letters can be e-mailed to vistauco@gmail.com.

STAFF

Management

Editorial

Kory Oswald, Editor-In-Chief Samantha Maloy, Copy Editor Chris Wescott, Sports Editor Jenefar De Leon, Managing Editor Garett Fisbeck, Photo Editor

Ryan Costello, Senior Staff Writer Cody Bromley, Staff Writer A.J. Black, Staff Writer Chantal Robbateux, Staff Writer Michael Collins, Staff Writer Brittany Dalton, Staff Writer Christie Rawlins, Staff Writer

Graphic Design Steven Hyde

Advertising Brittany Koster DeOren Robinson

“No, because I think it’s against what God said marriage should be.”

“Sure, why not?”

“Yes, because it’s kind of normal now.”

JOSH LIM

HAYDEN BILLBREY

CHARLES PERMENTER

Senior - Public Relations

Junior - English and Creative Studies

Sophomore - Kinesiology

Photography Kathleen Wells Joseph Moore

Editorial Comic Circulation

Prakriti Adhikari

Jack Chancey

Adviser Mr. Teddy Burch

Administrative Assistant Tresa Berlemann

Editorial

PLUG THE ‘LEAKS

By Cody Bromley / Staff Writer On Sunday, whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks announced that they would begin distributing over 250,000 U.S. Embassy cables. In those documents are large amounts of information not previously released, and over half of the documents in the leak the website labels as being confidential.

Commentators of every sort on both sides of the American political system have labeled the site as a villain, and for good reason.

The information detailed in the embassy documents talk a lot about Iraq and Iran and extend as recently as February of this year, leading some experts to wonder if this information puts Americans abroad or at war at a higher risk.

The true question boils down to the ethics of leaking information. WikiLeaks partnered with news organizations such as The New York Times and other European news outlets to get the word out.

This story reeks of the Pentagon Papers scandal, where the United States Supreme Court heard a case regarding the exercise of prior-restraint in publishing information about what was truly happening in Vietnam. The New York Times could not have obtained the Pentagon Papers report on their own without facing possible legal troubles, but when given to them by a third party, they had a legal opportunity to publish it.

This ability to publish at will is an important facet of preserving a free press, one of the five fundamental freedoms outlined in the First Amendment.

But WikiLeaks is a dangerous ally for journalists, one who leaves its sources out to dry. Pfc. Bradley Manning, the young soldier who leaked the information being propagated by WikiLeaks, could face a maximum prison sentence of 52 years for violating the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

Some Republicans, among them the next chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, want to declare the website as a “terrorist organization.” Doing so would give the U.S. government the power to extradite persons and seize assets related to the site.

This is wrong. While many people on both sides do not condone the actions of WikiLeaks, it is not a terrorist organization.

Maybe if they spent their time exposing the ill work of corporations instead of governments, then the citizens of the world could go back to holding hands and singing songs. Since we do not live in that world, we have an Australian ex-hacker running around trying to make world governments more transparent.

“Yes, because I want equal “Yes, I believe that everyrights for everyone. Even one has the right to be though marriage isn’t for married if they want to.” me, I still think everyone should be allowed to if it’s for them.”

“Yes, because it’s not up to others to decide, it should be up to the individuals themselves.”

By Pakriti Adhikari / Cartoonist

NEWS

NOV. 30, 2010 Religion & Sexuality

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CATHOLIC PRIEST CAMPAIGNS AGAINST HOMOSEXUALITY

AUSTEN

P H OTO IL LUS T R AT IO N BY K AT H L EEN WEL L S

A Minnesota Archbishop sent out 400,000 DVDs urging voters to oppose same-sex marriage, a potential violation of the church’s tax exempt status.

By Brittany Dalton / Contributing Writer During this past election season, Catholics in Minnesota received a gift from their church.

Archbishop John Nienstedt sent out 400,000 DVDs that urged the recipients to oppose same-sex marriage, by asserting the belief that voters should define marriage, not judges.

The incident sparked much debate in the state, and raised questions about the Catholic church’s stance regarding samesex marriage.

“The Catholic Church is very consistent in their beliefs on homosexuality,” Dr. Richard Sneed said. Sneed is a professor of philosophy at UCO, with a specialty in religious studies. “They regard homosexuality as being disordered, because it goes against what they see as the natural order.”

According to Sneed, Catholics believe woman was created for man, and that homosexuality stands at odds with this.

“Bodies of the same sex are not sexually complementary,” he said. “No life can come from their union, so it is seen as unacceptable.”

Sneed added that according to Catholic views of marriage, in the ideal marriage, women domesticate men.

“That is, they sort of smooth the rougher edges of men, who are ‘wired’ to protect women,” he said.

Legally, as a tax-exempt organization, the Catholic church cannot endorse a specific political candidate or party.

They are forbidden from doing so either directly or indirectly.

While many Catholics believed Nienstedt’s actions to be unfair, he did not

To view a related CNN story, use your smartphone to scan this tag:

specifically name a candidate or party.

Nienstedt and his supporters argued that Nienstedt was exercising his rights of free speech.

“Unfortunately, we live in a society today in which we place so much importance on being politically correct,” Ryan Maren said. Maren is a sophomore majoring in public relations. “Being so politically correct hinders freedom of speech.”

One issue at hand is the divide arising within Catholicism in regard to homosexuality. A disconnect seems to exist between Catholic doctrines, and what Catholics actually believe and practice.

Sneed explains that Catholics are urged to follow their conscience. Yet following their conscience can cause problems when doing so contradicts other doctrines.

Catholics opposed to Nienstedt’s actions, however, believe that similar actions directly or indirectly encourage hostility towards the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community.

“What’s funny is that some argue, you could say, Jesus was anti-marriage,” Sneed said. “St. Peter was married, as were most of the apostles, before Jesus called them to follow him. So there is even that argument from some people.”

While the church looks upon homosexuality as abnormal, Sneed notes its occurrence in nature.

“If you look at nature, homosexuality actually isn’t uncommon,” Sneed said.

“So if it’s not uncommon, then maybe it’s not unnatural.”

Sneed explained that orientation and action are different.

“Instance is not orientation,” he said.

“For example, to write left-handed doesn’t mean you are left-handed. The point is that one instance doesn’t make you who you are.”

He points out that Catholics face a struggle to reconcile hundreds of years of doctrine and tradition, with an everchanging modernistic society.

“In this modern, scientific world, they default back to tradition,” Sneed said.

“Their doctrine regarding marriage really hasn’t changed much.”

According to Sneed, all religions can face this problem of reconciling teachings with societal realities. “Any change can be nerve-wracking,” he said, adding that deviation from routine often invites suspicion.

“To be viable, a religion must be able to explain the unexplainable,” Sneed said. “The word religion itself means to retie, to rebind an individual with their god.”

The problem according to Sneed is simply the changing of the times.

Churches are trying to accommodate societal change, without losing the fundamentals of their teachings.

“If you begin to stand for everything, you will eventually stand for nothing,” Sneed said.

Maren agreed, but explained that culture plays a much larger part in the beliefs of churchgoers, than the Church may anticipate.

“It depends on what you take from the teachings,” he said. “I think newer Catholics are influenced more by today’s culture than by the Bible.”

Maren himself is an example of this.

“I consider myself Catholic. But as a religion, Catholicism believes homosexuality is a sin. As an individual, I have no problem with homosexuals.”

According to Sneed, it is not a struggle for the Church to maintain relevance.

“It’s part of our culture, one way or the other,” he said. “There is no substitute for a pastor, they are part of certain milestones. They have that instant access to people’s lives. They retain their vitality for both communication and cultural reasons.”

Rather, it is a struggle for understanding.

“It’s not just the Catholic Church that is struggling with these questions,” Sneed said. “It’s every denomination.”

According to Sneed, one of the fundamental flaws that arises in religion, is that each religion presumes they alone speak for God. “The churches have years of tradition and doctrine to maintain,” Sneed said.

“They can’t start haphazardly changing the rules, though, because that’s a slippery slope. People in all religions, though, are going to sometimes hold beliefs outside of their church’s accepted doctrine. People are going to act on an individual basis.”

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GREEN PHOTO BY JOSEPH MOORE

proaching a tipping point. We’re rapidly approaching a place where we don’t have the natural resources to continue doing things they way we’ve been doing them.”

Kelly Smith, who is working on her masters in Biology, is a go-to person for Tillman when he needs some new ideas. Smith is currently working on a project she titled, “Native Grasses.”

This project is to take some of the Bermuda grass out around campus and put in native grasses that take less cutting and watering.

Smith said that with the current grass, it requires cutting 12 times a year. With the native grasses, it takes less maintenance, which means not using as much gas, water, man power, all while saving money.

Lots of green ideas are happening on UCO’s campus and students are encouraged to share their ideas and enter in the College Green Scene contest.

The website to enter videos and get the rules and regulations is campusgreenscene.com.

The deadline for submitting a video is April 27.

Since April 1, 2006, UCO has been operating exclusively on power from wind turbines. UCO entered and agreement with Edmond Electric to provide the UCO estimated 26 million-kilowatt hours of electricity a year, from thier wind farm near Woodward, Okla.

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of the later novels, helped Austen polish her message.

To be fair to the throngs of “Janeites” that treasure the works of the late English author, Sutherland said that in some areas of her earlier manuscripts, she showed more talent than the edited copies might suggest. The manuscripts reveal Austen as taking experimental approaches to her writing and that she was better at writing dialogue than the final version read.

The revealing of an editor is not a smear on Austen by any means. Scores of writers utilize editors, including the staff at The Vista, to clarify and fix grammatical flow and structure.

The names Michael Garrett, Arthur Levine and Jamie Raab might not mean anything to the average person, but the authors they edited, Stephen King, J.K. Rowling and Nicholas Sparks respectively, have all had their books go on to become bestsellers and films.

Not all scholars agree with Sutherland’s conclusion. Among them are NPR contributor and linguist Geoff Nunberg. He said on the public radio program, “Fresh Air,” that there is “no evidence that any editor ever took a blue pencil to Austen’s prose, and we don’t have so much as a page of the manuscripts of her novels that she submitted to her publishers.”

Nunberg said on the program that what he found in the manuscripts were careless errors, “but these are rough drafts and you can’t take off points for something that hasn’t been handed in yet. And by the standards of her time, she wasn’t a bad speller.”

Whether or not Austen’s original works were edited by someone other than herself may be something for scholars to debate for years to come, but new books that utilize her stories are working themselves to shelves.

One book is “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.” The author, or rather co-author, of the book takes large portions of Austen’s 1813 novel “Pride and Prejudice” and adds in a subplot of a zombie infestation along the English countryside. Seth Grahame-Smith credits the idea of the book to his editor, but cites Austen as his co-author.

When the zombie edited novel came out last year, it got up to No. 3 on the New York Times Best Seller list, and has sold over a million copies since. The zombified book has sparked a sequel, a prequel, and feature film set to come out next year.

Grahame-Smith wrote another literary mash-up, “Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter” and it is being made into a film produced by producer Tim Burton.

But the works of Jane Austen do live on, some with those who love the undead, and others in the protective hands her loyal fans.

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SEX To view a video of the “Sex in the Dark” panel, use your smartphone to scan this tag:

condoms be used as a birth control, which the church opposes, but said that the use of condoms by male prostitutes could be a step towards reducing the risk of infection.

Kriesky and McGough both said that STD’s can manifest in ways that may not be immediately visible and condom usage is the second best way, Get the free mobile app at behind abstinence, to avoid a sexually transmitted disease. http:/ / gettag.mobi Through the course of the night all the questions were eventually exhausted. McGough said that she does not know how sex became a taboo topic.

“It’s really sad to me because people really do need to talk about it more,” she said.

She recalls a time from back when she was in school and someone asked her if she was a virgin. Not knowing what a virgin was, McGough said no. It was only when she got home and asked her mother that McGough finally learned what that meant. She said her mother was embarrassed with how she had to explain all the details of what it means to be a virgin and what sexual encounters are.

“It’s a natural thing, and sex should not be a taboo subject,” McGough said.

Varner said she believed the event to be a success.

“There were more people than I expected. I was actually really excited, and there were a lot of awesome questions,” she said.

Looking forward to next semester’s panel, Varner said that it could end up being something “really controversial.”

“We’re thinking about doing an abortion panel. We’ve done sex trafficking and date-rape in the past,” Varner said.

Another way to measure the success of the event could be from the fact that all the free condoms provided were snatched up. The advice of Kriesky and McGough might not have fallen on deaf ears.

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NEWS

NOV. 30, 2010

Language

Opinion

WIDE WORLD OF WILD WORDS

By Brittany Dalton / Staff Writer The Language Monitor has released its list of 2010’s top words. At the top of the list is the word “spillcam,” alongside such notable words as “snowmageddon” and the Palin-ism “refudiate.”

Dr. David Macey, chairman of the English department, noted that the list does not contain anything particularly surprising or unusual.

“They are reflective of popular culture right now,” he said. “There are none that surprise me.”

Macey noted that language is flexible, and that while some words may seem ordinary, it is hard to tell what words will remain popular.

“Language is a living organism,” he said. “We spend a lot of time trying to pin it down, but the world changes so quickly. We have to make up language that is adequate to these purposes.”

The second most popular word on the list, “vuvuzela,” is a term that was coined during the South Africa World Cup this summer. Before that time, the term was unknown to many.

The Language Monitor also released its list of most popular phrases and names. ‘Anger and rage’ was coined the most popular phrase of the year, a description given to American voters in the time leading up to midterm elections.

“A lot of these words won’t stay,” Macey said. “An essential part of each party’s respective campaign is that each has its own vocabulary. The endurance of the vocabulary depends on how the audience receives it, but these terms will often go away.”

He explained that a natural part of language is that new terms are coined to describe the situation people are currently facing. When cultures or climates change, the language changes in response.

“It’s a matter of figuring out which cultural phenomena will be remembered,” he said.

Tea Party falls fifth on the list of most popular phrases. Macey noted that this is a reflection of the current political

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climate, and that its endurance can be be dead. The only point at which a lancalled into question. guage does not change anymore, is when “The political movement may stay, but people stop speaking that language.” the nomenclature may not,” he said.

Macey noted that it will be interestMacey explained that while the list is ing to see which words become a part a way of pinning of everyday spoTo view a related down language, ken language, and story, use your the list can only which will be relsmartphone to scan serve as a snapshot egated to simply this tag: in time, of what novelties.

Only means society used time will tell, Macto describe the ey said, whether or world. With Engnot ‘Lady Gaga’ is a lish becoming one term which will reof the most widely main engrained in spoken languages, our culture as well he notes that it will also borrow from as our language. other languages.

“I’m always surprised at how creative “Language will continue to develop. people can be with language,” he said.

English has always been changing,” he “Words exist to defamiliarize themsaid. selves, and the very things they describe.

“One of the signs of the health and vi- We create new ways of saying sometality of a language is that it changes,” thing, so people will stop and actually Macey said. “Otherwise language would think about it.”

OPINION LACED WITH

FACT

BY

A.J. BLACK Recently, I humbly and graciously accepted my role on campus as the supreme spiritual advisor. As the newly elected UCO Jesus, I zealously set out to perform seven miracles in seven days; succeed, I did not. Well, nobody said I was perfect.

Every night when you are sleeping, I am awake. Sitting in a dark room praying and making diabolical plans to save and then take over the world. I usually just wake up with a headache and have trouble piecing things together from the adventure the night before, but sometimes, if I can read my writing, I re-discover something, usually from within the depths of my pockets.

Last night, I must have had a vision, an epiphany or moment of clarity if you will, and I know what you are thinking, but it wasn’t the drugs. I discovered that my father, who makes art in heaven, must have sent me here to drive me crazy, because that is really the only feasible explanation. So, since I am already here and driving, I am supposed to take you with me, or at least I think that is what he said.

I usually just wake up with a headache and have trouble piecing things together from the adventure the night before, but sometimes, if I can read my writing, I rediscover something, usually from within the depths of my pockets.

David Macey, chairman of the English department dicusses the reality of language and how it continues to adapt based on our society.

PENGUIN PARTICULARS

The majority of scientists acknowledge a total of 17 species of penguins, including emperor, gentoo, chinstrap, macaroni and royal.

All 17 species of penguins live in the Southern Hemisphere.

Penguins walk with short steps or hops, sometimes using their bills or tails to assist themselves on steep climbs. The maximum walking speed for Adélie penguins is 2.4 mph. Emperors and kings walk slowly and do not hop. The maximum speed for emperors is 1.7 mph.

On land, overheating may sometimes be a problem. If a penguin is too warm, it holds its flippers away from its body, so both surfaces of the flippers are exposed to air, releasing heat During deep dives, the penguin heart rate slows.

Some penguin species spend as much as 75 percent of their lives in the sea.

The Fiordland Crested penguins sometimes grow barnacles on their tails, an indication that they are at sea for long periods.

The dark plumage of a penguin’s dorsal surface absorbs heat from the sun, which increases body temperature.

http://www.seaworld.org/infobooks/penguins/home.html

I once heard that in order to have empathy you must first understand. That sounds like it makes since, but how does one understand, I thought. I also once heard that if you tell someone something they will soon forget, and if you show them they will remember, but if you let them do it, they will understand. That seems to make sense too. So in order to understand, you have to go through it.

It might follow that if you feel like a certain class of people has lost touch, the best way to help them empathize with the plight of us poor folks is to cut off their heads, or maybe just trade places for a while. I liked where this was going but trading places didn’t seem like much of a solution, because I suspect that even if we decided to stop shopping at Wal-Mart, some other mart would just fill the vacuum. Is Wal-Mart really the problem? Whatever bro, I don’t shop at Wal-Mart, unless it’s like four in the morning.

During the American Revolution and Civil Rights movement, boycotting was an effective tool of civil disobedience.

However, at this point in time, how do you monetarily punish a corporation or institution that has methodically infiltrated every market around the globe? The answer is you don’t. We extend corporate powers all the rights of a citizen, without any of the liabilities or responsibilities of the individual. God seemed especially upset about the last part, the whole deniability clause seemed to be his hang-up.

The thing is as corporate powers grow and their affluence spreads across the whole-wide-world there will be little anybody can do to stop it. What threat can be posed to an entity that can just pick up and move everything somewhere else and still profit off of consumers anyway. God nor I are nationalists, in fact nationalism is a dirty word in our mansions, but none the less we have to question a companies actions when they lead to the abandonment of countless nations of people.

From my understanding, big government and big business are both equally bad news bears. For there is only one thing that I know that is too big to fail, and he has got my back, brother. In fact, the big man told me personally, that all of the world leaders are secretly part of a satanic brotherhood bent on destroying the world. My only question is, how do I join?

-Light it up, A.J. Black

NEWS

NOV. 30, 2010

w

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NEWS WITH A FLASH

Jo Tarr, a pianist, plays Christmas songs for community members who came to the University Ballrooms for a free Thanksgiving meal on Nov. 25 (Photo by Garret Fisbeck).

Volunteers for the Edmond Community Thanksgiving Dinner prepare approximately 3,000 meals for people in need. All leftover meals are donated to the Jesus House and uncooked food is donated to local charities (Photo by Garret Fisbeck).

Volunteer Deb Corbett (left) prepares a plate of food for the Edmond Community Thanksgiving Dinner on Nov. 25 (Photo by Garret Fisbeck).

Patt Watts (centered), a volunteer from the Edmond First United Methodist Church, takes dessert orders from community member who came to the University Ballrooms for a free meal on Oct. 25 (Photo by Garret Fisbeck).

A young girl accompanied by her mother arriving to cast her vote, carries a flyer for the ruling party, in the Sayeda Zeinab polling center in downtown Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, Nov. 28, 2010. Egyptians are choosing a new parliament amid uncertainty over the health of 82-year-old President Hosni Mubarak and widespread frustration over the lack of political reform and economic woes (AP Photo/Ben Curtis).

Police take position during an operation against alleged drug traffickers at the Complexo do Alemao slum, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, Nov. 28, 2010. Rio police backed by helicopters and armored vehicles started invading a shantytown complex long held by traffickers on Sunday, slowly moving their way through small alleys amid heavy gunfire (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo).

A gaucho, or cowboy, rides a horse as he competes during a rodeo in Escobar, Argentina, Sunday Nov. 28, 2010 (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko).

Toy Store Kiddy Land’s Santa Claus Academy students march through Tokyo’s shopping district Harajuku in Tokyo, Sunday, Nov. 28, 2010 (AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye).

6

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48. “For shame!”

49. Type of reproduction 53. ___ cheese 55. Photo 56. Agenda 58. Immediately 62. Grammatical tern 65. “Good grief!”

66. Eager desires 67. Ancient 68. Adjusts, as a clock 69. Catch a glimpse of 70. Place to sleep

1. Central points 2. Animal with a mane 3. Jewish month 4. High nest: Var. 5. Egg cells 6. Gossip 7. Single fact 8. Critiquing sharply 9. Come together 10. Stews 11. Ancient manuscript marks 12. Footlike parts 14. Charm 17. Telephone company 18. Buzzing 23. Eyeglasses 25. Eyeball benders 26. “___ Doubtfire” 27. Diamond Head locale 28. Father of Balder 30. Swung around 33. The Dow, e.g.

34. Host 35. ___ moss 36. “My ___!”

40. Alkaline liquid 42. Blow 43. Net 44. Electronic devices 45. A Muse 49. ___-ski 50. Attack 51. Brilliance of success 52. Washes 54. Single-celled organism 57. ___ tide 59. Canceled 60. Hints 61. Aims 63. Infomercials, e.g.

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SUDOKU

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SPORTS

NOV. 30, 2010

7

Sports Opinion

POST BEDLAM: ASK THE PRESS Why can’t OSU turn the corner?

By Chris Wescott / Sports Editor Who says they haven’t turned a corner?

Look, they lost to the Oklahoma Sooners in a game they were favored to win. But let’s take a look at their body of work this season. Their offense is performing at an incredibly high level, and their defense has been particularly opportunistic. What was once a bend and eventually break team decided they wanted to roll with the big dogs when no one thought they could. To start the season, who would have guessed that this Oklahoma State squad would finish the regular season with 10 regular season wins? And for that matter, who

By Michael Collins / Sports Writer For OSU, I think they have turned the corner. They are no longer the team trying finish ahead of Baylor and Texas Tech, they are now trying to compete with OU and Texas.

With that said, most O-State fans will still be disappointed because “big brother” added to their overwhelming series lead, and completely stunned a packed crowd in Stillwater.

If people thought OSU was going to go from cellar dweller to Big 12 champs overnight, they were wrong. OU has been on top for decades. They didn’t get this good with a flick of the wrist. If OSU continues to recruit well,

By Trey Hunter / Contributing Writer It’s really tough for Oklahoma State to compete with the big boys like Oklahoma and Texas. It really all comes down to recruiting.

Stillwater is one of the best college towns in the country. Their facilities are as good as it gets. The players seem to love playing for

would have thought that Bedlam would decide who plays for the Big 12 Championship?

Despite Saturday’s loss, I still believe that OSU has turned a corner. If not actually “turned the corner,” I believe they’re sitting on the curb catching their breathe before they make their move. They’ve already crossed the street. It’s just a matter of putting one foot in front of the other and making the next step. As far as why can’t they turn the corner against OU? Now that is a very good question. Matchup problems, coaching, tradition and preparation would be my guesses. This was their year, and they flat choked. I still think they’ve made huge strides as a program though.

to them representing the south division in the Big 12 championship game 11 times in 13 years. OSU competes with Texas A&M, Texas Tech and other big schools from the region to get the players that Texas and Oklahoma left behind. With the conference losing Nebraska and Colorado next year to the Big 10

and the Pac 10, it could become slightly easier for OSU to recruit more talented prospects to Stillwater, but it just seems that the only way for the Cowboys to turn the corner in football is to not have to play OU or Texas year in and year out.

What is next for both teams?

By Chris Wescott / Sports Editor If I had to take a guess I’d wager, winning is what is next for both of these teams. I find it hard to believe that OSU will have another 10-win season next year, but they do have a lot of returning talent. OSU will most likely have a winning season again. Just probably not as magical and unexpected as this one. one of these days they will win the Big 12. OU has a bulk of returning youth coming Although they will never get a chance to win the Big 12 South, now that the conference is By Michael Collins / Sports Writer down to 10 teams, that will leave OU, Texas, It’s always hard to predict what will happen OSU, Texas A&M, and Missouri to fight for next year. Look at OU and the Rhett Bomar the crown. The key to remaining in that group situation. They were thought to be national of teams that will compete for next year’s title title contenders then all of the sudden he was will be whether Dana Holgorsen will stay or kicked off the team right before the season go. Obviously Mike Gundy was not the right began. That being said, hopefully OU and man to be calling plays for OSU these past few OSU won’t lose any players to unforeseen avyears. Holgorsen brought in a new system that enues like that. Since both teams are relatively works. If he stays, OSU might be able to “turn

By Trey Hunter / Contributing Writer the corner” for real next season.

Oklahoma and Oklahoma State could each potentially be top five teams in the country Mike Gundy and they have had more and next year. OU returns four of their five startmore success in the past three years. Howev- ing offensive linemen, two stating wide receiver, in order to win the Big 12 conference you ers and quarterback Landry Jones. OU could have to go through Texas and Oklahoma. The return every starter on defense except Jeremy only way to do that consistently is through Beal, Jonathan Nelson and Quinton Carter. recruiting. Mack Brown and Bob Stoops own Travis Lewis is being projected as a first round the state of Texas and that has been the key draft pick, but if he returns for his senior sea-

back next year and should be in the race for a national championship. Despite what some of the more fair weather and ignorant Sooner fans think, they have one of the better head coaches in all of football. They are going to be competitive. It’s the same story in Stillwater.

Gundy returns as head coach, so I expect the Cowboys to win games. young, they should both be very good next year. More times than not, the Big 12 sends two teams to the big boy bowls. And OU and OSU could be those teams next year. If both teams could remain unbeaten until their final game against each other, one of them would most likely wind up in the National Championship. son, the defense could be just as loaded as the offense. Oklahoma State returns all five offensive linemen, two starting receivers and could return quarterback Brandon Weeden if he doesn’t leave for the NFL. The defense will have to improve from this season, but with experience and good coaching, the Cowboys have a chance to be every bit as good as this year, if not better.

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SPORTS

NOV. 30, 2010

Bedlam Coverage

By Chris Wescott / Sports Editor

Oklahoma tight end James Hanna, right, runs past the Oklahoma bench on his way to a touchdown in the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game against Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday, Nov. 27, 2010. Oklahoma State cornerback Andrew McGee chases at left. Oklahoma won 47-41.

(AP Photo)

The tie sent the decision for the Big 12 South to the BCS Rankings.

It was announced on Sunday night that Oklahoma will play Nebraska for the Big 12 Championship based on their new ranking of No. 9, while OSU fell to 14 and A&M sits at 18.

The Sooners opened up the scoring with a Trey Millard, six-yard touchdown run with 6:50 to go in the first quarter. Following the extra point by Stevens, OU held a sevenpoint lead.

Bailey answered back with a 23-

PHOTO BY GARETT FISBECK

It wasn’t over when Sooners’ kicker Jimmy Stevens drilled three consecutive field goals to give OU the lead in the fourth quarter. It sure wasn’t over when Oklahoma State wide receiver Justin Blackmon hauled in a 15-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Brandon Weeden with 4:06 left in the fourth quarter.

It still wasn’t over when Cameron Kenney went 86 yards to pay dirt on a pass from Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones. And it wasn’t even over when OU tight end James Hanna sprinted 76 yards past the entire Oklahoma State defense on his way to giving the Sooners a 47-38 lead late in the final quarter.

But when OSU failed to convert an onside kick following a 34-yard Dan Bailey field goal, the wild Bedlam contest on Saturday night concluded in a 47-41 Oklahoma Sooners upset over the No. 9 Cowboys in Stillwater.

The Cowboys (10-2, 6-2 Big 12) came into the final game of the regular season with an easy path to their first Big 12 title. Win and they’re in. But as they would soon find out, the No. 13 Sooners (10-2, 6-2 Big 12) would not give up their claim to the conference championship game without a fight. The win set up a three-way tie for the Big 12 South between OU, OSU and Texas A&M (8-3, 6-2).

PHOTO BY SUE OGROCKI

SOONERS SURVIVE WILD BEDLAM

UCO students and Sooner and Cowboy fans brave the cold and huddle around a fire pit to tailgate and watch Saturday night’s Bedlam game in Stillwater. Oklahoma beat Oklahoma State 47-41.

yard Cowboys’ field goal with 3:29 left in the opening quarter.

With the score at 7-3 in Oklahoma’s favor, Ryan Broyles caught a two-yard touchdown pass from Jones to take a 14-3 lead with 13:29 left in the half. The score capped a seven-play, 30-yard drive set up by a Weeden interception.

Weeden was intercepted three times Saturday night, while tossing two touchdowns with 257 yards.

Oklahoma State was beginning to look like they’d be blown out, when Landry Jones decided to play pitch and catch with the wrong team.

Jones threw the ball to Shaun Lewis and the Cowboy took it 52 yards to the house with 11:06 left in the second quarter, pulling OSU to within four.

Just under six minutes later, Cameron Kenny scored on an eight-yard pass from Jones to give OU the 2110 lead.

An OU punt led to a four-play, 59-yard touchdown drive by Oklahoma State. That drive was capped by a two-yard Jimmy Stevens run.

Bailey’s extra point was good, and OSU made it 21-17 with 1:08 left in the half.

The Sooners kicked a 29-yard field goal as time expired at the half to go up by seven.

Oklahoma State opened up their second half with a bang, driving 80 yards in eight plays in just over three minutes to score on a Weeden to Josh Cooper 20-yard connection. Bailey nailed the extra point to tie the game, for the first time of the night, 24-24. The third quarter ended with that same score.

OU’s kicker, Jimmy Stevens, connected on three straight field goals to open the fourth quarter. He made tries of 24, 31 and 26 yards. The Sooners mounted the nine-point surge before the Cowboys responded.

Blackmon hauled in the 15-yard touchdown pass from Weeden to pull OSU within two with just 4:06 to go. Here is where the game got crazy.

The Sooners get the ball back, and proceed to score on Cameron Kenney’s 86-yard touchdown catch and run. OU takes a 40-31 lead.

Then the Cowboys return the ensuing kickoff, 89 yards to the promise land and keep their fading hopes alive. Justin Gilbert appeared to be the savior, giving the Cowboys a chance with 2:51 left in the game.

But 17 seconds later, James Hanna slips past the OSU defense and sprints 76 yards to score the dagger and give the Sooners a 47-38 lead with time running out.

The Cowboys gave the Sooners a run, trying to pull off a miracle, and drove 40 yards in eight plays, connecting on a 34-yard field goal. The Cowboys trailed 47-41 with just :36 left on the clock.

Oklahoma State failed to convert the onside kick and the Sooner nation breathed a collective sigh of relief. The Sooners survive a crazy finish to the Bedlam showdown, 4741.

Landry Jones tied the school record for passing yards with 468. He finished the game, 37 of 62 for 468 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions. OU running back DeMarco Murray finished the game with 20 carries for 80 yards. Receiver Cameron Kenney caught six passes for 141 yards and two scores.

Oklahoma State star wide receiver, Justin Blackmon, finished with eight catches for 105 yards and a touchdown.

Big XII Championship

SOONER-CORNHUSKER SHOWDOWN

By Trey Hunter / Contributing Writer The Oklahoma Sooners and Nebraska Cornhuskers will renew their rivalry for the last time as members of the Big 12 Saturday at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, for the Big 12 Championship.

The final championship game will host one of the best rivalries in college football history.

The Sooners defeated Oklahoma State Saturday in Stillwater and forced a three-way tie atop the Big 12 South. Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas A&M all finished the conference season with 6-2 records, however it came down to a tie-breaker and Oklahoma won by being the highest ranked team of the three in the Bowl Championship Series standings. The Cornhuskers won the Big 12 North by beating Colorado to finish with a conference record of 6-2.

Oklahoma comes into the game riding the momentum of beating Oklahoma State and also riding the wave of inconsistency they have traveled all season long. Quarterback Landry Jones has played like a Heisman candidate at times this season, but has looked like a third-stringer as well. The sophomore quarterback leads an offense full of talent. Running back Demarco Murray has superstar talent and wide receiver Ryan Broyles is one of the best players in the country. The defense hasn’t been as good as it has in past, but for the most part they have gotten the job done. Travis Lewis has been the heart of the defense and with the young talent of players like Tom Wort and Tony Jefferson, they have gotten better and better.

Nebraska finished the season ranked 13th in the BCS standings after going 10-2. They are hoping to have starting quarterback Taylor Martinez back from injury for the game. Martinez didn’t play in Nebraska’s final regular season win against Colorado at home in Lincoln. He led the team with nine passing touchdowns and 12 rushing touchdowns.

They rank 108th in the nation in passing yards but are eighth in rushing yards with nearly 270 per game. Their “black-shirt” mentality on defense has returned since head coach Bo Pelini took over in 2007. They’re defense is ranked eighth overall nationally and are only giving up 16.8 points per game. They are led by linebacker Lavonte David who is the team’s leading tackler with 128 and pre-season All-American defensive tackle, Jared Crick.

This rivalry game is shaping up to be a tremendous matchup. Oklahoma will have to come into the game and ride the momentum from the Oklahoma State victory. They will have to fire on all cylinders offensively in order to move the ball up and down the field against Nebraska’s top-10 defense. OU’s defense will have to come to play as well. They have never been great at defending mobile quarterbacks and Taylor Martinez has the ability to win a game himself with his rushing abilities. In order for Pelini and the Huskers to win their third Big 12 Championship, they just have to do what they’ve been doing all year. They have to stick with their hard-nosed defensive style and keep running the ball with both their quarterback and their running backs. If their defense shows up and

INSIDE SPORTS: POST BEDLAM BREAKDOWN, ASK THE PRESS

plays lights out, they should be able to secure a spot in the Tostito’s Fiesta Bowl in January.

For old-school Big 8 Conference fans and for fans of the 14-year-old Big 12, this game represents a lot. It represents the ending of an era and represents the ending of one of the best rivalries in college football history. There is no better way to end Big 12 play than to match two of the most historic teams in the nation and when all is said and done, the winner of this final rivalry game will represent the Big 12 for the last time in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.

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