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Wednesday, March 28, 2012 Issue 49

T H E

E D I T O R I A L L Y

I N D E P E N D E N T

http://utdailybeacon.com

Vol. 119 S T U D E N T

PAGE 6

PUBLISHED SINCE 1906 N E W S P A P E R

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T H E

U N I V E R S I T Y

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T E N N E S S E E

Voting commences for 2012 SGA election

Tia Patron • The Daily Beacon

Candidates for Student Services Director, Lindsay Lee and Taelor Olive, prepare to speak during the SGA election debate on March 26.

Revolt to focus on SGA’s ‘structural limitations’ Fuel advocates for fixed tuition, transparency Lauren Kittrell News Editor As SGA campaigns begin to wrap up promotions and focus on students voting, Revolt and Fuel campaigns are eager to get their policies and initiatives into the hands of students voters to aid them in decision making. The campaigns will be out in full force on Wednesday and Thursday with the hopes of presenting more information regarding their stands in an effort to catch the eye of last minute voters.

Daniel Aycock, Revolt presidential candidate and a junior in accounting and international business, will be campaigning alongside vice presidential candidate, Eric Dixon, and hopeful Student Services Director, Lindsay Lee. Aycock said they would love to have the support of the student body as they “revolt” against the “system” that is found in an SGA that fails to convey student voices to the administration.

Lee, a sophomore in math and Spanish and Portuguese minor, said that grabbing the attention of students and inspiring in them an interest in SGA is something that is important to her and the rest of the candidates.

“The first instinct for a lot of people when they think about SGA is they think college students can be extremely apathetic,” Lee said. “But I think if we can make SGA something that is legitimate, people are going to want to get involved.”

The policy and main initiative of the campaign focuses on finding a way to structurally improve the SGA. Aycock said legitimizing the SGA as a whole is one of their top priorities. “(The campaign’s goal is) to focus on the very structural limitations to SGA’s legitimacy,” Aycock said. “What we’re revolting against is a system where less than 10 percent of the student body voted for president (last year). Clearly, that’s not a representative system that’s working very well. It’s not necessarily the fault of the current administration and it’s not necessarily the fault of the UT administration. It’s just a fact that the way SGA works on this campus is set up very differently from the way SGA works on other campuses.”

Aycock added that he wants to see an increase in student involvement in the SGA. “We need to have procedures in place so students will be numerically comparable and effectively represented on those committees,” Aycock said.

Even more importantly, Aycock mentioned the SGA’s budget and his plans for improvement.

“The primary function of SGA at a lot of other schools is allocating student activity fees,” Aycock said. “You’re looking at increasing SGA’s budget from $22,000 to 200, 300 and $400,000. You can imagine the kind of legitimacy that would immediately bring to SGA as an organization.”

More information regarding Revolt and their plans for SGA can be found at utrevolt.com.

Victoria Wright Student Life Editor In an effort to win student allegiance for the impending elections on Wednesday, candidates from the Fuel campaign continue to distribute food, T-shirts and other items on the Pedestrian Mall.

While students munched on the free food, Fuel shared their policy of addressing four categories if elected in office: student life, technology, academics and tuition.

Adam Roddy, presidential candidate for Fuel, said all areas are important, but wants to tackle university tuition primarily if elected.

“It’s making sure that when students come here, tuition is not something that they can complain about,” said Roddy, junior in political science with dual minors in business and history. “It’s to make sure they know what it is and that they’re not hit with any surprises that catch them off guard and force them into taking loans, so when students come here, they know how much they’re paying.”

For the 2011-12 academic year, in-state undergraduates paid $8,396 in tuition and mandatory fees excluding room and board, a total increase of $1,014, or 13.7 percent.

Roddy hopes to keep the tuition on a locked four-year rate so that students can pay the same amount for their entire college career.

Both the Fuel and Revolt campaigns plan to

address the slumping student morale in SGA. The Fuel campaign plans to create an “SGA meter,” similar to the PoliFact.com Obama Meter, which has tracked the president’s work since his inauguration.

Students would be able to track the meter on the SGA website, which has been under construction for the majority of this semester. Roddy plans to work through the Dean of Students Office to ensure the SGA website will be fixed so students can view content and remain abreast of SGA news.

“We don’t want students to feel like after elections, SGA will just disappear,” Roddy said.

Taelor Olive, student services candidate for Fuel, hopes the meter can improve student relations with SGA. “One thing that is really important to me is transparency,” said Olive, junior in biochemistry and molecular biology with a Spanish minor. “I strongly believe that there are great things that SGA is doing, but people don’t know about them.”

Olive currently sits as the student services cochair for SGA. She wants committee activity to be highlighted more on campus.

“It’s important to me that student services is utilized to advocate for issues as well as get out here and see that SGA is doing things and making sure the student body knows that student government is working for them and issues most important to them,” Olive said.

Influence: Building stronger relationships between students, the faculty and the administration, including but not limited to interactions with the Chancellor and Dean of Students, while also creating positions such as Faculty Senate and a United Campus Workers (UCW) within the SGA to foster better representation. Also proposed are the creation of new task forces and committees to deal with various student issues.

Transparency: Making the votes and the actions of SGA as clear as possible by publishing attendance and voting records while also improving communication through newsletters and other improvements.

Student Life: The majority of Revolt’s campaign focuses on this aspect, hoping for improvements to parking services, housing contracts, equity, diversity, student services committees, academic affairs, campus beautification, campus outreach and new student relations.

Transparency: Create an online system allowing students to keep track of the SGA, while also keeping contact information close at hand for all who want it.

Student Life: Institute a four-year tuition lock, allowing students to know what their tuition will be for their UT tenure, reevaluate and improve campus housing, increase the availability of dining dollars and meal equivalency around campus, establish Green Spaces in Presidential Courtyard and around campus, and also promote safety issues and awareness among Fort Sanders, Laurel Hall and Sorority Village residents.

Technology: Institute a mobile app to keep students connected with the university, which will integrate many online UT services (Blackboard, myUTK, etc.), while also improving WiFi around campus and email availability.

Academics: Upgrade the TN 101 system, streamline DARS and also ensure an amicable learning environment for students.

— Courtesy of utrevolt.com

— Courtesy of fuelut.com

Student wins Scripps scholarhip Wesley Mills Staff Writer

Hannah Cather • The Daily Beacon

During a fire alarm, professor Robert Heller teaches his class outside the Communications Building on Monday. The alarm interrupted classes around 12:40 p.m.

Volunteers measure rainfall The Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A volunteer effort that sprang from a devastating flood has grown into a nationwide network of weather observers whose data is used every day.

The Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow network — also known as CoCoRaHS — plays an important part in collecting precipitation data and alerting the National Weather Service to significant rainfall.

Ralph Troutman, the Observing Program Leader with the NWS in Nashville, is the Tennessee coordinator. He said the state has CoCoRaHS observers in all but three counties and is recruiting more.

“The primary value is the precipitation reports,”

Troutman said. “We’ve learned so much about the variability of rainfall. Our official observation points are on a 25-mile grid.”

As national CoCoRaHS coordinator Henry Reges pointed out, those official measuring points often don’t tell the whole story.

Such was the case in Fort Collins, Colo., in 1997 when flooding killed five people and destroyed 200 homes in what was described as a 500-year flood.

The event provided the spark that matured into the national network of volunteers, Reges said.

A flash flood struck Fort Collins on July 28, 1997, after some parts of town got 2 inches of rain while others just five miles away were deluged with 14.5 inches.

See TN WEATHER on Page 3

Portland, Ore. is a good ways from Knoxville, which meant that 21-year-old Suzanna McCloskey had a fair amount of time to think about how she had not won the scholarship she applied for.

“I wasn’t surprised that I didn’t get it, but I was kind of bummed out,” McCloskey, a senior in journalism and electronic media, said.

On the way back to Knoxville, McCloskey experienced the opposite reaction.

“I think I screamed a little and the flight attendant gave me a weird look,” she said. “But I was really excited.”

McCloskey received a voicemail on her way back from Spring Break saying that she was one of the nine winners in the Roy W. Howard National Collegiate Reporting Competition awarded by the Scripps Howard Foundation.

The winners receive an all-expense paid trip to Japan over the summer.

McCloskey applied for the trip and scholarship by writing an essay about how she had never studied abroad as well as getting recommendation letters sent to the Scripps Howard Foundation.

While some high schools have newspapers where one can gain writing experience, McCloskey wasn’t so lucky. Instead, she became the trailblazer.

“We started it as a group and we made it on the WordPad on the computer,” she said. “It was fossil, but I really liked it. I really liked interviewing people and talking to people. It was never boring.”

After seeing the constant excitement that

journalism brought, McCloskey thought that this might be what she wanted to do.

This became even clearer as she stumbled onto TNJN.com, where she is now the managing editor.

“There was never a boring moment and there’s always something crazy happening that someone’s doing to write about,” she said.

“You’re not usually just sitting in an office for eight hours a day, not talking to anyone.”

Eric Vreeland, city editor of the Knoxville News Sentinel, hired her as an intern in the summer of 2011 and said she carried herself very well.

“She seemed she had a lot of poise and maturity,” Vreeland said. “She’s a very capable person and really has done a lot for her age and her years of experience.”

But something that really stood out for Vreeland was how teachable McCloskey was.

“She learned quickly,” he said. “If we did an editing session and we talked about how to sharpen up a lead or how to segue into a long and complicated story, it was the sort of thing where she would learn it quickly and you would see improvement from one story to the next. So, you felt like it was worth your time coaching her because she took it to heart and tried to implement what we were showing her.”

That teachable spirit has paid dividends, as McCloskey will be making her first trip abroad this summer.

“I’ve never been out of the country,” she said.

“I’m most looking forward to experiencing a different culture. I’m going to eat some awesome food. Japan seems like one of the most interesting places I can think of, so I’m quite excited that I’m getting the opportunity to go there.”

The Daily Beacon staff would like to extend our sincerest condolences to the family and friends of Ryan B. Edwards, who died Tuesday morning from injuries sustained in a shallow water diving incident over Spring Break.

Edwards was a senior in environmental studies from Memphis, Tenn.

2 • The Daily Beacon

InSHORT

1967 — American pacifists arrive in Haiphong The Phoenix, a private U.S. yacht with eight American pacifists aboard, arrives in Haiphong, North Vietnam, with $10,000 worth of medical supplies for the North Vietnamese.

The trip, financed by a Quaker group in Philadelphia, was made in defiance of a U.S. ban on American travel to North Vietnam. No charges were filed against the participants and the group made a second trip to North Vietnam later.

George Richardson • The Daily Beacon

Shortstop Zach Osborne catches a pop-up against University of Louisiana-Monroe on March 11.

1979 — Nuclear accident at Tree Mile Island At 4 a.m. on March 28, 1979, the worst accident in the history of the U.S. nuclear power industry begins when a pressure valve in the Unit-2 reactor at Three Mile Island fails to close. Cooling water, contaminated with radiation, drained from the open valve into adjoining buildings, and the core began to dangerously overheat.

The Three Mile Island nuclear power plant was built in 1974 on a sandbar on Pennsylvania’s Susquehanna River, just 10 miles downstream from the state capitol in Harrisburg. In 1978, a second state-of-the-art reactor began operating on Three Mile Island, which was lauded for generating affordable and reliable energy in a time of energy crises.

After the cooling water began to drain out of the broken pressure valve on the morning of March 28, 1979, emergency cooling pumps automatically went into operation. Left alone, these safety devices would have prevented the development of a larger crisis. However, human operators in the control room misread confusing and contradictory readings and shut off the emergency water system. The reactor was also shut down, but residual heat from the fission process was still being released. By early morning, the core had heated to over 4,000 degrees, just 1,000 degrees short of meltdown. In the meltdown scenario, the core melts, and deadly radiation drifts across the countryside, fatally sickening a potentially great number of people.

As the plant operators struggled to understand what had happened, the contaminated water was releasing radioactive gases throughout the plant. The radiation levels, though not immediately life-threatening, were dangerous, and the core cooked further as the contaminated water was contained and precautions were taken to protect the operators. Shortly after 8 a.m., word of the accident leaked to the outside world. The plant's parent company, Metropolitan Edison, downplayed the crisis and claimed that no radiation had been detected off plant grounds, but the same day inspectors detected slightly increased levels of radiation nearby as a result of the contaminated water leak. Pennsylvania Governor Dick

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Thornburgh considered calling an evacuation.

Finally, at about 8 p.m., plant operators realized they needed to get water moving through the core again and restarted the pumps. The temperature began to drop, and pressure in the reactor was reduced. The reactor had come within less than an hour of a complete meltdown. More than half the core was destroyed or molten, but it had not broken its protective shell, and no radiation was escaping. The crisis was apparently over.

Two days later, however, on March 30, a bubble of highly flammable hydrogen gas was discovered within the reactor building. The bubble of gas was created two days before when exposed core materials reacted with super-heated steam. On March 28, some of this gas had exploded, releasing a small amount of radiation into the atmosphere. At that time, plant operators had not registered the explosion, which sounded like a ventilation door closing. After the radiation leak was discovered on March 30, residents were advised to stay indoors. Experts were uncertain if the hydrogen bubble would create further meltdown or possibly a giant explosion, and as a precaution Governor Thornburgh advised “pregnant women and pre-school age children to leave the area within a five-mile radius of the Three Mile Island facility until further notice.” This led to the panic the governor had hoped to avoid; within days, more than 100,000 people had fled surrounding towns.

On April 1, President Jimmy Carter arrived at Three Mile Island to inspect the plant.

Carter, a trained nuclear engineer, had helped dismantle a damaged Canadian nuclear reactor while serving in the U.S. Navy. His visit achieved its aim of calming local residents and the nation. That afternoon, experts agreed that the hydrogen bubble was not in danger of exploding. Slowly, the hydrogen was bled from the system as the reactor cooled.

At the height of the crisis, plant workers were exposed to unhealthy levels of radiation, but no one outside Three Mile Island had their health adversely affected by the accident.

Nonetheless, the incident greatly eroded the public's faith in nuclear power. The unharmed Unit-1 reactor at Three Mile Island, which was shut down during the crisis, did not resume operation until 1985. Cleanup continued on Unit-2 until 1990, but it was too damaged to be rendered usable again. In the more than two decades since the accident at Three Mile Island, not a single new nuclear power plant has been ordered in the United States.

— This Day in History is courtesy of History.com.

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

TN WEATHER continued from Page 1 That led Nolan Doesken, now the national director of the program, to form a chain of observers on the front range of the Rockies. It spread a couple of years later to Wyoming. And then it took off. By 2009, CoCoRaHS was operating in all 50 states. Doesken is the Colorado State Climatologist.

“We didn’t expect it to become a national project, but it just gained in popularity,” Reges said. “A lot of people just enjoy doing this kind of stuff and then the information became really important to the entities that use it.”

CoCoRaHS supplies information to the National Weather Service and cooperates with the agency extensively, but is run by the climate center at Colorado State University and is funded primarily by grants from the National Science Foundation and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, the parent agency of NWS. A number of users get the information it supplies. Among them are farm service agencies, soil conservation districts, municipalities and river navigation and recreation entities.

Other users include mosquito

NEWS

control agencies, because the ponding of water that may lead to West Nile outbreaks, and golf courses.

Observers file their reports around 7 a.m. local time, online. The figures represent a 24-hour observation.

There is another way observers are important and it’s in real time. When heavy rain, snow or heavy rain threatens, they can send what is called a “significant weather report” that goes not only to CoCoRaHS, but also alerts the NWS office for their region.

“That one critical observation, where NWS did not that rainfall information somewhere upstream, could lead to the issuance of a flash flood warning,” Reges explained.

People interested in becoming observers can go to the CoCoRaHS website at http://www.cocorahs.org/ to learn more and sign up.

Training is minimal and can be done online. The only investment is a $30-dollar specific high capacity rain gauge.

There is a short informational video on You Tube at http://bit.ly/H6YbG9.

Troutman said a lot of observers like being part of record keeping that began in Tennessee in 1854, when the first weather observation station was opened in Clarksville.

The Daily Beacon • 3

Tara Sripunvoraskul • The Daily Beacon

Marcus Baker, senior in sociology, speaks with Frank Warren after his PostSecret lecture on March 7.

AR town known for ties to KKK tries to rebrand The Associated Press HARRISON, Ark. — When a black man supposedly broke into a white man’s home in 1905, a mob ran most black people out of town — and instantly gave this community a lasting reputation as being too dangerous for minorities.

More than a century later, only 34 of the nearly 13,000 residents in Harrison are black. But the town desperately wants to overcome its past, hoping a better image will attract more residents and businesses. So leaders are advocating for diversity in a way rarely seen in overwhelmingly white places: creating a task force on race relations, printing posters about the city’s ugly history and bringing in a civil rights speaker.

“If your image is out there that you’re this little racist enclave set in the hills, who you going to attract? You’re going to attract racists,” said

Layne Ragsdale, a member of the task force.

It’s a hard sell. The task force is almost all white. The posters go into storage between events. And the town had to bus in black children to listen to the speaker.

Harrison’s tiny black population is actually larger than it used to be. For decades after race riots in 1905 and 1909, fewer than 10 black people lived here or elsewhere in Boone County, a largely rural square of northern Arkansas where residents only recently voted to allow alcohol sales.

The town’s history of racial conflict isn’t unique in a state where federal troops had to escort a group of black students known as the Little Rock Nine into Central High School during a historic 1957 clash over desegregation.

But Harrison stands out because the town pushed out virtually its entire black population.

“They chose to run their African-American population off,” said John Kirk, a history professor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock who has written about the state’s racial past.

“How do you reconcile with a population that’s not there anymore?”

Before the riots, more than 140 black people lived in the county. Then tensions started brewing as work dried up on the nearby railroad line.

In 1905, the white mob that ran off most of the black population burned down homes and shot out windows. Many black people left, and those who stayed fled in 1909 after a black man was convicted of raping a white woman.

Only one black woman, known as Aunt Vine, stuck around. The task force on race relations named its scholarship for minority students in her honor.

Harrison leaders hope eventually to welcome

back descendants of those who fled. And maybe that will show the town isn’t so racist anymore.

“Getting the truth out there will do nothing but help us from a business perspective,” said Chris Ramsey a member of the task force and sales director for Harrison’s convention and visitors bureau.

Businesses that declined to locate in Harrison have not explicitly cited the community’s racial history, but it’s an issue that has to be addressed whenever a company is courted.

Over the years, the city has attracted enough industry to keep Harrison alive. People here make whiteboards, aluminum parts for barbecue grills and wood floors for tractor-trailers.

Tourists stop here, too, especially bikers who ride along the curvy roads of the Ozark Mountains. But they, like nearly everyone else here, are white.

4 • The Daily Beacon

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

OPINIONS

Editor’s Note Student opinion should count too Blair Kuykendall Editor-in-Chief Does it matter that Chancellor Jimmy Cheek hasn’t been invited to speak at an SGA meeting this year?

The chancellor himself confirmed this oversight at an Honors Council Q&A a couple of weeks ago.

While he did say that there had been frequent dialogue between SGA representatives and himself, he had not, as of early March, been invited to formally address the body. He seemed eager for the opportunity.

To be fair, SGA does have other mandatory business to conduct during its bi-monthly meetings, and a great deal of time is invested in developing legislation (as previously reviewed by the Beacon).

It does seem dubious, however, that there has not been formal interaction between the head of the administration and the student body’s representation this year.

One naturally assumes that the bureaucratic entities at this school play their respective roles with some degree of aplomb. Perhaps that explains the collective surprise expressed by attendees at the Q&A in response to the chancellor’s answer.

Regardless of what’s accomplished behind the scenes, students need to see some interaction between the chancellor and the student body.

But what degree of impact does a disconnect between SGA and the chancellor have on our student body?

The answer to that question hinges on the extent of SGA’s influence on the administration. Aside from the amorphous advisory boards, SGA collectively sends messages to the administration through its resolutions and bills. These acts, however, only have the weight of strong recommendations. As recommendations, they may or may not be taken, in any time frame the administration deems fit.

An SGA address from the chancellor might promote some goodwill, but what other purpose would it be designed to achieve? The general student

population probably would not be in favor of the chancellor steering SGA’s agenda. Nor would they favor the chancellor dictating procedure or in any way influencing student contribution to discussion.

The chancellor should unquestionably be present at SGA meetings, as an observer more often than a speaker. The student body as a whole would be better served if the chancellor were regularly hearing student concerns expressed in an official and public setting.

That’s assuming SGA representatives would be ready to actually voice the student body’s opinions.

It remains unclear how SGA officers account for the interests of just under 30,000 students. SGA’s visibility and engagement on campus peaks each year in March, a few days before elections.

How does SGA get a read on the disposition of fellow students? I’m really not sure. Besides conversation with individual spheres of friends, there really aren’t any institutionalized measures in existence to regularly gage broader student opinion.

We’re trying our best to provide some sort of a platform here at The Daily Beacon.

Students can take their own initiative to address concerns to their representatives, if they put in the effort. SGA has space on its website for students to comment, and supplies the e-mail addresses of its members. It remains uncertain, though, what statistics the organization has on broader student opinion. One would presume that a poll would be effective for gathering such information. There were reports of a possible town hall meeting earlier this year, which would be a great gesture.

When I first heard that the chancellor hadn’t been invited to address an SGA meeting, I thought that was an egregious mistake. Upon reflection, I think it’s more egregious that you haven’t.

SGA should maintain close private and public communications with the administration, no doubt.

When given the administration’s ear, though, they should have something relevant to say. It’s difficult to testify to student opinion when you don’t have any clue what it is.

— Blair Kuykendall is a junior in the College Scholars Program. She can be reached at bkuykend@utk.edu.

SCRAMBLED EGGS • Alex Cline

THE Great Mash Up• Liz Newnam

Columns of The Daily Beacon are reflections of the individual columnist, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Beacon or its editorial staff.

Wastefulness ravages environment Ac orns and Other Seeds by

Anna-Lise Burnnette

While trying to think up a course of action for writing this week’s column, I found myself lost in a flurry of other writing projects. One of these involved answering the simple but incredibly demanding question, “What is America’s most pressing environmental issue?” And because I think this is a worthwhile question for the campus community at-large to consider, I’ll raise it here to get everyone’s thinking caps pulled back out of their Spring Break duffel bags.

It occurred to me that there are two ways of going about answering this question. The first is to spend hours poring through government reports and annual statistics, trying to determine where the most tax dollars are spent, what types of pollution are considered the most toxic or widespread, or what particular environmental issue has garnered the most attention of late. The second is to ditch the confusing and sometimes contradictory figures in favor of going with your gut. You can guess which route I took.

What resulted was a somewhat winding indictment of what you might call a societal pollution as much as you could call it anything else, because what jumped out immediately to me was the problem of waste and the issue of waste reduction. On a superficial level, our issue with waste might seem to be merely a physical problem.

After all, the consequences of trash dumping, littering, “disposing” of pollutants and e-waste, etc. are quite tangible; probably no one is going to argue the point that what we choose to do with our garbage is of little consequence. But there’s a deeper, more inextricable mindset that lies at the root of all our assumptions about waste (in all its insidious forms), and here it is: Wastefulness is normal and accepted … and therefore perfectly fine.

It should be obvious that this is a flawed way of thinking about waste and consumption, but the fact remains that most of us operate under this assumption on a day-to-day basis. I mean, really, how many people do you know who are fully invested in reducing waste in all facets of their everyday life? Those saintly personages are few and far between, and that’s because it takes not only a sense of strict dedication to the cause but also a rejection of mainstream consumerist values to be successful. Which doesn’t mean that the cause isn’t worthwhile, or that some sort of serious commitment isn’t realistic. The environmental degradation both here and abroad as a result of both the production and consumption of commercially available goods is tremendous, but almost all players in the world economy take it as a matter of fact.

Somewhere along the way to a brightly lit, globalized world we lost our sense of responsibility.

But there are people out there who want to change that reality for the better. There are individuals and organizations who are genuinely interested in ending the cycles of exploitation which plague certain geographical regions, all in the interest of making the world a better place for everyone to live and breathe in. There are environmental education programs that aim to enable and mobilize new generations of environmentally and socially aware citizens, all with the goal of shaping a healthier society and a healthier landscape. There are many initiatives that are out there just waiting for their start, all of them hoping for the energy and support of a population they aren’t sure is even interested.

Will we ever find a cure for this sense of general apathy? It’s my impression that someday we will; however, it’s my assumption that it will be hardwon. Even though it is wonderful to imagine that our country’s social ills can be caused or fixed by some administration, the hard truth is that society doesn’t change overnight. Though generations to come will continue to fight the battle against our ever-growing mounds of waste, here’s to hoping we’ll win soon.

— Anna-Lise Burnette is a senior in interdisciplinary studies. She can be reached at kburnet7@utk.edu.

Tony Stark epitomizes superhero S mel l This by

Sam Ellis

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The Daily Beacon is published by students at The University of Tennessee Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters and Tuesday and Friday during the summer semester.The offices are located at 1340 Circle Park Drive,11 Communications Building, Knoxville, TN 37996-0314. The newspaper is free on campus and is available via mail subscription for $200/year, $100/semester or $70/summer only. It is also available online at: www.utdailybeacon.com.

LETTERS POLICY: The Daily Beacon welcomes all letters to the editor and guest columns from students, faculty and staff. Each submission is considered for publication by the editor on the basis of space, timeliness and clarity. Contributions must include the author’s name and phone number for verification. Students must include their year in school and major. Letters to the editor and guest columns may be e-mailed to letters@utdailybeacon.com or sent to Blair Kuykendall, 1340 Circle Park Dr., 11 Communications Building, Knoxville, TN 37996-0314. The Beacon reserves the right to reject any submissions or edit all copy in compliance with available space, editorial policy and style. Any and all submissions to the above recipients are subject to publication.

Somewhere in the cosmos of logic and analytical thought, there exists a set of inscrutable philosophical questions and life-altering existential truths that have left man clueless and idle for millennia now. What’s the meaning of life? Is love really blind? Who shot JR? Though no man could ever possibly satisfy the truths behind each of these conundra, most will find themselves faced with at least one or two in a lifetime.

Such was the case for yours truly just the other day. In conversation with a close friend, we negligently deviated too far from safe, casual conversation and ended up breaching a topic we both knew far too sensitive and controversial to touch. Immediately, we knew what we’d done, but much in the same way a cracked egg can’t be left unused after the initial break, the enigma consumed my mind and occupied my thoughts for much longer than I care to admit. And while I would consider it a crime for me to drag you into my personal psychological dissolution, at this time, I need the therapy that comes with writing.

Who is the best superhero?

Tough subject, I know. But before we entertain the full, multi-dimensional nature of the question, I’m going to abuse my position as the sole voice in the argument, indulge a personal conviction, and establish a criterion that will not only pare our choices down to really only two options, but will sort of change the question altogether: only fully human superheroes qualify.

Before you get your unitard in a wad, consider my position. Though in part based on necessity, as this principle narrows the question to fit the layout constraints of this column, my real inclination stems from my belief that the only thing more badass than a superhero is a superhero with no actual superpowers.

Think about it. Superheroes are a highly exclusive bunch. They are physically superior, extrajudicial, morally virile, and often invincible machismos with a power that naturally supersedes the standards of normal society. To make this league’s cut without actually satisfying its true definition takes serious skill.

And though I’d ordinarily include any and all superheroes who are technically without legitimate superpowers, most (if not all) lack either the popularity or studio film franchise to be considered worthy of our regard. The Green Arrow, for example, debuted in DC Comics in 1941 and is 100 percent sans supernatural abilities, but who the heck has heard of The Green Arrow? For the sake of a truly level playing field then, this discussion will be limited to Iron Man and Batman — both popular, both still contemporary, and both awesome.

It ought to first be noted both Bruce Wayne (Batman) and Tony Stark (Iron Man) have considerable resources at their disposal. Each is extraordinarily wealthy, though Stark is arguably more self-made, which might give him the edge in that category. He also triumphs over Wayne in the category of education/intelligence, having entered MIT at age 15 and with his tendency to just say lots of smooth, clever things on a regular basis. His suit, encapsulating really his whole identify, trumps Batman’s by a substantial margin, and though Hollywood has seen both Christian Bale and George Clooney in the role of the Dark Knight, Robert Downey Jr. is just too awesome to not secure the lead. Besides, Adam West is far too much a handicap for Batman to overcome.

The Caped Crusader is not without advantage, however. He clearly has the better headquarters in the Bat Cave and if Downey’s Stark is any indicator, probably exemplifies a stronger moral center. He also has sweeter wheels (though Stark’s suit is really all he needs), which is saying a lot since the feature films have Iron Man swaggin’ around in an Audi R8, Rolls Royce, AND a Monte Carlo racer. Wayne is also a master martial artist and could probably take Stark in a straight up head-to-head.

The two wash in several categories. Both overcame family tragedy and/or daddy issues in some capacity and both chase lots and lots of skirts. Further, both embody one or more true American ideals, which is really the mark of any true superhero.

Though a close, close tête-à-tête, I personally have to go with Stark. As far as human beings go, his abilities are about as limitless as it gets and I find his personality a bit more appealing than Wayne’s, who can be kind of moody. Don’t get me wrong — both are far cooler than I’ll ever be, in reality or in fiction, but an existential inquiry can only have one answer, and this one’s made of iron.

— Sam Ellis is a senior in English and political science. He can be reached at sellis11@utk.edu.

NEWS

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

The Daily Beacon • 5

Letter Editor to the

Derek (Mullins),

I would first like to thank you for your editorial.

Over the past few years I have read many of your editorials, with special attention to those regarding the Student Government Association. Being a member of SGA, it is obvious why these would be of particular interest to me. Even when I may disagree with some things you say, I feel it is always good to get an outside perspective on SGA affairs.

However, with the publication of your latest editorial, I feel it necessary to address one, specific issue.

In regards to the accepting of a position within the Chancellor’s Office, I will put it simply. I have done no such thing. I have never been employed by nor have I ever accepted any position within the Chancellor’s Office. I agree with your sentiment that if one were to hold both the office of Student Body President and a position within the Chancellor’s Office, it could likely be a conflict of

interest. Either way, one of the roles would have to “give” eventually, which could often be at the detriment to the office of the presidency and the students to which the president serves. Like I have mentioned, I absolutely have accepted no such position and merely seek to dispel any rumors surrounding myself, the campaign, and misinformation that could be disseminating throughout campus.

My only wish would be to have been confronted about this personally before an editorial such as this was ever published. I could have quickly and easily dismissed these rumors as mere falsities and nothing more.

Regards, Adam Roddy Junior Political Science aroddy1@utk.edu

EPA to reduce plants’ pollution The Associated Press WASHINGTON — The Obama administration forged ahead on Tuesday with the firstever limits on heat-trapping pollution from new power plants, ignoring protests from industry and Republicans who have said the regulation will raise electricity prices and kill off coal, the dominant U.S. energy source.

But the proposal also fell short of environmentalists’ hopes because it goes easier than it could have on coal-fired power, one of the largest sources of the gases blamed for global warming.

“The standard will check the

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EMPLOYMENT Camp Counselors, male/ female, needed for great overnight camps in the mountains of PA. Have fun while working with children outdoors. Teach/ assist with A/C, Aquatics, Media, Music, Outdoor Rec, Tennis, & more. Office, Nanny & Kitchen positions available.

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Golf vacation specialist wanted for PT assistance.

Sports related majors preferred. Email resume to contact@mygolfvacation.com

Honey Baked Ham Co. is looking for seasonal part-time help for Easter.

Please apply in person at 7205 Kingston Pike (865)584-8886.

Jimmy John’s now hiring in-store help for all shifts.

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previously uncontrolled amount (of carbon pollution) that power plants ... release into our atmosphere,” Lisa Jackson, head of the Environmental Protection Agency, said in a conference call with reporters Tuesday. But “it also creates a path forward for future facilities to use technology that burns coal, while releasing less carbon pollution.”

Older coal-fired power plants have already been shutting down across the country, thanks to low natural gas prices, demand from China driving up coal's price and weaker demand for electricity.

Regulations from the EPA to control pollution blowing

EMPLOYMENT Mellow Mushrooms on Cumberland Ave is now taking applications for all positions. Daytime availability a must. Fill out application at www.mellowmushroom.com or at our Cumberland Ave. location.

Non-profit seeking Marketing/PR interns for April.

Send resume to momentumdancelab@gmail.com by March 30th.

NOW HIRING FOR SPRING AND SUMMER SEASON. Want to work on Market Square? Trio is looking for 8 smiling, smart and hard working staff for the front of the house team. Cashiers, food runners and salad stylists. Please apply in person before 11am and after 2pm Mon-Fri, 13 Market Square, downtown Knoxville.

Part-time 25 plus hours a week. Lawn care experience preferred. $9/hr. 216-5640.

PT/ FT retail clerk needed for liquor store.

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Sales Representative needed. Experience a plus, but not necessary. $10/hr plus commission. Please contact Mike 865-387-8351.

Starting Points Childcare is interviewing for a full-time lead two-year-old teacher.

Position starts on April 9th.

Degree in Early Childhood or related field or TECTA training. Experience with young children in a group setting required. Knowledge of developmentally appropriate practices required. Hours are 7:00a-3:00p M-F. (865)966-2613.

downwind and toxic emissions from power plants have also helped push some into retirement, causing Republicans in Congress and on the campaign trail to claim the agency will cause blackouts. Numerous studies and an AP survey of power plant operators have shown that is not the case.

The rule announced Tuesday could either derail or jumpstart plans for 15 new coal-fired power plants in 10 states, depending on when they start construction. Those that break ground in the next year would be exempt from the new limit.

Those that start construction later will have to eventually comply with the rule.

EMPLOYMENT Staying in Knoxville This Summer? Need a Fun Summer Job? Camp Webb day camp, in West Knoxville, is now accepting applications for full-time summer camp counselor jobs! Positions: general camp counselors, lifeguards, and instructors for Archery, Arts & Crafts, Drama, Swimming, Ropes Course, Nature, Sports, & some leadership positions. Part-time available. www.campwebb.comto apply.

THE TOMATO HEAD KNOXVILLE Now hiring dish and food running positions. Full and part-time available, no experience necessary. Apply in person at 12 Market Square or apply online at thetomatohead.com.

THE TOMATO HEAD MARYVILLE Hiring all positions Full and part-time. No experience necessary. Apply in person.

211 W. Broadway, Maryville, TN (865)981-1080 or online www.thetomatohead.com.

Threds West location has immediate openings for part-time to full-time employment. Opportunities are available in but not limited to the screen room and print floor. If you want to be a part of a great team and want to grow with a great company, Threds is the place for you. Email kphillips@threds.com for more information.

Worker needed for heavy yard work. Weeding, planting, digging, and mowing etc.

4 hours/wk. $10/hr. Prefer UT students. 588-8371

Hannah Cather • The Daily Beacon

Ellie Inman performs on the beam during the Orange and White Invite hosted by the UT Gymnastics Club on March 10. The club is for any level and practices Mon., Tue., and Thur. from 7 - 9 p.m. at Premier Atheltics - North. For more information on the club visit https://sites.google.com/site/utgymnastics/.

UNFURN APTS

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Walk to class! 3, 4 or 5 bedroom houses in Ft Sanders.

Large rooms, hardwood floors, laundry facilities and parking.

Available Fall.

Please call 865-300-6772.

Condo for rent 3BR 2BA near campus. All hardwood, W/D included. $999/mo.

Available for fall.

Call (865)310-6977.

100+ vehicles $5,995 or less. Specializing in imports. www.DOUGJUSTUS.com

One room in a 4BR at Quarry Trial for June and July. $505.

Please email mchitwo3@utk.edu.

Walk to class! 1-7BR units available. Call for more information (865)388-6144.

16th PLACE APARTMENTS 3 blocks from UT Law School (1543- 1539 Highland Ave.) 1BR and 2BR apts. only.

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Call about our special (865)573-1000.

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Studio condo near campus.

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WALK TO CAMPUS Great Specials! 1,2,&3BR Apartments. Available. No security deposits. Prime Campus Housing (865)637-3444. primecampushousingtn.com.

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ACROSS 1 Act greedy 5 Newsman Lou 10 Stand taken by a debater 14 Elton John/Tim Rice musical 15 ___ Gay 16 Austen heroine 17 Jeering from the bleachers 18 Broom made of twigs 19 Crazy sort 20 End of some medieval tournament action?

23 Charger 26 Part of the translation of “anno Domini” 27 Weapons that hit in a medieval tournament?

33 Sum up 34 Holy book 35 Middleton and Moss 38 Estuaries 40 Track figure 42 Flood survivor

43 “The Most Happy ___” 45 Imitated a wolf 47 Spanish bear 48 Really boring medieval tournaments?

51 Actress Zadora 52 Unwelcome growth 53 Joking around at a medieval tournament?

60 See 58-Down 61 Noted declarer of bankruptcy in 2001 62 Olympics jump 66 W.W. II battle site 67 Accustom 68 “The occupation of the idle man, the distraction of the warrior, the peril of the sovereign,” per Napoleon 69 Creature known scientifically as Bufo bufo 70 Heavy reading 71 Donald and Ivana, for instance

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DOWN Shoot the breeze Carnival city Fracas Hamper Actress Mazar Fairly uncommon blood type, informally Nonsense Black mark Biblical fellow who was dis-tressed?

“Back to the Future” transport Mine, in Marseille Springsteen’s “___ Fire” Told all to the cops Mont. neighbor

22 Crud 23 Chow down on 24 ___ for (really delicious) 25 Ultimate object 28 Follower of many a dot 29 Some daily papers, informally 30 TV courtroom drama, 1986-94 31 Start or finish of an aphorism regarding justice 32 Patsy 36 Made less rigorous 37 Things binge drinkers sometimes do 39 Sloppy 41 Zebra

63

44 ___ were 46 Blue 49 Accept punishment 50 Entertain 53 Witticism 54 Anne Frank’s father 55 Kareem AbdulJabbar’s alma mater, in brief 56 ___ time at all 57 Oil container 58 French artist famous for 60-Acrossing 59 Juana ___ de la Cruz, Mexican poet/ nun 63 Losing row 64 Brink 65 French article

6 • The Daily Beacon

ARTS&CULTURE

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Politics parallel past Jake Lane Arts & Culture Editor

Tara Sripunvoraskul • The Daily Beacon

Han Nguyen, sophomore in graphic design, set up the press in the letterpress room on March 15. Nguyen is preparing for a letterpress show happening at Gallery 1010 on March 31. There are open letterpress lab hours on Monday and Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Thursday from 8 to 10 p.m.

With an almost fatalistic apprehension I look forward to this November and the impending presidential election. While every passing day and divisive primary vote seems to ensure President Obama’s re-election, the stratification between the two dominant parties in American politics betrays the essential dissolution of the Union that at this point also seems almost inevitable.

Maybe I’m jaded or under a false impression, but just today I finished watching Ken Burns’ “The Civil War,” and it has me thinking that the undeniable parallels of 1861 America and the current trend in American politics may be a catalyst for a second divided nation.

Let’s look at the facts. In the last four years, the Tea Party movement in America has gained and lost traction as a “voice of the people” political action group, which roughly translates to motivated if misguid-

ed citizens and politicians who at least have the gumption to get legislation passed (no matter how poorly planned it may be). One of their biggest platforms, and one shared by even the moderates of the right-wing, is the dominance of states’ rights over federal authority, not unlike the

Confederate South.

While most of the ostentatious belligerence that reaches headlines is just talk, or at worst the momentum behind legislation that ultimately gets shot down, the utter recklessness of would-be cowboys who wield personal beliefs in some of the highest offices of this country, as opposed to representing their constituents, is little better than, say, living under the shadow of the bomb during the Cold War. But thanks to that particular American invention, the likelihood of another civil war is slim, as atomic ordinance has become the uneasy peacemaker of our times and in the end, mutually assured destruction as a tactic for desperate people to get their way isn’t exactly out of the question (see also: North Korea until last month).

Then again we have media saturation to sedate the masses and the relatively few people who care enough to bluster about the megalithic government and the micro-managing bureaucracy aren’t usually military grade in

terms of age or physical fitness.

The sad truth is that while the idea of war is abominable, the ability to aggress or defend indicates sovereignty equally with economic power and industry.

While the United States still has a large military and countless private military companies to choose from, modern conditioning techniques negate the ideological selfdetermination that builds the type of armies that fought from World War II back through history.

Perhaps that’s a good thing, as making good on the “kill them all” rhetorical ubiquitous to Facebook, Twitter and Odd Future tracks would be problematic (also morally and ethically repulsive, but who cares about “morals” and “ethics” these days anyway?).

In the end, it’s probably just a conspiracy theory without substance, but the polarity of people’s ideas today and the willpower of some individuals and groups makes their actions highly unpredictable. Add in catalytic issues like the greatest deficit in history and an atavistic urge towards revolution and anything is possible. Without some serious bipartisan compromise and perhaps more beer summits than filibusters, the gap between the radicals of the right and left will stretch further to a point of which collapse will no longer be theoretical but definite.

I would say the best course of action is to become informed and vote on more nuanced platforms than single issues and party lines, but it probably wouldn’t do much good. The idea of voting with your conscience nowadays has incredibly mixed results, and the reliance on our two-party mode of politics yields unpalatable candidates on both sides. So vote third party, preferably the craziest person on the ticket.

— Jake Lane is a graduate in creative writing. He can be reached at jlane23@utk.edu.

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

ARTS&CULTURE

The Daily Beacon • 7

Pope arrives in Cuba as ‘pilgrim of charity’ The Associated Press SANTIAGO, Cuba — Pope Benedict XVI arrived in Cuba on Monday in the footsteps of his more famous predecessor, saying he holds great affection for Cubans on both sides of the Florida Straits and has heartfelt hopes for reconciliation.

President Raul Castro warmly greeted the pope, who said he was coming as “a pilgrim of charity” as he arrived at the sweltering airport in Santiago, Cuba’s second largest city.

The pontiff, who last week said Marxism “no longer responds to reality,” gave a more gentle tweak to his hosts by expressing sympathy for all islanders, including prisoners.

“I carry in my heart the just aspirations and legitimate desires of all Cubans, wherever they may be,” he said. “Those of the young and the elderly, of adolescents and children, of the sick and workers, of prisoners and their families, and of the poor and those in need.”

In his own remarks, the Cuban leader assured Benedict his country favors complete religious liberty and has good relations with all religious institutions. He also criticized the 50year U.S. economic embargo and defended the socialist ideal of providing for those less fortunate.

“We have confronted scarcity but have never failed in our duty to share with those who have less,” Castro said, adding that his country remains determined to chart its own path and resist efforts by “the most forceful power that history has ever known” — a reference to the United States — to thwart the island’s socialist model.

Benedict’s three-day stay in Cuba will inevitably spark comparisons to John Paul II’s historic 1998 tour, when Fidel Castro traded his army fatigues for a suit and tie to greet the pope and where John Paul uttered the now-famous words: “May Cuba, with all its magnificent potential, open itself up to the world, and may the world open itself up to Cuba.”

In his remarks 14 years ago, John Paul singled out Cuban prisoners jailed for their ideas, something Benedict did not do in Monday’s speech.

Cuba has released dozens of political prisoners in recent years, often through agreements with the church, and denies it holds any now. Officials refer to dissidents as mercenaries in the sway of its U.S. enemies.

Human rights groups say some Cubans remain jailed for their political activities and note that harassment and brief detentions of dissidents is on the rise.

Some island dissidents said Monday they were being kept from attending the Santiago

Mass, a charge that could not immediately be verified.

Unlike in Mexico, where multitudes showed up to greet the 84-year-old pope at the airport, normal citizens were kept away from Cuba’s tightly controlled arrival ceremony, which took place on the tarmac in steamy, 88-degree Fahrenheit (31degree Celsius) weather.

Flag-waving well-wishers lined the streets leading from the airport into town as Benedict rode past in the glasswalled popemobile, though the numbers were nothing like those seen in Mexico.

Later, the pope was to rally tens of thousands of believers at an outdoor Mass in the colonial city’s main square on a blue-andwhite platform crowned by

graceful arches in the shape of a papal miter. Benedict will spend the night in a house beside the shrine of Cuba's patron saint, the Virgin of Charity of Cobre.

Benedict will only be in Cuba for a little over 48 hours, and his limited schedule is sure to disappoint many who want a piece of his attention, from the dissident community, to practitioners of the Afro-Cuban Santeria faith, to returning Cuban American exiles and even representatives of imprisoned U.S. government subcontractor Alan Gross.

The Vatican has said the pope has no plans to meet with any of them, citing his advanced age and need for rest. More likely but still unconfirmed is a faceto-face with Fidel Castro, who stepped down in 2006 but remains the father of the revolution and is still referred to as “El Comandante.”

A new wild card entered into play with the arrival Saturday of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who is getting radiation therapy for his cancer. The Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, was asked whether the pope might meet with Chavez and said that as of Sunday, there were no such plans.

Benedict has demonstrated an ability to surprise during his first visit to Spanish-speaking Latin America.

In Mexico, which remains devoted to John Paul, Benedict

appeared to lay to rest the impression that he is a distant, cold pontiff whose appeal can’t compete with his predecessor’s.

Some 350,000 people welcomed him warmly at a Mass on Sunday and he delighted the crowd by briefly donning a Mexican sombrero before the ceremony.

The reception was inevitably less fervent in Cuba, where only about 10 percent of the people are practicing Catholics.

The island’s Communist government never outlawed religion, but it expelled priests and closed religious schools after Fidel Castro’s takeover of Cuba in 1959. Tensions eased in the early 1990s when the government removed references to atheism in the constitution and let believers of all faiths join the Communist Party.

John Paul’s 1998 visit further warmed relations, and today the church is the most influential independent institution in Cuba. Magazines it operates have published frank articles calling for change.

But despite years of lobbying, the church has virtually no access to state-run radio or television, is not allowed to administer schools and has not been granted permission to build new places of worship. The island of 11.2 million people has just 361 priests. Before 1959 there were 700 priests for a population of 6 million.

Lack of enthusiasm for the Church predates the 1959 Cuban Revolution. From the early years under Spanish colonial rule, Catholicism was the religion of the ruling elite while believers of Afro-Cuban faiths were forced to hide their ceremonies and mask their deities behind Catholic saints.

The government is helping bring out crowds during Benedict’s visit by offering special transportation and giving residents a paid day off to attend the Mass in Santiago, and another on Wednesday in the capital.

The political overtones of the Cuba leg are more pronounced than they were in Mexico.

Benedict has been sharply critical of socialism in the past, and when he began his journey to the Americas last week, he told reporters it is “evident that Marxist ideology as it was conceived no longer responds to reality.”

In his speech Monday, Benedict balanced that by criticizing capitalism for leaving “humanity devoid of values and defenseless before the ambition and selfishness of certain powers which take little account of the true good of individuals and families.”

Rebecca Vaughan • The Daily Beacon

Kathryne Salo performs a flute solo with the UT Symphony Orchestra on March 11.

The concert featured the 2012 School of Music Concerto Competition winners.

8 • The Daily Beacon

ARTS&CULTURE

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

African leaders send ‘strong signal’ to Mali coup The Associated Press BAMAKO, Mali — Mali’s coup leaders said Monday they are partially reopening the West African nation’s main airport even as demonstrators marched in the capital to protest last week’s putsch and demand a return to constitutional order.

Junta spokesman Lt. Amadou Konare warned demonstrators to “exercise prudence” on Monday, which marked the 21st anniversary of the last coup in this nation of 15.4 million at the bottom of the Sahara desert. He also said on national television the airport would be partially reopened from 8 a.m. to 1 a.m.

“The Malian airspace is open only for civilian transport from today,” he said, without giving further details.

Soldiers in Mali led by a middle-ranking U.S.-trained officer, Capt.

Amadou Sanogo, surrounded the presidential palace on Wednesday and announced that night they were taking power in this vast and impoverished nation, likely disrupting plans to hold an election in April in which the incumbent, President Amadou Toumani Toure, was not going to run. He has not been heard from since the coup.

About a thousand demonstrators, including members of youth movements and political parties, gathered in central Bamako on Monday to demand a return to constitutional order. Some of the youth groups threatened to march on state TV and radio headquarters, which are under the junta's control. In the end, they did not march on the building, which has been reinforced by mutinous soldiers.

The crowd chanted “down with Sanogo” and “liberate the ORTM,” referring to the public broadcaster.

Several politicians addressed the crowd, including Soumaila Cisse, who was one of the favored candidates for the April 29 presidential elections, which are looking increasingly uncertain after the coup.

He said the military should return to protecting Mali, especially as Tuareg rebels are attacking towns in north Mali.

“The army is already responsible for the security of this country, here in Bamako and in the north,” he said. “We demand the constitution be respected and the constitutional timing for elections be respected also.”

Sanogo’s ouster threatens the cause of democracy in a region prone

to coups and jeopardizes Mali’s standing at the heart of the Westernbacked fight against Africa’s thriving wing of al-Qaida.

In Washington, President Barack Obama's administration on Monday cut off American aid to the government of Mali after the coup, saying military and other assistance would only resume when the nation's democratic government is restored. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said U.S. humanitarian and food assistance will continue for Mali’s impoverished citizens.

The European Union, the World Bank and the African Development Bank all have suspended aid because of the coup, and the African Union has suspended the country's membership.

On Monday, the U.N. Security Council issued a statement that “condemns the forcible takeover” of Mali by mutinous soldiers. It called on them to “cease all violence and return to their barracks” and allow the country to go ahead with previously scheduled elections.

The Security Council said the upheaval in Mali is compounding problems in the region caused by drought, food shortages and the influx of workers and fighters leaving Libya after the overthrow of Moammar Gadhafi.

Country stars come to studio for Lionel Richie duets album The Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Kenny Chesney was so excited about the idea of working with Lionel Richie that he drunk-dialed the pop legend to suggest a song. Darius Rucker tossed aside a lyric sheet in the studio, saying he’d been preparing for the moment his entire life. And so many people were clamoring to get on the project that stars like Keith Urban and Brad Paisley didn’t even make the cut — this time.

It’s not surprising that a musician would consider working with Richie a dream: The Grammy and Oscar winner is considered one of music’s alltime greats, having sold more than 22 million albums over a career that has spanned nearly four decades, from his time as a member of The Commodores to his illustrious solo career. Richie has also penned classics that include “Endless Love,” “All Night Long” and “Say You, Say Me.” But the excitement over his country duets album also reflects Richie’s deep roots — and remarkable success — in the genre. Richie wrote one of country music’s enduring hits, Kenny Rogers’ “Lady,” and Conway Twitty’s take on the Commodores’ “Three Times A Lady” became a huge country hit. In addition, Richie collaborated with Alabama on “Deep River Woman,” another song that became a country classic.

So mix Richie’s rich pop history with his country music legacy, and you can see why his return to his country roots on the new duets album

“Tuskegee,” named after his hometown in Alabama, is creating such a buzz in Nashville.

“It’s kind of surreal,” said Jason Aldean, who cut “Say You, Say Me” on the album. “I mean, he was one of the biggest stars on the planet when I was growing up. And to be in the studio with him and to have gotten to be friends with him over the last year, it’s just crazy.”

Richie was mobbed on the red carpet at the Country Music Association Awards last year, he was feted and joined by Rogers at South By Southwest Music Festival earlier this month in Austin, Texas, and he’ll receive a salute from the Academy of Country Music when he appears on Sunday’s awards show (he’s also the subject of its annual television special, which airs April 13).

Richie says his multi-genre success can be boiled down to one thing — storytelling.

“The storytelling is the same,” he said. “I have always said the honesty is in the lyrics, the honesty is in what’s the story about, whether you put a steel guitar in the middle of it or whether you leave the steel guitar out or put a choir in the background, or guitar or saxophone solo. It’s still the same.”

Chesney remembers Richie being on the mixtape that successfully won the high school student the heart of a girl. “Penny Lover” was the dominant song of the time and he was a fan of “My Love.” Chesney intended to claim the latter song immediately after deciding to join the project following a few bottles of wine.

Matthew DeMaria • The Daily Beacon

The basketball team lines up for the National Anthem before the final home game against Vanderbilt on March 3. The Vols won the game 68-61.

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

SPORTS

The Daily Beacon • 9

No Olympics for US Soccer The Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Americans had only a handful of seconds left to run out the clock and advance a step closer to the Olympics. With the pressure building with each tick, the victory slipped right through their hands.

The United States, known for producing top goalkeepers such as Brad Friedel, Kasey Keller and Tim Howard, found itself done in Monday night when substitute Sean Johnson couldn’t handle a long shot from Jaime Alas of El Salvador in stoppage time.

The ball bounced off his hands, up over him and into the net, and El Salvador ousted the United States from Olympic qualifying with a 3-3 tie.

The stunned Americans missed the Olympics for the second time since 1976 and second time in three games.

“This is probably the worst feeling I’ve ever felt in my life so far as a pro athlete,” U.S. captain Freddy Adu said. “This is going to be hard to get over. But at the end of the day things like this happen. For me, I never want to feel this way again, and I’m going to do whatever it takes to never feel this way again.”

The Americans had to win to reach Saturday’s semifinals in Kansas City, Kan., and they led 3-2 on Joe Corona's goal in the 68th minute. Officials added 4 minutes of stoppage time onto the game, and U.S. coach Caleb Porter said they were “seconds away” from closing out the win and taking the top spot in Group A. A television clock showed the ball going in 4 minutes, 14 seconds into stoppage time.

What happened is something U.S. midfielder Mix Diskerud said no one wants to experience in life, something he couldn't believe.

“The last 20 minutes after our third goal, all those minutes felt like very, very long hours.

But I thought we were going to make it.

Everybody thought we were going to make it.,” Diskerud said.

“One shot.”

Several Americans dropped to the field in exhaustion and disbelief after Alas’ score, and Porter had to rally them back to their feet for one last gasp chance that didn't materialize.

Porter said he hugged Johnson after the game.

The 6-foot-4 keeper did not speak with reporters.

“He feels like he’s let everybody down, let his teammates down, and I told him he didn’t,” Porter said.

El Salvador reached the semifinals, putting it a win away from its first Olympic berth since 1968. Canada, which tied Cuba 1-1 earlier, finished second. Lester Blanco and Andres Flores also scored for El Salvador, a team coach Mauricio Alfaro pointed out had less than two weeks to prepare for this tournament and didn’t have the whole roster together until late.

“It was just incredible,” Alfaro said of the win, speaking through an interpreter.

But Alfaro also said he had told his players to shoot more in the second half to try to pressure Johnson and the El Salvador coach said he did feel Johnson made a mistake on Alas’ kick.

“The shot didn’t have much power,” Alfaro said.

Terrence Boyd scored twice for the U.S., and Johnson replaced keeper Bill Hamid in the 39th minute.

After a 2-0 loss to Canada in the second of this three-game, round-robin tournament, the Americans needed to win to advance.

So did El Salvador, and the crowd of 7,889 was about evenly split between the countries keeping the U.S. from a true home-field advantage at LP Field, home of the NFL’s Tennessee Titans. El Salvador survived a physical game with plenty of yellow cards on each side.

Boyd went to the sideline with blood on the front of his shirt late in the game. Diskerud said both he and Adu were bitten and showed reporters marks as proof.

“Part of the game, I guess,” Diskerud said.

The U.S. had a little bit of time left to try and go ahead but couldn’t get anything going before the game ended. The result leaves the Americans adding 2012 to 2004 and 1976 as years they failed to qualify for the Olympics, missing out on a 15th appearance overall.

Boyd got his first start in this round-robin tournament with Juan Agudelo recovering from surgery in New York to fix torn cartilage in his left knee, and Boyd gave the Americans the scoring boost they missed against Canada on Saturday night. The Americans attacked from the start, Boyd scored 61 seconds into the game. Brek Shea dribbled out of three defenders and sent a cross over to Boyd who scored off a left-footed volley.

And Boyd nearly scored twice more. His header went over the crossbar in the 10th minute, and he had a breakaway chance in the 11th only to see keeper Yimy Cuellar come out to break up the play.

Hamid rolled covering up a ball and appeared to hurt his ankle midway through the first half.

El Salvador took advantage by scoring two goals in two minutes to grab the lead and the momentum. Blanco scored on a header off a corner kick over Hamid's hands in the 35th minute, and Flores beat Hamid in the 37th minute off what had been a weak shot by Alas that turned into a cross. Porter pulled Hamid in the 39th minute, putting in 6-4 Johnson for his first appearance in the tournament.

Boyd tied it up with his second goal off a pass from Adu in the 65th minute. Corona, whose mother is a native of El Salvador, scored off a header just inside the left post off a pass from Adu. Johnson smothered one strong kick from Isidro Gutierrez, but couldn't stop the ball when it mattered at the end.

• Photo courtesy of US Soccer.com

10 • The Daily Beacon

THESPORTSPAGE

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

UT’s renewed commitment blooms in spring “He’s taken some good steps already this offseason,” Dooley said. “I’d like to see him have a greater command of the offense and underAfter a busy offseason, which included the standing the leadership component of being addition of seven new assistant coaches, the quarterback.”

Bray, who has compiled 3,832 passing yards Tennessee football team is back into action as spring football practice kicked off on Monday and 35 touchdowns in his career at UT, feels confident he can step up as a leader on the morning.

While coach Derek Dooley and his staff will team.

“I try to be a leader as much as possible,” be emphasizing and teaching many new things to their players this spring, such as the 3-4 Bray said. “I kind of struggle with it, but I have defense they will use under new defensive been working on it. This year I am trying to coordinator Sal Sunseri, the Volunteers’ third- get my act together and get this team where it year coach believes the top goal will be a needs to be.”

Senior linebacker renewed commitment of Herman Lathers will also be the team’s core values. making his comeback this “Besides the obvious season after fracturing his one of getting bigger, left ankle last summer, faster and stronger and which kept him from playimproving our footballing in any games last seaspecific skills, it was son. He is expected to play important to me that we in the middle linebacker accomplished or made role this year, closer to the progress in two areas,” ball.

Dooley said. “One is just “It feels good to be back demonstrating winning into action and knowing I’ll edge values which was a be able to hit soon again,” big emphasis for us, kind Lathers said. “It’s not exactof redefining our core vally normal, but it’s about 85ues — what they stand for, 90 percent. Hopefully it’ll things like discipline, be 100 percent by the begintoughness, effort and ning of the season.” teamwork. Also secondly, Clay Seal • The Daily Beacon Lathers is confident in demonstrating individual investment in being the Tyler Bray prepares to pass Sunseri, who coached outbest player and best team along the ball during spring side linebackers at Alabama the past three seasons. we can be. I was really practice on March 26.

“Coach Sal is a good guy proud of this football team over the last eight weeks. Everybody on the and I’m glad to have him here,” Lathers said. “I team showed significant opportunity in all played in a 3-4 in high school and I like to move around and show different fronts and schemes those areas.”

Sophomore linebacker A.J. Johnson, who and show who’s coming and who’s not coming. led all SEC freshman last season with 80 tack- Everybody is going to have to fight for a position this spring with the new coaches.” les, understands the meaning of core values.

Depth looks to be improved this season for “It’s about doing the little things right,” Johnson said. “Running on and off the field, the Vols as well, with all but three starters touching the line when you’re supposed to returning. However, following and working touch the line, and just believing in each other hard on the team’s core values will be the biggest determining factor of success this seaand building as a family.”

The Gainesville, Ga. native is focused on son.

“The core values that we play with are more working hard this spring and becoming a important than any play we can put in,” leader.

“I’m going to go out and work hard every Dooley said. “If we commit to it every day and day and do what I’m supposed to do and push we perform like that on Saturday, it will mean other people to do the right thing,” Johnson a lot more to winning and losing than the other stuff. said.

“I think that when you define what your proAnother player that the Vols will be looking gram stands for, it doesn’t mean anything if to and expecting to understand their leadership roles this spring will be junior quarter- you’re not reinforcing it every day.” back Tyler Bray.

Patrick MacCoon Staff Writer

Clay Seal • The Daily Beacon

Linebacker Herman Lathers warms up during spring practice on Sunday. The senior did not play last season due to a fractured ankle that happened in June 2011.