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Thursday, October 13, 2011 Issue 39

T H E

E D I T O R I A L L Y

Showers 60% chance of rain HIGH LOW 69 57

Vol. 118

I N D E P E N D E N T

S T U D E N T

PUBLISHED SINCE 1906

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T H E

U N I V E R S I T Y

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LGBTQ rally encourages student opinions Event uses artistic messages to promote expression of equal rights, sexual identity Kyle Turner News Editor As the title implies, “Speak Out for Equality” is an event aimed at raising awareness of the inequity that exists between different members of society.

“In order to help change our current laws we need to create awareness among people of all orientations,” event organizer Shannon Foster said.

Everyone, regardless of sexual orientation, is encouraged to participate in the event and show support for the rights of the LGBTQ community.

Organizers of “Speak Out for Equality” stress inclusive participation by all.

“LGBTQ people are not the only folks voting. We need a united voice of people from all walks of life, backgrounds, orientation etc.,” Foster said. “Everyone supporting equal rights is welcome.

“The event itself is fairly simple. We are asking anyone who supports equal rights to come make a videotaped or voice-recorded statement about why they believe LGBTQ people should have equal rights.”

The event is planned to take place Sunday, Oct. 16, from noon to 5 p.m. Lox Salon on West Jackson Avenue will serve as the host sight for the event.

Candid photos will also be taken at the event with the main goal being to combine all three mediums to create one piece of work.

“This ‘Speak Out for Equality’ work will be published on YouTube, the ‘Speak Out for Equality’ (Knoxville) website and sent to various state politicians as a ‘spoken petition’ for equal rights,” Foster said. “What I love about our event is that it will live on in the voices of the participants beyond one day.”

Student groups on campus are lending their support in

but the tipping point came after I watched iO Tillett Wright’s Self Evident Truth’s video online,” Foster said.

Foster was so inspired by the work of iO Tillett that she no longer felt simply voting for candidates that supported equal rights was enough.

“In order to help change our current laws we need to create awareness among people of all orientations,” Foster said. “I think art is this amazing venue to bring awareness and solidarity on some of the biggest issues that face humanity, which is one of the reasons I wanted an arts based event.”

The “Speak Out for Equality” event was originally planned to contribute to the Self Evident Truths videos. After speaking with iO Tillett, the artist was so excited by the momentum already achieved, she wanted to come in person in the spring, Foster said.

Instead of scrapping the event this Saturday, organizers decided to edit the concept and use it as a fundraising effort to bring iO Tillett to Knoxville.

Many students and members of the community have shown a great interest in advancing the cause of equal rights.

Sponsors include Fainting Goat Productions, Knox and You in 52, Old City Java and Planet • Image courtesy of Hillary McDaniels Xchange. Artists who will be conducting the video and photo shoots include Hillary McDaniels, Tovah Steven Stothard, graduate assistant in the college of social Greenwood and Jennifer Tipton.

“Events like ‘Speak Out for Equality’ and OUTstanding work and OUTstanding member. “Structural and policy factors that contribute to discrimination against LGBTQ peo- are important because they add to the amazing work that ple need to be changed. That’s why OUTstanding supports local, national and international organizations have been building to increase compassion and equality in our socie‘Speak Out for Equality.’”

According to Foster, two things inspired her to create ty,” Stothard said. “Every time someone speaks out for the event. Foster had a simple desire to marry her same-sex equality and holds themselves, their families, friends, workpartner Beth, who was particularly concerned with the fed- places and policy-makers accountable, is another step towards our potential for meaningful compassion and erally recognized civil aspect of marriage.

“If it was important to her then it was important to me, equality.” preparation for the event.

“As a member of our diverse and interconnected university community and greater Knoxville community, I believe all students, faculty, staff and community members should have a safe, supportive and positive experience,” said

Renowned cartoonist returns to campus Andrew Lindemann Staff Writer

Tara Sripunvoraskul • The Daily Beacon

Students walk around a huge ball of trash on the Pedestrian Mall on Wednesday, Oct. 12. The ball was a small example of the over 25 million pounds of trash the university produces per year, which Make Orange Green hopes to decrease through simple actions, such as providing reusable mugs to cut down on cup waste.

TVA not responsible for ash spill The Associated Press KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — An attorney for the Tennessee Valley Authority said Wednesday that negligence did not cause the massive 2008 coal ash spill during a closing argument after an opposing asked a judge to hold the nation’s largest public utility liable for the disaster.

TVA attorney Edwin Small told U.S. District Judge Thomas Varlan that a deep foundation failure unrelated to TVA’s employee training, maintenance or construction caused the Dec. 22, 2008 spill in a breach of an earthen containment dike at the Kingston plant west of Knoxville.

Small said attorneys for the 230 plaintiffs failed to specifically link any “negligent conduct to the failure that occurred here.”

Plaintiff attorney Jeff Friedman said in a closing argument Wednesday that testimony and evidence show TVA neglected warnings about possible problems with the dike for years.

No one was hurt in the spill but Friedman said “if there is a next time we may not be so lucky. What if it is handling nuclear energy instead of coal ash?”

Small said records presented at the trial show a dozen geotechnical engineers have disagreed with evidence presented by Friedman and other plaintiff attorneys that seepage and other visible surface and shallow problems caused the spill instead of a shift in oversaturated ash 80 feet below. Small said TVA was operating the wet landfill based on the advice of engineering consultants.

“That makes all the difference in the world,” Small said.

“Simply put, the foundation was overloaded and the system failed.”

With another bench trial on TVA liability set Nov. 1, the judge in Knoxville gave attorneys a Jan. 12 deadline for posttrial filings. He will then decide if TVA is liable.

James Scott, an attorney for property owners whose lawsuits are set for the second trial, declined comment about how it will be different or if he might to decide to rely on evidence presented in the 4-week bench trial that ended Wednesday.

If the judge finds TVA liable, court proceedings on damages will follow.

During the trial, geotechnical engineer William H. Walton, testified about leading a $3 million spill study by AECOM USA Inc. He said it was triggered by a “slime layer” of watery ash deep under the surface. Walton compared the deep slimes beneath the ash to “undisturbed yogurt” that becomes more fluid when it is stirred.

Attorneys for property owners suing TVA for damages from the Kingston Plant spill contend negligence in management and training practices caused the disaster. They have cited TVA Inspector General Richard Moore’s criticism that the AECOM report failed to consider management practices and gave too much weight to the slime layer.

The TVA inspector general has said that slimes finding tended to reduce the “legal liability” of TVA management. His report also said management’s decision to allow TVA’s lawyers to hire the consultant and narrow his focus for the “root cause” study predetermined a choice “between accountability and litigation strategy.”

Another study said the spill “could have possibly been prevented” if TVA had heeded concerns about the stability of the ash pond raised by TVA employees and consultants as early as 1985 and again in 2004.

Last Friday, famous political cartoonist Marshall Ramsey returned to UT, his alma mater, to give a talk on his accomplishments and opinions.

Ramsey, a 1991 graduate of the UT College of Business, is nationally syndicated in the cartoon industry.

While at UT, he served as the editorial cartoonist for The Daily Beacon and won the John Locher award for the nation’s top collegiate cartoonist. He said that his time with The Daily Beacon sparked his career interest.

“When I worked for The Daily Beacon, I fell in love with it,” Ramsey said. “I had a blast.”

Ramsey credits his time with The Daily Beacon for teaching him how to be successful in the media world.

“In today’s media environment, you have to have many different skills,” he said. “The Beacon taught me how to deal with editors and meet deadlines, skills which I still use every day.”

Since graduating from UT, Ramsey’s cartoons have appeared in USA Today, Newsweek, U.S. News and World Report, The Chicago Tribune, The New York Times and 450 other newspapers. Ramsey currently works for The Clarion-Ledger, the daily newspaper for Jackson, Miss. Notably, he has twice been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.

“One time at a UT football game I told my mom and dad, ‘I bet you I’m the only twotime Pulitzer finalist in this whole stadium,’” Ramsey said. “They told me, ‘We bet you we’re the only two people who care.’”

Ramsey’s first-ever cartoon in The Daily Beacon involved the late Jack Reese, the former chancellor of UT. The cartoon was titled “Reese’s Believe It or Don’t,” and poked fun at Reese’s

reluctance to expand the university’s parking capacity by displaying three rows of cars piled on top of each other.

Ramsey said that humor comes to him and his family naturally.

“My family is funny by nature,” Ramsey said. “I grew up in a family that looks normal but isn’t.”

Ramsey touches on a number of controversial topics with his cartoons. He routinely pokes fun at his home state of Mississippi, which he once deemed in a cartoon as “The Fattest State of the Nation.”

Ramsey has also drawn more serious cartoons about disasters such as Sept. 11 and Hurricane Katrina, which devastated his home state.

“No matter who you are, Hurricane Katrina was bad for everybody,” he said.

“Look at the aftermath, especially on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi — you talk about completely destroyed.”

When Ramsey was in his 30s, he was diagnosed with melanoma, a rare form of skin cancer. There were concerns, he said, that he might not overcome the cancer, as it had progressed past its beginning stage. However, he eventually overcame the cancer, and he credits his battle with the disease for making him a stronger person.

“With the whole cancer thing I’ve learned a lot,” Ramsey said. “I’m a firm believer that when bad things happen, good things come from them.”

Ramsey expressed his views on the journalism field, saying that he prefers to pay attention to the local news because “it connects the people.” He said that students who plan to have a career in journalism should prepare for change and look to immediately establish a name for themselves, as he did.

“I thought I was for sure going to be in advertising,” Ramsey said. “However, things changed, and I made a career out of doing what I love.”

2 • The Daily Beacon

InSHORT

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Tara Sripunvoraskul • The Daily Beacon

Students practice pinning techniques as part of advanced Jujitsu in the HPER building on Tuesday, Oct. 1. Jujitsu, traditionally called Jujutsu, is a Japanese martial art developed during the 14th century for defeating armed or armored opponents using close quarters combat techniques.

1863 — Ohio voters reject Vallandigham The voters of Ohio send Clement Vallandigham to a resounding defeat in the fall gubernatorial election. As leader of the Copperheads, or anti-war Democrats, Vallandigham was an important and highly visible critic of the Republicans’ war policy, particularly the emancipation of slaves.

Vallandigham was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio in 1858. He was a Democrat and disapproved of slavery, but he admired Southern society and disagreed with starting a war over the issue of slave emancipation. He advocated states’ rights and generally agreed with most Southern political views. When the war began, he became a vociferous critic of both the method and war aims of the Republicans. As the war turned bloodier and it became clear that a Union victory would take years, Vallandigham began to gather supporters, and he became recognized as the leader of the Peace Democrats, or Copperheads. When the Lincoln administration began to curtail civil liberties, Vallandigham’s criticism placed him in increasing jeopardy. In spring 1863, Union General Ambrose Burnside issued Order No. 38, which stated that public criticism of the war would not be tolerated.

Vallandigham defied the order and was arrested. He was tried on charges of “expressing treasonable sympathy” with the enemy, and was found guilty by a military tribunal in Cincinnati. He was banished to the Confederacy in May 1862.

Vallandigham soon relocated to Windsor, Ontario, and, despite his exile, mounted a campaign to become the Ohio governor. Elections were a barometer of the Northern war effort.

In 1862, voters expressed dissatisfaction with President Abraham Lincoln by sending many Democrats to Congress.

However, in 1863, after key Union successes at Vicksburg and Gettysburg, the voters increased Republican control of both houses. In Ohio, Vallandigham lost by more than 100,000 votes out of a half million ballots cast. He returned to the United States in 1864 and continued his criticism of “King Lincoln,” as he called the president. Vallandigham helped write the Democrats’ platform at their national convention in 1864. By insisting that a statement be included declaring the war a failure and calling for an immediate end to fighting, Vallandigham helped ensure a Democratic defeat in the presidential election.

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

Thursday, October 13, 2011

The Daily Beacon • 3

NEWS

Gun bill sponsor arrested for DUI The Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The sponsor of the law that made it legal to carry a gun into bars in Tennessee is facing charges of possession of a handgun while under the influence and drunken driving.

Rep. Curry Todd, a Collierville Republican, was pulled over in Nashville late Tuesday, according to court documents. Police said he failed a roadside sobriety test and refused to take a Breathalyzer test. A loaded .38-caliber gun was found in a holster stuffed between the driver’s seat and center console.

A police affidavit said Todd was unsteady on his feet, “almost falling down at times.” Officers concluded that Todd was “obviously very impaired and not in any condition to be carrying a loaded handgun.”

Todd posted bail of $3,000 and was released from jail Wednesday morning. He didn’t return a message left on his cellphone, and no lawyer was listed in his arrest records.

Todd told officers that he had consumed two drinks when he was pulled over, according to the affidavit.

As a former Memphis police officer, Todd isn’t required to have to have a permit to carry a gun in public, but state records show he has one any-

Tara Sripunvoraskul• The Daily Beacon

Nate Souije, sophomore in nuclear engineering, and Michael Massey, sophomore in mechanical engineering, practice hand position during exercises in kung fu on Wednesday, Sept. 14. Kung fu, referred to by the Mandarin Chinese term wushu, incorporates a great number of styles of traditional Chinese martial arts.

way.

State law makes it a misdemeanor for anyone to consume alcohol while carrying a firearm in public, and those who violate that law are subject to losing their permits for three years.

House Majority Leader Gerald McCormick, R-Chattanooga, said it’s too soon to say whether Todd will be stripped of his chairmanship of the House State and Local Government Committee.

McCormick said in a press conference that he had spoken briefly with Todd to tell his colleague he was “praying for him and being supportive of him on a personal basis.”

McCormick said the arrest doesn’t change his views about the guns in bars law.

“It’s a bad idea to drink and carry a gun, obviously,” he said. “I don’t know the details of what happened with Rep. Todd last night, but I think he would agree with me.”

Todd’s arrest was first reported by WSMV-TV. Court documents don’t indicate whether Todd had been drinking at a bar.

Todd sponsored a 2009 bill to let people with handgun carry permits take their weapons into businesses that serve alcohol, provided they don’t drink. Although police and prosecutors spoke out against it, the measure passed and easily survived a veto from former Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen.

4 • The Daily Beacon

Thursday, October 13, 2011

OPINIONS

Letter Editor to the

Marriage history misperceived I write not to complain about your coverage of the Gay Marriage Debate, but as a historian of U.S. history, to alert students to the utter falsehood of Ms. Gallagher’s statements about the historical meaning of marriage, which she characterizes as having had one unchanging meaning, and that was to have a heterosexual couple raise children.

There are abundant scholarly works on the history of marriage in the United States, none of which Ms. Gallagher seems to have read.

Her views, as reported in the Beacon, not only lack empirical support, but fly in the face of the historical facts, which are undisputed.

State regulated marriage became part of colonial-era civil society for practical and economic reasons, primarily to ensure clear lines of inheritance at a time when children born outside of a marriage were not entitled to inherit from their father. Protecting the passing of family wealth — not nurturing children — was the primary reason the state “regulated” marriage, so that it was clear whether parents had, in fact, been legally married. For the same reason, the colonies instituted marriage as monogamous, a restriction on the definition of marriage that was then rare across the entire world. But monogamy was instituted for the same economic and practical reasons that the state intervened in marriage in the first place. At a time when clergymen might visit rural or remote communities only once a year, if that, Americans relied on the state’s definition of marriage, not that of their religious faith, to decide which children deserved inheritance or which “wife” would receive a deceased spouse’s pension.

Similarly, “childhood” is a modern idea and not a historical explanation for why marriage

seems was structured as heterosexual. Until the 19th century, many parents sent their young children to apprentice and live with another family, whom they paid to train their child in some type of skilled labor (for boys; domestic work for girls). Our current notion that “children” are a distinct category of people whose development needs parental nurturing is only about 100 years old. That is one reason why — well into the 20th century — Americans did not view child labor as a social problem.

What “marriage” means has changed constantly in the United States. Various groups of Americans, including slaves, freed black people, Indians and Mormons, have not been permitted to legally marry in the past, as a way to both legally and symbolically assert their exclusion from American citizenship. And while everyone knows what it means to be married, no two marriages are alike — some spouses understand themselves to be equal partners; others believe in nonmonogamy; and still other marriages are simply economic arrangements that have nothing to do with love or raising a family.

Marriage laws have never included a requirement that spouses intend to reproduce.

I teach a history seminar every spring that includes the history of marriage, and I encourage all of you interested in the issue of “gay marriage” to seek out accurate and reliable scholarly information before you reach an opinion or are asked to cast a vote for or against it.

— Dr. Lynn Sacco is an associate professor in history. She can be reached at lsacco@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.

Labor unrest plagues nation C ommit tee o f I n f ra ct i o n s by

Greg Bearringer It is all about feeling ignorance.

As a sports fan, the past few months have been largely about labor unrest. Countless commenters comment constantly about how the NFL lockout was millionaires arguing with billionaires and that it was largely a silly affair. The current NBA lockout, however, seems more about value; the top stars are paid like top stars but so are a lot of garbage players.

One idea is to pay the elite players even a little more and the middling players less because Al Harrington should never get paid 9 million bucks a year but LeBron James adds more value to the league than his current huge deal pays him. I think all of this “money ball” business will eventually lead to a system where all the players in all sports will be paid based on a complex formula that is based 70 percent on real value added in terms of performance and 30 percent on marketing value. For instance, Tom Brady would be paid roughly the same in terms of value as Aaron Rodgers but would make more than Rodgers because Tom Brady is worth more than Rodgers to the value of the league.

Anyway, all of this is coursing through my head because of this nonsense going on in the “Occupy Wall Street” campaign. I say nonsense because the actors themselves don’t seem particularly interested in making their point(s) make any sense. My one rule of political activism: Have something worth criticizing if you are going to make a point because an amorphous mass saying, “People with too much money have too much money” isn’t really anything worth discussing and any worthwhile political point is discussible.

What is interesting is watching how people react when they feel powerless and cheated. A large section of the people in this campaign are recent college grads who have degrees without the jobs “promised” to them by … well, their parents, society, the colleges themselves. Now they have a heap of debt and no way to pay it. Others include political leaches (not to name names, but they include a Kanye W., a

reverend Al S. and a Mr. T. Robbins), dissatisfied unemployed persons and what one might call “socialist hippie types.”

While some critics might point out that getting a job might be a more direct way of improving their situation, the protesters themselves most likely feel that protesting is at least as productive as trying to find a job.

What is interesting is the assumptions made not only by the protesters themselves but by the politicians who support them (or not). The idea that protest leads to change is pretty hard to support in any tangible sense. It is usually more effective in cases of social injustice (as in protests in the 1950s and ’60s South) than it is in pure politico-economic change; political protests in cases of the economy usually only work when a bunch of people pick up guns and go for the politicians themselves.

The problem? People only pick up guns if the situation is far worse or if they actually have a plan.

The reason no one has a plan is because no one knows how to fix anything. “Lots of people are out of jobs and only random variation has changed the jobless rate and ‘1 percent’ of people have a whole lot of money and aren’t fixing it so must be their fault” is the definition of intellectual impotence. When people feel powerless and can’t explain, people become afraid.

I wonder if politicians have made the mistake of pretending to have a lot of control where they kind of don’t. People are trained to take rhetoric as power, and the widely held belief is that the economy is super touchy and only likes to come out and play when people are happy. Since politicians are pretty much only rhetoric and they haven’t made the economy happy and that doesn’t make any sense. The idea that people aren’t in control of global forces does not compute; instead, it is easier to imagine that 1 percent (some 3 million people) are conspiring against the world than it is to think that they might not have a much better idea than anyone else. I wonder, say we elected a president whose only promises were that they would not present a budget, claim power over the economy, and never once say the word “stimulus,” if we could then realize that change, like value, cannot be determined in advance.

— Gregory Bearringer is a graduate student in medieval studies. He can be reached at gbearrin@utk.edu.

Characters best when relatable F r ac tur ed Consciousness by

Brittany Vazquez

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I can’t lie. I am super excited about the “Arrested Development” return. I feel much better after I said that. For the past week, I have spent every waking hour watching the series. “Arrested Development” is a new friend in my life (I have only watched the series once), but man, are we becoming best friends.

“Arrested Development” is one of those TV gems. It is a show that is absolutely hysterical while still maintaining a sense of “relatability.” While I would think the viewers do not have exact family parallels to Gob and the rest of the Bluth family and probably not the same family stories, it is the fact that the viewer can still see traces of everyday life in these characters. Today, shows that are critically acclaimed such as “Modern Family” are praised for the show’s ability to relate to the viewers.

(Personally, I had a bit of a sour taste in my mouth when I realized how much “Modern Family” rips from “Arrested Development.”)

I have begun to realize that this essential character of great television parallels my own thoughts on great literature and film. When a film or book is relatable, the story is easier to digest.

While the similarity could severely stunt the analysis of the piece of work, it is through such work that we have the ability to reflect on our own lives and the lives of others.

It is so interesting to see the way in which people develop through characters, films, television shows and books they love and cherish. One of the mainstays of social networks such as Facebook or even MySpace was the self-description of films, television and books that the user liked. The simple act of liking the same material can be the first bond of a new friendship or strengthen an already present friendship. During any beginning conversation, goto questions involve what type of movies and television the other person likes. If one doesn’t go straight to these questions, I think that, almost subconsciously, humans slip in bits and pieces about

certain forms and types of media that we love.

In considering this, I think about my development as a person. It is hard to imagine myself not defining “Harry Potter,” “The Twilight Zone” or “American History X” as crucial to defining my maturation and even concepts of the world. I remember thinking in high school that I was basically a mix of The Little Prince, Hedda Gabbler and Caleb Trask from “East of Eden.” In college, I imagine myself in more of a Dorian Gray role with a mix of Shake from “Aqua Teen Hunger Force” and a tinge of Belle from “Beauty and the Beast.” I have fallen in love with each of these characters and each of their stories help to bring about my own self-awareness (most of the time) and reflection.

Books, films and television give us a lens through which to see ourselves. Even though many are fictional or a hyperbolic depiction of a circumstance, they provide us with means of attaining wisdom without experience. In the land of fantasy, anything is possible. In a good series or film, however, the fantasy simply acts as a mirror for humanity’s reality. It is through our relationship with the characters that color this fantastic world that we find endless feelings and, ultimately, ourselves. As a viewer or reader, we feel the characters’ pain and rejoice in their happiness. We relate to one character more than another, but still have the ability to interact with different characters throughout the story. We cry when the series or film ends because it feels like we have lost a dear friend, but still feel the ecstasy of the possibility of more adventures to come.

As I finished my first run through “Arrested Development,” I realized that while each character is an extreme exaggeration, I have friends who are like each family member. Together, my friends and I make a lovable, but dysfunctional family while we are here at school. Although this week my analysis of my group of friends comes through “Arrested Development,” next week, it may come through the next piece of work that I encounter. Isn’t that the best thing about television, books and movies?

They are continually inspiring us to look deeper into our own lives and relationships, not just revel in the mess that is the Bluth clan.

— Brittany Vasquez is a senior in anthropology.

She can be reached at bvasque1@utk.edu.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

The Daily Beacon • 5

ARTS&CULTURE

Officials examine wildfire damage Texas park reduced to lunar landscape after natural disaster The Associated Press BASTROP, Texas — Todd McClanahan surveys the fire-blackened tree trunks poking out of a thick carpet of ash, a normally green world turned black and gray.

“You should have seen it in color,” says McClanahan, superintendent of Bastrop State Park, mentioning a phrase repeated in Jamey Johnson’s award-winning country song “In Color.”

The park, one of the most popular in Texas, was ravaged when wind-whipped wildfires scorched 50 square miles east of Austin last month, destroying more than 1,500 homes and torching swaths of the park’s signature “Lost Pines” forest that may never fully recover. Rather than a lush green brush under a canopy of towering pines, McClanahan says much of the 5,900-acre park has become “moonscape” — in some spots, for as far as the eye can see.

“It’s really kind of depressing,” McClanahan says as he evaluates the park’s remains from his pickup truck.

More than a month after the inferno, the extent of the damage is still being determined, but McClanahan estimates about 70 percent of the trees in the park were lost. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department crews are clearing burned tree trunks away from roads and campsites and hiking trails so when the park reopens — tentatively set for December — the threat of falling trees in areas frequented by visitors will be minimized.

“This park is still a significant place,” McClanahan says. “It’s just going to look different. It’s going to feel different.

“In some areas, it’s going to take a really long time ... and it may not ever return to what it was.”

There are some small signs of recovery. A couple weeks ago, McClanahan was “out in the middle of the black,” as he calls it. “There was nothing around except dead standing snags, and I looked down and there was an oak tree that’s resprouting, almost 18 inches tall,” he says.

“But this is the ‘Lost Pines.’ And that’s what’s kind of uncertain.”

The park’s signature forest, a draw for the 160,000 people who visit Bastrop each year, was a unique stand of loblolly pines related to but genetically different from the great East Texas pine forest that extends into the Southeastern United States. The loss of those trees is particularly painful.

“A significant part of ‘Lost Pines’ is lost,” McClanahan said. “And that’s a fact.”

The “Lost Pines,” according to the Texas State Historical Association, are believed part of an ancient forest that shrank during or after the Ice Age. Spanish explorers described it in 1691, and the area that is now the state park was part of the original 1832 land grant to Stephen F. Austin’s first colony.

Extensive logging took place in the later 1800s and when land for the park was acquired, the Civilian Conservation Corps built cabins and other park facilities during the Great Depression that are still used today.

Volunteers and private companies with water trucks saved all 13 cabins during the wildfires that began Labor Day weekend, leaving a kind of green oasis in the middle of the park. The fire burning away thick undergrowth revealed features like retaining walls, old latrines and water fountains that no one knew existed.

“You can walk out and see things you’ve never seen before,” McClanahan said. “I don’t want to sound morbid ... but there’s a beauty in this, in its own strange way. You see things. It’s just different. It provides a different opportunity to see the forest in ways you’ve never seen before.”

Some people with good intentions already are pushing to plant pine seedlings to rebuild the burned forest, he said, but a pine tree isn’t necessarily a “lost pine” tree. A Texas Forest Service seed farm is the only large-scale source for the trees specific to Bastrop State Park, and trees in the numbers that would be necessary are only in seed form.

“At best, we’re looking at 15 months out to have a seedling-size tree to plant,” McClanahan said. “And even if we had an abundance of seedlings right now, I’m not sure this is the best time to be planting, based on dry conditions.”

In 2008, more than 50,000 such seedlings were planted in the park.

Abundant moisture and prescribed burns provided ideal conditions for growth.

“After that fall, it started drying up,” he said. “It just didn’t rain any more.

“We lost every one of those seedlings.”

Troyanne Bush of the Bastrop Chamber of Commerce expects the damage to the park will also bring an economic loss to the area, at least for a while.

“As far as long-term effects, there’s really no way to gauge right now,” she said. “Traffic hasn’t been lighter, but you have to understand we’ve had a lot of people help with rebuilding efforts. We’ve got tons of volunteers. The activity is different. If anything, it’s greater, but it’s a different crowd.”

SERVICES

EMPLOYMENT

EMPLOYMENT

UNFURN APTS

Get your reserved parking space just 3 blocks from campus. Call 525-7413 for details and rates.

Chauffeur: Driving between Blount and Sevier counties, 2 days/week.

Gas plus $75/trip. Most have vehicle and valid license. Call Jonathan at (865)542-8106.

Landscaping company looking for FT/PT employees. Experience helpful. Must have valid TN drivers license. Call 865-583-0202 and leave contact information.

South Knoxville/UT downtown area 2BR apts. $475.

Call about our special (865)573-1000.

Childcare domestic help 2 afternoons a week. Homework, light cleaning, laundry, and dinner prep. Call 556-8963.

Residential window cleaning.

Flexible hours part-time. $10/hour plus. Requires transportation and good physical condition. Call Doug 865-300-6755.

1 FULL BR CONDOS Security/ Elevator/ Pool 3 min. walk to Law School. $520R, $300SD, No app. fee.

865 (4408-0006 , 250-8136).

TUTORING TESTPREP EXPERTS GRE/ GMAT/ LSAT For over 30 years, Michael K. Smith, Ph.D., and his teachers have helped UT students prepare for the GRE/ GMAT/ LSAT. Our programs offer individual tutoring, practice tests, and computer- adaptive strategies at a reasonable price. Programs can be designed around your schedule, weekdays, weeknights, or weekends.

Conveniently located at 308 South Peters Rd. Call (865)694-4108 for more information.

EMPLOYMENT Afternoon respite provider needed. 5 days a week for emotionally disturbed child.

Pay negotiable. Call Kristin at 470-4937.

Animal caregiver part/ full time at Vet Clinic Northshore/Pellissippi area.

Apply in person at Northshore Animal Hospital 9315 S Northshore Drive, Knoxville,TN 37922 or send resumes to northshoreahjob@gmail.com Attention Designers, Models, Photographers, and Artists! Knoxville Fashion Week is seeking interns and volunteers for their Feb 2012 event!

Check out www.KnoxvilleFashionWeek. com

Read the Beacon Classifieds!

Children’s Ministry Coordinator: Central UMC in Knoxville is seeking a 15 hour/week Children’s Ministry Coordinator for birth-12.

Coordinator would plan, develop, and coordinate a sound and solid program of Christian education, recreation, and music for children.

Such includes supervision of nursery staff, rotation Sunday School, and Wednesday Kid’s Club. Strong consideration given to candidates with experience, education, and passion in working with children. Send resumes to SPRC 201 3rd Ave. Knoxville, Tn. 37917 or email at churchcentral@comcast.net CostPress offers students discounts on existing and new wireless accounts. We are seeking a personable UT Campus Coordinator who will earn base salary plus commission. Please email careers@costpress.com Gage Talent is seeking professional models for local events. All jobs are paying.

E-mail gage@gagetalent.com with photos and contact information.

Landscaping company looking for FT and PT help. Must be able to drive pick-up truck. Leave name and number at (865)584-9985.

Volleyball Coaches Needed!!

Emerald Sports, a Christian ministry of Emerald Youth Foundation, is looking for volunteers knowledgeable about volleyball and a desire to help girls, 6th - 12th grade, learn about the sport.

League begins October 11th and ends December 15th. 2 nights per week; Each night last approx. 1.5 hours; between hrs of 6:00pm & 9:30pm. For more Info please contact Kent Stanger at 637-3227 ext. 120 or kstanger@emeraldyouthfoundation.org.

West Knoxville Tennis Club Cedar Bluff Racquet Club.

Hiring night and weekend front desk position. Email frontdesk@cbrctennis.com West Knoxville Wine & Spirits store hiring part-time and full-time employees. Apply in person at 307 North Peters Rd or email resume to brent@mcscrooges.com.

UNFURN APTS 1 and 2BR Apts. UT area and West Knox area. Call for appointment (865)522-5815.

CAMPUS 2 BLOCKS 3 Bedroom Apartment $990.

Restored Hardwood Floors.

1311 Clinch Ave. No pets.

UTK-APTS.com 933-5204.

Tia Patron • The Daily Beacon

Students sing during the Fall Choral Concert in the James R. Cox Auditorium of the Alumni Memorial Building on Tuesday, Oct. 11. The concert featured performances by the Men’s Chorale, Men’s Concert Choir, Women’s Chorale and Chamber Singers.

NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD • Will Shortz

FOR RENT

1509 HIGHLAND AVENUE, # A105 FOUNTAIN PLACE SUBDIVISION! University of Tennessee! If you have been waiting for a home in this area, you have just found it! This unit is within walking distance to UT. This is an end unit, ground level with two bedrooms and one bath with full finished kitchen. Crown molding, ceiling fans. Home is in great condition. A parking pass goes along with purchase. #755133 Talking Homes 1-877-463-6546 Code 9006. Judi Starliper, Realty Executives Associates Clinch at 14th St. Evian Tower. 1BR 1BA with parking $495/mo. Howard Grower Realty Executives Associates.

(865)588-3232 or (865)705-0969 Subleasing 1BR for a 4BR 2BA at University Heights. Spring and Summer semester 2012.

Call (901)484-2595.

HOUSE FOR RENT 3,4,5 BR houses available. All appliances include W/D, $900-$1500.

Amanda 363-9190.

CONDOS FOR SALE For Sale or Lease 2BR, 1.5BA, all brick townhouse in West Hills. Swimming pool, bonus storage area. Leave name and number at (865)584-9985.

ACROSS 1

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He played Joe Palooka in the 1934 film “Palooka” Elite Like the trades Press agent?

Able to be drawn out National park whose name means “the high one” Bunny fancier Itch Like Jesus Hot chocolate time, maybe “Horrors!”

Author of the 1968 work named in the circled letters (reading clockwise) Cinéma ___ Cartoon “Yuck!”

1950s political inits.

Perfume, in a way Subject of the 1968 work

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Source of the saying “The gods help them that help themselves” Detectives look for them, briefly Emulate Don Corleone Castle part Leader of the 35-Across Archer’s wife in “The Maltese Falcon” Like ruckuses or roadster roofs Like some poker betting ___-ray 1950s-’60s political inits.

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Related on the mother’s side “The Color Purple” protagonist Double-cross, e.g.

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Cup ___ (hot drink, informally) Neon sign, e.g.

Recommendation letter, maybe Valued High ___ Language from which “spunk” is derived “I played already”

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Willing to consider Writer in cipher, maybe Slowing down, in music: Abbr.

Workable if awkward solution to a computer problem Like Hindi or Urdu Last word in a showman’s spiel Let out, e.g.

A flower is pretty when it’s in this “Leave ___ that!”

“Episode VI” returnee Meeting places Noted gang leader Swabbie Man of tomorrow

6 • The Daily Beacon

ARTS&CULTURE

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Price: $67 - $84.50 Our take: At 86, King is one of the few living revolutionaries of the blues, continuing to pack houses year in and out. A chance to experience history.

What: Haunted Knoxville Ghost Tour Where: 10 p.m. - 11:45 p.m.

When: Meet at Sangria’s (35 Market Square) Price: $20 plus fees, 13+ Our take: Promised to “let our Certified Paranormal Investigator’s guide you through Historic Knoxville teaching you the Cities History and help you, ‘BE The Investigator,’” this annual autumn gimmick will likely be more history than chills and thrills, and despite the price gouge, probably worth your time.

Saturday, October 15 Thursday, October 13 What: Haunted Knoxville Ghost Tour Where: 10 p.m. - 11:45 p.m.

When: Meet at Sangria’s (35 Market Square) Price: $20 plus fees, 13+ Our take: Promised to “let our Certified Paranormal Investigator’s guide you through Historic Knoxville teaching you the Cities History and help you, ‘BE The Investigator,’” this annual autumn gimmick will likely be more history than chills and thrills, and despite the price gouge, probably worth your time.

What: Perpetual Groove Where: 9 p.m.

When: The Valarium Price: $15 advance / $17 door, with $3 surcharge for patrons under 21 Our take: Mid-level jammers come to town at least annually, play standard fare, people do drugs, the band leaves town, the people go home. It’s purely cyclical, and it works.

What: Knoxville Botanical Gardens’ Fall Festival Where: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

When: Knoxville Botanical Gardens and Arboretum Price: Kids under 13 - free / Adults - $5 Our take: A family friendly day of workshops, crafts, hay rides and even a petting zoo, all on the backdrop of one of Knoxville’s environmental gems. Worth the $5 for the gardens alone.

Sunday, October 16 What: Speak Out For Equality Where: 12 p.m. - 5 p.m.

When: LOX Salon, 103 West Jackson Ave Price: Free, but donations are encouraged.

Our take: LGBTQ awareness event during which audio and video recordings will be recorded for future compilation and distribution across the web. The project will be standalone, but the goal is to raise funds to bring artist iO Tillet to Knoxville next spring.

Friday, October 14 What: B.B. King with the Detroit Daddies Where: 8 p.m.

When: Tennessee Theatre

What: An Evening with Bela Fleck and the Flecktones (original line-up) Where: 8 p.m.

When: Tennessee Theatre Price: $40 Our take: Few pickers have done more to break down genre barriers for the banjo than Bela Fleck. With his original band in tow, this show promises a road trip through styles with a five-string at the wheel.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

SPORTS

The Daily Beacon • 7

Talks go nowhere, NBA cancels first two weeks The Associated Press NEW YORK — Two weeks of the NBA season are gone and more are in jeopardy because of what commissioner David Stern calls “the gulf that separates us” in labor negotiations.

Sticking to his deadline, Stern wiped out the first two weeks of the season — exactly 100 games — after more than seven hours of negotiations failed to produce a new labor deal and preserve the Nov. 1 season openers.

The cancellations mark the NBA’s first work stoppage since the 1998-99 season was reduced to 50 games.

Clashing more over the salary cap structure than economics — but still far apart on both — Stern said both sides are “very far apart on virtually all issues. ... We just have a gulf that separates us.

“With every day that goes by, I think we need to look at further reductions in what’s left of the season,” he added.

Stern said last week that he would cancel the first two weeks of the season Monday without a new collective bargaining agreement to end the lockout. The two sides expect to remain in contact, but no additional formal talks have been scheduled.

“I started out by saying I’m sorry to report, and I’m sad to report that we’ve canceled the first two weeks,” Stern said. “We certainly hoped it would never come to this. I think that both sides worked hard to get to a better solution. We think that we made very fair proposals.

I’m sure the players think the same thing. But the gap is so significant that we just can’t bridge it at this time.”

Union president Derek Fisher agreed, emphasizing that missing any games puts the season in jeopardy. He also stressed this was a lockout, not a strike, and that it was the owners’ decision not to be playing basketball.

“This is not where we choose to be,” he said. “We’re not at a place where a fair deal can be reached with the NBA.”

The cancellation includes all games scheduled to be played through Nov. 14, and affected arenas have been authorized to release dates for those dates.

Based on last year’s average announced attendance leaguewide ( just over 17,300 per game) and the average ticket cost last season, those now-canceled 100 games represent nearly $83 million in lost ticket sales — before the first concession or souvenir is sold and before the first car pays to park.

Season-ticket holders, however, get refunds, plus interest, for all canceled games.

Though disappointing to both sides and especially to fans, the result isn’t a complete surprise. The union had warned players for years to save their money, knowing a work stoppage seemed likely, and executive director Billy Hunter repeated that players won’t cave once they start missing pay checks next month.

“I think it goes back to a comment that David made to me several years ago when he said, ‘Look, this is what my owners have to have.’ And I said, ‘The only way you’re going to get that is if you’re prepared to lock us out for a year or two, and (this) indicated to me that they’re willing to do it,” Hunter said. “So my belief, my contention is that everything he’s done has kind of demonstrated that he’s following that script.”

With another work stoppage, the NBA risks alienating a fan base that sent the league’s revenues and TV ratings soaring during the 2010-11 season. And the cost of cancellations would be staggering. Deputy commissioner Adam Silver said the league would lose hundreds of millions of dollars; Hunter estimated players’ losses at $350 million for each month they were locked out.

Now ushers, security personnel, parking lot

attendants, concession workers, restaurant employees and others all stand to have their hours cut or join the country’s 14 million unemployed. A few teams also have either trimmed their staffs or instituted sharp pay cuts — some did that as the lockout began — and more layoffs could be forthcoming.

Hunter said he didn’t think the full season was in jeopardy yet and stressed it would be a mistake for the NBA to risk it coming off a season when revenues and TV ratings soared.

“I think it would be foolish for them to kill the season, and we’re coming off the best season in the history of the NBA and I’m not so sure in this kind of economy that if there is a protracted lockout whether the league will recover,” he said. “It took us a while to recover from the ‘98 lockout, and I think it will take us even longer to recover this time around.”

For the second straight day the sides focused on system issues instead of the division of revenue split. Stern rattled off concessions the league had made there, allowing guaranteed contracts, not rolling back salaries and giving players an option to shorten the deal. Players say they moved there, too, offering to reduce the value of the midlevel exception to $5 million for a maximum of four years, and reducing contract lengths to five years for players re-signing with their own teams to four years for changing teams. The league wants those, currently six and five, down to four and three.

8 • The Daily Beacon

THESPORTSPAGE

Simms has ‘renewed energy’ to lead do that, and obviously a little bit more now.”

Even though it was unlikely Simms would play a signifiClay Seal cant role on the field for the Vols, he chose not to transfer.

Assistant Sports Editor “Why would you leave a place like Tennessee?” he said.

“Especially with all of the great teams that we play. Not everyThe statement had little relevance two months ago, but one can wear the orange and white and run through the ‘T.’ now it looks like Tennessee quarterback Matt Simms may be It’s a great all-around experience and that’s why I didn’t in the foreshadowing business. leave.”

“I don’t know who it was, I did an interview with someone UT offensive coordinator Jim Chaney said Simms’ second in the summer; they asked me who was one team I’d love to chance is translating to a new energy in practice. go against. I said ‘LSU,’” Simms said. “And I got what I “Just watching practice, he’s excited,” Chaney said. “You wished for. know, tough loss for us, “Just in time for but we come out on the the No. 1 team in field and we’ve got a the country.” young man that’s going The interview to play whose got a lot was an exclusive of renewed energy and with The Daily excited about getting Beacon for the 2011 on the field that’s helpFootball Preview, ing with getting on the which ran Sept. 2 field right now and havbefore UT’s season ing practices upbeat for opener against us. He’s tickled and I’m Montana. excited for Matt to let At the time, him go out there and Simms, the junior play.” college transfer On the bench, from El Camino Chaney noticed Simms’ (Calif.) Community improvement this seaCollege who played son. at Louisville before “I think he sat back that, was nine and watched defenses a months removed lot and has a lot better from having his understanding of some starting spot overof the things you see in taken by then-freshthe SEC now,” Chaney man Tyler Bray, said. “You’ve got to who never turned believe that, and I back once he believe that, about any became the starter quarterback that’s against Memphis on played and had a Nov. 6. chance to calm down a During little bit and go back in Tennessee’s 20-12 and play, I think it loss to Georgia last Tia Patron • The Daily Beacon always benefits. They week though, Bray seem to understand fractured his right Matt Simms takes the field after running through the T during more when they walk thumb late in the pregame ceremonies before a game against Georgia on Saturday, out there.” fourth quarter, lead- Oct. 8. Simms will start against LSU this weekend, a game he had Coach Derek Dooley ing to the Simms’ singled out wanting to play in during an interview earlier this year. said he was proud of first significant Simms and his attitude playing time of the season yet. throughout the ordeal of losing the starting spot, because the “I don’t know what happened to Tyler, I just knew that No. 2 position is still highly relevant. everyone was screaming my name, and I just ran over there,” “When you’re the two, you know as a coach it’s one snap the senior said after the game. and he’s in,” Dooley said.

Simms completed 4-of-5 passes on the Vols’ only touch“I’m glad we have Matt and we don’t have to shift with down drive, which he capped with a 1-yard run for the score. someone with no experience or no command of the offense,” “The biggest thing that has helped me so far this year is Dooley said. “That is a bonus. I hope it pays off for us in the that I’ve tried my best to prepare like I was the starter,” he game. Matt is doing today what he has done every week: said. “I think that helped me perform the way I did against preparing well. He has good command of what we’re doing Georgia when I came in like that. Now it is just continuing to and we expect him to go manage the offense.”

Thursday, October 13, 2011