The Oklahoma Daily

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 15, 2009

THE THE UNIVERSITY UNIVEERSITY OF OKLAHOMA’S OKLAHOM INDEPENDENT STUDENT ENT VOICE

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DORM CHEFS GET COOKING WITH CREATIVITY

Wednesday’s Weather

75°/63°

Students make home-cooked meals in unconventional ways JOHN PAUL BRAMMER The Oklahoma Daily

owl.ou.edu

CAMPUS BRIEFS DEDICATION DATE WRONG FOR WAGNER HALL

Lissa and Cy Wagner Hall will be dedicated in a public ceremony Thursday, Sept. 24, not this Thursday, as incorrectly reported in Monday’s edition of The Daily.

The ceremony to dedicate the academic services building will begin at 1:30 p.m. and will feature several OU speakers, including President David Boren.

-Daily Staff Reports

TUTORING PROGRAM LOOKS FOR VOLUNTEERS

The Community After School Program is seeking volunteers to assist elementary students with homework and to tutor them in reading and math.

CASP is a local, nonprofit agency that provides quality before- and after-school care to elementary school children. The programs begin at 2:30 p.m. and end at 6:00 p.m. each school day.

Volunteers will be asked to commit to tutoring a minimum of two days each week for at least one hour per day. They will also be asked to volunteer for a minimum of one semester in order to build relationships with the children; volunteers must also attend CASP training to prepare them for tutoring the children.

If interested, please apply by visiting the CASP web site at www.caspinc. org under “How to Help”, download and complete the volunteer application and e-mail it to info@caspinc. org or ckliewer@caspinc.org.

-Daily Staff Reports

DARWIN ESSAY CONTEST DEADLINE EXTENDED

The deadline for a student essayy contest celebrating the 150th anni-versary of Charles Darwin’s bookk “The Origin of the Species” has beenn extended until Oct. 2.

The essay contest is open too all college students in the statee of Oklahoma and prizes includee books provided by the Universityy of Oklahoma, a tour of the Historyy of Science collection at OU and a chance to be photographed holdingg a first edition copy of “Origin of thee Species.”

This contest is sponsored by thee Darwin Student Society, which is cel-ebrating the impact of Charles Darwinn throughout the entire semester. Thee society meets every other Wednesdayy at 5:30 p.m. in Dale Hall Tower. Forr more information about events thatt are being held this semester to cel-ebrate the life of Charles Darwin visitt www.ou.edu/darwin/Site/Home.. html.

-Daily Staff Reports

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR WORLDFEST 2009 WorldFest 2009, Oklahoma’s most unique international shopping event and fundraiser, is looking for volunteers. The event supports the World Neighbors program across Latin America, Asia and Africa and will be held Oct. 2-4 at the Coca-Cola Event Center in Bricktown.

Volunteers will assist with admissions, product sales, product display, learning village activities, event evaluation, the fair trade coffee café, entertainment, event set-up, even clean-up and the event promotion crew.

If you are interested in volunteering, e-mail Kathie Sanders at ksanders@wn.org and provide volunteer availability dates and times.

-Daily Staff Reports

FREE — ADDITIONAL COPIES 25¢

PHOTO PROVIDED

Suitemates Tom Pederson (left), accounting sophomore, and Aaron Gayle (right), professional writing junior, prepare angel food cupcakes in their Walker Tower dorm room.

The smell of melted butter and asparagus fill the air, followed by the sweet scent of salmon. Diced bell peppers lay freshly prepared on a cutting board as lemon juice is carefully squeezed onto the fresh fish.

But this is no gourmet kitchen in a fancy restaurant. It is a dorm room in Walker Center.

“We see ourselves as pioneers,” Aaron Gayle, professional writing junior, says as he prepares a bed of crushed cracker crumbs for the salmon. “No one has done this before.”

Gayle and his roommate, Tom Pedersen, accounting sophomore, have been cooking up ideas and recipes for a while now. For a year, they have been making food to feature on Gayle’s cooking blog, which is designed to teach students CREATIVITY CONTINUES ON PAGE 2

Tobacco scientist reveals killer facts of nicotine Uncovered truths about cigarettes lead to fines, laws

Washington [D.C.], my wife and I were also in Washington,” he said. “I would tell Congress under oath I was a scientist, I would tell Congress under oath I did drug research, I would tell Congress under oath that I had scientific proof that nicotine from cigarettes changes the structure of [the brain], and most importantly, I would tell Congress under oath I discovered that nicotine changes the way a rat’s brain works while I worked inside a tobacco company.”

DeNoble said Phillip Morris Tobacco Company approached him in 1980 to make a “safer” tobacco product that would not cause cardiovascular problems, but would still be addictive.

DeNoble said he initially thought the company wanted to create a product that

JARED RADER The Oklahoma Daily

Victor DeNoble presented his story, “Inside the Dark Side: The Science Behind Tobacco, the Truth Behind the Lies,” detailing his work as a researcher for Phillip Morris Tobacco Company to an audience of students Monday in the Oklahoma Memorial Union.

DeNoble began his story at the end: In 1994, seven CEOs from the seven tobacco companies in the U.S. testified under oath that nicotine was neither a drug nor addictive.

“What these seven people didn’t know was that while they were testifying in

NICOTINE CONTINUES ON PAGE 2

ESTEBAN PULIDO/THE DAILY

Victor DeNoble explains the experiments he performed on rats Monday in the Scholars Room of the Oklahoma Memorial Union.

Freshmen find easy transition into university life STORY BY JORDYN GIDDENS PHOTOS BY JEREMY DICKIE The Okl Oklahoma Daily

The Daily talked with three freshmen from different backgrounds about their transition into college life and Th living away from home. Hear what these University College students had to say about their first month on campus a and how they have dealt with the changes that come with college life.

SEAN JOHNSON As a graduate of the Plano Independent School District in north Texas, Sean Johnson is no stranger to large schools and has found the transition to OU a simple one.

Johnson’s high school housed about 3,000 students in the 11th and 12th grades and he said the size is one of many similarities between OU and his high school.

“My high school was an open campus,” Johnson said. “So, it was sort of like a mini-OU.” “Sean-John,” as he is affectionately called, was a varsity wrestler and focused student in high school.

BILLIE JEAN JEA KANDRAVI

and participating in the summer session.

The only thing that took her by surprise was the number of people in her classes.

“There are almost 200 people in my math class,” she said.

Kandravi said she felt getting involved played a huge role in helping ing her fit in at OU. As a dance and ballet enthusiast, Kandravi said she was excited to become a part of the ballet llet program at the University since she already had connections within the department.

Overall, Kandravi said she believes ves the next four years at OU will be unforgettable and she looks forward d to experiencing more Sooner traditions. ons.

In cont contrast with most members of the class o of 2013, Billie Jean Kandravi did not have ha the typical high school experienc experience. Beginning in sixth grade, Kandravi, of Spring, Texas, was homeschooled.

Kandravi said college isn’t much Kandra different from home-schooling because both bot students at the collegiate level and home-school students are expected to complete most of their work independently.

“OU made the transition very easy for me,” she said. “My adviser is great and always willing to help me.”

Kandravi said she was not nervous about the transition to college after learning about the dance program

DANIELLE ROSE Danielle Rose is a graduate of Goddard High School in Kansas, which had around 1,400 students enrolled.

Rose had lived in Goddard - a fourhour drive from OU - for 11 years. In her high school career, she participated in Color Guard, National Honor Society, Science Olympiad, and was the valedictorian of her graduating class.

“My high school was pretty average in size, I guess,” Rose said. “It was a lot

Johnson said he plans to try out for the football team next year as a way of establishing himself as a member of the Oklahoma family.

As for Johnson’s transition process, he said it was easier than he ever expected.

“The university did a great job in helping me through the whole transition,” Johnson said. “Camp Crimson was so much fun.”

Johnson said he is the first male in his family to go to college. He said he found that excitement outweighs all other emotion. “[Coming to OU] has been my dream since I was four years old, and I’m just glad to be here,”he said.

like ‘Cheers’ because everybody knew everybody. I loved it!”

Rose said family tradition brought her to OU. Both her parents are alumni, and her twin brother, Bobby, is enrolled at OU as well.

Upon coming to OU, Rose knew she would have to get involved for things to feel like home. Rose found her niche as a member of the Color Guard in the Pride of the Oklahoma.

“Joining the Pride may have been

© 2009 OU PUBLICATIONS BOARD

one of the best decisions I’ve made since I got here,” Rose said. “It’s like one huge family, and you always have someone you can go to.”

Rose said the most surprising part of the transition was how nice everybody was in the process. She said that whenever she asked for help, she got it. While she’ll always miss her high school days, she’ll never regret becoming a part of the Oklahoma family, Rose said.

VOL. 95, NO. 19

2A Tuesday, September 15, 2009 Meredith Moriak, managing editor dailynews@ou.edu • phone: 325-3666 • fax: 325-6051

Creativity

and Pedersen’s suitemate Luke McConnell, journalism sophomore.

Indeed, everyone on the seventh Continued from page 1 floor seems to enjoy the students’ cuhow to cook in the dorms using ev- linary endeavors.

As Gayle lays the salmon on top of eryday items to substitute for kitchen the buttered asparagus, many people supplies.

For both, their cooking and blog- stop at the open door and ask, “So, ging is a product of their love for what’s cooking today?”

On the menu for their new experihome cooking.

“My mom cooks and bakes a ment is salmon en papillote.

It is not easy to prepare such a lot, and, coming to college, I knew it was one of the things I would complex meal without a real kitchen. miss,” Pedersen says. “The cafete- Microwaves in the dorms are more ria just doesn’t measure up to home commonly used for TV dinners.

“A microwave is not ideal to cook cooking.” a fish,” Pedersen admits. “But it is possible.”

DORM ROOM KITCHEN Most of the ingredients used for Gayle and Pedersen have made a miniature kitchen of sorts in their these complicated dishes can’t be room. A small blender and a micro- found in Xcetera, the small store lowave are set up on top of a wooden, cated on the ground floor of Walker crimson-colored cupboard, a plastic Center.

“We buy our ingredients from cup filled with asparagus sits near common office supplies on the desk, Walmart,” Gayle says. “We go there and a large fillet of salmon cools in a every time we have a new recipe to try out.” refrigerator.

When the bell peppers are finally “We benefit from the taste and smell of the food,” says Gayle sprinkled on top of the fish, the entire creation is carefully “My mom cooks and bakes ... I knew it wrapped in a plastic bag.

From there, Gayle and was one of the things I would miss.”

Pedersen slide it into the microwave and set the -TOM PEDERSEN, ACCOUNTING SOPHOMORE timer for 10 minutes.

“Everything is an experiment,” Gayle says as he sets the timer.

“It’s how people learned to cook originally.”

Finally, the buzzer rings, and the wait is over. The salmon is slowly removed from the microwave, and the plastic bag is torn away.

“Ah, it’s hot!” Pedersen declares as he unwraps the steaming fish. “But, oh, it looks good!”

After the food is cut into pieces and put on a plate, Gayle and Pedersen each grab a fork and prepare to take their first bite.

“It’s something we always do,” said Pedersen. “It’s a tradition.”

AND THE RESULT? “Success,” Pedersen says after the first bite.

But Gayle and Pedersen’s work is not done once the food is finished.

Their work is featured on their blog, “Dorm Chef,” which includes pictures and personal anecdotes about the cooking experience and recipes.

“A goal of the blog is to de-mystify food,” Gayle says. “People make it sound so hard to make, but if I can do it in a dorm room, then anyone can do it in a kitchen.”

“Dorm Chef ” can be viewed at http://dormchef.wordpress.com.

ADVICE FROM THE LOVE DOCTOR

SALMON EN PAPALLOTE

Ingredients: * 1.3 pounds salmon * 12 crushed saltines * 1 red bell pepper * 15 asparagus stalks * 2 tablespoons butter * 1 tablespoon salt * 1 tablespoon pepper * 1 tablespoon lemon juice * 1 cup orange juice Materials: * Something to make a pouch out of; plastic bag * Microwave or oven Process: 1. Start by giving the fish a generous helping of salt and lemon juice. This will help to bring out the flavor of the fish.

2. Make a tower of vegetables on top of the crushed crackers.

3. Take the rest of the ingredients and begin stacking them.

NATASHA GOODELL The Oklahoma Daily

TEEKO YANG/THE DAILY

David Coleman speaks Monday night at the Sharp Concert Hall about the ups and downs of relationships. Known as “The Dating Doctor,” Coleman lectures about how a girl can spot if a guy is interested and other dating advice for romantically challenged students.

Continued from page 1 would save lives.

“They said, ‘We have a problem,’” DeNoble said. “They said, ‘We kill 138,000 people every year from heart attacks.’”

While he was researching a safer cigarette, he said he also experimented with rats to figure out exactly how nicotine affected the brain. He said he found that nicotine not only makes a smoker addicted and causes heart problems; it can also change the cells in the brain for five to 10 years after the user has quit.

“I told [Phillip Morris] what I did,” DeNoble said. “They said, ‘What are you doing? We told you no brain experiments. We can’t tell people about this!’”

After DeNoble discovered the safer product, which he said removed 82 percent of the cancer causing agents in cigarettes, he said the company told him it would not market the product because it would have to admit that 160 other products it sold were harmful.

In 1984, Phillip Morris fired DeNoble and told him his contract kept him from volunteering his information with the public, DeNoble said.

Over the next ten years, he tried to notify Congress of the truth. After a lawyer he hired sold the evidence he provided back to Phillip Morris, he said he had to get creative.

“I said [to my wife] that I got an idea,” DeNoble said. “I said, ‘It’s a little crazy, but I think it might work.’”

Cook: Microwave for 11 minutes.

Baking time will change drastically depending on the size of the dish prepared.

Source: Aaron Gayle

Social networking profiles affect job-searching students Potential employees should take caution when posting

Nicotine

The hardest part of the dish is assembly. Place dry ingredients on the bottom and wet ingredients on top. Make a similar stack and just put the fish right on top.

4. Sprinkle the vegetables with salt.

5. Cut the butter into little slices and lay them right on top of the fish.

6. Drizzle the entire dish liberally with orange juice. *This is what we’re using to cook the fish.

Normal recipes will call for wine or something else you can’t have on a dry campus.

DeNoble mailed pictures of his rat experiments to the FBI with his fingerprints on the 35 mm slides. He said the FBI arrested him, and he was forced to testify under oath in federal court.

“I didn’t volunteer my knowledge,” DeNoble said. “I complied with a court order.”

After DeNoble testified, he said President Bill Clinton contacted him and put him in protective custody. He said he was then released from his secrecy agreement by vote in the 104th Congress.

DeNoble said his story led to the many changes in U.S. tobacco laws today.

“The tobacco industry was fined $400 billion for lying to the public,” DeNoble said.

“Today 30 states have banned indoor smoking in our country ... We now have universities going smoke free, we’ve got all sorts of countries going smoke free.”

He said the purpose of his presentation was to warn students that they will be faced with these kind of decisions while working for a major corporation.

“I’m not here to tell people what to do, I’m a scientist,” DeNoble said. “I’m here to give you information. What you do with the story is really up to you.”

DeNoble ended his speech with this note: “This is the only group of people I know that can manufacture a product that, used as intended, will at least harm you and can kill you, and yet it is legal. 450,000 people will die in this country this year because they smoke tobacco products. We went to war over 9/11, and yet 450,000 will die.”

As students begin the search for jobs and internships, some are carefully considering how to keep their Facebook pages clean and professional.

“While Facebook is a social network, it has become a professional stomping ground as well,” said Abigail Solis, health and exercise science junior. “In the event a potential employer were to view my page, I wouldn’t worry about their perception of me being damaged or altered because it is quite above reproach.”

Solis said inappropriate language and suggestive, lewd or off-color photos are off limits on her Facebook page.

“If a student is looking for a job when they graduate, they need to start cleaning up their Facebook now,” said Heather Spencer, internship and career adviser for the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Spencer said students should feel free to be themselves, but at the same time, need to be careful with what they are posting online because potential employers could be looking at their page.

“The advice I gave my own daughter was to take down her Facebook page while she was job searching,” said Bette Scott, director of career services. “After she was employed, she put it back up.”

Scott said although there are privacy settings on these sites, employers can find

ways around them if they know a friend of the person they are interested in hiring.

“Every year, I think more employers are using Facebook to make good decisions when hiring,” Scott said.

She said the pictures of keg parties and other things that are none of the employer’s business should really be left off from students’ Facebook pages.

Scott said she thinks it would be fine to put interests, hobbies, educational information and professional pictures on Facebook.

“I encourage students to make sure their Facebook [pages are] very professional,” she said.

Scott said she thinks employers are still evaluating how they will use social networking or if they will use it.

“I think social networking has broadened the way we network with people,” Spencer said. “Businesses are able to reach more audiences, and audiences can interact with someone from these businesses.”

If the companies are smart enough, they will be looking for mentioning of their products on these social networking sites, and if they see any negative responses from individuals, they can respond with some positive feedback, Spencer said.

“I use Facebook for personal use and business at the same time,” Spencer said.

Spencer said she has been able to maintain many connections through Facebook, along with the social networking site LinkedIn, which is aimed at professional use.

“I think LinkedIn is a good way to connect and network on a more professional platform,” Scott said.

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY LAUREN HARNED/THE DAILY

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

3A

Ice storm of 2007 proves the need for more efficient clean-up TROY WEATHERFORD Oklahoma Daily

Administration reimbursed 75 percent of those cleanup costs. Since Norman now has an approved debris management plan, howThe Norman City Council approved a ever, FEMA will reimburse an additional 5 debris management plan to be activated percent of future cleanup costs, Hanger said.

The plan focused on three goals after in case of natural disasters at their Sept. 8 a disaster: a multi-jurisdictional response, meeting.

“The disaster debris management plan recycling the debris and a commitment to is a described city strategy for managing communication, Buri said.

Representatives from organizations debris after a disaster like including the Cleveland the ice storm experienced in December 2007,” said John “When the next disaster County Oklahoma Electric Cooperative, Norman Public Buri, Managing Director for hits, we will be ready.”

Schools and OU held a March Beck Disaster Recovery.

The city of Norman hired BOB HANGER, CITY OF NORMAN workshop to prepare a multijurisdictional response, Beck for $64,945 to prepare ENGINEER Hanger said. the plan approved by City Mistakes were made in Council. the cleanup of the 2007 ice The plan provides a framework for the city to manage the debris storm, including burning debris at two sites, removal effort for a variety of disasters, Buri Hanger said.

Environmental concerns, an accidental said.

“When the next disaster hits, we will be fire and a number of complaints from resiready,” said Bob Hanger, city engineer and dents caused the city to change course, he emergency manager of debris for the 2007 said.

The city switched to chipping the debris, ice storm.

The ice storm of 2007 cost Norman $6 which allows it to be reused. The chipped million in cleanup and left hundreds of thou- wood can be burned in a boiler or used as sands of Oklahomans without power for animal bedding, as it was used after the ice weeks. The Federal Emergency Management storm, Hanger said.

STEFAN MCINTYRE/THE DAILY

The ice storm that ripped through Oklahoma and parts of the Midwest region on Dec. 9, 2007 caused power failures and destroyed vehicles and homes. Some residents in Norman were without power for many days.

The plan details a number of methods of communication after a disaster. These include distributing door hangers using vol-

THE CRIME REPORT

POLICE REPORTS

NINE PHONES MISSING FROM FOAM PARTY

The following is a list of arrests and citations, not convictions. The information is compiled from the Norman Police Department and the OUPD. All people listed below are innocent until proven guilty.

The OU Police Department is investigating the disappearance of nine cell phones from the Union Programming Board’s Foam Party Friday. Nine students reported that their cell phones were stolen while they were attending the event in the Oklahoma Memorial Union parking garage. According to OUPD reports, the value of the missing cell phones stolen ranges from $100 to $565, and the total value of all cell phones stolen is $3,433. Another student said her GPS device was stolen out of her vehicle during the Foam Party.

COMMOTION AT THE COMMONS Norman Police arrested John Louis Degiulio, 20, at the Commons at Oak Tree Saturday for public intoxication. According to a Norman police report, before police arrived on the scene Degiulio allegedly beat up his girlfriend, threw her out of a car and dragged her across the pavement of the apartment complex. According to the Norman report, while the girlfriend was on the phone, the dispatcher noted they heard Degiulio allegedly make physical threats to any Norman police officer arriving at the scene.

SMALL POLICE CHASE IN NORMAN Norman Police arrested Ryan Austin Wilson, 18, for eluding a police officer Saturday.

According to the Norman report, Wilson was signaled to pull over near the intersection of W. Lindsey Street and McGee Drive. Instead of pulling over, Wilson allegedly began heading west on Lindsey Street and then traveled south on 24th Avenue SW. From 24th Avenue S.W. he pulled into Fillmore Avenue, where the chase ended and police took Wilson into custody. The police chase lasted for approximately 2 1/2 minutes. According to the report, police searched Wilson’s car after the chase and found narcotics. Wilson is also charged with driving on a suspended license.

— Ricky Maranon/The Oklahoma Daily

MINOR IN POSSESSION OF ALCOHOL Molly Amanda Duffy, 19, 300 W. Boyd St., Saturday OTHER WARRANT Steven Edward Frazier, 20, 1129 W. Imhoff Road, Sunday DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE Jennifer Kim, 21, 401 12th Ave. S.E., Sunday Matthew Scott Beavers, 23, Asp Avenue and White Street, Friday Robert Nesbitt Robinson, 18, 1400 Asp Ave., Friday Jacob Louie Jones, 22, 1400 Lincoln Ave., Saturday Alexander Robert Smith, 40, 1400 Asp Ave., Sunday

unteer groups, utilizing multiple forms of print and electronic media, and a call center for debris questions, Buri said.

Capri Renee Decordova, 19, 300 W. Boyd St., Sunday, also for Driving without a Driver’s License, Driving without Proof of Insurance and Transporting an Open Container of Alcohol Stephen Craig Hood, 19, 1300 Jenkins Ave., Sunday DISTURBING THE PEACE Sharan Jalena McCown, 40, 800 Lexington St., Sunday Lucinda Ann Oropeza, 37, 800 Lexington St., Sunday Jerry Lee Strong, 51, 800 Lexington St., Sunday AGGRAVATED DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE Shana Michelle Montellano, 27, 3800 12th Ave. N.W., Sunday Tommy John Norman, 29, 800 Asp Ave., Saturday MUNICIPAL WARRANT Denise Park, 43, 200 Vicksburg Ave., Sunday

DRIVING UNDER SUSPENSION Partick Ryan Pursley, 29, 4800 W. Rock Creek Road, Sunday, also for Failure to Stop, Driving without Insurance Verification and a Municipal Warrant.

ASSAULT AND BATTERY Jeremy Alan Tucker, 29, 500 12th Ave. S.E., Sunday Ryan James Tucker, 31, 500 12th Ave. S.E., Sunday PUBLIC INTOXICATION Timothy Joe Spencer, 25, 1600 Asp Ave., Saturday, also for Possession of Marijuana Joshua Keith Bradford, 20, 1100 Asp Ave., Saturday Thaddius James Bush, 31, Wagner Hall, Saturday, also for Possession of Marijuana Patrick Harvey Bush, 51, Wagner Hall, Saturday, also for Possession of Controlled a Dangerous Substance William Matthew Harris, 22, 800 Asp Ave., Sunday, also for Placing Body Fluid on a Government Employee

4

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Will Holland, opinion editor dailyopinion@ou.edu • phone: 325-7630 • fax: 325-6051

COMMENT OF THE DAY »

In response to Chris Dearner’s Monday column, “An open letter to the man in the red truck”

OUR VIEW

“Well done, Chris.

Reposted at normanbikecoop. com” -Tate

YOU CAN COMMENT AT OUDAILY.COM

STAFF CARTOON

TWO DAYS ARE BETTER THAN ONE Organizers of the Norman Music Festival announced Monday that next year’s festival will take place over two days as opposed to one (see page 1B for details).

We are excited the festival will be longer next year because it has been a great event for the community since it began in the spring of 2008.

It brings a lot of visitors to Norman, and it has put the city on the map for music festivals.

Hopefully the longer duration will attract more people and bigger performers to the 2010 version.

This undoubtedly is one of the reasons the festival’s organizers made the move to two days over one.

But another reason cited was to accommodate Norman business owners who were frustrated the festival caused street closures on a Saturday.

Presumably, sales at some of the Main Street stores were down because the street was closed to automobile traffic to allow the festival to take place.

The move to two days will allow the streets around downtown, where the festival takes place, to remain open on Saturday, April 24.

Instead, the needed streets will be closed on the following Sunday, April 25, when few downtown businesses are open.

We don’t mind this, especially when one considers that the two-day time limit may actually entice some visitors to stay in Norman overnight, possibly helping the Norman economy.

But we heartily encourage business owners along Main Street to keep their shops open on that Sunday, despite the road closures.

Maybe the festival’s visitors aren’t the type of people who are looking to buy anything big, but the foot traffic from the festival could be good exposure for the downtown shops.

Who knows? Maybe people will notice a store they never knew existed and return later to buy something.

Despite businesses, the Norman Music Festival must go on. It is a great event and we are glad festival organizers and city officials are doing their best to make the festival work for everybody.

Even if this new two-day configuration doesn’t work out next year, we definitely want to see those who work hard to put the festival together continue to search for the best way of approaching the Norman Music Festival.

Eli Hull is a broadcast and electronic media junior.

STAFF COLUMN

Google Books: The future of the written word My friends, the digital age is truly upon us! Modern technology has opened up new windows and given us access to worlds our ancestors could only dream of.

We have progressed to an age where some of us use laptop computers instead of notebooks to take down our professors’ notes. Others text message or Facebook their friends instead of calling them, and certain groups of us might even watch the big games streaming live online instead of making the trek to the stadium.

CARSON As we reach farther and far- PAINTER ther into the future, pushing ourselves forward, we phase out some of our more antiquated and outlived technologies. Thanks to Google, hard copies of books might just start falling into this category.

Under the title of Google Books, the California based tech company Google has scanned and uploaded somewhere in the range of 10 million books since Google Books came online in October of 2004.

Most of the works in Google’s database are out of print and no longer for sale at your local bookstore.

By giving the masses access to these hard to find and outdated books, Google is revitalizing novels and works of nonfiction which would otherwise have been lost to the machinations of time.

On top of this, the American people will have a much broader access to the written word, and will therefore be more

TO COMMENT ON ANYTHING YOU READ IN THE OKLAHOMA DAILY, VISIT OUDAILY.COM.

likely to read and learn, especially if they can do so without ever having to leave home.

Through its scanning and uploading, Google has done a great service, not only to the authors of orphaned books, but to humanity as a whole. We are finally pushing to that point where all the wealth of human knowledge and creativity will be simply a keystroke away, and that is amazing.

Bu t p ro g re s s ha s ma n y barriers.

Big technology companies like Yahoo, Amazon and Microsoft, some of Google’s biggest competitors, have formed a coalition to challenge Google.

They say the deals the company has struck with American publishers and the U.S. government give it an unfair immunity to copyright laws and, as a result, they believe Google has monopolized the market in regard to online books.

The way the laws and statutes to regulate this new field have been set up in the United States gives Google a lot of leeway in scanning and making the books available online.

As long as Google offers to share its profits with the original copyright owner and make some attempt to find that owner, they have free reign to scan and release, on the Internet, any out of publish book they can get their hands on.

Now there is a lot of credibility to the claim against Google. Google does have a big head start in the field, and it might indeed hold a monopolistic grasp on it.

I would like, however, to caution those other companies that are pursuing legal action against Google and encourage them to do so with the specific goal of keeping the market competitive in mind.

While things have gone fairly smoothly until now in the United States, Google faces many hindrances in Europe, where its deal with American publishers holds no water. As a result, much of what is scanned into Google’s cache is only available in the U.S. With more obstacles popping up, Google might face serious setbacks in continuing with its project, and this is something we should want to stop at all costs. Google’s method of finding the original copyright holders and sharing its profits is a simplistic yet effective procedure.

Instead of fighting Google on grounds such as reader’s privacy and copyright infringement, its competitors should seek an agreement on sharing the already huge collection of books already scanned by Google and find a way to mold the industry into a competitive, yet open market.

We have a chance to achieve a new age during which a tremendous amount of information is available to us at the price of seeing a few advertisements, and all from the convenience of our own computer.

Let’s try not to squander it.

Carson Painter is an international business and finance junior.

STAFF COLUMN

Vinyl sound superior for recording, listening An iconic symbol of nostalgia, a staple at pawnshops and thrift stores and the very first medium to store audio: the gramophone record. Today, vinyl records are seen as an archaic medium with a sound that is rife with pops and crackling. Many think they are played by collectors attempting to hear a bygone era, when music wasn’t ones and zeroes stored on hard drives and discs.

CAMERON But vinyl records and MASINGALE gramophones (aka record players, turntables, etc.) are immediately recognizable symbols of antiquity that, in my opinion, are superior forms of auditory entertainment.

I have nothing against MP3s, CDs or any other forms of audio storage (I’m certainly not the “indie” type of person, who scoffs

at popular culture in an attempt to form an identity in counterculture).

It’s just that the popular trend in the recording industry is to record music as low-quality as possible, with little or no dynamic range (the difference between the highest and lowest volumes in a piece of audio). This trend may or may not stem from the growing popularity of viral media and the “do-it-yourself” style that has taken over the Internet, where being a professional doesn’t mean a whole lot anymore.

A perfect example would be Soulja Boy’s music video to “Crank Dat,” in which it starts out as a parody of Internet fame (I cannot wait for the era in which Soulja Boy is so ingrained in American culture that Microsoft Word’s spell checker no longer finds “Soulja” as being misspelled). The song didn’t need to be recorded well. Saying it did is like saying “The Blair Witch Project” needed a better cinematographer.

The point is, people have become used to audio that is loud to the point of being distorted, even at a reasonable volume (due to the fact that many audio levels are turned all the way up), and music that is completely onedimensional with layer upon layer stacked on top of one another, producing either a cacophony or a flat, boring piece of music.

Thankfully, vinyl records are still around and still being manufactured. Some of you may be asking what the big difference is, seeing as how, since the heyday of vinyl, countless technological advances in the recording industry have been made.

While this may be true, these advances, like most other technological advances, have made music producers lazy, allowing them to churn out more and more substandard music like never before. Vinyl has a quality that cannot be successfully replicated by digital recording instruments (yet). As mentioned before, the music generally has a greater

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gap between highs and lows and possesses a “warmer” sound, not the harsh, electronic sounds mass-produced on compact discs.

These qualities may not be as pronounced on some records, as it really depends on the type of music being played. Classical music is an excellent example of the aforementioned benefits of vinyl.

With a more robust sound, and a greater range, vinyl provides the listener with a “truer” form of audio.

I do not dislike digitally recorded music whatsoever, but if you get the chance to purchase a record player, do so. It is money well spent.

Even if you aren’t a fan of music or are just an untrained listener, you can still detect and appreciate the subtleties present in vinyl records.

Cameron Masingale is a journalism junior.

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Letters should concentrate on issues, not personalities, and should be fewer than 250 words, typed, double spaced and signed by the author(s). Letters will be cut to fit. Students must list their major and classification. OU staff and faculty must list their title. All letters must include a daytime phone number. Authors submitting letters in person must present photo identification.

Submit letters Sunday through Thursday, in 160 Copeland Hall. Letters can also be submitted via e-mail to dailyopinion@ ou.edu.

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The board meets Sunday through Thursday at 4:30 p.m. in 160 Copeland Hall.

Columnists’ and cartoonists’ opinions are not necessarily the opinions of The Daily Editorial Board.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

« FOOTBALL Follow The Daily Fo as it tracks Sooner football this week. fo

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Annelise Russell, sports editor dailysports@ou.edu • phone: 325-7630 • fax: 325-6051

OUDAILY.COM OUD

CONFERENCE USA TEAM WILL TEST OU Sooner football faces another trial this weekend from a non-Bowl Championship Series Conference JONO GRECO The Oklahoma Daily

Out-of-conference games have provided many trap games and losses for the No. 12 Sooners in both the regular season and bowl games the past few years.

This weekend’s game against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, hailing from Conference USA, provides for another test to avoid adding to the legitimacy of non-Bowl Championship Series conferences and the argument of overrating the Big 12.

The Big 12 has been dealt two blows so far this season by C-USA and the Mountain West Conference.

The first coming in week one when Brigham Young University beat OU 1413, and this past weekend the No. 21 Houston Cougars defeated the Oklahoma State Cowboys Saturday 45-35.

The victory gave Houston and C-USA some national respect, and now Tulsa has been handed the job of adding to that respect by possibly defeating OU. But that task is a daunting order for the Golden Hurricane even though it is putting out one of its best teams in recent years.

The Sooners hold a 15-7-1 series lead, and have won the last four meetings.

The head-to-head record could be used as a motivating factor for both Tulsa and C-USA. The conference as a whole is 12-12 so far this season, but the Golden Hurricane is a perfect candidate this week for giving validity for the conference, and propelling themselves into the top-25.

Tulsa has come out of the gate well with its two victories over Tulane and

DAILY FILE PHOTO

Running back DeMarco Murray (7) catches the ball during the Sept. 21, 2007 game against Tulsa.

New Mexico, both on the road, and are looking to stay undefeated against an OU squad that still has a lot of question marks.

Tulsa, Houston, Southern Mississippi and Southern Methodist University are the only undefeated teams left in the conference, but it is unlikely all four will end the season with a zero in the loss column. Houston has the easiest schedule of the remaining undefeated C-USA teams, with its toughest game remaining being Tulsa.

Including the Sooners, the Golden Hurricane has three ranked teams on its schedule.

The other two teams are Houston and No. 10 Boise State, with both games being at home.

A loss in Norman against Tulsa would be devastating to OU, and would most likely end its national championship dream.

The threat is a likely possibility with how well the Golden Hurricane has

improved in recent years, and how banged up the Sooners’ inexperienced offense has become.

The Big 12 has not been well-known for its defense over the past few years, but Saturday’s game against a high-powered C-USA team will come down to how well the Sooners’ defense can keep Tulsa’s offense out of the end zone.

If the defense is not able to do so, then C-USA will throw its hat further into the ring for a national championship run.

SOONER FOOTBALL SOUNDBITES •Head coach Bob Stoops onHEADER having senior tight end ONE LINE Brody Eldridge back on the edge after playing center.

“It helps. He’s a strong character out there, and makes a difference wherever he plays. He had another great game last week.”

• Freshman quarterback Landry Jones on which of his teammates gives him the hardest time on his mustache.

“Brody [Eldridge] kind of gives me a hard time. He always calls me Doc Holliday.”

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Tuesday, September 15, 2009

ZACH BUTLER/THE DAILY

Sophomore wide receiver Ryan Broyles carries the ball during the OU-Texas game Oct. 11, 2008.

Big 12 football still competitive Don’t let them fool you, the Big 12 Conference isn’t that overrated.

Despite what the ESPN bloggers and national football “experts” want you to believe, the Big 12 will still be dangerous to contend with, even during its rebuilding year.

After a few disappointing losses over the past two weeks of college football, members of the national media seem ready to give the conference a failing grade, and blame their shortcomings on a lack of skill.

LUKE Teams like Colorado, ATKINSON Kansas State and Iowa State haven’t been good for some time, so I won’t use those teams in this argument (although I do believe they are hindering our conference’s ability to be taken serious). Baylor isn’t amazing, but is still impressive at times, along with very talented teams like Missouri, Kansas, Texas Tech and Nebraska.

Instead, I’d like to focus on teams in the southern division, like Texas, Oklahoma State and OU. Texas finished week two of college football with a victory over Wyoming, winning 45 – 10.

In my book, a win is a win - and a win by more than 30 points is impressive. Anyone who is familiar with Big 12 football knows Texas is a team who doesn’t score quick and often in the first half. When watching scores from around the nation before the Sooner games, you’ll often see an unimpressive first half score from our rivals to the South, followed by a post-game score of much larger numbers. Although my Sooner heritage forbids

me from complimenting the ‘Horns, they deserve their No. 2 rank.

Oklahoma State lost at home this weekend against Houston, which didn’t exactly prove anything to the Big 12 loyalists. It isn’t uncommon for OSU to choke, which has given them the nickname of the “Choke Pokes” or “Chokie State.” We knew the No. 11 ranking was too high, and felt the No. 5 rank was a joke.

But that doesn’t mean they aren’t talented. Senior quarterback Zac Robinson is still a dangerous offensive weapon (despite his performances noted as “average” by coach Mike Gundy) and leads a team that gave nearly every team on their schedule last season a huge scare. The Pokes are a team that will continue to get better over the course of a season, which still frightens me when thinking of the impending showdown in Norman this Thanksgiving weekend.

Finally, let’s look at the Sooners.

The holes left by offensive linemen and receivers have shown to be problematic, and our ability to defend the middle of the field needs work. Add into that mix the rash of injuries we’ve seen and the strong BYU team we played at a neutral site. We know the Sooners start slow and neutral fields aren’t great, but it doesn’t mean that they, along with the other teams of the conference, aren’t some of the most skilled teams in the nation.

What Big 12 fans saw during week two is nothing new. We still see the similar patterns shown by the teams in non-conference play.

If it’s going to be anything like the past, it’s still going to be one interesting and dominating, season for the Big 12 Conference.

Luke Atkinson is a broadcast and electronic media senior.

Oklahoma State’s football woes STILLWATER — What happened to that much-improved Oklahoma State defense?

Just a week ago, first-year defensive coordinator Bill Young was being lauded as the hero of opening day for putting together a stingy unit that shut down Georgia in one of the program’s most significant wins.

Now, his words of caution about the work still to be done are ringing true.

After a 45-35 upset loss to Houston of Conference USA, there are questions everywhere about whether No. 16 Oklahoma State (1-1) can hold its own against the wide-open offenses of the Big 12.

“When you do good, people are always behind you. And when you do bad, people will always be like, ‘Man, it was just for one day,’” safety Lucien Antoine said Monday.

“But I don’t think that. I think we’re a good team, we’re a great team.

“Sometimes even the great teams, they mess up. They lose games. All we’ve got to do is just keep working. I know we’ve got the talent ... We’ve just got to go out there and prove to people that we are the team everybody used to talk about.”

The Cowboys plummeted 11 spots in the AP poll after reaching the Top 5 for the first time in 24 years. The defense allowed 512 yards of total offense to Houston, too much when coupled with an offense that committed three turnovers — including one that got taken back for a touchdown.

“If we had to do it all over again, our schemes wouldn’t change much,” Cowboys coach Mike Gundy said. “Just our consistency across the board in the last game: gap responsibility on defense, tackle better, more pressure on the quarterback.”

Young, lured away from Miami after only one season to lead OSU’s defense, stepped forward to take the blame for the lackluster performance.

“It’s our job to get our players in better position where they can make plays,” Young said. “We got out positioned in the pass. They caught the ball. We thought we were playing a little bit soft in our coverage. We didn’t contain and rush the quarterback the way we should’ve and we had a lot of missed tackles.”

After two sacks in week one against Georgia, OSU came up empty against the Cougars despite nearly 50 pass attempts

by Case Keenum. Some of that had to do with how quickly Keenum threw.

Houston, which ranks third in the nation in passing after Keenum’s 360-yard outing on Saturday, did most of its damage with screen passes and other short tosses against Oklahoma State defenders giving too much room to the Cougars’ speedy receivers.

The Cowboys will face a similar dilemma against Rice (0-2) this week, and nearly every week once Big 12 play begins.

“We’ve got to be a little bit more aggressive in our coverage,” Young said. “You don’t want to ever get run by, but at the same time what’s the difference if they run by you or if you’re up there tight and you miss a tackle?”

Cornerback Terrance Anderson said the Cowboys were also surprised by Houston’s dedication to the run game. The Cougars ran 36 times for 146 yards.

“I would say it’s more eye-opening than anything,” said Anderson, who had his second career interception last week after his first fumble recovery in Week 1. “You see that this is college football. You want to go in expecting to win every game, but sometimes things don’t always go your way.”

Some reinforcements could be on the way, as Young said starting strong safety Markelle Martin should be ready to play after missing the first two games with an injury.

Not all the injur y news was good, though. Gundy said it’s “doubtful” that starting tailback Kendall Hunter will play against Rice after leaving in the second quarter of last week’s game with an injured right leg.

“His injury was not as significant as we thought, but the likelihood of him playing is not good,” Gundy said.

Hunter rushed for 104 yards on 32 carries in two games this season after leading the Big 12 with 1,555 yards rushing a year ago. His backups, Keith Toston and Beau Johnson, combined to run for 148 yards and two touchdowns against Houston.

–AP

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Cassie Rhea Little, L&A editor dailyent@ou.edu • phone: 325-5189 • fax: 325-6051

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«M MUSIC SAMPLES Wan to listen to this week’s new music?

Want Check out the multimedia section of Che oudaily.com to hear the artists menoud tioned in New Music Tuesday. tion

»

The Daily’s Joshua Boydston takes a close look at what new music has fans taking a second listen.

THE MOST SERENE REPUBLIC “…AND THE EVER EXPANDING UNIVERSE” ARTS & CRAFTS RELEASE: OUT NOW I always appreciate the releases that make music feel like something more than music the types of songs that feel more like moments than melodies. The Most Serene Republic does its share of moment making with “Expanding Universe,” and it’s a whimsical universe indeed.

Blending the craftsmanship of Spoon with the lovely exploration of Dirty Projectors, The Most Serene Republic’s sound is refreshingly original.

The songs practically fizz with excitement before brimming over and splashing across the room.

The slight distortion of “Phi” contrasts wonderfully with the bubbly,

lightheartedness at its base. “Heaven To Purgatory” melds a vintage sunny melody of strumming strings and dancing cymbals with a more immediate woo of gender-alternating vocals that feel like both sides of a love story.

The brassy horn intro of “Bubble Reputation” proceeded by bouncy piano keys, epic guitar twangs and chilly siren vocals in the back have a whole new world exploding to life when vocalist Adrian Jewett joins the festivities. The world continues to grow and change until lava seeps through with a wonderfully heated breakdown twothirds through.

The rest of the album shapes up just as beautifully: colorful, warm and consistent.

The universe is certainly always changing, and you would be hard pressed to find a better soundtrack to it.

Joshua Boydston is a qsychology sophomore.

PHOTO PROVIDED

The UK hit band The xx released its newest CD, “xx,” last month to eager fans. The band is now on its world-wide tour through Dec. 5.

THE XX “XX” BEGGARS XL RELEASE: OUT NOW I was slow to buy into the hype The xx has brought over the past month. After one half-hearted attempt at listening, I was inclined to write it off.

Thank God I didn’t.

I was put off by the simplicity of the music at first, but was quickly reminded of why simple is often better.

The xx definitely seems to hold the “less is more” credo close to its heart. The tracks rarely have more than two to three elements buzzing at a time, and instead of feeling incomplete, there’s a gorgeous clarity and appreciation for what is coming through.

The de-layered feeling of the songs forces a preciseness of the noises being utilized at any given moment. The product is impeccably sharp and tight, and hauntingly beautiful.

Also striking is how this stripped down delivery should come off as distant, but the

L & A BRIEF The Norman Music Festival will take place on Saturday, April 24 and Sunday, April 25, 2010.

This will be the first year the festival has lasted two days instead of one since it began in 2008.

The two-day event will feature Saturday night performances and Sunday performances lasting all day.

Event organizers are currently working on the band lineup to be released in early 2010.

band’s expertise allows the music to become both immediate and intimate. “xx” is just impossibly romantic.

The sparkling “VCR” chimes around whispering vocals sounding like they are breathed directly into your ear. The icy drip of “Shelter” sweats and puffs, while “Infinity” floats and drifts like dreams of space.

“Crystalised” is a well-thought out single that is as sultry and dangerous as a Bond girl as it seduces you in with the twitch of its finger.

Most notable though is the shimmering “Islands.” It pulses in and out with a plucky bass vibration and tsk-tsk percussion that fold into the most full arrangement of the whole disc before disintegrating into those engaging singular elements once again.

In fact, the album begs you to dance more than you might think. “xx” is chock full of shoegaze pop grooves that seem to want you to simply sway beside the one you love.

What can I say? “xx” is simply minimalist perfection. Less is certainly more in the case of The xx. Hopefully the rest of the world will take note.

PHOTO PROVIDED

The Canadian band, The Most Serene Republic, released its newest CD, “...And The Ever Expanding Universe,” this summer and is now on tour.

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Tuesday, September 15, 2009

NEW MUSIC TUESDAY »

The Daily’s Joshua Boydston reviews more of this week’s most notable music picks.

RAEKWON “ONLY BUILT 4 CUBAN LINX, VOL. 2 ICEAL RELEASE: OUT NOW Wu-Tang Clan and Jay-Z are probably the two most timeless acts in hiphop today, and it seems only fitting that the same week Jay-Z would release “Blueprint 3,” Wu-Tang’s Raekwon would reply with “Cuban Linx.” This is the grit to “Blueprint’s” sheen, the grime to its sparkle, the old to its new.

Jay is obviously reaching into the future (and quite successfully) with his newest release, but Raekwon seems more enthusiastic about the past. Call him a historian, and I’ve never heard a history lecture this interesting. You can always learn from the past, and Raekwon seems like the expert.

I can only imagine “Cuban” would sound even better crackling over vinyl, but it gives off a bit of that thick hiss on its

very own.

Heavy with Ghostface Killah appearances, the album sounds lifted straight out of the ‘90s. The raw energy of “10 Bricks” explodes across a twirl of brassy pulls and rough crunches.

The Islander “Catalina” shimmies over bell rolls and horn calls as Lyfe Jennings smoothly serenades after Raekwon airily blows through rhymes.

“The New Wu” nods about with a sassy woo and gunshot claps before it hisses shut, and “House of Flying Daggers” breathes to life with a retro karate flick soundtrack shuttering shut before a clipped staccato beat struts in with a fittingly confident delivery carrying it through.

You’ve got your new with “Blueprint 3,” so get a little old with this stellar chugging album that knows that newer isn’t always better.

Joshua Boydston is a psychology sophomore.

PHOTO PROVIDED

Indie-rock band, The Cribs, released its newest CD, “Ignore the Ignorant,” in Aug. and are now topping the UK charts. The band is now touring in Europe.

THE CRIBS “IGNORE THE IGNORANT” 101 DISTRIBUTION RELEASE: OUT NOW Have you ever had one of those moments where you asked for a Coke and got a Pepsi instead? It looks pretty much the same, but once you take a sip you have this sudden moment of clarity. It’s sweeter and more refined than expected, and all you wanted was a good old Coke.

Well, that’s what the newest Cribs’ album, “Ignore the Ignorant,” is like.

It’s not that the album is bad by any measure, but it doesn’t have the bite of their stellar junior release, “Men’s Needs, Women’s Needs, Whatever.”

I appreciate the polish, but the brash rebelliousness is what won me over in the first place. “Ignore the Ignorant” is a suddenly reformed troublemaker who was much more fun when he was up to no good.

L&A BRIEF LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Los Angeles filmmaking couple has been convicted of bribing Thai officials so they could run the Bangkok International Film Festival and land other projects.

Gerald and Patricia Green each could receive up to life in prison after a federal jury on Friday convicted them of conspiracy and money laundering. They are scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 17.

Prosecutors said the Greens created shell companies to pay off Juthamas Siriwan, the former governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand. The couple then transferred money into bank accounts of Juthamas’ daughter and a friend so they would be awarded business contracts.

Juthamas has denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged in Thailand.

Prosecutors believe the Greens paid Juthamas about $1.8 million to help secure the Bangkok film festival and tourism-related deals between 2002 and 2007.

-AP

I can appreciate the glaze of the starry “We Share the Same Skies” with its gentle woo and aw-shucks charm, as well as the pained grimace of “Cheat On Me.” The darting pace of “We Were Aborted” featuring a brilliantly broken chorus and searing guitar bridge clue in that The Cribs are more than capable of balancing gloss with mischievousness, but they just can’t hold on.

The last half of “Ignore the Ignorant” just feels like a total throwaway with disconnected ballads (“Last Year’s Snow”) and uninspired anthems (“Emasculate Me”).

Perhaps most telling is “Victim of Mass Production,” which was most likely intended to be a rally against such things but ironically unfolds into the most stale, generic track on the disc.

I’m hoping that “Ignore the Ignorant” may grow on me over time, but often enough it’s hard to get over that first taste.

I guess I’m just more of a Coke guy.

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PHOTO PROVIDEDHIP

Hip-hop artist Raekwon released his newest album, “Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, Vol. 2,” this month.

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BULLYING LAWS GIVE SCANT PROTECTION ATLANTA — Recent student suicides have parents and advocates complaining that anti-bullying laws enacted in nearly every state are not being enforced and do not go far enough to identify and rid schools of chronic tormentors.

Forty-four states expressly ban bullying, a legislative legacy of a rash of school shootings in the late ‘90s, yet few if any of those measures have identified children who excessively pick on their peers, an Associated Press review has found.

And few offer any method for ensuring the policies are enforced, according to data compiled by the National Conference of State Legislatures.

The issue came to a head in April when 11-year-old Jaheem Herrera committed suicide at his Atlantaarea home after his parents say he was repeatedly tormented in school. District officials denied it, and an independent review found bullying wasn’t a factor, a conclusion his family rejects.

Regardless, Georgia’s law, among the toughest in the nation, still would not have applied: It only applies to students in grades six to 12. Herrera was a fifth-grader.

Georgia’s law has one of the largest gaps between what it requires of districts and the tools it gives them for meeting those requirements.

The state doesn’t collect data specifically on bullying occurrences, despite legislation that promises to strip state funding from schools

AP PHOTO

Masika Bermudez, middle, the mother of Jaheem Herrera, is comforted by her husband Norman Keene, right, as they are joined by family and friends in a “prayer circle” to remember her fifth-grade son outside the family’s apartment in Wesley Club Apartments, Dekalb County, Ga. failing to take action after three instances involving a bully.

After Herrera’s death, other parents came forward to say their children had been bullied and that school officials did nothing with the complaints, rendering the state’s law useless.

“There is a systematic problem,” said Mike Wilson, who said his

12-year-old daughter was bullied for two years in the same school district where Herrera died. “The lower level employees, the teachers, the principals, are trying to keep this information suppressed at the lowest possible level.”

Only six states — Montana, Hawaii, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, North Dakota and South Dakota

— and the District of Columbia lack specific laws targeting school bullying, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Most states require school districts to adopt open-ended policies to prohibit bullying and harassment.

While some direct state education officials form model policies

that school districts should mimic, they offer little to assure the policies are enforced; only a handful of states require specific data gathering meant to assure bullying is being monitored, for instance.

“The states themselves can’t micromanage a school district — but they can say to a school district, ‘Look, you have to have consequences,’” said Brenda High, whose Web site, Bully Police USA, tracks anti-bullying laws across the nation, and who advocates for strict repercussions for bullies. The Washington state-based advocate’s son, Jared, was 13 when he committed suicide in 1998 after complaining of bullying.

“It needs to be written into the law that bullying has the same consequences as assault,” she said.

“The records and such need to be kept so that if the child is a chronic bully, they — after so many instances — will end up in an alternative school.”

Alaska and Georgia have particularly specific statutes. Alaska’s Department of Education and Early Development must compile annual data on bullying complaints and report it to the Legislature.

Georgia’s 10-year-old law goes a step further. It specifies that three instances of bullying is grounds for transfer to an alternative school, away from the victim. School systems not in compliance forfeit state funding, according to the law.

—AP

UC Irvine shooting may have been custody dispute IRVINE, Calif. — Police are investigating whether a custody battle prompted a University of California, Irvine student to kill the mother of his 4-year-old son on campus.

Brian Benedict, a 35-year-old physics graduate student, was arrested at about 7 p.m. Sunday following the first on-campus killing in the history of the Orange County school.

He remained jailed on $1 million bail. City police Lt. John Hare said he did not know whether Benedict had an attorney.

Benedict and his ex-wife, Rebecca Benedict, 30, shared custody of their 4-yearold son, but he had been distraught following their breakup and had attempted suicide,

court records show. He had been ordered to pay twice as much child support as he had expected and might have been forced to leave school, according to the records.

Rebecca Benedict went to the campus on Sunday evening to pick up the boy from his father’s apartment in a graduate student housing complex when the couple got into an argument, Hare said.

She left the building and was in the parking lot when Benedict, who had followed her, fired several shots with a handgun and struck her at least once, Hare said.

She was pronounced dead at a hospital.

Witnesses detained Benedict until police arrived, Hare said.

The boy was nearby, but it was unclear whether he saw the shooting, Hare said. He said the child was turned over to other family members.

The Benedicts were married on April 1, 2004, and separated on Sept. 30, 2006, court records show. Rebecca Benedict filed for divorce on Jan. 16.

The couple had agreed that Brian Benedict would pay $450 per month in child support, but a judge on Thursday ordered him to pay $920 per month, according to records cited by the Orange County Register.

Benedict, who quit a six-figure job as an aerospace cost analyst to attend graduate school, earned $26,889 as a student researcher,

according to his 2008 federal tax form.

Orange County Superior Court Judge Nancy A. Pollard set the child support figure based on his earlier, higher income.

“The court finds that the care and maintenance of the child is more important than the care and maintenance of the father’s schooling,” according to a summary of the ruling.

Earlier this month, Brian Benedict had asked campus safety officials questions about child custody, UC Irvine Assistant Police Chief Jeff Hutchison said.

“It was a less than 10-minute conversation, and there was nothing unusual in his demeanor,” Hutchison said.

—AP

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AP PHOTO

Evidence markers and flags were still in place Monday as Irvine police investigated Sunday night’s murder on the UCI campus. A man accused of fatally shooting the mother of their child at UC Irvine was in custody today in connection with the first homicide ever on the campus, police said.

GROWING MICHIGAN COLLEGE SWAPS TUITION FOR PROPERTY A bargain hatched by two school administrators over lunch will give a private Michigan university space to grow and local students a significant perk if they attend their hometown college.

F inlandia University in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula will receive an athletic field and a classroom building that’s no longer needed by the public schools in Hancock, a former mining town of 4,900. In exchange, for at least the next 12 years graduates of Hancock Central High School who qualify for admission to Finlandia will get free tuition.

“I haven’t heard of a partnership quite like this one,” said Tony Pals, spokesman for the National Association of Independent Colleges and

Universities.

He said many creative ideas have surfaced to help students afford the escalating price of higher education, but the university’s tuition-for-property swap is unique.

Twenty-five of Hancock’s 55 graduates from last spring have accepted Finlandia’s offer and are enrolled for the fall semester. Previously, fewer than 10 members of the typical Hancock senior class have attended the university, where tuition officially runs nearly $18,000 a year — though routine discounts reduce the average cost to about $12,700.

When officials announced the plan earlier this year, skeptics thought there must be a catch.

“But we spent an hour giving an overview and answering

questions,” said John Sanregret, the high school principal. “After the meeting, there were parents hugging one another with tears in their eyes, saying, ‘Can you believe this? We’ll be able to send our kids to college.’”

Among the delighted mothers was Julie Ruotsala, who had wondered how she and her husband could handle tuition payments for two daughters at once.

One already attends Northern Michigan University in Marquette, 100 miles away.

Another was considering Northern Michigan, but instead will live at home and study physical therapy at Finlandia.

Ruotsala figures over four years, the arrangement will save them $100,000 in tuition, room and board.

—AP

4B Tuesday, September 15, 2009 Thad Baker, advertising manager classifieds@ou.edu • phone: 325-2521 • fax: 325-7517

PLACE AN AD Phone: 325-2521

Announcements SPECIAL SERVICES (405) 310-4440 www.ultimaterealmofserenity.com

E-Mail: classifieds@ou.edu Fax: 405-325-7517 Campus Address: COH 149A

DEADLINES Line Ad ..................2 days prior Place your line ad no later than 9:00 a.m. 2 days prior to publication date.

SPECIAL NOTICES University of Oklahoma Surplus Store 2101 W. Tecumseh Road (405) 325-2782 Wednesday’s only - 8:30 AM - 2 PM Televisions & electronics, lab glassware & misc lab supplies, household & ofďŹ ce supplies, furniture, & miscellaneous. www.ou.edu/property_control/index.htm.

Employment

Display Ad ............2 days prior Classified Display or Classified Card Ad Place your display, classified display or classified card ads no later than 5:00 p.m. 2 days prior to publication date.

Leasing Agent needed, Norman apt complex. Flexible hrs, $8/hr. 364-3603

PAYMENT

Movie Extras, Actors, Models Wanted Up to $300/day! All Looks Needed! Call NOW 1-800-458-9303

s r

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HELP WANTED STUDENTPAYOUTS.COM Paid survey takers needed in Norman 100% FREE to join. Click on Surveys.

CAYMAN’S IN NORMAN - Full/PT sales position avail, to highly motivated selfstarter w/great customer service skills.

Apply in person, 2001 W Main St.

TM

Payment is required at the time the ad is placed. Credit cards, cash, money orders or local checks accepted.

Businesses may be eligible to apply for credit in a limited, local billing area. Please inquire with Business Office at 325-2521.

RATES Line Ads There is a 2 line minimum charge; approximately 45 characters per line, including spaces and punctuation.

1 day ............. $4.25/line 2 days ........... $2.50/line 3-4 days........ $2.00/line 5-9 days........ $1.50/line 10-14 days.... $1.15/line 15-19 days.... $1.00/line 20-29 days.... $ .90/line 30+ days.......$ .85/line

Classified Display, Classified Card Ads or Game Sponsorship

TUTORS WANTED!!!

Available positions in the OU Athletics Department!!! Junior, Senior, Graduate, and Post-graduate applicants only!!!

ANTH/BOT/JMC/GEOG/HIST/H R/ METR/PHIL/PSY/RELS/SOC/W S/ZOO/ P SC!!! Hiring for Fall 2009. Call 325-8376 for more info!!!

Special Instructor I: After School Instructor (3 positions) Parks and Recreation Experience working with children. $7.50 per hour. Work Period: 2:30pm - 6:00pm, Monday thru Friday, September thru May. Selected applicant must pass physical, drug screen and background investigation. Application Deadline: Open Recruitment. Obtain application at: 201-C West Gray, Human Resources Dept., City of Norman (405) 366-5482, Web: www.

NormanOK.gov EOE/AA P/T waitperson, delivery person & dishwasher needed. Orient Express 722 Asp. 364-2100.

Employment

J Housing Rentals

HELP WANTED

CONDOS UNFURNISHED

$5,000-$45,000 PAID EGG DONORS up to 9 donations,

THE EDGE! 1/2 off 1st mo, no app fees!

Starts $325rm.

231-2119 welcomehomeok.com

+ Exps, non-smokers, Ages 19-29, SAT>1100/ACT>24/GPA>3.00 Contact: info@eggdonorcenter.com IRON STARR BBQ opening soon! Now hiring all positions! Apply at starrbbq.com

J Housing Rentals APTS. FURNISHED Selling 1 year lease at The RESERVE. 1 bdr of a 4 bdr oorplan. $1000 incentive to take over the lease. Call 480-628-3426 1 bedroom near campus, $340/mo plus all utilities, $200/dep, no pets. Call 8866709. $400, bills paid, efďŹ ciency LOFT apartments, downtown over Mister Robert Furniture, 109 E Main, ďŹ re sprinkler, no pets, smoke-free. Inquire store ofďŹ ce.

APTS. UNFURNISHED $99 1st Month / $99 Deposit $25 Off Monthly/6 mo Free gym *some restrictions may apply.

Pets Welcome! Large Floor Plans!

Models open 8a-8p Everyday!

Elite Properties - 360-6624 or www.elite2900.com

THE EDGE-1 room avail in 4 bd condo, full ba, walk-in closet, appl, full kitchen, $425 incld internet, cable & util. 4733957

1109 E LIndsey - 2bd, 1ba, CH/A, dishwasher, stove, refrig, no pets, dep $500, rent $675 914 Drake - 1 bd duplex, water & gas paid, no pets, ref req, dep $400, rent $475 329-1933

Near OU, lg 3/4 bd, $875-$975/mo, 826 Jona Kay, 1711 Lancaster, 2326 Lindenwood. Call 360-0351, 517-2018.

TOWNHOUSES UNFURNISHED Large 1 bd, dishwasher, disposal, large closets - $470 + elect. No deposit. 5736731 or 314-0863, ask for Sonja Fall Special! 1 BLK FROM OU, very nice 4 room apt, 800 sf, wood oors, 1012 S College, Apt 4, $300/mo. Call 360-2873 or 306-1970.

1 bdrm apt, $350 + bills Smoke-free, no pets, 360-3850

CONDOS UNFURNISHED MOVE-IN SPECIAL! 1 bedroom Nottingham Condo for rent, avail now. 417-8619439 or 308-8470.

1 bd/1ba $500 mo. Includes all kitchen appliances. No pets. Longburk Real Estate 732-7474.

307 POTOMAC - Lg townhouse NW Norman. Minutes from I-35 & mall. 2200 sqft, all appliances, smoke-free, 1 year lease, $1050/mo, 1/2 off September! www.gorentking.com, 801-2293 Taylor Ridge Townhomes 2 Bdrm, 2.5 Bath, Fully Renovated Townhomes near OU! Pets Welcome! • Call for current rates and Move-in Specials!!!

Taylor Ridge Townhomes (405) 310-6599 Hunters Run 2 bd Townhouse $99 1st Month / $99 deposit $25 off / was $780 now $755 Small Fenced Yd, Full sz W/D 6 Mo Free Gym, 2 Car Garage Elite Properties 360-6624 www.elite2900.com

Mobile disc jockeys needed; will train.

Fun weekend evening work! Must be outgoing, energetic, have good image.

Pays $50-100/night. Leave message at 321-8699

7 8 2

9 6

5

3 5 4 1 3 9 8 5

1 4 7

6

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9 5 6 2 6 3 7 1 4

Previous Solution 8 2 5 9 3 1 7 6 4

4 7 1 5 2 6 3 8 9

3 9 6 7 4 8 2 5 1

1 8 7 4 9 3 6 2 5

9 3 4 2 6 5 1 7 8

6 5 2 8 1 7 4 9 3

2 4 3 6 5 9 8 1 7

5 6 8 1 7 4 9 3 2

7 1 9 3 8 2 5 4 6

Monday- Very Easy Tuesday-Easy Wednesday- Easy Thursday- Medium Friday - Hard

Instructions: Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9. That means that no number is repeated in any row, column or box.

Bartending! Up to $300/day. No exp nec.

Training provided. 1-800-965-6520 x133.

Advertising, Business, Communication, Entrepreneurship, & Journalism majors wanted for expanding Travel Company in the area. To learn more call 918-3326474

Universal Crossword Edited by Timothy E. Parker September 15, 2009

ACROSS 1 Aberdeen fellow 5 The red planet 9 Grain husks 14 Hip bones 15 Where David slew Goliath 16 Even bigger 17 Boldness to a fault 18 French gal pal 19 It features a twist 20 Jukeboxes of old 23 Time piece?

24 Novelist Rand 25 Cooked up schemes 29 Basic belief 31 Towels off 33 “One Touch of Venus� star Gardner 34 Pastoral setting 36 Long-eared animal 37 Flattered most sincerely 38 Shortdistance racers 42 TV sleuth Peter 43 Mao ___-tung 44 Book before Esth. in the Bible 45 Disaster relief, e.g.

46 Iraqi port 48 Pinocchio’s

(located just below the puzzle)

POLICY

All ads are subject to acceptance by The Oklahoma Daily. Ad acceptance may be reevaluated at any time.

3 bed, 1530 Willowcliff Ct, $625 - 910 Quanah Parker, $625 - 1616 Rock Hollow, $675 - 800 Branchwood Ct, $700 - Call 360-2873 or 306-1970

1 col (1.833 in) x 2.25 inches Crossword .....$515/month

problem 52 Type of singer?

54 Baseball stat.

56 Peeples of “Fame�

57 Amusement spots of old 60 Like Keebler workers 63 Desi’s homeland 64 Watch word?

65 Obligated 66 Give off, as radiation 67 Arched molding 68 They make you yawn 69 Baglike structures 70 Lion’s share DOWN 1 Seal engraved on a ring 2 Bloom of the stage 3 “The Wizard of Oz� prop 4 Disrupt a player on the tee, maybe 5 Dry and crumbly 6 Candy bar nut 7 Go commando?

8 Like some grins 9 Jeans alternatives 10 “Back Street�

writer Fannie 11 Fourth word in the “Star Wars� intro 12 Wet lowland 13 Go beyond tanning 21 Opposite of “faster�

22 Storeowning family on “Little House on the Prairie�

26 Athletic trainer’s supply 27 Holiday kickoffs 28 Father’s Day gift recipient 30 Flamboyant style 32 Harder to hunt down 35 Reach 37 Like an unswept hearth

38 39 40 41

42 46 47 49 50 51 53 55 58 59 60 61 62

,

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Previous Answers

Pack it in Bring to ruin Perfumes Natural history museum piece You can cook with it Combines Like our numerals Blue dye Your sister’s daughters O-ring, e.g.

Speak one’s mind Out-ofcontrol kids Arizona city Small matter?

Outward tidal flow Elton’s john?

Politically incorrect clothing material

PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

Š 2009 Universal Press Syndicate www.upuzzles.com

JINGLE ALL THE WAY by Donald Blocher

Help Wanted ads in The Oklahoma Daily are not to separate as to gender. Advertisers may not discriminate in employment ads based on race, color, religion or gender unless such qualifying factors are essential to a given position.

HOUSES UNFURNISHED

2 col (3.792 in) x 2 inches Sudoku ...........$760/month Boggle ............$760/month Horoscope .....$760/month

The Oklahoma Daily will not knowingly accept advertisements that discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, religious preference, national origin or sexual orientation. Violations of this policy should be reported to The Oklahoma Daily Business Office at 325-2521.

NOTTINGHAM 2 bd, 2 bath, w/d, ďŹ replace, cfans, lg closets, no pets, covered parking, $650/mo. 360-4107.

Contact an Acct Executive for details at 325-2521.

The Oklahoma Daily is responsible for one day’s incorrect advertising. If your ad appears incorrectly, or if you wish to cancel your ad call 325-2521, before the deadline for cancellation in the next issue. Errors not the fault of the advertiser will be adjusted. Refunds will not be issued for late cancellations.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

5B

Clues point to inside job in Yale killing NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Clues increasingly Police found Le’s body about 5 p.m. pointed to an inside job Monday in the slay- Sunday, the day she was to marry Columbia ing of a Yale graduate student whose body University graduate student Jonathan was found stuffed inside a wall five days Widawsky, lovingly referred to on her after she vanished from a heavily secured Facebook page as “my best friend.” The coulab building accessible only to university ple met as undergraduates at the University employees. of Rochester and were eagerly awaiting their Police on Monday sought to calm fears on planned wedding on Long Island. the Ivy League campus, saying the death of Police have said Widawsky is not a suspect 24-year-old Annie Le was a targeted act but and helped detectives in their investigation. would not say why anyone would want to kill The building where the body was found is the young woman just days bepart of the university medical “I’m not walking at school complex about a mile fore she was to be married.

“We’re not believing it’s a nights by myself from Yale’s main campus. It is random act,” said officer Joe accessible to Yale personnel anymore. It could Avery, a police spokesman. No with identification cards. Some one else is in danger, he said, happen to anyone, 75 video surveillance cameras though he would not provide anytime, anymonitor all doorways. details other than to say that The body was found in the police believe no other students where.” basement in the wall chase — were involved. He also denied a deep recess where utilities broadcast reports that police NATOYA PEART, STUDENT and cables run between floors. had a suspect in custody.

The basement houses rodents, Yale officials said the buildmostly mice, used for sciening where Le worked would reopen under tific testing by multiple Yale researchers, said increased security. Still, some students wor- Robert Alpern, dean of the Yale University ried about their safety.

School of Medicine.

“I’m not walking at nights by myself anyLe was part of a research team headed by more,” said student Natoya Peart, 21, of her faculty adviser, Anton Bennett. According Jamaica. “It could happen to anyone, any- to its Web site, the Bennett Laboratory was time, anywhere.” involved in enzyme research that could have Michael Vishnevetsky, 21, of New York, implications in cancer, diabetes and muscusaid he did not feel safe when he made a late lar dystrophy. Bennett declined to comment trip to his lab Sunday in a different building. Monday on the lab or Le’s involvement with it.

“It felt very different than how I usually felt,” Le’s office was on the third floor of the fivehe said. story building, where authorities found her Twenty-year-old Muneeb Sultan said he’s wallet, keys, money and purse. shocked that a killing could take place in a Campus officials have said that the secusecure Yale building. rity network recorded Le entering the build“It’s a frightening idea that there’s a mur- ing by swiping her ID card about 10 a.m. derer walking around on campus,” said Tuesday. She was never seen leaving.

Sultan, a chemistry student.

Yale closed the building Monday so police

AP PHOTO

A Yale University student carries a copy of the school newspaper as he walks in through the New Haven, Conn. campus Monday. Police are hunting for the killer who stuffed a body believed to be that of a Yale University graduate student behind a wall in the high-security laboratory building where she worked. could complete their investigation, according to a message sent to Yale students and staff. Scientists are being allowed in only to conduct essential research projects, and only under the supervision of a police officer.

Police activity continued at the crime scene early Monday evening, as uniformed officers with police dogs and workers wearing white suits to protect them from hazardous materials went in and out of the building.

When the building reopens, there will be

extra security both inside and outside, said Yale Secretary and Vice President Linda Lorimer.

Police are analyzing what they call “a large amount” of physical evidence.

A friend said Monday that Le never showed signs of worry about her own personal safety at work, though she did express concerns about crime in New Haven in an article she wrote in February for the medical school’s magazine.

—AP

Police question woman in Blago fundraiser’s death CHICAGO — Police investigating the death of ousted Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s chief fundraiser questioned his girlfriend for more than an hour Monday, saying afterward she had cooperated but refusing to say in detail what was discussed.

Clarissa Flores-Buhelos, 30, a real estate agent and former standout basketball player at Northwestern University, answered questions at the offices of prominent Chicago defense attorney Terence P. Gillespie.

“The witness was cooperating, the investigation is continuing,” Country Club Hills chief of police Regina Evans told reporters as she left the law offices. She declined to say any more about what she and police had discussed.

Christopher Kelly, 51, was found slumped in his car Friday night, the day he was supposed to report to prison to start serving time for tax fraud. He died Saturday morning at a Chicago hospital. Drugs were found in the vehicle and authorities have said the case is being treated as a possible suicide.

Kelly had raised millions of dollars for Blagojevich’s campaigns and had emerged as a trusted adviser — but became snared in the federal investigation of corruption swirling around the administration of the now-impeached governor.

An admitted high-stakes gambler who dropped large sums at the tables in Las Vegas and with bookies, Kelly was due to go on trial on corruption charges with Blagojevich, the impeached governor’s brother and three other men on June 3.

Kelly, a roofing contractor from Chicago’s southern suburbs, had already pleaded guilty to $1.3 million in tax fraud and swindling two airlines in connection with $8.5 million in contracts for work on their hangars at O’Hare International

that Flores-Buhelos had “answered questions fully and truthfully for an hour” but declined to provide any details of what was said.

“She answered every question she was asked,” he said.

“She cooperated fully, she answered truthfully, the police seemed pleased.”

Flores-Buhelos eluded reporters clustered around the front and rear of the building by leaving through a cigar shop on the side.

Gillespie had said earlier Monday that Flores-Buhelos called him Friday night and told him that police wanted to question her. He said he agreed to meet with her and the police in his office on Saturday morning.

—AP AP PHOTO

Country Club Hills police chief Regina Evans walks in front of a 2007 Cadillac Escalade impounded at the Country Club Hills police department on Sunday in Country Club Hills, Ill. Airport. He had been sentenced to three years on the tax charge and had signed a plea agreement under which he was to be sentenced to five years in the O’Hare contracts case.

Those were to be served consecutively.

On Friday night, Kelly apparently contacted FloresBuhelos and asked her to meet him in the suburb of Country Club Hills, the community’s mayor said. Mayor Dwight Welch said Flores-Buhelos found him sick in his black Cadillac Escalade and drove him to a nearby hospital.

After the questioning session Monday, Gillespie sent word

First trial over FEMA trailer fumes opens in La. NEW ORLEANS — For the first time since Hurricane Katrina left tens of thousands of families living in FEMA trailers, a federal jury heard allegations Monday that the government-issued shelters exposed Gulf Coast storm victims to hazardous formaldehyde fumes.

A New Orleans woman suing trailer maker Gulf Stream Coach Inc. and government contractor Fluor Enterprises Inc. claims her son’s asthma was aggravated by elevated levels of formaldehyde in their trailer provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Gulf Stream’s own tests found elevated levels of formaldehyde in its trailers in early 2006, but the company failed to warn plaintiffs Alana Alexander and her son, Christopher Cooper, about the potential risks, said plaintiffs’ attorney Tony Buzbee.

“What you don’t know can hurt you, and this case proves that hundred times over,” Buzbee said in his opening statements Monday.

Buzbee and company lawyers urged jurors to consider different standards for what could be safe levels of formaldehyde, a chemical commonly found in

“What you don’t know can hurt you, and this case proves that hundred times over.”

TONY BUZBEE, ATTORNEY construction materials that can cause breathing problems and is classified as a carcinogen.

Buzbee said Alexander and Cooper were exposed to formaldehyde levels that were multiple times higher than those determined to be safe by the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.

Gulf Stream attorney Andrew Weinstock said formaldehyde levels in the plaintiffs’ trailer were many times lower than standards set by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

“They are citing to you the wrong standard,” Weinstock told the jury of five men and four women.

The federal government isn’t a defendant in this first “bellwether” trial, although it has been sued in hundreds of other cases over formaldehyde exposure in FEMA trailers.

U.S. District Judge Kurt Engelhardt ruled last month that a two-year statute of limitations bars Cooper’s claims against the government. Plaintiffs’ lawyers plan to appeal that ruling.

Government tests on hundreds of trailers in Louisiana and Mississippi found formaldehyde levels that were, on average, about five times what people are exposed to in most modern homes.

FEMA downplayed formaldehyde risks for months before those test results were announced in February 2008.

“I believe this will be the most important case that will be tried in Louisiana this year,” Buzbee said.

Jurors heard videotaped testimony from former ATSDR official Christopher De Rosa, who was one of the government’s top toxicologists. In an e-mail to his superiors, De Rosa had warned of signs that formaldehyde in trailers threatened to become a “public health catastrophe.”

During his taped testimony earlier this year, De Rosa choked up when he recalled worrying that children were suffering because government scientists weren’t reacting quickly enough to formaldehyde concerns.

—AP

HOROSCOPE

By Bernice Bede Osol

Copyright 2008, Newspaper Enterprise Assn.

Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2009 VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -Give your total attention to the task at hand, and do not be distracted by wandering thoughts.

If you let your mind roam and focus on nonissues, your plans might have to be scrapped.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) -- If your mood makes it difficult to say anything nice about someone, don’t open your mouth at all. Derogatory remarks will haunt you in ways you won’t like.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) -- Nothing will be gained if you decide to move in another direction just when you have victory within your reach. Don’t quit on anything until you have that trophy mounted on the wall.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) -- When it comes to issues of importance, take a firm position that makes sense to you, and don’t be swayed by someone just to placate his or her views. Be your own person.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- Keep a sharp eye on the methods or procedures of someone who is working on a project for you. If this person is not doing a good job, it could prove quite costly in the end.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) -- Although you are someone with good reasoning powers, you could be swayed from your thinking by inept counseling and resort to something quite foolish. Stay in character.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) -- It might not be your fault, but you could still be blamed for the mishandling of a project if you happen to be standing closest to the complaining person. Coworkers aren’t likely to come to your aid, either.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) -- Although you may not be conscious of it, you are likely to be extremely susceptible to flattery, so be careful. A conniver who recognizes this weakness may try to use it to his or her advantage.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) -- Take nothing for granted, especially in career matters.

If you’re not on your toes, an arrangement that favors you might be snatched away just when you glance in another direction.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) -Under no circumstances should you pretend to be knowledgeable about something in which you only possess a cursory understanding; you could be humiliated in front of others.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) -- Don’t let wishful thinking replace your usual logical assessment of financial affairs. If you want to come out with little or no damage, you must not embellish your worth.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) -- Do not place false value on the views of others just because their thinking is different. Have faith in your own ideas, and do what’s best for you under the circumstances.

6B

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Delay could be issue in trial of warden’s wife OKLAHOMA CITY — The length of time it took authorities to charge the wife of a former prison warden with helping a convicted killer escape more than 15 years ago could be an issue for prosecutors, legal experts say.

Attorneys for Bobbi Parker, now 47, say prosecutors just waited too long to bring charges. She faces one count of assisting a prisoner to escape, and her trial is scheduled to begin early next year.

Prosecutors say Parker, who lived on the grounds of the Oklahoma State Reformatory in Granite, developed a relationship with inmate Randolph Dial, helped him escape in August 1994 and then lived on the run with him for more than a decade. Dial and Parker were discovered in April 2005 living on a chicken ranch in a rural community along the Texas-Louisiana border.

After they were found, prosecutors waited three years to the day to charge Parker with assisting in Dial’s escape. The convicted killer, who maintained that he kidnapped Parker and held her against her will by threatening to harm her family, has since died in prison.

Parker’s attorney, Garvin Isaacs, has filed a motion to dismiss the charge, alleging that the three-year statute of limitations had

“It’s an argument that this is flatout unfair — that too much time has passed and charges could have been filed sooner. It’s not a bad argument.”

RANDALL COYNE, LAW PROFESSOR expired and also that the delay violates her constitutional right to due process.

“The prosecution’s inexcusable 10-year delay in initiating an investigation — after the FBI closed its case and declared Bobbi Parker a victim of kidnapping — deprives Bobbi Parker of due process,” the motion states.

Prosecutors have not yet responded to the motion. But District Attorney John Wampler has previously said that prosecutors initially focused on the investigation against Dial, then had to wade through a report of more than 1,400 pages, and that a key state investigator in the case was deployed to Iraq.

“While I certainly respect wanting to have a thorough investigation in the case, the time lapse in this case will be troublesome

for the prosecution,” said Deborah Reheard, a veteran defense attorney and former vice president of the Oklahoma Criminal Defense Lawyers Association.

“You lose witnesses, memories fade. It’s a two-edged sword for everybody, but it’s the defendant that has the constitutional right to due process.”

A s s i s t a n t D i s t r i c t At t o r n e y E r i c Yarborough, who is assisting in the prosecution against Parker, has said that the clock on the three-year statute of limitations did not begin to run until Parker and Dial were discovered — when authorities first learned a crime may have been committed.

Randall Coyne, a law professor at the University of Oklahoma, said it’s unlikely that a judge will toss the case based on the statute of limitations argument.

“The state’s argument is that they had no reason to think she was anything but a hostage until she was discovered living in relative tranquility on a chicken ranch in east Texas,” Coyne said.

But Coyne said Parker’s attorneys could have some success with their due process claim.

“It’s an argument that this is flat-out unfair

AP PHOTO

Bobbi Parker walks into a Greer County courtroom in Mangum, Okla.

— that too much time has passed and charges could have been filed sooner,” he said. “It’s not a bad argument.”

A Greer County judge is scheduled to rule on the defense motion Oct. 7. Parker’s trial is set for January.

—AP

STATE BRIEFS EX-OSSAA LEADER RENNELS CHARGED WITH EMBEZZLEMENT

OKLAHOMA COMPANY TO ASSEMBLE, SELL ELECTRIC CARS

OKLAHOMA CITY — The former executive secretary of the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association has been charged with one count of embezzlement.

An Oklahoma County judge arraigned 58-year-old Danny Rennels on Monday. According to the Oklahoma State Courts Network Web site, Rennels’ bond is $2,000.

Rennels is accused of embezzling $457,000 since September 2005. He was fired from the OSSAA in March after having worked since 1991 for the organization that oversees Oklahoma high school sports.

He had served since 1999 as the OSSAA’s top official.

Last Wednesday, independent auditor Jerry Putnam told the OSSAA board of directors that his audit showed the organization’s assets as of June 30 as around $100,000 less than a year ago. Putnam said then there have been talks of restitution between Rennels and the OSSAA.

OKLAHOMA CITY — Officials from companies based in Oklahoma and Georgia plan Tuesday to discuss an agreement under which all-electric, street-legal, low-speed vehicles will be assembled and sold in Oklahoma.

The agreement between AMP Control Inc. of Piedmont and Wheego Electric Cars Inc. of Atlanta will be the focus of a news conference at the state Capitol. Under the deal, AMP Control will assemble the vehicles — which are manufactured by Wheego — at a plant in Piedmont, in Canadian County, just northwest of Oklahoma City.

AMP Control, a distributor of remote-controlled lawn mowers, also will have exclusive rights to sell the Wheego product line, including its Whip LSV, in Oklahoma.

It wasn’t immediately clear Monday how large the assembly plant would be, when it might open or how many jobs would be created. AMP Control CEO Max Heckl said the company will start dealerships in Oklahoma City and Tulsa “and expand from there,” although a news release on the agreement didn’t include specifics.

Wheego CEO Mike McQuary told The Associated Press that the tax credits approved recently by the Legislature make Oklahoma an attractive marketplace in which to sell electric vehicles. He said the Wheego Whip LSV qualifies for a state tax credit of 50 percent of the purchase price of the vehicle, which is $18,995, as well as a $7,500 federal tax credit.

The state tax credit can be spread over five years.

“Where states are being that progressive, it’s obviously going to get our attention,” McQuary said.

“Oklahomans historically have thought of their state in terms of oil and natural gas. We want to broaden that thinking to Oklahoma being a leader in all types of energy.”

House Speaker Chris Benge, R-Tulsa, has been a proponent of alternative energy since assuming that post, and Democratic Gov. Brad Henry mostly supported those efforts, signing into law a bill that included tax credits for electric- and compressed natural gas-powered vehicles.

OKLAHOMA TO RECEIVE $18 MILLION IN FEDERAL FUNDING OKLAHOMA CITY — The U.S. Department of Energy is giving $18.6 million to Oklahoma to support energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.

Under the department’s State Energy Program, Oklahoma proposed a statewide plan that prioritizes energy savings, creates or retains jobs, increases the use of renewable energy, and reduces carbon pollution.

The funding announced Monday represents 40 percent of the total funding Oklahoma is to ultimately receive in the $3.1 billion Recovery Act program.

Activities eligible for State Energy Program funding include energy audits, building retrofits, education and training efforts, transportation programs to increase the use of alternative fuels and hybrid vehicles and new financing mechanisms to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy investments.

—AP

DIAZ VS

GUILLARD SEPTEMBER 16, 7 P.M. CROSSROADS LOUNGE

FREE FOOD GIVEAWAYS

FIGHT NIGHT

200 009 09

sooner showcase & engineering CAREER FAIRS

Thurs, September 17 Lloyd Noble Center

take takkee a look ta loook ooookk at at who’s whhoo’’ss attending a atttteeennd ding ding

CAREER FAIR

prep week

Career Fair Prep Week is a great opportunity to polish up your skills to land that important interview for a full-time job or internship at the Career Fairs on Thursday, Sept 17th.

do’s & don’ts free pizza! tues, 9/15 | 12-1:00p.m. | OMU frontier room, 2nd floor

FREE UFC FIGHT NIGHT T-SHIRT TUESDAY SEPT. 15 at 6 P.M. OUTSIDE THE SWITZER CENTER -ANDWEDNESDAY, SEPT. 16 at NOON IN THE UNION 1ST FLOOR LOBBY.

interviewing free pizza! wed, 9/16 | 12-1:00p.m. | OMU heritage room, 2nd floor

how to work the... sooner showcase career fair wed, 9/16 | 4-5:00p.m. | OMU 323, career services lobby

how to work the... engineering career fair wed, 9/16 | 5-6:00p.m. | OMU frontier room, 2nd floor

don’t forget! resume critiques daily leading up to the career fairs!

THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY INSTITUTION. FOR ACCOMMODATIONS ON THE BASIS OF DISABILITY, CALL (405) 325-2113.

The University of Oklahoma is an Equal Opportunity Institution.

For accommodations on the basis of disability, please call 405.325.1974