WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 9, 2009
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Jermaine Gresham’s Gre arthroscopic surgery will keep the star tight the entire end out for th season. Find out the inside. full details in PAGE PA GE 7
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Student Congress passes legislation, seeks recruits
Thursday’s Weather
90°/68° owl.ou.edu
Passed bills includes petition for day off before OU-Texas game
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CAMPUS BRIEFS COUCH RESTAURANTS TO CELEBRATE RENOVATIONS A ribbon cutting and dedication of the newly renovated Couch Restaurants is scheduled for tonight. Renovations of the Couch Restaurants include new flooring, wall covering, seating, tables and a stateof-the-art media center with eight 52-inch flat screens and more than a dozen 8-inch LCD screens. Couch Restaurants now has 14 different restaurant selections, including options for vegan/vegetarian and allergy-specific choices. Guest speakers for the dedication include OU president David Boren, vice president for Student Affairs Clarke Stroud, director of Housing & Food Dave Annis and UOSA President Katie Fox. Speakers will begin at 6 p.m. at Couch Restaurants, 333 Third St.
RICKY MARANON The Oklahoma Daily
Student Congress passed a bill Tuesday that asks for the Friday before OU-Texas weekend to be declared a school holiday. The bill, known as the OU-Texas Act, asks Vice President and Provost Nancy Mergler to designate Friday, Oct. 16 as a day off from school. “It is tradition for us to ask the provost for the day off,” said John Jennings, UOSA Student Congress Chair. The bill was passed unanimously, and now waits for action by the Provost’s office. Other legislation that was passed were appointments of UOSA General Counsel for 20092010.
“We’re already off to a busy year,” UOSA the application deadline has not even passed yet,” said Spencer Pittman, UOSA Student General Counselor Mike J. Davis said. Davis explained to members of Congress Congress spokesman. Pittman said the newly rewhat the judicial branch of cruited freshmen are already UOSA did and what they FILLING VACANCIES being trained on procedure, are already working on this Who: Freshmen who want to writing laws and the by-laws of semester. The final bill approved be appointed to fill vacancies Student Congress, and there is a Tuesday was a bill appointing in the UOSA Student Congress Congressional retreat next Sunday where new and old members will members of Congress to individual committees that ana- Where: The Conoco Student meet and discuss the fall 2009 and lyze bills that are put before the Leadership Center in the spring 2010 semesters. Oklahoma Memorial Union “[The newly recruited memCongress. bers] are already learning what Student Congress has six committees to examine leg- When: Applications must be they need to know to be a member of Congress,” Pittman said. “We’d islation before it is presented received by Sept. 16 still like more people to sign up as legislation before the entire though. It is not too late.” voting body. He said the deadline for freshmen to fill vaStudent Congress is also still attempting to fill vacancies left by the spring 2009 election by cancies in the Student Congress is Sept. 16. recruiting freshmen to open positions. Those that sign up will be appointed to the “We have recruited 15 freshmen so far and Congress after the deadline has passed.
THINK FAST DURING RAMADAN Muslim Student Association hosts event to teach Islamic culture NATASHA GOODELL The Oklahoma Daily
-Hannah Rieger/The Daily
LAST CHANCE TO PICK UP IDAHO STATE GAME TICKETS Students who have not yet picked up or printed off their tickets for this Saturday’s football game against Idaho State need to do so by 5 p.m. today. The athletic ticket office is located on the east side of the stadium under the Asp Avenue parking garage and will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday for students to pick up their tickets. Students need to bring their OU student ID in order to receive their ticket, said Kenneth Mossman, associate athletic director for communications. Students are encouraged to print off their tickets following the instructions sent out via e-mail to student season ticket holders, Mossman said. If you have questions regarding your ticket, call the athletic ticket office at 325-2424.
MICHELLE GRAY/THE DAILY
(Left to Right) Holli Anne Bruce, linguistics senior, sits with Samirah Mohamad, University College freshman, after breaking their sunrise-to-sunset fast in honor of the Ramadan month of fasting. The Think Fast event took place in the Oklahoma Memorial Union Ballroom Tuesday evening.
Growing up in Bartlesville, University College freshman Samirah Mohamad was one of the few to wear a Muslim head scarf, called a hijab. But since coming to OU, Mohamad has found herself surrounded by other Muslims and participated in Tuesday evening’s Think Fast event. “Coming here is almost a culture shock [being surrounded by so many Muslims],” Mohamad said, who was raised in the only Muslim family in Bartlesville. Mohamad said she was surprised by the number of people who attended the event, sponsored by the Muslim Student Association. “[I like] the camaraderie of being around all these people and knowing we’re getting a good message across about Islam,” Mohamad said. Think Fast is a campus event that was created by MSA to invite all students on campus to be a part of a day of fasting. “I think, just like prayer, fasting is something that is a part of many faiths,” said Khadeeja Elyazgi, professional writing junior and MSA public relations officer. “It’s something that brings us together and allows us to learn more about each other through community.” At the end of the day, all students were invited to attend Think Fast at 7 p.m. for a free dinner and a cultural learning experience about Ramadan RAMADAN CONTINUES ON PAGE 2
Elements of Thunander’s past resurface years later
Buildings on campus becoming more energy efficient
Alumnus accused of child molestation and possession of child pornography
Lighting upgrades and motion sensor technology added
redemption not just once, but twice. After a devastating hit during the 2000 OU-Texas game that would cause many problems throughout the season, he would learn in the offseason that his career as a defensive end was over. PETER DAVIS The Oklahoma Daily According to his book, when Thunander returned home to Kansas City that sumEric Thunander stepped on campus mer, he married and divorced in a short for the first time in June 1999 as a football span of time. He eventually hit a new perplayer. After years of dealing with mul- sonal low and attempted suicide. tiple forms of abuse, he wanted to change Thunander reached out for help, conperceptions about hearing-impaired tacting coach Brent Venables. Almost a athletes. week later, coach Bob Stoops called and In “Silent Thunder,” a book Thunander offered Thunander a chance to return to wrote in 2008, he claimed to have been school with his support. emotionally, physically and sexually “We’ll do anything for you, Eric,” Stoops abused by his first stepfather. He had been said, according to Thunander’s book. “You forced to participate in child pornography are important to us. Anything I can do, I and forced to clean up a homicide scene will do.” Thunander accepted Stoops’ offer he claimed his stepfather had commit- and returned, graduating in 2007 with a ted. Coming to OU was bachelor’s degree in supposed to be the new THUNANDER MEETS IN COURT communication. beginning he was hopHe stayed in the Eric Thunander met with members of the area after graduation ing for. Flash forward to a Cleveland County District Attorney’s office a n d b e ga n w o rklittle more than 10 years Tuesday. Details of the meeting were not ing on his book and later, and he is now available at press time. doing motivational being accused by the speaking. He also reCleveland County District Attorney’s of- searched the quality of education for deaf fice of child molestation and possession of students in rural America and how to imchild pornography. prove it out of personal interest. In the book, he detailed many of his In May 2008, he finished writing and own accounts of being abused. In one in- publishing his book and it looked like stance, he described a childhood exploi- Thunander was on the path to a better tation with another young female child in life. vivid detail. OU offered Thunander a chance at ELEMENTS CONTINUES ON PAGE 2
FREE — ADDITIONAL COPIES 25¢
photoluminescent ones, will be completed in phases during the next year and a half, Hearn said. The current phase involves a variety of BREIA BRISSEY lighting upgrades. The wattage of some exteThe Oklahoma Daily rior lights around campus has been reduced by approximately 50 percent. Inside, upgrades In an effort to increase sustainability and include lower-wattage fluorescent bulbs and lower costs, OU’s Physical Plant has partnered occupancy sensors to determine an area’s with Johnson Controls, Inc. to upgrade sev- use. Hearn said if a room is no longer in use, eral academic buildings on campus to better the lights will automatically turn off. conserve energy. These renovations include Laura Knoll, membership director at everything from motion sensors for office KGOU, works on the third floor of Copeland lighting and vending machines Hall. She said her motion to photoluminescent exit signs LOOKING FORWARD sensor light was installed and low-flow toilets. • Currently the Physical Plant is about a month ago. Amanda Hearn, Physical focusing on lighting upgrades “Sometimes the light turns Plant spokeswoman, said after and will focus on water con- off on me when I’m working,” all the renovations are com- servation next. she said. “But it’s worth it if plete, the annual energy savings [OU] can save some energy. for upgrades will be equivalent • New low-flow toilets will It’s definitely a good thing.” to having more than 1,800 fewer reduce water use from approxTo minimize inconvecars in Norman. nience, most of the upgrades imately six gallons per minute “Reductions in utility costs to 1.6 gallons per minute. are being performed at night. and energy use from this projHearn also said Physical Plant ect will continue to benefit the is making a special effort to Source: Amanda Hearn, university for years to come,” physical plant spokeswoman notify building occupants of Hearn stated in an e-mail. any changes. These changes can be found Chris Applegate, the presieverywhere from Copeland Hall and Sarkeys dent of the student-lead organization OUr Energy Center to Bizzell Memorial Library Earth, said these changes are really important and Cross Center. Hearn said the reason some steps in making the university more green. buildings have seen these upgrades before “While OU is behind on these initiatives others is because the technology required we are really gearing up to really push these to make a cost-effective upgrade has already initiatives at a quicker rate,” he said. “I look been reached in some newer buildings. forward to collaborating with OU to pursue The entire project, which started with the these initiatives and creating awareness of replacement of electric powered exit signs to these issues with the OU community.”
© 2009 OU PUBLICATIONS BOARD
VOL. 95, NO. 15
2 Wednesday, September 9, 2009 Meredith Moriak, managing editor dailynews@ou.edu • phone: 325-3666 • fax: 325-6051
Watch a video from the Think Fast event. OUDAILY.COM
Small fire breaks out in Chemistry Building closet Fire marshal to investigate cause HAILEY BRANSON The Oklahoma Daily
Dozens of students and faculty were displaced Tuesday morning as firefighters put out a small fire in the Chemistry Building on the southwest side of the North Oval. The fire was located in a closet in room 326, Norman Deputy Fire Chief Jim Bailey said. Three fire engine companies and 15 firefighters were dispatched to the scene, he said. A call about an alarm was received at about 10:16 a.m., and firefighters extinguished the fire in less than 10 minutes, Bailey said. Firefighters stayed in the building to clear smoke for at least an hour. The cause of the fire and the amount of damage was unknown as of Tuesday
Elements Continued from page 1 On Aug. 10 of this year, everything came crashing down. According to court affidavits filed in Cleveland County, Thunander confessed both verbally and in writing to the Norman Police Department to child molestation after a monitored phone call between Thunander and the victim’s father. Thunander also claimed he downloaded child pornography from the file-sharing software Limewire, according to the affidavits. Many calls and e-mails to local psychologists and to the Oklahoma City Police Department left questions unanswered due to the ongoing investigation into Thunander without full knowledge of him or his background. Mark Chaffin, a professor in the department of pediatrics at the OU Health Sciences Center, offered some general insight into child abuse. “Child abuse should not be
morning, Bailey said. OU Fire Marshal Kevin Leach will investigate. Daniel Garrison, biochemistry senior, was in a physical chemistry lab in the building at the time the alarm sounded. He said everyone was evacuated, and students had to sit outside the building on the North Oval while firefighters were inside. Garrison said he did not see or smell smoke as he left the building, but he knew people who did. “Somebody said he smelled smoke when he went back in to get some crackers,� he said. Garrison said he thought the fire was put out quickly because of the firefighters’ movement. “The firefighters seem to be moving at a more leisurely pace,� he said. “They don’t seem too frantic.�
NATASHA GOODELL/THE DAILY
Students wait outside the Chemistry Building on the North Oval Tuesday after a closet caught fire.
stereotyped,� he said. “Abused children are not ticking time bombs; that’s an old wives’ tale.� In contrast to what Chaffin said, a study done by the Abel and Harlow Child Molestation Prevention Study published in 2001 by Xlibris Corporation suggests that almost 47 percent of molested boys go on to become molesters later in life. Harry Wright, psychology professor, said the effects of child abuse are complicated, but that the effects of abuse can cause further trauma. “Our understanding of the psychological dynamic with child abuse is very murky,� he said. “We are still trying to find cognitively what’s going on. What are the dynamic processes that lead to this?� Thunander was optimistic about his future; he had hoped he could change opinions. “I will not succumb to the dark path,� he stated in the book. “I will not lose my mind. I will not become a statistic.�
Ramadan Continued from page 1 and the Islamic faith. “Fasting is a lot about dealing with internal battles,� Mohamad said. “It’s not about just being hungry or thirsty because you know you have that meal coming at 8 p.m., not everyone does.� Mohamad, who has been fasting since Aug. 21, said she has become used to fasting and only recognizes times she is hungry occasionally throughout the day. She said her first LOG ONLINE TO READ day of class was reNATASHA’S BLOG ABOUT ally hard because she was walking FASTING FOR A DAY. to class in the heat and was so thirsty, but she said it wasn’t unbearable. “You have to remember that it isn’t just about yourself,� Mohamad said. “I have to motivate myself to keep pushing through.� She said this is one of the months in the lunar calendar that fighting and wars are prohibited in the Islamic tradition. During fasting, you can’t get angry with people, smoke, use foul language, eat, drink, be profane or have physical relations with the opposite sex, Mohamad said. She said everyone tries to be a nice and caring person while fasting.
“By the time you break fast you’re starving and keep thinking about everything you can eat but then I can’t even finish half of my plate,â€? she said. All the food that you do not eat while you are fasting makes the meal at the end of the day more meaningful, she said. “Last year we went to Oliver Garden and that first taste of a breadstick was ‌ wonderful,â€? Mohamad said. Mohamad said a lot of people came to the Think Fast event because it had a lot of publicity. “My friends and I were looking at the group and thought it would be a great way to get perspective about what they do, why they do it and how they do this,â€? said Colin Wilson, visual communication junior. Wilson said he hopes to understand Muslims better through this and to be able to experience what it’s like to spend a day in their shoes. “How do you love someone like God loves them if you don’t understand them?â€? Wilson said. Wilson said fasting was very hard, as he saw all of the food on campus and smelled the food as he would pass by students coming from lunch, but he said he just remembered the people who go through this on a daily basis. “Orphans go down the streets and they see the food and smell the food, but they don’t have the means to get it,â€? Wilson said. “And for us, it’s just like I’m missing lunch. But for them, they could possibly die.â€?
Dear OU Community, >?4=H>DA5A44BCD34=C022>D=C >=;8=40C10=258ABC 2><
The Murray-Case Sells Swim Complex is open and undergoing improvements!
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Unl construcon is complete, the outdoor pool will remain open as long as the water temperatures are safe to do so. Because of the low overnight temperatures, the moderate dayme temperatures, rain, and the associated lowering of the pool water temperature, the pool will be closed for the safety of our swimmers when the water temperature falls below 75 degrees. The United States Search and Rescue Task Force esmates that temperatures around and under 70 degrees to be “cold water,� the point at which, depending upon one’s physical composion, one’s body can experience severe physical strain, possibly producing cardiac arrest.
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The construcon at the entryway is for the new roof being installed over the indoor pool. Due to complicaons during construcon, the project is taking longer than ancipated. We are working as quickly as possible to complete the project. As with all rooďŹ ng projects, compleon dates are diďŹƒcult to determine as they are oen inuenced by weather and underlying condions that must be addressed before the new roof installaon is completed.
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You may check the water temperature before arriving for a swim by calling 325-4837 or checking our website at recservices. ou.edu. Website temperature posngs will be updated at approximately 5:45 am, 11 am, and 3 pm. Front Desk operaons will have updated water temperatures available every thirty minutes during hours of operaon.
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Should the pool close due to the water temperatures, members will receive a refund or a membership extension, based on their preference, for the swim me lost. The safety of our members is our primary concern. We apologize for the inconvenience and look forward to the compleon of the new roof. Sincerely, <dbcQTT]a^[[TSX]1P]R5Xabc½b5A44?Tab^]P[>][X]T1P]ZX]VU^a<^QX[T1P]ZX]VQT]TÄcb <^QX[T1P]ZX]VXb5A44W^fTeTaaPcTbUa^\h^dafXaT[Tbb_a^eXSTa\PhP__[h
Amy M. Davenport Director, Recreaonal Services
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
3
CAMPUS NOTES TODAY
Former Army Col. discusses operations in El Salvador
CAREER SERVICES Professional Dress for Men and Women will be held from 10:30 to 11:20 a.m. and again from 12:30 to 1:20 p.m. in the Oklahoma Memorial Union. Resume Writing 101 for arts and sciences majors will be held from 3 to 3:30 p.m. in the Union.
Waghelstein uses experience to evaluate United States
CHRISTIANS ON CAMPUS A Bible study will be held from 12:30 to 1:15 p.m. in the Union. INTRAMURAL SPORTS The Intramural Program will be looking for more students to register for the flag football season from 5 to 6 p.m. in the Huston Huffman Center. CAMPUS CRUSADE FOR CHRIST Campus Crusade for Christ will meet from 9 to 10 p.m. in the Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.
THURSDAY CAREER SERVICES Resume Writing 101 for engineering majors will be held from 1:30 to 2 p.m. in the Union. An Interviewing 101 workshop will be held from 1:30 to 2 p.m. in the Union. RELIGIOUS STUDIES AND HISTORY OF SCIENCE The Religious Studies and the History of Science Department will be hosting a series of presentations titled “An Evolving Creation: A Personal Perspective on Science and Faith” from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in Nielsen Hall.
OUR COMMITMENT TO ACCURACY The Daily has a long-standing commitment to serve readers by providing accurate coverage and analysis. Errors are corrected as they are identified. Readers should bring errors to the attention of the editorial board for further investigation. Friday’s edition of The Daily incorrectly stated U.S. Representative Tom Cole was a state representative.
JARED RADER The Oklahoma Daily
The U.S. could look at past effective counterinsurgency operations in Latin America to improve the operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, f o r m e r U. S. A r my C o l . Jo h n Waghelstein told an audience of students Tuesday in Nielsen Hall. Waghelstein, a professor emeritus at the Naval War College in Newport, R.I. commanded the 7th Special Forces Group and the U.S. Military Group in El Salvador, where he led 55 soldiers to defeat the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front insurgency during the Salvadoran Civil War of the 1980s. Waghelstein said one of the key factors in U.S. failure to win counterinsurgency wars is its failure to do the right analysis of the situation. “Our problem is not that we don’t know how to do this,” Waghelstein said. “We have a tendency to look at the last war we fought and say ‘OK, this is the way we won the last one, so it must work this time.’” Waghelstein called this tendency “last battle syndrome.” He noted the Vietnam War as an example of a counterinsurgency operation gone wrong. He said the mentality of the U.S. Army was set to fight a “big war”
rather than a counterinsurgency. Waghelstein said the Vietnam War was unsuccessful because it was a long, drawn out war that was politically divisive and resulted in major loss of life. “American patience is not our strong suit,” Waghelstein said. Waghelstein then compared his counterinsurgency operation in El Salvador with the operation in Vietnam. He said the reasons for his operation’s success in El Salvador were that his force conducted good analysis of the situation on the ground, kept constant pressure on the Salvadoran army for assistance and only 55 soldiers were needed to complete the job. “The [Latin American] leftists tried to paint our operation as another Vietnam,” Waghelstein said. “Fifty-five soldiers is not another Vietnam.” The 7th Special Forces Group trained the Salvadoran armed forces and threatened to pull out if the Salvadoran army did not perform, said Waghelstein. “There is a tipping point where the less committed you are, the more leverage you have,” he said. Waghelstein compared the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to the Vietnam War in terms of its length, how it has divided people on party lines and the growing loss of life. While his operations in El Salvador were successful, Waghelstein said
they did not provide perfect soluWaghelstein also drew on his tions for the problems in Iraq and experience training the military in El Salvador Afghanistan. with current He said that a “If you’re going to fight these few elements things, you better be prepared to training operations of the could be apforeign armies plied to the address each one of the issues in Iraq and wars, such as that are causing people to be Afghanistan. having better pissed off in the first place.” “ T h e r e analysis. comes a point “If you’re in which if a going to fight — FORMER U.S. ARMY COL. JOHN host country these things, WAGHELSTEIN, ON U.S. INVOLVEMENT IN cannot do what you better be COUNTERINSURGENCY EFFORTS. it needs to do prepared to address each one of the issues that on its own, I think we ought to cut are causing people to be pissed off bait,” Waghelstein said. in the first place,” Waghelstein said.
JEREMY DICKIE/THE DAILY
John D. Waghelstein, adjunct professor from the U.S. Naval War College, lectures over the counter-insurgency in Nielson Hall Tuesday night.
POLICE REPORTS The following is a list of arrests and citations, not convictions. Information is provided by the Norman Police Department and the OUPD. All people listed below are presumed innocent until proven guilty. MUNICIPAL WARRANT Tony Lavell Anderson, 20, Alameda Street, Monday Theda Dawn Bennett, 40, 1708 Jennifer Circle, Monday Benjamin Aaron Coats, 21, 1506 E. Lindsey Ave., Monday Daniel Joseph Ellis, 26, Beaumont Street, Sunday. Also, driving under suspension. DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE Matthew Bernard Otten, 20, 100 Imhoff Road, Saturday Matthew D. Glass, 20, 100 E. Boyd St., Saturday Jon Whitson Dandridge, 26, 4608 E. Franklin Road, Monday. Also, possession of marijuana.
Madalene Berniece Schmitt, 23, Castro Street, Monday Joseph Edward McGarity, 44, 300 W. Boyd St., Friday Brandon Thomas Powell, 30, 500 E. Boyd St., Friday. Also, transporting an open container and driving without proof of insurance. Jessie Raul Ochoa, 18, 500 E. Constitution St., Sunday Zachary William Crawford, 23, 2700 S. Chautauqua Ave., Monday. Also, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute within 1,000 feet of a school.
POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA Tracy Lajuan Heller, 40, 218 Beal St., Sunday
PUBLIC INTOXICATION Jacob Kyle Boone, 21, 900 Asp Ave., Sunday. Also, outraging public decency. Eric Scott Bowen, 19, 300 E. Brooks St., Sunday. Also, carrying a concealed weapon. Christopher Mark Spurlock, 23, 200 W. Boyd St., Sunday
PETTY LARCENY Jonas Shane Williams, 35, 601 12th Ave. N.E., Monday Michael Chad Woods, 28, 333 N. Interstate Drive E., Monday
MINOR IN POSSESSION OF ALCOHOL Braden Scott Holden, 20, 1413 Peter Pan St., Sunday POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA Brian Russell Kelley, 20, 1413 Peter Pan St., Sunday
DRIVING WITH A SUSPENDED/REVOKED LICENSE Teresa Ann Bell, 49, 900 Block of Elm Avenue, Saturday
4
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Will Holland, opinion editor dailyopinion@ou.edu • phone: 325-7630 • fax: 325-6051
COMMENTS OF THE DAY » In response to Tuesday’s Our View, “New Crossroads menu better for students, faculty.”
“Except NOTHING adds up to the $6.50 for a meal exchange!” -saxman
YOU CAN COMMENT AT OUDAILY.COM
“I miss the curly fries!” -mythman
STAFF COLUMN
OUR VIEW
Green measures impressive, but more can always be done Walk anywhere on campus and you will likely be able to see at least one person in your vicinity sporting a pair of Chacos. The colorful sandals have become a popular fashion statement, especially for those who support environmentally friendly measures or at least want to look like they do. These days, going green is trendy. But remember, it’s not a fad. Green measures, like recycling and conserving energy, are becoming increasingly important as our natural resources are being depleted at a growing rate. And that’s why we’d like to take a moment to commend OU administrators for the environmentally friendly, on-campus measures that have already been implemented (See page 1 for details). These include the introduction of Green Week, double-sided printing in campus computer labs, electronic pay stubs for campus employees, an increased number of recycling bins and turned-off lights in soda machines on campus, among other green measures. The efforts are substantially more visible on campus compared to just two years ago.
We realize the measures OU has taken to go green are not mandatory, and they take money (something that may be in short supply during the current recession) to implement. But OU has taken those steps and in the process become a leader in the green movement. This is laudable to say the least. We sincerely hope OU keeps this up because, as we said before, going green is not a fad. The administration cannot, however, do it alone. It takes work and sacrifices from everybody on campus. Start out small by making sure to turn out the light every time you leave your dorm room or apartment or by recycling soda bottles. We realize it’s not always easy (we like the convenience of driving over walking to class, too), and nobody’s perfect (by putting out this publication each day we use a lot of paper). But if everyone on campus follows OU’s lead, our university will truly become a force in the environmentally friendly movement. Don’t know where to start? Recycle this paper when you’re done reading it.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR As a junior and a woman at OU, I am stunned at how OU Housing has handled my unique case involving my priority housing permit. I have not lived on campus since my freshman year, but since I work late nights and early mornings in the dorms, I have felt that the safest parking option for me is to buy a priority housing permit. Last year I bought a priority permit, and it was never brought into question, but since OU Parking and Transit made a mistake in giving unqualified freshmen permits, mine has also been taken away. I went up the chain of command within OU Housing and was told that even though I work 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. shifts and a 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. shift, I will have to park in commuter lots and walk across the deserted campus, putting my own safety in jeopardy. I am astonished that a university that values students would put a female student-employee in such a situation. I have been repeatedly told by OU Parking and Transit - and it was published in The Daily - that the only qualifications to receive such a permit are that a “student must have lived in the residence halls for two semesters and completed 24 credit hours.” Under these criteria I should qualify. It is a sad day for Oklahoma when the OU Housing office failed to take my specific situation into consideration and have unofficially amended OU Parking and Transit’s policy. Sarah Harp Political science and anthropology junior
EDITOR’S NOTE: For more information on the sales of priority parking permits, go to OUDaily.com to read the Sept. 2 news story, “Freshmen must exchange incorrect permits.”
‘Can someone be religious and still practice religious studies?’ Along with professional writing, I am a religious studies major. Most people ask me if I’m working toward pastorhood when I share this with them. I then go into a speech I am quite used to giving: religious studies is not seminary. In fact, it’s far from it. S e m i n a r y , w h e re pastors go to learn, approaches religion from a theological standpoint. Religious studies is the academic JELANI study of religion. SIMS Seminar y teaches p e o p l e m o re a b o u t God specifically, while religious studies asks why people worship God and hold a text up as truth in the first place. My endeavors in religious studies thus far have led me to the question: can someone be religious and still practice religious studies? You see, religious studies requires the practitioner to approach religion from an objective, non-judgmental standard (even after the rest of our college classes have drilled into our heads that everything is hopelessly subjective). Approaching various other religions from an objective, open-minded stance might be difficult for someone who has already built their worldview around strong faith-based claims, such as a strong Christian like me. I am constantly tempted to subject the religions and worldviews I study to my own worldview. So lately, I have asked myself, what in the world am I doing in the religious studies department? Here’s my honest answer. I plan on sharing my faith with others throughout life, considering that is what my faith demands, and I want to be educated and well versed in the worldviews and religions I might encounter through others as I am sharing my faith. I am slightly apprehensive about sharing this reason among the religious studies crowd. There is too much motive in it, considering RELS students are supposed to learn to approach other religious systems objectively. Furthermore, our objective study is supposed to lead us to appreciate other religions and eventually validate them. Again, this idea is an object of tension and a stumbling block for me. I am a Christian. My faith is
monotheistic. I believe in one God and one God only. And again, I must ask myself, what in the world am I doing in the religious studies department? Don’t misunderstand me; religious studies has taught me a lot and been very rewarding in many ways so far. However, it is also a battlefield for me, and I sometimes wonder why I have thrown myself onto this battlefield. And if I remain in the RELS department, which I will, then there is only one way I can answer the question I have posed. Yes, one can have religion and be a student of RELS at the same time. Deciding that my answer to the question is yes is a hurtle I have already jumped. The real battle is: How do I explain my yes? I hope the fact that I’m writing this column doesn’t cause you to think that I have an answer yet. I don’t. Religious scholars still struggle to answer this question every day. Students and teachers in this community know that the two choices one has are to leave their personal beliefs at the door or bring them into the room at their own discretion. I have tried both and encountered both undesirable and desirable results at each turn. For now, as I go on learning, I wholeheartedly accept the fact that I have a motive and a rhyme and reason for everything, from brushing my teeth to approaching religious studies. I gladly learn about religion for the purpose of better understanding and approaching people who believe differently, but I won’t validate every single worldview or religion I encounter alongside or above my own for the sake of academia. Perhaps others in the RELS community will accept my motives. Perhaps they won’t. Hopefully, they will realize that I am simply another student in the department, trying to find a proper answer to the question of religion and religious studies. I am simply a student, searching out the proper avenue for my motives and convictions as I am thrust head-on into a world that thinks and believes differently than I do. And along the road, if I finally find a brilliant answer to all I have struggled with here, I will surely let you know.
Jelani Sims is a professional writing and religious studies junior.
STAFF COLUMN
America represents more than just the ‘home of the Sooners’ I want to say something that doesn’t get mentioned enough in the “land of the free and the home of the Sooners.” God bless America. I recently drove to San Antonio for my brother’s graduation from Air Force Basic Training, and at no other point in my life (except for maybe the OUTexas Tech game last year) have I felt the hair-raising, shoulder-shimmy-inducing chills of pride that I felt at the graduation parade. Among the families watch- TJ ing the parade, there were no MOEN divisions of color. Red and blue did not represent locations along the political spectrum, but rather they stood as two of the three colors on the flag being saluted. And black and white represented only the ink on the Constitution our service members pledged to uphold. Everybody was nothing more, or nothing less, than a proud American. The graduation ceremony I witnessed
was an excellent reminder that, despite all The next time you hear “ The Star the doom and gloom showered upon us Spangled Banner,” think about it a little by the media and fellow citizens, we still bit. Don’t let the National Anthem become live in the greatest nation in akin to the meanInstead, think about a the world. ingless but obligWe certainly believed friend or family member in ator y “How are in that statement in grade the military. Or about the you?” of our passschool when we defended ing greetings. every rude or selfish act unlimited opportunities you Instead, think with the phrase, “It’s a have to chase “the American about a friend or free country!” We said the dream.” family member pledge every day. We sang, in the military. Or “This Land is Your Land.” about the unlimWell that land, “from the ited opportunities Redwood Forests to the Gulf Stream you have to chase “the American Dream.” Waters,” is still a pretty great place to Think about how far the nation has live. The country is still based on “lib- come, from slavery to having a black erty and justice for all.” America is still president. Or give the government a silent a “free country,” in the best sense of the shout-out (Too many taxes, but still less term. than France. Good roads are nice. Thanks, So add your favorite version of an gov.). American tune to your iPod and give it Take a minute to think about the rethe recognition it deserves. Give a toast pressed families stuck in a corrupt nation. to America. High-five a random ROTC Pray for the countries in Africa and cenmember. Do something once in a while to tral Asia that are destroyed by illness beremind you how fortunate we are to live cause their people have no access to clean here. water.
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Think about the children in the Middle East who are educated in Taliban recruitment schools. I know I’m not saying anything you didn’t know before. You know all about why America is great, and you have likely known since elementary school. But do you ever think about it anymore? Every once in a while, it’s nice to be reminded. My brother’s graduation was that reminder to me, and I hope that, however less inspirational it may be, this column will encourage you to give America the gratitude it deserves. So when you hear the National Anthem at the next OU football game, if nothing else, think about how lucky you are just to be watching football. And if you end the song with “Sooners,” consider the importance of the first 80 words in giving you the freedom to say whatever you want in the last. Appreciate, and then celebrate. TJ Moen is an industrial engineering junior.
The Oklahoma Daily is a public forum and OU’s independent student voice. 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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Wednesday, September 9, 2009
5
Former Ill. governor states innocence in new book CHICAGO — Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich said Tuesday that statements he made on secret FBI wiretap tapes were taken out of context by prosecutors and that he might try to call senators and a top White House official as witnesses at his racketeering and fraud trial to back his version of events. Blagojevich told The Associated Press in a phone interview that he might even try to subpoena President Barack Obama as a witness at his trial, but the court is unlikely to compel the president to testify. The former governor, ROD whose trial is scheduled to begin June 3, said he BLAGOJEVICH expects to be cleared of charges that he tried to sell or trade Obama’s former Senate seat for campaign money or a high-paying job for his wife or himself. “I will be vindicated because I haven’t done anything wrong,� Blagojevich said. He said he sometimes stays awake and worries that justice — as he sees it — won’t
prevail and he will go to prison. “I think about it in the wee hours, in the witching hour — I’m only human,� Blagojevich said. He described the ordeal he and his family have been going through since his arrest last December as “this nightmare.� Blagojevich said he is not tempted to ask his attorneys to seek a plea deal that could cut years of any prison sentence. “Never,� he said, raising his voice. The former governor spoke by phone from New York, where he was promoting his book, “The Governor.� He started the day with an interview with WLS radio in Chicago and an appearance on NBC’s “Today� show. According to prosecutors, the FBI secretly recorded Blagojevich last November saying he wanted something in exchange for the Senate seat. “I’ve got this thing and it’s (deleted) golden, and uh, uh, I’m just not giving it up for (deleted) nothing,� he is quoted as saying. He was later recorded saying “I want to make money� off the seat, prosecutors said. As he argued in his book, Blagojevich said his words were taken out of context, and that
he was hoping to appoint Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan to the Senate seat in return for a deal with her father, Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago. Under that plan, Michael Madigan would push a public works bill designed to create thousands of jobs and health care legislation through the state House, while guaranteeing there would be no tax increase for Illinois residents. In exchange, his daughter would get the Senate seat. In his book, Blagojevich said he told his chief of staff, John Harris, to start implementing the plan the day before his arrest. He is expected to be a witness at Blagojevich’s trial. The former governor was asked if he thought Harris would support his story on cross-examination. “If he tells the truth, that’s what happened,� Blagojevich said. Blagojevich said he might subpoena White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, Senate Democrat Majority Leader Harry Reid and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairman Robert Menendez to
back up his version of what happened. He said he discussed his plan with all of them. Another possible witness he said would be former House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill. Blagojevich said in his book that he was surprised to find out that one of his chief fundraisers, Tony Rezko, was involved in corruption. Rezko has been convicted of taking part in a $7 million payoff scheme and is now believed to be cooperating with federal prosecutors. Blagojevich said his wife, Patti, was within the bounds of ethics to accept thousands of dollars in real estate commissions from Rezko because she supplied professional services and the relationship began before he became governor. He also said that while another former chief of staff, Alonzo Monk, had been one of his closest friends for 30 years, Monk had never told him that he had received thousands of dollars from Rezko. “If true, I’m shocked,� Blagojevich said. –AP
Police arrest suspect in Milwaukee serial killing case MILWAUKEE — Police investigating a string of cold-case slayings identified their prime suspect after obtaining DNA from his toothbrush late last month, but investigators should have had a sample from him eight years earlier and before the last killing. Police said Walter E. Ellis of Milwaukee was arrested Saturday after a state crime lab matched his DNA to samples taken from nine women killed between 1986 and 2007. Ellis was in prison from 1998 to 2001, which meant a state law mandating corrections officials obtain DNA from prisoners with felony convictions should have applied to him. But the state Department of Justice said it never received the sample, which would have been processed before the 2007 slaying ever happened. The state agency responsible for collecting such samples insists it did so. “We have no record that we received a convicted-offender sample from Mr. Ellis,� said Justice Department spokesman Kevin St. John. In some cases, a person’s sample yields an unusable profile, but the DOJ keeps records of those people to ensure proper follow-up. Ellis didn’t show up on that list either, St. John added. Wisconsin’s Department of Corrections, which is responsible for obtaining samples, said it complied with the law.
“The only information we have is an indication in our system that the specimen was collected on Feb. 4, 2001,� said John Dipko, a corrections spokesman. He said the sample would have been sent to the state crime lab, which is under the jurisdiction of the state DOJ. Police Chief Edward Flynn said authorities couldn’t find Ellis’ DNA profile in a statewide database, forcing them to take the high-risk step of obtaining a sample directly by executing a search warrant Aug. 29, even if doing so tipped off Ellis that police were investigating. Authorities began to focus on Ellis, 49, after his name surfaced in connection with a number of unsolved homicides, Flynn said, but did not elaborate. Search warrant documents released Tuesday indicated Ellis was identified by the FBI’s Violent Criminal Apprehension Program, a national repository in which violent crimes are compared and analyzed by experts. The warrant said authorities were seeking “possible ligatures� that could be used for strangulation. All nine women were strangled except one. Documents indicated police confiscated the toothbrush along with a metal chain, clothing, a pipe, an unknown white powder, cell phones and CDs. The documents said Ellis was scheduled to meet with police Aug. 29 but didn’t show
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up. He was captured Saturday after a struggle when an alert officer spotted his car at a motel, authorities said. Ellis was charged in the deaths of two of the nine women, and more charges are expected this week, prosecutors said. The state public defender’s office said Tuesday that no attorney had been assigned to him. A message left with Flynn’s office Tuesday was not immediately returned. Ellis served his previous prison sentence after pleading no contest to a reduced charge of second-degree reckless injury. He was released from prison in 2001 and from state supervision in 2003, when corrections officials would have verified that his DNA sample was in the system, Dipko said. Police said Ellis’ DNA was found on the bodies of nine women aged 16 to 41 who were killed on the city’s north side. Investigators believe eight of the women were prostitutes and one was a runaway. Authorities previously have speculated that the person whose DNA they recovered on the runaway had sex with that girl but that someone else killed her. But Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm would not say Monday whether anyone else would be charged in the killings. –AP
AP PHOTO
An undated photo released by the Milwaukee County Jail shows Walter E. Ellis, 49, of Milwaukee. Ellis faces two counts of first-degree homicide in the killings of Joyce Mims, 41, and Ouithreaun Stokes, 28. Ellis is suspected in the killings of at least eight women over 21 years in Milwaukee, and has been charged in connection with two of the homicides.
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Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Boy hidden behind wall remains in state custody BENTON, Ill. — A 6-year-old boy whose mother is accused of hiding him in a crawl space for nearly two years whenever visitors arrived will remain in state custody while he gets counseling meant to eventually reunite him with his father. Franklin County Circuit Judge Kyle Vantrease turned away Michael Chekevdia’s request to take temporary custody of his son immediately, ruling Tuesday that Richard Chekevdia needs help to gradually process his “traumatic” ordeal. Ricky and his mother, 30-yearold Shannon Wilfong, vanished in November 2007. They were found Friday hiding in a small crawl space in his grandmother’s two-story home in southern Illinois. Vantrease scheduled a Nov. 23 hearing to resolve the custody issue, suggesting that by then the boy’s progress in counseling and efforts backed by state child-welfare workers to reunify him with his dad could be measured. Until then, the boy will remain with a relative of Michael Chekevdia’s in Marion. The judge refused — with the state’s blessings — any access to him by his mother, who often sobbed during the 75-minute hearing and insisted she’d done nothing wrong. “You’re making me sound bad.
It was not like that at all,” she interjected at one point. Wilfong, 30, made her first court appearance earlier Tuesday on a felony abduction charge, telling a judge she planned to hire an attorney. She remained jailed on $42,500 bond and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Sept. 23. The grandmother, 51-year-old Diane Dobbs, is free on bond after being charged with aiding and abetting. Dobbs has insisted Wilfong had little choice but to flee with the boy to protect him. “We were on our own and we had to do what we had to do and that was make sure our grandson was safe,” she told ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Monday. Michael Chekevdia has rejected allegations of abuse, as did state child-welfare officials and the judge in court Tuesday. “I absolutely have no concerns about the father,” testified Jan McGraw, a state child-protection supervisor. Chekevdia, a 48-year-old former police officer who’s an Illinois Army National Guard lieutenant colonel, won temporary custody of his son shortly before the boy and his mother — Chekevdia’s former girlfriend — disappeared. Chekevdia said he long suspected his son was being hidden
by Dobbs, although there were no signs of him when the home was searched with her consent. Wilfong was charged in December 2007 with abducting the boy, but couldn’t be found. For much of the time since, Chekevdia said, the windows of Dobbs’ home were blocked off by drawn shades or other items. Stacy Kinter, an Illinois State Police special agent, testified Tuesday that police who stormed Dobbs’ Elkville house with a search warrant Friday found Dobbs hastily trying to close the entry to the crawl space. Inside the plywood-floored confines — roughly 5 feet by 12 feet and about the height of a washing machine, hidden behind a wall by a dresser — searchers found Wilfong and the boy, clad only in underwear and a T-shirt. He appeared “very pale, like he’d not been in the sun,” Kinter said, reinforcing the boy’s claims that for virtually during all of his seclusion he was not allowed outside. Moments after being found, Kinter said, the boy “seemed very excited to be playing in the grass and outside.” Witnesses testified that there was no evidence that the boy attended school or got medical attention after the abduction.
AP PHOTO
Before being taken into a sheriff’s squad car Tuesday, Shannon Wilfong, 30, responds to a reporter’s question. Wilfong is accused of hiding her 6-year-old son in a crawl space for nearly two years whenever visitors arrived. Angela Anderson, an investigator for the state child-welfare agency, testified that a counselor who examined the boy briefly said he had a speech impediment, had limited reading skills and was “socially lacking, socially behind.”
“He referred to (his dad) as a monster,” Anderson said. “I can only speculate he’d heard that from the people he’d been around the past two years.” –AP
Suspects in cemetery desecration case plead not guilty to charges CHICAGO — Four former cemetery workers pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to charges accusing them of digging up bodies at a historic suburban Chicago graveyard in order to resell the burial plots. During a brief hearing, attorneys for the four defendants entered the pleas. All four indicated that they understood the charges against them. They are Carolyn Towns, 49, Keith Nicks, 45, and Terrence Nicks, 39 — all from Chicago, and all in custody. The fourth defendant, Maurice Dailey, 59, of Robbins, is out on bail. Cook County Judge Frank Castiglione scheduled their next hearing for Sept. 25. The four face several felony charges, including desecration of human remains, conspiracy to dismember human bodies and theft. The most serious charge — dismembering a human body — carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison. Authorities have also said they made more than $300,000 reselling the plots. Authorities raided Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip, which is the resting place of civil rights-era lynching victim Emmett Till and other prominent AfricanAmericans, in July.
The arrests made international headlines and prompted thousands of people to visit the historic black cemetery to try to determine if their loved ones were among those graves that were disturbed. Authorities estimate that 300 graves were dug up. But they acknowledge they may never know how many graves were involved, saying that shoddy record-keeping and in some cases records that have literally disintegrated make it impossible to say exactly how many corpses were dug up or the identities of all those whose remains were moved. Investigators found chunks of burial vaults, pieces of pine boxes that had been used as caskets decades ago, and even a skeleton wearing a suit and tie inside an empty burial vault, with no casket in sight. They have said they found evidence of corpses that were dug up and the plots resold, as well as caskets stacked on top of each other in the ground. Officials said they had found more than 1,100 human bones, some tossed on the ground and covered with dirt and others strewn amid overgrown weeks, before they stopped searching early last month.
The former workers were slated to be arraigned last week, but that was delayed while a lawyer was appointed for one defendant and as attorneys discussed objections to various judges before settling on Castiglione. At Tuesday’s hearing, Castiglione said he saw no reason to recuse himself over his brother’s brief involvement in the case. His brother, an assistant state’s attorney in Cook County, played a minor role at one hearing related to a civil lawsuit stemming from the case, the judge revealed Tuesday. He said they never discussed the case in detail and that his brother has since been taken off the case. Castiglione invited attorneys, however, to file motions if they wanted him removed. Thomas Needham, an attorney for suspect Maurice Dailey, said he doesn’t plan on doing so. Other attorneys didn’t immediately address the matter. After the hearing, Needham said that given the case involved multiple defendants and because there remained thousands of pages of documents defense attorneys needed to read, he didn’t expect the case to go to trial for about a year.
AP PHOTO
In this July 31 file photo, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, front left, cleans off a burial vault after it was exhumed with another vault in the same grave at Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip, Ill. On Tuesday, four former cemetery workers pleaded not guilty to charges that accused them of digging up bodies to resell burial plots at the cemetery.
–AP
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Wednesday, September 9, 2009
«FOOT «FOOTBALL Tomorrow, The Tomo Daily takes a look at OU freshman Landry Jones. Land
Annelise Russell, sports editor dailysports@ou.edu • phone: 325-7630 • fax: 325-6051
Gresham sidelined for season JONO GRECO The Oklahoma Daily
The No. 13 Sooners received more bad news Tuesday with the announcement that senior tight end Jermaine Gresham will miss the entire 2009 season. The news comes 24 hours after head coach Bob Stoops announced the loss of Heisman winner and junior quarterback Sam Bradford for two to four weeks. “Jermaine’s arthroscopic surgery went well for him in the long run,” Stoops said. “[Doctors] had to repair and stitch together some of the cartilage and carve parts around it.” Stoops said the surgery requires five months of rehabilitation, which means t h e re w o u l d hav e b e e n n o h o p e f o r him to return for the end of OU’s Big 12 schedule. “For his sake, the rest of the knee looks good, and this is something that heals really well,” Stoops said. “It’s just unfortunate that he comes back and he’s not able to continue to participate. So we really feel for him.” Gresham suffered the injury during practice Sept. 1, and it was announced later in the week he would be unable to play in the Sooners’ 14-13 loss to No. 9 Brigham Young University. In Gresham’s absence, the tight end corps, which consisted of sophomores Trent Ratterree and James Hanna, caught one pass for 12 yards. The catch by Ratterree, and came in the team’s final drive. Ratterree dropped a pass later in the drive that would have given the Sooners enough yards to be within sophomore kicker Jimmy Stevens’ field goal range. The rest of the team was notified about Gresham’s status this afternoon, and junior defensive end Gerald McCoy said everyone has been showing his support. “I told him, ‘I’m going to carry you on
my shoulders. When I go out on that field you are going to come with me,’” McCoy said. “‘Just because you’re not out on that field, you’re still out there with us.’ I’m going to take him out there with me, and I have to stay motivated to keep him motivated.” Over the past three seasons Gresham has become a staple in the Sooners’ offense. He has caught 111 passes for 1,629 yards and 26 touchdowns during his Sooner tenure. “It hurts to see that, as hard as he’s worked, as much as he’s done for this
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OU junior defensive end Gerald McCoy talks about what it is like to lose an opening game and responds to criticism about the loss.
ZACH BUTLER/THE DAILY
Jermaine Gresham, senior tight end, is tackled in last season’s game against Missouri Dec. 6, 2008.
LOUNGE HON
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“Everybody is walking around like it was the end of the world that we lost the game. So what, we lose games, too. For me, I was like ‘look, come on guys why are you all down? People lose games, it happens. You go out there, you work hard [but] we didn’t play smart enough.”
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program,” McCoy said. “Him being out for his senior season just hurts as a leader, as a team.” Stoops said senior center Brody Eldridge received more reps in practice at tight end than he did last week, which leaves open the possibility of starting freshman Ben Habern at center Saturday against Idaho State. “We’ve got to move forward and that changes the complexion of what we do a little bit, but we’ll work through that,” Stoops said. “We of course are disappointed for Jermaine.”
“You pouting and being all down about it isn’t going to fix it. Man up, let’s get it fixed this week, fix our mistakes and come out and play better next week. Let’s win out, and then see what happens.”
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8
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
FEATURE
Sooner trainer leads NCAA medical research Head athletic trainer leads research team in sickle w cell- related deaths for collegiate athletes LUKE ATKINSON The Oklahoma Daily
Dale Lloyd II, a running back from Rice University, is sprinting down the field during his team’s conditioning camp. The following morning he is dead and most don’t understand why. Doctors later find he had the sickle cell trait and begin piecing together a puzzle that has unknowingly caused the death of several NCAA athletes. Following the 19-year-old’s death in 2006, the NCAA began implementing testing programs for athletes to take precautions against the mysterious killer. Scott Anderson, head athletic trainer for the Sooners, is the co-chair of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association task force for sickle cell traits, and said the knowledge about sickle cell-related deaths is too little. Anderson said athletes with sickle cell traits can have significant problems when they over exert themselves, which may lead to death. “One of the consequences of exertional sickling is rhabdomyolysis,” Anderson said. “It’s the breakdown of skeletal muscle tissue. As it breaks down, it creates toxins. This can cause kidney failure, and can affect the heart and cause death.” According to NATA’s task force, rhabdomyolysis is the rapid breakdown of muscles starved for blood. These muscles become starved for blood because sickled cells may become “logjammed” in blood vessels, causing players to slump to the ground from weak muscles.
NATA says this can be common in athletes who aren’t given an opportunity to rest during long conditioning exercises. The task force said the harder and faster athletes work, the earlier and greater the sickling can become, which they believe explains the earlier collapse of college football players rather than long-distance run-
GRAPHIC PROVIDED
ners.Anderson said these symptoms are not related to a disease players can contract. Instead, the traits are inherited. “The trait is inherited, it’s not a disease,” Anderson said. “It can’t be prevented or cured. [Sickle cell trait] can even be beneficial because it protects you against malaria. It’s largely a benign condition.”
According to the National Institutes of Health, sickle cell is common in approximately one in 5,000 black individuals, and is found in tropical and sub-tropical cultures where malaria is common. NATA believes of the 136 sudden, non-traumatic sports deaths in high school and college over the past decade, five percent were from exertional sickling. According to NCAA guidelines, athletes can be voluntarily screened by blood tests to help their training staff take the proper precautions to ensure their safety. Anderson said his staff takes the same precautions in order to educate the players and coaching staff of any risks. “We have a standard component screening, a medical history questionnaire and physical examinations,” he said. “Most athletes, if they have sickle cell, are unaware. As we gain the information through screening, we take precautions and educate the athlete, what it is or is not, what precautions they should take.” Although players undergo heavier conditioning in practices than they would during a game, Anderson said there are still precautions being taken. “Game time has a diminished risk [for sickling], there is a chance of rest and recovery,” he said. “A play lasts a few seconds then it’s over. We’ve seen some evidence in a game in running backs running a quick pace offense, like several running plays in a row with the same back. But the only real risk and setting for death are conditioning events.” The NCAA Handbook states it hopes the research will help trainers further understand exertional sickling and reduce the number of deaths associated with sickle cell traits.Unforunately, it is too late for players like Dale Lloyd II, but the research and precautions taken by Anderson and his staff may someday save lives.
COLUMN
NFL prospects are not always as impressive as they seem Merriman and Ware big surprises four years after coming out of the draft
I even remember telling my friend they will absolutely regret not drafting Merriman in a few years. Well, those few years have passed and The 2005 NFL draft, like any other draft, my opinion has completely switched. had an array of potentially outstanding Over the past four years Merriman has football players. Some only started 38 – an average of 9.5 per panned out and some season – games due to suspension or indidn’t (Alex Smith, Adam jury, while Ware has started all 16 games Jones or Mike Williams). every season. The truth is this parSo during the time DeMarcus Ware is ticular draft included 21 AP PHOTO winning volunteer service awards and future Pro Bowlers, and Dallas Cowboys’ Demarcus Ware makes a tackle in a game against the Tennessee Titans Aug. 21. at least one Pro Bowler working harder to improve his game, MJ in every round. This draft Merriman is being accused of abusing CASIANO c a n e v e n c l a i m t h re e Tila “Tequila” Nguyen, testing positive Pro Bowlers that went for steroids or ending a season on knee injury. undrafted. And the numbers reflect all of this. Pretty impressive. Merriman has totaled 189 tackles and But most notably this draft is where 39.5 sacks compared arguably the two to Ware’s 297 tackles best defensive play- I even remember telling my and 53.5 sacks. ers in the game were friend they will absolutely Coach Wade called via podium: regret not drafting Merriman Phllips said Ware is outside linebackers the best outside lineShawne Merriman and in a few years. backer in the league DeMarcus Ware. a n d f e w w ill argue T h e y w e re p i c k e d that statement. back-to-back as Ware Merriman, you like to be called “Lights went No. 11 to the Dallas Cowboys and Merriman went No. 12 to the San Diego Out”? Chargers. Keep up all these crazy off-the-field Analysts and sports fans all over the na- antics and your own career will be a once tion were dumbfound that the Cowboys bright light that was blown out. – after making a verbal commitment to Merriman – went with the player from M.J. Casiano is a journalism junior. the lesser known University of Troy.
Healthy, Fresh & Fun!
OU/BYU TAILIGATING The Daily’s Nick Lawton headed down to Arlington, Texas Saturday to give you a glimpse into tailgating at Dallas Cowboys Stadium.
OUDAILY.COM
Breakfast, Meat & Veggie Pitas! On Campus Corner 311 W. Boyd 405-573-PITA (7482) Open 11AM ll 4AM We Deliver!
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
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« LATE NIGHT EATING
Cassie Rhea Little, L&A editor dailyent@ou.edu • phone: 325-5189 • fax: 325-6051
Read about the Campus Corner restaurants extending hours for late night service in tomorrow’s Life & Arts section.
Mexican food favorite reopens its doors KYLE WEST The Oklahoma Daily
Pepe Delgado’s reopened last Friday after being forced to close by the Oklahoma Tax Commission. The restaurant was closed July 17 for failure to comply with Oklahoma tax laws. According to a notice on the door last July, the restaurant hadn’t paid its taxes in full and hadn’t renewed its licenses. Restaurant O w ner Emilio Salinas said he regrets having to close the restaurant, but is now glad Pepe Delgado’s is reopened. “It was a mistake and it’s been corrected and I’m going to move forward,” Salinas said.
Helen Wolney, president of the Campus Corner Merchants association, said the restaurant was packed all weekend. “I saw a lot of regulars,” Wolney said. “I think some people who frequented there were really excited that they were reopened.” Wolney said Pepe Delgado’s has been on Campus Corner about 15 years. “It’s a local favorite,” Wolney said. “It’s a vital element of Campus Corner.” Sarah Savage, history major senior, said she was sad when Pepe’s closed in the summer. “I was gone two months this summer and I was sad when they were closed,” Savage said. Savage said she frequented Pepe’s at least once a week last
year, and that she is excited they have reopened. “They’re my favorite Mexican restaurant in Norman,” Savage said. “I figured they wouldn’t be open for several months.” Pepe’s has moved next door to where Turquoise American Bistro used to be at 786 Asp Ave. Salinas, who also owned Turquoise, said there was not enough volume of customers to keep it open. “Three days were only busy and the rest were slow,” Salinas said. “It was also a bit overpriced.” Omar Goyzueta, petroleum engineering senior, said he was sad Turquoise was closing instead of Pepe’s because he enjoyed its food more. “We have plenty of Tex Mex places around,” Goyzueta said.
“Turquoise had decent, healthy food and good wine specials.” Despite the loss of Turquoise, Salinas described Pepe’s reopening as one of the best experiences of his life. “The response from the loyal customers was amazing,” Salinas said. “I didn’t know I had so many friends. It was probably the most wonderful experience I’ve had. I even got wine and flowers. It was crazy.” Salinas said he wanted to thank Mike Webb and his family, who helped him reopen by renting out the building. “The Webbs are the most wonderful people on the Corner,” Sailnas said. “I wouldn’t have reopened without their help.” Salinas said no changes were
made to the restaurant other than the building. He said the menu, artwork and general ambiance of the old Pepe Delgado’s are unchanged. Pepe’s new location has a bar and loft in the same room. The original building had two rooms, one with a bar and the other being the restaurant. Salinas said he is thankful for the community support and is glad that Pepe’s is an important part of Norman. “I’m excited because I really found out I’m part of the community and the support from the people of Norman was really big,” Salinas said. “I didn’t realize we were part of Norman. I think it’s so good and I want to thank Norman for the help they gave me.”
LILLY CHAPA/THE DAILY
Pepe Delgado’s was filled with customers Tuesday night after the restaurant’s reopening last week. Pepe’s was closed earlier this year after failing to comply with Oklahoma tax laws but is now open.
PEPE’S RETURNS WITH SAME GREAT TASTE, ATMOSPHERE Hundreds of people showed up at Pepe Delgado’s doors Friday night for the reopening of one of Norman’s most popular restaurants. The lines t o o rd e r w e re long, but people waited around for over an hour just to order their favorite dishes. ANNELISE The overwhelmRUSSELL ing support was so great, the kitchen ran out of prepped food and a sign was taped to the door telling people they were closed and out of food. While I stood in line and then sat down to wait for my food, the only thing on my mind was a feeling of
coming home. Pepe’s is a local legend among those who crave its distinct flavors and unique take on Mexican food, but the real worth of this restaurant is not measured in giant burritos (might I suggest the “Thing”) or the quesadillas. The reason this restaurant has captured the hearts and stomachs of so many Normanites and those from the OU community is the warm, family-oriented atmosphere. I have been going to Pepe’s since I was about five and for some reason going to this local restaurant, also referred to as Emilio’s after the owner Emilio Salinas, became a constant in my life. I remember one of the first times I went to Pepe’s. At this time, the restaurant looked more like a dive
than a Norman staple. The booths were hard plastic, the chairs and tables resembled that of a poker match held in a neighbor’s garage and the bathroom was no larger than my childhood closet. There were only a couple people working at any given time and paying by credit card was not an option. Over time, the booths were updated to a finished wood, the bathroom was moved out of the tiny corner, and I graduated from the children’s menu. Despite all these changes, the quality of food and friends remained steadfast. When we were younger, Emilio would walk around the restaurant and chat with everyone, and most of the time he knew two-thirds of the people dining in that night. He would come up to our table with a
couple chocolate bars for my sister and me, while attempting to convince my younger sister that he was not as scary as he seemed. If you ask any weekly regular of Pepe’s, they all have these special stories. I had my 16th birthday there and sometimes you can catch the OU chemistry department sitting down to lunch. People have even met and fell in love at the restaurant. When extended family comes into town, the first thing people do is take them to meet their Pepe’s family. After spending so much time at the restaurant, there are certain people in town you know only because they are a Wednesday regular who you always meet at the bar over a couple margaritas. I was in Europe when I heard
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the news that Pepe’s had closed this summer, and I was devastated. I had already planned my homecoming meal, and was rather distraught when I learned I would have to settle for something else. I had grown up in this campus corner hangout, and it was hard to wait for the reopening and the changed building. I was nervous Friday walking into the new building, fearing everything I loved about Pepe’s was gone. Fortunately, the familiar faces had returned and that enticing aroma was filling the room. The reopening of this family joint was not only a chance to quell that craving for fish tacos and veggie nachos, but rather a chance for a homecoming. Annelise Russell is a journalism junior.
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Wednesday, September 9, 2009
ANIMATED FILM STRETCHED THIN ON IDEAS Humanity has been destroyed, machines have taken over the earth and the only hope for any kind of restoration is a band of nine gunnysack robots. Anyone who’s seen the trailer can attest to the fact that “9” looks much cooler than it sounds, but actually watching the film convinced me otherwise. This brief 79-minute movie somehow manages DUSTY to seem too long with its reSOMERS petitive action, essentially repeating the same scene over and over. Director Shane Acker expanded his Oscarnominated 2005 short of the same name into this feature-length film, but now, it just feels like a short that goes on way past its welcome. The animation and atmosphere are creepy and impressive, but there’s still only about 11 minutes worth of story here. When 9 (Elijah Wood) becomes sentient, he awakes to find a world ravaged by evil machines. Eventually, he finds characters 1-8
scattered throughout the barren landscape, and together they discover the truth about the post-apocalyptic nightmare, where a scientist created an artificial brain meant to help humanity, but things turned evil quickly. The same scientist created the nine rag
dolls, and 9 believes it’s their destiny to fight the machines. The characters’ names are simply numbers, and it’s indicative of just how interesting these sock puppets are — each is given their own quality of bravery or inflexibility or
PHOTO PROVIDED
A scene from Focus Features’ “9.” The film is playing at Harkins Theater in Bricktown today and will be in theaters everywhere on Friday.
» “ULTIMATE COMICS AVENGERS # 2”
strength, but that’s about as far as character development goes. The impressive voice cast — Christopher Plummer, Martin Landau, John C. Reilly and Jennifer Connelly all voice a gunnysack — is pretty much wasted on these flat characters. The film’s main problem though, is the perpetual danger in which the characters find themselves. A giant robot will attack, they’ll try to escape, they’ll fight it, they’ll defeat it. Several minutes later, the process repeats. The creature design is phenomenal and the heroes dispatch of the villains in some undeniably creative ways, but it’s only a matter of time before the process becomes quite weary indeed. It seems like there’s imagination bursting at the seams of “9,” but it gets lost in the shuffle of chase scene followed by mortal peril followed by chase scene. Perhaps the film was expanded beyond what its concept could bear. “9” hints toward greater things, but as it stands, it’s a strictly paint-by-numbers affair. Dusty Somers is a journalism senior.
The Daily’s Osi Aken’Ova takes a look at two of this week’s most notable comic books.
books out there. Buy it!
After the events in the first issue, this one kicks off with Captain America chasing the Red Skull while Nick Fury explains the truth behind this mysterious adversary. Also in this book, we are introduced to Gregory Stark, Iron Man’s older brother. After the disappointing “Ultimates 3” and “Ultimatum,” the original “Ultimates” writer OSI Mark Millar is back and AKEN’OVA brings with him the same swagger and charisma the series had before it’s previous outing. One might have thought that all the good characters in the Marvel universe were expired in the “Ultimates” series but with the introduction of the Red Skull it’s clear that Millar was saving the best for last. Although this comic costs a little bit ($1) more than other ones it’s still one of best
“KICK-ASS #7” Finally, five months after the last installment, the seventh issue of “Kick- Ass” is released. (SPOILER ALERT) When we last left our hero, he was set up by Red Mist, who was actually working for the mafia boss, Frank D’Amico. This issue begins at the same place where the first issue started: Kick-Ass getting tortured. Although this book has a very long wait before its release, it’s worth the wait and serves as a cautionary tale for those of us that take our love for superheroes too literally. For those of you who’ve been living under a rock for the past year, the “KickAss” movie will be coming out sometime next year. After seeing footage from ComicCon, I’m not too excited about it, but at least we’ve still got the comic book, which I have to say is very good. PHOTO PROVIDED
Osi Aken’Ova is a film and video studies senior.
Captain America is back in comic book, “Ultimate Comics Avengers # 2.”
Chavez walks Venice Film Fest red carpet VENICE, Italy — Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is getting a movie star reception at the Venice Film Festival. Chavez arrived Monday on the red carpet with director Oliver Stone for the premiere of the documentary “South of the Border.” Security outside the Casino venue was tight with armed military police checking bags. Hundreds of admirers greeted the Venezuelan leader and some chanted “president, president.”
PHOTO PROVIDED
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez signs autographs.
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Chavez threw a flower into the crowd and touched his heart. At one point he took a photographer’s camera to snap a picture himself. Stone says his new documentary “South of the Border” is meant to illustrate sweeping positive changes in South America in recent years and counter attacks against Chavez by the American media. -AP
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
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Court maintains ban on hymn at Wash. graduation SEATTLE — Barring an instrumental performance of a Christian hymn at a high school graduation did not violate students’ First Amendment rights and was within the school superintendent's discretion, a divided federal appeals panel ruled Tuesday. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision in what Judge Richard C. Tallman described as “the legal labyrinth of a student's First Amendment rights” will be appealed to the Supreme Court, a lawyer said. The case arose a year after a choral performance of the song “Up Above My Head” at the 2005 commencement for Henry M. Jackson High School in Everett, 25 miles north of Seattle. The song, with references to God, angels and heaven, drew complaints and protest letters to The Herald, the town's daily newspaper. Administrators raised red flags when wind ensemble seniors, who had played Franz Biebl's uptempo 1964 rendering of “Ave Maria” without controversy at a winter concert, proposed a reprise at their graduation in 2006. School officials said the title alone identified “Ave Maria” — Hail Mary in Latin — as religious and that graduation should be strictly secular. One of the students, Kathryn Nurre, sued Everett Public Schools Superintendent Carol Whitehead, claiming unspecified damages from infringement of First Amendment rights, but U.S. District Judge Robert T. Lasnik in Seattle rejected that assertion in a summary judgment on Sept. 20, 2007. Tallman and a second judge from the San Francisco-based appeals court, Robert R. Beezer, agreed with Lasnik across the board. “When there is a captive audience at a graduation ceremony ... during which the demand for equal time is so great that comparable nonreligious works might not be presented, it is reasonable for a school
official to prohibit the performance of an obviously religious piece,” Tallman wrote. The third member of the panel, Judge Milan D. Smith Jr., concurred with the outcome. He agreed that the action was within the superintendent's discretion but argued that the students' First Amendment rights had been violated. “If the majority's reasoning on this issue becomes widely adopted, the practical effect will be for public school administrators to chill — or even kill — musical and artistic presentations by their students ... when those presentations contain any trace of religious inspiration” in a school setting, Smith wrote. “Such unnecessary measures by school administrators will only foster the increasingly sterile and hypersensitive way in which students may express themselves ... and hasten the retrogression of our young into a nation of Philistines who have little or no understanding of our civic and cultural heritage,” he added. Michael A. Patterson, a lawyer for the superintendent, said he was “delighted” by the ruling. “We have always thought that she acted at all times with qualified immunity and that she did the right thing,” Patterson said. John W. Whitehead, a lawyer who has been involved in the case against the school district from the start, said he would appeal to the Supreme Court to determine “how far schools can go in eradicating any kind of religious influence.” Compared with better known, more stately versions of “Ave Maria” dating from the Renaissance period, Biebl's rendering is “totally unrecognizable,” said Whitehead, who is not related to the superintendent and is president and founder of the Rutherford Institute, a conservative legal aid group. “You can't sing along with it.” —AP
NEW PROGRAM WILL TEACH STUDENTS ABOUT SEPT. 11 NEW YORK — Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani joined Sept. 11 family members and college professors on Tuesday at a hotel blocks f ro m t h e Wo r l d T ra d e Center site to unveil a plan to teach middle and high school students about the 2001 terrorist attacks. The 9/11 curriculum, believed to be the first comprehensive educational plan focusing on the attacks, is expected to be tested this year at schools in New York City, California, New Jersey, Alabama, Indiana, Illinois and Kansas. It was developed with the help of educators by the Brick, N.J.-based Sept. 11 Education Trust, and was based on primary sources, archival footage and more than 70 interviews with witnesses, family members of victims and politicians, including Giuliani and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, a New York senator at the time of the attacks. The curriculum is taught through videos, lessons and interactive exercises, including one that requires students to use Google Earth software to map global terrorist activity. One of the main goals is to help students entering middle and high school, who may been too young to have strong memories
of the attacks, to develop a tangible connection to what happened. “In a few years, we will be teaching students who were not even alive at the time of the attacks,” said Anthony Gardner, the executive director of the Sept. 11 Education Trust. The nonprofit group is run by victims’ families, survivors and rescue workers who worry that educators don’t teach about the attacks because they don’t have the educational tools to do so. Giuliani said that the curriculum can help students to think critically about the attacks as both a historical event and one that shapes the present, noting the continued threat of terrorism and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. “This is one of the critical subjects on which young people should develop some ideas and thoughts. They’re going to have to live with this for quite some time,” he said. “It gives young people a framework in which to think about Sept. 11, all that it meant and all that it means to the present.” For the professors who helped to develop the plan through the Taft Institute for Government at Queens College, creating that framework to understanding how
9/11 affects today’s policies was critical to the endeavor, and part of the challenge. “The real trick is to get kids to see that it’s not just a dramatic event like 9/11 that connects them to these issues, it’s connected to their lives in the everyday, said Michael A. Krasner, a political scientist at Queens College. He said a range of viewpoints are reflected in the curriculum, including from Muslim scholars, to enrich the discussion. The cur r iculum was designed so that teachers could tailor it to their own classrooms, but it gives an open-eyed view of 9/11, Gardner said. “We’re not sugarcoating the event,” said Gardner, whose brother died in the World Trade Center. “We’ve included images that are challenging.” Students and professors are invited to participate on a Web site developed around the curriculum, where they can share their own videos, lesson plans and discuss the questions raised in their classrooms. The curriculum was tried out in 2008 at the River Dell Regional High School, a roughly 1,000-student high school in Oradell, N.J., about 20 miles north of Manhattan. —AP
Protest brews over Cheney center CHEYENNE, Wyo. — A decision by the University of Wyoming to name a new center for international students for former Vice President Dick Cheney is drawing criticism from people who say Cheney’s support for the Iraq war and harsh interrogation techniques should disqualify him from the distinction. The former vice president and wife Lynne are expected to attend Thursday’s dedication of the new Cheney International Center on the Laramie campus. Protesters plan to be there, too. The center is funded in part with $3.2 million the Cheneys donated to the university in several installments while he was vice president. The university’s decision to name the center after Cheney, a former Wyoming congressman, prompted a petition that collected more than 150 signatures. The petition said polices of the Bush administration were “very controversial” and the name will affect how people perceive the center. Cheney’s support for harsh interrogations — torture, some say — is one reason to oppose naming the center after him, said
Suzanne Pelican, who began circulating the petition a year ago. Pelican also criticized the Bush administration’s “go it alone” strategy when several U.S. allies opposed the invasion of Iraq and didn’t participate in the war. “We feel that by naming it the Cheney International Center, that the programs and UW can’t avoid being identified with that ideology and that approach to global politics that the Bush-Cheney administration championed,” Pelican said Tuesday. Pelican is an extension educator in the university’s College of Agriculture who plans to peacefully protest during the dedication. A phone message left with Cheney’s assistant Lucy Tutwiler wasn’t immediately returned. A state program matched the Cheneys’ $3.2 million gift with $3.2 million in state funding. The university spent $3 million to renovate and expand an existing building for the center. A total of $3.4 million has been allocated for scholarships for students to study overseas. —AP
The University of Oklahoma’s four greek councils are proud to present
The Dang Doctor— “America’s Real-Life Hitch!” Twelve-me Naonal Speaker of the Year, David Coleman, has spoken to more than 2,000,000 people naonwide. He will present his humorous and praccal dang advice at OU for the first me this year.
Monday, September 14th 6:30 p.m. Sharp Concert Hall Catle Music Center Interfraternity Council • Mulcultural Greek Council • Naon Pan-Hellenic Council • Panhellenic Associaon
The University of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity instuon. For accommodaon on the basis of disability, please contact Fraternity & Sorority Student Life at (405) 325-6350.
12 Wednesday, September 9, 2009 Thad Baker, advertising manager classifieds@ou.edu • phone: 325-2521 • fax: 325-7517
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6 1 8 3 5 4 8 5 9 1 2 3
2 2 4 6 1 3 1 8 7 2 3 1 9
Previous Solution 9 6 1 3 8 5 4 2 7
2 4 3 1 6 7 8 9 5
5 8 7 4 2 9 6 1 3
3 2 6 5 7 8 1 4 9
1 7 5 9 4 6 2 3 8
4 9 8 2 1 3 7 5 6
8 1 9 7 3 4 5 6 2
6 5 4 8 9 2 3 7 1
7 3 2 6 5 1 9 8 4
Monday- Very Easy Tuesday-Easy Wednesday- Easy Thursday- Medium Friday - Hard
5 4
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.
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Universal Crossword Edited by Timothy E. Parker September 09, 2009
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ACROSS 1 Jobs for SEALs 4 Hand-held holers 8 Purchase new weapons 13 Pans’ partners 15 Repeated, it’s a Carrey flick 16 Provide with tools 17 Taj Mahal city 18 Drink often served in a bowl 20 Hung around 22 “Ned Kelly� actor Ledger 23 They’re up in the air 24 Terrible tot 25 Go ballistic 27 Puts up a fuss 31 “Purple ___� (rock classic) 32 Riveted seat covers? 33 Line judge’s call 34 Prima donnas’ problems 35 Do the honors at Thanksgiving 36 Portion of the Ponderosa 37 Game pieces
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38 It may be organized 39 Glance over 40 Triumphs 42 Shows the ropes 44 Takes a look 45 “Barracuda� band 46 More competent 48 Challenges 51 Familiar group of stars 53 Valuable deposit 54 Fred Berry on “What’s Happening!!� 55 School founded in 1701 56 Send out 57 Unit’s core group 58 End of a threat 59 They’re not from around here DOWN 1 Birthstone of many Libras 2 Comics possum 3 Focus for fastballers 4 Batman’s man 5 They may get crossed 6 Shower with praise 7 ___ Lanka 8 Duplicates 9 Make a
comparison 10 “Travels With My ___� (Graham Greene) 11 Extravagantly endowed 12 Dashboard data, for short 14 They poke fun 19 Royal spot 21 Hot time in Toulon 24 Face up to 25 Moe’s bro 26 Impatient 27 Salon styles 28 “Laugh-In� line 29 Shroud site 30 Pipe parts 32 They have a lot of bars 35 Old yellers 36 Ordinarily 38 Hot red pepper
PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER
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Previous Answers
41 Sofa fabric 42 One answering questions 43 Hard knock 45 Parts of rolling landscapes 46 Surface measurement 47 Winter migrator 48 Negotiation ender 49 Make a change 50 Firms up 51 Middle Earth meanie 52 Parting word
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
13
U.N. caught in Gaza dispute over study of Holocaust GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Gaza students won't learn about the Holocaust this year. Angry protests by Palestinians have disrupted tentative plans to introduce information about the Nazi genocide of 6 million Jews into the curriculum in U.N. schools. The dispute touches on one of the largest psychological barriers dividing Arabs and Jews: Arabs see the Holocaust as an excuse for Israel's creation, and Jews see Arab Holocaust denial as a rejection of Israel's right to exist. The uproar has left the U.N. Relief and Works Agency, which runs 221 of more than 600 primary and secondary schools in Gaza, caught between the territory's Hamas leaders — some of them ardent Holocaust deniers — and outraged Jewish groups. Some in Hamas accused the U.N. agency of trying to generate sympathy for Israel and conspiring against the Palestinians. In turn, Jewish activists demanded to know why the subject of the genocide wasn't part of the human rights syllabus in the first place. “Now we are being bashed from all quarters,” the agency's chief in Gaza, John Ging, told The Associated Press.
The controversy erupted last week, after an umbrella group for Palestinian refugees in Gaza protested what it said were plans to teach eighth-graders in U.N. schools about the Holocaust. U.N. officials denied they had such intentions for this school year and insisted they weren't scaling back in response to public pressure. Regional agency chief Karen Abu Zayd suggested information about the Holocaust could be included in later years, as part of lessons about the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. UNWRA's Web site mentions general plans to include the Holocaust in lessons on the “historical context that gave rise to” that declaration. Abu Zayd said the UNWRA field office in Gaza is still developing the curriculum, which would be presented to parents and others in the community before it is introduced. “It is very much a draft,” she said. A U.N. employee involved in shaping the curriculum, who was not authorized to discuss the subject and
spoke on condition of anonymity, said that as recently as three months ago, the lessons had been under consideration for the 200910 human rights course. U.N. officials said their schools in Gaza already have the most advanced human rights courses, and teaching the Holocaust would break new ground. The subject is not taught in U.N.-run schools for Palestinian refugees in the West Bank, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon. Nor is it taught in Palestinian government schools in the West Bank or Gaza. The backlash in Gaza has highlighted why. Holocaust denial is still common in the Palestinian territories, with many apparently fearful that acknowledging the genocide would diminish recognition of their suffering or claims to an independent state. Such sentiments seem particularly strong among Gazans, who have had only limited access to the outside world since 2007, when Israel and Egypt imposed a border blockade in response to the violent Hamas takeover of the territory. —AP
AP PHOTO
A Palestinian child walks by a United Nations school in Gaza City Monday, Aug. 31, 2009. A senior Hamas official has branded the Holocaust a “lie” and slammed reported plans by the United Nations to teach Gaza students about the Nazi genocide of 6 million Jews.
14
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Chesapeake CEO convinced natural gas popularity will grow OKLAHOMA CITY — Despite decreased demand for natural gas in the last year, Chesapeake Energy Corp. CEO Aubrey McClendon said Tuesday he remains so convinced of the fuel’s future that he’s even converted his personal vehicle to run on it. McClendon joined state and local leaders at the opening of a compressed natural gas filling station in northwest Oklahoma City and said he thinks that as more such stations open, more cities and companies — and eventually more individual vehicle owners — will make the move to CNGpowered vehicles. McClendon’s Chevrolet Tahoe began running on CNG about nine months ago. He said Chesapeake, one of the nation’s largest independent natural gas producers, also is converting much of its fleet to use CNG. “I have successfully made a statement about American independence” from oil, McClendon said. “I think one thing that is not yet appreciated in Washington is there is no other plan out there that will reduce
STATE BRIEFS RACING TRACK SALE CLOSER TO FRUITION OKLAHOMA CITY — A subsidiary of the Chickasaw Nation moved one step closer Tuesday to completing its purchase of Oklahoma’s largest horse racing track, emerging as the winning bidder for Remington Park during an auction held in a New York law office. As expected, there was no new opposition to the $80.25 million bid from Global Gaming Solutions RP LLC. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Mary Walrath still must approve the auction’s results during a hearing next week in Delaware and the Oklahoma Horse Racing Commission would then have to approve the sale, but both steps are considered formalities. While any roadblocks to the final purchase are “fairly unlikely at this stage, it’s not over until it’s over,” said John Elliott, the CEO of Global Gaming Solutions. “Mentally, we’ve always had in our minds that when we get through this process it will be the end of November or December.” Tuesday’s auction was part of the bankruptcy proceedings for the track’s current owner, Magna Entertainment Corp. The Canadian company, which is the largest horse track owner in the U.S., filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection March 5, saying it has between $500 million and $1 billion in liabilities and more than $1 billion in assets. Since September 2007, the Oklahoma City racetrack had been on a list of possible Magna Entertainment properties that could be sold to relieve debt. Elliott said he’s glad the process of buying Remington Park is almost finished. “It’s been a long road,” he said. “In my case, it was longer, because I tried to buy this track from Magna before this (bankruptcy) happened, starting in November of last year.”
PRISON WORKERS DISCIPLINED AFTER INMATE’S DEATH McALESTER, Okla. — Two prison employees have been disciplined after an inmate was beaten to death after being placed in the same cell with a co-defendant he testified against. On March 11 at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester, 23-year-old Paul Duran was placed in a cell with 33-year-old Jesse Dalton, his co-defendant in an Oklahoma City murder case. Duran was beaten to death and Dalton remains a suspect in the death. After months of investigation, Leroy Harris, a security manager working in the unit, was fired and unit manager Darrell Wilson was suspended without pay for five days. The men were notified of the punishment on Thursday, according to documents released from the Department of Corrections. —AP
this country’s dependence on foreign oil.” Last summer, the natural gas industry was riding high, with prices at more than $13 per 1,000 cubic feet and new reserves coming online. But the sluggish economy has hurt energy demand, leading to a glut of natural gas reserves in the U.S. In trading Tuesday at the New York Mercantile Exchange, natural gas was at $2.807 per 1,000 cubic feet. McClendon already had predicted the industry will have storage and pipeline issues during the coming months, which he said will force producers to curtail their efforts. That situation should “work itself out” over time, he said. A long-term issue for the industry is increasing the market for its product. McClendon and others in the industry long have pushed natural gas both as an alternative for coal to fuel power plants and as a vehicle fuel. The industry has worked to persuade cities, states and companies to buy or convert
existing vehicles — espeCNG infrastructure for fuelcially of the heavy transport ing those vehicles. variety — to use CNG, a pro“We’re working on both posal highlighted by energy things at the same time,” he magnate T. Boone Pickens said. “... When people find last year in his “Pickens out that they can buy an Plan.” American product that is Pickens has set a goal of cleaner and costs less than converting 350,000 of the half the price of gasoline, nation’s large cargo trucks they’re going to go, ‘Why from diesel to natural gas haven’t I been able to do within the next five years. this?’” “We think it makes sense E a r l i e r t h i s y e a r, to go where the market is. Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry We have to convert fewer signed a bill authored by AP PHOTO state House Speaker Chris vehicles,” he said. McClendon noted that Aubrey McClendon speaks Benge to establish incenHonda’s Civic GX is the only during the opening of a comtives to increase the number CNG mass-market vehicle pressed natural gas filling sta- of CNG vehicles and public now available for purchase tion in Oklahoma City, Tuesday. access to filling stations. The in the U.S., although Ford one that opened Tuesday and General Motors manufacture CNG ve- will be run by OnCue Express, an Oklahoma hicles for the foreign market. He acknowl- fuel service retailer. edged that part of the reason is a lack of —AP
