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THURSDAY, NOV. 20, 2008 © 2008 OU Publications Board

University committee addressing need for renovated rooms • Improvements already underway in some buildings JESSICA JERNIGAN The Oklahoma Daily

Merrill Jones/The Daily

Construction equipment line the back of Collings Hall, one of many South Oval buildings undergoing improvements.

The current state of some campus buildings has some students and faculty members concerned about poor structure, broken or missing seats and lack of amenities.

But that is about to change.

A committee has been formed to assess the need for campus renovations and establish plan to make needed changes a reality.

Kaleb Potter, chairman of the Provost Advisory Committee for Classroom Renovation, said there is a significant demand for building and classroom updates.

There have been recent updates to Nielsen Hall, Kaufman Hall, Gittinger Hall and Dale

Hall, and more renovations are planned. “[I’m] really excited about the future,” said Potter, director of interior campus relations for UOSA. The PACCR Committee conducted a basic survey, which was given to students and instructors, asking about the current state of classrooms and buildings.

The most-requested changes were additional seating, larger chairs with bigger writing surfaces, more lighting, more up-to-date technology equipment and more space to move around the room, said Paul Bell, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, vice provost for instruction and PACCR committee member.

But many students think the changes are not being made quickly enough.

Katie Pearson, advertising senior, has a class in George Lynn Cross Hall, which she said is notorious for inadequately equipped classrooms, including a lecture hall with broken and missing seats.

“It is hilarious how nice Gaylord is com-

pared to George Lynn Cross,” Pearson said.

Inadequate classrooms can cause problems for professors and waste class time, she said.

Pearson said on test days, her professor has students sit with a seat between each other, but the process of switching seats takes at least 10 minutes because there are several inadequate chairs and desks.

“The desks and chairs are broken — people even fall,” Pearson said.

The larger classrooms are more difficult to fix because they not only take more time to repair but eat up more of the budget than their smaller counterparts.

Suzanne Harrell, manager of administration for College of Arts and Sciences, said PACCR has a budget of $750,000, plus $150,000 a year for technology. Harrell said it costs about $100,000 to renovate a 60-seat classroom. “[We’ve] made tremendous progress, considering this is an expensive thing to do,” Bell said.

MEWBOURNE

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Strapped for cash? Miss your friends? Just hungry for some good food? Host a potluck dinner. Page 10.

Petroleum engineering students stay optimistic

SPORTS The football team will play its final home game of the season Saturday, which means this year’s seniors will get their final chance to play in Norman. And they’re planning on making the most of it. Page 6.

The women’s basketball team stomped yet another opponent Wednesday, defeating Middle Tennessee 85-65 at Lloyd Noble Center.

Page 7.

Confused about how the Big 12 Championship might shake out? Well, The Daily is here to help. Page 8.

Nobody can argue the importance of this weekend’s match-up with Texas Tech.

But one OU alumnus has gone further than that — he thinks this is the biggest game in Norman in 51 years. Page 9.

CAMPUS NOTES SportsCenter host on campus ESPN sportscaster Linda Cohn will lecture, answer questions and sign copies of her book, “CohnHead: A No-HoldsBarred Account of Breaking Into the Boys’ Club “ at 7 p.m. in the Molly Shi Boren Ball Room in the Oklahoma Memorial Union.

Delta Gamma Sorority is hosting the event, and it is open to the public.

TODAY’S INDEX A&E 10, 11 Campus News 3 Campus Notes 12 Classifieds 8 8 Crossword

Horoscope Opinion Police Reports Sports Sudoku

13 4 13 5-8 12

WEATHER FORECAST

TODAY LOW 38° HIGH 54°

FRIDAY LOW 29° HIGH 45° Source: Oklahoma Weather Lab

• Nation likely dependent on oil for next century MELISSA MORGAN The Oklahoma Daily

for Humanity.

“We’ve been really close roommates for longer than I would like,” Bruner said about her family being stuffed into an apartment.

The house is expected to be completed before Thanksgiving and Bruner will be one step closer to being a homeowner again. “[Habitat for Humanity] is a blessing from God,” Bruner said.

“I pray for certain things and I think that Habitat is the agency God used.”

But Habitat for Humanity does not just give houses away.

They must be purchased, but the difference is that Habitat does not charge any interest on its mortgages.

“If I paid double my payments for the first year I would shorten my loan payments by two years because of the interest,”

Despite a recent drop in demand for oil and worries about the future of fossil fuels, petroleum engineers’ futures are safe for at least the next 50 years, students believe.

Samuel O. Osisanya, an associate professor in the Mewbourne School of Petroleum and Geological Engineering, said the talk about decreasing petroleum and the need for immediate alternative fuel sources was only a product of the political hype in this year’s election.

“The recent election will not affect petroleum engineers’ future at all,” Osisanya said in an e-mail.

“All those talks about oil during the election were politics. For the next 50 to 100 years, the whole world will still depend on petroleum as the source of energy. Petroleum drives world economy. It makes what the U.S. is today.”

The need for petroleum engineers is directly related to the need we have for the commodity, said Ron Anderson, a professor in Price Business College.

LEASE Continues on page 2

PETROLEUM Continues on page 2

A NEW LEASE ON LIFE Amy Frost/The Daily

Larisa Bruner, OU employee and receiver of a Habitat for Humanity house, stands outside her soon-to-be residence Wednesday on Eufaula Street.

When talking about the color of the house Bruner said, “Some see yellow, some see almond ... I like to call it almond with sunshine.”

• Low-interest mortgages help homeowners regain their lives NATHAN LADD The Oklahoma Daily

C

leveland County Habitat for Humanity and OU’s Engineers Without Borders are putting the finishing touches on an OU employee’s new home.

Larisa Bruner, OU employee and a single mother of four, lost her home after hard times hit her family. She moved into a rent house, but when her neighbor told her that the house used to be a methamphetamine lab, she moved into a twobedroom apartment and applied for a new home through Habitat

Students brave cold night for Tech tix CAITLIN HARRISON Daily Staff Writer Students were serious about getting tickets to the Texas Tech football game— so serious that several dozen braved the cold to camp out all night outside the ticket office Wednesday night.

Close to 50 students gathered outside the ticket office by 9 p.m. Wednesday, all of whom planned to stay all night to purchase a ticket when the office opens at 8 a.m., even though temperatures are expected to drop to 35 degrees. Students came prepared too — many had tents, blankets, laptops, food, energy drinks and homework.

University College freshman Katie Thompson said she and her friend were the

first to arrive around 5 p.m. She said she was surprised no one else was there yet, but the line behind the girls grew quickly.

Thompson said she plans to use the ticket, but some will sell them at inflated prices.

Brian Wright, finance and accounting sophomore, said although he already has a season ticket, he plans to buy another one that he will sell for $150 or more.

“I’m getting another one to pay for this one and the weekend’s festivities,” he said.

Economics sophomore Craig Haxel also plans to sell his ticket.

“I can only hope as the game gets closer, the prices will go up,” he said. “We haven’t Amy Frost/The Daily

TIX Continues on page 2

Students camp out Wednesday outside the ticket office at the Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

2

News

Thursday, Nov. 20, 2008

Petroleum

PRESIDENTELECT BARACK OBAMA’S ENERGY PLAN

Continued from page 1 “Since we utilize hydrocarbons in our everyday lives, the need [and] demand for engineers in this area will continue to be high,” Anderson said. “The demand for these professionals follows cycles and it will gradually change over time.”

However, Anderson suggests that the recent attention given to energy and energy extraction has ignited a fire in energy management education.

“This might produce too many engineers for the short-term and there might be an over-abundance of engineers compared to the job opportunities available,” Anderson said.

Mark Ballard, petroleum engineer junior and president of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, disagrees.

He said the number of soon-to-retire baby boomers will open up numerous jobs in the field.

“The average age of petroleum engineers working in the industry is about 50 years old,” Ballard said. “Before long, all the old engineers will retire, leaving numerous jobs open for younger people. Thus, there will be plenty of opportunities for entry level petroleum engineers to work with the same amount of responsibility as an engineer who has been working for 10 years.”

Some petroleum engineering students may be wor-

ried about their futures and careers, but most students and professors in the profession are optimistic about the futures.

Brian Foster, petroleum engineering Junior, said Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. and Gov. Sarah Palin, R-Alaska, would have expanded drilling and passed more industry-friendly policies, but he does not think President-Elect Barack Obama’s plan will negatively affect petroleum engineers.

“I think Obama will definitely cut the profits of oil companies down but probably won’t do anything drastic enough to actually affect engineering job security,” Foster said.

The renewable energy sector is one area in which Obama’s plans may affect engineers.

“His suggestions towards renewable energies may produce even more opportunities for engineers outside of the traditional hydrocarbon industry, but these may have happened outside of an Obama administration anyway,” Anderson said.

Osisanya said he agrees the United States should conduct research to find new energy sources but he strongly advocates crude oil’s position as a leading energy source.

“Yes, we must look for alternatives to oil, but right now oil is the cheapest form of energy,” Osisanya said. “Obama and the rest of us need oil. His cars and Airforce One will not fly on water or coal, or battery but jet fuel, which is from crude oil.”

Foster said Obama’s short-term solutions for pain at the pump includes providing emergency energy rebates. Though the word rebate appeals to most Americans’ ears, Foster thinks the rebates could have a negative impact on the overall society.

“I think the plan is good on paper but it’s trying to change a bunch of things to make quick fixes, and a lot of that could backfire,” Foster said.

Even if Obama is able to make quick fixes to high gas prices and increase renewable sources of energy, it doesn’t mean oil fields will stop producing tomorrow.

They are secure for at least the next 100 years, petroleum engineer junior Barret Zuskind said.

Zuskind believes the U.S. won’t be completely sustained by renewable resources within the next 50 years, but may be there within the next 100 years.

“The demand isn’t going down,” he said.

Source: my.barackobama.com

— REPORTING CONTRIBUTED BY JAMIE HUGHES

Lease

Tickets

Continued from page 1 said Maui Beinke, a special projects manager for the Cleveland County Habitat for Humanity who has a traditional mortgage on her house.

“That’s what is special about the Habitat mortgages.”

Bruner said Habitat for Humanity’s payment plan is beneficial because it allows homeowners to pay for their new homes and take care of themselves. “[Habitat’s] mission is to eliminate sub-standard housing,” said Jana Castleberry, executive director of the Cleveland County Habitat for Humanity. “We want to provide safe, decent and affordable housing.”

However, there are more steps to obtaining a house than just applying and paying a mortgage.

The recipients must meet certain qualifications and complete several requirements.

First, they have to apply and meet certain economic requirements.

Once they have been accepted, they must put in 300 hours of

• Provide short-term relief to American families pacing pain at the pump • Help create 5 million new jobs by strategically investing $150 billion over the next 10 years to catalyze private efforts to build a clean energy future.

• Within 10 years, save more oil than we currently import from the Middle East and Venezuela combined • Put 1 million American-made plug-in Hybrid cars, that can get up to 150 miles per gallon, on the road by 2015 • Ensure that 10 percent of U.S. electricity comes from renewable sources by 2012, and 25 percent by 2025 • Implement an economy-wide cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent in 2050

Continued from page 1 work, sometimes called “sweat equity,” which is used to guarantee that the recipients are serious about owning a home.

Once the recipients have finished their sweat equity and the house is complete, they start paying their mortgage.

The money goes back into Habitat for Humanity and most of it is used to start building a new house.

Habitat for Humanity depends on volunteers to build most of their houses. They hire contractors like electricians and plumbers to take care of the more specialized work like laying the foundation, wiring and plumbing.

Volunteers can come from organizations like churches, businesses and schools.

Habitat gets the community working together, said Brenda Luthrell, Cleveland County Habitat for Humanity marketing assistant.

“Having a group that is skilled like Engineers Without Borders is gold.”

Amy Frost/The Daily

Larisa Bruner, OU employee and receiver of a Habitat for Humanity house, looks around her future residence Wednesday on Eufala Street.

had too many big-time ranked opponents.”

University College freshman Bailey Hime, brought a tent, but said she may not get much sleep in it.

“I probably will not even get an hour of sleep,” she said.

Hime did not camp out to buy a ticket for herself, though. She said she plans to purchase one for her boyfriend’s friend.

No one actually planned the campout event, University College freshman Jason Kilpatrick said. People just started showing up as they realized others were there, he said Weston Morgan, microbiology sophomore, said although he and Haxel arrived around 6 p.m., they did not plan to go that early until they discovered students were already there.

“I drove by to see if anyone else was in line,” he said. “We weren’t planning on coming until 11 [p.m.], but we figured we better go on.”

Andrew Hajek, film and video studies junior, said he originally planned to go to the stadium around 4 a.m., but said he also decided to go out earlier once he heard about the large crowd gathering.

“Normally for home games, it isn’t hard to get tickets,” he said.

“But this is the first game of the season where it’s going to be a good game really, and I think that’s why people are going over the top to make sure they get tickets.”

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.

ERROR SUBMISSIONS e-mail: dailynews@ou.edu phone: 325-3666

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The University of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity institution.

Ellis Goodwin, managing editor dailynews@ou.edu phone: 325-3666 fax: 325-6051 For more, go to oudaily.com.

Campus News

Thursday, Nov. 20, 2008

3

Why I’m having surgery — south of the border .immediate expense of paying for the surgery, they write exclusions into policies that legally let them deny coverage. To remove this exclusion, my employer would need to change its group policy and every person would have to pay more money each month because of me.

A year ago I didn’t understand what AMANDA TURNER an exclusion was. I had faith that U.S. The Oklahoma Daily health care was the best in the world. I wasted a long time battling my insurance company and getting my doctors and surThe girl you see is not me.

This is my thought when I see the now geon to write useless letters explaining the rare photo of myself or catch an unflatter- clear benefits about why I needed to get LapBand, and why it would save them a ing glimpse in the mirror.

That is why I am flying today to San great deal of money.

Out of pocket, the laparscopic LapBand Diego, where a driver with a sign will meet me and take me a few minutes south to procedure costs upward of $16,000, which Tijuana, Mexico, where on Friday I will does not include any hospital stay. I am paying $8,000 which includes the surgery undergo weight loss surgery.

My weight is out of control, and I am with the same band from Allergan, the only going to have adjustable gastric banding LapBand manufacturer, plus an overnight surgery to limit what I can eat from now stay in the clinic and two nights in a five-star on. A surgeon will place an inflatable band hotel. The surgeon I chose is one of the best known as a LapBand around the upper por- in the world and has done more than 7,000 procedures. Thousands of Americans have tion of my stomach.

Growing up in California, I always gone to clinics in Mexico because it is much thought of Tijuana as a place for wild more affordable, and the care is equal, if not spring breaks and plenty of illegal opportu- better to what they can receive in the U.S., nities. The only scenario I imagined having and I am joining them this week.

I am drowning under my excess weight, surgery in Tijuana was of the frightening urban legends that involved me drinking and I don’t want to be drowning in debt. I too much tequila and waking up in a hotel think the little band will be a lifesaver I can use to swim to the trifecta I seek: health, bathtub full of ice without my kidneys.

Despite the serious health problems happiness and a tiny bit of hotness.

My weight has never been at a healthy obesity causes, my insurance will not pay place, but since suffering a for the LapBand procedure. I back injury three years ago, have good insurance that will I have gained approximately cover every problem obesity 75 pounds, most of it since can cause a person, such as undergoing spinal fusion surdiabetes, hypertension, heart gery last December to remove disease, joint replacements, liver disease, cancer and Log on to OUDaily.com a badly herniated disk. The this weekend to read LapBand is my own physical depression. However, it carries a specific exclusion that her blog from Mexico. intervention to help me lose about 135 pounds of excess prohibits coverage for any weight that is crushing my treatment of obesity itself, even if the treatment would improve any body and spirit. I am exhausted constantly, medical problems. The exclusion is listed my knees and ankles hurt, I have stress in the back of my policy among other things fractures in my feet from walking and I sufnot covered under any circumstance, such fer from insomnia and depression. This fall as acupuncture, cosmetic surgery and wil- my back pain has returned because I sufderness therapy. (Yes, wilderness therapy.) fered another herniated disk. Losing weight Weight loss surgery has proven to be 95 immediately is the only way I can avoid a percent effective in helping patients lose second surgery.

I have tried to lose weight by dieting. I weight and keep it off, and, in many cases, is a lifesaving procedure. So why do some know how to lose weight, and I have lost weight many times. I got an A in the nutripolicies exclude it?

More than 30 percent of U.S. adults suffer tion class I took a few semesters ago. I just from obesity, according to the Centers for can’t keep it off on my own.

It feels as though I have been on a diet Disease Control and Prevention, and would qualify for weight loss surgery. Insurance since I first started gaining weight around companies realize this, and to avoid the age 8. Being an overweight child was such

• The Daily’s firstperson account of LapBand surgery

Photo by Amy Frost/The Daily

Journalism senior Amanda Turner poses Wednesday night at the Huston Huffman Center with weights amounting to 135 lbs., the amount of weight she hopes to lose after LapBand surgery. an unhappy, traumatic experience that it has shaped my life in an extremely negative way, setting off years of physically and mentally dangerous habits. With no education in nutrition, as a child I thought skipping as many meals as possible was the best way to lose weight. I would go all day without eating until coming home and bingeing.

I played soccer and did gymnastics, but I couldn’t control my hunger and love of calorie-rich foods. Every year when I blew out my birthday candles, I wished to be thin and beautiful.

I have met with psychologists and psychiatrists, have read dozens of books and tried commercial weight loss programs to eat less. I have used both extremely

unhealthy behaviors — starvation, vomiting, pills — and medically sound healthy habits — nutritious meals and exercise — to lose weight. The pounds always came back. Somehow, I was always convinced that if I just had more willpower, I would achieve my desired weight loss.

Until about a year ago, I never considered weight loss surgery. I thought it signaled a person was giving up, and I was still convinced I could do it on my own.

The catalyst for my change of heart was my back injury in September 2005, when I was trying to pull-start an old gas lawn mower. I was yanking backward as hard as I could when the pull cord snapped me forward. I visited the doctor a few days later

for the pain and was told I had not done anything serious. Yet the pain increased. For the next two years, I did physical therapy and got the occasional X-ray that revealed nothing was wrong with my back. The pain increased to the point that I was unable to sit or walk without agony, and my right leg was numb. Finally last November, my back called it quits, going into such severe spasms that my roommate was forced to call an ambulance to take me to Norman Regional Hospital’s emergency room. The ER doctor also insisted there was nothing wrong with me and suggested I was making up my history of back pain and trying to score painkillers. I refused to be discharged until they scheduled an MRI. It revealed a disk so herniated that surgery was the only option, and I had to miss the rest of the fall semester as well as this spring.

My surgery cost approximately $70,000, which was not all paid for by my insurance.

Since then, I have worked two full-time jobs to pay off the bills. Since surgery, I have been in such a fear of suffering another injury that I have avoided anything that caused back pain. My beloved elliptical machine and even the bicycle caused too much rocking in my pelvis. I tried walking for exercise in the spring, which resulted in the stress fracture, and I spent the summer in a walking boot. As soon as I began walking again, my foot injury returned. Familiar back pain has returned, and again I can barely sit or walk: I have herniated the disk below the two fused vertebrae. I do not want to go through another back surgery.

The LapBand procedure is not without risks. All surgery carries dangers, and a LapBand can slip or erode. I will be able to eat only a small amount of food before I feel full.

Following the surgery, I will be able to drink only liquids for six weeks while the band heals in place. Over the winter break, I plan to return to the clinic for a follow up and the first band tightening, known as a fill. Through a port sewn into my stomach muscle, the doctor can add or take away saline solution into the band to tighten it or loosen it to allow me to eat less food or more food at once.

I have been on a very strict diet of 750 calories a day for the past two weeks to prepare myself physically and mentally for the surgery. I did not think I could make it through two weeks, but I have the band and good health to look forward to. Most of all, I look forward to everyone being able to see the girl I recognize as me.

— AMANDA TURNER IS A JOURNALISM SENIOR AND NIGHT EDITOR AT THE DAILY.

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Opinion

Thursday, Nov. 20, 2008

Hailey Branson, opinion editor dailyopinion@ou.edu phone: 325-7630, fax: 325-6051 For more, go to oudaily.com.

OUR VIEW

Police, military should be able to have guns on campus In an ideal world, there would be no need for guns on university campuses.

But this is not an ideal world.

This is a world where school shootings have become more and more common and where innocent people have been killed or injured in the classroom.

Student Congress passed legislation Tuesday officially opposing the possibility of allowing concealed carry license holders to carry concealed weapons on campus. It passed this legislation in response to a proposed bill from the Oklahoma Legislature that would allow guns on campus, where they currently are forbidden by law.

We think the members of Student Congress should rethink their decision.

Student Congress is completely opposed to all guns on campus. But we don’t think it should oppose allowing trained professionals — law enforcement and those who are in the military or have been honorably discharged and thoroughly vetted — to carry concealed weapons on campus.

We are not ignorant to the fact that there will always be guns on campuses. We know some people carry hidden guns even now, despite the fact that doing so is illegal.

But we would rather those guns be in the hands of people who are professionally trained on how to use them — and how to resist using them out of pure emotional instinct.

Having these trained professionals with weapons present on campus could provide some security for students, faculty and

staff.

If someone brought a weapon to campus with the intent of harming others, a trained person with a concealed weapon could act more quickly than emergency responders to stop the attacker from harming a large number of people.

The very possibility that a person with a concealed weapon may be present may OUR VIEW deter a would-be attacker who would is an editorial otherwise attack a very vulnerable group selected and debated of people. by the editorial board and written after a Potential ttackers know legal concealed majority opinion is weapons are not allowed on campus, that formed and approved by the editor. Our View everyone on campus is unarmed and that no resistance would be encountered. is The Daily’s official opinion.

This is extremely sad. And it could be prevented.

The presence of guns does not make people unsafe. The presence of guns in the wrong hands does.

Since 1997, Oklahomans have been able to obtain concealed carry permits. With these permits, they can carry guns into grocery stores, into restaurants and into businesses that do not have “No Concealed Weapons” signs. People do not avoid these places out of fear. Most people do not even know someone with a gun could be right next to them.

Statistics prove that those who commit violent crimes are almost never people who have taken the time to complete and pass a concealed carry class. If you add to that police or

military training, you can probably feel pretty safe when someone carries a concealed weapon on campus.

Laws do not prevent criminals from having guns.

If someone decides to bring a gun to campus with the intent to harm, a law that forbids it will not stop that person.

That person already plans to break the law.

What current laws instead do is prevent good, trained people who intend to keep themselves and those around them safe from having guns on campus.

We hope the day never comes when someone tries to attack our campus. But if it does, we want to be as protected as possible.

And we think trained professionals with guns could provide some of that protection.

Student Congress needs to seriously reconsider revising its stance against all concealed weapons on campus.

Photos.com

College men have much to learn

YOUR VIEWS Boren generous to university, deserves praise A recent report about OU President L. David Boren’s salary did not tell the whole story. There is more the OU community should know.

Since he has been president, he and Molly Shi Boren have donated over $1 million to the university, and they have also made the institution the beneficiary of a $1.5 million in life insurance policies.

He has also donated all proceeds from his recent book, A Letter to America, to the Sooner Heritage Scholarship Fund and the OU Press.

This additional recent donation will exceed $200,000.

Boren has also taught classes for 28 semesters without compensation.

We should also not forget his leadership in raising more than $1 billion for OU in private donations.

Performance matters in compensation.

I know of no university president who has been more generous to the university he serves than David Boren.

He deserves our appreciation.

Jon Stuart Chairman OU Board of Regents

Our View about textbook industry ‘missed the mark’ I appreciate The Daily doing a feature over my textbook Tuesday.

The reporter got most of the details right, but one thing I would like to clarify is that I am donating the royalties I earn at OU to a textbook scholarship fund, not all of the royalties I earn from book sales nationwide.

The accompanying editorial, however, missed the mark.

The people behind the textbook industry are not “cheating you and stealing your money” any more than your hairdresser, the Bic pen company or our fine local restaurants.

Publishers are businesses. They provide high-quality educational materials that require a tremendous amount of time and money to write, illustrate, edit, review and produce.

The price for a new textbook is high because publishers have only a year or two of new book sales to recover their entire investment before used books flood the market.

Only bookstores — not publishers — profit from each sale and re-sale of a used book.

The editorial implies that publishers are somehow resisting the transition to e-books.

On the contrary, publishers would love to sell more e-books, but, so far, students and professors have been slow to catch on.

The e-books of the past were essentially PDF versions of print books, but publishers are working hard to develop formats that are readable on screen and that add interactive “extras” like animations, video clips, podcasts and other features that cannot be integrated into a print book.

Before you purchase your books for next semester, check http://www.coursesmart.com/ or ask your professors this question: “Is an e-book available?”

If it is, and you purchase it, you’ll save money and trees, and you’ll help move OU toward the future of textbook publishing.

Recently, I uncovered topsecret information from a group of unsuspecting females.

The topic: men.

The problem: Collegiate men are really collegiate boys.

I chuckled as they blasted guy after guy for acting “five years younger” than he really is.

I chuckled, of course, because it is true. Their complaint is legitimate and my gender MATT is, generally, FELTY defenseless.

Age is a precarious agent to guys my age. We enjoy the pleasure of juvenile activities.

Nothing says male bonding like an intense game of NCAA Football on XBox. Gaming ability can be indicative of one’s personal worth.

You let me score 60 points on you? Do you want me to take your girlfriend to dinner as well?

At the same time, we wish to be treated as mature, ambitious and independent men. While not all of us know what our futures

entail, we know we have a future, for better or worse.

Our maturity, we believe, comes not through action, but through numerical default. I am 21. That itself equals maturity. Pass the Capri-Sun and Cheerios.

On ambition, some guys invoke the principles of James Madison.

Madison, in The Federalist, advocated countering “ambition...with ambition.”

Modern men take this to heart.

They do so much of nothing that it makes up for doing something.

And we are so independent we do not even have to load the dishwasher, take out the trash or unclog the shower that holds four inches of water with each use.

Only the imprisoned fasten themselves to the chains of cleanliness and order. How liberating is it to live in relative filth?

Nothing says I am in control of my life like building a tower of dirty dishes.

Guys need not take offense.

The guilty can most easily identify the sin. Thankfully, the conversation I overheard omitted

harsh commentary on the above confessions. Their complaints instead, not surprisingly, came in the way we interact with them.

The bottom line: Men are brave, but OU boys can be cowards.

No doubt this stung. But, again, the women spoke from experience.

Texting was quite a point of contention. My esteemed colleague in print and intellectual giant Eric Combs touched on this issue earlier in the semester.

However, his pleas seem to have fallen on deaf ears.

No date requests over text messages, fellas. The girls, at least the ones I sampled without authorization, said grow a pair and call.

They understand the difficulty in maintaining a conversation, especially the first time you touch base on the phone. But this is one of those things that help us grow up and execute our self-professed maturity.

Next — no shocker — girls like guys with direction and a plan, with a kernel of hope (but not that Obamacized kind.)

Fellas, we hear the word ‘direction’ and think, “Man, I kind find

anything on a map.” Herein lays the problem.

Females want the kind of direction that extends beyond the steering wheel.

We are in college. I do not have to spell it out for anyone. I, myself, can be just as oblivious to it as the next guy.

But, the good news is, all guys do, inherently, crave direction and possess shreds of it within their beer-battered skulls.

Even the guy who built his entire persona on being the guy with no direction has some kind of direction. For some reason, guys like to occasionally conceal their driven, serious sides.

Never would I profess to know for a second what girls want.

The revelation I was exposed to provided a mere crack in the window of the insatiable wants of females.

Women of OU, take solace in this: While guys have fallen down on the job, our capacity for suitability exists.

Sometimes we just hide it in the security of years gone by.

Matt Felty is a public administration senior. His column appears every other Thursday.

Mark Potts — broadcast and electronic media graduate student

STAFF CARTOON

Mariëlle Hoefnagels Botany and microbiology professor

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State & Local News

Thursday, Nov. 20, 2008

5

Charges dismissed in OU-Texas football fight SEAN MURPHY Associated Press OKLAHOMA CITY — Allen Beckett said he was just enjoying a beer at his favorite Oklahoma City bar in June 2007 when a young man wearing a University of Texas T-shirt strolled in.

Beckett, a 54-year-old federal auditor and church deacon, said he good-naturedly ribbed the man, saying the Longhorn emblem on his shirt was upside down.

What ensued a short time later was a bar fight that left the Texas fan nearly castrated with an injury to his scrotum so severe it took 60 stitches to close and Beckett facing a felony assault charge and up to five years in prison.

The criminal case ended Wednesday when prosecutors filed paperwork to dismiss the charge against Beckett, saying witnesses had come forward who indicated the alleged victim, 35-year-old Brian Christopher Thomas, was actually the aggressor.

Messages left Wednesday for Thomas and his attorney, Carl Hughes, were not returned.

During a preliminary hearing in March, Thomas testified that Beckett taunted him relentlessly and that when he decided to leave, Beckett attacked him without provocation, grabbing his groin.

“I turned around and he grabbed a hold of my testicles,” Thomas said at the time.

When a pair of bar patrons tried to separate the two men, Thomas said he heard a popping sound, looked down and saw a lot of blood.

“I saw a tear and an exposed testicle,” Thomas said. “I panicked.”

But District Attorney David Prater, who initially charged Beckett with felony aggravated assault, said witnesses have since come forward who said Thomas was the aggressor.

“So many witnesses came forward with stories counter to what the victim’s story was and supporting the story of the defendant,” Prater said Wednesday. “We found we had a case on our hands that we no longer could prove beyond a reasonable doubt.”

Jamy Snyder, a bartender at Henry Hudson’s Pub, a northwest Oklahoma City bar in the heart of Sooner country, told investigators Thomas said he’d already been in another fight and was anxious to scrap with Beckett, according to court papers.

Other bar patrons, including friends of Thomas, also told investigators that Thomas was intoxicated and looking for trouble, court records show.

For his part, Beckett said he was minding his own business when Thomas approached him at the bar and threatened to beat him up. He said he only grabbed Thomas after the bigger, younger man tried to pull him from his bar stool.

“He started pulling me out of the chair, so I sprung out of the

“You go straight for ‘em. You don’t hit the dirt, you go straight for the machine gun.”

Photo Provided

— Allen Beckett, defending his actions in a fight with a University of Texas fan chair into his chest,” said Beckett, a 22-year Army veteran. “You go straight for ‘em. You don’t hit the dirt, you go straight for the machine gun.”

Beckett said he didn’t grab Thomas’ groin until the two men hit the ground and then only to keep Thomas from attacking him.

He said he also had no idea Thomas had been injured so severely.

“I expected him to be sore for a couple of days, but I didn’t think he was seriously hurt, Beckett said.

While Beckett acknowledged ribbing Thomas once about his Texas T-shirt, he said it was just a friendly taunt.

“I didn’t even go to OU,” Beckett said. “I’m a baseball fan.”

Major decisions • Students talk about indecision in their academic paths PAIGE LAWLER Daily Staff Writer University College sophomore Becca DeFoe has switched her major almost 11 times. She has no idea what she wants to do after college.

Defoe said she asks herself everyday, “What do I want to major in today?”

The recent economic turmoil leaves DeFoe in doubt about her future.

“Every time I pick a major, I wonder if I’ll be able to find a job,” she said.

The economy is a factor for any student trying to choose a major, said microbiology sophomore Courtney Barfoot.

She said if healthcare falls under a socialized plan, doctors will not make as much money.

“Pretty much every profession right now is affected by the economic state,” said Barfoot, who is considering switching her major.

But there are many other reasons why students have changed their majors, said Diane Mayes, director of academic advising for University College.

Mayes said the economy is not on most students’ minds when switching majors, and most freshmen switch after they figure out where they want to go.

“Once they’ve made adjustments to the university, choosing a major is a more pressing problem,” Mayes said.

On top of economic issues, DeFoe said she also feels pressured by her family and peers.

While most students claim a major early, DeFoe said she needs time to find the right one for her.

Lately, she feels overwhelmed.

“A lot of people I know, a lot of my friends, are working toward their major already,” DeFoe said.

She mostly rotates through elementary educa-

tion, sociology, history and public relations, but she is currently stuck on an undecided route.

DeFoe said when she claims a major, something else comes up and she changes her mind again.

Having the right skills to find a job and survive in the professional world is intimidating, she said.

Most people gravitate toward majors that intrigue them, but DeFoe said no specific subject stands out in her mind.

“I’m not passionate about anything in particular,” she said.

Other students have the opposite problem.

Environmental design junior Jonathan Stone has the passion, but lacks the grades.

As a freshman, Stone started at OU as an architectural engineering major, but hit a wall when he struggled with calculus. So he switched to an undecided major.

He said it was like a wake-up call. Stone said he still wanted to pursue an architecture major, and the label was a “placeholder” until he decided to commit to that path.

Stone’s current major re-opens the door to architecture after he raises his grade point average.

DeFoe said her adviser has offered sufficient help with her indecisiveness.

“It’s definitely very beneficial to talk to your adviser and see what you should do,” DeFoe said.

University College offers several methods for students to help choose the right path for them, Mayes said.

The Strategies for Undecided Students brochure offers many options to help, such as career assessments, course descriptions and seminar information.

“There are multiple, multiple avenues students can pursue to resolve [problems], Mayes said.

She said she would advise confused students to take an on online career assessment, and research the careers that the program suggests.

University College is also sponsoring presentations in February focusing on how to select a major and how to find a job.

All options are available to the entire campus, and if all else fails try Google, Mayes said.

New music program produces better experiences for students KATE CUNNINGHAM The Oklahoma Daily The School of Music’s latest program edition teaches students how to record and generate original music composition with computer programs.

But some students are taking this new technology emphasis beyond OU’s sound booths and producing and editing music from their bedrooms.

Guitar performance senior Russell Watson, communications sophomore Josh Hammell and composition graduate student Kerry Folsom are students of the school’s recently developed music technology program.

“Developing my own recording system has made my education,” said Watson, who enjoys the technological aspect of making music. “It really bridges the gap of ‘conceptuality’ to actuality, implementing the techniques I learn in class into my own music.”

Konstantinos Karathanasis, assistant professor of music technology and composition, structured the eight-class program about a year ago. He emphasizes the importance of creativity in musical composition and improving the technology that produces these original sounds.

“We are musicians. We are not just learning technology for its own sake,” Karathanasis said.

Hammell, who runs his studio out of his bedroom, enjoys the composition aspect of the process the most. He said the energy produced from live music is difficult to reproduce in an amateur sound booth in his apartment, but he said he benefits from working with this technology on his own time.

“I listen to music much more critically than I used to, and I have appreciation for really good

recordings because I know how hard they are to make,” he said.

The equipment used can range from simple to complex, but the necessities include a desktop or laptop computer, an interface, a mixing board, cables, microphones and musical instruments.

The software that Karathanasis uses in his courses is ProTools, but these students use a variety of software at home. Karathanasis encourages them to use their minds and ears to tweak the technology and produce a fully developed sound.

While Watson and Hammell are making educational strides by experimenting outside the classroom, Folsom, a graduate student, has spent the last few decades working with recording technology.

Folsom owns his own music publishing company called Franklin Folsom. He is an active member of the Oklahoma City music scene, produces a variety of back-up tracks in his home recording studio and performs his music live.

Folsom said he is impressed by the developments in technology and sound quality since he began recording in the 1980s.

“Digital technology has made recording more affordable,” Folsom said. “There’s not a huge difference between major and small studios any more.”

Folsom thinks this technology has a cultural impact beyond producing less expensive, more easily edited sounds. He said music technology, along with the Internet, has created a sense of community among music lovers around the world.

“It’s brought music back to local artists, and at the same time, changed the meaning of the word ‘local.’ Now local music is not geographical, but ‘genre-graphical,’” he said.

6

Thursday, Nov. 20, 2008

STAFF COLUMN

OU vs. Tech will be like looking in the mirror The eyes of all college football fans will be on Norman this weekend when OU takes on Texas Tech. A match-up between two top-five teams this late in the year — and outside of a conference championship — is rare, and this one game could throw a massive wrench into the BCS. Plenty of people have talked all week about the keys to this game. The strengths and weaknesses of both teams have been analyzed over and over, and there’s one major message I’ve gotten from such analysis: OU and Texas Tech are virtually carbon copies of each other.

This may come as no surprise, considering that Bob Stoops’ former assistant, Mike Leach, is now at the head of the Tech offense. And the bestCOREY known players for both teams — and rightfully DEMOSS so — are their quarterbacks: Sam Bradford for OU and Graham Harrell for Tech.

But a deeper look at these two teams reveals just how similar they are.

Both teams dominate in the passing game. Tech is No. 1 in the nation in passing while OU is No. 3. Harrell has been responsible for 25.6 points per game, which ranks first in the nation. Bradford trails by only .4 points per game, and is second in the nation.

Tech is No. 2 in the nation with 566.3 total yards per game, while OU is No. 4 with 549.8 yards per game.

Such similar offensive numbers should come as no surprise to fans who have followed both teams all year. But the teams also have near-identical stats on defense.

Tech has given up 107.4 rushing yards per game, while OU is close behind at 107.5. The Sooners have given up 238.8 passing yards per game, while Tech surrenders 244 per game.

The two teams also have identical statistics in the red zone. Both teams allow the opponent to score 79 percent of the time it gets inside the 20.

How about in the turnover department? OU and Tech are tied for No. 21 in the nation with 24 takeaways. However, the Sooners have only committed eight turnovers all season, while Tech has given the ball away 14 times.

The point of all these statistics is to show just how alike these two teams are. They are good at all the same things, and bad at all the same things.

They are led by two eerily similar quarterbacks and two head coaches that are very familiar with one another.

Based on talent alone, these two teams are essentially even in every category, making it nearly impossible to break things down and decide which team should win. Both teams will basically be playing another version of themselves.

That’s what makes this game so great. It’s strength vs. strength, one Heisman candidate vs. another and mentor vs. protegé.

There’s a reason why students are camping out for tickets while others are selling theirs for astronomical amounts of money: It’s going to be one hell of a game.

— COREY DEMOSS IS THE SPORTS EDITOR AND A JOURNALISM SENIOR.

Sports

Corey DeMoss, sports editor dailysports@ou.edu phone: 325-7630, fax: 325-6051 For more, go to oudaily.com.

Seniors ready for final home game • Sooners hoping to finish season on high note against Tech KYLE BURNETT The Oklahoma Daily Saturday marks the final game at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium for OU’s group of seniors.

The players will be honored on the field with their families before they face the important match-up with No. 2 Texas Tech.

Nothing would satisfy the group more than to get a win.

Senior safety Nic Harris said there couldn’t be a better stage for the seniors to finish their home career.

“It’s an added edge,” Harris said. “Being it’s my senior home stand, it’s more impressive, it’s a big stage and a great atmosphere here in Norman. I came to OU to play on a stage like this.”

The group of seniors came from a variety of states around the nation to play football at OU. As a whole they cover nine states: Oklahoma, Texas, California, Georgia, Ohio, Louisiana, Michigan, Arizona and Colorado.

The seniors have provided leadership the entire year and have shared their experience with the younger players.

Sophomore running back DeMarco Murray said the seniors have made him a better player and a better leader.

Murray said he feels Norman is a great place for the seniors to finish their careers.

“It’s just a great place to play,” Murray said.

“It’s a great atmosphere, a great team coming in and it’s a chance for us to play our best.”

The first game senior wide receiver Juaquin Iglesias played was the 2005 home game against TCU, which OU lost.

Iglesias said the game this weekend means even more — Senior to him because the first home game he experienced was a loss, a rare thing for any player on this team.

Head coach Bob Stoops is 59-2 at Norman during his ten year tenure.

Tyler Metcalfe/The Daily

Seniors Juaquin Iglesias (9), Manuel Johnson (1) and Quentin Chaney (84) prepare for the season opener against Chattanooga on Aug. 30. All three receivers will play their final game in Norman Saturday.

“It means a lot to me to win at home and deliver to the fans what they deserve because they support you a lot,” Iglesias said. “You can’t get better than this; playing a top team as your last home game.

This is why you come to Oklahoma.”

Senior wide receiver Manuel Johnson and Iglesias are very good friends. They have shared a camaraderie since coming to OU and they’re not interested in losing their last home game.

“Manny commentJuaquin Iglesias ed to me the other day: we lost our first one, we’re not going to lose our last one,” Iglesias said.

It’s no surprise that the team feels motivated to come out and play better this week.

“You can’t get better than this; playing a top team as your last home game. This is why you come to Oklahoma.”

The stage is set for a phenomenal finish with a showdown of two top-five teams.

“I can feel a buzz around campus; I think everyone around here is excited for this game,” sophomore quarterback Sam Bradford said. “I feel there is energy in the locker room; also I think we had the most energy for a Monday practice in a long time.”

Bradford said it’s important for him to win this game as well because of the concussion he sustained against Tech last year.

“I really don’t remember much of the game [last year],” Bradford said.

Bradford said he wants to get a win under his belt against the Red Raiders for the seniors and so he’s able to remember it.

When Texas Tech comes into Norman Saturday, there will be even more of a buzz around campus, and it will be the final time fans get to watch their favorite senior players at home.

“You couldn’t ask for a better last chapter,” Harris said. “It’s a perfect way to finish.”

Sports

Thursday, Nov. 20, 2008

7

SPORTS BRIEFS Wrestling coach goes for win No. 200 tonight The OU wrestling team will take on its second opponent of the season at 7 tonight in McCasland Field House against Oklahoma City University.

A Sooner win will mean the 200th of head coach Jack Spates’ career.

“I don’t really keep count of it,” Spates said. “I thank all the young men that made it possible.”

OU, ranked No. 19 in the nation, shut out Central Oklahoma in its first match of the season last week, winning all 10 bouts on the way to a 39-0 victory.

Admission is free and the first 500 fans will receive OU wrestiling schedule magnets.

Cross country runner qualifies for NCAAs

Merrill Jones/The Daily

Senior Ashley Paris (5) prepares to go up for a shot amid three defenders during OU’s 85-65 victory over Middle Tennessee Wednesday. Paris led OU with 21 points, advancing the Sooners to the third round of the WNIT Friday against No. 18 Arizona State. For a full photo slideshow of Wednesday’s action, visit oudaily.com.

Women’s basketball rolls again • No. 2 Sooners cruise to 20-point victory ANNELISE RUSSELL The Oklahoma Daily The OU women’s basketball team entered Wednesday with the highest ranking in school history, but the Sooners did not let that faze them on the way to an 85-65 victory over the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders.

The No. 2 Sooners were led by Ashley Paris’ 21 points and Amanda Thompson’s 20, while Courtney Paris recorded her 94th consecutive double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds.

As a team, OU started the game slow, but things picked up halfway through the first half.

“We got the lead and kept the lead, which is not an easy thing to do,” head coach Sherri Coale said. “It evaporates pretty easily.”

Smothering defense and turnovers eventually put the Sooners in a position to keep the

ball out of the hands of Middle Tennessee, although the Blue Raiders never went away.

“No panic, that was probably the best part about it,” Coale said.

The first half was lead by Ashley Paris who put up 15 points and came up with four rebounds, leading OU to a 43-26 halftime lead.

There was not much hesitation from the Sooners coming out of the locker room and they slowly widened their lead.

After struggling in the first half with only two points and two rebounds, Courtney Paris put up the Sooners’ first points of the half.

“I knew I wasn’t playing well… I’m human,” Courtney Paris said.

In addition to her 20 points, Thompson added nine rebounds.

“At halftime I knew she was really solid, and midway through the second half, I felt she was in control of the game,” Coale said.

Middle Tennessee head coach Rick Insell said what hurt his team and what helped the Sooners was Thompson’s improved play.

Carly Roethlisbeger led OU’s bench with 11 points. Roethlisberger has continually had key points in OU’s early match-ups.

Coale said it is Roethlisberger’s boost in con-

fidence and her ability to play wherever she is needed that has really helped the Sooners.

The Sooners also recorded 22 total assists on the night.

Coale said she liked that number and that OU generally shares the basketball well.

If there was one fault of the Sooners on the night, it was poor shooting from behind the arch. OU shot 23.5 percent as a team from the three-point line, but made up for it with shorter jumpers.

“We were able to make a bunch of jump shots and that stretches the defense as well,” Coale said.

The win advances the Sooners to the third round of the WNIT. They move on to face No. 18 Arizona State at 7 p.m. Friday at Lloyd Noble Center. Arizona State will be the Sooners’ first ranked opponent this year.

Including the team’s two preseason games, OU has now scored more than 100 points per game and defeated its opponents by an average of more than 50 points. Despite their dominant offensive performances, the Sooners realize they have not played perfectly.

“We’ve got a lot to work on,” Thompson said.

For the fifth time in six years, an OU cross country runner will take part in the NCAA National Championships.

Sophomore Kelly Waters qualified individually as one of the topfour finishers on a non-advancing team after Nebraska and Iowa were selected as at-large teams this week.

Waters finished last weekend’s 6,000-meter Midwest Regional in 21 minutes and nine seconds and finished 10th in the field, an improvement of 51 spots from last year.

Waters is just one of four individuals from the Big 12 Conference to secure an at-large spot, and becomes the third Sooner runner to qualify for the National Championships since the inception of the Big 12. Jessica Eldridge — in 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2007 — and Melissa Gilbertson — in 1996 — were the previous two Sooners to accomplish the feat.

The Championships will take place at 11:00 a.m. Monday, Nov. 24 at Indiana State University in Terra Haute, Ind. The race will be broadcast live on CBS College Sports Network and streamed online via NCAA.com.

McCoy named Wooden Cup semifinalist OU defensive tackle Gerald McCoy was named one of 16 semifinalists for the 2009 Wooden Cup Wednesday.

The Cup is given annually to one collegiate and one professional athlete who has made the greatest positive influence in the lives of others.

The winners will be announced on Wednesday, Jan. 14.

OU track and field and cross country runner Jackie Dubois won the Wooden Cup in 2005, the same year OU running back Jacob Gutierrez was a finalist. Defensive end Carl Pendleton was also a finalist in 2006.

Gresham named John Mackey semifinalist OU tight end Jermaine Gresham has been named one of eight semifinalists for the John Mackey Award, given annualy to the nation’s best collegiate tight end.

On the season, Gresham has 36 receptions for 553 yards and leads the Sooners with nine touchdowns. He is the Sooners’ all-time career leader at tight end with 21 touchdown receptions.

Gresham is one of three Big 12 tight ends named as semifinalists, joining Oklahoma State’s Brandon Pettigrew and Missouri’s Chase Coffman.

The winner of the Mackey Award will be announced Dec. 11 at the ESPNU College Football Awards Show on ESPN. — DAILY STAFF

IS COMING TO

NORMAN FRIDAY NOV. 21, 4PM – 7PM* Tune in Saturdays 10am ET on and

Visit The Home Depot® located at 850 Ed Noble Pkwy., Norman, OK and meet ESPN College GameDay Analyst Desmond Howard! *Desmond Howard will be present from 5PM – 7PM

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8

Sports

Thursday, Nov. 20, 2008

The road to the Big 12 Championship • The Daily breaks down the scenarios — some plausible, some less so — that will lead Big 12 South teams to Kansas City

IF...

AND...

AND...

THEN...

1

OU beats Tech

+

OU beats OSU

+

BCS voters place OU over Texas

=

2

OU beats Tech

+

OU beats OSU

+

BCS voters place Texas over OU

=

3

OU beats Tech

+

OSU beats OU

+

= (BCS rankings irrelevant)

4

Tech beats OU

+

Tech beats Baylor

+

= (BCS rankings irrelevant)

5

OUbeats Tech

+

Baylor beats Tech

+

= (BCS rankings irrelevant)

Delta Gamma Delta Gamma Foundation Lectureship in Values and Ethics and the University of Oklahoma request the pleasure of your company at Delta Gamma’s FREE Lectureship featuring

Linda Cohn ESPN Sportscenter Anchor Thursday, November 20, 2008 7:00 p.m.

Oklahoma Memorial Union Molly Shi Coren Ballroom~Third Floor 900 Asp Avenue-Norman, OK

IN THE TITLE GAME

Sports

Thursday, Nov. 20, 2008

9

Another chance for historic Nov. at Owen Field • Longtime OU fan says Saturday’s game could be most important home matchup in 51 years EDITOR’S NOTE: John McAdams is a native Oklahoman who taught at the OU College of Law from 1975-1977. In 1957, he was a 10-year-old who was stunned to hear that Notre Dame snapped OU’s 47-game winning streak. McAdams gave The Daily permission to publish his writing about that fateful day in Nov., as well as OU’s next big home challenge, which he believes could be the most significant game Owen Field has seen since 1957.

John McAdams

JOHN MCADAMS Contributing Writer The Texas Tech Red Raiders will march across the border and invade Norman-Town this Saturday, Nov. 22, 2008.

This once little-known team from the plains of West Texas is led by a mad scientist named Mike Leach who has rallied his troops to a 9-0 record and the No. 2 ranking in the country.

In seeking to defeat the legendary Sooners of Oklahoma, he will do battle against his former boss, Bob Stoops.

It will be Grant v. Lee, Patton v. Rommel in a struggle played out before a national television audience.

The prize will not be the western world, but close to it, with the victor on the inside track in the Big 12 South, the nation’s best football division.

OU has been installed as a seven-point favorite, but this battle will be even-steven, toe-to-toe, no quarter asked nor given. With a rider in a black mask on a black horse and a mascot of two Okies in a wagon hitched behind two ponies, it will a struggle between the new and the old for collegiate football supremacy.

With a historic game set to be played at Owen Field on Saturday, it seems only right to recall the epic battle fought there 51 years and one week ago, on Nov. 16, 1957, when OU’s 47-game winning streak ended against the Irish of Notre Dame in a 7-0 war of the worlds.

Every Notre Dame and OU fan remembers where they were that day.

The 47-game winning streak began in 1953. In the first game of 1953, OU lost to Notre Dame, so it was losses to Notre Dame that bookended OU’s recordsetting streak.

In the second game of 1953, OU tied Pitt but won out for the rest of the 1953 season.

The Sooners went undefeated in 1954, 1955 and

Daily file photo

In this Daily file photo, David Baker attempts to intercept a pass during Notre Dame’s 7-0 defeat of OU. The photo’s caption in the Tuesday, Nov. 19 edition of The Daily read, “COME HERE — Jumping high in the air for an Irish pass is safety man David Baker, OU’s alternate unit quarterback. He wasn’t able to hang on to this one, however, in the second period he leaped for a similar pass and intercepted a Frank Reynolds toss in the endzone.”

1956. Many consider the 1956 team OU’s best during the streak (it beat Notre Dame 40-0 in South Bend that year) but it didn’t go to a bowl game in 1954 or 1956.

At the time, the NCAA had a tricky rule that a team could not go to two consecutive bowl games,

so OU sat out, denied postseason glory those two years.

In 1957, OU was the pre-season AP pick to win the National Championship, even though it had only three returning starters. Notre Dame won its first four games, but the Irish lost its next two before the

battle in Norman.

Las Vegas had OU as a 17-point favorite, but this was before anyone knew that an epic war was about to be fought in the Sooner Nation.

The weather was Oklahoma gray for the game, perhaps a bad omen for OU. The wind did not affect passing that day, because passing was not on the mind of either team. It was a ground war, not unlike that seen in France and Belgium during World War I. The game was broadcast on national TV, but most Oklahomans remember listening to it on the radio, because many OU fans did not own a TV at the time.

It was clearly the most important collegiate regular-season football game since Knute Rockne’s “Four Horsemen” (war, pestilence, death and destruction), defeated Army on Oct. 18, 1924, in the Polo Grounds in New York.

It was the most legendary game played at Owen Field, until possibly 1971, when the Cornhuskers of Nebraska escaped with a victory in Norman on Thanksgiving Day. OU dominated the first half of the epic struggle against Notre Dame. It had three chances to score but failed on each occasion.

The Irish were apparently roused by a half-time speech because they mercilessly ground out yardage in the second half. Notre Dame out-rushed OU by more than 100 yards on the game.

Each foot of turf was contested. Owen Field had no synthetic grass then, so in the November cold, the game was played on brown grass on the edge of the Dust Bowl.

It was led by a giant fullback named Nick Pietrosane. He was the soul of the Irish offense. He relentlessly ground out yardage on Notre Dame’s final drive of 20 plays and 80 yards.

Pietrasone’s greatest contribution in that series was not made while carrying the ball.

OU was fooled on Notre Dame’s final play.

It was fourth and three.

Everyone figured Pietrosone would go up the middle; after all, he only needed three yards until he hit the end zone, and gaining nine feet on the final drive was like taking candy from a baby for him.

Give the Irish credit; they never considered a field goal. Perhaps it was the times, perhaps it was the gusting wind, perhaps it was self-confidence, but the Irish wanted to win this game on the ground, not in the air.

Pietrasone — blocking, not carrying — led a then-little-known (he is now immortal in the annals of Notre Dame and OU football) half-back named Dick Lynch around the right corner, knocked the OU defensive end out of the play and Lynch scored.

7 — 0, Irish.

OU still had more than three minutes to score.

The Sooners drove the ball to the Irish’s 24, where they turned the ball over.

The Sooners’ streak ended in deathly silence.

Wilkinson closed the locker room to the press and told his team that its 47-game win streak would never be duplicated.

Fifty-one years later, Wilkinson’s post-game prediction is still correct.

THIS WEEKEND AT YOUR UNIVERSITY T hursday, Nov. 20

Intramural Update | 3-on-3 basketball entries begin today! For more information visit recservices.ou.edu or call Mark List, (405) 325-3053.

FREE Graduation Portraits | 10 a.m.-7 p.m. in the Oklahoma Memorial Union. All graduating seniors and graduate students, FREE, on-campus graduation portrait sittings start soon.

Beat the rush by making your appointment now. If you’re graduating in December 2008 or May or August 2009, schedule your sitting by calling (405) 325-3668.

Student Success Series: Avoiding Procrastination | 3 p.m. in Carnegie Building, Room 200. Presented by University College.

Fred Films: “Runaway Train” | 7 p.m. in the Mary Eddy and Fred Jones Auditorium, Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art. Fred Films Presents “Runaway Train” (1985/dir. by Andrei Konchalovsky) 111 minutes. Free admission to students with a valid OU ID. For more information call (405) 325-4938.

Comedian Sean Carlin | 8 p.m. in the Oklahoma Memorial Union Food Court. Come on out for a free night of laughs with stand-up comic Sean Carlin! Presented by the Union Programming Board.

University Theatre: “Pride & Prejudice” | 8 p.m. in the Rupel Jones Theatre. The classic English tale of romance, Pride and Prejudice is a young lady’s journey of self-discovery and love. In a world where manners and birth mean everything and reputation means as much as gold. Adapted by Jon Jory from Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice. Rated G. Call the Fine Arts Box office for ticket information, (405) 325-4101.

Sutton Artist Series: OU Jazz Bands | 8 p.m. in the Paul F. Sharp Concert Hall, Catlett Music Center. Adult admission $8, student, faculty/staff and senior admission $5. Please call F.A.C.T.S. Fine Arts Tickets Service at (405) 325-4101 for more information.

American Artists from the Russian Empire Art Exhibition | Now through January 4, 2009 at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art. Comprised of over ninety works by artists such as Nicolai Fechin, Leon Gaspard, Jacques Lipchitz, Mark Rothko, Ben Shahn, Pavel Tchelitchew, and Max Weber, this exhibition examines the impact of American culture on Russian artists living in the United States during the first half of the twentieth century as well as the lasting influence these same artists had on the development of American art. For more information call (405) 325-4938.

Friday., Nov. 21

Turkey Bowling | 8 p.m. in the Oklahoma Memorial Union Food Court. Come and take part of the time-honored Thanksgiving tradition of launching a frozen turkey at bowling pins. Free food and prizes!

Late Night Snacks | 9:30 p.m. in Meacham Auditorium Lobby. Enjoy some free snacks courtesy of the Union Programming Board and then see the 10 p.m. showing of “Pineapple Express.” Who Loves You, OU? Sutton Artist Series: Gregory Lee, violin | 8 p.m. in the Paul F. Sharp Concert Hall, Catlett Music Center. Adult admission $8, student, faculty/staff and senior admission $5. Please call F.A.C.T.S. Fine Arts Tickets Service at (405) 325-4101 for more information.

University Theatre: “Pride & Prejudice” | 8 p.m. in the Rupel Jones Theatre. Call the Fine Arts Box office for ticket information, (405) 325-4101.

Saturday, Nov. 22

OU Volleyball vs. Iowa State | time TBA at the McCasland Field House. Come watch the OU women’s volleyball team take on Iowa State University. Visit http://soonersports.com for ticket information.

OU Hockey vs. Iowa State | 6:30 p.m. at the Blazers Ice Center. Visit http://soonersports.com for ticket information.

Sooner Football: OU vs. Texas Tech | 7 p.m. in the Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Visit http://soonersports.com for ticket information.

University Theatre: “Pride & Prejudice” | 8 p.m. in the Rupel Jones Theatre. Call the Fine Arts Box office for ticket information, (405) 325-4101.

Sutton Artist Series: Hammett, Stoops Bass/Guitar | 8 p.m. in the Morris R. Pitman Recital Hall, Catlett Music Center. Adult admission $8, student, faculty/staff and senior admission $5. Please call F.A.C.T.S. Fine Arts Tickets Service at (405) 325-4101 for more information.

Sunday, Nov. 23

OU Hockey vs. Iowa State | 7:30 p.m. at the Blazers Ice Center. Visit http://soonersports. com for ticket information.

Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art Family Days | 1-4 p.m. at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art. Explore art from around the world while viewing the museum’s permanent collection and temporary exhibitions, and then enjoy a variety of art activities for the entire family. Admission to the museum is free on Family Days.

Guess The Score | 11:30 a.m. in the union food court. Think you know Sooner Football?

Prove it at the Union Programming Board’s pre-game predictions for a chance to win great prizes. Play every Friday during football season to earn points and increase your chances of winning. Who Loves You, OU?

University Theatre: “Pride & Prejudice” | 3 p.m. in the Rupel Jones Theatre. Call the Fine Arts Box office for ticket information, (405) 325-4101.

FREE Movie: “Pineapple Express” | 4, 7, 10 p.m. and 12:30 a.m. in Meacham Auditorium.

Presented by the Union Programming Board and Campus Activities Council Film Series.

Hornsemble and Brass Chamber Music | 3 p.m. in the Paul F. Sharp Concert Hall, Catlett Music Center. Please call F.A.C.T.S. Fine Arts Tickets Service at (405) 325-4101 for more information.

This University in compliance with all applicable federal and state laws and regulations does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, disability, political beliefs, or status as a veteran in any of its policies, practices or procedures. This includes but is not limited to admissions, employment, financial aid and educational services. For accommodations on the basis of disability, please contact the sponsoring department of any program or event.

10

Arts & Entertainment

Thursday, Nov. 20, 2008

Adam Kohut, A&E editor dailyent@ou.edu phone: 325-5189, fax: 325-6051 For more, go to oudaily.com.

Food, friends and a thicker wallet

Photo provided

A Thanksgiving potluck is arranged on a table. “Potlucks can be an excuse for people to get together who have been too busy to hang out with each other,�

Asian studies senior Derek Hottle said.

• Students spend less cash, more time with friends by eating potluck dinners TYLER BRANSON The Oklahoma Daily When Ramen noodles no longer supplement the college diet and fast food has left its permanent stamp on the human body, students may turn to other means of food consumption to quell their often inextinguishable hunger pains this Thanksgiving.

Of course, this is a common clichÊ; some even would tell you that they hardly eat out at all, and moreover, a home-cooked meal is just as prevalent in their apartment complexes as it was at Mom’s house.

Potluck food celebrations may seem like a common occurrence only at church dinners or moose lodges, but some college students are spending their time in the kitchen and inviting friends over to share and combine food dishes.

Art senior Ellen Moershel said learning to cook was a necessity for her. “The reason I started cooking with other people is because I became a vegetarian,� she said. “So suddenly finding savory, interesting foods that don’t have meat as an ingredient became difficult. Turns out there are a lot of people who share similar views and the same love for food that I do.�

Nutrition senior Catherine Aur said she throws potluck parties for the sheer joy of cooking. “I love to cook,� she said. “I love experimenting with new foods and new flavors. I just get really excited about food, and potlucks are a great way to get together and spend time with my friends and trade recipes.�

Moershel began cooking with her friends twice a month, she said, and discovered that if more people combine their efforts, there will undoubtedly be more food, which ultimately means less spent money. “[Potlucks] are a cheap way to eat a sometimes very delicious and inexpensive meal,� Moershel said. “As well as an excuse to get together with some friends [in an environment] that doesn’t involve spending a bunch of money.�

Aur said money is the main reason college students choose not to take the time to cook, which is why potlucks are so advantaPhoto provided geous to her age group.

Potluck dinners are a less expensive way to eat a good meal, according to some OU students. “The beauty of potlucks is that each person can bring a couple items and “The beauty of potlucks is that each person can bring a couple items and make a large and delicious meal for a relatively inex- make a large and delicious meal for a relatively inexpensive price,� nutrition senior Catherine Aur said. pensive price,� she said.

Rounding up friends to hang out can be difficult during the holiday season, where busy schedules and finals preparation seem to be ubiquitous among college campuses.

Asian studies senior Derek Hottle, however, said food is always a good excuse to spend time with friends.

Visit oudaily.com and click on the “Marketplace� tab. Now you’re set. “Potlucks can be an excuse for people to get together who have been too busy to hang out with each other,� he said. “It can also be a good meal for students who eat entirely too much fast food.�

8IZ i800%w JU XIFO ZPV DBO i45&&-w JU Deciding just what to bring to a potluck, however, may pose a *OEBDP .FUBMT QSPWJEFT challenge.

2 )#%)!!,! %#% , (! /%' %)#- “If I am going to a potluck where everyone is cooking together, 2 )#%)!!,! ,/-- !. ' /%' %)#- then usually I will bring either vegetables from my garden or a 2 ,+*,.- 2 !. ' */-! **" 1-.!(- 2 /-.*( .* & ,%( filler like rice or pasta,� Moershel said. “But if I’m not cooking, 2 /. .* '!)#.$ $!!.- 2 ,!0- then I’ll bring something like hummus for people to snack on, 2 !. ' ,/--!- 2 /,'%)- some cookies for dessert or just a bottle of wine.�

2 !. ' /%' %)# !--*,%!The reasons to throw and enjoy potlucks are plenty and obvi *) 1 3 ,% 1 ( 3 + ( ous, Hottle said. (!,% ) 1 2 $ 0)!!

“Everybody loves food and drink,� Hottle said. “So who doesn’t '' *'' ,!!

love potluck parties?�

NEED TO BUY STUFF? SELL STUFF?

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GO TO OUDAILY.COM RIGHT NOW.

18th Annual Honey Festival This is the place to find pure sweet Oklahoma honey from the largest honey producing facility in the state.

Saturday, Dec. 6, in Minco, OK 36 Miles West of Norman www.minco-ok.com

Over 90 Craft Booths * Quilt Show Food Venders * Local Restaurants Honey Plant Tours * Antique Show For more information contact 405-352-0518.

Arts & Entertainment

Thursday, Nov. 20, 2008

Eat up, it’s a Daily Thanksgiving • Need something to spice up Thanksgiving dinner? Try one of these recipes.

OVENBAKED SWEET POTATO FRIES

SWEET POTATO BISCUITS

(serves 4-6)

1 1/2 cups peeled and diced sweet potato 3 tablespoons maple syrup (divided use) 3 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 tablespoon sugar 1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter (divided use) 2 eggs 3/4 cup heavy cream 2 tablespoons orange zest Buttermilk

1-1 1/2 lb sweet potatoes 1/4 cup olive oil 1/2 tsp kosher salt 1/2 tsp paprika 1/4 tsp cinnamon • Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil (preferably the easy release kind).

• Peel the sweet potatoes. Cut into strips that are about 1/2 inch wide on each side.

• Place the sweet potatoes into a sealable plastic bag. Add oil, salt, paprika and cinnamon. Seal the bag and shake well to thoroughly coat the fries. Spread the potatoes in a single layer on the baking sheet.

• Bake for 30 minutes, turning the fries every 10 minutes. Transfer immediately to a towel-lined plate and serve warm.

BROWN PAPER BAG APPLE PIE Filling 4 to 5 large baking apples 1/2 cup of sugar 2 teaspoon of lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon 2 tablespoons of flour Topping 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup flour 1/2 cup butter • Preheat oven 425 degrees.

• Peel and slice the apples. Mix the apples, sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon and flour together in a mixing bowl. Pour the filling into a 10-inch, unbaked pie crust.

• To make the pie’s topping, combine the sugar, flour and butter in a mixing bowl. Sprinkle on top of the pie. Place the pie in a large, brown paper bag. Fold the bag over twice and place on a cookie sheet. Bake for one hour.

Recipe from Shade executive chef David Luna (makes 24 biscuits)

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

• Toss sweet potato with 1 tablespoon maple syrup. Place in a small ovenproof dish and bake until tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven to cool.

• Sift flour, salt, sugar and baking powder into a large bowl.

• Cut 10 tablespoons butter (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons) into pieces. Using a fork, cut into flour mixture; set aside.

• In another bowl, whisk eggs, cream, orange zest and 2 tablespoons syrup; set aside.

• With a fork, add sweet potato to the flour mixture, followed by egg-and-cream mixture and just enough buttermilk to form a soft, slightly sticky dough. Mix until ingredients are just incorporated. Overmixing will toughen the biscuits.

• Let dough rest for a few minutes before turning it out onto a floured work surface. Roll out dough with a floured rolling pin to 3/4-inch thickness. Cut out as many 2-inch rounds as possible with a cookie or biscuit cutter dipped in flour (do not twist cutter). Transfer to an ungreased heavy baking sheet.

• Bake for about 6 minutes, then rotate sheet for even browning. Bake until crusty and golden brown, another 6 to 8 minutes. While biscuits are in the oven, melt the remaining butter to brush on the tops when finished.

FOR MORE RECIPES, VISIT OUDAILY.COM

Authors of Boren biography sign at Union LAUREN SCHLUETER The Oklahoma Daily Students and faculty gathered Wednesday afternoon in the Beaird Lounge of the Oklahoma Memorial Union for a book signing of OU President David L. Boren’s biography, “Oklahoma Statesman: The Life of David Boren.”

The authors of the book, Bob Burke and Von Creel, were in attendance, along with Boren, to sign the books.

The two authors and Boren reminisced about the book and laughed with the audience.

“I learned things about myself I didn’t know,” Boren said.

Boren, Burke and Creel also attended a book signing Sunday on Oklahoma’s 101st birthday at the Gaylord-Pickens Oklahoma Heritage Museum.

Publishers wanted to release the book on Oklahoma’s birthday to honor one of Oklahoma’s leading statesman, said Jay Doyle, press secretary and special assistant to the president.

About 475 books were sold Sunday, and

around 200 were anticipated to be sold Wednesday, Doyle said.

Chris Purcell, executive secretary of the OU Board of Regents, said she got more than she bargained for when she was in line for the book signing. Burke recognized her and read aloud an excerpt from the book in which Purcell and Boren shared a few laughs.

Burke first met Boren when Boren was running for governor, and from that point on his life was changed, Burke said. Burke continued to take part in Photo provided Boren’s administration and managed Boren’s first campaign for the Senate.

Boren is a busy man, so Burke and Creel were thrilled when they convinced him to let them write the biography, Burke said.

Boren has had more impact on Oklahoma than anyone else in our history, so it was vital that a book should be written about his life, goals, and achievements, Burke said.

“We have had great statesmen, we have had great senators, we have had great governors, we have had great university presidents, but no one has done all three,” Burke said.

Like Rome, the book was not built in one day, Burke said.

The book took around 18 months to write, said Burke and Creel.

“President Boren’s time is extremely fleeting,” Burke said of his time with Boren.

The book is comprised of one-on-one interviews with Boren, interviews with over two dozen former U.S. senators, CIA directors and others with whom Boren has worked in Washington and Oklahoma.

“It is an honor to have a book written about you,” Boren said. “I’ll probably remember things I have long forgotten, but it is a humbling experience to have someone write a book about you.”

Michael Linville, entrepreneurship junior, said he found it humbling that Boren took time out of his day to come and sign the book.

“I think it shows that he actually really cares,” he said. “He doesn’t see himself as more important or too good to take the time out to connect with the students and faculty.”

A&E BRIEFLY Postage stamp planned for Bob Hope WASHINGTON — The post office is telling Bob Hope: thanks for the memories.

The beloved entertainer will be honored on a U.S. postage stamp next spring.

The stamp design will be unveiled Monday at a ceremony on New York’s Ellis Island, the entry spot for thousands of immigrants like Hope.

Born in England as Leslie Townes Hope, the singer, actor and comedian was a youngster when his parents moved to the United States. He eventually became one of the nation’s most beloved entertainers and was known for his trademark song “Thanks For The Memory,” which was on the album “Thanks for the Memories.”

Though never a member of the armed forces, Hope dedicated much of his time traveling the globe to entertain men and women in uniform, beginning in World War II and continuing through Operation Desert Storm.

In 1997 Hope became the first person recognized by the U.S. Congress as an “honorary veteran of the United States Armed Forces.”

Hope died in 2003 and becomes the first person to benefit from a postal rule change allowing individuals to be honored on a stamp five years after their death.

Before the rule change in 2007 people other than ex-presidents had to wait 10 years to become the subject of a stamp.

Prostitute to wife of former NY gov.: ‘I’m sorry’ NEW YORK — The prostitute at the center of the scandal that brought down former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer has apologized to Spitzer’s wife.

Ashley Alexandra Dupre tells People magazine that the FBI informed her in early March that it was investigating one of her clients. A few days later, she found out which client when she recognized Spitzer on TV — resigning.

That was March 12, after revelations Spitzer had used Emperors Club VIP, where Dupre worked.

She says she was stricken by the pained expression on Silda Wall Spitzer’s face.

“I try not to revisit that place too often, but when I think about his speech, I think of her face, her eyes, the hurt,” Dupre said.

Her message to Silda Wall Spitzer: “I’m sorry for your pain.”

Dupre, 23, said Spitzer was polite and businesslike when they met. “Some guys, they want to have conversations and really get to know each other. With him, it clearly was not like that,” she said. “It was more of a transaction. Strictly business.”

Dupre, who was known then as Kristen, said she practiced safe sex with all her clients, including Spitzer. On her attorney’s advice, she would not elaborate on their liaison, or say whether Spitzer visited her more than once. She did say that he dressed casually and she did not see his security detail.

Dupre also sat down with Diane Sawyer for an ABC “20/20” segment to be aired Friday. In that interview, ABC said, she describes how an “upper middleclass, girl next door got into the profession and the psychological journey she continues to experience.”

NY jury convicts opera-loving philanthropist NEW YORK — Opera-loving philanthropist Alberto Vilar was convicted on fraud charges Wednesday for swindling investors, including the mother of actress Phoebe Cates, out of millions of dollars.

Federal prosecutors accused Vilar and a business partner of falsely telling investors their money would be safely invested. The government alleged that the men actually poured millions of dollars into risky technology stocks before they crashed.

Lily Cates, the mother of the actress, testified that $5 million of her money was lost improperly by Vilar and a co-defendant.

Defense attorneys insisted that Vilar was innocent and that he never intended to mislead anyone.

The charges included conspiracy to commit securities, mail, wire and investment fraud.

Vilar was known for giving away millions of dollars to cultural institutions and opera houses before he was arrested in May 2005.

— AP

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Classifieds

Thursday, Nov. 20, 2008

PLACE AN AD Phone 405.325.2521

E-Mail classifieds@ou.edu

L

Lost & Found

LOST & FOUND Found women’s initial ring at south end zone of Oklahoma Memorial Stadium about a month ago.

Call 990-1910.

Fax 405.325.7517

Office Copeland Hall 149A

Mail The Oklahoma Daily 860 Van Vleet Oval, 149A Norman OK 73019-2052

DEADLINES Line Ad. . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 a.m.

Place your classified line ad by 9 a.m., Monday-Friday to run in the next issue.

Display Ad. . . . .3 days prior Classified Display or Classified Card Ad are due 3 days prior to publication date.

PAYMENT s r

r

For Sale PETS Adorable French bull dogs, Yorkshire terriers, and English bulldogs, male and females available for sale, full breed, AKC reg. Health guarantee, 8 wks old, $700.00. Contact Jessica for more info at jessy_jefferson@hotmail.com.

C Transportation AUTO INSURANCE

Auto Insurance Quotations Anytime Foreign Students Welcomed Jim Holmes Insurance, 321-4664

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

TM

Payment Payment is required at the time the ad is placed. Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express; cash, money orders or local checks accepted.

Credit Accounts Businesses may be eligible for credit in a limited, local billing area. Please inquire with Business Office at 405.325.2521.

RATES Line Ads Rates are determined by the price per line, per day. There is a two line minimum charge; approximately 40 characters per line, including spaces and punctuation.

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

Employment HELP WANTED Wanted: Enthusiastic, Motivated Individuals.

As a leader in community banking, Republic Bank & Trust is committed to providing a unique quality experience to our customers, community, and bankers. We currently have the following positions available: PT Teller: Mon-Fri 3-7pm, Sat 8am-1pm FT Teller Applicants are encouraged to apply in person at 401 W. Main, Norman, OK. Republic is an EOE.

Traditions Spirits is hiring cocktail servers at Riverwind Casino in Norman. Must be 21, apply in person at 2815 SE 44th, 3 miles west of Riverwind on Highway 9. 392-4550.

$5,000-$45,000 PAID. EGG DONORS for up to 9 donations, + Exps, non-smokers, Ages 19-29, SAT>1100/ACT>24/GPA>3.00 Contact: info@eggdonorcenter.com Make up to $75 per online survey www.cashtospend.com.

APTS. UNFURNISHED

Bartending! Up to $250/day. No exp nec. Training provided. 1-800-965-6520, x133.

The UPS Store: Part time and seasonal help wanted immediately! Apply in person at 3334 W. Main in Norman.

Nice, large 3-4 bd, 826 Jona Kay, 3/2/2/2 living, fp, 2000sf, $950/mo; 2326 Lindenwood, 4/2.5/2/3 living, 2400sf, $995/mo. 360-2873 or 306-1970.

Sell your stuff. classifieds@ou.edu

PRE-LEASE FOR JANUARY $99 Deposit/ NO app fee!

1/2 off first months rent!

Models open 8a-8p Everyday!

7 locations to choose from!

Elite Properties 360-6624 or www.elite2900.com Brookhollow & The Cedars, 1-2-3 bed apt homes, approx 1 mi from OU. Great prices & service.

Your home away from home! 405-329-6652 VERY NICE!!!, 800 sf, 1 bdrm, living room, kitchen, bth, wood floors, 1 block OU, 1018 S College, $275/mo. Call 306-1970 or 360-2873.

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HOUSES UNFURNISHED Near OU, 3 bed, 1.5 bth, ch/a, garage, no pets, 504 Inwood Dr, $750/mo., deposit required. Call 996-6592 or 329-1933

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

Pre-Leasing for January www.oig.biz

One Bedroom

$ 415 per month

(located just below the puzzle)

The Oklahoma Daily is responsible for one day’s incorrect advertising. If your ad appears incorrectly, or if you wish to cancel your ad, call 405.325.2521 before the deadline for cancellation in the next issue. Refunds will not be issued for early cancellation.

Errors not the fault of the advertiser will be adjusted.

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

Help Wanted ads in The Oklahoma Daily are not classified as to gender.

Advertisers understand that they may not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion or gender unless such qualifying factors are essential to a given position.

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

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Difficulty Schedule: Monday - Very Easy Tuesday - Easy Wednesday - Easy Thursday - Medium Friday - Hard

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

ACROSS 1 Org. concerned with suits 4 Like the frontrunner 9 Extreme severity 14 Discriminatory leader?

15 Capote portrayer on Broadway 16 Venerate 17 Fondness for the past 19 Monsoon result, often 20 Plot device, perhaps 22 Satyric stares 23 Asner and others 24 Scuba supply 27 Withered 28 Emulate a shopaholic 31 Plot size, perhaps 32 ___ mater 33 It may move you on vacation 35 Policy of expansion 40 Carol’s first word 41 Comfort 42 Contract stipulation 43 Sells by machine 45 First name in daredevilry 49 Spot to stop 50 ___ Xer 51 In need of freshening

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

POLICY

4 3 9 2

Previous Solution

2 1 5 7

Edited by Timothy E. Parker November 20, 2008

Classified Card Ads

Classified Display Ads located directly above the following games/puzzles. Limited spaces available – only one space per game.

5 4 6

Universal Crossword

Rates are $16.00 per column inch, per day with a minimum of 2 column inches.

Game Sponsorships

To a friend with mental illness, your caring and understanding greatly increases their chance of recovery. Visit whatadifference.samhsa.gov for more information.

Mental Illness – What a difference a friend makes.

Classified Display Ads

Classified Card Ads are $170 per column inch with a minimum of 2 column inchs and run 20 consecutive issues. Ad copy may change every five issues.

my friend’s got mental illness

APTS. FURNISHED

Traditions Spirits is seeking motivated, energetic, and professional FOH managers, kitchen manager, and dishwashers for Autograph’s Sports Bar at Riverwind Casino. Manager applicants must have experience. Apply in person at 2815 SE 44th, 3 miles west of Riverwind on Highway 9. 392-4550.

We pay up to $75.00 per online survey! www.cashtospend.com.

NOW LEASING FOR MAY 2009, nice 3 bed brick houses 1 & 2 blks west of OU on College or Chautauqua Ave. call BOB Mister Robert Furniture 109 E. Main 321-1818, or stop by to apply for other sizes.

J Housing Rentals $400, bills paid, efficiency LOFT apartments, downtown over Mister Robert Furniture, 109 E Main, fire sprinkler, no pets, smoke-free. Inquire store office.

MERCURY POST & PARCEL needs p/t customer assistant. Apply at 121 24th Ave NW.

HOUSES UNFURNISHED

America’s FAST LANE is now hiring lube techs, car wash attendants, service advisors, cashiers, and management trainees. Full and part-time positions are available with no experience necessary. Fast Lanes offers competitive pay, flexible schedules, and opportunity for advancement. Apply in person at 1235 West Main Street, Norman OK or call 321-5260.

Taco Bell is looking for friendly faces! Help wanted for afternoons & late night. Competitive salaries, great benefits, and a career with a future! Apply in person at Taco Bell 1024 24th St. NW in Norman!

Ask for Charles! Great things start here!

Attention Student Work $15 Base/Appt Flex sched, scholarships possible, customer sales/service, no exp nec, all ages 17+, conditions apply. Norman/OKC/Moore Call Now, 405-307-0979

J Housing Rentals

12

R.T. Conwell, advertising manager classiďŹ eds@ou.edu phone: 325-2521, fax: 325-7517 For more, go to oudaily.com.

Office Hours: M-F 9-6, Sat 10-3 1149 E. Brooks • 364-5622

“ I FEEL LIKE

A FISH

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PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

Š 2008 Universal Press Syndicate www.upuzzles.com

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“MYSTIC PIZZA� by Kalfi Lauder –JACOB, AGE 5 DESCRIBING ASTHMA

You know how to react to their asthma attacks.

Here’s how to prevent them.

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46 Changes 47 Big name in adhesives 48 Alternatives to purchases 50 Fairy-tale creature 51 Perform a camel spin 52 Cantor and Lupino 53 Heche in “Wag the Dog�

54 ___ contendere (court plea) 55 Some feds 56 New Orleans clock setting 57 It could be part of a deal 58 Ulysses S. Grant org.

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TODAY

Thursday, Nov. 20, 2008

Somali pirates transform villages into boomtowns MOHAMED OLAD HASSAN Associated Press

A seminar on procrastination will be at 3 p.m. in the Carnegie Building, room 200.

Billy Ray Landford, 61, W. State Highway 9, Monday Bart Lewis Pannell, 39, 1100 block N. Interstate Drive W., Monday Price D. Pendarvis, 45, 2500 block McGee Drive, Tuesday

DISTURBING THE PEACE Drew Paul Neiertz, 23, 1400 block McKinley Avenue, Tuesday

MUNICIPAL WARRANT David Franklin Owen, 19, 200 block W. Gray Street, Monday Debra Lou Reilly, 29, 200 block W. Vida Way, Tuesday

COUNTY WARRANT Jeff Daniel Stover, 22, Twisted Oak Drive, Tuesday

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Mammoth task: Scientists map ancient beast’s DNA SETH BORENSTEIN Associated Press

UNION PROGRAMMING BOARD

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s increasingly brazen pirates are building sprawling stone houses, cruising in luxury cars, marrying beautiful women — even hiring caterers to prepare Western-style PSYCHOLOGY CLUB food for their hostages.

And in an impoverished counA general meeting will be at 4:30 try where every public institution p.m. in Dale Hall Tower, room 908. has crumbled, they have become heroes in the steamy coastal dens ASIAN-AMERICAN STUDENT from where they operate because ASSOCIATION they are the only real business in A general meeting will be at 5:30 town. p.m. at the Henderson-Tolson Cultural “The pirates depend on us, Center. and we benefit from them,” said Sahra Sheik Dahir, a shop owner in Harardhere, the nearest village FRED FILMS to where a hijacked Saudi Arabian Two films will be shown at 7 p.m. in supertanker carrying $100 million in the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art. crude was anchored Wednesday.

These boomtowns are all the more shocking in light of Somalia’s SCHOOL OF MUSIC violence and poverty: Radical There will be a jazz band ensemble Islamists control most of the counconcert at 8 p.m. in the Sharp Concert try’s south, meting out lashings and Hall. stonings for accused criminals.

There has been no effective central government in nearly 20 years, FRIDAY plunging this arid African country into chaos.

Life expectancy is just 46 years; SCHOOL OF MUSIC a quarter of children die before There will be a violin recital by they reach 5.

Gregory Lee in collaboration with But in northern coastal towns pianist Stephanie Leon at 8 p.m. in the like Harardhere, Eyl and Bossaso, Sharp Concert Hall. the pirate economy is thriving thanks to the money pouring in from pirate ransoms that have POLICE REPORTS reached $30 million this year alone.

Names are compiled from the Norman Police Department or the “There are more shops and busiOU Department of Public Safety. The ness is booming because of the report serves as a public record of piracy,” said Sugule Dahir, who runs arrests or citations, not convictions. a clothing shop in Eyl. “Internet The people here are presumed innocent unless proven guilty. cafes and telephone shops have opened, and people are just happier than before.”

PETTY LARCENY In Harardhere, residents came Destiney Davis, 24, 300 block N. Interstate Drive E., Tuesday out in droves to celebrate as the Donna L. Davis, 51, 600 block 12th looming oil ship came into focus Avenue N.E., Monday this week off the country’s lawless coast.

DOG AT LARGE Businessmen gathered cigaMichelle Renea Gaffney, 30, 1500 rettes, food and cold bottles of block Lakecrest Drive, Monday orange soda, setting up kiosks for the pirates who come to shore to DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCEresupply almost daily.

LIQUOR OR DRUGS/ACTUAL Dahir said she even started a PHYSICAL CONTROL OF THE layaway plan for them.

VEHICLE “They always take things without paying and we put them into Eric Chad Horner, 22, W. Boyd Street, Tuesday the book of debts,” she told The Associated Press in a telephone POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA interview. “Later, when they get the ransom money, they pay us a lot.”

Charles Krush, 25, W. Robinson Street, Monday Residents make sure the pirates are well-stocked in khat, a popular PUBLIC INTOXICATION narcotic leaf, and aren’t afraid to

13

AP Photo

Some of the eight suspected Somali pirates appear before the Mombasa Chief Magistrate Catherine Mwangi, to be charged for piracy. The pirates were not immediately charged. In an impoverished country where nearly every public institution has crumbled, pirates have transformed local economies in pirate havens like Haradhere and Eyl in northern Somalia. gouge a bit when it comes to the pirates’ deep pockets.

“I can buy a packet of cigarettes for about $1 but I will charge the pirate $1.30,” said Abdulqadir Omar, an Eyl resident.

While pirate villages used to have houses made of corrugated iron sheets, now, there are stately looking homes made of sturdy, white stones.

“Regardless of how the money is coming in, legally or illegally, I can say it has started a life in our town,” said Shamso Moalim, a 36-year-old mother of five in Harardhere.

“Our children are not worrying about food now, and they go to Islamic schools in the morning and play soccer in the afternoon. They are happy.”

The attackers generally treat their hostages well in anticipation of a big payday, hiring caterers on shore to cook spaghetti, grilled fish and roasted meat that will appeal to Western palates.

And when the payday comes, the money sometimes literally falls from the sky.

Pirates say the ransom arrives in burlap sacks, sometimes dropped from buzzing helicopters, or in waterproof suitcases loaded onto skiffs in the roiling, shark-infested sea.

“The oldest man on the ship always takes the responsibility of collecting the money, because we see it as very risky, and he gets some extra payment for his service later,” Aden Yusuf, a pirate in Eyl, told AP over VHF radio.

The pirates use money-counting machines — the same technology seen at foreign exchange bureaus worldwide — to ensure the cash is

real. All payments are done in cash because Somalia has no functioning banking system.

“Getting this equipment is easy for us, we have business connections with people in Dubai, Nairobi, Djibouti and other areas,” Yusuf said. “So we send them money and they send us what we want.”

Despite a beefed-up international presence, the pirates continue to seize ships, moving further out to sea and demanding ever-larger ransoms. The pirates operate mostly from the semiautonomous Puntland region, where local lawmakers have been accused of helping them and taking a cut of the ransoms.

For the most part, however, the regional officials say they have no power to stop piracy.

Meanwhile, towns that once were eroded by years of poverty and chaos are now bustling with restaurants, Land Cruisers and Internet cafes. Residents also use their gains to buy generators — allowing full days of electricity, once an unimaginable luxury in Somalia.

There are no reliable estimates of the number of pirates operating in Somalia, but they number in the thousands. And though the bandits do sometimes get nabbed, piracy is generally considered a sure bet to a better life.

NATO and the U.S. Navy say they can’t be everywhere, and American officials are urging ships to hire private security. Warships patrolling off Somalia have succeeded in stopping some pirate attacks.

But military assaults to wrest back a ship are highly risky and, up to now, uncommon.

WASHINGTON — Bringing “Jurassic Park” one step closer to reality, scientists have deciphered much of the genetic code of the woolly mammoth, a feat they say could allow them to recreate the shaggy, prehistoric beast in as little as a decade or two.

The project marks the first time researchers have spelled out the DNA of an extinct species, and it raised the possibility that other ancient animals such as mastodons and sabertooth tigers might someday walk the Earth again.

“It could be done. The question is, just because we might be able to do it one day, should we do it?” asked Stephan Schuster, a Penn State University biochemist and co-author of the new research. “I would be surprised to see if it would take more than 10 or 20 years to do it.”

The million-dollar mammoth study resulted in a first draft of the animal’s genome, detailing the ice age creature’s more than 3 billion DNA building blocks. The research published in Thursday’s issue of the journal Nature also gives scientists new clues about evolution and extinction.

“This is an amazing achievement,” said Alex Greenwood, an Old Dominion University biology professor who studies ancient DNA and was not involved in the mammoth research.

Full-sized mammoths, about 8 to 14 feet tall like elephants, became extinct around 10,000 years ago.

To obtain the DNA, scientists relied on 20 balls of mammoth hair found frozen in the Siberian permafrost. That technique — along with major improvements in genome sequencing and the still-emerging field of synthetic biology — is helping biologists envision a science-fiction future.

Past efforts to analyze ancient DNA often used material extracted from fossilized bones, which frequently became contaminated with bacteria, viruses and parasites over thousands of years.

For example, efforts to study Neanderthal DNA have been hampered because only about 6 percent of the recovered genetic material actually belonged to our ancient cousins.

The new study, which is about 80 percent complete, provides a letter-by-letter genetic code mapping out most of the mammoth’s DNA. Think of it as an instruction sheet on how to build a mammoth. Scientists don’t yet know how to do that, but experts say eventually they will.

Schuster said researchers should someday be able to recreate any extinct creature that lived within the last 100,000 years as long as it got trapped in permafrost and had hair.

That leaves out the Jurassic period, the time of dinosaurs, from about 140 million to 200 million years ago. So Earth’s reallife sequel to extinction is far more likely to be “Ice Age 3” than “Jurassic Park IV.” Three years ago, Japanese scientists said they hoped to find frozen mammoth sperm and impregnate an elephant and raise the offspring in a safari park in Siberia. But using genetics to engineer a mammoth makes more sense, Schuster said.

HOROSCOPE

By Bernice Bede Osol

Copyright 2008, Newspaper Enterprise Assn.

Thursday, Nov. 20, 2008 SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) -- You’ll start to get to know that special someone you met recently a little better. Large potential exists for you and this person to become great friends.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) -- Should you find yourself operating on the same wavelength as persons of influence, don’t hesitate to make them aware of your talents and skills.

Something good can come of it.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- Your gregarious manner, charm and sense of humor are all valuable keys that can unlock important doors for you. Focus on constructive endeavors you would like to advance.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) -- You are far more popular than you are apt to give yourself credit for. This is likely to be verified when you find yourself the center of attention wherever you go.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) -Don’t be afraid to let your significant other know how much you care about him or her, and don’t be afraid to be demonstrative in front of others when you know how proud your one-and-only would be.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) -- Instinctively, you’ll know how to ease the tension between two friends who have reached an impasse; your common sense and skill as a peacemaker will get them chuckling again.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) -- Someone you have always found appealing but who has shown little interest in you might undergo a change of heart.

Don’t hesitate to respond in kind when you become aware of this development.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) -- Devote your working hours to labors of love rather than taxing your energy and patience on insipid tasks. Engaging in enjoyable things will prove to be more profitable -- and more pleasant.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) -- If you are an unattached Piscean who has been looking to establish a new relationship, you might get your wish when a friend introduces you to someone who turns out to be special.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -You possess a deft touch to lead and inspire people. Because you use this rare gift so judiciously and sparingly, it’ll make an impact on others that they won’t readily forget.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) -- If you set an example that others want to emulate, subordinates will be quite willing to go the extra yards for you. This could be true even if you don’t request it of them.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) -- If you’re placed in a leadership role, let your heart rule your head in all matters that apply to family or to those who have gone out of their way to help you.

14

News

Thursday, Nov. 20, 2008

TIBETAN TYKES

NEWS BRIEFS Lawmaker proposes mandatory screenings OKLAHOMA CITY — All Oklahoma students ages 16 and younger would be screened annually for possible weight problems under legislation being proposed by an Oklahoma City lawmaker.

State Rep. Richard Morrissette said that under his proposal the students’ body mass indexes would be checked annually to determine whether they have excess fat or are underweight.

“This is not a Democrat or Republican issue; it’s an Oklahoma issue clearly,” said Morrissette, D-Oklahoma City, who said he was concerned by estimates that half of Oklahomans are overweight.

He said the cost for scales and other equipment is estimated to be less than $3 million.

Students in public schools would be checked during the school year. Arrangements would be made for home-schooled students also to be screened, Morrissette said.

AP Photo

Tibetan Buddhist monks play a game outside a Buddhist monastery Wednesday in Shimla, India. Young Tibetan leaders at a summit of exiles are pushing the Himalayan region to declare independence from China, while the older guard continues to support a more conciliatory approach toward Beijing, participants said.

Dow falls below 8,000, S&P at 5-year low NEW YORK — Wall Street hit levels not seen since 2003 on Wednesday, with the Dow Jones industrial average plunging below the 8,000 mark amid a dour economic outlook from the Federal Reserve and worries over the fate of Detroit’s three automakers.

A cascade of selling occurred in the final minutes of the session as investors yanked money out of the market. For many, the real fear is that the recession might be even more protracted if Capitol Hill is unable to bail out the troubled auto industry.

Investors also scoured economic data that included minutes from the last meeting of the Federal Reserve in which policymakers lowered projections for economic activity this year and next. Economic worries caused across-theboard selling, with financial stocks particularly hard hit.

Another familiar face to take health post WASHINGTON — Barack Obama is enlisting former Senate leader Tom Daschle as his health secretary, embracing a third Washington insider in the early stages of Cabinet-building by the presidentelect who promised change. Hillary Rodham Clinton, the capital’s most famous woman for two decades, seemed ever more likely to be his secretary of state.

Clinton is deciding whether to take that post as America’s top diplomat, her associates said Wednesday. And Obama is poised to announce that his attorney general will be Eric Holder, who was the Justice Department’s No. 2 when Sen. Clinton’s husband was president.

Obama built his campaign on promises of change, but so far fresh faces have been few.

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US missile strikes deep inside Pakistan ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — The U.S. military apparently struck at Islamic militants outside Pakistan’s lawless tribal belt for the first time Wednesday, firing a missile that killed six suspected insurgents taking refuge away from the conflict zone along the Afghan border.

The government denounced the attack as yet another “grave provocation” amid a series of U.S. military operations in the country that have enflamed widespread anger among ordinary Pakistanis.

The harsh words were a sharp contrast to comments Tuesday by U.S. and NATO officials who reported increased cooperation from Pakistan in the fight against militant groups. Tens of thousands of U.S. and NATO troops are stationed in neighboring Afghanistan.

“It looks like the Americans are not listening, but this is such a great provocation that it will bring a strong response from the government of Pakistan that will dissuade them,” presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar said of the latest missile strike.

He declined to say what the response would be.

— AP

©2008 U.S. Cellular.