The Oklahoma Daily

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WEDNESDAY, DEC. 3, 2008 © 2008 OU Publications Board

OU donors coming through despite recession EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the second in a three-part series about OU’s efforts to deal with the economic crisis. Today’s article addresses the economy’s impact on university donors.

MEREDITH SIMONS The Oklahoma Daily With Wall Street’s wild ride during the past few months, many are less able — or less willing — to make charitable donations as economic uncertainty grows and savings shrink.

A study by the Center on Philanthropy predicted a drop in charitable giving over the next quarter, prompting concerns from universities whose donors may be closing their wallets just as schools’ financial

needs increase.

Defaults on previously pledged donations have forced some schools to stop construction or development, but OU administrators say the university’s fundraising efforts are in better shape than most, even if some of OU’s most high-profile donors have experienced high-profile losses during the last few months.

Some donors have become slower to commit to projects, but none have reneged on outstanding commitments, according to Tripp Hall, vice president for development.

“Our default rate is zero,” he said.

OU ECONOMY

TUESDAY

TODAY

THURSDAY

The Daily’s threepart series

Part 1: How OU is cutting its costs

Part 2: Recession impact on donors

Part 3: The effect on endowments

of Chesapeake Energy Corp., revealed in October he had been forced to sell most of his stock in the company, losing billions of dollars in the process.

The announcement came just five months after OU announced that McClendon donated $12.5 million to a variety of university athletic and academic programs, and Chesapeake made a donation of $2.5 million to the Mewbourne College of Earth and Energy.

Big commitments But OU President David L. Boren said Aubrey McClendon, chairman and CEO neither Chesapeake nor McClendon have

missed scheduled payments on their gifts, which are multi-year pledges. McClendon is actually ahead of schedule.

Boren declined to give specific numbers but said the amount of money McClendon has already paid on his pledge is “counted in the millions, not the thousands,” and amounts to more money than McClendon was scheduled to have donated at this point in the year.

Boren said it was possible, however, that the timing of future payments would be renegotiated.

“We certainly have not written off any pledges from Chesapeake or the McClendon family, and we have every confidence that those pledges are good pledges that will be honored,” Boren said.

“It could be that we’ll have to change our timetable, and we’re willing to do that.”

OU’s donors — and OU’s own finances — have weathered the economic downturn much better than those of some universities.

Investments made by T. Boone Pickens, the billionaire businessman who donated $165 million to Oklahoma State University in 2005, have lost $1 billion this year because of market losses.

OSU, which had reinvested Pickens’

DONORS Continues on page 2

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT R.I.P. Bruce Wayne?

While Batman’s fate is still unknown, the new Batman #682 focuses instead on retelling the superhero’s early years.

The Week in Comics also has wolves and Iron Fists. Page 7.

SPORTS Injuries have popped up and bitten the Oklahoma football team again, and now a virtual unknown will find himself in the Sooners’ starting lineup: middle linebacker Mike Balogun, a junior from Maryland.

Page 5.

MIKE BALOGUN

CAMPUS BRIEFS ‘Bake Before Books’ tonight The equestrian team is hosting the holiday fundraiser “Bake Before Books” today at 6:30 p.m. at the Delta Gamma house.

Students can decorate cookies and make holiday cards for the troops.

There will be food and music. Tickets are $5.

WHAT’S INSIDE Auto sales hit 26-year low U.S. light vehicle sales at General Motors and Chrysler plunged more than 40 percent in November, while Ford’s sales dropped 31 percent, battered by an economic storm that has sent consumer demand for new vehicles to the lowest level in more than 26 years. Page 9.

TODAY’S INDEX A&E 7, 10 Campus News 3 Campus Notes 9 Classifieds 8 8 Crossword

Horoscope 9 Opinion 4 Police Reports 9 Sports 5, 6 Sudoku 8

WEATHER FORECAST

STATE of the ART

Regents approve art museum expansion • Stuart Family Foundation donates $3M to project TROY WEATHERFORD The Oklahoma Daily The OU Board of Regents considered two fine arts projects funded and promoted by members of the board at its meeting Tuesday in the Oklahoma Memorial Union.

The elevation of the musical theater program from a department to a school and an expansion of the Fred

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Jones Jr. Museum of Art were both approved Tuesday at the regents’ final meeting of the year.

The art museum will be updated and expanded to allow more room for the display of OU’s current collection and the enlargement of the collection, which is already one of the most valuable in the country.

The renovations were planned to coincide with the creation of a new gallery for the Adkins Collection, a collection of Taos and Native American art that the university received in July 2007 OU Board of Regents Chairman Jon Stuart made the project possible with a $3 million gift from the Stuart Family Foundation, according to OU President David L. Boren.

“Once again, when the university needed support for an important project, Jon and Dee Dee Stuart have come forward,” Boren said.

The renovations will cost a total of $13 million. Stuart’s $3 million “lead gift” will be supplemented with $6 million in one-time funding from the university’s discretionary reserves.

The remaining $4 million needed for the project will come from smaller gifts from private donors.

Boren said construction of the new facility will not require the university to borrow money. He is currently in conversations with prospective donors who might cover the final $4 million.

MUSEUM Continues on page 2

Energy-rich Russia moves to become world power again • Dream course lecturer speaks on foreign energy, policy LEIGHANNE MANWARREN The Oklahoma Daily

TODAY

Illustration Provided

An artistic rendition depicts the proposed expansion to the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art. The OU Board of Regents approved the expansion during its meeting Tuesday.

While the U.S. strives to become energy independent, resource-limited Europe relies heavily on Russian oil and natural gas, which is helping Russia move back onto the international stage.

Robert Orttung, senior fellow at the Jefferson Institute in Washington, D.C., spoke to OU students Tuesday evening in the Oklahoma Memorial Union about Russia’s relationships with foreign countries and the corruption within the country’s government.

“The basic idea of this lecture is the rela-

tionship between Russia’s energy to its political sphere,” Orttung said. “Though resource energy is a cause of corruption in Russia, it’s not the direct cause for it because it is not the only cause. The corruption would still be there even without their energy resources.”

Through Russia’s control over vast energy sources, it is once again trying to become a world power.

“Russia is becoming a focus of global politics because of its command over its large source of raw petroleum resources and its distribution,” political science assistant professor Paul Goode said. “Because of this, Russia is becoming a world power again with its relations to Europe and the East. This also means that along with the rise of this wealth, there is a rise in corruption among their AP Photo politicians,” While the U.S. has no connections to People pass by a currency exchange booth with the sign indicating U.S. dollar and euro Russia’s energy resources, Europe is heavily rates Monday in Moscow. The lecture “Corruption and Russia’s Resource-Based Economy”

RUSSIA Continues on page 2 was held Tuesday evening in the Oklahoma Memorial Union.

2

News

Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2008

Donors Continued from page 1 donation in a hedge fund he controls, suffered as well. The school was forced to halt work on an athletic village and an indoor practice facility that were supposed to be financed by the Pickens’ donation.

Pickens has since donated an additional $63 million to the university for the completion of the football stadium that bears his name, but no date has been set for completion of the other projects.

Small donors OU administrators say one of the key contributors to the robustness of university fund-

raising has been a dramatic increase in the number of donors courted by the development office.

More than 100,000 individuals are on the university’s donor rolls, up from about 17,000 just 14 years ago, Hall said.

During economic downturns, an extensive donor network can help protect universities from sharing in the suffering of one or two large donors.

“I’d rather have 50 people give me $1 million than to have one person give me $50 million,” Boren said.

The OU Outreach program, which solicits small donations

Museum

from alumni by phone, has reached thousands of alumni, almost 27 percent of whom have donated to the university, according to data from Hall.

The average pledge is $103.42, up from $83.03 last year, putting the program on track to reach or surpass its total of $1.8 million raised last year.

Good numbers At the end of September, donations during the 2008 calendar year were outpacing 2007’s, but Boren said he didn’t expect the trend to continue.

He said OU’s budget was not

built on the assumption that private giving would remain at the record-breaking levels of last fiscal year, so the university operating budget won’t be in danger even if giving drops this quarter.

Although Boren and Hall expect the pace of donations to slow as the economic trouble stretches on, they are optimistic that donors will continue to give what they can.

“People want to be involved,” Hall said. “No one has said, ‘No’ [to a request for a gift]. Some people are saying, ‘Can we visit after the first of the year?’ But no one has said, ‘No.’”

Russia

Continued from page 1

Continued from page 1

The expansion will add an additional 18,000 square feet to the museum. Some of that square footage will come from enclosing the rooftop sculpture garden to create a new gallery. It will also create space for the Adkins Collection and a new staircase leading to the galleries.

Construction on the new section of the museum will begin in late spring or summer 2009 and is expected to be completed within 18 months.

Most of the museum will be able to remain open throughout the renovation, Boren said.

The Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art has grown significantly in the past decade. More than 80 percent of its collection was acquired in the last 15 years. The value of the collection puts it among the top three or four most valuable university art collections in the country, Boren said.

The regents also approved a recommendation to elevate the Weitzenhoffer Department of Musical Theatre to the Weitzenhoffer School of Musical Theatre.

“This will be the only school of musical theater in the United States, which will be a very big boon to our recruiting,” OU Regent Max Weitzenhoffer said.

OU already is home to one of the most selective musical theater programs in the United States.

“We pick about one out of 10 who audition to come to musical theater, and we have a reputation as being in the top two or three in the nation,” Boren said.

The department’s new designation as a school won’t involve any major program or curriculum changes, but Boren said the elevation in title will “recognize the excellence of the program.”

dependent on its gas and oil lines.

Orttung said two-thirds of the world’s oil and natural gas is under Russian control, making Europe almost completely dependent on Russia for energy.

Russia also is developing more oil and natural gas pipelines to China.

“Since the beginning of [Vladimir] Putin’s presidency, almost 50 percent of its budgetary, 65 percent of its exports and 25 percent of its overall GDP come directly from its oil and natural gas industry,” Orttung said.

While Russia’s recent power over energy sources has contributed to corruption within its government, the corruption began as early as 1996, according to the Freedom House Political Rights scale of government.

Orttung said that under Putin’s policy of increasing state control, Russia became more susceptible to corruption within the government, worsening an already unstable economy.

The Russian stock market crashed in May and has been plummeting ever since.

“Russia’s main oil fields are almost depleted, which led to investors losing their confidence in Russian energy and Russia’s stock market crashing,” Orttung said. “Then, with the Georgian War and the global economic crisis, its economy has yet to pick back up.”

Russia’s economic crisis is the worst

in the world, with a 75 percent overall decrease, compared to 40 percent in the U.S. “Thanks to Putin, Russia’s federal reserves has jumped from $20 billion to $600 billion, but is consistently losing $20 million a month and the reserves will not last another year if [Russia’s economic situation] doesn’t change,” he said.

Because of policies made during Putin’s presidency, Russia will continue to become more totalitarian as the economic crisis continues, he said.

“Russia is losing ground in its efforts to combat corruption and crime the deeper we get into the economic crisis, because of a lack of free press and opposition political parties,” he said.

“This is not just a problem for Russia but, as Russia becomes more integrated into the global economy, a problem for everyone.”

Though Russia is economically worse off than other countries, the demand for its energy sources is not expected to diminish.

“Even with the possibility of the natural gas pipeline from Turkey to Greece, Europeans are stuck with Russia and that won’t change unless they try to cultivate other sources and alternative energy independence,” he said. “But that will not likely happen for another 20 to 30 years.”

State bill requires photo ID to vote • Opposition: Bill will deter elderly, minority voters RON JENKINS Associated Press OKLAHOMA CITY — One of the first bills filed in the new Republican-led Senate will require voters to show photo identification or their state-issued voter ID card before they can cast ballots in Oklahoma elections.

Sen. John Ford, R-Bartlesville, feels there is a good chance the bill will pass in the upcoming 2009 legislative session, now that Republicans hold a 26-22 advantage in the Senate. It takes 25 votes to pass a bill in the 48-member chamber.

A less restrictive measure

by Ford died earlier this year on a party-line vote, when the Senate was tied, with Democrats and Republicans each having 24 members.

“Basically, this bill says that if you vote in person on election day, or the three days prior to election day, then you are required to show a photo ID,” Ford said. “That photo ID must be issued by the federal government, the state government or a tribal entity. In lieu of a photo ID, the voter may show their stateissued voter ID card.”

In statewide elections, Oklahoma voters can cast ballots in person at county election boards on Friday, Saturday and Monday before the Tuesday election day, when precinct voting takes place.

The push for voter ID legislation comes after a presidential election during which allegations of voter registration fraud were raised in several states.

Ford discounts arguments

that requiring identification will hinder some elderly or minority voters.

“We don’t want to disenfranchise anybody. We don’t want to make it overly difficult,” he said.

Sen. Jim Wilson, D-Tahlequah, fought the legislation last year, saying it could lead to some voters staying home.

“I’m still opposed to the bill for the same reasons. It is going to help Republicans and it is going to hurt Democrats,” Wilson said.

He said many people don’t carry their voter ID cards with them and do not have photo identification. He said the bill will suppress the vote among the elderly and among minorities.

Besides, Wilson said, there is no reason to pass the bill.

“There’s no documentation of any fraud anywhere in the voting system,” he said.

Ford said the vast majority of his constituents feel the bill “is the right thing to do” and can’t believe someone can vote without proving they are who they say they are.

He said provisional ballots can be used if someone shows up without identification. “No one will be turned away from the polls,” he said.

Ford said his bill will “ensure the fairness of the process” and may encourage increased turnout if people “believe it is a fair and open system and that their vote is truly going to count.”

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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Campus News Student’s job leaves her en-chant-ed Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2008

3

• Vocal music education student sings OU chant MEREDITH MORIAK The Oklahoma Daily When Kayley McCoy checks the mail, she can usually expect a letter and picture from OU President David L. Boren once a week as a token of his gratitude for her singing OU’s chant.

McCoy, vocal music education junior, is the university’s official OU chant singer and accompanies Boren to all speaking engagements, averaging about one to three events a week, on behalf of Public Affairs.

McCoy, a Stillwater native, said she has a passion for music and Oklahoma, but never thought she would find a job that combined the two until she accepted the singing job this semester.

“I love OU and have a lot of pride for our school,” said McCoy. “I love singing and the combination of those two, singing and representing the university, is a perfect combination.”

The job position for an official OU chant singer from the School of Music was created about 15 years ago when Boren arrived at the university, he said.

“I was shocked to find when I returned to OU that almost no students or alumni knew the words, and when it was sung at football games, no one participated,” Boren said in an e-mail.

Events include dinners on campus, graduation ring ceremonies, recruitment events in Dallas, ground breaking ceremonies and building expansions, McCoy said.

“There’s such a variety of events, and it makes each one really cool,” McCoy said.

While attending these events, a friendship has developed between McCoy and Boren, she said. She knew Boren before obtaining the position but said his interest in students has been affirmed since she took the job.

“He is an incredible representative for the students and for what we stand for,” McCoy said.

“He has us with the best interest in mind.”

Although the time commitment is large, with each event lasting between one to three hours, she said she enjoys the dinners and events and has met many intriguing people.

“It’s the people that I’ve met and spoken with, a lot of different alumni,” McCoy said. “It’s neat to hear their stories about their connection to the university.”

Amy Frost/The Daily

Kayley McCoy sings “River Deep, Mountain High” on stage, Oct. 21, during the talent competition of the Miss OU pageant.

Many of President Boren’s planned speeches occur during the day, but McCoy said she has only had class conflicts three times this year, and her professors were understanding.

“Honestly, because I’m a music major, they really see the value in representing the School of Music and the College of Fine Arts,” McCoy said. “They see it as value, because it is music oriented and because they

recommended me to hold that position.”

McCoy was born hearing her mother teach private voice lessons in her house and plans to teach elementary children after graduation.

The honor of singing the chant has been a blessing to McCoy, and she said she enjoys being able to represent OU while doing something she loves.

“This is probably one of the neatest opportuni-

ties I have ever had and will ever have,” McCoy said.

The rebirth of the chant and its tradition for students and alumni has been enjoyable to see, Boren said.

“It is wonderful to see students and alumni hold their fingers high in the air singing, bringing the OU family together,” Boren said.

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Opinion

Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2008

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

OUR VIEW

Proposed ID law good for Oklahoma These days, just logging OUR VIEW on to an online bank account is an editorial requires you to navigate a selected and debated maze of passwords, PIN numby the editorial board and written after a bers and questionnaires about majority opinion is your first pet, your mother’s formed and approved maiden name and your first by the editor. Our View is The Daily’s official boyfriend’s older sister’s favoropinion. ite pet.

So we were a little surprised to discover on Election Day that in some Oklahoma counties, casting a vote for president of the United States required no more personal identification than

walking up to a polling place and saying, “Hi, my name is…”

That’s why we’re glad Oklahoma Republicans have filed a bill that would require voters to show some form of ID when they cast their ballots. (See page 2 for details.)

The proposed law won’t be so strict as to be a barrier to voting. Every registered voter is issued a voter ID card, so Oklahomans start their voting careers with sufficient ID provided to them. Lost your voter ID card? Whip out a driver’s license. Lost your license? Bet you have a Social Security card.

Can’t find your Social? Get a passport.

Requiring voters, all of whom are over the age of 18 and the vast majority of whom have multiple forms of ID, to produce some proof that they are who they say they are is the only responsible course of action in a country plagued by identity theft and charges of voter fraud.

Particularly in local elections, in which a handful of votes can determine which representative heads for Oklahoma City or which candidate assumes a mayoral position, every vote counts. The slight risk that requiring ID might discourage some voters is far outweighed by the benefits of ensuring that every vote is accurate.

We’re certainly not in favor of voting restrictions that require voters to do anything more than show up with an ID on them. Identification policies designed to force people off voter rolls because the names they are known by don’t match federal databases (for a Matthew who goes by Matt, for example) should go the way of literacy tests and poll taxes.

But the proposed Oklahoma law wouldn’t impose any unnecessary burdens on voters. It would simply require that they prove who they are using a government-issued ID — which is actually a lot easier than being interrogated about your first boyfriend’s older sister’s favorite pet.

STAFF COLUMN

STAFF COLUMN

Fun before finals

A different kind of compensation

Sooner Country has much to be merry about entering the Christmas holiday.

Our football team is one victory away from South Beach. Gas is cheaper than milk. And every county in our state voted for Sen. John for president.

MATT McCain Of course, nothing dampFELTY ens holiday cheer more than upcoming finals.

I don’t want to mention that our bah-humbug administration annually robs us of a Dead Week. Nothing personifies the Christmas spirit more than a quiz three days before the final. That’s like letting an 8-year old watch Bad Santa. You just don’t do it.

But all is not lost. Buried far beneath is a list as rewarding as Santa’s of things to do next week. And, unlike his, my list does not discriminate based on behavior.

10. Watch National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.

Get a big group of friends, warm some eggnog, and laugh as Uncle Lewis lights that fateful cigar.

For good measure, bring gifts to exchange.

Animals, green Jello and bonus-hating bosses are preferred.

9. Make a Christmas card with your roommates.

Pick something festive that you can send to relatives with a sense of humor. Photos of OU/Texas weekend tend to capture everyone in rare form. Mug-shots or newspaper clippings of the police record from The Daily earn extra points for bravery.

8. Tell that special someone how you feel.

Christmas is a good time to break the news to your semester crush.

Handfuls of guys refute this theory — Not only does this mean one must spend money on a date, but also on a Christmas present.

Ignore these financial Scrooges. It is best to divulge the secret under strategicallyplaced mistletoe.

7. Hang a wreath on the grille of your car.

Only once a year can someone legitimately fasten a living organism to their automobile.

I suggest you take advantage.

6. Request stimulus checks from the university.

OU President David L. Boren would see his approval ratings launch into the tripledigits if all students were given $500 stimulus checks heading into the break. He could call it the Boomer Bailout.

No one can spend money faster than college students. We could single-handedly “jolt” Norman’s economy. Or, at the very least, Campus Corner’s.

Photo provided

Ridiculous Christmas sweaters are ideal Dead Week attire.

5. Give Sooner tight-end Brody Eldridge a hug.

The unsung hero of the offense caught his first touchdown pass, or any pass for that matter, against Oklahoma State last weekend.

Coaches have always called Eldridge one of the team’s most indispensable players.

But, instead of paving the way for Demarco Murray or protecting Sam Bradford, Eldridge put his own points on the board.

any outstanding balance with the university.

Inevitably, this could lead to an investigation as to where that money actually went.

Expect coal in your stocking at this point.

2. Throw or attend a tacky Christmas party.

Everyone does this every year. And they should. These are the most fun fiestas of the semester. Hunt down a Frosty sweater vest. Throw on a Santa Hat. Wrap yourself in Christmas lights. However you prepare, just make sure you are there.

4. Watch the Jenks-Union 6-A state championship football game.

For the past 12 years, one of these powerhouses has gone home with the gold ball.

The west side of the state has not seen a 6-A championship since Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy was in his 20s.

Every game goes down to the wire. This is the best, and cheapest, excitement on a Friday night.

1. Send the University of Texas a consolation gift.

This should be a real gift from depths of your crimson heart. I recommend hiring a banner plane to circle Texas’ bowl game with- the following inscription: “2.

OKLAHOMA .935 3. TEXAS .922. MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!” Don’t you love messing with Texas?

3. Pay your bursar bill.

Folks, we are entering the home-stretch here.

Parents tend to be disappointed when you don’t receive your diploma because of

Love or money?

I know the answer s h o u l d always, be love.

But lateSARAH ly I’m kind HILL of worried about that answer.

Sometimes you can’t choose love over money.

I’m not talking about having to choose between some poor farm boy who happens to be the love of your life or Danny the nopersonality-Ivy-Leaguegraduate-soon-to-be-bigtime-lawyer.

I’m talking about choosing between love and money when it comes to deciding on a career.

If everyone decided to choose money, then we’d have a real problem.

We wouldn’t have teachers, social workers, journalists or non-profit workers.

We wouldn’t have writers, musicians or artists.

You could argue that people become singers because they dream of the big bucks.

But I don’t think anyone in the arts field could be successful with that mode of thinking.

A person can’t just sing, “I want you to like this.

Give me money. I want to be rich.” (Unless, of course, that person were a rapper.) They have to have something to say.

It’s unfortunate that people have to choose between love or money.

They should be able to do what they love and get paid for it.

If people did what they loved, they would be much happier, and I’m pretty sure Americans could use some cheering up.

If they were happier, maybe they could stimulate this wretched economy.

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

Here’s a proposal for President-elect Barack Obama: Pay people for doing what they love.

This plan is genius.

Obama should probably appoint me to his cabinet.

I have yet to see Hillary Rodham Clinton come up with such a good plan.

In a perfect world, this plan could solve a lot of problems.

But, sadly, this world is not perfect, and my plan isn’t feasible.

It’s nice to dream about, though.

It’s sad that it can’t ever work out.

I know a man who loves to write and wants to write novels for a living, but he’s studying petroleum engineering so he doesn’t end up under a bridge some day.

I love writing poetry, but I know it will never pay my bills.

My poetry is just going to wilt away in my diary until my funeral, when somebody will find it and read it aloud.

I’ll probably be blushing in my grave.

I wish I loved to do something that could make me money.

How lucky are those doctors who truly love helping people? You can definitely tell the difference between them and the ones who are just in it for the money.

My advice is to pursue what you love, regardless of what it pays.

Even if you can’t get paid enough money for doing it, someday your passion will pay off.

The best artists in the world wouldn’t have contributed so much to our culture if they had given up and chosen money.

Leonardo Da Vinci could have been a doctor, but where would that have left Mona Lisa?

Sarah Hill is a professional writing junior. Her column usually appears every other Monday.

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Sports

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

Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2008

5

FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK Sooners dominate Big 12 honors Bob Stoops earned coach of the year honors, quarterback Sam Bradford was chosen as offensive player of the year, linebacker Travis Lewis was picked as defensive freshman of the year and center Jon Cooper was offensive lineman of the year in the individual Big 12 honors announced Tuesday.

Stoops shared the award with Texas Tech coach and former OU assistant Mike Leach.

The Sooners also had seven players — Bradford, running back DeMarco Murray, fullback Matt Clapp, tight end Jermaine Gresham and linemen Phil Loadholt, Duke Robinson and Trent Williams — selected for the First Team All-Big 12 offense, by far the most in the conference. The closest school behind OU was Oklahoma State with four. Texas had only one, lineman Adam Ulatoski.

Wide receiver Juaquin Iglesias and Cooper were also named to the second team offense, meaning nine of OU’s 11 offensive starters were selected for one of the All-Big 12 teams.

On defense, defensive tackle Gerald McCoy and safety Nic Harris were selected for the first team, while Lewis, cornerback Dominique Franks and safety Lendy Holmes were picked for the second team.

In all, the Sooners had 14 players picked for an All-Big 12 team. Texas had 10 players selected, Missouri had nine and Texas Tech and OSU had seven each.

Zach Butler/The Daily

Trainers look at the knee of middle linebacker Ryan Reynolds (8) during OU’s Oct. 11 game against Texas. Reynolds tore his ACL on the play and will not play again this season. His injury, coupled with Austin Box’s sprained knee Saturday, will force junior Mike Balogun into the starting lineup for the first time.

Balogun ready to step up • Sooners prepare to use third middle linebacker KYLE BURNETT Daily Staff Writer The injury bug has once again affected the Sooner linebacking corps, but this time the reserves are prepared to take over and pick up the slack.

Junior college transfer Mike Balogun, despite receiving limited playing time during the course of the year, is slated to be starting at either middle linebacker or one of the outside linebacker spots against the Missouri Tigers.

“He showed during fall camp that he’s explosive and pretty much what we’re looking for,” defensive coordinator Brent Venables said.

“He’s explosive, and we just have to get him coached up, and it will be a one-game season.”

Balogun appeared for two series against the Cowboys, stopping a screen pass for a loss on his second play. He also recorded three solo tackles and nearly intercepted a tipped pass.

“He was in there for a couple, three, four, five plays,” Venables said. “Really stoned a guy like he’d been working up some anger. I’m excited to see him [play].”

Current starting linebacker Travis Lewis said he’s confident in Balogun’s ability to step in and make a difference immediately.

“I’ve had confidence in Mike all season,” Lewis said. “The coaches have been telling him to stay prepared and prepare like you’re going to play every week. I think it really showed when he came in the fourth quarter and made plays.

I have the utmost confidence in him to be out there beside me.”

The shifting of personnel among the linebackers has allowed some offenses to take advantage of the OU defense. After the loss to Texas, the defense allowed 491 yards to Kansas and 550 yards to Kansas State. However, once the group settled in, the defense as a whole played better.

“This defense is not easy to learn,” Lewis said. “We all didn’t know [the system] that well at the beginning, but we’re doing much better now.”

Junior linebacker Ryan Reynolds suffered an ACL tear during the OU-Texas game and was lost for the rest of the season.

When that happened, there was a small competition for who would replace him. Freshman Austin Box won the starting job and has started the four contests after the win against Kansas State.

“I’ve definitely been feeling more comfortable,” Box said. “It just takes some time to get used to game experience.”

Saturday against Oklahoma State, a Cowboy receiver blocked Box below the waist and consequently sprained a ligament in his knee.

Head coach Bob Stoops said he was informed Box’s injury should take approximately three to five

weeks to recover. With one game left in the regular season, Balogun will fill the open spot.

Stoops also said the injury Box suffered Saturday is very similar to the injury junior defensive end Auston English had earlier

in the year. English has missed the past three games, but could be prepared to play this weekend against Missouri. If Box’s injury takes the same amount of time to heal, he should be able to play in OU’s bowl game.

Bradford Heisman campaign begins The OU media relations office began its push for Sam Bradford’s Heisman campaign Tuesday with an e-mail sent by Senior Associate Athletics Director Kenny Mossman to media outlets.

In the e-mail, Bradford’s statistics so far this season were compared to the previous 10 Heisman-winning quarterbacks.

Bradford’s passing efficiency and touchdowns are already better than any of the previous 10 winners, while his completion percentage is second and his interception total is tied for second, both behind only Florida State’s Charlie Ward, who won the award in 1993.

He is also second in passing yards, 87 yards behind Florida State’s Chris Weinke, who won the Heisman in 2000. Bradford should easily pass that mark after Saturday’s game against Missouri.

Bradford currently has thrown for 4,080 yards, 46 touchdowns and six interceptions, and is second in the nation with a passing efficiency of 190.97.

Tim Tebow, last year’s winner, threw for 3,286 yards, 32 touchdowns and six interceptions with a passing efficiency of 172.46.

Voting remains open for Davey O’Brien Award Sam Bradford is among three finalists for the Davey O’Brien Award, given annually to the nation’s best quartback.

His two competitors are also from the Big 12, Texas’ Colt McCoy and Texas Tech’s Graham Harrell.

Fans are encouraged to vote for their preferred candidate online by visiting www.VoteOBrien.org. The voting will be open until Dec. 7, and the fan vote will make up part of the award selection process.

Big 12 to consider changing tiebreaker Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe told ESPN Tuesday that the conference will look into changing the way a three-way division tie is solved.

The current Big 12 system sends the team with the highest BCS ranking, and Beebe said that is the standard because it sends the team most likely to compete for a national championship.

In the SEC, the team with the highest BCS ranking also advances, unless the top two teams are ranked within five spots of each other. In such a case, the tiebreaker is then decided by head-to-head competition.

If the Big 12 used such a system this year, Texas would be playing for the Big 12 Championship Saturday.

While Beebe said he would consider a change to the system, he did not say he necessarily thinks the current one is incorrect.

“You can’t create a rule for every scenario,” Beebe said. “If you win all your games you don’t have to worry about this scenario.”

AP Photo

— DAILY STAFF

Linebackers Travis Lewis (28) and Mike Balogun (10) celebrate after defeating Texas Tech 66-21 on Nov. 22. Lewis said Tuesday that he has “the utmost confidence” in Balogun’s ability to step in to the starting lineup.

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Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2008

Sports

STAFF COLUMN

Injuries have changed the face of the NFL bet you thought this column would be about the Big 12 Championship controversy, right? Probably something along the lines of the South Division winner being determined by team GPA or how many hot dogs the coaches can eat.

Not this time around.

In my mind, it’s time to start thinking about the NFL playoffs.

If it were possible to go back in time, how surprised would you be if I told you the Tennessee Titans, Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers were getting a first-round bye?

Going into the season it seemed like the New England Patriots and Dallas Cowboys were the locks for No. 1 seeds.

MJ Surprisingly enough, the two strongest CASIANO divisions in both conferences come from the East, where the teams are legitimately battling for the two wild card spots.

This brings me to my next topic: the New England Patriots.

Since quarterback Tom Brady has been out, Matt Cassel has done a good job in filling in for him, considering the last time Cassel was a starter came in high school.

In fact, he has done a decent enough job to solidify himself as a starting quarterback in this league, obviously outside of New England. He can expect a big contract in the offseason.

But where does that leave the Patriots’ hopes for the postseason?

Well to start things out, they are nowhere near the talent level without Brady. Laurence Maroney is out, Randy Moss isn’t as effective and the defense is allowing teams to score on them.

It’s crazy how one player can affect a team so much.

They can still win their division — which is led by the 8-4 New York Jets — and statistically could still win a wild card spot, but I don’t think they have the talent to win one game.

Then you have to wonder the reason for the Cowboys slump. It’s simple: injuries.

Of course Tony Romo missed a few games — resulting in the team looking terrible — but nearly everyone in the secondary has been hurt at some point in the season.

Now, DeMarcus Ware, Marion Barber and Jason Witten are battling injuries.

Winners of three straight, and with a healthy Romo pinky, the Cowboys have a slim chance at catching the Giants for the division, but still can nab a wild card game against the Arizona Cardinals or the winner of the NFC North.

It’s sure not what we expected, but there is still much excitement to be seen.

I

AP Photo

Danielle Robinson (13) attempts to dribble past the defense during OU’s Nov. 23 loss to No. 2 North Carolina. The Sooners lost to No. 1 Connecticut 106-78 Sunday, falling to 4-2. They will be looking to get back on track at 7 tonight against unranked Creighton at Lloyd Noble Center.

OU prepares to take on Creighton • Sooners hope to recover from blowout loss ANNELISE RUSSELL The Oklahoma Daily Head coach Sherri Coale and the OU women’s basketball team will look to pick up the pieces after Sunday’s tough loss to Connecticut with a win at home against Creighton tonight.

The Sooners were blown out in their last game, losing to UConn 106-78. Coale heaped praise on the No. 1 Huskies after the game.

“I told [Connecticut head coach] Geno [Auriemma] after the game that if they play like that and shoot like that they might win the men’s championship,” Coale said.

The loss gives OU two on the season, the other coming against No. 2 North Carolina in the championship game of the Preseason WNIT. “I don’t think North Carolina

and UConn are really close,” Coale said. “Maybe North Carolina had a bad night and UConn had a good night, but there’s a chasm between them.”

Last year, OU also had losses against two competitive teams going into December. One of those was to eventual national champion Tennessee.

After the setbacks, the Sooners were perfect for the month of December and posted double-digit wins in every game.

This week’s home game marks the first contest of December, and if history repeats itself it does not look bright for Creighton, which is just 2-3 this season.

While the trend seems to pattern years past, this year OU has a few new weapons to throw at its opponent.

Last year, most of the offense went through Courtney Paris in the paint. Shooting from outside five feet was fairly rare.

This year, freshman Whitney Hand and others off the bench have extended the Sooners’ shooting to three-point range.

Hand averaged 12 points in her last three games, and her production is helping pull defenses away from Paris under the basket.

Paris has seen her numbers drop recently. She is only averaging 15 points per game, but that is also because another Paris is picking up the slack.

Ashley Paris has improved her game and now leads the team with almost 16 points per game and seven defensive rebounds per game. The senior worked this summer to get in better shape and that has made her quicker and more mobile.

Danielle Robinson has also made a major impact off the bench as of late.

Head coach Sylvia Hatchell of North Carolina said Robinson was the one Sooner her team did not have an answer for.

Robinson is not generally a three-point shooter, but she has been able to drive to the basket and put up some of the team’s most jaw-dropping lay-ups. Her speed and confidence show with the 19 points she put up for the

Sooners in their last game.

If Creighton wants to crack the Sooner’s offense, it will have to shut down both Paris sisters, cutoff Danielle Robinson streaking to the basket and take their chances with Hand on the perimeter.

Creighton is certainly a real underdog, but the Blue Jays are no stranger to Big 12 basketball.

In their third game of the season, the Blue Jays barely lost to an Iowa State team whose only loss this season is to No. 4 Stanford.

Coale has already said she thinks Iowa State is playing some of their best basketball this season.

One Creighton player to watch is Chevelle Herring, who put up a career-high 24 points on the Cyclones last week. Herring sat out last year due to injury, but the guard was a McDonalds All-American nominee in high school.

It will be up to the Sooners to shake off Sunday’s loss and take care of business starting at 7 p.m. at Lloyd Noble Center.

— MJ CASIANO IS A BROADCAST AND ELECTRONIC MEDIA SOPHOMORE.

2008 bowl game student ticket sale

On Sale Thursday, December 4 Bowl game student ticket sales will begin online at www.soonersports.com at 7:00 a.m. Thursday, December 4, 2008 on a first come, first serve basis. Only current student football season ticket holders are eligible for this sale.

If tickets remain, walk-up sales will begin on December 4 at 10 a.m. at the OU Athletics Ticket Office. Be advised online ticket sales cause tickets to sell out quickly and it is possible that tickets could be sold out prior to walk-up sales beginning.

All tickets sold will be charged to students’ bursar accounts. Tickets must be picked up at the bowl site by the student with their OU ID card. All sales are final. No cancellations will be accepted.

For information regarding will call, group seating, and online ordering instructions, please visit the Student Ticket section of www.soonersports.com.

Arts & Entertainment

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

Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2008

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• The Daily’s Tim Bennett takes a look at this week’s comic releases, from Batman to Wolf-man.

Photo provided

Photo provided

Photo provided

‘BATMAN #682’

‘ASTOUNDING WOLFMAN #10’

‘IMMORTAL IRONFIST #20’

In issue 681, writer Grant Morrison concluded his “R.I.P.” storyline and cemented the story as a defining moment in Batman’s legacy.

DC made big promises about “R.I.P.,” specifically hinting that Bruce Wayne would no longer be Batman after the story’s end.

While Wayne’s true fate is still unknown, Morrison has described it as “worse than death.” Likely candidates to take over the Batman identity include original Robin and current Nightwing Dick Grayson, current Robin Tim Drake and Robin-turned-super-villain Jason Todd.

“Batman #682” will focus instead on retelling the early years of Batman — a story which is likely to have implications in future issues.

Robert Kirkman’s “Astounding Wolf-Man” has moved quickly in its first nine issues, establishing a wide cast of interesting characters whose interactions with protagonist Gary seem to imply a rich backstory without spending pages explaining their lives.

No character has dropped more hints about a shadowy past than Zachariah, a vampire and former mentor of Gary who seems to be the tragic villain of the series. Issue 10 is dedicated to exploring Zachariah’s origin, which will explain the motivation for some of the stranger decisions he has made throughout the series.

When the creative team behind the current run of “Iron-Fist” collectively left the series after issue 16, the comic’s huge potential for adding depth to the character suddenly seemed to be entirely at risk.

Luckily, writer Duane Swierczynski has kept the series top-notch by continuing to lean heavily on “Immortal Iron Fist’s” strength as a series — stressing the Iron Fist as a legacy rather than the title of one man.

Issue 20 concludes Swierczynski’s first storyline by pitting Danny against a relentless killer who has murdered every former Iron Fist except for one – Danny’s recent mentor, Orson Randall. Expect more stories of past Iron Fist heroics as Danny continues to search for a way to save himself.

— TIM BENNETT IS A PROFESSIONAL WRITING SENIOR.

Hudson in-law charged with killing 3 relatives

A&E BRIEFLY NBC exec: ‘Meet the Press’ deal close for Gregory NEW YORK — An NBC News executive says the network is close to naming chief White House correspondent David Gregory as Tim Russert’s replacement on the top-ranked Sunday political talk show “Meet the Press.”

Gregory is negotiating terms of a deal that would give him the job, said the NBC News executive, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal wasn’t final.

Gregory has been considered one of the leading candidates for the job since Russert died last June. Tom Brokaw has filled in since then, and is interviewing President-elect Barack Obama on Sunday’s show.

The Huffington Post had earlier reported Gregory was the selection, to which NBC News spokeswoman Allison Gollust said, “We have nothing to announce. Just because the Huffington Post says something doesn’t make it true.”

Cameron says he can’t live up to ‘Avatar’ hype LOS ANGELES — Director James Cameron said Tuesday that his upcoming bigbudget 3-D movie “Avatar” couldn’t possibly live up to the hype on the Internet ahead of its release late next year.

The Internet has been buzzing about the sci-fi thriller shot with motioncapture technology and the 3-D camera system he helped develop with partner Vince Pace. There are even movie trailers made by fans that apparently have nothing to do with the movie.

“Whatever they think it’s going to be, it’s probably not,” Cameron said on the sidelines of a conference on 3-D entertainment in Los Angeles.

The $200 million movie is in production ahead of its planned Dec. 18, 2009 release and Cameron does not yet have a trailer prepared.

“We are making the movie in blocks. You can’t cut a great trailer right now because so much of the movie would be unrepresented,” he said.

When asked about high expectations, the director of all-time U.S. box office record holder “Titanic” said he had stopped trying to meet them.

“I went out and got drunk, contemplated the whole thing and got over it,” he said, adding, however, that “Avatar” was “really cool” and “groundbreaking” for its combination of motion capture, computer graphics and live action.

— AP

DON BABWIN Associated Press CHICAGO — Jennifer Hudson’s brother-inlaw was charged with murder Tuesday in the shooting deaths of three of the actress’s family members, including the 7-year-old son of his estranged wife.

William Balfour had been in custody since Oct. 24, when the bodies of Hudson’s mother, Darnell Hudson Donerson, and brother, Jason Hudson, were discovered in their South Side home. The body of Julian King, Balfour’s stepson and Hudson’s nephew, was found in a sport utility vehicle three days later.

Until Balfour’s arrest in the murder case Monday, police had publicly identified him only as a “person of interest” in the investigation.

Balfour, 27, who previously was held on a parole violation, is charged with three counts of firstdegree murder and one count of felony home invasion.

Balfour’s attorney said his client is insistent about his innocence.

“It is scary as hell, he’s charged with terrible crimes that he adamantly contends he’s not guilty of,” attorney Joshua Kutnick said before the announcement of the charges, which he said

he expected.

Still, added Kutnick, “He’s exhibited to me, at least, the patience to let the process unfold.”

Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis said at a news conference Tuesday that although Balfour has not confessed to the crimes, he is “confident in the evidence.” Investigators have not said what evidence they have linking Balfour to the killings, but said Tuesday that they are not looking for other suspects and believe Balfour acted alone.

“There is physical evidence,” Deputy Superintendent Steve Peterson said, but he stopped short of saying whether that evidence linked Balfour to the crimes.

Weis praised the community for the way it “stepped up to the plate and helped police solve this case,” but would not provide any details.

Police have said from the beginning that the slayings were domestic related, but they have not elaborated.

They would not say, for example, if they believed the boy was part of any dispute between Balfour and his estranged wife, Hudson’s older sister, Julia Hudson.

AP Photo

This undated file photo provided by the Illinois Department of Corrections shows Jennifer Hudson’s estranged brother-inlaw William Balfour. Balfour was arrested Monday in Illinois in the deaths of the singer’s mother, brother and 7-year-old nephew.

8

Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2008

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Edited by Timothy E. Parker December 03, 2008

Millions of Americans expose themselves to noise levels above 85 decibels for hours at a time – the level audiologists identify as the danger zone. Lawn mowers, sporting events, live or recorded music, power tools, even traffic and crowded restaurants can sustain these levels. If you’re around noises like these for prolonged periods, you’re risking permanent hearing loss. For more on the 85 dB threshold, and ways to protect your hearing health, visit ASHA.org.

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

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

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Previous Solution

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58 Concerning, in a memo 60 Caviar, before processing 61 Grown up 62 Sudden restriction on an activity 64 No longer in bed 65 Pond organism 66 Chinstroker’s words 67 Nurses’ measures 68 Protein source 69 Solidifies DOWN 1 Naples staple 2 Anticipate 3 Megalomaniac’s desire 4 “Ctrl” neighbor 5 Narrow margin 6 Superior rating 7 Strip searcher’s paradise?

8 Superman logo 9 Not down a break, in tennis 10 Knish ingredient 11 Lander at Lod, Israel 12 Big name in court shoes 13 Bit of bird chow

18 Opposite of deliberation 22 Greeting card feature, often 24 Distinctive doctrines 26 Moves in a predatory manner 28 Casual top 30 Cellar dweller’s position 31 Meadow mouse 32 One who barely squeaks by 33 Dislike plenty 34 Vacationing 35 Small pond of standing water 36 Actor Holbrook 40 “___ It Romantic?”

42 From whom

buyers buy 43 Nearly unobtainable 44 Butcher 45 Famous fabler 47 Woman’s shoe 50 Berry of “Catwoman” 52 Irregularly notched 53 Wheel of a spur 54 Hawaiian state birds 55 Cattleman’s prod 56 In that case 57 Willard’s cohorts 59 Sweeping story 62 Trucker’s enclosure 63 Where to find a relic

PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

© 2008 Universal Press Syndicate www.upuzzles.com

“HARDWARE STORE” by Jay Sullivan

Pre-Leasing for January www.oig.biz

One Bedroom

$ 415 per month

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

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Details/News

November auto sales drop to 26-year low NEW YORK — U.S. light vehicle sales at General Motors and Chrysler plunged more than 40 percent in November, while Ford’s sales dropped 31 percent, battered by an economic storm that has sent consumer demand for new vehicles to the lowest level in more than 26 years.

GM’s sales fell 41 percent, while Chrysler’s dropped 47 percent. Their overseas rivals posted abysmal results Tuesday as well. Toyota’s November U.S. sales tumbled 34 percent, while Nissan’s dropped 42 percent and Honda’s fell 32 percent.

Automakers sold 746,789 vehicles in the U.S. in November. The seasonally adjusted annual sales rate for the month was 10.18 million, compared with 16.07 million a year earlier. That’s the lowest level since October 1982, according to Autodata Corp.

Like retailers of other big ticket items, automakers have taken a beating in recent months as worries about the economy and unemployment have prompted consumers to slash spending. At the same time, some people are afraid that they won’t qualify for credit or that it will be too costly have put purchases on hold.

On Monday, the National Bureau of Economic Research said the U.S. entered a recession in December

2007, much earlier than most predictions.

Many analysts had expected November sales to improve slightly from the previous month’s 25-year low, noting that aggressive incentive spending and the plunge in gasoline prices may have put a floor under sales. But U.S. vehicle sales fell 11 percent from October, according to Autodata.

Chrysler LLC said its November sales decline included a 59 percent decrease in demand for cars and a 42 percent decline in truck sales.

The Auburn Hills, Mich.-based automaker said the drops were partially a result of a 63 percent decline in fleet sales. Excluding such sales, Chrysler said its November sales fell 36 percent.

General Motors Corp. reported a 44 percent drop in demand for cars, while light truck sales dropped 39 percent.

Mike DiGiovanni, GM’s executive director of global market analysis, blamed the Detroit automaker’s sharp sales decline on the global economic crisis and the credit squeeze.

“What we are facing is not a General Motors problem; what we are facing is an industry problem,” DiGiovanni said in a conference call.

“We are seeing further deterioration in the industry into November.”

— AP

WORLD BRIEFLY Police: Mumbai gunmen came by sea from Pakistan MUMBAI, India — The gunmen who attacked Mumbai set out by boat from the Pakistani port of Karachi, then later hijacked an Indian fishing trawler that carried them toward India’s financial capital on their suicide mission, a top police official said Tuesday.

As evidence of the militants’ links to Pakistan mounted, Mumbai police commissioner Hasan Ghafoor said ex-Pakistani army officers trained the group — some for up to 18 months — and denied reports the men had been planning to escape the city.

“It appears that it was a suicide attack,” Ghafoor said.

The revelations came as a senior U.S. official said India received a warning from the United States that militants were plotting a waterborne assault on Mumbai.

The Indian government is already facing intense public accusations of security and intelligence failures after suspected Muslim militants carried out the three-day attack across Mumbai last week, killing at least 172 people and wounding 239.

inflicted on the country’s economy, which relies heavily on tourism.

But none of that seemed to matter Tuesday as members of the People’s Alliance for Democracy, which led the protest, reveled at the fall of Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat.

“We will party all night long before leaving tomorrow,” said Saisuri Pantupradij, a 45-year-old woman who camped out at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi international airport. “It’s sad to say goodbye, but our job here is done.”

US cruise ship outruns Somali pirates’ guns

NAIROBI, Kenya — The luxury American cruise ship steaming across the Gulf of Aden with hundreds of well-heeled tourists just might have been too much for Somali pirates to resist.

But the six bandits, riding in two skiffs and firing rifle shots at the gleaming ship, were outrun in minutes when the captain of M/S Nautica gunned the engine and sped away, a spokesman for the company said Tuesday.

Still, the implications had the pirates hijacked the ship added a new dimension to the piracy scourge, as NATO foreign ministers groped for solutions at a meeting in Brussels and the United NaThai airports to reopen tions extended an international piracyafter PM ousted by court fighting mandate for another year.

The potential for massive ransom BANGKOK, Thailand — Anti-government demonstrators in Thailand declared payments from the families of hundreds of rich tourists may encourage similar victory and said they would end their occupation of the country’s two main air- attempts, especially following the sucports today after a court decision forced cessful capture of a Ukrainian cargo ship laden with tanks and a Saudi oil tanker the prime minister from office.

While an estimated 300,000 travelers carrying $100 million in crude. stranded by last week’s airport takeovers — AP breathed a bit easier, the question of who will hold power in a democratic Thailand remained unanswered following Tuesday’s verdict.

The protesters — who seek to eliminate the one-person, one-vote system — left open the possibility of more unrest saying they will return to the streets if political change does not occur. At least six people have been killed and scores injured in clashes in recent months.

Also unclear was the extent of damage the weeklong airport blockade

CAMPUS NOTES The Daily draws all entries for Campus Notes from OUDaily.com’s comprehensive, campus-wide calendar. To get your event noticed, visit OUDaily.com and fill out our user-friendly form under the calendar link.

Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2008

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POLICE REPORTS Names are compiled from the Norman Police Department or the OU Department of Public Safety. The report serves as a public record of arrests or citations, not convictions. The people here are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

COUNTY WARRANT

TODAY CHRISTIANS ON CAMPUS A Bible study will be at 12:30 p.m. in the Oklahoma Memorial Union’s Sooner Room.

UPB A seminar on preparing for math final exams will be at 3 p.m. in Carnegie Building, room 200.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL The team will play Creighton University at 7 p.m. at the Lloyd Noble Center.

HONORS STUDENT ASSOCIATION A meeting will be at 7 p.m. at the Joe C. and Carole Kerr McClendon Honors College, room 180.

ANIMATION & COMICS SOCIETY

Adam Ross Adkins, 20, 300 block S. Timberwind Drive, Monday

DOMESTIC ABUSE BY STRANGULATION Larry Dean Birdine, 25, 200 block Chalmette Drive, Monday

POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA Victor Carrillo, 18, 1100 block 36th Avenue N.W., Monday, also possession of weapons Christopher Michael Humphrey, 23, 300 block S. Timberwind Drive, Monday, also possession of drug paraphernalia

DOG AT LARGE Daniel Rowland Hardwick, 31, 900 block Quanah Parker Trail, Sunday

POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA Dewey Alexander Kilgore, 21, 300 block S. Timberwind Drive, Monday

MUNICIPAL WARRANT Greggory Blaine Poe, 18, 900 block Ed Noble Parkway, Monday

A meeting will be at 8 p.m. in Dale Hall, room 211.

PUBLIC INTOXICATION OUr EARTH A general meeting will be at 9 p.m. in the Union’s Weitzenhoffer Room.

Shirley Rhonda 30, N. Flood Avenue, Sunday, also petty larceny Connie Marie Sams, 45, Bob White Avenue, Sunday

THURSDAY PSYCHOLOGY CLUB A meeting will be at 4:30 p.m. in Dale Hall Tower, room 908.

LATKES FOR LOVE A Jewish celebration will be at 6 p.m. at Hillel, 494 Elm Ave. Cost is $5 presale and $7 at the door, and 100 percent of the proceeds will go toward Shaare Zedek Children’s Hospital in Jerusalem.

FRED FILMS The films “The Sacrifice” and “Working Under Foreign Conditions: Russians Making Movies in Other Lands” will be shown at 7 p.m. at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art. SCHOOL OF MUSIC The combined choir will perform at 8 p.m. in the Sharp Concert Hall.

HOROSCOPE

By Bernice Bede Osol

Copyright 2008, Newspaper Enterprise Assn.

Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2008 SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23Dec. 21) -- You’re in for a pleasant experience when someone you go out of your way to help actually brings more in return. It may be one of the more surprising episodes in your life.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- Huge rewards could come in surprisingly small packages, so don’t be too quick to reject the type of compensation being offered. In time, you may regret your lack of vision.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) -- Because of your great ability to tune in and perceive what others are thinking, you will get a new perspective on things that you can use to your advantage and that you would have otherwise missed.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) -- Although you are likely to move a lot quicker than your friends and colleagues, what they contribute will be extremely valuable to the cause. Patience will pay off.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) -- Be frank and forthright when given the opportunity to discuss a matter of mutual concern with someone who shares the consequences of a decision. You may gain a new friend.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) -- Owing to your natural ability to resolve dilemmas through deduction and intuition, you have greater insight into working out troubling situations. Abide by your own conclusions.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -- Brainstorming with co-workers could produce some rather ingenious ideas or solutions for increasing productivity and lowering the stress levels at the workplace.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) -- Both you and those with whom you spend your time are apt to alternate roles between teacher and student. More than one relationship will be extremely constructive.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) -- Circumstances may present themselves to better get to know a recent acquaintance. You will find that you have much in common -- along with a real affinity for one another.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) -Opportunities of a fleeting nature will present themselves with regard to your work or ambitions. It will be important to recognize them for what they are -- before they disappear again.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) -- Something important can be finalized to your satisfaction by using your imagination and resourcefulness to their fullest.

Fortunately, they are a couple of your better assets.

KAPPA ALPHA THETA A pancake party will be at 11 p.m. at the Kappa Alpha Theta house. Cost at the door is $5, with proceeds to benefit Crossroads Youth and Family Services.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) -- If someone you rarely see keeps popping up in your mind, take a moment to contact that individual. You’ll discover there was good reason for getting in touch.

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Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2008

Arts & Entertainment

PostSecret.com founder to speak on campus tonight

Photo provided

ABOVE: PostSecret.com founder Frank Warren addresses an audience in this undated photo. Warren will speak at 8 p.m. tonight in the Molly Shi Boren Ballroom in the Oklahoma Memorial Union. RIGHT: Assorted postcards Warren has received from anonymous senders. Warren said he receives approximately 1,000 postcards per week.

CALLIE KAVOURGIAS The Oklahoma Daily “I serve decaf to customers who are rude to me.”

This secret was written on a Starbucks coffee cup and sent to Frank Warren, founder of PostSecret.com.

It’s also his favorite secret.

Warren will speak in the Molly Shi Ballroom in the Oklahoma Memorial Union at 8 p.m. tonight.

PostSecret.com is “an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard,” according to the site.

In the site’s initial stages, Warren printed selfaddressed postcards and passed them around Washington D.C., asking people to decorate and write a secret on the card.

Warren said he receives around 1,000 postcards each week.

“I asked [people] to share a secret with me and they never stopped coming,” Warren said.

Sometimes secrets are hopeful or grateful: “I wish I could personally thank the kind, selfless souls who donated their bodies so that I could become a doctor.”

Secrets can also be disturbing, sexual or sad.

“I’ve lost hope that there is anything out there discovering,” is the message scrawled on one card Warren received.

Warren updates PostSecret.com weekly, choosing 20 cards to put on the site every Sunday morning.

“I try and pick secrets that surprise me,” Warren said. “Some that are funny, hopeful or shocking, that let people connect a little more to the secrets of strangers.”

There are two types of secrets: those that you keep from yourself and those that you keep from other

people, Warren said. When those secrets are shared, it allows people to build relationships with others.

“If we share [our secrets], we allow ourselves to build bridges between ourselves, when before there might have been walls,” Warren said.

Warren created a PostSecret Facebook page about a year ago. He has since registered a MySpace account as well.

“On PostSecret.com I don’t like to show my own voice,” Warren said. “But on MySpace I can share stories.”

PostSecret may have a connection to preventing suicide as well, although Warren said he doesn’t think a direct link exists.

“It helps to share feelings and problems you may be suffering on your own,” Warren said.

Warren travels to universities across the country, he said. He usually attends campus events on Wednesdays and Thursdays, then goes through 700 to 800 secrets on Fridays.

“I really enjoy traveling to college campuses and listening to the stories young people share in front of all their classmates,” Warren said.

Warren’s PostSecret books will be available for purchase before and after the event. He will sign books after the presentation.

FRANK WARREN AT OU When: 8 p.m. tonight Where: Molly Shi Boren Ballroom in the Oklahoma Memorial Union How much: Free

Photos provided