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years

Men’s basketball suff ers tough loss at UAB SPORTS »

Did Family Guy go too far in poking fun at Sarah Palin? OPINION »

HI 58 LO 40

Issue 98, Volume 75 Monday, February 22, 2010 thedailycougar.com

WEATHER »

Forecast, Page 2

Familiar with Facebook? So are we. Become a fan and get connectedTHEDAILYCOUGAR.COM

By Hiba AdiTHE DAILY COUGAR

The primary for the 2010 Texas governor’s race is quickly approaching.

The race is still moving for the elections taking place March 2 between Republican candidates Rick Perry, Kay Bailey Hutchinson

and Debra Medina as well as for Democratic candidates Bill White and Farouk Shami.

A recent poll published in the Houston Chronicle stated that two-term Governor Perry leads with 45 percent among likely Republican voters, and three-term U.S. Senator Hutchinson trails with 29 percent. Tea Party activist Medina came in last with 17 percent, and 8 percent were undecided.

The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percent.

While Perry has a great lead, he hasn’t closed enough votes to avoid a run off with opponent Hutchinson.

The Chronicle poll also asked voters about possible future opponents, White and Perry, considering the large lead White has over his opponent, Shami. According to a TPM Poll tracker, Shami stands at 11 percent and White at 50 percent.

The match up ran close with Perry up 43 percent to White’s 37 percent.

A frequently asked question that is crucial to these primaries is Perry’s public opinion polls as governor. The polls of likely Texas voters in the Chronicle stated that 46 percent approve of the job Perry is doing as governor and 38 percent disapprove.

Blum & Weprin Associates Inc. conducted the poll for the Houston Chronicle, the San Antonio Express-News, the Austin American-Statesman, the Dallas Morning News and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

In the telephone survey, 2,017 Texas adults were interviewed, including 1,508 registered voters, according to the Chronicle.

[email protected]

By Neal DasguptaTHE DAILY COUGAR

Farouk Shami brought a unique business element to the race when he announced his plan to run for Texas governor as a Democrat in November.

Shami is the founder of Farouk Systems, Inc., a global hair care corporation that produces products such as CHI and BioSilk.

His company is an international powerhouse that exports products to more than 50 countries.

Shami said despite not having any political experience, his experience in international business is more essential to improving the state’s economy than any experience in politics can provide. He said his business savvy would be helpful in creating jobs and improving the state’s overall economy.

“Leadership is important in any business or campaign,” Shami said. “Building a political team, working with the grassroots, balancing the budget and innovating ideas are all important issues. I will use my international experience in business to export more to other countries and bring more business back to Texas.”

Shami said he plans to rid Texas of nonsense politics, which he thinks are pushing the state in the wrong direction.

“I think Texas needs to be run by a businessman, not a politician,” he said. “Politicians have proven to be failures in running the state, and it is time for a successful businessperson to serve the state.”

Dealing with economical issues would be one of Shami’s top priorities if he were to be elected.

“In my fi rst day in offi ce, I will put everybody to work,” Shami

said. “I want everybody to work. I will create jobs as we go.”

An important policy on Shami’s agenda includes education.

“I want to see the State Board of Education composed of education experts; not just politicians,” he said. “Those are the people that need to be in charge of the curriculum.”

Shami also wants to do away with the TAKS test and wants to make sure teachers get better pay and provide them with more creative control.

“I also want to work to reduce our drop-out rate, create a tuition cap and make community college free and education affordable for every student,” Shami said.

Shami downplayed any criticism of his debate with opponent Bill White on Feb. 8. He said it gave him more confi dence in his campaign.

Shami came to America from Palestine in 1965 to attend college and become an educator. He enrolled in the University of Arkansas, but later dropped out to pursue a career as a hairdresser.

After working in a number of salons, Shami opened his first shop in Lafayette, La. in 1972. He worked in the salon business for almost 20 years before moving on to the beauty industry in the early 1990s. His company built an 80,000 sq. foot manufacturing plant in Houston along with two warehouses.

Apart from his successful business resume, Shami is also an active philanthropist whose generosity has been well documented.

He travelled to New York to help people who were affected by 9/11. He also donated millions of dollars to shelters in the Houston area to help people affected by Hurricane

Katrina and Rita and worked with the City of Galveston to provide hygiene products for residents affected by Hurricane Ike.

Many call Shami’s journey from poor immigrant to successful businessman a story of achieving the “American Dream.”

“People are tired of politicians and lip service,” Shami said. “People are impressed by my thinking outside the box and my ideas. I am a breath of fresh air. A man of action, not words.”

[email protected]

By Aimee BurasTHE DAILY COUGAR

Tracy Hester has been named director of the Environment, Energy and Natural Resources Center at the UH Law Center.

The UH adjunct professor has been a partner at Bracewell & Giuliani LLP for 16 years, leading the law firm’s Houston office environmental group as senior counsel.

“By joining the University of Houston Law Center faculty and directing the clinic, I’ll have a chance to focus on critical issues,” Hester said. “These issues include the production and regulation of energy and environmental protection in Houston, where we have the world’s leading talent and thinkers already working in the private sector, academia and environmental advocates.”

UH Law Center Dean Raymond Nimmer said that he thinks Hester is highly qualifi ed for the job.

“Professor Hester is an acknowledged national expert in environmental law,” Nimmer said. “He brings both practical knowledge and intellectual power to his new position.”

Hester said that changes are needed and that he plans to bring recognition to the EENR Center.

“Frankly, the EENR Center needs to step out and get more attention for its work and people,” Hester said. “It’s a great institute and deserves more notice than it currently gets.”

Hester plans to achieve his set goals to attract great recognition to the center.

“I want to help build the EENR Center into a world-class forum for tackling environmental and energy

Perry remains ahead in polls

Shami brings business to race

Gubernatorial race for

Texas primary is running close to end

Professortakes onnew position

GUBERNATORIAL PROFILE

COURTESY OF FAROUK SHAMI FOR GOVERNOR THE DAILY COUGAR

Farouk Shami, founder and chairman of Farouk Systems, announced his run for governor in

November. Shami is a Democratic nominee for governor in the March 2 Texas primary.

Upcoming profi lesTuesday: Republican Kay Bailey Hutchison

Wednesday: Democrat Bill White

Thursday: Republican Rick Perry

Friday: Democrat Debra Medina

see HESTER, page 6

Who should attend? The University of Houston is host to the Annual Health Professions Fair for students interested in medical careers: Medical doctor, Nurse, Pharmacist, Optometrist, Physical Therapist, etc.. More than 40 professional medical schools from across the U.S. participate in this event, providing participants with the most up-to-date information about their program requirements.

Hundreds of students have taken advantage of and benefited from this event, helping them prepare for a career in the health professions.

The Health Professions Fair

Learn about Medical and Health-professional schools by attending...

Mark yourcalendar now

and save the dayfor your future

career!!

For moreinformation:

UScholarsPre-professional

AdvisingUniversity of Houston

[email protected]

Monday, March 1st, 2010

10am to 2pmLocation:

UC World Affair Lounge(Underground level of UC)University of Houston(Main Campus- 4800 Calhoun Rd)

thedailycougar.com/classifi edsLess creepy than Craigslist. Get your free ad today at thedailycougar.com/classifi eds. Sign up with a uh.edu e-mail address to get started!

2 ■ Monday, February 22, 2010 The Daily Cougar

TODAY

The Aesthetics of Italian Fascism: 4-6 p.m., Honors College Commons. As part of the Honors College’s Ethical Aesthetics series, this discussion fea-tures presentations by UH Architecture Professor Michelangelo Sabatino and UH Italian Studies Professor Alessandro Carrera. They will talk specifi cally about the aesthetics of architecture and music in Mussolini’s Italy. For more information, e-mail the Honors College at [email protected]

TUESDAY

Nutrition workshop: 12:30-1 p.m., Campus Recreation and Wellness Center, Room1038. These workshops are off ered through UH Wellness, a department of Learning and Assessment Services in the Division of Student Aff airs. The mission of UH Wellness, a campus-wide education and prevention program, is to promote healthy choices and create a healthier, safer learning environment across all dimensions of wellness, including social, spiritual, intellectual, occupational, physical and emotional wellness. These workshops promote various dimensions

of wellness and are off ered to sup-port student development, to increase retention and to provide students with skill-building opportunities throughout the semester. For more information, log on to www.hhp.uh.edu/nutrition/

WEDNESDAY

Outdoor Movie Festival: 6 p.m., UC North Patio. Today the Student Video Network will continue its Outdoor Movie Festival and will watch In Bruges featur-ing Colin Farrell, for its Independent Movie Category. On Thursday, Pan’s Laby-rinth will be shown. The Student Video Network hopes to make this a recurring activity on-campus. For more informa-tion, log on to http://www.uh.edu/svn/

THURSDAY

Adventures in Darkness: 7-8:30 p.m., Cullen Performance Hall. Adventures in Darkness, the 2nd annual Delta Gamma Richard D. Shirk Family Lectureship in Health Care Values and Ethics will feature Tom Sullivan, a blind entertainer, athlete and actor as well as a best-selling author and a much sought-after motivational speaker and TV producer.

C A L E N D A R

F O R E C A S T

CAMPUSBEAT

CO R R E C T I O N S

CO N TAC T U S

A B O U T

I S S U E S TA F F

» Send event information to [email protected]

»Report errors to [email protected]

Newsroom(713) 743-5360■ Editor in ChiefRonnie Turner(713) [email protected]

■ Managing EditorMatthew Keever(713) [email protected]

■ News EditorsPatricia EstradaHiba Adi (713) [email protected]

■ Sports EditorsPhillipe CraigRobert Higgs(713) [email protected]

■ Life & Arts EditorTravis Hensley(713) [email protected]

■ Special Projects EditorJarrod Klawinsky(713) [email protected]

■ Opinion EditorAlan [email protected]

■ Web EditorMatt [email protected]

■ Blog EditorAbby [email protected]

Advertising(713) [email protected]

■ Classifi eds(713) 743-5356classifi [email protected]

Business Offi ce■ Phone (713) 743-5350■ Fax (713) 743-5384■ Mailing addressRoom 7, UC SatelliteStudent PublicationsUniversity of HoustonHouston, TX 77204-4015

ABOUT THE COUGAR The Daily Cougar is published Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters,

and Tuesday and Thursday during the summer, at the University of Houston Printing Plant and online at http://www.

thedailycougar.com. The University seeks to provide equal educational opportunities without regard to race, color,

religion, national origin, sex, age, disability or veteran status, or sexual orientation. The Daily Cougar is supported in part

by Student Service Fees. the fi rst copy of the Cougar is free; each additional copy is 25 cents.

SUBSCRIPTIONS Rates are $70 per year or $40 per semester. Mail subscription requests to: Mail Subscriptions, The

Daily Cougar, University of Houston, Houston, TX, 77204-4015.

NEWS TIPS Direct news tips and story ideas to the News Desk. Call (713) 743-5314, e-mail news@thedailycougar.

com or fax (713) 743-5384. A “Submit news item” form is also available online at thedailycougar.com.

COPYRIGHT No part of the newspaper in print or online may be reproduced without the written consent of the

director of the Student Publications Department.

Corrections will appear in this space as needed.

■ Copy editing Moniqua Sexton, Giselle Bueno

■ Production Chenlong He

■ Closing editor Ronnie Turner

Hey,what’s happening?

Check the Campus Calendar at thedailycougar.com

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The Daily Cougar Monday, February 22, 2010 ■ 3

By Joshua MaloneTHE DAILY COUGAR

Alice Eve is darting around the lobby of the Sugar Land Ice & Sports Center, shaking hands and posing for pictures with a contagious enthusiasm.

In the midst of her press tour for the upcoming romantic comedy She’s Out of My League, the British actress greets herself with a genuine modesty not often associated with the modern-day movie star.

“I do like what I’ve seen of Houston,” Eve said. “But with press tours, you never get to experience much of the city or stay in one place for long.”

In She’s Out of My League, Eve plays Molly, an intelligent, funny, and exceedingly beautiful woman who forgets her phone at an airport’s security checkpoint. When average-guy Kirk (Tropic Thunder’s Jay Baruchel) fi nds the phone, he returns it to Molly, who insists on repaying the favor by taking him out to a hockey game.

Their romance blossoms, but not without Kirk’s family and friends continuously pointing out that Molly is out of his league, an inadequacy Kirk struggles with.

Despite its potential to be a one-dimensional character, Eve said she enjoyed the opportunity to transform Molly into a woman who still harbors her own feelings of vulnerability.

And while fl attered, Eve said she was hesitant about being cast as “the perfect 10.”

“It’s a lot of pressure and certainly

the opportunity to be heavily scrutinized. But that’s women in our society, so it’s not too far off,” Eve said.

Eve’s parents, Trevor Eve and Sharon Maughan, are accomplished British television actors, but she said acting wasn’t a profession she or they had initially envisioned for her.

“My parents didn’t want me to act,” Eve said. “They wanted me to be educated, and I was also resistant for a long time. I remember being in the background during my dad’s plays, but I started crying during the second take, and they took me away. I had a

very tenuous relationship with acting when I was young.”

Eve eventually discovered her love for acting during a school play as a teenager, but put her career on hold to study English at Oxford University. Following a stint in theater, Eve played James McAvoy’s superfi cial girlfriend in the Tom Hanks-produced romantic comedy Starter for 10 before starring opposite Harrison Ford, Ray Liotta and Jim Sturgess in the immigration drama Crossing Over.

She’s Out of My League is Eve’s

most prominent role to date and a movie that she admits can signifi cantly alter the course of her career.

Eve, however, insists on keeping both feet on the ground.

“You can’t consider the success,” she said. “It’s such a fi ckle business that you just have to see where everything goes and deal with the ramifi cations as they come.

“I’m enjoying the ride while it lasts.”

[email protected]

By Kendra BerglundTHE DAILY COUGAR

Martin Scorsese has done it again. His newest fi lm, Shutter Island,

debuted this weekend, and the critics and audience love it. Scoarsese’s body of work includes fi lms such as Gangs of New York, Good Fellas, Raging Bull, Taxi Cab and The Departed, which won the 2006 Best Motion Picture of the Year Award.

Shutter Island is just what we’d expect from such a fantastic director. It’s dark, intriguing and has a mind-boggling twist at the end.

We’ve all seen the previews for Shutter Island — “it’s a mental hospital … for the criminally insane” — but what is it really about? The fi lm takes us through an investigation headed by U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio), who is haunted by his mysterious past, along with his partner, Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo).

Once on the island, the investigation takes no delay. The two marshals examine the disappearance of Rachel Solando (Emily Mortimer), an island inmate who has drowned her three children and, thus, created a fantasy world within the island to suppress the horrible memories of what she has done. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Through twists and turns that Scorsese is famous for, we fi nd out that Shutter Island is much

more than what is on the surface.The island is the Alcatraz of

mental hospitals, housing patients no other mental institutions will take. Patients are demented, hysterical and often mutated. Shout and screams can be heard all over the island — especially from the mysterious Ward C, where only the “most dangerous and damaged patients” go.

Since the island is for the criminally insane, the distinction between reality and fantasy are muddled. Daniels’ shadowy past leads us though a labyrinth of a plot.

Once on the island and the investigation is underway, the questions begin to pile up. Did Solando even disappear? Does she even exist? Why was Daniels really brought to Shutter Island? And what is everyone on the island hiding from Daniels and Aule?

This maze of questions that we get pulled into from the beginning of the movie is what Scorsese is famous for. Emerged in a fl ood of memories from Daniels’ past, including murders in the World War II, images of his dead wife and a mysterious child, Shutter Island leaves us hanging even until the fi lm credits roll.

All in all, even though Shutter Island was long and enduring, the webby plot, all-star cast and fi st-clutching suspense will keep you absorbed. Compared to an Alfred

Hitchcock psychological thriller, Shutter Island is incredibly written and well directed. If you’re a Scorsese fan or just looking for the perfect

thriller/suspense movie, Shutter Island will give you your fi x.

[email protected]

By Justin TysdalTHE DAILY COUGAR

Students around campus are increasing their use of Google Buzz.

Buzz the social networking addition by the search giant, has taken Gmail users by storm. With more than 9 million posts in its fi rst week, Buzz is quickly becoming a social network juggernaut.

Buzz is similar to social networking Web sites such as Twitter and Facebook, but with a several different features.

“Buzz allows you to post more than 140 words in one message; that is a big difference from Twitter,” electrical engineering graduate student Becky Yuan said.

Google’s integration with its other services, Maps, Documents and the popular RSS program, Reader, allows for more extensive communication and greater detail of each post.

“I use Google Documents regularly to work on projects with colleagues,” UH assistant librarian Christina Gola said. “Buzz might come in handy when I want to send a quick note, instead of fi lling up my inbox.”

Not everyone is jumping on the Buzz bandwagon. At the forefront of the search engine’s argument is the issue of privacy. As other social networks continue to tweak their privacy setting, allowing users greater control but also keeping up with the emerging trend of social search, Google takes a different approach by requiring users to create public and searchable profi les.

“Buzz suddenly appeared in my account, and I began receiving messages from people I didn’t even know were in my contact list,” Gola said.

The auto-follow feature was quickly removed by Google and changed to allow users to pick who they wanted to follow.

Buzz allows not only photos and links to be updated, but using geolocation, mobile devices can attach an address to each post. Each buzz can be associated with a place, and the Nearby stream lets you see buzz posts within a specifi ed location.

Mobile devices are increasingly using location technology, but have come into heavy scrutiny because of ways it can share data without the users consent.

While Buzz offers many features, it still has room for improvements.

“I’d prefer if Buzz was ordered by time. This way, if someone replies to one Buzz, it will be at the top,” Yuan said.

For those who are not ready to completely switch over to Buzz, they can connect their Twitter account and set it up to publish their tweets and vice versa.

With Buzz, students and faculty are fi nding new and interesting ways to post updates about everyday events. From the latest movie or a favorite dish from a restaurant, Buzz lets people share what they’re thinking in a whole new way.

[email protected]

Google buzzes with excitement

Eve in league of her own

Scorsese shines through the ‘Shutters’

PARAMOUNT PICTURES

Alice Eve sits down with The Daily Cougar to talk about her upcoming role in the movie She’s Out of My League last week in Sugar Land.

PARAMOUNT PICTURES

Leonardo DiCaprio fulfi lls anticipations in the adaptation of Dennis Lehane’s book Shutter

Island last weekend.

LIFE+ARTS COMING TUESDAY: New trends and young adult dystopia

EDITOR Travis Hensley E-MAIL [email protected] ONLINE www.thedailycougar.com/life_arts

4 ■ Monday, February 22, 2010 The Daily Cougar

Houston is known for its hot, humid weather during the summer and its fairly mild winters.

This season, however, the weather in Houston has been anything but typical.

In October, the chilly weather began to creep into town;

the temperatures drastically dropped off as the months passed.

For most people in the Houston area, this type of weather is not something they are used to.

Back at the end of 2008, people were walking around town in short sleeves and shorts.

Toward the beginning of December, however, freezing temperatures and several inches of snow descended on the Houston area.

Not only have temperatures dropped this winter, but it also seems to be raining more often than usual.

The snow and rain in Houston has put a burden on the daily lives of its residents who are not used to such weather.

Slick streets and bridges make it difficult for drivers to navigate through the metropolitan area, which is constantly burdened with heavy traffic.

Students who have to walk around campus have been seriously inconvenienced by the weather.

The act of parking at UH is troublesome as it is, and having to walk around in the rain and cold weather just makes it worse.

Some are lucky enough to catch a ride on a shuttle bus, which are usually piled full with wet students.

Students who walk to campus have to hope that their umbrellas do not malfunction or that they can avoid getting splashed by a car driving through a puddle.

Once in class, it becomes noticeable

how many students would rather not go through the hassle of coming to class in such miserable weather.

Many teachers offer incentives to students who made the effort to attend class.

The weather also takes a toll on professors, who for the same reasons as their students cannot or will not go to class.

For those who are fashion conscious, however, this is the perfect time to bring out all those winter clothes stuffed in the back of the closet.

But for everyone else, especially students who don’t own a vast winter wardrobe, the weather is burdensome.

On the bright side, though, with not many students attending class on rainy days, it’s pretty easy to find a parking spot.

Karen Ramirez is a psychology junior and may be reached at [email protected]

While 2011 may seem far off, it’s looming just around the corner for two professional sports leagues.

The NFL and NBA both have labor contracts with their respective players’ unions that are set to expire that year.

Failing to come up with a new contract could mean a work stoppage — a lockout — for both leagues.

In his Feb. 14 State of the NBA address, Commissioner David Stern said that teams were collectively projected to lose $400 million this year and that they had annual collective losses of approximately $200 million over the last several seasons.

It is impossible to really know which teams are losing the most money, but after being provided with the teams’ economic information, even National Basketball Players Association Executive Director Billy Hunter acknowledged that there were teams who were “struggling” fi nancially.

Houston is home to the Rockets, and before Thursday, the team had on its roster

two premier players who had spent little to no time on the court this season.

Yao Ming hurt his foot in the 2009 playoffs and will most likely miss the entire 2009-10 season.

Tracy McGrady, who was traded to the New York Knicks on Thursday, sat out all but six games this season following microfracture surgery on his left knee.

According to ESPN.com, before McGrady, Carl Landry and Joey Dorsey were traded Thursday, the Rockets had a payroll of $71.7 million. McGrady’s contract alone is worth $22.8 million this season — nearly one-third of Houston’s pre-trade payroll.

It’s unclear whether the Rockets are one of the teams losing money, but contracts guaranteed to injured players such as McGrady don’t help.

The Rockets are not the only team to make a wayward deal.

The Knicks had a pre-trade payroll of $82.8 million, according to ESPN.com.

For all of its spending, the Knicks front offi ce has assembled a team that has won

only 19 games this year — tied for seventh worst in the league.

With the cost of going to an NBA game increasing and attendance on the decline, the league has put itself in a precarious position.

That being said, it is the owners who agreed to the terms of these athletes’ contracts; they have no one to blame for the league’s fi nancial situation but themselves.

“We’ve shown the players the facts, and our current level of revenue devoted to player salaries is too high,” Stern said in his address.

It’s not a player’s fault when he’s getting paid by his owner to sit at home and watch games instead of play in them.

Other teams are bound to make mistakes and sign players to outlandish contracts.

If there is a work stoppage after the end of next season, the owners have no business blaming the players for it.

Harold Arnold is a business senior and may be reached at [email protected]

HaroldArnold

Weather makes for gloomy outlook

NBA lockout would be owners’ fault

EDITORIAL CARTOON

KarenRamirez

JASON POLAND THE DAILY COUGAR

Administrators at Virginia Tech have threatened to cut funding to the Collegiate Times, the university’ s student-run

newspaper, because they did not appreciate the anonymous comments on the paper’s Web site.

Administrators said that the anonymous comments were racist, discriminatory and, in general, offensive.

Despite how awful administrators thought these comments were, they couldn’t cut the paper’s funding solely on this issue.

After a letter was sent out by administrators on Feb. 8, Educational Media Company at Virginia Tech, the organization that oversees the newspaper, said that anonymous speech was an important part of free speech and democracies, stating that the university should respect the First Amendment and not violate the newspaper’s constitutional rights. In its letter, EMCVT claimed the newspaper’s content was the reason the university wanted to cut funding.

A week after the administrators’ letter was sent out saying funding would be cut, a university spokesman consulted with Virginia Tech’s chief legal counsel, who made it clear that the cutbacks requested by the Commission on Student Affairs were not permissible under the law. It was a victory for the Collegiate Times and college newspapers around the country.

Student Publications at UH was the subject of a Feb. 12 Student Fee Advisory Committee meeting, where recommendations for funding were made. Before the meeting, some student members of the committee made derogatory comments about the Daily Cougar. It was in bad taste and unprofessional of these students to comment on the newspaper’s content before a meeting where they would discuss the amount of next year’s funding for Student Publications.

During the meeting, Dean of Students and SFAC committee member William Munson asked the committee not to base their decision on the Daily Cougar’s content, which is the right and professional thing to do.

Let this be a message to all universities. Administrators can’t decide a newspaper’s funding based on whether they like the content of it or not. It is unconstitutional.

STAFF EDITORIAL

College papers’ content a matter of free speech

THE DAILY COUGARE D I T O R I A L B O A R D

Ronnie Turner, Editor in ChiefMatthew Keever, Managing editorPatricia Estrada, News editorHiba Adi, News editorPhillipe Craig, Sports editorRobert Higgs, Sports editorTravis Hensley, Life & Arts editorAlan Dennis, Opinion editorJarrod Klawinsky, Special projects editor

E D I TO R I A L P O L I C Y

STAFF EDITORIAL The Staff Editorial refl ects the opinions of The Daily Cougar

Editorial Board (the members of which are listed above the editorial). All other

opinions, commentaries and cartoons refl ect only the opinion of the author.

Opinions expressed in The Daily Cougar do not necessarily refl ect those of the

University of Houston or the students as a whole.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The Daily Cougar welcomes letters to the editor from any

member of the UH community. Letters should be no more than 250 words and signed,

including the author’s full name, phone number or e-mail address and affi liation

with the University, including classifi cation and major. Anonymous letters will not be

published. Deliver letters to Room 7, University Center Satellite; e-mail them to letters@

thedailycougar.com; send them via campus mail to STP 4015; or fax them to (713) 743-

5384. Letters are subject to editing.

ADVERTISEMENTS Advertisements published in The Daily Cougar do not

necessarily refl ect the views and opinions of the University or the students as a whole.

GUEST COMMENTARY Submissions are accepted from any member of the UH

community and must be signed with the author’s name, phone number or e-mail

address and affi liation with the University, including classifi cation and major.

Commentary should be kept to less than 500 words. Guest commentaries should not be

written as replies to material already printed in the Cougar, but rather should present

independent points of view. Rebuttals should be sent as letters. Deliver submissions to

Room 7, University Center Satellite; e-mail them to [email protected]; or fax

them to (713) 743-5384. All submissions are subject to editing.

OPINION COMING TUESDAY: Does Google have the right to demand that China change its Internet censorship policy?

EDITOR Alan Dennis E-MAIL [email protected] ONLINE www.thedailycougar.com/opinion

The Daily Cougar Monday, February 22, 2010 ■ 5

Cougar Sports ServicesIn keeping with this season’s

hallmarks of inconsistency and frustrating losses, the Cougars found yet another way to lose Saturday.

Facing one of Conference USA’s surprise teams in UAB at Bartow Arena in Birmingham, Ala., UH allowed the Blazers to jump out to an early 22-7 lead before staging rally after rally, only to fall 75-66 for its second straight loss.

Facing a 15-point deficit with 12:50 remaining in the first half, the Cougars (13-13, 5-7 C-USA) exploded for a 20-4 run to take a 27-26 lead with 3:29 remaining. The two teams traded buckets until intermission, and the Blazers (21-5, 9-3) took a 34-33 lead into the break.

The Cougars rode that momentum in the second half’s opening minutes and took a 42-40 lead after Aubrey Coleman’s 3-pointer and Maurice McNeil’s driving layup with 16:31 remaining. UAB’s Howard Crawford answered with a jumper to temporarily tie the game at 42, but UH came back, taking a 48-44 lead after back-to-back layups from McNeil. UH’s lead was short-lived as the Blazers used a 10-1

run to take a five-point lead with 10:59 left and never looked back.

For good measure, UAB’s Elijah Millsap took over, scoring seven of his game-high 22 points in the final 10 minutes to seal the victory for UAB. Millsap, the younger brother of Utah Jazz forward Paul Millsap, did most of his damage at the free throw line going, 12-of-16 while pulling down a game-high 14 rebounds.

His inside presence fueled UAB’s 22-10 advantage in points in the paint after halftime.

For the Cougars, Coleman led the way with 20 points, but was just 7-of-24 from the field. Zamal Nixon added 15 points, three assists and three steals off the bench, and McNeil chipped in with 12 points and eight boards. On a bright note, freshman Kendrick Washington continued

his improved play with five points and a team-high 10 rebounds. It was the fifth consecutive game that Washington has set or tied his career high in rebounds.

The Cougars return home to take on the Memphis Tigers at 7 p.m. Wednesday inside Hofheinz Pavilion. It will be UH’s second-to-last home game of the season.

[email protected]

By Maurice BobbTHE DAILY COUGAR

The Cougars took to the road this weekend with a dose of bad news fresh on their minds, as head coach Joe Curl was admitted to a Houston hospital just one day after being released from a Dallas hospital because of chest pains.

They returned home in worse shape than they left after dropping a pair of Conference USA games to Southern Miss and Central Florida.

UH point guard Porsche Landry put on a show Saturday night against UCF, racking up a season-high 22 points on 8-of-18 shooting.

But her breakout game wasn’t enough as the Cougars fell 78-66 to the Knights at UCF Arena in Orlando, Fla.

Landry also dished out three assists and received help from forward Courtney Taylor, who made eight of 15 shots for 20 points to go along with eight rebounds. UH shot 42.2 percent for the game.

Chelsie Wiley paced UCF with 20 points and six rebounds.

UH fell to 13-13 overall and 7-6 in C-USA. UCF, meanwhile, improved its record to 8-14 and

5-8 in league play. UH was able to cut the lead

down to six on two occasions during the fi rst half, but UCF came roaring back on an 8-0 run to head into overtime up 41-26. UH shot just 38.7 percent in the fi rst half compared to the Knights, who made 16 of 30 shots for a 53.3 shooting percentage in the fi rst half.

In the second half, Houston found itself down 53-42 with 11:33 remaining, but rallied to draw to 53-49 with 9:29 left.

Landry was fouled after converting a layup with 5:14 to play and nailed the free throw to cut the Knights’ advantage to three points, but the Cougars never got any closer.

A 7-0 run by UCF pushed its lead back to double-digits at 67-57 and clutch free-throw shooting down the stretch sealed the win for the Knights.

UH will close out the regular season with a three-game home stand at Hofheinz Pavilion, starting when the Cougars take on UTEP at 7 p.m Thursday. UH faces Tulane on Saturday before honoring the lone senior on this year’s roster, Ashlee’ Joseph, on March 4 during the regular-season

fi nale against in-town rival Rice. The Cougars will need to come

out stronger offensively at home. The loss at UCF marked the second consecutive game in which UH fell behind early and failed to hold a lead at any point.

UH will also need to step up its performance on the boards. The

Cougars were out-rebounded 55-28 leading to a 22-8 advantage in second-chance points for UCF.

UH was also lacking in the rebounding column against Southern Miss with a disadvantage of 49-34 in the loss.

[email protected]

Cougar Sports ServicesThe tennis team improved to

3-1 after posting two victories over the weekend at John E. Hoffs Courts.

The Cougars opened the weekend with wins over Louisiana Tech and Texas-Pan American, but fell to Northwestern State 6-1 on Sunday.

After having its spring season delayed by Sam Houston State’s forfeiture on Feb. 12, UH recorded its first on-court win with a 6-1 victory over Louisiana Tech on Friday. UH earned victories in each of its doubles matches to take an early 1-0 lead. The Cougars suffered their first loss when Elena Kazakova lost to Vivian ten Dolle, but they reeled off five straight wins to finish the afternoon.

Saturday UH defeated Texas-Pan American 5-2 on Saturday and again started the day with three straight doubles wins.

UH takes the court next when it hosts Southeastern Louisiana at 1 p.m. March 3.

Soccer sweeps spring tourneyAfter waiting nearly four

months to return to the pitch, the soccer team made the most of its time there this weekend.

UH posted a 3-0 mark Saturday in the 17th annual Texas A&M 7-on-7 Tournament. The Cougars got off to a good start in their first matches in College Station.

The Cougars knocked off on Sam Houston State, Lamar and Texas-San Antonio in the split-squad season-opening tournament.

UH allowed only three goals, shutting out Lamar and UTSA, while racking up 18 goals of their own. Texas A&M was the only other team to go undefeated, winning all four of its games.

Although the tournament was not a round robin, the Cougars will play Texas A&M and Houston Baptist later in the season. Rice, which beat UH in its last conference match of the fall season, is the tournament’s only team the Cougars will not face.

For its next games, UH will travel to Austin to face off against Baylor and Texas Tech on Saturday.

The Cougars lost to Baylor when they played in 2008, snapping a four-game win streak over the Bears.

The Red Raiders will take a month off after they face UH. This may give the Cougars extra incentive to play well and leave Tech with skeptical down time.

Both games will take place at the Northeast Metropolitan Park in Austin at 10 a.m. on February 27th.

[email protected]

UH lays egg at UAB

Cougars greeted by inhospitable hosts

Tennis wins two of three

ZUHAIR SIDDIQUI THE DAILY COUGAR

Freshman forward Kendrick Washington, seen here against Southern Miss, continues his impressive play of late, leading the Cougars with 10

rebounds in UH’s 75-66 loss at UAB on Saturday.

DAVID SHIH THE DAILY COUGAR

Porsche Landry and the Cougars were not given a warm welcome on their recent road trip,

going 0-2 in games against Southern Miss and Central Florida over the weekend.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

UH NOTEBOOK

SPORTS COMING TUESDAY: Softball tries to end a three-game losing streak when it faces Baylor

EDITORS Phillipe Craig, Robert Higgs E-MAIL [email protected] ONLINE www.thedailycougar.com/sports

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6 ■ Monday, February 22, 2010 NEWS | CLASSFIEDS The Daily Cougar

HESTERcontinued from page 1

challenges on both legal and policy fronts,” Hester said.

Nimmer said that he has similar expectations for Hester and the EENR Center.

“I expect him to expand the program and its impact on the local and national community,” Nimmer said. “Also, I expect him to increase our involvement with companies in the environmental law fi eld.”

Nimmer anticipates the center, as a whole, will benefi t from this decision.

“I expect that the program will be put on track to become one of the most renowned and effective in energy and environmental law and policy,” Nimmer said.

Hester became interested in teaching as a guest lecturer and said that he enjoyed it immensely. When a position opened, he took it.

“Serving as an adjunct was a great opportunity to combine my daily environmental legal practice with advanced theoretical thinking with students and other professors,” Hester said.

According to the Bracewell & Giuliani LLP Web site, Hester has dozens of law affi liations including bar associations in Texas, New York and Washington, D.C. He was elected into the American Law Institute in 2004.

Hester earned his bachelor’s degree with high honors from the University of Texas at Austin in 1983 and earned his J.D. from Columbia Law School in 1986.

[email protected]

By Ashley EvansTHE DAILY COUGAR

The Jack. J. Valenti School of Communication Technology Center is partnering with Apple to bring the new Apple Authorized Training Center to students and the community.

The AATC is not a new building on campus but more of a new program offered to communication students. Its primary focus is exclusively on Final Cut Pro video editing software.

Apple certifies instructors teaching the three-day intensive learning course and the content they use is standard curriculum provided by Apple.

As part of the curriculum, students will work on editing raw footage from the TNT series Leverage and a promotional video for SeaWorld.

The center is a combination of the three-day seminar on the software and a testing center for certifi cation in the software. Once students pass the test, they will be considered a “certifi ed pro” and will receive a certificate from Apple and then placed on a list in an Apple database with other certifi ed pros.

Shawn McCombs, director of the Communication Technology Center, said professionals with this type of certifi cation are highly sought after and are hired more frequently with higher pay.

This new program was provided at no extra cost to the university because of what McCombs calls a “limited-partnership” between Apple and the Communications Technology

Center. McCombs said Apple is familiar

and very fond of the CTC lab at UH because it uses Apple software and hardware exclusively, not only because of their partnership, but also because it is the best out there and quickly becoming an industry accepted standard.

McCombs said that the School of Communication initially agreed to be an AATC to give the students “added value”, but in the process, learned it could open it up to others as well.

This new program is not only open to students wanting to get certifi ed, but it is also open to the general

public. While the testing center is primarily for media production students, anyone can come in and take the test. The three-day seminar on the other hand is geared towards business professionals. The seminar and testing are offered separately or as a package. Testing is ongoing and can be scheduled online. Classes will begin March 15.

McCombs said he is excited about the incredible opportunity this will provide to students and the university.

“(This program is designed to make sure) students are armed with the best knowledge and theoretical

construct, the fairest amount of practice and an industry standard and accepted certification,” McCombs said.

When students graduate and get hired, what they have learned while at UH is a direct refl ection on the ability of the university to offer quality workforce to the community, McCombs said of the communication program.

“We already know our program is better than the rest. Now, we have the chance to get out there and show everyone,” McCombs said.

[email protected]

Tech center establishes new plan

JACK J. VALENTI SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION THE DAILY COUGAR

The Communication Technology Center at the Jack J. Valenti School of Communication is now an Apple Authorized Training/Testing Center.

The new program off ered to communication students is a three-day intensive learning course that is required for certifi cation.

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Read. Then recycle.

The Daily Cougar COMICS & MORE Monday, February 22, 2010 ■ 7

TODAY’S CROSSWORDCOUGAR COMICS Find more daily strips at thedailycougar.com/comics

TODAY’S SUDOKU

How to playEach row must contain the numbers 1 to 9; each column must contain the numbers 1 to 9; and each set of 3-by-3 boxes must also contain the numbers 1 to 9.

Limbo by Paolo Aninag

Robbie & Bobby by Jason Poland

ACROSS 1 Outlaws 5 Excavates 9 Surprise greatly 14 Help a crook 15 North African

port 16 Harshness 17 Bryn — College 18 Lube job gadgets

(2 wds.) 20 Purplish fl owers 22 Rainbow 23 Yard tool 24 — E. Coyote 26 Kind of moth 28 Stalls (2 wds.) 32 Travel stops 36 Gloating cry 37 Run — of 39 Short summary 40 BMW rival 42 Dropped the ball 44 Sullen 45 Vogue 47 Meditators 49 Chou En — 50 Like some pea-

nuts 52 Enjoying 54 Big pitcher 56 Chic beach resort 57 Bridge support

(hyph.) 60 Dubya’s bro 62 Applied lightly 66 Not bother (2

wds.) 69 Arm bone 70 Jeweler’s measure 71 Cake decorator 72 Of that kind 73 Plenty 74 Truck fronts 75 Reveal

DOWN 1 Crimson Tide, to

fans 2 Goat’s-hair robes 3 Kid in “Aliens” 4 Scatters 5 Unhappy exis-

tence (2 wds.) 6 Clothes abbr. 7 Titans’ mother 8 Show teeth 9 Exist

10 Headed south 11 Water, in Baja 12 — out (doze off ) 13 Gaelic language 19 Dross 21 Funny Rudner 25 Atlanta campus 27 Choice word 28 Regatta lineup 29 Lieutenant under

Kirk 30 Matterhorn call 31 Common Market money 33 Rod-shaped

bacteria (2 wds.) 34 Reddish lumber

tree 35 Piece of parsley 38 Kind of pad 41 Lull or gap 43 Screens 46 Natural

moisture 48 Cold drink 51 — vu 53 Hardy 55 Antique 57 Actress — Chase 58 Smile broadly 59 Org. for seniors 61 — Raton, Fla. 63 Eye shade 64 Env. stuff er 65 Arlene of old

fi lms 67 Cousteau’s sum-

mer 68 Bird beak

© 2009 UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE INC.

Previous puzzle solved

Previous puzzle solved

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

14 15 16

17 18 19

20 21 22 23

24 25 26 27

28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35

36 37 38 39

40 41 42 43 44

45 46 47 48 49

50 51 52 53

54 55 56

57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65

66 67 68 69

70 71 72

73 74 75

W E S T D E M I V E R AA L P H I R A T E A L A NR O U E R O L E S R E S TD I N O E D A C H I M P S

R I C E T A M OA C C E N T R A P M U S I CZ O O M S A I R E S L O ET O R Y E A R S A T LE E G S A R T Y M E T A LC R I T E R I A R E C E S S

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8 ■ Monday, February 22, 2010 SPORTS The Daily Cougar

By John BrannenTHE DAILY COUGAR

After posting a pair of victories Friday at the Marriott Houston Invitational, the Cougars stumbled through the remainder of the weekend and dropped their last three games.

UH defeated Louisiana-Lafayette 2-1 and routed Texas-San Antonio 13-3 to kick off the tournament Friday.

On Saturday, the tables turned quickly, as UH dropped a 4-3 decision to Purdue on the strength of a seventh-inning RBI single from the Boilermakers’ Jenna Alexander.

Then things really got ugly. Iowa State showed the Cougars

no mercy until there were two outs

in the sixth inning, when the game was called 9-1 because of the eight-run rule. Freshman Bailey Watts took the loss after being tagged for seven runs (six earned) on nine hits in two innings.

The Cougars’ fortunes didn’t improve Sunday, as No. 15 Texas throttled UH 11-4 to drop it to 4-6 on the season.

Head coach Kyla Holas said despite the staggering disparity in offense, there was more at play than just bad pitching.

“You always have to have two aspects of the game,” Holas said. “You’ve got to be able to hit, pitch and play defense, and if you got two out of three, you’re going to win.

“In our losses, we didn’t have two out of three. On Friday, we did.”

In Sunday’s loss to the Longhorns (11-0), Watts was again roughed up early, giving up a leadoff home run to Courtney Craig before settling down and retiring the next six batters. She started off the third inning much like she did the game, surrendering a leadoff homer to Shelby Savony.

By then, Holas had seen enough and replaced Watts with Amanda Crabtree, but things didn’t get better. Crabtree allowed two more Longhorns to cross the plate before escaping the inning with her team trailing 4-0.

The Cougars fi nally got on the board in the bottom of the fourth when Melissa Gregson smacked a two-run homer to center fi eld to cut Texas’ lead to 4-2. UH went down in

order after that, and Texas tacked on three more runs in the fi fth to put the game out of reach.

Holas said her team shouldn’t be concerned with its opponent’s national ranking or the names on the jerseys and that her inexperienced players need to learn from this weekend’s frustrating losses.

“You’re not scared of them (ranked teams) anymore,” Holas said. “We have 10 top-25 teams on our schedule. That’s a lot to ask for nine newcomers who haven’t been in Division 1.”

Before Saturday and Sunday’s carnage, UH did have some positives to build upon in Friday’s victories.

The fi rst game against Louisiana-Lafayette went into extra innings, adding another chapter to UH’s

rivalry with the Rajin’ Cajuns, whom Holas played for before her coaching career.

“That’s always a big game for us, for more reasons than that; my playing days are over,” Holas said. “They’re a good ball club, and they’re always in the top 25. They took us out of the super regionals for the Women’s College World Series two years ago. So for us, it’s personal, and it always will be with them.”

UH will return to the diamond when it hits the road for the fi rst time this season for a doubleheader against Baylor on Tuesday at Getterman Stadium in Waco. The fi rst game is scheduled for 3 p.m., and the fi nale is slated for 5 p.m.

[email protected]

By Tristan TippetTHE DAILY COUGAR

The Cougars jumped out to an early, two-run lead in Sunday’s series fi nale against Texas State, but relinquished it quickly.

UH starter Eric Brooks worked his way out of some early jams, but played with fi re one time too many against a potent Texas State offense.

The Cougars attempted a comeback in the eighth and ninth innings, but the Bobcats held on for a 9-7 win and a series sweep of UH

at Cougar Field.It wasn’t quite the start to the

season UH had hoped for, but head coach Rayner Noble said that Texas State (41-17 in 2009) is no fl uke.

“Texas State’s a good ballclub,” Noble said. “We’re 0-3, but it’s not like we got beat by a poor ballclub. They’ve got a quality ballclub, and they’re picked to win their league. I thought they played very good baseball.”

RBI singles by M.P. Cokinos and Matt Creel staked the Cougars to a 2-0 lead in the fi rst, but Texas State

tied the game with a two runs in the second.

Brooks, a righthander, gave up a three-run homer to Tyler Sibley with no outs in the fi fth inning, allowing Texas State to move ahead 5-2. Brooks was replaced by lefthander William Kankel after surrendering that shot, but the Bobcats weren’t done, scoring two more runs in the sixth, one in the seventh, and one in the eighth.

The Cougars made a game of it by scoring three in the eighth and two in the ninth, including a two-

run homer by Caleb Ramsay, but it was all for consolation.

In the second game of the series, the Cougars were able get quite a few hits, but so did the Bobcats.

The difference was that the Bobcats were able to get their runners home.

The Cougars scored three runs in the second, but that was it for UH.

The rest was for the Bobcats, who prevailed 6-3 Saturday.

“The difference in the game was two-strike and two-out hitting. We got none, and they did a marvelous job of it,” Noble said.

“It’s just grit. You’ve got to have some grit when you play, and you’ve got to want to be in those situations.”

UH starter Ty Stuckey allowed two runs in the third inning, reducing the Cougars’ lead to 3-2.

The Bobcats scored three runs in the sixth and one more in the eighth, while shutting out the Cougars for the remaining seven innings.

The Cougars ended up scoring only three runs on their 10 hits and left 11 runners stranded on base. The Bobcats, meanwhile, scored six runs on nine hits, while stranding six.

Righthander Michael Goodnight started Friday’s season opener, holding Texas State hitless through four innings. However, the game spiraled out of control after he exited with two outs in the fi fth.

The Bobcats scored six runs on fi ve hits and fi ve walks, and the Cougars committed four errors en route to 6-0 loss.

“I don’t put too much (stock) in the fi rst game of the season,” Noble said. “Obviously, we’d like to win the game, but we just didn’t execute.”

Goodnight kept the hitters off balance through the fi rst four innings.

However, the Cougars were off at the plate and had only six hits and two walks for the entire game.

[email protected]

UH ends weekend with poor play after hot start

Cougars swept by Texas State to open season

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