12.02.09

Wednesday, December 2, 2009 Serving the University of Alabama since 1894 Vol. 116, Issue 64

SPORTSSPORTS1414 Tide survives Iron BowlTide survives Iron Bowl

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P.O. Box 870170 Tuscaloosa, AL 35487 Newsroom: 348-6144 | Fax: 348-4116 | Advertising: 348-7845 | Classifi eds: 348-7355

Letters, op-eds: [email protected] Press releases, announcements: [email protected]

Briefs ........................2

Opinions ...................4

Arts & Entertainment ..9

WEATHER todayINSIDE today’s paperPuzzles .................... 17

Classifieds ............... 17

Sports ..................... 18

Rainstorms54º/38º

Thursday 50º/32ºPartly cloudy

By Avery DameMetro/State Editor

A UA student died following a car accident in Birmingham Saturday. Danny Brannon, a junior majoring in mechanical engi-neering, was waiting at a stop light when his car was struck

Student dies in weekend wreckDriver of second vehicle charged with murder

By Taylor HollandStaff Writer

Hundreds of people pre-pared for shopping battle Friday, one of the retail indus-try’s busiest days of the year. The Friday following Thanksgiving, commonly known as Black Friday, kicks off the Christmas shopping season with big sales to draw shoppers, often opening their doors to the public during pre-dawn hours. It is not unusual to see lines formed around store buildings with shoppers ready to descend upon the

season’s most popular elec-tronics and toys hours beforethe stores open. As a result of sales gener-ated on Black Friday, retailersoften see their numbers movefrom deficits — the red — toprofits — the black. An increased number ofpeople hit the shopping cen-ters this Black Friday, butnationwide spending totalswere reportedly almost iden-tical to last year’s, the APreported. Locally, results from Black Friday appear positive.

Submitted photo

By Patty VaughanSenior Staff Reporter

The Community Service Center is slowly expanding its programs under the leader-ship of a new director, Wahnee Sherman. Sherman has been work-ing as the center’s director for about seven months after the center was without a director for a year. “It’s been an exciting time,” Sherman said. “At the begin-ning, it was a lot of learning the University, the office and the division. It was also meeting people across campus and fig-uring out ways that our office can be of service to other units

on campus, and we that we can build partnerships and rela-tionships across campus.” Sherman said she had been working toward two goals since she came on campus — she wanted to expand the Alternative Break Program and work with the Honors College to create “Alabama Action Abroad.” “What we wanted to be able to do this year was really expand the Alternative Break Program so we can engage more students in that type of meaningful and intensive ser-vice,” Sherman said. “It gives students an opportunity to travel but also really allows them to get know each other,

build strong relationships with each other and really make an impact in those communities.” Sherman said the University has been doing the Alternative Break Program for many years, but typically the program only offers two trips per year. This year, the program has expand-ed to doing six trips. Theses trips include domes-tic as well as international trips. They have also expanded the program to include more in-state trips as well. “As a flagship institution, we should be about serving the communities in the state of Alabama,” she said. “There is a lot of need here in the state and I wanted for us to plan some

trips where students can go and do service within the state of Alabama. All students are able to really work here in the

Director adds to service center

• Wahnee Sherman started as commu-nity service director in April.• Sherman hopes to expand the Alterna-tive Break program.

FAST FACTS

Post Thanksgiving sales draw many

from behind at First Avenue North and 54th Street at 8:30 p.m., the Birmingham News report-ed, and he was pronounced dead at UAB Hospital at 4:15

See SERVICE, page 3 See SHOPPING, page 5

By Jordan BannisterStaff Writer

For the 18th year in a row the UA Student Athlete Commission worked with the Prison Fellowship and its Angel Tree Project to give gifts to needy children from their incarcerated family members. A great deal of plan-ning went into this project. Associates from the fellowship went to local prisons and spoke to detainees who could not be with their families over the

Christmas holiday, and they made lists of what gifts the inmantes would like to give to their children. The Crimson Tide team members then started raising and donating money to help buy the toys that the inmates wished to give to their fami-lies. Finally, after hours of wrapping and tying, they gave the gifts to the wide-eyed chil-dren at Coleman Coliseum on. Tuesday. The children and the rest of their families came in a few at a time between the

hours of 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. to pick up the unopened gifts and spend time with the Alabama athletes.

“It’s just so good to see that these kids get a Christmas and

Alabama athletes donate toys to children

CW | John Michael SimpsonAlabama athletes gave toys to the children of prison inmates.See ATHLETES, page 3

a.m. Sunday. Curtes Lee Davis, 37, who was driving the vehicle that hit Brannon, was arrested follow-ing the accident and charged with murder, according to Birmingham police spokesman Sgt. Johnny Williams Jr. Danny’s girlfriend Crystalline Jones, a sophomore majoring in pre-med biology, said she and Brannon were “very close, and very in love.” They were both church members at Guiding Light Church in Birmingham, where she said they fell in love

while in high school. “We worked at summer camp together,” she said. “That’s how our love pretty much blossomed from there,” she said. Jones said, Brannon was the reason she came to the University. “He helped me love Alabama. He kinda taught me about the University,” she said. Brannon was the most posi-tive influence in her life, she said, encouraging her to go after her current position as an SGA senator in the College of Arts

and Sciences. “Spiritually, we held each other together,” she said. “Danny always knew what to say to make you smile and make you happy.” Jones said she remembered one Valentine’s Day when he made her a card out of a display board that opened up and played music. She said he was also the most intelligent individual she every met. “People say they wouldn’t have passed class without Danny,” she said.

Jones said she is starting a non-profit called “I am Danny Brannon,” and there will be a concert on Jan. 1 dedicated to Brannon. Kenneth Warren, a junior majoring in marketing and friend of Brannon, said he met with Brannon the Saturday before Thanksgiving. “It was one of those moments where, you know, you think you should do things like this more often,” he said.

• The UA Student Ath-lete Commision part-nered with the Prison Fellowship’s Angel Tree project.

• They gave the un-opened toys to the inmates’ children Tues-day, so that they can open them on Christmas.

FAST FACTS

A & EA & E

1010 Arts event honors Arts event honors new booknew book

By Amanda BayhiStaff Writer

People in Northport and Tuscaloosa gathered Tuesday night on Main Avenue in Northport for Dickens Downtown. Dickens Downtown is an annual event in historic downtown Northport. People dressed in Victorian attire, listened to Christmas carolers and bagpipes and wandered in and out of shops. All the crafts, music and other events were free of charge. Carl Adams, owner of Adams Antiques, has par-ticipated in Dickens Downtown every year since it began 20 years ago. Adams said Dickens Downtown began as a Chamber of Commerce after-hours event. It started out with about 200 people and has grown a little every year, Adams said. “It has a life of its own,” Adams said. Lackey Stephens, owner of Stephens Studio and Gallery, said he has been a part of Dickens Downtown for 12 years. Stephens said the annual event is very special. “It’s put on by downtown merchants, and it’s sup-posed to mark the beginning of the Christmas sea-son,” Stephens said. Stephens said Dickens Downtown is intended to get people to go to downtown Northport and to see the historic buildings. The building Stephens uses for his art gallery was built in 1927, Stephens

Residents come out for Dickens Downtown

CW | Jerrod SeatonCarolers sing during Tuesdayʼs event in downtown Northport. Dickens Downtown has been a traditino for 20 years.

See BRANNON, page 2

See DICKENS, page 6

2 Wednesday, December 2, 2009 NEWS The Crimson White

The Crimson White is the community newspaper of The University of Alabama. The Crimson White is an editorially free newspaper produced by students. The University of Alabama cannot influence editorial decisions and editorial opin-ions are those of the editorial board and do not represent the official opinions of the University. Advertising offices of The Crimson White are on the first floor, Student Publications Building, 923 University Blvd. The advertising mailing address is P.O. Box 2389, Tuscaloosa, AL 35403-2389. The Crimson White (USPS 138020) is published four times weekly when classes are in session during Fall and Spring Semester except for the Monday after Spring Break and the Monday after Thanksgiving, and once a week when school is in session for the summer. Marked calendar provided. The Crimson White is provided for free up to three issues. Any other papers are $1.00. The subscription rate for The Crimson White is $125 per year. Checks should be made payable to The University of Alabama and sent to: The Crimson White Subscription Department, P.O. Box 2389, Tuscaloosa, AL 35403-2389. The Crimson White is entered as periodical postage at Tuscaloosa, AL 35401. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Crimson White, P.O. Box 2389, Tuscaloosa, AL 35403-2389. All material contained herein, except advertising or where indicated otherwise, is Copyright © 2008 by The Crimson White and protected under the “Work Made for Hire” and “Periodical Publication” categories of the U.S. copyright laws. Material herein may not be reprinted without the expressed, written permission of The Crimson White.

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• Amanda Peterson, editor-in-chief • Will Nevin, manag-ing editor • Avery Dame, metro/state editor • Drew Taylor, admin affairs editor • Lindsey Shelton, student life editor • Alan Blinder, opinions editor • Steven Nalley, arts & enter-tainment editor • Jason Galloway, sports editor • Spencer White, assistant sports editor • Brandee Easter, design editor • Emily Johnson, assistant design editor • Jerrod Seaton, photo editor • Katie Bennett, assistant photo editor• Sharon Nichols, chief copy editor • Aaron Gertler, graphics editor

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NEWS in briefCAMPUS | Book Arts program holds Christmas sale The Book Arts masters of fine arts students will be hold-ing a sale on Dec. 7-8 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on both days. The sale will be in the Ferguson Center in front of Starbucks. The students will be selling a variety of broadsides (poetry and prose printed with imagery on one piece) as well as blank books, printed books and boxes. All of the work is completely handmade. Cash and checks only will be accepted.

CAMPUS | Toys for Tots donations being collected on campus The Library Support Staff Association is sponsoring the 7th Annual Toys for Tots drive. The drive will run until Dec. 18. Collection boxes will be located on the first and second floors of Gorgas, Bruno, Hoole, McLure and Rodgers Libraries. Donation guidelines are as follows: no guns or knives, new, unwrapped toys only and any handmade toys must be new. No food, clothes or toiletries accepted. Monetary donations may be sent to: Toys for Tots, 1001 4th Ave. SW, Bessemer, AL 35022. If any volunteers would like to help set up boxes, write information on posters and/or distribute posters, please con-tact organizers at Barry Sartain by phone at 348-5678, Allyson Holliday at 348-0504, or e-mail them at [email protected] or [email protected].

CAMPUS | Vote Saban coach of the year Head football coach Nick Saban is up for Liberty Mutual’s Coach of the Year. It’s an online fan contest, and the coach who receives the most votes wins a $50,000 donation to his favorite charity and a $20,000 donation to his school’s Alumni Association for scholarships. Go to coachoftheyear.com with your daily vote.

CAMPUS | UA professor discusses male sexual predation, ʻhoggingʼ Assistant sociology professor Ariane Prohaska will lead a discussion on the motivations for “hogging,” a practice whereby men seek out women they deem unattractive or fat for sexual purposes, on Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. in Manly Hall 308. Prohaska’s presentation will be the fourth in a semester-long series of Brown Bag Lectures sponsored by the Women’s Resource Center and the Department of Women’s Studies.

CAMPUS | Registration open for finan-cial workshop The Women’s Resource Center and The Career Center will be hosting the $tart $mart Campus Initiative, created by the WAGE Project, on Dec. 3 from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in Ferguson Center Room 336. This workshop is open to all women of any age. Space is limited. For more information or to register, please contact the WRC at (205) 348-5040 or email Maria Perez-Fisher at [email protected].

WEDNESDAY THURSDAY

• Collaborama: 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Morgan Auditorium

• SUPe Store Sideline Apparel Sale: 6 a.m. to 4 p.m.. SUPe Store at Tutwiler Hall

CAMPUS this week

Send announcements and campus news to [email protected]

For more events, see calendars on Arts & Entertainment and Sports.

By Drew TaylorAdministrative Affairs Editor

Betty Florey, an instructor in the UA Honors College, knew nothing about African history when she read her great-grand-father’s account of his years in what is now Nigeria. However, she felt it was a story that held a great deal of significance in terms of under-standing culture in general. “His firsthand accounts of African life and politics con-

Instructor edits ancestor’s journaltribute to our understanding of life in pre-colonial West Africa in the mid 19th century,” Florey said. Florey recently edited and released “In Africa’s Forest and Jungle,” which chronicles the travels of Richard Henry Stone, a Baptist missionary who served with the Yoruba people throughout the 1850s and ’60s. Stone wrote the book after com-ing back from Africa and origi-nally published it in 1899. Florey said she grew up with-

in arm’s reach of the original book but had never taken much interest initially. “I had seen his book on our shelf at home over the years, but as a high school student, that material doesn’t really ring a bell.” However, when Florey’s mother died in 1999, she redis-covered the book as she was cleaning out her house. “I thought, ‘I’ll go ahead and read this book,’” Florey said. “When I did, it really changed my consciousness because I saw a culture that had become unique.” “In Africa’s Forest and Jungle” tells the story the observations Stone made during his time in West Africa. Accompanied by his newly wedded wife, Susan, Stone arrived when he was 21 years old. He was sent by a mis-sion board back in the States and had come to convert the people to Christianity. Florey said what makes this account relevant is that Stone

originally attempted to convert the people to Christianity, but instead, he began to learn more about what made their Yoruba culture unique. “Back then, if you weren’t a Christian, you were a heathen and a savage,” Florey said. “That’s what I wanted to dispel.” To justify her position, Florey pointed out how Stone wrote how the people lived in adobe houses, as opposed to grass huts, lived in cities that were as big as 200,000 people and had an established monarchy in place. Florey said another reason she wanted to work on this book is that in comparison to other books that were written at that time on African culture, Stone’s book tries to explore what truly makes African culture excep-tional. “I wanted to write about the difference between Western culture and Eastern culture,” Florey said. “At the time, when he finally wrote his book in 1899, he kept some of his origi-nal 1860s attitudes that he first experienced there. His book is one of the few in that period which pictures Africans in their cultured, sophisticated environ-ment.” Florey said the book has many facets to it that make it relatable to other concentra-tions. For example, Florey said that in some libraries, the book is catalogued in various sec-tions, such as history, political science and religion. So far, reviews of the book have been exceptional, including reviews from those who helped her edit the book throughout the process. “A true account of the sec-ond Baptist missionary among my ancestors at Ijaye Orile, a sprawling Yoruba town in Western Nigeria, documenting the intra-tribal wars of the late 1800s,” wrote Lekan Ayanwale, professor of epidemiology at Tuskegee University, in her review. “I cannot think of any other book that would surpass the true and detailed accounts catalogued and dated by Rev. Stone himself.” Florey graduated from the University of Alabama in 1982 with a bachelor’s degree in English. She achieved her mas-ter’s degree in English in 1987. The book is available on ama-zon.com. For more information, contact Betty Florey at [email protected].

CW | Tori GordonBetty Florey signs a copy of her book at a Nov. 12 signing.

Warren said knowing Brannon has made a lot of people better because of his genuine attitude and faith. “You could believe every-thing that he was saying he believed,” he said. Adrian Lowe, a senior majoring in theater at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said she has been Brannon’s sister’s best friend since the third grade and said Brannon was like a little brother to her. “Danny is the example of a good friend — one of the best friends you could have ever had,” she said. Brannon had the driest humor in the world, she said. “He had a way of making you smile,” she said. “You would think he was going to say something to cheer you up, and then he would say something opposite.” Uche Afrika, a sophomore majoring in communications studies, said Brannon was the nicest person she knew. “I don’t know one person who didn’t like him,” she said. Brannon’s wake will be held from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday and the funeral 1 p.m. Friday at the Guiding Light Church at 1800 John Rogers Drive in Birmingham. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to a schol-arship fund being formed in Brannon’s honor.

BRANNONContinued from page 1

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The Crimson White NEWS Wednesday, December 2, 2009 3

By Kelsey HendrixStaff Reporter

In a rare collaboration, a UA undergraduate and an assis-tant professor in the English department have co-authored a nationally recognized arti-cle to be published in a top academic journal in May. Professor Emily Wittman and Katrina Windon, a senior majoring in English and Spanish, worked together for two semesters to research and create the article, which argues the value in a trans-lation studies pilot class that Wittman taught at the University in spring 2008. “We wrote the article about the course I taught here at Alabama, because we thought it was important to see how much students changed the way they looked at literature

they’ve read thus far after taking the class,” Wittman said. “This especially applies to the classics, because they had never thought about the fact that these books were translated, by who and how, and these questions really enriched their understanding of those texts.” Few undergraduates are exposed to translation stud-ies in English departments, despite it being a big part of literary history and a whole area of education in English literature that students need to know about, Wittman said. The article will be pub-lished in the College English, a national academic journal that accepts scholarly articles relating to English studies. “We wanted a lot of people to be able to read our article and learn about the value

of the class,” Wittman said. “We were excited about hav-ing a larger audience to read the article, which the College English offers so that all peo-ple in English departments would get the change to read our article. Wittman and Windon sub-mitted the article to the edi-tor of the publication. It then underwent peer review, a pro-cess in which anonymous col-leagues review the article, edit it, and give their opinion to the editor on whether or not the article should be published. This process really takes out the subjectivity and favor-itism that might be an issue otherwise, Wittman said. The article will appear in the May 2010 issue of College English, which is a relatively quick turn-around time in the academic world,

UA professor, student co-author articleResearch to be published in academic journal Wittman said.

Student-professor collabo-ration is rare in the humani-ties division of the University, but with successes like this collaboration, the College of Arts and Sciences is look-ing to continue to increase these types of academic proj-ects, said Robert Olin, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “One of the priorities of the College over the last seven years has been to increase opportunities for students to conduct research and perform creative activities in partner-ship with faculty members,” Olin said. “This kind of expe-rience jump starts a student’s career and graduate study. Over the last year, more than 1,400 such experiences have been directed by faculty in the College.” Through the process, both Windon and Wittman said they were able to learn

valuable lessons from each other and encourage other professors to begin looking to collaborate with students on articles and academic proj-ects in the future. “I’ve benefited tremen-dously from being able to work one-on-one with Dr. Wittman,” Windon said. “Writing for publication is a subtly different task from writing for a class, and is a skill that, though necessary, isn’t often taught. It’s a skill that’s probably best learned by doing. “To have the article accept-ed for publication — in College English, no less — was a

wonderful affirmation of the work we put into the article,” Windon said. “It speaks high-ly of the University that such professor-student collabora-tions are encouraged at the undergraduate level, and par-ticularly of Dr. Wittman that she was willing to devote the time to such mentoring.” The feeling was mutual. Wittman said the mentoring process went both ways. “It’s an exciting thing to collaborate with a student,” Wittman said. “I certainly learned a lot from Katrina, as it wasn’t just me teaching her or mentoring her, but a true collaboration of ideas.”

“One of the priorities of the College over the last seven years has been to increase opportunities for students to conduct research and perform creative activities in partnership with faculty members.”

— Robert Olin, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences{ }

state. The average cost of our domestic trips for the last three years was about $800 per trip, so we wanted to plan some trips that were less expensive.” Over fall break, for example, the program took 10 students to Demopolis to work with the Army Corps of Engineers. Future trips include working with Habitat for Humanity in Hale County and going to the Safe House Museum in Greensboro. “We think that it will be a good experience for students to be able to learn about the state and then also do some

SERVICEContinued from page 1

that we all helped,” said SAC President Allyson Angle. “It makes me feel so good knowing that we can help

ATHLETESContinued from page 1

these kids out that are less fortunate, knowing that I’ve been given so much and all I had to do for them was to give a little bit of my time and it means the world to them,” said senior gymnast Ricki Lebegern.

There was even a special visit from David Robertson of the New York Yankees, a former pitcher for the Tide. He donated $1,500 to Toys-R-Us to help pay for some of the toys. “It was a great cause and

a great way that I could give back,” Robertson said. “This college has really given me so much and purchasing these gifts was just one way I could help out.” Organizers said the Tide has participated in this pro-

gram for quite some time and doesn’t plan on stopping their holiday tradition. “The Universi ty of Alabama is one of the longest running collegiate groups,” said Prison Ministries President Mark Earley. “The

program is about 26 years old and the University and its athletes have been work-ing with us for 18 years, we wanted to come down here today and say thank you and honor them for everything they do.”

Joshua Burford, coordina-tor of Freshman Community Outreach, has worked with Sherman to plan the inter-national trips as well as help freshmen get better acquaint-ed with doing service. “We do a lot of projects,” Burford said. “I help with the management of our student advocates. She and I do the staffing together, and what we do basically is we come up with ways in which to get first year students engaged. What we have discovered is that first years students that do service together will con-tinue to volunteer for the next three years. Everyone can do service.” Burford said when it comes to the trips, students do the

bulk of the planning, but hav-ing a director back in the office is nice, Burford said. “It is nice to have someone advocate for us on campus,” he said. “It’s also nice that she shares our vision of expand-ing the office, and I don’t know how much more we can but we’re doing our best. We did over 400,000 hours of service, and we’re doing a lot for a fulltime staff with four people. We’re so busy that we don’t always have time for big picture stuff here because we have so much demand at the ground level. Having someone who thinks big picture is cer-tainly helpful.” Sherman grew up in Mississippi and she received her doctorate at the University

in 2008. Sherman has been on between eight and 10 alter-native break trips with other institutions. “It allows you to get to know those students and build those relationships, and really be able to see the posi-tive impact they can have,” Sherman said. “It can be life changing for the students who attend because maybe they find what they’re really passionate about in their life and really being able to understand what kind of dif-ference they want to make in the world. “I saw that as an opportu-nity to come here and work to really help UA students build and engage in their communities.”

service,” she said. As far as Sherman’s sec-ond goal, the Honor’s College has set up a new class in the spring that prepares students for going to Costa Rica. Alabama Action has existed on campus for many years Sherman said. However, it wasn’t until a student had the idea of creating Alabama Action Abroad. “We will be doing a course

in the spring semester in the Honors College that will be looking at Costa Rica and it will culminate in a service trip to Costa Rica that will have an education focus,” Sherman said. “We will be working with the school there to do some tutoring and the students that are actually in the course will be creating a curriculum to teach the stu-dents there in Costa Rica.”

“It can be life changing for the students who attend because maybe they fi nd what they’re really passion-ate about in their life and really being able to under-stand what kind of difference they want to make in

the world.”

— Wahnee Sherman, Community Service Center Director

{ }

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Thursday, December 3rd 6am-4pm inside our Tutwiler Hall Location

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Jay Barker and the Opening Drive.Broadcasting Live From 6AM - 10AM

From The Sale!

OPIN

ION

S

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Editor • Alan [email protected]

Page 4

WE WELCOME YOUR OPINIONSLetters to the editor must be less than 300 words and guest columns less than 800. Send submissions to [email protected]. Submissions must include the author’s name, year, major and day-time phone number. Phone numbers are for verification and will not be published. Students should also include their year in school and major. For more information, call 348-6144. The CW reserves the right to edit all submissions.

EDITORIAL BOARD

Amanda Peterson EditorWill Nevin Managing EditorAlan Blinder Opinions Editor

“I think they did a decent job, I canʼt pick out anything I think is particu-

larly wrong. But oh yeah, they love Tim

Tebow.” — Paul Kilgo, senior, computer

science and math

“They shouldnʼt be focusing on Tebow

all the time.”

— Tamiya Dixon, freshman,

electrical engineering

“No. They take way too long for

commercial breaks. It might be an

hour longer than a regular game.”

— Joseph Nelson, junior,

chemical engineering

“Yeah, pretty much. I only watched a couple games on TV, but the ones I saw were pretty

good.”

— Chris Price,freshman, mechanical

engineering

YOUR VIEW { }

Meaning of DeadWeek?

OUR VIEW

In short: Dead Week should actually be dead. . {

WERE YOU SAT-ISFIED WITH CBS SPORTS’ COVER-

AGE OF UA FOOT-BALL THIS SEASON?

MCT CAMPUS

We have reached the halfway mark of Study Week, but some students feel that the week before final exams has been anything but quiet. Throughout the week, we have heard reports and rumors of students facing major tests and assignments during a time supposedly dedicat-ed to studying for final exams. For the lapse, we place equal blame on administrators and faculty members. From what we understand, the administration says little about the official meaning of Study Week, formerly known as Dead Week. While we could not find anything in the Undergraduate Catalog relating to UA policies, we reviewed a copy of the academic calendar from the regis-trar’s office. For the fall semester of the 2009–10 academic year, the last day for “tests, etc.” was to be Nov. 24. It does not take a doctorate to be able to under-stand that Nov. 24 was to be the last day for major tests and assignments prior to final exams. The academic calendar is published well in advance of when faculty members design syllabi for cours-es (the fall 2010 calendar is already online), and instructors should have planned their courses to coincide with the dates set forth in the calendar. UA administrators should improve communi-cation to faculty members about the purpose of the last week before exams. We understand that there are some new instructors who, depending on their prior experiences, might not compre-hend the gist of Study Week, but it is the respon-sibility of the supervising administrators to edu-cate employees about UA policies. Students need adequate time to prepare for final exams, which can have significant effects on final grades. Indeed, some students are count-ing on a strong performance on a final exam to salvage a grade. The ignorance of some faculty members — and the passive approval of the administration — to ignore Dead Week harms the student body and is unacceptable. The “No tests after Nov. 24” policy is in place so students can prepare, not so parents checking the aca-demic calendar can merely think their children have the opportunity to prepare. In our judgment, the academic calendar is an official statement of University policy. The University should either enforce its policies or not waste time creating rules that go unheard. Students should receive a week to study, but if, in fact, they do not, the University should not pretend that the week before finals is a time of monastic study in the depths of Gorgas Library.

Our View is the consensus of The Crimson White’s editorial board.

By Josh Veazey

I wrote that headline to get your attention and as part of my experiment. I suspect that no one reads the political opinions in The Crimson White anymore. None of the people I talk to ever regularly bring up my column, and there are never any comments on any of the columns online. Further, I don’t think anyone reads hard news anymore at all. There are various theories as to why people only read crap now, from ideas of media as a form of social gratification to the simple notion that people want the warm fuzzies when they pick up the paper with their morning coffee. Here’s an experiment to test both. I’m going to try to turn people on to hard news the same way that Russian guy got the dog to salivate just by ringing a bell. I’m going to write short hard-news opinions and intersperse them with stories I found on TMZ. I’m hoping what-ever emotional or sexual energy is in the latter stories will carry over and make you want to read the grown-up stories. Here we go. Obama is about to send more troops to Afghanistan. Our troops already outnumber the Taliban there four to one, and there are less than 100 al-Qaeda operatives left in the country. At least one general has spoken out against the troop surge, saying it won’t work unless we do something about the corrup-tion. Most Afghans favor talks with

the Taliban. None of this matters, because our president is afraid he will be emasculated in the public mind if he doesn’t look tough on war. Meanwhile, they’ve done noth-ing about the corrupt president and his win in a contested election. Arguments are swirling as to whether Jake Gyllenhall and Reese Witherspoon are still a couple. A source close to the two says their relationship has ended, but spokes-persons for both celebrities main-tain that these rumors are not true. The couple has been romancing since they co-starred in the 2007 movie “Rendition.” Bailouts and the subsequent oversight involved in them are being run by the same people who caused the economic collapse in the first place. Timothy Geithner, the treasury secretary, is selling out this country. Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke is selling out this country. Katie Holmes attended a char-ity gala without Tom Cruise. Her daughter Suri was wearing high heels. When asked why, Katie said that Suri likes wearing high heels.Three-quarters of the stimulus money allocated in March and meant to save our economy and create jobs is still unspent. The unauthorized biography “Brangelina” almost certainly con-tains false information. It claims the couple has bickered constantly for years and will break up in the near future. If you’re unfamiliar with the term “Brangelina,” it’s a

portmanteau for Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. You see, the people at TMZ are throwing developing news at you at such a rapid-fire pace, they don’t have the time to sit down and widdle out people’s long, formal Christian names, like “Brad” and “Pitt.” It’s gotta be a single noun, people, and it’s gotta be snappy. While the stimulus bill prevented a nose-dive in GDP, and Wall Street is relatively stable again, nothing serious has been done to actually create jobs. Tiger Woods’ wife may have taken a golf club to his face. Insert lazy race joke. The health care bill is facing an uphill battle in the Senate where it will probably be gutted of its vital content and original intent by committee-dons who were specifi-cally hand-selected by corporations (most of whom are Democrats). Hugh Jackman shirtless and sprinkled with hot oil standing next to a mantle and smiling a roughish smile while scratching his stubble. Puppies. Octomom. Glen Beck. Boobies. Our country is showing all of the historic signs of a declining empire, and all its citizens want to do is con-tinue to bury their head in the sand and consume.Roll Tide.

Josh Veazey is a senior major-ing in telecommunication and film. His column runs biweekly on Wednesdays.

By Joel Brouwer

The Web site for the renovation plan of Foster Auditorium states, in addition to commemorat-ing The Stand in the Schoolhouse Door, the new design will incorporate remembrances of “more personal moments that comprise the history of Foster Auditorium.” I gather from an earlier article in The Crimson White, “UA Shows Design for Foster Plaza,” that these “more personal moments” comprise “events such as graduations and concerts held in the auditorium,” and that they will be commemo-rated on granite tiles set into the ground. I suggest to the members of the design com-mittee that the inclusion in the design of monu-ments to “more personal moments” such as these will inevitably come across as a lame, futile and shameful attempt to diminish and deny the importance of the “Stand in the Schoolhouse Door.” I’m sure many “personal moments” occurred at the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church and at the Lorraine Motel, too. Those locations, how-ever, are forever associated, primarily and over-whelmingly, with the respective singular and historically significant events they witnessed. It is the same with Foster Auditorium. Any attempt to pretend otherwise is absurd and embarrass-ing. Finally, what Foster-associated moments could be “more personal” than those of June 11, 1963, which changed all of our lives forever? I urge the design committee to consider the nature of their responsibility to history.

Joel Brouwer is an associate professor of English.

By Will Thomas

A recent firestorm has sur-rounded former Arkansas governor and current Fox News host Mike Huckabee. Maurice Clemmons, a man whose sentence was commut-ed in 2000 by then-Gov. Huckabee, has been implicated in the shoot-ing of four police officers in a Washington State coffee shop. While he was governor of Arkansas, Huckabee, in part because of his religious convictions, commuted the sentences of many prisoners. According to a study by the Arkansas Leader, Huckabee helped to free more Arkansas pris-oners in comparison to those who were freed from all of Arkansas’ six neighbors combined between 1996 and 2004. This was a major point of contention in the primaries leading up to the 2008 presidential election, when many of his opponents paint-ed Huckabee as soft on crime. Now politicians from both sides of the aisle are once again criticizing Huckabee’s decision. Many on the right are restating their claims that Huckabee is soft on crime, that his decision to com-mute Clemmons’ sentence showed disregard for the police force, and some have even gone as far as to say that this incident is the nail in the coffin of Huckabee’s political career. On the left, Huckabee is being criticized for what some claim is the disregard for the victims of violent crimes, and many are rejoicing at what they also see as the death of a conservative opponent’s political career. Despite all this criticism, and the many political disagreements I have with Huckabee, I feel as though the

controversy surrounding him dur-ing this time is nothing short of fool-ishness. Huckabee was acting, as he felt led by his faith, to show mercy and forgive those who society consid-ered to be the worst of the worst. Ironically, this same moral code and tradition is something that is sup-posedly shared by many of his fel-low Republicans, the same people who have been most openly critical of Huckabee’s decision. Ironically, many of these same Republicans spend hours of their Sundays in their mega churches begging the Lord for the same forgiveness that Huckabee has so readily displayed.This whole incident is very tell-ing of the situation we have in our country today. As a society, we claim to want leaders who are prin-cipled individuals. Each election cycle, we spend months vetting the candidates, seeking information about everything from how often they smoked pot in high school to how angry their preacher can get on Sunday morning, seemingly in order to determine not their fitness to govern or lead, but to determine whether or not their values system is close enough to ours to merit our votes. Funny then, that when a man who is once lauded for his principles appears to make a mistake (albeit one he could not have predicted), he is crucified by the Pontius Pilate of public opinion. I don’t say all this in order to defend Huckabee’s decision, per se, but rather to point out that we have a crisis in our country. It has nothing to do with foreign oil, it has nothing to do with Iran’s nuclear program, and it has nothing to do

with the fact that our President is black. We are the root of our cur-rent crisis. That’s right, We the People are precisely the problem. We have cre-ated an artificial set of standards for our leaders that is one that we ourselves could never reasonably attain. And when our politicians and leaders don’t attain them or fall short, we delight in watching them fall from grace. I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard the phrase, “Don’t tell anyone I did this, I want to run for public office some-day.” This double standard is anti-democratic and downright foolish. To hold our politicians to a differ-ent standard than the people sepa-rates politicians from the people from the get-go. No wonder we are so frustrated at the fact that no one in Washington or Montgomery can relate to us when a problem like health care or foreign terrorism arrives at our doorstep, needing to be solved. Conversely, it should come as no shock to us that so many of our politicians lack principles altogether when the few that dis-play theirs proudly are run over the coals for having any. On Sunday, in the middle of the news regarding Clemmons, Huckabee was quoted as saying that it was “less likely rather than more likely” that he would not be running for president. And while the same probably goes for the chances that I would ever vote for him, I can’t help but admire a man that stands up for what he believes in, despite the political consequences.

Will Thomas is a senior majoring in economics and finance. His column runs biweekly on Wednesdays.

Foster committee has responsibility to history

LETTER TO THE EDITOR:

What’s Britney up to?

Huckabee gets hucked

what Foster-associated moments could be “more personal” than those of June 11, 1963, which changed all of our lives forever?

— Joel Brouwer

{ }

· Students, faculty and staff can com-ment on the proposed plans at pro-posed Malone Hood Plaza at Foster Auditorium· www.uafacilities.ua.edu

FAST FACTS


COVERING CAMPUS HEALTH, WELLNESS AND NUTRITION

Limit your caffeine intake to less than 200 milli-grams a day.

This is less than two cups (at eight ounces) of coffee per day. Save that cup of coffee when you need it the most and do not head straight to Starbucks as soon as you get up. Drink water to stay hydrated, and do not forget that sodas contain caffeine, too. Beware of energy drink as some do not even include the actual amount of caf-feine they contain. In comparison, Red Bull contains 80 milligrams of per eight ounces and a 12 ounce cup of coffee contains 200 milligrams. Read your nutrition food labels on the back on the cans to know exactly how much you are drinking.

Eat at regular intervals throughout the day and snack in between meals.

This will help supply energy for studying and also give you a well-deserved break, and you are less likely to crave vending machine foods. Try not to overindulge when you eat. Eat light meals throughout the day that are rich in veggies and fruits. This way your energy will stay up and you can continue to study. When there is no time to get up and go to a dining hall, pack small snacks like peanut butter crackers, pretzels and hummus, or fresh raw fruits and veggies. Fruits contain natural sugars that will supply energy minus the sugar crash at the end. The darker the veggie that better. These are packed with more nutrients that help your brain stay alert. Other powerful study foods are fish, soy, berries and nuts.

A guide to healthy studying By Cindy Waldrop

It is the end of the semester, which means Christmas music, shopping and, oh yeah, finals. We are halfway through Study Week, and the vast majority of students are searching for that much needed extra energy to cram in that final hour. Energy drinks are off the shelf and Starbucks lines are extra long with student lining up to get their caffeine fix for the day. The relationship between caffeine consumption and study habits is ancient. But do you know how much caffeine are you drinking? Research suggests that high caffeine consumption among college students can result in unhealthy study habits. Have you ever had a headache just from drinking a large cup of coffee? This could be due to drinking too much caffeine. Overconsumption has been linked to anxiety, sleep loss, jitters, nausea, vomiting, high blood pressure and headaches. There are ways to get through Study Week without having to down an energy drink every five hours.

Take a break and relieve some stress.

Exercise is a known stress reliever. It releas-es endorphins in the body that help you feel at ease.

Go get some sleep

A good nights rest consists of six to eight hours. When you feel the need for more coffee, it is time to call it a night. Now is not the time to let your immune system get weak and let the sickness in.

Good luck and happy studying.

MCT Campus

By Katie KoenigStaff Writer

West Alabama counties are among some of the most obese in the country, according to a new report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The report was the first to evaluate obesity figures at the county level, according a news release from the CDC. Whilethe Appalachian region including Kentucky, Tennessee andWest Virginia had the highest percentage of obese counties, at 81 percent, the southern region that includes Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and South Carolina were close behind, with 75 percent of their counties qualifying asobese. Areas with the lowest rates of obesity were in the west-ern half of the country, including California and Colorado. The report compiled its estimates based on self-reported data from adult phone surveys as well as 2007 census infor-mation. Data in the report included both findings on the prevalence of obesity as well as Type 2 diabetes, which is often linked to obesity. The national obesity rate is about 26 percent. Officials hope to be able to use the date to pinpoint spe-cific regions where citizens face a high risk of obesity. Dr. Anna Albright, director of the CDC’s Division of Diabetes Translation, said diabetes stemming from obesity is expen-sive in both human and economic terms. “The study shows strong regional patterns of diabetes and can help focus prevention efforts where they are needed most,” Albright said in the news release. Many of the communities reporting the highest rates of obe-sity were rural areas, including Alabama’s Greene and Dallas counties. The study estimates 43.7 percent of adults in Greene County suffer from obesity, while Dallas County had an obesity rating of 41.6 percent. Tuscaloosa’s rate was 32.1 percent. Counties such as these can take the data from this report and begin to form a plan to combat obesity. “The small–area estimates for obesity will be an important tool to help communities better understand and battle this seri-ous public health problem,” said Dr. William H. Dietz, director of CDC’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity. “Communities are in the best position to prevent and reduce obesity among their citizens through innovative programs.” The same areas found in the report to have a high per-centage of obesity also had high levels of diagnosed diabetes. Most counties in West-Central Alabama have a reported rateof higher than 10.6 percent of the population with diabetes. Alabama was also one of 11 states that the CDC reported as having above 40 percent of adults who are physically inactive. Many of these factors seem to be connected. Lori Greene, a registered dietitian in the College of Human Environmental Sciences, said she hadn’t seen the specific report released by the CDC, but she has seen other data thatsupports higher obesity rates in the area. Greene said a recent CDC report came out with data that put Alabama in the top five states with the lowest intake offruits and vegetables. The diet of average Alabamians con-tributes to the high rates of obesity, Greene said. “To me, that goes hand in hand and it’s not surprising,” Greene said. “If we’re obese and have most prevalence of type two diabetes, it’s not surprising that we eat the lowest fruits and vegetables.” Greene said students can take steps to avoid being part of the growing obese community in Alabama. Many of the sim-ple tips students have heard before, but students may have tomake a more conscious effort to work them into their life at school. Greene’s No. 1 piece of advice is to stay active. “When you think about it, when students are in high school, most students are involved in some type of structured activ-ity,” Greene said. “Once you get to college most people aren’t involved in a structured activity. You have to make a little bit more of an effort to go to the Rec Center or walk or run or do what you like to do. Make it a priority to stay active.” Greene said students should also watch their diets. She sug-gested students try to continue to eat more fruits and veg-etables, keep your total intake lower in fat and avoid fast food.

West Alabama counties some of most obese

Tuscaloosa retailers saw large crowds that showed excitement and little conflict. “The line was wrapped around the building, but when the doors were opened, we heard nothing but cheers,” said Target’s executive team lead Morgan Chatman. “It was really awesome to see how great our guests reacted to our sales, even when we sold out of things.” Black Friday shoppers spent $10.66 billion, a 0.5 percent increase from last

SHOPPINGContinued from page 1

year, according to figures released by the Wall Street Journal. The National Retail Federation estimated that the amount of money spent per shopper was $343.31, a decrease of 8 percent from last year’s $372.57. The NRF said this season’s shoppers stuck to their lists and bought only small-ticket items. Black Friday is traditionally recognized as the first official day of holiday shopping. It allows businesses to assess the moods of local consum-ers as the holiday shopping season begins and provides retailers with a preview of

consumer spending. In addi-tion, many retailers turn their highest profits from this month’s shoppers on Black Friday. A year after seeing the larg-est decline in sales in nearly four decades, stores nation-wide have dropped prices on many items and are offering discounted doorbusters — low priced items designed to attract people to come into the stores. This year’s Black Friday sales were significant to retailers because they are trying to figure out whether this year’s sale will improve after last year’s dismal performance.

In spite of an economic downturn, however, bargain hunters, sacrificing sleep to save money, did not disap-point. “We had a great Black Friday,” said Best Buy’s cus-tomer solutions manager Nicky Teal. “The Tuscaloosa community really came out and supported us.” Retailers are expected to continue to offer low prices on everything from televisions to T-shirts, both online and in-store, for the remainder of the month. “If this is any sign of things to come, we’re in for a great holiday season,” Teal said.

THE CW ASKS: DID THE RECESSION AFFECT YOUR

BLACK FRIDAY?Photos and reporting by Kerie Kerstetter

Staff writer

Whitney Cockburn Junior, chemistry

“No, I don’t really go shopping.”

Paul Ramirez Freshman, Biology/

pre-med

“Not really. There were great deals this Black Friday.”

Alexandra Carroll Freshman, Nursing

“No, I didn’t go shopping this Black Friday, but I prob-ably would have cut back.”

Katie Owen Freshman, Business

“No, I didn’t even shop.”

Jaclyn McNeil Sophomore, Public relations

“Anyone who goes shopping on Black Friday is a masochist. My friends and I do secret Santa and make a Christmas party of it. We end up saving money and having a great time.”

• West Alabama counties are some of the most obese in the country.• The same areas found in the report to have a high percentage of obesity also had high levels of diagnosed diabetes.

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DICKENSContinued from page 1

Adams, director of Dickens Downtown for the first 10 years, said the people partici-pating in Dickens Downtown put a lot of effort into prepar-ing for it. People have to make sure the bows and other deco-rations are ready, hire musi-cians and make sure there is food, Adams said. Adams said no one sells any-thing on the streets. Adams said the coordinators don’t want people to leave because there is no food or because they can’t afford the food. Peanuts are always in plenty of supply, Adams said. Adams said some people will dress up in Victorian out-fits even if they aren’t partici-pants. The number of people in the Victorian attire increases every year, Adams said. Adams said this was the first year there was a snow machine at Dickens Downtown. Adams said he uses the same outfit every year, and the weather is usually nice during Dickens Downtown. The gray clouds and drizzle on Tuesday did not comply this year. “First time it’s rained in 20 years,” Adams said.

The 5th Alabama Regiment Infantry played in front of Shirley Place in downtown Northport as part of the fes-tivities for Dicken's Downtown Tuesday night.

CW | Jerrod Seaton

Several informational

demon-strations were set

up around downtown

Northport to show people how different

craftsmen perform their

trades.

CW | Jerrod Seaton

Bagpipers play as

part of the Dickens

Downtown attractions.

CW | Daniel Owen

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By Judy LinThe Associated Press

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Till death do us part? The vow would really hold true in California if a Sacramento Web designer gets his way. In a movement that seems ripped from the pages of Comedy Channel writers, John Marcotte wants to put a measure on the ballot next year to ban divorce in California. The effort is meant to be a satirical statement after California voters outlawed gay marriage in 2008, largely on the argument that a ban

is needed to protect the sanc-tity of traditional marriage. If that’s the case, then Marcotte reasons voters should have no problem banning divorce. “Since California has decided to protect traditional marriage, I think it would be hypocritical of us not to sacri-fice some of our own rights to protect traditional marriage even more,” the 38-year-old married father of two said. Marcotte said he has col-lected dozens of signatures, including one from his wife of seven years. The initiative’s Facebook fans have swelled to more than 11,000. Volunteers that include gay activists and

members of a local comedy troupe have signed on to help. Marcotte is looking into whether he can gather signa-tures online, as proponents are doing for another pro-posed 2010 initiative to repeal the gay marriage ban. But the odds are stacked against a campaign funded primarily by the sale of $12 T-shirts fea-turing bride and groom stick figures chained at the wrists. Marcotte needs 694,354 valid signatures by March 22, a high hurdle in a state where the typical petition drive costs millions of dollars. Even if his proposed constitutional amendment made next year’s

ballot, it’s not clear how vot-ers would react. Nationwide, about half of allmarriages end in divorce. Not surprisingly, Marcotte’scampaign to make divorce inCalifornia illegal has dividedthose involved in last year’scampaign for and againstProposition 8. As much as everyone wouldlike to see fewer divorces,making it illegal would be“impractical,” said RonPrentice, the executive direc-tor of the California FamilyCouncil who led a coali-tion of religious and con-servative groups to qualifyProposition 8.

By Eileen Sullivan and Julie PaceThe Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The White House will make at least one change to its screening practices for invitation-only events after an attention-hungry couple was able to crash the Obama admin-istration’s first state dinner. The White House social office will go back to making sure that one of its staff members will be present at the gates to help the Secret Service if questions come up, the first lady’s communication director Camille Johnston told The Associated Press Tuesday. While Johnston maintained that this has been an existing policy, the White House and Secret Service have said that

no such person was present last week as guests arrived for the dinner. Secret Service spokes-man Malcolm Wiley said the plan for the dinner did not call for a social office employee to be at the gate, but that agents also didn’t call the office to ask for assistance or clarification. The Secret Service has taken the blame for letting the couple in without an invitation. An administration official said Tuesday evening that a senior Pentagon official did try to get the Virginia couple, Tareq and Michaele Salahi, access to the White House state dinner, but later told them in a voice mail that she couldn’t get them in. Last week’s White House gate caper has captivated a capital

where high-end social life and celebrity eruptions frequently enliven the day-to-day business of governing. President Barack Obama and the first lady, Michelle, were described Tuesday as angered by the incident, and the Salahis asked a national television audi-ence to take their word that they were invited to the dinner for the visiting Indian prime minister. Congress is about to mount an effort to get to the bottom of the episode. Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan is expected to tes-tify before the House Homeland Security committee about the incident on Thursday. The Salahis and White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers have also been invited to testify.

Gate crashers spur WH security change

Movement under way in California to ban divorce

Tareq and Mi-chaele Salahi, right, are in-terviewed by the “Today” showʼs host Matt Lauer. The couple that got into the White House state dinner for the visiting Indian prime minister without invita-tions denied Tuesday that they were gatecrashers.

AP

APJohn Marcotte discusses his proposed ballot initiative to ban divorce as Cynthia Keagy, left, signs his petition to get measure on the ballot, in Sacramento, Calif.

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By Mike SchneiderThe Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. — Tiger Woods will be cited for careless driv-ing in a car crash outside his Orlando-area mansion, but will not face criminal charges, the Florida Highway Patrol said Tuesday. Woods faces a $164 fine and four points against his driver’s license, not close to enough to have it suspended. The citation closes the investigation of last week’s crash. The patrol “is not pursuing criminal charges in this matter nor is there any testimony or other evidence to support any additional charges of any kind other than the charge of care-less driving,” Sgt. Kim Montes said. According to an accident report, Woods crashed his SUV into a fire hydrant and a tree at 2:25 a.m. Friday. The airbags did not deploy and Woods’ wife told Windermere police she used a golf club to smash the back win-dows to help him out. Woods withdrew Monday from his own golf tournament, citing injuries from the crash.

Since the accident, tabloids and gossip Web sites have fueled speculation about the events leading up to it, includ-ing that there may have been a domestic dispute between Woods and his wife. The crash came two days after The National Enquirer published a story alleging that Woods had been seeing a New York nightclub hostess, and that they recently were together in Melbourne, where Woods com-peted in the Australian Masters. The woman, Rachel Uchitel, denies the affair. An attorney for the neighbors who dialed 911 after the crash said Woods did not appear to be driving under the influence and showed no signs of having been in a fight. Montes said there were no claims of domestic vio-lence and insufficient evidence to subpoena any medical infor-mation. “Despite the celebrity sta-tus of Mr. Woods, the Florida Highway Patrol has completed its investigation in the same professional manner it strives to complete each traffic investi-gation,” Montes said. Bill Sharpe, an attorney for

the neighbors, said Woods’ inju-ries were “consistent with a car wreck and inconsistent with him being beat up. The scratch-es on his face were consistent with someone who maybe was in a minor car accident and hit his head on the windshield. ... None of his injuries looked like he was beat up by his wife.” Sharpe said neighbor Linda Adams and her two adult sons went outside their home in the exclusive gated community of Isleworth after hearing the crash and Woods’ wife, Elin Nordegren, asked them to call the 911 emergency number. He said the neighbors found Nordegren kneeling beside her husband, upset about his injuries. Sharpe said Woods appeared woozy and had scratches on his face and that his wife was trying to console him. The Adamses wrapped Woods in a blanket and made sure he didn’t move. Tabloid speculation has focused on whether Woods and his wife were fighting before the accident. “One thing we want to make clear is that Mrs. Woods’ atti-tude was consistent with her

being concerned about her injured husband,” Sharpe said. “Mrs. Woods was trying to help him. Mrs. Woods was worried about her husband. She was concerned.” Sharpe said the Adams fam-ily did not see the crash and did not see Woods’ wife with a golf club. He said he was hired to get the message out that the Adams family members have told inves-tigators everything they know about the crash and aren’t hid-ing anything. By skipping his tournament, Woods will escape the TV cam-eras and a horde of media seek-ing more details. The tourna-ment was to be the last of the year for Woods anyway, and he did not say when or where he would make his return next year. When healthy, he has made his season debut at Torrey Pines every year since 2006. The San Diego Invitational this year is scheduled the week of Jan. 25. That could mean Woods avoids the media for 10 weeks. Neighbors in the exclusive Isleworth community said Tuesday they did not know if Woods was home. There were

By Darlene Superville and Steven R. Hurst

The Associated Press

WEST POINT, N.Y. — Declaring “our security is at stake,” President Barack

Obama ordered an additional 30,000 U.S. troops into the long war in Afghanistan on Tuesday night, but balanced the buildup with a pledge to an impatient nation to begin withdrawing American forces

Police: Woods at fault in crash, will get citation

30,000-troop boost ordered by Obama in Afghanistan

APSgt. Kim Montes, public affairs offi cer with the Florida High-way Patrol speaks during a news conference concerning Tiger Woodsʼ accident in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday.

Presi-dent

Barack Obama

waves before speak-

ing about

his Afghani-

stan policy before cadets at the

U.S. Military

Acad-emy at

West Point,

N.Y., on Tuesday.

AP

no cars in his driveway as the highway patrol held its news conference, and there was little sign that any accident had taken place — the fire hydrant Woods struck had either been repaired or replaced. The grass was

perfectly trimmed. The complex’s private secu-rity force patrolled the plush community in marked cars and golf carts, the primary source of transportation around Isleworth.

in 18 months. In a prime-time speech at the U.S. Military Academy, the president said his new policy was designed to “bring this war to a successful conclu-sion.” The troop buildup will begin almost immediately — the first Marines will be in place by Christmas — and will cost $30 billion for the first year alone. “We must deny al-Qaida a safe haven,” Obama said in articulating U.S. military goals for a war that has dragged on for eight years. “We must reverse the Taliban’s momentum. ... And we must strengthen the capacity of Afghanistan’s security forces and government.” The president said the additional forces would be deployed at “the fastest pace possible so that they can tar-get the insurgency and secure key population centers.” Their destination: “the epi-center of the violent extrem-ism practiced by al-Qaida.” “It is from here that we were attacked on 9/11, and it is from here that new attacks are being plotted as I speak,” the president said.

It marked the second time in his young presidency that Obama has added to the American force in Afghanistan, where the Taliban has recent-ly made significant advances. When he became president last January, there were roughly 34,000 troops on the ground; there now are 71,000. Obama’s announcement drew less-than-wholehearted support from congressional Democrats. Many of them favor a quick withdrawal, but others have already proposed higher taxes to pay for the fighting. Republicans reacted wari-ly, as well. Officials said Sen. John McCain, who was Obama’s Republican opponent

in last year’s presidential cam-paign, told Obama at an early evening meeting attended by numerous lawmakers that declaring a timetable for a withdrawal would merely send the Taliban underground until the Americans began to leave. As a candidate, Obama called Afghanistan a war worth fighting, as opposed to Iraq, a conflict he opposed and has since begun easing out of. A new survey by the Gallup organization, released Tuesday, showed only 35 percent of Americans now approve of Obama’s handling of the war; 55 percent disap-prove. “After 18 months, out troops will begin to come home,” he

said flatly. In eight years of war, 849 Americans have been killed in Afghanistan, Pakistan and neighboring Uzbekistan, according to the Pentagon. In addition to beefing up the U.S. presence, Obama has asked NATO allies to commit between 5,000 and 10,000 addi-tional troops. He said he was counting on Afghanistan eventually taking over its own security, and he warned, “The days of provid-ing a blank check are over.” He said the United States would support Afghan ministries that combat corruption and “deliverfor the people. We expect those who are ineffective or corrupt to be held accountable.”

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENTPage 9 • Wednesday,

December 2, 2009Editor • Steven Nalley

[email protected]

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

• Tacky Holiday Party and Charity Benefi: Mugshots Grill and Bar, 9 p.m. to midnight

• Artrageous Riverfront Arts Tour: Downtown Tuscaloosa and Northport, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

• Nutcracker Ballet Presented by the Tuscaloosa Community Dancers: Bama Theatre, 7 p.m.

A&Ethis weekend

By Brad LakeStaff Writer

December is here, and finals are coming up for most students. It is the stressful part of the year right before the holidays that most people dread. For music students, this time of the year comes a lit-tle earlier. Students enrolled in the University’s College of Music have to face a senior recital at the end of their fall semester in order to apply for internships in the spring. “It was definitely the biggest performance of my undergrad career,” said Bo Hembree, a jazz studies major who plays jazz and classical guitar. “My good friends David Ray and Paul Oliver also helped me on my senior recital. The profes-sors are looking for a lot of things, and one is how well you work together with the musicians you picked to play with, and as soon as I hit that last chord of my senior recital, I could feel the weight lift off my shoulders.” Senior music students have to prepare for almost the entire semester in order to perform well on their senior recital. In addition to this extensive preparation, they also have the normal finals in their classes that everyone else has. The music school

even holds a prehearing for each senior two weeks before their senior recital just to make sure that the students have selected music that they can perform at a level worthy of their senior recital. The students must perform their recital in front of their spe-cific group of professors, then the professors critique and help the student improve their performance. “There is a lot of prepara-tion involved, and students need to pick music that best shows off the skill set that you possess,” said Corey Funderburg, a senior music major who plays tenor sax. “It is a do-or-die situation, and some people can’t afford to be pushed back a semes-ter. You even have to pay a $50 reassurance payment to show your dedication to the day that you select for your senior recital. I’m just glad that everything worked out for me and I managed to pull it all together when I needed to.” The students enrolled in music school have to partici-pate in a similar exercise at the end of every semester. They must go in front of a “jury” at the end of each semester to show that they are improv-ing and still focused on their degree. According to Funderburg,

this seems to take the edge off a bit, because the students are a little more comfortable playing in front of those pro-fessors for the final perfor-mance. The professors grade the students based on tone, production, phrasing and the smoothness of the passages performed. Certain students realize that they are not going to be ready for the recital, so instead of repeating their previous semester, they sac-rifice their $50 payment and reschedule their show for a later date so they can better prepare for it. “The professors know the music that you are playing through and through, so they know how you should sound,” Funderburg said. “Even if they don’t know the music really well, they will still know how it is meant to sound and will be expecting the students to meet that quality. They won’t fail you for missing a note, but they are definitely keeping track, and things do tend to add up.” The professors make sure that the students are doing as well as they can; they want to be represented well by their students just as the students want to be represented well by their professors. “My professors, especially [professor of jazz studies]

By Peterson HillStaff Writer

Three years ago at about this time, I reviewed a book for The Crimson White titled “The Road.” The novel went on to win the Pulitzer and be accept-ed into Oprah’s Book Club. Now, the film adaptation of that masterful novel is out. The film isn’t on par with the book, but then, how is one truly supposed to capture the mood and atmosphere of Cormac McCarthy’s biblical prose? 2007’s “No Country For Old Men,” which I am leaning towards calling the best film of the decade, shows that it takes unflinching dedication to the source material. John Hillcoat’s “The Road” is another powerful and time-less tale of a man and his son wandering the wastelands of a former America as they trudge onwards in what seems to be an all but empty world of decaying skeletons and savages. In an unknown year after the world has been reduced to ashen waste and trees as bare as the wind that slaps their bar-ren branches, The Man (Viggo Mortensen) and Boy (Kodi Smit-McPhee) wander the land towards the coast. Neither is named, because in a world without people what are names really? As they walk they encounter robbers, old men and their own humanity as they fight to hold onto what they have left of it. After the father and son come across a pack of cannibals, the son eerily asks, “Are we still the good guys?” When everyone left has become a survivalist, does any-one have humanity? The Man

‘The Road’ worthy of McCarthy pedigreeMOVIE REVIEW | ‘THE ROAD’

to abandon his life?” McCarthy is, in my opinion, the best writer walking the planet. His obsession is of a world in which men are born evil and must strive to be good. His words are haunting and sparse. He can paint the pain of this world in one sentence, and Hillcoat captures that gor-geously. He captures all the despair of McCarthy, but he knows that somewhere under the pain is a small, however faint, glimmer of hope. Though Hillcoat’s direction is one of the most impressive efforts of the year a lot rests on the two leads. Mortensen gives a towering and understated performance as the father. He doesn’t hit a false note in the movie. He strikes an uncanny balance between fear and strength. McPhee gives a perfor-mance that is liberated from any quirks of a child actor. He is merely a citizen of this lost world struggling to compre-

hend how a world other than this existed. How people once took for granted the taste of a bubbly fizz in a can of soda. Each of them plays their roles with unyielding commitment. Joe Penhall’s script, which lifts lots from the dialogue and narration of the book, is won-derful in evoking how people would talk in a world that has been riddled with destruction and isolation. The gorgeous and downbeat score by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis matches this beautifully. Hillcoat’s direction is pre-cise and utterly fascinating to watch. After his master-ful 2005 Australian western “The Proposition,” I was very intrigued to hear that he was the one that was chosen to direct this tale of similar isola-tion. In that film, he evoked a world that was populated with lost and empty souls in this one he populates that world with broken souls in a world that

has been ravaged and unmade leaving only the hope of life and the coldest truth possible that this could be in the end where it all ends. McCarthy also clings to the idea that if there is a God, it isn’t he who is responsible for the world, but us. In the end we are responsible for our own fates. When we do evil, we and only we are to blame. We are creatures of free will and God can’t make decisions for us. In this world of our own undoing, there is only one thing for certain: In the end, the world, however gorgeous and alone it may be, is ours. What we do with it is our choice, whether we carry the fire or let Earth die a long gloomy death till the final glimmer of light is whispered away. It may seem hard to find, but “The Road” is a movie that is about hope — a hope that we can keep our humanity even when we exist in a world devoid of humanity.

Runtime: 112 minutes

MPAA rating: RRelease date: Nov. 25

CW critic’s rating:

Bottom line: “The Road” successfully translates the forlorn power and hidden hope of Cormac McCarthy’s book to the big screen. The director and actors have missed nothing in this translation, and view-ers should not miss this movie.

‘THE ROAD’

has saved a gun that holds only two bullets in it, two bullets that have become the cruel sum of the equation to end their existence. There are flashbacks that show the world before it has fallen into the desolation. They have The Woman (Charlize Theron) who chooses death over life. These flashbacks are crucial to understanding why The Man insists on trudging onward, why he keeps going in the face of extinction. He believes it is better to hold onto the last hope of humanity than the faint promise of a heav-en. Then again, how does one willing abandon hope, or in the words of McCarthy’s book “No Country for Old Men,” “How does a man decide in what order

Kodi Smit- McPhee (left) and Viggo Mortensen (right) fi ght to survive in “The Road.”

rottentomatoes.com

Senior recitals add to end of semester stressTom Wolfe and [director of jazz studies] Chris Kozak, have been a big part of my success as a musician and have helped me become a well-rounded musician in all

kinds of different scenarios,” Hembree said. “For students that are approaching their senior recital, make sure and pick pieces that you believe in and are comfortable with.”

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By Tayler ReidStaff Writer

Tuesday afternoon, Charlie Lucas, Ben Windham, Chip Cooper and Michele Myatt Quinn came to visit Maxwell Hall to introduce their new book, “Tin Man: Charlie Lucas.” The event, sponsored by Creative Campus and the University of Alabama Press, included a book signing, a discussion with the artists, a reception and an interac-tive art demonstration that allowed guests to express themselves through a simple form of art. Lucas, a self-taught Alabama artist, presents his work in the book through sto-ries of his own troubled child-hood. He tells of a debilitating accident that occurred in 1984 that made him decide to seri-ously express himself through art. His motivating story shares the personal satisfac-tion he has received through his artwork, his love of family and his role in teaching chil-dren. “In society, we are afraid to work together,” Lucas said. “I finally allowed myself to open up and share my arts because

I feel like the world needs to see this.” Lucas resides in Pink Lily, where he has created a work-shop filled with sculptures, objects, paintings and much more. His art is created from old materials that would usu-ally be labeled as trash, such as bicycle wheels, wire, gears, shovels and car mufflers. Through his artwork, Lucas is known all over the world as a talented innovator in the field of American folk art. Cooper, the photographer for the book, displayed many of his original prints from the book. Cooper included over 200 color photographs of Lucas’ works in progress and finished creations in the book. “It is a truly spectacular book,” said Colin Whitworth, an intern for Creative Campus. “Alabama has an incredibly rich culture and art scene, and it’s great that all of the artwork came from our area.” The book features quotes that were compiled by the interviewer Ben Windham, son of Kathryn Tucker Windham who was a storytell-er, author and photographer. Quinn, a designer from the University of Alabama Press,

Authors celebrate new art bookCreative Campus event combines art to honor Lucas’ book

CW | Nhung WalshMetal Artist Charlie Lucas, as he goes with "Tin Man," talks with students about Art and Life at Maxwell Hall on Tuesday.

designed the book. The University of Alabama Press was founded in 1945. It publishes more than 100 books a year in various genres and

topics. The press focuses on publishing books that provide an understanding of the his-tory and culture of this state and region.

Overall, several guests agreed the event was enlight-ening and successful. “Charlie Lucas is visionary,” said sophomore Alexandra

Tucci. “He’s a magical person, and it was a cool opportunity that we all got to interact with him and everyone that worked on the book.”

By Jenny BarchfieldThe Associated Press

PARIS — Audrey Hepburn fans got a sneak peek Tuesday of dozens of garments and per-sonal effects once belonging to the movie star that will hit the auction blocks next week. A Givenchy black lace dress that Hepburn wore in “How to Steal a Million” and a demure ivory wedding gown that never made it down the aisle are among the items. The fans, fashionistas and those looking to score a slice of film history were given the preview of the collection in Paris before the Dec. 8 sale

in London. “For her, what was impor-tant was not decoration and lots of embellishment. She liked very simple things — less was always more for Audrey,” said auctioneer Kerry Taylor, whose eponymous auction house is handling the sale. Star lots include an Yves Saint Laurent empire waist-ed gown in white cotton that she wore to her son Luca’s 1970 christening, estimated at 1,500-2,500 pounds ($2,485-$4,141), and an abbreviated, long-sleeve Valentino Haute Couture dress in ivory silk and lace that’s identical to the one worn by Jacqueline Kennedy at

her 1968 wedding to Aristotle Onassis. Another ivory wedding gown, made for Hepburn by the Rome-based Fontana sisters, is expected to fetch 8,000-12,000 pounds — though Hepburn herself didn’t wear it down the aisle. After her marriage to James Hanson, which was scheduled for 1952, was called off, Hepburn asked that the Fontana sisters give it “to someone who could never afford a dress like mine, the most beautiful, poor Italian girl you can find,” the auction catalog quotes Hepburn as saying. And then there’s the

Givenchy: pared-down cocktail dresses, buttery silk tops, lady-like coats and dramatic sweep-ing gowns made by legendary French couturier for Hepburn, his muse. “She said of Hubert de Givenchy that he was her greatest friend and he said of her that it was a real romance between the two, a real love affair that lasted all their lives,” Taylor told The Associated Press at Sotheby’s Paris show-room, where the two-day-long preview was held. A Givenchy cocktail dress and cropped jacket made from black lace — which Hepburn wore in the 1966 romantic com-

edy “How to Steal a Million,” costarring Peter O’Toole — is expected to fetch the sale’s highest price of between 15,000-20,000 pounds — though auctioneer Taylor acknowl-edges the estimates are very approximate. She said that clothes hav-ing once belonged to Hepburn, who died in 1993, rarely come to auction and the last two pieces fetched a whopping $1 million. “These are harder times, and I’ve tried to keep my feet on the ground,” she said, adding that lots start at an estimated 250 pounds for a straw hat.

Most of the lots come from the closets of Tanja Star-Busmann, a longtime friend of the actress. The two met in London when Tanja was 15 years old and Hepburn 20 — just before her career took off. “I was perhaps her first unofficial fan — writing let-ters to her from boarding school and receiving replies,” Star-Busmann, who is now in her 70s, wrote in the auction catalog. In addition to letters — some of which are to be sold — Hepburn also regularly gave her young confidant her hand-me-downs, which became increasingly fabulous as her star rose.

Audrey Hepburn’s designer gowns hit auction blocks

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The Crimson White SPORTS Wednesday, December 2, 2009 13

By Cyrus NtakirutinkaSenior Sports Reporter

The University of Alabama men’s basketball team improved to a 4-2 record after beating No. 15 ranked Michigan 68-66 in the Old Spice Classic consolation game. Head coach Anthony Grant said he was pleased with the effort his team displayed throughout the tournament, a successful one for the Crimson Tide, which also defeated Baylor in their opening game before losing to Florida State. “I thought it was a great tour-nament,” Grant said. “The field was excellent — we got some great competition and were fortunate to win two games. I felt like it was a great growing experience for our team. When you look at the level of compe-tition we’ve played so early in the year, you get a good gauge in terms of where your team’s at. I feel good about the whole experience, obviously happy that we were able to get the two victories against the caliber of competition we were playing against.” The Tide showed resiliency as they fought back from a 13-point deficit to Michigan in the first half. The highlight of the game came from sopho-more JaMychal Green, who had a team-high 20 points, as he put Alabama up 68-66 with a dunk with five seconds to go and blocking Michigan’s final shot with time expiring. “I feel like I’m at the right place at the right time,” Green said. “I believe I’m a little bit

smarter than last year. I feel like I had to step up for my team and make a big play. I feel that we are getting better with the style of play. I think everything is falling into place right now. I’d say we did good. We were hoping to play in the champion-ship game and win it all but we lost to Florida State. Other than that, I think we did a great job at executing well and we just came together as a team.” Alabama benefited from the play of senior guard Mikhail Torrance. Torrance scored 11 points for the Tide along with six rebounds, eight assists and two steals in the consolation final. Grant feels that Torrance has displayed great leadership for the team this season. “I’ve been very pleased with his growth,” Grant said. “He really stepped up in terms of the leadership he provided our team and he was extremely vocal, the most vocal I have seen him all year long in terms of imposing his will on the game. He kept his focus on whatever he had to do to win the game, he got his teammates involved, he scored when he needed to, he was opportunis-tic offensively, he rebounded the ball for us, did some good things on the defensive end. I think he’s learning every game what the requirements are for him as a senior and being willing to accept some of that leadership role that our team dearly needs.” Grant said the Old Spice Classic was a great way for his players to prepare for the tough competition Alabama will face

By Tony Tsoukalas Staff Writer

The Alabama men’s cross country team finished third at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, held Nov. 23, the highest the team has ever finished. Alabama came in third behind Oklahoma State and Stanford on an unusually warm day in Terre Haute, Ind. “We were blessed with a beautiful day,” said head coach Joe Walker. “Typically we try to prepare for the cold and mud. It actually ended up being high 50s with very little wind. Just an awesome day to race.” Walker said much of Alabama’s success came from running as a team rath-er than pursuing individual honors. “We felt really good about how the guys really came together when it really counted,” Walker said. “They weren’t in it for themselves — there wasn’t one guy just in it to become an All-American.” Alabama had three runners earn All-American honors. Tyson David (22nd) Emanuel Bor (25th) and Moses Kiptoo (26th), marking the most All-Americans an Alabama team has earned at one meet. The meet capped off a sea-son of much success for the Tide as Alabama claimed their second consecutive Southeastern Conference title and third consecutive NCAA Regional title. Despite the success, Walker said he does not expect his team to become complacent. “We are proud but you move forward,” Walker said. “You don’t reflect back, you always look forward and try to be in the present. That tro-phy will be nice to look at but it will also be collecting dust in a few weeks.” Alabama will look to get

stronger for next season by taking some time to rest before starting back up for track. “We are back training within the next week or so and through the Christmas break and then my entire group is back for track in January,” Walker said. One obstacle Alabama will face as it moves past this year will be replacing All-American seniors Bor and David. “We lose the one-two guys at the meet — Tyson [David] and Emanuel [Bor] — who are both seniors,” Walker said. “We got to look to replace those guys and that’s going to be difficult to do.” Walker said Alabama has runners poised to make big strides for the team. “I’m very confident for a few in that group,” Walker said. “I think we can get huge runs out of Moses [Kiptoo]. This was his first year in the U.S., it’s always diffi-cult to transition. Next year I think Fred [Samoei] and Julius[Bor] will be big per-formers for us.” Walker said it is hard for a team to maintain success once they reach the top, but that Alabama is on the right track for continued success. “You don’t want to slide,” Walker said. “It’s tough to stay at the top when you get there but we feel like we are on the right people recruit-ing and we have a talented returning group.” Walker said Alabama must now focus on returning to the challenge of next season and is confident that the Tide will be competitive next year. “I think we will be back strong, Walker said. “We got to replace the guys we lost talent wise, and we got to see some of the guys on this years team grow and devel-op and have big years next year.”

APMichigan forward DeShawn Sims puts up a shot in front of Alabama forward JaMychal Green during the fi rst half of the Crimson Tide's 68-66 victory during the consolation fi nal of the Old Spice Classic in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., Sunday.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Tide wraps up tourney

when conference play begins. Grant said the tournament helped his team realize certain areas that need improvement. “I think we’re all trying to get better,” Grant said. “I think it’s a good gauge for all of us to see where we are. We have a lot of room for improvement, you see some things on the defensive end that we have to shore up and get better at. Offensively, we saw three different styles

from a defensive standpoint that we had to prepare for in a short period of time. I thought our guys did a pretty good job of making the adjustments and being able to understand the importance of scouting reports and paying attention to the details that it takes to be effec-tive and have a chance to win. ” The Tide returns to home action tonight against North Florida in a 7 p.m. tipoff.

MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY

Tide places third at NCAA championship

Brock returns to Tide over the break

From staff reports

Senior guard Anthony Brock

was reinstated to the Alabama men’s basketball program by head coach Anthony Grant the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, according to a UA media release. “Anthony Brock has met the requirements that we set for him to end his suspension, effective immediately,” Grant said on Nov. 24. “Anthony is committed to this program and

understands the expectations that we hold for our basketball team.” Brock returned in time to compete with the Tide in last week’s 2-1 campaign at the Old Spice Classic, where Brock averaged six points, three assists and 24.7 minutes per game coming off the bench. “I am remorseful that my actions let down my team-

mates, coaches and the University of Alabama,” Brock said. “However, I am grate-ful for the opportunity Coach Grant has given me to re-join my teammates and represent the Crimson Tide.” Brock and the Tide will return to the Coleman Coliseum floor tonight when they face North Florida. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

SPORTS in brief

“It’s tough to stay at the top when you get there but we feel like we are on the right people recruit-

ing and we have a talented returning group.”

— Head coach Joe Walker{ }

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14 Wednesday, December 2, 2009 SPORTS The Crimson White

Alabama vs Auburn — 26-21

PLAYER of the game

Rolando McClain• 12 tackles (1.5 TFL), 1 sack

QUOTE of the game

“Only the strong survive, but the strong still get their ass whipped.”

— Alabama head coach Nick Saban{ }

With its victory over Auburn, Alabama became the first SEC team in 35 years to record back-to-back undefeated regular seasons. The Crimson Tide was the last team to do it in 1973-74.

35THE CRIMSON TIDE by the numbers

The yardage of the Tigers’ only scoring play in the sec-ond half — a Chris Todd pass to a wide open Darvin Adams down the sideline.

72The amount of total yards Auburn gained in the sec-ond half excluding that 72-yard touchdown pass.

67

The number of yards Javier Arenas gained on a punt return in the third quarter of Saturday’s game, which broke the SEC record for career punt return yards. Arenas is just 36 yards shy of Wes Welker’s NCAA all-time record.

56The amount of time Alabama held the lead in Saturday’s game. The Tide was either tied or trailing the Tigers for the first 58 minutes and 36 seconds until Roy Upchurch’s 4-yard touchdown catch in the clos-ing minutes.

1:24

The number of first down catches by Julio Jones on the Tide’s 15-play game-winning drive. Two of the four were third-down conversions.

4

Senior defen-sive back Chris Rogers cel-ebrates during the Tideʼs victory over Auburn.

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The Crimson White SPORTS Wednesday, December 2, 2009 15

By Spencer WhiteAssistant Sports Editor

There are times when it seems a giant is destined to fall. A short week of prepara-tion while the opponent had a bye week. A 14-point deficit in the first 10 minutes. A stalling Heisman candidate unable to find breathing room against a stubborn defense. A raucous road crowd determined to help a rival play spoiler. The No. 2 Alabama team saw it all from the Auburn Tigers in Friday afternoon’s Iron Bowl at Jordan-Hare Stadium, and the Tide still won. “I’ve never been prouder of a team in terms of the way they won that game,” said head coach Nick Saban. “The character that we showed and the resiliency that we showed to overcome the adversity that we overcame in the game … that’s what I’m most proud of. The Tigers (7-5, 3-5) brought every trick in the book in the first quarter of the game, scoring a 67-yard rushing touchdown on an end-around to wide receiver Terrell Zachary before suc-cessfully recovering a sur-prise onside kick on the ensuing kickoff. Twelve plays later, Auburn had shocked the Tide (12-0, 8-0) and the assembled crimson faithful with a 14-0 lead after Tiger quarterback Chris Todd con-nected on a 5-yard pass to running back Eric Smith with just more than five minutes remaining in the first quar-ter. The Tide offense was equal-ly problematic in the opening quarter, gaining a meager 37 yards of total offense and only three rushing yards against a defense ranked 91st in the country heading into the game. “We haven’t been there much,” senior offensive line-man Drew Davis said of the early deficit. “We knew it

could definitely happen in this game.” For some teams, the gut instinct in the face of such adversity can be to mail in the rest of the game. The Tide is not one of those teams. When Alabama resumed play in the second quarter, it came out with a vengeance, striking back at the Tigers on the ground with a Trent Richardson 2-yard touch-down run and through the air with a Greg McElroy 33-yard TD pass to senior tight end Colin Peek. The Alabama defense stiff-ened, holding the Tigers to 43 yards of offense and shutting down Auburn offensive coor-dinator Gus Malzahn’s potent offense to preserve a 14-14 tie at the half. “They threw everything they had at us early on in the game,” said senior linebacker Cory Reamer. “We just had to adjust to it and recognize what they were doing and execute like we had talked about on the sideline.” Adversity faced? Check. Adversity overcome? Check. Adversity over? Not by a long shot. Auburn struck once again on a big play when soph-omore wide receiver Darvin Adams beat Mark Barron in coverage and scored on a 72-yard reception from Todd, pushing the Tigers to a 21-14 lead that shrank to 21-20. It was with 10:37 left in the fourth quarter, Auburn in possession at the Tide 44-yard line, where the final gut check would unfold. A possessed Alabama defense stuffed a Ben Tate rush before collecting a Kareem Jackson tackle-for-loss of seven yards and a Rolando McClain sack

on third down to force a 4th-and-26 punt that was spotted at the Alabama 21. The Alabama offense took the field, battered and abused to the tune of 57 total second half yards. Sophomore stud tailback Mark Ingram hadn’t sniffed a big run, managing only 34 yards on 16 carries in the contest. “It was to make or break the game,” Davis said. “We knew that the game was on our shoulders, and if we could make a cushion they would carry us home.” The Tigers had shut down Ingram, but the Tide still had McElroy and Julio Jones, who connected four times, two on third down, for first downs and marched down the field to a 3rd-and-3 in the shadow of the Auburn goal line. And in a sense of poetic justice, redshirt senior Roy Upchurch, sparsely used over the past few games and know-ing this was his final opportu-nity to defeat Auburn, want-ed the ball to come his way in the most pressured of situa-tions. McElroy took the snap, looked Upchurch’s way in the flats and connected from four yards out to give the Tide its first lead of the night. It only lasted one minute and 24 seconds. That was all Alabama needed to preserve perfection. In perhaps its most challenging test of the season, the Tide showed that a little composure can go a long way. “We learned to keep our poise early, take deep breaths and be where we are sup-posed to be,” said senior linebacker Eryk Anders. “Everything will take care of itself.”

Poise keys Tide victoryFOOTBALL | SIDEBAR

“I’ve never been prouder of a team in terms of the way they won that game.”

— Alabama head coach Nick Saban{ }

Roy Up-church hauls on his game-win-ning 4-yard touchdown with 1:24 remaining in the Iron Bowl last Saturday. It was the seniorʼs fi rst collegiate touchdown reception.

CW | Bethany Martin

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Quarterbacks – 3.9 Cumulative: 3.46With the running game boggled down, Greg McElroy stepped up and marched the Crimson Tide to victory, going 7-for-8 on the game-winning drive and not turn-ing the ball over the entire game.

Running backs – 2.8 Cumulative: 3.71Although true freshman Trent Richardson performed well, Heisman candidate Mark Ingram found no run-ning room all day, rushing for just 30 yards on 16 car-ries.

Wide receivers/tight ends – 3.7 Cumulative: 3.53Alabama could not have won the game without Julio Jones on the final drive, and Colin Peek had his first great game since coming back from injury. The grade is knocked a bit because the other receivers around Jones did not find enough openings in the Auburn defense.

Offensive line – 2.7 Cumulative: 3.24There was no room to run the entire game, and the pass protection was less than adequate until the final drive, as Auburn sacked McElroy three times.

Defensive line – 3.9 Cumulative: 3.9The big plays allowed on defense were not the fault of the defensive line, and Auburn’s yards on the ground were mostly to the outside.

Linebackers – 3.5 Cumulative: 3.88The unit over perused on an end around that gave the Tigers’ a 67-yard touchdown to begin the game but played solid in the second half.

Defensive backs – 3.0 Cumulative: 3.7Kareem Jackson and Javier Arenas failed on oppor-tunities to save the first touchdown of the game, and Mark Barron was the man who was badly beat for Auburn’s only score of the second half. Besides those two big plays, however, Alabama held Auburn’s passing game in check.

Special teams – 3.2 Cumulative: 3.33The inability to recover a surprise onside kick in the first quarter could have cost the Tide, and Leigh Tiffin badly missed a makeable field goal. Arenas’s 56-yard punt return in the third quarter salvages the grade a bit.

Coaching – 3.5 Cumulative: 3.7Alabama did a fantastic job of adjusting on the defen-sive side of the ball, but it took too long for the Tide to start airing it out after Auburn geared up to stop the run.

POSITION grades

Above: Roy Upchurch is congratulated after scoring the go ahead touch-down in the fi nal minutes of the Tideʼs 26-21 Iron Bowl victory.CW | Bethany Martin

Left: Trent Rich-ardson scores a fi rst half touch-down out of the goal line pack-age.Below: Ja-vier Arenas sacks quarterback Chris Todd. Are-nas also broke the SEC career record for punt return yardage in the Iron Bowl.CW | Jerrod Seaton

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Page 18 • Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Editor • Jason Galloway crimsonwhitesports@

gmail.com

FRIDAY

SUNDAY

SATURDAY

• Softball vs Tulane: 2 p.m.•Men’s tennis vs Arkansas: 4 p.m.

• Men’s track and field vs Auburn: 12 p.m.

•Gymnastics vs Georgia: 2 p.m.

• Swimming vs Tennessee: 12 p.m.

SPORTS this weekend

By Spencer WhiteAssistant Sports Editor

Raise your hand if you’ve seen this scenario before. The Florida Gators and the Alabama Crimson Tide, ranked in the top two spots in the polls, are set to do gridiron battle on a December Saturday in Atlanta to decide not only the Southeastern Conference title, but who will earn a spot in January’s Bowl Championship Series national title game. Sound familiar? Not to the Tide players on the 2009 team, many of whom saw an unde-feated season and national title hopes disappear in a 31-20 loss to Florida in last season’s SEC Championship. Despite facing a Gator squad that returned almost every member of its two-deep on both offense and defense, the Alabama squad understands that their own team has changed enough to create a different feel from last season. “A lot of things are going to be the same,” said senior cor-nerback Javier Arenas. “But when it comes down to going out there and doing our assign-ment, a lot of things are going to be different.” Certainly many things have changed for the Tide offense, a unit that saw seven starters from 2008’s squad graduate or take an early jump to the NFL. Senior Mike Johnson, the anchor of a retooled offensive line, certainly understands the

differences in this year’s more balanced offensive attack as opposed to last season’s pound-ing rushing group. “We’ve got a pretty differ-ent offense this time around,” Johnson said. “We’ve had a lot of explosive runs and quite a few explosive passes that we didn’t have last year.” Even players who didn’t par-ticipate in last season’s epic match up, like senior transfer tight end Colin Peek, under-stand that déjà vu isn’t an issue in Saturday’s contest. “It’s definitely a different year, different team,” Peek said. “When you’re on the field you really don’t think about much besides just trying to make plays.” On the other hand, Peek and other Tide players have a full understanding of the oppor-tunity presented to them for revenging last season’s loss in this year’s rematch. A year after reaching the SEC title game for the first time since 1999, Peek said the expecta-tions have shifted for members of the Tide program. “It’s not one of those things where we were striving to get back here, it was something where we expected to be back here,” Peek said. “I think that’s the attitude of this team and we’re just hoping that we can take full advantage this time.” Johnson, who had seen the Tide mired in 6-7 and 7-6 sea-sons his redshirt freshman and sophomore years before 2008’s

New game, new teams for 2009FOOTBALL

Far left: Louis Murphy (9) at-tempts to catch a pass over Kareem Jackson (3)in last yearʼs SEC title game. Left: Julio Jones breaks for a long reception against the Ga-tors in the fi rst quarter of last yearʼs game.

CW File

meteoric rise, also mentioned the possibility of last year’s contest being seen as more of a novelty than an expectation, and stated how the atmosphere around the Capstone had changed in his final season. “Last year we were kind of just wide-eyed and happy to be there,” Johnson said. “We wanted to put together a good

game, but at the same time we kind of lacked that hunger, probably, that we really need-ed to get us over the top, and I don’t think you’ll see that this year. I think we’re pretty hun-gry for this championship, and we’re going to get things done.” Even junior linebacker Rolando McClain, the ultimate stoic who like his head coach

refuses to look past the next game, has not forgotten how the Gators crushed the Tide’s dreams that December night in the Georgia Dome. “We want that rematch…[Florida] put us out of our runfor the national champion-ship last year, and we haven’t forgotten, it’s been in the back of our mind,” McClain said.

Last yearʼs backuo qua-terback Greg McElroy congratu-lates running back Mark Ingram after scoring a touchdown in last seasonʼs SEC Champi-onship. This will be McEl-royʼs turn to lead the Tide against the No. 1 Florida Ga-tors.

CW File

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