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TUESDAY APRIL 28, 2009
IF YOU MISSED THE NORMAN MUSIC FESTIVAL, CHECK OUT THE DAILY’S COVERAGE ONLINE WITH THREE SLIDESHOWS, VIDEO AND SEVERAL STORIES.
Know where the NCAA gets its trophies? It’s closer than you may think. PAGE 3
newsComing off a recent sweep of Baylor, the OU baseball team sets its sights on Arkansas. PAGE 5
‘The Lion King’ kicked off its month-long run in Oklahoma City this weekend. Check out our review. PAGE 10
Former ‘little brother’
grows up, becomes
‘big brother’ volunteer
LEIGHANNE MANWARRENThe Oklahoma Daily
Soon after beginning his fresh-man year at OU, petroleum en-gineering sophomore Darryl Blackburn committed himself to a program he said influenced his life greatly.
Wanting to help a young boy have a positive male influence in his life, Blackburn signed up for the Cleveland County Big Brothers, Big Sisters program, the same organiza-tion that once influenced his life.
“The Big Brothers, Big Sisters program had such a huge impact on me, I feel obligated to give back,” Blackburn said.
Growing up in Houston with a single mother, Blackburn’s mother, Paulette, signed him up to become a little brother when he was 8.
“As a single parent, there were some manly things that I was not equipped to do, and I wanted him to be as well-rounded as possible and give him that opportunity,” she said.
Blackburn was paired with a mar-ried couple in the oil industry who remained his mentors for the next four years.
But growing up in a predomi-nately black elementary school,
Sophomore volunteer pays it forward
Capstone students create device to aid mobility
LAUREN STALFORDThe Oklahoma Daily
A team of four mechanical engineering students has created a device to help a local woman with cerebral palsy get from point A to point B.
For their senior capstone project, the students have worked an average of 60 hours a week this semester to create a contraption that will carry Norman resident Linda Shannon from her shower to her toilet.
Over the past three years, the students have been working with Shannon, who has suffered from cerebral palsy for 49 years and only has movement in her right arm, said Kuang-Hua Chang, mechanical engineering professor and the group’s capstone adviser.
Past teams have worked to create a device that will carry her from her wheelchair to her bed and from the wheelchair to the toilet, Chang said.
The current team also has redesigned the old device that carried her to bed to make it more lightweight, said team member Mark Schoelen,
Seniors hope to increase independence for palsy patients
Public events, talks to
function as circuits for unity
CADIE THOMPSONThe Oklahoma Daily
New UOSA President Katie Fox told a group of students she seeks to strengthen the sense of community at OU during her presidency Monday evening at the UOSA inauguration in the courtyard of the Oklahoma Memorial Union.
Fox, international and area studies ju-nior, said she and UOSA Vice President Dewey Bartlett want to increase student representation, make the organiza-tion more visible and address “tangible changes” at the university.
She said it will be the small changes af-fecting the everyday lives of students that will strengthen UOSA’s presence as an or-ganization and to the student body.
“Whether it’s going to be increasing the information available on the UOSA Web site or if it’s going to be trying to increase the amount of time that we spend talking
to students and student organizations, I think it’s these small types of changes that are really going to help strengthen UOSA and make it the best that it can be,” Fox said.
About 20 people attended the event to celebrate the transition of power from former student leaders to the incoming leaders of student government.
Fox, Bartlett and John Jennings, the new Student Congress chairman, were among the new leaders who attended the event.
The Student Congress chairman, Graduate Student Senate chairwoman and CAC chairman were supposed to be sworn in at the event but Jennings, man-agement information systems senior, was the only one who actually took oath.
Fox has been involved in student gov-ernment since she was a sophomore and has served as director and chief of staff of Student Organizations. Fox said she is grateful to former UOSA President Amanda Holloway and Vice President
New UOSA executives focus on community, transparency
TUESDAY APRIL 28, 2 THE UNIVERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF OKLAHOM
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MICHELLE GRAY/THE DAILY
Darryl Blackburn, petroleum engineering sophomore, teaches his “little bro”, Jaylin Dennis, 10, how to spin a ball on his finger on the playground at Jefferson Elementary School Thursday. Blackburn has been Dennis’ “big bro” for the past two years and said he was in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program as a child and had a “big couple” with whom he is still in contact.
AMY FROST/ THE DAILY
Adam Herrington, Travis Wilkes, Mark Schoelen and Daniel Hamilton, mechanical engineering seniors, stand by their project in the machine shop located in the basement of Felgar Hall Monday. The group is working on their capstone project, a wheelchair crane for a Norman resident that has them working anywhere from 40-80 hours per week.
ASHLEY HAGGARD/THE DAILY
John Jennings takes the oath of office as UOSA Congress chairman during the UOSA inauguration Monday evening at the Union courtyard.
STATE DEPT. URGES CAUTION AS SWINE FLU SPREADS
No cases of swine fl u have been reported in Oklahoma, but the State Department of Health said it’s likely the disease will arrive and is urging citizens to take precautions.
The death count in Mexico has risen to 149, with about 2,000 people possibly infected. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confi rmed 40 U.S. cases in fi ve states, but so far none have been fatal.
State Epidemiologist Dr. Kristy Bradley said she anticipates finding swine flu cases in Oklahoma soon.
In a statement released Monday, Gov. Brad Henry said Oklahoma’s health care, public safety and emergency management com-munities are diligently preparing for any pos-sible cases in the state.
“This is a serious health concern that demands attention and alertness,” Henry said in the statement. “Panic is not helpful, but caution is. That means practicing proper hygiene and visiting a health care provider if you start having symptoms consistent with the fl u.”
According to the CDC Web site, the disease can be spread person-to-person through coughing and sneezing. In a press briefi ng, CDC spokesman Dr. Richard Bresser said individuals who begin to experience fl u-like symptoms should stay away from school and work for seven days to reduce the chance of spreading the disease.
Swine fl u symptoms are similar to normal fl u symptoms, including fever, body aches, coughing, sore throat, respiratory congestion, and in some cases, diarrhea and vomiting.
Though no vaccine exists specifically for swine fl u, antiviral drugs, including Tamifl u and Relenza, are available in Oklahoma to combat any cases that might manifest.— Jared Rader/ The DailyThe AP contributed to this report
SIMPLE MEASURES TO AVOID CATCHING SWINE FLU, INCLUDING:
• Wash hands often to protect yourself from germs.• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing.
Source: CDC
Vince Winston for their guidance and inspiration in her endeavors to run as student body president.
“I have some really big shoes to fill, but I’m excited for that chal-lenge,” she said. “I’m absolutely optimistic about the future of UOSA. I know they have already accomplished so many great things and I am so honored to be the new UOSA president.”
Bartlett, petroleum engineering senior, also addressed the crowd and shared some of his and Fox’s plans for next year. He said they are working to increase the visibility of UOSA and sense of commu-nity by hosting a UOSA Tailgate during football season. The event would be open to all students and would allow students to get to know their student government representatives, he said.
Bartlett said he and Fox also will have a monthly event at Cate Center where students can meet with them to express concerns.
mechanical engineering senior. Shannon needs these devices now more than ever
because the Oklahoma Department of Human Services has decreased how often aides come by to help her, said team leader Adam Herrington, mechanical engineering senior.
Chang said one weekend Shannon’s aide did not show up and she was forced to lie in bed completely immobile for the entire weekend.
“This lady couldn’t be sweeter,” Schoelen said. “She just really wants to be independent.”
The device is designed to pick Shannon up under her arms and legs and move her along a rail to the area she wants to go, Herrington said.
Three other electrical engineering students have volunteered to design an electrical control panel so Shannon can push a button for the location she wishes to go to, Herrington said.
It is important the device is lightweight and simple so Shannon can easily activate it.
The finished device will have six degrees of move-ment: up, down, left, right, forward and backward, allow-ing her to move around her bathroom, Herrington said.
The project is sponsored by Schlumberger Oilfield Services, an international supplier of petroleum technol-ogy. Schoelen said not many companies would be willing to sponsor something that doesn’t benefit them directly.
Herrington said he was attracted to the project because it gave him a chance to do something that would benefit someone in Norman.
“We wanted to do something that wasn’t a generic capstone, something we would have our hearts in,” he said.
Blackburn said his friends had questions.
He said whenever his mentors would visit him at school, his friends would ask why he was spending time with a white couple.
“None of my other friends were in the program, so they always won-dered why a white couple came and hung out with me during school,” he said. “[They] still hung out with me after I was out of the program.”
Blackburn said through his rela-tionship with the couple, he learned many things. He said he was able to see what marriage could be like and how he could better himself with hard work.
“In my school, everyone came from a single-mother household, so they were the first married couple I ever knew,” he said. “Once, my ‘big’ took me to his corner office at the oil company he worked at and he told me I could have that someday if I worked hard enough for it. Before then, I hadn’t had anyone say that I could do that.”
The couple has since moved to Alaska, but still keeps in contact with Blackburn, who visited them last summer.
“We were lucky enough to get a big brother and big sister who were married ... even after they trans-ferred out of state, they maintained a relationship with Darryl,” Paulette said. “It’s special because they didn’t have to do that. When they left Texas,
they could have left him too, but they chose to remain close to him. They are the greatest people.”
The relationship also inspired Blackburn to go into the oil industry, and is the reason he is now a petro-leum engineering student.
But even though he’s following his mentor’s footsteps, Blackburn said his mother is still his No. 1 supporter.
“She loves that I’m going to OU,” he said. “She is always supportive and encouraging and has become a huge OU fan.”
Blackburn said volunteering in programs like Big Brothers, Big Sisters is vital but the Cleveland County program still has more than 70 little brothers waiting to be placed with a big brother.
“Right now, we just don’t have enough men volunteering to be-come big brothers and have to put the boys on a wait list,” said Diane Murphee, Cleveland County area director for the program.
She said she believes the main reason there are more boys than girls on the wait list to find a big brother is because more single mothers sign up their sons for the program and not their daughters, and because women tend to nurture more than men do.
“I don’t want it to sound like men don’t care; it is just men think more thoroughly through the pro-cess, whereas more women know right away if they want to make the commitment to become a ‘big,’” Murphee said.
Because there are so many boys
on the wait list, Murphee said the program tries to get the males matched as quickly as possible, best suiting the personalities of the big and little brothers.
Blackburn and his mother had talked about him possibly joining the program as a big brother, but Paulette said she did not expect him to make the commitment so soon after starting college.
“To him, the decision to become a big brother was a no-brainer,” Paulette said. “I’m glad he realized what a consistent influence can have on a child’s life, as was demonstrated to him in his relationship with his big couple.”
Blackburn said he can’t believe the similar backgrounds he and his little brother share. The only differ-ence is while Blackburn’s father was hardly around, his little brother’s fa-ther is incarcerated.
“While my dad was never in jail, I understand what it’s like having an absent father,” he said. “My little brother has had to grow up really quickly but he is a level-headed kid and is really smart.”
Blackburn said he hopes others will see the program as an opportu-nity to help others achieve success.
“I love my little brother, he is a great kid and the program is so fun and easy to do,” he said. “Because the program has helped me so much in my life, I feel obligated to give back, a kind of pay-it-forward type thing.”
To become a big brother or sister, visit www.bbbs.org or contact Judith Page at the Cleveland County Big Brothers, Big Sisters office.
2 Tuesday, April 28, 2009
BrothersContinues from page 1
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UOSAContinues from page 1
MICHELLE GRAY/THE DAILY
Darryl Blackburn, petroleum engineering sophomore, kicks a ball with his “little bro” Jaylin Dennis, 10, at Jefferson Elementary School on April 23, .
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Award manufacturers
designed hundreds of
trophies for OU
JAMIE BIRDWELL
Th e Oklahoma Daily
Midwest Trophy Manufacturing is one of Oklahoma’s little-known treasures.
MTM, one of the nation’s largest award suppliers, creates trophies, plaques and rings for sports, cor-porate recognition and schools. But the company’s biggest claim to fame lies in its client list, which includes some of the biggest names in sports like NASCAR, most col-lege football bowl games and all NCAA awards — including the Heisman trophy, spokeswoman Donna Lamprecht said.
Born out of his love for sports, Dave Smith started the company in 1971. From small beginnings in a strip mall, the company has since moved to a 20-acre headquar-ters and grown to a $90-million business.
MTM has designed hundreds of trophies, plaques and other mem-orabilia for OU, said Cory Beltz, interim director of sports market-ing. Beltz said his favorite OU proj-ect has been working with the OU women’s basketball team.
“It’s extraordinary to see how much they’ve developed,” he said.
“They don’t have the 30 to 40 years of tradition. They’ve turned noth-ing into something, and it’s fun being part of recognizing them.”
Beltz said working with athletic directors can be challenging.
“They’re very demanding indi-viduals,” he said. “But they’re put-ting in the image of their organiza-tion and they want to have a hand in it.”
MTM also sees its share of local celebrity walk-ins, such as Barry Switzer and Bart Conner, Lamprecht said.
MTM has grown nationally with 650 employees and facilities in Minneapolis, Minn.; Princeton, Ill. and Omaha, Neb.
In 2001, the company acquired its Princeton branch, which previ-ously made 23 Superbowl rings, Lamprecht said.
“There’s always some new proj-ect, whether it be a sports oppor-tunity or a corporate opportunity,” Lamprecht said. “You get really excited.”
But not all of its clients are high-profile sports figures. MTM makes custom awards for anyone, from Little League baseball leagues to Harley Davidson.
Lamprecht said MTM is about making the award experience memorable.
“You’re not planning funer-als,” Beltz said. “The people you’re working with are happy. It’s a fun place.”
Tuesday, April 28, 2009 3
TROPHY COMPANY BOOMS WITH BUSINESS
ELIZABETH NALEWAJK/THE DAILY
Midwest Trophy Manufacturing employees assembles trophies Friday afternoon in the company's manufacturing facility in Del City. The company produces some of the most significant awards in the sports industry, including the Heisman Trophy.
ELIZABETH NALEWAJK/THE DAILY
A Midwest Trophy Manufacturing employee assembles plaques Friday afternoon in the company’s manufacturing facility in Del City.
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COMMENTS OF THE DAY »In response to Monday’s Our View about the Aubrey McClendon controversy turning into a big mess.
YOU CAN COMMENT AT
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“I would wager that the main-stream of Oklahoma does not find McClendon’s views on gay marriage or abortion or most other social issue to be offensive. In fact, I think that most people in the state would hold those views in high esteem, or at least not consider them radical or
extreme. We should not have a litmus test for political opinions as a qualification to name a building in a donor’s honor. That is getting into extremely dangerous territory. Who would get to define the test? The OSDS?”
- DWALKER2006
4 Tuesday, April 28, 2009
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According to mainstream readings of the Bible, the story of Jesus goes like this:
Nothing impure can enter Heaven, mean-ing that, since all of us are sinners, we’re bound by default for Hell.
However, God sent his son Jesus to Earth. Jesus lived a sinless life, teaching others God’s wisdom and per-forming miracles. He made the ultimate sacrifice by being crucified, paying for all our sins in the process. Now we can enjoy a sweet eternity in Heaven if we ac-cept Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior.
This is a load of bunkum for several reasons.
Those parts of the Bible describing the life of Jesus are replete with errors and contradictions. Jesus’ biographers disagree on everything from when he was crucified (John 19:14-16 vs. Mark 14:12-15:25) to whether he was a product of immaculate conception (Luke 1:31-35 vs. Acts 13:23.) But this isn’t what makes the Jesus story nonsense.
It’s also true that the rudiments of Jesus’ life story appear to have been borrowed from the narratives of other deities such as Dionysus, Osiris, Horus and Mithras. But this isn’t what makes the Jesus story nonsense.
In fact, there’s no extra-Biblical evidence that Jesus even existed.
But, then again, neither did Winston Smith, and that does not diminish the im-mense moral and intellectual value of
plays fast and loose with continuity, and re-mains a deservedly seminal work.
J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” septilogy borrows unapologetically from a variety of mythological traditions and is none the worse for it.
What makes the story of Jesus inferior to “Nineteen Eighty-Four” or “Harry Potter” is that it is an unfocused, unenlightened jumble.
Let’s begin with the premise of the story. No sinful person can enter Heaven (Rev. 21:27), which is unfortunate because we are all sinners (Rom. 3:23.)
The alternative section of the afterlife is Hell. Residents of Hell are tortured forever (Matt. 24:41-46.)
To be just, punishment for a crime must be proportional. As the Bible says, “eye for eye.”
In order for a punishment of infinite mag-nitude to be appropriate, the crime also would have to be of infinite severity.
To illustrate: if I went door-to-door with a carving knife and murdered each of the world’s 6.77 billion inhabitants individu-ally, it would still be a crime infinitely too minor to deserve an eternity of torment as punishment.
And yet, somehow, the Biblical god feels it appropriate to mete out infinite punishment for all sins, including those as trivial as covet-ing your neighbor’s wife (or ass.)
Luckily for us poor sinners, however, God has given us an easy out in the form of Jesus. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice, expurgation of all
sin and, thus, entry into Heaven is possible (1 John 1:7.)
However, this seemingly more reasonable segment also disintegrates into a heap of im-moral gibberish upon examination.
Assuming for a moment that Hell is some-how a deserved consequence of sin, the pro-vision of a loophole does not seem a particu-larly loving, wise or even honorable act.
The idea of Jesus’ helping us escape a punishment we’ve earned is, to me, not so much evocative of one person taking a bul-let for another as it is of Gerald Ford grant-ing Richard Nixon the all-purpose pardon that allowed him to escape prosecution for Watergate and other crimes.
What if I prefer to own my decisions rath-er than to offload them onto someone else? What if I prefer to take responsibility for my mistakes than to run away from them? Would I deserve infinite eons of agony if these were the choices I made?
And what about the people who choose to buy into Jesus’ deal? Billions of people scrambling through a loophole to avoid re-sponsibility and punishment-- is that really a spectacle of ultimate beauty?
So far, as Jesus’ crucifixion as an act of sac-rifice goes, it seems blindingly obvious that it was no sacrifice at all. Jesus was not harmed, nor did he give up any asset. And, at any rate, considering his omnipotence, his ordeal was entirely self-imposed and voluntary.
To frame it another way, would you regard it a sacrifice to undergo a few hours of Roman torture and three days of being dead if, after-ward, you would be instated as the immortal
lord of the universe?It would be more meaningful a sacrifice if
I were to kill one of my Sims.The whole crucifixion business aside, the
morals Jesus verbally extolled also were fre-quently bizarre and useless.
“Give to everyone who asks of you,” says Jesus in the book of Luke. “If anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.”
This is horrible, horrible advice.Granted, it’s a step up from the fetus skew-
ering (2 Kings 15:16) of the Old Testament, but it still has the potential to lead to terrible injury for anyone who takes it seriously.
Fortunately, it seems to have been roundly ignored, even and especially by Christians.
The same could be said of Jesus’ advice to offer no resistance to evildoers (Matt. 5:39). It has a sort of naïve charm, but it’s not an intelligent or useful suggestion, and would probably cause more harm than benefit if followed.
I’m also a little curious about the point of the bit in Mark where Jesus zaps a fig tree to death because he was hungry for figs and the tree didn’t have any figs on it.
In any case, it’s because of this pervasive nonsensicality that I choose to look to other narratives for insight that will help deepen my understanding of life and morality.
Ku r t Vo n n e g u t ’s “ Mo t h e r Nig ht,” Vladimir Nabokov’s “Lolita,” Alan Moore’s “Watchmen”: these are works that peer deep into the human condition, not the Jesus tale.
Zac Smith is an English junior.
In 2003, school officials in Safford, Ariz., caught a student with prescription strength ibuprofen (school policy banned all drugs.)
In what seems to me to be typical middle-schooler fashion, this student implicated another student, who then implicated a third: honors student Savana Redding, who reportedly had no history of disciplinary action.
Sounds like another day in the life of a middle school.
The unusual aspect of this particular case was that, upon fail-ing to find the drug in Redding’s backpack, school officials strip-searched her to her undergarments, which they then instructed her to shake out, without even parental consent.
T h i s d u b i o u s a c-tion has led to a battle reaching all the way to the Supreme Court and
calling into question every citizen’s right to privacy.
The Four th Amendment to the Constitution states, “The right of the people to be secure … against unreason-able searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”
School officials had no reason to sus-pect Redding was hiding anything in her undergarments, and to me that consti-tutes a clear violation of constitutional rights.
But that’s for our justices to decide, as they supposedly have a firmer grasp on what is and is not constitutional than the rest of us.
What concerns me, however, is the idea espoused by both school officials and Justice Souter.
Souter said, “The Principal might rea-sonably think it’s better to embarrass a student than risk violent illness or death.”
While on the surface this argument seems reasonable (would you rather be embarrassed or die?), it implies some frightening things.
First, school officials would have more power than police officers in the case of strip searches.
Officers require a warrant.School officials apparently wouldn’t
even require parental consent, if Safford officials’ actions are sanctioned.
Second, the frequency of strip searches would undoubtedly increase.
It’s one thing to have a rare incidence of strip searches in extreme circumstances. It’s quite another to say officials have a right to strip-search someone when there’s a suspected safety threat.
We’ve all met power-hungry or irratio-nal authorities. Imagine their mere suspi-cion being enough to legally justify a strip search.
Finally and most importantly, legal justification of such actions smacks of the authoritarian state, where privacy is non-existent and freedom is sacrificed to “en-sure” physical safety.
While giving the right to school officials to strip-search students doesn’t necessar-ily send us spiraling down some slippery slope, it does strengthen the idea that pri-vacy doesn’t really matter.
The next logical step when school offi-cials can conduct strip searches with little to no evidence is to allow police officers and other authorities the same privilege.
And it’s far easier for police with guns to abuse this power than middle-school officials with report cards.
The Fourth Amendment stands in di-rect opposition to this notion that person-al liberty should be sacrificed in the name of imagined threats to public safety.
Yes, Souter and others are just trying to keep us safe, and I appreciate their thoughtfulness.
But conducting strip searches when-ever there’s a threat to my safety is a bit much.
I’d very much like to live while I’m alive and not have to worry about people look-ing over my shoulder all the time to make sure I’m alright.
Yes, it’s hard to exercise personal liberty when you’re dead, but this alone doesn’t justify such measures as strip searches, for it’s also hard to live without liberty.
Michael Wilkinson is a University College fresh-man.
Story of Jesus a ‘pervasive nonsensicality’STAFF COLUMN
STAFF COLUMNOUR VIEW
ZACSMITH
CASE CHALLENGESPERSONAL CHOICE
MICHAELWILKINSON
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
COURT GUILTY OF PARANOIAIf there was one word that might sum
up the tone of Superior Court’s recent election decision, it’s paranoia.
The court seems to see itself as the guardian and protector of voter rights – alleging that people are out “to limit the court’s ability to redress grievances, strip it of its independence, and to make a po-litical statement.” Yet, at the same time, it is taking on a role that no court in the entire country would assume – throwing out a vote of the electorate because it is afraid that some people might have made up their mind frivolously in a passing mo-ment. It is not a court’s place to make that determination.
“Undue influence” is the term used in election law when there is coercion – when there isn’t a secret ballot and people are standing over your shoulder watching you cast your vote. It’s not meant to be ap-plied to figure out the persuasive effect of various endorsements or pieces of cam-paign literature. Once you get into that, it’s an endless cycle. You get into regu-lating the content of speech. And, that’s censorship.
Contrary to the court’s opinion, there were no significant election irregularities in the CAC case. People got to cast their vote for whomever they wanted. No voter rights were denied to anyone. And, there’s nothing to suggest that the vote count
might be in doubt. The court’s decision to question how people might have made up their mind is the only violation of voter rights that has occurred. The court also seems to speculate a lot about the mo-tives for recent acts amending the elec-tion code to clarify the court’s role. As a co-author of the legislation, perhaps I can settle that question once and for all.
Superior Court members should apply the skills they learned in law school to the controversies they face. Look at the cur-rent state of election law, explain how these matters are usually decided in real life and then make a decision. That’s how common law usually works.
Using the excuse that this process is too complicated to be used on campus is simply a justification for laziness. The basic principles of justice do not change depending upon one’s education level. Common law was being used by illiter-ate peasants in England in the medieval ages. One would think students pursuing a higher education might also be able to handle such ideas – the most basic being that matters are settled according to prec-edents rather than just whatever a court decides to make up.
Had Superior Court conducted any real legal research, its decision might have been different.
Nicholas Harrison, JD/MBA student
Practical coursework benefi cialfor students and the community
Mechanical engineering seniors are build-ing a device that will get a disabled woman from her wheelchair to her shower.
Their project is a noble one, and we think more departments and majors should fol-low suit by offering challenging education in the form of practical projects that benefit someone other than the students who do the research.
Sure, there are some majors and cap-stones that would have to try pretty hard to make its senior research something as ben-eficial as the engineering department’s.
But some departments could do it with-out much trouble.
A host of majors, for example, could eas-ily provide the opportunity for students to teach certain material to students who need it, or to tutor underprivileged students who might otherwise not receive such educa-
tion.English literature students could spend
time teaching and helping students and chil-dren who can’t yet read.
Botany majors could make environmen-tal cleanup proposals and put them to use by establishing a long-term project.
Political science students could work on campaigns.
Examples abound.College is, ultimately, about learning.And, in most cases, one learns by doing
and practicing.After four years in the classroom, it can
only be beneficial to put the knowledge to work in the real world.
Ultimately, this would refine abilities and allow students to practice valuable skills. Both are great for the community, and for the students’ education.
WOMEN’S GOLF TAKES THIRD AT BIG 12 TOURNAMENT, DYE MOVES ON TO REGIONALS
The women’s golf team fi nished third at this weekend’s Big 12 tournament in Lubbock, Texas.
The women shot a third round + 29 on the fi nal day to shoot a + 62 in the tournament, while Texas A&M took second with a +46 and No. 4 Oklahoma State won the tournament running away with a + 33 fi nish.
“I am very proud of the team because these were very tough conditions to play under and stay focused,” head coach Carol Ludvigson said. “Everyone worked very hard and fought the entire time.”
Senior Kendall Dye tied for fi rst individually in the tourna-ment, with a + 6. Texas A&M’s Ashley Freeman fi nished tied with Dye, and then beat the Sooner on the second hole of a playoff.
“Kendall stayed focused and really stuck to her game plan and I’m very proud of her for doing that,” Ludvigson said. “She really has been working on her knock-downs and that really paid off.”
Freshman Kelly Short recorded fi ve birdies on the fi nal day en route to a + 2 on the fi nal day. She fi nished tied for 23rd place. with a + 18. Senior Staci Smoot also fi nished in 23rd.
Sophomore Ellen Mueller fi nished at + 20, good enough for 31st place and sophomore Sara Hemingway got a +19 to fi n-ish 60th.
The Sooners found out Monday they did not receive a bid to play in the NCAA Central Regional tournament. However, Dye will compete individually.
Last season, when the Sooners competed at Regionals, Dye fi nished in a tie for 35th place.
In this year’s Regional, 324 participants will compete and 126 — eight teams and two individuals — will advance to Nationals.
The NCAA Championship fi nals will take place May 19 - 22 in Owings Mills, Md. at the Caves Valley Golf Club.
SOONERS’ ANDERSON, HERNANDEZ CLAIM CONFERENCE PITCHER, PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Junior pitcher Chase Anderson and junior shortstop Bryant Hernandez swept the weekly Big 12 awards as they were named Phillips 66 Big 12 Player and Pitcher of the Week respectively, on Monday.
The awards come after the Sooners swept then No. 9 Baylor over the weekend in a three-game series.
Monday’s announcement marks the fi rst time either player received the award, and the second time a Sooner has been honored by the Big 12 this season.
Texas A&M’s Kyle Colligan was named Player of the Week along with Hernandez.
Hernandez had a hit in all four games last week — the three against Baylor and one against Wichita State on Wednesday — and had multiple hits in two of the games.
He hit .353 for the week with two home runs, and fi ve RBIs. Hernandez is batting . 376 on the season, ranking second on the game. He is OU’s leader in RBIs with 48 and is fourth with eight home runs.
Anderson came in three times in relief for the Sooners in the past week, and did not surrender a run to the Shockers or Bears in 7 1/3 innings of work.
Anderson allowed only one hit and struck out 10 in his three appearances.
Anderson recorded his fi rst win of the season on Sunday against Baylor after going 4 1/3 innings. Baylor and Wichita State hit .042 when Anderson was in the game.
The No. 9 Sooners will next be in action today against No. 8 Arkansas.
They’ll return home for a three-game series against Kansas this weekend. The fi rst game is set for 6:30 p.m. on Friday. The series will continue through Sunday. — Daily Staff
BASEBALL
Sooners travel to ArkansasBattle for conference
bragging rights begin at
6:30 p.m. in Fayetteville
JONO GRECOThe Oklahoma Daily
Coming off a much-needed sweep of No. 17 Baylor in Waco, Texas, the No. 9 baseball team looks to continue the SEC/Big 12-supremecy argument 6:30 tonight against No. 12 Arkansas in Fayetteville.
BREAKING DOWN THE CONFERENCESSEC2009 Record: 329-200Teams in Baseball America’s Top 25: SixConference batting average: .302Conference ERA: 4.90Versus Big 12: 2-2National Championships: Six (Georgia (1), Louisiana State (5))BIG 12
2009 Record: 266-168-3Teams in Baseball America’s Top 25:
FiveConference batting average: .299Conference ERA: 4.66 Versus SEC: 2-2National Championships: Two
(Texas (2))
BREAKING DOWN THE TEAMSNO. 12 ARKANSAS RAZORBACKSRecord: 29-12, second in SEC WestHome Record: 19-7Weeks in Baseball America’s Top 25: 10Batting Average: .278 (Last in SEC)ERA: 4.36 (Third in SEC)Versus Big 12: 2-2Versus like opponents: 7-2National Championships: ZeroPlayer to Watch: Sophomore infield-er Andy Wilkins
Wilkins is the only Razorback to start all 41 games this year, and leads
the team in homers (13) and RBIs (34). His .315 batting average is second on the team and he has a fielding per-centage of .985.NO. 9 OU
Record: 33-11, second in Big 12Road Record: 14-9Weeks in Baseball America’s Top 25: 10Batting Average: .329 (First in Big 12)ERA: 4.73 (Sixth in Big 12)Versus SEC: 0-0
Versus like opponents: 9-3National Championships: Two (1951 and 1994; both prior to joining Big 12)Player to Watch: Senior catcher J.T. Wise
.368 average, 14 home runs (leads team, second in Big 12), 40 RBIs
Coming off a 5-12 performance with two homers and RBIs against Baylor, Wise should continue his hot streak at the plate whether he is starting behind the plate or as the designated hitter.
AMY FROST/THE DAILY
Senior second baseman Matt Harughty is hit by a pitch during OU’s game against Nebraska March 29.
Wednesday:Softball at Oklahoma State, 7 p.m.Men’s golf at Big 12 tournament in Kansas
COMING UP »
At The University of Oklahoma, Intersession gives students three opportunities a year (December, May and August)
to earn college credit between regular semesters.Graduate on time or early!!!
The University of Oklahoma Outreach
Check out our class schedule at:
or call (405) 325-2899
May 18 - June 6, 2009
August 4-22, 2009
6 Tuesday, April 28, 2009
POST-NFL DRAFT ANALYSIS
Lions overspent on Stafford
I t doesn’t matter how NFL-ready a rookie is considered; a team com-ing off arguably the worst season
in NFL history should not be spending the kind of money the Detroit Lions did on quarterback Matthew Stafford when it has more pressing issues.
Before Stafford’s name was called Saturday afternoon at Radio City
Music Hall as the No. 1 overall pick, he agreed to a six-year, $78 million contract with $41.7 million guaranteed with a Lions team that did the unthinkable in 2008 by going 0-16.
The guaranteed money is the most given to any player in NFL history, surpass-
ing the $41 million the Washington Redskins gave defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth in February.
Even though Lions’ quarterback play last season was one of the many reasons they did not win a game, spending that much money on a play-er who may not be the day-one starter is absurd. Detroit signed veteran quar-terback Daunte Culpepper last season, and it is predicted he will be under center in the season-opener on Sept. 13 against the New Orleans Saints.
This kind of money is a statement from a Lions’ front office that it is mak-ing a concerted effort away from the direction the team has been spiraling toward under recently-removed presi-dent Matt Millen.
Still, the statement implies that the Lions are not as worried about fixing their defense. Last season the defense ranked last in points allowed per game (32.3), yards allowed (404.4), rush yards allowed (172.1) and ranked 27th in pass yards allowed (232.2).
The money they are giving to Stafford could be put to better use on
the other side of the ball. The Lions will not be a playoff contender if they have an all-pro quarterback but an Arena League-caliber defense.
Also, it has yet to be seen whether or not Stafford will become the next Peyton Manning or Ryan Leaf. Both quarterbacks were considered to be the best players coming out of the 1998 NFL Draft, but they took different ca-reer paths.
Manning still is with the team that drafted him, the Indianapolis Colts, and is one of the NFL’s elite quarter-backs. Leaf was drafted by the San Diego Chargers and lasted four sea-sons that were highlighted by videos of self-destruction that can be found all over YouTube.
Everyone in Detroit should pray that Stafford is not the next Leaf, and that by the time he takes his first NFL snap he has a defense that will give him an opportunity to win games.Jono Greco is a journalism sophomore.
CRAIG RUTTLE/AP
Georgia’s Matthew Stafford, right, holds up a jersey with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, after the Detroit Lions selected Stafford as the No. 1 overall pick in the first round of the NFL Draft Saturday at Radio City Music Hall.
STAFF COLUMN
JONOGRECO
STAFF COLUMN
Raiders continue to make same mistakes in draft
I n Oakland, it appears a new catch phrase is popping up.
After this weekend, Raider fans everywhere now can say, “Once you go workout warrior, you never go back.”
The man in charge over there, Al Davis, always has been known for crazy picks. He loves potential, he loves speed and he loves good size. He flat-out loves players who are physically intriguing.
This year, Davis drafted the fastest 40-yard-dash time again – Maryland wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey – with the seventh overall pick, when clearly better receiv-ers were available in Texas Tech’s Michael Crabtree and Missouri’s Jeremy Maclin.
In the second round, Davis went with Ohio safety Michael Mitchell, whom the draft commentators knew nothing about. He was not even posted on draft sites.
It seems like if a player had no arms, a bad attitude and record, couldn’t read, and ran a 4.2 40 at the combine, Davis still would draft him.
It’s been that way for a while, and it will probably stay that way until he croaks.
For instance, in 2005 the Raiders draft-ed a cornerback from Nebraska with the 23rd overall pick. He ran the fastest time that year with a 4.25 40-yard dash. Now, he doesn’t even play for the team anymore.
He wanted out of the crummy franchise after the team showed interest in DeAngelo Hall.
Then there was the 2007 No. 1 pick. LSU’s JaMarcus Russell’s huge frame and cannon arm looked like a perfect fit for Davis. It’s too early to tell, but Russell hasn’t done much yet.
Also, the player who most scouts said was the safest pick in the draft last year – Raiders’ running back Darren McFadden – had one bright spot early in the season but failed to do much after that. Maybe he wasn’t the player everyone thought he was.
Or perhaps it’s just a terrible place to produce.The Raiders were the first team in league history to lose
at least 11 games in six straight seasons. And it all ties back into drafting; an area in which
Oakland must improve.Sure, the defense is not bad. And the offensive potential
is through the roof at the skill positions.But the Raiders have nobody to block for these physical-
ly intriguing players. And they won’t have new faces from the draft in the offseason because, well, they didn’t draft any offensive linemen.
If only there was a workout warrior lineman who ran a 4.3 dash.MJ Casiano is a broadcast and electronic media sophomore.
MJCASIANO
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The Robert Dean Bass Memorial Scholarship was established in 1948 by
the late Mr. and Mrs. Harry W. Bass of Dallas, Texas, in memory of their
nephew, Lieutenant Robert Dean Bass, an OU student who died in World
War II. Lt. Bass, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Henry B. Bass of Enid, Oklahoma,
was studying engineering and geology when he was called to ac� ve duty
during his last semester in 1943. He was killed in ac� on in the winter of
1945 while serving with the Army Engineers in Germany. The scholarship
is awarded to outstanding students in poli� cal science and economics who
are interested in the promo� on of the American system of government
and free enterprise.
Th e College of Arts and Sciences, the Department of Political Science, and the Department of Economics proudly
announce the
2009-2010Robert Dean Bass Memorial
Scholars
Gran Torino R Taken PG1312:30 4:00 7:05 9:20 12:55 2:55 4:55 7:30 9:30
Last House On The Left R Confessions of a Shopahollic PG
T he opening sequence of Wilco’s lat-est DVD release “Ashes of American Flags” captures the band in sound
check at Oklahoma’s own Cain’s Ballroom on March 8, 2008, spliced in with shots of the sur-rounding area in north Tulsa and views from their tour bus as it travels down Interstate 44 on their journey across America.
Midway through the first song, “Ashes of American Flags” lead singer Jeff Tweedy is filmed from behind, singing the final verse to an empty room, wit-nessed only by the ancient paintings of country musi-cians past that line Cain’s walls: “I would like to sa-lute/The ashes of American flags/And all the fallen leaves/Filling up shopping bags.” 53-year-old guitar player Nels Cline then em-
barks on the song’s emotional culmination: a two-minute solo venturing everywhere from moody and sentimental to frenetic and soaring, with Glenn Kotche’s hard-charging drums plowing along behind.
The opening is profound and stunning. In addition to exhibiting the band’s incredible talent for live performance, it sets the theme for the entire DVD, one Tweedy best explained in interview with GQ magazine in March.
“Initially the idea was just to film some more shows that are interesting to us in terms of the venue,” he said. “The venues are places that represent something that kind of doesn’t exist anymore. Like Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for instance—just sort of a disap-pearing part of America. These are places that, I guess in a romantic way, we identify as the best parts of America, the most unique.”
The DVD is the band’s second such release, following “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart,” a black-and-white documentary of the band during the tumultuous recording of their fourth studio album, “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.” The DVD was released the same year as the album to few viewings outside of film festi-vals, though it provides fascinating insight to the inner politicking of rock bands and their handlers.
Ashes differs in that it’s a performance DVD with stunning footage chronicling the band on the road, all the while showcasing Wilco’s talents and quirkiness while at the height of their live game. It chronologically sequences film shot at five different shows on their 2008 spring tour, the first being in Tulsa. This con-cert would prove a formative evening in my young life, as I was roughly eight feet away from Cline while he shredded through tracks like “Side with the Seeds” and “Handshake Drugs” for two and a half hours.
Nostalgia aside, the film itself is mar-velous. Filmmakers Brendan Canty and Christoph Green shoot 88 minutes worth of the band Chuck Klosterman once dubbed “the Midwestern equivalent of Radiohead” for their tremendous blend of influences and
sound, ranging everywhere from alt-country and folk to progressive and jam. 20 of their best songs from each of the band’s studio al-bums (seven are DVD extras) make for a tre-mendous hour and a half of entertainment.
“The Late Greats” performed at Tipitina’s in New Orleans enjoys the benefit of a local horn section, the power duo of songs from Summerteeth, “Via Chicago” and “Shot in the Arm” go back to back in Nashville, and “Heavy Metal Drummer” cleans up at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C.
And for the nerdy fanboys like me, there are plenty of candid sequences of the band backstage and on the road. Keyboard player Mikael Jorgensen eats a banana and makes funny faces, and longtime bassist John Stirrat discusses how the small town where he grew
up in Mississippi “was an early Wal-Mart vic-tim”. Cline elaborates on the whiplash caused by his feverish guitar playing and waxes phil-osophic on bandmate Tweedy: “I don’t think he believes in truth.”
All told, the film is a tremendous document testifying to the band’s arresting live perfor-mance, interspersed by fascinating insight to Wilco’s life on the road. It’s a must-have for even the casual fan.
The DVD is available at record stores every-where and on iTunes. Wilco also is set to re-lease their currently unnamed seventh studio album in late June.
Matt Carney is a professional writing sophomore.
Concert documentary ties Wilco to OK
PHOTO PROVIDED
Wilco frontmen Jeff Tweedy (left) and John Stiratt (right) play at Chicago’s Riveria Theatre.
MATT CARNEY
TuesdayNEWMUSIC
« FRESH TUNESLooking for some new music?Check out this week’s new albums online at OUDaily.com.
OUDAILY.COM
Curtains fall on festCHARLES J. GANSAssociated Press Writer
NEW YORK — The curtain has fallen on the JVC Jazz Festival New York, and the Big Apple will likely be without a flagship jazz festival
until new sponsorship emerges.A spokesman for the Japanese electronics
company said it would not be sponsoring any jazz events in 2009, ending what he called "a productive and successful relationship" dat-ing back to 1984 when JVC first attached its name to the New York festival.
"JVC is proud of its association with the Jazz Festivals, but the marketplace in which JVC competes today has changed dramatically, and so JVC has chosen to take our promotion-al activities in a different direction, and one that will no longer include jazz event sponsor-ship," Terry Shea, a spokesman for the Wayne, N.J.-based JVC U.S.A., said in a statement e-mailed to The Associated Press.
Jazz impresario George Wein, who arranged the original JVC sponsorship deal, called JVC "the best sponsor anybody ever had."
Instead of a festival, the 83-year-old Wein is producing under his own name three con-certs at Carnegie Hall in late June, when the JVC event usually takes place. He chose per-formers he was confident could fill the costly venue — British singer-pianist Jamie Cullum and Diana Krall.
"I booked artists that I knew I could do on my own without a festival, without a sponsor, and at least not get hurt," said Wein in a tele-phone interview from his Manhattan home.
Last year's two-week JVC Jazz Festival New York featured nearly 40 concerts — including 11 in Carnegie Hall's two main performance spaces with such artists as Herbie Hancock.
AP PHOTO
George Wein announces the end of the JVC Jazz festival in New York City.
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SPECIAL NOTICES
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The University of Oklahoma is an Equal Opportunity Institution.
Previous Answers
4 3 12
4 5 39 2 4 7
7 2 1 5 9 83 8 6 2
3 7 814 9 8
Instructions:Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9. That means that no number is repeated in any row, column or box.
Previous Solution
Monday- Very EasyTuesday-EasyWednesday- EasyThursday- MediumFriday - Hard
DRIVIND UNDER THE INFLUENCEAlison Lane Travis, 20, East
Boyd Street, Saturday
CAMPUS NOTES
TODAY
PROFESSIONAL WRITING STUDENTS ASSOCIATION
The Professional Writing
Students Association
will host a meeting at 10
a.m. in Copeland Hall.
CHRISTIANS ON CAMPUS
Christians on Campus
will host a Bible study at
noon in the Oklahoma
Memorial Union.
OU HILLEL AND SOONERS FOR PEACE IN PALESTINE
OU Hillel and Sooners for
Peace in Palestine will
host a panel discussion
at 4:30 p.m. in Oklahoma
Memorial Union.
CAMPUS ACTIVITIES COUNCIL
Campus Activities Council
will host a showing of
“The Band’s Visit” at 8
p.m. in the Oklahoma
Memorial Union.
WEDNESDAY
OU HILLEL
OU Hillel will host Israel
Block Party at 10 a.m.
on the South Oval.
CHRISTIANS ON CAMPUS
Christians on Campus
will host a Bible
study at 12:30 a.m.
in the Oklahoma
Memorial Union.
RAISING THEIR VOICE
SHAKH AIVAZOV/AP PHOTO-
A demonstrator shouts during a rally Monday in front of Georgia’s parliament in the capital Tbilisi. Protesters in Georgia pressed their demand Monday that President Mikhail Saakashvili resign and vowed to keep trying to interfere with his work.
AP BRIEFS
IRAQI ARCHBISHOP DECRIES CHRISTIAN SLAYINGSKIRKUK, Iraq — At two Christian homes, the gunmen used the same methods: point-blank fi re that claimed three lives in a 30-minute span. The attacks left another outpost of Iraq’s dwindling Christian community frightened Monday that it could become caught in the struggles over disputed Kirkuk.
SAME-SEX COUPLES BEGIN TYING THE KNOT IN IOWASame-sex couples in Iowa began holding hastily planned weddings Monday as the state became the third to allow gay marriage, a leap that even some supporters fi nd hard to grasp in the nation’s heart-land.
GROUP TO AID
BUSINESSES SURVIVEOKLAHOMA CITY — A nonprofi t business consortium is trying to rally Oklahoma manufactur-ers to become more effi cient to survive in the tough economic
climate.Lt. Gov. Jari Askins, Attorney General Drew Edmondson, and other education and gov-ernment officials heralded the idea of “going lean” at a Capitol news conference on Monday.
JET FLYOVER IN LOWER MANHATTAN SETS OFF PANICNEW YORK — One of the presi-dent’s official planes and a supersonic fi ghter jet zoomed past the lower Manhattan sky-line in a fl ash just as the work day was beginning Monday. Within minutes, startled fi nan-cial workers streamed out of their offices, fearing a night-marish replay of Sept. 11.
RACIAL DISPARITIES PERSIST IN BETTER WAGE JOBSWASHINGTON — Blacks and Hispanics lag behind whites for higher-paying jobs at the larg-est rates in about a decade as employment opportunities dwindled during the nation’s economic woes and housing slump.
—AP
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
TAURUS (April 20-May 20) -- Without meaning to, you could come off as a bit harsh if you’re not careful. Be cognizant of treating all in a tactful and diplomatic manner, especially when dealing with a sensitive person.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20) -- Unless you carefully think through your every fi nancial move, there’s a good chance you’ll be careless at the wrong moment with something that could be very costly.
CANCER (June 21-July 22) -- Those same friends who are usually supportive of your undertakings could back away if they perceive your intentions to be selfi sh and self-centered. Don’t be overwhelmed by your wants.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) -- Don’t adopt a propensity for creating unnecessary problems with things or jobs that have been running smoothly. Don’t aim your weapons at your big toe.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -- Watch out for someone capturing your interest and drawing you into an exciting but infeasible scheme. Both you and this person will come out big losers.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) -- It’s imperative that you do every-thing in accordance with your highest standards at all times. Even one little slip-up will cause problems from competitors who are observing you closely.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) -- Guard against being drawn into a debate over an emo-tional issue that neither you nor another party can do anything about, even if you wanted to. It’s a waste of time and friend-ship.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) -- There is a strong chance that if you hang out with the wrong person, you might catch it from all sides. Not necessarily from your actions but from the ominous reputation of your companion.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- Don’t put yourself in a position where another thinks it’s OK to make a decision for you when you’re not present. Even if it serves his or her best interests, it might not serve yours.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) -- The demands made on you could end up becoming quite heavy if associates think it is OK to heap some of their responsibilities on you. Let it be known up front where you draw the line.
PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) -- Some kind of risky fi nancial venture might look extremely appealing if you kid yourself into believing it to be so. Finding companies or people who are giving things away is unlikely.
ARIES (March 21-April 19) -- One caustic remark may be all it takes to turn your household into a combat zone. Remember, you won’t be the only one who has ready-to-use rhetorical weapons on hand.
HOROSCOPE By Bernice Bede Osol
Copyright 2008, Newspaper Enterprise Assn.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009 9
Gold CrownSooner 2008/Crimson Traditions 2007 and OUDaily.com
Pacemaker Sooner 2007/ Crimson Traditions 2006
Pacemaker fi nalistOUDaily.com and Sooner 2008/ Crimson Traditions 2007
Honor Roll Yearbook AdviserLori Brooks, associate director
Designer of the YearJohn Salvie, Advertising design manager
Admiral William J. Crowe AwardMeredith Simons, The Oklahoma Daily editor
DID YOU KNOW?OU Student Media is among the nation’s best.
21Professional Awards
59Collegiate Awards
3 Best in Show
7 Best of Collegiate Design
4 SPJ Mark of Excellence Awards
2 Hearst Awards
42 Gold Circles
27 Sooner and Crimson Traditions
13 Oklahoma Daily
2 Sower Magazine
1 CNBAM Award
Visit www.studentmedia.ou.edu for more information on all the awards listed above.
The University of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity institution. Student Media is a department within OU’s division of Student Aff airs. SOWER
THE OKLAHOMA DAILYSOONER YEARBOOK
V I S I T O RG U I D E
S T U D E N T
M E D I A
10 Tuesday, April 28, 2009
I was 7-years-old when Disney’s “The Lion King” hit movie theaters. I can still remember the amazement I felt while getting enveloped in “The Circle of Life” as the film began and I
sat in that massive reclining seat, legs too short to touch the ground. It’s the first time I remember seeing a movie in a theater.
Last week, I felt a hint of that same awe and smallness as I sat in Civic Center Music Hall witnessing for the first time the universally lauded musical adaptation of the same film. That 7-year-old sense of wonder came rush-
ing back, and it was like 1994 all over again. Originally performed in 1997, the Tony
Award-winning “The Lion King” faithfully re-produces the narrative of the film, while adding additional songs by Elton John and Tim Rice. Julie Taymor’s stunning costume design is an elaborate combination of masks and puppets, and Richard Hudson’s scenic design is consis-tently overwhelming as one massive set fluidly melds into the next.
The show is so brilliantly conceived, it’s like watching the story for the first time. Fans of the film will have no trouble beating the characters to their lines, as most are indistinguishable from the movie, but there are constant visual surprises – a near life-size elephant rumbling down the aisle, whimsical silhouette work to represent the characters, a giant Mufasa face assembled by a group of dancers, each holding a piece on the end of a long pole.
There’s scarcely time to notice everything. Few scenes are static, and I found myself cran-ing my neck almost constantly to try to spot ev-erything taking place.
“The Lion King” represents a diffusion of styles into one another – ballet blending with African dance – and musical genres – the pop sensibility of John and Rice’s songs with more traditional African anthems. And all of it is irresistible.
The show heavily depends on its large cast of ensemble members who help give the show such an imposing sense of largeness, but there are plenty of standouts among the principal actors – especially the exuberant Phindile Mkhize as Rafiki and the deliciously malevo-lent Timothy Carter as Scar.
A national touring production of “The Lion King” has traveled across the country since 2002, but this is the tour’s first visit to Oklahoma City. The cast rotates often, but the sheer number of performances undertaken (the cast generally performs in each location for about five weeks, with around eight shows a week) lends an unfortunate air of efficiency to the production.
“The Lion King” is, by all means, still a tri-umph, and it’s certainly nothing you’d notice in the technically excellent aspects of the show, but there are tiny hints to the fact that the same show has been taking place nearly every night for quite a long time.
Still, that’s hardly a viable deterrent to the sensory feast the show provides – in an in-creasingly jaded world where it’s especially easy to allow that cynicism to overshadow the potential appreciation of art, “The Lion King” is a great reminder of the power of something beautiful.
Don’t worry so much about anything else – the inner 7-year-old sure wouldn’t.
Dusty Somers is a journaiism junior.
L&A BRIEFS
SNOOP DOGG TAKES STAND IN CIVIL TRIAL
SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Snoop Dogg says he didn’t hit a man with his microphone during a 2005 concert melee.
The rapper, whose real name is Calv in Broadus, took the stand Monday afternoon in a civil trial. He is being sued by Richard Monroe Jr., who claims he was seriously hurt by Broadus and his security guards after he came onstage during a show near Seattle.
Broadus told jurors he didn’t hit Monroe with a brass knuckle microphone as the man con-tends.
He said Monroe only had him-self to blame for his injuries and shouldn’t have come onstage.
Monroe testified Friday he thought he had been invited onstage. He sued the “Gin and Juice” rapper in 2006, seeking millions.
OHIO CITY GIVES FREE LENO SHOW TICKETS
WILMINGTON, Oh io (AP) — Residents rocked by thousands of layoffs at the local airport or oth-erwise struggling to survive in the shaky economy are hoping that laughter is the best medicine.
By late Monday afternoon, an estimated 3,300 tickets had been handed out for next month’s free comedy show by Jay Leno, who is bringing his act to south-west Ohio as a morale booster.
People in shorts, sunhats and baseball caps sat in lawn chairs or on the ground to form lines that stretched out from four entrances to the Roberts Centre, where Leno will hold his Comedy Stimulus show May 10.
AP
DUSTY SOMERS
‘Lion King’ upholds childhood expectations
PHOTO PROVIDED
Timothy Carter as “Scar” and Dionne Randolph as “Mufasa” face off in “The Lion King” at the Civic Center Music Hall in Oklahoma City.
