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TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 1, 2009

Check out what improvements were made to Walker Tower in its fi ve years of construction.PAGE 3

newsBYU and the Mountain West Conference have a lot to prove this weekend. Find out the details inside.PAGE 6

Read about one student’s eye-opening

experience at Bobo’s Chicken.

PAGE 9

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STUDENT VISITS PHILIPPINES FOR MISSIONARY WORKOrphanage founded by Tebow

family sends message of hope

CAITLIN HARRISONThe Oklahoma Daily

OU may always remain a rival of the University of Florida, but one OU student is proving that when you’re working to change lives halfway around the world, any rivalry can be overcome.

Sara Norton, professional writing senior, spent her summer on a mission trip in the Philippines where she worked at three or-phanages on the island of Mindanao, includ-ing Uncle Dick’s Home, founded by the fami-ly of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow. Norton said although she spent two weeks at the or-phanage, she never actually met Tebow.

“[The kids] are always talking about him,” Norton said. “I told them I was from OU, and that we’re kind of the enemy of the Florida Gators, and they’re like, yeah we know. We watched the National Championship game

and we have a copy of it, and I’m like, oh great.”

Home to 50 orphans, Uncle Dick’s Home was founded by the Bob Tebow Evangelistic Association in 1992 in an effort to teach the Gospel to children, according to the organi-zation’s Web site.

In conjunction with the International Mission Board, a mission organization of the Southern Baptist Convention, Norton served as a media missionary during her two-month stay in the Philippines. Her job was to partici-pate in mission work, write a blog, and take pictures of her experiences and the experi-ences of three ministry teams composed of college students from around the U.S. She also wrote articles about the trip to send to different newspapers and magazines.

“It was really special for me because I was able to use my talents and abilities in the things that I’m learning here in the College of Journalism, halfway around the world, to minister to these kids and to share their

PHILIPPINES CONTINUES ON PAGE 2

New children’s medical center opens in Oklahoma City

YOU CAN TRACK THE OKLAHOMA DAILY ON TWITTER FOR UPDATES THROUGHOUT THE DAY. VISIT TWITTER.COM TO FOLLOW @OUDAILY.

PHOTO PROVIDED

Sara Norton, professional writing senior, smiles with the children she worked with at an orphanage in the Philippines. Norton did her missionary work through the Bob Tebow Evangelistic Association.

OU IT has a solution for dilemma, other options available

RICKY MARANONThe Oklahoma Daily

Personal computer users at OU who are struggling to use Desire2Learn may be able to blame the newest version of Microsoft’s

Internet Explorer for their troubles.“Currently, faculty members utilizing IE8 can-

not upload content to D2L, and students experi-ence issues viewing D2L content through IE8,” Nick Key, OU information technology spokesper-son, stated in an e-mail.

The issues arose because Microsoft was still beta-testing Internet Explorer 8 when OU released D2L’s current version, which prevented OU’s IT de-partment from testing D2L’s interaction with IE8, Key stated.

He said a solution is in place and ready to be deployed.

“OU IT has scheduled deployment of [the] fix for Friday, Sept. 18, at 9 a.m.,” Key said. “The outage will last for about one hour and should repair the incompatibilities faculty, staff, and students are currently encountering.”

D2L still functions normally on Firefox ver-sions 3.0 and higher, according to learn.ou.edu.

The current version of Firefox is 3.5, according to mozilla.com. D2L only supports version 2 of Safari, Apple’s web browser, according to learn.ou.edu. Safari’s current version is 4, according to Apple’s Web site.

Internet Explorer 8 users can also revert back to IE7 to enjoy full use of D2L, Key stated.

“Once you log in to learn.ou.edu, click the “Internet Explorer 8” link in the D2L Browser Support Information box (center of page) for step-by-step rollback instructions,” he stated.

Students and faculty have been facing problems with the Web site since school began.

“I heard I should upgrade to [Internet Explorer] 8, but then I started hearing all of these problems and negative things about the new version, which makes me glad that I haven’t upgraded,” Jake Buckle, political science junior, said.

Professors have already found alternatives to be better than Internet Explorer 8.

“There are just too many bugs and problems with Internet Explorer 8,” Todd Sandel, communi-cations professor, said. “I prefer to use Firefox and Chrome myself.”

Key also stated that OU IT is watching how Mac systems will perform with OU online services with the release of the new operating system, Snow Leopard.

“While there have been very few compatibility issues associated with Mac OS updates throughout

the years,” Key stated, “Snow Leopard is a brand new animal.”

“Since Desire2Learn has not yet performed quality assurance or compatibility testing, Snow Leopard is not officially a supported operating sys-tem at this time. D2L will definitely support Snow Leopard in the future, but we do not yet know when they will add it to the supported [operating system] list.”

Students face trouble with D2L and Internet Explorer 8

What works: Internet Explorer 7, Safari version 2 and Firefox version 3 and above.

What doesn’t: Internet Explorer 8, Safari version 3 and above and Firefox below ver-sion 3.

When IE8 will work: OU IT is fi xing the sys-tem at 9 a.m. Sept. 18. D2L will be down for about one hour while the fi x is installed.

Where to go if you need help: OU IT Help Centers in Felgar Hall, Room 300 and Couch Tower, Room 146W. Help is also available by calling OU IT at 325-HELP. Also, instructions for reverting back to IE 7 are available after logging into learn.ou.edu.

WILL IT WORK?

Family-friendly buildings allow easy

access and grief-free visits

MEREDITH MORIAK The Oklahoma Daily

OKLAHOMA CITY- More than 100 physicians spe-cializing in pediatric medicine will begin treating pa-tients and visiting with families Tuesday morning.

Beginning Friday, physicians moved their practices and 2,040 boxes of medical records into a state-of-the-art, 14-story medical office building on the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center campus.

The OU Children’s Physicians Building is the larg-est building constructed in Oklahoma City in 25 years, and is the first freestanding, pediatric multi-specialty medical office building in the state, said Dean Gandy, executive director of the University Hospitals Authority and Trust.

“The completion of this building marks another milestone to advance health care in Oklahoma,” said Joseph Ferretti, senior vice president and provost of OUHSC.

“This is a momentous occasion that brings a group of physicians dedicated to children to one place,” said

GRAPHIC PROVIDED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA HEALTH SCIENCES CENTER

GRAPHIC BY LUKE ATKINSON/THE DAILY

CENTER CONTINUES ON PAGE 2

Terrence Stull, chair of the OU College of Medicine depart-ment of pediatrics.

The $59,263,000 building houses physicians with spe-cialities focusing on children’s health issues including cancer, diabetes and pediatrics, according to a fact sheet provided by OU Children’s Physicians.

M. Dewayne Andrews, OU College of Medicine execu-tive dean, said the new facility is incredible compared to the “maze” of buildings which formerly housed children’s clinics and the children’s hospital.

“This is a special building, this is a special day and a spe-cial thing for the children of Oklahoma,” Andrews said.

In the past, business was conducted in three “impossi-ble” buildings with little parking and elevators that did not connect throughout the building, said Kenneth Copeland, OU Children’s Physicians diabetes specialist.

The new building promotes a family-friendly atmo-sphere and the $17,167,000 parking garage offers more than 900 parking spots in close proximity to elevators, Copeland said.

“We are thrilled about the ease of access for patients,” Copeland said. “Coming to the doctor’s office should bring relief, not additional challenges.”

The building features bright yellow walls, funky furni-ture, craft areas for children and wireless internet for pa-tient and family use.

“A building is just a building. It takes the people and programs to make it, and I’m very proud of the people and programs here,” Andrews said.

A six-story atrium is the second phase of the project and expected to be completed in a few months, said Jorge Charneco, a designer with Miles Associates. The atrium will feature significant pieces of artwork and serve as a front door to the hospital.

“We wanted something dynamic and fun for the hospi-tal,” Charneco said.

The third phase of the project will begin about six months after the atrium’s completion and feature a $14,246,000 education and conference center for use by the entire OUHSC campus, Gandy said.

Meredith Moriak, managing editordailynews@ou.edu • phone: 325-3666 • fax: 325-6051

2 Tuesday, September 1, 2009

stories and to share what God’s doing through college stu-dents just like us, with those kids, and how he’s working in their lives and providing for them,” Norton said.

Norton said she did not initially know any of the 70 mis-sionaries with whom she traveled to the Philippines, but they quickly bonded with one another.

“It was very neat to be working with people who had the same passions that I do and have the desire to serve in international missions,” she said. “It was neat to have that encouragement and that support together with them, be-cause we were out of the country away from our parents and friends, in this new culture.”

As missionaries, Norton and her group participated in just about every aspect of the Filipino culture.

“We were eating what they were eating, we took public transportation like they did, we took showers outside with buckets like they did,” she said. “We were basically just sub-merged in their culture as much as we possibly could have been.”

At Uncle Dick’s Home, Norton said she and the other missionaries spent most days taking the kids to school, helping prepare meals, playing with the kids, helping with homework, teaching them English, praying and sharing the Gospel with them.

“It was a great experience working with different people and seeing God change the hearts of kids while I was over there,” she said. “And just to show them that we’re not too good for this, we care about you so much that we’re going to give everything up that we have, and come be with you, how you do, for a whole summer. It was a very humbling

experience for me.”Even though it appeared the kids were dedicated

University of Florida fans, that didn’t stop Norton from try-ing to change their minds.

“I left them OU T-shirts and an OU hat, and I would al-ways wear my OU shirts,” Norton said. “I told them that next time Tim Tebow comes, to tell him that they met me and I’m from OU and that we’re going to beat them next year.”

Norton said the children at the orphanage view Tebow as a brother, calling him ‘kuya Timmy,’ meaning ‘big brother’ in Filipino. He taught them to play football and gave them autographed Florida Gators T-shirts.

“Every day we would see at least one kid walking around with a T-shirt that had Tim Tebow’s signature on it,” she said. “They really admire him and the work that he does, and they want him to come back. They want people to be there that love them, and he definitely cares for them when he goes.”

Even if she didn’t convert any children to Sooner fans, Norton said she feels like she made a difference in their lives as well as her own.

“It was a huge learning experience for me. I really feel like I found my calling in life, just being able to use my tal-ents to serve other people and to bring glory to God,” she said. “I feel like that’s what I want my life to be about.”

Norton said she plans to pursue a career as a media mis-sionary, in which she would work in a foreign country and promote mission work through blogging, photography and U.S. correspondence.

“Every time I go, it just changes my perspective on the world more, and shows me that all the stuff that we have and all the things we do to be successful, over there, they don’t matter at all,” she said. “There’s nothing better, and nothing more that I want to do with my life.”

PhilippinesContinued from page 1

PHOTO PROVIDED

Children at Bob Tebow’s Evangelistic Association’s orphanage smile for a photo. OU student Sara Norton, professional writing senior, worked at the orphanage this summer.

2,040 boxes packed150 movers100 physician practices moved8 months to plan the move3 days to complete the move

14 stories336,000 square feet1,094 doors2,400 tons of steel3,054 panes of glass1,791,884 mosaic tiles used in the fl oor19,800 cubic yards of concrete$59 million project128,000 offi ce visits a year

Source: OU Children’s Physicians

BY THE NUMBERS: ON THE MOVE

CenterContinued from page 1

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Tuesday, September 1, 2009 3

KALI CARTERThe Oklahoma Daily

Five years of construction in the residence halls are fi-nally finished with the most recent completion of Walker Center

“Renovation within the residence hall area concluded in summer 2009, offering renovated Tower residence hall rooms and upgrades to restaurants,” Lauren Royston, direc-tor of marketing and public relations for Housing and Food Services, said.

Construction on the residence halls began in 2004 with the renovation of Adams Center.

“Each tower was completed in phases of wing-to-wing renovation,” Royston said. “Step by step, we were able to renovate an occupied residence hall with minimal disrup-tion to residents and campus life while still accommodating the housing needs of OU students and bringing life to the University experience.”

Royston said renovations to the towers include lighting, floors, fresh paint, movable furniture and new fixtures in the restrooms. All tower rooms also now offer high-speed wire-less Internet.

Liz Smith, psychology junior, lived in Walker Tower her freshman year, and said she is happy the construction is fi-nally finished.

“It seems like it took forever,” Smith said. “Walker was nothing compared to the other towers when I lived there.”

Not only do dorm residents not have to live in residence halls undergoing construction, they get the benefits of the newly-renovated Couch Restaurants.

The Restaurants upgraded seating areas, floors and walls this summer. Royston said other improvements include bet-ter equipment, machines and more cubbies for personal belongings.

There is also a new media center which provides guests

with the ability to watch the daily news or their own per-sonal LCD TVs. Royston said the new seating area can be reserved by student organizations for events and programs.

“The spaces in Couch Restaurants are designed to encour-age a sense of community and offers features conducive to students gathering together and spending time with one an-other,” Royston said.

UPGRADED AMENITIES AMONG RECENT IMPROVEMENTS

ELIZABETH NALEWAJK/THE DAILY

Walker Tower opens it doors to students this fall after nearly three years of construction.

CAMPUS NOTES

The Daily draws all entries for

Campus Notes from OUDaily.

com’s comprehensive, campus-

wide calendar. To get your event

noticed, visit OUDaily.com

and fi ll out our user-friendly

form under the calendar link.

TODAYCHRISTIANS ON CAMPUS

Christians on Campus will host

a Bible study at noon in the

Oklahoma Memorial Union.

TOMORROWCHRISTIANS ON CAMPUS

Christians on Campus will host

a Bible study at 12:30 p.m. in

the Oklahoma Memorial Union,

INTERNATIONAL AND AREA STUDIES

The School of International and

Area Studies will host a Welcome

Back Barbecue at 4:30 p.m.

on the lawn of Hester Hall.

KAPPA PHI CHRISTIAN SORORITY

Kappa Phi Christian Sorority will

host a Rose Tea rush party at 8

p.m. at the Wesley Foundation.

CAMPUS CRUSADE FOR CHRIST

Campus Crusade for Christ

will host a Bible Study at 9

p.m. in the Santee Lounge

at the Gaylord Family

Memorial Stadium.

POLICE REPORTS

The following is a list of arrests

and citations, not convictions.

The information is compiled from

the Norman Police Department

and OUPD. All people listed are

innocent until proven guilty.

AGGRAVATED DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCERonnie James Babbet, 21,

West Boyd Street & 24th

Avenue S.W., Sunday

HOSTING OR PERMITTING A LOUD PARTYCole Garrett Bowers, 20, 1801

E. Imhoff Road, Sunday

ASSAULT AND BATTERYJerry Matthew Bryan, 19,

4400 W. Main St., Saturday

COUNTY WARRANTAndario Dewayne Cheadle, 34,

1318 Charlotte Court, Sunday

Jeffrey Harrison McCarver, 43,

1724 W. Lindsey St., Sunday

Abidemi Ehinmisan Sakote, 28,

1200 Morren Drive, Sunday

Toby Lynn Smith, 38, 920

24th Ave. S.W., Sunday

Timothy Windsor Stevens, 31,

1229 Lakecrest Drive, Sunday

MUNICIPAL WARRANTJeremiah Joseph Cox, 29,

1251 E. Alameda St., Sunday

John Arthur Williams, 48, 401

12th Ave. S.E., Sunday

DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCEKarly Leanne Fischer, 23,

North Porter Avenue, Sunday

Abraham Mark Santos Liongco,

21, West Lindsey Street, Sunday

PUBLIC INTOXICATIONAllen Michael Henrichs, 39,

111 W. Linn St., Saturday

Joshua Lee Jones, 30, West

Robinson Street, Saturday

Nakesha LaFaye Moore, 32,

36th Avenue N.W., Saturday

Lauren Michelle Yates, 22,

1801 E. Imhoff Road, Sunday

INTERFERING WITH OFFICIAL PROCESSAlyssa Gail Lankford, 20,

1801 E. Imhoff Road, Sunday,

also possession of alcohol

Jamie Michelle Myers, 19,

1801 E. Imhoff Road, Sunday

DRIVING WITHOUT A LICENSEVictor Rodriguez-Giron, 22,

East Boyd Street, Sunday, also

driving under the infl uence and

no insurance verifi cation

TRANSPORTING OPEN BOTTLESergio Rodriguez Vasquez, 24,

North Flood Avenue, Sunday,

also no valid driver’s license and

driving under the infl uence

It’s about that time of the year again. About this time each fall, The Office of the Bursar begins making available to students the first round of the fall monthly statements. This event crystallizes weeks of trepidation for students with tight budgets, and it confuses many fresh-men, who, prior to now, have been lucky enough to avoid dealing with the convoluted bills and state-ments that have become common place for older students.

I’m sure most of these older stu-dents are familiar with some of the recurring complaints about Bursar statements and billing in general.

They’re confusing, it’s difficult to ascertain what is a credit and what is a debit, the per credit hour tuition and fee system is convo-luted, and there is little indication of what the various segregated fees pay for outside of vague titles like “Academic Excellence Fee” and

“Assessment Fee.” Furthermore, because charges

are vaguely titled and unclearly listed, it is difficult to spot a poten-

tial mistake or excessive charge leaving me and many others I have spo-ken to wondering why our bills fluctuate wildly at the beginning of the semes-ter without any changes in course load or living arrangements.

But maybe the com-plexity of the system is necessary.

After all, the Bursar’s office is charged with billing about 25,000 students who are taking classes in disparate colleges and departments. Given that student fees vary depending on a student’s college, department and even sometimes the individual courses selected, maybe the bureaucracy charged with managing student payments is as simple as it can be.

M a y b e a l l t h o s e v a g u e “Academic Excellence” fees must

exist to facilitate a function-ing, large, high quality research university.

Before writing this column, I did a little research.

The first place I looked was the tuition Web site for the flagship university of my home state—The University of Wisconsin-Madison. There, rather than being assessed with a hodge-podge of tuition costs and fees, students are charged a flat rate, depending on their degree program, for enrollment anywhere from 12 to 18 hours, with rare ex-ceptions for certain courses or de-gree programs.

This simplicity must raise a very important question to us stu-dents here at OU: what obstacles to this simplicity exist here that do not exist at the University of Wisconsin?

The University of Wisconsin is nearly twice the size of OU by number of students enrolled, and it has as wide a variety of degree programs and as eclectic a course selection as OU. Like OU, it also

strongly emphasizes student in-volvement and research. So much for the necessity of our ubiquitous “Academic Excellence Fee.”

T h a t t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f Wisconsin-Madison, a research university much larger than ours, can sustain itself without levying a multitude of segregated per-credit-hour fees on its students suggests that maybe students don’t have to endure the uncertainty and confu-sion of our current system.

It suggests that the administra-tion can provide the same educa-tional quality to students without these convoluted bills. If abolish-ing the current billing system—the system that I have never once heard a student praise—is a pos-sibility, why hasn’t the administra-tion made it a reality? Surely they have our interests as students in mind and have no interest in the uncertainty and apprehension that our current system creates.

Surely they recognize that stu-dents’ Bursar charges often total in the thousands of dollars each

semester and that this cost is sig-nificant for working class families and self-supporting students.

Surely they understand that costs so signif icant must be planned for, that this planning necessitates accurate estimates of future costs and that our current system does not allow for these estimates.

OU is a public university, and we as students are ultimately both its constituents and its customers. As customers, we deserve trans-parency, regularity and account-ability in the way we are billed. As constituents, we should maintain our right to a say in how our uni-versity is run.

If it is possible to improve the status quo—and in this case, the University of Wisconsin-Madison illustrates that it is—then we as students need to give voice as to how, and the administration needs to listen.

Ian Wright is a political science sopho-

more.

When we venture off to college, most of us are free from our parents’ over-bearing

shadows. We are not forced to live

up to their expectations, and with this newfound freedom, we try to expe-rience new things, things that our parents would have forbid. One of these newfound freedoms is the freedom to smoke.

An average of 440,000 people die each year from lung cancer.

Even while knowing the facts and hav-ing to see the surgeon general’s warning on each pack of cigarettes, people still get that urge to light one up. And this is especially true for college freshmen.

College freshmen are sometimes the most susceptible to the dangers of start-ing to smoke, not only because it is a new found freedom of being away from their parents, but because it is a right given to them by the law.

People are more tempted to do things

that were previously forbidden to them. On this note, I think it is the responsibil-

ity of OU to prevent its students from be-coming statistics. OU needs to institute a smoke-free campus policy.

We have already become a dry campus, which may seem to be a more prudent transition, but many people who begin smoking at age 18 are frequent smokers by the time they are 21.

And by the time they are addicted, it is very difficult for them to stop, which may lead to health problems later in life.

OU officials may not feel they are at fault for this, but most college freshmen live in dorms and spend much of their time on campus. For those students who smoke, OU is a safe haven for lighting up, as long as they are 25 feet away from a building.

If OU were to institute a smoke-free campus policy, the smoking environment provided to students would ultimately be eliminated.

And those who choose to smoke are not the only ones in harm’s way. Second-hand smoke is dangerous as well.

And since in many places on campus

sidewalks are 25 feet away from buildings, walkers may be forced to breathe in the smoke on their way to class.

Although this may seem like nothing to worry about, if you pass through the smoke created by three smokers on your way to class each day, it would eventually build up, potentially leading to negative side effects.

Another area where students often smoke is outside of the dorms. Although this may only happen at night, it is com-mon occurrence.

At times, 10 or more students are smok-ing outside the dorms’ doors. For those who are trying to get into the building, walking through a large cloud of smoke on their ways in for the night is not very pleasant.

As a non-smoker myself, I have found that having to breathe in the musty smell of smoke not only affects my breathing, but it burns my nostrils. It is very unpleasant to have to walk through.

And a smoke-free policy would also be beneficial to OU. It would create a cleaner campus, a campus not littered with ciga-rette butts. A smoke-free policy could also

help to unify the colleges across the state. Oklahoma State University, the other major university in Oklahoma, has already initi-ated a smoke-free policy.

Although OU and OSU are considered rivals, if the two were to work together to create a smoke-free policy they would eliminate a large number of young smok-ers across the state.

If the universities take away the ability to smoke on campus, hopefully students may avoid becoming addicted.

The students who have already become regular smokers will find it very hard to ac-cept a new policy, but if a policy were to be instituted, maybe it could encourage them to overcome their addictions.

If such a policy were to be instituted the campus would also become a better envi-ronment for students who are non-smok-ers. It would not only allow them to have cleaner air to breathe, but it would also give them a cleaner campus, one of which to be proud.

Brandon Smith is a University College freshman.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR OUR VIEW

STAFF COLUMN

STAFF COLUMN

Will Holland, opinion editordailyopinion@ou.edu • phone: 325-7630 • fax: 325-6051

4 Tuesday, September 1, 2009

IANWRIGHT

BRANDON SMITH

Jamie Hughes Editor-in-ChiefMeredith Moriak Managing EditorCharles Ward Assistant Managing EditorRicky Ly Night EditorWill Holland Opinion EditorMichelle Gray, Merrill Jones Photo Editors

LeighAnne Manwarren Senior Online EditorJacqueline Clews Multimedia EditorAnnelise Russell Sports EditorCassie Rhea Little Life & Arts EditorJudy Gibbs Robinson Editorial AdviserThad Baker Advertising Manager

The Oklahoma Daily is a public forum and OU’s independent student voice.Letters should concentrate on issues, not personalities, and should be fewer than 250 words, typed, double spaced and signed by the author(s). Letters will be cut to fit. Students must list their major and classification. OU staff and faculty must list their title. All letters must include a daytime phone number. Authors submitting letters in person must present photo identification. Submit letters Sunday through Thursday, in 160 Copeland Hall. Letters can also be submitted via e-mail to dailyopinion@ou.edu.

Guest columns are accepted at editor’s discretion.’Our View’ is the voice of The Oklahoma Daily. Editorial Board members are The Daily’s editorial staff. The board meets Sunday through Thursday at 4:30 p.m. in 160 Copeland Hall. Columnists’ and cartoonists’ opinions are not necessarily the opinions of The Daily Editorial Board.

160 Copeland Hall, 860 Van Vleet Oval Norman, OK 73019-0270

phone:405-325-3666

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T O D

COMMENT OF THE DAY »In response to Monday’s news brief, “Deadlines keep Norman from stimulus grant”

“I sure wish there was a way to get from Norman to Bricktown on the weekends other than a $60 cab fare EACH way!

I do NOT own a car and there is NO public transport to the city on the weekends!!!

Too many individuals in Oklahoma are spoiled by cheap gas and most students have a parent-provided car.”

-Lamborghini

YOU CAN COMMENT ATOUDAILY.COM

THIS LETTER IS IN RESPONSE TO TRAVIS GROGAN’S FRIDAY COLUMN, “SOCIALIST NOT AN ACCURATE LABEL FOR AMERICA.”

In between some of the more confusing metaphors for the Republican Party (Since when do car salesmen possess “shark teeth?”) and his hate-filled rhetoric, Travis Grogan became guilty of exactly what he accuses the Republicans of doing.

While claiming that Republicans are unfairly calling leading Democrats “socialists,” Grogan proceeds to call conservative Republicans (like myself) “simpletons,” McCarthy-esque Commie haters, “harebrained,” “stupid,” “lazy” and “dumb.”

In yet another confusing metaphor that had some-thing to do with calling Jews Nazi sympathizers (I wish I were making this up), Grogan seems to call Republicans Anti-Semites!

According to Grogan, if we have any reservations about a completely government controlled national healthcare system, we are “stupid” followers of the “Axis of Evil.” If any opposing viewpoints are discussed or expressed on television, they are a “barrage of lies.”

The main point of his article is never even made clear: he seems to attack former President Bush for wanting to privatize health care, as many conservatives would want, but then criticizes the government for giving out bail-

outs, which is a distinctly non-conservative policy.His main argument to counter the Republican accu-

sations of socialism is to say (through yet ANOTHER metaphor) that the government has only taken “one step closer” to socialism.

I fail to see how this will assuage any fears of a social-ist government. If someone was told that a government was merely “one step closer” to Nazism or Communism, wouldn’t that make the person MORE likely to voice his opposition?

Grogan does not even go that far to defend the health care bill; while opponents claim that the bill will cre-ate a system similar to Canada’s ineffective one, Grogan gives the brilliant argument of “No it doesn’t.”

I am a Republican, and I disagree with most liberal philosophies, but I would like to hear some of the facts behind the health care bill. I would appreciate some logical and mature debate over the bill’s potential ben-efi ts and pitfalls.

However, Grogan’s apparent way of convincing Republicans to jump onboard is to pack as many insults into his column as he can and express his rage that oth-ers have the INSOLENCE to disagree with him.

I must say that I am disappointed. I expected an intel-ligent defense of the proposed health care and instead received an equivalent of “Your FACE is socialist,” spread out over a few hundred words.

Jake HayesMechanical engineering junior

Smoke-free campus would benefit students

Tuition and fee system should be, could be simpler for students

This morning student tickets for the OU-Texas football game went on sale, and we assume many of you purchased them, either because you want to attend the game or because you think you can resell your ticket for a profit.

If you bought a ticket to resell it, please don’t. You’ll regret it later when you look back on the four (or five or six) years you spent at OU and realize you sold your ticket to what could be one of the best OU-Texas games ever.

And for what? A couple hundred bucks you wasted on beer? It won’t be worth it.

As if you need a recap, the game promises to be epic this year for a few reasons.

First, both teams are ranked in the top five going into the season, and there is a high probability both will be there the morning of the game. Also, there is a good chance which ever team wins the Big 12, i.e. which ever team wins the Big 12 South, i.e. whichever team wins this game, will be playing for the national champi-onship in January.

Which reminds us of reason num-ber two for why this game should be incredible. Last year, OU played, in a losing effort, in the national champi-onship game (sorry to remind you), while the Longhorns watched from the sidelines, seething.

As you may remember, Texas thought they deserved to play in the national championship (they beat OU head-to-head earlier in the season), and they even may have claimed a Big 12 title (an achievement OU also claimed, albeit more legitimately).

And as if that wasn’t enough, this is very likely the last year each quarter-back will play in the game. OU quar-terback and Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford will probably be gone next season, and Heisman hopeful Colt McCoy, the UT quarterback, may be gone as well.

So if you were lucky enough to get a ticket, keep it, cherish it, love it. Put it underneath your pillow when you sleep at night. Or sell it and risk the hindsight heartbreak of knowing you missed what could be the game to end all games.

Do not sell that ticket!

Tuesday, September 1, 2009 5

LOS ANGELE — Mount Wilson opened the heavens and then be-came a modern hub for communi-cations on Earth. Now it is threat-ened by a force of nature that hu-mans may be powerless to control.

The w ildf ire ravaging the mountains north of Los Angeles drew within a half-mile of the re-vered Mount Wilson Observatory Monday, threatening the birth-place of modern astronomy as well as a virtual forest of communica-tion towers that serve the region.

Firefighters protecting Mount Wilson retreated Sunday but con-tinued to dump flame retardant around the towers, transmitters and telescopes from the air. They said little could be done to stop the advancing flames, or predict how much damage would be done if the blaze ascends the 5,700-foot peak.

“Whether it runs up to Mount Wilson and does intensive burn-ing or just burns slowly around Mount Wilson, that’s up to the fire. We have no control over that,” said Los Angeles County fire Capt. Mark Whaling.

Dozens of buildings are scat-tered around the complex, along with a trove of telescopes housed at the century-old observatory.

Firefighters worked for the past two days cutting fire lines around the most vulnerable structures. The goal was to minimize damage to the buildings, most of which are made mainly of steel and concrete.

Virtually all of Los Angeles’ TV stations — more than 20 — broad-cast from an “antenna farm” on the mountain. If the antennas, trans-mitters or generators are damaged by the fire, the city could lose nearly all over-the-air TV broadcasts.

Viewers on satellite or cable, which is about 85 percent of the

population, would be unaffected. Stations that still broadcast sig-nals from the area might be able to transmit from other locations.

John Holland, director of engi-neering at KABC-TV in Los Angeles, said it’s possible the TV station could stay on the air even if the fire burns through the complex. The station’s antenna is sturdily built, and the transmitter at its foot is housed in a concrete building. The

generator that kicks in if power is cut has several days’ worth of fuel.

If the fire does enough damage to shut down the antenna, the sta-tion would be off the air for at least a few hours, but KABC has a back-up on the way that could provide a signal to at least part of the city, Holland said.

Most of the city’s FM radio sta-tions also broadcast from Mt. Wilson. Of the five FM stations

Clear Channel Communications Inc. owns in Los Angeles, four have their antennas on the mountain. There are backup transmitters that could provide full coverage of the city, spokeswoman Michelle Clarke said.

Unlike TV and radio service, cell phone service is short-range, so any disruption from the fire would be local rather than citywide.

The telescopes at the 105-year-

old Mount Wilson Observatory were the premier instruments in astronomy in the first half of the 20th Century, and the first to show earth its place in its universe.

There are far more modern tele-scopes, but the observatory is still being used to make discoveries.

Just a couple months ago, a Nobel Prize-winning astronomer used Mount Wilson to discover that the star Betelgeuse appears to be shrinking. In 1920, Betelgeuse was the first star to be measured — and it was done at Mount Wilson.

Mount Wilson “literally revo-lutionized our perception of the universe after Copernicus,” said famed astronomer Wendy Freedman, director of the Carnegie Observatories, which ran Mount Wilson until 1989 when it was turned over to the Mount Wilson Institute. “It’s really hard to un-derstate the significance of Mount Wilson. These telescopes achieved something monumental.”

Pioneering astronomer Edwin Hubble used Mount Wilson as his base of operations. In 1925, Hubble proved that the Milky Way is one of many galaxies and then found that we aren’t even at the center of our own galaxy, Freedman said.

Hubble in 1929 used Mount Wilson to confirm that the universe is expanding. That led to the Big Bang theory of the universe.

Until after World War II, when newer observatories such as Mount Palomar were built, Mount Wilson was what is now the Hubble of ob-servatories. Albert Einstein visited. At least three of Jupiter’s moons were discovered there. It had the first 60-inch telescope, debut-ing in 1908, and the first 100-inch telescope, which first operated in 1917.—AP

Wildfire menaces observatory, TV towers

RICHMOND, Va. — Two of the three larg-est U.S. tobacco companies filed suit Monday to block marketing restrictions in a law that gives the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authority over tobacco, claiming the provisions violate their right to free speech.

R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., maker of Camel cigarettes, and Lorillard Inc., which sells the Newport menthol brand, filed the federal law-suit with several other tobacco companies.

It is the first major challenge of the legisla-tion passed and enacted in June, and a lawyer for tobacco consumers doubted the lawsuit will be successful.

The tobacco makers claim provisions of the law “severely restrict the few remain-ing channels we have to communicate with adult tobacco consumers,” Martin L. Holton III, senior vice president and general coun-sel for Reynolds, said in a statement.

The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act gives the FDA author-ity over tobacco for the first time and lets the agency reduce nicotine in tobacco products, ban candy flavorings and block labels such “low tar” and “light.” Tobacco companies also must put large graphic warnings over any carton images.

The companies say in their lawsuit that the law, which takes full effect in three years, prohibits them from using “color lettering, trademarks, logos or any other imagery in most advertisements, including virtually all point-of-sale and direct-mail advertise-ments.” The complaint also says the law prohibits tobacco companies from “making truthful statements about their products

in scientific, public policy and political debates.”

The tobacco makers say the new mandat-ed health warnings for cigarettes would rel-egate the companies’ branding to the bot-tom half of the cigarette packaging, making it “difficult, if not impossible, to see.”

The lawsuit doesn’t challenge the deci-sion to give the FDA authority over tobacco products, and Reynolds spokesman David Howard said the company opposes only por-tions of the law. —AP

Major cigarette makers sue over new tobacco law

BRUNSWICK, Ga. — Guy Heinze Jr. arrived home from a night out to find a gruesome scene — seven people dead, a cousin with Down syndrome clinging to life and anoth-er critically injured.

“My dad’s dead, my uncle’s dead. There’s like six. My whole family’s dead!” Heinze said, struggling to describe the scene to a dispatcher after his neighbor called 911 and handed him the phone. “It looks like they’ve been beaten to death. I don’t know what to do, man.”

Moments later, the 22-year-old went back inside and discovered his cousin Michael still breathing.

“Michael’s alive, tell them to hurry!” Heinze yelled in the background as a main-tenance man at the mobile home park stayed on the phone with the dispatcher. “He’s beat up! His face is smashed in!”

A 12-minute 911 call released Monday provided some of the only details about a crime — which the county police chief calls the worst murder case in his 25 years on the job — that has this coastal Georgia commu-nity on edge.

Heinze’s cousin, whom police identified as 19-year-old Michael Toler, died later at a hospital, bringing the total slain to eight. A ninth person remained in critical condition Monday. Police have not named any of the other victims and said they have no suspects.

They have released little information about the case because they do not want to jeopardize the investigation, frustrating residents who want to know if they should

be concerned about their safety.The Georgia Bureau of Investigation was

conducting autopsies, but Glynn County police, who would release results, declined to do so. The FBI is also investigating but re-ferred calls to county officials.

Heinze’s neighbor, Margaret Orlinski, told a dispatcher she was half-dressed Saturday morning when Heinze ran to her door at

New Hope Plantation, a mobile home park on the grounds of a historic plan-tation a few miles north of Brunswick, a city of about 16,000 between Savannah and Jacksonville, Fla.

“He sounds hysterical. I can’t understand him,”

Orlinski said on the call. “He’s freaking out.”

Orlinski declined to speak with a reporter when contacted by phone Monday.

“I have no comment,” she said. “This is my neighbor and my friend who was bru-tally slain.”

Heinze talked to the dispatcher, then gave the phone back to Orlinski and ran back into his home. When he returned, he told the dispatcher he had no idea who could have done it.

“I have to call my brother,” he said. “I gotta tell him my dad’s dead.”

Several hours later, police arrested Heinze on charges of drug possession, tam-pering with evidence and lying to a police officer. County Police Chief Matt Doering said he isn’t calling Heinze a suspect in the killings, nor is he ruling him out.—AP

Frantic Georgia 911 caller: ‘My whole family is dead!’

AP PHOTO

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger gives a hug to comfort fire victim Tami Higgs, who los her home in a fire, Sunday, while tour-ing the fire scene in Auburn, Calif. Monday. A fire that broke out Sunday swept through the area consuming more than 275 acres and destroying an estimated 50 homes.

AP PHOTO

Reynolds Tobacco Co. and Lorillard Inc., two of the three largest U.S. tobacco companies, on Monday, filed suit against federal authorities.

“He sounds hysterical. I can’t understand him. He’s freaking out.”

MARGARET ORLINSKI, NEIGHBOR

The Daily has a long-standing commitment to serve readers by providing accurate coverage and analy-sis. Errors are corrected as they are identified. Readers should bring errors to the attention of the editorial board for further investiga-tion.

In Monday’s edition of The Daily, Monique Gaines was incorrectly identifi ed as president of Sigma Lambda Delta in the story about the Multi-Greek Council. Gaines is president of Sigma Lambda Gamma. Also, an incorrect logo accompanied the story about the Pan American Student Association. The logo depicted the former airline Pan American World Airways, not the student organiza-tion.

OUR COMMITMENT TO ACCURACY

Annelise Russell, sports editordailysports@ou.edu • phone: 325-7630 • fax: 325-6051

6 Tuesday, September 1, 2009

JONO GRECO

The Oklahoma Daily

The first week of the season is usually reserved for the Sooners to beat around some scrub team and to get their feet wet.

Just look at its opponents from the last two years, Chattanooga and North Texas, that OU defeated by a combined score of 136-12.

But certain colossal victory is not cer-tain in this year’s opener on Sept. 5 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, against No. 24 Brigham Young University, which will be fighting for more than just

team pride. The Cougars are representing The

Mountain West Conference, a confer-ence that has been on the outside look-ing in at the Bowl Championship Series picture for years.

This game will tell the world a lot about BYU and other MWC teams, and that they deserve to be thrown into the mix of the national championship discussion.

The Cougars have not played in a BCS bowl game since the series’ conception in 1998, and there has yet to be a MWC team to play for a national championship.

The only team to make a BCS game has been the Utah Utes.

BYU has played in two BCS games, the 2008 Sugar B o w l a g a i n s t A l a b a m a and the 2004 Fiesta Bowl against Pittsburgh, post an undefeated record and have outscored its oppo-nents by 42 points.

Because of Utah’s suc-cess and the rise in non-BC S conference teams, S e n a t o r O r r i n H a t c h (R-Utah) has brought the smaller conference exclu-sion issue to Capitol Hill, where he looks to bring change and fairness to the BCS system.

Despite Hatch’s efforts, the BCS committee has said on numerous occa-sions that the system will re m a i n t h e s a m e f o r a while, which means BYU, Utah and teams like them h av e a d i f f i c u l t u p h i l l climb ahead of them.

The Cougars do not nec-essarily have to beat OU to help gain respect for the MWC.

The Cougers just have to play well and not get blown out.

But, putting up a good front against a Sooners team that has claimed the title of Big 12 Champions since 2006 en-tails a laundry list of problems.

OU returns a stout defense, is coming off a historic offensive 2008 season and is virtually playing Saturday’s opener at Cowboys Stadium at home.

BYU is currently having problems stay-ing healthy, which is the last thing head coach Bronco Mendenhall needs at the moment.

During practices leading into this sea-son, the Cougars have had more than 30 players go down with injuries, including the most recent injuries to junior running back Harvey Unga and senior safety Scott

Johnson, both of whom are starters.No matter what the f inal score of

Saturday’s game is, one big picture effect will result.

If the Cougars play a close game or win, then both they and the MWC can point back to this game as a statement that they can hang with an elite BCS team as support once the final BCS rankings are released in December.

An OU loss would almost crush the Sooners’ chances of making the national title game, while giving an entire confer-ence hope that BYU would be considered as a legitimate contender.

MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERNCE NO CAKEWALK

BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY IN 2008-2009

-Last year the Cougars were ranked as high as No. 7

- Finished third in the MWC with a 6-2 record

-Invited to the 2008 Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl

-One of only nine schools to fi nish the year ranked in the top 25 for the past three seasons

-Five Cougars named to the Mountain West Conference First-Team

-Ranked No. 6 nationally in pass offense

2009 CONFERENCE FOOTBALL PRESEASON POLL

Rank First Place Votes Points

1. TCU (15) 207

2. BYU (6) 190

3. Utah (3) 179 4. Air Force 130

5. UNLV 108

6. Colorado State 107

7. New Mexico 60

8. San Diego State 53 9. Wyoming 46

Meet one of this season’s rookies in tomorrow’s sports section.

« VOLLEBALL

FOOTBALL

JAMES ROTHThe Oklahoma Daily

Student tickets to the OU/Texas game went on sale today and with ticket in hand the next thing students must obtain is a place to stay.

Many students have friends and family in the Dallas area who will be willing to take pity and house a strug-gling college student, but others are going to have to find a place to stay amidst the thousands other who will mi-grate to Dallas, Texas.

The Daily sports desk researched various hotels throughout the Dallas metro to see if rooms were still available and compiled a list of options for students.

The prices are based on two people per room.

1) THE WESTIN PARK CENTRAL 9 miles from Cotton Bowl Rate $229 12720 Merit Drive (866) 716-813

2) WEST END HOTEL 2.6 miles from Cotton Bowl Rate; $2291015 Elm St. (866) 897-3588

3) SPRINGHILL SUITES BY MARRIOTT WEST END

2.8 miles from Cotton Bowl Rate $219 1911 N Lamar St. (214) 995-0500

4) LA QUINTA INN DALLAS EAST 3.7 miles from Cotton Bowl Rate $109 8303 E R L Thornton Freeway (214) 324-3731 * Daily’s Best Deals

5) RADISSON HOTEL CENTRAL

4.4 miles from cotton bowl Rate $101 6060 North Central Expressway (214) 750-6060 * Daily’ Best Deals

6) HILTON GARDEN INN

4.6 miles from Cotton Bowl Rate $ 149 2325 North Stemmons Freeway (214) 634-8200

7) DOUBLETREE HOTEL

5.9 miles from cotton bowl Rate $149 2015 Market Center Blvd. (214) 741-7481

8) RESIDENCE INN BY MARRIOTT DALLAS

6.7 miles from cotton bowl Rate $139 6950 North Stemmons Freeway (214) 631-2472

Quick Guide to OU/Texas Hotels

I’ve never sat at a Buffalo Wild Wings to watch a mixed-martial arts fight and I don’t plan to.

I’m just not the type of guy who wears an “Affliction” shirt and watches this amalgam of hand-to-hand com-bat sports for fun.

But, according to Compete.com, my non-UFC-view-ing habits may place me in a minority of sport spectators before too long.

The Web site studied the number of online visitors and television viewers for each major professional sport, and found that UFC has the sixth largest fan base, just barely behind the NHL.

I just don’t understand, why is this sport so popular?

Recently, I caught a bit of MT V’s show “Bully Beatdown.” Don’t ask me why I was watching the awful show, but it made me start thinking about the phenomenon.

First, it starts out on pay-per-view, then moves to more popular networks like Spike TV and MTV.

Is this proof it’s catching on to a diverse audience?

I’m not going to knock something before I try it, but from what I had initially imagined, UFC and other MMA organizations seemed like a fancy cross between a Bruce Lee film and the WWE.

Seeing that I am, in fact, a very big fan of martial arts movies, I was slightly enticed by the sport.

But those glimmering shards of interest were dashed by the oddly similar marketing that made me think this was a bloodier (and not fake) WWE.

But I must be wrong, surely the 106 percent increase in online growth and viewership means MMA-based sports are the real deal, and not just an excuse to see large men brawl under rules that boxing wouldn’t allow.

The martial arts are real enough and the fighters themselves are qualified to do what they do.

But it’s just not enough to sell me on it… yet.Give me some time to think about it, but UFC might

be on my “to watch” list. It will never jump the NFL or college football viewership, but it’s an impressive feat to have climbed so quickly in such a short time.

Now if they could just work on the expensive price tag for their pay-per-view fights…

Luke Atkinson is a broadcast and electronic media senior.

GAME WEEK PLAYER NOTES

SENIOR LINEBACKER MIKE BALOGUN SHOULD NOT PLAY AGAINST BYU

Head coach Bob Stoops said he does not think senior linebacker Mike Balogun will be playing at all in the season opener Saturday against BYU because he is still uncertifi ed to play by the NCAA. “It’s looking [like Balogun won’t play] at least this week, but I don’t want to say defi nitively and then something comes back

during the week that we didn’t know abou t ,” S toops said. “Right now, that’s what we are anticipating.” Balogun is not certified to play because he alleg-edly played for the Nor th Amer ican Football League, a semi-professional league, which is against the NCAA bylaws.

He is currently fi ghting the ruling and is trying to reach an out of court settlement. Balogun is listed second at middle linebacker on a depth chart that was released Monday.

SENIOR LINEMAN BRODY ELDRIDGE LISTED AS STARTING CENTER ON MONDAY’S DEPTH CHART

After backing up senior tight end Jermaine Gresham last sea-son, senior lineman Brody Eldridge will be starting the Saturday’s opener at center. He is listed as the top center on Monday’s depth chart, and Eldridge has been practicing throughout the summer at both cen-ter and tight end. “They trusted me to do it, so [I’ll] go out there and do it, but it feels good,” Eldridge said. In the past Eldridge has been a versatile player for OU’s offense, playing at tight end, fullback and blocking back. He will be wearing the No. 50 on his jersey while at center, which differs from the No. 83 jersey he has worn the past three seasons.

SENIOR WIDE RECEIVER ADRON TENNELL EXCIT-ED TO BE IN THE STARTING LINEUP

Senior wide receiver Adron Tennell has been named the starting wide receiver opposite junior wide receiver Ryan Broyles. Tennell has had limited playing time in the past due to being a backup and suffering from a torn ACL during the 2007 season. “I’ve been waiting on this for a long time now, and I’m ready to get out there,” Tennell said. “I just want to show them what I can do.” Tennell has caught 16 passes for 208 yards and a touchdown during his career at OU. His longest reception came on the touchdown for 61 yards.

–Jono Greco/The Daily

Th e unexpected growth of mixed martial arts

LUKEATKINSON

Msis

«

FOOTBALL

Tuesday, September 1, 2009 7

Wolverines begin investigation into football program for whether players spent too much time in practice.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez said Monday that his football program has abided by NCAA rules, despite allegations from anonymous players and former players who say the team has practiced far be-yond the time allowed.

“We know the rules,” Rodriguez said, “and we follow the rules.”

At a news conference in Ann Arbor, Rodriguez became emotional and had to gather himself several times with glassy eyes as he denied any wrongdoing.

“I guess I’m here to tell you that whatever you’ve heard or want to believe, the truth is that this coaching staff cares very deeply about the young men in our program,” he said.

The school on Sunday launched an investigation into allegations that the football program regularly violates NCAA rules limiting how much time players can spend on training and practice.

The announcement came after a Detroit Free Press arti-cle in which players from the 2008 and 2009 teams said the amount of time they spend on football during the season and in the offseason greatly exceeds NCAA limits.

The players spoke to the newspaper on condition of anonymity because they feared repercussions from coaches.

Big Ten compliance officials arrived on campus Sunday to assist with the investigation, according to two people at the school.

One person, who spends a lot of time with the team, said the school’s compliance office often makes unannounced visits to make sure the program is following the rules.

Both people spoke on the condition of anonymity be-cause the school will not publicly discuss the case until the probe is completed.

Rodriguez suggested the complaints were an attempt to

“tear up” the effort to rebuild a program that stumbled to a 3-9 record last season, including a dismal 2-6 in the Big Ten.

It was Michigan’s first losing season since 1967 and its first without a bowl in 34 years.

“Nobody on my staff would ever tell a player to miss a class ... never have, never will,” Rodriguez said.

Michigan athletic director Bill Martin announced the school investigation, saying the allegations were taken seriously.

“We believe we have been compliant with NCAA rules, but nonetheless we have launched a full investigation,” Martin said in a statement released by the school Sunday night.

Martin’s statement also indicated the school had reached out to both the Big Ten and the NCAA about the allegations, adding the university would have more to say after its inquiry was done.

Like Rodriguez, the university’s compliance director, Judy Van Horn, has denied that the football program vio-lated NCAA rules.

Those regulations allow players to spend eight hours a week on mandatory workouts during the offseason.

Players told the Free Press that they have spent two to three times that amount on required workouts.

The players said the amount of time they spent on football activities during the season exceeded the weekly limit of 20 hours and often exceeded the daily limit of four hours.

They also said quality-control staff often watched sev-en-on-seven offseason scrimmages that are supposed to be voluntary and that only training staff are allowed to attend.

Rodriguez said what has bothered him the most is the perception that he and his staff do not care about their players.

“That is disheartening,” he said.Rodriguez, who is guiding college football’s winningest

program after a successful stint as West Virginia’s head coach, opens the season Saturday at home against Western Michigan.

He said he is not worried about the allegations becom-ing a distraction.

“Nothing is going to change their focus,” Rodriguez said. –AP

AP PHOTO

Michigan football coach Rich Rodriguez addresses the media in Ann Arbor, Mich. on Monday.

Michigan faces NCAA violation allegations

MICHIGAN FOOTBALL PROGRAM INVESTIGATION

-The allegations circulated in response to anonymous players from previous seasons who told the press they were working out beyond NCAA limits.

-The school began an investigation Sunday into rumors that players were violating NCAA rules that minimize practice hours.

-The rule in questions is that players may not spend more than eight hours a week in mandatory workouts during the offseason.

-Coach Rich Rodriguez and the school compliance offi cer both deny the school violated any NCAA rules.

The Oklahoma Daily is responsible for one day’s incorrect advertising. If your ad appears incorrectly, or if you wish to cancel your ad call 325-2521, before the deadline for cancellation in the next issue. Errors not the fault of the advertiser will be adjusted. Refunds will not be issued for late cancellations.

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

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8 Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Announcements

SPECIAL NOTICESGreat tickets for U2 Concert at OK

Memorial Stadium Oct 18. Chances available 8-29 from 1:30-5:00pm, or 8-26 thru 9-3 from 11:30-1:30 at 402 W Main. Chance for two $55 tickets $20. Drawing

Sept.7 at Labor Day Picnic, Andrews Park. For more info call 364-2617 or

447-3366.

University of OklahomaSurplus Store

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Wednesday’s only - 8:30 AM - 2 PMTelevisions & electronics,

lab glassware & misc lab supplies,household & offi ce supplies, furniture,

& miscellaneous.www.ou.edu/property_control/index.htm.

For Sale

TICKETS WANTEDOU fan needs 3 BYU tickets! 793-9907 - after 3pm, leave message

TransportationC

AUTO FOR SALEFor sale 2004 Nissan Sentra, nhat@ou.edu

‘05 KIA RIO, 56 mpg, 34,000 mi, 100,000 mi warranty, $4,495. 701-5930.

Employment

HELP WANTEDWanted: Caregiver for nursery and/or

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TUTORS WANTED!!!Available positions in the OU Athletics De-partment!!! Junior, Senior, Graduate, and Post-graduate applicants only!!! Choctaw, Cherokee, Creek, and Kiowa!!! Hiring for Fall 2009. Call 325-0771 for more info!!!

SeekingSitters Moore/Norman is look-ing for professional babysitters. If you are looking for a fun, fl exible summer job please apply online at seekingsitters.com

TUTORS WANTED!!!Available positions in the OU Athletics De-partment!!! Junior, Senior, Graduate, and Post-graduate applicants only!!! Hiring for Fall 2009. Call 325-8376 for more info!!!

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days, nights and weekends. Experi-ence required. No candidates will be

considered without fl exible availability. Apply online at

www.traditionsspirits.com or in person 2813 SE 44th, Norman. 405-392-4550.

Housing RentalsJ

APTS. FURNISHED

$400, bills paid, effi ciency LOFT apart-ments, downtown over Mister Robert Fur-niture, 109 E Main, fi re sprinkler, no pets, smoke-free. Inquire store offi ce.

APTS. UNFURNISHED$99 1st Month / $99 Deposit

$25 Off Monthly/6 mo Free gym*some restrictions may apply.

Pets Welcome! Large Floor Plans!Models open 8a-8p Everyday!Elite Properties - 360-6624 or

www.elite2900.com

1 bdrm, $350 + bills1 bdrm, $400 + bills1 bdrm, $395 + bills

Smoke-free, no pets, 360-3850

Fall Special! 1 BLK FROM OU, very nice 4 room apt, 800 sf, wood fl oors, 1012 S College, Apt 4, $300/mo. Call 360-2873 or 306-1970.

CONDOS UNFURNISHED1 bedroom Nottingham Condo for rent, avail now. 417-861-9439 or 308-8470.

The Edge CondosVery close to Campus and featuringWalk-in closets, fi tness, pool, v-ball

All utilities, Cable, Internet Paid$425 per bedroom, DMG 364-4114

1 bd/1ba $500 mo. Includes all kitchen appliances. No pets. Longburk Real Es-tate 732-7474.

NOTTINGHAM 2 bd, 2 bath, w/d, fi re-place, cfans, lg closets, no pets, covered parking, $650/mo. 360-4107.

HOUSES UNFURNISHEDCottage in the Forest!

Small bdrm, work of art, all bills paid, in-ternet, cable TV, $640/mo. Walk to OU. 701-5931.

The Doll House Cute 1 bdrm plus offi ce, $449, ride bike to OU. 701-5931.

3 bed, 1530 Willowcliff Ct, $625 - 910 Quanah Parker, $625 - 1616 Rock Hollow, $675 - 800 Branchwood Ct, $700 - Call 360-2873 or 306-1970

1109 E LIndsey - 2bd, 1ba, CH/A, dish-washer, stove, refrig, no pets, dep $500, rent $750914 Drake - 1 bd duplex, water & gas paid, no pets, ref req, dep $400, rent $475127 W Hayes - 3 bd, 1 ba, completely re-modeled, no pets, dep $500, rent $725

329-1933

Near OU, lg 3/4 bd, $875-$975/mo, 826 Jona Kay, 1711 Lancaster, 2326 Linden-wood. Call 360-0351, 517-2018.

TOWNHOUSES UNFURNISHED

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Taylor Ridge Townhomes2 Bdrm, 2.5 Bath, Fully Renovated

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Elite Properties 360-6624www.elite2900.com

ROOMS FURNISHEDNEAR OU, privacy, $230, bills paid in-cludes cable, neat, clean, parking. Prefer male student. Call 329-0143.

Housing RentalsJEmploymentHELP WANTED CONDOS UNFURNISHED

my friend’s got mental illness

To a friend with mental illness, your caring and understanding greatly increasestheir chance of recovery. Visit whatadifference.samhsa.gov for more information.Mental Illness – What a difference a friend makes.

For a free nutrition booklet with cancer fighting recipes, call toll-free 1-866-906-WELL or visit www.CancerProject.org

Universal Crossword

MANY HAPPY RETURNS by Billie Truitt

ACROSS 1 Drinks

minimally 5 ___

Hashanah 9 Tuck’s title14 Still playing

(Abbr.)15 As many as16 Stallone

tough guy17 You, long ago18 Tooth

partner19 Opening

foray20 Type of

dedicated member

23 Cheer for a flamenco dancer

24 Qty.25 Typical

introduction?29 White-wooled

sheep31 Type of

bargain33 Forest

bugler34 Cosmetic

item37 “Jungle

Book” star40 NBC fixture

since 197541 Unresponsive

condition42 Current

events, in English class

47 Org. with a snake in its logo

48 Hand over49 Removal

from office53 South

Carolina

beach55 Social suffix56 Poetry class

reading, perhaps

57 State of undress

61 Don one’s birthday suit

64 A factory worker might make a dash for it

65 When Romeo meets Juliet

66 Letter sign-off

67 Think ahead68 Old wom-

an’s home, in rhyme

69 Uppsala resident

70 Stuffing seasoning

71 Cowboy’s charge

DOWN 1 Prime-time

staple 2 Doctor’s

directive 3 Less affluent 4 It may be

ear-piercing 5 Go crazy 6 Dizzying

designs 7 Tend to the

batter 8 Worthy of

worship 9 Word with

“assault” or “lobe”

10 This really cooks

11 Chats with, PC-style

12 Penny prez13 Turn into

compost21 Site of

Christ’s first miracle

22 “Ah, gotcha!”

26 Gambling city

27 Grades K-6 (Abbr.)

28 Creole pod30 Stops

after ERs, perhaps

31 Board game with stones

32 Country singer Lovett

35 Founded, on cornerstones

36 Puts the frosting on the cake

37 WWII staple38 Where to

hear a lot of grunts?

39 Symbol on

California’s flag

43 Solar or lunar event

44 ___-do-well45 Nobody

at all46 Chop ___50 “You got

me!”51 Newspaper

VIP52 Fixed shoe-

laces again54 Sporty Ford,

for short55 Convention

handout58 Lights-out

tune59 Dance in a

grass skirt60 Ambas-

sadorial accessory

61 Method (Abbr.)

62 Wrecker’s job

63 Regret

PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

Edited by Timothy E. Parker September 01, 2009

© 2009 Universal Press Syndicatewww.upuzzles.com

7 2 5 43 9 2

5 8 96 5

7 26 3

9 1 86 1 3

7 5 4 6Instructions: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

5 7 1 6 8 4 9 3 28 2 6 5 9 3 7 1 49 3 4 1 2 7 5 6 82 4 7 9 6 1 3 8 53 6 9 4 5 8 1 2 71 8 5 3 7 2 6 4 97 1 3 8 4 5 2 9 64 9 2 7 1 6 8 5 36 5 8 2 3 9 4 7 1

Previous Answers

Apply Today!

SAASTUDENT ALUMNI ASSOCIATIONMEMBERSHIP APPLICATIONS

AVAILABLE AT THE CENTER FOR

STUDENT LIFE, OKLAHOMA

MEMORIAL UNION, 3RD FLOOR, OR

ONLINE AT ALUMNI.OU.EDU

Due by September 3, 2009, to Student LifeFor accommodations on the basis of disability call (405) 325-3163.

The University of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity institution.

Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2009

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -- If you need assistance from someone, don’t impose upon the person’s emotions to get him or her to help. Stick to the real facts, and keep sensitivities out of the picture.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) -- Take care not to appear to be self-centered because even those who usually fi nd you ap-pealing will not be happy if you come off as selfi sh.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) -- Be ready to defend yourself in a job-related situation if someone should attempt to take credit for your work. Don’t sit idly by thinking others know the truth -- they don’t.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) -- Optimism can be a powerful, inspirational attribute that can carry you to uncharted territory, but wishful thinking is merely self-defeating. Be able to discern between the two.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- Strongly guard against inclinations to spend way beyond your means, hoping you’ll be able to pay the bill later. There are no sure things in life, and you could put yourself deeply in debt.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) -- Other people’s tolerance and patience will have limits, so be extremely careful about making unreasonable demands on anyone, even a family member. Put yourself in their shoes.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) -- There’s a good chance it will be far easier to make promises than it will be to keep them. If you’re afraid to say no and succumb to this behavior, you’ll pay a hefty price.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) -- Be careful about your social graces, because those who matter the most might be scru-tinizing your behavior from one end to the other. The slightest misstep will bring you down.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) -- Whether or not your goals and objectives are clearly defi ned, it isn’t likely you’ll get much done. This is because you’re apt to stop trying the moment something doesn’t go right.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) -- Applause is the right thing to give when someone does something outstanding. How-ever, hollow fl attery or praise in order to achieve a selfi sh purpose will not work to your advantage.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) -- If you decide to go shopping, be extremely careful because your sense of value is likely to be a trifl e distorted. You could end up purchasing items you’ll tire of quickly or hate after the fi rst use.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) -- Tact-fulness and decorum have their moments, but don’t use them as a substitute for common sense or give them precedence over substance. Quality is what matters.

HOROSCOPE By Bernice Bede Osol

Copyright 2008, Newspaper Enterprise Assn.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009 9

Cassie Rhea Little, L&A editordailyent@ou.edu • phone: 325-5189 • fax: 325-6051

Before going there, I thought there’d be one of two ways I would die by eating

at Bobo’s. O n e , t h e c h i c k e n i t s e l f , a delicious yet deadly c o m b i -n a t i o n o f s p i c y , s m o k e d c h i c k e n wings that a r e t h e n

deep fried and generously slathered with honey, a con-coction that churned like acid in my gut the whole next day. The second way I thought I’d die was a drive-by, because being white and naïve, I thought I was the ob-vious target of gangsters and thugs.

But the promise of the best fried chicken in the state of Oklahoma overcame my fear of death. Which, if you think about it, is saying a lot. I guess you could say Bobo’s makes chicken that is liter-ally to die for.

Bobo’s sits in an aban-doned parking lot, and is only open 7 p.m. to 4 a.m. Friday and Saturday. I had no idea how bad it would be. It sounds ridiculous, but the image of my body lying dead in a gutter loomed large. This was the reason I enlisted sev-eral of my friends come. We left Norman around 2 a.m. to get there around 2:30, the place’s peak time where its clientele are the most interesting.

Before arriving, I’d imag-ined my faithful friends and me walking quietly yet pur-posefully up to the trailer, getting our food and stealing

away like phantoms into the night before the inevitable gangs descended upon our soft, suburban underbellies. But thankfully, things didn’t turn out that way. It seemed like every gangster and wan-nabe gangster had been drawn here like iron filings to a magnet. I probably unfairly thought most of the honest people there were gangsters. Not that long ago Bobo’s was the site of a drive-by where six people were injured.

Looking at its neighbor-hood, it’s not surprising – Martin Luther King and NE 23rd is arguably the most dangerous part of OKC. Though my house is only five minutes from Bobo’s, I had never been that far east on 23rd.

No one wanted to be the first to get out. We were ner-vous, but we hadn’t yet fig-ured out there was no real reason to be. Finally, we hopped out into the dusty lot, the loud beats of rap music reverberating from every dark corner where shady cars were parked. Even the massive floodlights mount-ed on Bobo’s trailer couldn’t reach those dark corners.

Like a pack of wildebeests on a lion-filled savanna we clustered en masse toward the trailer. Its menu of-fered three items: “wings n’ things,” catfish, and shrimp. Everyone ordered wings n’ things, and while waiting for our orders to arrive, we each privately pondered what “things” might be. Things turned out to be fries and deep fried dough sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar, which, together with the wings, were smothered with Bobo’s signature helping of

honey.Once we had our food,

we retreated to the safety of the capitol steps, a two min-ute drive, to eat our wings n’ things. Ironically, the capitol probably boasts more cor-ruption than Bobo’s parking lot ever could. But I’ll spare you the politics. That night, we satisfied ourselves on the spicy, sweet goodness of deep-fried deliciousness, licking our fingers because apparently Bobo doesn’t be-lieve in napkins. Napkins are too polite for Bobo.

While uncomfortable, I know Bobo’s was a good experience. It made me re-alize that I rarely take risks. Usually, I don’t intentionally put myself in harm’s way. It’s counter to reason. But it’s in-teresting that our ancestors quite possibly experienced true and physical danger every day. This is an element nearly absent at a public university where our great-est physical fear is probably getting run over by a bike.

If I learned one thing from Bobo’s, other than their chicken is the best I’ve had in Oklahoma, it’s this: perhaps risk-taking isn’t so counter-intuitive. While probably not that great a risk, going to Bobo’s made me feel more alive. It made me less afraid of being uncomfortable. It makes me discontent to sit, playing video games when I could be doing something more stimulating. Life is short, then we die – might as well be doing interest-ing things while we wait, like risking your life for fried chicken.

Kyle West in a professional writing senior.

CHICKEN TO DIE FOR » The Daily’s Kyle West recalls his experience at one of Oklahoma’s most unique restaurants, Bobo’s Chicken.

KYLEWEST

ESTEBAN PULIDO / THE DAILY

Customers with their bags of fried chicken and catfish at Bobo’s Chicken trailer early Saturday morning. Located in an empty lot on 23rd Street near Martin Luther King Avenue in Oklahoma City, Bobo’s stays open as late as 4 a.m. to cater to the after hours crowd.

« PLAYLIST ADVICENeed help finding the perfect music for your current mood? The Daily’s Joshua Boydston puts together a weekly playlist for all of your listening needs. Find it on the Life & Arts blog.

OUDAILY.COM

BOBO’S CHICKEN

WANT TO TRY THE INFAMOUS EATERY FOR YOURSELF? THE DAILY’S LIFE AND ARTS STAFF GATHERED THE DETAILS.

WHERE: 23 St. between Lottie and Martin Luther King

WHEN: 7 p.m. to 4 a.m. each Friday and Saturday

WHY: Because fried food tastes better at night.

WHAT TO EXPECT: Plan on eating some of Oklahoma’s best fried food while making memories you might never forget.

« PNyoBofoth

O

10 Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Though legendary diva Whitney Houston reminds us, “Don’t call it a comeback, I’ve been here for years” in her album’s firm finale “Salute,” Whitney’s newest release

proves once again that the singer with one of the most powerful voices in pop music is here to stay.

The album, appropri-ately titled “I Look to You,” was released Monday after having been pre-viewed on Houston’s of-ficial Web site for a week prior to the release. “I Look to You” is Houston’s n e w e s t re -

lease in over seven years.And after having worked

three years making the re-cord, we had better see good results; it was a sure sign when mentor/music mogul extraordinaire Clive Davis returned to the fore-front of Whitney’s camp. You can’t go wrong when it comes to Clive (we’re put-ting Kelly out of our minds for the moment); he’s given us out-of-this-world artists like Alicia Keys, Aerosmith, Pink Floyd, and Leona Lewis.

And since Davis originally signed Whitney about 25 years ago when she was a club performer, nothing can go wrong with that. The best formula for any come-back album is, after all, back to basics; if the current formula’s not working out the best for any artist, whether it’s Mariah, Elvis, the Dixie Chicks or Johnny Cash, start afresh and get out of that rut full of commercial failure.

And in Whitney’s case, it’s both personal and professional struggles that have been plaguing the singer for the last couple de-cades, with her troubled marriage to al-leged crazy Bobby Brown and the decline of her album sales following controversies of “diva behavior,” a.k.a. Whitney got too much attitude. And the alleged cause of such aforementioned attitude?

Allegedly, crack. We all saw the photos

of the Brown family bathroom; there were crack pipes and other various parapherna-lia all over the place. The duo was also de-tained at an airport for marijuana posses-sion but got on the plane before the author-ities could arrive. We especially remember the infamous Diane Sawyer interview when “Crack [was] whack.” And let’s not even mention “Being Bobby Brown,” with all of its “Whitney-isms”...

It’s pretty safe to say that these years were quite the fall from grace the once record-breaking Whitney had reached.

But things have begun once again since her divorce filing from “Bobbayyyyy” in 2006 and return to the studio later that year;

and now Houston is able to release her inner demons with her audience’s devo-tion and support … almost to the point of overdoing it. A majority of the tracks on the album refers to the singer’s struggles and how she has overcome them with the support of all those around her; it’s practically forced down our throats. Yet who are we to say that

Whitney isn’t a “soldier girl” who’s asking from us to “act like [she] never left” (both songs worth a listen)?

The effort on this album – not just through the vocals alone – clearly shines through, more so than even from her best performances. It’s real, it’s rough and it’s even hard on the singer. Though her voice has lost its trademark falsetto, Whitney makes up for it with an edge that her gos-pel-tinged vocals only serve to aid.

After all, she just wants to be treated like a “million dollar bill” (a great old-school first single written by Alicia Keys), like any woman on her own for the first time in years wants to. Whitney has her scars, but has the potential to achieve greatness once again with the support of her loved ones and fans she is now “looking to” for inspiration.

Alex Ewald is a University College freshman.

ALEXEWALD

»Whitney comes back strong

STILL LIFE STILL: “GIRLS COME TOO”

Listening to “Girls Come Too” on a whim, I was instantly taken aback by how brilliant this album is. It came out of the blue, but is sure to make a colorful splash for any daring enough to lis-ten to it.

St i l l Li fe St i l l comes across like a more volatile Broken Social Scene. There is that head-in-the-clouds, dreamy beauty to the songs, but songs like “Danse Cave” and “Lite-Bright Lawns” feel much more grounded and dangerous. A certain acidity lurches beneath these songs, as they threaten to boil over and burn through a countertop in a multi-colored display of destruction.

“Girls Come Too” is lively and playful. It teases and jokes with your earbuds with an appealing sense of naughtiness hid-ing below. The tracks often start off with an

otherworldly beauty before strutting off into something much noisier.

“Neon Blue” fits that mold perfectly. A glit-tery guitar zing travels over a pouncing drum hop that eventually transforms into an ear-blasting melodic treat. “Pastel” is a bit more subdued, but is definitely the strong-silent

type. “Knives In Cartoons” is fittingly zany as it unfolds into an action-packed foot race.

The heart stopping “Kid” is straightforward, unapolo-getic, confident splendor. It never dares stray away from that gorgeous dream-like state, and it doesn’t need to. Gentle guitar, vivacious drumming and stellar echoes are all that’s needed to take

your breath away. “Girls Come Too” is a refreshing entry

from a promising new group. I can definitely see Still Life Still exploding into the highest tier of indie groups, a surge that will undoubt-edly be as beautiful to watch as their music is to listen to.

ARCTIC MONKEYS: “HUMBUG”

Do you remember that old marijuana PSA with the fried egg? Well, this is your Arctic Monkeys on drugs.

“Humbug” is drastically different from the band’s first two releases, and how couldn’t it be with the dastardly design of Josh Homme (QOTSA, Eagles of Death Metal) plotting the path? The band even ditched their oh so very British look in favor of “Dude, Where’s My Car?” shoulder-length hair and Black Sabbath tees. All of these changes have result-ed in a thudding stoner rock album that works surpris-ingly well.

With walloping guitars, whomping kick drum and song titles like “Potion Approaching” and “The Jeweller’s Hands,” well, I can practically smell the in-cense burning, and it’s smelling pretty good.

These crunchy guitar hooks shouldn’t be so damn catchy, but somehow they are. It takes a few listens for some of the tracks, but they just keep growing on you. They lack the sing-a-long character of earlier material, but they make up for it ten-fold in air-guitar/steering wheel drumming demands.

“Humbug” manages to achieve a sort of

messy precision, one that feels both loose and carefully constructed. “My Propeller” is a fittingly mysterious introduction before launching into the near-perfect “Crying Lightning.” With its stair-stepping guitar licks and airy vocals leading into a biting bridge and chorus, the song bursts with mischie-vousness and malice.

“Dangerous Animals” immediately re-calls Queens of the Stone Age with its odd-

ball guitar twangs and nasty bass line, and “Cornerstone” shows that the band is still capable of doing pretty.

Yet, it’s even nicer to ear Alex Turner’s snarky snides more vicious than ever. When he eventually growls, “What came first, the chicken or the d**khead?” it will be near impossible to resist that

sly smile ripping across your face.

Maybe best of all, these songs allow drum-mer Matt Helder, the secret star of the show, to shine through brighter than ever. With machine fire snare and imploding cymbal crashes, drumming was never felt so right-fully prominent.

This new direction is sure to catch a few fans off guard, and many will be downright displeased with “Humbug,” but the album is a top-notch effort for what it is. Hendrix would be proud.

The Daily’s Joshua Boydston reviews three of this week’s best indie music releases.

OUDAILY.COM

Listen to previews of this week’s new music.

OU’s Club Coed

Rowing Team

Looking for athletic students interested in rowing

Information Meetings:

Aug 31st, Scholars Room, OMU 6-8pm Sept 1st, Traditions Room, OMU 6-8pm

Contact: OUCrew@ou.edu

AS TALL AS LIONS:

“YOU CAN’T TAKE

IT WITH YOU”

It’s always fun to listen to As Tall As Lions. They have a very polished pop sound, but it’s mish-mash all sorts things that sound as though they shouldn’t go together. Somehow though, ATAL makes it work, and the music is all the more interesting for it.

“You Can’t Take It With You” is neither a step back nor a progression from their sophomore self-titled album, but it’s hard to fault them for that. With as much as ATAL’s songs have going, throwing too many curveballs into the mix would likely result in a total mess.

The album dawns with the lovely “Circles,” which strolls out of the gates with some lovely ambling guitar and pounding percussion, but gradually picks up some steam as it roars down the tracks with zagging guitar and soaring vocals.

We hear a bit of genre b l e n d i n g w i t h “ Is T h i s Tomorrow?” featuring an old school keyboard tear and distorted bass rip. “In Case of Rapture” is a masterpiece, with a steady hum of bouncy drums and shimmering gui-tar launching it into outer space.

Singer Dan Nigro may be the key piece to the puz-zle. His earnest shivers and heartbroken calls are haunt-ingly gorgeous and lift the band above the grey.

So despite a bit of a stall in growth, and a few forget-table tracks, “You Can’t Take It With You” is an admirably unique listening experience delivered with winning sin-cerity and zeal.