74.103-030110

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® ® the official student newspaper of the university of houston since 1934 the official student newspaper of the university of houston since 1934 years Track and field delivers at C-USA Championships SPORTS S » » Canada dodges bullet against U.S. in gold medal match OPINION » HI 54 LO 40 Issue 103, Volume 75 Monday, March 1, 2010 thedailycougar.com WEATHER » Forecast, Page 2 M d M h THE DAILY COUGAR.COM Check out our new and improved Web site. Page 6 has a glimpse White, Perry lead UH poll By Jose Aguilar THE DAILY COUGAR Former Mayor Bill White and Gov. Rick Perry are poised to carry UH in Tuesday’s gubernatorial primaries. A poll conducted by The Daily Cougar last week revealed that 85.99 percent of UH students likely voting in the Democratic primary favor White to be his party’s nominee in the Nov. 2 general election. Meanwhile, 52.78 percent of likely Republican student voters support Perry. White’s opponent, local businessman Farouk Shami, garnered the endorsement of 12.56 percent of UH Democrats, while 1.45 percent indicated they were undecided between the two. Among Republicans, U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison earned the support of 36.11 percent of those polled. Tea Party activist Debra Medina received the backing of 8.33 percent. About 2.8 percent of Republicans said they are undecided, but will likely vote in that primary. Of the 471 students surveyed, 180 said they would vote in the Republican primary, while 207 said they would vote in the Democratic primary. “(This) is different than the pattern seen in the broader Houston area, where Republican primary voters outnumber those voting in the Democratic primary by more than two to one,” assistant political science professor Elizabeth Rigby said. “Their preferences align with the broader distribution of support among Texas voters in general.” Eighty-four students said they haven’t decided which primary they’ll vote in, reflecting the apathy surrounding many young voters during gubernatorial election season. “My assumption is that most of these ‘undecided’ citizens won’t end Mayor triumphs over media label T he UH band participated in the annual Houston Downtown Rodeo Parade on Sunday. The parade includes thousands of men and women on horseback and many decorative floats. The parade has taken place every February for the last 72 years. The band came marching in GREGORY BOHUSLAV THE DAILY COUGAR By Alan Delon THE DAILY COUGAR The top nine priorities in UH’s 5 percent reduction plan submitted to the state’s Legislative Budget Board on Feb. 15 are still under assessment, and could be for a while. “The plans we are submitting are subject to review by the LBB, and we will probably not get subsequent direction for some time,” Executive Vice President of Administration and Finance Carl Carlucci said. “As required by the LBB, this list represents a reduction in our state appropriation and includes only those items funded directly by state appropriations.” UH has begun implementing certain efficiency items and equipment to save money for future reduction plans. These include single-source purchasing contracts, equipment consolidations, longer replacement cycles for computers, replacing paper processes with electronic processes and paper recycling, according to the UH Budget Office’s Web site. The top nine priorities in the reduction plan include business process and equipment efficiencies, communication allowance reductions and public service. “As an example, we estimate that we can recycle 1,000 tons of copy paper, for which we would be paid about $200,000,” Carlucci said. UH also plans to save money by encouraging employees to turn off the 17,000 desktop computers on campus. “Last year, we put in place a new contract for electricity that saved us $1 million per year. Making sure that our computers and monitors are powered down when not in use could save us an estimated $250,000.” UH plans for future budget cuts Conserving electricity, J recycling paper on agenda to save money By Jose Aguilar THE DAILY COUGAR Mayor Annise Parker paid a visit to the main campus to speak to a small group of students and invited guests from the English Department on Friday. Parker entered the small classroom in the Roy G. Cullen building dressed in full Western attire: black denim jeans, boots, a gold-plated buckle and a Western shirt complete with pink snap buttons “It’s ‘Go Texan Day’ in Houston … I don’t always dress like this,” Parker said. Parker peppered jokes such as these throughout her 35-minute talk with English professor Maria Gonzalez’ Queer Theory students. She used her wardrobe to jump into the importance of appearance, especially when she first ran for public office in 1991. “I had a rat-tail,” Parker said. “And I ceremoniously cut off the rat-tail and went out and bought a powder blue skirt and suit to campaign in. I spent more time in pantyhose and heels than I had in probably my entire life.” Every campaign since then, Parker has donned a powder blue skirt suit. Whether she will wear one in future campaigns is unknown. “I burned that sucker when I won (the mayor’s race),” she said. Parker explained how she took steps to make sure it was her message, and not her appearance, that people remembered. “Running a political campaign is a marketing exercise in a singular product: yourself and your ideas,” Parker said. “It is about making sure people receive your message.” After losing her first two campaigns for at-large positions on the City Council — even with “the heels and hose and the slightly more conservative hairstyle” — Parker and her campaign manager at the time noticed the media was treating her a little differently than others. “Every time I saw my name it was, ‘Annise Parker, lesbian activist’ or ‘gay activist Annise Parker,’ and I thought that was a problem,” she said. Before beginning her third campaign in 1997, Parker sat down with the editorial boards of the Houston Post, Chronicle and various news stations in an effort to change the way she was identified. She told them although she is a lesbian, she had not been a member of a gay or lesbian organization in a decade. She explained that it didn’t bother her to be called a lesbian, but she did “want and demand parity.” Like her opponents, Parker was a businessperson and volunteer. “Fortunately for me, I think the times had changed so much that they got it,” Parker said. “Then they didn’t write it next to my name. (They wrote) it in the next paragraph (instead).” All of Parkers’ trials and tribulations were exemplified when she won her first election in 1997. Twelve years later, the hard work paid off in a way she only somewhat imagined; and it became a worldwide news event. “What’s the biggest surprise? The level of media attention,” Parker said. “I have worldwide media coverage, and I’ve been in office for 12 years. Nobody cared for 12 years. Nobody paid attention.” Her newfound celebrity and its sometimes-tedious effects —she see POLL, page 3 see REDUCTION, page 3 see MAYOR, page 3 Voters’ biggest concerns: The Daily Cougar polled 471 likely UH student voters about the candidates they favored in Tuesday’s gubernatorial primary. This chart reflects the main issues those surveyed said they wanted candidates to address. THE DAILY COUGAR Top concerns: Law enforcement Social issues Bipartisanship Social services Environment/clean energy Infrastructure Jobs: 29.1% Other: 19.1% Public schools: 18.7% Health care: 14% Immigration: 4.9% College costs: 5.5% Budget/taxes: 8.7%

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Page 1: 74.103-030110

®®

t h e o f f i c i a l s t u d e n t n e w s p a p e r o f t h e u n i v e r s i t y o f h o u s t o n s i n c e 1 9 3 4t h e o f f i c i a l s t u d e n t n e w s p a p e r o f t h e u n i v e r s i t y o f h o u s t o n s i n c e 1 9 3 4

years

Track and fi eld delivers at C-USA Championships SPORTS S »»

Canada dodges bullet against U.S. in gold medal match OPINION » HI 54 LO 40

Issue 103, Volume 75 Monday, March 1, 2010 thedailycougar.com

WEATHER »

Forecast, Page 2

M d M h

THE DAILY COUGAR.COM Check out our new and improved Web site. Page 6 has a glimpse

White, Perry lead UH pollBy Jose AguilarTHE DAILY COUGAR

Former Mayor Bill White and Gov. Rick Perry are poised to carry UH in Tuesday’s gubernatorial primaries.

A poll conducted by The Daily Cougar last week revealed that 85.99 percent of UH students likely voting in the Democratic primary favor White to be his party’s nominee in the Nov. 2 general election. Meanwhile, 52.78 percent of likely Republican student voters support Perry.

White’s opponent, local businessman Farouk Shami, garnered the endorsement of 12.56 percent of

UH Democrats, while 1.45 percent indicated they were undecided between the two.

Among Republicans, U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison earned the support of 36.11 percent of those polled. Tea Party activist Debra Medina received the backing of 8.33 percent. About 2.8 percent of Republicans said they are undecided, but will likely vote in that primary.

Of the 471 students surveyed, 180 said they would vote in the Republican primary, while 207 said they would vote in the Democratic primary.

“(This) is different than the pattern seen in the broader Houston

area, where Republican primary voters outnumber those voting in the Democratic primary by more than two to one,” assistant political science professor Elizabeth Rigby said. “Their preferences align with the broader distribution of support among Texas voters in general.”

Eighty-four students said they haven’t decided which primary they’ll vote in, refl ecting the apathy surrounding many young voters during gubernatorial election season.

“My assumption is that most of these ‘undecided’ citizens won’t end

Mayor triumphsover media label

The UH band participated in the annual Houston Downtown Rodeo Parade on Sunday. The parade includes thousands of men and women on horseback and many decorative fl oats. The parade has taken place every

February for the last 72 years.

The band came marching in GREGORY BOHUSLAV THE DAILY COUGAR

By Alan DelonTHE DAILY COUGAR

The top nine priorities in UH’s 5 percent reduction plan submitted to the state’s Legislative Budget Board on Feb. 15 are still under assessment, and could be for a while.

“The plans we are submitting are subject to review by the LBB, and we will probably not get subsequent direction for some time,” Executive Vice President of Administration and Finance Carl Carlucci said.

“As required by the LBB, this list represents a reduction in our state appropriation and includes only those items funded directly by state appropriations.”

UH has begun implementing certain efficiency items and equipment to save money for future reduction plans. These include single-source purchasing contracts, equipment consolidations, longer replacement cycles for computers, replacing paper processes with electronic processes and paper recycling, according to the UH Budget Offi ce’s Web site.

The top nine priorities in the reduction plan include business process and equipment effi ciencies,

communication allowance reductions and public service.

“As an example, we estimate that we can recycle 1,000 tons of copy paper, for which we would be paid about $200,000,” Carlucci said.

UH also plans to save money by encouraging employees to turn off the 17,000 desktop computers on campus.

“Last year, we put in place a new contract for electricity that saved us $1 million per year. Making sure that our computers and monitors are powered down when not in use could save us an estimated $250,000.”

UH plans for future budget cutsConserving electricity,

recycling paper on agenda to save money

By Jose AguilarTHE DAILY COUGAR

Mayor Annise Parker paid a visit to the main campus to speak to a small group of students and invited guests from the English Department on Friday.

Parker entered the small classroom in the Roy G. Cullen building dressed in full Western attire: black denim jeans, boots, a gold-plated buckle and a Western shirt complete with pink snap buttons

“It’s ‘Go Texan Day’ in Houston … I don’t always dress like this,” Parker said.

Parker peppered jokes such as these throughout her 35-minute talk with English professor Maria Gonzalez’ Queer Theory students. She used her wardrobe to jump into the importance of appearance, especially when she fi rst ran for public offi ce in 1991.

“I had a rat-tail,” Parker said. “And I ceremoniously cut off the rat-tail and went out and bought a powder blue skirt and suit to campaign in. I spent more time in pantyhose and heels than I had in probably my entire life.”

Every campaign since then, Parker has donned a powder blue skirt suit. Whether she will wear one in future campaigns is unknown.

“I burned that sucker when I won (the mayor’s race),” she said.

Parker explained how she took steps to make sure it was her message, and not her appearance, that people remembered.

“Running a political campaign is a marketing exercise in a singular product: yourself and your ideas,” Parker said. “It is about making sure people receive your message.”

After losing her first two campaigns for at-large positions

on the City Council — even with “the heels and hose and the slightly more conservative hairstyle” — Parker and her campaign manager at the time noticed the media was treating her a little differently than others.

“Every time I saw my name it was, ‘Annise Parker, lesbian activist’ or ‘gay activist Annise Parker,’ and I thought that was a problem,” she said.

Before beginning her third campaign in 1997, Parker sat down with the editorial boards of the Houston Post, Chronicle and various news stations in an effort to change the way she was identifi ed.

She told them although she is a lesbian, she had not been a member of a gay or lesbian organization in a decade. She explained that it didn’t bother her to be called a lesbian, but she did “want and demand parity.” Like her opponents, Parker was a businessperson and volunteer.

“Fortunately for me, I think the times had changed so much that they got it,” Parker said. “Then they didn’t write it next to my name. (They wrote) it in the next paragraph (instead).”

All of Parkers’ trials and tribulations were exemplified when she won her fi rst election in 1997. Twelve years later, the hard work paid off in a way she only somewhat imagined; and it became a worldwide news event.

“What’s the biggest surprise? The level of media attention,” Parker said. “I have worldwide media coverage, and I’ve been in offi ce for 12 years. Nobody cared for 12 years. Nobody paid attention.”

Her newfound celebrity and its sometimes-tedious effects —she

see POLL, page 3

see REDUCTION, page 3 see MAYOR, page 3

Voters’ biggest concerns: The Daily Cougar polled 471 likely UH student voters about the candidates they favored in Tuesday’s gubernatorial primary. This chart refl ects the main issues those surveyed said they wanted candidates to address.

THE DAILY COUGAR

Top concerns:Law enforcement

Social issues

Bipartisanship

Social services

Environment/clean

energy

Infrastructure

Jobs: 29.1%

Other: 19.1%

Public schools: 18.7%Health care:

14%

Immigration: 4.9%

College costs: 5.5%

Budget/taxes: 8.7%

Page 2: 74.103-030110

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

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

The Health Professions Fair

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

Mark yourcalendar now

and save the dayfor your future

career!!

For moreinformation:

UScholarsPre-professional

AdvisingUniversity of Houston

[email protected]

Monday, March 1st, 2010

10am to 2pmLocation:

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

SELECTEDFRESHMEN & SENIORS

National Surveyof Student Engagement

Spring 2010

www.nssesurvey.org@

@ www.survey.uh.edu

2 ■ Monday, March 1, 2010 The Daily Cougar

MONDAY

Fairy Godmother Project: 8-6 p.m., McElhinney Hall, Room 333. The College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences and the Women’s Resource Center have teamed up with a local outreach organization, the Fairy Godmother Project, to collect prom dresses for local disadvantaged students. It’s a donation event, ask-ing for unused dresses. For more information, contact Jennifer Palton at 713/743-1019.

Exercise workshop: 2-3 p.m., Cam-pus Recreation and Wellness Center, Room 1038. UH Wellness, a depart-ment of Learning and Assessment Services in the Division of Student Affairs offers exercise programs throughout the semester. These workshops promote various dimen-sions of wellness and are offered to support student development, to increase retention and to provide students with skill-building opportu-nities throughout the semester. For more information, contact Gaylyn Maurer at [email protected].

Architecture Alumni: 7-9 p.m., Houston Brown Auditorium, 5601 Main St. The UH College of Architec-ture Alumni Association continues its tradition of lectures with distin-guished engineer Guy Nordenson. The association requests that lecture guests enter and exit through either the Audrey Jones Beck Building (Mo-neo Building) or the Museum Visitors Center/Garage due to a large event already scheduled in the Caroline Weiss Law Building. Admission to the lecture is free. The lecture will be followed by a reception and book signing in the Beck Building Lobby. Nordenson will sign copies of his lat-est book, On the Water/Palisade Bay, which hasn’t been released in the U.S. Limited quantities of the book will be available for purchase in the mu-seum. Call 713-639-7360 to reserve your copies.

C A L E N D A R

F O R E C A S T

CAMPUSBEAT

CO R R E C T I O N S

CO N TAC T U S

A B O U T

I S S U E S TA F F

» Send event information to [email protected]

»Report errors to [email protected]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

director of the Student Publications Department.

Corrections will appear in this space as needed.

■ Copy editing Giselle Bueno, Moniqua Sexton, Matt Miller

■ Production Chenlong He

■ Closing editor Ronnie Turner

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

■ Managing EditorMatthew Keever(713) [email protected]

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

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

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

■ Special Projects EditorJarrod [email protected]

■ Opinion EditorAlan [email protected]

■ Photo EditorKendra Berglund(713) [email protected]

■ Web EditorMatt [email protected]

■ Blog EditorAbby [email protected]

Advertising(713) [email protected]

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

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

Tuesday

54˚36˚Wednesday

61˚41˚Thursday

61˚45˚

Page 3: 74.103-030110

www.thedailycougar.comStay in touch.

UC Arbor, Room 32D713/743-2777

www.uh.edu/ucaf

HOURS OF OPERATION

Cash, Checks, Credit Cards, andCougar Cash accepted.

Monday – Friday10:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.

Saturday11:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Sunday2:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

(Lower Level, University Center)

March 1 - 7This Week on the UC Fun Floor

Shasta’s Now Accepts Cougar Cash!

HOURS OF OPERATIONMonday - Friday

11:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.Saturday

11:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.Sunday

4:00 p.m. - 9:00p.m.

UC Lower Level713/743/4947

Partially funded by SFAC and your UC Fee.

Try our new coffee roast! “Katz’s Best” (now on a rotating basis)

Rolling Back the Prices!For a limited time.

$1.00 per game for Bowling!Offer Valid only Monday through Saturday, from Opening to Noon.

Open Mic6:30PM - 8:30PM

Tuesday 3/2

SPB & UCAF Presents...

College Nights at Chiliʼs Too

Sunday 3/7

Free 2nd Scoop FridayFree 2nd scoop upgrade w/ purchaseof a single scoop waffle cone/bowl

Sunday SundaesBuy 1 sundae, get 1 of equal or lesservalue for FREE!

Wednesday 3/3 $1 Coffee WednesdaysSmall coffee for only $1!

Friday 3/5

Cougar Bowling Club7:00PM

For a limited time.

Glow Bowling9:00PM - 1:00AM

Friday 3/5 SPB Fridays30% OFF with UH Student ID & SPB Tag

Friday 3/5& Saturday 3/6

Monday 3/1

Faculty/Staff Bowling League6:00PMThursday 3/4

The Daily Cougar NEWS Monday, March 1, 2010 ■ 3

has a higher security detail than any other mayor before her, the agents of which she called her “new best friends” — still hasn’t hampered her excitement.

“Let me tell you what it’s like to be mayor of Houston,” Parker said. “I love my job!” she said.

The floor was opened up for questions, with the fi rst one concerning the troubles of NASA.

“Good question, not a gay question,” she jokingly said. “Thank you.”

Parker went on to answer questions regarding the METRO expansion, gentrification of the Third Ward and market forces, the often precarious relationship between the city and the county governments, intergovernmental relationships, immigration, the jail system and panhandling.

Gonzalez welcomed the direction the discussion took.

“It’s terrifi c; it shows the gay issue isn’t an issue. It’s about the city,” Gonzalez said. “She’s the mayor of a major city with very complex problems, and she was the most qualifi ed person to help us fi x many of our problems. So of course those are going to be the questions people ask.”

The idea of Parker coming to

speak to the class fi rst arose last summer. Parker agreed at the time, but when she became mayor, Gonzalez wasn’t sure whether Parker would still have enough time to honor her commitment. But when Gonzalez sent in the scheduling request, Parker said she would visit the class.

Parker said she enjoys being in public service, and part of that job

includes creating time to speak with and offer advice to all college students in Houston.

She reserved her piece of advice for Gonzalez, who was also dressed for ‘Go Texan Day.’

“Get some boots, Maria,” she said as she walked out, leaving her audience in laughter.

[email protected]

MAYORcontinued from page 1

Travel and business expenses will be reduced by 10 percent University-wide, but teleconferencing will be used as a substitute in many situations.

UH pays for the tuition of graduate students who work as graduate assistants. The new plan, however, outlines a shift in support for research assistants.

In addition, a one-day furlough for all faculty and staff will be instituted this year.

Staff positions will be reduced with the layoff of approximately 83 employees, according to the Division of Administration and Finance of the University of Houston.

Carlucci stressed that layoffs are a last resort.

“Staff reductions would be the last step we would take, although we may immediately have to maintain a higher-than-normal position vacancy rate to accumulate savings,” Carlucci said. “Some of these plans would be painful, but the UH community has offered many suggestions that we can implement to help avoid the worst of these.”

UH administrators have been engaged in budget discussions this week and have yet to come up with a complete conclusion.

“Final decisions on specifi c cuts are still under review,” Director of Media Relations Richard Bonnin said.

[email protected]

REDUCTIONcontinued from page 1

up voting in a low-turnout election such as this primary,” Rigby said.

Rigby said the percentage of students who support Shami and Medina may speak to the rise in discontent expressed toward the government since the economy entered a downturn.

“In particular, Medina’s success at garnering support refl ects the general anti-establishment sentiment among Americans today,” Rigby said. “Although anecdotal, I can tell you that I also see this frustration and cynicism increasing among my students.

“I hear a lot more concern about government-based solutions than were voiced a year ago. We call this a shift in national mood, and it is likely to play a key role in this election, possibly sending Perry and Hutchison into a runoff.”

The students cited multiple issues that they are most concerned with heading into Tuesday’s primary.

About 29.1 percent said the state of the economy and unemployment were their biggest concerns.

Roughly 18.68 percent chose

public school education, 14.01 percent said health care, and 8.7 went with the state’s budget and taxes.

College tuition costs captured 5.52 percent of students’ concerns, while 4.88 percent said improving immigration policies should be Texas’ main issue.

Approximately 19.11 percent of respondents said there were other issues that concerned them. These included law enforcement, social reform, bipartisanship, social services, environment/clean energy and infrastructure.

About 52.4 percent of the students polled disapprove of Perry’s performance as governor, while 43.1 percent approve of his performance. Roughly 4.5 percent said they were neutral on Perry’s policies.

Furthermore, 42.39 percent of the poll’s undecided voters said they approve of Perry’s performance so far.

The overall poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points. The Democratic primary poll has a margin of error of 6.8 points, and the Republican poll has a margin of error of 7.3 points.

Additional reporting by students in the Advanced Reporting course.

[email protected]

POLLcontinued from page 1

COURTESY OF ZBLUME

Mayor Annise Parker visited UH on Friday and gave a speech to a small group of students

about her unique campaign experiences.

Speak up whenever

you want.Register with the Web site and comment on any article at thedailycougar.com

Page 4: 74.103-030110

4 ■ Monday, March 1, 2010 The Daily Cougar

Many people have the false impression that the death penalty is more benefi cial to society than life imprisonment for dangerous criminals.

The argument, which is wholly false, is both misconstrued and spoon-fed to

uninformed people. The costs and social implications are both negative when compared to life imprisonment, and there’s plenty of research to back it up.

The most signifi cant examples are in Texas, where the death penalty is king.

According to the Death Penalty Information Center, Texas executed more prisoners than any other state in 2009. There were 24 executions, which is four times as many as the next-closest state on the list, Alabama.

As the state that executes the highest number of criminals, it stands to reason that Texas also spends the most money to do so.

Some people argue that it costs more to incarcerate a prisoner than it does to execute them. This is simply not true.

In a Dec. 13 article from the Lubbock-Avalanche Journal, reporter Logan Carver quoted a spokeswoman from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, who said that “the average cost to house an inmate in Texas prisons is $47.50 per day.”

This is far less than politicians and pro-capital punishment groups lead people to believe.

“That means it costs more than $17,000 to house an inmate for a year and $693,500 for 40 years,” Carver wrote.

These numbers appear to be steep, but when compared to the legal costs associated with each case — which are the most expensive part of cases in which the death penalty is sought — the numbers make life imprisonment look like a better solution and highlights certain problems with the system.

“From indictment to execution, the trial costs alone for death penalty cases are estimated at about $1.2 million,” said Jack Stoffregen, an attorney with the West Texas Regional Public Defender for Capital Cases.

This means that the average cost

of an execution case could pay for two prisoners’ life sentences, provided the prisoners live for 40 years in prison.

According to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice’s Web site, “the average time death row inmates spend on death row prior to execution is only 10.26 years.”

The costs alone are signifi cant enough to demand the system be fi xed to reduce costs, but there are other factors as well that are not fi nancial.

The ethics behind the death penalty are fl awed.

Many people hear this and automatically assume that it’s an argument being made by some sort of liberal or intellectually arrogant person, but people who believe that should reconsider.

The legal system is plagued with misconduct, which has resulted in the wrongful deaths of innocent people. This is the fundamental reason why the death penalty should be done away with or, at the very least, heavily regulated.

Often times, policies implemented in favor of going green produce favorable results.

The University’s new to-go box policy that has been implemented in the Moody Towers and Oberholtzer

Hall dining areas, however, is failing miserably.

Made from emerald green plastic (presumably a pun on UH’s eco-friendliness), the containers are supposed to be available to students and staff who want to get food from the cafeterias to take and eat somewhere else.

The process of using the new containers, which are noticeably smaller and harder to squeeze a meal into than the old Styrofoam ones, should be simple.

First, a student requests a to-go meal in the cafeteria and is handed one of the plastic boxes. After fi lling it up with food,

the student leaves the cafeteria and eats wherever he or she wishes. But the last step is the most essential: the student then returns the container to the cafeteria so that it can be used again.

Of course, that seems to be the step students and staff have the hardest time completing.

When the green containers fi rst appeared, students were asked to sign them out. The basics of an organized plan seemed to be present — when a student returned the box they had signed for at one of the designated areas, they would be given a voucher to get a new one.

But that never happened. Anyone who visits the cafeteria and gets food to go is given a container with no questions asked and no vouchers presented.

Many students who live on-campus admit to having stacks of containers in their rooms, as there’s no real rush to return them.

It should be no surprise, then, that stacks of the new containers at the cafeteria have dwindled over the fi rst few months of the semester.

As often as not, students who want to get a to-go meal are unable to; the lucky students who do get to use a box may have to wait fi ve to 10 minutes while the Dining Services staff quickly — and often poorly — washes the few containers that were returned.

There is no mystery behind why so many of the containers have disappeared; they’re simply not being returned.

Anyone who orders food to go should be responsible enough to return their container to the nearest C-Store or dining hall when they are done using it. Perhaps they just want to keep the cool, “free” container.

Either way, it’s clear that people at

CaseyGoodwin

Time for Texas to kill death penalty

Containers-to-go not working out

EDITORIAL CARTOON

AndrewTaylor

DICK HITE JR. THE DAILY COUGAR

The Texas Board of Education is scheduled to meet March 10-12 to vote on changes to the state’s social studies curriculum. The

university’s Center for Public History, Honors College and Houston Teachers Institute hosted a panel discussion Wednesday at the Honors College to examine the proposed changes.

During the discussion, Texas Freedom Network President Kathy Miller said the members of the board had “been pursuing a personal, political and religious agenda through a number of subjects.”

This comes as no surprise considering former chairman and current board member Don McLeroy said in a January interview with Washington Monthly magazine that “evolution is hooey.”

McLeroy also said that his process for choosing textbooks was based on how “they cover Christianity and Israel,” as well as how they cover President Ronald Regan, whom McLeroy said saved the world from communism and created a 20-year-long prosperous economy.

If the Board of Education approves changes to the curriculum, it will be altering history by choosing to ignore various important events in favor of pushing a political agenda.

The U.S. education system is already a mess. Generally speaking, American children are not as well educated as many of their peers around the globe.

The problem with the American education system is that it is politically motivated. Leaders who make the rules regarding education often have never taught in a classroom.

For example, McLeroy graduated from Texas A&M University with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. Is he really the best-suited person to decide what children should be taught in Texas?

Examining a larger scale, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan graduated from Harvard University with a degree in sociology. While Duncan may have a bit more experience in the education fi eld, he also has never taught in a classroom; he couldn’t possibly know what curriculum students need.

If America really wants to be academically competitive with other nations, governments at all levels will have to reform their leadership to include educators who have been in America’s classrooms day in and day out.

STAFF EDITORIAL

Education reform should start with new leadership

OPINION COMING ONLINE: Follow the Opinion section on Twitter at @TDCOpinion

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

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

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

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

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

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

University of Houston or the students as a whole.

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

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

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

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GUEST COMMENTARY Submissions are accepted from any member of the UH

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

see TAYLOR, page 5

see GOODWIN, page 5

Page 5: 74.103-030110

CALLING ALLCOUGARS!

For 40 years, The University of Texas School of Public Health hasbeen protecting and transforming the health of people in Texas, acrossthe nation and around the world. Visit www.sph.uth.tmc.edu to discover more reasons to choose The University of Texas School ofPublic Health and benefit from the best in public health.

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APPLICATION DEADLINES:

Fall 2010 _ April 1 Spring 2011 _ August 1

The Daily Cougar OPINION Monday, March 1, 2010 ■ 5

Factors such as police misconduct, faulty crime lab results and eyewitness remissions are common occurrences in the legal system.

Law enforcement offi cers, district attorneys and judges can have tunnel vision or biases that result in quick sentencing and inaccurate verdicts. Such distractions can convince juries of something that may not be accurate.

To be clear, justice is something everyone wants. No perfect system exists, but Texans should demand solutions from their elected offi cials within the state on how to fi x the broken system and reduce the fi nancial burdens of executions.

It is not fair to taxpayers, and it creates an illusion that our justice system works well, or properly for that matter. If one person is wrongly executed, that’s one too many.

Andrew Taylor is an economics senior and may be contacted at [email protected]

TAYLORcontinued from page 4

the University can’t be trusted to return their to-go containers and that Dining Services isn’t organized enough to come up with a system to keep track of them.

At the rate the containers are disappearing, there’s no way that replacement costs won’t soon be added into the University’s budget. That, or students won’t be able to get takeout anymore.

Dining Services made a valiant

effort to be more environmentally friendly, but its effort has thus far failed. It’s time for them to accept that fact and allow students to be able to count on to-go meals again.

Whether that means implementing some costly system to keep track of the boxes or simply going back to good old-fashioned Styrofoam, something has to be done.

Casey Goodwin is an engineering freshman and may be contacted at [email protected]

GOODWINcontinued from page 4

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6 ■ Monday, March 1, 2010 ADVERTISING The Daily Cougar

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Page 7: 74.103-030110

The Daily Cougar Monday, March 1, 2010 ■ 7

SPORTS COMING TUESDAY: The UH baseball team prepares to face Rice in the fi rst game of the Silver Glove Series.

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

TRACK

BASEBALL

By John BrannenTHE DAILY COUGAR

UH hosted the Conference USA Indoor Championships and hoped to defend its home turf with an all-around strong showing.

The Cougars got exactly that, although the agony of defeat was bitter for the women’s team after a disappointing third-place fi nish. But the thrill of victory was sweet for the men’s team, which won its fourth consecutive title.

No real threat was ever presented to the men’s team, as it entered Saturday’s fi nals with a double-digit lead and eventually beat runner-up Tulsa by 76.5 points.

It was all smiles and celebration for the men’s team, which held a large enough lead to not have to fi eld a 4x400-meter relay team.

Tears were shed on the women’s side, but head coach Leroy Burrell hopes they can turn their frustration into productivity.

“Time is a great healer,” Burrell said. “I’m not upset that they’re upset. As a matter of fact, I’m really happy that they’re upset because if they turn it positively, maybe we’ll … work a little bit harder, and compete more aggressively.”

Although the men’s performance ended in more success, Burrell had

high praise for his women’s squad.“Our women’s team is actually

ranked higher than our men’s team. Don’t lose sight of that,” Burrell said. “We got to keep working and wait for another opportunity to see if we can get the job done.

“We can’t lose hope. We just got to keep trying.”

In the men’s events, junior Wesley Bray showed his all-around athleticism en route winning the heptathlon with 5,338 points.

In the long jump and triple jump, the Cougars earned a clean sweep.

Jonathan Williams notched fi rst place in the long jump with a leap of 7.31-meters, while teammates Chris Carter and Lamar Delaney followed claimed second and third place, respectively.

In the triple jump, Carter placed fi rst with a jump of 15.55-meters. Williams and Thomas Lang fi nished second and third, while Delaney placed fourth.

Errol Nolan continued his impressive freshman campaign, winning both the 200-meter and 400-meter dash events in 21.4 seconds and 47.8 seconds, respectively.

Tyron Carrier was right behind Nolan in the 200, placing second with a time of 21.6 seconds. Carrier was also the runner-up in the

60-meter dash, which he fi nished in a personal-best 6.83 seconds.

Cameron LaCour won the men’s 60-meter hurdles in 7.91 seconds.

On the women’s side, junior Kalyn Floyd fi nished third in the 400-meter with a time of 55.4 seconds. Floyd and Grecia Bolton fi nished second and third in the 200-meter dash in 24.12 and 24.23 seconds, respectively. Those two times set NCAA provisional marks.

In the women’s 800-meter Ciera Johnson crossed the fi nish line in 2 minutes, 11 seconds, good for second place. Similarly, Douglas Kelley was the runner-up in the men’s 800 with a time of 1:54.

Although Burrell and his staff would have preferred dual championships for the men and women, he said he still considers both squads as one cohesive unit.

“You’re never happy when

your goal is to win and you don’t,” Burrell said. “I’m the men’s coach and the women’s coach. It’s emotionally diffi cult to deal with. But we celebrate the men, and we tell the women that we want to keep shooting forward.”

The Cougars will take their act to Ames, Iowa this weekend for the Iowa State Last Chance Meet.

[email protected]

By Tristan TippetTHE DAILY COUGAR

The Cougars almost completely redeemed themselves one weekend after Texas State swept them.

The Cougars didn’t win all three of their games against the West Coast Conference’s Santa Clara, but they did take two out of three in the series at Cougar Field.

After winning Friday and Saturday 17-9 and 3-2, respectively, UH lost 5-3 on Sunday to fall to 2-4 on the season.

Head coach Rayner Noble said his team certainly showed improvement from last weekend, but it still has several issues to work out.

“We won two games,” Noble said, “That’s better than what we did last weekend, but we’ve got a whole lot to get better at. We’ll just go back to getting busy working on it.”

The Cougars came up with their grittiest performance of the year in Saturday’s victory.

With the score tied at 2 and two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, Joel Ansley reached base on an infi eld single.

During Blake Kelso’s at-bat,

Ansley advanced to second base when Broncos’ catcher Geoff Klein threw the ball into center fi eld in an attempt to catch Ansley stealing.

But Ansley kept churning, rounding third when center fi elder Lucas Herbst mishandled the ball. UH third base coach Russell Stockton gave Ansley the green light, allowing Ansley to slide into home just before Herbst’s throw arrived.

“It feels good; that’s what it boils down to,” Noble said. “If you’re going to go places and get into the NCAA fi eld, you’re going to have to win close games.”

The win was important for the Cougars, considering their 1-3 start to the season. But they certainly had many more opportunities to lose this game than win. UH benefi ted from erratic, but tenacious relief work and fi ve double plays to prevent what could’ve been a blowout loss.

“We were very, very fortunate to win this game,” Noble said. “But our pitchers hung in there and just made pitches when they needed to — the double play was certainly our friend today.”

Starter Ty Stuckey and the relievers walked nine Broncos and

hit four of them, but only allowed two unearned runs via two errors.

“It’s amazing how this game goes, because you would think with as many walks and hit batsmen that we would’ve lost this game by eight or 10 runs,” Noble said. “I keep preaching to our pitchers, ‘you’ve got to keep fi ghting, and see if you can’t get out of the inning with a double play,’ and that’s what we did.”

The Cougars’ pitching woes appeared to be back when Santa Clara scored three runs in the fi rst two innings of Friday’s series opener. But UH’s bats woke up soon after, as the Cougars scored four in the third inning.

“From where we were last weekend, we’ll take it,” Noble said. “Our hitters came and did a good job, and that’s what we needed. Our pitching still has a long way to go.”

In the third inning, Caleb Ramsey singled to left-center with one out. He scored when Austin Gracey hit a spinning bouncer to shortstop Justin Viele who committed an error.

Matt Creel, who went 4-of-6 with seven RBIs, hit a two-run triple

UH gives stellar effort at C-USAs

Burrell lauds teams’ drive as men claim fourth

straight title; women place third

Cougars reverse fortunes

COURTESY OF UH ATHLETICS

Freshman Errol Nolan continued an excellent start to his UH career at the Conference USA Indoor Track and Field Championship, winning the

men’s 400-meter title with a 47.86-second eff ort. He helped the men’s track and fi eld team win its fourth consecutive C-USA indoor title.

JUSTIN FLORES THE DAILY COUGAR

Michael Goodnight earned his and the Cougars’ fi rst win of the season in a 17-9 victory over

Santa Clara on Friday at Cougar Field. Goodnight allowed fi ve runs while striking out eight in

fi ve innings, but benefi ted greatly from UH’s 20-hit outburst. see BASEBALL, page 10

Page 8: 74.103-030110

8 ■ Monday, March 1, 2010 SPORTS The Daily Cougar

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

MEN’S BASKETBALL

By Maurice BobbTHE DAILY COUGAR

Conference-USA leader Tulane wagered its six-game winning streak against UH on Saturday afternoon, hoping to hit lucky seven.

Lady Luck and Porsche Landry had other plans.

Landry’s dribble penetration and steady fl oor leadership down the stretch helped the Cougars knock off the Green Wave 74-62 at Hofheinz Pavilion.

After letting Tulane (22-6, 11-4 C-USA) dictate the tempo in the early going, Landry, who fi nished with a team-high 16 points, steadied the ship and got the Cougars (15-13, 9-6) out in front, 13-10, with 11 minutes remaining in the fi rst half.

UH took that early momentum and never looked back, rolling to its third consecutive win at home.

“I think Porsche played really well today, especially defensively against (Roshaunda) Barnes,” UH assistant coach Wade Scott said. “She was able to get to the basket, and that created a lot of problems for them.”

Six Cougars scored in double fi gures, including Brittney Scott (12), Roxana Button (11), Lesslee

Mason (10) and Jasmine Johnson (10).

But Courtney Taylor stood out the most, as she recorded her 13th double-double of the season with 10 points and 19 rebounds. The junior forward fell one rebound shy of breaking the UH single-game record.

“The balanced scoring makes everybody an option,” Scott said. “When we share the ball and fi nd that ‘next’ pass, it makes our team a very good team.”

With only nine players to

choose from due to injury, Scott relied on balanced playing time and consistency. He got his usual spark off the bench from Button, who scored a team-high 9 points in the fi rst half to lead UH to a 37-23 halftime advantage.

In the second half, Landry went to work, knifi ng through the lane and taking it all the way to the rack on multiple occasions.

But Tulane doesn’t have the best record in the conference without reason.

Brown engineered the Green

Wave’s furious comeback attempt with back-to-back 3s, including a long jumper from the corner that kissed the backboard like a trick shot on a pool table to close the gap to four with 8:23 remaining.

Tulane then opted to ratchet up their defense a notch with a swarming press.

But Landry wasn’t rattled. The Houston native broke down the trap and dished the ball to open teammates to push the lead back to double digits at the four-minute mark.

Brown tallied seven more points down the stretch, but it proved too little too late because the Cougars matched her basket-for-basket.

“Overall this is a huge win for us,” Scott said. “This puts us in a tie with SMU for third place, which puts more pressure on the next game.”

UH will fi nish the regular season against in-town rival Rice Thursday at Hofheinz Pavilion.

[email protected]

By Matt MillerTHE DAILY COUGAR

DALLAS — Aubrey Coleman tried his hardest to lead the Cougars to a victory over SMU on Saturday, and he certainly had to hustle.

Coleman crashed the boards, drove into the paint and passed the ball to teammates who had open looks at the basket. But Coleman and his teammates couldn’t counter a sizzling second-half shooting effort by the Mustangs, as UH fell 94-83 at Moody Coliseum.

“He’s a great player,” SMU point guard Derek Williams said of Coleman. “He’s going to get his. The goal was to make every look he takes a difficult one.”

Coleman made only nine of 22 field-goal attempts in 40 minutes of action, but he led the Cougars (14-14, 6-8 Conference USA) in points (30), rebounds (nine) assists (six), steals (three) and free throws (eight).

The inside-out combination of Williams and forward Papa Dia was just what SMU needed to overcome Coleman’s gritty performance.

After the Mustangs (14-14, 6-8) scored only one point in the final 6:54 of the first half, Williams (18 points, eight assists) helped

the Mustangs take charge. In addition to scoring 16 points after halftime, Williams dished out four assists and grabbed four boards. He zipped past UH’s guards and juked around its bigs, leading SMU to 61 points on 66.7-percent shooting in the second half.

“We just knocked down shots,” Williams said. “We can play (at UH’s preferred) tempo. The ball just went in the hole for us.”

Dia crushed the Cougars in the paint for a career-high 31 points on 11-of-13 shooting. His aggressive approach slowly wore down UH’s forwards, as he grinded his way to 12 rebounds and 11 free-throw attempts.

“The last time we played Houston, (head) coach (Matt Dougherty) told me I was intimidated by ‘Big Boy’ (UH forward Kendrick Washington),” Dia said. “Today when I saw him, I was like, ‘I’m going at him.’”

The loss pushes the Cougars into a tie with Southern Miss for seventh place in the C-USA standings. With only two games remaining before the C-USA championship, which Tulsa will host March 10-13, UH must brace itself for a difficult four-day stretch.

But before that happens, the Cougars will close out their

regular-season home slate at 7 p.m. Wednesday, when they take on cross-town Rice.

Saturday’s contest was tied at 71 before SMU ripped off a 7-0 run to take a 78-71 lead with 4:03 remaining in the second half.

The Mustangs took control during this stretch, tightening their interior defense to force UH into some ill-advised perimeter shots. On the defensive end, the Cougars were unable to contain a confident SMU offense that had found its shooting rhythm.

Intense play allowed the Mustangs to gain that poise after they trailed 39-33 at halftime.

SMU caught fire at the start of the second half, making its first three shots to jump-start a 12-5 run. Robert Nyakundi capped the surge with a 3-pointer, giving the Mustangs a 45-44 lead with 16:35 left to play.

Coleman sank a mid-range jumper to give UH its last lead of the night, 51-50, with 14:19 remaining.

The Mustangs took control of the tempo soon after, taking advantage of a few mental mistakes — mainly fouls and turnovers — by the Cougars. An 8-2 run, capped by a Nyakundi free throw, pushed SMU into a 59-53 lead with 9:58 left in

regulation.That’s when Adam Brown (17

points, 5-of-8 3-pointers) entered the game and provided a spark for the Cougars. He made four of his

first five 3-point attempts; the last of which evened the game at 71 with 5:17 remaining.

[email protected]

UH tops Tulane at home

C-USA frontrunner

no match for Cougars’ balance

UH felled by SMU’s hot shooting

YULIA KUTSENKOVA THE DAILY COUGAR

The Cougars benefi ted from a balanced attack, including key contributions from players

such as Roxana Button, in Saturday’s 74-62 win over Conference USA frontrunner Tulane at

Hofheinz Pavilion.

JUSTIN FLORES THE DAILY COUGAR

Aubrey Coleman, pictured against Memphis, was again the driving force for the Cougars,

dropping in a game-high 30 points in UH’s 94-83 loss at SMU on Saturday.

Men’s C-USA Standings Team Conf. Overall Away Home Neutral1. UTEP 13-1 22-5 7-2 14-2 1-1

2. UAB 11-3 23-5 9-3 12-2 2-0

3. Memphis 11-3 21-8 6-4 15-3 0-1

4. Marshall 10-4 22-7 7-4 14-2 1-1

5. Tulsa 9-5 20-9 5-5 15-2 0-2

6. SMU 7-7 14-14 4-5 10-6 0-3

7. Southern Miss 6-8 16-12 5-7 10-3 1-2

8. UH 6-8 14-14 4-8 9-5 1-1

9. Central Florida 5-9 13-15 2-9 9-5 2-1

10. East Carolina 3-11 9-19 3-8 5-8 1-3

11. Tulane 2-12 7-20 2-8 4-10 1-2

12. Rice 1-13 8-20 1-11 7-9 0-0

Standings accurate as of Feb. 28

Women’s C-USA Standings Team Conf. Overall Away Home Neutral1. Tulane 11-4 22-6 8-2 12-3 2-1

2. Memphis 10-5 17-11 6-5 10-5 1-1

3. SMU 9-6 19-9 5-6 12-3 2-0

4. UH 9-6 15-13 8-6 6-6 1-1

5. East Carolina 8-7 19-9 5-6 12-2 2-1

6. UAB 7-8 13-14 3-9 9-4 1-1

7. Rice 7-8 13-15 2-10 11-3 0-2

8. UTEP 6-9 15-14 1-10 12-3 2-1

9. Marshall 6-9 14-14 5-8 8-5 1-1

10. Tulsa 6-9 12-14 3-9 8-5 1-0

11. Central Florida 6-9 9-15 3-7 6-8 0-0

12. Southern Miss 5-10 9-19 0-14 9-5 0-0

Standings accurate as of Feb. 28

Page 9: 74.103-030110

The Daily Cougar Monday, March 1, 2010 ■ 9

By Joshua MaloneTHE DAILY COUGAR

Halfway through their exhaustive 90-minute set Saturday, Tegan Quin from Canadian indie-pop duo Tegan and Sara remarked that she was out of breath to the point of needing an oxygen mask to continue. She wasn’t the only one.

The raucous, sold-out crowd at Warehouse Live had their collective breaths taken away, too, thanks to a frenetic performance that touched on favorites across their 10-year career and six studio albums. From start to fi nish, Tegan and Sara’s infectious melodies had the mostly female crowd in the palm of their hands.

Identical twin sisters with a dedicated lesbian fan base, Tegan

and Sara’s lyrics of relationships, heartbreak and jealousy have gradually transcended age and sexual orientation. This was fully on-display throughout the show, particularly on songs from their critically acclaimed new album Sainthood. More mature both lyrically and melodically, the duo played nearly the whole album, including the brilliant single “Hell.”

Tegan and Sara dipped heavily into two previous albums as well: 2007’s The Con and 2004’s So Jealous. The group’s catchy brand of power-pop translated to a crisp live show nearly identical to their studio recordings, and ballads like “Where Does the Good Go” and “Walking With a Ghost” kept the packed crowd singing along to every chorus.

The sisters were preceded

by two groups whose surprising performances nearly upstaged the main act. The fi rst was New Jersey indie-rockers Steel Train. Their sole fault was that they were only given 30-minutes to perform their catchy, adrenaline-fi lled anthems like “Firecracker” and “I Feel Weird,” set a positive tone for the entire night. Like The Arcade Fire or Phoenix on steroids, Steel Train would surprise no one by headlining their own tour in fi ve years.

Next was Holly Miranda, a relatively unknown but unquestionably talented musician who sounded equal parts Fiona Apple and Broken Social Scene. A petite girl carrying a big, soulful voice, Miranda excited the crowd by dedicating a song to everyone, “who should all have the right to get

married,” with Steel Train singing acapella as her backup.

But it was Tegan and Sara who still came away with the most memorable performance of the night, capped with an intimate, stripped-down acoustic encore. The group skillfully kept the energetic and always-screaming crowd engaged throughout, with Tegan humbly thanking the fans for their support. After an hour and a half of fans rocking out and singing-along, the thanks was surely mutual.

“When we fi rst started, there were points when it was just Sara and I and our tour manager riding around in a Greyhound from show to show,” Tegan said. “You’re a reminder of why we do what we do.”

[email protected]

By Elizabeth BaileyTHE DAILY COUGAR

Women spend more than men on certain products ranging from cars to haircuts to anti-aging lotions.

Tod Marks of Consumer Reports said that even though two bottles of pain relievers can contain exactly the same active ingredients, the one labeled for menstrual relief frequently sells for more in certain stores.

“According to the maker, these two should be priced the same,” Marks said. “They don’t set the prices. They suggest the prices but it’s ultimately up to the retailer.”

Differences in prices for comparable products are not always without reason. A certain brand of shaving cream costs nearly twice as much for women, Marks said.

“Women, in fact, like to shave

in the shower. They wanted a can that didn’t rust,” Marks said. “They wanted a can that was tall and thin. They wanted a can that wouldn’t get doused with water. So they had to make a special cap. All those things (added) to the cost (of the product).”

UH marketing administration professor Betsy Gelb spoke of an era when the price of alteration was already included. From the early to mid-1900s, women wore mostly dresses and skirts, which rarely needed altering. For men, however, alterations were often included in the price.

“One thing you can do is say, ‘I’m only going to buy this suit if you alter this at no additional cost,’” Gelb said.

During the mid-20th century, the framework for modern marketing approaches were already well in the works. In an article entitled “The Fabulous

Fifties: Selling Mr. and Mrs. Consumer,”Juliann Sivulka wrote that gender-based marketing has evolved in the past century to include more than slapping on the color pink; it has to speak to the buyer. Currently, the number of household purchases, including home remodeling and hardware are well over half bought by women.

Gender-based marketing is only a fraction of what William O’Barr, a mass culture specialist professor at Duke University, calls “niche markets.” This would also include the target marketing of Latin American women, black women and gay consumers. Marketers tailor promotions and messages to potential sensitivities of a distinguishable culture.

What it all comes down to is age-old supply and demand, Gelb said. For the same reason that roses are sold more during Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day, so are

cinema ticket prices on Saturdays than Thursdays. Gelb, who did her dissertation on low-income marketing in Houston, talked of the signifi cance of the opening of a Randall’s store in Midtown, because it was the fi rst full-fl edged grocery store in the area.

Convenience stores and fast food chains tend to be the go-to areas for sustenance in neighborhoods with low socioeconomic status, perpetuating unhealthy eating habits.

“Sure there are bananas now, maybe apples, but the products that convenient stores supply are whatever sells, and usually at a markup,” Gelb said. “You’re buying convenience with the milk.”

During challenging fi nancial times, browsing different aisles or checking out different stores might be worth the few extra minutes.

[email protected]

By Jack WehmanTHE DAILY COUGAR

The Crazies follows firmly in the footsteps of movies like The Hills Have Eyes and Friday the 13th remakes. They’re brutal and have serviceable plots, but when the end credits roll, the movie ultimately is a letdown. The Crazies does a lot of things right, but in the end falls victim to the same mistakes as its predecessors.

The movie’s biggest problem is trying to do too many things, and the end result is a messy plot with too many holes to be truly effective. The movie is at its most effective in the beginning; a large cast is introduced and the situation unfolds rather slowly, dragging the suspense along with it. But by the time the town starts falling apart, so does the movie. Every character that was introduced comes back into play in some manner but there’s never a chance to connect to any of them. The main cast gives an acceptable amount of effort and nothing more; none of the actors give their characters much credibility, and the movie definitely suffers because of it.

Most of The Crazies is actually about a vast government conspiracy (anything more would give away details). The movie flips back and forth between the main characters fighting for survival to them investigating what caused the disaster; it provides a good enough reason but is taken way too far and feels too forced to be believable.

There is also a ton of horror clichés spread liberally throughout the movie. Characters make terrible decisions time and time again. Too many things pop out from the screen. Everything in The Crazies has been done – and done better – by other movies. It cheapens the mood and draws you back from fully enjoying the story and the characters because you already know what’s going to happen; there’s no new ideas or plot twists, and it feels stale.

Just like every other horror movie that gets made today, The Crazies is a remake of a good horror movie that came out more than thirty years ago. The original was directed by zombie movie legend George A. Romero, in 1973.

Overall, The Crazies sets the bar for horror movies in 2010 so far, but it sets it firmly at medium; its only competitors have been the halfway decent vampire movie Daywalkers and the absolutely terrible Wolfman remake. It’s predictable and cliché ridden, but there are some genuinely intense scenes and the movie tries its hardest to be good. It’s worth the price of admission to go see it, at least.

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Sisters take breath away

Predictable movie sets the bar low

Women pay more for same products

COURTESY OF TEGAN AND SARA

Twin sisters Tegan and Sara came to Warehouse Live on Saturday with musical acts Steel Train and Holly Miranda.

MOVIE REVIEW

LIFE+ARTS COMING TUESDAY: Quintin Coleman reviews rapper Timberland’s latests album.

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

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10 ■ Monday, March 1, 2010 SPORTS The Daily Cougar

SWIMMING

By Tristan TippetTHE DAILY COUGAR

Entering the fi nal rounds of the Conference USA Championships on Saturday, UH sat in fourth place needing a strong fi nish to earn a medal. The Cougars battled hard, but found themselves just outside the top three at the day’s conclusion.

The Cougars hosted the four-day event, facing off against touch competition like SMU, Rice, East Carolina and Marshall. UH fi nished the meet in fourth place with a score of 533.5 points.

SMU scored 707 points to earn the conference title, while East Carolina fi nished second with 611. Rice earned 596 points to edge out the Cougars for third.

While the Cougars’ fourth-place fi nish may have been worse than they expected, UH did have some bright spots that left head coach Mark Taylor beaming with pride. One of Taylor’s least-experienced squads still captured fi ve individual championships.

“We’re probably the youngest team here and although we don’t like to fi nish in fourth place, this gives us plenty of ammo to go back to the drawing board and get ready for next year,” Taylor said in a release.

Saturday’s performances were no

exception. Kim Eeson, who nearly won the 500-yard freestyle event on Thursday, fi nished the 1650-yard freestyle in fourth with a time of 17:03.16.

Beccy Hillis turned in one of the fi nest performances of the week in the 200-yard breaststroke, recording an NCAA ‘B’ time of 2:14.99. Hillis’ fi nish was also the second fastest time in school history.

Reka Kovacs also did well in the 200-yard breaststroke, fi nishing fourth with an NCAA ‘B’ time of 2:16.19.

“We were very proud of Hillis and Kovacs by taking fi rst and fourth in the breaststroke,” Taylor said.

UH performed event better in the diving events.

Anastasia Pozdniakova was named Diver of the Meet after easily

winning the 1-meter and 3-meter events. Lacey Truelove won the platform diving event with a score of 339.95, while teammate Julia Lonnegren fi nished third.

Not surprisingly, head diving coach Jane Figueiredo earned C-USA Diving Coach of the Year honors for the ninth consecutive year.

“For Lacey, to win was a great surprise because the competition was very experienced and Lacey had a few risky, new dives,” Figueiredo said in a release. “She put them in, so we are very happy. Now, we need to start getting ready for the NCAA Championships.”

The NCAA meet, which will be held at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind. begins March 18.

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UH edged out of top 3 at meet

DAILY COUGAR FILE PHOTO

Senior diver Anastasia Pozdniakova continued her winning ways at the Conference USA

Championships, earning gold in the 1- and 3-meter events.

off the left-centerfi eld wall, tie the game at three. Presley followed with a chopper that landed between the mound and second base, allowing Creel score and give UH a 4-3 lead.

“We got a lot more hits together, instead of spread out like it was against Texas State,” Creel said. “Last weekend we got hits. We just didn’t hit enough combined. We got a lot more base runners on, and we got a lot more hits with runners on.”

The Broncos scored two runs in the fourth inning to regain the lead at 5-4, but the Cougars answered in the bottom of the fourth with fi ve runs and never looked back.

UH had a chance for a sweep in Sunday’s game, but starter Eric Brooks gave up four runs in the fourth to put the Cougars in a hole they couldn’t climb out of.

The Cougars will begin their 2010 Silver Glove Series with Rice at 4 p.m. Tuesday at Reckling Park. This game will not count toward the Conference USA Standings.

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BASEBALLcontinued from page 7

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The Daily Cougar COMICS & MORE Monday, March 1, 2010 ■ 11

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

TODAY’S SUDOKU

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

Robbie & Bobby by Jason Poland

The Hot Dog Stand by Mishele Lamshing

ACROSS 1 LAX client, once 4 Kind of prof 9 Shades 13 Antony or Chagall 14 Dern of “Focus” 15 — — even keel 16 Novelist —

Waugh 17 Yak’s home 18 Part of a.k.a. 19 Where Dakar is 21 More risky 23 Light refractor 25 Work fast 26 Kitchen gadget 29 Proverb 31 Nanny 32 Lick an envelope 33 Prow projections 37 Plains dweller 38 Prickly weed 41 USAF unit 42 Hoops nickname 44 Penny — 45 “The Matrix” star 47 Brown pigment 49 Made candles 50 Game hunter’s

trek 53 Track star Jesse — 55 Nimbleness 57 Diet 61 “Beloved” writer

— Morrison 62 Early moralist 64 Construction toy 65 Q.E.D. part 66 Liking 67 Sharif or Bradley 68 Actress Tyne — 69 Gloss 70 Agree silently

DOWN 1 Legend 2 Nest builder 3 Swallows 4 Bright star 5 Weighs anchor 6 Fill-in 7 Raw minerals 8 Odds and ends

container 9 More froggy 10 Pitch-black 11 Canvas support 12 Sleep noisily

13 Advanced degs. 20 Wave hello 22 Mo. with no holidays 24 Symphony bigwig 26 Veld grazers 27 “Ask Dr. —” 28 Square footage 30 Calendar info 32 Trig function 34 Now! 35 Currycomb target 36 Low-drifting

clouds 39 Environments 40 Scraping by with 43 Trait 46 Greek “e” 48 CAT scan relative 49 Dredge a channel 50 Glutted

51 Where Greek met Greek

52 Newspaper edition 54 Penned 56 —, right! 58 Brief note 59 Major Hoople’s

word 60 Neither’s mate 63 Compass dir.

© 2009 UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE INC.

Previous puzzle solved

Previous puzzle solved

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

13 14 15

16 17 18

19 20 21 22

23 24 25

26 27 28 29 30

31 32 33 34 35 36

37 38 39 40 41

42 43 44 45 46

47 48 49

50 51 52 53 54

55 56 57 58 59 60

61 62 63 64

65 66 67

68 69 70

F U N D T O G A G H A TO P I E W O K E N R E N OG A R P I S L E T O R N OS T O R M S A N I U R A L

I T E R A C D CP E R V A D E S S A H A R AS L U E U G L Y M O D E LA W S P A Y E E D D TL A K E R L E S S S O Y AM Y S T I C R E C L I N E R

H O E S S H A DM I C A R E M E Y E F U LE L A N E L B O W A E R OO S L O A M A S S R U N GW A L L L A S H M D S E

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RESPECTED EXPERIENCE. • IMPORTANT RESULTS

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Frederick Douglass was an American educator, orator, author, statesman and reformer. He encouraged Americans to: “Believe in yourself, take advantage of every opportunity and use the power of spoken and written language to effect positive change for yourself and society.”

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee has worked to facilitate the dream and create educational opportunities. Hard work and available educational opportunities helped her land a scholarship in Yale University’s fi rst class of female undergraduates. “But,” she says, “the hard work didn’t end there. I’ll never stop working to help young people achieve their goals. Hard work will always be necessary.”

• Sheila Jackson Lee has brought millions of dollars into Houston schools and sponsored legislation to improve academic performance, teacher training opportunities and enhance school safety.

• Sheila Jackson Lee voted for $2.1 billion in education funding for the state of Texas to ensure that our students receive their fair share.

• Sheila Jackson Lee has been a vigorous advocate for the $4 billion “Race to the Top” funding from the Department of Education.

• Sheila Jackson Lee secured millions of dollars from FEMA to restore the University of Houston Law Center Library after Tropical Storm Alicia.

• Sheila Jackson Lee ensured that the University received needed supplies an served as a key volunteer center to help surrounding neighborhoods that are without power.

• Sheila Jackson Lee supports the University of Houston’s effort to achieve Tier 1 status.

Vote Tuesday, March 2nd

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12 ■ Monday, March 1, 2010 ADVERTISING The Daily Cougar