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thedailycougar.com Astronaut’s lecture describes how position earned at NASA was attained through perseverance October 3, 2011 the official student newspaper of the university of houston since 1934theofficialstudentnewspaperoftheuniversityofhoustonsince1934 Students surrounded and cheered for contestants as they stuffed their faces during the tamale eating contest. The event also fea- tured a mariachi band, a buffet of traditional Latin cuisine and a piñata. | Johnny Peña/The Daily CougarTRANSCRIPT
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
Meet the clientele of ‘Hot L Baltimore’Cardiac Coogs win a wild one, still need work on defense
thedailycougar.com
HI 86LO 54
MondayOctober 3, 2011
Issue 24, Volume 77
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Love PatelTHE DAILY COUGAR
The fi rst African-American to walk in space said that only through unwavering persistence was he able to accomplish his goal of becoming an astronaut in his “Infi nite Possibilities” lecture Thursday at the M.D. Anderson Library.
Bernard A. Harris Jr., a UH alumnus, spoke to approximately 150 students, faculty and guests about his career as an astronaut and the years that followed in promotion of his book “Dream Walker: A Journey of Achievement and Inspiration,” in the
event hosted by the Honors College. “It’s not just a straight path to outer space, there
are a lot of peaks and valleys... a lot of challenges,” Harris said. “It doesn’t matter how you persevere through those challenges, but how you use them as stepping stones to reach higher.”
Harris was rejected after applying to the astro-naut corps in 1987.
“I could’ve stopped there, but I fi gured out this is what I really wanted,” he said.
Three years later he was one of 23 people to be selected out of the 6,000 that applied to join NASA’s 13th class of astronauts.
After two missions and 18 days in space, Harris decided to take on a new mission. He stressed the importance of investing in young people and mak-ing sure they are educated in math and science.
He established the Harris Foundation in 1998,
a non-profi t organization that supports math and science education and crime prevention programs for America’s youth. Exxon Mobil Corp. sponsors the Bernard Harris Summer Science Camp held across 25 colleges and universities including UH. The camp is free and provides an opportunity for middle school students to boost their knowl-edge in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
“I tell my story to them because I want to show them and teach them and demonstrate to them that it doesn’t matter how you start life; it doesn’t matter what adversities or challenges that you deal with, it is how you deal with them and how you use them as stepping stones, as hurdles to reach higher and higher,” Harris said.
Astronaut’s lecture describes how position earned at NASA was attained through perseverance
HONORS COLLEGE
Speaker tells crowd to shoot for the stars
LAW CENTER
Meeting focuses on consumer law rightsDeisy EnriquezTHE DAILY COUGAR
The People’s Law School, hosted by the UH Center for Consumer Law, held one of its biannual sessions on Saturday, drawing in over 500 people eager to learn about different laws regarding everything from bankruptcy to health insurance to immigration.
Associate Dean of the Law Cen-ter Richard Alderman started The People’s Law School over 25 years ago to educate people about the laws and their rights. Since then, over 50,000 people have attended the classes.
“I didn’t think that law was just for lawyers,” said Alderman. “I thought it was really impor-tant that people be able to help themselves.”
Alderman, who began teach-ing consumer law at UH in 1973, realized that many people had misconceptions about the law, and as a result were either being taken advantage of, or assuming they were entitled to something when they really weren’t.
In order to clear up common misunderstandings of the law and reach out to the public, Alderman started a newspaper column called “Know Your Rights” in 1979, which is the same name he has continued
to use for books and television appearances since.
“This is something that once you know your rights, from that point on you can protect yourself,” Alderman said. “Whether it’s deal-ing with a bank, a landlord, car dealer, or even neighbors — if you don’t know your rights, you screw up.”
There are fourteen available classes, free to anyone who reg-isters online, that are taught by lawyers, judges, and law professors who volunteer for the event.
Representatives from the Houston Bar Association and Texas Consumer Complaint Center were also available to provide informa-tion and answer questions for attendants.
“To be honest, it’s all about money. This is not an academic endeavor,” Alderman said. “This is all about making sure that when you are in the marketplace ... you get what you’re entitled to.”
Since the recession in 2008, interest in fi nancial classes such as credit and debt collection, bankruptcy, and employment has increased because people have lost jobs and taken on large amounts of debt that they were unable to pay. People from all classes and socioeconomic levels are facing the same struggles.
ASTRONAUT continues on page 2
Students surrounded and cheered for contestants as they stuff ed their faces during the tamale eating contest. The event also fea-tured a mariachi band, a buff et of traditional Latin cuisine and a piñata. | Johnny Peña/The Daily Cougar
CAMPUS
Cougars celebrate Hispanic heritage Julian JimenezTHE DAILY COUGAR
Students crowded the UC Arbor for food, music and games Thursday as part of the 4th annual Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration.
The event was created as a joint effort between the fraternity Lambda Theta Phi and the sorority Lambda Theta Alpha, with additional funding provided by the Activities Funding Board. Abigail Guevara, a communi-cations junior and the president of Lambda Theta Alpha, said that the
celebration was an important way to promote Latin cultural awareness.
“(It’s) a way of empowering not only Latinos but everyone in the community,” Guevara said. “Our event focuses on our heritage so we understand more about our traditions, and as Latinos we can be proud to know that there’s so much rich history for us to learn about.”
Ezekiel Escareno, a construction management senior, helped organize the event as a member of Lambda Theta Phi. He explained the efforts of everyone involved was a result of a passion for their culture.
“We all got together to show diversity,” Escareno said. “This is our way to celebrate Hispanic heritage.”
Construction management junior Santos Tovar serves as president of Lambda Theta Phi. He said the cel-ebration is one of the largest annual events for the two organizations, and that it teaches visitors a great deal about his heritage.
“We’re celebrating Hispanic cul-ture and the Latino background that describes where they come from,” Tovar said. “We have tons of cultural
HERITAGE continues on page 2
Astronaut Bernard A. Harris earned his bachelor’s degree in biology from UH in 1978. | Paul Crespo/The Daily Cougar
LAW continues on page 2
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2 ■ Monday, October 3, 2011 NEWS The Daily Cougar
food like empanadas and tamales, and we even brought in a piñata too. We made them all for this event.”
Students who visited the festivi-ties were treated to a live mariachi band and had an opportunity to participate in events such as a tamale-eating contest and a piñata. Others lined up to taste smorgasbord of Latin cuisine, which included dishes such as pupusas, pan dulce and charamuscas.
Computer science senior Josh Riffel said that he enjoyed tasting the numerous cultural dishes.
“This horchata is pretty cool,” Riffel said. “I haven’t tried it before.”
Sarai Hernandez, a UScholar student, said she enjoyed everything the event had to offer, and that it provided an excellent introduction to Latino culture.
“They have tamales and Mexican drinks and a mariachi band — everything that really represents Hispanic heritage,” Hernandez said.
“I didn’t know so many organiza-tions were dedicated to Hispanics.”
Clarita Montant, an international student with the Language and Culture Center program, valued the perspective the event offered visitors.
“I like it. It’s interesting, and you can get an overview of different cultures,” Montant said.
HERITAGEcontinued from page 1
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UH played a major role in Harris’ background. He graduated with a bachelor of science in Biology and later a master’s in business adminis-tration. His time at UH helped him establish a path towards earning a medical degree from Texas Tech University.
“I look at this University as my launching pad for space and cer-tainly for life,” Harris said.
Harris contemplated becoming
an astronaut as a child living in a Navajo reservation in the northern part of New Mexico and Arizona.
“I watched the sun go down at night, the stars appear in the heavens and wondered what it would be like to travel among those stars,” said Harris.
Being in outer space completely changed Harris’ perspective of life on Earth.
“It makes you colorblind,” said Harris. “I’m an earthling — from Texas.”
ASTRONAUTcontinued from page 1
“The whole economy has been hurt by the bankruptcy stuff. People are out on the streets and it’s just a sad situation,” said Lillian Jollifee, who attended The People’s Law School. “Because of the change in the laws, I want to pro-tect not only myself as a consumer, but also my family. Something like this (event) is a great opportunity to pick up a little information to help you later if you face some of
these problems.” Alderman has taken The
People’s Law School to other cities around Texas such as San Antonio, Amarillo, and Laredo.
“What we try do with other cit-ies is get groups that want to take over and do this,” said Alderman. “I also work with other schools and states to see they will do People’s Law Schools of their own because law becomes more and more com-plex, lawyers get expensive, and people just have to (be able to) do more for themselves.”
LAWcontinued from page 1
The Daily Cougar Monday, October 3, 2011 ■ 3
EDITOR Mary BaakE-MAIL [email protected] thedailycougar.com/arts
FINE ARTS
MOORES
Theatre season opener heats up stage
Review: Orchestra, choir performance strikes a chord
Alex PechacekTHE DAILY COUGAR
The 2011-2012 School of Theatre and Dance production season began with its opener “Hot
L Baltimore” over the weekend. Directed by Leslie Swackhamer
and written by the revered Lanford Wilson, the play revealed itself to be a zeitgeist of the early 1970s, revisiting the decade’s entrancing spirit.
The opening scene is led by the folk song “City of New Orleans,” which inspired Wilson to write the play. The song’s hazy tune and reverberating vocals set the scene for the dilapidated Hotel Baltimore.
The residents of Hotel Baltimore
include the elderly and prostitutes who habitually wander into the lobby, discussing whatever hap-pens to be on their mind and often feed off each other’s foibles.
When word gets out that the hotel is set to go under, residents are outraged and burst into fi ts of emotional panic. The play is set entirely in the hotel’s rustic lobby, and is illuminated by a yellow glow. Characters funnel in and out, many throwing tantrums in bipolar bouts and returning affably.
After long, the stagnancy of the lobby along with the wacky dialogue makes for a long and foggy trip. The character wardrobe consists of bell-bottoms, big collars and plaid patterns.
Jackie, an annoying loud-mouth played by junior Sarah Cortez, tells her dreams of becoming a farmer with lines like, “Lettuce has opium in it if you know how to get it out,” and expounds on her scientifi c knowledge.
Wilson’s play hones long, complex dialogue with overlapping conversations that are disorienting at times. Tim Sailer, a fi rst-year MFA student, plays the role of Bill Lewis, a level-headed hotel employee acting as a voice of reason throughout the onslaught of
residential complaints and distress. Occupant antics set him off at
times, causing him to stare then explode with frustration. Zoquera Milburn takes on the role of a young prostitute with a sweet, bubbly personality, entertaining the crowd with her fascination with trains and dreams of being in contact with a supernatural world.
Her interaction with other lobby-dwellers conjures some of the more passionate insights within the play. She harnesses hope as she yearns for a modern-day miracle.
Her interest in meaningful face-to-face conversation exposes other bitter characters pummeled with troubles and sorrows, not so much looking for redemption but mirror-ing their own depression.
The fi nal act opens as light fades and re-emerges with a blue haze. Cold psychedelic rock music gives off a murky atmosphere that sticks around until the play’s hysterical end.
The 15-member cast behind “Hot L Baltimore” put on a strong performance in all, successfully opening the season and leading the way for other productions.
Terence YungTHE DAILY COUGAR
Student ensembles brought noth-ing less than music to the ears with their performance this weekend at the Moores Opera House.
The concert, which featured the collaborative work of the combined choirs — Concert Chorale, Concert Women’s Chorus, University Men’s Chorus and the University Women’s Chorus — and the Moores School Symphony Orchestra explored a number of genres in the musical repertory.
The fi rst thing that the audience noticed is that the orchestra is
noticeably beefi er — both visually and aurally.
“The string section is the largest that we’ve ever had,” said Franz Anton Krager, director of the Moores School Symphony Orchestra. “It’s wonderful for everyone involved.”
The choice of Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Russian Easter Festival Overture,” demonstrated the lushness of the string section. The piece is special for being constructed from liturgical material of the Orthodox Church and is counted among Rimsky-Korsakov’s more popular works, along with “Scheherazade” and the “Capriccio Espagnol.”
In the “Concerto for Tuba and
Orchestra” by Roland Szentpali, tuba soloist Derek Fenstermacher performed to general acclaim.
“Derek is the winner of our Con-certo Competition, which is a major feat in and of itself,” said Krager. “What makes it more incredible is that he won it with the tuba.”
Pierre-Alain Chevalier directed the following number, Ravel’s “Alborada del Gracioso.” Chevalier is a doctoral candidate at the Moores School of Music coming from the Hart School of Music in Connecticut.
In the grand fi nale, Krager returned to the stage to direct Fran-cis Poulenc’s “Gloria.” Poulenc was
part of a group of composers called “Les Six,” a term coined by Henri Collet. The group responded to and sometimes against the impression-ist movement and romanticism in many ways, sometimes incorporat-ing their stylistic characteristics, other times mocking them and rejecting them altogether.
The choice of “Gloria” is what brought together the combined choirs and the symphony orchestra.
“With the choirs, I never have to worry about fundamentals,” Krager said. “I could tell in the fi rst 10 seconds that it was going to be wonderful.”
Poulenc’s “Gloria” is a
challenging work, involving many innovative compositional techniques such as planing, chro-maticism and often un-speechlike accentuations that generate a sort of odd humor.
Juxtaposition accurately describes the performance of “Gloria” because of its contrast of angular lines with fl ourishing melodies. This emphasis on contrast demands fl exibility, interplay and balance between the orchestra, choir and soprano soloist Cynthia Clayton — all of whom rose to the occasion.
Tracie Thomason, Matt Severyn and Laurel Schroeder take the stage as residents of the condemned Hotel Baltimore in opening weekend of “Hot L Baltimore.” The play will run Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. | Emily Chambers/The Daily Cougar
Mediterranean Macaroni & CheeseMacaroni and cheese has to be one of my all-time favorite comfort foods. When you combine classic fl avors from the Mediterranean with the rich creamy textures of this dish, it brings
this traditional dish to a whole new level and depth. Whether it is in the middle of a hot Texas summer or a chilly fall afternoon, there is never a time when a plate of mac & cheese is
not appreciated.
RECIPE O’ THE WEEK
Ingredients:
2 lb macaroni pasta, uncooked
½ lb white cheddar, shredded, divided
2 cups feta cheese
1 lb of grape tomatoes, quartered and broiled
1 bunch of fresh basil, thinly sliced
½ gal Whole milk
½ lb unsalted butter
½ lb all purpose fl our
1 White Onion, diced
2 cloves of Garlic, minced
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
Salt to taste
2 Tbsp Olive oil
Additional thoughts:
When toasting the bread crumbs be sure to
set the broiler on low and keep a close eye on
it so it won’t burn.
To get some extra basil fl avor, throw some
into the boiling water as the pasta cooks to
infuse the pasta with the basil oils.
ONLINE EXTRA
See what’s cooking in Shasta’s Kitchen thedailycougar.com/tags/kitchen
TODAY'S FORTUNE
The happiness you’re seeking can be found within.
Instuctions:
1. Cook macaroni pasta and toss with oil, then chill in the refrigerator in a baking dish.
2. In a deep sauce pan, melt butter on medium heat, then add the onions and garlic to sweat for four minutes on low heat.
3. Stir in fl our until well incorporated and continue to stir for another fi ve minutes.
4. Quickly add in the milk and continue to stir until it reaches the consistency where it covers the back of a spoon.
5. Whisk in the cheddar and continue to stir until fully melted; taste and add salt if needed.
6. Add cheese sauce to pasta with the tomatoes, feta, olives and basil, then top with bread crumbs.
7. Broil in the oven until the bread crumbs have toasted, then serve.
Recipe and photo by Jorge Porras
4 ■ Monday, October 3, 2011 The Daily Cougar
STAFF EDITORIAL
F or the past few weeks, protesters have been gathering in larger and larger numbers along the sidewalks
of Wall Street. It’s about time.
For far too long, Americans have been sitting on the sidelines just waiting and hoping for things to get better. Citizens sat on their couches, tighten-ing their fi sts in anger as they watched the news reports about the tanking economy, the rising unemployment, and the greed and corruption in Wall Street that drove us into this situation and walked off, scot-free, avoiding any of the ramifi ca-tions of their decisions. There’s no way the country should let them get away with it.
To date, over 700 peaceful protesters have been arrested for making a stand against economic corruption.
But their point has been made, and as the pro-testers gather support, people across the country are banding together to send politicians and the wealthy who pay for their policies one message: we won’t tolerate it any longer.
The sentiment has sparked solidarity protests in major cities everywhere in the US, with Chicago, Los Angeles and even Houston joining in. These efforts show that Americans are still willing to take a stand for their beliefs, and that the vast majority of Americans are tired of the blatant robbery and inequalities that the wealthiest individuals of the US have left behind for us to suffer.
It’s tough to believe that the nation still operates as a democracy when the laws and policies that our politicians have instated done nothing to help its citizens, and do everything to benefi t the corpora-tions. When elections no longer serve the people, the only way we can ensure our voices are heard is through protest.
As Thomas Jefferson said, “the issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs.” The country has shifted in a direction that undermines the principles on which it was built upon, and it needs to be brought back. The Occupy Wall Street protests are a necessary and important step in the democratic process to make sure that America is still a country by the people, for the people.
Wall Street protestors speak for Coogs
STAFF EDITORIAL The Staff Editorial refl ects the opinions of The Daily Cougar Editorial Board (the members of which are listed above the editorial). All other opinions, commentaries and cartoons refl ect only the opinion of the author. Opinions expressed in The Daily Cougar do not necessarily refl ect those of the University of Houston or the students as a whole.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The Daily Cougar welcomes letters to the editor from any member of the UH community. Letters should be no more than 250 words and signed, including the author’s full name, phone number or e-mail address and affi liation with the University, including classifi cation and major. Anonymous letters will not be published. Deliver letters to Room 7, University Center Satellite; e-mail them to [email protected]; send them via campus mail to STP 4015; or fax them to (713) 743-5384. Letters are subject to editing.
ADVERTISEMENTS Advertisements published in The Daily Cougar do not necessarily refl ect the views and opinions of the University or the students as a whole.
GUEST COMMENTARY Submissions are accepted from any member of the UH community and must be signed with the author’s name, phone number or e-mail address and affi liation with the University, including classifi cation and major. Commentary should be kept to less than 500 words. Guest commentaries should not be written as replies to material already printed in the Cougar, but rather should present independent points of view. Rebuttals should be sent as letters. Deliver submissions to Room 7, University Center Satellite; e-mail them to [email protected]; or fax them to (713) 743-5384. All submissions are subject to editing.
E D I TO R I A L P O L I C I E S
EDITOR Daniel RenfrowE-MAIL [email protected] thedailycougar.com/opinionOPINION
THE DAILY COUGARE D I T O R I A L B O A R DEDITOR IN CHIEF Jack WehmanMANAGING EDITOR John BrannenNEWS EDITORS Taylor McGilvray, Julian JimenezSPORTS EDITOR Joshua SiegelLIFE & ARTS EDITOR Mary BaakOPINION EDITOR Daniel RenfrowCHIEF COPY EDITOR Natasha Faircloth
P resident Obama had some choice words for the 2012 Republican presidential candidates last Satur-
day. While speaking at the annual Human Rights Campaign fundraising dinner, he rebuked the candidates on their silence in a debate after a gay soldier asked a question about DADT and was booed by several audience members.
“We don’t believe in the kind of small-ness that says it’s okay for a stage full of
political leaders — one of whom could end up being the president of the United States — being silent when an American soldier is booed,” Obama said.
Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.), who was asked
the question during the debate, said that the repeal of DADT gives gay service members a “special privilege” not given to straight service members, that it is a form of social experimentation, and that it “tries to inject social policy into the military.”
However, when did granting a minority group equality turn into giving them a special privilege? Our founding fathers believed that all men were “endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights.” The ability to serve openly in the military is one of them, and should not be viewed as a special privilege.
A parallel can be drawn between the repeal of DADT and the desegregation of the military in the 1940s. This is not to say that discrimination based on race and dis-crimination based on sexual orientation are the same thing — they are two distinct categories that should not be grouped together. It is in the rhetoric of those who
were opposed to the desegregation of the military and those who are in favor of DADT that the similarity can be found.
In 1942, The Navy General Board issued a report on the potential effects of desegregating the military.
“How many white men would choose, of their own accord, that their closest associates in sleeping quarters, at mess, and in a gun’s crew should be of another race? How many would accept such conditions, if required to do so, without resentment and just as a matter of course?” The Navy General Board wrote.
This is similar to the argument many people continue to make against the repeal of DADT, even though a 2010 Pentagon review of the policy found that “the risk of repeal of ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ to overall military effectiveness is low.”
President Harry Truman must have known the same when he issued an executive order in 1948 to desegregate the military. Only 26 percent of Americans at the time were in favor of his decision. The fact that 63 percent of Americans at the time favored the racial segregation of the military indicates that this was social experimentation on the part of Truman — something Santorum thinks is a bad idea. But could you say that this type of social experimentation is wrong?
It was not until the Civil Rights Act was signed into law in 1964 that racial discrimination in America ended, at least theoretically, on a national scale. That was 16 years after the military ended racial segregation. It is safe to assume that the social experimenta-tion of the military gradually changed the opinion of desegregation over the course of those 16 years. According to a Gallup poll, 60 percent of Americans
were in favor of desegregation at the time of the passage of the Civil Rights Act.
According to a Gallup poll published after the repeal of DADT, 67 percent of Americans supported the repeal. When you compare that to the 63 percent of Americans who were against the desegregation of the military in 1948, it becomes evident that there has been much social progress in the US over the last 63 years.
Gay US service members should rest assured that those who booed the gay soldier during the debate are in the minority. This is because America’s opinion of the LGBT community is changing. According to a Gallup poll from May of this year, 53 percent of Americans are in favor of same sex marriage. If you break it down by age, 70 percent of people between the ages of 18 and 34 are in favor of gay marriage, but only 39 percent of people who are 55 or older are in favor.
The Republican presidential candidates need to realize that if the Republican Party wishes to remain relevant in the 21st century, it needs to stop catering to the bigots of its party.
Social change is coming to the US. Obama seems to know this, but the GOP can’t seem to figure this out.
The GOP can survive for a few more years by catering to the prejudices of older voters, but those voters will soon be replaced by a generation of voters less open to the idea of blatant discrimi-nation — in any area.
Daniel Renfrow is a senior anthropology and print journalism double major and may be reached at [email protected].
DanielRenfrow
Criticism of DADT repeal is unfounded
S ince Andrew Wakefi eld’s, now thoroughly discredited, Lancet publication regarding so-called
links between the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism was released in 1998, the fervor surrounding mandatory vaccinations has swelled to a
fevered pitch. Indeed, mandatory
vaccinations have become a key point in the Republican primaries — specifi cally between Texas Governor Rick Perry and Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MI).
Perry has been criticized by the Right for requiring middle school girls to be vac-cinated against the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), which has been known to cause cervical cancer.
The Texas legislature overturned this order despite a simple opt-out procedure that allowed parents who disagreed with the vaccination on moral grounds to prevent their daughters from being vaccinated.
Bachmann capitalized on the HPV vaccine issue at the Republican debate last month decrying government injections, despite there being no evidence that the HPV vaccine Gardasil has any harmful side effects.
In the wake of the debate, Bachmann claimed she had heard anecdotal evidence from an anonymous woman who said that her daughter had developed mental retar-dation after administration of the vaccine. It should be pointed out to Bachmann that
the plural of anecdote is not “anec-data”. Bioethicists Dr. Steven Miles and Dr.
Arthur Caplan have offered $11,000 to char-ity if Bachmann can produce this woman, along with any medical records or other evidence demonstrating a link between the Gardasil vaccine and intellectual disabilities. Thus far, she has remained unsurprisingly silent regarding this challenge, but has justifi ed her earlier statements by clarifying that she is not a physician or scientist. Let us hope that in the future she will remember this before giving irresponsible medical advice.
In Europe, Wakefi eld’s study on the MMR vaccine is still wreaking havoc on children’s health. So far this year, almost 30,000 cases of measles and 8 deaths have been reported.
Immunization rates have nose-dived since Wakefi eld’s 1998 study. Many parents are now either unaware or unwilling to accept that the study has been deemed fraudulent and there is no medical evidence for any link between the MMR vaccine and autism. As a result, measles rates have skyrocketed, and children have suffered and died.
Wakefi eld’s article was deemed fraudu-lent after multiple researchers attempted to duplicate his results and failed. Following several allegations of misconduct, including accusations of abuse of disabled children, Wakefi eld has been stricken from the medical register in Britain – the equivalent of having one’s medical license revoked in the US. Despite this, the Centers for Disease Control estimates that nearly 40 percent
of Americans have declined or delayed vaccinations due to completely unfounded concerns.
However, the resistance to Gardasil is largely based in the fear that less risky sex will cause teen girls to behave promiscu-ously. The same concerns were leveled against antibiotics effective against syphilis, hormonal birth control, and educating couples as to what acts will result in concep-tion; yet such fears have been consistently unrealized.
I have no doubt that protection against only two cervical cancer causing strains of HPV out of the over 100 strains that result in warts will not make young people forget all about pregnancy, herpes, or HIV.
It is clear that neither the MMR or Gardasil vaccines pose a risk to the health of children. In fact, it is exactly the opposite that is true: vaccines have saved hundreds of thousands of lives.
Skeptic philosopher David Hume once said, “A wise man proportions his belief to the evidence.”
It seems today that most prefer to do the opposite and proportion evidence (or the absence thereof) to their beliefs.
When parents refuse to vaccinate their children against infectious diseases like measles, their children’s lives are being put at great risk for no reason other than alle-giance to a debunked ideology. Is a child’s life truly worth so little?
Emily Brooks is a senior economics major and may be reached at [email protected].
Resistance to vaccinations are baseless
EmilyBrooks
The Daily Cougar Monday, October 3, 2011 ■ 5
Everyone has one of those friends. The kid that puts off writing their 10-page paper until the morning of, but still gets it turned
in the next morning — and does well on it. Didn’t read the book, aces the test. Falls behind by large deficits early, but flexes its muscles
when it needs to and comes out on top.There’s a reason they’re called the Car-
diac Coogs.Thursday’s 49-42 win in El Paso was
not the first time this season the Cougars had gotten off to a slow start. Excluding the season opener against UCLA — and the exhibition against Georgia State — it’s become the norm.
So why the wait?The defense has the ability to step up.
They make a habit of doing it when they must. But why does it take the urgency of a back against the wall, falling behind by 27 points or a possible game-tying possession in the red zone to get them to make stops? Why can’t this be a regular thing that hap-pens on the opening possession of games or in a boring, comfortable situation in the second quarter?
They make up for their inconsistencies with big plays. Against the Miners, Marcus McGraw ran a fumble back for his first career touchdown, and also recorded a big sack. Kent Brooks and Jackie Candy came up with big plays in coverage to stop the Miners from tying the game in the final minutes. Phillip Steward had two huge sacks.
Sammy Brown continued to do what Sammy Brown does best, wrapping up ball carriers in the backfield.
But the defense still gives up too many big plays in the running game.
UTEP running back Joe Banyard did his best Donald Buckram impression and had seven runs of more than 10 yards — 12, 50, 19, 12, 68, 15, 16 — finishing with 240 yards on 22 carries.
“They ran it all over the place in a vari-ety of ways,” head coach Kevin Sumlin said.
“We got the power stopped and then they went to a little different scheme. We got that stopped and then they went to a draw. Then when we got that stopped, they screened us. They were coaching and they were moving and it was the same thing on both sides.”
The Cougars were undermanned on defense, with defensive backs D.J. Hayden and Chevy Bennett sitting out, and Colton Valencia missing time in the second half. But injuries are part of the game. And with so many new pieces on defense, there are still growing pains — even five games in.
Fans are clamoring for UH to be ranked.On Saturday, No. 22 West Virginia took
out Bowling Green 55-10. That is how ranked teams take care of business. There is work to be done.
What is refreshing is that Sumlin and his staff know there is work to be done, and improvement should be expected.
“We’ve got some things to clean up,” Sumlin said. “We’ve got some things to work on, we’ve got some things to fix. We are 5-0 and 1-0 in our league and the West. We get to go back home for a pretty good while now and I think right now coming through this portion of the schedule play-ing three road games out of the five and not how we won them, but we won them, it ought to give us some type of confidence.
“We’re honest with ourselves. We didn’t play very well. We’ve got to play better as the season goes on, but the good news is we did win those games and we’ll be back home at the Rob.”
SIDELINE REPORT
SEPT. 3vs. UCLAW 38-34
SEPT. 10vs. North
Texas W 48-23
SEPT. 17at La. Tech
W 35-34
SEPT. 24vs. Georgia
State W 56-0
SEPT. 29at UTEP*W 49-42
OCT. 8vs. East
Carolina *6 p.m.
OCT. 22vs. Marshall
3:30 p.m.
OCT. 27vs. Rice *
7 p.m.
NOV. 5at. UAB *
Birmingham, Ala.
7 p.m.
NOV. 10at. Tulane *
New Orleans, La.
7 p.m.
NOV. 19 vs. SMU
TBD
NOV. 25at Tulsa
Tulsa, Okla.11 a.m.
Juniors Phillips Steward and Dominic Miller (99) were two of the eight Cougars to record tackles for a loss in Thursday’s 49-42 win over UTEP. Steward led UH with eight tackles — two for a loss — and recorded 1.5 sacks. Check out the entire gallery from the game at thedailycougar.com. | Joshua Siegel/The Daily Cougar
Consistently inconsistent
I don’t ever want to come back
here as a player. I’m glad I’m
done playing these guys.“ — Case Keenum, senior quarterback, about his fi nal battle with the
Miners at the Sun Bowl in El Paso.
SAY WHAT?
STAND OUTS
GAME OF THE WEEK
REPORT CARD
This week in college football, by Joshua Siegel
Junior Charles Sims broke out in the Cougars’ win. He gained 111 yards and two touch-downs on 12 carries, and caught two passes for 90 yards, including an 84-yard touchdown. It was Sims’ fi rst multi-touchdown game of the year, and fourth of his career. His 40-yard score set a new career-long
run for him. | Joshua Siegel/The Daily Cougar
Senior linebacker Marcus McGraw recorded six tackles (three solo), two for a loss, and a sack. McGraw also ran back a fumble 34 yards for his fi rst career touchdown.
Mighty Mustangs: After coughing up a 16-point fourth quarter lead, SMU opened overtime with a 19-yard touchdown connection from J.J. McDermott to Jeremy Johnson to give the Ponies a 40-33 lead. After throwing three fourth quarter touch-down passes, TCU quarterback Casey Pachall could not lead his team into the end zone to match the Mustangs. The loss ended TCU’s 22-game home winning streak.
Off ense: The Cougars didn’t get going until the second quarter, but made
up for it by scoring 49 points in the remaining three quarters.
Running backs Charles Sims and Mike Hayes were electric, big-time
playmakers. Case Keenum was Case Keenum. The off ensive line was
perfect, not allowing any sacks and creating huge holes for Sims
and Hayes. The only blemish was the few dropped catches by Tyron
Carrier and Justin Johnson. | Grade: A-Defense: The defense made plenty of highlight plays, but they allowed
plenty of them as well. Safety Nick Saenz was clutch fi lling in the
secondary. Marcus McGraw’s fumble recovery for a touchdown was
game-changing. But there were also moments when the Cougars
just couldn’t stop the Miners. There was encouraging play, but this is
still a work in progress. | Grade: C+Special teams: Matt Hogan missed his fi rst fi eld goal of the season from 32 yards
out, but bounced back to nail 18 and 29-yard attempts. Richie Leone
was solid. The coverage did well, with Nathan Jeff rey’s 34-yard kick
return the longest allowed. | Grade: B-
GAMEDAYSEPT. 3
vs. UCLAW 38-34
SEPT. 10vs. North
Texas W 48-23
SEPT. 17at La. Tech
W 35-34
SEPT. 24vs. Georgia
State W 56-0
SEPT. 29at UTEP*W 49-42
OCT. 22vs. Marshall
3:30 p.m.
OCT. 27vs. Rice *
7 p.m.
NOV. 5at. UAB *
Birmingham, Ala.
7 p.m.
NOV. 10at. Tulane *
New Orleans, La.
7 p.m.
NOV. 19vs. SMU
TBD
NOV. 25at Tulsa
Tulsa, Okla.11 a.m.
Scoring summaryFirst quarterUTEP — Jeff ery, 22 yd pass from Lamaison (Warren kick) 12:05
UTEP — Jeff ery, 10 yd run (Warren kick), 1:35
Second quarterUH — Sims, 40 yd run (Hogan kick), 6:09
UH — Sims, 4 yd run (Hogan kick), 4:21
UH — McGraw, 34 yd fumble recovery (Hogan kick), 3:38
UTEP — Edwards, 21 yd pass from Lamaison (Warren kick), 0:45
Third quarterUH — Hogan, 18 yd fi eld goal, 9:59
UTEP — Wenrick, 29 yd pass from Lamaison (Warren kick), 8:15
UH — Smith, 23 yd pass from Keenum (Hogan kick), 6:10
UH — Hayes, 71 yd run (Hogan kick), 3:08
UTEP — Banyard, 68 yd run (Warren kick), 1:02
Fourth quarterUH — Hogan, 29 yd fi eld goal, 12:58
UH — Sims, 84 yd pass from Keenum (Johnson pass from Keenum), 9:42
UTEP — Myers, 2 yd run (Warren kick), 6:21
1 2 3 4 FINALUTEP 14 7 14 7 42
UH 0 21 17 11 49
Game leadersPassingUH — Keenum, 30-46, 471 yd, 2 TD, 0 INT
UTEP — Lamaison, 19-29, 267 yd, 3 TD, 1 INT
RushingUH — Sims, 12 att, 111 yd, 2 TD
UH — Hayes, 10 att, 100 yd, 1 TD
UTEP — Banyard, 22 att, 240 yd, 1 TD
ReceivingUH — Edwards, 8 rec, 144 yd
UH —Sims, 2 rec, 90 yd, 1 TD
UTEP — Leslie, 5 rec, 64 yd
UTEP — Edwards, 4 rec, 49 yd, 1 TD
Defense proves adept at making big plays, giving them up
Joshua Siegel
SMU40TCU33
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6 ■ Monday, October 3, 2011 SPORTS The Daily Cougar
Sophomore pitcher Diedre Outon hit a home run and pitched a complete game in the Cougars’ win against TSU. | Joshua Siegel/The Daily Cougar
SOFTBALL
Opening weekend brings a split for UHCougar Sports Services
The Cougars began their fall season with a four-game split at the Spring Klein College Classic on Saturday and Sunday.
UH (2-2) began play with a 4-1 loss to Louisiana-Lafayette on Saturday, but followed with a 9-5 win over UTSA.
The Cougars followed that with a loss to Baylor on Sunday, but rebounded behind a strong pitch-ing performance and a home run by sophomore Diedre Outon.
Outon is the lone holdover from last season’s Conference USA regular season champion pitching staff that was built around Amanda Crabtree and Donna Bourgeois. Last season, Outon went 6-3 with a 1.73 ERA in 60 2/3 innings.
“We have a lot of work to do in
that area,” head coach Kyla Holas said. “They are very young.
“I do think it is going to take the right personnel. Right now we do not have everyone healthy and ready. That is something that, come January, we can have a different conversation about.”
Despite the split results, Holas was pleased with several aspects from the weekend.
“I thought that defensively we had some good rotations and plays,” Holas said. “I also think a few times, offensively we were able to manufacture some runs.
“We have two pitchers injured right now; that’s why we were so deep into our pitching staff. Hope-fully the season will go a little bit better than that. We just have to get through the fall right now.”
Cougar Sports Service
Senior Giorgia Pozzan took home the singles title for her respective draw Sunday at the SDSU Fall Classic at the Aztec Tennis Center.
Pozzan defeated San Diego’s Anna Depenau 6-1, 2-6, 6-0 to earn the black draw title.
Pozzan led the Cougars last sea-son with a 17-6 record in singles play.
The Cougars also claimed victories in two consolation brackets during the fi nal round of play.
Sophomore Celia Fraser earned two wins in the gold consolation draw after losing her opening round match on Friday.
Fraser took the draw by defeating
Loyola Marymount’s Reka Rohonyi (6-4, 6-2).
Fraser improved to 4-2 with the victory.
UH also found success in con-solation doubles play.
Freshman Liselot Koenen and sophomore Dionne Sanders trumped Cal State Northridge’s freshmen pairing of Marjani Sim-mons and Shelby
Sinoway for the red draw title.The Cougars will be back in
action for the Roberta Allison Classic from Oct. 14-16 in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
After leading the Cougars with a com-bined singles record of 27-9 last season, senior Giorgia Pozzan opened fall compe-tition with a win. | Courtesy of UH Athletics
Pozzan triumphs in fi rst full-squad competition
TENNIS
Senior takes singles title in San Diego
CROSS COUNTRY
Sophomore Celia Fraser won the
gold consolation
draw on Sunday.
Cougars hit ground running in Austin The UH men’s team fi nished fi fth and the
women’s team took home eighth in an 11
school fi eld at the Rouge Grass Routes Run-
ning Festival on Friday.
“The course was challenging with several
hills, but that’s what makes cross country
exciting, unexpected challenges,” head
coach Ryan Turner said in a release. “Run-
ning at night with lights on the course
was a new twist as well. I think our men
and women enjoyed experiencing the hilly
course and lights, it was something new.”
The Cougars will next compete at the Cal-
State Northridge Invitational on Oct. 15 in
Los Angeles.
— Cougar Sports Services
Rk Runner Time
7 Wesley Ruttoh 24:48
11 Yonas Tesfai 25:55
30 David Smith 26:42
42 Anthony Jordan 27:11
47 Andres Santaolalla 27:31
54 John Cantu 28:01
Rk Runner Time
22 Megan Munoz 23:07
34 Kathryn Duccomun 23:44
42 Julie Reinwald 24:19
46 Starla Garcia 24:36
55 Eryn Barroso 24:55
58 Taylor Beer 25:08
WesleyRuttoh
YonasTesfai
MeganMunoz
KathrynDuccomun
THE DAILY COUGAR ®
1Make contact.With hundreds of student groups on campus, it’s hard for us to keep up with every one. That’s why it’s very important to designate someone who will be your organization’s contact to The Daily Cougar. He or she should be someone you can count on to keep us informed of what your group is doing — and someone who is usually easy to reach. Have that person give us a call, or better yet, stop by the newsroom, especially in the evening, when all the editors are in. It’ll help your group, and ours, to put a face with the name.
2 When your group has something you feel is worth coverage in the Cougar, let us know — but be sure to give us advance warning. It’s nearly impossible to get a reporter and photographer out to cover something unless you give us a heads-up as soon as possible but no later than one week in advance. Remember, as much as we’d like to, we can’t cover everything. But if your event is newsworthy and you let us know in advance, we’ll do our best to work with you.
Call early, call often.
3 Let us know how we’re doing. Drop by the newsroom or give us a call. We always like to meet with people and find out what we’re doing right (or wrong), but we won’t know what we can improve unless you tell us. And, of course, we’re always open to hearing any news tips you might have regarding anything on campus. Working together, we can make the student newspaper something students want to read.
Keep in touch.
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The Daily Cougar COMICS & MORE Monday, October 3, 2011 ■ 7
CROSSWORDCOMICS
SUDOKUHow to play Each 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.
The Fishbowl by Thomas Hernandez
Chili Fingers by Nam Nguyen
ACROSS 1 Roam around 4 Beauty pageant
prize 9 Clump of dirt 13 Orangutan 14 T-bar user 15 Pirate’s take 16 Like a Chinese
cabinet 18 Ragtime’s --
Blake 19 Rocket pioneer
Wernher von -- 20 Monster’s lake (2
wds.) 22 Anyway (2 wds.) 25 Very funny
person 26 Burn or sting 28 Hilo hellos 32 PC key 35 Of the hipbone 37 Because of (2
wds.) 38 Foam-ball brand 40 Disney site 42 Tijuana trio 43 Welcome 45 A drinking toast 47 Lennon’s wife 48 Fix leftovers 50 Swung around 52 Laundry amount 54 How the sedate
behave 58 Acted
pretentious 62 Danish islands 63 Igloo dweller 64 Mutiny 67 Melodies 68 Razor fi ller 69 Calif. hours 70 Tries to fi nd out 71 Bread ingredient 72 Continent
divider
DOWN 1 Emperor after
Nero 2 Separated 3 Window sticker 4 Seismic event 5 Tina Turner’s ex 6 Atmosphere 7 Colonial dance
8 Inner fi re 9 Exclude (2 wds.) 10 Earring site 11 Name in
elevators 12 Changes color 15 Look at 17 Part of Q and A 21 Spy org. 23 Mall attraction 24 Stumbles 27 Picture hangers 29 The good guy 30 Two fi ves for -- -- 31 Passable (hyph.) 32 Cal Tech grad 33 Bone-dry 34 Work gang 36 Ices 39 Vassals’
obligation 41 Like a bow string 44 Cutthroat and
rainbow 46 Spring growth
49 Damage 51 Clock front 53 Run for the roses 55 Trickles down 56 Unfastened 57 Busybody 58 Pocket bread 59 Burden 60 Went under 61 Not stet 65 Moo companion 66 Newsroom VIPs
© 2010 UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE INC.
Previous puzzle solved
Previous puzzle solved
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