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NEWS 9/11/08 7:00pm

Rice receives $100 million in grants

By Catherine Bratic

Rice received a record $100 million in external funding for research and education last year, which will allow the university to fund cutting-edge research and facilitate the creation of many new programs. Most of this funding will go toward the sciences and engineering disciplines. "This increase shows that Rice is really moving in the positive direction, and I think the future trend will be great," Vice Provost for Research Jim Coleman said. "The increase means that the faculty and staff were incredibly productive in securing funding to do the research teaching and outreach which they think is important."

NEWS 9/11/08 7:00pm

Behind the screen at Colorado's Telluride Film Festival

By Lolley McConnell

You must have a large store of faith to attend the Telluride Film Festival. With a lineup that is not announced until you are cozily nestled in one of the ski lodges of the small town, there is no chance to shop for Oscar bait or star directors. Even the staff is kept in the dark about who and what will appear, but they faithfully return year after year, most as volunteers, simply because Telluride is so unique.Do not expect the festival to be a few days of star chasing; there is an unspoken code that actors and directors are there only to present and talk about their work, not to hand out autographs or pose for pictures. This creates an atmosphere centered on film where you'll find people talking about the movies instead of the celebrities.

NEWS 9/11/08 7:00pm

Freshman Jammer tames Tigers with key late game interception

By Brody Rollins

Unfortunately for the University of Memphis, losing athletic contests at the last minute is becoming a familiar feeling. First, the Tigers' basketball team lost the national championship in the dwindling moments last spring. Then, the Tigers' football team could only watch as its pesky Owl opponents seemingly stole a 42-35 victory last Saturday night. Some might say that two instances is not enough to establish a pattern, but the dejection on the Tigers' faces as they watched freshman defensive back Chris Jammer seal the win for Rice certainly resembled the expressions shown by their basketball team six months ago. Immediately following the first interception of his career, Jammer's 69- yard return for a touchdown with 11 seconds left capped a game that saw Rice recover from a 28-13 deficit in the fourth quarter en route to its first 2-0 start in four seasons.

NEWS 9/11/08 7:00pm

Thresher, university closed due to Hurricane Ike

By John Michael Cuccia

All Rice University offices are closed Friday through Sunday. Business will resume Monday at normal hours.University officials strongly encourage all students, faculty, and staff to verify their contact information via ESTHER (http://esther.rice.edu), as well as register their cell phone to receive text and voice messages from the Rice Emergency Notification System.

NEWS 9/11/08 7:00pm

HedgeHopper Week 3: Pasha preview

By Jordan Davis

Pasha Turkish Restaurant is a cozy little house that has been converted into a restaurant to cater to the surrounding Rice community. Located on University Blvd. between Greenbriar Dr. and Morningside Dr., Pasha caters to a variety of tastes and wallet sizes. Recommended by publications like Zagat, Texas Monthly, the Houston Chronicle and My Table, Pasha is open only for lunch and dinner, with a menu for each.The lunch menu caters to those stopping by to get a quick bite to eat. Menu items are downgraded slightly in size and are less expensive than at dinner. Try the creamy mashed chickpeas, tahini and garlic hummus as an appetizer to go along with a free order of unlimited, freshly-baked brick oven bread and olive oil infused with rosemary and ground black pepper. Also delicious are the Dolmas, delicacies of fresh white rice, crushed pine nuts, chopped onions and Turkish spices stuffed inside a rolled grape leaf.

NEWS 9/4/08 7:00pm

Common reading author Mortenson addresses the importance of education in fighting global terrorism

By Kern Vijayvargiya

Providing education in poor countries is possible for just $2 a day, Greg Mortenson, author of Three Cups of Tea, said this week to a crowd including over 500 freshmen. The bestselling author of this year's common reading spoke in the Rice Memorial Center's Grand Hall Tuesday. The speech was part of a series of common reading events that will include a film series, "Beyond Belief," Sept. 24 in the Rice Media Center. Mortenson serves as the director of the nonprofit Central Asia Institute, which supports 64 schools, over 520 teachers and 25,000 students in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Three Cups of Tea, a New York Times Bestseller that won numerous nonfiction awards, chronicles Mortenson's efforts to build schools for girls in these countries.

NEWS 9/4/08 7:00pm

Thresher recruitment session

 

The Thresher will be having it's first recruitment session of the year this Saturday, Sept. 6, in the RMC. The times and locations breakdown is as follows:2-2:30 p.m. Sports (Miner Lounge), Photo (Thresher office)

NEWS 9/4/08 7:00pm

Leebron wisely passes on Amethyst Initiative

By Staff Editorial

Currently, a proposal called the Amethyst Initiative is circulating among college and university presidents, purporting to be a call to "informed and unimpeded debate" about the current status and effectiveness of America's alcohol legislation (see story, page 6). At this time, more than 120 presidents have signed the initiative, and a few of them are from schools we nominally label "peer" institutions, like Duke University. Despite the buzz surrounding the Initiative, president David Leebron has still not signed it, because he feels that far from being free from bias, the Initiative's implied conclusion is that the current policies are not working, and the drinking age needs to again be lowered to 18.

NEWS 9/4/08 7:00pm

Commentary: Yankees fan grapples with harsh reality

By Natalie Clericuzio

The day I moved back on campus a few weeks ago, I wore a New York Yankees t-shirt. I wasn't trying to make a statement or be an obnoxious Yankees fan; it just happened to be the shirt I wore that day. That afternoon, as I was walking with my parents across the Wiess College Acabowl, a friend of mine yelled from the fourth floor balcony, "Yankees suck!" My dad, a lifelong Yankees fan, muttered to himself, "The truth hurts," demonstrating that this season, more than any in recent history, has been rough for Yankees fans everywhere.

NEWS 9/4/08 7:00pm

'Three Cups of Tea' tastes like opportunities at Rice

By Claire Krebs

Like many of the incoming freshmen, I did not want to read Three Cups of Tea. I had even less of a reason to do so as well: I am a mechanical engineering senior, and I had absolutely no involvement with O-Week. I will confess: It took me the better part of two weeks to finish the book. Not because I did not like it, or thought it was idealistic or sappy, but because I have had a glimpse into the main character Greg Mortenson's world.

NEWS 9/4/08 7:00pm

The Rice Chorale commemorates Sept. 11

By Garrett Schumann

At 8 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 11, the Rice Chorale will perform Gabriel Fauré's Requiem in the Edythe Bates Grand Organ Recital Hall in Alice Pratt Brown Hall (the Shepherd School of Music Building).This is the sixth year Tom Jaber has led Rice University's only choral group in a memorial concert honoring those who died in the infamous terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The first of these concerts, in 2002, was part of a worldwide event that coordinated the performance of Mozart's famous Requiem at the exact time of the first aircraft's impact into World Trade Center towers. In years since, the Chorale has presented requiem settings by Brahms, Rutter and Durufle, among others.

NEWS 9/4/08 7:00pm

Movies to look forward to...

By Faheem Ahmed

The problem with Hollywood is that it's seasonal. Year after year, the summer season sizzles the box office with action flicks that titillate the eye, but not the heart (The Dark Knight is a lone exception). In the winter, movie executives release emotional dramas that make the audience weep and help the Oscar committee hand out golden statues. But what about the fall and spring? These periods are what I like to call the "butt crust" season, marked by all the movies that are bound for the $5 DVD aisle at Wal-Mart. These flicks feature actors who frequently appear on Lifetime, reveal their entire plots in one-minute trailers and cast Vin Diesel in the starring role.Unfortunately, we are currently knee-deep in these movies. Rather than fork over $10 for the horrific opportunity to sit through two hours of Anna Faris (Scary Movie series) in House Bunny or Vin Diesel in Babylon A.D. (a total rip-off of the stellar The Fifth Element), I have decided to preview of my top seven most anticipated films for the upcoming year.

NEWS 9/4/08 7:00pm

Economic woes ripple into student lives

By Caroline May

Some had internships, some sought adventure abroad, some bummed around the house, some spent the summer looking for a job, and a few found employment. After sitting in classrooms for a good nine months, the majority of American youth need a new scene. Summer is a time for - as John Cleese would say - "something completely different." Having torn free from the bonds of professorial dictates and stifling schedules, the ability to choose one's activities for the following three months is a luxury of epic proportion. And some do have great opportunities: wealthy parents or a generous relative may finance a trip to Europe. Numerous applications painstakingly written months in advance may have provided one with the opportunity to work as an intern or lab assistant. Others may return to their hometown community swimming pool to reclaim their lifetime gig as the beloved lifeguard. Yet for each trip to Europe or invaluable experience at a top organization there are many wholly unable to set their own summertime agenda. The economic woes of the past year served only to intensify this unfortunate reality. The precise definition of an economic recession is two consecutive quarters of negative growth. Although the country did not fall victim to even one quarter of such anemic figures, Americans did feel the pressure of a slowing economy, as (among other things) the housing bubble burst, the dollar weakened and gas prices soared. In the midst of the economic malaise, students throughout the country finished school and ventured out in search of a job - for a bit of spending money, resume enhancement and good old-fashioned character building.

NEWS 9/4/08 7:00pm

Farach-Cartson named first Associate Vice Provost for Research, begins 2009

By Matt McKee

As part of a growing investment in research, Rice University selected Mary Farach-Carson as its first associate vice provost for research. Farach- Carson, who currently teaches and directs research at the University of Delaware, will begin her work at Rice next fall. The creation of this position follows Rice's rapidly expanding interest in research and collaboration detailed in President David Leebron's Vision for the Second Century. In promoting research, Farach-Carson will help encourage and create links with the Texas Medical Center and will also become a part-time faculty member as a professor of biochemistry and cell biology. She will work extensively with the projects of the Collaborative Research Center, which is scheduled for completion in 2009.

NEWS 9/4/08 7:00pm

Football begins play with win over SMU

By Nathan Bledsoe

After dismantling Southern Methodist University for the third year in a row, the Owls will look to jump out to a quick 2-0 conference start when they face the University of Memphis at 7 p.m. tomorrow night in Tennessee. Rice should have the upper hand in terms of momentum: While the Owls are coming off a solid victory, Memphis is trying to bounce back from a 41-24 loss to the University of Mississippi.

NEWS 9/4/08 7:00pm

In Defense of the Jonas Brothers

By Sarah Cook

"Dude? You still listen to MGMT? Their EP was okay, but Oracular Spectacular seriously fell out of their usual shape-shifting psychedelia. Now it's just MTV bullshit. What's next, the freaking Jonas Brothers?"Yes, actually.

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