Special Projects

Veg Out: A tale of two Mexican restaurants

In Houston, Mexican places are as prevalent as Starbucks or McDonald's. But unlike mega-conglomerate restaurants, Mexican places can vary exceedingly in quality and specialty. For instance, Chuy's and Taco Milagro are both local restaurants that are similar in price range yet are complete opposites in atmosphere and focus. It's hard to believe they both serve variations on the same cuisine. If you approach Chuy's at night, your eyes are instantly drawn to the huge blinking sign in the front with an arrow pointing toward the building. This sign is an excellent representation of Chuy's personality as a restaurant: loud and fun, without a hint of subtlety. The decor inside is wild, freely clashing in a myriad of colors and shapes. Loud music is piped from speakers that seem ubiquitous, and Elvis' face stares down at you from each wall. Why Elvis? Good question. The jury's still out on that one. But the basic idea is that the Chuy's franchise originated in Austin, and, as we all know, Austin is weird. Chuy's is a family restaurant, so go later in the evening if you have an aversion to small children.

This week's Editorial Cartoon

Soccer fires blanks at goal in tie against UH

Despite having their respective seedings in the Conference USA tournament already set in stone, the Rice soccer team and the University of Houston fought as if the C-USA tournament had already started, chasing after every loose ball and getting physical when it was necessary. The two teams combined for a bruising 27 fouls, including one yellow card for each side, to a 0-0 tie. To followers of Rice athletics, the intensity was no surprise. Any game that pits these two Houston schools against each other has more meaning than simply a win or loss. More than a few of the Cougar football players attended the game in support of their fellow athletes.

BISF event gives Obama "C

Students might be used to seeing their grades drop after a midterm. However, United States President Barack Obama's grade dropped from a B to a C+ after a panel debate hosted by the Baker Institute Student Forum in the Doré Commons last Friday evening.Teams of four representatives from the Young Democrats and the Conservatives Forum tried to persuade the audience to agree to their respective grades on health care, international relations, education, and three economic topics: the deficit, Wall Street, and Main Street.

Volleyball drops home matches to C-USA leaders

In volleyball, ephemeral hope is all too common. One moment a team can be celebrating a critical kill and then seconds later can feel frustration at a ball that fell to the floor just out of reach. The same could be said for the Owls' regular season conference championship hopes, as their optimism came crashing down this weekend. With losses to Southern Methodist University (17-5, 9-2 C-USA) and the University of Tulsa (21-2, 11-0 C-USA) over the weekend, Rice is now 12-11 overall and 7-4 in conference, leaving them four games behind Tulsa for the conference lead. On Friday night, the Owls lost to SMU by a score of 3-1. The Mustangs barely squeezed past the Owls in the first set 25-23 after nearly blowing a 8-2 lead. Rice stayed even with the Mustangs throughout the first half of the second set before breaking away to a 25-19 victory on a pivotal kill by freshman outside hitter Mariah Riddlesprigger. However, the Mustangs' lauded defense proved their mettle, as SMU broke the Owls' momentum by taking the next two sets 25-21 and 25-16 to win the match. Despite a variety of attacks from Rice during the last two sets, they were unable to maintain any type of momentum against the Mustangs. For the match, senior middle back Nancy Cole had 18 kills, while sophomore outside hitter Laurie McNamara added 12. Senior setter Meredith Schamun had 48 assists and senior libero Tracey Lam added 24 digs.

"Lee"ave him in the Lone Star State

With a final stroking of his Just For Men-immaculate beard, Brian Wilson blazed a fastball past the massive frame of Ryan Howard for strike three to give the San Francisco Giants their most recent chance to claim their first World Series championship since the days when Willie Mays roamed centerfield at Polo Grounds. Just a day before, the Texas Rangers had more than just clawed and antlered their way past the vaunted New York Yankees, torching the Fighting Steinbrenners 6-1 in front of a rowdy Arlington crowd to clinch their first-ever trip to the Fall Classic. So why, with one of the two biggest championship droughts in baseball history certain to fall before the next Rice football victory, is the biggest story in baseball surrounding a player's fate off the diamond? I'm talking, of course, of left-handed pitcher and current Texas Ranger Cliff Lee and his seemingly inevitable destiny to head to the Bronx, shave his soul patch, collect a purported $35 million check and don the storied pinstripes. But for the sake of preserving whatever sanctity America's pastime still clings to, Lee should shirk the glitz and glamour of The Big Apple for the heat and traffic of the Metroplex.

Online only: Exclusive DJ Earworm Interview

Curious to hear what DJ Earworm has to say about his origins as a mashup artist, what the future of the digital age holds for remix culture, how to get started making sample-based music and the tunes he jams out to in his spare time? Check out Dave Rosales' exclusive interview with the DJ below.

Online only: Sid Rich sees undefeated streak end; Baker and McMurtry claim narrow victories

With only two weekends remaining in the powderpuff season before rescheduled games take place, each of the four playoff spots are still up for grabs. In a season where a number of great teams have emerged, but no single juggernaut has taken the league by storm, teams have a chance to define their seasons in these last two weeks. The Game of the Week featured two of these great teams: arguably two of the very best units in the entire league. Lovett College, with just a single loss in the season occurring in the final seconds of their game against Sid Richardson College, boasts a powerful offense that utilizes the quarterback option to burn its opponents on the ground as well as through the air. Their opponent, an undefeated Sid Richardson College team, featured a defense that had yet to allow a point over the course of the season. A lot of anticipation came with the Game of the Week, and the match-up of these two playoff hopefuls lived up to its high expectations.Game of the Week: Lovett 7, Sid Rich 6 (OT)

Owls earn title of "Best in the Bayou City

The women's club soccer team poses with their latest trophy, having captured the Houston Club Sports Conference championship with a perfect 6-0-0 record, allowing only three goals on the season.

This week's Editorial Cartoon

Veg Out: Delicious food and some confusion at Shiva

Indian restaurants are usually safe havens for vegetarians, as India has a long history of vegetarian cuisine. Shiva does not disappoint and, in fact, offers a broader selection of dishes than most Indian restaurants. Now, if only they could remember what their own menu says.The appetizers are abundant and varied. Vegetable Pakora (fritters), Alloo Chaat (potatoes in tangy dressing) and Vegetable Samosas (potato pastries) are available individually or as a platter, which is supposed to include a selection of each. I ordered the veggie platter in an attempt to review the greatest variety of food, but when the dish arrived, it contained only fritters instead of the selection I had been led to believe was coming. I can only hope that my order was mixed up with another customer's, otherwise I must assume that the staff has no idea what is on the menu. Regardless, the fritters were excellent, freshly fried and hot out of the pan.

Don't get Loco in NOD Vegas

As students prepare for an undoubtedly Decadent weekend (see story, page 1), dramatic stories of students afflicted by alcohol poisoning at universities around the country pour in. This month alone, incidents with the newly popular Four Loko caffeinated alcoholic drink have left a plethora of students hospitalized in Washington (Central Washington University), New Jersey (Ramapo College) and New York (Cornell University). Caffeinated alcoholic drinks' ability to mask inebriation is behind their quickly spreading popularity but also the cause of their dangerous health concerns. The recent outbreaks have even prompted officials to contemplate banning drinks such as Four Loko; however, these dangers are equally present with any sort of liquor-energy drink combinations. With this recent flurry of alcohol incidents around the country in mind and the upcoming celebration of Night of Decadence, it would be most prudent to recall Dean of Undergraduates John Hutchinson's words about Rice's unique "culture of care." After all, it is this dynamic that separates Rice from the rest. So, as we celebrate one of Rice's greatest traditions this weekend, let's have a great time while also keeping in mind the well-being of our fellow students. At the very least, let's not contribute to the growing movement that seeks to eliminate Four Lokos from stores' shelves.

Like, OMG baby blame it on the pop

DJ Earworm mixes and mashes contemporary music at the Rice Program Council's homecoming concert Friday night. Read the Thresher's review of the concert here.

New colleges' budgets low

Duncan and McMurtry Colleges were well tended last year by their sister colleges. However, now as full-fledged colleges, neither Duncan nor McMurtry has the advantage of sharing sister college resources such as common room furniture, game room equipment and Beer Bike gear (see story, page 1). Instead, both colleges were forced to make heavy investments in their futures by purchasing a multitude of things that other established colleges do not need to budget for. Furthermore, most of the other nine colleges have the luxury of rollover money from previous years. Since these new colleges were not given any extra appropriations in the Dean of Undergraduate's college budgets, Duncan and McMurtry have received a disproportionate sum of the budget.

Vegas-themed NOD will dazzle

Viva NOD Vegas: Go All In is tomorrow night, and students are going all out, or taking it all off, to prepare.Ticket sales for Wiess College's public party started Monday, with tickets selling for $8 each beforehand or at the door for $10. A t-shirt and ticket combination can be purchased for $15.

Baker Institute Student Forum debate: Re-elect Rick Perry for governor

Next Tuesday, Many of my Republican brethren are going to jump ship and vote for Bill White to replace Republican Governor Rick Perry as leader of our fine state. I, however, will not be one of them. In an election marked with heated mudslinging, allegations of corruption and other misdeeds I found myself almost leaning to the Democrats for answers this time. I realize it sounds cliché, but in making up my mind to vote for Perry I absolutely felt I was picking the lesser of two evils. Both men have pointed fingers at the others for misdeeds in their respective former (or current) office. Ads paid for by Perry's campaign allege White "redistributed" monies in Houston Police Department's retirement fund and profited from dispersing cleanup and power contracts after Hurricane Rita in 2005.

New colleges strapped for cash

Despite a wide spectrum of budget cuts across the university, Rice has not reduced the budgets allotted to the individual residential colleges. Even with the addition of Duncan College and McMurtry College, the formula for determining how much money each college receives annually has remained unchanged.McMurtry and Duncan

Neiliyo's new album better than others

On Oct. 13, Austin solo act Neiliyo released his first full-length LP titled Runnin' #Errndz. A self-described "solo electro-funktionaire," Neiliyo has cited his biggest influences as artists from his childhood like Prince and Hall & Oates. The album, an ode to Neiliyo's interest in leisure, clothes, making music and other diversions from the mundane, is an upbeat and polished work that is a noticeable step up from his previous releases. Before even discussing the music, it is worth noting that the album cover for Runnin' #Errndz takes the work as a whole to another level. If Neiliyo's lyrics on the album aren't enough to clue the listener in to his carefree attitude and ghetto-fabulous aspirations, then the cover is a dead giveaway. With his name in giant, glistening gold lettering, Neiliyo is pictured cruising in a car filled with some of his favorite things: a keyboard, a tambourine, a guitar, button-down shirts, boat shoes and a boombox (all of which are also glowing).

Baker Institute Student Forum debate: Elect Bill White for TX governor

Perception is a powerful thing. And perception is a main reason why Bill White replacing Rick Perry as governor of Texas is essential for the state's future. Over his term as governor, Perry and those he supports have drawn national headlines for all the wrong reasons. In April 2009, he left open the possibility that Texas could secede from the Union if measures like President Barack Obama's stimulus continued to be passed. No matter one's position on Washington, Perry's statements about secession place his state in a poor, if not laughable, light.

Chevy's Volt not the answer for the future

In 1999, the first mass-produced hybrid vehicle, the Honda Insight, was introduced to the U.S. market. Shortly after, the Toyota Prius joined the Insight, starting what was, at the time, thought to be a niche market phase that would die away as initial enthusiasts lost interest. However, as can be seen on the roads today, the hybrid movement has gone mainstream within the past 10 years, with the Toyota Prius at the forefront, surpassing 2 million cumulative sales in September. A new wave of electric cars has swept the auto industry as of the last two years. On Monday, Chevrolet brought its newest car, the Volt, to campus to offer students an opportunity to test-drive "the car of the future." Introduced in 2007 as a concept vehicle, the Volt is dubbed a " range-extended electric vehicle."