Special Projects

A world without Islam

Fourteen hundred years ago, the prophet Muhammad began receiving revelations from God that led to the creation and subsequent rise of Islam in the Middle East. But what if Islam had never come to be? Author Graham Fuller, the former vice chair of the National Intelligence Council and a former CIA Station Chief in Kabul, argued that the relationship between the West and the Middle East might be remarkably similar to how it is today.Fuller, who spoke Jan. 27 at the James A. Baker Institute III Institute for Public Policy, said that even before Christianity, there were conflicts between the East and West - such as the wars between the Greeks and Persians - and the relationship between the Western Church in Rome and the Eastern Church in Constantinople deteriorated over time. When the two finally split, Fuller said that, despite the official religious explanation, the real causes of the split were similar to those he said have led to the current conflicts between East and West - not religion, but factors like politics, economics, power, geography, imperialism, colonialism and intervention into the Muslim world.

Photo: Third time's the charm

Senior Rebekka Hanle prepares to return the ball in a match against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Jan. 18, which Rice won 7-0. The Owls face Houston tomorrow to try and earn their third win.

Sports notebook: Women's tennis splits matches, Football hauls in 19 new Owls

Women's tennis splits matches

Men's tennis rolls back Alabama, drops UT match

All good things must come to end, but the men's tennis team did not expect its win streak to come to such a screeching halt. The 29th-ranked Owls could not pull off the upset over fifth-ranked University of Texas (5-0), falling 4-0. Texas' doubles' squads overwhelmed Rice, as the Owls lost all three doubles matches and thus the first point of the overall match. The fifth-ranked doubles team of Ed Corrie and Jean Andersen took out juniors Christian Saravia and Michael Nuesslein, 8-3, and continued to falter for Rice. With Texas' Andersen, Kellen Damico and Vasko Mladenov all scoring quick victories over sophomore Peter Frank, freshman Phillip Seifert and junior Sam Garforth-Bles, respectively, three of the six singles matches went unfinished due to the fact that the Longhorns had already clinched a match victory over Rice. The loss means that Rice will not be advancing to the round of 16 to play in the ITA National Indoor Championships, which will be held in Seattle, Wash. from Feb. 18-21. The loss was the first of the spring season for the Owls, whose record is now 4-1 after starting off well in non-conference play.

Honor Council seeks update

The Honor Council is proposing four separate referendums to amend its constitution in order to clarify both its language and procedures and enlarge the council's size. Students have the opportunity to vote on the referendums during the Student Association General Elections, which begin on Monday and conclude Feb. 14 at 11:59 p.m. Each of the four referendums requires the approval of 75 percent of the student body.The first referendum will update the language of the constitution, which has been amended but not altered since the constitution was written in 1948. Honor Council Chair Hilary Baker-Jennings said the idea for the rewrite came from reading through the constitution and realizing how many parts of it were obscure and outdated. She said this had led to a great deal of confusion among some students.

Coffeehouse move will expand space

By the first day of classes next year, Coffeehouse will open its doors from a new location - the Kelley Lounge in the Rice Memorial Center.Coffeehouse has been looking to relocate since 2006, Coffeehouse Project Manager Erin Rouse said. Last semester, the RMC management offered the student-run business to move into the Kelley Lounge. After architects examined the space, Coffeehouse received the final go-ahead from the administration last week.

Coffeehouse renovation long overdue

The Thresher was pleased to hear that Coffeehouse had finally been granted a new, larger space on campus (see story, page 1). We are excited that the beloved student-run institution, which has certainly outgrown its storage-closet-turned-coffee-shop in the student center, will have the opportunity to expand its services in a renovated section of the Kelley Lounge as early as the beginning of next semester.

Puppy Mills need further regulation of pending legislation

This year, the Texas legislature will decide whether to regulate a lucrative business: the breeding and selling of cats and dogs. A group of legislators, activists and pet owners is actively pushing the state to get rid of "puppy mills."Puppy mills are large-scale breeding facilities that produce and sell puppies. As opposed to reputable breeders, puppy mills have low standards of living for their breeding stock. It is not uncommon for animals to remain in their cages for extended periods of time - weeks, months and sometimes years. Animals being bred are often sick, malnourished and over-bred. Put simply, the conditions these animals live in are deplorable and sickening.

Cold War Kids' latest effort disappointing

With their third studio album, Mine Is Yours, Cold War Kids offer up a decidedly different sound from their previous efforts. Greatly contrasting with the material characteristic of their first two albums, Mine Is Yours is a more refined, mainstream version of their former records. Indeed, "Louder Than Ever," an unabashedly radio-friendly pop-rock track, serves as a shocking indicator of just how dramatically these Long Beach, Calif. natives have departed from the raw, unhinged songs of their debut album, Robbers and Cowards, such as "Hang Me Up To Dry."

Women's basketball moves into tie for third

Weeknight road games are difficult for any team; there is just something about having to travel on class days, then getting on the bus and heading back late at night. Last week's bus ride home was an easy one for the women's basketball team, which had just knocked off one of the top teams in the league and pushed itself above .500 in Conference USA play.

Ambassador speaks on Turkey

On Friday night, the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy hosted a program with His Excellency Namik Tan, ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to the United States, who spoke on Turkey's importance as a mediator in the Middle East and a partner with Western powers. "Turkey is not going anywhere," Tan said. "It is - and will long be - a reliable bridge that binds the civilizations and cultures of the East and West as well as the North and South."

Irma's: tacos and inspiration

You don't understand what you're missing until you've tasted the home-cooked Mexican food of Irma's, especially if you aren't from Houston. Established in 1989, Irma's explains what the big deal is about Houston and Mexican/Tex-Mex food.After her husband's tragic death in a bar fight, Irma Martinez decided to build her own restaurant in the model of a true Mexican establishment to support her family. After 21 years, her culinary dreams have flourished into reality. While telling her story, she explains her success simply as, "If you want something badly enough, you'll work hard for it," saying she has and will continue to work hard to keep her restaurant running.

Oh, the Humanity! a tragic failure

Stages Repertory Theatre's most recent production, Oh, the Humanity and Other Exclamations, presents the regional premiere of Will Eno's work. Plagued by a bad script and overdramatic design, the show fails on almost every aspect possible.Oh, the Humanity consists of five different short scenes. Ranging from a pair of photographers to a couple in a car, the situations attempt to portray the pitfalls of being human and make the audience laugh and cry, simultaneously. We see how these different characters unravel, both independently and in tandem, and are given insight into humanity as a whole. Or, at least, that is what the playwright intended.

Distance runners carry men's track in UH meet

Growing pains don't just apply to gawky teenagers; the men's track team is going through them right now, too. Head Coach Jon Warren (Jones '88) attributes the transition stage to the fact that the team has been training just since the start of the semester and not during winter break. "Right now, a lot of guys are still getting into the swing of things," Warren said. "We're simultaneously training for outdoor along with competing in indoor. Freshmen are learning to deal with running indoors, but we still know February's a big month for us."

Obama awards professors for research efforts

In recognition of their research efforts, Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Farinaz Koushanfar and Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Physics and Astronomy Emilia Morosan were awarded the Early Presidential Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers.Eighty-five researchers nationwide were honored with the award, which is given to scientists and engineers who are in the early stages of their career, but have already conducted outstanding research.

RESET appropriates funds to six student projects

Members of the Rice Endowment for Sustainable Energy Technology recently picked their first round of grant winners. Six projects are receiving a combined $15,000 of funding from RESET to begin green projects around campus, with two groups receiving funds from Housing and Dining and Facilities, Engineering and Planning - another combined $25,000. According to its website, RESET works to combat rising energy costs and climate change by funding student initiatives. The groups awarded grants from RESET's will work toward a greener, more environmentally friendly campus.

President David Leebron discusses tuition, image and grad student expansion

Don't forget to watch the exclusive interview video at the end of the article!Rice Thresher: You've been spending a lot of money on buildings. But we have a bit more debt than usual and a bit less revenue to back it up. The number one question on students' minds is if you've got any plans to stabilize tuition costs, especially if Rice wants to maintain its reputation as a bargain school.

The Way Back: fine acting breathtaking scenery

Films glorify many things, but walking is not one of them. We prefer our films at faster speeds then that of the pedestrian. Peter Weir's new film, The Way Back, based on the book The Long Walk, is exactly that: an odyssey through some of the most desolate, inhospitable and beautiful places on Earth. The film concerns a group of inmates in a Siberian gulag in 1941, who escape and trek southward through the mountains of Siberia, the steppe of Mongolia, the Gobi Desert of China and the Himalayas of Nepal to their freedom in India. The film begins with the Polish Janusz (Jim Sturgess, 21) in an interrogation chamber listening to his wife recite an obviously forced confession that dooms him to 20 years in a brutal work camp. Upon his arrival at the gulag, the warden recites the "nature is your jailer" speech, a standard in all escape movies ranging from The Bridge on the River Kwai to Star Trek VI.

This week's Editorial Cartoon

Beyond the Hedges

National