Special Projects

Golf second-best to North Texas

The golf team's plans for a second-consecutive victory were thwarted by the weather-induced cancellation of the third round of the JL Lewis Intercollegiate, leading to the team's second-place finish at the event. A poor first round was followed by a terrific comeback in the second round, but tournament organizers prevented the Owls from rising to the top of the leaderboard. Rice opened the JL Lewis Intercollegiate, held at Bandit Golf Course and hosted by Texas State University, by firing a cumulative score of 304 (+20). Despite the high score, the Owls still ended the round in a tie for third place.

Relish: A taste of Italy at buono Grotto Ristorante

For an upbeat, upscale dining experience with friends, a date or beautiful people-watching, Grotto Ristorante in the Galleria area should fill all your needs. Boasting a diverse menu and extensive wine list, Grotto strikes a comfortable balance between luxury and playfulness. Although some dishes disappointed us, the lush atmosphere and several pasta and seafood dishes were so inviting and exquisite that we couldn't help but reward the Grotto with a four-star review. If you venture to this establishment, we're sure you'll share the same sentiments.

Non-major Humanities courses cut

The latest consequences of the recession mean that Rice students may never be exposed to font design, the chemistry in art or the study of journalism. Next year, the School of Humanities and the Wiess School of Natural Sciences will be effectively cutting courses that are not directly relevant to majors. Certain course instructors and course lecturers on one-year contracts will not be returning to Rice next year, due to university-wide budget cuts. Although their courses are not explicitly being cut, the courses will most likely no longer have teachers, Jen Cooper, creator and current lecturer of HUMA 251: Typography and Design, one of the courses slated to be cut, said.

Former AG Gonzales discusses national security issues

While many Rice alumni have long and distinguished careers after graduation, few are better known outside of the hedges than Alberto Gonzales. Born the son of a migrant worker in a family of six, Gonzales (Lovett '79) rose to become the first Hispanic attorney general, named to the position in Feb. 2005 by then-President George W. Bush. Gonzales was also one of the shortest tenured attorney generals, resigning his post in Sept. 2007 following questions concerning the dismissal of seven U.S. attorneys.Gonzales has since returned to his Texas roots. This semester, he is teaching a course at Texas Tech University. On Monday, Gonzales, who earned his law degree from Harvard University, visited Rice to speak about his experiences with the War on Terror in the Bush Administration and his personal views of how the Obama administration is faring. The Thresher sat down with Gonzales in an exclusive interview approximately 30 minutes before he gave a speech at the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy.

KTRU Corner: Classic Appalachian Blues

It's not every day that one comes across a compilation of blues music spanning back to the 1940s. Classic Appalachian Blues is a collection of relatively unknown blues works from an area not typically known for the genre. Though the popular conception is that Appalachia primarily features country music to the general exclusion of African-American musical styles, Classic Appalachian Blues shows that this is not the case.The album features a great variety of blues expressions and instrumentation by harmonica, bass guitar, piano, fiddle, mandolin and, of course, guitar. This guitar differs from standard blues style and adopts a faster tempo. The music in general is more fast-paced than traditional blues and lends itself well to the numerous harmonica/guitar duets featured in several of the songs, such as Sticks McGhee's "My Baby's Gone." The album features much softer, more melodic tones than I anticipated, and would make great background music for parties.

Online only: SA minutes

The following were noted at the most recent meeting of the Student Association Feb. 22.SA Parliamentarian Jonathan Stewart introduced a bill to the senate to create a committee to handle club appeal approvals.

Online only: Khan successfully delivers racial critiques

Who is the world's biggest movie star? Brad Pitt? George Clooney? Nope. Think bigger. Done guessing? In India, nine year-olds and ninety-90 year-olds alike could answer this question in a heartbeat. Shah Rukh Khan, star of the newly released My Name is Khan, is ranked above Osama bin Laden, the Dalai Lama and Oprah in Newsweek's list of the 50 global elite. (If you're still stuck on Pitt and Clooney, they're both absent from the list.) Not only is Khan an actor, but he is also an exceptional businessman, owning two production companies and a cricket team.

Men's track competes alongside conference foes

It wasn't quite "The Twilight Zone," but it sure was close. Last Saturday, the men's track team took to the track at the Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium in College Station, Texas, knowing that for one cold February afternoon, it would call the University of Houston and the University of Texas-El Paso teammates. The Texas A&M Challenge pitted three teams each from the Big 12 Conference, Southeastern Conference and Conference USA in a battle to see which conference reigned supreme. Unfortunately for Rice and the rest of C-USA, the meet proved no challenge for the Big 12 - composed of the University of Texas, Texas A&M University and Texas Tech University - as it combined for 309.5 points to blow away the SEC (143.5) and C-USA (116).

Last week's online poll results

KTRU Battle of the Bands, Tonight 7 p.m. LYLE'S

THE QUESTIONS

First step to Omaha slated to begin with eager yet untested Ratterree

Today, in Palo Alto, Calif., the baseball team will embark on what promises to be a long and exciting 2010 campaign whose success will once again be defined by the program's characteristically high ambitions. And when the first pitch is thrown at Sunken Diamond stadium at 5:30 p.m. PST, it will be on Rice freshman Mike Ratterree's shoulders to start the season off on the right foot. Not that there's an exorbitant amount of concern with the freshman taking the first pitch. Ratterree is, after all, a highly touted second baseman, having earned Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association Player of the Year honors while a two-sport star of Houston's Memorial High School. And while the humble Ratterree will be the last one to tell you of his numerous baseball accolades, there is no suppressing his excitement about the upcoming season.

Commentary: Ineptitude starts at top of Astros' organization

When Pittsburgh Pirates fans feel sorry for you, you know your team is bad. The Pirates are in many ways the worst franchise in baseball. The last time a Pirates team had a winning record was in 1992, when George H.W. Bush was president and most current Rice students were still learning how to count. So, when a Pittsburgh sports blog called the Bucs Dugout posted an entry called, "Schadenfreude: Your 2010 Astros," it was obvious that the Houston Astros were in trouble. Pirates fans are experts in bad baseball.

University overestimates college transfers

Though Duncan College and McMurtry College have made large strides in their paths to becoming full-fledged residential colleges, they are still facing an enormous setback: Both of the colleges still do not have enough transfer students from Baker College, Brown College, Hanszen College and Wiess College to fully subsist. To rectify this, all freshmen from these colleges have received invitations to transfer (see story, page 1). Though we are happy that Baker freshmen now have an opportunity to transfer and remain with their Duncan friends, we are disappointed that the university underestimated college loyalty when planning the transfer process. As a result, Duncan and McMurtry will face more challenges in the future: Both colleges will now have an incredibly large class of 2013, in addition to their disproportionate upperclassmen classes and larger classes in future years.

Relish: Blue Nile serves up some finger-lickin' fun

If you have an open mind when it comes to food and are willing to venture 15-20 minutes off campus for an uncommon eating experience, Blue Nile Ethiopian Restaurant should be at the top of your list. With a wide variety of Ethiopian selections - including combination platters that allow you to share and sample a spectrum of vegetables, meats, fish and spices - you can get a taste for the cuisine in no time. With an array of inexpensive, meatless dishes, Blue Nile also appeals to vegetarians, so wash your hands and be prepared to dive in fingers-first.Ambiance

Ojala to travel with team despite injury, aims for April comeback

A college baseball pitcher in his senior year often experiences an unfair stigma from his status. To the casual observer, being a senior starter implies that you were either passed over during the previous year's Major League Baseball draft or that you maintain an insignificant role on the pitching staff, willing to resign yourself to another season of sunflower seeds and chewing gum in the bullpen. But for right-handed pitcher Mike Ojala, the fact that he's a senior has few of these connotations. Indeed, the moniker of "senior" belies the immense talent he has exhibited over the three years he has worn a Rice uniform.

Chefs enter culinary combat in today's Samurai showdown

Three top chefs from North, South and West Serveries will duke it out today in a cooking competition complete with sugar, spices, flames and knives. The Servery Samurai showdown, which begins at 3 p.m. in West Servery, gives chefs two hours to prepare a nutritiously balanced entrée using all of the ingredients from a five-ingredient mystery basket. The winner will possess the title of Culinary Shogun 2010.

Women find success within friendly confines of Galleria

Judging by the women's tennis team's home victories this weekend, playing indoors is the way to go for the Owls (5-3). After two tough losses in California last week to No. 12 University of California-Los Angeles (7-1) and Pepperdine University (3-3), Rice swept No. 54 University of Arizona and Texas Tech University in what proved to be a bounce-back weekend for a squad looking for traction.

Unique character, programming of KTRU merit support for blanket tax

We Owls, with our college system and quirky traditions such as Beer Bike, Night of Decadence and Baker 13, take pride in a campus experience that puts the average university to shame. For over 40 years, KTRU has served as an integral part of that tradition. In 1967, a few Hanszenites transmitted a two-watt signal through the buzzer system of the college, dubbing it KHCR (Hanszen College Radio). Now KTRU (the "TRU" is "The Rice University") broadcasts a 50,000-watt signal at 91.7 FM that is heard all over Houston.

Niemann finally making name for self in majors

The newest Owl to make his mark in the majors is right-handed pitcher Jeff Niemann, the former ace of the 2003 Owls' vaunted pitching staff that led the team to a national championship. In his rookie year with the Tampa Bay Rays last season, Niemann compiled an impressive 13-6 record and finished fourth in the American League Rookie of the Year voting. The Thresher's Yan Digilov spoke with the hurler about his thoughts on Rice, Rays and rain. Rice Thresher: I know that you got to hang out with some of the guys the other week in the alumni game, but how often do you get to come back to Rice these days?

Rice ready to tussle with nationwide competition

As the baseball team begins its campaign for the 2010 College World Series, anyone can see that its path will not be an easy one. On Rice's regular season schedule, the fifth-ranked Owls will face five preseason Baseball America top-25 teams, including three matches against top-ranked University of Texas, who finished as national runner-up in last year's CWS. Rice will also meet No. 11 Texas Christian University, No. 18 East Carolina University, No. 19 University of San Diego and No. 21 University of Southern Mississippi in their regular season slog.And if that weren't enough, the team will start its season today with a three-game series against a Stanford University squad that is ranked 25th by USA Today.