Special Projects

Zombieland brings the goods

Judging by their aggressive mainstream and viral ad campaigns,the makers of Zombieland weresetting fairly high expectations for fans of the genre, as well as for casual moviegoers. And to both, this film delivers in every way it possibly could - and more. Zombieland chronicles the journey of Columbus (Adventureland's Jesse Eisenberg) from college in Austin, Texas, to his hometown of Columbus, Ohio.But his journey fails to live up to typical college road trip standards: Due to a strange disease that swept the nation, the United States has become a land teeming with millions of undead zombies hankering for some very alive brains. Things begin to unravel onceColumbus meets up with Tallahassee, played by the utterly brilliant Woody Harrelson (Seven Pounds).

Yunus paves road to altruistic innovation

If the social and economic upheavals of the last 12 months could be summarized with the rhetorical flourishes of the average American teenager, it'd probably go something like this: "Capitalism is sooo 2007." Bruised by the bank bailouts and battered by the bursting of the financial bubble, marred by the Wall Street meltdown and crushed under the collapse of the auto industry, the 18th-century brainchild of Adam Smith has fallen, quite simply, out of vogue. Profit-driven executives, once respected and revered, are now subject to public vilification; formerly beloved corporations are widely seen as inherently soulless and destructive. Indeed, the very notion of profit-seeking, once the pinnacle of American ideology, has become to domestic policy what Crocs are to casual footwear - taboo.

Fourth-place finish helps golf continue momentum

The golf team continued its impressive play to start the 2009 season, recording a fourth-place finish at the Squire Creek Invitational this past Monday and Tuesday following the team's first tournament victory since 1997 at the UTA Waterchase Invitational two weeks ago. While the team posted a first-round score that fell below their expectations, the Owls bounced back with back-to-back rounds of even or under par. With Squire Creek behind them, the team now focuses their attention on the Lone Star Shootout, held October 18-19. The event, hosted by UT-San Antonio, will contain 12 of Texas' strongest teams, and will present the strongest field Rice has faced thus far this year. The tournament, which takes place at Briggs Ranch Golf Course, will give Rice a great opportunity to defeat some highly-ranked schools.

Winter break housing policy problematic

While the Houston winter is not nearly as frigid as what most of us may be used to, this winter break will nonetheless leave many students out in the cold. No, the residential colleges' air conditioning will not be left on full blast - instead, the residential colleges will be completely shut down, electricity and water turned off, while students are off building their snowmen (see story, page 1).That may be fine for those who were planning on venturing home for the break already, but for the remaining dozens, or possibly hundreds, who weren't planning on jumping the hedges during the three-week hiatus, the plan is undoubtedly a bit difficult to swallow. They won't be staying in a Motel 6 - but they won't be staying in Hotel Zaza, either. They will have to ship out for three weeks, living like a rock star on the road, or at least like a family whose house is undergoing a brief remodel.

Debate team sweeps competition

The George R. Brown Forensics Society, Rice's speech and debate team, won first place in sweepstakes over the weekend at the Top of the Rockies Invitational tournament at the University of Wyoming.Director of Forensics David Worth said the team was pleased to have put up a strong showing.

Photo: To infinity and beyond

NASA astronaut Mark Kelly, here elocuting on the merits of the Hubble Space Telescope, joined NASA scientists Massimo Roberto and Thomas Hanson in speaking to Rice students last Friday about the mysteries of space.

New east servery planned

Not long from now, residents of the north and west colleges might just have a reason to abandon their cinnamon rolls and head over to the south colleges for dinner. A new east servery, which will connect Lovett College and Will Rice College, may be completed as early as December 2010. Proposed plans for the east servery, which would be Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design silver certified, would connect Will Rice and Lovett's commons and cost an estimated $12 million.

Can't Beat this Retreat

No one goes to a Vince Vaughn movie expecting an epiphany. In that sense, Couples Retreat gets high marks for meeting expectations. The film is simply a funny movie that lets the viewer unwind and laugh at penis jokes for two hours without needing to delve into the deeper meaning. Something, I would wager, we could all use over fall break.Couples Retreat follows four couples who go to an island paradise designed to help troubled marriages. Only one of the couples actually wants to work on their marriage, but because the island promises water sports and fun, the others agree to tag along. The couples do not realize that the "couple bonding" sessions on the schedule are mandatory and that they cannot just lounge around all day. Hilarious adventures ensue and the couples end up appreciating the marriage counseling more than they thought they would.

Photo: Movin' like a dunk-a-cop

RUPD Chief Bill Taylor is a good sport, participating in the dunking booth at National Night Out Tuesday. Donating two non-perishable food items earned attendees the chance to send Chief Taylor into the tank.

This week's Editorial Cartoon

Sports Staff Soundboard: Who will be in the 2009 World Series

Who will be in the 2009 World Series?

A Word With Your Wardrobe: Spending less to look, feel better

Being a self-proclaimed fashion enthusiast comes with a number of responsibilities. First, there's the matter of staying current with the industry trends, or risking quickly losing both knowledge and credibility. Second, there's the obligation to always look presentable; otherwise I lack contextual evidence for caring so much. Third, there is the matter of dealing with frequent questions as to my wardrobe's origins. This last point, I would argue, is the most difficult, because it seems as if fashion-conscious people achieve their looks with overpriced garments and thus makes me feel as if I should indulge listeners in tales of glorious escapades in expensive-clothing lands that they dare not trespass.

Dear Denver: Facebook stalking defined

Dear Denver,

Bio professor dies

Former biology professor Lisa Marie Meffert died suddenly Sept. 29. She was 49 years old. Meffert, who received her doctoral degree in 1988 from the University of Houston, instructed in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Rice until 2008.

Online only: Men finish 16th among tough competition

To beat the best, you have to play, or in the case of the men's cross country team, run, against the best. The Owls did exactly that last Saturday at the 73rd Cowboy Jamboree in Stillwater, Okla., facing the likes of 13th-ranked College of William and Mary, second-ranked Northern Arizona University and the host, fourth-ranked Oklahoma State University. Rice finished an impressive 13th out of 23 teams, led by a 72nd-place finish from senior Simon Bucknell. Sophomore Michael Trejo was two seconds behind Bucknell to finish 75th, and redshirt freshmen Gabe Cuadra and Matt Carey and senior Scott Zivick rounded out the top five for the Owls.

Rec Center begs to be taken advantage of

I hate to say it, but my first trip to the Barbara and David Gibbs Recreation and Wellness Center was disappointing. Lured last week by the offers of free towels and T-shirts, I entered Rice's newest addition after my economics class with expectations waiting to be fulfilled. But the towels were too small and, as far as I saw, the T-shirts were nonexistent.But these were the least of my tragic disappointments. There was no laser tag arena. No anti-gravity chamber. Only a couple indoor basketball courts, a handful of multi-purpose rooms, a few racquetball and squash courts, a measly 9,000 square-foot cardio and weights space, one recreation pool and a 50-meter outdoor competition pool.

Rice Swimming 2009

The new competition pool which the swim team will use at the Barbara and David Gibbs Recreation Center may be the most obvious change for this year's swim team, but it certainly won't be the only one. With 60 percent of the team comprised of freshmen and sophomores, and only three seniors on the team, the Owls will likely be one of the youngest squads in Conference USA. The turnover will arguably be the most interesting aspect of the team's competitions this season, as last season Rice had one of their most successful runs in recent history, placing third in C-USA and setting school records in the 200-yard medley relay and the 800-yard freestyle relay. After the graduation of seven seniors and the loss of non-seniors Caitlin Warner, Carlyann Miller, and Skylar Craig from the team, Rice faces a challenge to repeat last season's multiple successes.

Green grade commendable

It may be ironic that we espouse the merits of sustainability on a dead tree, but please, bear with us. Our intent is sincere. We would like to commend the university for its improvement upon last year's score, delineated on the Sustainable Endowments Institute's Green Report Card (page 6).While we are not yet to the level of some other universities - our B grade certainly leaves room for improvement - the jump from last year's B-minus shows marked improvement. One need look no further than McMurtry College and Duncan College, the most environmentally-friendly colleges on campus, to recognize the university's attempts at decreasing its carbon footprint.

Transfer system set

Students should keep a close eye on their mailboxes in the coming weeks, as offers to transfer to the new residential colleges will soon be sent. Though Duncan College and McMurtry College opened their doors in August to a new freshman class, they are also housing members from Baker College and Will Rice College. Next fall, however, Baker and Will Rice will move back to their renovated colleges on the south side of campus, and Duncan and McMurtry will boast a new upperclassman population.

New BIOS majors

Bioscience majors may soon find themselves with a few more options, as both the departments of Biochemistry and Cell Biology and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology have begun collaborating to propose a new plan that will expand the number of majors and minors offered at Rice as early as next fall. "This is the biggest revision [to the departments] for more than a decade," Professor Evan Siemann, chair of the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology department, said.