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CHANGEAT THE TOP

After six years as the Falcon’s

head coach, Gregg Brandon says goodbye to Bowling Green

football

By Chris VoloschukSports Editor

When members of the media crowded into a converted defen-sive backs room at University of Toledo’s Glass Bowl Friday night, they were anticipating the final press conference of the departing UT football coach Tom Amstutz.

Little did anyone know that it would also be the final press go-round for BGSU football coach Gregg Brandon.

On Saturday morning, less than 24 hours after his team beat

See COACH | Page 2

SHANEMONTGOMERY

TOMAMSTUTZ

JEFFGENYK

CHARLES DHARAPAK | AP PHOTOALL SMILES: President-elect Barack Obama stands with Vice President Joe Biden and former rival, Secretary of State-designate Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Clinton earns place in cabinetBy Lisa Tolin

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The woman who wanted to be president stepped up to a podium too tall, turned the microphones down and began by addressing the man who defeated her: “Mr. President-elect.”

With her words yesterday, Hillary Rodham Clinton, who in the Senate emerged from the long

shadow of her husband, stepped into a supporting role for another man, this one her former rival.

And while it’s hard to see the position of secretary of state as anything but the highest honor, Clinton appeared somber as Obama introduced her and the rest of his foreign policy team.

“Her face was very set, she looked very serious,” said Maxine Fiel, a behavioral analyst and body

language expert in New York. “She didn’t look extremely relaxed or happy or appreciative. In fact, she looked very grim.”

Perhaps that’s to be expect-ed when the subject at hand is national security, more so when a team of rivals comes together. Clinton entered the Democratic

See CLINTON | Page 3

Little Red Schoolhouse, a small piece of history

By Kelly MetzReporter

On the University’s campus, stu-dents of all ages have discovered the wonder of time travel — with-out The Magic School Bus.

Nestled right next to Common’s Marketplace and Kohl Hall is a lit-tle red schoolhouse, built in 1875 in Norwalk, Ohio. The school-house was transferred to the University in 1975 and became a living history museum for schools in the area and education majors.

The building was located at the edge of a farm property in Huron County and was already 100 years old before they started moving it brick by brick, said Deb Leuck, secretary to the Dean of Education. It took nine full weeks to completely restore the center on the University’s campus.

“Only 12 colleges or universities in the whole United States have

this type of schoolhouse on its property,” she said. “It was a great gift for all kinds of students and helps make our education pro-grams a little more unique.”

The Education Memorabilia Center is open free of charge daily and some weekends for students or families wanting a tour, Leuck said. And for two weeks in the fall and spring, the center becomes a prime spot for third and fourth grade field trips.

“It helps with the student experi-

See SCHOOL | Page 2

University graduate student makes sport of Mixed Martial Arts fighting

By Kevin MorrisseyReporter

In the ‘80s there was boxing, in the ‘90s wrestling was popular; and in this new century there is Mixed Martial Arts, or MMA.

The new combat sport has grown in popularity substantially since its rebirth in the 90s and its growth has spread all the way to Bowling Green and the Toledo area.

Dane Bonningson is a graduate student at the University major-ing in education and technol-ogy and he completed his bach-elor’s degree at Eastern Michigan University.

“I have been wrestling my whole life,” Bonningson said. “I wrestled at Eastern Michigan University

and I still coach wrestling.” “While in college we messed

around at practice with the MMA by throwing punches, but I never got seriously into it,” Bonningson said.

Bonningson fights in the National Amateur Series Light Heavyweight Division at 205 lbs. He is 5-0 and ranked second in the division, according to NAAFS.TV, Bonningson’s league’s Web site.

On his way to the Championship, Bonningson has defeated Joshua Moore, Joshua Miller, Kyle Goss, Tom Boone and Casy Lamb, according to mixed-martialarts.com.

Bonningson’s first win was a six-second knock out.

“One year ago in December I decided to try it out,” he said.

“After watching a fight on televi-sion I thought why not.”

The University also hosts another MMA fighter.

Luke Zachrich, a former mem-ber of the University’s football team, began his interest in MMA after graduating in 2005.

I began fighting on chance, Zachrich said.

See FIGHTER | Page 3

Dane BonningsonGraduate student and MMA fighter

Pedestrian problems pester

State StreetBy Courtney Flynn

Reporter

An issue regarding continu-ous ruckus on State Street was addressed at last night’s City Council meeting, but a solid resolution was not found.

Just two weeks ago a resident of State Street addressed City Council with concerns about the pedestrian traffic through her’s and her neighbors’ yards. She said she has had to replace her mailbox four times, listen to col-

See COUNCIL | Page 2

“It was a great gift ... and helps make our education programs a little more unique.”

Deb Leuck | Secretary

ALAINA BUZAS | THE BG NEWS

STILL TEACHING: Students use the schoolhouse to learn the teaching ways of the past.

A Christmas classic returns to Eva Marie Saint Theatre

By Richard ChandlerReporter

The post-Thanksgiving holiday season will officially commence this week as the Theatre and Film department stages Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” in the Eva Marie Saint Theatre.

The production opens tomor-row night at 8 p.m. and will be per-formed Dec. 4, 5 and 6 at 8 p.m., in addition to matinee performances at 2 p.m. on Dec. 6 and 7.

Some may remember the uni-versity production of “A Christmas Carol” staged two years ago. While thematically similar, these pro-ductions are distanced by more

than time. The principle difference is the

format of the play. The 2006 ver-sion featured a musical adapta-tion by Scott Regan in which he wrote new music, while this year’s production features a “play with

See CAROL | Page 2

“You want to make it your own, but

stay aware of those expectations.”Cory Stonebrook | Senior

NOV

Brandon makes questionable comments about fan-

turnout after the Buffalo gameOC

T

The Falcons lose important home games

against Eastern Michigan and

MiamiJUNE

Three players are dismissed in connection with a home burglary that took place

in Bowling GreenAP

RIL

Off-field issues start for the team as two

players are dis-missed due to poor gradesFE

B

Athletic Director Greg

Christopher awards Brandon

a three-year contract

extension

MAC UNDER

FIREOther league

coaches moving on

BRANDON AT THE WHEEL

The records, MAC championships and bowl games of Gregg Brandon’s

six years as head coach

THEROAD

TO FIRED

By Freddy HuntEditor-in-Chief

The Academic Progress Rate was created by the NCAA to track the teams’ academic per-formance over a 4-year period. According to the NCAA Web page, two points can be awarded to student ath-letes each term. One for meeting academic-eli-gibility standards, and another for remaining with the institution. A team’s APR is the total points earned by the team divided by the total points possible, out of a total 1,000 points possible.

See APR | Page 2

M Basketball: 935M Golf: 954W Golf: 1,000Hockey: 977Volleyball: 995Tennis: 1,000

Football: 925

HOW FOOTBALL STACKS UP:

LATEST APR HURTING

FOOTBALL

BGNEWSSPORTS.COM: Listen to AD Greg Christopher’s entire

press conference concerning Brandon’s

termination

MACMAC

ESTABLISHED 1920A daily independent student press serving the campus and surrounding communityTHE BG NEWS

DayMonth xx, 2008Volume 103, Issue x

WWW.BGNEWS.COM

CAMP

US

Hey, look, a campus teaser!This is where the teaser for the Campus section goes | Page 3

PULS

E

Holy Pulse teaser, Batman!This is totally where teaser for the Pulse section goes | Page X

SPOR

TS

Not another State teaser!This is the teaser to the State section or any other wire page this issue may have | Page X

Dude, it’s the Sports teaser!This is where the teaser to the Sports section goes. Keep in mind that the Bush cutout will need to be replaced. Haha, look, it’s Bush! | Page X

PEOP

LE O

N TH

E STR

EET

LINDSAY-RAE LEBRUNSenior, Graphic Design

What do you think about the People on the Street teaser?

“I think the teaser is totally boss!” | Page 4

WEA

THER

TODAYIsolated T-StormsHigh: 79, Low: 57

TOMORROWMostly SunnyHigh: 82, Low: 60

Na, na, na, Nation teaser!This is the teaser to the Nation section or any other wire page this issue may have| Page X

STAT

ENA

TION

FORU

M

Like, gag me with a Forum teaser!This is where we tease to a good column in Forum | Page 4

ESTABLISHED 1920A daily independent student press serving the campus and surrounding communityTHE BG NEWS

TuesdayDecember 2, 2008

Volume 103, Issue 67WWW.BGNEWS.COM

CAMP

US

The BGundergroundThe tunnels under campus are danger-ous, but they are vital to the survival of the University | Page 3

SPOR

TS

Not enough to winAfter a stellar first half, men’s basketball fell last night to the Tigers of Savannah State, 57-54 | Page 8

PEOP

LE O

N TH

E STR

EET

RYAN BROPHYFreshman, Business

Why do you think Gregg Brandon was let go?

“‘Cause we weresupposed to be really good this year and we sucked.” | Page 4

WEA

THER

TODAYFlurriesHigh: 31, Low: 27

TOMORROWPM ShowersHigh: 43, Low: 26

FORU

M

Black Friday is out of controlWhile columnist Marisha Pietrowski does not object to hunting for the best bargains, she isdisgusted by the fact that over-eagerconsumers were too crazed to help a man who ended up being trampled to death in the Black Friday frenzy | Page 4

Parties involved in prostitute raffle chargedAn academic adviser and a real estate agent are being charged for promoting prostitutionafter raffling off aprostitute | Page 5

STAT

E

Maui Sands resort closesA new water park has closed and is planning on filing for bankruptcy, leaving many people dissatisfied | Page 6

NATI

ONOD

D NE

WS

Red Sox fans can now support their team after death, and be buried in a coffinfeaturing the team logo | Page 10

New casket for the devoted

VISIT BGNEWS.COM: NEWS, SPORTS, UPDATES, MULTIMEDIA AND FORUMS FOR YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE

2 Tuesday, December 2, 2008 WWW.BGNEWS.COM

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BLOTTERWEDNESDAY, NOV. 263:50 A.M.Nathaniel Scherting, 20, of Perrysburg, was arrested for under-age drinking after he was observed at East Merry Apartments having trouble walking. He had bloodshot and glassy eyes, as well as vomit on himself.

THURSDAY, NOV. 272:20 A.M.Enrique Dozier, 22, of Bowling Green, Darius Smith, 21, of Bowling Green, Eric Coressel II, 22, of Swanton, Ohio, and Brandon Crow, 23, of Weston, Ohio, were cited for disorderly conduct after they were witnessed fighting on East Wooster Street.

FRIDAY, NOV. 283:34 A.M.Matthew Leininger, 24, of Bowling Green, was arrested for disorderly conduct while intoxicated. Mitch Shadday, 23, of Bowling Green, was cited for possession of drug para-phernalia.

3:57 P.M.Craig Strow, 27, of Bowling Green, was arrested for aggravated menac-ing after telling the complainant he would return to his house with weapons.

8:55 P.M.Complainant was hit by an unknown

dark-colored van at the intersection of Manville and Eighth and was taken to Wood County Hospital. SATURDAY, NOV. 2912:44 A.M.Raymond Quinlin, 34, of Bradner, Ohio, was arrested for disorderly conduct after punching another male in the mouth at Brewsters Pourhouse.

2:29 A.M.Bradford Palmer, 22, of Defiance, Ohio, and Graham Wagner, 22, of Bowling Green, were cited for disor-derly conduct after being witnessed urinating in front of 149 North Bar.

3:17 A.M.Joseph Schettine II, 20, of Elmore, Ohio, was cited for disorderly con-duct after being observed urinating on South Enterprise Street.

11:22 P.M.Natasha Thomas, 21, of Findlay, Ohio, and Bobbi Swartz, 20, of Fostoria, Ohio, were cited for using someone else’s identification at Uptown Downtown Bar.

SUNDAY, NOV. 3012:12 A.M.Joshua Broski, 26, of Fostoria, Ohio, was arrested for criminal trespass after he refused to leave Uptown Downtown Bar.

5:10 A.M.Cameron Harris, 20, of Sandusky, Ohio, was arrested for assault after striking a female in the face.

ONLINE: Go to bgnews.com for the complete blotter list.

the Rockets 38-10 to cap the season, Brandon was fired from the head coaching position he’d occupied for six years.

According to University Athletic Director Greg Christopher, there wasn’t a single reason for firing Brandon, but rather an accumulation of them over time. Most of the rea-sons came from recent events.

“If you look at the entire year [of 2008], it’s been a roller coast-er for our football program,” Christopher said. “There’s been some off-the-field things that I think have ultimately impacted what’s happened on the field.”

He added, “We’ve had more attrition from the team than you would usually see with a football team. All of those things impact-

ed the team this year. That led to some of the ups and downs you saw all season.”

The attrition he was refer-ring to regarded the series of arrests and grade troubles dur-ing the offseason that resulted in a handful of players leaving the program. The decision to fire Brandon was also impacted by early MAC losses to Eastern Michigan University and Miami University. Due to Academic Progress Rate troubles, the pro-gram has lost seven scholar-ships this year and will lose two more in 2009.

The timing of the firing came as a bit of a surprise even with the troubles. Brandon was signed to a three-year contract extension last February after leading the Falcons to an 8-4 regular season record and a bowl bid.

Christopher said he felt the contract extension was warrant-

ed at the time, given the solid state of the program at the end of 2007. Once the various off-field troubles started surfacing in the offseason, the optimism surrounding the program began to wane.

This past season was the last of Brandon’s current deal. The new contract contained a $250,000 buyout clause that will be paid through fundraised money and outside marketing revenue, according to Christopher.

Brandon’s assistant coaches have what Christopher described as “typical BGSU employee con-tracts,” and will help with the transition to the new coaching staff. It’s unknown whether any will be retained once the new regime is in place.

Getting rid of the coach wasn’t easy by any means. Brandon is the Mid-American Conference’s most successful coach over the

last six years, posting a 44-30 overall record and a 31-17 mark in conference play. He has also guided the Falcons to three bowl appearances, winning two of them.

“Gregg Brandon and our assis-tants, there are a lot of posi-tive memories that they have given to Bowling Green State University over the last several years,” Christopher said. “A lot of hard work, effort, time, energy and devotion to this school, and they’ve given everything they have to BGSU, and I appreci-ated everything they have done for the institution.”

The search for the 17th coach of Falcon football is set to begin immediately. Christopher has a list of 15 qualities that he will seek in the new coach, and said the search will be nationwide, with the goal to find ‘the right person’ to lead the program.

COACH From Page 1

ence,” she said. “It shows a vast comparison from 1875 to 2008 and how times have changed in the classroom.”

From school bells to slate tab-lets, the schoolhouse houses his-tory, she added. It is important to keep an exact replica of history because it ends up being a better teaching tool.

Joanne Kessen, retired St. Aloysius teacher, recently became the “school marm” at the center. During the 1800s, teachers could not be married and the way teachers taught was a lot different from the way teachers teach now, she said.

“I have always loved history and I love education,” Kessen

said. “We do a lot of prep and have younger students dress the part, bring in lunches in hand-kerchiefs and buckets and we even put them on the dunce stool.”

Kessen said the dunce caps are the first thing the students notice about the center, and sit-ting them on the stool in front of their friends is a great way to teach a lesson.

“It’s much better than sitting in the classroom; these kids get to experience history and play a part,” she said.

And having a living history museum on campus not only shows University students how times have changed, but also helps them in their future les-son plans, said senior education major Rachel Williams.

“It’s a really neat place and it

SCHOOL From Page 1

music” adaptation with carols contemporary to the novel’s nineteenth century origins by Margaret McCubbin, associ-ate professor of theatre and film.

“We’ve done the musical three or four times, so we decided to try it as a straight-play,” McCubbin said.

Cory Stonebrook, a senior majoring in theatre and film, has been involved in both productions, as a chorus member two years ago, and as the iconic Ebenezer Scrooge this year.

Stonebrook said that, due to this year’s adaptation being a straight-play, McCubbin’s adaptation remains “closer to the [Dickens] novel.”

McCubbin echoed this sen-timent of literary faithfulness.

“This one really is true to the original,” she said.

Stonebrook said that one of the major challenges of the play is taking a classic charac-ter and making it his own.

“Everyone expects a certain thing from ‘A Christmas Carol’. You want to make it your own, but stay aware of those expec-tations,” Stonebrook said.

Director Geoff Stephenson will make his campus debut as a director with “A Christmas Carol”. Like McCubbin and Stonebrook, Stephenson emphasizes the preservation of Dickens’ original style as one of the show’s cardinal fea-tures.

“I tried to be as faithful as possible to the text,” he said.

Stephenson said that “A Christmas Carol” ultimately revolves around man’s poten-tial for redemption.

“Even the worst of us is capa-ble of redemption,” he said.

CAROL From Page 1

Currently, BG’s score has dipped below a 925 APR, which is the cut score the Division I Board of Directors approved for immediate penalties. As a result, BG will not be able to re-award scholarships of student ath-letes that no longer attend or play for BG this year.

A 925 APR translates to about a 60 percent gradua-tion rate. Mark Shook, direc-tor of student athlete services, said this is the first year BG’s football team has dipped below a 925 APR. Shook said there is no definite answer why the team’s APR took a dive, but expects it to recover next year.

“Every single case is dif-ferent, every single person. If you look across the board,

the University as a whole, there are some students that come and they just don’t fit,” he said. “We feel confident that this is a one year thing. And overall, our student ath-letes have a higher GPA and higher graduation rate than the student body.”

BG has been penalized nine scholarships. In effort to be proactive, Shook said the football team served seven of the penalties already and will serve the other two in Spring when the APR report becomes public.

The NCAA permits a total of 85 football scholarships for Division 1 schools. This year, the football team was only permitted 78 schol-arships, and next year 83 because of APR penalties. Shook said BG does not typi-cally max out the number of athletic scholarships they are permitted.

APR From Page 1

lege students trample through her yard at all hours of the night and deal with flipped over trash cans.

Public Works Director Brian Craft told council last night he had been to State Street to look at the problem area, and there is indeed a large area of land where traffic, both vehic-ular and pedestrian, can get through.

Craft said he plans on putting up a barricade.

“This barricade will stop vehi-cle traffic, not pedestrian,” he said. “The reality of it is, it is dif-ficult to stop people from going down State Street.”

Council member John Zanfardino of ward two, ques-tioned whether or not a smaller fence extending into the ditch could also be put up to deter pedestrian traffic. He said he thinks less people would walk through the area if they had to go through a ditch, especially if it were wet.

“I don’t know what the answer is, but I know people are very frustrated,” he said.

Mayor John Quinn said it is not that the members of the city do not feel for the State Street residents, they are just unsure of what to do.

“We are not unwilling to stop looking at this though, we are still trying to look for answers,” he said.

Residents of Bowling Green will also be looking for answers at the public hearing on Dec. 5 at 7:45 p.m. at 304 N. Main St.

The public hearing will be in regards to Ordinance 7842, which if adopted will amend the city’s Zoning District Map. The property located at 520 and 522 Ordway Avenue would then be transferred to another zone.

COUNCIL From Page 1

not only shows some cool field trip ideas in this area, but also gives [edu-cation] majors an idea of what to look for if they teach elsewhere,” she said. “And it’s better to show history rather than show a photo of history.”

Leuck said there are other cool things about the center that most people don’t know, such as

the message in the bottle they found while moving. When they removed the note from the bottle, it just turned to dust. To this day, there is some curiosity about that note.

“Even we were finding some history as we were moving the center, which shows the whole place is historical, and not just the items in it,” she said. “This is a different type of learning experience and Bowling Green strives to provide a different set-ting where students can get out of the classroom and back in the 1800s.”

CORRECTIONPOLICY We want to correct all factual errors. If you think an error has been made, call The BG News at 419-372-6966.

By Dru SextonReporter

When junior Michael Sabo learned a couple of his friends decided to climb into the University’s underground utility tunnel system, he had a hunch it must have been a bad idea.

But when his friends saw that one of the familiar sil-ver, rectangular hatches across campus that led down into the tunnels was open and unguarded, they couldn’t resist the urge to investigate.

“I know they didn’t find any-thing appealing or attractive down there, so they climbed right back out,” Sabo said.

According to his adventurous friends, the utility tunnels were small and poorly lit and it was not a good idea to navigate them.

Although these tunnels run underneath campus might be small, dark and dangerous, they are critical to the operation of University.

The elaborate system consists of two and a half miles of under-ground utility tunnels. They range from five by five feet in most areas to seven by seven feet in a few places. Contained in the tunnels are boiling hot steam, lines, high voltage electrical lines, phone lines and even Internet lines.

“Our tunnels are very dan-gerous, and there is nothing really all that appealing down in them,” Associate Vice President for Administration Bryan Benner said.

There is a major risk involved with being in the tunnels. This is why only certain authorized per-sonnel are allowed down in them, Benner said.

“Utility and maintenance peo-ple go in them,” said University Police Lt. David Weekley. “They are so dangerous police would

not even enter them unless there were a severe emergency, which almost never happens.”

Injury is a major risk. Pipes burst, lines break and other haz-ards occur down there, Weekley said. The tunnels are lit, but often lights burn out and it is extremely dark. Someone can bang his or her head, and it can be awful, he said.

“Unauthorized person[s] who enter the tunnels are subjected to criminal trespassing, which can carry a hefty fine and some jail time,” Weekley said.

Beginning in 1999, the University started a $6 mil-lion restoration project on the utility tunnels.

The restoration process has been implemented in phases. Benner estimates about 40 to 50 percent of the project is com-pleted.

“A lot of people ask: ‘Why spend so much money to fix the tunnels?’” Benner said.

These tunnels are not just used for utility purposes, but in some cases they’re used to upgrade classrooms or residence halls, he said.

Benner said it’s a good thing to have tunnels containing all of the University utilities because it generally prevents having to dig above ground whenever there is a problem.

“Many people don’t realize they are vital and essential to the operation of the University, and they need to be maintained,” Benner said.

CAMPUSWWW.BGNEWS.COM Tuesday, December 2, 2008 3

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1:30 - 3:30 p.m.Phi Sigma Pi RaffleUnion Table Space

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9:15 p.m.President Meeting308 Union

Some events taken from events.bgsu.edu

GET A LIFECALENDAR OF EVENTS

Tunnels are lifeline for the

University

BEN LOHMAN | THE BG NEWS

PERFORMING: Last evening in Bryan Recital Hall, the Steel Drum Ensemble performed to a packed house. They played a variety of songs including some from Jimmy Buffett and The Little Mermaid. INSET: A student keeps the crowd going by playing “Margaritaville” by Jimmy Buffett. With all the drums together, the tropical sound brought heat to the cold weather outside.

DRUMMERS WITH A TROPICAL BEAT

Bryan Benner | VP for Administration

“Our tunnels are very dangerous, and there

is nothing ... appealing down in them.”

“I was at a fight with some guys I worked out with to watch their fight. One of the fighters did not show and I was asked if I wanted to fight in his place,” he said.

After his first fight, Zachrich then began train-ing at various gyms.

“I began learning the sport and was getting better at sparing. I kept moving up to better gyms till I worked out with Dan Severns a MMA hall of famer,” he said.

Zachrich’s skills developed until he out-grew Severn’s gym. At that point, he began training in Cincinnati were he trains to this day as a professional fighter.

Zachrich suggests any aspiring fighter should get involved in a good gym.

“Your best bet would be to get involved in a Jui Jitsu or MMA gym with a good reputation that has good fighters train there,” he said.

FIGHTER From Page 1

The greater Toledo area has many Jui Jitsu and MMA gyms. One such gym is The Toledo Jiu Jitsu Center. Gym membership costs $100 a month at the Toledo Jiu Jitsu Center, said TJJC Instructor Chris Blanke.

Zachrich’s other piece of advice is that aspiring fighters contact a promoter.

Bonningson said promoters find fighters through the gym and if a fighter wishes to go pro, they must win five fights and usually must find a sponsor unless they want to become independent.

Bonningson will have his shot at the title on Saturday, Dec. 6, at Gray’s Armory in Cleveland. He will face Marc Strickland, 4-1, in the event sponsored by Kombat MMA. Tickets for the Strickland Bonningson match are available at NAAFS.tv or by calling 330-280-8442. Channel 25 Sports Time Ohio broadcast fights Sundays at 10 p.m.

NIGHT OF CHAMPIONSDATE: Saturday, Dec. 6TIME: 6:30 p.m.Source: naafs.tv

presidential primary as the clear front-runner, and after a marathon battle she is now working for the junior senator who defeated her.

Some insiders have ques-tioned whether Clinton is too independent and ambitious to serve Obama as secretary of state. She said yesterday that her Senate seat had pre-pared her for the task: “After all, New Yorkers aren’t afraid to speak their minds and do

so in every language.”But in the Senate, Clinton

was one of 100. As secretary of state, she has just one boss, said Kathleen Hall Jamieson, direc-tor of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania.

“I’ve studied and watched Hillary Clinton for a long time. I don’t think Hillary Clinton spends a lot of time living in the past,” she said. “I think she moves on and moves forward. And I think the interesting ques-tion is, relatively, where could she make the greatest contribu-tion given her interests?”

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Worker dies, proving Black Friday has gotten a bit out of hand

PHIL SCHURRERFACULTY COLUMNIST

MARISHA PIETROWSKI

COLUMNIST

WALKING IS STILL HONEST

KEITH PAKIZ | THE BG NEWS

Last year, I wrote about my frustrations with American shoppers’ obsession with Black Friday. Businesses in America condition people to shop on this day for goods they may not need (and given the poor economic state of many, goods they cannot afford). People will rabidly purchase anything and everything they can get their hands on in the mad rush of the day.

This year, even with dif-ficult economic times for the shrinking middle class, Black Friday was as important as ever for shoppers this holi-day season. Shoppers lined up at their local department and big box stores in order to start the shopping season right, by spending as little as possible on as many goods as possible.

Black Friday turned into a tragedy for a Wal-Mart worker in Long Island, NY this year. Jdimytai Damour was tram-pled by impatient shoppers rushing to get into the store. After suffering a heart attack attempting to suppress the crowds, rather than attempt-ing to help the man, shoppers passed over him.

In their mad rush to get into the doors and grab lim-ited quantities of sale items, shoppers ripped the doors off of their hinges, and forced employees to climb on vend-ing machines to avoid the same fate as Mr. Damour, according to the New York Daily News.

Black Friday is an intense day, but this is out of con-trol. No one should have to worry about being trampled to death in America, all in order to help the public meet their consumer needs.

While I am not a fan of Black Friday in general, I am a frugal person. I always look for the best deals on items, and due to a horrible sense of guilt (possibly to prevent buyer’s remorse), I do not buy anything I don’t completely want, or need. So, I’m not say-ing buying items is bad, and, especially in these tough eco-nomic times, looking to save money is always the best bet.

However, the actions, or rather the inaction towards a fellow human being that these shoppers practiced on Black Friday goes beyond a reason-able rush for bargains. This is just pure greed and selfish-ness, plain and simple. How do you equate saving yourself some money with someone losing a life?

Not only that, I cannot fathom how a person could view their desire for bargains a reasonable rationale for ignoring the urgent needs of a person in crisis. Shoppers ignored the man, and their constant efforts to get inside the store hindered the efforts of police and rescue units to help the man. Even if you could not personally help the man, you could have gotten out of the way so the rescue teams could help!

When the Wal-Mart closed after the incident, shoppers reportedly claimed it was unfair the store was closing, since shoppers waited in line for hours. But I doubt that the worker planned to lose his life that day, for the sole pur-pose of ruining the shopping excursions of Long Island residents.

The police department had an investigation to conduct, and if the shoppers couldn’t

be bothered to stop shop-ping so the man’s life could be saved, did they honestly believe the police would be able to figure out what hap-pened if employees were still in danger?

Not only is it wrong that shoppers acted the way they did, the Wal-Mart store itself should have anticipated such a large crowd, and put forth a more organized effort for crowd control and security. Instead of people congregat-ing in a near mob form, the store should have had employ-ees ensure that the people could enter and flow through the store efficiently.

Large and determined crowds are nothing new for Wal-Mart (especially in such populated areas like Long Island), and if the few employ-ees didn’t have so many issues to deal with, maybe this work-er could have been saved. The store employees created a human chain in order to keep people from pushing down the doors, and more security should have been in place in anticipation of these crowds.

However, the lack of an organized crowd does not excuse the actions of these shoppers. I cannot see how finding anything in that store is worth harming someone, or possibly yourself.

I understand the ‘every per-son for themselves’ mentality when it comes to Black Friday, but it should not be a struggle for survival to get that Wii. It’s bad enough that people must hide their finds in their carts to ensure that people don’t fight and steal from one another, but the fact that peo-ple must fight for their lives goes beyond the reasonable desire to find a bargain.

— Respond to Marisha at thenews@bgnews.com.

“Shoppers ignored the man, and their constant efforts to get inside the store

hindered the efforts of police and rescue units to help the man.”

Fair market value in today’s failing economy

The free market is arguably the most efficient economic mecha-nism yet devised for distributing the greatest amount of material wealth to the largest number of people in the shortest amount of time. It is firmly grounded on concepts contained in the defi-nition of “fair market value,” and allows participants to use the two uniquely human characteristics of intelligence and free will.

“Fair market value” is the price that a willing buyer would pay and a willing seller would charge if both were aware of all perti-nent facts of the transaction and neither were under pressure to buy or sell and both were acting in their own best interests.

Both knowledge and free will (or freedom of choice) play a crit-ical role both in determining “fair market value,” and in the notion of a free market. Both parties to a transaction should be fully cognizant of all pertinent infor-mation and have the freedom to transact or not transact.

Given these conditions, the usual motive for entering into any transaction under the free market regime is self-better-ment. And the only safeguard preventing self-betterment from taking unfair advantage of the other party is the second party’s ability to either walk away from the transaction or to counter-offer so as to protect his or her own interests. All this presumes intelligence and free will.

How do these concepts square with economic reality of late? It’s now clear that certain economic events over the past few decades would not have occurred under a truly free market.

There has been a lack of knowl-edge of the content and implica-tions of many recent transac-tions that have contributed to the current economic debacle. Non-transparent transactions — a fancy way of saying that most people aren’t able to understand what’s going on, or the value of what’s being bought and sold — seem to have become the rule rather than the exception. When only a handful of people under-stand a transaction, the chances of market failure and manipula-tion increase dramatically.

Freedom of choice became impaired when, in the instance of people being induced by manipulation of the “American Dream” of home ownership, they assumed debt that they were incapable of repaying.

Although the philosopher Thomas Aquinas wrote that law is not designed to prescribe every virtue or forbid every vice, one of government’s functions is to protect us from our worst inclinations. The Founders understood this, albeit from a political perspective. Many of

their ideas have economic as well as political applications.

The problem is not the free market. Rather, the problem is the lack of safeguards around the free market. For the free mar-ket is some self-sustaining per-petual motion machine. It must have rules and guidelines, or else some participants will succumb to unchecked greed and avarice. Like a fire, it’s a good friend but a bad master.

Both liberals and conserva-tives have lessons to take from our present economic turmoil. The liberal should realize that an unrestricted free market (in the classic sense) has not been prevalent in the past few decades. The conservative should recognize the need for more regulation.

We all should now realize the fallacy of allowing humans to do as they wish merely because they can. Boundaries are needed to protect us from our worst incli-nations. The problem is not so much that the rules in the past were too lax or too strict. The problem is that we gradually let our guard down by believing in an upcoming economic Utopia.

— Respond to Phil at thenews@bgnews.com.

Eating meat is a time-honored traditionBy Grant Reichert

U-Wire

Save the environment — stop eat-ing so much of it!

You know who I’m talking about. Thick, black-lensed glasses, ironic yet socially aware T-shirts, Netflix queue a veritable discography of African poverty-related documen-taries and teeth like miniature lumberjacks, that chomp away at chlorophyll, destroying millions of Mother Nature’s solar energy pan-els, all to sate their terrible hunger.

The vegetarians.Vegetarianism, or “recreation-

al anemia,” is one of the lead-ing behavior-modifying ethical beliefs, meaning that its adherents practice what they preach. As a Catholic, I find this troubling.

We must destroy it. Vegetarianism presents a chal-lenge to the very nature of man. We’ve struggled and clawed and basically devoured our way up to the top of the food chain. We have an urge to discover life on distant planets and then eat that too. The pursuit of edibility is what drives mankind, no matter the cost or the effect.

To illustrate, draw the circle of

life, like the one from “The Lion King,” where Simba’s father tries to explain why Simba will eventually devour the animated entrails of his best friends, Timon and Pumbaa. Now draw a big, gaping mouth in the middle of it. That is man-kind, devouring its way through life, consuming animal, vegetable and mineral alike.

But not vegetarians. No, they insist on limiting their dietary drive to vegetable matter, for ethi-cal reasons. Vegetables! Vegetables are just fruit that didn’t try hard enough, fruit from the bad side of the tracks, toughened by life and social circumstance into surly imi-tations of edibility. Cucumbers are bananas with a jailhouse tattoo.

“Oh, yum, this one tastes like chewy water! Oh, try this one, it tastes like crispy water! And have you tried that mushy water one over here? Delicious!”

Yuck. I had to stick in a plug of jerky chew just to get myself through this column. I’m a third degree Carnivoran, which means I eat things that have eaten other things that eat things. Like if a lion ate a gazelle and was then eaten by a whale, I could eat that whale. Or if you went cow to

wolf to supercow, I could make a supercow hamburger.

“But vegetarians are such nice, caring people!” Oh, I don’t dis-pute that. Some of my best token friends are vegetarians. But, remember, it is exactly because vegetarians are such nice people that their behavior-modifying ethical beliefs are such a threat. The disgusting sincerity of veg-etarians presents a direct chal-lenge to the moral hypocrisy that we normal people hold dear.

How will it be possible to believe in things if we must also then do those things with our hands and mouths? How can we be good people in our minds if must also be them with our bodies?

So, like every great movie vil-lain, I will offer vegetarians a choice. We are not so different. If one takes circles seriously, then it follows that plants thrive on decomposing animals and each carrot has devoured a thousand little rabbit corpses.

Join the Dark Side, vegetar-ians. Join us, or if Earth is ever invaded by giant beets, I will tell the Beetonians of the ter-rible deeds you have committed against their kin.

“Freedom of choice became impaired when, in the instance of people being

induced by manipulation of the ‘American Dream’ of home ownership, they assumed

debt that they were incapable of repaying.”

FORUM “If you look at the entire year [of 2008], it’s been a roller coaster for our football program.” — Greg Christopher, University Athletic Director, in regards to the recent firing of University football head coach Gregg Brandon [see story, pg. 1].

The BG News Submission PolicyLETTERS TO THE EDITOR are generally to be fewer than 300 words. These are usually in response to a current issue on the University’s campus or the Bowling Green area.

GUEST COLUMNS are generally longer pieces between 400 and 700 words. These are usually also in response to a current issue on the University’s campus or the Bowling Green area. Two submissions per month maximum.

POLICIES: Letters to the Editor and Guest Columns are printed as space on the Opinion Page permits. Additional Letters to the Editor or Guest Columns may be published online. Name, year and phone number should be included for verification purposes. Personal attacks, unverified information or anonymous submissions will not be printed.

E-MAIL SUBMISSIONS as an attachment to thenews@bgnews.com with the subject line marked “Letter to the Editor” or “Guest Column.” All submissions are sub-ject to review and editing for length and clarity before printing. The editor may change the headlines to submitted columns and letters at his or her discretion.

Opinion columns do not necessarily reflect the view of The BG News.

PEOPLE ON THE STREET Why do you think Gregg Brandon was let go?

LIZ MEYERS, Sophomore,Popular Culture

“I have no clue.”

JOSH SMITH, Freshman, Business

“Because of the comments he made about the fans.”

TYSON BARKER, Sophomore, Business

“The coach and the team needed to go in different directions.”

WHITNEY FRYE, Senior, Supply Chain Management

“I don’t have an opinion on it.”

VISIT US ATBGNEWS.COM

Have your own take on today’s People On The Street? Or a suggestion for a question? Give us your feedback at bgnews.com.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008 4

THE BG NEWSFREDDY HUNT, EDITOR IN CHIEF

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Strickland begs for budget help

By Stephen MajorsThe Associated Press

COLUMBUS — Gov. Ted Strickland announced yesterday a new $640 million state budget gap, the third deficit this budget cycle, and said the next two-year budget could be as much as $7.3 billion in the red.

The state is facing an unprecedented economic cri-sis that will only get worse without direct federal help, Strickland said. The governor flatly ruled out a tax increase, saying it could make things worse under the current conditions.

Strickland continues to press the federal government for direct aid to the states that he said could prevent further cuts to the current budget. He sent president-elect Barack Obama a letter yesterday asking for $100 billion in block grants to the states and $3.2 billion to help with welfare expenditures and another economic recovery package.

For the first time, Strickland said the state would likely to have to dip into the rainy-day fund — which currently has about $750 million — to deal with the economic slow-down. He has previously said the rainy-day fund should be saved for even worse times ahead.

“We share this with you and with people of Ohio because we believe that this is the time for all Ohioans to join together in an extraor-dinary partnership in order to meet the chal lenges before us,” Strickland said during a somber news con-ference.

Budget Director Pari Sabety said Ohio is facing losses in tax revenue of historic propor-tions. And there’s even worse news: Over the next two years, Ohioans could see overall reductions in how much they take home in salaries and wages for the first time in state history.

The erosion in tax revenues is the

worst in 40 to 50 years, Sabety said.Among other grim news Sabety

and Strickland delivered yesterday:— Even if state agencies

reduce their budgets by 10 per-cent next year and in 2010, the state would still face a $4.7 bil-lion deficit.

— Ohio likely faces an extend-ed state recession through the end of this calendar year and all of 2009.

— The state is facing a three-year decline of $1.4 billion in personal income tax collec-tion, the worst since the tax was implemented in 1972. Revenue from sales taxes will be $490 million less in 2010 than this year, the first such decline since 1950.

Adding to the drama of the announcement, Strickland stepped before microphones to announce the news that was just then flashing around the world: The U.S. official-ly went into a recession in December 2007.

Strickland implored Ohioans to do their part in helping the state get through the most diffi-cult economic period it has seen in decades.

KIICHIRO SATO | AP PHOTO

TOUGH TIMES: Gov. Ted Strickland speaks at a news conference yesterday in Columbus, as he announces a new $640 million state budget gap. Ohio is facing an unprecedented eco-nomic crisis that will only get worse without direct federal help, Strickland said.

“We share this with you and with

people of Ohio because we believe that this is the time

for all Ohioans to join together in

an extraordinary partnership in order to meet the challenges

before us.”Ted Strickland | Governor

COLUMBUS — An Ohio pros-ecutor has requested an execu-tion date for a man charged with murdering a hitchhiker in 1991 during a multistate killing spree.

John Fautenberry was sen-tenced to death in 1992 for the shooting death of Joseph Daron at a highway restaurant in Hamilton County. He had given up his right to a jury trial, plead-ed guilty and was sentenced by a three-judge panel.

Fautenberry, 45, was also a suspect in the stabbing death of an Alaska miner, a truck driver and a bank teller in Oregon and a truck driver in New Jersey.

Prosecutor Joe Deters made

the request yesterday in a filing with the Ohio Supreme Court. Deters says Fautenberry has exhausted his state and federal appeals.

The request is one of five pending before the Ohio Supreme Court and nine sub-mitted since April.

Of those, the court denied two requests and set execution dates for two other inmates, both of whom were executed.

In Alaska, which does not have the death penalty, Fautenberry pleaded guilty on Aug. 21, 1991 to the fatal stabbing of Jefferson Diffee and received a 99-year sentence.

Ohio prosecutor asks judges to set

execution dateMultistate murderer has run out of appeals

Congressman prepares for life after Capitol Hill

SPRINGFIELD (AP) — After nearly two decades in Congress, David Hobson is stepping down at the end of the year.

But the 72-year-old Republican power broker from Ohio will not likely sit still — he’s talking to colleges about teaching, law firms about consulting and has renewed his real estate license.

As for Congress, he suspects it’s time to go.

“I sense it’s time, but I don’t want to recognize it’s time,” Hobson said. “It’s bittersweet. I enjoyed it here.”

Along with longtime Rep. Ralph Regula, R-Ohio, who is also retiring, Hobson made a name as a cardinal — one of the handful of lawmakers who chair the House Appropriations Committee subcommittees.

Hobson bucked the Bush administration on issues such as the use of nuclear weapons and worked to revamp how the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers prioritized projects. But in his congressional district, he’ll be remembered for the millions of dollars he helped garner for infrastructure projects, money for Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and for the cleanup of the former Mound nuclear-weapons plant.

“I don’t think we’ll ever see anyone with his ability to bring money back to Ohio again in our lifetime,” said Michael Gessel, vice president of govern-ment relations at the Dayton Development Coalition.

Springfield Mayor Warren Copeland, a Democrat, said that without Hobson, Springfield’s Air National Guard base would lie dormant. When the federal base realign-ment and closure commission

decided in 2005 to end flight training at that base, Hobson lured the Royal Netherlands Air Force to the site.

Copeland said Hobson has been successful because of his dealmaking ability.

“Part of making the deal is understanding what each interest is and finding a way to make everyone feel like they got at least part of what they wanted,” Copeland said. “I think he does that.”

Hobson was recruited into a political career in 1981 when a buddy urged him to run for state representative. He did — and lost. But four weeks later, then-state Sen. Paul Gillmor helped Hobson land an appointment to the state Senate.

Hobson later ascended to committee chairman, then whip, then president pro tempore.

When then-Rep. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio, ran for lieuten-ant governor, it was a natural progression: Hobson decided to run for DeWine’s seat in Congress.

AP PHOTO

STEPPING DOWN: Congressman David Hobson feels it’s time to leave Congress, although he does not want to admit it.

SANDUSKY (AP) — The clos-ing of a new indoor water park and resort has left a lot of angry people in its wake.

The owner of Maui Sands Resort shuttered the attrac-tion on Thanksgiving Day and announced plans to file for bankruptcy. The move disrupted a lot of holiday travel plans and forced those with reserva-tions to make last-minute arrangements.

About 100 employees were let go without a paycheck. Bellhop Ryan Mygrant said they were told their checks would be ready tomorrow, then Friday, then in couple of weeks. Some employees left work crying, he said.

Contractors and compa-nies who have filed nearly

Indoor waterpark bankruptcy $4 million in liens against the resort for unpaid work also could be out of luck if a bankruptcy court allows the company to forego its debts.

A company that installed tiles at the resort is owed about $116,000, said Melissa Vasquez, owner of A&M Tiling in Westlake.

“I’m assuming I’ll get paid something, but I don’t think I’ll be able to break even with it,” she said. “I thought this was going to be my big break, and it’s going to end up breaking me.”

COLUMBUS (AP) — A college adviser and a real estate agent joined together to hold a raffle that offered an evening with a prosti-tute who is also a child sex-abuse caseworker, police said.

The operation was organized through the Web site Craigslist.com, where several hundred cus-tomers posted comments about prostitutes they had hired.

Christopher S. Johnson, 33, an academic adviser at Ohio State University’s School of Nursing, organized the chat board and the raffle, police said.

Rusty Blades, a 42-year-old real estate agent, held an invitation-only party in October for the men and a group of prostitutes at one of his houses, police said. The men bought $10 raffle tickets for a chance to spend time with one of the prostitutes.

Both Johnson and Blades were charged with promoting prostitu-tion. A judge set bail Saturday at $50,000 for Blades and $25,000 for Johnson.

A message seeking comment was left yesterday with Blades’ attorney, Richard Wetzel. A woman who answered the phone at Johnson’s home yesterday said he was not available.

The prostitute was 31-year-old Vanise Dunn, an employee at Franklin County Children Services since 2000, said Columbus Police Vice Detective Jeffrey Ackley.

Prostitution raffle busted

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MINEOLA, N.Y. (AP) — A family attorney says a tem-porary worker trampled to death by customers at a New York Wal-Mart store had no training in crowd control.

Lawyer Jordan Hecht said

yesterday that Jdimytai Damour had been work-ing at the Long Island store for only about a week when frenzied shoppers knocked him down on the day after Thanksgiving.

Nassau County Police

Commissioner Lawrence Mulvey says a prelimi-nary investigation shows Wal-Mart failed to provide adequate security outside the store.

Wal-Mart did not imme-diately respond to a request

for comment. It has said security precautions were in place.

Nassau County police say an autopsy found Damour died of asphyxiation related to his trampling.

ED BETZ | AP PHOTO

BLACK FRIDAY: Nassau County Police examine the front of the Wal-Mart in Valley Stream, N.Y., Friday, Nov. 28, 2008, after a temporary Wal-Mart worker died after a throng of eager shoppers broke down the doors and trampled him moments after the Long Island store opened early Friday for day-after-Thanksgiving bargain hunting, police said. Wal-Mart did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Nassau County Police say an autopsy found Damour died of asphyxiation related to his trampling.

By Jay ReevesThe Associated Press

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The mayor of Alabama’s largest city was arrested yesterday on charges of steering mil-lions of dollars of bond work to a friend in exchange for more than $230,000 in bribes to pay for an expensive ward-robe and flashy jewelry.

The bond deals — which funded years of work on a substandard county sewer system — went sour and have helped push surrounding Jefferson County to the brink of filing the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history.

The charges stem from Mayor Larry Langford’s time on the Jefferson County Commission, where he served four years as president.

He is accused of telling Wall Street giants JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America and the now-bank-rupt Lehman Brothers that they had to include his friend’s investment bank-ing firm on the deal if they wanted to handle the coun-ty’s bond work, which was worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

Langford, his friend Montgomery investment banker Bill Blount and lobby-ist Al LaPierre were charged in a 101-count indictment. The charges include conspir-acy, bribery, fraud, money laundering and filing false tax returns. All three have pleaded not guilty.

U.S. Attorney Alice Martin wouldn’t say whether the firms were cooperating

with the investigation, and the companies either didn’t return a telephone message or declined comment.

Langford left the county commission after being elected mayor in a landslide last year, and he since has become known for a series of outside-the-box ideas aimed at trying to breathe new life into an old steel city-turned-medical hub.

He walked into a business meeting with two police officers carrying subma-chine guns, props meant to generate interest in his “top secret” finance plans and announced a longshot bid to bring the 2020 Olympics to Birmingham, even though the city doesn’t even have a major sports franchise.

Critics of his grandiose ideas have called him “Mayor LaLa.” However, the former promoter and television reporter has been unapolo-getic, saying it’s his job to sell the city. Just last week he gave a $10,000 city consulting contract to a 13-year-old girl who appeared before council members to discuss improv-ing parks.

Langford was arrested by FBI agents at a beer distribu-tor where he also has a public relations job.

“I’m going to work today,” Langford told reporters out-side the courthouse after being freed on $50,000 bond. A Democrat, Langford has said for months that he expected to be indicted in what he referred to as a witchhunt by Republican prosecutors.

By Juliet WilliamsThe Associated Press

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a fiscal emergency yesterday and called lawmak-ers into a special session to address California’s $11.2 billion deficit.

The state’s revenue gap is expected to hit $28 billion over the next 19 months without bold action. The emergency declaration authorizes the governor and lawmakers to change the existing budget within 45 days.

The state is likely to run out of cash in February.

“Without immediate action, our state is headed for a fiscal disaster, and that is why ... I am wasting no time in calling a fiscal emergency special ses-sion,” Schwarzenegger said in prepared remarks.

The Republican governor and Democratic lawmakers have proposed a combination of tax increases and spend-ing cuts, but Republican law-makers steadfastly refuse to raise taxes.

No compromise could be reached during a special session last month, which pushed the problem to a new Legislature being sworn yesterday. But there appeared to be little rea-son to believe that Republican lawmakers would budge.

By Mae AndersonThe Associated Press

NEW YORK — Retailers who saw Thanksgiving holiday sales drop off as the weekend progressed stepped up online promo-tions on the day known as “Cyber Monday” to try to get consumers tired of the crowds at stores to keep shopping.

But after weeks of already heavy discounting both at reg-ular stores and online, experts were doubtful that the day would give much of a lift to what is still expected to be one of the weakest holiday seasons in years.

“People are expecting that deals will only get better as we approach the Christmas time frame,” said Youssef H. Squali, an analyst at Jefferies & Co. “So while Cyber Monday is signifi-cant I wouldn’t say today is the only day to track. People may opt to wait a little more.”

The Monday after Thanksgiving was dubbed “Cyber Monday” by the National Retail Federation trade group in 2005 to describe the unofficial kick-off to the online retail season — when customers shopped at their desks as they returned to work. But with more deals advertised ahead of time and more consumers with high-speed access at home, the day has lost some luster.

Marcia Turner, 43, a free-lance writer in Rochester, N.Y., said she plans to buy a Dell laptop before Christmas, but is holding off for now.

“I suspect prices will come down further before the holiday season is out,” she said. “I doubt they will

go up, so there is little risk in waiting, as I see it.”

Crowds turned out for early morning specials after Thanksgiving on “Black Friday” — so dubbed because it had historically been the day retailers turned profit-able for the year — but many analysts say they were thin-ner than last year and shoppers were focused on bargains and smaller-ticket items.

Prel iminar y f igures released Saturday by ShopperTrak RCT, a research firm that tracks total retail sales at more than 50,000 out-lets, showed that sales rose 3 percent to $10.6 billion on Friday from the Black Friday a year ago. ShopperTrak was expected to release data for the combined Friday and Saturday period later yesterday.

While “Cyber Monday” is not the busiest online shop-ping day of the year — that day usually occurs later in December as shipping dead-lines approach — retailers who have seen consumers pull back amid the reces-sion stepped up their online deals — offering discounts on clothes and gadgets, set amounts off purchases, free shipping and more.

Traffic at online retailer eBags.com was up 12 percent compared with the Monday after Thanksgiving last year and sales were up 10 percent

as of 1 p.m., said co-founder Peter Cobb — about what he expected. The site is offering a 20 percent off deal for Cyber Monday.

“Retailers are much more aggressive this year, as we are,” Cobb said. “We expect to see a big push in the next two weeks.”

Amazon.com, which began running holiday promotions a week ago, said it is focusing less on Cyber Monday than the holidays as a whole.

“A lot of customers got shopping done through ‘Black Friday’ and through the weekend,” said spokes-man Craig Berman. “We real-ly look at holiday shopping as a season, not as a couple of really busy days.”

Overall, there were few tech-nical problems reported dur-ing the day, but and Gap and Old Navy sites were down for about 45 minutes in the morn-ing, due to heavy traffic, the company said.

Merchants want consumers to keep shopping after seeing modest sales gains over the Thanksgiving weekend.

John Morris, an analysts at Wachovia Capital Markets, wrote in a note published yes-terday that traffic and busi-ness were strong on Black Friday but that the “strength did not carry through the remainder of the weekend as business fell off sharply on Saturday.”

Trampled employee unprepared for rush

Alabama mayor arrested on bribery

charges

JOE SONGER | AP PHOTOBUSTED: Larry Langford, left, is sworn in as Birmingham’s mayor by Judge U.W. Clemon in Birmingham, Ala. Langford was arrested Monday Dec. 1, 2008, on federal bribery and fraud charges connected to a multibillion-dollar sewer bond deal.

Birmingham’s Larry Langford accused of using money on lavish clothing, jewelry

Retailers pushing online holiday sales

California declares fiscal

emergency

“I suspect prices will come down further before the holiday season is out ... I doubt they will go up, so there is

really no reason to wait.”Marcia Turner | Freelance writer

CRISIS: California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger calls special session.

WASHINGTONWWW.BGNEWS.COM Tuesday, December 2, 2008 7

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THE BG NEWS SUDOKU

SUDOKOTo play: Complete the grid so that every row, column and every 3 x 3 box contains the digits 1 to 9. There is no guessing or math involved. Just use logic to solve

By Martin CrutsingerThe Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The U.S. economy has been in a reces-sion since December 2007, the National Bureau of Economic Research said yesterday.

The NBER — a private, nonprofit research organiza-tion — said its group of aca-demic economists who deter-mine business cycles met and decided that the U.S. recession began last December.

By one benchmark, a recession occurs whenever the gross domestic product, the total output of goods and services, declines for two consecutive quarters.

The GDP turned negative in the July-September quarter of this year, and many econ-omists believe it is falling in the current quarter at an even sharper rate.

But the NBER’s dating committee uses broader and more precise measures, including employment data. In a news release, the group said its cycle dating commit-tee held a telephone confer-ence call on Friday and made the determination on when the recession began.

The White House comment-ed on the news that a second downturn has officially begun on President George W. Bush’s watch without ever actually

using the word “recession,” a term the president and his aides have repeatedly avoid-ed. Instead, spokesman Tony Fratto remarked upon the fact that NBER “determines the start and end dates of business cycles.”

“What’s important is what is being done about it,” Fratto said. “The most important things we can do for the econ-omy right now are to return the financial and credit mar-kets to normal, and to contin-ue to make progress in hous-ing, and that’s where we’ll continue to focus.”

Many economists believe the current downturn will be the most severe since the 1981-82 recession. The country is being battered by the most severe financial crisis since the 1930s as banks struggle to deal with billions of dollars in loan losses.

The Bush administration won approval from Congress on Oct. 3 for a $700 billion res-cue package for the financial system. Bush said in an inter-view with ABC’s “World News” to be aired yesterday that he would support additional intervention if necessary to end the recession.

“I’m sorry it’s happening, of course,” Bush said, refer-ring to a global financial cri-sis that has eliminated mil-lions of jobs and damaged

retirement accounts.Federal Reserve Chairman

Ben Bernanke said yesterday that further interest rate cuts were possible but he cau-tioned that there were limits to how much such action will be able to revive an economy expected to remain weak well into next year.

“Although further reduc-tions ... are certainly feasi-ble, at this point the scope for using conventional inter-est rate policies to support the economy is obviously limited,” Bernanke said in a speech to business executives in Austin, Texas. The Fed is widely expected to cut a key interest rate when officials next meet on Dec. 15-16.

Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said the Bush admin-istration is looking for more ways to tap a $700 billion financial rescue program and will consult with Congress and the incoming admin-istration of President-elect Barack Obama.

“While we are making progress, the journey ahead will continue to be a diffi-cult one,” Paulson said in a speech to business execu-tives in Washington. “But I have confidence that we are pursuing the right strategy to stabilize the financial system and support the flow of credit into our economy.”

U.S. economy officially declared in a recession

WWW.BGNEWS.COM Tuesday, December 2, 2008 7

By Ben FellerThe Associated Press

WASHINGTON — President George W. Bush says histo-ry will judge him, but he is getting his own crack first. Bush is using his final 50 days in office to tout his leg-acy, hoping to leave a lasting impression of overshadowed progress.

Yesterday, World AIDS Day, Bush was heralded for his leadership in fight-ing the disease, a point that even his Democratic critics readily concede.

The anti-AIDS program Bush championed in 2003 has delivered lifesaving medicine to more than 2 million people in five years, up from 50,000 people before it began.

Many of those helped live in impoverished sub-Saharan Africa, where AIDS is the leading killer.

“I would hope that when it’s all said and done, people say, ‘This is a guy who showed up to solve problems,’” Bush said at a global health forum. “And when you have somebody say there’s a pandemic that you can help, and you do nothing about it, then you have frankly disgraced the office.”

For most of his last year in office, Bush has shied away from legacy talk for two reasons.

One is that he did not want to seem as if he were looking back when he was still run-ning the country.

The other is that he did not want to get dragged into the 2008 presidential campaign by defending his record.

That’s over now. Once Democrat Barack Obama beat Republican John McCain for the White House, Bush’s final agenda has shifted focus. He is still active on the crises of the day — the economic mess, the terrorist attacks in India — but he is notably carving out time to emphasize priori-ties of the last eight years.

That is why today, he’ll be in Greensboro, N .C., to trumpet a program that mentors chil-dren of prisoners. It is part of a nationwide mentoring pro-gram that Bush promoted in his 2003 State of the Union address, the same time he announced his Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.

RON EDMONDS | AP PHOTO

LAST DAYS: President George W. Bush addresses global health.

Bush legacy still to be

determined

SUSAN WALSH | AP PHOTO

ROUND TABLE: Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., listens to Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, second from right, during a meeting with National Governors Association vice chairman Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas, left, and Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., right, on Capitol Hill.

Governors discuss funding in Washington

By Jeannine AversaThe Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Timothy Geithner, President-elect Barack Obama’s pick to be Treasury secretary, will soon step down from his cur-rent post as president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

The New York Fed announced yesterday it has created a search committee to select Geithner’s succes-sor. Geithner will continue to serve as president “for the next several weeks,” the New York Fed said.

Now that he’s been tapped for the Treasury post, Geithner won’t participate in decisions on interest rates and other economic and financial matters made by the Federal Open Market Committee, the Federal Reserve’s chief policy-mak-ing group that includes Fed chairman Ben Bernanke.

The FOMC’s next meet-ing is Dec. 15-16, and many economists predict the Fed will lower rates again to limit damage to the already crippled economy. Housing, credit and financial debacles have clobbered the

economy, sending consum-ers and businesses alike into hibernation mode.

The nation’s unemploy-ment rate in October jumped to 6.5 percent, a 14-year high. Economic weakness and higher employment will per-sist well into next year, the Fed says.

Geithner has helped lead efforts at the Fed — working with the Bush administration — to rescue the nation from the worst financial crisis since the 1930s.

He enjoys a close working relationship with Bernanke and with President George W. Bush’s Treasury secretary, Henry Paulson.

Geithner is “a safe pair of hands,” said Paulson, who praised Obama’s selec-tion anew yesterday in remarks about the nation’s economic and financial conditions.

One of the most pressing decisions Geithner, widely expected to be confirmed by the Democratic senate, will face early on is decid-ing how to spend the next $350 billion installment of the $700 billion financial bailout package overseen by Treasury.

By Andrew TaylorThe Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Facing severe cutbacks in state services as the recession deepens, the nation’s governors pressed their case on Capitol Hill yesterday, asking for at least $40 billion to help pay for health care for the poor and disabled.

The governors are also press-ing for as much as $136 billion worth of infrastructure projects like road and bridge repairs as the Democratic-controlled Congress and President-elect Barack Obama prepare economic recovery legis-lation that Obama hopes to sign immediately upon taking office.

Obama will meet with the governors today at a National Governors Association meeting in Philadelphia.

In advance, Govs. Ed Rendell,

D-Pa., and Jim Douglas, R-Vt., who head the governors’ group, met with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi yesterday to discuss the parame-ters of the evolving measure, which could total $500 billion, according to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

For states, the recession has meant big reductions in tax rev-enues, which has forced 43 of the 50 states into budget deficits. Since virtually every state has to live under a balanced budget, governors have been forced to cut services, lay off workers and consider tax increases.

Such moves only make the eco-nomic situation more difficult, the governors say.

“Without federal help ... what we will have to do is just make continuing cuts and/or raise taxes, both of which would have a further deleterious effect on our states’

economy. We simply need help,” Rendell told reporters. “When the economy is bad, the social service net demands grow.”

Rendell said there are upward of $136 billion in infrastructure projects that are “ready to go,” chiefly road and bridge repair projects that can get started espe-cially quickly. Water and sewer projects and school repairs are other needs.

Pelosi, D-Calif., said Democrats will work to have the economic stimulus measure ready for Obama’s signature as soon as he takes office Jan. 20.

It’s expected to blend funding for infrastructure projects and Medicaid aid to the states with tax cuts, a temporary increase in food stamp payments, as well as investments in renew-able energy projects and other “green jobs” initiatives.

Obama taps new Treasury secretary

Nonprofit researchers define crisis as GDP turns negative

Timothy Geithner of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York steps down to accept cabinet position

SPORTSTuesday, December 2, 2008 8

BASKETBALLProchaska wins MAC Player of the WeekLauren Prochaska was named the MAC women’s basketball Player of the Week. Last week, Prochaska averaged 20.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and two steals during a week-long road trip. She also had a career-high 32 points against St. Francis and was named to the All-Tournament team at Greensboro.

ONLINEThe BG NewsSports BlogBe sure to log on to The BG News Sports Blog for continued updates on all BG sports. This week, we will have The BG News photos of the month, basketball coverage and coverage of the MAC Championship game between Buffalo and Ball State.www.bgnewssports.com

Today inSports History1991—Bobby Bonilla signs a then record 5-year, $29 million contract with the New York Mets.1981—Fernando Valenzuela wins the NL Rookie of the Year award.1954—Milwaukee’s Frank Selvy makes a then record 24 of 26 free throws in one game.1951—Philadelphia sets a record of 25 rushing first downs in one game.

The ListBG’s season came to a close on Friday night with a win against Toledo. Today, we are listing the top five moments from the season:1. Pittsburgh: In the first game of the season, the Falcons upset then No. 25 Pittsburgh 27-17 and were nominated for an ESPN Game Changing Moment.2. Toledo: The Falcons retained the Peace Pipe and bragging rights in the Battle of I-75 with a 38-10 victory over the Rockets.3. Minnesota crowd: Doyt Perry Stadium was loud and rocking when Minnesota came to town for the first home game of this season. But, BG lost 42-17.4. Akron comeback: The Falcons found them-selves in a deep hole after three quarters of the Akron game, trailing 27-14. However, BG scored 23 points in the fourth quarter to win 37-33.5. Kent State: BG’s lone home win of the season came over Kent State. The Falcons shut out the Flashes in the first half before winning 45-30.

SIDELINES

OUR CALL

Men’s hoops stunned by Savannah State

CHRISTINA MCGINNIS | THE BG NEWS

LONELIEST NUMBER: Forward Nate Miller was the only Falcon to score in double figures.

By Chris VoloschukSports Editor

Chalk it up to another missed opportunity on the road.

Last night, the BG men’s basketball team put together a stellar first half, carrying a 35-14 lead into the locker-room against Savannah State. Everything seemed to be on the up and up.

The second half would prove to be a different story, as the host Tigers put on a second half scoring spree, pouring in 43 points to steal a game at Tiger Arena, 57-54.

The game was really a tale of two halves. BG held SSU to 5-24

shooting in the first half, only to be burned by 53.6 percent shooting in the second.

Conversely, BG found the basket early and often in the first half with 35 points, but was held to a miniscule 19 in the second on 6-22 shooting. The Falcons also stumbled at the free throw line, only converting 11 of 20.

The SSU comeback was paced by guard Jovonni Shuler, who scored 13 of his team high 15 points in the second half. In one particular stretch, he con-nected on consecutive three-pointers, then added two layups to pull his team to within three points at the 3:05 mark. A short

time later, forward Chris Linton dwindled BG’s lead to one point with a bucket. Then, fellow for-ward Rod Mitchell capped the comeback off with a slam dunk to put the Tigers ahead, 53-52, with just over one minute left in regulation.

After losing the lead late, the Falcons were never able to recover. An opportunity to pick up their fourth win of the sea-son was dashed.

The Falcons’ scoring was led by forward Nate Miller, who con-tributed 12 points. Sophomore forward Chris Knight pulled in 10 rebounds.

With the loss, BG drops to 3-3 for the season.

Off-field issues justify

change

Just prior to the start of the 2007 season, kickoff at the Metrodome was dubbed ‘a new era of Falcon football.’ With new road uniforms and a new Sebo Center, it made sense at the time.

And in a very fitting start, the Falcons beat Minnesota in over-time. Seven more wins, a share of the Mid-American Conference East and a spot in the GMAC Bowl would follow.

This year, the ‘new era’ gained a bit of speed, with new home uniforms, a new MAC logo at the 20-yard line and new opti-mism that BG would take con-trol of the East. While they did end the season with a blowout of Toledo, a 6-6 overall record, three inexcusable home losses and a host of off-field issues sunk Gregg Brandon and the rest of the coaching staff.

In the words of Porky Pig, “that’s all, folks!”

For those of you keeping score at home, the firing of Brandon on Saturday morning means that BG football will now be entering its second ‘new era’ in as many years. But this time, things are more complicated than simply picking out a jersey or logo design.

When University athletic director Greg Christopher made the decision to move on from Brandon and his staff, it was a concession that the myriad off-field problems were hurting the team on the field.

Heck, Christopher even said as much during his press conference Saturday evening.

But, what Saturday’s events prove more than anything else is that the next era of football at BG will be a makeover from the inside out, instead of the other way around, the way it was last year.

Given the trouble encoun-tered in the classroom and in the police blotter, the move to change coaches makes sense.

Since the summer, 11 players have had varying legal issues. A number of them were removed from the program. In the same general time frame, several players have left BG due to poor grades.

Eleven is a staggering number, too staggering for any athletic director to overlook.

Then, there’s the issue that sur-faced about the team losing nine total scholarships because of bad Academic Progress Ratings. These are very, very important to the University and the athletic department in terms of brag-ging rights, not just scholarships. It also hurts the coaches’ ability to recruit.

All around, it’s a lose-lose-lose situation.

Firing Brandon still wasn’t an easy decision though, even with the off-field stuff. He’s won 44 games, 31 MAC games, a MAC West title, two MAC East co-titles and two bowls. The 44 wins are the best of any coach in the con-ference over the last six years.

In other words, Brady Hoke, Butch Jones, Turner Gill, etc., don’t have anything on Brandon when it comes to their over-all body of work. Therefore, Christopher couldn’t fire Brandon completely over wins and losses.

While the late collapses against Eastern Michigan, Miami and Buffalo didn’t help Brandon’s cause this season, the behind-the-scenes troubles sealed his fate well before the weekend, way before he said anything about the fans after the Buffalo game, even before his team beat Kent State and Ohio back-to-back.

Whoever becomes the 17th coach of Falcon football will have to clean up the inner work-ings of the program to avoid a similar quick downfall.

The next ‘new era’ needs to last longer than this one did.

CHRIS VOLOSCHUK

SPORTS EDITOR

Big game pitchers

Falcon defense paced stretch run with first half shutouts

SACKED:SACKED: BG senior linebacker John BG senior linebacker John Haneline takes down Toledo quarterback Haneline takes down Toledo quarterback Aaron Opelt during last week’s game.Aaron Opelt during last week’s game.

ENOCH WUENOCH WU | THE BG NEWS| THE BG NEWS

By Andrew HarnerAssistant Sports Editor

In baseball, a pitcher tossing a shutout is relatively uncommon.

Football teams often will shut-out opponents for a half at least once in a season. However, it’s not too often you hear of a team that shuts out four straight oppo-nents in the first half.

In the final four games of the season, the BG football defense did just that.

During those games, the team allowed 77 second half points, but no first half points. In the final five games, the first half points allowed total rises to three.

“They really finished out the last half of the season strong for us,” then coach Gregg Brandon said.

But BG wasn’t just shutting out their opponents to open games, they were shutting down

opposing offenses.Over those eight quarters, the

BG defense allowed 398 total offensive yards (49.75 yards per quarter) including fewer than 50

yards allowed in five quarters.In the second quarter against

Kent State, BG allowed the Flashes to gain 23 offensive yards, Buffalo could only manage 64

total offensive yards in the first half (47 in the first and 17 in the second) and Toledo didn’t even manage a positive yard as they went into the half with -1 yards of total offense.

By comparison, the Falcons allowed a total of 1,541 first half yards (192 per game and 96 per quarter) in the first eight games of the season and only had one first half quarter of 50 yards allowed or less.

Additionally, the Falcons had five of their 15 interceptions in those eight quarters. They also recovered one fumble.

With so many veterans, Brandon knew it was only a mat-ter of time before his defense would put up stats like that.

“We have a veteran group of guys, seven seniors on that

Hockey earns weekend tie, loss to Minnesota State

CHRISTINA MCGINNIS | THE BG NEWS

CONSOLATION: Despite a weekend in which they didn’t win either of their two games against Minnesota State, the Falcons were still able to pick up a point in the standings.

By Sean ShapiroReporter

BG was able to pick up one point on the weekend as they pulled out a tie and a loss against the #9 Minnesota State Mavericks this weekend.

Friday BG was able battle back from a two-goal deficit for a 2-2 tie thanks to junior Kai Kantola who picked up his fifth and sixth goals of the season.

After BG spotted the Mavericks an early 2-0 lead, Kantola pulled BG within one as he deflected a shot by freshman Nick Bailen past Maverick goalie Mike Zacharias.

Kantola tied the contest at the 19:37 mark of the second when a muffed shot by sophomore Jacob Cepis fooled Zacharias and the junior from Raleigh, NC was there to put the rebound home.

For the Falcons the tie snapped

a two game losing streak and for the first time this season the line of Dan Sexton, David Solway and Brandon Svendsen was not the top offensive unit.

“It was an important bounce-back

See HOCKEY | Page 9

See SHUTOUTS | Page 9

ENOCH WU | THE BG NEWSTHE RESULTS: A first half shutout posted by the defense allowed the Falcons to beat rival Toledo and hold onto the Peace Pipe trophy.

CCHA STANDINGSMiami: 8-2-2NotreDame: 6-2-2Alaska: 6-3-1Ferris State: 6-4-2Ohio State: 6-5-1Nebraska-Omaha: 5-4-1Lake Superior: 3-4-3Michigan: 5-5-0BG: 4-5-1Michigan State: 2-6-2Western Michigan: 1-5-4Northern Michigan: 2-9-1

SPORTSWWW.BGNEWS.COM Tuesday, December 2, 2008 9

Tuesday December 2 Olscamp Room 101A 9:00 am - 12:00 pm

Wednesday December 3 Education Building Room 115 10:00 am - 2:00 pm

Monday December 8 Union Room 208 10:00 am - 2:00 pm

Please have your University ID ready.

Have you received your

flushot?flu shot?

$23 payable by cash, check or BG1 Card. In order to bill insurance you MUST bring a photocopy of the FRONT and BACK of your current insurance card.

W E L L N E S S C O N N E C T I O N

Flu Shots are still being offered by the Student Health Service

to BGSU students, faculty/staff, spouses, alumni and retirees. In addition to being

offered at the Student Health Service they will be given at the following locations

throughout campus:

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defense,” Brandon said following the UT game. “Those kids have really stepped up.”

While the defense had its prob-lems stopping the run and at times the pass throughout the season, overall it played well, especially in the first half of games.

Senior Diyral Briggs said the defensive players felt a feeling of togetherness as the season rolled along, helping them to achieve the late season success they found.

“We’re playing together and believing. I think that’s the key

on defense,” Briggs said after the UT game. “These last couple of games we were able to come together.”

The last couple games were the two best first half defensive stands BG had made, allowing just 63 yards over the course of four quarters (15.75 yards

allowed per quarter).Next season, the defense will

see seven new starters taking the places of graduating seniors, which will make it more dif-ficult for the defense to come together, but those new starters watched quite a show at the end of this season.

SHUTOUTS From Page 8

“We’re playing together and believing. I think that’s the key on defense. These

last couple of games we were able to come together.”

Diyral Briggs | Defensive end

game for us,” said Bowling Green head coach Scott Paluch. “I liked the way we played for all three periods. I thought we were pret-ty quick tonight against a very good team. I thought we got a 65-minute complete game from a lot of guys.”

After the 2-2 tie Minnesota State was able to pull out a 5-2 victory Saturday.

Falcon junior captain Kyle Page put Bowling Green on the board first as he picked up his first colle-giate goal on a fluke chip shot from the blue line. The high lobbing shot took an awkward bounce in front of Zacharias and knuckled off the senior’s glove and into the net.

“It was nice look by Josh Boyd finding me off the wall,” Page said of the goal, “I kind of just side stepped the guy, tried to throw it on net and it just went in.”

Minnesota State tied the game at one early in the second as junior Jason Wiley picked up the rebound on a shot by senior captain Mick Berge and easily backhanded the

puck past Falcon goalie Jimmy Spratt on the glove side.

“It was extremely important, I thought we played an extremely well first period, but they had that freaky goal,” Minnesota State coach Troy Jutting said of the quick start to the second, “We needed to answer that and get ourselves

going and we did.”The Mavericks picked up their

first lead of the night less than five minutes later as sophomore defen-seman Kurt Davis took a pass from junior James Gaulrapp and beat Spratt stick side with a quick back-hand shot from just above the face-off circle.

Jerad Stewart pushed the Mavericks lead to two at the 10:42 mark of the third when he blocked a shot and set up teammate Geoff Irwin with a breakaway, after a diving save by Spratt on Irwin, Stewart picked up the rebound and flipped the puck over the junior goaltender.

Bowling Green responded 1:15 later as Kantola picked up his third goal of the weekend slamming home a rebound after the initial save by Zacharias.

Less than 30 seconds after the Kantola goal the Mavericks picked up another goal as junior Trevor Bruess threw the puck non-cha-lantly at the net and the puck somehow snuck between Spratt’s left skate and the post.

An empty-netter with 21 seconds remaining pushed the final deficit to 5-2 in favor of the Mavericks.

HOCKEY From Page 8

CHRISTINA MCGINNIS | THE BG NEWS

THE POSITIVE: Friday’s 2-2 tie halted a two-game losing streak for BG.

ODD NEWS10 Tuesday, December 2, 2008 WWW.BGNEWS.COM

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ROCKLAND, Mass. (AP) — Lifelong Red Sox fans can now take their love of the team to the next level — eternity.

A Massachusetts funeral home recently took delivery of the first Red Sox casket, which features the team logo on the exterior as well as the

inside.The casket is manufac-

tured by Eternal Image of Michigan, which has a licens-ing agreement with Major League Baseball.

Bob Biggins, co-director of Magoun-Biggins Funeral Home in Rockland, tells The Boston Globe families in mourning

often want their loved ones buried with favorite items. In the past that’s included Red Sox paraphernalia; the casket takes it to the next step.

Biggins says the family that chose the $3,000 Red Sox cas-ket bearing serial number 0001 did not hesitate in picking it for their father.

JOHN TLUMACKI | AP PHOTO

Even from the grave, you can celebrate your Red Sox love

New Obama license plates become target for New York thieves

GREAT NECK, N.Y. (AP) — A Long Island Democratic sup-porter says he’s been driven to hide his OBAMA vanity license plates inside his car because people kept trying to steal them.

Great Neck resident Jonathan Lifschutz says he got the plates bearing the surname of the U.S. president-elect from the New York Department of Motor Vehicles days after the Jan. 26 South Carolina primary.

The 50-year-old financial ana-lyst and former Hillary Clinton donor says would-be thieves

tried prying off the plates and he even caught one man red-handed.

He jokes the Empire State plates one day will be a collec-tor’s item — in someone else’s house.

So he’s taken them off his car and put his old plates back on.

JORDAN RADLOFF | THE BG NEWS

Not tardy! Here’s my

ticket NEW YORK (AP) — People late for school or work because of New York City subway delays can get notes from the transit agency to give to their teachers or bosses.

The New York City Transit divi-sion says it gives passengers the notes so they can prove they’re not lying about being delayed while riding the subway.

Passengers request the delay verification letters over the phone. NYC Transit verifies the date and time of the delay and sends an official note in the mail in one or two weeks. It mails 34,000 notes a year.

Each letter shows the subway line taken and the durations of the trip and the delay.

No stuffing this year

OREGON, Wis. (AP) — A Wisconsin family found it hard to be thankful after a thief made off with their turkey dinner.

Lillian Moore says she sent a cooler stuffed with Thanksgiving food to her daughter Cindy, only to have it stolen from her porch.

Moore packed the cooler with half a turkey, potatoes and salad. She left it on her daughter’s porch Wednesday evening because her daughter’s refrigerator was too small to hold the food.

When Cindy Moore went to get the turkey Thanksgiving morning, the cooler was gone.

Cindy Moore says she had to buy turkey using money she sets aside for bills. The disabled single mother didn’t bother reporting the theft to police.

Lillian Moore says it’s “just awful” to steal from people who don’t have much.

FANBOY TO THE END: The first officially licensed Boston Red Sox Casket is displayed at the Magoun-Biggins Funeral Home Rockland, Mass., Friday, Nov. 14, 2008. The casket is manufactured by Eternal Image of Michigan, which has a licensing agreement with Major League Baseball.

JOHN TLUMACKI | AP PHOTO

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