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ABOUT CAMPUS
ILLUSTRATIONS BY JOHN OQUIST
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
The gunfire was "I was so swollen, I was like,
terrible. It made the 'Oh my gosh, is it going to stay
walls shake. I really like this?'"
didn't think we
were going to get - ASHLEY TISDALE, the 22-year-old actress and
singer, on a nose job she got in November, which
out," is supposed to correct a deviated septum that has
I
' R ' L M
Pryor notice
Ann Arbor woos No.) foot-
ball recruit Terrell Pryor
To the casual fan, a particular
three rows of empty seats blended
in inconspicuously with the rest
of Crisler Arena during Saturday
night's basketballgame, which had
more than 2,000 unsold tickets.
Yet, Michigan Athletic Director
Bill Martin couldn't seem to stop
pacing back and forth in front of
those empty seats. Martin's hands
fidgeted nervously in his pockets,
as he anxiously waited for those
seats to fill, all the while trying
to keep his eyes fixed on the bas-
ketball game between Iowa and
his Wolverines unfolding on the
court.
Occasionally, he would chat
with associate athletic director
Greg Harden or former Michigan
running back Jamie Morris. All
three stood out like sore thumbs,
standing in front of an almost bar-
ren section.
But then again, 18-year-old phe-
noms can make grown men act
strangely.
The worst-kept secret in Ann
Arbor last weekend was the news
that Terrelle Pryor, the No. 1 foot-
ball recruit in the nation according
to most recruiting services, was
making his long-awaited official
visit to Michigan. The University
of Michigan and rival Ohio State
University are thought to be two
of the frontrunners for Pryor's
choice, and people all over campus
spent the weekend trying to con-
vince him that Ann Arbor is where
he belongs.
After word leaked earlier in the
week that Pryor would be attend-
ing Saturday's basketball game,
the Wolverine fan base mobilized
quickly. Michigan blogs called for
students and alumni to gobble up
tickets in order to show how much
they want the Jeanette, Pa. native.
Scores ofextramedia were there
to cover the potential antics of
people in the crowd, rather
than the performances of
the 10 players on the court.
LSA freshman Jason
Robinson said he came
nearly an hour before tipoff
in anticipation of seeing
Pryor.
"I came just to get a
glimpse," Robinson said.
"Maybe talk him into com-
ing here."
The University also pre-
pared for unexpected
spectacles by the audi-
ence. The Department of
Public Safety assigned
officers to patrol Pryor's
section next to the tun-
nel leading to the locker
rooms and truck entrance,
and Athletic Department
officials warned students
and fans before hand that
signs with a specific recruit's
name would be confiscated
because they violated - NCAA
recruitment rules.
Censorship of students' Pryor
enthusiasm extended far beyond
Crisler Arena, though.
LSA senior Chris Breece, as
devoted a Wolverine fan as they
come, saw his plans for an "Offi-
cial Terrelle Pryor Greenwood
Block Party" on Saturday night
go down the drain in a matter
of hours after he received a call
from an NCAA official while in
class lastThursday. The official's
message was simple and direct:
Having a party for a recruit is
against NCAA rules.
Not wanting to harm Michi-
gan's chances of landing the tal-
ented quarterback, Breece called
the NCAA offices in Indianapo-
lis for clarification.
"They told me it was illegal
because it's extra incentive for a
player to come to the school even
though we're not affiliated with
Michigan," Breece said. "They
got me in contact with a person
from Michigan, who talked with
me about it, because if we were to
have a party for him and he came,
he could have been ineligible to
come here."
"I don't want to be a Steve Bart-
man for Michigan," Breece added,
referring to the infamous Chicago
Cubs fan whose decision to grab
a foul ball from the grasps of out-
fielder Moises Alou in game six of
Those three rows of seats were
also eventually filled nine minutes
into the game. Pryor, accompanied
by his advisor, former Detroit Lion
quarterback Charlie Batch, saun-
tered into Crisler in a brown hood-
ed sweatshirt, two diamond studs
in his ears and an ever-present T-
Mobile Sidekick to text with.
He sat with his cousin, freshman
TALKING
POINTS'
Three things you can talk about this week:
1. Gender and race in the 2008 presidential election
2. The pathos of Heath Ledger
3. Best-selling Japanese cellphone novels
And three things you can't:
1. Rudy Giuliani
2. Tax rebates for high-
income families
3. Lindsey Lohan's new job
at a morgue
- ROSALBA PADILLA, a woman
from Tijuana, Mexico, on a battle
that broke out after federal officials
raided the home of gunmen alleg-
edly affiliated with drug traffickers.
Padilla and her 19-year-old daugh-
ter were hiding in a closet in their
house during the fighting
caused her breathing problems
"I got my butt kicked."
- JOHN EDWARDS, in an interview with CNN's
Wolf Blitzer, on his major defeat in Saturday's
Nevada Democratic caucuses, in which he placed
third and received only 4 percent of the vote
YOUTUBE
VIDEO OF.
THE WEEK
A warning to
Scientologists
Probably much to the chagrin of
Tom Cruise, the Church of Scientol-
ogy has been attacked. And if this
video is any indication, it seems like
the assailants meanbusiness.
In this eerie video, an internet
group named Anonymous (clever,
right?) vows to destroy the Church
of Scientology and prevent it from
indoctrinating the masses. Recently,
the group launched a denial of ser-
vice attack on Scientology.org, a1
move that apparently marked only
the beginning of its campaign.
The video starts with a chilling
"Hello," delivered in a robotic mono-
tone. Meanwhile, greenish-gray
clouds swirl across the screen, and
the tips of two nondescript build-
ings are barely visible beneath the
sky. After reciting a list of griev-
ances againstscientology, the voice
continues: "Anonymou_ has there-
fore decided that your organization
should be destroyed for the good of
your followers, for the good of man-
kind and for our own enjoyment."
Ominous drums kick in. The sky
gradually darkens. The robotic voice
drones on.
Beware, Tom.
i
the 2003 NLCS made him public
enemy No. 1 for the Wrigley faith-
ful.
When Breece and his roommate
LSA senior Steve Frey had created
two Facebook events detailing a
plan for a block party on Green-
wood Avenue in honor of Pryor,
they invited more than 6,000
people. By the time the NCAA got
involved, 1,700 had replied they
might be coming.
The Facebook event had too
many confirmed guests to be
scrapped altogether, but after
talking with a Michigan compli-
ance officer, it was agreed that
Breece could get around the rules
by changing the purpose of the
party tobe a celebration of Michi-
gan football.
The redressed party went off as
planned Saturday and despite the
frigid temperatures, many were
undeterred. Breece estimated
between 300 and 400 people came
to his place. Pryor was not one of
them. r
"The street wasn't packed, but a
wide receiver Toney Clemons, but
also chatted with fellow recruit
Mike Martin as well. New coach
Rich Rodriguez and his wife, Rita,
sat with Batch.
The Maize Rage promptly
greeted Pryor with a "We Want
Pryor" chant. Later they acknowl-
edged all seven of the recruits sit-
ting in the stands with a "Come to
Michigan" serenade, during which
Pryor gave a friendly wave.
Whether the crowd's wishes
come true remains to be seen.
After the weekend, Pryor still
wouldn't name a favorite between
Michigan and Ohio State when
asked by rivals.com.
"They were about the same,"
he said. "Big schools in cities with
great fans and nice facilities. I'd
say the visits were both equally
good."
Pryor reiterated his intention to
decide on his school on National
Signing Day, which is Feb. 6. And
if an athletic director like Martin
is willing to wait around for him,
surely the Wolverine faithful can
BY THE NUMBERS
Number of applications Harvard received for next year's
freshman class, a new record
Percent more applications Harvard received this year compared to
last year
Number of high school seniors who will graduate in 2009,
the largest graduating class in U.S. history.
Source: The New York Times
THEME PARTY SUGGESTION
House (hunting) party - The value of the dollar
is down ard the housing market is in shambles. In
order to capitalize on the slump in housing prices,
throw a party to convince your friends to go in on
a real estate investment. A couple thousand in
extra loans won't mean anything when you bank
on that four-bedroom tudor. Seriously, guys!
Throwing this party? Let us know. TheStatement@umich.edu
STUDY OF THE WEEK
Caffeine consumption increases risk of miscarriage
Pregnant women who drink more than 200 milligrams of caffeine a
day are twice as likely to have a miscarriage as women who don't drink
YouTube vic
youtube.com/u
- BRIAN TENGEL caffeine at all, according to a study published Monday in the Journal of
Obstetrics and Gynecology.
See this and other Two hundred milligrams of caffeine equals about two cups of coffee
feos of the week at or five cans of soda. According to the study, it doesn't matter whether the
ser/michigandaily source of caffeine is coffee, tea, soda or hot chocolate.
Researchers examined 1,063 women who were in the early stages
of pregnancy. Out of the 172 women who miscarried, 12.5 percent con-
sumed no caffeine during pregnancy. But the researchers found that
25.5 percent of women who drank more than 200 milligrams of caffeine
a day miscarried.
According to Dr. De-Kun Li, the principal author of the study, caffeine
can be hard for the fetus to metabolize and can decrease blood flow.
- BRIAN TENGEL
lot of the houses on the street were do the same.
filled," he said. -MARK GIANNOTTO