Week in review
Sometimes it’s easy to miss an event, so here’s a look back at the past week or so to help bring you up to date:
State auditor’s trial
The criminal corruption trial of Jeff and Lori McMahan figures to feature some of the same prosecution witnesses who testified in the same Muskogee courthouse last month during a trial for McAlester businessman Francis Stipe.
For sheer entertainment value, however, the two trials couldn’t be more different.
The difference starts with the man overseeing the McMahans’ trial. U.S. District Judge James H. Payne’s demeanor is, in a word, judicial. He listens politely and typically delivers monotone answers to attorneys’ questions. He has, however, shown a tendency to mispronounce the defendants’ last name during two pre-trial hearings.
Payne’s manner is a sharp contrast to that of U.S. District Judge Ronald White, who presided at Stipe’s trial.
Among White’s antics:
– Bringing a cup of tea into a morning session and explaining to jurors why he could have it but they couldn’t.
– Scolding a reporter — outside the jury’s presence — for writing that shouting could be heard coming from the jury deliberation room.
– Describing for jurors in great detail how his dog’s intestinal worms would affect the trial. (White had to pick his dog up from the vet, which gave jurors a longer lunch break one day.) He then displayed a photo of his dog, gave jurors daily updates and turned the photo to face them for the rest of the trial.
Payne is far more predictable. That could make it imperative for the McMahans’ jury, which convenes Monday, to have frequent doses of caffeine.
The weekly news quiz
It’s time to see how much attention you’ve been paying to the news in the past week or so. From The Oklahoman’s news copy editors and designers, here’s a quiz.
1. Due to record fuel prices, American Airlines plans to cut domestic flights, lay off workers and:
a) Charge for all checked baggage.
b) Launch lower-cost magnetic levitation train service to all its destinations in the continental United States.
c) Make extra money by using passenger planes for skywriting.
2. Law enforcement’s campaign to get people to wear their seat belts day and night has what as its slogan?
a) Click It or Ticket.
b) 24/7 or Heaven.
c) Buckle Up and Live.
3. Oklahoma City Crime Stoppers’ officials are trying to attract tips from a younger audience by using:
a) Rewards that include candy and video games.
b) Suggestion boxes in elementary schools so kids can rat on their parents.
c) Anonymous text messaging for crime tips.
4. The Heartland Flyer is looking at service between Oklahoma City and:
a) Kansas City by way of Newton, Kan.
b) Chicago, Ill., by way of St. Louis.
c) Austin, Texas, through Fort Worth.
5. China suspended Olympics torch relay because of:
a) Mourning for those who died in the May 12 earthquake.
b) Anti-China protests in Tibet and elsewhere that have made it too difficult.
c) Hot temperatures in Beijing that put the athletes in the hospital.
6. Which two baby names topped Oklahoma’s list of the most popular for 2007?
a) Emily and Jacob.
b) Emma and Ethan.
c) Tristan and Isolde.
7. The venom of the Malaysan pit viper is being investigated in Milwaukee as:
a) Murder weapon in four deaths.
b) Daffodil fertilizer.
c) Treatment for stroke patients.
8. The Oklahoma Climatological Survey says Oklahoma usually does this May 18:
a) Breaks 100 degrees for the first time.
b) Reaches the end of the spring rains.
c) Sees the perfect day to fly a kite.
9. NASA sent the $420 million Phoenix Mars Lander to search for:
a) Life, in the form of microbes.
b) Ice, and whether it has ever been water.
c) A good, cheap place to get pizza.
10. Sen. Tom Coburn wants to stop the U.S. Department of Agriculture from spending $19 million on:
a) Subsidies for heirloom tomato farmers.
b) Research into uses of water.
c) Travel to places like Las Vegas, Orlando and Hawaii.
11. Japan’s tourist ministry has appointed a new envoy to China and Hong Kong:
a) Yoshiro Mori, former prime minister.
b) Hideki Irabu, former Yankee pitcher.
c) Hello Kitty, marketing icon.
12. A study finds women in Tulsa and Oklahoma City are at a greater risk for heart disease because:
a) Tornado weather patterns each spring can raise cholesterol levels.
b) They smoke too much, are overweight and don’t exercise enough.
c) Iron levels in Oklahoma’s soil negatively affect body chemistry.
13. A time capsule from 1958 recently was unearthed at Western State Hospital in Fort Supply. Which of the following was not found inside?
a) A dining hall menu.
b) A patient’s outfit.
c) A Plymouth sedan.
14. The Treasury Department is reviewing an appeals court ruling that paper money is discriminatory against:
a) People who are allergic to paper dust.
b) People without pockets.
c) Blind people who cannot tell the difference between denominations.
15. An earthquake survivor in China used what to keep track of time while he was trapped in the rubble of his office building?
a) His cell phone’s alarm, which rang once a day at 8 a.m.
b) His glow-in-the-dark watch, which he forgot to wind on the third day.
c) Marks scratched on the underside of his desk.
16. As biofuels become more attractive, restaurants are dealing with a growing number of more thefts of:
a) Take-out containers that can be composted.
b) Old grease.
c) Money from the register as minimum-wage workers try to fill their tanks.
17. Oklahoma City’s oldest law firm is recruiting the best student interns by:
a) Paying them competitive salaries.
b) Highlighting the contacts made by working at a prestigious firm.
c) Dressing up in funny outfits and pretending to be gladiators.
18. Having given Oklahoma State athletics $165 million in 2005, Boone Pickens now will give the school:
a) His papers, including his personal diary detailing how he became successful.
b) His personal book collection, to be added to the OSU library’s holdings.
c) Another big check, this time for endowed professors.
19. By July 1, gasoline retailers will be required to post this on their pumps:
a) The penalty for drive-off fuel theft.
b) Blended fuel’s ethanol content.
c) How much of the price goes to fuel taxes
20. To avoid controversy, the Edmond Visual Arts Commission has agreed to:
a) Ban religious billboards.
b) Sell the city’s stake in a Moses statue.
c) Lift its smoking ban.
How did you do on the quiz? Here are the correct answers:
1-A; 2-A; 3-C; 4-A; 5-A; 6-B; 7-C; 8-A; 9-B; 10-C; 11-C; 12-B; 13-C; 14-C; 15-A; 16-B; 17-C; 18-C; 19-B; 20-B.
Week in review
Sometimes it’s easy to miss an event, so here’s a look back at the past week or so to help bring you up to date:
Area donations to China hit 10,000 USD
Last week I blogged about Xifan Liu, a Chinese instructor of physics at the Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics, and his donation vehicle of choice to help victims of the earthquake in his home country.
That organization, the Society of Chinese Students and Scholars at the University of Oklahoma, has now raised more than $10,000, according to advisor Sharon Gou. They had raised about $6,500 when I first got in touch with them last week.
Gou said undergraduate student Weihao Zhang, who will graduate in 2009, was instrumental in organizing the relief effort. One of Zhang’s high school classmates died in the earthquake in Sichuan.
The group is still taking donations to help the victims. More information is available by visiting www.ou.edu and clicking “Campus Notices” in the lower right corner.
Wendy K. Kleinman
Education Reporter
American Idol Podcast – Wednesday!
Shameless Plug!
Listen to the American Idol podcast Wednesday afternoon on NewsOK.
I’ll be joined by sports editor Mike Sherman and music guru George Lang.
American Idol: Song 3: Singer’s choice
David Archuleta – “Imagine” (John Lennon)
- Coming soon to iTunes.
- The kid is young, dorky and a spaz BUT he knows how to sing and he knows how to play the crowd.
- Coaching from extreme stage dad? Probably. Remember, Little Dave almost won Star Search as an even littler kid.
- Soak it in, buddy.
- Now opening for the Jonas Brothers …
- To keep with the lame theme, it’s a knockout.
Judge’s comments
- Randy: “You are exactly what this show is about.”
- Paula: “You’ve left me speechless.” … And America thanks you, David Archuleta.
- Simon: “Tonight, I think we’ve witnessed one of the great finals. In my opinion, David, you came out here tonight to win. And what we witnessed, was a knockout.”
Once again, the man is a genius.
Better vote, people. Democracy demands it.
Good night!
American Idol: Song 3: Singer’s choice
David Cook “The World I Know” – Collective Soul
- Here you go, dude, you’ve got to make it count.
- If not, you can just go out and have a better career and not work at Disney Land.
- Man, that was good, but it was a little too subtle. Little Dave gets to go last and he’s singing “Imagine.” He’ll need to forget the words to mess this up.
- Not big enough.
- David Cook is Daughtry, let’s all just get used to it.
Judge’s comments
- Paula: “You’re standing in your truth.” OK.
- Simon: “It was completely and utterly the wrong song choice for you.”
Oh, well.
American Idol: Song 2
“In This Moment” – Archuleta
- Things aren’t looking good for the Cookster.
- That’s the kind of song you need to sing to win this thing. BIG BIG BIG.
Judge’s comment (The one that matters.)
- Simon: “I love the egotistical lyric. You definitely chose the better son.”
I think it’s over, friends.
American Idol: Song 2
David Cook. “Dream Big”
- Song is, eh, not much.
- Adding the instrument has made the difference for Cook all season.
- Not big enough for the winner.
Judge’s comment
- Randy: “You were singing your face off.” Quote of the night.
- Paula: “A guitar in your hand, a song in your heart … oooh, a unicorn!” OK, made that up.
- Simon: “It was a bit of a lightweight. It didn’t feel like a winning moment.”
Simon agrees with me! Score!
