‘Stewie Uncensored’ hits the shelves | 5 An independent newspaper at the University of Oregon www.dailyemerald.com SINCE 1900 | Volume 107, Issue 31 | Thursday, October 6, 2005 Design RamadanRamadan holidaholidayy inin EugEugeneene Members of the Muslim community reflected begins on on the meaning of Ramadan upon its beginning BY BRITTNI MCCLENAHAN experience all year.” ONAMI NEWS REPORTER Ramadan is a time to practice Ramadan is a different holiday self-restraint and patience by not in Eugene than it is in an Islamic smoking, eating, drinking, having country such as Malaysia, where sex or fighting, especially during building graduate student Hasnah Toran is daylight hours. originally from. “It’s a time to recharge your The University’s underground In Malaysia, restaurants close battery and connect with the during the day and there are tra- community,” Toran said. building is underway as SRG ditional food markets during the “During this time, there’s a Partnership begins plans month of Ramadan, Toran said. great feeling of solidarity,” Oskui “Ramadan in Eugene is so dif- said. “We’re all fasting; we all ferent than celebrating in an Is- have the same common goal. We BY EVA SYLWESTER SENIOR NEWS REPORTER lamic country,” said Toran, a Col- empathize with each other and lege of Education doctoral set aside all material thinking.” The Oregon Nanoscience and Microtech- student. “Fasting in Eugene real- Iftar is a meal that breaks the nologies Institute — a collaborative research ly makes me miss my family in daily fast in the evening during effort between select Oregon University Sys- Malaysia. In Malaysia, the night Ramadan and is often shared tem institutions, private companies and gov- is so alive. There’s lights every- with others. Iftar can be difficult ernment labs — is closer to getting its under- where. People put lights on their for students to balance with their ground building on the University campus. homes, some electric — like academic schedules. “Sometimes The underground building will be located Christmas lights — and others are I had to break my fast in class,” between Huestis Hall and Deschutes Hall. traditional lights made out Toran said. “It made me so sad The Campus Planning Committee reviewed of bamboo.” when I had to break my fast with the location this summer. Ramadan, a month-long Mus- a cereal bar or a snack in class. I The building will be underground to keep lim holiday that began Wednes- would think, ‘I don’t want to the lawn as green space and to minimize the day at sundown, is a time of have Iftar in class.’” impact above-ground noise and vibrations can blessing, charity and reflection During Ramadan, students have on the sensitive research inside, chem- for Muslims around the world. here have to balance their istry professor Jim Hutchison and University It’s a time for cleansing the body spiritual lives and academics. Vice President for Research and Graduate and soul and getting closer to Al- “Over here, you go to a Studies Rich Linton told the Emerald in May. lah, the Arabic word for God, by mosque to do your prayers and Linton wrote in an e-mail that the architec- praying, fasting and giving then rush to class,” Toran said. tural firm SRG Partnership has been hired to to others. Oskui and Toran said that dur- design the new building. “There’s a distinct calmness ing Ramadan they feel blessed to SRG Partnership, which has offices in Port- during Ramadan,” said College of participate in fasting, charity land and Seattle, has taken on many projects NICOLE BARKER | SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER Education master’s graduate stu- and prayer. related to universities and science and technol- Doctoral student Hasnah Toran and University graduate Nargas Oskui discuss the dent Nargas Oskui. “There’s a ogy institutions in the Pacific Northwest. It de- traditions of Ramadan, a monthlong Islamic holiday that began Wednesday. feeling of warmth that you don’t RAMADAN, page 16 signed the University’s Lillis Business Com- plex and renovated McKenzie Hall and the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, according to its Web site. SRG representatives have met with campus administrators and faculty representing the Professor studies toxic algal blooms core planning group to develop designs that will come to the Campus Planning Committee Biology teacher Michelle Wood is researching Pseudonitzschia, BEACHES WITH HIGH TOXIN LEVELS for review and approval, Linton said. toxin-producing algae, to help predict when shellfish will be safe to eat “The current plan is to move through the For the week design and approvals processes over the course of the next academic year, with site of Sept. 19, BY EVA SYLWESTER sive behavior by a flock of sea birds in Santa preparation to begin next summer and the toxic domoic SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Cruz that inspired Alfred Hitchcock’s movie opening of the new facility in about two years acid levels at “The Birds” may have been the result of from now,” Linton said in an e-mail. A University biology professor is working with satellite technology to make Pseudonitzschia-induced brain damage. these beaches “Our concentration at the moment is on un- reached more derstanding the program that will go into the seafood safer. Oregon Department of Agriculture officials building and analysis of the site and budget,” Michelle Wood is part of an effort to devel- monitor the water along the Oregon coast for than 20 ppm, Portland SRG Partnership principal architect Dennis Cu- op detection methods for toxic algal blooms, domoic acid concentration and, based on the exceeding safe sack said in an e-mail. “We don’t have any which are ocean growths that can turn findings, prohibit or allow the harvesting levels. sketches yet and probably won’t for several ordinary seafood poisonous. of shellfish. weeks.” She and Oregon State University assistant Currently, razor clam beaches from New- Newport The new building will be one story, professor of biological oceanography Peter port to Waldport and Reedsport to Coos Bay Charlene Lindsay, a project manager for facili- Strutton are studying growths of are closed because of their high levels of do- ties services at the University, said in Pseudonitzschia, a type of one-celled algae moic acid. Anything exceeding 20 parts per Waldport an e-mail. It will house research that produces a substance called domoic acid. million is considered unsafe. ONAMI, page 4 When birds and mammals eat fish, espe- A Sept. 28 statement on the Oregon Depart- cially shellfish, that have consumed ment of Agriculture Web site said: “These lev- Franklin Blvd. Pseudonitzschia, the side effects range from els are still declining from 200 ppm seen at Florence an upset stomach to permanent short-term the peak of this summer’s toxic algae bloom. memory loss to death because the domoic Razor clams accumulate the toxin in edible Eugene acid from the fish’s tissues crosses into the tissue. It can take several months for the Reedsport ONAMIONAMI SiteSite bird or mammal’s brain and interferes with clams to purge the toxin.” Klamath nerve-signal transmission. “That’s good, but it’s sort of a retroactive Most of the adverse events involving do- way of looking for this,” Strutton said, react- moic acid on the West Coast involve birds and ing to the department’s reports. He explained Deschutes Huestis non-human mammals, Wood said, adding that the goal of his and Wood’s research is SOURCE: Oregon Department of that people swimming in water with to be able to predict harmful algal blooms Agriculture, Food Safety Division Willamette Hall Pseudonitzschia in it or people swallowing with satellites and give health officials CHRIS TODD | GRAPHIC ARTIST mouthfuls of such water are not in advance warnings. immediate danger. The research, funded by the National The satellites provide a “bird’s-eye view of the topography of the ocean,” including vari- “You pretty much have to eat a very con- Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, uses ous streams and rivulets within the water, centrated amount,” Wood said. “It kind of data from satellites maintained by the Nation- E. 13th Avenue Wood said. takes concentration by something else al Aeronautics and Space Administration. The Sensors on the satellites also collect data re- PARKER HOWELL | EDITOR IN CHIEF eating them.” satellites determine the color pigments pres- garding the temperature of the ocean. A new underground building for ONAMI will be built Wood said biologists at the University of ent in the ocean by measuring light wave- between Deschutes and Huestis halls. California at Santa Cruz suspect the aggres- lengths from the surface of the ocean. TOXIC, page 16 CommentaryCommentary Thursday, October 6, 2005 NEWS STAFF (541) 346-5511 I Editorial PARKER HOWELL EDITOR IN CHIEF SHADRA BEESLEY MANAGING EDITOR MEGHANN M. CUNIFF JARED PABEN NEWS EDITORS Sex acts for EVA SYLWESTER SENIOR NEWS REPORTER KELLY BROWN KATY GAGNON CHRISTOPHER HAGAN money are BRITTNI MCCLENAHAN NICHOLAS WILBUR NEWS REPORTERS JOE BAILEY EMILY SMITH PART-TIME NEWS REPORTER never OK SHAWN MILLER SPORTS EDITOR SCOTT J. ADAMS The Oregon Supreme Court last month over- LUKE ANDREWS JEFFREY DRANSFELDT turned a state law that banned live sex perform- SPORTS REPORTERS ances. It simultaneously struck down a Nyssa, AMY LICHTY PULSE EDITOR Ore. city ordinance that required strip club pa- TREVOR DAVIS trons and performers to maintain a distance of KRISTEN GERHARD ANDREW MCCOLLUM four feet from each other. PULSE REPORTERS The Oregon Constitution has a guarantee that AILEE SLATER COMMENTARY EDITOR “No law shall be passed restraining the free GABE BRADLEY expression of opinion, or restricting the right JESSICA DERLETH ARMY FETH to speak, write, or print freely on any RICHARD PRYOR subject whatever.” COLUMNISTS TIM BOBOSKY As members of the press, we value this protec- PHOTO EDITOR tion.