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(11/01/06 2:19am)
While the Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations" filled the IU Auditorium Saturday evening, a different set of vibrations will be heard Thursday as the Drummers of Burundi take the stage.\nProclaimed as "one of the greatest percussion ensembles in the world," the Drummers of Burundi will begin their performance at 7:30 p.m.\nDrumming is a prominent part of the lives of the African people, with performances celebrating everything from births to the coming of a new king, according to the IU Auditorium Web site. Drums are considered sacred, representing fertility and regeneration. The powerful and energetic beats on the drum bring to life this African heritage and culture to everyone who witnesses it.\nThe Drummers, who will be accompanied by Burundi dancers, showcase their heritage through their musical expression by intertwining powerful beats with the seasons of life the African people experience, according to the IU Auditorium Web site.\nThe homemade drums the performers play are made from hallowed tree trunks and dried animal skins, according to the IU Auditorium Web site. \nConsidered a family event by IU Auditorium coordinators, ticket prices range between $13 and $23 for children and IUB students, with adult ticket prices ranging from $25 to $33. Tickets can be purchased at the IU Auditorium Box Office or through Ticketmaster.com.
(11/01/06 2:15am)
NASA will send a space shuttle to repair the Hubble Space Telescope, agency Administrator Michael Griffin announced Tuesday, reversing his predecessor's decision to nix the mission. Griffin's announcement was greeted eagerly by astronomers who feared the 16-year-old telescope would deteriorate before the end of the decade without new sensors and replacements for its aging batteries.
(11/01/06 2:13am)
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Tuesday ordered the lifting of joint U.S.-Iraqi military checkpoints around the Shiite militant stronghold of Sadr City and other parts of Baghdad -- another apparent move to assert his authority with the Americans and appeal to his Shiite support base.\nU.S. forces disappeared from the checkpoints within hours of the order, setting off celebrations among civilians and armed men on the edge of the sprawling slum controlled by the Mahdi Army militia run by radical anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.\nIraqi troops loaded coils of barbed wire and red traffic cones onto pickup trucks, while small groups of men and children danced in circles chanting slogans praising al-Sadr, who earlier Tuesday had ordered the area closed to the Iraqi government until U.S. troops lifted what he called their "siege" of the neighborhood.\nAl-Maliki's order threatened to further upset relations between the U.S. and the Iraqi government, which became strained last week after he issued a string of bitter complaints, at one point saying he was not "America's man in Iraq."\nThe White House insisted there was no rift.\n"To deal with checkpoints does not necessarily change the situation in terms of how you deal with Sadr City," White House press secretary Tony Snow said. "What he did not say is, 'Let's not continue going after terrorist organizations.'"\nPentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said there appears to be some disagreement about the checkpoints, but "I just can't provide any clarity."\n"Iraq is a sovereign country, and U.S. military operations are in support of the Iraqi government and in support of Iraqi forces," he added.\nThe tightened security had been credited by some for producing a temporary decline in violence, possibly because it curbed the activities of Shiite death squads blamed for waves of sectarian killings of Sunnis.\nBut a car bomb exploded in the neighborhood Tuesday, killing three people and wounding five, police said. On Monday, a bombing there killed at least 33 people.\nElsewhere in Baghdad, a suicide car bomber struck a wedding party of Shiite celebrants, killing 11 people and wounding 21. Weddings and funerals in Iraq are relatively easy targets for suicide bombers hoping to spark sectarian reprisals and push the country into a full-blown civil war.\nThe extra checkpoints were set up last week around Sadr City as U.S. troops searched for a missing American soldier and raided homes looking for death squad leaders in the sprawling slum that is home to an overwhelmingly Shiite population of 2.5 million people.\nOther checkpoints manned by U.S. troops were erected in the downtown Karradah neighborhood where the soldier was abducted.
(11/01/06 2:11am)
BEIJING -- The U.S. and Chinese governments announced Tuesday that North Korea agreed to rejoin six-nation nuclear disarmament talks, a surprise diplomatic breakthrough that comes only three weeks after the communist regime conducted its first known atomic test.\nThe agreement was struck in a day of unpublicized discussions between the senior envoys from the United States, China and North Korea at a government guesthouse in Beijing. The U.S. negotiator, Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, said the six-nation negotiations could resume as early as November or December.\n"We took a step today toward getting this process back on track. This process has suffered a lot in recent weeks by the actions the DPRK has made," Hill told reporters afterward. DPRK stands for Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the North's official name.\nThe agreement is one of the first signs of easing tensions since North Korea conducted the underground detonation on Oct. 9, defying warnings from both the United States and Japan and its staunchest ally, China.\nIt also marks a diplomatic victory for China and the United States, which worked closely together in the wake of the test, but especially for Beijing. Though stung by Pyongyang's test, China had counseled against punishing North Korea too harshly, weakening a U.N. resolution sanctioning Pyongyang, and suggested leaving a path for diplomacy.\nIn a possible sign of Beijing's growing impatience with Pyongyang, Chinese exports of diesel and heating oil to North Korea dropped substantially in September from a year ago, though export of gasoline, liquefied petroleum gas, kerosene and jet fuel rose, according to Chinese customs data. China provides most of the North's oil.\nPresident Bush hailed the agreement and credited China with helping to bring it about. \n"I am pleased, and I want to thank the Chinese," the president told reporters in the Oval Office.\nBut he said the agreement would not halt the U.S. efforts to enforce the U.N. Security Council resolution that imposed sanctions on trade in military materials and luxury goods in response to the North's atomic test.\nState Department spokesman Tom Casey said the U.S. would enter the new round of talks insisting they start with a September 2005 agreement forged between the six nations, in which Pyongyang pledged to scrap its nuclear programs in return for aid and security assurances.\nTalks between the U.S. and North Korea over its nuclear programs have had a tortuous history, beginning in a 1990s round that led to a freeze which the Bush administration claims Pyongyang violated.\nStarting first as a three-way parlay with Beijing, the current round of negotiations then added Japan, Russia and South Korea, before holding three on-again, off-again sessions. The negotiations stalled after the United States imposed financial sanctions over alleged counterfeiting and money laundering activities by Pyongyang and North Korea withdrew in November 2005.\nBoth the U.S. and North Korea showed flexibility at Tuesday's meeting, Hill said, with Washington agreeing to discuss the financial sanctions. The U.S. previously had said the issue was unrelated to talks on Pyongyang's nuclear program.\nPyongyang did not make the lifting of the financial sanctions a condition for resuming the talks, Hill said.\nAt the talks, Pyongyang's negotiator, Kim Gye Gwan, "made the point" that North Korea considered itself a nuclear power, Hill said. "I made it very clear that the United States does not accept the DPRK as a nuclear power and neither does China"
(10/31/06 5:59pm)
My weekend plans were brilliant.\nThe weekend after the first week of classes I planned on going hard, relentless and without abandon. Coach Hep would say I was living with "dispatch." I was going to squeeze in as many IU athletic events into two and a half days that time and space would allow. And I did.\nOne cross country meet, a volleyball match, a football game and three soccer games (two men's, one women's) later, I took the time to reflect on a 60-hour stretch where, if I wasn't watching sports in person, I was watching them on TV, arguing about them with friends or playing them for my own athletic glory - however inconsequential to the rest of the world that might be. You can only speculate on the final scores recorded in my dreams this weekend.\nI only doubted my plan once -- and only for a few seconds at that. "Why are you doing this?" a buddy of mine asked. The answer was quite complicated. I paused, took a breath and explained:\n"I am doing this for my own sheer enjoyment," I said. "This pilgrimage is a homage to the first person who came across a sphere and saw possibility, to the first person who ran a distance and felt self-gratification amidst the pain. I'm doing this because I see beauty in a body in motion -- running, leaping, heaving -- against the forces that oppose him, real and imagined.\n"I'm doing this so I can finally say I've been to a collegiate cross country meet -- even if it was only a 5K community race -- to hear the crack of the gun at the start line and follow the cluster of runners with my own eyes until the last one disappears over the hill. I'm doing this to learn of a cross country runner's hidden enemies (gopher holes) and simple weapons (shoes, socks, rope and Gatorade), to listen to the heavy breathing of the lead runners rounding the bend and to watch as a Santa Claus-like man in red Under Armor makes that same bend 10 minutes later. I'm doing this to imagine how many nibbles of cookie and sips of milk that man sheds with each stride.\n"I'm doing this to take in the smell of the new hardwood floor at the University Gym," I said, "To attempt to decipher the high-pitched chatter of the Hoosier volleyball team before each serve. I'm doing this to feel sympathy for the opposition every time junior middle blocker Annie Moddrell winds up and slams a spike over the net, to see if there are crater marks left in the aftermath. I'm doing this to learn that a volleyball that ricochets into the rafters is still in play and that a fake spike can be just as dangerous as the real thing.\n"This quest is about defending the Rock on a Saturday night," I said. "It's about standing out, like the lone male in the Western Michigan University flag crew at Saturday's game. And it's about blending in, about losing yourself in a crowd of like-minded Hoosier fanatics. This quest is about songs and cheers that everyone knows (Go! Big! Red!) and no one knows ("Hail to Old IU"). It's about highs and lows, recovering a Bronco fumble, then throwing an interception on the very next play. This quest is about rushing to a women's soccer game at halftime and witnessing the third Hoosier goal before rushing back to Memorial Stadium just to say, 'I watched futbol between halves of football.' It's about anticipating the outcome of the Bucceto's pizza race and becoming the most popular guy in section 24 for exactly 5.6 seconds. It's about greasy fingers and no napkins.\n"I'm doing this to keep a tally on the number of times I hear the 'Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole!' song from the self-proclaimed 'Super Fans' of Bill Armstrong Stadium (four times, to be exact), to watch Hoosier freshman forward Darren Yeagle hug strangers in the crowd after scoring a goal. I'm doing this to witness goals scored in the same minute twice in one game on a dazzling Sunday afternoon, to hear the roar of the crowd after a game-tying goal with 11 ticks on the clock left. I'm doing this because the men's soccer team keeps saying, 'It's one of those days' after a wild ride of a contest. I never want to miss 'one of those days.'\n"I'm doing this to stand alone on a putting green with a good friend and hear him say, 'I love it when I'm the only one out here. It gives me some kind of inner peace' as the sun dips closer to the horizon and understand him completely. That is why I'm doing this."\n"I see," my friend said. "So what are you doing next weekend"
(10/31/06 4:41pm)
Ask Kelvin Sampson how IU's first few weeks of practice have gone, and he'll talk at length about his team still adjusting to him and his coaching style. The first-year coach will expound upon how even though point guard Earl Calloway is a senior, he's really just a freshman in Sampson's new system. But mention the words "recruiting," "Bruce Weber," "Illinois" or (gulp) "Eric Gordon," and Sampson's demeanor changes. His answers are short and cold. He'll ask you to ask the question again, though he likely understood you and your intentions the first time. Then he'll say he can't comment about it.\nWhich, in essence, is true. \nBylaw 13.10.2 of the NCAA Division I Manual -- aptly titled "Comments Before Signing" -- says a school can't comment publicly about a recruit's skills or what he could add to the team before the recruit signs a national letter of intent. An institution can only confirm "its recruitment of the prospect" and may not comment in any manner "as to the likelihood of the prospect's signing with that institution." \nSo Sampson can't spew his thoughts about Gordon's explosive game or how he'll fit in next year until Gordon signs with IU during the fall window of Nov. 8-15, which the North Central High School star is expected to do.\nHowever, Sampson can talk about whether or not he's chatted with Illinois coach Bruce Weber recently, what he thinks about the perceived fervor the situation has created or his reactions to what some other coaches in the Big Ten and fans see as unethical. He can speak in generalities about his recruiting philosophies. He can chat about his ideology on verbal commitments. \nHe's chosen not to. He's deflected those types of questions, throwing them in the "I can't talk about that stuff" pile. Which, again, is his prerogative. If he doesn't want to talk about Illinois, he certainly doesn't have to -- even though it appears he certainly can.\nPerhaps if Gordon signs with IU during the November signing period, Sampson will finally open up and explain his rationale. He'll tell us it was a unique situation and he didn't think he was in the wrong. This is a man, after all, who said during his introductory press conference March 29 that the first thing he was going to try to do was get the best players in Indiana to come to IU.\nHe's certainly followed through on that promise with Gordon. \nThe longer Sampson holds out, the more Weber, who has been rather open and forthcoming about the situation, looks like the good guy.\nAt this point, Weber has nothing to lose by speaking so candidly about the situation, and Sampson has nothing to gain. Gordon is no longer Weber's recruit. He's Kelvin Sampson's. \nWhen asked whether Sampson had given him a phone call when the Gordons first entertained the idea of committing to IU, Weber indicated that he never received one -- a supposed ethical no-no among coaches. Purdue coach Matt Painter and revered Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said a coach-to-coach call is standard operating procedure.\n"Obviously some of the controversy would have not happened (if Sampson had called)," Weber said. "That would have been a better situation."\nThe Big Ten's sharks seem to be circling around coach Sampson. Maybe it's time to open the lines of communication.
(10/31/06 6:21am)
The biggest myth about business is that it is very serious stuff that isn't much fun. Conventional wisdom states that after college it is time to grow up and act like an adult. That means doing hard busy work during the day and "putting in your time" to the organization. In return, you can slowly climb up the corporate ladder. \nWhat a load of crap!\nThe truth is the best business people have the most fun. In fact, the fun they have is the driving force behind the success of their business. The more fun the activity, the more time and resources they are willing to put behind it. The more fun the activity is, the more passion that drives it.\nIf you look at the most successful businesspeople you will see that they have never really "grown up." Bill Gates is still playing around with technology. Mark Cuban is arguing with referees and trading real-world basketball cards. Donald Trump is building houses and hotels and having people land on them. Billionaires continue developing their business because they enjoy doing it.\nFor my birthday, my sister gave me a book called "Everything I Know About Business I Learned From Monopoly." This book argues, quite successfully, that the same skills people use to win at the game, Monopoly, are being used by businesspeople to achieve success in the business world. Regardless of whether you are in real estate or not, understanding how to create win-win deals, taking calculated risks and investing in the future are some of the best business skills you can acquire. I always found it amusing that people still consider Monopoly to be largely a game of luck. This is very analogous to how people consider building business to be largely dependent on luck. \nBefore I start any kind of venture, the first question I now ask myself is: Will it be fun? Over the years, I have learned that if something is not going to be fun, it will probably not be successful. Even if you do have some success, the problem is that it's not fun. I have found that business, as life, is as much about the journey as it is the destination.\nIt's important to understand that just because something is fun doesn't mean it is easy. In fact, few things that are easy are fun. Personally, it is the challenge of business that really makes it fun and rewarding. Yes, even if something is largely fun, there might be certain aspects that are a pain to deal with. However, if you believe in what you are doing, it is worthwhile to deal with these problems. \nIn our great capitalistic country, there are literally millions of ways to make money. I am not going to give you some idealistic crap and tell you to chase your dream and sacrifice financial reward. Indeed, I will tell you the opposite. Find your passion, have a good time and bring home the dough.
(10/31/06 6:21am)
A Case Study from the Greek Early Bronze Age
(10/31/06 6:19am)
The emotional trauma resulting from rape or sexual assault can be devastating and have long-lasting consequences. Reactions can include shock, guilt, fear, confusion, anger, depression and anxiety. As a result, academic performance is often compromised when these emotions interfere with studying and class attendance. While self-blame and feelings of guilt often discourage individuals from seeking help, it is important to deal with these issues as soon as possible to minimize the negative consequences.\nFriends and family can be good sources of support. If someone you know has been sexually assaulted, there are some things you can do to assist them. \nIt is important not to blame the individual for the assault. \nQuestioning his or her behavior or choices leading up to the assault is an example of blaming the victim. Offer support and help only to the extent that it is agreeable to the individual and comfortable for you. Individuals who have been assaulted often feel that everything is out of their control. Allowing them to understand their choices and make their own decisions can help them regain a sense of control. \nBeing available, listening in a nonjudgmental manner and providing information about available resources are all excellent ways for you to help. \nProfessional counseling offers many benefits. It provides an opportunity to talk about the incident in a safe and supportive environment. It helps the individual identify problematic issues and focus on resolving the issues. \nThe IU Sexual Assault Crisis Service was established in 1988. SACS, located in the IU Health Center, is staffed by two licensed and specifically trained counselors who provide crisis intervention, referrals and counseling to individuals who have been raped or otherwise sexually assaulted. All information is confidential. \nThe crisis line, 855-8900, provides the opportunity to speak to a counselor by telephone 24 hours a day and is available not only to the individual who has been assaulted but also to others seeking information to assist that individual. Referrals can be made for medical and legal assistance. \nSACS also provides educational programming for campus groups and departments to raise awareness about sexual assault. Remember: Being aware of one's surroundings, being with trusted friends, using caution with drugs and alcohol and avoiding isolation can all help lessen the likelihood of sexual assault. \nMore information about safety and the services offered is available on the SACS Web site www.indiana.edu/~health/caps/sacsmain.shtml.
(10/31/06 6:19am)
As election day approaches, it's easy to lose patience with the constant barrage of scandals and cheap shots. Every. Single. Day. \nKind of turns you off politics, doesn't it?\nWell, don't discount governing positions just yet because IU is now soliciting applications for its next student trustee. When current student trustee Casey Cox's term ends this spring, some lucky student will get the unique opportunity to step into his shoes and do, well, whatever it is that trustees do.\nKidding! Actually he board of trustees acts as IU's governing board, legal owner and final authority. Basically, what it all boils down to is this:\nThe board of trustees owns IU.\nHowever, trustees don't spend their days relaxing in comfy leather chairs, smoking Cuban cigars and reveling in their power (as far as we know). As Spiderman will tell you, "With great power comes great responsibility." Being a trustee is no cakewalk, considering the amount of time they spend researching and creating University policies, planning and developing new programs and institutions and working to project a good image of IU to the outside world. \nA student trustee is a full-fledged member of the board, with the same rights and responsibilities as the others. As such, he or she must be willing to give up a massive chunk of time to devote to this vital position. In fact, Cox compared the time spent taking care of the responsibilities of being a trustee to having a full time job on top of class work. Yikes. \nDespite the time commitment, however, there are more advantages than drawbacks for filling the position. Once selected, the trustee will get to see an entirely different side of IU. All too often, students fail to realize that the University, comparable in size to a small city, does not run itself. Rather, people like the trustees sacrifice their time and energy to keep our school heading in the right direction. \nIn the past, students have complained about lack of representation and involvement in University policies that affect their lives. Well, here is your chance to change that. A good student trustee should be able to take into account the well-being of the nearly 100,000 IU students and present their best interests to the board. If you think you can do that, you are a perfect candidate. Admittedly, the job is rather weighty, and boiling down the interests of that many students is nearly impossible. But without a student's perspective on the board, IU just wouldn't be the same.\nSo whether you are a graduate student or an undergraduate, a Democrat or a Republican, a greek or a non-greek, applying is worth a try. It's a tough job, but hey, you're tough. You can handle it. \nApplications are available online at www.indiana.edu/~trustees and at several offices and locations across IU's campuses, including the IU Student Association's and board of trustees' offices in the Indiana Memorial Union.
(10/31/06 6:15am)
The other day, I flipped through channels and ended up watching about two minutes of Dr. Phil's ridiculous TV show. There was a 54-year-old woman upset because she didn't have the fashion sense to be "fabulous at 50," so Dr. Phil's team gave her a complete fashion makeover. That's funny. I didn't know "doctors" did things like that. I thought Dr. Phil was supposed to listen to people talk about their problems and then provide some pseudo-professional, middle-of-the-road advice you could get from your neighborhood bum (for the cost of some spare change and liquor perhaps). Apparently, I'm just way behind the times. I had no idea Dr. Phil's show was really just a fashion show. I always thought he was a fake talking head pretending to give people psychological advice. I assumed he was just an imbecile who wouldn't last long on network TV. I was only half right.\nThe last time I heard about Dr. Phil, he was in trouble for his weight-loss program, Shape up! According to MSN News, three people who tried his weight loss program sued him because they allegedly spent about $120 a month to take various supplements Dr. Phil promoted. The suit claimed he made false statements about the supplements. In the end, the frustrated dieters claim they didn't lose any weight over the course of the year. There was eventually a $10.5 million settlement.\nHow could millions of people be so stupid to think a show hosted by a fat, big-mouthed idiot is going to help them learn how to lose weight? How did he fool these people? My guess would be with an intellectual line such as the following: "I might be a fat, bald loser, but I make a living telling idiots like you what to do. Forget about my weight for a second, and let me help you lose weight!"\nAlso, why would millions of people still watch his show, knowing he is just a fraud? The answer to the first question is that people watch his show because they are stupid, but the people who still watch his show after finding out he is a fraud are unbelievably stupid and need serious psychological help.\nThe only problem with this is that someone who is stupid enough to watch Dr. Phil on a regular basis is also stupid enough to think he is actually a helpful psychologist. It's safe to assume that these idiots think being on a stage with a loser who asks you two or three questions, tells you what the problem is and then takes a commercial break, is how therapy works. I don't claim to be an expert as to how therapy actually works, but I'm sure TV cameras, a fraudulent doctor and thousands of noisy bored housewives in the audience don't help things too much.
(10/31/06 6:14am)
One Saturday many, many years ago, a few friends and I were shooting off bottle rockets in a back yard. The seemingly innocuous fun ended when a handful of armed officers fought their way through the bamboo which separated my friend's yard from his neighbors. Midway through a fire safety lecture, one of the more diehard officers glanced down to see what I was conspicuously trying to hide behind my back: four M-80s (the big ones that whistle) tied together with the fuses twisted together to ensure the whole mess fired at more or less the same time. He asked what I was going to do with the beast, and I replied as honestly as I knew how: "I was going to fire it."\nHe paused and stared at me before accusing me of being the hell-raiser in the back of the class who shoots spit balls. Here I was about to blow off my hand, and he's basically forecasting a life of crime and drugs. In reality, as one could probably guessed by my position on the school newspaper, I wasn't exactly the kind to be lured into gang violence and drug pushing.\nThinking back, the officer might have reconsidered his accusations if my high school had instituted stereotype identification tags like those used at Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, Md. According to the Washington Post, the 3,000-student school issued color-coded badges to classify a student as one of 11 "academies" that divide students based on everything from grade to career path to English proficiency.\nThe administrators believe they are promoting a broader sense of community, but the program is being protested by students who don't understand the benefits of pointing out the differences between one another. \n"Self-segregation is already an issue in the student body, and the formal distribution of color-coded IDs has essentially institutionalized the phenomenon," one student said in a school newspaper editorial about the system. \nThe "academies" students sign up for will become the new way to identify stoners, computer gamers, athletes, and Future Farmers of America. It's just a matter of renaming one's identity. The class clowns are dark blue for entrepreneurship, the foreign kid is red and, hilariously enough, the science nerd is virginal white. \nThis is really a system we should be promoting on the national level to help bring back America's lost sense of "community." If everyone wore ID badges with their race, job and income, we could help promote community togetherness -- black airline pilots would hang out at the Forest-Green Lounge while Hispanic accountants kick back at the robin's-egg-blue cafe. Before long, we could start sending "communities" to schools specially designed to meet their personalized needs. \nIf I had been issued an ID badge before the police seized my jury-rigged hand grenade, I could have informed them I was a geeky middle-class suburbanite. Instead of wasting their time on me, the officers could have been tracking down orange drug dealers and purple gang members.
(10/31/06 6:13am)
President Bush came to Sellersburg, Ind., this weekend to campaign on behalf of 9th District Republican candidate Mike Sodrel. As an esteemed member of the press, I attempted in vain to obtain a ticket to this exclusive event. Apparently, Sodrel's people were tipped off that I'm a pinko communist bent on destroying capitalism. Needless to say, I was unable to gain access to what would undoubtedly have been a gymnasium full of people who despise Nancy Pelosi.\nMy hope for the event was that I would get close enough to President Bush or one of his minions to ask a question. But in lieu of that, I've taken the liberty of conducting my own rather fascinating, albeit fake, interview. Oh well, I've never let the truth stop me from totally making things up for my own enjoyment. \nMe: Thank you for taking the time to speak with me, Mr. President.\nBush: No problem. It's so great to be here in India.\nMe: I think you mean Indiana, sir.\nBush: Oh, right. I should have suspected. I thought there would be more people with feathers in their hair, whooping around and shooting arrows. \nMe: I think you're confusing people from India with American Indians.\nBush: Well, that's your opinion. I looked it up on the Internets. You know, the Google is a fun place to go.\nMe: Yes, it certainly is. Let's get down to business. Mike Sodrel is running for re-election in a year that could possibly see the Democrats gain control of the House. Do you think your presence here today will really give Sodrel the edge over Baron Hill?\nBush: Definitely! I've directed the National Security Agency to wiretap every home in the 9th District. People are talking about this race, and they are concerned about the future of our country.\nMe: Pardon me for second guessing you, but isn't that illegal?\nBush: It should be. (Chuckles.) In all seriosity, Scott, desperate times call for desperate measures. This country is at war with an enemy who doesn't even have the courtesy to speak our language. In order to defeat terrorism, we need to listen in on people who speak English. How else are we supposed to get anything done?\nMe: Fair enough. Let's talk about the conflicts in the Middle East. Your administration has decided to back off the "stay the course" mantra concerning the war. Is this a sign that you're beginning to capitulate under public pressure?\nBush: Scott, I don't know the meaning of capitulate. We're not backing down from anything. Our forces will remain deployed until the job is done. We will bring total freedom to North Korea.\nScott: Iraq.\nBush: Whatever.\nScott: How about looking ahead to 2009? What are your plans after leaving office?\nBush: I'll be running for president of the world. \nMe: I don't think that's possible.\nBush: I've directed Congress to pass a law allowing me to do so. \nMe: Thank you for your time, sir.\nBush: God bless America.
(10/31/06 6:13am)
Dear Harlan,\nI made homecoming court for the first time this year. Now a few people hate me for it and talk about me like crazy. Recently, I've been hearing rumors about me and how I'm ugly and didn't deserve to win homecoming. I'm already a sensitive person, and when I hear these terrible things about me, it hurts really bad. I can't get the comments out of my head.\nSad Homecoming
(10/31/06 6:13am)
What: A pot made and used by the Songye people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
(10/31/06 6:11am)
Vlad the Impaler has been dead for 530 years. The Monroe County Civic Theater and Bloomington Playwrights Project have collaborated to commemorate the anniversary of his death with a series of performances of Bram Stoker's original script of "Dracula," based on Vlad's life.\nThe show opened Monday at the Hilltop Restaurant in Spencer, Ind., and it will run at 8 p.m. tonight and Wednesday at the Irish Lion, 212 W. Kirkwood Ave. It will also run Nov. 6-8 and Nov. 13-15. Showtime is 8 p.m. for each performance, and admission is free.\nAccording to the production's press release, Stoker realized his novel "Dracula" would be a best-seller soon after he wrote it in 1897. In an effort to protect his novel from "play pirates" of the day, who often stole material from authors to make and sell unauthorized scripts, Stoker pulled passages from his book and copyrighted them as a stage version. \nHis play was performed once May 18, 1897, and a reading was staged once May 18, 1997. The MCCT and BPP performance will be the first time Stoker's original script has been acted out since its creation 109 years ago.\nThe cast is composed of several IU students and Bloomington community members, as well as a professional accent coach from Chicago portraying the character Abraham Van Helsing, according to the press release. \nThe show will run again in May to commemorate the 110th anniversary of the production. For more information, visit www.mcct.org.
(10/30/06 5:20am)
I Veeted. So sue me. If all you uber-feminists judge me because of it, so be it.\nIn honor of this Halloween holiday season, I thought it appropriate to have silky smooth legs -- the silkiest smoothest legs of my whole life. And according to the commercials, Veet can give me a silky smooth sensation that can last up to twice as long as shaving.\nI was cheerful, hopeful, filled with the promise of the silky smoothness to come, but two minutes later, my legs covered in cream, I felt the slight burn of chemicals eating the hair from my legs. I passed it off as though my legs were "breathing," and "breathing" is good. Right?\nTurns out, though, "breathing" was actually Veet hair removal cream eating not only the hair off my legs but my skin as well. My legs broke out in hives and I sat in pain as they itched and burned for the next hour. My roommates went from friends to special task force. Their mission: Find antihistamines.\nI took a large dose of NyQuil and went to sleep itching and scratching before waking up hive-free but hungover. I had overslept, so no time for coffee, but without coffee, I had no real ability to function, so I was stuck in a lose-lose. I felt silly and ridiculous -- and I hate feeling silly and ridiculous -- all because of Veet.\nBut the stinging pain of my Veeting was nothing compared to what I felt when a female peer recently belittled me because of my status as friendly blonde. I could see her condemning me for crimes against the feminist agenda -- for general silliness. I have a brain, and I like silky smooth legs. It's often a tough thing to reconcile as a woman, and I find I'm judged not by men for my blond hair and primping but by my fellow women. Serious girls with brown hair like to turn up their noses at me when I laugh, say hello or tell them I like their bag. This, I would argue, is the downfall of feminism. Women are too quick to judge one another.\nLadies, let's get a few things straight. We're on the same team. And men are on our team too -- Team Humanity. You can Veet at your own peril, but on top of agonizing itching, you should not have to fear the backlash of the bitch brigade judging you for wanting smooth legs. The only people who stop us from being able to be our whole selves -- thinkers, lovers, fighters, etc., all in one woman-shaped package -- are ourselves, as we immediately place our fellow women into categories, identifying them as "one of THOSE girls."\nSo don't trip, and don't judge. Sure, Veeting is an exercise in silliness. It doesn't mean anyone who Veets is dumb. And, sure, having a super-short hair cut and not shaving your legs is low-maintenance. Those choices don't make a woman any smarter; they just make her less hairy on her head and hairier everywhere else.
(10/30/06 5:12am)
WASHINGTON -- Republicans on Sunday said a major voter turnout effort would help them stay in power after the Nov. 7 elections, while Democrats claimed momentum as they seek to tap into voter unhappiness over Iraq.\nBoth sides agreed that the war in Iraq was a leading, if not central, issue in the contests to decide control of the House and Senate.\n"This election is becoming more and more a referendum on George Bush, his failed policies both overseas and at home with a rubber stamp Congress," said Sen. Charles Schumer of New York, head of the Senate Democratic campaign committee.\nHis Republican counterpart, Sen. Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina, said Iraq and the broader fight against terrorism were important issues, but "President Bush's name is not on the ballot." Democrats, she said, were trying "to make it a national referendum."\nSchumer and Dole were among the politicians and party leaders who sparred on the Sunday talk shows just nine days before the elections.\nDemocrats need a gain of 15 seats to win control of the 435-member House and six seats to claim the 100-member Senate.\nWith approval slumping for both the war and the president, recent polls show Democrats have their best chance to reclaim the House since the GOP swept them from power in 1994 and a shot at capturing the Senate as well.\nAs the candidates entered their final full week of campaigning, House Democrats worked to emphasize the GOP role in the Iraq war. The party's campaign committee said it would air television commercials criticizing Republicans for supporting the war in about a dozen competitive races in the coming days.\n"Despite a war gone wrong and no plan for victory, politicians like (Rep.) Rob Simmons keep voting to stay the course again and again," says one commercial, airing in Connecticut.\nDemocrats have increased the number of races where they are advertising in recent days, a sign of confidence as the election approaches. In addition to new offensives in Kansas, Kentucky and New Hampshire, officials disclosed plans to run commercials against Republican Rep. Jim Walsh this week in the area around Syracuse, N.Y.\nHouse Majority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, said polls showing a Democratic advantage, especially in the House, "don't mean anything because what we have are 435 individual races all around the country, local candidates running on local issues."\n"If we mobilize all our voters, we'll do well on Election Day," Boehner said.\n"The pundits are looking at this as a national election," said House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill. "This election is district-by-district. It's about members of Congress getting out and talking to their constituents about what they've been able to accomplish."\nKen Mehlman, chairman of the Republican National Committee, sounded a common Republican theme -- that a Democratic-led Congress would mean higher taxes. Democrats accused him of scare tactics.\nMehlman suggested "across-the-board tax increases affecting millions of Americans" if Democratic Rep. Charles Rangel became chairman of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee. The New York lawmaker is now the panel's senior Democrat.\nLast week, Vice President Dick Cheney contended Rangel wanted to undo popular tax cuts enacted during Bush's first term. Cheney's claim was based in part on Rangel's own remark that he could not think of one of Bush's tax cuts that merited renewal.
(10/30/06 5:04am)
DENVER -- Peyton Manning and Reggie Wayne picked, poked and plowed their way through a Denver defense that was designed specifically to stop them.\nManning passed for 345 yards and three touchdowns -- all to Wayne -- and Adam Vinatieri kicked a 37-yard field goal with two seconds left Sunday to lift the Indianapolis Colts to a 34-31 victory against the baffled Broncos.\nWayne finished with 10 catches for 138 yards and did most of his damage against defensive back Darrent Williams. Williams was Denver's first pick of the 2005 draft, a defense-heavy class that was part of an ongoing effort by the Broncos (5-2) to shore things up after those embarrassing playoff debacles in Indianapolis in 2003 and '04.\nIt looked as though things were coming together very nicely; Denver came in comparing favorably to the best defenses of all time, having allowed only 44 points through six games.\nThen came Manning & Co., who gained 437 yards to become the first team to start 7-0 in consecutive seasons since the 1929-31 Green Bay Packers did it three straight times.\nManning went 32-for-39 for 345 yards with a passer rating of 129.2. He wasn't intercepted, wasn't sacked, was barely touched, in fact.\nHis counterpart, the much-maligned Jake Plummer, did a wonderful job matching Manning, leading a Denver offense that hadn't scored 20 points all season. Plummer went 13-for-21 for 174 yards and a passer rating of 104.1. Rookie running back Mike Bell came off the bench for 136 yards and two scores.\nBut this was one of those games where the team that has the ball last was going to win.\nWayne's third touchdown gave the Colts a 31-28 lead with 3:35 left. But when Bell answered immediately with a 48-yard run, the Broncos stalled at the Colts 30 with 1:49 to go and had to settle for a tying field goal. It then became clear this would be Indianapolis' game to win.\nManning did it cruelly and efficiently, working the sidelines and finding every soft spot in the zone defense the Broncos used, and surprisingly stuck with, even as Indianapolis' yardage piled up.\nThe two big plays were Manning to Wayne for 14 yards and Manning to Wayne for nine more -- both catches made in front of Williams, who all week acknowledged this game was something of a referendum on his presence in Denver.\nVinatieri, brought to Indianapoils to make kicks exactly like this one, nailed the 37-yarder to finish a 4-for-4 day and help the Colts finish a perfect second half -- they scored each of the five times they touched the ball after halftime. Denver's desperation kickoff return went nowhere and the Broncos saw their 13-game, regular-season home winning streak ended.\nIndianapolis, meanwhile, re-established itself as the team to beat in the AFC, taking a two-game lead in the win column over Denver and all the closest contenders with the season nearing the halfway point.
(10/30/06 5:00am)
No. 14 Hoosiers upset No. 7 Nittany Lions in field hockey\nThe No. 14 IU field hockey team struck fast and struck early.\nSenior midfielder Rachel Telian scored on a straight shot off a penalty corner in the fifth minute as the Hoosiers defeated the No. 7 Penn State Nittany Lions for the first time in program history Sunday. \n"This is huge," IU coach Amy Robertson said of her team's 1-0 victory. "Penn State is one of the top programs in the country, and they have a great team."\nRobertson said the victory gives the Hoosiers (14-4, 4-2 Big Ten) momentum going into the Big Ten Tournament next weekend in Ann Arbor, Mich. \n"This is the biggest win of the season," she said. "Maybe the biggest in the history of the program."\nThe victory comes in the wake of a two-game losing streak for the Hoosiers. But IU was able to recover with a victory in its regular season finale. \nEarlier in the season, the Hoosiers occasionally struggled offensively at the beginning of games, but that wasn't the case Sunday when Telian scored in the fifth minute.\n"The whole week in practice, Rachel was hitting the cover off the ball," Robertson said. "When we get a corner and she gets a shot like that, it's unstoppable. If we had been able to get more corners, we probably would have scored a couple more goals." \nTelian's goal came off assists from juniors Kate O'Connell and Meredith Brown. After the early goal, the IU defense was able to shut out the Nittany Lions the rest of the way.\n"We disrupted their flow," Robertson said. "They never really got good chances. Even when we made a mistake, we recovered with so much poise and confidence." \nRobertson described her goalie Haley Exner's play as "phenomenal" in the shutout victory.\n"To shut them out is the best feeling in the world," Exner said.\nExner had four saves in the game, and IU won despite being outshot 13-5 and drawing only five penalty corners to Penn State's eight. \n"Today we played beyond and above IU field hockey," Exner said. "We worked as a team, we scored and then our defense held it down time after time."