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(12/04/06 5:45am)
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Iraq's president on Sunday rejected suggestions that an international conference be held to address the violence wracking his country, echoing sentiments expressed by other leading politicians.\n"We are an independent and a sovereign nation, and it is we who decide the fate of the nation," President Jalal Talabani said after meeting with Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Conn.\nThe U.S. military, meanwhile, reported that nine Americans died in weekend fighting in the Baghdad area and restive Anbar province, west of the capital.\nA U.S. airstrike flattened a building in Iraq's volatile west, killing two women and a toddler during combat that also killed six militants, the military said Sunday. It was the latest of several recent raids that have caused casualties among women and children.\nTalabani, a Kurd, holds a largely ceremonial post. But his comments echoed those voiced by other politicians, including a leader from Iraq's Shiite Muslim majority, which is the dominant force in the U.S.-backed government.\nForeign Minister Hoshyar Zebari questioned the aim of the international conference suggested last week by outgoing U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Zebari said it would only be welcome if it supported current efforts to solve Iraq's security problems and assist the government.\n"Is it to take the political process back to square one and review all that is done in the past three years? If this is the aim, then we reject it," said Zebari, also a Kurd.\nAbdul-Aziz al-Hakim, one of Iraq's top Shiite politicians, rejected the idea Saturday while in Amman, Jordan, saying it would be unrealistic to debate Iraq's future outside the country. He said Iraq's government was the only party qualified to find solutions.\nBut former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, a secular Shiite with close Washington links, disagreed, saying Iraq cannot solve its problems alone.\n"It needs the participation and support of everyone, and that's a debt owed to the people of Iraq by foreign nations -- to support Iraq and stop the bloodshed," he said in an interview on Al-Jazeera TV.\nIn an interview with the British Broadcasting Corp. to be aired Monday, Annan said the level of violence in Iraq was much worse than other recent civil wars. He also agreed that the average Iraqi's life is worse now than it was under Saddam Hussein's regime.\n"Given the level of violence, the level of killing and bitterness and the way that forces are arranged against each other, a few years ago when we had the strife in Lebanon and other places, we called that a civil war. This is much worse," Annan said, according to a transcript of the interview released by the BBC Sunday night.\nMeanwhile, the U.S. military said the airstrike deaths occurred during a hunt for foreign fighters, saying intelligence reports had verified men were inside the attacked buildings. U.S. forces have accused militants of taking over buildings as safe houses and using civilians as human shields.\nCoalition ground and air units killed six insurgents and captured three while destroying the two buildings in Karmah in Anbar province, the military said. In the wreckage of one, troops also found a weapons cache and the bodies of two women and a boy believed to be younger than 2, the military said.\nDr. Abdul-Hakim al-Dulaimi, director of the emergency room at Karmah Hospital, about 50 miles west of Baghdad, said 12 bodies were brought in Sunday morning: nine Iraqi men, two women in their 40s and a 3-year-old boy.\nThe pilot of an F-16 fighter jet that went down elsewhere in Anbar last Monday was declared killed in action by the U.S. Air Force on Sunday. It said DNA analysis had confirmed remains found at the crash site 20 miles northwest of Baghdad were those of Maj. Troy L. Gilbert, 34.\nThe U.S. military also announced the combat deaths of nine Americans -- one in Baghdad and two north of Baghdad on Sunday, one near Taji north of the capital Saturday and five in Anbar province on Saturday.\nSaddam Hussein's lawyers formally appealed the death sentence imposed on their client after he was convicted in the killings of 148 Shiite Muslims.\nFive Iraqi judges sentenced Saddam and two other senior members of his regime to death by hanging Nov. 5 for the killings of residents from Dujail, a town north of Baghdad where an assassination attempt was made on Saddam in 1982.\nUnder Iraqi law, death sentences are automatically appealed to a higher court within 10 days of their passage. But defense lawyers must file a formal appeal within 30 days, detailing the legal grounds for their action and presenting any new evidence that could support their clients' claims of innocence. The lawyers could also make a plea for leniency.\nSaddam's chief lawyer, Khalil al-Dulaimi, said two lawyers on the defense team had submitted the papers. He complained that defense lawyers had not received copies of the verdict until Nov. 23, delaying the appeal.\n"Finally we were able to do it," al-Dulaimi said. "We had to hastily prepare the appeal because the court procrastinated in giving us the documents necessary for the submission in a bid to obstruct the appeal process."\nSaddam's second trial on allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity arising from a military crackdown on Iraq's Kurd population in 1987-88 resumes Monday.\nCar bombs and other attacks killed at least 18 people across Iraq.\nAt least 71 bodies -- apparent victims of sectarian death squads -- also were found, including 51 in Baghdad, 16 in Baqouba and four south of the capital.\nOne of the bodies in Baghdad was that of Hadib Majhoul, the Sunni Arab chairman of one of Iraq's leading soccer clubs who had been kidnapped three days earlier in the city.
(12/04/06 5:44am)
ST. LOUIS -- Frigid temperatures contributed to four deaths Sunday, pushing the toll from a devastating ice and snow storm to 19 as hundreds of thousands waited another day for their electricity to be restored.\nAs temperatures rose into the 20s, Tawana Jean Cooper and her family sat at a Red Cross warming center in St. Louis, which they reached a day earlier from her suburban home after roads were cleared of ice, downed power lines and broken tree limbs.\nHer three young grandchildren joined her at the shelter.\n"They know this is not home. They know this is a disaster," Cooper said as she cradled her sleeping 5-month-old granddaughter in her arms.\n"The American Red Cross has been a God's blessing," she said. About six dozen others also spent the night at the shelter.\nMissouri National Guardsmen had been sent into the area to knock on doors and make sure people were safe. By early afternoon Sunday, the St. Louis temperature had reached only about 22 degrees, the National Weather Service said.\nTwo men, ages 37 and 35, died after they tried to burn coal in a cooking wok to stay warm. Fire officials found deadly levels of carbon monoxide in their home. A 56-year-old man may have suffered hypothermia, and an 81-year-old man was found dead at the bottom of his home's stairs.\n"This is not over. As long as the power is still out, there are still people at risk," St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay said.\nThursday's storm spread ice and deep snow from Texas to Michigan and then blew through the Northeast late Friday and early Saturday. Thousands of travelers were stranded by canceled flights, highways clogged by abandoned vehicles and stalled trains.\nBy Sunday afternoon, about 350,000 customers of St. Louis-based Ameren Corp. had no electricity in a roughly 300-mile swath from Jackson, Mo., northeast to Pontiac, Ill., paralleling the track of the storm. Spokeswoman Susan Gallagher said about 200,000 were in Missouri and about 150,000 in central and southern Illinois.\nThe utility said Sunday it would not estimate when power will be totally restored.\nTrees throughout the region were glazed with a thick coat of ice that reflected the sunlight and also snapped tree limbs, bringing power lines down with them.\n"It's slow," said Ameren repairman Bernie Kutz, after completing a job in south St. Louis. "The tools are freezing somewhat, and nothing wants to work right."\nAt the peak of the outages Friday, 510,000 customers were without power, Gallagher said. Hundreds of thousands also lost power in the other states hit by the storm.\nIn Peoria, Ill., fire officials urged homeowners to check their roofs after a nursing home ceiling collapsed, injuring four residents.\nIn Belleville, Ill., 20 miles east of St. Louis, most of the 100 cots at Westhaven Elementary School had been in use as a Red Cross shelter since noon Friday.\nFor much of the region, it was a reminder of the widespread outages caused by severe thunderstorms in July, when 948,000 in Missouri and Illinois were blacked out.
(12/04/06 3:53am)
Deck the halls with boughs of holly, fa la la la la la la la la. 'Tis the season to be jolly, fa la la la la la la la la. Don we now our gay apparel ...\nYes, don we now our pleather pants and black mesh thongs this holiday season. Just kidding! But the song, believed by some to have originated in Wales in the 16th century, did have the right idea. In fact, a loose translation interprets the actual lyrics to be "Don we now our bubble-hem mini dresses." The Welsh were very fashion-forward people. \nThere are lots of reasons why this is the season to be jolly, but the top two reasons are: getting drunk in fancy clothes and still getting Barbie dolls as gifts from your extended family, despite the fact that you're old enough to get drunk in fancy clothes. \nLet's focus on the fancy clothes. Now, I know some of my fellow Hoosiers are not so fond of them. But unless Marc Jacobs starts manufacturing metallic sweatpants and light-up Ugg boots, I suggest you start shaving your legs and cave to the power that is the dress. \nDresses are all the rage this season. I hear that someone actually got shot in Connecticut over a metallic belted dress. Or was it a PS3? No, that can't be right; that would just be silly. \nBut really, dresses are almost trendier than those up skirt photos of Britney Spears this month. The first of these sexy party dresses is the bubble-hem dress. I'm not talking about those ugly cotton bubble-hem skirts that landed on the clearance rack at Charlotte Russe this summer, but an actual party dress -- silk, satin, taffeta. \nThere are two rules for pulling off the bubble-hems, says Meg Hemphill in this month's In Style. The first is to "avoid an exaggerated poufy skirt." This will add the look of unnecessary pounds, so unless you're striving to be the token fat girl at your party, I would pass up the extra pouf. Second, "show some skin on your upper half" to complement the extra fabric at the bottom. \nAnother great style this season is the metallic mini-dress. It's provocatively short, but the dress is usually softened up by adding sleeves or a higher neckline. It's a great way to show off your stems without looking like a sparkly trainwreck. And, even better, Mischa Barton loves 'em. She goes out to not eat dinner in one almost every night. \nLace is also a hot option for any party dress. It's racy enough to say "show me your candy cane" but ladylike enough to keep the wrapper on. These dresses come in various colors and lengths, but get them a little longer to keep the Frederick's of Hollywood look to a minimum. \nDepending on the event you're headed to, these outfits might require a little dressing up or dressing down. If you're on your way to a Kwanzaa kegger, dress down with a pair of leggings and a bright cardigan. But if you're on your way to a restaurant where the roasted asparagus costs more than the black market value of my pancreas, spice things up with some exaggerated jewelry. As always, flats are a better choice for any party where the cups are red and plastic. Choose suede pumps if, by chance, our friends "Beer Pong" and "Keg Stand" were not invited to the gathering. \nHope you all look fabulous while trolling the ancient Yuletide carol this year, whatever that means.
(12/04/06 3:52am)
American soldiers destroyed two buildings being used by insurgents in a town in Anbar province, Iraq, killing six militants, two women and a toddler, the military said Sunday. It was the latest of several recent raids during which women or children have been killed or wounded as U.S. forces attacked insurgents in residential areas. In some of the attacks, the U.S. command accused the militants of taking over buildings for use as safe houses and of using civilians as human shields.
(12/04/06 3:50am)
DARAGA, Philippines -- The Red Cross estimated Sunday that up to 1,000 people might have died in the typhoon that unleashed walls of black mud on entire villages in the Philippines. The country's president declared a state of national calamity.\nTyphoon Durian struck the Philippines with winds reaching 165 mph and torrential rains Thursday, causing ash and boulders from Mayon volcano on the island of Luzon to swamp villages around its base -- a scene Philippine Sen. Richard Gordon described Sunday as a "war zone."\nHopes of finding any survivors beneath the volcanic mud, debris and boulders had virtually vanished. Bodies were buried in mass graves to prevent them from decomposing in the tropical heat.\nGordon, who heads the Philippine National Red Cross, estimated the death toll could reach 1,000 people. \n"There are many unidentified bodies. There could be a lot more hidden below. Whole families may have been wiped out," he told The Associated Press by telephone.\nThe Red Cross has thus far recorded at least 406 deaths, with 398 others missing, based on figures mayors of devastated towns in Albay province, which was worst affected by the storm, provided. The government placed the number of dead at 324, with 302 missing and 438 injured.\nThe state of national calamity President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo declared will allow the government to rapidly release funds needed to bolster search and rescue efforts. She was scheduled to fly for a second time to Albay province Tuesday, her spokesman said.\nAll but two dozen of the deaths occurred in Albay, with 165 in the flooded town of Guinobatan in the foothills of the Mayon volcano, about 200 miles southeast of Manila.\nMore than 50 tons of relief goods, medicine, body bags and other aid have been flown to the province by air force C-130 cargo planes, officials said.\nAustralia also made an initial pledge of $780,000 in immediate humanitarian relief. Canada earlier donated $876,000, while Japan said it would send $173,000.\nIn Albay's battered capital of Legazpi City, residents lined up Sunday to buy drinking water, gasoline and food. Panic gripped one community because of rumors of an impending tsunami, but officials quickly reassured people that no earthquakes had occurred.\nHouses along the Yawa River in Padang, about seven miles from Legazpi, were buried under five feet of mud, with only their rooftops protruding. Some bodies had been washed out to sea, then swept by currents to the shores of an adjacent town.\nGlenn Lorica, 22, said his family's house in Albay's town of Daraga was destroyed by a torrent of mud, uprooted trees, rocks and debris. Seven members of his family are missing; only he and his younger sister are known to have survived.\nHe said he struggled to stay afloat in the rampaging mud flow by grabbing hold of trees while being battered by rocks and other debris. He removed his clothing to avoid being entangled in floating trees.\n"I told myself that if I would die, so be it," Lorica said from a hospital bed.\nAssociated Press writer Jim Gomez contributed to this report from Manila.
(12/04/06 3:48am)
I'm sorry. Fates -- consider this my formal apology.\nI did something really bad, and I know it has caught up with me. The karma police have come, and they've come for me.\nI live far away, and I have to take the C Bus to campus. On days when I was running late, I would park at the Jordan Crossing complex lot. Thanks for my distaste for the C Bus, I began to "run late" a lot and parked illegally every time. I started just parking there every day, leaving my car there from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. I did this for about a month, maybe a month and a half. I won't lie; I began to feel above the law.\nAround this time, I began parking in the Pizza Express lot on 10th Street next to the Student Recreational Sports Center when I would go to the library. These people are kidding about towing me, I thought. I mean, if they haven't towed me yet, why would they start now?\nI was wrong. The week before Thanksgiving, I was walking back to my car in the Jordan Crossing lot -- and found no car. It had been towed. Eighty of my hard-earned bucks went to the impound lot in exchange for my Toyota Corolla, but, worse, my parking spot was taken from me forever.\nAt least I still had Pizza Express -- or so I thought. I've just started seeing someone and, for some reason, a few days after the Jordan Crossing fiasco, we exchanged cars for the night. I parked his car the following morning at the Pizza Express lot while I finished a research paper in the stacks. He came to meet me, and when we went to go get his car -- lo and behold -- it was gone. We saw the sign that read, "Car missing?" with a phone number of the impound lot below. No, my car's not missing, I thought. My car was taken by you, you shady impound jerks who only take cash. And this impound lot asked $110 in exchange for his car. Great.\nOn top of the sting of having my checking account decimated by the cost of having two cars towed in a week, I had gotten someone else's car towed -- someone in front of whom I was hoping to maintain some semblance of normalcy, perhaps even someone I wanted to impress. Needless to say, getting someone's car towed is not only not impressive, I would go as far as to call it downright humiliating. OK, I get it, I thought. Stop parking illegally. Fates, I hear you loud and clear.\nI thought I had paid my karmic penance -- then I woke up Monday morning, got in the shower and felt a blinding pain in my side. Yup. I ruptured an ovarian cyst and spent all week on painkillers.\nI don't know what I did to deserve this, so I am just apologizing now for everything. So Fates, get off me. I'm sick of being hassled.
(12/04/06 3:47am)
FLAT ROCK, Ind. -- A Shelby County man has received permission to keep three tigers at his rural home where wildlife officers removed several wild animals more than a year ago.\nBut one of Dennis Hill's neighbors continues to fight the return of the big cats.\nThe Indiana Department of Natural Resources last week restored permits allowing Hill to keep the three tigers after he revised plans on how to recapture the animals if they escaped. The revised plan provides for the use of a tranquilizer gun with a lethal drug dose and the hiring of three hunters who live within three minutes of Hill's tiger compound.\nHowever, Thomas Winterrowd, who owns the land next to Hill's property, is contesting Hill's permit, said Linnea Petercheff, operations staff specialist with the DNR's Division of Fish and Wildlife.\nHill agreed to give away most of his animals after a Sept. 23 DNR raid. Wildlife officials said Hill's 27 animals were living in squalor amid a six-inch-deep mixture of mud, feces and urine.\nSince the raid, Hill said he has spent thousands of dollars of his own money and donations on improvements, including an 8-foot-tall chain-link fence around the animal pens.\nHill said that he hopes to get approval to bring back more of his animals.
(12/04/06 3:46am)
Winds gusting more than 50 mph blew over semitrailers and knocked down power lines across Indiana on Friday as the state avoided the worst of a storm that dumped more than a foot of snow elsewhere in the Midwest.\nA wind gust toppled a tree onto a mobile home in Greencastle, Ind., midway between Terre Haute and Indianapolis, the National Weather Service said. Winds blew over three semitrailers along Interstate 65 a few miles south of Indianapolis and others on highways near Muncie and Winchester in eastern Indiana. No injuries were reported.\nAt least 40,000 homes and businesses were without electricity at some point Friday, including some 21,000 in Indianapolis, 7,000 in the Muncie area and about 2,500 around Kokomo.\nNumerous schools across the state closed early because of power outages.\nDonna Meadows, the principal of Hoosier Road Elementary School in the northern Indianapolis suburb of Fishers, said the lights flickered several times before the power went out about 11 a.m.\n"You could hear the wind ... and hear things around the roof rattling," Meadows said. "We had to walk messages around to everybody, no intercoms, no phones, no telephones in the classrooms. We relied a lot on walkie-talkies and physically going to classrooms."\nElectricity remained out to at least 19,000 customers at nightfall, with work restoring all power not expected to be completed until Saturday evening.\nA nativity scene set up on Monument Circle in Indianapolis was blown over, and the Christmas lights on the 284-foot-tall Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument were knocked out. A vacant building without a roof also collapsed elsewhere in the city.\nThe weather service recorded about a half-inch of snow at South Bend. Residents in some flood-prone areas also dealt with high water after 1 to 4 inches of rain fell in much of the state Thursday into Friday.
(12/04/06 3:37am)
ast Wednesday, IU sent letters to all University employees warning that, because of a contract dispute between the University's insurance provider, Anthem/Wellpoint, and Bloomington Hospital, the hospital will "discontinue participating in associated 'preferred provider' networks effective December 31, 2006," unless a deal is reached. In other words, if the two cannot resolve their differences, IU employees could find themselves facing considerably higher fees for treatment at Bloomington's main medical care facility. \nTo state the obvious, we're not experts on insurance plans or health care management here at the editorial board (those of you who are, remember that 350 words is the limit for letters to the editor). However, in our role as laypersons/provocateurs, we'd like to pose some questions to those involved in this problem and, perhaps, get a debate going for the ol' Jordan River Forum:\n-- Is the University deploying all the resources at its disposal to resolve this in IU employees' favor? When asked by the Indiana Daily Student about whether IU had a back-up plan in the event that the contract was not renewed, IU Director of Media Relations Larry MacIntyre replied that he didn't know (IDS, Dec 1). We'd guess that if it doesn't have one, the University is likely working on it -- but what about our other means of leverage? As it is state employees being affected, can the Indiana government do anything to settle this? And what about all the expertise that we have contained in the business and law schools? Or our market power? IU is a heck of a big client. Could we send coach Hep to negotiate? (OK, kidding on that last one.)\n-- Why not compromise? Thanks to a press release, we've heard Bloomington Hospital's grievances -- it claims that Anthem has "an unreasonable demand" that it "may, at any time, unilaterally amend its contract with Bloomington Hospital without any recourse for Bloomington Hospital other than to terminate its contract," that Anthem "wants to disclose rate and discount information to its customers" which Bloomington Hospital has not yet reviewed for accuracy and that Anthem "wants to place severe restrictions on the ability of Bloomington Hospital to make service or facility changes ... without the approval of Anthem." Taken at face value, these demands sound like they might be reasonable -- the issue of amending the contract, in particular. But that's only half of it -- what's Anthem's side of the story? (Note: when asked for Friday's IDS article, Anthem spokesman Tony Felts declined to comment on specifics while negotiations continued).\n-- Is there anything that we assorted other groups in the University community could do to help out? Many of us students get our insurance from a different provider (the Aetna-owned Chickering Group), so we're not facing the same stakes in this dispute -- but, then again, no one wants to deal with profs who are off their meds. So, do we need to write to someone or hold a bake sale or something?\nWhatever the case, let's get this sorted out -- how could you celebrate New Year's properly without emergency coverage?
(12/04/06 3:36am)
WASHINGTON -- Democratic jockeying for the White House in 2008 intensified Sunday with Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh taking the first official step toward a run and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton gauging support among fellow New York lawmakers.\nBayh said he would set up an exploratory committee to raise money and help assess his prospects. He plans to decide over the upcoming holidays whether to seek the Democratic nomination and announce his decision early next year.\n"I'm distressed about the direction we're going in. We are a great nation with great opportunity. But we're not fulfilling our potential today," said Bayh, who planned appearances Monday in Iowa and next weekend in New Hampshire, two states early on the campaign calendar.\n"We need someone who can deal with the dysfunction here in this city so that our government begins to empower our people to fulfill their potential. That's not happening. Someone who can unite Americans in a politics of common purpose," Bayh said. "If I can be that individual, so be it. That's what I'll be considering over the next several weeks."\nHe described setting up the committee this week as "the next practical step." Asked if that meant he wants to run -- and win -- the senator replied: "It means that, yes. But it also allows you to assess some of the practical things to determine whether that's a sensible course of action."\nBayh has pointed toward a run for the White House for months and had $10.5 million in his Senate campaign bank account as of Sept. 30. The money can be transferred to his exploratory committee for president.\nThe 50-year-old senator has charted a centrist's course throughout his political career, including two terms as governor and eight years in the Senate.\nClinton, who easily won re-election to a second term Nov. 7, "is reaching out to her colleagues in the New York delegation and asking for their advice and counsel and their support if she decides to make a run," a top adviser, Howard Wolfson, told The Associated Press.\nWolfson made it clear Sunday, though, that the planning is moving ahead.
(12/01/06 9:51pm)
Thanksgiving break is over. We've been back on campus for a week and, by now, even the least academically concerned students are no doubt attentive and absorbing new course material. At the end of finals week we can all sit back, relax and anticipate next semester's intellectual stimulation and academic processes over the holiday season. \nRight. \nInstead, it's time to wake up from that drunken stupor of an academic dream world. It's time to drag the mismatched shoes and smell of liquor to the next class on a list of courses that are not only uninspiring but do little to contribute to one's education. ("Electives," my ass). \nMost IU students (at least the undergrads) checked out of this semester, like a cheap hotel on the morning after, over Thanksgiving break, if not before. Instead of hitting the books and working hard during this time -- the period that might have the largest effect on the outcome of course grades -- many are skipping class, neglecting reading and shunning homework. That little taste of free time has sent students into a downward spiral toward apathy.\nThe break from class in late November is intended to be a time-out, giving students a chance to rest and spend time with their families before the arduous tasks that fill dead week (or what should be renamed "Make any major project that has been assigned this semester due here so we can trick students into thinking they have time to study" week) and finals week.\nBut Thanksgiving break has a reverse effect. From that first mouthful of stuffing or first sip of beer with high school buddies, students at IU are done for. And who can blame us? We've spent the last 13 weeks with our heads in books, studying for exams and generally dreading our essay grades. It's high time we got a chance to stop worrying for awhile. Unfortunately, the real world smacks us in our tired faces. \nBeing near enough to our junior-high days, when free time was plentiful and we spent so much of it in front of the tube, having class so close to winter break is kind of like being slowly cooked in a boiling vat of grease. But we've found a solution to that "burning-alive" sensation: Just stop caring and start drinking. \nThis is a red flag for the student body of IU, including me. Don't let a little apathy at the end of the semester ruin the hard work of so many weeks. I know that Sam Adams is ready for you to stand up as a patriot in the best way you know how. But even if you don't place school high on your priority list, you might as well just finish it up, take the C+ instead of the D -- and wait until after Dec. 15 to enjoy those drinks.
(12/01/06 9:51pm)
The holiday season's in full force, and the general masses are growing all too eager for holidays like Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, but what is yours truly most excited about, besides blasting Teenage Fanclub's "December"? \nThe answer is Festivus.\nFestivus originated in 1966 from former Reader Digest writer Dan O'Keefe. Thirty-one years later, O'Keefe's son Daniel, a writer for Seinfeld, incorporated this holiday into "The Strike." In this episode, Frank Constanza (Jerry Stiller) recalls how he became overwhelmingly frustrated with the absurdity of Christmas consumerism, so he created an alternative holiday. \n"A Festivus for the rest of us" is to be celebrated December 23 and has three major components: a bare eight-foot aluminum pole, the "feats of strength" and the "airing of grievances." I'm not sure how many people felt so inspired to produce their own Festivus, but I do know that a small faction of kids in Auburn, Ala. will celebrate it for the third time. It's an excellent reason to throw a party!\nAt Auburn's Festivus, the host of the festivities handpicks an adversary for the feats component. This past year, the host defeated my best guy friend, and I was too horrified to watch the spectacle. \nHowever, the airing is by far the most popular component of the celebration. For several minutes, each individual is granted time to unleash any anger from the past year and commence a grudge-free new year. During this time, only he or she holding the pole is granted permission to speak. Often, the individual being grieved upon will attempt a retort, but that person is automatically silenced by others. \nLast year, the grievances toward me were fairly short. This was not because there was nothing to grieve about, but because my group of friends who celebrate Festivus were, at the time, a new addition to my social circle. Most of the Stefania criticisms focused on my vegetarianism and mumbling -- the obvious stuff. This time around, I have a feeling my name will be mentioned more, and that I, too, will feel more inclined to indulge in a couple of rage blackouts. \nBecause I do mumble and I am a far better writer than I am a public speaker, I will write my Top Five global grievances of 2006.\nParis, Britney, Lindsay -- Stop going commando and flashing your goods. Nobody wants to see them. \nEveryone who is suing Borat -- Get over it.\nMischa Barton -- I will never forgive you for being so willing to kill off Marissa so you could get more money. \nPanic! at the Disco -- I really wish you'd go away.\nMel Gibson, Michael Richards -- Dudes, WTF?\nWhile I do love Festivus, I also love Christmas with my family, and the dichotomy of these contradictory holidays brought a refreshing fulfillment to my year. So this holiday season, if you're feeling a bit tired of the monotony that follows it, try Festivus -- gather your closest friends 'round the bare aluminum pole and tell them how much they disappointed you.
(12/01/06 9:50pm)
I nearly lost my life. And when I say my life, I mean my key chain.\nI say this because it contained everything near and dear to me: room key, house key, University ID, credit card and flash drive. I threw these things away in a Wright Place Food Court garbage can without realizing I had done so until the situation was almost completely hopeless.\nAfter three hours of ignorant bliss, I finally realized my life was in danger. I hightailed it back to Wright and asked a few of the workers if they had found a set of keys. They all said no and then told me it wasn't likely I'd find them. The trash had been taken out, and the garbage trucks had already emptied the dumpsters at least twice that day.\nI didn't care. I wanted my keys. I rounded up my roommate and another friend from the dorm, and we proceeded to search the dumpsters. After numerous workers from Wright came out to laugh at us, including two guys named Gary and Brandon, I was a little discouraged. Gary and Brandon told me I should probably stop looking; finding my keys was a lost cause. It would be like finding an unused condom in a McNutt garbage can.\n"Well," I told them, "I'm not quitting." I figured if there was even the slightest chance of me finding my keys, I had to take it.\nSome might view this as crazy; others might view this as downright disgusting. I, however, viewed it as absolutely necessary. \nIf you want something and you are willing to do anything to attain it, even if there is a very small chance of you actually succeeding, it is absolutely crucial to attempt it. To give up on something just because other people tell you the odds are against you is a weak thing to do.\nCan you imagine wanting something, not trying for it, and regretting it the rest of your life? My keys probably wouldn't have made me lose sleep for more than a week, but in more important endeavors in life, one can't be left dissatisfied, always wondering what might have happened had he or she tried a little bit harder or a little bit longer. \nOn that cold rainy day after being told by numerous people the odds were against me, I was triumphant. After a lot of hard work and a little luck, my egg and chocolate milk-covered keys were back in my hands where they belonged. \nAlthough I could easily have come out of this without my keys, the experience itself made for a good time and a great story. It just goes to show you that it is worth it to take chances, even with the considerable risk of failing. \nIf the end product is really worth shooting for, the measures one must go through to reach it will be just as rewarding -- even if that means frolicking in a dumpster.
(12/01/06 9:45pm)
With the first weekend of December looming, bringing with it subfreezing temperatures and some white precipitation, my father and I are gearing up for our annual excursion through the frozen tundra among the perfectly prim and pruned evergreens. Yes, I am talking about the Christmas tree farm. \nWhile there are many routes to take when choosing the ideal tree, I prefer to hunt for live ones. Others might choose to stop by the local home improvement store to search for absolute perfection in a blue spruce or, even worse, purchase a manufactured piece of metal and green plastic designed to resemble a Christmas tree. My sole purpose here is to convince the future tree-buyer into partaking in one of the season's most memorable and rewarding ventures. As an avid sleuth for spruces, I have devised several suggestions for searching for your Christmas centerpiece.\nThis may sound dreadfully painful at first, but begin your venture in the morning, with conditions resembling those often observed in Green Bay. Trust me on this one. Others will be nestled comfortably in their beds while you get to pick from the cream of the Christmas tree crop. Plus, the frozen ground aids immensely in the maneuverability of the cart. Dragging a cart through mud with tree in tow only makes for grumpy spirits and sore biceps. \nI don't know if I can stress this enough, but be sure to check the trunk before cutting. I'm not talking about making sure if the tree has one -- I can assure you that it does -- but look for quality. The ideal tree trunk is straight and free from excess limbs at the base of the tree. Christmas tree trunks often resemble impressionist paintings: They look beautiful from afar, but up close you don't know what's going on. It is the owner's job to make all trees look beautifully symmetrical, regardless of the straightness of the trunk. If you don't heed these words of advice, you will pay. After hours of cursing during assembly, the tree will resemble the Leaning Tower of Pisa, instead of the graceful evergreen you imagined.\nLastly, no matter how cheap the farm advertises them, do not buy a scotch pine. These trees use their needles as weapons. Trimming the tree will be met with fear and disdain, instead of joy and delight. Protective armor and gloves will be required for the unlucky soul who attempts to water this beast in hopes of reducing its risk for torching the family room. My advice? Go with a white pine. The needles are longer and softer and prices are generally comparable to the lethal scotch.\nThis season, steer clear of the concrete, caged-in lots and especially pre-assembled, pre-lit messes of steel, hop in the car with some friends (with "Now That's What I Call Christmas!" blaring) and make your merry way out to the farm. Pick up some hot cocoa at the warming hut in preparation for the festive search that lies ahead.
(12/01/06 2:13pm)
NEW YORK -- Microsoft Corp. launched its first computer operating system in five years Thursday, contending that the software and other new products will help people deal with information overload and become more productive.\nAcknowledging Windows Vista's delays, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer kicked off a demonstration of the software by saying, "It's an exciting thing to finally be here," adding, "This is the biggest launch in our company's history, that's for sure."\nBusinesses that buy Windows licenses in bulk have first crack at the new operating system. Consumers won't be able to get Vista on home PCs until Jan. 30.\nMicrosoft and computer vendors contend that Vista will make computers more secure, powerful and graphically dynamic, especially when combined with other products Microsoft is releasing simultaneously. Those include new back-end server software for businesses, as well as Office 2007, which brings sweeping changes to widely used programs such as Word, Outlook, Excel and PowerPoint.\nBallmer repeatedly said the new offerings were suited to businesses that need to link staff, partners, documents and corporate data in far-flung locales.\n"Giving people better tools to do their job is a bigger job than ever before," Ballmer said. "I think we really have the most comprehensive lineup our company has ever put in place."\nMuch is at stake for Microsoft. Most of its revenue and almost all of its profit comes from Windows and Office, funding the company's sexier ventures in video games and music players. Microsoft shares were down 16 cents, 0.5 percent, at $29.41 in midday trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market.\nEven with all the touted improvements, analysts expect Vista to only gradually appear on corporate PCs, especially in big organizations where upgrading can be a costly, complicated affair. Gartner Dataquest predicts it will be 2010 before Vista outnumbers the previous operating system, Windows XP, on business computers.\nBig companies need to test internal business applications on Vista before a company can switch its PCs to the new operating system, a process that Gartner analyst Michael Silver estimates at 12 to 18 months in many cases.\nIn the meantime, the last operating system, Windows XP, works just fine for most companies.\nKamal Anand, chief technology officer for TradeStone Software Inc., a Gloucester, Mass.-based provider of supply-chain software, examined test versions of Vista and Office and found "no compelling need" to upgrade his company's 100 PCs and laptops anytime soon. Instead, Anand expects Vista and Office to slowly permeate TradeStone as it buys new PCs for employees in coming years.\n"Nobody wants to go through the extra time and effort and money to upgrade an existing, well-working system," he said.\nThe programs in Office 2007 have been overhauled in many ways. Generally, they can make it easier for people to collaborate on documents and to manage information from multiple sources. Excel in particular packs a wallop, with vastly increased number-crunching abilities. The Outlook e-mail program performs noticeably faster searches for tidbits buried in messages.
(12/01/06 5:11am)
Sayonara, Super Bowl. Farewell, Final Four. Au revoir, Opening Day. I'm off to see the world, and unfortunately you won't fit in my carry-on.\nIn less than a month, I will be one of about 2,000 IU students who has decided to study abroad for the spring semester. My exotic destination of choice: Sao Paulo, Brazil. While the idea of living on the other side of the equator sends shivers of excitement down my spine, I can't help but think about everything I'm leaving in Bloomington -- especially when it comes to sports.\nI'll be missing D.J. White dunks and Little 500 drunks. "Big Red" chants and anti-Boiler rants. I'll be leaving without knowing whether women's basketball coach Felisha Legette-Jack's "11-headed monster" of a basketball team is a group worthy of epic Greek poems or merely the product of an overactive imagination. Do they belong "Where the Wild Things Are" or will their season go "Bump in the Night"? I'm afraid I will have to discover the answer lurking in the closet of the Internet.\nMy sports calendar will be all out of whack. How can it be January if I haven't seen Peyton Manning choke in the playoffs? How can March turn into April without NCAA basketball madness easing the transition? How can Major League Baseball hold spring training if it's autumn in my newly adopted corner of the world?\n"Can I at least watch the Super Bowl?" I asked my Brazilian brother Paulo the other day.\n"No, I don't think so," he said. I covered the phone so he wouldn't hear the sound of my head smacking the table.\n"Well, tell me about sports in Brazil," I said begrudgingly. His descriptions gave me hope.\nPaulo spoke of soccer, of course. "It's one of the only things that Brazilians are proud of about their country," he said.\nSao Paulo, the third largest city in the world, boasts three professional soccer teams. Paulo told me about the raucous stadium crowds that set off fireworks during matches while singing and cheering their teams. Fireworks? I get stopped at stadium gates for trying to bring in open containers of bottled water.\nHe talked about the great Formula One racers of the country and the popularity of rodeo in the northern part of the state. He explained the difference between football (as in soccer) and futsal (think arena soccer). I obviously will need to brush up on my ball juggling skills before boarding my flight.\nOne sport Paulo mentioned that definitely piqued my interest was beach volleyball. Sure, we have it here in the states, but no country possesses the beaches or the passion for volleyball that Brazil does. I'll give the sport a chance despite the fact that volleyball was invented by a group of people that found basketball to be too physically demanding. I won't forget my roots.\nA little research of my own uncovered what might possibly be the coolest sport ever created: bossaball (check out Bossaball.com). It's a new Brazilian sport that looks like volleyball meets slamball meets gymnastics. It's played on an inflatable court and the referees double as samba DJs. OK, so it's not exactly Big Ten basketball, but it sure looks like fun.\nI might miss out on a few notable moments in American sports in the coming months, but a whole new sporting culture is awaiting me. When I get back, my sports calendar will surely have expanded.
(12/01/06 5:09am)
CHICAGO -- Alfonso Soriano grew up in the Dominican Republic hoping to be a professional baseball player, maybe even a major leaguer someday.\nAt 31, with the fifth-largest contract in the history of the game, he's gone "a little bit farther" than he imagined.\nSoriano was introduced at Wrigley Field Thursday as the newest member of the Chicago Cubs. His eight-year, $136 million contract has the sport buzzing the week before the winter meetings began.\nSoriano said that while some people might see him in terms of money, he doesn't.\n"I see a guy who loves the game," he said. "I loved it when I played in my little town. I think I have the same love now. I think more than in the past."\nThe Cubs' new leadoff hitter became the fourth member of baseball's prestigious 40-homer, 40-steal club last season with the Washington Nationals.\nIt's been a busy offseason on Chicago's north side. They've also re-upped with third baseman Aramis Ramirez on a five-year, $75 million deal.\nEarlier they hired Lou Piniella as their manager. Also, they've added a new second baseman in Mark DeRosa, traded for reliever Neal Cotts and re-signed pitchers Kerry Wood and Wade Miller and backup catcher Henry Blanco.\nGeneral manager Jim Hendry isn't finished. He takes off for the winter meetings in Florida looking to add pitching and a left-handed bat. Speculation is that right-hander Jason Schmidt is in his sights, but Hendry said no offer has been made.\n"I've had some dialogue with his people, but at this point I have not," he said.\nHendry said when the offseason began, the Cubs decided to go after the best player available and that was free agent Soriano, who made the switch to the outfield last season and can be one of the game's most exciting players with his power and speed.\nSoriano is prone to strikeouts, too, with 160 last season.\nThere is one issue to resolve, and that's whether Soriano will play winter baseball for his hometown team from San Pedro de Macoris. It's a source of pride, and the local teams like to have their local stars, but there is also an injury risk.\n"I told him that I would prefer he not play, and he was agreeable to that," Hendry said. "Obviously in his country a lot of people always play. I've asked him not to, and he certainly didn't object to that."\nSoriano didn't seem so sure, but said he would do what the Cubs wanted. He said the Dominican winter league gives fans in his country who can't come to the United States a chance to see good players.\n"I feel part of this organization, and I think they want to do the best thing for me," he said.\nSoriano's agent, Pat Rooney, said his client would abide by whatever the Cubs decide.\n"I think Jim and Alfonso will work it," Rooney said. "I don't know if it's going to happen or not, to be honest with you."\nIf the Cubs don't want Soriano to play, "that's fine," Rooney said. "He recognizes his responsibility for the Cubs."\nSoriano reiterated he was drawn to the Cubs by the way Hendry and Piniella expressed their plan for winning in the future and for a chance to be part of a lineup that includes Ramirez and Derrek Lee. The Cubs haven't won a World Series since 1908.\nThe Cubs aren't sure where Soriano will play in the outfield. He played left for the Nationals after initially being reluctant to leave second base, where he'd developed into a star with the Yankees and Rangers.\n"When I played a different position I tried to make an adjustment, and here I have to do the same if they move me to a different position," he said.\nSoriano had 46 homers and 41 stolen bases last season. So, is 50-50 a possibility?\nThat brought a big smile from Soriano.\n"I don't know, man," he said. "I did 40-40 this year, and it's not easy."\nHow he's used will be Piniella's call, at least somewhat.\n"It depends on what they want. If they do want me to run, I'll do it if I think I'm healthy and have my speed," Soriano said. "If they want me to not run, he's the manager. So I'll do whatever he wants"
(12/01/06 5:06am)
Seven swimmers from the IU women's swimming and diving team will head to West Lafayette this weekend to compete in the U.S. Open Invitational.\nThe women's swimming and diving team is off to a hot start this season, boasting a 4-0 record in dual meet competition. The women are also coming off an impressive performance at the IU Open Invitational. IU finished first in five individual events, including a school record performance by sophomore Sarah Stockwell in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:03.02. Senior Leila Vaziri continued her strong swimming with a win in the 50-yard freestyle. Sophomore Allison Kay won the 400-yard individual medley with freshmen Presley Bard and Ashley Jones winning the 100- and 200-yard backstroke events, respectively. \nThe Hoosiers also got a first-place finish in the 400-yard medley relay team of Stockwell, Vaziri, Bard and senior Clarissa Wentworth. \nStockwell, Vaziri, Bard and Jones will swim for the Hoosiers at the U.S. Open Invitational, along with freshmen Emma Berry and Amilee Smith, as well as senior Susanna Ernst. \nThe highlight of the competition should come from U.S. Olympians Amanda Weir and Katie Hoff. Weir is an Olympic silver medalist and American record holder and will compete in the 100-yard freestyle. Hoff is a young star who competed in the 2004 Summer Olympics at age 17. She will compete in five events, including the 400-yard individual medley in which she holds the meet record. \nAfter this weekend's meet, IU will take a training trip to Florida and then resume dual meet competition Jan. 12 in Ann Arbor, Mich., against Michigan, Illinois and Notre Dame.
(12/01/06 5:05am)
This weekend the IU men's swimming and diving team will send a group of swimmers to compete in the U.S. Open Invitational at the Boilermaker Aquatic Center in West Lafayette. The competition will take place Nov. 30 to Dec. 2 and will feature swimmers from colleges around the country, along with 20 U.S. Olympians. There will be preliminaries for each event in the morning session with the finals in the night session. Representing IU will be juniors John Kevin Koehler and Pat Penoyar, senior Ryan McNeill and sophomore Steffan Troxel. \nThe IU swimming and diving team holds a record of 2-3 and is coming off a strong showing at the IU Open Invitational. Juniors Todd Patrick and Ben Hesen led the Hoosiers with impressive overall performances. Patrick won three events, winning the 200-yard individual medley, the 100-yard freestyle and the 100-yard butterfly event. Hesen continued his brilliance in the 100-yard backstroke, taking first place with a meet record time of 48.63 seconds. Hesen also took second place in the 200-yard backstroke event. \nThe Hoosiers also had good showings in the relay events anchored by Patrick and Hesen. The IU relay teams finished in second place in the 200- and 400-yard individual medley relays, along with the 400- and 800-yard freestyle relays.\nThe competition will be highlighted by the participation of U.S. Olympians Michael Phelps and Lenny Krazyleburg. Phelps won eight medals at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, including six golds. Krazyleburg has four Olympic gold medals to his name. Phelps will swim in six events, including three events in which he currently holds the world's fastest time. Krazyleburg will swim in the 100-yard backstroke.\nIU will travel to Florida for a training trip during winter break before the team returns to action against Big Ten opponent Ohio. State Jan. 16 in Columbus, Ohio.
(12/01/06 5:04am)
LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Brian Urlacher is trying to figure it out: How can a team that wins so much still draw so many complaints?\n"I don't understand it, to tell you the truth," the Chicago Bears middle linebacker said Thursday.\nAt 9-2, the Bears have the best record in the NFC and can clinch their second straight North title with a win against Minnesota this weekend. Even so, their quarterback is being criticized, and so is the defensive line.\n"We don't need any extra ammunition to get us going for the week," Urlacher said. "People have talked about us all year long, and we've gone out there and played hard. Most of the people who have talked don't show up on Sundays, anyway. The guys this season who have said stuff about us didn't go out and play well.\n"We haven't really said much about any team this year. We've gone out there on Sunday and let our play do the talking."\nThe Bears have been playing the same tune since the start of last season, when they went from 5-11 to 11-5 in the playoffs.\nThe chorus isn't fading out, either.\nNot with the debate raging over whether Brian Griese should replace starting quarterback Rex Grossman. Not with a large cloud of skepticism hovering over them. And not with opposing players dismissing them.\n"Whoever wants to criticize us can," defensive tackle Tank Johnson said.\nDetroit's Roy Williams guaranteed a victory against the Bears in September. He then caught six passes for 71 yards, but Chicago pounded the Lions 34-7.\nIn October, Urlacher was picked as the second-most overrated player behind Terrell Owens in a national sports magazine survey of several hundred players. His response? A one-handed, highlight-reel interception that set up a touchdown in a 41-10 victory against San Francisco.\nThe New York Giants' Plaxico Burress joined in when he called the Bears' secondary "overrated" in the days leading up to Chicago's 38-20 victory at the Meadowlands. Burress was a non-factor, with four catches and 48 yards.\nThis week, the defensive line came under criticism for its inability to pressure New England's Tom Brady in a 17-13 loss, and the calls for a quarterback change grew louder after Grossman completed 15-of-34 passes and threw three interceptions.\nAlong with the debate over whether he or Griese should start, Grossman found himself at the center of another issue.\nMinnesota safety Darren Sharper accused him of trash talking -- big time -- after Grossman threw a late touchdown pass to lift the Bears to a 19-16 victory at the Metrodome in September. The quarterback acknowledged he went "overboard a little bit" after being taunted by the Vikings for much of that game.\nA more pressing issue for Grossman is rediscovering the Pro Bowl form he showed through the first five games, when he threw 10 touchdowns and three interceptions. Since then, with opponents applying the pressure, he has eight touchdowns and 11 interceptions.\nMeanwhile, a defense that is allowing a league-low 261.1 yards took some hits -- specifically, the defensive line. More specifically, Tommie Harris.\n"We've been criticized before," Johnson said. "I think it kind of gets blown out of perspective. We're all men with big shoulders. We can handle it. We do what we do well. We're 9-2. We've put a lot of quarterbacks down on the ground. One got away from us."\nThe linemen were annoyed by a Chicago Tribune article with the headline "Not-so-fearsome foursome" that pointed out the recent drop in sacks. The front four has four sacks in the last four games after delivering 20 in the first seven, and Harris has been noticeably quiet.\nAll five of his sacks came in the first four games, and Harris vowed Monday not to speak to reporters until his next one. That silence lasted until Thursday, when he said he'd make more noise on the field.\n"My demeanor had to change," Harris said. "People are watching. People do want to see me (perform). ... We're 9-2, and we're complaining about the little things. That shows you the expectations people have for the Chicago Bears."\nWhile Harris talked about his demeanor, others credited opponents for the lack of sacks. The Bears are seeing quicker, shorter passes and more runs.\n"When you lose, people have to point out the reason they think you lost," Urlacher said. "I'm not going to criticize (the line) because they're doing a great job. It's not an issue, as far as I'm concerned"