1000 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
(12/06/06 5:42am)
The Facts\nU.S. Ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton resigned his position Dec. 4, effective at the end of this congressional session. Bolton quit in response to expectations that his permanent appointment would be blocked by the upcoming Democrat-controlled Congress. President George W. Bush is "deeply disappointed" Bolton will not receive a simple up-or-down vote in the Senate to confirm him. Are the Democrats wrong in blocking his confirmation?\nBolton's loss is America's loss\nListen to critics of U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton and you hear the same stock opinions repeated and regurgitated. Like "a bull in a China shop," he has practiced abrasive diplomacy toward dangerous, dictatorial, outspoken leaders who seek to bring a new world disorder. Funny, this diplomatic style is what originally drew me to the guy. Throughout his brief but distinguished tenure, Bolton's attempt to bring sanity to the U.N. aroused one fear: that he might succeed in transforming the corrupt organization.\nBolton's many inferiors argue that reform is still possible with a less pushy patriot. Fat chance. The key ingredient is to never be embarrassed to speak for a less-than-perfect democracy. As his most illustrious (and abrasive) predecessor, Democrat Daniel P. Moynihan, memorably suggested: "Find me a better one." Bolton's dismissal is nothing less than a dirty insult and a grievous injury to American diplomacy.\nBolton block shows Dems strengt\nLast year, when President Bush nominated John Bolton, who even then was an outspoken critic of the United Nations, it was through a recess appointment that bypassed the regular Senate confirmation. Now, knowing that Bolton could never win over a Democrat-controlled Senate, Bush hoped to once again evade seeking the Senate's consent.\nFor Bolton, resignation was the best option. And considering the new role of Democrats in the Senate, it was the only real choice. More than anything, the decision signals a new era of compromise. With President Bush's waning support, he can no longer afford to attempt to circumvent the political decision-making process, though he would like to dismiss opposition as merely "shallow politics of the Senate." \nWith their new strength, Democrats are absolutely right in their blocking of this confirmation that was passed without their consent in the first place. This time, Bush must accept defeat, not avoid it.
(12/06/06 5:32am)
AMMAN, Jordan -- Saddam Hussein wrote the chief judge in his Kurdish genocide trial to tell him that he no longer wants to attend the hearings -- whatever the consequences, according to a letter released Tuesday by former Iraqi leader's lawyers.\nIn a handwritten Arabic statement made available to The Associated Press, Saddam cited what he claimed were repeated "insults" by Chief Judge Mohammed Oreibi al-Khalifa and prosecutors trying him for his role in the 1987-88 military campaign, code-named Operation Anfal.\n"I wasn't given the chance to speak when I tried to clarify the truth," Saddam wrote in the one-page letter dated Monday. He said he wanted to respond to the prosecution's allegation that he had stashed away $10 billion.\nIn Monday's hearing, an unnamed prosecutor asked al-Oreibi to freeze the $10 billion, saying it belonged to the former regime and had been deposited in foreign bank accounts. "We ask the court to put its hand on the money to secure the rights of the victims," the prosecutor said.\nThe judge did not respond, and the hearing adjourned until Wednesday.\nThe authenticity of Saddam's letter, sent out by his lawyers, could not immediately be verified. But it used language similar to what Saddam had often used in other statements, as well as in his courtroom speeches.\nThat included his use of the title: "President of the republic and the commander in chief of the Mujahedeen (holy warriors) armed forces" -- the phrase he used to end Tuesday's letter.\nElsewhere in the letter, he wrote: "I feel disgusted. ... I will not accept being offended continuously by you and others."\nHe goes on to say: "Saddam, who taught pride and dignity to many people, refuses to attend (the trial) and be subjected to insult by agents and their followers ... Therefore, I ask to be relieved from attending the (court) hearings in this new comedy and you can do whatever you want," he wrote.\nSaddam and six co-defendants face the possibility of execution if convicted for Operation Anfal. The prosecution estimates that 180,000 Kurds were killed when Saddam's army allegedly destroyed hundreds of villages, killing or making homeless their residents, in a scorched earth campaign against separatist guerrillas in Iraq's northern Kurdish area.\nOn Nov. 5, Saddam was convicted in a separate trial in the slaying of 148 Shiite Muslims, including children, following an assassination attempt against him in the Iraqi town of Dujail in 1982. He was sentenced to death by hanging.\nA lawyer for Saddam said Tuesday he had appealed to an American court in an attempt to win a stay of execution in the Dujail case, arguing that the deposed leader's rights had been violated by American troops.\nBut a U.S. district court judge in the District of Columbia rejected the request because the Italian lawyer is not a member of the D.C. bar.\nIf an Iraqi appeals court upholds the death sentence, Saddam could be hanged early next year, according to Iraq's chief prosecutor.\nEven if a U.S. court were to rule in Saddam's favor, there is no indication that the Iraqi judiciary would apply the decision and stay the execution.
(12/06/06 5:31am)
Fifteen students at Purdue University are in their 19th day of fasting Tuesday in an effort to convince the university to join an anti-sweatshop labor organization. \nThat organization, the Designated Suppliers Program, aims to protect the rights of workers who manufacture university apparel and merchandise. The goal of the program is to respect these rights by ensuring a living wage and promoting good labor standards. Additionally, the program guarantees that sweatshop products are not sold in university stores. \nAccording to Jeanne Norberg, a spokesperson for Purdue University, the administration has refused to enter into the Designated Suppliers Program as of Monday afternoon. Purdue University President Martin Jischke has only met with the strikers a few times since the start of the fast, Norberg added, and he still holds strong to his anti-DSP position because he feels the program's provisions are too strict. \nThe protest started as a sit-in for students, but it turned into a hunger strike Nov. 17 after Jischke stated he would not be changing his stance on DSP. \nNorberg said the students on the strike are not engaged in a full-out hunger strike as it is being portrayed because they are consuming liquids. \n"The hunger strike is not quite a hunger strike," she said. "They're certainly not starving." \nJischke said in a statement that university officials are trying to resolve the issue in a timely manner, but students should be aware of their health situations during the strike. \n"The university is moving as expeditiously as possible on this matter," Jischke said in a release. "And I hope the students who expressed concerns will do nothing that endangers their health." \nMany universities across the nation are already members of the DSP, including Columbia University, Duke University, Georgetown University, the entire University of California system and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. \nStarting Sunday night, a group of 10 students from the UW's Student Labor Action Coalition held a one-day fast of their own in support of the Purdue students. Their fast ended Monday at 8 p.m.
(12/06/06 5:29am)
Dishin' it out\nI've had to write and administer a fair number of final exams. And while it's undoubtedly less stressful than taking them, there are reasons why proctor and proctologist come from the Latin root word for "pain in the ass." (OK, I totally made that up, but it sounded good.) So here are a few insights that should help students and instructors alike.\nAfter meticulously crafting an intellectually rigorous noncumulative two-hour essay exam on theories of international trade, few things are more discouraging than students turning in their blue books after only 20 minutes. If you do this, you will likely fail the exam. If you're done early -- say, after an hour -- go back and add more information to your answers. We're far more likely to sympathize with those who struggle up to the last minute (even though they're usually not perfect students) than those who treat the exam like a breeze.\nCome prepared! I can't speak for every department, but if you don't bring your own writing implements for political science exams, you might end up with a wee little golf pencil. \nFinally, I know this is a rough time of year health-wise. But on behalf of instructors everywhere, could you please, please try to take some basic sanitary measures? Like don't sneeze on the exam before handing it in? This might be an appealing revenge, but ask yourself: Do you want to be graded by an instructor ripped on cough syrup?\nTakin' it hard\nIt's T-minus 30 minutes and counting until your final. \nYou've been studying since 9 a.m. the day before. There's just no more room in that tangled mess of neurons for one last dead president, another specie of Codfish or the orbital velocity of Mars. If you're forced to remember where you put your keys, you might forget how to walk. \nRelax. You're going to be fine -- tomorrow.\nRight now, though, you're completely and absolutely screwed. It's time to start thinking about alternatives to graduating. Opening a bar is always a popular choice. Mexico wouldn't be so bad either. At least you'll save your parents the crushing disappointment of a child who is a torpid, drooling loser who never learned how to fasten Velcro.\nT-minus 10 minutes. \nYou don't have a pencil. You can't figure out if you have the purple or the lavender version of the test. You're so nervous that your nose starts bleeding. Your paper bag just ripped. Is this even the right class?\nBreathe. You know this stuff, don't you?\nNever mind. It'll all be over in about 90 minutes. Just look like you're busy, and for the love of God, try to spell your name right this time. No, Scantron forms don't have spell check.\nSo many letters, so many answer choices. C. Article II outlines the Executive. A. Smooth muscle is nonstriated. D. The indefinite integral is the "antiderivative." B. $5 pitchers at Scotty's Brewhouse.\nT-plus 5 minutes. \nThat wasn't so bad, was it? The professor called you a what? Well, Biff, it doesn't sound like you're cut out for this college thing. I hear Bernard is looking for a driver.
(12/06/06 5:26am)
INDIANAPOLIS -- Indiana should phase in optional full-day kindergarten over the next three years, starting next fall, with the state's neediest children, Gov. Mitch Daniels was expected to announced Tuesday.\nStarting in August 2007, all kindergarten-age children who are eligible for free and reduced-priced lunches -- about 33,000 statewide -- would have the opportunity to attend full-day, if the governor's plan is accepted.\nIn August 2008, all school corporations that have higher than the median number of students on the lunch program would offer the full-day option, and by 2009, all districts would have a full-day, the governor's plan proposes.\nDaniels' proposal would require a one-time grant of $25 million to schools starting the program in 2007 to pay costs from August to December until districts receive normal funding. The cost that school year would be $54 million, including the grant, according to the proposal.\nSome education officials had urged the governor to implement full-day for all students in the 2007-08 school year -- a proposal Daniels' budget agency estimated would cost about $166 million.\nClassroom space and staffing was also a concern in some areas, according to a recent survey of school districts by the Indiana Department of Education. About 82 percent of school districts said they would need more faculty for the program to work, while 53 percent said they would need more classrooms.\nBut some teachers and superintendents say schools can find a way to get space and staff to expand full-day kindergarten as long as the state provides funding.\nSuellen Reed, the state's superintendent of public instruction, has said a phase-in approach to full-day is better than nothing.\nAdvocates say more time in kindergarten helps lagging children catch up to their peers before entering first grade, while providing other youngsters individual challenges to keep them interested. Critics worry that the programs are state-funded day care.
(12/06/06 4:53am)
A Nov. 17 IDS article headlined "IUSA leaders defend fee distributions" piqued our interest. We learned that IUSA delegates the responsibility of distributing $350,000 in student-organization funds to a staff of nine board members and one director, known together as the IUSA Assisted Inter-organizational Development Department board. Four of the nine are elected by the student body while the remaining members are appointed by the incoming IUSA administration. We can only hope each new administration will appoint students best equipped for this important position, as opposed to engaging in favoritism.\nThat amount of money -- $350,000 -- is a lot. Where does it all go? Naturally, we explored the Internet for the voting records of the current administration. Who has applied for funding? How much has been granted or denied? How have the individual board members voted?\nThe answer? We don't really know. No public voting records, no public minutes, no readily accessible paper trail could be found online. Talking to IUSA AID by phone also failed to yield answers on the matter -- except for one striking statement from Jeff Evitts, the IUSA AID director for student organization funding: "We don't take minutes." \nIf that statement is true, that makes us even more concerned about how these funds are managed. We aren't saying IUSA AID's lack of transparency on the matter translates into inappropriate behavior. But the fact that students don't have ready access to check how their money is spent should raise a few eyebrows.\nThe language of the IUSA constitution suggests that the organization is more or less an autonomous entity. And while we at the editorial board are all about student autonomy, we're even more concerned about financial accountability. With such little transparency, many are left wondering where our money goes. How do we as students know that our dollars are being spent wisely and fairly? Let's not forget the $5,000 spent on anti-terrorism T-shirts and the $50,000 spent on a Corvette a few years ago. \nHow do we know that allocation is fair and that the causes deserving the most support are getting it? We don't. And if this information is buried somewhere in the public sphere, it's well-hidden. If we at the editorial board are having difficulty learning about it, we're betting other students are facing roadblocks, too.\nIUSA needs to be reminded that because the university it represents is a public institution, it is accountable to the students. What's so hard about publishing voting records and recording meeting minutes? If IU has taught us anything, it's that autonomy is a precious gift. If IUSA values that gift, it would be wise for it to act with more accountability. These funds are going to student groups, which are essential to the IU experience. \nSo please, IUSA, don't give the University cause to retract that sovereignty (internal audit, anyone?). Be transparent. Prove your blamelessness and continue to perpetuate IU's proud tradition of student autonomy.
(12/06/06 4:09am)
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The steroid scandal that tainted Mark McGwire's Hall of Fame chances is also threatening to tarnish Cal Ripken Jr.'s induction.\nA two-time MVP who played in 2,632 consecutive games to break Lou Gehrig's record streak, Ripken is considered a certain first-ballot inductee next year. Tony Gwynn also is eligible for the first time and is expected to be a lock for Cooperstown when the votes are counted in early January.\nSo was McGwire, back when he hit 70 homers in 1998 to break Roger Maris' single-season record. The former Oakland and St. Louis first baseman finished with 583 home runs, seventh on the career list, but his refusal to answer questions about steroid use during a congressional hearing last year has stained his career and his candidacy.\nNow, it's also taking attention away from Ripken and Gwynn as they wait to be enshrined.\n"The Hall of Fame run, it should be a celebration of the player's career," Ripken said Tuesday at baseball's winter meetings. "I hope, if that happens with me, that it would be a celebration."\nAn AP survey last month of 125 baseball writers who are eligible to vote -- about 20 percent of the total -- showed that only one in four who gave an opinion planned to vote for McGwire.\n"He had the greatness of a Hall of Famer," said Tony La Russa, McGwire's former manager, who also speculated that McGwire would consider taking a job in baseball when his sons get older.\nRipken spoke Tuesday on behalf of an artificial turf manufacturer before the questions turned to next month's Hall of Fame balloting. Asked if he would object to sharing the stage with McGwire, Ripken said, "Couldn't get past that question, could we?"\n"I'm curious, but I don't feel that I'm in a position to judge," he said. "History will judge us all in some way. And if you're content with the truth coming out, then whether your judgment day is now or 50 years from now doesn't matter."\nWhile saying he wasn't sure how well steroids worked, he also acknowledged that he had some suspicions when he was playing. Ripken said he built a gym in his house and worked hard to get stronger, but he couldn't match the gains he saw in others.\n"A smarter person will have suspicions when you look around and see people coming back a lot bigger than they were," he said. "I realize that steroids were an issue in other sports. But no way did I know it was as big as it's starting to show it was."\nRipken also said that while it's impossible to determine what effect steroids have on statistics, "if all your numbers are produced by those sorts of means, then I'd say, yeah, they're artificial numbers."\nBut he also stressed that McGwire was not the only suspect.\n"If you start to look at that one, then you need to start looking at everybody else," Ripken said.\nRipken retired as one of only seven players with 400 homers and 3,000 hits and was selected to play in 19 All-Star games. He also revolutionized the shortstop position, setting the stage for superstars such as Alex Rodriguez by adding power to a job typically manned by the quick and the slick.\nBut Ripken's most celebrated Hall of Fame credential is his consecutive games streak. When the Baltimore Orioles star broke Gehrig's record in 1995, the heartwarming moment was credited with bringing baseball back from a strike that forced the cancellation of the '94 World Series.\nThree years later, McGwire's pursuit of Maris' record of 61 home runs energized the sport anew; Barry Bonds topped McGwire with 73 homers in 2001. But that mark, once one of the most hallowed in sports, is now derided as a steroid-enhanced fraud.\n"I think we all were very disappointed that steroids came flying out into the game of baseball. The integrity of the game was in question," Ripken said. "It's sad that a cloud is over baseball. Maybe the whole story has not been told yet. I believe the story will come out in time"
(12/06/06 4:08am)
PARK RIDGE, Ill. -- Former Disney and ABC executive Mark Silverman was named Tuesday as president of the Big Ten Network, slated to launch in August 2007.\nSilverman had served as general manager and senior vice president of ABC Cable Networks Group since April 2004 and was responsible for the equity in Lifetime Television, A&E Network and the History Channel. He was also general manager of the network's Family Channel for two years.\n"My goal is to utilize my experience in both the cable television and sports industries to drive and sustain the success of this network," Silverman said.\nBefore joining ABC, Silverman was co-founder and president of Silverkings Media, a media and entertainment consulting company, and senior vice president of Broadband Sports, an online sports content company.\nHe also held various leadership posts with Walt Disney Co. from 1991-99, including a stint as general manager of ESPN Zone.\nThe Big Ten Network is majority-owned by the Big Ten Conference, while Fox holds a minority interest. The 24-hour network will showcase a wide array of classic-to-current sports as well as original programming produced by the conference's 11 institutions. It will be available to all carriers and distributors nationwide.
(12/06/06 4:06am)
INDIANAPOLIS -- Marvin Harrison's mission statement has not changed: The next play matters more than the last one and the next cut carries more weight than some gaudy numbers.\nIn Harrison's world, it's just business.\n"I don't think you need to raise a lot of chaos," he said. "If you're doing your job on the 10th floor of a building downtown, you don't want to do that stuff, so why do it here?"\nHarrison's old-school approach, where personal accomplishments take a back seat to winning and professionalism, have helped him string together 11 remarkable NFL seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and put him on the brink of joining the NFL's exclusive 1,000-catch club.\nHe needs five catches at Jacksonville to join Jerry Rice, Tim Brown and Cris Carter as the only four members.\nIt would be easy for Harrison to point out some of his other milestones like the single-season record for receptions (143) that he shattered in 2002, being part of the most productive quarterback-receiver tandem ever or the fact he's nearing 1,000 at a faster rate than anyone else.\nBut why bother when the seven-time Pro Bowler's numbers speak for themselves.\n"It's something that stands out, a tremendous amount," Harrison said, acknowledging this mark means more. "I remember when Tim Brown and Cris Carter caught theirs. It's something you don't come into your career thinking about. But it is something special."\nSome suggest that if Harrison had not been paired with two-time MVP Peyton Manning early in his career or given the advantage of playing in a wide-open offense, he might never have achieved so much so fast.\nThe truth is, if Syracuse Universityhad not offered him a football scholarship, Harrison might not have even pursued an NFL career.\nDallas coach Bill Parcells recently recounted a story Harrison told him prior to the 1996 draft in which Harrison said he anticipated being a college basketball player in his native Philadelphia after playing only one year of high school football.\nParcells, then with the New England Patriots, said he was so impressed by Harrison's ability to adapt he nearly took him in the first round.\n"He told me he thought he would be a Big Five basketball player," Parcells said. "But Syracuse offered him and he went on from there. So I've always looked with admiration on how he's developed into one of the very, very best receivers in football, and I think it takes a special kind of person to do that."\nWhile most receivers are branded as either deep threats or possession receivers, Harrison has proven he's a complete receiver -- as dangerous on long patters as he is over the middle, toe-tapping or making one-handed diving grabs.\nPerhaps most impressive is that at 34, Harrison shows no signs of slowing down.\nHe caught seven passes for a season-high 172 yards last week at Tennessee, pushing his season totals to 68 catches, 993 yards and six touchdowns. He's now on pace for his eighth consecutive season with at least 80 catches and 1,000 yards.\nYes, Harrison acknowledges that continuity over the past nine years has helped, but it's his work ethic that impresses teammates most.\nHe rarely takes plays off, even in practice. In a league that relies increasingly on technology, Harrison uses his precious hours refining moves rather than watching film or worrying about who covers him.\n"I remember one game where we came out in a certain formation because we wanted to see how they would defend it," Indianapolis coach Tony Dungy said. "After the first series, Peyton came over and was asking, 'Who has you? Who has you?' Marvin didn't know because he makes all his adjustments on the play."\nTeammates believe Harrison's skills became more dangerous when he discovered the ability to make every route look the same. Then there are the uncanny hands that have produced more memorable moments in practice than in games.\n"You see that at practice all the time, whenever the ball is in his vicinity," cornerback Nick Harper said after Harrison's diving TD catch at New England. "The way he's able to set up a corner, you just don't get that from everybody."\nBut Harrison offers a simpler explanation for success: Work.\nHe ranks sixth on the NFL's career list for yards receiving (13,324), third in touchdowns receiving (116) -- and he's not about to stop pushing himself.
(12/06/06 4:04am)
The IU wrestling team has been dominating the headlines and creating a national buzz this year. With natural leaders in juniors Max Dean and Brandon Becker, the team has continued the streak of national contention started by two-time national champion in the 125-pound weight class Joe Dubuque. \n"Joe was a remarkable leader and mentor," junior Justin Curran told me. "He was great to watch and a distinguished character of IU wrestling." From this history sprouts two new leadership styles for this year's team.\nThe leadership styles of the two junior standouts -- Dean and Becker -- reflect their wrestling approach. \n"Becker is unorthodox and flashy, while I am more fundamental and balanced," Dean said. "But the ultimate goal is the same: to bring home a national championship."\nDean is certainly leading the team in that direction. A two-time NCAA qualifier, the junior is building an impressive winning reputation, and it is that same drive that fuels his ambition off the mat. The two-time Academic All-American is the vice president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and is leading a group of athlete representatives in community-outreach programs, improving campus relations and student-athlete experience. \nOne pupil who respects Max's attitude and commitment is freshman Angel Escobedo. \n"Max is a great motivator and brings team morale up each meet," Escobedo said. "He's experienced, and that's a great asset to have on the road." Escobedo, a four-time state champion at Griffith High School in Griffith, Ind., is now climbing up the 125-pound rankings and turning heads on the national scale. Despite his success, Escobedo is always open to guidance. This is where Becker adds significant value to the team. \n"Brandon has superior knowledge of the sport and understands the best technique for each individual member of our team," Dean said. "I'm glad that one of Brandon's best assets is his passion to excel. It drives our team to reach our fullest potential, and his presence in the wrestling room is a definitive facet of our team."\nBecker discussed the differences in leadership styles between himself and Dean but said they complement each other well.\n"(Max and I) are very different," Becker said. "I challenge the process and continually work on inspiring our team vision, while Max definitely leads by example on and off the mat. I knew that we were a good fit our freshman year. We were in the same weight class, and that usually causes animosity. However, for us, the glory was in the challenge. It was pure competition. Max and I understand that you don't get anywhere unless you work hard, and leading is just teaching that secret to the freshmen."\nObviously, their complementary styles are having the desired effect, as eight of the 10 IU starters are nationally ranked. So keep your eye out for the Hoosiers this season as these two juniors look to lead the No. 17 Hoosiers to glory.
(12/06/06 3:55am)
Today\nWhat: Graduate Employee Organization Grade-In to Protest Health Care Cuts\nWhen: 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. \nWhere: Bryan Hall
(12/06/06 3:53am)
QUESTION: My boyfriend\nand I mutually masturbate each\nother. We take turns; I'll do it\nto him and then he'll to it to\nme. If we are careful to wipe all\nthe semen off of our hands, his\nhands especially, is there any\nway I could get pregnant from\nthis? Or is it just a risk if there\nwould be actual fluid that got\ninside me?\nANSWER: Sometimes couples\nthink that the only "real"\nway of having sex is to have\nintercourse. Women and men\nwith more experience often realize\nthat this is not the case,\nand that there are endless ways\nto pleasure each other and oneself.\nMutual masturbation is a\nsexual activity that many couples\nenjoy, particularly as it can\ncarry a low (or no) risk of pregnancy\nand infection if done in a\ncertain way. Good for you for\nasking how to go about reducing\nyour risk of pregnancy.\nIf you are successful in wiping\nall of the semen on your\nand your boyfriend's hands\nbefore he touches your genitals,\nthen it is unlikely that you\nwould get pregnant. After all,\nno sperm means no chance for\npregnancy.\nHowever, I'm not exactly\nsure how you are going about\nremoving the semen from your\nand his hands. Are you both\ncompletely running your hands\nunderneath a faucet, and therefore\nlikely removing all of the\nsperm? Or are you quickly and\nsomewhat haphazardly wiping\nyour hands on the sheets (and\ntherefore perhaps less likely to\nget all of the ejaculate off of\nyour hands)? Are you sober,\nand thus likely have the ability\nto judge whether your hands\nhave been well cleaned? Or are\nyou somewhat tipsy or even\ndrunk, and therefore less likely\nto make a good judgment about\nthe state of your hands? These\nare just some of the issues to\nconsider.\nThere are also other ways\nto enjoy sexual sharing and reduce\nyour risk. For example,\nsince you take turns with mutual\nmasturbation, perhaps you\ncan be masturbated fi rst, and\nhim second. It may even be\nthat you sometimes masturbate\nyourselves, while the other\nwatches or kisses the self-pleasuring\npartner.\nThe highest risk of pregnancy,\nof course, would be if\nhis ejaculate (the "fluids" you\nreferred to) actually got inside\nof your vagina through penetration\nwith his penis or fi ngers,\nfor example. However, it\nis possible to become pregnant\neven if his or your sperm-covered\nfi ngers touch only the\noutside of your genitals, close\nto the vaginal opening. This\nis because sperm travel well\nthrough fl uids. Women's genitals\ntypically emit a natural\nlubrication when sexually excited,\nand this vaginal lubrication\n-- which generally seeps\nout of the vagina and makes\nother parts of the vulva feel\nwet and slippery -- can serve as\na means of allowing sperm to\n"swim up" inside your vagina.\nTrue, the risk of pregnancy in\nthis scenario is lower than with\nvaginal penetration, but it is\nstill quite possible. Pregnancies\nhave certainly happened from\nsimilar means before.\nPlus, these issues are only\ndealing with pregnancy risk.\nKeep in mind that there is still\nthe risk of infection to consider\nand even though you two are\nnot engaging in sexual intercourse,\nyou are coming into\ncontact with each other's genital\nskin and sexual fluids, both\nof which can transmit infections.\nIf you have not already\ndiscussed each other's histories\nof infection testing and treatment,\nplease consider doing so\nnow.
(12/06/06 3:53am)
Daily Pennsylvanian\nPHILADELPHIA -- Perceptions about body weight don't stop at the scales anymore.\n"Fat studies" is a growing interdisciplinary area of study at universities across the country devoted to examining discrimination and stereotypes against the fat body and studying the collective experience of fat people in society.\nWhile no specific field of study exists at the University of Pennsylvania, both professors and graduate students have been exploring related issues.\nAndrew Geier, a graduate student in experimental psychology, has done extensive research on existing biases against overweight people.\nPenn's Anthropology Department also offers a class, "Fat and Society," that examines psychological and sociological issues concerning body image.\nThe study of these issues will hopefully "bring a balance back to an academic curriculum" that has traditionally lacked the overweight perspective, said Miriam Berg, president of the Council on Size and Weight Discrimination.\nBerg said discrimination against fat people is a real issue in society, causing people to lose jobs, spots at universities and opportunities for health insurance.\n"It needs to be combated," she said.\nThe reason for the discrimination stems from the common belief that weight status is easily changeable, Geier said, adding that this is an "erroneous belief."\nAnd the number of people interested in fat studies is growing by the year.\nThe Popular Culture Association, a group that studies trends in media pop culture, opened an official section for fat studies at their national conference three years ago; the section has since served as a forum for presentations on relevant issues.\nStefanie Snider, a graduate student at the University of Southern California and the fat-studies area chair for the Popular Culture Association 2007 conference, said there will be more fat-studies panels than in the past.\n"The number of people interested in fat studies is obviously expanding, and the work they are doing is incredibly diverse," she wrote in an e-mail, adding that presenters come from fields such as sociology, psychology and literature.\nAnd in a society "preoccupied with size," fat studies is probably only going to continue to grow in popularity, said Lynn Bartholome, former president of the association.\nBut Geier said he hopes if fat studies becomes institutionalized, it will not "look to further policy rather than do academic research," which he said is often the fate of "newer, less-traditional departments"
(12/06/06 3:44am)
KOKOMO -- A woman suspected of stealing nearly $500,000 while servicing bank machines before disappearing six years ago walked into a police station and surrendered, with a detective saying she had tired of life as a fugitive.\nAuthorities had been searching for Cynthia Wismiller since November 2000, when they said she took $286,000 from ATMs in the Kokomo area, along with $200,000 from her employer, Armored Services Inc. of South Bend.\nThe search for Wismiller took a turn after investigators subpoenaed the telephone records of her son and daughter and found calls last month to a home in the Florida panhandle town of Ponce de Leon, where she had been living under an assumed name, city police Detective Mike Banush said.\nA neighbor identified Wismiller from photographs, but officers could not find her in Florida, he said. Then Wismiller arrived at the police station in the city, about 40 miles north of Indianapolis, on Monday.\n"I was floored; I was shocked," Banush said of Wismiller's surrender. "She said, 'My neighbor told me that you guys knew I was there.' So she said, 'I'm tired of running, so I came to turn myself in.'"\nWismiller was being held in the Howard County jail on an arrest warrant charging her with felony counts of burglary and theft. She also was wanted on a federal warrant charging her with unlawful flight.
(12/06/06 3:43am)
INDIANAPOLIS -- Republican Billy Bright, a former state representative who had challenged election results that show he lost by about 1,600 votes, has withdrawn his petition for a recount.\nHowever, Bright still is contending the loss to Democrat Dave Cheatham, so the Indiana Recount Commission plans to hear his allegations about election problems. If Bright convinces the bipartisan commission that widespread voting problems or fraud tainted the election outcome, the panel could order a new election.\nBright told the Courier-Journal of Louisville, Ky., that his recount petition was never about overturning the results of the election. He said he wanted the review of ballots to gather evidence about what he believes is widespread fraud.\nBright has not been specific about the problems, but he said an unusually high number of absentee ballots cast is evidence something is wrong.\n"This is much bigger than my race," he said. "This is not about me. This is not about Dave Cheatham. This is about finding the truth."\nCheatham, who was conditionally seated last month as a member of the Indiana House, has called the challenge ridiculous.\nBright's challenge is one of four involving a House race, but it's the only one that could potentially change control of the House, which Democrats currently control 51-49.\nDemocrats could only lose control of the chamber if a recount determines Bright won and outcomes in the other races stand. That would give each party 50 members, and under a tie-breaking rule, Republicans would control the chamber.\nEven if that recount scenario played out, however, the House and Senate have ultimate authority for seating their members. Because House Democrats are in the majority now, they could buck recount results to ensure they retain the speaker's gavel.\nThe Indiana Recount Commission also granted Libertarian Steve Osborn's request to re-tally ballots in 10 precincts in his statewide race for the U.S. Senate against Dick Lugar, even though Osborn lost by more than 1 million votes on Nov. 7, and he acknowledged the recount gave him no chance of winning.
(12/06/06 3:43am)
FORT WAYNE -- The former executive director of the Allen County Republican Party faces fraud charges after police said he acknowledged he forged the signatures of 11 township candidates on official forms.\nDouglas T. Foy, 41, of Fort Wayne, was charged with 11 felony counts of falsely making a declaration of candidacy or part of a declaration of candidacy, according to court documents filed Monday. If convicted, he faces six months to three years in prison on each charge.\nA warrant was issued Monday for Foy's arrest, said Robyn Niedzwiecki, spokeswoman for the Allen County prosecutor. He was not in custody as of Tuesday morning, she said.\nThe county GOP chairman fired Foy in August after he determined that the signatures had been forged on township board candidate filing forms. The Republican-controlled Allen County Election Board unanimously decided to remove the candidates from the ballot after Director Pam Finlayson agreed the signatures were not legitimate.\nThree of the candidates said Foy told them if anyone asked about the signatures on the forms, they should say they signed them, according to court documents.\nFoy presented a statement to the election board Aug. 11 acknowledging he signed the forms for the candidates. His statement said he only signed the forms because he believed a second, notarized signature was the official one.\n"I in no way intended to cheat the electoral process or deceive anyone by signing these forms," he wrote. "It was an error on my part, and I take full responsibility."\nThere was no listing for Foy in the Fort Wayne telephone directory.
(12/06/06 3:22am)
The Iraqi premier called for a regional meeting Tuesday. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said his government will send envoys to neighboring countries to pave the way for a regional conference on ending Iraq's rampant violence.
(12/06/06 3:18am)
WASHINGTON -- Robert Gates, the White House choice to be the next defense secretary, conceded Tuesday that the United States is not winning the war in Iraq and warned that if that country is not stabilized in the next year or two it could lead to a "regional conflagration."\nAt the outset of his Senate confirmation hearing, Gates said he is open to new ideas about correcting the U.S. course in Iraq, which he said would be his highest priority if confirmed as expected.\nGates, 63, said he believes President Bush wants to see Iraq improve to the point where it can govern and defend itself, while seeking a new approach. \n"What we are now doing is not satisfactory," Gates said.\n"In my view, all options are on the table, in terms of how we address this problem in Iraq," he added.\nAsked point-blank by Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., whether the United States is winning in Iraq, Gates replied, "No, sir." He later said he believes the United States is neither winning nor losing "at this point."\nAt the White House, press secretary Tony Snow was pressed by reporters about Gates' answer that the United States is not winning in Iraq -- one that seemed to be in conflict with the president's own position.\nSnow said Gates' testimony, taken in its entirety, shows he shares Bush's view that the United States must help Iraq govern and defend itself.\n"I know you want to pit a fight between Bob Gates and the president; it doesn't exist," Snow told reporters.\n"If you want to try get a nuanced and full understanding of where Bob Gates stands on these issues with regard to the president and his policies and the definition of what it is to win and Iraq and what it takes, then I think you're going to find he agrees" with Bush, Snow said.\nThe spokesman rejected any notion that Gates' assessment of the war would be demoralizing to U.S. troops. \n"What I think is demoralizing is a constant effort to try to portray this as a losing mission," Snow said.\nGates was noncommittal on questions about whether and when to begin a U.S. troop withdrawal, saying it "depends on the conditions on the ground." He also said that if confirmed he would go to Iraq soon to consult with U.S. commanders.\nAsked later whether announcing a specific troop withdrawal timetable would send a signal of U.S. weakness, Gates said it "would essentially tell (the insurgents) how long they have to wait until we're gone."\nThe hearing was nonconfrontational, with occasional hints of humor from Gates. Much of the questioning from panel members was focused on whether Gates would provide independent advice to Bush, and the former CIA director assured the committee that he would not shirk from that duty.\nHe said he did not give up his position as president of Texas A&M University and return to Washington to "be a bump on a log."\nSen. John McCain, R-Ariz., a likely 2008 presidential candidate and an advocate of increasing U.S. troop strength in Iraq, asked whether Gates believes the United States had too few troops at the outset of the war in 2003.\n"I suspect in hindsight some of the folks in the administration would not make the same decisions they made," including the number of troops in Iraq to establish control after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein's regime, Gates said.\nHe also told Levin he believes a political solution in Iraq is required to end the violence.\nThe confirmation hearing came amid intensifying pressure for a new approach, reflecting the outcome of the Nov. 7 elections that put Democrats back in control of both houses of Congress.\nU.S. deaths in Iraq have topped 2,900, and questions persist about whether Iraq will devolve into all-out civil war.\n"Our course over the next year or two will determine whether the American and Iraqi people and the next president of the United States will face a slowly but steadily improving situation in Iraq and in the region or will face the very real risk, and possible reality, of a regional conflagration," Gates said.\nBush has repeatedly rejected the idea of a quick U.S. withdrawal from Iraq and said he wants to keep U.S. forces there until Iraq is able to govern and defend itself without being a haven for terrorists.\n"It seems to me that the United States is going to have to have some kind of presence in Iraq for a long time ... but it could be with a dramatically smaller number of U.S. forces than are there today," Gates said.\nMeanwhile, Bush had an in-person preview of a prestigious blue-ribbon panel's recommendations for a new way forward in Iraq. Talking to reporters, Snow said that commission chairman James A. Baker III gave a glancing briefing and did not leave the report behind.\nGates, who served on the commission until his nomination was announced by Bush on Nov. 8, said he did not know what the panel would recommend.\n"It's my impression that frankly there are no new ideas on Iraq," he said.\nThere has been little sign that Democrats, poised to take control of Congress in January, will block Gates, and a vote by the full Senate is expected by Friday.\nGates said at one point that "long-term stability in Iraq will be influenced by Syria and Iran" and said the U.S. government should "look at ways to bring them to be constructive. How we do that, I don't have any specific ideas at this point."\nOf al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, he said: "The way we'll catch bin Laden eventually, in my view, is that just as in the case of Saddam Hussein, one of his people will turn him in"
(12/06/06 3:14am)
Now that the semester is coming to a close and everyone has an abundance of both time and money, it seems so very appropriate to review a book about how to deal with all of that money (and account for a little bit of that time).\nDave Barry's "Money Secrets: Like: Why Is There a Giant Eyeball on the Dollar?" is a typical Dave Barry book. It has moments of guffaw interspersed with I've-seen-better humor. But it is hard to put down. After all, how often do you find a book that includes a metaphor comparing the World's Largest Cheeto and Donald Trump's hair, or that points out the numerous similarities between Punxsutawney Phil and Alan Greenspan?\nThe book includes chapters such as "How to Get a Job" and "A Guide to Tipping," both of which are ultra-essential to college students pondering graduation (no, not the real world!) or traveling somewhere besides their parents' basements (even though the rent is so low and the meal plan sure beats the dorms!). And the answers to the questions are definitely not the same droll responses one would find in other humor magazines such as Harper's and The Wall Street Journal.\nIs the book worth reading? Even considering the attention span of most college students during the winter break, I would say yes. It is a book that you can pick up, read for three minutes, have something resembling a good laugh and then go back to your passion: napping. And if you make it through the book and someone asks how you spent your break, you can impress them by saying that you read up on financial planning. Don't worry. Unless your friends are in the business school, they won't ask you to elaborate. They'll just be impressed by your desire to improve yourself when all they did was nap and ponder giant Cheetos.\nOh, and the giant eyeball on the dollar bill? Just as we expected, it was chosen because the second choice was a fish playing tennis, and that would be downright silly. But it's a pretty good name for a band.
(12/05/06 5:24am)
HOUSTON -- A truck driver was convicted Monday in the deaths of 19 illegal immigrants who were crammed into a sweltering tractor-trailer in the deadliest human smuggling attempt in U.S. history.\nThe jury will return Wednesday to begin hearing evidence on whether Tyrone Williams, 35, should get the death penalty.\nIt was the second time Williams was found guilty in the case; an appeals court said the earlier verdict was flawed and ordered a new trial.\nThe federal jury deliberated a little more than four days before convicting Williams on all 58 counts of conspiracy, harboring and transporting for agreeing to drive the illegal immigrants from South Texas to Houston in 2003.\nThe more than 70 immigrants packed into the airtight trailer clawed desperately at the insulation, broke out the taillights and screamed for help as the heat climbed inside. Nineteen suffocated or died of heat or dehydration.\nWilliams abandoned the trailer at a truck stop near Victoria, Texas, about 100 miles from Houston.\nDefense attorney Craig Washington said his client was not responsible for the deaths because he didn't know the immigrants were dying until it was too late. Washington blamed another smuggling ring member for causing the deaths by overstuffing the trailer.\nProsecutors said Williams was responsible for the deaths because he didn't free the immigrants or turn on the air conditioning.\nWilliams showed no reaction when the verdict was read. He accepted a long hug from his lawyer before being led away by U.S. marshals. "I am deeply disappointed," said Washington, a former congressman.\nWilliams, a Jamaican citizen who lived in Schenectady, N.Y., is the only one of 14 people charged in the case to face the death penalty.\nLast year, a jury convicted Williams, but he avoided a death sentence because the jury couldn't agree on his role in the smuggling attempt. An appeals court said the verdict did not count because the jury failed to specify his role in the crime.