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(09/08/06 4:50am)
As hundreds of thousands of college students across the country protest the Facebook News Feed, another recently introduced feature has gone largely unnoticed.\nA new election feature allows politicians to interact with younger voters. Students can also let all of their friends know who they support.\n"We wanted to do something to increase the political voice of the people on Facebook, a group that tends to be on the younger side of the electorate and which is often underrepresented in Washington and state capitals," Facebook's elections project manager Ezra Callahan wrote on the Facebook blog. "By bringing politicians to Facebook, you can engage with candidates on your turf, in ways that are familiar and meaningful to you."\nCallahan's post claims that Facebook now features more than 1,600 profiles for candidates in House, Senate and state governor races.\nSen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., is one of the Hoosier politicians with a more detailed profile. The profile notes he enjoys country, rock and bluegrass music, his favorite movie is "It's A Wonderful Life" and apple pie is one of his favorite foods. He lists some of his interests as energy independence, national security and the war on terror. \nBayh's Press Secretary Meghan Keck said the senator provides all the original information for his profile and continues to provide input by updating it regularly.\nMore than a year ago, Bayh's office asked Facebook to remove a fake Evan Bayh profile because it confused some constituents, Keck said in a May 26, 2005, Indiana Daily Student article.\nCandidates in the hotly contested 9th Congressional District are also paying attention to Facebook.\n"Communicating with the 18- to 25-year-old demographic can be difficult," said Cam Savage, spokesman for Rep. Mike Sodrel, R-9th. "This allows us to talk to people who turn to the Internet before they turn on the radio or TV."\nLike the blog on his official Web site, Sodrel's profile has been updated by volunteers, but Savage didn't rule out the possibility of Sodrel updating it personally in the weeks before the Nov. 7 election.\n"When he visited the U.S.-Mexico border a few weeks ago, he was sending back (blog) posts on his Blackberry," Savage said.\nHe said future updates will probably include information about campaign issues and Sodrel's voting record.\nLibertarian candidate for the 9th District and economics professor at IU Southeast said his campaign had reviewed Facebook but was unsure of how to use it yet.\n"We looked into it and there are 342 libertarians on IU's campus," Schansberg said. "We thought about maybe sending T-shirts to them, but we don't have any grand plans. We'll have a presence on there soon though." \nBaron Hill, the Democratic challenger for the 9th District seat, also has a profile on Facebook but has not updated it yet.
(09/07/06 5:14pm)
Baron Hill, Democratic candidate for the 9th Congressional District, addressed the IU College Democrats Wednesday and promised change if re-elected to Congress.\nHill is facing Rep. Mike Sodrel, R-9th, for the third time in what is expected to be another close race. In 2002, Hill won the seat by about 9,000 votes. In 2004, Sodrel won the seat by fewer than 1,500 votes.\nLibertarian candidate Eric Schansberg is also running.\nHill held the seat from 1998 until 2004 defeat.\nSpeaking to a crowd of more than 200 in Jordan Hall, Hill touched on a variety of topics, including health care reform, the war in Iraq and ethics.\n"Everywhere I go, people come up to me complaining about the high cost of health care," he said. "Even Republican businessmen are coming up to me saying something has to be done about the cost of health care."\nHill said that before legislating health care reform, Congress needs to debate whether health care is a right or a privilege.\n"It's hard for pharmaceutical companies to tear apart a plan if it's a right for people," he said.\nBefore the speech, state Rep. Matt Pierce, D-Bloomington, introduced Hill, reminding those in attendance how important this race could be in deciding control of the House of Representatives.\n"I think we are on the verge of making history in the U.S. Congress," Pierce said. "This is ground zero in a battle to take back Congress and make the American people our priority."\nHill promised a quicker end to the Iraq war if Democrats gain control of the House in November.\n"If you put us in power we will bring the troops home sooner rather than later," he said. "And we will do it with honor. We won't cut and run."\nThough Hill voted to authorize President Bush's invasion of Iraq in 2003, he now says he was lied to about the necessity of the invasion at a meeting attended by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and then-Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz.\n"They showed us centrifuges they said Iraq was using to make nuclear weapons and drone airplanes they said could fly under the radar to attack the U.S. with chemical and biological weapons," Hill said. "Then four months later I met with an air force general who said it was all made up."\nIf Democrats retake the House, Hill also said there would probably be investigations into the Bush administration, but he also urged restraint among his fellow party members.\n"I think Democrats need to be careful," he said. "We can't assume we're going to impeach this president like some members of my party want. There need to be investigations, but not a witch hunt."\nSodrel addressed the IU College Republicans at the group's call out meeting Monday.
(09/07/06 4:28am)
If Eric Schansberg doesn't look like your average politician, it's because he's not.\nHe's an economics professor at IU-Southeast.\nSitting in the Indiana Memorial Union, wearing a light blue dress shirt and munching a sub at lunchtime, this slim, balding figure fits well with the rest of the faculty here.\nHowever, Schansberg isn't taking a break between classes. He's actually resting after a morning of campaigning for the 9th District's congressional seat at Wednesday's Information Fair.\nSchansberg is the Libertarian candidate in one of the most closely contested House races in the country. The race is viewed as an epic third battle between Republican incumbent Mike Sodrel and the man from whom he won the seat in 2004, Democratic challenger Baron Hill. But don't call Schansberg a spoiler.\n"This is a grand experiment," Schansberg said. "I don't know if this is going to be the perfect storm or I'll just rain on their parade a little bit. In the perfect storm scenario, people aren't happy with either candidate, and I'm doing favorably in the debates. I can't set it up much better than that."\nOne of the most common questions asked of Schansberg on the campaign trail is: What is a Libertarian? And he's always glad to answer.\n"We believe that people are allowed to do whatever they want as long as it doesn't hurt other people," he said. "We believe in a limited form of government like in the Constitution."\nSchansberg has tried a grassroots approach to campaigning, attending all 20 county fairs in the 9th District and just talking to people.\nSometimes only a handful of people wanted to hear what he had to say, other times he spoke with several dozen potential voters, he said.\n"In the downstate towns we've gotten terrific media coverage," Schansberg said. "I was on vacation in Columbus and about half the people there were at least aware of me."\nA major boon for his campaign came with his inclusion in the first debate last Thursday at WTIU on IU's Bloomington campus. \nIn a poll on the Louisville Courier-Journal's Web site, 31.8 percent of respondents said they thought Schansberg won the debate.\nDebates themselves have been a hot topic in this race. Hill says he is "holding firm" on one-issue debates, while Sodrel supports debates that cover a variety of issues.\nSchansberg proposed they compromise with three one-issue debates, the topic of each decided by each candidate, and a final, multi-issue debate. Hill publicly accepted the offer in a Tuesday press release, but Sodrel has yet to respond.\nSchansberg calls himself "the only true fiscal conservative" in the race, appealing to Republicans, and also "the strongest defender of the poor and the middle class" appealing to Democrats.\nWhile Hill and Sodrel debate the "fair tax," which would replace many kinds of taxes with one federal sales tax, Schansberg says the real tax issue affecting the middle class is payroll taxes.\n"15.3 percent of every dollar you make goes to payroll taxes," he said. "If you earn $41,000 a year and have a family of four, you don't pay any income tax, but $6,000 of that goes to payroll taxes."\nFirst and foremost, Schansberg is an economist. He spouts off statistics on tax policy and social security reform with speed and accuracy most people only use to order lunch.\nHe freely admits that he has no previous political experience, but he also thinks he'd be much more effective as a congressman than at any local level.\n"Federal policy I know like the back of my hand," he said. "I know federal policy better than (Hill or Sodrel) do. It's state politics I don't know as much."\nSchansberg became interested in economics while an undergraduate at George Mason University, more out of necessity than anything else.\n"I had bad grades, and I didn't want to get kicked out," he said. "The only class I really liked and was passing was economics, so I took another. I got really fired up about public policy in undergrad."\nHe went on to Texas A&M for graduate school, then joined the faculty at IU-Southeast where he's been teaching for the past 14 years. In the early '90s he became active in the Libertarian party, finding in his study of public policy that both the Democratic and Republican approaches were lacking.\nThough his profile has grown in the district, few of his students realize he's running for Congress.\n"I said I had to cancel office hours for the debate and a few people looked up, like, 'Really?'" Schansberg said. "They think that their teacher being in the race is cool, but there hasn't been too much response"
(09/05/06 5:33am)
Rep. Mike Sodrel, R-9th, urged young people to get out and vote in his speech at the IU College Republicans call-out meeting Monday night.\n"It's important for young people to get engaged," he said. "They have more to win or lose in this next election. I'm in the fall of my career, but they're in the spring of theirs. If we pass the wrong laws and the wrong regulations now, they'll suffer longer."\nSodrel is facing Democratic candidate Baron Hill for the third time in what is expected to be another close race. In 2002, Hill won the 9th District seat by fewer than 500 votes. In 2004, Sodrel won the seat by fewer than 1,500 votes.\nAfter explaining the differences in political parties' beliefs, Sodrel took questions from the audience on a variety of issues, including the war in the Iraq, the "fair tax" and immigration reform.\nSodrel said huge strides have been made in improving technology in Iraq and that most of the country has been secured. He also compared the conflict to World War II.\n"The difference is that those fascists wanted to dominate us, and these fascists want to exterminate us," he told the crowd of more than 100.\nSodrel reiterated the comments he made about immigration at the first 9th District congressional debate Thursday, again calling for the borders to be secured.\nHe spent more time discussing in-depth the "fair tax," which he favors. Sodrel explained that the fair tax would abolish many kinds of taxes and eliminate the IRS.\nThose taxes would be replaced with a 23 percent federal sales tax on all goods purchased in the United States.\n"There are a lot of problems with the tax code as it is now," Sodrel said. "I could write a check for $10,000 to Bill Gates, and he wouldn't have to pay any income tax on it, and I wouldn't have to pay a gift tax, but if I leave a $5 tip for a waiter or waitress, they have to pay tax on it."\nThe crowd of College Republicans was supportive of almost everything Sodrel said.\n"It was a great speech," said junior Jon Lubitz, a member of the group. "He cleared a few things up and clarified a few of his positions."\nBefore the speech, College Republicans Chairman Shane Kennedy lauded Sodrel's character.\n"I'm glad to support this gentleman because he's the representative of the district I live in, and I'm glad to support him because he's a member of the party I support, but he's also very likeable, which in politics is sometimes very hard," Kennedy said.\nAfter his speech, Sodrel addressed the question of more debates. Sodrel prefers the multi-issue format such as the debate held Thursday on campus at the WTIU studios.\nHis opponent Hill said Thursday he is "holding firm" on a series of one-issue debates.\n"I understand his position, but this is a big district," Sodrel said. "I know we can stream things, but there are 20 counties and four media markets. I don't think single-topic debates would be productive. Maybe there's a middle ground, and we could limit a debate to four topics."\nLibertarian candidate and economics professor at IU-Southeast Eric Schansberg issued a press release Friday proposing a series of three single-issue debates on topics of each candidates choosing followed by a final open-format debate.\nHill and state Rep. Matt Pierce, D-Bloomington, will speak at the IU College Democrats call-out meeting tomorrow. That meeting is scheduled for 8 p.m. in Jordan Hall A100.
(09/04/06 4:14am)
IU officials announced Friday that Bennett Bertenthal, a professor of psychology and computational neuroscience at the University of Chicago, will take over as the new dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.\nBertenthal has been a member of the University of Chicago faculty for almost six years, researching the perceptual, motor and cognitive development of the brain, according to an IU press release. He is also a former assistant director of the National Science Foundation.\n"Dr. Bertenthal brings a very impressive record of academic and leadership achievement to Indiana University," said IU President Adam Herbert in a statement. "His impressive experience in fostering faculty collaboration and leading multi-disciplinary research initiatives will be especially valuable as we expand the IU research enterprise."\nBertenthal said he looks forward to helping IU grow as a research institution. \n"IU has begun initiating a very ambitious plan to enhance its research and educational opportunities," he said in an e-mail. "I am especially excited about the life sciences initiative, which will help to make IU one of the leading centers in the country for research in the life sciences. As an administrator, I have tried to provide bold and visionary leadership, and I look forward to working with the faculty and other administrators to make this a time of unprecedented growth for the University."\nIn January, Herbert said he hoped to have the COAS dean position filled by May 15, \naccording to a Feb. 2 Indiana Daily Student article. In early May, Bertenthal was named one of three finalists for the position, and the deadline was moved to mid-June. June came and went without any more word on the next head of COAS. \nBoard of trustees President Stephen Ferguson said both Bertenthal and the University had to be satisfied with the new COAS dean. \n"We knew who was involved and how the negotiations were preceding," Ferguson said. "This is a big decision. We knew (Bertenthal) had to satisfy himself that this is what he wanted to do. ... The dean of COAS is a very important position, but (we) think this is something everyone will be pleased with." \nThough Bertenthal said it was still too early to discuss his exact plans for the school, he said he was impressed by IU and Bloomington when he visited this summer.\n"My wife and I were both impressed by the warmth and collegiality of the faculty and the town," he said. "We visited a few times during the summer and always felt that Bloomington would be a very easy place to fit in." \nBertenthal's appointment will be confirmed by the board of trustees at its Sept. 22 meeting in Bloomington and he will officially begin his new role Jan. 1, 2007.\nKumble Subbaswamy vacated the COAS dean position earlier this year to become provost at the University of Kentucky after being passed over for the IU-Bloomington chancellor job. Professor of sociology David Zaret is currently acting as interim COAS dean.
(09/01/06 4:27am)
The three candidates for the 9th Congressional District seat debated several issues on the IU campus Thursday night, but the topic that came up repeatedly was energy.\nRep. Mike Sodrel, R-9th, Democratic challenger Baron Hill and Libertarian Eric Schansberg agreed America must reduce its dependence on foreign oil but each had different ideas on how to do it.\nHill proposed more research into new energy sources such as hydrogen and solar power.\n"I believe there is an energy crisis going on in this country," Hill said. "We've got a problem, and we can't solve it by digging for more oil."\nSodrel said he believes that gaining energy independence lies more in researching coal as a fuel, calling America "the Middle East of coal."\nSchansberg, an economics professor at IU Southeast, said the government should be less involved in finding new energy sources.\n"The government should not be in the business of picking winners," he said. "Why subsidize one fuel over the other? Let the market decide these things."\nThis is the third time Hill and Sodrel have faced off in the 9th District. Hill narrowly defeated Sodrel in 2002, but Sodrel won the seat in 2004.\nSeveral viewers watching the debate on WTIU or listening on WFIU called in with questions about the Iraq war.\nSodrel said that the United States can't "cut and run" in Iraq and compared the conflict and the war on terror to World War II.\n"There are no separate wars," he said. "This is one war of liberty versus fascism."\nHill, who voted to authorize the war in Iraq in 2003, said he had been lied to by the Bush administration about the reasons for entering the conflict but said it was important to take care of the troops who are there now.\nSchansberg said Iraq was a complicated situation and that it was too early to move out troops or gauge the success of the new government.\n"I don't think there should be a timetable for withdrawal," he said. "I think that would give away too much of our strategy and be a problem for morale."\nBack on the home front, all three candidates said they opposed amnesty for illegal immigrants but again proposed different ways of dealing with the issue.\n"We tried (amnesty) once before in 1986," Sodrel said. "We didn't secure our borders — now we have between 10 and 12 million people here illegally. We are a nation of immigrants. It's part of our culture, but we can't stand unlimited, illegal immigration."\nEnforcing existing penalties for employers of illegal immigrants is a better way to stem the tide of illegal immigration, Hill argued.\n"We need to make it loud and clear that there are consequences for hiring these people," Hill said. "If we take away their income, they will stop coming here and those here illegally will go home."\nSchansberg advocated a combination of increased border security and enforced penalties for employers.\nFor now, Thursday's debate, sponsored by WTIU, Hoosiers for Higher Education and the Bloomington Herald-Times, is the only debate scheduled for the election season as Hill and Sodrel have yet to finalize the terms of other meetings.\n"I'm holding firm on single-issue debates," Hill said after the debate. "The people of Southern Indiana deserve better. If (Sodrel) won't debate single issues, I'll take that as a duck."\nHill is proposing at least three single-issue debates about energy, values and immigration.\nSodrel and Schansberg are in favor of multi-issue debates such as Thursday's for different reasons.\n"With the size of the district, I think it's a bad idea to have one-issue debates," Sodrel said. "If we have one-issue debates in different counties, people may not hear what they're interested in."\nHill said that was not an issue as technology would ensure single-issue debates could be seen by everyone in the 9th District.\nSchansberg said one-issue debates were unnecessary.\n"I think Baron just wants one-issue debates on his talking points," he said.
(08/31/06 4:00am)
For what it is, Madden 07 is a solid football game, but EA's sophomore outing on the 360 falls well-short of what it could be.\nIn terms of pure play mechanics, 07 is as solid, challenging and addictive as any other Madden. Take more than about three seconds to throw after the snap and you're almost guaranteed to get laid out in the turf. And if you think about throwing before your receiver's open, it's going to be another interception for the defense.\nEven the controls seem to have improved in this version thanks to the new highlight stick on offense and kick stick for the point after.\nThankfully, the silly vision cone present in 06's current-gen versions was cut.\nWhere Madden fumbles this year is in presentation. Players look great up close, but from far out (90% of the game is played from a bird's eye view), this barely looks better than an Xbox 1 game aside from some cool weather effects.\nWorse, the game stutters for a second or two after most plays.\nThis is completely unacceptable for a 360 game. \nMusic and sound effects have also taken a step back this year. In the past few Maddens it really pumped up the atmosphere to hear a few riffs of the top-notch soundtrack after a big play. Music is strangely absent on the field most of the time this year for some reason.\nBut perhaps my biggest complaint is the lack of Mr. Turducken himself, John Madden. His name's still on the box, but like last year's 360 version, commentary is provided by some random boring asshat with some kind of fake filter that makes it sound like he's on the radio. To me it's not really Madden without senile comments.\nAlso, EA has an exclusivity agreement with ESPN, Madden 07 lacks the awesome half-time show of old rival ESPN NFL 2K5. \nHeck, the game lacks any kind of a half-time show sans a screen prompting you to continue the game. But a stadium announcer does periodically announce a contest winner and warn unruly patrons they're subject to "ejection and arrest."\nThanks EA, I really prefer threats of getting kicked out of a virtual football stadium instead of a good soundtrack or commentary.\nUnfortunately I have to call this the best football game on the 360, but there are much better versions of Madden on the current-gen systems.\nIf you really need a football fix this season it's Madden 07 is worth picking up, but otherwise try updating the rosters in an older version before plunking down $60 on this year's 360 edition.
(08/31/06 4:00am)
Ninety-Nine Nights is not a complex game. About 90 percent of the gameplay is just pressing "X" repeatedly. Every now and then you might press "Y." About once a level you hit "B."\nRepeat that a few dozen times and you beat the game.\nBut what N3 lacks in depth it makes up for in style. Every new press of the "X" button or combo with "Y" unleashes a giant slash of your melee weapon that sends literally hundreds of orcs and goblins flying that's just as exciting to see the 100th time as it was the first time.\nThe entire game is like the coolest battle scenes from the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy amped up to 11 with none of homoerotic hobbit undertones.\nThe graphics aren't jaw-dropping but they're more than acceptable. And it is damn impressive to lead a hundred knights into battle against thousands of orcs with not even a hint of slowdown.\nIf I've got one complaint it's that every now and then the action gets so hectic it's almost impossible to tell where your character is amidst the chaos.\nThere's a decent story here about orbs and the battle of light and dark in the world. It's standard fantasy fair, but it is kind of cool to see the story through the eyes of the seven playable characters.\nThe real highlight here is the orchestrated soundtrack, much of which plays in tandem with the hacking and slashing going on at the time. The musical pieces here are on par with any Hollywood epic.\nThis is no surprise however as the game's producer Tetsuya Mizuguchi has worked on some of the greatest soundtrack's in gaming such as "Space Channel 5," "REZ" and "Lumines."\nOn the other hand, voice acting ranges from acceptable to downright cheesy.\nUnlike a lot of other hack and slashers, N3 is pretty long too. Beating the game with all seven characters easily sucks up 20 hours. Beating every level with an "A" or "S" rank to adds on another couple of hours.\nThe unlockable concept art really isn't much motivation to continue though unless you really get into the game's universe.\nN3 won't win any awards for originality, but it is easily the best beat 'em up game to come out since "Dynasty Warriors 2"
(08/31/06 3:47am)
The next Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences should be announced in coming weeks, search officials said.\nLaw School Dean and search chairwoman Lauren Robel said the selection of the candidate to lead IU's largest school should be expected within a couple weeks.\n"Provost (Michael) McRobbie is negotiating with a finalist, but for a number of reasons beyond his control, the process has not been completed," said IU Director of Media Relations Larry MacIntyre in an e-mail.\nIn a May 8 article, the Indiana Daily Student reported the finalists for the position were Bennett Bertenthal, professor of psychology and computational neuroscience at the University of Chicago, Edward Donnerstein, dean of the College of Social & Behavioral \nSciences at the University of Arizona and Eric Friedlander, professor of mathematics at Northwestern University.\nIU President Adam Herbert said he expected a recommendation from the search committee by early June, according to the article.\nKumble Subbaswamy vacated the COAS dean position earlier this year after being passed over for the IU-Bloomington chancellor job. Professor of sociology David Zaret is currently acting as interim COAS dean.
(08/31/06 2:54am)
The owners of Rooftop Quarry have a very simple message for IU students: Stay out.\nOff-duty police officers will begin patrols of the area, also known as "Sanders Quarry" and "Longhole Quarry" Friday.\nTrespassers will be arrested and prosecuted. Their cars will be towed and impounded, the owners said.\n"It's a beautiful place, and if we could, we would love to open it up to the public," said Indiana Limestone director of materials Brett Skillred. "But the liability from injuries is something the company can't live with."\nRooftop Quarry has been a hot spot for students even before it was made famous in the 1979 movie "Breaking Away."\nBut many students who go there are not aware it's also private property. Often students injure themselves jumping from the rocks of the quarry, which has been a headache for Indiana Limestone.\n"We've been to court numerous times over injuries, none of which have been successful (for the injured)," Skillred said. "I don't think people realize that if we lost a lawsuit like that it could cause us to close and hurt a lot of families."\nAlong with the patrols the quarry is also putting up more signs warning people they are trespassing. Many older signs had been torn down over the years, according to a June 8 Indiana Daily Student article.\nIn the past the quarry had been very easy to access by students because of the sheer number of keys and passes the former owners had handed out.\n"It escalated until it was just out of control," Skillred said.\nOn an average day he says he has to tell between 30 and 40 people, almost always IU students, to leave the quarry. That's usually enough.\n"It's different people every time," he said.\nEntering the quarry without authorization is considered criminal trespassing, a class A misdemeanor with a penalty of no more than year in jail and a fine of $5,000 or less, said Monroe County Prosecutor Carl Salzmann.\nDepending on someone's past record though, they can often go through a pre-trial diversion program which carries a fine of about $400 and probation or community service.\n"The quarries aren't as pristine as they used to be," Salzmann said. "They have to do this. There are too many kids getting hurt"
(08/31/06 2:43am)
Ninety-Nine Nights is not a complex game. About 90 percent of the gameplay is just pressing "X" repeatedly. Every now and then you might press "Y." About once a level you hit "B."\nRepeat that a few dozen times and you beat the game.\nBut what N3 lacks in depth it makes up for in style. Every new press of the "X" button or combo with "Y" unleashes a giant slash of your melee weapon that sends literally hundreds of orcs and goblins flying that's just as exciting to see the 100th time as it was the first time.\nThe entire game is like the coolest battle scenes from the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy amped up to 11 with none of homoerotic hobbit undertones.\nThe graphics aren't jaw-dropping but they're more than acceptable. And it is damn impressive to lead a hundred knights into battle against thousands of orcs with not even a hint of slowdown.\nIf I've got one complaint it's that every now and then the action gets so hectic it's almost impossible to tell where your character is amidst the chaos.\nThere's a decent story here about orbs and the battle of light and dark in the world. It's standard fantasy fair, but it is kind of cool to see the story through the eyes of the seven playable characters.\nThe real highlight here is the orchestrated soundtrack, much of which plays in tandem with the hacking and slashing going on at the time. The musical pieces here are on par with any Hollywood epic.\nThis is no surprise however as the game's producer Tetsuya Mizuguchi has worked on some of the greatest soundtrack's in gaming such as "Space Channel 5," "REZ" and "Lumines."\nOn the other hand, voice acting ranges from acceptable to downright cheesy.\nUnlike a lot of other hack and slashers, N3 is pretty long too. Beating the game with all seven characters easily sucks up 20 hours. Beating every level with an "A" or "S" rank to adds on another couple of hours.\nThe unlockable concept art really isn't much motivation to continue though unless you really get into the game's universe.\nN3 won't win any awards for originality, but it is easily the best beat 'em up game to come out since "Dynasty Warriors 2"
(08/31/06 2:43am)
For what it is, Madden 07 is a solid football game, but EA's sophomore outing on the 360 falls well-short of what it could be.\nIn terms of pure play mechanics, 07 is as solid, challenging and addictive as any other Madden. Take more than about three seconds to throw after the snap and you're almost guaranteed to get laid out in the turf. And if you think about throwing before your receiver's open, it's going to be another interception for the defense.\nEven the controls seem to have improved in this version thanks to the new highlight stick on offense and kick stick for the point after.\nThankfully, the silly vision cone present in 06's current-gen versions was cut.\nWhere Madden fumbles this year is in presentation. Players look great up close, but from far out (90% of the game is played from a bird's eye view), this barely looks better than an Xbox 1 game aside from some cool weather effects.\nWorse, the game stutters for a second or two after most plays.\nThis is completely unacceptable for a 360 game. \nMusic and sound effects have also taken a step back this year. In the past few Maddens it really pumped up the atmosphere to hear a few riffs of the top-notch soundtrack after a big play. Music is strangely absent on the field most of the time this year for some reason.\nBut perhaps my biggest complaint is the lack of Mr. Turducken himself, John Madden. His name's still on the box, but like last year's 360 version, commentary is provided by some random boring asshat with some kind of fake filter that makes it sound like he's on the radio. To me it's not really Madden without senile comments.\nAlso, EA has an exclusivity agreement with ESPN, Madden 07 lacks the awesome half-time show of old rival ESPN NFL 2K5. \nHeck, the game lacks any kind of a half-time show sans a screen prompting you to continue the game. But a stadium announcer does periodically announce a contest winner and warn unruly patrons they're subject to "ejection and arrest."\nThanks EA, I really prefer threats of getting kicked out of a virtual football stadium instead of a good soundtrack or commentary.\nUnfortunately I have to call this the best football game on the 360, but there are much better versions of Madden on the current-gen systems.\nIf you really need a football fix this season it's Madden 07 is worth picking up, but otherwise try updating the rosters in an older version before plunking down $60 on this year's 360 edition.
(08/30/06 5:21am)
Rep. Mike Sodrel, R-9th, and Democratic challenger Baron Hill will square off in their first debate Thursday.\nAfter weeks of banter and barbs, Democratic challenger and former congressman Hill has signed on for a debate that will cover a variety of topics — the format Sodrel lobbied for.\n"Unfortunately we had to agree to a multi-issue debate," Hill spokeswoman Abby Curran said. "Mike Sodrel said it would be a waste of time and resources to have a single-issue debate, but we believe these issues deserve more than the two to five minutes you get in this type of debate."\nThe first debate is scheduled for 8 p.m., Aug. 31 at the WTIU television studios in Bloomington. The debate is sponsored by WTIU, Hoosiers for Higher Education and the Bloomington Herald-Times.\nHill, Sodrel and libertarian candidate Eric Schansberg will be asked questions by the three-person panel of Bob Zaltsberg of the Herald-Times, Jim Shella of WISH-TV and Lesley Stedman Weidenbener of the Louisville Courier-Journal.\nThe debate will be live on WTIU and simulcast on WFIU. Audience members can also e-mail questions to wtiu@indiana.edu or fax questions to 855-0729. A phone number for call-in questions had not been determined by press time.\nThis race marks the third time Hill and Sodrel have faced off in the hotly contested 9th District. In 2002 Hill narrowly defeated Sodrel by about 500 votes. Sodrel won the seat in 2004 by about 1,500 votes.\nSodrel spokesman Cam Savage said Hill was trying to avoid some topics with a series of single-issue debates.\n"I think if you're running (for) Congress, you should be ready to answer any question at any time," he said. "When you're in Congress, you don't have the luxury of debating some issues and not others."\nHill, who served as 9th District representative from 1998 to 2004, previously proposed a series of four debates about energy, values, health care and the economy.\nSome media outlets reported that Hill was ready to back out of Thursday's debate, which he flatly denied in a letter his campaign sent out Tuesday.\n"Baron will debate (Sodrel) as many times as (Sodrel) wants," Curran said. "He'll have 10 debates on 10 issues if that what he wants to do."\nSodrel's campaign isn't buying it, however.\n"I don't think he wants to debate, despite the angry rhetoric from his press releases," Savage said.
(08/30/06 2:16am)
As every comic book fan knows, all of us reporters just use the job as a cover. We are all, in fact, superheroes in our spare time. \nThink about it. Ace Daily Planet Reporter Clark Kent is actually Superman. The Daily Bugle's best Spider-Man photographer, Peter Parker, is in fact the web slinger himself. \nMe, I got the short end of the stick as Gas Guy. That's right. I had the amazing power to sit around a gas station for eight hours a night while fighting off the dreadful combined forces of Sleeping on the Job Troll, Drunk Hillbilly and the always entertaining "I Swear I'm Not Going to Roll a Fatty with this Swisher Sweet" Dude. \nI say I had those powers because they were mercifully stripped from me by the magical and enigmatic Bank Manager, who bestowed upon my poor butt a loan to finish my last year of college without having to spend anymore time at the Fortress of Managerial Ineptitude. But as a condition of my newfound financial invincibility, the manager asked me to warn the citizens of Earth of a great threat. \nSee, this gas station I worked at is just one of many large chains that implement a loyalty card. These go by cute and friendly names like "values card," "rewards card" or "point card." They're especially prevalent at supermarkets and are designed to convince you you're getting a lot in return. \nThis devil has many names but one common thread: You put down your name, age, address, phone number, e-mail, fingerprints, a hair sample, a list of recent vaccinations, and the names of your sexual partners since age 18 or any combination of the info thereof, and the store, in gratitude of this info, will give you lower prices on select items while jacking up other costs. So important is this to some companies that managers were consistently threatening to fire good people who had worked there for years over not scanning enough cards and signing up more new people. No one I knew there was fired, but people at other stores have definitely lost their jobs over this.\nWhen did it become so much more important to businesses to track who a customer is, rather than just provide a service to them? You're already getting my money, why do you need to know where I live and what time I like to shop?\nI can't count the number of people who had no idea exactly what their "rewards card" was for but signed up anyway and continued to scan it after every visit. My only advice is that if you can swallow the higher prices of these places without signing up for these cards, you should. For me, it's worth spending a few extra bucks to keep my privacy. And if you can't afford it, at the very least put down fake info to screw up the intelligence gathering. Something tells me there are an awful lot of I.P. Freelys out there.
(08/29/06 4:13am)
Student leaders are petitioning the IU board of trustees for a larger part in the search for IU's next president.\nMembers of the IU Student Association, Residence Halls Association, the greek community and other campus groups will present a letter to the board this week voicing concerns that the only student member of the recently appointed Presidential Search Committee is Michael Renfrow, a graduate student from IU-South Bend.\n"We are concerned because the IUB campus is primarily undergrad," RHA President Matt Jarson said. "I don't believe a graduate student at the South Bend campus who has never lived in a residence hall or taken a class here can fully represent Bloomington."\nThe groups initially asked that an undergraduate student from IUB join the search committee, but the trustees didn't concede.\n"We understand that a wider range of students want to be involved, but they need to understand that we have already started the process of appointing the committee and that is what it's going to be," said trustee Sue Talbot, who is chairing the committee.\nAt an Aug. 18 conference, the Association of Big Ten Students passed a motion 8-0 with three abstaining in support of IUSA seeking "adequate representation (that) should, at a very minimum include a student representative from a traditional, flagship campus."\nIn a letter addressed to IUSA issued last week, Talbot reminded the student government that Renfrow is not the only student that will have input in the presidential search.\nAs the committee narrows down its finalists, student trustee Casey Cox will have some say in the selection.\nCox is a third-year law student on the Bloomington campus, as well as a former IUSA president.\nIUSA, however, said it does not feel Cox can represent IUB as well as some other students.\n"Casey is not a voting member of the search committee," IUSA Vice President Andrew Lauck said. "And he's still a grad student. Plus, his role as a trustee is not to do what students want but to serve all taxpayers."\nStudents can still get involved in the process by contacting the trustees or attending any of the public forums on the presidential search later this year.\n"We're not taking this lightly, but I don't think this is a major issue," she said. "Students are important to us, and this is not an effort to close them out."\nThe search committee will meet for the first time as a group Sept. 13 at the IU-Purdue University Indianapolis Conference Center.\nCurrent IU President Adam Herbert said in June he would consider stepping down before his contract runs out in 2008 if a replacement is found before then.
(08/29/06 3:42am)
Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana President Gerald I. Lamkin announced today that he will retire in June after serving as president of the college since 1983 and a faculty member since 1967.\n"My time at Ivy Tech has been one of the most rewarding times of my life," Lamkin said in a statement. "We have made tremendous strides in establishing an effective and enriching community college system for the state of Indiana."\nIn December 2003, IU and Ivy Tech signed a historic agreement that allowed students to begin a degree at Ivy Tech then transfer to IU-Bloomington, according to a Jan. 9, 2004, Indiana Daily Student article.\nThe "Hoosier Link" program, as it became known, also allows Ivy Tech students to live in IU dorms.\nA new Ivy Tech president should not change that agreement, said Ivy Tech spokesman Jeff Fanter.\nDuring Lamkin's 23-year presidency, Ivy Tech saw its enrollment increase by 300 percent, according to a news release from the college. Donations to the Ivy Tech Foundation have increased from $350,000 to more than $13 million during his tenure.\nOne-third of Indiana college students are now enrolled at one of Ivy Tech's 14 campuses; IU is the only college system in Indiana with a larger enrollment.\n"Very few people who have a dream get to see it become real," Gov. Mitch Daniels said in a statement. "Gerald Lamkin is the father of the community college system in Indiana. He has led Ivy Tech to its central position in the economic future of Indiana." \nLamkin will continue to serve as president emeritus.\nDetails of the search for a new president are not yet known, other than candidates from all over the country will be considered. Ivy Tech is now the third Indiana college searching for a new president. \nIU started its search recently after IU President Adam Herbert told the board of trustees in January that he would retire in 2008 when his contract expires. In June, he amended that statement, saying he could step down earlier if a replacement is found. In addition, Purdue University President Martin C. Jischke announced earlier this month that he will retire in June 2007.
(08/29/06 3:32am)
This isn't your daddy's solar system anymore, says astronomy professor Constantine Deliyannis.\nAs of Thursday, the International Astronomical Union, the group responsible for naming celestial bodies, redefined what makes a planet, kicking Pluto out of the exclusive club.\nUnder the new definition, a planet is any body orbiting the sun that is spherical or nearly spherical because of its own gravitational forces and has "cleared the neighborhood around its orbit."\nPluto is a spherical body in orbit around the sun but fails to meet the last part of that definition.\n"It's a very sensible decision," Deliyannis said in an e-mail. "It's certainly true that given our ever-expanding knowledge of the solar system and its structure, and particularly the large number and variety of round objects that (we) now know it contains, it was time to revisit what we mean by 'planet' and decide upon a more precise definition."\nPluto was declared a planet soon after its discovery in 1930 by astronomer Clyde Tambaugh. \nAstronomers began to doubt its status years later as more and more Pluto-sized objects were discovered in an area beyond Pluto's orbit known as The Kuiper Belt and theorized that Pluto was not a planet but rather the largest of those objects.\nSeveral other definitions of a planet were presented at last week's IAU conference in Prague, Czech Republic.\nOne plan widely reported in the media would have let Pluto keep its planet status and immediately add three more planets to the solar system. Those new planets would have been Pluto's moon Charon; 2003 UB313 (nicknamed Xena by its discoverer), an object in orbit around the sun beyond Pluto; and the asteroid Ceres, located in orbit between Mars and Jupiter.\nMuch like Pluto, Ceres was considered a planet throughout the 1800s but was eventually demoted.\nIf the IAU had gone with that plan, another 12 objects would have been candidates for planethood. Some astronomers estimated that definition could have brought the total number of planets in the solar system up to 200.\n"There must have been substantial sentiment at the IAU that planets must somehow be special -- that we cannot allow every little round object ... to be promoted to the status of 'planet,'" Deliyannis said.\nThe new definition classifies Pluto, Ceres and "Xena" as "dwarf planets." Charon is now recognized as a "small solar system body," a classification that serves as a catchall category for numerous asteroids, comets and satellites, according to The Associated Press.\nCutting the solar system down to eight planets probably won't impact many people's daily lives, but it does mean that textbooks and courses from elementary school to college will have to be revised.\n"When I was in elementary school, I learned a mnemonic for the order of the planets at the McDonnel Planetarium in St. Louis," said professor of astronomy Phyllis Lugger in an e-mail. "It was: 'My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas.' Keeping with the theme of food that children enjoy, I suggest the following for the new mnemonic: 'My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nachos."\nLugger said she sent her idea to the chair of the planet definition committee, who thought it would work well for young astronomy students.\nDeliyannis also sees some exciting possibilities in classes at IU.\n"The specific new IAU definitions of planet and dwarf planet can lead to whole new sets of discussions and debates, involving students," he said. "For example, panels or teams could be set up within a class to debate the pros and cons of these new definitions."\nThe IAU's new definition isn't the final word on what makes a planet a planet, either. In the past 20 years, dozens of extra-solar planets have been discovered orbiting nearby stars. Most of these planets appear to be extremely large gas giants like Jupiter, but astronomers don't yet have the technology to tell if they are spherical or have cleared the neighborhood of their orbit.\nThese planets also appear to have highly eccentric orbits more similar to Pluto's than Earth's.\n"Today we know very little about extra-solar planets," Deliyannis said. "I am sure that eventually we will have definitions of objects orbiting other stars, and these definitions might perhaps be guided, at least in part, by the definitions of 'planet' and 'dwarf planet' adopted for our own solar system at the IAU meeting in Prague"
(08/28/06 4:15am)
Dozens of students shared tears and laughter Sunday as they exchanged stories and memories about Alvin Henry Jr.\nHenry was an Eigenmann Hall resident assistant and senior who was killed in a May 20 car accident on I-65 just south of Crown Point, Ind. \nGathering in the Grand Hall of the Neal-Marshall Black Cultural Center, the Black Student Union hosted the memorial service for the popular and involved student and announced the creation of a scholarship fund in his honor. \nBefore the service began, pictures of Henry were projected 15 feet high on a screen in the Grand Hall as gospel music played. In every photo, Henry, who friends called "Alvie" or "A.J.," was shown smiling.\n"Alvin was the type of person who made you smile every time you saw him," said senior D'Anna Wade, president of the Black Student Union. "He was a good-spirited person. He was always full of joy and happiness."\nHenry was active in campus life as a resident assistant in Eigenmann Hall, member of the executive board of the BSU and contributor to the Indiana Daily Student.\nHe graduated from Wirt High School in Gary in 2003 and came to IU to study political science with hopes of going to law school and eventually entering politics.\n"A lot of people's greatest fear is going outside their comfort zone," said BSU treasurer and junior Yetunde Okunade before reading one of Henry's favorite poems, "My Deepest Fear" by Nelson Mandela. "But a lot of people here are blessed with a lot of skills, so don't be afraid to go out and try new things like Alvin did."\nThe BSU hopes to raise $5,000 this year and $1,000 every year after for the Alvin Henry Jr. Memorial Scholarship Fund. The scholarship will be given annually to two members of the group who share Henry's ideals.\nThose who knew Henry well dedicated poems and songs to him at Sunday's memorial service. Several people told stories of how Henry touched their lives.\n"I only met Alvin one time," said D'Anna Wade's mother Deborah, who spoke at the service as an evangelist. "But he made a lasting impression on me. Every time I talked to D'Anna, I would ask her how Alvin was doing."\nDeborah Wade told the crowd that Henry should be remembered for the choices he made in his life to help those around him.\n"Scripture tells us that we all have choices," she said. "Our choices don't just affect us but others as well. And because we were all impacted by the positive choices Alvin made, I haven't heard one bad thing about him."\nThis week the BSU will sell raffle tickets at several events on campus for a 23-inch TV to raise money for the scholarship fund. For more information on how to donate to the fund, e-mail blbsu@exchange.indiana.edu.
(08/25/06 4:35am)
Several departments have joined together to launch a campaign warning students of the dangers posed by popular networking sites such as Facebook.com.\nSimilar to University Information Technology Systems' campaigns to educate students about computer use, the Dean of Students Office, athletics department and Residential Programs and Services have put together several posters around campus to remind students that much of what they put on Facebook can be accessed by prospective employers -- or worse, by stalkers.\n"A good rule is that if you don't want it on the front page of a newspaper, you probably don't want it on Facebook," said adjunct professor of psychology Cynthia M. Moore, who had a key role in designing the campaign.\nRPS discovered that about 42,000 IU students and alumni had signed up for accounts on the site, RPS representative Pam Sprong said.\nSince Facebook is ranked as the seventh most visited site on the Web, according to Internet auditing firm comScore Media Metrix, that number can only grow. \nFacebook is already ranked as the world's most visited photo site, with members uploading 1.5 million new pictures every day.\n"You might post something for a few minutes and take it off, but I can almost guarantee someone has seen it and archived it," Moore said.\nAs more employers check Facebook, incriminating photos can cripple students' chances at a good job or internship.\nBut photos aren't the only thing users have to worry about. Words can hurt, too.\n"There are groups with distasteful, crude names, with bad language that is just improper to use at anytime," Moore said. "Employers are looking at that type of thing to get a feel for peoples' personality."\nSeveral cases of stalking and intimidation via Facebook have been reported to the campus police, IU Police Department Capt. Jerry Minger said.\nMinger is quick to point out, however, that such cases are similar to other cases brought to the department's attention that involve new technology like e-mail or cell phones.\nThough some campus police departments actively monitor Facebook for illegal activity, Minger said that is not the case at IU and there are no plans to change in the immediate future.\n"In an eight-hour shift, our officers spend very little time near a computer," he said.\nThe easiest thing users can do to avoid stalking is not post an excessive amount of personal information such as addresses, phone numbers or schedule of classes, Minger said.\nSocial networking sites can be a hindrance in many ways, but Moore, who said she thinks the site is a great way to organize events, said it's not all doom and gloom.\n"We just want students to make good choices about the info they're putting out there," she said. "Look at it this way: If former President Clinton and current President Bush had Facebook accounts in college, probably neither of them would have been elected president"
(08/25/06 4:13am)
The IU board of trustees approved James C. Wimbush as dean of the University Graduate School at its monthly meeting Friday. Wimbush, who is currently a professor of business administration and chair of the IU Kelley School of Business' Department of Management, takes over Oct. 1. He replaces former dean John Slattery, who stepped down last year.\n"I am honored to have this position," Wimbush said. "One of the concerns is that the grad school slipped when Dean Slattery left, but Interim Dean Eugene Kintgen kept it running very well. I am very grateful for his help."\nAs dean, Wimbush said he hopes to improve the graduate school's visibility on campus and get more grants and funding for the program.\n"I hope to enhance the services we provide to students as well as the academic unit," he said.\nMore than 13,000 students are enrolled in graduate programs across IU's eight campuses, according to a press release.\nWimbush also said he plans to further the goals of the board's vision of mission differentiation, which emphasizes IU as one university with many campuses, rather than a system of schools.\n"I'm going to help regulate each campus' graduate program based on its different mission," he said. \nInterim Provost Michael A. McRobbie lauded Wimbush's goals in a statement.\n"James Wimbush will bring to bear the nation's best practices in graduate education," McRobbie said. "I am confident that he will represent the University's graduate programs to external audiences and funding sources in a way that will bring great benefit to our students and programs"