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Enough is enough

The University of South Carolina sent a group of 105 students to work toward the Hurricane Katrina relief effort last week during their fall break. Students at Purdue went home to visit their families. Some students at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn., decided to stay on campus to unwind. Across the nation, college students are escaping from the stress of midterms. But IU-Bloomington students are once again in the pressure cooker this week. And they'll stay there until Thanksgiving.

I heart the Game Show Network

I've found my true calling in life. I've decided to become a professional game show contestant. With the advent of the Game Show Network showing episode after episode of all kinds of game shows, 24/7, I think now is a prime time for me to get into the market. But there is currently a roadblock for each of the popular shows.

American Girl interrupted

Many of my friends and readers think I loathe conservatives, so I want to set the record straight. I loathe irresponsible, boorish advocacy groups that lack common sense and self-control, and if way too many of those groups happen to be manned by right-wing nut-jobs, well that's just coincidental.

Kashmir's forgotten quake

In a week of news dominated by Harriet Miers and Karl Rove, it was probably hard to notice the aftermath of the year's worst natural disaster: the Kashmir earthquake Oct. 8. So far, the death toll stands at about 41,000, which makes it the deadliest natural disaster since the December 2004 tsunami in South Asia. Relief efforts are staggering along with weather and terrain hampering efforts (not to mention the fact that Kashmir is among the most disputed territories on earth).

Get your groove on

Anyone and everyone can dance. Jennifer Lopez does it in her videos. Usher does it on stage. And you can dance, too. With that said, that doesn't mean you should quit school or your job and shimmy over to Broadway or hit the road with Missy Elliot as a backup dancer, but you can cut a rug at a party this weekend.

So much more than a party school

Some students, faculty and administration have become increasingly indignant about IU's party school reputation. This frustration has been reinforced lately because of certain presences on campus. (Namely, Playboy magazine and a company filming a DVD reminiscent of products marketed to the lonely single males who watch late night TV.) The movie filming took place during the weekend at local bars downtown, such as The Jungle Room, Kilroy's on Kirkwood and Bluebird Nightclub.

Just Don't call them Country

Face time on MTV seems to be a common goal among many young bands today, whether it's TRL or Hard Rock Live. That's not exactly Nickel Creek's plan. As a trio featuring the mandolin, fiddle and guitar, this band fits in more with CMT and PBS, where they have appeared quite often since their career took off in 2000.

Court issues warrant for DeLay, sets $10,000 bond

AUSTIN, Texas -- A Texas court Wednesday issued a warrant for Rep. Tom DeLay, ordering him to appear at the Fort Bend County jail for booking on state conspiracy and money laundering charges. The court set an initial $10,000 bail as a routine step before the Texas Republican's first court appearance Friday.

Rice won't rule out U.S. troops in Iraq in 10 years

WASHINGTON -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Wednesday refused to rule out U.S. troops still serving in Iraq in 10 years or the possibility that the United States could use military force against neighboring Syria and Iran.

A defiant Saddam pleads innocent, scuffles with guards

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- A defiant Saddam Hussein quarreled with judges and scuffled with guards at the opening of his long-awaited trial Wednesday, rejecting the tribunal's right to judge him and insisting he is still the president of Iraq.

AMY RAY

Amy Ray may be the one person alive who wouldn't mind going back to high school. Her newest solo album, Prom, tackles the heady brew of identity, community and the heaps of hormones that are born of the high school years. The mandatory Amy Ray political overtones make appearances, but the overwhelming aura of Prom is all about those four turbulent years. But Ray didn't initially set out to write an album about high school.

Ice storm might have led to east central Indiana baby boom

MUNCIE -- A January 2005 ice storm that kept thousands in the dark and without heat for days might have led to a small baby boom in eastern Indiana, hospital officials say.

Delphi's bankruptcy filing could lead to job losses

Robert "Steve" Miller used to make $1.5 million a year, but he announced Monday that starting in January his salary will be just $1 a year. It isn't really as strange as it might seem. Miller is the chairman and CEO of Delphi Corp., which filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Oct. 8. During bankruptcy hearings and the subsequent deal-making with unions, reducing executives' salaries is a common tactic.

'Calvin and Hobbes' creator as absent as beloved characters

CHAGRIN FALLS, Ohio -- Maybe someday, officials will put up a statue marking this quaint village as the birthplace of "Calvin and Hobbes." Just don't expect cartoonist Bill Watterson to attend the unveiling ceremony. It's been nearly 10 years since he abruptly quit drawing one of the most popular comic strips of all time. Since then, he's been as absent as the precocious Calvin and his pet tiger, err, stuffed animal, Hobbes. Some call Watterson reclusive. Others say he just likes his privacy.

NY plans Sept. 11 museum to remember experience

NEW YORK -- Visitors to the Sept. 11 memorial museum could relive the 2001 terrorist attacks in an "immersive" area that surrounds them with pictures of the falling towers, the sounds of police sirens and the last words of some of those who died at the World Trade Center.

The fashion business has new set of men to dress

New York TV festival seeks to boost industry

NEW YORK -- You don't have to look far to find a reason for the New York Television Festival. Look no further than, say, NBC's dead-on-arrival drama "Inconceivable." ABC's long-running but torturously humdrum sitcom "According to Jim." Or enough other examples to fill the rest of this column.

A season without Kenny

Unless you've been living in a cave for the past 10 years, or you're Amish, you've seen "South Park," Trey Parker and Matt Stone's cartoon about four kids from a small mountain town in Colorado. What was once a late '90s craze that blew up, continued for a few seasons and turned into a movie -- the-end all-be-all of television series' -- is still going strong, with a new season ready to air on Comedy Central. In terms of the DVD market, this most recent release is season six.

Where will they be ten years from now?

Before I even begin this, I have a single question for you: what happened to that show "Where Are They Now?" on VH1? You know, the show where they catch up on the recent developments of your favorite auxiliary entertainers. I seriously haven't seen the show on VH1 since I was in junior high, and that's certainly saying something since I'm one super-duper-senior. Now maybe in the last 70080 hours of programming on VH1, I happened to miss a showing of "Where Are They Now?" Be that as it may, I'm just dying to get some updates on the lives of superstars such as Debbie Gibson, New Kids on the Block and the entire cast of "Beverly Hills, 90210."

Ridley's 'kingdom' true to life

Making a movie about the Crusades for post-9/11 audiences takes serious sack, and few Hollywood power players have a bigger one than Ridley Scott. His "Kingdom of Heaven" tells the tale of Balian, the French blacksmith (Orlando Bloom), who through a chance meeting with his father Godfrey of Ibelin (Liam Neeson) ends up a knight charged with the protection of Jerusalem from invading Muslims and power-hungry Christians alike in 1184 A.D.