Region

Stiff competition

By Jennifer Miller · Thursday, Jan. 25,2007 12:18 p.m.

Apparently Peyton Manning isn't the only one hoping for a good performance on a Sunday night. Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. has recently been slapped with a lawsuit regarding the advertisement of its blockbuster erectile-dysfunction drug, Viagra. A nonprofit AIDS organization alleges its ad campaigns, newly aimed at a broader age range, promote its use as a party drug.

4 Americans shot execution style in Iraq helicopter crash

Thursday, Jan. 25,2007 9:12 a.m.

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Four of the five Americans killed when a U.S. security company's helicopter crashed in a dangerous Sunni neighborhood in central Baghdad were shot execution-style in the back of the head, Iraqi and U.S. officials said Wednesday.

Around the World

Thursday, Jan. 25,2007 9:11 a.m.

The Democratic-controlled Senate Foreign Relations Committee dismissed President Bush's plans to increase troops strength in Iraq on Wednesday as "not in the national interest," an unusual wartime repudiation of the commander in chief.

Palestinian conflict

By Aparna Venkatraman · Thursday, Jan. 25,2007 8:23 a.m.

A recent report out of North Carolina tells of three Palestinian students who were attacked by at least 15 members of the Guilford College football team, according to court records. Some were said to be under the influence of alcohol. The attack occurred late Friday night or early Saturday morning on the campus of the Quaker-affiliated college. Three of the football players were arrested on charges of assault and battery on Monday.

Friday marks application deadline for student trustee job

By Ryan McLaughlin · Thursday, Jan. 25,2007 12:40 a.m.

The deadline for applications to serve as the next student trustee is coming -- and so far only one person has applied. So far, the board of trustees' office has only received one application. However, Robin Gress, secretary of the board of trustees, said she expects the majority of the applications to be turned in on the day of the deadline.

About Face (book)

By Michael Reschke · Thursday, Jan. 25,2007 12:40 a.m.

Wouldn't it be great if classes were cancelled the Monday after the Super Bowl? More than 3,000 students think so, and they've employed Facebook to voice their opinion. Physically gathering in one place to rally support for a cause might become a thing of the past as many students now join Facebook groups to show support, raise awareness and promote change for a wide variety of issues.

Throw down in B-town

By Mike Abrams · Thursday, Jan. 25,2007 12:38 a.m.

We have black versus white, male versus female, pre-med versus Kelley, Foster versus Forest, Greek versus nongreek. The list continues. Why must we divide our school once more?

New network offers more exposure

By Jacob Stewart and Jake Stewart · Thursday, Jan. 25,2007 12:35 a.m.

The Big Ten is undoubtedly one of the most elite conferences to affect the sporting world today. From a rough-and-tough attitude on the courts and fields to the multiple historical achievements of teams and coaches, it is endowed with a rich tradition of excellence. IU has the distinct honor of being a part of that tradition and bringing its own achievements to the table.

Hoosier women have tough road in Big Ten

By Jacob Stewart and Jake Stewart · Thursday, Jan. 25,2007 12:34 a.m.

After a 10-2 start for the IU women's basketball team, including a promising 54-51 win against then-No. 16 Kentucky, it appeared things were looking up for the Hoosiers. Entering conference play, the possibility that IU could contend with the likes of Purdue and Ohio State seemed a real possibility.

Job potential boosted by learning African language

By Andrew East · Thursday, Jan. 25,2007 12:32 a.m.

Graduate student Abbie Hantgan hopes that being able to speak Bambara, a language spoken in West Africa, will give her more job opportunities. After graduate school, she wants to work at the U.S. Embassy in Mali in West Africa. Bambara is one of several African languages offered through IU's African Language Program, which regularly offers Bambara, Kiswahili, Twi and IziZulu.

Music rhetoric used to improve analytical skills

By Emily Pickett · Thursday, Jan. 25,2007 12:31 a.m.

Muddy Waters is more than what you'd find on a typical day at Lake Monroe. "Searching for the Ghost of Muddy Waters: The Rhetoric and Representation of Rock and Roll Culture," the title of an English W170 topics class this semester, refers to the legacy of the famous blues musician whose music has had an enormous influence on rock 'n' roll music.

Immigration spurs new culture series

By David Griggs · Thursday, Jan. 25,2007 12:29 a.m.

Graduate student Jennie Woolf immigrated to Israel two years ago. Though born and raised a U.S. citizen, Woolf said she never felt American. After graduating from the Kelley School of Business, she took a corporate job in Chicago. "I hated it," Woolf said. "So, I met with an Israeli adviser in regards to volunteer work I could do there, and when I left her office I had decided to immigrate. It wasn't really a planned thing, but it just felt right." To work on her master's degree, Woolf has now returned to Bloomington and is sharing her experience in Israel with students.

UITS offers help for podcast novices

By Shannon McEnerney · Thursday, Jan. 25,2007 12:27 a.m.

Kimberly Ruff, marketing and sponsorship director of Recreational Sports, plans to use podcasts to share tours with prospective students, to demonstrate how to use the different equipment and to share fitness and wellness tips. Play lists or set lists would be ideal for organizing the exercise workouts. All she and her colleagues need to do is learn how to make a podcast.

At the end of the rainbow

By Rorye O'Connor and Rorye O'Conner · Thursday, Jan. 25,2007 12:25 a.m.

What is pride? "To me, gay pride is just to go and have a good time with people who are accepting of me and I am accepting of them," said James Cummings, GLBT student support services office assistant. To some people, it is a sense of togetherness. This weekend the Buskirk-Chumley Theater, 114 E. Kirkwood Ave., will offer the opportunity for such camaraderie with the PRIDE Film Festival, a series of 31 films that will run in several areas around Bloomington.

Around the Arts

Thursday, Jan. 25,2007 12:09 a.m.

Black Film Series WHEN: 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday WHERE: Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center, 275 N. Jordan Ave. MORE INFORMATION: The Black Film Series educates students and the IU community about the black experience through films, videos, slides and more.

Abducted mom, 4 children found safe near Elkhart home

By Tom Coyne · Wednesday, Jan. 24,2007 11:38 p.m.

ELKHART, Ind. -- A tip from a pizza man and a secret message in a phone call helped lead to the arrest of a man accused of abducting his ex-girlfriend and their four children after shooting a man.

City buses end nights early due to lack of funding, resources

By Shannon McEnerney · Wednesday, Jan. 24,2007 11:38 p.m.

Junior Kelsey Byers takes out her bus schedule to coordinate her agenda after her class ends at 6:45 p.m. She has 15 minutes to catch the 7 o'clock bus after her class. "After 7, the buses don't run until every 30 minutes (as) opposed to the 15 minutes they usually run," Byers said. "I usually have someone pick me up." If Byers doesn't catch the 7 p.m. bus, she has to wait 40 minutes: 30 for the bus in addition to the 10-minute walk to her stop. "I used to work for Safety Escort and we would pick up people inconvenienced by the bus schedule all time," Byers said.

Bloomington plays host to sweet week of chocolate

By Elizabeth Dilts · Wednesday, Jan. 24,2007 11:38 p.m.

The Victorian maxim "moderation in all things" has become a mantra of American culture, being preached by fitness buffs and wellness gurus alike. These people obviously don't understand Bloomington's taste for chocolate.

'The Departed' banned from China

By Min Lee · Wednesday, Jan. 24,2007 11:28 p.m.

HONG KONG -- Martin Scorsese's hot crime thriller "The Departed" -- in which Boston gangsters try to sell computer technology to ethnic Chinese villains -- won't be showing in China. A state-run distributor has rejected the film, an industry executive said Thursday

Jordan River Forum

By Aparna Venkatraman · Wednesday, Jan. 24,2007 11:18 p.m.

Columnist should concentrate on Planned Parenthood's good qualities In Abram Hess's Jan. 18 column "An easy choice", he describes a discussion with an animal-rights activist and gets her to admit that she would never want to be in the difficult position of whether or not to kill a violent dog, and that is why he is anti-choice. Hess never mentions there is a way to avoid the position of having to choose an abortion -- make contraception more accessible and provide comprehensive sex education in school. Fewer unplanned pregnancies will lead to fewer abortions, which is something that both the pro-life and pro-choice sides can stand behind. Instead of berating Planned Parenthood for "raking in money by the boatload to kill human beings" (a statement incredibly fraught with debate), why not support it for the other important services it provides, including contraception distribution and gynecological care, that prevent an estimated 617,000 unintended pregnancies annually, according to the Planned Parenthood Web site? This will lead to fewer women having to face a difficult choice -- a choice that Hess, as a male, will never have to make.