Region

Old folks and sex

Deceased coal miners left farewell notes to families

TALLMANSVILLE, W.Va. -- Some of the 12 coal miners who died in the Sago Mine disaster left farewell notes assuring their loved ones that their final hours trapped underground were not spent in agony, a relative said Thursday. "The notes said they weren't suffering, they were just going to sleep," said Peggy Cohen, who had been called to a temporary morgue at a school to identify the body of her father, 59-year-old machine operator Fred Ware Jr. Cohen said that there was no note on Ware's body, but that she planned to retrieve his belongings to see if he put one in his lunch box.

Sharon fights for life after massive stroke

JERUSALEM -- Doctors said Thursday that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will be kept in a coma-like state for up to three days to prevent further damage from a massive stroke. His sons held a bedside vigil and state media broadcast mournful songs.

Eat what you like

When it comes to popular culture, we are not what we eat. This idea, for which I wish I could take credit, was articulated in a gender studies course packet of mine. I'm fond of it; it eases my reservations and my shame of watching -- and enjoying -- "Laguna Beach" every week. The reruns, too.

Statehouse prayer solution heavenly

A recent protest by Indiana House Republicans might have unintentionally stumbled onto the remedy to a church-state conflict that has continued throughout American history.

Gov. Daniels' 1st year highlights

From Associated Press reports Gov. Mitch Daniels achieved much of his legislative agenda in his first year as governor. Among the highlights:

Indiana bill filed to make abortion illegal

A Republican lawmaker has filed a bill to make abortion illegal in Indiana, saying if it became law, it could ultimately be a vehicle to get the U.S. Supreme Court with new members to overturn abortion rights. But Gov. Mitch Daniels said Thursday that his sense was that "it would have a very limited prospect of ultimate success."

WHILE YOU WERE GONE

The IU School of Informatics received a $25,000 fellowship to advance graduate students' research, according to a press release. Alumnus Chin-Cheng Wu, who earned a master's degree in computer science from IU in 1977, made the donation in honor of Paul W. Purdom Jr., former chairman of the IU Department of Computer Science. Wu is the chairman of Acopia Networks, a Massachusetts-based technology company.

Carmichael Room to remain in Morrison

IU officials have decided against moving the collection of Hoagy Carmichael memorabilia currently housed in Morrison Hall, according to The Associated Press. The Hoagy Carmichael Room, which contains artifacts including original sheet music and an Academy Award, was set up as a memorial to the famous Bloomington native, who composed hits such as "Stardust" and "Georgia on my Mind."

Jon Stewart slated to host 2006 Academy Awards

LOS ANGELES -- First music. Now movies. Jon Stewart, who worked the Grammys in 2001 and 2002, was tapped Thursday to host the 2006 Oscars.

Sorority recruitment invites continue throughout weekend

While most IU students plan to spend this weekend packing, checking flight schedules and preparing for their return to campus, IU's Greek women have been in Bloomington for a week preparing to welcome the newest additions to their chapters. On Nov. 11 and 12, 1,400 IU women participated 19 Party, the first round of recruitment in which potential members visit all 19 women's chapter on campus. Stephanie Sautter, a sophomore from Washington, D.C., participated in 19 Party.

Purse snatched in Eigenmann

A woman reported that an unknown male snatched her purse and ran away with it in Eigenmann Hall Dec. 28, according to IU Police Department reports. IUPD Lt. Jerry Minger said the woman had been waiting for the elevator when the man grabbed the bag and ran down the stairs toward the basement area. Two men reportedly ran downstairs after him but were unsuccessful in their pursuit.

Herbert to address summit on education

As far as IU President Adam Herbert is concerned, the world is flat. Herbert plans to tell a panel of his peers today at a national summit of university presidents that the new currency of the global economy is no longer climate and geography but knowledge. Drawing from the thesis of the book by New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, "The World is Flat," Herbert will discuss the growing importance of communications and globalism to American universities at the conference in Washington, D.C. On Thursday, President George W. Bush told about 150 leaders of major higher universities at the meeting that he is sponsoring a new initiative known as the National Security Language Initiative to spend nearly $115 million on teaching Americans "critical-need foreign languages" like Arabic, Chinese, Hindi and Farsi in an effort to deal with this increasingly globalized world.

Resolve to be better year-round

Quit smoking. Quit drinking. Lose 20 pounds. Forty to 50 percent of Americans make lists of New Year's resolutions every year, according to Acqyr.com. But only 20 percent of the Americans who make resolutions keep them.

Students' style, musical tastes to be considered art

Do you realize that every time you glide your finger on your iPod Click Wheel to find that perfect song, that every time you dance and that every time you laugh at a comedic performance, you are enjoying the arts? As one of the spring 2006 arts editors for the Indiana Daily Student, I fear that too many readers (yes, you) pair the arts and, in turn, the arts page of the IDS, only with high-culture opera and theater productions that appeal little to the college demographic, especially at IU. Moreover, I fear that readers have a tendency to skip over this page, maybe just glancing at the photos or skimming through the upcoming events.

Death toll in Nigerian plane crash up to 107, mostly children

PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria -- Four people died after being pulled from the wreckage of a Nigerian jetliner that crashed while landing in a storm, state television said Sunday, raising the number killed to 107, most of them schoolchildren coming home for Christmas. The victims included an American aid worker.

Charlize quite 'Flux'able

"Aeon Flux" was never, by any stretch of the imagination, popular, but it did garner a sort of cult following of fans who enjoyed the show's overt sexuality, raging violence and baffling abundance of codpieces. That's why it is so surprising that this bizarre show, with its scantily clad heroine, would be turned into a major motion picture, almost 15 years after it first appeared and disappeared into relative obscurity on MTV's short lived animation showcase, "Liquid Television."

Brains featured in new calendar

URBANA, Ill. -- The brains of 12 University of Illinois men and women are the stars of a new calendar set to hit campus bookstore shelves this fall. The 2006 calendar, called "Big Brains," will feature artistically enhanced brain scans of campus administrators, faculty, staff and students.

Is there a middle road?

Bisexuality. It's an ambiguous label. Its meaning is highly debated among critics in both straight and gay communities. Some have called bisexuality a transition phase between being straight and gay. Others say it is simply an indication of a person's sexual confusion. And then there is the phrase coined by some members of the homosexual population: "You are either gay, straight or lying."

Mars orbit closest to Earth since 2003

Beginning last weekend and continuing through the rest of the week, Mars and Earth are aligned with the sun and the two planets are separated by a mere 43 million miles -- the closest they've been since August 2003 when they were 35 million miles apart. Mars is Earth's closest neighbor, even though a gap of more than 140 million miles usuallly separates the two planets' oval-shaped orbits within the solar system.