Community Arts

NFL defends Super Bowl officiating

Two days later, the NFL defended the officiating in the Super Bowl, and Joe Montana defended himself. After the Steelers beat the Seahawks 21-10 in the NFL title game, the league said Tuesday that no mistakes were made by the game officials, although Seattle coach Mike Holmgren might disagree.

Hoosiers look for turning point

Pardon the Hoosiers for being a little short on commentary after Tuesday's practice. They've got bigger things to worry about than interviews.

Cartoon hypocrisy

Violent protests are raging across the globe and at least a dozen people have been killed because of ... cartoons! The 12 caricatures of Mohammed, specifically. The Danish newspaper "Jyllands-Posten" printed them in September and only recently Danish Muslims brought them to the Islamic world, where the mayhem ensued. Why? In Islam, it is blasphemous to even depict Mohammed, let alone as a caricature.

Beware of the elite

I should be happy. The Senate's confirmation of Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court last week was supposed to rest my fears about the judicial nominating process and revive my faith in the Senate. Yet despite the pleasing outcome, something still bugs me about the way things went.

Fixing a hole

Like all relatively beneficial things -- your car, let's say -- legislation aimed to be good sometimes is in need of a tune up. Despite the public good already performed by the laws on the books, the law's corners will occasionally unravel and groups can easily exploit the loose ends in ways never intended when the legislation was approved.

Fix the vote

It should be easier to vote. That statement comes with some loaded rhetoric. We're not suggesting it should be easier to cheat in elections, in which one person takes liberty to cast a couple ballots for a particular candidate. Nor are we saying it should be easier for non-residents to sneak into the polls and cast illegal ballots. Rather than "easier," perhaps we should say that elections should be more convenient for voters. It should be up to the citizens of a state to participate in the political process, but it should be up to the state to ensure the political process is as accessible as possible for its citizens.

Cartoon

Cartoon --Jordanian protesters set Israeli and Danish flags alight beside boxes of Danish products as they protest against the publication of Prophet Muhammad cartoons in European newspapers at the Professional Association's complex in Amman, Jordan, on Tuesday.

Israel to give up West Bank territory

JERUSALEM -- Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Tuesday that Israel will give up territory and relinquish control over most of the West Bank's Palestinians while holding on to main settlement blocs -- his clearest statement about how he sees Israel's future final borders.

Four more Alabama churches set on fire

BOLIGEE, Ala. -- Fires damaged four more rural Baptist churches overnight following a rash of suspected arsons that burned five others south of Birmingham last week, a state official said Tuesday.

Former U.S. presidents attend Coretta Scott King funeral

LITHONIA, Ga. -- Four U.S. presidents, senators, celebrities and thousands of mourners filled a suburban church Tuesday to say goodbye to Coretta Scott King, praised by President Bush as "one of the most admired Americans of our time."

Visiting music professor robbed in broad daylight on busy street corner

Raphael Glaser, 66, a member of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and a visiting professor at IU, was robbed in broad daylight Monday, according to a Bloomington Police Department report. According to the report, Glaser was standing at the corner of 10th and College streets when a group of white, teenaged males grabbed his digital camera out of his hands and ran away with it. The incident occurred at approximately 4 p.m.

Hypertonic saline spray offers new treatments, hope for cystic fibrosis patients

SOUTH BEND -- The salty mist that Devon Conley inhales throws him into a red-faced fit of coughing. Sometimes the fit continues for five minutes or more. But it's actually a good thing, said the 17-year-old from South Bend.

Community votes 'The Great Gatsby' as book of the year

Most of the country might look to Oprah's Book Club to choose their latest leisure read, but the Bloomington community has another option -- One Book, One Bloomington and Beyond.

IMP student writes, acts in films

Ultra-potent marijuana, vampires, the Roman Catholic church and divine cheese: these are just a few of the central ideas that junior John Druska's screenplays revolve around.

'Millie' comes to Auditorium

The fun-filled story of flappers, strong-minded young women and glitzy production numbers makes "Thoroughly Modern Millie" a true crowd-pleaser, IU Auditorium Director Doug Booher said in an e-mail.

Olympus Fashion Week draws small crowd to New York City

UPDATE: Substance prompts police to temporarily close Fountain Square Mall; turns out to be baby powder

Two teaspoons of baby powder closed Fountain Square Mall for an hour an a half Tuesday. Police and firefighters cordoned off the building at about noon after an employee of Finelight Marketing found an unknown white substance in an envelope. The Bloomington Township Fire Department Hazardous Materials team concluded the substance was talcum powder after running it through a battery of tests, said Bloomington City Fire Department Deputy Chief Roger Kerr.

Increased fee to usher in new housing options

Students looking for housing after their freshman year might have several new options, including suite-style rooms and a new apartment complex, to consider in the coming years. An average increase of 3.22 percent in housing fees approved by the board of trustees Friday is aimed at renovating both Briscoe and Forest residence halls into suite-style living as well as building new on-campus apartments at Ashton Center. The new housing options are part of an effort to encourage students to live on campus for more than one year. "There is a lot of research that indicates that students who live on campus for four years perform better academically than those who do not," said Pat Connor, executive director of Residential Programs and Services. "In our market research, we have found that there are many students who would stay on campus if there were more suite-style and apartment-style options available."

Assault reports up, officials not worried

Four women have reported assaults by men on campus in the past four weekends, but police and administrators say it is difficult to determine if this represents an increase from the norm. Of the assaults on women reported to the IU Police Department this semester, three have been sex-related, according to the police reports. Of those three, two were reported rapes and the other was a reported attempted rape. Dean of Students Dick McKaig said he doesn't believe the recent rate of reports necessarily equates to a rise in the number of assaults. "One of the things that I think is somewhat frustrating about my job is that folks don't appreciate how frequently these things happen on a college campus," he said. "We do have a problem, as most campuses do, with sexual assault."

artist VS. athlete

Before the Hoosiers' starting lineup is announced, amid a slowly filling Assembly Hall crowd, even before public address announcer Chuck Crabb's voice can greet spectators, a different sound takes control. "Ladies and Gentlemen, it's time to ball now," the voice says. "You're in the Hall now." Finally, as the men's basketball team charges onto Branch McCracken Court, the voice leaves one more reminder -- "Get in the Game."