IUSA

Don't drink the water

By Matt Mattucci · Wednesday, Oct. 27,2004 1:25 a.m.

OK, so there's really no hope for the Bears making the playoffs this year. In fact, they may not win more than three games this entire season. But let's forget about that purely idiotic prediction I made weeks ago and address the current issues at hand. Somebody has obviously slipped something into the NFL's water recently because things just aren't going as anybody predicted they would. This past week alone some of the most bizarre things took place on and off the field that have spawned the following --

Video says Japanese captive faces beheading

By Alyson Brodsy and Maamoun Youssef · Wednesday, Oct. 27,2004 1:23 a.m.

CAIRO, Egypt -- Video posted Tuesday on a militant Islamic Web site showed what it claimed was a Japanese captive kidnapped by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's group and threatened to behead him within 48 hours unless Japan pulls its troops from Iraq.

Red Sox 1 win away from Series title

By Alyson Brodsy and Ben Walker · Wednesday, Oct. 27,2004 1:21 a.m.

ST. LOUIS -- Get ready, Boston. There's no other outcome now: Pedro Martinez, Manny Ramirez and the Red Sox will either win the World Series or add another historic collapse to their legend.

IUPD investigate subject carrying axe

By Alyson Brodsy · Wednesday, Oct. 27,2004 1:05 a.m.

A man carrying a large axe was arrested near T.I.S. Bookstore Friday on two warrants for failure to appear in court. The IU Police Department received a call Friday afternoon that said a male carrying a large axe was seen urinating on the front lawn of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority house.

Students partake in foreign policy discussion

By Craig Ginsberg · Wednesday, Oct. 27,2004 1:05 a.m.

With just seven days until the presidential election, a panel of three IU political science professors discussed the impact of how each candidates' philosophies, plans and beliefs could shape the landscape of U.S. foreign policy.

Students fast for local charity

By Lindsay Lyon · Wednesday, Oct. 27,2004 1:04 a.m.

Participants in the second-annual Ramadan Fast-a-thon gathered in the Forest Greenleaf Cafeteria Tuesday to break their one-day fast with a plate of date fruits and a dinner of traditional Middle Eastern dishes. The IU Muslim Student Union organized the event, and with the help of about 200 non-Muslim students and numerous sponsors, they raised $550 for the Bloomington Community Kitchen, a local agency that provides warm meals six days-a-week to the hungry.

Trend Tidbits

By Alyson Brodsy · Wednesday, Oct. 27,2004 1 a.m.

Indiana pumpkin crop booms FORT WAYNE -- Indiana farmers are growing more pumpkins to meet a rising demand for jack-o-lanterns and other seasonal decor, rather than food production. Indiana is No. 7 in pumpkin production in the United States, with 4,242 acres of pumpkins planted in 2002, according to the Census of Agriculture, published in June.

The perfect guise

By Amy Barnicle · Wednesday, Oct. 27,2004 12:59 a.m.

For almost every American kid, Halloween means one thing: candy, candy, candy. But for those of us who are too old for trick-or-treating and who want a little more excitement than a sugar high, Halloween can seem almost boring, or at least not worth the effort of dressing up.

State rep. tackles health care costs

By Nick Pittman · Wednesday, Oct. 27,2004 12:38 a.m.

With the cost of health care on the rise, many Hoosiers are wondering how they will be able to pay for health services. Several meetings took place Tuesday in Bloomington to discuss the creation of new policies designed to lower healthcare costs. State Rep. Peggy Welch, D-Bloomington, attended the meetings and favors lower healthcare costs for all residents of Indiana.

Hoosiers campaign for Kerry on Buckeye turf

By Stephanie Susman · Wednesday, Oct. 27,2004 12:35 a.m.

The Indiana Travelers for Kerry is a group affiliated with Monroe County Citizens for Kerry that travels canvassing for the Democratic presidential nominee ... in Ohio. Canvassing in Ohio is more important than in Indiana because Ohio's status as a swing state might make more of a difference in determining the next president, said Indiana Travelers for Kerry coordinator and Student Advocate Office Director Sally Jones.

Resource center aids Templeton families

By Catherine Hageman · Wednesday, Oct. 27,2004 12:32 a.m.

Stacey Hollars was in trouble. Drugs held down her life, and she was forced to resort to prostitution for money. She didn't have the tolerance to deal with four children -- until she came to the Shalom Family Resource Center. "This place has given me a lot of patience," Hollars said. "I've never devoted this much time to (my children)."

Un-United States

By Colin Dugdale · Wednesday, Oct. 27,2004 12:19 a.m.

In 1915, geologist Alfred Wegener made a surprising discovery. By testing various fossil records, he was able to substantiate his theory that all seven continents used to be connected in one large land mass.

The long road ahead

By Brandon S Morley · Wednesday, Oct. 27,2004 12:18 a.m.

The lights have dimmed and the tubes have been removed in Bloomington Hospital room 4524. The family has gathered. The arrangements have been made. All as Tim lay dying.

Stupid is as stupid votes

By Elisha Sauers · Wednesday, Oct. 27,2004 12:17 a.m.

It's a vast, right-wing stupidity. According to a University of Maryland poll released last Thursday, a large percentage of Bush supporters don't know diddlysquat about Iraq.

Clad in veil of bad faith

By Alyson Brodsy · Wednesday, Oct. 27,2004 12:16 a.m.

The government of France has begun quietly expelling students from its public schools who are defying a new law that bans conspicuous religious symbols and religious apparel.

Rehnquist illness could mean vacancy on Supreme Court

By Alyson Brodsy · Wednesday, Oct. 27,2004 12:15 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist's hospitalization for cancer brings with it the prospect of the first Supreme Court vacancy in a decade and is prompting speculation about who might take his place. Rehnquist has been the court's conservative anchor for a generation. Even before his thyroid cancer diagnosis, most believed the 80-year-old would step down in the next presidential term.

Israel approves withdrawal from Gaza

By Alyson Brodsy · Wednesday, Oct. 27,2004 12:13 a.m.

JERUSALEM -- Prime Minister Ariel Sharon won a historic victory Tuesday when parliament voted to approve his plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank -- the first time lawmakers have authorized the removal of Jewish settlements from lands the Palestinians claim for a state. The 67-45 vote, with seven abstentions, gave strong backing to Sharon's plan to evacuate 21 settlements in the Gaza Strip, where 8,200 Jewish settlers live amid 1.3 million Palestinians, and four in the West Bank.

'The Full Monty' show comes to IU auditorium

By Melissa Harrold · Wednesday, Oct. 27,2004 12:11 a.m.

This week, IU Auditorium audiences will have the chance to see whether six unemployed men will try to find a way out of their financial and social slumps by going for "the full monty" onstage.

Grafton Street at night

By Stephanie Fedor · Wednesday, Oct. 27,2004 12:10 a.m.

On a walk home from breakfast with friends this weekend, I found myself walking up Grafton Street. Grafton Street is a street in Dublin's City center, situated between Trinity College, the voluptuous Molly Malone statue and St. Stephen's Green Shopping Centre. Here you will find all of Dublin's best fashion shops, great cafés, one of the only McDonald's and street entertainers.

IU gets minimal flu shots

By Kelly Phillips · Tuesday, Oct. 26,2004 1:57 a.m.

After a severe drought of flu shots both locally and nationwide, the IU Health Center has received what director Hugh Jessup calls "just a little bit more of a shipment." But this little bit should be enough, Jessup said, to serve needy individuals of the IU community.