IUSA

In the 'Calzone'

'Nebraska' is far more interesting than the state

Judge considers verdict as Pearl murder trial ends

The trial of four Islamic militants charged with the kidnapping and murder of Wall Street Journal correspondent Daniel Pearl ended Wednesday, and the judge retired to consider the verdict.

Old 97's

'South Pacific' opens tour, IU Auditorium season

From the elevators to the stairwells, to the empty seats inside the house, every part of the IU Auditorium was bursting with preparations for "South Pacific" this week. Actors and actresses stretched, sang, played cards and read newspapers in the orchestra lobby. Bright yellow tape, stretched across the colorful carpet, marked out a stage.

Jay and Silent Bob light up Hollywood

Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back - R Starring: Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, Ben Affleck Directed by: Kevin Smith Showing: Showplace West 12

Bush's stance strong, fair

Caught between a rock and a hard place, President George W. Bush has emerged steadfast. "We are a country awakened to danger and called to defend freedom," he told the members of Congress and a worldwide audience Thursday night. In a moving speech, Bush gave the equivalent of an international arrest warrant for terrorists and promised that countries who knowingly harbor or support them will face harsh consequences.

More violence in Israel

JERUSALEM -- A suicide bomber jumped out of a car, dashed past two policemen and ran to a bus stop before blowing himself up and killing at least six other people Wednesday evening. More than 35 people were wounded. The blast -- the second in Jerusalem in two days -- was claimed by the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, according to the Al Manar television station in Lebanon. The station is run by the Islamic group Hezbollah.

Clash of the titans: Two of college basketball's most storied programs meet in Sweet 16

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Mike Davis has nay-sayers and he knows it. His enemies flooded from the woodwork after IU stumbled to a 7-5 record in its pre-Big Ten schedule. They still haven't stopped harassing him as fifth-seeded IU prepares to battle top-seeded Duke in the NCAA South Regional semifinal tonight.

Sweet onions are versatile and delicious

Thousands of poets have sung the praises of the rose, but as far as I know, only Robert Louis Stevenson has eulogized the onion in verse. In "To a Gardener," he writes: First let the onion flourish there, Roe among roots, the maiden fair Wine-scented and poetic soul Of the capacious salad bowl.

Letters to the Editor

The fight against Fast Track

The fight against the Fast Track bill itself changed Dec. 6, when 215 Democrats and Republicans effectively sold a critical legislative power to the executive branch. The focus now falls on Fast Track's results. No one doubts that the Senate will give the president the authority to negotiate international trade agreements and to draft all impending legislation needed to get U.S. law in line with these agreements. Nightmares over his incoherent expressions aside, our president and his corporate crew will secretly pen trade agreements and laws that determine labor rights, environmental practices and control over government's basic services -- education, health care, water, to name a few. And Congress will have less than 20 hours to review and vote on these crucial agreements that affect the most basic areas of our lives. The vote will be a simple yes or no, Congress having surrendered its right to add amendments to this legislation. Representative democracy at work -- too bad it's for corporate interests instead of citizens' interests.

Israel proposes troop withdrawal

JERUSALEM -- Israel has proposed withdrawing troops from some Palestinian areas in the West Bank to test the ability of Palestinian security to prevent attacks on civilians, Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres said Sunday.

Unpopular dress codes persist

Many of today's teen fashions lean toward showing more skin, and some high school students head off to the mall in low-rise jeans and tight tops. It's apparel deemed unsuitable for the classroom, but students at area high schools had varying opinions about the rules.

Team earns first of 3 goals with Big Ten win

The taste of victory is sweet for the men's volleyball team. After losing their last two games to Utah and Texas A&M in the Great Eight Tournament March 9, the men seemed to be back on track March 23 and 24 at the Big Ten Conferance Championship, taking first place.

Enrollment increases

Due to the slow-moving economy, graduate and professional programs have seen a tremendous surge in applications over the past year. State and federal governments should embrace this trend by increasing funding to graduate and professional programs.

Professor helps keep beaches open

A new bacterial forecasting system developed by Greg Olyphant, associate professor of geological sciences, has made it possible for cities to accurately predict potentially hazardous bacteria levels along Lake Michigan. The system may potentially eliminate unnecessary beach closings, which have plagued lakefront cities such as Chicago and Milwaukee. Olyphant's system uses weather characteristics such as recent rainfall, wind, lake levels, air and water temperature and sunshine to estimate E-coli levels in the water as well as on the beach. What makes the model so valuable is its timeliness, Olyphant said. The new computerized approach can forecast E-coli levels within just three hours.

Defense steps up, offense well-rounded

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Before Sunday the Hoosiers had at least four players score in double figures in each of their last three games.

Beware of Senator Daschle

I'm about a week behind on the insta-analysis of the Jim Jeffords defection. For what it's worth, here's my view: Jeffords was a RiNO - Republican in Name Only - in a party full of elephants. If you openly profess to be a Republican these days, it automatically means you're a closet fascist or racist (boring and uptight, too), especially on large, public universities. Most Republicans (the elephants) stand strong through this mud throwing.

Defense site destroyed

U.S. warplanes bombed an air defense site in northern Iraq on Wednesday after coming under attack from Iraqi anti-aircraft artillery, the U.S. military said.