Longform

Somewhere over the rainbow

By Maura Halpern · Wednesday, Dec. 8,2004 12:09 a.m.

When Doug Bauder walked along the creaky wooden floor and into his office for the first time, only a touch-tone telephone and bare wooden desk awaited him.

Karzai sworn in as first democratically elected president

By Alyson Brodsy and Stephen Graham · Tuesday, Dec. 7,2004 11:51 p.m.

KABUL, Afghanistan -- President Hamid Karzai took the helm Tuesday of a country whose revival is threatened by a surging opium trade and a persistent Taliban insurgency, pledging to bring stability and prosperity to Afghanistan even as rebels staged attacks near the Pakistani border.

Ohio officially certifies Bush win

By Alyson Brodsy · Tuesday, Dec. 7,2004 11:50 p.m.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- While Ohio has certified a 2 percentage-point election victory for President George W. Bush, scrutiny of the vote is expected to continue for several more days. Independent candidates are prepared to demand recounts in all 88 counties Tuesday, an action that election boards say they are ready for but do not believe is necessary.

Ambassador praises Saudi attack response

By Alyson Brodsy and Faiza Saleh Ambah · Tuesday, Dec. 7,2004 11:50 p.m.

JIDDAH, Saudi Arabia -- Islamic militants who shot their way into the heavily fortified U.S. Consulate, killing five employees, clearly had studied how cars entered the compound, the U.S. ambassador said Tuesday, praising actions that stopped the assault, but acknowledging room for improvement.

Author reveals truth behind 9/11

By Lyssa Rebholz · Tuesday, Dec. 7,2004 11:49 p.m.

Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist and managing editor of the Washington Post Steve Coll exposed what he calls the truth behind the CIA's involvement in the 9/11 attacks in front of a crowd of students and faculty Tuesday night in the Whittenberger Auditorium. In his book, "Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001," Coll chronicles the past 20 decades of U.S. relations with Afghanistan.

Prison life gives women new perspective on drug addictions

By Alyson Brodsy · Tuesday, Dec. 7,2004 11:46 p.m.

FRANKLIN, Ind. -- When relatives pour into Atterbury Correctional Facility for Sunday afternoon visits with female offenders, Anita Emery finds a quiet place to write letters to her sons. She has not seen her children, Brandon, 18, and Caylan, 14, for 13 months. "That's the hardest part," Emery says tearfully, "when you don't get to see or touch or smell your children or hug them or tell them you love them every night."

Exploring the 'Accidental Rapture'

By Patrick Doolin · Tuesday, Dec. 7,2004 11:44 p.m.

Does God exist? Why do people believe in God without any concrete evidence that he or she exists? On the other hand, why are those who do not believe in God so quick to discount phenomena that science cannot explain? And how do such beliefs -- or lack thereof -- manifest themselves socially?

Grammy nominations span all genres

By Anthony Breznican · Tuesday, Dec. 7,2004 11:43 p.m.

LOS ANGELES -- Producer-turned-rapper Kanye West collected a leading 10 Grammy nominations Tuesday, including album of the year, for his innovative debut, "The College Dropout."

Noun seeking plurality

By Brandon S Morley · Tuesday, Dec. 7,2004 11:37 p.m.

Meeting people isn't a problem for me. I know plenty of them because I'm an extrovert who thrives off the energy I get from other people. If I walk the 20 yards from my office in Ernie Pyle Hall over to the Union to get a cup of coffee, I have to plan on taking at least 30 minutes roundtrip because of all the people on my "Say Hello To" list.

Who smokes Fruity Pebbles?

By Matt Glenesk · Tuesday, Dec. 7,2004 11:36 p.m.

One semester. One semester of my college career remains. One semester left with life as I know it. And over my three and a half years in Bloomington, I have come to this conclusion, maybe even, dare I say it, a thesis: College might just be the greatest oxymoron of all time.

Pawing our way through school

By Elisha Sauers · Tuesday, Dec. 7,2004 11:35 p.m.

Somebody's pet cat has a higher grade point average than I have. That's not to say my grade point average is shockingly low; it's just that this cat's GPA is so very high. According to an Associated Press article published Tuesday, a Pennsylvania deputy attorney general's pet cat, Colby Nolan, received his Master of Business Administration degree from Trinity Southern University in Texas, although he never stepped paw in a classroom.

Dear IU soccer fans,

By Alyson Brodsy · Tuesday, Dec. 7,2004 11:34 p.m.

On behalf of IU soccer, I want to thank you for the tremendous support you have given my team, my staff and me during this first year at the helm of our beloved Indiana Hoosiers. I take pride in being a coach at this great institution and being part of this prestigious soccer program that coach Jerry Yeagley has developed over the past 41 years.

Hiding behind HIPAA

By Alyson Brodsy · Tuesday, Dec. 7,2004 11:33 p.m.

First Health Care recently filed a lawsuit against IU alleging the University is withholding worker's compensation claims they are required to disclose by law.

Junior guard leads charge against Indiana State but Hoosiers fall, 66-59

By Alyson Brodsy · Tuesday, Dec. 7,2004 8:11 p.m.

Coming off an impressive win Friday against a scrappy Louisville Cardinals team, the IU women's basketball team looked to carry its momentum into Monday night's contest against the Sycamores of Indiana State.

IU sued by Bloomington health care center

By Rick Newkirk · Tuesday, Dec. 7,2004 6:36 p.m.

A local health care center has sued IU for denial of disclosure of information after a six-month battle for worker's compensation claims. The lawsuit also alleges an IU Vice President with conflicting interests engaged in negotiations.

U.S. Consulate attacked

By Alyson Brodsy and Faiza Saleh Ambah · Tuesday, Dec. 7,2004 1:03 a.m.

JIDDAH, Saudi Arabia -- Lobbing grenades, militants invaded Jiddah's heavily guarded U.S. Consulate on Monday, attacking staffers and others in the compound until Saudi security forces stormed in. Nine people, none American, were killed in the attack, which was claimed by al-Qaida and showed how vulnerable Saudi Arabia remains to Islamic extremist violence.

Students suffer from holiday depression

By David A. Nosko · Tuesday, Dec. 7,2004 1:03 a.m.

While some students bask in the holiday cheers and family bliss piercing the frigid winter air, some students cope with their holiday blues by drowning themselves in a pool of depression without an aftertaste of eggnog. To take the debate between "HO-HO-HO" and "Bah-Humbug" beyond mere semantics, students suffering from clinical depression often discover the trials and tribulations of the holiday season results through increased stress conditions, anxious feelings, nervous thinking, disordered eating habits and suicidal tendencies.

IU alumna finds joy as B97 DJ

By Laura Crylen · Tuesday, Dec. 7,2004 1:03 a.m.

A little girl with pigtails sat in her room interviewing her stuffed animals, neighborhood children and anyone who wandered into her path. Many of these broadcasts took place right in her home. This little girl had no idea at the time that these reports would later serve as a foundation for her future career.

Hanukkah celebration begins at sundown tonight

By Haley Beck · Tuesday, Dec. 7,2004 12:36 a.m.

Latkes will fry and dreidels will spin with the start of the Jewish holiday Hanukkah at sundown tonight. The holiday will last for eight nights. Rabbi Sue Shifron, director of the Helene G. Simon Hillel Center, said the holiday celebrates the Macabee Jews triumphing over their oppressors, the Syrians.

Pac-10 commissioner wants coaches' votes public

By Alyson Brodsy and Janie McCauley · Tuesday, Dec. 7,2004 12:15 a.m.

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. -- California coach Jeff Tedford and the commissioner of the Pac-10 Conference called for coaches to make their votes public after California was dropped below No. 6 by six voters in the final poll. "It's something we need to know," said Tedford, who signed a five-year contract extension Monday. "One of the worst things that could happen is the votes being kept secret. If we had it to do all over again, I would hope that we'd make them public."