Longform

Student democrats battle Election Day blues

The entertainment for Friday's early voting march will be a political satire about Barack Obama by freshman Ben Bizuneh, a stand-up comedian who recently won open-mic night at Funny Bone for his “Obamedy” act.

Retired psychology professor dies Wed.

Retired psychology professor Dorothy Saltzman died in her sleep Wednesday at a nursing home in Evansville, according to Alexander Funeral Homes.

EXCEL conference promotes socially responsible leaders

The fifth annual EXCEL conference, scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday at the Kelley School of Business, offers workshops from leaders in the business market.

IU to host GLBT conference in February

In February, between 1,500 and 1,800 students from throughout the Midwest will flood campus for one weekend when the University hosts the 17th annual Midwest Bisexual, Lesbian, Gay, Transgender, Ally College Conference.

Limiting turnovers could be key to football's fourth win

Last week, the IU football players seemed to have figured out what was plaguing them during the previous five weeks. The 21-19 win against Northwestern on Homecoming was the Hoosiers’ (3-5, 1-4) first since September. Now IU looks to win back-to-back games for the second time this season as it welcomes Central Michigan (6-2, 5-0 MAC) to Memorial Stadium on Saturday. “We had a good win against Northwestern,” IU coach Bill Lynch said. “It was a game that we needed to get back on track, and I really liked the way our guys played. They played with a lot of energy, a lot of enthusiasm, and really, we did the things we had to. We had to win the turnover margin.” Lynch has said all season losing the turnover battle handicapped the Hoosiers in their losses. Winning that battle against the Chippewas has proven to be nearly impossible for everyone else, however. Central Michigan is currently tied with UNLV and Florida for the fewest turnovers in the nation at six. So far this season, the Hoosiers have turned the ball more than 14 times.

Both QBs available to play Saturday against Chippewas

IU needs some Philly fire

Crean to re-introduce team Friday at ‘Haunted Hall of Hoops’

IU coach Tom Crean wants people to get to know the Hoosiers before their first exhibition game on Nov. 7. The first chance to see the new-look IU squad came two weeks ago at Hoosier Hysteria. Then last Saturday the team scrimmaged at Assembly Hall shortly after IU’s Homecoming football victory against Northwestern.

Candidates should not be required to make health public

With the election looming on the horizon, everything appears to be fair game when it comes to the presidential candidates and their running mates. Not even their families have been spared from the political nitpicking of the media. With the personal life of Barack Obama, John McCain, Joe Biden and Sarah Palin in the spotlight 24/7 as they race for the highest public office in the world, is it really necessary to expose every medical detail about them as well? Perhaps it isn’t, that is unless details about McCain’s buttocks being “unremarkable except for some very light tan freckling” is of some voyeuristic interest to the public. In May, McCain appeased the concerned population by releasing nearly 2,000 pages of medical disclosure that detailed his battle with melanoma. This variety of skin cancer can be deadly if it spreads to other organs, but McCain had it completely removed in 2000.

Where’s the coverage?

Can someone please tell me why? Why has there been minimal coverage of Gov. Sarah Palin’s ties to the Alaska Independence Party – a party whose members consider themselves Alaskans before Americans and have openly avowed to secede from the United States? The Republicans have certainly wasted no time in painting the image of Barack Obama and Bill Ayers as long-time domestic terrorist buddies. I’m sure you’ve heard it a thousand times already: Sen. Barack Obama and his “long-standing” ties to unrepentant domestic terrorist Bill Ayers. Of course you have, it’s every neo-conservative’s dream. It’s the latest crack of the McCain campaign to paint Obama as an unpatriotic radical with intent to deracinate American democracy and obliterate our nation’s values. Barack Obama: Terrorism we can believe in.

Watching the Squirrels

“Are you sure you want to be the kind of person who doesn’t stop to watch squirrels?” The voice in my head caught me off-guard last week by asking me this question as I thoughtlessly walked past a hyperactive squirrel frolicking at the base of a nearby tree. “Fine,” I sighed, already late to class. The voice always ends up winning anyway, so I turned around and walked back to the squirrel, which seemed completely unbothered by my close proximity. I watched that little guy hop around spastically for three whole minutes.

Women's basketball set for first scrimmage

Man arrested after stabbing Wednesday

Bloomington resident Russell H. Hart, 50, was arrested Wednesday night after police say he stabbed a 40-year-old Bloomington man, said Bloomington Police Department Sgt. Jeff Canada, reading from a police report.

Regular season for field hockey team to conclude against last-place Wildcats

Tutsi rebel general requests direct talks with Congolese government

The rebel general besieging this provincial capital said Thursday he wants direct talks with the Congo government about ending the fighting and his objections to a $9 billion deal that gives China access to vast mineral riches in exchange for a railway and highway.

Get your degradation on this Halloween

When I was in the third grade I was Cinderella for Halloween. I had a long gown and a plastic tiara. This year I considered being Cinderella again (I had a big lack in creativity, OK?), but I would be hard-pressed to find a long gown anywhere these days. Suddenly Cinderella has fishnet stockings and out of control cleavage, something I fail to remember watching in the Disney version. Any perusing through a costume shop will convince you that for girls there is basically just one option: dress provocatively, or you may as well be a monstrous gargoyle and hide in a closet for the day. The best example of this appears in the movie “Mean Girls,” where Lindsay Lohan’s character shows up to Halloween dressed as a hideous dead bride with fake blood and a disgusting wig. Needless to say, no one high-fived her for a cool costume, and she definitely did not score points with the men.

Thousands of dollars in stimulus checks still missing

The 69 residents are a few of 3,896 Hoosiers whose stimulus payments were sent back to the IRS office because the post office deemed them “undeliverable.” The total amount of checks in Indiana adds up to about $2.2 million.

Israeli archaeologist uncovers oldest Hebrew writing, suggests ancient Israelites were literate

An Israeli archaeologist has discovered what he believes is the oldest known Hebrew inscription on a 3,000-year-old pottery shard – a find that suggests Biblical accounts of the ancient Israelite kingdom of David could have been based on written texts.

Man arrested in connection with anthrax hoax

A California man was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of sending more than 100 hoax letters labeled “anthrax” to newspapers and TV stations.