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Sharon Jones comes to Jake’s for funk performance

Spin Magazine asked, “Aretha who?” after seeing Sharon Jones perform, and Jones boldly referred to Amy Winehouse as “whats-her-name” in a New York Times article.

2nd-year law students receive scholarships, summer positions

Second-year IU law students Omar Badawi and Gillian Crowl have been named the recipients of the second annual $10,000 Baker & Daniels Diversity Scholarship, which recognizes law students of varied ethnic, cultural and racial backgrounds. Lifestyles and unique viewpoints are also considered in determining recipients.

ROTC’s Ranger Challenge tests cadets

ROTC students who want a challenge both mentally and physically are welcome to try the Ranger Challenge, which is often considered the varsity sport in the ROTC.

BFA photography show expresses media neglect

The old Wal-Mart building off State Road 45 has been sitting empty for two years, but last Sunday, a corner of its overgrown parking lot was filled with professional lighting equipment, suitcases and shivering Bachelor of Fine Arts photography students.

Students buy Fair Trade items at IMU from all around world

Bags from Nepal, soap from India, hats from Bolivia and jewelry from Kenya were displayed on tables filling the Georgian room in the Indiana Memorial Union. The products are supplied by Fair Trade and represent dozens of countries from around the world.

Heaven, Earth collide in ‘Marisol’

The Apocalypse is coming, and graduate student Dawn Thomas is right in the middle of it as the title character Marisol Perez in the IU Department of Theater and Drama’s final production of the semester.

Eppley Institute director named 2008 fellow for work with parks, recreation

The American Academy for Park and Recreation Association, a group of professionals devoted to promoting the park and recreation field, inducted Stephen A. Wolter, executive director of the Eppley Institute for Parks and Public, as a 2008 fellow.

IU grad returns from The Gambia after Peace Corps service

Todd Diemer, an IU graduate, spent more than two years volunteering for the Peace Corps in The Gambia and replicating the local holidays, but now Diemer has returned to the States to celebrate in his own home.

A LOOK AT THE ROCK: Glass and I agree: Keep Lynch

RUNNING THE FLOOR: Closer than the experts think?

Risk and reward: Sommer goes from unknown to the World Cup

Momentum carries women's basketball into clash of conferences

Men's basketball faces another tough challenge in No. 5 Gonzaga

Gonzaga’s glass slipper no longer fits. Once an annual Cinderella story, the Zags have evolved into one of the top programs in the country. The northwest school that used to be regarded as the feel-good story of college basketball now has opponents worried sick about playing them. “There really is not anything that doesn’t concern us (about Gonzaga),” IU coach Tom Crean said in a Thursday teleconference. With a balanced scoring attack, talent at every position and “tremendous” chemistry, Crean said he thinks the Bulldogs have been one of the best teams in the nation for more than a decade. “I don’t think you’ll find any college basketball coach or player that has competed against them that wouldn’t refer to them as one of the best programs in the country,” Crean said. On Saturday, the Hoosiers (4-3) will try and create a feel-good story of their own when they face No. 5 Gonzaga at 1:30 p.m. in the Hartford Hall of Fame Classic in Indianapolis.

Britney's circus

My favorite recording artist since 1999 has been Britney Spears. Until the past few years, she was just some bubblegum pop artist, dancing around with boa constrictors, kissing Madonna –  the usual. But then something happened. It appeared that Spears started to go mad. And the world ate it up and wanted more. This past Sunday, Spears’ documentary, “For the Record” premiered for her to set the record straight, just two days prior to the release of her new album, “Circus.” There was something extremely sad about Spears and how we as a culture perceived her. After she married Kevin Federline, who was seen as a talentless nobody, her image was shaken. Spears was seen as a pop princess, and the most extreme thing she’d done to this point was show off skin.

Change or monotony?

Many Republicans called him a socialist, some a Marxist, and prior to his run for presidency, many considered him the most liberal senator in Washington. Now President-elect Barack Obama begins his transition into the Oval Office, and many conservatives wonder whether his cabinet appointments will reflect their predictions. Is this the end of Democracy and capitalism, or is this the beginning of the “change” he so relentlessly campaigned for? During these final weeks of Obama’s transition to the White House, it can be confusing and often mind-numbing to keep track of who is being appointed and to what position. So here is a quick rundown of the major appointments thus far to help bring those behind up to speed.

Thanksgiving break: nothing but a tease

Thanksgiving at my house was the usual. A student from the local university none of us had met before ended up at our dinner table performing magic tricks, and as we stuffed our faces with turkey and mashed potatoes, Mom made another attempt to convince my sister not to sell her eggs on the black market. If you think I’m making any of this up for the sake of comedy, you are more than welcome to stop by next year and see for yourself. After we ate our turkey, we all sat back and patted our stomachs as is tradition in America, land of plenty, and announced that we were so full that we might never eat again. I always say this when other people do because it is important for me to fit in and not look like a fatty, but the truth is that I have never in my life felt so full that I have stopped fantasizing about my next meal even momentarily. While I’ve noticed that my family stays somewhat true to their word and doesn’t eat again for at least the rest of the day, I generally only last about two hours before I find myself rummaging through the refrigerator, already ready to sink my teeth into another tender, flightless bird. I think we can all agree that the best part about Thanksgiving is making dozens of delectable sandwiches with the leftover turkey, which is definitely more instantly gratifying than expending all the energy it takes to remember to be thankful for things like health and family.

College costs on the rise

Throughout the presidential campaign, Barack and Michelle Obama talked a lot about the educational opportunities they were afforded as young adults. Through education and family support, they claimed to have climbed up the metaphorical ladder from working class backgrounds to Washington’s inner circle. But it’s unclear whether the country Barack Obama will take over on Jan. 20 is living up to its responsibility to provide current students and future generations with the same opportunities partially responsible for Obama’s own success. College costs are eating up more and more of family incomes. That doesn’t come as a surprise to many students. And it’s why Indiana, along with 48 other states, has been flunked in affordability. The cost of higher education has increased 439 percent nationwide from 1982 to 2007, even while median family income rose only a more modest 147 percent during the same period, according to the recent report, “Measuring Up 2008,” released by the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education.

House should stay home

There are certain privileges that our government has the right to deny us. The ability to drive, for instance, is a privilege, which the State may revoke at any time. Marriage on the other hand, is not. It is instead a right, and the denial of this right to any group of citizens of the United States of America is a travesty.

Outsourcing the news

James Macpherson’s Web site PasadenaNow.com offers thousands of local stories about Pasadena, Calif., written by reporters in India. This, Macpherson says, is the future of journalism. MediaNews Group, which owns 54 daily newspapers, is considering outsourcing preproduction and layout offshore, according to a Nov. 29 column in the New York Times. The Orange County Register began outsourcing some of their copy editing to India this summer.

Rice: Pakistan ‘focused on the threat’ of terrorism

Pakistan’s leaders know what’s at stake after the terror attack in Mumbai and have acknowledged their duty to evict terrorists and prevent future attacks, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Thursday.