Women's Golf

'Batman' producer to speak to grads

By Zachary Osterman · Tuesday, April 18,2006 2:18 a.m.

Michael Uslan, IU alumnus and noted Hollywood producer, will be the featured speaker at IU's commencement ceremony. Uslan, whose work includes producing the 2005 blockbuster "Batman Begins," will speak to IU-Bloomington graduates May 6 in Assembly Hall. Uslan was recommended by IU Alumni Association President Ken Beckley. IU President Adam Herbert said he believed Uslan set a good example for graduates to follow. Click here to read Hollywood Hoosier, an Indiana Daily Student archive piece about Uslan.

Wilco rocks IU

By Paul Coover · Tuesday, April 18,2006 1:19 a.m.

Students packed the IU Auditorium last night for the Union Board's Little 500 Concert featuring Wilco. The Monday night scheduling did nothing to damper students' enthusiasm, as they opted for Wilco's brand of rock and roll over homework obligations. Graduate student Paul McCorkle attended the concert after a positive experience at a previous one. "We should be working on a final project right now," he said, amongst friends.

Student government leaders shift

By Stephanie Susman · Tuesday, April 18,2006 1:19 a.m.

With only three weeks until graduation, many students are wrapping up their years. Others, like juniors Betsy Henke, Andrew Lauck, Clark Kaericher and Mary Kerschner, are just starting theirs. Henke and her fellow Hoosiers began their terms as the IU Student Association executives at Thursday's inauguration ceremony. Henke now serves as president, Lauck serves as vice president of administration, Kaericher serves as vice president of congress and Kerschner serves as treasurer. While their yearlong term began only a few days ago, Henke said her team has already been working hard to get their year off to a good start. "I'm really excited," Henke said. "It's awesome to already see (the team) getting things going and taking the initiative to do it."

Sentence reduced in hit-and-run

By Elisha Sauers · Tuesday, April 18,2006 1:19 a.m.

Just a week after the one-year anniversary of student Ashley Crouse's death, a court judgment reduced the sentence by half for the man who fled the scene of the car accident that killed her. Monroe County Circuit Judge Marc Kellams made the decision Monday based on a defense motion disputing the way the original sentencing was handled, which took place in January. During that hearing, Kellams issued Meliton Praxedis, 22, an eight-year sentence -- the maximum prison time for a charge of fleeing the scene of a car accident. The judge's decision to revise the sentence was hard news for Crouse's father to bear. "I'm disappointed that really nothing -- nothing changes," Kim Crouse said. "It really just doesn't change our situation at all."

Soccer team plays host to Mexico tonight

By Steve Slivka · Tuesday, April 18,2006 1:16 a.m.

The Mexico Under-17 Men's National Team that beat IU 2-1 in April 2005 went on to win the FIFA World Youth Championships in September. Mexico beat Brazil in the championship game 3-0. But just as Mexico will have a new generation of U-17 players when the team plays IU tonight in Bloomington, the Hoosiers sport new faces this spring after losing six starters from last season's squad. "It's like one of the Notre Dame players said the other day when we played them," IU coach Mike Freitag said. "This is a new generation out here; I don't know anyone."

Freshmen duo looks to avenge loss to Mexico squad

By Steve Slivka · Tuesday, April 18,2006 1:01 a.m.

When Kevin Alston was in Peru last September with the United States Under-17 Men's National Team for the FIFA U-17 World Youth Soccer Championship, an elementary-aged boy approached him in the lobby of the team's hotel and gave him a good luck cross. The IU freshman said he hopes the good luck charm brings the Hoosiers a win tonight in their contest with the Mexico U-17 Men's National Team. "I just really hope we beat Mexico," Alston said. "Part of it is a pride thing that they are coming into the U.S. and just gotta represent IU, represent the country and hopefully we can have a good game and win."

Hoosiers to fight through 10-game home schedule

By Jake Brown and Jacob Brown · Tuesday, April 18,2006 1 a.m.

The IU baseball team -- coming off a split in last weekend's series against Purdue -- will play its first mid-week home game today when the Indiana State Sycamores come to Bloomington to complete the two-game season series between the two teams. The Hoosiers (12-20) won the first two games of the Purdue series, but lost the final two games. IU will try to put a 25-8 loss in the final game behind it and build momentum for this weekend's Ohio State series. "It was just one of those crazy things," IU coach Tracy Smith said of Sunday's loss. "Regardless of the outcome, these guys will hit the locker room and forget about it."

A week to celebrate

By Alyson Brodsy and Jacob Stewart · Tuesday, April 18,2006 12:58 a.m.

It's that time of year again. That's right, it's the week so many people anticipate all year, so many cherish and so many hold in higher respect than any other week. I hope IU students will fill the streets, full of joy and love, to celebrate these seven awe-inspiring days. We'll gather together delirious with excitement to cheer and honor those who take part in the great event, while we stand on the sidelines and do literally nothing to support them. This week we become unified to celebrate ... our big, blue ball.

In defense of the dull

By Alyson Brodsy and Peter Chen · Tuesday, April 18,2006 12:57 a.m.

Every week, it feels like there's a new "hot" issue to pursue, whether it's immigration or biotechnology or the war in Iraq. Nevertheless, in the face of all these exciting, flashy topics, the things that most directly affect us are the dull, boring things that we'd rather have someone else handle. We want to talk about "important" issues, but it's dreary, dry subjects that actually run our lives. After all, what has more effect on your life: immigration reform or potholes?

Simply brilliant

By -Kehla West and Alyson Brodsy · Tuesday, April 18,2006 12:56 a.m.

Aside from the beautiful campus, maybe the best thing about IU is the general "Midwesternliness" of the people here. I'm from Indiana, so it's a trait I thought was universal before I came here. It's not. And in my opinion, the best quality of the multifarious "Midwestern" trait is the knack for finding simple solutions to big problems. The new printer release stations at the Herman B Wells Library are maybe the best example of this. They're totally easy -- you tell your computer to print, you walk over to the printer and put in your user name and password, and then the computer prints. And who hasn't accidentally printed 90 copies of a document? I accidentally used most of my printing allotment on one badly executed print job my sophomore year. The stations prevent this. They'll prevent a ton of wasted paper and save a lot of people a lot of hassle.

Taxing our tunes

By Alyson Brodsy · Tuesday, April 18,2006 12:55 a.m.

One of the constants in life has struck again. No, not death -- the other one. No, not IU losing at football -- the other, other one. You know: Taxes! Last week, a study by CNETNews.com revealed that 15 states (and Washington, D.C.) have laws requiring sales tax on downloads from online music stores, such as Apple's iTunes. And, lucky us, Indiana's among them. According to a bulletin on sales tax published in May 2002, Indiana considers music downloads to be a form of software -- specifically, pre-written or "canned" programs -- and has stated: "Pre-written programs, not specifically designed for one purchaser, developed by the seller for sale or lease on the general market in the form of tangible personal property and sold or leased in the form of tangible personal property are subject to tax ... Pre-written or canned computer programs are taxable because the intellectual property contained in the canned program is no different than the intellectual property in a videotape or a textbook."

Former Illinois governor convicted of racketeering

By Alyson Brodsy and Mike Robinson · Tuesday, April 18,2006 12:51 a.m.

CHICAGO -- Former Illinois Gov. George Ryan, who drew international praise when he commuted the sentences of everyone on Illinois' death row, was convicted of racketeering and fraud Monday in a corruption scandal that ended his political career in 2003. Ryan, 72, sat stone-faced as the verdict was read and afterward vowed to appeal. "I believe this decision today is not in accordance with the kind of public service that I provided to the people of Illinois over 40 years, and needless to say I am disappointed in the outcome," the former governor said. FBI Special Agent Robert Grant said he hoped the verdict would end "political prostitution" in Illinois.

Suicide bomber kills 9 in Tel Aviv

By Alyson Brodsy and Laurie Copans · Tuesday, April 18,2006 12:49 a.m.

TEL AVIV, Israel -- A Palestinian suicide bomber struck a packed fast-food restaurant during Passover on Monday, killing nine other people and wounding dozens in the deadliest attack in more than a year. In a sharp departure from the previous Palestinian government's condemnations of bombings, the Hamas-led administration said the attack resulted from Israel's "brutal aggression." The bloodshed and the hard-line stance could set the stage for harsh Israeli reprisals and endanger Palestinian efforts to secure desperately needed international aid.

McDonald's combating upcoming book

By Alyson Brodsy and Dave Carpenter · Tuesday, April 18,2006 12:45 a.m.

OAK BROOK, Ill. -- McDonald's Corp. will promote its healthier menu choices to counter negative publicity expected from a new book co-written by the author of "Fast Food Nation," Chief Executive Jim Skinner said Monday. While McDonald's maintains that the strategy is not aimed solely at undermining "Chew On This," which is due out next month, Skinner acknowledged that "it's important to ramp this up now" amid heavy criticism of the fast-food industry for its perceived role in increased obesity. "I wouldn't call it a campaign," he told reporters in a news conference at McDonald's headquarters. "It is a continuous improvement relative to the communication of our story regarding our high-quality food in McDonald's."

Blogging from Everest

By Alyson Brodsy and Nina Mehta · Tuesday, April 18,2006 12:45 a.m.

Last week, as I was icing my feet after walking on a bed of hot coals, I thought to myself, "I wish I could share this exciting experience with the world instantly." I asked my friend I met while backpacking through Asia, as he prepared my bed of nails to sleep on, "Isn't there some sort of technology that can show my friends and family how adventurous I am?" He pulled a Blackberry from the pocket of his tunic and suggested I invest in a new cell phone with blogging capabilities. Sony Ericsson and Google announced a new line of cell phones that enable users to update their Blogger.com accounts from their mobile devices. This means that from your cell phone, you can snap a picture and put it online instantly.

IU alumnus starts 'dirty' Web site

By Amy Carol Wolff · Tuesday, April 18,2006 12:44 a.m.

A Web site launched this year introduces a place where flashy photos, celebrity gossip, crazy stunts and the latest fashions of the party scene come together. How does this site differ from the rest? You, your friends, and people from your school are in the pictures. The Web site www.dirtymascot.com launched last month by 2005 IU graduate Ryan Alovis, aims to be the "voice of the majority of college kids." "We're for that kid who wakes up in the morning, not knowing what he did the night before," Alovis said. "We have the mind, focus and attitude of the college kid."

IU researchers participate in exhibit that maps progress, history of science

By Matt Cunningham · Tuesday, April 18,2006 12:41 a.m.

Maps are tools that help people understand, learn and in rare cases reveal the location of buried treasure. Maps are usually restricted to physical places, but researchers at the IU School of Library and Information Science, as well as other institutions, have used them to chart the vast terrain of science. Twenty-two maps from different researchers are currently showcased at the New York Public Library. The exhibit, titled "Places & Spaces: Mapping Science" and featuring work by IU researchers and students, will remain on display until Aug. 31. Innovative illumination techniques were used to construct maps, diagrams and globes that offer both visual and intellectual simulation.

Vital vitamins?

By Alyson Brodsy and Nina Mehta · Tuesday, April 18,2006 12:41 a.m.

Quick-fix multi-vitamin supplements have become a growing health trend among Americans. As the health-concious so nciety is growing, so are vitamin sales. Consumers scarf down $7 billion worth of vitamins, according to the Wall Street Journal. Seventy percent of Americans pay homage to the health store gods and swear by their vitamin routines. As vitamins become more popular, it is important for users to get all the facts to make smart choices.

Study: 9,000 Indiana students lose aid because of drugs

By Alyson Brodsy · Tuesday, April 18,2006 12:36 a.m.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Indiana leads the nation in the rate of college students being denied federal aid because of a law that bars those with drug convictions from receiving tuition assistance, a study published Monday showed. Since 2000, more than 8,900 Indiana students have lost their eligibility for federal financial aid because of drug offenses, according to an analysis by the advocacy group Students for Sensible Drug Policy.

Workshop aimed at combating poverty

By Alyson Brodsy · Tuesday, April 18,2006 12:35 a.m.

Bread for the World, a nonpartisan citizen's movement concentrated on combating international hunger, is holding an Offering of Letters workshop tonight at First Presbyterian Church, 221 E. Sixth St. The event is an effort to achieve the United Nations Millennium Development Goals created at the United Nations Millennium Summit in 2000. These goals include eradicating hunger and poverty, combating HIV/AIDS and other diseases and providing universal primary education. The goals are intended to cut international hunger in half by 2015. To fulfill this purpose, Bread for the World partnered with the One Campaign to write a bill urging U.S. representatives to increase poverty-focused development spending by 1 percent of the national budget.