What a shame that the young men of the MSU football team, with their talent, spirit and optimism, come out onto the field looking flat, uninspired and unenthusiastic.
After winning a majority of its nonconference games, the MSU volleyball team finds itself struggling heading into its weekend matches. The Spartans have lost three of their four Big Ten matches, giving them a 1-3 record in the conference. "I think we have had great opportunities to win every game," head coach Cathy George said.
MSU officials plan on providing diversity training on Islam-related subjects to interested members of the university in response to an e-mail an MSU professor sent to the Muslim Students' Association, or MSA, in February. The initial request for the training came from the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, after Indrek Wichman, a mechanical engineering professor, wrote an e-mail to the group in response to controversial cartoons that portrayed Muhammad, the prophet and founder of the Islamic religion, as a terrorist. In the e-mail, Wichman insisted that Muslims should return to their ancestral homeland if they don't "like the values of the West." He also generalized them as "dissatisfied, aggressive, brutal, and uncivilized slave-trading Moslems." "As a tenured professor who literally can influence the academic future of Muslims, we felt that the statements were inappropriate and can intimidate Muslim students of the engineering school," said CAIR Executive Director Dawud Walid. Wichman was unavailable for comment Wednesday, but he defended himself in a letter to the editor published in The State News in May. "My letter addressed the attempts of the MSA to suppress free speech regarding publishing the Muhammed cartoons," he wrote then.
As the Nov. 7 elections draw near and the gubernatorial debates rage on, a lot of well-informed and constructive citizens are debating and thinking about this year's issues and candidates.
Gov. Jennifer Granholm just got a knockout endorsement. Boxing legend Muhammad Ali and his wife announced Wednesday their support for Granholm's re-election and her work to reduce restrictions on stem cell research in Michigan. Ali and his wife, Lonnie, also signed the governor's petition calling legislators to advance embryonic research in Michigan. Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1982 and has since advocated for stem cell research, which might lead to a cure for the disease. "We are joining Gov.
Lansing — Children from Maples Arabic Music Ensemble performed authentic Arabic drum music before university, government and public school officials announced grants given to MSU and Lansing and Dearborn public schools. Gail McGinn, U.S.
Correction: The Oct. 10 debate will air on an NBC affiliate channel. On Monday night, Democratic incumbent Gov.
The Big Ten fined Illinois and MSU $10,000 each on Wednesday for a scuffle between players following the Spartans' 23-20 loss to the Fighting Illini on Saturday. After the game ended, Illinois players attempted to plant a flag at midfield in Spartan Stadium.
Want free real estate for your own business? It's more realistic than you think. All you have to do is write an essay and pay a $100 entry fee. "It's no joke," said Frank Lain, a Lansing resident who is active on city boards. Lain, paired with business owner Larry Carr, will give away 2,500 square feet of retail space in Lansing, worth about $325,000. The essay contest has three questions: Why do you want a business?
A local chapter of the Make-A-Wish foundation will play genie in a bottle when it hosts a golf tournament to make the wishes of children with life-threatening diseases come true.
That's right, the midterm elections are here again. In 34 days, students can take part in democracy.
It's pretty ironic that a person, formerly the co-chairman of the Missing and Exploited Children's Caucus and a prominent backer of legislation that cracks down on online predators and criminalizes child pornography, is now in hot water for allegedly sending inappropriate e-mails to teenage boys. But then again, most of politics is just smoke and mirrors. It would probably seem that former Rep.
Tom Keller tuned in and kept a running diary of his impressions of the gubernatorial debate. 8 p.m. — In his opening comments, moderator Tim Skubick says of the night's debate, "There are no rules." I excitedly contemplate the possibilities.
Donald A. Yates loves a good detective story. He became interested in them during junior high school.
One of Todd Smith's fraternity brothers — who he's never met — is trying to have Smith's name mentioned at the MSU-Ohio State football game. Smith himself won't be able to attend the game — he's fighting cancer at home in Illinois. John Black, a landscape architecture junior, is one of 10 finalists in a national contest sponsored by the cell phone company, Alltel Communications Inc.. The winner can name the game after someone.
Okemos — Among the busy shoppers at Meridian Mall Saturday, a beaming Magdalena Peña stood proudly — trophy in hand, tiara on head — after placing first in the 18- to 27-year-old age group of the Miss Sunburst Model Search Pageant preliminaries. Peña, an MSU theatre senior, won a $200 prize to be used for the contestant fee at the Miss Sunburst Model Search Pageant State Finals in May next year. "It's fun; I like it," Peña said. She explained that preparing for pageants includes working out, finding the right dress, getting her nails and hair done, and speech memorization. The event included a model search with age groups ranging from 4- to 27-year-olds who were judged on beauty, poise, projection and overall appearance, and a baby contest that judged babies based on good looks, overall appearance and personality. The 4- to 6-year-old group competition ended in a three-way tie, something Melissa, an assistant director for Sunburst who declined to give her last name because of company policy, said has "never happened as long as I've worked here." When the shy and nervous 4- to 6-year-olds took the floor, they were asked questions about their favorite ice-cream flavor and TV show. "We're looking for your prettiest eyes and your prettiest smiles," the announcer said. Jeremy Scott, an MSU English senior, stopped his shopping to watch the pageant.
Before boarding a plane, remember to unload your essentials into the little plastic tray at the security checkpoint so officials can ensure a terror-free flight. Shoes?
Before heading to Ann Arbor on Sunday for a rivalry game against Michigan, the MSU men's soccer team will travel to Oakland for a 4 p.m.
Correction: The MSU football team's record last season should have read 5-6. Despite two straight disappointing losses and rising fan criticism, university officials remain confident in football head coach John L.
A 39-year-old MSU student was the victim of an armed robbery Sunday in Spartan Village Apartments. The incident occurred at about 2:30 a.m., and two men wielding an unknown weapon were involved. A laptop, TV, phones and cash were stolen during the incident, according to the MSU online police blotter. The first suspect is described as a 5-foot-8, 145-pound male who is about 22 years old.