Use common sense, caution at night

Two MSU students were attacked and critically injured on Aug. 26 and Sept. 4, with both students suffering serious injuries.

For Spartans, O-F-F-E-N-S-E would spell relief

Any time a team graduates 72 percent of its total offensive production, there's bound to be times throughout the season when scoring is scarce. With the loss of starting forwards Emma Harris and Dana Voorheis — who combined for 17 goals and 11 assists in 2005 — the offensive shoes of the MSU women's soccer team have become empty and waiting to be filled. Last weekend, the Spartans got a taste of how difficult goal-scoring could be this season when they suffered back-to-back shutout losses on the road against Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. "Each season it's been like this at the beginning," junior midfielder Maureen Pawlak said.

Body's core key to health, strength

By Harry Jackson Jr. St. Louis Post-Dispatch If the muscles of your body have a first sergeant, it's the core. The muscles of your core — in less trendy times called your trunk — comprise the most important muscles in your body, say experts, because other muscles rely on them for stability. The weaker your core, the weaker you are.

History is important when discussing race

I'm writing in regards to Kyle Jubenville's letter "Katrina response wasn't about race, but poverty," (SN 8/31). People of all races may live in poverty, but it would ignore all facts to say race doesn't have anything to do with it.

Facebook features flounder

Students across the country began uniting Tuesday to petition a Web site they used to know and love — Facebook.com. As students signed on to get their daily Facebook fixes Tuesday morning, they saw the Web site's newly added "news feed" and "mini-feed" features, which highlight changes made to users' profiles.

Heading out west

The end of MSU's sesquicentennial celebrations will take place far away from East Lansing this weekend — almost a year after they began. MSU alumni who have ventured to the West Coast will get the chance to hear from MSU's School of Music on Sunday at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles as a final 150th birthday event. It will showcase classical, jazz and pop music performances from 25 students and faculty members and help bolster support for the school.

Transfer has champion pedigree

When junior midfielder Kevin Reiman transferred to MSU from Maryland after last season, he expected to fit right in with the Spartans' starting unit. After all, he has a national championship under his belt, having played 10 games with Maryland, last year's NCAA men's soccer champions. But after tearing muscles in his abdomen this preseason, Reiman hasn't seen the field yet. "I got cleared to play yesterday, so I'm kinda getting back into things," Reiman said Wednesday.

Mich. teachers strike for salary increases

MSU education officials say there's no in-school preparation for teacher strikes, even as Detroit Public School teachers and Eastern Michigan University professors walk the picket line. Students majoring in education learn about union issues when they intern at a school, said Barbara Markle, assistant dean of K-12 outreach in MSU's College of Education.

Couric wows as first solo female news anchor

Katie Couric debuted as the first solo anchorwoman Tuesday, and despite her new role, the Katie we all know still shone through. The ratings were 86 percent more than what CBS averaged on the same day last year, according to Nielsen Media Research.

Bill moves to Senate to restrict trash intake

A bill allowing states to regulate the influx of municipal trash from outside the United States passed in the U.S.

Police briefs 09/07/06

Offense struggling in post-McMahen era

Despite starting the season with a 3-1 record, "frustrating" is a word that comes up frequently when talking about the MSU men's soccer team's offense. The Spartans have scored just four goals in the season's first four games and haven't been able to put teams away when they've had the chance. That was the case in Sunday's heartbreaking 1-0 double overtime loss to Northern Illinois.

Column on morning after pill 'disturbing'

I feel an obligation to respond to the column written by Vanessa Notman, "Contraceptive choices expand, should be available for everyone," (SN 8/30). Her comment stating "there isn't time for morals to get in the way of a woman's choice" might be the most disturbing thing I've ever read. In life, there is always time for morals — regardless of gender.

Organic restaurant offers healthy fare

Down the street from the bars, a bright orange sign appeared, signaling the arrival of a new business selling organic and locally grown food to downtown East Lansing. Green River Café opened three weeks ago at 211 M.A.C.

Capturing the culture

Lansing — Known for its mitten shape, freshwater lakes and two battling Big Ten universities, photojournalist Colin Finlay believes one of Michigan's most defining features is its status as the nation's automotive capital. Focusing the photo shoot on the local auto industry, Finlay, a renowned photographer, led a group of Lansing Community College photography students through a General Motors Corp.

$13M award goes toward MSU faculty research

MSU researchers got a big bonus for their efforts Wednesday, when they received a portion of $100 million. Awards for the 21st Century Jobs Fund were given to 11 MSU researchers, with more than $13 million going to project proposals from the university. Researchers received between $300,000 and $2.4 million for proposals to develop technologies for ethanol-fueled engines, pharmaceuticals and to detect environmental threats, among other projects. The state created the fund last year to jump-start the economy and create jobs by investing in research and development projects in life sciences, alternative energy, advanced automotive, manufacturing and materials, and homeland security and defense. The original 505 project proposals submitted were whittled down to 61.

Voters' discontent may cost GOP

Sixty-four days and counting. With just about two months left before midterm elections, Republicans appear to be in hot water.

Innovations: Living language

Name: Deogratias Ngonyani, associate professor Department: Department of Linguistics and Germanic, Slavic, Asian and African Languages Type of research: Language documentation Date of research: Ngonyani said he plans on leaving for Tanzania sometime this month and will be there for nine months. He has done this type of research with two other African languages, but they were more vibrant in the number of speakers and locations in which they were spoken. Basics of the project: Ngonyani is focused on collecting information about Kikisi, an African language facing extinction, and what functions it performs. The language is only spoken among members of the community and is not written, he said. "Kikisi is spoken by less than 10,000 people, and the number of speakers are decreasing over time," Ngonyani said. Ngonyani will be collecting information about the language by writing down oral traditions, songs and folk tales.

Homecoming

Marwan Hourani holds his 5-month-old daughter, Therese, in his arms, grinning widely as he looks into her large, innocent eyes. She smiles back at him — a huge, gap-toothed smile. "Therese, I love you," Hourani says, kissing the baby's forehead. Life hasn't always been so simple for the Hourani family. Therese is Marwan and Nawal Hourani's only child, adopted from an orphanage in Lebanon earlier this summer.

Student candidates for office in 'uphill struggle'

When she commented on Lauren Spencer's Green Party candidacy for the MSU Board of Trustees, it appears that Trustee Dee Cook's 16 years of service don't take her memory back far enough in "'Represent the Students,'" (SN 9/5). In 1976, I was an MSU student, working on a master's degree in sociology and a candidate for the MSU Board of Trustees as a member of the Human Rights Party.