Sympathy not shown for victims of assault

To say I was appalled by The State News article by Juli Liebler "One drunken weekend in E.L.

Banana farmer stresses importance of fair trade

For 50 more cents, shoppers can purchase fair trade bananas, ensuring that the banana farmer who supplied the fruit was justly paid. A pound of regular bananas costs 49 cents at an East Lansing Kroger supermarket, located at 1550 W.

Blind date escapades a turn-off

I will not be going on another blind date for a very long time. After my experience with this strange dating ritual, I refuse to subject myself to the large amount of awkwardness I experienced ever again. It all started several weeks ago when I got a call from a friend who wanted to set me up on a blind date.

Parity flip-flops standings

The days of looking at the Big Ten Conference schedule and knowing which games will be won and lost are over.

MIDDAY UPDATE: Granholm hosts lunch meeting to discuss plan for job growth

Lansing—Gov. Jennifer Granholm met with a group of MSU students and Michigan residents Wednesday to discuss her economic plan to stimulate job growth throughout the state. Granholm, who spoke at Nic's Family Eatery, 3812 S.

E.L. voter registration down from presidential year

Although final numbers aren't in, roughly 1,200-1,500 people registered to vote by Tuesday, East Lansing City Clerk Sharon Reid said.

MIDDAY UPDATE: Former MSU professor wins Nobel Prize in chemistry

Several weeks ago, chemistry Professor Peter Wagner and a handful of colleagues were predicting who would take home this year's Nobel Prize in chemistry over lunch. "I remember several of us thought, (Robert) Grubbs is going to get it one of these years.

SN cartoon wrong, abortion, war same

In response to Mike Ramsey's political cartoon (SN 9/28), this cartoon is disappointing on many accounts.

Police briefs 10/12/05

Current cruelties reminiscent of past

PETA's (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) exhibit juxtaposing human and animal abuse should be viewed as an eye-opener, not with offense, but rather in understanding of the fact that today's injustices are cruelties inflicted upon animals and as depicted in the display, are reminiscent of past human inequalities.

Task force awaiting nominees

When nominations were collected last week for five task forces aimed to look at faculty's role in university decisions, Executive Committee of Academic Council Chairperson Jon Sticklen said he noticed a problem. At Tuesday's executive committee meeting, Sticklen informed the committee that there weren't enough nominees to fill the largest task force, which will be looking at restructuring the Academic Governance system. Last month, Faculty Council ruled that each task force requires a certain amount of nominees before they can be approved. These task forces are a result of last year's Faculty Voice report, compiled by faculty members who made recommendations that would give them more of a presence in administrative decisions. Other task forces will be looking at the process for reviewing administrators and academic programs, general communication procedures in Academic Governance and the role of fixed-term faculty. Judith Andre, philosophy professor and member of the Center for Ethics and Humanities in the Life Sciences, said she was hesitant to postpone all work with the Academic Governance reorganization task force.

Olin, Web site urge MSU to quit smoking

In order to help smokers in the MSU community quit the habit, Olin Health Center and Healthy U have partnered with a Web site that offers them a variety of tools. MSU launched its portion of the site, www.QuitNet.com Monday.

Border issue

Illegal immigration is a hot-button issue. Although undocumented immigrants make up a large portion of the population, the U.

WEB ONLY: Conference to examine globalization, American foreign policy

It's time to take a look at the United States' effect on the rest of the world and the consequences of globalization, said Professor David Stowe, director of the American Studies Program. The program is hosting "America and the Problem of Empire," a four-day conference that begins today at Wells Hall with the presentation of the documentary film, "The Corporation," which focuses on the global effects of big business.

'Legends II' mars X-Men legacy

Don Jordan: I'll admit that I'm a nerd when it comes to comic books, especially my favorite characters, the X-Men. I know their powers, identities, histories, you name it.

The evolution of video games

It all started with PONG, the Atari 2600 and the Magnavox Odyssey 2. Home video game consoles have come a long way since those first clunky systems, and the evolution continues as developers take advantage of the latest in technology. This weekend, top video game industry executives, researchers and government officials will descend on MSU to discuss the future of video games at "Future Play 2005: The International Academic Conference on the Future of Game Design and Technology." The conference, which started in the Toronto area as the "Computer Game Technology Conference," has expanded its focus for its fourth meeting after new directors took over, said conference co-Chairman Brian Winn, a telecommunication, information studies and media assistant professor. Those involved will be discussing issues affecting the future of the industry, including technology, marketing and policy issues.

Not all students are 'bad guys' as portrayed in media, only some

Imagine yourself pondering over voicing an opinion on a topic of your choice. Whether you are trying to come up with ideas for writing an opinion piece or just getting ready to voice those opinions, you find that it is hard to focus on something that isn't negative or nasty.

Local tanning salon and restaurant plan to join in Hurricane Katrina relief effort to donate supplies

Bronze Bay Tanning and Bell's Greek Pizza agreed to participate in the Spartans for Hurricane Katrina Relief program by selling $1 donation cards. The Residence Halls Association, ASMSU and the MSU chapter of the National Residence Hall Honorary started the fundraiser about a month ago. They are buying goods and supplies such as linens and toiletries for universities in the hurricane-stricken area. Megan Miller, who works at Bronze Bay Tanning, 109 E.

Council considers yard sign changes

With the East Lansing City Council election only weeks away, city officials might change an ordinance restricting the number of political yard signs. The existing ordinance allows residents to have signs advertising politicians at a maximum of five per lawn. In July, the council adopted an ordinance which increased the number of signs per yard from three to five and increased the size limit of signs from six to 24 square feet.

MSU anniversary events receive mixed turnout

Turnout at last weekend's sesquicentennial events was mixed, and might have been limited by cold weather, organizers said. The weekend's events — which included the revival of former campus tradition Water Carnival, the sesquicentennial parade and a show by comedian Jay Leno — were held to commemorate MSU's 150th anniversary, which is beginning to wind down, sesquicentennial committee Chairwoman Sue Carter said. The weekend's celebration marked the last major push planned by the committee, Carter said. Organizers estimated about 3,500 people watched Water Carnival, which was held for the first time in 36 years.