The happenings

Music Friday: Neil Young Tribute Show at Mac's Bar, 2700 E. Michigan Ave., in Lansing with Dirt Road Logic, Mike Vasas and the Beasts of Burden, Westrin & Mowry, The Casionauts, Bloodwings, The Pantones, The Gentlemen Callers, Willemena, Billy Jackson, Rootstand, The Good Mornings, Hoodang, Paul's Big Radio, Corndaddy, John Wesley Harding Overdrive, Jen Sygit, Certified Angus, Hugh Jorgan Luau Band, Doom with a View, Fire Wheel Handshake and Cameron Craig.

Students fast for Sudan effort

Several MSU students will participate today in an International Solidarity Fast for Darfur - an effort to raise awareness about genocide occurring in the Darfur region of Sudan. Members of Spartans Taking Action Now: Darfur, or STAND, will set up informational tables in several residence halls for students to get information about the situation in Darfur. The group will be encouraging students to fast from a meal or luxury item during the day and donate the money saved to the effort, said Lindsey Hutchison, international relations junior and president of STAND. "The fast is not the standard fast you think of when you hear the word," Hutchison said.

Grad gets jail time for larceny

A woman who pleaded guilty to stealing roughly $100,000 in an identity theft operation more than two years ago will spend 60 days in jail and five years on probation, a judge decided Wednesday. Denita Dorsey, an MSU alumna and Saginaw native, was sentenced in Veterans Memorial Courthouse in Lansing after pleading guilty to three felonies - larceny in a building, unlawful use of a financial transaction device and conducting a criminal enterprise. Dorsey, a former employee at Melrose Apartments which is now called The Landings at Chandler Crossings in Bath Township, was accused of using personal information from rental applications to open bank accounts, apply for credit cards and get student loans. She is scheduled to begin paying restitution of $500 a month in November, and payments should increase to $1,000 a month in March.

Area businesses ready for Red Wings

Hockeytown is distant from East Lansing - ninety miles away in Detroit, according to maps. But reverberations from the yearlong NHL lockout were felt by local businesses. Sales slouched at East Lansing area sporting goods stores and bars lost some regulars, but most rejoiced Wednesday for the Red Wings' first regular-season game since April 2004. Reno's East Side Sportsbar and Grill, 1310 Abbott Road, primed for the upcoming season with a set of new high-definition televisions behind its bar and a hockey channel cable subscription, said general manager Jessie Stipcak.

Wireless spots, LBGT program discussed

ASMSU's Academic Assembly voted Tuesday to support adding a gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender academic program to the university's curriculum, as well as getting more wireless Internet nodes around campus. Assembly members plan to promote the LBGT specialization to the Academic Governance system, which makes decisions on curriculum, assembly chairperson Robert Murphy said. "This could turn out to be one of the fastest-growing fields of social science research," Murphy said.

Bad activism

Anyone walking near Wells Hall this week was greeted with a large display that placed images of slavery side by side images of animals in cages, as if to say the two are equally disturbing. The exhibit was put on by the animal rights advocacy group, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA. PETA representatives said the purpose of the exhibit wasn't to suggest that human rights violations and animal cruelty are equal, but that's not the message that comes across. A quick glance at the exhibit would lead one to believe that PETA thinks putting chickens in cages is just as cruel as human slavery, a premise that is both ridiculous and offensive. Rather than trying to sway popular opinion by explaining who they are and what they stand for, PETA far too often relies on trying to shock people into adopting its beliefs. PETA's approach only serves to turn people away from its cause.

Labor leader discusses farm workers union, culture

In the 1930s, farm workers, many of whom were minorities, were treated as a separate division of labor in the United States. They were not included in labor laws and often faced a lack of basic necessities, such as toilets, said Dolores Huerta, who began the farm workers' labor movement with Cesar Chavez in the 1960s, during a presentation in the Main Library on Wednesday. Huerta was on campus as part of the "Our Daily Work/Our Daily Lives" series of brown bag lunch presentations, which promote the importance of work and culture. The union, part of a 1960s labor movement, was among the topics Huerta spoke about, along with ways to make a difference at the local level and how culture impacted the movement. "These are the most important workers - they put food on our tables," Huerta said.

Quiet time

Every fall, the tension between residents and students rises as students move back to campus to resume the activity they do best: Party. This year the tension is even greater, as the rise in noise complaints filed with the East Lansing Police Department shows. The problem started in 2004 when MSU administrators made a decision to ban drinking games at the tennis courts on game days. The ban came after an MSU game against Notre Dame - the last warm-weather rivalry game of the year.

Officials consider plans to replace housing

MSU officials said they plan to demolish University Village apartments in June and replace them with modern, amentity-driven apartments aimed at undergraduate students. The 24-acre apartment site on west campus would include apartments to house 300 people, said Chuck Gagliano, assistant vice president of the Division of Housing & Food Services.

Stand out from the crowd

Josh Shyu defines style as "untainted self-expression." The psychology freshman prefers using color and accessories to jazz up his wardrobe.

No. 16 Penn State plays host to No.6 Ohio State in Happy Valley

After joining the Big Ten in 1993, Penn State finished in the top three of the conference for five straight years. Yet, the Nittany Lions have not come closer than fourth place since then. But this year might be a different story as Joe Paterno has his team out to its first 5-0 start since 1999, when the team won its first nine games. This weekend presents the toughest test to date for the No.

They're out there

Science fiction isn't just for "geeks" anymore. As the technology-based genre becomes more mainstream, more people are finding themselves enchanted by it. Science fiction traditionally focuses on the impact of imaginary technologies or sciences on humans.

Statewide student groups lobby for higher ed funding

Like many students, Julielyn Gibbons worries about paying for college - she works, takes out loans and her parents are dipping into their retirement fund to help Gibbons and her siblings. "We're having to pay through the nose for tuition," said Gibbons, the director of legislative affairs for ASMSU's Student Assembly.

Police briefs 10/05/05

Geniuses at work on biggest movie ever

The greatest movie script ever inked to paper has not been written yet. And how do I know this? Well, because I've been banging my head together with the best minds in the film industry at weekly gatherings in order to create the optimum screenplay. Already I can feel the questions oozing out of your overworked brain.

Frat Packer, SN hash over show

Vince Vaughn is the emcee of a new comedy tour, "30 Days & 30 Nights - From Hollywood to the Heartland," which will be at the State Theater in Detroit on Friday.

SN, Wibert squashing need for self-defense

The first line gives it away, "A drunken stumble into the wrong house could land someone 6 feet underground if legislation focusing on the use of lethal force is passed by state lawmakers." Now to be fair, this is an indirect quote and, actually, it is true.

Dark horse

Trust me, he says. "I have proof of weapons of mass destruction. Trust me." "We'll only look through your library records if you're a national threat.

Franz Ferdinand: 'Much Better' than expected

Franz Ferdinand took the world by storm last year and quickly became the "it" band of the summer of 2004 with catchy danceable tunes. The Scottish foursome is back with its second full-length album, "You Could Have It So Much Better." The single has been teasing fans for weeks; this amount of hype leading up to an album usually signifies disappointment.

Campaign funds disputed

Officials at the Michigan Department of State are investigating a complaint that Lansing Mayor Tony Benavides received illegal campaign contributions in excess of $7,000. The building in which the Benavides re-election campaign is located normally rents office suites for $1,200 a month.