MIDDAY UPDATE: Students, professors attend 23-hour marathon reading

Tired and inspired, 10 people left Case Hall at 4 a.m. Sunday with a sense of accomplishment after a 23-hour marathon reading of Herman Melville's "Moby Dick." From a clear reading with coffee and doughnuts to hallucinations over chapter numbers and words, a progression in both the camaraderie and the fatigue of the participants was evident. Thirty-nine students attended the event throughout the day to contribute to all or part of the public reading, while three professors and one student stayed to read nearly the entire novel aloud. "Academic life can be kind of stifling," said Rod Phillips, a James Madison College professor.

Kerry declared winner of Michigan caucus

Pre-caucus polls proved accurate Saturday night when U.S. Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts emerged victorious from the Michigan Democratic caucus. Although only 85 percent of precincts had reported as of 8 p.m., Kerry was declared the winner with 49.9 percent of votes. Former Vermont Gov.

Kerry leads caucus as Michigan Democrats head to polls

Democratic voters and campaign volunteers hit the street today to cast their vote for Michigan's caucus. At the MSU Union, student groups campaigned for their favorite candidate. Voters stepped off the elevator on the third floor as campaigners immediately started firing questions. "Have you considered John Kerry?" "Do you mind if I ask you a couple questions about Gov.

Strong shooting puts Spartans past Ohio State, 84-70

Columbus, Ohio - MSU had one of the best shooting games in conference history in its 84-70 win against Ohio State on Saturday at Value City Arena."We shot the ball so well," coach Tom Izzo said.

Marathon reading expected to last 21 hours

James Madison College professors and students will spend their weekend reading a whale of a tale. Rhetoric and humanities professor Ron Dorr and political science professor Eric Petrie have organized a marathon reading of Herman Melville's "Moby Dick." "This allows people to speak and hear the English language from a master," Dorr said. They anticipate 21 hours of public reading from 6 a.m.

Shooting the lights out

You know you're a good shooter when there's a drinking game named after your 3-point shot. "I hear about it all the time," sophomore guard Maurice Ager said.

No amount of faith can make belief fact

Some kudos to Marc Levitt ("Bice falls flat in his latest argument") for good points supporting the view that science and religion are "not as far apart as so many like to claim." After all, both put forth theories about the universe and our role in it, right?

Izzo the Great

Tom Izzo has an edge over most MSU professors - students believe in what he says, does and thinks. Perhaps more than he'd like to admit, the word of Izzo is the gospel in East Lansing, passed down to him from the heavens by Basketball Jesus to his perch atop Breslin Center.

Grapplers poised for second Sooners upset

Spartans wrestling (1-8, 0-4 Big Ten) travels to Norman, Okla., to face Oklahoma (12-4) today. The two squads met last on Tuesday, and MSU defeated the Sooners 24-14.

Swimming heads to U-M for in-state battle

MSU (4-5, 0-3) men's swimming and diving team will compete against U-M today in Ann Arbor. Last season, MSU lost to U-M 145-198, and the Wolverines have taken the last 27 meets of the rivalry.

Arab Americans gear up for caucus

Dearborn - In a state with one of the largest Arab populations in the United States, volunteers are working to encourage strong voter turnout among Arab Americans for Saturday's Michigan Democratic caucus. Jumana Judeh, an active volunteer with the Arab American Institute, attempted to mobilize hundreds of potential voters at a rally in Dearborn on Wednesday.

Fan support rises under McCallie

During the past few seasons, fans have been getting on board to follow the MSU women's basketball team. Four years ago, head coach Joanne P.

RHA ratifies amendments

Members of the Residence Halls Association's General Assembly made major changes to the organization's constitution and bylaws at their meeting Wednesday. Eight amendments were approved by the assembly in a unanimous vote on the constitution as a whole.

'Urinetown' makes splash at Wharton

There isn't a review in the world that could do "Urinetown: The Musical" the justice it deserves. The winner of three Tony Awards opened at the Wharton Center on Wednesday night, and from the first few lines of the musical, audience members kept laughing. The first scene shows Officer Lockstock, played by Tom Hewitt, waltzing out into an industrial-looking set filled with ladders, multiple levels, cages and dark black walls.

Years of 'human' food leads to domestic duck behavior

If you feed them, they will come - they just won't leave. Several hundred ducks can be seen each day, either congregating outside the Administration Building or using their bright orange, webbed feet to battle the Red Cedar River current.

Spartans commit to crashing glass

As a high school senior, Jason Andreas was visiting his future college - MSU. While riding home with former Spartan A.J.

Sharpton pays campus a visit

Emerging as the third and possibly last Democratic presidential candidate to visit East Lansing before Saturday's caucus, the Rev.

Police briefs 02/06/04

Spartans test road in Columbus

What a difference a month makes. As the first big snowfall covered the East Lansing streets in early January, there hardly was a buzz around MSU. That's surprising, considering two things: It was the start of the Big Ten season for the Spartans, who were picked to win the conference for the fifth time in six years, and MSU basketball is what sports fans anticipate every fall in East Lansing. This year was different.

Dean attacked because he's best

Have you asked yourself why, among all the Democratic presidential candidates, Howard Dean is the only one that the conservative advocacy group "Club for Growth Political Action Committee" has singled out to run attack ads against? And why has the right-wing media spent more than twice as much time bashing Dean than they have his rivals? Why did Karl Rove tell the media that Dean would be the easiest to beat?