FEATURES

Music puppets should avoid the movies and subsequent failure

After spending years singing and dancing, or at least lip-synching and dancing, there seems to be one thing that no pop star can resist: movies. They flock to them in the hopes of leaving their oh-so-hard lives of learning dance moves and rehearsing the songs that people have worked so diligently on to get the kids moving and buying records. And then, the movies really, really stink. I can already picture dozens of teeny-boppers running to the nearest computer to write up some letter telling me I’m an idiot and that I should just stop criticizing pop stars, or that I’m just jealous. But the issue here is not the music.

FOOTBALL

Recruits part 1

Paul Day

February 7, 2002

Kyle Brown West Bloomfield High: West Bloomfield 6-1, 195 pounds Wide receiver Brown verbally committed in late January and said he’s looking forward to teaming up with other fast wide receivers. “It’s gonna be pretty fun,” Brown said. His senior season was cut short by a torn anterior cruciate ligament, but that didn’t stop schools from recruiting him. His junior season he rushed for 1,300 yards and passed for 300.

COMMENTARY

U.S. actions needed to protect country

“When does it become OK to ignore our Constitution?” (“Detainees deserve basic human rights,” SN 2/5) It always becomes OK to ignore the Constitution when the Constitution has no rules set forth for the treatment of prisoners of war.

MSU

ASMSU representatives hope to glean new ideas from conference

Alison Barker

February 7, 2002

Students from around the Midwest including some from MSU will be networking to improve the university experience at a three-day conference this weekend, .The Association of Big Ten Students meets three times a year to recognize how other Big Ten undergraduate student governments approach local, state, national and international issues.ASMSU, MSU’s undergraduate student government, will send 10 representatives from academic and student assemblies to the conference at the University of Michigan.“It’s a really good way to exchange information, and get on the same page as other schools,” said Matt Weingarden, ASMSU Student Assembly vice chairperson of internal affairs.

MICHIGAN

Anti-terrorism bills passed

Lansing - A sweeping package of legislation designed to thwart terrorism in Michigan easily cleared the state Senate Wednesday, with senators evoking the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon to rally broad support. “September 11th was a wake-up call for everyone,” said Sen.

MSU

Group protests depiction on flier

Camille Spencer

February 7, 2002

Nestled between pizza advertisements slipped under doors in Wonders Hall last week was a flier promoting the movie “Kung Pow: Enter the Fist.”Despite the fliers’ professional appearance, they actually were a parody of the film that some students say is discriminatory against Asian Americans.

FEATURES

Weekend guide

Friday • The University Activities Board presents “MSU Coffeehouse 2002” at 9 p.m.

COMMENTARY

Service more than being American

That Shaun Reed disagrees with U.S. Rep. Nick Smith’s bill to make military service mandatory comes as little surprise (“Duty to country is served every day,” SN 2/6). I don’t agree with it either, but for quite different reasons than Reed put forth.

COMMENTARY

Proper parents

The recent policy released by the American Academy of Pediatrics concerning the parental abilities of same-sex couples only affirms common sense knowledge - it requires two supportive and loving parents to raise a child. The policy, released Monday by the Illinois-based organization, focuses on legally protecting the parental rights of gay parents whose partners have children and for couples who wish to adopt a child.

NEWS

Politics dont worry trustees

Ed Ronco

February 7, 2002

The change in power on the MSU Board of Trustees on Tuesday has raised questions about how closely intertwined board actions are with politics. Many officials and university administrators shrug off the relationship, saying the two never meet. In recent years, very few board decisions have gone along party lines.

MICHIGAN

Fossil search

Lindsay Frederickson

February 7, 2002

Lansing - A group of more than 150 shivering junior high students gathered outside the Capitol on Wednesday to let legislators know what Michigan really needs - a state fossil. Students carried pro-mastodon signs and held a huge drawing of a mastodon behind a podium set up on the Capitol steps.

COMMENTARY

Abortion provides safe health options

In response to Mike Sanregret’s statement, “an ideal culture would reject abortion both in popular sentiment and in law,” we could follow that an ideal culture would not have instances of violence against women either (“Abortion fueled by casual sex culture,” SN 2/5). Our reality may not be ideal, but the practice of safe abortions is as essential as the freedom of speech.

MICHIGAN

Granholm to address role of women in law

Chad Previch

February 7, 2002

Although the role of women has changed in the last 100 years, some women say it will continue changing - and they’re going to change with it.Attorney General Jennifer Granholm will talk about the role of women in law today at a presentation sponsored by Cooley Law School’s Women’s Law Alliance.Natalie Alane, a third-year Cooley student, said Granholm is an important figure in Michigan, and is excited that she will be making an appearance to help women’s image in law.“I think women influence things in different ways,” said Alane, the alliance’s president.

COMMENTARY

Understanding Enron is easy when you compare energy to apples

The Enron Corp. scandal is dominating print and broadcast news, and every day, developments in the matter are announced with ever more shocked voices, in ever more ominous tones. But the Enron scandal, like most ongoing news, is a little bit like “Rex Morgan, M.D.” or “Judge Parker” or any of the serious comics nobody reads.

NEWS

MID-DAY UPDATE: Specialty Web sites offer students avenue to keep themselves occupied

Leslie Escobar

February 7, 2002

Whether living in the dorms or off campus, one thing remains the same for all college students: The need to waste time on the Internet.And although e-mail and instant messaging are the most popular uses of the Internet for most students, Web sites featuring the kind of humor only college kids find funny are a popular form of entertainment.Sites like www.hotornot.com, where users can vote on the attractiveness of random men and women on a scale from one to 10, is one site students turn to keep themselves occupied.“There are a lot of changes going on on campus,” said Hairong Li, MSU assistant advertising professor.

BASKETBALL

Spartans fall to Wildcats, 61-49

Justin A. Rice

February 7, 2002

Evanston, Ill. - The MSU men’s basketball team lost to Northwestern Wednesday for the first time since 1997 and only the second time since 1987. Before the 61-49 loss at Welsh-Ryan Arena, MSU won 27 of the last 28 games between the two teams.

FEATURES

Pops bursting bubble

Dan Julian

February 7, 2002

’N Sync mingle on the set of the “Mickey Mouse Club” in ’95. The Backstreet Boys release their self-titled debut in 1996. The world also met Spice Girls that year with their hit single “Wannabe.” And who can forget those three MMMboppin’ Hanson brothers? A blond-haired beauty named Britney Spears hit the scene in a schoolgirl outfit, and the deal is sealed. Bam.

COMMENTARY

Musical chairs

Gov. John Engler’s latest appointment to the MSU Board of Trustees has brought with it speculation about the lame-duck chief executive’s future political aspirations. Within two years, Engler has bypassed the electoral process and changed the partisan powers on the MSU board from a 5-3 Democrat majority to a 5-3 GOP majority - a tilt that benefits his own party affiliation. Engler has said he tries to keep politics out of decisions which will affect the universities. “I’d look for the best person,” he told The State News prior to Tuesday’s appointment of Republican Randall Pittman to a trustee seat.

NEWS

Engler state budget to be released to committees

Lindsay Frederickson

February 7, 2002

The question of what will get cut will finally be answered when Gov. John Engler’s budget is presented at 11 a.m.

FOOTBALL

Recruits part 2

Paul Day

February 7, 2002

Clifton Ryan Arthur Hill High: Saginaw 6-3, 255 pounds Linebacker Ryan continues the long lineage of great athletes coming from the Saginaw Valley Conference.