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FEATURES

To sleep, perchance to dream

Aaron M. Miller
March 1, 2001

“I have just closed my eyes again/Climbed aboard the Dream Weaver train/Driver take away my worries of today/and leave tomorrow behind.” Every night, like in Gary Wright’s pop hit, people all over the world climb aboard the “Dream Weaver” train for a free ride on railways of fantasy - destination unknown. Through astral planes, starry skies and to the bright side of the moon, the train may travel, but whether the train actually takes away the worries of today is doubtful. Many doctors say dreams are actually a way of dealing with reality. “We’re really grounded in the concrete,” said Charles McPhee, author of “Stop Sleeping Through Your Dreams: A Guide to Awakening Consciousness During Dream Sleep.” “Dreams are a reflection of things going on in our lives.

SPORTS

W-hoops seniors finishing strong

Krista Latham
March 1, 2001

For five MSU women’s basketball seniors, today marks the beginning of the end.Guards Christie Pung and Donita Johnson and center Erin Skelly will have at least one more chance to finalize their career totals and make a mark in Spartan history, as MSU begins Big Ten Tournament play today against Ohio State.But no matter what the outcome will be, all three, along with forward Becky Cummings, have ended their careers listed in the top 10 in at least one category.

NEWS

Pothole hotline rings off the hook in Lansing

Brandi Lewandowski
March 1, 2001

With Lansing motorists bouncing from pothole to pothole, Lansing’s Public Service Department says it’s trying to smooth out the rides. The department has been posting its pothole hotline for about six years, and it’s receiving more phone calls this season - 40 during busy work days - than officials ever expected. “Potholes are always a maintenance problem, although they’re more prevalent in the early spring,” said Stan Shuck, who has answered the hotline phones since their introduction to the public. “It’s a fairly busy line.” The department assigns three to five road crews to service the weathered roads five days a week. Lansing service officials say they attempt to patch holes in the city within 24 hours of the calls to capitalize on drivers’ safety. Many of those safety concerns are a result of water freezing, which causes asphalt to expand and break down, creating cracks and craters. “When that happens, something has got to give and that’s when the holes are created,” said Steve Anspach, Public Service Department senior supervisor. The freeze and thaw cycle this winter has allowed water to penetrate the road’s surface and create safety hazards, he said. “I would say anyplace in the snow belt, or that is subject to winter weather, is going to have the same kind of problems,” Anspach said. Besides frustration and reduced speeds, drivers are seeing vehicle damage as another pothole byproduct. “Mostly, it’s blown tires or rim damage,” said Dave Denittes, manager of Firestone Tire & Service Center, 5110 W.

COMMENTARY

Restrict U

Restricted living options are good for those who choose them, but are unlikely to be responsible for better academic performance. The Harvard School of Public Health recently released a study that found students living in substance-free dorms were less likely to drink heavily or be affected by alcohol-related problems.

MICHIGAN

Spotlight program targets underage drinking

Steve Eder
March 1, 2001

Let the buyer beware. Area cops are teaming up to curb liquor sales to minors. The East Lansing Police Department, Meridian Township Police Department and Ingham County Sheriff’s Department kicked off their new Spotlight program Wednesday afternoon at Spartan Sports Den, 1227 E.

FEATURES

New paperback highlights lives of two young computer geeks

Leslie Escobar
March 1, 2001

With so much easy access to computers and technology, it’s hard not to get swept up in some aspect of the Internet.For some people, the Internet offers endless possibilities, whether just for entertainment, an entire online community or a career.Jon Katz’s “Geeks” is the true story of two computer-savvy “geeks” and their escape from a life of low-paying jobs and loneliness after their graduation from high school.Katz was on tour for a previous book, “Virtuous Reality,” in 1996 when he first became interested in what it meant to be a “geek.”And after an introduction to the world of geeks by some cameramen at a local television station, Katz became interested in computer technology and began writing for “Wired,” a magazine made especially for “geeks.”With his columns about the world of geeks for “Wired,” and the magazine’s Web site, “Hotwired,” Katz began receiving hundreds of e-mails from geeks across the country about their lives.This included 19-year-old Jesse Dailey and his closest friend Eric Twilegar.After communicating with Jesse through e-mail and convincing the two that with their skills, they could get a job anywhere, Katz flew to Caldwell, Idaho to meet them.For most of their lives and particularly in high school, Jesse and Eric were outcasts.Both were working dead-end jobs after graduating from high school.

COMMENTARY

Letter disagreed with tax realities

I am writing to respond to Seth Murray’s letter (“Tax cuts actually benefit no one,” SN 2/28). Murray’s statements disagree with many realities of the American economic system and facts about how the wealthy in this country have traditionally become wealthier.

SPORTS

Team must win Big Ten tourney to get NCAA bid

Krista Latham
March 1, 2001

The MSU women’s basketball team has one hope of getting a berth in the women’s NCAA Tournament - it must win the Big Ten Tournament, which begins today at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids.Ninth-seeded MSU plays in the first game of the tournament against eighth-seeded Ohio State at 4 p.m.

NEWS

McPherson leery of WRC

Rachel Wright
March 1, 2001

While an MSU anti-sweatshop group continues pressuring administration to change its affiliation with its current labor-condition watching organization, other universities have compromised on the issue.The University of Illinois recently became the third school in the Big Ten to become a member of both major organizations, the Fair Labor Association and the Worker Rights Consortium.The consortium, started by students and human rights activists, appoints independent monitors to oversee labor conditions at overseas factories.

FEATURES

Disney and US team up

NEW YORK - Jann Wenner, the publishing maverick who launched Rolling Stone in 1967, has finally found a partner in his effort to make US Weekly a mainstay in the celebrity journalism business: The Walt Disney Co. Under a deal announced Tuesday, US Weekly is being spun off from Wenner’s media group, which also includes Men’s Journal and Rolling Stone, into a new company of which Disney will own half.

MSU

ASMSU seeks E.L. general funding to ease transition off campus

Steve Bossi
March 1, 2001

While MSU’s undergraduate student government did not qualify to receive Community Development Block Grant funds from the city of East Lansing, ASMSU officials said they are not discouraged.Instead, ASMSU has been recommended to receive money from the city’s general budget by the Community Development Advisory Committee.“We would have had to track the audience that the (block grant) money is spent on,” said Joe Mignano, ASMSU director of Community Affairs and a member of the advisory committee.

MSU

U officer changes post

Jeremy W. Steele
March 1, 2001

MSU police Officer Lorrie Bates traded in her department-issued blue cap for a cardboard party hat Wednesday.Police and Brody Complex officials surprised the community police officer with a farewell party.

FEATURES

Band brings acoustic rock to U

Dan Julian
March 1, 2001

Matthew Alfano doesn’t like performing in coffee shops too much with his band “Mason’s Case.” “We can’t bring the drums in there and the songs just don’t have the same ‘oomph’ as they would in a bar,” the theater junior said.

COMMENTARY

Students should decide Pie sequel

Once again, I have been let down by MSU. This most recent disappointment stems from university administrators rejecting Universal Studios’ request to use MSU in the sequel to “American Pie” (“Administrators: Thumbs down to ‘Pie’ sequel,” SN 2/27). This may seem trivial to most people, but this is just another incident stemming from a larger problem: the problem being the administration, once again proven here, is out of touch with its students.

NEWS

Students share stories of struggles with body image

Sarah M. Emery
March 1, 2001

Erin Ruth has always been fascinated with the hopes of being a princess in the pages of a childhood fairy tale.And in driving herself to be the perfect princess, she in fact made a fairy tale out of her life.But she says her personal story is not one suitable for the pages of a children’s book.“The dragon of anorexia was the driving force in my life,” said Ruth, an interdisciplinary studies in health and humanities freshman.