News

News

D.C. conference pushes for cabinet-level peace department

By Allie Feras | January 25

The Peace Alliance, a citizen action group supporting a culture of peace, will host a conference to raise awareness and lobby for the creation of a cabinet level Department of Peace, Maggie Lada, an intern for The Peace Alliance and senior in the School of International Service, said.

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AU prof doubles as stand-up comedian at Bethesda hotel

By Amanda Glensky | January 25

School of Communication Professor Chris Palmer teaches film full time at AU, but he could never teach his daughters to do a handstand, he admitted to 100 people during his stand-up comedy routine Saturday night. Palmer said he uses inspiration from his family and the AU community in his stand-up set at Laugh Riot at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Bethesda, Md.

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Indian economy grows through inspiration of others

By Kyra Smerkanich | January 25

India is historically an entrepreneurial country that has absorbed business practices from other countries, explaining why India has steadily grown economically, said R. Gopalakrishnan, executive director of Tata Sons, a prominent Indian corporation at the India Forum held Wednesday in the School of International Service Lounge.

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International brief: Israeli president faces charges of rape, abuse of power

By Jimm Phillips | January 25

Israeli President Moshe Katsav faces an indictment on charges of rape and abuse of power, according to the Associated Press. Katsav, who serves as Israel's ceremonial head of state, is alleged to have forced himself on female employees. The scandal came to light last summer after one of Katsav's female employees alleged that he had forced her to have sex.

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National brief: Watergate burglary coordinator dies at 88

By Jimm Phillips | January 25

E. Howard Hunt, the coordinator of the Watergate burglary and other clandestine activities during the Nixon administration, died of pneumonia in Miami Tuesday at the age of 88, according to Reuters. Hunt, once a CIA agent, was officially a consultant to President Richard Nixon, and lead the group of "plumbers" hired to plug up information leaks in the Nixon administration with G.

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Uninspired Dears show leaves 9:30 crowds unenthused

By Hilary Crowe | January 25

The air was fresh and smoke-free Saturday night at the 9:30 club, an atmosphere befitting the congenial crowd and bands that were to take refuge there for the night. The show, headlined by Montreal indie rockers The Dears, stood in stark contrast to the harsh, cement surroundings by churning out mind-numbingly ethereal pop from start to finish.

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News

Campus briefs

January 25

AU to host mock assembly debate Robert Pastor, AU's vice president of international affairs, will work with Christine Frechette, Parliament founder, to host a Triumvairate, a mock interparliamentary assembly that will allow students from different colleges and countries in North America to debate controversial issues, according to the American Weekly.

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Bipartisan students gather for address

By Kelly Barrett | January 25

For the first time at AU, the College Democrats and College Republicans gathered together for the annual State of the Union address, as President Bush spoke before a Democratic-controlled Congress for the first time. John Zevitas, president of College Republicans and a junior in the School of Public Affairs, said the groups were viewing the address together "in the spirit of bipartisanship.

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Campus calendar

By Brian Kalish | January 25

Thursday, Jan. 25 Town Hall Meeting: Development of the Next Two-Year Budget Noon-1 p.m Butler Board Room University Budget Committee co-chairs, Interim Provost Ivy Broder and Vice President of Finance and Treasurer Don Myers, invite the AU community to participate in a town hall meeting to discuss the university budget for fiscal years 2008 and 2009.

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Metro brief: Fenty accepts Pelosi invite, snubs Bush over District voting rights

By Jimm Phillips | January 25

D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty declined a White House invitation to attend the State of the Union address Tuesday, instead choosing to come as a guest of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., according to The Washington Post. Fenty sat in the House gallery among other guests invited by Pelosi.

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Faculty, students defend WGST program

By Ali Goldstein | January 25

Despite plans to increase the number of majors within the College of Arts and Sciences, the Women's and Gender Studies program is not likely to disappear, according to Gay Young, director of the WGST program. After students and alumni recently formed a WGST Facebook group, the rumor that the program would be cancelled circulated around campus.

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Metro calendar

By Rebecca Kern | January 22

Wednesday, Jan. 24 "World War II: Halsey's Typhoon" Noon. Jefferson Room, U.S. National Archives, 700 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W. Metro: Archives/Navy Memorial (Yellow and Green lines) Bob Drury, co-author of "Halsey's Typhoon," will discuss the true tale of when Adm.

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National brief: Divorced couple divide house with wall

By Jimm Phillips | January 22

Workers have built a court-order wall in the home of a New York City couple who are going through divorce proceedings, according to the Associated Press. Simon and Chana Taub, whose two-year-long divorce case has been dubbed "The War of the Roses," both refuse to vacate the three-story rowhouse they share in Brooklyn's Borough Park.

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House passes '100 Hours' bills

By Jimm Phillips | January 22

The House of Representatives passed the final bill in the Democrats' "100 Hours Plan" Thursday, according to the Associated Press. The plan included six bills, as well as changes to House rules meant to reduce the influence of lobbyists and the deficit.

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Speaker examines issue of race in U.S. population

By Robin Bravender | January 22

AU professor Edward Smith grew up in a Washington, D.C., where the Redskins were an all-white football team, and black children and white children could not go to the same schools. Progress has been made since then, Smith said, but "America is always a work in progress.

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Metro brief: D.C. Dept. of Transportation putting more speed bumps in District border areas

By Jimm Phillips | January 22

The D.C. Department of Transportation will be installing additional speed bumps on residential streets near the District border, according to ABC 7 News. The new speed bumps, which will be placed by crews at 15 locations in Wards 1, 3, 4, 7 and 8, are being installed to curb the use of residential streets as shortcuts for commuters driving out of the District, according to ABC 7.

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Housing and Dining director to leave in February

By Brian Kalish | January 22

On Feb. 3, Housing and Dining Programs Executive Director Julie Weber will walk out of her office like she does at the end of every day. However, it will be her last time doing so, as she leaves behind 10 years at AU to begin a similar job 2,000 miles away at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, N.

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