THE BG NEWS Wednesday January 23, 2008 Volume 102, Issue 88
WORLD
ODD NEWS
CAMPUS
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Pro-life protest marches on Washington A 12-hour bus trip from South Bend, Ind. culminated yesterday when more than 230 students joined the March for Life yesterday | Page 3
Hold onto your knickers!
A man is facing jailtime after he was discovered with 93 pounds (1,613 pairs) of women’s underwear allegedly taken from laudromats | Page 11
Suicide bomber targets high school in Baghdad One of two attacks near high schools yesterday, the bombing may represent a shift in al-Qaida strategy to undermine public confidence | Page 9
FORUM
Dem. debate caters to quarrel
Columnist Sean Lutzman explains that the debate focused less on the issues and more on the bickering between Clinton and Obama | Page 4
No bail for bad borrowers
Irresponsible mortgage owners are causing a housing crisis, says columnist Sean Martin | Page 4
WEATHER
PEOPLE ON THE STREET
SPORTS
Falcons drop conference game to Miami 63-60 Fall to RedHawks for first time since 2004 leaves the team with a record of 15-4 | Page 7
What’s your best excuse for not exercising?
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Scholar speaks on Narnia knowledge By Gina Potthoff Assistant Campus Editor
C.S. Lewis couldn’t hide the secret of “The Chronicles of Narnia” from Michael Ward. For years scholars have been trying to uncover the underlying theme connecting the seven children’s novels written by Lewis, the first of which was published in 1950. While others have suggested the seven deadly sins or even the seven Catholic sacraments, Ward, an author, Anglican priest and scholar from Cambridge
Veteran returns to run for Congress By Tim Sampson City Editor
When Scott Radcliffe returned home from his second military tour in Iraq last month, it was time for him to find a job. The first one he applied for? United States Congressman. Radcliffe is seeking the Republican nomination for Ohio’s 5th district congressional seat, calling his bid for office an extension of his service. It’s an ambition that has been with Radcliffe since he was in sixth grade. His teacher went around the room one day predicting the future careers of each of her students. When she got to Radcliffe she pointed at him and simply said, “Congressman,” a prediction he was not particularly excited about. “I’d heard some not-so-good things about these political people,” Radcliffe said. “And it was like, ‘Who? Me?’” But his teacher’s prediction stayed in the back of Radcliffe’s mind as he went on to graduate from Perrysburg High School and West Point Academy. It also stayed with him while serving five years in the army. Radcliffe’s opportunity to seek office came out of the blue last September, following the death of U.S. Representative Paul Gillmor. But Radcliffe was still stationed in Iraq when candidates filled for the special election to replace Gillmor. The 28-year-old Radcliffe felt closetoGillmor,theCongressman who had nominated him for West Point Academy. That’s why he was especially dismayed to see the ugly campaign tactics of the Republican candidates who fought to succeed Gillmor. “I was motivated by the tenor of last fall’s primary — the bitter
See RADCLIFFE | Page 2
Michael Ward
C.S. Lewis scholar from Cambridge University University, said he discovered the true answer five years ago while reading another work by Lewis. The Lewis book series is clearly based on medieval cosmology and that each of the seven books relates specifically to each of the seven cosmos,
Ward said. The author gave a one-hour lecture about his theory in the Union last night to an audience made up of about 70 students and adults. His book, “Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C.S. Lewis,” was released Monday by Oxford University Press and has already received good reviews. In his lecture, Ward explained that Lewis’ novels purposely follow the path of the seven cosmos. He said Lewis tells exactly which medieval planet matches
which book in the series. For example, “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” was themed around the planet Jupiter. The other six novels were based around the planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, Saturn, the sun and the moon. He also said Lewis never told anyone about this hidden theme so he could communicate to readers’ imaginations instead of their intellects. Lewis wrote to readers’ “natural tendency to be oblivious to the obvious” and he wanted each book to convey the mes-
Harshman looks for a healthy hook By Andy Ouriel Reporter
Members of the Harshman Chapman-Dunbar hall council are worried this winter’s cold weather and other obstacles could deter some students from trekking across campus to work out at the Student Recreation Center. To help motivate students to exercise, the council hopes to put exercise equipment in the dorm’s lobby. They are waiting for approval from the Office of Residence Life. The hall council hopes to put equipment such as a treadmill, bike and an elliptical machine in the residence hall. Workout videos, fitness balls and yoga mats would also be provided. Amanda Stump, the resident hall director, said putting the equipment where students live could help inactive students incorporate exercising into their routines. “If [students] get into a schedule of working out and enjoying it, then maybe they will be eventually going to the Rec for more facilities,” Stump said. “If they are someone who does not walk to the Rec, it might get them started here.” An in-house workout facility would provide more benefits than just convenience and a way to avoid the cold. The hall council hopes the exercise area would improve the residence hall as a whole by attracting more students to live there. Harshman isn’t usually the first place students choose to live when they request housing, said Marjory Johnson, vice president of Harshman Chapman-Dunbar Student Hall Council. With the new equipment, more
See EXERCISE | Page 2
sage he wanted, Ward said. He said Lewis considered the seven planets to be spiritual symbols of permanent value, which coincides with the belief the book series was written about Christ. Ward is touring the United Kingdom and the U.S. from early January to the end of June, making a quick stop in Bowling Green before traveling to Grove City College in Pennsylvania for tomorrow.
See NARNIA | Page 2
EVAN AGOSTINI | AP PHOTO
OBIT LEDGER: Actor Heath Ledger attends a special Cinema Society and Hogan hosted screening of “I’m Not There” at the Chelsea West Cinemas, in New York. A New York Police Department spokesman said yesterday the actor was discovered dead at a downtown Manhattan residence.
Heath Ledger found dead at 28 By Tom Hays The Associated Press
FITNESS EQUIPMENT: Exercise bikes, fitness balls and workout tapes are just a few of the new options which will be provided in the Harshman Chapman-Dunbar residence hall.
NEW YORK — Heath Ledger was found dead yesterday at a downtown Manhattan apartment, naked in bed with sleeping pills nearby, police said. The Australian-born actor was 28. It wasn’t immediately clear if Ledger had committed suicide. He had an appointment for a massage at a residence in the neighborhood of SoHo, NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said. A housekeeper who went to let him know the massage therapist had arrived found him dead at 3:26 p.m. A large crowd of paparazzi and gawkers gathered outside the building on an upscale block. Ledger’s body was still inside, and several police officers guarded the door. The medical examiner’s office planned an autopsy today, spokeswoman Ellen Borakove said.
See LEDGER | Page 2
Fed. Reserve drops interest rates TEDDY RADER Junior, Business Administration
“I don’t make excuses. I’m an athlete.” | Page 4
TODAY Snow Shower High: 21, Low: 10
TOMORROW Snow Shower High: 17, Low: 8
By Terence Hunt The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Jolted by global recession fears, the Federal Reserve slashed interest rates yesterday, and President Bush and leaders of Congress joined in a rare show of cooperation in promising urgent action to pump up the economy with upwards of $150 billion in tax cuts and government spending. Market meltdowns overnight around the globe and growing anxiety at home stirred lawmakers and the administration toward swift action, possibly within a few weeks. Wall Street plummeted as the day began, following Asian stocks, then warily eased its sell-off after the Fed ordered the biggest cut on
“I believe we can find common ground to get something done that’s big enough ...” George W. Bush | President
record in a key interest rate. The Dow Jones industrials, down 465 points at one point, closed the day off 128. The Fed, announcing its action after an emergency video conference Monday night, indicated further rate reductions were likely, aimed at encouraging people and companies to start spending again. “The urgency that we feel at home is now even more urgent
as we see the impact of our markets on others,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said after both Democratic and Republican lawmakers met with Bush at the White House. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said the goal was to get a deal through Congress and on Bush’s desk within roughly three weeks — lightning speed compared with the usual snail’s pace on Capitol Hill. His Republican counterpart, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, agreed the aim was action in the next few weeks and said, “That, by the standards in Congress, is pretty fast.” Bush expressed confidence that he and the Democratic-led Congress could put aside bitter differences that have marked his presidency.
PABLO MARTINEZ MONSIVAIS | AP PHOTO
ECONOMIC TALK: President Bush, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid meet with Congressional leaders to discuss the economy.
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