| At Indiana, the rules are fine, but winning is better
The action came after a confrontation between Knight and a student that violated a previous zero-tolerance policy that Brand had established. Davis, who succeeded Knight, was in a hopeless position, even though he took Indiana to the national championship game in the 2002 season. He was too young, too new, too fresh to make an imprint at Indiana. But Sampson has weight. He had history of success at Oklahoma. He has a touch of the wheeler-dealer - enough to have landed Oklahoma on probation and thrown Indiana into an investigation. Knight went by the NCAA book, but he also threw the book - and chairs. There is a laundry list of embarrassments to the university that led to his dismissal. (He outraged women's groups in a 1988 interview with Connie Chung when he said, "I think that if rape is inevitable, relax and enjoy it.") Sampson coaches a style of play that fans want to watch and players like to play.
Fed slashes key rate 0.75 points
The Fed's reduction in the federal funds rate from 4.25 percent to 3.5 percent marked the biggest cut in that target rate for overnight loans going back to 1990. It marked the first time the Fed has changed the funds rate between meetings since 2001, when the central bank was battling the combined effects of a recession and the terrorist attacks. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke and his colleagues approved the large rate cut after an emergency video conference Monday night, a day when global markets had been pounded by rising fears that weakness in the world's largest economy was spreading worldwide. Despite the Fed's bold move, stocks plunged at the opening. But the Dow rebounded, finishing the day off 128.11 points at 11,971.19. Analysts said the milder decline at the end of the day after such a rough start showed that the Fed's effort to reassure Wall Street had had an effect.
Execution for child rape?
The goal is to put the issue in play in Colorado," Ward said. Under current Colorado law, those convicted of raping a child 15 or younger must serve four years to life in prison, with a parole board freeing them only after they have demonstrated they are no longer a threat to society. Those rapists must spend at least eight years in prison if, during their sexual assault, they also applied force against their victim, threatened their victim or committed a pattern of sexual assault. Ward's bill would mandate the death penalty or life in prison for a new crime called "aggravated sexual assault on a child" for that second, more serious class of rape, in cases where the child was 12 or younger. Ward said he is aware his bill could become a lightning rod. But he insists he is putting it forward because it's good policy and not because he is running this year to replace U.S.
Wild Card -- Weekend
He loved Christmas and he still loved being Santa after all of us kids were grown. He even bought his very own Santa suit which he kept with the beard and hat and wig in its own special suitcase. He became Santa Claus when donning the suit at shopping malls, church and community Christmas parties and for several years on Christmas Eve when we'd surprise the winner of the newspaper's Letters to Santa contest with a personal visit. For the rest of the column by Kerri Thoreson/Coeur d'Alene Press about Santa Claus (aka, the late Ron Rankin), click here. .
Scotland's best: Bannockburn, Bond or Baxter?
This means key dates such as the victory at Bannockburn in 1314, and the Act of Union in 1707 will be compared with the publication of a work of literature or a major achievement in the sporting arena. The series, with a budget in excess of £100,000, will be kick-started by TV promotions asking viewers to send in their nominations. Three half-hour programmes in November will use on-screen champions - celebrities and historians - to make their case for 30 key events. Viewers will then be encouraged to vote for their favourites online. The series will culminate in a one-hour studio debate among a seven-strong panel of Scotland's leading historians, chaired by Professor Tom Devine on St Andrew's Night (November 30), when the winner will be revealed. Events already certain to feature strongly are the Wars of Independence, in the late 13th and early 14th centuries, the 18th-century publication of the works of Robert Burns, the 1320 Declaration of Arbroath, and the 16th-century Reformation.
Feminine exhibition
The Wichita Women's Fair offers three days of shopping, cooking demonstrations, beauty presentations, live music and more. This year's fair will offer 385 exhibits. Among the special features this year is the Women's Fair Fitness Challenge, a six-week challenge designed to help women make better choices about exercise and nutrition. Teams of four can sign up at the fair then make an appointment for a weigh-in at any Genesis location. Participants will have free use of the health club, including all classes and seminars, during the competition, and the winning team will receive a trip for four to Las Vegas. Dozens of exhibitors will showcase home decor ideas and products. From 1:30 to 3 p.m. Friday, the Women's Fair will sponsor a Professional Women's Workshop featuring five well-known businesswomen who will share their career insights.
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