JOSH RASMUSSEN/THE ARBITER - Bronco netminder Dan Beaudrea prepares to stop a break-away shot from a University of Montana forward during a home game Nov. 6. at Idaho Ice World.

Boise State University football may make national headlines, and the women’s soccer players may call themselves Western Athletic Conference Champions, but none of their accomplishments came on ice.

The BSU hockey club, however, is in full swing, taking the ice by storm and has already played 13 of its 38 games this season.

Club president and team captain Dalton Smith, and his father, Lee, claim responsibility for starting the club 3 years ago.

“A lot of these kids came up together and want to play hockey,” Lee says. “They had nowhere else to go.”

It’s no small project to start a club either. It takes more than $40,000 yearly to play a full season. Lee is no longer designated the head coach though he handled those duties for the first two seasons.

JOSH RASMUSSEN/THE ARBITER - Boise State center, team captain and club president Dalton Smith extends toward the net during a shot in a home game against the University of Montana Nov. 6. at Idaho Ice World.

“I basically dumped my American Express into the first year just to prove we were serious,” Lee says.

To make matters more difficult, head coach Ken Beaudreau, in his first year coaching the Broncos, says, “I volunteer. The parents volunteer. The team manager, the assistant coach — no one gets paid. We are self-funded.”

He adds, “We’re always looking for sponsors. We’re always looking for support.”

The Broncos play as part of the ACHA (American College Hockey Association) in division II. The Broncos may play DII, but a DII hockey team doesn’t carry the same second-tier connotation as a DII football or basketball team. Other notable ACHA DII teams include Harvard, Ohio State University, New York University, Virginia Tech University, Arizona State University and the University of Idaho.

The rules most closely compare to those of the NCAA. Players must wear a full-cage on their helmets and fighting is forbidden. That doesn’t mean fights don’t happen. The penalty is an automatic ejection with a 1-game suspension as well as a 5-minute major another member of the team must serve during the game.

Like many sports, hockey demands a great deal from its players. To keep eligibility, each student must be a full-time, degree-seeking, with a minimum of nine credits and maintain a 2.0 GPA.

“It’s definitely been taking its toll on the whole team with grades, being gone every single weekend,” Dalton says. “It’s definitely intense. I don’t think somebody could hold a full-time job, go to school and play for a team. I personally don’t think it’s possible.”

But the reward is worth it to the players, most of whom grew up playing hockey. They manage themselves like any other hockey team.

“We don’t really allow any kind of drama between the players,” Dalton says. “Everyone shows a certain amount of respect for each other.”

BSU junior and 3-year-veteran of the WHL (Western Hockey League) Aaron Roberge’s several-team, multiple-league, hockey career came to an end 3 years ago in Canada but he maintains a love for the sport. Because of a by-law disallowing players with professional experience (WHL included) to play college hockey, he is ineligible to play with the Broncos but practiced with them a few times prior to receiving the news. The ACHA is not the WHL but some things never change.

“When I stopped playing hockey, I took a good, couple years off so … ya know how it is with guys on hockey teams — everyone’s really good, close friends,” Roberge says, “and there’s good camaraderie and everyone seems to get along. You get a feeling of being on a team and being with a group of guys who like to have fun and compete together.”

While athletes are often most-known through their sports, they are still responsible for daily life.

“Everything that happens at Boise State, the club sports, the varsity sanctioned sports — all of it’s important,” Ken says, “They’re all student athletes. These are people who are putting an enormous amount of time into their game, practice, school work and trying to get a degree. To me, they’re the finest of the finest.”

Ken has been coaching for 15 years at a variety of levels in multiple leagues including Peewees, Bantam, U-18 and the Idaho Rattlers. Youth soccer and YMCA roller hockey also help account for his coaching history.

“The game is almost secondary to what we’re trying to do,” he says, “which is make better men out of them — get them ready for the world.”

Ken’s son Dan Beaudreau, also the club vice president, serves as a 6’, 220-pound goalie for the Broncos. Coaching him has been really easy according to Ken.

“I’ve coached him for so many years and so many different teams that when we’re on the ice, he’s not my son and I’m not his father. We have kind of zoned that out, because I don’t understand goalies. They’re a totally different breed than anybody else. You’ve got to let him be who he is and trust him.”

The Broncos have a 23-man roster including former Idaho Junior Steelheads forwards Kevin Costello and Tyson Barnes and former Junior Steelheads AA defenseman Blake Englund. Boise is listed as the hometown for 13 of the 23 players.

A couple of the more-experience players are Dalton and brother Cortland Smith who combined for 54 of the team’s159 points in the 2008-2009 regular season. Cortland gets credit for leading the team in both goals (12) and assists (20) last season though he was followed closely by Dalton who tallied 11 of each.

Dalton’s hockey resume includes time with the Columbus Blue Jackets Midget Major AAA, an affiliate of the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets.

Dalton says the team looks for “experienced players who are passionate about playing hockey.”

The club doesn’t only benefit players and fans. It also gives medical staff a chance to familiarize themselves with a new sport and learn its challenges. Gen Ludwig, the coordinator for injury prevention and care through Boise State says some of the most important differences are the rules and procedures. Also of educational value to new trainers are the pads and the order in which they are put on and likewise, taken off, should it be necessary during the treating and/or diagnosing of an injury.

The Broncos practice once a week on Wednesday.

The Broncos’ next home games are Friday and Saturday at Idaho Ice World at 10:00 p.m. against BYU.

To those who are new to the sport, Ken says, “Come out and learn the game. Come out with somebody who knows the game, learn it and (you) will fall in love with it when (you) see it live.”

Related posts:

1. Boise State hockey to take on U of I
2. Broncos hockey club has varsity attitude
3. BSU Men’s Ice Hockey Club skates into action

NIK BJURSTROM/THE ARBITER Broncos junior wide receiver Austin Pettis bursts into speed following a reception against Miami (Ohio) Sept. 12.

The Boise State Broncos never seem too far from the headlines. Sunday morning when the week four rankings were release the buzz began once again.

BSU has never been ranked No. 5 and been able to continue the trend. They were placed there following the 2007 Fiesta Bowl victory then moved back to their familiar bubble preseason spot.

The Broncos now face a new challenge of maintaining poise in the face of the early season ranking furry.

For BSU coaches and athletes it is nothing more than a matter of doing what they always do and sticking to the task at hand. Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Bryan Harsin is the orchestrator of a prolific offensive and quarterback scheme that has become a standard through BSU’s last three-plus seasons.

“I think it has to do with what we do in fall camp,” Harsin said straight-faced. “We set expectations in those three phases of offense, defense and special teams and then by group we set expectations and we just try to stick to those standards and expectations throughout the season.”

Those forethoughts for the players are a staple for keeping a level head. Continually plugging away at different team, group and individual goals perpetually keeps the athletes busy enough so that polls are secondary at most on their minds.

“If we do what we’ve got to do it will all play out in the end,” junior safety Jeron Johnson said. “Right now it really doesn’t matter. We wouldn’t be where we are at if teams wouldn’t have slipped up and lost. It really means nothing to me…At the end of the season is when it all matters. Winter workouts. That’s when the rankings matter.”

The strides to keep that level head doesn’t always fall on the prior mindset for the Broncos. It also means keeping focused on the immediate, the now and the on what they can control. Keeping the blinders on BSU is simple as doing nothing different. Just continuing to play and plan the Bronco way.

“I think it’s pretty simple,” Harsin said. “We just go back to the film and watch ourselves. From what or expectations are going into fall camp and really all the way through the season, there’s a lot of things in there just by watching film.”

Control also lies, in many ways, outside of the realm of the Broncos. That is something that has been etched into the pillars of high expectations for the BSU program. The message continues from year to year on knowing who is in the driver’s seat.

“Just not worry about it too much. Just worry about the things that we can control,” junior wide out Austin Pettis said. “And the only thing that we can control right now is winning games. As long as we go out and win games [the voters] will put us where they think we should be and we just have to feed off that.”

The Broncos’ identity has formed a solid foundation over the years that is reiterated regardless of the athlete speaking. Sometimes focus is easy as knowing who you are as a team.

“We are what we are and we just have to do what we do to stay there,” Johnson said.

BSU faces UC Davis Saturday during their 2009 Homecoming game at 6:07 p.m. in Bronco Stadium.

Related posts:

1. Broncos remain confident despite losing streak
2. Broncos humbled, but not obsessed over rankings
3. Pettis and others step out of the spotlight to make way for the ‘W’

TRENT LOOTENS/THE ARBITER Boise state receiver Titus Young carries the coveted milk jug, bound for Boise, off the field after the Broncos defeated Fresno State in California Friday evening.

For the past two games the Broncos defense stole the headlines. Friday night’s win at Fresno State, however, was the result of Boise State’s offense that had the stadium buzzing on the way to the Broncos’ 51-34 victory. Dynamic production from playmakers on both teams on all sides of the ball defined the game.

The Bronco’s came out firing and lit up the scoreboard for 51 points at a hostel Bulldog Stadium. Fresno State had an impressive offensive outing also with 34 points put up on a stout Bronco Defense.

It was Jeremy Avery’s night to shine on the ground, rushing the ball he had 11 carries for 186 yards and had five receptions for 83 yards and one touchdown. On the reception touchdown he scurried up the field for a 67 yard touchdown off of a swing pass from Kellen Moore. Avery gave Fresno everything they could handle helping the Broncos answer back every time Fresno pulled closer.

While Avery seemed to have all the answers he received a big helping hand from Titus Young when Avery rambled up the field for what looked to be a touchdown before the ball was popped from his hands by defenders and headed out of the end zone before Young hopped on it for a fumble recovery touchdown. The play couldn’t have come at a bigger moment for Boise State, the Bulldogs had pulled the score within 3 and had the momentum safely on their side with the stadium busting at the seams.

“I told him thank you,” a relieved Avery said after the big recovery by Young.

Avery and Harper both rushed for over 100 yards but they weren’t the running back that stole the spotlight Friday’s offensive explosion. Fresno State’s Ryan Matthews ha 19 carries for 234 yards and three touchdowns, with all the touchdowns coming from over 60 yard runs. Mathews stole the spotlight even with the Bulldogs coming up short.

“He’s strong and he’s not going to go down easy,” BSU head coach Chris Petersen. “You can talk about it all you want but it’s a different thing when you’re trying to get him down. Our hats off to him for being so strong and good.”

While the Bronco’s offense produced the most points they had all year the defense let the opponent score the most points all year and gave up the most yards. Even though giving up more than 1 big play to Fresno State the defense came out to make big plays too. Nickel back Winston Venable picked of Bulldogs quarterback Ryan Colburn for a Touchdown in the first procession of the game.

With the offense firing from all cylinders and the defense helping on the lead, special teams stepped up to give great field position. The Bronco’s averaged 36.7 yards on kickoff returns and would have had a kick off returned for a touchdown by Young if it weren’t called back for holding.

“The kickoff returns were huge. [Fresno was] very dangerous on their kickoff returns as well. Our guys slowed them down enough to not get anything big,” said Coach Petersen. “Special teams were huge.”

The Broncos will look to put all the pieces together Saturday when they travel to take on Bowling Green.

Related posts:

1. Broncos upsset No. 8 Fresno State
2. #16BOISE STATE WINS 17TH STRAIGHT,
   33-16 OVER FRESNO STATE
3. Fresno forces challenge

JOSH RASMUSSEN/THE ARBITER

All too often in college football un-classy moves make national headlines and take away from the game. Boise State’s victory over Oregon was a victory marred by a classless move that took all the thunder from a dominant Bronco victory.

By now, the nation knows the events, which took place after the final whistle, and marked a historic win for Boise State. Boise State sophomore DE Byron Hout hit senior Oregon RB LaGarrett Blount’s shoulder pads and said something that, in turn, prompted Blount to sucker punch Hout. After the punch, which struck Hout across the jaw as he turned away, Hout fell to the ground. Blount jumped up and down as he moved back, and crossed his hands in an “X” taunting Hout. He proceeded to push and jaw at his teammates. Then, as Blount walked off the field, he turned and went after some fans. Police officers restrained Blount as people in the stadium, as well as those tuned to ESPN, witnessed a train wreck unfold before their eyes.

While witnessing the spontaneous combustion of one of the nation’s top running backs, it was hard to not think about the situation from Oregon Head Coach Chip Kelly’s perspective. Judging by the media firestorm and chat-board banter, it’s a topic many around the nation have been pondering.

Defenders of an old-school style of coaching would have seen Blount on the next plane home and completely done with The University of Oregon.

The verdict from Oregon was released Sept. 4 — Oregon had suspended Blount for the entire season (his senior season no less) but would allow him to continue to practice and attend classes at Oregon to obtain a degree. Many around the country may have found themselves standing and applauding the classy way Oregon handled the un-sportsmanlike act. But after Blount’s indiscretions, the people in charge of handling his punishment had such big hearts.

Observers can tell this was not just a way to show how Oregon markets its program. It was people with kindness in their heart who saw a young man who, in mere minutes, dug a hole so deep for himself it seemed there was no way to get out.

Instead of turning him loose, Oregon is going to attempt to make Blount a better person.

Saturday, Blount and Kelly called Boise State to apologize to BSU head coach Chris Petersen and Hout. From what was told in media press conferences, the apologies went both ways as Boise State is dealing with Hout internally — another move fitting to the act.

Apologizes have been made and punishment has been handed down. The nation needs to move on from the incident Sept 3. People make mistakes, but people can learn from them.

Some have to learn through punishment and Blount could possibly regret, for the rest of his life, the punch that cost him his senior season at Oregon.

Related posts:

1. Frustrated Duck punches player on blue
2. From the Blue to you
3. Letter to the Editor: Student Justin Boggs writes about the recent upheaval with the Hout and Blount.

British High Court demands U.S. torture documents

LONDON – The chief justice of the British High Court on Wednesday, April 22 gave the British government one week to obtain the U.S. release of classified information about the alleged torture of a British resident who had been detained at the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

The court indicated that it would issue its own order if the government doesn’t respond or justify why continued secrecy is warranted.

Noting that President Barack Obama had released highly sensitive documents tracing the decisions on torture during the Bush administration’s war on terror, the high court judges voiced exasperation that the British government hasn’t acted in what they said was the British public interest in being similarly open.

Chavez wins arrest warrant for political opponent

CARACAS, Venezuela – President Hugo Chavez’s offensive against opposition leaders jumped the country’s borders Wednesday, April 22.

A Venezuelan court issued an international arrest order for Manuel Rosales, a key Chavez foe who on Tuesday, April 21 surfaced in Peru seeking political asylum.

Wednesday’s developments came only days after Chavez and President Barack Obama warmed up frosty U.S.-Venezuelan relations with their friendly meeting at the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad.

Venezuelan authorities said they want Interpol to arrest Rosales, the mayor of Maracaibo and Chavez’s opponent in the 2006 presidential election, because he has skipped the country to avoid facing corruption charges.

NATIONAL

Fire destroys dozens of homes in Myrtle Beach area

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – Firefighters continued to battle a blaze in the Myrtle Beach area that has destroyed at least 69 homes, damaged 100 more, consumed more than 15,000 acres of land and has left a thick, gray smoke hanging over the area.

It could be days before the fire is under control, said Scott Hawkins, spokesman for the South Carolina Forestry Commission.

“It’s a big fire and it may get worse before it gets better,” Hawkins said.

Gov. Mark Sanford declared a state of emergency for Horry County.

Obama’s first 100 days haven’t been quiet

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama’s first 100 days on the job exploded with activity on many fronts: the $787 billion economic stimulus, the order to close the Guantanamo Bay prison within a year, a withdrawal plan for Iraq, an expansion of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, and outreach to several hostile nations.

Still, America’s economic crisis largely shaped these 100 days. It also empowered Obama, even as it overshadowed some of what he’d hoped to do.

LOCAL/BSU

Sustainability guru Hunter Luvins comes to Boise

Boise State University construction management students and University of Idaho architecture students involved in a unique sustainable building project will have a chance to meet one of the green movement’s most ardent and acclaimed champions, Hunter Lovins, when she appears at two benefits in Boise April 30.

Boise State University Department of Theater Arts presents spring dance concert

“Les Femme en Noir,” the Boise State University Department of Theatre Arts spring dance concert, will be at 7:30 p.m. May 1 and 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. May 2 at the Danny Peterson Theatre in the Morrison Center. Tickets are $7 general and $5 for Boise State students at the door.

COMPILED BY ARBITER STAFF

Related posts:

1. The Headlines
2. The Headlines
3. The Headlines

Obama sees ‘progress’ as Summit of the Americas concludes

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad – President Barack Obama sent a clear message to Cuban leader Raul Castro Sunday: It’s your turn.

If Castro wants to start dialogue with the United States, he should start by releasing political prisoners and lowering the steep fees the Cuban government charges on money sent from abroad, Obama said.

In the meantime, his administration will examine what other steps can be taken toward ending decades of isolation between Washington and the hemisphere’s last communist nation.

“The fact that you had Raul Castro say he’s willing to have his government discuss with ours not just issues of lifting the embargo, but issues of human rights, political prisoners, that’s a sign of progress,” Obama said Sunday April 19 at a press conference wrapping up the Fifth Summit of the Americas. “And so we’re going to explore and see if we can make some further steps. … There are some things that the Cuban government could do.”

NATIONAL

Miami Herald photographer wins Pulitzer

MIAMI – Veteran Miami Herald photographer Patrick Farrell has been awarded journalism’s biggest award, the Pulitzer Prize, for his harrowing images of the victims of storms that ravaged Haiti in 2008.

Farrell, 49, went to Haiti four times over several weeks during last year’s hurricane season, capturing scenes of the dead and the survivors of a series of storms that generated devastating floods across the impoverished nation.

Farrell’s published photographs, along with stories by Miami Herald Caribbean correspondent Jacqueline Charles and reporter Trenton Daniel, are credited with helping raise international awareness of the storms’ toll on Haiti and speeding relief aid to Haitians struggling to survive in the aftermath.

LOCAL/BSU

Club marches for Abducted Children

The Boise State Invisible Children Club is sponsoring a march Saturday, April 25. The event, called ‘The Rescue,” will begin at 3 p.m. at the Capitol building and proceed to the BSU Quad, where marchers will listen to speakers, watch a documentary and write letters to congressmen. Some will sleep outside overnight.

“We’re mimicking the abduction of over 60,000 children in Uganda,” club Vice-President Paige Orcutt said. “We’re one of 100 cities in the world chosen to put on this rescue event.”

Orcutt said the marchers plan to raise awareness about the abduction of children who are forced to become child soldiers.

For more information, go to Boise State Invisible Children! on Facebook and contact Orcutt or club President Amanda Brown, or e-mail Brown at amandabrown2@u.boisestate.edu.

Boise Choristers present 68th spring concert to benefit Boise State University Music Students

The Boise Choristers will present their 68th spring concert, “Seasons and Thyme,” at 7:30 p.m. May 20-21 at the Morrison Center Recital Hall. The annual concert is free, but donations will be accepted for Boise State University music scholarships.

The Boise Choristers include women from all over the Treasure Valley, directed by Karma Ellsworth and accompanied by Gail Borup. This year’s program ranges from classics by Handel Haydn and Debussy to traditional Shaker melodies, Broadway show tunes and various folk songs. The final set will remind the audience that “to everything there is a season” with familiar songs that bring to mind the four seasons. Patrick Scott, a 2008-09 scholarship winner, will join the Choristers and play selections from his senior recital performance.

Boise State Criminal Justice Department offers victims rights week workshops

Boise State University’s Department of Criminal Justice will offer 48 hours of workshops during four days for students and the public to learn about the history of the victims’ rights movement, services for crime victims and the effects of crime on its victims. Hosted during National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, the workshops will be presented by faculty members from Boise State, Idaho State University and University of Idaho; Boise State student affairs professionals; and professionals from the community. Running from April 27-30, the panels will be held in various rooms in the Boise State Student Union Building. The sessions are free and open to the public. Parking will be available in the Lincoln Garage.

COMPILED BY ARBITER STAFF

Related posts:

1. Boise choristers represent all letters of the alphabet in spring concert
2. The Headlines
3. Benefit for orphaned children staged at SPEC

Obama, Calderon pledge action against drug cartels

MEXICO CITY – President Barack Obama and Mexican President Felipe Calderon set out an ambitious bilateral agenda Thursday April 16, that includes immigration reform, but focused their immediate aims on concrete actions to weaken drug cartels.

At a break during their meetings in Mexico City, the two presidents said their four years in office together will be marked by a new era of cooperation, not just on the drug crackdown but on trade ties and even working together toward better U.S.-Cuba relations and clean energy.

Speaking about a controversial assault weapons ban that expired in 2004, Obama said he has not backed off his campaign promise to seek its reinstatement but added that now is not the time to do so.

Cuba to take center stage at Summit of the Americas

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad – The one country in the hemisphere that’s not a member of the Organization of American States, Cuba promises to take center stage here, as more and more Latin American nations insist that the days of the communist country’s isolation should be numbered.

And the Fifth Summit of the Americas appears to be just the forum hemispheric leaders have chosen to raise the contentious issue. The summit was first held in Miami 15 years ago, but this is the first time that pressure has been so strong to bring Cuba back into the regional alliance.

National

Obama: No prosecution for CIA operatives in interrogations

WASHINGTON – President Obama said Thursday, April 16, that the United States will not prosecute CIA officials who participated in controversial terrorism interrogation techniques, including waterboarding and slapping and sleep deprivation, that were secretly authorized under President Bush and have since been rescinded.

“This is a time for reflection, not retribution,” Obama said in a written statement issued as the Justice Department prepared to turn over by a court deadline Bush-era memos that authorized various legally questionable techniques.

Local/BSU

Boise State Alumni Association honors Top Ten Scholars

The Boise State University Alumni Association will honor 10 of the university’s best and brightest graduating students at the annual Top Ten Scholars awards banquet.

The event is April 21 in the Student Union Jordan Ballroom; doors open at 6 p.m. and the dinner begins at 6:30 p.m. The banquet is open to the public. Tickets are available for $20 per person by calling the Alumni Association at 426?1698. Parking is available on the fifth floor of the Lincoln parking structure.

The keynote speaker for this year’s event is David M. Cooper, a 1971 Boise State alumnus. Cooper is managing partner for the regional accounting firm Cooper Norman.

Top Ten Scholars are chosen from among the top 10 percent of Boise State’s graduating class of more than 3,000 students for 2008-09.

They are selected based on academic performance, recommendation from college deans, and extracurricular and

research activities.

Suspicious package prompts store evacuation

BOISE – Boise Police evacuated a busy JCPenney store Saturday, April 18, afternoon at the Boise Towne Square mall while bomb squad officials investigated a suspicious package.

A bomb robot was eventually used to destroy and disrupt the package.

About 2:45 p.m., Boise police received reports of the package outside the JCPenney’s door.

Officials are unsure as to the contents of the package or why it appeared in front of the entrance to the store.

What the?

Yes, that’s right, officer, a monkey

A man visiting the zoo in Fuzhou, China, had his cell phone stolen by a monkey. The man was trying to photograph a troop of Assamese macaques, and, when he reached it inside their cage, one of the animals snatched it and would not give it back.

Ka-bang! Care to change your story?

A man in Shanghai swore to God that he doesn’t owe his neighbor any money. Then he was struck by lightning.

COMPILED BY ARBITER STAFF

Related posts:

1. The Headlines
2. Where is our turbulent country headed?
3. The Headlines

Cargo ship attacked off East African coast

MOMBASA, Kenya – As the Maersk Alabama plowed through the glassy waters of the Indian Ocean early last Wednesday, April 8, the cargo ship’s 70-year-old electrician sat in the cafeteria with a cup of coffee, counting the minutes to breakfast.

Suddenly, the ship’s alarm sounded, shattering the morning calm. The electrician rose with a start. It was, he reckoned immediately, the scenario that he’d been warned about for four months, ever since he set off aboard the Alabama into the most dangerous waters in the world.

Four Somali pirates had boarded the ship. On the deck of the blue-hulled Alabama, which was ferrying 17,000 tons of food aid to East Africa, the young pirates waved automatic weapons at ship captain Richard Phillips, the chief engineer and at least two other crewmembers. They demanded to know the whereabouts of the others, who’d gone into hiding as Phillips had trained them.

Once a country of fervent readers, Iraq now starving for books

BAGHDAD – When Maysoon Kadhim began working on her master’s thesis at Baghdad University two years ago, she braced for the challenge. After all, her paper’s subject is Shakespeare, whose prose can perplex even native English speakers.

Kadhim, of course, grew up with Arabic.

As she proofread her final draft days before it was due, however, she said her biggest frustrations have nothing to do with language.

Instead, they have come from trying to get her hands on the right books.

“You would expect that my studies and the analysis would be the hardest things,” Kadhim lamented. “Getting the books should be simple.”

In Iraq, a country where so much has been leveled by decades of dictatorship, international embargoes and war, few things are easy. Here, students often can’t find the books they need. Libraries and schools are understocked, and many bookstores are closed. At those that are open, academic selections are usually limited.

College-level texts, books on specialized subjects and recent editions are the hardest to come by.

Most elementary and high school students use decades-old materials.

National

WASHINGTON – Here are some things we know now about Bo Obama, the first family’s new dog: He’s not a barker, even when confronted by a pack of at least 100 camera-, microphone- and pen-wielding journalists eager to cover any story besides the economy.

He hasn’t had an accident inside the White House. yet. All the Obamas, including the president, claim they’ll take turns walking him. He has been fixed. He has webbed feet. If he’s true to his breed, a Portuguese water dog, he’ll crave tomatoes. He’s black, with white front paws. He might have play dates with Sen. Ted Kennedy’s dogs, who are the same breed. He’ll be allowed into the Oval Office, but he won’t be allowed to sleep with the first daughters, Malia, 10, or Sasha, 7. The White House isn’t saying where Bo will sleep. With the much-anticipated arrival of the dog Barack Obama promised his girls during the presidential campaign, the four Obamas showed off their pup for the first time late Tuesday April 14, afternoon on the South Lawn of the White House.

“I finally got a friend,” Obama joked, a reference to President Harry Truman’s famous line about how to find a friend in Washington: “Get a dog.” Malia’s reaction was a little less sarcastic: “I love him! He’s perfect!”

Local/BSU

Boise State College of Business and Economics to honor top graduate at May 8 ceremony

Boise State University’s College of Business and Economics will honor its outstanding graduates at a dinner on Friday, May 8. Outstanding graduates are selected by faculty members in each area of study within the college. ??

Boise State University will award an honorary doctorate to Bethine Church, widow of former U.S. Sen. Frank Church, during spring commencement ceremonies. Commencement is at 10 a.m. May 16 in Taco Bell Arena.

??

“Having attended Boise Junior College many years ago, I deeply appreciate receiving this honorary degree,” said Church. “I feel strongly connected to Boise State, which contributes so much to making Boise such a vital and interesting place to live."

COMPILED BY ARBITER STAFF

Related posts:

1. The Headlines
2. The Headlines
3. The Headlines

Tens of thousands of Iraqis rally against U.S

BAGHDAD – Six years after the U.S. overthrew Saddam Hussein’s government, tens of thousands of Iraqis gathered in the rain in Iraq’s capital Thursday April 9, to mark the anniversary and renew calls for an

American withdrawal

The demonstrators came in response to calls by Muqtada al-Sadr, the influential Shiite cleric who has long decried the U.S. military’s occupation, but there were also Sunni Muslims in the crowd.

Draped in Iraqi flags and chanting, protesters packed Baghdad’s Firdous Square, where six years ago a crowd cheered the destruction of a statue of Saddam.

Infant survives Baghdad car bombing that killed 8

BAGHDAD – A car bomb ripped through the Shiite district of Kadhemiyah Tuesday, April 7 killing eight people and wounding 20 just a day after a string of bombings left 32 dead and more than 130 wounded in the

Iraqi capital.

An infant survived, but no one knew its name or age, whether its mother had survived her wounds, or whether the dead driver in the black car was its father.

Abu Haider, who sells parts and accessories for motorbikes, told McClatchy Newspapers he’d rescued the child. He was in his shop when the explosion knocked him to the ground. Through the flames, haze and destruction, he spotted the crying child lying on the pavement near the baby’s mother, who was wounded and bleeding profusely. He grabbed the infant and took it to a nearby home for safety and ran back to save the mother. But Iraqi Security Forces blocked the way.

National

CIA bars private contractors from questioning terror suspects

WASHINGTON – CIA Director Leon Panetta on Thursday April 9, told employees of the spy agency that private contractors will no longer be permitted to interrogate suspected terrorists and that the agency is seeking to close down what remains of its secret network of detention centers.

In an e-mail to employees, Panetta said he had notified the Senate and House intelligence committees that private contractors would no longer conduct interrogations of what he called “captured terrorists.”

Panetta’s decision follows expressions of concern by some lawmakers about the CIA’s use of contract interrogators, one of whom, David Passaro, was convicted in 2006 of abusing an Afghan detainee in 2003 at a remote U.S. base in Afghanistan. The detainee later died.

?ˇ

Group says global warming could hurt corn revenues

WASHINGTON – Global warming could rob the U.S. economy of $1.4 billion a year in lost corn production alone, a national environmental group estimated in a report released Thursday April 9.

The Environment America study, based on government and university data, projects warming temperatures will reduce yields of the nation’s biggest crop by 3 percent in the Midwest and the South, compared to projected yields without further

global warming.

Iowa would be hit hardest, losing $259 million a year in corn revenues, followed by Illinois at $243 million.

California, which leads the country in agriculture but doesn’t grow much corn, would take an estimated $4.7 million hit. The study doesn’t directly address other crops, but one of its main sources, a 2008 government report on the effects of warming on agriculture and natural resources, suggests that California’s signature fruit and vegetable harvests could suffer even more than corn if temperatures rise.

Local/BSU

Writer Ann Cummins to read April 17 as part of Boise State University’s MFA Reading Series

Fiction writer Ann Cummins will read at 7:30 p.m. April 17 in the Student Union Grand B Ballroom at Boise State University. Cummins’ appearance is part of the Master of Fine Arts Reading Series and is free and open to the public. Cummins is the author of the novel “Yellowcake” and the short story collection “Red Ant House.” Her work has appeared in the New Yorker, “Hayden’s Ferry Review,” “A Room of One’s Own” and “Sonora Review,” among others. Her story “The Red Ant House,” originally published in “McSweeney’s,” was anthologized in “The Best American Short Stories 2002.” A graduate of Johns Hopkins University and the University of Arizona writing programs, Cummins now teaches creative writing at Northern Arizona University. ?

Boise State University’s Diverse Perspectives Film Series wraps up season with tale of the rise of gangs in America

The Diverse Perspectives Film Series at Boise State University will wrap for the season with “Crips and Bloods: Made in America” from 5:30-7:30 p.m. April 21 in the Student Union Farnsworth Room.

Admission is free and open to the public. Following the film, detective Brian Holland of the Boise Police Department will talk about gang activity in Boise and lead a question-and-answer session. “Crips and Bloods: Made in America” contains scenes that may not be suitable for children. ?

What the?

Daddy, where’s Fritzie?

A man in Berlin told his 6-year-old stepdaughter he was taking her pet beagle for a walk, then took the little doggie to a bar where he convinced the owner to buy the animal for $53, which the man spent on beer.

Talk about incriminating

A man was caught in the parking lot of a greenhouse in Lower Nazareth Township, Pa., with planting pots and other items he had shoplifted under his coat. Among the things he had on him was a list with the heading “things needed to grow pot.”

No good deed goes unpunished

Police set up a checkpoint in Bremen, Germany, to randomly stop drivers to see if they had been drinking.

A drunk driver pulled over on his own because he mistakenly thought a vehicle had broken down, and he wanted to help.

COMPILED BY ARBITER STAFF

Related posts:

1. The Headlines
2. headlines
3. Latin American Film Series finishes tonight

Boise State engineering students, faculty launch NASA Microgravity University experiment

Boise State University students and faculty from the College of Engineering took off Tuesday, March 31, as participants in NASA’s Microgravity University program.

In a specially outfitted Boeing 727, the research team conducted an experiment over the course of several hours and 32 extreme parabolic maneuvers simulating Martian, lunar and zero gravity.

The data they are collecting, concerning lunar surface traction concepts for rovers, will contribute to NASA’s vision of returning to the moon and establishing a permanent platform for exploring far beyond.

Tuesday’s flight and another on Wednesday come after nearly a week of orientation and training at NASA’s Ellington Field, the Johnson Space Center and the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, all in Houston, Texas.

Boise State team members on the G-Force One plane were: students Dan Isla and Alex Miller, NASA mentor Pedro H. Curiel, and Barbara Morgan, former NASA astronaut and now Boise State’s distinguished educator in residence.

After the final data is submitted to NASA, the team will focus on community outreach to build interest in the space program and the academic disciplines that feed into it.

Boise State’s Intertribal Native Council hosts Seven Arrows Powwow, Awareness Week events

The Intertribal Native Council, a Boise State University student group, will host “We Shall Remain: Native American Awareness Week” April 6-10 and the annual Seven Arrows Powwow April 11-12. All events are free and open to the public.

“We Shall Remain” includes film screenings, workshops and discussions about issues relating to Native American culture. This year’s event will also include Native American Student Recruitment Day, April 10; the Intertribal Native Council is reaching out to five Idaho reservations to encourage students to learn more about thriving in higher education. The week will wrap up with the powwow, an annual event featuring traditional music and dancing, competitions, storytelling and more. The two-day event is open to the greater Boise community.

What the?

Clearly, he didn’t think this through

A man made a bumbling attempt to extort money from Taco Bell in Traverse City, Mich., by putting a dead mouse in his burrito, leaving plenty of clues for authorities that it was a scam. After complaining that his burrito tasted funny, he refused a free replacement and insisted on keeping the one he had.

He later called a regional manager, requesting money to make his bogus charges disappear.

Ok honey, you win

A man stood in front of his car to keep his intoxicated wife from driving off during an argument, but she went right at him, and he wound up on the hood of the vehicle.

She then drove him all around Del Paso Heights in California, and then out onto the Interstate, resulting in many calls to police. She hit a car and went out into a field, and continued driving around until he fell off.

COMPILED BY ARBITER STAFF

Related posts:

1. Intertribal Native Council brings Seven Arrows Powwow to campus
2. BSU hosts Seven Arrows PowWow
3. Intertribal Native Council expands pow pow