Following a two-month boycott, Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, the speaker of the Iraqi Parliament, announced Sunday that the anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr will return to Iraq's parliament, according to CNN.com. In a news conference with members of the bloc, al-Mashhadani said that the boycott ended after negotiations with members of parliament who said that they could consider the group's demands, referred to as "national demands," including setting a timetable for withdrawal of U.S.-led coalition troops from Iraq. Al-Mashhadani said that the parliament will designate three of its committees to work on a plan to present to parliament members. U.S. commanders blame the Medhi Army, a militia loyal to al-Sadr, for the violence that has devastated Baghdad and other cities over the past year.
ON CAMPUS McNair Achievement program to hold info session The Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement program will hold its last information session Friday at 4 p.m at 50 College Road. The McNair program prepares undergraduate students for graduate school studies, and is largely aimed at low-income or first-generation Boston College undergraduates. Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, the program prepares undergraduates to pursue and attain graduate and doctoral degrees for careers in research and academia. Students in the program are paired with faculty mentors and provided with research opportunities and workshops about graduate school admission and experience.
"Father Neenan Walk" unites, challenge continues in spring As part of the Plex's "Walk Across Campus Challenge," Vice President and Special Assistant to the President William B. Neenan, S.J., and Sara Lang, senior fitness trainer at the Plex, led 50 Boston College employees on the "The Father Neenan Walk" on Dec. 15. According to the organizers, the custodial staff came in first place, followed by the Connors Family Retreat and Conference Center and the theology department. There were nearly 220 employees who applied to participate in challenge, and they were required to track the amount of walking and exercise they did over the course of eight weeks. The challenge for the spring semester will begin on Feb. 5 and run until April 22. It is free of charge and requires a pedometer.
UNIVERSITIES UGResearch.org to provide outlet for research projects Undergraduate students at Boston College have more ways than ever to publish their papers and theses. The newest medium for students is a Web site called UGResearch.org, which allows undergraduates to publish their research projects such as theses, independent research papers, and journal articles. "In the past, undergraduates have been sidelined," said Peter Noteboom, the site's creator. "Now theses are much more sophisticated. The students are working harder and putting in their time, but their ideas don't move out of college."
NATIONAL Clinton favorite for presidential nomination Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) announced on Saturday her intent to enter the presidential race for 2008 just days after her biggest contender, Barack Obama (D-Ill.) announced his plans. If she successfully receives the nod for the Democratic Party, Clinton will be the first female nominee of a major American political party and the first spouse of a former president to seek a return to the White House. In a Washington Post poll in the days before her announcement, Clinton was the favorite of 41 percent of Democrats polled to win the nomination - more than double Obama's 17 percent. Sen. John Edwards, the 2004 Vice-presidential nominee, came third in the poll, scoring 11 percent.
UNDER REPORTED Red-light district responds to Fashion Rio fashion show Prostitutes in Rio de Janeiro's red-light district paraded down a makeshift catwalk Saturday in response to Fashion Rio's high-end, biannual fashion show. Models and prostitutes alike sported colorful prints and the industry's staple, the miniskirt, as they strutted down an alley to the tune of a live drum troupe. The brand sponsoring the event, Daspu, parodies the elite Brazilian fashion label, Daslu. Daspu received no invitation to Fashion Rio, and the show was held as a reaction to this snub. Onlookers were not discouraged by the slight. Models threw condoms to an animated and eclectic crowd looking for something just a little out of the ordinary.
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