Horses bucking, bulls raging, vicarious thrills. Surprisingly, the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo has never been more entertaining.

The first event of the night was a contest to see which rider could ride the longest and withstand the force of the horse's bucks and kicks. One of the horses ran so close to our gated seats in the front row that flecks of dirt fell on our clothes brought on from the horse's hooves. Afterward, other cowboys would gallop alongside the bucking horse, grip the strap and release the buckle to free the mount.

While construction has forced a number of parking lot closures around campus, the TCU Police Chief says the university is not simply taking away spaces without providing suitable alternatives."We're not ever taking spots away without adding more," said Steve McGee, TCU Police Chief.

Since summer 2006, one-third of the lots around campus have been changed, and TCU is planning more changes in the near future, said Don Mills, vice chancellor for student affairs.

A political correspondent and legal affairs consultant from National Public Radio will visit campus today to discuss current Supreme Court cases. Bonnie Melhart, associate provost for academic affairs, said the exact cases NPR analyst Nina Totenberg will address have not yet been determined.

"We do know that she will be talking about upcoming cases that are currently being brought before the Supreme Court," Melhart said.

Totenberg, who has been with NPR since 1975, said she hopes students will gain a lot from her speech.

Imagine yourself driving down a quiet highway. Maybe you're coming back to TCU, maybe you're going to visit family or maybe you're going to a Dairy Queen out in the middle of nowhere. Seriously, nothing beats a country-style hamburger followed by an equally delicious brownie earthquake.So, you are enjoying your serene drive through the wide-open spaces of rural Texas, when all of a sudden, things go terribly wrong.

The legacy of America is the blending of black, white and Native American into a whole greater than its individual parts. The music of America is perhaps its greatest export.

It was built upon the foundation of slaves, poor southern whites, Native American rituals and aristocratic European immigrants. Jazz is America's classical music and it was the first export to give the rest of the world a sense of what America is and what it could potentially represent for the rest of the world.

Last Thursday, the U.S. Senate overwhelmingly approved a bill to reform ethics and lobbying legislation in order to ease voters' frustrations with corruption on Capitol Hill.The Democrat-initiated bill, passed 96-2, will force senators to abandon gifts, free travel and other benefits they may receive from lobbyists, according to the Associated Press. The bill will also make senators "more accountable for the pet projects they insert into bills."

One thing worse than getting a bad grade in a class is getting that bad grade when you don't think you deserved it.Addressing that discrepancy between whether a student's perceived academic performance in a class and the actual letter grade he or she received are one in the same has been an issue in a recent discussion topic for the Undergraduate Council.

There is a lot in life I have come to realize I don't understand. I think that's what education is supposed to do: teach you how much you don't know. And, while I can respect the opinions of others, I...

The pending sale of Jons Grille to Fuzzy's Taco Shop fell through, ending weeks of rumors and speculation of the possible move.The owners of Fuzzy's were originally going to take over the location, said...

Today through Wednesday, a program hosted by Residential Services will allow students to see a virtual tour of the four new residence halls, said the director of Residential Services. As a bonus, students in attendance will be entered into a raffle to win a guaranteed place in one of the new buildings, said Craig Allen, director of Residential Services.

The program will visit each existing residence hall and introduce students to the new dorms, address new roommate selection methods and answer any questions, Allen said.

The Undergraduate Council discussed a proposal Friday that increases the number of members on the University Appeals Committee and shortens the amount of time students have to file appeals but ultimately decided to table the decision until the February meeting.David Whillock, chairman of the University Appeals Committee, and Bonnie Melhart, associate provost for academic affairs, have been working with a faculty task force and the rest of the committee since the fall to revise the current system students use to appeal received grades.