It's incredible that violence and bloodshed has occurred for more than 400 years in an area the size of Connecticut that has a current population just slightly larger than the city of Philadelphia, but lasting peace may finally be in sight.Monday marked the first face-to-face meeting between leaders of Northern Ireland's two dominant rival parties, Sinn Fein and the Democratic Unionist Party, according to a recent New York Times article.

As tax day approaches, millions of Americans scramble to make sense of yet another income tax return. In the process, many discover the ridiculous complexity and unfairness of America's income tax system. Some 66,000 pages of tax rules govern the system, rules that even professionals do not always understand. As a result, most tax returns are inaccurate, meaning people are paying too much or too little tax.

Walk into any bookstore in America and look at the self-help section to find an eclectic yet conspicuously overpopulated selection of personal advice. Authors such as Stephen R. Covey, Anthony Robbins and Deepak Chopra claim to have the answers to all the biggest personal problems Americans have been losing sleep over. "The South Beach Diet," "Chicken Soup for the Soul" and "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" all claim to have the answers to a happier, healthier life. Yet are these authors really that concerned with helping the average American's problems?

Coming to TCU from South Texas on a football and baseball scholarship was like dropping in by parachute, said the 1960 alumnus inducted into the National Hispanic Sports Hall of Fame on Friday.In the classroom, Rodemiro Gonzales said he developed a deep appreciation for education. He began to realize the potential he never thought he had growing up in Hebbronville, where the median income is less than $25,000 and the population is 90 percent Hispanic or Latino, according to the 2000 census report.

During the past week, TCU financial aid officials have been going toe-to-toe with the New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo in regards to allegedly unethical revenue sharing practices.TCU has a partnership with Education Finance Partners, the key lender for TCU financial aid support. This partner is being heavily scrutinized by the attorney general's office for "unlawful and deceptive acts and practices."

One of TCU's preferred lenders, amidst the threat of a lawsuit, is changing its policies on its revenue-sharing program, but an administrator said Monday that the university already complies with the new policies.In a press release, Tamera Briones, founder and chief executive for Education Finance Partners, said the company will increase disclosure and require explicit terms for what revenue-sharing payments can be used for.

In a second natural gas discussion with the TCU community Wednesday, an administrator revealed tentative details of TCU's drilling calendar and said the university would have the authority to temporarily cease drilling during certain periods.Brian Gutierrez, vice chancellor for finance and administration, told participants that within the first year the producer would put the pipeline underground, drill a test core to ensure gas was in the area and drill one to two wells.

If there were those who thought Adam Sandler could never escape that "Billy Madison" role, his Oscar-worthy performance in "Reign Over Me" surely sets them straight."Reign Over Me" is one of those films that reassures us of why we go to the movies in the first place. It manages to evoke emotions of laughter and sadness simultaneously.

Starring Don Cheadle ("Crash"), Adam Sandler ("Click") and Jada Pinkett Smith ("Collateral"), "Reign Over Me" is the story of Charlie Fineman, a man who lost his entire family in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Fairy tales tell girls to wait for their Prince Charming to come and sweep them off their feet. However, a recent trend reveals that young women would rather "hook up" than pursue and maintain a long-term relationship. According to the March 16 ABC News article, "Searching for Mr. Right Now," 23-year-old Evi Lalangas says, "(Hooking up) means there's no emotional element. We hooked up, I'm physically satisfied, and I went on my way."

"Hooking up" can span from kissing to having sex with a complete stranger.