When my special someone and I recently decided to take a break from our relationship, we said for the most part things wouldn't change. We would still talk to each other often and would still spend time with each other when we returned home during holidays. In fact, the only thing that would really change would be our official status - we would no longer consider each other "boyfriend" and "girlfriend." We would even change our relationship status on Facebook.

Opinion writers can't help but step on people's toes sometimes - crushing readers with strong views. For example, in my last article, I'd imagine I left a few mama's boys and daddy's girls longing to sit down for a home-cooked meal with their families. And I'm sure I annoyed students who haven't been home since the semester began with my ingratitude for seeing my family and the comfort of my own bed on a daily basis.

Despite rising tensions worldwide, there is no issue more important today than the Middle East conflict, said a counselor with the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.Ambassador Dennis Ross, counselor for the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, has worked as a State Department specialist under Presidents George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton and spoke about Middle East affairs Tuesday night to a crowd of about 400 in Ed Landreth Hall as part of the ninth annual Gates of Chai Lectureship in Contemporary Judaism.

Both cross country teams will be taking to the skies this weekend as they enter the Mountain West Conference Championship meet Saturday in Salt Lake City.The women's team is returning to action after their pre-nationals race in Terre Haute, Ind., while the men's team will be racing for the first time since the Oklahoma State Cowboy Jamboree back in late September. The men's team has been paced by freshman Festus Kigen, and the women's team has been following the lead of senior Calandra Stewart.

Stewart finished 14th in the pre-nationals meet among 242 competitors.

Two of three former TCU student-athletes jailed Friday on sexual assault charges were released Tuesday after posting bail, according to jail records.Virgil Allen Taylor, 19, and Shannon Monroe Behling, 19, each posted $25,000 bail bonds and were released from Mansfield Jail at 2:25 p.m. Tuesday, according to jail records.

Taylor, Behling and Lorenzo Labell Jones, 20, have been charged with sexually assaulting a freshman female student in a dorm room in Moncrief Hall on Oct. 13, according to a police report.

The Frogs' defense has been showing new life after their win against Army on Saturday, said head coach Gary Patterson at the Coaches' Luncheon Tuesday.Patterson and senior offensive tackle Herb Taylor discussed Saturday's game as well as the upcoming Mountain West Conference match-up against the Wyoming Cowboys.

"The teams that run the ball the best are the teams that score the best in the red zone," Patterson said. "I think that gave a sense of urgency in our line."

With six remaining conference matches in the season, the volleyball team preserved its .500 Mountain West Conference record after one of its best performances of the year, said head coach Prentice Lewis.The weekend home contests with the Colorado State Rams and the Air Force Falcons left the Horned Frogs with a split in the standings.

Friday night featured a hard-luck loss to the Rams after the team dropped a one-game lead en route to a 3-1 loss in the match.

Platinum-selling country singer Dierks Bentley is covering a lot of ground in his ol' cowboy boots, but the singer looks to hang them up on his third record, "Long Trip Alone."Known for catchy tunes such as "What Was I Thinkin'" off his self-titled debut album and "Lot of Leavin' Left to Do" from his sophomore effort "Modern Day Drifter," Bentley follows in the footsteps of his partying forefathers Willie Nelson and Hank Williams Jr.

But could this Arizona rebel be settling down just a bit?

A 100-foot-high moving stage, pyrotechnics, fireworks and a giant inflatable tongue could not overshadow The Rolling Stones at their mega-concert Sunday night in Austin.The Stones seemed on a mission to rock out the entire city as they opened with a deafening "You've Got Me Rockin,'" which could be heard miles away from Zilker Park.

And if you were looking for the Stones to play your favorite song in their "A Bigger Bang" tour promoting their 2005 CD of the same name, they probably did.

Two years ago, Clint Eastwood's "Million Dollar Baby" won the Academy Award for Best Picture. Now, "Flags of our Fathers," Eastwood's latest film, seems to be his attempt at a second Oscar in three years."Fathers" tells the story of the three surviving men who hoisted the flag flown over Iwo Jima in World War II, immortalized in the statue outside the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Va.

Blink for more than a second, and you may miss a key component of one the year's most intense and complex movies - "The Prestige."The director knows how complex the movie is and starts off the film by asking the audience, "Are you watching closely?"

"The Prestige" is the tale of two magicians, Rupert Angier (Hugh Jackman, "X-Men") and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale, "Batman Begins") who are battling to be considered London's premier stage show.

The realities of pursuing peace in the Middle East will be affecting today's generation of young people in a big way, and students should stay informed of the issues, said a TCU director of special projects for marketing and communication. The Jewish Studies Program at the Brite Divinity School is facilitating a place for students to do just that at the ninth annual Gates of Chai Lectureship tonight, said Margaret Kelly, director of special projects.