Head football coach Gary Patterson and quarterback Jeff Ballard expressed their confidence Tuesday at the weekly Coaches' Luncheon concerning the Frogs' upcoming game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders on Saturday.While the Frogs lost to Tech 70-35 in Lubbock in the 2004 season, Patterson said he feels the Frogs are able to compete on Tech's level this season.

"Two years ago, when we played Tech," Patterson said, "I think we felt we had to do more than we were capable of to win the ball game. I don't believe we have to do that anymore."

OK, OK. I'll admit it. I'm not really Dr. Love. But I can say for a fact that I do know a thing or two about relationships. And while I don't claim to be all-knowing when it comes to these subjects, I've noticed during my time at TCU there are some obvious rules about relationships that simply shouldn't be ignored, but on many occasions, they are. Some of these rules are based on my experience first hand, while other pieces of advice are based on what I've observed.

My eyes were watering. My ears were burning. And my nose was sweating as I sampled some "Nuckin' Futs" hot sauce at the 11th annual ZestFest.ZestFest is a celebration of spicy foods and brings together some of the top chefs and manufacturers from all over the world.

Porky's Gourmet Foods' "Nuckin' Futs" won first place and overall grand champion at the Fiery Food Challenge in 2003, and in my opinion was the hottest, spiciest sauce I tasted at this year's festival.

I've never really had a problem with President Bush. Sure I'll laugh at some of his more ignorant statements (aka, "Bushisms"), but I've always felt that he was just a man trapped in a difficult situation...

If you've always wanted to discover music's next big star before they became famous, don't make plans for Friday night.Geoff Koch is a rising singer-songwriter and will be playing at 8 p.m. Friday at Jack's...

It was a weekend full of wine, bratwurst and music at the 20th Annual GrapeFest in downtown Grapevine.Touted as one of the top 100 events in the United States and Canada by the American Bus Association, GrapeFest not only offered people the opportunity to taste wine from all over the world, but also the chance to take part in some grape stomping.

Many people who are unfamiliar with GrapeFest may think it is only an adult affair, but the celebration offered many events for people under the legal drinking age.

It's a bird. It's a plane. No, it's Ben Affleck doing his best Superman impersonation.In the new movie "Hollywoodland," Affleck portrays George Reeves, the man who assumed the role of Superman in the original 1950s TV series.

"Hollywoodland's" first scene dates back to June 16, 1959, the date of Reeves' death, and attempts to shed some light on exactly how the former Superman died.

Just like any great murder mystery, the details of his death are hazy at best.

A tailgate should be something to enjoy, not an occasion to fear. Tailgating should feel spontaneous, so efforts to control it only make students hesitant to partake in the festivities. If the administration wants to raise attendance at the student tailgate, it should encourage students to conduct their tailgates the way they please. There's no need for overly strict rules and regulations.

One concern is underage drinking and, so far, the efforts have been ineffective.

As they have been for years, several debate-worthy issues, such as parking, construction and tuition, are topics of discussion among students, faculty and staff. But the announcement of the future implementation of a new grading system at last week's Faculty Senate meeting has added yet another controversial subject to the list. David Grant, professor and chair of the religion department, explained the structure and inner workings of the plus/minus grading system, which will be implemented in fall 2007, at the meeting.

Even before Sept. 11, 2001, TCU police officers were prepared to deal with potential terrorist attacks, a police official said. TCU Police Detective Kelly Ham has been trained to respond to nuclear, biological and chemical threats, including advanced certification in weapons of mass destruction, he said. The training was part of the Department of Homeland Security.

"Everybody is trained: when you get the call, you respond to the emergency," he said.

Reformed University Fellowship is under new leadership after its campus minister of seven years left last spring.Rob Hamby, the new minister for RUF, was interested in moving to another campus when he heard that Dustin Salter, TCU's former RUF campus minister, was looking to relocate as well. National RUF leadership arranged for the ministers to switch locations, said Lauren Jones, women's intern for RUF.

Hamby spent six years at Furman University, where Salter is currently on staff.