In times of war, the troops receive the support and backing, and deservedly so, from the American people; however, there are numerous other noncombat roles that seem to fall under the radar. We often hear in the news of journalists being captured and killed but then nothing more. Where are the national tributes and memorials for them? Their families and friends are the only ones left to remember. In the most recent case, Jill Carroll, a freelance writer for the Christian Science Monitor, was captured Jan. 7 in western Baghdad, according to CNN.com, and is still missing.

The drought in the Dallas/Fort Worth area has caused many widespread wildfires, but the region could soon face more serious effects even after Sunday's rain, said representatives from the National Weather Service.Steve Fano, a representative of the National Weather Service's Fort Worth office, said that aside from the apparent wildfires, the region is beginning to see other major problems caused by the drought.

"Ranchers are being forced to move their cattle out of the area or truck in hay," Fano said. "Without rain, they can't grow an adequate food supply."

Current and aspiring dance majors will have their only opportunity to perform in their department's spring shows when the Department of Ballet and Modern Dance holds a set of auditions starting tonight.The first audition is tonight at 5:30 p.m. in the Ballet and Modern Dance building. The audition is used to cast dance majors for spring concerts and other shows for the rest of the semester.

Throw on a cowboy hat and pull up some boots because the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo is here again.Throughout this month and into February, the Will Rogers Memorial Center will host the event, which has taken place annually since 1896.

Participants from 40 states and even a few foreign countries are attending the event with more than 21,000 bodies of livestock.

Also attending are some of Fort Worth's more notable citizens.

1The Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo boasts that it has the "World's Original Indoor Rodeo." Held nightly, the rodeo features everything from barrel racing to bull riding. Although the livestock competition is always the centerpiece of the show, the in between event entertainment, such as Tijuana stud poker, in which four men play a game of poker with a wild bull on prowl in the ring, providing both laughs and thrills. Oftentimes, the rodeo clowns steal the show with their sarcastic in-between bull banter.

You were at a crossroads.Fresh out of high school, immature, dazed and confused. Confronted with the overwhelming task of selecting a university to attend, you drifted through piles of flyers and brochures with little clue as to what to care about and what to bypass. But there is one thing we too often forget when organizing our applications: culture.

Too often college students lose themselves in the hustle and bustle of academia, desperately striving for a certain grade or graduate school acceptance, and in the process, completely miss their surroundings.

Three days after giving up 38 points in the paint and a minus-21 rebounding margin to San Diego State, the Frogs will face forward Jason Smith and the Colorado State Rams Saturday at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum.Head coach Neil Dougherty said Smith, a sophomore, is the best interior player in the Mountain West Conference.

"He's a legit 7-footer," Dougherty said. "They have the best post-player in the league."