The candidate winning May's primary will get the official endorsement and backing of the Ohio Democratic Party. The next U.S. Senator from Ohio will replace incumbent Republican Sen. George Voinovich after his 12-year Senate career.

The severe weather policy working group consists of 12 members from different areas of the University. 

Any changes made will go to the President's Cabinet for approval in April.

"The current policy infers that if we're closed, we're closed for minimum of 24 hours," said Judy Hagemann, a member of the working group. "We want to shorten those times to four-hour or six-hour intervals."

Rebecca Ferguson, Chief of Human Resources, compared the intervals to one-hour and two-hour delays high schools have. The University will break down the day into chunks of time.

Sandra Jess, another member of the working group said the smaller intervals will help to detect changes in weather.

"It could be terrible out at one point and 12 hours later, it's better. We won't have to close for a whole day," Jess said.

Jess also said with all the different forms of communication, faculty and students should be able to keep track of the smaller intervals.

"I think all communication possibilities have been taken into account," Jess said. "With Alert BG, radio and television stations and Web sites, as long as everyone is paying attention it'll be fine."

The working group also wants to clarify the relationship between the University closing and canceling classes.

Ferguson said the current policy makes it seem that even if the University cancels classes, the University can remain open, and vice versa. These actions should be simultaneous.

Hagemann said in February 2009, the University remained open even after the University canceled classes.

"It was that confusion that lead to a review of the policy," Hagemann said.

The University has used the current policy since 2002, with amendments added in 2007 to include Alert BG.

When world leaders go to Ghana, as part of the National troupe he gets to perform for them. Woma has performed for Bill Clinton, Queen Elizabeth II and President Barack Obama.

Woma is known best for playing on a gyil [geel].

The gyil, which is the "grandfather of the mallet instruments," according to Woma, is an instrument much like a Xylophone. The keys are made from an African wood, equivalent to Rosewood. The sounds made come from the gourds underneath the keys covered with bits of spider web egg sacs, which help resonate the sound. 

"The vibration from the spider webs helps bring out the happiness and job in people," he said. "It's very therapeutic."

Gyil or "gather" in English, is exactly what Woma loves about his job. 

"It means 'gather' because you all gather around to hear the music," he said.

At age two his father bought him his first gyil and helped to acquire a mentor for Woma, Ziem Tibo. Tibo taught Woma the ways of the gyil, including how to perfect his technique and how to build the gyil. 

"He taught me how to make the gyil become a part of my life," Woma said.

During his performances, he jumped  around the stage, laughed loudly and danced from one end of the stage to the other. He later played a song called Vepele that describes his own personality. 

"It's about a naughty boy who can never sit still," he said. "Just like me."

The drummer manages to sit still though, bobbing his head waiting to come in. 

Woma came out of the womb ready to play. He said his hands were formed with his thumb between his index and middle fingers -- the proper way to hold a mallet for his gyil.

Woma has been coming to the University through different exchange programs for almost 10 years, but this is the first time funding has been available for his dance troupe, Saakumu. Out of 22 members, seven came to the University with five drummers, including Woma. 

They had several performances this week. One of the songs the troupe performed was a song called "Monay," a long song which changes often, and describes marriage, Woma said.

"You don't know what marriage is going to bring you," he said. "Marriage never ends."

The troupe includes two sets of family members including Woma's younger brother Andrews as a male dancer. Two of the female dancers include Joyce "Mama" Bekyore and younger sister Evelyn Yaa. 

Woma gave the nickname to Mama because she is the teacher for the troupe, who then brought her taller, younger sister to dance with them. 

"She has so much spirit," Woma said of Yaa. "Just because you are bigger doesn't mean you are older," he said, looking at his older, shorter brother Andrews.

Yaa screams many times during the performance to encourage the troupe.

"I scream often, to either encourage the dancers because they're doing good, or to give them a timed cue," she said.

One of the songs, Fume Fume, is a ceremonial song from northern Ghana. It features George Kuubetesuur ("death doesn't get angry" translated) as a Priest who takes a horse tail to call the holy spirits. 

"You need to keep your face very serious in this song," Kuubetesuur said. "Death is not supposed to be a very happy occasion, and it shows in our movements."

 Dancing is an important part of the experience when seeing the troupe perform. He often gets members of the audience to dance by saying, "It doesn't matter how well you dance, bad dancing never hurt the ground."

The troupe left the University Tuesday night and arrived in Indiana at 2 a.m. Wednesday morning, only to have a performance at 9:30 a.m.

"I don't need sleep," Woma said. "All that I need is my music and I can run for days."

5:16 p.m.

Individual reported he was assaulted within the 1000 block of Arrowhead Drive. 

5:33 p.m.

Individual reported other residents within the 800 block of N. College believed that he was a fugitive and were making threats against his life. 

5:40 p.m.

Individual reported two locks have been cut off rented storage units within the 900 block of S. Main St. 

9:58 p.m. 

Nicole Mcnutt, 26, of Toledo, Ohio, was cited for disorderly conduct fighting and criminal trespass within the 1000 block of Fairview Ave. 

12:04 a.m.

Complaint reported loud music/noise within the 400 block of Napoleon Road. 

This past season, a new show led reality TV to a brand new low, showing the absolute worst side of our society, or any society that has existed, ever. The show is "Jersey Shore."

For those of you lucky enough to still be ignorant of this show's existence, here is a basic break down: it is simply the worst show ever. It follows a group of "Italian"-Americans living in New Jersey, and watches as they party, get tan and show off just how stupid a full grown person can actually be. It is a show that not only makes me embarrassed to be an American, but embarrassed to be a human being.

Part of the problem is the overuse of stereotypes in the show. All the people who are followed fit the description of a bad Italian representation. The funny thing is, it has since come out most of them are not even Italian, yet all they do is talk and act in ways that most Italians, hell, most people, would find offensive.

This is not the kind of show people need to see. It is not entertaining in any way, shape or form; it simply shows dumb people living their dumb lives. And while this show does let us know how far TV is willing to lower itself to make a buck, what makes this show really frightening is that we can't seem to escape the kids from the show.

In the last week or so, I have seen the cast on talk shows, news shows and even CNN. They seem to be growing in popularity everywhere you look. But if you actually pay attention, all these appearances are doing is continuing what the show did -- let the audience know what total wastes of space these people are.

Of every show they have appeared on, not once have they actually had a serious interview or tried to promote their show. Every appearance has been them showing off how stupid they are, in quiz games and parodies of themselves, which leads me to think they really are that stupid and don't realize all people are doing is simply making fun of them at this point.

To put it simply, this show promotes stereotypes and stupidity at a level that would probably drive people to kill themselves out of hatred for the human race. There is no level TV could sink to lower than this, short of setting off Armageddon itself, and it is a show that needs to disappear.

While the show has been picked up for a second season, there are probably very few people who want to sit and watch these "orange trash" walking wastes of space. 

I have never been a fan of reality shows, and that is something I am proud of. If Jersey Shore is a preview of more shows to come, then I am proud of myself even more, but at the same time very disappointed in humanity.

Respond to Bryan at thenews@bgnews.com

His most recent collection of poetry, "Too Long a Solitude," stands as a journey towards this revelation. From the opening poem he draws us into this experience, hoping "to learn to love again what first I dreamed, / free as wonder, soft as touch, / and of all things simple / to care again for them as much."

It becomes apparent his art is not one of political agenda; rather it's one of attempting to communicate a need for global unification. It starts by appreciating the simplicities that have been forgotten or diluted.

His words are vital to our generation, a generation which is saturated with the degradation of language in part due to the technological advances of our society. With the inclusion of the Internet and television into our daily lives, we are bombarded by images of truth without context. 

Poetry is a means to fight this slanted truth by bringing about a world of context with which to understand the temper of our times. Ragan's poetry (and all poetry for that matter) fights against the mass media's language of misinformation. But he does so with a sincere conviction that can be felt not only in his poetry, but also in how he has chosen to lead his life.

"Live poetry," he says. It is a phrase which he holds close to his heart -- and one that is commonplace for those who know him. In his lifetime he has read all over the world, including for six heads of state, and performed as one of three Americans along with Robert Bly and Bob Dylan, before an audience of over eight thousand at the First International Poetry Festival in Moscow, 1985.

As a visiting writer and guest professor at the University this semester, Ragan seeks to help other writers expand their vision to a more global one as well. And when he isn't pushing his students to chase after the astonishing insight or lecturing about the voices of generations past, he is pushing himself to fight the oppression and suffering of people from all walks of life.

Recently, Ragan traveled back to L.A. to read a poem on behalf of Neda Agha Soltan, the young woman killed at the 2009 Iranian election protests in the city of Tehran. James Ragan's poem, dedicated to Neda begins:

"Now

That the day's dead are numbered,

Now that I work the bellows to fire up my will,

And the all-scarred children river out to remember

In succession that what they survive, a lie has killed,

Now that your father weeps on the long mast of a pillow

While at dawn, the Basiji jogs, sleek as a lynx,

And the ragged claw in the Mullah's swallow

Pulls back the gun's bowed sling, no one will think..."

If nothing else, through this poem the reader may come to understand Ragan's desire to communicate to the world about the world. Communication is key here. Poetry may be the path to overcoming what the late media sage Marshall McLuhan calls the "tunnel vision of media." It is a way to bring about heightened awareness of the world and the people who populate it. After all, there is so much going on these days it can be easy to miss what histories are being written today.

By helping others expand the world around them, so that it may encompass events that go beyond themselves to places and moments and people whom they have never even met, the world itself expands and becomes much more of a community. When the fellow man and woman are given the sense of dignity each and every one of them deserves, the world may begin to heal. 

The world certainly needs to be healed, with all that has gone on and is going on in this current decade of turbulence. But perhaps our distinguished visiting poet and professor, Mr. Ragan, can say it best: "We are a very young country. We need to be reminded we are in our adolescence and sometimes we behave badly. But when we mature as a country, we are still the grand experiment."

Respond to Eric at thenews@bgnews.com

In theory, allowing people to check out possible causes for why they feel ill before going to a doctor to wait for hours with other diseased persons, is good. There's just one problem with that. Most people are not even shade-tree doctors, let alone fully-licensed, practicing medical experts.

There is a reason people go to school for eight years to become a doctor, then a residency, and then are constantly learning to keep up with their complex field; it is not easy. Having the ability to type and an Internet connection does not give anyone  merit to think they can accurately diagnose themselves out of 20-plus possible ailments and injuries.

My biggest beef with WebMD is the diagnoses for typical symptoms are incredibly over the top. When checking out a possible cause for a throbbing headache, the top answer from WebMD is possibly having a brain aneurysm. For those with "impaired social skills," you're not just shy. You probably have schizophrenia, an aneurysm or even epilepsy. Next time you feel nauseous, don't just ignore it and take a nap because you probably have kidney failure, carbon monoxide poisoning or maybe you forgot you overdosed on drugs.

Even some of the suggested symptoms offered on the site are just plain ludicrous. Choking is actually a symptom to check on. I don't know, because I'm not a real doctor, but if you or someone with you is choking, please do not take the time to look on WebMD to see what you should do.

As though people were not hypochondriacs already, now they have this "tool" at their disposal to keep them constantly fearing that everything out of the ordinary with their bodies is actually some dormant plague, hell bent on destroying them. Well in reality, nine times out of 10, your head hurting is just a headache. Your upset tummy is just indigestion, or a hangover maybe, not an ulcer.

Many secretly want their illness to actually be something, that way they don't feel like a wuss over nothing. I'm just as guilty of this as everyone else. But not wanting to be a whiner for nothing is no reason to think because WebMD told you that you have diabetes or heart disease, that you actually have a serious problem.

As earlier stated, WebMD is a good idea, but only in theory. Waiting forever at the doctor's office just to find out your symptoms equate to nothing at all is a pain, so checking it out before is handy. But the site is so often abused by people, and this ends up hurting the site's credibility, at least in the eyes of people don't buy into the doomsday-esque illnesses hurled down from the site.

Next time you're feeling "not that hot," and you feel that urge to hit up WebMD for some bad news, remember you are not an actual doctor, and therefore not capable of actually diagnosing yourself. More often than not, the only symptom you should actually be looking up is a case of hypochondria.

Respond to Josh at thenews@bgnews.com

Jimmy and Paul are thrown into the middle of a drug ring when Jimmy's very rare baseball card is stolen and winds up in the hands of the kingpin named Poh Boy, played by Guillermo Diaz, probably best known as Scarface in "Half-Baked." 

Jimmy and Paul pull all the stops to bring down Poh Boy and retrieve Jimmy's card. A  procuring criminal, played hilariously by Sean William Scott, duping strangers, and pulling in aid from rival partner-duo of Mangold and Hunsaker, played by Adam Brody and Kevin Pollack with a bromance twist, are all involved.

"Cop Out" tries to bank on the biracial, wild-cop, tame-cop thing the "Lethal Weapon" series did so long ago, but sadly, it falls short of the Gibson and Glover Gang. 

The acting throughout the film is fairly stale and the humor is over the top, but it has its moments. Tracy Morgan acts in his typical over-the-top fashion, and sometimes it works, but most of the time it is annoying and juvenile. Bruce Willis is his "Die Hard" John McClane badass, minus the stick up his butt, and all the Hispanic gangsters speak Spanish as though they were just learning it.

"Cop Out" tries to do a little too much in too little time, and it suffers, but in the long run, it has its moments where no matter what, you will be laughing out loud. For the price of ticket at the Small, "Cop Out" is worth it, because how bad can a buddy-cop movie really be?

"I guess I've [been] kind of groomed for it," said Baruchel, whose character, the easy-going Kirk, must mature upon discovering the girl too good for him is actually intrigued. 

Acting since the age of twelve, Baruchel jokes how he's had two careers, jumping from leading roles in "weirdo Canadian independent films" (in his native country) to supporting roles in the United States.

"You've got to make sure you're sympathetic," he said, "and then look for spots for you to be funny as well."

Something tells me that he has nothing to worry about with the ability to create laughs and improvise with ease. 

"I will ad-lib no matter what. Whether they use it or not is a whole different story," he said.  

"League" co-star Nate Torrence ("Get Smart"), a veteran of Chicago Second City, is also no stranger to improvisation. 

"[There are] a couple scenes where they flat out just weren't in the script, and then made it in the movie," Torrence said.

Filmed in a light atmosphere with first-time director Jim Field Smith, a veteran of British sketch comedy, "League" possesses a "chutzpah to it" that has the potential to "hit a nerve," Baruchel said.

Ever humble though, the young actor claims he'd "be psyched if kids dig it at all." It serves little surprise to me that Baruchel has worked his way so well into today's world of comedy, ingratiating himself to everyone from Ben Stiller to Judd Apatow with his optimistic and down-to-Earth attitude. 

And with "League" and two more main roles on the horizon with the upcoming "Sorcerer's Apprentice" and "How to Train Your Dragon," this year seems like the year that Baruchel's grooming will pay off.

I do what I have to get done, stick pretty much to myself and try to draw as little attention to myself as possible. 

But there are other things I have in common with the squirrels. I spend most of my life looking for food to eat, and everyone knows that beneath my go-with-the-flow attitude, I'm really up to no good.

Think about the last time you spent a nice afternoon outside the Union, eating a sandwich, engaging in a staring contest with that innocent-looking squirrel. He seemed as though he was just enjoying sharing the common space of the world with his human brother or sister. But really, you knew he was sizing you up, weighing his chances to steal that meatball sub right out of your greasy fingers.

In my own subtle way, I'm always looking for ways to stick it to the Man. If you're like me, less of an outright rabble-rouser and more of a sneak-extra-packets-of-Splenda-into-you-coat-pockets type of corporate Erin Brockovich, you're going to love this week's recipe. 

Homemade anything sounds all hoity-toity, not to mention extremely expensive. But never fear! You too can make "homemade" deep-fried Chinese dumplings out of the things that are in your fridge (and from a lot of things you can buy on campus). Consider it a tiny middle finger to those haughty culinary know-it-alls.

You'll need:

Flour, water, meat, veggies, oil, seasonings and honey

Really. That's it.

Pour about a cup of flour (one cup yields enough to feed two comfortably) into a bowl and start to add water. In the end you should get a ball of dough that isn't hard or dry but isn't sticky either. Cover with a wet paper towel and let sit.

The filling is your canvas for creativity. I like to use leftover chicken or pork (you can get chopped up grilled chicken at Outtakes in Offenhauer that work just perfectly for this) diced and mixed with whatever veggies I can find. 

Put all your ingredients into a skillet, and sauté in butter and honey. If you like a little heat, now is the perfect time to add chili powder and pepper. Once cooked all the way through, put the filling onto a plate to cool.

In the same skillet, heat up about half an inch of oil. While the oil is heating, take tablespoon-sized pieces of dough, and flatten them into discs. You've got to make the dough as thin as possible, or you are going to have a thick and nasty failure on your hands. 

Onto the thin circle of dough goes a tablespoon of filling. Fold the dough so you have a half-moon shaped dumpling, and crimp the edges closed with a fork.

Carefully drop the dumpling in the oil. Keep a close eye on the cooking because it will be perfect and brown and delicious in no time. Drain onto a plate with a paper towel to wick up the extra oil.

This perfectly easy and tasty meal can be finished with any number of things that can be bought on campus -- Uncle Ben's rice, Ramen noodles or bagged salads make delicious choices.

A pair of comedians familiar to Bowling Green will reappear Tuesday at Grumpy Dave's Pub.

Headliner Steve Brewer and feature act Rye Silverman will entertain individuals staying in the city during spring break.

Brewer and Silverman are no strangers to Bowling Green or Grumpy Dave's Pub. Both have previously performed on the local stage multiple times.

The show starts at 9:30 p.m. Admission is $3 for students and $5 for everyone else. 

In exclusive interviews, The BG News caught up with the comics to collect some insight on professional comedians.

Hometown: Columbus

Age: 28

Years professional: Nine

Approximate number of shows performed yearly: 200

Comedic Inspirations/Influences: Steve Martin, Dana Carvey, David Spade, Mitch Hedberg

You might know Silverman from: Previously performing at Grumpy Dave's Pub. He visits the club twice a year.

Fun Fact: Usually doesn't eat right before a show.

RS: I've always wanted to do it since I was a kid. I was a giant fan of comedians when I was younger. I really fell in love with it.

RS: When I was a freshman in college I  saw an ad for a local open mike at the Columbus Funny Bone. And I just was like, 'if I don't do this now, I'm never going to do it.' So I made myself go out and do the open mike.

RS: I'm somebody who's not afraid to take chances. What I do in my act is very personal. It's a lot of stuff from my own life. I embrace my peculiarities and talk about them on-stage, so my act runs the gauntlet of talking about things like having to move back in with my parents to pay off debt, geekiness and even cross-dressing.

RS: I think just continuing to hone a quality act. I've gotten to a point in my life where I'm not so concerned about the financial gains from comedy. Thinking how rich you want to be is a mistake. I think you have to do it for pure love of comedy. The more that I make my act into something that I love and the more I am happy with my act , the more I feel like everything will click into place behind it.

RS: I'm always fine-tuning and shaping my act into something different. Even if I'm telling the same jokes, I find nuances to them or changes to them or new ways to deliver them. It's almost this rise to constantly be getting better and then the thrill of being on stage. I just love doing comedy I love everything about comedy. It's like a compulsion almost.

RS: Finders Records and Grounds for Thought.

RS: I plan on moving to [Los Angeles] to kick my game into the next level. The reason why I'm going to L.A. is because I want to study comedy in a bigger venue and also take classes and hone my craft. It is an art form, in my opinion and I want to take advantage to strengthen my art.

Hometown: Detroit

Age: 39

Years Professional: 23

Approximate number of shows performed yearly: 150 to 200.

Comedic Influences/Inspirations: George Carlin, Richard Pryor, Lenny Bruce.

You might know Brewer from: Filth Fest: an unrestricted, uncensored three-man comedy tour specializing in dirty jokes.

Fun fact: "Guilty pleasure" is riding and refurbishing motorcycles.

SB: I knew it started in kindergarten when I was required by the teacher to draw what I wanted to be when I grew up. I drew a stand-up comedian standing up on stage telling jokes, saying 'ha-ha.'

SB: By the time I was 15, I had written my first five minutes of material. I stole a buddy's ID - the guy I worked for at Domino's [Pizza] - so I got into the club. I was hooked. From that point on, I did everything I could to get on stage.

SB: It's definitely controversial, political, truthful. If nothing else, my show is truthful. When I write, I take an intelligent idea and I try to turn it into a dick joke. I try to make my shows where the doctor goes 'wow this guy is really smart. He took this really great idea and disguising it so that guy can enjoy it.' And I want to guy who doesn't know any better to be able to go, 'ha, he said f***.' I want it to be enjoyable for everyone.

SB: I really, really believe that it's more important to go and do these small shows than it is to do the big shows because these are the people who come out and they might be spending maybe $50 for the night. But that might be their entertainment budget for the entire month. I feel the responsibility of the headliner to go in and to really give them their money's worth and then some.

SB: [Comedians] are in a  business that is so focused on success that we forget what it is we are actually doing. If we only do this to be on TV, if we only do this to make a huge paycheck, then what is the value?

I started doing this because for that 45 minutes to an hour, [when] I'm on stage, I can make people forget how s***** their life is for that week. I'm actually doing something that's making peoples' lives better. That's where I get my pleasure. 

SB: The first thing I tell them is don't. The reason I tell them don't is because it's so hard. It was hard when I was coming up, but now it's just unbelievably difficult and competitive and hard to make a living at.

Really though the best way to do it is to get on stage. There is no secret to it. Perform as much as you possibly can. Do everything you can to get on stage as often as you can. Write, write, write and write. Don't write about the [material] everyone else is writing about. Stay away from whatever seems easy.

SB: I like Main Street. I like the sense in that kind of two-mile radius from Grumpy Dave's [Pub], it's like a really cool mix of old and new. Its got that kind of sense of community and its also got that we can party deal. And the Pita Pit. Christ that place is awesome. After throwing down a bunch of beers, there is nothing better than Pita Pit.

SB: I give the best damn show you will ever see. I give them the same show I would give if I were filming a special or if I were performing for the f****** queen. I give them everything I got, no matter how I feel.

Luckily, local businesses are making it easier on University students to save those precious pennies.  Many businesses in Bowling Green offer a student discount with an ID, so check out the skyline for where to go to hang onto that hard-earned cash.

Understandably, today's classes may be some of the hardest lectures to get through. All eyes are on the clocks, but time is going to go at its normal speed, much to the disappointment of students. Cell phones are buzzing holes in pockets with text messages making plans for what the next nine classless days will bring. Daydreams of warm air, sandy beaches and margaritas in the moonlight are dancing in  the minds of everyone.

But, it's Friday. Spring Break is a close fantasy. To properly prepare for the time off, every student needs a pump-up music playlist. Pull out your iPods now.

"Hey, Soul Sister" by Train -- The ukulele sends thoughts of summer to everyone's minds; the romantic lyrics causes a desire for your significant other; and the sing-along feel of the tune makes for a perfect group night. It's the perfect spring break song.

"Coconut Juice" by Tyga (featuring Travis McCoy) -- For all of the students going to the Caribbean for the next week, the two things that should not be forgotten are limes and coconuts. If they are, you might as well have not left Bowling Green.

"Can't Stop Partying" by Weezer (featuring Lil Wayne) -- Going along with what was said above, no matter where a student finds themselves over break, make it as much of a party as Weezer and Weezy would.

"Shots" by LMFAO -- This party song is equivalent to going to a convention for alcoholics and the motivational speaker wears grillz, braids and is known for getting crunk. He lists six different shots for your consideration. Do him proud.

"Say Hey" Michael Franti and Spearhead (featuring Cherine Anderson) -- Grab whomever you love. This song is perfect for dancing with them. The tune revolves around love at first sight, and it celebrates it with an original, fun beat perfect for the island partying some will be up to this week.

"Telephone" by Lady GaGa (featuring Beyoncé) -- I know it's hard, but take it from GaGa and B, and leave your phone at home. Go to that party and forget about everything you left behind. Don't take any calls. They'll do nothing but add unneeded stress.

"Put Your Records On" by Corrine Bailey Rae -- This song is the motto of what Spring Break should be. Pick songs for a playlist (and what do you know. Here's seven already picked for you), play them loud and let your hair down. Spring break is about taking it easy, and you have no worries until March 15, so enjoy it.