'Find The Illegal Immigrant'--NYU Game Creates Furor

In what it says is an attempt to get students to debate the issue of undocumented immigrants, a student Republican club at New York University has dreamed up a novel game that has some on campus calling it "racist." In the game planned for Thursday, called "Find the Illegal Immigrant," members of the club who present their NYU identification become immigration agents looking for an undocumented immigrant in the crowd. The agent who successfully identifies the immigrant wins a gift certificate. Students have sent club officials e-mails calling the event "racist" and "disgusting." But the club said it is about stoking debate on the issue of immigrants. Read more.

Caucasian-Only Scholarship Worth Only $25

The Florida State University (FSU) Chapter of College Republicans is offering a Caucasian-Only Scholarship. It's open to all current FSU students who have at least a 75 percent Caucasian heritage and a 2.0 grade-point average. "What we are trying to do is highlight the issue of affirmative action in America," said Brandon Neeld, vice chairman of the College Republicans. "Scholarships based on any factor beyond your control are not fair. That is not what (scholarships are) about. It's about financial need and receiving a good education no matter who you are." The scholarship pays $25, reports Tallahasee.com. (See also: 'Whites-Only' Scholarship Fuels Affirmative-Action Debate)

Obama's Candidacy Sparks Debates on Race

People across the political and racial spectrums started discussing presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama's race after he spoke at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. Some insist he is not African American and is unsuited to be a black candidate because he is not a direct descendant of slaves and hasn't had what they see as an authentic African-American experience. San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris is frustrated by all the race talk. "The conversation highlights the lack of information that people in general have about African American contributions," said Harris, who supports Obama. "That is the added significance of Barack Obama. He is opening up what has been a limited perspective of who is an African American. But remember it is an issue of perception, not reality." Read more.

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Clinton-Obama Tinseltown Tussle

The long-term impact of the Tinseltown tussle between the Clinton and Obama campaigns is no big deal, but it showcases a big issue in the primary campaign.

At issue: Can Sen. Hillary Clintonor Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, be elected president? "There are some Democrats that wonder if either one can win," political analyst Stu Rothenberg said. Obama supporter and Hollywood movie mogul David Geffen raised the issue front and center about Clinton. In an interview with New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd, Geffen called her "incredibly polarizing" and said Republicans believe "she's the easiest to defeat." The dust-up also raises issues for Obama. Is he really a different kind of politician? Just last Sunday, Obama denounced what he called "slash and burn" politics, but his campaign issued a slashing attack on Clinton. "It's not clear to me why would I be apologizing for someone else's remarks," Obama said in Iowa Wednesday night. "My sense is that Mr. Geffen may have differences with the Clintons," Obama said. "That doesn't really have anything to do with our campaign." Read more.

Nearly Half of Indian Women Have Not Heard of AIDS

More than 40 percent of women in India have not heard of AIDS, according to a government survey that has alarmed activists. India has 5.7 million people living with HIV/AIDS, the world's highest caseload, according to the United Nations. But the prevalence rate, in the country of 1.1 billion people, is much lower than in most of Africa. The National Family Health Survey (NFHS), the most extensive study on health and nutrition in India, said in its latest report only 57 percent of women have heard of AIDS. In rural areas, where most Indians live, less than half the women--46 percent--were aware of the disease. Read more.

For Gays in China, 'Fake Marriage' Eases Pressure

It is Saturday afternoon in a half-empty restaurant on the fourth floor of a modern shopping mall. Two young women kiss slowly and continuously, one permed head of hair poised above another, arms entwined, as other customers ignore them completely. This is the weekly gathering of Tongyu, a lesbian group that meets publicly to socialize, watch gay/lesbian movies and discuss important issues, such as whether to come out of the closet and how. Most nearby patrons are gay and lesbian, but customers at the front of the restaurant are straight. The owner doesn't seem to care about the public displays of affection, as long as the young women of Tongyu keep buying drinks. Read more.

Shell Companies Pocketed $18.6M From Immigrants Taxes

Federal authorities have accused three cleaning-company executives of pocketing more than $18.6 million in unpaid taxes collected from employing hundreds of undocumented immigrants from Mexico, Central America, and Haiti, according to an indictment CNN obtained Thursday. The money was placed by the three Rosenbaum Cunningham International executives into "shell companies" and then used to purchase such "extravagant" items as beach homes and racehorses, the document stated. RCI Inc.'s president, vice president and controller were arrested along with 200 of the Florida-based company's employees in a recent sweep by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, the assistant secretary of homeland security for ICE, Julie Myers, announced at a news conference. A message on the company's voicemail said that "RCI has ceased operations as of February 22, 2007." The employees were arrested in 17 states and the District of Columbia late Wednesday into Thursday as they were starting or leaving their shifts, Myers said. Read more.

Stereotypes Alter Performance

After years of studying situations such as choking under pressure or succumbing to "stereotype threat" (in which you perform worse if you're reminded that your sex, race or age group tends to muff the test you're about to take), scientists are learning how emotion combines in the brain with memory, attention and other cognitive skills to make your spear miss the mammoth. At the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science last weekend, researchers gave the lie to the belief that brain structures that think and ones that feel emotions are walled off from the other. Instead, emotion and cognition mingle. Activity in a particular brain region reflects the integration of cognition and emotion, explained Jeremy Gray of Yale University, and it isn't so simple as pleasant emotions being good for thinking and negative ones impairing it. Read more.

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