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(03/07/07 5:00am)
Before diving into Air's latest album, Pocket Symphony, I should disclose a bit about my aesthetic biases. I tend to prize emotional release over technique -- or, more precisely, I prize music's ability to trigger a raw cathartic reaction rather than such intellectual bases as complexity or musicianship. Thus, I will always value hooks and big choruses over texture or sophistication -- I will, for example, always favor the early Beatles, to which I'll sing along, over their mature late-career work. \nThis matters because where you fall on this spectrum between gut and brain will determine your reaction to Symphony. This album is a melodic, elegant, meticulously constructed piece of work showing a great depth of thought and technical skill. And it's also, to a large extent, boring as hell.\nAir has always seemed a bit chilly for my tastes, but the pop pull was unavoidable on the best moments of their last album, 2004's Talkie Walkie. With Symphony, however, they dial things back to a more meditative, downcast tone -- there's no "Cherry Blossom Girl" or "Surfing On A Rocket" here. Instead, Symphony's best moments are those heartbreak ballads where the humanity escapes Air's crystalline production -- the twee (but charming) "Once Upon A Time" with its cascading keyboard run and gentle vocal hook; the stripped-down piano ballad "One Hell Of A Party," with great vocals from former Pulp front man Jarvis Cocker; and "Napalm Love," whose assorted elements build a mysterious sense of unease. And, OK, I have to bow before the technical majesty of "Mer Du Japon," which manages to be exciting despite being largely abstract (and taking a break in the middle for the crashing of waves).\nHowever, the rest, while pretty, makes for a fairly effective tranquilizer -- most notably the meandering instrumentals "Space Maker," "Mayfair Song," "Lost Message" and "Night Sight," which, with their use of reverb, washes and ambient hums, sound like parts of a Vangelis movie soundtrack. (Not to disparage Vangelis -- they've done good work -- but I find these tracks rather dull without actors, dialogue, cinematography and whatnot.) Likewise, "Left Bank," "Photograph," "Somewhere Between Waking And Sleeping" and "Redhead Girl," despite their vocals, are too uniformly subdued and distant to stir my soul (or whatever we music critics have).\nBut if you're currently grumbling about my lack of knowledge of musical theory (you're right) -- you might want to check it out.
(03/07/07 5:00am)
WIUX doesn't condone fake IDs because, let's face it, the ones they used to make in Eigenmann were terrible. Your older brother's ID won't work at Nick's, and the threat of being arrested will totally ruin your Thirsty Thursday. But if you're a music fan in Bloomington, it sucks to be under 21.\nAfter all, a lot of bars hold the real shows. Spoon came to the Bluebird, Modest Mouse was at Axis (old Jake's) and when Second Story was in commission, it was the place to go. The White Stripes, Neutral Milk Hotel, Tortoise, Guided By Voices, Jens Lekman, Rogue Wave, Yo La Tengo and the Firey Furnaces all played the best venue in town, but in a post-Second Story Bloomington, all-ages venues have taken over where fake IDs left off. Now the best shows can be seen at any age. \nRhino's\nCurated by the Harmony Education Center, aka the BeeHive's only private school, Rhino's Youth Center was founded in 1992 to cater to Bloomington teens. It was founded with a sort of "by the people, for the people" mentality.\nLater, United Way and the Bloomington Parks and Recreation joined Rhino's and it became more than just a venue. Rhino's serves as an after-school hangout for Bloomington teens. It holds many arts-based after-school programs and serves about 1,200 teens a month, according to its Web site. \nBut to the average IU student, Rhino's has a different significance. Sweet rock shows every Friday and Saturday at the South Walnut location are the draw. Its space, recently redesigned, features a large stage, local art and a professional light and sound setup. \nCheck out locals Busman's Holiday on March 24, the Romance on March 30 and the Purgatorium CD release show April 20.\nArt Hospital\nIn lieu of Second Story, the best shows in town now come to the Art Hospital. Named for its white walls and a hospital cross that used to be outside, the Hospital is both an art space and a music venue. It brings national independent artists, holds Electrocute (see previous "Live From the BeeHive"), and hosts private events. \nA lot of the artists who play the Hospital are related in some way to Secretly Canadian. Impossible Shapes, Early Day Miners and Ad Astra Per Aspera have all played there to name a few. \nIn the near future, check out Drakkar Sauna on March 19, Odawas on April 1 and Baby Teeth on April 7. \nLive From Bloomington\nUnion Board's Live From Bloomington does more than compile a CD of the best local music. It also hosts one of the coolest nights in town, Club Night, spread over a ton of venues in the city. This year Club Night is split into a 21+ night April 5 and an all-ages night April 6. \nLive From Bloomington also hosts NOISE, a live concert series Thursday nights at the Indiana Memorial Union Gallery. Check out Muzaic on March 8, 2 Mics and a Kit on March 22 and Husband and Wife on March 29. \nWIUX\nBloomington Vibes is a WIUX-sponsored music series at the station house, 815 E. Eighth St. With an emphasis on underrepresented and local music, Vibes has had national acts like Maps and Atlases, Gentleman Auction House and Men Women and Children as well as local acts Nearest Nova, Prizzy Prizzy Please and Totally Micheal. \nThe Giggles are coming March 23, Sentinel on March 30 and WIUX's annual large concert Culture Shock will be held April 14 in the field behind the DeVault Alumni Center on 17th Street. \nCulture Shock '07 is the biggest show WIUX has ever thrown. With headliners Xiu Xiu and Sunset Rubdown, the show will surely attract music lovers. The completely free lineup also includes up-and-coming artists Richard Swift and David Vandervelde, rockers Catfish Haven and Make Believe, and local artists Husband and Wife and The Coke Dares. The lineup hasn't been fully announced yet, so stay tuned to 100.3 FM and wiux.org for more.
(03/07/07 5:00am)
Before there was "The Office," "Extras," "Reno: 911" or any comedy driven mainly by improvisation, there was Christopher Guest. With a résumé that features classics such as "This is Spinal Tap" and "Best in Show," Guest helped set the standard for both improvising and his patented "mockumentary" style.\nWhile his newest film, "For Your Consideration," is not a mockumentary, it is still not conducted in the traditional way, but rather is a behind-the-scenes look at the production of a low-budget film called "Home For Purim." As the movie within the movie, "Home for Purim" is one of the funnier concepts throughout the film -- a story about a Southern family in the mid-'40s wartime whose two children come home to visit their dying mother on her favorite holiday, Purim (arguably the least important Jewish holiday of the year). The driving force of the plot occurs when "Home for Purim" begins to get an Internet-started Oscar buzz that blows up and gets the flick all over the Hollywood media.\nWhile "For Your Consideration" has several funny moments, they aren't really laugh-out-loud types, but more subtle humor -- like you might see on one of the shows mentioned earlier. There's a lot of great concepts and ideas that I wish they had shown more of -- like more scenes from "Home For Purim," more scenes from a Fred Willard-anchored "Access Hollywood" type show (as usual Willard stole the movie and a barelyused hilarious Ebert & Roeper-type critic show complete with scenes from fake movies they are reviewing). These segments are diamonds in the rough -- a lot of the movie is mired in quaint little character exchanges that are often hit-or-miss.\nAs for the features, the DVD is actually quite entertaining. Since much of the film was improvised, there are tons of deleted scenes full of good stuff. There's also a commentary by Guest and co-writer Eugene Levy, who would be funny to listen to on their own, let alone over the movie. There's also the theatrical trailer and a gallery of poster options for "Home for Purim," which are hilarious.\nThe biggest flaw of "For Your Consideration" is that it operates in its own world of nothingness. While the film is an obvious parody of several aspects of Hollywood, there's nothing that really connects it to the outside world. Nearly the entire film takes place on set, and when we get to leave the set, it's to go to an office or TV show. The characters have little to no background at all, and as a result they are hard to connect with and understand. There are many funny bits and pieces, but there's not much cohesiveness as a whole, including a sub-par ending that doesn't really go anywhere. Watching Guest and his cronies do what they do best at least makes "For Your Consideration" enjoyable but not memorable.
(03/07/07 5:00am)
"A Good Year" was supposed to be director Ridley Scott's rebound flick. After "Kingdom of Heaven" tanked at the American box office, Scott took the path of making a modest $35 million romance that would pair him with Russell Crowe on a romp through Scott's current residence of Provence, France. Sadly, "A Good Year" flopped as well, and honestly, I'm not surprised. \nThe film tells the story of Max Skinner (Crowe) who, as a young lad (played by Freddie Highmore, "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"), would spend his vacations in Provence with his Uncle Henry (an always warm Albert Finney) at his vineyard estate. The grown-up Max is a big player in the UK stock exchange, concerned only with the money floating around him and the various women he romances on a daily basis. When word of Henry's death reaches Max, he learns Henry's will was never updated, therefore making Max the inheritor of the estate. With a desire only to sell the property and make a killing, Max travels to Provence and thus begins the journey of rediscovering himself through the childhood he'd thought was forgotten. \nMany say that with "A Good Year," Scott was out of his element. Famous for being a man of action with his big-budget epics, this film doesn't fit his stylings, but I am never one to discount a director for trying something new. While it is beautifully photographed and has some genuinely funny moments, the story feels lackluster and too long by about 20 minutes -- one should hope a director's cut, which Scott has done for a majority of his films, never pops up as a future DVD release. Crowe is great in the role, but considering I am usually impressed with his work, maybe I didn't take notices of any shortcomings.\nThe DVD does feature a great commentary by Scott that also ties the making-of featurettes into the film itself; essentially you watch the movie with his commentary and breaks are inserted with the footage. Obviously you wouldn't watch the film the first time around this way, but being as boring as was, it was that much harder to watch the film for these segments as they cannot be viewed individually. There are also half a dozen trailers for the film and three terrible music videos of Russell Crowe and his new band. I've drank some nasty wine, but nothing left a more sour taste in my mouth than listening to one of my favorite actors sing alternative pop. And what better way to forget such horrid music than by downing some vino afterward?
(03/07/07 5:00am)
I can vaguely remember sitting in seventh-grade social studies watching Richard Attenborough's "Gandhi" in 40-minute installments over five days. I slept through half of it, passed notes during most of the rest and, in hindsight, had no idea what I was missing. For those who complain about movies just because they're long, your time and tastes might be better suited seeing "Wild Hogs" this weekend, but for anyone who wants to see the story of a great man's life done justice, however long it takes, "Gandhi's" got your number. \n"Gandhi" invites many favorable comparisons to David Lean's "Lawrence of Arabia" in terms of its epic length, sweeping cinematography, intensive development of the title character and a literal cast of thousands. Gandhi and Lawrence were men both cherished and reviled by many, though both men strove singularly and almost unarguably for good. Gandhi's funeral, which Attenborough immaculately recreates, is a key scene because it displays in sheer numbers how loved the man was. There are countless other scenes with impact that reaches beyond the film to argue that Gandhi's adherence to passive, nonviolent resistance was possibly the most pivotal movement in recorded global civil rights history. \nThis is Ben Kingsley's finest acting role, surpassing Itzhak Stern in "Schindler's List" simply because of the length of time he's on screen. He disappears into his character by exuding the same stoic grace and soft-spokenness that was Gandhi's trademark, winning the Best Actor Oscar despite a total lack of the gratingly emotional outbursts that Oscar always falls for. The film's supporting cast is given mostly thankless and underdeveloped roles, and the film's unerring focus directly on the actions and motivations of its title character help keep the waters of history and politics un-muddied. After all, a biopic should be the story of one life, not many. \nThe supplements on this two-disc 25th anniversary edition are more comprehensive than on the 2001 edition, including a brief introduction and a vital full-length commentary track from Attenborough, as well as a smattering of curious newsreel footage and nine mostly passable featurettes focusing on Gandhi, Kingsley and the director. A recent interview with Kingsley functions to enlighten us as to his method in portraying Gandhi, making his performance all the more impressive when we realize the depth of Kingsley's knowledge of and respect for the man he was lauded for playing. \nGandhi was assassinated in 1948, and like most great men cut down by the politically motivated hands of others, his presence and life loom larger now than they did when he was alive. The story of Mohandas Gandhi is really the story of India itself, and amazingly, Attenborough manages to well-serve both man and country in this film. Never since has one man of such slight stature and mild manner stood up to an empire and prevailed.
(03/07/07 5:00am)
Plenty of films have been made about the Zodiac Killer, perhaps the most notorious unsolved murder case in American history. Of the ones I have seen, I could list plenty of reasons why they weren't that good, ranging from boring to lacking a cohesive narrative to being downright garbage. Yet, thanks to director David Fincher, finally emerging from his five-year absence post-"Panic Room," I can finally forget all the poor excuses for a Zodiac movie, as the man has crafted a masterpiece. \nUsing Robert Graysmith's excellent book on the case, Fincher's "Zodiac" spans 20 years through the eyes of Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal), detective David Toschi (Mark Ruffalo) and police beat reporter Paul Avery (Robert Downey Jr.), examining how these gruesome murders would consume their lives. The young Graysmith is working at the San Francisco Chronicle when the Zodiac's first cryptic letter and cipher arrive in the editor in chief's hands, and he becomes obsessed with cracking the killer's codes in an attempt to prove he is more than the daily newspaper's cartoonist. His obsession would span decades, following lead after lead without hope, and ultimately his novel was birthed from these events, all in the midst of ruined lives and dead bodies littered about the Bay Area thanks to a killer who was never caught. \nFincher's film is absolutely brilliant. With a hefty running time of 158 minutes, Fincher takes Graysmith's novel and adds in his own paranoia of having been raised in Marin County, Calif., during the Zodiac's killing spree. The end product is a film similar to Spike Lee's "Summer of Sam," that being an examination of a city in which no one is truly safe when a killer is on the loose and is making such horrifying threats as "school children make good targets." With every step closer to solving the case, in reality, these men are taking two steps back, and Fincher captures their frustration and despair in every frame. What he also captures are murders so unnerving and so unsettling that they remain etched in your mind long after you've left the theater.\nPraise is to be showered upon Gyllenhaal, Downey Jr. and Ruffalo, all turning in excellent performances by getting wrapped up not only in their characters' minds but in the actual case itself. I must slight Fincher only a little for the fact that while everyone shows the wear and tear of 20 years aging, Gyllenhaal still looks as young as he did when the film started, except by the end he's managed to grow a five-day-old beard. Regardless, these are deep performances with strong supporting bits given to the likes of Brian Cox, Phillip Baker Hall and Anthony Edwards. And John Carroll Lynch, who plays major suspect Arthur Leigh Allen, is downright disturbing. \nIn the last five years, Fincher has turned down countless film projects that include "Mission: Impossible III," "Batman Begins" and even last year's unsolved murder thriller, "The Black Dahlia." What emerged in the end was "Zodiac," one of Fincher's strongest works, second only to "Fight Club," and it sure as hell was worth the wait.
(03/07/07 5:00am)
For those of who think Trent Reznor has lost a step with age and sold out, what with a more radio-friendly recent album, a shorter haircut and his getting in shape, you're wrong. Beside You In Time is a great performance from one of the greatest artists of our time. This DVD documents the winter leg of Nine Inch Nails' North American "With Teeth" tour at Oklahoma City and El Paso. \nAmazing lighting effects timed perfectly with the songs, such as a 30-foot-high LED display that looks like it's dripping blood, complement the music and performance. Trent Reznor puts more energy into his music on stage than Diamond Dave or The King of Pop ever did (minus swords with streamers and rhinestone gloves, of course). Yes, some say the latest album is more "mainstream," but after watching this DVD, what you realize is that the genius of NIN isn't in the songs on their own as an album but in Reznor's ability to keep changing and modifying them so they sound new each time.\nOld favorites such as "Head like a Hole," "Closer" and "Eraser" are played in a way that makes them sound fresh without being remixes. In "Head Like a Hole" alone, the keyboardist and guitar player jump on the keyboard, and it actually sounds like the noise was meant to be there. What's also amazing is the way they make songs that were made by one man with one machine sound awesome with live instruments. And let's face it, if you're in Nine Inch Nails and your name isn't Trent Reznor, you have about as much job security as a lead singer for Van Halen (just ask the lead singer of the band Filter).\n It would have been nice to see personal favorites such as "The Mark Has Been Made" and "Reptile," but this concert DVD, which also features a few tracks from the summer leg of the tour, live rehearsals, two videos from "With Teeth," a photo gallery and a discography, is definitely worth buying for any fan, new or old.
(03/07/07 5:00am)
If adding newsfeeds and opening the site to everyone and their brother wasn't enough, Facebook has found another way to get people to spend more time on its Web site: cashing in on the excitement of the NCAA men's basketball tournament with its basketball pools.\nSome students were unaware of the pools last year, but they are beginning to catch on. \nJunior Justin Howell normally participates in several pools through newspapers like The Herald-Times or the Indianapolis Star, but this is his first year participating through Facebook.\n"I'm still a basketball bracket virgin in the Facebook world," Howell said.\nHowell started his own pool called "Ballin,'" as something fun to do. He said pools make the tournament more interesting because he has to pull for teams he normally wouldn't root for.\nBrackets will be released on the site at about 7 p.m. Pacific time Sunday, and they must be submitted by 9 a.m. Pacific time Thursday, according to facebook.com. Some students prefer participating in pools online to other methods.\n"It's a lot better than written pools," Howell said. "This way no one will be able to go in and change it."\nFacebook is awarding cash prizes to the top 10 finishers out of all pool participants. \nThere are two ways to be a winner in the Facebook basketball pools, according the Web site. One way is through the Global Bracket Challenge and the other is through the Round by Round Challenge. Points for each challenge are scored the same way. Participants receive one or more points each time they select the correct winner of a game. The number of points varies depending on the round of the tournament. Correct selections are worth one point in the first round, two points in the second round, four points in the third round, eight points in the fourth round, 15 points in the semifinals and 25 points in the championship game.\nIn the case of a tie, the Global Bracket Challenge has three tie-breakers and the Round by Round Challenge has two. If there is a tie in the Global Bracket Challenge, it will be broken by the reference to the projected combined score of the final game. If there is still a tie, it goes to the person who picked the most correct game-winners. If there is still a tie after the first two tie breakers, a final winner will be chosen at random by a drawing that will be held at RealTime Media's offices.\nIf there is a tie in the Round by Round Challenge, the winner will be decided according to who chose the most correct game-winners. After this, if there is still a tie, the winner will be chosen in a random drawing at RealTime Media.\nPrizes vary depending on the challenge, but the first-place winner in the Global Challenge will receive $25,000. \nBut not everyone participating in the pools is interested in winning a prize.\n"Most people do it for money, but I don't have money to bet with," said junior Jamie Worsek. "It's just basically a pride thing."\nWorsek said she doesn't normally participate in basketball pools, but she joined a Facebook pool last year and enjoyed it. \n"I did better than most of my guy friends," Worsek said.\nSenior Robert Gephardt said he has been participating in basketball pools since he was in middle school. He said he enjoys using Facebook's networking capabilities to join pools with people he knows.\n"When Facebook started it last year, everyone kind of switched over to there instead of using all the other Web sites," Gephardt said. \nSome think using other Web sites to participate in pools can require more work than using Facebook.\n"It's easier than going through hoops on Web sites like ESPN, where you have to sign up and fill out all this info," Gephardt said. "Everyone's already on Facebook, and you can just click a link and have everything already set up right there."\nGephardt said advertisements are something else he had an issue with when using Web sites like ESPN and Yahoo!.\n"If you tried to go to the brackets on those sites, they would direct you to a temporary Web site that has a big, huge ad and you'd have to click through that," Gephardt said.\nFacebook is laid out better with regards to its advertisements, Gephardt said. When he wants to check brackets in between classes, he said it's faster for him to use Facebook.\nAlong with cash prizes and a preferred format, Facebook has given students another reason to use its site to follow the tournament. Junior Todd Autio said Facebook has given students more creative freedom in their pools. \n"The best thing about Facebook is that people make up stupid names and put up funny pictures," Autio said.
(03/07/07 5:00am)
Fame is a nebulous concept these days. The Internet is always watching you, and reality TV has become a new food group. You could be famous and not even know it. Even if there are 20 videos of you lip-syncing to Fleetwood Mac on YouTube and you have 599 MySpace friends, there's a chance you might not be a celebrity. Look for the following warning signs of fame to be sure.\n1. People are combining your name with that of your significant other.\nBennifer, Branjelina, TomKat. Gossip columnists are busy people. They don't have time to write out two names. And as busy gossip consumers, we don't even have time to read two different names. Celebrity couples' names are like peanut butter and jelly, combine them at will. \n2. Your used Starbucks coozie was sold on eBay for $30,000.\nYou thought that guy was a bum when he went fishing around in the trash. Turns out he's buying a boat.\n3. Headlines suggest you are pregnant.\nThe "bump patrol" is never wrong.\n4. You starred in a movie opposite Hugh Grant.\nYou might not remember it, but it was probably a romantic comedy. It was almost as good as your Internet rendition of "You Make Loving Fun."\n5. Someone asked you to sign a baby.\nSometimes you just don't have paper or a glossy black and white headshot, and fans want your signature now. A little bundle of joy is the next best place for your John Hancock. If your autograph is in high demand, grab a Sharpie and a newborn.\n6. There's an entire Web site dedicated to pictures of you in sweatpants.\nWow, you've really been letting yourself go. Is that a cigarette and an entire summer sausage?\n7. You're a Scientologist.\nIf you're an ordinary, run-of-the-mill Scientologist giving out free "stress tests" in the subway and selling copies of L. Ron Hubbard's "Dianetics" for $8 "donations," you're probably in the clear. But if you're one of those rich, my-dynamics-were-good-in-a-past-life-so-let's-hop-on-the-spaceship Scientologists, it's more likely you're giving out "stress tests" on the red carpet.\n8. You named your child after an endangered species of mushroom.\nApple, Rumir, Denim, Moon Unit, Puma, Chastity, Suri, Maddox, CoCo -- these are the children picked last in kickball. It seems like a running gag, but it's a fact of life. For at least four decades, celebrities have been giving their children bizarre names.\n9. Us Weekly says that you're in rehab.\nA reliable anonymous source saw you check in.\n10. You're in rehab.\nWell, fancy habit-forming substances are easily accessible if you're famous.\n11. SuperStudd64 and AngelDivaXX are arguing on your message board.\nAt first they were quarreling about when you first sold out. Now they're just calling each other profane names.\n12. Your latest album didn't do as well as expected.\nEven though you had that track featuring MC Hammer, your latest single didn't come close to reaching the Billboard Hot 100.\n13. There's much speculation about your sexual orientation.\nEntertainment Weekly says that you're gay. Star Magazine says that you're straight. The National Enquirer says that you're giving birth to a monkey baby.\n14. Headlines suggest you had plastic surgery.\nWhat happened to your face? The before-and-after pics are shocking, bordering nightmarish.\nIf five or more of these warning signs apply to you, there's a good chance that you're famous. Don't freak out because the paparazzi are right behind you.
(03/07/07 5:00am)
BEDFORD – “I’ve got her, and you’re not going to get her.”\nBeth Johnson heard those words from her ex-husband Monday morning, shortly before he crashed his rented single-engine plane into his former mother-in-law’s southern Indiana home, killing himself and the couple’s 8-year-old daughter.\nThe mother-in-law, Vivian Pace, gave an account of the cell phone call Tuesday as federal and state investigators were trying to determine why Eric Johnson, a 47-year-old student pilot who had soloed before, strapped daughter Emily into the passenger seat of the Cessna and took off from Virgil I. Grissom Municipal Airport. \nLess than two hours later, the plane crashed into the side of Pace’s one-story house in what police believe was a deliberate act.\n“(Beth Johnson) could hear Emily in the background: ‘Mommy, come get me, come get me,’” Pace said. Pace said she and her daughter had learned recently that Eric Johnson was taking flying lessons and she believed the crash was deliberate.\n“That was the only way he could hurt Beth. That was the only way he could get to her,” she said.\nState and Bedford police were treating the criminal investigation as a suicide and homicide, State Police 1st Sgt. Dave Bursten said. He said they had yet to find any notes indicating Johnson’s intentions with the flight, but the fact that the house was his ex-wife’s mother’s home raised serious questions.\n“All of those things together lead us in the direction that this was done intentionally,” Bursten said Tuesday.\nAndrew Todd Fox of the National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday that investigators were looking at whether the plane was functioning properly and hoped to have a preliminary report within a week.\nThe airport has no controller on duty, so there was no tape available of any communication, Fox said.\nHe declined to say if Johnson said anything over the plane’s radio before the plane crashed into Pace’s home around 10:45 a.m. Pace was home, but uninjured.\nThe plane had already crashed but the occupants hadn’t been identified when Beth Johnson arrived at the Bedford Police Department to file a missing person report because her daughter hadn’t arrived at school that morning after spending the weekend with her father, Bedford Police Maj. Dennis Parsley said Tuesday.\nParsley told police that her ex-husband, a property manager for the state Department of Natural Resources, had recently taken the girl to Cancun, Mexico for a few days of vacation.\n“(Emily) was to spend the weekend with dad, and dad was supposed to bring her to school Monday morning,” Parsley said.\nInvestigators were still examining the wreckage of the plane crash at Pace’s home in Bedford, about 20 miles south of Bloomington, and hadn’t identified the two bodies inside at the time.\n“It is just gut-wrenching to think about what was happening to that child just prior to the crash,” Bursten said.\nPace said she was in the living room of her home when the plane struck the side. Witnesses said the plane appeared to be trying to land when it veered sharply and went out of sight.\nState police said they had no record of disputes between the Johnsons, but Pace said Eric Johnson had been harassing his ex-wife recently, including buying a house three doors down from hers. The couple had divorced in November after 12 years of marriage, she said during a news conference Tuesday. Eric Johnson also obtained his student pilot’s license in November.\nAt Parkview Primary School in Bedford, where Emily was a first-grader, counselors were called in to help the students, Principal Sari Wood said Tuesday.\n“We’re all grieving over this,” Wood said. She described Emily as a “dear little girl” who “got a kick out of things and enjoyed life.”\n“She just was one of those really friendly, really open little kids,” Wood said.\nCourt records showed Beth Johnson had obtained a restraining order against her husband on July 14, 2006, but police would not disclose the reasons. Pace said Eric Johnson threatened his wife with a gun last summer, while Emily was in Iowa with relatives, in an effort to change her mind about the divorce. Bedford police said they never received a complaint about the alleged incident.\nMary Webb, who lived across from the Johnsons for about 12 years, said police cars were parked outside the home for several weeks last summer. Eric Johnson told her they were there to protect his wife and daughter.\n“He said, ‘I wouldn’t hurt her, I wouldn’t do that,’ and I took his word for it,” Webb said. “He didn’t seem like that type of person at all.”\nWebb said Johnson moved out in the fall under police supervision and was “very bitter about the divorce.”\n“He was wanting custody of (Emily), but he said I’ll settle for visitation,” she said.\nThe couple shared custody of Emily, alternating weekends, according to court records. \nLawrence County coroner John Sherrill said both died from blunt force trauma. Results of toxicology tests on Eric Johnson were pending.\nPastor Paul Neuman of the Calvary Lutheran Church in Bedford said Eric and Emily Johnson were regular attendees at the church, where Eric was a member of the board of trustees and helped with remodeling and landscaping.\nJohnson and his daughter had attended service Sunday morning and there was “absolutely no indication” anything was wrong, Neuman said.\n“Everything seemed normal.”\nAssociated Press Writer Tom Murphy in Indianapolis contributed to this report.
(03/05/07 5:00am)
As many IU students may be aware (even though many are quite unaware) the new IU president was announced Thursday at a press conference at IU-Purdue University at Indianapolis. The IU interim provost, Michael McRobbie, was selected by the board of trustees to be IU’s next leader.\nAfter his selection was announced, McRobbie addressed the audience, outlining several changes and initiatives he planned to implement after taking office. \nThe one idea that has the potential to have the greatest impact on student life seems to be McRobbie’s plan to set up dual task forces at both IUB and IUPUI. \nThe task forces would be both chaired and run entirely by students from the respective campuses. The goal of these task forces would be to “come up with a vision for student living and learning environments for the 21st century.” \nAccording to the plan, the recommendations of these task forces will be reported directly to the office of the president. McRobbie said the implementation of the task forces will be “one of the more significant things that we will do.” Among his top concerns is student life in the dorms.\nWhile we here at the Indiana Daily Student editorial board believe this concept has the potential to do a lot of good for campus – it has just as much, if not more, potential to not even make a blip on the student radar, effectively accomplishing nothing and allowing administration to hide behind their formation. \nFirst and foremost, McRobbie has to be involved in the process. It will not be effective to wave his hand and create one more essentially impotent bureaucratic entity in the sea of impotent bureaucratic entities that define higher education at a large research institution such as IU. \nMcRobbie needs to be active in every phase of this process. He proposed the idea. Next, he needs to oversee the forming of these task forces and the selection of their members in an efficient manner. \nHe also must make sure these task forces are given adequate freedom and resources to do their jobs effectively. What we don’t need is a repeat of what happened to the Council for Environmental Stewardship, which slowly received less and less administrative support and funding until it was forced to cease its activities.\nOur final plea to McRobbie: Please do not pull a Sue Talbot. One of the worst things he can do is to follow Talbot’s arrogant disregard for the opinion of students. Talbot’s concern, or lack thereof, for undergraduates can be most adequately expressed by this quote she made regarding the IU Student Association’s complaints about lack of undergraduate involvement in the presidential search: “We considered their suggestions, and no, we did not choose to involve them in the process.” We hope McRobbie does not hold the same sentiment.\nIf McRobbie is going to have a student task force, then he should genuinely consider the students’ suggestions and do his best to act on the information they give him. This is the best way to begin his new, and hopefully long, career as IU’s president.
(03/02/07 5:00am)
In “Finding Herman B Wells,” published Feb. 19, the editorial board laid out its view that either of the presidential candidates, Michael McRobbie or Dr. Ora Pescovitz, would be a good fit for the IU presidency based on their prior achievement and involvement in IU.\nWhen the announcement came that Michael McRobbie would be IU’s 18th president, we awaited his comments on the state of the University and what course he would take as president. McRobbie listed several initiatives for which he would advocate, but throughout each ran two consistent themes: increased concentration on research and turning the University into an internationally competitive institution.\nWith the hopeful acceptance of the Life Science Initiative (the Indiana House of Representatives approved a $41 million life-sciences funding proposal Feb. 19), it comes as little surprise that McRobbie would make research a top priority. He will devote much effort to creating a balanced partnership between the IUB and IUPUI campuses. Such collaboration is required: IUPUI has developed over the past years into a main hub for research in the IU community. Concentration on research, however, raises questions about whether the education of undergraduates will suffer. However, we believe research concentration will not only boost the academic state of the University, because it will draw the best professors available, but that given the competitive nature of the current collegiate community, such a move was unavoidable. We applaud McRobbie’s hope to transform IU into one of the top research institutions in the nation.\nThe first collaborative effort between the two campuses will give birth to a second. As research improves across the University, international recognition for University achievements will grow. Gaining such a reputation will help IU improve both the quality of its staff and the amount of research grants it might receive. As IU gains the reputation of a top international institution, the value of its degrees will increase, along with the quality of international students who want to attend IU. Again, the “balanced partnership” McRobbie advocates between IUB and IUPUI (wherein the new president keeps an office) will only serve to increase the University’s capabilities in that capacity. We anticipate this two-stage collaborative effort will be successful in improving the state of the University for both students and faculty.\nWith McRobbie hoping for a smooth transition to the presidency and Adam Herbert pledging to help in whatever way possible, it appears IU is headed in a direction that will result in huge gains, both academically and monetarily. The main campuses of IU, both its flagship and newly reforged partner in Indianapolis, will work together to ensure McRobbie’s goals are achieved and his tenure is one of longevity (which he claims to be his plan) and success (which he has taken correct steps to achieve).\nWe are not so naive to believe the road ahead will be without bumps, hiccups and the occasional catastrophe. But we look forward to the adventure with a man who describes himself as a “Australian by birth, Hoosier by choice
(03/01/07 5:00am)
IU will be streaming the announcement of the next University President live beginning at 4 p.m. Bloomington time. The stream can be viewed here. \nInterim Provost Michael McRobbie is expected to be named IU’s 18th president, according to sources.\nThe announcement will also be broadcast in room 180 of the Radio and Television Building and on channel 32 of the campus cable system.
(02/28/07 5:00am)
Whether it’s a failed biology final, or a regrettable Freudian slip around your significant other, there will come a time when everyone needs a second chance. For no one is that truer than convicted felons who often find it difficult, if not impossible to build a new life for themselves once they’ve been released. As a result of the overwhelming obstacles facing a prisoner’s re-entry into society, many released convicts return to crime, if only to supplement their legal incomes.\nAt the heart of the matter is a federal ban on any public assistance for those convicted of drug-related offenses, a full 24 percent of Indiana’s incarcerated population according to the Indiana Department of Corrections. The ban includes living necessities such as food stamps and public housing, as well as child-care, and academic financial aid. In some cases, the law can even prevent a person from getting a driver’s license. By repealing the law, the government can stem the hordes of repeat offenders, who may very well cost the tax payers more than a comprehensive one-time rehabilitation program would. \nNot only are former convicts blacklisted from higher paying jobs, but more often than not they are burdened by extra court costs and fees related to their parole terms. A study published by IU-Purdue University at Indianapolis found that 65 percent of employers refuse to hire ex-convicts, subscribing to the deliriously irrational mentality that the incarcerated are beyond the point of redemption. At the same time, ex-convicts, both on and off parole, incur exorbitant amounts of debt because of court-mandated classes, rehabilitation programs and therapy. Felons have high bills and fewer legal employment opportunities than the average person. Given the circumstances, it’s a wonder that any ex-convicts are fortunate enough to become productive members of the community.\nIf the Indiana state legislature, or the federal government doesn’t repeal the law, ex-offenders will remain ineligible for the American dream. Without the ability to purchase government-subsidized meals, ex-convicts are forced to steal life’s basic necessities. Adding insult to injury, private housing companies are wary of renting to ex-offenders for the same reasons that many employers refuse to hire them. Without food or shelter, released felons will resort to whatever means necessary just to survive. According to the Justice Department, 70 percent of felons become repeat offenders nationwide. This lamentable number is not because of some inborn proclivity to crime and violence, it is a direct result of the calamitous environment into which felons are blindly thrown. \nThe notion of gradual reentry is logically sound, but the application of this law is wildly misdirected. The law ought to be targeted, if anywhere, at violent crimes like rape, murder, or child molestation. Without any legal opportunities to earn a full-day’s pay at a fair salary, former drug offenders will either return to the highly profitable sale of narcotics, or move into property theft, ransom or arson. The government’s prisoner re-entry programs should be consistent with the convict’s difficult reintegration into society. Rehabilitation fails because society is unwilling to forgive.
(02/28/07 5:00am)
The outgoing Betsy Henke IU Student Association administration will be a hard act to follow. With successes in the area of student representation and administrative effort, it has proved to be far better than recent administrations.\nIn hopes the executive ticket-elect would be capable of following in those footsteps, the editorial board sat down with the incoming Hoosier party to find out its plans for next year.\nWith easy smiles and earnest energy – despite tough questions – the new voices for the student body made it clear that, though they were not “elected” per se, they take their positions as the undergraduate voice and advocacy group seriously. As a thorn in the side of the University, they promise that when the IU bureaucracy shuts doors in their faces – which often happened to Henke and her crew – they will always “try, try again.”\nThe party’s mouthpiece, vice-presidential candidate Joe DeJean, began nearly every answer to questions posed to the party by saying, “We just want to do what’s best for Bloomington students.” The rest of the ticket gave reassuring nods.\nConcerns with getting better student representation in administration decisions, promoting financial transparency, eliciting student involvement through petitions and protests, and improving IUSA’s visibility around campus are all important to the ticket. The group displayed dedication to learn the bureaucratic process in two ways: speaking directly with the University administration and starting grass-roots endeavors, such as petitions and student gatherings.\nThe editorial board is excited about what we have heard from the ticket-elect, and we hope Hoosier will follow through on its proposals. Especially enticing is its plan to push back the student drop/add date to give undergrads more time to accurately assess their classes. Incoming treasurer candidate Alex Gutmann said she is hard at work on the issue. And campus visibility can only add to student involvement in University politics, an effort presidential candidate W.T. Wright would like to see increased.\nWe are, however, cautious in our support. Hoosier’s repetition of “just wanting to do what’s best for students,” though initially reassuring, has the potential of being only a catchy campaign slogan.\nWhen pressed to elaborate on what exactly the phrase meant, party members revealed a lack of fluency in student affairs, especially regarding environmental policies and equal representation of minorities. However, they said they have every intention of educating themselves and reaching out to diverse student groups to better gauge what students’ needs are.\nIf they do their research, we feel they have both the capability and desire to be successful. And we will be keeping a close eye on their actions.\nWe certainly appreciate the candidates’ enthusiasm and willingness to recognize IUSA’s role for the student body. We hope the maddening bureaucracy does not beat the idealism out of them. They recognize the unique situation they’ve come into and are seizing the opportunity to learn from their predecessors so that, come fall, they will be well-prepared to handle their positions.\nThat advantage, coupled with their can-do attitude, could make the upcoming Hoosier administration a very dynamic and student-oriented organization.
(02/28/07 5:00am)
In response to David White’s Feb. 22 letter to the editor entitled “Gore’s invitation a step backward in diversity,” I would like to clarify that the Union Board is not in the process of bringing Al Gore to campus. Nor does the Union Board have the funding to spend $150,000 on a single program. The Union Board has a commitment to bring diverse programs to campus; programs that enrich both the educational and entertainment aspects of student development. Programming for such a diverse community will always be a struggle, but diversity is far more than the diversity of political parties. Anyone is welcome to bring a program idea to a committee meeting.
(02/27/07 5:00am)
They say only two things in life are certain: death and taxes. Well, folks, one of those two is about to hit IU in a big way. Don’t worry. There hasn’t been an outbreak of bird flu or the Black Death.\nWe’re talking about taxes.\nThe IU board of trustees has decided to allocate $10 million each year for use by the University’s next president. The money is intended to help the president pay for new initiatives and improvements. \nIU’s budget is set up in such a way that each school within the University is the direct recipient of revenue from government appropriations and tuition. Any money that goes to University-wide programs must be collected as a “tax” from each of the schools. \nEach IU campus will give one-eighth of its new revenue – or the increase in revenue each year – for the president’s new fund. The Bloomington campus is expected to pay out $5 million a year to the fund.\nNot surprisingly, many of the schools are unhappy with taking money out of their budgets to fund the initiative. The College of Arts and Sciences is expected to lose $1 million because of the new program. Granted, it would have been nice for the schools to have received more warning about the new fund. (The change was announced last spring and is expected not to take effect until later budgeting.) But we believe the effect for the University as a whole will be positive.\nAdministrators hope the annual $10 million will help the new IU president do his job more effectively. Some think one of the major problems Adam Herbert has had during his time as president was an absence of funds to implement improvements and initiatives.\nIn fact, the board of trustees’ president, Stephen Ferguson, said one of Adam Herbert’s “biggest surprises” was that the president “doesn’t have any funds.”\nIt is indeed surprising the president of an accredited, multi-campus research institution such as IU has no leeway to make and implement decisions. This fund is a correction of a lapse in judgment by previous boards that did not realize what was necessary for a successful presidency.\nThe editorial board agrees with the board of trustees: Discretionary spending money for the president will likely result in a quality upgrade for IU as a whole. True, many of the schools are not happy with being “taxed” to provide this funding. However, if the money serves its intended purpose, all the various University schools will ride the wave of positive change.\nWith a new president with fresh ideas, armed with a shiny new bank balance, IU’s future is lookin’ up.\nAnd we’re hoping the new president’s first use of these spending powers is toward the research and development of a mascot. Pretty please?
(02/23/07 5:00am)
The University of Illinois ended the reign of its mascot Chief Illiniwek, and, to many fans, an integral part of its sporting experience. The removal of the Chief will allow the university to host postseason sporting events, something it has been banned from doing by the NCAA since 2005 because of the Chief’s presence and his inaccurate portrayal of American Indians. Illiniwek danced his last dance at Illinois’ men’s basketball home victory over Michigan on Wednesday, ending a tradition that spanned more than 80 years. Illinois will retain the nickname Fighting Illini. \nWe get it. Political correctness is important, especially on a national level and at a time when an inappropriate representation could reach thousands of people. It is unfair to the American Indian population of Illinois and the United States. \nBut more importantly, if Chief Illiniwek has been fired as the mascot of Illinois, does that mean he’s a free agent? We aren’t sure if everyone else has noticed, but IU doesn’t have a mascot!\nSomebody talk to Kelvin Sampson. Whip out that cell phone and start texting the Chief like crazy! You think getting Eric Gordon was big? It will be nothing compared to fan reaction to the Chief. Get coach Hoeppner to point that “We want you” finger at the Chief and his garb. The editorial board is considering calling Illiniwek every hour, on the hour, until he sees that cream and crimson are a better combination than orange and blue any day. It doesn’t matter how it happens. Just get that dancin’ man into our Assembly Hall.\nIf the Chief refuses to come over to the Indiana, could we at least get any mascot? The eerie emptiness of animals and people in ridiculous looking outfits along the sidelines of Assembly Hall and Memorial Stadium is becoming disheartening. Satellite campuses of IUB have mascots. IU-Purdue University at Indianapolis, for example, have the Jaguars. It’s high time we had a image to go with “Hoosiers.” We have a few suggestions.\nFor starters, how about a Gene Hackman look-a-like. He led Hickory High School to the state championship in the classic movie “Hoosiers” (based on the amazing run by Milan High School in 1954). It seems like he may get the crowd fired up.\nOr maybe we could get a big ear of corn. Nothing incites fear into opposing squads like Orville Redenbacher’s capitalist gold mine. Know that saying “You’re walking like you have a corn cob up your butt?” Well when you come to IU, we’ll make sure you leave walking funny.\nBut our greatest idea captures the single most memorable event in IU sports history, with all of the rage that comes with being a Hoosier: a giant aluminum chair. Every time the referee makes a bad call, the chair mascot can run into the middle of the court or field and fall on its side, planting itself there in protest.\nHowever, the best bet is to keep calling Chief Illiniwek. We’re already good at stealing players from Illinois. Why not their traditions too?
(02/22/07 5:00am)
Congress has really done it this time.\nIts recently proposed government spending bill for the rest of the 2007 fiscal year is nothing short of disturbing. These new budget allocations will affect students across the nation and have strong implications for government funding of higher education.\nWhat’s this surprising new development? Brace yourself for this one: Congress is allocating more funds for student Pell Grants. In short, lawmakers are actually giving us more money!\nSounds good, right? Well, the problem is that this is one of the things we have specifically asked for and is part of the congressional commitment to higher education. Congress has been listening to us. Sure, that may sound like a positive thing to many, but consider this development from our perspective: If the government continues to give us what we want all the time, what will be left for us to complain about? The editorial board might be out of a job!\nFortunately, it does appear there are some issues left unresolved by the spending bill. The maximum amount for Pell Grants that can be provided to students has only increased by $260, from $4,050 to $4,310. To some students, that may seem like a pretty wimpy attempt to win over young voters. The increase will only go so far. To put things in perspective, think of the prices at our food courts – $260 will buy about 52 baked zitis from Sbarro’s. After that, you’re on your own.\nNow imagine trying to cover your textbook bill with this same amount of money – $260 might buy the table of contents to a single book, and maybe an appendix or two, but it wouldn’t stretch much further than that.\nWhen you look at the numbers in this manner, the increase doesn’t look too substantial. Still, we ask these students to “suck it up!” and remember that payments of $260 to masses of students add up really fast. Congress is actually making a considerable investment and sticking its neck out for us this time, so we should not be quite so quick to criticize.\nHowever, if you must have something to disapprove of, take into account that the EPA got the budgetary shaft. True, spending a limited amount of money does require prioritizing, but considering the current climate crisis, it might be important to place the EPA a little closer to the top of Congress’s to-do list. Besides, deficit spending has never fazed Congress before. What, then, is the excuse for limiting funding to such an entity?\nSo while we acknowledge that the lawmakers’ priorities still need a little tweaking (whew, we still have a job!), we’d like to thank Congress for making higher education more affordable. And so, we dedicate this editorial to our favorite legislators as a belated valentine. We’re sorry we didn’t get you anything fancy – by now they’re all out of the gross candy hearts that you love so much – so this column will have to suffice.\nRegardless, our message remains the same: We heart you!\nWell, at least for now.
(02/21/07 5:00am)
The term “teenage driver” is as oxymoronic as “military intelligence.” In fact, it’s probably more accurate to describe newly licensed teens in terms of the moving violations they commit. “Reckless endangerment” comes to mind; as does “criminal negligence,” as in “Criminally negligent Jane caused a 15 car pileup on the interstate because she was steering with her knees while sipping coffee, applying makeup, and calling her boyfriend.”\nIn an attempt to curb the wanton carnage on city streets the Indiana state legislature is discussing a bill that would restrict the licensing of teenage drivers by expanding on the requisite qualifications. Under the new law, teenagers are prohibited from using their cell phones while driving because the practice “can be disruptive of both vehicle control performance on the one hand and situational awareness and judgment on the other” according to the Department of Transportation.\nMany states have already banned the use of cell phones while driving across the board, and most have partial bans. Indiana is long overdue for a similar law that will undoubtedly protect drivers and pedestrians in much the same way DUI laws helped stem drunk driving. In 2005, Indiana contributed 938 of the 43,443 people killed in traffic related fatalities across the nation, according to the Mothers Against Drunk Driving Web site, though only 320 (34 percent) were alcohol related. \nCritics argue that the legislation undermines personal freedom, despite a vast appreciation for government-mandated seat belts, motorcycle helmets and stability control in the not-too-distant future. The government has a responsibility to ensure safe roads, and banning cell phones will do just that. However, the proposed law does not go far enough. According to the same Department of Transportation report, “older drivers in general find it more difficult to perform concurrent tasks and process information quickly,” adding, “a cellular phone ... may aggravate age-related problems by introducing a distracting, concurrent task.” The Indiana state legislature ought to vote in unanimous disapproval of reckless driving and work to protect drivers and pedestrians alike by flat-out banning the use of cell phones.