Top of 2007: WEEKEND reviewers select the year's best movies and albums
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____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>n the next few weeks, the major networks will have premiered all their new shows. A few will be huge successes, while many will be off the air before Thanksgiving. Each of the networks will have ups and downs throughout the season, but it's almost impossible to guess what exactly will take place. However, I'm going to try. Here are seven things that (I think) will happen on television. Before you start watching fall TV this year, peep this sheet. With this knowledge, you'll be able to enjoy everything you need to and avoid almost anything on Fox. 1. Most of the new shows will be utter failures. This may happen for various reasons -- bad ratings, bad time slots, bad quality -- but it will happen. In today's television landscape, the shelf life of most shows is very short, and based on the previews for the new ones this year, that's not going change. Take one look at Fox's slate of new shows and you too will lose faith in network programming. "Nashville," "Kitchen Nightmares" and "K-Ville" look to be three of the worst shows this year. 2. NBC will continue to have quality programming that no one watches and remain in fourth place among the major networks. The Peacock has some of the best shows on TV -- "Heroes," "Friday Night Lights" and its entire Thursday night comedy block. However, the only shows it consistently had in the ratings top 20 last season were "Deal or No Deal" and its NFL coverage. New shows such as "Journeyman" and "Bionic Woman" look to be decent shows and could pull in more viewers, but it won't be enough to get the network back in the top three. 3. The CW will actually matter this year. Last year, the network that was created from the merger of UPN and WB failed to make any noise. It decided to carry over old shows, and "America's Next Top Model" was the only one that did as well as it had before the switch. However, this year the network has a strong group of new shows - "Reaper," "Gossip Girl" and "Aliens in America," all of which have a healthy amount of buzz attached to them and should do well. 4. Wednesday nights at 9 p.m. will become the chic time slot battle. Last year, Thursday night at 9 p.m. was the big ratings throw-down between "Grey's Anatomy," "CSI" and NBC's comedy lineup, but the same time Wednesday night is shaping up to be enthralling this year, too. Four networks are airing major shows then, hoping to win the night. Three newbies: "Bionic Woman," "Private Practice" and "Gossip Girl" are looking to dethrone last year's winner "Criminal Minds." Expect "Practice" to lead early, but "Minds" will retain throughout. 5. The two most underrated shows on TV, "Friday Night Lights" and "Supernatural," will gain more respect and viewers. "Supernatural" features the best chemistry between its lead actors Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles, while the demon-hunting story line is a fresh one. The story line and emotions on "Friday Night Lights" are realistic and the characters are fleshed out -- rare traits for a sports program. Both of these shows have yet to find a wide audience but do have small, rabid fan bases. This year, that's going to change, as word-of-mouth will permit these shows to reach mass appeal. 6. "Chuck" will be the best new scripted show while "Moonlight" will be the worst. The NBC action-comedy "Chuck" will thrive as the lead-in for the network's biggest player, "Heroes," and it will be because of its excellent cast and crew. Josh Schwartz, who created "The O.C.," will lend his talents to this quirky show about a dork who has the entire government's intel downloaded into his head. Meanwhile, "Moonlight" will suck because it's a complete rehash of "Angel" and "Forever Knight." The show has also been plagued with creative issues, which is never a good sign. 7. The five other new shows to watch: "Pushing Daisies," "Bionic Woman," "Reaper," "Dirty Sexy Money" and "Journeyman." Five new shows to avoid at all costs: "Cavemen," "The Big Bang Theory," "Life," "Viva Laughlin" and "Nasvhille." Bank on it.
Much like when the first "Hostel" came out, plenty of critical disgust was spewed forth, for it was "too shocking" and "grotesque." What most fail to realize is the first film, and now "Hostel: Part II," came out at opportune times when the American box office managed to be flooded with unnecessary remakes of horror classics, "Saw" sequels and Japanese horror films dumbed down for our audiences. Sure it's a sequel, but its a worthy one at that.\nMuch like in the first flick, this time we find three college girls studying abroad in Europe, when one of their new friends tells them of an amazing new spa in Slovakia. But as soon as they arrive, their bodies are eBayed to the highest corporate bidder who wants to try his hand at murder. \n"Part II" does a lot of smart things, notably showing how the auction process works,and following the two men who win the bid and travel to Europe to commit murder. Once the gals arrive at the hostel, everything takes on an eerie sense of déjà vu, for we see plenty of familiar faces and behaviors, and even the Bubblegum Gang. Perhaps the only thing that doesn't work is Jay Hernandez's reprisal role of Paxton, who he recounts what happened in the first film. Plus director Eli Roth throws another cameo at us: in the first film it was director Takashi Miike ("Audition") walking out of the slaughterhouse; this time we catch Ruggero "Cannibal Holocaust" Deodato dining on some flesh. \n I won't spoil the body count by saying who dies and how, but I still feel the Japanese girl from the first film who has her eyeball cut off is far more gruesome than anything in this film. "Part II" digs a bit deeper to show us how this system really works, but with Roth saying he's done with the series, one must be content with the unanswered questions left at the end for the sequel to really work.
You might want to read this next paragraph a few times before moving on.\nIn April 2006, Indiana officially became the 48th state to adopt daylight saving time, meaning the state’s clocks would now “spring ahead” and “fall back” with the rest of the Eastern Standard Time states. However, several counties (many of which have previously observed daylight saving time) petitioned to set their clocks to Central Standard Time and observe daylight saving time with the rest of the Midwest. \nGot all that? If you’re having a hard time making sense of Indiana’s backwater approach to time zones and daylight saving time, you aren’t the only one.\nRecently, several of those CST counties have petitioned to switch back to EST. \nAnd I was just getting the hang of this.\nIs someone missing the point here? Switching to daylight saving time was supposed to make Indiana life simpler and more conducive to commerce. But now that our clocks switch with not only the seasons, but also the political whims of Indiana’s 92 different counties, I’m seriously considering going out and purchasing a sun dial.\nHere’s an idea: Indiana picks one time zone to be in, and everyone has to follow it. No exceptions. No neighboring counties in different time zones. The current system does more to divide the state than encourage commerce. Besides, it’s downright confusing.\nSome might argue Indiana is too different a state to enforce a uniform time zone. \nFor example, Dearborn County residents want to be on the same time as Cincinnati, but northern Indiana train schedules jive better with Chicago’s CST zone. Meanwhile, southern counties want to line up with Louisville. If that be the case, perhaps we should dissolve Indiana entirely and annex the western, southern and eastern portions into Illinois, Kentucky and Ohio, respectively.\nOr what if these counties were on the same time as the state they actually live in? Wouldn’t that be economically beneficial?\nI’m not suggesting enforcing a uniform time zone will single-handedly pull Indiana out of its economic doldrums. But eliminating a system of counties reliant not on each other, but on neighboring states, is a good start.\nNew concept: Instead of aligning our clocks to suit the economies of other cities in other states, Indiana counties could develop their own economies. \nA uniform time zone would surely foster this intrastate economic development. \nAs it stands, residents of Perry County set their watches to Central time. But if they drive 25 minutes north into Dubois County, they’re on Eastern time. Do the math, and it can take a Perry County resident an hour and 25 minutes to drive 10 miles. That’s a rough commute.\nAnd some schools in northwest Indiana currently teach students from two different time zones. Can we please get this straightened out?\nSo congratulations to Indiana for embracing daylight saving time and stepping into the 21st century. Now it’s time to make a choice and stick to it. Eastern or Central time? You can’t have it both ways.
If you are reading this online-only column, you may also be the sort of person who played Sink the Biz last night, or ordered the seitan special at Roots Restaurant. \nIn other words, you belong to a cult.\nOK, not exactly a cult, but you probably wouldn’t qualify to become a Nielsen family, either. \nI was wondering why Sink the Biz, a pretty fun game, has not caught on at any other bars, or even with my friends who go to other schools. It’s kinda like you have to be at Nick’s, or it’s hopelessly out of context.\nI was also pondering why bother to write a column that nobody sees, and wondering what this has to do with the whine of newsprint psychics who say newspapers will be dead in a few years because we will all read our news online. \nThinking the psychics are wrong. Because this column, like the other online columns hosted by the Indiana Daily Student, is out of context. Off the beaten path, if you will. \nDoes something have to be common for us to notice it, talk about it, integrate it into our lives? Are we scared to try new stuff? \nFor example, until today, I never considered becoming a hobo, but that’s definitely one of those little-known career paths that could be a hidden gem. The pay is low, but so is your overhead. No commuting expenses because that’s just your job. You meet interesting people, learn unusual graffiti techniques and sleep late. Something to think about.\nUntil today, I never considered learning Urdu, playing ultimate Frisbee or growing my hair into dreadlocks. I have never drank hot red-zinger tea, played darts professionally, ridden in the Little 500 or run for public office.\nI’ve never gone cliff diving at the rock quarry, or hang gliding or parasailing. I’ve never even written a column that was only 400 words instead of the regulation 500.\nPart of me has been thinking – only five weeks of school left, only five weeks of crazy left. Only five weeks until I join mainstream society and never do anything fun again.\nIt’s not like I have never done anything new or unusual. I admit to being a Sink the Biz player, and a very good one, too. I’ve never tried seitan, but I do wander through online columns once in awhile. \nIt just seems like the fun and the exploration is coming to an end, but I also know that’s not really true. Life doesn’t end at graduation; it just changes. \nSome people turn 22 and worry the best years of their lives are under their belts, but that shows a lack of creativity. It’s important to resist the daily grind and do something original, something slightly uncomfortable every once in a while, and that doesn’t stop when you graduate from college.\nAnd if I want some seitan or red-zinger tea, by golly, I’ll just go get some.
New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced Thursday that he has uncovered some grift in the financial-aid industry. Apparently, student-loan companies have been offering financial rewards for colleges and universities that encourage students to choose their services.\nCuomo sent a letter to the presidents of 400 American colleges and universities warning them “to end or fully disclose potential conflicts of interests” with private loan companies, according to a news release. Cuomo has not specified which institutions were on the list, so I can only hope IU was exempt.\nAmong the transgressions Cuomo uncovered in his five-month investigation were schools creating “preferred lender lists”; lending companies sharing a percentage of profits with a university based on the number of its students who choose their company; and universities generally making it a pain to get a loan from a nonpreferred company, even if it has better rates.\nThis sounds awful, but keep your senses of perspective before you decry the “evils of capitalism” (I’m looking at you, COAS grad students). Loan companies are being a bit overzealous, but they can’t really help it – they’re capitalists.\nSchools should know better. It’s shameful to hear that a university might compromise the financial well-being of its students for a kickback.\nThe lending industry is in business to make money. It’s easy to become focused on this and lose track of certain ethical standards.\nAfter all, other industries offer similar rewards. Doctor’s offices may give patients free check-ups for referring their friends to their practice. And life-insurance companies offer school districts huge discounts to have all its employees on the same plan. So it’s easy to picture the “Acme Loans” staff meeting that came up with this new ploy:\nBoss: People, the market of loan-seeking students is expanding, and so is our competition. We need to keep up. Any ideas?\nSam: Lower interest rates?\nBoss: No way. Lower rates means less profit and smaller dividends, and my stock options are back-dated enough as it is. Next.\nSandy: Why don’t we just pay the schools to tell students to choose us? They’ll think it’s mandatory, like textbooks, on-campus living and meal plans!\nBoss: Great work, Sandy. Sam, you’re fired. Sandy, take Sam’s office.\nTo “Acme Loans,” here’s a free lesson on ethics (and you don’t even have to pay me back):\nStudents place a higher level of trust in universities. We’re trusting them to teach us about the world, and since they’re nonprofit, we trust they have our best interests at heart. Establishing your company as a preferred lender violates that trust.\nThis “unholy alliance,” as Cuomo called it, impedes the fair-market competition that would lead to better loan rates and terms. It’s like a politician taking a bribe, or a doctor prescribing a certain medication simply because he went to lunch with the sales representative (incidentally, that’s a whole other scandal). \nStudents need to learn to shop around, and colleges need to help them do so. Lenders must stop offering kickbacks, and colleges must to refuse to accept them.
Notorious for its lawsuits targeted at illegal file-sharers, along with an exceptionally poor grasp of even the most basic principles of public relations, the Recording Industry Association of America is back in action.\nLast Wednesday, everyone’s favorite plaintiff announced it has now streamlined the process by which evil, plundering Internet pirates (students) can pay their penances to the RIAA. The organization now identifies illegal network users by their IP addresses and sends “pre-litigation letters” to universities. The school is supposed to forward the letter to the corresponding students, who are directed to a Web site where they can settle the claims for a “discounted rate.”\nIts good to see students and colleges working together to reduce court fees for the RIAA. \nYou may sympathize with the RIAA to a degree. You might suspect file-sharing has a true, detrimental effect on the music industry. You might be right. Here are some reasons why I don’t care.\nFor the better part of the last century, record companies have made a living out of screwing over artists. Every deal is different, but here is how it usually works out, according to www.HowStuffWorks.com: After the record company deducts 25 percent of the selling price for packaging costs, the artist typically gets about 10 percent. After “recoupable costs,” like recording costs, marketing costs, tour costs, music video production costs and other expenses, the artists typically take home only about 1.4 percent of the suggested retail prices of their album. The artist pays for nearly all of this.\nSo the recording companies don’t make the most pitiable defendants. Maybe they should hire Tiny Tim as their new spokesperson. The public tends to sympathize with crippled orphans. \nThat would soften the blow when the industry’s lawyers came after the families of the deceased, like they did for Michigan defendant Larry Scantlebury, who died before he could resolve his suit with the RIAA. Ever tactful, the association lawyers issued a motion that included this simple request: \n“… plaintiffs therefore request a stay of 60 days to allow the family additional time to grieve. … Plaintiffs anticipate amending the complaint following depositions of members of Mr. Scantlebury’s family.” \nHow gracious of them to wait two months before suing this guy’s kids. But the public relations blunders don’t stop there. \nLast year, a lawsuit hot line representative told an MIT student the RIAA “has been known to suggest that students drop out of college or go to community college in order to be able to afford settlements.” \nDoesn’t that just make you want to go out and drop $20 on the new Fergie album?\nIf not, maybe this will. \nStarting in 1999, the same year Napster came to prominence, recording industry profits actually rose as high as $14.6 billion, up from $12.5 billion in 1996. Then beginning in 2000, right around when the RIAA began its legal campaign against the file-sharing world, profits began to sink. Interesting.\nMaybe instead of fighting change, record companies could take advantage of the Internet to generate hype for their albums. Maybe suing your customers isn’t the best way to drum up more business after all.
R-E-S-P-E-C-T. What does it mean to you?\nThat depends. Do you pay taxes?\nIf you do, you should know that your state government allocated more than a million dollars to Indiana RESPECT, an abstinence-only education initiative for the 2006 and 2007 fiscal years. For Indiana, RESPECT means Reducing Early Sex and Pregnancy by Educating Children and Teens (I know, it’s a stretch). \nThe Indiana RESPECT Web site’s trendy and user-friendly layout features young, hip teens hanging out, laughing and generally having a wholesome, sex-free time. Except for the pregnant ones with cold sores.\nThe site has lots of scary statistics about the horrors of teen sex, as well as tips for talking to your teen. Parents can even watch Indiana RESPECT commercials featuring sultry teens staring seductively into the camera and commenting, “If you don’t talk to your (son or daughter) about sex…I will.” \nWhat you can’t find out from Indiana RESPECT is how to use a rubber. That’s because the program “promotes abstinence as the only 100% safe method to stay free from pregnancy and STDs.” That’s true. But what about the overwhelming majority of the human race who will have sex with more than one person before marriage?\nAs reported directly on the Indiana RESPECT Web site, 64 percent of high school seniors have had sex, and more than a third of U.S. females become pregnant before their 20th birthdays. Gosh, I wonder why?\nMaybe it’s because most of them were too uninformed (or stupid) to figure out how to use a condom. According to Planned Parenthood’s Web site, when condoms are used correctly, they prevent pregnancy 98 percent of the time. When used incorrectly or inconsistently, that number drops to 85 percent. Incidentally, according to a study I just made up, condoms were 108 percent effective at preventing pregnancy when used by rocket scientists. \nOf course, it’s a lot harder for kids, most of whom aren’t rocket scientists, to figure out how to use a condom when their teachers tell them to “just say no.” The folks behind the Indiana RESPECT campaign failed to notice that a more honest approach to sex ed could prevent most of the statistics it touts. \nA recent study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health found that 88 percent of teens who pledge to abstain from sex until marriage have sex before marriage. These teens are also less likely to use a condom the first time they break their vows and less likely to receive testing for sexually transmitted diseases.\nYet our lawmakers still found the abstinence only movement compelling enough to spend more than $1.3 million on it. This could really hurt Indiana’s reputation as a state on the cutting edge of society. \nThe real losers aren’t the taxpayers; they’re the kids who suffer from this lack of education. It’s time for state lawmakers to put down the Bible and get this state’s social policy out of the 18th century. \nOf course, they aren’t the ones shopping for prom dresses at the maternity store.
I went into this movie with high hopes. Since both stars had a good run in romantic comedies, I thought the combination of the two would play well together, but I was very wrong because they both lacked chemistry. Through the whole movie, everything felt very predictable and formulaic. There was the sudden-realization-they-like-each-other-after-working-together scene, the fight scene that drives them apart and makes them question their feelings and the fight-gets-worse-will-they-make-up scene that was immediately followed by the typical guy-redeems-himself-and-wins-the-girl scene.\n"Music and Lyrics," starring Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore and directed by Marc Lawrence, is about a washed up '80s musician and his replacement flower girl who takes care of his flowers but ends up helping write lyrics for a song to jump-start his career again.\nGrant and Barrymore suffered a slight case of typecasting: Barrymore playing a quirky yet sweet and innocent girl who falls in love and Grant playing the charming British guy who always has the perfect one-liner or response to any insult thrown his way but never shows his true emotions. I couldn't see any differences from previous movies they had starred in. All through the movie, I expected Barrymore to show up at his door saying she was "just a girl, standing in front of a boy," and then I was waiting for Grant to show up on a plane singing with a guitar about growing old and Billy Idol shaking his fist saying "now that's rock and roll," but it never happened.\nAside from the acting, the movie felt like it didn't know if it wanted to take itself seriously or be funny. The opening scene, one of the greatest parodies of '80s cheese and glam, made you think it was going to be this funny movie, yet it kept bouncing between serious and goofball. Whoever was the main part of that scene dictated the mood of the movie. Sometimes it felt like the director was trying to take cheap shots at the music industry at the same time, and these moments felt out of place.\nI'd say wait for this one to come out to video; it not worth seeing in theaters.
What do Osama bin Laden and Jack Frost have in common? More than you think.\nA few weeks ago, Congress resolved to oppose President Bush’s “troop surge” with an aggressive, hard-nose, nonbinding resolution. At the time, Defense Secretary Robert Gates stood up for the president and warned that the resolution would only serve to “embolden the enemy.” He is right – withdrawing our troops now would only validate our enemies’ strategy. This habit of appeasement is nothing more than a conspiracy by America-hating lefties. \nThat is why it pains me so much to see IU making the same mistake. \nFor the first time in more than 10 years, the University canceled classes Wednesday (until noon). Buses ran empty. Students and faculty alike hid in their homes and the school’s “critical employees” were left to fend for themselves. Did it work? Of course not. \nThe next day, winter struck back. The temperature plunged to 18 degrees, entire trees were encased in ice, cars spun their wheels in futility. It was a disaster. And the snow kept coming.\nThis proves my point that by canceling classes, we have emboldened winter. By withdrawing students from academic buildings, we have validated winter’s strategy. Before you know it, IU will have a plan for a phased cancellation of all classes. You know what that means – ice age. \nI know how hard it is to watch your friends wipe out on the icy sidewalks, or to chip in futility at the ice on your windshield, but we have to stay the course. Every time you skip class, it is a victory for winter. (By the way, I also heard winter wants you to vote for Al Gore).\nNo doubt, the winter in IU is tough on students. You come home for a week, maybe even a few months, only to be sent back to college. It has become increasingly common for students to return for a fifth, sometimes even a sixth deployment. Nevertheless, we have to stay until the job is done. (Sidenote: the word on the street is that early spring has been selling arms to winter. We can get to that later).\nTake comfort in the fact that we are not in this fight alone. A coalition of hundreds of universities has joined in the war on winter. If we remain firm in our resolve, we can bring sunshine and warm breezes to the Midwest. \nLet’s not have another slip-up like Wednesday. \nOf course, some “meteorologists” (liberals) might try to tell you it would have gotten colder anyway, that it would have snowed another three inches whether IU canceled classes or not. But that is as dumb as suggesting that Iraq is such a troubled region that it is going to be plagued by violence for years to come regardless. That would be like saying terrorism will continue to strangle the Mideast whether we “surge,” “stay the course,” or “withdraw.” That’s just crazy-talk.
Recently, IU received a D-plus on its environmental sustainability report card, and many weren't too impressed with its efforts to improve. \nBut the University isn't the only one sending us headlong into a Kevin Costner movie. You are, too. Yeah -- you, in the back. The one who is too lazy to tell the difference between a residence hall recycling bin and a urinal. You're the reason this town dumps tons (literally) of recyclable garbage into private landfills every day. \nHere's a quick rundown on Bloomington's waste management. Excited?\nIf you live in a single-family home, the city's sanitation department will come by and pick up your trash every week. Every other week, it comes for the recycling.\nBut if you live in an apartment complex with more than four units, there is just no time for you. The city doesn't have the manpower to handle all that. That's why there are waste management companies that enter into contracts with landlords to pick up their trash and, if they want, their recycling too.\nThe bad news: Many apartment complexes only order trash pick-up, not recycling. One such apartment complex is the Varsity Villas, where David Kerber is the manager. Kerber said the Villas used to offer recycling -- until lazy tenants found it too inconvenient to separate their empty beer cans from their leftover Easy Mac.\n"It's tough enough to get people to take their trash to the actual Dumpster," he said. "The mindset today is 'If it incoveniences me, then I'm not going to do it.'"\nBesides laziness, a myriad of other afflictions cause students to misuse recycling facilities. For example, a person may suffer from "various reasons of intoxication" or simply be unfamiliar with the recycling habits of a particular location, Kerber said.\n"Also, people who don't live here come to visit," Kerber said. "They see a hole, they don't stop to read and they just clean their car out and drop it all in there."\nI know what you're thinking: "Shut up, Captain Planet. I have two tests this week and plenty of bigger problems than separating bottles from cans." But I'm not some neo-hippy trying to convince you to marry a tree (actually, I've hated trees ever since one smashed my car). \nI hate to break it to you, but many in this community perceive students as lazy, irresponsible and negative impacts on the city. Of course, they are wrong for many, many reasons I won't go in to. But this problem is one reason they are right. An indolent, self-centered attitude scores us no points with the surrounding community. Besides, it's just wasteful.\n"The way people are today, it's 'me, me, me,' not 'What can I do to help out?'" Kerber said. "Until people have the education or the responsibility to (recycle), it's something that's very difficult. In the end, it comes down to whether they are going to have the discipline to do it"
It began as a way to help first-time offenders of misdemeanors keep their records clean. Now, the Monroe County Prosecutor's Office's Pretrial Diversion Program is big business. \nIn 2003, each offender paid $304. In 2004, each paid $329. Last year it was $360, and now the Pretrial Diversion Program fetches at least $399 per customer.\nCha-ching.\nAbout 25 years ago, the State of Indiana created the Pretrial Diversion Program as an option for first-time violators of certain misdemeanors. After paying a fee, the defendant completes community service, attends a Saturday-long alcohol education class and agrees to keep a clean nose for a year. After a year, the prosecutor drops the charges. For the past several years, the cost of the fees in Monroe County has risen steadily. Last year, the prosecutor scrapped the program and created a new one called the Defendant Accountability Program in Monroe County. But here's the crazy part -- it was in many ways exactly the same. The only difference was the price tag. Just recently, the prosecutor's office switched back to Pretrial. Confused?\nI'm confused as to why the county has turned law enforcement into a profitable enterprise, especially one that rewards wealthier offenders and punishes those who can't afford the program.\nLet's consider the alternative. Most Pretrial-type offenses are B misdemeanors, punishable by up to 60 days in jail and $500 in fines, not to mention a record of conviction. Nobody wants to go to jail, and certainly nobody wants a future employer or graduate school to see a conviction on during background check. But in reality, when a Pretrial participant completes his year of obedience, the prosecutor simply drops the charges. However, the record still shows an arrest. Is that any better?\nPat Donahue, director of the Career Development Center, said no.\n"Most employers (who perform background checks) are seeing if there are arrests," he said. "Background tests are used to red-flag any behavior that may impact the job and the description of responsibilities."\nDonahue said background checks are quite common, and employers in the health and transportation fields "are extremely concerned."\nSo much for that idea. It looks like the only argument for the Pretrial route is the cost. If the fee continues to increase the way it has, even that line of reasoning will expire. \nSo who does benefit from the program? How much money does the county make off its deferral programs? The prosecutor's office didn't return phone calls by press time, so let's do a little math. During Welcome Week, Indiana State Excise Police issued 107 summonses, and the majority of those summoned were expected to enter into the program. IUPD issued a total of 31 alcohol-related summonses. That's 138 people who paid almost $400 to enter the DAP in one week. That's right, in the space of seven days, the county picked an estimated $55,200 from the pockets of IU students. Granted, that's a big week, but that's not to mention Homecoming, Halloween, Little 500 and two post-midterm frenzies.\nThe bottom line: if you run afoul of Indiana's puritan-esque temperance laws, you're out of luck either way -- unless you're the county clerk.
People, we've got a problem.\nThe signs are everywhere.\nLast Monday, Sen. John Warner, R-Va., said he opposes the addition of 21,500 more U.S. troops in Iraq and helped pass a non-binding resolution that included this chilling statement: "The Senate disagrees with the 'plan' to augment our forces by 21,500, and urges the President instead to consider all options and alternatives for achieving the strategic goals ... with reduced force levels than proposed." \nOn Wednesday, the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations formally opposed the president's plan for escalation -- I mean, "surge" -- I mean, "augmentation."\nMost recently, a Globescan international poll found 73 percent of those surveyed around the world disapproved of America's handling of the war. \nAll this adds up to one terrifying conclusion: Pretty soon, we're not going to have anything to report on. Sure, we might get another 18 months or so out of this conflict, and then we can always coast along on the 2008 elections for a few months. But after that, the jig is up. We in the media have to think long term.\nThose of us who make a living by broadcasting the misery and suffering of others to millions of viewers are in big trouble.\nPretty soon, we'll be back to reporting on promiscuous interns and celebrity murder scandals. We'll look back on "the glory days," when CNN's John Roberts monitored every grisly detail during "This Week at War." Every once in a while, we can do an "anniversary spread," where we recycle stock AP photos and look back on "the deadliest Tuesday of February 2006."\nBasically, it's time to start panicking. Unless a serial arsonist starts setting petting zoos ablaze, the 24-hour news networks are screwed. It's too late for them. Save yourselves! \nWe need a plan.\nWhat haven't we done in a while? Alligator attacks? No, we just did that. What we need is a good doomsday prophecy, something we can count down to. Remember the Y2K virus? Something like that.\nHey, I know -- Betelgeuse! You know that pretty, harmless little speck on the Orion constellation in the winter skies? That's right, it's plotting to kill you. Scientists predict the feisty, red supergiant will go supernova some time in the next 1,000 years -- some time. It could be tomorrow. It could happen during the Super Bowl. \nIf the star blows up with its axis angled at Earth, it will unleash a blast of gamma rays that could tear up the ozone layer, with serious adverse effects on your timeshare. Here's your headline: "Betelgeuse attacks: Are you prepared?" Better stock up on sunscreen. I'm picturing a "Countdown to Extinction" ticker next to Wolf Blitzer.\nOf course, some "experts" (nutcases) insist we won't witness a Betelgeuse supernova for millions of years. So maybe we shouldn't bank on that. Oh well, keep it on the back burner. \nIn the meantime, we should pray for scandal. Let's hope we get some cute interns lined up for the White House in 2009.
Professors can be a little territorial at times, and every once in a while, they cross the line.\nIn my time at IU, I have seen a professor waste several minutes of class time to chastise a student he caught reading a newspaper during class. Other hot buttons seem to be sleeping, text messaging and listening to iPods. … Wait, a newspaper? If you were a comedian, I'd be heckling you. You're getting off easy. Don't get me wrong -- some lecturers are captivating speakers who educate through creative presentations and clever insights. Others leave students shielding themselves with the Sudoku page, lest they be lectured into a coma. \nI pay about $2,500 for a standard three-credit course at IU. If I find the word jumble in the Indianapolis Star more captivating than today's PowerPoint on the aborigines of a country with no vowels in its name, that's my prerogative. Yet, I can't even count the number of syllabi I've seen that specifically forbid this so-called "disrespectful behavior."\nUniversities get away with this kind of treatment because they are economic anomalies. With nearly infinite demand for higher education, universities don't have to focus on customer service the way, say, a hotel does. They don't have to worry as much about prices, either. In 1996, IU posted enrollment at 34,700. Last year, 37,958 students attended. Figures from Purdue reflect a similar trend. Meanwhile, tuition increases continue to outpace inflation. \nThe same demand for higher education that allows schools to raise rates with impunity allows them to shun any notion of customer service.\nBut respect is a two-way street. Here's the exception, and I'd like to direct this to my lecture-hall buddies who still think it's cool to set "Fiddy" as your ring tone. Behavior that disrupts the learning environment for other students, who also paid to attend class, is off limits. So, no talking. And turn off your cell phone. Otherwise, expect your professors to exercise their full right to subject you and your silly ring tone to public disgrace.\nSome faculty might not be too hip to the idea of consumerism in higher education. Some might argue it will force professors to sacrifice quality education in order to appease demanding students. They would be wrong.\nFaculty still have a right -- in fact, a duty -- to protect the quality of the degree. A diploma from IU should symbolize four years of hard work and actual learning. I don't want to sink myself tens of thousands of dollars into debt for a degree that doesn't mean anything.\nThe hefty price tags on IU courses don't mean the students who take them are guaranteed good grades, and a high-priced education certainly doesn't mean they can learn without putting forth any effort. Grades are sold separately.\nExorbitant tuition fees don't entitle students to a degree, special treatment or the right to disrupt others; but they do entitle us to a little respect.
IU Police Department officers arrested an IU student for the rape of a 16-year-old female that occurred in a McNutt Quad room early Saturday morning, according to police reports.\nIU student Jacob Allan Schwartz, 18, of Read Center faces preliminary charges of a class B felony rape, the report said. \nOfficers met the female, who was visiting IU, at Bloomington Hospital at about 5 a.m. Saturday. Medical staff then "examined (the female) with respect to a sexual assault investigation," the report said. After collecting evidence from the scene of the assault, officers contacted Schwartz and escorted him to Monroe County Jail, the report said. During an interview, Schwartz admitted to the rape, the report said. \nIUPD Capt. Jerry Minger said Schwartz cooperated with the arresting officers.\nThe victim told police she had consumed alcohol earlier, causing her to feel tired and sick, the report said. She then returned to lie down in a female acquaintance's McNutt dorm room, the report said. \nThe female told police she recalled finding herself in a "state of semiconsciousness" at about 2:30 a.m., the report said. At this point, she said Schwartz took advantage of her state and raped her, the report said. She left the room a few minutes later and informed her friends of the assault, the report said, after which they took her to Bloomington Hospital for examination. \nWhen police arrived to interview the victim, she told the police she wanted them to pursue a criminal investigation and press charges against Schwartz, the report said.
An 18-year-old freshman female reported to the IU Police Department that she was raped in the parking lot near Forest Quad and the Wright Education building early Sunday morning, according to police reports. \nThe victim told police she knew the identity of the alleged assailant, who is also an IU student.\nThe victim noticed the suspect while walking along Third Street at about 12:30 a.m., IUPD Capt. Jerry Minger said. When she turned north, the subject followed her. The victim said as she approached a group of pine trees near Forest Quad, the alleged assailant began to walk faster. When she tried to hasten her own pace, she fell. The victim said she carried a scalpel for protection; however, when she attempted to defend herself with it, the victim took it from her. \nThe female suffered a nonserious puncture wound from the scalpel to her leg during the course of the assault, Minger said. Police received a call at 1:01 a.m. and responded to the area, where they found the victim sitting under the trees where the assault occurred. \nA Bloomington ambulance transported the victim to Bloomington Hospital, where hospital workers administered a rape kit. There was no indication the victim was intoxicated, and Minger said she did not indicate the attacker was intoxicated. \nIUPD officers interviewed the suspect yesterday morning but did not place him under arrest. Minger said investigators are still tying up "loose ends" regarding the accounts of the victim, the suspect and other people the two had spoken with. \nMinger said the suspect was very cooperative, and police do not believe he will flee the area. \n"It's a longer process than some people think, especially with multiple people involved," Minger said. "You want to confirm everything that everyone tells you. We're hopeful that we can bring it to a positive conclusion." \nMinger urged anyone who thinks they might have information about the incident to contact an IUPD officer at 855-4111.
More than 150 IU students will soon have to make amends with the Monroe County Prosecutor's Office for illegal drinking activity during their first two weeks on campus. \nBut for some, the trouble won't end there. \nOnce students have paid their debt to Monroe County, they might still face consequences from the IU judicial system. Depending on the police agency involved, a student criminal offense might be reported to the IU Office of Student Ethics, said Associate Dean of Students Pam Freeman. One such reported student is sophomore Casey E. Miller, whose .036 perecent Blood Alcohol Content landed her a minor consumption ticket after an IU Police Department officer caught her driving down the wrong side of the street. \n"I got confused with all the one-way streets and ended up on the wrong side of the road," she said. "There weren't any lines or anything, though. It was (a) legit (mistake)." \nMiller said she feels lucky the arresting officer didn't take her to jail or impound her car but said the incident will not keep her from drinking in the future. \n"I won't keep my nose clean," she said. "It's whether or not I get caught. I'm sure I'll be partaking in the IU festivities just as much. I'll just have to be more careful."\nFor first-time offenders like Miller, IU has a thorough rehabilitation system in place. \nFreeman said in many cases, students can opt into the Alcohol Alternative Intervention Program, which requires them to complete an alcohol screening with a University-designated psychologist. \n"Our system is separate and distinct from Monroe County," Freeman said. "We're not looking at it in the same way as the legal system. We are meeting academic goals, so we're going to be looking at some different questions. They will have to address the matter in the courts and here." \nStudents who commit more serious offenses, such as those involving hospitalization or vandalism, might be subject to other sanctions, ranging from a reprimand and a warning to expulsion from the University. \nWhen students violate the Code of Ethics, they receive a letter from the University explaining the nature of the infraction and some of the potential sanctions against them. The letter also tells students they have an appointment with a judicial officer from either Student Ethics or Residential Programs and Services. \nAt their conference, students are allowed to bring witnesses to help them explain the details of the incident. Based on the hearing, a judicial board decides whether there is "clear and convincing evidence" to impose sanctions on the student. \nDepending on the outcome of the conference, students might wish to appeal to a hearing commission. If the hearing commission still leaves the student unsatisfied, one more appeal can be made. \nIn case this process leaves a student feeling confused, the IU Student Association Department of Student Rights is standing by to help students maneuver through the IU judicial system, said the group's director, Jeremy Strife. The department hires and trains IU students as "case managers" to counsel their peers through the process and accompany them to their various conferences and hearings. \n"Anytime you go through something like this, when it deals with your future at IU, you really want to have all the knowledge available to you," he said. "Most people haven't read the procedures in the (Student Code of Ethics). Coming (to Student Rights) gives you a better perspective of where you are, where you could be and probably where you're going. It gives you a partner through the whole thing." \nAlthough case managers cannot speak for students until the final appeal, they can monitor the procedural details of the hearing and advise the student on how to answer certain questions. And sometimes, it's the effort that counts, Strife said. \n"It does say something when a student participates actively in the situation. It shows the J-board (judicial board) that, 'I am taking this seriously, and I want the right decision to be made here.'" \nThe Department of Student Rights is located in the Indiana Memorial Union student activities tower, room 675. Students interested in representation can call the department at 855-9789 or visit its Web site, www.indiana.edu/~iusasr.
Many IU freshmen arrive on campus eager and enthusiastic. Unfortunately for some, that enthusiasm might land them in jail.\nMany newcomers might assume local police officials will simply look the other way at underage drinking on a college campus. However, as IU Police Department Capt. Jerry Minger said, "(They) have a zero-tolerance policy for breaking the law."\nIUPD issued alcohol-related citations to 31 students, and another 107 students received citations -- mostly for alcohol offenses -- from the Indiana State Excise Police during the Welcome Week period of Aug. 22 to Aug. 30. While many of these students will be reported to the IU Office of Student Ethics, they will most likely also face charges from the Monroe County Prosecutor's Office. \nAlex, a freshman who would not give his last name, said he started his night drinking with a couple friends at the dorms, where he said he consumed seven double-shots of whiskey before attending an off-campus party where he said he consumed an additional half-dozen beers.\n"On the way back, I dropped my friend off at Wright (Quad)," he said. "On the way back (to Ashton), I got a little tired, sat down in the grass and went to sleep. In front of Teter (Quad)."\nAlex said the next thing he remembers was being transported to Monroe County Jail in a squad car. After spending the morning in jail, Alex said he was released at about 2 p.m.\n"I'm from New York, so I've been drinking for a while and never run into any trouble," he said. "I just drank way too much, and I should not have been outside. I will never drink that much again. Worst-case scenario, if I do, I definitely will stay inside."\nThe penalty for most alcohol offenses is a misdemeanor carrying a sentence of up to 60 days in jail and a fine of up to $500. In some cases, underage offenders can have their licenses suspended, even if they were not driving while intoxicated. However, most first-time offenders qualify for Monroe County's Defendant Accountability Program. \nThe program aims to keep offenders out of court and prevent them from having a criminal charge on their records, according to the Monroe County Prosecutor's Web site. Defendants sign an agreement promising to attend an alcohol education class and pay a fine of about $400. Also, they might have to complete road crew work. If the offender does not commit a criminal offense in the next 12 months, the prosecutor will drop the charges.\nPaula Gordon, director of IU's Student Legal Services, said her office has already received a large number of queries from students regarding alcohol-related citations. \nStudent Legal Services offers free, in-person legal counsel for students dealing with the criminal justice system, along with many other legal issues. Students can make an appointment by phone or on the organization's Web site.\n"We'll tell them all the options, from what would happen if they pleaded 'not guilty' and what their chances are of winning," Gordon said. "A lot of these (cases) are winnable, but you end up paying more for an attorney (than for the Defendant Accountability Program)."\nA law student will review the case with the oversight of an attorney before meeting with the students to discuss their options. While more complicated cases are sent to local defense attorneys, Gordon said most students are better off opting into the Defendant Accountability Program. \n"I think the DAP program is fantastic," she said. "Not to have the consequences of losing your license -- that's worthwhile. It's a lot of money, but you pay the money, and you learn a lesson. Whatever your point of view is, you can't be 20 and drink"
A female freshman reported to the IU Police Department she was assaulted Tuesday evening while walking past the volleyball courts near Forest Quad.\nThe student told police she encountered a male while walking toward Forest from the Education Building at about 9:15 p.m. when she noticed he was carrying a small pocket knife. After she passed the subject, the student said he grabbed her from behind and put his hand over her mouth.\nThe student said she then broke free, ran and tripped, causing her to cut her upper lip, IU Police Department Capt. Jerry Minger said. The suspect did not attempt to take any of her possessions or assault her sexually, she said.\nShe described the perpetrator as a white male with medium-length dark hair in his mid-twenties, said Minger, reading from a police report. The subject was wearing a white shirt with the wording "B-Town" and carried a pocket knife. The student described her attacker as about 5' 9" and "big-boned but not fat."\nDispatch received a call at 9:25 p.m. and sent police cars and an ambulance. Officers found the female distraught with a two-inch superficial cut along her upper lip.\nPolice officers questioned people in the area, including eight males playing volleyball, but nobody had noticed the attack, Minger said. Police will increase patrols in the area, he said.\n"We ask everyone, that if you have any information, even if you were in the area and didn't see anything, that would be very helpful," Minger said. "There may have been somebody who actually saw it and didn't report it."\nMinger said he advises all students to use common sense and pay attention to their surroundings, especially when walking home alone. Cell phones can also allow victims to report crimes immediately, which gives police a much greater chance of a successful investigation.\n"A scream, or her running toward a group of people would have helped," Minger said. "You really can't cover every scenario that might exist"
Indiana State Excise Police issued about 100 alcohol-related citations in Bloomington last week as IU students arrived back to campus for Welcome Week. \nBy cooperating with local police agencies, excise officers combined routine patrols with increased surveillance of bars, restaurants and liquor retailers to target the sale and consumption of alcohol by minors from Aug. 24 to Aug. 27, said excise officer Travis Thickstun. \nOf the 107 total summonses excise officers issued, 62 minors were cited for illegal possession, consumption or transportation of alcoholic beverages. These charges carry sentences of up to a $500 fine and up to 60 days in jail. Excise police issued summonses for possession of false identification to 18 minors, which can generate numerous charges, Thickstun said. \nThe agency also arrested 11 adults for furnishing alcoholic beverages to minors, and three other people received citations for drug possession. An additional 13 people were charged for "a variety of offenses," Thickstun said. \nThe excise police operate the law enforcement branch of the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission, which serves to prevent the illegal sale of alcohol and tobacco to minors, according to the commission's Web site. Excise officers also provide training to local liquor establishments to help them regulate illegal alcohol activity themselves. \nThe excise police employ several methods to catch minors who break liquor laws. One is the "Cops in Shops" initiative, in which officers pose as cashiers in liquor establishments. When an underage patron attempts to purchase alcohol, the officer issues an arrest citation. \nThickstun said excise officers last week worked in "six to eight" bars, liquor stores, grocery stores and convenience stores. Most of the stores requested assistance from excise police to regulate the increased attempts by minors to purchase alcohol during Welcome Week, Thickstun said. Most of the arrests occurred off-campus. \nHowever, excise officers occasionally seek out larger targets, IU Police Department Capt. Jerry Minger said. "Sometimes (the excise police) will go directly into a bar and start handing out tickets," he said. "It's somewhat of a captive audience. They're not going anywhere until they get their ID checked." \nExcise police officers usually contact local police departments for assistance during concentrated patrols like last week's effort. Excise officers cooperated with the Bloomington Police Department, Monroe County Sheriff's Department and Indiana State Police, a police media release said. \nThough the Welcome Week operation did not include IUPD officers, Minger said the department maintains "a very good relationship" with the excise police. \n"I actually admire the kind of activity that they do, especially in a demographic like the University has," he said. "They're looked upon as doing a sort of thankless job. But they're creating an atmosphere of responsibility. They really do it in a fashion that is not heavy-handed. I think they should be commended for it"