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(03/20/07 4:00am)
NEW YORK – Three police officers surrendered Monday to face charges in a shooting that killed an unarmed groom on his wedding day that stirred outrage around the city.\nThe officers were accused of firing nearly 50 shots at three young men in a car outside a nightclub, killing Sean Bell and seriously wounding two of his friends. Two other officers involved were not indicted.\nThe eight-count indictment charges detectives Michael Oliver, who fired 31 times, and Gerard Isnora, a decorated undercover officer who fired 11 shots, with first-degree and second-degree manslaughter, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said Monday.\nThose charges are classified as violent felonies with mandated jail time if the men are convicted. The maximum punishment for manslaughter is 25 years, Brown said.\nDetective Marc Cooper, who fired four shots, faces a misdemeanor endangerment charge, Brown said. The indictment says he fired a bullet that passed “through a window of an occupied AirTrain station.”\nOliver also was charged with endangerment in connection with a bullet that went through the window of an occupied house. All three were suspended without pay.\nTwo other policemen were not charged but have been placed on desk duty along with their supervisor as the NYPD continues its internal investigation.\n“We are a long way from a conviction,” said defense attorney Philip Karasyk, who represents Isnora.\nThe case renewed allegations that the NYPD is trigger-happy, as well as accusations of racism. Bell was black, as are the other victims; three of the officers are black, and two are white.\nThe Rev. Al Sharpton said at a news conference with the wounded men and Bell’s fiance that the indictment “falls short of what we want. Clearly, all five officers should be charged; all officers acted in concert.”\n“This case, at its best, is a return to grief for all of those involved,” he said.\nMayor Michael Bloomberg acknowledged that some people would be disappointed in the grand jury’s decision.\n“We have to respect the result of our justice system,” he said. “Although a trial will decide whether crimes were committed in this case, day in and day out the NYPD does an incredible job under very difficult circumstances.”\nMonday morning, the three policemen surrendered to the NYPD’s Bureau of Internal Affairs, then were whisked to the Queens court complex. A phalanx of plainclothes law enforcers and family members surrounded them as they were rushed into the building for fingerprinting and processing before their arraignment later Monday.\nBrown said he would oppose any attempts to get a change of venue for the trial.\n“This is where public opinion is equally divided, in my opinion,” he said.\nGrand jurors declined to indict on the more serious counts of second-degree murder, and attempted murder, or the lesser charge of criminally negligent homicide.
(03/09/07 5:00am)
Few can argue against technology improving education. But some professors worry its expanded use is starting to have a negative impact in the classroom.\nMany students enjoy the advantages of using a laptop in the classroom, but some admit it offers them the opportunity to get off-track in class.\n“I’m a slacker sometimes and space off in class,” senior Kyle Telechan said. “I use (my laptop) to network with my friends in class.”\nBut many students who use laptops in class – even those like Telechan who say they “space off” – claim it makes the learning experience much simpler.\n“If the professor says something I don’t understand, I will go on Wikipedia and look up whatever I didn’t understand,” Telechan said. “If I miss class notes I can also e-mail my friends (who use laptops to take notes) and get the notes a lot easier than (copying) paper notes.”\nIn an unscientific survey of 202 IU faculty and staff members conducted by the Indiana Daily Student, almost all said laptops can distract from class lessons, and many have personally witnessed distracted students. But most of the surveyed faculty and staff members said they believe some students are using laptops for classroom purposes.\n“I am sure that (laptops) are being used for other purposes rather than class by some students,” instructor Jeanie Alter said in an e-mail. “However, there are others that take notes and look up topics relevant to class.\n“I have even asked students to look up an answer to a question for me. It was just another way to keep them engaged and taking responsibility for their learning.”
(02/22/07 5:00am)
KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Need a reliable starting pitcher? Chuck James is your man.\nLooking for someone to install a set of double-pane windows or put in a new door? He can handle that, too.\nIn a throwback to the era when baseball players routinely worked during the offseason to make ends meet, James worked until January at a blue-collar job, getting up at daybreak and not returning home until long after the sun went down.\nNever mind that he was coming off a strong rookie season with the Atlanta Braves. Never mind that he now makes a six-figure salary. For James, it just seemed natural to return to the job that he’s had during past offseasons.\n“I don’t like being in the house very much,” said James, who went 11-4 with a 3.78 ERA in 2006. “Working a job keeps my mind off baseball and gets me out into the real world a little bit. I realize this is kind of my vacation. I treat my other job as work.”\nThe 25-year-old left-hander was employed by a family friend who contracts with Lowe’s to install windows and doors. It was hardly a glamorous job – James had to set his alarm for 6 a.m. so he could make a long drive through Atlanta’s notorious traffic to meet his crew, clean out the truck and pick up supplies.\nOnly then would he actually begin a project, staying at it as long as there was daylight. James would usually get home around 8 p.m., giving him a couple of hours to eat dinner, work out and spend time with his new wife before he headed to bed.\n“Putting in windows is kind of easy,” he said. “Doors are a little tougher. You’ve got to make sure you get them straight and all.”\nIf there’s anyone who appreciates the perks of being a major league player, it’s James. He can’t believe that someone is always standing by in the clubhouse, ready to take care of his every whim. Heck, he’s still amazed at how many pairs of cleats everyone gets.\n“I’m not going to say we came from the poor part of town. We did all right. But we got a pair of cleats and a glove, and we had to go out there and play all year,” said James, who grew up in a rural area northwest of Atlanta. “When I got two pairs of cleats in the minor leagues, I was pretty pumped up about that. When I came into spring training this year, it was like Christmas all over again.”\nWith his homespun demeanor and simple approach to life, James is a constant source of amusement in the Braves clubhouse.\n“Did you hear about the time he was bitten by a snake?” manager Bobby Cox asked reporters.\nJames recounted how he was walking through the woods at 4 o’clock in the morning – that’s another story – when he felt a piercing pain in his right leg. He took another step and felt an even stronger pain. Finally getting into the light, he saw one fang mark on the outside on the ankle, two more on the inside and blood pouring everywhere.\nThere wasn’t a hospital nearby, and it didn’t matter anyway because heavy rain had turned the road into a muddy mess. One of his friends looked at the wound and declared, “If it hasn’t killed you yet, you’re not going to die.” Even though his leg was badly swollen the next day, James didn’t even bother going to a doctor.
(02/20/07 5:00am)
The sun hasn’t even crested on a cool morning in 1956, but 16-year-old Ken is already hurling newspapers out of the passenger window of his $75 dollar Chrysler. When he gets to the Dixon house he shifts his ’38 into park and walks up to the house before stopping next to the car parked in the driveway. For some reason – he’s not sure why – he tries lifting the latch-handled door, and for some reason – he’s not sure why – he grabs the golf clubs out of the back seat and puts them in his trunk.\nThe sun breaks the horizon that morning to the crisp “whack” of iron striking plastic. Ken has neatly arranged all of Mr. Dixon’s golf balls in a row, and sends every last one into the dawning Indiana skyline. When the balls are gone and the fun has ended, Ken takes the clubs to the local pawn shop and exchanges them for more money than he’s made that entire week delivering newspapers. \nBut when the sun sets that day in 1956 Ken sits in silent reflection behind the bars of the Jeffersonville jail. He would be released two weeks later on the condition that he go back to Mr. Dixon and apologize for stealing the clubs. Ken would do just that and he would be well received by the gentleman who served as one of the town’s local lawyers. And when Ken said goodbye that lawyer would hand him 50 cents and tell him to go ahead and get a haircut. \nHe wouldn’t know it sitting in the barber chair that day, but the next time Ken Nunn would stand before Mr. Dixon he’d be getting the haircut before the visit – not after. \nIn 1962 Ken took his wife Leah to see the newly released movie “To Kill a Mockingbird,” starring Gregory Peck and a young Robert Duval. When they went to the drive-in they would normally bring their own popcorn and Coke, but on this night they splurged. The Princess Theater was packed, so Ken and Leah took a seat in the third row of the balcony and envied those who’d come early enough to sit down front. One hundred and twenty-nine minutes later, Ken stood up from his seat knowing what he wanted to do with his life.\n“The blacks had always been my friends growing up, they were my next door neighbors,” he said. “When I saw Peck defend a black man accused of rape, and the whites were really down on him for that, I just really related to that.”\nThe next day Ken went to the IU School of Law and asked for an application.\nIt took a handsome actor in a southern-style courtroom, slow ceiling fans spinning overhead, but Ken had finally found what he’d been searching for since rejoining school at age 17. The first two years of Ken’s undergraduate study had been spent pursuing accounting but without any real passion or desire. Ken considered much of his schooling to that point frivolous, so when he finally set his sights on a law degree he felt something education had never granted him before – excitement.\n“I had to take him seriously,” Leah said. “We went to Lexington and applied there, and he was going to apply to others. He said, ‘We’ll go any place we have to go until I get in.’ I knew that wherever they took him I was going to go.”\nKen, Leah, and their two kids struggled through those law school years under the mantra, “If you didn’t have to do it, you didn’t do it.” In other words, the pantry was rarely stocked with chips or cookies. But Ken eventually graduated among the bottom few students in his class, but he’ll be the first person to say, “Not one person comes and asks what was your class ranking. All they are interested in is what can I do for them now?”\nThe working world welcomed Ken a lot like Law School did – he had made it there, albeit barely, but he’d have to earn his success. The first Nunn Law Office was a two room loft with a view of south Walnut Street in downtown Bloomington. One room featured a card table with a folding chair for the secretary and another for clients to wait in. Ken’s office had the other two folding chairs and a law dictionary – that’s it. The only thing that could pass as a decoration was a lonely piece of string – barely a few inches long – that hung from the ceiling along one of the walls in Ken’s office.\nThis whole story starts in a separate set of rooms in a separate part of Indiana. They comprised Ken’s first home, and one room had a stove that kept the house warm and the other had a bed where little Kenny could dream about bigger things. \nAt nine years old, Ken sat at home one day when a knock came on the door. His mother peeped out the window and saw a Jeffersonville Sherriff. Ken can vividly remember this story today.\nHe remembers his mother saying, “Kenny you do this. Tell them I’m not here.” \nSo he reached up to the door-knob, turned it, and greeted the large man in uniform. \n“Young man is your mother here,” the officer asked.\n“No.”\nMother’s conscience got the best of her and she stepped into the doorway to speak to the sheriff. The officer walked away a few minutes later and the Nunn family was left with court papers that gave them a week to get out of the house.\nA few days later they had found a new home, and Ken’s mother explained that he had to take a new route home from school because they didn’t live at the old house anymore. But sure enough, that afternoon Ken ended up right back at the old house and he walked around it astonished by the emptiness. He stepped inside and walked up to his bedroom door and whispered the last words he would say in that house.\n“You’ve been a good door and I’ll miss you.”\nWith that, Ken kissed the door goodbye and found his way to his new home – something he would soon grow accustomed to.\nUp until age 17 Ken’s childhood was marred by fights, failures, and flirts with a life of delinquency. Jeffersonville High School was lucky to see him three times in a week, and by the time Ken finished the only class he attended regularly – driver’s ed – he dropped out.\n“My mother let me write my own excuses so that was easy,” he said. “I didn’t have to leave the house and fake going to school; I would just say I wasn’t feeling good and sleep until noon.”\nBut a year later an accident landed Ken at a new school with a new outlook on life. As an older kid with a car, his friends asked him for a ride to school one day. Ken asked, “What school?” And they said, “High School.” Ken agreed and he entered the doors of Clarksville High School the next day. \nIt was here that Ken would help an honor student named Leah dissect a frog in biology class, and she would help him write his notebook in return. It was here that the principle would warn Leah’s parents about the new boy she was hanging around with: he would either bring her down or she would make him a better person. It was here that Ken would only miss three days of school in three years.\n“Had I stayed in Jeffersonville and not met my wife, I probably would have been a high school drop out,” Ken said.\nShortly before graduating Ken and Leah were stopped at a traffic light when the truck behind them collapsed the back bumper of Ken’s Chrysler. The next day they waited for the insurance man to leave church where they met in the parking lot. Ken said he didn’t have any insurance, but the accident was the other guy’s fault and hopefully something could be done. Fresh after visiting with the Lord, the insurance man looked the car up and down, and then looked Ken up and down before saying, “Sorry, we’re not going to pay you.”\nKen was slowly developing a theory of justice.\n“You look at the old westerns and old cowboy shows, and the bad guy was invariably a lawyer,” Ken said. “He’s the guy that is always trying to steal the ranch because there is oil underneath it. So the poor, little lady keeps having cattle stolen from her, and she can’t make the payments. So the lawyer keeps saying ‘I’ll buy it from you’ – conniving, no good. That was my perception of lawyers for many, many years.” \nYears later, back in one of the four folding chairs, Ken sat with a yellow notepad in his lap as a poor, little lady took a seat across from him. She needed help in her divorce case, something Ken had never handled before but he was in no place to be turning down clients.\n“I have no idea why she stayed,” he said. “She shouldn’t have.” \nThis would be the theme for a while with Ken. A client would enter his office, having just been turned down by 11 other lawyers in town, and Ken would take the case. Why? “I didn’t have anything else to do.” \nBut before long Ken would have some Gregory Peck moments of his own. Take, for instance, the black IU student on trial for stealing billfolds from dorm rooms.\nThe prosecution had two sets of witnesses and that was all they needed. There was the student that claimed to have seen the defendant in his room scrounging through pants pockets, and the police officers who arrested the defendant. In front of an all white jury in 1969, it was an open-and-shut case.\nBut Ken started destructing the symbolic wall that stands between any defense lawyer and a verdict of not guilty. He first impeached the two police officers as one claimed to have seen the defendant take roughly 25 steps out from the door, throw the billfold into the bushes, and then have the handcuffs slapped around his wrists. The other officer testified that they had met him at the dormitory door. As for the eyewitness, that required a little more craft.\n“Have you ever been in trouble with the police,” Ken remembers asking the witness.\n“None at all.”\nKen had done some digging and gathered verbal confirmation that the witness had received a littering ticket in New Jersey. But he grabbed a small stack of papers just for effect.\n“You just said you didn’t have anything at all, but what about your event in New Jersey,” Ken recollects.\n“Oh, oh well yes. I got that, but it was just littering.”\nKen went back to his desk, grabbed another small stack of insignificant papers and asked, “Is that all sir? Is there something else you want to tell the jury now?”\n“Well… yea… There was that incident in Mexico.”\nCredibility gone. Case won. Ken received several letters from lawyers around the state after that verdict came back “not guilty,” all of them congratulating the new guy in town. \nKen sits behind a wooden table and reaches for the pitcher of water to pour himself a glass in hopes of quenching his bone-dry throat. His rattling hand clanks ice cube after ice cube against the side of the pitcher and into the bottom of his glass. He doesn’t want to take a sip because his hands are shaking too hard. That’s because his chair, his table, and his glass of water are all resting inside the Indiana Supreme Court and Mr. Dixon just filed into the room wearing a black robe. He’s known as Judge Dixon now.\nEach man remembers the other, and each man knows that the other remembers. But when the final gavel pounds, Ken has won the case and he is actually glad that he stands before Mr. Dixon again.\n“In some ways I am proud that our paths crossed,” he says. “And the way they did because maybe he felt like I did learn my lesson. Maybe he felt like I wanted to change my ways, which I did.”\nNowadays Ken can sit in a leather chair that doesn’t fold flat with plush carpet under his feet and a giant office over his head, and tell you that he’s never felt rich. Not because he doesn’t acknowledge his success, but because he hasn’t forgotten his past. You can sit in front of him and say that your car is about to be repossessed, and he can shoot right back, “Well, I can relate … I’ve had my car repossessed too.” \nAnd you better believe that he can tell the story.
(02/14/07 5:59am)
On a hot day in August last year, student trustee Casey Cox and his bride, Melissa, recited their vows at the Rose Well House on campus.\n"I am afraid to say that we never kissed there before our wedding kiss," Cox said. "So we didn't partake in the tradition."\nThe tradition that Cox refers to involves a 99-year-old custom that has been around campus since 1908. Campus tour guides reference the open-air pavilion, located between Maxwell Hall and Wylie Hall, as a romantic tradition in IU history, peaking at Valentine's Day.\nA custom of the Rose Well House says a woman is not a true college "coed" until she is kissed within the structure at midnight as the 12 chimes of the Student Building clock ring out, according to a manuscript in the IU Archives titled "Traditions of IU" by Marvin Shamon.\nFor women, the curfew on campus used to be 11 p.m. So being out at midnight, the manuscript says, was "risky."\nCox and his wife met as undergraduates at IU. They both thought Bloomington would be the best place for them to marry because of their involvement in the University.\n"I have seen pictures of weddings performed at the Well House," Cox said. "We married on the 12th. But on the 11th the weather was warmer and awful, but by Saturday morning it was gorgeous and worked out very nicely."\nKen Gros Louis, chancellor and vice president of academic affairs, said the Rose Well House was known as a place for couples to be engaged.\n"I know a lot of students over the years that have been engaged or asked to be married in the Well House," Gros Louis said.\nCox is one of the most recent students to tie the knot there, Gros Louis said.\nAt one time, there was an organized walk near Kirkwood Hall during which freshman women strolled at midnight to gain the privilege of being called "coeds." But when the Rose Well House was constructed, the kissing concept took over that tradition.\nTheodore F. Rose, a member of the board of trustees in 1908, presented the Rose Well House to the University as a gift to his graduating class, but he didn't have the romantic tradition in mind.\nProfessor Arthur Lee Foley of the physics department designed the Rose Well House. As a member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity, Rose recommended the construction be based on the outline of the octagonal Beta badge.\nBeta fraternity brothers would propose to their girlfriends in the Rose Well House.\nFamiliar territory for dating and courting, the Rose Well House was also known as the centralized place on campus to meet people. Dates would walk through the woods nearby, an act that was seen as a courting method before its construction.\nBesides just a tradition of kissing, the stone windows to the Rose Well House were originally windows to the Old College Building. The windows were situated on the original campus site, according to the manuscript.\nFirefighters used the fire cistern -- a structure used for holding liquids, usually water -- to fight fires, which once "plagued" the University. There is now a water fountain inside the Rose Well House, but it only offers a trickle of water. Often, in the warmer months, people came to the Rose Well House to give away glasses of water from the fountain, as well as to sell five-cent glasses of lemonade.\nWhile Cox himself did not practice the traditional kiss with his wife prior to their marriage, he hopes the conscious awareness of the tradition will remain in others so the history can live on.\n"Campus legends are important in furthering the culture and student life in the university," Cox said. "I hope there are still some students that perpetuate the legend. It is important to the existence of our identity as a university"
(01/29/07 8:00pm)
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- U.S.-backed Iraqi troops on Sunday attacked insurgents allegedly plotting to kill pilgrims at a major Shiite Muslim religious festival, and Iraqi officials estimated some 250 militants died in the daylong battle near Najaf. A U.S. helicopter crashed during the fight, killing two American soldiers.\nMortar shells, meanwhile, hit the courtyard of a girls' school in a mostly Sunni Arab neighborhood of Baghdad, killing five pupils and wounding 20. U.N. officials deplored the attack, calling the apparent targeting of children "an unforgivable crime."\nTwo car bombs exploded within a half hour in the northern city of Kirkuk, killing 11 people and wounding 34, police Brig. Gen. Sarhad Qader said. Three ethnic groups -- Arabs, Kurds and Turkomen -- are in a bitter struggle for control of that oil-rich area.\nIn addition to confirming the two Americans killed in the helicopter crash near Najaf, the U.S. command announced three combat deaths from Saturday -- one Marine in the Sunni insurgent stronghold of Anbar province and two Army soldiers in the Baghdad area.\nAuthorities said Iraqi soldiers supported by U.S. aircraft fought all day with a large group of insurgents in the Zaraq area, about 12 miles northeast of the Shiite holy city of Najaf.\nCol. Ali Nomas, spokesman for Iraqi security forces in Najaf, said more than 250 corpses had been found. Iraqi army Maj. Gen. Othman al-Ghanemi also spoke of 250 dead but said an exact number would not be released until Monday. He said 10 gunmen had been captured, including one Sudanese.\nProvincial Gov. Assad Sultan Abu Kilel said the assault was launched because the insurgents planned to attack Shiite pilgrims and clerics during ceremonies marking Ashoura, the holiest day in the Shiite calendar commemorating the 7th century death of Imam Hussein. The celebration culminates Tuesday in huge public processions in Karbala and other Shiite cities.\nOfficials were unclear about the religious affiliation of the militants. Although Sunni Arabs have been the main force behind insurgent groups, there are a number of Shiite militant and splinter groups that have clashed from time to time with the government.\nIraqi soldiers attacked at dawn and militants hiding in orchards fought back with automatic weapons, sniper rifles and rockets, the governor said. He said the insurgents were members of a previously unknown group called the Army of Heaven.\n"They are well-equipped and they even have anti-aircraft missiles," the governor said. "They are backed by some locals" loyal to ousted dictator Saddam Hussein.\nAbu Kilel said two Iraqi policemen were killed and 15 wounded, but there was no word on other Iraqi government casualties.\nA U.S. statement said the American helicopter went down while "conducting operations to assist Iraqi Security Forces" in the attack. It said two crew members died and their bodies were recovered. The statement did not give any information on why the aircraft crashed.\nThe mortar attack in Baghdad occurred about 11 a.m. at the Kholoud Secondary School in the Adil neighborhood, police and school officials said. The principal, Fawzyaa Hatrosh Sawadi, said students were mingling in the courtyard during a break in exams when at least two shells exploded.\nThe blasts shattered windows in classrooms, spraying students with shards of glass. Associated Press Television News footage showed pools of blood on the stone steps and walkways.
(12/01/06 3:43am)
A minor grease fire Thursday at the Read Center McDonald's caused more than $20,000 in damages and the evacuation of most of the dorm.\nNo one was injured in the fire.\nBy the time Bloomington Fire Department arrived a little after 11 a.m. Thursday, Bloomington Fire Department Battalion Chief Mark Webb said the fire was out. However, he said smoke was still seen coming from the fryer, and they observed hot spots in the fryer and the exhaust ductwork. A built-in system, which can detect overheating, activated and put out the fire when a certain temperature was reached, he said. \nThe exact cause of the incident was not announced, Fire Prevention Officer Todd Easton said, but he did say mechanical failure and improper maintenance are possible causes.\nDamage was limited to the fryer, said Roland Long, owner of all Bloomington McDonald's franchises, but he suspects it will cost at least $20,000 to replace it, in addition to the cost of replacing the ductwork which was also damaged in the fire.\n"Because of the fact that the fire was down below inside, it looks like the fire started inside the fryer on the back left side," he said.\nMelanie Scott, an assistant manager at the McDondald's, said she was working at the fryer when the fire started.\n"Smoke started billowing out, and we opened the doors and saw flames and got everybody out," she said. \nScott, who said she has worked at the Read Center McDonald's for 18 years and never seen such a grease fire, wasn't too concerned about the damage, saying no one was worried or scared from the situation.\nPools of grease caused officials from the Bloomington Fire Department and IU Police Department to slide around on the wet floor as they cleaned up the store Thursday afternoon.\nGrease fires are not uncommon in restaurants, Long said, adding that an electrical shortage could have caused the fire. He added he was recently notified that Frymaster, the company that produces the model of fryer the Read Center McDonald's used, has recently had problems with the internal wiring of the product.\nA Frymaster representative said Thursday he had never heard of any problems.\nLong said the restaurant had previously looked into any potential wiring problem but found nothing.\n"We thought we had checked them out ... without knowing exactly what to look for," he said as he trailed off.\nSophomore Christine Derek, a resident in Read Center, said her room has smelled like burnt plastic since the incident late Thursday morning.\n"When I got back in after they let everybody in from the fire, I came up, and it just stunk," she said. "It still does. And I've had my windows open." \nLong said he hopes the McDonald's could reopen as soon as Saturday.
(11/20/06 4:11am)
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Syria's foreign minister arrived in Baghdad on Sunday, the highest ranking official from his country to visit since the U.S.-led war began in 2003, at a time when Syria is increasingly seen as key to helping stem the insurgency.\nThe sectarian violence continued Sunday, with the deadliest attack in the southern Shiite city of Hillah, where a suicide bomber in a minivan lured day laborers to his vehicle with promises of a job then blew it up, killing 22 people, police said. Police later announced the arrest of three insurgents who had planned the attack -- two Egyptians and an Iraqi -- and said the suspects claimed the bomber was Syrian.\nSyrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem, in his first visit since the ouster of Saddam Hussein, promised to cooperate with Iraqi authorities struggling to control chaos that threatens the country with civil war. But Moallem called for a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. forces.\n"We believe that a timetable for the withdrawal of foreign troops from Iraq will help in reducing violence and preserving security," Moallem said.\nAttacks by suspected insurgents in other areas of Iraq killed more than 30 people and wounded at least 75. Gunmen also kidnapped one of Iraq's deputy health ministers from his home in northern Baghdad, officials said.\nBoth the Iraqi government and its U.S. sponsors have repeatedly accused Syria of allowing foreign fighters to cross into Iraq. Syria denies the charge, saying it is impossible to control the long desert border.\nMoallem's visit is a major step toward restoring diplomatic relations severed more than a quarter-century ago. He was to meet with the Iraqi leadership, including Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.\nThe Bush administration is under growing pressure to ask adversaries such as Iran and Syria for help in trying to avoid the collapse of an increasingly violent Iraq.\nNegotiating with the two countries would entail a major policy shift for President Bush, whose reluctance to talk to them -- and U.S. adversaries in general -- has come under increasing criticism.\nFormer Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who advised Bush on the Iraq war, said military victory is no longer possible and joined calls for the U.S. government to seek help from Iraq's regional neighbors, including Iran.\n"If you mean, by 'military victory,' an Iraqi government that can be established and whose writ runs across the whole country, that gets the civil war under control and sectarian violence under control in a time period that the political processes of the democracies will support, I don't believe that is possible," he told the British Broadcasting Corp.\nMoallem denied that his visit was related to any U.S. overture.\n"I did not come to Iraq to please anyone. I came here to please the people of Iraq and the people of Syria," he said.\nFollowing the Hillah bombing, crying and screaming Shiite women searched the scene for their sons. Some blamed Sunni Arab insurgents for the attack. Others said Hillah's police do not provide poor people such as day laborers with adequate security.\n"The ground was covered with the remains of people and blood, and survivors ran in all directions," said Muhsin Hadi Alwan, 33, one of the wounded day laborers. "How will I feed the six members of my family when I return home without work and without money?"\nMohammed Abbas Kadhim, 30, said he was thrown several yards by the explosion.\n"I couldn't see or hear for a few minutes as I was lying on the ground. People were racing everywhere looking for their missing sons, brothers, friends -- all of them shouting 'God is great.'"\nThe blast shattered windows and ripped holes in concrete stalls and storefronts nearby. Some business owners were using brooms to sweep away debris from the blast. Others stood nearby, surveying the damage as if in a daze.\nAs medics carried stretchers into the nearby hospital, residents lined up outside offering to donate blood. Dr. Mohammed Dhiya, the hospital's manager, said all the city's doctors were called to work.\nHillah has been the site of many deadly bomb attacks, including one in February 2005 in which a suicide car bomber killed 125 national guard and police recruits.\nElsewhere in Iraq, 24 civilians, five policemen and a soldier were killed and 58 Iraqis were wounded in a series of attacks by suspected insurgents in the cities of Baghdad, Mosul and Baqouba, police said.\nU.S. and Iraqi forces also killed 12 insurgents and detained 11 and freed eight Iraqi hostages while conducting raids in Baqouba and two villages near Kirkuk, police said. A local al-Qaida in Iraq leader and his son were killed by Iraqi forces in a village 60 miles north of Baghdad.
(11/16/06 5:00am)
As the story goes in the Bible, long ago all people spoke the same language and lived in a giant tower that pushed toward the Heavens. God, who feared what his own creations might accomplish -- and seeking to punish mankind for its blind ambition -- struck down the structure and made everyone speak different languages so they would be unable to communicate with one another. \nFor director Alejandro González Iñárritu and screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga (who wrote Iñárritu's previous two works: "21 Grams" and "Amores Perros"), an idea was conceived on this story of old and placed into the contexts of the 21st century. Like the previous two films, "Babel" is a hyperlinked weaving of four stories across four countries that all come together in brilliant fashion.\nTo be concise and to avoid spoiling much, the basis finds a couple played by Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett on the outs of their marriage while on a trip in Morocco. Inside their tour bus, a bullet shatters through the window and into Blanchett's shoulder, causing her to bleed all over and require dire medical attention. All the while, the two young kids who shot at her are hiding from the law, and the couple's own kids are illegally in Mexico with their nanny. Oh, and then there's Japan…\nThe Japanese segments of "Babel" are my favorite. Rinko Kikuchi plays Chieko, a deaf-mute girl whose mother committed suicide and father can never seem to communicate with her all too well. Iñárritu's genius shines in how he presents her condition to the audience. While at a rave, the sound constantly cuts in and out, and reminds us that even though she cannot hear anything, she doesn't let it hinder her. And at the same time, it is this condition that makes her feel like a monster; that she is sexually inadequate for men and even a sense of guilt that perhaps she was one of the causes behind her mother's suicide. The performance is heartbreaking and the stand-out role in the film. \nAs others have noted, "Babel" bears some resemblance to last year's unfortunate Oscar-winner, "Crash." Whatever made "Crash" so great, "Babel" ultimately is far superior. Subtlety works wonders. Some may remember Brad Pitt explaining the biblical Babel in the trailer for the film, yet it is omitted in the final cut, adding a much finer touch than Don Cheadle's bloated monologue about life in Los Angeles. In Iñárritu's world, silence can move mountains. When people are constantly talking, then nobody is actually listening. So when we find people who say nothing, they are probably saying the most. \n"Babel" approaches the post 9/11 world with stark realism. While in Morocco with Blanchett possibly on her deathbed, the other tourists suspect terrorism and feel they could be attacked by these Middle Eastern "savages," prompting them to hop in their bus and abandon the couple. In Japan, when a teenage boy is told to talk slowly so Chieko can read his lips, he responds as if she was "retarded," and laughs at her with his friends. I can't even begin to speak about the horrors of the border patrol in Mexico...\n"Babel" isn't the feel-good movie of the year. It is a sobering experience that will hit you like a train and leave some with questions. Others will undoubtedly feel enlightened. All of these qualities make "Babel" one of the best films of 2006.
(11/16/06 5:00am)
Throughout an epic career, people have labeled The Rolling Stones "The World's Greatest Rock and Roll Band" or to a lesser extent "England's Greatest Rock and Roll Band." Indeed, Mick and the boys have proven themselves time and again by outlasting their peers for the last four decades. And they don't show any signs of weakness from indulging in the rock 'n' roll lifestyle. \nI am not here to argue for or against The Stones' heavyweight status. I am here to try to answer the question that leaves us restless at night: Who is America's greatest rock 'n' roll band? If England and all of planet Earth can praise a band like The Stones, why can't we? After all, America gave birth to rock 'n' roll! I don't know about you folks, but I am sick and tired of being the underdog. \nSo why have The Stones never been challenged, you ask? The answer lies in the fact that very few American bands have risen to such juggernaut stardom. When I say other English bands, I refer to The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and The Who. They're the only viable competitors who have protested The Stones' claim to the throne. But alas, The Stones have weathered the test of time. And now it's time to discuss key players in America's rich rock 'n' roll history to send to this international cage match. \nIn order to keep this selection process sane, I will maintain a list of criteria. For instance, the title in question is "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band," not artist. If individual artists were allowed to compete to become "The World's Greatest Rock and Roll Band," The Rolling Stones would be lucky to finish in the Top 10. In that scenario, someone like Ray Charles or Eric Clapton might take the cake, or maybe Meatloaf. So having established that rule, I must throw a whole gaggle of choices out the window: Elvis, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, John Mellencamp (sorry Hoosiers) and Prince. The concept of a band dictates that all members or at least most members contribute to the music. This camaraderie influences a band's performance and image, defining it as a democracy. At the end of a concert, fans want to see Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ron Wood and Charlie Watts take a final bow. Fans don't care to see Mick pull a T.O. and pretend to fall asleep on the microphone after performing "Brown Sugar" while the rest of his bandmates awkwardly watch with embarrassment. You get the point.\nLet's move on to the next precedent. In the music industry today, staying power is rare. A great rock 'n' roll band despises the immediate gratification of a "one-hit wonder." On the contrary, it rises to fame through years of grueling life on the road and endless hours negotiating with managers and record execs. An impressive catalogue of music is a must to attain the coveted title of "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band." Additionally, the music itself must be written using a delicate combination of style, art, attitude and sound. Therefore, let me cast away the next round of applicants: Kiss, Van Halen, The Beach Boys and The Eagles. Sure, this eclectic group of bands produced some good tunes, but they basically wrote about one topic. Kiss and Van Halen love the groupies; The Beach Boys love the waves and the girls; and The Eagles, well, I think The Dude speaks for all of us: "I fucking hate The Eagles, man." \nNow I would like to dispense of a few bands which, however well-loved they might be, are too marginal to be embraced by America as a whole. The Band is too folkie; The Grateful Dead is too jammy; and Fleetwood Mac is too married or involved with each other. \nFinally, I have narrowed the list of nominees to nine. These bands can rock your socks off during one song, and they can turn around and compel you to hold a lighter to the air during another. In no particular order, we have Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Aerosmith, Talking Heads, R.E.M., Nirvana, The Doors, Guns N' Roses and Pearl Jam. \nImmediately, however, I must eliminate Nirvana, Guns N' Roses and Pearl Jam. Yes, all three bridged the gap between old and new generations of rock, but for a band to carry the torch for America, our parents and elders must accept and support its music. \nTo keep this argument rolling, let's get rid of Lynyrd Skynyrd because Confederate flags still fly at their concerts, and frankly, it's the 21st century, not 1865. The Doors were probably the first true great American rock 'n' roll band, but let's be honest, Jim Morrison was a nut job. He mesmerized audiences, but he couldn't charm them with wit like Mick Jagger. Aerosmith's tendency to sell out weakens its chances. And although R.E.M. continues to release reliable albums today, they spent the better part of a decade trying to gain that mass following. \nAnd then there were two. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers vs. Talking Heads. Although Tom Petty is an easy favorite, I'm going to go with the upset and choose Talking Heads. It's not so much what Tom Petty and his gang don't offer; it's what David Byrne and his gang bring to the table. Talking Heads proved to be a dynamic quartet, constantly rethinking the way they made music. They stitched together forms of punk, funk, blues and even world to create a diverse rock tapestry. Ever--important in America, as a symbol of independence, Byrne took over as producer after Brian Eno left in 1983 and demonstrated creativity and integrity. Furthermore, Talking Heads' depth is rarely acknowledged. Eight albums in 11 years plus breakthrough concert performances (see Stop Making Sense) made for a very innovative band. \nWell there ya have it, folks. Bring on The Stones. Who will prevail? It's gonna be a barnburner. In the end, I believe "Psycho Killer" will triumph over "Street Fighting Man"
(11/16/06 4:30am)
Throughout an epic career, people have labeled The Rolling Stones "The World's Greatest Rock and Roll Band" or to a lesser extent "England's Greatest Rock and Roll Band." Indeed, Mick and the boys have proven themselves time and again by outlasting their peers for the last four decades. And they don't show any signs of weakness from indulging in the rock 'n' roll lifestyle. \nI am not here to argue for or against The Stones' heavyweight status. I am here to try to answer the question that leaves us restless at night: Who is America's greatest rock 'n' roll band? If England and all of planet Earth can praise a band like The Stones, why can't we? After all, America gave birth to rock 'n' roll! I don't know about you folks, but I am sick and tired of being the underdog. \nSo why have The Stones never been challenged, you ask? The answer lies in the fact that very few American bands have risen to such juggernaut stardom. When I say other English bands, I refer to The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and The Who. They're the only viable competitors who have protested The Stones' claim to the throne. But alas, The Stones have weathered the test of time. And now it's time to discuss key players in America's rich rock 'n' roll history to send to this international cage match. \nIn order to keep this selection process sane, I will maintain a list of criteria. For instance, the title in question is "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band," not artist. If individual artists were allowed to compete to become "The World's Greatest Rock and Roll Band," The Rolling Stones would be lucky to finish in the Top 10. In that scenario, someone like Ray Charles or Eric Clapton might take the cake, or maybe Meatloaf. So having established that rule, I must throw a whole gaggle of choices out the window: Elvis, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, John Mellencamp (sorry Hoosiers) and Prince. The concept of a band dictates that all members or at least most members contribute to the music. This camaraderie influences a band's performance and image, defining it as a democracy. At the end of a concert, fans want to see Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ron Wood and Charlie Watts take a final bow. Fans don't care to see Mick pull a T.O. and pretend to fall asleep on the microphone after performing "Brown Sugar" while the rest of his bandmates awkwardly watch with embarrassment. You get the point.\nLet's move on to the next precedent. In the music industry today, staying power is rare. A great rock 'n' roll band despises the immediate gratification of a "one-hit wonder." On the contrary, it rises to fame through years of grueling life on the road and endless hours negotiating with managers and record execs. An impressive catalogue of music is a must to attain the coveted title of "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band." Additionally, the music itself must be written using a delicate combination of style, art, attitude and sound. Therefore, let me cast away the next round of applicants: Kiss, Van Halen, The Beach Boys and The Eagles. Sure, this eclectic group of bands produced some good tunes, but they basically wrote about one topic. Kiss and Van Halen love the groupies; The Beach Boys love the waves and the girls; and The Eagles, well, I think The Dude speaks for all of us: "I fucking hate The Eagles, man." \nNow I would like to dispense of a few bands which, however well-loved they might be, are too marginal to be embraced by America as a whole. The Band is too folkie; The Grateful Dead is too jammy; and Fleetwood Mac is too married or involved with each other. \nFinally, I have narrowed the list of nominees to nine. These bands can rock your socks off during one song, and they can turn around and compel you to hold a lighter to the air during another. In no particular order, we have Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Aerosmith, Talking Heads, R.E.M., Nirvana, The Doors, Guns N' Roses and Pearl Jam. \nImmediately, however, I must eliminate Nirvana, Guns N' Roses and Pearl Jam. Yes, all three bridged the gap between old and new generations of rock, but for a band to carry the torch for America, our parents and elders must accept and support its music. \nTo keep this argument rolling, let's get rid of Lynyrd Skynyrd because Confederate flags still fly at their concerts, and frankly, it's the 21st century, not 1865. The Doors were probably the first true great American rock 'n' roll band, but let's be honest, Jim Morrison was a nut job. He mesmerized audiences, but he couldn't charm them with wit like Mick Jagger. Aerosmith's tendency to sell out weakens its chances. And although R.E.M. continues to release reliable albums today, they spent the better part of a decade trying to gain that mass following. \nAnd then there were two. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers vs. Talking Heads. Although Tom Petty is an easy favorite, I'm going to go with the upset and choose Talking Heads. It's not so much what Tom Petty and his gang don't offer; it's what David Byrne and his gang bring to the table. Talking Heads proved to be a dynamic quartet, constantly rethinking the way they made music. They stitched together forms of punk, funk, blues and even world to create a diverse rock tapestry. Ever--important in America, as a symbol of independence, Byrne took over as producer after Brian Eno left in 1983 and demonstrated creativity and integrity. Furthermore, Talking Heads' depth is rarely acknowledged. Eight albums in 11 years plus breakthrough concert performances (see Stop Making Sense) made for a very innovative band. \nWell there ya have it, folks. Bring on The Stones. Who will prevail? It's gonna be a barnburner. In the end, I believe "Psycho Killer" will triumph over "Street Fighting Man"
(11/16/06 4:11am)
As the story goes in the Bible, long ago all people spoke the same language and lived in a giant tower that pushed toward the Heavens. God, who feared what his own creations might accomplish -- and seeking to punish mankind for its blind ambition -- struck down the structure and made everyone speak different languages so they would be unable to communicate with one another. \nFor director Alejandro González Iñárritu and screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga (who wrote Iñárritu's previous two works: "21 Grams" and "Amores Perros"), an idea was conceived on this story of old and placed into the contexts of the 21st century. Like the previous two films, "Babel" is a hyperlinked weaving of four stories across four countries that all come together in brilliant fashion.\nTo be concise and to avoid spoiling much, the basis finds a couple played by Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett on the outs of their marriage while on a trip in Morocco. Inside their tour bus, a bullet shatters through the window and into Blanchett's shoulder, causing her to bleed all over and require dire medical attention. All the while, the two young kids who shot at her are hiding from the law, and the couple's own kids are illegally in Mexico with their nanny. Oh, and then there's Japan…\nThe Japanese segments of "Babel" are my favorite. Rinko Kikuchi plays Chieko, a deaf-mute girl whose mother committed suicide and father can never seem to communicate with her all too well. Iñárritu's genius shines in how he presents her condition to the audience. While at a rave, the sound constantly cuts in and out, and reminds us that even though she cannot hear anything, she doesn't let it hinder her. And at the same time, it is this condition that makes her feel like a monster; that she is sexually inadequate for men and even a sense of guilt that perhaps she was one of the causes behind her mother's suicide. The performance is heartbreaking and the stand-out role in the film. \nAs others have noted, "Babel" bears some resemblance to last year's unfortunate Oscar-winner, "Crash." Whatever made "Crash" so great, "Babel" ultimately is far superior. Subtlety works wonders. Some may remember Brad Pitt explaining the biblical Babel in the trailer for the film, yet it is omitted in the final cut, adding a much finer touch than Don Cheadle's bloated monologue about life in Los Angeles. In Iñárritu's world, silence can move mountains. When people are constantly talking, then nobody is actually listening. So when we find people who say nothing, they are probably saying the most. \n"Babel" approaches the post 9/11 world with stark realism. While in Morocco with Blanchett possibly on her deathbed, the other tourists suspect terrorism and feel they could be attacked by these Middle Eastern "savages," prompting them to hop in their bus and abandon the couple. In Japan, when a teenage boy is told to talk slowly so Chieko can read his lips, he responds as if she was "retarded," and laughs at her with his friends. I can't even begin to speak about the horrors of the border patrol in Mexico...\n"Babel" isn't the feel-good movie of the year. It is a sobering experience that will hit you like a train and leave some with questions. Others will undoubtedly feel enlightened. All of these qualities make "Babel" one of the best films of 2006.
(11/14/06 5:22am)
As the sun set through the windows of the Solarium in the Indiana Memorial Union, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet W.S. Merwin brought members of his audience not only to their feet, but also to tears when he spoke Monday night.\nHe spoke warmly and simply, rhythmically as only a poet could, while he read from a selection of his poems and expressed his thoughts on the environment, as well as memory, solitude, pacifism and peace. \nThe event consisted of two sections. In the first, Merwin was prompted with questions from Andrea Ciccarelli, director of the IU College of Arts and Humanities Institute.\nCiccarelli said he was impressed with Merwin's most recent writing. \n"After 50 years, he still has something to say," Ciccarelli said.\nMerwin has a career in poetry that spans five decades. His books include "The Drunk in the Furnace," "The Vixen" and "The Folding Cliffs." He is also known for his poetry translations, his environmental activism and his ability to use language to convey his thoughts in a way that touches the hearts of his readers.\nThe room where he spoke was overflowing with guests, the majority of whom were Bloomington residents, holding pen and paper in hand, waiting for the wisdom they were sure would drip from Merwin's words.\nThough Merwin is a strong promoter of peace, he said he understands the perspectives that prompt war.\n"I've never called myself a pacifist; other people have done that," Merwin said. "I could always imagine circumstances in which violence is the only possible way of dealing with a situation. It's a deplorable last resort that may arise instantly." Merwin told the audience how he enlisted in the Navy at age 17, and with a chuckle, said that he had high hopes of impressing a girl with his uniform. He was soon released from the Navy after refusing to take orders. \n"What I had come to feel was that I was being trained to accept orders from people whom I don't know that involve the lives and deaths of people I don't know and my own life and death," Merwin said. "I said I'd rather go to the brig than go on training to do something I don't believe in."\nMerwin answered Ciccarelli's questions about his writings on solitude and called society's idea that environment is separate from nature dangerous and destructive. \n"The human population is expected to reach 11, 12, 13 billion in the not very distant future," Merwin said. "In the mean time, every other species of life has become endangered. I don't think these are things we should shy away from."\nDuring the second half of his time at the Union, Merwin read a selection of poems from his book "Migration." He stepped up to the microphone, peered over his glasses and began with the poem "Odysseus," and continued with "Noah's Raven" and "When the War is Over."\nHis audience listened intently with eager eyes. Their awe and respect was palpable from the sighs they let out at the end of each poem.\n"It was amazing. I'm not sure that I can put words to it," said Bloomington resident Anne Haines. "It was one of the best poetry readings I've ever heard." \nWhile the crowd gave Merwin a standing ovation when he was finished, Haines had tears in her eyes.\n"Terror reassurance an old/ old sadness it would seem we knew/ enough always about parting," he read from his poem "Waves in August." "But we have to go on learning/ As long as there is anything"
(11/07/06 3:35am)
The Jacobs School of Music will offer two new courses for the spring semester to music and nonmusic students alike. They are Choral Masterworks, taught by Katherine Domingo and Opera Theatre Series I, taught by Constance Glen.\nChoral Masterworks will "introduce (its students) to the masterpieces of choral music through musical, historical and cultural contexts," according to the Schedule of Classes Bulletin. \n"There are nearly 30 million people in our country who sing in choruses of all types," Domingo said. "I hope that students who take this course understand how choral music has been used as a powerful and effective tool for communicating ideas throughout our history and culture."\nDomingo said she will expose her students to a wide variety of choral ensembles -- from traditional symphonic and a cappella choruses to more recent developments like show choirs and vocal jazz ensembles.\nDomingo said that she hopes there will be many students in her class who do not have particularly strong musical training.\n"I love teaching nonmusic majors because their knowledge of music comes from such varied backgrounds and experiences," she said. \n"I have had business school students, students who are now in medical and law school and students who have been playing piano or violin for over 10 years -- all in the same class," she added.\nMusic lovers of all sorts will also be able to take Glen's Opera Theatre Series I. Glen will be offering a window into the "passion and drama of the operatic stage through its stories, characters and music," according to the Schedule of Classes Bulletin. \n"I'll emphasize the most popular opera composers and two or three of their works," Glen explained. "The structure will be historical ... but I'll also differentiate and organize by genre as well."\nGlen said she too looks forward to working with a variety of students.\n"I hope some students who have never had any experience with opera will take the course and learn to love the art form," she said. "I hope students with some background in opera will become more immersed in the musical meaning and context, deepening their understanding of individual works and composers."\nGlen said she will do this both through reading and listening, as well as through tours of the various opera production shops and possibly attendance of dress rehearsals.\nOpera Theatre Series I will meet only once a week, 6 to 8:45 p.m. Tuesdays. Choral Masterworks will meet 10:10 to 11 a.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Registration for the spring semester remains open until Jan. 12.
(10/12/06 2:52am)
No Sweat! against Coke contract, not all big business contracts
(10/11/06 9:07pm)
UPDATE: WASHINGTON -- A law enforcement official has told The Associated Press that a member of the New York Yankees organization was aboard the plane that crashed into a New York City high-rise. And FAA records show the plane was registered to pitcher Cory Lidle.
(10/03/06 2:41am)
NICKEL MINES, Pa. -- A 32-year-old milk truck driver took about a dozen girls hostage in a one-room Amish schoolhouse Monday, barricaded the doors with boards and killed at least three girls and apparently himself, authorities said.\nIt was the nation's third deadly school shooting in less than a week, and similar to an attack just days earlier at a school in Colorado.\nThe gunman, identified as Charles Carl Roberts IV, was inside for more than half an hour and had barred the doors with 2x4s with the girls inside, State Police Commissioner Jeffrey B. Miller said. By the time officers broke windows to get in, three girls and the gunman were dead, Miller said.\nLancaster County Coroner G. Gary Kirchner initially said six people were killed but later said he wasn't certain. At least seven people were taken to hospitals, including at least three girls in critical condition with gunshot wounds.\nRoberts walked into the one-room West Nickel Mines Amish School with a shotgun and handgun, then released about 15 boys, a pregnant woman and three women with infants before barring the doors, Miller said.\nThe girls were lined up along a blackboard and their feet were bound, he said.\nA teacher called police at about 10:30 a.m. and reported that a gunman was holding students hostage.\nAbout 11 a.m., Roberts apparently called his wife from a cell phone, saying he was "acting out in revenge for something that happened 20 years ago," Miller said. "It seems as though he wanted to attack young, female victims."\nMoments later, Roberts told a dispatcher he would open fire on the children if police didn't back away from the building. Troopers heard gunfire in the building seconds later.\nThe school has about 25 to 30 students in all, ages 6 to 13.\n"It seems as though he wanted to attack young, female victims," Miller said. He released no further details about the grudge Roberts mentioned.\nThe school is among farmlands just outside Nickel Mines, a tiny village about 55 miles west of Philadelphia. Hours after the shootings, about three dozen people in traditional Amish clothing, hats and bonnets stood near the small building, surrounded by a white board fence, as investigators walked in line through fields searching for evidence.\nThe shootings were disturbingly similar to an attack last week at Platte Canyon High School in Bailey, Colo., where a man took several girls hostage in a school classroom and then killed one of them and himself. Authorities said the man in Colorado sexually molested the girls.\n"If this is some kind of a copycat, it's horrible and of concern to everybody, all law enforcement," said Monte Gore, undersheriff of Park County, Colo.\n"On behalf of Park County and our citizens and our sheriff's office, our hearts go out to that school and the community," he said.
(09/13/06 2:45am)
DAMASCUS, Syria -- Islamic militants tried to storm the U.S. Embassy on Tuesday using automatic rifles, hand grenades and a van rigged with explosives, the Syrian government said. Four people were killed in the brazen attack, including three of the assailants, but no Americans were hurt.\nThere was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. An al-Qaida offshoot group called Jund al-Sham was suspected, Syria's ambassador to the United States, Imad Moustapha, told CNN. The radical fundamentalist group has been blamed for several attacks in Syria in recent years, he said.\nSecretary of State Condoleezza Rice praised Syrian security agents for repelling the attack but added it was too early to know who might have been behind it.\nThe attackers apparently did not breach the high walls surrounding the embassy's white compound in the city's diplomatic neighborhood.\nOne of Syria's anti-terrorism troops was killed and 11 other people were wounded, the official news agency reported. The wounded included a police officer, two Iraqis and seven people employed at nearby technical workshop.\nA Chinese diplomat also was hit in the face by shrapnel and slightly injured while standing on top of a garage at the Chinese Embassy, China's Foreign Ministry said. The diplomat, political counselor Li Hongyu, was in stable condition at a hospital, the ministry said.\nA witness said a Syrian guard outside the U.S. Embassy also was killed, but the government did not immediately confirm that. As at most American embassies worldwide, a local guard force patrols outside the compound's walls while U.S. Marines are mostly responsible for guarding classified documents and fighting off attackers inside the compound.\nWitnesses also said the gunmen tried to throw hand grenades into the embassy compound, shouting "Allahu akbar!" or "God is great!" It was not clear if any of the grenades made it over the walls, which are about 8 feet high.\nThe attack came at a time of high tension between the United States and Syria over the recent Israeli-Hezbollah war in neighboring Lebanon. In Damascus, the sentiment has become increasingly anti-American.\nSyria has seen previous attacks by Islamic militants. In June, Syrian anti-terrorism police fought Islamic militants near the Defense Ministry in a gunbattle that killed five people and wounded four. In 2004, four people were killed in a clash between police and a team of suspected bombers targeting the Canadian Embassy.\nThe Bush administration has been critical of the tight control that the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad has over its people. Rice, meeting with her Canadian counterpart in Nova Scotia, would not speculate on whether Tuesday's attack might be an indication that the regime's control is slipping.\nWhite House press secretary Tony Snow also expressed gratitude toward Syria.\n"Syrian officials came to aid of the Americans," Snow said. "The U.S. government is grateful for the assistance the Syrians provided in going after the attackers, and once again, that illustrates the importance of Syria being an important ally in the war on terror.\n"It does not mean they are an ally. We are hoping they will become an ally and make the choice of fighting against terrorists," he said, adding that the Bush administration does not know who is responsible for the attack.\nWashington recalled Ambassador Margaret Scobey after the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in 2005, amid suspicions that Damascus had a role in it. She has not returned since, effectively downgrading U.S. diplomatic representation to the level of charge d'affaires.\nPools of blood lay on the sidewalk outside the U.S. Embassy, near a burned car apparently used by the attackers. A sport utility vehicle with U.S. diplomatic tags had a bullet hole in its windshield, and the windows of nearby guard houses also were shattered.\nThere were conflicting reports of what happened.\nSyrian TV said one car was rigged with explosives but the attackers never detonated them. But one witness said a second car did explode, and TV video showed a burned car.\nThe Interior Ministry, which is in charge of police, said a fourth attacker now in detention was wounded in what it called a "terrorist attack." The report, carried on state-run television, said anti-terror units brought "the situation under control" and an investigation was under way.\nIn Washington, a State Department spokesman confirmed the attack by "unknown assailants" but had few details. "Local authorities have responded and are on the scene," spokesman Kurtis Cooper said.\nA U.S. Embassy statement said the embassy came under armed attack at 10:10 a.m. and that all embassy personnel were safe. One Syrian guard was injured by gunfire and was hospitalized in a stable condition, the statement said.\nThe embassy's charge d'affaires, Michael Corbin, met with Interior Minister Bassam Abdel Maguid at the scene and spoke by phone with assistant minister of foreign affairs, Ahmed Arnous, according to the statement.\nIt said the Syrian government has pledged full security cooperation.\nAbout 30 Syrian guards usually are posted around the embassy 24 hours a day, Moustapha said.\nState television said four armed attackers "attempted to storm" the embassy, using automatic rifles and hand grenades. Syrian security guards attacked the gunmen, killing three and wounding a fourth, TV said.\nThe attackers came in two cars and parked one that was rigged with explosives in front of the embassy but did not blow it up, state-run TV reported. Explosives experts dismantled the bomb, it said.\nBut a witness told The Associated Press that two gunmen drove up in front of the embassy, got out of their car, shot at the Syrian sentries at the building's entrance and then detonated explosives in the car.\nThe witness, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said the security personnel fired back, and security forces rushed to the scene.\nTelevision showed a delivery van loaded with pipe bombs strapped to large propane gas canisters outside the embassy. Had the bombs detonated, the explosions could have caused massive damage.
(09/12/06 4:13am)
PHILADELPHIA -- Early next year, students at the University of Pennsylvania will have the option to switch from the University of Pennsylvania's traditional e-mail service to something that looks more like Gmail or Microsoft's Windows Live Mail.\nOfficials are planning to replace the University's current e-mail server with a new host from either Google Inc. or Microsoft Corp.\nThe switch will begin in January and will cost the University nothing. Students will retain their Penn e-mail addresses but should expect a server that looks different -- and has different features -- than the current Webmail.\nDeirdre Woods, associate dean and chief information officer of Penn's Wharton School, said that Google and Microsoft are currently vying for the contract, which she said will be the first of its kind on a college campus.\nThe decision to make the change stems in part from a desire to conserve resources, said Ira Winston, School of Arts and Sciences information technology chief. Instead of spending money to improve its own system, Penn is opting for a free upgrade to a system known to work well.\nSAS Webmail has occasionally fallen victim to shutdowns, the most recent of which occurred earlier this month.\nBoth Google and Microsoft are designing programs that would offer undergraduate and graduate students not only e-mail but also calendars that are compatible with cell phones and palm pilots.\n"We are looking to develop a communications platform for higher education in the 21st century," Woods said. "We're a prestigious institution. We need to set the standard for these platforms."\nThough Penn won't pay, there's still something in the deal for the companies, which are anxious to get customer loyalty from college students, Woods said.\n"They are willing to do it for free for access to a good market," she said.\nThe new service will likely be mandatory for freshmen who matriculate next fall, Woods said.\nIn the meantime, advisory panels from both the School of Arts and Sciences and the Wharton School will meet to discuss desired features of the program.\nOfficials will make a decision on the provider by late next month or early November.\nMany students already use an outside server for their e-mail, which is in part what prompted Penn to consider the switch.\nThis year, 40 percent of SAS students are forwarding their e-mails to an outside address, up 30 percent from last year, Winston said.\nWharton has forwarding rates of 11 percent for undergrads and 1.5 percent for MBA students.\nThe switch to other servers "is happening already, so we might as well take advantage of the fact and get you additional features," Winston said.\nStudents say they are mostly excited by the features that the new provider will include.\n"I think (the calendar) will be useful," Penn sophomore Baali Muganga said.\nAnd Woods said that officials will be seeking student input throughout the entire process.\n"This is a product for students. We really need them to provide feedback," she added.\nBased on suggestions from user feedback, the system will be refined and tweaked, Woods said.
(09/01/06 2:52am)
From Oliver Stone's "World Trade Center" to Jonathan Safran Foer's novel "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close," the taboo against taking on the attacks is long gone, at least among writers and filmmakers. Nothing in fiction has compared to the power of a real plane crashing into a real building yet, and audiences seem torn between the desire to know more about 9/11 and the fear of being reminded too closely.\nTanya Palmer, literary manager of Chicago's Goodman Theatre, says there is a "tension between wanting the art to be relevant but also a pressure from the audience ... to not always be showing them what's happening in the news."\nReaders so far have preferred the facts. Novels such as Foer's "Extremely Loud" or Jay McInerney's "The Good Life" haven't approached the popularity of the millionselling "The 9/11 Commission Report" or of the recent graphic adaptation. Another current bestseller is Lawrence Wright's "The Looming Tower," an in-depth investigation of events leading up to the attacks that has more than 100,000 copies in print.\n"Readers definitely have turned to nonfiction books about 9/11," says Ann Close, a senior editor at Alfred A. Knopf, which publishes Wright and McInerney. "I think people are desperately trying to figure out what happened and what's going on there, and nonfiction seems to give people a better shot at that than fiction."\nJonathan Burnham, publisher at HarperCollins, recalls a 9/11 novel he released when he was the head of Miramax Books: Frederic Beigbeder's "Windows on the World," a book that sold "modestly" despite strong reviews. Burnham found the experience "instructive" in knowing what kind of fiction readers seek.\n"I still think it's extremely hard for people to look at 9/11 fully in the face," Burnham says. "So much of the anxiety and concern is projected in other directions, like toward 'The Da Vinci Code' and other conspiracy thrillers."\nHollywood remains squeamish about Sept. 11 projects, partly because of the long lead time involved in bringing movies to the big screen and partly because studios figure most movie-goers are not looking for reminders of the terrorist attacks.\nThe first two film dramatizations arrived this year. Paul Greengrass' "United 93" was a meticulous docudrama about the hijacked flight whose passengers fought back against their captors, their plane crashing in rural Pennsylvania, killing all aboard. "World Trade Center" starred Nicolas Cage in the story of two Port Authority police officers who were among the last of a handful of survivors pulled alive from the rubble of the fallen towers.\nBoth movies were well received by critics and did respectable business, but their box-office receipts were modest enough to confirm suspicions that many people were not ready to relive Sept. 11 in theaters -- and may never be ready.\n"I don't think there's any shame in the amount of box office those films did. They both performed solidly given the subject matter," says Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations.\n"But if you're looking to greenlight a movie, you don't look at a movie based on Sept. 11 and say, 'This is going to be a huge blockbuster hit.' Sept. 11 movies are not about box office. If you're going to make them, you have to keep the budgets in line, and they better be pretty solid movies."\nStudios remain in a holding pattern, with no other major Sept. 11 projects expected soon. Audiences remain as escapist as ever, packing theaters for "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," "Cars" and "X-Men: The Last Stand," while the two Sept. 11 films drew comparatively small crowds.\nIndependent-minded filmmakers and documentary directors likely will remain the key chroniclers of Sept. 11 and its aftermath. In the year following the attacks, there was a rush of smaller projects, including "The Guys," based on the play about a firefighter preparing eulogies for colleagues killed in the attacks, and "September 11," an anthology of short films whose directors included Sean Penn, Mira Nair and Ken Loach.\n"These movies aren't really developed at a marketing meeting. It's more a creative choice on the part of filmmakers willing to tackle this emotional subject," Dergarabedian says. "I don't think there's anyone sitting there saying, 'We've got to make a 9/11 film.' It's more about visionary filmmakers. That's how those films get made. If Oliver Stone says he wants to do a World Trade Center movie, who's going to say no?"\nThe events of 9/11 have touched TV drama in only limited and occasional ways.\nThe fallout from terrorism ushered in by that day perhaps contributed to the "under-siege atmosphere" of many subsequent series, such as "Lost," and furnished a narrative touch point for other TV shows: an episode of "Law & Order" dealt with victim remains at ground zero, and the hero of "CSI: New York" is haunted by the loss of his wife in the attacks.\nPerhaps the series most directly inspired by 9/11 is the FX network drama "Rescue Me." Set in a Manhattan firehouse, it focuses on the professional and personal pressures weighing down on this team of New York's Bravest -- all of whom continue to bear the loss of comrades in 9/11 rescue and recovery efforts.\nSince Sept. 11, the biggest change in the theater business has been in consumer-buying patterns, changes that the industry saw immediately after the terror attacks and that now have become a permanent part of the landscape. Audiences are buying tickets much closer to the date of the performances.\n"I remember right after 9/11 it was a source of stress for a lot of theater companies because you would go into a week where it didn't seem like you had that many tickets sold, and then you would come out of the week and you were OK," says Harold Wolpert, managing director of the nonprofit Roundabout Theatre Company. "It used to be people bought tickets far in advance.\n"It's possible that 9/11 accelerated what may have been a trend that would have developed anyway," Wolpert says. "It's changed how you advertise, for example. Theater companies and commercial Broadway shows now send out direct-mail much closer to the opening of a production than they used to. If you send it too far in advance, people just don't focus on it"
