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(09/29/05 12:20am)
It's official: Bow Wow is no longer lil'.\nNo one with moves like his in the roller rink can be anything less than a man. \nIn "Roll Bounce," Bow Wow, who -- seriously -- is no longer called "lil'," plays X. X lives in an unrecognizable south Chicago with his widowed father (Chi McBride), and spends all of his free time at the local skating rink with his friends. When their hangout closes its doors, they take the bus uptown to Sweetwater, a newer rink with an arcade, tons of chicks in hot pants and at least half a dozen disco balls. They skate. A lot. Which is good, because it's the best thing this movie has going for it.\nIf there were ever a case for quad skating, this movie is it. Bow Wow and a dedicated group of stunt doubles can really tear up the hardwood, and there is a certain magic to be caught in that. There are more than a few moves that will have you saying, "I didn't know you could do that on wheels." \nOutside of the rink, however, the movie falters. \n"Roll Bounce" is a film that tries, very hard, to capture the aura of the late seventies. And it does. Director Malcolm Lee (cousin of Spike) spends a lot of time on the details: Ataris. Bell bottoms. Lots of split-level ranch homes. Plenty of Yoo-Hoo. And afros -- oh, the afros... \nSo his film looks the part; that's not the problem. The problem is its focus. \nWhen I read an early synopsis of "Roll Bounce," it was described as a dramatic comedy. I guess that's because it tries to do both. You've got your "Bow Wow and his goofball friends cracking dumb jokes all summer" storyline on one hand, and the "proud but unemployed father trying to keep the family together after mom dies" on the other. Coming-of-age movies aren't easily balanced, but they can be done. "Sandlot" did it with baseball. But "Roll Bounce" can't seem to find its footing on skates.\nThe movie works when it's trying to be lighthearted. Nick Cannon appears, looking like a holdover from the Jimi Hendrix Experience, as the rink's rental desk jockey. Wayne Brady makes a late appearance as the film's climactic skate-off emcee. And Mike Epps and Charlie Murphy are hysterical as the neighborhood garbage men, particularly Murphy's unexpected monologue about back alley prostitution. \nWhen it has its serious face on, though, "Roll Bounce" becomes a drag. The movie weighs in heavy at two hours, which is about half an hour more than we need. If you were to cut out the weepy-eyed "father and son coming together" plot, you'd be right at an hour and a half. So maybe when the DVD arrives, that's right where it'll be.
(09/22/05 4:00am)
There is a reason that "Venom" is only playing in one theater in the Indianapolis metropolitan area. And I bet you know what that reason is.\nIt's kind of lame. Surprise! \nDirected by Jim Gillespie, "Venom" follows half a dozen teenagers through the Louisiana bayou as they're individually mutilated by a redneck zombie who is chock-full of evil voodoo snakes -- which is about as good as it sounds, actually.\nAnyone going to see this can't honestly expect anything more than the film delivers. So I don't imagine it will disappoint anyone. While it's nothing more than another teenage slasher flick, it meets the requirements of that particular genre well. It gives us a short list of characters. The audience quickly identifies who will and won't die, and then goes about dispatching the unlucky and stupid ones. \nThe movie obviously knows its limited range, and consequently doesn't go for fifteen minutes without a violent death. It skimps on back story and setting, making do with only what the camera can visually provide. And therefore, the cast is nameless and faceless, and their characters are bland. But again, that's not really what we're here for, now is it?\nWe're here to see a barely-used Method Man prove to us, once and for all, that he should stick to the rap game (and catch the sharp end of a crow bar with his neck). And we're also here to see how many different ways the zombie (who drove a tow truck before he got into zombieism by way of creepy voodoo ritualism) can use his tow truck to kill a screaming, writhing coed. Turns out there are lots of different ways.\nBut enough exposition. Let's get down to the facts.\nFact: this movie is basically a recycled version of every second-rate "kill the teenagers" movie Dimension Films, its parent company, has ever produced.\nFact: it arrived with stunningly little fanfare and a limited release. And that probably had something to do with the exploitation of bayou folklore to make a mediocre horror flick coinciding with one of the largest natural disasters to ever affect the United States occurring in, of all places, Louisiana. \nFact: despite its obvious shortcomings, the film does have a few scares. It goes through gallons of fake blood, and puts some effort into whittling down the cast in inventive ways. So you can't say they weren't trying.\nAnd fact: when you consider everything, this movie still isn't anything you'll remember after you leave the theater. You've seen it before. So don't see it again.
(09/22/05 1:32am)
There is a reason that "Venom" is only playing in one theater in the Indianapolis metropolitan area. And I bet you know what that reason is.\nIt's kind of lame. Surprise! \nDirected by Jim Gillespie, "Venom" follows half a dozen teenagers through the Louisiana bayou as they're individually mutilated by a redneck zombie who is chock-full of evil voodoo snakes -- which is about as good as it sounds, actually.\nAnyone going to see this can't honestly expect anything more than the film delivers. So I don't imagine it will disappoint anyone. While it's nothing more than another teenage slasher flick, it meets the requirements of that particular genre well. It gives us a short list of characters. The audience quickly identifies who will and won't die, and then goes about dispatching the unlucky and stupid ones. \nThe movie obviously knows its limited range, and consequently doesn't go for fifteen minutes without a violent death. It skimps on back story and setting, making do with only what the camera can visually provide. And therefore, the cast is nameless and faceless, and their characters are bland. But again, that's not really what we're here for, now is it?\nWe're here to see a barely-used Method Man prove to us, once and for all, that he should stick to the rap game (and catch the sharp end of a crow bar with his neck). And we're also here to see how many different ways the zombie (who drove a tow truck before he got into zombieism by way of creepy voodoo ritualism) can use his tow truck to kill a screaming, writhing coed. Turns out there are lots of different ways.\nBut enough exposition. Let's get down to the facts.\nFact: this movie is basically a recycled version of every second-rate "kill the teenagers" movie Dimension Films, its parent company, has ever produced.\nFact: it arrived with stunningly little fanfare and a limited release. And that probably had something to do with the exploitation of bayou folklore to make a mediocre horror flick coinciding with one of the largest natural disasters to ever affect the United States occurring in, of all places, Louisiana. \nFact: despite its obvious shortcomings, the film does have a few scares. It goes through gallons of fake blood, and puts some effort into whittling down the cast in inventive ways. So you can't say they weren't trying.\nAnd fact: when you consider everything, this movie still isn't anything you'll remember after you leave the theater. You've seen it before. So don't see it again.
(09/08/05 4:00am)
In the mid-50s, science fiction writer Ray Bradbury penned an intriguing little story about theoretical time travel. It was called "A Sound of Thunder," and it asked: if human visitors from the future were to alter the ancient past, what repercussions might that have on their present? That sounds like an interesting idea for a story, doesn't it?\nI haven't read the story, but I've got five bucks that says it's a helluva lot better than the film released by the same name. Opening last week, "A Sound of Thunder" stars Edward Burns, Ben Kingsley's wig and some really bad CGI.\nThe movie is based around the above premise. A venture capitalist (Kingsley) somehow obtains the patents for a newly invented time machine and uses it to send people to a real life Jurassic Park where they finish off a half-dead allosaur. The same scene is played out repeatedly, with scout Travis Ryer (Burns) leading wealthy customers through the motions. \nAnyway, on one of these million dollar carnival rides, some jerk steps on a bug and causes plant and animal life to change substantially and violently back home. \nUnintentional hilarity ensues. \nGiant baboon/komodo dragon hybrids live in the park. There's a big ol' eel in the flooded subway. Ben Kingsley's soul patch starts getting more screen time. The future isn't certain if you change the past. This could be the end of human life as we know it, so it's up to Edward Burns to save the day. \nThere's your story. But the problem is in the execution: \n• The cast, collectively, is barely paying attention. I imagine it was a joyless set. And there can be no other reason why Kingsley got on board for this other than the paycheck.\n• It isn't very sharp. The movie puts its stock in its visual effects, and is doomed to rise and fall on their merits. One look at the ridiculous dinosaur in the opening scenes sets the tone. \n• Something that will further strike viewers is how unbelievable an unbelievable story can be. The fact that Ryer's crack time-traveling team of secondary characters barely raise an eyebrow at the massive environmental changes taking place has got to rub some people the wrong way. I mean, come on! Somebody raise an eyebrow. There are baboon/komodo dragons, for god's sake, and it's your fault.\nIn all fairness, however, there is an outside reason this movie sucked. Apparently, the production company behind it went bankrupt during the post-production of the film, and it was left to rot on a shelf for a few years. There just wasn't any money to polish it up. \nWell, they should have left it on the shelf.
(09/08/05 3:12am)
In the mid-50s, science fiction writer Ray Bradbury penned an intriguing little story about theoretical time travel. It was called "A Sound of Thunder," and it asked: if human visitors from the future were to alter the ancient past, what repercussions might that have on their present? That sounds like an interesting idea for a story, doesn't it?\nI haven't read the story, but I've got five bucks that says it's a helluva lot better than the film released by the same name. Opening last week, "A Sound of Thunder" stars Edward Burns, Ben Kingsley's wig and some really bad CGI.\nThe movie is based around the above premise. A venture capitalist (Kingsley) somehow obtains the patents for a newly invented time machine and uses it to send people to a real life Jurassic Park where they finish off a half-dead allosaur. The same scene is played out repeatedly, with scout Travis Ryer (Burns) leading wealthy customers through the motions. \nAnyway, on one of these million dollar carnival rides, some jerk steps on a bug and causes plant and animal life to change substantially and violently back home. \nUnintentional hilarity ensues. \nGiant baboon/komodo dragon hybrids live in the park. There's a big ol' eel in the flooded subway. Ben Kingsley's soul patch starts getting more screen time. The future isn't certain if you change the past. This could be the end of human life as we know it, so it's up to Edward Burns to save the day. \nThere's your story. But the problem is in the execution: \n• The cast, collectively, is barely paying attention. I imagine it was a joyless set. And there can be no other reason why Kingsley got on board for this other than the paycheck.\n• It isn't very sharp. The movie puts its stock in its visual effects, and is doomed to rise and fall on their merits. One look at the ridiculous dinosaur in the opening scenes sets the tone. \n• Something that will further strike viewers is how unbelievable an unbelievable story can be. The fact that Ryer's crack time-traveling team of secondary characters barely raise an eyebrow at the massive environmental changes taking place has got to rub some people the wrong way. I mean, come on! Somebody raise an eyebrow. There are baboon/komodo dragons, for god's sake, and it's your fault.\nIn all fairness, however, there is an outside reason this movie sucked. Apparently, the production company behind it went bankrupt during the post-production of the film, and it was left to rot on a shelf for a few years. There just wasn't any money to polish it up. \nWell, they should have left it on the shelf.
(09/01/05 5:56am)
As a rule, any movie that headlines Cole Hauser and that guy from ESPN's bad attempt at drama, "Tilt," should be kept at arm's length. But, if you've got a couple hours to kill and you can't find anything better to spend eight bucks on, go see "The Cave." \n"The Cave" is the gripping story of a top-notch cave-diving team led by Jack (Hauser) and his wildcard younger brother Tyler (Eddie Cibrian). They're sent to Romania to explore "the Amazon of underground rivers." Each member of the team has their own special ability: some are able to get a Body Glove logo into any shot necessary, some are able to wear revealing clothing and scale sheer rock faces (thank you, Piper Perabo) and all are able to speak clearly with baseball-sized oxygen pieces in their mouths. Must've taken months of training.\nBut anyway, monsters live in the cave. And when the ceiling collapses behind them and the team is forced to find a new way out, they become a buffet for the monsters. The rest of the movie is formulaic. The first half-hour is driven on some admittedly stunning shots of caverns and submerged tunnels. But after that, you're just waiting for the next person to die.\nThe movie is the directorial debut of Bruce Hunt, who worked on second unit stuff for the Matrix films. To be fair, it's hard to blame him; the film, when not focusing on the plot and instead taking in the scenery, looks good. And the story that combines team of scientists/commandos/whatever vs. giant CGI monster(s) has been beaten into the ground. It's hard to blame the cast, either, because the dialogue is atrocious. At one point, Morris Chestnut's second-in-command actually says "respect the cave." And you have to wonder how many takes it took to get that right before Chestnut stopped laughing. \nBut that's okay, right? It doesn't matter if the story sucks, the lines are lame and the monsters rehashed. At least you'll get to see some ultraviolent death scenes. You'll at least watch a monster truck with teeth eviscerate some tool who hasn't gotten work since "Hart's War." Right? \nWrong, you sociopaths. It's rated PG-13. Everybody gets it in a swirl of bubbles, thrashing water and bad camera angles, and even a plot twist that reveals the monsters aren't as far from humans as they seem can't save the movie in its death throes.\nSo, on second thought, skip "The Cave." If you want to watch a movie about monsters terrorizing people underground, rent "C.H.U.D." instead. It has all the gore for the half the budget, and at least it's got an original name.
(09/01/05 4:00am)
As a rule, any movie that headlines Cole Hauser and that guy from ESPN's bad attempt at drama, "Tilt," should be kept at arm's length. But, if you've got a couple hours to kill and you can't find anything better to spend eight bucks on, go see "The Cave." \n"The Cave" is the gripping story of a top-notch cave-diving team led by Jack (Hauser) and his wildcard younger brother Tyler (Eddie Cibrian). They're sent to Romania to explore "the Amazon of underground rivers." Each member of the team has their own special ability: some are able to get a Body Glove logo into any shot necessary, some are able to wear revealing clothing and scale sheer rock faces (thank you, Piper Perabo) and all are able to speak clearly with baseball-sized oxygen pieces in their mouths. Must've taken months of training.\nBut anyway, monsters live in the cave. And when the ceiling collapses behind them and the team is forced to find a new way out, they become a buffet for the monsters. The rest of the movie is formulaic. The first half-hour is driven on some admittedly stunning shots of caverns and submerged tunnels. But after that, you're just waiting for the next person to die.\nThe movie is the directorial debut of Bruce Hunt, who worked on second unit stuff for the Matrix films. To be fair, it's hard to blame him; the film, when not focusing on the plot and instead taking in the scenery, looks good. And the story that combines team of scientists/commandos/whatever vs. giant CGI monster(s) has been beaten into the ground. It's hard to blame the cast, either, because the dialogue is atrocious. At one point, Morris Chestnut's second-in-command actually says "respect the cave." And you have to wonder how many takes it took to get that right before Chestnut stopped laughing. \nBut that's okay, right? It doesn't matter if the story sucks, the lines are lame and the monsters rehashed. At least you'll get to see some ultraviolent death scenes. You'll at least watch a monster truck with teeth eviscerate some tool who hasn't gotten work since "Hart's War." Right? \nWrong, you sociopaths. It's rated PG-13. Everybody gets it in a swirl of bubbles, thrashing water and bad camera angles, and even a plot twist that reveals the monsters aren't as far from humans as they seem can't save the movie in its death throes.\nSo, on second thought, skip "The Cave." If you want to watch a movie about monsters terrorizing people underground, rent "C.H.U.D." instead. It has all the gore for the half the budget, and at least it's got an original name.
(08/31/05 5:08am)
The use of bathroom paraphernalia is an odd way of making a point. So when a campus organization ordered nearly 600 urinal screens displaying anti-rape messages, the production factory thought it was a prank.\n"We had to show proof that we were university-affiliated," said Carol McCord, assistant dean in the Office of Women's Affairs. \nNow, in most men's bathrooms across campus, specially-made men's urinal screens bear the message, "You hold in your hand the power to stop sexual assault." The group responsible for the screens, Raising Awareness of Interactions in Sexual Encounters (RAISE), sees them as a way to bring attention to a necessary subject.\n"We've had posters for years, and they aren't bringing up quite the level of interest," McCord said, explaining why urinal screens were used. RAISE works out of the Office of Women's Affairs. \nSexual prevention techniques in the past have been directed mostly toward women, McCord said. This campaign aims to focus on the main perpetrators of rape: men.\nBut a statement released by the Office of Women's Affairs noted the purpose of the urinal screen campaign was not to accuse men of being rapists.\n"(Informing) men about preventing assault does not mean that all men will be perpetrators any more than information to women indicates that all women will be victimized," the statement reads.\nWhile the manner in which the message is facilitated might strike some as offensive, Dean of Students Richard McKaig said he hasn't heard any complaints. He adds that anything that makes people talk about rape prevention is a good thing.\nIU alumnus Matt Donovan, who works with RAISE, said the project was launched to generate discussion.\n"We need to keep talking about (rape), so that we communicate that it's not acceptable," Donovan said.\nThe Office of Women's Affairs statement concurred with Donovan, saying most men recognize that sexual violence is intolerable and should reach out to challenge the few who don't.\nAccording to statistics available on the IU Police Department Web site, the number of rapes that have occurred on campus in the last few years has notably declined. Eleven were reported in 2002, six in 2003 and three in 2004.\n"Do we think it will probably reduce the amount of rape on campus? I'm not sure," Donovan said. "But if nothing else, it will keep the conversation where it needs to be."\nTo learn more about RAISE and the programs it sponsors, visit http://www.indiana.edu/~owa/raise.shtml.
(08/30/05 7:46am)
Bloomington police arrested a man early Sunday morning on the charges of battery with severe bodily injury, three counts of misdemeanor battery, two counts of criminal mischief, disorderly conduct and illegal consumption.\nAccording to police, David J. Herman, 20, of East 16th Street, approached a man as he stood in the bar parking lot, put his arm around his waist and commented on his appearance. He then grabbed the man's crotch, causing the victim to push him away. Herman began punching him, and a large fight broke out involving up to 20 people.\nDuring the course of the fight, multiple vehicles in the lot were damaged, and Herman broke a bottle over the original victim's head, causing a cut, according to Bloomington Police Department reports.\n IU student arrested on charge of attempted theft \nThe Bloomington Police Department arrested an IU student Saturday night on the charge of attempted theft of a vehicle.\nAccording to police reports, Lance Bennett of 455 N. College Ave., entered a running Jeep Cherokee in the parking lot of Taco Bell at Seventh and Walnut Streets and drove it into the parking garage across Walnut. The owner of the vehicle, who had been inside ordering food, saw the car enter the garage, and followed on foot. He found Bennett inside the car, and after an altercation, both were detained by security officers until police arrived.\nAfter questioning, Bennett said a friend asked him to pick up his car in the Taco Bell lot, and that he had mistakenly taken the Cherokee. Upon further questioning, Bennett admitted no friend had called him, and claimed he recognized it as his friend's car and had taken it as a joke, according to police reports. Bennett was subsequently arrested, however, when the owner's cell phone, checkbook and stereo remote control were found in Bennett's pockets.
(08/26/05 5:52am)
Just in time for the advent of the fall semester, everyone's favorite online yearbook and social network and has undergone a revamping. \nThefacebook.com re-launched last week with a new layout and page design. The new look, intending to give the site a "less cluttered" look, according to a statement from the Web site's founder, Mark Zuckerberg, is in response to its skyrocketing popularity. Other changes include the acquisition of the domain name Facebook.com (eliminating "the") and more in-depth search options. \n"They made it look a lot cleaner," said sophomore Michelle McIntyre, co-president of the Facebook group, Facebook Addicts Anonymous. "But I'm just a little bit of a neat freak."\nThe other half of the group's presidential duo, sophomore Meg Zuzolo, agreed.\n"To be completely honest, I like it. They got rid of some of the unnecessary things like away message stuff." Facebook was founded in February 2004 by Zuckerberg and a few colleagues at Harvard University. Within a few months, half of the university's student population had joined the Web site, and Facebook began to branch out to other colleges. Now, 18 months later, there are 3.4 million registered users in the United States, according to a recent Facebook press release, and the Web site expects the number to double by the end of the year. It has created such a buzz that it has picked up sponsorships from companies such as MasterCard, Electronic Arts and Victoria's Secret. \n"It looks a little sleeker, but I don't know," said senior Pat Ellison. "I'm not very impressed. They didn't do much to change it."\nBut Ellison is impressed with the sheer volume of traffic the Facebook receives.\n"It's ridiculous. Everyone checks it," Ellison said. "I think that it should be a requirement of incoming freshmen to join. Honestly, it's such a great social tool. You can contact almost anyone at school from it."\nWhen asked if she considered the Web site a necessity and requirement for newly arrived students, Zuzolo wavered. \n"I don't know about that," she laughed. "But it is something to have fun with. Everyone and their mother is on it."\nAnd there can be no arguing with the social opportunities afforded to the Facebook's many users. \n"My next-door neighbor met a guy she's interested in through the Facebook," admitted McIntyre.
(07/28/05 6:00am)
Late afternoon, Monday: The temperature, by conservative estimates, is in the high 90s, and when humidity is factored in, it feels like much more. \nIn the show arena on the Monroe County Fairgrounds, the swine breeding show is about to begin. The crowd is starting to fill out the grandstands, giving them shape. Local politicians walk up and down aisles, handing out fans with their names and faces on them, taking advantage of the oppressive heat to get the word out for the upcoming elections.\nAnd while the heat may now be finally letting up, the Monroe County Fair is showing no signs of slowing down.\nBeginning last Saturday and continuing on through this Saturday, community residents are gathering on Airport Road west of Bloomington to carry on an annual American tradition: the county fair.\nJust outside the arena, vendors stay behind fans and in the shade to beat the heat.\n"This a world-class fair," said Judson Holmes, proprietor and operator of Holmes Catfish stand at the event. "I've been to a lot of fairs, and it's one of the best fairs in Indiana. It's Cadillac. It's the Cadillac of county fairs."\nSo what does Holmes think of the weather?\n"These days have been extremely tough. Heat with humidity, it's tough," he says. "But these crowds will be astronomical. Tonight the midway will be full of people."\nAnd he's right. As the sun begins to set into the horizon, people do begin to arrive. It could be any number of things that draws in the throngs of fairgoers: the smell of carnival fare food like elephant ears and funnel cakes -- which are actually two distinct specialties -- or, even more enticing, the bright glow of the midway, with screeching, rumbling and hair raising temptations like "the Fireball," "Pharaoh's Fury" and "the Wipeout." Whatever it is, they come in droves.\nThe carnival midway, of course, isn't the only draw. A bevy of attractions are held away from the blinking lights and carnival barkers. On Thursday evening, for instance, the Bloomington Brass Band will be performing; Friday afternoon there will be a dog agility show, and Saturday night will see the mother of all demolition derbies held in the grounds' Grandstand Arena.\nBut of course, no fair would be complete without the livestock shows. The kids who raise these animals and bring them to show work hard to prepare for the fair and as a result, their knowledge of their animals continues to expand.\nSarah Foley counts the different classes on her fingers as she stands in the rabbit and poultry barn, surrounded by crowing roosters and gobbling turkeys.\n"There's water fowl, large fowl, turkeys, bantams, meat producing and egg producing," said the 11-year-old, an entrant in the poultry open show and the daughter of Assistant Professor John Foley in the IU School of Medicine. \n"We have some pretty good birds," Sarah Foley said.\nThis is the fourth year she's participated, and she's decided to move up from the 4H judging into the open class poultry judging, where anyone with a bird they are interested in showing may do so. \n"Since I've gotten grand champions before, this year I'm not going to compete in the 4H show. I'm going to give people like Levi a chance," Sarah Foley said, motioning to fellow competitor Levi Elgar, 10. Earlier in the day, he roped in two grand champion awards and a first place with a stellar pair of black Ameraucanas.\nLivestock judging will continue through Friday, and those interested would be well advised to go down and take a peek. The fair officially opens at noon, and admission includes access to carnival rides and auditorium and grandstand seating. \n"It's an excuse to bump into old friends and catch up," said fairgoer April Day. "And besides, it's fun for the kids"
(07/28/05 6:00am)
The space shuttle Discovery soared into orbit Tuesday, and with it rode the renewed hopes, aspirations and confidence of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.\n"It seemed to go well," said Professor Catherine Pilachowski of the IU Astronomy Department. "From an astronomy point of view, what's exciting is it shows NASA is ready to return to flight. And it may mean it might be possible to think about a Hubble repair mission," she said, referring to the ailing space telescope in orbit around the earth.\nThe launch has been called an emotional watershed for NASA, as it is the first manned space flight in the two-and-a-half years since the Columbia disaster. All seven astronauts aboard that shuttle were killed Feb 1, 2003 when the orbiter, its heat shield damaged by launch debris, disintegrated upon reentry over Texas. According to the Associated Press, a sizable chunk of foam insulation ripped off Discovery's fuel tank during Tuesday's liftoff. NASA officials said the accident does not pose a risk to the astronauts, although future space flights will be grounded until the risky foam problem is resolved.\nThe successful launch of this crew, therefore, was deemed especially important -- a mental hurdle for the NASA space flight team to overcome. \n"As difficult as the (Columbia) accident was, I think the accident has given all of us a sense of purpose and that helps us all in dealing with the loss," NASA astronaut Nicholas Patrick told SPACE.com. "Instead of shutting down the space program, which might have happened, we've taken the lessons learned from Columbia and applied them to the shuttle as well as the next vehicle."\nPilachowski shared similar sentiments.\n"We're looking at a new era for NASA. (The shuttle) is old technology, and it is not the future, but there is still plenty to be learned from it. There are exciting times ahead for space flight," she said.\nThe launch comes only days after congress passed the NASA Authorization Act of 2005, which, among other things, endorses President Bush's Vision for Space Exploration. \nThe Vision for Space Exploration, announced by President Bush in January of 2004, seeks to complete construction of the International Space Station by 2010, return man to the Moon by 2020, and send future unmanned and manned visits to Mars. The bill recently passed in congress with overwhelming support, receiving 383 to 15.\nMike Pritchett, president of the Stonebelt Stargazers Astronomy Club of Bedford, was pleased with the vote.\n"I think it's great they got the program back on track again," he said. "The naysayers say we spend too much money on NASA, but we benefit every day from the space program. Get on a Web site and run a search for technologies developed by the space program. You're MRIs, your CAT scans, all come from there."\nWhen asked about the launch of the Discovery and the significance it has for the American scientific community, he grew more somber.\n"It's been a tense time for everyone. It's also a risk that everyone knew was there, and was willing to take," he said, referring back to the Columbia. "...The benefits are great enough that they will outweigh the costs. But it's another step forward.
(07/25/05 2:22am)
Mostly following party lines, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 257-171 to renew the USA Patriot Act last Thursday. \nThe Act, which has been described by President Bush in a statement as "a key part of our efforts to combat terrorism and protect the American people," was introduced and voted into law almost unanimously after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in Washington and New York. \nWith the law set to expire at the end of the year and at the behest of the administration to renew it, the House voted to make 14 of the Act's 16 provisions permanent. The two more controversial provisions, which deal with roving wiretaps and secret searches of individual library and medical records, were recommended 10-year "sunset clauses," which means that in that time they will expire and be reviewed again. \nIn Bloomington, reaction to the Act's renewal was mixed. \n"I'm very pleased that the House has voted to extend the Patriot Act," said Julia Aud, press secretary of the IU College Republicans. "I truly believe it has been fundamental in preventing terrorist attacks on U.S. soil."\nCivil rights organizations from both sides of the isle have expressed concerns over the possible erosion of civil liberties and the increase of government intrusion into the private sphere. However, Aud contends this is not the Act's intent, and that the average citizen is not targeted by it.\n"The objective of the Act is not to violate the public's rights, but rather to monitor any suspicious activity that could lead to any deadly attacks," she said.\n"While some of these measures may seem sort of extreme, they are designed to keep Americans safe by intercepting communications that are related to terrorists. ... If federal intelligence has enough cause to suspect an individual of involvement in terrorism, there is nothing unreasonable about a thorough investigation."\nCity Councilman Chris Sturbaum, who was on the council two years ago when it passed a resolution in open opposition to the Patriot Act, suggested its renewal was a step in the wrong direction.\n"We have to be careful," he said. "If we're going to lose our democracy, this is how it's going to happen."\nProfessor Jeffrey Hart of the IU political science department also voiced concerns over the renewal. \n"Our country has experienced previous periods of overzealous law enforcement that seriously abridged individual rights and freedoms," Hart said in an e-mail. "The Supreme Court has been very careful not to give too much power to the police, as in its series of decisions about random drug searches, and my guess is that there will be similar challenges eventually to the renewed Patriot Act if and when the law enforcers actually start to use their new powers." \nThe vote came on the heels of recent terror bombings in London, which if anything was a symbol to its supporters of the existing threat of radical terrorism, and the need to keep the Act in place. However, Councilman Sturbaum feels that the existence of the Patriot Act has little effect on national security.\n"The way we'll be safe isn't going to be from Acts like this but as a reflection of the way we behave internationally," he said. "We need to behave in a moral fashion and treat others as we would like to be treated. I'm afraid that's not what we're up to"