Region

Dugdale matures with latest piece

By Abra Oliver and Dave Klein · Thursday, April 12,2007 12 a.m.

Most of the times I find Colin Dugdale’s column incredibly juvenile and silly (a typical Dugdale column can be paraphrased as follows: “I’m gay! Here’s a penis joke. By the way, I’m gay. My penis is gay, too. Penis joke.”). His April 5 column, “Man pickles,” represented quite a remarkable maturation of Mr. Dugdale’s typical formula. Yes, he still used his shtick of homosexuality and penis jokes, but he did so in a refreshingly mature way (if a penis joke can be considered “mature,” that is) and found the right balance of comedy and heartwarming anecdote. After finishing today’s column, I found myself thinking, “Well done, Colin! Why aren’t all your columns like this?” Here’s to hoping this trend continues in his future work. Dave Klein Graduate student

Just TurnItIn

By Edward Delp · Thursday, April 12,2007 12 a.m.

Four teenagers from McLean High School in Virginia have filed suit against anti-plagiarism Web site TurnItIn.com. The basis for their suit? The students claim their homework papers are personal work products that deserves the same copyright protections most authors enjoy.

Culture Shock '07

By Ryan Corazza and Zack Teibloom · Thursday, April 12,2007 12 a.m.

Seniors Zach Pollakoff and Brian Kerr remember a scarcely attended Culture Shock from two years ago. Only six or seven dedicated concertgoers made it to the headlining band playing behind the radio station. Pollakoff says Culture Shock wasn't nearly as good in the past because it was full of bands he didn't want to see, but both he and Kerr said they are excited to see every band on the lineup this year. Major improvements last year saw a big increase as an estimated 1,000 fans filled Dunn Meadow and this year looks to expand even more as Culture Shock expands into a new venue filled with national acts, adds an indoor after party and delivers a day filled with music for free.

Almodovar returns

By Jacob Stewart , Olivia Morales and Jake Stewart · Thursday, April 12,2007 12 a.m.

"Volver" is a Spanish word that literally means "to return" but is used here to mean "coming back." Indeed, this whole film is a kind of coming back for its makers; Pedro Almodovar returns to his roots as a man of La Mancha, and Penelope Cruz returns to the cinema of her origin where she is obviously most at home. Almodovar's films are often lively, celebratory visions of the world. He is noted for his liberal use of the color red and his subtle object metaphors that give silent clues to the motivations of his characters. (Watch for Cruz's use of knives.) Perhaps most importantly, he is known for his deep, empathetic understanding of women.

Student calls Peace Corps ‘life-changing’

By Heather Haemker · Thursday, April 12,2007 12 a.m.

When Brett Kuhnert was a Peace Corps volunteer, he was assigned to a remote area of Morocco with no running water or electricity. But the village did have satellite TV, so he was able to watch “The Jerry Springer Show” in French. Still, Kuhnert said the trip was one of the greatest experiences of his life. Kuhnert, who is now IU’s Peace Corps campus representative, led a panel Tuesday night to give students more information on volunteering with the organization.

ACC to demonstrate hula dance

By Vivian Huang · Thursday, April 12,2007 12 a.m.

The Asian Culture Center will inspire aloha spirit and teach hula moves this Friday from 5 to 6:30 p.m. as part of ACC’s Asian Cultures Around Campus program. The hula lesson will feature Carol Reynolds and guest Ed Hiram, both native Hawaiians, demonstrating Hawaii’s native dance. Hula is best known today as a dance usually performed at luaus and celebrations. But the hula was originally performed as a religious ceremony to honor and worship Hawaiian gods such as Pele, the goddess of volcanoes. “Hula is the folkdance of the Hawaiian people,” Reynolds said.

Columnist has bright future ahead

By Abra Oliver and John T. Stuckey · Thursday, April 12,2007 12 a.m.

In response to “Analysis: IU building should not be named after a racist,” April 10: This was an extraordinarily well-written and compelling column. I had no idea of the history behind this story. I find it impossible not to agree with the writer. Andrew Shaffer has quite a future ahead of him. Good luck in the effort. John T. Stuckey Alumnus

Better concept than album

By Chris Freiberg and Megan Robb · Thursday, April 12,2007 12 a.m.

I want terrible things to happen to Trent Reznor. It's not that I have anything against the man. In fact, he's one of my favorite artists, but he clearly does his best work when he's incredibly depressed and abusing drugs to excesses that would make Keith Richards blush. Year Zero marks the second Nine Inch Nails album since Reznor has gone sober, and much like 2005's With Teeth, it's a fine album but fails to live up to the high quality of his earlier work.

Around the World

By Abisalom Omolo · Thursday, April 12,2007 12 a.m.

The operator of a cruise ship that struck a reef and sank off a popular Mediterranean resort, leaving two people missing, said Wednesday that human error was to blame.

Woman writes English translation of Quran

Thursday, April 12,2007 12 a.m.

CHICAGO – One of the first English translations of the Quran written by a Muslim woman is expected to hit bookstores next week.

MSNBC drops Imus simulcast for Rutgers team comments

By Aaron Beard and David Crary · Thursday, April 12,2007 12 a.m.

NEW YORK – MSNBC said Wednesday it will drop its simulcast of the “Imus in the Morning” radio program, responding to growing outrage about the radio host’s racial slur against the Rutgers women’s basketball team.

Pentagon to lengthen troop duty

By Abisalom Omolo and Pauline Jelinek · Thursday, April 12,2007 12 a.m.

WASHINGTON – The Pentagon will lengthen tours of duty for all active-duty Army units in Iraq to 15 months from the current 12 months as the military struggles to supply enough troops for the conflict, two defense officials said Wednesday.

Sampson inks 6th recruit for next season

By Aaron Beard · Thursday, April 12,2007 12 a.m.

The IU men’s basketball team added another player to its already illustrious 2007 recruiting class. Chicago native DeAndre Thomas – a 6-foot-8, 295-pound forward from Chipola Junior College in Florida – signed his national letter of intent to play for the Hoosiers next season, IU coach Kelvin Sampson announced Wednesday afternoon.

Not-so-starving Artists

By Annysa LaMantia and Anyssa LaMantia · Thursday, April 12,2007 12 a.m.

While some work “McJobs” just to stay in school, others find ways of using what they’re passionate about to further their careers and fatten their bank accounts before diploma time. The following five students are just a few of the many young go-getters on campus using their artistic skills to pay the bills.

Group works to help Kenyan orphans

By Meghan Lucas · Thursday, April 12,2007 12 a.m.

To many, 11 million might seem an abstraction, simply a number written on a page. But in sub-Saharan Africa, this number – how many children, as of 2001, who had lost one or both of their parents to AIDS – is a harsh reality. And according to a 2006 UNICEF report, by 2010 the number of children in the region orphaned by AIDS is expected to reach 42 million. But turning stark statistics into a unified mission, one group on campus has made it its passion to help these orphaned children and to provide a beam of hope from an ocean away. The Daraja Children’s Project-Kenya was started last year as an organization focused on providing a dependable bridge between donors and programs that support Kenyan children. According to the National AIDS Control Council, Kenya, a country where about 7 percent of adults have HIV, has a growing number of orphans since an estimated 150,000 people there each year die of HIV/AIDS.

How Dio killed Sabbath

By Chris Green · Thursday, April 12,2007 12 a.m.

Believe it or not, there was a time when Black Sabbath was Ozzy-less and Ozzy just kind of sucked on his own. Ronnie James Dio is the more popular replacement out of the seven different singers Black Sabbath has had from the beginning until now. The Dio Years includes 13 tracks from those years, along with three new ones recorded by the Dio-led Sabbath. It's still Sabbath, but a little cheesier.

Proceeds from 'Pizza Mania' to benefit former IU staffer

By Kevin Pozzi · Thursday, April 12,2007 12 a.m.

Dunn Meadow will feature an all-you-can-eat pizza event, called “Pizza Mania,” from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Friday. But the event is more than just a friendly competition for local pizzerias looking to hook hungry students. It’s a way to help one family in immediate need and many families in constant need.

Sports journalist says ‘gutsy, opinionated’ writing to be valued

By Casey Baksa · Thursday, April 12,2007 12 a.m.

For Frank Deford, sports is a form of art. “When we look back on the 20th century, why shouldn’t the moves of Jordan be remembered with the characters of Fitzgerald and the sounds of Gershwin?” he asked a crowd on Wednesday night.

Vision of love

By Colin Dugdale · Thursday, April 12,2007 12 a.m.

Hmm, ESPN or Cosmopolitan? Decisions, decisions. In every doctor’s waiting room, there are two types of magazines – one for heterosexual men, the other for heterosexual women. It is at this literary crossroad that homos like me are left biting their nails in nervous contemplation, bloodying the cuticles of otherwise beautiful jazz hands.

Slumber party with Lindsay Lohan and Fergie

By Michael Mellini , David Mercer and Jake Stewart · Thursday, April 12,2007 12 a.m.

Being the great son that I am, I headed back home last weekend to spend Easter with the fam, only to find out I'd be spending the weekend alone. Of all my friends from home, only one opted to make the trip back. And when I called her to see what she was doing, I was notified that she'd be spending her whole Friday night watching her recently purchased "The Complete First Season of Beverly Hills 90210." Sounded good enough to me, I had nothing else to do, but halfway through the night hanging out at the Peach Pit just wasn't cutting it for me. Maybe I couldn't handle that not one seemingly hot rich person didn't have some sort of hidden demons or those disgusting insanely patterned sweaters they loved so much or how awkward Tori Spelling looked back in her teens or how frustrated I got when Brenda couldn't locate Dylan at a hotel (come on, even Zack Morris had a cell phone). I took off early, but wasn't ready to call it a night. I knew there was no chance of any human contact, and suddenly it hit me -- a way to contact my celebrity friends I'd never even thought of before: MySpace. Everyone's on MySpace these days, surely my favorite celebrity friends would be, too. I put my pajamas on, pulled out my laptop and got in bed to have a slumber party with my friends.