Region

U.S. command confirms 3,700 troops to be sent to Baghdad to try to stop violence

By Abdullah AlShihri and Ryan Lenz · Sunday, July 30,2006 11:38 p.m.

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- The U.S. command announced Saturday that it was sending 3,700 troops to Baghdad to try to quell the sectarian violence sweeping the capital, and a U.S. official said more American soldiers would follow as the military gears up to take the streets from gunmen.

30 Taliban killed in Afghanistan as NATO readies for command in South

By Abdullah AlShihri and Matthew Pennington · Sunday, July 30,2006 11:37 p.m.

KABUL, Afghanistan -- U.S.-led coalition forces and Afghan police killed 20 suspected Taliban in the latest fighting to hit southern Afghanistan, as NATO on Sunday prepared to take command in the insurgency-wracked region.

Israeli missile strike in Lebanon kills more than 50

By Abdullah AlShihri and Kathy Gannon · Sunday, July 30,2006 11:36 p.m.

QANA, Lebanon -- Israeli missiles hit several buildings in a southern Lebanon village as people slept Sunday, killing at least 56, most of them children, in the deadliest attack in 19 days of fighting.

Fourth shooting reported in Northern Indiana

By Alexandra R. Moses · Sunday, July 30,2006 11:33 p.m.

HAMMOND -- Another motorist reported a shattered window Friday a short distance from where a truck driver said the day before that he believed his window had been shot out.

Local ISP going offline

By Joseph S. Pete · Sunday, July 30,2006 11:33 p.m.

Local Internet service provider HoosierNet will shut down Sept. 1.

Mediated conflict, reformed communities

By David A. Nosko · Sunday, July 30,2006 11:32 p.m.

Reducing crime is often a key aspect to maintaining a safe and civil community, but offenders are often thought to violate state or federal laws at the expense of the victims involved.

Perception of tap water changing

By Ab D. Phillip and Ikwo Ibiam · Sunday, July 30,2006 11:28 p.m.

PROVO, Utah -- It's cheap, it's less than lukewarm and available in abundance.

Experts: Lens solution still a risk

By Ab D. Phillip and Kelsey Beltramea · Sunday, July 30,2006 11:28 p.m.

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- People still using the ReNu with MoistureLoc contact-lens solution need to stop, Kenneth Goins, a University of Iowa clinical associate professor of ophthalmology, said Thursday.

Provost honored for development of Internet network

By Ab D. Phillip · Sunday, July 30,2006 11:27 p.m.

IU Interim Provost Michael McRobbie has been honored at a ceremony in Singapore for his role as a founder of the Asia Pacific Advanced Network, a high-performance broadband network supporting research and the educational community across the Asia-Pacific region, according to a press release.

HPER to close 1 of 2 Women's locker rooms

By Michelle Manchir · Sunday, July 30,2006 11:26 p.m.

Women who use the exercise facilities at the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation building will all use the same locker room starting Aug. 11, as the locker room located adjacent to the basketball courts -- one of two currently open for women -- will close for remodeling.

Puzzle gifts arrive at IU

By Julie Mahomed · Sunday, July 30,2006 11:26 p.m.

Puzzle enthusiast and author Jerry Slocum has donated his immense puzzle collection to IU's Lilly Library.

Fight results in arrests for assault

By Trevor brown · Sunday, July 30,2006 11:25 p.m.

IU Police Department officers made two arrests Friday after a fight involving multiple people began in Bear's Place Ale House and Eatery, said IUPD Lt. Jerry Minger, reading from the police report.

Undergrads visit D.C. to lobby Congress

By Trevor brown · Sunday, July 30,2006 11:25 p.m.

While many see politics as an abstract process where their elected representatives cannot directly hear their constituency's concerns and opinions, three IU students recently contradicted this when they were given the opportunity to visit Washington to lobby congress to support funding for the National Science Foundation, which supports several IU programs in math and sciences.

Eye clinic gets new home

By Ab D. Phillip · Sunday, July 30,2006 11:24 p.m.

A $1 million facility has been granted by the Mexican government to house a clinic for the IU School of Optometry in the region.

NCAA 07 Xbox 360

By Alyson Brodsy and Chris Freiberg · Thursday, July 27,2006 2:07 p.m.

NCAA 07 on the Xbox 360 is the hot drunk girl you pick up tailgating outside Memorial Stadium. Yeah she's fun for a night, maybe two, but what kind of future are you two really going to have? Where's the depth? The personality? This game is missing a lot of features present in the current gen version, like Race for the Heisman and Campus Challenge that while not necessary for a college game, at least give you more bang for your buck. There are three mini games available in this version (bowling is especially addictive), but you'll probably get tired of them after you get the achievement points from beating them. At least the action on the field doesn't disappoint with tight AI that will smoke you if you don't know your playbook.

Not quite gravity defying

By Alyson Brodsy and Jeff O'Reilly · Thursday, July 27,2006 12 a.m.

In an interview with Ozric video jockey and lighting director Peter Berdovsky, Berdovsky told me one of the most important things he's learned from touring with the Ozric Tentacles is to change one's socks. Frequently. This bit of podiatric wisdom seems to aptly apply when documenting the evolution of Englishman Ed Wynne's psytrance rock outfit. For the better half of their 20-year history, the band has changed lineups as often as Berdovsky changes socks. The only constant in the equation has been Wynne, and the Ozric's 20+ albums reflect this. The Floor's Too Far Away finds the current incarnation of the Ozrics revisiting the already charted outer limits of electronic prog-rock, with their trademark Goa grooves and mastery of their respective instruments. Deliver something new it does not, but it certainly is a testament to Wynne's mastery of psychedelia.

Old for his age

By Alyson Brodsy and David A. Nosko · Thursday, July 27,2006 12 a.m.

In the children's game of hopscotch a picture with several sections is scribbled onto the ground. Each player then takes turns tossing a rock to each section, jumping to the section on one leg, picking up the rock and tossing it onto the next section; so and so forth until one player completes the picture. As is the hopscotch life of folk musician Mike Younger, hopping from town to town on his 11 city tour. Younger is set to rock and roll Bloomington audiences Saturday, July 29 at 7 p.m. atop the Buskirk-Chumley Theater stage. Following the release of his second album, "Every Stone You Throw," Younger's trip to B-town is the second to last of the tour which has included his jamming at several clubs and on-air radio shows.

I am ready for some football

By Alyson Brodsy and K. A. MacDonald · Thursday, July 27,2006 12 a.m.

There are two times each year when the credit card comes out without hesitation. At Christmas time, the latest version of "World Wide Soccer Manager" (formerly "Championship Manager") is released and in the dog days of summer, "NCAA Football" fills that need we have been feeling since 10 minutes after the Super Bowl ended. The 2007 version of "NCAA Football" is the best one yet. I know, I know, people say that every year, but then after a few days of playing, money plays are found and holes in the A.I. are exposed. But I think this time EA has actually fixed last year's problems, added new features and not broken anything. The biggest gameplay change from last year is the kicking meter. It is no longer a sure bet on a 50+ yarder. Even with a bit of practice, I can't consistently kick field goals longer than 35 yards. Oh, wait…either can most college kickers.

Get these snakes off my plane!!

By Alyson Brodsy and Bethany Bannister-Andrews · Thursday, July 27,2006 12 a.m.

Buckle your seat belts ladies and gentlemen. There are snakes on this plane. Yet this is no ordinary snake-filled plane -- this is an airplane flying from Hawaii to Los Angeles with a ton of poisonous snakes, there to kill a mob witness and everyone on board. Unless federal agent Samuel L. Jackson, the owner of "motherfucking" movie lines, has his way. This upcoming movie, "Snakes on a Plane," hits theaters across the country August 18, with the first official teaser trailer premiering before X-Men 3: The Last Stand in May. Like many summer blockbusters, the anticipation leading up to its release is high, yet this film has a particularly unique following. It's rare that a movie like SoaP received such extensive parody before its release, and even before its official publicity started. Cult films like "Evil Dead," "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" and "Reefer Madness" didn't have massive amounts of followers until after their release, often years later. The "Star Wars" movies, particularly the original trilogy, and "Star Trek," in all its incarnations, have a dedicated fan culture that developed once audiences filled the theaters on and after opening day.

More filth than fun

By Alyson Brodsy and Chris Grenn · Thursday, July 27,2006 12 a.m.

Who is the artist known as Peaches? She's got a mouth like a Red Fox record. She's honed minimal beats in the vein of Kraftwerk. She's a girl power rocker influenced by Joan Jett (we'll come back to her later). She's dirtier than Lil' Kim and Missy Elliot. The PMRC would have a heart attack if they heard this. Is it punk or disco, electronica or rap? Well, it's all of the above. Peaches brings the trashiness with her new album, Impeach My Bush. Sexual innuendo is included. It's always good to start a record off with the f-word. "Fuck or Kill" is a short punk anthem against our president with a sexual twist (or is it the other way around?). Things move right into a dance floor shaker. Straight up dirty synth and hand claps, "Tent In Your Pants" is basically raunchy electroclash trash.