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By Alyson Brodsy · Thursday, Oct. 7,2004 12:25 a.m.

Columbus council votes down proposed smoking ban COLUMBUS, Ind. -- The City Council rejected a proposed ban on smoking in most public places, surprising the mayor, Fred Armstrong, who said he planned to continue pushing for the measure.

Adviser calls plan to withdraw from Gaza a ploy

By Alyson Brodsy and Karin Laub · Thursday, Oct. 7,2004 12:25 a.m.

JERUSALEM -- The real objective of Ariel Sharon's offer to withdraw from the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank is to freeze Palestinian statehood indefinitely, with U.S. blessing, the prime minister's point man with the Bush administration said in an interview published Wednesday. The Haaretz daily also quoted the adviser, Dov Weisglass, as saying Israel is avoiding negotiations with the Palestinians because it does not want to discuss thorny issues such as the future of Jerusalem and the fate of Palestinian refugees.

Darfurious

By George Lyle IV · Thursday, Oct. 7,2004 12:25 a.m.

I have shoes. Every time I sit around and try to get depressed about situations, I have to force myself to remember the simple fact that I have shoes, and in many colors, too. Blue and brown Air Maxes, grey New Balances, blue old school Pumas and so on. The people in Darfur, Sudan, don't have good shoes. Many of them don't have shoes at all. A good pair of Air Maxes would make their long walks a little easier and might alleviate some of the reason they are walking in the first place.

Umphrey's McGee to perform at benefit concert

By Kathleen Quilligan and Kathleen Quilligen · Thursday, Oct. 7,2004 12:22 a.m.

Standing just inside the Kroger on College Mall Road, graduate student Abby Cooley holds a purple Nalgene bottle covered with stickers that's beginning to fill up with assorted loose change and sets in for a long evening.

It ain't 'Sgt. Pepper,' but what is?

By -Alec Toombs · Thursday, Oct. 7,2004 12 a.m.

It's unlikely that there's ever been a record as eagerly or lengthily anticipated as Brian Wilson's SMiLE, an album almost 40 years in the making. While very much worth the wait, the work itself isn't all it's been cracked up to be.

POP! (without the bubblegum)

By Adam Aasen · Thursday, Oct. 7,2004 12 a.m.

With the billions of dollars being pumped into the music industry every year, it can be tempting for rock bands to alter their style to appeal to the masses. Watching Creed and Evanescence make millions while other bands continue to wait can get to you after awhile. But for The Wrens and The Mendoza Line, two bands who are coming to play the Bluebird this Friday, they've found a way to make pop music without selling out.

In honor of Black History Month, Gladys DeVane will present FROM THE MOUTH OF MY PEOPLE: A JOURNEY FROM SLAVERY on February 17 at 7:00 pm. The one-woman show is a fundraiser for the Bloomington Playwrights Project, and will be performed on the Timothy J. Wiles Mainstage at the BPP, 107 West 9th.

Anime flick disappoints

By Tristan Mathews · Thursday, Oct. 7,2004 12 a.m.

Although surpassing the quality of the original "Ghost in the Shell" would not prove any serious challenge, the movie's sequel "Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence" succeeds where its predecessor failed: creating an animated movie worth watching.

Third time's a charm?

By J.P. Benitez and JP Benitez · Thursday, Oct. 7,2004 12 a.m.

It's certainly been awhile since the last great intrusion of one Mr. Marilyn Manson into the hearts and homes of the average American. The self-glorifying, androgynous Goth rocker at one time was an integral player in the continuing battle to find a name for rock 'n' roll that doesn't reek of corporate buyout. At the very least, he was someone our mothers didn't like.

New Face For Full Frontal

By Robert O'Connor · Thursday, Oct. 7,2004 12 a.m.

Laughter burst from the Indiana Memorial Union's State Room East Friday, where student-run improv comedy troupe, Full Frontal Comedy, performed its fifth show of the year for an overflowing audience.

High-stakes 'Antics' pay off for Interpol

By -Nate Bethea · Thursday, Oct. 7,2004 12 a.m.

Even if it aligns you with Pitchfork Media, it's hard to deny the importance of Interpol's 2002 debut Turn On The Bright Lights. In the wake of the stylized Strokes, a dressed-up, strikingly-unattractive band out of New York City appeared with one of the most fleshed-out and complete albums in years.

Studio Struggles

By Diana Tychsen · Thursday, Oct. 7,2004 12 a.m.

Aside from the occasional opportunity to sleep in, record production is not a good career choice for lazy people. The exceptional producers put their heart and soul into each record that comes out of their studio, and that can be exhausting.

Michael Moore for Mickey D's

By John Barnett · Thursday, Oct. 7,2004 12 a.m.

America is the most overweight nation in the world, and obesity is now the second highest preventable killer of Americans after smoking. We all knew that already, but our memory is refreshed within the opening minute of documentarian Morgan Spurlock's semi-humorous diatribe against fast food.

Nemo still owns the ocean

By Zach Noe Towers and Zach Towers · Thursday, Oct. 7,2004 12 a.m.

Now, usually movie knockoffs aren't too horrible. "Save The Last Dance" was a commendable attempt following "Center Stage," "Deep Impact" tried its best to entertain "Armageddon" fans and so on and so forth.

Kweli's 'struggle' a success

By Sana Jafrani · Thursday, Oct. 7,2004 12 a.m.

In his sophomore album, Beautiful Struggle, Kweli has decided to show us all facets of his personality. These include, but are not limited to, the romantic, the political/non-political, the truthful and the angry.

Sentimentality smolders fire flick

By -Paul Straw · Thursday, Oct. 7,2004 12 a.m.

"Ladder 49" excels in all the places a movie about firemen should, but smothers itself the rest of the way. Jack Morrison (Joaquin Phoenix), an experienced fireman, enters a huge burning building with his team.

Man, I want to be on 'Melrose'

By Karen Green · Thursday, Oct. 7,2004 12 a.m.

In the past two months, I've experienced the wonder of digital cable. It's been particularly addictive after living without it for the entirety of last year. And with cable, I've been exposed to numerous channels devoted to single arbitrary genres.

Not your average love story DVD

By C. Warner Sills · Thursday, Oct. 7,2004 12 a.m.

Charlie Kaufman ("Adaptation," "Being John Malkovich") is one of the finest screenwriters working in film to date. While he has only five major movies under his belt, he continues to give us complex and interesting stories that stray away from the conventional sides of mainstream Hollywood.

Super-sloppy double debate

By Doug Evans · Thursday, Oct. 7,2004 12 a.m.

The first of three presidential debates was held last week, and it went as expected for the most part. Bush attacked Kerry for changing positions, and Kerry attacked Bush for not being honest about the war effort in Iraq and not handling it well.

Just ink; don't think

By Colin Dugdale · Wednesday, Oct. 6,2004 1:56 a.m.

The problem with art is that its meaning is totally up to interpretation -- like ink blots for example. These are paintings where artists can get drunk, hop around on a pogo stick, squirt ink onto a canvas with a turkey baster and call whatever comes out "art." And despite the fact that most ink blots just look like a fugly mess, people always overanalyze the meaning (because if you stare at them long enough, you begin to see things that aren't really there). While you might think you see an image of a butterfly or Condoleezza Rice riding a unicorn, in actuality, it's just a blot of ink.

Christening up a new battle

By Edward Delp · Wednesday, Oct. 6,2004 1:56 a.m.

The Constitution is the supreme law of the land -- everyone has been taught this since elementary school. Why is it, then, that some believe upholding the Constitution stops at the Second Amendment? The recent expiration of the assault weapons ban has led many to call for stricter standards and more regulation of weapons of all kinds. What is missed by these people is that restrictions on ownership of firearms is illegal in most circumstances. Americans have a constitutionally protected right to own firearms.