Region

Dark comedy an original

By Alyson Brodsy and David Germain · Wednesday, March 24,2004 12:39 a.m.

LOS ANGELES -- Some filmmakers tiptoe around the word "remake." Others delicately suggest their film is not so much a remake as a "revisitation or reimagining," afraid of being scorned for filching someone else's ideas. The Coen brothers guffaw over such euphemistic distinctions. "Listen, this is a remake," said Joel Coen, who joined with brother Ethan to write, produce and direct "The Ladykillers," starring Tom Hanks in an update of the 1955 Alec Guinness black comedy. Leave it to the Coens to call it a remake while infusing it with so much of their own warped humor and macabrely funny imagery that it feels entirely original.

MDA to lock up volunteers

By Nellie Summerfield · Wednesday, March 24,2004 12:38 a.m.

IU students and other Monroe County citizens are becoming jailbirds for charity. The volunteers will be locked in the Fountain Square Mall and hope to raise $800 as bond money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. The annual Bloomington Lock-Up will be held from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. April 6 and 7.

Job search yields bad luck for graduates

By Alyson Brodsy · Wednesday, March 24,2004 12:37 a.m.

Mark Skiffington, a senior engineering student at Marquette University, isn't looking for work. He's going back to school. So is Cynthia Zimmerman, a Marquette senior majoring in accounting.

IU updates file-sharing policy

By Rick Newkirk · Wednesday, March 24,2004 12:36 a.m.

Ahead of impending lawsuits from the Recording Industry Association of America, IU has updated its existing peer-to-peer file-sharing policy relating to such popular music downloading programs as www.KaZaa.com. The policy update was announced before the Bloomington Faculty Council Tuesday in a report given by Chief Information Technology Officer Mark Bruhn.

Tuition hikes cause statewide worry

By Chris Freiberg and Warren Christopher Freiberg · Wednesday, March 24,2004 12:36 a.m.

INDIANAPOLIS -- The IU board of trustees held a statewide public forum on tuition at IU-Purdue University Indianapolis Tuesday afternoon. IU Vice President Judy Palmer outlined the proposed tuition increases for all eight IU campuses, noting each was under the 4 percent limit the Herbert administration had instituted.

No students attend teleconference at Ed School

By Andrew Welfe and Andrew Welfle · Wednesday, March 24,2004 12:36 a.m.

No students turned out for the tuition teleconference Tuesday, which officials thought would spark dialogue among the student body. Eleven individuals attended the event in Bloomington, including IU-Bloomington Interim Chancellor Ken Gros Lois, Vice Chancellor for Budgeting and Administration Neil Theobald, Dean of Students Richard McKaig and other campus administrators.

Differences in sexes discussed

By Laura Kruty · Wednesday, March 24,2004 12:36 a.m.

Dr. Lori Hart Ebert spoke about the differences in communication and stereotypes between men and women in her interactive lecture titled "Everything you always wanted to know about the Opposite Sex" Tuesday night in Assembly Hall.

Recording industry sues IU students

By Holly Johnson and Holy Johnson · Wednesday, March 24,2004 12:36 a.m.

An unspecified number of IU students who allegedly illegally shared files on peer-to-peer networks have been targeted in the latest wave of lawsuits levied by the Recording Industry Association of America. But University officials emphasized that students -- not the University -- are the focus of the RIAA investigation.

Cell phones banned at HPER

By Stacie Vasko · Wednesday, March 24,2004 12:21 a.m.

As junior Katie Lutzow, a dedicated work-out enthusiast of the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, was making her way out of the locker room, cell phone in hand, getting ready to listen to a voicemail when she was confronted with a quick reprimand from a female employee. "Cell phones have been banned in this area," the woman said as she lifted the phone to her ear. "You need to get off, now."

Around The Campus

By Alyson Brodsy · Wednesday, March 24,2004 12 a.m.

Religious Studies offers scholarship The Department of Religious Studies has announced the 2004 Bill Gallagher Student Essay Contest, open to all IU undergraduates. With the topic "Religion and Power," entries must answer: "In what ways does religion empower people -- for good or for ill?"

Students examine Asian stereotypes

By Steven Chung · Tuesday, March 23,2004 11:57 p.m.

Participants in the discussion series "Who are Asian Pacific Americans?" watched, with occasional laughter, images of Asian women ranging from the submissive adoring wife in "Star Trek: The Next Generation" to the sinister "Dragon Lady" in Sean Connery's "James Bond" as presented by the 1992 documentary "Picturing Oriental Girls: A [Re]Educational Videotape" by Valerie Soe Tuesday afternoon.

Panelists debate constitutionality of existing Indiana marriage law

By Daniel Wells · Tuesday, March 23,2004 11:55 p.m.

Two legal experts agreed that the debate over same-sex marriage ultimately hinges on personal values during a talk at the School of Law Tuesday afternoon.

Beauty is as beauty does

By Melanie Sims · Tuesday, March 23,2004 11:33 p.m.

Ninety-degree weather will not diminish my flat-ironing efforts. The hair-straightening shall continue! Applying heat to any extension of my body is the last thing I thought I'd be doing after a week in the heat and humidity of the Philippines. But seven days of sleeping with the covers over my head has caused my hair to take the shape of a small sheepdog.

You in the woods, baby

By Neal Taflinger · Tuesday, March 23,2004 11:32 p.m.

The "State Maintenance Ends" sign marks the end of asphalt. Bouncing down a gravel road deep in Appalachia with my father, I wondered what I had gotten myself into. My father is a carpenter, mechanic, English teacher, Renaissance man and cynic. Each of the past four years, he has volunteered as an assistant crew leader at Work Fest, a three-week alternative spring break program where college students convene for five days at a time to address housing needs in eastern Kentucky.

NIRSA gives two IU seniors national award

By Ryan Corazza · Tuesday, March 23,2004 11:32 p.m.

Seniors Mandy Madden and Erin Sparks have had their plates full at IU for the past four years. Take Madden for instance: she has refereed for intramural basketball and flag football, as well as indoor and outdoor soccer. At one point, she was the Fitness/Wellness Strength and Conditioning Consultant at the Student Recreational Sports Center and the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation.

Music embargo

By Chris Hintz · Tuesday, March 23,2004 11:31 p.m.

Ibrahim Ferrer, a Cuban singer, may be in his late 70s, but he can still dance. After getting some well-deserved attention for his vocal contributions on the Buena Vista Social Club album, Ferrer has made a lot of American fans. I had the good luck to attend one of his concerts in Indianapolis last year at the usually stodgy Clowes Hall.

Keeping it in perspective

By Alyson Brodsy · Tuesday, March 23,2004 11:29 p.m.

Tens of thousands of people filled the streets of New York City Saturday to express their opinions on the one-year anniversary of the war in Iraq. People dressed in costumes, shouted chants in unison and listened to guest lecturers through speakers stationed high above the crowd. If you looked through the sea of picket signs and posters, an array of messages were shown: "No blood for oil," "War is terrorism with a bigger budget" and "End the occupation." Strangely, other signs touted messages that weren't war-related at all: "Bush stole the election," "End violence in Haiti" and "Stop racism now." Some were even simply advertisements for stores or political candidates.

Hoosiers find energy to split double header with Drake

By Mark Carlson · Tuesday, March 23,2004 11:26 p.m.

The wind was blowing into the IU softball field Tuesday, but balls were still flying out. The Hoosiers (15-14) split the doubleheader against Drake (14-9), keeping IU one game over .500. Sophomore Mariangee Bogado pitched all seven innings in game one, striking out seven batters. But Bogado's pitching performance wasn't enough to propel IU past Drake, as the Hoosiers fell 3-0 in game one.

Daniels pitches new power plant for Indiana

By Alyson Brodsy · Tuesday, March 23,2004 11:25 p.m.

EVANSVILLE -- Republican gubernatorial candidate Mitch Daniels proposed building a new power plant, perhaps in the southern part of the state. He said the plant would create jobs and burn coal more cleanly than operations that are decades old.

Check out these ladies

By Dan Cohen and Daniel Cohen · Tuesday, March 23,2004 11:25 p.m.

True story. Three beautiful girls were on my bed in my Carnival Cruise room last week. OK, now that I have your attention, listen up. Hey, how else am I supposed to open up a column during one of the worst stretches of days in sports? (The couple days surrounding baseball's All-Star game wins the crown each year).