Community Arts

Local man stabbed in head with scissors

By Erin Riley · Thursday, Jan. 22,2009 10:47 p.m.

A Bloomington man was stabbed in the head with scissors during an altercation with his girlfriend Wednesday night.

Troubled Indiana clinic had holes in abortion records

By Ken Kusmer · Thursday, Jan. 22,2009 10:41 p.m.

An Indianapolis Planned Parenthood clinic caught in controversy after an undercover video exposed broken rules on reporting sexual abuse also received a state reprimand for sloppy abortion record-keeping.

County texting ban aims to decrease number of distracted drivers

By Katrina Loh · Thursday, Jan. 22,2009 10:40 p.m.

A new ban aiming to decrease the number of distracted motorists could soon land drivers in Monroe County who text while behind the wheel with a fine. The Monroe County commissioners approved a ban on the sending, composing or reading of e-mails and text messages and surfing the Internet while driving. The ordinance was passed in December and went into effect Jan. 1.

Girls Inc. holding sessions for new college volunteers

Thursday, Jan. 22,2009 10:37 p.m.

Girls Inc of Bloomington will be holding volunteer orientations throughout the end of January.

‘Benjamin Button’ leads Oscar nods

Thursday, Jan. 22,2009 10:03 p.m.

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.– One is a grand, sweeping epic, a dazzling technical achievement starring THE A-Lister of all A-Listers.The other is a gritty tale, partly told in subtitled Hindi, with a tiny budget and no known stars that almost didn’t make it to theaters.

Sisters discuss century full of experiences

Thursday, Jan. 22,2009 10:01 p.m.

A story of two unmarried sisters who lived together for 90 years comes to life tonight at the John Waldron Arts Center Auditorium in the Cardinal Stage Company’s production of “Having Our Say,” a stage adaptation of the memoirs of the same name of Sadie and Bessie Delany.Based on their best-selling book, the show tells of the high and low points of the Delany sisters’ long lives.

Brothers trash stage in ‘True West’

By Brent Williamson · Thursday, Jan. 22,2009 9:56 p.m.

A couple of real-life brothers shocked audiences by trashing the stage in their performance of “True West” at the John Waldron Arts Center.Brett and Gabe Gloden played Austin and Lee, two brothers who are fighting over a potential movie deal for one of their screenplays. Austin is a 30-year-old writer who lives with his wife and kids and has a more traditional life, while Lee is a 40-year-old hobo who wanders the desert making a living gambling and stealing.

China and the green revolution

By Bertrand Teo · Thursday, Jan. 22,2009 7:35 p.m.

To say that China is the biggest polluter in the world is true, but it is also a gross misconstruing of reality. According to a recent report from The Climate Group, an independent international non-profit organization, China’s energy efficiency levels are actually commendable considering the tremendous modernization it has undergone. However, based on China’s estimated emissions and current status as the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitter, many conclude that China compromises the environment to focus on economic growth. Many also cite China’s ratification of the Kyoto Protocol as a sleight of hand in its commitment to sustainability.

Passive aggression

By Jordan Zaslow · Thursday, Jan. 22,2009 7:31 p.m.

Last week, frozen students shivered impatiently at a bus stop near the Wells Library. When the top of a bus was spotted making its way down the slippery streets, the uncomfortable soon-to-be passengers fell all over each other as they scurried to the bus’s doors. The bus, already filled to capacity, opened its doors and the driver shrugged apologetically. “I have room for one more person,” he explained. “But everyone has to be behind the yellow line.” As one lucky student hopped on the bus, a girl came flying down the steps in front of the library.

Tackling the medical issue

Thursday, Jan. 22,2009 7:30 p.m.

President Barack Obama has a full plate. As the new leader of the free world, there are many tasks calling for his attention. But one of his first orders of business must be the cancelation of a new federal abortion rule. Last Thursday, seven states brought suit against the federal government, challenging a new rule that allows health care workers to refuse to perform abortions or offer other medical services because of religious or moral objections. The states claim the federal rule, issued at the 11th hour by the Bush administration, will limit their current regulations that protect women’s access to birth control, including emergency contraception following rape. This law is yet another example of the legislative ideology that flowed from the Bush administration.

Hanks’ hypocrisy

By Kristi Lafree · Thursday, Jan. 22,2009 7:28 p.m.

Forrest Gump? Classic. Woody? A childhood icon for many of us. Chuck Noland? Almost as great of a character as Wilson was. Tom Hanks? An idiot. Last Wednesday, Mr. Hanks made a bold yet ridiculous proclamation proving this correct. He declared those members of the Mormon Church who support California’s Proposition 8 banning gay marriage to be “un-American.”

"Lost" will be making its grand return in '09.

Murder, ‘Lost’ returns and time travel

By Cory Barker · Wednesday, Jan. 21,2009 11:48 p.m.

Now that we’re knee-deep in new television programming, it can be difficult to choose which shows to watch live, which to TiVo and which to skip altogether.

Murder By Death to play hometown show

By Kelsey McArdle · Wednesday, Jan. 21,2009 11:47 p.m.

Bloomington’s beloved export, Murder By Death, will perform to a hometown crowd as the band rolls into the Bluebird on Jan. 27, touting a special 21-song set.

Noble effort

By Danielle Fleischman · Wednesday, Jan. 21,2009 11:47 p.m.

Andrew Bird’s instrumentation is a harmony of the obscure, ranging from violin and guitar to whistling and fiddles. It’s the kind of music that is hard to define, but more often than not, his songs leave the listener with an impression of intelligence. Bird’s lyrics might as well be another instrument altogether, touching on historical and literary matters with the kind of lexicon pulled straight from a graduate thesis.

Falling stars

By Kristy Brannon · Wednesday, Jan. 21,2009 11:45 p.m.

Starflyer 59’s latest release, “Dial M,” is the 11th in a long list of studio albums, and it might need to be the last. They claimed that with each album their sound has changed, but for all of the changes taking place, they certainly show a lack of inspiration.

Milk and Politics

By Jordan Greenberg · Wednesday, Jan. 21,2009 11:43 p.m.

Sean Penn has proven to possess a wide range amongst actors. His major roles consist of a stoner in “Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” a criminal on death row in “Dead Man Walking” and an ex-con running a store in “Mystic River.”

Powter Sugar

By Tyler James Perry · Wednesday, Jan. 21,2009 11:41 p.m.

After giving the world “Bad Day,” Canadian musician Daniel Powter has moved on with an album of similarly catchy, brooding piano ballads. ”Under the Radar” is his first release since spawning the aforementioned international hit on the eponymous 2006 CD.

Same old tale

By Brent Williamson · Wednesday, Jan. 21,2009 11:41 p.m.

In the fairy tale land far, far away, where animals talk, knights rescue princesses and everything is adapted from a children’s book, some films find it hard to stand out in a genre that is growing more crowded every year. Unfortunately, “The Tale of Despereaux” fails to rise above the rest.

Mac ‘n’ cheese: An old dish that learns new tricks

By Megan Clayton · Wednesday, Jan. 21,2009 11:39 p.m.

During the last week of winter break, the average daily temperature hovered around freezing before dropping below 20 degrees Thursday. This was quite a shock to my immune system, since I’d been baking in the 80-degree Florida heat just a few days before. While I dined on fresh seafood and sipped fruit and rum cocktails, I didn’t give much thought to warm, fat-filled “comfort foods.”

The ancient practice of dating

By Rachel Skybetter · Wednesday, Jan. 21,2009 11:38 p.m.

Around this time last year, I penned my first column of 2008: a humorous rant about my quest to lose some weight. The pounds have since gone and returned, I’m still clueless as to where my life will take me post-graduation, and I’m starting to think that there are better resolutions to be made, at least while I’m still in college.