Community Arts

House Dems push for more taxes on oil companies

By H. Josef Hebert · Thursday, Jan. 18,2007 9:39 p.m.

WASHINGTON -- Newly empowered House Democrats sought to recoup billions of dollars in lost royalties from offshore drilling as they anticipated approval Thursday of a $15 billion package of fees, taxes and royalties on oil and gas companies. The money would be used to promote renewable fuels.

Local store wards off competition

By Andrew East · Thursday, Jan. 18,2007 7:20 p.m.

When College Mall opened in 1967, there were only two stores in the shopping center. One was locally owned Smith's Sport 'n' Shoe. 38 years later, Dick's Sporting Goods opened a 50,000-square-foot store in the mall, and Sport 'n' Shoe owner Steve Smith said he has never been the least bit worried. In fact, when Smith was asked about Dick's coming to the mall 18 months ago, he said he liked the fact that the store was coming. Now, over a year after Dick's grand opening, Smith doesn't even look at Dick's as major competition, since he said the two stores only have a small overlap of similar merchandise. Smith said Dick's inventory is "80 to 85 percent products that aren't footwear," but "footwear (is) the main emphasis" of Smith's store. Since Smith's Sport 'n' Shoe moved to College Mall, the store has provided Bloomington residents with a traditional "brown shoe" store that only sold casual, non-athletic shoes. When Steve Smith bought the store from his father in 1989, the shoe store changed more than just ownership, Smith said, it got a new image.

Online Only: The price of war

By Indira Dammu · Thursday, Jan. 18,2007 7:14 p.m.

Poor Condoleezza Rice. This just hasn't been a good week for her. First, there was the raid on a liaison office in Iraq that she had to defend. Apparently, detaining five Iranians present in a government liaison office in Iraq is perfectly within the parameters of international law. Well, according to her and the Bush administration, so is operating secret prisons in eastern Europe.

Too cocky for the cross-walk

By Alyson Brodsy · Thursday, Jan. 18,2007 7:04 p.m.

A very disturbing precedent was set earlier this month when Tufts University professor Felipe Fernandez-Armesto was released from Atlanta police custody only eight hours after making a mockery of America and everything this nation represents. We strongly believe that jaywalking should carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 40 years in isolation.

IU community members share food during cultural discussion

By Sandra Arao Ameny · Thursday, Jan. 18,2007 12:08 a.m.

A group of 30 students, staff and faculty joined together to prepare foods from diverse cultures and discuss the meaning of social change Wednesday night at the Helene G. Simon Hillel Center. The event, dubbed "Power of One, Community of All," is part of the campus-wide celebration of the life and legacy of civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr.

Finding faith in fashion

By Kaitlin Shawgo and Kailtin Shawgo · Thursday, Jan. 18,2007 12:06 a.m.

Freshman Karimah Aziz has so many hijabs, she can't even count how many she and her family own. "I have three younger sisters, so whenever I go home there are hijabs on the floor, on the bed, in bags, all wrinkled," she said. After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, the decision whether to wear hijabs, traditional scarves many women wear that cover their heads and shoulders, has become a delicate choice for Muslim women. Today, more than five years later, Aziz and some other women at IU insist the attacks have not affected their choice to wear the garment. Aziz said the hijab shows modesty and confidence in being Muslim, but wearing one also brings on a new set of problems. Aziz and junior Myeda Hussain both expressed feelings of pressure to present themselves as good people when wearing it. "I want (non-Muslim) people to know that I'm just like them. I'm not a terrorist," Hussain said.

Loan payback could be less

By Brian Spegele · Thursday, Jan. 18,2007 12:05 a.m.

A rare glimpse of bipartisanship resounded through Congress Wednesday as the House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a bill to cut interest rates on federally subsidized student loans. The bill, which passed 356-71, aims to slash interest rates nearly in half over the next five years -- dropping them from 6.4 percent to 3.4 percent annually.

Student charged of rape out on $10,000 bond

By Kristi Oloffson · Thursday, Jan. 18,2007 12:05 a.m.

An IU student who was charged with raping a female student in October turned himself in Tuesday afternoon and was then freed after paying his bond, said Sgt. Jimmy Edwards of the Monroe County Jail.

Behind the bar

By C. Warner Sills and Nick O'Neill · Thursday, Jan. 18,2007 12 a.m.

After a night out sampling Bloomington's extensive and diverse bar scene, students might stumble home wondering why they've danced the night away under fake ivy or drowned the stresses of a hectic week with a potent concoction named after an animal. Each bar has its quirks and history that have endeared it to students and Bloomington residents alike. Now, WEEKEND goes behind the bars to reveal some of the their best-kept secrets.

'Crank' it down a notch

By C. Warner Sills and Benny Goldman · Thursday, Jan. 18,2007 12 a.m.

I was really excited when I started "Crank." Jason Statham is solid in everything he does; the concept of a guy who needed to keep moving or face death seemed very compelling, and I love a good action movie. What followed over the next 83 minutes (only 83!?) was a boring, contrived and disappointing exercise in patience. The plot, if it can be called that, is based around contract-killer Chev Chelios (Statham) being poisoned by a rival with a "Beijing Cocktail." This cocktail is a lethal mix with effects that can only be slowed down by constantly getting an adrenaline rush, but will eventually work within a time limit that Verona places at an hour.

Better than the preview

By C. Warner Sills and Alyson Brodsky · Thursday, Jan. 18,2007 12 a.m.

When I first saw previews for "Freedom Writers," I thought it was another cliché story about story about a teacher who won't give up on her students. Luckily, I believe in the idea that you shouldn't judge a movie by its previews and gave this movie a chance.

Making the P funk connection

By C. Warner Sills and Brian Hettmansperger · Thursday, Jan. 18,2007 12 a.m.

Parliament's 1976 effort, Mothership Connection, is a concept album that begs the question, "What would music sound like if it came from another planet?"

'Bandidas' wanted for stealing time

By Chris Wisner and compiled by Chris Wisner · Thursday, Jan. 18,2007 12 a.m.

If movie reviews could come in the form of wanted posters, mine would read something along these lines: WANTED: Penélope Cruz and Salma Hayek for the theft of 93 minutes from numerous critics and film watchers and for taking their careers to a new low. There would be no reward as we'd be saving people from a "Bandidas" sequel. "Bandidas" is nothing more than one of those foul joke films. You know the kind where two actors say to one another, "Hey wouldn't it be great if we did this kind of movie together?" The kind of movie being a Western that borders on parody with a story told countless times in the past and lacking originality.

Do the Mew

By C. Warner Sills and Brian J. McFillen · Thursday, Jan. 18,2007 12 a.m.

Mew. If there's any justice left in the world of popular music, you'll be hearing that name in terms of top 40 rock radio and nationwide stadium tours. A big success in Europe since 2003, the Danish band finally brought their huge, spacey, melodic prog-rock to the United States in 2006 with their fourth album, And The Glass Handed Kites, which, despite Pitchfork liking it, is really quite excellent. Now, perhaps as a sign of faith in future U.S. sales, Sony will release their original 2003 breakthrough Frengers in the United States on Jan. 23. So, what should you expect?

'Office' team avoid sophomore slump

By C. Warner Sills and John Barnett · Thursday, Jan. 18,2007 12 a.m.

Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, several years removed from creating one of the few funniest shows ever to grace television screens, return with "Extras," a much subtler triumph. The team's original U.K. incarnation of "The Office," so vastly superior to the current U.S. knockoff it cannot be overstated, featured Gervais as much-maligned office manager David Brent, a character not very dissimilar from "Extras"' downtrodden quasi-actor Andy Millman. Gervais portrays both men as hollow jokesters screaming for pity and finding none.

Pirates sequel both entertaining and overwrought

By C. Warner Sills and John Barnett · Thursday, Jan. 18,2007 12 a.m.

Functioning as the "Empire Strikes Back" of the as-of-yet-unfinished "Pirates of the Carribean" trilogy (dark, anticlimactic, at times unnecessarily complicated), "Dead Man's Chest" showcases most of the best and some of the worst in its genre. Not that "Empire" has any flaws, mind you, but those Dagobah scenes are a test of patience. One part rousing, gorgeously shot and choreographed action and one part laborious, overwrought plot progression, "Dead Man's Chest" works primarily because of its two award-worthy lead characters. Already with a Golden Globe nod, Johnny Depp's iconic Jack Sparrow retains his standing as the only heart and soul of director Gore Verbinski's trilogy, and Bill Nighy's performance as the malevolent Davy Jones (with significant assistance from Industrial Light & Magic) guarantees "Dead Man's Chest" the visual effects Oscar.

'Curse' of the soap opera

By Chris Wisner and compiled by Chris Wisner · Thursday, Jan. 18,2007 12 a.m.

No one can deny that Chinese auteur Zhang Yimou is one of Asia's greatest filmmakers. Having built a strong career with human dramas such as "Raise the Red Lantern" and "Ju Dou," then completely taking a different direction with masterful martial arts entries "Hero" and "House of Flying Daggers," I'm disappointed to say that Yimou's latest effort, "Curse of the Golden Flower," is the worst film he has ever made.

The reason to buy an Xbox 360

By C. Warner Sills and Chris Freiberg · Thursday, Jan. 18,2007 12 a.m.

It took more than a year, but finally Xbox 360's killer app has arrived. "Gears of War" is the first truly "next-gen" game, something that could not possibly have been done on older consoles and will make your jaw drop the first time you see it in action. The game plays like a strategic third person shooter, which means that tactics are more important than going in all guns blazing. You will have to move methodically from cover to cover if you wish to eliminate the cunning Locust horde. Luckily, simple and intuitive controls ensure a fun experience under heavy fire.

Waking up is sometimes a good thing

By C. Warner Sills and Craig Shank · Thursday, Jan. 18,2007 12 a.m.

There may be a slough of female songstresses scattered about the indie landscape, but few are able to convey their melancholy quite as deliciously as Julie Doiron does. Dorion began her career playing bass for Canada's own Eric's Trip in 1990 at age 18. When Eric's Trip ended in 1996, she began a promising solo career under the moniker of "Broken Girl." She eventually began releasing music under her own name and has released six full length albums and two EPs prior to I Woke Myself Up.

Del Toro's fantastic fairy tale

By C. Warner Sills and Michael Mellini · Thursday, Jan. 18,2007 12 a.m.

After dabbling in Hollywood fare such as "Blade 2" and "Hellboy," Mexican director Guillermo del Toro returns to his native Spanish tongue with the excellent "Pan's Labyrinth." Set during the final days of the Spanish Civil War of the 1940s, the film tells the story of Ofelia (Ivana Baquero -- enough about Abigail Breslin in "Little Miss Sunshine," this is the child performance of the year), a young girl who moves to the countryside after her pregnant mother is remarried to a military captain. The captain, a soulless prick of a man, is set on running out hiding rebels.