Community Arts

2004: A cultural rewind

By Alyson Brodsy and Tony Sams · Wednesday, Jan. 12,2005 11:26 p.m.

Many critics fear the idea behind the top ten list. Why, they -- who are paid to watch and write about movies for a living -- moan, "Why must we boil our favorite films into an arbitrary top ten list? What is the purpose of "ten" anyway? Why were they the 'Ten Commandments?' Why were there 10 amendments in the Bill of Rights? And more important, why were there ten seasons of 'Friends'?"

Players shuffled around as MLB trades, signings finalized

By Alyson Brodsy and Ronald Blum · Wednesday, Jan. 12,2005 11:21 p.m.

NEW YORK -- Randy Johnson, Carlos Beltran, Shawn Green, Derek Lowe, Javier Vazquez and Juan Gonzalez finally got to their new teams following weeks of negotiations. Dioner Navarro, a 20-year-old catcher with seven major league at-bats, even got traded twice Tuesday.

Without Beltran, Cubs lose again

By Ryan Corazza · Wednesday, Jan. 12,2005 11:21 p.m.

Oh, if only Mr. Sammy Sosa could live in his dream season of 1998 forever. I'm sure you all remember those magical 162 games where Slammin' Sammy and Mark McGuire duked it out like a couple of heavyweight boxers for the home run title.

Just another pothead comedy

By C. Warner Sills · Wednesday, Jan. 12,2005 11:20 p.m.

"Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle" follows a simple premise that is summed up in the film's title. Harold (John Cho) and his roommate/buddy Kumar (Kal Penn) get stoned in their apartment, watch television and eventually get the "munchies." After a White Castle hamburger commercial literally lifts them out of their seats in a trance-like manner, the two stoners head for the closest miniature hamburger eatery to satisfy their craving.

Acting, technology make 'Troy' shine

By Rhett Umphress · Wednesday, Jan. 12,2005 11:16 p.m.

"Troy," loosely based on Homer's epic poem "The Iliad," tells the story of the Trojan War which was fought between the Greeks and Trojans. The war begins after Paris (Orlando Bloom), a prince of Troy, convinces Helen (Diane Kruger), the Queen of Sparta, to go back to Troy with him after they fall in love. Menelaus (Brendan Gleeson), Helen's husband, is furious at the loss of his wife and convinces Agamemnon (Brian Cox), the Greek leader, to go to Troy and rescue his wife.

Computer sessions sharpen skills

By Megan Hubartt · Wednesday, Jan. 12,2005 11:16 p.m.

Returning to classes following winter break can be tough, especially trying to regain all the knowledge and skills lost from last semester. While students might be able to get away with forgetting last semester's calculus formulas or history dates, retaining skills in basic computer programs like Microsoft Word, Excel or PowerPoint can provide benefits lasting long after graduation.

Council swears in new officers

By Haley Beck · Wednesday, Jan. 12,2005 11:15 p.m.

After being on the job for only one day the new Panhellenic Executive Council is already making big plans. The members hope to revamp the council's image from a mere governing body to a support group and friend of the greek community.

Terror threat sends flight back to England

By Alyson Brodsy · Wednesday, Jan. 12,2005 11:12 p.m.

LONDON -- A British Airways flight from London to New York was forced to turn back Wednesday after U.S. authorities refused to allow one of the passengers to land, saying he posed a terrorist threat, the airline said.

Hillbillies are people too

By Joanna Borns · Wednesday, Jan. 12,2005 11:12 p.m.

Do you ever get that urge to put on a cowboy hat, grab the nearest 45 and shoot at a jukebox to change the song?

Shivaree shows 'who's got' talent with latest

By -Kehla West · Wednesday, Jan. 12,2005 11:12 p.m.

Shivaree's third album, Who's Got Trouble?, will, with any luck at all, finally catapult them to the big time. Their sound is soundtrack-ready jazzy, and this album, with its nice variances from song to song and overall cohesion as a work, can be enjoyed by old Shivaree fans and newbies alike.

Supreme Court orders change in sentencing system

By Alyson Brodsy and Gina Holland · Wednesday, Jan. 12,2005 11:12 p.m.

WASHINGTON -- A splintered Supreme Court threw the nation's federal sentencing system into turmoil Wednesday, ruling that the way judges have been sentencing some 60,000 defendants a year is unconstitutional.

The aesthetic vacuum

By Adam Sedia · Wednesday, Jan. 12,2005 11:11 p.m.

Art moves me, and contemporary art moves me to tears when I think of the hundreds of years of glorious, moving work tossed aside in favor of ugly monstrosities with neither beauty nor power.

Palestinians blaze trail of freedom

By Charlie Cszrom and Charlie Szrom · Wednesday, Jan. 12,2005 11:10 p.m.

Valparaiso -- Arabs have no democratic traditions. They know only how to wield the AK-47, never the vote. Self-determination has no place within Islamic society. If Arabs do vote, they will only elect a militant Islamist regime that will sponsor terrorism and ensure no further voting takes place.

ODB's rhymes live on

By Karen Green · Wednesday, Jan. 12,2005 11:09 p.m.

Considering the longstanding tradition of recording companies capitalizing on the untimely death of artists, it isn't surprising that less than two months after the drug overdose of Ol' Dirty Bastard the first of what will most likely be many posthumous records has been released. Osirus: The Official Mixtape, however, is not to be confused with the album that he was in the process of recording at the time of his death, which will most certainly be released sometime in the near future.

A nation's investment

By Alyson Brodsy · Wednesday, Jan. 12,2005 11:08 p.m.

Sufficient money to go around for college just isn't there, but the outcry about changes in the Pell Grant program is reactionary. The United States needs its best minds to go to college without hesitation, but changing the formula to use 2002 tax figures instead of 1990 figures will not significantly alter the national picture of higher education funding.

'Lemony Snicket's' a fortunate film

By -Kehla West · Wednesday, Jan. 12,2005 1:57 a.m.

The delights of this movie will be completely lost on adults. Kids, as so many parents are coming to realize, have a beautiful capacity for appreciating gloom and doom, even if it doesn't ultimately lead to clear-cut salvation.

East side blacked out

By Mallory Simon · Wednesday, Jan. 12,2005 1:51 a.m.

Late Tuesday night the east side of Bloomington was left in the dark. Students drove through unlit streets when power was knocked out in residential areas and businesses located east of Third Street past College Mall Road.

Spending students welcomed downtown in 'a cosmic shift'

By David A. Nosko · Wednesday, Jan. 12,2005 1:51 a.m.

Mayor Kruzan's economic development plan has launched Bloomington small businesses into a new frontier of space-age student living, within a crawl of many downtown nationally recognized restaurants, traditional Hoosier taverns and specialty shops.

IU sees decline in foreign grad students

By Michael Zennie · Wednesday, Jan. 12,2005 1:51 a.m.

When graduate Faraz Sheikh decided to pursue a Ph.D. in Islamic studies outside of his home country of Pakistan, he looked at universities in the Middle East, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States. He decided to come to IU because the Near Eastern Languages and Cultures department offered him the most money, and he saw the world-renowned value of a degree from the United States.

Rezoning affects city parking areas

By Mike Wilson · Wednesday, Jan. 12,2005 1:51 a.m.

Money saved by avoiding parking tickets is money earned, so students who enjoy nights out downtown should take note; new re-zoning might change the way they park. Parking overnight is no longer an option, unless students are willing to risk parking tickets.