IUSA

Robert Downey Jr. is just happy to be acting and not in jail. Jake Gyllenhaal hopes to further distance himself from the "Brokeback Mountain" gay jokes.

Fincher back in the fold

By Alyson Brodsy , Chris Wisner and Dave Dawson · Wednesday, March 7,2007 12 a.m.

Plenty of films have been made about the Zodiac Killer, perhaps the most notorious unsolved murder case in American history. Of the ones I have seen, I could list plenty of reasons why they weren't that good, ranging from boring to lacking a cohesive narrative to being downright garbage. Yet, thanks to director David Fincher, finally emerging from his five-year absence post-"Panic Room," I can finally forget all the poor excuses for a Zodiac movie, as the man has crafted a masterpiece.

Prosecutor: no foul play in elections

By Michael Reschke · Tuesday, March 6,2007 12 a.m.

A special prosecuting attorney has decided there was no foul play in the 2006 Monroe County elections. Members of the Monroe County Republican Party made allegations regarding three issues, according to special prosecuting attorney Barry S. Brown’s filing.

Family history can predict alcoholism in some cases

By Kyle Wood · Tuesday, March 6,2007 12 a.m.

Before moving on to the professional world, college students often test their limits through the use of various substances. The substance of choice for many is alcohol. But in the words of Tom Cox, executive director of Amethyst addiction services in Bloomington, alcohol is the “most dangerous one there is.”

Dalai Lama to appear at IU this fall

By IDS staff and Alexandra R. Moses · Tuesday, March 6,2007 12 a.m.

The Dalai Lama will lead several ‘“teaching” sessions at IU in October.

Professor uses grant to fund Senegal symposium

By Casey Baksa · Tuesday, March 6,2007 12 a.m.

Eileen Julien has a vision. Julien, a professor of comparative literature at IU, is one of several professors benefiting from a $1 million grant given to IU faculty through the New Frontiers in the Arts and Humanities Program.

American Cancer Society taking orders for daffodils through Friday

By Jessica Perkinson · Tuesday, March 6,2007 12 a.m.

Because March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, the American Cancer Society provides fresh-cut daffodils and is selling them on campus this year. The 34th annual Daffodil Days campaign to benefit the American Cancer Society is currently in full bloom. It is one of the oldest fundraising programs of the society. All proceeds go to the American Cancer Society to further its goals of research, education, advocacy and service.

Around the World

By Abdullah AlShihri · Tuesday, March 6,2007 12 a.m.

A coalition airstrike destroyed a mud-brick home, killing nine people from four generations of an Afghan family during a clash between Western troops and militants, Afghan officials and relatives said Monday. It was the second report in two days of civilian deaths at the hands of Western forces. On Sunday, U.S. Marines fired on cars and pedestrians as they fled a suicide attack. Up to 10 Afghans died in that violence, and President Hamid Karzai condemned the killings.

UPDATE: 3:55 p.m.: Police: Bedford plane crash that killed man, daughter was deliberate

By Alexandra R. Moses and Tom Davies · Tuesday, March 6,2007 12 a.m.

BEDFORD – “I’ve got her, and you’re not going to get her.” Beth Johnson heard those words from her ex-husband Monday morning, shortly before he crashed his rented single-engine plane into his former mother-in-law’s southern Indiana home, killing himself and the couple’s 8-year-old daughter.

‘Killer Asteroid’ could strike earth by 2036, experts say

By Roberta Kwok · Tuesday, March 6,2007 12 a.m.

SAN FRANCISCO – In the movie “Armageddon,” Bruce Willis saves the world from a killer asteroid by landing on the rock’s surface, drilling a hole and detonating a nuclear weapon inside. But that’s Hollywood. What could really be done about a similar real-world threat? A panel of experts at a recent meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in San Francisco posed that question. Two years ago, NASA identified an asteroid 300 meters in diameter, dubbed Apophis. It will have a close brush with Earth in 2029 and a possible collision in 2036. And Apophis could be just the first in a long line of possible asteroid threats. Congress has ordered NASA to step up its detection of nearby asteroids over the next 12 years.

The business of bawling

By Andrew Shaffer · Tuesday, March 6,2007 12 a.m.

Do you know what it takes to make a hockey player cry? A hockey player won’t cry if you hip-check his head into a wall. He won’t cry if a slap shot finds its way underneath his eyelid. He even won’t cry if an opposing player pulls a Happy Gilmore and tries to stab him with the blade of his skate.

The price of freedom

By David Weisburd · Tuesday, March 6,2007 12 a.m.

My family came to the United States in 1990. When we left Russia, we were religious refugees. My parents came here to provide unlimited opportunities for my sister and me. Growing up, I saw the negative conditioning that went on inside and outside the immigrant community. Every time I spoke about my dreams and ambitions, I was met with patronization and cynicism. I was a first-generation immigrant, and I was supposed to integrate into society without challenging the status quo. Even in school we were never treated like equals. The community saw my family members as second-class citizens. Today racism and prejudice continue to be major issues.

White House board says surveillance programs don’t violate civil liberties

By Abdullah AlShihri and Hope Yen · Tuesday, March 6,2007 12 a.m.

WASHINGTON – A White House privacy board has determined that two of the Bush administration’s controversial surveillance programs – electronic eavesdropping and financial tracking – do not violate citizens’ civil liberties.

Stolen Rockwell in Spielberg’s collection

By Daisy Nguyen · Tuesday, March 6,2007 12 a.m.

LOS ANGELES – Norman Rockwell paintings often resonate because of their depictions of everyday life, but the life of one of his paintings has been anything but mundane. “Russian Schoolroom,” a Rockwell painting stolen from a gallery in the St. Louis suburb of Clayton, Mo., more than three decades ago, was found in Oscar-winning filmmaker Steven Spielberg’s art collection, the FBI announced Friday.

Vandalism reported Sunday

By Ab D. Phillip · Tuesday, March 6,2007 12 a.m.

Two buildings were discovered vandalized on campus Sunday evening, according to IU Police Department reports.

IU ranks 21st for most illegal downloads

By Emily Pickett · Tuesday, March 6,2007 12 a.m.

IU was included in a list of the 25 universities with the most notices of music copyright infringement this school year. The Recording Industry Association of America released the list in February. Ohio University and Purdue University topped the list with 1,287 notices and 1,068 notices, respectively. IU was listed as No. 21 with 353 notices.

Female student reports fondling in Forest Quad

By Paige Ingram · Tuesday, March 6,2007 12 a.m.

A female student was fondled while trying to get a drink from a water fountain Sunday morning at Forest Quad, according to IU Police Department reports.

Hoosiers serve up grand slam during victory

By Joel Sanders and Joel Sansers · Tuesday, March 6,2007 12 a.m.

The weather in Carbondale, Ill., may have been too cold to play in, but the Hoosiers’ offense heated up at just the right time. Sophomore infielder Stephanie Pellerito hit a grand slam in the sixth inning, as the Hoosiers (3-4) rallied for a 6-2 win Sunday against Ball State, splitting two games at the Kay Brechtelsbaur Southern Classic. The Hoosiers were defeated by Western Illinois by the same score Saturday.

Photography exhibit at BCT reflects evolution of television

By Lauren Younis · Tuesday, March 6,2007 12 a.m.

It’s no small task to examine how vulnerable individuals have become to the mass media that saturates our lives on a daily basis, but Bloomington artist Brian Chase has come convincingly close. And he has photos to prove it. Chase’s most recent exhibit, “Tube Fed,” is a collection of 12 black-and-white photographs that reflects the evolution of television from innocent invention to media machine. Central to the theme of the collection are figures of both male and female nudes, seemingly captured in empty rooms with nothing but televisions before them.

2 killed as plane crashes into home in Bedford

By Alexandra R. Moses · Tuesday, March 6,2007 12 a.m.

BEDFORD – Indiana State Police said a pilot who crashed a plane into a house near a southern Indiana airport Monday, killing himself and his 8-year-old daughter, may have hit the home deliberately.

Pilaf dish serves up opportunity to educate people about Central Asian culture

By Sandra Arao Ameny · Tuesday, March 6,2007 12 a.m.

It was the first time that a cook-off was held in Bloomington for a famous Central Asian and Uralic dish. Seven countries competed but only one would take home the trophy for best pilaf – a rice and meat dish.