IUSA

An 'A' for racial diversity

By Alyson Brodsy · Friday, Nov. 18,2005 10:50 a.m.

The Black Coache Association recently commended IU with an "A" for its football hiring practices.

Pentagon denies chemical weapons used on civilians

By Alyson Brodsy and Robert Burns · Friday, Nov. 18,2005 10:50 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- Pentagon officials say white phosphorous was used as a weapon against insurgent strongholds during the battle of Fallujah last November, but deny an Italian television news report that it was used against civilians. Lt. Col. Barry Venable, a Pentagon spokesman, said Tuesday that while white phosphorous is most frequently used to mark targets or obscure a position, it was used at times in Fallujah as an incendiary weapon against enemy combatants.

House Democrat calls for withdrawal from Iraq

By Alyson Brodsy and Liz Sidoti · Friday, Nov. 18,2005 10:49 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- An influential House Democrat who voted for the Iraq war called Thursday for the immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, another sign of growing unease in Congress about the conflict. "It is time for a change in direction," said Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., one of Congress' most hawkish Democrats. "Our military is suffering, the future of our country is at risk. We cannot continue on the present course. It is evident that continued military action in Iraq is not in the best interests of the United States of America, the Iraqi people or the Persian Gulf region."

Amish, Mennonites begin rebuilding after tornado

By Alyson Brodsy and Charles Wilson · Friday, Nov. 18,2005 10:47 a.m.

CANNELBURG, Ind. -- Amish and Mennonite volunteers have begun rebuilding houses stripped by a tornado that carved a swath of destruction through rural southern Indiana. Before officials had even completed their damage assessment, hundreds of volunteers from both faiths swarmed the littered hillsides and battered rooftops Wednesday morning.

City allows theater to serve alcohol

By Kelly Ginty · Friday, Nov. 18,2005 10:46 a.m.

Alcohol will continue to be served through special permits at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater, despite imminent city ownership. The Bloomington City Council voted 8-0-1, with council member Timothy Mayer absent, to amend a city code that does not allow the consumption of alcohol on city property Wednesday night. The new amendment creates an exception to the rule allowing alcohol at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater. The Theatre Café inside the theater is run by Bloomingfoods, which obtains temporary permits to sell alcohol at the café several times a year for various events. The only other exception to the rule is the Clubhouse at Cascades Golf Course, which sells beer and wine.

Educators discuss challenges of teaching

By Alyson Brodsy and Rick Callahan · Friday, Nov. 18,2005 10:46 a.m.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Getting kids interested in science, math and other complex subjects isn't easy for high school teachers, who face the daily challenge of explaining often abstract concepts to their students without boring them. About 500 Indiana educators gathered Thursday to tackle that daunting task during a two-day conference exploring how teachers can spark students' interest in subjects that could eventually help them land high-paying -- and technically demanding -- jobs.

11 women to participate in annual Black and Gold Pageant at Buskirk-Chumley

By Audrie Garrison · Friday, Nov. 18,2005 10:45 a.m.

Eleven IU women are hoping to earn financial aid Saturday by excelling in public speaking and evening gown attire. Participants of the fraternity Alpha Phi Alpha's 13th annual Miss Black and Gold Pageant will be competing for a $1,000 scholarship at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater Saturday. They will be judged on an introduction (performed in business attire), a talent, a group performance, a pre-performance interview, their GPAs, their community service, the amount of advertisements they sold and their evening gown attire presentation. The top five finalists will also participate in a question-and-answer session, on which they will also be judged.

Mapping system has its day at IU

By Allie Townsend · Friday, Nov. 18,2005 10:45 a.m.

IU's fifth annual GIS Day mapped its way to the Indiana Memorial Union's Frangipani Room Thursday, celebrating and informing the IU community about one of the country's fastest-growing information technology fields. Representatives from the Indiana Geological Survey, an applied research institution of IU, the IU Geology Library and the City of Bloomington's Information Technology department gathered at the conference to share the numerous uses of the geographic information and imaging systems and global positioning system.

Pope Benedict XVI attends screening of made-for-TV movie about John Paul II

By Alyson Brodsy and Nicole Winfield · Friday, Nov. 18,2005 10:44 a.m.

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Benedict XVI attended a Vatican screening Thursday of a television miniseries on the life of Pope John Paul II -- giving equal billing to the latest biopic on his predecessor after watching a rival production six months ago. Benedict said "Pope John Paul II," which CBS will broadcast Dec. 4 and Dec. 7, provided an important service in spreading the message about the life and works of the late pope.

Designer giving pairs of $215 specialty sneakers to illegal immigrants

By Alyson Brodsy and Elliot Spagat · Friday, Nov. 18,2005 10:44 a.m.

SAN DIEGO -- The high-top sneakers cost $215 at a San Diego boutique, but the designer is giving them away to migrants before they cross to this side of the U.S.-Mexico border. These are no ordinary shoes. A compass and flashlight dangle from one shoelace. The pocket in the tongue is for money or pain relievers. A rough map of the border region is printed on a removable insole.

Is Dupont No. 1 party school?

By Alyson Brodsy · Friday, Nov. 18,2005 10:43 a.m.

Even when Bloomington had the No. 1 party school rating due (in part) in to a rambunctious street riot as a result of losing the NCAA men's basketball championship a few years ago, we couldn't compare to the nonstop sex, drugs and drinking described by Tom Wolfe in his fiction novel "I Am Charlotte Simmons."

Satire city: Kill, kill, kill

By Alyson Brodsy and Evan Ross · Thursday, Nov. 17,2005 3:11 p.m.

Last month, satire as we know it ended. The ability to joke at other's expenses died with a whisper out in California with the stroke of a pen. Why, you may ask? Because California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed bill AB1179 into law. That bill will make it illegal to rent "violent video games" to children. This includes game that features "the range of options available to a player includes killing, maiming, dismembering or sexually assaulting an image of a human being."

Steal this column -- then listen to it

By C. Warner Sills and Alyson Brodsy · Thursday, Nov. 17,2005 3:10 p.m.

During a weekend back home this time last year, a group of what I like to call Evanston street thugs burglarized my small Japanese economy sedan. The aftermath of the heist, although not terribly severe, was upsetting to say the least. The crooks got away with a handful of change from my ashtray, helped themselves to the $40 VCR in my trunk and even indulged in a pack of Orbitz Winterfresh gum. The horror.

The Boys in the Basement

By Nick O'Neil · Thursday, Nov. 17,2005 3:10 p.m.

The music rings through the "Mobley House," drawing from an old staircase and a dimly lit basement. The voices of the band thunder off the walls, they argue, they laugh, they agree and the music continues. The songs play among pizza boxes and dirty laundry. The sounds echo in between an ironing board and an old microwave. This might sound like your average college band, but Mobley is far from average.

Radio Stays Alive

By Caitlin Brase · Thursday, Nov. 17,2005 3:09 p.m.

We've all been there -- we tune the radio, hoping for one of our favorite songs, and what we get instead is a deejay rambling on about some new contest or other radio station-sponsored event. But radio is supposed to be about music, not contests. Isn't it?

What happened to the Weekend?

By Stephanie Susman · Thursday, Nov. 17,2005 3:09 p.m.

It's 11 p.m., Monday, Oct. 10 and senior Andrew Phillips has class at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday. While some IU students are spending their Monday nights at home studying or sleeping, Phillips and his roommates, seniors Jonah Pryor and Ben Falk, are sitting on the patio at Kilroy's on Kirkwood enjoying the weather and hoping to achieve their near-daily goal: to get drunk.

Not quite 'perfect'

By Alyson Brodsky and Alyson Brodsy · Thursday, Nov. 17,2005 3:08 p.m.

With Hilary Duff and Heather Locklear starring as a mother-daughter duo, this movie is the epitome of the saying, "nothing in life is perfect." Jean (Locklear) is a single mother who is desperate to find the perfect man. The problem is every time her relationship with a man falls through, she packs up and moves her two daughters to a new city. Irritated by her mother's immature ways and determined to do anything to make her mother happy, Holly (Duff) creates an imaginary admirer to boost her mother's confidence.

Horror worthy of rejection

By C. Warner Sills and Alyson Brodsy · Thursday, Nov. 17,2005 3:08 p.m.

For anyone familiar with Rob Zombie, the ex-front man of rock band White Zombie, you will know that he is a devout fan of horror movies. His music videos always had a creepy style to them, his stage presence was always elaborate and his 2003 directed horror film "House of a 1000 Corpses" was packed with personal odes to the genre he loves. His recent opus, "The Devil's Rejects" is a continuation of "Corpses"' vicious story. But does this already mediocre story really need a follow up?

Japan's movie masterpiece

By Chris Wisner and compiled by Chris Wisner · Thursday, Nov. 17,2005 3:07 p.m.

Kenji Mizoguchi's "Ugetsu," a film often treated as the "Citizen Kane" of Japan's cinematic history, is quite possibly one of the longest overdue DVD releases since the technology was created. Originally released by the Criterion Collection on laserdisc many years ago, Criterion now releases "Ugetsu" on DVD.

Couldn't be better if it were made of chocolate

By Alyson Brodsky and Alyson Brodsy · Thursday, Nov. 17,2005 3:06 p.m.

Tim Burton strikes gold by bringing back to life the world of Willy Wonka. But unlike the original, Burton creates the story through his eyes. And because it showcases the bizarre signature style of its director, Burton once again delivers. At the same time, he also creates a film, unlike his others, that is optimistic. And what would a Tim Burton film be without over-the-top imagery and bizarre characters?