Longform

If I had a hammer ...

By Colin Dugdale · Tuesday, Feb. 1,2005 11:40 p.m.

A hammer is good if you build a birdhouse with it. A hammer is bad if you kill a bird with it. A protractor is good if you measure angles with it. A protractor is bad if you jam it into someone's foot. The Bible, like the aforementioned tools, has both creative and destructive powers. It is the individual's interpretation of scripture and subsequent use of Christian principles that determines whether this religious tool has been used appropriately.

Back-handed tax logic

By Edward Delp · Tuesday, Feb. 1,2005 11:40 p.m.

A tax increase on certain, wealthy Hoosiers is proposed to fix the state economy. Those Democrats are at it again! Wait. That wasn't from the Democrats. That was from our new Republican governor. I'm not generally one to criticize a Republican, but after watching Gov. Mitch Daniels' State of the State address, I feel compelled to speak out.

Give us a break on textbooks

By Alyson Brodsy · Tuesday, Feb. 1,2005 11:34 p.m.

As if tuition, rent, utilities, groceries and parking fees (not to mention athletic fees) weren't enough, every semester, college students have to cough up hundreds of dollars for textbooks. It's a burden for students all across the country, but some Maryland politicians may have a solution. Maryland Delegate Peter Franchot (D-Montgomery) would like to see textbooks exempted from sales tax to help students retain a few extra dollars.

North Korea wages 'hair war' on people who grow it long

By Alyson Brodsy · Tuesday, Feb. 1,2005 11:31 p.m.

SEOUL, South Korea -- The order to shaggy-haired North Korean men couldn't be clearer: Get a trim like Kim. The reclusive communist country is waging a hair war, telling its male population to lose the long locks, cut the coiffures and mow the mane to conform to the "socialist style," which is no longer than 2 inches. Even hair-challenged, authoritarian leader Kim Jong Il has trimmed his famous pompadour. One exception, however: Comradely comb-overs are OK for older men.

Swept away and seemingly lost

By -Nate Bethea · Tuesday, Feb. 1,2005 11:31 p.m.

It's a barely-perceptible line that separates expression from histrionics. It's a dangerous undertaking to attempt a follow-up to a resounding success, almost as dangerous as it is to reach far beyond your grasp. Worlds Apart, the new release from 2002's skull-cracking indie werewolves ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead is a flawed achievement that runs afoul of these lines.

Two new discs from a musical genius

By John Barnett · Tuesday, Feb. 1,2005 11:29 p.m.

Each of the past three decades has had its own Dylan heir apparent; someone the critics call a 'boy genius,' 'lyrical mastermind,' or the far more intimidating 'voice of their generation.' Springsteen carried that burden in the '70s, a number of since forgotten New Wave frontmen held the position in the '80s and Kurt Cobain held the title all the way down both barrels of a shotgun in the '90s. Now we have Conor Oberst, the creative force behind Bright Eyes, garnering such praise, as well as teeming throngs of rabid fans known as "Conorites" for better or for worse.

Music talk makes my brain explode

By -Nate Bethea · Tuesday, Feb. 1,2005 11:24 p.m.

I'm envious of sports fans. Seriously, I know very little about sports, but I'm envious of the fact that you can strike up conversations on things that have right and wrong answers. Even if you know nothing, it doesn't take much to know that the Yankees win a lot and that the Colts frustrate and upset. "How about them Colts?" you can say, and people will have something meaningful to say back to you.

The Paris Hilton guide to internships

By Joanna Borns · Tuesday, Feb. 1,2005 11:23 p.m.

Rich celebrities are as much a part of American culture as -- who am I kidding? -- rich celebrities are American culture. The rich and famous are even beginning to deny ordinary people the sacred right to be on reality television, but in doing so they're teaching the rest of us important life lessons.

Prisons propose moving inmates to save money

By Alyson Brodsy and Deanna Wrenn · Tuesday, Feb. 1,2005 11:22 p.m.

INDIANAPOLIS -- The new head of Indiana's prisons says the system can be operated within the spending freeze proposed by Gov. Mitch Daniels even though thousands of new inmates are expected in coming years. New Department of Correction Commissioner J. David Donahue told legislators Tuesday that the agency would shift many inmates to lower security facilities, focus on community corrections and help better prepare inmates for life outside prison.

Education committee endorses legislation to stop bullying

By Michael Beal · Tuesday, Feb. 1,2005 11:21 p.m.

The Indiana Senate Education Committee endorsed legislation Thursday to curb bullying in Indiana schools. The bill calls for a universal definition of bullying and will allow grant money from the Safe Schools Fund to help finance bullying prevention. "It's a big problem in our schools today already, but it's growing," said State Sen. Thomas J. Wyss (R-15th District), one of the authors of the bill.

President Clinton to head U.N. tsunami relief

By Alyson Brodsy · Tuesday, Feb. 1,2005 11:16 p.m.

UNITED NATIONS -- Secretary-General Kofi Annan has selected former President Clinton to be the U.N. point man for tsunami reconstruction and to ensure the world doesn't forget the needs of those devastated by the Dec. 26 disaster, a U.N. diplomat said Tuesday. U.N. spokesman Fred Eckhard refused to confirm the appointment but said his office would release a statement shortly. Clinton had no immediate comment.

Those feisty homosexuals

By Amy Obermeyer · Tuesday, Feb. 1,2005 11:15 p.m.

On the eve of the Iraqi election, Condaleeza Rice gave a beautifully written speech about freedom for all people. She subtly condemned our forefathers for slavery and spoke of how, through the democratic process, injustice in the system can be fixed. I, too, believe in freedom and democracy whole-heartedly. Still, I had a hard time listening to her speech with the concurrent knowledge that a whole population of people is still being constantly denied basic rights and freedoms.

King of Nepal isolates country from world

By Alyson Brodsy · Tuesday, Feb. 1,2005 11:15 p.m.

KATMANDU, Nepal -- King Gyanendra dismissed Nepal's government Tuesday and declared a state of emergency, closing off his Himalayan nation from the rest of the world as telephone and Internet lines were cut, flights diverted and civil liberties severely curtailed.

Iraqi president says U.S. troops necessary

By Alyson Brodsy and Mariam Fam · Tuesday, Feb. 1,2005 11:09 p.m.

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Iraq's president said Tuesday it would be "complete nonsense" to ask foreign troops to leave the country now, although some could depart by the year's end. Officials began the final vote tally from elections to produce a government to confront the insurgency.

Jury selection begins for Michael Jackson case

By Alyson Brodsy and Tim Molloy · Tuesday, Feb. 1,2005 11:06 p.m.

SANTA MARIA, Calif. -- Michael Jackson stood and smiled as he faced the first prospective jurors in his criminal trial, a group roughly split between those willing to decide his fate and those hoping to avoid a role in the latest trial of the century. Jackson, dressed in an all-white suit and a jewel-trimmed vest and belt, rose and remained standing as two groups of prospects, about 150 in the morning and another 150 in the afternoon, filed into the courtroom Monday.

Bush to address Social Security, immigration in State of the Union

By Alyson Brodsy and Terence Hunt · Tuesday, Feb. 1,2005 11:05 p.m.

WASHINGTON -- President Bush is ready to challenge Congress to approve a stack of politically divisive measures he has proposed before without success, from major changes in Social Security to a loosening of the nation's immigration laws.

War in Iraq at center of campus clash

By Michael Zennie · Tuesday, Feb. 1,2005 10:31 p.m.

The clock in the Student Building struck a note of discord Monday at noon as roughly two dozen students and community members used it's midday chime as a sign to begin chanting "No justice, no peace, USA out of the Middle East." Members of the Bloomington Peace Action Coalition and the newly formed campus group Against the Occupation of Iraq gathered at the Sample Gates to protest the U.S. military's presence in Iraq.

BFC to hear proposed changes for NCAA

By Katie Schoenbaechler and Katie Shoenbaechler · Tuesday, Feb. 1,2005 10:30 p.m.

The face of intercollegiate athletics could change with an approved proposal today by The Coalition on Intercollegiate Athletics, which is made up of an alliance of faculty representatives, including IU professor Bob Eno. The coalition is proposing a draft that outlines three changes to the NCAA bylaws in five areas; admission of athletes, awarding of scholarships, curricular integrity, time commitments of athletes and academic advising for players.

Indiana clocks divided across state counties

By David A. Nosko · Tuesday, Feb. 1,2005 1:14 a.m.

Daylight saving time is sponsored by 47 states across the country, but Indiana is one of three states that does not fast forward and rewind the clock once a year. The Indiana legislature has debated the issue of DST for about four decades, and now newly instated Gov. Mitch Daniels, much like Benjamin Franklin in 1784, wants the issue resolved.

FAFSA question might be removed

By Lindsey Jancek and Lindsay Jancek · Tuesday, Feb. 1,2005 1:14 a.m.

Since 2000, every student who has applied for financial assistance or filled out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) answered a question that is being debated in Washington. Last Monday, an independent congressional committee recommended to Congress that the question on FAFSA forms asking students if they have been convicted of a drug crime be removed from the form, claiming it was irrelevant and deterred students from applying for aid.