Longform

Business Briefs

By Alyson Brodsy · Tuesday, March 30,2004 12:01 a.m.

CHICAGO -- A Cook County judge approved a settlement Friday between SBC Communications and the Citizens Utility Board that will give voicemail subscribers as much as a $15 credit on their phone bills.

Author comes to Bloomington to discuss 'ex-gay myth'

By Andrea Opperman · Tuesday, March 30,2004 12 a.m.

Author Wayne Besen will be discussing his new book, "Anything But Straight: Unmasking the Scandals and Lies Behind the Ex-Gay Myth" at the Bloomington Unitarian Universalist Church tonight at 7 p.m. Besen's presentation will address the current ex-gay issue which he refutes in his book, that gays can be made straight.

Conseco execs get stock bonus

By Alyson Brodsy · Monday, March 29,2004 11:59 p.m.

CARMEL, Ind. -- Top Conseco Inc. executives who helped the insurer emerge from the third-largest bankruptcy in U.S. history were rewarded with nearly $34 million in compensation last year.

Book discussion to spark ideas

By Mike LaFollette · Monday, March 29,2004 11:59 p.m.

Bloomington residents will have the opportunity to discuss the book "Reading Lolita in Tehran" at 7 p.m. tonight at the Monroe County Public Library, 303 E. Kirkwood Ave. The event is sponsored by the Poynter Center for the Study of Ethics and American Institutions.

Federal officials probe Lilly

By Alyson Brodsy and Mark Jewell · Monday, March 29,2004 11:58 p.m.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Eli Lilly and Co., already under federal investigation for the way it promoted an osteoporosis drug, said Thursday it faces a new federal probe of its marketing practices.

Jordan River Forum

By Alyson Brodsy · Monday, March 29,2004 11:43 p.m.

I want to address the March 23 letter, "Everyone Deserves a Birthday." As a feminist, I was very offended by the writer's remarks. As a student and activist, I have been fortunate to hear the personal stories of many strong women who have made the difficult decision to have an abortion.

Missing the Point on 9-11

By Alyson Brodsy and Chris Hintz · Monday, March 29,2004 11:35 p.m.

The 9-11 commission has a lot of people rethinking what the U.S. government was doing to protect this country prior to that day. The public has had the opportunity to watch many of the important decision makers answer questions about what they did -- or did not do -- to prevent attacks against the United States. Particular attention has been paid to Richard Clarke, the former counterterrorism chief in the White House, who has claimed, among other things, the Bush administration should have done more to prevent the attacks.

No more free meters

By Alyson Brodsy · Monday, March 29,2004 11:29 p.m.

CHICAGO -- Cubs fans traveling to Wrigley Field this season will have to look harder for free parking spaces at Sunday games. The city has decided to add several streets around the ballpark to a small list of areas in the city where parking meters must be fed seven days a week. The change goes into effect April 11, one week before the Cubs open their first Sunday home game against the Cincinnati Reds.

Can you defend the logic?

By Alyson Brodsy · Monday, March 29,2004 11:29 p.m.

It is with concern and alarm that I am writing to respond to Eric Wilson's March 23 column, "Defending the Family," which damns same-sex couples, contending that their relationships are "unusual, unnatural and unfruitful," and suggests that the very idea of homosexuality is yet another behavior we should add to the increasingly long list of un-American activities ("a foolish departure from the morals that have built our country").

Superior Asian guys

By Alyson Brodsy and Steven Chung · Monday, March 29,2004 11:29 p.m.

When trying to explain the dearth of Asians in American television and movies, a friend suggested it is less because of racism and more due to Asian cultural values, encouraging education rather than entertainment. That may be true, but the more I thought about it, the more I was haunted by the possibility that Asian people simply aren't cut out for acting, singing or dancing. Perhaps there is something in our genes that turns us into doctors, scientists and business people and not entertainers or athletes.

Matsui homers in return to Japan

By Alyson Brodsy and Ronald Blum · Monday, March 29,2004 11:28 p.m.

TOKYO -- Back in Japan, Hideki Matsui did what he does best -- homer in the Tokyo Dome. When he deposited a hanging curveball into the right-center field seats in the second inning Sunday night, the enormously popular player they call Godzilla couldn't reign in his emotions. He cracked a wide smile after he crossed the plate and returned to the New York Yankees' dugout.

Why I'm single

By Judd Arnold · Monday, March 29,2004 11:28 p.m.

Thursday during a lecture highlighting the differences between the sexes, Dr. Lori Hart Ebert proclaimed to the audience: "We are here tonight because … men and women are truly different. Men are simple creatures. Women, we are complicated, and that drives men crazy."

Love and Larry

By Dan Cohen and Daniel Cohen · Monday, March 29,2004 11:26 p.m.

My vote for NCAA basketball coach of the year? It goes to man who did not coach one game this year. To a man, who until last week, didn't even have a job. I vote for Larry Eustachy. Why? Because I'm voting for a man who loves the game so much he cleaned up to get a second chance in life and in coaching. Last year, pictures surfaced of Eustachy hugging and kissing college girls at a party after a road game. Eustachy was fired.

Jewel on the spree

By Britany Ausmus and Brittany Ausmus · Monday, March 29,2004 11:25 p.m.

As I stepped out of the U-Bahn station at Unter den Linden, I remembered how wonderful Berlin really is. There is an energy pulsing through the city with an unrivaled atmosphere. The German capital, once divided by the world's powers, now stands for the progress of the German people as a major European metropolis. The modern architecture is a reminder of the total devastation the city faced during the World War II -- Berlin, at the war's end, was reduced to rubble.

From DC to D.C.

By Alyson Brodsy and Brian McFillen · Monday, March 29,2004 11:24 p.m.

According to an article published this weekend by Reuters, with yet seven months to go before anyone does any voting, Americans are already being turned off by the negative tone of the 2004 presidential campaign. Journalist John Whitesides reports the effect is bipartisan. The Democratic consultants, Democracy Corps, report a 10 percent increase in negative assessments of John Kerry, while polls from Ipsos, Fox News and Newsweek all show declines in support for George Bush (Reuters, March 28).

'Gypsy Spirit: Journey of the Roma' breaks stereotypes

By Claire Blaustein · Monday, March 29,2004 11:21 p.m.

The image of the Gypsy is held as part of our popular culture -- a view of people in peasant skirts and vests traveling around the eastern European countryside in brightly painted wagons.

Transfers provide spark for IU

By Dan Click · Monday, March 29,2004 11:21 p.m.

Coming off a season in which they finished 12-11 and returned only four players, the Hoosiers were looking for a spark from their newcomers. IU has gotten just that from its three transfer players -- sophomores Dmytro Ishtuganov and Neil Kenner and junior Ryan McCarthy. With their help, the Hoosiers are ranked No. 70 in the country, working toward a NCAA tournament berth and improving as the season progresses. With transferring comes challenges, including getting used to a new campus, new classes and a new team.

Senior back in rotation

By Alex Witteveld · Monday, March 29,2004 11:20 p.m.

Tommy John. This name evokes memories of a great baseball player, a dominating major league pitcher who played for 26 years and ended his career with 288 wins. But for today's amateur and professional ballplayers, this name has become synonymous with months of rehab and a highly-feared surgery. For IU pitcher Nick Vitielliss, this is exactly what Tommy John meant.

Downsides to downloading

By Alyson Brodsy · Monday, March 29,2004 11:19 p.m.

For months, we've all been either crossing our fingers or shaking our fingers -- depending on the position we take on file-sharing. We've known from the beginning file-sharing was illegal, even if it was in the same category as speeding and jaywalking -- we all know it's wrong, we all do it and we all hate it when we actually get caught. But now the Recording Industry of America Association is filing 89 lawsuits at 21 universities. The average "John Doe" defendant has 800 songs on his or her computer, meaning the student had, on average, 800 chances to realize his or her actions were illegal and stop.

Award nominee at IU

By Stacey Laskin · Monday, March 29,2004 11:17 p.m.

The day Samrat Upadhyah, an IU creative writing professor, discovered he did not win the 2004 Kiriyama Prize, he sat at a desk in his Ballantine Hall office writing. "It's fine," he said. "I'm just honored to be even nominated."