Longform

City gives Buskirk $600,000

After two hours of heated debate Wednesday, the Bloomington city council approved a controversial $600,000 subsidy to the financially troubled Buskirk-Chumley Theatre. It's part of a planned $1.2 million acquisition of the downtown landmark, which is deep in debt.

Getting your 'Sim'-groove on

Have you ever dreamed of making out with Matthew Perry? Sleeping with Jennifer Lopez? Living in a large mansion with luxury furnishings? Being abducted by aliens? Playing "The Sims" can make all these dreams and more come true -- at least on your computer screen.

Anti-government strike shuts down Bangladesh cities and towns

A general strike ordered by Bangladesh's main opposition party to protest new taxes shut down schools and shops and brought traffic to a halt across the country Sunday.

Weathering the Storm

The smell of sulphur was thick across IU Wednesday afternoon. Flares lined the streets, marking the boundaries between oncoming traffic and raging rain water. Power lines snaked on the ground. Trees knocked holes in roofs and crushed cars. Students hustled inside, following a warning issued by the National Weather Service at 5:14 p.m. that a tornado was headed for Bloomington.

Team loses close match

The men's wrestling team remained winless in conference matches after dropping a close match against Purdue on Thursday and a second match Sunday to Illinois at home.

More safety measures needed

In early February, more than 2,500 students found out that their Social Security numbers had been downloaded by a hacker when he breached University security. In a separate June incident, a hacker got access to 1,700 individuals' Social Security numbers through the School of Music's Web site in another security breach. This past Wednesday, in the midst of the University Division relocating from Maxwell Hall to Ashton Center, several boxes containing information such as Social Security numbers and payroll stubs were left unattended in the hallways, accessible to anyone who wanted to look at them. It's time for these security breaches to stop.

Around The Campus

Conflict Resolution Services to sponsor anti-violence week IU Conflict Resolution Services will hold its second annual "Week Without Violence" April 2-5. The week will be highlighted with a series of events dedicated to violence prevention and nonviolent conflict resolution in the community. All events are free.

Conflict devastates Middle East economy

Since the latest violence began 20 months ago, Palestinians and Israelis have seen their death toll rise, military costs soar and economies sink.

Kirkwood prepares for frenzy

It's radiating from the asphalt and beaming invisibly from the street lights on Kirkwood Avenue. It's anticipation, and it almost seems to be beckoning the IU masses. Thousands gathered last Saturday night on Kirkwood to celebrate the basketball team's victory, and business owners are preparing for a potentially larger crowd this weekend.

IU's young violinists to play at 'Kids play for Kids' benefit at Carnegie Hall

Twelve young violinists from IU School of Music's Violin Virtuosi plan to grace New York City's Carnegie Hall with a benefit concert, "Kids play for Kids," June 18. The concert will raise money for the Harlem Public School Violin Program, Opus 118 Music Center, which has suffered this year because of the Sept. 11 backlash. "Opus 118 is largely supported with city money, and they lost their funding almost completely. So much of (it) went to the catastrophe, cleaning up and helping people," said Mimi Zweig, director of Violin Virtuosi.

Ignorance should no longer be bliss

If you ever get bored at night, turn on Jay Leno and observe his "Jay-Walking" -- a segment at the beginning of shows where he surveys average Joes and Janes and asks them about general facts that you would hope anyone who passed U.S. history could pull from some memory bank.

Film explores relationships

A dorm room, a camera and two naked college students. If this seems like your typical Saturday night, that's because it's supposed to. Student filmmakers and seniors Scott Schirmer and Dan Dixon use the art of film to explore human sexuality and gender relations in "Three Animals, One Stuffed." The 32-minute film, which will be shown at 7 p.m today in Ballantine Hall Room 228, follows a one-night-stand gone away. "I hope that it (will) make (the audience) think about gender roles and ask themselves whether these differences come from biology or whether it's intrinsic or if it's because of sociology," Schirmer said. Schirmer, who wrote and directed the film, is a homosexual: He said it was his amazement at heterosexual relationships that inspired him to write this film. "Being gay, I look at heterosexual people and I am always marveled at the fact that they can ever get along," he said.

Around The Region

Indiana homeowners to see drop in heating bill expenses this year State behind in payments to social organizations aiding disabled Cummins Inc. reports $3 million in profits

Texas festival highlights upcoming bands

Talk of Lakers dynasty overrated

Well, the NBA Finals are over and done with, and one more season is down the drain in the sports world, leaving only baseball for our summer enjoyment.

Looking on the sunny side

The police are pulling a body out of the bay right now. Can you run down to the pier to check that out?" That was the idea of a message from my editor that flashed across my screen one day this summer. I was interning at a Florida newspaper as a reporter on the city desk. My mission was to find out who died -- and how.

Critics skeptic of Bush oil plan

Electricity shortages in California have raised awareness of energy supply and conservation, and inflated gas prices are raising public concern over crude oil supplies. But some experts say that the real energy supply situation in America is hardly worthy of the title of an energy 'crisis', and that compared to the oil embargoes, supply cutoffs and long fuel lines of the '70s, this summer's perceived supply shortages are minor and short term. "(There is) no comparison between what happened in the '70s and what is going on today," said IU business professor Bruce Jaffee. "The concerns raised about energy are similar, but the policy and the causes are different. The '70s issue was perceived supply shortages. Price caps were implemented. Most importantly, there was an Arab oil embargo.Today there are no broad shortages. The Bush administration will not tolerate price controls or supply cutoffs from third parties. Most importantly, there is no embargo by a third party."

Getting outside

For students with no plans for spring break and a little extra cash burning in their pockets, there is an alternative to the traditional spring break locations. IU's Outdoor Adventures is sponsoring trips over break as far away as Utah and Arizona and as exotic as the Virgin Islands.

'Men in Black' sequel a cosmic failure

Men in Black II -- PG-13Starring: Will Smith, Tommy Lee JonesDirected by: Barry SonnenfeldShowing: Showplace West 12

Student trustee election process proves flawed

Every two years, the state Governor gets to select from 10 finalists a student trustee who will represent the students of all Indiana University campuses throughout the state. Last Monday, Gov. Frank O'Bannon nominated 32-year-old graduate student Sasha Wilsey from here at the Bloomington campus as the student trustee. That's right, a 32-year-old graduate student.