Longform

Hollywood yawns out another season

Hollywood is not only to blame for so many disappointing films this year, it is also responsible for offering some of the unimaginative TV programs this fall. Haven't the network executives realized that the most phenomenal programs in recent memory are reality shows, game shows and HBO's original programming?

Funk-fueled band to perform at Axis

Fishbone will fill Axis, 419 N. Walnut St., with funk Wednesday night, entertaining a crowd of college students after spending time recording with the likes of Perry Farrell, the Red Hot Chili Pepper's Flea, John Fusciante and Chad Smith, Gwen Stefani and George Clinton.

ADD makes me special

Have you ever forgotten to read an assignment for class? Ever raised your hand to answer a question, only to find you have no idea what you were going to say? Ever been out on a date and discovered that, to your chagrin, you forgot to wear shoes?

Having fish is harder than it looks

Goldfish. My roommate and I decided to have pet fish this year -- a choice we didn't realize would be so difficult. Just put some fish in a tank of water and feed them, right?

The political wasteland

With Election Day less than a month away, Indiana's estimated 4 million registered voters have little time to sift through the candidates on this year's ballot. While they have some cushion time before hitting the polls Nov. 9, most others have already missed the boat.

Jazz musician to play Buskirk-Chumley

It's not common for a bassist to serve as frontman in a jazz group. But Christian McBride breaks that mold. The accomplished jazz artist will play with his namesake band 7:30 tonight at the Buskirk-Chumley Theatre, 114 E. Kirkwood Ave. Tickets are $14 for general admission and $12 for students and seniors.

'College in the Nude' educates audience

Humor, dating advice and information about sexually transmitted diseases can all be found weekly in alumnus Harlan Cohen's syndicated advice column.

'Pirates of Penzance' bright, uplifting

Saturday night's performance of Gilbert and Sullivan's "The Pirates of Penzance" used vocal artistry, colorful costumes and creative choreography to produce a show sparkling with wit. The full crowd at the Buskirk-Chumley Theatre, 114 E. Kirkwood Ave., laughed as they observed the melodramatic tale of true love, unfailing honor and a band of unlikely pirates. Though a few production flaws were evident, the musical was beautiful and enjoyable.

The dumbing down of America

I'm confessing my geekiness today, which should cause about as much shock as when Gandalf the Grey became Gandalf the White in the second book of the Lord of the -- oh, never mind. I am a member of MENSA, a society for geniuses. Membership is based primarily on IQ scores, but one also has to show proficiency in giving a nerdy laugh, receiving wedgies and, of course, the Star Trek quiz. I had to cheat on that part.

GAP should set up in Dunn Meadow

Dunn Meadow has long been the designated "free speech" area of campus, where numerous student groups have held festivals, forums and speeches and set up informational booths. Now, an off-campus group is challenging the University, accusing it of discrimination and unfairly infringing on its First Amendment rights because it was told Dunn Meadow was the only place it could demonstrate. Students have accepted the fact that Dunn Meadow is the free speech forum on campus for years. The Genocide Awareness Project, a program from the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform, should accept the policy as well.

Cross country team fights for ranking

Glancing at intense athletes poised on the starting line, it might be surprising to learn the members on the men's cross country team describe themselves as having a lighthearted sense of humor. "The biggest thing for us right now is going out and beating people," sophomore Chris Powers said. "Anybody that's in front of us is taking something away from us." This weekend's fifth-place finish at the Notre Dame Invitational intensified the team's competitive drive.

Around the game

"The biggest thing for us right now is going out and beating people," sophomore Chris Powers said. "Anybody that's in front of us is taking something away from us." This weekend's fifth-place finish at the Notre Dame Invitational intensified the team's competitive drive. Defeating two top-25 teams and finishing 10 points behind No. 8 North Carolina State proved to the young team that no one can take its goals away. With four sophomores among the team's top five times, the team has excelled despite its inexperience.

Fish out of water

It was a chaotic evening pierced by sirens. Students waded in Showalter Fountain, angrily chanting. They were outraged at the firing of former coach Bob Knight, and the fountain absorbed a great deal of their disgust. When the disturbance settled, the fish of Showalter had been torn from their bases and the water was a murky green.

'Cats running back earns trust

Damien Anderson is a simple man without much flash. He doesn't ask about his statistics or other personal accolades. He only asks one thing of his coaches and teammates, and that is patched on the plain black shirt that he wears underneath his letterman jacket. He wants them to "trust" him. Apparently Northwestern does. The Wildcats rode the coattails of their 5-foot-11, 202-pound junior running back as they shredded the Hoosiers Saturday 52-33 at Ryan Field. Anderson rushed for a career-high 292 yards on 36 carries and scored four touchdowns. Anderson didn't put much stock in his numbers. Instead, he was more interested that the Wildcats won.

Indiana football without a 'd'

Stop me if you have heard this one before. What do you get when you take the "d" out of Indiana? Answer: The Iniana football team. From now on, IU's defense has lost all privileges to the "d" in Indiana until the Hoosiers can hold opponents to back-to-back under "30-something" games. The "d" does not show up on Saturdays, so why should it be included the rest of the week?

Major parties care about corporations, not families

When I saw the title "Democrats care about families" above Travis Thickstun's column on the Oct. 3 opinion page, I had a sudden urge to ralph. If Gore and other mainstream Democrats cared about families, they wouldn't support the $1 billion in military aid being sent to the brutal Colombian government. They wouldn't be supporting the brutal sanctions against Iraq or the bombing campaigns in Iraq and Yugoslavia that killed thousands of civilians. And Gore wouldn't have opposed efforts by African countries to gain permission to produce cheap generic versions of anti-HIV drugs so that they could afford to treat infected people in the face of a horrible epidemic. People who care about families don't support policies that kill them.

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Libertarian offers real solutions for education

This letter is in response to Brian Hartz's editorial "Politics more than donkeys and elephants." Do you know any Libertarians? How about Bill Maher from ABC's "Politically Incorrect," or David Letterman, Dennis Miller or Hugh Downs? A recent study showed that one-third of the people in the U.S. agree with these personalities on the issues affecting the upcoming election. Surprisingly, these men are all Libertarians. The Libertarian party was founded in 1971 by Democrats and Republicans who were fed up with the government's control over the lives of the American people. I couldn't sufficiently defend Harry Browne, the Libertarian presidential candidate, in this short article, but let's talk about education -- the matter deemed most important by Bush and Gore during their debate.

Philanthropy extends beyond greek system

Adam Hargis' argument that the administration should appreciate the activities (especially philanthropy) of fraternities and sororities is unfounded and ill-conceived ("Administration should appreciate greeks' activities," Oct. 2). IU does not make millions off the greek system. There is no evidence to suggest the administration does.

Boy Scouts don't deserve criticism

Since I can remember, my parents and my brother have been involved in boy scouting/cub scouting. It makes me furious that the Boy Scouts of America is under attack. They are a private organization and like any other private organization, are not funded by the state.