Longform

Columbian mayor places warnings on streets

By Kim Housego · Wednesday, July 30,2003 8:56 p.m.

BOGOTA, Colombia -- The streets of Colombia's capital have been splashed with hundreds of bright yellow stars with white question marks in the middle -- "death stars." They mark spots where people have been killed -- not by the leftist rebels and rightist paramilitary fighters of Colombia's long civil war, but by drunk drivers and speed demons who wreak havoc on Bogota's crowded streets. On average, nearly 700 people die every year in traffic accidents in Bogota, and more than half of them are pedestrians.

Germans address problems in school systems

By Melissa Eddy · Wednesday, July 30,2003 8:56 p.m.

FRANKFURT, Germany -- It sounds like every child's dream: only four-and-a-half hours of school a day, no attendance taken, a free day if a teacher is sick, no punishment for playing hooky. But this is no dream, as Germans have suddenly awakened to discover; it's the sorry state of their schools.

Final 'last edition' Beetle hits streets

By Alonso Soto Joya · Wednesday, July 30,2003 8:55 p.m.

PUEBLA, Mexico -- Volkswagen is saying goodbye to its icon, the Beetle, ending production and sparking an international battle among collectors who want a final reminder of the car that was popular with everyone from post-World War II suburbanites to hippies. The world's last new Volkswagen bug rolled off the assembly line Wednesday at the VW plant in Puebla, 65 miles southeast of Mexico City.

Interim Iraqi leader chosen

By Steven R. Hurst · Wednesday, July 30,2003 8:54 p.m.

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- A Shiite Muslim member of a political party banned by Saddam Hussein was chosen Wednesday to be the first leader of Iraq's U.S.-picked interim government, serving a one-month term that will be rotated among eight other faction leaders. The Iraq Governing Council, meeting in Baghdad's Convention Center, also lashed out at Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa for failing to recognize the interim government's authority.

Flames devour truck, burn painters

Wednesday, July 30,2003 8:52 p.m.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Rush-hour motorists watched in horror as a cargo truck burst into flames on a busy freeway, burning more than a dozen members of the painting crew inside, most of them critically.

Combs elected local Party chair

By Peter Henrich · Wednesday, July 30,2003 8:51 p.m.

Perry Township Trustee Dan Combs was elected as chairman of the Monroe County Democratic party Sunday evening. The election was watched closely as candidates Combs and Brian O'Neill vied for the leadership position Frank McCloskey resigned from. Combs acknowledged that McCloskey has left "big shoes to fill."

Here's to Fu: Fighters for the rock ethos

By -Val Tsoutsouris and Val Tsoutouris · Wednesday, July 30,2003 7:59 p.m.

Fu Manchu is one of those bands that has no real songs, just a sound. Songs begin with nuclear, lysergic, instantly familiar, epic, bong-fueled, puppy-neutering guitar riffs.

Sad demise marks Hearts' pop

By Jessica Halverson · Wednesday, July 30,2003 7:58 p.m.

So, it's hard to write a review of a band that just passed away. Heading out to tour following their first LP release, the Exploding Hearts lost three members (Matt Fitzgerald, bass and vocals, Adam Cox, guitar and lead vocals, and Jeremy Gage, drums) to an automobile accident on the way home from a show in San Francisco. Surviving are Terry Six, guitar, and Rachelle Ramos, manager.

This one has few 'Cheap Thrills'

By -Val Tsoutsouris and Val Tsoutouris · Wednesday, July 30,2003 7:57 p.m.

It's hard to root against Cheap Trick. It recorded one of rock's all-time great live albums, 1979's Live at Budokan.

The Kills have no fills, no frills

By -Val Tsoutsouris and Val Tsoutouris · Wednesday, July 30,2003 7:56 p.m.

The Kills might be like The White Stripes, but a big difference is that The White Stripes are famous and The Kills are still obscure. The Kills have an outlaw personality, which might make them less viable commercially. In fact, their song "Jewel Thief" is what Bonnie and Clyde might sound like if they could rock.

Cycling and techno mingle in 'France'

Wednesday, July 30,2003 7:55 p.m.

The Kraftwerk single and its latest album's title track, "Tour de France 03," is a Tour de Fun. The song follows in the tradition of Kraftwerk's minimal beat style, however it has been updated to fit with the times. Kraftwerk seems to have been influenced by current trends in electronic music, even though it helped pioneer the genre in the early '70s.

Disco for the youth

By Jessica Halverson · Wednesday, July 30,2003 7:54 p.m.

Consisting of two tracks, "Me and Giuliani Down by the Schoolyard (A True Story)" and "Intensifieder (Sunracapellectrohshit mix 03)" !!! (pronounced "chk chk chk")'s new EP runs a pleased with itself 18-minutes long.

Dylan is battered and covered

By Michael Tapscott · Wednesday, July 30,2003 7:53 p.m.

Masked and Anonymous is the soundtrack to a film directed by former sitcom writer Larry Charles. Bob Dylan stars in the film as (what else) a former guiding light, singer-songwriter in a Civil War-torn, ambiguously diverse, future America.

Girl Power that lives up to its name

By -Paul Straw · Wednesday, July 30,2003 7:51 p.m.

There is a lot of crap packaged as chick flicks. Forget "Charlie's Angels" and "Legally Blonde 2," "Whale Rider" beats them both. Don't even lump this into the same genre. Despite its girl power themes, "Whale Rider" is so much more than that.

The subversive little world of 'Spy Kids'

By Michael Tapscott · Wednesday, July 30,2003 7:50 p.m.

Let's get it out of the way that "Spy Kids 3-D" is a terrible movie. Writer, director and 3-D artiste Richard Rodriguez phoned the third film of the series in, creating a movie that is visually nauseating and completely lacking in anything even a child would consider a plot.

Jolie makes a bad career move

By Jake Bilinski · Wednesday, July 30,2003 7:49 p.m.

Someone please tell me why it is that video game to film adaptations always seem to suck. The latest installment of the "Tomb Raider" series manages to fall infinitely short of its predecessor, which was in itself easily forgettable if not mildly entertaining.

'Seabiscuit:' Yet another reason to read

By -Alec Toombs · Wednesday, July 30,2003 7:48 p.m.

Three men suffering through the hardships of the Great Depression find solace in a common good. Strangely, the lynchpin that holds these downtrodden figures together happens to be of the equine variety.

'Not Everybody Loves Raymond'

By C. Warner Sills and Brian Elliott · Wednesday, July 30,2003 7:37 p.m.

Movies and television are big parts of my life. Certainly not the most important part, but I love seeing weekly episodes of "The Sopranos" and despite my problems with the ticket prices and commercials at the beginning of movies, I still think of going to the theater as a special treat.

Fighting King George

By Jessica Halverson · Wednesday, July 30,2003 7:35 p.m.

It wasn't as smoky as I thought it would be in the small backroom at Bear's Place last Wednesday for the return of the Booze.

Don't mess with Texas

By -Paul Straw · Wednesday, July 30,2003 7:34 p.m.

Kevin Spacey is a great actor who has made his mark in many great movies such as "The Usual Suspects," "Seven," "L.A. Confidential" and "American Beauty" to name a few. In fact, he's carved out such a niche for himself that by simply being in a movie it will have a twist ending. "The Life of David Gale" is no exception, as Spacey plays the titular character, a man sentenced to be executed, who may or may not be guilty of murder.