Longform

Virginia man killed in another sniper attack

By Abdullah AlShihri · Thursday, Oct. 10,2002 6:57 p.m.

BALTIMORE -- A man was shot and killed while pumping gas at a suburban Virginia gas station Wednesday night, and police were investigating to determine whether the sniper that has terrorized the Washington area had struck again. Virginia State Police said two males were seen driving away in a white vehicle after the shooting at the station in Prince William County, near Manassas, 25 miles west of the nation's capital.

Can you hear me now?

By Elise LeBlanc · Thursday, Oct. 10,2002 2:19 p.m.

Saved by the Bell, creators saw it coming. In a sitcom that was the embodiment of fashion for the early 90's -- complete with stonewash jeans, bad perms, leggings, banana clips and Zubaz pants -- there was one accessory ahead of its time: the cell phone. The creators even predicted its unnecessary use and disruption in school.

The cat's meow...or roar

By Jackie Corgan · Thursday, Oct. 10,2002 2:15 p.m.

There's Jasmine, whose eyes pierce through you, instilling sympathy and fear all at once. There's Tucker, who greets you with a bellowing yawn. There's India, whose translucent-like greenish blue eyes send chills down your spine. And you can't forget Jenny, Henry, Ginger and Sampson -- the tiger cub siblings who spent Friday afternoon on their crumpled, plastic swimming pool socializing and cat-napping. Literally. Jenny perched on her wooden platform, chewing on a calf's leg, extending a paw and hissing whenever her brother Henry galloped toward her.

Panel discusses Afghan war

By Sheeba Madan · Thursday, Oct. 10,2002 12:56 p.m.

The destruction of war is sometimes justified by the reconstruction that comes afterward. The war on terror ran the Taliban out of Afghanistan; it also killed innocent civilians. A panel discussion held Tuesday discussed the impact of the war on terrorism against Afghanistan and the current political scenario.

Series examines capital punishment

By Jake Rossman · Thursday, Oct. 10,2002 12:50 p.m.

An unprecedented series will begin at IU this Friday thanks to one man's vision and lots of help from the IU Bloomington community. After almost a year of planning, IU chemistry professor George Ewing has brought to Bloomington "Two Views: An Engagement of the Community on the Death Penalty," a series that will study both sides of the controversial issue. The series will run from Oct. 11 to 18, encompassing several events including a forum featuring Sister Helen Prejan, author of the book "Dead Man Walking."

School of Music should recognize Booker T.

By Ryan Whirty · Thursday, Oct. 10,2002 3:26 a.m.

During the mid-1960s, Booker T. Jones was a music student at IU. On weekdays he would get up for 7 a.m. theory classes before spending countless hours practicing the trombone in the music school. All in all, Booker T. Jones led the life of a normal college student during the week. Then came the weekends. After classes finished on Friday, Jones would hop in a car and drive hundreds of miles to Memphis, Tenn., where he recorded some of the sweetest and most influential music of the rock and roll era.

September...what the hell happened?

By -Alec Toombs · Thursday, Oct. 10,2002 3:24 a.m.

Last month was without a doubt the worst for filmmaking in the entirety of the medium. Viewers with already questionable tastes were made dumber by the likes of Swimfan, Shi..., uh, I mean City By the Sea, Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever, The Banger Sisters, Sweet Home Alabama and The Tuxedo. Sure, I only saw one of the aforementioned bunch, and probably the worst at that, Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever. The only ballistics needed for this cinematic excrement is to count the shotgun blast-sized plot holes dispersed throughout.

Decade hasn't diminished flick

By Neal Meyer · Thursday, Oct. 10,2002 3:14 a.m.

In the world of anniversary and special-edition DVD releases, a good number of them are either unwanted or unnecessary. In this myriad of multi-disc collections, a film comes along that is worthy of the title of special edition. Such is the case with the 10th-anniversary release of Unforgiven.

Karate, monsters make perfect mix

By -Alec Toombs · Thursday, Oct. 10,2002 3:12 a.m.

Brotherhood of the Wolf is an inspired and wondrously over-the-top French film sensation that expertly melds highly-stylized kung fu, monster-movie clichés and lavish period drama. Jam-packed with bone-crunching fisticuffs, scantily clad prostitutes and garish maulings via a hell-bent wolf, Brotherhood appeals to the 14-year-old boy who resides within each of us. Sadly ignored upon its stateside release this past winter, the flick is now available on DVD for more astute filmgoers.

Weekends on the water

By Anne Michelle Williams · Thursday, Oct. 10,2002 3:09 a.m.

As the leaves in Monroe County begin to change color for the fall, students are looking for places to relax and have fun over the weekend. Local canoeing areas are plentiful in Bloomington, but the top spots people said they like to visit are Griffy Lake, Lake Lemon and Lake Monroe.

Little Milton adds to blues tradition

By Ryan Whirty · Thursday, Oct. 10,2002 3:06 a.m.

Since beginning his career nearly 50 years ago, bluesman Little Milton Campbell has recorded for some of the greatest and most important labels on R&B history, including Sun, Stax and now Malaco. And along the way, he's established himself as one of the genre's elder statesmen by producing a sturdy, dependable catalog of material that skillfully straddles the fence between blues and soul.

Songwriting duo releases soulful debut

By Natalie A. Trout · Thursday, Oct. 10,2002 3:05 a.m.

It's all about rhythm and lyrics for the soulful duo Floetry. Marcia Ambrosius and Natalie Stewart (nicknamed the Songstress and the Floacist, respectively), the two women who make up the group, released their first album, Floetic, on Oct. 1. It could be a bit of a disappointment to fans of their first single.

Camp's debut lacks depth

By By Jonathan Sanders and Jonathan Sanders · Thursday, Oct. 10,2002 3:02 a.m.

Jeremy Camp is carrying on the broad tradition of his Christian-rock predecessors. Bands like Third Day and Audio Adrenaline have navigated this spiritual ocean for years, and they have done a much better job than Camp at avoiding religious clichés. The bottom line is that if you buy this album and listen to the first three tracks, you'll have heard all that Stay has to offer.

Simple plan, simple music

By Josh Kastrinsky · Thursday, Oct. 10,2002 2:59 a.m.

Pop-punk hybrids have always had a place in the hearts of America's "TRL" culture. An ancestor of this modern breed is Green Day, though Blink-182 has captured the crown in recent years. Unfortunately, bands hoping to imitate the success consistently come up short. Enter Simple Plan, a Montreal quintet whose debut album sounds like a mix of Blink-182, A New Found Glory and Good Charlotte, but without any edge or variety in song structure or content. The first single on No Pads, No Helmets… Just Balls, "I'd Do Anything," is engineered for top-40 radio, including a guest spot from Blink-182's Mark Hoppus on vocals.

Spike Lee casually spells it out

By Jackie Corgan · Thursday, Oct. 10,2002 2:58 a.m.

What an impression. "Indiana, my favorite state," Spike Lee razzed a nearly full crowd at the IU Auditorium Wednesday night. His remark was returned with hooting, hollering and clapping. "I was rooting for Maryland," he said waiving his microphone. Spike Lee is all about the controversy.

Hoosiers help rebuild Afghan schools

By Adam Van Osdol and Adam VanOsdol · Thursday, Oct. 10,2002 2:57 a.m.

In the remotest provinces of Afghanistan, universities have only names. The classrooms, dormitories and libraries lie mostly in rubble. Afghan Minister of Education Sharif Fayez says the 20 Afghan universities are in a "crisis."

Coldplay dude hits the Faultline

By By Jonathan Sanders and Jonathan Sanders · Thursday, Oct. 10,2002 2:56 a.m.

The art of dissonance blends with challenging musical innovation to create an album well worth hearing. Faultline doesn't create music for the weak-minded. This album is going to take some delving, some real exploration. But when you find the core of the electronic blends that are Your Love Means Everything, you'll have found a complete album worthy of a place in your record collection.

Country maverick offers perspective

By Michael Tapscott and Mike Tapscott · Thursday, Oct. 10,2002 2:54 a.m.

Sept. 11 has without a doubt produced some of the most tragically lame music in history. One would expect artists to explore the intricacies that make such crises exist. Instead, popular music has exploited the public with the most shamelessly jingoistic music ever. The worst of it is coming from the Nashville country music factory. The main culprits are Toby Keith's "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (the Angry American)" ("Soon as we could see clearly / Through our big black eye / Man, we lit up your world / Like the Fourth of July") and Alan Jackson's "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)" ("I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you / The difference in Iraq and Iran"), displaying the kind of arrogance and nihilism that propagates our cultural mess.

'You Can't Always Get What You Want'... but close

By -Alec Toombs · Thursday, Oct. 10,2002 2:51 a.m.

The Rolling Stones' Forty Licks, much like Elvis' recent ELV1S: 30 #1 Hits and the Beatles' Beatles 1, which in essence re-spawned the greatest hits album in 2000, is a fairly comprehensive listen into the almost 40-year career of Britain's reigning rock titans.

'Moonlight' more than the expected sob-fest

By Parker Witman and Parker Wittman · Thursday, Oct. 10,2002 2:47 a.m.

Though it may look like your average star-studded, soft-spot, string-pulling tear-jerker, Moonlight Mile is certainly a pleasant surprise of a story. Loosely based on writer/director Brad Silberling's own tragic loss of his girlfriend Rebecca Schaeffer (an up-and-coming TV star who in 1989 was murdered by an obsessed fan), the film takes a quirky yet earnest look at the taxing and complicated process of grieving and the rearrangement of life after grief.