Longform

Keyser Soze at his finest on DVD

Fans' lawsuit goes on

Lawyers for a group of basketball fans suing IU's trustees over Bob Knight's firing have expanded their lawsuit to accuse the panel of meeting secretly to discuss budget issues. The new allegation filed this week says trustees discussed the University budget in the same kind of "serial meetings" that preceded Knight's September 2000 firing.

This Weekend's Calendar events

Rat problem disappearing

Residents of Hyde Park on Bloomington's southeast side can now rest a little easier. The invasion of rats that started about a month ago is finally being taken care of after some uncertainty and a dispute over what should be done.

Bush protects steel at high cost

Two weeks ago, before IU left for spring break, President Bush decided to impose tariffs of up to 30 percent on imported steel. Predictably, his rationale was the post-Sept.11 standby: "(Fill in the blank) is a matter of national security, therefore we must do (fill in the blank) in order to do (fill in the blank)." Bush has used this line of reasoning to support just about everything he's wanted to do since Sept. 11: beef subsidies, drill oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and now, tariffs on imported steel.

Hoosiers back in action

The consensus is in. And the men's basketball team is sick and tired of practicing. The Hoosiers know their own offense and their own defense, and it's making practice a bit hum-drum. IU, ranked No. 20 in the USA Today/ESPN poll, will finally get the chance to see shirts of a different color at 1:30 p.m. Sunday at Assembly Hall when it meets Athletes in Action.

Rumsfeld sees indications of al-Qaida in Kashmir

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Wednesday he has seen "indications" of al-Qaida operations near the Line of Control that divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan.

Does punk go 'bad' with age?

Can young punks ever grow old gracefully? With The Process of Belief, Bad Religion hopes to answer this question with a resounding yes. With Brett Gurewitz back in tow after his years of running Epitaph Records and struggling with drug addiction, Bad Religion returns to its core lineup for the first time since 1994's Stranger Than Fiction.

Being a kid again

Junior Justin Miller has a lot to worry about. Balancing a double major in accounting and finance proves difficult to handle, especially when it comes to juggling classes, studying and exams. He also holds a leadership position in his fraternity and coordinates social events for the house. "In addition to classes, I've also got to worry about internships and finding a job when I graduate," Miller says. "Sometimes, I just get burned out and need an escape."

Wage equity not enforced

Many believe a female college student today may expect to enter the workplace and succeed without being treated unfairly. This is 2002, and the battles about equal rights and fair pay were fought 30 years ago, many believe.

IU 'queens' come OUT tonight

There's never a break for graduate student Jason Jones, president of OUT and one of this year's organizers of the 11th Annual Miss Gay IU Pageant. Operating on two hours of sleep and pure adrenaline, he's swamped with last-minute errands to get ready for the pageant that will be held this evening at 8 p.m. in the IU Auditorium.

Gone but not long forgotten

It started almost three years ago, with IU student Benjamin Smith. Smith began a shooting spree that started in Chicago and ended in Salem, Ill., when he shot himself during a high-speed chase on Interstate 57. In the three days between July 2 and July 4 of 1999, Smith murdered two men and wounded nine others. Among the slain were former Northwestern University basketball coach Ricky Byrdsong and IU student Won-Joon Yoon.

'Spider-Man' breaks records

LOS ANGELES -- "Spider-Man" has leaped from comic book to record book, becoming the first movie to hit $100 million in its first weekend.

'Ali' fails to deliver knockout punch

Going into the winter, one of the more talked about movies that wasn't based on a book was "Ali," starring Will Smith. Making a film about the greatest boxer and one of the most electrifying sports personalities of all time certainly piqued a lot of interest. Would Smith be able to accurately portray Ali? What parts of Ali's life would be covered in the film? What would the fight scenes look like? Upon seeing the film, these questions were finally answered, but with varying degrees of satisfaction.

Michigan State defense dominates Hoosiers

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Through the first half Sunday at the Breslin Center, it looked as if the Hoosiers had found a way to get past Tom Izzo and Michigan State's trademark defense. Similar to how IU cut through the Spartans at Assembly Hall Jan. 8, the Hoosiers built a large first-half lead behind good shooting. But by the time the second half came, Michigan State figured out the IU offense, and with Marcus Taylor leading the way, the Spartans slipped past the No. 23 Hoosiers 57-54. In the first meeting between the two teams this season, IU hit 14 of 26 three pointers. Junior point guard Tom Coverdale hit 6 of 8 from three-point range in the first half alone, and the Hoosiers coasted to an 83-65 victory.

SAT scores stranded in post office

NEW YORK -- With the thousands of unscored SAT exams apparently stuck in New Jersey post offices because of the anthrax scare, the College Board said Tuesday it was contacting high school students and offering them a chance to retake the test or get a refund. The College Board, a New York-based higher education membership organization, owns the test, which is given seven times during the school year. But scoring of the $25 college entrance tests is conducted by the Educational Testing Service in Princeton, N.J. The College Board estimates mail delays held up the answer sheets of as many as 7,800 students out of about 550,000 who took the test Oct. 13. That figure was based on the fact that ETS got none, or only some, of the answer sheets from 89 high schools and other test centers in this country and overseas.

Right to be stupid

What's next on this highway of government protection? Since the government is taking great lengths to ensure safety, they should have highway checkpoints testing blood and urine samples to see if we're all taking our vitamins. If I don't sit with good posture, I might have back problems, and consequently, chiropractor visits. Better make house calls, in that case. The feds need to raid my pantry -- some of my snacks may be too high in fat. We must have all these measures to keep insurance rates low.

Lead auditor in Enron case invokes constitutional right not to testify

WASHINGTON - Fired Enron outside auditor David Duncan refused to testify to Congress Thursday about the shredding of the energy company's documents, invoking his Fifth Amendment protection against self--incrimination. Several lawmakers said they're not sure whether he is a "rogue employee or scapegoat." His silence came as his former colleagues, top officials of the Arthur Andersen accounting firm, sought to lay the blame squarely on him. Their denials of involvement in the shredding drew skeptical responses from members of a House panel investigating Enron's collapse. After five hours of testimony and quizzing by lawmakers of the Andersen executives, Rep. Jim Greenwood, R--Pa, the panels' chairman, told reporters that the committee's investigation is far from over and that the Andersen witnesses produced no evidence that Duncan acted independently when he ordered his Houston--based auditing team, as many as 80 people, to destroy Enron related papers and e--mail.

Team still on fire after Florida trip

The Hoosiers have a busy weekend in hopes of continuing their winning ways. The University of Detroit Mercy comes to town for a doubleheader starting 1 p.m. Saturday at Sembower Field. The three-game series ends Sunday with a game at noon. IU is on a tear at this point of the season, winning nine straight games dating back to its win against DePauw March 7.

Syracuse slips past Butler in overtime

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Preston Shumpert scored six of his 36 points in overtime to lead Syracuse past Butler 66-65 Monday night in the second round of the NIT. Syracuse (22-11) held Butler without a field goal in the extra period and advanced to play Richmond on Wednesday night. Richmond beat Minnesota 67-66. Syracuse and Butler were tied at 58 after regulation.