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Tuesday, Aug. 11
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The Indiana Daily Student

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Steady diet of rock

By C. Warner Sills and Brian J. McFillen · Thursday, Oct. 12,2006 12 a.m.

I'll put it plainly: The Hold Steady are one of the great underground bands of the noughties, and you should get to know their music immediately. Now, many of you probably aren't familiar with The Hold Steady yet and, since Boys And Girls In America is their third album, the effort might seem somewhat daunting -- especially when you learn that songwriter Craig Finn has populated their albums with recurring characters, themes and locations.

The Killers outthink themselves

By Eamonn Brennan · Thursday, Oct. 12,2006 12 a.m.

Brandon Flowers is a rock star. He's a rock star in the most self-aware sense of the phrase; he knows what being a rock star means, what one must look like, say, do, how one must blend Bono and Bowie to achieve both popularity and critical acclaim. The problem is that Flowers isn't quite as smart as he thinks he is. On The Killers' ambitious sophomore outing, Sam's Town, Flowers and the boys try to put one over on us, trying to convince us that the coke-and-mascara act of Hot Fuss is behind them. What they didn't remember to do is genuinely change their sound, to shift their paradigms. Sam's Town is Hot Fuss with a little Springsteen mixed in. It's much simpler than anyone - especially the band - realizes.

What's in the frame

By C. Warner Sills and John Barnett · Thursday, Oct. 12,2006 12 a.m.

When describing his life's work, director Martin Scorsese once made the astute observation that cinema is "a matter of what's in the frame and what's out." After seeing his latest masterwork, "The Departed," thrice already, I think I can better understand what he meant. Don't fret. This is not a glowing review of "The Departed" from a longtime Scorsese devotee. I'll leave that to my esteemed colleague in this issue's Reviews section. This is, however, my attempt to decipher what exactly makes Martin Scorsese, after more than 20 feature films and 40 years in the business, the greatest American film director alive today.

Comic Relief!

By C. Warner Sills and Andrew Roberts · Thursday, Oct. 12,2006 12 a.m.

Nate Powell makes comic books. And do not insult him by calling them "graphic novels." He begins with a scene, develops characters and allows imagination to carry him away from the autobiographical and into an accessible story line that turns and tells truths with intelligence and purpose, despite the preconceived notion that comic books are a distasteful and unintelligent medium.

Meet the slickest man on the planet

By C. Warner Sills and Mark Perlman-Price · Thursday, Oct. 12,2006 12 a.m.

Christopher Buckley, the author of "Thank You for Smoking" - the novel on which the movie was based - has a knack for developing character... er, a character that is. I'm referring to Nick Naylor, the main character. Naylor is one of the most charismatic characters I've seen in a movie in a long time, while the rest are more or less flat -- which still works since Naylor is so interesting he makes up for the rest (not to mention they provide a nice contrast to the centerpiece). And Aaron Eckhart is perfect for the role, born to play it. For a relatively unheralded actor, Eckhart may now be forever associated with Nick Naylor.

Horror in the heartland

By C. Warner Sills and John Barnett · Thursday, Oct. 12,2006 12 a.m.

Rummaging through my DVD collection to pick out the best films of the past decade, a few heavy-hitters become apparent. "Saving Private Ryan," "Magnolia," "Eyes Wide Shut" and "The Thin Red Line" come immediately to mind, but besting all comers is the Coen brothers' black comic masterpiece "Fargo." Supposedly based on actual events, "Fargo" is nothing if not surreal, yet it anchors itself among the mundane world of the Midwest, showing how murder and greed can corrupt even the most genial locales.

Chaotic genius, minus genius

By C. Warner Sills and Eric Smith · Thursday, Oct. 12,2006 12 a.m.

Throughout the Decemberists' career, they've fit each record into a series of sailors' tales -- stories featuring gloomy memories of mariners' travels. For the Portland, OR, band's fourth LP (its first on a major label), the U.S.S., or should I say, "Her Majesty's Decemberists" returns from the Pacific Rim to share the tale of the Crane Wife.

Science vs. Séance

By Elisha Sauers · Thursday, Oct. 12,2006 12 a.m.

If not for Pythagoras -- that old, gray-bearded Greek philosopher and mathematician from 2,500 years ago -- students today would still be hunched over their geometry homework, wondering how to draft a proof for the area of a right triangle. Good ole Pythagoras. Now he was a man of rational-thinking and logic, one might say. He also, around 540 B.C.E., led a cult of other mathematicians known as the Pythagoreans in séance rituals which involved our earliest documented accounts of Ouija-like boards: A mystic table, moving on wheels, moved towards signs, which the philosopher and his pupil, Philolaus, interpreted to the audience as being revelations supposedly from an unseen world. Logic obviously did not govern all of his actions.

The Indiana Daily Student

Predictability so totally rules

By C. Warner Sills and Alyson Brodsky · Thursday, Oct. 12,2006 12 a.m.

Many people have been successful with their chosen careers, have turned around and then failed to realize that success isn't always transferable. It seems simple: Dane Cook should stick to stand-up comedy and Dax Shepard should stick to "punking" celebrities. And above all, Jessica Simpson should stick to, well, being Jessica Simpson. It's obvious director Greg Coolidge, who helped with the "Employee" screenplay, put in more effort coming up with corny one-liners than he did casting this movie.

Scorsese returns to his roots

By Chris Wisner and compiled by Chris Wisner · Thursday, Oct. 12,2006 12 a.m.

Some time ago, I penned an article condemning the frequent Hollywood practice of remaking Asian films, mentioning in particular "The Departed," a remake of the highly successful Hong Kong thriller, "Infernal Affairs." Any regrets I had were dashed as the end credits began to roll; I realized Martin Scorsese and writer William Monahan took great source material and improved upon it tenfold.

Lost in the maize

By C. Warner Sills and Sonia Rana · Thursday, Oct. 12,2006 12 a.m.

If you were to fly a plane over the state of Indiana, every once in awhile, you might think you were in the movie "Signs." An aerial view of the terrain would show elaborate shapes and patterns like a giant patchwork quilt. That's because autumn marks the season of corn mazes -- the human-scale labyrinths beaten through the stalks of farm crops. Though they might look like the crop circle handiwork of aliens from outer space, they're actually the fruits of hard Hoosier manual labor. Maze making has a long and winding past. From the Minoan temple at Knossos, prior to, and ever since then, many world cultures have joined in the fascination. Some traditions even had a spiritual aspect connected to the maze, which often incorporated dance and other ceremonies. In European history, garden mazes sculpted out of topiaries and tall hedges were often used to deter unwanted visitors or enemies from castles.

The Indiana Daily Student

'Magic Budd' on display through December

By Molly Peters · Wednesday, Oct. 11,2006 11:54 p.m.

Budd Stalnaker is still having an effect on the art world at IU, despite passing away in May 2005. Stalnaker came to IU more than 40 years ago to teach textiles, and now his own private collection of African artwork will be displayed in the IU Art Museum.

The Indiana Daily Student

RPS gives students opportunity to 'Eat Wright'

By Jessica Anderson · Wednesday, Oct. 11,2006 11:52 p.m.

Walk into Wright Place Food Court any afternoon, and it will be packed with students trying to grab a bite to eat before rushing off to their next class. Choices like burgers and fries are staples, but many students are also making salads to go or picking up a piece of fruit. Flyers and banners hanging outside the cafeteria promoting the Residential Programs and Services' "Eat Wright" campaign attempt to educate students about eating healthy on campus, said Director of Dining Services Sandra Fowler.

The Indiana Daily Student

CORE philosophy explores the unconventional

By Allyson O’Connor · Wednesday, Oct. 11,2006 11:51 p.m.

Mountaineering and canyoneering are only a sample of the leadership and outdoor skills taught on a typical day in the Conservation and Outdoor Recreation/Education program at IU. "It is not the sort of program where you would want to skip a day of class," said Frank Vernon, coordinator and instructor for the program.

The Indiana Daily Student

Student group offers incentives for alternative transportation

By Carly Dachis · Wednesday, Oct. 11,2006 11:50 p.m.

On Wednesday students proved there are more benefits to biking than just being able to get parking close to campus. As part of Indiana Public Interest Research Group's Campus Climate Challenge, the student environmental activist group gave out free bagels and snacks to those using alternative forms of transportation.

The Indiana Daily Student

Muslim Student Union raises money for kitchen with Fast-a-thon

By Zachary Osterman · Wednesday, Oct. 11,2006 11:50 p.m.

More than 150 people were packed wall-to-wall in the Greenleaf Room of Forest Quad on Wednesday night, participating in the Muslim Student Union's annual Fast-a-thon. The program, which involves participants voluntarily fasting for one day and then eating a large meal after dark, is held during the holy month of Ramadan.

The Indiana Daily Student

Help Me, Harlan!

By Alyson Brodsy and Harlan Cohen · Wednesday, Oct. 11,2006 11:39 p.m.

I am 24, and am beginning to enter the dating game after years of shyness. I dated a girl a few times last year, and we are still friends. Through Internet sites, I have gone out with seven different girls so far this year.

The Indiana Daily Student

Prosecutor charges Pacer guard Jackson for strip-club fight incident

By Alyson Brodsy and Cliff Brunt · Wednesday, Oct. 11,2006 11:37 p.m.

Indiana Pacers guard Stephen Jackson was charged with criminal recklessness Wednesday following last week's confrontation outside a strip club. Jackson was charged with felony and misdemeanor counts of battery and disorderly conduct by the Marion County prosecutor five days after he fought with another group of men at the club.

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