A spotty driving record in Indiana can get a driver's license suspended, cost hundreds of dollars in fines and even lead to jail time.
INDIANAPOLIS -- A decision by lawmakers to tap the Teachers' Retirement Fund to help pay for the next two-year state budget could mean higher taxes when the wave of baby boomers now teaching leaves classrooms.
Farming experts say this year's planting season is off by a few days on average, although most Indiana farmers have been spared the rain-sodden conditions that delayed last spring's fieldwork. Last year, a wetter-than-usual spring slowed the planting of corn and soybeans and was followed by a dry summer that cost farmers millions of dollars.
There's something about Ben Stiller. I have never talked to anybody who doesn't have a strong opinion of him one way or another. I think the guy is a borderline genius, yet I hear from people all the time who think he is a hack.
Recently, a conversation with an acquaintance inspired me to think a little longer than my perpetually declining attention span normally allows. Summer in this town tends to accelerate that process. And admittedly, it was something that I'd rather think about without a head full of whiskey, as was the case when it was first brought to my attention. The thing wasn't precisely the subject of the discussion, but more along its contexts, which rambunctiously danced from the disparities between rap and hip hop to whether or not those were the modern answers to such musical predecessors like the blues that also depicted the strife faced by African-Americans and anyone else who wasn't part of the small percentage of the wealthy ruling class.
Spike Lee's latest joint, "25th Hour," went relatively ignored upon release, which is sad, as it's an amazing film that easily exceeds "Do the Right Thing" (his previous best).
Fog, aka Andrew Broder, opens his second full length Ether Teeth, with a song that makes you feel like something important is about to happen. "Plumb Dumb," begins with samples of Hawaiian-like twangs over barely audible voices; over the unique samples are Fog's signature scratches and an acoustic guitar that builds tension that never gets released. Never gets released in the track, that is.
These telecommunications students are, according to their professor, "the top... for whatever particular focus they were into the class to do." The class they had signed up for -- more than signed up for, as they had to apply, and on the application tell why they wanted to be in the class and what talents they could bring to the class -- is a demanding, senior-level course in which they would combine their individual talents to create one final project. This semester, though, their professor had a surprise for them, a challenge that surpassed in difficulty of the projects of previous semesters, and went far beyond what any of them had expected the class to be.
Powerman 5000 called its new album transform. because Johnny's First Politically Charged Metal Album would be too condescending. The music is so slick and so well-made, with relentlessly catchy riffs and choruses that it's hard to hate but untrustworthy at the same time.
With a heading of neo-psychedelia on All Music Guide and honey dripping from their organ and auxiliary percussion-fused sound, Paul Butler and Aaron Fletcher of A Band of Bees are here with a depth of pleasantries. With substance disguised by jazz-fusion influenced sounds, Sunshine Hit Me is an LP of sonically-removed intimacy. The band's first full-length, with tracks from its 2001 EP Punchbag, will take you to a flowered field with little animal dens littering the undergrowth.
It's no surprise that early Cul de Sac shows were performed subsequently with experimental films. Sounding nothing like the early '90s rock moment they came out of, the nearly always vocal-less group feels like an experiment in itself.
If you're looking for a self-help guide to surviving the transition from teenager to adult, you've come to the right place. That topic is Less Than Jake's field of expertise and it has spent the last four albums deconstructing every possible emotion involved with growing up.
Daniel Lanois' solo efforts may be overshadowed by his production work with Bob Dylan, Peter Gabriel, U2, Emmylou Harris and other famous rockstars, but his sound can hold its own. Shine is the Canadian's fourth solo trial on a fourth label in 14 years. His sound is watery, wavy and skyshown, his lyrics simple -- capturing his feelings without trying to dress them up. While it's easy to grasp the concreteness of his metaphors and descriptions, if I hear one more artist sing about his "angel" woman, deserts and waterfalls in a love song I might just vomit with boredom.
If the Eagles are looking for an opening act on its Soak Your Wallet tour of America this summer, The Thorns would be perfect.
Trust is very important for those living in a small town and trying to have relationships. After all, there are fewer people. You never know when or where you might run into an ex. That can cause discomfort, especially when hearts get broken.
The In-Laws" is Michael Douglas' second attempt this year at a movie about dads coming to terms with fatherhood following the deplorable "It Runs in the Family." While "Family" was exceedingly slow and overly serious, "The In-Laws" approaches the topic in a much sillier and unbelievable form.
Continuing a complete overhaul of his goofball persona, "Bruce Almighty" finds Jim Carrey getting comfortable in his restrained starring roles in family comedies. Like in his previous film, "The Majestic," Carrey not only seems desperate to become lovable, but to become a pillar of moral integrity much like his "Bruce Almighty" co-star Morgan Freeman, or more obviously, Jimmy Stewart. Those actor's roles aren't forced, and Carrey's attempts not only feel disgustingly fraught, but wholly condescending.
When EA released "NBA Street" for PlayStation 2 and GameCube a couple years ago, it ushered in a second renaissance of arcade-esque hoops action in lieu of "Arch Rivals" and "NBA Jam." While those games were justifiably loved, "Street" upped the ante with flashier graphics, better music, funnier voices and all-around cooler gameplay. Now, along comes "NBA Street Vol. 2," and much like with its predecessor, a new era of b-ball balletics has been born.
"Adaptation" is a brilliant film. It exhibits a very aware sense of the metaphorical line between fiction and reality, how a single narrative can enhance its poignancy by manipulating this notion and deconstructing its own anatomy. It's a shame that the DVD isn't aware of the same fact.
They come in peace and they come bearing gifts. They come with names such as Mechadan, Sasha, Dahlman and Angel. They come with an otherworldly rock that will leave your ears floating just down of novasonic hyper space. In the unexplored regions just beyond Jupiter's rings, before you reach the moons of Neptune lies the crystal kingdom of Calumet City, from which our intergalactic heroes hail.
