Region

Soft and sweet, album still lacks originality

The crypt masters are back

Buskirk-Chumley Theatre appoints technical director

The Buskirk-Chumley Theatre board of directors has selected two people to fill vital, but vacant, positions at the theater. Danielle McClelland, a Bloomington resident, was selected to serve as the new theater director while fellow Bloomington resident E.J. Ernsberger will fill the position of technical director. Mike Wilkerson, President of the Buskirk-Chumley board of Directors, said that both individuals possessed excellent qualifications. "(McClelland) came highly recommended to us, and so far we see nothing but great vision and intelligence, and we're really looking forward to having her work with us," Wilkerson said. McClelland, who previously served as the program director for the Columbus (Ind.) Area Arts Council has been living in Bloomington while working in Columbus.

Finally! A Kinks tribute

King of Pop almost 'invincible'

Shrek DVD delivers fun, lessons to all audiences

Another big budget action extravaganza

Jet Li fights himself, lack of steady plot

Driving without a destination

The essence of dysfunctional

'Monsters' flick a screaming good time

The Land Down Under

Jay Farrar and Anders Parker roll on in a Life worth livin'

Bush targets money connected to bin Laden

WASHINGTON -- In a crackdown at home and abroad, the Bush administration targeted Osama bin Laden's multimillion-dollar financial networks Wednesday, closing businesses in four states, detaining U.S. suspects and urging allies to help choke off money supplies in 40 nations. "By shutting these networks down, we disrupt the murderers' work," President Bush said, announcing the first major crackdown on companies, organizations and people suspected of aiding terrorists from U.S. soil. Across Europe and from coast to coast in America, police conducted raids designed to unravel two Islamic financial networks accused of laundering and raising money and providing other support to terrorists.

Jordan River Forum

Kirkwood's Frank Winegar is Mister Indiana according to 'Cosmopolitan'

The lessons we teach

It offends me when I have to give up prayer in school. Once again because it might upset Hadji Hindu or Buddy Buddha. ... When I look around I see no Mosque, or fat, bald guys with bowls in their laps. I see churches. I\'m offended when I turn on a television show and without fail a queer is in the plot just like it\'s a natural thing.\" I was shocked, disgusted and disheartened upon reading this excerpt, printed by the Associated Press, of an Oct. 27 letter to the editor of The Reporter-Times in Martinsville. The letter, written by Martinsville Assistant Police Chief Dennis E. Nail, shows clear racism, homophobia and ignorance. These sentiments coming from anyone are disappointing -- and are absolutely inappropriate coming from a public official. Despite his comments, Nail laughably swears in the article that he is not a racist and, as a police officer, treats everyone the same.

Flight cover-up: Part II

In my last column, I introduced many of the complexities surrounding the explosion of TWA Flight 800. What is most troubling is the little attention paid to the witnesses in this case. The FBI didn't allow any eyewitnesses to speak at the National Transportation Safety Board hearings. Practically everyone dismissed the accounts of Air National Guard pilot Major Fritz Meyers and Dwight Brumley, a senior Navy NCO. These two men were especially crucial witnesses because they both had aeronautical experience and were in the air at the time TWA Flight 800 exploded (Meyers was in his helicopter above Long Island and Brumley was on board U.S. Air Flight 217). Why were their accounts ignored?

Fond farewell from a friend

My future, I've found out, is in Harrisburg, Pa. I'm on my way there shortly. I started seeking jobs in the field of HIV/AIDS service organizations this year, mostly reading job postings and checking out the unfamiliar cities on the Web. I kept reading qualifications that I easily matched with four years of volunteer work in the field, writing a column and public speaking. I became bolder. I applied for a position that was newly created at the AIDS Community Alliance in Harrisburg as Chief Operating Officer.

Grandmothers can pimp, too

This weekend, Bloomington met my family. I would like to use the next 500 words to apologize. OK, it wasn't quite that bad. It was just a nice little visit by my mom, her mom and her mom. Four generations of insanity all in one place. They arrived on Saturday night at about 6 p.m. and were very well-behaved on my floor. I was proud of them. "Very well-behaved" means not doing anything that would permanently damage my emotional stability. Like showing pictures of me as a little boy in my tap dance outfits, all of which were equipped with a lovely pink sash, to the people on my floor. That didn't happen. I was thrilled.