Region

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.

Spinning out of control

Have you ever gotten frustrated waiting at the doctor's office forever? What about others who never show up on time? Your inept boss? Rude airport security people? Professors who are too good for office hours? If so, I have a person for you -- Bill O'Reilly, anchor of the popular show, "The O'Reilly Factor" (weeknights on the Fox news channel). Why is O'Reilly great for handling these situations? Three words -- "No Spin Zone." For those who regularly watch "The Factor," O'Reilly's cut-to-the-chase, no-bull attitude with his guests is refreshing. O'Reilly asks simple questions and expects simple answers. If the guest stutters, has to take time to think of a politically correct answer, or is long winded, game over. O'Reilly prods in and destroys their sorry excuse of an answer. While this is entertaining, O'Reilly's two best-selling books seem to intend the "no-spin attitude" for use as a life philosophy.

Don't stop at Ground Zero

The idea behind cutting back on the number of firefighters at Ground Zero is absurd. By scaling efforts now, New York officials are simply delaying the time for everyone to get over the tragedy of Sept. 11. Hundreds of firefighters protested last Friday against a change in city policy that limits the number of firefighters and police officers to 25 from each department. These firefighters tangled with police, trying to get past a barracade toward the World Trade Center. By cutting back the number of employees, New York is just taking longer to overcome the battle it is already faced with.

Site will still be sacred

Hundreds of firefighters demonstrated in New York City Friday, protesting a decision to cut the number of workers searching for bodies at the World Trade Center site. Mayor Rudolph Giuliani announced that the cuts were made because of worker safety concerns. The Associated Press reported the mayor wants no more than 24 firefighters and 24 police officers at ground zero at any time. Firefighters protesting the decision say they are doing so for fear that the recovery effort will turn into a "full-time construction scoop-and-dump operation," according to the Associated Press.

Baseball owners vote to eliminate 2 unspecified teams

Without pinpointing which ones, baseball owners voted Tuesday to eliminate two teams before the start of next season. They also said they wouldn't lock out players when the labor contract expires this week.

Visit to Lubbock a trip among friends

While Sean May and his father, Scott May, were discussing the future with former men's basketball Bob Knight and IU trustee Stephen Ferguson was talking about old times with Knight, State Budget Director Betty Cockrum was hugging her older son, Joel Merriman.

IUPD Blotter

The following activity was reported by the IU Police Department:

Brand proposal gets CIC nod

This weekend, the faculty presidents of the Big Ten schools endorsed a proposal from IU President Myles Brand to reform intercollegiate athletics and create a policy of "Academics First." The PAC-10 conference colleges had already endorsed a similar proposal, also based on Brand's blueprint for reform.