Region

Bewitching

Some movies are like cotton candy -- you don't expect any substance from them, but they're sweet and enjoyable nonetheless. Harold Ramis' remake of the 1967 film "Bedazzled" takes a plot that's been recycled for hundreds of years (since Goethe's "Faust," in case you were wondering) and makes it fun and playful. With two delectable stars in Brendan Fraser and Elizabeth Hurley, this is a film worth watching just for the eye candy, regardless of your preference.

\'Madigan Men\'

Wait a second, this is too good to be true. Gabriel Byrne, as in the hottest middle-aged Irish actor to come along since Liam Neeson, has his own sitcom? There has to be a catch. Oh, here it is: the show comes on at 9:30 p.m. Friday, making it practically impossible for the average college student to catch on a weekly basis.

Ekoostik Hookah to play Buskirk-Chumley

Ekoostik Hookah will bring its jams to the Buskirk-Chumley Theatre, 114 E. Kirkwood Ave., at 9 p.m. today. Ekoostik Hookah, a sextet from Columbus, Ohio, is usually categorized as a jam band. But percussionist John Polansky, who joined the band about two years ago, said he finds it difficult to classify Hookah in any genre.

Panic to hit Auditorium

The Grateful Dead. Phish. The Allman Brothers. Such bands have gained cult followings by following their improvisational muses, taking their tunes wherever their fingers might lead. Straight from Athens, Ga., Widespread Panic is no exception.

Halloween Events

Department recognized with advising award

The Health Professions and Prelaw Information Center was honored earlier this month in a contest by the National Academic Advising Association as one of four programs nationally that exemplify the innovation, creativity and commitment needed in advising programs.

Delta Chi to put on haunted house for charity

For the past nine years, Tom Atkinson, who is also a university employee, has been building and organizing haunted houses to raise money for Bloomington's Crestmont Boys and Girls Club. This year Atkinson will be joining forces with the men of Delta Chi, who also put on a haunted house annually and donate their proceeds to Crestmont.

Rape crisis fund needs support

While registering for second semester classes, IU students can purchase yearbooks, Little 500 tickets and bus passes. Students can also donate money to the IU Student Association Rape Crisis Fund -- for now.

French ambassador to give lecture, present award

Appearing under the benefaction of the Departments of French, Italian and West European Studies, French ambassador Bujon de l'Estang will deliver a lecture detailing issues facing the French presidency and its role in the transitional European Union tonight.

Around the campus

IMU Late Night only on Fridays; Johnson Center wins award; School of Education to work with state schools, communitites

Petition is front for Knight loyalists

"The General" has retreated from Assembly Hall. So why do we have to keep beating his dead horse? A group of alumni are circulating an Internet petition, www.takebackiu.com, calling for the upper University administration to resign. Its targets are President Myles Brand, Vice President for Public Affairs and Government Relations Christopher Simpson, Athletics Director Clarence Doninger and the board of trustees. The group of alumni, Take Back IU, says it is concerned about a "significant decline" in IU's national academic ranking, "division and incivility" between faculty, administration and students and increasing secrecy in upper-level decisions.

Take Back IU has real concerns

The Take Back IU petition is a serious step in cleaning up the University. While petitions often have little effect, Take Back IU sends a message. IU's academic standings are declining even as tuition rises. The quality of life in campus housing is in decline. And the firing of Bob Knight was under suspicious terms. These circumstances point to the administration.

A war of words

As November approaches and Al "Let me tell you one more 'true story'" Gore and George "Did ya know that Texas is a big state?" Bush's camps continue to throw verbal spitballs across the political cafeteria, two terms have been thrown in my face on a daily basis. These two phrases, charged with emotional, religious and political energy, are by no means new to my ears.

Either speak up or shut up

Change. Here is a pledge that I make to you "if you don't like it, then change it." The last couple weeks, I have been racking my brain trying to come up with an article for the elections, a piece that would encourage students to participate in the election process or more importantly to get the students to vote. It wasn't until last Friday did I find the direction for my election column: Either speak up or shut up.

Life in the newsroom

Like a 42 point headline, I was splashed across the screen, staring back at myself. I caught NBC's "Deadline," which stars Oliver Platt as the gritty, rabble-rousing star columnist of the New York Ledger, a tabloid presumably modeled after The New York Times.

Bloody Battle

While running for his fourth term as the 8th District Congressional Representative, John Hostettler is relying on his voting record to distinguish him from novice Democratic challenger, Dr. Paul Perry. But in a district with the nationally recognized moniker, "The Bloody Eighth," he also knows resting on one's laurels isn't always enough to ensure victory.

Third-party candidates maintain low profile campaigns

While the Democrats and Republicans battle each other for control of Congress, third-party candidates across the nation are running scaled-down campaigns to increase their profile in what some call an exclusionary two-party system. Indiana's 8th district is no exception, as Libertarian and Green Party candidates vie for a piece of the electoral pie in Southwestern Indiana. Libertarian Thomas Tindle and Green write-in candidate Marc Haggerty are running campaigns based largely on the hope of voter frustration with the traditional political parties.

Perry says medical experience has ties to many important issues

If a Democratic challenger runs against an incumbent Republican congressman in a historically right-leaning district, the one thing he can't do is stay quiet. Dr. Paul Perry, who is seeking to unseat Republican John Hostettler from his House position, is sticking to that strategy in hopes of bringing the Democratic Party back to the 8th District.

The perplexing paradox of peas

When I was growing up in the San Francisco Bay area, I spent many spring weekends with my friend Gigi down at Half Moon Bay. There, about an hour south of San Francisco, her grandparents owned a small farm nestled between the craggy coastline and purple hills. The farm was kinder-heaven, replete with endless hiding places, ponies, pie-laden kitchen windowsills and an expansive jungle of a vegetable garden.

ELF discrediting environmentalism

The series of events is telling. Jan. 23: Fire destroyed a home under construction in the Lake Monroe watershed. April 30: Equipment used for the Indiana 46/47 bypass project was sabotaged. June 30: Ten-inch spikes were driven into trees scheduled for logging. Sept. 9: The Republican headquarters in Bloomington was set on fire. Oct. 18: Fuel and hydraulic lines were cut, sand was poured in gas tanks, crankcases and other logging equipment was damaged.