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Northern Star

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The Student News Site of Northern Illinois University

Northern Star

The Student News Site of Northern Illinois University

Northern Star

Forensics at work

By Shivangi Potdar | April 3, 2003

Four NIU students stood composed and confident, speaking eloquently for 10 minutes before a crowded room at DuSable Hall Wednesday night. The students will compete in the American Forensics Association national tournament at the University of Mississippi...

The White Stripes

By Casey Toner | April 3, 2003

What's all the fuss about? Detroit-native The White Stripes have been the benefactors of quite a bit of press in the last year or so.

"White Blood Cells," the band's third release, is an album that the punk/blues minimalist duo of Jack (vocals and guitar) and Meg White (drums) should have made from the get go. It easily is the band's best and most accessible effort to date, combining infectious mid-tempo ditties ("Now Mary") with Nuggets-era garage rock ("Fell in Love With a Girl," "Expecting").

The acoustic Beatles-esque ballad "Hotel Yorba" is the album's best track, highlighting the dual harmonies of both members as well as the punchy, compact (and often primitive) drumming of Meg. The catchy chorus, "Well it's one, two, three, four/ Take the elevator at the Hotel Yorba/ I'll be glad to see you later/ All they got inside is vacancy," is reminiscent of "All Together Now" from "Yellow Submarine."

On "White Blood Cells," Jack White rises to the occasion. His growth as a songwriter, musician and frontman shine on the album, surely to be among the year's best.

The album is a vast improvement over the band's first two releases, "The White Stripes" and "De Stijl." The bare-bones approach the band took on those efforts again is implemented on the current release, though White adds piano and organ to the current mix.

These past full-length efforts by the band members hinted at their potential, but weren't the complete album that "White Blood Cells" is, making the album and the band much to fuss about.

‘Head of State’

By Andrew Smith | April 3, 2003

Chris Rock's directing debut kicks off with a shallow start in his new movie "Head of State." It's clear to see that Rock still has not made a movie that matches his reputation. Rock has put together a movie that is lacking in content and humor. "Head...

Those de-hydrated blocks

By Andrew Duff | April 3, 2003

A brick of noodles, a pot of boiling water and thou. In high school, ramen was a mysterious food for most of us, strangely foreign, undoubtedly tasty and completely out of our regular meals. Of course, when a person goes to college, suddenly everyone...

Questioning answers

By Marisa Knudsen | April 3, 2003

NIU's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Awareness resource center will welcome author Alice Y. Hom to help kick off LGBT Awareness Month today. April is celebrated as LGBT Awareness Month each year in honor of the anniversary of NIU's student LGBT and...

Guy doesn’t get any after forgetting condoms at home

By Jessica King | April 3, 2003

One young couple was taken by surprise Sunday when the mood struck and Marianne Boeler and Josh Westington found themselves without a condom. "I never thought this could happen to us," said Boeler, a junior English major. Westington, a junior visual communication...

Are U.S. Muslims being targeted?

By Matt Knutson | April 3, 2003

While hate crimes against Middle Eastern people may have occurred in a few communities in the United States since the war with Iraq, NIU remains a safe environment. "Most of the people around us are educated; students know that you can't blame a group...

Drawing in black and white

By Marisa Knudsen | April 3, 2003

"The Boondocks" cartoonist Aaron McGruderwill address racial issues at 10 a.m. today in the Holmes Student Center's Carl Sandburg Auditorium. The event, sponsored by the Center for Black Studies, will mark the end of NIU's 10th annual African-American...

Speaker explores African history and leadership

By Jessica King | April 3, 2003

Asa Hillard believes that for African Americans to be strong, they must first learn their history. The professor from Georgia State University spoke about African history and leadership last night in the Holmes Student Center's Duke Ellington Ballroom....

Everybody was kung fu fighting

By Mike Larmon | April 3, 2003

Polka wizards The Karate Hamsters recently announced that NIU's Convocation Center will be a stop on its spring tour. The show will take place at 7 p.m. on April 31. It's the fourth show of its 294-date tour, which is expected to end sometime in 2005....

‘Basic’

By Marcus Leshock | April 3, 2003

"Basic" couldn't have a better title. The film is just that: basic. I suppose it could be called "Just Basic" or "Basically Stupid" or "Don't See This Overly Complicated Film that We're Trying to Sell as Basic." "Basic" is another example of a film that...

Redrawing the food pyramid

By Sarah Rejnert | April 3, 2003

Because college students, as well as most Americans, don't follow the food pyramid guidelines presented by the Food and Drug Administration, the trend toward obesity is skyrocketing. The surgeon general has said that with the increasing rise in obesity,...