Samurai
Duck
Friday, Oct. 11th
• Dexter Grove
Saturday, Oct. 12th
• Silk 9
• Nail Mary
• Dislogik
• NorthWest Royale
Monday, Oct. 14th
• Lizard King (Techno Deejayees)
Tuesday, Oct. 15th
• Northwest Royale
• Good Time Woman
Wednesday, Oct. 16th
• Dub Reggae
Thursday, Oct. 17th
• Stinking Lizaveta
Friday, Oct. 18th
•Joy Toy
• Roy G. Biv
Saturday, Oct. 19th
• l-Chele
• Metason
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Pulse reviews
Tracking globe-trotting books is engaging
BookCrossing.com allows
readers to share good reads
with book fans worldwide
Book review
Peter Hallinan
Fine Arts Columnist
A book sits by itself in the lounge
of the SS Marco Polo, a steamship
docked in the port city of Tallinn, Es
tonia. The book, “Natural Causes” by
Michael Palmer, is part of a global ex
periment in which more than
100,000 books in dozens of coun
tries have been deliberately left be
hind by their owners. From Novosi
birsk, Russia, to Riyadh, Saudi
Arabia, participants have left books
in public locations to be found, read
and “released” again.
While many people leave books in
far-flung locales, others leave them
here in Eugene. In September, peo
ple left books at Autzen Stadium,
Espresso Roma and the Hult Center.
The Web site BookCrossing.com
acts as the central cortex for this glob
al experiment. The nonprofit site is
the brainchild of Ron Hombaker, a
partner in the software-developing
firm Humankind Systems.
Since its inception in April 2001,
the Web site’s popularity has increased
exponentially, starting with only a
handful of participants and now boast
ing almost 50,000 members. The Web
site likes to call itself a “reading group
that knows no geographical bound
aries,” and its goal is to turn the world
into a gigantic library.
BookGrossing.com is a unique
cross-pollination of Internet tech
nology and good ol’ fashioned book
reading. Clearly, many people have
fallen in love with experiencing “the
karma of literature,” judging by
posted testimonials that range from
silly poems to essays gushing with
praise.
The Web site boasts many fun
and engaging features that allow
you to find out where books in your
town have been released, where
people in foreign countries are re
leasing books, or what book has
traveled the farthest. But the best
part is to actually participate, dust
off some well-loved books, and
share them with a stranger.
Contact Pulse columnist Peter Hallinan
atpeterhallinan@dailyemerald.com.
Here is how BookCrossing works:
After reading a good book, a reader
can register that book on
BookCrossing.com’s site. The book
is given an identification number
and a note to be pasted inside
the cover explaining that the book
is “traveling around the world mak
ing new friends.” Then the book is
left at a public location such as
a coffee shop, school or bus station
to be found by someone else.
When someone else finds the
book, that individual can log onto
BookCrossing’s Web site and find
out where that book has traveled.
After the book is released
again,theWeb notifies by e-mail its
previous readers about the current
whereabouts of their book so the
can follow the book’s travels across
town or around the world.
Maikov ich can’t help dull ‘Knockaround Guys’
Ryan Lewis
Michigan Daily (U. Michigan)
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (U-WIRE) —
Apparently, the unfortunate sons of
mafia bosses have little to look for
ward to outside of following in their
fathers’ footsteps. No respectable
business will take you on as an em
ployee, no matter how straight-edged
you might appear. No future seems
bright, and even the gangster life has
faded significantly since its heyday
because of snitches and the FBI.
Without the experience of their
predecessors, all they can hope for
is the life of a “knockaround guy” —
a gopher. That life, just like this
movie, is drab, monotonous and
completely stripped of the glory
that it could have been.
Matty Demaret (Barry Pepper)
has it rough. As the son of infamous
crime family leader Benny “Chains”
Demaret (Dennis Hopper), he can
neither get the sports managing job
he desires nor become a legitimate
part of the family. His friends, as it
seems, all have similar predica
ments. Taylor Reese (Vin Diesel)
can never be a part of the mafia due
to his Jewish religion, Johnny Mar
bles (Seth Green) is a screw-up who
nobody trusts and Chris Scarpa
(Andrew Davoli) lives the legitimate
life after his father was freed from
prison. Nothing fits for any of them.
After some pleading, “Chains”
gives his son a job. It is so simple
that it would take effort to err. Of
course, Matty makes Johnny the
main player in the action, foreshad
owing the certainty of mistakes, and
the action takes off from there.
“Knockaround Guys” has a very
interesting premise that has inher
ent meaning for the next generation
of adults moving up into the busi
ness world. This idea of disenchant
ment could have worked almost as
a powerful antithesis to popular
gangster films.
However, the writer/director/pro
ducer team of Brian Koppelman and
David Levien drag the intriguing na
ture of the story deep into blandness.
It seems as though after the majesty
of their first co-written screenplay
“Rounders,” this pair ran out of inter
esting material for their second at
tempt. Directing and producing did
n’t help — a flat script, insipid
characters and absence of style con
tribute to their problem.
The characters are extremely
one-dimensional and stereotypical,
as if Koppelman and Levien had
mixed and matched from past gang
ster movies. Performances of
equipped and capable actors suffer
from lack of motivation and direc
tion. Although Diesel has some
bright moments and Malkovich is
always a pleasure to watch, their
acting is hampered by the stiffness
of their characters and by poor di
rection.
Most problematic is the film’s lack
of a defined tone. While it begins as
a serious story, it develops into a
cross-genre mess with attempts at
humor, and it climaxes back to a se
rious, action-driven cliche.
Maybe with practice, Koppelman
and Levien will evolve into an inter
esting team. This sour failure of a
first attempt, however, is one film
that should be forgotten rather
than used for development.
“Knockaround Guys” proves to be a
movie that could have been.
North Campus
579 E. Broadway
686-1166
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2870 E. Willamette
686-1600
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Politics
continued from page 1
tries in the region, and he remains
openly hostile to the United States
and the rest of the world,” he said.
“The United States must unite the
international community against
Hussein and not pursue strategies
that allow him to unite people
against us.”
DeFazio, who voted against the
resolution last week when it was
overwhelmingly approved in the
U.S. House of Representatives,
joined Bradbury to make a state
ment against the legislation.
DeFazio said there is no evi
dence to prove Hussein is an im
mediate threat, citing a partially
declassified CIA letter. The letter
allegedly states that Hussein does
not have nuclear weapons and has
no relationship with terrorists who
pose a threat to America.
He added that working with allies
and reinstating weapons inspectors in
Iraq is his preferred alternative to war.
Bradbury said a war with Iraq
would only lead to greater
world instability.
“A preemptive, unilateral inva
sion of Iraq, without United Nations
support, would set an exceptionally
dangerous precedent for the con
duct of international affairs in the
21st century,” he said.
“Any nation could justify attack
ing its neighbors.”
Contact the senior news reporter
at janmontry@dailyemerald.com.
Taurus:
What are you doing this weekend? Check your
PULS0
Oregon Daily Emerald
P.O.Box 3159, Eugene OR 97403
The Oregon Daily Emerald is pub
lished daily Monday through Friday dur
ing the school year by the Oregon Daily
Emerald Publishing Co. Inc., at the Uni
versity of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon.The
Emerald operates independently of the
University with offices in Suite 300 of the
Erb Memorial Union. The Emerald is pri
vate property. The unlawful removal or
use of papers is prosecutable by law.
NEWSROOM — (541)346-5511
Editor in chief: Michael J. Kleckner
Managing editor: Jessica Richelderfer
Freelance: Ayisha Yahya, editor News desks: Brook Reinhard, Jenni
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Adam Jude, senior reporter. Hank Hager, Jesse Thomas, reporters.
Commentary: Salena De La Cruz, Pat Payne, editors. M. Reilly
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Kathryn Petersen, columnists Design: Colleen Froehlich, editor.
Jennie Cramlet, senior graphic designer. A. Scott Abts, Adelle
Lennox, graphic designers. Steve Baggs, Peter Utsey, illustrators.
Tyler Wintermute, junior illustrator Photo: Adam Amato, editor.
Adam Jones, senior photographer. Jeremy Forrest, Mark
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