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Show October 8, 2001 The Forum Terry. They are telling their side of the story to the media. From then on, the movie bounces back and forth between the interview and flashbacks. After holding up their first bank Freeze, this is a stickup! This is a pretty typical line you hear from bank robbers in the movies. The bank robbers in Bandits have a different philosophy of how to rob banks. This is a true story about Joe (Bruce Willis) who is a smooth- - talking, charismatic man with an anger management problem and Terry (Billy Bob Thornton), a neurotic hypochondriac who is the brains of the team. They have aspirations of opening a resort in Mexico. Joe and Terry decide to kidnap the bank manager the night before the heist to make the robbery go more smoothly (they are known as the Sleepover Bandits). By doing this, and with a lot of luck, they become the most successful bank robbers in United States history. The movie begins at the end of the story with an interview with Joe and with a highlighter pen, they brainstorm and decide to rob banks the smart way by kidnapping the bank manager. When they recruit Joes cousin, who desperately wants to become a Hollywood stunt man, their team is complete. The first robbery goes off without a hitch and they plan to meet in two weeks for their next job. On his way to the rendezvous, Terry is hit by a car driven by a woman named Kate (Cate Blanchett) who ends up giving him a ride. Kate is a bored housewife and asks to be a hostage. Joe sees no problem with her staying, but Terry is not happy with the idea of her tagging along. Joe and Kate eventually fall in love. Things start getting complicated after problems during a heist. The media gets the idea that Kate is a ' hostage. Then Kate and Terry fall in love. At the next meeting Kate tells Joe and Terry that she cant decide between the two because together they make the perfect man, so she leaves. Joe and Terry go to the media before their final robbery and give their side of the story. The decide to do this last robbery differently in order to go out with a bang. Everything about this movie worked. The cast is incredible and the actors nail the characters perfectly. The writing in this movie is smart and witty. The dialogue between Willis and Thornton is great, it is hard to tell where the written script stops and the improvisation begins. I was completely convinced that no one else could have pulled off these characters the way that these actors do Billy Bob Thornton steals the show with his neurotic babbling and his physical comedy. This movie should be funny for everyone. The smart dialogue, great acting, and a terrific ending make this movie one of the best movies I have seen. . A definite must see. Why Spending Wins War on Terror Dear Confused, I am impressed with your ques- Contact Casey atfommwcslc.edu, Dear Casey, I have been asking everyone I know, including some of the best minds at Westminster, this question, but I have yet to receive a satisfying answer. During WWII Americans were encouraged to buy war bonds and live frugally. But now, in the war with terrorism, we are encouraged to spend actively. Why is this? I fail to see how buying a new stereo or car is going to bring Osama bin Laden to his knees. Is spending really our salvation? Best, Confused but Patriotic tion and appreciate your thoughtful letter. In researching this topic, I talked with Jeff Nichols, a history professor, but found that you already spoke with him about your inquiry., John Watkins, professor of economics however, provided helpful information. According to Watkins, in World War II, 45 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP), which is the total value of goods and services produced by the domestic economy in a year, went to the federal government. Eighty percent of that total was spent to fund the war. At this time, the economy was at full employment, and all resources were allocated to fight the war. Therefore, people spent frugally. On the other hand, before we entered the war on terrorism, the United States was not at full employment. We were on the brink of entering a recession. Our country does not need to free up its resources. The United States is not providing the kind of war resources that were being committed to fight WWII. In addition, consumers are not spending their money; therefore, companies are not making money. As a result, companies will cut back on their purchases, and the entire system will begin a downward spiral. Essentially, bin Laden was successful at attacking capitalism by striking the heart of the financial district. If he can make people insecure, then he wins. As a result, it is important that we spend money, because, according to Watkins, One persons expenditure is another persons income. -- 5 Widespread Panic Still Jamming Jason McDonald Contributing Writer Widespread Panic continued its musical assault on college campuses around the western United States with a dynamic performance at Weber State on Oct. 20. Panic is one of the hardest working bands in rocknroll, touring almost 300 days a year. The band seemed to be hitting on all cylinders from the beginning of the show starting with a strong version of Surprise Valley. Panic kept crowd the raucous, college-lade- n going wild all night, getting them going by playing Barstools and Dreamers into Pickin Up The Pieces and then finishing the first set with Henry Parsons Died. Throughout the evening, Panic reverted back to what they are famous for pure, raw improvisational jams. The first set was an excellent prelude to the second half of the evening, as Panic played for almost an hour straight peppering the second set with songs from Aint Life Grand, such as Cant Get High, Junior, Airplane, and Fishwater. The latter two were intermeshed into an session of continenergetic hour-lon- g uous jamming that ended with Sometimes, a track from their newest album Dont Tell the Band. During this jam session, percussionist, Domingo Sunny Ortiz and drummer Todd Nance mesmerized the audience by making their body parts fly in various directions. Aside from a few minor speaker glitches, one especially the band was its usual, cohesive self. Widespread Panic has been playing together for approximately 18 years and seems to be getting stronger year after year. After rocking the crowd for almost three hours, Panic slowed things down by closing the show with Old Joe, another track from their new album, then coming out with a couple cover songs for encores to end the night. ear-piercin- g, |