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Thursday, March 29, 2001
HOROSCOPES
Today's Birthday (March 29).
You've always been smart, but this year you're awesome. Take twice as many classes as usual, and excel all of them. Set high goals for yourself in April. Check your resources in May, then launch your study program in June. Concentrate at home in July and schedule a field trip for August. September is tough, but October is easy — that's when you'll win all the arguments. December is fun, February fascinating. Put what you've learned into action, then catch up on your sleep in March.
Aries (March 21-April 19) — Todav is an 8.
All's well that ends well, and this day definitely should end well. Tomorrow's not bad, either. Any chance you could get these days off and make it a long weekend? If not, just start your romp as early as possible. You'll be in a great mood wherever you are.
Taurus (April 20-May 20) — Today is a 5.
Gemini (Mav 21-June 21) — Todav is a 6.
Somebody else's lack of planning could mean money in your pocket. Charge extra, if you can, for a rush order. The rewards are greater than expected, so don't complain even if your tranquility is temporarily interrupted.
You're cute, popular and lucky. Schedule a date with a bold and dashing friend. But be careful not to have too much fun. You could get into trouble by being too appealing. Another friend is likely to get jealous.
Cancer (June 22-July 22) — Today is a 6.
Be a good listener, but don't say much. Your boss may decide to unload. Don't let the information you gather be a burden. Instead, use it to advance your mutual cause. The more you can be trusted, the greater your influence grows.
Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) — Today is an 8.
July 25-29, 22] — Today is on 8.
Your team looks to you for advice, and that's certainly not a problem. You're getting coaching from a distance and may even be from a person you admire. If not, you should be. It will be good for all of you.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) — Today is a 5.
You may be helping another with a difficult situation, but you don't have to worry about it — most likely, you're not the one who caused this mess. Stay objective even if the other person seems to be looking for somebody to blame. You can dodge that bullet.
Libra [Sept. 23-Oct. 22] — Today is a 7.
(Lepr, 25-Oct. 22) Is it today?
Although you have some good ideas, it may be tough to get them across. A very strong person wants to take control. A direct confrontation won't work, but you might succeed with a more subtle maneuver. Set the stage so your friend comes to your conclusion naturally. Make it the easiest path to follow.
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) — Today is a 5.
Follow the money trail and you'll find out who has all the power. It may not be the person you thought it was. You can share what you learn with your sweet-heart, but don't tell anyone else. You may be able to use this information to your advantage later.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) — Today is an 8.
You're not the kind of person who finds it easy to talk about long-term commitments. You may find yourself doing just that with a very special person, and soon, it will seem like the most natural thing in the world.
Make only promises that you'll be delighted to keep.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) — Today is a 5.
Paperwork takes top priority at work and home. Better go through that stack you've been saving — and you haven't read half your magazines. Fight back before you're buried alive.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) — Today is a 7
A loved one would like the pleasure of your company — for the entire day, if possible. If you can't manage that, at least avoid scheduling any other commitments for tonight. Discuss your vision for the future and share mutual memories. Congratulate yourselves on how far you've come.
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Today is a 5.
Don't let financial concerns slow you down. There's no shortage of money; the challenge is to get more of it flowing into your pockets. It won't be there long, anyway. You've got your eye on something neat for your home. Use that as your motivation.
Proper technique vital to achieve rippling abs
I recently read an article in Shape magazine about abdominal workouts and realized many people, including me, have no clue how to effectively achieve awesome ab definition.
If you like me, you probably do an abdominal regimen at the end of your workout consisting of crunches, leg raises and maybe a few other exercises.
Note: Horoscopes have no basis in scientific fact and should be
read for entertainment purposes only.
FITNESS
Try working your abs to exhaustion, which develops strength and tone, and then give them about 48 hours of rest. Remember, you don't need to do hundreds of crunches and then hundreds of leg raises to work your "upper" and "lower" abs. First of all, they're not separated into upper and lower sections, but rather one long
You may have heard it is okay to work your abs every day, but that's not true. Your abs (rectus abdominis) are just like any other muscle and need to be worked accordingly.
Work your abs just as you work you biceps or quadriceps — use reps, sets, and even weights. Incorporate a variety of ab exercises, such as hanging leg raises, incline crunches with twists and stability ball crunches.
Julie Taylor
Jayplay columnist
jayplay@kansan.com
But the truth is no matter how strong your abs become, you may need to shed body fat if you want to see more definition. This can be achieved by eating a healthy diet, regular cardio and total-body strength training to burn calories, and building metabolism-boosting muscles.
But if you're looking for stronger and more defined ab muscles, listen to the following.
For more ab exercises or questions, e-mail me at Javplav@kanan.com.
Second, doing hundreds of reps will do little to produce actual strength. If you do crunches correctly — with your head back so you're looking at the ceiling and bringing your shoulders off the floor — you will work the entire length of your abs.
Taylor is a Sacramento, Calif., senior and a KU Fit trainer.
You are better off focusing on using proper technique and increasing the tension on your target muscles to achieve exhaustion in fewer reps.
muscle that runs from just beneath your chest to your pelvis.
CD REVIEWS
The Standard The Standard (Barbaric)
Tim Putnam's voice is an enigma. He is the front man of The Standard, an indie quartet from Portland
The range of his voice and the variety of musical textures his band achieves characterize the high points of this album.
On "Direct Drive," the opening track of the band's self-titled debut album, his voice rings out in a plaintive high-pitched intensity as it is backed by a hard, pulsing rhythm. Yet the insistent urgency of his tone is contrasted later in the album by the rich emotionally tinged huskiness he resonates in the bare acoustic piece "The Greatest Gift."
Tracks like the melodically driven "Spanglish" feature a more subdued Putnam as he croons in front of layered guitars and alrv keyboard riffs.
The band's lyrics tend to encompass common subjects like failed relationships in "Queen and Subject" and religion in "Palm Sunday."
Several lighter piano and keyboard-based tracks occur in this album. These tracks highlight the group's musical versatility, notably in the Leonard Cohenesque strains of "Simplify."
This band's first offering is a strong album that sets the standard, for them at least, quite high.
Patrick Cady
Even the packaging of Tantric's self-titled album reflects the
Tantric
Tantric
(Maverick)
brand of late-'90s/millennium rock seen in other bands like Godsmack, A Perfect Circle and Three Doors Down.
"Breakdown," which has received a decent amount of air play, shows tendencies toward originality, including cleverly placed syncopation. The band's vocal harmonies, which also set it apart from others in the genre, are most evident on "Live Your Life (Down)." It's nice to hear harmonized vocals in current music that don't come from a boy band.
Their sometimes lyrical quality takes a break on "Revillusion." Aside from the syncope and modulating forms in the songs, Tantric offers another surprise—they're really good and not a cheap imitation of Godsmack, though the styles are strikingly similar. Although the sound may not be incredibly original — Hugo Ferreira's haunting vocals on top of heavy, distorted sounds create an Alice In Chains quality — Tantric is a refreshing break from the pop-infused sounds that dominate the airwaves at MTV. They may not stand out on the shelf next to the other post-grunge rock band, but the music has a strong sound. And at least these boys don't have synchronized dance moves.
KANSAN.COM POLL
Erinn R. Barcomb
Who's your favorite local band featured on the soon-to-be-released compilation CD The Soundtrack for Moments?
Number of votes: 41
Danny Pound — 7%
Arthur Dodge and the Horsefeathers — 12%
Panel Donor — 7%
The Ugly Boyfriend — 9%
Everest — 7%
Redbones — 7%
Shawnee — 9%
Terlyakls — 7%
Chebellal — 7%
Other — 24%
Next week's question:
Next week's question:
What outdoor activity do you look forward to most when the weather gets warm?
■ Frisbee
■ cycling
■ camping
■ hiking
■ water sports
■ horseback riding
■ other
EVENT CALENDAR
Massachusetts St.; $2 cover; 21 and up.
Trucker and Mustard Couch at the jazznus. 92
*Milhaus at Stu's Midtown Tavern, 925 Iowa St. 21 and up.*
Congrates and Be Not at the New York Louise, 946
Trucker and Mustard Couch at the Jazzhaus, 92612
Massachusetts St; $3 cover, 21 and up
■ Redbone plays host to Panel Donor, Damy Pound, The Ugly Boyfriend and Shawnee at the Bottleneck, 737 New Hampshire Ave.
Massachusetts St.; $3 cover; 21 and up.
- "Pure Velvet" by *b trip at Raoul's* Velvet Room, 815 New Hampshire St; $2 cover; 21 and up
D J.I.P. at Brown Bear Brewing Company, 729 Massachusetts St.; $2 cover; 21 and up.
Tomorrow
Bel Airs at the Jazzhaus, 9261/2 Massachusetts St.; $5 cover; 21 and up.
Disco Dick and the Mirror Balls at Raoul's Velvet Room, 815
New Hampshire St. : $5 cover, 21 and up.
Saturday
Jonathan Richman and The Billion at The Bottleneck, 737 Massachusetts St.; 18 and up.
DJ Kilby at Brown Bear Brewing Company, 729 Massachusetts St.; $2 cover; 21 and up.
The Benders at Abe and Jake's Landing, 8 E. Sixth St.; 21 and up.
- Sturgeon Mill at the Jazzhaus, 9261/2 Massachusetts St.; $4;
21 and up.
Son Venezuela at the Bottleneck, 737 Massachusetts St.; 18 and up.
Disco Dick and the Mirror Balls at Raoul's Velvet Room, 815 New Hampshire St.; $5 cover; 21 and up.
Sunday
■ The Band That Saved the World at Abe and Jake's Landing, 8 E. Sirth St. 21, and up.
■ Suplies and Jumbos Killrane at the Replay Lounge, 946 Massachusetts St. $1 cover 21 and up.
DJ J.P. at Brown Bear Brewing Company, 729 Massachusetts
St.; $2 cover, 21 and up.
Monday
Split Lip Rayfield, Damnations TX and Jef & Veda at the Bottleneck, 737 New Hampshire St.; 18 and up.
DJ Kilby at Brown Bear Brewing Company, 729 Massachusetts St.; $2 cover, 21 and up.
Open Mike night at The Bottleneck, 737 Massachusetts St.; 18 and up.
Open Decks and Details at the Granada, 1020 Massachusetts St.; 18 and up.
Tuesday
Open Mike night at Brown Bear Brewing Company, 729
Massachusetts St., 21, cover, 21, and up.
■ Valentine Killers and The Mathsatics at the Replay Lounge,
946, Massachusetts St. ; 820, cover; 21, and un.
Cryptopsy at The Bottleneck, 737 Massachusetts St.; 18 and up.
John Zegger and swing dancing at Abe and Jake's Landing, 8 E. Sixth St.; 21 and up.
Wednesday
■ The Jug with Britten at Brown Bear Brewing Company, 729 Massachusetts St. ; $2 cover, 21 and up.
Cursive and Proudentall at the Bottleneck, 737 Massachusetts St.; 18 and up.
DJ at Kailou's velvet Room.
AIDS Benefit with Brent Berry from the Second Hands, Space
AIDS Benefit with Brent Berry from the Second Hands, Space Pocket, The Revely Trio and The Roundups at the Granada, 1020 N. 16th St., NY, NY 10024
Fine Arts
Today
- "Acquisitions from a Director's Viewpoint" at 12:15 p.m. in the galleries in the Spencer Museum of Art.
University Singers and Men's Glee at 6 p.m. at St. John's Catholic Church: free.
Pianist Michael Strening Jr., at 7 p.m. at the KU Central Court in the Spencer Museum of Art.
Tomorrow
Saturday
University Symphony Orchestra at 7:30 p.m. at the Lied Center;
$7 general admission; $5 students.
*Plaffi*, part of the Latin American film festival, at 2 p.m. at the Spencer Museum of Art
Sunday
Chamber Choir and Concert Choir at 7:30 p.m. at Bales Organ Recital Hall; free.
■ Oread Consort at 7:30 p.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church; free.
■ Closely Watched Trains, part of the Metaphor and Irony film series, at 2 p.m. at the Spencer Museum of Art.
Collegium Musicum performance at 7:30 p.m. at the Central Court in the Spencer Museum of Art.
Monday
Trumpet Duo at 7:30 p.m. at Swarthout Recital Hall; free.
Tuesday
Mark Morris Dance Group at 8 p.m. at the Lied Center; $22 and $27 general admission, $11 and $13.50 students.
Wednesday
Brown Bag Classics presents student pianist Juile Maliff at 12:30 p.m. at Alderson Auditorium in the Kansas University; free.
To get your events published in the weekly calendar, send fax to 864-0391 or e-mail joyfay@kanan.com.
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