No return
Caitlin O'Hara reports from the DMZ during studies in Korea.
9 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
Caitlin O'Hara reports from the DMZ during studies in Korea.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>As you read this, it is safe to bet I am 30,000 feet above sea level, traveling 6,543 miles to Seoul, South Korea. In 13.5 hours, I will land in what will be my home until mid-summer. I will miss my loved ones, my Netflix account and dairy products, but I am convinced I will gain so much more. This semester, I hope to share my experiences and relay cultural understanding I aim to gain. But, I will be telling these stories with photographs. After this word-filled column, you will henceforth see a photo story every week.South Korea’s northern counterpart made global news this week with its third nuclear test in 10 years. North Korea is said to have chosen Tuesday for its explosive taunting because of South Korea’s change of leadership and President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address. Allies of the U.S. and China, such as Japan and Great Britain, have said they plan to take action if North Korea went ahead with further nuclear testing, but with heavy restrictions and sanctions already in place, it is unclear whether they or the United Nations will follow up.I don’t pretend to know the cultural nuances Korea has faced in its negotiations to reunite. I hope to gain some insight during my stay. But, I have to admit that the tension in East Asia has my pre-departure stomach in more of a knot than usual. As a kid who grew up in the midwestern U.S., I’ve always wanted to explore the world beyond my landlocked state. Now, my foot is toeing the line of my comfort zone, and, naturally, I’m anxious. This will be good for me. I’m excited to be uncomfortable. I will learn the language and navigate a city with the second largest population in the world. And, whether tensions in the region rise or the Korean governments peacefully work through this transitional period, I will be there to capture it. — caaohara@indiana.edu
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>I watched four stormtroopers in kilts cross Ohio Street. Steampunk top hats, multi-colored mechanical kitten ears, horns of all shapes and sizes and elfin ears were worn. Even Captain America and Jack Sparrow came out for the occasion. When I first arrived at last weekend’s annual Geneva Convention in Indianapolis, it was hard to keep up with everything.I am not a complete n00b to gaming culture. I spent most of my childhood on my pink Nintendo GameBoy Color trying to feed Pikachu enough moonstones to evolve into a Raichu. But there is so much happening in the gaming world today that I had been blind to. It was like I shot my Portal gun at the Indianapolis Convention Center wall and stepped into a new reality.Gamers in the Internet age have created communities strong enough to draw tens of thousands together at the annual Gen Con.And while this community is often dismissed as kids who hoard Magic: The Gathering cards and Dungeons and Dragons minis, we can learn a lot about ourselves and others from discovering new games.So many people overlook the art and storytelling that goes into creating both tabletop and video games. I’m grateful I was reminded of the magic of Magic: The Gathering that comes from being sucked into another world for 30 to 70 minutes.It’s almost impossible not to see something new at Gen Con.Events range from booths with the world’s tiniest polyhedral die to hentai voiceover competitions that are absolutely not for children. If you don’t know what hentai is, don’t Google it at work.Demonstrations teach the year’s newest games to eager players. I played the new “Zombies!!! The Card Game” and thoroughly enjoyed not surviving the apocalypse. Gaming is different from reading or watching film. There is usually a general story line, but the process and the outcome is different with every campaign. The players have temperaments and strategies that can sometimes be more telling than their outward demeanor IRL.One of the most fun parts of the convention is the cosplay, dressing up and/or acting like a favorite character. Fans dressed as heroes from longtime video game favorites, such as “Zelda” and “League of Legends.” They dressed to shock, to make people laugh and to generate a feeling of community. This community extends to all — young and old, first-time gamers and professionals, those dressed in full LARPing gear and those just wearing funny graphic T-shirts. Whether you are an anime fan is irrelevant.It doesn’t matter if you never played “Sonic The Hedgehog” as a kid. Gen Con has something for everyone who loves trying something new.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Climbing out of our tent into the fresh air, I felt a thin layer of dust coat my feet, legs, dress, eyes and hair. I was armed with sunscreen high enough to protect alabaster skin, a 24-ounce water bottle, trail mix and my Converse All Stars — tied tight. My friends and I walked around with our collective grins spread as wide as the campground. I was ready for my first Bonnaroo.The team had a rough outline of a plan. We’d circled favorite bands on our pocketed schedules, but our most important strategy would be endurance and flexibility.Overzealous and enthusiastic first-timers might opt to skip eating, drinking and taking care of themselves to see, hear and experience everything. This is just not possible. Bonnaroo is 80,000 campers and more than 10 stages of music. There is a comedy tent, a film tent, a Broo’ers Festival, food trucks and artists’ booths. It’s all stretched across 700 acres in Tennessee.You might find yourself dancing to Ludacris one moment, and lying in the sun enjoying Rodrigo y Gabriela the next. The atmosphere at Bonnaroo can change drastically from show to show, from campsite to campsite, but a constant vibe of excitement runs through all Bonnaroovians. Sure, some of the excitement can be attributed to the drug sub-culture, but most of it stems from the love of music and the desire to share the experience with friends old and new.Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival collects artists of varying acclaim. The 2012 event, June 7-10, showcased up-and-coming acts like Bloomington’s own The Main Squeeze, but still invited fans to enjoy music legends with headlining sets by The Beach Boys, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Radiohead and festival veterans Phish. After setting up camp Thursday night, we excitedly headed to Centeroo (the home of the stages, tents and vendors) for our first show. It was nearing 2 a.m. Friday, and we’d missed most of Thursday’s acts on our drive up, but the team remained overjoyed. We stopped at a sheltered tent to hear Nashville, Tenn., band Cherub and it hit me: My next three full days are devoted to documenting and enjoying what Rolling Stone called one of the 50 moments that changed rock ’n’ roll history.After this epiphany — and slight overwhelmedness — I found myself sitting on the ground, with the worried faces of my roommate and boyfriend floating above, asking me if I was feeling all right. I had fainted in the crowd within my first three hours. I had some acclimating to do. I was seeing Radiohead the next day, for god’s sake. I needed to ready myself.On Friday afternoon, tUnE-yArDs brought the engaging energy I’d experienced when I saw the band last summer at Pitchfork Music Festival and at Rhino’s in Bloomington. While followers of the band know that head lady Merrill Garbus creates intricate loops and layers of sounds, seeing her loop percussion and vocals live is a sound to behold. Garbus played Bonnaroo with an intensity and passion that sent a heartbeat into her crowd, and she later seemed taken aback by the size and adoration of her audience. She humbly thanked the crowd, who was just as grateful to share the show. After that great set, my clan headed to a hydration pod to re-fuel and cool down. This is essential to a successful ’Roo mission. After a long Friday of ’Roo-ing, I felt my eyes drooping through the opening songs of my favorite band. I felt like a traitor.And lo, the magical arpeggio of the first notes of “Everything In Its Right Place” filled my ears. The crowd erupted in joyous applause. Radiohead expertly played the main stage for two hours and 20 minutes of bliss to a re-energized crowd. The band’s powerful set was 25 songs long, the longest of Radiohead’s 2012 tour thus far, and featured an equal balance of classics and tracks from their most recent album, “The King of Limbs.” The driving, multi-faceted rhythms of the newest LP translate fully only when experienced live.Later, a sun-burnt, voiceless and over-stimulated version of myself stopped to take in the wonderland of music and camaraderie encapsulated in the bubble of the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival.Set on a 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tenn., since 2002, Bonnaroo has grown into its namesake comprised of New Orleans’ slang meaning “a really good time.”The term is derived from the French “best on the streets” — “bon” means “good”, “rue” means “street” — and the festival aims above and beyond its name.The Main Squeeze played The Miller Lite Great Taste Lounge early on Saturday. While the initial crowd was filled with Hoosiers, Corey Frye’s soulful singing drew a crowd extending out of the venue’s modest limits. The Squeeze’s signature funk and unbelievable energy kept the audience dancing for the entire 50-minute set, and the band no doubt introduced many new fans to its acclaimed music.Blind Pilot, The Shins, Bon Iver and The Beach Boys provided ideal soundtracks for dancing in the sun. Some artists jokingly referred to the crowd as “hippies.” Images of your parents’ festivals could be compared to Bonnaroo’s hula-hooping, face-painted audience. But Bonnaroovians should not be classified, for there was a diverse lineup on the farm. Flogging Molly delivered Irish folk-punk, Little Dragon brought pop-electronic. SBTRKT’s set could blow out the bass in 300 speakers. Santigold’s rhythmic jams were heard throughout the grounds. Red Hot Chili Peppers vibed funky rock to the delight of a massive crowd, and Umphrey’s McGee played into the morning light.There is so much to be experienced at Bonnaroo. The trip was expensive and taxing, but it was well worth it.Your tent will probably leak, and your eyes will be full of dust, but when you and your friends are dancing late into the night, these worries will have flown farther than fire lanterns.On Sunday night, we packed up our campsite and rubbed our aching feet. Exhausted bones and muscles climbed into the SUV. We started home with souvenirs of dirt under our fingernails and melodies flooding our dreams.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Christina Perri and her band walked off the Bluebird Nightclub stage without singing the song “Jar of Hearts,” the 2010 hit single that first aired on the Fox TV show “So You Think You Can Dance.” The crowd wasn’t convinced she would play her first show in Bloomington without singing the platinum song that eventually led to a record deal with Atlantic Records. Perri sat down behind the piano for an encore as the audience began to cheer and clap. “This particular song changed my whole life,” Perri said into the microphone. “But it’s not me. It’s you guys. You listened to the radio, you requested it and you downloaded it.” People packed into the Bluebird on Tuesday night to watch the Philadelphia native perform nine of the 16 tracks from the deluxe edition of her album “lovestrong.” along with two new songs and a cover of the Ronettes’ 1963 song “Be My Baby.” Perri’s album was released last May, and she has been touring for the past two and a half weeks with the band Sleeping At Last, which opened for Perri.“(I’m here because) I love Christina Perri. I love the way she gets into her music and is really open to her fans,” said Jerry Bowling, a recent Purdue graduate who said he was enjoying his first visit to Bloomington for the show. “Everyone wants to hear ‘Jar of Hearts,’ so I’ll say I’m really looking forward to ‘Arms.’ That’s also one of my favorites.” So far, Perri has released three successful singles: her breakout single “Jar of Hearts,” “Arms” and “A Thousand Years,” which was featured on the 2011 album for “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 1.” A barefoot Ryan O’Neal also performed the song “Quicksand,” which was featured on ABC’s TV show “Grey’s Anatomy,” before Perri’s set. “I’m so excited you guys would come and spend your evening with us,” Perri said after the first song “Bang Bang Bang,” one of the more upbeat numbers on her album. Drummer Jacob Marshal1, who had been playing in the band for just the past four days, said he is excited to tour with Perri. “I definitely get lost up there (on stage), and the more I lose myself, I think it’s contagious,” Marshall said. Bloomington resident Lehua Aplaca attended the concert with Bloomington resident and friend Denise Alexander, who said she first heard “Jar of Hearts” on “So You Think You Can Dance?”Perri’s singles “Jar of Hearts” and “A Thousand Years” were the only songs Apalca said she had heard before attending the concert. “This is awesome that the Bluebird is bringing more mainstream artists,” Aplaca said. “Usually, you have to go to (Indianapolis) to see these kinds of artists, and gas is really expensive right now, so this is really convenient.” At the end of “Jar of Hearts,” Perri threw red and yellow roses out to the crowd. “Live shows are a great way to get to know an artist,” Aplaca said.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Bill Boyd owns a family farm that belonged to his wife’s grandparents, who purchased the property in 1919 and lived on it their entire lives. Boyd was one community member in attendance at an Anti-I-69 Community Picnic on Sunday at the Reverend Ernest D. Butler Park.Boyd said he challenges anyone to find another piece of property just like his, with history and emotional attachment connected to it.Boyd’s farm would be acquired and developed by the Indiana Department of Transportation’s “I-69 Evansville to Indianapolis” plan to extend the interstate highway through Monroe County. The proposed plan could, according to a study conducted by the Federal Highway Administration and the INDOT, “increase accessibility for southwest Indiana businesses to labor, suppliers and consumer markets.”“To see what they are doing to the family farm, not just us, but all the farms in Daviess County, Gibson County, Pike County, is just a tragedy,” Boyd said. “We are finding out that a landowner, a citizen of this country of ours, does not have any rights to protect their property. You think you do, but when it comes down to it, if the state wants to put a highway through it, you’re just out of luck.” Boyd said he and his family have been fighting, along with Citizens for Appropriate Rural Roads, for about 15 years against a proposal to build a new interstate. He said he has submitted about 100 Freedom of Information Act requests to INDOT, but the department has responded about half of the time with the requested information. “They hide the things they don’t want the public to know,” Boyd said. Other attendees of the Anti-I-69 Community Picnic brought up environmental concerns regarding the development of the road, including possible damage to farmland, forest and wetland, as well as potential damage to caves, quality of groundwater and wildlife habitats. “I know (the highway’s development) would affect the areas where the Indiana bat lives,” resident Corinne Sereni said. Sereni said she hopes community discussions like Sunday’s picnic will form an infrastructure for more support to fight against projects she views as detrimental to the community. She said most supporters of the project have been promised safer highways and more jobs, but similar projects elsewhere have not always had these results.“I think these are things that need to be explored more as far as what has happened in other communities where it’s actually been the opposite,” Sereni said. “The promises of development ... have actually done the opposite, taking money out of the community and bringing in big corporations, and that money doesn’t go back into the local economy.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Susan Wambugu stood beside a potted pear tree and scattered shovels. “You can tell how many seeds are in an apple, but you can’t tell how many apples are in a seed,” Wambugu said.She compared the fruit-bearing trees to Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr. Wangari Maathai. The African Students Association planted three trees Friday at Hilltop Garden and Nature Center, just past Eigenmann Hall, in her memory and that of two other African women who were awarded the Prize in 2011.Maathai died Sept. 25, 2011, but the Kenyan political and environmental activist left a legacy as the first woman in East and Central Africa to earn a doctorate degree and for founding the Green Belt Movement, a non-government organization focused on environmental conservation and women’s rights. She was named the laureate for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004.Sophomore Rasheed Ojerinde, president of the ASA, said it is significant that the group planted three trees, and that they will produce fruit for years to come. Each tree represents a strong woman who has positively affected the lives of Africans, Ojerinde said.The first pear tree, planted in honor of Maathai, is a Bartlett Pear Tree and will germinate the other two for years to come.Another tree was planted in honor of Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who was the first woman elected president in Africa, and the third and final pear tree was planted in honor of activist Leymah Gbowee,“Just as these trees will yield fruit, the citizens of Kenya are reaping the benefits of Maathai’s work,” Ojerinde said.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Sigma Alpha Epsilon, along with MES Production and Consulting, caused a “State of Emergency” on campus last night for the Afrojack concert in the Memorial Stadium parking lot. The makeshift stage in the gravel parking lot acted as a beacon of sorts for students as they followed the thumping bass to the source of the sound.SAE President Jarrett Smith said the concert offered a unique experience for patrons.“Up to this point, there haven’t been too many performances like this,” Smith said. He said the fraternity wanted to do something new.Even before Afrojack took the stage, opening acts R3HAB and Shermanology provided a rave-like atmosphere for the crowd of hundreds of people.Bright colors could be seen from a distance as many patrons donned neon-colored tank tops, T-shirts, hats and headbands.Under the beaming sunset, the crowd danced and sang to covers of electronic dance songs. Orange beach balls floated in the air as members of the crowd swatted them to keep them from hitting the ground.As this was Afrojack’s first time performing on a college campus, senior and Event Director Mitch Schoeneman said the festive setting was a different energy and scenery for the three performers onstage.Audience members said the environment of the Afrojack concert enhanced anticipation for the weekend races rather than detracted from it.“(The concert) gets people pumped for the race, everyone’s so excited,” freshman Marcella Ettinger said. “It really brings us all together.”Ettinger said she chose to attend the concert because she thought it would enhance her Little 500 experience.“I think everybody, Greek and non-Greek, enjoys Little Five,” Ettinger said.Freshman Laura Burnett agreed and said the party atmosphere of the concert succeeded in making the student body excited.Afrojack took the stage and energized the crowd. Behind a wall of amplifiers, he opened with beats that vibrated and shook the ground of the parking lot. “Bloomington, you’re dope,” he said between electronic tracks. “Are you guys ready to go all night? My plane doesn’t leave until 4 a.m., so we’re going to party all night.”Although the concert at the Stadium ended at 10 p.m., there was an official IU Afrojack after-party at Dunnkirk.Little 500 concerts generate energy that rivals a certain West Coast festival that had music lovers in the Midwest cursing their last few weeks of school. Afrojack arrived in Bloomington straight from Coachella, but the minimal sleep caught on the plane did not seem to fatigue the DJ. He kept the crowd jumping as the show progressed. “If you weren’t here, you missed the best night of college,” Schoeneman said.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Hoosier-native Topher Jones is finally making time to attend the “world’s greatest college weekend.” The DJ from Zionsville, Ind., said he looks forward to seeing a few familiar faces when he opens for Dutch DJ and producer Tiësto tonight at Bounce Music Festival. Jones’ music reaches across musical genres and has been played by renowned electronic musicians from Above & Beyond to 12th Planet. An IDS reporter had the chance to talk to him before his first Little 500 experience.INDIANA DAILY STUDENT You’re playing with Tiësto tomorrow night. I understand you’ve done some work with him in the past?TOPHER JONES Yeah, we used to. I think it was 2007 when I first released a song on his record label, Black Hole Recordings. He was a big supporter of mine and asked me to open for him on his 2008 tour. We played two shows in Chicago. One of them was at the House of Blues — that’s still probably my favorite show I’ve ever played. He’s been really supportive of me and the way my music was going. We both kind of took different directions for a while, but we’re ironically kind of heading in the same direction musically again right now. After (the festival Thursday) we’re both playing May 4 in Chicago at Studio Paris, which is a new club. IDS What’s that like? Has he ever given you any pro tips?JONES Nothing too serious. After I first played with him, he gave me a call midway through the week. He just said “Thank you” and that he really appreciated what I did. The House of Blues show was so special. (Tiësto) was supposed to play from 11 until the club closed, but he let me play an extra 45 minutes. He’s always just been really supporting. IDS Are you debuting any new mixes in the near future?JONES Yeah, I’ll be playing a lot of new music tomorrow night. I’m about to put out a bunch of new tracks over the next few weeks, so I’ll be debuting those. There’ll also be new remixes tomorrow and some new collaborations with some up-and-coming artists. Tomorrow will be the first time I get to test out a lot of new material.IDS What has been the most rewarding experience of being on tour?JONES That’s a tough one because different things are rewarding in different ways. I love getting to travel — it’s really cool meeting new people and experiencing new cultures. It’s so rewarding to meet new fans and visually experiencing how your music impacts different lives. I think the most rewarding thing, though, is creating a network of friends that is global. Knowing you can fly 2,000 miles and still feel at home because you’re so close to people and you will be for the rest of your life. Friendships at the end of the day are so much more import to me than music — I know that sounds awful. My music is really important to me, but my friendships are really, really special.IDS How do you express yourself through your music?JONES This one’s tough. I ask myself this one. Sometimes you just get in the studio and things happen, and you start coming up with something, and you think it’s completely different than what you were expecting, but you love it. Sometimes you sit at the piano and what you end up with is exactly what you were expecting, and it’s great. I try to be very honest and genuine in my lyrics, and I’ve never released music that I don’t feel represents me. It’s a little different, though, with dance music. When I’m writing club tracks, I ask myself whether this would drop at the club — would people enjoy dancing to it? Even when you’re in a lull in life, you still need to write music that people will want to move to. When I write songs and lyrics, it’s a lot easier to express myself, though, it can be a lot more personal. IDS What have you been listening to recently?JONES Just picked up the new Snow Patrol album. I’m really enjoying it. It’s really chill and relaxing. The latest M83 — I’m all about that. I love the new Coldplay. I’m always listening to Sigur Rós, no matter what I’m doing. The Civil Wars is really different than anything I’ve listened to before. I love the two vocalists, a girl and a guy, that are always harmonizing. They’ve got a great thing going, and I really like Explosions in the Sky.IDS You went to high school in Indiana, so have you been to IU’s Little 500 festivities in the past?JONES I haven’t, which is crazy because I went to college at Depauw. But honestly, I’ve never made it, and obviously I’m a bit too old for a college kid’s party, but it’s going to be fun to see IU’s Little Five celebration. My manager, Dustin, went to Indiana and has told me all about it. IDS What is your favorite thing about Bloomington?JONES I don’t know if I’ve spent enough time there to have a favorite thing. I love that Bloomington is becoming a place where dance music is really welcome. (The show Thursday) will be fun. I’m so excited to see Tiësto’s face as he plays a festival in the middle of rural Indiana. It’s going to be a great time, though. I really think he’ll enjoy it.