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(12/06/13 5:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>As you drive through the IU campus, it is hard not to marvel at the grandiose of such a splendid University. There are beautiful trees, a breathtaking landscape, a vast array of extraordinary massively large buildings, hoards of students happy to attended such a fine University and ... wait a second. What is this? A traffic jam? At 7:30 at night? You have got to be kidding me. The magnanimous trees, the enticing landscape, the mesmeric-sized buildings, and I can’t help but be angry that no one thought of a way to not incur a traffic jam on a city block. For those of you who just were dropped off from an alien planet and have no clue what I am talking about, I ask you to do one thing. During the school week, drive down 10th Street, primarily between Indiana Avenue and Jordan Avenue, to witness first-hand the miserable bumper-to-bumper traffic. As you drive closer, you will be curious what could possibly cause such a traffic jam. How is it possible, in a small city such as Bloomington, on a non-highway road like 10th Street that there could be a traffic jam? The answer : students. Yes, students crossing the crosswalks that are not on designated stoplights are holding up the traffic. A simple one minute drive down 10th Street turns into a fifteen-minute affair in a blink of an eye. Now I do not claim to be a genius or a wizard with magical powers from a foreign land, but I have an idea or two how to fix this problem. Let’s build a pedestrian walking bridge. Indiana University is building a 53 million-dollar Global and International building, and that’s great. A larger building for those people who want to expand their educational horizon, I’m all for it. They built 38 million-dollar Rose Residence Center. Now, I’ve never had the unfortunate pleasure of living in an IU residence hall, but I’m sure they are like most — outdated and gross. Build a new one? Sure, good idea. IU is even renovating and adding on to Hodge Hall to the tune of 37 million dollars for the Kelly School of Business right there on 10th Street. We have a wonderful business program, one of the best in the country. For those in the Kelly School of Business, this is excellent. So why stop there? Let’s, oh I don’t know, build a large pedestrian bridge that crosses over the top of 10th Street that will be beneficial for the safety and livelihood of all who attend IU. That’s a good idea. I can see it now. A beautiful bridge, with magnificent steel letters, with a display that reads “Indiana University, a school for the innovative thinkers.” A bridge that will add to a wonderful University, which will free up traffic on the road and provide a safer walking environment for its students. This is perfect. Heck, you could even call it the Goldaris Bridge. — eygoldar@indiana.edu
(11/15/13 5:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Indiana University is home to thousands of Jewish students, hundreds of servicemen and women, and a plethora of students who have relatives that served in World War II. It is also home to obscene swastikas. The offending symbol adorns some tiles in the Wildermuth Intramural Center. This is a problem. Earlier this month, world famous soccer club Manchester United took heat because its brochure to fans featured a swastika-like symbol and the title “New Order.” Instead of complaining about semantics or arguing over the discrepancy, the soccer club properly issued a formal and sincere apology.They quickly issued new non-offensive brochures.Indiana University can learn a lot from this act. Our university must quickly and effectively remove the swastika tiles in the Wildermuth Intramural Center. In the Wildermuth’s defense, it was constructed before Nazi Germany existed and the swastika at that time was a virtuous symbol in the Hindu religion. The Hindu symbol, which meant “all is well,” was a popular design, featured in early 20th century architecture, thus the reason one can surmise that it was incorporated into the making of the Wildermuth. Unfortunately, since the center was built, a major world war took place in which our enemy took the Hindu symbol and used it as a platform to breed anti-Semitic hatred in order to fuel a hateful, war-mongering country. During World War II, which was caused by Nazi aggression, millions of innocent Jews were brutally slaughtered in various concentration camps. The swastika was one of the last symbols many Jewish men, women and children would see before they were violently murdered. But the symbol isn’t only offensive to Jews.Along with the mass genocide, many brave American servicemen lost their lives in the European theater against enemy combatants of Nazi Germany and their proudly displayed swastikas. It is naiveté to believe in the notion that the swastikas displayed in the Wildermuth are in any way acceptable because of their prior meaning. A symbol is defined in laymen’s terms as an object that stands for something. Many symbols Americans have become accustomed to once stood for something else. The peace symbol, for instance, was intended by its creator to display a stick figure slumped over in a chair.It was a representation of a human being in despair. However, that symbol was taken and used in a different context that we now associate with hope and peace. For hundreds of Indiana University students who walk past the tiles in Wildermuth each day, these swastika-emblazoned tiles don’t mean “all is well.” They mean the opposite. Whatever previous meaning it once had is now moot. We cannot undo the atrocities committed by the Nazis, but we can prevent hateful symbols displayed on our very own campus. I am asking for the Indiana University administration to immediately remove the tiled symbols. — eygoldar@indiana.edu
(11/07/13 1:16am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Three years since his last album and 13 years since his first “Marshall Mathers LP,” Eminem’s back.Fourty one-year-old Marshall Bruce Mathers III released a sequel to his first “Marshall Mathers LP.”I started the album with low expectations. After his last albums “Recovery” and “Relapse” were, in their own respects, flops, it was hard to be excited for this album. His extremely weird ESPN halftime interview during the Michigan-Notre Dame football game didn’t help him any.I was pleasantly surprised by “the Marshall Mathers LP 2.”The album is Eminem, as you have been accustomed to lately, but also with enough of what made him so great.Eminem might still be mad about something — at least he still sounds upset on every rap. He does, however, have amazing flow on the majority of his songs.He still makes room for a song ready for radio. “The Monster,” which features Rihanna, is another song that sounds great, but after a million plays of “I Love the Way You Lie,” you will most likely end up sick of this song, too. At the same time, there are some really good early 2000s-sounding Eminem songs, such as “Love Game,” which features west coast rapper Kendrick Lamar. Eminem defiantly employs a lot of chorus-rich hits on this album.Even the most hardcore Eminem fan can admit that a catchy chorus has been the apex of Eminem’s success, going back to the success of “Stan” and “The Real Slim Shady” on his first “Mathers LP,” and “Survival” and “Headlights” on his most recent.If you’re a fan of hip-hop, this album is for you. Whatever your stance has been on Eminem for the last half-decade, you will not be disappointed by this release.
(11/01/13 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>I don’t trust you as a person if you say you like public bathrooms. Unfortunately, since it became the social norm to go to the bathroom indoors, public bathrooms have become a way of life. Here are some observations, start to finish, to make this experience better. First off, let’s talk entering the bathroom. If you happen to be entering at the same time someone is leaving, be prepared for an awkward dance. If I open the door for you, please do not push it. I know it sounds weird, but this happens 98 percent of the time. And I’m talking about every door, not just the bathroom’s. Don’t believe me? Try it. Open a door for someone next time you enter somewhere and they will almost always instinctively push on the door. What goes on in your mind, people? Do you think I’m going to close it on you as some kind of sick joke to fill some crucial void in my life? If I get a hyper-extended arm, it’s on you — but I digress. Most importantly, the first thing men should look for is a splash-guard. I will literally not go to the bathroom if there is no splash-guard in between the urinals. I can’t tell you how many good pants I’ve lost to friendly fire because of the lack of a splash guard. No more. Now, can we get on the issue of toilet paper? The worst fear in my life isn’t public speaking — it’s having to go number two in a public bathroom. Not only are you seated on five round feet of porcelain that has been inhabited by all sorts of creatures in that given day, but the toilet paper is horrendous. I don’t understand it. How can bathrooms have elaborate marble floors, decorative ceilings, electronic flushers, electronic paper dispensers, TVs in the urinal, shady old people handing out mints, and yet still have the cheapest toilet paper known to man? I want one amenity: good toilet paper. Sure, it costs a dollar or so extra, but think of how much better you’d be making the world. Lastly, washing hands. Why do businesses put up signs in their bathrooms informing employees they must wash their hands? Was this a problem that had to be addressed? This should be a prerequisite in food establishment background checks. Does this person adequately wash his or her hands? If you can avoid going to a public bathroom, good for you. For those who simply just have to go, Godspeed. — eygoldar@indiana.edu
(10/17/13 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Rapper and producer Curtis Cross, known by his stage name Black Milk, is like a bag of Fritos chips.There is no argument that there is top-notch production behind Fritos, like there is great production from this first rate producer. However, like Fritos, Black Milk is not a good first choice if you are shopping for something to indulge in. The end product is bland and standard. Nothing sets Black Milk apart from any other budding rapper.His new album, “No Poison No Paradise,” is his first album in three years. His first four albums were released practically a year apart from each other, and the three-year gap for his most recent project was not very beneficial. The best songs on the album are the ones where there is no rapping at all. Black Milk intersperses his lackluster attempt at a rap album with really good instrumentals that are eerily reminiscent of Black Milk’s major influence, A Tribe Called Quest.Black Milk has been known to feature many up-and-coming Detroit rappers, Danny Brown in particular. However, this album failed to produce any standout performances by the featured unknown artists. Musically, this album is somewhat spectacular and every song on the album is enjoyable to listen to, even though you end up wishing someone else would have rapped on them.Black Milk has set another standard with this album, establishing himself as a notable producer. Nonetheless, like Diddy, he should stick to producing and leave the rapping to actual rappers.
(10/17/13 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>I will never forget the day we met in the grocery aisle. Some say love is the way you feel when you first lock eyes, and some say love is the way you feel when she’s gone. The day I met Little Debbie, I was in love, and I didn’t care who knew it!Can you blame me? I mean, what other lady brings this much to the table? From Cosmic Brownies and Nutty Bars, to Oatmeal Creme Pies, Swiss Cake Rolls and Zebra Cakes, she is practically doing the Lord’s work.However, it doesn’t take more than one listen to Miley Cyrus’s “Wrecking Ball” to realize that love can be truly detrimental. My love for Little Debbie was a secret and burning passion that deteriorated my health and well-being. After high school, I had to cut her off, and she would remain only a mere memory of my first love. But hey, who am I to say she can’t visit every once in a while? And that’s exactly what she does every fall season, in the form of Pumpkin Delights. When October arrives each year, it brings the two greatest things in this country of ours: playoff baseball and Little Debbie’s Pumpkin Delights. If you don’t follow baseball, it’s okay, my New York Yankees won the World Series again this year. If by the off chance you have been watching playoff baseball, have I mentioned how great Little Debbie’s Pumpkin Delights are? I follow a pretty strict paleo diet these days, but every fall season, I ask myself, what caveman wouldn’t go for Pumpkin Delights? No caveman I know, that’s for sure. After buying out the grocery store of their complete stock of Pumpkin Delights, I immediately drive home with the same overzealous intensity of Hank Schrader when he found out his charming brother-in-law was actually a ruthless mega-million dollar methamphetamine cook, but I digress. When I get home, I turn down the lights and crank up Rod Stewart’s “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy.” For the rest of the article, I demand you play this song while you read it. Then it’s sugar, sugar, ooh... don’t you just know exactly what I’m thinking? I rip off its plastic covering, its pumpkin face smiling at me — me smiling back. Man, I love the fall season.
(10/14/13 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Our representatives in Washington, D.C., are doing their jobs.They’re being politicians who are standing up for what they believe. Regardless of whether you believe this was what the Founding Fathers of this country had planned, this is how our government works.If reality angers you and your neighbors and you think this style of government should be changed, then change it. Run on the platform to change the way Washington operates, and win, because you are backed by overwhelming support from your concurring neighbors. Then, go to Washington and speak up for yourself and your neighbors. Try your hardest to do right by those who voted for your promise to change this screwy Congress of ours. Only now, you’re constantly ignored or bullied by your fellow congressmen. They have been there longer than you, they outnumber you and they are happy with the dysfunctional system of government. Sounds upsetting, right?But you didn’t come all this way, put in all this time and exhaustive work to be deterred by these people not paying attention to logical argument. Maybe you think the only way these people will finally hear logical arguments is if you do something that will garner their attention. Maybe now you can see where the newly elected Republicans are coming from more than you’d like to admit. Yes, the shutdown sucks. No Congressman can honestly say he is happy with sending home thousands of hard-working government employees. But, unfortunately, it’s the collateral damage we Americans pay for being able to have the right to voice our opinion and take a stand on Capitol Hill. To say, however, these people we elected to represent us and make our opinions heard aren’t doing their job, is simply preposterous. — eygoldar@indiana.edu
(10/10/13 2:04am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The name Cal Scruby doesn’t ring any bells for the majority of hip-hop fans. But after releasing his mixtape “Scrubby” at the beginning of this monrh, that could change fast. Becoming successful in hip-hop is hard, and making it in to the business as a white male is really hard. Unless you have the street grit of Eminem, the social relevance of Macklemore or flat out talent like Atmosphere, it is almost impossible to make a career in the genre. People like Marky Mark, Sammy Adams and Fox & Weber had their small moments before fading into irrelevance. However, hip-hop is a game of longevity, and only a few will stick around long enough to make a career out of it. An initial listen into Scruby’s mixtape and it’s easy to see he is nothing like his failed predecessors. Most rappers “make dollars off of music without making cents (sense)” Scruby raps. The depth of his lyrics makes him standout out among the majority of wannabe rappers who have no real substance in their tracks. Scruby experiments with many different types of sounds. Not a single track is bad, whether it’s an acappella flow in “ERS” or a high tempo verse in ”STRAIGHTLIKETHAT,” Scruby brings it. Listening to the album, the amount of witty and provocative lines that Scruby uses throughout his songs is overwhelming. It is such an impressive display that by the end of his last song “The Realist,” you might think you just finished listening to a professional LP by a well-established artist. It’s hard to compare the likeness of rappers to others rappers. Most successful musicians have tailored their sound en route to standing out in a competitive industry. For Cal Scruby, his sound is reminiscent of J. Cole. However, he brings enough unique brilliance he really can’t be limited by comparisons. His genuine and fresh flow is a must listen for any rap enthusiast.
(10/04/13 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>I am tired of hearing people who are shocked when athletes, celebrities and politicians fail to become “role models.” Famous role models are like tooth fairies — they don’t exist. The harsh fact is that as much as we love to watch and obsess over our favorite athletes, actors and musicians, we simply don’t know these people. You would most certainly not allow your children to take guidance from a complete stranger. Yet, just because you’ve heard a few of these people’s songs, or watched them partake in an athletic competition, it now becomes socially acceptable to let them influence your child. When celebrities do turn out to be awful people, folks don’t just get kind of upset, they get full-force tee-d off.How dare Miley Cyrus gyrate like that with children watching! I can’t believe Alex Rodriguez would inject himself with performance-enhancing drugs in order to rob a legitimate franchise of millions of dollars and tarnish a game that has been around for more than 100 years!I mean I can’t believe one consenting adult would send another consenting adult a picture of his genitalia! What about the children? I got to meet Mark Cuban, a so-called “role model,” this past weekend. He was pleasant, minus the abundant use of profanity. He was kind, unless of course you were one of the underpaid referees at Tom Crean’s fantasy basketball camp, and he was just what a role model should be, minus the six-figures worth of illegal insider trading charges he’s facing. The point is these people are great when they are in front of a camera, but when the stadium lights go out and the performers leave the stage, they are human beings. I didn’t wake up not knowing how to go on with my life the morning I found out that Ryan Braun had lied to the American people. I ate my breakfast, went to school and acted like any other responsible young adult would.If you haven’t already guessed by now, I don’t have any celebrity role models. Most people I know personally end up disappointing me, so I don’t bother with complete strangers. The truth is, the best role model you can have is yourself. If you are happy with who you are and what you are doing, then don’t worry with what others do. If you don’t like it, then change it because that is the only change you can really have complete control over in this world. So now that you are aware that celebrities aren’t good role models, go ahead, tear down those posters of famous people in your room.Put up pictures of yourself! Just kidding, that’s creepy. Creepy, like having unreal expectations for someone who doesn’t even know you exist. — eygolar@indiana.edu
(10/03/13 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>I first heard Danny Brown during my junior year of high school on Black Milk’s “Black & Brown!” EP. My first reaction was “Wow, this guy is good, and he sounds so refined.” Why had I never heard of him? The truth is that in 2010 nobody had heard of the Detroit native. Although Brown had been rapping for seven years, he wasn’t successful. This all changed in 2012 when his second studio album, “XXX,” gained popularity instantly. Along with a great verse on A$AP Rocky’s “1-Train” and a great music video for “Grown Up,” 2012 was Brown’s year.Brown’s success would land him a spot in XXL magazine’s highly coveted “Freshman Class.” At 31, Brown was the oldest member of the “Freshman Class” of 2012, but it was well-deserved and long overdue. What some don’t know about Danny Brown is that his career could have had a very different path. He was very close to signing with rap group G-Unit two years prior, but 50 Cent put the kibosh on the signing because of his dislike of Brown’s style.To many hip-hop fans, this isn’t much of a surprise. Brown is weird. His free-spirit identity is on display at all of his performances. “Old” is a one-of-a-kind album that delivers for his fans. An hour long and split into two sides, it has all of Brown’s ridiculous oddities that fans expect. If ugly is the new beautiful and orange is the new black, Brown’s weirdness may be on to something. For the album, Brown enlisted fellow “Freshman Class” members in Ab-Soul and Schoolboy Q, along with other outlier rap artists. There are some dud tracks on the album, but for the most part, all the songs that feature other rap artists are excellent. Often, rap artists are better when their songs feature guests. Brown is known for his fast flow and high, nasal voice. However, for three tracks he slows down and eliminates the nasal sound. On “Lonely,” it seems a completely different rapper is rapping on the track. But Brown is just as good slow as he is at his normal speed.If you aren’t used to Brown’s style, the album is hard to swallow at first. But listen to it a few times and it grows on you. It’s not as good as “XXX,” but “Old” meets the expectations for a third album.
(09/20/13 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Last week a 12-year-old elementary school girl in Florida committed suicide after months of being viciously cyberbullied by a group of female classmates. Instantly, I thought of my younger sister and how my parents allowed her to get a smart phone.We’re just as guilty as my younger sister’s generation for being on social media before we were ready. We didn’t know any better. We saw our older siblings who were the first real wave of social media users, and like any kid in middle school, we wanted be just like them. Now we know better. We see the careers of politicians, athletes and members of our community become tarnished overnight by dumb things they put online. We see shows like “Catfish” and realize how ridiculous it is to waste time and energy on social media. The problem is our younger siblings don’t. I can’t blame parents for this one. Our parents have no idea what social media is for kids. They don’t know that the two don’t mix. For years we have heard the rhetoric that we are the future of this country. Often we are reluctant to think we can have any effect, and most of the time we are probably right. We can’t do a whole lot to fix the political and economic class system. We can’t end the budget deficit. And no matter how many African-American politicians we elect, we still can’t get rid of racists, no matter how hard we try.However, when it comes to preventing our young siblings from getting on social media, this is an issue we can control. The best memories in high school were hanging out with friends, having new adventures and spending summer daylight hours playing pick-up games of basketball and football. The worst memories of high school were seeing pictures of “friends” at get-togethers you weren’t invited to, reading conversations on your news feed of two people talking crap about you, or worse, being a direct target of hateful and unreasonable cyberbullying. We love our younger siblings more than life. As much as we’d love to beat up every cyberbully, we can’t. The problem is, we’re not home to see them every day. We can’t be there to put an arm on their shoulder when they are crying in their pillow, wondering what must be wrong with them. What we can do is speak up. Talk to our parents and talk to our younger siblings, explain they are just not ready for the harms of social media because no one really ever is. Tell them that no matter how uncool they think they’ll be if they don’t have an account, every “big kid” you know agrees that nothing is cooler than just being able to be a kid again. — eygoldar@indiana.edu
(09/19/13 2:01am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Today’s rap culture is infiltrated with a cohort of “hype artists.” These artists, such as 2 Chainz, don’t have much substance in their lyrics, but their beats and “zinger” lines make for entertaining rap songs. These songs can be enjoyed at parties, in the gym or playing loudly in the car.Rick Ross has arguably made a successful career out of being a “hype artist.” If you have ever listened to Rick Ross and company before, you know exactly what you are getting in his third installment of his label’s album, “Maybach Music Group: Self Made Vol. 3.”It’s a whole lot of yelling and loud beats.The album starts with a song from Lil Snupe, an 18-year-old rapper who was set to be Meek Mill’s protege until he was killed this past summer in Louisiana. The song is arguably one of the best on the album, a sad reminder of a promising life cut short. Lil Boosie makes an appearance on the album, who, contrary to popular belief on Twitter, is indeed still in jail. His verse on “Lay it Down” reinforces the idea that whether or not he gets out of jail later this year his music still deserves to be locked away. I don’t understand people who actually like this guy. Meek Mill, a major face of Maybach Music Group, is like your cranky old neighbor. He does a whole lot of yelling, and most of the time you’re not sure what he’s saying. But when you are, it gets you pretty amped up. Gunplay and Fabolous, frequent contributors to Maybach Music Group, have made songs in the past that make you wonder why they haven’t blown up on the scene yet. When you hear them on “Self Made Vol. 3,” you are quickly reminded why they are not household names. They are average at best. If Rick Ross’s rap career was compared to an athlete’s career, it’s safe to say his performance on the album shows that he is past his prime. It will only be a matter of time before he is forced into retirement. It’s been a good run, Ross.Wale, on the other hand, may be headed to the prime of his career. His latest album “The Gifted” turned some heads, and his job on “Self Made Vol. 3” shows off his consistency. French Montana is usually always awful, but as far as hype artists go, he was decent on this album. Rockie Fresh, whose absence from XXL Magazine’s Freshman Class of 2013 was considered a snub by many, didn’t do much to prove himself.“Poor Decisions” is one of the better songs on the album. Those two words ironically summarize the entire album.Maybach Music Group decided not to use the formula they implemented in their first successful album. Instead of using three great producers in Jahlil Beats, Lex Luger and Mike WiLL Made It, they went a new direction with unknown producers.It was destined to fall flat from the beginning.
(09/06/13 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>If you’re a freshman trying to reinvent yourself after high school — from the kid who was shoved into lockers to the kid who was doing the shoving — the gym is the place for you. However, for those newly acquainted to world of working out, it can be very intimidating and distressing. If you want a productive gym experience, follow these tips:Do your homework.Professors don’t expect you to come to college with all the knowledge needed to excel in their classes. Nor do your brofessors in the gym.Still, brush up on some reading material before you go. If you are not sure what to do, ask a fellow bro or consult YouTube workout experts. High school is over.By now, it should be apparent a university campus is no place to break out your high school letterman jacket. By that same social science math, the gym is no place to wear your favorite high school T-shirt.Follow the Bro Code.Once you’re wearing the admissible gym clothing and executing the correct lifts, try not to let your newly-found false bravado get in the way of gym etiquette.When asked “Hey, how many sets do you have left on that workout machine?” the wrong answer is “I just started, man,” followed by an awkward silence.The correct answer is “Would you like to work in with me?” Please do not be the guy who makes someone endure the painfully awkward experience of walking around trying to find something else to do while they wait for you to finish. Who knows? This gym stranger could even become your future workout buddy. Don’t text.I saved this advice for last because I think it’s the most important. If you plan on texting in the gym, do not even bother coming.The only girl that deserves your attention during this time is the bench. Respect her.If you have some rare untreatable disease that causes an irresistible urge to text while making other people wait to work out, do not fear, there is a place for you.That place is upstairs in the SRSC, far away from the weight room. There, you can do some weird motion on a plastic machine with skis — I think it is called the elliptical.Prop open a brand new People Magazine there while tweeting to your heart’s content. You will call it a workout, but people downstairs will know better. Just remember, the road to Muscle City is paved with whey protein and humble beginnings. If you follow simple gym protocol, working out will always be an enjoyable time for you and those who are lucky enough to sweat and struggle alongside you.— eygoldar@indiana.edu