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(06/06/05 12:37am)
Strolling around the Prima Gallery's new summer show, it's easy to forget every art piece and its respective price tag has a unique history, similar to the gallery itself. Tiny pots stock the shelves, mimicking the artists' hands who crafted them. Oil paintings snake up the stairs, offering narratives of the painter's life. Even a broom takes on meaning after hearing its torrid past from the broom's sculptor, David Eppinghouse, who retrofitted the cleaning tool with neon lights. \nAs the summer show opened at the Prima Gallery Friday night, art lovers had a chance to mingle with well-known and emerging artists to hear these stories behind their work. The summer show, "Paints, Pots, and Prints" opened to the tunes of a live accordion player and the excited chatter of exhibited artists, avid collectors and curious onlookers. Various artists made an appearance to reflect on their individual pieces, view other artists' works or grab a piece of pizza from the reception table.\n"We have old and new and rich and poor (artists) if you can use those generalities," said Eileen Rice, who has worked for the Prima Gallery the last seven years. \nThe Prima Gallery has maintained this hodgepodge of artists since the gallery first opened 37 years ago, in 1968. According to Rice, the first gallery owner, Rosemary Frasier started the Prima Gallery with other "faculty wives" because no Bloomington art gallery existed at that time. This original start-up team created the first gallery behind where Pygmalion's stands on Grant Street.\nMoving to Sixth Street 10 years ago, the current Prima Gallery took over space once owned and used by the Princess Theatre. The large glass windows and doors in the front of the gallery once housed the theatre's screen. \n"The (Prima) Gallery was the first gallery and it's lasted forever," said art exhibit installer and gallery artist David Eppinghouse. "This is like a flagship for the local art scene."\nIn the past year, the Prima Gallery has undergone more changes. The current owner, Linda Fratianni, bought the gallery last July. For the past year, she has been establishing her vision for the gallery with several month long shows and now the summer show. \n"I think we're different in how we present our shows, in our objectives," she said. "This show's objective is to present emerging and established artists." \nIU Fine Arts professor Rudy Pozzatti, recently named a "living treasure of Bloomington" by the Bloomington Area Arts Council, is one of the most established artists at the summer show. Pozzatti said the summer show gives his fans a chance to see what he's been working on, instead of waiting three more years for his next one-man show. For his pieces, "Prismatic V" and "Prismatic II," Pozzatti manipulated European candy wrappers to design the realistic looking stained glass windows in his pieces. \n"The wrappers in Europe are much nicer color-wise, design-wise, and the chocolate is damn good," said Pozzatti. \nFormer IU student and Evansville artist Shirley Kern mixed art materials for her summer show pieces. Kern created her oil paintings on wood slates and then added metal bolts to make the paintings appear like houses. Her four-squared wood image also plays on her notion that "everything's connected." \n"I sort of like to go back and forth between flat plane and sculpture so now I'm somewhere in between," said Kern, who used Asian influences to create impressionistic paintings.\nDavid Turner Hannon's oil paintings tell stories more than they conjure impressionistic images. Each of his four exhibited oil paintings not only includes the artist himself, but tells some facet of his life story. Not surprisingly, Hannon began as an illustrator and then moved to oil painting. \n"(I like) the narrative appeal where you're telling something beyond just one image, even though you're only giving one image," said Hannon. \nUnlike some of the more well-known artists, Hannon, a 2000 IU grad with an MFA in Fine Arts, got involved in the summer show completely by accident. When attending an opening at the Waldron Arts Center, he wandered into the Prima Gallery and introduced himself as an artist. Rice asked if he would be interested in displaying there. \nFor some of Prima Gallery's artists, it's just that simple. Jenni Cure, a local artist, walked into the gallery with her original wood cuts for the gallery exhibitors to examine. Those two original works, "Tree Shadow Two" and "Tree Shadow One," now hang in the summer show. \nIn addition to the summer gallery hours, artists and art lovers alike can view the show during the Downtown Gallery Walk July 8. As the eighth stop on the Gallery Walk, the Prima's Gallery Summer Show will provide Bloomington patrons an impressive collage of artistic talent.\n"It's the best commercial gallery in Bloomington -- the most established with the highest caliber of work," said artist Patricia Cole, whose ballpoint pen on paper drawings also hung in the summer show.\nPrima Gallery is located at 109 E. Sixth St. and is open Monday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
(03/04/05 4:57am)
Five IU musicians received the rare opportunity to usher in the 2005 Conservatory Project Feb. 23 at the Kennedy Center. With their favorite classical and contemporary pieces on the program, these hand-selected musicians performed for audiences of fellow musicians and ensemble gurus. While other musical conservatories also sent their finest, IU's selected artists jump-started the event with seven individual pieces that consumed the Kennedy Center's intimate, 500-seat Terrace Theater.\n"I love playing for different people," said violinist Wen-Lei Gu. "You play to touch people. If you're going to play for yourself, you might as well play in the bathroom."\nAs both a solo and orchestra violinist, doctoral student Gu, 27, has played for audiences all around the world. Gu spent December touring with the Beijing Philharmonic in Italy. Gu, who began studying violin at age 5 in her native country, China, has since earned musical degrees from Mannes College of Music and Juilliard and received various performance awards. Gu chose her Conservatory Project piece, Pablo de Sarasate's "Carmen Fantasy," because the multi-faceted piece has "very melancholy" sections with faster, technical moments that can be "very virtuosic," she said.\nNext, Jessica Xylina Osborne took the stage to perform her two solo piano pieces: Frederic Chopin's "Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2" and Alexander Scriabin's "Sonata No. 4."\n"Before I start, I'm already absorbed in the music," Osborne said. "(As I walk on stage) I'm already thinking about what I want to get into the next few measures." \nOsborne, 25, has been caught up in music since she began studying piano with her mother at age 4. Osborne later attended both Julliard and IU for her undergraduate career and received her master's degree from Rice University's Shepherd School of Music. She's now working on her Artist Diploma at IU. \nHaving grown up in Washington, D.C., and performed at the Kennedy Center, Osborne said the Conservatory Project felt like going home. \nFor John Manganaro, the Conservatory Project marked his Kennedy Center debut.\n"(Playing at the Kennedy Center) definitely made it a bigger deal," Manganaro said. "It's not just another hall in another town."\nManganaro, 26, knows about other music halls. He is currently touring with the Venice Baroque Orchestra through Canada and along the East Coast. Manganaro first began playing the French horn at age 13. Since then, the San Diego native has played with various ensembles, including playing principle horn in the Columbus, Ind., Philharmonic. Now, he's studying toward his IU Artist's Diploma. After playing Dennis Gougeon's contemporary piece, "Six Thèmes Solaires," Manganaro discovered the usual Mozart-loving audience appreciated his contemporary style. \nDouble bassist Daxun Zhang, 23, followed Manganaro to close the night's performance. Zhang chose to play a personal favorite: a gypsy piece by Pablo de Sarasate, "Zigeunerweisen." The piece was originally written for violin, but Zhang plays on his about 6-foot-9-inch double bass, which towers above the musician's 5-foot-11-inch frame. \n"It's very sexy," Zhang said about the gypsy piece. "And I wanted to do something unique." \nZhang, 23, a native of Beijing, China, began playing the double bass when he was nine years old. Zhang has since enjoyed a vast career that has included performing at New York's Carnegie Hall and the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach, Fla. Currently working on an Artist's Diploma, Zhang will return to the Kennedy Center later this month for his own recital. He was excited to preview the hall before then, he said.\nAccompanist Chih-Yi Chen said she also was excited to perform at the Kennedy Center for IU.\n"The hall is a beautiful place, and it has such a history that all famous artists performed there," Chen said. "It was an honor that the five of us got to play there."\nTaiwan native Chen, 29, currently performs as an accompanist and a solo pianist and is an undergraduate instructor for piano accompaniment. She recently returned from a Chicago concert with "Violin Virtuosi," a group with which she toured other venues in Japan and France in past years. Chen began her career as a pianist at three years old. She started accompanying friends at age 10 and has since accompanied musicians internationally. Chen completed her bachelor's of music and master's from IU and is working on her doctorate in performance. \nThe live Internet feed of the concert can still be accessed from the Millennium Stage Broadcast Archive, www.kennedycenter.org.\n-- Contact Staff Writer Kathlyn Von Rohr at kvonrohr@indiana.edu.
(02/28/05 5:11am)
Margaret Goodwin performed the monologue "My Angry Vagina" Thursday night.\n"My vagina is furious and it needs to talk!" she said to the audience.\nGoodwin mocked many vagina practices like thong underwear and a gynecologist's sterile bedside manner during the monologue.\nFor the sixth year in a row, actresses delivered "The Vagina Monologues" at IU. The Women's Student Association presented the show in conjunction with the V-Day Bloomington College Campaign.\nThe Monologues' proceeds benefited Middle Way House; RAISE, a group raising awareness about female violence and safety; and the V-Day movement, which supports various women's causes. The show packed the Willkie Auditorium, turning some audience members away opening night. \n"It's one of those productions where you're not sure if you should laugh," said director Jada B. "You look at the person next to you to know if it's OK, and if they're not big laughers, you might not laugh." \n"The Vagina Monologues" marked a debut for the director known locally as Jada B., 25, a recent Indiana University graduate in telecommunications and theatre and drama. \nBefore the Monologues, her directing experience included class work and her involvement in a local creative base group that presents poetry and musical productions. Jada B. and "The Vagina Monologues" found each other through the Women's Student Association. \nCo-director Jen Gross, a sophomore majoring in art education, and Jada B. auditioned over 90 women for the performance. Even one confused man came to audition. He mistakenly believed there was a male part. Jada B. said this huge turnout was not only unexpected but practically unheard of on college campuses. \n"Usually they're begging people to be in the show," Jada. B. said.\nFrom those 90, Jada B. and Gross selected the "Vagina Warriors," the actresses ranging in age from 17-35, who delivered the monologues. Gross also performed in several monologues, completing the 17-member cast. \n"The Vagina Monologues" are based on interviews with over 200 women. Interviewers asked women of all ages (literally from children to elderly) what they thought about their vaginas: what their vaginas would wear, what their vaginas smelled like, what their vaginas would say and what other experiences involved their vaginas. \n"The Vagina Monologues" aims to spread awareness about not only women's bodies but female violence worldwide. While these monologues include menstruation choruses and sex moans, a few of the monologues conjure images of rape, female circumcision and abuse. \n"I first saw 'The Vagina Monologues' in Chicago with my mom, dad, girlfriend and little brother," said IU senior Dustin Henderlong who was in the audience opening night. "I like funny things about vaginas, not necessarily faces getting melted off. But you know: that's part of it."\nJada B. said her male friends often express their gratitude for their new-found knowledge about vaginas. She said this kind of understanding breeds kindness and better female/male relationships.\n"If you know how something works you tend not to abuse it," Jada B. said. "(For example) if you know how your car works, you're more likely to change the oil." \nSome audience members attend "The Vagina Monologues" out of curiosity. \n"This is my first time seeing it and I love it," said freshman Kersten Kelly during the show's intermission, "My favorite part was definitely the angry vagina because everything she said has definitely gone through a woman's mind and she was so blunt about it." \n-- Contact Staff Writer Katyln Von Rohr at kvonrohr@indiana.edu.
(02/22/05 4:38am)
Arts week ended on a hilarious high note Sunday night with the musical antics of Peter Schickele at the IU Auditorium. "P.D.Q. Bach and Peter Schickele: The Jekyll and Hyde Tour" mixed impressive musical talent with old-fashioned stand-up comedy. Masquerading as the zany professor from the University of Southern North Dakota at Hoople, Schickele presented the music of Johann Sebastian Bach's "long lost son," P.D.Q. Bach, who is a well-crafted figment of Schickele's imagination. The character emerged through Schickele's ridiculous compositions and stage gags.\n"A lot of people accuse me of making P.D.Q. Bach up," Schickele said with a mischievous grin during his show, "But some things are real even if you can't see them, like weapons of mass destruction." \nFlopping down on the piano bench, Peter Schickele threw his tuxedo jacket tails over his shoulders and began to tickle the piano keys -- with his forehead. Then Schickele stopped the music just long enough to slap his head, wipe his nose, stick his tongue out, make an armpit noise and flip the audience the bird. Schickele said the added visual delights could be blamed on composer P.D.Q. Bach's "Dance of the Various Body Parts." \nRecreating the sounds of the non-existent P.D.Q. Bach left plenty of room for comedic elements. The show opened with the late Schickele being rushed on stage in a wheelchair by his "nurse," soprano Michèle Eaton. After being unceremoniously dumped on stage, Schickele dusted off his hospital gown and introduced himself to the audience. The supposed "professor of musical pathology" then cracked up the entire house with sophisticated humor that ranged from the high brow to below the belt.\nP.D.Q. Bach's "compositions" gave Schickele the creative license to play a variety of musical genres. Schickele employed comedic rounds, rewritten versions of songs that sounded suspiciously like "Heart and Soul" and "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star," and ridiculous musical instruments like the "tromboon," a cross between the trombone and bassoon. Schickele's tenor, David Dusing, also sang in a hilarious language made up of English/German that P.D.Q. Bach supposedly used in his writing. \n"She sits on un green folding chair waiting for some green underwear," sang Dusing during one of P.D.Q Bach's unknown pieces titled "Gretchen Am Spincycle."\nAfter intermission, Schickele put away his hospital gown and hilarious professor persona to reemerge as himself -- a gifted composer. The audience was dealt "a serious relief," with an enchanting solo by Eaton. Her voice shocked the audience into reverent silence the same way tenor Dusing's comedic lyrics erupted the audience into giggles. \nFor the performance's finale, Schickele delighted the audience with what he called "a note of high culture," or Shakespeare's famous soliloquies reworked in Schickele style. Hamlet's "To Be or Not to Be" erupted through the auditorium with Schickele at the piano acting as the lounge jazz singer. Juliet's soliloquy sounded more like it belonged in the musical "Oklahoma" than the tragedy "Romeo and Juliet."\nAfter hearing the entire performance, it's not difficult to see why Schickele has composed for film, radio, television and the stage. According to Schickele's Web Site, the Grammy award-winning artist's works now total more than 100 different musical compositions written for various mediums. Schickele also has been parading P.D.Q. Bach's "works" since the 1950s. As always, practice makes perfect, because the antics of this master of imagination kept getting better and better.
(10/21/04 4:51am)
Six musicians armed with creativity and saxophones came together in April 2003 to form a group called The Saxophone Cartel. The name, inspired by The Kolner Saxophone Mafia, a German saxophone ensemble, is a declaration of the notable talent within the band. Utilizing only woodwind instruments, it finds unique sounds that conjure up seamless musical tempos. The music ranges from the sounds of a solitary European street performer to the theme music more suitable for a private investigator sneaking up on a suspect, and all in just one song. \nComprised almost entirely of IU students, current and recently graduated, the Cartel has held concerts all over Bloomington. After a year of entertaining audiences with their original rhythms, the Saxophone Cartel is still going strong. Spinning their tunes for local audiences at art galleries, local eateries and even on WFHB radio, the Cartel is releasing its own CD, "Caught in the Act," in November.\nThe creation of the Cartel would not have been possible without composer Benjamin Himpel. After putting together other prototype ensembles, he gathered four IU saxophonists to play his original compositions. By the beginning of the 2003-04 school year, the group gained a its sixth member and became the Saxophone Cartel. \n"It was obvious right away from the first rehearsals that it was making sense and coming together," said Cartel member and Ph.D. student Josh Goldberg. \nAs rehearsals continued, the six musicians continued to cut their teeth on the material that Himpel and other members, including Colin Renick and Matt Cashdollar, contributed. They experimented with different types of music, challenging each other to redefine their genre. The Cartel members find it difficult to define the band's musical style, which ranges from blues to ethnic and everything in between.\n"You could say it's jazz with other music spawned from jazz and European influences," said Cartel member and recent IU graduate Michael Eaton.\nThe members found their European inspiration in one of Himpel's favorite bands, The Kolner Saxophone Mafia. With so many eclectic pieces of music at their fingertips, the Cartel throws a degree of freelance improvisation into their performances. During one of their appearances at Bear's Place, the group members spontaneously started playing off each other. One musician would play a key and then the other members would participate or add a contrasting sound. This freelance improvisation worked so well that the Cartel now launches into improvisation twice in each performance. \n"I've been very impressed by how well it's worked out," Goldberg said. "We have a shared vocabulary going into it, so we can relate to what each other does."\nThis "shared vocabulary" comes from the fact that the Cartel was founded at the IU School of Music, with the exception of Himpel and Goldberg. According to the Saxophone Cartel Web site, jazz saxophone major Ariel Alexander is in her fourth year studying under Tom Walsh. Alexander, who plays the soprano saxophone, has been involved in several bands, including Conspiracy Theory. \nCashdollar is in his final year of his master's degree in jazz studies. A musician for 15 years, Cashdollar finished his undergraduate degree in music education at IU-Purdue University Fort Wayne before coming to IU. Cashdollar has been involved in various musical ensembles playing the alto, tenor, baritone saxophones and the flute.\nColin Renick currently is finishing up a double master's in classical saxophone performance and jazz studies. Renick is also an associate instructor in the jazz department of the IU music school. Both a composer and performer for the Cartel, Renick plays the baritone sax, bass sax and bass clarinet for the group. Eaton just graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree in May. He was a music student for 12 years and studied under Eugene Rousseau and Thomas Walsh at IU. Fully equipped with his tenor saxophone and clarinet in hand, Eaton played with groups such as The Buselli-Wallerab Jazz Orchestra, Bloomington Pops and "eclectic rock band" Blue Moon Revue. \nGoldberg is currently the only member of the Cartel who doesn't owe his musical education to the IU School of Music. Goldberg is working on his Ph.D's in cognitive science and computer science. An alto saxophonist and clarinet musician, Goldberg plays locally with Afro-Hoosier International and holds the bottom sax chair in IU's big band.\nBen Himpel, who Cashdollar referred to as "the brainchild" of the Cartel, finished his Ph.D. in mathematics last May. After playing with the Cartel this summer, Himpel returned home to Berlin, Germany. Multi-talented, Himpel plays soprano, tenor and baritone saxophone as well as guitar, bass and drums. The Saxophone Cartel continues to play Himpel's originally composed songs in his absence. Several of his original pieces are featured on the Cartel's upcoming CD.\n"Ben's pieces are the foundation on which the band rests," Goldberg said. "He gave us a lot to chew on in that first year and not get bored."\nIn Himpel's absence, the Cartel looks forward to the future with a new member, Michael Reifenberg. This alto saxophonist is in his second year of pursuing a masters degree from the IU School of Music.\n"I'm really looking forward to what Mike will bring to the group," said Cashdollar. "There's always a new dynamic when you bring a new member to the table."\nThe Cartel will be counting on Reifenberg as it works to re-create its sound in the next few months. Filled with a desire to eventually tour together and the anticipation of a CD on the horizon, the Cartel will have its hands full this semester. \nInterested saxophone fans can look for the Cartel around Bloomington later this fall or check out its Web site at www.saxophonecartel.com.\n-- Contact staff writer Kathlyn Von Rohr at kvonrohr@indiana.edu.
(09/23/04 4:52am)
It was 8:30 on a summer evening, and once more James Neff stood ready on the stage. The late sun illuminated the crowd, making it impossible for the young lead to ignore his audience. Nearly 1,500 faces waited in expectation for the opening number. Depending on the night, the opening number either transported the audience back to the 19th century world of "Stephen Foster" or zapped the audience into the 1950s rock and roll era of "Grease." As the lead for both "Grease" and "Stephen Foster," James Neff did not stand to disappoint his audience.\nCurrently working on a master's degree in vocal performance, Neff, 22, spent last summer playing both Danny Zuko in "Grease" and the title role of Stephen Collins Foster in the musical "Stephen Foster." Neff signed on to play both roles before graduating from the IU School of Music last May. While acting peers raced to New York or L.A. after graduation, Neff found his acting niche in the Summer Stock Theatre. Neff performed with Summer Stock at My Old Kentucky Home State Park in Bardstown, Ky.\n"It was exciting. I was thrilled," said Neff. "It was a big step because it was really the longest run I've ever performed, a three-month run." \nNeff fell into these three months of excitement because a friend recommended him to the theatre's musical director. After the initial phone call, Neff learned he had one night to prepare for a private audition. The musical director drove to IU the next day, where Neff traded the anxiety of an open casting call for auditioning solo in one of the rooms at the music school. Dazzling the director with his singing voice, Neff was offered a contract to play the leads in both summer musicals. Then the work began. \nTwo weeks after graduation, Neff moved to Bardstown to start rehearsals for "Stephen Foster." Rehearsal hours extended from 9 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Two weeks later, "Stephen Foster" opened, heralding the start of "Grease" rehearsals, which began the following day. Neff, along with the entire "Grease" cast, rehearsed the show during the day and performed "Stephen Foster" at night. Beginning in July, the cast performed "Grease" and "Stephen Foster" on alternating nights. "At first it was very confusing," Neff said. "I'd show up at the theater, and I'd really have to concentrate on what show I was doing that night." \nThis repertory style of theater presented other challenges for Neff. "Stephen Foster, the Musical," has been performed in the open-air theaters of My Old Kentucky State Park for 46 seasons. Neff helped retell the true story of American composer Stephen Foster while recreating a beloved character that many fans had seen before. Neff said he enjoyed putting his own twist and energy into the beloved role. The next night he would slip on a leather jacket and completely change musical styles playing Danny Zuko.\n"It's rare to find someone who could play such versatile roles," said Johnny Warren, the theater's communications director.\nMargaret Elder, the office manager and group coordinator, said she enjoyed having Neff around. \n"He was great, he was wonderful to have around, he was very professional and he is a wonderful singer. We really enjoyed having him here," Elder said. "We were really fortunate to have him. He did a great job."\nNeff attributes his versatility to his first four years at IU. As a member of Straight No Chaser, a band based out of Bloomington, Neff had the opportunity to sing in a completely different voice than he was being taught in his music lessons. The jazz experience gave him a needed edge for performing "Grease." Neff performed in all six operas last school year, preparing him vocally and mentally for the rigorous rehearsal schedules this summer. \nHis four years at IU were also spent in private vocal lessons with his favorite professor and mentor, Timothy Noble. As a master's student this year, Neff continues to rely on Noble's guidance. As for Noble, he is not surprised that Neff has already entered the professional world of theater.\n"Vocally he is miles ahead of most men in the Broadway idiom," said Noble. "It would not surprise me to see him in New York one of these days opening a show for Broadway."\nNeff tends to agree. During his next four years at IU, Neff plans to keep auditioning until he finds his way to New York. Eventually Neff wants to teach voice at a university -- after he has had his turn on Broadway, of course. \n-- Contact staff writer Kathlyn Von Rohr at kvonrohr@indiana.edu.
(08/09/04 2:12am)
Nowadays if a customer walks into a Bloomington Denny's and specifically requests a seat in the non-smoking or smoking section, General Manager Richard Frank asks the customer where they are visiting from. The surprised customers usually ask back in wonder how he could have known they were from out of town.\nFrank then patiently explains about the smoking ordinance that prohibits smoking in all Bloomington restaurants, an ordinance Bloomington natives have come to know over the past year. \nAug. 1 marked the one-year anniversary of this smoking ban for Bloomington and all of Monroe County, making it illegal to smoke inside a public building. The ban was originally passed to promote public health and decrease the threat of secondhand smoke for nonsmokers. For the most part, Bloomington residents seem to be accepting the smoke-free environments. According to a survey done by the Monroe Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Coalition, 89 percent of smoke-free businesses it surveyed said "the ordinance has no affect on their business's revenue or sales."\n"Initially it did (have an affect on business)," Frank said. "But now it's bounced back and people are getting used to it."\nJohn Byers, owner of Cloverleaf Family Restaurant, said his business has been up 5 percent since the smoking ban went into effect. For the few smokers he lost, he got back other customers who were unable to eat in the midst of secondhand smoke. \nScotty's Brewhouse owner Scott Wise said he was so pleased with his smoke-free restaurant that he voluntarily made his other restaurants in other cities smoke free.\nAfter a year of the smoking ban, the date is also fast approaching when customers will be unable to smoke in "private clubs that do not allow minors." Beginning Jan. 1, 2005, bars will go smoke-free as well, and not every Bloomington resident is excited about the upcoming change.\nLocal bars are working with the Monroe Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Coalition to prepare for that very reaction to the smoking ban in bars.\nJon Macy, of the Monroe County Prevention and Cessation Coalition, is currently involved in assisting local businesses during the transition toward a "smoke-free Bloomington."\n"We've had a range of responses from bar owners," Macy said. "Some are concerned and some are looking forward to it. They realize that the playing field will be level when everywhere will be smoke free."\nMacy said some bar owners are excited about going smoke-free because their equipment, such as big-screen TVs, will be able to last longer when not surrounded by smoke every night\nBar owners said they are also looking forward to providing a healthier environment for their workers. To help transition smoking employees, Macy said he is organizing on-site smoking cessation classes for any Bloomington business who invites them. This means that quitting experts will be sent to area restaurants and bars that have employees who want to quit smoking.\n"One benefit of ordinances like this in other towns has been that the number of people who quit smoking goes up because smoking becomes an inconvenience," Macy said.\nMacy is also involved in the promotion of what they are calling "smoke-free Bloomington." "I love smoke-free Bloomington" buttons have been made and signs heralding the healthier environment have been posted. \nIn late September, there will be a party to commemorate the one-year anniversary of smoke-free restaurants. Still in the planning stages, participating restaurants will give discounts to anyone who wears an "I love smoke-free Bloomington" button. After Jan. 1, Dave Kubiak, owner of the Bluebird, will offer $1 off to anyone who wears an "I love smoke-free Bloomington" button.\n-- Contact staff writer Kathlyn Von Rohr at kvonrohr@indiana.edu.
(07/14/04 11:13pm)
I am a m/f seeking a m/f, ages 18 to 40." There it is again, on yet another Internet browser, pop-ups and screaming banners advertising love and companionship as far as the mouse can click. \nIn the age of Ebay and e-mail, when the average Web surfer can pay their bills, shop for groceries and discover a must-have original 1977 "Star Wars" figurine in a few clicks, it's no wonder that dating has become an Internet surfing game -- a game that the Web browsers are all too thrilled to encourage singles to play.\nOnline dating is currently a $313 million dollar industry, according to JupiterResearch analysts. Nielsen//Netratings, an Internet analysis site, printed that popular personal sites can attract millions of Web surfers in a single month. Yahoo! Personals attracted 4.9 million surfers in October of last year, while close competitor www.match.com drew visits from 3.9 million in that same month. It seems many Web savvy adults prefer the anonymity of a computer screen to a rowdy bar scene. Even college-aged adults have joined the bands of Internet browsers, searching for love in cyberspace.\nJunior informatics major, Adam Licht, 20, was initiated into the world of Internet dating from a young age. Licht received an "eCrush" e-mail from a Tennessee web surfer, revealing he had a secret internet admirer. Licht met his Tennessee admirer and ended up dating her for a few weeks. \nSince that brief introduction, Licht has met approximately two dozen girls over the last four years. Once an eCrush browser, Licht has broadened his horizons by frequenting college sites like www.collegehook.com and www.facethejury.com. He appreciates the opportunity of getting to talk to the girls first before meeting them face to face. \n"In my experience, all first impressions are entirely physical. Meeting someone online takes physicality out of the equation," says Licht. \nHowever, physical appearance is not entirely taken out of the equation. Along with the detailed profiles that Internet daters post in the hope of finding a perfect match, most also upload flattering pictures of themselves. Nearly every personals' site encourages users to post such eye catching JPEG files.\nThe www.love.com homepage consists of a line of photos with several attractive looking, smiling individuals and the organization's tag line: "Search to your heart's content." \nAnother site, www.americansingles.com, frames its homepage with user photos in snapshot fashion, urging their users to "Jump start love lives." \nBut what happens when online daters "digitally tweak" a photograph to create extra flattering images of themselves? \nIU senior and member of the GLBT speaker's bureau, Matt Brunner, 22, has had over 20 dates as a result of his Internet browsing. Brunner has also discovered exactly what happens when potential dates misrepresent themselves, physically or otherwise. \nAfter chatting with one potential date, Brunner agreed to meet him for dinner. Once in his date's car, it was glaringly obvious that the picture Brunner had received was more than a little digitally embellished. More than taken aback, Brunner politely requested to be taken home after dinner was finished.\n"It just goes to show that Internet dating is not totally perfect," says Brunner, "But that is one of the chances a person takes when meeting people online." \nThat is not the only chance individuals take when meeting potential dates online. Besides the obvious dangers that come with meeting strangers, singles must also be wary of web surfers who post themselves as "single." According to Nielsen//NetRatings, 11 percent of the Web surfers who frequent personal sites are married. \nSenior journalism major, Pamela Trumbo, 21, dated one such personals user earlier this year. Having originally met online, the two became a fast couple after meeting in person. In fact, their relationship was ideal until the day when Trumbo received a call from her boyfriend's very upset wife. The stunned and disturbed Trumbo simply ended her relationship with that phone call.\n"Actually, I laugh about it now," says Trumbo, when reflecting on the awkward situation. \nSo with all the risks, why do single people keep clicking their mouses in hope of finding someone? \nFor starters, the allure of anonymous dating was not invented alongside the Internet. While not exactly popular on this campus, adults have been placing personal ads in newspapers for more than 30 years. \nProfessor of Sociology at the University of Massachusetts Paul Hollander examined the phenomenon of personal ads when considering the trend toward Internet dating in his journal article, "The Counterculture of the Heart."\nHollander mused that personals, while material for the modern sociologist to study all of the facets of human interaction, also display difficulty in finding suitable companions. Personals could be a mere tribute to modern hectic lifestyles. \nBut Hollander also recognizes that personals are extremely specific, with listed desirable traits in potential companions and explicit expectations about these companions. In short, people say what they want and for how long. Like flattering Internet dating photos, personal column writers only reveal the best characteristics of themselves.\nPerhaps it's this similar laundry list of attributes that draws college students to longer and more in-depth Internet dating profiles. \nLicht said that he's been online for so long that he knows profiles fall into types. According to Licht, there are girls who capitalize every other letter of their online name, and thus are dismissed by Licht as "slutty." Then there are girls who only post a picture in their bikini, without the benefit of a profile, and are similarly dismissed for lack of imagination. \n"But somewhere in there, there is a small percentage of girls that are genuinely interested in meeting people," says Licht, "And that have IQs greater than their shoe size." \nBrunner began searching online for other gay students in the area, but now sees other benefits in online dating.\n"If you are online, you can take your time getting to know a person," says Brunner. "And there will already be a profile you can look at, to see if this person has the same interests as you do."\nSo the question is: does Internet dating ever result in real relationships? Again, it depends on who is asked. Yahoo! Personals takes pride in dazzling their browsers with pictures of couples who actually met on their site, as a testimony to the effectiveness of the system.\nBut it's easier to be convinced by a real life Internet success story.\nUniversity of Southern Indiana student Sarah Orem, 20, never intended on meeting her boyfriend, Justin Church, 21, online. One day Orem went on www.emode.com and found that the whole Web site had been changed. Instead of the usual quirky IQ and personality tests, the site boasted a new feature called "social networking." Basically, social networking gave users a chance to post themselves on message boards according to their interests to find people with similar interests.\nOn a whim, Orem decided to join one message board for the Christian College Networks and e-mailed one interesting sounding user posted on the same message board. Once they connected months later, they began regularly e-mailing each other. \nThen they graduated to instant messaging, phone calls and finally, they decided to meet. Church traveled from his home in St. Charles, Mo. to meet Orem in Evansville. \n"When I opened the door and saw him standing there, it was a strange feeling," says Orem. "Here was this person I had come to know so well, and he looked like a stranger."\nBoth Orem and Church soon forgot their shyness and now have a committed relationship they want to last forever. Both are looking forward to the possibility of marriage. Orem has only had to contend with a few derogatory comments about how they met.\n"I hope people can realize that if you are careful, you can find someone who is honest about who he is and have a great relationship," says Orem. "I am living proof"
(07/14/04 4:00am)
I am a m/f seeking a m/f, ages 18 to 40." There it is again, on yet another Internet browser, pop-ups and screaming banners advertising love and companionship as far as the mouse can click. \nIn the age of Ebay and e-mail, when the average Web surfer can pay their bills, shop for groceries and discover a must-have original 1977 "Star Wars" figurine in a few clicks, it's no wonder that dating has become an Internet surfing game -- a game that the Web browsers are all too thrilled to encourage singles to play.\nOnline dating is currently a $313 million dollar industry, according to JupiterResearch analysts. Nielsen//Netratings, an Internet analysis site, printed that popular personal sites can attract millions of Web surfers in a single month. Yahoo! Personals attracted 4.9 million surfers in October of last year, while close competitor www.match.com drew visits from 3.9 million in that same month. It seems many Web savvy adults prefer the anonymity of a computer screen to a rowdy bar scene. Even college-aged adults have joined the bands of Internet browsers, searching for love in cyberspace.\nJunior informatics major, Adam Licht, 20, was initiated into the world of Internet dating from a young age. Licht received an "eCrush" e-mail from a Tennessee web surfer, revealing he had a secret internet admirer. Licht met his Tennessee admirer and ended up dating her for a few weeks. \nSince that brief introduction, Licht has met approximately two dozen girls over the last four years. Once an eCrush browser, Licht has broadened his horizons by frequenting college sites like www.collegehook.com and www.facethejury.com. He appreciates the opportunity of getting to talk to the girls first before meeting them face to face. \n"In my experience, all first impressions are entirely physical. Meeting someone online takes physicality out of the equation," says Licht. \nHowever, physical appearance is not entirely taken out of the equation. Along with the detailed profiles that Internet daters post in the hope of finding a perfect match, most also upload flattering pictures of themselves. Nearly every personals' site encourages users to post such eye catching JPEG files.\nThe www.love.com homepage consists of a line of photos with several attractive looking, smiling individuals and the organization's tag line: "Search to your heart's content." \nAnother site, www.americansingles.com, frames its homepage with user photos in snapshot fashion, urging their users to "Jump start love lives." \nBut what happens when online daters "digitally tweak" a photograph to create extra flattering images of themselves? \nIU senior and member of the GLBT speaker's bureau, Matt Brunner, 22, has had over 20 dates as a result of his Internet browsing. Brunner has also discovered exactly what happens when potential dates misrepresent themselves, physically or otherwise. \nAfter chatting with one potential date, Brunner agreed to meet him for dinner. Once in his date's car, it was glaringly obvious that the picture Brunner had received was more than a little digitally embellished. More than taken aback, Brunner politely requested to be taken home after dinner was finished.\n"It just goes to show that Internet dating is not totally perfect," says Brunner, "But that is one of the chances a person takes when meeting people online." \nThat is not the only chance individuals take when meeting potential dates online. Besides the obvious dangers that come with meeting strangers, singles must also be wary of web surfers who post themselves as "single." According to Nielsen//NetRatings, 11 percent of the Web surfers who frequent personal sites are married. \nSenior journalism major, Pamela Trumbo, 21, dated one such personals user earlier this year. Having originally met online, the two became a fast couple after meeting in person. In fact, their relationship was ideal until the day when Trumbo received a call from her boyfriend's very upset wife. The stunned and disturbed Trumbo simply ended her relationship with that phone call.\n"Actually, I laugh about it now," says Trumbo, when reflecting on the awkward situation. \nSo with all the risks, why do single people keep clicking their mouses in hope of finding someone? \nFor starters, the allure of anonymous dating was not invented alongside the Internet. While not exactly popular on this campus, adults have been placing personal ads in newspapers for more than 30 years. \nProfessor of Sociology at the University of Massachusetts Paul Hollander examined the phenomenon of personal ads when considering the trend toward Internet dating in his journal article, "The Counterculture of the Heart."\nHollander mused that personals, while material for the modern sociologist to study all of the facets of human interaction, also display difficulty in finding suitable companions. Personals could be a mere tribute to modern hectic lifestyles. \nBut Hollander also recognizes that personals are extremely specific, with listed desirable traits in potential companions and explicit expectations about these companions. In short, people say what they want and for how long. Like flattering Internet dating photos, personal column writers only reveal the best characteristics of themselves.\nPerhaps it's this similar laundry list of attributes that draws college students to longer and more in-depth Internet dating profiles. \nLicht said that he's been online for so long that he knows profiles fall into types. According to Licht, there are girls who capitalize every other letter of their online name, and thus are dismissed by Licht as "slutty." Then there are girls who only post a picture in their bikini, without the benefit of a profile, and are similarly dismissed for lack of imagination. \n"But somewhere in there, there is a small percentage of girls that are genuinely interested in meeting people," says Licht, "And that have IQs greater than their shoe size." \nBrunner began searching online for other gay students in the area, but now sees other benefits in online dating.\n"If you are online, you can take your time getting to know a person," says Brunner. "And there will already be a profile you can look at, to see if this person has the same interests as you do."\nSo the question is: does Internet dating ever result in real relationships? Again, it depends on who is asked. Yahoo! Personals takes pride in dazzling their browsers with pictures of couples who actually met on their site, as a testimony to the effectiveness of the system.\nBut it's easier to be convinced by a real life Internet success story.\nUniversity of Southern Indiana student Sarah Orem, 20, never intended on meeting her boyfriend, Justin Church, 21, online. One day Orem went on www.emode.com and found that the whole Web site had been changed. Instead of the usual quirky IQ and personality tests, the site boasted a new feature called "social networking." Basically, social networking gave users a chance to post themselves on message boards according to their interests to find people with similar interests.\nOn a whim, Orem decided to join one message board for the Christian College Networks and e-mailed one interesting sounding user posted on the same message board. Once they connected months later, they began regularly e-mailing each other. \nThen they graduated to instant messaging, phone calls and finally, they decided to meet. Church traveled from his home in St. Charles, Mo. to meet Orem in Evansville. \n"When I opened the door and saw him standing there, it was a strange feeling," says Orem. "Here was this person I had come to know so well, and he looked like a stranger."\nBoth Orem and Church soon forgot their shyness and now have a committed relationship they want to last forever. Both are looking forward to the possibility of marriage. Orem has only had to contend with a few derogatory comments about how they met.\n"I hope people can realize that if you are careful, you can find someone who is honest about who he is and have a great relationship," says Orem. "I am living proof"
(07/08/04 4:00am)
When asked to choose a favorite from the dozens of songs he's written, 29-year-old songwriter/musician Brian Winterman throws his hands up in the air to signify he is at a loss for words for the first time in two hours.\nHunched over his bar stool at Crazy Horse, where his deep radio-type voice will summon the waitress from across the room, he orders another tall beer. \n"They all have their time and place," Winterman says. "There is no theme, I'm not a punk band or a Goth band, and you might dance to me but I'm not a dance band. I just write what I write."\nAnd write he does. Now, the Bloomington local, after three IU undergraduate degrees and a Masters in Library Science, carries a pen in his pocket for spare lyrics as he juggles his two kids, marriage and a full-time job. In his "spare time" he can be found playing with one of his bands (he leads two, with a third in the works), or self-promoting his first CD, Little Drama, which will be released on July 11.\nWith the CD release date in view, Winterman admits he's looking forward to getting back to writing again. \n"Just knowing the light is at the end of the tunnel has made me write three new songs in the past two weeks," Winterman says casually.\nWinterman began writing songs at age 14 when he picked up his Dad's severely warped, cast-off acoustic guitar. Never having any formal music training, he taught himself musical chords. Then he found out the guitar was damaged. \n"I heard that, and I thought 'no wonder it hurt so bad,' says Winterman.\nEven when remembering the badly calloused fingers of that era, Winterman still maintains his first chords on that warped guitar were the first inkling that he loved music.\nWinterman spent his teenage years jamming with punk bands and his years at IU playing with a band called the Menstrals. Winterman met his wife, Una, while playing with the Menstrals at an IU "hap-hazard basement party."\nOriginally from Newburgh, Ind., Winterman moved to Mt. Vernon with his wife after graduation. Finding Mt. Vernon as quiet as ever, he spent his time secluded in his basement with his four-track mixer, acoustic guitar, synthesizer and whatever else he could find to create his own original sounds. \n"It was a great time for me, because I was completely alone," says Winterman.\nNow, six years later, one of the many songs written in that Mt. Vernon basement is featured on Winterman's first CD. "Goodbye Lorraine," speaks of mothers with babies, old men in bars -- anything that reminded Winterman of Mt. Vernon.\nBut how does a basement songwriter go to producing his own CD? Winterman decided to give it a shot when he met a friend of a friend, Mark Robinson.\n"I didn't know Brian very well, but he came over with a whole box of songs and ran through 20 without stopping," says Robinson, "And (the songs) were all very different and interesting."\nAt that time, Robinson, besides being an engineer and guitarist, kept his own recording studio in his basement. And thus, the basement musician found his niche, with the prospect of recording in another basement. \nWinterman realized right away that fans wouldn't flock to the sights and sounds of him playing a guitar solo onstage, so he hired a professional band. \n"This is different from forming a band of friends or guys who are taking an artistic shot," says Winterman. "These guys are professionals. They're good (and) better than me."\nThis is not surprising, considering Winterman is the youngest member of his band, Delusion Train. \nThe name Delusion Train comes from the same place where a lot of Winterman's song titles originate: from a conversation with his drummer, Tim Moore. Moore has been a professional musician for 10 years and, according to Winterman, has no delusions about the business.\n"I told him: 'Don't be jaded. Pretend I'm going to be famous,'" says Winterman, "Hence 'Delusion Train."\nMoore is not the only highly experienced musician Winterman has backing his resonant singing voice. \nAccording to Winterman's Web site, the saxophone and keyboard player, Joe Donnelly, is a graduate of VanderCook College of Music and appears regularly with five different acts. Dena El Saffar, their violinist, holds a bachelor's degree in viola performance from IU and has been playing since she was six.\nListed as the "bass player," Mike Lindenmuth also plays guitar, both upright and electric bass and banjo. Robinson, Winterman's producer, steps in to play guitar, keyboard and anything else that's needed. David England also plays guitar, and has not only released his own solo record, but has played with several bands around Indiana.\nWinterman does what he can to keep his hired musicians happy, including as few rehearsals as possible.\n"I give my people a CD, my notes -- do they listen to it?" said Winterman, "I don't know. I don't care. They show up, and it's magic."\nGuitarist England appreciates the few rehearsals and attributes Winterman's uncompromising energy to "not running the songs into the ground" by practicing them each night. \nWinterman's style and energy is what attracted England to the band in the first place. \n"His music is very simple but melodic -- a sense of melody with rock," says England.\nMelodious rock? Perhaps that's why Winterman lists Bruce Springsteen as one of his influences. His other influences include Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Elvis Costello and Bryan Adams, making his style (or "styles") difficult to name.\nIf asked, Winterman will grab his CD and start describing a very unique genre of music for each song on the album. Then he will explain his simple writing style, using only four or five chords per song, while writing songs about "common things." He might even go into his theory that all songs must have some sort of dramatic action in them. \n"This is why there aren't many songs about making toast or checking the air in your tires: not enough drama," says Winterman.\nWith his Crazy Horse CD release party upcoming, and other gigs lined up, Winterman is most excited about surviving it all and possibly recording another album. Of course another record will have to take a backseat to Winterman's first passion: writing and jamming for the walls of his basement.
(07/08/04 2:21am)
When asked to choose a favorite from the dozens of songs he's written, 29-year-old songwriter/musician Brian Winterman throws his hands up in the air to signify he is at a loss for words for the first time in two hours.\nHunched over his bar stool at Crazy Horse, where his deep radio-type voice will summon the waitress from across the room, he orders another tall beer. \n"They all have their time and place," Winterman says. "There is no theme, I'm not a punk band or a Goth band, and you might dance to me but I'm not a dance band. I just write what I write."\nAnd write he does. Now, the Bloomington local, after three IU undergraduate degrees and a Masters in Library Science, carries a pen in his pocket for spare lyrics as he juggles his two kids, marriage and a full-time job. In his "spare time" he can be found playing with one of his bands (he leads two, with a third in the works), or self-promoting his first CD, Little Drama, which will be released on July 11.\nWith the CD release date in view, Winterman admits he's looking forward to getting back to writing again. \n"Just knowing the light is at the end of the tunnel has made me write three new songs in the past two weeks," Winterman says casually.\nWinterman began writing songs at age 14 when he picked up his Dad's severely warped, cast-off acoustic guitar. Never having any formal music training, he taught himself musical chords. Then he found out the guitar was damaged. \n"I heard that, and I thought 'no wonder it hurt so bad,' says Winterman.\nEven when remembering the badly calloused fingers of that era, Winterman still maintains his first chords on that warped guitar were the first inkling that he loved music.\nWinterman spent his teenage years jamming with punk bands and his years at IU playing with a band called the Menstrals. Winterman met his wife, Una, while playing with the Menstrals at an IU "hap-hazard basement party."\nOriginally from Newburgh, Ind., Winterman moved to Mt. Vernon with his wife after graduation. Finding Mt. Vernon as quiet as ever, he spent his time secluded in his basement with his four-track mixer, acoustic guitar, synthesizer and whatever else he could find to create his own original sounds. \n"It was a great time for me, because I was completely alone," says Winterman.\nNow, six years later, one of the many songs written in that Mt. Vernon basement is featured on Winterman's first CD. "Goodbye Lorraine," speaks of mothers with babies, old men in bars -- anything that reminded Winterman of Mt. Vernon.\nBut how does a basement songwriter go to producing his own CD? Winterman decided to give it a shot when he met a friend of a friend, Mark Robinson.\n"I didn't know Brian very well, but he came over with a whole box of songs and ran through 20 without stopping," says Robinson, "And (the songs) were all very different and interesting."\nAt that time, Robinson, besides being an engineer and guitarist, kept his own recording studio in his basement. And thus, the basement musician found his niche, with the prospect of recording in another basement. \nWinterman realized right away that fans wouldn't flock to the sights and sounds of him playing a guitar solo onstage, so he hired a professional band. \n"This is different from forming a band of friends or guys who are taking an artistic shot," says Winterman. "These guys are professionals. They're good (and) better than me."\nThis is not surprising, considering Winterman is the youngest member of his band, Delusion Train. \nThe name Delusion Train comes from the same place where a lot of Winterman's song titles originate: from a conversation with his drummer, Tim Moore. Moore has been a professional musician for 10 years and, according to Winterman, has no delusions about the business.\n"I told him: 'Don't be jaded. Pretend I'm going to be famous,'" says Winterman, "Hence 'Delusion Train."\nMoore is not the only highly experienced musician Winterman has backing his resonant singing voice. \nAccording to Winterman's Web site, the saxophone and keyboard player, Joe Donnelly, is a graduate of VanderCook College of Music and appears regularly with five different acts. Dena El Saffar, their violinist, holds a bachelor's degree in viola performance from IU and has been playing since she was six.\nListed as the "bass player," Mike Lindenmuth also plays guitar, both upright and electric bass and banjo. Robinson, Winterman's producer, steps in to play guitar, keyboard and anything else that's needed. David England also plays guitar, and has not only released his own solo record, but has played with several bands around Indiana.\nWinterman does what he can to keep his hired musicians happy, including as few rehearsals as possible.\n"I give my people a CD, my notes -- do they listen to it?" said Winterman, "I don't know. I don't care. They show up, and it's magic."\nGuitarist England appreciates the few rehearsals and attributes Winterman's uncompromising energy to "not running the songs into the ground" by practicing them each night. \nWinterman's style and energy is what attracted England to the band in the first place. \n"His music is very simple but melodic -- a sense of melody with rock," says England.\nMelodious rock? Perhaps that's why Winterman lists Bruce Springsteen as one of his influences. His other influences include Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Elvis Costello and Bryan Adams, making his style (or "styles") difficult to name.\nIf asked, Winterman will grab his CD and start describing a very unique genre of music for each song on the album. Then he will explain his simple writing style, using only four or five chords per song, while writing songs about "common things." He might even go into his theory that all songs must have some sort of dramatic action in them. \n"This is why there aren't many songs about making toast or checking the air in your tires: not enough drama," says Winterman.\nWith his Crazy Horse CD release party upcoming, and other gigs lined up, Winterman is most excited about surviving it all and possibly recording another album. Of course another record will have to take a backseat to Winterman's first passion: writing and jamming for the walls of his basement.
(06/10/04 2:06am)
The rough sounds of wheels on cement could be heard at Kinzer Pike Skate Park Wednesday afternoon as young skateboarders grabbed their boards and sailed down the man-made slopes. It's possible that in a few years a new batch of boarders will be on those same slopes with one difference. They will all be wearing helmets.\nRep. Peggy Welch, D-Bloomington, proposed a new law this week that would require head protection for young skateboarders. Welch will work on the proposal's specific mandates later this year. \nWelch proposed the bill at the request of a friend of a student who died last week as a result of a fall from his skateboard. Matt Jennings, an eighth grader at Batchelor Middle School in Bloomington, had been "skitching" or riding his skateboard while being pulled by another friend on a scooter. \nA law sparked by the accident has already created controversy.\n"Everyone takes those risks, and passing legislation just seems imposing," said Rise Skateboard Shop employee and IU senior Benny Rouch. "Lots of people are worried they are going to have to wear helmets because one kid did something silly."\nThe young skateboarders of Kinzer Pike Skate Park said they think such a law is unnecessary. Most of the teenage skateboarders expressed that they would continue to skateboard without headgear if the law was passed.\n"I wouldn't wear one," said 14-year-old Tony Cromer. "It gets in your way and prevents you from doing stuff."\nOther skateboarders were concerned about the sudden cause for the legislation. Dustin Pendley, a 16-year-old from Edgewood High School, said they should not have to wear helmets because a Jennings was not involved in the kind of skateboarding at Kinzer Skate Park.\nWelch expects controversy over the proposed law. Still, as a campaigner of former laws on safety, she said she believes there is an importance to educate the public on protective gear.\nWelch said helmets are necessary because they save lives and prevent serious head injuries. Such legislation will also aid parents in their battles to make their skateboarding children wear helmets. \n"Some kids won't wear them unless all the other kids do," Welch said. "This helps parents enforce (wearing helmets)."\nWhether such a law will make skateboarders wear helmets remains unseen. However, nervous skateboarders can set their worries aside, at least for now. Welch said the bill would not be written until late fall. \nIt is also assumed that like the bicycle helmet laws, the new skateboard law would not include adults. Enforcement polices for the new bill have not even been considered yet.\n"It is unusual for a controversial issue to pass within the year," Welch said. "My best estimate is three to five years."\n-- Contact staff writer Kathlyn Von Rohr at kvonrohr@indiana.edu.
(04/18/03 5:34am)
It's 1 a.m. and after hours of procrastination, sophomore Lorenza Jara prepares to write a six-page paper that's due the next morning. With a Coke in one hand and a coffee in the other, she slips into the adrenaline-pumping mode that helps her get all her projects done on time. \nBalancing her position as Teter Quad president, a boyfriend, friends and work, Jara said time is a luxury she can't spare, at least not for homework. Like many IU students, she would rather sacrifice sleep more than anything else.\nWith final exams in sight, more students will experience similar sleepless nights. According to the Journal of American College Health, 15 percent of college students consistently report not getting enough sleep. Anne Reese, director of Health and Wellness Education at the IU Health Center, estimated a fifth of IU students are regularly sleep deprived. \nReese said several factors contribute to the sleepless phenomenon. Sleep experts preach every person should go to bed and rise at the same times every day. But most college students can't regulate their schedules like a high school student or career person can, she said. College students are also notorious for not adequately juggling school, work and recreation.\n"Too much fun, too much social, too much pressure to make good grades, too much this or that, and what you start doing becomes habitual for the semester," Reese said.\nA person can be groggy, irritable and have no attention span after pulling an all-nighter, but he or she can make up one or two nights of lost rest. According to the Mayo Clinic Health Letter, a good night of sleep can rejuvenate a person's body after nights of cramming. \n"A person never dies from just sleep deprivation," Reese said. "Eventually your body will sleep if it needs it."\nWhile the body will take charge if a student doesn't, certain long-term effects can strike a person who doesn't sleep regularly. Lack of sleep weakens the immune system, making a person more susceptible to colds, mononucleosis and other illnesses, Reese said. People are also five times more prone to depression when denied sleep, according to the Mayo Clinic. Nutrition Action Healthletter noted healthy people were more resistant to insulin the day after losing sleep, making them more vulnerable to diabetes and heart disease.\nIU insomniacs' problems aren't limited to potential illnesses. While many students drink coffee or soda to stay awake, others resort to more dangerous methods. Reese said she hears about students using caffeine pills, herbal supplements and Ritalin to stay awake. Others have discovered alternative drugs.\n"Caffeine pills keep you awake," freshman Doug Kruse said, "but Adderall makes you want to study."\nAdderall is a stimulant used to treat Attention Deficit Disorder, which allows the body to concentrate on the task at hand. Kruse said the drug helps a person focus, for example, on weeks of work that need to be finished in one night. The business major admitted he has used Adderall a few times. \nRitalin and other prescription drugs are used to treat medical problems and can cause serious side effects, Reese said. Sleeping helps students study more than any stimulant, she said. \nSenior business major Jill Mertens said she also knows about the pressure of staying awake to get schoolwork finished. She said she wished she had Ritalin the other night when she needed to conduct research because the stimulant helped her study once before.\nMertens said she regularly goes to bed around 4 or 5 a.m. and has pulled at least three or four all-nighters this semester. She said that's a vast improvement from last year, when she stayed up all night to do work two or three days of the week. Thinking back, she said her occasional colds are a result of her lack of sleep.\nOther students have figured out how to fit sleep into their hectic schedules. Freshman pre-nursing major Lindsey Weber said she gets plenty of sleep. She tries to manage her schedule so her work is done by bedtime at 1 a.m.\nWeber might have hit on a concept many students should grasp. Reese said the key to ending sleep deprivation is a change in lifestyle. Sleep replenishes the body and therefore must be managed into a schedule. The sleep-deprived should start studying before 9 or 10 p.m. and refrain from long afternoon naps that can extend an insomniac's day. \n"A famous sleep researcher said, 'Sleep deprivation makes you stupid,'" Reese said.
(03/28/03 5:26am)
It was the 1940s and 1950s -- a time of manners and moral standards, when female students were told how to dress and act. Meals in dining halls were formal affairs, and no man was allowed on a woman's dorm floor. \nThe Association for Women Students wrote a yearly handbook of mandatory moral and social standards. A Dean of Women existed until 1946 to regulate young women's social, academic and moral behavior.\nWorld War II also demanded considerable discipline. As the military urged students to finish college, University officials wanted women to maintain feminine personas fitting for future wives or career women. \nAfter the war, this discipline remained as IU returned to a normalcy that could seem foreign to students of the 21st century. March is Women's History Month, a time commemorating women who sat in some of the same classrooms and experienced similar wartime tension students identify with today.\nThe future nurse\nIn 1943, Peggy Petranoff came to IU from Indianapolis to earn a nursing degree. Few career options other than nursing and teaching were available to women in the 1940s, she said. \nShe enrolled during World War II, when students in the Armed Forces packed the campus. The Army Specialized Training Program was in full swing. Petranoff estimated 10,000 ASTP men and 10,000 participants of the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Services trained on the campus her freshmen year. \nPetranoff didn't move into a dorm or apartment. Because of the war, she temporarily lived at Sigma Alpha Epsilon with other nursing majors. Rules were strict. Students had to return to the house by 7 p.m. \nAfter attending nursing school in Indianapolis for three years, Petranoff graduated in 1947. \n"We were pretty busy," said Petranoff, 76, who lives in Bloomington. "We had no time for extracurricular activities. It was all study."\nA journalist in the making\nWhen Marjorie Smith Blewett, a former IDS staffer, arrived in 1944 to study journalism, men who had trained on the IU lawns were serving in the war. With many men gone, Blewett and other women enjoyed being the majority on campus. \nBefore the war, men outnumbered women at IU three-to-one, according to enrollment records. But during Blewett's freshman year, women outnumbered men two-to-one. Blewett said this disparity between the genders was a good experience -- except when a girl needed a date. \n"I used to get tickled when you went to the library, and you saw these sorority girls from the fancy houses, making a play for these GIs," said Blewett, 76, a Bloomington resident. "And these were boys they would never have paid attention to, except they needed dates for their dances."\nBlewett lived in Memorial Hall, which was the first dormitory to open to female students in 1925, according to Dean of Women's Office records. Blewett slept on an Army-issued bunk. \nShe and her friends rarely partied, but occasionally used their student IDs to slip into Kilroy's Bar and Grill even though they were underage. Blewett said she didn't like to drink alcohol, but breaking rules was a thrill for her. \nLiving under the rules\nUniversities practiced a rules system called "In Loco Parentis." The policy ensured that University officials could enforce any rule that promoted student's moral welfare, just as a parent could implement rules on a child. \nNightly curfews applied to all women. They had to be in their dorms or houses by 10:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and by 12:30 a.m. on weekends, according to a list of Social Standards and House Regulations distributed to dorm residents. When female students moved into rooming houses, landladies could inform the University if they disobeyed curfew. \nFemale students were also told how to dress. According to the 1947 Chimes booklet, which listed suggestions for incoming freshmen, women were encouraged to bring sweaters, skirts, ankle socks and loafers. They weren't allowed to wear slacks or shorts to the dining halls. The manual also said jeans were reserved for lounging on Saturdays, at hayrides or at picnics.\nThe sorority girl\nThese rules were still in practice when Jean Robinson Peters enrolled in 1949. The war was over, and men once again made up the majority of students. Peters had been a Bloomington resident since birth. Because her dad was chairman of the anatomy and physiology department, and her mother was acting associate director of admissions, Peters was urged to attend IU.\nPeters, a French major, rushed Pi Beta Phi her sophomore year. She said sorority life was much different from what it is now. The 75 women living in the house were expected to dress up for nightly sit-down dinners. \nPeters said alcohol rarely was a problem in the house. She recalled one or two occasions when her house had to remove a girl's pin for coming home drunk. She also remembered curfews forced women and their dates home by 12:30 a.m. during weekends.\nPeters, 71, a Bloomington resident, said she fell in love with two things during college -- IU and her husband. She graduated a year early to marry him. Her two children graduated from IU, and a granddaughter is enrolled here.\n"Both of my sons said there's no other school than IU," she said. "It runs in my family, that love for IU"
(02/12/03 5:36am)
Many IU students wish they could stay in college forever. The freedom, early afternoon siestas and parties can make college seem like a student's paradise. Unfortunately, most current IU students will be gone in a few years, trying to make their way in the real world. But what happens when a student falls in love with IU and refuses to leave? Easy: They work here. \nThis love for IU has led many ambitious graduates to find careers within the Sample Gates. Professors, vice presidents and even the IU spokesman now represent IU with the same level of excellence they did when they were students. Bill Stephan, Christine Barbour and Steve Smith are part of this elite tradition of graduates who followed their passions, and were led straight back to their alma mater. \n"The opportunity to work at Indiana University was unique because it's not just a place of higher education," IU spokesman Bill Stephan said. "It's involved in so many aspects of public life."\nWith his bachelor's degree in hand, Bill Stephan entered IU's law school over twenty years ago. Four years later he graduated with a law degree and ambitions to enter the public sector. Among other positions, he served as the juvenile court magistrate in Indianapolis where he worked for various developments. Since his second arrival at IU in 2001, Stephan has used those experiences in his new position as the vice president for public affairs and government relations. \nUnlike Stephan, Professor Christine Barbour has been at IU since she enrolled as an undergraduate in 1976. After finishing both her undergraduate and graduate studies at IU, she began teaching her passion, political science. In addition to teaching, Barbour has also recently written a book with her husband called Keeping the Republic: America. Barbour said she loves Bloomington and still appreciates the college experience she first found on the Bloomington campus as a student. Barbour could only recall a few drawbacks from never leaving the comfort-zone of IU.\n"If you choose to go to grad school or work with the people 'who knew you when' they tend to keep thinking of you the way you were," Barbour said. "It's kind of like living with your parents forever."\nVisiting journalism professor Steve Smith first came to IU to study because he wanted to get away from his parents and home in Michigan. After graduating in 1970 with a degree in broadcast journalism, he began a 35-year-career in television broadcasting. Throughout that time, he stayed involved in IU through scholarships and discussions with former professors. Then in 2001, Smith decided to return to his alma mater to teach on a temporary basis. Already a favorite in the journalism school after three semesters, Smith will leave many touched students when he returns to the broadcasting field this summer. \n"I like the kids," Smith said. "I like the interaction between professors and students because all you want to do is learn and all we want to do is teach you"
(01/27/03 4:32am)
I had the privilege of waking up too early on Saturday morning, sitting in a freezing, theater-type classroom, and listening to some of the most profound writers I have ever heard speak. The 2nd Annual BAAC-IU Literary Symposium changed a room full of hopeful writers into child-like dreamers, content to simply listen and absorb the talent that seemed to fill the room beyond its small capacity.\nArts Week 2003 opened with the workshop for all Bloomington amateur writers called "A Search for Form: Poets and Writers on Vision and Revision." Six members of the IU Creative Writing department took to the podium at the John Waldron Arts Center to discuss what they know best, their own work. These accomplished writers filled the room with the sounds of their lyrical poetry, truthful prose, and imaginative fiction. Unlike a book on tape, the fathers and mothers of these masterpieces were right there to tell exactly how the words made it from their imaginations to the printing presses and all the frustrating drafts in between.\n"Revision literally means to see again," poet and speaker Kevin Young said. "Poems can take me up to a year, but you learn a lot from those poems you fight it out with."\nSince revision was the underlined theme of the lecture, each writer shared their own personal insights on battling with their work, but they also gave other creative suggestions to the engrossed audience. Fiction writer Tony Ardizzone preached that any good writer should read the genres they want to write. Poet Catherine Bowman suggested using humor to approach serious matters in writing. Poet and fiction writer Maura Stanton shared her passion for "doodling" her written images first to clear her mind. Fiction writer Dana Johnson challenged the audience to step outside themselves and write in a different person's voice. Poet Richard Cecil spoke of telling the truth rather than relying on imagination.\n"I never wanted to be a writer. I just wanted to tell jokes," Cecil said, after reading his entertaining eight and a half minute poem. \nSpectators at the symposium were also present for the unveiling of the 2003 choice for the "One Book, One Bloomington" title. This year voting ballots were placed in The Herald-Times, online, and strewn about the community. The decision is in: out of over 600 ballots, over 100 people chose 1984 by George Orwell. The BAAC will be holding many open discussions about 1984 starting in February. The group hopes that the relevant subject manner will lead to many interesting discussions. \n"A lot of people feel that what happened to them is happening in the book," Jan Skinner, Development and Marketing Director of the BAAC said. "It's very appropriate for the times with the threat of war and the loss of personal freedoms."\nAlong with the presentation of the "One Book, One Bloomington" title, there were many other memorable moments. Young was asked when he discovered he was a poet, and he cleverly replied he is still trying to do that. Johnson continually told the audience to turn to a specific page number, before remembering we are not as lucky as her students to own copies of her work. \nOne audience member asked Cecil what he does to keep his cats from jumping on the computer when he writes. He calmly answered that he wished his older cats still could jump that high, but now they have to be content chewing on his manuscripts.
(01/24/03 5:25am)
Attention aspiring writers and avid readers: Now is the chance to discover where real life writers get their inspiration and their talent. Elite members of the Creative Writing Program are preparing to spill the secrets of their success at the Annual Bloomington Area Arts Council-IU Literary Symposium tomorrow.\nThese six award winning writers will hold a free workshop called "A Search for Form: Poets and Writers on Vision and Revision." The writers will be speaking in the Rose Firebay theater of the John Waldron Arts Center as part of the opening festivities of Arts Week 2003. The workshop promises free advice to all amateur writers from the Bloomington community who never had the chance to improve on their craft. \nThis is the second year for the literary workshop. The first symposium was held at the beginning of Arts Week last year. \nThe idea for the event was originally conceived by Kumble Subbaswamy, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.\n"I started with the premise that we are all closet writers," Subbaswamy said. "I thought it might be of interest to have a one-day workshop with some of the great writers we have here."\nIn addition to learning about professional writing, the symposium audience will also get the first glance at the 2003 "One Book, One Bloomington." Beginning last year, a title was chosen to be the new most widely read book in Bloomington. Last year's selection -- "A Lesson Before Dying" by Ernest Gaines -- became so popular that Bloomington libraries and stores could hardly manage to keep it on the shelves. This year, the entire community was invited to vote on what will become this year's literary selection in the city. The Bloomington Area Arts Council received over 600 ballots, promising this year's "One Book, One Bloomington" would be even more successful than last year. \nLast year's symposium proved to be more than just a passing interest for the community. What was called a "completely unprecedented event" by a member of the audience became an instant favorite of Arts Week 2002 for the spectators and writers alike.\n"I liked that lots of the community showed up because I'm used to teaching only students," said fiction writer and IU professor Dana Johnson, recalling her experience last year. \nAll speakers from the first symposium are back along with newcomers Kevin Young and Richard Cecil. They will each be speaking for forty-five minute intervals beginning at 10:15 a.m., immediately following the unveiling of the "One Book, One Bloomington" selection. \n"It's like studying, only no exams, no participation grade," said Sally Gaskill, executive director of the BAAC. "It's the best kind of education"