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(08/02/07 12:30am)
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Department arrested a Paoli, Ind., man Wednesday afternoon on felony charges of battery and confinement after he performed an “exorcism” on a 14-year-old autistic boy over the course of 11 hours, police said.\nSheriff’s Department Det. Brad Swain said Edward F. Uyesugi, 22, turned himself into police at 12:30 p.m., Wednesday. \nWitnesses told police Uyesugi had said he punched the boy in the face 20 times and stuck his fingers down the boy’s throat in an attempt to “cast out the demons” in him, according to a probable cause affidavit.\nUyesugi was a pastor-in-training at Cherry Hill Ministries, 417 E. 16th St., the affidavit said. \nAccording to a press release Cherry Hill Ministries issued Wednesday, the church denounced Uyesugi for his behavior and the harm it caused to the boy. \n“We emphatically denounce the method, manner and mentality of this unauthorized and unsupervised exorcism attempted by this young man,” Pastor Kim Norris said in the press release.\nUyesugi was asked to resign his membership in the church.\nAccording to court documents filed July 20, Uyesugi told the boy’s mother that he could cure her son’s autism by “casting the demons out of him.”\nThe boy’s mother said Uyesugi was adamant that the boy be brought home from the group home in which he was living so Uyesugi could preform the ritual. The mother told police she was under the impression Cherry Hill Church Ministries knew about the “exorcism” and gave consent to it, according to the affidavit.\nThe mother said that when she brought her son home May 28, Uyesugi became loud and boisterous, causing the teenager to attempt to flee the room. Uyesugi grabbed the boy and pinned him to the floor, where he struck him. saying, “Come out, you filthy demon!” according to the affidavit. The mother told police she witnessed Uyesugi punch her son several times.\nLater, the boy was restrained on the bed for several hours while Uyesugi punched him repeatedly, \naccording to the document. Uyesugi directed the boy’s 15-year-old brother to assist with the exorcism. The boy’s two sisters told police they witnessed Uyesugi stick his fingers into their brother’s mouth, causing him to vomit, the document shows. The action was repeated numerous times. At one point, blood was present in the vomit, and when the mother pointed it out, Uyesugi denied it was blood and called it “Satan,” according to the affidavit.\nAfter the first session, which ran from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., Uyesugi announced that boy’s name would be changed to “Israel.” When the boy resisted the name change several times, Uyesugi announced the demons were still there and began the ritual again, according to the affidavit. The boy tried to flee but was stopped by his older brother, who did not understand what was going on.\nUyesugi wrapped his arms around the boy and pulled him up the stairs. When he broke free and ran into his mother’s room, which he considers a “safe place,” Uyesugi pursued the boy and the “exorcism” continued until midnight, according to the affidavit. The boy’s mother said she told Uyesugi that she was going to call the church about the ritual but was told by Uyesugi to stay where she was.\nThe following morning, the boy’s face was swollen, and he had black eyes and bruises across his face. The boy’s mother called Pastor Kim Norris to complain about the ritual Uyesugi performed on her child. She drove her son to the church to show Norris the injuries, according to the affidavit.\nSwain spoke to Uyesugi and his attorney June 27. Uyesugi told Swain that he has known the boy’s mother for some time and expressed concern about her son’s autism. She told Uyesugi another pastor she knew had informed her that her son had a demon in him, Uyesugi said. He said the mother had told him to pray over her son. When he began praying, the boy became upset and violent. Uyesugi restrained the boy and admitted to striking him once or twice. Uyesugi said the boy gagged, but it was not because of an attempt to cast out demons, according to the affidavit.\nThe mother denied she suggested her son’s condition might be due to demons, according to the document. \nUyesugi said he had never seen a child act as violently as the boy did, but he did not originally bring up the issue of demonic possession, according to the affidavit. \nSwain interviewed Norris on July 3 and learned that Uyesugi told Norris he had struck the boy in the face 20 times after he became aggressive. Uyesugi also told Norris that he put his fingers into the boy’s mouth to “pull out the spirit,” according to the affidavit. Norris described the events as bizarre and ridiculous and told Swain they had no basis in the teachings of the church.\nSwain said he would like to talk to Uyesugi again and ask Uyesugi why his version of the events are so different from the one reported by the boy’s mother and Norris.\nUyesugi is being held at the Monroe County Jail with a $5,000 bail. No court date has been set.
(08/02/07 12:04am)
Imagine a life without Facebook – and think quick, because the owners of ConnectU, a rival social networking site, are seeking to shut down Facebook after alleging that its creator, Mark Zuckerberg, stole their ideas.\nThe founders of ConnectU said Zuckerberg, Facebook’s CEO and founder, agreed to help finish a computer code for their Web site but stalled and eventually launched Facebook. The lawsuit against him includes fraud, copyright infringement and misappropriation of trade secrets. ConnectU’s founders are asking the court to shutdown Facebook and give control of the company and its assets to them. \nConnectU originally filed a suit in 2004, but it was dismissed on a technicality and immediately re-filed. The owners of ConnectU, brothers Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss and Divya Narenda, claim that in 2002 they began working on a social networking site for the Harvard community called the Harvard Connection.\nIn 2003, the founders of ConnectU asked Zuckerberg to complete software and database work on the site. After being asked repeatedly to finish, Zuckerberg assured them he was working hard to complete it, the lawsuit said.\n“Such statements were false and Zuckerberg never intended to provide the code and instead intended to breach his promise ... and intended to steal the idea for the Harvard Connection and in fact he did so,” the suit claims. \nFacebook launched in February 2004 and currently has 31 million users. ConnectU launched three months after Facebook and only has approximately 70,000 users. \nAccording to court filings, Facebook’s attorneys said ConnectU has no evidence against Zuckerberg and deny he stole the ideas from his \nfellow classmates.\n“Each of them had different interests and activities,” Zuckerberg’s attorneys wrote. “Only one of them had an idea significant enough to build a great company. That one person was \nMark Zuckerberg.”\nZuckerberg, the Winklevosses and Narenda could not be contacted before press time. \nIU doctoral student Wayne Buente, who teaches a class focusing on the benefits of social networking, said the allegations made by ConnectU seem to be serious.\n“As for Facebook shutting down, I don’t see that happening, as it is a major player in Web 2.0,” he said. “Its ‘market share’ in online social networking is just too great.” \nBuente said he suspects a settlement between the ConnectU founders and Zuckerberg will be reached before Facebook can be shut down.\nIncoming freshman Alexis Parker said she uses Facebook every day to check messages and to take up time. She said she doesn’t even write people back and finds it mostly useless.\n“Obviously I don’t care,” she said in regard to Facebook shutting down. “Facebook is so boring. It really wouldn’t matter to most people. It’s just a dummy-down version \nof MySpace.”\nParker said she has watched her roommate click between a class paper and Facebook multiple times. She said if students didn’t have Facebook, they would focus more on \ntheir studies. \nSenior Keely Malayter said Facebook shutting down would be difficult at first, but students lived without Facebook long before its invention, and it wouldn’t ultimately make a difference. \n“So goes life,” she said.\nMalayter uses Facebook a couple of times a day and feels indifferent to the lawsuit. She said she does not feel shutting Facebook down would help students focus more on their studies.\n“There are plenty of other distractions,” she said. “It won’t make a big difference if Facebook is there or not.” \n– The Associated Press contributed to this story.
(08/01/07 11:52pm)
Jonathan Safran Foer’s first novel “Everything is Illuminated,” published in 2003, manages to bring together three different story arcs.\nThe story follows three main characters. The first is Jonathon Safran Foer, a young Jewish-American man who is looking for a woman that might have saved his grandfather from Nazis in his family’s town of Trachenbrod, Ukraine. The second is Alex, a Ukrainian who serves as Jonathan’s translator, and the third is Alex’s grandfather. The story also includes Alex’s grandfather’s “seeing-eye-bitch” named “Sammy Davis, Junior, Junior.” \nThe first arc consists of Jonathan’s tale of the citizens of Trachenbrod. The second and third arcs are both narrated by Alex. One is in the form of a letter to Jonathan, and the other is the tale of his journey with Jonathan and his grandfather.\nWhen I first started reading “Everything Is Illuminated,” I didn’t know what to expect from it. Was I going to cry? Was I going to laugh? Oh, I laughed, and I pouted a little toward the end. The book’s dialogue between Alex, his grandfather and Jonathan are so humorous and well-written, I found it hard not to grab my stomach while reading.\nOne of the best aspects of the novel is Alex’s broken English. At first, I thought the dialogue was meant to drive the reader crazy, but as I progressed through the novel it became both hysterical and interesting seeing how broken his English really was. \nDespite the novel’s obvious tummy-tickling power, if you don’t follow the different story arcs carefully, you might get confused and lost in a world you don’t quite understand. \n“Everything is Illuminated” is a book for anyone who enjoys a well-written novel about a determined man and the journey he encounters to find out more about his history. Bring along a box of tissues, though, because you might need to wipe away the tears – not from crying, but from laughing.
(08/01/07 11:49pm)
Indiana writer Kit Ehrman’s fourth mystery book “TRIPLE CROSS” won the Best Book of Indiana Award in 2007 doesn’t mean she’s solved all the mysteries of writing. \n“I’m struggling with a bit of writer’s block right now,” she said. “For me, it only happens when I allow myself to be pressured by expectations.”\nBut that doesn’t mean she’s giving up any time soon. \n“When you’re writing, it’s time to put aside the editor and agent and reviewers and concentrate on the story,” Ehrman said. “I try to work out all the kinks in the plotting phase so that once I begin to write, I can fly.” \nEhrman’s passion for writing was fueled by her love for reading mystery stories. Although Sherlock Holmes is her favorite detective, contemporary author Dick Francis is her biggest influence. She said she was so caught up in the horse world that Francis portrayed in his novels that she was compelled to quit her job and start work in the horse industry, where she worked for more than 25 years. \nOn July 22, 1996, Ehrman attempted to write her first novel. She said that although she didn’t start writing seriously until she ended her career in the horse industry, she remembers that date because of a journal she kept. \nIn 2002, she said she was reading a novel about horses and was disappointed with the ending. She said she made the “ultimate mistake” by thinking she could write the novel better.\n“Needless to say, I discovered that writing an exciting, suspenseful ending and keeping your hero smart is difficult to pull off,” she said. “But I fell in love with the writing process.” \nEhrman’s first book “At Risk,” released in 2002, is about a 21-year-old protagonist Steve Cline, a barn manager, who is kidnapped and nearly murdered after thieves attempt to steal horses from the barn where he works. Cline tracks down the thieves himself and in the process accidentally becomes an amateur detective.\nShe said she thought of the idea for Steve Cline and the story line while working as a barn manager at a hunter-jumper facility in Maryland.\n“Dealing with a large number of animals meant that I’d occasionally walk into a disaster of some sort,” she said. “An injured or dead horse, or on a lighter note, 25 school horses running loose, and I was the only person around to keep them from getting on the road.” \nEhrman said she asked herself, what would have happened if she walked into a disaster generated by someone up to no good? From there, Ehrman created her main character. She said she wanted a male hero because she knew it would be more fun to write a male protagonist. \nAfter she developed a plot and main character, Ehrman began writing her first novel.\nEhrman said one of her best experiences as an author was winning the Best Book of Indiana Award in 2007. The award was sponsored by the Indiana Library Federation, which made it even more special to her.\n“That kind of recognition is great, but it’s also wonderful to receive an enthusiastic letter from a reader who got what I was trying to do with a particular scene or book,” she said.\nMystery author Beverle Myers said she met Ehrman four years ago through Sister in Crime, an international support and networking organization for female mystery writers. She said they have also had book signings and other promotional events together. Myers said Ehrman’s books are so well-written that when she reads them she is immediately drawn into the world of horses, a topic she knows nothing about. \n“Her love and respect for the animals is also very evident,” Myers said. “Though the protagonist of her novels is a young man, Steve Cline, I see a lot of Kit in Steve.”\nSusan Whittaker, owner of Viewpoint Books in Columbus, Ind., has known Ehrman for nearly five years. Whittaker said it is important for authors to have small, local writers such as Ehrman display their works in independent bookstores. Independent bookstores generally are more willing to stock and feature books by local authors than the chain stores, she said. \n“Every year our best-selling titles are from local authors,” Whittaker said. “When you get a local author who writes at the high level that Kit does, it works for both of us.” \nAlthough Ehrman is a stay-at-home mom, she said being a writer changes after being published. She said the promotion side of the job takes up approximately 50 percent of her time, which puts more pressure on the writing aspect of her career. \nEven though getting published is difficult and time-consuming, Ehrman said if you’re willing to become a writer, you have to go back to the basics of writing. \n“Have faith in yourself. Write for yourself, not for a trend. By the time you get someone to look at your work, the trend will have changed, anyway,” she said. “When you write from the heart, it shows.”
(07/30/07 3:00pm)
Imagine bumper cars. Bumper cars plus dirt and revving engines.\nThe Monroe County Fair’s Demolition Derby began with a bang in front of a sold-out crowd Saturday night.\nBulldozers lined the Grandstand arena at the Monroe County Fairgrounds as volunteers watered the dirt for the upcoming demolition derby. Families filled the bleachers and waited for live-action bumper cars.\nWally Hamilton, chairman of the demolition derby and a retired driver, gave a prep talk to all the drivers about 20 minutes before the first race. He ordered the drivers to line up their cars so they could pull into the arena in an orderly fashion.\nThe objective was simple: The last car running wins.\nHamilton explained that there were about 90 cars driving in the derby throughout the 10 different races. He said the derby receives the highest attendance of any event during the fair.\nGraffiti-decorated cars revved into the arena and began to smash and collide. Most drivers drove backward, knocking other cars off their wheels and spinning them around.\nBloomfield resident and derby driver Shawn Clayton has been driving for more than 20 years. He said he had a friend who owned a car that was never going to be driven. Clayton then took the car and began his derby driving days.\nClayton said that being a part of the derby is fun and serves as a way of releasing stress.\n“It becomes an adrenaline rush. You put so much time and effort into the cars,” he said, “and you go out there and destroy them. It’s a relief.”\nClayton said throughout his driving career he has only received minor injuries – such as broken ribs. He jokingly said his wife would probably disagree with him on that.\n“(The cars are) pretty safe,” he said. “Well, as safe as drivers make them.”\nFirefighters, paramedics and sheriff’s deputies lined the gate of the arena in case of an emergency. Hamilton explained that there are certain safety regulations for the cars in the derby. Drivers must remove all glass, chrome and plastic from their vehicles. Also, the driver’s door must be welded shut for protection, the gas tank must be relocated to the backseat and all drivers must wear a helmet and a seat belt.\nDuring the last 10 years while working for the Monroe County Fair board, Hamilton said the worst injuries he has seen was a dislocated shoulder, a few lacerations, third degree burns and some cases of mild whip lash. \nSarah Inman, a paramedic for the Bloomington Hospital Ambulance Services, said the event always leads to minor cuts and scrapes. She said the paramedics were on the scene and ready for any major injuries.\nShe said the worst injuries she can recall while working a demolition derby are a clavicle injury and some head injuries. \n“Although a lot of times (the drivers) don’t want to be seen after an injury,” Inman said. \nThe Van Buren Township Fire Department waited alongside the arena with fire extinguishers as the cars rammed into each other. Firefighter Rusty Clark said most of the cars don’t get much hotter than an average car driving up and down the road, but some cars will “bust a transmission” and look like they’re on fire.\n“Fires are frequent but pretty small,” he said.\nClark said there have been times during the derby that they have had to flip a car back over and even cut open the vehicles with hydraulics. He added that the fire department was present and ready for anything might occur. \nAudience members roared as each car began revving its engine. Bloomington resident Tammy Hoene and her son Bryan sat on the bleachers with fixed eyes on the cars destroying each other. \nHoene said her son has been going to the derby since he was a little kid and is usually interested in the show during the beginning. She said she’s always been to the derby and thoroughly enjoys it.\n“They’re loud. (I love) the crashes,” she said. “They put on a really good show.”
(07/30/07 12:58am)
Police arrest man for fondling himself in public\nA man from Princeton, N.J., was arrested Saturday evening after exposing himself in Big Lots, 3620 W. Third St., according to a police report read by Bloomington Police Department Sgt. Faron Lake.\nGerman Lopez, 36, was standing in an aisle of Big Lots when a girl walked by and noticed he had his hands down his pants, Lake said. Lopez turned around and fondled himself in front of the girl, the report said. She quickly alerted her mother, who told security about the incident.\nLopez fled the store and was located by officers in front of Blockbuster, 3707 W. Third St., and arrested on charges of vicarious sexual gratification, a felony, the report said.
(07/30/07 12:18am)
Just because Charlie Nelms is leaving IU does not mean his energy and passion for equality will be forgotten. \n“I want to challenge you to make sure that the appointments you make reflect a commitment in equity and excellence through all our dimensions of our University and community,” said Nelms, the former vice president of institutional development and student affairs. \nOn July 25, the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center held a farewell reception for Nelms, who announced in June he would be leaving IU for a chancellor position at North Carolina Central University. \nThe dimmed Ruth N. Halls Theatre in the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center was filled with students and faculty. Nelms and his wife Jeanetta sat patiently in collapsible chairs on the side of the stage.\nIU President Michael McRobbie was the first guest speaker during the reception. McRobbie talked about how Nelms always enforced respect within the community. McRobbie’s speech was followed by faculty members presenting different gifts such as a painted portrait of him, picture frames and a sculpture. \nBloomington Mayor Mark Kruzan presented Nelms with a plaque declaring July 25 “Charlie and Jeanetta Nelms Day” in Bloomington. \nNelms spoke last at the reception as he thanked IU for his opportunities over the past two decades. \n“They say you can’t go home again,” he said. “That’s not a true statement because I’ve been able to come back to Indiana on a number of occasions.” \nNelms ended his speech by urging the audience to not forget Africa and the issues of \ndiversity. \nVicki Roberts, assistant vice chancellor for academic support and diversity, said she’s known Nelms for more than 12 years and is sad he is leaving. She said his energy, passion and vision will always be around the University even if he is not. \nRoberts said the reception for Nelms was a great way to end his vice presidency.\n“I think people enjoyed (the reception),” she said. “There are a lot of expressions of good will. It shows how much he’s loved.” \nSenior Susan Johnson spoke on behalf of Higher Education and Student Affairs as well as other students. She said she has known Nelms since she came to IU. She said she was interested in becoming vice president for student affairs one day, and her relationship with Nelms “clicked.” \n“He was someone who loved and looked out for me and for my family,” she said.\nJohnson explained that Nelms was the conscience of the University, always reminding people not to forget certain issues. \n“He was more than a vice president,” she said. “He was a mentor.”
(07/29/07 11:35pm)
Despite heavy rains and low crowd attendance Friday evening, Leighann Edwards, a 4-H organizer, set up obstacles for the Monroe County Fair’s 4-H Dog Agility Show. \n“Normally if it’s not raining, the bleachers are full,” Edwards said. “But because of the rain, I doubt we’ll get anybody.”\nAs the rain got heavier, approximately 100 people filed into the stands as contestants and their dogs set up for the show. \nEach dog had two trials to run around the 10 obstacles in the arena. There was no winner this year because there was not enough time to practice during the week, she said. Every dog, however, did receive a blue ribbon after its run around the course.\nMost dogs were slow at first – clocking in anywhere between a minute-and-a-half to two minutes. Edwards had to stay on the track during each dog’s run to make sure the canine made it through the course.\nEllettsville, Ind. resident Scott Dreher registered his German Shepherd Sadie for the first time this year in the show. During both trials, Sadie started off fast but became distracted when the crowd began cheering. Sadie ran the course in about a minute for both trials.\n“My mom and step-dad took her to training when she was a baby,” he said. “She still doesn’t listen to me though.”\nDespite the distraction, Dreher claims that Sadie would have gone faster if he had run the course with her.\n“She performed pretty well for first time,” he said.\nBloomington resident Michelle Sears and her daughter Hannah attended the dog show for the first time this year. Sears said her family has been going to the fair for as long as she can remember.\n“We wouldn’t know what to do not coming to the fair,” she said.\nHannah said she enjoyed watching the different breeds of dogs and seeing whether they could make it through the various obstacles. She said she would definitely come back to the dog show the next year.
(07/29/07 11:31pm)
Asher Nicholson, a 27-month-old dressed in plaid shorts, a tan hat and T-shirt and black Converse sneakers, ran around the auditorium during the Monroe County Fair Baby Contest on Saturday afternoon.\nAsher’s mom Sheena chased him around as he climbed bleachers and moved chairs. She grabbed her son and picked him up as he smiled.\n“I want to see the big lights,” Asher said, pointing to the stage.\nHe grabbed his New York Yankees dog tag hanging around his neck while his mother kept telling him he would be in the big lights soon.\n“Bribery,” Sheena said. “I just reward him when he’s good. I usually give him something to look forward to.”\nFamilies filled the auditorium Saturday at the Monroe County Fairground for the annual Baby Contest, a lighthearted pageant meant to judge the county’s cutest infants. Children of all ages ran around, laughed, cried and slept as volunteers set up the stage.\nThe contest began at 3:30 p.m. and consisted of nine different categories based on age. Parents walked each baby onto the stage and showed their child to a panel of three judges. There were 205 babies total and 17 winners. \nMyra Powell, Monroe County Fair committee member, said the baby contest started at the fairgrounds in 1955. Powell helped register the babies for the contest and walked through the event to make sure everything was running smoothly.\n“We actually usually have bigger numbers,” she said. “It was down a bit this year.”\nThe contest ended at 6 p.m. with only a handful of people still in the crowd. Throughout the contest, the chairs began emptying as families waited for their child’s category to be called.\nSheena and Asher waited in line as other children were being shown to the judges. She explained that this was the family’s second night at the fair and that usually they are more interested in the livestock area. \n“I like the cows,” Asher screamed.\nSheena said Asher took part in the baby contest when he was a newborn and was very excited to be a part of it this year. \n“I hope he wins,” she said. “(The baby contest) took longer than they said it would.”\nThough Asher did not win his age category, he grinned anyway and gave a big wave to the three judges. He left the auditorium holding his mother’s hand and smiling.
(07/26/07 12:33am)
Steve Volan, owner of The Cinemat, has a movie complex. Literally.\nDespite his love for movies, Volan does not have enough time to keep running The Cinemat, 123 S. Walnut St., and he put it up for sale July 20. \n“I am probably one of the least uniquely unqualified people to run the place,” Volan said. “Mostly because I haven’t been willing to work the store to be there full time.”\nThe Cinemat is a five-year-old independent video-rental store that has approximately 5,000 rental titles, 80 percent of which are DVDs. The store also includes a screening room that can hold up to 100 patrons and has a permit to sell beer, according to a press release.\nThe Cinemat is not a huge box office success, and Volan has struggled to make business, he said. He knows there is someone out there who would probably do a better job \nthan him.\n“I’ve got at least two other jobs that I do in addition to the store,” he said. “It’s time for me to find somebody else.”\nVolan currently works on the Bloomington City Council and teaches an eight-week course at IU.\nSince the store went on sale, Volan has been approached by several people about buying The Cinemat, but he said the question is not “‘Does somebody just want to buy it?’ but, ‘What will they do to the store when it is bought?’”\n“Will (the store) break out into parts? There are a lot of possibilities.” Volan said. “I’m hoping to find someone who wants to run the store as is.”\nIn 2001, a video and music store on the square closed down after 15 years. Volan heard it was closing down and asked the owner to see his books. When the owner had given up hope that somebody wanted to buy it, Volan said he could make something of the store. Unfortunately, Volan could not come to an agreement with the owner.\n“For the moment, I thought, ‘too bad.’” he said. “About a year later, it was still a good idea, and I found the right space for it.”\nThe Cinemat opened in August 2002. \nDave Pruett, marketing director of the Buskirk-Chumley Theater said he owns Cinephile Film Arts, a non-profit arts group that supports filmmakers. Pruett explained that he always used the Cinemat for his film screenings. \n“Steve and the Cinemat have always been nice enough to let us use the space and not charge us anything for it,” Pruett said.\nHe said once the store is sold, it is likely that he won’t be able to use the screening room as much.\nDespite the difficulty of running a business, Pruett said he feels Volan has done an incredible job running The Cinemat, especially because Volan works two other jobs.\n“The problem is that the screening room is something that he has to pay rent on,” Pruett said, “and it’s really hard to re-coop the money from spending to keep the room going.”\nPruett said there’s a likelihood that The Cinemat might close altogether. \n“If it goes away, it will be a major loss. You don’t find too many towns with a screening room available to the public,” he said. “I hope someone is able to step up and take the burden off Steve and keep it around.”\nSince the initial opening of the store, the video collection has grown tremendously, and he’s managed to make the store more efficient, Volan said. Despite the struggle with the business, the problem has not been with video collection.\n“The video has always pulled its weight,” he said. “The movie-screening business is really hard.”\nVolan explained that he always felt there needed to be something to complement the videos, so he put together a movie theater in the back of The Cinemat. He said there was a lot of built-in expense for the movie screening that required a lot of leg work. He said he had to put up fliers to get people to come out to see the movies. \nVolan said he always wanted to expand his business to a Web development project. Unfortunately, he never had the time and he knows it will be \nhard work.\n“For someone who never wanted to own their own business, this is a pretty good opportunity,” he said.\nVolan explained that as much as he loves movies, he loves Bloomington even more. He said he had a great opportunity to serve Bloomington.\n“I know I’m holding the store back,” he said. “I’d rather not see the store go away. (But) a more organized and focused owner can take the \nstore somewhere.”
(07/26/07 12:31am)
Dr. Ora Hirsch Pescovitz, passed over for the position of IU president just last March, already has big plans for her new role as interim vice president for research administration. \n“I am incredibly privileged and honored,” Pescovitz said. “I would love to be able to do streamlined infrastructure to help do more productive discoveries within the University (to) greater contribute to help the economy.” \nIU President Michael McRobbie announced Tuesday in an IU press release that Pescovitz will serve the new position in addition to continuing her two current roles of president and chief executive officer of Riley Hospital for Children and as executive associate dean for research affairs at the IU School of Medicine. \nMcRobbie said in the IU press release that he chose Pescovitz for the job because she has been \noverseeing these functions in the IU School of Medicine for seven years and has done an incredible job. \n“As an experienced medical researcher herself, Dr. Pescovitz understands the importance of having an infrastructure that promotes and facilitates research productivity,” McRobbie said in the release. “She recognizes the importance of applying the highest ethical standards to the conduct of research, and she understands how vital rigorous compliance with research rules and regulations is to research universities such as IU.”\nUntil now, responsibility for administration and regulatory compliance has been distributed among several different offices at different campuses. McRobbie said having one vice president for these responsibilities will result in a more efficient and streamlined system of providing high-quality administrative support to faculty members.\nMacIntyre said Pescovitz had several meetings with McRobbie after he was elected president and expressed her desire to do anything to make his presidency successful. \n“She is indeed doing what she can to help,” MacIntyre said.\nPescovitz said she never would have accepted the job if the University did not already have talented faculty to help within the area.\n“I think IU has tremendous potential,” she said, “and McRobbie hit the ground running. I’m flattered and delighted to be a part of it.”\nEven though Pescovitz believes the job will be demanding, especially since it covers all eight campuses, she is not intimidated.\n“It’s a challenging job,” she said, “and I like challenges.”\nAccording to the press release, research administration covers everything from preparing and tracking grant proposals to negotiating awards and contracts with sponsors in private industry and government. Regulatory compliance involves ensuring proper biosafety procedures are in place, monitoring animal care and use, human subject protections and research integrity.\nPescovitz will also oversee the Indiana Genomics Initiative, which was funded by $155 million in grants from the Lilly Endowment.\n“I think if we do our job really well, research productivity in the University will skyrocket, and we’ll be behind the scenes,” she said. \nPescovitz is currently the Edwin Letzter Professor of Pediatrics at the IU School of Medicine. She served as the director of pediatric endocrinology and diabetology at the IU School of Medicine and Riley Hospital from 1990 to 2004 and led an ambitious strategic planning effort to develop Riley Hospital into one of the nation’s top children’s hospitals, according to the release.\nPescovitz has won multiple awards, including the IU School of Medicine’s highest teaching award and the Distinguished Alumni Award from Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine, according to the release.
(07/26/07 12:23am)
I flipped through the previous Harry Potter book and searched for the summoning charm spell. I found it, then screamed incredibly loud. I pointed my wand toward the public library in my hometown and said “Accio Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows!” The book flew to me, and as I caught it I “disapparated” back into my bedroom. Actually, all of that was a lie. I didn’t have to wait in line for “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.” I somehow cheated the system and the book was given to me seven hours before it was officially released.\nI opened the book with ease and immersed myself the world of magic that has consumed my life for the last 10 years. The 759-page book had me shaking, sweating and swearing as J.K. Rowling took me through Harry’s last adventure in print. Did I want Harry to die? Were Ron and Hermione finally going to snog? What did I expect from a story I’ve been waiting for since I finished the sixth book “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince?”\nThe book begins with Harry leaving the Dursleys’ home because the protection around the house will expire once he turns 17. Harry sneaks away from the house with help from members of the Order of the Phoenix. Harry and the Order set up a decoy where they plan to fly to The Burrow with six other characters impersonating Harry by drinking polyjuice potion. Although the plan falls through and the real Harry is identified, they make it to The Burrow safely. \nHarry, Ron and Hermione all receive objects from Dumbledore’s will (the Quidditch Snitch, a deluminator, and a book of children’s stories written in Ancient Runes) and they set off to find the Horcruxes they need to destroy in order to kill \nLord Voldemort. \nFor months, the trio is on the run looking for the Horcruxes, when they realize the only way to destroy one is to use the Gryffindor sword, which is covered in \nbasilisk venom.\nThe trio ends up at Luna Lovegood’s house and speaks with her father Xenophilius about the three legendary objects that can beat death: the Elder Wand, Resurrection Stone and the Invisibility Cloak. Harry, knowing that he has one of the Deathly Hallows, sets out to find the other two. Lord Voldemort retrieves the Elder Wand in hopes of killing Harry with it.\nAfter narrowly escaping Lord Voldemort numerous times and breaking into Gringotts Bank, Harry returns to Hogwarts with the help of Dumbledore’s brother Alberforth after learning the last Horcrux is hidden somewhere in the castle.\nAfter fighting off Slytherin members, Harry finds the last horcrux, but it’s destroyed inadvertently when a spell misfires. He looks for Lord Voldemort to fight and lets Voldemort kill him. In a “dream sequence,” Harry sees Dumbledore and wonders whether he is really dead. Dumbledore explains that he is not really dead and he needs to continue fighting against Lord Voldemort. Returning from the dream, Harry pretends he is dead, and as Lord Voldemort is ready to declare his victory, the fighting in the castle ensues.\nTying together the previous six books, J.K Rowling lets Harry and Lord Voldemort fight until the end.\nThe book then flashes forward years in the future, where we finally see the conclusion of Harry Potter.\nWhen I read the last page of the book, I slowly shut the cover and gave a big smile to my bedroom wall. The last installment of J.K. Rowling’s portrayal of the boy who lived was not only, to me, an incredible way to end the series but the best way to end the last 10 years of my life. The book was enthralling, and it flowed almost effortlessly from the beginning to the end.
(07/26/07 12:15am)
Music company ReverbNation launched My Band, a Facebook application to help promote independent bands through the Web site, when the application became available July 17. \nAccording to its Web site, ReverbNation provides marketing solutions that musicians need in an online environment. Artists can use ReverbNation as a home base for their music and promote it across the Internet through social networks, blogs or the artist’s homepage. \nJed Carlson, co-founder of My Band and chief marketing officer of ReverbNation, said when a Facebook user clicks on the My Band application, it takes them to a “full blown” user profile. The profile includes a biography, band members, brand profile picture, genre, interactive tour map, links to buy tickets for their shows and a sign-up for the band’s mailing list. \nCarlson said unlike MySpace, the My Band application allows artists to upload an unlimited amount of songs. Each song can be up to eight megabytes, which is high quality music but not as good as a CD.\n“When Facebook opened up to a third-party application, it was natural to extend our artists’ reach to Facebook,” Carlson said. “It’s what we try to do for musicians.” \nCarlson said that only three days after the release of My Band, they had approximately 900 artists using the application, and that they have been adding nearly 200 bands a day since. \nNeal Moody, artist and customer service representative of ReverbNation, said the My Band application has been very well-received within the Facebook and ReverbNation communities. Moody explained that the application was received especially well by existing users of ReverbNation. \n“(My Band) integrates key parts of their ReverbNation account so easily and seamlessly to their Facebook page, allowing them to promote their band inside of Facebook,” Moody said, “which is something that was near impossible before.”\nMoody said ReverbNation has received a couple of feature requests regarding the new application. Most of the requests have been about adding the application to a group page, but because Facebook doesn’t allow applications to be added to groups, they haven’t been able to implement the suggestion, he said. \n“We talk about each suggestion an artist or user has, and in the past have implemented many suggestions from users into our own site,” Moody said. “We have made the My Band application to benefit the artist, so when they tell us ways that it could be better, we listen with open ears.”\nConor Logan, singer for the band The Logan and new media director at A&M Records, said his band started back in January with a focused goal to bring positive, hard-core rock music to everyone. He said it will be interesting to see if Facebook can really allow bands to have pages with which fans can interact.\n“Right now, I use Facebook myself for a personal page, but I can embed my music from iLike or ReverbNation into it so my friends that visit can listen,” Logan said. “But it’s still a personal page. That’s wholly different than a page that is strictly for pushing a band to its fans.”\nLogan said he feels the My Band application is important for every band. He explained that Facebook has a more personal approach than MySpace, but either way, it’s 100 percent crucial for bands to get their music across \nthe Internet.\n“The Internet is the biggest personal marketing tool ever,” he said. “Anyone that doesn’t utilize it to help promote what they are offering is really doing themselves a disservice.”\nLogan said he expects a mixed reaction to the Facebook application.\n“Some people will welcome this with open arms, but many will scoff and thus stay with what they are used to,” Logan said.\nCarlson said it’s too early to define success for the application, but ReverbNation figures it could be extremely successful if bands can adapt to the idea of individually joining Facebook and using the application.\n“Every artist (is) looking to promote (their band),” Carlson said, “and we give them the tool to do that.”
(07/25/07 11:58pm)
A Bloomington woman said she was assaulted Sunday morning near the 1200 block of West 11th Street. Bloomington Police Department Sgt. Jeff Canada said the victim was approached at about 4:20 a.m. by a black male wanting to bum a cigarette. The unidentified assailant proceeded to restrain the victim by grabbing her by the elbows. He then tried to kiss her, saying, "you know you want this," Canada said, reading from a police report. \nThe victim began screaming, attracting the attention of nearby witnesses. The 24-year-old woman's attacker fled the scene. Police said Monday no injuries were reported and that the subject in question is in his mid-30s, approximately 6 feet tall, has a skinny build, short black hair and a goatee.\nAnyone with information should contact the Bloom-\nington Police Department at (812) 349-3353.
(07/19/07 12:17am)
The Indiana Arts Commission announced July 11 that the National Endowment for the Arts awarded grants to libraries from the Indiana cities of Corydon, New Castle and Frankfort for a literary program called The Big Read.\nBloomington hosts a similar program, One Book One Bloomington, which ended in May. Ed Vande Sande, interim executive director of the Bloomington Area Arts Council, said the program has been running for the last eight years but that this year was the first time they partnered with The Big Read program. \nVande Sande explained the program ran independently with the help of a few corporations. He said the grant was approximately $10,000 and covered nearly 80 percent of the program.\n“When this grant became available, we jumped all over it,” Vande Sande said.\nVande Sande explained that the program ran independently with the help of a few corporations. With the NEA grant, they were able to have 18 different activities ranging from book readings in Monroe County Jail to a Tibetan fire purification ceremony. Bloomington had more activities to date than any municipality that participated in The Big Read, he said. \n“(We’ve) never been able to reach out because we didn’t have the funding to do it,” Vande Sande said. “It was really great. (The Big Read) brought in demographics and people that weren’t used to interacting with the arts council.”\nThe selected book for the program this year was Ray Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451.”\nPaulette Beete, public affairs specialist for the NEA, said The Big Read began in 2006 when the NEA launched a pilot phase of the program. In 2007 they began their first year as a national program. The Big Read has two cycles in the program, running from January to June and September to December.\nBeete said the program developed out of a response to the NEA report “Reading at Risk: A Survey of Literary Reading in America.” The report listed 10 key points that identified a decline in literary reading among American adults.\n“We’re hoping we will be able to make reading a center of American public life,” Beete said.\nAccording to the report written by Dana Gioia, chairman of the NEA, the accelerating declines in literary reading among all demographic groups of American adults indicate an “imminent cultural crisis.” The report says “at the current rate of loss, literary reading as a leisure activity will virtually disappear in half a century.”\nGioia was unable to be reached for an interview before press time.\n“It is time to inspire a nationwide renaissance of literary reading and bring the transformative power of literature into the lives of all citizens,” according to the report. \nBeete explained the NEA wants the public to discuss novels with the same kind of enthusiasm as they would for “American Idol” or “America’s Top Model.” \n“The reason this is important (is) reading is the skill you constantly have to work at,” Beete said.\nShe said the program awarded both cycles with more than \n$2 milllion between approximately 200 communities around the nation. Beete said the program is highly competitive and that the NEA will be announcing the communities for cycle one for 2008 in November.\nVande Sande said Bloom-\nington will definitely be participating in the program in 2008 but would not know until after the fall what book the community would be reading. He said the program was phenomenal and feels it was a great chance for the community to come together.\n“It really helped highlight in a lot of different areas the joy and importance of reading,” he said.
(07/18/07 11:40pm)
J.D. Salinger’s “The Catcher in the Rye,” has been mod-ernized to fit our generation in Stephen Chbosky’s “The Perks of Being a Wallflower.”\nWritten in the form of letters to the reader, the story begins with the narrator, who calls himself Charlie, describing a high school guidance counselor appointment, after a student commits suicide. His writing is fueled by naivety, which is sometimes unbelievable but still captivating.\nThe story travels through Charlie’s first year as a high school student, bringing him to terms with love, sex, death and drugs. During his first couple weeks of school, he meets Patrick and Sam, who both eventually become his close friends. Throughout the year, Charlie finds himself falling in love with Sam and dealing with different cliques and challenges of high school.\nDuring the book, Charlie’s friends describe him as being a wallflower, always observing what is around him. Although he has his ups and downs in life, he learns through his friends and teachers that reaching that feeling of being infinite isn’t impossible.\nOne of the story’s most emotional and memorable scenes is when Charlie reads Patrick a poem, which is said to be a suicide note.\nThe story has the ability to make you laugh and cry while being able to drag you back into the world of high school. Even though the story ends on a relatively low note, it’s hard to hate it as a whole. Despite its unfortunate ending, it’s almost impossible to feel disconnected from any of the characters in the book. \nIt is barely more than 200 pages long and is a quick read for anyone looking to read a story modeled for our generation of geeks, freaks, punks and preps.\nThis coming-of-age tale effortlessly brings you into the mind of the current-day Holden Caulfield to prove that being a wallflower has its perks after all.
(07/11/07 10:54pm)
You know those songs you play on repeat or those movies you watch over and over? If you have any of those, “Ordinary People” will be the book you read cover to cover multiple times.\n“Ordinary People” is a novel about the Jarrets, the “perfect” family. Parents Beth and Calvin Jarret appear to be a happy couple with two sons, Buck and Conrad. After Buck dies and Conrad attempts to commit suicide, the Jarrets go through the pain and process of healing their family.\nWritten in a third-person limited omniscient narrative, the narrator, Guest, throws you into the life of the Jarrets a year after Buck dies. Conrad, who is still coping with the loss of his brother, has just been released from a psychiatric hospital for slashing his wrists in the bathroom. He attempts to go on with his life by getting back into his normal routine but still has difficulty with everyday life.\nCalvin suggests Conrad go see Dr. Tyrone Berger, a local psychiatrist. Conrad, who initially resists, finally goes, and learns to trust Dr. Berger, who helps him come to terms with Buck’s death. Calvin eventually visits Dr. Berger after feeling like he’s reached his midlife crisis.\nThroughout the book, Beth is virtually lifeless as she tries to deal with her son’s death. Her inability to love Conrad causes her to be distant and creates friction between her and Calvin. \nThe book flows naturally as it takes the reader through the trials and tribulations of life. Guest makes it possible not only to know the characters but to feel their heartbreak. She reminds us that things don’t always end with a smile, and sometimes, we have to make the best with what we have.\nIf you haven’t read a great book in a long time, “Ordinary People” will restore your faith in literature.
(07/08/07 9:59pm)
Bloomington singer and songwriter Jenn Cristy sets up her keyboard for a free concert at Third Street Park. As she checks her microphone, the crowd moves in and sets their blankets on the grass. Children are laughing, dancing and playing with each other. Cristy’s 4-year-old daughter, April, runs around her father, Ben Strawn.\nApril, who is wearing a red cowboy hat with a “Jenn Cristy” pin tacked into it, hugs her father and smiles. She says she’s proud of her mother. As Cristy gets ready to begin the concert, April looks up and says, “Hey, there’s Mommy!”\nCristy opens her set with a new song called “Collide,” which describes waiting for the good and bad things in life to crash into each other. She transitions right into the next song as approximately 400 audience members cheer her performance. \nDrummer Dave Dwinell has been playing behind Cristy for almost two years and feels they work well together. He said he likes the kind of product she’s making and feels other people like it, too. He said the main charm of Cristy’s music is that it appeals to a wide range of audiences. \nDwinell said Cristy’s music has matured since he started working for her, and she has become more confident about her work over the last two years.\nBloomington resident Beth Smith waited near the stage with her two children. She said she knows Cristy and her music because she used to work with Ben Strawn. \n“She’s very upbeat and friendly (on stage),” Smith said. “It’s not an act.”\nCristy said she’s been singing for as long as she could remember. She never took lessons as a child, but she sang in the choir and made up songs. Cristy said she wrote her first song when she was 11 and still remembers it.\nCristy started playing the flute and piano in elementary school, but switched to percussion in high school. During her senior year, she picked up the violin. Cristy also began playing guitar, oboe and trumpet while enrolled at IU.\nShe met John Mellencamp when she was a sophomore at IU. Two years later, she met him again and recorded with him on his CD “Cuttin’ Heads.” She said she played flute and percussion on the CD, and it was a brand new experience for her because she had never before recorded professionally.\nCristy attended IU for four years on a full swimming scholarship. She practiced swimming eight hours a day, and said she had to put her music on hold while she was swimming. However, once swimming was done, she returned to music.\n“The only thing I really carried from swimming to music is the heart-work,” Cristy said. “It’s a 24-hour job.”\nCristy met her husband through IU swimming. Strawn helped with the diving team and Cristy used to say hello to him every day for five years before she finally asked him out on a date while resting between tours. They have been married five years.\nStrawn said Cristy teaches him to be a better person and he learns something new from her every day. He said each song she writes is better than the last, and she has become more socially conscious, speaking out on issues about which she has strong opinions. \n“(She) becomes more and more passionate about what she does,” Strawn said.\nDrawing a lot of influence from Ben Folds, Queen, Billy Joel and Peter Gabriel, Cristy released her second album in 2006. She said that, although her first album was jazz-orientated, her second production focused more on rock ’n’ roll.\nAlthough she said she doesn’t like to make plans, Cristy hopes to get back into the studio this winter for a spring release. She said she’s keeping her fingers crossed, but sometimes things don’t always work out the way they are expected to, so she might not get into the studio that early.\n“It’s very expensive to go through that whole process, and I don’t want to rush any stage of it,” she said. “I am eager, though.”\nDespite the difficulties involved with booking shows at local bars in Bloomington, she said she hopes that, as the band grows, she’ll be able to play more shows in town. She said she loves playing in Bloomington, and the overall response to her music has been great.\n“People come up and say the most amazing things about my playing and my singing,” Cristy said. “It’s incredibly overwhelming sometimes, but I make sure it doesn’t get to my head because I always I feel I could get better. We all make mistakes.”
(07/06/07 12:24am)
A theme throughout Bloomington’s Fourth of July parade Wednesday morning was not only America’s freedom, but the call to support the \nnation’s troops.\nTalisha Coppock, executive director of Downtown Bloomington Inc., said she feels it’s important to support and honor the U.S. troops. \n“One of the reasons we have Independence Day is to recognize our current troops and veterans,” Coppock said. “Our hearts are with them.” \nAfter the Bloomington Community Band played the Star-Spangled Banner, the floats \nbegan flooding Fifth Street for the parade. The Bloomington Fire and Police departments led the way and were followed by the Bloomington Hospital Ambulance Service and paramedics. \nCoppock said the parade was sponsored by the American Legion Burton Woolery Post 18, 1800 West Third St., and hired approximately 50 volunteers for the event. She said nearly 10,000 residents were expected to line the streets for the parade.\n“We want to continue the tradition of (the) Fourth of July,” Coppock said. “We’re happy to see so many people out.” \nThe parade’s route ran down College Avenue and up Walnut Street, between 11th and Fifth Streets and lasted approximately an hour. Organizations such as Veterans of Foreign Wars, AMVETS, Red Hats and Purple Chaps, Clear Creek Cub Scout Group and the City of Bloomington participated in this year’s parade.\nMayor Mark Kruzan, Bloomington City Councilman David Sabbagh, Grand Marshalls Mike Pate and Buddy Newlin, and the Monroe County Fair Queen and IDS reporter Kate Middleton had their own floats in the parade. Each float had something different to offer the crowd; some floats distributed candy, while others gave out American flags.\nAfter the parade was over, judges announced the winners for the floats. The best overall float during the parade was Red Hats and Purple Chaps, a group of women riding horses.\nBill and Diane Hall said they are both in the U.S. Air Force. Diane Hall said they usually see fireworks in Fairfax, Va., but they were back in Bloomington for the holiday.\nThe Halls attended with their three children Ryan, Lucy and Wilson. Ryan was holding a red, white and blue baseball cap filled with candy that was thrown to the crowd from the floats.\n“It was great, we haven’t been to this parade in forever,” Diane Hall said. “It was fun.” \nBloomington resident Tricia Souhrada and her friend’s daughter Elizabeth Tilghman both said the event was brilliant. Tilghman said this was her first parade, and she enjoyed when the crowd received candy. \nThe Fourth of July celebration ended with The Stardusters Jazz Band playing from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. \nCoppock said planning for the event costs approximately $6,000. She explained that the veterans are a large part of the celebration and without them the event would be nearly impossible. \n“The veterans are a huge help with putting on the parade,” Coppock said. “It’s a lot of work that they put into everything.”
(07/05/07 5:15pm)
Vendors under red, white and blue tents sold Kettle corn, Polish sausage and Hawaiian shaved ice while bands entertained the crowd that began filling the north lot of Memorial Stadium on Tuesday night for the Amvets Post 2000 Independence Day Fireworks show. \nAmvets, along with other Veterans organizations, celebrates Independence day by hosting family gatherings and fireworks.\nDavid Cobb, chairman of the fireworks committee, said the entire event is paid for through donations and costs around $35,000. He said the fireworks display, which is provided by Sky Magic Pyrotechnics, is one of the biggest in the state and uses about $25,000 worth of fireworks. \nAbout 50,000 to 60,000 people attend the event every year, he said. \n“Whether you donate or not,” Cobb said. “You’ll have a good time.” \nCobb said the fireworks display was held the day before the Fourth of July because of daylight-savings time. Cobb explained that he didn’t want families to get home late and have to work the next day. \n“We’re celebrating Independence Day, not the Fourth of July,” Cobb said. \nMark and Yvonne Freeman and their son Ryan were busy for most of the night conducting their family’s John Deere tractor-powered train ride. Yvonne said they had just bought the train the night before in Kentucky and felt it would be a good addition to the event. \nThe Freemans own a farm that opens every October for pumpkin-picking and hay rides. Mark Freeman said because of their experiences with the pumpkin farm, he knew the train ride would be an instant hit with the children. Yvonne Freeman said her husband enjoys entertaining children. \n“He lives for this,” she said. “We call him our entertain-ment director.” \nRyan, 10, conducted the train around the parking lot of the stadium as younger children filled the seven train cars behind him. Ryan said navigating the train was really fun, and he is looking forward to doing it again. \n“I just asked my dad (to conduct the train),” Ryan said, “and he was too big to get in it.” \nBloomington City Councilman David Sabbagh and U.S. Rep. Baron Hill, D-9th, were among the crowd, and both gave short speeches before bands covering varying genres of music took the stage. Hill explained how important the holiday is for the men and women fighting overseas and how the residents of Bloomington need to “carry on the idea of freedom.” \nMike Williams, owner of Sky Magic Pyrotechnics, was setting up the fireworks prior to shooting them off at 10:15 p.m. The whole display lasted between 20 and 30 minutes, and each blast differed depending on the size of the shell. \n“We just try to light up the sky,” Williams said.
