575 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
(06/14/01 1:27am)
Amidst the hustle and bustle of college life at IU, in between those hours of sleeping in, lying out and cabbing it to Nick's and The Bird, students need to find some time to enjoy the more sophisticated and idyllic spots here in Bloomington. For the romantically challenged, here's your cheat sheet. Hopefully these insights will compel you to put something on other than your Indiana sweatshirt and jeans and take your significant other out for something more than wings and a Bud.\nScholars Inn Gourmet Café & Wine Bar, 717 N. College Ave.\nSegments from notable pieces of literature, gigantic windows and French doors provide a backdrop for French- and Italian-inspired cuisine at this romantic hot spot. While the cooking might not be worth four stars, elegant presentations along with an atmosphere that takes diners away from the normality of every other day is what this café is all about. Starters range from elegant house salads to crispy crawfish tails. Being the "foodie" that I am I could not turn down the suggestion from my boyfriend to try the crispy crawfish. This appetizer is anything but a small portion -- there will be plenty left to take home. Don't worry about having to look into any eyes and sucking here, all of the work is done for you, and a lemon caper sauce comes along with the little critters. Entrees include pastas, steaks and seafood. The duck breast with currant orange sauce is something for the diner who enjoys chicken, but if you're ordering this dish for the "wild rice risotto" it comes with, don't. You will be very surprised to get a small portion of wild rice and no grain of risotto on your plate. The mushroom ravioli with artichokes and sun-dried tomatoes is a suggestion for the vegetarian diner. Be sure to save room for dessert here, the menu is large and the chocolate patè is a winner for the sweet toothed. An extensive wine and martini list is also a plus. If you\'re looking for a quiet outdoor dining experience, this is not your place at the moment. The noise from the construction on College Ave., though, might be a turn-off while sneaking in for that love bite. \nThe Limestone Grille, 2920 Covenanter Dr.\nThe best and most romantic spot in Bloomington. The Limestone Grille offers diners a quiet and dark indoor restaurant; but for the summer, the quiet outdoor area is a major plus. Tables are lined with elegant white linens, and candles light up the face of your lover. The outdoor patio is also very pleasing to the eye. The designers of this restaurant took the time to design their outdoor area, too. There are elegant umbrellas and artistic stone carvings to look at, but the best part is the herb garden. Right next to my table were the very aromatic herbs and spices used to cook my meal; the scent was pleasing. Starters include the specials of the month, a lobster salad with tomatoes, roasted peppers, corn and cilantro for June, crab cakes and caponata. The generously priced house salad also includes greens from the garden and the homemade dressings are a wonderful accompaniment -- try the citrus olive oil vinaigrette. Entrees include pastas, steaks and seafood; but be sure to hear the daily specials before ordering. I chose the filet with a Merlot, shallot and shitake mushroom sauce -- mouth-watering! My companion had the New York, also a wonderful dish. All entrees also include fresh roasted vegetables and a wonderful piece of potato layer cake with cream, garlic and cheese. After the wonderful portions of your meal, dessert is a must! Rosemary\'s Chocolate Sin and the Chocolate Truffle Cake are great for the chocolate lover, but there are many more, including fresh fruit sorbets! If you\'re looking for a quiet, private, romantic, well-priced gourmet dinner or lunch, The Limestone Grille is the place to go.\nCafé Django, 116 N. Grant St.\nThis romantic jazz bar might be located near busy Kirkwood, but it is far from noisy. If you are the plan-ahead type, be sure to make your visit on a weekend night from 9:30-11:00; there is great live jazz. Eclectic fare makes up this very extensive menu, and prices are the most reasonable yet for romantic summer dining. Appetizers here range from mozzarella sticks to shumai to many Café Django originals. Presentation is very pleasing, as is the distinctive flavor of the many fresh salads, couscous, sesame noodles and much more! Entrees range from very light fruit salads to hearty chicken dishes. Before deciding on any food, be sure to take a look at the drink list, there is a fully stocked bar, but for the non-alcoholic, there are many wonderful drinks also. Try the mello-orange julius, or, my favorite, the slushy lime lemonade. Of course, dessert is always a must. The menu here is not the most extensive, but cheesecake, ice cream and biscotti are all wonderful. Café Django is a wonderful choice for the jazzy romantic.\nPuccini's, 420 E. Fourth St. \nMore elegant than the other Kirkwood locales, Puccini's is anything but common. Wonderful home-cooked gravy, bread and herbs scent the entire old house, and diners feel far from college life in here. The outdoor tables aren't that numerous, but if you can snag one, it's a must for romance. Old Italian classics and some Godfather tunes play in the background and are a great accompaniment to gazing into your lover's eyes. Fresh bread and olive oil are starters for everyone, and a great wine list is a must for diners. A calimari starter is great, as are many of the other antipasti. The entree menu is very extensive, ranging from wonderful pasta dishes to chicken to great steaks. Diners also have the chance to pick a pasta, including ravioli or gnocchi, and any sauce they would like to accompany it. Try tortellini with a creamy, spicy tomato sauce; a little salt is needed, but the addition is worth it. Desserts include Tiramisu and a great spumoni. The dark, candle-lit tables outside are a very romantic summer spot and the foliage surrounding the tables makes it a very private area also.
(03/22/01 5:00am)
I've got a brick/You've got some windows/Just think of all the fun we could have: These are lines from one of the many angsty breakup tunes from Sam Lowry's down songs from the exile suite. The song is exactly what it is titled: "getting over (bitterness #2)," especially if you only focus on what's in the parentheses.\nThe album plays like a guy's journal the week or so after he's been ditched by his lady. It encompasses all of the egotistical mopeyness typically associated with anyone in this depression. The song "stretching the new skin" speaks for this album best: Yes, we all feel the effects/but only I suffer the causes/The truest thing you ever said was that I have a problem.\nIt's true. The guy has a problem, and he's willing to admit it in every track on the whole album. Now I don't necessarily have a problem with breakup rock. The whole "Oh I can't get a girl to like me!" emphasis in music can be appealing, especially to people like me who can relate to the problem at hand. It's just that when you have a record with 11 tracks of "Oh, woe is me" music, you get sick of it.\nSure, some of his lyrics are catchy, and some of the music actually has some quality to it. Lowry has a very Tom Waits-inspired style, and, like Waits, he shares this sort of cynical view of, well, everything. I think Lowry has promise, but he won't put out anything good until he can stop saying that he is, as he said in the first track of the album, "the weakest man alive." He needs to start doing what he says he's going to do in the song "apologies never heard."\nAnd I know you don't care/and you never will again/But just for the record/I'm going to be better. That speaks for both his music and his attitude. The album's nothing great. You can get the same out of a roommate with a long-distance relationship. But one of these days, when he gets out of his depression, Sam Lowry has the potential to make some good music.
(03/22/01 4:49am)
I've got a brick/You've got some windows/Just think of all the fun we could have: These are lines from one of the many angsty breakup tunes from Sam Lowry's down songs from the exile suite. The song is exactly what it is titled: "getting over (bitterness #2)," especially if you only focus on what's in the parentheses.\nThe album plays like a guy's journal the week or so after he's been ditched by his lady. It encompasses all of the egotistical mopeyness typically associated with anyone in this depression. The song "stretching the new skin" speaks for this album best: Yes, we all feel the effects/but only I suffer the causes/The truest thing you ever said was that I have a problem.\nIt's true. The guy has a problem, and he's willing to admit it in every track on the whole album. Now I don't necessarily have a problem with breakup rock. The whole "Oh I can't get a girl to like me!" emphasis in music can be appealing, especially to people like me who can relate to the problem at hand. It's just that when you have a record with 11 tracks of "Oh, woe is me" music, you get sick of it.\nSure, some of his lyrics are catchy, and some of the music actually has some quality to it. Lowry has a very Tom Waits-inspired style, and, like Waits, he shares this sort of cynical view of, well, everything. I think Lowry has promise, but he won't put out anything good until he can stop saying that he is, as he said in the first track of the album, "the weakest man alive." He needs to start doing what he says he's going to do in the song "apologies never heard."\nAnd I know you don't care/and you never will again/But just for the record/I'm going to be better. That speaks for both his music and his attitude. The album's nothing great. You can get the same out of a roommate with a long-distance relationship. But one of these days, when he gets out of his depression, Sam Lowry has the potential to make some good music.
(02/20/01 5:39am)
Graffiti covers the brick walls at the ST Semicon site, 415 N. College Ave. \nWhile the cracked windows have been boarded for more than a decade, not everyone has forgotten about the vacant building. Intergroup Realty Trust, a Florida-based developer, filed papers last week to build a nine-story student housing complex there.\nThe complex has been in the works for some time, and Intergroup President Pat Nolan said everything is on schedule. The Bloomington Board of Zoning Appeals will hear the proposal March 15, and is expected to vote on it in mid-April. \nIntergroup specializes in student housing, and Nolan said it has built sprawling three-story structures in North Carolina, Florida, Texas and Illinois. The Bloomington project would mark a turn toward urban infill projects.\nNolan said the group was drawn to the Bloomington market because enrollment at IU is about 35,000 while on-campus housing accommodates 11,000 students.\nIf approved by the zoning board, Nolan said the apartment complex should be ready for the 2002-03 school year. It wouldn't require the approval of the planning commission or the city council.\nBut the city has other plans for the site, where Semicon manufactured electrical semiconducters until 1991. Local elected officials don't care much for the Intergroup plan, although it calls for fixing up the property.\n"It's too big and in the wrong place," Councilman Tim Mayer said.\nWith the building originally planned at 13 stories, height has been a concern. Mayer, among others, said he believes it would be an eyesore across from the Showers Building, home to City Hall.\nWorried about a prime piece of downtown real estate going to rot, the city is pursuing its own plan for the property, which is now owned by the Indianapolis-based Bloomington Investment Corp.\n"We're still very concerned about the property," said City Attorney Michael Flory.\nThrough the Monroe Circuit Court, the city is trying to grant a receivership to Mansur Real Estate Services of Indianapolis. The developer would be obliged to clean up the site and allowed to develop retail and residential projects in return.\nWhile Mansur would not legally own the property, it would be guaranteed returns on its investment. Mansur, which has developed 30 projects as large as $90 million in Indianapolis and other cities, agreed to the $8 million project last July.\n"If it's at all doable, we'll do it," said Mansur Senior Vice President Bob Echols, who said his company was drawn by the economic vibrancy of the downtown area.\nBut the city isn't the only local government body with its eye on the property.\nCounty councilman Jeff Ellington said it would be the ideal site for a new juvenile correction facility that the county wants to build. The Semicon site is located only a block away from the Justice Building.\nBut the county might not have enough money to launch a project of its own in time, especially if it agrees to buy parking spaces from the city at the recently completed Walnut Center.\nEllington said he plans to lobby for it.\n"I consider this the first priority," he said.
(02/19/01 11:53pm)
Dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb. \nThat is the best way to describe "Saving Silverman." There are many other adjectives that could easily explain this film, but dumb is the first one that comes to mind. \n"Saving Silverman" is about three friends and their disturbing relationship. Darren (Jason Biggs), Wayne (Steve Zahn) and J.D. (Jack Black) have been friends since grade school. They were inseparable, that is, until Judith (Amanda Peet) came along. Darren and Judith start dating, and she starts to rule his life. This is a horrible case of a boyfriend being "whipped." Judith makes Darren quit his band, get butt-cheek implants, and the worst of all -- makes him get rid of his friends. So what do his two best buddies do? The only logical thing -- they kidnap her, make Darren believe that she is dead and try hooking him up with his high school love who in seven days will become a nun.\nThe concept is decent because many men do have friends that their significant others do not like, but bad acting, stupid jokes and illogical action ruin this concept. Words cannot describe how bad this movie really is. \nThe movie is a comedy, but people will not laugh. The filmmakers try to get cheap jokes with people falling out of windows and getting hit in the crotch, but they just don't get any laughs. Not only do a number of characters get hit in the groin area, but there is a kneeing of a crotch, an object falling on a crotch and a taser-zapping of a crotch. \nAttempts for big laughs occur with the random flashbacks that happen throughout the movie. The flashbacks include the boys getting beat up by girls in the third grade and when their high school football coach accidentally kills a referee with a first-down marker. Some of the flashbacks are decent solely because they are so random.\nBut the worst part of the movie is that it really had potential. It had a good concept, and it had some really funny actors such as Biggs and Zahn. The biggest disappointment was Black, who is usually hilarious such as roles in "High Fidelity" and his made-for-HBO band "Tenacious D." Black definitely had some of the best lines, and he could have made the movie moderately good. \nIf you have to go see this movie because something else is sold out, don't. Even if it's just to see Peet's cleavage, which appears often, don't. Or even if you're related to one of the actors, don't go see this movie. Whatever the reason, ignore it and please don't go see this movie.
(02/15/01 5:00am)
Dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb. \nThat is the best way to describe "Saving Silverman." There are many other adjectives that could easily explain this film, but dumb is the first one that comes to mind. \n"Saving Silverman" is about three friends and their disturbing relationship. Darren (Jason Biggs), Wayne (Steve Zahn) and J.D. (Jack Black) have been friends since grade school. They were inseparable, that is, until Judith (Amanda Peet) came along. Darren and Judith start dating, and she starts to rule his life. This is a horrible case of a boyfriend being "whipped." Judith makes Darren quit his band, get butt-cheek implants, and the worst of all -- makes him get rid of his friends. So what do his two best buddies do? The only logical thing -- they kidnap her, make Darren believe that she is dead and try hooking him up with his high school love who in seven days will become a nun.\nThe concept is decent because many men do have friends that their significant others do not like, but bad acting, stupid jokes and illogical action ruin this concept. Words cannot describe how bad this movie really is. \nThe movie is a comedy, but people will not laugh. The filmmakers try to get cheap jokes with people falling out of windows and getting hit in the crotch, but they just don't get any laughs. Not only do a number of characters get hit in the groin area, but there is a kneeing of a crotch, an object falling on a crotch and a taser-zapping of a crotch. \nAttempts for big laughs occur with the random flashbacks that happen throughout the movie. The flashbacks include the boys getting beat up by girls in the third grade and when their high school football coach accidentally kills a referee with a first-down marker. Some of the flashbacks are decent solely because they are so random.\nBut the worst part of the movie is that it really had potential. It had a good concept, and it had some really funny actors such as Biggs and Zahn. The biggest disappointment was Black, who is usually hilarious such as roles in "High Fidelity" and his made-for-HBO band "Tenacious D." Black definitely had some of the best lines, and he could have made the movie moderately good. \nIf you have to go see this movie because something else is sold out, don't. Even if it's just to see Peet's cleavage, which appears often, don't. Or even if you're related to one of the actors, don't go see this movie. Whatever the reason, ignore it and please don't go see this movie.
(01/23/01 8:21pm)
Sophomore Tom Coverdale is a basketball junkie from Noblesville, Ind., but the former Mr. Basketball couldn't bring himself to watch one game after Saturday's loss to Minnesota. \nAnd junior guard Dane Fife, who had his most productive offensive game against the Golden Gophers, said he never felt worse after a basketball game.\nSaturday's loss hit the Hoosiers hard. \nInterim head coach Mike Davis said the players were destroyed. They blame themselves for letting a 13-point lead slip away in the final three minutes. They blame themselves for a 2-3 Big Ten record. \nBut Fife and Coverdale said after Monday's practice that there is no better time to show resilience than tonight's game against intra-state rival Purdue at 7 p.m. in Assembly Hall.\nTonight's game goes beyond the storied rivalry. \nDavis said this is a must-win situation for IU. Thoughts of the postseason have soaked into his head. He is consumed with qualifying for the NCAA tournament. And Fife and Coverdale spoke for the team Monday when they said the team wants Davis back, permanently.\nPressure?\nDavis laughed.\n"We need to win (tonight) regardless of who you're playing because you want to be at .500 (in the Big Ten) to make the tournament. There's no way you can be under .500 and make the tournament," Davis said. \n"I know they want me to be here (next season), because we have a chance to be a really good basketball team next year, I mean a really good basketball team. This year, we're just fighting for our lives, but we're doing it as a basketball team, and we're getting better game by game."\nTonight's game against Purdue is the Hoosiers' last in Assembly Hall until Feb. 11 against Michigan. Taking that into consideration, IU has lost the last 10 games it's played outside the state this season.\nComing up are Iowa, Ohio State and Penn State, all away games. \nDavis said the team needs this win "just in case things fall apart on the road."\nBut in a rivalry such as this, Coverdale summed it up: All the records go out the window. \nPurdue is coming off a win against Northwestern and is in third place in the conference. IU wants to prove something.\n"The players were pretty down about that loss and the way we gave it away," Coverdale said. "If we can't get up for this game, we've got problems. I think we're going to be ready."\nThe Boilermakers have a 104-73 all-time edge against IU, but the Hoosiers had the final word last season. A.J. Guyton scored 17 points in IU's 79-65 win, a victory that knocked the Boilers out of first place in the conference.\nMuch has changed for the Hoosiers since Feb. 29, when former coach Bob Knight still held the reigns. In a rivalry where fans often watched the coaches as much as the players for the last 20 years, Fife said something will be lacking.\n"For the past (20) years it's been the same two coaches, so there will definitely be something missing," Fife said. "But there's always a lot of energy in these games, so you won't see a lot of difference, especially in these two games, in the way these two coaches act."\nOne man many IU fans won't miss tonight is Purdue graduate Brian Cardinal, a 6-foot-8 forward who led the Boilers in scoring, defensive rebounds, steals and free throws made last season.\nNow the spotlight is on junior forward Rodney Smith, a guy who said he likes to sing and write poetry in his spare time, read the Bible before games, and then go out and average 16.2 points per game.\nSophomore guard Kenneth Lowe, who averages 11.9 points per game, has earned a starting role this season after improving from 1.8 points per game last year. Lowe scored two points in three minutes against IU last year before suffering a mild head injury.\n"He could be our best player," Purdue coach Gene Keady said. "He really didn't assert himself last year."\nGuard Carson Cunningham is the only senior on Purdue's roster. He is not a big scorer, but Cunningham knows how to distribute the ball and find his teammates, averaging 4.8 assists per game.\nDavis said Minnesota's full court press in the final minutes of Saturday's game wasn't the major cause of the team's breakdown. He said it was the atmosphere, the crowd and the pressure.\nThe Hoosiers will have the home crowd advantage tonight, but Fife said he doesn't care where it happens.\n"We need a pick-me-up, and beating Purdue anywhere is always a good feeling, especially in this state," Fife said. "We definitely need a victory (tonight). We know how important this game is, believe me, we do"
(01/10/01 3:59am)
Everything you've heard about Amsterdam is true. There are whores in lighted windows, fat joints to be had for six guilders (around $2.75), beer, genever (gin) and cognac more accessible than McDonald's. There are many canals, beautiful architecture and interesting historical sites at each corner.\nIt was my No. 1 choice of places to see in the world, and now that I have seen it, I know I made a good choice.\nBeing of sound mind, if not body, Charles and I took it easy on the licentiousness, walked and took the public transit, which is more obscenely and gloriously available than any vice. We took the train to Haarlem and Den Haag, we walked into vast old churches so cold that we put our gloves back on (not the hats, though -- we are talking churches).\nWe stayed in a gay guesthouse in the Jordaan district, around the corner from the Westerkerk -- a study in stone elegance topped with the gaudy crown of a Holy Roman Emperor. We strolled the Red Light District mostly as a passage to other places, to the Oudekerk (the old church), but only during the day -- the conservatism of our ages. We dodged the astounding number of people on bikes, the occasional driver on the sidewalk, the gawking standstill of tourist clutches gazing up in wonderment at thus and such, usually stepping in dog droppings which are neither curbed nor cleaned. \nWe wanted to know the city, the people and how they lived. Mostly, we wanted to see how a society that doesn't deign to pass judgment on every human folly goes through each day.\nI think the city we witnessed was not the place we imagined it to be: it was both better and worse than imagination could frame it without facts. My theory is that the people of Amsterdam are rather laid back because they have to be -- we didn't see rush hours (although it was a holiday season), traffic jams or the rush to open anything much before 10 a.m.\nTaking my pills on schedule was the most grueling affair. Because of the time differences, I had to wake up at 4 a.m., go back to bed, jam in some food by 11 a.m. (hard to do in a city that considers breakfast a chance to have ham and cheese) and then not eat lunch until the noon pill time hadmellowed into 1 p.m. The dinner hour was difficult, too -- eat at 5:30 p.m. or so, stop eating by 6:30 p.m. or so, take pills at 8 p.m., and then start all over again.\nIt is a trial to eat fast in Amsterdam unless you wish to eat a Tosti (like a grilled cheese sandwich) or french fries slathered with mayonnaise in a cup. I recommend the tomato soup to anyone -- it is not Campbell's, I promise.\nThere is an HIV life in Amsterdam, an active one, I think. We went to the HIV cafe at the gay community center (whose initials on the sign were COC -- and, yes, we pronounced it that way like the Beavis and Butthead we are) and found few people swirling around a pitch-in table loaded with what looked like varieties of potato salad and a crowded disco floor revved up next door. Why bother? We left.\nOur guest house was very small, and a breakfast was served everyday downstairs. There were a couple of Germans, another American couple and the rest were British tourists. The owner of the house was English and Dutch in origin, which seemed a ready-made reason for the boys from England to hop on over for a holiday.\nEach time we ran into British people at the breakfast table, they studiously ignored us -- too bent on loading caramel, chocolate and Marmite onto toast, croissants or anything that didn't move. I was grossed out and offended by their attitudes, which seemed among the three couples we encountered to be a point of national pride. Priggish and silly, with jam rings around their mouths, they only affirmed the genius of Dickens in describing their classless behavior. My travel tip? If you don't have to have breakfast with gay English tourists from places like the Midlands, don't seek the opportunity out.\nAll of my life, I've felt drawn to Amsterdam, wanted to see it, wished to just pull up and move there, and I didn't lose all of that feeling. I imagined myself arising at 10, having a koffie verkeerd (like cafe au lait) then venturing out to puff a fatty while surveying the surrounding world with an enhanced sense of humor. I thought of a life without plastic signs, vinyl siding, Kroger's and billboards, and the thought was good. On cable television in our room each night around 11 p.m., they carried "The Jerry Springer Show." The contrast was present, real and undoubtedly favorable to the Dutch.\nOne needs to see the world, to shut up, practice the culture of the locals, walk alongside them. To wonder at the differences, ask pertinent questions and listen to the answer. Smile, learn the currency and pay attention. If you can't do that, stay home -- you'll do the peoples of the world a favor by your absence.\nAs for me, I'm on a new search for a place to live -- Amsterdam full-time isn't for me. Rather than feeling disappointed about that, it was a relief. There are new horizons after all, and the world gets bigger in my eyes each day. It is a reckless planet, and I'm headlong after it.\nAnd for nine wonderful days I was not HIV Live, I was not Mr. AIDS. I was in the urban Eden, and I chose to bite the apple and leave.
(11/16/00 4:58pm)
Nov. 7\n• Andrew O'Neill Downs, 18, a freshman residing in Teter Quad, was arrested at Seventh and Union streets for public intoxication and illegal consumption.\n• Jason T. Schnellenberger, a freshman residing in Foster Quad, reported the theft of his bicycle from the bike rack at Foster-Magee. Estimated loss is $300.
(11/03/00 5:00am)
It all started back in 1993. I remember watching MTV and seeing this funky multi-colored swirl of a video come on. The soaring high-pitched guitars matched the high-pitched vocals of the lead singer. "What the hell is this?" I remember thinking to myself. That was my introduction to the Smashing Pumpkins. \nAs the year wore on, I began to hear more about them. "Today" and "Disarm" were the hot singles of the moment, and I remember listening to a friend rave about the show he'd seen the night before at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago. But it wasn't until my brother brought home the band's debut album Gish that my life began to change. The deep bass and psychedelic sounds pulled me in, and I delved deeper into Siamese Dream as well, experiencing the emotional and musical punch of songs like "Soma" and "Mayonaise." \nNow I sit here, seven years later. Four albums, 10 concert experiences across the Midwest, tons of concert bootlegs and one truly amazing weekend in a Chicago recording studio have only served to cement my relationship to the music, to the band that has been the soundtrack of my life. I've made friends across the world, and more recently, met a special someone, all from this connection to the music. \nSo, when the band's farewell concerts were announced Oct. 17, I knew I had to get tickets. I made plans and drove up to Chicago to wait in line at the United Center. Upon arriving at 11 p.m., my group found more than 200 people who already had the same idea. \nMidnight arrived, and security herded us into a gated parking lot, creating lines of people between metal barriars. People began to settle in for the long 12 hours ahead before tickets went on sale at noon. Sleeping bags unfurled, coolers were taken out and acoustic performances, card games and discussions with neighbors were the norm. \nUnwilling to sleep on the cold hard asphalt, I sat back to observe, to see what could bring hundreds of people together to sit outside a run-down neighborhood all night. What I saw were people of all different races, ages and classes, united by their love and admiration for the Smashing Pumpkins. I heard fans share stories about concerts they'd been to, discuss favorite songs and albums, all coupled up with an impromptu sing-along sometime early the next morning.\nAfter allowing people to take their belongings back to their cars, security began to tighten up as the anticipation built. We were ordered to sit single file, and security walked up and down each line, asking everyone if anyone had jumped places in line throughout the night.\nFinally, the time came and they stood us up, line by line. Being halfway back in the third line, I was worried about getting tickets to the Metro show, as only 600 of the 1,100 tickets were on sale to the public. As I walked up to the ticket window and saw the thinning stack of yellow and orange tickets, I knew I was in. I quickly asked for two for each show, handed over my money and grabbed the tickets. Meeting up with my friends outside, we all exchanged relieved glances and smiles, knowing the 13 hours of sitting and waiting had payed off.\nWalking away from the United Center, a man offered us $300 for a ticket, and in the following days, that price has only risen. Tickets for the final show at the Metro have been selling for more than $1,200, and even nosebleed seats at the United Center were fetching a few hundred dollars. \n While the thought of a cool two grand in my pocket is tempting, I know it's a decision I would regret. I've spent the past seven years growing up and maturing, turning to the band for solace and comfort through it all. Now, I sit on the verge of adulthood, with the start of a career and a new life less than a year away. As the Smashing Pumpkins wrap up the last chapter in its life, I will be beginning to do the same. The experience of camping out for tickets, and the shows themselves, will be the happy ending to the story of my youth.
(11/03/00 3:46am)
It all started back in 1993. I remember watching MTV and seeing this funky multi-colored swirl of a video come on. The soaring high-pitched guitars matched the high-pitched vocals of the lead singer. "What the hell is this?" I remember thinking to myself. That was my introduction to the Smashing Pumpkins. \nAs the year wore on, I began to hear more about them. "Today" and "Disarm" were the hot singles of the moment, and I remember listening to a friend rave about the show he'd seen the night before at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago. But it wasn't until my brother brought home the band's debut album Gish that my life began to change. The deep bass and psychedelic sounds pulled me in, and I delved deeper into Siamese Dream as well, experiencing the emotional and musical punch of songs like "Soma" and "Mayonaise." \nNow I sit here, seven years later. Four albums, 10 concert experiences across the Midwest, tons of concert bootlegs and one truly amazing weekend in a Chicago recording studio have only served to cement my relationship to the music, to the band that has been the soundtrack of my life. I've made friends across the world, and more recently, met a special someone, all from this connection to the music. \nSo, when the band's farewell concerts were announced Oct. 17, I knew I had to get tickets. I made plans and drove up to Chicago to wait in line at the United Center. Upon arriving at 11 p.m., my group found more than 200 people who already had the same idea. \nMidnight arrived, and security herded us into a gated parking lot, creating lines of people between metal barriars. People began to settle in for the long 12 hours ahead before tickets went on sale at noon. Sleeping bags unfurled, coolers were taken out and acoustic performances, card games and discussions with neighbors were the norm. \nUnwilling to sleep on the cold hard asphalt, I sat back to observe, to see what could bring hundreds of people together to sit outside a run-down neighborhood all night. What I saw were people of all different races, ages and classes, united by their love and admiration for the Smashing Pumpkins. I heard fans share stories about concerts they'd been to, discuss favorite songs and albums, all coupled up with an impromptu sing-along sometime early the next morning.\nAfter allowing people to take their belongings back to their cars, security began to tighten up as the anticipation built. We were ordered to sit single file, and security walked up and down each line, asking everyone if anyone had jumped places in line throughout the night.\nFinally, the time came and they stood us up, line by line. Being halfway back in the third line, I was worried about getting tickets to the Metro show, as only 600 of the 1,100 tickets were on sale to the public. As I walked up to the ticket window and saw the thinning stack of yellow and orange tickets, I knew I was in. I quickly asked for two for each show, handed over my money and grabbed the tickets. Meeting up with my friends outside, we all exchanged relieved glances and smiles, knowing the 13 hours of sitting and waiting had payed off.\nWalking away from the United Center, a man offered us $300 for a ticket, and in the following days, that price has only risen. Tickets for the final show at the Metro have been selling for more than $1,200, and even nosebleed seats at the United Center were fetching a few hundred dollars. \n While the thought of a cool two grand in my pocket is tempting, I know it's a decision I would regret. I've spent the past seven years growing up and maturing, turning to the band for solace and comfort through it all. Now, I sit on the verge of adulthood, with the start of a career and a new life less than a year away. As the Smashing Pumpkins wrap up the last chapter in its life, I will be beginning to do the same. The experience of camping out for tickets, and the shows themselves, will be the happy ending to the story of my youth.
(10/20/00 5:58am)
This is part four of a four-part series profiling student spirit organization preparing for Homecoming.\n
(10/18/00 5:11am)
The police in riot gear, complete with shields and helmets, stood guard around IU President Myles Brand's house.\nTheir dogs were nipping at the feet of the crowd, composed of people chanting "Hey hey! Ho ho! Myles Brand has got to go!" and of those just trying to get a glimpse of the action. \nThe protesters only became more destructive and violent as night fell. \nFlames from small fires shot into the sky around Brand's house, Woodburn Hall and Assembly Hall. The bronze fish in Showalter Fountain were removed and carried around campus. Brand and freshman Kent Harvey were burned in effigy. A few arrests were made, and several people reported police sprayed them with a chemical deterrent.\nCampus usually would have been quiet on a Sunday, but by the end of the day, it was a different place. \nAs the sun came up the morning of Sept. 11, the day after former men's basketball coach Bob Knight was fired, the University community started to clean up the aftermath of his termination. \nThe Knight firing was not the first event to trigger a wave of student activism. Whether the issue is one close to Hoosiers, such as tuition increases, or one weighing on the national conscience, like racism, the Bloomington campus has always become a hotbed for protesting.\nA different kind of cause\nSome in the University community questioned whether the protests after Knight's firing were a productive means for expressing student feelings.\nPatrick Brantlinger, an English professor who came to IU in 1968, said he thinks the Knight protests do not compare with the passion and scale of the Vietnam War protests of the '60s and '70s.\n"I don't think the Knight riots are political anything. I don't think they involved any kind of student activism," Brantlinger said. "The kind of idealism and activism I am talking about is present, and that's very different from students just having a good time because Coach Knight's been fired."\nBrantlinger cited student groups such as Indiana Public Interest Research Group and the anti-sweatshop movement as current examples of positive activism. He also said these groups would be the ones to define this IU generation, not the destructiveness of the Knight protests. \nDean of Students Richard McKaig said a possible cause for the change in protesting style is the types of issues addressed today.\n"We're not at war, therefore an anti-war protest probably isn't likely to be the sort of thing that will come along," he said. "After the late 1960s, there was more of an orientation or a suggestion that students had ways to work through the system, and therefore protest activities weren't necessary to dramatize the cause."\nVietnam takes center stage\nFor IU students in the '60s and '70s, a national political issue rose to the forefront. The Vietnam War aroused a great deal of passion and led to many campus demonstrations. \nBrantlinger said he witnessed many acts of anti-war protesting during that time period.\n"Many of us were very moved and encouraged by student idealism," Brantlinger said. "It was inspiring to be even on the fringes of both the anti-war movement and the Civil Rights movement." \nApril 30, 1970, about 1,000 students protested a speech by former president Richard Nixon on Cambodia. Windows were broken in residence halls and a Bloomington bank. The demonstration lasted until the early morning hours.\nDuring that time, students were advised to carry a piece of cloth wet with vinegar, in case they got maced. People were also told to wear boots or shoes with socks, so if they came in contact with police boots, injury would be minimal.\nA leaflet circulated around campus at the time told students that, "The main thing is to cover as much skin areas as possible in case of MACE or tear gas. The first effect from these chemicals is fright and therefore, panic. That is your enemy, too. Don't rub the chemicals."\nBut members of the IU community took measures to prevent clashes between police and protesters.\n"I went as a faculty observer to a number of the demonstrations," Brantlinger said. "We were both anti-war and hoping by attending the demonstrations to keep them moderate, and I think we were fairly successful here at Indiana."\nTuition raises\nStudent fee increases also raised controversy, with raises for in-state undergraduate tuition per semester from $195 to $325, and out-of-state from $525 to $745. The fervor culminated in a lock-in of student, faculty and administrators May 8, 1969, in Ballantine Hall. \nA committee meeting was taking place in the Faculty Lounge when students blockaded the doors to the room. They demanded the board of trustees be brought to the meeting to discuss the fee increase.\nThree hours later, all hostages were released under a compromise agreement, but the climate at IU was once again tumultuous.\nDiversity recognition\nThe Student Coalition, a multicultural group of campus leaders formed in the mid-1990s, was involved in protesting both a Zeta Beta Tau fraternity hazing incident and implementing University changes in minority policies. These changes included the addition of Martin Luther King Jr. Day to the University calendar as an official holiday with canceled classes. \n"No individual dispossessed group could really leverage enough weight to really change the University in any significant way. That's the climate that we were organizing in," Ryan Pintado-Vertner, one of the Coalition organizers, said. "We came up with the whole list of demands generated by each sort of group and us collectively."\nThe list of proposed changes, sometimes referred to as the "King Day demands," included implementation of a Latino studies department and creation of an Asian Culture Center. The Coalition took these demands into the protesting arena Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1997.\nRepresentatives of more than 33 student groups combined with students and faculty on the steps of Showalter Fountain to make their cause heard. The Coalition distributed flyers to ensure the demonstration remained peaceful.\n"The key thing is that they were organized. For the first time since I've been in office, students representing various organizations came together," Bloomington Chancellor Kenneth Gros Louis said in a 1997 Arbutus article. "In the past, black students, Latino students and students from the GLB community made separate requests."\nZBT incident\nAnother Student Coalition protest ignited when the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity sent its pledges on a controversial scavenger hunt in October 1997. The hunt included such items as a picture of "any funny-lookin' Mexican" and the "impression of a nipple (female) in a jar of peanut butter." The fraternity was subsequently expelled and reinstated in December 1999.\nThe Coalition took action before the expulsion to ensure ZBT was punished, this time organizing protests at the fraternity house. \n"Our mind set was already firmly opposed to that kind of racist absurdity," Pintado-Vertner said. "So their scavenger hunt list became an opportunity for us to help students of color on campus organize against something they already deeply despised and wanted to change anyways.\n"ZBT was just one manifestation among one thousand, and students of color knew that."\nWilliam Wiggins, acting chair of the Department for Afro-American Studies, said the Coalition's efforts brought much-needed attention to the issue of racism in the greek system.\n"Very clearly the demonstrations and the publicity that came from it played a major role in bringing the attention of the administration and also the national body of the fraternity to what was going on," Wiggins said. "It struck a nerve."\nLegacy of activism\nBoycotts, riots and police action have all been part of IU's protesting tradition. And while this tradition has moved into more recent times, there is some continuity.\n"The important thing about protests and demonstrations is there is an indication that students are active and concerned," McKaig said. "Protests are a healthy part of campus life and a good attempt to get other people concerned about issues you are concerned about."\nWiggins agreed, saying, "Somehow the idea, which is I guess is as old as the tea party, is the concept of a concerted public demonstration of one's beliefs or one's troubles can have an impact."\nClick here for photos of protests at IU through the years.
(09/15/00 3:52am)
Sept. 10\n• Raygar N. Khailany, 20, a junior residing on Clark Avenue, was issued a citation on North Fess Avenue for illegal consumption.\n• Brandon S. Dewell, 20, a junior residing on Clark Avenue, was arrested on North Fess Avenue and charged with public intoxication and illegal consumption.\n• Eric C. Aurigema, 20, a nonstudent residing in Ohio, was issued a citation in the 10th Street lot for minor consumption.\n• Adam S. Zakutansky, 21, a student residing in Crown Point, Ind., was issued a citation in the 10th Street lot for indecent exposure.\n• Nathan P. Hoyt, 18, a nonstudent residing in Valparaiso, Ind., was issued a citation at 17th Street and Forrest Avenue for illegal consumption.\n• David J. Mann, 17, a nonstudent residing in Valparaiso, Ind., was issued a citation at 17th Street and Forrest Avenue for illegal consumption.\n• Leonard W. Ostrowski, 18, a nonstudent residing in Valparaiso, Ind., was issued a citation at 17th Street and Forrest Avenue for illegal consumption.\n• Shawn Lawson, 24, a student residing in Bloomington, was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated. \n• A University employee reported broken windows in the Law Library. Estimated damage is $250.\n• A University employee reported vandalism to windows in the Law Building. Estimated damage is $100.\n• Gregory M. King, a nonstudent from Columbus, Ind., reported vandalism to his vehicle while it was parked at Assembly Hall Parking Lot. Estimated damage is $150.\n• Jerremy C. Deckard, 21, a junior residing in Nashville, Ind., was arrested at Cottage Grove and Woodlawn Avenue for disorderly conduct and criminal mischief.\n• Patrick L. Williams, 18, a freshman residing in Eigenmann Hall, was arrested at Assembly Hall for battery by bodily waste, disorderly conduct and resisting law enforcement.\n• Adam Cookerly, 19, a freshman from Danville, Ind., was arrested at the Radio and TV Building for theft and disorderly conduct.\n• Piyamas Gomolvilas, a sophomore residing on South Fess Avenue, reported vandalism to her vehicle while it was parked in the Library lot. Estimated damage is $400. \n•David A. Martin, 19, a sophomore residing on North Jordan Avenue, was arrested at Walnut Grove and 17th Street for disorderly conduct and criminal mischief.
(09/12/00 6:19am)
The whole day had an eerie, foreboding feel to it.\n I awoke Sunday morning, as many students did, to find a light rain outside my window and thick, gray clouds that would only darken as morning turned to afternoon. I realized I had fallen asleep the night before with both my stereo and my light on. It was the kind of day when half of you wants to up-and-away, out of the confines of your room and campus, and the other half wants to just climb back under the safety of a bedspread.\n And, of course, neither I nor anyone else had any idea how much IU, Bloomington and in fact, the entire state would change in a matter of hours.\nMy parents had JFK's assassination, the March on Washington and Neil Armstrong's trip to the moon. Their parents had Pearl Harbor, D- and V-days and Franklin D. Roosevelt's death.\nI have The Day Bobby Knight Was Fired.\nAlong with Tiananmen Square, the fall of the Berlin Wall and a few select other dates, I have Sept. 10, 2000, as a "Where were you the day … ?" day.\nI heard about the infamous news conference on the radio around 11 a.m. The word shot through my dorm and around campus at light speed. In my TV-less room, I could only wonder for a moment how big this all was going to get, and then shrug and go about my day. I wrote a story for Monday's IDS; I did homework. In the quiet enclave of Teter, all seemed normal. It was, I suppose, my own little eye of the swiftly growing hurricane outside.\n I, the naive out-of-stater (just west of Chicago), was foolishly oblivious to the fact that a Napoleon-sized empire was toppling about me.\nI headed out to storm-watch with my own eyes about 7 p.m. What I saw, standing on Jordan Avenue across from the Musical Arts Center, stopped me mid-step. A helicopter hovered menacingly overhead. Sirens screamed. The deep gray of the skies had been replaced by a red glow and smoky clouds seemed to race up from the horizon, sweeping northward, as if all of southern Indiana was afire.\nIt looked like the Apocalypse.\nI joined a small group of people running down the drive to President Brand's House. All the lampposts that guide me along my normally peaceful walk to the heart of campus were dark. But torches blazed around a fuzzy outline of the president's house. I couldn't even get close enough to see the police. I made my way quickly to the newsroom.\nA newsroom in the middle of a crisis is a thing to behold. So-and-so was heading out to the riot. So-and-so just got back from Assembly Hall and was gaspingly recounting a story about people knocking lights and signs down. Sixteen empty pizza boxes were stacked high next to the garbage can. \nWithin the next hour the doors to Ernie Pyle Hall were locked because of safety concerns, a parade of protesters marched down Seventh Street and the editorial board took a vote on whether Knight's firing was fair. After heated debate, the vote came out: 12-11 that the firing was fair. \nI went back to my little computer station, shaking my head, and started calling random numbers on campus for student reactions. \nSophomore Aaron Smith gathered with five of his friends in his Ashton dorm room to follow the action. Smith said he was sympathetic to President Myles Brand's side of things. "I think (Brand) had several valid points," Smith said. "I think the stuff he was saying was reasonable and understandable. Knight crossed a variety of social barriers."\nSmith is from Washington, D.C. An out-of-stater like me ' which makes me wonder who's more nutso: the Knight fanatics who threatened to quit, transfer, withdraw support, etc., or we non-native Hoosiers, for not completely understanding or empathizing with what was going on.\nI got back to my room that night around 11, having finished all my interviews and writing. At the newsroom, reporters would toil into the morning hours to chronicle Knight's return to campus. I wondered if it was mere coincidence that Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust," burst through my stereo when I clicked it on. I fell asleep again with my stereo on, closing a day unlike any other day I had experienced at IU, or in my whole almost-two-decades on the planet, for that matter.\nSo … where were you the day Bobby Knight was fired?
