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(10/27/04 10:16pm)
I've heard IU's campus has some sort of parking problem. Individual vehicle sectors, commonly called parking spaces, are in high demand and short supply. Students must often promise away their firstborn children just to obtain parking permits and even then, they are not guaranteed a spot.\nI don't really have any direct evidence of these claims because I don't have a car. I used to have a car, but kid you not, it exploded.\nWell, it didn't actually explode per se, BUT had firefighters not extinguished the fire in the engine, it likely would have. I remember that day well. It was just like any other ordinary day, except for the part where my car's engine caught fire as I was driving.\nIt was a shocking experience, but it wasn't quite the shock of the century as said car had over 200,000 miles on it and often reeked of gasoline. Needless to say, after the fire incident, my poor car would never drive again. God rest its soul.\nSo, I can't cruise around like all the cool kids, but don't pity me. What I lost in transportation I gained tenfold in priceless icebreakers.\n"Hi, nice to meet you. My name is Joanna and my car exploded. Will you be my friend?"\nObviously, I have no firsthand experience with the parking situation at IU. So why don't I offer up a solution for something I know nothing about? It's what everybody else does, right? They don't call me Parking Problem Fixing Sally for nothing.\n(OK, nobody calls me that. But you can start.)\nPerhaps we could begin by reducing the number of cars on campus. If campus drivers mimicked my situation, that would cut down on cars. Upon second thought, that would involve arson, because as we discussed, my car exploded. So let's rule that idea out entirely.\nMaybe we just need more parking spaces. \nThe only viable solution I can see for making more space for parking is to bulldoze an area that we don't need like the Main Library or the Arboretum or the Kelley School of Business. \nNow, I know what you're thinking. This idea is a little bit radical and it has just one major flaw: Bulldozing is expensive. Not only that, to get rid of the aforementioned structures, explosives might have to be used. I don't think the University has enough extra funds set aside to blow up the business school.\nInstead of the University adding more spaces, we could cut down on driving with public transportation. But I've observed a large number of students already take the bus. It seems like every day I have to fight my way through a crowd of bus zombies along E. Seventh Street. They wait in long lines for that one blessed bus that drives them to sweet, sweet freedom or ... wherever. Their eyes gaze dreamily ahead, likely envisioning the bus as it pulls up to the stop in all its radiant, diesel-fueled glory. \nOnce the bus arrives, I become a salmon swimming upstream against the tide of students hungry for public transport, starving for that one beautiful chance to board the bus.\nI can see why the bus is so popular. Besides resolving the need for a parking spot, the bus is much like a huge limousine you can share with strangers.\nI prefer walking myself. Because it's easy! I've been doing it for many years now and I've developed somewhat of a knack for it. I can walk like nobody's business. Boy howdy.\nMore than 600 words later I still haven't managed to come up with any kind of constructive solution for the parking dilemma. We've determined that arson is bad, explosives aren't cost-effective, the bus is awesome and I get the gold medal for walking. But what of the eternal crapshoot that is finding a place to park on campus? What can I say? Parking Problem Fixing Sally has failed you.
(10/18/04 4:13am)
A cliché wouldn't be a cliché if it didn't roll off the tongue with ease and make absolutely no literal sense. But one particular cliché cuts into my soul and makes me feel a distinct twinge of guilt every time I hear it.\n"Live each day as if it were your last."\nLet's stop and evaluate everything I did today. I went to class. I ate a sandwich. I did my Spanish homework. I checked my e-mail. And that was my last day to live? Oops.\nThat particular saying makes me feel as if I've been squandering away the precious gift of life, and perhaps that is its intention. But what exactly am I supposed to be doing? Should I run naked through the streets and scream, "Woohoo! I love life! And I love you, random stranger! Give me a hug!?"\nI was under the impression that kind of behavior gets you arrested. But maybe that's just me.\nSome people might defend the saying as a motto for their lifestyle, but the rest of us who aren't crazy hippies and happen to be a little more jaded have to realize that anyone who utters that saying is a bigger hypocrite than a dentist in a candy store.\nLive each day like it will be your last? That's horrible advice! If I acted as if today were my last day on Earth, you know where I would end up tomorrow? I would be in prison. How about you?\nIf everyone pretended they only had one day left to live, chaos would ensue. Everyone would be running around trying to live life to its fullest within 24 hours. No one would go to work. And society would essentially come to a halt. For heaven's sake, the mail would not be delivered! All members of the postal service would be running naked through the streets screaming, "Give me a hug, random stranger!" \nWe can't live like that.\nIt's Monday. What would you do if today was your last day to live? \nI wouldn't go to class. But if everyday is supposed to be my last day, I would never go to class. I would never graduate from college. I would never get a job and I would be a societal leech. But we would all be leeches, living together in a yellow submarine, and that can't be a good thing.\nIf I had only one day to live, I would give away and/or spend all of my money. But then I would be broke the next day. I would have to rely only on the spare change I received from running naked through the streets hugging random strangers.\nAny motivational speaker who tells you to live each day as if it were your last is essentially an anarchist. I've come to decide that every piece of beautiful clichéd advice is pushing a secret agenda.\nBelieve in yourself? Propaganda. It's what's on the inside that counts? Propaganda. C'est la vie? French propaganda. Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive?" Propaganda Fest 1979.\nI say don't mindlessly repeat these maxims as some trench coat-wearing evil genius sits back, stroking his cat and saying, "Look at those fools! While they're all so busy believing in themselves and seizing the day, I am one step closer to world domination." Then he laughs maniacally.\nI don't want to feel guilty because every day is not one big, crazy fiesta. I took a nap instead of hitting a piñata. I ate some pudding instead of sky diving. I read a book instead of stealing a car. Is that so wrong?\nHow can we so easily forget the words of little orphan Annie? Assuming there are no nuclear holocausts or solar explosions, "the sun'll come out tomorrow." Next time you want to carpe that diem, stop and remember that Daddy Warbucks loves you even if all you did today was check your e-mail.
(10/11/04 4:28am)
My youth and my well-being are for sale. You know what I get in return for giving away such cherished treasures? Minimum wage.\nI, like most everyone, am a slave to The Almighty Dollar. The Dollar says, "Jump!" I say, "How high, Mr. Dollar, sir, and would you like a waffle cone with that?"\nYou see, I work at an ice cream store. I can honestly say the only reason I scoop ice cream is because I get paid to do it. Sometimes I make a sad puppy face when I realize huge chunks of my time are devoted to other peoples' dessert, rather than enjoying the few seconds left of my youth as they slip away like sands through the hour glass.\nIt's times like these when Paul McCartney reminds me of something very important: Money can't buy me love. It can, however, buy me a burrito, which is what I spent all of my tips on the other day.\nLet me take you on a tour of the dark, sinister underbelly of dairy confections.\nPeople are very serious about their ice cream. You should hear the screaming and whining when there is a shortage of cake batter, a popular flavor, especially among the female Greek demographic. Check out this SAT analogy: Sorority girl is to cake batter ice cream as junkie is to heroin.\nFood service jobs have their own special hellish niche. If you've ever worked at a venue that sells edible things, you feel my pain.\nWhile I'm speaking of pain, customers always ask, "Do your hands/arms get tired?" It can be awkward when we tell them the truth. A coworker of mine once candidly said, "Sometimes it makes me wish I didn't have hands."\nWith all my scooping of rock hard, frozen ice cream and squeezing bottles of fudge, I can't help but wonder if I've unknowingly purchased a one-way ticket to Tendonitis Town. While it may sound like a fun spring break destination, I've looked at the brochures, and it's no Cancun.\nAt the start of my ice cream career, I developed my own special variation on tennis elbow. I dubbed it ice cream claw, a disfiguration making me somewhat resemble a velociraptor.\nBesides health side effects, dealing with the general public is any food job's major downfall. A phenomenon often occurs when Joe Customer is presented with choices. His brain simply shuts down. His glazed-over eyes stare blankly ahead and a line forms behinds him.\nMy remedy to this mental phenomenon is to only offer one flavor of ice cream. But I fear my ideas are too revolutionary.\nAlmost as bad as John Q. Public are the ridiculous rules and protocol. I will never forget the day my manager from a previous job pulled me aside to inform me, with a grave tone, that my uniform khaki pants just weren't quite khaki enough.\nThey say these jobs build character. Combining my food service experience, I should have enough to build a life-size replica of the Taj Mahal completely out of character - kind of like Legos, but wiser and with fewer plastic pieces.\nBesides stocking up on the character, I need to buy burritos. And I don't want to wander the streets with a trash bag full of aluminum cans going by the alias of Ashtray McMurphy and returning to my home under a bridge.\nYou might react to my whining by saying, "You're lucky to have a job," or "There are jobs out there that are a million times worse than vending creamy treats."\nYou know what I say to that? Yeah, yeah, yeah.\nAt this point, baffled by my shameless attitude, you stand up on a chair and sing, "You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have the facts of life, the facts of life .."
(10/04/04 4:46am)
My fellow Americans, I watched the presidential debate last week (if for no other reason than the fact that Jim Lehrer is such a hottie). As I watched, it was blazingly obvious that our entire system of government has become more bipartisan than the Olsen twins. (Well, assuming Mary-Kate and Ashley have opposing platforms on foreign policy.)\nThird party members in elected office are few and far between. For years Republicans and Democrats have been running the country like peanut butter and jelly, chocolate and vanilla, cats and dogs, Joanie and Chachi -- never mind.\nIt seems that the term bipartisan has a negative connotation these days. Some might see it as being limited to only apples or oranges when maybe no one wants a fruit elected to office, anyway. With many voters feeling forced to choose between "the lesser of two evils," it doesn't seem like the voice of the people is actually represented. In that sense, democracy has failed.\nFret not, I have a solution. Currently each voting-eligible citizen gets one vote and it can be used for one candidate. What if we changed that?\nWe could use a variation on the voting process called the Borda Count Method. The method involves assigning point values to each candidate. The candidate with the most points would still win, but constituents wouldn't have to feel like a third party vote is a vote down the garbage disposal.\nFor example, Lefty McLefterson could assign three points to Nader, two points to Kerry and only one point to Bush. Or maybe we could just switch it to rock-paper-scissors. \nTo actually change the voting process would be a difficult task to say the least. I could try writing a letter to one of our members of Congress, convincing him or her to love my new voting agenda as the bill-worthy cause that it is, or in the words of political analyst 50 Cent, "like a fat kid loves cake." \nAnd if that didn't work, I would have to be elected to Congress, pat my head while simultaneously rubbing my stomach, argue a lot and sacrifice the blood of a virgin to the god of ratification. Quite frankly that's a lot to get done in time before the election. \nBut what if I did somehow change the way we vote? My new method where your hand represents various office supplies is a bit more complicated than the current process and I know what you're thinking. Looking back on 2000's election, it's obvious the State of Florida would not be allowed to vote anymore.\nAfter the last "election" I was reminded of a cartoon where Bugs Bunny sawed off Florida from the mainland U.S. and said something along the lines of, "South America, you can have it!" That's not a bad idea. Florida is such an awkward peninsula.\nI've decided the most efficient way to solve this dilemma is for Florida and Puerto Rico to swap statehood status. Puerto Rico becomes a state and Florida becomes a commonwealth. We don't have to add any stars to the flag and I can only assume the Puerto Ricans will be more skilled at rock-paper-scissors than elderly people driving Le Sabres and golf carts. Everybody wins!\nThe only foreseeable issue with the swap I can think of is the necessity for a few slight alterations to the script of "West Side Story," but other than that it should be smooth sailing. \nOnce Florida is no longer a real state, Michael Eisner could be the governor for all we care. It's really not our problem anymore.\nSo if you've been looking for where to point your finger in response to our narrowly constricted bipartisan sate, point it southeast to the Sunshine State. If we can't blame Florida, maybe it's Canada's fault or maybe El Niño in conjunction with Michael Eisner ... -- God bless America.
(09/30/04 5:54am)
Two IU sophomores share a vision of creating and starring in their own TV show. Colin Jorgensen and Katie Calahan have been dreaming up the idea for a new show, but they don't have to wait years to break into showbiz.\nIU Student Television started broadcasting 24-hours-a-day last week. With all the air-time to fill, the station is accepting proposals for new show ideas year-round. Anyone with a show idea can submit a proposal and work toward its realization.\nCalahan and Jorgensen were waiting to audition as newscasters for the IUSTV news program when they came up with a concept for their own show.\n"We were just joking around at first because we weren't sure about the formula of the current news format, so we made up our own," Calahan said.\nJorgensen, co-creator of the idea, described the program as a "reality TV morning show with guests."\nTheir goal is to create an audience for the show by getting as many students involved as possible, whether it be through having guests or talking to people on campus. The show would cover everything from student opinions to cooking segments.\n"For example, dorm denizens might learn to make things from a coffee maker," Jorgensen said.\nDespite enthusiasm for the initial idea, the show creators anticipate many challenges in following through with their plans. Finding the time to put together a pilot can seem impossible to weave around busy schedules. \nAnother important issue with developing a new program is assuring that the show will not die after the creators graduate. But Calahan has confidence in the longevity of the program because of the flexibility of its genre.\n"There's not really a set formula. It can change and grow," Calahan said.\nExecutive Director of Programming for IUSTV, Laura Hilker, also an Indiana Daily Student staff writer, assures program creators that television experience is not mandatory. \n"Nine times out of 10, the people we receive pilots from don't have any television background and just come to us with a proposal in hand and no other inkling of how to get it started," Hilker said.\nIdeal student shows are innovative, have staying power, aren't too risqué in content and don't cost a fortune to produce, Hilker said.\nAside from various student news broadcasts, IUSTV only has two student produced shows: "Hoosier Date?" and "Cruise Control." \nHilker said she anticipates an increase in student-produced programming for the coming year.\n"We just need some diligent, committed souls to help make that a reality," Hilker said.\nDetails for submitting program proposals can be found at www.iustv.com. \n-- Contact staff writer Joanna Borns at jborns@indiana.edu .
(09/27/04 4:19am)
With scorpions comes venom. And with venom come neurotoxins. And with all of that comes glory.\nLast week Nur Malena Hassan, a Malaysian woman, reclaimed the world record for staying in a locked glass case with 6,000 scorpions for more than 32 days.\nThat is the most valiant testament to the endurance of the human spirit that I have ever heard, or rather, it would be if it didn't sound so much like an episode of "Fear Factor."\nHassan, also known as "The Scorpion Queen," lived in a 12-by-10 foot cage (about the size of my dorm room) where she was able to read and watch TV. Not too shabby digs -- well, except for the scorpions. \nStaying in a refined space filled with thousands of aggressive arachnids is not only dangerous and pointless, it's mainly just creepy. A doctor was kept on hand for the potentially fatal stunt. Hassan had built up a scorpion venom tolerance, but if she were to be stung more than three times in rapid succession, she would pass out. Pining for a world record is one thing. However, there is a term experts use to describe acts involving deadly risk taken for no good reason whatsoever. It's called "stupid."\nBelieve me, I'm the last person who wants to rain on a Malaysian scorpion parade, but where do we draw the line between hero and lunatic?\nWhen I hear about all the different world records out there, I'm filled with a sense of awe, but mostly I just wonder, don't these people have lives? It's amazing to see the kind of records that have been set, including "farthest marshmallow nose blow," "most number of hand amputations from the same arm," and "longest time spent actually watching 'Fear Factor' without stabbing one's eyes out." Obviously, the opportunities for great human achievement are many.\nBut getting chummy with predatory stinging creatures is one of the worst conceivable ideas for an achievement ever. If TV and movies have taught me anything at all, it's that the more times you get stung by something, say a scorpion for instance, the closer you are to becoming a freaky half-scorpion-half-human beast. Before you know it, you're repopulating the world with mutant scorpion babies bent on chaos and destruction. But I digress. \nHassan has been receiving ample publicity and support for her stunt. The record breaking feat was sponsored by a biscuit company. If that's not a brilliant marketing move, I don't know what is. Think of the slogan possibilities. "Gonna be in a tank of scorpions for a while? Grab a biscuit."\nAmidst the publicity, I can't help but feel that the scorpions have been exploited. Shouldn't People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, commonly known as PETA, have something to say to all this world record business? The Scorpion Queen chose to put herself in with her subjects, but the scorpions had no choice in the matter. Who will speak for the disenfranchised scorpions?\nI do feel a little guilty for belittling an act that obviously took a lot of courage, discipline and all of the qualities we tend to admire. I just think those qualities could be put to better use fighting fire, gang busting, saving babies, going to the moon, helping old ladies cross the highway or killing Carrot Top. Let's say you're documented as the brave soul who chilled the longest with a bunch of creepy crawlies. So what? At least "Fear Factor" contestants get money.\nI suppose I shouldn't be criticizing creepy-thing aficionados. I have to summon my best Uma Thurman mentality, "Kill Bill" style, just to get up the nerve to smash a cockroach. But I guess if it weren't for world record seeking whackos risking their lives, the normal people of the world would have nothing to talk about.
(09/20/04 4:29am)
It's likely that my future unborn children will resent me for the rest of their not-yet-existent lives. But I'm OK with that because they are going to be child prodigies. I am going to live vicariously through them and they are going to like it.\nMy mother once speculated that maybe I would be smarter if I hadn't fallen down the stairs when I was a small child. My parents seemed satisfied when I developed motor skills, but I think I should've been handed a musical instrument as soon as I emerged from the womb, if not sooner.\nWith the advancement of medical technology, I'm hoping my children will be proficient in at least one musical instrument before they've reached the third trimester. I started learning how to play the clarinet when I was in the fourth grade, but had I been a fetus, think about how much better I would be today!\nLittle chilluns are never daunted by a challenge. They haven't yet been jaded by this cruel, cruel world. That's why they all hold hands and sing, "We are the world, we are the children." They aren't scared of failing. And that's why the essence of youthful exuberance should be milked for all that it's worth.\nMy frustration is rooted in the beginning guitar class I'm taking this semester. Maybe that fateful staircase fall is to blame for this, but when I was a youngster, I just said, "Wheee, music!" I never once considered the painstaking challenge that is mastering an instrument.\nNow I look at the guitar and I see a finite math problem gone horribly awry. Taking into consideration the seemingly infinite combination of notes, chords, fingerings and strumming patterns, the probability of me ever fully understanding this piece of wood is zero. I should've started guitar before I even knew the meaning of the word "probability."\nI'm old. It's too late for me. But maybe there's hope for my children. If they grow to be musical geniuses, some of my chromosomes will be able to share in the glory. I'll take what I can get.\nLet's face it, just because you're a talented musician doesn't mean you're rolling in the bucks. (And vice versa.) So my kids will have to be smart too, really smart. And by really smart, I mean really successful. And by really successful, I mean having a nice economic cushion for Mommy to rest upon during her twilight years.\nI don't want to end up in a third-rate nursing home being fed generic pudding and being told that it's crème brûlée (which is my plan for my folks.) \nI'm sure there will be times I have to motivate my children by saying, "The more you achieve in life, the more money you will make, and the more money you make, the more Mommy will love you."\nMaybe you think they'll end up in therapy for years because Mommy pushed them too hard. But perhaps you're missing out on the big picture here. They'll be able to afford the pricey therapy bills.\nOf course there's always the possibility that the overbearing mother will be shunned from her children's lives forever. In that case, I'll just write them out of my will. Granted they may not need what's left of my petty estate, but they'll realize they never would've been so successful had I not robbed them of their childhood.\nIn the meantime, while I'm not spawning little Beethovens to release into the world, I can struggle along with my guitar in vain. If you ever see an inspirational poster, perhaps with a picture of a puppy on it, that says something uplifting like, "Don't take your failure out on your children," buy it. You know who needs it.
(09/13/04 4:12am)
I spent my weekend just like every average college student, trying to figure out if seafood really is the answer to achieving world peace.\nIt all started with something my mom told me. She likes to give me highly interesting media factoids, keeping me updated on important headline news such as a cow having triplets or random scientific "breakthroughs." If you're like me, while you respect science and innovation, you see some scientific studies to be about as necessary as a Spice Girls reunion tour.\nBut recently my mom mentioned something that made me question if my pet goldfish had a higher calling. She told me about new research that showed eating fish decreases hostility.\nFish eaters were said to be 20 percent less hostile than non-fish eaters. Besides wondering how it was possible to quantify hostility, I was 83 percent curious about findings that imply a homicidal maniac could be singing "Kumbaya" and cuddling kittens if he would just eat more salmon. \nI had so many questions. If this is true, shouldn't rioters be treated to a fish dinner along with their tear gas? And why do arguments always break out during the family reunion fish fry? Boxers supposedly eat high protein food such as fish, yet Evander Holyfield is missing part of his ear.\nWhat does fish possess that decreases aggression? Black magic? No, but very close. Fish contains the secret ingredient: docosahexaenoic acid. Try to pronounce that. I will be referring to it as DHA because that's what the scientists do, probably because they can't pronounce it either. In the health world, DHA is like ambrosia or the best thing since penicillin. It's a kind of Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid, a vital component of brain tissue. I checked, and we do not have a chapter of Omega-3 here at IU, though I could've sworn I walked past it on Third street.\nI discovered approximately a zillion different studies on DHA and its health benefits. Low DHA levels have been linked to heart disease, depression and even low IQ. Studies on how DHA decreases hostility have been performed on children, prison inmates and elderly Thai subjects. Perhaps scientists were trying to develop a fish-based, angry-elderly-Thai-person repellent. But why?\nI also found a study claiming DHA increases serotonin and dopamine levels in rats. Low levels of serotonin in the brain are linked to depression, suicide and violence. You know what else increases serotonin and dopamine levels in the brain? Drugs. So basically, I'm concluding that fish makes you high. The fact that rats are now dancing around in their cages with glow sticks and bad techno music is more than just a breakthrough.\nAmidst the overwhelming plethora of DHA studies, it was nearly impossible to find any conclusive results that could be related to everyday life. As I continued to research, words were getting increasingly longer until I stopped comprehending completely. There comes a point where the dictionary can no longer save you. I've found that in times of extreme science, the dictionary just looks over at you and says, "You're on your own." I suppose when your dictionary starts talking it's time to give up.\nIt is frustrating that the only people out there who can refute scientific findings are those who have actually studied science extensively. What that means for the rest of us, especially the journalists, is that we have to take a little less advice from Tom Smykowski of the movie "Office Space". I promise you, my "Jump to Conclusions" mat is going in the garbage.
(08/26/04 4:00am)
Afriend and I were contemplating an age-old introspective question that everyone has to ask themselves at one point in life: If given the opportunity, which cereal cartoon mascot would you want to hook up with?\nFor me, it's Toucan Sam. The British accent gets me every time. But my fantasies were suddenly disrupted when my friend, being a heterosexual male, informed me that he had no potential lovers to choose from. All the cereal mascots, even the questionably effeminate Frankenberry, share an animated Y chromosome. It seems the cereal aisle at your local grocery store is a boy's club. Aside from the spunky granny who enjoys Golden Crisp, my friend was out of luck when looking for breakfast time love.\nI hit the grocery store to be certain. When walking down the cereal aisle, the question popped up. Where my girls at?\nBut there was hope. Perhaps the gender roles of breakfast weren't totally askew. It suddenly hit me like a ton of oats. There was a cereal company out there with the image of a strong female role model on all of its products. The face of former first lady Barbara Bush graces every container of Quaker Oats.\nOr so I thought until I checked up on some facts and realized it was impossible, unless Barbara found a rift in the delicate fabric of the space-time continuum.\nBelieve it or not, the likeness of the Quaker Oats man was established in 1877 and Barbara Bush wasn't even born until 1925. I regret to inform you that Mrs. Bush and the Quaker Oats man are actually different people altogether. Shockingly, good ol' Barbie doesn't endorse any breakfast products at all.\nThe lack of females in the cereal world inspired me to do some research. The sad thing is, I knew even before hitting Google that there would be at least one Web site, if not many, solely dedicated to cereal characters. The internet is a wondrous thing. Thanks, Al Gore.\nMy internet escapade led me to the shocking discovery that in the beginning of the 20th century, a girl named The Sweetheart of the Corn represented Kellogg's Corn Flakes. Today, the cereal's mascot is a rooster, not even a non-gender-specific chicken, but a rooster. Last time I checked, roosters are never female.\nMaybe the cereal aisle hasn't always been a total testosterone fest. Sure, females have made appearances over the years, but they've never been lasting front runners. \nWhy does breakfast need animated spokescharacters anyway? The answer is simple: The marketing ray gun is pointed at children. Both young boys and girls eat cereal represented by male characters. If a cereal had a female mascot, it might be viewed as a strictly girlie cereal.\nIt is possible that young girls relate more easily to both genders and cereal advertisers want to seduce as many children as they can. It is also possible that the birth of a cereal character is an artistic vision and its gender is beyond the control of its creator.\nFortunately, no one ever said cereal was an accurate representation of the real world. If it were, we'd be telling children that stealing is acceptable as long as you're stealing delicious cereal. It appears that the characters were never designed to be role models. I wouldn't want my child going "cuckoo for Coco Puffs" like some sort of coke fiend.\nWhen I was a little girl, was the lack of females at breakfast time a vehicle for sexism that subconsciously slanted my perception of my role in society? It's doubtful, but I'd sleep a lot easier if Barbara Bush had her own cereal.
(04/30/04 3:03pm)
Freshman Evanne Kelley is a devoted fan of the Lafayette-based ska band The Malcontents. She tries to attend every show, especially when the band hits Bloomington. And if the 19-year-old is too young to actually get inside the bar to hear them play, she faithfully waits outside in support. \n"She's come to shows and stood outside because she wasn't old enough to get in," lead guitarist Toby Russell says. "This was a big influence on our decision to try to play a lot more all-ages shows."\nSociety has concocted a label for this brand of diehard fan -- "the groupie." This seems a fitting title for Kelley until her true associations with the band become known.\n"They're all really good friends of mine," Kelley says.\nKelley has been friends with many of the band members since high school, even before The Malcontents became an idea scribbled on a sheet notebook paper in class. \n"She's helped us promote shows, done some street team work in Bloomington and helped peddle merchandise," Russell says. \nAnother role Kelley has taken upon herself is that of publicist.\n"I help them flyer and get the word out," she says.\nSome of the perks of being a member of the band's inside circle include free shows, traveling with the band and free hotel rooms. Despite these luxuries, Kelley says the only motivation for her assistance is pure friendship.\nEvery startup band could use a little help from its friends, or girlfriends for that matter. Sophomore Liz Pendley started helping out the Anderson-based "post-hardcore-indie-rock" band, Where Planes Go Down, when she began dating guitar player Eric Farrell.\nOne of her duties was to set up for shows. On one occasion she carried amplifiers and other heavy equipment even after she had an appendectomy. The doctor's warning against heavy lifting actually applied for once, as this is when Pendley's roll shifted from fan to roadie.\n"The chick with the weight limit should not be lifting your amp," Pendley says.\nBeing a band girlfriend or a roadie can require a lot of dedication. Pendley recalls one of the most strenuous band trips she embarked upon.\n"We drove four hours to set up, play three songs, tear down and leave," she says.\nDespite all of the hard work of dating a band member, it's not all back-breaking labor. Memories are often made at the most random places -- including Waffle House.\n"We would all order random food and sit around laughing and talking and having the best time," Pendley says.\nSome other perks Pendley enjoyed were free band paraphernalia and free shows. Pendley actually earned free shows for life by purchasing cranberry juice with her meal points for drummer, Chris Nealis.\n"She gets free shows, I get good urinary-tract health," Nealis says.\nThe band web of love extends further as Nealis is currently dating freshman Christine Noland. Noland is a roadie girlfriend as well.\n"I felt really weird when I was first helping," Noland says. "But I knew the cords needed to be wound up."\nNoland never signed a contract mandating that band girlfriends meet an equipment setup quota. She's merely the type of person who, upon observing a task needing done, will simply do it.\n"I actually would rather do something than just sit there," Noland says.\nThis attitude gained Noland a vast knowledge of how to set up a sound system. She now knows more about the setup than most of the actual band members.\n"It's funny that I know what to do and they don't," she says.\nNealis, who is in charge of the sound setup, never even demonstrated to her how to hook it up.\n"I've shown all the band members at least 20 times and I've never shown her," Nealis says. "She knows how to do it in every aspect."\nNoland's sound equipment savvy actually got the band out of a potentially sticky situation at one show. There was a problem with the current sound setup and many of the other bands and fans were getting surly. The entire arrangement needed to be changed and set up with different equipment in between a set. Noland jumped right in and the task was done in record time.\n"Like lightening, she saved the day," Nealis says. "If not for her, things would've gone sour."\nThese girls go above and beyond the title of "groupie." To them, it's not just about swooning over hot band members and offering them certain "benefits." They like the music, but they provide something which a crazy, cheering crowd could never give -- a helping hand and a shoulder to lean on.
(04/29/04 4:00am)
Freshman Evanne Kelley is a devoted fan of the Lafayette-based ska band The Malcontents. She tries to attend every show, especially when the band hits Bloomington. And if the 19-year-old is too young to actually get inside the bar to hear them play, she faithfully waits outside in support. \n"She's come to shows and stood outside because she wasn't old enough to get in," lead guitarist Toby Russell says. "This was a big influence on our decision to try to play a lot more all-ages shows."\nSociety has concocted a label for this brand of diehard fan -- "the groupie." This seems a fitting title for Kelley until her true associations with the band become known.\n"They're all really good friends of mine," Kelley says.\nKelley has been friends with many of the band members since high school, even before The Malcontents became an idea scribbled on a sheet notebook paper in class. \n"She's helped us promote shows, done some street team work in Bloomington and helped peddle merchandise," Russell says. \nAnother role Kelley has taken upon herself is that of publicist.\n"I help them flyer and get the word out," she says.\nSome of the perks of being a member of the band's inside circle include free shows, traveling with the band and free hotel rooms. Despite these luxuries, Kelley says the only motivation for her assistance is pure friendship.\nEvery startup band could use a little help from its friends, or girlfriends for that matter. Sophomore Liz Pendley started helping out the Anderson-based "post-hardcore-indie-rock" band, Where Planes Go Down, when she began dating guitar player Eric Farrell.\nOne of her duties was to set up for shows. On one occasion she carried amplifiers and other heavy equipment even after she had an appendectomy. The doctor's warning against heavy lifting actually applied for once, as this is when Pendley's roll shifted from fan to roadie.\n"The chick with the weight limit should not be lifting your amp," Pendley says.\nBeing a band girlfriend or a roadie can require a lot of dedication. Pendley recalls one of the most strenuous band trips she embarked upon.\n"We drove four hours to set up, play three songs, tear down and leave," she says.\nDespite all of the hard work of dating a band member, it's not all back-breaking labor. Memories are often made at the most random places -- including Waffle House.\n"We would all order random food and sit around laughing and talking and having the best time," Pendley says.\nSome other perks Pendley enjoyed were free band paraphernalia and free shows. Pendley actually earned free shows for life by purchasing cranberry juice with her meal points for drummer, Chris Nealis.\n"She gets free shows, I get good urinary-tract health," Nealis says.\nThe band web of love extends further as Nealis is currently dating freshman Christine Noland. Noland is a roadie girlfriend as well.\n"I felt really weird when I was first helping," Noland says. "But I knew the cords needed to be wound up."\nNoland never signed a contract mandating that band girlfriends meet an equipment setup quota. She's merely the type of person who, upon observing a task needing done, will simply do it.\n"I actually would rather do something than just sit there," Noland says.\nThis attitude gained Noland a vast knowledge of how to set up a sound system. She now knows more about the setup than most of the actual band members.\n"It's funny that I know what to do and they don't," she says.\nNealis, who is in charge of the sound setup, never even demonstrated to her how to hook it up.\n"I've shown all the band members at least 20 times and I've never shown her," Nealis says. "She knows how to do it in every aspect."\nNoland's sound equipment savvy actually got the band out of a potentially sticky situation at one show. There was a problem with the current sound setup and many of the other bands and fans were getting surly. The entire arrangement needed to be changed and set up with different equipment in between a set. Noland jumped right in and the task was done in record time.\n"Like lightening, she saved the day," Nealis says. "If not for her, things would've gone sour."\nThese girls go above and beyond the title of "groupie." To them, it's not just about swooning over hot band members and offering them certain "benefits." They like the music, but they provide something which a crazy, cheering crowd could never give -- a helping hand and a shoulder to lean on.
(04/15/04 7:08pm)
If you want to learn to spin and scratch vinyl, find out how to get started as a DJ and get tips for working parties and clubs, then DJ Tom Slick (otherwise known as senior Lane Jones) is the man to see this Friday in the Willkie Auditorium.\nJones is no stranger to hip-hop, having scoped out the club scene in 1995 hoping to enter it by learning how to break dance. He had no idea that once he met DJ Topspeed, an event that effectively changed the course of his life, he would be spinning records rather than spinning on his head. \nAs Jones says simply of Topspeed, "He's phenomenal."\nOnce Jones realized break dancing involved too much aerobic exercise and broken bones for his taste, Topspeed encouraged him to try his hand at the turntable.\n"One day he had a pair of turn tables and a mixer that he said he'd give me for $20, just to start out," Jones says. "So I said, 'Why not?' He also gave me a lot of records -- the newest and hottest stuff."\nJones never planned to take his spinning skills beyond closed doors, but Topspeed pushed him into the party scene and he's been a disc jockey in the Bloomington area since 2002. In 2003, he co-founded GrooveTech Productions, a Bloomington-based group of DJs.\nGTP, along with the Hip Hop Congress, the CUE Project and the Asian Culture Center, will be hosting a DJ workshop Friday at 8 p.m. in Willkie in hopes of bringing a few new hopefuls into the biz. Following the workshop will be a concert by the Himalayan Project, a group of two hip-hop artists. \nNo prior experience is needed to attend the workshop. Jones will be teaching all the basics of DJ'ing such as basic scratching and mixing techniques, timing records and keeping the crowd moving.\nWhy would one want to delve into the illustrious world of the DJ? Will Chu, also known as DJ Will C, co-founder of GTP says, "(DJ'ing) is like playing a musical instrument, but you're always playing for a crowd. You can play what you want. It's fun and performance at the same time, but it's not as involved as playing a violin."\nChu became interested in the craft when he first heard the melodic beats of trance music, a subgenre of electronic dance.\n"Trip-trance really interested me, but it's only played by DJs," Chu says. "Basically, I heard some music I liked and found out you have to DJ it."\nChu decided to take his love for electronic music to the turntables and share it with the world. He was a "bedroom DJ," practicing on his own for two years before he took his spinning public. Because of the lack of a trance scene in Bloomington, he switched over to hip-hop.\nWith the DJ scene in Bloomington, one has to wonder, how much dough can one rake in by rotating vinyl?\n"It really depends on how good you are and where you play," Chu says. "You start out at house parties making about $50-$100 and it keeps going up."\nAccording to Chu, the average DJ will start out playing friends' parties and then move on to clubs and bars, playing for next to nothing. The trick is making your name well-known. \n"There's really no limit to where you can go once you get known," Chu says. "The big names can get $25,000-$40,000 for one night." \nThe jackpot comes from making your way into the rap music industry.\n"Doing beats for famous rappers can make you really rich," Chu says.\nKen Chen, also known as DJ Sleeper, is a student who recently picked up the skills of the DJ trade, learning under the wing of DJ Will C. Ken Chen also works as a advertising designer at the Indiana Daily Student Chen started learning the ways of the DJ in November. His first party was this past January, but his biggest challenge so far has been money.\n"It's so expensive to get started," Chen says.\nChen started saving money to buy equipment a year in advance. He added on to his set with the money he received from playing parties. \n"I added on one piece of new equipment with every party," he says.\nDespite the high entry fee to start down the path of spinning vinyl, being a DJ has its benefits. The person behind the turntables sets the musical blueprint of the dance floor, providing the musical force that commands people to rise from their seats and essentially bust a move. With so many different techniques and styles of music, the mission of a DJ is one that is well rounded, just like the records they spin.
(04/15/04 4:00am)
If you want to learn to spin and scratch vinyl, find out how to get started as a DJ and get tips for working parties and clubs, then DJ Tom Slick (otherwise known as senior Lane Jones) is the man to see this Friday in the Willkie Auditorium.\nJones is no stranger to hip-hop, having scoped out the club scene in 1995 hoping to enter it by learning how to break dance. He had no idea that once he met DJ Topspeed, an event that effectively changed the course of his life, he would be spinning records rather than spinning on his head. \nAs Jones says simply of Topspeed, "He's phenomenal."\nOnce Jones realized break dancing involved too much aerobic exercise and broken bones for his taste, Topspeed encouraged him to try his hand at the turntable.\n"One day he had a pair of turn tables and a mixer that he said he'd give me for $20, just to start out," Jones says. "So I said, 'Why not?' He also gave me a lot of records -- the newest and hottest stuff."\nJones never planned to take his spinning skills beyond closed doors, but Topspeed pushed him into the party scene and he's been a disc jockey in the Bloomington area since 2002. In 2003, he co-founded GrooveTech Productions, a Bloomington-based group of DJs.\nGTP, along with the Hip Hop Congress, the CUE Project and the Asian Culture Center, will be hosting a DJ workshop Friday at 8 p.m. in Willkie in hopes of bringing a few new hopefuls into the biz. Following the workshop will be a concert by the Himalayan Project, a group of two hip-hop artists. \nNo prior experience is needed to attend the workshop. Jones will be teaching all the basics of DJ'ing such as basic scratching and mixing techniques, timing records and keeping the crowd moving.\nWhy would one want to delve into the illustrious world of the DJ? Will Chu, also known as DJ Will C, co-founder of GTP says, "(DJ'ing) is like playing a musical instrument, but you're always playing for a crowd. You can play what you want. It's fun and performance at the same time, but it's not as involved as playing a violin."\nChu became interested in the craft when he first heard the melodic beats of trance music, a subgenre of electronic dance.\n"Trip-trance really interested me, but it's only played by DJs," Chu says. "Basically, I heard some music I liked and found out you have to DJ it."\nChu decided to take his love for electronic music to the turntables and share it with the world. He was a "bedroom DJ," practicing on his own for two years before he took his spinning public. Because of the lack of a trance scene in Bloomington, he switched over to hip-hop.\nWith the DJ scene in Bloomington, one has to wonder, how much dough can one rake in by rotating vinyl?\n"It really depends on how good you are and where you play," Chu says. "You start out at house parties making about $50-$100 and it keeps going up."\nAccording to Chu, the average DJ will start out playing friends' parties and then move on to clubs and bars, playing for next to nothing. The trick is making your name well-known. \n"There's really no limit to where you can go once you get known," Chu says. "The big names can get $25,000-$40,000 for one night." \nThe jackpot comes from making your way into the rap music industry.\n"Doing beats for famous rappers can make you really rich," Chu says.\nKen Chen, also known as DJ Sleeper, is a student who recently picked up the skills of the DJ trade, learning under the wing of DJ Will C. Ken Chen also works as a advertising designer at the Indiana Daily Student Chen started learning the ways of the DJ in November. His first party was this past January, but his biggest challenge so far has been money.\n"It's so expensive to get started," Chen says.\nChen started saving money to buy equipment a year in advance. He added on to his set with the money he received from playing parties. \n"I added on one piece of new equipment with every party," he says.\nDespite the high entry fee to start down the path of spinning vinyl, being a DJ has its benefits. The person behind the turntables sets the musical blueprint of the dance floor, providing the musical force that commands people to rise from their seats and essentially bust a move. With so many different techniques and styles of music, the mission of a DJ is one that is well rounded, just like the records they spin.
(04/14/04 4:36am)
Imagine sitting in a boat out in the middle of Lake Monroe for eight-and-a-half hours, focusing on one task -- holding a fishing rod and waiting for a fish to bite.\nThis is exactly what the IU Bass Fishing Club did Saturday in the final showdown of the season against Purdue for the Old Minnow Bucket.\nBy the end of the tournament, the team reeled in more than 15 pounds of fish -- enough to make more than four batches of traditional Belizean fish stew, feed a killer whale for a third of a day or add up to the weight of a large Shih Tzu. \nStill, despite the club's 15-pound feat, Purdue brought in more than 30 pounds of bass to retain the Minnow Bucket for another year. But for IU's bass club, a day spent fishing is never a bad day.\n"We had fun," said club President Matt Morgan. "It was a good day on the lake. The fish just didn't cooperate."\nTwenty of IU's best fishermen were selected by a point system based upon club participation to compete against Purdue's top 20.\nThe tournament for the Old Minnow Bucket -- bass fishing's equivalent to football's Old Oaken Bucket -- takes place each spring. The event is hosted each year by the Indiana Bass Federation and Skeeter Boats. In addition to providing boats for the tournament, Skeeter Boats awards scholarships, pays for team uniforms and helps plan the event. This year, the Hoosiers were hoping the home-lake advantage would be enough to bring the bucket home.\n"When the tournament's at home, we know what the fish are doing, where they are and what they're biting," Morgan said.\nBut a lack of time for practice on Lake Monroe for some of the team members left IU on the lighter side of the fish scale.\n"We need to work on getting our guys out on the lake," Morgan said. "There's a big difference between lake fishing and pond fishing."\nMother Nature can be another deciding factor in a team's performance this time of year, as fishermen can be left guessing the weather from one day to the next. And the fishermen aren't the only ones who notice the climactic changes. The temperature of the water affects a fish's activity and metabolism. For instance, rain cools down the water, and, as a result, the fish don't bite as often.\nDespite all of these challenges, the club didn't finish the season skunked, managing to win a tournament against Wabash College last September and finishing first in the Big Ten Classic in October. The club's successes might be testament to the fact that the fishermen genuinely love what they do. \n"I really enjoy the competitive aspect of the sport and feel it is a great way to spend time with your friends," junior Dan Lawson said.\nBut as competitive as the club is, for some members, tournaments take a back seat to the simple pleasures bass fishing offers. \nJunior Tim Fields, like many members of the team, started out fishing with his father at an early age. Despite the loss to Purdue, Fields looks past the sport and focuses on the survival aspect. For Fields, fishing isn't just recreational, it's a life skill.\n"It wasn't about going out and catching the biggest fish," Fields said. "It was more about survival. If I was alone on a pond, could I catch fish and survive."\n-- Contact staff writer Joanna Borns at jborns@indiana.edu.
(03/04/04 5:00am)
It's Friday night, yet the "new release" walls at Blockbuster are bare, and the latest theatrical releases are too average: teen drama, gory horror and a typical tearjerker are all that's currently available. Another option: alternative, or underground films. Finding them just requires a little bit of digging.\nIn order to make the digging easier, a new film series is being introduced to students and community members. The new series "Underground" highlights several independent experimental works by filmmakers using a broad range of styles and techniques. The screenings are at 7 p.m. on various Saturday nights throughout the semester in room 251 of the Radio/TV Center. Films are shown free of charge and parking is ticket-free with an "Underground" flyer displayed on the dashboard.\nThis series will allow the public the opportunity to broaden its entertainment horizons with both classic and contemporary films which won't be showing at local theaters and aren't rentable at Blockbuster. \nMatt Tobey attended the Saturday screening of George Kuchar's films, including "Aqueerius" and "Cattle Mutilations."\n"It's nice to see more alternative movies where you can imagine the people making them, instead of the big Hollywood movies that hardly seem real," Tobey says. "(The experimental films) feel like something you could see yourself doing."\nSophomore Megan Downey attended the screening as well.\n"It's pretty cool that they're doing this," Downey says. "I think it's hard to see movies like this, and I like that it's free."\nThe film series is sponsored by the Department of Communication and Culture. Traci Gibboney, a Ph.D. student and associate instructor in the department, is the principal director, founder and organizer of the series.\n"Our primary objective is simply to open up a venue in which people can view films that they might not normally have access to, and to even potentially build a cohesive community of avant-garde filmmakers and aficionados," she says.\nThe films were selected by a board primarily consisting of graduate students. Each member of the board creates a "wish list" of films to show. Then they sit down and unearth the films to be screened from the master wish list.\n"We narrow it down so that we have a well-balanced schedule that will speak to a wide variety of spectator interests," Gibboney says.\nThe definition of "experimental" is kept broad to include a wide variety of different films.\n"Basically, we're interested in featuring films that are not being released or distributed within more popular or mainstream theaters," Gibboney says. "This could be really transgressive or political films, feminist art films, cult horror films or GLBT-themed films, just to give you a few examples."\nThis Saturday the series is featuring "A Night with Brakhage." Director Stan Brakhage's "Dog Star Man" will be shown followed by a documentary by Jim Shedden about Brakhage and his work.\n"Dog Star Man" is a drama about the creation of the universe. The movie is shot and shown without sound and utilizes what Brakhage referred to as "hypnagogic" qualities: characteristics of cinema which allow one to see images even after the projector has stopped.\nBrakhage is known as a pioneer of experimental film. Some of his techniques include painting and scratching the film. According to Zeitgeist Films, an independent film distribution company, Brakhage produced more than 300 films over the past 50 years. He was a professor at the University of Colorado where his students included Matt Stone and Trey Parker, the creators of "South Park."\nThe series has planned its culmination with a "Local Experimental Filmmakers Night," set to take place on April 24. This will showcase films directed by IU students and members of the surrounding community. The films will be selected by the same board which selected the films in the series. Between then and the films available now, a Saturday nights at the movies may never be the same -- and never be boring.
(03/04/04 3:28am)
It's Friday night, yet the "new release" walls at Blockbuster are bare, and the latest theatrical releases are too average: teen drama, gory horror and a typical tearjerker are all that's currently available. Another option: alternative, or underground films. Finding them just requires a little bit of digging.\nIn order to make the digging easier, a new film series is being introduced to students and community members. The new series "Underground" highlights several independent experimental works by filmmakers using a broad range of styles and techniques. The screenings are at 7 p.m. on various Saturday nights throughout the semester in room 251 of the Radio/TV Center. Films are shown free of charge and parking is ticket-free with an "Underground" flyer displayed on the dashboard.\nThis series will allow the public the opportunity to broaden its entertainment horizons with both classic and contemporary films which won't be showing at local theaters and aren't rentable at Blockbuster. \nMatt Tobey attended the Saturday screening of George Kuchar's films, including "Aqueerius" and "Cattle Mutilations."\n"It's nice to see more alternative movies where you can imagine the people making them, instead of the big Hollywood movies that hardly seem real," Tobey says. "(The experimental films) feel like something you could see yourself doing."\nSophomore Megan Downey attended the screening as well.\n"It's pretty cool that they're doing this," Downey says. "I think it's hard to see movies like this, and I like that it's free."\nThe film series is sponsored by the Department of Communication and Culture. Traci Gibboney, a Ph.D. student and associate instructor in the department, is the principal director, founder and organizer of the series.\n"Our primary objective is simply to open up a venue in which people can view films that they might not normally have access to, and to even potentially build a cohesive community of avant-garde filmmakers and aficionados," she says.\nThe films were selected by a board primarily consisting of graduate students. Each member of the board creates a "wish list" of films to show. Then they sit down and unearth the films to be screened from the master wish list.\n"We narrow it down so that we have a well-balanced schedule that will speak to a wide variety of spectator interests," Gibboney says.\nThe definition of "experimental" is kept broad to include a wide variety of different films.\n"Basically, we're interested in featuring films that are not being released or distributed within more popular or mainstream theaters," Gibboney says. "This could be really transgressive or political films, feminist art films, cult horror films or GLBT-themed films, just to give you a few examples."\nThis Saturday the series is featuring "A Night with Brakhage." Director Stan Brakhage's "Dog Star Man" will be shown followed by a documentary by Jim Shedden about Brakhage and his work.\n"Dog Star Man" is a drama about the creation of the universe. The movie is shot and shown without sound and utilizes what Brakhage referred to as "hypnagogic" qualities: characteristics of cinema which allow one to see images even after the projector has stopped.\nBrakhage is known as a pioneer of experimental film. Some of his techniques include painting and scratching the film. According to Zeitgeist Films, an independent film distribution company, Brakhage produced more than 300 films over the past 50 years. He was a professor at the University of Colorado where his students included Matt Stone and Trey Parker, the creators of "South Park."\nThe series has planned its culmination with a "Local Experimental Filmmakers Night," set to take place on April 24. This will showcase films directed by IU students and members of the surrounding community. The films will be selected by the same board which selected the films in the series. Between then and the films available now, a Saturday nights at the movies may never be the same -- and never be boring.
(02/05/04 5:00am)
Caroline Scott, a sophomore, admits she wouldn't go to theatres to see the first "Lord of the Rings" movie until a friend forced her to. She says the world of fantasy entertainment was not of any interest to her.\n"Complete peer pressure is how I was first introduced," Scott says. "It didn't look that interesting. I'm not a big sci-fi/fantasy person. I watch it more for the relationships of the characters."\nAfter viewing the entire "LOTR" trilogy, Scott claims to be a fanatic of the series and is now reading the books by J.R.R. Tolkien.\nAccording to a press release by New Line Cinema, "Lord of The Rings: Return of The King" internationally grossed 42 percent ahead of "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers." With the latest movie of the series doing so much better at the box office than its predecessor, it appears people who dress up as hobbits and wizards aren't the only ones flocking to the theatres in search of an escape into a different world.\nFantasy genre entertainment looks to be escaping its classification as "dorky" and is finding its niche in mainstream popular culture as attitudes are evolving.\nFreshman Jenn Lockridge is among the new wave of fantasy enthusiasts.\n"I thought it looked stupid from commercials," she says of 'LOTR.' But after viewing the movies, she says she just couldn't get enough and has since read the entire series.\nTolkien's 'LOTR' stories are but one stop on the journey of fantasy fiction. Another immensly popular tale is J.K. Rowling's 'Harry Potter' series which, despite its youthful slant, is not only being read by elementary school children. The latest book of the series, 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," broke all selling records at Barnes & Noble Booksellers during its release last June.\nFreshman Karen Green was recently inspired to read the books because of the increased attention they have received.\n"So many people have made such a huge thing out of it," she says. "I'm kind of jumping on the bandwagon, which is something I don't usually do."\nShelly Vingis, a Barnes & Noble employee, says the store has experienced an increase in sales of fantasy fiction, especially the "LOTR" triology and the "Harry Potter" series.\n"'Lord of the Rings' is a big hit, especially since the movie came out," Vingis says.\nAfter reading popular books such as "LOTR" and "Harry Potter," customers often come in looking for something similar. Vingis says the store's fantasy fiction section has experienced a large increase in the last few years, growing in size and selection.\nOther fantasy books that are becoming more popular include "Manga," a book form of Japanese anime, and "The Forgotten Realm." \nBooks and movies are not where the quest for adventure stops. Fantasy genre entertainment takes on a three dimensional form in what is known as role playing. IU Live Action is a role playing club which hosts different live action role playing games in which members dress up in costumes and interact as their characters.\n"It is a creative outlet for people interested in theater, writing, history, critical theory, etc," says Alyc Helms, a three-year member of the club.\nThe club started with less than a dozen players, and over the past three years membership has grown to over 60 regular players. The club's membership has been increasing alongside the rising popularity of fantasy movies and novels. \n"There is truth to the popular assumption that (role playing) often is associated with an interest in fantasy and the fantastic," Helms says.\nWhile role playing contains elements in common with movies and literature, it is uniquely its own field of entertainment.\n"We aren't just echoing the events of 'LOTR' or 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer,' we're envisioning new stories that reference those works," Helms says.\nShanna Johnting has been a member of IU Live Action for two years. As a fan of fantasy literature and cinema, the club allows her to escape into another world on a level beyond reading or watching a movie.\n"I've always been a big fan of film, particularly the rash of fantasy films that came out in the late 1980s -- 'Legend,' 'Labyrinth' and 'The Dark Crystal,' for example," she says. "An organization that focuses on telling stories of the fantastic appeals to me greatly."\nFor more on IU Live Action, visit http://mypage.iu.edu/~ahelms/changeling.htm.
(02/05/04 12:33am)
Caroline Scott, a sophomore, admits she wouldn't go to theatres to see the first "Lord of the Rings" movie until a friend forced her to. She says the world of fantasy entertainment was not of any interest to her.\n"Complete peer pressure is how I was first introduced," Scott says. "It didn't look that interesting. I'm not a big sci-fi/fantasy person. I watch it more for the relationships of the characters."\nAfter viewing the entire "LOTR" trilogy, Scott claims to be a fanatic of the series and is now reading the books by J.R.R. Tolkien.\nAccording to a press release by New Line Cinema, "Lord of The Rings: Return of The King" internationally grossed 42 percent ahead of "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers." With the latest movie of the series doing so much better at the box office than its predecessor, it appears people who dress up as hobbits and wizards aren't the only ones flocking to the theatres in search of an escape into a different world.\nFantasy genre entertainment looks to be escaping its classification as "dorky" and is finding its niche in mainstream popular culture as attitudes are evolving.\nFreshman Jenn Lockridge is among the new wave of fantasy enthusiasts.\n"I thought it looked stupid from commercials," she says of 'LOTR.' But after viewing the movies, she says she just couldn't get enough and has since read the entire series.\nTolkien's 'LOTR' stories are but one stop on the journey of fantasy fiction. Another immensly popular tale is J.K. Rowling's 'Harry Potter' series which, despite its youthful slant, is not only being read by elementary school children. The latest book of the series, 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," broke all selling records at Barnes & Noble Booksellers during its release last June.\nFreshman Karen Green was recently inspired to read the books because of the increased attention they have received.\n"So many people have made such a huge thing out of it," she says. "I'm kind of jumping on the bandwagon, which is something I don't usually do."\nShelly Vingis, a Barnes & Noble employee, says the store has experienced an increase in sales of fantasy fiction, especially the "LOTR" triology and the "Harry Potter" series.\n"'Lord of the Rings' is a big hit, especially since the movie came out," Vingis says.\nAfter reading popular books such as "LOTR" and "Harry Potter," customers often come in looking for something similar. Vingis says the store's fantasy fiction section has experienced a large increase in the last few years, growing in size and selection.\nOther fantasy books that are becoming more popular include "Manga," a book form of Japanese anime, and "The Forgotten Realm." \nBooks and movies are not where the quest for adventure stops. Fantasy genre entertainment takes on a three dimensional form in what is known as role playing. IU Live Action is a role playing club which hosts different live action role playing games in which members dress up in costumes and interact as their characters.\n"It is a creative outlet for people interested in theater, writing, history, critical theory, etc," says Alyc Helms, a three-year member of the club.\nThe club started with less than a dozen players, and over the past three years membership has grown to over 60 regular players. The club's membership has been increasing alongside the rising popularity of fantasy movies and novels. \n"There is truth to the popular assumption that (role playing) often is associated with an interest in fantasy and the fantastic," Helms says.\nWhile role playing contains elements in common with movies and literature, it is uniquely its own field of entertainment.\n"We aren't just echoing the events of 'LOTR' or 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer,' we're envisioning new stories that reference those works," Helms says.\nShanna Johnting has been a member of IU Live Action for two years. As a fan of fantasy literature and cinema, the club allows her to escape into another world on a level beyond reading or watching a movie.\n"I've always been a big fan of film, particularly the rash of fantasy films that came out in the late 1980s -- 'Legend,' 'Labyrinth' and 'The Dark Crystal,' for example," she says. "An organization that focuses on telling stories of the fantastic appeals to me greatly."\nFor more on IU Live Action, visit http://mypage.iu.edu/~ahelms/changeling.htm.
(11/21/03 5:13am)
A Mexican rattle crafted from a donkey's jaw is an example of the instruments that examine the cultural meaning portrayed by an instrument's design in "Cultural Resonance: Interpreting Musical Instruments," an exhibit at the Mathers Museum at 416 N. Indiana Ave. \nThe exhibit emphasizes the major impact music has had on daily life all over the world throughout history. Each instrument visually tells a story of its origin and use.\n"I'd like the exhibit to inspire some introspection," Sunni Fass, the curator of the exhibit, said."For people to use the exhibit to think more closely about their own culture and the ways they express different cultural influences in their daily lives." \nFass is a graduate student in Folklore and Ethnomusicology. The exhibit serves as her master's thesis. Fass said her greatest challenge was turning the museum's open lobby into an exhibit.\n"I had to find ways to transform the space and make it visually interesting enough so that people would want to pause and explore," she said.\nAn instrument is definitively a tool for producing music, but its structure can provide insight into the culture in which it was produced, the text on the exhibit said. An instrument's appearance can reveal religious symbols, cultural statements and the resources available in a region.\n"If musical instruments were only a means to a sonic end, their creators wouldn't pour so much of their effort into making them aesthetically beautiful," Fass said.\nThe instruments on display are identified by three categories of culture: everyday life, social change and mythology and religion.\nA drum from the Congo, depicting parasite removal in its ornamentation, exemplifies a utilitarian musical use. Its rhythm is supposed to create healing music. A focal point of the exhibit is a large Victorian parlor organ from 1888 that was carted around the country via covered wagon.\nAn instrument on display that falls under the religious category is a Tibetan trumpet made from human bone used for summoning evil deities. The bones used to make the trumpets preferably come from a virgin male who died a violent death. \nWhile observing the different instruments, one can learn why bag pipes are plaid or discover the secret life of an Aboriginal didgeridoo.\nSocial changes are reflected in the instrument designs as well. Afghani bells on display are adorned with ancient symbols that can be traced back to Mesopotamia, while other bells from the region display the 7-Up logo. \n"(It is) a testament to the power of modern marketing of American consumer goods," Fass said.\nExhibits for the museum are selected by the Exhibits Committee, which looks for criteria such as subject matter that appeals to the museum's audience and promotes knowledge of the world's cultures. \n"We have an extensive collection of musical instruments and we like to select exhibits that showcase that," Chair of the Exhibits Committee Elaine Gaul said.\nTwenty-eight of the exhibit's instruments come from the museum's own ethnomusicology collection. Three of the instruments were personally loaned by Fass.\nFreshman Liz Shapiro visited the exhibit as part of her Introduction to World Music and Culture class.\n"I learned a lot about the different types of materials and ways instruments can be used," Shapiro said. "I had to write a paper over one of the instruments on display, and that helped also. I think it was a very cool exhibit."\nThe exhibit is on display now through Dec. 21. Admission is free.\n--Contact staff writer Joanna Borns at jborns@indiana.edu.
(11/06/03 5:55am)
Freshman Marisa Churchill broke it off with her boyfriend of one month after arriving in Bloomington. Her now ex-boyfriend attends college in Grayslake, Ill.\n"It was very stressful for me to leave home and I didn't want the pressure of a relationship on top of that," Churchill said.\nLike Churchill, most college students don't think romantic long-distance relationships will work. A 1996 study sponsored by Carnegie Mellon University showed 66 percent of college students in long-distance relationships believed the relationship would not last through the academic year.\nTo the unassuming observer, it would appear that the pool of long-distance hopefuls that arrived at IU this fall is shrinking by the second, but amidst the flurry of breakups there are still optimistic students who see a future for their relationship.\n"Long-distance relationships take work, but I still think it can be done," said freshman Joanna Totten.\nTotten's boyfriend of three months attends school in San Lorenzo, Calif. Totten expects the time apart to strengthen their relationship. \n"He's still my best friend and my boyfriend, and I don't think that will change," she said.\nDespite certain fatalist views of long-distance relationships, studies show distance does not influence the success of a relationship. A study from the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships shows the breakup rates of long-distance relationships in college lasting up to 12 months are not significantly different than the breakup rates of non-long distance relationships.\nStudents seeking advice for their long-distance relationships are often freshmen, or "fresh people," as Nancy Buckles, director of the IU Health Center's Counseling and Psychological Services, likes to refer to them.\nStudents in long-distance relationships who utilize the Health Center's counseling services are often starting to question their relationship. Counselors help students look at the pros and cons of their situation. If they decide circumstances will not allow the relationship to continue, counselors can help students look at ways to end it.\nBuckles said many students want to remain long-distance friends when the romantic element has been cut out, but it's usually an ineffective alternative. \n"I won't say it never works, but it's very difficult," Buckles said.\nBuckles said a key part to maintaining the relationship is for the couple to enjoy each other's company. Tension can arise if over-analysis of the situation is attempted right away. \n"Don't try to talk too much on the first night," Buckles said, giving a couple advice about spending a long weekend together after being apart.\nAbigail Hulin is a freshman who enjoys long weekends with her boyfriend. Her boyfriend of five months recently attended boot camp in San Diego, Calif. During boot camp, he was only allowed to correspond through letters.\n"The toughest thing was not being able to see his face or hear his voice," Hulin said.\nHulin attributes much of the relationship's success to trust. \n"Believe them and have faith in what they say," she said.\nDespite the challenge, Hulin is not worried about the future and is confident their relationship will last.\n"I know that I'm going to be with him for the rest of my life," she said. "It's not like it's going to be long distance forever."\n-- Contact staff writer Joanna Borns at jborns@indiana.edu.