173 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
(04/14/13 8:50pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Amidst the buzz of clippers and the hum of blow dryers at Hoosier Barber Shop, IU Health and Osman Chiropractic Center offered free public health screenings Saturday. The tests included spinal screenings, lipid panels, blood pressure, diabetes, hepatitis C and HIV tests. Bloomington is one of 12 Indiana cities participating in the Black Barbershop Health Outreach Program, a statewide initiative to promote health education in the African-American community. Screenings were also offered at the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center.“Research has shown that the African-American male population has a higher incidence of disease and health issues,” Nancy Woolery, health projects manager for the Community and Family Resources Department, said. The Community and Family Resources Department and the Commission on the Status of Black Males presented the program for the third year in a row.Woolery said the barbershop setting encourages the African-American community to get tested while in a social environment.“Barbershops in the African American population tend to be a social setting,” she said.Jay Thompson, owner of the barbershop, enthusiastically chatted with the customers flowing into his establishment. He laughed and listened as he deftly trimmed their hair. But when he had a spare moment between customers, he sat down and got tested by IU Health personnel.Licensed practical nurse Lorie Conolty strapped the blood pressure monitor to his arm. A collage of pictures detailing different haircuts hung above her head. Thompson said reaching out to the male population about health is important.“We don’t take care of ourselves,” he said. “We sit around watching the game and then we die at half-time with a beer in our hands.”Thompson added that offering the screenings in a barbershop made the atmosphere more comfortable for participants.“If you’re in the barbershop and you see another guy getting his blood pressure tested, you say ‘hey, that’s not so bad,’” he said.As he cut customer Mark Pointer’s hair, he did just that.“Jump in there, don’t be scared,” he said. Beverly Smith, vice chair of the Commission on the Status of Black Males, said offering free health screenings had a personal connection.“Let’s put it this way. I am the sister, the daughter, and the friend of African-American males,” Smith said. “Their health and prosperity is very important to me. Just the health of the entire community is very important to me.”The response of the recipients of the health tests was great, she added.“It’s been very positive and they are surprised that we could offer that for free,” she said.Conolty said she loved working with the local community. “I think there’s always a need for health care,” she said. “I like preventative types of health care, catching something before it leads to a bigger problem.”Next time, Thompson thinks the health screenings should be in a larger venue. He envisions barbershop chairs set up in the mall. “Free haircuts with your test,” he said.The Community and Family Resources Department and the Active Living Coalition will also present free health screenings to the public May 18th at the B-Line trail.
(04/09/13 4:45am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>When Kai Tang drives around campus, he points out the cars he has sold. “That’s my customer, that white Audi,” he said, tilting his head to catch a better glimpse as he drove down Third Street.Tang is a 2012 IU alumnus and international student who started working as a sales consultant at Royal on the Eastside last fall. A Chinese flier at the dealership advertises his ability to speak English, Mandarin and Cantonese.“When I see a luxury car like Audi, first I would take a look at the drivers,” Tang said. If the driver happens to be Asian, he said, he’ll quickly scan the back of the license plate frame, looking for his company name. Most of the time, he said, the car is from Royal because the dealership has a large customer base with international students. Tang has proved to be a valuable asset at the dealership because of his ability to communicate with international and local customers, his colleagues said.“He sells more than just to the students. He sells to everybody,” Royal on the Eastside General Sales Manager Chris Pernatoni said. “The customers love him.”Before Tang was hired, Perantoni said there were sometimes difficulties in communicating with international students, who form a significant portion of their clientele.“I think we got through most communication problems, but sometimes it would take longer for some clients than others,” Perantoni said. “I think one of the things they prefer is obviously that we have someone who speaks their language.”He estimates the dealership sells about 110 new and used cars a month. International students account for 10 to 15 percent of sales, he said.“And that number seems to be growing,” he said.Sometimes, he said, international students who buy a car will return with a group of friends. They become regulars, he said.“They will pull me aside and say, ‘I like the fact that you treat us with respect and you seem like you appreciate our business,’” Perantoni said. “ And I say, ‘well of course I do. You guys are a big part of our business.’ Some of these students come in with quite good budgets, and they really seem to enjoy our line of high-line vehicles.”Sophomore Alvin Zhan is an international student from Zhejiang province in China. He purchased an Audi A7 from Royal last September, before Tang was hired.The car rung up to $60,000, he said.He marveled that the price was significantly cheaper than he would have paid in China, he said.The Audi A7 on the United States Audi website starts at $60,100. The Chinese website has the Audi A7 Sportback, the Chinese equivalent, for about $112,000.Tang explained the difference in market structures in the two countries contributes to the wide discrepancy in pricing. China also has a higher vehicle tax than the U.S.Zhan said he wishes he had been able to speak to a salesperson like Tang when he bought the car. Instead, he brought a group of friends to help him with his questions for the salesman.“They have lots of experience, so they help me to communicate with them,” he said.Many of his friends who are international students also have high-end cars, he added. He rattled off a list: BMW, Mercedes Benz, Range Rover, Nissan GT-R, Maserati. “Maybe the Asian people drive a lot of the famous cars, because, you know, once you can get to America to study, maybe your family has a lot of money.” he said. Some of Zhan’s friends contacted Royal for help in getting these luxury lines of cars, he explained, as they aren’t available locally.Perantoni said Royal receives these request occasionally and will try to order the specific car directly from the manufacturer.“They all seem to have unique budgets,” he said. “We remember the ones that spend the most money, obviously, because they all buy cars that we can only dream about.”For example, one international student came in a few years ago and wrote a $150,000 check for two cars, a Mini Cooper R54 and an Audi TT, he said. Then he ordered a pink Mini Cooper for his girlfriend.The dealership even has a program with Volkswagen and Audi called the Foreign College Student Plan, which allows customers to purchase a car without a social security number if they have documentation such as a visa or verification they are a student, he said. Although the FCSP website lists a social security card as a requirement, Perantoni said a letter explaining the international student cannot obtain a social security number can substitute.“It does allow us to stretch their budgets a bit better,” Perantoni said. Stephens Hyundai has a similar program: the Corporate Sponsor Program. The CSP allows students’ families back home to finance the car without worrying about social security numbers, Hyundai sales manager Randy Bush said.International students, mostly from Asian countries, make up about 15 percent of their sales, he estimates.While some students are looking for a low-cost vehicle for transportation, others will “buy a $38,000 vehicle without the blink of an eye,” Bush said.Bush said the Hyundai dealership would love to have a consultant like Tang with the ability to communicate with their international customers.“It’s fantastic for business, because you want the client to feel comfortable,” he said. “We have dictionaries and all that, but having that person who has been speaking the language since birth is more like talking to a friend as opposed to a salesperson.“Tang’s Occupational Practical Training Visa has allowed him to work in the U.S. for a year after graduation. Pernatoni said he has been trying to apply for a longer-term H-1B work visa for Tang.“We’re aggressively trying to help to keep him here as long as possible,” Perantoni said. “There are some pretty hefty costs that we are willing to pay.”Tang said he would love to continue working with the international students who come through the dealership, putting his trilingual skills to practice. “The job is challenging, but I really like it, and I want to keep working here as long as possible,” he said.And as long as Tang is there to explain horsepower in English, Mandarin and Cantonese, the dealership will be able to meet the demand of international students who are attracted to luxury vehicles at lower American prices.“Our family prepared for this fact,” Zhan said. “We know America is car country.”
(04/08/13 1:04am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market opened Saturday with an array of fresh produce, flowers and local music at Showers Common. New to this year’s market is a program called “Market Match: Double Market Bucks Program.” Because of a $20,000 grant from a private foundation, the market is offering to double the worth of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program food stamps when exchanged for Market Bucks. SNAP provides food assistance to low-income families and is designed to raise the nutritional level of these households. Market Bucks can be used like cash to purchase from the farmers’ market vendors. “We are very excited,” Market Master Robin Hobson said. “It helps to provide access to fresh and local foods to more members of the community.”The exchange program will cover up to $18 worth of SNAP benefits, equal to $36 Market Bucks.“We had a really good turnout,” Farmers’ Market Leader Crystal Ritter said as she manned the Market Match booth. “We had a long line of people this morning.”The program will run until the grant is completely used, which Ritter estimates will last the entire market season and perhaps run into the next season.The opening of the market season also brought back many returning vendors, like McCullough Farms.The McCullough family has been coming to the market since 1988, Brandon McCullough said as he stood next to his grandparents and their truck loaded with sweet potatoes.The McCulloughs will also sell sweet corn in the summer, he explained — the variety of produce at the market will increase as the season continues.He added that it was a pretty good turnout for the first market of the season, and he enjoyed interacting with the customers.“I like the relationships we form,” McCullough said. “We get a lot of repeat customers. People really like to have that connection with the person selling them their food.”Bloomington resident Victoria Bledsoe said she comes to the market to socialize and buy local, organic foods. “The food here is way better,” she said. “It’s not shipped across the country.”Meanwhile, right next door in City Hall, the Department of Community and Family Resources, IU Health Bloomington and the Monroe County Health Department sponsored free health screenings and educational information in honor of Public Health Week.“We wanted to do an event to promote to the community what public health is,” Nancy Woolery, Department of Community and Family Resources Health Projects manager, said. “I think a lot of it is preventative care. We like to have people have these screenings just in case there is a problem so we refer them to their doctor.”Next week’s market will feature “Energy Synergy: Sustainable Energy and You” from 9 a.m. to noon April 13 at Showers Common.Hobson said with 140 vendor applications for this year, she looks forward to a successful market season.“The market goes on through rain or shine, April through the end of November,” Hobson said.
(04/05/13 3:02am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Franklin Community High School teacher Don Wettrick doesn’t normally wear glasses, but that’s about to change.Wettrick and his innovations class of juniors and seniors have been selected to receive Google Glass, a tiny voice-activated computer that is worn like a pair of glasses.There are 8,000 recipients who were chosen to beta-test the new technology after applicants were required to submit a 50-word testimony as to how they would implement the new device’s features into their respective lifestyles.“I’m more excited for my students,” Wettrick said. “This is a game changer. Just like the iPhone turned out to be more than just a gadget. Just how Twitter turned out to be more than just a way for Kim Kardashian to tweet about how she looks. It’s going to be like that for Google Glass.”Wettrick’s innovations class applied for Google Glass on the last possible day, he said. With a 15-second video and 140 characters, the class explained why they deserve the Glass.“#ifihadglass I would let my students discover all the uses of glass & collaborate w/ other schools worldwide,” Wettrick’s tweet read.Last Friday, ProjectGlass tweeted back, inviting Wettrick to the #glassexplorers program.“I got really excited. I just basically screamed and jumped up and down,” said Briceson Hill, a junior and self-described “tech-head” in the innovations class.He said the class is already his favorite part of the school day. But, the chance to test out the Glass makes the class even better.“It’s pretty crazy,” Hill said. “Google, in my opinion, is one of the best companies out there. Getting to work with them, then testing out the Glass, is just insane.” Wettrick said the class is already based on a method similar to Google’s “20 percent time,” where employes are allotted 20 percent of their time to pursue their own projects. Each student in his class has autonomy to concentrate on projects they are passionate about, Wettrick explained. These projects have ranged from increasing adoptions at a local animal shelter to working with an advertisement developer in Beijing. Likewise, Wettrick said he will allow the students to choose how they want to use the Google Glass — as long as they use it to the best of their abilities and don’t post videos of cats, he said with a laugh. “I think it will give us an even bigger platform to talk about what we do,“ he said. “I think with using Google Glass, since we are going to be among the first in the world, all eyes are going to be on us. We need to deliver.”Hill said he thinks the class has prepared him to experiment with the Glass.“It’s a bit overwhelming, but I think we can handle it,” he said. “Our class is purely based on results.” The class, he said, will try connecting the Glass with their android devices, as well as try Google conferencing with other classrooms.Grant Carlile, a technology teacher at Penn High School in Mishawaka, Ind., and an IU-Bloomington alumnus with a master’s in human computer interaction and design, was also chosen as a recipient of Google Glass. He said he plans to use the technology as an educator. “When you combine the two of us — my knowledge of the lesson plan and the technology of the Glass — it’s a great matchup,” he said.The idea of a wearable computer, he said, is not a new concept. Google augmented reality in the ’80s to see the different computers people have strapped to their heads, he said.But Google Glass marks the beginning of a wearable technology available to everyone, he said.“I think it’s a step in the history books,” he said. “We’ve finally made it to an augmented reality available to the masses.” However, Wettrick and his class will be able to experience Google Glass before it hits the commercial market either later this year or early 2014. The official launch date has yet to be confirmed.For now, Wettrick is waiting to find out when he can pick up the glasses from one of three Google locations — San Francisco, Los Angeles or New York. The eyewear doesn’t come cheap, either. Wetrrick has to shell out $1500 for the Google Glass, but he said he is glad to pay the amount to get the technology in his students’ hands.“When you are given a tool that you don’t know all the capabilities of, and it’s in your hands, that’s exciting,” he said. “That’s powerful education.”
(04/01/13 2:23am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Pregnant women do not have the constitutional right to the control of their own bodies.That is the view Lynn Paltrow, executive director of National Advocates for Pregnant Women, is striving to abolish from the US legal system.Law Students for Reproductive Justice, the Feminist Law Forum and the American Constitution Society brought Paltrow to speak on reproductive justice and the case of Bei Bei Shuai v. the State of Indiana at the Maurer School of Law on Friday.Paltrow said the Shuai case could set the precedent for cases involving pregnant women and fetuses.“The question is will the state of Indiana be the first state to declare itself as one where pregnant women are treated as separate and unequal persons,” Paltrow said.Bei Bei Shaui, an Indiana resident who emigrated from China, is facing charges of murder and attempted feticide after she attempted suicide while pregnant in her third trimester in 2010.Shaui consumed rat poison after learning her boyfriend and father of her baby was married and returning to his estranged family. Friends brought her to the hospital, and Angel Shaui was born on New Year’s Eve. Angel died in Shaui’s arms three days later, and after receiving treatment for lingering depression, Bei Bei was arrested and charged by the state. The case has been delayed, but a new time for the trial has not been set.Jim Spangler, a second-year law student who attended Paltrow’s speech, said the charges are “ridiculous.”“The biggest problem is that it took a behavior that was totally legal and made it illegal because she (was) pregnant,” he said, referring to Shaui’s suicide attempt.Paltrow, who recently published a peer-reviewed study on the arrests of and forced interventions on pregnant women, said these cases are occurring in every region in the country.She calls the concept the “new Jane Crow” laws.“What a new Jane Crow refers to is a system of separate and unequal law for pregnant and fertile women,” Paltrow said. “It relegates them to a permanent underclass status and removes them from the community of constitutional persons.”The feticide statute under which Shuai is charged was a post-Roe state law passed in 1979 that made the fetus a separate victim in crimes against pregnant women that caused her to miscarry or die, Paltrow explained.Thirty-eight states now have similar homicide of a viable fetus or feticide laws she said.“Each and every one of those laws was passed after an event of extreme violence against women,” she said. “They hijack the debate about the violence against women to establishing the treatment of eggs, embryos and fetuses as separate from the women.”Jessica Jackson-McLain, a second-year law student at IU, said Paltrow was very persuasive.“She makes a wonderful point even for people who would traditionally oppose abortion,” Jackson-McLain said. “It’s also about treating women differently just because they are pregnant.”LSRJ will send a group of students to Indianapolis on April 6 for a rally protesting the Bei Bei Shuai case and promoting reproductive justice. The rally will be at 2 p.m. outside of the City-County Building, 200 E. Washington St.“Speak on behalf of Bei Bei Shuai. Speak on behalf of women,” Paltrow said. “Come to the rally on April 6 and demonstrate that you support a culture of life that includes and values the lives of pregnant women, whatever the outcome of their pregnancies.”The rally will take place 2 p.m. April 6 in front of the City Market, 222 E. Market St., in Indianapolis.
(04/01/13 2:21am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>When Dr. Danielle Osterholzer learned a girl born in Mississippi was functionally cured of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, she wasn’t sure she believed the news.But when Osterholzer, an assistant professor of clinical medicine and pediatrics at IU School of Medicine specializing in the prevention of mother to child HIV transmissions, examined the case, she agreed the results were legitimate.“There should be celebrating,” she said. “But I wouldn’t have the expectation that everyone’s going to get cured.”She said there are probably factors in the patient that affected the outcome, such as an immune system that was resistant to the virus. About 1 percent of Caucasians have an HIV-resistant immune system, Osterholzer said. Another contribution to the outcome was the immediacy of the treatment, which could not be easily replicated in most adults infected with HIV.“But it is exciting, and it does give us some glimmer of hope,” she said.The case of the Mississippi girl wasn’t a constructed study, she explained. An HIV infected mother gave birth to a baby girl, without taking HIV medication prenatally. Most HIV transmissions between a mother and child happen at the time of birth, Osterholzer said.“It appears that they treated the child within 30 hours of birth,” she said. “They put the baby on three dosages of the drugs, at dosages used for treatment, even before they knew the infant was infected. Then they just kept the medications going. They never intended the baby to go off medication.”What happened next is mostly unknown. The mother eventually stopped bringing the child to the clinic and quit dispensing the medication for at least a year. “When they tested the child when she returned to care, she didn’t have the virus or the antibodies, so they wondered ‘What is going on?’” she said.Specialized research laboratory tests revealed that the girl was “functionally cured,” Osterholzer said. Functionally cured means that no replicating HIV DNA was found in her system, despite the fact that they could detect low levels of viral RNA and DNA in the child’s blood.The result: widespread media attention of the case and discussion from HIV researchers.“It made a lot of us wonder,” she said. “We don’t normally put the infants on three-drug therapy immediately after birth. It will be interesting to see what we do now. It’s made me think about what I would do in that situation in the future.”In Indiana, children born to an HIV-positive mother not receiving proper treatment have a 25-percent chance of being infected, according to the State Health Department. If the mother is tested and receives treatment during her pregnancy, the risk falls to 1 percent or less, said Dr. Tom Hrisomalos, an infectious disease physician in Bloomington who works with patients affected by HIV/AIDS.Hrisomalos said he is not 100-percent confident in the results of the Mississippi case, as it has not been published for peer review. However, if the results are correct, he said it shows how far AIDS medications have come.“To me that shows that the medicines are incredibly good, and they may cure when given immediately,” he said.He said the immediate treatment might have killed short-lived cells infected by HIV, before the virus transferred to long-living cells, like those in bone marrow. People living with HIV have the virus in long-living cells, so the case won’t result in new treatments for those people, he added.Hrisomalos remembers when he worked at the first HIV clinic in Indianapolis in the ’80s, right before AIDS reached epidemic proportions. Now there are thousands such clinics in the country, he said.“Early on, we saw people get sick and die. Then, there were the first treatments, but they were toxic,” he said. “Now you start seeing cases like this one, with the baby. Hopefully 10 years from now we will being talking about a cure for those long-lived cells.”At Postive Link, a program of IU Health Bloomington Hospital Community Health providing care for AIDS clients in south central Indiana, those types of developments have a personal impact. Emily Brinegar, prevention coordinator for Positive Link, said any new findings about how to treat or prevent HIV are steps in the right direction.She said cases like these spark hope in clients at Positive Link.“The majority of our clients do pay attention,” she said. “Things like that lend to a sense of a promising future.”
(03/31/13 5:40pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>When Dr. Danielle Osterholzer learned a girl born in Mississippi was functionally cured of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, she wasn’t sure she believed the news.But when Osterholzer, an assistant professor of clinical medicine and pediatrics at IU School of Medicine specializing in the prevention of mother to child HIV transmissions, examined the case, she agreed the results were legitimate.“There should be celebrating,” she said. “But I wouldn’t have the expectation that everyone’s going to get cured.”She said there are probably factors in the patient that affected the outcome, such as an immune system that was resistant to the virus. About 1 percent of Caucasians have an HIV-resistant immune system, Osterholzer said. Another contribution to the outcome was the immediacy of the treatment, which could not be easily replicated in most adults infected with HIV.“But it is exciting, and it does give us some glimmer of hope,” she said.The case of the Mississippi girl wasn’t a constructed study, she explained. An HIV infected mother gave birth to a baby girl, without taking HIV medication prenatally. Most HIV transmissions between a mother and child happen at the time of birth, Osterholzer said.“It appears that they treated the child within 30 hours of birth,” she said. “They put the baby on three dosages of the drugs, at dosages used for treatment, even before they knew the infant was infected. Then they just kept the medications going. They never intended the baby to go off medication.”What happened next is mostly unknown. The mother eventually stopped bringing the child to the clinic and quit dispensing the medication for at least a year. “When they tested the child when she returned to care, she didn’t have the virus or the antibodies, so they wondered ‘What is going on?’” she said.Specialized research laboratory tests revealed that the girl was “functionally cured,” Osterholzer said. Functionally cured means that no replicating HIV DNA was found in her system, despite the fact that they could detect low levels of viral RNA and DNA in the child’s blood.The result: widespread media attention of the case and discussion from HIV researchers.“It made a lot of us wonder,” she said. “We don’t normally put the infants on three-drug therapy immediately after birth. It will be interesting to see what we do now. It’s made me think about what I would do in that situation in the future.”In Indiana, children born to an HIV-positive mother not receiving proper treatment have a 25-percent chance of being infected, according to the State Health Department. If the mother is tested and receives treatment during her pregnancy, the risk falls to 1 percent or less, said Dr. Tom Hrisomalos, an infectious disease physician in Bloomington who works with patients affected by HIV/AIDS.Hrisomalos said he is not 100-percent confident in the results of the Mississippi case, as it has not been published for peer review. However, if the results are correct, he said it shows how far AIDS medications have come.“To me that shows that the medicines are incredibly good, and they may cure when given immediately,” he said.He said the immediate treatment might have killed short-lived cells infected by HIV, before the virus transferred to long-living cells, like those in bone marrow. People living with HIV have the virus in long-living cells, so the case won’t result in new treatments for those people, he added.Hrisomalos remembers when he worked at the first HIV clinic in Indianapolis in the ’80s, right before AIDS reached epidemic proportions. Now there are thousands such clinics in the country, he said.“Early on, we saw people get sick and die. Then, there were the first treatments, but they were toxic,” he said. “Now you start seeing cases like this one, with the baby. Hopefully ten years from now we will being talking about a cure for those long-lived cells.”At Postive Link, a program of IU Health Bloomington Hospital Community Health providing care for AIDS clients in south central Indiana, those types of developments have a personal impact. Emily Brinegar, prevention coordinator for Positive Link, said any new findings about how to treat or prevent HIV are steps in the right direction.She said cases like these spark hope in clients at Positive Link.“The majority of our clients do pay attention,” she said. “Things like that lend to a sense of a promising future.”
(03/29/13 8:52pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Pregnant women do not have the constitutional right to the control of their own bodies.That is the view that, Lynn Paltrow, executive director of National Advocates for Pregnant Women, is striving to abolish from the United States legal system.Law Students for Reproductive Justice, the Feminist Law Forum and the American Constitution Society brought Paltrow to speak on reproductive justice and the case of Bei Bei Shuai v. the State of Indiana at the Maurer School of Law on Friday. Paltrow said the Shuai case could set the precedent for cases involving pregnant women and fetuses.“The question is will the state of Indiana be the first state to declare itself as one where pregnant women are treated as separate and unequal persons,” Paltrow said.Bei Bei Shaui, an Indiana resident who emigrated from China, is facing charges of murder and attempted feticide after she attempted suicide while pregnant in her third trimester in 2010.Shaui took rat poison after learning that her boyfriend and father of her baby was married and returning to his estranged family. Friends brought her to the hospital, and Angel Shaui was born on New Year’s Eve. But Angel died in Shaui’s arms three days later, and after receiving treatment for lingering depression, Bei Bei was arrested and charged by the state. The case has been delayed, but a new time for the trial has not been set.Jim Spangler, a second year law student who attended Paltrow’s speech, said the charges are “ridiculous.”“The biggest problem is that it took a behavior that was totally legal and made it illegal because she pregnant,” he said, referring to Shaui’s suicide attempt.Paltrow, who recently published a peer-reviewed study on the arrests of and forced interventions on pregnant women, said these cases are occurring in every region in the country.She calls the concept the “new Jane Crow” laws.“What a new Jane Crow refers to is a system of separate and unequal law for pregnant and fertile women,” Paltrow said. “It relegates them to a permanent underclass status and removes them from the community of constitutional persons.”The feticide statute under which Shuai is charged was a post-Roe state law passed in 1979 that made the fetus a separate victim in crimes against pregnant women that caused her to miscarry or die, Paltrow explained.Thirty eight states now have similar homicide of a viable fetus or feticide laws she said.“Each and every one of those laws was passed after an event of extreme violence against women,” she said. “They hijack the debate about the violence against women to establishing the treatment of eggs, embryos and fetuses as separate from the women.”Jessica Jackson-McLain, a second-year law student at IU, said Paltrow was very persuasive.“She makes a wonderful point even for people who would traditionally oppose abortion,” Jackson-McLain said. “It’s also about treating women differently just because they are pregnant.”LSRJ will send a group of students to Indianapolis April 6 for a rally protesting the Bei Bei Shuai case and promoting reproductive justice. The rally will be at 2 p.m. outside of the City-County Building, 200 E. Washington St.“Speak on behalf of Bei Bei Shuai. Speak on behalf of women,” Paltrow said. “Come to the rally on April 6 and demonstrate that you support a culture of life that includes and values the lives of pregnant women, whatever the outcome of their pregnancies.”
(03/26/13 2:03am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU music professor Daniel Perantoni never has to leave his home to “fuel” his black sedan. He said he can use his iPhone to heat the car from his office and can power the all-electric car with a charging station installed in his garage. The decal on the side of Perantoni’s Nissan LEAF says “zero emission.”“I like the car,” he said. “I love the idea. Going green is quite important to us.”Perantoni is one of a handful of all-electric car owners in Bloomington, but that number might be slowly growing.Don Seader, owner of World Wide Automotive Service, said the abundance of electric vehicles will be directly related to the price of electric batteries and the price of gasoline.“If the price of gas goes up to $5, I think the sales of electric cars will spike,” he said.As of Monday, the average gasoline prices in Indiana were $3.70 per gallon, according to a press release from GasBuddy.Until then, customers buy electric vehicles for their environmental advantages.“The real benefit is the carbon footprint and the low emissions,” Seader said. “Carbon dioxide emissions are directly proportional to the fuel a car consumes.”Chris Perantoni, Daniel’s son and a sales manager at Royal on the Eastside, sold the LEAF to his father about a year ago. “We’re sold out,” Chris Perantoni said. “We’ve sold six since the cars came.”Royal is in the process of ordering more, he said. “I think Bloomington is the perfect town for them,” Chris Perantoni said.While sales have been successful for Royal, Sustainability Coordinator Jacqui Bauer said two electric charging stations the city installed six months ago are not getting much use. “We’ve had just a few hours of usage each month,” she said in an email.The new charging stations, located in Garage Market and Garage Band, are part of a two-year pilot program with Duke Energy. Bloomington was awarded grant money for the stations through Energy Systems Network’s Project Plug-IN initiative, which was awarded American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant funding through the Indiana Office of Energy Development to expand charging infrastructure. “This was a way to allow us to explore how much demand there is for EV charging infrastructure at little cost to the city,” Bauer said. “So far, usage has been pretty minimal.”However, the number of electric vehicles will probably continue to creep up in the future, she said. “If the stations see a decent amount of use, and that use continues increasing, we’ll probably keep them online once the two-year pilot is over,” Bauer said. “At the rate we’re going, I think it’s unlikely we’re going to install additional stations in the near future, but we’ll have to keep monitoring demand.”Daniel Perantoni said he doesn’t use the public charging stations because charging his vehicle in the garage provides him enough energy for trips to town.He said he wishes there were more stations throughout Indiana so the car could run farther distances. Currently, he is limited to a 100-mile radius, he said. He’s leasing the LEAF for now and waiting to see how the technology will develop a few years down the road before he purchases an electric car.Seader said high costs for the new technology deters some customers.“But as technology improves and there are more and more cars, prices will go down,” he said.His business currently offers service to hybrid engines, but electric cars do not need the same services, such as oil checks. “We don’t see a lot of full electric cars, only a few Teslas,” he said. “Basically, we have only had to do tires.”Sean Flynn is the owner of one of those Teslas. Though the car cost him $100,000, in addition to installing a charger in his garage, he says he is happy with his purchase.“I’m pretty green, or trying to be green,” he said. “And it’s a fantastic car.”Flynn installed solar panels at his home in order to create an energy source for his car. He said this compensates for the fuel he would have used with a standard car.“It’s taken another vehicle off the road, so to speak,” he said. Flynn said he worries about the distance his car can travel — “range anxiety,” he called it — but the vehicle is perfect for his 20-mile round trip to work.All he has to do is charge his car overnight, fueling his battery with about 245 miles worth of energy. He could even charge his car using a regular outlet. “But that takes forever,” he said, explaining that it would provide only a few miles of range per hour of charging.Daniel Perantoni agreed that charging his car overnight gives him enough energy for his everyday needs.“It’s a great little car for going around town,” Daniel Perantoni said.And while both car owners believe their electric cars are lacking counterparts on the road, they said they believe the number will increase.“I think I’m part of the minority now, but hopefully not in the future,” Flynn said. “This is the wave of the future.”
(03/26/13 1:49am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU music professor Daniel Perantoni never has to leave his home to “fuel” his black sedan. He said he can use his iPhone to heat the car from his office and can power the all-electric car with a charging station installed in his garage. The decal on the side of Perantoni’s Nissan LEAF says “zero emission.”“I like the car,” he said. “I love the idea. Going green is quite important to us.”Perantoni is one of a handful of all-electric car owners in Bloomington, but that number might be slowly growing.Don Seader, owner of World Wide Automotive Service, said the abundance of electric vehicles will be directly related to the price of electric batteries and the price of gasoline.“If the price of gas goes up to $5, I think the sales of electric cars will spike,” he said.As of Monday, the average gasoline prices in Indiana were $3.70 per gallon, according to a press release from GasBuddy.Until then, customers buy electric vehicles for their environmental advantages.“The real benefit is the carbon footprint and the low emissions,” Seader said. “Carbon dioxide emissions are directly proportional to the fuel a car consumes.”Chris Perantoni, Daniel’s son and a sales manager at Royal on the Eastside, sold the LEAF to his father about a year ago. “We’re sold out,” Chris Perantoni said. “We’ve sold six since the cars came.”Royal is in the process of ordering more, he said. “I think Bloomington is the perfect town for them,” Chris Perantoni said.While sales have been successful for Royal, Sustainability Coordinator Jacqui Bauer said two electric charging stations the city installed six months ago are not getting much use. “We’ve had just a few hours of usage each month,” she said in an email.The new charging stations, located in Garage Market and Garage Band, are part of a two-year pilot program with Duke Energy. Bloomington was awarded grant money for the stations through Energy Systems Network’s Project Plug-IN initiative, which was awarded American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant funding through the Indiana Office of Energy Development to expand charging infrastructure. “This was a way to allow us to explore how much demand there is for EV charging infrastructure at little cost to the city,” Bauer said. “So far, usage has been pretty minimal.”However, the number of electric vehicles will probably continue to creep up in the future, she said. “If the stations see a decent amount of use, and that use continues increasing, we’ll probably keep them online once the two-year pilot is over,” Bauer said. “At the rate we’re going, I think it’s unlikely we’re going to install additional stations in the near future, but we’ll have to keep monitoring demand.”Daniel Perantoni said he doesn’t use the public charging stations because charging his vehicle in the garage provides him enough energy for trips to town.He said he wishes there were more stations throughout Indiana so the car could run farther distances. Currently, he is limited to a 100-mile radius, he said. He’s leasing the LEAF for now and waiting to see how the technology will develop a few years down the road before he purchases an electric car.Seader said high costs for the new technology deters some customers.“But as technology improves and there are more and more cars, prices will go down,” he said.His business currently offers service to hybrid engines, but electric cars do not need the same services, such as oil checks. “We don’t see a lot of full electric cars, only a few Teslas,” he said. “Basically, we have only had to do tires.”Sean Flynn is the owner of one of those Teslas. Though the car cost him $100,000, in addition to installing a charger in his garage, he says he is happy with his purchase.“I’m pretty green, or trying to be green,” he said. “And it’s a fantastic car.”Flynn installed solar panels at his home in order to create an energy source for his car. He said this compensates for the fuel he would have used with a standard car.“It’s taken another vehicle off the road, so to speak,” he said. Flynn said he worries about the distance his car can travel — “range anxiety,” he called it — but the vehicle is perfect for his 20-mile round trip to work.All he has to do is charge his car overnight, fueling his battery with about 245 miles worth of energy. He could even charge his car using a regular outlet. “But that takes forever,” he said, explaining that it would provide only a few miles of range per hour of charging.Daniel Perantoni agreed that charging his car overnight gives him enough energy for his everyday needs.“It’s a great little car for going around town,” Daniel Perantoni said.And while both car owners believe their electric cars are lacking counterparts on the road, they said they believe the number will increase.“I think I’m part of the minority now, but hopefully not in the future,” Flynn said. “This is the wave of the future.”
(03/25/13 2:52am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>With an annual average of 21 tornados, the Hoosier State is especially susceptible to a fair share of severe weather. Gov. Mike Pence declared March 24-30 Severe Weather Preparedness Week in Indiana.“The week is so that people have more awareness of the potential of severe weather and how people can prepare,” said Kriste Lindberg, education specialist for Bloomington Parks and Recreation. “And who knows? We might be able to save a few lives.”Each day throughout the week, Monroe County Emergency Management will highlight a different topic pertaining to severe weather preparedness. Information will be shared in the form of press releases and community activities. The City of Bloomington will offer the program Severe Weather Watchers from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall’s McCloskey Room, 401 N. Morton St. The Indiana Department of Homeland Security and Monroe County Emergency Management will sponsor a drawing for 10 weather radios at the event. Registration will extend through Monday and possibly Tuesday, Lindberg said.Monroe County Emergency Management Director James Comerford and Administrative Assistant Jessica Renn will speak at the event“We’re working with Monroe County Emergency Management folks to inform the public of severe weather,” Lindberg said. “And to learn a little bit about how it works in the county and some ways to get involved if they like.”Comerford said the primary types of severe weather affecting Indiana are thunderstorms, tornados and floods.“When springtime comes, you’re going to see tornado watches and warnings that come along too,” he said. “They can happen year round, but springtime is the peak season. We want people to be aware what warnings and watches mean.”Tornado sirens will sound twice statewide on Wednesday. The National Weather Service, in conjunction with the Indiana State Police and Public Safety Commission, Indiana Department of Homeland Security, Department of Education, the Indiana Broadcaster’s Association, the Red Cross and Amateur Radio Operators will conduct the statewide test of communication systems.Sirens will sound in Monroe County at about 10:15 a.m. and 7:35 p.m. Each siren will last five minutes, the standard time for an actual tornado warning. Comerford said it is important for residents to understand the difference between a tornado watch and a warning.“A watch means conditions are favorable for a tornado,” he said. “A warning means one has been physically sighted or detected by radar. When people hear those sirens what they really need to do is find out what the warning means. The warning isn’t over just because the siren stopped going.”In addition, he emphasized being aware of flood warnings. There are two types of flooding, he explained: river flooding and flash flooding. “In Monroe County, most of ours is flash flooding,” he said. “When you’re getting heavy rain, most people know if they live in an area susceptible to flooding. Most of the people just keep a vigilant eye out,” he said. But, he said, heeding the County watches and warnings can save lives. “We highly recommend purchasing a weather radio,” he said. “It gives watches and warnings, and explains what those mean.”Lindberg said more public knowledge will result in a safer community. “The more prepared we are, the better we are,” Lindberg said.Register online at bloomington.in.gov/parksSevere Weather Preparedness Week topics Monroe County Emergency Management will highlight a different topic each day related to severe weather preparedness. The topics will examine the roles of individuals, National Weather Service, Indiana Department of Homeland Security, state and local public officials, the American Red Cross and media in preparing for severe weather. MondaySevere Weather Outlook: Partners’ roles at the Outlook stage of an event TuesdayWatch: Partners’ roles in the Watch stage of an event WednesdayEveryone’s roles in Warnings: Taking action when Warnings are issued ThursdayResponse: Partners’ roles in responding to disasters (real-time response) FridayRecovery: Partners’ roles in the recovery process (days/weeks/months after disaster) SaturdayWrap-Up: Importance of preparedness and action during threatening hazards
(03/18/13 3:00pm)
Four-year-old Ayedan Orman touches Melvin, a 100-pound albino burmese python, during "Sizing Up Snakes: A Live Animal Show" on Sunday at the WonderLab Museum of Science, Health and Technology. Ed "Snakehead Ed" Ferrer brought eight of his 26 snakes to educate and entertain the audience.
(03/18/13 9:11am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>"Snakehead” Ed Ferrer used to wear a nice watch when he gave live snake presentations. At WonderLab Museum of Science, Health and Technology’s “Sizing Up Snakes: A Live Animal Show” on Sunday, a cheaper Kmart-brand version adorned his wrist.That’s because at a show a few years ago, one of his pythons wrapped around his wrist, crushing his expensive watch. “Springs and gadgets went everywhere,” he said.The show was part of WonderLab’s spring break program, said Liza Huffman, museum assistant. “It allows parents to give kids at home something to do over break,” she said. “Such as pet snakes.”But at Sunday’s presentation, Pete the anaconda, Vincent the boa constrictor, Melvin the albino Burmese python and five other snakes wowed the audience without flexing their muscles.Ferrer taught the audience about his snakes from the tail to the tongue, as he pulled each from a pillowcase-like bag tied with a rubberband.“All of my snakes will stick their tongues out at you,” he told the giggling kids sitting on colorful mats. “If she could talk, she could use her tongue to tell me if you took a shower this morning or if you just faked it.”He asked the audience if Indiana is home to any poisonous snakes. While most nodded, he said the answer is actually no. Rather, there are four venomous Hoosier snakes.“Poison means its swallowed, venomous means injected,” he said.Two of Indiana’s venomous snakes reside in Brown County: the northern copperhead and the timber rattlesnake. Seven-year-old Samuel Smith said he liked all of the eight snakes Ferrer brought to WonderLab.“Especially that one,” he said, pointing to the 15-foot long body of Melvin.Smith also volunteered to hold the special guest star, a tarantula. Though only two and half years old, Pete the anaconda, with its chain link fence patterned scales, drew gasps from the audience.“I’ve seen an adult anaconda swallow an adult alligator,” Ferrer said. “Kids like you are definitely on the menu.” He peeled the duct tape off the largest grey box in the front of the room.He needed three volunteers to hold Melvin, the 100-pound albino Burmese python.Melvin was one of the only snakes to ever attack him, Ferrer said. He was feeding the snake a rabbit from his hand when Melvin latched on with 90 teeth like little fish hooks.Now, he feeds him with a 3-foot-long pole. But when food is not involved, touching Melvin is harmless, and a line quickly formed at the end of the presentation to stroke his pale yellow scales.Ferrer said the job can be hard, but he enjoys “edutaining” the kids in the audience.“It’s worth it when I see their reactions,” Ferrer said. “They learn without thinking about it.”
(03/18/13 1:29am)
Samuel Smith, 7, helps his father, George, hold Melvin, a 100-pound albino burmese python, during "Sizing Up Snakes: A Live Animal Show" Sunday at WonderLab Museum of Science, Health and Technology. Smith said that out of the eight snakes Ed "Snakehead Ed" Ferrer, brought to the show, he liked Melvin the best.
(03/18/13 1:28am)
Samuel Smith, 7, holds Melvin, a 100-pound albino burmese python, with the help of Ed "Snakehead Ed" Ferrer, during "Sizing Up Snakes: A Live Animal Show" Sunday at WonderLab Museum of Science, Health and Technology. Smith said that out of the eight snakes "Snakehead Ed" brought to the show, he liked Melvin the best.
(03/18/13 1:28am)
Four-year-old Ayedan Orman touches Melvin, a 100-pound albino burmese python, during "Sizing Up Snakes: A Live Animal Show" on Sunday at the WonderLab Museum of Science, Health and Technology. Ed "Snakehead Ed" Ferrer brought eight of his 26 snakes to educate and entertain the audience.
(03/18/13 1:28am)
Ed "Snakehead Ed" Ferrer, with help from volunteers George Smith, Jess Hulse and John Schroeder, holds Melvin during "Sizing Up Snakes: A Live Animal Show" on Sunday at the WonderLab Museum of Science, Health and Technology. Melvin, an albino burmese python, is 15 feet long and weighs 100 pounds.
(03/08/13 5:14am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Three hundred Indiana scientists from both academic and industrial backgrounds will gather on March 9 for the Indiana Academy of Science’s 128th Annual Academy Meeting.More than 150 research presentations, workshops and “hot topic” discussions will showcase information about a wide variety of fields, including astronomy, microbiology, environmental science and physics.“When we have these annual meetings, scientists from different sectors can learn what is going on in other areas,” said Delores Brown, executive director of the Indiana Academy of Science. “It’s a great opportunity to learn what is going on in the world.” The Indiana Academy of Science is a nonprofit, professional membership organization of Indiana scientists. “We have three different missions — science research, education in science and to encourage cooperation between Indiana scientists,” Brown said. “If you think about those three (missions) it makes good sense to pool these scientists together.”Guest speakers for the event include NASA Lead Scientist Bilal Bomani, who will discuss NASA’s biofuel program and how it can cater to demands for fuel, and British Petroleum Chief Scientist and Chemist Michael Desmond, who will speak about tackling the energy challenge. “The big topic right now is energy,” Brown said. “NASA says they have a solution to this problem, and we want to hear it.”Monica Bradford, executive editor of the International Journal of Science, Fred Guterl, executive editor of Scientific American magazine and Uwe Hansen, editor of the Proceedings of the Indiana Academy of Science, will have a panel discussing scholarly writing and academic publishing.Bradford said the panel will be an open discussion about the respective publications, the areas they are addressing and the different ways each publication is trying to make science more understandable.She said one topic that might be discussed is the impact of social media on scientific communication. “The pace is faster, and we have to be careful to balance speed with accuracy,” Bradford said. “If you want to get retweeted, you need to have an edge, but you still have to maintain accuracy.”Entomologist and author Gene Kritsky, a former Academy president, will speak on periodic cicadas. “We are beginning the next emergence of a major brood in Indiana and across the country,” Kritsky said. “Indiana scientists need to be aware of what to look for over the next few years.”He said the annual meeting allows scientists to not only share data, but also set up collaborations. “That’s where you get some novel thinking,” he said.Newly elected Indiana State Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz will discuss science education in Indiana schools, and science educator and television personality Rick Crosslin will present “Science is for Everyone.” Aspiring scientists from Indiana public schools have also been invited, Brown said.“It’s to introduce them to people that are already in the field they want to pursue themselves,” Brown said of the event. “Every person there will be a role model for these people.”She added that around one-third of the presenters will be undergraduate or graduate students from across the state. Bradford said it is important to talk to other scientists who are involved in research and education.“Scientists work as teams, so the more they can have a chance to work together the better,” Bradford said.On-site registration will be from 7 to 8 a.m. March 9 at the J.W. Marriot at 10 S. West St. in Indianapolis. The price is $70 for academy members and $95 for non-members. The event will last from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., according to a press release.
(03/04/13 4:45am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>More than 200 participants sang the “Solar Carol” to the tune of “Angels We Have Heard on High” at Congregation Beth Shalom. “So-o-o-o-o-lar power, inexpensive energy,” they sang at the Solar Leadership Celebration and Forum on Sunday evening. “Join the sun in jubilee / Sing with us this joyous strain.”The Celebration and Forum was hosted by Earth Care Bloomington, Hoosier Interfaith Power and Light and Southern Indiana Renewable Energy Network. The event celebrated a $150,000 solar energy grant received by six Indiana places of worship last December and the beginning of installing the solar panels.“We wanted to have a way of celebrating not just the panels, but the commonality of working hard for a higher interest,” Lana Eisenberg, co-chair of the greening committee at Congregation Beth Shalom, said. Congregation Beth Shalom will install its panels within the next two months, Eisenberg explained.In addition to Shalom, Trinity Episcopal Church, United Universalist Church of Bloomington and St. Thomas Lutheran Church, are also installing solar panels on their places of worship.“I think it’s very moving that we’re coming together from all different places,” Rabi Brian Besser with the Congreation Beth Shalom, said. “May our work be as joyous as this celebration is tonight.”As attendants finished their potluck dinner beneath a rainbow of streamers, the “sun-tinged entertainment” began.Clergy and faith leaders amused the audience with a skit emphasizing the importance of working together on the solar project. They concluded that they had a common interest in saving a poor frog from being boiled in a pot.“It’s not easy being green,” they sang. “Let’s save the frog together and the planet.”A song written by Shalom member Larry Moss urged the audience to become involved, and an appearance by the green witch warned them to “change your light bulbs and recycle too, or this green witch will cast a spell on you.”Though the mood was jovial, the topic discussed was serious, Rev. Lyle Mckee, chair of HIPL, said. Ray Wilson came from the United Universalist Church of Indianapolis, one of two Indianapolis churches receiving the grant, to observe how the Bloomington congregations were installing the panels. “We’re coming down to (niche) ideas,” he said. “There are more solar panels in Bloomington than the whole city of Indianapolis.”As part of the grant requirements, each place of worship is required to reduce its energy use by at least 25 percent. One third of the congregation is required to pledge to reduce their energy use by one-seventh, Wilson said. “When it’s all said and done, hopefully, our congregations will inspire other churches,” he said.Ben Brabson, IU emeritus physics professor, is a member of Trinity, an older building that does not heat evenly. The 72 panels the church will install will produce 18,000 watts of energy, he said. The evolution of solar energy feasibility is crucial to the environment, he added. Prices have reduced by two-and-a-half times since he installed panels on his own home, he said.“People are seeing it’s something they can do,” he said. “It’s no longer just a frill or a warm feeling.”As the celebration came to an end, the audience danced over to the forum to a lively klezmer clarinet tune. There, SIREN explained the practicalities of installing solar panels on a personal residence.While the celebration recognized the accomplishment of the community, Mckee said there is more work to do.“We are here because of a partnership that extends across the state and every religious tradition,” McKee said. “We will not stop with six or 60. We want to reach every sector of Indiana.”
(02/28/13 3:11am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>As a result of last year’s drought, Benton Stidd, an Elletsville, Ind., soybean and corn farmer, only produced half of his expected corn yield. It was the worst year for corn crops in the history of Indiana, Purdue University assistant professor of agronomy Shaun Casteel said. This year, Stidd said he is just planting and hoping for the best. “I’d be satisfied with a normal year,” he said. “You always hope for a good year, but I’ll be satisfied with a normal year.”Though Indiana summer weather predictions are still uncertain this far in advance, Associate State Climatologist Kenneth Scheeringa said a repeat of 2012 drought conditions is not expected.“Drought in general terms is always a possibility,” Scheeringa said. “But a drought like we experienced last year only happens two to three times in a century.” Casteel said one reason an extreme drought is not anticipated is because of the amount of rainfall Indiana has had during the winter and fall. This allows the soil to absorb more moisture and recover from drought conditions.Scheeringa said there has been some confusion about reports predicting the Corn Belt will continue to experience a drought. This prediction concerns only Corn Belt states to the west of the Mississippi River, he explained. “We’ve had a very different winter than Nebraska has,” he said. In fact, Scheeringa added, the Indiana State Climatology Office is forecasting a warm and rainy planting season. Last year for the same time period, temperatures were 7.3 degrees above normal, and there was little rain, office officials said.This spring weather could lead to a drier summer, however, though not as severe as last year’s.“It will be warmer and wetter to start the planting season,” State Climatologist Dev Niyogi said in a statement. “This is expected to turn to some drying in the growing season, leading to mild to moderate drought conditions across Indiana.”He said the southern, west and southwest counties of Indiana are particularly susceptible to drought again.Andy Dietrick, public relations director for the Indiana Farm Bureau, said crop farmers prepare for dry conditions mainly through irrigation, cover crops and purchasing insurance. “The irrigation supply companies had a hard time keeping their inventory last year,” he said. “But it’s not practical to irrigate everything. Some crops are on a special contract. If farmers have a hard contract with certain crops, they will lead with irrigation there.” Stidd said irrigation is not a possibility for his fields. “There’s very little that you can do,” he said. “I use cover crops. There are a lot of advantages, but they take more management.”A cover crop, such as rye grass, radishes or crimson clover, is planted after the primary crop is harvested, Stidd said. During the winter, the cover crop will cut down on erosion and add organic matter to the soil.Decisions about this summer’s crops, such of the variety of seed to use, have to be made soon, Dietrick said. “It’s a very complex business that Mother Nature and the weather dictates what happens at the beginning and end of the year,” Dietrick said.Indiana is home to 10 million acres of corn and beans, Casteel noted.“If we got another drought, a lot of people are going to have to see if they can weather the storm,” he said.