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(05/24/11 12:18am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A few hours ago my friend, fellow recent graduate Sara Sidery and I drove to get ice cream at the Chocolate Moose. It was sunny out and there was a light breeze, a perfect day for ice cream. As we ordered our hot fudge sundaes with brownies, nuts and sprinkles, we noticed the sky start to darken ominously. It was around 5:30 p.m. We were driving in Sara’s jeep back to my apartment when she turned to me and asked, “Have you ever been in a tornado before?”Just as I said no, we turned onto Indiana Avenue and saw the gentle breezes become violent winds. Branches began to fall. On the corner of Kirkwood and Indiana Avenues, the tables outside of Noodles and Company were blown into the streets. We spotted one of them in front of Sample Gates. People who were strolling casually down the sidewalks suddenly began running in a panic. Were we in the midst of the Apocalypse? The Rapture didn’t happen as planned on May 21, maybe this was it. It was getting closer to 6 p.m.Sara and I held hands and said Hail Marys. We checked the weather report on Sara’s phone and it said 77 degrees, severe thunderstorms. Sara and I sped in her Jeep through the empty streets, dodging falling tree branches. When we got back to my apartment, we had a glass of water to calm our nerves. A few more gusts of wind rattled my windows. The power went out. Sara and I decided to drive around and see the damage the storm caused.***There was an uprooted tree on the corner of Seventh and Dunn Streets that claimed a streetlight and the hood of a red Dodge Neon in its wake.Bloomington resident Nick Mortara stood on his front porch as the rain continued. He sipped a cup of coffee from a striped mug and observed as sirens blared in the distance and onlookers whipped out their cell phone cameras to take pictures. He and a co-worker, Austin Mason, recounted seeing the falling tree that now took up Mortara’s entire front yard. The two were hanging out and watching the movie “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” “I remember the wind getting sucked out of my house,” Mortara said. Mason ran out to the porch. “The wind looked solid,” he said, as the tree in front of the Chabad House, across the street, toppled over. He said it was around 5:45 p.m. when that happened. The flickering streetlight destroyed by the tree shut off.***Sara and I left Nick on his porch and continued to drive around. On the radio, newscasters tried to make sense of the 20-minute destruction that had spread from 10th Street to Russell Road, on the outskirts of town. A song played, “You’re the One That I Want” from “Grease” featuring the lyric: “The power is multiplyin’ / It’s electrifyin’!”There was another fallen tree directly in front of Grant Street Inn. A police officer directed traffic away from a blocked road on Ninth and Washington Streets. Sirens were distant. We veered down Fourth Street, seeing ripped tents and overturned tables throughout the various ethnic restaurants. At Siam House, a Thai food restaurant on the corner of Fourth and Dunn Streets, a tree collapsed the back roof. The restaurant behind it, Thai A Roy D. Kitchen, had its patio and benches demolished by a tree. The whole scene was blocked off by caution tape. Bloomington Fire Department Deputy Chief Terry Williams pulled up in a marked SUV to survey the scene. In the past hour there were at least 50 calls made to him concerning damages, he said. At Thai A Roy D. Kitchen, the employees were still inside. Several of them huddled together, trying to describe how the tree destroyed the patio. The power had already been out, and thankfully, no customers were dining at the time. “Flash, then boom, then the tree snapped,” said one employee, making a slow wave motion with her hand to demonstrate how the tree fell. The restaurant opened February 2010, said employee Bask Tingsabhat. He tried to reach the landlord, who may or may not be out of town. No damage costs have been estimated yet. Tingsabhat looked out at the benches through a crack in the patio door, as if afraid to step out into the heavy rain. “I just never thought this tree would fall,” he said. “It was so sturdy.”
(05/06/11 2:41am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>There’s a good chance you don’t know who Poly Styrene is.I didn’t either until I read an article on Pitchfork learning that she had died. She was a punk-pop poetess who performed with X-Ray Spex and recorded a solo album in 1980.“Generation Indigo,” is Poly Styrene’s last album, released only three months after the announcement that her breast cancer spread to her spine and lungs. At the time of her death April 25, she was 53, but “Generation Indigo” puts her in touch with — and ahead of — this generation.The album is colored with flavorful, rocking beats and sweet melodies, much in the vein of Blondie’s Debbie Harry. “Virtual Boyfriend,” for example, is a deliciously upbeat tune about a MySpace lover, filled with cheesy metaphors about e-mail and text messaging to boot. As common as that topic might be in popular music, it is leaps and bounds away from the sing-songy nonsense that Ke$ha would cook up. An inspiring lyric: “I’m looking to the future and I’m not looking back.”I wish Poly Styrene was still around because should could teach us Madonna-haters a thing or two: just because your last album was in 1980 doesn’t mean you can’t still have a great time. “Generation Indigo” is an irresistible blast.
(05/06/11 2:35am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Cass McCombs sure knows how to lay it on thick.The singer-songwriter’s fifth full-length album, “Wit’s End” finds him exploring the depths of human despair. “County Line,” the album’s current single, is about unrequited, or at least disproportional, love. When considering the sample lyric: “I can’t make out the passing road signs / All you would have me do is cross that county line,” it’s hard to tell if this is even a veiled sexual reference within a failed relationship.What is certain is that McCombs feels pretty damn bad about it all. That song, and others, like the sorrowful “Saturday Song,” are accompanied by soulful “whoa-whoa-whoas” and piano chords reminiscent of current world tragedies.Though its overall tone is incredibly morose, what I appreciate about “Wit’s End” is its immediacy.McCombs doesn’t drag listeners through the murky swamp of his emotions, but immerses them in it immediately. It’s a nine-song swamp-suite that is instantly textured, confusing and crazed in a way that is both overwhelming and beautiful.As you listen to “Wit’s End,” I wish you luck on rising to the surface.
(05/02/11 1:49am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>When walking up to Arthur Cullipher’s apartment building, one doesn’t see dolls in the windows. No vacant stares from behind curtains, no porcelain — just a building made of bricks. In the apartment’s living room, however, the local doll maker has shelves lined with figurines meeting one’s gaze. The room appears to be a casual hangout, as his friends lounge on the futon, talking quietly amid a floor cluttered with McDonald’s cups and filled ashtrays. These dolls aren’t Barbies. Look closer and one can see tentacles, brain matter with busted sutures and genuinely creepy facial expressions. Cullipher, who also devotes his time to running an independent film production company, Clockwerk Pictures, is inspired by the horror genre and has been for as long as he can remember. As a child growing up in Orlando, Fla., Cullipher loved monsters and horror. His mother and father often supplied him with toys, influencing his creativity. Cullipher collected mermaid Barbies and monster dolls and began to disfigure them into creatures with more arms and legs than dolls tend to have. They had mangled facial expressions and hollowed-out eyes — befitting a horror film.At age 3, Cullipher watched “The Exorcist” for the first time with his father. He admitted he didn’t get through the whole thing until he was 12. Unfortunately, his father sculpted a bust of the devil and put it in his study. “He would send me into his study to get something, and the study had big heavy wooden doors,” Cullipher recalled. “It would creak open slowly, and the first shaft of light from the window would reflect off the devil’s cubic zirconium eyes.” A boy’s fear led to intrigue. Young Arthur conquered his fears by taking apart all the dolls he collected — action figures, rag dolls — and learning to put them together again. As he got older, it became a way to cope with his parents’ divorce. Cullipher hasn’t spoken to his father in years, and his mother, though supportive of his art, wished he would take an office job. Looking around his home, it became apparent that his mother’s dream is something he gave up long ago.He occasionally co-writes and directs avant-garde horror films with one of his roommates, Kirk. A recent film, “Come,” is about a bewitched man who makes human dolls by killing people and rearranging their body parts. Cullipher laughed when he said, “(My films are) just an actualized extension of my doll collection.” In fact, Cullipher makes most of the special effects in his films, from masks to videocassettes with organs.In the apartment, one finds several small boxes stacked on top of each other, filled with bits of fabric, needle and thread and tiny miniature toys. There are dozens of fully and partially created “little people,” formed from polymer clay, rubber, wire and various types of cloth. A doll that looked like a baby fetus is in a glass jar. Nearby sat a four-armed magician named Nephaestus. The place featured other dolls that have more personal significance because they had their own stories, created as a reflection of events in Cullipher’s life. ***Cullipher leaves the room for a moment and returns with a pack of Camel Lights and a burlap sack. He plops down in a leather easy chair and lights a cigarette. After a few puffs, he seems relaxed and out of the sack he pulls a floppy doll with button eyes. Cullipher sits the doll in his lap as one would a baby and rocks it gently. “This is Mr. Mojo,” he said. It’s the first doll Cullipher made after learning to sew by watching his Aunt Mona stitch dolls for him that looked like characters on “The Letter People,” a popular children’s after-school special from the 1980s. (“H was for Horrible Hair, G for Gooey Gum,” Cullipher added.)Mr. Mojo has a series of uneven cross-stitches holding him together. He isn’t wearing any tailor-made doll costumes like Cullipher’s other creations. “I love burlap dolls. Even the thought of burlap dolls is interesting to me,” Cullipher said. “I like the idea that if you didn’t have the most money, you could give your child some type of doll for Christmas because burlap is relatively cheap. Maybe it’s not the most beautiful doll ever, anyway...”He trailed off as his attention was diverted to another doll seated on the futon across from him. Ms. Mirelda, as she’s called, has big, sad, green eyes and a black witch’s cape. This doll is a reminder of Cullipher’s mother. “I remember my mom bought a perfume and a doll came with it,” Cullipher explained. “It looked something like Ms. Mirelda.”The doll’s sad expression reminds him of a darker time. “I haven’t lived with my parents since I was 17,” Cullipher said. He lights another cigarette. Another moment of reflection. Cullipher created a story for Ms. Mirelda that fit the memories he had of his mother and that dark time in his life. She’s a waiting lover in a swamp, waiting to meet a man that never comes for her. “So she waits. And she waits ... Dress me in black burlap, dress me in lace, look what’s become of my beautiful face.”Cullipher seemed to snap out of it again. One more doll holds special meaning. He dashed across the room and loaded an image on the computer. The image shows a “boy” doll that looks like something out of a Tim Burton film with a six-legged companion, a dog named Fetch. The boy is named Vidrighin, one of the names Cullipher had considered to name his now 10-year-old son. Vidrighin, as Cullipher described it, was made in his son’s likeness. His curly hair stands on end like a “mad scientist,” and his smile is surrounded by a constellation of freckles. The doll was last year’s Christmas gift to his son, whom he hasn’t seen in “a while” due to conflict with his son’s mother and ex-wife. Cullipher said he has tried teaching his son the importance of being creative. He drew on his own experiences as a child. “We would build cardboard play sets, boxes on top of boxes that had slides and trapdoors. He’d get irritated because he just wanted to play,” Cullipher said. ***When Cullipher sits down to make dolls, he does it alone. As he molds a piece of polymer clay in his hands, he listens to it. It’s a process he lovingly calls “Dollwerk,” which requires self-communication with the art. The end result of Dollwerk is that others will do the same when they see the final creation. Dollwerk is a combination of meditation and magic.“I listen to it tell me what it wants to become,” Cullipher said, closing his eyes. He decided after playing heads or tails with a penny that he wanted to make a bunny rabbit. The bunny’s head appeared cute and fluffy. This creation is Frankenbunny. A cool breeze blew in from the open window, and nothing could be heard in the house but the purr of a computer and the sound of chirping birds — meditation.Cullipher grabbed a sharp sculpting tool and carved sutures and a brain — magic.
(05/01/11 10:26pm)
In his home, local doll maker Arthur Cullipher waves the hand of Frankenbunny, a recent creation.
(04/28/11 4:50am)
Editor’s note: University of Missouri System president Tim Wolfe stepped down today after football players went on strike due to Wolfe’s lack of response to racial incidents on campus during the past few months. Faculty members also threatened to walk out. In 1969, IU football players protested against racism. They were kicked off the team.
(04/26/11 12:07am)
Protestors hold signs and chant against the proposed defunding of Planned Parenthood on March 7 on the South Lawn of the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis, Ind.
(04/08/11 1:52am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The baritone bleached his dark brown hair, dyed it red and memorized 35 pages of music in a week’s time for the audition. He hopped on a plane and arrived at IU in hopes of earning the role of troubled painter Vincent van Gogh. Out of more than 50 roles, this one is his biggest yet.Yet now, David Adam Moore suddenly seems nervous. The backstage intercom announces five minutes to places. Moore begins calisthenics in his dressing room. He’s wearing a tailored houndstooth wool suit from Thailand. Moore pulls out his iPhone to scroll through van Gogh’s self-portraits.In one of them, van Gogh is turned slightly to the left, obscuring his disfigured right ear. Moore meets van Gogh’s gaze dead on.“His eyes have the kind of intensity that make me want to know what he’s feeling,” Moore says. In preparation for the role, Moore scoured more than hundreds of letters van Gogh wrote to his brother Theo and learned that he was an outcast who had a tense relationship with his father. Van Gogh, who was passionate about God and ministry, also had dreams of being an artist and was discouraged by his religious father. Regardless of his circumstances, he made his dreams come true and is now one of the world’s most revered artists. To further prepare for the role, Moore drew on his own experiences on how he made a dream reality. ***Moore comes from a family of country western musicians in southeast Texas. As a child, music was everywhere, and everyone played instruments. “Relatives would just form bands at the most random moments,” Moore said. “My father and grandfather were great singers, and they instilled in me early on a love for music in general.”When it came time for Moore to go to college, he, like van Gogh, wanted to fulfill a dream of having a music career and pursuing religious studies in honor of God. “I just figured that I would go to school and study music composition long enough to get good grades and then go study theology in grad school,” Moore said. Though he’d been involved in choir in high school, Moore said he never considered himself a great singer. He was inspired by Richard Miller, the late professor of Oberlin College who wrote books about singing technique and vocal pedagogy. After saving money from a gig at Little Caesars Pizza, Moore enrolled in a workshop taught by Miller on a whim, against his teachers’ wishes. They didn’t think he was ready, but Miller did, offering Moore a spot in his studio at Oberlin when he finished music school. And so Moore applied and barely got in. At Oberlin, Moore discovered his love of opera.“It’s the whole Disney story of the weird one in the village who leaves to discover who he really is,” Moore said with a laugh.Moore’s father was on tour with country singer Tracy Byrd and “made huge sacrifices” to help Moore fund his education. His father worked as a tour bus driver and T-shirt vendor while being in his band. Meanwhile, Moore worked a few apprenticeships and learned how to support his voice to give it “professional potential.” Sometime thereafter, he got his big break. ***Part of trying to know what van Gogh was feeling came from drawing on his own experiences, but it also came from trying to know who van Gogh was as a human being. There are endless bits of information and theory Moore has had to digest to play van Gogh. But even more vital was discovering how van Gogh was relatable as a human being. “The most important thing for me is he was uncomfortable in his own skin and his own experience. He wanted love so badly,” he said. “He had a lot of love to give and that was a source of comfort. The way he understood that was by a connection to God. He wanted to be as close to God as possible. Painting was his form of prayer.”As fate would have it, Moore never went to theology school. But like van Gogh, Moore wants to master his craft. The first scene of the opera shows Moore as van Gogh underneath a glowing light, behind a painting of “Starry Night.” The Philharmonic Orchestra musicians tune their instruments and begin to play. Moore’s first sung words are: “When I feel the need for religion / I go out and paint the stars.”This is where life imitates art.
(04/08/11 1:41am)
David Adam Moore gets ready backstage before his taking the stage for a dress rehearsal Wednesday at the Musical Arts Center.
(03/30/11 8:31pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In fairness to Chris Brown, the roaming crap-show that is “F.A.M.E.” isn’t entirely his fault. Plagued by that infamous Rihanna incident, he tried to continue forward and make music for his fans, hence the acronym, “Fans Are My Everything.” But it’s hard to appreciate the music of a singer, who in interviews (especially the recent Robin Roberts debacle), is often smug and surly, especially on the topic of Rihanna. Maybe I’m delusional, but Rihanna certainly doesn’t seem that way, and she’s the one with the bruises. Apart from all of that, the music of “F.A.M.E.” is at turns crude and at others desperate. Brown, understandably feeling he has something to prove, enlists top-notch production on half-baked tracks like “Love Them Girls” and “Bomb.” On every song, he is a self-proclaimed Lothario a la fellow R&B crooner, The-Dream, but Brown’s lovelorn come-ons quickly become turn-offs.Check out “No Bullshit,” where Brown promises to “Give it to you all night/No bullshit.” What a mood ruiner.
(03/29/11 7:39pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Britney Spears is truly America’s sweetheart. However, as one of the world’s biggest pop stars, Spears’ stumbles are all too documented. When other sweethearts stumble, they tend to fade into obscurity, usually in a haze of drug addictions and run-ins with the law. We forgive Britney Spears. In February 2008, amid a flurry of flashing sirens and helicopter blades, the singer was taken to a UCLA psych ward. By December of that year, a sober, smiling Spears graced the cover of Rolling Stone — weave intact — with the headline “Britney Returns!” heralding her album “Circus.” And now, after a successful world tour and a low profile, Spears’ seventh studio album, “Femme Fatale,” the first in almost three years, dropped Tuesday. It seems free of the bad PR plaguing past releases. And though she’s auto-tuned as ever, early reviews from music magazines hint that this may be the best effort of Spears’ troublesome career. See? Britney Spears could probably rob a bank while pregnant and nude and wielding a bucket of spicy drumsticks from KFC — and America would still find it in its great, big, land-o’-the-free heart to forgive her. Musical talents or shortcomings aside, it is important to consider that above anything else, Spears’ staying power with American audiences rests in what we (think we) know of Britney the celebrity, Britney the pop culture phenomenon and Britney the should-be disaster who manages to sell amazing amounts of records. Here’s how celebrity works in the world of Britney Spears. Remember when Spears was a virgin? It was such a big deal because Spears’ alleged virginity seemed to contradict the manufactured sexuality in her earlier music videos. In the video for her very first single, 1998’s “... Baby One More Time,” Spears was labeled a provocateur for saucily sashaying in schoolgirl attire. Media rumors concerning the singer’s sexual availability swirled. The end of her high-profile romance with *NSYNC heartthrob Justin Timberlake burst that bubble when Timberlake told a reporter in 2002, “She hasn’t been a virgin for a while now. And I should know.” Fans (and parents) were devastated. They should’ve taken note of her 2000 hit, “Oops! ... I Did It Again.” Was Spears ever that innocent? Not so, because these days, celebrity means building stars up to see them fall and then rejoice when they’ve reclaimed the throne. Socialite Edie Sedgwick once said Andy Warhol threw America back in its face. Warhol turned Campbell’s soup cans to icons. And later, Spears and her handlers capitalized on Britney Spears Inc. The brand is accessible and transcendent, with lucrative products like dolls, video games, perfumes and a clothing line with Candie’s. America is capitalist and a touchstone for accessible products. So as Spears’ brand rose to empire status, so did her stardom — and her net worth. In the last fiscal year, according to Forbes magazine, Spears banked $64 million, becoming the second highest-paid celebrity younger than 30. Take that, America. At the end of the day, Spears is rich, famous and powerful because we made her so. Sure, Spears has that undeniable spark one must have to achieve superstardom, but even that is dwindling. Spears’ career is dictated by producers, managers, publicists and occasionally her parents (Spears was under estate conservatorship in 2008). It’s interesting that at nearly 30 years old, Spears still lacks control of her professional life. But like all successful empires, dollars make sense. Musically, expensive sound engineering helps Spears, and her videos are still multimillion dollar affairs. However, Spears’ spark only comes through because she is Britney Spears the celebrity, the pop culture phenomenon, the should-be disaster. She doesn’t interview well. It can be argued that she doesn’t dance as ferociously as she used to. She seems to be half-assing while everyone covers her ass, scrambling to build the Britney Spears that once was. Stripped of her support, what and who would she be? It’s like Britney Spears gets away with murder simply because she can.
(03/29/11 2:24am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Britney Spears is truly America’s sweetheart. However, as one of the world’s biggest pop stars, Spears’ stumbles are all too documented. When other sweethearts stumble, they tend to fade into obscurity, usually in a haze of drug addictions and run-ins with the law. We forgive Britney Spears. In February 2008, amid a flurry of flashing sirens and helicopter blades, the singer was taken to a UCLA psych ward. By December of that year, a sober, smiling Spears graced the cover of Rolling Stone — weave intact — with the headline “Britney Returns!” heralding her album “Circus.” And now, after a successful world tour and a low profile, Spears’ seventh studio album, “Femme Fatale,” the first in almost three years, drops today. It seems free of the bad PR plaguing past releases. And though she’s auto-tuned as ever, early reviews from music magazines hint that this may be the best effort of Spears’ troublesome career. See? Britney Spears could probably rob a bank while pregnant and nude and wielding a bucket of spicy drumsticks from KFC — and America would still find it in its great, big, land-o’-the-free heart to forgive her. Musical talents or shortcomings aside, it is important to consider that above anything else, Spears’ staying power with American audiences rests in what we (think we) know of Britney the celebrity, Britney the pop culture phenomenon and Britney the should-be disaster who manages to sell amazing amounts of records. Here’s how celebrity works in the world of Britney Spears. Remember when Spears was a virgin? It was such a big deal because Spears’ alleged virginity seemed to contradict the manufactured sexuality in her earlier music videos. In the video for her very first single, 1998’s “... Baby One More Time,” Spears was labeled a provocateur for saucily sashaying in schoolgirl attire. Media rumors concerning the singer’s sexual availability swirled. The end of her high-profile romance with *NSYNC heartthrob Justin Timberlake burst that bubble when Timberlake told a reporter in 2002, “She hasn’t been a virgin for a while now. And I should know.” Fans (and parents) were devastated. They should’ve taken note of her 2000 hit, “Oops! ... I Did It Again.” Was Spears ever that innocent? Not so, because these days, celebrity means building stars up to see them fall and then rejoice when they’ve reclaimed the throne. Socialite Edie Sedgwick once said Andy Warhol threw America back in its face. Warhol turned Campbell’s soup cans to icons. And later, Spears and her handlers capitalized on Britney Spears Inc. The brand is accessible and transcendent, with lucrative products like dolls, video games, perfumes and a clothing line with Candie’s. America is capitalist and a touchstone for accessible products. So as Spears’ brand rose to empire status, so did her stardom— and her net worth. In the last fiscal year, according to Forbes magazine, Spears banked $64 million, becoming the second highest-paid celebrity younger than 30. Take that, America. At the end of the day, Spears is rich, famous and powerful because we made her so. Sure, Spears has that undeniable spark one must have to achieve superstardom, but even that is dwindling. Spears’ career is dictated by producers, managers, publicists and occasionally her parents (Spears was under estate conservatorship in 2008). It’s interesting that at nearly 30 years old, Spears still lacks control of her professional life. But like all successful empires, dollars make sense. Musically, expensive sound engineering helps Spears, and her videos are still multimillion dollar affairs. However, Spears’ spark only comes through because she is Britney Spears the celebrity, the pop culture phenomenon, the should-be disaster. She doesn’t interview well. It can be argued that she doesn’t dance as ferociously as she used to. She seems to be half-assing while everyone covers her ass, scrambling to build the Britney Spears that once was. Stripped of her support, what and who would she be? It’s like Britney Spears gets away with murder simply because she can.
(03/09/11 11:26pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It’s been almost five years since 7-year-old Olive Hoover graced the “Little Miss Sunshine” pageant stage in a one piece and danced scandalously to Rick James’ “Super Freak.” The film warmed hearts across America, as did the score, composed by Denver-based band, DeVotchKa. Songs like “How It Ends” effectively captured the film’s bittersweet tone and propelled the narrative. DeVotchKa’s latest work, “100 Lovers,” isn’t based on a film. However, there seems to be little forward momentum. Tunes on the album such as “All the Sand in All the Sea” and “The Man From San Sebastian” recall the gypsy punk that gained DeVotchKa notoriety more than a decade ago. Other songs are lush and filled with sound but don’t pack the emotional weight that they could. The big and glossy production is just as uneven. Is this intentional? “100 Lovers” is a lot. And there are about 100 ideas here, just little lasting commitment.
(03/09/11 5:23am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Rachael Richter was 15 years old when she visited the Planned Parenthood in her hometown, Ithaca, N.Y., for the first time. It was the IU junior’s second time having sex, and the condom broke. Rachael’s boyfriend was out of town soon after the fact. Rachael hadn’t told her parents yet. Her body tensed as she put on jeans and a T-shirt. Rachael called her best friend, who came over right away. Planned Parenthood was within walking distance of her house.In the Planned Parenthood waiting room, Rachael filled out forms about her medical history. Though Rachael’s parents always stressed the importance of body and health awareness, it was the first time she’d ever taken herself to a health facility. Rachael got Plan B One-Step free of charge. Plan B is the emergency contraceptive designed for mornings after situations like these. On Feb. 18, the U.S. House of Representatives approved an amendment to the federal budget proposed by Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind. If passed by the Senate it would cut all federal funding for Planned Parenthood.This amendment could prevent people like Rachael from receiving reproductive health care such as birth control, cancer screenings and HIV testing.At a rally on the south lawn of the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis, it was voiced that these changes reflected an ongoing “war on women” and their right to choose what to do with their bodies. Event organizer Katie Blair said more than 500 Planned Parenthood supporters, male and female, young and old — and their detractors — showed up Tuesday at the Statehouse to make their voices heard. Rachael, a face in a crowd of many, said she is able to see the bigger picture. She said this fight is her mother’s fight, whose life would be different were it not for Planned Parenthood. It’s her father’s fight, who encouraged Rachael’s independence and self-awareness. Because of their influence, Rachael said she can stand up for what she believes in. Under clear skies and sunshine, Rachael raised a cardboard sign reading, “Planned Parenthood is birth control,” and shouted with the crowd. In addition to the rally, Tuesday marked the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day. “Women! United! Will never be defeated!”
(03/09/11 3:57am)
Carmel, Ind. resident Peg Paulsen holds her sign in support of Planned Parenthood up to a protester against Planned Parenthood on Tuesday on the south lawn of the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis, Ind.
(03/09/11 3:56am)
Protesters hold signs and chant against the proposed defunding of Planned Parenthood on Tuesday on the south lawn of the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis, Ind.
(03/09/11 3:55am)
Junior Rachael Richter listens to a speaker during a protest against the proposed defunding of Planned Parenthood on Tuesday on the south lawn of the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis, Ind.
(03/08/11 11:36pm)
A short clip from a rally to protest the proposed defunding of Planned Parenthood.
(03/03/11 2:45am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Adele Adkins and I are 22 years old. What’s she got that I don’t? Well, a spectacular voice, Grammys and worldwide adoration for starters. However, we have much in common when it comes to experiencing the triumphs and pitfalls of being 21 years old. Adele’s sophomore disc, “21,” is not a slump, but a wise-beyond-her-years account of all that being 21 is. The British soul star can now drink legally in America, as shown on the bluesy first single, “Rolling In the Deep,” which comes off like a boozy bar fight.Elsewhere, “Take It All” explores the mutual wrongdoings of her first real relationship long after that silly high school crush. “Set Fire to the Rain” is driven by a churning percussive arrangement to an intense chorus about what happens when you don’t take it slow.Naturally, “21” is not very cohesive, but think about it. If you are that age, are you cohesive?
(02/24/11 2:21am)
Why they should, might, and won't win