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(04/29/05 4:24am)
Bloomington residents bogged down by the recent rainy weather had a chance to mellow down Wednesday night.\nThe Buskirk-Chumley Theater played host to the Grammy Award-winning jazz ensemble New York Voices. The ensemble was formed in 1987 by graduates of Ithaca College in New York. They went on to release four CDs on the GRP label between 1989 and 1994, in which year one of the members left the group, permanently fixing it as a quartet. Since then, the ensemble has performed with such groups as the Count Basie Orchestra (whose recording won them a Grammy in 1996), as well as several renowned solo artists, inlcuding Ray Brown, Bobby McFerrin, Nancy Wilson and George Benson.\nThe quartet that viewers saw Wednesday consisted of Kim Nazarian, Peter Eldridge, Darmon Meader (who also plays saxophone for the group) and Lauren Kinhan. They were joined by a pianist, bassist and drummer performing several works from their CD Sing Sing Sing (2001) as well as others.\nThe New York Voices performed a wide range of works from their repertoire, which includes works by Paul Simon, Duke Ellington, Stevie Wonder and several Brazilian artists. The styles in which they sang ranged from very slow, soft ballads to lively Stevie Wonder pieces. One song ("Ritrato em Branco e Prêto") was performed in the original Portuguese.\nAll of their pieces, however, fell under the more contemporary, "poppy" form of jazz, which owes much influence to rock, pop and even contemporary classical styles. Those expecting to see "old school" jazz in the vein of Preservation Hall and the likes would have been disappointed.\nStylistic specificities notwithstanding, the overall feel of the New York Voices' performance was very smooth and mellow. The concert atmosphere was very relaxed, with the quartet members even cracking jokes and exchanging banter with the audience between pieces. The music definitely contributed to the relaxed air, making the concert a good nighttime venture.\nThe New York Voices' reputation is deserved: their vocal talent was quite praiseworthy. The speed and accuracy with which their voices hit the notes of passages marked them as both knowledgeable and talented musicians. What they snag, however, was not all in the form of lyrics -- many of the songs consisted only of syllables articulated on notes with no word pattern. Though this type of singing displayed the group's skilled ears and accurate voices, the lack of words did grow tiresome after a period.\nBut the concert was not one meant to be taken too seriously. It was meant to be enjoyed by a relaxed audience -- and it was indeed enjoyable.
(04/21/05 6:20am)
IU professor and composer in residence Don Freund has been chosen to receive a prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship. The more than $35,000 award will allow Freund time to pursue his artistic endeavors. \n"The Guggenheim not only gives me more time to compose but also lets me take advantage of time to do quality research," Freund said. "I have enough time to compose now, but the research time will allow me to reconsider several things."\nReceiving the award will allow Freund time to research and compose works. Receiving the fellowship puts Freund in the company of distinguished scholars and artists in the United States, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean. Guggenheim fellowships are grants given during a period of six to 12 months to help free time so the receiver of the grant can pursue research or creative work. They are given to applicants who already demonstrate achievement in research or creative work. According to the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowships to Assist Research and Artistic Creation Web site in 2004, the average amount of the fellowship was $37,362. Freund said he does not yet know exactly what he is going to do with the fellowship.\n"I do plan on writing a larger work, perhaps something operatic," he said. "The project I submitted was along those lines."\nThe fellowship does not mean Freund will leave IU. He finds IU's environment ideal for a composer, he said.\n"IU is heaven for a composer," he said. "It's the best possible world a composer can work in, with some of the best musicians in the world to perform my works. I'm really amazed to be in this environment."\nFreund credits his inspiration in large part to Ferguson Webster, one of his piano teachers in Pittsburgh, whom Freund called a "genius."\nFreund, also mentioned Joseph Wilcox-Jenkins, his first composition teacher at Duquesne University.\n"(Wilcox-Jenkins) reacted to my music in a way that made me feel like what I was doing was worthwhile," he said.\nFreund's musical influences extend beyond his personal connections into the realm of composers. Among older composers, Freund listed J.S. Bach, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky and Mozart as his biggest influences. But Freund distinguishes the 20th century as bearing a greater influence on him.\n"The music of the 20th century is really my language," he said.\nComposers in this period include Stravinsky, Bartók, Barber and Bernstein. Among living composers, Freund said he is fascinated by Bolcom and especially György Ligeti, he said.\n"I'm always trying to find fresh composers," he said.\nFreund's influences extend beyond art music into the world of pop, jazz and rock. He named Dave Brubeck and The Beatles also among his influences.\nGraduate student Joe Sheehan, who studies under Freund, described Freund's music as eclectic because of the variety of influences. Sheehan said this is because Freund is open to any musical experience.\n"(The eclecticism) also creates a wide range of expression in his music. Freund also has a great ear for color and instrumentation," Sheehan said.\nSheehan also described the uniqueness of Freund's pedagogical approach.\n"Freund has a practical, hands-on approach," Sheehan said. "He spends a lot of time with your music, making useful suggestions and challenging your opinions, which makes you justify your decisions. He is very involved with you in this process."\nGraduate student Alejandro Luis Castillo, who also studies with Freund, also appreciates Freund's hands-on approach.\n"I came to IU wanting to study under Freund because his studio is famous for doing things -- he doesn't want you to write your masterpiece immediately but encourages pedagogical writing," Castillo said.\nCastillo said he also enjoys studying under Freund because of the type of instruction he receives.\n"Freund is a wonderful professor," he said, "He wants you to be comfortable with all your musical decisions. He also listens carefully to everything you say, almost like a psychoanalyst."\nFor more information about the Guggenheim fellowship log onto to www.gf.org/fellow.html.\n-- Contact Staff writer Adam Sedia at asedia@indiana.edu.
(04/21/05 4:48am)
Watching Lou Dobbs on Monday night, I was intrigued with his feature subtitled "The system. Quiet Crisis."\nWith the election of Pope Benedict XVI, the Michael Jackson trial and Social Security reform dominating the news, it's easy to overlook other concerns. But "The Quiet Crisis" is an issue that bears important weight and will affect the future of the United States.\nThe quiet crisis is about education. According to Shirley Ann Jackson, the president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and Lou Dobbs' guest, American students are expressing declining interest in mathematics and the natural sciences.\nSome of the problems she outlined for the future included economic decline because of lack of technological innovation.\nThere is no doubt that scientific advances affect the economy in an important way, so why aren't we paying more attention to this issue?\nWe do not think about anything past the immediate future. What else could explain why so little effort is put into making our educational system effective?\nThe inefficacy of American public education is well known. According to the April 16 Houston Chronicle, most students score at the basic level or even below on every subject on the Education Department's assessment of proficiency, where basic is the lowest level of comprehension. Also, 70 percent of high school freshmen read below their grade level. \nAnd our lawmakers seem to agree about its inefficacy -- that is why we have No Child Left Behind. Think what you may of Bush's reform plan; it is only the most recent in a series of failed campaigns to reform education during the past century. \nYes, American public education is performing grossly below its potential. The leading philosophy of the past few decades has been that completely reforming the system is the only way to make it effective. We've all seen what a disaster that has been.\nAs much as Americans like to be revolutionaries and reformers, we need to recognize when reform is not effective and even detrimental to a system -- education is a prime example of this.\nJackson brought up a good point on Dobbs' show. She said American scientific prowess and high educational achievement during the sciences peaked in the Cold War period because of the space race. Competition with the Soviet Union gave us a national goal that motivated legislators, teachers and students to contribute to advances in the sciences. She also suggested energy problems could be a current-day fuel for progress in these educational fields. \nJackson is dead-on in her vision of how to revitalize interest in the sciences, but her views can be broadened to the entire educational system. Rather than reforming it again, give both teachers and students motivation to succeed in their study beyond meaningless statistics. A concrete goal, especially one that focuses on competition or solution of a problem, is a much better solution to our current education problems.\nThe problem is that this motivation needs to come from the highest authority possible, because it takes the form of an exhortation for the entire nation to achieve something. The current mindset of our leaders of both parties is not one that plans to give focus, but one that plans more drastic reforms. Past experience has shown all attempts at education reform to fail dismally, so it seems we're stuck in a rut until either their mindset changes or a disaster comes along that finally motivates the necessary changes.\nAnd judging by what happened with Oklahoma City and 9-11, it looks like it'll take a disaster, or at best a national embarrassment, to finally get our legislators to make public education effective.
(04/15/05 4:22am)
Well, it appears Britain's Labor Party is at it again. This time, they plan to change centuries of parliamentary practice and call for a mostly elected House of Lords.\nHere's a brief overview of the current situation. The House of Lords is the upper of the two houses in the British Parliament. It is composed of 714 members, 92 of whom are hereditary members, others are appointed by the Queen, and 25 are bishops of the Anglican Church. Its powers have been curtailed in past years, but it still can challenge and stall legislation from the House of Commons.\nBlair's cabinet has called for a manifesto, demanding that 50 to 80 percent of the House of Lords be elected and that the hereditary peers be stripped of their right to sit and vote.\nIn a BBC News article, Labor's Patricia Hewitt said, "We'll complete the reform of the House of Lords, getting rid of the hereditary peers and allowing a free vote on composition ... and we'll modernise the Lords procedures to improve scrutiny." \nNothing definite has happened yet, but it is still sad that Britain's government is raping its own time-honored organization. The House of Lords was a much more powerful institution in the days that saw the rise and climax of the British Empire. Now it has been eroded by legislation. Many of its powers have been stripped, and the majority of seats are held by life-barons (non-hereditary titles) -- only two dukes, a few scattered marquises, earls and viscounts are what remain of the once-great titles that held hereditary posts. The roll of its members reveals a sadly watered-down legislative body, once one of the most revered in the world.\nWhat is wrong with having a House of Lords? To Americans who are unfamiliar with any such institution, it may seem anachronistic and foreign. But the idea makes perfect sense politically. It is a legislative body that doesn't have to prostitute itself to the electorate and be slave to their whims. It can deliberate over a bill based on its merits rather than its ability to win each member enough votes to hold onto his seat. Because it is not elected, it would be immune to lobbyists, corporate interests and mass hysteria.\nLet's also compare the durability of such houses. The Venetian Republic, which was essentially one big House of Lords, lasted exactly 1,100 years. France, which prides itself on its open democracy, has seen five republics in the past 203 years, not to mention intervening monarchies. These statistics say something positive for a non-elected house.\nAmericans might also have objections to the idea of nobility in general. It has been deeply ingrained in us by our constitution.\nLet's not think, though, that we are free of lords and ladies in this country. Here, they just don't have titles. Look at Hollywood first. It is a conglomeration of people who are rich and powerful because they act like other people in front of a camera -- no other reason. The level to which the public elevates them is absurd, especially when compared with the ridicule given to the British lords, who actually owe their titles to true merit.\nThen there are those Kennedys, Rockefellers, Roosevelts and Vanderbilts who have had massive amounts of money and power for generations and keep being elected into the most prestigious seats in the nation. Like it or not, our own system resembles the House of Lords, so maybe this construction develops naturally.\nThe House of Lords is not a backward institution, just a way of safeguarding the lawmaking body against precipitous decisions and electoral pandering.\nThat is why the House of Lords should be preserved -- and, indeed, expanded.
(04/11/05 5:26am)
The occult is not only a recent obsession. It has centuries of cultural history behind it, and is now written into one of the most popular operas in America: "The Magic Flute (Die Zauberflöte)."\nMozart drew the plot for "The Magic Flute" from both fictional and non-fictional sources about the religion of ancient Egypt. Mozart's own experiences as a Free Mason were also written in, sparking criticism from Viennese lodge members when they saw their secret initiation ceremonies used as plot material.\nThe plot centers around the figure of Prince Tamino, who is enlisted by the Queen of the Night to rescue her daughter, Pamina, taken captive by the order led by the High Priest Sarastro. He is joined by the birdcatcher Papageno, and as they set out, the Queen arms the Prince with a magic flute and Papageno with magic bells.\nTamino, led by three spirits, enters Sarastro's temple and discovers that Pamina was abducted to save her from her mother's evil influence. He also learns that in order to win Pamina's love, he must pass through the order's secret rites and prove his virtue, faith and bravery.\nBoth Tamino and Papageno undergo the tests, but Tamino is the last man standing, and as a result gets initiated. Pamina, meanwhile, is threatened by the Queen of the Night and told to flee from Sarastro, but she stays true to Tamino and the order. The Queen is overcome in the end, and Tamino and Pamina are united and initiated within the order.\nTamino's role was executed skillfully by Creighton James, but the part was rather bland and did not allow for showy display of technique. In this regard, the undoubted queen of the show was the Queen of the Night herself, played by Karen Kness. Though she only had two arias, they are among the most difficult in opera repertoire, and she executed them with almost superhuman skill. Other parts that deserve recognition are Christopher Bolduc as Papageno, whose emphasized the comic aspects of his character to give a delightful portrayal, and John Paul Huckle as Sarastro, whose deep and solemn voice gave his character the dignity of a high priest.\nMuch of the credit for these successful portrayals must be given to stage director Vince Liotta. His efforts with the cast definitely paid off in a successful and convincing portrayal by each cast member of each character. He succeeded in making characters derived from symbolism and mythology seem human. Far from being mystical stereotypes, the audience could very much relate to the characters Liotta brought out on the stage.\nRobert O'Hearn's costume designs were very intriguing. The entire set consisted of six large pyramids, which were rearranged with scene changes, and two slabs used to block the stage when slid together. Differences in scenery were used chiefly by lighting effects, which achieved a surprising variety on the minimal surfaces of the set pieces. O'Hearn's choice in using pyramids also emphasized the Egyptian roots of the libretto, a very appropriate choice.\nNot all of the costumes were as impressive, though. The Queen of Night and her attendants wore the most impressive costumes in the wardrobe, and Pamina's simple nightgown and Papageno's subdued feather-costume were very attractive sartorially. The disappointing costumes were those of Sarastro and the order, which were unpleasantly plain with an overemphasis on earth-tones.\nThe most overlooked contribution to the successful performance was the orchestra. Uriel Segal and the Chamber Orchestra masterfully played Mozart's challenging music, which was the true backbone of the entire performance.\n"The Magic Flute" is definitely a wonderful closing to the 2004-2005 opera season, and is a must-see for any lover of Mozart.\n-- Contact Staff Writer Adam Sedia at asedia@indiana.edu.
(04/08/05 4:25am)
These few weeks hold a very new experience for my generation -- it is the first time we get to witness the death of a pope and the election of a new one. The magnificent funeral rituals seen on TV are quite an impressive experience for anyone who hasn't seen them.\nIn the bigger picture, however, that we're all watching is neither new nor a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. John Paul II is only the most recent in a succession of 264 popes. All of them have died, so what we're seeing these weeks has been done literally hundreds of times before.\nBut that's what makes all of this so special.\nLord Macaulay, though a Protestant himself, said of the papacy, "No other institution is left standing which carries the mind back to the times when the smoke of sacrifice rose from the Pantheon, and when camelopards and tigers bounded in the Flavian amphitheatre."\nHe is right. It is one of the very few direct, living links that modern man has with the world of antiquity. In fact, one of the pope's titles, "Pontifex Maximus," was held before the popes by the Roman emperors, and before them by the Roman high priests. The list of all the incumbents of this office covers an astounding 52 percent of recorded human history.\nI always find it amazing that the papacy has been able to survive Roman persecution, the Great Western Schism, the Reformation, the nationalist revolutions of the 19th century and both world wars.\nThe massive news coverage, the millions of people flocking to Rome and the presence of foreign dignitaries at the pope's funeral indicate that the papacy is still strong as ever and remains a force to be reckoned with even in our own day.\nThere are those who criticize the papacy for still existing, and the basis for their criticism is that the papacy is not a modern conception.\nWhy must something not being modern mean it is bad? This is a huge fallacy of logic that has, unfortunately, led to the demise of many ancient and revered institutions. Failure of some of them to adapt to changing political and economic climates did contribute to their downfall, but there are more victims of the obsession with tossing away tradition that has swept the modern west. In most cases, it succeeded, but it offered nothing to replace the lost traditions. Instead, we're left with a world of mass media, mass marketing, mass government and mass culture. In this environment, the tastes and fashions of the time are king, and they constantly change with ever-increasing rapidity.\nThe sense of meaninglessness that bogs the postmodern world comes from its dependence on change and the helpless sense of being caught up in futile, passing fads.\nThat is also probably a very important reason why the papacy remains so strong. Its firm root in tradition provides a sense of constancy in an ever-changing world. The Church is not unable to change, but refuses to change, and in doing so, states that the religious matters over which it governs should not be held subject to the whims of the times. \nThis attitude has always prevailed, and it is what always gave the Church an air of remote sanctity, removed from the pettiness of everyday life. That was the attitude of John Paul II -- he based his pontificate on his religion, not on the tastes of his times.\nAs we watch the pope's last rites and the election of a new one, let us be mindful of the enormous force of tradition behind it and always cherish this still-strong remnant of past ages.
(04/07/05 5:25am)
In Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera "The Magic Flute," esoteric doctrine and enlightenment philosophy meet on the operatic stage to create an opera unlike any other.\nMozart composed "The Magic Flute" (actually a singspiel, or series of sung parts with spoken interludes) only a few months before his death in 1791 for the Freihaus-Theatre in Vienna.\nMozart's librettist, Emanuel Schikaneder, chose to combine a series of texts to form this opera's libretto rather than adapting a single text, as was the norm. The variety of sources he chose included the Arthurian romance "Yvain," a French novel titled "Sethos," a scholarly work called "On the Mysteries of the Egyptians" and fairy tales from the "Dschinnistan." In addition to these, Mozart also threw in his own experiences as a freemason, which shocked members of the Vienna lodge when they saw some of their secret initiation ritual on stage.\nStage director Vince Liotta, who has extensive background with this opera, spoke about the Masonic ties to "The Magic Flute."\n"The Masonic background is not so much tied to freemasonry itself as the ideas that underlie it," he said.\nLiotta said the historical background of Gnosticism and mystic teachings concerning an unknowable god and a divine feminine deity went into the opera, as did rationalist ideas of the 18th century.\n"All those ideas influence the telling of the story," Liotta said, "and there is ritual in it, but one will run into a problem determining if it is Masonic ritual, since Mozart, as a mason, would want to keep his ritual secret."\nLiotta also said even though there is a lot of mystical basis in the opera, it is not so esoteric that the audience cannot understand it.\n"Anyone who's read 'The Da Vinci Code' has a basic grasp of the Gnostic ideas in 'The Magic Flute,'" he said.\nLiotta said having to direct an opera so firmly grounded in ritual presents some problems, a major one of which is showing the characters as humans rather than ideas or symbols.\n"The characters tend to become cartoons too easily when they're not treated as human," he said. "I saw a performance of 'The Magic Flute' in my youth where Papageno looked like the San Diego Chicken. I don't want that in my production."\nVocalists working with Liotta also are putting efforts toward portraying human characters.\nKaren Kness, who plays the Queen of the Night, said of her character, \n"She's the epitome of evil: all she cares about is her lost power, and she even uses her daughter to regain that power," she said. "Her character goes deeper than just evil, though. She's also desperate and doesn't want to lose her daughter."\nJordan Bluth, who plays Prince Tamino, describes his character as "a brash, pigheaded young man who also represents the figure of justice."\n"Not only do I want to be as brash as possible," Bluth said, "but I want to contrast my character with the others."\nThe vocalists' difficulties included more than drama, though.\n"Though my part doesn't sing much, the part is extremely high and difficult," Bluth said. "Also, my character is angry, but I can't push the voice too much or I'll end up breaking a note, since the part is so challenging."\nBluth said there were difficulties singing an English translation instead of the original German music. \n"Many of the vowels' formations are different, but otherwise the difference is not that drastic," he said "That's because we have a good translation that captured the meaning from the original text."\nLiotta has a very clear goal for the opera overall.\n"I want the audience to realize that no one has all the right answers and that to lead a happy life one needs to realize three things: to always search for knowledge, to know oneself and to let each person strive for his own happiness -- that builds true harmony in the world," Liotta said. "That is the true message of the opera. In 2005 this is an important message to remember, and we must never lose sight of it."\n-- Contact Staff Writer Adam Sedia at asedia@indiana.edu.
(04/01/05 4:30am)
IU musicians are not confined to classical repertoires. The Singing Hoosiers vocal ensemble at the School of Music specializes in popular and Broadway styles, and have been belting tunes for 55 years.\nThe group will celebrate its 55th anniversary Saturday with a diverse program of music that consists not only of popular and Broadway, but also Hoagy Carmichael tunes, love ballads, spirituals and gospel pieces.\nSinging Hoosiers Director Michael Schwartzkopf said the program was specifically designed to cover a wide range of work. He said one of the group's goals is to train and educate developing performers.\n"Education is about giving the students experience in as many fields as possible -- that's one reason why the program is so diverse," Schwartzkopf said.\nSchwartzkopf also has the same goals for the audience.\n"We want to expose the audience to a variety of styles," he said. "There's definitely something for everyone."\nSenior Jennifer Shuck said the anniversary concert was important.\n"Since it is the 55th anniversary, there will be a lot of alumni coming," Shuck said. "The concert will be a flashback to all the years of the Singing Hoosiers, as well as a tribute to all the Singing Hoosiers \nbefore us."\nShuck also expressed her excitement about the program. She said Schwartzkopf wanted to showcase the ensemble's best talent by selecting a wide variety of pieces.\n"The new pieces we're doing as well as the spirituals, which are not typical of our repertoire, will really show our versatility," Shuck said.\nFreshman Maggie Mountsier described her experience as a younger member preparing for the concert she said. Comprehending music quickly as one of the most important things she's learned from the Singing Hoosiers.\n"Quick learning is definitely a skill needed for performance," Mountsier said. "There was a big crunch to acquaint ourselves with the music in time for the concert."\nBut Mountsier said learning the pieces in such a short time was a success, and it taught her to balance her time. She attributes the efficiency to the group's director.\n"Dr. Schwartzkopf always gets the needed results 100 percent of the time," Mountsier said.\nMountsier also said Saturday's concert is important for anyone interested in American music because the diverse repertoire is honoring different kinds of music.\n"The broad spectrum is nice," she said, "because that way we're not stuck in one genre."\nOverall, Mountsier said the concert would be lots of fun for anyone who likes classic American music.\nSophomore Jon Davidson was \nenthusiastic about the concert.\n"The audience should expect one of the best two-hour shows available on campus," he said.\nDavidson also described the concert as having "something for everyone," and he said the variety guarantees everyone will find something they like in the show.\nSchwartzkopf said his goals for the concert are for the audience to be entertained and, above all, enjoy the show.\n"I want them to be delighted by the exceptional vocal talent of the group and soloists," Schwartzkopf said.\n-- Contact Staff Writer Adam Sedia at asedia@indiana.edu.
(04/01/05 4:24am)
Darwin's theory of evolution and the Bible are neither mutually exclusive nor irreconcilable. Yet t would appear from recent news that no one holds this position. The two sides have dug their trenches and now are embattled. The battleground: the U.S. education system.\nIn a recent survey, 31 percent of American schoolteachers said they felt pressured to teach creationism and other non-scientific alternatives in the classroom. Only 5 percent of the teachers felt the pressure from school administrators.\nMost of the pressure must come from groups eager to place their own agendas ahead of a rational education.\nCreationism is not rational, nor is it scientific, yet its most vocal adherents would have it masquerade as such. Teaching it in schools would be harmful to developing minds because it would encourage students to accept a theory based on nothing more than authority rather than reasoning and scrutiny of evidence.\nGranted, evolution is still no more than a theory, but it is one that is scientifically watertight. It took Darwin more than 20 years to develop and publish his ideas, which are based on observation, analysis and reasoning. Of all the theories on the development of life, Darwin's is the most compelling because it makes the most sense, and that is why it is the method currently prevailing on this subject.\nIf creationism were given the same weight as a well-reasoned theory, then what is the point of even instructing science? We should then give equal weight to the geocentric and heliocentric universes and argue that gravity and "the nature of things to fall" are both valid theories.\nThis would be absurd. It throws out the window the achievements and lifetimes of study devoted to better understanding our universe.\nBut if Darwin is, in fact, correct, what does that mean for those who believe in the Bible? Nothing at all. The story of Genesis is no less inspiring, no less believable. Those who would have us believe its contents word for word are reading what they believe to be God's word with the superficiality of a comic book. They miss the deeper meaning.\nWho is foolish enough to believe that "seven days" refers exclusively to seven 24-hour periods? The interpretation of the creation story as something more than what the words say is no new idea. Saint Augustine, one of the most revered Church fathers, wrote in his book, "The City of God" that "seven days" does not need to refer to the human measure of time, especially because days elapse before the sun is created. The world, he states, could be any number of ages old.\nNon-literal reading is not religion recoiling from Darwin and compromising itself. This was written in the year 413, so people saw the symbolic importance of Genesis and realized its scientific unlikelihood 15 centuries before Darwin. Creationists are, in a sense, betraying both reason and a long tradition of Christian teaching.\nI believe in the Bible -- all 73 books of it, including Genesis -- yet I also accept Darwin's theories as solid enough to be taught to the exclusion of creationism. And I still sleep at night. In fact, I attended a Catholic grade school, where evolution was taught and creationism was not even mentioned. My school's attitude was that evolution shows how God works continuously and subtly to lead up to the present.\nSo it is possible to be religious and believe in rational science. Then why don't creationist proponents realize this and spare the education system another lawsuit? Evolutionists, too, need to realize that their views in no way undermine their opponents' beliefs.\nReligion and science are two ways of observing our world, so it is completely possible for them to be reconciled.
(03/25/05 5:05am)
Every controversy has an entourage of angry politicians, lawyers and ... protesters.\nIn the past few weeks we've seen quite a lot of protesters in the headlines. From Beirut to Florida to Chicago to right here in Bloomington -- where we've even had the added joy of counter-protesters -- they've clogged the streets in their efforts to change the world.\nCorrection: Their efforts are to let the world know how they feel, not to change it.\nLast Saturday, Chicago's streets, as well as those of other cities, were graced by protesters marking the two-year anniversary of the Iraq war as well as their police escort. I remember picking up the Chicago Sun-Times and seeing a picture of the police dealing with a ragged, dirty, dreadlocked protester who ventured outside the bounds of normal protesting etiquette.\nFirst of all, wouldn't it make much more sense to be orderly about a protest? I, for one, would certainly be more inclined to at least listen to protesters' ideas if the police didn't have to deal with them.\nThen there's the attire. I remember watching the European news where "green" groups protested Spanish bullfights wearing nothing but face paint and scanty underwear. How can you expect anyone to take you seriously if you present your view on an issue dressed like "Braveheart" on LSD? \nShowing some decorum, even just acting civilized, will make any mob, however large, at least look serious about an issue. It's great that people care about issues and can express their views, but there are far more effective ways to present views than acting like barbarians.\nAlso, that a police escort is needed at many protests doesn't say a whole lot for protesters in general. "Big deal," one might say, "parades have them, too." Well, police don't need to arm themselves to the teeth and prepare for a face-off in parades. Protests such as the one Monday in Dzhalal Abad, Kyrgyzstan -- where four police officers were beaten to death -- shows exactly why police are needed to keep order. Some protesters are nothing more than an angry mob with a collective anger that can quite easily burst into violence. The presence of police means that protesters are recognized as a safety risk to other citizens.\nHow can a protester think that his views will be seriously considered by participating in something recognized as potentially dangerous to society? Their proclivity for turning violent shifts the focus of bystanders away from the protesters' views, which defeats the entire purpose of holding a demonstration in the first place.\nProtesting the war in Chicago is also nothing more than wasting breath. No decisions on the Iraq war are made there, so why voice your opinion to the powerless?\nLet us now consider protests in a good place. The past few weeks saw thousands of protesters in Beirut, Lebanon, gather to "demand Syrian withdrawal" from their country. If other protests turn violent when they should be peaceful, here's one where picking up arms would actually achieve the protesters' goals.\nThe European revolutions of 1848 that overthrew Metternich and the July monarchy were not done by peaceful whining. The citizens picked up their own arms and won their own government. Perhaps the Lebanese protest would have been more effective as a revolution. Tyrants and invaders are not overthrown with a bunch of waving flags unless their rule is weak to begin with.\nFreedom of speech is something we take for granted in this country so much that we do not use it effectively. \nInstead of painting your face and taking to the streets, argue your case with reason, be serious about what you say or, better yet, get out and actually do something that will directly help you achieve your cause.
(03/11/05 4:08am)
For those of us not up on the P.C. beat, March is dedicated to women's history. This is essentially giving 31 days to 52 percent of the world's population. Its goal is to make people aware that history is not only made by dead white men. \nI don't mind appreciating the good things women have done for society. As a student of literature, I remember George Eliot and Virginia Woolf, as a scientist I think of Marie Curie and as a musician I remember Clara Schumann.\nThough recognizing the achievements of the fairer sex does not upset me, what does upset me beyond belief is that there are those literati who would mangle the English language to accommodate something known as gender neutrality.\nA pocket style manual written by a woman, Diana Hacker, refers to sexist language as "language that stereotypes or demeans men or women, usually women." Well, what does she mean by "sexist language?" Words such as "hooker," "floozy," "sissy" or the infamous "girlie-man?"\nNo. Hacker says words such as "chairman," "congressman," "fireman," "mankind" and the verb "to man" among many others are sexist. Instead, she'd have us use "chairperson," "legislator," "firefighter," "humans" and "to operate/staff."\nTo me, the first set sounds the same as the second, and if anyone is offended at the use of such terms, then it is he or she who has the problem, and not the language. Saying "fireman" does not preclude the possibility that women have done the job, nor does it imply that it is a job for men. It simply refers to a man who puts out fires.\nWhat's worse, words such as "legislator" and "human" still have a male connotation. The correct Latinate feminine of "legislator" would be "legislatrix," and "human" contains a man just as much as "mankind." Removal of sexist vocabulary, then, is nothing more than a veneer, because implicit masculinity is deeply ingrained in both the grammar and vocabulary of English. Attempting to rid English of every "sexist" word would require nothing less than a complete restructuring of its most fundamental linguistic principles.\nJust because masculine terms form some of our most basic words and masculine and feminine terms exist for words does not mean that language has a slant against women. Saying "man the decks" should not be construed as a gentlemen-only event, because the term came from all-male ship crews.\nShould an elected man take offense to being referred to as a "congressman" just as a woman would take offense to the term "congresswoman?" Gender neutral reasoning would have it so, since it calls feminine terms sexist without stating why -- which makes it equally valid for men to take umbrage at masculine terms.\nWhat's so wrong with using a masculine term to describe a male and a feminine term to describe a female? We can have mailmen and weathermen just as much as mailwomen and weatherwomen. And we can even make up terms such as "senatrix" from senator (once an actual title during the Dark Ages), "paintress" and "sculptress" from painter and sculptor and "directress" from director. This can also work in reverse, too -- why not refer to a male seamstress as a "seamster" and a male ballet dancer as a "ballerino?" \nEnglish is a mongrel language with enough difficulties as it is, and we don't need political correctness and feminist lobbyists to screw it up even further. Difference in gendered language does not mean inequality, and it is ignorant to think so. \nGender difference does not equate to gender inequality in language. Whether or not in practice there is inequality between the sexes is of no consequence to the words themselves. They represent ideas, not situations, so leave them as they are and don't mangle our language.
(03/04/05 4:01am)
We like to think of ourselves today as free thinkers -- as people with independent minds who use them freely because we have the liberty to do so. Well, we may have the liberty to think, but anyone who can look at these times and say we think independently is only deceiving him or herself.\nOne of the most glaring illustrations of this situation is the perception we have in this country of democracy. We think that because it has worked so well in the United States, it therefore must be the best form of government for everyone everywhere.\nIt might sound like I'm going to vituperate the evils of the Iraq war. Not so. I support the U.S. entry into Iraq. Removing a madman like Saddam from power was a wise move to protect our own safety, as well as a service to humanity in general, not to mention the Iraqis themselves.\nWhat troubles me, though, is that we just sort of marched in and imposed our form of democracy on Iraqis without even bothering to ask. Seeing headlines in the papers like "New Promise of Democracy" (The New York Times) and even the IDS's own "Democracy Under Fire" really makes my blood boil. Why does everyone, especially informed journalists, seem to think democracy is some magical panacea that will work everywhere it goes?\nI'd hate to rain on the baby shower for what President Bush calls "the world's newest democracy," but Iraq has technically been one since its monarchy's violent overthrow in 1958. We've all seen what a disaster the past 50 years has been for democracy in Iraq, so what makes us so confident it will work now? It seems like we are beating our heads against a wall to blindly insist on democracy as the only option that will work in Iraq.\nAnother issue that brings our blind insistence on democracy into the spotlight is the huge stink raised about Vladimir "Boss" Putin's "abridgements" -- let's call them -- of Russia's democratic processes. The U.S. government, ever the concerned parent, issued a report expressing that it was "concerned by ... Putin's tightening grip on power."\nFirst of all, what decree came down from on high granting the United States authority over how other sovereign nations run themselves? Also, should our government really be poking its nose into the issues of other countries when they pose no threat to our own? I think we should make sure our own machine is well-oiled and working before we go taking the wrench to everyone else's.\nShould we also really be that surprised that Russia is not a full democracy? It went from rule by a czar with divine right to a communist revolution that only brought it the even more repressive Stalin, Khrushchev and Brezhnev. Yet even without democracy, Russia has managed to become one of the world's superpowers. I think we should be neither surprised nor upset that Russia is again veering in the direction of autocracy. If it is the will of Russia, so be it.\nDemocracy works well in the United States because we're pretty much a cesspool for the rest of the world. We have no established culture, so everyone must get along with their pre-existing ones. Our democracy manages to make that work. \nWe cannot, however, expect our democracy to work everywhere because everywhere is not like here. Each nation must govern itself based on its cultural and ethical values, and it is not up to us to interfere if there is no threat in that difference. We can work effectively with nations with different political systems and still maintain our own values. It is certainly more diplomatic than failing to see more than one right answer to government.
(02/28/05 5:11am)
Anyone going to the opera thinking they were going to see something along the lines of "Don Giovanni" or "Die Walküre" was in for a surprise.\nPerforming now at IU is a much less typical kind of opera.\n"Dialogues of the Carmelites" tells a true story of humble French nuns of the 18th century and their martyrdom.\n"Dialogues" is typically performed in the native language of the country, which in the United States would be English. But the IU performance is being done in French, as it was originally written.\nStephanie Bain plays Mother Marie in "Dialogues."Bain described the transition she had to make in playing a nun, a very atypical operatic role.\n"You have to learn discipline and make very precise gestures that are part of the Carmelite ritual," she said.\nChristina Bonsall plays the novice Blanche de la Force, who gives up her privileged life to join the convent.\n"We also had to adjust to looking at the floor to show humility, which is something operatic singers are specifically told not to do." Bonsall said. "That required a lot of getting used to."\nSheila Murphy who plays Sister Constance, described the difficulties further. She said the singers have to be careful not to kneel on the scapular (the holy image that hangs around the nuns' necks that has been blessed by the Pope). Also, during the scenes where the nuns cover their eyes with their veils, they had to be careful not to run into each other. The singers found themselves unconsciously standing with their hands folded over where the scapular would be outside of practice.\n"Overall, though, we've all made a graceful transition from opera singers into nuns," she said.\nBonsall said the singing is different from what opera singers are familiar with.\n"The opera's specifically called 'Dialogues' for a reason." She said. "Rather than singing melodies, we sort of speak on a pitch. There are no proper arias as in a standard opera. It's different from anything we've all done so far."\nThe singers also spoke about the music to which they sang. Murphy described the orchestration as "incredible."\n"But it's not going to be familiar at first." she said. "It grows on you intensely, though." \nBain agreed.\n"The music is a little different at first, but the more you hear it, the more you like it," she said.\nBonsall described in further detail the character of the opera's music. She said it consists of hidden motifs, or recurring themes that occur in the orchestral part only. She also said the non-operatic nature of the vocal part means all of the musical aspect is told through the orchestra.\n"The orchestra is where all of the emotion happens," she said. \nThe singers have also had a different experience with "Dialogues" because it is based on a true, historical event.\n"It's very easy to become emotionally attached to the characters," Bonsall said.\nBonsall also said the emotional attachment the singers have to the characters has made their experience with the opera "really intense."\nAll three singers said they were impressed by stage director Tazewell Thompson and conductor Randall Behr. Bain said both worked very well together, and Bonsall agreed.\n"Both Tazewell and Randall have earned our respect without having to raise their voices at all," she said.\nFinally, all three singers described their love and enthusiasm for "Dialogues of the Carmelites" and have been touched by it.\n"We want the audience to come out as touched by and as in love with this opera as we've all become," Murphy said.\n-- Contact Staff Writer Adam Sedia at asedia@indiana.edu.
(02/25/05 4:21am)
As we all know (and sometimes like to jeer at), the Catholic Church is still being plagued by the abuse scandals, and more and more priests are being defrocked and thrown in prison for their ... let's just leave it at "sins."\nBut for all of this, my faith in the Church is no weaker; in fact, it has even strangely grown as I read the stories behind the convictions.\nOne such case made national headlines last week. Paul Shanley, a defrocked priest, was sentenced in Boston to 12 to 15 years for the sexual abuse of several young boys, one as young as six years old.\nIt's sad that nothing seemed extraordinary on the surface. What did catch my eye, however, was what the Boston Globe reported about Shanley -- that he was "once known for being a hip 'street priest,' who reached out to troubled children and homosexuals."\nIt's no surprise that a once-"hip" priest was the one committing the abuse, especially one who catered to a crowd that was tailored to his ... let's call them "preferences."\nIt's priests like these, the ones who are "cool," friendly and very easily approachable, who are not surprisingly the source of much of the abuse. Their easy and open manner that makes them seem more like friends than priests is what draws the ingenuous children, unable to see a predator behind the friendly face.\nI then turned my thoughts to a priest at the parish in which I was raised and where I attended school right up through eighth grade. I don't have too many fond memories of him. In fact, you couldn't get any child of any age to voluntarily go within 10 feet of him. And it's for that reason that I'd never suspect him in the least of child molestation.\nI'm not saying that he's a bad person -- just a little aloof and not comfortable to approach. However, even he is a teddy bear when compared with the austere, statuesque monsignor in horn-rimmed glasses who my dad always mentions back from the pre-Vatican II days. Now there was a priest who seemed barely human, who seemed to almost fit into the atmosphere of solemnity that characterizes the Catholic Church.\nIt is in men such as these, where the line between the sacred and the worldly is so clearly drawn that crossing it seems almost sacrilegious, that I think the priestly ideal is captured. The attempt to bring the Church from a separate, higher, sacred level to one that is more "down-to-earth" sadly results in many cases like Shanley, the hip priest, who used his friendly face to betray the trust of innocent children.\nThe horrors of child molestation are only the worst results of the Church's attempt to put on a more human face. The awe, the pomp and the solemnity of the ancient rite of the Mass were all weakened a little when the Church began to show that it, too, could be hip and modern. It's saddening to think about the lost splendor.\nNot all has been lost, however. The second Vatican council did give the Church a more universal aim and ensured its survival in a world of mass-production that only values the newest, most popular trends. Yet it still has managed to preserve its ancient rites and still has much the grandeur and ceremony of the past.\nThis is the Church to which I proudly belong, and every molestation case only reminds me that it has endured so much worse -- persecution, the Reformation, nationalism -- and has still survived, intact and strong as ever. It's in good, honest priests like the ones I know in Bloomington that I see a hopeful future for the Church.
(02/24/05 5:47am)
The Catholic Church is associated with many musical genres such as the cantata and the oratorio, but it usually is never associated with the opera. French composer Francis Poulenc changed that in 1956 when he wrote "Dialogues des Carmelites." Translated as "Dialogues of the Carmelites," the opera is based on the true story of the convent of Carmelite nuns who were martyred during the French Revolution. This opera comes to IU Friday, and some performers spoke about their perceptions of the opera based on their experience in it.\nGraduate student Stephanie Bain, who plays Mother Marie, the prioress, said that adjusting to the role of a nun required much discipline and precision in gestures. Another element that Bain found different from her previous experience was the historical nature of the subject.\n"Since it is based off of history, each nun actually once lived and has a specific background, name and personality," Bain said. "There are no generic nuns in the opera, which makes it even more touching. It is totally different from any other operatic situation, since most operas are works of fiction."\nDoctoral student Sheila Murphy, who plays Sister Constance, agreed with Bain. \n"This opera has made us all look at nuns differently," she said. "We've grown to respect them and discovered that, for the time, they were actually quite liberated women. Inside their cloister they could do many things that women outside were forbidden from doing."\nMurphy said the cast's portrayal of nuns is as accurate as possible. Stage director Tazewell Thompson, who has staged this opera at such prestigious venues as the New York Met, was actually raised by Carmelite nuns for six years. Later, he obtained special permission from the Pope to visit a Carmelite prioress in Montreal, a visit normally off limits for men. From her he learned more about the order and obtained patterns for the habits the Carmelite nuns actually wear. Murphy described the IU performance as "classy" because of the great degree of research and accuracy put into it.\nGraduate student Christina Bonsall, who portrays the novice Constance, said Thompson's respect for nuns comes out in the opera. \n"He has such a respect for the nuns, and it's amazing to work with him because he knows everything about them," she said.\nIn addition to teaching them about the nuns, Thompson encouraged the singers to connect emotionally with their characters.\n"In an opera as intense as 'Dialogues,' it's easy for all the emotion to affect a cast of mostly women," Bonsall said. "But (Thompson) encourages us to cry and express our emotion. It really moves all of us, him and everyone watching us."\nEach of the singers wants to move her audience above all else, and Bain said it is important to express that intention to the audience. \n"The characters in this opera are all driven by service to God, prayer for others and martyrdom, so I want to show the purity and resolve of being a Carmelite nun," she said.\nBonsall agreed.\n"I don't want to do disservice to such great people," she said.\nMurphy spoke about a specific line in her part, in which her character sings that life is so beautiful that death must be beautiful as well.\n"This is one of the most profound ideas about life and death, and I really want the audience to understand its meaning," Murphy said. "The Carmelites view death as a continuation of life, and I want the audience to see that."\nThe three singers said that they were all deeply touched by the opera and want the audience to feel same way.\nBonsall gave the example of Diction Coach Mona Houston and how her thoughts of the opera changed.\n"She absolutely hated the opera when we began to rehearse," Bonsall said. "Working with this production has made it now her favorite opera."\nThe singers encouraged the audience to keep a similarly open mind to it.\n"This performance means a lot to us," Murphy said, "and we really want the audience to be as touched by it as we are."\n-- Contact Staff Writer Adam Sedia at asedia@indiana.edu.
(02/18/05 4:11am)
To Aristotle, the only division among people that mattered was between the Greeks and the non-Greeks. Not all that much has changed at IU 2,400 years later, except instead of referring to non-Greeks as "barbarians" (though it sounds nice), we call them GDIs: God-damned independents.\nAnd there is just about the same amount of hostility between IU greeks and non-greeks as with the ancient Greeks and Persians. Why? We're not fighting about control of land or money or world-domination, yet the differences between the two communities seem irreconcilable. Greeks see the non-greeks as boring and invariably anti-greek, and the non-greeks see greeks as revelers, drunkards and hussies.\nI have seen both perspectives during my college career. I once had the common, stereotypical perception of the greek community and vowed never to be a part of it. The only outcome I saw in going greek was ruining my grade point average, my liver and my reputation.\nI was soon forced to eat my words, however. Yes, I became a greek (I expect a collective, "Gasp! A frat boy writing for the paper?"). I pledged Alpha Sigma Phi, one of IU's many un-housed fraternities, and though I can't think of many people further from the stereotypical "frat boy" than myself -- I study chemistry, prefer classical music and cook -- I get along perfectly with the other men in my chapter.\nSeeing the situation from the other side of the divide makes me feel foolish for buying into the stereotypes, and I laugh when I see others either buy into them or consciously fit into them.\nYet sometimes, regretfully, there's truth to the stereotypes. Incidents like Sigma Nu's lawsuit this week only show others the worst side of greek life and ignore the many advantages it offers.\n"Hazing is against the founding principles of ... (our) fraternity," Sigma Nu Executive Director Brad Beacham told the IDS.\nReally? In 1845, the founders of Alpha Sigma Phi did not sit down and make hazing a founding principle either. What a coincidence!\nNone of our greek organizations were founded on these principles. If only fraternities and sororities kept true to their founding principles, we wouldn't give the non-greek community so many reasons to hate us. They'd also see the many advantages to joining a fraternity or a sorority, rather than drinking, partying and lechery.\nThe college greek system is more than 200 years old, so it must have been doing something good to be effective for so long. This system was founded to give a sense of belonging and direction to the unguided and misdirected college-age students. In its conception, I can hardly think of a better organization to offer college students.\nI myself can vouch for its value. It has helped me to grow extensively as a person. It has given me more than friends -- brothers, improved my social life and given me a new perspective on IU.\nI changed from the typical greek-hater into a greek because I remained open to the greek life, and they remained open to me. If both non-greeks and greeks managed to open themselves more, I'm sure they'd find they're not all that different. Just observing the difference in attitude among my greek and non-greek friends, I can see that both have shut themselves off from the other world almost entirely, and by doing so, they have either a skewed perception or no perception at all of the other.\nIt really isn't that hard for both spheres to get along. It only requires a minimal effort on both parts. Greeks must bear the responsibility of living up to their standards. Non-greeks must also see the value of greek organizations and not hastily group them all under one large umbrella.
(02/11/05 4:59am)
For many people -- more than just couples -- Valentine's Day is far from an occasion to celebrate. For those of us, like myself, who are very much single, seeing the surrounding atmosphere dripping with romantic sentiment can be quite frustrating, even depressing.\nMany out there know, or have known at some point, the feeling that springs from being alone among couples who plainly exhibit affection. It can feel as if you're the only one in the universe who has no one to receive your affection.\nThis is because we live in a world where being single is viewed as something shameful and problematic. We are bombarded with such attitudes daily by the great advertising machine. Billboards, pop-up computer ads and even TV commercials tout lines like, "find a perfect match" (www.SingleMe.com), "find your special someone" (http://personals.yahoo.com) and "find your true love and life partner" (www.PerfectMatch.com).\nIf such services really could connect me with the woman who is perfect for me (and me for her), then why do they need to advertise and compete for effectiveness? The reason is simple: They do not actually do what they purport. They only make it easier to meet other people eager to not be single anymore. In doing so, they prey on the desperation that many are driven to by the mass media's equating singleness with social and personal ineptitude.\nThe problem, as I see it, lies not so much with those who are not in relationships as with those who are. Before I launch into my tirade, I wish to make it perfectly clear that I am in no way denying that true love does exist between many people. For many, if not most, however, "love" is merely a more socially acceptable term for "sex."\nBeing in love is not the strong logical and emotional bond that exists between two people of one mind as it is physical gratification. To them it is not sharing lives, feelings, thoughts, tastes and values so much as sharing the bed.\nThese misdirected affections can be seen all the time in couples who have no true bond between them and who really should not be together, yet they manage to always break up and gravitate back to a similar situation. They deserve pity more than anything, for they fear the loneliness of being single more than they value its freedom and opportunities to start anew. They would prefer the bonds of a loveless relationship.\nI am not generalizing specifics, either. The view of Valentine's Day having more to do with sex than love can be seen in tawdry examples like the survey conducted by Durex (for those of you not familiar with Durex, it's the British equivalent of Trojans). The survey spoke of "the pressure to have a wildly romantic experience for Valentine's Day" and analyzed the use of lubricant by Americans and gave advice for its Valentine's Day use.\nWhat happened to roses, chocolates and those candy hearts with the hackneyed messages on them? They've evolved into lubricant and God only knows what else. The "holiday" has degenerated from sweetness and kisses to hard-core debauchery.\nIn this way, the holiday is cheapened in the same way that sex cheapens love. I'm not saying that enjoying sex is immoral or unnatural, but it needs to be done within its proper context. When people take sex more seriously than they do love and imagine that love cannot exist without it, they cheapen love and make it pleasure-seeking and self-serving.\nIf this is what Valentine's Day has become -- nothing more than a crazed sex fest -- then those left out of its festivities ought not to feel so bad.
(02/04/05 4:28am)
Now it's time to drop the bomb -- the racism bomb. \nBut I'm not concerned strictly with black-white issues. The structure of racism -- both real and imagined -- is far more complex than that, especially in this country.\nWhat spurred my thoughts on this was an almost innocent aside made by a guest watching TV at my house. One of MTV's painfully shallow reality shows was on the air (not my choice, I promise!), and it featured an especially shallow aspiring body-builder. When Mr. Muscles made a comment about his own big nose, my guest said, "Well of course, he's a dago."\nEven though I myself am a dago, a wop, a guinea or whatever other term you use off-the-record for Italian-Americans, I really didn't care. Why? Because this comment came from an MTV imbecile whom I myself would have insulted. Moreover, I knew it was only a harmless comment that carried no true hatred behind it.\nHowever, it would be false to say such a comment is meaningless. It illustrates the contempt the older, more established white Americans had for newly arrived immigrants, a hatred that fueled the revival of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s. Yet this is an aspect of the Klan's history that is largely ignored today. People seem to forget that an Imperial Wizard from Indiana in the 1920s would have just as gladly strung me up, an Italian and a Catholic, as readily as any black or Jewish person.\nIt might sound like I'm bitter, wanting a piece of the sympathy pie that victims of prejudice are given by today's society, but I'm really not. What does irk me is the mind-set that because I am white, I am a member of a privileged caste that is inherently prejudiced and never the object of prejudice.\nJoe Jackson, father of Michael Jackson, has such an attitude. When referring to his son's upcoming trial, he immediately blamed the accusations on American racism.\nDoes Jackson père seriously think his son's trial has less to do with him being black than being creepy? Is there even enough of his original flesh left to qualify him as human? \nDoes this mean I can now blame the Gotti trial on American racism?\nCertainly not. The point of the justice system is to test guilt, not persecute race, and I doubt the concerted efforts of police, prosecutors and government officials are all directed toward quashing an uppity black man.\nAnother mistaken stance on this issue is the delusion that it can be ended. Franco Frattini, a former justice official from the European Union, an organization known for having its head among the clouds, spoke of the "eradication of ... intolerance."\nEnding thousands of years of cultural strife is rather ambitious, no?\nRacism is something that cannot be eradicated, and all people are guilty of it to some degree. As long as there are distinct cultural and ethnic groups, each of them shall have its established identity, and that identity will always be determined by who isn't included as much as who is. Those outside are always viewed differently from those inside. This is the origin of racism, and every culture has this outlook, or it ceases to be a culture and homogenizes. This is not bad, only natural and expected.\nI'll admit, I've said and thought my fair share of derogatory remarks, and I know I'm not the only one. So, call me a dago -- I don't care. Such words are harmless, even natural, for they are the products of living among different people. Only when such thoughts lead to twisted ideologies, violence and murder do they become dangerous and destructive to society.
(01/31/05 4:42am)
On Saturday night, a musical staple of the south-central Indiana community celebrated its 35th anniversary.\nThe Bloomington Symphony Orchestra rang in its 35th season with a concert entitled "The Composer and his Orchestra," featuring works by composers from the Bloomington area who are involved with the BSO under the baton of guest conductor Christopher Ludwa.\nH. Michael Simmons, the president of the BSO board of directors said the orchestra's foundation and purpose was founded in 1969-1970 by graduate students from the IU School of Music, to create a volunteer community orchestra that would serve the wider community of south-central Indiana.\n"We draw musicians from many communities throughout the area," Simmons said, "and our programs are tailored to the needs of the five-county area."\nAside from the regular season concerts, some of the programs the BSO puts on are a free concert in Bryan Park and the Night in Old Vienna dinner-dance. Also, the BSO places an emphasis on child and youth education. Such programs include the Youth Concerto Competition, the Children's Concert, the Meet the Instruments program and instrument donation program.\n"The orchestra extends its mission to educating and fostering the musical arts to the community's youth," Simmons said.\nSimmons said Saturday's concert represents part of the orchestra's mission to feature local talent.\nPaul Hartin, one of the composers featured on the program spoke of his involvement with the BSO.\n"I've been in the orchestra since the late '70s and I've always enjoyed being in it," he said. "It not only has musical rewards, but I've also met many friends through it and given back to the community through its programs."\nHartin said he places emphasis on the community programs, calling the BSO "big on community support."\n"It's the activities outside of just performing that make the BSO such a success," Hartin said.\nHe said he wrote his piece after the dinner-dance event as a tribute to the orchestra, its supporters and the event's success.\nComposer David Canfield said involvement with the BSO is an important role for the community. \n"I support the orchestra, play in it, write for it, and serve on the board because it plays such an important role in the community," Canfield said. "The IU School of Music orients its programs toward students, so the BSO's role is to gear its programs and events toward the wider community."\nSaturday's concert performed before a receptive community audience, Simmons said. \n"It was very successful," He said. "I was impressed with how well the musicians played and how receptive the audience was."\n-- Contact Staff Writer Adam Sedia at asedia@indiana.edu.
(01/28/05 7:24am)
A volunteer orchestra made up of students, amateurs and professional musicians will take audiences from Vienna to Israel while celebrating its 35th anniversary at 8 p.m. Saturday. The Bloomington Symphony Orchestra's concert will present community-tied pieces written and preformed by local musicians.\n"Though the orchestra plays a wide range of everything from Baroque to contemporary music, we wanted to put together a program featuring Bloomington-related music by people with ties to the orchestra," said Michael Simmons, BSO board president.\nThe program, titled "The Composer and his Orchestra," features works by composers who have been involved with the local symphony and have written their pieces on commission specifically for the BSO.\nOne of these composers is BSO tuba player Paul Hartin. Hartin's piece, titled the "Night in Old Vienna Waltz," is written in the style of 19th-century Viennese waltzes of Johann Strauss Jr. It is dedicated to Hillard and Ruth Ann Trubitt, who for years sponsored the "Night in Old Vienna" dinner-dance, an annual gala during which orchestra members play, and Viennese food is served. \n"It is a very conscious imitation of the Viennese waltzes of Strauss," Hartin said. "It is genial, unpretentious and self-explanatory ... I just want to amuse and delight the audience by evoking the golden age of the waltz."\nAnother local composer featured on the program is Dave Canfield, who is section leader for the second violins as well as a BSO board member. Canfield had previously written two other pieces on commission by the BSO in 1986 and 2000. When he received this year's commission, Canfield said he decided to write a large-scale work and decided upon a symphony in three movements. It is his second symphony, his first being a master's thesis at IU nearly 30 years ago.\n"I wrote this symphony specifically for the instrumentation and skill level of the BSO," Canfield said. "Difficulty level is hard to judge, and I may have made it more difficult than I wanted to, but the orchestra worked hard and will pull it off."\nCanfield's symphony is subtitled "Israel," and he explained the origin of that name came as somewhat of an afterthought.\n"I'm not Jewish and I didn't intend to write this piece in a Jewish style, but I played it for a friend when it was two-thirds complete," he said. "He remarked that it sounded Jewish, and I immediately heard what he meant."\nHe added the subtitle and deliberately wrote it in a Jewish style, using a shofar -- ram's horn -- which is the first use of this instrument in an orchestral score, Canfield said.\nHe said his style in general is tonal, but with a free and complex tonality. \n"It would appeal to people with an exposure to classical and contemporary music," he said. "But you don't need to like modern music to appreciate this piece."\nCanfield described his goals when composing. \n"I don't write for posterity," he said. "I want to have the audiences that hear my music now enjoy it, and if it is good, then it can be passed to posterity."\nSimmons said Canfield's work is a world premiere, and that this fact illustrates the importance of live orchestras.\n"(The symphony) is not on a recording, so it is wonderful that the public can come and hear something completely unique," he said. "That is why we must keep live orchestras around."\nSimmons said he hopes for good attendance from the community.\n"The audience can listen to unique music they otherwise would not have the chance to hear," he said.\nThe concert will be held at Bloomington High School North Auditorium. Tickets for adults are $10 and students $8.\n-- Contact Staff Writer Adam Sedia at asedia@indiana.edu.