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(04/25/11 2:05am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU Auditorium season will finish with knights in tights, zany British humor and a giant wooden rabbit. “Monty Python’s Spamalot,” a twist on the cult classic film “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” which is itself a twist on the tale of King Arthur, will be performed at 8 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday at the Auditorium.“From beginning to end, it will be tons of fun,” Auditorium events manager Maria Talbert said of the musical.Besides lauding the pageantry and spectacle of the production, Talbert said “Spamalot” will include many current and pop references.“The production and music is very Broadway-esque with bright, beautiful scenery and great choreography,” she said.Written by original Monty Python member Eric Idle, the show includes numbers such as “The Song That Goes Like This” and “You Won’t Succeed on Broadway.”The music, Talbert said, allows the show to spoof Broadway musicals in addition to adding pure fun to the production.“It’s kind of tongue-in-cheek, but for both people who like musicals and those who think they won’t,” Talbert said.Talbert said people sometimes have a certain idea of what a musical is, but “Spamalot” will leave them pleasantly surprised.“This show takes British humor to a new level and redefines the standards of a successful musical parody with a performance that any audience will find incredibly witty and undeniably hilarious,” Auditorium director Doug Booher said in a press release.Talbert likewise emphasized the broad appeal of the show, which won three 2005 Tony Awards and enjoyed more than 1,500 performances. Before the knights prance onto stage — heralded by the clip-clop of coconuts to imitate horses, as they have none — students can buy tickets for $20-41 at the Auditorium box office or at www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets for the general public are $38-60.The audience can look forward to the characteristic humor of the Monty Python franchise.“I would say that British humor for me, personally, is very smart, fast-paced and a bit off-the-wall and along with that, a lot is pure silliness,” Talbert said. “It’s this combination that makes British humor unique.”Another interesting aspect of British humor, Talbert said, is the political and moral commentary it includes.“People will not only be having a good time, but as with all of Monty Python’s movies and shows, there is something you can take away and think about,” Talbert said.
(04/25/11 2:03am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Blue light shone on the curtains and turned them a soft shade of green, and music began to play above the murmur of the waiting audience Friday night.The sultry, pleasant melody of George Gershwin’s “Summertime” filled the IU Auditorium, and Mr. and Mrs. Heteronormativity danced across the stage.GenderF**k, an inclusive drag show put on by Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Equality and the IU Student Association, had commenced.Suddenly, the couple saw a beam of light — no, a person. Who could it be? “GenderF**k!” announced the narrator in booming tones, and so GenderF**k burst onto the stage in a studded tan leotard. As GenderF**k danced energetically to the lyrics of Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way,” Mr. and Mrs. Heteronormativity backed away, made disapproving gestures, and eventually fled the stage, leaving behind a sun hat.“I never thought I would be a performer,” said Bloomington community member Zuryvette Reyes Borrero, who played GenderF**k. “Back home — home is Puerto Rico — I never took (dance) classes but I locked myself in my room and danced like an idiot.”Now she does drag at least once a month and recently joined Bloomington’s drag king troupe Gender Studs. She said she looks up to Vicci Laine, a performer and activist.As Reyes Borrero left the stage, she twirled the abandoned sun hat with a flourish, and Mr. and Mrs. Heteronormativity returned. Another person approached.“Is it a friend, another well-intentioned stranger or a menace?” the narrator asked. Gothika Darling, covered with glitter and blue paint from head to toe, entered, danced fluidly and lip-synched to Katy Perry’s “E.T.” and was later joined by another performer with one blue leg.Mr. and Mrs. Heteronormativity continued to clutch hands and cower on the side of the stage as the performances continued. “This is not right,” the narrator verbalized for them. “An unconsidered value has been broken!”Then the People’s Diva Argenta Peron danced in red fishnets to Livvi Franc’s “Now I’m That Bitch.”As Evelyn entered the stage, replete with corset and black leather to dance and snap a multi-colored whip to Rihanna’s “S&M,” Mr. Heteronormativity stroked his chin in consideration.“It’s awesome because of the fact it’s not just a drag-show,” Argenta Peron said. “It expresses a vision of what gender really is.” Mr. and Mrs. Heteronormativity began to play with their gender expressions as the show progressed, donning various clothes, wigs and make-up as they became more comfortable with themselves.“I believe it’s (the show) more inclusive even for people not in the LGBTQ community,” freshman Amanda Brown said. “It doesn’t take a traditional form.”Haley Blorstad, graduate of Bloomington High School South, said she laughed and enjoyed the dancing.“It’s really inspiring to watch them on stage and be so comfortable with themselves,” Blorstad said.While the event was free, donations to Middle Way House were encouraged. Caleb Baker, a graduate student in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs who was staffing the table, said the organization provides shelter for victims of domestic violence and job opportunities, including in the group’s catering service Food Works.“We can use all the funding we can get,” Baker said. “I hope the community kicks in.” The show continued with umbrella-twirling in red lingerie, cotton-candy blue hair, cartwheels in blue-checkered skirts, high-leg kicks and suave dancing to Dean Martin’s “Mambo Italiano.” Glitter flew from the dancing performers.“I liked all the glitter,” said Maggie Block, graduate student in library science. “The original intent of androgyny and gender queerness is really exciting and cool to see.”By the end of GenderF**k, Mr. and Mrs. Heteronormativity had come so far “They find they no longer wish to return,” the narrator announced. All of the performers and some SAGE members then danced to Florence and the Machine’s “Dog Days Are Over.”The audience clapped to the strong beat as the dancers dispersed throughout the auditorium and gave high-fives to their fans. “Being able to please the crowd, hearing them say they loved it and want to see it again — it’s absolute bliss,” Reyes Borrero said.
(04/22/11 2:44am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>GenderF**k — a gender-inclusive drag show with no restrictions on gender presentation, sexual orientation or birth sex — will be presented by the IU Student Association and SAGE.This will be GenderF**k’s first year.“We’re hoping to make it a tradition,” Carroll said.A key part of the event, she said, is that it will not be a competition or require admission.A goal of the event is to be something everyone can go to, Carroll said.“A lot of traditional drag has been one-directional,” Carroll said. “Men as women and women as men. We’ll have all of that and more.”GenderF**k, Carroll said, will expand the boundary, and she encountered a lot of enthusiasm while organizing the event.“When I talked to anyone about the idea, people became instantly excited and really wanted to help,” Carroll said.The event stresses gender expression as a performance for communicating social messages.The event will include about 15 acts from about 10 performers, Carroll said.She added that performers will include students and Bloomington community members and experienced performers and newcomers.While no entry or admission fees are charged, SAGE is asking for donations for Middle Way House at the door.Middle Way House is a nonprofit social service that assists victims of domestic violence and sexual assault and works to end such abuses. It also provides housing and education for kids, Carroll said.“Middle Way does a lot of great things for the Bloomington community,” she said. “We want to give back to them.”
(04/21/11 4:12am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>An idle coal-burning plant has become a burning issue in Jasper, Ind., as city officials pursue its conversion into a biomass plant. City officials said they believe the move could be an economic boom, but opponents with health concerns believe otherwise.“Southern Indiana is already very compromised because of coal-burning power plants,” said Rev. Christopher Breedlove, leader of the opposition group Healthy Dubois County. “Why would we want to further exacerbate this?” Under the proposal from the Twisted Oak Corporation of Atlanta — which the city is negotiating with — the plant would burn 80 percent natural gas and 20 percent miscanthus grass. While the plant in Jasper is idle, said Wayne Schuetter, chairman of Jasper’s utility service board, it is under contract with the Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator. “We have to fire it up (if told to),” he said. “It can be brought up to full power in six hours. We have a crew of 10 capable of firing it up and running it.”The plant has been burning coal since 1968, but because of increased coal prices, the city began to look for alternatives, Schuetter said. The city didn’t consider selling the plant, as it would lose control, but would like to lease the plant and receive annual payments. Breedlove, however, said the city should “leave it idle — or, better yet, retire and dismantle it.”Breedlove, who started the grassroots HDC group, said the smokestack is right next to a residential neighborhood. His group, he said, is concerned primarily with quality of life and property value issues. “Because we have a significant number of people, they (the city council) had to respond,” Breedlove said. “It’s a story about persistence.”HDC started with a couple of people and a peaceful vigil to raise awareness, as most residents were unaware the city was pursuing a biomass plant, Breedlove said. Now the group has blossomed to include about 300 members.“It’s continuing to snowball as far as people becoming aware,” he said.Schuetter said if the proposal is accepted, the positions at the power plant would expand from 14 to about 30. In addition, he said, it would lead to 30 to 50 jobs in the handling of the miscanthus grass, 80 to 100 construction jobs for 12 to 18 months and long-term growing contracts of 10 or 20 years for local farmers. He also noted the multiplier effect.“For every job created, more will be created in other sectors — a ripple effect,” Schuetter said. The downside, he said, is the concern about emissions.“We’re looking at all these concerns, negative as well as positive,” Schuetter said.Utilities service board members are also in the process of hiring an outside consultant and looking at other companies to do an environmental assessment, Schuetter said. “To this point, they’ve (city officials) been really interested in it as a finance move for the city,” Breedlove said.Now, he said, they have had to ponder the proposal further because of activism and local doctors speaking out.On HDC’s website, Jasper doctor Norma Kreilein said Twisted Oak’s online information on dioxins, which arise from biomass burning, is misleading.“Dioxins are some of the most hazardous substances known to man, and respect for this fact is not hype,” Kreilein said on the website.Miscanthus grass, the crop that would be burned, causes a major problem, Breedlove said. It harbors an insect, the western corn rootworm beetle, which damages corn crops.“It’s called the billion-dollar bug because it does so much damage,” Breedlove said. As southern Indiana is a farming area heavily invested in corn, Breedlove said he is concerned for local farmers.The beetle, however, is already in southern Indiana, Schuetter said, and local farmers have discussed their concerns with him.He said they told him a simple application of pesticide does the trick.“Our question is, how do fertilizer and pesticides affect emissions?” Schuetter said.He said utilities board members are looking at the specifics of the miscanthus plant.“They did pick a fairly good one to use,” said sophomore Nick McKay, research coordinator and co-vice president for Coal Free IU. “But then again, it depends on location.”Ideally, he said, the seed stock used for biomass should be a kind of grass that doesn’t require many herbicides, pesticides or fertilizer. Biomass, he said, is not always good or bad.“To use the phrase ‘biomass’ in generalized terms is not accurate,” Schuetter said.While shredded tires and poultry litter are biomass, for example, the city would never consider using those, he said. Eventually, the utilities board will present an opinion to the city council noting the pros and cons.“The city council has the final say,” Schuetter said.
(04/18/11 1:25am)
The orchestra warmed up below the stage, gathering steam, and then the steam whistle itself blew — and the cast of “Anything Goes” set sail for a romping, roving musical comedy.
(04/12/11 3:18am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>With a focus on the use of humans for soap, Professor Bozena Shallcross of the University of Chicago presented a lecture titled “A Holocaust Object and the Story of Its Production” on Monday in Ballantine Hall Monday.Shallcross’s lecture was based on a chapter from her book “The Holocaust Object in Polish and Polish-Jewish Culture,” which was released in January by Indiana University Press.She said her intent with the book was to investigate how people who lived through the Holocaust talked about looting.“The ultimate appropriation (was) the recycling of the body for all sorts of products,” Shallcross said.Shallcross began by discussing literature and analyzing Polish novelist Zofia Nalkowska’s work.Nalkowska, who became a member of the Committee for Research of German Crimes in 1945, visited a laboratory in Danzig where Nazi Physician Rudolf Spanner had produced soap from human fat.Nalkowska said she felt a “confused sensation” that something was terribly wrong with the place, Shallcross said, but it was not fully realized until she came across “piles of corpses with neat cuts on the necks.”“She (Nalkowska) strives to find an adequate strategy to present the morbid spectacle,” Shallcross said. The Nazis, such as Spanner, she said, attempted to turn bodies completely into soap until “nothing human” was left. However, the smell revealed the soap to be human.“Professor Spanner tried hard to get rid of the smell. He wrote away to chemical factories for oils, but you could always tell the soap was different,” said a lab assistant of Spanner’s whom Shallcross quoted. “Of all the Holocaust recyclings, this one failed,” Shallcross said.Historically, soap has been a “yardstick of civilization,” but the use of humans “perverts the main trope of civilization,” Shallcross said. Shallcross covered history, theories of utilitarianism and essentialism and Freudian thought. In medieval times, she said, any group considered to be the “other” was deemed a “candidate for sacrifice.”Graduate student Charles Bonds said he has studied the Holocaust for a long time as a Yiddish and Russian student, and that while it is horrifying he believes studying the topic furthers people’s understanding.“A real depth could be uncovered in studying this,” Bonds said. “It needs to be uncovered, absorbed, felt and studied.”
(04/11/11 4:02am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Bleeding Heartland Rollergirls whipped onto the smooth racetrack to warm up for their impending rMATCH, faces determined, minds focused.It was Saturday evening at the Twin Lakes Recreation Center, and fans started to fill the seats, cheering and shouting. The competitors wore orange, white and black jerseys, a medley of stockings and tights and their numbers on their arms. Tijuana Mama, No. 50, sported a black and orange tutu.They circled. They wiggled their ankles, darting back and forth. As they sped up, the coach blew a whistle and they came to a screeching halt — then they swiftly changed directions. Shifty McGee and Bobbi McGuillotine, bumping each other in practice, took a tumble. Two teams make up the BHRG. The women warming up on the track were the Code Blue Assassins, and moments later they would be skating against the Lafayette Brawlin’ Dolls. In the second match, the BHRG Flatliners would play Evansville’s Roller Girls of Southern Indiana, or Rosi.The Assassins’ Thigh Candy said hitting girls is her favorite part of roller derby.The match began with a strong start for her team. McGuillotine, the jammer, who scored points by passing the rest of the pack, zipped by the Dolls’ jammer twice, earning 10 points, the first in the game.Felanie Charges replaced her as jammer next, skating against Dolls’ jammer Dreaded Thunder. Charges’ blockers allowed her to take the lead.Alison Baum, BHRG name Killer Kindness explained the team’s defensive strategy. “A lot of us tend to booty block,” she said. “It takes more energy to lay a hit than to slow them down.”The score rose to 16-0 and climbed steadily. After many jams, or scores, the Brawlin’ Dolls were on the board with a score of two to the Assassins’ 104. The crowd, which filled the bleachers and the “suicide seating” next to the track, cheered raucously. McGuillotine was about to knock down Fierce B-Otch, but she counter-blocked and McGuillotine fell to the ground instead. Then Psycho Socializer was jammer, picking up nine points for the Dolls and raising the score to 159-17. The Dolls’ Lewd A Kris threw a chunk of Tijuana Mama’s tutu off the track.The game ended 216-25 in favor of the Assassins. Fans lined up around the track to give high fives to both teams’ players as they passed by. Then the next teams to play — the Flatliners and Rosi — began to warm up.Thigh Candy autographed notepads for young fans. Game goers milled about and headed to the merchandise table, where they could contribute to jars for the home player they wanted to see receive a pie in the face at halftime.Killer Kindness spread plastic on the ground for the imminent mess. With $62.50 in her jar, Naylor Coffenshutt had the honor of a cream pie in the face. White-faced, pie dripping off her chin, she gave a graceful bow to the crowd. “Now that is sportsmanship,” the announcer said. The sky outside began to darken over the tree branches. The second match started. The score soared: 139-2, 148-2, 165-3 in favor of the Flatliners. Then a player was injured. Rosi’s Chesty Copperpot was carried out on a stretcher headed to the hospital, the crowd giving her a round of applause. Announcers didn’t say how she was hurt, but she was holding her head as they wheeled her out.The score soared again, and then another injury occurred. This time Rosi’s Sufferagette Kitty was down, but she managed to walk off the track to much applause. The game concluded with a score of 184-5, and the Flatliners won.Baum said roller derby is like women’s rugby on skates, but without the ball. She said she loves everything about the sport. And, as the announcer told the crowd, injuries remind us that roller derby is a real sport. Injuries occur all the time, during matches and practice. Of course, he noted, we should know this already from the athleticism, the skill and the speed. Jodi Helfrich, derby name Andrea the Giant, did not skate Saturday but came to support her team, Rosi. “She’ll shout ‘puppies!’” her teammate Sammich (Sam Montgomery) joked. “She’s usually a quiet person, but Andrea can make anything sound ferocious.”Rosi’s Rhandi Folsom, known as Molly Slam’Em, is usually a jammer. The position requires agility, speed and knowledge of derby, she said. While said she prefers blocking, her teammates push her to be a jammer.“You’re the point scorer but also the target,” Folsom said. “I like having my girls with me.”
(04/11/11 1:23am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>While IU students were returning to Bloomington from spring break, lawyers were filing an appeal after a judge ruled that Twitter must turn over user information for three people tied to WikiLeaks. Christopher Soghoian, IU cybersecurity researcher, recently contributed to the case with an amicus brief relating to online privacy policies. “I’m not a lawyer or a law student, I’m a computer scientist,” Soghoian said. “But this affects my research community.” Soghoian said the case is complex and high-profile as it involves not only WikiLeaks, but also Twitter.Within the case, Soghoian said he is focused on “one narrow issue: the degree to which consumers can be expected to read privacy policies.”“Privacy policies shouldn’t impact a reasonable expectation of privacy for information stored online,” Soghoian said. He said his amicus brief, which he filed with 10 co-signers, “is a way for experts to let courts know about things they may not be aware of and to alert them to research.”He said substantial research exists showing that no one reads these online privacy policies.“It may seem common sense to people, but a judge may not be aware of how young people are using the Internet today,” Soghoian said.As for the Twitter users, Soghoian has spoken to one of them: computer security researcher Jacob Appelbaum.“In addition to the case, he’s been hassled repeatedly,” Soghoian said. “He’s been stripped and had his computers taken away from him.”All of this has happened to Appelbaum despite no charges being filed, Soghoian said, because “you have no rights coming in and out of the country.”He said Appelbaum’s treatment has been of much concern to him.“I have personal experience with the FBI seizing my possessions and going through my data,” Soghoian said. “I am reluctant to let them get to other people.”Soghoian referred to a 2006 raid on his Bloomington home by the FBI, which occurred after he created a website allowing users to make fake Northwest Airlines boarding passes. His intent was to expose security threats.The amicus brief was accepted April 1 and will be read by the judge for the second hearing.“I think (the judge) will realize that, in fact, consumers are not reading these things,” Soghoian said.He said he finds the case itself fun.“It’s one of the highest profile cases, and it’s great to be involved in some small way.”
(04/11/11 1:21am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Narrative and story-driven art from four centuries is the theme for the new Kinsey Institute spring exhibition, “Storytellers,” which opened Friday at the Gallery. “It’s part of a collection that doesn’t get to see the light of day very often,” said Levon Williams, a graduate student studying library science who visited the gallery.“Storytellers” will be displayed through July 15. It is open to the public from 1:30 to 5 p.m. weekdays and is located on the second floor of Morrison Hall.Curator Catherine Johnson-Roehr said the organizers “wanted to have a very international show” and that the exhibit includes works from Europe, Bali, Japan and many other locations.The oldest piece from the collection, a 16th-century fine art engraving, is “not an erotic topic,” Johnson-Roehr said. Exhibited for the first time in the “Storytellers” gallery, it is titled “Die Sintflut,” or “The Deluge,” and is by Dutch artist Dirk Vellert.While it relates to the story of Noah, the engraving itself focuses on the havoc of the flood rather than the ark, which is relegated to a corner. Instead, the artist “took the opportunity of the floods for depicting bodies in chaos,” Johnson-Roehr said. A more modern segment of the gallery displays pulp fiction paperbacks with titles such as “No Adam for Eve,” “Sexperiment,” “Flesh Flogger” and “Fetish Farm.”“It’s largely fiction-based and visually appealing,” said Shawn Wilson, library public services manager of Kinsey. “The pulp fiction covers are pretty awesome.”In addition to pulp fiction, eight-pagers are displayed. These cheaply made, wallet-sized comic books were very popular in their day, Johnson-Roehr said, and they were “usually quite sexy.”“This was the first sex education for some people in the ’30s and ’40s,” Johnson-Roehr said, as no other education was available at the time.Other works include underground comic books, photographs and historical prints. One series of illustrations on display is by Maurice Sendak. He is known for his unique artwork in the children’s book “Where the Wild Things Are.” His illustrations here are for “Penthesilea,” a tragic play by Heinrich von Kleist. “(The gallery) has tremendous historical significance,” Bloomington community member Jim Dietz said. “I regard (the Kinsey Institute) as one of the sacred institutions for maintaining freedom of expression.”At the reception, Liana Zhou, Kinsey Institute director of library and archives, talked to a full room, describing the gallery as a “part of sexual experience and expressions.” “The struggles, the joys,” Zhou said. “These are the same stories told again and again but with a different emphasis each time.”
(04/08/11 1:26am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Traffic talk dominated Wednesday night’s Bloomington City Council meeting. Legislation was passed that will add a new type of traffic signal at the intersection of East 19th Street and North Dunn Street.“There’s an enormous amount of pedestrian traffic, but not much vehicular traffic,” Director of Public Works Susie Johnson said. The traffic signal at 19th and Dunn streets will be the first of its kind in Bloomington. Known as a HAWK beacon, or a high-intensity activated crosswalk, it will allow pedestrians to walk immediately after pushing a button. The light will signal cars to stop and let pedestrians pass. An education campaign is planned before IU’s fall semester to accustom students to the light, which will be funded by a grant from IU.Several members of the Prospect Hill neighborhood also attended the meeting.They spoke in favor of an amendment to change the two-way stop signs at the corner of Fourth and Maple streets to four-way stop signs.Karen Knight, who is on the Third Street Traffic Calming Committee for the Prospect Hill neighborhood, cited safety concerns for children walking to nearby Fairview Elementary School. She also noted the line-of-sight problem due to a large hill.“We’re five blocks from downtown, so most people walk or bike. It’s a hassle to find parking,” Knight said. Though the amendment passed in an 8-1 vote, council member Stephen Volan, who voted against it, said he found the way it “prioritizes Prospect Hill” upsetting.“We have a very vocal citizenry, and that’s quite wonderful,” said Sarah Ryterband, member of the Bloomington Traffic Commission and resident of Prospect Hill. “On the other hand, I’m concerned about other neighborhoods without such a vocal citizenry.”Stressing issues of safety and civility on the roads, she said she would like to see a “more comprehensive approach to the issue” in which all neighborhoods’ needs are addressed.The council also introduced Ordinance 11-01 for its first reading. The legislation would appropriate a $1,500 grant from the Bloomington Bicycle Club to fund the Bicycle Light Campaign, which gives away free bike lights to people riding at night. Riding without lights at night is illegal in Bloomington.Council member Andy Ruff said the program is great because the funding “doesn’t even come from tax dollars.”“It’s better to promote safe riding rather than giving out tickets,” Ruff said.
(04/05/11 4:34am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Five days, five bikes, 7,710 miles and $45,000 for one school — this is Bike to Uganda’s goal. Put on by IU’s chapter of Building Tomorrow, which raises money for education infrastructure in sub-Saharan Africa, the event seeks to raise funds to build a primary school in Uganda. Collectively, the riders seek to ride the 7,710 miles to Kampala, Uganda. “It gets people thinking about how far it is to a different country and how you can have such an impact from so far away,” freshman member Nicole Silvernell said.The event started Monday morning in drizzly, overcast weather with two bikes sheltered under the entrance to the Arboretum at 10th Street and Fee Lane. By 11 a.m., the skies were pouring.“The weather’s not really cooperating, but it’s positive to see it’s happening,” freshman member Sydney Miller said. Bike to Uganda will continue through Friday. From 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day, students can ride stationary bikes for a donation of $5 per half hour. Five bikes will be set up today and Thursday at a Ballantine Hall kiosk and Wednesday and Friday at 10th Street and Fee Lane.When the sun comes out, the group said it intends to have a tent, music and T-shirts for sale. Last year’s shirts sell for $10 and newer shirts sell for $15 and include the bike ride.“It should make everything more entertaining,” Silvernell said.Last year about 200 to 300 people participated, said Grant Lin, Building Tomorrow’s IU chapter president. He said the group expects to see at least that amount this year. Due to the inclement weather Monday, few people attended, but the group expects numbers to pick up as the week continues. “Forty-five thousand is one kid’s education at IU — there’s such a cost difference,” Lin said, noting the price of building a Ugandan school.The Building Tomorrow organization has 10 schools completed or currently being constructed, Lin said. The IU chapter has raised about $30,000 so far and expects this to be the last fundraiser for its first school.Miller said there’s “a cool sustainability factor to it, as dirt from the ground site will be compressed into bricks,” rather than using a kiln. As a press and mold are used, Lin said the bricks will “fit together like Legos.” The school will basically be leased to the government for free, Lin said; the government has signed a memorandum with the organization agreeing to provide teachers. The community that receives the school — there is a waiting list — must make its own commitment of 25,000 hours of service, Lin said, in order to assure the project’s success. Miller said the students eagerly want to learn and that a child who attends school will teach others by drawing in the dirt.“They want it so much, they won’t take it for granted,” Miller said.Lin traveled to Uganda his senior year of high school with Key Club International and said he hopes to return to see the site of the group’s future school.“It’s going to be our school, and it’s their school, too,” Lin said. “It’s something we can all be proud of.”
(03/29/11 3:36am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Scientific researchers interested in the InCommon Federation can steer clear of obstacles to joining with a new roadmap developed by IU’s Center for Applied Cybersecurity Research and Pervasive Technology Institute.“The goal of the document is to walk people through concerns, often very correct concerns,” said CACR Associate Director and principal investigator on the roadmap project William Barnett. “Not all institutions know how to get this (InCommon) up and running.”He said InCommon is an “organization of many organizations — about 200 — banded together to share federated identity systems.”Federated identities allow a user’s identity from one organization to be used across multiple organizations, according to the roadmap, and the organizations forming a federation agree to “a common set of practices and policies.”This is practical, said CACR Deputy Director Von Welch, who authored the document along with Barnett, Alan Walsh and IU Pervasive Technology Institute Executive Director Craig Stewart, because it lets everybody “talk identities back and forth” without worrying whether the other party uses Linux or Microsoft, for example.InCommon is already popular for services in broad use such as digital libraries and access to online journals, Welch said; the roadmap, however, seeks to “foster and help cross-university collaboration.”“Our vision is to coordinate computers, data and instruments to drive scientific research,” Welch said. Barnett listed technical and policy barriers, as well as people simply not knowing the value of InCommon, as reasons for the roadmap to be used.Matt Elder, a programmer analyst for the University of California, San Diego, said he has been working with InCommon for about five years. “This is good because a lot of folks don’t understand what federated identities and identity management are,” Elder said. “I think this is a good way of marketing it.”These federated identities allow for a level of trust in InCommon that leads to more collaboration in research, Barnett said, as users are credentialed. The identities allow for easier login and access to data from other universities.Students may benefit from InCommon and the roadmap as well.“It really was designed to support faculty researchers, but as we were developing it we saw obvious opportunities for undergraduates and graduates to support their research,” Barnett said. Welch said federated identity technologies have been around for decades, but they’ve had a slow time taking off because of trust issues. InCommon, which has been around “for the better part of a decade, if not longer,” has built up that trust.Welch said they have already received some positive feedback.“Some developers said it helped them know about issues before they got started,” Welch said.IU is one of the national leaders in federated identities.“It’s tremendous having these folks. They’ve made it so easy,” Barnett said.The roadmap is available in full and abbreviated forms as a PDF at www.incommon.org/cyberroadmap.html.
(03/11/11 4:30am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Distinguished professor of piano at the Jacobs School of Music Menahem Pressler recently won the Lifetime Achievement Award for the 2011 International Classical Music Awards. “I am thrilled that I am remembered and not forgotten,” Pressler said. “My activities have not just been noticed, but recognized.”The judges for the prestigious international award went through about 300,000 records before selecting the winners, Pressler said. For Alexander Kerr, professor of violin, Pressler winning the lifetime achievement award came as no surprise. “It’s well-deserved,” Kerr said. “He’s literally a living legend and one of the most important musicians in the world.” Pressler began studying violin at age 5, and his brother took piano lessons, “but he was tired, so I would take the lesson instead,” Pressler said.Thus, he learned both instruments until he had to select one upon entering school. He chose piano. “Piano seems to be everything, a whole symphony orchestra,” Pressler said. “It has the richest repertoire.” He recently returned from Munich where he played with the Ebene Quartet, a group of talented young musicians whose show sold out.Traveling all across the world to perform and teach, Pressler said he teaches “like mad when I come home.”“Teaching is that which gratifies the most deeply,” Pressler said.On Monday, Pressler left for California; on Tuesday, he taught and performed at the San Francisco Conservatory. Later this month, he will be traveling to Vancouver and then to Paris. On April 6, he will attend the ceremony for his Lifetime Achievement award in Tampere, Finland.“He’s amazing. He has the knowledge of 70 years and the energy level of a 20-year-old,” Kerr said.Michael McQuay, a doctoral student and assistant of Pressler, said Pressler has an “insane dedication to his students and teaching career.” McQuay said he believes Pressler has something most performers with similar accomplishments do not: He gives back to his students as an educator.If he has a three-day break during a tour, McQuay said, Pressler spends it flying back to Bloomington and giving each of his 15 students a lesson before heading back to Europe.Pressler said he is very proud of his students, who live all across the world and have “won competitions and made records. They are teachers and they are respected.”Another achievement of his is the acclaimed Beaux Arts Trio, of which he was a co-founder and pianist. The group officially split after the 2007-08 season.Pressler said the trio is special for existing for more than 50 years performing at thousands of concerts. Even when Pressler broke his ribs, he still continued to play 10 concerts in Australia.“I never missed one concert,” Pressler said.
(02/25/11 4:06am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A group of boys was clustered around the podium, their shirts inside out, tags sticking up. On the front of their garments, green and red paint read “I AM THE FUTURE. INVEST NOW.”Their mother, Monroe County resident Jennifer Head, spoke at the Bloomington City Council’s special session Wednesday. It served as a listening session to hear community concerns about severe budget cuts to social services that might soon take place. Head and many others, such as Bloomington resident Cecelia Peacock, a single mother of two, spoke on behalf of the local Head Start program, which provides free childcare and education. “For a lot of kids, this is their only chance,” Peacock said. “It is unique in that it offers more resources, like financial planning.” Peacock said the Head Start program helped her get off food stamps.Head Start, the Circles Initiative, the Energy Assistance Program, the Weatherization Assistance Program, Stepping Stones, the Boys and Girls Club, the Community Services Block Grant and Martha’s House are among the programs that might face the chopping block.On Feb. 19, the House voted to cut $60 billion from the federal budget, including billions of cuts from social services.Bloomington City Council President Susan Sandberg said this legislation, if not altered by the U.S. Senate or vetoed by the president, will amount to 60 to 66 percent cuts in local social -service programs — cuts that would take place as soon as early March.Many speakers voiced concerns that the cuts will drastically affect local programs that already have small budgets.“People voted for better government, not crueler government,” Mayor Mark Kruzan said. Social services should be viewed as “economic developers,” Kruzan said.Other speakers reiterated his stance by noting that there is a positive return for every dollar spent on unemployment benefits. Hal Turner, district staff for Rep. Todd Young, R-Ind., attended the meeting on behalf of Young, who said in a recent press statement that “Washington must stop the binge spending and begin setting priorities.” Todd Lare, executive director of the South Central Community Action Program, compared cutting the deficit by “gutting innovative programs on the backs of the most vulnerable citizens” to removing the engine from an airplane: The feeling of lightness is brief, with the plane plummeting soon after. All of the speakers from the community said they felt the cuts were misplaced, and emotions ran high. The meeting, which started at 7:30 p.m., didn’t end until about 10:15 p.m. because of open discussion.“I knew we would get some reductions, but I had no idea I’d be standing before you redoing the entire plan,” said Lisa Abbott, director of Bloomington’s Housing and Neighborhood Development.
(12/08/10 12:39am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A Royal Air Force officer felt uneasy toward his troops for keeping the secret “that their boss was a poof,” yet he was startled to find the unit’s cohesion strengthen when he came out, according to The New York Times. The integration of openly serving gays into British military came smoothly, the news being that there was no news, according to the Ministry of Defense — no harassment, no lack of unity or effectiveness. And, while proud of the integration’s success, the Ministry of Defense said it believes that the number of people who have come out is rather low. What some Americans do not seem to realize is that the same would be true for the United States. The Rand Corporation’s study released last Wednesday revealed that, if the “Don’t ask, Don’t tell” policy were repealed, only 15 percent of gay service members would be open with others in their units. Such discreetness does not stem from fear of harassment, but quite the opposite — the matter should be irrelevant to the military. After all, according to the Pentagon Report on DADT, of the 69 percent of service members who attested to serving with gay men and women, 92 percent “stated that the unit’s ‘ability to work together’ was ‘very good,’ ‘good’ or ‘neither good nor poor.’” Yes, a sizeable minority of nearly 30 percent in the report worry repeal would affect their unit’s ability to train well together, but as writer Kevin Drum points out, only 20 percent actually believe the repeal would affect their own ability to train, and only 10 percent believe it would affect their readiness. These numbers legitimize Defense Department General Jeh Johnson’s belief that personnel change surveys “tend to overestimate negative consequences, and underestimate the U.S. military’s ability to adapt and incorporate within its ranks the diversity that is reflective of American society at large.” This argument is made all the more compelling by examining racial integration during the Korean War. As the Pentagon Report notes, opposition among service members to integration was severe, reaching as high as 80 percent. After all, military integration occurred before civilian society’s integration. In the case of repealing DADT, conversely, the military would be practicing what civilian workplaces long have, as people in the civilian workplace do not need to hide their sexual orientation to keep employment. Instead of leading the way as a social experiment, the military would be following in civil society’s footsteps, and if the thoroughly researched Pentagon Report is any indication, it would do so willingly.Society is on board. The military is on board. Yes, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., has used another contemptible, ever-changing excuse in favor of keeping DADT. He claims the study should have focused not on “can our armed forces implement a repeal of this law, but whether the law should be repealed.” His nebulous question, with its vagueness and questionable ability to be researched, is yet another attempt to stall on his part. Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., has added his voice in opposition to DADT, as has Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine. With luck, more will soon follow. As for GOP senators’ plan to stave off progress on all issues until they have their way regarding the Bush tax cuts, it appears that the two parties will soon broker a deal and be able to move on. But in purely stupid stubbornness, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has declared that it is unlikely the Senate will have time to finish work on the defense bill that includes the repeal of DADT or even to ratify the crucial New START Treaty. With the advent of the Pentagon Report, qualified arguments against repeal no longer exist, as hard as some might try. The excuse of time is all they have left. But the time has come for all of our patriotic service members to be treated equally. It is their right. E-mail: celgrund@indiana.edu
(11/30/10 11:53pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Kokomo is irrefutable evidence of the auto bailout’s success. Unemployment in the city peaked at 20.4 percent in 2009 but has since dropped nearly 8 percentage points to 12.7 percent. Imagine how drastic the unemployment rate could have been had Chrysler liquidated. IU-Kokomo Chancellor Michael Harris, an economist who specializes in the auto industry, said he believes that employment would have reached 35 percent “if the auto industry would have totally walked away from Kokomo.” With this in mind, President Barack Obama stopped by Kokomo last week as part of an attempt to legitimize his administration’s actions and to claim credit for its successes. After all, the city that had been dubbed third out of 10 of “America’s fastest dying towns” in 2008 by Forbes has made an incredible comeback. In a speech given at a Chrysler transmission plant, Obama emphasized that “there were those who were prepared to give up on Kokomo and our auto industry. There were those who said it was going to be too difficult or that it was bad politics or it was throwing good money after bad,” but noted that all three companies assisted in the bailout — General Motors, Ford and Chrysler — “are profitable, and they are growing.” But politically speaking, although the stimulus was “the right decision,” as Obama said, the trip was ill-timed and largely futile. As Brian Howey, publisher of Howey Politics Indiana, noted, it was odd for Obama to not defend the stimulus until “three weeks after a shellacking election.” The administration’s greatest weakness has long been its lack of communication, its lack of ability to disseminate easily understood information on its objectives and its seeming refusal to defend itself against slander. It’s a funny quandary, given the Obama campaign’s skillful handling of the 2008 election via grassroots support and social media. What the president now needs is the same youthful vitality for a PR campaign — but even then, swaying the public will be difficult. As Democratic pollster Mark Mellman said, “You could talk to people in Michigan who would say, ‘Yes, I work at GM, my job was saved because the administration saved GM, but you know what? I’m voting Republican because I’m mad about the economy.’” This mentality has been prevalent throughout history — presidents lauded later for taking necessary measures are vilified during their actual term for not achieving the miraculous instantaneously. Take, for instance, Obama’s approval rating. Many point to it as a sign of waning public disapproval, and it currently stands at 45 percent approval, according to Gallup polls. But a significant comparison can be made to Ronald Reagan, who also entered office amid a recession. A new study conducted from the Society for Human Resource Management/National Journal Congressional Connection Poll with the Pew Research Center found that 47 percent of Americans want Obama to run for re-election, a number much greater than the 36 percent who supported Reagan running again when asked the same question at the same time during his term.So while Obama’s approval rating might sag now, just look to Reagan, who won re-election by a large margin in similar circumstances and with an even lower approval rating. Of course, this recession is the greatest since the 1930s, and Obama’s burden is therefore greater than Reagan’s. Yet he has staved off financial ruin pragmatically and responsibly. Still, voter dissatisfaction will linger for now — it is unlikely Obama will keep Indiana blue in 2010. But keep in mind that Rome burned in days — and while Nero hastily established a disaster fund, updated the water supply system, reined in the damages within all feasible human parameters and even offered incentives for private landowners to rebuild, well, it took more than a day to build it up again — and assassination plots and severe partisanship certainly weren’t conducive.So, give Obama a chance. He might communicate ineffectually, but without him Kokomo and so many other places would be in ashes. E-mail: celgrund@indiana.edu
(11/17/10 12:14am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>“If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am not for others, what am I? And if not now, when?” This is a quote by sage Rabbi Hillel — one LeRoy Carhart must live by every day, and more so than ever since May 31 of last year. On that ill-fated Sunday morning, George Tiller stood in the foyer of Wichita, Kan.’s Reformation Lutheran Church, handing out service bulletins to incoming parishioners. Then Scott Roeder ambled in and slew him with a single bullet from his .22 caliber handgun, proceeding to leave in his powder-blue Taurus and stop for gas and pizza. Roeder murdered Tiller in God’s house because he could do so nowhere else — his car was custom-armored, the walls around his house high, his now-closed clinic an indomitable fortress. Tiller was a brave man, one of only a few left still willing to perform late-term abortions. His clinic was bombed in 1985 and both of his arms were shot by a protestor in 1993. Carhart, who has refused to be intimidated by Tiller’s murder and so many other acts of hatred, is a similarly high-profile target. His farm was burned, killing 17 horses, and death threats to him are numerous. But he remains undaunted, just as Tiller was. When Tiller was alive, Carhart would make the five-hour trip from his own practice in Nebraska to Tiller’s clinic in Kansas to assist him every third Sunday. Since Tiller’s death, Carhart had to take up the demand and started performing late-term abortions in his own clinic — until Nebraska outlawed them in April, that is. The legislation went into effect on Oct. 15, and it has led Carhart to announce to the Omaha-World Herald his plans to establish two new clinics out of state and to expand one in Indiana. Late-term abortions are most controversial in the pro-choice, pro-life debate and seem horrific (especially to those who believe humanity begins at conception). But does it?Yes, no, maybe. With a polarizing moral debate such as this one, there will never be a concrete answer. But before decrying abortion providers and condemning them to the depths of hell, please consider why they risk their lives. Some of the facts: A fetus is generally considered viable at 24 weeks, and abortions are rarely performed past 20 weeks. Only 1.3 percent of abortions are performed at or past 21 weeks, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Sarah Kliff, when interviewing Carhart for Newsweek last year, reported that “he bases his practice on a conservative interpretation of Nebraska law and will operate only when another physician has declared the fetus unable to live more than momentarily outside the womb.” As for infamous partial-birth abortions, the procedure is severely rare and used only to minimize risks to a patient’s well-being, according to the Guttmacher Institute. The Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act makes that type of abortion illegal, but even with the legislation’s exception for a mother’s life being in danger, it is unfairly disallowed even for the rare occasions where it is the safest option. It should be noted that Nebraska’s new legislation has a similar exception for a woman’s life being at risk, as well as for the risk of “substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function.” So why, then, does the law make Carhart feel the need to open out-of-state establishments, besides his desire to expand his operations and make his service more accessible to women? Many Americans support abortions for women whose lives are at risk. But the real debate lies in where this line should be drawn, especially for late-term abortions and especially for ones performed past viability (24 weeks). An abortion doctor will not operate past 24 weeks without a “compelling reason,” reported Kliff, but who decides what is compelling? Must the risk be merely physical or can it be mental as well? For instance, Carhart once assisted a severely suicidal rape victim but turned away a woman who would put her baby up for adoption if it were born. He took into consideration the mental health of both women. Other serious questions should also be actively debated. The new Nebraskan law is seminal because it legitimizes itself based on the possibility of pain the fetus might feel rather than viability. While currently unsubstantiated, it is a question that should (and is) being investigated. Perhaps this will lead to legislation based on more than just viability. Meanwhile, Carhart, in his admirable stubbornness, refuses to back down. Even those who wish him death should give him grudging respect for the dangers he faces everyday to provide women an option — women who, in older times and with nowhere to turn, would have been part of the daily death toll, composed of a sad list of botched home abortions. E-mail: celgrund@indiana.edu
(11/09/10 11:45pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>When viewed holistically, Obama has been a decent president. He’s kept us from plunging off the deep end economically. His administration passed sizeable health care reform, albeit without the public option. The combat mission in Iraq, at the very least, has been brought to a close. But in one area his policies have been as deplorable as any past president, if not more so. Obama has failed tremendously in his handling of human rights issues across the board, from Burma, to Darfur, to waiving sanctions for countries that force children into the military. Human rights have never been a priority for the White House — politicians will apologize after the fact, but during an actual atrocity, administrators will stand idly by, effectively giving whatever genocidal regime at the time a tacit go-ahead. Why? They can’t be bothered to follow through with campaign promises, perhaps, or it will hinder foreign relations. (Hey, Turkey, it’s okay, we don’t consider the massacre of more than a million Armenians genocide.) Then there is the stigma attached to the term genocide. People easily disbelieve and disregard the sheer horror and scale of mass atrocity despite its occurrence throughout all of mankind’s history. It is an easy stance to maintain given the distance between most people and the event itself. Without public outcry for such scorned issues as human rights, politicians are largely not held accountable for inaction despite the tremendous and laudable activism of the minority. Deplorable, yes, but should everyday citizens be responsible?In an introduction to the book “Not on our Watch,” then-Senator Obama basically writes that the American public must tell our representatives exactly what to do (regarding human rights policy) and that the full burden of action is on our shoulders. This is terribly faulty logic — we elect representatives to govern and use their best judgement, not to treat every issue as a referendum. In fact, the best representatives do not always follow the will of the voters but act in what they believe is the public’s best interest. Obama, like so many others, has retreated cringing from campaign promises of strong sanctions. Instead, he increasingly opts for the naive position of his appointed envoy to Sudan, retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Scott Gration. Gration said, “We’ve got to think about giving out cookies. Kids, countries, they react to gold stars, smiley faces, handshakes, agreements, talk, engagement.” The Obama administration’s policy has gradually shifted, first from a policy of incentives and pressures and now, with all the big sticks having been picked up, to a massive carrot and a few measly twigs.Even writer Samantha Power, who has long pressed for strong intervention measures, has flip-flopped while working for the administration. Now, she totes “naming and shaming” as more effective than sanctions, attempting to defend the administration’s removal of sanctions against countries using child soldiers. There were already waivers within the legislation, which was meant to go into effect last month. “By giving a blanket waiver, the administration has also given up the significant leverage that the law provides to influence the child recruitment practices of its military allies,” 29 leading human rights organizations wrote to Obama.President Bush, at least, managed to bring an end to the war in Sudan with the 2005 peace agreement. But with the independence referendum for south Sudan fast approaching and tensions high, civil war might break out again, and the current namby-pamby policies are unlikely to prevent it. If so, the human toll will be devastating.In Burma, meanwhile, United States sanctions will be ineffective until the administration convinces others to join in, as China and Russia are pumping money into the country for their natural resources.Obama has, however, recently decried the rigged Burmese elections and called for the release of political prisoner Aung San Suu Kyi, but it is unlikely he has the leverage to effect any real change. It is unlikely he will change his policies, and it is true that economic struggles and other national issues keep his hands full — but at least we as citizens can be cynical idealists. I believe American leadership will not significantly change its human rights stance in our lifetime, but taking small actions — joining the IU chapter of STAND, or simply voicing your concerns to your representatives — will have an accumulative effect. It’s a war of attrition.E-mail: celgrund@indiana.edu
(11/02/10 10:45pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Texas has long been the Lone Star State — what it lacks in magnanimity it makes up for with that independent streak, as its textbook massacre demonstrates. After all, where else do public schools play down the separation of church and state and the civil rights movement all while vindicating McCarthyism? And not too long ago, when affronted by the “intrusion” and “interference” by the federal government into the affairs of his state, Gov. Rick Perry attempted to revive a glimmering of secession and state sovereignty. It should be noted, however, that most Texans are not as nutty as the Gov’ner — 75 percent of Texan voters would elect to stay in the Union should the matter come to a vote, according to a Rasmussen Poll. In its most recent display of might, Texas has refused to follow federal greenhouse gas emissions that start in January. With this refusal Perry snubs his nose at the pesky meddling federal government once again, no matter the cost to Texans and businesses.While all other states have changed their legislation or created greenhouse gas permit programs for businesses, Texas has not, and it is therefore “unnecessarily subjecting their energy industry and manufacturing base to a construction ban in the state,” said Bill Becker, executive director of the National Association of Clean Air Act Agencies.“The sad news is that this is totally avoidable,” he said.If a company starts construction without a permit, it will be subject to possible lawsuits and fines of up to $25,000 per day, Becker said. Perry, however, is not entirely alone in his relentless vagaries. GOP leadership plans side with him on this one. If they win control of the House, they plan to “launch a blistering attack on the Obama administration’s environmental policies, as well as on scientists who link air pollution to climate change,” reports Neela Banerjee of the Los Angeles Times. There has long been widespread, scientific consensus that human actions have contributed to global warming. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has agreed on this matter, but the U.S. has refused to cooperate with the international community regarding the Kyoto Protocol.Obama has a notably different reaction than his predecessor, turning up the pressure and acting in conjunction with the Environmental Protection Agency. But the intended actions by these Republican leaders, who intend to use congressional committees to investigate and attempt to disparage climate scientists, might hamper the advancements that have been made. Michael E. Mann, professor of meteorology at Penn State University, is among the scientists slated for slander. “I don’t think we can cower under the politically motivated attacked by the forces of anti-science, which includes prominent politicians who are in the pay of the fossil fuel industry,” he said. So the scientists, we must hope, will stay strong, and Obama will be able to use veto power, Senate Democrats have the option of filibustering — but the GOP’s intentions to subvert the truth might undermine years of research. Of course, those under the thumb of lobbyists and big business are not the only ones who have created the myth of there being debate regarding climate change — journalists are to blame as well.Journalistic norms contribute to the misconception with attempts at “balanced reporting.” We attempt to “present the views of legitimate spokespersons of the conflicting sides in any significant dispute and provide both sides with roughly equal attention,” Maxwell and Jules Boykoff said in a study about mass media coverage of climate change.By presenting both sides equally — no matter how on the fringe the opposition is — the facts are skewed. All the better for Texas’ stubborn stand against federal government.Meanwhile, Texas is getting hotter, as its state climatologist John Nielson-Gammon will tell you. Temperatures are predicted to rise by 0.5 to 1 degree per decade, likely affecting crops and water shortages. But the fabricated debate about human influence in climate change is “certainly not a hoax,” Nielson-Gammon said. “The challenge comes in balancing the impacts of climate change with other problems facing society.” E-mail: celgrund@indiana.edu
(10/27/10 12:06am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The state of Indiana is about to take even more power from local governments — and in doing so, it will stifle potential economic progress all while leaving vital public services to rot away. If you are an Indiana voter and plan on going to the polls on Nov. 2, you will have the opportunity to answer Public Question #1. You will have the opportunity to turn down the Indiana Property Tax Cap Amendment. If you think that “all property ought to be treated alike and taxes should not be shifted to households from businesses ... If you believe that local government services are the foundation of your community’s well-being,” as IU lecturer Morton Marcus writes in his column, then please, please vote “no.”At first, no doubt, a property tax cap must sound desirable to a Hoosier homeowner, but it is no cure, and its side effects are acute. You might recall the sales tax rising from 6 percent to 7 percent in 2008 after a property tax abatement was approved prior to 1978.At that time, revenue from property taxes was used for education, but the cap led to the sales tax, with its scanty increase, funding schools instead. This has led to schools being underfunded, especially now that spending has decreased because of our current recession. But education isn’t the only area hit by tax caps. Shrinking revenue for local governments leads to cuts everywhere, including the police, the fire department, public libraries, sanitation and all other areas of local service.Supporters of the tax cap claim it will only make local government more efficient, even suggesting levels of government such as townships could be wholly eliminated. Really? Although our local government, similar to any other level of government, never runs perfectly, it is the foundation of communities and already must desperately scrounge for possible revenue — revenue that supports the services you enjoy daily.Yet state legislators remain apathetic while the lower levels struggle. It is unlikely the caps would actually benefit your wallet. With local government searching out alternative revenue streams, local option income taxes are levied on households alone, as state government has not given the local level power to tax corporations. As Marcus points out, “A reduction in property taxes is enjoyed by all property owners, but paid for exclusively by households.” There have also been some surprising findings considering the business tax rates are set at three times the rate for homes. Professor Larry DeBoer of Purdue University found that since its passage in 2008, nearly 50 percent of the relief has gone to apartment owners and 22 percent to businesses, while only 28 percent has gone to homeowners. This is, in part, due to the fact that because most homeowners currently pay property taxes much lower than the 1 percent tax cap. So while all will forever pay a 1 percent sales tax hike, most people will not benefit. If approved, these caps become part of the state constitution. So take a walk around your community. Do you enjoy the benefits of the local library branch, the security of a ready police force and fire department and value quality education (which will truly spur economic growth)? Then for the good of the public, vote “no” on Public Question #1.E-mail: celgrund@indiana.edu