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(02/05/14 4:06am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Echoing strong legislative efforts during the 1980s to institute creationism in American schools, state money still indirectly funds controversial curriculum in the form of vouchers.Many Americans have resisted teachings about evolution, leading to a relatively low global ranking on public acceptance of the theory, according to a 2006 survey published in the national journal “Science.”A debate Tuesday night between evolutionist Bill Nye and creationist Ken Ham shed light on the issue of whether creationism can be considered a viable scientific theory.One such school that receives vouchers from the state of Indiana, Lighthouse Christian Academy, is located in Bloomington on West That Road.Lighthouse is a private school that participates in School Choice Indiana’s Choice Scholarship Program.School Choice Indiana is designed to help families wishing to educate their children in alternative schools through state voucher funding if the student meets several eligibility requirements.“We are accredited by the state of Indiana. It’s called freeway status, which is actually designed for small public schools but also used for non-public schools,” said Don Wilson, president of Lighthouse Christian Academy. “As part of that accreditation, we do have to meet the same curriculum standards as any other school in the state of Indiana.”The Freeway School Program is an alternative to regular accreditation, allowing for a contract with the State Board of Education, according to the Indiana Non-Public Education Association website.Wilson said Lighthouse does not take an official position on any specific theory of creationism or affiliate itself with any church. Rather, the school’s position is “God is creator.”There are several different forms of creationism, IU biology professor Rudolf Raff said.These theories include theistic evolution, the belief in both evolution and God; young earth creationism, a belief in a literal interpretation of the biblical book Genesis; and intelligent design creationism, the belief that God created the earth and then allowed for evolutionary processes to occur.“Our students understand evolution very well,” Wilson said. “They also have a real understanding of creationism.”When studying the book of Genesis, for example, the students will examine both literal and non-literal interpretations, he said.The Indiana General Assembly passed legislation instituting the state voucher program in 2011, said Betsy Wiley, president of School Choice Indiana. Two years later, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled the program was constitutional.When a state authorizes a voucher program allowing for religious schools to be eligible for participation, the program is subject to constitutional questioning, according to the Georgetown Law Journal.“The U.S. Supreme Court has not definitively ruled on the constitutionality on voucher programs, although it was presented with and declined that opportunity in the October 1998 term,” according to the journal.Wiley said the voucher goes to the family, and then the family makes the decision as to which school they will attend.“It doesn’t go from the state to the school,” she said.The parents can choose to use all or part of the government funding to send their children to a public or private school of their choice, granted the school is participating in the voucher program.Creationists introduced equal time legislation in 19 states between 1980 and 1985, according to the San Diego Law Review.“One of those states was Louisiana, in which the 1981 Balanced Treatment for Creation-Science and Evolution in Public School Instruction Act gave rise to Edwards v. Aguillard,” according to the review. The act prevented the teaching of evolution in public schools unless equal classroom time was given to creationism.In 1987 the U.S. Supreme Court decided the act violated the establishment clause of the First Amendment, the separation of church and state, because it lacked a clear secular purpose, according to the Edwards v. Aguillard Court opinion. “It’s a philosophical issue and an issue of origins rather than of science,” Wilson said. “But there’s also looking at the scientific evidence for creationism and looking at the weaknesses in evolutionary theory.”The Court argued the act’s purpose was to restructure the science curriculum to conform to a particular religious position.“There is no debate,” Raff said. “The scientific facts are clear. They come from physics, biology, chemistry, paleontology, geology, you name it. We know the science, and there’s no room for that kind of creationist material that’s generally taught in these schools.”Science is a purely physical approach to the nature of the world and leaves off the philosophical or religious notions, looking instead at what the evidence says, Raff said.“The evidence comes from the natural world, not from some other kind of source,” he said. “And I think people have a hard time distinguishing between what you learn from an examination of the natural world versus what you derive philosophically or religiously from a system of organizing your own sense of the universe.”
(01/30/14 5:13am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>As a freshman, Josh Friedman said he noticed a lack of conversation on IU’s campus about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.Friedman founded the J Street chapter of IU as a sophomore to resolve this problem.J Street is an American advocacy group founded in 2008 that fights for the future of Israel as the democratic homeland of the Jewish people, according to its website.IU’s chapter was founded in December 2013.“As someone who is really engaged with what is going on in the Middle East, I wanted that space, but I didn’t feel like that space existed,” Friedman said. “I felt like creating a J Street here would be a way to create that space.”The organization will have its first call-out meeting at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in Ballantine 148.Since the creation of the state of Israel in 1948, the country has experienced a series of violent hostilities and failed land boundary agreements with neighboring Palestine.Friedman said he experienced some trouble getting J Street started.Not everyone was immediately receptive to the idea, he said.“It’s fine now, but our relationship with Hillel wasn’t always clear,” Friedman said, referring to the Helene G. Simon Hillel Center at IU.Friedman first brought his idea for a J Street chapter at IU to the Hillel Center during spring 2013.“They weren’t necessarily super receptive about it,” Friedman said. “I think the politics behind J Street or the stigma behind J Street, it sometimes doesn’t vibe well with the politics of a lot of people.”On the IU campus, there are many pro-Israel organizations, he said. But when they hear about J Street, their first impression can leave them thinking that the organization is not pro-Israel.“Through conversations with them they understand now it’s not that J Street isn’t pro-Israel — it’s that it’s pro-Israel and pro-Palestine,” Friedman said.After high school, Friedman lived in Acre, Israel.For six months, he participated in the Habonim Dror Workshop, an Israeli program that promotes peace through community volunteerism.Overlooking the Mediterranean Sea on Israel’s northern coast, Acre is where Friedman first experienced the social injustice, he said.“There’s a lot of racism,” Friedman said. “Basically, in Israel the laws that apply to Jews don’t necessarily apply to Arabs. As a result, the way those two groups treat each other is pretty hostile.”Before living in Acre, Friedman lived on a kibbutz, a Jewish farming community.He worked there for three months in a spool factory.He worked with Jewish factory workers who shared Friedman’s dream of peace, but lacked his youthful enthusiasm and hope, he said.“It’s ironic because the kibbutz movement was the most ideological part of Israeli society when it first started,” Friedman said. “But now when you go to a kibbutz and you talk to the kibbutzniks about how they want to see the world work and how they see themselves in Israeli society, they’re just like, ‘you should just stay in America.’”The conflict has had a negative affect on Israeli views which is really “disempowering,” Friedman said.“The goal of the organization here is to create a space where all the people who are engaged with this issue can talk and speak freely,” Friedman said. “Not only are we creating a space for conversation and dialogue on campus, but I think also we’re trying to provide an answer for questions about the conflict.”
(01/28/14 4:25am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The chemicals Ryder Pickens had in his apartment could make an explosion that reminded Department Chief of the Bloomington Township Department of Fire and Emergency Services Faron Livingston of Marvin the Martian. “Earth shattering kaboom,” Livingston said. “Any time you have nitrates, like with the Oklahoma City bombing, with your chlorates.”Potassium percholarate is one chemical among several others discovered in Pickens’ basement room on Jan. 16.Pickens, 20, is an IU University Division student. He was arrested Wednesday for attempted manufacturing of an explosive device, with bond set at $1 million surety and $10,000 cash.Livingston recalled an explosion which occurred in 1993 at then-IU-owned Showers Kilns near the corner of West llth and North Morton streets.Perchlorates need to be kept moist in order to prevent combustion.In a container of mercurous perchlorate, chlorate had collected around the rim of the cap and became dry, he said.The friction of unscrewing the lid caused enough friction to cause an explosion.“Perchlorates become sensitized,” Livingston said. “The purer you get the more sensitive it is.”Black iron oxide was another chemical found in Pickens’ basement. Iron oxides are commonly used in pyrotechnics.The chemical reaction with the other chemicals Pickens possessed could vary depending on a person’s intent, Livingston said.“There are various ways to increase the heat and explosion,” Livingston said. “What his intention was, who knows.”The explosion could range anywhere from a blasting agent which is considered low impact, Livingston said, to an exothermic reaction with a large volume of flash fire.Sodium nitrate, sulfuric acid and potassium perchlorate are chemicals available on the Internet, and were all found in Pickens’ basement.
(01/27/14 4:45am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Sarah Zeng left her seat in the audience, walked to the table and peered into the small electric frying pot.“So, even though you push it, it stills comes back round shaped?” said Zeng as she looked down at the sesame seed balls.Zeng, a junior, is one of several IU students who participated in the IU Asian Culture Center’s cooking demonstration Friday at the Asian-American Association.Pushing down on the sesame seed balls while they fried helped them expand while maintaining their round shape, sophomore Gordan Lin explained.Sesame balls are a common dish in China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines.They are prepared with various fillings, AAA President Becca Sun said.AAA is a student organization which promotes cultural understanding of the Asian-Pacific American experience, according to its website.It also aims to close the gap between Asian Pacific Americans and all other people at IU, the website says.Four AAA students chose to participate in the demonstration, including the president and vice president of the organization.Sesame seed balls originated in China during the Tang dynasty, sophomore Angie Nguyen said.Nguyen said they chose to make this particular dish both for its cross cultural ties and its timeliness.Sesame balls are commonly consumed in China at this time of the year in anticipation of the lunar New Year.Sophomore Kevin Cao explained each step of the process, first taking the dark brown sugar and mixing it in small bowl with water.“What I did here is I accidentally added too much water,” Cao said as he combined the sugar water solution with the glutinous rice flour. “It’s more like a goop. This is not what you want. The consistency of it is really fine.”Cao corrected his mistake by adding more flour and continued to knead the mixture into a ball, completing the recipe until the sesame seed-coated ball was ready for frying.Fourteen people attended the event, talking among themselves as they snacked on the steady supply of sesame balls Lin fried.Normally, sesame balls are rotated and compressed with chop sticks with a basket at the bottom of the frying pot to keep them from floating to the bottom and burning.Lin had neither the chop sticks nor the basket, and instead used two spoons. “Alright, give me the next one,” Lin said to Cao, continuing the demonstration.Cao grinned. “This big one?” The sesame ball was much larger than most of the others.“Challenge accepted,” Lin said.By the end of the one-hour demonstration, Lin had managed to fry all of the sesame balls.The AAA plan on having their next event in April. Called “Taste of Asia,” it will include other student organizations in anticipation of Asian-Pacific American Heritage month.
(01/24/14 5:26am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Bond is set at $1 million for the IU student who was arrested Wednesday on the preliminary charge of attempted manufacturing of an explosive device.Ryder Pickens, a 20-year-old who lives on the 400 block of Varsity Lane, is being held at Monroe County Jail. His bail review hearing is set for Jan. 29.Pickens had chemicals and equipment that could be used to create explosives at his residence, according to a press release from the Bloomington Police Department.Investigators also found searches relating to weapons of mass destruction and the effects of certain chemical weapons on Pickens’ computer.Police were first notified of suspicious activity by an acquaintance of Pickens on Jan. 16. After an argument between Pickens and his parents, his parents contacted one of his friends to check on him. Pickens’ friend noticed chemicals and lab equipment in Pickens’ room and became concerned, because Pickens had prior suicidal tendencies, BPD Sgt. Joe Crider said.BPD executed a search warrant Jan. 17 at Pickens’ residence and found several containers of chemicals and laboratory equipment. Pickens admitted to possessing the equipment and chemicals but denied any attempt to create an explosive device. He was subsequently transported by officers to the IU Health Hospital for immediate detention.Police said it appears Pickens had lawfully purchased these items from an online vendor.Later in the day, Jan. 17, police were called back to Pickens’ residence regarding the delivery of a suspicious package. When a search warrant on the package was executed, it was found that it contained more laboratory equipment and several chemicals that explosive specialists identified as being able to produce an explosive. Police examined Pickens’ computer Wednesday and found searches on explosives and chemical weapons.Pickens was released from IU Health Hospital on Wednesday and taken into custody by BPD. He was taken to the Monroe County Jail on the preliminary charge of attempted manufacturing of an explosive device.Pickens was originally enrolled in IU in fall 2012. He is in University Division and previously worked at the School of Fine Arts, but he hasn’t worked there since August 2013, said Mark Land, IU associate vice president for media relations.Investigators are focusing their efforts on identifying any potential motives, police said.The case remains an active investigation.
(01/22/14 8:50pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Bloomington Police Department received a report of an incidence of sexual abuse Tuesday afternoon. A 16-year-old girl reported to her therapist a family member had touched her inappropriately during a three-year period. The incidents appear to have occurred on Bloomington’s north side, BPD Sgt. Joe Crider said. A forensic interview with the girl is scheduled for Thursday morning with further investigation pending. — Dennis Barbosa
(01/21/14 5:19am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The room filled with clapping and singing as the choir director raced up and down the aisles of the Buskirk-Chumley Theater shouting, “Bambelela! Bambelela!”Theater patrons stood to their feet chanting, “Never give up! Never give up!” as the Bloomington Peace Choir belted out their South African-inspired song in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday during the City of Bloomington’s annual celebration.“The church choir singing is among my favorite,” keynote speaker Hank Thomas said. “Y’all had ‘em rocking.”Thomas is one of the original 13 Freedom Riders that rode interstate buses through the South in 1961 to protest racial segregation.Recalling a fearful day in South Carolina, Thomas commanded a thick silence to fall over the audience.“Mother’s Day 1961 is a day that will live in infamy in my mind forever,” he said. “Seven black and white Freedom Riders, along with 11 other unsuspecting passengers, were almost murdered by a Ku Klux Klan mob.”The first place he was arrested on the freedom ride, Thomas said, was in Winnsboro, N.C.He was forced off the bus and arrested, only to be released later that evening back at the bus — where a mob waited in the shadows for him to board.Thomas said he would have been shot by police if he refused to leave the squad car, but what awaited him outside was not much better.As he stepped out, Thomas said, the police car sped away in a hurry, and the mob began to approach him.He said he thought he might be able to outrun the mob.“As I started to run a man pulled up in his car, a black man and his son. Said, ‘Son, jump in and get down on the floor and stay there,’” Thomas said. “And he took me to Columbia, South Carolina, about 45 miles away.”Reunited with the other Freedom Riders, Thomas once again faced another mob at the Aniston, Ala., bus stop. About 50 to 60 people had gathered, he said, yelling and banging on the bus after it pulled in.The bus driver locked the doors so the mob couldn’t get in, and he abandoned the vehicle.Thomas joked that it must have been the end of the driver’s shift, but no one in the audience laughed.He said another driver climbed in and tried to drive away.But the tires of the bus had been slashed, and vehicles to the front and back of the bus did not allow the bus to drive faster than 15 miles per hour.After a few miles, the tires had gone completely flat and came to a stop in front of a country store where another mob gathered, he said.“Again this bus driver jumped out the bus,” Thomas said. “After a while they worked themselves into such a frenzy, somebody got an incendiary device that we learned later on came from the army base in Fort McClellan, shot it in the back of the bus through one of the broken windows and within seconds the bus started burning in the rear, filling up with noxious smoke.”As the smoke got blacker and blacker, Thomas, 19 years old at the time, said he contemplated suicide and thought it better to die on the bus than to be killed by the mob.He tried to take a big breath of smoke to put himself to sleep, but failed.While the mob held the doors shut so no one could escape, the back of the bus exploded, giving everyone on the bus an exit.As Thomas escaped the burning bus, someone from the crowd asked him if he was all right and then struck him on the head with a baseball bat.It wasn’t until Thomas scrambled behind a highway patrolman who had been present but passive to the whole scene that the mob ceased to pursue him.The patrolman shot his gun in the air and said the mob had had enough fun.But that was not the end of the ordeal. After Thomas and the other Freedom Riders had been transported to the hospital for smoke inhalation, the mob followed, demanding they be released to them or they would burn the hospital to the ground.“That was Alabama 1961,” Thomas said. “That was the American South that I grew up in.”When he boarded that bus 50 years ago, he said he was pursuing a dream of equality.“After 50 years, that dream of old has not been tarnished and it has lost neither its tone nor its tint,” Thomas said. “It still stands glimmering through the veils of yesteryear. We the Freedom Riders, we saw something wrong, and we done something about it.”
(01/17/14 4:51am)
Follow ups on a rape and a sexual assault, both reported earlier this week.
(01/15/14 3:45am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Last semester one would not have seen junior Isaac Brinberg wearing a kippah — a small, rounded skullcap traditionally worn by Orthodox Jewish men. That changed after winter break, when 51 IU students traveled to Israel with the Helene G. Simon Hillel Center. Brinberg was one of those students.“I came back with an understanding of why it’s important to maintain a Jewish identity,” Brinberg said.Israel said there weren’t a lot of other Jewish residents in his hometown of North Andover, Mass. During Christmas his house was always the only dark house on the block.Israel did not return from his trip with a kippah, but he did return with something he said he has always wanted.“I bought a Jewish chain,” Israel said. “I’ve always wanted one, but I never acted on it because I was kind of embarrassed to wear it.”His embarrassment stemmed from anti-Semitism he experienced growing up, he said, but the trip to Israel increased his confidence in his Jewish identity. Hillel’s trip is funded by Taglit-Birthright Israel, a partnership of philanthropists, Israeli citizens and Jewish communities, for the transportation of any Jewish person to Israel, according to the Hillel website.“For me this trip was about finding my Jewish identity so I could have something to pass on to my kids,” Brinberg said. “It was about also meeting a lot of other Jews and being able to experience Israel in a group.”And that’s exactly the point of a birthright trip. Jewish tradition insists that all Jews travel to Israel at least once to get acquainted with their religion’s origins. Taglit-Birthright Israel’s three requirements are that the individual has at least one Jewish parent, is between the ages of 18-26 years old and has never been on a peer-led trip to Israel.The students danced to the beat of drums on a mountaintop overlooking Jerusalem at a welcoming ceremony. They hiked along a river in the Golan Heights and camped out in the Negev desert with Bedouins.Freshman Eric Israel said he was hesitant at first to join in on the dancing on the mountaintop, but when he saw how happily his tour guide was dancing, it encouraged him to join in.“I felt like part of a community of people who were like me,” Israel said.Before camping out with a Bedouin group, junior Carly Krause said she was very nervous and didn’t know what to expect.The students ate traditional Bedouin meals with their hands, including platters of rice, beef, chicken, onions, pita bread and cabbage dishes.“That was probably one of the best nights,” Krause said. “You really bond with the other people.”Sarah Klein, a well-traveled senior, said she had traveled once before to Israel, but not with a group.The first time, she went with family. She said she was not able to experience as much of Israel as she did with Taglit-Birthright Israel.When she and her family left the country, she said it still felt foreign. The second time, she was able to envision herself living in Tel-Aviv. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt so welcomed in another country,” senior Klein said.