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(05/15/08 12:09am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Badd Mudda Trucker. Hell No Kitty. Sagitterrorist. Unicoroner. Rip’r Snap’r. These are the names of members from the Farm Fatales, one of two main teams in Bloomington’s cutthroat roller-derby league the Bleeding Heartland Rollergirls. The Farm Fatales will face off against the other team, the Slaughter Scouts, on May 17 in front of 700 screaming fans at the Bloomington SportsPlex, located at 1700 W. Bloomfield Road, in what has been dubbed a “sibling rivalry” match.The women of the Farm Fatales are as unique as the building they practice in. Formerly an elementary school, Eagles Landing was converted into a mall in 2003, but little changed except its occupants. The classrooms became shops, but the same distinctly school-tiled floors and painted cement walls still formed the narrow hallways. The gymnasium remained, and ancient-looking pictures of athletic teams of old still hung on the walls. So it’s fitting that one of Bloomington’s best-kept secrets practices here, hidden away in Ellettsville. But it won’t be a secret for much longer. The league’s original team, the Flatliners, was forced to split into two after the addition of about 20 women at December tryouts. The Flatliners still remain an “all-star” squad, made up of women from both teams. Roller derby is an American sport that started out involving both male and female team members. It originated in the 1930s and gained popularity all the way through the ’50s, but almost completely died out during the ’70s. Its recent revival has seen the rise of all-female leagues, and the sport’s popularity continues to grow.At practice, the women’s outfits are anything but uniform. Aside from matching team shirts, the dress code gets creative. Leopard-print tights, striped knee-high socks and sequined belts accent booty shorts and miniskirts. Flames and pirate patches are particularly popular. The women are padded more heavily than a professional skateboarder and, after watching them practice, it’s easy to see why. “It’s scary when you get injured or get hit in the face. It’s time-consuming and frustrating,” Bloomington roller girl Sagitterrorist said. “You have bad days, but overall it’s pretty addicting.” Although her name may sound intimidating, Sagitterrorist is a friendly, soft-spoken woman who doubles as an occupational therapist during the day. Like the rest of the roller girls, she only goes by her derby name for public appearances. She tried out for the team in December, so she has yet to make her debut on the track.Before moving to Bloomington, Sagitterrorist lived in Portland, Ore., where she said roller derby is huge. Between that and watching the A&E reality series “Rollergirls,” Sagitterrorist fell in love. “I would say roller derby is kind of like having a family full of 38 crazy girls. I think it’s been interesting for us, for veterans and rookies alike. We practiced together for so long, and in March we split. There have been some growing pains, but I think it’s going to be good for us and the Bloomington league as a whole,” Sagitterrorist said. “Lots of other towns have trouble finding enough girls for one team and we have been fortunate enough to find enough to have two.”The main objective of the roller derby is to score points by passing members of the opposing team on the track. The one scoring the points, the jammer, is blocked out by the rest of the pack. The pivots are the lead blockers who set the pace of the pack, and the wingmen are the ones up front helping the pivots out. Sagitterrorist usually plays pivot or wingman.As far as injuries go, Sagitterrorist has escaped anything truly damaging. She said she has “luckily” only injured her shoulder and pulled a groin muscle. But just in case, she superstitiously knocks on the gym’s wooden bleachers. A couple teammates knock too, for good measure.The team doesn’t take injuries lightly. The bouts can get so brutal that the skaters even practice falling correctly to minimize the chances of physical harm. After warming up and practicing weaving maneuvers, the women line up and run suicides, throwing themselves on the floor every few feet. They’re called six-point falls; the aim is to land on the six padded points of impact: knees, elbows and wrists. And the practice comes in handy. During the last half-hour, the team splits up to scrimmage. They alternate positions, placing alternating jammers. A couple of the guys from the men’s league who practice with them act as referees. They line up, but with the opening bout a week and a half away, the team can’t afford to lose any players, so they’re not going full force.“This is going to be a 50 percent scrimmage,” Coach Badd Mudda Trucker tells the team. “So I want really focused hits with the hips.”“One minute!” “Check your gear!” “Line it up!” “Skaters ready!”The whistle blows and the pack takes off. The two jammers follow a few seconds afterwards. Ducking and weaving, Hell No Kitty speeds up and squeezes through two blockers. Fake left, go right — she takes the outside and sails through again. Suddenly, a collision hits and three women go sliding across the floor.The women regroup to run the scrimmage again with different jammers. This time, Pele’s Melee breaks away from the pack and circles back around, hovering behind the group, looking for an opening. She slips by easily on the inside curve. Badd tries to fly past on the outside, but fails and is sent skidding across the floor into the wall for the second time.Skater after skater hits the floor, so it’s no wonder some of them get the injuries they do; remember, they’re only playing at half-capability. Co-captain Knock R Down has experienced the sport’s damaging potential firsthand. In March, she broke her tailbone, which only intensified her family’s fears for her health. She didn’t tell her parents for the first month.“They’re in their 70s and they’re from Germany, so they have no idea what roller derby is about,” she said. “But I have a 7-year-old and she thinks it’s the greatest thing since sliced bread. We call her Halfway Down.”The 42-year-old mother used to be a speed skater in high school, but doesn’t exactly relish her daughter’s enthusiasm to carry on the tradition. “If she wants to skate, she had better be out of the house,” Knock R Down said. “I’m not letting her skate in the junior league.”Sue Cidal, the other co-captain, has had her share of injuries as well. She once tore a ligament in her knee. “It never stops us,” the mother of two teenagers said. “We’re always asking how long it will be before we can skate again.”Cidal wanted her name to illustrate her fearlessness. “I just wanted a name that sounded like I would do anything to take a girl out, including hurting myself,” she said. Individual team numbers also hold significance; Sue Cidal’s number is 10-96, the police code for a mentally unstable subject.The derby personas only last while the women are on the track. As practice comes to a close, some women take a few leisurely cool-down laps, while others start taking off their skates and pads. The smell hits you like a brick wall. “Our gear, in general, stinks,” Sagitterrorist admitted. “We sweat a lot.”Ah, the sweet smell of success.
(05/05/08 3:03am)
They came into Assembly Hall on Saturday sporting sunglasses, chomping gum, chatting on cell phones and wearing caps that read “Hi Mom” and “Let Me Stay.” Cameras flashed and the crowd cheered as students filled seats – IU’s 179th Commencement ceremony had begun.\nCommencement was split up into two sessions, one at 10 a.m. and one at 3 p.m. Special guests included IU’s 14th president, John Ryan, Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and New York Times crossword editor Will Shortz. \nStudents were done with finals and ready to graduate, but Shortz, this year’s commencement speaker, had one final test in store for them. \n“Seniors, I’m not saying your score on this quiz will determine whether you graduate or not,” he said. “But let’s just say there will be another graduation opportunity in the future.”\nShortz’s quiz consisted of four multiple-choice answers concerning the unusual majors of some famous IU alumni, such as musician and songwriter Hoagy Carmichael and movie producer Michael Uslan. Carmichael majored in law, while Uslan created the first college-accredited comic book class. \n“The lesson here is that your major doesn’t determine your career,” Shortz told the students. “Do something you love. Whatever your major was, you should have received a well-rounded education.”\nShortz graduated from IU with an Individualized Major Program degree in “enigmatology,” or the study of puzzles. His classes focused on English, math, philosophy, journalism and linguistics. He also has a Juris Doctorate from the University of Virginia.\n“He is the only person in the world to hold a degree in the study of puzzles,” IU President Michael McRobbie said. “If anyone is an example of a liberal arts education, it’s him.”\nAfter his speech, McRobbie honored Shortz with the Thomas Hart Benton Mural Medallion, which represents the search for knowledge. IU also gave an honorary degree to Sirleaf, who McRobbie said has “served humanity with conviction.” Sirleaf is Africa’s first elected female head of state.\nBut after all the speeches and award-giving, the day belonged to the seniors.\n“This is a day of pride at your achievements,” McRobbie told the students.\nJosh Ernstberger, a finance major, described commencement as bittersweet.\n“I felt a great sense of accomplishment for all of my hard work, and also I know I’m moving on,” he said. “I’ve been here for four years and I’m ready to take the next step.”\nErnstberger said he has a job with ArcelorMittal in Chicago as a financial analyst. He got wind of the job through the Career Services Office at the business school, and landed it two weeks ago.\n“If you’re going to ask me what I’ll miss about IU, the answer is everything,” he said. “I’m going to miss the friends that are moving away, and Bloomington as a city. It’s a melting pot of cultures here. There are people from all over the world.” \nErnstberger’s last official day at IU will definitely be a lifelong memory.\n“Just being in Assembly Hall and walking through the corridors was a really cool experience,” he said. “I’m going to remember just walking in for the first time, turning my tassel to the left, and seeing my family for the first time after the ceremony.”\nRohun Rangnekar, a finance and entrepreneurship major, agreed.\n“It was a once in a lifetime experience,” he said. “You’ve spent four years here, so you might as well celebrate.”\nRangnekar also acknowledged the importance of the people he has come to know at IU through his fraternity, Kappa Sigma, and other activities.\n“I’m going to miss all the friends I’ve met. I have friends in the Greek system and Student Athletic Board,” he said. “Not seeing them on a regular basis is what I’m going to miss the most. You just learn so much from everybody you know.”\nRangnekar also already has a job lined up for him with Cardinal Health, which is based in Columbus. The company will move him every year for three years before he can settle down. \nAlthough Rangnekar and Ernstberger were lucky enough to leave college with a job, many members of the graduating class are in the same situation as one student who waved a sign at the commencement audience: Four years’ tuition: $80,000. Food and booze: $40,000. Graduation cap and gown: $80. Graduating without a job: Priceless.
(04/09/08 2:03am)
March 17 to 24 marked the first “Big Ten Week” for ORBIS International, the “flying eye hospital” that travels to Third-World countries to provide ophthalmology training and medical assistance to local doctors. \nVolunteer doctors from Big Ten universities, including one from IU, flew to Da Nang, Vietnam, to perform surgeries for people in need and to give lessons on how to deal with eye problems to local doctors. \nDr. Hua Gao, assistant professor of ophthalmology at the IU School of Medicine in Indianapolis, was one of the volunteers.\n“A long time ago, when I was in China, ORBIS came there,” he said. “I’ve always liked to do this. For a long time, this has been one of my dreams.”\nGao finally got his opportunity to work with ORBIS through a colleague who told him about the Vietnam trip. As a retinal specialist, Gao performed surgeries concerning retinal disease and retinal detachment.\n“I also dealt with patient care and trauma,” he said.\nDr. Keith Carter, a professor and department head of ophthalmology at the University of Iowa, also went on the Vietnam trip. Carter specializes in oculoplastic surgery, corrective or reconstructive surgery for areas in or near the eye, and has gone with ORBIS twice before to India and the Philippines. \n“They are all poor,” Carter said. “The technology is similar in all three countries. India has high (quality) eye care, but because of the density of the population they just can’t take care of it all.” \nORBIS launched in 1982 as the brainchild of Dr. David Paton, who was then head of the Ophthalmology Department at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, according to the organization’s Web site. Paton’s extensive traveling made him realize the need for better eye care on a global scale, so he dreamed up a “flying eye hospital” that has all the requirements of a hospital, but is located inside an airplane. The name ORBIS came from both the Greek word pertaining to the eye, and the Latin word meaning “around the world.”\nPaton took his idea to Pan American World Airways founder Juan Trippe, and the pair, along with some help from others, got their hands on a retired and beat-up DC-8 plane. Donations and grants helped Paton and his crew transform the plane into a mobile hospital, and the aircraft went on its maiden mission to Panama in 1982, according to the website. The plane is complete with an operating room, classroom and a recovery room, and cameras are stationed in the operating room so people can watch surgery from anywhere in the plane.\nSince then, the organization has upgraded to DC-10 airplanes and has established permanent offices in China, India, Bangladesh, Ethiopia and Vietnam, according to the site. \n“The countries that are the hardest hit is where they decide to go,” said Michelle Dackis, an account executive with Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide, when represents ORBIS. \nDackis said ORBIS relies on statistics from organizations such as the World Health Organization to determine where the need is greatest and the surgery techniques are most lacking.\n“Usually they’re not even major treatments,” she said. “Most of the eye problems could easily be prevented.”\nWanda Martinez, associate ophthalmologist at the University of Wisconsin, also traveled with the Vietnam team for \ntwo weeks. \n“I saw many kids with crossed eyes and I saw many other patients with multiple problems,” Martinez said. “Many people were in accidents and had scars and problems with their eyelids.”\nMartinez taught the Vietnamese doctors to use the computer simulator they have on board, which re-enacts cataract and retinal surgeries.\n“There’s an incredible need, and ORBIS is trying to provide that need rather than just come in and do it and leave,” Martinez said.\nFor Martinez, one of the best things about traveling with ORBIS is being able to see the progress in these countries. Even though her group was stationed in a country where the evidence of war is still apparent, Martinez said she thinks the Vietnamese people are on the right path.\n“It was very inspiring to see people trying to be better,” she said. “Tons of Vietnamese women are going to school. The country is beautiful – the coast is amazing. There’s poverty, but there’s hope of progress.”
(02/26/08 5:38am)
Computer giant Microsoft has recently filed a patent application for a new software program that some have called an intrusion of privacy.\nThis new software will allow employers to monitor employees’ body temperature, heart and respiration rates, brain signals, blood pressure and facial expressions. The program is intended to alert managers if an employee seems to be depressed, overworked or stressed, a spokesperson for Microsoft said. However, this type of software could be considered an invasion of employees’ privacy. \nThe spokesperson stressed that this is only an application and not yet an actual device. She also said the biometric aspect is only a small part of the software as a whole. \n“The critical issue is going to be how it’s used,” IU law professor Fred Cate said. “It’s clear that it could have enormous potential for invading privacy, but so does lots of other technology that we use.”\nCate specializes in privacy and security issues and is also a member of Microsoft’s Trustworthy Computing Academic Advisory Board. The board meets twice a year to discuss issues with new products Microsoft is developing, but does not usually hear presentations on patent applications.\n“We wouldn’t talk about anything this early,” Cate said. “They have patents for all kinds of things that they don’t use. They have them just so other people can’t use them.” \nPatent applications typically take three to five years for approval. Adding the time required for Microsoft to manufacture and market the product, this technology won’t appear in the workplace anytime soon. \nMichael Grueninger, president of Grueninger Travel Group, said he has no interest in the software. \n“That’s kind of intrusive,” he said. “I can see how some employers might want to know their employees’ stress levels or something like that, but a good company would already have policies in place (to deal with those issues).”\nAlthough the software raises questions of privacy, the Microsoft spokesperson said the monitoring is intended to make it easier for managers to assist their employees when they’re having problems. The spokesperson called it an “interactive help desk.” But the area of privacy still remains murky.\n“The answer to these questions is always that it depends,” Cate said. “If employers were monitoring this sort of thing without your consent, clearly it would be an invasion of privacy.”\nCate sees how the software could present problems. \n“I suspect workers wouldn’t like it,” he said, “but workers are already subject to all kinds of policies that invade their privacy. Lots of employers monitor their employees’ phone calls and e-mails.” \nFor now, though, Grueninger considers the software less helpful and more stressful.\n“I think there’s a stress factor involved if you’re monitoring my blood pressure and my heart rate and everything else,” Grueninger said. “You need a structure where the employee is going to come and talk to you. I’ve got other priorities in software purchases.”
(02/05/08 4:13am)
The poet laureate may be an officially recognized state position, but the responsibilities the position entails can be a little unclear. As a result, when the House of Representatives chose Joyce Brinkman as Indiana’s first official state poet laureate in 2002, she decided to further define her role.\n“There was really no program to go along with it,” Brinkman said. “I really wanted us to have some kind of system because it was just whenever the General Assembly felt like doing something. So I put together legislation that codifies what the poet laureate does.”\nFour years later, Brinkman has better defined the responsibilities of poet laureate. Since the Indiana Arts Commission is currently accepting applications for the next poet laureate position, Brinkman’s successor will hopefully have clearer guidelines for what his or her position entails. \nThe responsibilities for the poet laureate now include composing poems for public functions and introducing public speakers, but the most important role is that of encouraging the arts in schools, Brinkman said.\n“Our legislation has an educational component,” Brinkman said. “We really feel like poetry is important from the standpoint of education. Students who study poetry really do better, not just in language or arts; it also improves math skills.”\nThe position, officially created in 2002, was designed to promote the arts – specifically poetry – to the general public. Much of the focus is directed toward the younger generation.\n“We’re asking people to nominate poets that are active in the state of Indiana,” said Susan Britsch, community development manager and Arts and Education coordinator for the Indiana Arts Commission. “One of the responsibilities of the poet laureate is to basically represent Indiana in the art of poetry to the educational community and the public. We’re looking for public work and work that has been published.”\nBritsch is in charge of accepting nominations for the state’s new poet laureate. The deadline is Feb. 15 and applications should be sent to the Indiana Arts Commission. \nAs reigning poet laureate, Brinkman has completed various projects promoting poetry throughout the state. Shared Spaces/Shared Voices featured the work of Indiana writers in Indianapolis city buses. Brinkman also worked on “sports poetry clinics” in schools around the state, which encouraged student-athletes to express their passion for their sport through poetry. Those clinics led to the recording of a CD, and the publishing of an anthology.\nBrinkman has published poetry in various newspapers and magazines, and she also has written two books of poetry. She believes there is a sense of responsibility that comes with the title of poet laureate.\n“It’s not so much an honor as it is being an ambassador for poetry,” Brinkman said. “That’s the poet laureate’s job: being an ambassador for poetry. We’re all unique individuals, and we all have a unique view. And we happen to be the only creatures on the planet that can write.”
(01/22/08 4:57am)
InternView is offering the chance to win $3,000 by answering a question from Dodge.\nThe second annual online contest wants students to tell Dodge how the company can improve its cars.\nTyler Sanchez had a real motivation behind his submission into the InternView competition. \nThe sophomore at Vanderbilt University was the first winner of InternView, a contest that asked college students around the nation how Dodge could improve its vehicles. When Sanchez heard about the contest, he knew he could draw on real-life experience. \n“A week-and-a-half earlier I was in a car accident,” Sanchez said. “(My friend) actually fell asleep with the car going 60. We went off the highway and down into a ditch. It was amazing that nothing happened (to us).”\nSanchez designed a safety feature in the steering wheel that would monitor drivers’ hearts. The device then triggers sound alerts if their heart rate drops too low.\n“I know a lot of people do really long driving trips,” Sanchez said. “I know I do. It basically monitors your heart rate the same way if you were running on a treadmill.”\nSanchez received the first-place prize of $3,000 for his idea and is entering again this year. He has submitted three different solutions on his own, plus one he developed with his friend.\nJennifer Sicard is the chief operating officer and director of the Adlego Project for Sicard and Co. LLC, a managing consultant firm that started InternView. Adlego, Latin for “I choose,” is the name of the campaign that includes InternView and several other collegiate programs. Sicard said Dodge has benefited from the students and Adlego Project.\n“(Dodge was) very, very thrilled this spring because they really do generate a lot ideas,” Sicard said. “We have talked with different companies, but we haven’t solidified any other partnerships.”\nSicard and Co. promotes the Adlego Project mainly through student marketing and business associates, whose job is to get the word out on their own campus. Senior Lisa Mallinger is a marketing associate for the IU campus. Mallinger said the InternView competition lets students challenge themselves.\n“It gives students a chance to build analytical skills. They can take a real-life problem and think about it,” Mallinger said. “If they can put something like that on their resume, that would look really great. That’s pretty significant for a college student.”\nThis year marks the second round for InternView, and Sicard and Co. has made some changes. The top five contestants will get the opportunity to fly to Detroit to present their solutions in person to Dodge executives. Also, contestants can now submit solutions as a team and have four different questions to choose from, instead of just one.\nAs Sanchez waits to see how far his ideas will go this year, he is pondering what to do with his prize money.\n“Unfortunately it’s accumulating interest in my bank account right now,” he laughed. “I’ve really been wanting an iPhone, but I know that’s pretty materialistic.”\nThe deadline for submissions is Feb. 24, but voting for the first-round winners starts Sunday. Students can submit their own solutions and find more information at www.internviewawards.com.