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(04/01/13 2:21am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>When Dr. Danielle Osterholzer learned a girl born in Mississippi was functionally cured of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, she wasn’t sure she believed the news.But when Osterholzer, an assistant professor of clinical medicine and pediatrics at IU School of Medicine specializing in the prevention of mother to child HIV transmissions, examined the case, she agreed the results were legitimate.“There should be celebrating,” she said. “But I wouldn’t have the expectation that everyone’s going to get cured.”She said there are probably factors in the patient that affected the outcome, such as an immune system that was resistant to the virus. About 1 percent of Caucasians have an HIV-resistant immune system, Osterholzer said. Another contribution to the outcome was the immediacy of the treatment, which could not be easily replicated in most adults infected with HIV.“But it is exciting, and it does give us some glimmer of hope,” she said.The case of the Mississippi girl wasn’t a constructed study, she explained. An HIV infected mother gave birth to a baby girl, without taking HIV medication prenatally. Most HIV transmissions between a mother and child happen at the time of birth, Osterholzer said.“It appears that they treated the child within 30 hours of birth,” she said. “They put the baby on three dosages of the drugs, at dosages used for treatment, even before they knew the infant was infected. Then they just kept the medications going. They never intended the baby to go off medication.”What happened next is mostly unknown. The mother eventually stopped bringing the child to the clinic and quit dispensing the medication for at least a year. “When they tested the child when she returned to care, she didn’t have the virus or the antibodies, so they wondered ‘What is going on?’” she said.Specialized research laboratory tests revealed that the girl was “functionally cured,” Osterholzer said. Functionally cured means that no replicating HIV DNA was found in her system, despite the fact that they could detect low levels of viral RNA and DNA in the child’s blood.The result: widespread media attention of the case and discussion from HIV researchers.“It made a lot of us wonder,” she said. “We don’t normally put the infants on three-drug therapy immediately after birth. It will be interesting to see what we do now. It’s made me think about what I would do in that situation in the future.”In Indiana, children born to an HIV-positive mother not receiving proper treatment have a 25-percent chance of being infected, according to the State Health Department. If the mother is tested and receives treatment during her pregnancy, the risk falls to 1 percent or less, said Dr. Tom Hrisomalos, an infectious disease physician in Bloomington who works with patients affected by HIV/AIDS.Hrisomalos said he is not 100-percent confident in the results of the Mississippi case, as it has not been published for peer review. However, if the results are correct, he said it shows how far AIDS medications have come.“To me that shows that the medicines are incredibly good, and they may cure when given immediately,” he said.He said the immediate treatment might have killed short-lived cells infected by HIV, before the virus transferred to long-living cells, like those in bone marrow. People living with HIV have the virus in long-living cells, so the case won’t result in new treatments for those people, he added.Hrisomalos remembers when he worked at the first HIV clinic in Indianapolis in the ’80s, right before AIDS reached epidemic proportions. Now there are thousands such clinics in the country, he said.“Early on, we saw people get sick and die. Then, there were the first treatments, but they were toxic,” he said. “Now you start seeing cases like this one, with the baby. Hopefully 10 years from now we will being talking about a cure for those long-lived cells.”At Postive Link, a program of IU Health Bloomington Hospital Community Health providing care for AIDS clients in south central Indiana, those types of developments have a personal impact. Emily Brinegar, prevention coordinator for Positive Link, said any new findings about how to treat or prevent HIV are steps in the right direction.She said cases like these spark hope in clients at Positive Link.“The majority of our clients do pay attention,” she said. “Things like that lend to a sense of a promising future.”
(03/31/13 5:40pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>When Dr. Danielle Osterholzer learned a girl born in Mississippi was functionally cured of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, she wasn’t sure she believed the news.But when Osterholzer, an assistant professor of clinical medicine and pediatrics at IU School of Medicine specializing in the prevention of mother to child HIV transmissions, examined the case, she agreed the results were legitimate.“There should be celebrating,” she said. “But I wouldn’t have the expectation that everyone’s going to get cured.”She said there are probably factors in the patient that affected the outcome, such as an immune system that was resistant to the virus. About 1 percent of Caucasians have an HIV-resistant immune system, Osterholzer said. Another contribution to the outcome was the immediacy of the treatment, which could not be easily replicated in most adults infected with HIV.“But it is exciting, and it does give us some glimmer of hope,” she said.The case of the Mississippi girl wasn’t a constructed study, she explained. An HIV infected mother gave birth to a baby girl, without taking HIV medication prenatally. Most HIV transmissions between a mother and child happen at the time of birth, Osterholzer said.“It appears that they treated the child within 30 hours of birth,” she said. “They put the baby on three dosages of the drugs, at dosages used for treatment, even before they knew the infant was infected. Then they just kept the medications going. They never intended the baby to go off medication.”What happened next is mostly unknown. The mother eventually stopped bringing the child to the clinic and quit dispensing the medication for at least a year. “When they tested the child when she returned to care, she didn’t have the virus or the antibodies, so they wondered ‘What is going on?’” she said.Specialized research laboratory tests revealed that the girl was “functionally cured,” Osterholzer said. Functionally cured means that no replicating HIV DNA was found in her system, despite the fact that they could detect low levels of viral RNA and DNA in the child’s blood.The result: widespread media attention of the case and discussion from HIV researchers.“It made a lot of us wonder,” she said. “We don’t normally put the infants on three-drug therapy immediately after birth. It will be interesting to see what we do now. It’s made me think about what I would do in that situation in the future.”In Indiana, children born to an HIV-positive mother not receiving proper treatment have a 25-percent chance of being infected, according to the State Health Department. If the mother is tested and receives treatment during her pregnancy, the risk falls to 1 percent or less, said Dr. Tom Hrisomalos, an infectious disease physician in Bloomington who works with patients affected by HIV/AIDS.Hrisomalos said he is not 100-percent confident in the results of the Mississippi case, as it has not been published for peer review. However, if the results are correct, he said it shows how far AIDS medications have come.“To me that shows that the medicines are incredibly good, and they may cure when given immediately,” he said.He said the immediate treatment might have killed short-lived cells infected by HIV, before the virus transferred to long-living cells, like those in bone marrow. People living with HIV have the virus in long-living cells, so the case won’t result in new treatments for those people, he added.Hrisomalos remembers when he worked at the first HIV clinic in Indianapolis in the ’80s, right before AIDS reached epidemic proportions. Now there are thousands such clinics in the country, he said.“Early on, we saw people get sick and die. Then, there were the first treatments, but they were toxic,” he said. “Now you start seeing cases like this one, with the baby. Hopefully ten years from now we will being talking about a cure for those long-lived cells.”At Postive Link, a program of IU Health Bloomington Hospital Community Health providing care for AIDS clients in south central Indiana, those types of developments have a personal impact. Emily Brinegar, prevention coordinator for Positive Link, said any new findings about how to treat or prevent HIV are steps in the right direction.She said cases like these spark hope in clients at Positive Link.“The majority of our clients do pay attention,” she said. “Things like that lend to a sense of a promising future.”
(03/29/13 8:52pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Pregnant women do not have the constitutional right to the control of their own bodies.That is the view that, Lynn Paltrow, executive director of National Advocates for Pregnant Women, is striving to abolish from the United States legal system.Law Students for Reproductive Justice, the Feminist Law Forum and the American Constitution Society brought Paltrow to speak on reproductive justice and the case of Bei Bei Shuai v. the State of Indiana at the Maurer School of Law on Friday. Paltrow said the Shuai case could set the precedent for cases involving pregnant women and fetuses.“The question is will the state of Indiana be the first state to declare itself as one where pregnant women are treated as separate and unequal persons,” Paltrow said.Bei Bei Shaui, an Indiana resident who emigrated from China, is facing charges of murder and attempted feticide after she attempted suicide while pregnant in her third trimester in 2010.Shaui took rat poison after learning that her boyfriend and father of her baby was married and returning to his estranged family. Friends brought her to the hospital, and Angel Shaui was born on New Year’s Eve. But Angel died in Shaui’s arms three days later, and after receiving treatment for lingering depression, Bei Bei was arrested and charged by the state. The case has been delayed, but a new time for the trial has not been set.Jim Spangler, a second year law student who attended Paltrow’s speech, said the charges are “ridiculous.”“The biggest problem is that it took a behavior that was totally legal and made it illegal because she pregnant,” he said, referring to Shaui’s suicide attempt.Paltrow, who recently published a peer-reviewed study on the arrests of and forced interventions on pregnant women, said these cases are occurring in every region in the country.She calls the concept the “new Jane Crow” laws.“What a new Jane Crow refers to is a system of separate and unequal law for pregnant and fertile women,” Paltrow said. “It relegates them to a permanent underclass status and removes them from the community of constitutional persons.”The feticide statute under which Shuai is charged was a post-Roe state law passed in 1979 that made the fetus a separate victim in crimes against pregnant women that caused her to miscarry or die, Paltrow explained.Thirty eight states now have similar homicide of a viable fetus or feticide laws she said.“Each and every one of those laws was passed after an event of extreme violence against women,” she said. “They hijack the debate about the violence against women to establishing the treatment of eggs, embryos and fetuses as separate from the women.”Jessica Jackson-McLain, a second-year law student at IU, said Paltrow was very persuasive.“She makes a wonderful point even for people who would traditionally oppose abortion,” Jackson-McLain said. “It’s also about treating women differently just because they are pregnant.”LSRJ will send a group of students to Indianapolis April 6 for a rally protesting the Bei Bei Shuai case and promoting reproductive justice. The rally will be at 2 p.m. outside of the City-County Building, 200 E. Washington St.“Speak on behalf of Bei Bei Shuai. Speak on behalf of women,” Paltrow said. “Come to the rally on April 6 and demonstrate that you support a culture of life that includes and values the lives of pregnant women, whatever the outcome of their pregnancies.”
(03/26/13 2:03am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU music professor Daniel Perantoni never has to leave his home to “fuel” his black sedan. He said he can use his iPhone to heat the car from his office and can power the all-electric car with a charging station installed in his garage. The decal on the side of Perantoni’s Nissan LEAF says “zero emission.”“I like the car,” he said. “I love the idea. Going green is quite important to us.”Perantoni is one of a handful of all-electric car owners in Bloomington, but that number might be slowly growing.Don Seader, owner of World Wide Automotive Service, said the abundance of electric vehicles will be directly related to the price of electric batteries and the price of gasoline.“If the price of gas goes up to $5, I think the sales of electric cars will spike,” he said.As of Monday, the average gasoline prices in Indiana were $3.70 per gallon, according to a press release from GasBuddy.Until then, customers buy electric vehicles for their environmental advantages.“The real benefit is the carbon footprint and the low emissions,” Seader said. “Carbon dioxide emissions are directly proportional to the fuel a car consumes.”Chris Perantoni, Daniel’s son and a sales manager at Royal on the Eastside, sold the LEAF to his father about a year ago. “We’re sold out,” Chris Perantoni said. “We’ve sold six since the cars came.”Royal is in the process of ordering more, he said. “I think Bloomington is the perfect town for them,” Chris Perantoni said.While sales have been successful for Royal, Sustainability Coordinator Jacqui Bauer said two electric charging stations the city installed six months ago are not getting much use. “We’ve had just a few hours of usage each month,” she said in an email.The new charging stations, located in Garage Market and Garage Band, are part of a two-year pilot program with Duke Energy. Bloomington was awarded grant money for the stations through Energy Systems Network’s Project Plug-IN initiative, which was awarded American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant funding through the Indiana Office of Energy Development to expand charging infrastructure. “This was a way to allow us to explore how much demand there is for EV charging infrastructure at little cost to the city,” Bauer said. “So far, usage has been pretty minimal.”However, the number of electric vehicles will probably continue to creep up in the future, she said. “If the stations see a decent amount of use, and that use continues increasing, we’ll probably keep them online once the two-year pilot is over,” Bauer said. “At the rate we’re going, I think it’s unlikely we’re going to install additional stations in the near future, but we’ll have to keep monitoring demand.”Daniel Perantoni said he doesn’t use the public charging stations because charging his vehicle in the garage provides him enough energy for trips to town.He said he wishes there were more stations throughout Indiana so the car could run farther distances. Currently, he is limited to a 100-mile radius, he said. He’s leasing the LEAF for now and waiting to see how the technology will develop a few years down the road before he purchases an electric car.Seader said high costs for the new technology deters some customers.“But as technology improves and there are more and more cars, prices will go down,” he said.His business currently offers service to hybrid engines, but electric cars do not need the same services, such as oil checks. “We don’t see a lot of full electric cars, only a few Teslas,” he said. “Basically, we have only had to do tires.”Sean Flynn is the owner of one of those Teslas. Though the car cost him $100,000, in addition to installing a charger in his garage, he says he is happy with his purchase.“I’m pretty green, or trying to be green,” he said. “And it’s a fantastic car.”Flynn installed solar panels at his home in order to create an energy source for his car. He said this compensates for the fuel he would have used with a standard car.“It’s taken another vehicle off the road, so to speak,” he said. Flynn said he worries about the distance his car can travel — “range anxiety,” he called it — but the vehicle is perfect for his 20-mile round trip to work.All he has to do is charge his car overnight, fueling his battery with about 245 miles worth of energy. He could even charge his car using a regular outlet. “But that takes forever,” he said, explaining that it would provide only a few miles of range per hour of charging.Daniel Perantoni agreed that charging his car overnight gives him enough energy for his everyday needs.“It’s a great little car for going around town,” Daniel Perantoni said.And while both car owners believe their electric cars are lacking counterparts on the road, they said they believe the number will increase.“I think I’m part of the minority now, but hopefully not in the future,” Flynn said. “This is the wave of the future.”
(03/26/13 1:49am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU music professor Daniel Perantoni never has to leave his home to “fuel” his black sedan. He said he can use his iPhone to heat the car from his office and can power the all-electric car with a charging station installed in his garage. The decal on the side of Perantoni’s Nissan LEAF says “zero emission.”“I like the car,” he said. “I love the idea. Going green is quite important to us.”Perantoni is one of a handful of all-electric car owners in Bloomington, but that number might be slowly growing.Don Seader, owner of World Wide Automotive Service, said the abundance of electric vehicles will be directly related to the price of electric batteries and the price of gasoline.“If the price of gas goes up to $5, I think the sales of electric cars will spike,” he said.As of Monday, the average gasoline prices in Indiana were $3.70 per gallon, according to a press release from GasBuddy.Until then, customers buy electric vehicles for their environmental advantages.“The real benefit is the carbon footprint and the low emissions,” Seader said. “Carbon dioxide emissions are directly proportional to the fuel a car consumes.”Chris Perantoni, Daniel’s son and a sales manager at Royal on the Eastside, sold the LEAF to his father about a year ago. “We’re sold out,” Chris Perantoni said. “We’ve sold six since the cars came.”Royal is in the process of ordering more, he said. “I think Bloomington is the perfect town for them,” Chris Perantoni said.While sales have been successful for Royal, Sustainability Coordinator Jacqui Bauer said two electric charging stations the city installed six months ago are not getting much use. “We’ve had just a few hours of usage each month,” she said in an email.The new charging stations, located in Garage Market and Garage Band, are part of a two-year pilot program with Duke Energy. Bloomington was awarded grant money for the stations through Energy Systems Network’s Project Plug-IN initiative, which was awarded American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant funding through the Indiana Office of Energy Development to expand charging infrastructure. “This was a way to allow us to explore how much demand there is for EV charging infrastructure at little cost to the city,” Bauer said. “So far, usage has been pretty minimal.”However, the number of electric vehicles will probably continue to creep up in the future, she said. “If the stations see a decent amount of use, and that use continues increasing, we’ll probably keep them online once the two-year pilot is over,” Bauer said. “At the rate we’re going, I think it’s unlikely we’re going to install additional stations in the near future, but we’ll have to keep monitoring demand.”Daniel Perantoni said he doesn’t use the public charging stations because charging his vehicle in the garage provides him enough energy for trips to town.He said he wishes there were more stations throughout Indiana so the car could run farther distances. Currently, he is limited to a 100-mile radius, he said. He’s leasing the LEAF for now and waiting to see how the technology will develop a few years down the road before he purchases an electric car.Seader said high costs for the new technology deters some customers.“But as technology improves and there are more and more cars, prices will go down,” he said.His business currently offers service to hybrid engines, but electric cars do not need the same services, such as oil checks. “We don’t see a lot of full electric cars, only a few Teslas,” he said. “Basically, we have only had to do tires.”Sean Flynn is the owner of one of those Teslas. Though the car cost him $100,000, in addition to installing a charger in his garage, he says he is happy with his purchase.“I’m pretty green, or trying to be green,” he said. “And it’s a fantastic car.”Flynn installed solar panels at his home in order to create an energy source for his car. He said this compensates for the fuel he would have used with a standard car.“It’s taken another vehicle off the road, so to speak,” he said. Flynn said he worries about the distance his car can travel — “range anxiety,” he called it — but the vehicle is perfect for his 20-mile round trip to work.All he has to do is charge his car overnight, fueling his battery with about 245 miles worth of energy. He could even charge his car using a regular outlet. “But that takes forever,” he said, explaining that it would provide only a few miles of range per hour of charging.Daniel Perantoni agreed that charging his car overnight gives him enough energy for his everyday needs.“It’s a great little car for going around town,” Daniel Perantoni said.And while both car owners believe their electric cars are lacking counterparts on the road, they said they believe the number will increase.“I think I’m part of the minority now, but hopefully not in the future,” Flynn said. “This is the wave of the future.”
(03/25/13 2:52am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>With an annual average of 21 tornados, the Hoosier State is especially susceptible to a fair share of severe weather. Gov. Mike Pence declared March 24-30 Severe Weather Preparedness Week in Indiana.“The week is so that people have more awareness of the potential of severe weather and how people can prepare,” said Kriste Lindberg, education specialist for Bloomington Parks and Recreation. “And who knows? We might be able to save a few lives.”Each day throughout the week, Monroe County Emergency Management will highlight a different topic pertaining to severe weather preparedness. Information will be shared in the form of press releases and community activities. The City of Bloomington will offer the program Severe Weather Watchers from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall’s McCloskey Room, 401 N. Morton St. The Indiana Department of Homeland Security and Monroe County Emergency Management will sponsor a drawing for 10 weather radios at the event. Registration will extend through Monday and possibly Tuesday, Lindberg said.Monroe County Emergency Management Director James Comerford and Administrative Assistant Jessica Renn will speak at the event“We’re working with Monroe County Emergency Management folks to inform the public of severe weather,” Lindberg said. “And to learn a little bit about how it works in the county and some ways to get involved if they like.”Comerford said the primary types of severe weather affecting Indiana are thunderstorms, tornados and floods.“When springtime comes, you’re going to see tornado watches and warnings that come along too,” he said. “They can happen year round, but springtime is the peak season. We want people to be aware what warnings and watches mean.”Tornado sirens will sound twice statewide on Wednesday. The National Weather Service, in conjunction with the Indiana State Police and Public Safety Commission, Indiana Department of Homeland Security, Department of Education, the Indiana Broadcaster’s Association, the Red Cross and Amateur Radio Operators will conduct the statewide test of communication systems.Sirens will sound in Monroe County at about 10:15 a.m. and 7:35 p.m. Each siren will last five minutes, the standard time for an actual tornado warning. Comerford said it is important for residents to understand the difference between a tornado watch and a warning.“A watch means conditions are favorable for a tornado,” he said. “A warning means one has been physically sighted or detected by radar. When people hear those sirens what they really need to do is find out what the warning means. The warning isn’t over just because the siren stopped going.”In addition, he emphasized being aware of flood warnings. There are two types of flooding, he explained: river flooding and flash flooding. “In Monroe County, most of ours is flash flooding,” he said. “When you’re getting heavy rain, most people know if they live in an area susceptible to flooding. Most of the people just keep a vigilant eye out,” he said. But, he said, heeding the County watches and warnings can save lives. “We highly recommend purchasing a weather radio,” he said. “It gives watches and warnings, and explains what those mean.”Lindberg said more public knowledge will result in a safer community. “The more prepared we are, the better we are,” Lindberg said.Register online at bloomington.in.gov/parksSevere Weather Preparedness Week topics Monroe County Emergency Management will highlight a different topic each day related to severe weather preparedness. The topics will examine the roles of individuals, National Weather Service, Indiana Department of Homeland Security, state and local public officials, the American Red Cross and media in preparing for severe weather. MondaySevere Weather Outlook: Partners’ roles at the Outlook stage of an event TuesdayWatch: Partners’ roles in the Watch stage of an event WednesdayEveryone’s roles in Warnings: Taking action when Warnings are issued ThursdayResponse: Partners’ roles in responding to disasters (real-time response) FridayRecovery: Partners’ roles in the recovery process (days/weeks/months after disaster) SaturdayWrap-Up: Importance of preparedness and action during threatening hazards
(03/18/13 9:11am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>"Snakehead” Ed Ferrer used to wear a nice watch when he gave live snake presentations. At WonderLab Museum of Science, Health and Technology’s “Sizing Up Snakes: A Live Animal Show” on Sunday, a cheaper Kmart-brand version adorned his wrist.That’s because at a show a few years ago, one of his pythons wrapped around his wrist, crushing his expensive watch. “Springs and gadgets went everywhere,” he said.The show was part of WonderLab’s spring break program, said Liza Huffman, museum assistant. “It allows parents to give kids at home something to do over break,” she said. “Such as pet snakes.”But at Sunday’s presentation, Pete the anaconda, Vincent the boa constrictor, Melvin the albino Burmese python and five other snakes wowed the audience without flexing their muscles.Ferrer taught the audience about his snakes from the tail to the tongue, as he pulled each from a pillowcase-like bag tied with a rubberband.“All of my snakes will stick their tongues out at you,” he told the giggling kids sitting on colorful mats. “If she could talk, she could use her tongue to tell me if you took a shower this morning or if you just faked it.”He asked the audience if Indiana is home to any poisonous snakes. While most nodded, he said the answer is actually no. Rather, there are four venomous Hoosier snakes.“Poison means its swallowed, venomous means injected,” he said.Two of Indiana’s venomous snakes reside in Brown County: the northern copperhead and the timber rattlesnake. Seven-year-old Samuel Smith said he liked all of the eight snakes Ferrer brought to WonderLab.“Especially that one,” he said, pointing to the 15-foot long body of Melvin.Smith also volunteered to hold the special guest star, a tarantula. Though only two and half years old, Pete the anaconda, with its chain link fence patterned scales, drew gasps from the audience.“I’ve seen an adult anaconda swallow an adult alligator,” Ferrer said. “Kids like you are definitely on the menu.” He peeled the duct tape off the largest grey box in the front of the room.He needed three volunteers to hold Melvin, the 100-pound albino Burmese python.Melvin was one of the only snakes to ever attack him, Ferrer said. He was feeding the snake a rabbit from his hand when Melvin latched on with 90 teeth like little fish hooks.Now, he feeds him with a 3-foot-long pole. But when food is not involved, touching Melvin is harmless, and a line quickly formed at the end of the presentation to stroke his pale yellow scales.Ferrer said the job can be hard, but he enjoys “edutaining” the kids in the audience.“It’s worth it when I see their reactions,” Ferrer said. “They learn without thinking about it.”
(03/08/13 5:14am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Three hundred Indiana scientists from both academic and industrial backgrounds will gather on March 9 for the Indiana Academy of Science’s 128th Annual Academy Meeting.More than 150 research presentations, workshops and “hot topic” discussions will showcase information about a wide variety of fields, including astronomy, microbiology, environmental science and physics.“When we have these annual meetings, scientists from different sectors can learn what is going on in other areas,” said Delores Brown, executive director of the Indiana Academy of Science. “It’s a great opportunity to learn what is going on in the world.” The Indiana Academy of Science is a nonprofit, professional membership organization of Indiana scientists. “We have three different missions — science research, education in science and to encourage cooperation between Indiana scientists,” Brown said. “If you think about those three (missions) it makes good sense to pool these scientists together.”Guest speakers for the event include NASA Lead Scientist Bilal Bomani, who will discuss NASA’s biofuel program and how it can cater to demands for fuel, and British Petroleum Chief Scientist and Chemist Michael Desmond, who will speak about tackling the energy challenge. “The big topic right now is energy,” Brown said. “NASA says they have a solution to this problem, and we want to hear it.”Monica Bradford, executive editor of the International Journal of Science, Fred Guterl, executive editor of Scientific American magazine and Uwe Hansen, editor of the Proceedings of the Indiana Academy of Science, will have a panel discussing scholarly writing and academic publishing.Bradford said the panel will be an open discussion about the respective publications, the areas they are addressing and the different ways each publication is trying to make science more understandable.She said one topic that might be discussed is the impact of social media on scientific communication. “The pace is faster, and we have to be careful to balance speed with accuracy,” Bradford said. “If you want to get retweeted, you need to have an edge, but you still have to maintain accuracy.”Entomologist and author Gene Kritsky, a former Academy president, will speak on periodic cicadas. “We are beginning the next emergence of a major brood in Indiana and across the country,” Kritsky said. “Indiana scientists need to be aware of what to look for over the next few years.”He said the annual meeting allows scientists to not only share data, but also set up collaborations. “That’s where you get some novel thinking,” he said.Newly elected Indiana State Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz will discuss science education in Indiana schools, and science educator and television personality Rick Crosslin will present “Science is for Everyone.” Aspiring scientists from Indiana public schools have also been invited, Brown said.“It’s to introduce them to people that are already in the field they want to pursue themselves,” Brown said of the event. “Every person there will be a role model for these people.”She added that around one-third of the presenters will be undergraduate or graduate students from across the state. Bradford said it is important to talk to other scientists who are involved in research and education.“Scientists work as teams, so the more they can have a chance to work together the better,” Bradford said.On-site registration will be from 7 to 8 a.m. March 9 at the J.W. Marriot at 10 S. West St. in Indianapolis. The price is $70 for academy members and $95 for non-members. The event will last from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., according to a press release.
(03/04/13 4:45am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>More than 200 participants sang the “Solar Carol” to the tune of “Angels We Have Heard on High” at Congregation Beth Shalom. “So-o-o-o-o-lar power, inexpensive energy,” they sang at the Solar Leadership Celebration and Forum on Sunday evening. “Join the sun in jubilee / Sing with us this joyous strain.”The Celebration and Forum was hosted by Earth Care Bloomington, Hoosier Interfaith Power and Light and Southern Indiana Renewable Energy Network. The event celebrated a $150,000 solar energy grant received by six Indiana places of worship last December and the beginning of installing the solar panels.“We wanted to have a way of celebrating not just the panels, but the commonality of working hard for a higher interest,” Lana Eisenberg, co-chair of the greening committee at Congregation Beth Shalom, said. Congregation Beth Shalom will install its panels within the next two months, Eisenberg explained.In addition to Shalom, Trinity Episcopal Church, United Universalist Church of Bloomington and St. Thomas Lutheran Church, are also installing solar panels on their places of worship.“I think it’s very moving that we’re coming together from all different places,” Rabi Brian Besser with the Congreation Beth Shalom, said. “May our work be as joyous as this celebration is tonight.”As attendants finished their potluck dinner beneath a rainbow of streamers, the “sun-tinged entertainment” began.Clergy and faith leaders amused the audience with a skit emphasizing the importance of working together on the solar project. They concluded that they had a common interest in saving a poor frog from being boiled in a pot.“It’s not easy being green,” they sang. “Let’s save the frog together and the planet.”A song written by Shalom member Larry Moss urged the audience to become involved, and an appearance by the green witch warned them to “change your light bulbs and recycle too, or this green witch will cast a spell on you.”Though the mood was jovial, the topic discussed was serious, Rev. Lyle Mckee, chair of HIPL, said. Ray Wilson came from the United Universalist Church of Indianapolis, one of two Indianapolis churches receiving the grant, to observe how the Bloomington congregations were installing the panels. “We’re coming down to (niche) ideas,” he said. “There are more solar panels in Bloomington than the whole city of Indianapolis.”As part of the grant requirements, each place of worship is required to reduce its energy use by at least 25 percent. One third of the congregation is required to pledge to reduce their energy use by one-seventh, Wilson said. “When it’s all said and done, hopefully, our congregations will inspire other churches,” he said.Ben Brabson, IU emeritus physics professor, is a member of Trinity, an older building that does not heat evenly. The 72 panels the church will install will produce 18,000 watts of energy, he said. The evolution of solar energy feasibility is crucial to the environment, he added. Prices have reduced by two-and-a-half times since he installed panels on his own home, he said.“People are seeing it’s something they can do,” he said. “It’s no longer just a frill or a warm feeling.”As the celebration came to an end, the audience danced over to the forum to a lively klezmer clarinet tune. There, SIREN explained the practicalities of installing solar panels on a personal residence.While the celebration recognized the accomplishment of the community, Mckee said there is more work to do.“We are here because of a partnership that extends across the state and every religious tradition,” McKee said. “We will not stop with six or 60. We want to reach every sector of Indiana.”
(02/28/13 3:11am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>As a result of last year’s drought, Benton Stidd, an Elletsville, Ind., soybean and corn farmer, only produced half of his expected corn yield. It was the worst year for corn crops in the history of Indiana, Purdue University assistant professor of agronomy Shaun Casteel said. This year, Stidd said he is just planting and hoping for the best. “I’d be satisfied with a normal year,” he said. “You always hope for a good year, but I’ll be satisfied with a normal year.”Though Indiana summer weather predictions are still uncertain this far in advance, Associate State Climatologist Kenneth Scheeringa said a repeat of 2012 drought conditions is not expected.“Drought in general terms is always a possibility,” Scheeringa said. “But a drought like we experienced last year only happens two to three times in a century.” Casteel said one reason an extreme drought is not anticipated is because of the amount of rainfall Indiana has had during the winter and fall. This allows the soil to absorb more moisture and recover from drought conditions.Scheeringa said there has been some confusion about reports predicting the Corn Belt will continue to experience a drought. This prediction concerns only Corn Belt states to the west of the Mississippi River, he explained. “We’ve had a very different winter than Nebraska has,” he said. In fact, Scheeringa added, the Indiana State Climatology Office is forecasting a warm and rainy planting season. Last year for the same time period, temperatures were 7.3 degrees above normal, and there was little rain, office officials said.This spring weather could lead to a drier summer, however, though not as severe as last year’s.“It will be warmer and wetter to start the planting season,” State Climatologist Dev Niyogi said in a statement. “This is expected to turn to some drying in the growing season, leading to mild to moderate drought conditions across Indiana.”He said the southern, west and southwest counties of Indiana are particularly susceptible to drought again.Andy Dietrick, public relations director for the Indiana Farm Bureau, said crop farmers prepare for dry conditions mainly through irrigation, cover crops and purchasing insurance. “The irrigation supply companies had a hard time keeping their inventory last year,” he said. “But it’s not practical to irrigate everything. Some crops are on a special contract. If farmers have a hard contract with certain crops, they will lead with irrigation there.” Stidd said irrigation is not a possibility for his fields. “There’s very little that you can do,” he said. “I use cover crops. There are a lot of advantages, but they take more management.”A cover crop, such as rye grass, radishes or crimson clover, is planted after the primary crop is harvested, Stidd said. During the winter, the cover crop will cut down on erosion and add organic matter to the soil.Decisions about this summer’s crops, such of the variety of seed to use, have to be made soon, Dietrick said. “It’s a very complex business that Mother Nature and the weather dictates what happens at the beginning and end of the year,” Dietrick said.Indiana is home to 10 million acres of corn and beans, Casteel noted.“If we got another drought, a lot of people are going to have to see if they can weather the storm,” he said.
(02/26/13 4:53am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>An amendment made to Senate Bill 371 Monday dropped language that mandated an ultrasound after taking abortion-inducing medication. The bill now requires women prescribed the abortion-inducing drug RU-486 to have an ultrasound before taking the medication and “appropriate testing” afterward to confirm the pregnancy was terminated. “It’s all intrusive into private health care,” said Dr. Sue Ellen Braunlin, co-president of the Health Access and Privacy Alliance. “It takes out your options. They would never do it for any other medical procedure.” The bill also mandates that providers of the drug have surgical abortion facilities, even if they are only prescribing the abortion-inducing medicine.“It would mean that our health center in Lafayette would have to stop providing non-surgical abortions,” said Catherine O’Connor, Planned Parenthood Indiana senior director for public policy.Sen. Travis Holdman, R-Markle, who authored the bill, said in a statement the intent of the bill is “protecting women who are considering abortion-inducing drugs, namely RU-486.” “I understand that with legislation of this nature, people have strong beliefs on both sides of the issue,” Holdman said in the statement. “My objective with this bill is to simply regulate abortion-inducing drugs that have previously not been regulated by our state. I believe the provisions in my bill have the chance to save women’s lives.”Braunlin said this measure is a huge overreach for state officials. “It’s not for safety, it’s to reduce access to abortions,” Braunlin said.O’Connor said Planned Parenthood opposes the bill because it is an intrusion on the practice of medicine.“The decision about how a doctor treats a patient is between the doctor and the patient,” she said.Because RU-486 is taken at an early point in the pregnancy, the required ultrasound would be transvaginal, Braunlin said. A transvaginal ultrasound involves a probe being inserted through the women’s cervix to the uterus, she explained.“It would likely be done anyway,” she said. “But it feels different if you’ve consented to it and it’s offered in your best interest. It’s different than when it is mandated by the state.” According to a press release by HAPA, Sue Swayze, legislative director for Indiana Right to Life, said after the senate committee approved the bill last Wednesday that the ultrasounds would not be intrusive.“I got pregnant vaginally,” she said. “Something else could come in my vagina for a medical test that wouldn’t be that intrusive to me. So I find that argument a little ridiculous.”Braunlin said she does not find the debate ridiculous in the least.“It is a tremendously big deal,” she said. “For some women it is painful, for some women it is psychologically difficult. For women who are rape victims it is especially difficult.” John Stutsman, an IU professor and obstetrician-gynecologist who serves as Planned Parenthood of Indiana’s medical director, said in an email that as a medical provider he is concerned about mandating testing that is not always necessary and codifying medical practice. He opposes the bill for several reasons, he said. “I oppose it because I am for a woman’s autonomy and control over her body,” he said. “I oppose it because I trust women. I oppose it because I am a father of a daughter. I oppose it because I have knowledge and experience of the safety of this procedure.”O’Connor also said the bill would disproportionately affect lower-income women, because the bill exempts physicians in a private physician’s office.“The bill has been crafted under the concern for patient safety,” she said. “One of the problems with it is that woman who can’t get that service at the clinic are more inclined to go to the Internet where the medicine is more readily available.” The committee also passed SB 489 on Wednesday, which mandates that clinics give women the informed consent form with color photographs of fetuses, as opposed to previously black and white photographs, in various stages of development. Additionally, the bill removes a state requirement that women listen to the fetal heartbeat.Despite this point, Braunlin said she believes the bill will only to make it harder for women to get an abortion.“They are concerned that medical abortions are too easy on the woman and too abstract,” Braunlin said. “It appears they just wanted it to be a little more visceral and little more gut-wrenching than it all ready is.”
(02/25/13 5:34am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Hidden amid the sea of second-hand sweaters and racks of worn jeans was the perfect party outfit.At last, Kathryn Vance, an IU freshman, found it: a floral print shirt complete with shoulder pads.For $4.50, the Goodwill find was a bargain. “We tried to find something tacky,” Vance said.In lieu of high heels and mini skirts, Vance and other college students are shopping at second-hand stores to find outfits for thrift-shop-themed parties.Vance said she believes the recent spike in popularity is a result of the song “Thrift Shop” by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for four consecutive weeks. “When we were in my room getting ready, we played the song to get pumped for the party,” she said.Vintage Vogue, 422 E. Kirkwood Ave., officials noted a possibly parallel spike in sales.“We definitely have seen an increase in sales in the past few weeks and an increase in college kids coming in,” said Zevon Adkisson, a sales associate at the store. Vintage Vogue is a boutique brand of Goodwill Industries of Central Indiana that receives higher-end or designer donations, with all proceeds funding employment and educational services in central Indiana. The Kirkwood location is the first store of its kind in central Indiana.Adkisson said several college-age customers have come into the store in search of thrift shop outfits.“One girl came in and saw we had those hats with the scarves that you put your hands in,” he said, referring to what is also known as a spirit hood. “She freaked out and said, ‘Oh my gosh! This is in the music video.’”But thrift shopping is no new trend. “For me personally, I don’t have a lot of cash,” he said. “And here we are not trashing anything. This is a good way for us to still make money, but also to save money.”Indianapolis resident Sharilyn Bodi said she stops at the store every time she comes to Bloomington.“I go to thrift stores to find bargains, to find treasures,” she said.The bargains at the Salvation Army store at 111 N. Rogers Street ranged from the 25-cent clothing rack to a $50 furniture set.Emily Redenbarger, an IU employee, looks for her favorite treasures: books.Her desire to thrift is an inherited “family value” to get the most out of a dollar, she said as she held a thick stack of 10 books.In town, she is able to go thrift shopping often at various local thrift stores.“Bloomington has been blessed with a variety,” she said.Tiffany Marcon, a cashier at the Salvation Army store, said she is not sure if there has been a noticeable increase in college students because they come in frequently.She hadn’t heard of any thrift-shop-themed parties based on Macklemore’s song, but she said the store is a popular location for themed college parties.“They just do different things,” she said. “Every year they do the ugly sweater parties. A new one was the girls were dressing up as boys. I don’t know what the boys were wearing,” she said with a laugh.Students also come to buy IU apparel for a fraction of the price it costs at another store, she said.All the proceeds benefit people in need in the community, Marcon said.“We help people with food, clothing, utilities,” she said. “We just had a job fair. We hold church services and run a day care.”The philanthropic aspect, she said, is another reason customers are attracted to thrift stores.“You give a dollar here, and you know it does good for others,” Redenbarger said. “It’s a two-for-one deal.”
(02/21/13 5:06am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A bill that would ban undercover videos at farms and businesses passed in an Indiana Senate committee last week.Senate Bill 373 would make it a Class A misdemeanor to take an unlawful recording or picture of agricultural or industrial operations with the intent to harass, defame, annoy or harm. It would mean animal rights advocates posing as farm workers could no longer photograph or record alleged abuse undercover and use the recordings for purposes other than reporting the matter to authorities.“The only people that benefit from this law are people who having something to hide,” said Matthew Dominguez, public policy manager for farm animals with the Humane Society of the United States.Proponents said the bill protects the rights of farmers and corporations.“It protects farms, farmers and other industrial facilities from surreptitious recordings,” said Andy Dietrick, director of public relations for the Indiana Farm Bureau. “And it protects against times when, under false pretense, people get onto private property, and they use videos or photographs to bring harm.”Sen. Michael Young, R-Indianapolis, chairs the Senate Corrections and Criminal Law Committee that approved the bill. At the second reading of the bill Tuesday, Young said an amendment he proposed was added, which allows individuals to legally film or take photographs if they turn the information over to authorities.“My personal opinion is when someone is lawfully on someone’s property, they can do whatever they think is right as far as taking videos and pictures,” Young said. “Now, if they are just doing it for the intention of splicing together, editing or taking out of context, I don’t think that they have the right to do that.” Farmers are not opposed to letting the media view their farms, Dietrick said. What they don’t want are people looking to take videos that misconstrue their operations, he said.“I work with farmers every day,” Dietrick said. “Part of my job is to get media outlets onto the farm. I do it with the permissions of the farmers.”Dominguez said the bill will look out for the best interests of the farmers, not the animals.“I think it’s important to note that the farm bureau sides with the agriculture industry,” Dominguez said. “Through these undercover videos, animal rights organizations have exposed occurrences that the public is not OK with — deplorable acts of abuse. Instead of fixing these acts of abuse, the industry would rather prevent the American public from finding out about them.”An undercover investigation unfolded within Rose Acre Farms, an egg-producer based in Seymour, Ind. An undercover employee of the HSUS used false references to secure a job at the farm and record video. “Egg-laying hens were found in cages so small they couldn’t turn around,” Dominguez said. Young described the effect the situation had on the farm.“We had a large business that almost went out of business because of a constructed video,” Young said, referring to HSUS’s video of Rose Acre Farms. “That’s what we don’t want.”Rose Acre Farms officials declined to comment. No charges were brought against the farm, but Dominguez said a significant number of people stopped buying its eggs.Dietrick said the issue is not about reporting animal abuse but that the alleged information is gathered underhandedly.“I have never seen an instance of animal cruelty or animal abuse, from the biggest chicken egg-laying facility to the smallest dairy farm,” he said. “Personally, when I see those videos posted, I was appalled as anyone. If they are true, if they are not staged — and many are staged — those farmers need to be prosecuted to the full of extent of the law. Most farmers I know feel the same way — most say there’s no room in the business for those practices.”He said self-proclaimed “vigilantes” do not need to take it upon themselves to look for incidents to record or photograph.“If you suspect abuse, your first stop is local law enforcement. The system works,” he said.Dominguez said law enforcement should be involved from the beginning.“When there are egregious acts of animal cruelty that are against the law, we immediately go to the authorities and turn the footage over to the authorities,” Dominguez said. But, he added, photos and video are necessary evidence.“I think a picture is worth a thousand words, and I think a video is worth a million,” he said. “It truly allows someone to understand what’s going on, the pain and suffering. Additionally to that, we need it for documentation.”Young said the amendment allows individuals to still report wrongdoing, while the bill prevents defamation or harm to the business. “We want people to report things they see that are wrong, but we don’t want them to fabricate the information,” Young said.The bill will be voted on by the Indiana Senate by the end of the month.
(02/20/13 4:34am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>When North Korea launched its third nuclear test last week, IU seismic equipment detected the blast from more than 6,000 miles away.“It’s a very frightening prospect for the world, to have a relatively unstable and nuclear armed state with not only the capability to attack neighbors, but to also spread nuclear weapons to states around the world,” professor of geological sciences Michael Hamburger said. “This is just one more step towards a nuclear, unstable world.”Hamburger is part of the team that created OIINK- Ozarcs, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, a research collaboration aimed at understanding North America’s continental structure.“We have a seismic experiment that’s in progress that involves deployment of about 70 highly sensitive seismic stations,” Hamburger said. “They were able to detect the nuclear explosion because they pick up seismic waves.”The North Korean blast was right on the threshold of levels detectable by OIINK equipment, he said. From 10,000 km away, the blast produced seismic energy equivalent to a magnitude 5.1 earthquake. Nuclear explosions are measured in kilotons, equal to the power of 1,000 tons of TNT.Hamburger said he believes the North Korean test was in the 3 to 6 kiloton range, compared to the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima, which was in the 14 to 16 kiloton range“But what is important is that it was significantly larger than the first test they did,” he said.Rita Lichtenburg, co-founder of Bloomington Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, stressed the need for vigilant diplomacy with North Korea.“We are strongly for continued communication,” Lichtenburg said. “It is something that has to be carefully handled.”The group has not been emphasizing North Korean nuclear weapons. Rather, it has recently focused discussions on drones and American military bases around the world.“There’s so many things happening, it’s hard to know where to put your energy,” Lichtenburg said. “War and peace issues are so basic.” David Keppel, a member of the Bloomington Peace Action Coalition and co-chair of the Just Peace Task Force of Unitarian Universalist Church, said he doesn’t welcome any country having nuclear weapons.“The truth of this has been the same ever since 1945. As long as we have nuclear weapons, other countries are going to want them, too,” Keppel said. “When the big boys have them, the other kids in the school yard will want them.”Keppel said the solution is to work toward what is known as a ‘global zero’— a nuclear weapons free world.“It’s always dangerous when another country has nuclear weapons,” he said. “These are indefensible weapons. They are weapons that cause such havoc.”The path to nuclear disarmament in North Korea will not be easy, he said.“Not every problem in the world has a neat solution,” Keppel said. “Sometimes the wisest thing you can do is show a certain amount of restraint and caution to avoid conflict. We’re probably not going to be able to get them to completely give up their nuclear program. There might be forms of transparency that, in the long run, we could enforce.”He said the United States shouldn’t continue to belong to a “nuclear club” with only certain nations allowed to join.“If these weapons remain in our arsenals, the truth is they will be used at some point,” he said. “There are only two paths the world can take in the long run. One is nuclear proliferation. The other is nuclear disarmament.”
(02/18/13 2:10am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>From alpaca wool, broccoli and cabbage to a yoga class, Saturday’s winter farmers’ market had something for every attendee.Interested shoppers crowded the gym and hallways of Harmony School, their conversations reverberating off the colorful walls. In addition to the regular plethora of fresh produce, the market featured Community Supported Agriculture share sign-ups from 10 local farms.“The CSAs are basically a produce subscription,” Denise Breeden-Ost, a farmer at Getty’s Creek Farm, said. “It’s a way that people can try new things while supporting local farms.”CSAs allow participants to enjoy a percentage of the farm’s produce during the growing season, Breeden-Ost explained. Each farmer prepares a portion of produce and then customers can pick up their share, usually on a weekly basis. The subscriptions help to sustain local farms by giving them a set income, rather than relying on the weekly market where sales fluctuate, she added.Teresa Birtles with Heartland Family Farm prepares a CSA box for people who love to cook.“I’m combining different products so that when you get home you have ingredients and recipes,” Birtles said. She expects to have more than 100 subscribers for her summer CSA.Bloomington resident James Potts plans to sign up for a CSA for the first time this year. In addition to enjoying the pesticide-free food, he wants to support local gardeners, he said. “Gardening is an especially difficult way to make a living, let alone organic gardening,” Potts said. “There’s nothing quite like fresh produce.”Market master Leslie Burns said the CSA shares benefit both the farmer and the customer. “Personally, the other thing I like about the CSA is it forces me to be creative,” Burns said. “You open up your box and there are foods you have never seen before, and you figure out how to use them.”Burns said the winter market has increased in popularity this year, which means the market may look for a larger venue for next year.“We’ve had a very good year so far, numbers are up from last year,” she said. “Things haven’t slowed down.”This was the first year the market was completely booked.“I really only see us growing,” she said.The month of February included “Live Healthy” events, such as Saturday’s yoga lesson from Vibe Yoga instructor Emily Trinkle.Eleven participants spread their colorful yoga mats in Harmony School’s dance studio for the free class.“People come to yoga for the physical aspect,” Trinkle said. “But it affects your mind as well. It sets your mind in the present.”Madeline Chera, a graduate student at IU, is a regular at Vibe Yoga. “It was really nice that different people could come and try yoga,” she said. “And the small number let Emily come by and adjust our poses.”Trinkle said she loved being able to interact with the Bloomington community and share her passion for yoga.“You can just feel better, breath easier,” she said.
(02/14/13 3:05am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>David Gilther mashed the shredded cabbage into the Mason jar with obvious enthusiasm.“Look, the juice is coming up,” Gilther said excitedly.He pointed to the purple strips of cabbage beginning to release liquid, indicating the jar was ready to be sealed and ferment in order to make sauerkraut. Gilther and about 29 others attended “It’s Your Money: Fermented Food Fun!” Tuesday at the Monroe County Public Library. The event allowed participants to learn the basics of home fermentation, as well as try fermented food samples and make their own sauerkraut.“I’ve always wanted to make sauerkraut,” Gilther said. “I’m going to grow cabbages this summer, and I really hope I can make sauerkraut.” Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard presented the event, which was part of MCPL’s “It’s Your Money” personal finance series.Sarah Bowman, MCPL coordinator for the program, said the fermentation event focused on home economics. In addition to those in attendance, 30 people were on the waiting list, she said. Stephanie Solomon, MHC director of Education and Outreach, and Kayte Young, MHC education coordinator, stood at the front of the room wearing black aprons, a cabbage and cutting board in front of them. Fermentation is the transformative process of microorganisms on food, they explained.“Lacto-fermentation is transferring the starches or sugars in dairy or vegetables, or honey, whatever you’re using and turning them into lacto-bacilli bacteria,” Solomon said. “Usually when you are fermenting, you are bolstering and adding to the amount of nutrition.”The process increases the vitamin content of vegetables and adds probiotics, which aid in digestion, she said.“We can eat as much healthy food as we want, but if we don’t have a healthy digestive system, we aren’t going to assimilate those nutrients,” Solomon said.The pair stressed the safety of home fermentation.“Fermentation is safe, if not the safest form of food preservation that you can do,” Solomon said. The USDA has never had a case of food poisoning from fermented foods.“That’s very reassuring when you are just getting started,” Young said.The fermentation process changes the flavor of the food, as well, Young said.“In my opinion, it makes them much more delicious,” she said. “Some people don’t like it at first, but they try it more and they love it.”Young demonstrated the basics of fermenting a vegetable to the audience. “For vegetables it couldn’t be simpler,” she said. She proceeded to finely chop a cabbage and massaged salt into the pieces. Her hands gradually turned a bright purple as she squeezed the juice from the vegetable. When the vegetable turned almost translucent, it was ready to be put into a jar. “That’s when you know you’ve done your job,” Solomon said. The cabbage then ferments for three days to six weeks. The audience tried their hand at making sauerkraut, or sampled kimchi (Korean sauerkraut) and pickled cauliflower. They shared tips among themselves and asked Solomon and Young questions.The best part of learning to ferment is the community involvement and sharing with your neighbors, the presenters said.“They’re throwing their SCOBYs (symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast) at you, they’re giving you their kefir grans,” Solomon said.
(02/13/13 5:05am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Every winter, murders descend upon Bloomington.No, not a spike in crime — a “murder” is one name for a flock of crows.“It’s a rather draconian term,” said John Castrale, a non-game bird biologist with the Indiana Division of Fish and Wildlife. Castrale explained why the birds flock to Bloomington by the thousands each year.“Crows are social animals,” he said. “During the winter they form night roosts in protected areas. That lasts through the winter until mating season in the spring.”Though the cacophony of crow caws can be an annoyance, Castrale said they do not pose a large health threat.“There are some potential health concerns with accumulations of droppings below the trees they roost in,” he said. “The richness in the droppings can stimulate some naturally occurring fungus in the soil that could cause health problems.”One area in Bloomington that became a roost for crows this winter was West Second Street, near Kroger. “The one problem was how foul it was as far as the droppings,” said Kevin Hall, manager of Second Street Antique Mall. “It was weird, that’s for sure.” Because the crows return to their roost in the evening, around sunset, Hall said the birds did not inhibit his business, which closes at 6 p.m. He said the large amount of crows are gone now. Assistant professor of biology Jim Hengeveld rationalized that the migration to urban areas probably began out of a desire for safety. “They typically roost in tall trees, which can be found in the city,” he said. “In the winter time it’s usually a little bit warmer in urban areas. There is also more artificial lighting.”This provides protection from owls, the primary predators for crows, he said.Though some individuals put up owl statues in an attempt to scare the birds away, Hengeveld said it’s ineffective.“Putting up models of great horned owls totally does not work,” he said. Rather, more effective methods include loud banging noises, or broadcasting recordings of crow distress calls. But it’s a tedious process.“You have to do it every night, and you have to do it through the whole period of roosting,” he said.Comfort is a large part of the reason for the return of the crows each year.“There’s a history here. Birds learn from year to year, and the information is passed on from generation to generation,” Castrale said.Hengeveld said the Bloomington roost may be increasing.“It seems like the crow roost, if anything, has been getting slowly bigger over the years,” Hengeveld said. “I would imagine that they are 10 to 20 thousand in number.” He said the roost is composed of both local birds and migrants.“A lot of them are from the general area year-round, and a lot of them probably are migrant birds that migrate from farther north,” he said.However, as the spring mating approaches, the winter crow roosts will dismantle.“They should start dissipating in the next couple of weeks. The migrant crows will be moving in the next couple of weeks,” he said. “The resident crows will start breeding in the next three to four weeks. In another month, the roosts will have dissipated.”Until next year, when the murders will return.“That’s kind of just the nature of the beast,” Castrale said.
(02/08/13 4:41am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Indiana is struggling to maintain $40.4 million in federal highway funding after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration deemed Indiana’s drunken driving laws insufficient.Indiana Department of Transportation spokesperson Will Wingfiel said no federal or state policies regarding drunk driving have changed since 2005. NHTSA officials reevaluated state laws in December.“Following this review, they found a majority of states not to be in compliance,” Wingfield said. “That means that a majority of states are potentially unable to take advantage of federal funds that were previously available.”The discrepancies between Indiana laws and the NHTSA requirements are very specific, Wingfield said. They refer to open container policies and community service for repeat offenders.“Federal law requires a certain number of days of community service, but for it be enforceable at the state and local level it needs to be converted to hours,” he said. “The point of contention there is converting days to hours. The second item is if the driver of a limousine or a bus driver should be able to possess...an open container. It only applies to drivers of those types of vehicles.”In reference to the second requirement, according to NHTSA, state law could be interpreted as permitting the driver of a transportation vehicle, which includes busses, house trailers and limousines, to be allowed to possess an open container. The Indiana law permits open containers only in the “passenger compartment” of vehicles, but according to NHTSA, the law could be interpreted otherwise.Unless the laws are strengthen, INDOT cannot access the funds. The money would have to be applied to anti-drunken driving programs or highway safety improvements, Wingfield said.“What could potentially happen is that a little more than $40 million that are distributed as public officials see fit on highway projects, will be devoted to the state safety program,” Wingfield said. “It would place a limitation on our capital program that would be able to build necessary projects.” The state received notice of NHTSA’s reevaluation Jan. 3. The Indiana legislature has until the federal fiscal year begins in October to pass a bill updating the current law. House Roads Committee Chairman Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso, proposed a bill that would implement these changes.Wingfield said the time frame is unfair, considering the state does not have a full time legislature. “It’s only fair that if NHTSA is changing its interpretation, we be given enough time to change our laws before being affected by repercussions.”After INDOT received the letter from NHTSA, officials had 30 days to respond explaining their situation. Wingfield said they immediately responded to NHTSA, asking for more time to make state laws compliant.
(02/07/13 1:12am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Visitors to the Bloomington Animal Care and Control Shelter can pet Abilene, a calico cat, or shake the paw of Luke, a Labrador retriever, just two of 53 animals up for adoption.The shelter has processed more than 212 adoptions since Jan. 1, striving to ensure each potential adopter will provide a good home for their new pet.Each potential adoptee undergoes a thorough adoption process, but it’s hard to imagine someone would go through the steps in order to abuse an animal, said Laurie Ringquist, manager of the shelter. “Very few people that have that intention are bold enough to walk into a shelter and go through that process,” she said. “There’s easier ways to get an animal than to jump through our hoops.”Yet, that very anomaly occurred recently when former IU student Christopher Gugliuzza came to the shelter and expressed interest in adopting an orange-and-white cat named Lennox. Gugliuzza stole the cat, leaving past an empty front desk, and is now accused of torturing the animal.“We want to build relationships built on trust,” Ringquist said. “But we’re not mind readers. Obviously people can lie to us.”Ringquist said the shelter is now ensuring someone is constantly at the front desk. The shelter’s security cameras allowed the shelter to quickly identify Gugliuzza. The adoption process also is a safeguard to ensure pets are being adopted by caring owners.After adoption paperwork is filled out, staff and volunteers trained to be adoption councilors meet with the prospective owners. “We ask a lot of questions,” Ringquist said. “It’s really kind of a conversation with the potential adoptee to see if adopting a pet is the right step for them.”Adoption counselors look for the intentions of the adopter. “We don’t adopt dogs out to be chained 24/7 or cats to live outside as barn cats,” she said. The shelter does not conduct a criminal background check as it is not a law-enforcement agency, but it does have its own internal database dating back to 2005.“We check everyone to see if we have had any negative complaints or if they have a positive history,” she said.Animal control officers work in conjunction with the shelter, responding to calls and complaints from nuisance barking to animal abuse and neglect.“There is a very specific definition in city ordinance and state law,” she said. ”We can only enforce the legal definition.” The local ordinance covers animal care for violations that don’t rise to the state ordinance level, she said, referring to Bloomington Municipal Code Chapter Seven.“A local ordinance violation, it’s a much less severe, but it’s still a violation,” she said.Sarah DeLone, education program director for the Monroe Humane Association, said abused and neglected animals are more likely to come from free pet advertisements or pet stores than the shelter, because of ease of availability.Delone said she helps to promote awareness about animal cruelty and neglect.“A lot of what we look at and talk about is to promote empathy,” she said. “We talk about respect and providing responsible care.”One of the reasons animal abuse is such a serious issue is that it tends to be an indicator crime, DeLone said. “Animal abuse is really important as a social concern, because it often occurs in the context of other violence,” DeLone said. “It’s a lot about power, and it’s a lot about control.”She said neglect is a more common problem than abuse, however. “Neglect can be anything from not taking an animal to a vet to not feeding it properly,” she said.The Association responds to the issue by making education and resources available, such as the shelter’s pet food bank or the Pets ALIVE low-cost spay and neuter clinic, DeLone said.“The more knowledge and resources we give to people, I think the less neglect we will see,” she said.
(02/01/13 5:35am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>This year’s flu season is the deadliest in half a decade, Indiana State Health Department records show.The latest ISHD report, as of Jan. 30, brought the number of influenza-related deaths to 43. Three flu deaths occurred in the last week — the same number as the entire death toll for the 2011-12 flu season. The 2010-11 flu season listed 25 deaths.“In terms of scope, this season is classified as a moderate-severe influenza season,” Pam Pontones, ISDH epidemiologist, said.She explained that the 2007, 2004 and 2003 seasons were also classified as moderate-severe. The flu season spans from Oct. 1 to the end of May.“While this is a more intense season than we have seen in recent years, it is still typical of past seasons,” she said.The flu strain prominent this season is Influenza A or H3N2, Pontones said. Cases of the Influenza B strain have also been reported.The vaccination for this flu season is approximately 62-percent effective, according to ISDH. This is an average efficacy rate for a flu vaccination, said Amanda Roach, spokesperson for IU Health Bloomington Hospital.Seventeen of the 43 fatal cases in Indiana involved people who were already vaccinated. Ten of them were documented as not vaccinated. Pontones said one explanation for the deaths of those who were vaccinated is that the vaccine takes 10 to 14 days to become fully effective.“The efficacy of the vaccine and how many people get vaccinated are factors,” Pontones said. “And some of it depends on the virus itself.”Young children, adults older than 65, pregnant women and individuals with underlying medical conditions are more susceptible to the flu, Roach explained.Forty-two of the 43 Indiana deaths reportedly had underlying medical conditions including cardiac disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, asthma and renal disease. Two of the influenza deaths were persons younger than 18. In response to the number of flu patients IU Health has seen, the hospital has implemented stricter visiting restrictions. Similar restrictions were also implemented during the 2009 H1N1 flu season, Roach said.“Because we’ve seen so much flu in the community, we have put in place some voluntary restrictions to protect patients,” Roach said. “They allow patients to have only two healthy adult visitors.” In this case, “healthy” refers to a physical state free of flu-like symptoms and no recent exposure to the flu, Roach said.The numbers of patients coming to the IU Health Urgent Care locations with flu symptoms has decreased, which Roach hopes is indicative of the flu season winding down.“The first two weeks of January, 95 people came with flu-like symptoms, while 75 people came with symptoms in the last two weeks of January,” she said. “It’s still quite a bit, but is coming down.”Pontones said it’s still too early to know whether the flu season has reached its peak.“It’s impossible to predict,” she said. “The influenza virus itself is unpredictable. We certainly encourage anyone who hasn’t been vaccinated to get a flu shot. It’s not too late to get the flu vaccination.”To find where to get a flu shot near you, an online locator is available at statehealth.in.gov and flu.gov.