217 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
(12/11/06 4:23am)
A Bloomington man was severely burned in a fire Saturday night.\nMembers of the Bloomington Township Fire Department responded to a structure fire at Baugh Road and Bethel Lane at about 7:30 p.m., said Capt. Matt Bright. When they arrived, respondents found a grass fire and a severely burned man. He was transported by ambulance to Bloomington Hospital and was later airlifted to Wishard Hospital in Indianapolis. \nBright said the exact cause of the fire is still under investigation. The investigation has been turned over to the state fire marshal's office.\nBright said he could not yet release the name of the victim, nor could he confirm his condition.
(12/11/06 4:15am)
The IU Art Museum will celebrate the holidays with Bloomington's St. Charles Catholic School fourth- and fifth-grade choirs. The Holiday Concert and Open House will be from noon to 5 p.m. Dec. 17, with the choir performing at 2 p.m. \nThe St. Charles school choirs will perform under the direction of Sandra Freund and Kathy Gorr. The choirs will present a program of holiday carols featuring hand chimes, according to an IU Art Museum press release. Light refreshments will be available after the concert, with a gallery tour to follow. Nan Brewer, the Lucienne M. Glaubinger Curator of Works on Paper, will lead the tour of toy-related imagery in the first floor Gallery of Art of the Western World.\nThe tour will include "Night After Christmas" by nationally recognized woodcut artist Gustav Bauman, Brewer said. On display will also be some works of art from other modern artists in the museum's collection. The tour will end with a Slinky sculpture made by Clair Zeisler. \nPutting a new spin on the idea for the Holiday Concert and Open House was a challenge, Brewer said.\n"We don't always want to turn to the same nativity stories," she said.\nBrewer said she expects a lot of children, but the tour is geared toward people of all ages.\n"Depending on who comes, I'll try to adjust it accordingly," she said.\nThe concert and open house will be free. Brewer said guests can park in the Fee Lane and Jordan Avenue parking garages, where parking is free Saturdays and Sundays. Those who park in the Indiana Memorial Union pay lots can bring their tickets and have them stamped for a reduced rate, Brewer said.\n"We're happy to highlight some pieces in our collection that aren't up permanently," Brewer said, "and have some little twist on the holiday theme"
(12/08/06 8:06pm)
Every Christmas people save up their money to buy things that will show their loved ones just how much they care. They sneak them into the house to wrap them up, and then they place them under the Christmas tree. On Christmas morning, people tear through wrapping paper to find exactly what they wanted.\nThat's what's supposed to happen, but it doesn't always work out that way.\nMany people have discovered that giving someone a gift doesn't always create the desired effect, and sometimes, people get stuck with things they don't really want. Twenty-one-year-old Bloomington resident C.R. Hoke discovered this truth firsthand when he was in high school. One day, Hoke was at the mall with his girlfriend. The couple eventually made their way to the pet store where Hoke's girlfriend cast her eyes upon a rabbit, and it was love at first sight. Seizing the opportunity to be able to buy his girlfriend a gift he was sure she wanted, Hoke decided to buy the rabbit for her.\n"I bought a cage, the rabbit, everything," Hoke says. "It was over a hundred bucks."\nHoke felt like the boyfriend of the year until he arrived at his girlfriend's house. When the couple arrived with the rabbit, his girlfriend's parents were less than pleased.\n"While my girlfriend and her parents were arguing back and forth, I'm just standing there holding this cage with a rabbit in it," Hoke says. "Then her dad was like 'Why did you do this?'"\nAfter that, Hoke began to get hot and felt like he was going to start sweating. Eventually, the arguing subsided, and it was decided that the rabbit could stay for one night in the garage, but after that, Hoke had to take the rabbit. Hoke attempted to return the rabbit to the pet store, but the pet store wouldn't take the rabbit back.\n"I was with my friend, and he started mouthing off to the guy, but that didn't do any good," Hoke says.\nHaving no other choice, Hoke took the rabbit home.\n"My parents were cool with it," Hoke says. "We let it run around in the backyard."\nUnbeknownst to him, Hoke's mother had just had their lawn treated by ChemLawn.\n"The next day my eight-year-old brother finds the rabbit stiff as a board lying on its side," Hoke says.\nThe rabbit was dead.\n"It broke my little brother's heart," Hoke says.\nGift-givers are not the only victims of bad gift-giving. Gift receivers can be victims, too, as freshman Michelle Hoover found out at a young age. Every year, about 25 or 30 of her family members would get together for Christmas, Hoover says.\n"I was about seven or eight years old, and I had just started wearing training bras," Hoover says. "My godmother asked my mom what she should get me for Christmas."\nOn Christmas morning, everyone was in the family room watching the children open their gifts. Hoover opened her godmother's gift and found a matching training bra and underwear.\n"I about crapped myself," Hoover says. "I was so embarrassed."\nThe kids had to hold up what they got so the adults could take pictures Hoover says.\n"I had to hold it up against my body and let them take pictures of me," Hoover says. "You have no idea how embarrassing it is when you first start wearing a bra to have it displayed to my entire family."\nBad gift-givers should remember that what goes around, comes around. Sophomore Griffin Lock and the rest of his family have been reminded of this every Christmas now for the decade. It all started when Lock's uncle asked his grandpa for turtleneck sweaters for Christmas.\n"My grandpa, an older man and not really with modern society, responded by giving my uncle a box containing about 10 dickeys," Lock says.\nDickeys are the neck part of a turtleneck and nothing else, Lock says.\n"Of course, my family, who gets off on comedic situations, lost it," Lock says.\nLock says the next year, his uncle decided to fight back. One year later, Lock's dad opened his Christmas present from his uncle.\n"There, to his surprise, was a red dickey from the gift package a year before, laughing him in the face," Lock says.\nLock's dad was not the kind of person to be one-upped and responded in kind by giving Lock's uncle a shirt the next year, but inside was the red dickey.\n"Every year since then, on Christmas, the dickey is passed back and forth between my dad and my uncle as a reminder of how horrible that was," Lock says.\nUnconventional gift-giving rules can help ensure that people get what they really want. Senior Christopher Meadows and a group of several friends decided one Christmas that all the gifts they gave to each other had to come from College Adult Books.\n"Among the gifts purchased were fuzzy pink handcuffs, edible body paint that caused the skin to tingle, erotic dice, magnum condoms and a plastic sheep," Meadows says.\nAnother stipulation for this particular gift-giving experience, Meadows says, was that all gifts must be used.\n"'Far as I know, everyone kept their words," he says.\nWaiting to find out what you're getting for Christmas can also set you up for unpleasant surprises. Freshman Jessica Quillen's sister found this out the hard way.\n"My family always bothers each other about what they're getting from everyone," Quillen says.\nSo one year when Quillen's sister asked what she was getting for Christmas, Quillen told her she was getting a box of rocks.\n"She didn't believe me, and she kept asking, and I kept telling her, 'a box of rocks,'" Quillen says.\nOn Christmas, when Quillen's sister opened a box filled with rocks, she found out that Quillen wasn't lying.\n"So finally, when she opened it up, she realized I was telling her the truth, until she saw the ring box, of course," Quillen says, referring to her actual gift of jewelry.\nThis holiday season will bring countless other gift-giving mishaps, but if you shy away from live animals and matching undergarments, you can greatly reduce your chance of acquiring a gift-giving horror story.
(12/08/06 5:00am)
Every Christmas people save up their money to buy things that will show their loved ones just how much they care. They sneak them into the house to wrap them up, and then they place them under the Christmas tree. On Christmas morning, people tear through wrapping paper to find exactly what they wanted.\nThat's what's supposed to happen, but it doesn't always work out that way.\nMany people have discovered that giving someone a gift doesn't always create the desired effect, and sometimes, people get stuck with things they don't really want. Twenty-one-year-old Bloomington resident C.R. Hoke discovered this truth firsthand when he was in high school. One day, Hoke was at the mall with his girlfriend. The couple eventually made their way to the pet store where Hoke's girlfriend cast her eyes upon a rabbit, and it was love at first sight. Seizing the opportunity to be able to buy his girlfriend a gift he was sure she wanted, Hoke decided to buy the rabbit for her.\n"I bought a cage, the rabbit, everything," Hoke says. "It was over a hundred bucks."\nHoke felt like the boyfriend of the year until he arrived at his girlfriend's house. When the couple arrived with the rabbit, his girlfriend's parents were less than pleased.\n"While my girlfriend and her parents were arguing back and forth, I'm just standing there holding this cage with a rabbit in it," Hoke says. "Then her dad was like 'Why did you do this?'"\nAfter that, Hoke began to get hot and felt like he was going to start sweating. Eventually, the arguing subsided, and it was decided that the rabbit could stay for one night in the garage, but after that, Hoke had to take the rabbit. Hoke attempted to return the rabbit to the pet store, but the pet store wouldn't take the rabbit back.\n"I was with my friend, and he started mouthing off to the guy, but that didn't do any good," Hoke says.\nHaving no other choice, Hoke took the rabbit home.\n"My parents were cool with it," Hoke says. "We let it run around in the backyard."\nUnbeknownst to him, Hoke's mother had just had their lawn treated by ChemLawn.\n"The next day my eight-year-old brother finds the rabbit stiff as a board lying on its side," Hoke says.\nThe rabbit was dead.\n"It broke my little brother's heart," Hoke says.\nGift-givers are not the only victims of bad gift-giving. Gift receivers can be victims, too, as freshman Michelle Hoover found out at a young age. Every year, about 25 or 30 of her family members would get together for Christmas, Hoover says.\n"I was about seven or eight years old, and I had just started wearing training bras," Hoover says. "My godmother asked my mom what she should get me for Christmas."\nOn Christmas morning, everyone was in the family room watching the children open their gifts. Hoover opened her godmother's gift and found a matching training bra and underwear.\n"I about crapped myself," Hoover says. "I was so embarrassed."\nThe kids had to hold up what they got so the adults could take pictures Hoover says.\n"I had to hold it up against my body and let them take pictures of me," Hoover says. "You have no idea how embarrassing it is when you first start wearing a bra to have it displayed to my entire family."\nBad gift-givers should remember that what goes around, comes around. Sophomore Griffin Lock and the rest of his family have been reminded of this every Christmas now for the decade. It all started when Lock's uncle asked his grandpa for turtleneck sweaters for Christmas.\n"My grandpa, an older man and not really with modern society, responded by giving my uncle a box containing about 10 dickeys," Lock says.\nDickeys are the neck part of a turtleneck and nothing else, Lock says.\n"Of course, my family, who gets off on comedic situations, lost it," Lock says.\nLock says the next year, his uncle decided to fight back. One year later, Lock's dad opened his Christmas present from his uncle.\n"There, to his surprise, was a red dickey from the gift package a year before, laughing him in the face," Lock says.\nLock's dad was not the kind of person to be one-upped and responded in kind by giving Lock's uncle a shirt the next year, but inside was the red dickey.\n"Every year since then, on Christmas, the dickey is passed back and forth between my dad and my uncle as a reminder of how horrible that was," Lock says.\nUnconventional gift-giving rules can help ensure that people get what they really want. Senior Christopher Meadows and a group of several friends decided one Christmas that all the gifts they gave to each other had to come from College Adult Books.\n"Among the gifts purchased were fuzzy pink handcuffs, edible body paint that caused the skin to tingle, erotic dice, magnum condoms and a plastic sheep," Meadows says.\nAnother stipulation for this particular gift-giving experience, Meadows says, was that all gifts must be used.\n"'Far as I know, everyone kept their words," he says.\nWaiting to find out what you're getting for Christmas can also set you up for unpleasant surprises. Freshman Jessica Quillen's sister found this out the hard way.\n"My family always bothers each other about what they're getting from everyone," Quillen says.\nSo one year when Quillen's sister asked what she was getting for Christmas, Quillen told her she was getting a box of rocks.\n"She didn't believe me, and she kept asking, and I kept telling her, 'a box of rocks,'" Quillen says.\nOn Christmas, when Quillen's sister opened a box filled with rocks, she found out that Quillen wasn't lying.\n"So finally, when she opened it up, she realized I was telling her the truth, until she saw the ring box, of course," Quillen says, referring to her actual gift of jewelry.\nThis holiday season will bring countless other gift-giving mishaps, but if you shy away from live animals and matching undergarments, you can greatly reduce your chance of acquiring a gift-giving horror story.
(12/08/06 2:47am)
The Bloomington Common Council heard emotionally charged testimony from citizens for and against a resolution supporting a plan for government-paid health insurance Wednesday night.\nA line of people formed when the floor was opened to the public at the council's most recent meeting.\n"The resolution is saying that the city of Bloomington, as a community, feels the health-care system is broken," said Andy Ruff, a council member and co-sponsor of the resolution. "We believe health care should be a right."\nThe resolution will be sent to state and federal representatives in hopes that they will form a publicly paid health insurance system. The council voted 7-0-2 to accept the resolution with council members David Sabbagh and Brad Wisler abstaining from the vote.\nRobert Stone, director of Hoosiers for a Commonsense Health Plan and the state coordinator of Indiana's chapter of Physicians for a National Health Plan, supported the resolution at the meeting.\n"In 1994, 38 million Americans were without health insurance," Stone said. "Now there are 46 million."\nStone said a statement previously made by Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels -- that people in Indiana already have health care because they can go to hospital emergency rooms -- was misleading.\nStone told a story about a man, diabetic and vomiting, who entered an emergency room last week. The man had run out of glucose strips to check his blood sugar and had to decide whether he would buy more glucose strips or pay his rent. The man, Stone said, chose to pay the rent.\n"This was a near miss," Stone said. "We need to make the system easier, not harder."\nAttorney and Volunteers in Medicine board member Cindy Lott said health care is a shared problem that tears at the fabric of communities.\n"Communities didn't get into this problem alone," Lott said, "and they cannot get out of it alone.'\nLott said there are more than 22,000 people without health insurance in Monroe and Owen counties, he said. More than 4,000 are children.\nRuff addressed the fact that resolutions passed by the Common Council are often criticized for not being local and therefore not being council members' duties.\n"I disagree with that view," Ruff said. "This is a local issue."\nRuff said that Bloomington has thousands of low-income residents with no access to health care, but the problem needs to be addressed at both the state and national levels. Ruff called the Wednesday meeting an "official formal sanction to communicate with state and federal legislatures and representatives." Ruff hopes the resolution will influence and set an example for the state and other communities.\nRuff also said he does not accept the argument that people will abuse a health-care system funded by taxpayers.\nCouncil member Stephen Volan said people do not have to wait for far-away decision-makers to act.\n"We can support this here, now, locally," Volan said.
(12/07/06 4:31am)
The words "Baby Ruth," "Bueller!" and "I would have expected a little more from a varsity letterman" will echo through the newly renovated Whittenberger Auditorium inside the Indiana Memorial Union for the next three nights.\nThe Indiana Memorial Union Board is presenting '80s Night, free to all IU students tonight, Friday and Saturday. The presentation begins at 7 p.m. each day with the showing of three films: "The Goonies," "The Breakfast Club" and "Ferris Bueller's Day Off."\nThe theme was chosen by Union Board Films Director Dashiell Voorhees and a student committee. \n"I wanted to do this theme because the '80s are a lot of fun for me and my committee," Voorhees said in an e-mail interview.\nPart of the reason these films were chosen was because they are all well-known cult films, said Indiana Memorial Union Board Public Relations Director Emma Cullen. Most movies come out and go away, but some get a following, Cullen said.\n"But some are still loved by the same age group of people that loved them when they first came out," Cullen said.\n"The Goonies" is about kids in search of pirate treasure, according to a press release. "The Breakfast Club" is about five stereotypical high school students who meet in detention. The final film that will be shown each evening of '80s Night, "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," is about a high-school student who decides to take a day off from school.\nCullen expects a good turnout this weekend because of dead week.\n"I know I can't study for finals 24/7," Cullen said. "I need a break."\nTurnout has increased steadily as more people find out that the Whittenberger Auditorium is newly renovated and the seats are more comfortable, Voorhees said. \n"The movies are still free and we have popcorn now," Voorhees said.\nStudents should come out with friends to watch some "comfort movies," relax and eat the cheapest concessions in town, Voorhees said.
(12/07/06 4:28am)
There is only one student group that guarantees to "make you trickle down your pants." That group is called "Trickle Down Effect" and it will be performing tonight on the second floor of the Indiana Memorial Union in the State Room East.\nTrickle Down Effect is an improvisational comedy group that has students' best interests in mind as the semester comes to a close. Group member Adam Nahas said the group wants people to have a good time and forget about schoolwork for about an hour.\n"We don't want people to stress out over finals and haul off and murder someone," Nahas said. "We're trying to save people one life at a time."\nThe story of the group's formation began several years ago when an improvisational comedy group called "Pumpernickel" came to Bloomington. Pumpernickel trained a group of high-school students in improvisational comedy before the group split into three, one of which was called "Cletus and Virgil". Nahas is one of four former members of Cletus and Virgil who are now part of Trickle Down Effect.\nMuch of the group's comedy centers around politics, and tonight's performance will be no different, said group member Troy Jones.\n"Come and see us if you want enjoy some good political banter," Jones said.\nThere are several games the group plays to get the audience involved in its performance.\n"Props" is a game that the group usually does at the end of its shows.\n"We want people to bring the most ridiculous items they can think of for this game," Jones said.\nAnother, called "Debate." involves the audience. Members of the audience choose an adverb, verb and noun while two group members (debaters) leave the room to choose a topic to debate about. When the debaters come back into the room, two other group members mime the phrase the audience has chosen. The two debaters will then try to squeeze the phrase into their debate.\nThe group plans to incorporate live music before and after its shows in the future.\n"We're trying to have some bands perform to get a multitude of art," Nahas said, "instead of just comedy."\nThe group talked with the sketch comedy group Anything After Ten about starting a "comedy collective," Nahas said.\nThose who want to see "Trickle Down Effect" tonight should arrive early because the group is expecting a high turnout.\n"Fire code only allows 85 people in the State Room East," Jones said, "so people may be turned away."\nStudents should attend for three reasons, Nahas said.\n"A, it's free, B, it's only an hour and, as part of our comedy title, we guarantee to make you trickle down your pants," Nahas said.\nTrickle Down Effect will also be headlining a show at Rhino's All-Ages Music Club on Saturday.
(12/06/06 5:35am)
When the Jewish a cappella group Hooshir formed this semester, it had only one date on its concert schedule -- its Dec. 18 performance for the President of the United States.\nWhite House staffers contacted Hillel International, a group that supports Jewish campus life, looking for entertainment for the White House Hanukkah party, and the organization told them to get in touch with the Helene G. Simon Hillel Center at IU.\nHillel International recommended IU because of an annual event called "Campus Superstar: Hoosier Idol," which is a singing contest put on by the Hillel Center similar to the television show American Idol, senior Ben Ellerin, one of the group's two musical directors, said. The renowned talent of the IU Jacobs School of Music didn't hurt either.\nThe IU Hillel Center did not have a singing group formed when the White House called, so students had to form one.\nHooshir's faculty advisor, ethnomusicology professor Judah Cohen, helped get the word out about auditions for the group at the beginning of the semester. Cohen, with help from IU Hillel Director Rabbi Sue Shifron and IU's two other a cappella groups, Ladies First and Straight No Chaser, sent notes across campus to attract as many singers as possible.\n"We had more people signing up for auditions than we had times for," Cohen said.\nOrganizers eventually found 18 students to perform in Hooshir.\nThe name Hooshir means "it's a song" in Hebrew, Litvak said. \n"And it sounds like Hoosier," he said. \nThe group's main performance will be on Dec. 18 for the President's Hanukkah party, though the students will also perform four to six additional songs on Dec. 17 at a prominent Washington synagogue. \n"The four to six additional songs explain the Jewish experience," senior Iva Litvak, the other musical director said.\nThe songs are either traditional Jewish a cappella songs or songs with a Jewish theme arranged by the group, Litvak said.\nEllerin led voice exercises for the group in the Helene G. Simon Hillel Center Monday night. The group circled-up to stretch its vocals cords as they sang the words "I love to sing."\nAfter warming up, the group proceeded to rub each other's shoulders. Conversation and small talk ensued as the group members caught up on each other's weekend activities.\n"We usually practice twice a week," Litvak said.\nThis week, the group will practice four times because of two upcoming concerts. One is on Sunday in Carmel, Ind., and the other is on Dec. 14 in Bloomington.\nThe concert that is paramount in the minds of the group members is the one at the White House.\n"I think we're prepared," Litvak said. "I'm more nervous about meeting the President than singing."\nThe group will sing four songs for the President titled "Dreidel Do-Wop," "Caundo el Ray Nimrod," "S'vivon" and "D'rishat." \n"Dreidel Do-Wop" was inspired by the song "I Have a Little Dreidel," Litvak said. "Caundo el Ray Nimrod" is a song in the language Ladino, which is a mixture of Spanish and Hebrew. "S'vivon" and "D'rishat" are traditional Hanukkah songs. Before the Hanukkah party, Hooshir will sing the Israeli national anthem, Hatikvah, and a song called "Maoz Tzor" at a candle-lighting ceremony Litvak said. The songs were chosen by Cohen. \nPerforming at the White House is a big honor, but the group is prepared Ellerin said.\n"We have exceeded our expectations and been able to reach the level we need to be at to perform at the White House"
(12/06/06 3:42am)
A man armed with what appeared to be a steak knife robbed a Speedway gas station Monday night, police said.\nAt about 11:45 p.m., a man walked into the Speedway at 2700 N. Walnut St. and displayed to the attendant what appeared to be a steak knife, according to Bloomington Police Department reports. The suspect asked the attendant to give him all the money. The attendant complied, and the suspect walked out of the store heading eastbound, BPD Detective Sgt. David Drake said, reading from the police report. The suspect is described as a black male about 30 years old, according to the report. He is about 5-foot-8 with a thin build, had "scruffy facial hair" and was wearing a black hooded jacket. The surveillance video is being \nanalyzed.
(12/01/06 4:20am)
The Monroe County Democratic party elected Susan Sandberg to fill the vacant seat on the city council Thursday night.\nSandberg will fill the at-large city council seat that recently-elected Monroe County Prosecutor Chris Gaal will be leaving Jan. 1. Sandberg won with 23 of the 34 Democratic precinct chairs' votes that were present (or their proxy). Sandberg beat out her three opponents Jack Baker, Lois Sabo-Skelton and Marty Spechler.\nAfter the announcement of Sandberg's victory, she was sworn in by Bloomington City Clerk Regina Moore. The newly elected council member thanked her opponents, family members and other supporters during a statement after she was sworn in. Sandberg also made reference to a previous meeting when the city council voted on an ordinance to allow chickens in the city.\n"I won't show up to city council meetings in a giant chicken suit," Sandberg said, referring to city council member Steve Volan, who wore a chicken suit to that city council meeting.\nSandberg asked for everyone to keep in touch and to give this holiday season.\n"I know you all do, but give generously to citizens in need this holiday season," Sandberg said.\nSandberg has worked with the organization New Leaf, New Life on a theater project in the Monroe County Jail. Jail overcrowding and recidivism rates are important, Sandberg said. \nDuring the question and answer period, Sandberg and her three opponents all said they would run for city council again if they were elected that night. Each candidate also answered what they would like to focus on most in their first period as council members. Baker said he would focus on transportation. He explained during his opening statement that he wanted to consolidate the city and county bus systems into one system to better serve the community. Sabo-Skelton said she would focus on the budget first.\n"The budget is basic to everything we do," Sabo-Skelton said.\nSpechler said he would try to learn about the issues if he were elected.\n"I'm aware that I don't know enough," Spechler said.\nSandberg said she would focus on social services and the arts because of her background as program coordinator of the arts administration program at IU. She said when she votes as a council member, she will listen to her conscience and think about the long-term impact her vote would have on Bloomington.\n"I will fiercely defend the Democratic majority on the city council," Sandberg said.
(12/01/06 3:57am)
If you're into art, music and tea -- or your significant other no longer considers having a beer and sitting on the couch with you a date -- come to the IU Art Museum Friday. The museum will stay open until 7 p.m. for Teahouse Night to celebrate its current exhibition, "Conspiring With Tradition: Contemporary Painting From the Guilin Chinese Painting Academy."\nThe exhibit features a variety of contemporary Chinese art, said Judy Stubbs, Pamela Buell Curator of Asian art. \n"People often have preconceived notions of what Chinese art looks like, but I was surprised at the diversity of the exhibition," Stubbs said.\nThe IU Art Museum usually closes at 5 p.m. but will stay open an extra two hours.\nHaving later evening hours is sometimes better for students, said IU Art Museum Manager of External Relations Emily Powell. \nGuests will hear music of the erhu, an ancient Chinese instrument, played by James Min-Ching Yang and Sarah Pedersen. The erhu is a two-stringed instrument with an octagonal resonant box of wood and snake skin and is played using a bow made from bamboo with horsetail hair, according to an event press release from the IU Art Museum. Free Chinese tea samples and Asian sweets will also be available to guests.\nAdditionally, this holiday season, the Angles Cafe & Gift Shop and the Friends of Art Bookshop will be having special holiday sales. At Angles, IU staff and students can receive up to 20 percent off items by showing their IU IDs. Down the hall from the museum, in the Fine Arts Building, is the Friends of Art Bookshop, where visitors can save 10 percent on all merchandise during its holiday sale.\n"It's a good way for people to get started on holiday shopping if they need to do that," Powell said.\nBoth stores will be open until 7 p.m.\n"We encourage everyone to come out for a really nice evening," Powell said.
(11/30/06 4:31am)
Many condoms will be unwrapped and used this week, but the ones used in the Indiana Memorial Union Solarium Friday will have a unique fate. They will be displayed as works of art for IU's first "Latexhibition."\nLatexhibition is a display of artwork created with condoms and other latex barrier devices. Latexhibition will be held on World Aids Day "as part of a community wide effort to educate and reflect on the HIV/AIDS epidemic," according to a press release.\nThe idea of Latexhibition began as a project for human sexuality students at San Francisco State University, where IU graduate student Chris Fisher received his master's in human sexuality studies.\n"The biggest barrier to using condoms and other latex devices is often because of a sense being uncomfortable touching and talking about them," Fisher said.\nThe process of handling and talking about condoms will help normalize them, Fisher said. Latexhibition is a creative way to help keep conversations about HIV/AIDS prevention going.\n"It's an opportunity to talk and laugh and not feel so anxious about condoms," Fisher said.\nFisher anticipates between 50 and 60 pieces of art from students and other community members. Prizes will be awarded to the winners of each of three categories, which include best overall, most educational and most artistic. The winners will be displayed at several different venues around Bloomington, such as the IU Health Center. The best overall winner will receive a year's supply of condoms from Condomania. Kevin Segall, Director of Marketing for Condomania, said a year's supply is 500 condoms. Winners will be chosen by a panel of judges that includes Miss Gay Bloomington 2006 Jazmyn Taylor.\nAn example of an educational piece is one of the winners from last year's Latexhibition at SFSU, a life size safe-sex prom dress. "As we can see in the media and movies such as 'American Pie,' the goal of many teenagers is not just to go to prom, but to have sex," Fisher said.\nPeople need to realize that kids are going to do this, but they need to be safe about it, Fisher said.\nFor more information about Latexhibition or to submit a piece of art for the competition, visit the event Web site at www.indiana.edu/~shrwg/latex. The event is open to the public.\n"I encourage everybody to come and have a good time," Fisher said.
(11/29/06 11:04pm)
The streets were quiet, the parking lots were empty and there was hardly a soul in sight at Kirkwood and Indiana avenues. It was early evening the day before Thanksgiving.\nInside the Kirkwood Observatory, IU Astronomy department chairperson Catherine Pilachowski and graduate student Christian Johnson adjusted the 12-inch telescope. Twelve inches refers to the diameter of the telescope that won't be available to the eyes of the public again until spring break 2007.\nThe Kirkwood Observatory will be closed for the winter, but that does not necessarily mean you are cut off from the heavens for the rest of the season. The skies are always open, and if you know what tools to use and where to go, you can enjoy the universe all winter long.\nWith the Observatory closed, you might need to find your own viewing apparatus.\n"Pro astronomers use telescopes with mirrors that are three and a half meters in diameter," Pilachowski says. "A typical telescope for personal use is four to eight inches."\nPilachowski uses a 3.5-meter telescope at the WIYN observatory in Arizona for her research. WIYN stands for and is funded by Wisconsin, Indiana and Yale universities and the National Observatory of America.\nBut for amateur stargazers who do not have access to a three-and-a-half meter telescope, there is a more practical means to enhance their stargazing experience.\n"Binoculars are best for simple sky use," Pilachowski says.\nBinoculars are able to intensify the light that is collected by our pupils, which can only open about half a centimeter, Pilachowski says. Just like binoculars, telescopes collect light and allow us to see hundreds of stars that are too faint to be seen by the naked eye.\nBloomington resident Aleisha Kropf and her six-year-old daughter came with friends to enjoy use of the telescope at the Kirkwood Observatory on its last night of the year. Kropf says her daughter enjoys learning about the stars and planets.\n"I like to follow her interests," Kropf says.\nAnd sometimes Kropf has to leave Bloomington to follow her daughter's interests.\n"We usually go out of the city to stargaze," she adds.\nKropf says she goes north of campus to Griffy Lake to stargaze, but even there, the city lights can inhibit her experience. To really escape the city lights, Kropf will go to the campgrounds at Hardin Ridge, which is near Lake Monroe.\nPilachowski agrees that people would have to get away from the downtown lights if they want to enjoy the night sky. As the light from stars larger than our own sun shoots through space, it is often drowned out before it ever reaches human eyes because of the artificial light from ever-expanding urban centers. People are becoming much less connected with the night sky, Pilachowski says.\n"(They) should take time out to look; it's full of amazing things," Pilachowski says.\nGriffy Lake can be a fairly dark place for those stargazers who reside within the Bloomington city limits, she says. She also says that some of Bloomington's city parks such as Bryan and Southeast are good places to explore the night sky.\n"I've never been to Karst," Pilachowski says, referring to Bloomington's west side park. "My guess is Lowe's and those other stores are pretty bright, but it might be good."\nBut having good tools or a good location won't help if you don't know what you're looking at. To keep track of what to watch for in the sky, magazines and Web sites can be helpful. Pilachowski suggests Sky and Telescope magazine, Astronomy magazine and Night Sky as good resources for amateur stargazers. Web sites like nightskyinfo.com and weatherunderground.com produce nightly sky charts. Star charts show what the sky looks like in the four different seasons, and Johnson says they are also a good resource for amateur stargazers.\nAnother way to learn more about stargazing is to attend a "star party" put on by an astronomy club. Star parties are usually held in state parks, and the members of the astronomy club that are sponsoring the party bring out their telescopes and knowledge to share with anyone who is interested, Johnson says. He has attended such parties before.\n"I was surprised at the numbers," Johnson says, referring the amount of people who came to share their interest in stars.\nTwo nearby astronomy clubs are the Stone Belt Stargazers in Bedford and the Indiana Astronomical Society in Indianapolis. Pilachowski says both groups are eager for new members who want to become familiar with what's out in the night sky.\nBut sometimes even the time of year can be against a stargazer. As seasons change, so does the show in the night sky. Kropf says that she and her daughter went stargazing quite a bit last fall, but the season can make stargazing difficult. Binoculars are generally great for looking at the planets, but not at this time of year, Pilachowski says.\n"Right now the only planets we can see with the naked eye are only up during the daytime because they're near the sun," Pilachowski says.\nBut she says more planets will gradually become visible again next spring. Mars will be visible in the mornings.\nUntil then, stargazers can enjoy Orion's Belt, which can be found by looking to the south in the early morning. As winter sets in, Orion will become an evening constellation. Pilachowski says that those who can find it should use a pair of binoculars to look at the middle star in the sword.\n"The middle star of the sword is not a star at all; it's a nebula," Pilachowski says.\nAccording to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Web site, a nebula is a cloud of dust particles and gases in space. The term nebula comes from the Latin word for cloud.\nAfter aiming the telescope for guests at the Kirkwood Observatory toward a few more star attractions such as the red giant Enif and the globular cluster M15, Pilachowski and Johnson closed things up for the night and for the winter. They'll have to wait it out till spring for the ultimate light show experience.
(11/29/06 5:00am)
The streets were quiet, the parking lots were empty and there was hardly a soul in sight at Kirkwood and Indiana avenues. It was early evening the day before Thanksgiving.\nInside the Kirkwood Observatory, IU Astronomy department chairperson Catherine Pilachowski and graduate student Christian Johnson adjusted the 12-inch telescope. Twelve inches refers to the diameter of the telescope that won't be available to the eyes of the public again until spring break 2007.\nThe Kirkwood Observatory will be closed for the winter, but that does not necessarily mean you are cut off from the heavens for the rest of the season. The skies are always open, and if you know what tools to use and where to go, you can enjoy the universe all winter long.\nWith the Observatory closed, you might need to find your own viewing apparatus.\n"Pro astronomers use telescopes with mirrors that are three and a half meters in diameter," Pilachowski says. "A typical telescope for personal use is four to eight inches."\nPilachowski uses a 3.5-meter telescope at the WIYN observatory in Arizona for her research. WIYN stands for and is funded by Wisconsin, Indiana and Yale universities and the National Observatory of America.\nBut for amateur stargazers who do not have access to a three-and-a-half meter telescope, there is a more practical means to enhance their stargazing experience.\n"Binoculars are best for simple sky use," Pilachowski says.\nBinoculars are able to intensify the light that is collected by our pupils, which can only open about half a centimeter, Pilachowski says. Just like binoculars, telescopes collect light and allow us to see hundreds of stars that are too faint to be seen by the naked eye.\nBloomington resident Aleisha Kropf and her six-year-old daughter came with friends to enjoy use of the telescope at the Kirkwood Observatory on its last night of the year. Kropf says her daughter enjoys learning about the stars and planets.\n"I like to follow her interests," Kropf says.\nAnd sometimes Kropf has to leave Bloomington to follow her daughter's interests.\n"We usually go out of the city to stargaze," she adds.\nKropf says she goes north of campus to Griffy Lake to stargaze, but even there, the city lights can inhibit her experience. To really escape the city lights, Kropf will go to the campgrounds at Hardin Ridge, which is near Lake Monroe.\nPilachowski agrees that people would have to get away from the downtown lights if they want to enjoy the night sky. As the light from stars larger than our own sun shoots through space, it is often drowned out before it ever reaches human eyes because of the artificial light from ever-expanding urban centers. People are becoming much less connected with the night sky, Pilachowski says.\n"(They) should take time out to look; it's full of amazing things," Pilachowski says.\nGriffy Lake can be a fairly dark place for those stargazers who reside within the Bloomington city limits, she says. She also says that some of Bloomington's city parks such as Bryan and Southeast are good places to explore the night sky.\n"I've never been to Karst," Pilachowski says, referring to Bloomington's west side park. "My guess is Lowe's and those other stores are pretty bright, but it might be good."\nBut having good tools or a good location won't help if you don't know what you're looking at. To keep track of what to watch for in the sky, magazines and Web sites can be helpful. Pilachowski suggests Sky and Telescope magazine, Astronomy magazine and Night Sky as good resources for amateur stargazers. Web sites like nightskyinfo.com and weatherunderground.com produce nightly sky charts. Star charts show what the sky looks like in the four different seasons, and Johnson says they are also a good resource for amateur stargazers.\nAnother way to learn more about stargazing is to attend a "star party" put on by an astronomy club. Star parties are usually held in state parks, and the members of the astronomy club that are sponsoring the party bring out their telescopes and knowledge to share with anyone who is interested, Johnson says. He has attended such parties before.\n"I was surprised at the numbers," Johnson says, referring the amount of people who came to share their interest in stars.\nTwo nearby astronomy clubs are the Stone Belt Stargazers in Bedford and the Indiana Astronomical Society in Indianapolis. Pilachowski says both groups are eager for new members who want to become familiar with what's out in the night sky.\nBut sometimes even the time of year can be against a stargazer. As seasons change, so does the show in the night sky. Kropf says that she and her daughter went stargazing quite a bit last fall, but the season can make stargazing difficult. Binoculars are generally great for looking at the planets, but not at this time of year, Pilachowski says.\n"Right now the only planets we can see with the naked eye are only up during the daytime because they're near the sun," Pilachowski says.\nBut she says more planets will gradually become visible again next spring. Mars will be visible in the mornings.\nUntil then, stargazers can enjoy Orion's Belt, which can be found by looking to the south in the early morning. As winter sets in, Orion will become an evening constellation. Pilachowski says that those who can find it should use a pair of binoculars to look at the middle star in the sword.\n"The middle star of the sword is not a star at all; it's a nebula," Pilachowski says.\nAccording to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Web site, a nebula is a cloud of dust particles and gases in space. The term nebula comes from the Latin word for cloud.\nAfter aiming the telescope for guests at the Kirkwood Observatory toward a few more star attractions such as the red giant Enif and the globular cluster M15, Pilachowski and Johnson closed things up for the night and for the winter. They'll have to wait it out till spring for the ultimate light show experience.
(11/29/06 3:48am)
A Bloomington resident ran into the back of two public school buses within a span of 35 minutes Monday, according to a police report. \nAt about 8 a.m. Amy Osborne, 31, hit the back of a school bus stopped in traffic on South Drive, Bloomington Police Department Detective Sgt. David Drake said, reading from the report. No one on the bus was injured. \nResponding BPD officer Brian James could not perform a sobriety test at the time because of an earlier injury that had Osborne on crutches.\nAt 8:28 a.m., the same BPD officer called to the first scene, James, reported to the scene of Osborne's second accident, where she hit the back of a different school bus as it was waiting to make a left turn at the intersection of South Walnut and Hoosier streets. Osborne complained of foot injuries from the accident and was bleeding from the mouth. \nOsborne was taken to the hospital where James questioned her and requested a blood test. Officers are still waiting for the blood-test results from Indiana's Department of Toxicology. Osborne did not smell of alcohol, according to the police report.
(11/17/06 4:44am)
IU informatics doctoral student Kevin Makice is interested in creating diverse conversations about politics, and he has organized Bloomington's first "RootsCamp" as a way to encourage those discussions.\n"RootsCamp" follows an open conference format in which anyone can attend and suggest a topic for discussion. Makice plans to organize another group of discussion sessions next semester under a different name.\n"RootsCamp" will consist of five sessions over two days beginning 9 a.m. Friday in the Monroe County Public Library. \n"I can tell you where and when it will be, but I cannot tell you what will be talked about," Makice said. "That will be determined by the people that show up."\nPeople often concentrate on the voting aspect of politics but forget what comes after elections, Makice said.\n"There are things we can do now to make sure we're informed," Makice said.\nSome of the topics Makice is personally interested in are the ways voters discover information about candidates and how people get involved and become active in local politics. He also wants politics to be framed in a different way.\n"Politics have often been about persuasion," Makice said. "I want it to be more about understanding why you believe what you believe."\nMakice said he believes "RootsCamp" is a good way for those that were involved in the recent election to refocus some of their energy now that the elections are over.\nThe two final sessions will be held Saturday at Ivy Tech Community College. One of the civic engagement goals of Ivy Tech is to try to facilitate community organizations' needs for space.\n"We hope the community will benefit from being able to host these sessions at Ivy Tech," said Penni Sims, director of marketing and communication for the college.\nOpen conference formats like this began in 2003 with Tim O'Reilly, who has written several books about programming languages. O'Reilly's discussions used the tech word "FooCamp," which was also an acronym for Friends of O'Reilly. Other people have organized discussions with the same format under different names such as "BarCamp." Makice went to an open conference with the same format in Denmark about a month ago and kept an eye out for one in his area. When a progressive group released a wiki (a publicly edited Web site used for educational projects) for a "RootsCamp" in Bloomington, Makice jumped at the chance to organize it. \nThe RootsCamp wiki can be found at http://rootscamp.pbwiki.com/RootsCampBloomingtonIN.
(11/17/06 4:01am)
Rain did not keep people away from the Community Justice and Mediation Center's second annual Bread Fest at the Monroe County History Center Wednesday night. After all, it snowed last year, Community Justice & Mediation Center board member Wain Martin said. \nThe Bread Fest benefit raises money for and awareness of the Community Justice and Mediation Center, which provides a variety of mediation services, including disputes between landlords and tenants, businesses and clients and roommates.\n"We try to find more constructive ways to deal with conflicts than the ways we are normally taught," Tina Nabatchi, volunteer mediator and IU doctoral student said.\nWinners were chosen for three categories of bread by a panel of judges, plus a "people's choice" winner chosen by the crowd. Guests were given five tokens upon arrival to place in cups by the breads they enjoyed the most.\nSix judges chose winners in the three bread categories: yeast, quick and "celebration." Three of the six judges were food experts and three were Monroe County Circuit Court judges. \nRob Himmel, owner of The City Bakery, was chosen as a food expert judge for the second year in a row; Himmel judged breads in the quick category. Judges were given certain criteria such as color, texture and flavor to evaluate the breads. Quick breads are supposed to have an even structure, a slight loft in the loaf and not as many holes as yeast bread, Himmel said. \nEvaluating criteria like flavor does become somewhat personal, Himmel said. He tries to see what it does to the tongue.\n"Does it make you want to go back for more or get a glass of water to get the taste off your tongue?" Himmel said he asks himself.\nMike Diekhoff and his daughter decided to tag along with his wife, Monroe County Circuit Court Judge Mary Ellen Diekhoff, because they are "both big bread fans," he said. The judge evaluated breads in the yeast category, the type of bread she personally prefers.\n"I'm not a big sweet bread eater," she said. "I like the more traditional breads."\nAfter a lot of talking, drinking and tasting bread, the winners were announced. Marisa Stewart's "stud muffin" bread tied 11-year-old Hannah Small's chocolate chip bread. Small proved to be tough competition for Stewart's husband, Jim, as well. Small's chocolate chip bread tied Jim Stewart's beer-cheese bread for second place in the quick bread category. Marisa Stewart also took first place in the celebration category for her panettone bread.\nThe Stewarts said they love to bake bread and give it away. Marisa Stewart said she enjoys using wild yeast to make her sourdough bread because it's a challenge to her, while her husband Jim said he enjoys baking artisan breads.\n"It's a more hands-on style," he said. "I ferment the dough overnight and use high gluten flour."\nBoth Jim and Marisa Stewart agreed there are certain ingredients not included in their recipes that help them bake such good bread.\n"We do our best cooking with a glass of wine and smooth jazz," she said.
(11/15/06 5:37am)
Shelia Gullatt would be at the Monroe County Public Library every day if she had time.\n"I would lose my mind if I didn't have a membership to this library," said Gullatt, a library patron.\nMonroe County Public Library is the second best in its size category, according to an organization that ranks public libraries across the nation.\nHennen's American Public Library Ratings ranks the top 10 public libraries in the nation in five population categories. The Monroe County Public Library is in the category of libraries that serve 100,000 to 249,999 people, which is the third largest category. \nBecause the presence of IU causes the population of Monroe County to fluctuate, the state determines how much of IU's population can be included as part of the population served by the Monroe County Public Library, said Cindy Gray, director of the Monroe County Public Library.\n"We allow students to get library cards, which is why some of IU's population can be included in the population that we serve," Gray said.\nGray said she hopes the ranking will help the library financially even though that is not the purpose of the rankings. The Monroe County Council turned down a request from the Monroe County Public Library for more money for its library capital project fund to enhance the building and other library services. The library will make the request to the council again in January, she said. Gray hopes the new ranking will influence the council's decision.\nThe ranking comes at a time when the library is working on developing a new comprehensive strategic plan. The state of Indiana requires its libraries to re-evaluate their plans regarding funding, services and staffing every three years, Gray said. Focus groups will be one of the tools used by the Monroe County Public Library to decide what areas the library needs to focus on, such as adding more bookmobiles.\nThe Monroe County Public Library provides several services such as summer reading programs for children and due-date warnings via e-mail.\n"I appreciate the e-mail warning about when things are due," said IU graduate student Ben Debus. "It's very helpful because I forget."\nGray said she was not expecting such a high ranking and was just hoping the library would maintain last year's No. 5 ranking. In 2004, it was not ranked at all. Gray said she was not sure why the Monroe County Public Library moved up in the rankings because its actual score this year is about the same as it was last year.\n"My guess would be that because almost all libraries are struggling with funding, other libraries may have done things like cut hours to conserve funds and dropped in the rankings because of it," Gray said.\nThe Monroe County Public Library has been ranked as one of the best libraries in the nation for several reasons, Gray said.\n"Circulation is expected to increase, and we are open a tremendous amount of hours per week," Gray said.\nLast year, the library had a circulation of 2.2 million items. The main branch is open 69 hours per week and the Ellettsville branch is open 64 hours per week, Gray said. The library also has a $1 million annual material budget.\n"This is a testament not just to the library, but to the community that supports it," Gray said.\nThe complete list of rankings is available at www.haplr-index.com.
(11/15/06 4:28am)
Where can you find "celebration" bread, wine and beer, an acoustic guitar signed by John Mellencamp and four tickets to Disney World? The answer: Bread Fest.\nFrom 5:30 to 8 p.m. today, those interested can go to the Monroe County History Center, 202 E. Sixth St., and sample bread from amateur and professional bakers. The Monroe County History Center is located at 202 E. Sixth St., one block west of the Monroe County Public Library.\nBread Fest will benefit the Community Justice and Mediation Center, which offers a variety of programs to help IU students and local residents resolve their conflicts, said Executive Director Amy Dowell. \n"We provide mediation for anything from roommate conflicts to nonviolent criminals referred to us through the justice system," Dowell said.\nThree Monroe County circuit court judges and three food expert judges -- Bloomington Cooking School teacher Elisabeth Simeri, The City Bakery owner and operator Rob Himmel and Herald-Times food columnist Cindy Bradley -- will choose an amateur and professional winner for each of the three categories in the bread-baking contest. The three categories are "quick," which doesn't include yeast; "yeast;" and celebration, which will include bread from different cultural traditions such as Irish soda bread, focaccia bread and patir wedding bread from Uzbekistan. \nGuests will receive five tokens, which they will place into cups near the bread or breads they like most to choose an overall winner, Dowell said..\nThere will be a cash bar with wine and beer from local producers and a silent auction during Bread Fest. Some of the items being auctioned include four park-hopper tickets to Disney World, which provide admittance to any of the four Disney-related parks in Orlando, Fla., Dowell said. Other items include a John Mellencamp autographed acoustic guitar and autographed Indianapolis Colts memorabilia. There will also be some smaller items such as jewelry, gift baskets and different pieces of art. The minimum bid will usually be set under the maximum value of the item.\n"The four Disney tickets are worth $400, and bidding will start at $200," Dowell said.\nAdmission to Bread Fest is $10. Tickets can be purchased ahead of time at the Community Justice and Mediation Center office at 120 W. Seventh St., suite 310, or at the door on the day of the event, according to a press release for the event. \nFor more information about Bread Fest, contact Dowell by phone at 336-8677 or by e-mail at cjam@bloomington.in.us.
(11/15/06 4:19am)
A Bloomington woman stabbed another woman in a fight about a man Monday, police said. \nMonday night, Bloomington Police Department officer Dana Runnebohm was called to the Bloomington Hospital's emergency room to talk to a woman with a stab wound, BPD Detective Sgt. David Drake said, reading from a police report.\nThe woman, 23, said her attacker, Latrice Greer, 28, called her while she was outside of her apartment in the 500 block of South Basswood Drive, Drake said. Greer told the woman she was outside of her apartment and that she had something for her, Drake said, reading from the report. The woman told police she did not want any problems inside her apartment, so she went outside, Drake said. Once outside, Greer walked toward the woman and swung at her with something in her hand. The woman put up her left forearm to block and said she then felt a great deal of pain and began to bleed severely from her forearm, Drake said.\nGreer then swore at the woman and got into her car and left. The woman called a friend to take her to the hospital and was treated at Bloomington Hospital for a deep laceration several inches in length on the underside of her left forearm, Drake said. She suffered extensive muscle and tendon damage that will require surgery, he said.\nLater that day, officers found Greer at her residence, Drake said. Greer said she had not been to the victim's apartment that day, he said. She said she was with someone else who could verify her whereabouts. Greer gave officers the name and number of her alibi, but when officers called the number she gave them, that person denied seeing Greer that day, Drake said. \nGreer was arrested on the preliminary charge of battery with a deadly weapon, a Class C felony, he said.