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(12/12/05 6:17am)
Walk into locally-owned burrito restaurant Laughing Planet just off Kirkwood Avenue and the local Bloomington flair is almost palpable. A Little 500 bike and jersey hang on the wall, each tabletop has its own colorful design, there are local magazines and handouts to read while waiting, the menu and specials are written on chalkboards and Laughing Planet T-shirts such as "beans'r'us," hang on the back wall above the tiny kitchen area.\nMany outside observers thought Laughing Planet would have been swallowed up in the wake of burrito giant Chipotle's opening last year, but that has not been the case. Laughing Planet owner Pete Smith says it is doing better than ever. \n"We have not felt much of anything from Chipotle. I think they have brought a little more business downtown just from people who recognize their name, (those) who wouldn't necessarily venture downtown," Smith said. \nAlong with the increasing popularity of burritos, the quick-casual segment of the market is rapidly growing. Quick-casual is a category in dining defined as healthier and better prepared than fast food but cheaper and faster than a traditional sit-down restaurant which Laughing Planet and Chipotle would both fall into. On average, Americans eat out five times a week and spend more than $400 billion annually. Currently the quick-casual segment only accounts for about $6 billion. But by 2010 the quick-casual segment is predicted to double and account for half of all food service growth, according to McKinsey Quarterly.\nThe burrito is an item that lends itself especially well to the quick-casual concept, as evidenced by cross-town Moe's, which specializes in burritos and Tex-Mex, and fellow burrito makers Qdoba and Baja Fresh, which both have locations in Indianapolis. The good news for Laughing Planet is the market is quickly growing, but so is the competition.\nAside from serving burritos, Chipotle is a polar-opposite of Laughing Planet. Chipotle has a very industrial feel with sheet metal counters, trash cans and black and white prints on the wall.\nA clear difference is the clientele of the two restaurants. At lunch or dinner time, Chipotle becomes a sea of sweatshirts and hats embossed with sorority and fraternity letters, which is a direct contrast to the atmosphere at Laughing Planet that exudes more of an independent and artisan vibe.\nBoth Laughing Planet and Chipotle use organic ingredients, but the focus at Laughing Planet is much more health oriented. Laughing Planet uses chicken, but the main focus is on the vegetarian and vegan choices. Also, they use brown rice instead of white rice, and try to incorporate locally grown vegetables during the summer growing season.\n"I like burritos," said IU senior Ben Falk. "Laughing Planet is a lot healthier than other places, and (the burritos are) huge."\nOver its 10 years in existence, Laughing Planet has established itself as a prominent member of the Bloomington community, which it plans on continuing by increasing involvement in local charities. It donates to local charities and helps sponsor events such as the PRIDE film festival, and each month it underwrites programming at the local radio station, WFHB.\nAnother major asset to Laughing Planet is its location. Beneath it the underground coffee shop, Soma. Above it is the Cactus Flower, a vintage apparel and home furnishings store. Behind Laughing Planet is TD's, a local music store.\n"I think we're complementary businesses. We have the same basic customer make-up," Smith said. "We're all pretty good friends and get along great. It's like a little co-op"
(10/26/05 4:40am)
The IU women's tennis team had a solid showing at the Wilson/Intercollegiate Tennis Association Midwest Regional, led by senior captain Sarah Batty who advanced to the final 16. Despite the individual accomplishments, IU head coach Lin Loring said it was hard to evaluate her team's play.\n"It's always hard to evaluate how you did because the courts are faster than anything we see the rest of the year," Loring said. "We just don't have any huge hitters."\nThe East Lansing, Mich., tournament saw several Hoosiers contribute. Leading the way was the No. 82-ranked Batty, who advanced to the final 16 of the main singles draw. In the first round she defeated Toledo's Myriam Cueya, 6-0, 6-2. In the second round she beat Northwestern's Nazlie Ghazal, 6-2, 7-6(2) but then eventually lost to Iowa's Megan Racette, 6-1, 3-6, 7-5.\n"I was pretty happy with the results," Batty said. "But we could have definitely done a lot better."\nFreshman Sigrid Fischer made her way through the qualifying singles bracket into the top eight and earned a place in the main draw, where she lost in the first round. Also in the main singles draw was senior Dora Vastag, ranked No. 90, junior Cecile Perton and sophomore Brianna Williams -- all of who had first-round victories.\nThe strong doubles play of Batty and junior Laura McGaffigan continued in the doubles bracket. The duo advanced to the quarterfinals, defeating Butler and Ohio State's teams along the way. The pair eventually fell to Notre Dame's Lauren Connelly and Christine Stastny, 8-5, a team they had beat earlier in the season.\n"Our biggest challenge is in doubles," Batty said. "Just coming together and working as a team is hard."\nAlso contributing for IU doubles were Vastag and Williams, who also made a run to the final 16. They defeated Minnesota 8-0 before losing to Illinois' team 8-6. In addition, the combination of Fischer and fellow freshman Marah Calvo beat Purdue's Brittany Minna and Anna Dzeva, 8-6.\nThe Hoosiers will head to the Western Michigan Duals Nov. 4.
(10/06/05 4:53am)
California's state motto, "Eureka" is Greek for "I have found it."\nThree Hoosiers are attempting to find their games as they travel westward to Pacific Palisades, Calif., to compete in the Riviera/ITA Women's All-American.\n"All the girls going to the All-American played a lot of matches," said IU head coach Lin Loring, referring to the past weekend's Hoosier Classic. "They played well and should be prepared."\nThe Riviera/ITA Women's All-American Championship is the premier hard court event of the fall collegiate season. It dates back to 1983 and has become the traditional kickoff to the national collegiate tennis season. This year's field will be highlighted by 39 of the top 40 ITA preseason ranked singles players. \n"Just seeing where we stack up against the best players in the country will be exciting," senior Dora Vastag said. "It will be a good challenge."\nOn Tuesday, seniors No. 90 Vastag and No. 82 Sarah Batty were among 64 elite women's players attempting to qualify for the eight at-large spots in the women's single's main draw that will be held Oct. 6-9.\nJust three days after winning the Hoosier Classic Flight A singles crown, Batty faced University of California-Los Angeles' Ashley Joelson in the first round of the All-American. In a difficult match, Batty won the first set 6-4 before dropping the next two 4-6, 2-6.\nVastag won her first-round match over Sacramento State's Cecilia Helland, 7-5, 6-1. On day two, in her second-round match, Vastag fell short to Vanderbilt's Taka Bertrand, losing 5-7, 2-6.\nDespite an early exit from the singles draw, Batty's week is not over. She and her partner, junior Laura McGaffigan, will compete in the doubles' bracket. The duo earned a spot in the All-American after it won the prestigious ITA Summer National Doubles crown back in August held at the Outdoor Varsity tennis center in Bloomington.\n"With only 16 teams in doubles, it will be really tough to win," Batty said. "But we can play with anybody when we're on our game."\nBatty and McGaffigan will face third-seeded Iva Gersic and Maja Kovacek of the University of New Mexico in the first round today.
(09/30/05 5:07am)
The comforts of home might not be evident this weekend as the Hoosiers welcome the University of Notre Dame, Louisiana State University and Kansas State University to Bloomington. \nAll three finished in the top 100 of last season's Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings. And all three will highlight the field at this weekend's Hoosier Classic. \nAlong with three ranked teams, five ITA preseason-ranked individuals will be competing in the Hoosier Classic, including No. 82 senior Sarah Batty and No. 90 senior Dora Vastag.\n"The competition level will be much higher. It will be a chance to see how the girls respond, and learn what to work on their games with much more being exposed," said IU head coach Lin Loring. \nIn last year's Hoosier Classic, Vastag, sophomore Laura McGaffigan and junior Cecile Perton had strong runner-up finishes in their respective flights.\n"It's at home and we get to see a lot of teams we normally don't schedule. It's fun to see teams you don't get to face during the dual match season," Loring said. "We have a lot of people to play and want to see the people that didn't play. Also, we will be trying out different doubles \ncombinations."\nIn addition to playing their first matches of the season, Vastag and the doubles duo of Batty and McGaffigan have the added pressure of preparing for their first college grand slam of the year held in Pacific Palisades, Calif., next week.\n"I'm just excited to get back into matches and prepare for the All-American Championships," Batty said. "Laura and I have been playing quite a bit of doubles. A lot of the teams this weekend are going to be tough, especially at the top."\nThe Hoosier Classic will begin at 10 a.m. Friday and run through Sunday. It will be held on the Outdoor Varsity Courts.
(08/24/05 5:12am)
It might be hard to believe as you walk to class drenched in sweat, but summer is over. How sweet it was ...\nI thought about going to Aruba with some friends, or taking a cruise with the girlfriend that I don't have or going fishing off the coast of California by myself. But after watching several cable news programs I thought better of it and stayed within a 50-mile radius of my house all summer. \nThat, and I had a court ordered ankle bracelet. Actually it was just a friendship bracelet, but it was still rather constricting.\nI also thought about getting a job. Unfortunately, my possible employers didn't think that would be a good idea for various reasons. The Gap, for one, wouldn't hire me because I lacked a "passion for fashion." If flannel shirts, corduroys and New Balances don't shout "passion for fashion," what does?\nBasically this summer I slept, occasionally mowed the lawn, had a few beers and walked to Wal-Mart for some extreme motorized cart races.\nAlso, I saw nearly every movie released this summer, except for "War of the Worlds." Occasionally I'd stand outside the theater, jump up and down and yell at the people going in, "I love this movie! I love this movie so much!" Though, as nearly 63 percent of the moviegoers thought, it was just a publicity stunt. I didn't actually love that movie.\nWith a lot of time on my hands I spent a "little" time on the Internet. Those of you without online journals, like myself, most likely think people with them are pathetic, needy and slightly creepier than your reclusive neighbor with 9 cats. I'm not here to dispel any rumors. \nBut the only thing creepier than an online journal is probably the guy who leaves random comments. It seems innocent at first, but the comments slowly spiral out of control into religiously checking half a dozen journals per day. Perhaps this guy even creates an online journal under an alias, with fake entries, just to make his random comments slightly more credible. \nNot that I know anything about that sort of thing.\nOther highlights of my summer included a third-place finish in an old man basketball league. The ass slapping and camaraderie was aplenty. \nI won a free T-shirt for eating 12 "Blazin" wings in less than six minutes at Buffalo Wild Wings. But as economics taught us, there's no such thing as a free lunch, or a free T-shirt. My posterior burned for days. \nThe most fun was probably going to the zoo with my mom and 4-year-old sister. We saw one kangaroo struggling to free herself after another kangaroo violently attacked her from behind. Also, we saw a five-legged hippo. Which is apparently where the African phrase "hung like a river-horse" comes from. It literally touched the ground.\nWell, that was my summer. I'd ask how yours was, but I really just don't care and have a feeling it wasn't nearly as interesting as mine.
(03/31/04 5:39am)
While NCAA basketball furor was in full swing Sunday, Sigma Alpha Mu hosted its own version of March Madness. \nThe fraternity hosted its first annual philanthropic 3-on-3 basketball tournament, Bounce for Beats. Money raised during the event will be donated to the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.\nThe event kicked off at noon at the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation's Wildermuth Gym. The majority of the 36 teams comprised of fraternities and sororities and one team from Sigma Alpha Mu, also known as Sammy, competing to even out the bracketed double-elimination tournament. \nBeta Theta Pi freshman Chris Ross signed up when he was informed by his fraternity.\n"We heard about it at our chapter meeting," Ross said. "There's some stiff competition."\nThe other members of Sigma Alpha Mu helped out registering teams, keeping score, refereeing, announcing and selling pizza. All involved were able to enjoy a laid-back atmosphere and popular musical selections played by DJ Wild Child. \nAll those who participated received a T-shirt with the Bounce for Beats emblem on the front and names of sponsors on the back. Still, the winners of the event received more substantial prizes. The third-place team received $10 gift certificates to Panera Bread Co.; the second-place team received $25 gift certificates to T.I.S. Bookstore; and the eventual champions, Alpha Tau Omega and Delta Delta Delta, were presented with $40 gift certificates to Best Buy.\n"The most rewarding part of the event was watching a successful philanthropic event come together, in which everyone, both playing and helping out, had a great time," said Sammy publications chair Andy Trus. "It was also great that, while having a great time, we were able to help out a very deserving charity close to Sigma Alpha Mu." \nThe Bounce for Beats program is Sammy's national philanthropy. Every chapter raises money with the theme of bouncing basketballs, each bounce representing the beating of a human heartbeat. This is Sammy's 10th year associated with the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, which is the national leader of non-profit organizations in support of pediatric AIDS. In addition, the foundation donates funds toward research in hopes of curing other life-threatening pediatric diseases.\nIn industrialized nations, research and intervention have led to effective methods of reducing the mother-to-child transmission of HIV to less than 2 percent. Through education and effective low-cost intervention, thousands of lives can be saved in developing nations, according to www.pedaids.org.\nThe Bounce for Beats basketball tournament involved hours of preparation and coordination, resulting not only in success for the Sammy fraternity, but the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation also, raising over $1,000.\n"It's going to be a yearly event," said Sammy philanthropy chair Lawrence Hurwick.\nContributions are still being accepted for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS foundation via Sigma Alpha Mu. They can be sent to 409 S. Swain Ave., Bloomington, Ind., 47401.\n-- Contact staff writer Ryan Want at rwant@indiana.edu.
(02/25/04 5:10am)
The Bulls did it twice in the 90s, and more recently, IU junior Alex Zamudio pulled off the feat. \nZamudio attained the highly coveted three-peat by winning this month's intramural racquetball championship for the third straight year. Zamudio defeated doubles racquetball champion senior Dan Moore in the finals.\n"He's very good, best player I've played at IU," Moore said. "He hits his shots very well."\nWinning three straight championships is an impressive accomplishment, but Zamudio doesn't plan on stopping there.\n"I'm going for the four-peat," Zamudio said of his plans for next year.\n"I've been watching him -- he's a great player and has good sportsmanship," Assistant Director of Intramurals Satoshi Kido said. "This is the first three-peat I've heard of (in intramurals)."\nZamudio was born in the United States but grew up in Mexico, where he lived until seventh grade when he and his family moved to Logansport, Ind., his mom's former home. \n"(I) came up for education and to learn English," Zamudio said.\nIn high school, Zamudio enjoyed and excelled at tennis, golf and bowling. It was his dad and brother who introduced him to racquetball six years ago. Zamudio was reluctant at first but found he really enjoyed it.\n"It was pretty cool, and I just kept playing," Zamudio said.\nAlthough Zamudio's intramural victories are notable, they are far from surprising. In the September/October issue of Racquetball Magazine, Zamudio was ranked the third best elite player in the country. Also, Zamudio is the reigning regional racquetball champion the past two years.\n"I fell just short at nationals," Zamudio said.\nIn two weeks, he will enter his first professional racquetball tournament but will hold off turning professional and playing full-time until after graduation. Zamudio is an informatics major, and playing tournaments throughout the week would take too much time away from his studies. \nEven though he plans on becoming a professional racquetball player, a college education is important -- especially since only about the top three professionals can support themselves by only playing racquetball.\n"I'm not full time yet -- my mother won't let me," Zamudio explained. "I'm pretty good academically. I'm going to the Founders Day Ceremony this weekend (for academic achievement)." \nZamudio is excited about restarting the racquetball club at IU, as well as putting together a traveling team. He also encourages all those interested to show up to the Student Recreational Sports Center for racquetball challenge nights held from 5 to 7 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays.\n"Anybody can just show up and challenge and play until they get beat," Zamudio said.\n-- Contact staff writer Ryan Want at rwant@indiana.edu.
(02/09/04 4:33am)
Thursday, the Monroe County Library celebrated Black History Month with a program on the late African-American boxing legend, Joe Louis (1914-1981). The program featured William Wiggins, professor emeritus of African American and African Diaspora Studies. Wiggins discussed the life and times of Joe Louis, and why his image has appeared in countless books, movies, poems and various types of music.\nWiggins said Louis is widely regarded as one of the greatest fighters of all time. He was the heavyweight champion of the world from 1937 to 1949, defending his title 25 times. It was his extreme prowess in the ring and success as a man enabling him to become an American icon.\n"Many felt that if Joe Louis didn't give up and fought back, that they could too," said Wiggins.\n In addition to being a symbol of prosperity, Louis stood for freedom and democracy, serving in the army During World War II. The army put out promotional films featuring Louis, and Louis fought in exhibition fights for the troops.\nTwo of Louis' most famous fights featured Max Schmeling, who was a member of the Nazi party. In the first fight, Schmeling knocked Louis out in 12 rounds, an inferior fighter who was able to exploit Louis' tendency to telegraph his right hook. The second fight against Schmeling was a much different story, with Louis knocking Schmeling out in a then record 1:49. His victory was a major blow to Adolf Hitler's Aryan racial superiority theories.\nWiggins said when he was a child, he and his family and friends gathered around the radio to listen to the second Schmeling fight.\n"My mother had me run over to the neighbor's to get more chairs, and by the time I got back everybody was jumping up and down and cheering," he said.\nWiggins discussed Louis being part of the big three with Jessie Owens and Jackie Robinson. All three were very important in breaking down racial barriers, Wiggins said. Wiggins also emphasized they were truly heroes, representing the people and not being caught up in individual glory.\nWiggins also talked about Louis' Indiana connections. Louis, on many occasions, stayed at historic Wylie Hotel in French Lick, Ind. In addition, Louis owned property in French Lick where he did a large amount of his training. Louis' folk-hero status appears in Hoosier author Kurt Vonnegut's short story, "Displaced Person."\nBloomington resident Bibiana Pipher attended the event last week.\n"I remember riding around in French Lick as a young girl and somebody pointing out Joe Louis' farm," Pipher said.\nResident George Campbell, 87, said he was glad he braved the treacherous weather to see Wiggin's presentation of Louis at the library.\n"I was a vet of World War II, I know about those times," Campbell said.\nProfessor Wiggins who previously authored "Joe Louis: American Folk Hero" will publish a biography of Louis, set to be printed by the University of Illinois press within the next year.\n-- Contact staff writer Ryan Want at rwant@indiana.edu.