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(11/07/11 3:26am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Voices for Lauren, a local awareness group for missing IU student Lauren Spierer, met Saturday to put up posters in an event called P.U.M.P. 4 Lauren, which stands for “putting up more posters for Lauren.”About a dozen volunteers met in front of Smallwood Plaza, 455 N. College Ave., to help distribute awareness posters. Event organizer and Bloomington local Kristen Mills said the group is continuing search efforts despite an anonymous letter sent to Spierer’s parents asking them to stop putting up posters.“We’re doing this because we said we’ll never give up,” Mills said. “We’re not trying to make anyone mad. “I made that promise to her parents, and I’m never going to break that promise.”According to a post by Charlene Spierer, Lauren’s mother, on the @NewsOnLaurenS Twitter feed, the letter said, “We are sorry about your missing daughter. But don’t you think it’s time to do the right thing by Bloomington and stop littering our town with your posters?” The members of Voices for Lauren responded with a strong emotional support for the family and renewed awareness-raising efforts.“This is not retaliation, but it offended me that this would happen,” volunteer Suzanne May said. “If this was my child, I’d want this support, too.”The group made ribbons, lanyards and about 500 posters for distribution, said Mary Ann Ryan, a founder of the organization.Mills said the group will continue distributing posters and is planning a lighting walk to mark the sixth-month anniversary of Spierer’s disappearance, which is Dec. 3.“What some people consider trash is the treasure of her parents,” Ryan said. “We’ll continue doing it.”
(11/03/11 1:17am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The deep, bellowing shofar, a traditional Jewish horn, began the synagogue service and Eitan Kantor’s love for music.An IU sophomore, Kantor found a gift in his voice and violin at age 7. While abroad in Israel last year, Kantor’s talent brought him to the finals of “Hallelujah,” an international singing contest.“There were thousands of people,” Kantor said. “When I was standing to get on stage to perform, I was so nervous. I thought I was going to throw up.”The competition, similar to “American Idol,” brings 30 Jewish singers to Israel to compete and train with popular Israeli musicians. Kantor, native to St. Louis, made it to the top nine. The winner was Adam Kleinberg of Mexico.In performances on YouTube, Kantor’s voice is smooth and well-developed, gracefully hitting ornamental notes. His stage presence is charismatic and energetic.“(Performing) is feeling pumped and feeling like I’m going to die. That’s what I live for,” Kantor said.While “Hallelujah” primarily gives contestants a chance to showcase skills, it also allows contestants to connect to their Jewish roots. Participants tour cities and holy spots in Israel as ambassadors of Jewish music.But Kantor went deeper still. Fully immersing himself, for half a year he lived in a mud dome in Kibbutz Lotan, a socialistic commune in which members take from shared resources only as needed. As he reflected on a year very different from those spent at IU, his gaze wandered. “It’s my favorite place in the world,” Kantor said. “We’d get up at sunrise, and the sun would come up over the red mountains of Jordan.”IU sophomore and Jewish music major Happie Hoffman shares Kantor’s admiration for Jewish culture and music. Hoffman won People’s Choice in the online voting portion of the contest.“Israel is like a page out of a history book,” Hoffman said. “It’s an old sacred place for so many people.” Hoffman now writes and performs original music, often inspired by Judaism, on her YouTube account, Happie1234567. Her latest single, “Jerusalem”, is a soulful tribute to her heritage.“The Jewish music program was part of the reason I came to IU,” Hoffman said. “I can’t see myself doing anything but sing. I feel like it’s what I’m meant to do.”Hoffman and Kantor said they will continue to pursue their passions through practice and determination.“You can’t just rely on talent,” Kantor said. “It’s also all about effort.”
(10/19/11 2:57am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Author and IU alumna Leena Ceraveeni sounds like a typical American with Midwestern roots. She grew up in Greenwood, Ind., attended IU as a journalism major and then moved to Texas. The difference between her and other IU students is that Ceraveeni is an Indian American and doesn’t forget it. Her life was filled with culture clashes of Indian heritage and American upbringing. These personal racial experiences led her to write her first novel, “The Hometown.”The book is a coming-of-age novel that centers on 23-year-old Mala Thomas, an Indian American who copes with her racial identity. Each chapter focuses on a different challenge of growing up with a mixed heritage based on Ceraveeni’s own life. “The Hometown” was recently named Editor’s Pick from the Independent Publishers Magazine.The inspiration for the novel came to the author after a co-worker told Ceraveeni that she has an Indian accent, even though she said she does not have one. Afterward, she began recalling all her past racial experiences and wrote them down.“I documented future experiences and ended up with a journal of ignorant comments,” Ceraveeni said in an email. “I decided to weave them through a plot and mold them to fit the storyline.”The story Ceraveeni shares is a common one. Many Indian Americans see a similar blending of cultures in their lives. IU sophomore Pallavi Bamzai said her family visits India as much as possible to keep the balance between Indian and America in check. Bamzai, originally from Kashmir in northern India, moved to the United States when she was 5 years old.Bamzai said she feels connected to both sides of her upbringing and oftentimes sees the two sides come together. Her family celebrates typical American holidays, such as Thanksgiving, in addition to Indian celebrations.“Diwali is like our Christmas, so my mom always wants to put Christmas lights up to decorate for it,” Bamzai said. “It’s in a week, though, so our neighbors don’t understand why they’re already out. It’s kind of awkward.”While bringing multiple cultures together can create unique traditions and experiences, it can also cause identity confusion. “The Hometown” explores this dilemma while the protagonist tries to equate Indian traditions with American ideals, as mirrored in Ceraveeni’s own life.“I did have an identity crisis at times,” said Ceraveeni. “I wasn’t allowed to do the same things that my friends could do, like date. I looked different, and my family life was different, and I had this desire to fit in.”However, Ceraveeni feels grateful that her experiences with culture have shaped who she is today.“I had the best of both worlds growing up,” she said.
(10/05/11 2:16am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>There is an unknown team of champions in our midst.IU’s Hurling Club made history as the winner of the first collegiate hurling championship this summer.The team won the finals, 13-9, in a heated match against the University of California, Berkeley at Irishfest in Chicago’s Gaelic Park.Senior Duncan McCabe, the team’s vice president, said the team beat Purdue and several conglomerate teams from smaller schools before the final match.“In the round before, we pretty much destroyed Purdue ‘cause Purdue sucks,” McCabe said. “Then with Berkeley, it was pretty crazy. We scored the final point, the whistle blew and everyone ran out on the field. It was joyous.”Senior Alex Chesterfield, president of the team, said hurling is the oldest game known to man. The game takes place on a grass field and is played using hands and a wooden stick known as the hurley, which is used to hit a ball known as the sliotar into the opponents’ goalposts. The sport is often compared to rugby, baseball and field hockey.“People say it’s a mix of sports, but it’s the original sport,” Chesterfield said. “It’s the fastest game played on grass. It’s up in your face, aggressive and passionate.”Chesterfield said hurling is the most popular game in Ireland, with a devoted fan base and professional league. Hurling, however, remains relatively unknown in the United States. “It’s a struggle to recruit because people don’t know it’s out there,” IU Coach Timothy Fick said. “It’s a very unique sport.”Fick said the team is in its fourth year. He said he hopes the team will attract more awareness on campus after winning the title of national champion. The team meets year-round and competes with other teams across the nation. One of IU’s main hurling rivals is Purdue, the only other Midwest team with a full roster. The team practices from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at the North Recreational Field at Fee Lane and is open to all students. The club is currently made of about 25 regular members, most of whom had never played before joining. More information is available on their Facebook page, “Indiana University Hurling Club.”“We raise awareness by playing in Dunn Meadow whenever the weather’s nice or just talking about it,” Chesterfield said. “I hope everyone at IU knows about it in the next couple years.”