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(11/16/09 2:04am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Punk rock scenes allow black individuals to cultivate a sense of personal identity.Director James Spooner showed and discussed his film “Afro-Punk” on Friday to an audience of approximately 60 people.“The film explores race and identity within the black punk rock scene,” said Mary Huelsbeck, archivist and head of public and technology services.She said the film has become a phenomenon and been shown in film festivals all over the world.Spooner made the documentary in a do-it-yourself fashion, and he said he was always happy to share his art with audiences.The film began with one of the characters stating, “When I was a kid, I was convinced white people were cool.”Over the course of roughly an hour and a half, Spooner explored multiple facets of the black punk rock movement.The film suggests that being black and being punk rock are interrelated identities for most of the people in the film. However, the black punk rock scene is fairly small. Many punk rockers in the film talked about the isolation they experience. Often they said that at concerts they are often the lone black person and they are always in a vast majority.One of the main women, 22-year-old Mariko Jones, did a lot of soul and identity searching throughout the course of the film. Jones discussed issues she had with developing a black sense of identity in the punk rock scene.Other than Bad Brains and a few other black punk rock bands, the scene is mostly occupied by suburban white teens. This causes many problems for black punk rockers. The film said they often feel as though they are caught in a system and the only escape is through punk rock. But, in choosing to be engaged in the punk rock scene, black teens are isolated from their black community and called “white.” In the film, this circular problem creates tension and isolation amidst black punk rockers and the communities they chose to engage with. The film said punk rock is a hybrid of rock and roll, which allows teens to ask deep questions about themselves and their communities. Thus, it serves a need for black punk rockers all over the world, but especially in the U.S.After the film, Spooner fielded questions from the audience. He talked about how different backgrounds can change the way black punk rockers identify themselves and construct their identities. He also talked about making and distributing the documentary. He said his main purpose in the film was to candidly discuss racism amongst black and white Americans.“My experience is that white people don’t want to talk about race,” Spooner said. “Mentioning a difference means there is a difference among people in the U.S.”He said the black punk movement grew out of the history of racism in America.“Things are evolving,” Spooner said. “But racism is like a virus, it continues to evolve.”
(11/13/09 4:10am)
The Buskirk-Chumley Theater will present the premiere of the documentary “Coal Country” at 2 p.m. Sunday.
(11/13/09 4:07am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>From the dog pound to the lost and found, Grupo de Teatro VIDA has been bringing Spanish plays to IU students since its first production in 2006. VIDA consists of IU students and native speakers who perform plays in Spanish to promote awareness and understanding of Hispanic culture.On Thursday, the group brought four diverse Spanish plays to life through their performances. All four plays presented in “Juegos” included themes of games, confusion and growth people encounter in everyday life. “Juegos” began with Paloma Pedrero’s “Resurgado Personal (Personal Receipt).” The play focuses on two long time lovers, Gonzalo and Marta, who have recently separated. Gonzalo comes to Marta’s apartment and fiercely accuses her of stealing his dog, Nunca, and asks her to come back to him. However, Marta refuses. She tells him she brought Nunca to the pound and must get there by 8 p.m. to save her from death. She tries to leave, but Gonzalo blocks the door and tells her that Nunca will die because of her. Then, Gonzalo leaves a visibly distraught Marta. After he leaves, Marta opens up a box, which reveals Nunca is still alive and that Marta was playing games with Gonzalo.“This play shows that things aren’t always how they appear to be,” “Personal Receipt” director Cara Kinnally said.The next play “El Censo (The Census)” by Emilio Carballido was directed by Kyle Lowe.“The play takes place in a small neighborhood outside of Mexico City in 1945,” Lowe said.He said that the play focuses on games people play in constructing their identities and the problems that arise when we mistake others identities.In the play, a census taker comes to a sewing shop to collect information. The drama occurs when the seamstresses’ mistake him as being part of the Mexican equivalent of the U.S. Internal Revenue Services. They attempt to bribe him, but in the end both parties help each other out in spite of their confusion.Lope de Rueda’s “Las Aceitunas (The Olives)” tells the story of humorous tale of the problems that occur when people attempt to sow their crops before they have been grown. The father comes home from planting olives trees and the family begins to discuss the great olive harvest they will have in six or seven years.They argue amongst each other about the prospects of the crop until a neighbor comes and offers to purchase the olives to end the argument. The family then tells the neighbor the olives have merely been planted and do not even exist and the play ends.The final play, “Una Mariposa Blanca (A White Butterfly)” written by Gabriela Roepke decribes an elderly lady who enters a lost and found in search of “un recudero,” which could mean either a memory or a memento.“The characters are forced to explore past memories and confusion ensues,” co-director Emily Patterson said.The play deals with characters reflection on the past and illustrates the growth that one elderly woman can cause in a group of individuals. At the end of the play, a white butterfly appears and serves as a metaphor for past memories.“The plays explore games (juegos) we play in our daily life,” VIDA founder and president Marda Rose said.
(11/12/09 12:21am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>People succumb to literary stereotypes on a daily basis. Men are portrayed as cringing at the very thought of reading about family, love and marriage, while women are seen as fainting at the very sight of blood and gore in war and action novels. However, professors and students agree that stereotypes in all literary mediums don’t fit the realities of society.“Literary stereotypes always reflect their cultural and literary moment in history,” English professor Scott Herring said. “In some instances, they may even help confine their literature and moment.”Literary stereotypes transcend time and space. Even when watching the Food Network, Herring said the media portrays women and men as existing in different spaces. We see women like Paula Deen and Rachael Ray in a kitchen setting, he said, while male chefs journey around the world with exotic cuisines.Herring said there are many examples of literary stereotypes that have remained statically present throughout American literature. For example, beginning in the 19th century and continuing into the present day, the stereotype of the female African American “mammy” figure has been used in various literary mediums to confirm stereotypes.“Mammy is supportive to a white family, desexualized, and serves as a mother figure,” Herring said. “You can also apply this up to the present day and see it in the upcoming film ‘Precious’ and throughout cable TV.”The development of one-dimensional characters like Mammy creates a tension between reality and works like “Gone With the Wind,” which preserves in time something that never truly existed. They feed into other literary stereotypes and create divisions within the story and consumers of literary mediums. Gender and class determine, for some, the books, TV shows and movies they choose to consume. “I think there is an overlap,” sophomore Jacob Walker said. “You are not going to find as many women into books with blood and gore, but it’s not that cut and dry.”He said that he reads more male authors because they are more accessible to him, but that men and women’s taste in reading varies from person to person.Most readers do not exist in a vacuum, and as such they have the power to exist outside these stereotypes. Some genres overlap, while concepts like “chick lit” and “man cave” clearly focus on one gender for the sake of advertisement.“Chick lit is clearly not meant for men to read it. It exploits the system,” said Michael Adams, the director of undergraduate studies for the English department. “They are definitely trying to appeal to the female demographic. They match up ads to the demographic to make money from a gendered position.”He said these popular culture divisions between what women and men “should” like leads to the development of the term “guilty pleasure.”“It is our social attitude that creates guilty pleasure,” Adams said.“To be conditioned into a gender convention is largely a conscious and unconscious process,” Herring said.He said that parents, schools, churches and a variety of media sources enable this phenomenon.“We are bombarded with images of what it is to be a ‘normal’ male or female,” Herring said. “It becomes the air that you breathe.”Though these gender stereotypes might exist in popular realms of culture, Adams believes the deeper and more real division lies between reading classical or popular literature for pleasure.“Canonical literature transcends those notions and appeals to readers able to look over these conceptions,” he said. “They don’t mean to sell things to women.”He said he believes that people that choose to be confined to literary stereotypes do so because they want to be passively entertained. One’s entire outlook can be defined by the way they choose to engage with society.“If you want to stay in a box and you don’t want to get out of your box, then you don’t have to read books from outside the box,” Adams said. “They are going into the reading with the presumption that ‘Fight Club’ is more appealing to men than ‘Pride and Prejudice.’”
(11/11/09 5:39am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>For junior Nicholas Bielinski, president of the IU Student Veterans Association, and other veteran students at IU, Veteran’s Day is a day of reflection.Bielinski served in the Air Force from 2004 to 2008. During his time of service, he received an intelligence diploma and intercepted communication in the Middle East for his entire career.“I signed up for two main reasons,” he said. “I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my life, and I knew that, financially, serving would help me prepare for the future. ... I would best describe the military as – it was real and it was fun, but it wasn’t real fun,” Bielinski said.For senior Brian Binkley, who served in the Indiana Army National Guard, Veteran’s Day is not about self-reflection but instead about remembering others. “I think about the people still over there right now, still serving,” he said.He encourages others to think about those still serving as well. “If you see someone you know is in the military, give them a courtesy call,” he said. “Say ‘Hey, I appreciate what you did.’”He described his experience with the military as “intense.” Binkley was in basic training on Sept. 11, 2001, and was sent to Afghanistan in 2004 and to Iraq last year. “I’ve been kind of in and out of Indiana for years,” he said.During his time in the Hoosier state, Binkley has been attending IU, but he has been working toward a bachelor’s degree for nine years. “I’ve stuck with it,” he said. Bielinski, who returned in 2008, has also been working hard as a student to get an education and began working with other veterans in the IU Student Veterans Association.“I feel we can really make an impact at IU and in the Bloomington community,” Bielinski said.He said the organization was founded in 2005, but it wasn’t until this year that it began to be an active part of campus.“Starting out, it was very complicated to get student veterans to come out of their shell,” Bielinski said. “This organization helps them transfer into their student role with other veterans by providing camaraderie.”Binkley agrees with Bielinski, saying IU has a great veteran’s program. “I really like the fact that we are helping veterans get integrated at IU after service,” he said. This year, Bielinski said the IU Student Veterans Association has been busy working with the community to promote education and awareness about the military and veterans. The organization is having events this week to discuss Veteran’s Day and its significance for all Americans.On Tuesday, the organization had the first-annual Veteran’s Cup in the Indiana Memorial Union Alumni Hall. Today, they will be putting on an all-day veteran’s spirit event outside of Ballantine Hall.He said all students have to do is pass by, say what organization they are from and wear something that shows spirit for veterans of any branch. The organizations will then be tallied up to see who has the most veteran spirit.Bielinski’s work in the organization has helped him grow in many ways, and he said being involved allows him to incorporate past identity in the Air Force with his current identity as a student.“It lets me have a little more appreciation for the freedom I have now, and not just in a patriotic way,” he said. “It allows me to do what I want when I want to and take responsibility for my actions.”Bielinski said being a part of the Air Force taught him responsibility and leadership, and that it has molded him as a person and helped to make him who he is today.“Even though I have separated myself from the Air Force, I will always be a part of it,” he said.- Indiana Daily Student editor Lindsey Erdody contributed to this story.
(11/11/09 5:08am)
From plays to after-school programs, the John Waldron Arts Center
provides a venue for community art education and for local artists to
exhibit their work.
(11/06/09 5:01am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Graduate student Fileve Palmer said though her parents always talked about their diverse backgrounds with her, she still struggled to find a way to relay her identity to others. She struggled throughout her life to retain her African-American identity, while society viewed her as Puerto Rican. “I have always been dealing with this,” Palmer said. “I always was familiar with what I was.“She was part of a group of panelists who spoke Thursday on “Race and Ethnic Classification: Can Identity be Negotiated?” the final installment of the Choices of Color Series. The panel began with questions about how each of the participants acquired their own sense of identity while growing up in a multi-racial household.Joseph Stahlman, interim director of the First Nations Educational and Cultural Center, served as moderator. He said his life has been a struggle preserving his Native American heritage because people would often simply see him as white.“For a long time in my life, I assumed that I was who I wanted to be,” he said. “I didn’t take into account how others saw me.”Lillian Casillas, director of La Casa Latino Cultural Center, had issues with class identity and racial identity.“I was born and grew up in Mexico. The issue there is more classism,” Casillas said. “For me, it was a very conscious issue of being poor, but then I came to the United States and it was the race issue that was important.”She said this issue of dealing with classism as a child has carried into her life, even now.“I thought I left it behind somewhere, but it came back,” Casillas said. “Identity is very fluid; it evolves.”Kevin Brown, the director emeritus of Hudson & Holland Scholars Program, spoke to the group about changes in the census and application forms for schools.These changes will involve choosing between Hispanic or non-Hispanic and then between being classified as white, black, Asian, Pacific-Hawaiian Islander or Native American.“For the first time in history, people were allowed to check more than one box on the 2000 census,” Brown said.He said now people can be in more than one group.“This will generate information we have never had before,” Brown said. “The effect of this is pretty clear, substantial and significant. We will see Hispanic and multiracial numbers grow exponentially.” This new system of classifying U.S. citizens will change the way students receive aid and how statistics are done.“Every college will be dealing with these issues,” Brown said. “This is effectively redefining racial categories.”The panel discussed the issues of this new system and how these changes will effect individual’s perception of race in the U.S. “I don’t believe in race,” Stahlman said. “But, because people believe in it, it is real, and we have to deal with the way it affects us all.”
(11/05/09 4:12am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Indiana’s largest data center, a $32.7 million facility that will serve as a safe house for IU’s computer processing and data storage equipment, will be dedicated today. IU President Michael McRobbie will formally dedicate the center at 3:30 p.m. today in a ceremony at 10th Street and the Indiana 45/46 Bypass. Preceding the event will be a reception and tours of the new facility.“It will help students, especially graduate students because it will house current and future super computers which will help with research,” IU spokesman Larry MacIntyre said.The new facility will support increased research and enhanced administration and teaching on all of IU’s campuses. The center houses critical networking, storage and computing equipment that will serve all IU campuses through I-Light, a high-speed fiber optic network.“It will provide a more stable and scalable environment for the research to occur in,” said Dennis Groth, associate dean for undergraduate studies for the School of Informatics and Computing.The center also protects mission-critical information technology systems for safer storage of past and present academic degrees, course records and financial information.FutureGrid, the $15 million project funded primarily by the National Science Foundation, is the first of many valuable projects to emerge from the research, knowledge and innovation the center will offer to all of IU’s campuses. New supercomputers will also be housed at the center to help with this project.“Having this facility allows us to compete for research grants we could not achieve without it,” said Dennis Cromwell, IU associate vice president for enterprise infrastructure. “We could not have won this award without this facility.”The Data Center will also directly benefit Indiana residents by providing back-up data space for the state, while helping the state to save money and reduce errors in the transmission of messages.“Not only are we supporting and employing very important people on these discoveries, they are also becoming a part of the capital of the state,” Cromwell said. “The center is establishing an anchor of technology for all of IU’s campuses.”The building is the largest data center among Indiana’s higher education institutions at 82,700 square feet, which includes three 11,000-square foot rooms for computer equipment and 2.8 petabytes – 2.8 million gigabytes – of information. It is also made of concrete and bunkered so that it will be able to withstand power outages, floods or tornadoes.The Data Center will also directly benefit Indiana residents by providing backup network connectivity and data space for the state, which will help save money and provide critical redundancy.The IU Data Center, along with the IU Innovation Center and the forthcoming Cyber Infrastructure Facility, will form the basis of IU’s upcoming technology park in Bloomington. “Establishing the data center is a critical step for the campus in providing an infrastructure to support the computing and computing resources of the campus,” Groth said.
(11/04/09 4:56am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Sandy Froman went from a life without guns to president of the National Rifle Association. The attorney and former NRA president discussed on Tuesday the implications and future of the Second Amendment. She shared personal sentiments and her take on past and current gun control cases with law students.Froman’s talk, “Guns Under Fire: What do the Chicago Gun Case and Heller v. D.C. Mean for Your Civil Right to Bear Arms?” provided a forum for students to hear her opinion and discuss the politics of the Second Amendment.“I grew up in a milk-toast kind of household – nothing bad ever happened,” San Francisco native Froman said. “Crime never touched me.”She became involved in work with Second Amendment rights when a man tried to break into her home.“That night made a believer out of me,” she said. “The next morning, I looked in the phone book, and I went to a gun store. I was there before they even opened.”Though Froman doesn’t come from the usual background for gun advocacy, she is a strong proponent for upholding the Second Amendment.She began her talk by discussing previous law cases precedence on the amendment. She discussed District of Columbia v. Heller and other pertinent cases.The Heller case asked whether sections of Washington’s code violated an individual’s right to keep and bear arms without being in the state militia, Froman said. The court affirmed that individuals have the right to bear arms and deemed the Washington ban unconstitutional. She then discussed the three schools of thought that developed as a result of differing opinions on gun presence in American society: collective, individual and sophisticated collective rights theory.Collective rights theorists appeared in the 1990s and believe guns should be used only for militia. Individual rights advocates think everyone has the right to bear arms for their protection. Sophisticated or expanded collective rights activists believe those preparing for service in the militia can have firearms.“The Miller case was so opaque that all views cited Miller as reason for their theory,” Froman said.The main focus of the talk was on the current case of McDonald v. Chicago. The case will be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court in February 2010 and will decide if the right to bear arms will become a federal issue instead of a state issue.“When things are this widespread, it begins to affect a change on the culture,” Froman said. “It’s really important that we all know what our Constitutional rights mean according to these tools.”After her talk, Froman fielded questions from law students on a wide range of Second Amendment-related concepts and her role in bringing discussion of the Second Amendment to the forefront during the U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor confirmation hearings.“I found it interesting and insightful,” senior Rhonda Betz said. “She brought up a lot of good points, especially that a gun is a tool, not something to be afraid of.”
(11/04/09 4:47am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>From mudslides to empowerment ceremonies, Camp Kesem provides a forum for counselors and campers to have fun and talk candidly about cancer.This year, the camp is looking forward to its fifth year with the capacity of 100 campers. The camp has a two-to-one ratio of counselors to campers. Therefore, it is looking for 50 IU students to volunteers.Camp Kesem provides a camp for kids ages 6 through 16 whose parents have or had cancer.“We all chose nicknames from home or new ones that fit our personalities,” said junior Nancy “Pants” Coner, who works for marketing and public relations. “I got my name because people called me Nancy Pants at home, and I didn’t want to use my name.”The week-long camp occurs every year during the first week of August at Happy Hollow Children’s Camp.“It is seriously the most fun week of the year,” said senior Alexandra “Sweetums” Pavkovich, student support chairwoman. “It is just an escape for their lives and helps them remember that they are kids.”Senior Elizabeth “Spoon” Albert, Indiana Project co-chair for the camp, said she has been a volunteer since freshman year. She said after her mother lost her fight against cancer, she didn’t know what to do, but then she heard about the camp from a friend.“It really helped with me,” she said. “I am incredibly grateful. I don’t know what I would have done without Camp Kesem.”The camp’s aim is to provide a group therapy among peers.“I remember one year it had rained a lot, and we thought we were going to have to stay indoors, but we ended up going outside and creating a mudslide,” Albert said. “At the end of the camp, many kids said that was the highlight of camp.”There are also opportunities for campers to share their personal stories of family members with cancer.“One of my favorite memories from camp was during an empowerment ceremony,” Albert said. “About 20 kids stood up and told their story, and then they all comforted each other. It was very therapeutic.”
(11/04/09 3:56am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A year ago, Barack Obama was elected President of the United States. He ran his campaign on the promise of change, and since then, the slogan has followed many different facets of American popular culture, including the arts realm.“We have to look back to how Obama addressed the arts in the presidential race,” said PR and Marketing Coordinator for Americans for the Arts Liz Bartolomeo. Americans for the Arts is a nonprofit arts organization that works to create opportunities across the nation to allow all Americans to view and participate in various art mediums.She said the president vocalized his support for the arts early in the primary elections. He then expressed his support for ArtsVote initiative by issuing a comprehensive arts policy proposal.Bartolomeo said Obama incorporated the arts into the very fabric of his campaign and has continued to do so during his presidency.“He was the first president to have an arts person on his transition team,” she said. “Even within the wings of the White House, there is art recognizing American artists.”On Thursday, the Interior Appropriations Bill passed in both the House and Senate. This bill will provide $167.5 million, the highest level of funding in 16 years, in funding for the 2010 fiscal year to both the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. The Smithsonian Institution has been allocated $761.4 million for the coming year to cover basic operational costs, digitalizing the collections and renovating the Arts and Industries Building. The bill provides $167 million for The National Gallery of Art. The President is expected to sign the bill into law within the week.“There was a fight for the $50 million for the arts,” Bartolomeo said of the additional funding for the arts that was part of a federal stimulus package in 2009.She said that Americans for the Arts were very pleased that Congress went
above what even the president had recommended in his projected budget.“We are very grateful to members of Congress for the 8
percent increase in funding,” said Victoria Hutter, director of communications
at the National Endowment for the Arts.“We are a grant-making agency, so that’s what the funds will
be used for,” she said.The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency
of the federal government and the largest provider of funds to the arts across
the nation annually.
(10/30/09 3:56am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Halloween spirit filled the IU Auditorium on Thursday when alumnus Dennis James performed his original theater pipe organ composition to Alfred Hitchcock’s silent film “Blackmail.”Upon entering the auditorium, students and Bloomington residents were met with a wide array of costumes worn by both auditorium staff and the audience.People of all ages dressed in their finest Halloween costumes, which ranged from the three blind mice to vampires.“We decided to be nerdy Siamese twins,” said Sarah Young, Tri-North Middle School eighth-grade student.She and her best friend and classmate Bailey Catt purchased their plaid green and black dress and sweater at Goodwill. Their costume centered around their alter egos, Stacy and Francesca.“We have been coming every year since he has been back,” Catt said. “I really like seeing the different shows he does each year.”Young said that since her father is a pipe organ professor at IU, she looked forward to hearing the organ. Though she does not play the organ like her father, she said she still enjoys listening to him and others play.B97’s radio host Brandon announced the station’s costume contest before the show. Twenty people competed for the coveted titles of scariest, most creative and best costume. The winners of each were Mr. Skull Man, the Siamese Twins and Link, respectively. The crowd cheered enthusiastically cheered for James as he came out in a flurry of smoke decked out in a costume complete with a gray mask and black cape. He educated the audience on the history of the film and the beginning of “talkie” films.Each year, James performs at IU and composes an original score for a different silent film.“It’s the 40th anniversary of the show,” James said. “I first started in 1969 as a sophomore prank.”The plot centers around a woman named Alice White who flirts with an artist in front of her police officer boyfriend Frank Webber, which then leads to the artist’s fatality.The film contains many of the same motifs common in most of Hitchcock’s movies: a director cameo, a chase near a famous landmark, a murder, a policeman, a blond bombshell and suspense.Critics deemed “Blackmail” as the first all-talkie film, though it was also released as a silent film.As James began to play, the auditorium shook from the power of the massive organ. From then on, the audience watched anxiously as the drama of the film began to unfold.Sophomore and usher Ronald AngSiy said he hadn’t seen the performance before and decided to attend because James provides an opportunity for unique entertainment.“Nowadays, you don’t see many silent films,” he said. “It’s a dying breed.”
(10/29/09 4:06am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>From a suspense film to a costume contest, Dennis James plans on giving Bloomington an early Halloween.“There is no better way to celebrate Halloween than with Dennis James,” IU Auditorium Director Doug Booher said. “It is one of IU’s most fun traditions.”He said James will be playing the organ to Alfred Hitchcock’s 1929 thriller film “Blackmail.” The film is an adaptation of Charles Bennett’s play of the same name. "Dennis James Hosts Halloween" will be 8 p.m. today at the IU Auditorium. Tickets are $7 to $15 for students and $13 to $18 for the general public.The film plot centers around a woman named Alice White who flirts with an artist in front of her police officer boyfriend Frank Webber, which then leads to fatality.The film contains many of the same motifs common in most of Hitchcock’s movies: a director cameo, a chase near a famous landmark, a murder, a policeman, a blond bombshell and suspense. Critics deemed “Blackmail” as the first all-talkie film, though it was also released as a silent film. James has created an organ score for the silent film, which will be showing as he performs his original music.“His music provides such a great backdrop,” Booher said. “The performance will be a great time to be with friends and family celebrating Halloween.”James was an IU music student in the 1960s and has since gone on to play theater pipe organs around the world.“I saw him when I was an undergraduate student at IU,” said professor Janette Fishell, chairwoman of the Jacobs School of Music organ department. “It was the first time I had ever seen anyone accompany a silent film.”She said James really impressed her.“When you see him perform he becomes one with the instruments, it becomes a part of him,” Fishell said. “He really accesses the color of the instrument.”Local radio station B97 will be sponsoring a costume contest prior to the event in the categories of “Best Overall Costume,” “Scariest Costume” and “Most Creative Costume,” and the station would like to see homemade costumes.“As people begin to trickle in, we will try to shuffle everyone who wants to participate in an area and pick the top two or three and bring them on stage for the audience to decide the winner,” said Libby Hiple, B97’s broadcast marketing specialist. “We are looking for creativity.”There will also be a wide range of prizes for the winners.“We have an electric scooter and coupons from Blockbuster Video, food gift certificates from Applebee’s and T.G.I. Friday’s and even Indianapolis Zoo passes,” Hiple said. “We have something for everyone.”
(10/29/09 3:55am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU students might have the chance to venture to Siberia soon.A new grant could facilitate a partnership between the IU School of Public and Environmental Affairs and both Russia’s Tyumen State University and Tyumen State Agricultural Academy. The partnership would allow IU students opportunities to study in Russia and conduct environmental research there. “This program would provide IU students the opportunity to work with Russian students on environmental studies,” SPEA associate professor Vicky Meretsky said.Professors from both universities are currently working to finalize a program that would send IU students to TSU to study environmental issues, as well as Russian language and culture. The U.S. Department of Education Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education provided a $400,000 grant for this project.The proposed program would begin during the second summer session in 2010 and occur for a three-year series.Meretsky said that Tyumen is located in western Siberia, and the terrain consists of a combination of steppes and forests. The area contains lots of forestry and agriculture, as well as oil and gas exploration sites.“It will allow students to see large-scale environmental problems and solutions,” Meretsky said. “There is pollution from oil, efforts to clean up the oil, forestry, ecology and lots of history and culture.”She said the SPEA program hopes that this partnership will help broaden the environmental horizons of IU students.Meretsky said the program is expected to be finalized within the next four to eight weeks. “The intent is to create a glossary of environmental science terms in Russian and English,” Meretsky said. The proposed project would include seven aspects for IU students, according to an IU press release. Meretsky would teach a four-week second summer session course on Global Environmental Problems and Solutions at IU, where students would use distance-learning technology to communicate with Russian students prior to the trip. Ten grant-sponsored students would spend two weeks gaining field experience in Tyumen exploring environmental, industrial and cultural sites. There would also be a survival or advanced Russian course through “intelligent computer-assistated language learning,” which would be offered to students depending on their knowledge of the Russian language. The focus of ICALL would be about environmental science and research terms. SPEA would offer IU students an academic certificate in international environmental science. They would also provide opportunities for IU environmental scientists to collaborate on research projects in this area and travel to Russia. There would also be funding for travel to the Tyumen region available to IU students.
(10/26/09 2:38am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Local musician Jenn Cristy brought people of all ages together for a night of exceptional sounds and nostalgic memories.Cristy released her new CD, “Hotel Confessions,” on Friday at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater. The show highlighted her first release since being signed last year to a new distribution deal, Gracie Productions, an affiliate of major-label corporation, EMI, that marked a change in her sound last November.“I am absolutely tickled to be here,” said singer Chad Mills, who performed with his band as an opening act. “I learned from a very young age to love the cream and crimson.”The concert began with Mills and his band. He played for about an hour, singing about a wide array of issues from homelessness to growing up. His songs centered on ideas of nostalgia, Hoosier values and returning home to Indiana. Cristy provided piano for the final song in his set before addressing the audience with her own history as a local artist.“This has been three years in the making,” Cristy said. She said that making the album was like preparing for a wedding.Cristy began with the song “Tiny Windows,” which incorporated soul and pop while allowing her to utilize her classical piano skills. Her set included a mix of songs from all three of her albums. Each song incorporated her three core elements: voice, piano and backing band.She had a band composed of 10 people behind her that helped add to the dimension of her sound. Between songs, Cristy would lead improvisational sessions where the band members played off each others’ beats.Prior to playing her song “Mr. Beautiful Brown Eyes,” she announced that her new CD’s name was an allusion to the song’s lyrics.“It sounds dirty, and I like it,” she said about the title.She then invited the audience to dance to the music in front of the stage. Later in the show, a young boy named Dylan came onto the stage at Cristy’s suggestion and danced for the crowd, who chanted for him.She filled the theater with lyrics that seemed to resonate with the audience as they swayed to the beat of “1,000 Broken Hearts” from her new CD.“The idea behind the song is that I would deal with 1,000 broken hearts for love,” she said to the crowd.Cristy received a standing ovation at the end of her performance. After a few minutes of clapping, Christy came out for an encore performance.“I always wanted to play at Carnegie Hall, so I guess I will close this chapter in my life and play some classical music for you all,” she said.After playing on the piano, she decided to finish her encore by rocking out with the band. Audience member Mandee Combs traveled from Terre Haute, Ind., to see Cristy’s release show. Combs said she has been a fan of Cristy’s from the beginning and is also friends with Dave Dwinell, who is the drummer in the band.“They rocked,” Combs said. “Their music just flows. They sounded incredible.”
(10/26/09 2:03am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>From non-proliferation to education, India and the United States have a dynamic and historical friendship, Ambassador Arun K. Singh said.In a talk Friday sponsored by the India Studies Program, Singh, the deputy chief of mission at the Embassy of India to the U.S. in Washington, spoke about the relationship between India and the United States. Singh, former ambassador of India to Israel from 2005 to 2008, discussed the topic, “India and the U.S.: The Challenges of Partnership.”Sumit Ganguly, director of the IU India Studies Institute, said he invited Singh to speak so IU students and the Bloomington community could learn more about U.S. relations with India.Throughout history, government officials have agreed that India and the U.S. should be natural allies, even though they have had problems with each other, Singh said.Singh’s talk centered around seven pertinent issues in U.S.-Indian relations: nuclear non-proliferation, climate change, terrorism, trade and investment, cooperation in the energy sector, defense and education.Nuclear non-proliferationNon-proliferation is the call for nations to stop acquiring nuclear weapons. India has argued for global disarmament but would not sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Singh said. India didn’t want to divide the world between those who had nuclear weapons and those who didn’t, Singh said. He also said some countries who signed it don’t follow it anyway.Until the Indo-U.S. Civilian Nuclear Agreement, the U.S. and India fought with one another about the nuclear issue – the U.S. wanted to stop more countries from getting nuclear weapons. The agreement outlines U.S. and Indian nuclear cooperation. Singh said an exception was made for one country, India, in terms of allowing nuclear facilities.Education“Ninety-five thousand Indian students attend university in the U.S.,” Singh said. “India spends $3 billion a year in U.S. education.”As a result, India is looking to partner with U.S. universities in order to collaborate a new type of curriculum for Indian and U.S. students. Attendees asked whether the Indian Studies Program will be involved, and Singh said that Indian officials will be meeting with universities soon to figure out the details.InfrastructureWhen asked what impact the highway system will have on India, Singh responded that there may be problems with land acquisition, but that it would help transport goods more easily.“There is also concern that the highway might cause spread of HIV from city to city,” said Maina Chawla Singh, Arun Singh’s wife.Graduate student Manjeet Pardesi asked Singh if the government is making investments in the agricultural sector.“Much more needs to be done,” he said. “The challenge is to increase productivity and prevent post-harvest losses.”He said that since Walmart was instituted in India, the Indian government has been working with them to solve agricultural problems.“The basic approach is that we need to build on the positive elements,” Singh said.
(10/26/09 1:48am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Nearly 20 Bloomington children and their parents journeyed to Borders on Saturday for some pre-Halloween fun. The event was led by graduate student and Borders employee Jenn Brassil.She said the store works to organize many events for their patrons throughout the year. “We have the Spooktacular Halloween celebration every year,” she said. Borders tries to let customers know about the event by telling people in the store and sending out e-mails.Shawna Roberts, one of the mothers in attendance, said she heard about the event through e-mail and decided to bring her 4-year-old daughter Paige to the event.“Her favorite place is the bookstore,” Roberts said. “We usually choose three books: a picture book, a story book and then she chooses one.”The children came in costumes that ranged from zombies to princesses. Paige dressed as an emperor penguin and even showed off her penguin-like waddle.The event began with Brassil reading a story in which the children were characters in the story while she created sound effects. The children also played a memory game. They stood in a circle and named off things they could get when they go trick-or-treating. The trick was that they started with A and went to Z and each child would not only have to add a new treat, but also remember the previous treats of the other children. The children then lined up and paraded through the store. Each child led the parade for 10 steps around the store. The last event of the day was storytelling and coloring. The kids colored pumpkins, haunted houses and Frankenstein, while Brassil read “The Little Old Lady Who Wasn’t Afraid of Anything,” “Runaway Mummy” and “Boris and Bella.” The books all told fun Halloween stories with lively illustrations. “I like the books,” Paige said.Her favorite Halloween book from the event was “Runaway Mummy.” “Borders’ mission is to provide a center of knowledge and entertainment,” Brassil said.
(10/25/09 9:55pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Nearly 20 Bloomington children and their parents journeyed to Borders on Saturday for some pre-Halloween fun.The event was led by graduate student Jenn Brassil.Brassil has worked for Borders for four and a half years.She said that the store works to organize many events for their patrons throughout the year.“We have the Spooktacular Halloween celebration every year,” she said.They try to let customers know about the event by telling people in the store and sending out e-mails.Shawna Roberts, one of the mothers at the event, said that she heard about the event through e-mail. She brought her 4-year-old daughter Paige to the event.“Her favorite place is the bookstore,” Roberts said. “We usually choose three books: a picture book, a story book and then she chooses one.”For the full story check out Monday’s IDS.
(10/22/09 4:38am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A panel about “Race in the Age of Obama” said people, not pundits, have to take back control of the conversation on race. About 100 people gathered in the Whittenberger Auditorium on Wednesday to discuss race and its role in the country.The event began with Shameka Neely, WTIU senior reporter and producer, showing the “Witnesses to History” documentary. The film consisted of reflections from a wide variety of scholars and students on the significance of the 2008 presidential election.After the documentary, the discussion of race began.“Racism did not end November 5th,” said Beverly Calendar-Anderson, director of the Bloomington Safe and Civil City Program. “Barack Obama’s election has created a landscape where we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.”She also said that by watching media sources such as FOX News, Americans are buying into the idea of racism. The panelists agreed that race remains a problem for people worldwide.“Barack Obama’s election marks the beginning of a conversation of race,” said John Nieto-Phillips, associate professor of history and Latino studies. “It brings the promise of inclusion in the conversations about race.”He said that Latinos have finally been injected into the race conversation and that only through discussion can we make positive steps towards better race relations.“The stakes for marking and defining race are higher now,” said Khalil Muhammad, assistant professor of history. He said that we need to discuss how race matters rather than if race is an issue.The event, which was organized by WTIU, featured a panel including Muhammad, Nieto-Phillips, Calendar-Anderson, Bill Shipton, director for student programs and services, and Rashawn Ray, Ph.D. candidate in sociology.Over the course of the discussion, panelists talked about race’s role in our country’s past, present and future. Though they said unanimously that race still plays a role in everyday life, they were optimistic about the future.“There is a difference between race and racism,” Calendar-Anderson said. She said that her race is a part of who she is but should not hold her back from opportunities and fair treatment.“I think what is important is what happens from here on out,” said Shipton. He said that he hopes people will not fall asleep and become immune to race and that it is important that all groups continue to discuss it.The event ended with Eric Love, director of the Office of Diversity Education, making closing statements and leading the group in a diversity pledge. Audience members pledged to address racism and speak out against injustice to make the community a better place. Love said that we must remain engaged in the political process.“Don’t let pundits set the tone of our discussions,” he said.
(10/22/09 4:36am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A panel about “Race in the Age of Obama” said people, not pundits, have to take back control of the conversation on race. About 100 people gathered in the Whittenberger Auditorium on Wednesday to discuss race and its role in the country.The event began with Shameka Neely, WTIU senior reporter and producer, showing the “Witnesses to History” documentary. The film consisted of reflections from a wide variety of scholars and students on the significance of the 2008 presidential election.After the documentary, the discussion of race began.“Racism did not end November 5th,” said Beverly Calendar-Anderson, director of the Bloomington Safe and Civil City Program. “Barack Obama’s election has created a landscape where we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.”She also said that by watching media sources such as FOX News, Americans are buying into the idea of racism. The panelists agreed that race remains a problem for people worldwide.“Barack Obama’s election marks the beginning of a conversation of race,” said John Nieto-Phillips, associate professor of history and Latino studies. “It brings the promise of inclusion in the conversations about race.”He said that Latinos have finally been injected into the race conversation and that only through discussion can we make positive steps towards better race relations.“The stakes for marking and defining race are higher now,” said Khalil Muhammad, assistant professor of history. He said that we need to discuss how race matters rather than if race is an issue.The event, which was organized by WTIU, featured a panel including Muhammad, Nieto-Phillips, Calendar-Anderson, Bill Shipton, director for student programs and services, and Rashawn Ray, Ph.D. candidate in sociology.Over the course of the discussion, panelists talked about race’s role in our country’s past, present and future. Though they said unanimously that race still plays a role in everyday life, they were optimistic about the future.“There is a difference between race and racism,” Calendar-Anderson said. She said that her race is a part of who she is but should not hold her back from opportunities and fair treatment.“I think what is important is what happens from here on out,” said Shipton. He said that he hopes people will not fall asleep and become immune to race and that it is important that all groups continue to discuss it.The event ended with Eric Love, director of the Office of Diversity Education, making closing statements and leading the group in a diversity pledge. Audience members pledged to address racism and speak out against injustice to make the community a better place. Love said that we must remain engaged in the political process.“Don’t let pundits set the tone of our discussions,” he said.