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(01/13/11 12:39am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A new year means new resolutions, which are usually designed to expand a person outside his or her comfort zone. For some, like the columnist you’re currently reading, that is beginning an exercise plan that doesn’t include lifting a brownie to her mouth.But for everyone else, I recommend a different resolution: expand your food.I’m not saying go radical, like becoming a vegetarian when you’ve grown up eating venison for breakfast, lunch and supper. But adding a new ingredient every week could make you realize that you have more options than Ramen or macaroni and cheese.Like most college students, I tend to cook a lot of pasta. It’s cheap and easy, and when I’ve come home from a day of classes, the last thing I want is a meal that forces me to wait an hour for a chicken to roast.But this past year I expanded the variety of food I ate. I tried couscous and added that to my palate. I even got so health-crazed that I ate granola, yogurt and fruit as breakfast for three months straight.It’s easy to get stuck in a food rut, but cooking new cuisine is more than just buying a vegetable product that isn’t ketchup. When I make a new dish, I get excited. I have no idea if what I made turned out well, or at least edible. But that first moment when I stick my fork in, take a sample and nervously taste whatever I’ve cooked, that’s where the excitement kicks in. Or as I like to think of it, the Emeril moment.Just a warning though: When you start experimenting with food, there are going to be screw ups. Sometimes you will make a cake that your boyfriend’s roommates refer to as fudge — and not in a good way. Sometimes you’ll learn that some directions should be followed — and others ignored. Sometimes you’ll learn that you will never bake a chicken without drying it out.But the reason we’re at IU is to learn. Or at least that’s the reason we pay tuition. And even though none of you will be graded on your ability to craft a three-course meal upon graduation, living on $20,000 is much more pleasant if you have a stock of solid recipes to cook. I didn’t cook until I moved into my own apartment, and the progress that I’ve made from that first dry, bland-as-paper chicken would’ve been unbelievable three years ago.So please, next time you’re at Kroger, wander off into a new aisle, look at some ingredients you’ve always been curious about, examine the beautiful raspberry color of a radish and walk away because radishes are disgusting.But seriously, I recommend to all of you to commit to becoming better cooks this year, if not for yourselves, then for someone else. Ladies, the saying that the fastest way to a man’s heart is through his stomach is true. And men, when the ladies aren’t there, who’s going to feed you?So this year, if you learn one thing, learn to feed yourself. RECIPE OF THE WEEK: To start everyone off slow, I picked one of the few two-ingredient recipes I know: barbecue chicken. Ingredients:* BBQ sauce* Chicken (I prefer breasts, but thighs and wings are also good)Directions:1. Preheat to 350 degrees2. Defrost chicken3. Spread an ample amount of barbecue sauce on chicken4. Put chicken in oven; how long you cook depends on your oven and what kind of chicken. Just make sure to check up on it every five minutes after it’s been in there after 10 minutes5. Remove chicken from oven6. Pour more barbecue sauce over chicken, if desired7. Eat8. Be jealous of me for being from Memphis, home of the world’s best barbecue
(12/02/10 1:10am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Mother Bear’s has now been named Best Pizza for the sixth year in a row as part of the 10th edition of Best of Bloomington. But this year the iconic local eatery was also voted Best Restaurant for the first time. Owner Ray McConn said he agrees with being named Best Pizza but was shocked to find out they had won Best Restaurant. “I’m really amazed that we won,” he said. McConn started Mother Bear’s in 1973, but it was only in the past decade that the restaurant has expanded to its current occupancy of about 130 customers. Kitchen manager Mark Hajduk said the restaurant used to close at 10 p.m., but now it does the same amount of business in one hour of work on a Friday night that it used to do in an entire Friday. He credits the expansion to more recognition from people. “It’s taken us this long to reach that level,” Hajduk said. Their recognition for Best Restaurant might also have something to do with the reasonable prices. McConn said out of the half dozen or so restaurants that also deserved the award, Mother Bear’s is “the most affordable.” While Mother Bear’s is popular with pre-gaming students, McConn said the restaurant is open to everyone. “Good food and good service doesn’t need a generational label,” he said. The Mother Bear’s specials are another factor for the popularity among college students, as students cannot typically afford the more high-end restaurants in town. But they offer more than just good pizza. For people looking for traditional restaurant food, there’s ravioli, lasagna, spaghetti and chicken parmesan. Their selection of subs and wings are also popular. But it’s the pizza that draws the customers. “They’re amazed at how good it is and how consistently good it is,” McConn said.
(12/02/10 1:03am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It’s housed in the same building as Bloomington staples such as Soma and Laughing Planet, and now Cactus Flower, the hip vintage clothing boutique, has finally made a name for itself. The 34-year-old store was voted Best Local Shop, the first time it has won any category in the Best of Bloomington issue. Why the sudden jump? “It’s taken a long time for people to know about us and what we have,” weekend manager and buyer Sara Baldwin said. “It’s really grown to be more student-friendly with a wider range.” The store’s wares include polka dot and beaded dresses, Betsey Johnson tights, pizza-slice earrings and gold-studded ponytail holders. Bangles and birthday cards are propped up side by side. There’s a large selection of almost anything, but it’s the dresses that seem most popular. “We focus on pretty clothing,” owner Jill Schaffer said. “We like to find pretty dresses.” Baldwin said the store’s selection of both vintage, housed upstairs, and new apparel on the first floor, make it a good fit for a variety of customers. “Our collection downstairs and upstairs spans from teens to middle ages,” Baldwin said. The selection of vintage clothing upstairs includes leather purses, black pumps and a men’s section. Customers can consign clothing upstairs and receive 40 percent of the profits when the item is sold. Baldwin said she sells clothes upstairs to pay for the new wares that come in. Cactus Flower is not the only clothing store in the area for female students. Just down the street, Cha Cha, Pitaya and Urban Outfitters offer female students plenty of choices. Despite having other women’s stores on Kirkwood, Schaffer said Cactus Flower’s ability to survive is a testament to finding the best deals for its customers with a range of prices. “We try to find things that are reasonably priced but are still good quality,” Schaffer said. But it’s the clothes that keep people coming back. “There’s not ever going to be anything on Kirkwood that has what we have,” Baldwin said.
(11/02/10 1:07am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Fall is a busy time for anyone looking for housing in Bloomington. Landlords are showing units, and students are hurrying to find a place they like. But not being careful before you sign a lease can lead to problems during the time of the lease and even after. For some, the problem is as simple as knowing when and how to pay your rent. For others, a dispute with a landlord can escalate into a lawsuit. That’s what happened to senior Bill Kenny and his friends.Kenny and his roommates, Joe Widmar, Charlie Mattingly, Bryan Way and Brendan O’Neil, all seniors, had problems with their landlord throughout their sophomore year lease. They said the landlord entered the property without due notice, something that was mentioned in their lease. At one point he even called Widmar a derogatory name for having a messy bedroom.But those incidents were minor compared to the legal entanglement they found themselves in during winter break. Kenny stopped by the house during winter break before a trip to Texas; he was the earliest one to enter the house before classes resumed in January. When he walked in his home, he found that it had flooded. A pipe had burst in a bathroom, causing at least 6 inches of standing water to fill part of the house.Kenny contacted his other roommates. Mattingly called the maintenance man in charge of the house to take care of the problem. For two days, they waited for a response.They said their landlord called them back and told them it was their responsibility to fix the burst pipe. Their lease did not state that the tenant was required to make repairs, and in fact, it said the owner agreed to “replace or repair all property or furnishings due to fair wear or tear.”Widmar and Mattingly came down to Bloomington and had the pipes fixed. Their landlord eventually served them a collection notice for the cost of repairs. But the roommates took the letter to Student Legal Services and protested the charges. Eventually, they went to court against their landlord and won. Their case is rare, but it is not unheard of. Student disputes with landlords can be as routine as failure to pay rent or being too loud, but knowing what you, as a tenant, can or cannot do and are or are not entitled to is important before signing a lease.Indiana is not a tenant-friendly state. In a city such as Bloomington, where many of the tenants are only around for a few years, the likelihood the laws will change to favor students is unlikely. Student Legal Services Director Randy Frykberg calls Indiana “the wild, wild west of contracts.” Any time two parties sign something in writing, that contract is most often binding, he said. His colleague Stacee Evans, who represented Kenny and his roommates when they went to court, said in an e-mail, “Tenants are not a powerful constituency in Indiana, and so the laws haven’t evolved over the years to provide much in the way of protection and security to tenants.”But landlords are not always the bad guys. They put up with late rent, messy tenants and noise complaints. They have to pay for upkeep, end-of-the-year cleaning and the mortgage on the property. “It’s more than renting four walls, a roof and door,” Cedarview Management property manager Suzanne O’Connell said. “There are obligations, and there is a code of behavior that all landlords expect their residents to follow. It boils down to respect.”Founder and owner of Renaissance Rentals Steve Bodi said there is a lot of trust between a landlord and his tenant. No one, especially the landlord, wants that trust to be broken when the tenant does not follow the lease.“It’s personal, and it’s depressing to see something you’ve worked so hard to build and maintain or take care of, and you’ve rented a month, and when a terrible amount of damage is done, you realize the rent is not nearly enough (to pay for the damage),” he said.Aside from damage to the property, one of the most common and easily avoidable problems for tenants is eviction. Eviction is a traumatic and emotional procedure for the tenant, but it is also a hassle for the landlord. “We do file for eviction because it’s a business tool to show our customers that it’s really serious and has to be dealt with,” he said.Before signing the lease, O’Connell said she recommends having a parent look at the lease his or her child is about to sign. Cedarview has a co-signer for each lease, someone who will make the rental payments in the event that the lessee cannot. In 99 percent of instances, she said, that guarantor is a parent or guardian. But Frykberg said even parents sometimes are not aware of the laws about the tenant-landlord relationship in Indiana and are often not much help. If you bring in a lease to Student Legal Services, they will read it on the spot and help you determine which clauses are standard and which are iffy, Frykberg said.One of the most common mistakes that students make is thinking they are only responsible for their actions and not of their roommates. Most leases include a joint and several clause, which means that you are liable for anything your roommates do, which includes failure to pay rent, damages incurred and other violations of the lease.O'Connell acknowledged that there is often a sharp learning curve that comes with student tenants. That inexperience is why Kenny and his roommates signed the lease without negotiating or questioning it.“We were just freshmen trying to get a house for five guys,” Way said.Frykberg said he thinks the rush to choose housing is unnecessary. It takes patience to avoid a bad deal, he said, but it pays off to be cautious.“There are not homeless students in Bloomington,” he said. “You can eventually find a place to live.”Bloomington offers many resources for students looking at prospective units. The Housing and Neighborhood Development, or HAND, of Bloomington carries a list of units and any problems or repairs they have had in the past. They will also make sure the house is up to code. Having written documentation of any conversations between a landlord and tenant is key. Only written promises can be used to hold the other party to, which means that e-mails are better than phone calls if you want to make sure your landlord cannot go back on something they promised you.And in general, students should always communicate if there is a problem or if they have a question. “Open communication can make all the difference in avoiding conflict,” Evans said.As students rush around this fall looking for a house and apartment, they should be aware of more than just how much it will cost and how close it is to campus. “It’s where you live,” Frykberg said. “It’s very intimate.”They should be aware they are choosing a place in which they will sleep, study and relax. They are choosing a home.
(11/02/10 1:03am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Fall is a busy time for anyone looking for housing in Bloomington. Landlords are showing units, and students are hurrying to find a place they like. But not being careful before you sign a lease can lead to problems during the time of the lease and even after. For some, the problem is as simple as knowing when and how to pay your rent. For others, a dispute with a landlord can escalate into a lawsuit. That’s what happened to senior Bill Kenny and his friends.Kenny and his roommates, Joe Widmar, Charlie Mattingly, Bryan Way and Brendan O’Neil, all seniors, had problems with their landlord throughout their sophomore year lease. They said the landlord entered the property without due notice, something that was mentioned in their lease. At one point he even called Widmar a derogatory name for having a messy bedroom.But those incidents were minor compared to the legal entanglement they found themselves in during winter break. Kenny stopped by the house during winter break before a trip to Texas; he was the earliest one to enter the house before classes resumed in January. When he walked in his home, he found that it had flooded. A pipe had burst in a bathroom, causing at least 6 inches of standing water to fill part of the house.Kenny contacted his other roommates. Mattingly called the maintenance man in charge of the house to take care of the problem. For two days, they waited for a response.They said their landlord called them back and told them it was their responsibility to fix the burst pipe. Their lease did not state that the tenant was required to make repairs, and in fact, it said the owner agreed to “replace or repair all property or furnishings due to fair wear or tear.”Widmar and Mattingly came down to Bloomington and had the pipes fixed. Their landlord eventually served them a collection notice for the cost of repairs. But the roommates took the letter to Student Legal Services and protested the charges. Eventually, they went to court against their landlord and won. Their case is rare, but it is not unheard of. Student disputes with landlords can be as routine as failure to pay rent or being too loud, but knowing what you, as a tenant, can or cannot do and are or are not entitled to is important before signing a lease.Indiana is not a tenant-friendly state. In a city such as Bloomington, where many of the tenants are only around for a few years, the likelihood the laws will change to favor students is unlikely. Student Legal Services Director Randy Frykberg calls Indiana “the wild, wild west of contracts.” Any time two parties sign something in writing, that contract is most often binding, he said. His colleague Stacee Evans, who represented Kenny and his roommates when they went to court, said in an e-mail, “Tenants are not a powerful constituency in Indiana, and so the laws haven’t evolved over the years to provide much in the way of protection and security to tenants.”But landlords are not always the bad guys. They put up with late rent, messy tenants and noise complaints. They have to pay for upkeep, end-of-the-year cleaning and the mortgage on the property. “It’s more than renting four walls, a roof and door,” Cedarview Management property manager Suzanne O’Connell said. “There are obligations, and there is a code of behavior that all landlords expect their residents to follow. It boils down to respect.”Founder and owner of Renaissance Rentals Steve Bodi said there is a lot of trust between a landlord and his tenant. No one, especially the landlord, wants that trust to be broken when the tenant does not follow the lease.“It’s personal, and it’s depressing to see something you’ve worked so hard to build and maintain or take care of, and you’ve rented a month, and when a terrible amount of damage is done, you realize the rent is not nearly enough (to pay for the damage),” he said.Aside from damage to the property, one of the most common and easily avoidable problems for tenants is eviction. Eviction is a traumatic and emotional procedure for the tenant, but it is also a hassle for the landlord. "We do file for eviction because it’s a business tool to show our customers that it’s really serious and has to be dealt with,” he said.Before signing the lease, O’Connell said she recommends having a parent look at the lease his or her child is about to sign. Cedarview has a co-signer for each lease, someone who will make the rental payments in the event that the lessee cannot. In 99 percent of instances, she said, that guarantor is a parent or guardian. But Frykberg said even parents sometimes are not aware of the laws about the tenant-landlord relationship in Indiana and are often not much help. If you bring in a lease to Student Legal Services, they will read it on the spot and help you determine which clauses are standard and which are iffy, Frykberg said.One of the most common mistakes that students make is thinking they are only responsible for their actions and not of their roommates. Most leases include a joint and several clause, which means that you are liable for anything your roommates do, which includes failure to pay rent, damages incurred and other violations of the lease.O'Connell acknowledged that there is often a sharp learning curve that comes with student tenants. That inexperience is why Kenny and his roommates signed the lease without negotiating or questioning it.“We were just freshmen trying to get a house for five guys,” Way said.Frykberg said he thinks the rush to choose housing is unnecessary. It takes patience to avoid a bad deal, he said, but it pays off to be cautious.“There are not homeless students in Bloomington,” he said. “You can eventually find a place to live.”Bloomington offers many resources for students looking at prospective units. The Housing and Neighborhood Development, or HAND, of Bloomington carries a list of units and any problems or repairs they have had in the past. They will also make sure the house is up to code. Having written documentation of any conversations between a landlord and tenant is key. Only written promises can be used to hold the other party to, which means that e-mails are better than phone calls if you want to make sure your landlord cannot go back on something they promised you.And in general, students should always communicate if there is a problem or if they have a question. “Open communication can make all the difference in avoiding conflict,” Evans said.As students rush around this fall looking for a house and apartment, they should be aware of more than just how much it will cost and how close it is to campus. “It’s where you live,” Frykberg said. “It’s very intimate.”They should be aware they are choosing a place in which they will sleep, study and relax. They are choosing a home.
(11/02/10 12:55am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Before I had my first off-campus house in Bloomington, I didn’t really know how to cook. I knew what an oven was for and how to make a baked potato, but I couldn’t master any meal that required actual thought. Cooking is more than reading a recipe and following instructions; it’s the ability to look into your fridge, pull out some tasty ingredients and come up with a great dish. You have to experiment and know what will taste good together. It is about good — and sometimes bad — surprises, but a decent cook will eventually learn how to create good meals every day. As college students, we’re easily intimidated by our parents’ ease of cooking, but learning how to make restaurant-inspired dinners can be even easier than getting into a fraternity party. Even if your kitchen is the size of a bathroom, these recipes don’t require a lot of counter room or much money. The Essentials1 Whipping cream This stuff is thicker than half-and-half and has a multitude of uses. It adds consistency and a heaviness perfect when making sauces. I always keep a pint of whipping cream in the fridge for when I want to make a new sauce for chicken, shrimp or pasta.2 Couscous Most college students stick to rice and noodles for a quick and easy meal, but couscous is a great alternative to those options. It costs around $8 for a box that will last about two weeks, if you’re eating couscous every day. If you’re making food for other people, say a roommate or prospective boyfriend or girlfriend, couscous is perfect. It literally takes five minutes to cook but impresses people more than a plate of white rice.3 Spices Having a variety of spices can only enhance your food. Some of my favorites are Italian seasoning (great for pasta), curry powder and garlic. But use garlic with caution; too much can overtake the meal and ruin the other flavors.4 Lemon juice I can never count on having a bunch of lemons when I want to add some citrus flavor to my food, so having a bottle of lemon juice is a great substitute. Lemon sauce is great for pasta, and the juice is perfect for cooking seafood.5 Butter There is never a time when you will not need butter for cooking and baking. Make sure to have more butter than you think you’ll need; there’s nothing more frustrating than being in the middle of a recipe and realizing you’re missing ingredients. Berry Ganache PieIf you make this pie, you will be a legend. My friends still rave about it and I made it about a year ago. Ingredients1 cup whipping cream1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (baking chocolate would also work)Raspberries or strawberries (or both)Store-bought pie crust 1. Bake pie crust in the oven according to the package directions.2. Heat whipping cream with chocolate chips over the stove. 3. Stir the cream and chocolate chips together until it’s a smooth consistency.4. Pour the mixture into the ready pie crust.5. Slice berries and place them into the chocolate mixture.6. Refrigerate for about four hours (you can also put it in the freezer if you want to speed up the process).RECIPES Curry shrimp with couscousThis is a great example of a dish that tastes great and doesn’t have a lot of ingredients. You can make enough for a lot of people.IngredientsCouscousCumin, turmeric or other curry spicesWhipping creamShrimp1. Cook shrimp according to directions on the package.2. Cook the couscous.3. Add curry spices to couscous.4. Add whipping cream to couscous; stir until it’s a thick consistency.Mac and cheeseAn easy classic.IngredientsOnionsElbow macaroniCheese (for this, I prefer mild cheddar)Whipping creamEgg yolk1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 2. Dice onions and saute in pan.3. Cook macaroni.4. Mix egg yolk, whipping cream (amount of cream will depend on how much macaroni you’re cooking) and cheese.5. When macaroni is cooked, drain and place in oven-safe pan.6. Pour egg yolk mixture over macaroni and mix together.7. Mix sauteed onions with macaroni.8. Place in oven for about 15-20
(09/17/10 8:19pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It’s been almost five years since late IU coach Terry Hoeppner took a piece of limestone and made it a symbol.It’s been almost three years since Hoeppner died before he could see his team reach a bowl game.But in the years since, The Rock still acts as the stationary mascot for the football program.Before every home game, the football team touches the Rock.“Coach Hep started something, and it’s just carrying on and getting stronger and stronger every year,” former cornerback Ray Fisher said.Both Fisher and former defensive end Jammie Kirlew were at IU when the Rock was introduced and said the Rock means more to them since they have played their senior seasons.“Every game reminds us of (Hoeppner),” Fisher said. “Before every game, I pray and say something about him.”IU is famous for lacking a traditional mascot — someone to dress up in a furry costume and wave to the students.Instead, the team has a personal reminder of a man who gave his last years to the Hoosiers.Hoeppner came up with the idea for the Rock after an off-season meeting in 2005.In a 2005 IU Athletics press release, Hoeppner said, “All along, I felt that this program needed a unique identity, something that the players and fans could relate to.”Kirlew said “The Rock” is an important part of the football tradition.“You must touch the Rock,” Kirlew said. “It’s a reminder that you’re home, you have the home-field advantage, your fans are here. This is your house. This is where you practice every day, where you sweat, bleed.”Originally published in the IDS Homecoming Guide: Oct. 16, 2009
(08/26/10 12:21am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Coming from Bloomington, I thought I was prepared for the nightlife of Chile. Oh, how I was wrong.I don’t know why, but Chilean men are more aggressive than even the drunkest frat guy at Sports. A few friends and I decided to hit up Bellavista, a bohemian neighborhood in Santiago. Not having any specific club in mind, we walked into the first brightly lit sign and sat down.Thirty seconds passed before we accidentally made eye contact with some men sitting at the next table.One man — we didn’t get his name — came over and offered to buy us drinks. In broken English he asked us where we were from. Then the compliments began. “You are very beautiful,” he said. “Thank you,” we answered. “Can I buy you a drink?” “No, thank you.”One of my friends asked why in God’s name I would turn down a free drink.Quoting my father, a wise man who has never been to Chile, “Nothing is free.” I had a feeling that if I let this slightly overweight thirty-something man buy me a drink, he would expect something in return.One of the worst parts of being a tourist is not knowing if you’re being ripped off, if you’re in an unsafe neighborhood or simply, not knowing what anything means.Another downside? Not knowing where to go. We left the sketchy club, mostly to get rid of the overeager man, but also the Bob Marley reggae music and drinks that tasted like rubbing alcohol mixed with fruit juice.Eventually we found a salsa club that had been recommended to us. We walked in and discovered what I’ve only seen in “Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights.” Women swaying their hips to the Latin music and men twirling their partners so gracefully I wondered if dancing is in Chilean DNA.A waitress brought us peanuts that we ate while admiring the graceful dancers. After 15 minutes of watching, I decided I wanted to get my chance to dance like a professional. Luckily one of the single men in the club — perhaps sensing my interest — walked over and asked me to dance.Diego from Ecuador spoke good English and had even better moves. He tried to explain how to dance like a Chilean, instead of an awkward white girl from Memphis, Tenn., whose only dancing credentials come from the stage at Brother’s.“Loosen up,” Diego said. “Don’t be so stiff.”He offered suggestions throughout our 30-minute session, most of which I was unable to follow. Sometimes you have to stick with what you know, and unfortunately, salsa dancing is not something I’ll ever master.I’m not sure how to describe my adventures in Chilean nightlife. I miss the novelty of salsa dancing, but going out should be a fun experience, and at least I feel comfortable in Bloomington on that stage at Brother’s.
(05/13/10 4:37pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>On his sixth studio album and follow-up to 2007’s “The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter,” Josh Ritter creates another storybook masterpiece of an album in “So Runs the World Away.” He isn’t so much a musician as he is a storyteller whose medium is music. As a whole, the album isn’t as catchy and upbeat as “Historical Conquests,” but what it lacks in music you can dance to, it makes up for with thoughtful ballads like “Change of Time” and “The Curse.”Most of the songs use one line throughout the song; instead of being repetitive, it acts as anchor point for each song.“Folk Bloodbath,” the standout track on the album, lies halfway through and changes the album from serious and brooding to more lighthearted fare.Even though I hoped for more songs similar to his previous album (like “Right Moves” and “Rumors”), all I really want from Ritter is to tell me a story.
(04/29/10 4:39am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The air hammer hums in Ned Cunningham’s hands. It screeches when he puts it to stone.It glides as easily as a paintbrush. He weaves rope, combs a lion’s mane and grows leaves.He is an artist, a mathematician, a designer.He is a limestone carver.A master carver at Bybee Stone Co. in Ellettsville, Ind., Cunningham creates the most intricate designs of the company and develops the forms that other carvers use. Bybee Stone is one of many limestone companies in southern Indiana, a business surviving the recession in an industry that has been affected by a lack of construction.And in this factory, Cunningham continues do what he has done for 20 years: carve stone. THE BEGINNINGS OF AN INDIANA INDUSTRY The formation of Indiana limestone began 300 million years ago in the sea that formed in the Bloomington-Bedford area. The crushed shells of organisms living in the sea and the formation of calcium carbonate compounded with the rocks. Scientists say even the soft parts of those organisms are still embedded in the rock. The use of Indiana limestone increased during the Great Depression. Indiana limestone still remained a popular choice even when World War II halted its production.To this day, the industry is successful. There is enough limestone to last for another 500 to 600 years, possibly another 1,000 if quarrying extends underground. The limestone trade has been immune to outsourcing, and Bybee Stone has grown and endured.Today, it is one of the largest limestone companies in the state and one of the biggest producers of limestone buildings. Its clients range from the Catholic Church to the Ivy Leagues.Bybee Stone is only one example of the limestone mills in southern Indiana, but it is part of a trend that has changed the landscape of American — and international — architecture.On the drive into Ellettsville, where Bybee Stone is based, there is a sign, a limestone rock with the words “Ellettsville: Builders of America History.”In the company’s office, there is a framed Traditional Building magazine issue with Princeton University on the cover, specifically Whitman College, one of its Ivy League clients.“It’s a beautiful campus,” someone remarked.“Made more beautiful by Bybee Stone,” Cunningham said.A LIFETIME JOBUnlike the other carvers, Cunningham comes from a professional art background, with an IU Fine Arts degree. After graduating, Cunningham began to work for Bybee Stone because his family needed health insurance.The process to learn how to carve is lengthy. It is a business shaped like a medieval guild: start as an apprentice, move to journeyman and eventually become a master. Unlike most jobs that have minimal training, to join the stone mill is usually a lifetime decision.There are few reasons to leave.“No one goes into it thinking they’re going to get out of it,” Cunningham said.When he first began, he was an old-fashioned sculptor, using marble and a hammer and chisel.Now he uses pneumatic hammers, powered by air.“Before using pneumatic tools, I used to look at this and think ‘How did they do that?’” he said of the shapes he creates.A DAY’S WORKCunningham is finishing an urn. It is one of several that will go to a $52-million mansion in New Jersey. “Doesn’t even have a buyer yet,” he says.As he scrapes away the stone, dust sprays onto his forearms, which are already covered in the chalky substance.The smell of limestone drifts in the mill air like sour milk. It’s difficult to avoid the dust; after a few minutes inside, the constant carving means dust lands on everything within the factory.Since Cunningham began work at Bybee Stone, he hasn’t incurred any major injuries. His ring finger got mashed between pieces of slab once, but now it works normally.To avoid common health problems the workers experience, such as tendinitis and carpel tunnel syndrome, Cunningham uses his left hand during work and daily activities. It is a skill he picked up 10 years ago. Cunningham spent years training himself to carve with his left hand.“I shaved left-handed, poured my coffee left-handed, dialed the phone left-handed,” he said. “Everything you do 100 times every day, I did left-handed.”CHIPPING AWAYA few weeks later, Cunningham is still working on the urn. Today, it’s a row of leaves on the top of the rim.He uses the hammer to carve out the leaves. All the leaves have to be uniform, but that’s not difficult for Cunningham. As he whittles away, the leaves begin to come out, one by one. He follows the pencil marks and indentations he made earlier in the process. To the naked eye, the leaves are so identical they could have been done in a factory from a mold.Limestone flakes continue to accumulate on his arms as he finishes the urn. He uses a wire brush to scrub away the calcium crystals of the limestone, which make it look darker. The black particles disappear as Cunningham sweeps them away. The limestone turns to a cream-and-grey tone. He uses an air hose to clear away any remaining dust that sits in the bottom of the urn and around the rim. He takes a palm-sized piece of thick sandpaper and scrapes the inside of the urn. That too turns into a creamier color.The urn is done.He takes a few seconds to examine the work and pulls out a piece of paper with the urn’s specifications. He lifts it up and uses a black pastel to write the urn’s order number on the bottom — 030 85 NC.He walks toward one of the workers at the opposite end. Suddenly, a pulley with yellow rope pulls up above Cunningham. The two men attach the rope to the urn, using wood wool, or “hay” as they call it, in the spots where the rope touches the stone. Cunningham begins to pack up as the clock reaches 2:25 p.m. He puts his tools back in his red toolbox, his lunchbox in his shoulder bag.His co-workers are also getting ready to leave. They use an air compressor to remove the limestone dust from their clothes.But no matter how hard Cunningham sprays his clothes, he can’t remove the layer of limestone dust.Together, the men walk to clock out. “This is the part of the routine we’re best at — getting the hell out of here,” jokes Cunningham, who has 10 years to go until retirement.“Through luck or whatever,” he says, “I’ve made a career of it.”
(04/21/10 9:21pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Little 500 week is a time to relax, celebrate and have fun. But if you’re planning a house party, the pressure to perform can be enough to kill your buzz. Here are some things to keep in mind before you buy that keg.Location: A house or apartment big enough to hold 100 of your closest friends (and their closest friends) is essential for Little 500 week. The location should also be large enough and have enough couches to host any out-of-town friends that stop by for the weekend. Some sort of outside area like a porch or small lawn offers your guests a chance to move around and provides more space for essential party games.Atmosphere: Once you have a location, it’s time to decorate. Christmas lights, floor lamps or colored bulbs are a great way to set the mood, since no one really wants to dance under full-on fluorescent ceiling lights.Music: If people really want a stream of Top-40 songs sprinkled with “Don’t Stop Believin’” and “Livin’ On a Prayer” all night, they can go to Brother’s. So don’t stream the Lady Gaga station on Pandora Radio and think that will suffice. Take some time to create a varied playlist. Add some soul, punk, classic ’80s (ignore the two aforementioned songs), house music — whatever will get people dancing and not wanting to leave. I know I wouldn’t want a bunch of drunk girls singing “Party in the U.S.A.” in my house.Games: Parties are a social event and few things get people socializing like competition. So bust out your best beer-pong table and set up a game. Kings and flippy cup work better for large parties, since they require more people. Make sure to have enough cups for a variety of drinking games.Drinks: Since you’re going to provide and encourage drinking games (or just social drinking), it’s good to get a variety of alcohols. Unless guests are paying per cup, which is not a bad idea in this economy, stick with the cheapest. Keystone or Natural Light are good money savers. Encourage people to bring their own beer if these beverage choices make them feel like freshmen again. Buying mixers is also a good idea, especially since people are more likely to carry a discreet bottle of rum to the party than a giant two-liter of Diet Coke.Guest limit: It’s Little 500, so the more, the merrier, right? Not exactly. Having too many people at your shindig can make your place feel like a humid and crowded weekend at Kilroy’s instead of a fun night with friends. It’s not a party if you can’t move without spilling your beer on someone.Final tips: Remember to let go. If someone spills their drink on your carpet, don’t worry about it then. There are some risks you have to take when hosting an event during Little 500. It’s supposed to be the world’s greatest college weekend, so don’t ruin it by supplying everyone with coasters.
(04/20/10 9:22pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It’s past noon on Saturday and grad student Alicia Arnold is reciting a tongue twister. “Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager managing an imaginary menagerie.” She laughs at herself and begins to explain the phrase to two eager female Asian students. They ask what a menagerie is and Arnold looks up the proper definition on her iPhone. “How often do you use this word?” one of the girls asks. “Very rarely,” she says. Arnold is one of the tutors for the Practical English Tutorials program sponsored by the Leo R. Dowling International Center. Today she and nine other tutors are teaching exchange students tongue twisters.Every Saturday for one hour, tutors — usually IU students — and foreign students meet to learn English as a day-to-day language. Unlike the English language classes some international students take, the PET program is informal and friendly. The tutors are, for the most part, their peers. They can ask questions about vocabulary, culture and pronunciation.Director Sandy Britton, who oversees the program, said about 1,000 students go through the program every year. The tutorial began in the mid-’90s and has grown since. Right now Britton estimates she has 25 to 30 tutors each semester and a ratio of two students per every tutor. Because she’s had a full staff of tutors this semester, she hasn’t had to do extra recruiting. “What pleases me is that they are so consistent,” she said of the student volunteers. There’s no charge, no appointment and no attendance taken. The more often a student goes, the better and more confident he or she is at English. There’s also no training for the tutors. The only requirement is that they must be native English speakers. Arnold is a graduate student in the School of Education and focuses on international higher education. For her, tutoring is one way to practice her skills as an English teacher to foreign students. She’ll be going to Japan in July to teach English, and this Saturday one of her students is Japanese. She has been tutoring since the fall semester and rarely misses a session. “I know the difficulties of learning another language, so teaching English is rewarding,” she said. Fifth-year senior and Japanese exchange student Ako Saito said the Saturday sessions are a good way to learn English in a relaxed environment. “I can feel free to ask anything,” Saito said. “They make us really feel comfortable.” She has been going to the tutorials since January and can tell there’s a difference in her English. She’s more confident talking to Americans. As an exchange student, Saito attends English language classes, but there is a difference between the classroom and the tutoring session. “We don’t have to care about the grades,” she said. “Classes are intensive.” Her sessions range from one-on-one pairs to groups of three. She said she prefers having another student with her, so she doesn’t feel pressure to talk the whole time. At the end of the session, the three exchange contact information. As she leaves, Saito tells Arnold she will find her on Facebook. “I’ll look you up.”
(04/04/10 8:39pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>When ESPN.com writer Dana O’Neil covered her first Final Four in 2001, the rooms were packed with writers crowded around players and coaches. There were so many journalists, in fact, she said it was difficult to move.What about this year? Let’s just say that print journalists are not feeling cramped.The financial strains of the newspaper industry have led to a noticeable decline in print reporters attending this year’s Final Four, according to several veteran basketball writers — a trend that also was seen at last fall’s World Series, this year’s Super Bowl and February’s Winter Olympic Games.While about 200 more overall credentials — some 1,700 — were issued for the Final Four this weekend compared to last year, Assistant Director for the Men’s Basketball Championship David Worlock said that was largely because of more requests from CBS, the network which owns the broadcast rights to the men’s basketball championship. Worlock did not have a breakdown of the number of credentials issued to print journalists.This year’s lack of print reporters has created mixed feelings among the reporters who did make it to the Final Four. They lamented what it symbolizes about the business, but it does make it easier to do their jobs. Bob Kravitz, columnist for the hometown Indianapolis Star and a veteran of many Final Fours, said that for the reporters who were at the event, there was more access to players and coaches. In fact, Kravitz said he “virtually had a one-on-one” interview Thursday with Michigan State Coach Tom Izzo and Spartan star Kalin Lucas. “This thing used to be so much more monstrous,” he said.Despite fewer numbers of print reporters, Worlock said overall coverage of the Final Four hasn’t decreased. Only the way it is covered has changed, he said.Just as readers are flocking to the Web, so have the credentials.“You could say we have fewer people than 10, 15 years ago, but we have lots of people from AOL Fanhouse, Yahoo Sports, ESPN.com, etc.,” Worlock said. “Instead of writing for newspapers, they’re writing for popular Web sites.”The trend has affected print coverage of all the marquee sporting events in the past year.February’s Winter Olympics took a big hit this year. More than 30 newspapers that flew to Italy to cover the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, did not request any for this year’s events in Vancouver.While the overall number of Olympic credentials was down, there was an increase in the number of online credentials granted.The hallmark of American sports, the Super Bowl, also suffered a sharp decline in credentials, starting in 2009 when the recession pounded newspapers. Last fall’s World Series also experienced a significant decline in the number of newspapers chronicling the event. Twenty-nine of the 60 newspapers that covered local major league baseball teams home and away did not staff the World Series.Even some of the nation’s largest newspapers have had to adjust their travel budgets. Because of industry-wide belt tightening, Los Angeles Times Deputy Sports Editor John Cherwa said newspapers have had to focus more on local and regional events that matter more to their readers than a national game.He said that the Tribune Co., which owns the L.A. Times, Chicago Tribune and six other daily newspapers, is only sending two reporters to the Final Four. But, he said, L.A. Times readers are better served by having reporters at the Dodgers’ and Angels’ opening games.“If you don’t have a local team in the Final Four or final two, I’m guessing that the Final Four will not be the lead to your sports section,” Cherwa said.New York Times Sports Editor Tom Jolly said he looks at every situation differently when deciding whether to send his reporters on the road.“If we believe there’s broad interest among our readers either because of the event, as is the case with the Final Four, or because we can report something distinctive, we send our reporters,” Jolly said. “If not, we’ll rely on the AP.”Cherwa said the decline in the number of print reporters at the Final Four doesn’t necessarily translate into diminished coverage.“I’m not sure the bottom line quality of the coverage is affected,” Cherwa said. “What it most likely affects is the duplication of coverage, which is a lot of people doing the same thing.”Because of smaller sports sections, fewer advertisers and stretched-out staffs, wire services have become more of a go-to option, rather than a backup source. But Memphis Commercial Appeal college basketball beat writer Dan Wolken said readers lose their familiarity with their local reporter when the newspaper uses a wire service report instead.“I think ideally you want your own people there because you want your own byline,” Wolken said. “But as things have changed with the business model, people put less of a priority on that.”Kravitz said that because more newspapers are relying on the AP for events it cannot cover, more and more newspapers are starting to look the same.“It’s becoming more homogenized because everyone is using a smaller number of media outlets to spread the message,” Kravitz said. “That’s dangerous.”While the print side of journalism has been suffering this decade, the advent of bloggers has raised a new question for those in charge of distributing credentials: Who do you let in?While many individual schools, including Indiana University, distribute credentials to bloggers, the NCAA has not allowed any yet in the national basketball tournament. And just as the media business is changing quickly, Worlock said allowing bloggers access to the Final Four could be a future development.But ESPN’s O’Neil said she understood why the NCAA was so careful about who it credentials to its biggest event.“It’s very difficult because how do you draw the line if you’re doing the credentialing on what’s legit and what’s not ,” she said.For now, O’Neil said she hopes things turn around.“I certainly don’t want to walk into a room like this and see 20 people, that would be depressing to me,” O’Neil said. “I think until they figure it out, it’s going to be down for a while. If they figure it out, it can come back up.”
(03/31/10 7:01pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The whimsical voice of Zooey Deschanel continues to charm on She & Him’s second album, “Volume Two.” M. Ward continues to be a mostly silent partner on the vocals side, but his stylistic contributions to the album are audible.Even when she mourns a relationship (a theme on “Don’t Look Back” and “Thieves”), her voice doesn’t bring the mood down.The songs are effortless, catchy — this is a sunshine record that you can listen to anytime you’re in need of a pick-me-up.The cheerfulness of Deschanel’s voice softens the blow on many of the album’s lyrics, including “In the Sun,” which, unlike its title, doesn’t sound so sunny with lyrics like “My baby, my darling / I’ve been thinking of leaving.”The ’50s retro sound of She & Him glistens throughout, especially on “Riding in My Car,” one of the few songs on the album that prominently features M. Ward’s vocals.Deschanel’s ukulele skills help the Hawaiian-tinged “Me and You” and “I’m Gonna Make It Better” sound like beach music, but that doesn’t make it disposable. Each listen reveals a new layer, a deliberate and complex aspect to each song.And when Deschanel dispenses truths like, “The world can be quiet when you’re up too late” on “Sing,” the lyrics make an impression. The simplicity of her words lets their meaning shine through without overbearing production and unnecessary effects.The album ends with “I Can Hear Music,” a love song and a fitting end to an album whose lyrics can seem downtrodden, but the optimistic tone of the final song lifts up the listener.There’s a timelessness to the album; it doesn’t reveal its age, and if anything, is more poodle skirts and drive-in theaters than hipster plaid.
(03/31/10 12:10am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It’s been almost five years since late IU coach Terry Hoeppner took a piece of limestone and made it a symbol.It’s been almost three years since Hoeppner died before he could see his team reach a bowl game.But in the years since, The Rock still acts as the stationary mascot for the football program.Before every home game, the football team touches the Rock.“Coach Hep started something, and it’s just carrying on and getting stronger and stronger every year,” former cornerback Ray Fisher said.Both Fisher and former defensive end Jammie Kirlew were at IU when the Rock was introduced and said the Rock means more to them since they have played their senior seasons.“Every game reminds us of (Hoeppner),” Fisher said. “Before every game, I pray and say something about him.”IU is famous for lacking a traditional mascot — someone to dress up in a furry costume and wave to the students.Instead, the team has a personal reminder of a man who gave his last years to the Hoosiers.Hoeppner came up with the idea for the Rock after an off-season meeting in 2005.In a 2005 IU Athletics press release, Hoeppner said, “All along, I felt that this program needed a unique identity, something that the players and fans could relate to.”Kirlew said “The Rock” is an important part of the football tradition.“You must touch the Rock,” Kirlew said. “It’s a reminder that you’re home, you have the home-field advantage, your fans are here. This is your house. This is where you practice every day, where you sweat, bleed.”Originally published in the IDS Homecoming Guide: Oct. 16, 2009
(03/12/10 4:20am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>INDIANAPOLIS — For the entire 2009-2010 season, IU has been behind.Like a lagging runner, the Hoosiers have never been able to catch up to their Big Ten rivals, the teams they must measure up to if they have any hope of returning to glory.IU again found itself behind with too much space between its opponent and itself, losing 73-58 to Northwestern in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament.The loss wasn’t automatic. IU held a lead for most of the game before Northwestern came from behind to snatch the win.After beating the Wildcats 88-80 in overtime Saturday, IU couldn’t muster a second win.“We didn’t change too much,” Northwestern coach Bill Carmody said. “I don’t think they did either.”While Carmody was referring to the differences between Saturday and Thursday’s games, he could have been comparing the Hoosiers’ first and second seasons with IU coach Tom Crean.Carmody has been in Crean’s position before. He went 11-19 and 3-13 in the Big Ten in his first season with the Wildcats; now Carmody will lead his team against No. 6 Purdue, which they upset Jan. 16. With another season behind him, Crean said, “We’re not through the tunnel yet.”Rebuilding is common in the NCAA. The Wildcats were once in IU’s position, as guard Michael Thompson explained how the team went 1-17 in the Big Ten his freshman year. On Thursday, Northwestern notched its 20th win this season.With six freshmen and junior Jeremiah Rivers cleared to play, the Hoosiers began the year with seven new players on the court. But freshman forward Derek Elston said the team began to gel together through the season.“I feel like the team just came as a whole. At the beginning a lot of people wanted to do their own separate thing,” Elston said.Last year the fans expected and accepted a losing season, but this year seemed different. Sophomore guard Verdell Jones said for him, the season ended the same way: with disappointment. “We had three seniors go out the way we didn’t want them to go out,” Jones said.The final five left on the court were a mishmash: starter Jordan Hulls, sixth man Devan Dumes, walk-ons Kory Barnett and Brett Finkelmeier and IU’s least-played freshman Bawa Muniru.Those players represented a season full of surprises and heartbreak. From a 74-64 win against Pittsburgh at Madison Square Garden to losing freshman guard Maurice Creek before the Big Ten season began; from an 81-78 overtime win against Minnesota and a student court rush to a 78-75 loss to Purdue at Assembly Hall, the season showed glimpses IU fans hope to see more consistently and some parts they hope remain buried in the past. It started as another rebuilding year, and it will end with fans wondering what part three of Crean’s experiment will bring to the program.No one said two years was enough time for IU to return to postseason glory, but advancing beyond the first round of the conference tournament seemed a possibility this year.IU entered the game like a group of rookies set out to prove that “Hoosiers” isn’t just a movie. But their storybook ending will have to wait for another season.
(03/11/10 3:05am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In its final regular season game against Northwestern last Saturday, IU managed to scrape out an 88-80 win in overtime. The Hoosiers will look to use the same methods that got them the Senior Day victory in the Big Ten Tournament’s opening round in a rematch with the Wildcats today.And while common sense might say playing an opponent twice within one week is good for IU — especially since the Hoosiers will have a hometown crowd in Indianapolis — a quick rematch hasn’t always worked in the past. IU opened the Big Ten season with a home win against Michigan, but the Hoosiers lost to the Wolverines two weeks later on the road. The Hoosiers lost at home to Illinois, and playing them three weeks later didn’t help, as IU suffered a last-second defeat on the road. A less-than two-week break between games against Wisconsin didn’t fare well either, as IU lost both by a combined 60 points. IU coach Tom Crean acknowledged that both teams would be able to use Saturday to determine their game plans, saying it makes preparation easier. Even though familiarity does not seem to give the Hoosiers an advantage, they have more confidence and momentum coming into today’s rematch than if they had lost their final game at Assembly Hall. “For the most part, we’ve been getting better,” Crean said. “I don’t think I would call it momentum, but they’ve got a good feeling.” Last year, IU lost to Penn State in the first round of the tournament. The Hoosiers had played the Nittany Lions almost two weeks before their loss in the tourney. And while the Wildcats have as much of an advantage playing the Hoosiers so close, they won’t have the backing of a large fan base supporting them. IU has a 8-9 record at home and 1-3 in neutral arenas. Freshman guard Jordan Hulls said having IU fans at the game will be a definite advantage. “It won’t be quite as loud as a home game, obviously, but it’ll bring us energy and it’s always good to have people there cheering you on,” he said.
(03/08/10 5:06am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A group of four freshmen — and one sophomore — propelled IU to an 88-80 overtime victory against Northwestern.The win snapped an 11-game conference losing streak, the longest in IU men’s basketball history.Freshman guard Jordan Hulls had a team-high 24 points off 8-of-12 3-pointers, nearly missing last year’s record of nine made 3-point attempts set by sophomore guard Matt Roth. Four of Hull’s 3s came in the second half and one in overtime.Freshman forward Bobby Capobianco — who played on the same AAU team with Hulls — said he wasn’t too surprised by Hulls’ game. “I’ve seen him do that on countless occasions,” Capobianco said. “For a lot of people, that’s the first time they’ve seen him explode like that.”Hulls was not the only rookie who delivered.Freshman forward Derek Elston gave the Hoosiers another key punch. His sixth time starting — and the first time in a month since the Feb. 7 game against these same Wildcats — produced Elston’s best output: 8 rebounds and a career-high 17 points. It wasn’t only the freshmen who made an impact. While the only stats he recorded were two fouls, senior center Tijan Jobe started for the first time this season. Crean said the reason Jobe got to start was not that it was his last game.“I started him because I wanted that energy,” he said.Fans responded to Jobe, chanting his name as they have done all season each time the 7-foot center from The Gambia stepped on the court.Jobe only played four minutes, as sophomore center Tom Pritchard and freshman center Bobby Capobianco provided a presence inside. Unlike last year’s 64-59 loss to Michigan State on Kyle Taber’s senior night, this team looked like it would have a celebration Saturday both during and after the game.IU had the lead for most of regulation, until the 3:24 mark in the second half. With an eight-point lead, IU got too comfortable against the Wildcats, who went on an 8-0 run to tie up the game at 69.But the Hoosiers regrouped in overtime, led again by a freshmen onslaught. Of the 19 points scored in overtime, 17 were by freshmen Hulls, Elston, Capobianco and Watford.“The game wasn’t perfect by any means, but a lot of guys just stepped up and had each other’s back when somebody messed up,” Elston said. It had been more than 40 days since an IU win at Assembly Hall, days in which fans had seen the worst loss at the arena. But the fans that stuck around after the game saw Crean and the rest of the coaching staff honor the four seniors whose final game was a bittersweet reminder that their time in Bloomington would be over soon. While most of this season’s games included junior forward Jeremiah Rivers and Pritchard, Elston and Jobe replaced the two Saturday. Crean said the youngsters played like veterans, and Elston said they can now be counted on to win for IU.“We’re just happy to know that we can step up and be go-to guys for Coach when he needs us,” Elston said. Despite the freshmen help, Saturday still belonged to the upperclassmen. The senior day tradition started after the game. Four stands held framed jerseys of the four seniors who each had a different journey before — and during — their time at IU. As film showed highlights of practices and games for the four, the Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony” played before all four walked out onto the court. Steven Gambles began the thank-you speeches. In street clothes, Gambles thanked the crowd for their support as he has been absent for the past couple weeks due to a family illness.Brett Finklemeier provided the crowd with some laughs as he listed the nicknames he and his teammates have for Jobe. Dumes — last year’s leading scorer — also spoke, but it was the final senior who made the biggest impact.Jobe, whose mother passed away earlier this season, thanked everyone from God to his teammates before embracing each on the court.Even though the four seniors did not have as many wins as they had hoped, they all said they were grateful for their time at IU.“I could never imagine being in a place where people care about you so much,” Gambles said.
(03/05/10 3:51am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>When the Hoosiers walk into Assembly Hall on Saturday, they will enter as the Big Ten’s last-place team and with one of the worst records in IU history. Saturday’s game might not change much, but it will be one final chance for IU to close out the season on a high note. And while one win won’t erase the other nine home losses, it will give the Hoosiers one bright spot before they enter the Big Ten Tournament on March 11. Freshman forward Derek Elston — who notched 13 points and 7 rebounds in Wednesday’s 74-55 loss to Purdue — said that while their results don’t always show it, he and his teammates have not given up on the season. “We really are trying hard,” he said. “That’s the worst part about it. We really do go 100 percent, and to come out with a loss, it’s just heartbreaking, really.” For the four players preparing for their last game Saturday, it will be more of a celebration of their career work, not the current season’s results. While they witnessed last year’s 6-25 debacle, most had hope that this year — with the addition of seven new players — would be different. And as they take the floor against the Wildcats, currently No. 7 in the Big Ten, the Hoosiers have little reason to be optimistic. Their first matchup in Evanston, Ill., on Feb. 7, which IU lost 78-61, came in the middle of the current 11-game conference losing streak, a record streak for IU men’s basketball.Freshman guard Jordan Hulls, a Bloomington High School South grad who went undefeated in his senior year as the Panthers won a state championship, is not used to this kind of losing, but he said improvement is coming, even if it’s not visible yet.“It’s very difficult, not just for me, but for the team,” Hulls said. “We’re working real hard in practice. We’re doing a lot of different things. We’re working our butts off. It’s going to come, and we’re getting better every day.” IU coach Tom Crean has emphasized how much his team is learning and how this experience will help them later on. “I do think that everybody going through this program — coaches, players, managers, you name it — you just gain down the road,” Crean said. “And I don’t know how much it’ll help Indiana for some, but down the road, the mental toughness you learn from having to deal with what we’re dealing with will help you in life. But it certainly isn’t helping us right now.”
(03/04/10 4:24am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>If it’s any consolation to IU fans, it will all be over soon.In its last road game, the Hoosiers were easily defeated by rival Purdue, 74-55.In his postgame press conference, IU coach Tom Crean emphasized the importance of being a physical team, something IU was clearly missing Wednesday.“We’re a soft basketball team,” he said. “We’re not a physically aggressive team.”The Boilermakers shot 49 percent from the field, including 38.5 percent from 3-point range, using 16 assists.The Hoosiers, meanwhile, hit 39 percent from the field and 31.3 percent from long range. But the real disparity came in free-throws: Purdue had 31 attempts, making 21, while IU only shot 4-of-5. IU had 25 fouls while the Boilermakers were never in the penalty. The subsequent free-throw difference accounted for the disproportion, and it was the least amount of free throws the Hoosiers attempted all season.Sophomore center Tom Pritchard, who has struggled all season with limiting his fouls, fouled out at the 6:17 mark in the second half, when his fellow bigs freshmen Bobby Capobianco and Derek Elston already had four fouls each. Pritchard only played 15 minutes. Elston later fouled out at the 3:53 mark.Senior guard Devan Dumes also had four fouls, while only one Purdue player, forward Patrick Bade, had at least three fouls. “It was a huge deficit,” Elston said of he and Pritchard fouling out. “The hardest part was staying on the floor.” Purdue capitalized off IU’s 18 turnovers with 22 points. The Boilermakers, meanwhile, only committed eight turnovers. The Hoosiers also only had seven assists, one block and three steals, compared to 16 assists, six blocks and seven steals for Purdue.On Purdue’s Senior Night, guard Chris Kramer went off in his final home game at Mackey Arena. He was the team’s second-leading scorer with a season-high 18 points and had a team-high 6 assists. Freshman guard and Bloomington native Jordan Hulls said playing in Mackey Arena was fun, despite the result.“It was loud and crazy and intense and physical,” he said. “Coming in, you know what to expect, but once you play, it’s totally different.”