Region

IU to help Indiana schools

By Julie Mahomed · Wednesday, Aug. 2,2006 8:33 p.m.

The IU School of Education will use its expertise to improve the caliber of future IU students when it opens the Center for Educational Science Research and P-16 Collaboration this fall, University officials announced this week. IU faculty members will work closely with Indiana elementary and secondary schools, building relationships with young students and improving their curriculum and test scores, said Catherine Brown, associate dean in the School of Education and director of the new center.

Colts already getting hit with injuries

By Alyson Brodsy and Michael Marot · Wednesday, Aug. 2,2006 6:47 p.m.

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- It was only Day 2 of training camp and already the Indianapolis Colts are dealing with injuries. Three defensive starters and two other projected contributors all watched Monday morning's practice from the sideline. The most prominent name on the new list -- defensive tackle Montae Reagor, who had an MRI on his sore knee Monday night. Coach Tony Dungy said the Colts were still waiting for a diagnosis but expected Reagor to rest for the next few days.

Coaches, players gain knowledge at IU soccer camp

By Matt Cunningham · Wednesday, Aug. 2,2006 6:47 p.m.

About 1,800 soccer players from across the nation and from as far away as Brazil, Japan and Luxembourg recently finished their IU soccer camp experience after completing their last of three summer sessions. The IU camp, which has been around for more than 30 years, is one of the most prestigious of its kind. Former campers include DaMarcus Beasley and Steve Ralston, both U.S. international players. "I think it is a good thing for the University," said third-year coach Mike Freitag. "It exposes a lot of kids to the University, not just soccer wise, but what sort of campus we have and school."

Orange juice and toothpaste: The story of the Indiana Pacers

By Alyson Brodsy and Matt Dollinger · Wednesday, Aug. 2,2006 6:43 p.m.

A couple of days ago I made the fatal mistake of brushing my teeth and then drinking orange juice. We've all done it. You get your morning routine mixed-up and you're left with an extremely bad taste in your mouth. And it doesn't just go away. The toothpaste/orange juice combination is lethal. In fact, the only time I've been left with a worst taste in my mouth was in early May when the Indiana Pacers bowed out of the playoffs in typical disappointing fashion. So the Pacers and its respected front office duo of Larry Bird and Donnie Walsh set off this summer to revamp the roster. It was clear the Pacers needed a serious personnel overhaul.

Man discovered 'masturbating' in IMU room

By Trevor brown · Wednesday, Aug. 2,2006 6:39 p.m.

The IU Police Department has advised Indiana Memorial Union staff members to be on the look out for a subject after a worker discovered a man believed to have been masturbating in the basement mail room of the IMU Monday afternoon, IUPD Lt. Jerry Minger said, reading from the police report. Minger said the witness notified the IUPD at 5:40 p.m. Monday and officers responding to the scene were not able to locate the subject in or around the building. The witness said when she arrived at the mail room, the doors were closed, and when she opened them she discovered a man looking out the south window with his hands in his genital area. He appeared to be masturbating. Minger said she described the man as a 6-foot-2 white male with blond curly hair. She said he was clean shaven, had brown glasses and was wearing green cargo shorts and a white shirt. She said there was no contact nor any words exchanged between the two.

A glimpse into the past

By Carrie Ritchie · Wednesday, Aug. 2,2006 6:39 p.m.

After returning to their lake house near Rochester, Ind., for the Fourth of July holiday, Indianapolis resident Kate Hinman and her husband, Martin, checked the mailbox for their copy of the Peru (Ind.) Tribune. While riding in the car, Kate Hinman thumbed through the sections of the newspaper until a name caught her eye and made her do a double take. They pulled the car over in shock and a minute later they were both staring at the name of Hinman's uncle who had died more than a decade ago. "I glance over and see 'Emerson Keller Elkins'," she said. "And I said, 'That's Uncle Emerson!'" The Hinmans never would've guessed that their relative was posthumously making headlines all over the state for something he did almost seven decades ago.

Germany enlists IU to help reform education system

By Allyson O’Connor · Wednesday, Aug. 2,2006 6:37 p.m.

With names such as Albert Einstein, former NASA Director Wernher von Braun and radio technology pioneer Heinrich Rudolf Hertz all being trained in at German universities, the country solidified itself in the past as a world leader in the advancement of science research. While Germany has historically maintained a staunchly regulated educational system, reform is currently underway and IU officials are assisting in the endeavor. The German Research Foundation has created the Excellence Initiative, designed to create flexibility within and competition among Germany's higher education institutions to ensure continued success of its programs and researchers.

Volunteering gives life to Kenyan AIDS relief efforts

By Allyson O’Connor · Wednesday, Aug. 2,2006 6:30 p.m.

With a donated TV, VCR and generator, Rev. Reuben Lubanga and his brother set off into his Western Kenyan community wielding the message of HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention. Lubanga piled the equipment into a wheel-barrow, destined for all the schools, churches and community centers he could reach in the impoverished county. Speaking at a presentation for his organization, Volunteer Kenya, Tuesday in the Indiana Memorial Union, Lubanga said 600 people die each day in Kenya from HIV and AIDS. He said Volunteer Kenya is working with people from IU and around the world to deliver relief and education to a population, like so many others in Africa heavily burdened by the disease.

Lawsuit reveals bitter dispute over casino plans

By Alyson Brodsy and Mike Smith · Wednesday, Aug. 2,2006 6:26 p.m.

PAOLI, Ind. - Partners developing an Orange County casino resort are at bitter odds over ownership, oversight and other issues involving the $382 million project in southern Indiana, according to lawsuits and arbitration documents unsealed Monday. Orange County Holdings LLC, run by the son of Bloomington billionaire William Cook, and Indianapolis-based Lauth Property Group formed Blue Sky Casino LLC last November and signed a long-term contract with the Indiana Gaming Commission to open a 1,200-slot riverboat casino by late this year. The project also includes construction of a golf course, event center and renovation of two century-old hotels in French Lick and adjacent West Baden.

Energy companies urge conservation

By IDS staff and Alyson Brodsy · Wednesday, Aug. 2,2006 6:25 p.m.

Hot enough for you? Residents can expect another sweltering weekend of temperatures hovering near 90, which has caused regional energy suppliers to warn increased electricity consumption is putting a strain on the electric grid. With little relief from the heat until next month, the Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator declared an Energy Emergency Alert Tuesday for several states, including Indiana. Duke Energy is asking customers to voluntarily reduce nonessential electric consumption to ensure production remains stable and reliable.

Postal workers to picket post office today

By David A. Nosko · Wednesday, Aug. 2,2006 6:22 p.m.

Bloomington is not the only Indiana city that may lose its standard "overnight" same-area postal service, but local postal workers are still concerned with the loss of speedy delivery for local Hoosiers sending and receiving mail. USPS officials revealed a list of 139 American cities -- including Lafayette, Muncie, Kokomo and Gary -- that may lose current postal service standards in the name of the company's bottom line, although Southern Indiana's 474 zip code is still the only area under current evaluation. In protest of the USPS plan, local postal workers are picketing Bloomington's Main Post Office at 11:30 a.m. today on Fourth Street, in hopes of drawing community attention to their plight for maintaining current postal service standards for the hundreds of thousands of Hoosiers they serve.

Impressive lighting, dramatic performance highlight 'Mikado'

By Alyson Brodsy and David A. Nosko · Wednesday, Aug. 2,2006 6:17 p.m.

IU Opera Theater's 2006 summer-season production of Arthur Gilbert and W.S. Sullivan's 1885 "The Mikado" is a breathtaking ball of operetta fun, wrapped in colorful threads of Japanese culture and bound by a thick yarn of tongue-and-cheek American laughter. Many audience members left the show last weekend feeling giddy, to say the least, as expressed in smiles glued to their faces and comments to one another like "that was great" and "I had a good time." My partner seated next to me, on the other hand, seemed bored out of her mind throughout the second half as she tapped her foot off-beat to the music and dozed off a few times in her seat, but I could not help join the rowdy standing ovation at the end of the performance to a job well-done. "The Mikado" chronicles the love affair of Nanki-Poo, the son of the Emperor -- or "Mikado" -- of Japan and played by IU graduate student Joshua Whitener, and Yum-Yum, played by IU graduate student Megan Radder. At the beginning of the show both Nanki-Poo and Yum-Yum are committed to marry others, but they fight Japanese custom and battle their lovers for the chance to spend the rest of their lives together.

Group celebrates traditions, fine arts of Central Asian countries

By Christina Stigliani · Wednesday, Aug. 2,2006 6:15 p.m.

The Bloomington-based Silk Road Ensemble presented its 14th annual Silk Road Festival Sunday afternoon at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater. The event began in the theater lobby with exhibits from a dozen countries of the Silk Road region, the historical route that connected the East and West from Turkey to China. The event was manned largely by students studying these languages in the IU Summer Workshop in Slavic, East European and Central Asian Languages. Graduate student Eric Schluessel explained the displays of clothing and weapons of the Uighurs, an ethnically Turkic Muslim people of western China. Holding up a small knife he said, "A Uighur man gives this to his wife when he goes away on a trip so she can protect herself in his absence." Other exhibits also included weaponry as well as popular music and art, clothing and jewelry.

ID and egos

By Alyson Brodsy and Jordan DeLong · Wednesday, Aug. 2,2006 6:09 p.m.

In Kansas they're still arguing about intelligent design. I thought that this issue had passed -- but here it comes again, rearing its malformed head, and getting idiots judging science based on creationism's flimsy evidence. This battle isn't even really about intelligent design, but it's brought forth because of it. While in power, conservative school board members passed changes in the curriculum specifying that current criticisms to evolution must be taught. While this could have been a useful and intuitive change, the revisions were written by a lawyer for the Intelligent Design Network and pissed off everyone (even moderates) so badly that a backlash is coming.

I do (not)

By Alyson Brodsy and Michelle Manchir · Wednesday, Aug. 2,2006 6:07 p.m.

With the help of a course assignment, and the knowledge of the recent engagements of some friends from high school, I've come to realize the existence of one of the most lucrative, fraudulent industries in the United States: weddings. What comes to mind first on this topic is Jennifer Lopez's character in "The Wedding Planner," which I've unfortunately screened more than once (sorry, J. Lo -- more like J. No!). At the beginning of the movie, she talks of her childhood during which she'd have pretend weddings for her Barbie dolls. The plot wants the audience to root for her, so that she experiences her ultimate dream before the movie ends: To be the bride in her own wedding! I can't put into the words the blasphemy that is this culturally-created and media-reinforced concept: That a woman's "happiest day of her life" is her wedding day. Right. Happy. Is it because she gets to spend thousands of dollars (if she can) on food for people she sees yearly and fake pearls for her bridesmaids to wear for a day? Or because she gets to panic about looking beautiful and thin in her constraining white dress? Or maybe because she knows the traditional wedding ceremony places her as a commodity being passed from one man (her father) to another (her husband). Please don't let my feminist jargon scare you. It is the truth, after all. Aside from the cultural implications, the traditional heterosexual wedding ceremony (oh wait ... that's the only legal kind) is unnecessarily expensive. Part of my noted course assignment involved reading "Bridal Guide" magazine and two other wedding planning supplements. The particular issue I had the pleasure to scan was the "Wedding Budget Special." "Gowns Under $1000" was the big story. Finally, ladies! Options you can afford! That is, if you're willing to forego paying for food and lodging for a month in order to purchase a puffball of material. I prefer regular meals to outfits that aren't acceptably worn for more than one day. The magazine also featured very beautiful pink and lacy seat covers for chairs at the reception, and invitations that look like mini holiday gifts with bows. Neat! My sarcasm can be devastating. On that note, I don't think weddings are inherently bad. And I wouldn't chastise my friends or family for holding one in response to their decision to marry -- if that's what they think they really want. I'm just not scared to question and discourage an irrelevant, mildly oppressive and gratuitously lavish tradition. It's interesting how long a person can go through life without realizing the meanings behind the things they do: their customary actions and the traditions they uphold. I feel fortunate to have developed a sense to question convention of wedding ceremonies before I, myself, blow $30,000 partly so Uncle Bill can dance drunkenly to "We Are Family." Maybe I'm too cynical. Or maybe you think I'm completely logical, brilliant and hilarious. I do.

Responsibility on the Rocks

By IDS staff and Alyson Brodsy · Wednesday, Aug. 2,2006 6:04 p.m.

The National College Health Association released a study last week of more than 28,000 students attending 44 colleges and universities that found that 73 percent of student drinkers engage in "protective behaviors" while drinking. The study claims disciplinary actions in controlling alcohol abuse are largely inadequate, and implies that they are unnecessary. The results of the study were touted as progressive, suggesting that more and more students are practicing self-control and being more responsible in their "partying" rituals, leaving college officials with the mere task of "doing what they can to encourage the protective behaviors." These include determining in advance not to exceed a set number of drinks, choosing not to drink alcohol, using a designated driver, eating before and during drinking, having a friend keep track of consumption, keeping track of one's own consumption, pacing drinks to one or fewer per hour, avoiding drinking games and drinking non-alcoholic look-alikes.

Afghan insurgents attack NATO forces

By Alyson Brodsy and Noor Khan · Wednesday, Aug. 2,2006 5:59 p.m.

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- Taliban insurgents attacked a Danish camp in southern Afghanistan Wednesday, seriously wounding one soldier in the third assault on Denmark's contingent since it deployed to the volatile region last week. A Taliban ambush in the same province Tuesday killed three British soldiers and seriously wounded a fourth. They were the first NATO deaths since the alliance assumed military control of southern Afghanistan from a U.S.-led coalition Monday.

Haditha investigation supports accusations against Marines

By Alyson Brodsy and Robert Burns · Wednesday, Aug. 2,2006 5:59 p.m.

WASHINGTON -- Evidence collected on the deaths of 24 Iraqis in Haditha supports accusations that U.S. Marines deliberately shot the civilians, including unarmed women and children, a Pentagon official said Wednesday. Agents of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service have completed their initial work on the incident last November, but may be asked to probe further as Marine Corps and Navy prosecutors review the evidence and determine whether to recommend criminal charges, according to two Pentagon officials who discussed the matter on condition of anonymity.

Castro tries to reassure Cubans his health is stable

By Alyson Brodsy and Vanessa Arrington · Wednesday, Aug. 2,2006 5:58 p.m.

HAVANA -- The Cuban government sought to reassure citizens after Fidel Castro temporarily ceded power for the first time in 47 years, releasing a statement from the world's longest-serving head of government saying his health is stable, his spirits good and the defense of the island guaranteed. His brother and designated successor, Raul Castro, remained silent and out of sight, issuing no statements of his own. Despite the affirmations that all was well, there appeared to be an increase in police patrols in some working-class neighborhoods and coastal areas.

Israeli commandos, Hezbollah clash in northeastern Lebanon

By Alyson Brodsy and Hamza Hendawi · Wednesday, Aug. 2,2006 5:56 p.m.

BOURJ AL-MULOUK, Lebanon -- Israel pressed the first full day of a massive new ground attack, sending 8,000 troops into southern Lebanon on Wednesday and seizing five people it said were Hezbollah fighters in a dramatic airborne raid on a northeastern town. Hezbollah retaliated with its deepest strikes yet into Israel, firing a record number of more than 160 rockets. Diplomatic efforts faltered, with France saying it will not participate in a Thursday U.N. meeting that could send troops to help monitor a cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah.