Community Arts

Web site claims hostage killed

By Alyson Brodsy and Bassem Mroue · Wednesday, Sept. 22,2004 12:28 a.m.

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- A posting on an Islamic Web site claimed Tuesday that the al Qaeda-linked group led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has slain a second American hostage in Iraq. The claim could not be verified immediately. The group kidnapped two Americans -- Jack Hensley and Eugene Armstrong -- along with Briton Kenneth Bigley in Baghdad Sept. 16. Armstrong was beheaded by al-Zarqawi, and the militants on Monday posted a gruesome video of his death.

The best Creole in town

By Adam B. Steer and Adam Steer · Wednesday, Sept. 22,2004 12:27 a.m.

When I think of Louisiana, a few things come to mind: the wailing sound of southern jazz and amazing Creole and Cajun food. Creoles were the original French settlers of New Orleans. These people were mostly rich aristocrats. Cajuns, on the other hand, were Acadians, or poor peasants from France. These people settled around New Orleans in the bayous and prairies of southern Louisiana.

Burnt butt, damaged ego

By Alyson Brodsy and Colin Dugdale · Wednesday, Sept. 22,2004 12:14 a.m.

I don't tan. Never have. I could get totally naked, lube my entire body in Crisco, lay down on a blanket of tin foil, roast in the middle of the freakin' equator and still not show even the slightest bit of a golden complexion. The anti-albino gene is apparently missing from my genetic code. Whenever my skin is exposed to the sun for a prolonged period of time, it goes through two stages. First, it turns red. Not just ordinary red either, but the kind of bright neon red that might be produced if a tomato had sex with a stop sign.

Got a disease? Deal

By Alyson Brodsy and Elisha Sauers · Wednesday, Sept. 22,2004 12:12 a.m.

If first lady Laura Bush were your soccer mom, she'd be the one parent on the sideline screaming, "Don't bother running! You'll never score!" At least, that's her attitude on stem cell research. She thinks funding this science and having the potential to save the lives of many sick people, isn't a battle worth fighting simply because it gets peoples' hopes in the air.

Russia's new post-Beslan attitude

By Alyson Brodsy and Edward Delp · Wednesday, Sept. 22,2004 12:09 a.m.

What should the world's response to terrorism be? This is an issue that has been debated ever since the Sept. 11 attacks. However, until recently, very few countries around the world understood how the United States felt and why it wanted to pursue terrorists the way it did. The recent attacks against a Russian school has served as a wake-up call not only to Russia but to the rest of the world as well. Terrorists are heartless killers who should be hunted down like the cowards they are, regardless of whose feelings get hurt.

Emmy winner to film documentary on BPP

By Jennifer Griffin · Wednesday, Sept. 22,2004 12:08 a.m.

Although it is celebrating its 25th year of theater magic, the Bloomington Playwrights Project isn't throwing itself a party or buying itself presents. It isn't wearing a pointed birthday hat or eating cake and ice cream. Instead, the BPP will be the subject of a documentary created by two-time Emmy winner Bob Risher.

Purdue on the right trax

By Alyson Brodsy · Wednesday, Sept. 22,2004 12:07 a.m.

Within the next couple of weeks, Purdue students will enjoy a privilege most students in Bloomington are already privy to -- free music downloads. The difference is the downloading in which Purdue students will engage will be legal. Through an agreement with a campus-oriented file-sharing company, Boilermakers will be allowed to download hundreds of thousands of music tracks without giving up a red cent. IU students should be taking notice.

Baseball fund-raiser to benefit play group

By Jennifer Griffin · Wednesday, Sept. 22,2004 12:01 a.m.

While Major League Baseball players have months to prepare for the playoff series, Bloomington Playwrights Project teams get only 24 hours. This weekend the BPP proudly presents its Playoff Series, a baseball-themed fund-raiser. "We needed an idea for a profitable fund-raiser," said Sonja Johnson, BPP development director. "(Our artistic director) had done something similar to this with another group, and it was very successful, so we decided to try it."

Students finding flair for personal decorating, style at local stores

By Jaime Cohen and Jaimie Cohen · Tuesday, Sept. 21,2004 11:59 p.m.

From contemporary clean to classic country, students arrive at their new residences ready to fill the space with personality. For many students, decorating their living space is an opportunity to settle into their surroundings while finding their own personal living style. Empty apartments, houses and dorms become an eclectic mix of flair and comfort.

Kruzan unveils student spending study

By Tony Sams · Tuesday, Sept. 21,2004 2:28 a.m.

With a Bloomington small business as his backdrop, Mayor Mark Kruzan revealed Monday the results of a recently completed survey tracking IU students' local spending and shopping habits. He also announced a new partnership between the campus, the city and the Small Business Development Center to help revitalize downtown. "IU students, particularly those who are new residents in our downtown, represent a market in waiting," Kruzan said during a press conference in front of Bloomington Bagel Company's newest branch on Morton Street.

Mindful movements

By Laura Beranek · Tuesday, Sept. 21,2004 2:28 a.m.

Under bright neon lights in the Ora L. Wildermuth Center in the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, the T'ai Chi Ch'uan club comes into session. Varying in body types and ages, students cluster together in groups of three or four to practice different levels of T'ai Chi. Brenna Dwyer, president of the T'ai Chi club, leads one of the clusters into their first moving meditation -- a sequence of 64 slow but distinctive movements.

Miller Showers Park passes test with flying colors

By Mike Malik · Tuesday, Sept. 21,2004 2:25 a.m.

Shortly after construction began in April 2002 on Miller-Showers Park, a storm water treatment facility, the designers knew exactly what it was supposed to do, in theory. Two years and some months later, the park, which designers had envisioned to cleanse storm water, has done just that after many storms have dumped rain on Bloomington. The park opened to the public in July.

IU needs research facilities

By Kelly Phillips · Tuesday, Sept. 21,2004 2:25 a.m.

A new report states IU has an immediate need for research space on the Bloomington campus -- otherwise, it might not reach its full potential as a research institute. At IU-Purdue University Indianapolis, needs are also pressing, and more than one million square feet of new space will be needed within 10 years, according to the report.

Swastikas found at Briscoe

By Mike Wilson · Tuesday, Sept. 21,2004 2:25 a.m.

IU Police Department officers were called to investigate drawings of swastikas on the walls of the eighth floor of Briscoe-Gucker Saturday afternoon.

Total Tan robber still at large

By Lindsey Jancek and Lindsay Jancek · Tuesday, Sept. 21,2004 2:23 a.m.

After five days of looking for a man who robbed a Total Tan at gunpoint Thursday, authorities have no new leads. Junior Lisa Aigner was working behind the counter of the store, located on 2544 E. Third St., with another co-worker when a man ran into the tanning salon with a cloth over his face demanding money.

Around The State

By Alyson Brodsy · Tuesday, Sept. 21,2004 2:21 a.m.

Church struck twice by lightning celebrates 150th year WAYNESBURG, Ind. -- A congregation is celebrating its resilient 150-year history, which includes having to rebuild twice because lightning burned down the church.

Cubs, Marlins split crucial doubleheader

By Alyson Brodsy and Steven Wine · Tuesday, Sept. 21,2004 2:21 a.m.

MIAMI -- The Chicago Cubs' 24-hour visit to Miami included a brief stay atop the NL wild-card race. Then they lost their lead because they couldn't beat David Weathers. The journeyman right-hander, making his first start in six years, limited Chicago to two hits and one run in five innings, and the Florida Marlins won 5-2 for a split of their doubleheader Monday.

Pushing the buttons of education

By George Lyle IV · Tuesday, Sept. 21,2004 2:17 a.m.

Video games, whether you realize it or not, are a big deal. From their humble beginnings at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on an old radar display to today's 3-D modeled masterpieces, video games have become bigger business than both movies and music, worth billions annually. Most of those billions go toward games like Halo or Madden NFL Football, but Clinical Associate Professor Bob Appelman and others in the Instructional Systems Technology division of the School of Education are working to change that.

Particles

By Alyson Brodsy · Tuesday, Sept. 21,2004 1:57 a.m.

$5.5 million awarded to identify important crop and weed genes An estimated $5.5 million, three-year grant was awarded to IU biologist Loren Rieseburg and five colleagues yesterday to be used for the identification of key genes causing lettuce, sunflower, thistle, knapweed and several other crops and weeds in the sunflower family to differ from their wild ancestors. Information gained from this project will be useful to plant breeders, weed fighters and anthropologists interested in the domestication of crops.

Tongue-twisting ties between parrots and humans

By Katie O'Keefe · Tuesday, Sept. 21,2004 1:54 a.m.

Scientists around the world finally have the answer to one age-old question: "Polly want a cracker?" Well ... almost. More accurately, the question might be, "Can Polly really talk?"