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Freedom crucial to prosperity

Prosperity is defined by Webster's as success and/or a period of economic well-being. The United States without a doubt is the most prosperous nation in the history of mankind. Why? Well, compared to the oppression that people in the other parts of the world are forced to live under, we Americans enjoy the most freedom. That's right. Our strength lies in our freedom.

Quick change artists extort local businesses

The IU Police Department received two reports from victims of "quick change artists" June 26. The two locations that reported the crime were Dagwood's Deli, 1799 E. 10th St. and Crosstown Village Pantry, at the corner of 10th and Union Streets. Both locations are located directly across from the IU campus.

Mathers Museum brings cultures of the world to Bloomington

Tucked quietly away on the western side of the IU campus lies a place where world culture flourishes and hands-on learning is a requirement. Since the early 1980s, the William Hammond Mathers Museum has been an interactive learning environment for the students, faculty and the Bloomington community as a whole. Its vast collection of world culture exhibits and artifacts is sure to wow even the most educated of visitors. In everything it does, the Mathers Museum staff prides itself on helping to educate the visitors on both the diversity of the world around them and the unity that binds together the human race.

Harpists vie for top prize

IU's School of Music hosts the largest harp department in the world. It's been said there are more harps in Bloomington than in most small nations. So it's only fitting that every three years, the "Harp Olympics" come to Bloomington. The School of Music is once again playing host to the USA International Harp Competition, a 12-day event that has brought 38 young harpists, ages 16 - 32, to the IU campus to compete for the prestige and prizes that the contest brings. It's a truly international event, with participants coming from 16 different countries and an eight-person jury from six different countries.

Uptown Café offers friendly staff and good food

With all the good ethnic food that Bloomington has to offer in its restaurants, do you ever crave something more like you might get at home? Something American, like mom used to make, only better -- because it's made with the secrets of a restaurant. Look no further, because Michael's Uptown Café is the place for you. Located at 102 East Kirkwood, the Uptown Café offers a variety of foods from breakfast, lunch, and dinner which include typical American food like a burger to good ol' Cajun and Creole cooking from the south. Although I stopped in for lunch, a look at the breakfast menu told me I'd be stopping in again sometime to try out an omelet with a side of apple wood smoked bacon.

Man Ray Revolving Door prints on display

At first glance, the IU Art Museum's installation of Man Ray's Revolving Door (1926) prints may appear to be nothing but an abstract Rorschach test, subject to free associations and loose interpretations. But after close examination of both the titles and accompanying text the true talent and voice of the early twentieth century artist can be seen and heard. Man Ray, born Emmanuel Radnitzsky, was an American photographer, filmmaker, sculptor and painter, who lived in Paris until the German occupation in 1940. As a young man, Man Ray was influenced and involved in the Dadaist movement and participated in the First International Dada Show held in Paris. The movement was concerned with form, imagery, and color, but most important was the "idea" encompassed in the work.

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Miller Park gives Milwaukee something to be proud of

Seems that these days, every baseball team is getting a new ballpark. In fact, I heard the Hoosiers are getting a brand new stadium with a retractable roof and all the creature comforts you could want. OK, so the Hoosiers really aren't, but I wouldn't be surprised to hear that any day now, with the rates stadiums are going up. In Major League Baseball, two new parks opened up this year, PNC Park in Pittsburgh and Miller Park up in Milwaukee. While I have not been to Pittsburgh, if it's half as nice as Milwaukee's, the fans in "the burgh" have something to go see a game for, since their team gives them no reason.

This damsel is no longer in distress

Once upon a time, long ago I gave up the dream that a dashing prince would come and rescue me from my tower of credit card and credit hour hell. The fantasies of my transformation from Cinderella to the princess at the ball ended well past midnight, after many nights and finally the reality of life as a plain girl set in. Sometime in grade school I realized I could not have 7 dwarves for slaves. I would never grow a scaled fin and head down to an enchanted kingdom underwater where I could give up my voice in exchange for the love of a handsome and down-to-earth prince. The fantasies that Disney made my world (I saw The Little Mermaid six times in the theatre) slowly changed to the realities of adolescence, chicken pox, acne and all.

Same-sex couples reveal themselves

The news that unprecedented numbers of same-sex couples declared their presence in the 2000 U.S. Census drew a fair amount of attention in the heterosexual media. This was a good opportunity to educate straight folks, but alas, who will educate their media? One local gay man told The Herald-Times, "I think gay men are more interested in being in couples than they used to be ... I think, deep down, most gay men are romantics and living happily ever after is a goal for us as much as for anybody." This quotation neatly expresses a widespread belief among many gay men today: that gay men did not form couples during the swinging 1970s, preferring an endless string of casual encounters to mature monogamy. AIDS sobered us and made us settle down, like lesbians (who in this myth are paragons of everlasting domesticity). What this has to do with "romance," I don't know. It sounds more like sadomasochism, where suffering purifies and uplifts the penitent, and it's an odd way to advertise the rewards of monogamy. But it just isn't true. (Luckily, other gay men quoted in the article knew better.)

What are fireworks about anyway?

Judging by the eardrum shattering, sleep depriving sounds of exploding devices all around me, I've come to the conclusion that I've either awaken in Bosnia or it's the Fourth of July. A quick glance at the calendar confirms my suspicion that it is that time of year when we, as Americans, celebrate our independence by blowing up everything in sight. Nothing says democracy like a "Flaming Prayerstick" or a gallon of gunpowder. Fireworks have to be the absolute dumbest tradition we have ever invented, with the Oscar for Best Sound in a Dramatic Film coming in a close second. I've never understood the concept of shooting off flammable substances into the air and watching in awe as they explode over our heads. "Ooooooooh," the crowd will say as they see the sky light up.

A legend leaves

When Herman B Wells built the IU Auditorium, the venue was the largest of its kind west of the Alleghenies. Yet Wells wasn't thinking of how to finance construction, of how the building would bolster the thriving School of Music. His thoughts centered on what he considered created the university community: the students.

O'Bannon halts spending

INDIANAPOLIS -- Gov. Frank O'Bannon announced Thursday a moratorium on grants from the Build Indiana Fund, which lawmakers use for capital projects in their districts. Created in 1989 to hold down local property taxes, the fund taps into gambling and lottery revenues to pay for town halls, fire trucks, sewers and other projects. It's recently come under fire for alleged misuse.

Cell phone law raises other questions

New York Gov. George Pataki last week signed into law a ban on talking into hand-held cell phones while driving. It passed the state legislature with overwhelming bipartisan approval, and a poll shows 87 percent of New Yorkers back the legislation. Next on the agenda: a ban on singing along with the radio.

Drugs: Just say maybe

The U.S. has a big drug problem. And the principle cause is dishonesty. But I'm referring less to the illegal drug business as it is normally thought of and more to the basic dishonesty that is part of our approach to drugs in general.

Gros Louis retirement a sad moment

After 22 years as Bloomington Chancellor and Vice President of Academic Affairs, Kenneth Gros Louis retired Sunday, to do some traveling and eventually return here to teach English. Gros Louis leaves behind a legacy compared to Herman B. Wells', the father of IU.

Spielberg's 'A.I.' a near-masterpiece

A.I.: Artificial Intelligence" staggers the imagination. It prods the viewer to consider the big questions of human nature and mortality. It possesses a sweeping vision and a provocative intelligence.

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Council weighs costs of redeveloping Thomson site

Members of the Bloomington City Council wanted to learn a little more about the financing of what used to be the Thomson site. After the meeting had concluded, they still wanted more. Thomson closed its facilities in 1998, leaving 1,200 people without jobs and more than 1.7 million square feet of industrial space. Now plans are being made to determine what will be done with the site.