Longform

New show, ‘Sans Merci,’ debuts at Bloomington Playwrights Project

Before the audience, two women boldly stripped off their clothing in a passionate scene between two young college lovers.

YouTube sensation Straight No Chaser comes home

Christmas music, old hits and fog machines were the key elements in Saturday night’s performance by the original members of Straight No Chaser.

Save us from the robots

As the election draws nearer, any eligible voter has felt the barrage of messages, questionnaires and calls for donations. But these calls aren’t being made just by pesky campaign workers, but also by our robotic brethren in the form of spam programs. Like John Connor battled the terminators to save us from a world overrun by Arnold Schwarzenegger, we eligible voters have to find a way to overcome this robo-menace. Robocalls – phone programs that send automated messages – are being abused by both political parties to spread their messages with varying degrees of truth and propaganda. Indiana is one of three states that has banned this practice completely, but is a hard law to enforce because voters often don’t know that it’s against the law and don’t report it. Free speech shouldn’t apply to automatic messages such as these if they invade privacy and force themselves on the listener. It’s not free speech if someone takes a pamphlet, ties it to a brick and throws it through your window. Why should robocalls be considered different?

An Ugg-ly situation

“She looks like a slutty Eskimo.” This is the initial reaction an acquaintance of mine had when she saw her first Ugg boot. To provide a bit of context, I’ll concede that this acquaintance lived in Florida and that the boots happened to be paired with a miniskirt and tank top. Here in Bloomington, where the mercury actually drops below 75, it seems a bit more sensible to don these infamous boots.

Memo to the Republican Party of 2012

Republican leaders of 2012: Well, it’s looking more and more like this thing’s wrapped up. With eight days until the election, the chances of our claiming a third consecutive term are steadily going down the tube. I suppose it’s no surprise. Despite our greatest efforts, we knew that isolating ourselves from a president with a 25 percent approval rating would be no easy feat. 

Sarah Palin TV

Sarah Palin is going to be the most chic mom at the hockey game on Nov. 5. I mean, she is going to look like a dime piece next to Joe Six Pack’s wife. But looking like a dime doesn’t come cheap. The Republican National Committee reportedly spent $150,000 on “campaign accessories” for Palin – and you know they didn’t hit up the local Wal-Mart. Palin’s new designer wardrobe was purchased at Neiman Marcus, Barney’s and Saks Fifth Avenue.

Popular Palin

Since Sarah Palin’s introduction to the general election, I’ve had trouble understanding her political appeal. It might be her folksy way of talking or her perceived incompetence in handling interviews, but either way there isn’t a word that has come out of her mouth that I have been able to take seriously. This perception has only deepened as Nov. 4 nears and the media continues their aggressive onslaught against her.

Bloomington man charged with murder

Bloomington resident John R. Moore III has been charged with the murder of a Lafayette man.

Bloomington man arrested after car chase

A Bloomington man led the IU Police Department, the Bloomington Police Department and the Indiana State Police on a chase throughout the city Saturday while his 86-year-old mother was in the passenger seat, police said.

Wildermuth decision will be discussed Monday

A decision might come about renaming the Ora L. Wildermuth Intramural Center on Monday, said Terry Clapacs, head of the All University Committee on Names.

Possible timetable announced for athletics director decision

The search for the next IU athletics director is nearing its end, IU spokesman Larry MacIntyre said today. IU trustee Philip Eskew Jr. said the University announcement could come as early as this week.

Hoosiers pull out stunning win against Northwestern

For the first time since September, the IU football team and its fans know what it is like to win. The Hoosiers (3-5, 1-4) ended their five game losing streak on Homecoming, defeating Northwestern 21-19 after suffering a heartbreaking loss in Evanston, Ill., a year ago. Sophomore quarterback Ben Chappell, starting in place for injured junior Kellen Lewis, led the Hoosiers by running and throwing for a touchdown. Chappell spread the ball around well but completed the majority of his passes to freshmen Tandon Doss and Damarlo Belcher.

Weather rains on the parade

Tonight's Homecoming Parade and pep rally have been canceled due to the weather, according to an e-mail from Mark Skirvin, the senior director of outreach programs for the IU Alumni Association.

Students celebrate Diwali

Seven young girls sat dressed in colorful Indian sarees, waiting anxiously for their moment to shine at the Mathers Museum on Thursday night. Their bright dresses sparkled and jingled as they squirmed with anticipation, waiting to perform for Diwali, the Indian Festival of Light. “These girls are doing a dance that was created thousands of years ago in a small village across the world,” said sophomore Preya Davé.

Countdown to Election Day

INDIANAPOLIS - Democratic nominee Barack Obama won’t give up on Indiana. The Illinois senator addressed 35,000 cheering Hoosiers on Thursday in his seventh visit since the May primary, promising voters that if elected, he would fix the economy. Hoosiers turned out in sub-40 degree temperatures, some waiting since 7 a.m. for the rally Thursday at the American Legion Mall in downtown Indianapolis.SLIDESHOW: Obama in IndyPODCAST: Hoosier Headlines

Students ‘Yell Like Hell’

Midterms might be in full swing, but that didn’t stop more than 400 students from screaming at the top of their lungs Thursday night. “Yell Like Hell” was one of the 10 events the Indiana Student Alumni Association hosted this week for Homecoming. Twelve student organizations participated in the event – a competition where students showcase their talents – Thursday inside of Alumni Hall in the Indiana Memorial Union.

Hoosiers look for 1st win in 6 games

The hope Hoosier fans had for IU football in 2008 has slowly subsided over the team’s last five games, all losses. Now with five games remaining and seemingly no shot at going to a second-straight bowl game, IU will attempt to break out of its skid against Northwestern on Saturday.PODCAST: Hoosier Sidelines

Change IU needs

How do the Hoosiers initiate change? Glad you asked.

Double-threat offense rumbles into the Rock

The IU football team has been having a rough go at stopping opposing offenses lately. The Hoosiers (2-5, 0-4) have let up an even 100 points in their last two games, and an average of 40 points per game on their current five-game skid. “I think we got banged up a little bit mentally,” junior safety Nick Polk said. “But the guys have come together, and we have said we are going to stick together and pull through this.” Slowing the landslide of points won’t get any easier this Homecoming weekend, when the Hoosiers welcome to Bloomington the Northwestern Wildcats, a team with two dynamic facets to its offensive attack. The first head on the Wildcats’ offensive front is tailback Tyrell Sutton. Sutton comes into Saturday’s contest averaging just shy of 100 yards on the ground per game. But Sutton also comes out of the backfield to make big catches for NU. The Akron, Ohio, native has 28 grabs for 262 yards so far this season, with two touchdowns. Sutton is a smaller back – at 5-foot-9, 205 pounds – than the last two backs to run over the Hoosiers: Shonn Greene of Iowa and Jason Ford of Illinois. Greene had 115 yards and a score in Bloomington on Oct. 11, and Ford had 172 yards and three scores last weekend against IU. But senior safety Austin Thomas warned Sutton is bigger in person than what paper shows. “Wait till you see this guy’s legs,” Thomas said. “He’s a thick guy. He is a little quicker in space than Shonn Greene and Ford, who we played the other night. But he’s quick; he’s a good back.” Sutton helps to distract defenses from quarterback C.J. Bachér, who is equally formidable. After Bachér lit up opposing teams for 3,656 yards, seventh-most in Big Ten history, Sporting News named the California native the Big Ten’s “Best Player Under Pressure.” In seven games, Bachér has tallied solid offensive numbers, including a 112.6 passing efficiency, 1,545 yards through the air with 10 touchdowns. Bachér can also run – he has two rushing scores and 180 net yards.

Heading north: IU takes on ’Cats and Badgers