Longform

Surf Bloomington

Most travelers follow a set formula for every trip: Take a plane or car, pay around $100 or more a night for a decent hotel room, then proceed to wander around your new exciting destination with a guidebook in hand. But for the more than 700,000 users of the international networking site CouchSurfing.com – including more than 200 in Bloomington – the experience is entirely different. When “couch surfers” decide they want to experience the wonders of a new travel spot, instead of flipping through the phone book for hotels, they search the CouchSurfing Web site for listings of local couches available in the area of their destination. Using an online directory, Surfers find a number of hosts in the area with whom they can stay, free of charge, during their trip.

Snooze-a-thon A.D.

Everything about this movie is cliche. It is boring, hackneyed, slow paced and lacks any setup or sense of setting to bring the audience into the story and make them care about the characters. Instead of ponying up $9 at the theater, stay home and watch “The Fifth Element” and “Blade Runner” at the same time, with the sound turned off. Even that way, they’ll make more sense than “Babylon A.D.”

Cars v. Bikes

WEEKEND investigates: With cars becoming more inconvenient to drive, could the bike take the car’s place in rock ’n’ roll?

PODCAST: Hoosier Headlines

Tune in for today's headlines from the print edition and catch the new "Your Voice" segment.

Men's basketball schedule announced

The 2008-2009 IU men's basketball schedule was released by the University today.

IU to test campus emergency alert system

IU-Bloomington will conduct a test of the IU-Notify system at about noon Friday, the University announced today.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that Russia will respond calmly to an increase in NATO ships in the Black Sea in the aftermath of the short war with Georgia, but promised that “there will be an answer.”

A humanitarian aid flight carrying 17 people crashed on a ridge in eastern Congo, and the U.S.-based group that operated the route said Tuesday there appeared to be no survivors.

Russian PM Putin questions NATO ship presence

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that Russia will respond calmly to an increase in NATO ships in the Black Sea in the aftermath of the short war with Georgia, but promised that “there will be an answer.”

New Orleans mayor: Please don’t come home yet

Anxious evacuees across the country clamored to come home Tuesday after Hurricane Gustav largely spared New Orleans and southern Louisiana, but they were cautioned to wait for the restoration of power and other critical services knocked out by the storm.

Lieberman, Bush rally behind McCain on 2nd night of RNC

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Democrat-turned-independent Sen. Joe Lieberman called for Republicans and Democrats to come together and put aside politics Tuesday night at the Republican National Convention.

Indy mayor says he can relate to Palin

ST. PAUL, Minn. – There might be one Hoosier who understands overcoming perceived inexperience better than anyone else. Like Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the recently named running mate of presumptive Republican nominee John McCain, Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard had to prove himself, too.

Hillel Center finds new home

After three years of hoping and waiting, the students and staff of the Helene G. Simon Hillel Center finally know where their much-needed new building will be located.“I don’t think we could ask for better,” said Rabbi Sue Shifron, executive director of the Hillel Center, on the projected new location at East Eighth Street and North Fess Avenue.  The current building, 730 E. Third St., was built specifically for the Hillel Center in 1993 when the number of Jewish students at IU was at about 1,000, Shifron said. Now that number has risen to about 4,500, and it’s no wonder the Hillel Center is bursting at the seams. “We just don’t have enough space in here,” Shifron said. “Now we sometimes have double or triple the number of students in the building that we can comfortably fit.”

New rules delay approval for IU research

The approval process for research involving human subjects has slowed at IU-Bloomington recently, creating problems for graduate students and others who are trying to start and complete projects.

Johnson dominates California; Chase heats up

Greenspan’s reign not unfamiliar

Middleton returns to camp, Hagerup retains starting role

Football reporter Lee Hurwitz updates the Hoosiers' week of practice.

IU golf coach accepts assistant job at Southern Cal

IU assistant coach Josh Brewer was named the assistant coach for men’s and women’s golf at perennial powerhouse Southern California, ending a six-year term at IU.

Hillel BBQ bash welcomes new Jewish students with food, friends

The Helene G. Simon Hillel Center kicked off the school year with its 19th annual BBQ Bash where more than 600 students gathered for food, friends and fun among IU’s Jewish community.

Russian PM Putin questions NATO ship presence

Congo plane crash kills 17, leaves no survivors