Food, dialogue fill diversity forum
Food was a uniting factor Thursday night at the Helene G. Simon Hillel Center for the "Diversity in Bloomington?" dinner forum. But the event served a wider purpose.
Food was a uniting factor Thursday night at the Helene G. Simon Hillel Center for the "Diversity in Bloomington?" dinner forum. But the event served a wider purpose.
Gov. Mitch Daniels stopped in Bloomington Thursday to discuss his new plan to make the future I-69 a toll road from Indianapolis to Evansville. This plan will include what is currently Indiana State Road 37, a major north-south corridor for Bloomington.
With a vintage 1977 Darth Vader mug clutched firmly in hand, Gary Wood waited in line at an Indianapolis science fiction convention, hoping to get an autograph from David Prowse, famed for portraying the classic villain in the first "Star Wars" trilogy. Wood got the autograph, but he also got something he hadn't expected: a new cast member for an independent movie he was directing, titled "Saving Star Wars."
President Kennedy once declared that triumph in "a long, twilight struggle," would come at a steep "price," impose a heavy "burden," and entail genuine "hardship." So why is it that the government has refused to ask Americans to sacrifice for victory in this war? The standard retort is that it doesn't need to, that the wealth of America's treasury allows it to deliver both guns and butter. But by now, it is plain that America's war footing at home or, to be coldly honest, the lack of one, is undercutting its war abroad.
As she effortlessly struts down the runway, cameras flash, the crowd gushes and fellow models glare with envy. The 5-foot-6, 105-pound Kate Moss has done for fashion what Jenny Craig has done for weight loss. The fashion industry worships her: She is credited for spearheading the highly controversial "waif" look in the 90s; she was once ranked the fifth highest paid model; she has starred in several notable documentaries; and she has been the face for high-end designers, such as Calvin Klein, Gucci, Versace and David Yurman.
To all the members of the Facebook group "Screw class, let's get drunk," specifically those who believe in its (dare I say) "philosophy," I have a wonderful suggestion. You cannot go to class as often as you please, get drunk as often as you want and, most importantly, not waste your (or your parent's) money simultaneously: Just drop out.
The debate about diversity, always divisive, has reached a new pitch. It is with this background that we raise the rhetorical question: Is IU-Bloomington diverse enough?
A knife was pulled on the host emcee of a charity rap battle sponsored by Hip Hop Congress Thursday night in front of Collins Center after a confrontation between two attendees, according to witnesses. Details were unclear at press time. "It was just a couple of dudes who couldn't behave themselves," said Hip Hop Chapter President Alex Pyatetsky. "We don't condone this behavior."
IU researchers will soon make full use of precise digital instruments that produce massive volumes of information, enabling more accurate pictures of the stars and important genome research with the potential to affect cancer research. The National Science Foundation announced Tuesday it is providing IU with a $1.72 million grant to build a data capacitor, which will temporarily store massive amounts of data waiting to be analyzed by supercomputers, according to a release.
Kwame Jackson, NBC's "The Apprentice" first-season runner-up, said some might call him a serial entrepreneur, which has two meanings. "It means someone who has to start businesses," he said. "Now, the real definition of serial entrepreneur is someone who's so broke they only eat cereal. So, I'm definitely a serial entrepreneur."
NEW YORK -- Bowing to pressure from furious Sept. 11 families, Gov. George Pataki on Wednesday removed a proposed freedom museum from the space reserved for it at Ground Zero, saying the project had aroused "too much opposition, too much controversy."
WASHINGTON -- A major collection of African artwork, some dating to the 1400s, was donated Thursday to the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African Art. "This is a collection that has been sought after by everyone in the museum world because it is so great," said Smithsonian Secretary Lawrence Small. "Finally, for reasons I wholeheartedly agree with, it came here."
NEW YORK -- Another musician has tested the tolerance level for bad language on prime-time television, but she's no raucous rock star. Would you believe it's Joan Baez? The 64-year-old folkie was interviewed as part of "Bob Dylan: No Direction Home," the two-part "American Masters" series directed by Martin Scorsese that aired this week on PBS. She talked about how fellow musicians were frustrated with Dylan's use of the F-word.
Dave Prowse estimates that 99.9 percent of "Star Wars" fans are perfectly normal, sensible human beings. Still, in the more than two decades since Prowse last appeared as Darth Vader in "Return of the Jedi," that one-tenth of a percent has added up. Whether it's being bombarded by fans while on a plane or visiting houses completely turned into "Star Wars" shrines, Prowse has noticed the craze the movies and his character spur in some people.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger followed through Thursday on his promise to veto a bill to legalize same-sex marriage in California, saying the issue should be decided by voters or the courts. "This bill simply adds confusion to a constitutional issue," the Republican governor said in a veto message. Schwarzenegger had announced his intention on Sept. 7, a day after the Legislature became the first in the country to approve a bill allowing gays and lesbians to wed.
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Three suicide attackers exploded near-simultaneous car bombs in the heart of a bustling, mainly Shiite town Thursday, killing at least 60 people and wounding 70 amid a new surge of violence before an Oct. 15 referendum on Iraq's constitution.
LOS ANGELES -- A wind-whipped 17,000--acre wildfire raced across hills and canyons along the city's northwestern edge Thursday, threatening homes and forcing hundreds of people to evacuate. Some 3,000 firefighters aided by aircraft struggled to protect ridgetop houses along the Los Angeles-Ventura county line, a rugged, brushy landscape west of Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley. Officials said the blaze was 5 percent contained as it burned toward such communities as Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley, Calabasas and Agoura.
WASHINGTON -- John G. Roberts Jr., a conservative protégé of the late William H. Rehnquist, succeeded him Thursday and became the nation's youngest chief justice in two centuries, winning support from more than three-fourths of the Senate after promising he would be no ideologue. Roberts, at 50, becomes the 17th chief justice, presiding over a Supreme Court that seems as divided as the nation over abortion and other tumultuous social issues. The court opens a new term on Monday.
INDIANAPOLIS -- Plans are underway for the state's first Hindu temple, a sprawling, elaborate structure dedicated to worship of a dozen deities. The temple's construction on the city's east side underlines the growth of Hindu population and culture in the city, The Indianapolis Star reported in a Thursday story.
Barbara Joseph's inspiration for the Breast Cancer Awareness Walk came from her good friend Melody Martin, a breast cancer survivor who founded the walk. "This is her passion," Joseph said of her friend. The event is not focused on raising money; instead, the main goal of the Breast Cancer Awareness Walk Saturday is to raise awareness about breast cancer. The first 1,000 walkers will receive a free T-shirt. Participants can walk without paying a fee or giving a donation, though donations will be accepted. Sponsors, such as Bloomington Hospital Regional Cancer Institute and Southern Indiana Radiological Associates will donate $200 for each walker and have already donated enough money to cover all of the walk's expenses.