Indiana in the Spotlight

I just saw this photo highlighted on Time's webpage. Finally, it's Indiana's time to be in the spotlight. I am so glad that the first year I am eligible to vote, I have the opportunity to actually make a difference. After Hillary's win in the Pennsylvania primary yesterday, Indiana's voice is more important than ever. I am sure unsure who I will vote for, but I am going to make an educated decision when primary day arrises. As for now, I will continue to watch the candidates to see who I support the most.

American Idol Tackles Andrew Lloyd Webber

My favorite weeks on American Idol are always those in which the contestants are forced to tackle an odd musical genre or style. This week the six remaining singers got to meet one on one with musical god Andrew Lloyd Webber who coached them each through a song from one of his many musicals. Overall, the night was okay... I was not really surprised by any of the performance, although I was a bit underwhelmed by a few.

Carly Smithson was probably my favorite, singing "Jesus Christ Superstar." The upbeat tempo and fun lyrics really complimented her voice. She actually looked happy while she was singing for once. What a nice surprise!

David Cook was also surprisingly good this week. He sang one of my favorite musical number, "Music of the Night" from The Phantom of the Opera. It was eerily composed and a bit creepy, but his voice sounded amazing.

Syesha (to my disapproval) sang well this week, too. I really don't like her, but this musical theater genre is where she shines. Darn.

David Archuleta, I am getting rather bored with you. If you sing another ballad, I think I may gouge my eyes out. I'm beginning to think that you are incapable of singing any upbeat songs. Lucky for you, you have about a million preteen fans worshiping you.

Jason and Brooke, I'm rather disappointed with you both. I know that this is definetly not your music genre, but your selections were rather dull and unispiring. I was hoping for a little more from you. I think one of the two of you will surely be going home tomorrow. Hopefully, it's not Brooke...

Reverting Back to AIM

All throughout middle school I would always get in trouble for spending too much time on the computer instant messaging friends. I would log on my AOL account nearly everyday in order to gossip with my other friends about the most random things. It was always so serious. This whole AIM thing kinda died down quite a bit during high school when everyone got a Facebook or a Myspace and new cell phones, so they resorted to writing on each other's walls or texting back in forth instead of IMing.

This is all about to change. Apparently a lot of my friends on the floor have been using AIM to communicate with each other since the beginning of first semester. I had almost completely forgotten my screen name and password and had not thought about IMing for the longest time. However, yesterday I just downloaded the program onto my desktop and started talking to some friends. I think this will come in handy this summer when I want to keep in touch with college friends while away from IU. It's just another reason for me to spend more time on the computer. Yipee.

Amazed by Hammer and Nail

Yesterday afternoon I went downtown with some friends in order to watch the annual Hammer and Nail performance by IU dance and music students. The event consisted of almost fourteen shot performances with everything done by the students. When I say everything, I mean EVERYTHING. All of the music was composed by IU students and performed by music students. All of the dance pieces accompaning the music were choreographed by students and performed by dance students. I was amazed to see so much creativity and vision in all of the pieces presented. Of course, the program went a little long, and I might have accidentally fallen asleep a couple of times in the middle, but overall I was really impressed by what I saw on stage. We have a lot of talent at IU, and I'm glad I was given the opportunity to witness it.

Talking About Race and Culture

On Thursday afternoon, I went to hear a guest lecturer at the Anthropology department's 60th anniversary symposium. The theme of this year's symposium was race and its implications in today's society. Yolanda Moses opened up the event with one of the two keynote addresses. She divided her talk into three main sections: the understanding of race from a biological perspective, the understanding of race from a social and cultural perspective, and the need for cooperation between these two views of the issue. She began by giving a brief history of the concept of race in human society, dating back to when it was first used as a focus of class comparisons within human populations. The concept of distinct scientific biological races was prevalent, greatly affecting the treatment of races deemed “less evolutionary advanced.” As research directed toward learning more about evolutionary forces and population genetics began to arise, this idea of scientific biological races was snuffed out. It was found that there was actually more variation within groups than between them. Although this information was amassed, racism still prevailed around the globe. The Eugenics movement as well as the Holocaust is a testament to the continued quest for racial purification. Professor Moses began speaking of race in a new light, from the view of a cultural anthropologist. She deemed racism a cultural issue thriving in our society, fed by economic changes breeding anger and fear. Race is a cultural issue (a social construct) rather than a physical classification. Although this is true, Professor Moses emphasized the importance of bringing biological and cultural constructs of race together again in order to combat racism in our society. Each of these two groups (the biological and cultural anthropologists) needs to hear the other’s perspective in order to form a unified anthropological approach to racial diversity. I found this talk extremely insightful and interesting. I’m glad she was given the opportunity to visit Indiana University to speak to us about such a contested issue.

Rest in Peace, Caroline

I just heard about an hour ago that the 5 year old daughter of one of the teachers at my high school died this evening after fighting a difficult battle with leukemia. This news was so incredibly sad because I knew how strong little Caroline Harmon had been fighting over the past few months. During my senior year in high school, I was a member of the Student Council, and we conducted several fundraisers in order to benefit the Harmon family. We collected new toys and videos for Caroline in order to keep her occupied when she began her cancer treatment in quarantine. We raised money for gas and food, as well, because the family had to drive back and forth from Lafayette to Minnesota for treatment. I had not heard much news recently about Caroline Harmon's condition so I assumed that she was on the road to recovery. I'm just so shocked that such a small child could be taken in this manner. My thoughts and prayers go to the Harmon family in this time of pain and sadness. At least she will be in heaven where all the pain and suffering will be gone forever.

Miracles Happen Once in A While

I just read a really interseting article on CNN's website about an image of Jesus Christ weeping appearing on a window in an Orlando hospital. Witnesses say that the image bearing Jesus's likeness apeared quickly and lasted only for a couple of hours. There is currently no explanation for the appearance, which brought many onlookers to tears. I am a firm believer in miracles and the power of Jesus to touch peoples lives. Appearances like this one are extremely rare. Although in this case there is a tangible representation of Christ for everyone to see, I don't always have to see something to believe in it.