Tag Archives: Big Talk

Researchers at Indiana University’s Lu Lab for the study of neural networks have discovered that caffeine, among two dozen other common compounds, can strengthen brain cells and help ward off Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other degenerative brain diseases. Before you decide to drink a pot or two of coffee every morning in hopes of avoiding these maladies, one of the lab’s …

With medical marijuana gradually becoming a legal norm across the country, questions remain about how it works — and why. Bloomington is one of the world’s centers for research into the effects of the many types of cannabis plant. Heather Bradshaw heads a lab in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences looking into the active compounds in pot and …

Bloomington author Annette Oppenlander was a success in finance and banking as well as public relations and then, late in life, realized she loved writing. She’s authored three young adult science fiction fantasies and this month has released her fourth novel, a coming of age love story set in World War II Germany entitled, “Surviving the Fatherland.” Much of the …

With the April 15th deadline for submissions fast approaching, this year’s fourth Middle Coast Film Festival is taking shape. Launched in 2014 by founders Jess Levandoski and Chelsea Sanders, the Fest brings independent movies from around the world to Bloomington and it shows the world what Bloomington filmmakers can do. Programmer Jess Levandoski and business manager Jess Reed talk about …

Co-owner and arts and entertainment director of Bloomington’s LGBTQ – friendly nightclub, The Back Door, Nicci B. found her home here when she was embraced by this town’s queer community. In today’s changing political climate for queer folks, Nicci hopes to provide a safe, comfortable place for people of all gender and sexuality nonconformance. With business partner SMOOV – G, …

Longtime Bloomington journalist and author Douglas Wissing has been described as an adventurer. His three tours as an embedded reporter in Afghanistan have provided him with enough adventures to last a lifetime. He’s described what he’s seen in two books on America’s sixteen-year battle in history’s chronic battleground. His latest book, “Hopeless but Optimistic: Journeying Through America’s Endless War in …

Longtime Bloomington journalist and author Douglas Wissing has been described as an adventurer. His three tours as an embedded reporter in Afghanistan have provided him with enough adventures to last a lifetime. He’s described what he’s seen in two books on America’s sixteen-year battle in history’s chronic battleground. His latest book, “Hopeless but Optimistic: Journeying Through America’s Endless War in …

Born in Vietnam just after the fall of Saigon, Thuy Bogart and her family left that war-torn land and lived in a refugee camp in Malaysia for a year. They came to America in 1980. When she grew up, she fell in love with tango, the steamy South American couples dance. She met her husband and future musical accompanist, Ben, …

An actor, playwright, and proud jokester, Emily Goodson has made her mark in Bloomington theater. She’s written the new musical-comedy, “Calling All Kates,” now in pre-production at the Bloomington Playwrights Project. She and her husband, Cardinal Stage Company managing director Gabe Gloden, have chased the theater life around the country and now call our town home. Goodson once played an …

A cabinetmaker, furniture designer and builder, author, preservation advocate, and storyteller, Nancy Hiller has been beautifying people’s homes in Bloomington and other cities for years. She started working with wood as a young woman simply because she needed affordable furniture. She trained in the art and craft of woodworking on a dare and went on to make it her life. …