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Professor Pease
http://askdrted.bloogspot.com
9 comments:
Danielle C.
danielle.c@aggiemail.usu.edu
Post2
This is redundant 'cause I read the directions and did this last week already.
New
Kevin Mouritsen
I'm thinking about writing a story about the English Language Center (ELC) here in Logan, which is a non-profit organization here in Logan that teaches non-English speakers how to speak English. What do you think?
Comment
Jordan Allred
jordan.allred@aggiemail.usu.edu
In my fantasy basketball league I made it to the semi-finals, wish me luck.
Story
Megan Peterson
Probably not as good as I would like it but here it is.
Campus Clubs
The back of his shirt read, “Whip out that T-9 and let’s get down to business!”
Isaac Bennion, a freshman at USU majoring in political science said, “Heck yeah I’m a math nerd! I’m proud of the skills I learned in 1050/1060!”
Bennion, who was a member of his high school’s Math club is now in a small Math club at USU and is, “pretty much in it for the fun of it.”
Clubs are spreading across campus and can be found in every college. Lauren Doyle, a member of the animal science club says that, “being part of a club helps you get involved in school activities, service projects, and helps you make new friends.”
Even clubs that were found in high school have collegiate chapters here at USU, including the National FFA Organization, which Lena Baadsgaard is vice president of.
“The FFA was a huge part of my life in high school and isn’t something that I was ready to give up! Having a collegiate chapter is awesome because we have the chance to serve in so many ways.”
Another club that has gained much popularity throughout the USU campus is Aggies for Africa. The club focuses on service projects for different African countries each year. Earlier this year they sponsored a shoe donation where they encouraged students to go barefoot for a day and donate shoes for Africans in need.
Amber Rindlisbacher, a member of Aggies for Africa say that, “When you live in a fairly sheltered area like Cache Valley, you don’t really see a lot of the things that go on in the world, especially in some of the African countries. Being able to make a difference in the lives of those who have so little means a lot to me.”
For students who want a hands-on experience in a school club, they might try the sheep club. “Doc” McNeal, a professor in the animal science department goes above and beyond to provide real life experiences for those involved in the club.
Each semester he takes a group of students to a ranch in Wyoming, run by USU alumni, where they have the opportunity to doctor and take samples on the sheep.
Cade Wallentine, a freshman majoring in animal science said, “I wasn’t very interested in sheep but being able to go on that trip and to have a lot of hands-on experiences has helped me develop patience for the sheep and has helped me with skills that I’ll need in my future career.”
Ty Smith and Sarah Nutting, sophomores from Nevada, said that they both feel that had they not been involved in the club that they are, they wouldn’t have the friends they do and feel as welcome as they do here.
Smith said, “Being an out-of-stater I thought that when I came here I would have a hard time making friends and getting involved with school activities. But being part of a club has given me friendships and life experiences that I’m going to have for a long time.”
From chemistry to human rights, and the Ron Paul Club to billiards, USU offers a wide variety of clubs to suit every student’s need.
Kevin Mouritsen
Markos Moulitsas/www.dailykos.com
kevin.mour@aggiemail.usu.edu
Kevin Mouritsen
Markos Moulitsas Zuniga/dailykos
Markos Moulitsas Zúniga, founder of www.dailykos.com, “the largest progressive community blog in the United States,” and self-proclaimed political junkie, spoke Thursday in the Taggart Student Center Ballroom for a convocation lecture hosted by ASUSU about modern politics and the ongoing presidential election.
“This really is an incredible election season,” said Moulitsas. “I don’t think we’ve ever seen anything like it, at least not in my lifetime.”
Born in Chicago and raised in El Salvador, Moulitsas, once a Republican and an Army veteran, sais that while several Mountain West states like Montana, Colorado, and Idaho have started leaning to the political left, “Utah is lagging” when it comes to “rejecting Republicanism,” and embracing a more liberal ideology.
Moulitsas said that he came back to the United States from El Salvador when he was nine years old and found himself as “a little brown kid who didn’t speak English” in Chicago where “everyone was really, really white” and Republican.
In an attempt to fit in better, Moulitsas says that he too became a Republican.
It was a way to fit in, he said, “sort of what happens in Utah sometimes.”
After joining the Army, still a Republican, Moulitsas says that he was introduced to people from all over the world and from every socioeconomic class.
This exposure to different opinions and perspectives changed the way Moulitsas thought, he said.
“Being a Republican didn’t seem right to me,” said Moulitsas.
He said that being a Republican is, “very selfish, you know, it’s about the individual.”
And so began his political activism as a “progressive Democrat.”
“I’m not the kind of Democrat that the Republican Party tries to make me out to be,” said Moulitsas.
“I’m not an old-school Liberal,” he said,
but a “Libertarian-tinged Democrat.”
Government shouldn’t be the solution to all of our problems, said Moulitsas, but definitely to some.
“I actually care if telephone companies spy on me,” he said. “I care if my water is dirty, if my air is dirty. I care if my rights are being violated by credit agencies.”
After a brief introduction about his background, Moulitsas opened up the discussion, asking for questions from the audience, most of which were centered around the presidential election.
“Who’s gonna win the democratic nomination?” asked one man in attendance.
Moulitsas said that Obama will be the democratic candidate, and that it’s just a matter of time before Hillary Clinton realizes that she has lost and drops out of the race.
In response to the follow-up question about whether two Democrats, Clinton and Obama, still being in the race is helping or hurting the Democratic Party, Moulitsas responded, “I absolutely think it’s helping the party.”
He quickly followed by saying that if Obama and Clinton are both in the race much longer, it will start to hurt the Democrats chances at retaking the White House, but he said he is confident that the “Clinton Machine” will soon bow out of the race.
Moulitsas said that if he would like to see an Obama-Bill Richardson (Democratic Governor from Nevada) ticket.
“Bill Richardson would be my number one choice for vice president,” he said.
One man asked about the shifting political issues, saying that in 2006 the War in Iraq was the big issue, while now the economy and the housing market are the big issues. He wondered if this shift in issues would give the War in Iraq a back seat in the presidential election.
The War in Iraq, “is absolutely not going to take a back seat,” in this election, said Moulitsas.
He said that proof of this lies in the fact that a short time ago Barack Obama quoted John McCain as allegedly saying that the United States would be in Iraq for 100 years.
Moulitsas said that soon after this statement by Obama, there were no less than five press releases from the Republican Party disclaiming it as an actual McCain quote.
Moulitsas also said that McCain’s age will play a factor in this election, citing an online survey that asked participants what kind of people they would be willing to vote for.
Moulitsas said that the survey revealed that more people were likely to vote for a woman, a black, and a Mormon than for someone over the age of 70.
He said that those findings don’t bode well for McCain, who is 71 years old.
Moulitsas said he would love to see a McCain-Fred Thompson ticket for the Republican nomination.
“It would be the oldest-looking presidential ticket ever,” said Moulitsas.
He said that McCain would have to choose a young running mate in order to help his age, and agreed with one audience member that former presidential candidate Mitt Romney would be among his best choices.
“Mitt Romney inspires confidence,” said Moulitsas. “He would be a good vice president candidate.”
Moulitsas said he would have liked to see John Edwards win the Democratic nomination.
“He was running against history,” said Moulitsas, referring to the fact that for the first time in U.S. history a woman and a black person were serious competitors in the presidential race.
He said the controversy surrounding Obama and his pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, is race-driven.
“The whole Reverend Wright issue is just a way for Republicans to call Obama ‘black’ without actually calling him ‘black,’” he said.
Moulitsas thinks that McCain’s age will be more debilitating than Obama’s alleged inexperience.
“Hillary already tried the inexperience issue with Obama, and it didn’t work,” he said.
Moulitsas is certain that Obama would make a good president despite his political youthfulness, saying the Republican President Warren G. Harding was among the most experienced, and the worst, presidents the United State has ever had.
Moulitsas said that attitudes are changing and that the United States is leaning more towards the political left.
“Twenty years ago, Vermont was the most Republican state in the country,” said Moulitsas. “Today, it’s among the top three most Democratic states in the country.”
“We’ve seen states like Colorado completely flip,” from Republican to Democrat, said Moulitsas.
For more info on Markos Moulitsas Zuniga and his ideas, visit www.dailykos.com.
Hayley Jensen
hayley.jensen@aggiemail.usu.edu
Most college students have heard the rule study two hours a day for each credit of school you are taking. Few, if any students actually abide by this rule. How would you like to cut your study down to only two hours a day total and recieve better than "A" grades?
That is exactly what Michael Tieg did.
Tieg, the President and CEO of TigerLight Inc., spoke to students at the Logan LDS Institute of Relgion Friday, as a part of the "Religion in Life" lecture series held each week at 11:30.
The lecture focused on study techniques that Tieg himself developed studying the lives and thinking patterns of Walt Disney and other successful inovators. As a Business Major at Brigham Young University, Tieg struggled to maintain good grades and balance the demands of a busy life until he learned to expand his capacity to retain and learn stating " When I learned to study there was a dramatic difference. You spend alot of time studying, you might as well get the most out of it."
How does one get the most out of his or her study? First, he claims is the strong writing ability. Taking a short event and giving it feeling is better than a long event with no feeling. Communication is key.
Next, Tieg states, is a term he calls "focused concentration." The key is to take away distractions from your study enviroment such as color from the walls, posters and outside noise like talking and phones.
Making a plan of what you are going to study before you sit down to study and having a designated start and stop time will help you to focus your thoughts and complete everything you need to, Tieg stated. "School can be easy. If you know how to do it, it's simple."
The study habits engrained in students today form bad habits. "If you study the way you have been you guarantee your mediocrity with 100%. You should be asking yourself, what can I do to blow minds?"
Michael Tieg lives in Utah with his wife and nine children. He now works as a writer and director for commercials and is CEO if Tigerlight Inc., a flashlight company that makes specialized lights for army and law enforcement. He also teaches study courses to students from elementary school all the way to law school.
Cecily Kiss
Hookah Smoke
4-4-08
With flavors like vanilla, orange creamsicle, mint, and strawberry, the tobacco that is used in hookah practically sounds like candy. Hookah is a water pipe used to smoke flavored tobacco, it is also known as shisha, narghile, and goza. Hookah has been around for centuries in the Middle East and Asia but it has more recently become popular among teens and young adults in America. Although Hookah is believed to be less harmful than cigarettes, studies show that an hour long hookah session is equivalent to 100 to 200 times the volume of smoke inhaled from a single cigarette.
“I love it because it makes me very relaxed and able to let all my worries go,” Sadie Green a freshmen at Utah State said “It’s not addictive and I don’t think it can be that bad for you because its flavored smoke.” In all actuality hookah smoke, which is filtered through water is just as bad if not worse than smoking cigarettes. It still contains high levels of carbon monoxide, heavy metals, and cancer-causing chemicals as well as nicotine, which is the addictive substance in tobacco.
“The first time I saw someone smoke hookah I couldn’t believe that someone could breath in that much smoke and not cough,” Zachary Matthews said “But that’s what is so great about it, you can breath in so much.” Hookah has become popular with young adults looking to relax and socialize. Hookah bars are popping up across the country, and anyone who is of legal age to purchase tobacco can enjoy smoking hookah in a hookah bar.
Ryan Barfuss, the prevention specialist for the student wellness center said that smoking hookah is not safe, and it is just as addictive as cigarettes. It also makes people more susceptible to transferable diseases such as herpes, tuberculosis, and hepatitis because they are sharing the hookah pipe. Second hand hookah smoke is a problem because smoking hookah is a social phenomenon and the side effects of second hand smoke are harmful. “People have a false hope that its safer,” Barfuss said “ However it is not safe at all.”
Bryant Vega
Humanitarian/school story
Dozens of letters were sent to the Utah senators today to ask them to contribute to ending poverty and war in Uganda.
For years children in Uganda have been leaving their homes and traveling in the night to commute to bus parks or verandas where they cram in like canned sardines to survive from being abducted. Three young students living out of a van came to tell the children’s story tonight in the Eccles Science Learning Center auditorium at 7 by showing their documentary of their visit to Uganda.
In 2003 Jason Russell, Laren Pool and Bobby Bailey sold many of their belongings to buy a few video cameras on eBay.
Their plan was to go to Africa and bring back a story to the people of the United States. What they got was a 20 year old war between the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and the Ugandan government.
“When we finally got to Uganda we met up with a woman named Jolly Okot who showed us the children and told us there is your story.” Said Bailey.
“Thousands of children were commuting over night as if the circus had come into town and all of the children wanted to go. But this was no circus, these children were walking in fear of their lives,” Said Russell.
“We have to hide, if we go in the bush they will catch us and we will die,” said Jacob, who was one of the displace children.
Over 40,000 children have been abducted to fight for the LRA; these children are brainwashed, beaten, starved, and often put to death.
The optimal child to be taken by the LRA is between the age of 5 and 12, because they are big enough to hold guns but small enough to sneak into schools and capture other children.
As soon as these children are taken they are taught to kill and be violent and to show no mercy for anyone.
The rebel forces were not always abducting children though, it started with a woman named Alice Lakwena.
Lakwena began the rebel movement and war; she believed that the Holy Spirit had told her to overthrow her government, because her government was being unjust to her people.
Lakwena and her followers, known as the Holy Spirit Movement, started getting more support when resentment toward the government increased.
Lakwena was later exiled and, Joseph Kony, who claimed to be Lakwena’s cousin, took control and turned Lakwena’s rebel army into the LRA.
Not many of Lakwenas followers supported Kony because of his extreme tactics, so he started abducting children and turned them into killing machines. It is estimated that more than 90% of the LRA’s troops are children.
In accordance with the rebel movement, the Ugandan government displaced 2 million people and put them in camps called IDPs. As a result, they have not been able to plant their crops and hunger is widespread.
The abductions have since diminished from thousands of children commuting each night to a few hundred.
And today a great humanitarian victory was won when the last IDP camp was shut down putting 450,000 people back to their own homes, or what is left of them.
This however is no cause for celebration because of the extreme poverty, loss of lives starvation and lack of education that these families and children still survive through everyday.
If you want to help go to www.invisiblechildren.com and see what differences you can make.
Jordan Allred
Cycling Club/Bike Swap
Nearly 400 people attended the fundraiser for the USU Cycling Club as they held their third annual Bike Swap at Merlin Olsen Park Saturday.
Everything from clothing to parts as well as bikes were on sale at the fundraiser as the team tried to earn money for the club as well as promote the sport of cycling.
“This is our biggest fundraiser of the year.” said team president Ira Tibbitts describing they would keep a percentage of the total money earned from the items dropped off by community members earlier that morning.
Three years ago the USU Cycling Club was nearly nonexistent with very few members and hardly any of them active, but with Tibbitts’ help along with a couple of others they turned the club around.
The USU Cycling Club now has over 40 members, several of whom actively compete in any of the three cycling seasons, and the club also holds fundraisers like the Bike Swap every year in addition to a handful of sponsors.
They even hold meetings on a regular schedule said Tibbitts, “We invite special guests to come and teach us things like racing strategies and give us tips on training.”
Tibbitts has only been racing since he joined the club three years ago “I wanted to get involved in some extracurricular activities,” he said, and while visiting France Tibbitts had the opportunity to watch the Tour de France and it sparked an interest in the sport.
After Tibbitts earns his degree in mechanical engineering this spring, he hopes to pursue a professional racing career within the United States, and wants to continue to help out with Utah State’s cycling program.
However, Tibbitts says that racing isn’t the most important part of the sport, “It’s an environment friendly sport…and it builds a well-rounded person.” he says, “It starts with people getting out on the roads.”
Tibbitts along with others on the team would like to see the community get more involved, either by riding bikes more often or remembering to share the road respectfully.
Tibbitts described Cache Valley as a “Mecca for cycling” since it has all levels of hills and roads with great mountain bikes trail minutes outside of Logan, “I would like to see everybody do it [cycling].”
Another team member, Cole Gibbons, the Sponsorship Coordinator for the club has been involved in biking all his life and loves being on a team with people who are all passionate about the same thing.
Gibbons also wishes to see more people take advantage of this sport, for reasons other than racing or being part of a club.
“My views have changed about cycling within the last year,” Gibbons says, “I used to see it as purely a sporting event, but it has become a substantial form of transportation.”
With rising gas prices cycling may start to expand, which is good news for the USU Cycling Club who are always looking for more dedicated members.
“The main thing is to have fun, because everybody can do it.” says Tibbitts who hopes that cycling will continue to grow in Cache Valley and more support will be shown towards USU’s Cycling Club.
With the money they earned from over 150 items sold at the Bike Swap, the club hopes to be able to pay for traveling expenses and lodging as they attend racing events in both Colorado and Utah this year.
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