DECEMBER
2008
ARTS & LIFE
Art
Photo
101: How to take better pictures
I am often asked as a photojournalist, what makes a
great picture? That sounds like a simple question to
answer, however, things are rarely as simple as they
seem. If I had to sum it up in one word, that word would
be emotion, but I have to be a realist, and one word
can't answer that question. / By Patrick Oden
Culture
Culture
shock affects USU students in U.S.-China exchange
Foreign exchange students to and from China have culture
experiences most students in the United States are not
familiar with. / By Michon Winget
Atheists
find surprisingly fertile ground at USU
"Atheism is the lack of belief in God or
gods. It's not the rejection of God. It's a lack of
belief." That's how Jon Adams and Jordan Daines defined
atheism. It was out of this belief that Adams, Daines
and a few others started the Secular Humanists, Atheists,
and Free Thinkers club in January 2008. / By Andrea
Romero
Features
Drug
abusers' young kids suffer the nightmare and anxiety
She is scared of red and blue flashing lights. Her reoccurring
nightmare is one of men in dark blue uniforms and badges
coming in cars with flashing lights to take her away.
To her, the police are the bad guys, not the white substance
controlling her life. / By Debra Hawkins
Why
choose to be Greek?
To some, being part of a fraternity or sorority means
having a home away from home. That includes the ups
and downs. / By Caresa Alexander
Freshmen
reflect on work, independence of first semester at USU
As their first semester comes to a close, USU freshmen
expressed their opinions about the pros and cons of
campus life and living on their own. / By Kayla
Harding
She
was raised a Mormon, then fell for a girl
Her senior year in high school Bailey Bell fell in love.
But, unlike previous crushes, she was in love with another
girl. / By Leah Lopshire
Student
teaches nuances of deaf communication
The basement of the Lilly White Building
is as quiet as a house at midnight. It seems that everyone
has left for the day. Yet all the rooms are occupied
with silent students. This is where Ellen O'Hara spends
hours each day assisting in the progress of education.
/ By Leah Lopshire
Foster
families filling in where original parents failed
"It snowed outside," 9-year-old Ashley says, looking
out the front window of her foster parent's house. A
few minutes later, after walking to the back of the
house, she exclaims, "Look, it snowed it the back yard
too." After growing up in a house where meth was created,
her brain is unable to process the idea that when it
snows, it snows everywhere outside, not just where she
can see. / By Debra Hawkins
Living
a normal life with Asperger's
Alisa Jenkins knew something was wrong when she saw
her oldest son, then 6, lie down in the middle of a
soccer game, curl up, and begin to cry. It wasn't that
he was sick, or unable to play. It seemed as though
any type of activity that included running made him
upset. / By Charissa Ingraham
How
to make fried ice cream (and you know you want some!)
There is a gap in our education system. I was shocked
to discover that many of my friends had never experienced
the joy that is fried ice cream. For me this tasty dish
is found in the deep fryer of the Mexican restaurants
in Cache Valley. / By Shannon K. Johnson
Pursuing
an advanced education through touch and sound
It's Kasondra Payne's first day of another school year.
The classroom hushes abruptly as the teacher enters
the classroom. Payne feels her way to her seat in the
front row. Although the hard, battered chair is tortuous
to her back, Payne doesn't care. Her professor asks
the class to take out their textbook to view their first
lesson. Throughout the lesson Payne never looks straight
at her teacher. / By Chelsie Hansen
USU
student survives school and the constant prick of a
needle
At age 10 Aubrey Hartley discovered a condition that
changed her life. During her fifth-grade year she said
she was sick with what her mother thought to be the
stomach flu. She had no energy, was losing weight and
had to constantly urinate. / By Melanie Fenn
Apple
Pi 'forority' -- mix of fraternity and sorority -- offers
party alternative
Fraternities might pull out a keg, whereas Apple Pi
chooses to party alcohol free. While Greek houses have
strict initiations and rushing procedures, Apple Pi
welcomes any who are interested and remains open to
new membership. Greek life is often stereotyped by lewd
lifestyles and unhealthy addictions; Apple Pi embraces
a clean image. / By Rachel Christensen
USU
students doing the ChaCha to get answers to life's questions
Want the answer to any question you can think of? Just
use your refined cell phone texting skills and the answer
is there in minutes. ChaCha is a relatively new, free
service to anyone who has the ability to use the Short
Message Service, SMS or texting, on their mobile phones.
/ By Brady Cox
Professor
makes life work of preserving Navajo way of life, including
sheep
Lyle McNeal's office at Utah State University is a collection
of organized chaos. Books overflow from the shelves
of his tiny work space and several stacks of papers
litter his desk, computer stand, and virtually any unused
surface area. Figurines, stuffed animals, and pictures
of sheep of all shapes and colors peek out from every
corner. / By Rachel Christensen
Gift-wrappers
raise money for sub-for-Santa
The USU Community Partnerships service group and Cache
Valley CAPSA are sponsoring a gift wrapping fundraiser
for sub-for-Santa. / By Trisha Fletcher
Meals
on Wheels: 'So no senior goes hungry'
Volunteers are driving cars full of what looks like
really big lunch boxes, and in some ways that is just
what these Meals on Wheels are. / By Jake Ipson
Shop
With a Cop -- 39 kids, 50 kids and Santa arriving from
the sky
The sun was still sleeping when 5-year-old Calob was
escorted by a police officer, in a car with flashing
lights, to the parking lot of Kmart in Logan. The temperature
was about 32 degrees and Calob was dressed in jeans,
a T-shirt and a red coat. His green name tag hung around
his neck. / By Brittny Goodsell Jones
Students
take flight with USU aviation program
The Professional Pilot Program at Utah State University
is nationally ranked and draws students from all over
the world, yet it is less expensive than almost anywhere
else. / By Jamie Urruty
At
26, Amy had it all: A happy marriage, a new baby, and
-- breast cancer
Amy and Trevor Merritt were content with their life.
They had been married for two years and had a 1-year-old
daughter. Late one night in August of 2007, after nursing
her daughter, Amy said she felt a "pea-sized lump,"
in her right breast. / By Diane Denning
Gay,
lesbian students struggle for acceptance
Kolby Kent Nelson, a former USU student and a current
graduate student at Penn State University, is openly
gay. When he came out, his older sister told him that
if he were to choose "that lifestyle," she
did not want her son to know he existed. / By Satenik
Sargysan
Clarkston
native revels in memories of 90 years on the same patch
of ground
In all of her 90 years, Sybil Goodey has moved maybe
150 yards. As the middle of five children, Sybil T.
Goodey was born and raised in the farming community
of Clarkston, Utah. "I grew up, married my neighbor,
and we've moved half a block in our life," Sybil
said. / By Courtney Schoen
Restaurants
pinched by rising costs of food, supplies
Many might think eating out is too expensive with today's
economy, but keeping food on the table is more the challenge
for restaurants. The cost of groceries and non-food
items, like paper products and supplies, has greatly
increased. / By April Larsen
Stuff-a-Bus
nets 10 tons of food for the needy
The goal was 15,000 pounds of food. But
Nov. 24, volunteers for the "Stuff-a-Bus" service project
not only met the goal but exceeded 20,000 pounds of
donated food for the Cache Community Food Pantry. /
By Megan Wiseman
Open
adoption -- bringing families together
Mark McNeil struggled down the hall to the conference
room, nudging his 6-year-old son, Tyler, every step
of the way, with an infant-loaded car seat in each hand.
/ By Amy Macavinta
Movies
You
thought 'Twilight' the book was good? Skip the movie
Opening weekend Twilight reeled in around $70
million and satisfied many fans while others left feeling
very disappointed. I, personally, am one that was quite
disappointed. / By Stephanie Bassett
It's
true! Chick flicks trigger curative tears
At the close of a rather difficult weekend, I decided
I needed some girl time with Eurgelgrue, the ancient,
remote-less television at my apartment. So I popped
in P.S. I Love You and plopped down on the couch
with my blanket and a couple slices of pizza. /
By Britta Anderson
Music
Love
you, 'of Montreal' -- even in 'Hissing Fauna'
I drive to my favorite coffee place, and the album begins
to play. The first song, Nonpareil of Favor starts
out with a jovial tickling of the harpsichord (or a
keyboard sound-alike), which is met with a steady electro-synth-poppy
beat, a signature of the band. Ahh. It makes a smile
stretch across my face. / By Kelly Greenwood
Wild Art
Jingle
go the cash register bells / Photos by Leah Lopshire
Book
Buy-Back at USU / Photos by Leah Lopshire
BUSINESS
Biz Features
Black
Friday: 'Ladies and gentlemen, start your shopping'
The alarm clocked beeped at the disturbing time of 4:15
a.m. I rolled over to my husband with sleep filled taste
buds and eyes and whispered, "Are you ready?" /
By Diane Denning
The
Island Market: Penny candy, cold beer and fountain drinks,
oh my!
With the coldest beer in town, 2-cent candies and fountain
drinks with quarter slices of lemons or limes, the Island
Market on the corner of 400 East and Center streets
is one of the few "ma and pa" stores left
in Logan. / By Kasey Harker
NEWS
Growth
brings highway congestion -- 'a UDOT issue' -- to Providence
Folks in Providence see different things when they look
at the stretch of SR-165 that passes through their city,
from Macey's grocery and fuel supercenter to the brand-new
Zions Bank branch. / By G. Christopher Terry
Providence
youth council has successful food drive
The Providence Youth Council, a service group for kids
in grades 8-12, held its annual Christmas food drive
Dec. 6. The group's leader, Terri Wennergren, said the
event generated 150 cans of food, which were subsequently
donated to a local charity. / By G. Christopher
Terry
In
nod to diversity, Christmas Tree Lane becomes Holiday
Lane
The Associated Students of Utah State University Traditions
Committee changed the name of Christmas Tree Lane to
Holiday Lane this year to be more accommodating to growing
diversity. / By Lexie Grant
Invisible
and illegal, teenage immigrants work hard to fit in
Maria Gomez could have been your waitress at one point.
She could be your friend. You could have run into her
at the store. This 17-year-old girl would blend into
a crowd and you never would guess that she is in the
United States illegally. / By Seth Bracken
Food
pantry, Sub for Santa offer help in tough times
Rising gas prices, food shortages, and employers cutting
back on the hours allotted for employees are all factors
affecting Cache Valley as the rest of the United States.
/ By Jami Elzinga
Providence
OHV enthusiast pleased with new law
Jim Beazer, an Off-Highway Vehicle hobbyist, said he
is pleased with Providence's new law allowing the operation
of OHVs on city streets, and has not witnessed the new
law being abused. / By G. Christopher Terry
Pioneer
monument coming soon to Old Rock Church
A deal to turn the northwest corner of the Old Rock
Church lot into a civic monument to Providence's pioneer
ancestry is final, and Providence Pioneer Monument Inc.'s
drive to raise $40,000 in private donations is halfway
home. / By G. Christopher Terry
Tough
times for Tremonton businesses
Lately, downtown Tremonton is a little less populated
than it has been in years past. / By Dave Archer
Nibley
says no more 'monstrosities next door'
What would you do if your neighbor built an addition
to their house that is bigger than your house? /
By Aubreyann Hansen
Jewelry
store alarm leaves no clues
An intrusion alarm that went off at a jewelry store
left police scratching their heads with no answer to
what triggered the alarm. / By Melissa Salcedo
North
Logan P&Z discusses park possibilities
The Planning and Zoning Commission met Thursday night
to discuss possible uses for an office park. The land,
five acres at 1625 N. 200 East, is surrounded by multi-family
housing and commercial property. / By Melissa Salcedo
ATV
website wins broadcasting award
The A-TV News
website of the Journalism & Communication Department
has won first place in Region Six of the National Broadcasting
Society competition for "Best Overall Website."
The competition is open to college and universities
in California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Utah.
OPINION
Late-night
ruminations on making Christmas out of thin air
I don't know why I can't get it together. I've had plenty
of years in college (plenty -- I'm 23 and still have
two semesters to go). You'd think I would have the system
down. / By Kelly Greenwood
Finals
week: Survival of the fittest
A pit full of anxiety isn't all Finals Week does to
a student. It also seems to bring out the sarcastic,
somewhat impatient and occasionally rude side of people.
It's as if a gas is released the week before finals
that brings out everyone's inner beast. / By Greg
Boyles
Ten
bucks to the food bank -- what a difference that will
make
I've never been one for taking handouts from people.
I take pride in being completely self-reliant, always
working hard and providing for my family. I make sacrifices
in some areas in my life that aren't completely necessary
to ensure that I am always able to provide all necessities
for my family -- to make sure there is always food on
the table. / By Craig Morris
The
takeover of the female operating system
Women are confusing. Wait, that was a poor sentence.
Women are extremely confusing, beyond comprehension,
absolutely baffling, impossible. / By Seth R. Hawkins
If
you treat your waiter like an idiot, you'll be the obvious
jerk
It's my turn. I am sick to death of hearing the horrible,
uneducated opinions of the random customers who come
into the restaurant where I work. / By Seth Bracken
Feeling
bored? Don't try this at home
When I was 17, I was hanging out with my friends on
a Friday night. We were looking for something to do.
Then my friend, Jake Thompson came up with the dumbest
idea. He suggested that we try jumping out of his truck
while he drove it at about 15 mph. / By Ron Wallace
Why
don't more women support female victims of sexual assault?
After an incident where a woman had felt sexually violated,
many times it is better for her to open up to a man
rather than another woman about what happened and how
she feels. / By Britta Anderson
Forgiveness
is my key to healing from childhood abuse
A wise person once told me when your life is difficult,
write about it. So that's what this is. / By Britta
Anderson
OK,
I am the Cat Lady -- koo-koo ka-choo!
Sometimes she perches regally on my red-cushioned pine
chair as if it were made just for her, her endless fur
leaving its remnants when she leaves. She often retreats
to the windowsill, where she'll chirp at swirling autumn
leaves that ride on a harsh gust of wind. / By Kelly
Greenwood
The
end is near -- and I couldn't be more ready
The end is near. By "end" I mean the Apocalypse, and
by "near" I mean the year 2012. If you believe the hype,
and I do, the world is about to end catastrophically
in approximately four years. Although this means I will
have considerably less time to complete my life "to-do"
list, it could be a good thing. / By Amanda Mears
One
perfect rainy day at the Lincoln Memorial
As I dug through my closet to find his favorite shirt
of mine -- a white, trench-style, button up shirt with
a large stiff collar -- I thought about what I was going
to say and do first when I saw him in the airport. Was
I going to run and jump in his arms, or casually walk
to him and wrap my arms around his neck? / By Kelly
Brinkerhoff
At
Whit'd End: Bustin' up the not-so-full house
How rude! I'm sure that's what Cody Herpin, Jodie Sweetin's
soon-to-be ex-husband, is thinking (or what the voices
in his head can't stop eerily replaying). Sweeten, who
played Stephanie Tanner on the show Full House,
just filed for her second divorce. / By Whitney
Schulte
At
Whit's End: Spears looking better, but the spark is
gone
Is there anyone out there who doesn't know that Britney
Spears released a new record last Tuesday? Circus
is Britney's newest attempt at a comeback and apparently
it's working for her. As of Dec. 5, Circus
was projected to sell
almost 500,000 copies in its first week. Also, for
the first time in over four years, Ms. Spears is embarking
on a 29-stop world tour. / By Whitney Schulte
Too
much Chrsitmas too early, or not enough? Aggies sound
off
Can we start Christmas even earlier, please?!! /
By Russell Maxfield
ChapStick
saved my life, not just my lips
ChapStick -- you should never leave home without it.
It could save your life. I can honestly say that it
saved mine. / By Seth Bracken
Sleep?
Oh, the great stuff we could do if we didn't snooze
Sleep is the biggest waste of time. I mean, people always
complain because there are only 24 hours in a day, but
when you think about it, there aren't even that. It's
more like a piffly little 16 or 18 hours when you factor
in that senseless laying-down business. / By Lisa
Christensen
Aggie
writers, check out 'Cow Math' if you're stumped for
a QI class
Utah State requires that students complete a Quantitative
Intensive course to graduate. I found this appalling
because I am completely lost when it comes to math.
Math 1050 was a nightmare, and I don't like to talk
about my social statistics disaster. / By Bethany
Crane
One
thing I know for sure: Timing is everything
In the 21 years I've been kicking it here on Earth I've
learned two things. The first is that people rarely
care what your opinion is but will listen anyway, just
to see if you'll say something funny or stupid. /
By Greg Boyles
SPORTS
Bison
no match for Aggies as Quayle gets double-double
Jared Quayle had a heyday, netting 17 points, grabbing
11 boards and dishing seven assists as the Ags coasted,
84-54, past Howard University. / By Craig Morris
Ags
need all but 0.1 seconds to pull out close game against
Utah
The Aggies kept their home win streak alive
as Tai Wesley's tip-in with 0.1 seconds remaining gave
them a 66-64 victory against Utah. / By Craig Morris
Are
you tough enough to wear pink, cowboy?
Pink isn't exactly a color that is usually associated
with strength, yet the question has been raised, are
you tough enough to wear pink? Cowboys and cowgirls
throughout the United States have set out to prove that
they are tough enough to wear pink by showing their
support to find the cure for breast cancer. / By
Michelle Johnson
Aggie
fans bummed that BYU avoids playing in Spectrum
Some USU basketball fans were outraged when the decision
had been made for BYU and Utah State University to play
each other at the Energy Solutions Arena for future
games. This included Saturday night's game that resulted
in the Aggies first loss of the season with BYU winning,
68-63. / By Cambry Beazer
How
Logan survives the winter: Skiin' the Beav
At Halloween there is the North Logan Pumpkin walk.
During the summer everyone flocks to Summerfest and
the Cruise-in. Every morning you can catch the valley
gossip at Angie's Restaurant. In the winter however,
if you really want to fit in you need to "Ski the
Beav." / By Andrew Grewe
Aggie
Roy Hurst: "It's sports or the street -- I chose
sports"
USU senior cornerback Roy Hurst has seen a lot in his
22 years. Growing up in east Oakland, Calif. he was
forced to grow up quickly and make a decision most are
not faced with a life in sports or a life on the streets.
/ By Tim Olsen
Earsplitting
'home' crowd not enough as Aggies fall to Cougars
Tai Wesley, Gary Wilkinson and Tyler Newbold combined
to score 45 points and grab 24 rebounds, but the Ags'
comeback came up short against BYU, 68-63, Saturday
at Energy Solutions Arena. / By Craig Morris
Defense
rises to occasion against BYU, but Aggies lose game
on turnovers
After USU's Tuesday basketball game against UC Irvine,
Coach Stew Morrill said his defense offered little resistance,
and if the Aggies were going to win against teams like
BYU they would need to step it up. / By Connor H.
Jones
'Better
lucky than good,' Stew says of latest Aggie victory
In the book the Aggies are still perfect -- 5 wins,
0 losses -- but with games against in-state rivals BYU
and Utah coming up, the Aggie defense needs to step
up. / By Connor H. Jones
Get
rid of finals tension -- come train for the Ice Bowl
Tim Ray was swamped by school, stressed out, questioning
why he came to Logan for school, late for a chemistry
lab, and to top his day off . . . it was snowing. Unable
to take anymore he called up some buddies on a whim
and invited them to come play some football on the Quad.
/ By Jean West
Aggies
start slow, finish big, move to 5-0
Tyler Newbold carried Utah State on his back with 21
points, seven rebounds and five assists as the Ags beat
the Anteaters, 74-62, at the Spectrum. / By Craig
Morris
Aggies
roll over Cal-Poly, 97-57, to remain undefeated
Gary Wilkinson scored 21 points and grabbed nine boards
in just 21 minutes on the floor as Utah State made it
4-0 on the season. / By Craig Morris
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