This week’s Alt Space is very different from ones you might have seen, or probably will see. When you first walk in you see four television screens in front of you, followed by a somewhat confusing artist statement. The artist, Renza Conger, has apparently recreated a TV show from Nickelodeon, and has shown us how a picture, turns into a moving and talking picture. When I asked students what they thought the unanimous word was, “confusing.” I would suggest to the artist to maybe label all of the screens, and explain what each one is playing. You can tell that the artist put a lot of effort, and time into this project and it is just a shame that people are to confused by it to understand what they are seeing. But overall it was a job well done, and I did like how it was something different.  I would just like everyone to remember that this is an amazing opportunity for everyone, whether you are an art major, or not to come see your fellow student’s hard work, and give them feedback. And as always there is a treat provided for the first few who show up.  Remember the new Alt Space for the week is revealed every Monday at noon, in the room west of the main art gallery. I hope to see everyone there next week!

Brink Rating: 5/10

NASA announced that there is a lot of water on the southern pole of the moon last week. However, the statement “moon is a desiccated and desolate place” has been arguing for several years. Last week, LCROSS team has a significant finding to disagree with this statement. Their preliminary finding on last Friday (13 November 2009) is:

NASA today opened a new chapter in our understanding of the moon. Preliminary data from the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, indicates that the mission successfully uncovered water during the Oct. 9, 2009 impacts into the permanently shadowed region of Cabeus crater near the moon’s South Pole (NASA)

The analysis is not stooping because some of the data have not been breaking. Now, the LCROSS team is working to understand the full scope of the LCROSS data. LRO continues to make passes over the impact site to give the LCROSS team additional insight into the mechanics of the impact and its resulting craters.

Congratulations to the LCROSS team, and the more secrets will be revealed sooner or later since the analysis is on process.

So you’re sick of eating ramen and McDonald’s every night yet?  Delicious as they are, it’s time for a change.  Well Ephraim get ready for a new dining experience at Grace’s Diner.

This old fashion diner has a lot to offer.  First you’ve got your classic homemade American cuisine.  Next are some unbelievably awesome prices.  French fries for 15 cents can’t beat that!  Finally it’s filled with some great people; fellow Snow College students that bring great entertainment and can maybe even help you with some dating advice.

Grace’s opens this week in the Eccles building, on the main stage.  Okay, so maybe it’s not a real diner and it may have been rude to tempt you with food, but it still has a lot of offer.  Grace’s is the setting for the new play “Bus Stop”.

When a blizzard hits hard, shutting down phone lines and blocking roads, a bus is stranded at one of their stops, which just happens to be Grace’s diner.  While there for the night a classic comedy ensues. The bus arrives carrying two cowboys, Bo and Virgil and Cherie, a girl Bo has basically kidnapped and claimed will marry him.  As they try to figure out their situation everyone from the town is either trying to help or figure out their own situations. There are a couple different love stories going on, first you have Cherie and Bo.  Then there is Grace whose husband has left her.  It becomes clear her and Carl are interested in each other.  Next you have Elma, a sweet innocent girl who at the end of the play finally realized Dr. Lyman has been hitting on her and making inappropriate actions all night.  Then you have Virgil who has known love but never truly had it.  With the many different stories and confusion comedy is bound to happen.

The cast has worked very hard rehearsing for this production and it is sure to be a great show.  Not only will you get a little comedy in your life and a break from normal Ephraim activities but you may even find the advice you were looking for to help out your relationship. 

“Bus Stop” opened November 18^th and runs until Saturday the 21^st.    It is in the Eccles building in the house theatre.  Tickets are two dollars for student with their ID cards. 

The Snow College Dance Department presents “Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company in Concert” Friday, November 20, at 7:30 pm in the Eccles Center for the Performing Arts.  Tickets are $6 for general admission, $5 for seniors and $3 for Snow College students with an activity card. Tickets are available at the Eccles Center Box Office.  

The company performs physically daring; dynamically charged movements that will stun and excite even the most jaded concert go-er.  This is a great Date Night activity that will spark lively thought and conversation.  

Ririe-Woodbury comes to Snow College after just returning from a month-long tour of France where they performed 33 concerts.  The company will be in residency at Snow College for the week of November 16 – 20, culminating in a performance at the Eccles Center for the Performing Arts on Friday night.  The week will include classes taught by company members for Snow College students including Partnering, African Dance, “Hard Moves for Tough People”, Dance Improvisation and Modern Dance.  Throughout the week, Charlotte Boye-Christensen, the Artistic Director for the company, will be choreographing an original work for the Snow Dance Ensemble. 

On November 5, 39 year old Unites States Army psychiatrist, Nidal Malik Hasan, went on a shooting rampage, killing 12 fellow Army members, and wounding 42 at the Army base in Fort Hood, Texas. Nidal fired close to 100 rounds at the innocent Army members, until a civilian police officer stopped the attack by shooting him several times. Hasan survived the shooting, and he is being guarded at a hospital in San Antonio, Texas.

Officials and police are worried that Nidal Hasan may have been in communication with terrorist groups, but those accusations have not yet been confirmed.  Hasan will be charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder, and he may face the death penalty for his actions. He will be tried in the Military’s Court-Martial System.

Hasan had been under review by doctors for the last year because of his poor performance and his mental state was in question. He had been said to act belligerent, and argumentative, and many of his colleagues wondered if he was psychotic.

During a memorial service on Tuesday, President Barak Obama said, “These are men and women who have made the selfless and courageous decision to risk, and at times give their lives to protect the rest of us on a daily basis. It’s difficult enough when we lose these brave Americans in battles overseas. It is horrifying that they should come under fire at an Army base on American soil.”

Snow College student Anna Schwerdt says, “It’s scary when you hear of these things happening in here in the US, you wouldn’t think that someone here would do that. The Army is supposed to protect us, and he betrayed them.”

According to the FBI, Nidal came out of his coma and is he is cooperating with the investigation, and he will make a full recovery from injuries. 

Yes, it is time again for my winners and losers! Remember everyone, whether you are a student, an employee, or whoever, you can write into me and give me suggestions of who should be winners and losers of the week. This is a voice of the people, and more importantly the students here at Snow College. So remember if a teacher is not treating you well, if your roommate sucks, or on the positive if you have a friend who helped you with something, or a team your on that you want recognized, just email me at snowdrift@snow.edu, and put Winners and Losers as the subject.

Winners:

1. Men’s Basketball Team: For winning their first two games of the season! Way to go boys!
2. Lindsey Field: As Director of Student Life she is underappreciated here at Snow College and it is sad but true that when she does leave one day everyone will then realize how much she really did, and what a wonderful asset she is to us.
3. Drill Team: For having so many attractive and talented members…. Let’s be honest… Mandalee Green is one foxy Bagerette. (submitted by Boyce Weber)
4. Scott Brinkman: for actually being able to get a girlfriend here at Snow and she is actually really cute. (submitted by Victoria Rose Booth)
5. Snow Gardens: For helping Gundy provide entertainment for kids who stay the weekend, and making Snow Gardens the place to be!

Losers:

1. Intramural Basketball All-Stars: Kids who get pissed off about the smallest things and think they are way good, even though they are playing on an intramural team in Ephraim.
2. Utah Jazz: For being yet again disappointing…. (Man, I hate Boozer)
3. Snow Football: Losing their last game giving them two loses for the season gives us the worst record we have had since 2005… at least the school does not put a lot of money into the football program… oh wait… (submitted by anonymous)
4. Bathrooms: All the bathrooms do not have paper towels, or toilet-seat covers… Gross! (submitted by Lindsey Field)
5. Facebook: For stealing an hour of my day away… ok I still love it. No I don’t… yes I do… ahhhhh!

From the beginning of the semester up until just last week the Snow College Art Gallery contained art from several of the school’s art professors. On November 16, 2009 a new gallery opened in the Humanities building on campus, titled Nativity Revisited: a Contemporary Interpretation. This art show is a new view on the nativity and includes art by artists from over ten cities in Utah, from right here in Ephraim to up north in Logan. There are pieces of art from a few of Snow’s art professors, but more from different people throughout Utah.

You walk into the room to find an open space, the perimeter covered by small white walls. There are two stands in the middle of the room, each holding a piece of art. The walls hold almost two dozen art depictions of the night of the birth of Christ.

The art, varying from sketches to oil paintings to sculptures, are varied in style and artist’s view as well. Some examples of the differing views of the nativity are “Birth of the Capitalist Messiah” by Steve Stones, which is a painting that depicts the nativity scene with Mickey Mouse as the baby, a McDonalds sign in the background as the star, candy strewn all across the floor and different smiley faces in each corner.

Another, contrasting, piece of art is “Nativity” by Brian Kershisnik, which is a large oil painting with a flock of angels, both young and old, hovering over the nativity scene, all trying to catch a glimpse of the newborn baby. Yet another is an African-looking depiction, of a mother holding a child, titled “Deliverer” by Kathy Peterson.

This art gallery will not be at Snow College for long, it will only be there until Christmas. Students needing an art show for Convocations can come and look inside, but all students are invited to come look at the differing views that artists have of that special night. There will be an artists’ reception this coming Saturday for any who wish to come meet some of the artists. 

“It was a huge success,” said Duke Dance when asked how Snow’s Got Talent turned out.  This was the first time The Kage has put on this show, so it was a trial run.  They expected about 50 people to show up and got 300 people filling half of the north bleachers in the AC. The show was hosted by Kage’s own Duke Dance.  It was run identically to the show ‘America’s Got Talent’ with three judges who all have the power to ‘X’ out the performers.

The judges were Greg Boothe from the Institute, Tiffany Tree from the Dance Department, and Royal Bateman a student. The Kage picked judges who all had musical backgrounds of different varieties.  Royal Bateman was the least favorite of the judges, he received a boo almost every time he critiqued.  His comment was, “I’m still getting hate.  I wasn’t there to make friends I was there to be a judge and I’m glad [explicit] Bryce Brinkman wasn’t a judge.”

After most of the performers got booted off the stage during the first and second round, the first prize winner of 100 dollars was McKay Christiansen.  McKay in the first round sang and played his guitar, while his wife played violin. In the second round McKay was joined by Clint Johnson and his guitar. The second prize winner of 50 dollars was Jessie Corothers who glow-sticked her way into the running. Most that performed in the show sang, played piano, or guitar. Duke Dance said, “I really wish there would have been a better variety of talents.”   In the middle of the show while the judges were deciding who went on to the second round Clint Johnson did a little stand up comedy with Donald Duck and even had a few magic tricks up his sleeve. The audience also received official Snow College prizes through out the show.

The Kage will be continuing this show and their more popular Kage Idol coming up on March 4^th. You can sign up for Kage Idol now by calling their request line. Kage Idol is performed in the Eccles Center and prizes are awarded.

On Thursday, November 19 at 9:00 PM the Greenwood Student Center will be hosting Battle of the Bands for $2.00 a person. Seven local Snow College student’s bands will be competing against each other for the top spot. The bands who will be playing on Thursday are: Accidentally on Purpose, Gentlemen of the West, Steady Machete, A Mid-Winter Slumber Party, Rosetta Roulette, Mourning Till Wednesday and, Abby Normal.

“We came up with Battle of the Bands when we were trying to come up with an idea of something the students would like to attend that they don’t already have.  We needed something fun and exciting so lots of people would be interested because it is a fund raiser.” said coordinator, Sheena Frazier. The proceeds from the Battle of the Bands will go towards school supplies for a school in Ecuador.

The contest will have three judges, to score each band based on song performance, presence, and audience reaction. “I’m excited to go to Battle of the Bands, its fun to have things going on around campus and this sounds like it’s going to be a good time.” says Snow College student Katie Peterson.

The winning band will receive three free hours of studio recording time. There is also going to be prizes available for the audience to win. The prizes include gift certificates to Gandolfos, Kents, Wal-Mart, and other various prizes. “I think this sounds like it’s going to be dope. It’s going to be fun to hear a bunch of different bands playing different music, plus I want to win some prizes!” says student, Mariela Castro.

Accidentally on Purpose band member, Clint Pollock says, “We are excited to play because we always love to play shows no matter where they are. We love giving Snow College a great show, and plan on doing that at this Battle of the Bands!”

So don’t forget that this Thursday in the GSC at 9:00 PM, come out and support your favorite Snow College bands. 

This is a really hard one. I guess you just have to know the person and know what they like and what they don’t like. If they are acting like they need some space or making up a lot of excuses then give them some time. 

First of all I would like to say that despite the bad wrap, some people actually like clingy. I think it is flattering that someone would want to spend a lot of time with you. To know that you are cared about and someone thinks so highly of you and wants to be around you is quite a compliment.  

But you have to watch when clingy turns into obsessed and controlling. If you are constantly checking up on your partner, crush or romantic interest there might be another issue with your relationship. If you don’t trust the person you love it is really hard to have a relationship. I’ve learned that people like to feel trusted. They don’t like to be constantly checked up on because then they start feeling like your parenting them. They start to hold negative feelings toward your mistrust for them and they can move that to having negative feelings toward you in general.  

The most important part of being in a relationship is being true to yourself and staying true to who you are. If the person likes you for you, they are not going to want you to change. So continue being involved, hanging out with friends and being yourself. Clean your apartment, do your homework, go to a club meeting and make yourself dinner. At the end of the day, if the person really likes you they are going to want to see you and spend time with you. 

If you have to ask if you are being to clingy, you probably are and maybe your instincts are telling you that. Back off a little bit. Let the guy have some freedom. If he really likes you, he’ll come back and pursue you. Give him a chance to date around, let him miss you and realize what he had.