Story by AJ Anderson

Dr. Taylor Hartman is most known for The Color Code. Published in 1987, the Color Code is a personality test that looks for the driving core motive in a person’s behavior.

Hartman is religious, and claims that he was inspired when he discovered The Color Code. He describes his moment of clarity as “One of the most powerful moments in my life  . . . I received the most beautiful power, intimacy, peace, and fun; with those you have clarity that you could never gain without.” Reds are driven by power, blues by intimacy, whites by peace, and yellows by fun.

People receive their results in different ways. According to Hartman, “People who like who they are have no problem with being identified . . . those who are struggling with the identification are not complete themselves and are having trouble being identified.”

In talking about his career Dr. Hartman says “I have been far more successful in business than I have been in education . . . Business lives more in the real world because they could apply it tomorrow.” Hartman talked about how his take on The Color Code is not backed by the evidence and research that educators demand, but how people in business could use it because it logically works and they are more pragmatic.

The success of The Color Code being business oriented could also be explained by its origin. Hartman explains that business men “were saying to me ‘I don’t want to talk about my problem; I want solutions,’ and I wasn’t taught solutions, I was taught to talk about the problem, and I liked what they were saying. Why shouldn’t we have something that is just as simple as two plus two is four?” When Hartman saw the need for immediate solutions he saw an opportunity.  The Color Code helps people to understand themselves and others now. It lists strengths and weaknesses. It is something that has been found to work, even if it is not backed by all of the academic research.

Dr. Hartman explained some of his philosophy in counseling by stating, “I think that nobody is fired because of their strengths . . .You lose a marriage because you are screwed up emotionally somehow. You lose a job because your weaknesses get in the way of the gifts that you bring. So I think it is foolish to not pay attention to our limitations. However, it would be foolish not to play to our strengths.”

When examining those strengths and weaknesses further Dr. Hartman took his explanations color by color.

For reds he said, “I can say your strengths lie in causing things to get done, creating energy, leadership . . . I would use your natural gifts of vision and charisma to get you where you want to go . . . Your flaws might be that you are insensitive . . .you do not follow through as well as you should with details, and you need to know that there are people that will be criticizing you because you see a vision, but you have no idea how get across a bridge.”

For the blue personality Hartman’s advice was, “I would say you’re excellent with follow through and the details, but you are not good with vision. You do not see where it needs to go. So you would do well to align yourself with somebody to create that for you and respect you for what gifts you bring. You should learn how to speak your mind more articulately because if not you will find that the reds and the yellows you need will be bored and inattentive.”

Counsel for the white personality was, “You are so good at seeing things. Your clarity is phenomenal. You must learn to speak your mind. You must learn to have confidence.”

The yellow personality, which Dr. Hartman identifies with the most he said, “To yellows I would say you are cute, but you are not that cute. I mean it is great that people like you, but you have got to realize that life is not all about you, and you need to show up sometimes because it is the right thing to do; not just because you want to.”

Hartman’s main philosophy is, “Play to your strengths, and acknowledge and work on your limitations.”

When asked how often Hartman uses The Color Code in marriage counseling he responded, “Every time. They may not know that I am using it. I will give a red or blue homework that has to do with attitude because that is where they are weakest, and I will give a white or a yellow behavioral homework because that is where they are weakest.” Dr. Hartman finds his counsel well received, “I think people want advice, and I think they want to figure things out.” He also talks about why he can be direct with people and they will still come back. “I am yellow so when I say it it does not have the same weight as it would have if I were red or blue. I’m not judgmental. I can be more direct and not have that weight. I think change is hard. I think going home and changing that is hard to do.”

The Color Code has had a wide circulation. On this topic Hartman expounded, “I’ve let The Color Code be used more than it probably should, and it is great if it helps people. I’m happy when people use it in a beneficial way. I don’t like it when it gets misused when people say I’m yellow so that is why I’m always late. I don’t want to be used as an excuse. That offends me.”

When asked about other personality tests like Which Frozen Character Are You? Hartman said, “I hate it. If math did what psychology does no one would trust it.” He talked about how psychology is a scientific field, and needs to be treated with respect.

The Color Code and Dr. Taylor Hartman are not two separate entities. Dr. Hartman views The Color Code as divine inspiration that has shaped and continues to shape his life.

Story/photos by Chris Ayers.

A Salt Lake music store that sells heavy-metal/hard rock music exclusively, and is a local business? Sounds like a recipe for disaster in 2015. But these obstacles have not stopped Kevin Kirk, who has been the sole owner of The Heavy Metal Shop and has been “Peddlin’ Evil Since 1987!”.

Although a fan of many music genres, harder and heavier music has a special place in Kirk’s heart. Kirk likes a wide variety of music, but the most popular genres at the time he opened his first store (The CD Shop) in 1986, such as jazz and new age, were not his shot of whisky. “I’d rather know about everything I sell,” he said. In 1987, he changed the direction of his shop and rebranded. The Heavy Metal Shop was born.

Living in an age of digital and piracy makes survival difficult for music stores, especially local music stores selling specific genres of music. In 1994, Kirk ordered 1,000 copies of Slayer’s “Divine Intervention” and sold them all in a matter of weeks. Today, he would be lucky to sell at least 50 copies of any big band’s release.  Kirk doesn’t dwell on what should’ve been done to combat piracy: “I think it’s too late to fix that problem!” he laughs. Although still a record store at heart, Kirk followed the lead of many famous bands whose record sales have slowed down: merchandising.

The classic skull logo came from a former customer from The CD Shop. Not knowing much about heavy metal (Kirk payed him with old jazz CDs), the illustrator originally drew half a record as part of the logo, which was a great idea—for a normal record store. After hearing Kirk’s feedback, he changed it to the half-skull logo we now know today.

Kirk sold store t-shirts to his customers, like other businesses. Except most businesses don’t have their merchandise worn by famous bands and musicians. Tom Araya and Jeff Hanneman of Slayer, the pioneers of thrash-metal  were among the first to wear THMS shirts, and the store’s phone line was flooded with orders after Araya represented the shop on the cover of the September 1991 issue of “Kerrang.”  The increasing popularity of the logo ended up creating an entire line of merchandising such as hats, coffee mugs, sweatshirts and sweatpants,  patches, and even booty shorts; none of which Kirk ever planned on.

Perhaps the biggest metal celebrity to wear the store’s shirt is Kirk’s favorite musician of all time: Alice Cooper. Kirk first met Cooper when he came into his shop in ’87, and met him again in ’91  during the “Operation Rock ‘N’ Roll” tour with Judas Priest and Motörhead. Cooper casually mentioned that he wore a t-shirt with the store’s logo during an interview with KUTV. Kirk contacted the news immediately after the concert and got a recording of it. “That was probably one of the biggest thrills, you know, in all the years I’ve been in business; just having him do that… that was really cool.” Cooper continues to wear the shirt and sees many of his fans in the audience wearing the shirts as well.

“Metal people are real loyal to their bands and it seems like they’re loyal to me too,” Kirk said about the die-hard loyalty of metal heads (some of Slayer’s fans are crazy enough to carve the band’s logo in their body). Customers that have been around since the beginning of the store still come in to buy the latest album releases; a tradition that is passed down to their children as well. No doubt a factor that has helped keep THMS in business.

Despite being smaller than a gas station convenience store, there is just enough room for a small gig. The original Heavy Metal Shop was a combination of a record store with a small venue in the back. “I’d have ‘Open for bizand then the back room would be for shows. And then when I moved to Sugar House we started doing a lot of in-stores with bands where they would do signings…” Having a band already in his store? Might as well have them play their music there live too. After the landlord sold the property, and the new owners tore the building down, Kirk relocated to where the shop has stood since 2001. Moving to 63 Exchange Place, the heart of downtown Salt Lake, turned out to be a blessing in disguise. He again built a small stage and continues to have local groups perform a short concert for people and sell their records. “It’s funny how that works, because things come back around.”

Cooper is not the only musical god that Kirk met because of his store. When asked who he hasn’t met, he had to actually think about it. “Uh… God, you know, I’ve met most of my heroes. I’ve met Iggy Pop, Alice and Ozzy [Osbourne, known as “The Godfather of Heavy-Metal”], [Ronnie James] Dio…  I haven’t met Tony Iommi… that would be pretty awesome… I can’t really think of anyone else.” That dream might become a reality when Black Sabbath visits USANA Amphitheater in September 2016 on their “The End” tour. Slayer, Lemmy of Motörhead, and the late great Dimebag Darrell of Pantera and Damageplan are also on the list of Kirk’s heroes he has met. Having the actual “Metal God” Rob Halford visit his store also makes his list of “biggest thrills.”

The spirit of record stores will always live on. Those who are “old school” will continue to shop there and will make it a tradition for their offspring to go there as well. Owning a piece of merchandise is a great conversation starter for some, and because it’s free advertising many will give the shop a visit. And with a record store that plays live concerts for local bands, The Heavy Metal Shop will, no doubt, continue to thrive for many more years to come.

Visit the Heavy Metal Shop website.

SALT LAKE CITY – As the GOP primary nears an end, voters prepare for the general election between what appears to be Governor Mitt Romney versus President Barack Obama.  Monday’s Gallup poll shows that the federal deficit, unemployment, gas prices and healthcare are the most important issues to voters while government birth control policies rank lowest.

Seventy-seven percent of all voters said that the federal budget deficit and national debt is extremely or very important in the coming election.

Emily Jorgenson, a newly registered voter that is studying accounting at Brigham Young University explained why this issue is so important to her.

“You can not spend money you do not have.  When will it ever stop? If my family lived the same way as the government we would be looking at a sad future.  I think this country has the same outlook if we don’t stop over spending in Washington,” said Jorgenson.

Seventy-nine percent of all voters polled showed that unemployment is extremely or very important in the coming election.

“Everyone in government is just trying to make the rich richer and make the poor poorer,” said Marty Stevenson, a janitor at the University of Utah.

Chris Christiansen share similar feelings regarding the issue of unemployment.

“I have been in college for almost four years and it looks like it will be extremely hard to find a job.  I just hope I am not an unemployed college grad,” said Christiansen.

The Gallup poll was conducted March 25 – 26 with a random sample of 901 registered voters.  The poll has a margin of error of four percentage points.

SALT LAKE CITY – Human rights groups estimate that over 30,000 people were tortured and killed in Argentina from 1976 to 1983.  The seven years of disappearance and killing by Argentine government is known as The Dirty War.  Many Americans have never even heard of it.

On Saturday, Feb. 25, nearly 100 people gathered in the Salt Lake City library to learn more and to watch the documentary titled “Las Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo and The Search for Identity.” The documentary is made of 40 interviews and historical that vividly shows The Dirty War.

The film shows that nearly 500 mothers had their newborn children taken away during a time of political unrest.  Some of the women were pregnant or were new mothers when they were captured and the infants ended up in the homes of government officials and others sympathetic to the regime.  The new parents changed the babies’ names, birth dates and other details about their identities.

Dr. C.A Tuggle, professor and director of the journalism program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, had not even hear of The Diry War until he went to teach in Argentina for five weeks.

Originally Tuggle’s daughter began a project to study The Dirty War for her sister Bethany Parker’s broadcast journalism class at UNC.  After living in Argentina and learning more of their studies, Tuggle realized they not turn down taking their project even further.

Tuggle said, “It was just too powerful of a story to break up into two or three two-minute stories.  We had that a-ha moment where we decided to do a documentary.  We love human interest stories and realized that not many Americans were familiar with this story.  The documentary could help them know and understand the history and the current effort of these women searching for their identity shown in the documentary.”

Brynne Miller, an Elon University graduate of the Masters of Arts in Interactive Media program does most of the interviewing in the film.

Miller poses the question.  “Is the right to know who you are a basic human right?

Through extensive research and persistent efforts, Las Abuelas has done just that as they located more than 100 of the missing children, many of whom had no knowledge of their past nor of their true identities.  Some 400 still remain to be located.

“Our main goal is to get the word out about the film and these stories,” Tuggle explained after the show.

The documentary is set to show in over 90 Universities across the country.  In the Salt Lake City Library, the crowd was full of questions.

“I had no idea that these horrible things were taking place while I was in college.  You would think that we could have heard something,” said Greg Henderson, a local business owner.

Students questioned whether similar things are taking place today in other countries.

“It makes you think that there has to be all sorts of events like this that other countries keep secret.  It is probably happening in Syria and all over the Middle East right now.  I bet China would do stuff like this,” said Jeff Johnson, currently studying political science at Salt Lake Community College.

To find out more about “Las Abuelas de la Plaza de Mayo” visit the website http://searchforidentitydocumentary.com

Jeff Newbold, a Utah State Masters in Accounting student, is completing his second semester of the program and has taken out almost $ 10,000 in federal loans.

Newbold said he received scholarship money but small costs along the way have added up.  This fall, Newbold and thousands of other Utah graduates will enter the job world with thousands of dollars in debt and little or no job security.

“I have been told my whole life that if I go to school and work hard, I will have a job ready for me.  After looking at internships and different possibilities, I worry it could be years and years before I pay off my debts.  I guess I have to find a job first,” said Newbold.

National reports recently revealed our country’s student debt has surpassed U.S. consumer debt.  Many speculate that student debt could be the cause of our next housing market crisis due to college graduates being strapped down with debt.

But Utah students acquire the least of amount of debt compared to students in the rest of the country. Utah ranks 50th in the nation for average student debt and total college debt, according to the Project on Student Debt, an initiative of the nonprofit Institute for College and Success.

Nationally, 66 percent of students who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 2010 had accrued student loan debt, data show. The average debt amassed per student is $25,000, a 5 percent increase over the year before. In total, the amount of student borrowing surpassed $100 billion for the first time in 2010, according to the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys.

Only 44 percent of Utah students had loan debt upon graduation in 2010, and the average amount per student was $15,509.

The cost of attendance at Universities this year averaged out to be between $14,000 and $15,000.

At Utah State University, administrators have noticed a spike in the amount of money students borrow for school.  Income accounting at the University of Utah reports that the percent of students taking out loans has only slightly increased, while the total amount of loans has increased more significantly.

One factor in the increase is the federal government’s increased lending limits over the past few years, he said. For example, limits for federal loans have more than doubled in the past five years.  The recession has also forced students into taking out larger loans.

Kristen Johnson, who works in incoming of accounting at Utah Valley University, explained that many students are drastically increasing the amount of their loans due to the poor economy.

“Students build debt with the hope of job options after finishing their bachelor degree.  When there is no job, they work towards masters degrees that require even more debt,” said Johnson.

Jeff Varner, director of income accounting at Brigham Young University, pointed out that state of Utah still has room to improve in reducing student debt.

“Utah has low student debt due to a number of reasons.  We have some of the more affordable college educations but also have successful programs that allow kids to work while studying.  The combination of better career planning combined with work options can continue to reduce the amount of student debt,” said Varner.

by Jessica Morgan
Jessica Long
Salt Lake City, Utah ▪ jessicalonginteriors@gmail.com

EDUCATION
University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
Bachelor of Science, Communication with minor in Design, August 2012

WORK EXPERIENCE
AMB Design, Salt Lake City, Utah                                                                                    Intern/Associate Designer, July 5, 2011 – Current
•    Began as intern, which led to a permanent employment offer.
•    Developed packaged proposal for prospective client that led to $200,000 revenue for firm.
•    Facilitated in design of $2 million project.
•    Created sustainable client and vendor relationships.
•    Managed income accounting and balanced QuickBooks.
•    Knowledge of AutoCAD and Illustrator.
•    Expert in pillow fluffing.
•    Created interior design mood boards for existing client jobs.
•    Considerable freedom in communicating with clients, making design and purchase decisions, and budgeting projects.

Redfish Realty
Design Consultant, January 2012 – Current
•    Individually hired to create and design the interior and exterior of a home from the ground up on a .25-acre parcel of land.
•    Given full control to select everything inside and outside of the home within budget, so the home will be ready to re-sell for profit.

Dr. Justin F. Thulin, M.D., Salt Lake City, Utah
Dermatology Front Office, September 2007 – Current
•    Successfully bill for and collect insurance payments.
•    Start new patient files and enter relevant information.
•    Keep front office running smoothly while doctor sees patients.
•    Maintain good relationships with patients.
•    Proficient knowledge of Raintree Software.
•    Received a 10% pay raise annually.

VOLUNTEER/COMMUNITY
Christmas Box House Service Project, Peru, summer 2006. Ballet West Volunteer, pianist. Susan G. Komen Cancer Foundation Volunteer.

REFERENCES AVALIABLE UPON REQUEST.

By Daniel Paniagua

According to Tristan DiCristifano, regional manager of Linx, summer sales jobs have become the new “trendy job” for young men.

On Saturday, Linx, a door-to-door satellite and Internet sales company, hosted their early season seminar.  According to their website, Linx is becoming the largest DISH network retailer and has recruited over 600 salesmen for the summer of 2012.

“I am 23 years old and I am making six figures in just a summer,” said DiCristifano, “door-to-door sales jobs are exploding here in Utah. Why? Because you make great money and everyone is starting to discover that.”

During the seminar there were many young men and few young women that seemed to be eager and excited about their new upcoming sales opportunities.  However, there were a few in the seminar congregation who were not. James Pan, an attendee, found the seminar to be quite upsetting. He explained how his own experience of door-to-door sales in the previous year has lead him to believe that the compensation is not as high as Linx promises.

“It’s a scam; they just want you to make sales so the people at the top can make more money,” said Pan. “They will promise you thousands of dollars before you sell and when the paycheck comes, it is not even close to what they promised.”

Some attendees had different concerns when it came to spending an entire summer knowing doors.

During the seminar, 22-year-old Daryl Jay, an attendee, outwardly expressed his concern to the managers of Linx.

“I just hope that it can be a fun job and knocking doors won’t be the only thing you do for an entire summer,” said Jay

According to various opinions such as 20-year-old Jordan Greenwood, a previous summer salesmen, not a lot of people would finish a summer selling if there were no incentives.

Linx, like many other summer sales companies, host annual weeklong cruises for all the top salesmen and saleswomen of the year.

“I am definitely going to sell this summer again. The Linx cruise was the highlight of my year,” said Ryan Stewart, a former salesman of Linx. “I’m not missing another opportunity to have fun and make a lot of money.”

After the seminar, several first year salesmen and saleswomen investigators spoke with the managers of Linx. The most common question that was asked was, “what is the catch?” One of the Linx managers, Aaron Shaw admitted that the job is not for everyone because some still find the knocking hours to be long and a difficult obstacle to overcome.

by Aodhan Hayter

Disney isn’t exactly known for turning out live-action sci-fi thrillers, so harboring a fair amount of skepticism for their latest production “John Carter” is forgivable. Maybe you’re apprehensions would be quelled to know it was at the direction of Andrew Stanton, who cut his writing and directing teeth on Pixar productions such as “A Bugs Life,” “Monsters Inc,” “Finding Nemo” and “Wall-E”, or maybe not.

If you’re willing to take the risk you’ll be handsomely rewarded with a compelling story that is just different enough to keep you interested but with enough classic elements to keep the sci-fi weirdness from alienating a more traditional audience.

Based on a series of novels written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, “John Carter” is the name of the main character of the story. A 19^th century Virginia gentleman who, while prospecting in the Arizona desert, is mysteriously transported to the alien planet of Barsoom.

John Carter is played by Taylor Kitsch, who is best known for his portrayal of the high school football hero Tim Riggins on the popular TV show “Friday Night Lights.” Although Taylor’s acting sometimes leaves you wanting, you can be thankful that the storyline pushes through the somewhat drab dialogue and leaves you with the raw but tasteful action that makes the movie enjoyable.

Sans the interplanetary locale and alien life forms, the basic story is reminiscent of the Greek epics and in classic form a hero emerges. Top notch special effects bring the story to life and portray a beautiful and believable world in which the film takes place.
John Carter was a pleasant and unexpected surprise from Disney. The resurrection of Burroughs classic novel was not in vain and won’t be a disappointment to viewers. If your tired of cookie cutter sci-fi and action flicks John Carter could be your breath of fresh air.

by Aodhan Hayter

SALT LAKE CITY – “A lot of people don’t take his writing seriously,” said Ken Sanders as he addressed the audience in the Gould Auditorium at University of Utah’s J. Willard Marriot Library Sunday.

The writing Sanders is referring to is that of Edward Abbey. Considered by many to be the “Thoreau of the American Wes,” Abbey is author of works such as “desert Solitaire” and “The Monkey Wrench Gang.” Much of the content of these two works were inspired by the time he spent living in Utah as a seasonal park ranger at what was, at the time, Arches National Monument and is now Arches National Park

This special connection to Utah and a few fortunate turns of fate, like a generous donation of Abbey first edition books from an Abbey collector, Eric Hvolboll, have brought Abbey’s works back to Utah in the form of a rare book exhibit titled: “Brave Cowboy”: An Edward Abbey Retrospective,” displayed at the University of Utah’s, J. Willard Marriot Library.

But abbey’s significance encompasses more than just his literary works, according to Sanders. His writings are said to have inspired the birth of the radical environmental movement that sprang up during the 1980s and continues on today. Abbey’s disdain for what he would call “the totalitarian techno-industrial state” is the central theme of what is considered his most popular fictional work, “The Monkey Wrench Gang.”

“He just wrote what he thought,” said Caleb White, an attendee of the event who has read some of Abbey’s works..

From the packed auditorium to the busy exhibit, attendees of the event seemed to take Abbey’s writing very seriously, With the global warming debate and environmental issues becoming more mainstream, Abbey enthusiasts tend to think his works may be more relevant than ever

I haven’t read a lot of his books, but I think he has some good points,” said Sarah Jackson, a student, when asked if she agreed with Abbey’s views on environmental activism.

In fact, it seemed as though most attendees of the event were drawn to Abbey’s writings by his views on environmental activism.

“It’s up to us, the citizens of  this state to do something,” said Sanders while talking about local environmental issues.

Sanders then went onto explain that while Abbey’s idea of environmental activism is still relevant, the course of action has to be changed somewhat. Sanders points out that Abbey’s vision of blowing up dams and sabotaging Industrial equipment is more likely to land you in federal prison than actually have a lasting positive effect on the environment. Therefore activism has to take on public policy and opinion, not just vigilante environmental justice.

While the correct form of environmental activism may be up for debate, Sanders casts little doubt about the effect Abbey’s writings on the subject have had. From spawning what would become the radical environmentalist movement, to his ability to capture the essence of the West in his writing, Abbey has had a lasting effect on both the literary and environmental disciplines.

Abbey died in 1989 at the age of 62. The “Brave Cowboy”: An Edward Abbey Retrospective is free and open to the public. The exhibit is located at the University of Utah’s J. Willard Marriott Library, free and open to the public. The exhibit is located at the University of Utah’s J. Willard Marriott Library, Special Collections Gallery, Level 4. It’s available for viewing during regular library hours.

by Brent Flory

SALT LAKE CITY-At 10:10 AM on Tuesday, April 17, around 30 students were sitting in Mom’s Café on the first level of the Marriott Library preparing to drop, cover and hold in preparation for the statewide earthquake drill.  The workers of the café even closed up shop in order to join in the largest-ever building evacuation at the University of Utah.

The reason for the drill is in preparation for the next major earthquake predicted to shake the Wasatch front.  The Wasatch fault has a major earthquake every 350 to 400 years and the last one was 350 years ago.  Local government is urging Utahans now to get prepared.

The clock struck 10:15 and the students in the café dropped, covered and held on as instructed.  After a minute the students in the Library evacuated out of the west entrance library doors and walked over with umbrellas in hand to their designated Evacuation Assembly Point (EAP) in the lot west of Rice-Eccles Stadium.  The stadium was just one of nine EAPs on campus, where volunteers provided students with 72-hour survival kits and a card to enter a contest to win an iPad 2 for their participation.

The rain poured but that didn’t stop hundreds of students from gathering west of the stadium.  According to Fox 13 News, an estimated 40,000 university students and faculty participated in the drill.  Dallin Billings, a senior communications major, was happy to participate.

“We’ve all witnessed the amount of damage from Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and recent tornado destruction in Texas… disaster could happen anytime and you want to be ready for it,” Billings said.

Along with the thousands of students and faculty who participated, many groups and organizations around campus volunteered their time to make the drill a success.  Cindy Harling, of the University Counseling Center and one of the staff members working the EAP in the stadium lot, feels the campus-wide drill was a great way to create awareness.

“We want students to understand of the situation… we live in an earthquake zone, you might want to be prepared.  The students seem to be really into it and are becoming more aware of what they can do to be ready for crisis,” said Harling.

University of Utah students weren’t the only ones in Utah preparing for the predicted earthquake.  According to the ShakeOut’s website, over 940,000 Utahans participated making it the largest emergency drill in the state of Utah.  Patrick Miller, a Utah student, happened to be at work during the ShakeOut.

“Sure enough, at 10:15, they had everyone in my office drop to the ground and cover themselves.  Something that I hadn’t done since elementary school”

 Miller said after the drill his work provided him with a “be ready” pamphlet, containing helpful readiness information linking to the website http://bereadyutah.gov.

Utahans are being encouraged by the state Government to have an emergency preparedness kit.  If disaster were to strike, many could be left without access to food or water for weeks.  It is vital to be prepared now.

by Brent Flory

SALT LAKE CITY-“Get involved in politics,” said Carrie Brooks.

This is the message heard by students, faculty and employees who were in attendance at showing of the short film “The Story of Broke” last Wednesday as part of the Green Bag Lunch Series at the University of Utah.  Brooks is an accountant for the Marriott Library and a green advisor at the U.

“Get who you want in office.  They are the ones who make the decisions for us if we don’t get who we want,” she said.

Brooks was echoing the words of the film by Annie Leonard, the author of the book, The Story of Stuff and environmentalist who has spent nearly two decades investigating environmental health and justice issues.  The Story of Broke argues that if the government would do a better job of spending the nation’s tax dollars, this would free up funds to plan for a better financial future.  Leonard suggests that rather than spending $726 billion a year on the military for unnecessary fighter planes and wars with no end, the money could be better used towards social security or educational programs.

“We are cutting programs that people need.  We don’t have to cut Medicare or Social Security.  If we spend money on other things, it ends up costing tax payers more money,” said Jan Robertson who attended the event.

The film also discusses tax breaks and subsidies that benefit large corporations allowing for streets that lead nowhere except to the newest shopping center.  Leonard says the large subsidies could amount to billions of dollars to be used toward paying off national debt or to provide solar power to U.S homes.

When asked her thoughts on the short film by Leonard, Brooks completely agrees.  “ We’ve taken capitalism out of it.  We shouldn’t be bailing out companies,” she said.

She isn’t the only one who feels the government could spend less money on major corporations.  David Maxfield, senior library specialist, attended the film showing and is very irritated with the nation’s current economic status.

“It’s very frustrating because this country isn’t broke.  There are cuts that need to be made…think of all the jobs that could be created if the government were to invest in recycling and going green,” said Maxfield, referring to the number of employees that would be needed to gather recycling bins on a weekly basis.

Although the film focused on suggested improvements for the government, the overall message of the event was to encourage the community to get involved.  The University of Utah Green Committee is dedicated to implementing green initiatives. The committee is responsible for the many recycling bins found in every building throughout campus. Former Utah student and current web developer for the library, Amanda Crittenden first got involved with the green committee while a student.

“ I got involved because I wanted to make a difference and stand for something positive.  I have learned so much from simply getting involved,” Crittenden said.

Those involved with the green project at the U truly believe in moving toward sustainability.  More information can be found online at http://sustainability.utah.edu/green-teams/computing.php.

By Daniel Paniagua

SPANISH FORK, Utah – On Saturday, over 75,000 young adults crowded the Krishna temple in Spanish Fork for the annual Festival of Colors.

“There were so many people there that I couldn’t move,” said Kathryn Lowry, “I’ve never been anywhere in my life where there were so many people in one place”.

According to various college students such as 20-year-old Kaitlin Thomas from BYU, Festival of Colors, otherwise known as Holi, has become an annual event that “everyone” attends every year.

“Everyone that I pretty much know goes… It is an event that all my friends and I look forward to,” says college student, Thomas, “I mean, who doesn’t like colored powder thrown at them?”

Most young adults would agree with Thomas, however, there are those who were skeptical of the “fun” behind colored powder being tossed. Twenty-two-year old Richard Loveridge felt somewhat hesitant to participate in the festival but soon came to realize why it is such a “popular” event.

“At first I was a bit skeptical about the whole throwing colors around in a field but I soon came to realize what the hype was all about,” said Loveridge, “It was fun!”

While many young adults go to throw brightly colored powder at one another, there are those who come for the Indian food and bands like Jai Uttal and the Queen of Hearts Orchestra, The Mayapuris and The Kirtaniya Vibrations.

Daryl Jay Lenhart, 23-year-old from the Salt Lake area brought his family for the first time and intends to bring them back the following years to come.

“The food was incredible, we had spiced mangos and vegetable curries,” said Lenhart, “the bands were actually very good as well, in fact my family and I spent the majority of the time eating and dancing. Throwing colored powder was fun but the food and music was the highlight of the festival.”

After the Festival of Colors ended, the participants carefully entered the car and “anxiously waited in endless traffic to go home and take a shower” according to Loveridge. This year, the Krishnas had planned and made arrangements to host a larger crowd than last year’s event. However, some of the participants were not sure if they had planned for quite large enough of a crowd.

“The traffic was miserable,” said Lenhart, “I waited for more than an hour before I could actually move my car.”

Spanish Fork is now the biggest Holi festival in the Western Hemisphere according to ISKCON News. Another Festival of Colors will take place at the Krishna temple in Salt Lake City on April 14^th, from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.