DakotaStudenttheReaching the students, faculty and staff of the University of North Dakota since 1888volume 128 issue 6

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friday september 17, 2010

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THE FUTURE

The Energy and Environmental Research Center (EERC) was abuzz earlier this week when some of the nation’s top hydrogen and renewable energy executives and scientists descended on the fi ve acre campus—their mission: to discuss the fu-ture of hydrogen technology as well as provide an insight into innovative advancements being made in the fi eld.

Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND) headlined the third Red River Valley Research Corridor’s Ad-vancing the Hydrogen Economy Action Summit along with a number of professionals from General Motors, the Department of Energy and prominent alternative energy industries from across the coun-try. Dorgan said that the development that goes on

at UND’s EERC is part of his effort to make Grand Forks the center for America’s hydrogen research efforts.

Some of the biggest concerns, according to Mike McGowan, chair of the National Hydrogen Association and head of Strategic Alliances and Alternative Energy Solutions for Linde North America, are the current feelings toward hydrogen technology. He said that while there is a signifi cant push toward alternative energy solutions, some momentum has been lost with respect to the broad usage of hydrogen.

“There has been some concern over the current

>MICHAEL THOMASThe Dakota Student

16EERC > page

NCAA approves nickname plans

Big changes may soon be com-ing to the UND athletic program. A recent statement by the National Collegiate Athletic Association said that because UND is retiring the Fighting Sioux logo and nick-name, it “has been removed from the list of schools subject to the policy regarding Native American nicknames and imagery at NCAA championship events.”

So what does this mean for our sports teams? It means that many UND teams will soon be moving from Division II to the more com-petitive Division I, a process that has been taking place at UND for three years now. Some UND sports like men’s and women’s hockey al-ready play at Division I.

Although nothing is offi cial yet, the football team, along with a few other sports, may be moving to the Big Sky Conference, while other teams may join the Summit League, which 125,000 student-athletes at 10 schools call home.

These schools are North Dako-ta State University, South Dakota State University, Indiana Universi-ty-Purdue University-Fort Wayne,

Western Illinois University, Indi-ana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis, Oral Roberts Univer-sity, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Southern Utah University, Oakland University and the Uni-versity of South Dakota, the league’s newest member. Not one of the offi cial 10 schools, Eastern Illinois University is an associate member, competing in swimming and diving.

According to UND Athletic Director Brian Faison, The Sum-mit League sponsors baseball, soft-ball, volleyball and the following sports for both men’s and women’s leagues: basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis and indoor and outdoor track and fi eld.

“The Summit League is one conference that would address many of UND’s needs: regional rivalries, reduced travel, and auto-matic qualifi er status for the major-ity of our sports programs,” Faison explained.

Acceptance into The Summit League would give UND sports like baseball, softball, volleyball and men’s and women’s basketball better, more competitive home schedules. Some teams may even get to play more local teams, such as NDSU, the University of South Dakota and South Dakota State

DIVISION 1 UND re-ceives acceptance from Athletic Association re-garding logo retirement.

>ALLEE MEADThe Dakota Student

7NCAA > page

Pomeroy praises ND agriculture

With one of North Dakota’s most successful harvests currently underway, Representative Earl Pomeroy thought this would be the perfect time to bring US Secre-tary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to the state. The pair hosted an event focusing on agricultural research Monday in the Memorial Union.

Pomeroy praised the research-ers present, informing the audience these scientists are taking their re-search and “translating it into di-rect benefi ts for the public.”

Vilsack called North Dakota farmers an “extraordinary group

of producers” and announced that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) expects to see $170 billion in agricultural exports this year. He attributes the growing numbers to continuing success in crop genetic research.

“When I was born in 1950, one farm fed 19 people. Now one farm can feed 155 people thanks to research,” reported Vilsack.

After Pomeroy and Vilsack’s opening remarks, the visiting sci-entists from the North Dakota’s top research facilities each took a turn at the podium to present a summary of their current research projects. The researchers were di-vided into panels and were allotted fi ve minutes for each of their pre-sentations.

The university’s own Vice Presi-

PANEL Congressman and Secretary of Agricul-ture visit UND and tout researchers and farmers.

>BRANDI JEWETTThe Dakota Student

Out of the darkness, into the light

Sunday, September 19, the Grand Forks community will walk Out of the Darkness. This is the second annual walk in which indi-viduals can donate a few hours on their Sunday to both raise money and awareness for the second lead-ing cause of death among college students—suicide.

Brenda Brummond, co-coordi-nator along with Sheila Menard for the Grand Forks Out of the Dark-ness (OOTD) Community Walk, said the overall aim of the event is to “erase the stigma associated with sui-cide and to bring that issue out of the darkness and into the light. People need to know it’s okay to talk about it and to seek professional help if

they’re struggling with depression.”Last year over 300 people partic-

ipated in the event, but people come for more than just to raise funds.

“There will be guest speakers, a memory board to share a pho-to, poem, etc. of a lost loved one, an open mic for those wanting to share a few words and of course a beauti-ful walk along the Red River to remember those we have lost to suicide and to support those who suffer from depression and mental illness,” Brummond said.

This year the event will host two guest speakers, Corporal Sue Shirek from the Grand Forks Police Depart-ment, as well as Sergeant Terri Tru-jillo from the Grand Forks Air Force Base. A Crookston band named 2AM will be playing and the event will also include a bead ceremony

and a balloon release.The money raised goes to the

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) at a national level and also the AFSP-North Dakota

Chapter. The local funds have recently been used for edu-cational tools, making AFSP DVDs available throughout the community so faculty, staff and students are

more aware of the warning signs for suicide and depression. There are also “See It Say It” cards circulating in the community, that one can give to an individual if they’re in need of help. The local chapter also raises aware-ness about the suicide prevention hotline 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Along with these more direct uses of

AWARENESS Fundrais-ing event aims to spread word about suicide pre-vention.

‘People need to know it’s okay to talk about it and seek profes-sional help

Brenda BrummondCo-coordinator

Photos by Michael Thomas > The Dakota Student

Derek Walters, Communications and Outreach Manag-er for the Energy and Environmental Research (right) demonstrates a hydrogen pump at the RRVRC’s Advanc-ing the Hydrogen Economy Action Summit (below).

>RACHEL SMERERThe Dakota Student

7AG > page

of economic energy: Hydrogen technologyEERC hosts a conference dedicated to the progression of Hydrogen research attended by researchers and government offi cials alike.

7PREVENT > page

02 DATEBOOK friday september 17, 2010

the new DSComment

DS datebook Join the conversation at www.TheDakotaStudent.com

Tell us what is happening on campus >

Submit information via email to dstudenteditor@und.edu or call 777-2677

>today, september 17, 2010

> presentation: UND School of Law con-stitution day, “Women’s Suffrage: How a Movement Became an Amendment” 12:15 p.m. in the Baker courtroom.

> event: Musical Gala fundraising event for Christus Rex. Event starts at 7 p.m. at the Empire Arts Center. Stop by the Chris-tus Rex for tickets and information.

saturday, september 8, 2010

> performance: Austin Kyle concert in the Memorial Union Loading Dock as part of UND NightLife.

> tour: Art and Wine Walk will take place in downtown Grand Forks from 1 to 5 p.m. with live music, art, and wine tastings. To take part, purchase a map at the Blue Moose or GuestHouse International Inn for $10.

It’s all here: dakotastudent.com> Find the most up to date stories, columns and photos all in an easy to use, convenient place> Comment on issues and stories affecting your lives as students> Search the archives for past stories> Read campus highlights and features

Tell us what you think: What’s your favorite part of Potato Bowl week?

> The potatoes...I knew there was a reason we put up with the smell! > The football game > Tailgating > The fi reworks display

Vote now on our website as well as leave feedback on what you think of our new facelift.

The Dakota Student

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luke.m.johnson@und.edu

world news reportfriday september 17, 2010DS> Inside: River Cities Speedway holds fi nal races.

World Brief

ASHEQEH, Afghanistan—Jef-fery Williamson was so angered by the 9/11 attacks that he decided to join the military, only to be told that at 36, he was a year too old to enlist. Five years later, on the day the Army raised the age limit to 42, he joined at 41. He’s served in Iraq, and now he’s back on the front lines, this time in Afghanistan.

Not only is Williamson, who’s now 45, a soldier, he’s an infantryman in the 101st Airborne Division from Fort Campbell. Ky. Here’s how the Army describes the requirements:

“Infantryman must perform strenuous physical activities, such as marching while carrying equipment, digging foxholes and climbing over obstacles. Being in top physical con-dition is a plus. Infantrymen need good hearing and vision.”

Even that wasn’t enough for Wil-liamson, though. He pushed to join a scout platoon where everyone else in his unit is younger than his oldest child.

“I feel like they’re my kids,” Wil-liamson said. “I feel responsible for them because they are so young. I wouldn’t be able to go home and tell their mom and dad, ‘Your son died because of something I did.’”

“I had a successful career, but I took 9/11 pretty personal when it happened,” said Williamson, who’s stationed at Combat Outpost

Asheqeh in Zhari district, one of the most dangerous areas of the vi-olence-plagued Kandahar province in southern Afghanistan. “It was an attack on Americans on our soil, killing innocents.”

On Sunday, Williamson was promoted to sergeant at a small cer-emony at Combat Outpost Asheqeh amid expectations of a major opera-tion involving his company, part of the 1st Battalion of the 101st Air-borne’s 502nd Infantry Regiment.

Infantry soldiers are typically 18 to 23 years old because of the job’s grueling physical requirements, said Joshua Milan, the company fi rst ser-geant, who joined at 18 and became a sergeant in 1998. Williamson has had to do everything the “kids” do, Milan said.

“You’re seeing older guys com-ing in more and more, from people on Wall Street to construction workers,” said Milan, 35, who’s from Charleston, Tenn. “People want to try something different and feel a part of something, especially with the war going on. That’s drawn people who want to be a part of his-tory. Maybe it’s because of what they see in the movies.”

45 year-old soldierpushes boundaries

Falluja raid kills seven

Last incandescent bulbfactory in US closes

Incandescent light bulbs may soon look more at home in the Smithsonian than our light fi x-tures. Major companies like Gen-eral Electric have dedicated the last few years to switching over to eco-friendly compact fl orescent bulbs, which use 75 percent less energy while giving as much light as incandescent light bulbs. And for a technology that started in the 1870s with Thomas Edison’s invention, this is the end of an era.

But as the Washington Post reports, one unintended con-sequence is the contribution it makes to the “continuing erosion” of U.S. manufacturing. As com-panies transition over to making CFLs, local plants close and jobs are moved out of the country. The cost of making CFLs and other new technologies is much cheaper abroad. As the Post reports, CFLs must be twisted into a spiral, a task which requires more manual labor. This is cheaper in China.

Many of the innovations for greener light bulbs originated in the United States. The CFL was invented by GE engineer Ed Ham-mer in the 1970s after the energy crisis. Then Ellis Yan, a Chinese immigrant to the United States, streamlined their production. Yan brought their assembly back to China, where labor was cheaper. As Yan explain to the Post, he would consider bringing his pro-duction to the United States even though it would add 10 percent to the cost of doing business. This is due to the fact that consumers have expressed a desire for goods made in America.

This is cold comfort for the workers at GE’s Winchester, Va., plant. Workers at the plant, where jobs have paid as much as $30 an hour, worry that they will be un-able to fi nd new positions. Many express grievances with the gov-ernment. Despite promises that the move to green technologies would result in more manufac-turing jobs, the government has allowed most of the contracts to go overseas. In 2007, the gov-ernment passed legislation that would essentially ban incandes-cent light bulbs by 2014 while greatly decreasing domestic en-ergy costs and greenhouse gases. But when the cost of creating the CFLs proved cheaper abroad, replacement positions were not available.

President Obama addressed this issue in a speech Aug. 16. As reported by the Post, Obama said, “When new batteries to store so-lar power come off the line, I want to see printed on the side, ‘Made in America.’ When new technologies are developed and new industries are formed, I want them made right here in America. That’s what we’re fi ghting for.”

>JAMAL NAJIMcClatchy Newspapers

OPERATION U.S.-Iraqi surge on insurgent hotbed, deaths include former Iraqi colonel.

ARMY Passion for ser-vice drives U.S. infantry-man to do heavy lifting in Afghanistan.

DAVID BELLUZ > MCT

>SAEED SHAHMcClatchy Newspapers

FALLUJAH, Iraq—U.S. and Iraqi forces raided a neigh-borhood in the longtime Sunni Muslim insurgent stronghold of Fallujah early Wednesday, Iraqi offi cials said, killing seven people in the deadliest joint operation since President Barack Obama announced the end of the Ameri-can combat mission in Iraq two weeks ago.

The incident underscored how American forces remain engaged in offensive operations despite Obama’s declaration that the fewer than 50,000 remaining U.S. troops would focus on ad-vising and training the Iraqi mili-tary and police.

Iraqi police offi cials said that the raid, which also wounded three people, began when the U.S.-Iraqi team set off explosives around 1:30 a.m. in the Jubail neighborhood of Fallujah, about 40 miles west of Baghdad.

American military helicopters supported the joint operation, according to residents.

Witnesses said that soldiers fatally shot several members of two families and raided the neighboring home of Yaseen Kas-sar, a former lieutenant colonel in the Iraqi army under Saddam Hussein. Kassar also was killed.

U.S. military offi cials refused to comment on the operation, and there was no information on whether Kassar or any of the other individuals killed had been the targets of the raid.

A senior police offi cial in Fallujah, who spoke only on the condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to talk to journalists, said Iraqi forces had sent advance word that a raid was coming but didn’t offer details.

U.S. and Iraqi forces seized four of the dead bodies, witnesses said.

Fallujah, the largest city in western Anbar province, was once a hotbed of Sunni insurgent groups such as al-Qaida in Iraq. As the U.S. military has drawn down its forces in recent months, militants have tried to step up their attacks.

Also on Wednesday, nine off-duty Iraqi soldiers were killed and fi ve were wounded when a road-side bomb detonated outside the northern city of Mosul, accord-ing to Iraqi police offi cials.

04 >commentarydS View

international study Out-of-country experi-ence valuable for students of any discipline.

Going Abroad

Editorial Board

letter Policy

Editorial Policy

Alex Cavanaugh Editor-in-chiefErin Lord Opinion EditorRachel Smerer news Editor

Th e Dakota Student is dedicated to the free exchange of ideas. Opinion columns and letters to the editor will not be edited for content reasons, except in cases of criminal or civil liability. Th e Dakota Student reserves the right to edit or reject columns or letters for various reasons. Th e ideas ex-pressed in columns and letters refl ect the views of the writer and do not necessarily represent the opinion of the staff of the Dakota Student.

Th e Dakota Student encourages readers to express their opinions on the editorial pages. Letters to the editor are published based on merit, general interest, timeliness and content. All letters must be limited to 250 words.> Letters may be mailed to 2891 2nd Ave N. Stop 8177, Grand Forks, N.D. 58202-8177 or dropped off at 170 McCannel Hall.> Letters must be typed and must include the author’s name, major or profession and telephone number.> All letters will be edited to fi t the allocated space. Writer may be limited to one letter per month.

Free speech carries responsibility

On August 30th, Terry Jones an-nounced he was organizing the 1st annual International Burn a Koran day for the 9th anniversary of 9-11. While his views on Islam have been no secret (He authored a book enti-tled “Islam is of the Devil” and regu-larly preaches that Muslims are both fundamentally vi-olent and bent on imposing Shari’a law in the U.S.) it was this an-nouncement that thrust Mr. Jones into the center of the current debate regarding religious freedom in America.

While many people have weighed in on this de-bate, one of the most recent and prominent arguments has been that his plan to burn the Koran is an analogue to the plan to build an Is-lamic cultural center two blocks from Ground Zero. They have argued that although it is undoubtedly both par-ties’ right to follow through with their plans, that doesn’t make either proposition a morally correct or prudent course of action. Although I agree that both acts are unequivo-cally expressions of each parties’ con-stitutional rights, these two actions are not the analogue that some have suggested. Simply put, the Islamic cultural center is being built to pro-vide a location where adherents can peacefully practice their religion and for this to be comparable, the cultur-al center would have to include a fur-nace for the express purpose of burn-ing bibles. Like Terry Jones proposed burning of the Koran, it would also be protected by the 1st amendment and a similarly immoral and impru-dent course of action.

Just like it is the 1st amendment

right of the individuals in question to build their cultural center, Terry Jones has a similar right to burn the Koran. Although such expressions are certainly distasteful, anyone who believes in the 1st amendment recog-nizes the importance and necessity of protecting even the most unpopular speech. Yet, as with all individuals who parade their offensive or oth-erwise unpopular extremist beliefs

behind the pro-tection of the Bill of Rights, in expressing his 1st amendment rights in this fashion, Terry Jones illustrates that he doesn’t understand the unifying spirit that has grown behind this con-

stitutional guarantee.For a democracy to fl ourish it

cannot censor the ideas, opinions, or beliefs of any group or individual. Such an act would not only violate our personal liberty but would also critically undermine the important role that free and open debate and discussion plays in our society. Para-doxically, these necessary freedoms also carry signifi cant drawbacks within our society. Not only has our freedom of expression promoted se-vere disagreement amongst the pop-ulace and our elected offi cials, from a historical perspective, it also has of-tentimes made us vulnerable to those who would use words to cause dis-sension, promote anarchy, and abuse political power.

Yet even as it fosters discord the 1st amendment has evolved to serve as much more than an individual protection of self-expression. It has become the glue that binds all Ameri-cans together. Its brilliance lies in the fact that it articulates the inalienable nature of our personal freedom to hold and express inherently divisive

ideas, beliefs and opinions in such a way that unites all people in a shared communal principle. As Voltaire fa-mously said, “I do not agree with what you have to say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it.” The 1st amendment guarantees the free-dom of belief and expression under the implicit obligation that every American has the responsibility to give the full measure of devotion to protect their right to form their own beliefs, opinions and disagree.

As it applies to this issue, even though I disagree with what Terry Jones is saying and trying to ac-complish by burning Korans, I don’t think there can be any argument as to whether he has a constitutionally guaranteed right to follow through with his plans. Where I take excep-tion is that I believe Jones’ actions are antithetical to the personal and societal obligation to exercise our personal rights for the benefi t our fellow man implicit within the 1st amendment.

For example, I could use my col-umn to advocate for anarchy, the ab-olition of religion, or the oppression of 1st amendment rights for Terry Jones or those building the Islamic cultural center, but I don’t because in expressing my right to free speech I am called to understand both the ancillary effects of my beliefs and ac-tions and how well those effects ac-cord themselves to the greater good of our country.

That, however, is just my opin-ion. Perhaps Mr. Jones would dis-agree with me on that point, as it is his right to do. I’ll even concede him the point if he takes exception, be-cause at the end of the day, after all the fuss that he started, Terry Jones didn’t burn any Korans, and that is something we can both agree on.

‘For a democracy to fl ourish it cannot cen-sor the ideas...of any group or individual.

David BartaColumnist

>daVid BartaThe Dakota Student

dS> David Barat is a columnist for The Dakota Student. He can be reached at david.barta@und.edu

*www.thedakotaStudent.com

the dakota Student is looking for dedicated and enthusi-astic news and sports reporters. Stop in to our offi ce in McCannel Hall, room 170 and fi ll out an application.

cOMMEntary

The Loading Dock was host Wednesday to the Study Abroad fair, where various departments were available to answer questions about the many opportunities for stu-dents to study overseas. Many of the students that have studied abroad will cite their experiences abroad as the most valuable of their college years. Studying abroad is the easiest way to expand one’s cultural scope and teaches lessons that no lecture ever could: how to be tolerant of differences, how to adapt to a new environment and most importantly, how to be a foreigner.

Imagine it—before you graduate you can have the op-portunity to swim in the Indian Ocean off Australia, walk the Great Wall of China or wander the labyrinth of streets in Toledo. The great, wide world lies beyond the borders of our country, just waiting for us to experience it.

Now is the time to study abroad, before the career and (possible) marriage, the kids, the bills and the grind of after-college life in the workforce. Now is the best time to take the opportunity to spend a life-changing semester, summer, month or week in another country.

Most study abroad programs are capable of being billed to fi nancial aid, and there are numerous scholarships available for study in sister universities like Utsunomiya University in Japan, the American College of Norway, the American College of Thessaloniki or one of the many other institutions and programs available. Study Abroad is available at a gamut of costs, from around the same cost as a semester of college, to a sizable investment that while expensive, is still valuable in its experience both profession-ally and personally.

Studying abroad can also make a student more com-petitive when seeking job opportunities. Even if you aren’t going into international work, it can’t be denied that the world is continually globalizing. Students in the hard sci-ences may have a future of international conferences to at-tend and business students may have partners abroad.

Any profession dealing with people and interpersonal relationships will likely see experience in a foreign country as an asset. It proves the individual is willing to get out of their comfort zone and willingly invites learning about oth-ers’ worldviews. This often results in a more well-rounded person who is better at relating to others and dealing with confl ict.

Students can go abroad to do virtually anything, op-portunities to volunteer, study at a university with local or international students and carry out an internship are available.

So whether for professional, educational or personal goals, studying abroad can be a valuable experience for ev-ery student. With the myriad of optoins UND supplies it shouldn’t be hard to fi nd a program that fi ts.

For more information visit the International Centre or the study abroad page on the UND website.

friday september 17, 2010

On burning books and terror babiesSome people are just dicks. I recognize

that as a philosophy professor, one might expect a more sophisticated response to the Reverend Terry Jones’s desire to burn Qur’ans, but there isn’t much more to say about him. He’s a charlatan – an attention-whore – and he’s using tragedy and politics to gain his fifteen minutes of fame. He’s not an agent of God. He is a purveyor of adolescent angst. Don’t give him any at-tention and he’ll go away.

The people who condemned the book burning – politicians ranging from Barack Obama to Sarah Palin – did so by citing the imminent danger to American service personnel. I certainly don’t disagree. But they neglect the greater danger to the Bap-tist church in Lawrence, Kansas; the Pen-tecostal community in Boston, Massachu-setts; the Mormons in Lubbock Texas. The terrorists can’t tell the Christians apart – they can’t even tell Americans apart in gen-eral – and when they strike back, they’re not going to bomb Jones’s church, they’re going to bomb someone else’s. They might bomb a synagogue, or a Chuck E Cheese. They believe all Americans think the same way, have the same values, and share the same re-ligious points of view. They’re bigots.

Of course, so is Jones, and so are many of us. Lots of Ameri-cans can’t tell Mus-lims apart. They think that the folks who bombed the World Trade Center share the

same religion as those who want to build a cultural center a few blocks from ground zero, but those two groups have as little in common as White Pride skinheads do with Episcopalians. Yes, they share the same book. But so does the guy who shoots the abortion doc-tor and the priest who distributes clean needles to heroin addicts. If we shouldn’t paint all those people with the same brush, then why should we paint Muslims as such?

The worst offender, to my mind, is not the moronic Reverend Jones, but Texas Representative Louie Gohmert who claims that there are “terror babies” in our midst. Muslims, he claims, are having children in the U.S. just so they can gain citizenship and train them to blow us all up. He is not a dick. He is much worse, although my professional judgment prevents me from using the appropriate words to describe him accurately. His message can be boiled down a familiar racist accusation, “they

don’t love their chil-dren the way we love ours,” and its logical extension, “they are not human.”

For Gohmert, Muslims are lesser creatures who will-ingly procreate to de-velop an army. They suckle their babies smiling, not with love,

but with the vision of their child’s body parts spraying across the landscape taking

as many people with them as they can. He thinks they are monsters, that they must be stopped.

In the nineteenth century there was a debate as to whether “negroes” were able to love. Black people were not regarded as fully human, and scholars wondered if they were capable of this most human emotion. This debate ought to make us all nauseous, but it is a short walk from it to Gohmert’s position,

one enabled by Jones’s and by all those who can’t tell Muslims apart anymore than the fanatics of Al Qaeda can distinguish individual Americans, Americans, by the way, who themselves may be Muslim and wholly loyal to our democracy.

Terry Jones is a dick and the response to him is simple. Everyone should just walk up to him and say “stop being a dick.” But Gohmert and the rest are anti-American bigots and the response to them must be to tirelessly point out their ignorance. This requires learning more about the world and the people who inhabit it. It means accepting, once and for all, that Islam is not a four-letter word, and that assuming it is makes all of us bigots too. So stop it.

Dr. Jack Russell WeinsteinProfessor of PhilosophyDirector of the Institute for Philoso-

phy in Public Life

Since September 11, 2001, the Muslim faith has grown increasingly targeted in the United States as violent, wrong, and even evil. Especially recently, amidst the scandal of Florida pastor Terry Jones, this fear and ig-norance seems to be growing faster than ever before.

I believe that much of the conflict is a result of ignorance. Whether or not it was wrong of Jones to threaten to burn the Koran, what is just as important are the reactions it caused around the world. On one side of the world, Iran’s leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, accused the United States government of or-chestrating the entire incident. Meanwhile, Americans who supported Jones’ view claim the Muslim faith to be violent and devoid of reason. Neither of these claims is true, yet they (and others) continue to incite argu-ments, protests, and worse.

Even among my own friends, I see dis-heartening signs of ignorance. I know col-lege-educated adults who still believe that President Obama is a Muslim. Many refuse to acknowledge that there is room for more than one religion in our country. Instead, phrases like “under God” and “in God we trust” have institutionalized Christianity in the United States.

Americans trying to make a case against Muslims always seem to conveniently for-get the violent past of the Christianity they so readily identify with. They brush aside bloody historical events such as the Spanish Inquisition as a mistake – that is, if they even acknowledge it.

However, in today’s globalized world, there is no longer any excuse to be ignorant. Access to television, the Internet, newspapers, and books has become a given in our culture. It’s not difficult to find out what is going on in the world, why it is important, and how it affects you. Even on campus, computer labs with Internet access are constantly available, and newspaper kiosks litter the campus.

I challenge you to take a moment each day to assertively educate yourself on one of the numerous issues and conflicts we face in the world today. The more you learn, the more you will understand about the diverse people that surround you on campus, in the United States, and across the world. No one has to agree on everything; yet, by eliminating the discrepancies in facts, it will help to elimi-nate discrepancies in equality and tolerance.

However, I have to caution against selec-tively hearing only evidence that already sup-ports your own viewpoint. Whether you end up changing your mind or not, it is essential to weigh both sides of an argument before coming to a definitive conclusion. Even then, beware of biased sources, illogical arguments, and ignored evidence. Basically, use your own intellect to decide for yourself; don’t let anyone else decide for you.

Perhaps Terry Jones did find basis in the Koran for his arguments. Yet, did he read the parts of the Koran calling for love and peace? Did he actually take the text as a whole, at-tempting to interpret it as it is meant to be interpreted? Or did he just extract a line or two out of context, twisting it to fit the ideals already cemented in his head? Find out for yourself.

Ignorance is not bliss. In fact, ignorance only leads to misunderstanding and conflict. Let’s combat both by actively becoming an educated, engaged generation.

Ignorance is not bliss

Accepting religious differenceI suspect many will agree with me when

I write that September 11, 2001, changed how we view a host of attributes of cul-ture in the United States and other places of the world. I also assume that many will agree with me, but more reluctantly, when I write that that particular date changed how we perceive Islam.

It is not my inten-tion to approach this as an “us vs. them” situation, but “we,” or those of us who don’t identify with Islam, need to seriously re-evaluate our perspec-tives and deconstruct them just a tad, and for the purposes of this opinion, I will use an all-encompassing “we.”

My own awareness of Islam probably began right around September 11. Before then, the concept of other religions was a vague idea vastly overpowered by a Protes-tant upbringing. After the towers fell, how-ever, the abstract notions solidified when a local, Middle-eastern business owner had his windows egged and bin Laden became a name associated with pure terror. De-spite the ethnocentric lessons of my youth that promoted such fear, a research paper several years later cleared most of my mis-conceptions as I learned the reality of the religion: those who orchestrated such fun-damentalism were but the smallest fraction of a major religion.

And so, upon turning on CNN one morning last week and hearing of the Flor-

ida pastor planning to burn all the Qurans on which he could get his hands, I was ap-palled and a little shocked, although I soon realized I shouldn’t have been, given the increasingly negative climate surrounding those who practice Islam. The surprising aspect of it all likely lies in the sheer stu-pidity of the pastor, especially as General David Petraeus, Hillary Clinton, President Obama, and even Glenn Beck erupted in a chorus of “don’t do it.” And while he

didn’t do it, the conse-quences of his actions up until that point are apparent. Real people still died because of that pastor’s message of hate; protesters in the Middle East were killed due to violence instigated by the in-tended desecration.

I find all of this so problematic because we as a nation still try to claim that we’re not religiously intoler-ant (although I’m not sure how we can ar-gue against it when we allow signs that read “Islam is of the Devil” to be displayed). More specifically, the mega mosque planned for a location near Ground Zero is also situated in the center of controversy. I can understand why the general popu-lation might take issue with its construc-tion, but I don’t understand why we dance around the controversy and cite somewhat valid reasons while simultaneously deny-ing the role of religion as a factor. Many of the commentators I’ve heard have opened with a disclaimer, announcing their com-plete tolerance of Islam, but I have to ask: would we have an equal amount of anxiety over a cathedral or a synagogue?

I understand that we’ve placed our-selves between what seem to be a rock and hard place; if we approve of the mosque, we’ve shed ourselves of “American” values, and if we disapprove, we’re religiously in-tolerant, but under a guise of reason. Per-haps the heart of the problem is that we’re limiting this debate to religion, refusing to accept that we, the “melting pot” of the world, may have some cultural problems. We claim that we’re really just opposed to anyone who threatens our freedom, but what do we mean by that? Capitalism, for one. We’re probably a little less reluctant to admit that we aren’t particularly toler-ant of those who aren’t of the capitalist persuasion, nor do we make a habit of problematizing some of our more devas-tating cultural actions that are intertwined with modernization and globalization, meaning that we don’t consider all of the consequences of ever expanding Manifest Destiny. As a result, one might understand the context that led radical Islam to target the United States.

Before I wind down, I should clarify my position. Were the events of September 11 terrible and unnecessary? Absolutely. Was the Florida pastor being an idiot? Re-sounding yes. But I also think that positive things can come from these actions. We have an opportunity to start a cultural dia-logue. We say that we value our differences , and we also claim to value the similarities that bind us to one another. It’s about time we prove it through engaging with culture and at least attempting to understand our-selves and others.

>Madi whitManThe Dakota Student

>EMily BurklandThe Dakota Student

dS> Madi Whitman is a columnist for The Dakota Student. She can be reached at madisson.whit-man@und.edu

‘would we have an equal amount of anx-iety over a cathedral or a synagogue?

Madi WhitmanColumnist

>Jack wEinStEinGuest Columnist

‘For Gohmert, Mus-lims are lesser crea-tures who willingly procreate to develop and army.

Jack WeinsteinGuest Columnist

dS> Emily Burkland is a columnist for The Dakota Student. She can be reached at emily.burkland@und.edu

‘Islam is not a four-let-ter word...and assum-ing it is makes all of us bigots too. So stop it.

Jack WeinsteinGuest Columnist

dS> Jack Weinstein is an invited guest writer for this issue of The Dakota Student.

05the dakota Student

06 NEWS friday september 17, 2010

Hopes to open up airspace SCIENCE Panel dis-cusses efforts to broaden areas for flying un-manned aerial vehicles.

>JoE CataNzarItIThe Dakota Student

In front of a capacity crowd in the Red River Valley Room of the Memorial Union on Monday, Sep-tember 13, US Senator Byron Dor-gan of North Dakota held an official US Senate Field Hearing on the sta-tus of Federal Aviation Administra-tion (FAA) efforts to broaden the air-space available for flying unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV’s).

In opening remarks before the panel, which included representa-tives from the FAA, the United States Air Force, and other relevant parties, Senator Dorgan expressed that the Grand Forks area is “slated to become a major UAV center,” explaining that the Department of Homeland Secu-rity has in fact “been flying UAV’s in this vicinity for some time.”

Describing the University of North Dakota Center for Aerospace Studies as “perhaps the preeminent aerospace science school in the world,” Dorgan articulated to the panel that Grand Forks is in more ways than one the ideal location for the Air Force to conduct further ex-ploration of UAV capabilities.

The hearing Monday was in fact a follow up to a previous such meet-ing, held between Senator Dorgan, the FAA and US Air Force in Feb-ruary of 2009, during which discus-sions were held pertaining to “per-mitting the military to fly unmanned aircraft systems in the national airspace system (NAS) specifically around Grand Forks Air Force Base,” according to a news release issued by Senator Dorgan’s office. Much of the conversation taking place dur-ing Monday’s hearing concerned the level of progress that has been made in the interim eighteen months by the FAA and Air Force in “opening up” this airspace to UAV’s.

According to Major General Marke Gibson, Air Force Director of Operations, the training associated with UAV’s is “an issue of pressing military and national concern, and is critical to missions in Iraq and Af-ghanistan.” General Gibson went on to stress that the Air Force is investing extraordinarily heavily in UAV tech-nology, to the point that 35% of all present acquisitions made by the Air Force are concerned with unmanned vehicles and relevant technologies. As such, it is the opinion of the Air Force that the opening up of the air-space requested is of vital strategic importance to the United States.

Meanwhile, FAA Chief Oper-ating Officer Hank Krakowski ex-plained to the panel that “our airspace is a national treasure. These sort of changes must be made methodically, with service to all parties involved kept in mind.” Krawkoski went on to explain that all of the necessary steps were being taken in evaluating the Air Force’s request, and that the FAA are “moving as quickly as we can.” According to Krakowski, an “executive committee, or EXCOM has been formed by the relevant par-ties in the hopes of facilitating the resolution of any and all issues,” but

that, regardless of the amount of ef-fort put in by all parties involved, it would in fact take “between one and two years to create the requested re-stricted air space.”

The airspace currently sought by the Air Force is thirty-five by forty miles with a four thousand foot range in altitude, a request reduced at the behest of the FAA. In the eigh-teen months between this and the previous conversations held concern-ing this issue, the FAA says that it has nearly finished the process of investi-gating the safety and financial con-cerns associated with the Air Force’s original request, and that, according to Krakowski, they are now “abso-lutely committed to this process.”

If there was any sort of disagree-ment at Monday’s hearing it con-cerned the length of time that the FAA insists is necessary in creating any and all new swaths of restricted airspace. While the Air Force would perhaps like to see the process in some way accelerated, the FAA says that the process of creating restricted airspace is necessarily deliberate, and exists to protect the NAS as well as the welfare of relevant parties; in this instance, the Air Force.

In seeking to resolve any po-tential residual issues between the parties involved, as well as working

to promote the welfare of the state of North Dakota, Senator Dogan has expressed a desire to continue working closely with the concerns of the Air Force and the FAA, say-ing that “since unmanned aircraft systems primarily fly in restricted US airspace, finding ways to inte-grate the systems into the more gen-eral National Air Space is essential to expanding their military role and commercial potential. Grand Forks, as a major emerging area for Global Hawk and Predator Class unmanned aircraft systems, would benefit from increased unmanned aircraft systems in the NAS.”

Progress is carefully being moni-tored by all parties involved in this discussion, and with Senator Dor-gan, the Air Force, and the FAA all committed to seeing sensible and sustainable decisions made in arenas as sensitive and as vital as the protec-tion of the NAS and national secu-rity, it is certain that when this has all been settled, all parties will have best represented the issues closest and most important to their respective organizations, and to the American public.

Google Earth takes UND 3DtECHNoLoGY Archi-tects have been geo-modeling the campus based off 1,000 photos.

>XavIEr paStraNoThe Dakota Student

It may seem hard to believe, but there was once a time when people used to rely on maps for their trav-els. They would pop open the glove compartment, sort through the collection of road guides and find the one that was needed for that particular trip. Once they found the route to their destination, they would fight with the bends and creases of the map, due to a memory lapse of how it was to be folded, and it would eventually be crammed back into the glove com-partment.

Due to the advancements of technology over the past few years, the previous scenario has frequently been avoided. Websites like Google maps, Map Quest and Yahoo maps, offer people simplified directions of getting from one place to an-

other. Traveling has become as easy as printing off directions from your computer and simply hitting the road, but recently, things have got-ten even more interesting. Through a process called geo-modeling, JLG Architects and Google Earth have unleashed a new way of seeing the world…and UND.

Over the past 20 years, JLG Architects, a Midwestern based ar-chitect company, has been working with the University of North Dako-ta in developing 3D models for the campus and designing buildings, but over the last year, they decided to try something a little different. “Over the years we’ve been doing 3D modeling on computers, which has evolved over time. We thought to ourselves, ‘Why don’t we take the next step and use Google Earth as a project?’” said Jim Galloway, one of the owners of JLG Archi-tects. Through a process called geo-modeling, they were able to construct a 3D replica of the Uni-versity on Google Earth. How does geo-modeling work? Galloway gave

7Map > page DS> Joe Catanzariti is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. He can be reached at joeseph.catanzariti@und.edu

07NEWS the Dakota Student

MAP > From page 6

an explanation of the process. “Designing a project can be very time consuming, and Google Earth has made this process much more simplistic.” Galloway said. “We had our summer intern students go to campus to take photos of the building exteriors. Then, with the help of Google Earth and the photos, they were able to create 3D wire frames of the buildings where they would paste the photos.” He also stated that during the photo shooting process, over 1000 photos were taken of the University.

Geo-modeling has opened a new door for people seeking to find their way around a certain place. Rather than just showing a picture, this process allows them to “walk” the streets of a loca-tion from the comfort of their home. “As for benefits of geo-modeling, potential students and faculty could take a pretty good look at campus before they come here” said Galloway. “If you click on the buildings, there are links with added information about

the campus.” Not only are there benefits for the students and fac-ulty of UND, but this process also helps the people at JLG Ar-chitects as well. “It allows the de-signers and architects to quickly visualize and see where a new project could go,” said Galloway.

So what does the future hold for the geo-modeling process? Galloway shared some goals that he and his staff have. “Before we began this process, many of the images of UND were out of date. We wanted to give an updated image of the University and we’re continuing to do so.” While the majority of the buildings are up and on display, Galloway and his staff will be working on land-scaping next. “Only about 4 or 5 universities have done this, so over the next year we’ll be work-ing on adding the trees and land-scapes of the campus,” Galloway said. JLG architects also plan on designing models for other Uni-versities across the state of North Dakota.

DS> Xavier Pastrano is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. He can be reached at xavier.pastrano@und.edu

NCAA > From page 1

University. Also, joining the Sum-mit League would allow UND teams to automatically qualify for post-season play in the NCAA, of which UND is already a member, Faison said.

Two teams that won’t change conferences are the men’s and women’s hockey teams, which belong to the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. According to Faison, this conference is already one of the most highly ranked in the country.

There is no definite answer when these changes will take place or if UND will be accepted into its chosen conferences, but Faison said that the earliest time would be the fall of 2012. The fi-nal decisions rest with the confer-ence presidents.

“We are always concerned with having the best conference home for all of our sports pro-grams,” Faison added. “Several changes will take place if UND is accepted into The Summit League.”

DS> Allee Mead is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. She can be reached at allee.s.mead@und.edu

funds, the money given to AFSP aids scientific research on suicide causation, prevention and treat-ment.

Brummond, like many of the other walkers, lost a loved one to suicide. She lost her son in April 2009, and many of his friends had wanted her to join the walk in memory of him and to help raise awareness.

“I was very glad I did. The love and support that you feel at this walk is very humbling. You get a sense of comfort knowing that your child was so loved and will not be forgotten.”

In honoring the memory of lost ones, Brummond said “I re-ally don’t know if there will ever be closure per say, but more so accep-tance. Accepting that the loved one you lost to suicide is at peace now watching over you.”

Registration for the OOTD Community Walk begins at 1:00pm on Sunday and the event starts at 2:00pm. There is no fee to participate but individuals are highly encouraged to raise money on their own, before and after the walk. This can be done by asking relatives, co-workers, friends or even putting on fundraising events. Those who help raise funds can even receive gift incentives (listed on www.outofthedarkness.org).

Suicide is often much of a mys-tery to those left behind and that can be the hardest part. “There will always be questions. You just have to find a way to accept not know-ing the answers.”

But one thing people shouldn’t accept is the lack of awareness about these issues in our society. In-volvement in an event like OOTD brings together people who care about people, in an effort to save more lives.

DS> Rachel Smerer is the News Editor for The Dakota Student. She can be reached at rachel.smerer@und.edu

PREVENT > From page 1

DS> Brandi Jewitt is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. She can be reached at brandi.jewett.1@und.edu

dent for Research and Economic Development, Phyllis Johnson, pre-sented an overview of her research including the creation of a biofuel that does not solidify in winter tem-peratures, using antibodies harvested from goose eggs to produce treat-ments for diseases like West Nile Virus and monitoring the current evasive species problem the nation faces.

“One invasive species costs us one billion dollars a year…and we have hundreds,” stated Johnson, when asked by Secretary Vilsack to put the damage caused by these spe-cies into financial terms. Johnson also alluded to her program’s work with the Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center (GFHNRC).

Jerry Combs, Director of GFH-NRC, was also on hand to present a summary of research being con-ducted by the institution. “We’re not a big research center,” began Combs, “but we are a powerful one.”

Combs reported that one of GFHNRC’s main focuses lies in the areas of obesity prevention and obe-sity-related diseases, specifically in rural areas. One project of particular interest strives to understand the im-pact of dietary Selenium on obesity related cancer. A selenium deficiency is believed to play a role in contribut-ing to the risk of developing cancer. The project examines obese individ-uals’ ability to metabolize selenium and determine if the element coun-teracts the effects of obesity-related cancer.

Tying into agricultural research, a similar study takes the previous project a step further, observing the anticancer effects of crops treated with high versus low amounts of selenium. Soybeans grown and fertil-ized with selenium are transported to GFHNRC where they are fed to animal test subjects. The subjects undergo carcinogenic treatment and their progress is recorded. The proj-ect will be completed December of next year.

Three other research centers also presented summaries of current research projects they are directing. The projects range from food safety issues to the effect of wind turbines on land used for agricultural purpos-es. Local representatives from corn, wheat, soybean, potato and sugar beet commodity research groups were also present and discussed their projects.

AG > From page 1

Student Air Traffic Controllers Association visited the National Air Traffic Controllers Association at their Bi-ennial Conference hosted this year in Honolulu, HI.

NATHAN TWERBERG > The Dakota Student

08 NEWS friday september 17, 2010

culture&mediafriday september 17, 2010DS> Inside: More on the future of online gaming

HALOThe Beginning and the End

The Halo series is probably one of the most beloved and well-known game series of all time. On Tuesday the fi nal installment of the series was released. Bungie is not planning to make any other Halo games and is planning to hand the franchise over to Microsoft. It has been a long time coming and the journey has been fraught with many hurdles, but it has fi nally arrived. To give some scope of how anticipated this fi nal Halo was, Halo: Reach had sold over 34 million (yes, million) cop-ies by the Monday before its release. It is strange to think that this phe-nomenon began in 2001 with Halo: Combat Evolved. The series has come a long way and grown, both in scope and sales (Halo: Combat Evolved only sold around fi ve mil-lion copies).

As fans of the series can guess from the title, the story is about the Spartan training world, Reach. It is the place where the Spartan pro-gram began and where every Spartan trained, including the savior of the universe, Master Chief. For those unfamiliar with the games’ plots, they center around the exploits of Master Chief and his ongoing quest to save humanity and the universe from total devastation.

In the future, humankind en-counters aliens called the Covenant. Diplomatic relations fall apart, and the two groups begin an all out war. Humanity has troubles defeating the Covenant’s superior technology, and one of the eventual strategies devel-oped to gain an edge was to create

story by Patrick Evans

12HALO > page

MCT Campus

10 CULTURE&MEDIA friday september 17, 2010

Kazuo Ohno, a Japanese Butoh dancer (some might say the Japanese Butoh dancer) who graced the cover of Antony and the Johnsons’ third full-length album The Crying Light, once said to an interviewer, “The best thing that someone can say to me is that while watching my performance they began to cry. It is not important to understand what I am doing; perhaps it is bet-ter if they don’t understand, but just respond to the dance.”

This embrace of simply feel-ing rather than attempting to understand is at the heart of Butoh, an esoteric form of dance characterized by extremely controlled hyper-movements that are at once jarring and beautiful. The ruleless, styleless, uberconceptual school of Butoh boils down to the ability of the dancer to provoke the audience into feeling something—anything—and in this arguably more pure form of self-expression lies the power of the artist to truly reach someone.

The inclusion of Kazuo Ohno, then, in Antony and the Johnsons’ third album is unsurprising and fit-ting. Their music is certainly more concrete than the purposely obscure Butoh, but at the same time there is something ethereal and intangible that makes its way into the songs.

Antony and the Johnsons recent-ly released a five-song EP entitled Thank You For Your Love, a precur-sor to their next full-length (set for release in October) and a sort of coda to their recent (relative) success. The EP isn’t as full of arpeggio-grandeur as some of their earlier work, and the music isn’t laced with that same sense of loss that was so spot-on and neces-sary in previous albums. Rather, the EP is bandleader Antony Hegarty’s quiet, humble thank-you to those who have touched him in the past and, at the same time, a tribute to those who have suffered and over-come—those who have pressed on.

The title track (also the opener) is also the lead-off track for their up-coming, soon-to-be-released album Swanlights. The song is an at-first understated message of thanks to anyone who has been there in mo-ments “when all is falling in the sei-zure of pain,” a line that would be hard to pull off for any singer but the graceful Hegarty, whose flutter-ing, vibrato-filled tenor lends the lyr-ics an otherworldly linger. The song eventually takes off in horn blasts and almost-stompy rhythm joy, Ant-ony expressing true gratitude.

The next two tracks, “You are the Treasure” and “My Lord My Love” again follow in the subtle beginnings of “Thank You for Your Love”, but

these tracks remain in that mode, al-lowing Hegarty’s voice to deliver his message in full over modest piano phrases. The residual worry for the ones Hegarty cares about still comes through, even on this happier, short-er endeavor, in such lines as “My lord, my love, take care of the ones you say you love,” a lyric that seems to be earnestly reaching for human connection as much as it is mutedly criticizing the lack of control in a world that allows for so much pain.

The five-tracker finishes with two unique covers: a ringing, chimy version of Bob Dylan’s “Pressing On” and a guitar-filled “Imagine,” which interestingly enough downplays the piano of Lennon’s original in favor of

deftly-plucked strings. The two tracks, es-pecially the Dylan cover, emphasize the will it takes for one to move on in moments of doubt, discomfort and genuine pain.

Antony and the Johnsons, like Kazuo Ohno before them, are certainly con-

cerned with moving their audience to tears. Their Thank You For Your Love EP, though, may be more about getting past those tears, reaching for a happiness that just has to exist out there in the world. The lyrical mes-sages are easy to understand, but the music itself, and the highlight—Hegarty’s delicate voice—are a bit more dreamlike, and it is in these moments of hallucinatory reverie that the point of Hegarty’s message shines through—that perhaps hear-ing an artist’s music is connection enough.

Fantastic effort by Antony, JohnsonsDSMUSIC REVIEW

‘Thank You For Your Love EP’

>JoSh BRoRBYThe Dakota Student

DS> Josh Brorby is the Features Editor for The Dakota Student. He can be reached at joshua.brorby@und.edu

Franz Kafka, legendary spokes-person for modern disaffection, couldn’t trust anybody. And may-be with good reason. Published by Oneworld Classics, the new-est translation of Dearest Father, a long unsent letter Kafka wrote to his father that details and analyzes the psychological turmoil caused by the distance and disappointment between them, translators Hannah and Richard Stokes have made the decision to maintain the linguistic idiosyncrasies of Kafka’s original manuscript, rather than use English to smooth over a document com-posed during sickness and in an emotional frenzy.

The letter was part of the bun-dle Kafka asked good friend Max Brod to burn after his death. Brod instead published it, and gave the world Kafka—fragmented, unfin-ished, and deeply personal. So, Kaf-ka didn’t want you to read it, and besides some admitted exaggeration on the part of its author, there is no fiction here. As a reader of Kafka, the letter reveals the deeply personal nature of his writing—his father’s behavior helped shape his neurotic and paradoxical understanding of the relation between the individual and society, and Kafka’s personal obsession with outlining familial dysfunctions was likely good exer-cise for when he would later tackle law, punishment, and poverty as themes.

Kafka’s father was a big man whose main preoccupations were in the realms of food and business, a sharp contrast to his sensitive and spiritually-preoccupied son. This

degree of difference bred a deep mis-understanding between them that could only be dealt with indirectly.

“In order to assert myself a little against you, partly out of a sort of re-venge,” Kafka writes, “I soon began to observe, collect and exaggerate all the little absurdities in your behav-ior.”

Beside just the sort of thing a frustrated child would do to a parent, this is a dead-on job description for a satirist. He soon after admits that mocking his father only constitutes “an attempt… at self-preservation, they were the sort of jokes one makes about gods and kings, jokes that not only are linked to a deep respect, but indeed form an integral part of it.” This reflects an ongoing pattern in his characters, who fail to overcome the obstacles set before them.

In The Trial, Josef K. is confront-ed with an institution that never reveals what qualms it has with the protagonist and seems to contradict itself in its actions, an institution to which he will eventually capitulate. Then, it becomes very intriguing in Dearest when Kafka describes his and his siblings’ relationship with his father as “a trial in which you always claim the role of judge although…. You are just as weak and blinded as we are.” This, Kafka claims, manifested itself as a mistrust that crippled him from living up to his father’s name, mistrust which “developed… into mistrust of myself, and a perpetual fear of all other people.” The degree of doubt Kafka has concerning his

own abilities, both social and liter-ary, is incredible when compared to his stature in world literature today. For him, it seems that he thinks of his writing as a means of gaining independence from his father, but fails at doing so for how pervasive the paternal influence is in his sto-ries. “My writing was about you, all I did there was to lament what I could not lament on your shoulder.” The degree of success Kafka has in conducting what is essentially self-psychoanalysis makes the book feel integral to understanding him as a writer whose stories are often cryp-tic and imbued with an ambiguous sense of unease and loathing.

However, if you’re new to Kafka, this isn’t a horrible place to start. Despite the power of Kafka’s intellect, the language is simple and Kafka’s analysis is as emotional as it is scientific in its logic. Very easy to relate to, as there are bits of truth in the text concerning any relationship between parents, and if you’re as of yet turned off by the prospects of bondage and giant insects, Dearest Father is a sober and deeply affect-ing treatise on the universal themes Kafka mastered in his fiction. One-world Classics has designed the book well, and this translation reads better than one this reviewer had encountered before. Highly recom-mended.

Kafka’s letters reveal layersLITERATURE Author’s formerly unpublished correspondence shows sides of family life.

>JoE LEISSThe Dakota Student

DS> Joe Leiss is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. He can be reached at joseph.leiss@und.edu

>Secretly Canadian

11CULTURE&MEDIAthe Dakota Student

Later this month, Gamers Grid-iron (gamersgridiron.com) will al-low you and your dormmates (or anyone else online using the service) to compete for cash in a secure en-vironment. “Gamers can compete in head-to-head challenges, group-play battles, or bracket style tournament challenges using multiple game con-sole platforms (Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Wii). Additionally, Gamers can choose from a wide variety of popu-lar games.” But is this really the best way to spend the limited funds on your Pride Card?

Troubling: Gamers Gridiron put in their press release a quote from RMIT University senior lecturer in Art Larissa Hjorth’s article (one not mentioned on her website) “The Games of Causal Reflection: Gam-ing in the 21st Century,”. In the article Hjorth is quoted as saying “Social media games are characteri[s]ed by the sandbox genre (procedural rather than goal based) that contin-ues to parallel the domestic, ongoing ‘flow’ once occupied by the TV soap opera.” Gamers with Pride Cards be-ware. Notice anything strange with that? Why would a site offering ser-

vices for competitive play be using a quote describing a non-competitive form of gameplay? This is deceptive at best, using academia’s time spent on the research of gaming and gam-ing culture to offer a “hook” into parting those with cash from it.

In another of Hjorth’s articles, “The place of mobile gaming: one history in locating mobility in the Asia-Pacific region,” she takes on the “presence” of gamers. The article, fo-cusing primar-ily on Japanese and Korean gamers (Ko-rean gamers, if you follow gaming news, will know they have a massive compe t i t i ve gaming cul-ture, Starcraft Doritios for example).

From her article: “The local impacts on what it means to be co-present. Co-presence can infer the traversing between the virtual and the actual, being here and there as is prevalent in the practice of mo-bile technologies and gaming spaces. For Doreen Massey a sense of place is defined through representational processes, a practice that is always mediated. It is easy to romantically conceive of technology as the scape-goat for increasing feelings of disloca-tion in redefining place. But this can be too convenient and requires fur-

ther analysis. As Massey notes, place has always been mediated—by pro-jections, imaginings, representation and the very acts of practising culture and performing identity. Technolo-gies such as mobile media re-enact earlier co-present practices such as SMS remediating 19th century letter writing traditions... ‘remediation’ is a reworking of McLuhan’s argument that the content of new technologies is that of previous.” Gamers Grid-

iron, a free ser-vice, may not be taking money directly from you (the money is taken from whichever form of payment you choose, put into an escrow ac-count, and then available for

challenging other players), they will be sustaining themselves with the lure of gambling your easy-come, easy-go loan (or otherwise) dollars.

You and a dorm mate should be able to have a fine time playing with each other while playing with yourselves in an environment free of competitive gaming. The scale of the field Gamers Gridiron offers to play-ers in reaching riches is equal to that of buying scratch off lotto tickets in hope of hitting the jackpot.

If you are going to lay down a few dollars per game, keep it in cash with agreed upon rules. Allowing a few dollars here and a few dollars there go out through an online pres-ence only allows that much more abuse to take hold. Without having access to Gamers Gridiron’s software, there’s a chance of real competitive players using real exploits to win your real money that should be spent on a healthy student life, not one spent gambling with your amateur skills.

Are philosophy and the general public two things that can go hand in hand? That’s the question that Jack Weinstein asked when he de-cided to create The Institute of Phi-losophy in Public Life, a non-profit, non-partisan organization whose home is settled within the intellec-tual nest of the UND campus.

“The mission of the Institute for Philosophy in Public Life is to bridge the gap between academic philosophy and the general public.” That is a mission that Weinstein en-forces full time in addition to being a philosophy professor here at the University of North Dakota.

“The Institute is designed for as much participation as possible.” Says Weinstein, who is also the director of the Institute. “We do fellow lectures, the film series, the

radio show, and the blog.” The Institute hosts the Art and

Democracy film series held at the Empire Theatre downtown every second Wednesday of every month, as well as the “WHY? Philosophical Discussions About Everyday Life” Radio Show, which broadcasts the second Sunday of every month on local Prairie Public Radio.

“November will be the second anniversary of the Institute, Febru-ary for the radio show.”

The WHY? Radio Show al-ready has listeners in over 100 countries, close to 10,000 down-loads, and hundreds of subscribers to the Institutes blog and counting. “This year we’re going national,” Dr. Weinstein informs me. This month’s WHY? episode featured guest Brian Leiter, philosopher and founder of University of Chicago’s Center for Law, Philosophy and Human Values. This month’s Art and Democracy’s film will be show-ing “Saturday Night Fever.” with a discussion to follow.

IPPL draws crowdPHILOSOPHY Institute pulls in audience with radio show, film series and more.

>LISA CASAREzThe Dakota Student

12IPPL > page

Gaming and gamblingVIDEO GAMES Online company allows compet-itors to put their money where their mouths are.

>NICHOLAS GOwANThe Dakota Student

‘If you are going to lay down a few dollars per game, keep it in cash with agreed upon rules.

Nicholas Gowan

DS> Nicholas Gowan is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. He can be reached at nicholas.gowan@und.edu

12

>friday september 17, 2010

DS Classifi edsHOW TO PLACE A CLASSIFIED ADVERTISEMENTCOST: $4.00 for 40 words or less per issue.DEADLINE: Classifi eds for Tuesday’s paper are due on Friday at noon. Classifi eds for Friday’s paper are due Wednesday at noon.FORMAT: No classifi ed ads will be taken over the phone. They can be dropped off at 170 McCannel Hall, located right behind the Memorial Union.PAYMENT: Payment must be paid in full with cash, check or mailed with payment before a classifi ed will run. Contact the Dakota Student offi ce at 701-777-2677 with questions.

Local Classifi eds DSclassifi eds Local Jobs DSclassifi eds Local ServicesEMPLOYMENT more information.

HAD SEX? HAVE QUS-TIONS? PREGNANT? NEED HELP? We are here for you. FREE and 100% confi dential. Pregnancy test, fi rst trimester ultrasound, options counseling. Education on pregnancy, abortion, STD’s. Women’s Pregnancy Center, 11 South 4th Street, Suite 210, Grand Forks. 746-8866. Hours: Mon-Thurs, 9-4:00. Please call for ap-

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2-BEDROOM APART-MENT RECENTLY RE-DONE. Located at 2205 20th St. N. Up-per lever of 3 story house. Washer/Dryer, heat and utilities included. Close to campus, perfect for col-lege student. $750/month plus electricity. Call 320-808-1984 for

pointment. Visit our website at: http: www.gfwpc.org.

LEGAL REPRESENTA-TION. Have you been charged with a criminal offense? Whether it’s a DUI, a drug charge, an assault or any type of offense, don’t go it alone. Call 795-8616 Stensland Law Offi ce.

MISCELLANEOUS

the Spartans, a group cybernetically enhanced soldiers. In Halo: Reach we meet the Spartans before their numbers have been decimated. Bungie reinforces this notion right from the start; instead of playing as Master Chief, the protagonist is an unnamed member of a squad of Spartans called Noble Team. The Covenant attacks Reach and your squad begins the battle to

beat back their onslaught. Those who have played the original Halo: Combat Evolved know how this battle ends.

The Halo series is beloved because of its intricate plot and intense game play. The game set the standard which future console-based shooters have tried to recre-ate. The game has even inspired numerous books, comics, anime, and a movie is even planned. The Halo universe has become well known around the world, and part

of its appeal is the complexity and thought that has gone into creat-ing it. The writers have taken great care to make the universe feel as realistic as possible. All science fi c-tion has an element of fantasy, but the realism has allowed millions of people around the globe to connect with it.

Bungie has pulled out all the stops when developing this fi nal farewell to Halo. The graphics push the limits of what the Xbox 360 can do. The game play allows play-

ers to push their capacities further than they could with the previous games. Bungie has created many new characters to get to know, and has given players many new weapons and vehicles with which to play. Hopefully this game will stand as a fi tting tribute—and a fi t-ting fi nale—to Bungie’s reign over the Halo series.

HALO >From page 9

DS> Patrick Evans is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. He can be reached at patrick.evans@und.edu

IPPL > From page 11

DS> Lisa Casarez is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. She can be reached at lisa.casarez.2@und.edu

The radio show features phi-losophers and others whose work addresses the fundamental ques-tions of the human experience. Lis-teners get to call in, e-mail, or send advance questions so as to direct the conversation to areas they fi nd most interesting.

“The Institute has two sides, one that’s very local, very Grand Forks, and North Dakota. On the other hand it’s a worldwide discus-sion. It’s just a matter of getting people involved,” explains Wein-stein.

When selecting fellows who come to engage professional peers, students, and the public here at UND, Weinstein says, “We look for high quality people with inter-esting projects, who have the po-tential to talk to large audiences.”

In discussing the main reason behind the Institute, “People think philosophy is something old white men do in a college classroom. In reality, philosophy virtually effect’s everything we do.” Another reason was more of a personal motivation, “When your in Philosophy, you ei-ther talk to students or specialists and that’s very limiting. I wanted to go beyond that.” When selecting the types of topics to discuss dur-ing the fi lm series and on WHY? He says, “I tend towards political philosophy and ethics, but I go for anything that engages people. Is this going to be interesting to a large scale audience? That’s the question.”

When asking about where he see’s the Institute in the future, “I want it to get as big as it can with-out comprising the intimacy that people get from it now.”

Weinstein also mentioned the legacy of Institute, “I want it to be known as a recognized forced that brought philosophy to the main-stream. I want it to be a channel through which philosophy can be better understood and more wide-spread.”

The Institute for Philosophy in Public Life is funded as a part-nership between the University of North Dakota College of Arts & Sciences and the North Dakota Humanities Council. For more info, you can visit www.philoso-phyinpubliclife.com.

sportsfriday september 17, 2010

>Inside: Green Bay golfi ng recap, UND’s new mobile sports website, FootballDS

>scores &schedules

UND vs N.E. State 9/18 @8 pm

FootballUND @ NDSU Tourney9/16-18

SOCCERUND @ Montana Tourney9/17-19

VolleyballNebraska Invite Lincoln, Neb.9/18 @10 am

M&W CC

Racing to the very end: River Cities Speeway concludes another season

The Grand Forks summer rac-ing season comes to a close this Friday night with a fi nale at River Cities Speedway. The fi nale will include 4 different classes which include: Pure Stocks, Nosa Out-law Sprint Cars, Legend Cars, and Lightning Sprints.

The Lightning Sprints and Leg-end Cars make only occasional ap-pearances at River Cities Speedway. The last time they were in Grand Forks was August 20, 2010. That day Brandon Johnson won the Lightning Sprint in the number 22 car and Roland Bernard took second. Danny Steinmetz, Ty-son Heibert, and Darren Pallen fi nished 3rd, 4th, and 5th, respec-tively. That same night the winner of the Legend

Cars feature was Steve Pankowski in the number 2 car. Donavin Weist, Ivan Sailer, Paul Huettl, and John Huettl rounded out the top 5. These are just some of the names to look for during Friday’s races.

A little about River Cities Speedway:

River Cities Speedway was es-tablished in 1999 and was originally called Grand Forks Speedway. The track is made of dirt and clay and has a very high embankment. It is four tenths of a mile long and the record for one lap is a blistering 9.269 seconds. Every Friday night is racing night and the festivities begin promptly at 7:30 PM. The track is located at 2300 Gateway

Drive near Happy Harry’s. If you want to learn more about River Cit-ies Speedway visit their website at, www.rivercitiesspeedway.com, or check them out on facebook.

For those who are interested in checking out the racing this Friday night, tickets are sixteen dollars at the gate or you can buy in advance and save three dollars. Some of the places you can buy in advance in-clude University Station, Home of Economy, ElRoco, Gateway Cenex, StaMart, and Tesoro East (in East Grand Forks). Don’t forget to bring your earplugs!

>KYLE RUDNINGENThe Dakota Student

DS> Kyle Rudningen is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. He can be reached at kyle.rudningen@und.edu

TRACK Another loud season is about to close for the year in Grand Forks.

For the thrill of the chaseGASOLINE A former driver’s perspective behind the wheel of a dirt track racecar.

>ALEX CAVANAUGHThe Dakota Student

16ALEX > page

Potato Bowl game preview with UND vs. Northeastern State Univ.HOME OPENER The upcoming game will feature a team UND has never faced.

>JOEL ADRIANThe Dakota Student

‘I’m excited to get out there and pound the rock for a little bit.

Ross BrennenmanDefensive Lineman

DS> Joel Adrian is the Sports Editor for The Dakota Student. He can be reached at joel.adrian@und.edu

The mood is tense, and eager reporters such as myself are ready to bombard Coach Chris Mussman and football players on the upcom-ing Potato Bowl and a NIU game recap.

Pens to paper, video cameras catching every breath and the aroma of my ink are all but intoxicating. However, after much anticipation and delay, I have found what I want-ed; I have found the answers to my questions I was pondering but did not ask.

Making his way to the podium for the UND football team was 6’

4” 252 lbs. defensive lineman Ross Brennenman.

Upon being asked about im-provements from a being routed in Idaho and a close game at NIU, Brennenman responded, “Obviously tackling, that was huge. Our defen-sive backs did a great job locking people up and it made it easier for everyone.”

Despite losing the fi rst two games, Brennenman was asked about the upcoming Division II op-ponent Northeastern State. “We’re not going to take them lightly at all. Offensively they have some talented kids…we’re expecting power, zone and screen formations from their offense.” Being questioned on his personal expectations, Brennenman replied “I’m excited to get out there and pound the rock for a little bit.”

Offensive lineman Ian McGur-ran made his way to the podium next

and presented his observations and beliefs of the Northeastern State op-ponent. “They (N.E. State) run a 4-3 defense with a big guy in the middle. We have to be prepared.”

Asked about playing their home opener this weekend McGurran said, “It will be nice to be nice to play in front of our home fans.”

Finally after minutes (hours s e e m i n g l y ) head coach Chris Mussman arrived into the players’ lounge and headed to the podium. He was sporting a goatee which was “remnants of a three day bus trip, my wife doesn’t like it.” All sneers and bad jokes aside, he eventually told us the guts of the interview. “Their spe-

cial teams are giving us a headache.” Apparently Northeastern State has a fathomed 15 different formations and plays that have been captured on fi lm. “Their nose guard reminds me of our Ty Boyle.”

Upon the Potato bowl game op-ponent, Mussman stated “They are

preparing their kids to win a football game, and so are we.” On a fi nal note, Mussman c o m m e n t e d on the upcom-ing events this week. “Meet the Sioux on

Thursday night, our freshmen will get a glimpse of the fan support here in Grand Forks.”

New wide receiver sensation Greg Hardin was the fi nal podium

appearance of the evening. Hardin tallied 171 yards on six receptions including an 85 yard touchdown strike last week against NIU. “Its go-ing to be really nice to play in front of the home crowd, hopefully a lot of people show up.” Upon being asked about the team practices in prepara-tion for this Saturday, “Everyone was getting on each other this week.”

The North Dakota football team will be searching for its fi rst win on Saturday against the Northeastern State Riverhawks (Oklahoma).

The Riverhawks come to Grand Forks with a record of 1-1. Their sole win came over Tarelton St. two weeks ago. The game will be played at the Alerus Center at 4 p.m. this Saturday.

Those that have spent their summer and early fall in Grand Forks will distinctly remember the piercing roar that fl oats through the town, marking every Friday night as the racing season rolls through.

Auto racing brings to mind many different images; for some beer, missing teeth and hotdogs, others large amounts of money, big, expensive trailers and million-dollar endorsements. For the aver-age dirt track racer, though, rac-ing brings to mind elbow grease, sheet metal, the smell of exhaust, race fuel and the thrill of victory or sting of defeat.

For four seasons between 2004 and 2008, during my tran-sition from high school to col-lege, I raced four-cylinder hornets

and street stocks at the Devils Lake Speedway. My father and younger brother also took to the track, and the three of us built, maintained and raced seven dif-ferent cars. The largest of those roles was maintenance, as there is a great deal of work that goes into keeping a car fast and effi -cient, and that work spans from engine tuning, sheet metal and body work, balancing the car with weights and working with tire and wheel sizes.

The complicated process of making a car competitive took all of the four years of my short career to get a grasp of, and my technique developed until the day I rose out of the seat for the last time. Racing taught me to be refl exive and refl ective, to antici-pate the thoughts and memorize the moves of both the other driv-ers and the track itself, to antici-pate the necessary technique to perform on a track too wet or too dry and to trust my workmanship

NATHAN TWERBERG > The Dakota Student

14 SPORTS friday september 17, 2010

LINKSMEN North Dakota golfers perform valiantly as guests in Wisconsin.

>TIMOThy BOgERThe Dakota Student

Both the men’s and women’s golf teams held their own Tuesday and Wednesday at the Green Bay Invi-tational. The season opener for both teams yielded some great highlights for both the men and women at the Green Bay Country Club.

The North Dakota women placed two golfers in the top ten en route to a third place finish at the two-day event. Loyola (Chicago), one of several Horizon League rep-resentatives at the tournament, took first place

Sophomore Chivas Beaudoin shot a 78 on Monday, and nearly matched that Tuesday with an 80 to finish fourth overall at the tourna-ment at 158. She finished just one stroke behind Valparaiso’s Annie No-lan as well as Loyala’s Nikki Miller and Ann Vrdolyak. All three shot

157, and a playoff would declare Nolan to be the winner.

Molly Martin, a senior, was five strokes off the lead, tying for ninth place at a 162 (80 and 82). Team-mates Shantel Montgomery (169, 86-83) and Lauryn Job (170, 87-83) rounded out the top 20 overall.

Megan Grozdanich tied for 41st at the event with a 186 (97-89).

Abby Rueter, Robin Hutchinson, and Rachel Oeltjen all competed in-dividually only. Rueter shot a pair of 89s to finish 29th. Hutchinson shot a 183 (97-86), and Oeltjen carded a 187 (91-96).

The women finished with a 659 (331-328), 23 strokes back from Loyola.

Meanwhile, the men shot three rounds at the same golf course in Green Bay. North Dakota junior Nick Schaefer, finished with a 70, three-under par. He shot a 227 (80-77-70) to tied for 14th place overall.

The score was a big part of North Dakota taking seventh overall, as they improved by sixteen strokes in the last round of the tournament to jump up two spots. St. Ambrose (Iowa) took first place in the men’s

division.Schaefer finished seven strokes

behind Lewis University’s Brandon White, who got medalist honors at the meet. Schaefer’s round of 70 was the best round carded at the tourna-ment.

Sioux teammates Tyler Monda and Peter Pomonis, a junior and red-shirt freshman respectively, tied for 21st.

Sophomore Alex Robb shot a 240 (79-85-76), and a junior, Matt Wrolstad, tied for 48th with a 250 (87-82-81).

Freshmen Sean Halverson and Conor Borud competed at the tour-nament but only individually. Halv-erson took 42nd at 242 and Borud was 60th with a 264.

Both the men and women re-turn to action early next week. The women will be just a short drive away at the Erv Kaiser Invitational in Fargo. The three day event runs September 20-22. Meanwhile, the men will travel to Chicago State on the 20th and 21st.

UND golf team fares well at Green Bay invitational meet

DS> Timothy Boger is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. He can be reached at timothy.boger@und.edu

rent administration on hydrogen technology,” McGowan said, “But the industry is as convinced if not more convinced than ever that this is real … It’s becoming more and more difficult to ignore the suc-cesses that we’ve had—not just suc-cesses in the lab, but in the field as well.”

He fully expects to see private-sector growth in the hydrogen field and says that between 2015 and 2018, we may see a considerable increase in the number of hydrogen vehicles on the country’s roadways.

That, of course, is based largely on the commercial capabilities of introducing an efficient and eco-nomical way to not only produce hydrogen but to distribute it as well. Before hydrogen fuel cell ve-hicles can be a viable alternative to traditional petroleum-based ones, the infrastructure to handle the new technology needs to be in place.

And that, Nick Mittica, com-mercial manager of Allentown PA-based Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., says, is all about scale.

“There are opportunities for real returns here,” he said during a panel. “Even at current pricing, we see significant opportunities for growth, but it’s all about scale.”

Gus Block, director of business development for Nuvera Fuel Cells echoed Mittica’s statement saying, “It won’t take long for these costs and the investments we’re mak-ing in new technologies to be re-turned.”

Those returns are being seen in places like California, where McGowan’s involvement with Linde LLC and its partnership with refuse company Waste Manage-ment, have developed and imple-mented technology to supply 300 garbage trucks with natural gas fuel extracted from landfills. McGowan said that while it’s not hydrogen fuel cell, it represents the oppor-tunity for companies to make sig-nificant strides in alternative energy development.

And natural gas-powered vehi-cles are not a far cry from hydrogen powered ones. Already, the EERC, in partnership with the Canadian company Kraus Global, have devel-oped the Hydrogen On Demand system that takes natural gas and breaks it down to purified hydro-gen. Unlike already developed sys-tems that are large and centralized like petroleum refineries, this On Demand system is compact and wholly integrated, meaning it can be set up at existing gas stations and will dramatically cuton transporta-tion and storage costs.

The EERC, through its Na-tional Center for Hydrogen Tech-nology, is working with more than 80 commercial partners to further develop an efficient and cost-effec-tive end-user hydrogen system.

While purified hydrogen gas has previously required a lot of en-ergy to produce, Chris Zygarlicke, deputy associate director for re-search and a specialist on extracting hydrogen form renewable energy resources, said that new technolo-gies in production have allowed for a significant reduction in cost and energy input.

Through gasification, which essentially involves the burning of grasses in an almost oxygen-void environment, researchers have been

able to extract hydrogen-rich syn-gas which can be further purified to commercial-grade hydrogen. Mike Holmes, also a deputy associate for research who focuses on fossil fuel utilization, said that while gasifica-tion is a 1940’s technology, current production techniques still in devel-opment allows researchers to reform syngas into hydrogen using much less energy.

“Right now, we’re in the process of trying to get the levels of produc-tion up through engineering optimi-zation; purification (of the hydrogen gas) is the tough part, but even that is getting easier,” Zygarlicke said.

Holmes said that the EERC has been involved in hydrogen research for a number of years and in 2004 became the official home of the Na-tional Center for Hydrogen Technol-ogy (NCHT). The successes of their respective teams as well as many oth-er individual researchers have been a result of more than $60 million of hydrogen research spending through federal and private funding.

Holmes said the Department of Energy has provided millions in seed money used in higher risk research that may not have the returns that private companies are looking for. He said, however, that this money is essential for experimenting with new processes and strategies that have en-abled the NCHT and the EERC to develop systems like Hydrogen On Demand.

The three-day event combined the efforts of the Red River Valley Research Corridor and the 6th An-nual Mountain States Hydrogen Business Council’s Hydrogen Imple-mentation Conference. Dorgan said, “We’ve worked together to build world-class facilities to do cutting-edge hydrogen energy research and development in our state. I believe hydrogen energy is one of the ways we can create high-tech energy jobs while decreasing the nation’s depen-dence on foreign energy. North Da-kota is now a frontline laboratory in helping with those efforts.”

Dorgan has aided the EERC and the NCHT with more than $242 million in investments with $3 mil-lion on its way pending federal leg-islation.

EERC > From page 1

DS> Michael Thomas is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. He can be reached at michael.thomas@und.edu

15SPORTSthe Dakota Student

Recently the UND Athletic department along with help from technology service provider Neu-Lion, Inc. launched a mobile ver-sion of www.FightingSioux.com. Now students, alumni, and fans can receive updates and informa-tion quicker than before.

The website is a condensed ver-sion compared to the one that is ac-cessed from a computer but it gets the job done. It’s simple and easy to work your way around the site from your mobile device. The most recent articles or breaking news for each sport that is in season is on the home page. Upcoming events and recent results round out the front page.

There is also a scroll bar that gives you the option to choose from news, schedules, results, gal-leries, men’s teams and women’s teams. While the mobile site won’t give you everything that the origi-nal site does it still provides all of the important content that you can expect to find on your laptop or desktop.

This is a nice addition by the

athletic department that will bring UND up to par with other schools that already have added a special-ized mobile site. It would be nice to see the site add something such as a variety of poll questions that could add to the experience of the reader. Everybody enjoys taking polls because they are quick and simple ways to see how the major-ity feels.

They are also a nice way to kill some time during class when you have mentally checked out of a lec-ture. Overall though, the mobile site is worth checking out and it should be a hit with those who can access the internet from their cell phones. I can’t stress enough how easy it is to figure your way around the site, which is hands down the best part about it.

If you want to find the lat-est info about the hockey team you are two clicks away from the team’s home page. If you didn’t get a chance to see the football game or volleyball match you can check out the gallery, which provides images from each teams latest contests.

So next time you’re bored at home or in class and surfing the net check out fightingsioux.com on your mobile phone.

DS> Brandon Becker is a staff reporter for The Dakota Student. He can be reached at brandon.becker2@und.edu

FANATICS The uni-versity has produced a ground breaking website for the ultimate fan.

>BRANDON BeCkeRThe Dakota Student

UND launches mobile-friendly athletic site

DS> Alex Cavanaugh is the Editor-in-chief for The Dakota Student. He can be reached at alex.cavanaugh@und.edu

ALeX > From page 13

and vehicle. This was no easy task, as there were countless late nights in the shop tweaking the car, nu-merous frustrations and four of the most rewarding and valuable years of my life. I raced every Sat-urday night of those four years, mainly at Devils Lake, with some visits to Rugby’s International Centre Speedway, Jamestown Speedway and even River Cit-ies Speedway for a special event. For that part of my life, racing was my world entire. It ruled my thoughts, actions, took all of my

money and was in my blood until my bittersweet retirement.

The reason I quit racing was that Devils Lake Speedway closed and has been for sale since 2008. For the first summer I was in Grand Forks not racing, the roar of the cars every week was near torture. Eventually, my longing to race subsided and now I sit in offices, writing articles, but still dream of punching my foot into the floorboard of a car and feeling my body get thrown into the seat, my vision vibrating from the roar of the straightpipes below my knees and the tension in my wrist of the skinny steering wheel tug-ging at my grip.

So, the next time you hear someone refer to racing as a hick sport or redneck pastime, think of the passion that goes into every car on the track and remember that there is more to racing than the annoying roar heard across town.

SUDOKU

16 SPORTS friday september 17, 2010