America has a love-hate relationship with celebrities. We’re quick to buy the magazines and tune in to the entertainment news channel with an unquenchable fascination with the lives of the rich and famous, but we’re just as fast to criticize and alienate famous people, invade their privacy or go to great lengths to idolize them.
Most people know that in Vegas, your chance of seeing an Elvis impersonator is pretty good. Little Legends, a stage show near Planet Hollywood, features little people who dress up like Elvis, Cher, Michael Jackson and Britney Spears.
Not even Utah is immune to the celebrity craze. Earlier this month, Gary Coleman and his wife were bowling in Payson. A fan started snapping pictures of the “Diff’rent Strokes” star after being asked not to. The day ended in a personal injury lawsuit against Coleman when he allegedly hit the fan with his truck. This is the stuff that sells millions of magazines while simultaneously destroys reputations.
Even Murray High School’s David Archuleta is getting in on the action. Our homegrown “American Idol” runner-up is now the main draw and star of a corn field in Lehi. His torso has been designed and cut into Thanksgiving Point’s corn maze for the 2008 season.
“Though we considered featuring Barack Obama and John McCain in our maze design this year, we chose to honor a Utahn who did our state proud and gathered more than 40 million votes while competing in the finale of American Idol,” said Brett Herbst, Archuleta’s corn maze creator. “That’s actually more votes than either presidential candidate received in the primary election, and we felt like David’s accomplishment was something we wanted to honor in the best and biggest way we could.”
Corn maze coordinators said curious maze-goers will spend an average of one hour trying to run around David’s head (while possibly looking for a shortcut through his nose or eyeball), as they look for the 12-acre labyrinth’s exit.
It’s a sad truth that America is more inclined to vote for entertainment on a television show than to vote in a presidential election. Sure, we need entertainment to occasionally distract us from the difficult issues of the day, but as in the case of the corn maze, people go to bizarre lengths to idolize celebrities and be entertained.
http://www.dailyutahchronicle.com/opinion/celebrity_fixation_a_sad_commentary
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Thursday, September 18, 2008
U, USU rivalry about the money
For the past 116 years Utah State has touted its football games with the U as being one of the state’s premier rivalry games. After the Utes’ 58-10 blowout last week, the “rivalry” claim is erroneous as the Aggies were handed their 11th straight loss, with an average margin of 25 points spanning those games. It’s obvious that on the field USU is not up to par with the U, yet it continues plugging the rivalry claim because of the money that a lot of hype can bring.
USU spokesman Zach Fisher couldn’t confirm how much money the Aggies made Saturday, but he opposed the idea that the game was pitched as a rivalry in an effort to make more money. He instead referred to the fact these teams have been playing each other since 1892.
“Of course we want it to be a rivalry again,” Aggies running back Curtis Marsh Jr. said. “I think all we have to do is beat them once. If we can do that, at least once, everything will come back.”
That won’t happen. It’s not a rivalry when the total score for the Utes’ last three trips to Logan is 154-16. According to The Utah Statesman, even USU head coach Brent Guy said it was about the money. He would not name a starter for Saturday’s game because, “people will buy a ticket and come see their starters. We will announce the starter as soon as we get the football. So you better get a ticket and come see.”
The Aggies hosted the Utes in the brand-new 25,000-seat Romney Stadium, but only 19,061 fans showed up in person for the game. The Salt Lake Tribune reported that USU paid the U $50,000 to play (Michigan paid the U $800,000). This expense was most likely offset by the higher admission price, as USU charges $15 to 20 more per ticket for games against the U.
It’s sad that USU claims it stands rival to the U in an attempt to fill empty seats and the U goes along with it.
An NCAA study released last spring revealed that only 16 of the 119 programs in the bowl subdivision (formerly Division I) turned a net profit over the 2004-2006 period. The study noted that while total revenues rose by 25.5 percent during that span, expenses increased 23 percent.
Despite a 3-0 record and BCS ranking, U athletics director Chris Hill told The Salt Lake Tribune the Utes expect to gross a profit of only $868,598.87 this season. While a BCS ranking allows teams to play in lucrative bowl games and grants national television exposure, it doesn’t ensure a team’s long-term profitability. According to a 2005 CNNMoney.com article, the Fiesta Bowl paid $30.5 million to Utah and opponent University of Pittsburgh. The teams split the money with the other schools in their conferences, leaving the Utes with a net profit of around $2 million.
For 2010, the Utes have elected to let USU keep its $50,000 as they’ll skip the trip to Logan and instead play Notre Dame. It’s just as well. It’s not like we’re missing out on the rivalry element or excitement. It’s about time the U looked out for its own interests.
http://www.dailyutahchronicle.com/opinion/u%252C_usu_rivalry_about_the_money
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Credit a trap for students
Credit cards—they’re easy to get, they’re fun to use, and they can get you into a whole mess of trouble if you’re not careful. More than 1.5 million college-age students in the United States are expected to drop out of college in 2008 because of money issues, says Bill Pratt, author of Extra Credit: The 7 Things Every College Student Needs to Know About Credit, Debt & Cash. He says academic failure comes in a distant second, representing 6 percent of all students.
According to the Consumer Credit Counseling Services, the average student leaves college with a credit card debt of between $8,000 and $10,000 (student loans not included). Credit-card debt hit more than $600 billion this year—almost half of that amount is owed by college-age students or new graduates.
Especially near the Union, you’ll see credit card marketers pitching low interest rates, free water bottles, candy and T-shirts to any student who signs up for a credit card. Although college tabling marketers get a lot of attention, only 18 percent of student credit cards are issued this way. The largest percentage of student cards (35 percent) is opened through direct mail.
Some people blame the industry for making it too easy for students to obtain credit cards. However, rather than assign blame, college students need to be informed, read the fine print and take responsibility for their decisions.
It isn’t the credit card company’s fault you decided life wasn’t complete until you overspent your budget on a PlayStation 3 and “Rock Band” game set. It’s an issue of education and self-restraint—the ability to delay gratification and wanting in exchange for things that are more important.
Credit cards are convenient and a way to establish a good credit rating. Yet, for many it is far too tempting to charge for items that you don’t have the cash to cover. Don’t exceed your credit limit and make certain you have the money before you charge. At a rate of 18 percent interest, it will take 25 years of minimum payments to pay off a $8,000 loan, and will ultimately cost $24,000. Paying off credit debt as it comes due is your best investment.
Michael Panzer, a financial investing guru, highlights last summer’s subprime meltdown, which involved about $900 billion in now-suspect securitized debt, reckless lending and consumers who buckled under the weight of loans they couldn’t afford.
Today, the United States is looking at more than $915 billion in credit card debt (an uncannily similar figure) that, like the housing industry, could blow up on our nation’s leading financial institutions. This is how a recession happens.
If you can’t figure out how to budget your finances, take a class in money management or talk with a financial adviser at your bank. Debt you can’t afford doesn’t just hurt you, it hurts our economy as people live off borrowed money without doing anything to repay it or create wealth and value.
http://www.dailyutahchronicle.com/opinion/credit_a_trap_for_students
According to the Consumer Credit Counseling Services, the average student leaves college with a credit card debt of between $8,000 and $10,000 (student loans not included). Credit-card debt hit more than $600 billion this year—almost half of that amount is owed by college-age students or new graduates.
Especially near the Union, you’ll see credit card marketers pitching low interest rates, free water bottles, candy and T-shirts to any student who signs up for a credit card. Although college tabling marketers get a lot of attention, only 18 percent of student credit cards are issued this way. The largest percentage of student cards (35 percent) is opened through direct mail.
Some people blame the industry for making it too easy for students to obtain credit cards. However, rather than assign blame, college students need to be informed, read the fine print and take responsibility for their decisions.
It isn’t the credit card company’s fault you decided life wasn’t complete until you overspent your budget on a PlayStation 3 and “Rock Band” game set. It’s an issue of education and self-restraint—the ability to delay gratification and wanting in exchange for things that are more important.
Credit cards are convenient and a way to establish a good credit rating. Yet, for many it is far too tempting to charge for items that you don’t have the cash to cover. Don’t exceed your credit limit and make certain you have the money before you charge. At a rate of 18 percent interest, it will take 25 years of minimum payments to pay off a $8,000 loan, and will ultimately cost $24,000. Paying off credit debt as it comes due is your best investment.
Michael Panzer, a financial investing guru, highlights last summer’s subprime meltdown, which involved about $900 billion in now-suspect securitized debt, reckless lending and consumers who buckled under the weight of loans they couldn’t afford.
Today, the United States is looking at more than $915 billion in credit card debt (an uncannily similar figure) that, like the housing industry, could blow up on our nation’s leading financial institutions. This is how a recession happens.
If you can’t figure out how to budget your finances, take a class in money management or talk with a financial adviser at your bank. Debt you can’t afford doesn’t just hurt you, it hurts our economy as people live off borrowed money without doing anything to repay it or create wealth and value.
http://www.dailyutahchronicle.com/opinion/credit_a_trap_for_students
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Utah takes liquor laws for granted
In July, the Utah Alcoholic Beverage Commission instructed staff members to draft sample legislation that would abolish state-mandated membership fees for drinking establishments and remove the wall partitions in restaurants that separate the bar from dining areas. Currently, locals and tourists must pay club membership fees to have a drink, and since tourism is big business for Utah, the state hospitality commission is pushing for looser laws.
According to Alcohol Alert, a drunk-driving watchdog, Utah trails the nation’s alcohol-related fatality rate at .27, compared with .58 per hundred vehicle miles traveled. Although state laws seem stringent and odd to Utah tourists, overall they are keeping Utahns safer.
This new push for looser laws seems to fall within the same vein of last month’s media circus surrounding the Amethyst Initiative, which is supported by more than 100 university presidents seeking to reduce the legal drinking age from 21 to 18. Rather than fight the battle against underage drinking, these university presidents are giving ground because it’s become too difficult for them to police their students.
However, the battle is still worth fighting. The National Center for Statistics and Analysis estimates nearly 25,000 lives have been saved by minimum drinking age laws since 1975.
According to a 2004 report from the Committee on Developing a Strategy to Reduce and Prevent Underage Drinking, the cost of alcohol use by youth was $53 billion in 1996, including $19 billion from traffic crashes and $29 billion from violent crime. Although alcohol-related youth motor vehicle fatalities have decreased substantially over the past decade or so, youth are still overrepresented in alcohol-related fatal crashes compared with the older population.
Also, the same report says new research on adolescent brain development suggests that early heavy alcohol use may also have negative effects on the actual physical development of brain structure. Youth with alcohol use disorders also performed worse on memory tests than nondrinkers, further suggesting that alcohol was affecting brain function. Alcohol use during adolescence may have other negative effects, including decreased ability in planning and executive functioning, memory, spatial operations and attention.
Aside from the effect on students, should the drinking age be lowered? More concern should be given to what it is already doing to the general population. Utah should think twice about the benefits of the stringent liquor laws it enjoys before throwing them out.
http://www.dailyutahchronicle.com/opinion/utah_takes_liquor_laws_for_granted
According to Alcohol Alert, a drunk-driving watchdog, Utah trails the nation’s alcohol-related fatality rate at .27, compared with .58 per hundred vehicle miles traveled. Although state laws seem stringent and odd to Utah tourists, overall they are keeping Utahns safer.
This new push for looser laws seems to fall within the same vein of last month’s media circus surrounding the Amethyst Initiative, which is supported by more than 100 university presidents seeking to reduce the legal drinking age from 21 to 18. Rather than fight the battle against underage drinking, these university presidents are giving ground because it’s become too difficult for them to police their students.
However, the battle is still worth fighting. The National Center for Statistics and Analysis estimates nearly 25,000 lives have been saved by minimum drinking age laws since 1975.
According to a 2004 report from the Committee on Developing a Strategy to Reduce and Prevent Underage Drinking, the cost of alcohol use by youth was $53 billion in 1996, including $19 billion from traffic crashes and $29 billion from violent crime. Although alcohol-related youth motor vehicle fatalities have decreased substantially over the past decade or so, youth are still overrepresented in alcohol-related fatal crashes compared with the older population.
Also, the same report says new research on adolescent brain development suggests that early heavy alcohol use may also have negative effects on the actual physical development of brain structure. Youth with alcohol use disorders also performed worse on memory tests than nondrinkers, further suggesting that alcohol was affecting brain function. Alcohol use during adolescence may have other negative effects, including decreased ability in planning and executive functioning, memory, spatial operations and attention.
Aside from the effect on students, should the drinking age be lowered? More concern should be given to what it is already doing to the general population. Utah should think twice about the benefits of the stringent liquor laws it enjoys before throwing them out.
http://www.dailyutahchronicle.com/opinion/utah_takes_liquor_laws_for_granted
Monday, September 1, 2008
U needs to include Pledge of Allegiance in public gatherings
Every day at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. a simple ceremony is held in Mount Vernon, Va., at George Washington’s tomb. The service includes placement of a boxwood wreath alongside his sarcophagus and the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance to honor America’s first president. Written in 1892, well after Washington’s death in 1799, the pledge was officially recognized by Congress as America’s national motto in 1942.
The Pledge of Allegiance has repeatedly come under fire in public schools across the country because it contains the controversial words, “under God.” According to the General Counsel at the U, the university holds no official position as to whether the pledge can or should be recited in classrooms. The Utah State Board of Education requires that the pledge is recited each morning in public elementary schools. To remind students of our freedoms, the U should provide for the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance at university forums and official student gatherings.
The Pledge of Allegiance has been recited by generations of Americans, but why isn’t it good enough for us today? Beyond the political issues and controversy, the pledge represents patriotism and embodies the fabric of our society: justice, equality, courage, honor—the tools of a free society. It reminds and inspires us to defend the freedoms we enjoy every day.
A San Francisco lawsuit from Michael Newdow attempted to ban the Pledge of Allegiance from being recited in public schools, claiming in a federal lawsuit that it is an unconstitutional violation of the First Amendment. Ultimately, the suit was overruled by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals concluding that the pledge is constitutional.
In a similar controversy earlier this month, more than 6 million people voted in an NBC online poll seeking to determine whether or not we should take the phrase “In God We Trust” off American money. Nearly 75 percent of respondents felt the motto has historical and patriotic significance and does nothing to establish a state religion. The remaining 25 percent said the words “In God We Trust” violate the principle of separation of church and state.
In June, researchers at the Pew Forum analyzed the religious practices of more than 35,000 U.S. adults and found that belief in God is something espoused by 92 percent of Americans. If all references of God were taken out of government today, it would still be in the hearts of the majority of U.S. citizens, no matter what religion they belong to. And for that reason, the references should remain, because they reflect a belief in a trustworthy God, which is held by the majority of those who live in this country. It’s something you aren’t allowed to believe in some other countries, at least not legally.
More than 225 years have passed since soldiers in Washington’s army gave their lives in the Revolutionary War. Was the battle for American independence and freedom fought in vain? It was if we neglect to defend the liberties they died for. Those early American heroes certainly didn’t give their lives so stray individual opinions could dictate the laws. The U should honor them by including the pledge more often in official forums and other gatherings.
http://www.dailyutahchronicle.com/u_needs_to_include_pledge_of_allegiance_in_public_gatherings
The Pledge of Allegiance has repeatedly come under fire in public schools across the country because it contains the controversial words, “under God.” According to the General Counsel at the U, the university holds no official position as to whether the pledge can or should be recited in classrooms. The Utah State Board of Education requires that the pledge is recited each morning in public elementary schools. To remind students of our freedoms, the U should provide for the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance at university forums and official student gatherings.
The Pledge of Allegiance has been recited by generations of Americans, but why isn’t it good enough for us today? Beyond the political issues and controversy, the pledge represents patriotism and embodies the fabric of our society: justice, equality, courage, honor—the tools of a free society. It reminds and inspires us to defend the freedoms we enjoy every day.
A San Francisco lawsuit from Michael Newdow attempted to ban the Pledge of Allegiance from being recited in public schools, claiming in a federal lawsuit that it is an unconstitutional violation of the First Amendment. Ultimately, the suit was overruled by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals concluding that the pledge is constitutional.
In a similar controversy earlier this month, more than 6 million people voted in an NBC online poll seeking to determine whether or not we should take the phrase “In God We Trust” off American money. Nearly 75 percent of respondents felt the motto has historical and patriotic significance and does nothing to establish a state religion. The remaining 25 percent said the words “In God We Trust” violate the principle of separation of church and state.
In June, researchers at the Pew Forum analyzed the religious practices of more than 35,000 U.S. adults and found that belief in God is something espoused by 92 percent of Americans. If all references of God were taken out of government today, it would still be in the hearts of the majority of U.S. citizens, no matter what religion they belong to. And for that reason, the references should remain, because they reflect a belief in a trustworthy God, which is held by the majority of those who live in this country. It’s something you aren’t allowed to believe in some other countries, at least not legally.
More than 225 years have passed since soldiers in Washington’s army gave their lives in the Revolutionary War. Was the battle for American independence and freedom fought in vain? It was if we neglect to defend the liberties they died for. Those early American heroes certainly didn’t give their lives so stray individual opinions could dictate the laws. The U should honor them by including the pledge more often in official forums and other gatherings.
http://www.dailyutahchronicle.com/u_needs_to_include_pledge_of_allegiance_in_public_gatherings
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