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Show O Ey HEATHER DARATA hdaratasuuournal.com The New Year has officially been rung in, but peoples heads are still ringing both from 2004s memorable events from throughout the good and bad world, the nation and locally. Perhaps the most memorable event was at the close of 2004 when a deadly tsunami crashed through areas of Asia on Dec. 26, affecting at least 11 countries. The current death toll has risen to almost 156,000, with that number expected to increase. Relief aid has poured out from throughout the world, including a $35 million pledge by President George W. i : P) i Bush from the United States. It would be haid to forget the 2004 Presidential Elections tight race between Sen. John Kerry and Bush. Bush came out ahead with 286 electoral votes with Kerry on his tail at 252 electoral votes. The campaigning was fierce and was perhaps one of the most talked about political races and major events of the year. the 2003-200- 4 Roberds, Stephen professor of the year and an associate professor of political science, became the target of controversy on SUUs campus. He was up for tenure, but his contract was terminated after the administration cited a history of unprofessional conduct, ; ! : : f ! intimidating and offending students and a lack of collegidlity to colleagues. Roberds was fired Dec. 15 and will not teach classes this spring. The Scott Peterson jury trial captured the eyes of the nation. In November, the e jury com icted Peterson of in murder with special circumstances Laci Peterson's death and second-degre- e murder in the fetus death. The jury recommended in December that he die by lethal injection. Peterson will be formally sentenced on Feb. 25. A little closer to home was the topic of Ken Jennings, a software engineer from Salt Lake City, who came away from Jeopardy with a winning streak of 74 games and total winnings of just more than $2.5 i li ion. He finished his run on Nov. 30 with the longest winning streak in TV game show history. The University of Utahs football season ended perfectly with an record and a bid to the Fiesta Bowl. Urban Meter accepted a job in Florida, ending his two seasons at the U of U, but came back to coach the Utes in the Fiesta Bowl. Kyle Whittingham was announced in December as the new coach for the Utes. BYU also announced in December that its new football coach would be Bronco Mendenhall. Mark Hacking was charged with felony murder in connection with the death of Lori Hacking, who died on 11 11-- 0 first-degr- July 19. He is also charged with three counts of second-degre- e felony for obstructing justice. Lons body was found Oct. 1 in the Salt Lake County landfill. On April 18, a weeklong trial begins. At SUU, students were welcomed back in the fall to the shuffling of offices in the Sharwan Smith Center. During the spring, 660 students signed a petition against the move. Some students said they believed they were ignored in the matter. This concludes the 2004 wrap-u- p with a new year banging on the door, and its sure to be full of more noteworthy events. -- Ufc , rSi & tS . J s w- i it1 m- I i i I .a PHOTO ILLU 3TRATION BY CHRISTINA Next 364 days may be lucky after new meal Coming back from spending the holidays with family and friends reminded me of the rich traditions many of us have grown accustom to during December. Many people who chose to celebrate Christmas have certain family traditions. While Im no stranger to drinking eggnog and eating freshly roasted chestnuts, I was introduced to some new and very interesting culinary traditions that take place on New Years Day. While I sat in a friends home black-eye- d d peas and com eating bread, I was also fed many beliefs about the beneficial luck that I was consuming simply by taking part in this simple feast. I was also informed that whatever activity I took part in on New Years Day, whether good or bad, would be a sure indicator of how the rest of my year would follow. Having heard this, I was very careful to set my path only in directions that I felt would bring a good foretelling of the remaining 364 days of 2005. One of the activities I felt most beneficial (besides shopping for great sales) was to compose a list of New Years resolutions. Ive always felt strongly that writing down aspirations is the best way to make those ideas concrete. Writing down my goals and viewing them often has always proven favorable for a positive foreshadowing of what lies ahead. Whether or not you decide on changing your cuisine to give you good fortune, many as indecisive and yet ambitious of us can benefit from the age-ol- d college students tradition of setting firm resolutions for a new year. Maybe, instead of solely relying on the fact that one meal of magic beans or peas can actually change your fortune, you can be your own fortune-telleIt has been said that the best way to predict the future is to create it. Good luck with your endeavors to create your future and better define yourself. twice-boile- r. Emily Hyde is a guest columnist for the University Journal. She can be reached at hyde2363 suumail.net. MEIER UNIVERSITY JOURNAL |