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Show EUROPE ON A BUDGET BY AARON CLARK /STAFF WRITER PHOTO BY AARON CLARK w ith the end of spring semester just around the corner it's time to start thinking about how to spend a welldeserved summer off from the aches and pains of a grueling school schedule. While you could choose to fritter your precious time off playing video games, making a weekend run to Vegas or quite frankly just doing nothing at all, why not consider something a little different and daring? For example, spending a month traveling through Europe, which should be a prerequisite for every college student and a rite of passage for graduation. While many students are willing to go, few feel they have the finances to do so. With some careful planning and a few priceless travel tips, a European vacation could be within your grasp. For many students, the cost of airfare is the biggest stumbling block keeping them from taking a trip across the pond, which is perfectly understandable considering the average ticket price from Salt Lake City to Rome or Paris in May can easily surpass $1,500. My initial suggestion is to ask your parents for a loan or take the responsible route and save up your pennies, but there are some tricks of the travel trade to consider. Many credit card companies have special offers through airlines that will grant bonus airline miles to those who are approved. There are many cards to choose from, but I would recommend applying for the Citibank American Airlines card, which often has a 50,000 mile bonus offer — more than enough for a round trip ticket to Europe. Getting to Europe is one thing, finding an affordable place to stay is quite another. Often this is the budget buster for most travelers. Many hotels in Europe during the summer can easily cost more than $100 a night, which for the average student, or even a rich banker, is simply not affordable for a month or longer stay. So my advice is ditch the hotel and head for one of the many hostels that are found in nearly every city throughout Europe. Don't let the idea that staying in a dormitory is beneath you or a scary proposition stop you; instead consider that the average cost to stay at a hostel in Europe is around $25 a night. Not only are most hostels extremely clean but they are often the social hub of any city you visit, as college students from around the world congregate there to meet new friends and save a boatload of money. The best place to book a bed in a hostel is on the popular website www.hostelbookers.com , which allows you to not only book hostels in just about every city in Europe but see pictures of the rooms and read reviews, and the best part is there are no booking fees. Hostels are also a great way to meet other like-minded travelers, and before you know it you will have invites to go to clubs, bars and sightseeing as well as dramatically add to your Facebook friend count. Another huge advantage of staying in hostels is they are generally located in areas that are just outside the main tourist hubs but still near major sites worth visiting. Additionally there are many delicious and affordable restaurants to choose from that are generally where BOOMER F the locals eat, which means you get authentic cuisine at budget prices. The next thing to consider is the best way to get from city to city. This generally involves taking a train, which can get expensive. It's worth considering taking buses instead — in many cases they are cheaper and faster than trains. For those who would prefer to take the trains, don't be fooled into buying a rail pass — it might end up being more expensive than buying individual train tickets. A Eurail Pass, for example, would cost about $300 (assuming you're under the age of 25) for six travel days through Italy and France and it generally doesn't include a seat reservation. Instead you could book individual tickets through www. italiarail.com and pay about 30 percent less 1111111 1111111 "Unfriended" opens new territory for the horror film genre didn't have particularly high hopes for "Unfriended."The idea of a real-time horror unfolding on a computer desktop struck me as a half-baked marketing ploy to draw in an adolescent audience, and initially that's how the movie felt. Surprisingly though, what I thought would be a distracting gimmick felt natural and was easily the film's greatest strength. Not long after an estranged friend commits suicide, a group of teenagers notice some strange Facebook activity from the deceased's account. Reaching out from the beyond through Skype and Facebook, this social media poltergeist starts playing sadistic games with her old friends in a story-arc not dissimilar to the "Saw" series. If anyone attempts to interfere with this phantom's fun or log off to escape her wrath, possession and gruesome suicide awaits. This film single-handedly convinced me that there is a future GAMBLE YOUR STRESS AWAY WITH ASUU FIONA T AT'S A WRAP BY STEVE STAFSHOLT /STAFF WRITER SATIRE in computer screen films. The desktop storyline is intuitive, it never takes you out of the moment and it cultivates an emotional reaction the likes of which I have never experienced before. This film makes me wonder if one day we will produce computer monitor films without any actors at all. After the cliché introduction of characters that so often plagues the horror film genre, "Unfriended" delivers authentic acting and dialogue. Much of the film's conversations are conducted by means of various instant messaging applications, and the silence accompanied by these written exchanges serves to really boost the fear and anticipation. The ghost only communicates through these written mediums, and her singular visual representation is the Skype default user icon. The voiceless and faceless embodiment of this vindictive spirit makes for an eerie antagonist. The film boasts solid acting from a cast of lesser-known 10 { THECHRONY I NEWS I OPINION I ARTS I SPORTS I FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2015 } on comparable rail travel from Rome to Paris with four other cities in between. Traveling the world is not something reserved for the financial elite or those with rich, generous parents — the world can be explored by just about anyone willing to save a little money and do a little research in advance on how to travel on a budget. So don't waste the best years of your life binge-watching "Breaking Bad" or boating in Lake Powell when you could be experiencing the timeless wonders of Europe. Otherwise you may find that the first time you get to experience Europe is by tour bus when you're old and retired. What's the fun in that? a.clark@chronicle.utah.edu @ChronyArts actors. Lead Shelley Hennig manages to remain intense without overstepping into melodrama. Will Peltz and Moses Jacob Storm create memorable performances as well. The plot is obvious, but the details remain surprising. This mainly manifests in character development and backstory, which is nice in a genre known for one-dimensional characters. The film's obvious message about the dangers of cyberbullying is made with more poignancy than I expected it would. Where "Unfriended" loses some of its power is its death scenes. For the most part, the film manages to avoid jumpy scenes, opting for building unease instead of sudden shocks. The cultivation of this mood is shattered by the grisly death scenes, which focus on gore instead of suspense — two of them are particularly disturbing. Unfortunately, the film's ending also feels like a cop-out. "Unfriended" is a decent horror film on the cutting edge of a new cinematic movement. Go see this film if you are looking for a good scare, if you want to see the birth of a new genre of film or if you need a reason to spend less time on Facebook. s.stafsholt@chronicle.utah.edu @ChronyArts finals are just around the corner and stress levels on campus are running high. From group presentations with lazy classmates who will probably end up abusing welfare, to ridiculously hard final exams, to ambiguous evaluations where the more the professor tries to explain them, the more confused you get, anxiety is on the ups. But there is no need to worry, because ASUU is here to help. Beginning next week, the Union will be converted into a stress-free zone to help students relax and take a load off. "We are going to have some really great events': said student council member Larry Sycophant. "We really just want the students to be ready for finals:' The main relaxation event is a high stakes poker tournament for any students who want to participate. The students will be required to wager their financial aid packages and additional scholarships in an effort to come out on top. There is a minimum $100 bet floor that will double after each consolidation round. The game will be Texas Hold'em and U President David Pershing is scheduled to make an appearance as a celebrity dealer, as well as other local celebrities such as U Mascot, Swoop, Salt Lake City Mayor, Ralph Becker, and local legends Boots and Bunker, the amazing firefighting clowns. There are absolutely no buyouts and students will play until there is one final winner. "There is no better feeling than taking other people's college money," said student council treasurer Lenny Tycoon. "I feel very relaxed after a massive payout. I am sure losing feels the same way:' The stress-free function will also include various forms of forced labor. "We hope students will forget about their anxiety as they help build the new parking garage': said student coun- selor, Suze Fascist. "Not only can students take their minds off classes, but they can also work under conditions similar to those in North Korea. It will be absolutely freeing:' There will also be an opportunity for students to walk across coals against their will as a way to unwind. "Pain is good': said your high school gym teacher, Coach Chunky. "It builds character, and character is good:' All multimedia websites, such as Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime, will be blocked from university Wi-Fi in an effort to help students face the solitude of being alone with anxious thoughts. "It's been proven to help students perform better': said university psychologist Tim Barmy. "Adding pressure to an already stressful situation is always helpful" More events are scheduled to be announced as the event date approaches. But until then, students will have to make it through the rest of the week on their own. "I just hope students can hold themselves together until our event': said Sycophant. "Until then, stay stressed, my friends:' letters@chronicle.utah.edu SATIRE HUCKABEE GARNERS TREMENDOUS SUPPORT FOR PRESIDENTIAL POST BY IAN HAMMER /OPINION COLUMNIST y esterday, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee officially announced his candidacy in the 2016 presidential election. Excitement and support for this crucial moment is present almost completely across the board. "I think he's the man for the job': said Jim White, a junior in political science. "He really got me with his speech about gay people and how treating them equally is like the oppression in Orwell's 1984.1 can't believe I ever voted for anyone else!" White's comments about the candidate are more or less consistent with the beliefs held by most on campus and around the country. Huckabee has already made huge progress in rallying his Republican base. When rallying at the capitol building last year, he won the hearts of the crowd by comparing fighting gay rights to fighting Nazis. One participant of the rally, Ron Baker, told us, "I loved that Huckabee fella's comments about them gay rights. Nazis are bad. He done proved to me that gays are like Nazis, and I can't support no damn Nazis:' Support, while coming most strongly from republican voters, has also come across the aisle from democrats and independents alike. Regularly liberal-voting student Karen Lopez told The Chrony, "I was excited to vote for Clinton in 2016, but when I heard on the radio that Huckabee was running, I stopped my Prius and I remembered when he said that financial terrorists caused the recession. That really resonated with me. How could things possibly go wrong if there isn't a terrorist to blame and wipe off the face of the Earth with drone strikes?" Although the majority of Americans are strongly in favor of Huckabee becoming the next POTUS, some have spoken out against him. U student Carol Howard told The Daily Utah Chronicle, "Isn't that the moron who said that he fried squirrels in popcorn poppers when he was in college? Every time I hear him talk, I can't help but feel like he eats roadkill with his cheap beer and corn bread:" While the opposition is small, it's vocal and knows how to motivate its followers. Another student, Sean Chapman, said, "I can't imagine what kind of hellscape he would turn this country into if he got elected. This guy actually said the Islamo-fascists made it their goal to destroy our way of life. I still don't know what that means!" Loyal followers of Huckabee are unshaken in their support. "I loved his book God, Guns, Grits and Gravy,' said Mark Grant, an avid supporter of Huckabee and a U student. "Before I read it, I had no idea that Obama and the media operated so similarly to an abusive relationship, but Huckabee did an amazing job opening my eyes." letters@chronicle.utah.edu e Daily Utah Chronicle Phot graphers Ileeded \ is hiring Contact b.uberty@chronicle.utah.edu to apply rx Contact Courtney Tanner c.tanner@chronicle.utah.edu for more information. 11 |