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Show Thursday, April 24, 2008 Page 2 OREM TIMES NEWS AND NOTES Library plugs classics with lively lit. series Michael Rigert NORTH COUNTY STAFF With national study after national study warning of the decline in reading by Americans, Ameri-cans, the Orem Public Library is taking a proactive approach in promoting the enjoyment of literature through its annual Literature Mind Marathon. Breathing new life and perspectives into some of literature's most venerable classics, clas-sics, the series will help make the works more accessible to readers, said Eliot Wilcox, an Orem general reference associate associ-ate librarian. "The purpose of the series is to allow people to get a better experience with these classic works," he said. "They're classics clas-sics for a reason. They've been read and cherished, in the case of 'Beowulf,' for 10 centuries." From a cultural history of "Fahrenheit 451" to an investigation investi-gation into the life of the father of the modern detective story, Edgar Allen Poe, the eight presentations are designed to remind readers why the titles have resonated with generation genera-tion after generation. Miranda Wilcox, a English professor at Brigham Young University who teaches medieval medi-eval and Old English literature Center Continued from Page 1 struction of the Timpanogos Center for Story and Art conference con-ference center at the corner of State and Center Streets would include a 1,200 seat auditorium at a cost of $13 million. She presented a previously uncirculated architectural rendering ren-dering from Ken Pollard Architects Archi-tects of the proposed storytell Reel Continued from Page 1 lution films for free, absent of pre-roll advertisements common com-mon on similar sites, Wood said. Filmmakers can then track the total number of views their films get, evaluate visitor feedback and, perhaps most importantly, get their product in front of potential investors. Through either getting noticed by investors or gaining recog NorthCounty NEWSPAPERS 399 E. State St. Pleasant Grove Marc Haddock 443-3268 North County Editor mhaddockheraldextra.com Cathy Allred 443-3262 Lehi, Saratoga Springs, PI. Grove callredheraldextra.com Barbara Christiansen 443-3264 American Fork, Alpine, Cedar Hills bchristiansen heraldextra com Mike Rigert 443-3265 Orem, Vineyard mrigertheraldextra.com Beky Beaton 443-3267 Sports bbeatonheraldextra.com Josh Walker 443-3260 Advertising Account Executive jwalker heraldextra com Volume 135 Orem Times Daily Herald Editor, USPS 411-700, a weekly newspaper published at 399 E State St.. Pleasant Grove. Utah 84063. Periodicals postage paid at Pleasant Grove, Utah 84062 and at additional mailing offices, Pwtmaittr Send address changes to Orem Times, P.O. Box 65, Orem, Utah 84069- 0065. Published Thursdays by Lee Publications, which is a division of Lee Enterprises, Inc. Member: Audit Bureau of Circulations TO KEEP YOU courses, will kick off the series Tuesday night with "From Poem to Screen: Beowulf Through the Ages." She'll look at how 21st century centu-ry popular culture adaptations of the heroic tale, including comic books, graphic novels, an opera and a recent Hollywood Holly-wood movie, continue to bring "Beowulf" to new audiences. Though perspectives on the epic change, the retellings of classic poem that is still required reading in many high schools hit home the fact that its appeal and application transcend time. "One reason it's been such an enduring poem is it provides pro-vides a core narrative for people to interpret based on different cultural needs at different dif-ferent times," she said. "Boys tend to like the hero things and girls are more interested in the choices the characters make and the poetry. There is probably prob-ably something for everyone." Libraries are promoting reading and literature for adults and children more than ever after recent studies stud-ies showed that less and less Americans are cracking a book. According to the Reading At Risk study conducted by the Census Bureau in 2004, for the first time in modern history, ing and art center. The CARE grant request was for $556,000 to have a feasibility study done on the proposal. "We think we can do it," Ashton said. "It is an idea whose time has come." She called the proposal a potential po-tential "shining diamond on the corner" that would welcome visitors to the city and would create a venue that would help retain more of the area's home-grown performance and nition from fan buzz created by high numbers of site hits, any given filmmaker's next project could be a feature-length feature-length shoot. Film cast and crew members can also post contact information on any given film they've worked on in a way for them to generate contacts and leads for other projects. Joe Peck, an Eagle Mountain Moun-tain resident who's been in the independent film industry for 12 years but new to directing, currently has one of the hottest Phone:756-7669 Fax:756-5274 DAILY HERALD PUBLISHING CO. EZEZ 3 Jennette Esplin 756-7669 Office Manager Julia Fullmer 344-2570 Project Coordinator, DesignerCopy Editor Allison Davies 344-2570 DesignerCopy Editor Ashley Franscell 344-2585 Photographer Issue 17 INFORMED AND less than half the adult population popula-tion now reads literature. A 2006 National Endowment for the Arts study of American reading patterns, To Read or Not to Read, found adults, teens and children are reading less, and less well. "This study shows the startling star-tling declines, in how much and how well Americans read, that are adversely affecting this country's culture, economy, econo-my, and civic life as well as our children's educational achievement," achieve-ment," said NEA chairman Dana Gioia. While national statistics on reading may be troubling, Wilcox Wil-cox said the latest patron data at the Orem Public Library suggests Utah Valley readers continue to thirst for books and other literature. General circulation at the library increased in-creased by 13 percent over the past 5 years, and circulation of teen books has jumped by 25 percent. "Promising things are happening hap-pening in our area, that's why we're excited," he said. OREM BRIEFS Girls softball (late registration) registra-tion) Orem City's Recreation Department is accepting late registration for the girls fast artistic talent. The Timpanogos Storytelling Storytell-ing Festival is widely considered consid-ered one of the premier festivals festi-vals in the nation, Ashton said. It is sought after for its undu-plicated undu-plicated strengths in corporate funding, base of volunteers, and festivalcity cooperation. "You've already got the treasure," trea-sure," Ashton told the council in her request to fund the feasibility fea-sibility study. "It just needs to have a box to put it in." short films on Reel Connect in the comedy "Handicap Stall," starring Utah Valley funny man Michael Birkeland of "The Home Teachers" and "The Singles Ward". His film was recently an official selection at the Los Angeles Shorts film festival. He heard about Reel Connect Con-nect through a friend and investor. in-vestor. Though there are other sites that are larger and offer greater exposure. Peck feels that Wood and Foisy's site will ultimately offer filmmakers A disturbing plan for t takes about three hours to drive the 150 miles from American Fork to the shores of Bear Lake, if you don't stop for lunch or take time to pull off of U.S. 89 near the sum mit of Logan Canyon to admire the view. From that lookout, the lake sparkles spar-kles dark blue, like a sapphire set in the plain, brown dirt half in Utah and half in Idaho. I feel a special attachment to Bear Lake, having grown up in Montpe-lier Montpe-lier with the lake in my backyard. I'm not the only one. Many north Utah County residents make that trip each year. They go to lounge on the lake shore and play in the cold, clear water. Many will have watched with interest as a group calling itself Symbiotics has announced plans to turn part of the east shore into a hydroelectric powerhouse. power-house. Symbiotics plans to turn Hook Canyon into a reservoir. The scheme works like this. The company would pump water uphill into the reservoir during the night, when the demand for power is low and the cost is cheap, and then return the water to Bear Lake during the day through a hydroelectric powerhouse, in the process generating 1,100 megawatts of peak -hour electricity daily. While the promoters say the proposal is a great one "This clever engineering would result in an extremely low installed capital cost, allowing savings to Utah rate payers compared to market purchases or alternative peaking generation choices" not everyone is on board with the plan. Fpr one thing, when that giant straw sucks water uphill, if will reduce the level of the lake by as much as three inches each night. During the day, that water will be restored. You can see the details of the plan at the Symbiotics Web site, ww.symbioticsenergy. comprqjectspumpedVhoo'-Jhook.htnil. They make it sound like a dream proposal, but I find it disturbing. Opponents of the plan say the fluctuating water level could prevent the lake from forming form-ing the ice sheet that covers it each winter. No only would that wreak havoc with the winter INVOLVED 2008 Literature Mind Marathon Programs start at 7 p.m. and, with the exception of two programs, pro-grams, will be held in the Storytelling Wing. I April 29: Miranda Wilcox on "From Poem to Screen: Beowulf through the Ages" I April 30: Mike Smith on "A Cultural History of Fahrenheit 451" (Media Auditorium) I May 2: Dean Duncan on "Representing the Author & Artist in the Movies" (Media Auditorium) I May 6: Cynthia Hallen on "The Belle of Amherst: Introducing Emily Dickinson" I May 7: Susan Lundquist on "Exploring the Codes of Native American Literature" I May 8: Dennis Perry on "American Gothic: The Monumental Edgar Allen Poe" I May 13: Dennis Cutchins on "The Illusive Gatsby: Adapting the Novel to the Big Screen" ) May 14: Chris Clark on "Murderous Love: Reading Shakespeare's Shake-speare's Othello" pitch softball program at the Orem Fitness Center (580 W. 165 S., Orem). Cost for Girls Softball is $52 (non-residents will be charged an additional $10). This program is for girls in third through 12th grades with team divisions being 34, 5-6, 7-8 and 9-12 grades. Games begin the week of May 19 and will be played on weekday evenings, from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. and possibly some Saturdays. Satur-days. Volunteer coaches are The Storytelling Festival is also asking for a $225,000 grant to build an amphitheater at Mt. Timpanogos Park. The festival had 22.000 visitors this year, Ashton said. Karl Hirst, director of Orem's recreation department, requested $500,000 in CARE funds to be set aside for recreational rec-reational and leisure property acquisition. He said the department depart-ment does not have a "target property" tagged for acquisi tools the mass video upload sites don't provide. "It's a great source for people peo-ple to take a look online." Peck said. "It's just a matter of time and I think Reel Connect will be up there." Because less than 2 percent of short films actually make producers any money, it's daunting for filmmakers to get the kind of exposure they need to acquire the funding larger projects require. Wood said. With no cost to filmmakers filmmak-ers to submit and upload their Marc Haddock THE EDITOR'S COLUMN J f? ? needed for this program. For additional information, please call the Orem Fitness Center at 229-7455. Correction In a story than ran in last week's edition of the Orem Times about the dedication of a statue of Danish immigrant Jorgen Nielsen at Nielsen's Grove Park in Orem, Asa Nielsen was misidentified. He is the chairman of the city's Historical Preservation Commission. tion, but wants to be ready should it become available. "Large pieces of property in Orem city are hard to find." Hirst said. "It's important that we be ready to act when we get the opportunity." Gay la Muir. a member of the Orem Arts Council, represented represent-ed the organization in requesting request-ing a $250,000 grant for an outdoor out-door cultural arts performance stage that would probably be built in Citv Center Park. films. Reel Connect is a low-cost low-cost alterative to film students and those trying to make a name for themselves, whether on the local LDS film scene, in California, or internationally. "What I see is Reel Connect being a place where someone to put up all their work and show that they're a viable force in the film community," he said. "People will say 'I do want to invest $100 in your vision because l like what I'm seeing' ... There's no place like that." Bear Lake ice fishing (no more cisco!), but it could also wreak havoc with the lake's ecosystem and nobody knows what that could mean. One thing it could mean is that moving all that water back and forth could stir up the sediments in the lake, which could rob Bear Lake of its famous blue hue. Another concern is that the plan could threaten the four fishes found in Bear Lake and nowhere else the Bear Lake cisco, the Bear Lake sculpin, the Bear Lake white fish and the Bonneville white fish. (Not to mention the elusive Bear Lake Monster.) The developers say the environ mental concerns are unfounded, but it sounds like it might be akin to dealing with the June sucker times four. And that's been monumental. In this case, however, the endemic fishes could be considered a blessing, not a curse, since they might bring the project to a standstill stand-still before it ever gets started. I don't know how Utah County folks who love the lake feel about the project, but I called my brother, who still lives in Montpe-lier Montpe-lier and is the Bear Lake County clerk, to find out how the county residents feel about it. The answer was no surprise. "Local reaction is 100 percent negative," he told me. "There's not one vibe of anyone who thinks it is reasonable at all." So far local groups weighing in against Hook Canyon include the Bear Lake County Commission, the Montpelier City Council and the Bear Lake Commission. "It's the most universally opposed thing I've ever seen," Kerry said. "This one's just a no brainer." But the promise of cheap electrical power continues to encourage Symbiotics, who are working through the seven-to 10-year process pro-cess required to push a complicated plan like this through the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. You can bet the residents of Bear Lake Valley, Val-ley, on both the Utah and Idaho sides, will be kicking all the way. And many of us who don't live there but love the lake will join them. UTOPIA Continued from Page I vale and Lindon, Orem, and Payson. Construction is in progress or pending in Trem-onton, Trem-onton, Brigham City, Perry, Layton and Centerville. One of the problems UTOPIA UTO-PIA has encountered, according accord-ing to background information, informa-tion, is its partnership with the Rural Utility Services of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Agri-culture. Six of the 11 member cities in the network qualified quali-fied for an RUS program to deploy broadband services to communities under 20,000 in population a fact that was considered a plus at first. UTOPIA claims the federal program caused delays and has failed to reimburse the agency for millions of dollars in costs. Shaw said the rural program was "difficult" to deal with. For Lindon and Payson. it "worked well," he said, but for Centerville, it did not, and funding was pulled. "We took the word of federal fed-eral government officials at face value," Shaw said. Another problem, he said, is that UTOPIA has been "overly-reliant" on having the service providers market the network. "Our main challenge," Shaw said, "is that we have not been able to deploy the system rapidly enough." While much has been made of UTOPIA'S negatives, Shaw said, there are a number num-ber of positives including the fact that no tax money has been used to date to shore up the network. "Those pledges have not been touched," he said. "They are sitting there, earning interest." UTOPIA has delivered its high-quality video, telephone, and Internet services since October of 2004, offering advanced capabilities at "significantly reduced rates," and contributing to economic development by drawing and retaining businesses, Shaw said. The value of open networks net-works (with private service providers) has been proven, Shaw said, and the fiber optic technology validated. He noted that other cities , . want to join the network and builders and developers want UTOPIA in their properties. "Refinancing will increase the likelihood that we will not call on the pledge amounts," Shaw said. Bob Wright was among Orem residents speaking against the proposal. "I have traditionally been opposed to the use of taxpayer taxpay-er money to subsidize private industry," he said. Another resident, Gary Bascom, said he believes the nation has entered into a recession re-cession that will put signing up for UTOPIA "way down" on the list for businesses and families. But a number of UTOPIA subscribers spoke in defense of the network and its services. ser-vices. "I'm glad I have UTOPIA in my home," said Ross Wille. He said he may be able to continue work from home as a software engineer without relocating because of UTOPIA. "I like the idea of UTOPIA taking control and lead- I like the idea of UTOPIA taking control and leading lead-ing the marketing effort. Jason Famsworth UTOPIA SUBSCRIBER ing the marketing effort," said subscriber Jason Farn-sworth. Farn-sworth. He also said he believes be-lieves the risks of voting "no" outweigh the risks of voting "yes" on the issue. |