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OPINION THE VOICE OF DIXIE STATE COLLEGE OF UTAH dixie SUN BY SHAWN ISHIHARA Dixie Sun Photographer The World is 510 072 million sq kilometers, according to the CIA The United States of 9,161,923 sq America has kilometers of land Utah covers 136,689 sq kilometers of that land You would guess that Id tip m how big St George is at this pomt Youre right, but I cant find it anywhere What I do know is that I can drive from one end of the town to the other, stopping at a handful of lights or stop signs These borders have hold on each of us m one way or the other Most of us come from the United States A lot of you have your roots in Utah Then there is the bubble of St George, which lor many Construction causes problems down the street You may BY CASIE MCNAUGHTON Sun Opinion Editor Dixie As many of us know, the construction is still continuing on the Boulevard This is becoming a setback to many St George residents Driving down the Boulevard is like trying to play the game Frogger You know, that one where you move the animated frog across a series of obstacles, trying not to be eaten, run over or drowned9 Trying to get our cars from one side of the Boulevard to the other is lust like that1 You have to dodge those orange cones sitting in the middle of the road, along with the construction workers watching the cars go by, and the signs that tell you to keep right Many of us have smaller cars, which means they may be lower to the ground You re lucky if your car is higher off the ground, because then you can guarantee a safe trip However, if you are one of those non-SUowners who loves to grind the bottom with the road, dirt and rocks, then go ahead lose a couple of parts from the bottom of your car, but hey9 What s wrong with that9 There are two things that bug me most about this construction First, it is impossible to figure out the entrances to different busi- - ' nesses1 Let's say, if I wanted to turn into State Bank of Southern Utah, I would have to enter into the driveway where you re originally supposed to exit from the window of the bank drive-throug- h itself1 The second thing that kills me is that people go an extra 15 mph below the speed limit Granted, I m not be a speed demon saying drive and use four-whegoing 35 mph down the Boulevard However, 25 mph is a decent speed Not 5 mph1 I know the trend is to drive like most of St George residents going a maximum of 30 mph, but )ust dont do it' The City of St George gave the Boulevards pro- posed date of completion July 18, 2006 Hopefully they are right for once, and the construction can and will come to an end soon if ever Dont count on it of you is your world, your bubble Im not inventing has anything new This idiomoutbeen told to many of us siders It was told to me the first time with pride, which I appreciated I will never say that this "bubble phenomenon is dire, nor am I suggesting it should pop, only that it should make room for cul BY STANTON ROSEMAN Dixie Sun Editor-Chief Utah is the best state in the United States Dont agree9 Then dont live here Inside Utah, Southern Utah-o- r Dixie - is one of the paramount features the state has Its not a surprise Utah's first governor, Brigham Young, built a winter home here Even current Gov Jon Huntsman Jr said this is possibly the greatest community in the United States when he spoke in at the Washmgton County Economic Summit in January Its bizarre that people bash the Dixie Area, its people, its heritage and its culture And yet many of the people who condemn the area still live here Does this mean they are living in condemned housing9 The dommant religion in the area is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-daSamts, aka the Mormons I y WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2005 ture and things that might be scary If fear kept the great ones at bay, Neil would have not made that small step, Chris would not have stumbled onto America, and Joseph would not have finished his prayer Being part of some- thing atypical and often dauntmg makes mankind better Try this experiment go to our neighborhood Best Buy I would suggest the local wax shop (Indie record store), but I have yet to fmd one Peruse the music section Fmd an artist you have never head of in a genre you dont listen to and buy the CD You may surprise yourself and like it Stop listening to music that is two years old and passing it off as new hits Another thing I already miss is a small cramped cafe Im not talking about our local Starbucks I speak of a real coffee shop There is nothing like sitting in a cafe with the NY Times m your lap, drinkmg a steamer (ask me about that and well go have some) There is one thmg that makes me almost laugh We all recognize the LDS church is dommant here With that come the standards of the like and enjoy what that church promulgates to its members Respecting the holy Sabbath day, no alcohol, no tobacco (an extra compliment for Utahs Clean Air Act), abstinence before marriage, etc etc etc Obviously, anyone who associates with members of the LDS Church can regurgitate names of LDS members , , who do not follow the above list No member of any church, save one person, is perfect, just ask the select Catholic officials charged with sexual abuse My pomt is that you cant come to this area and protest how local citizens difbehave just because it is ferent from where you came from Its like moving to Japan and complaining or about Buddhism, moving to the Vatican City and objecting to Catholicism But enough about religion Another great thmg about this area is Dixie State College Sure, some locals dont know the great institution they have, but I do I would rather go to DSC than any other school in this state - and that's why I am here church Gomg against those standards does not mean you have culture or are outside the "bubble In fact, most everyone I see with a cigarette in his hand looks to be showing it off OOH OHH LOOK" I'M SMOKING" Or when the drinker holds his beer a little too high at the lake for all to see, dont tell me this is because youre the outcast of society Frankly, no one really cares You just want us to Outside the bubble wouldnt even glance at you Sure the bubble" is frustrating at times Theres just not a lot to do as far as street life The town shuts down after 10 p m (that's pushing it too) I cant even get VHl, let alone BET God bless the Internet It is my connection outside the bubble However, It is my hope to brmg some of what I have gained out there (from the East), here I also hope to brmg to the outside some of the virtuousness of your bubble Like a child playing with soap bubbles, if you remember they are beautiful, also remember they are countless too As a crazy scientist once told me we are all bubbles Sure, the area does have imperfections The lower speed limits compared to northern Utah, heaps of infuriating police officers (don't you have something better to do than pull me over for absurd reasons, Officer Carter9), and having a lame mall are all disadvantages But having mild winters, friendly and down people (for the large percentage), palm trees, DSC, wonderful hiking areasnational parks, a booming economy, and the fact its in Utah are all reasons to stay here The total of all benefits outweigh any negative aspects 10 times over And thats why so many people are looking to move here It is estimated that by more than of a million people will live in this county That's gomg to be a lot of people Nothing is constant but change, but I am hopeful Utahs Dixie will keep many of its key attributes that create the allure to move here But if you don't like the way it is here, leave 2050, one-hal- f |