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Show ci) Kickstarter Warming up to the warming will pledge money to help get your project off the ground, and if you reach your goal, then you get the money to make your dreams come true. If the project doesn't reach its goal, however, no money exchanges hands. The project is simply not funded. Kickstarter has only been around for a couple of years, but in the last couple of weeks it has risen in popularity due to a few projects that have broken the $1 million mark. These projects have broken many records, and have shown the power of crowd funding an idea, and that it isn't necessary to get big corporations involved to get something off the ground. One of the biggest projects is from a game studio, Double Fine Games. They wanted to make a point-andclick adventure game, a type of game that major publishers just don't fund anymore due to a belief that they are unwanted, and out of date. They managed to raise $1 million in under 24 hours, showing that there is a demand for adventure games, enough to raise almost $2 million in a matter of days. Kickstarter is beginning to become the go-to site for funding indie projects, and it would appear that they are beginning to hit their stride. they BY CAMERON SIMEK Staff Writer Have you ever wanted to start something? A film, a record, a new product, and anything you could imagine putting out into the world. Your only limit is imagination, and your wallet Thanks to a new website, however, the funding issue is being solved. It works like this; the creator seeking funds post an idea on Kickstarter. It can be a basic idea, or a product that exists, that simply needs some money to get off the ground. The creator posts their work on Kickstarter with a predetermined goal. The goal is what the creator of the product hopes to reach in his or her fundraising endeavor. In order to inspire confidence in the product, the backers are usually offered some kind of reward, or prize, and sometimes even a gift for the value equal to the money they pledged. These range from a kind word about you over a beer, to a dinner with the creator of the project. Most pledge rewards involve the product the donors pledge to support, and anything else the creator can use to incentivize this gift. If you have a good idea, one that people really like, KONY FROM Al really end the violence. On top of the financial concerns, the real question is whether white America is really the best group to tell this story, and whether America even understands this story. While all over Twitter hashtags of #stopkony or #invisiblechildren have popped up, many of those posting and obsessing are what one tweeter calls, "guilty white America." One Ugandan blogger, Rose Bell, took the Internet to respond to the video and to help tell the story that white America doesn't understand, or rather, can't understand. Bell wanted to detail the problems with this video. The purpose of the video, Bell points out, was difficult to pinpoint at first, and isn't even current. Kony is no longer in Uganda and the situation is much improved since the video was made six years ago. The other problem, she stated, is that this is an example of "an outsider trying to rescue African children." And while the violence described in the Kony 2012 video is horrific, it's not their story to tell. "How you tell the story of Africans is much more important than what the story actually is, because if you are showing me as voiceless, hopeless, you have no space telling my story," Bell said. UTAH COLLEGE OF DENTAL HYGIENE Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene (BSDH) Accredited College ACCSC, 20 Month Program! Accepting 60 students each class. 98% Graduation Rate Financial Aid & Loans are available (for those who qualify) UVU Prerequisites Accepted* (Micro, Chem Anatomy, Physiology, & Statistics) UCDH is a division of Careers Unlimited 801-426-8234 www.ucarieciu ,Gall ctpi PRICE OF UTAH .halfpricedentalclinics.com - Root Canals $485 - Crowns $485 - White Fillings from $69 $10 Off any dental procedure with this coupon! Cannot combine with other offer Student Special $25* Cleaning, Exam & X-rays 1176 South 1480 West, Orem, UT Located just west of Wolverine Crossing and Village on the Parkway 801-426-0774 *insurance may cover Staff Writer Bill McKibben, author, educator and environmental activist, faced a jam-packed Ragan Theatre Feb. 8 at 2:30 p.m. McKibben said that if an alien race was observing the things humanity is doing to the planet's atmosphere, they would conclude that we must be conducting a grand-scale mosquito-ranching experiment. McKibben is the author of more than a dozen books about nature and our relationship to it, as well as other books on unrelated topics. His most recent book: "Earth [sic]: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet" is a multiple award-winner, as is McKibben himself. He is a Harvard graduate and former writer for "The New Yorker." McKibben is well known for organizing environmental movements on a global political level, as well as sparking awareness in students and getting them involved. He frequently contributes to respected publications worldwide, and has been said to be one of the country's greatest environmental activists. "Bill McKibben is a deep friend of the earth and to humanity, because to be a deep friend of one, you have to be a deep friend of the other," said Michael Minch, director of the Peace and Justice Studies Program and chair of the Philosophy and Humanities Department at UVU. McKibben began his remarks by apologizing to the audience for enticing them indoors on such a beautiful day, for a lecture that some might find discouraging. He explained that over the last 10,000 years, the planet saw a great degree of constancy, with very little fluctuation of temperature in the oceans and atmosphere. Over the last several decades, that has ceased to be the case. "The only thing that morally-awake people can do when something this bad is happening during their lives is figure out what they can do eve!), day to help change those odds some." -Bill McKibben "So far human beings have raised the temperature of the earth about 1 degree," said McKibben. He asked the audience to keep in mind a basic principal of physics: that warm air holds more water vapor than cold. The carbon emissions released by humans are making the earth's atmosphere unnaturally hot and wet, and such conditions are loading the dice for large scale droughts and floods, which are being seen all over the earth. According to McKibben, the oceans are about 30 percent more acidic than they were forty years ago. "I wish I could promise you that it was all going to work. I cannot do that," McKibben said. He claims that environmentalists are losing this battle miserably due to lack of political will to do the things that will save this planet. Many political scientists believe that there is too much money on the other side of the fight. Exxon Mobil, for example, made more money last year than any time in the history of moneymaking, according to McKibben. "The only thing that morally-awake people can do when something this bad is happening during their lives is figure out what they can do every day to help change those odds some." Luckily, this seems to be McKibben's specialty. Global warming is a problem that will have to be addressed on a global level, and some of McKibben's work has addressed it well. On Oct. 24, 2009 there were 5100 demonstrations all over the world speaking out against carbon emissions. He also spearheaded a movement that inspired one million letters to Congress speaking out against a bill that President Obama ultimately ended up vetoing. McKibben's next global demonstration will take place on May 5, 2012. To get in- volved, log onto 350.org . While there are things each individual can do to help reduce personal carbon consumption: change your light bulbs, don't drive an SUV everywhere, buy local food, turn down your heater and put on a sweater, etc. The global warming fight cannot be won individually. McKibben suggests activism, organization and cooperation to fight this battle politically. McKibben's lecture marked the opening of the conference which will be held by The Peace and Justice Studies Program after Spring Break, entitled, "How to Have Hope: Remedies for Calamities Across the Global Landscape." McKibben's lecture occurred 19 days before the conference is scheduled, due to availability conflicts. "His voice is too important to not hear," Minch said. According to Minch, this year's conference will attempt to focus on solutions to problems, rather than the dissection of the problems alone. The conference will be held March 20-22. For a schedule, visit http:// www.uvu.edu/ peaceandjustice/ events Credit card spending on campus Through credit card may seem to solve problems they can also create problems of their own BY JOSH WARTENA Staff Writer Credit cards use by students remains high despite economic uncertainty. For poor college students, the thought of having access to money they don't necessarily have sounds pretty nice. What they might overlook, however, is the hardships debt may bring their way if they aren't careful. Even when unemployment and national debt are high, 30 percent of money spent on campus is spent through cred- it. Some students understand how credit works and use it appropriately, but students still need to be careful. According to the 2010 Census, Americans were in a total of $886 billion in credit card debt in 2009. With such high debt, students should be aware of what they're spending and how they're spending it. UVU offers different methods of payment throughout the campus, allowing students to steer away from credit card use if it's a concern for them. On-campus restaurants, the cafeteria and the bookstore say 70-80 percent of transactions are made with card, the remaining 20-30 percent being cash. The loser in campus purchases is the archaic check, which has gone the way of flip-phones and furbies. Restaurant cashiers say they see maybe one check a week, and sometimes not even that, but they are still an option for many campus purchases. Scoops is the exception to the use of plastic; most of its purchases are small snacks bought with change. The bookstore is one of the only places on campus where the cashier has to indicate on the register whether a card is debit or credit, and 30 percent of transactions are made with credit cards. Nearly all large purchases, such as textbooks or computers are bought on credit. "A lot of students just don't have the money, so they put it on credit, and that can build up," said a bookstore employee. Costa Vida and Subway, the busiest restaurants on campus, say nearly every student uses the frequent eater programs, giving students a discount or free meal after a number of points are collected. At the café in the library and the cafeteria many students have "Green Bucks," which gives a 5 percent discount. The student body takes advantage of the programs and accounts offered to save money on campus. A surprisingly high number of students also say they budget and balance their accounts regularly. While credit use is high, some students are aware of financial situations, and make an effort to use money responsibly. So swipe that plastic, but make sure you keep your spending in control. where S What are your plans for your summer break? See far off places? Earn money for school? Why not do both! Come to Dillingham Alaska and work at our shore side salmon processing plant. ENTAL CLINICS - Free Exam and X-rays* BY LINDSEY NELSON Ti e Jobs run from mid June to the end of July or into August. Pay rate starts at $7.95/hour with overtime at $11.925 after 8 hours/day and after 40 regular hours/week. When in full swing processing shifts are approx. 16 hours/day. Room & board are provided. Laundry is done once a week! Dorm style housing has 3 to a room so bring some friends. Airfare from Seattle to Dillingham is provided. Return airfare conditional on completion of season. is hi? For more information go to www.ppsf.com , fill out an application & specify Dillingham. Please email questions to dillinghaminfo@ppsf.com . SPACIOUS PRIVATE LIVING •Large Private Bedrooms with Locks •4 Bedrooms, 2 Baths, 4 Vanities •High Speed Internet Access •Central Air •Cable TV Induded •Large Storage Closets •Microwave/Dishwasher •Private Patios Luxury Clubhouse • Blg Screen TV • Piano Room • Study Room • • • • Exercise Room with TV Game Room Pool Table New Laundry Center • Large Pool/Jacuzzi • Best Sand Volleyball in town • Basketball Court • Gazebo-Picnic Patio Public Bus Service Leaving every 15 Minutes from Complex. Close to Shopping Malls, Theatres and Restaurants. 606 West 1720 North • Provo www.carriagecove.com |